Fall report: Merrimack jumps to Division 1, new turf field

Merrimack senior third baseman Joey Porricelli (Monroe, Conn.) was the NEBJ Division 2 Player of the Year. (Jim Stankiewicz)

Editor’s note: This is the first in an offseason series profiling the region’s Division 1 baseball programs.

About two years ago, the Merrimack College baseball program was swimming in some uneasy waters.

Plans for a new baseball field as part of the renovated Merrimack Athletics Complex fell through, forcing the Warriors to play at homes away from home throughout Massachusetts. However, all that sixth-year coach Nick Barese’s team did during the 2018 season — its first of two consecutive springs as vagabonds — was clinch the Northeast-10 Conference championship for the first time in 22 years.

That return to the winner’s circle and, subsequently, the NCAA tournament has provided a spark to the program as its Division 1 tenure commences come this spring in the Northeast Conference. This new era also begins with the Warriors experiencing the comforts of home for the first time since 2017 following the recent completion of a turf field at Greater Lawrence Technical School in Andover, Mass., a short ride from campus.