Beacons Update
Baseball
The University of Massachusetts Boston is on fire as they approach postseason baseball later this May. After a .500 start, the Beacons have developed into a Little East Conference title contender throughout the course of April. During the month, UMass Boston earned themselves 14 wins and four losses. Head Coach Brendan Eygabroat is excited with his team’s seasonal performance, saying that the ultimate goal is “winning the [LEC] title and reaching the NCAA tournament.”
The Beacons have won 11 consecutive matches. In their most recent matchup against Endicott College, the Beacons managed to upset the regionally-ranked powerhouse. UMass Boston managed to stride past the Gulls with ease with a 12-4 victory at Endicott College. The Beacons came out swinging early, earning themselves a four-run lead in the first inning. By the end of the fourth inning, Endicott trailed two runs to the Beacons’ ten.
The Beacons have three games left before the postseason, facing Amherst College at home on May 4. UMass Boston then hosts a double-header against Rhode Island College on May 6.
Lacrosse
Beacons Lacrosse hosted their senior night on April 29 as they took the field at Boston College High School for the last game of the regular season. In their last game in the Beacon Blue uniform, lacrosse seniors managed to go out with a victory.
During the game, the group of seniors had top-level performances. Calvin Lee left the game scoring four goals off of nine shots, Nick Weiss and Michael Dorocher both snagged a single goal, Michael Kennedy found the back of the netting twice, and Dino Flori managed to get an assist.
The team finished 12-5 overall, earning themselves an LEC record of four and three. Their record puts them as the third seed for the postseason tournament. The Beacons face their rivals, UMass Dartmouth’s Corsairs (fourth seed) on May 3.
“We can win the LEC with the talent we have this year,” said Head Coach Low. “The [LEC final] is just two games away, but it all starts with Dartmouth.” Hopefully Low and his Beacons can execute their strategy and earn themselves a trip to the LEC final.
Softball
UMass Boston’s softball program clinched themselves a playoff spot during their senior day game. During the double-header event, the Beacons faced up against Plymouth State University, losing their first outing but winning the second game in a convincing manner.
After taking an early lead in the first inning, the Beacons led the game 5-0 at the end of the second inning. In the top of the third, Plymouth made a five run push to even out the scoreboard. Despite their best efforts, Plymouth couldn’t keep up with the Beacons’ bats for the remainder of the game. Entering the bottom of the fifth with a tie ball game, the Beacons managed to bring in three runners, distancing themselves for the playoff-clinching victory.
The Beacons will be the fifth seed as they enter the Little East Conference postseason. UMass Boston faces the fourth seed, rival UMass Dartmouth. The teams are evenly-matched competitors, splitting their previous two meetings this year. The state rivalry takes place at 4:30 p.m. on May 3 at UMass Dartmouth.
Tennis
After an extremely rough start, the Beacons managed to turn the season around to finish with 6-11. Despite the losing record, UMass Boston showed signs of improvement as the season progressed, winning five of their last nine matches. As UMass Boston’s athletic department pushes to establish themselves as a top Division III program in the state, it will be interesting to see if they shake things up this offseason. It has been three seasons since Head Coach Eric Berg has posted a winning record. While a coaching change probably isn’t necessary, some sort of urgency for success needs to be established within the program.