The biggest takeaway from the first half of the prep baseball season is that New England has never been more laden with powerhouse teams and top prospects. Every NEPSAC league has multiple rosters stocked with D1 prospects. Even the teams at the bottom of the standings are becoming richer in talent and depth.
The CNEPSBL has held the distinction of being the strongest NEPSAC baseball league over the last decade, with Phillips Andover serving as New England's top prep program from 2018 to 2022. Worcester Academy dethroned Andover last spring en route to earning the No. 1 spot in the NEBJ prep power rankings at the end of last season. This season, the CNEPSBL is once again strong at the top, with Deerfield (9-1), Dexter Southfield (9-5-1), and Worcester Academy (7-4) vying for the top seed in the league's postseason tournament.
But even as the strongest league gets stronger, the talent around other New England leagues is keeping pace. Founders League defending champion Avon Old Farms (8-1) is currently New England's No. 1 team in the NEBJ power rankings. WNEPBL defending champ Salisbury (14-3) is MaxPreps' No. 1 team in the Northeast. So, there is a chance that a non-CNEPSBL team will finish the season as NEBJ's top prep team for the first time since 2017.
As we hit the midway point of the prep season, we look around the NEPSAC at the teams to beat, rising powerhouses, and teams that need to pick up the pace in the second half. We also provide a pro prospect watch, an uplifting story of a college commitment, a cautionary injury tale, and predictions for the second half.
