D1 insider: Can new faces build on Northeastern’s historic season?

Ryan Gerety is Northeastern's "Energizer Bunny," according to coach Mike Glavine. (Northeastern Athletics)

It was a dream season for Northeastern in 2025.

The Huskies made all kinds of history under five-time CAA Coach of the Year Mike Glavine (Billerica, Mass.) last spring, setting a single-season program record for wins and finishing the regular season with the fewest losses in all of Division 1. In the midst, they authored a 27-game win streak that was the nation’s longest and led to a conference regular-season and tournament titles, and earned their first NCAA tournament victory since 1973. 

When a new season begins Feb. 13 at the MLB Desert Invitational, Glavine will be fielding a new-look squad.

A handful of everyday players and 90 percent of the team’s innings pitched from last season departed, as did two of Glavine’s assistants. Among the team’s five MLB draftees were two top-10 round picks of the San Francisco Giants in outfielder Cam Maldonado and left-handed pitcher Jordan Gottesman. Still, the roster includes 26 returnees, with many set for elevated roles as they help build on the program’s recent successes.

“I spoke often to our guys that weren’t playing a lot (last season), especially the young ones, about soaking this all in, making sure they were ready to go and understood the expectations and the standards because they were going to be in that role,” Glavine said. “Now, it’s their turn. They saw what it takes, they saw the culture piece and the energy, bringing it every day.”

Thus, Glavine also expects many of the team’s notable overall traits in recent years to continue. In 2025, the Huskies led the nation in team ERA (3.06) and ranked second in stolen bases (196) and 13th in fielding percentage (.980). 

“You’ll still see a bunch of athletic guys that can play multiple positions. I think we’ll steal bases, put pressure on defenses, and then I think we’ll hit some balls over heads. So, I think we’ll score in different ways,” Glavine said. “On the pitching side, I really do like the depth. I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people on the mound.”

NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES

2025 record: 49-11 (25-2 CAA, regular-season and tournament champions, NCAA Tallahassee Regional)

Coach: Mike Glavine (Billerica, Mass., 12th season, 357-222-1)

Exciting combination, versatility in outfield

Glavine is very excited about his projected starting grouping in the outfield, where two key veteran players reside. Of course, it’s redshirt senior Harrison Feinberg (Greenwich, Conn.) leading the way after a monster 2025 season that saw him earn All-America and CAA Co-Player of the Year honors. 

Feinberg, who prepped at the King School and enters his fourth season with the Huskies since transferring from USC, boasts an impressive combination of power and speed as evidenced in him leading the team in average (.367), home runs (18), RBI (67) and stolen bases (37). Entering the new season, nothing has changed.

“I see someone that is hungry and working harder than he did last year,” Glavine said. “I know he was very disappointed about not getting drafted, but he’s not showing it. He’s actually motivated by it. He wants to put up another monster year, wants to win another championship…and just leads by example. He’s a calming influence for the guys.”

Playing on the grass alongside Feinberg will be junior Ryan Gerety (Franklin, Mass.) and sophomore Carter Bentley (Westborough, Mass.), the latter a Rivers School product who provides another power-speed combo and a strong arm in the outfield. He figures to receive his first expanded playing time after making three starts last season.

The lefthanded-hitting Gerety got more run than Bentley as a freshman (14 starts), but shined with regular time in 2025, hitting .284 with an .837 OPS, 51 runs scored and 26 stolen bases. He emerged as a tablesetter out of the leadoff spot around the halfway mark of last season, ultimately earning CAA All-Tournament Team honors. 

“We need Ryan to be that ‘Energizer Bunny,’” Glavine said. “We need him to be that guy that’s a pest that the other team hates — gets hit by pitches, walks, steals bases, lays bunts down, drives a gap, hits the ball out of the park, makes a diving catch. … He knows that’s what he needs to be…and he’s really shown that.”

The team’s athleticism and versatility is on display with other options as well. Redshirt freshman Anthony Ruggiero (Mendon, Mass.) and sophomore RPI transfer Ian Oehlschlaeger could see time in the outfield and at first base. Ruggiero is a lefty hitter who had a strong first summer with the Westfield Starfires, where he was one of the Futures League’s top sluggers hitting .299 with six homers and 33 RBI. 

“He’s gonna hit. He had a really tremendous fall and winter here,” Glavine said of Ruggiero. “He’s just really continued to improve, trying to learn a new position (first base). When we went indoors, it made sense for him to get reps there. He works really hard and has put himself in a position (to contribute). There’s life in that bat. It’s real bat speed, real power and he’s cut down on the swing-and-miss.”

A new name to New England fans, Oehlschlaeger put up monster numbers at the Division 3 level with a .438 average, 11 homers and 58 RBI. He was the Liberty League Rookie of the Year.

Infield features stalwart, lots of options

There has been plenty of competition across the infield, but senior Carmelo Musacchia will move to shortstop following the departure of Detroit Tigers draft pick Jack Goodman (Medfield, Mass.). A four-year program stalwart, Musacchia hit .302 with 14 doubles, six homers, 50 runs scored and 28 stolen bags last season. 

The team can be flexible with a number of other options for the middle of the diamond, depending on the situation. Junior Chris Walsh (Duxbury, Mass.) and lefthanded-hitting true freshman Charlie Criscola (Uxbridge, Mass.) are the pair due to see time at second base, while fellow lefty swinger Henry DiGiorgio (Franklin, Mass.) also saw fall and preseason reps alongside Musacchia at short.

Walsh looks to see another year-over-year boost in playing time after logging five extra-base hits and eight RBI while making 14 starts last season. Criscola, who became the all-time hits leader at Uxbridge High School before graduating last spring, impressed with his excellent speed and athleticism upon arriving on campus.

“Walsh has some experience and can play a couple different positions, so he’s a guy we can lean on a little bit,” Glavine said. “Criscola is a really dynamic player who’s getting better and better every day. You see the talent. He can fly. He’s a game-changer with his speed and he’s on the barrel with the bat a lot.”

On the corners, Glavine has a pair of potential breakout picks in sophomore Eric Cha and redshirt freshman AJ Aschettino, who are lined up to play first base and third base, respectively, following strong summers as NECBL teammates with the Mystic Schooners.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Cha earned a few early starts and wound up playing in 11 games (six starts) last season, but he especially emerged during the summer. He was the NECBL’s sixth-best hitter for average at .312, hit five homers and drove in a team-high 25. 

“He’s a guy we’re really expecting to really contribute this year,” Glavine said. “He plays a well above average first base and he’s a huge target over there. The defense is just a separator for me and that bat’s gonna play.”

The summer performance “matters to me. Seeing those guys actually do it was great, and I think it’s going to carry into the season,” Glavine said, also pointing to the likes of Ruggiero and Bentley who went off for solid summers following limited or redshirt spring seasons. “They’re more physical, they’re both stronger, faster, but the growth mindset, that maturity and confidence piece is where I’ve seen the biggest difference.”

Rounding out the positional group, redshirt sophomore Will Fosberg (Natick, Mass.) looks to carry the load at catcher after sharing time with graduate Greg Bozzo last season. A former Bay State Conference All-Star who also prepped at Winchendon, Fosberg had 11 extra-base hits, 15 RBI and 20 runs scored while playing excellent defense as a first-year contributor in 2025.

Senior Matt Brinker (Norfolk, Mass.) and sophomore Cooper Tarantino (Sudbury, Mass.) round out the catching corps. Brinker should also get plenty of at-bats out of the designated hitter slot, having come off posting a career-best .261 average, six homers and 28 RBI last season.  

“I just think Fosberg is ready to take the next step. Defensively, he’s just one of the better catchers around and his bat has continued to improve. Being in the No. 1 seat, he’s more confident,” Glavine said. “I really like what we have back there. Brinker will be in there, he’ll DH for sure as well. He’s a mature bat who can hit in the middle of the lineup.”

New mix to start on the mound

The number of lost innings pitched is daunting on paper, but Glavine likes the combination of newcomers and returning arms who are hungry for more. Last season’s top nine pitchers in terms of innings departed, with Gottesman, Aiven Cabral (Lynn, Mass.) and Will Jones (South Hamilton, Mass.) making up the final rotation and combining for 21 victories.

“I think the stuff is real. It’s not like we’re trying to piece something together here,” Glavine said. “These are guys that have velocity, guys that can spin it and change speeds. I really love the depth of our staff. … The next step for this group is just making sure they can harness their stuff, pound the zone and force the other team to beat us. If you can play catch, you’re going to win a lot of games. That’s what we’ve done.”

While there will likely be some early fluidity in roles, experience and promise comes together in the Huskies’ first rotation which features redshirt junior UMass transfer Robbie O’Connor (Sudbury, Mass.), Salve Regina graduate transfer Andrew Wertz (Dover, N.H.) and sophomore Andrew Rogovic. 

O’Connor has been in the role before as a former Friday starter at UMass, so his presence is calming on a younger overall staff and his velocity has increased in the winter ramp-up to the season. “He’s got a lower slot, he’s calm on the mound. It’s a three-pitch mix and he’s quick to the plate and can get some ground balls,” Glavine said.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Wertz arrived at Northeastern with a proven reliever track record, posting six saves with a 1.33 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 27 innings last season at Salve, one of the region’s top Division 3 programs. He then stood out in the NECBL, allowing only one earned run and striking out 33 against only four walks in 22 innings for the Valley Blue Sox. 

But after his fastball touched 96 in his third inning of his third outing this winter, Glavine’s plans changed — at least to start the season.

“I had him penciled in to close all fall and winter, but it’s looked like starter stuff (recently),” Glavine said. “It was unexpected. He asked to throw a little deeper (into his outings) just to build some stamina and he struck out like seven of nine guys in the third inning. … I’m confident in him. He’s physical, he’s tough, he’s competitive, and he wants it.”

Rogovic is the lone Northeastern returnee of the opening rotation, though he threw just 2 ⅓ innings as a freshman. The Mineola, N.Y., native, who also pitched in the NECBL with the Ocean State Waves, has an “electric arm” with a fastball up to 95 and a three-pitch mix. 

Glavine envisions early starters working through the lineup a couple of times, so there will be plenty of opportunity for others to showcase themselves. 

Before Wertz’s late emergence, sophomore Andrew Basel was projected for a weekend spot and remains very much in the mix as a pitchable righty with good command and whose “kick change” is one of the best pitches on the staff. He was Wertz’s teammate in the NECBL, striking out over a batter per inning.

Which other pitchers will step up?

Of course, there are plenty of locals in line for more innings, with Glavine pointing to 6-foot-6 senior Ryan Griffin (North Andover, Mass.) as one returnee who has shown great improvement. After throwing just 7 ⅓ innings last season, he continued the trend of the team’s great summers (2.25 ERA in 13 relief outings for the NECBL’s North Shore Navigators) and now figures to provide length with his fastball touching 95 lately.

Worcester Academy product Carson Walsh (Sterling, Mass.) and Canterbury grad James Morice (Southbury, Conn.) are two more seniors poised to make strong impacts. Walsh was solid in his action last season, posting a 3.72 ERA with seven strikeouts in 9 ⅔ innings. 

“These guys have to be chomping at the bit,” Glavine said of his senior class. “They want to have pitched more up to this point, and now it’s their time. I’m excited because they’ve worked really hard to get here and the path hasn’t been a straight line.”

Other veterans looking to contribute are redshirt sophomore southpaws David McSweeney (Cohasset, Mass.) and Max Marchetti (Cranston, R.I.), right-hander Jack Cropper (Norwood, Mass.), and junior Joseph Hauser.

Transfers Matthew Sapienza (North Andover, Mass.) and Luc Rising look to be key relievers. Sapienza, a graduate student who prepped at Phillips Andover, made 17 appearances for Georgetown last season after having previous years lost due to injury.

Rising is another Division 3 addition from RIT who had a 3.29 ERA in 49 innings last spring and was one of the top arms in the Perfect Game Collegiate League with 47 strikeouts in 39 innings over the summer. Since joining the Huskies, he’s been up to 95 mph with a good breaking ball.

“Aside from the stuff, the biggest thing (the transfers bring) is just experience and comfort level,” Glavine said. “They bring a calmness, a compete and a maturity that you want. A lot of times, you bring in transfers to fill holes or bring that veteran experience, but these guys do both.”

Bishop Hendricken grad Cooper Maher (Westerly, R.I.) has separated himself among the freshmen, but lefty Scott Longo (Milton, Mass.), Dexter Southfield’s Tom Mahoney (Winchester, Mass.), and Landon Manzi (Killingly, Conn.) are in the conversation to pitch. Manzi arrived on campus as a 14th-round draft choice of the Texas Rangers in 2025.

But, especially with Wertz starting out of the gates, Maher is a candidate for key late-game innings. “He can piggyback because he’s been up to four innings, but he’s a guy that can come in late in this thing right now,” Glavine said. “He’s 94-97 and it’s pretty electric.”