Podcast: Matt Feld breaks down first half of MIAA season

Milton left-hander Tommy Mitchell is looking to lead his team to a repeat D2 championship. (Kyle Prudhomme/NEBJ)

The MIAA season has reached its half-way point, and state championship contenders have emerged in every division.

New England Baseball Journal contributor Matt Feld joined host Dan Guttenplan on The Base Path Podcast to expand on his 5 Takeaways From the First Half of the MIAA Season.

Feld still likes his preseason prediction of Franklin to emerge as the champion of Division 1, which has seven teams in our most recent MIAA Power Rankings.

“Taunton is going to have a rematch with Franklin this week,” Feld said. “I think Taunton’s pitching is what makes them so lethal. They’ve got so many guys that fit in a starting pitching role. They remind me of the Xaverian team in 2021. (Xaverian coach) Gerry Lambert said, ‘I don’t know if we’ve got a No. 1, but we’ve got five No. 2s.’ Taunton is going to have a chance in every game. At the very least, the pitchers will keep you in the game, but they’re not shutting other teams down.”

Milton and Leominster are the top two teams in Division 2, and Feld expects that to remain the case for the remainder of the regular season.

“Milton and Leominster are the two teams to beat in Division 2 right now,” Feld said. “Just look at Milton’s pitching. We’ll say championship pedigree. Leominster coach Rich Barnaby has established a program of winners. They’ve been there before. I think King Philip is going to be there at the end. I think they’re going to be a big-time contender. They’ve got too much pitching. They were there a year ago.”

Feld believes there is no clear-cut championship favorite in Division 3, with 2022 Division 3 state champion Austin Prep moving to the NEPSAC.

“I thought the Division 3 tournament was great last year,” Feld said. “You had Austin Prep, Taconic, Oakmont and Medfield. They were all really good last year. Of course, Foxboro and Bishop Stang are that way this year. I think it’s going to be great again this year. There are some really good teams, and that makes for an entertaining state tournament.”

Listen to the entire MIAA podcast.

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