2026 CACC Baseball Tournament Preview
- Robert Frey
- 4 hours ago
- 8 min read
The road to the East Region Championship and a potential trip to Cary begins now. Eight teams have punched their ticket to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Baseball Tournament, setting the stage for two weekends of high-stakes baseball. The action kicks off with four best-of-3 series played at the higher seeds' home fields, culminating in a four-team double-elimination final at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury, Conn.. Leading the charge is the reigning champion and overall No. 1 seed Wilmington, who enter the postseason as the undisputed titan of the CACC, dominating the conference in virtually every major offensive and pitching metric. While the Wildcats are the heavy favorites, the field is ripe with hungry contenders, including the Felician Golden Falcons, who made a historic deep run to the East Regional last season, and the Holy Family Tigers, who are making their first tournament appearance since launching their program in 2024. From the established powerhouse to the determined underdog, here is a breakdown of all four opening-round matchups.
All games will be streamed on caccnetwork.com
For times and links to video and stats, go to our conference tournament hub: diviibaseball.com/conf-tournament-hub
Here’s how the format works:
Weekend 1 will be a best-of-3 at the higher seeds home fields.
Weekend 2 will be a four-team double elimination bracket at Municipal Stadium.
The opening games of weekend two will be the 1vs8 seeds winner against the 4vs5 seeds winner and the 2vs7 seeds winner against the 3vs6 seeds winner.
Here’s what the second weekend will look like per the CACC website (all times Eastern):
Double-Elimination Tournament (at Municipal Stadium, Waterbury, Conn., Host: Post University)
Thursday, May 7 (Day 1)
Game 1 or 2: Bridgeport/Wilmington winner vs.Post/Felician Winner, 11 a.m. or 2 p.m.**
Game 1 or 2: Holy Family/Goldey-Beacom winner vs. Chestnut Hill/Jefferson winner, 11 a.m. or 2 p.m.**
Game 3: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 5 p.m. (Elimination Game)
** - Highest remaining seed will play in the day's first game at 11 a.m.
Friday, May 8 (Day 2)
Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 11 a.m.
Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser, 2 p.m. (Elimination Game)
Saturday, May 9 (Day 3)
Game 6: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 11 a.m. (Championship Final)
Game 7: If Necessary Game
Below is a breakdown of each teams, their overall record, and some players to watch.
Wilmington enters the postseason as the titan of the CACC, having recorded a 34-15 regular season campaign and are the defending CACC Tournament Champions. The Wildcats haven't just won; they've dominated, pacing the conference in virtually every meaningful metric, from a scorching .341 team batting average to a staff ERA of 5.32. Nationally, they are a nightmare for opponents, ranking 6th in Division II with 414 strikeouts and 10th with 147 stolen bases. This is a blue-collar squad that thrives on creating absolute havoc on the basepaths while delivering elite swing-and-miss stuff from the bump.
The offensive engine is fueled by senior catalyst Tyler Pirrung, a .400 hitter who leads the CACC with 37 stolen bases. He isn't the only one finding gaps, however, as Brett Walmsley owns the conference's top batting average at a staggering .423. The lineup depth is terrifying, featuring six qualified hitters batting north of .350. While the Wildcats rely on a thousand cuts, senior Cam Trego provides the thunder as the roster's primary power threat, having launched 10 home runs this spring.
When the lights are brightest, Wilmington turns to junior Chase Fleming, the workhorse of the rotation who pitched his way to a 6-1 record and a conference-best 3.06 ERA over 50.0 innings. Should a lead need protecting late, the Wildcats unleash senior Scott Borgmann from the bullpen. Borgmann has been nothing short of lights-out, racking up 62 strikeouts in just 44.1 frames while maintaining a perfect 5-0 record and slamming the door with five saves.
Bridgeport enters as the underdog, needing to win eight of their last nine conference games just to have a spot in the tournament. The Knights are hitting .270 as a team with a 7.55 team ERA.
While the team stats may not match the upper echelon of the conference, there’s a lot of fight in this team. It starts with leaders like Anthony Matturo and Luke Meister on offense. Both are hitting above .340 with an on-base percentage over .400. If those guys go, they have a chance.
On the pitching side of things, Logan McGrath leads the team in appearances with twelve and has a team-best 3.93 ERA over 34.1 innings. He’s recorded a few starts lately and may continue to do that. Alex Bulger leads the team with 36.2 innings and is 2-3 with a 4.66 ERA and has gone 7+ innings of 1 run or fewer in two of his last three starts.
Felician, as we know, can get hot at the right time and make a deep run, as they represented the East region in Cary last season. Just like last season, too, a lot of their run came from the heels of great pitching and defense. The Golden Falcons sport the 2nd-best ERA (5.45) and best Fielding Percentage (.966) in the conference.
Pitching is interesting for Felician, as they have no players who are qualified for leaderboards, but have used 27 different pitchers this season. Most used is sophomore RHP Andrew Gendi, who over 18 appearances (3 starts) has thrown 36.2 innings to a 4.17 ERA and a .230 batting average against. While not quite having the season up to expectations, Max Weber is another guy to look out for, especially when he’s on. Weber has 53 strikeouts over 42.2 innings and has held hitters to a .245 batting average.
While the pitching staff has used a myriad of pitchers, there’s one consistency behind the plate and in the box. That’s senior catcher Luis DeLaCruz, who is hitting .363 with double digit doubles (15) and home runs (11). Those extra base hits also contribute to his tied-for-1st in conference RBI total at 56.
Post relies on getting on base and recording the big hit, as they are 5th in the CACC in both batting average and on base percentage. That starts with the dynamic duo of Andrew Hartman (.358 AVG, 1.009 OPS) and Manny Contreras (.338 AVG, 1.042 OPS) that does damage for this offense. No player in the CACC has hit more doubles than Contreras’ sixteen and only two players (both tied) have hit as many RBI as Hartman’s fifty six.
Sebastian Velasquez is the ace of the rotation, as he’s 6th in the conference with a 3.93 ERA over 50.1 innings. Expect him to go Game 1 of the series. Meanwhile, the Eagles rely on a relief ace to get to their good closer. Over 14 appearances, Logan Pulitano has a 3.11 ERA and a .235 batting average against over 37.2 innings. That’s nearly 3 innings per relief outing! Andrew Hardin leads the team with 6 saves over 17.2 innings and carries a 4.08 ERA over 17 appearances.
Goldey-Beacom has been a mainstay in the CACC Tournament and the Regionals, though this year, they are currently the first team out of the East Regional Rankings. The Lightning’s strength is slugging, as they are fifth in the conference with a .460 SLG%, but first in the conference with 110 doubles. On the opposing side, Goldey-Beacom is third in the CACC with a 5.69 ERA and gets a ton of innings from their rotation.
Speaking of their rotation, let’s start with Kory Williams, who has the most innings on the team at 62.2 innings with a 3.59 ERA and a 6-2 record. Connor Blence is second in IP with 59.2 and has the best starter ERA with a 3.17 figure. George Starr has thrown 57.2 innings to the tune of a 5.31 ERA.
Offensively, the two boppers are Jake Macey and Jaime Neris Jr. Macey is one of five guys with 10+ doubles with 11 and has a team-leading .341 average with a 1.032 OPS. Neris Jr. is tied for the team lead with 9 home runs and has the highest OPS at 1.082. On the basepaths, it’s Bobby Stewart, who is a perfect 36-for-36 on stolen base attempts (2nd most SB in the conference).
Holy Family enters the tournament for the first time since beginning their program in 2024 as the 7th seed. The Tigers rank 4th in the CACC in ERA (6.12) and batting average against (.291). Offensively, they are sixth in both batting average and on-base percentage.
Jalen David is the igniter for this offense, lead the team in batting average at .354 and is second with 24 stolen bases in 25 attempts. Teammate Andres Rivera has 24 extra base hits (12 doubles, 4 triples, 8 home runs) with a .318 average and leads the team with 26 stolen bases. Those two guys with three other hitters who hit .315 or better mean business when they’re on and make it a tough out.
Speaking of tough outs, Jordan Sesar is the ace of the staff who gets outs. He’s third in the conference with a 3.53 ERA and has the 2nd-lowest batting average against at .216. What stands out the most for Sesar is his swing and miss ability. He leads the conference with 70 strikeouts in just 51 innings. Rylan McLaughlin serves as a good number two, as he has a 3.94 ERA over 59.1 innings. These two give Holy Family a great chance in the first round best-of-3.
Jefferson, after coming off a season as a regional host, has played just a tad over .500 this season. When they’re on, it's usually due to getting on-base, as the Rams are third in the CACC with a .418 OBP. On the flip side, it’s Jefferson who’s allowed the fewest walks in the league with 169, 38 less than the 2nd-best team.
Tyler Behm is the team leader in ERA on the staff, who has a 3.92 figure with a 3-1 record over 41.1 innings. Saiben Rivera is 5-1 over 43.1 innings. Those two will be key pieces in the tournament, while relief ace Aiden Barbour will be called upon for big outs. Over 27.1 innings (16 appearances) he has a 2.63 ERA and a weak .196 batting average against.
Two notable names are the highlights of the Jefferson bats. First is Andrew Holub, who leads the team with a .377 average, a 1.104 OPS, and 8 home runs. Holub is also tied for the conference lead with 56 RBI. Justin Egner isn’t far behind either, with a .371 average and a 1.051 OPS with 25 stolen bases. Holub is the power bat, while Egner is the all-around bat that can provide some damage in this tournament.
Chestnut Hill, like Jefferson, focuses on getting on base, as the Eagles are tied for the conference lead with a team .427 on-base percentage. Expect some counts to be worked with some big at-bats for this team.
Speaking of big at-bats, how about the bat of Wyatt Spinks? His .411 average is 2nd in the conference and has been wrecking havoc at the plate and on base with 22 stolen bases. Driving Spinks in is Michael Pascoe, who is hitting .358 with a team leading 8 home runs and 54 RBI. Another notable hitter is Kenyon Motley, who leads the team with 27 stolen bases and is hitting .323. Those are the three guys to watch out for on this Chestnut Hill offense.
Speaking of Pascoe, he also is the team leader in innings with 45 and carries a 3-3 record. George Conway and Rich Bonino are expected to throw big relief innings as they both have 2 or more saves and appeared in at least 19 games.