BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
11 March 2317
CCBL Preview: UMass, New Hampshire Picked in College Series
PAM has picked the UMass Minutemen to top the New Hampshire Wildcats in the 10th College Series in what looks to be a top-heavy college season. Both teams were in the postseason with New Hampshire winning the Northern Commonwealth Conference and UMass entering as an at-large team after finishing 4th in the Massachusetts Conference. The Wildcats were eliminated by Yale in the Elite Eight, while the Minutemen were eliminated by Commonwealth U in the Sweet 16. Yale and the Terriers advanced to the Final Four. The Terriers lost the College Series, three games to one, to Greenfield College.
Based on the setup of conference winners--six--getting the top seeds, there are again 18 at-large teams in the playoffs. The conference winners and top two wildcards will get a by into the Sweet 16 with the remaining 16 teams playing in a Play-in Round. The Independents, meaning not affiliated with a conference, must earn their way in with an at-large bid.
According to PAM's predictions, this would be the seedings with a line for the teams with a bye and indicators of expected finish per conference:
1. UMass (1st MassCon)
2. New Hampshire (1st NoComm) +239
3. Winthrop College (1st BCAC) +196
4. Yale (1st SoComm) +182
5. Bridgeport (1st ASC) +158
6. Sturbridge (1st MCC)
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7. Greenfield College (2nd MassCon)
8. Harvard (2nd BCAC)
9. Holy Cross (3rd MassCon)
10. Northeastern (3rd BCAC) +178
11. Fairfield (2nd SoComm) +138
12. Commonwealth (4th BCAC) +117
13T. Bunker Hill (5th BCAC)
13T. Endicott College (2nd ASC)
15. Revere College (6th BCAC) +157
16. Narragansett (3rd SoComm) +88
17. RISD (1st Ind)
18. ECSU (4th SoComm)
19. Acadia College (2nd NoComm) +66
20. American Int'l (2nd MCC) +56
21. Assumption (4th MassCon) +32
22. Stonehill College (5th MassCon) +84
23. UConn (5th SoComm) +62
24. Boston Coll (7th BCAC) +55
In top players predictions, junior LF Biddy Juhan of the Revere College Riders is predicted to be the Top Collegiate Hitter, while junior pitcher Casan Evans of the Assumption Greyhounds is expected to earn the Top Collegiate Pitcher Award.
Other hitter contenders include: 1B Slob Zuzoric, Jr, Brown; SS Peppino Civetta, Jr, Winchester; CF Derek Cureall, Jr, Winchester; and 1B Ovedom Aquascent, Jr, UNH. Other pitcher contenders include: SP Zachariah Budd, Jr, Naval War College; SP Cheek Inares, Jr,
UMass; SP Angry Al Higgins, Jr, Winchester; and SP Quantum Taylor, Jr, Assumption.