2026 NAC Baseball Preseason Poll & Players to Watch

3/10/2026 1:00:00 PM

WATERVILLE, Maine – The 2026 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Baseball Preseason Poll results have been tabulated, and defending champion Husson University has been selected to claim the North Atlantic Conference title this season according to a vote of NAC baseball coaches.

The Eagles secured six first-place votes and 48 points overall as they head into the 2026 campaign looking to defend their conference title. SUNY Cobleskill claimed the final first-place vote and earned second-place with 40 points overall, while Thomas College finished third with 32 points.

Lesley University notched 29 points for a fourth-place finish followed by Vermont State University Lyndon in fifth with 23 points. UMaine-Farmington (14 points) and UMaine-Presque Isle (10 points) completed the poll.

Husson enters the season looking to defend its NAC title after an undefeated championship run last spring. The Eagles have captured six straight conference championships.

Under the new leadership of head coach Zach Sugar and his staff, the Eagles return one 2025 All-NAC selections, junior Matt Holmes (Second Team).

Click on each team below to view their capsules and Players to Watch

2026 NAC Baseball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Institution – Points (First Place Votes)

Institution	Husson University
Head Coach:	Zach Sugar
Head Coach's Overall Coaching Record/No. of seasons	0-0/1st Season
Head Coach's Coaching Record at School/No. of seasons:	0-0/1st Season
Last Season's Overall Record:	24-16
Last Season's Divisional Record/Finish:	13-4/1st
No. of Starters Returning:	6
No. of Starters Lost:	4
No. of Returning Roster Players:	31
Top Returning Pitchers:	Avery Lawrence / P / Sophomore / Portland, Maine Ben Phillips / P / Senior / Kanata, Ontario, Canada Tanner Audyatis / P / Senior / East Freetown, Mass. Allen Wheaton / P / Senior / Glenburn, Maine
Top Returning Players:	Cam Rendell / UT / Senior / Ingramport, Nova Scotia, Canada Hunter Curtis / OF / Senior / Ellsworth, Maine Matt Holmes / OF / Junior / Bangor, Maine Keegan Cyr / INF / Senior / Bangor, Maine
Top Newcomers:	N/A

Institution	SUNY Cobleskill
Head Coach:	Austin Straub
Head Coach's Overall Coaching Record/No. of seasons	49-62/3 seasons
Head Coach's Coaching Record at School/No. of seasons:	49-62/3 seasons
Last Season's Overall Record:	9-24
Last Season's Divisional Record/Finish:	8-4/2nd
No. of Starters Returning:	8
No. of Starters Lost:	4
No. of Returning Roster Players:	27
Top Returning Pitchers:	Evan Balbera / RHP / Senior / Patchoque, N.Y. Connor Mulligan / LHP / Senior / Cheshire, Conn.
Top Returning Players:	Korin Laurilla / C / Junior /East Greenbush, N.Y. Jeffrey Gutierrez / SS / Senior / Bronx, N.Y. Logan Firment / OF / Senior / Andes, N.Y. Cole Platt / 1B / Senior / Oneonta, N.Y.
Top Newcomers:	Tony Woodie / OF/1B / Sophomore / West Palm Beach / Fla. (transfer from Frontier CC Jake Brazzano / INF/C / Junior / Blairstown, N.J. (transfer from Hofstra University) Brayden Sakowsky / RHP / First-Year / Harpursville, N.Y. Alex Slater / OF/RHP / First-Year /Coxsackie, N.Y. Marciano Neglia / RHP / Junior / Saugerties, N.Y. (transfer from Rockland CC)

Institution	Thomas College
Head Coach:	Ray Bernier
Head Coach's Overall Coaching Record/No. of seasons	36-39 (Two Seasons)
Head Coach's Coaching Record at School/No. of seasons:	36-39 (Two Seasons)
Last Season's Overall Record:	20-22
Last Season's Divisional Record/Finish:	12-6/2nd
No. of Starters Returning:	3
No. of Starters Lost:	10
No. of Returning Roster Players:	22
Top Returning Pitchers:	Ankit Shah / RHP / Graduate Student / Houston Texas
Top Returning Players:	DJ Cagnina Jr. / 1B / Graduate Student / South Berwick Maine Hayden Dippner / OF/INF / Junior / Wilton Maine
Top Newcomers:	To Be Determined

Institution	Lesley University
Head Coach:	Cody Mercier
Head Coach's Overall Coaching Record/No. of seasons	20-18/One season
Head Coach's Coaching Record at School/No. of seasons:	20-18/One season
Last Season's Overall Record:	20-18
Last Season's Divisional Record/Finish:	11-5/ 1st in West (3rd overall)
No. of Starters Returning:	3
No. of Starters Lost:	7
No. of Returning Roster Players:	6
Top Returning Pitchers:	Jacob Nemergut / RHP / Graduate Student / Monroe Conn. Roy Lenard / LHP / Senior / Shelton Conn.
Top Returning Players:	Caden Shott / SS/3B / Senior / Richmond, Calif.
Top Newcomers:	Grant Bazinet / 3B/1B / Sophomore / Littleton, Colo. Gerlys Martinez / C/1B / First-Year / Charlestown, Mass. Anthony Nyhuis / OF / First-Year / Wanaque, N.J. Andres Moreno / 2B/SS / First-Year / Holladay, Utah Owen Finnegan / OF / First-Year / Wayland, Mass. Ethan Frost-Stokhuag / LHP / First-Year / Buena Park / Calif.

Institution	VTSU Lyndon
Head Coach:	Cameron Curler
Head Coach's Overall Coaching Record/No. of seasons	45-84 / 4 seasons
Head Coach's Coaching Record at School/No. of seasons:	31-72 / 3 seasons
Last Season's Overall Record:	12-22
Last Season's Divisional Record/Finish:	3-9 / 3rd West
No. of Starters Returning:	5
No. of Starters Lost:	4
No. of Returning Roster Players:	21
Top Returning Pitchers:	Carlos Rodriguez / P / Graduate Student / La Mirada, Calif. Nathan Bigelow / P / Senior / East Hampton, Conn. Michael Redmond / P / Senior / Plantation, Fla. Isaiah Gutierrez / P / Senior /Nashua, N.H.
Top Returning Players:	Matt Gonyeau / UT / Senior / St. Albans, Vt. Ryan Alt / 1B / Senior / Poultney, Vt. Eyon Tembreull / IF / Sophomore / Vergennes, Vt.
Top Newcomers:	Jeren Harrison / OF / Senior transfer / Charlotte, N.C. Cesar Cisneros / IF / First-Year transfer / National City, Calif. Eric Hernandez Jr. / First-Year / First Base / Fairfax, Vt.

Institution	UMaine-Farmington
Head Coach:	Chris Bessey
Head Coach's Overall Coaching Record/No. of seasons	147-335, 15th Season
Head Coach's Coaching Record at School/No. of seasons:	15th Season
Last Season's Overall Record:	10-26
Last Season's Divisional Record/Finish:	4-13, 3rd NAC East
No. of Starters Returning:	6
No. of Starters Lost:	6
No. of Returning Roster Players:	18
Top Returning Pitchers:	Jameson Bloch / LHP / Senior / Attleboro, Mass.
Top Returning Players:	Jameson Bloch / DH/UTIL / Senior /Attleboro, Mass. Ike Wrigley / OF / Junior / Farmington, Maine Matt Marquis / OF / Junior / Monmouth, Maine Colby Lewis / C /Junior / Blue Hill, Maine
Top Newcomers:	Brady Vincent / 1B/P / Junior / Auburn, Maine - CMCC Transfer Hayden Durrell / UT / Junior / Madrid, Maine - CMCC Transfer Elie Timler / RHP / Sophomore, Jay, Maine Max Bryan / RHP / First-year / Walpole, Mass.

Institution	University of Maine at Presque Isle
Head Coach:	Tim Burns
Head Coach's Overall Coaching Record/No. of seasons	7-20/One Season
Head Coach's Coaching Record at School/No. of seasons:	7-20/One Season
Last Season's Overall Record:	7-20
Last Season's Divisional Record/Finish:	4-14/4th
No. of Starters Returning:	8
No. of Starters Lost:	4
No. of Returning Roster Players:	13
Top Returning Pitchers:	Garrett Chadwick / RHP/SS / Senior / Brighton, Colo. Jonah Baude / RHP / Junior / Bangor, Maine Michael Langley / RHP/IF / Junior / Presque Isle, Maine
Top Returning Players:	Garrett Chadwick / RHP/SS / Senior / Brighton, Colo. Hector Perez / OF / Junior / Georgetown, Texas Ian Michaud /1B / Junior / Mapleton, Maine Sam Bay / OF / Sophomore / Orrington, Maine
Top Newcomers:	Diego Maldonado / LHP/1B / First-Year / El Paso, Texas Mitchell Kley / OF / Junior / Arbuckle, Calif. Carter Murphy / IF / First-Year / Lucasville, Nova Scotia, Canada Ronnie Golmon / IF/OF / First-Year / Georgetown, Texas Brock Black / IF/C / First-Year / Riceville, New Brunswick, Canada

2026 NAC Players to Watch

Cam Rendell | Senior | P/INF | Ingramport, Nova Scotia, Canada
Rendell is coming off of a junior year where he missed some time due to injury but was still effective at the plate, batting .290 with an .875 OPS, tallying nine doubles and three home runs with 22 RBIs. Rendell recorded 16 walks and posted a .418 on-base percentage.
Hunter Curtis | Senior | OF | Ellsworth, Maine
Curtis was a staple for the Eagles in center field, starting all 40 games last year and boasting a .287 batting average and .847 OPS to go along with seven doubles and three home runs and 28 RBIs. Curtis also tallied 28 walks and a 13-14 clip on stolen bases to add on to a .430 on-base percentage and 0 errors in center field in 91 fielding chances.
Grant Bazinet | Sophomore | INF | Littleton, Colo.
Bazinet, A juco transfer from Scottsdale CC, redshirted his rookie season. Bazinet is projected to be an impact player for the Lynx this season, starting at third base and batting in the four hole. He has a plus power tool at the plate and is a sure handed third baseman.
Caden Shott | Senior | INF | Richmond, Calif.
Shott put together a breakout campaign for Lesley during the 2025 season, setting career highs in batting average (.377), hits (26), RBIs (12), on-base percentage (.531), and slugging percentage (.420). He tallied eight multi-hit games, including two contests with three hits to tie his career high. Shott also posted a career-best .973 fielding percentage and was named to the NAC All-Conference First Team.
Alex Burciaga | Sophomore | RHP | West Islip, N.Y.
Burciaga returns as a potential top-end starter after missing the 2025 season. As a freshman in 2024, he showed promise on the mound and now looks to reestablish himself in the rotation. Expected to compete for the team’s top starting role.
Cole Platt | Senior | 1B | Oneonta, N.Y.
Platt is coming off a huge 2025 season in which he led the Cobleskill offense with five home runs. With 28 game starts, he tallied a .301 batting average, .570 slugging percentage, and .377 on-base percentage. In the field he recorded a .988 fielding percentage.
DJ Cagnina | Graduate Student | INF | South Berwick, Maine
Cagnina enters his final year of eligibility for the Terriers. Cagnina earned 29 RBI, 44 hits, and started 42 games last season at first base, all career highs. Cagnina, a former NAC All-Conference selection, will look to take a leadership role this season.
Hayden Dippner | Junior | OF | Wilton, Maine
Dippner, a rising Junior outfielder, is coming off a season where he set the all-time program record in runs scored. Dippner hit .305 with an on base percentage of .503 last season and will look to make another leap to help the Terriers.
Ike Wrigley | Junior | OF | Farmington, Maine
Wrigley returns after starting all 36 games for the Beavers in his sophomore season. He slashed a .302 batting average, .371 on-base percentage, and .476 slugging percentage while leading the team with 30 runs scored. Wrigley also tied for the team lead with 11 doubles and eight stolen bases. A key piece of the lineup, he will also serve as a captain for the 2026 season.
Jameson Bloch | Senior | LHP/1B/OF | Attleboro, Mass.
Bloch, a captain for the 2026 season, returns after earning 2025 NAC Second Team All-Conference honors. A versatile contributor, he started all 36 games for UMF while also making 12 appearances on the mound. At the plate, he tied for the team lead with 11 doubles and matched the program’s single-game record with three doubles in a game. On the mound, Bloch led the team with a 4.97 ERA and was even stronger in conference play, posting a 2.55 ERA.
Garrett Chadwick | Senior RHP/SS | Brighton, Colorado
Chadwick, named a captain in his senior season, comes off one of the most impressive two-way campaigns in recent UMPI history. In 2025, he hit .342 at the plate while posting a 4.75 ERA on the mound, showcasing his rare ability to contribute both offensively and on the mound.
Hector Perez | Junior | OF | Georgetown, Texas
Perez was also named a captain this fall and has developed into an outstanding leader, ballplayer, and presence on campus since arriving at UMPI two years ago. In 2025, he showcased his speed with a .315 batting average, recording three triples and stealing 16 bases on 18 attempts. Perez also flashed some power at the plate, adding two home runs last season.
Carlos Rodriguez | Graduate Student | Pitcher | La Miranda, Calif.
Rodriguez made a solid impact for the Hornets during the 2025 season, posting a 4.67 ERA across nine appearances, including six starts. He logged 44.1 innings and struck out 41 batters.
Matt Gonyeau | Senior | Utility/Pitcher | Saint Albans, Vt.
Gonyeau made two appearances on the mound, striking out three batters, while his offensive production was a highlight of the season. At the plate, he posted a .352 batting average, a .439 on-base percentage, and a .500 slugging percentage, tallying eight doubles and four triples.