Latest news with #Glavine
Boston Globe
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Northeastern baseball is all-in on local talent in pursuit of becoming a national contender
After going 48-9 and winning the CAA tournament, the Huskies are set to make their third NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021 when they take on Mississippi State in the Tallahassee Regional Friday at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+). Unlike many other teams in the tournament, the Huskies don't have new, multimillion-dollar facilities, access to cutting-edge technology, or dozens of uniform combinations. They take a bus from campus to their field in Brookline for practice. For the first few months of the season, they play in the cold, and they're one of five Division 1 programs that has to share its field. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Glavine, now in his 11th year, knows Northeastern isn't a top destination for many out-of-state recruits. So rather than trying to change the minds of players from across the country, Glavine keeps his sights on what's right in front of him: a region of underrated and oft-overlooked talent. Advertisement 'I believe that the local player is gritty,' he said. 'He's tough. He can play in our weather. He didn't grow up playing on the best fields or with all the best facilities. And so they tend to have that blue-collar mentality that we like here at Northeastern. We really try to do the best we can in our own backyard.' Advertisement Of the 42 players on Northeastern's roster, 29 hail from New England. Glavine said recruiting locally makes it easier to build strong relationships with players and their coaches, rather than relying on external evaluations or taking the word of a coach he's never met, Glavine can see his prospective players on the field as often as he wants. Even when local recruits choose another program, Glavine's work isn't over. He's selective in his use of the transfer portal, only pursuing players with whom he has a relationship. Infielder Jack Goodman, for example, chose Pepperdine over Northeastern after graduating from Medfield High School. He made 35 appearances for the Waves before entering the transfer portal, where Glavine leveraged his existing relationship with Goodman to bring him back to New England. Glavine also keeps a close eye on Division 2 and 3 programs in New England, scooping up the best players who enter the portal looking to take the next step. 'When we're looking at transfers, we don't necessarily want them coming from really big programs with all the bells and whistles, because that's not going to work here,' he said. 'It's about grit, it's about blue collar, it's about hard work, and that type of mentality.' But while he prioritizes building a homegrown roster, Glavine, who grew up in Billerica and attended Northeastern before a brief stint in the major leagues, wants to ensure his team is playing a national schedule to increase visibility, which he hopes will translate into opportunities for his players after college. Advertisement He seeks out games against 'better' programs, including teams in the Power 4 conferences (SEC, ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12). The Huskies played series at Hawaii and San Diego State this year, and they swept Kansas State at home — on top of going 25-2 in conference play. 'We might not have these million-dollar facilities and all this technology, but we make do with what we have, and I think we show that every time we're out on the field,' said righthander Aiven Cabral, who grew up in Lynn and played at St. Mary's. Cabral, Hamilton's Will Jones, and Acton's Jordan Gottesman make up an elite rotation, which posted the nation's best ERA (2.92) and WHIP (1.04), each by a wide margin. The Huskies' 17 shutouts are as many as the next two best teams combined. Their success, Cabral said, is proof Northeastern — and New England baseball as a whole — belongs in the national conversation. 'We expect to win no matter what team we're playing,' he said. 'We'll play anyone, anywhere, any time. With the talent that we have, we really believe that.' Emma Healy can be reached at
Boston Globe
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Behind elite pitching and unwavering confidence, Northeastern baseball enters NCAA Tournament as nation's hottest team
'I think it's just all excitement,' said Northeastern's Mike Glavine, who was named CAA Coach of the Year last week for the fifth time. 'That's the beautiful thing about the regionals, you're probably going to run into somebody that's highly ranked, tough to beat ... It's just going to be a great challenge. I think overall, the overwhelming feeling is just excitement.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up There are a few other New England schools in the NCAA Tournament, with Holy Cross, Rhode Island, Fairfield, and Central Connecticut State in the mix, but its Northeastern that has shown the potential to make a serious run. Advertisement The Huskies have dominated behind an elite three-man rotation of Massachusetts natives: Hamilton's Will Jones, Acton's Jordan Gottesman, and Lynn's Aiven Cabral. Northeastern has posted the nation's best ERA (2.92) and WHIP (1.04), each by a wide margin, and the Huskies' 17 shutouts are as many as the next two best teams combined. Advertisement Jones has been the ace in a stunning breakout season for the lefthander, a campaign that has seen his 5.23 ERA in 2024 drop to a miniscule 1.82, second-best in the country. With the stakes raised, Glavine isn't messing with the formula. 'I think that'll be the biggest thing: not changing [anything],' he said. 'We've changed in the past, haven't had success in the regionals for all kinds of reasons — probably all mostly my fault — because of changing and doing things differently. Will Jones will pitch Game 1, he's pitched Game 1 for us all year, and then we'll go from there." The NCAA regionals haven't been kind to Northeastern, which has lost all six games it has played on that stage under Glavine dating to 2018, including unsuccessful runs in 2021 and '23. But when you combine the Huskies' elite pitching with a lineup that scored a conference-leading 7.6 runs per game — anchored by CAA Co-Player of the Year Harrison Feinberg — you've got a team prepared to compete with the big guns on the national stage. '[In 2021 and 2023] I felt confident going into it, and we were just sort of out of gas,' Glavine said. 'This year presents a different feeling of confidence, and so I feel, standing here, this is the most confident team we've had going into a regional. 'Like, why not us? Why can't we do this? Why can't we come out of this regional? There's no reason why we can't.' Amin Touri can be reached at
Boston Globe
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Northeastern repeats as Baseball Beanpot champions, extends nation-best win streak to 13 games
'I thought we were a little nervous, and we weren't ourselves early,' Northeastern head coach Mike Glavine said. 'The guys were really excited and then they got here and saw there was a great pro-Northeastern crowd and made a couple mistakes. But we rebounded.' Advertisement Would recommend winning the Beanpot at Fenway! — Northeastern Baseball (@GoNUbaseball) Andover's Lane answered in the bottom half, launching his first of two doubles off the Green Monster and knotting the score. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Gitlin — who entered with a 1.33 ERA in 27 innings since March 26 — returned to his dominant self and twirled a gem. The southpaw tossed 5⅔ frames, and allowed just two hits, two walks, and the one run. 'Max has been doing it all year,' Glavine said. 'He grinds it out and is super competitive and tough. He gave up the home run on the 0-2 count, and I knew he was mad. But he came back and always gives us a chance to win.' Bill Decker gave the start to Harvard lefty Brian Dowling, who entered with a 9.11 ERA, and ran out of luck in the fifth inning. Northeastern began the frame with three straight hits — a Carmelo Musacchia triple, another Lane RBI double to make it 2-1, and a Matt Brinker single. Advertisement Catcher Gregory Bozzo's sacrifice fly made it 3-1. Dowling walked Ryan Gerety, and Decker — his bullpen depleted after a weekend series at Brown — called for freshman Charley Bergsma, who had an ERA north of 12. Back-to-back walks and an RBI groundout gave the Huskies a 5-1 advantage. They'd need the runs, as Harvard strung together a Doyle error, two Cooper McGrath walks, a passed ball, and a Shulman single off high-leverage reliever Brett Dunham in the ninth to make it 5-4 with one out. Dunham, however, struck out Liam Wilson and got Jordan Kang to line out to Doyle for the title and Northeastern's 13th straight win, the longest active streak in Division 1. Glavine credits the 'great culture, consistency, and leadership' as what sets this team apart. The Huskies have their eyes on more come the playoffs, but the Beanpot title remains a milestone in what has already been a historic 2025 season. 'There are goals we talk about,' Glavine said. 'Winning the Beanpot was one of them and it matters. It's not just another game.' In the consolation, BC (22-23) beat UMass, 13-6, in a back-and-forth affair. Down, 6-4, after the Minutemen (12-26-1) scored twice in the seventh, the Eagles plated five in the eighth — on a Beck Milner solo homer and a Josiah Ragsdale grand slam — and four in the ninth. Max Schwartzberg can be reached at
