Coming off a brilliant 2017 season, the common thought was that the Beacons baseball team had to regress, which is often the case with college sports. Sustained success is extremely difficult given the come-and-go nature of great players. However, after making it deep into the NCAA tournament last season, the University of Massachusetts Boston’s baseball team has done nothing but dominate almost every opponent they faced, including the team’s current 13-game winning streak.
As it stands right now, the UMass Boston baseball team has a 24-5 record overall, and a 7-0 record against Little East Conference (LEC) opponents. They sit at the top of the LEC by a couple of games; however, more important than that is the attention that UMass Boston has received from the NCAA Division III ranking committee. At one point in the season, UMass Boston was ranked top in the nation, and while they have slipped down a bit, UMass Boston is still ranked fifth in the entire country as of April 17. 
UMass Boston has kept up their high level of play by balancing a potent offensive attack with a lights-out pitching staff. UMass Boston leads the LEC in runs scored, driving in nearly 50 runs more than the next best team, Rhode Island College. They also lead in total hits, doubles, and home runs, in addition to being ranked third in team batting average, second in team on-base percentage, and second in team slugging percentage.
The anchors of this lineup have been nothing short of fantastic all season. Dave Murphy, senior, Chris Fowler, senior, Ryan McCormick, sophomore, and Kyle Boudrias, junior, have led the team offensively throughout the season. Murphy and Fowler have been carrying most of the load on offense, with Murphy leading the LEC with 10 home runs, and Fowler right behind him in second place with five. In addition to the home runs, Fowler is tied for the conference lead in doubles with 12, while Murphy is tied for third with 8. While the extra base hits have been a huge advantage, it’s also important to note that all four players mentioned above are batting well above .300 on the season.
This UMass Boston team is more than one that just scores runs. You would have to go all the way back to April 5 to find the last time UMass Boston gave up more than four runs in a game. Their dominance on the mound is illustrated by their LEC leading team earned run average of 3.28. The Beacons pitching really has no weakness, equally deadly with quality starters and relievers. The starting rotation is anchored by the 1-2-3 punch of Fernando Burgos, junior, JT Morin, sophomore, and Joey Rogers, sophomore. Burgos and Rogers have both started seven games, while Morin has started five. However, all three pitchers have struck out over 30 batters. Rogers currently has an ERA of 3.47, while Burgos manages an ERA of 2.70, and Morin leads the team with a microscopic ERA of 1.78.
If teams can somehow manage to beat the Beacons starters, they then must deal with the dynamite late inning relief of Mike Doherty, freshman, and Bobby Tramondozzi, junior. Tramondozzi, the Beacons’ go-to closer, leads the team with six saves and an insane 0.42 ERA with over 20 innings pitched on the season. With the Beacons starters going as deep as they have been this season, and Tramondozzi slamming the door all season, the Beacons have the pitching to keep any LEC team’s bats under control.
The Beacons have a tremendous outlook for the season, especially after so much promise only a year ago. With the dominance at the plate and on the mound, expect the Beacons to make it even further in the tournament this year, possibly a World Series win.