TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

SALEM, Mass. - After topping the No. 3-seed Worcester State Lancers, 20-10, in its Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Quarterfinals matchup Thursday, No. 2-seed Salem State heads to No. 1-seed Bridgewater State for a semifinals contest on Friday, May 8 at 3:00 p.m.

Five Things to Know

• Salem enters the postseason as the two seed and will look to capture its sixth Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) tournament championship. 
• In the 20-10 win over the Lancers on Thursday, the 20 runs are the most runs scored in a MASCAC playoff game in program history.
• On the road this year, Salem finished the year 7-7. The seven road wins are the most since 2017.
• The Vikings have now reached the MASCAC semifinals in three straight seasons.
• Last time Bridgewater and Salem met in the playoffs, the Bears topped the Vikings, 12-6.

Who to Watch For

• Ethan Stepputtis (Prospect, Conn.) will look to continue his momentum into Friday's game after driving in a career-high six runs Thursday. On the year, Stepputtis is just one of six batters to have a batting average above .300 (min. 50 at-bats) with a .331 average. Antonio Belgrove (Stamford, Conn.) was Salem's other hot hitter Thursday after he drove in four runs while going 4-5 at the plate, which featured a three-run homer. Belgrove is another one of Salem's .300 hitters with a .305 batting average. 
• Salem's rotation features the MASCAC Pitcher of the Year, Nolan Currier (Maynard, Mass.). Currier ended the regular season first in the MASCAC with a 1.02 ERA, second with six wins, a .95 WHIP, only allowing five earned runs, 49 strikeouts, and four games without a single earned run. He is currently third in DIII so far this season in regards to ERA and is the only MASCAC pitcher to be ranked in the top-10. Twice this season, Currier earned Pitcher of the Week honors, including the week of 4/21 when he threw a complete game seven-inning shutout, only allowing two hits, with 11 strikeouts, one walk, a 0.00 ERA, and .43 WHIP in the Vikings' 3-0 win over the AMCATS.
• Bridgewater's offense features two batters with a batting average above .400, led by Cam Beltramini (.413). On the year he has 43 hits, three home runs, and 25 RBIs, and in Thursday's win against Westfield State, he was 1-2 as every Bears starter recorded a hit. The Bears' other .400 hitter is Ryan Secovich, who has a .409 batting average. This year, he has a team-high 56 hits to go along with 21 RBIs. Despite going 0-2 on Thursday, Secovich ended up driving in two runs. 
• The Bears' rotation features two pitchers with an ERA under 2.00, and after Matt Kustigian (1.29) pitched Thursday, Bridgewater could potentially look toward Chase Beach. Beach has tossed 25.0 innings and has allowed 17 hits, six runs (five earned), and has struck out 32 with a 1.80 ERA. Bridgewater may also have Danny Jasmin take the mound, as he is tied for second on the team in innings pitched (35.0). Along with his 35.0 innings, he has allowed 26 hits, 14 runs (12 earned), and fanned a team-high 50 to go along with a 3.09 ERA.

What's Next

The winner of Friday's matchup between the Vikings and Bears advances to the championship round on Saturday, May 9, at 3:00 p.m. The loser will play an elimination game on Saturday at noon to determine the final spot in the MASCAC Championship.