College Sports
The Eagles finished fourth in the conference.
First baseman Nick Wang from Newton and the rest of the Boston College baseball team are eager to prove the naysayers wrong in this week’s ACC Tournament. Greg M. Cooper
May 20, 2026 | 11:29 AM
3 minutes to read
Boston College baseball was picked to finish last in the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason coaches poll. With a chip on their shoulder, the Eagles have proved to be the darling of the league.
After finishing fourth in the ACC, Boston College (36-20, 17-13) opens tournament play at Truist Field in Charlotte on Thursday at 7 p.m. against the winner of Stanford and Miami.
“Those guys — the coaches poll — picked us last, dead last, in the ACC, so I think that kind of started a little fire in everyone, at least in me,” said freshman third baseman Luke Gallo, who is slashing .336/.441/.443.
“They clearly don’t know what we’re about. They clearly don’t know what we’re capable of, but we understood what we were capable of from the start.”
BC spent seven consecutive weeks in the USA Today coaches poll, peaking at No. 19, but were bounced out after being swept by No. 3 Georgia Tech last weekend in Chestnut Hill.
Todd Interdonato’s third year at the helm has yielded a program rebirth.
The Eagles are essentially a lock to play in the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2023.
This year’s seniors had a taste of success back as freshmen, but finished with a 22-31 mark in 2023 and under .500 in 2025 at 28-29, bowing out in the ACC quarterfinals.
The Eagles have proved they can hang with the conference’s upper echelon. BC took a series win at then-No. 24 Miami and another at No. 9 Virginia — which included a 17-0 drubbing. They also played a tight series against No. 6 North Carolina.
“We truly believe we’re one of the best teams in the country,” said senior pitcher A.J. Colarusso. “We’ve believed that from the beginning when we first had our early season success, and we just kept that mentality of confidence.”
Colarusso, the team’s ace, has a 5-3 record with 4.18 ERA and fanned 66 in 71 innings. The 6-foot, 205-pound lefthander grew up in Leominster and played at the Groton School. He tops out at 90 m.p.h. with his four-seam fastball, mixing in a changeup, cutter, and curveball, staying in and around the zone to get outs.
“He is the most prototypical, perfect [BC] student athlete that you can create,” said Interdonato. “He is from [Massachusetts]. He loves this place. He’s been here for all four years. He now has the career record for starts in the program, which is just a mind-boggling stat.
“He is the most prepared, the most committed, the most consistent, and the most competitive player you can come across. When you have a guy that has all of those qualities and that kind of love and appreciation for the institution, it just bleeds into everything else.”
First baseman Nick Wang, a graduate student from Newton, is hitting .306 with 16 homers and 61 RBIs in 56 games. The power bat in the heart of the lineup, he serves as a juxtaposition to a team willing to lay down bunts and steal bags.
“It’s been really cool to embrace the [BC] community, in the place where I grew up, in the same town,” Wang said. “There’s nothing better than that.”
Twelve Massachusetts residents are on the roster, embodying Interdonato’s recruiting strategy that starts in in the home state and branches out to the Northeast.
Many are accustomed to being restricted to indoor facilities in the winter, a stark contrast to their counterparts from warmer climates. During the winter, the Eagles practice in “The Bubble,” a temporary dome that covers the playing surface at Alumni Field.
Portable mounds are moved in and out daily. Hitters train in makeshift cages. Fielding fly balls presents a challenge.
“We’ve got to bring that kind of grit and that chip on our shoulder because people are going to overlook us,” said Gallo, a Shrewsbury resident who played at Phillips Andover. “They’re going to think down upon us because we’re from the Northeast, cold weather, don’t really play baseball that much year around.”
If the Eagles can get past their quarterfinal opponent Thursday, the semifinals will be played Saturday and a champion will be crowned Sunday. The NCAA bracket will be revealed Monday at noon (ESPN2).
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