Run it back? Merrimack players considering reboot for Year 1 in D1

Merrimack shortstop Nick Shumski led the NEC with a .443 average and 12 RBI. (William Powell/Merrimack Athletics)

Merrimack only got to play the first 15 games of its debut season at the Division 1 level before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the entire college baseball world.

It was a new beginning for a program that closed out its time in the Northeast-10 Conference with back-to-back championship appearances, winning its first title in 22 years two seasons ago. Though the Warriors’ time on the field in 2020 was shortened, there will be no substitute for this experience as the program’s baseball promotion continues.

“I think we had a little rollercoaster of a season even though it was only 15 games, but there was definitely a lot of excitement and energy to start the season because these guys wanted to finally show what they could do at this level,” said sixth-year head coach Nick Barese (Braintree, Mass.).

Despite a 6-9 record when it was all over unexpectedly by mid-March, the Warriors showed quite a bit.