The Merrimack Warriors baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, United States. The team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I and is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.[2]
History
The Merrimack basketball program was started in 1980. They eventually joined the Northeast 10 conference in 1985. From 1985-87 the Warriors finished at the bottom of the NE10. The year after during the 1988 season they did have there first bit of success. Going 9-7 in conference and 24-15 overall they would even go on to win the ECAC North tournament that year as well.[3]This was their first winning season since their inaugural season. They would follow this up next season by going 19-17-2 overall and winning their second straight ECAC North tournament title. Closing out the decade on a high note.
They would go on to see great success in the 1990s. Under head coach Ed Morrison the Warriors won the NE10 tournament in 1990[4] as the four seed and made the NCAA DII tournament for the first time in program history. Morrison left after the 1992 season and was replaced by Barry Rosen. Four season later now under the helm of Rosen the Warriors won their first of 4 straight NE10 regular season titles from 1994-97. They would also win their 3rd ECAC title in 1995. During the 1995 and 1996 seasons they went back to back as NE10 tournament champs. Beating Springfield 4-2 in 1995 and Bryant 7-2 in 1996. In 1996 the warriors made the NCAA tournament for a second time. In 1997 the warriors would once again capture the one seed in the NE10 but would lose to Quinnipiac in the championship 15-12. Two seasons later in 1999 the warriors would win their 5th NE10 regular season title but once again lost in the championship 16-15 to Bryant. Despite the loss the Warriors still made the NCAA tournament that year finishing the season with a 23-23 record.[5] The 2000s were mediocre for the Warriors coach Rosen left in 2003 and they did not win any titles or make any deep runs in the NE10 tournament. They would have to wait till the 2013 season when Coach Jim Martin lead the warriors to a 30-19 campaign and back to the NE10 championship where they lost to New Haven.
In 2015 it was announced Jim Martin would be replaced by assistant coach Nick Barese.[6] In just his 3rd season Coach Barese would lead the warriors to the NE10 championship game. Where the warriors went on to defeat New Haven 10-8 to win their 4th tournament title. From there they punched their ticket to the 2018 NCAA tournament for the fourth time in program history.
In 2020 the warriors joined the D1 Northeast Conference. Their first year in the NEC was cut short due to the COVID pandemic as they only played 13 games and went 6-9. Even though their first D1 season was cut short they still got 3 huge upset wins in a row Vs Michigan state showing they could compete at the D1 level. In their first full season at the Division I level they went 19-22. After the 2021 season head coach Nick Barese was controversially fired by Merrimack after he kept pushing for a on campus baseball field. He was replaced by Merrimack Alum Brian Murphy[7] in 2022. The warriors missed the NEC postseason for the next 2 seasons. In 2024 Murphy lead the warriors to the NEC tournament for the first time in program history. They would end up losing to LIU in the semifinals. The warriors finished the 2024 season 33-26 this was not only their first winning season at the Division I level but was also the most wins in a single season in program history.
In 2025 the warriors joined the Metro athletic conference[8]
Head Coaches
| Years | Coach | Overall record | Regular season titles | Conference titles | NCAA appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-1980 | James Licciardi | 14-6-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-1992 | Ed Morrison | 111-174-1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1993-2003 | Barry Rosen | 207-231-2 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 2004-2010 | Joe Sarno | 118-179 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011-2014 | Jim Martin | 82-100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015-2021 | Nick Barese | 153-130 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022-present | Brian Murphy | 71-87-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
source[9]
Conference Memberships
- 1985-2019: Northeast10
- 2020-2024: Northeast Conference
- 2025-Present: Metro Athletic Conference
Player/Coaches Awards
NEC Rookie of the year
- Dawson Bryce (2024)
ECAC Rookie of the year
- Dawson Bryce (2024)
NE10 Player of the year
Source:[10]
- Jerry Parent (1995)
- Casey Cotter (2013)
- Frank Crinella (2014)
- Joey Porricelli (2019)
NE10 Rookie of the year
- George Evangelista (1988)
- Jamie Newell (1992)
- Frank Crinella (2013)
Bob Bellizzi NE10 Coach of the Year award
- Ed Morrison (1988,1990)
Warriors drafted to the MLB
| Player | Position | Draft Year | Round | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Crinella | INF | 2015 | 39th | Baltimore Orioles |
| Joe Mantoni | Pitcher | 2013 | 18th | Cincinnati Reds |
| Ryan O'Rourke | Pitcher | 2010 | 13th | Minnesota Twins |
| John Guilmet | Pitcher | 1997 | 34th | Detroit Tigers |
| Garrett Larkin | 3rd base | 1996 | 19th | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| Jerry Parent | Out Fielder | 1995 | 31st | Milwaukee Brewers |
| George Evangelista | 3rd Base | 1990 | 47th | Texas Rangers |
Postseason Results
Division II
Merrimack has participated in the NCAA Division II baseball tournament four times.
| Year | Round | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | First Round | Sacred Heart | L 10-6
L 19-2 |
| 1996 | First Round
Second Round |
Adelphi
New Haven Adelphi |
L 8-2
W 2-1 L 9-2 |
| 1999 | First Round
Second Round |
UMass Lowell
Adelphi Umass Lowell |
W 3-1
L 7-6 L 12-2 |
| 2018 | First Round | Le Moyne | L 3-2
L 10-5 |
ECAC Tournament
The warriors appeared in the ECAC tournament 3 times and were victorious all 3 times.
| Year | Coach | Overall record | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Ed Morrison | 24-15 | Champions |
| 1989 | Ed Morrison | 19-17-1 | Champions |
| 1995 | Barry Rosen | 28-13 | Champions |
References
- ^ "Merrimack College Brand Guidelines". Retrieved February 22, 2017.
- ^ https://merrimackathletics.com/sports/baseball
- ^ ECAC baseball championship archives https://ecacsports.com/sports/2016/5/21/sports-bsb-Championships-PastChampionsIII.aspx
- ^ Notheast 10 baseball championship archives https://northeast10.org/documents/2025/1/31//Baseball_Record_Book_2023_24_2.pdf
- ^ Merrimack baseball season archives https://merrimackathletics.com/sports/2017/7/27/archives-baseball.aspx
- ^ Nick Barese page on Merrimack website https://merrimackathletics.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/nick-barese/5
- ^ Merrimack new coach returns to his college roots https://www.eagletribune.com/sports/coming-home-merrimacks-new-coach-returns-to-his-college-roots/article_1aed3d90-9583-11ec-9826-37a5315dc9d7.html
- ^ Merrimack joins the MAAC https://www.merrimack.edu/news/merrimack-college-accepts-invitation-to-join-metro-atlantic-athletic-conference/
- ^ Merrimack season records https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/merrimack.sidearmsports.com/documents/2017/7/27/Baseball_Year_by_Year_Results.pdf
- ^ NE10 baseball archives https://northeast10.org/documents/2025/1/31//Baseball_Record_Book_2023_24_2.pdf