The spring sports season is almost over—baseball and men’s lacrosse have a game each left to play—and none of the five teams will make the playoffs for the second straight year.
Men’s tennis joins the men’s soccer team as the only two programs at Emerson yet to win a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference game. Men’s lacrosse will try to avoid this same fate by snagging a win on April 24 against Clark University.
Though neither made the playoffs, the softball and baseball teams combined for nine players named to the conference’s academic all-conference team, which picks students who have at least a 3.5 GPA and sophomore standing, according to a statement released by the NEWMAC.
Here’s a look back at each team’s season.
Baseball
Record: 1-27, 1-16 in conference
Remaining NEWMAC opponents: None (out of conference game on April 24)
Beacon’s take: Forget a spot in the NEWMAC playoffs; the Lions have been out of contention since early April. After a 7-2 loss to Coast Guard Academy on April 22, Emerson fell to an 1-27 overall record. A loss in their final contest of the season, a home game against Southern Vermont, would mean a 1-28 record and a last place tie for the worst record in the program’s history. The previous 1-28 season was in 2004 under head coach Mitch Lebowitz. A year after, that Lions team was demoted to club level until 2007. If for nothing else, the Lions will be playing to avoid a historically bad baseball season.
Men’s lacrosse
Record: 5-10, 0-6 in conference
Remaining NEWMAC opponents: Clark University
Beacon’s take: With just one game left in the season, the men’s lacrosse team is still searching for its first NEWMAC win. The last-ranked Lions have to wait until next season to make the playoffs, as only the top four out of the eight teams qualify. One highlight has been freshman Andrew Romano, who leads the NEWMAC in goals with 37—nearly a quarter of the team’s 157. The season finale will take place April 25 at Clark University, which beat Emerson 22-10 last year.
Women’s lacrosse
Final record: 8-6, 3-5 in conference
Beacon’s take: Despite a 15-7 win over Wellesley College last week, the Lions’ 15-5 loss to no. 1 ranked Springfield College in the season finale knocked Emerson out of playoff contention. Despite finishing two games above .500 overall, Emerson’s 9-6 loss to Mount Holyoke College (6-9, 3-5 in conference) in March proved damaging in the standings tiebreaker, which took into account the two schools’ head-to-head record. The team improved from last year’s 2-5 NEWMAC record but still hasn’t made the postseason since it joined the new conference last season.
Softball
Final Record: 14-18, 4-14 in conference
Beacon’s take: In an earlier interview with the Beacon, head coach Phil McElory said his team wanted to do better than last year’s squad, which went just 2-16 in conference. Though they didn’t qualify for the playoffs, the Lions improved on last year’s record and completed their first NEWMAC sweep ever over Smith College. The team is graduating just one senior, captain Annie Jenkins. Freshman Lyndi McIntyre, a Beacon correspondent last semester, led the team offensively with 45 hits, 31 RBI, and five HRs.
Men’s tennis
Final record: 2-9, 0-6 in conference
Beacon’s take: Though NEWMAC play wasn’t kind to the Lions, who will have to seek their first conference win next year, they improved their overall record from last season’s 0-10. Sophomore Joshua Freud holds the team’s one set win in conference play—a singles victory against Clark University. Emerson failed to make the playoffs for the second consecutive season.