NECBL Power Rankings: Schooners streak hits 8

Tim Viehoff has been dominant for the Muskrats.
(Meredith Perri/MassLive)

Here are my first of many weekly power rankings, as teams in the NECBL are still trying to separate themselves from the pack and establish themselves as serious contenders. It's hard to tell who's got the advantage early, with the top five teams in each divisions all battling it out.

In order to put together this list, I'm taking into account several factors- last week's record, the quality of opponents, and recent performance beyond the last week as well. This is of course a fluid process, so teams will rise and fall each week.


1. Mystic Schooners (8-1)
After dropping their opener, Mystic has won eight straight games- including wins over talented teams. They rank first in ERA (1.69) and have a microscopic 1.20 ERA over their last five games- in which Ben Ruta is raking (.444 average).

2. Newport Gulls (6-2)
The defending champions opened the season 2-2, but have won four straight and already have four shutouts. Michael Mertz was named the pitcher of the week, striking out 10 over 10 scoreless innings across a pair of starts.

3. Laconia Muskrats (5-3)
Four straight wins has boosted Laconia from a 1-3, bottom of the standings start to leading the Northern Division. Starter Tim Viehoff has dazzled, striking out 18 over 13 scoreless innings. The lefty is holding opponents to a .070 average as well.


4. Vermont Mountaineers (4-3)
Vermont has won back-to-back games, powered by player of the week Thomas Roulis, and sit in a logjam at a half game back of first. Roulis leads the league in batting average (.581) by over 130 points. They rank fifth in ERA (2.61) and third in average (.269).


5. Ocean State Waves (4-3)
The Waves have also won a pair of games in a row and sit a game over .500, and rank near the middle of the pack in both hitting and pitching. Tim Lynch has slugged three home runs in the past five games, and is tied for the league lead.


6. North Adams SteepleCats (4-3)
Winners of three of their last five, North Adams has overcome a rough start to the season on the mound with strong offense. Joseph Burns is hitting .421 over the last five games and is tied for the league lead with nine RBIs.

7. Valley Blue Sox (4-3)
Valley remains tied for second in a crowded Northern Division picture after dropping two straight. Hitting just .199, the Blue Sox have struggled to provide run support for a pitching staff that has a 2.03 ERA. Bryan Goosens is 2-0 and hasn't allowed a run in 14 innings.

8. Sanford Mainers (4-5)
The Mainers boast one of the leagues best offenses (.287) but have been pulled down by a pitching staff that ranks 9th. They're hitting .320 in their last five games but still managed to go 2-3. Reliever Cody Dube has been dominant, with 19 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings.

9. Plymouth Pilgrims (4-4)
Last year's best regular season team, Plymouth has opened the season an unassuming 4-4. They've won two against last-place Danbury and have also dropped two straight. Brent Rooker (nine RBIs) and Matt O'Neill (three HRs) both lead the league.

10. New Bedford Bay Sox (3-4)
After winning just 11 games last year, New Bedford burst out of the gate with three straight wins over Newport, Ocean State and Plymouth. They've since dropped four straight. Still, they're a middle of the pack team in both ERA and average.

11. Keene Swamp Bats (1-8)
Losers of three straight, Keene has continued to struggle to score runs. They're last in the league in runs (17 in nine games). Despite having no lead to protect, Keene's bullpen (1.50 ERA) has continued to dazzle. Zach Willeman has 11 strikeouts in just five innings.

12. Danbury Westerners (0-8)
Zachary Burger has slugged three home runs and knocked in eight runs, but the Westerners rank near the bottom in scoring. Combined with a 5.32 team ERA, Danbury is the only team remaining without a win. An ugly week ended with the team hitting just .191.