Baseball Selected Third in MASCAC Preseason Poll
The Owls totaled 50 points in the coaches’ poll for the third rank and return several key pieces from last season’s team.
WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State University baseball team was picked to finish third as part of the 2026 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference's Preseason Poll as voted on by the coaches throughout the conference.
The Owls totaled 50 points for the third ranking, trailing preseason favorite Bridgewater State which received five first-place votes and 59 points and Worcester State which checked in at second with the other four first-place votes and 53 points.
Last season, the Owls finished the season with an overall record of 26-12, posting a 13-8 record in conference play to earn the third overall seed in the MASCAC Tournament. The Owls season ended in an elimination game against Framingham State in the first round.
Returning this season is senior outfielder Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.) who finished fourth in the conference with 11 home runs and 42 runs batted in to go along with a .333 batting average and a .634 slugging percentage. He was also top five in the MASCAC in steals with 15.
Westfield also returns a pair of left-handed hitters in Alex Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Chase Racine (Pittsfield, Mass.). Martin hit for an average of .337 last season on top of playing stellar defense while patrolling centerfield. Racine registered a .329 average with a .439 on-base percentage, belting four home runs as part of 15 extra base hits for the Owls first baseman.
On the pitching side, the Owls return a pair of top arms in the league in Sean McNamara (Lowell, Mass.) and Jack Novak (Colchester, Conn.). McNamara was one of the best pitchers in the league at missing bats, whiffing 74 hitters which was second in the conference which included a one-hit masterpiece against Worcester State where he tossed a complete-game in seven innings with a staggering 16 strikeouts. Novak finished second in the MASCAC with a 3.63 earned run average in 44.2 innings pitched last season.
The Owls will also bring back one of their top relievers from last year as Sean Shea (Longmeadow, Mass.) posted a 0.50 earned run average across 18 innings, allowing just one earned run all year in ten appearances.
Westfield State begins the regular season on Friday, February 27 at 12:00 P.M. against Eastern Connecticut State University from Emmitsburg, Maryland.