Baseball Opens 2026 Season at RussMatt Central Florida Invitational

BOSTON – Suffolk baseball jet set to the Sunshine State for its 2026 debut at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Seven games await the Rams over eight days. 

SOCIAL SAYINGS
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RAM REWIND
Led by 12th-year head coach Anthony Del Prete, Suffolk baseball opens a 40-game schedule in 2025-26, seeking its sixth consecutive appearance in the Conference of New England (CNE) Tournament. 

The Rams finished fifth in the league standings a season ago, going 14-25 overall and 7-9 in CNE play, before bowing out in the second game of the double-elimination conference tournament with a 10-9 extra-inning loss to Hartford.

The Rams return a veteran core of 22 players, including graduate infielder Cole Hilliard, who hit .292/.409/.354 with 33 hits, 22 RBI, 17 runs, and seven stolen bases last season. Junior Colin Flynn is another familiar face, who brings speed to the lineup as he swiped 13 bases and recorded a .288/.362/.379 slash line with 38 hits, 21 RBI, and 18 runs

On the mound, Suffolk returns two of its top three arms in Nick Arnett and TJ Dimitriou, along with All-CNE Third Team bullpen arm Jack Raimo (4.50 ERA, 4 saves, 26.0 IP). 

RAMS ROOKIES
Close to a third of Suffolk baseball's roster for 2026 will be brand new as head coach Anthony Del Prete recruited 11 true freshmen to join the fold for the program's 79th season. 

The group is made up of one catcher, Nick Antoniewicz, one infielder, Luke Thornton, three outfielders Zach James, Shayne King and Vasili Scangas and six pitchers, Ben Cassavoy, Quinlan Finnigan, Jackson Garcia, Jack La Natra, Jonathan Marcotte. 

MORE READING: Baseball Welcomes 11 Freshmen to 2026 Squad

GEOGRAPHY 101
Suffolk's 34-player roster spreads seven states. The bulk of the Rams are Bay State locals with 18 Massachusetts natives. Six students brought their talents down from the Granite State with a trio of California and New York products. There is a pair of Connecticut locals, while Vermont and Pennsylvania are all represented by one student-athlete each.  

CLASS CATEGORIES
The 34 Rams hail from every Suffolk class including one graduate students, however, the bulk of the make-up is underclassmen with 11 true freshmen and six sophomores. Upperclassmen, wise, there are nine juniors and eight seniors.  

POSITION PIECES
The Rams have 15 true fielders and 19 student-athletes that could see time on the hill.   When broken down, there are three catchers, a half dozen infielders and outfielders, respectively. On the mound, there are a dozen righties, six southpaws and one positional pitcher.  

SKIPPER'S SECTION
Anthony Del Prete is back on Suffolk's bench for his 12th season. Under his leadership, the Rams made four NCAA regional runs from 2015-18.    

Del Prete's coaching staff features long-time assistant, John O'Brien, who is back for his 23rd season and former Rams Garret Roberts and Max Martin. Roberts is on Del Prete's staff for his second campaign, while Martins join the coaching ranks for the first time. 

FIRST PITCH

• Suffolk is set to begin its season in the Sunshine State on a neutral diamond for the first time since 2023.
• The blue-and-gold's last win in a neutral site game one came in 2018 via a 7-3 decision over Albion.
• The Rams have fallen in back-to-back game ones.
• Suffolk looks for its first season-opening win since besting MIT, 13-6, to lift the lid on the 2022 slate. 
• In the Del Prete era, the Rams are 4-7 in the first outing of the year.
• Since 2000, Suffolk is 13-13 in the first game of the season. 

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
Upon returning to New England, Suffolk is set to lift the lid on its New England schedule on St. Patrick's Day when Rivier pays East Boston Memorial Park a visit for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.