The Massachusetts baseball team played at home against Central Michigan in its last Mid-American Conference series of the 2026 season. The Minutemen (18-29, 13-20 MAC) faced the Chippewas (24-29, 13-20 MAC) in a single game loss on Friday and a doubleheader split on Saturday.
Fans, coaches, players, and staff gathered on Saturday to celebrate the class of 2026 in their final collegiate series. Seniors Jack Levine, Justin Masteralexis, Bobby McDonough, Jared Muñoz, Jack Niedringhaus, Dylan Terwilliger and Marc Willi were honored before the start of Saturday’s second matchup at Earl Lorden Field.
UMass was victorious in game one on Saturday, defeating Central Michigan 13-9. The win was secured with the help of five homers from five batters, including Jack Beverly, Matt Travisano, Ty Fox, Gavin O’Brien and Vance Bonior.
Bonior was first to open up the offensive attack, hitting a two RBI homer to left center field in the third inning, bringing Sam Hill home to score from first base.
Bonior, Beverly and Reece McCarthy each registered two RBIs on the day, followed by one each from O’Brien, Fox, Travisano and Braden Sullivan. Beverly, Sullivan and O’Brien collected two hits each. Travisano, Fox, McCarthy and Bonior finished with one each.
Game one on Saturday followed up Friday’s hard fought 5-3 loss, which was handed to pitcher Callen Powers. In Friday’s game, Powers gave up two runs in the top of the eighth inning from an RBI homer to left field. The eighth inning home run brought Central Michigan to 5-2. Powers also allowed a bases loaded walk in his prior turn at the mound, giving the Chippewas a 3-2 edge.
McCarthy hit a sacrifice fly ball to center field, giving Bonior the opportunity to score from third and bring the gap to 5-3 in the bottom of the eighth. The Minutemen held off Central Michigan from growing its lead in the final frames but were unable to contribute anymore runs to the scoreboard for themselves.
Game two on Saturday fell in favor of the Chippewas 14-10. Ryan Kolben and Willi each hit a homer, with Kolben logging five total RBIs between his three hits and two runs. Beverly and Hill also collected three hits. Willi, Kolben and Beverly put up two runs each, along with single runs from Travisano, Fox, O’Brien and Sullivan.
Kolben and Willi’s home runs were back-to-back in the fifth inning, scoring four runs to get UMass to 10-7 entering the sixth. Central Michigan responded fiercely with three runs in its next turn on offense, off of senior pitcher McDonough before he was relieved by Terwilliger.
Sullivan and Travisano were both handed errors in the field in game two on Saturday. McCarthy committed the only other error of the weekend series for the Minutemen in the first game of the doubleheader.
Willi fielded nine putouts in his time as first basemen in the final game of the series, his most in a single game throughout the season. Levine was given the final loss of the series, ending his season 1-4.
Adam Meritt claimed the win from the mound earlier on Saturday, bringing the sophomore to 3-3. Tirado finished the season with the most hits on the team with 61, followed by O’Brien with 58 and Fox with 48.
UMass finished eighth in the MAC standings in its 2026 season and will not go on to play in the conference championship tournament.
Meghan Barrows can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @meghansbarrows.
