Courtesy of Brian Beard

Building upon its early season success, the baseball team (15–2; 2–0 NESCAC) began conference play with a doubleheader against Trinity College (6–11; 0–2 NESCAC) at home this past weekend. After a tight 5–4 win in the first game, the Polar Bears ended with a decisive 21–9 win in the second. Tuesday night, the team faced Thomas College, maintaining a perfect record at home with a 11–6 win. The team will compete against Bates College (3–11; 1–2 NESCAC) in a three-game series starting Friday and spilling into a doubleheader on Saturday.

In the first four innings of the Thomas game, the Polar Bears made nine runs, and Finn Cahill ’28 and Will Bordes ’26 both secured an RBI each in the first and second inning respectively. Cahill continued a success streak after the team’s sweep against Trinity, going two for two with the RBI in the fourth and sixth innings, earning NESCAC Player of the Week.

While the College started ahead with a two-run double by Bordes, Trinity equalized the score later in the game. However, the Polar Bears came through with the win. The team’s resiliency has been a key characteristic of its success.

“If we do make some mistakes, if we get down in the game, [if] we’re losing quite a few runs, we’re still gonna get back in the game and fight back in the game,” Cahill said. “I think that is something we really want to continue … by making sure that we never give up. We’re always there, always focused, always engaged, always giving our best effort.”

Jason Bogdanos ’25 echoed the importance of the team’s adaptability in the doubleheader as a whole.

“We got off to a 4–0 lead in the first game, and then [Trinity]  tied it 4–4. And instead of dragging our feet, we got right back to it, scored another run and won the game 5–4,” Bogdanos said. “In the second game, [Trinity] put up a six spot on us, and we were down, but it’s about how we respond and how we punch back after.”

According to Will Bordes ’26,  as the season progresses, the team has been focused on putting in the work, on and off the field.

“[Our goal] was just to keep staying consistent, stay in a positive mentality and make sure we’re still putting the work in, working hard and sticking with what we’ve been doing,” Bordes said.

Bordes further elaborated on Trinity’s play and how the team replied to the Bantams’ hitting style.

“Trinity is always a good hitting team. We saw them hit that grand slam against us. That was a moment in past years where I think we’d unwind a little bit, but I think we were ready for that, and we stuck with it, kept playing. Baseball is a long game,” Bordes said.

Speaking on the team’s defense, Bogdanos discussed his pitching goals.

“Me, personally, and our team in general, have been hurt in the past by giving up free bases and letting them score runs easily without them really having to work for it,” Bogdanos said.

As it looks ahead, the team is concentrating on finding balance. The dominant season start has brought the team excitement, but Bordes says the team will continue to put emphasis on focus and hard work.

“We’re just trying to stick with it. I think a lot of us haven’t really experienced being on a roll like this in a while, and so it’s just important to be conscious of the fact that we didn’t invent baseball. We have to just keep playing,” Bordes said.

Bogdanos spoke on the confidence level of the team headed into matchups and keeping the excitement high in practice and lift as well.

“I think the confidence is really high, which is great to see, and we’ve earned that….We need to make sure that we maintain that intensity and that level of focus and commitment to everything we do, not just Friday, Saturday games, but every practice, every lift, every midweek game.”

At its core, the team has built up confidence over the season and hopes to build off that going forward.

“Confidence comes from preparation. So we’re confident in what we’ve done, but we’re also confident in how we prepare for the weekend,” Bogdanos said.

After they travel to Lewiston on Friday to play Bates, the team will host a doubleheader matchup against the Bobcats on Saturday afternoon at Pickard Fields at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.