Sophomore Sean Mellen ignites Northeastern’s impressive start

Northeastern coach Mike Glavine is happy to take the blame for not giving sophomore Sean Mellen enough of an opportunity as a freshman. That’s easy for Glavine to say now that Mellen has started his sophomore season with a 4-0 record, 1.33 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 27 innings.

But the truth is nobody besides Mellen could have predicted the Norwood, Mass., native’s breakout opening month — one in which Northeastern finished as the No. 2 ranked NCAA Division 1 team in the nation in the RPI ranking.

Although Mellen came to Northeastern in the fall of 2016 as an accomplished former state champion pitcher at Norwood High, he didn’t demonstrate consistent command at the college level until this spring. Mellen pitched all of 20 innings as a freshman, finishing with a 10.80 ERA and 28 walks against 22 strikeouts. While he had unquestionable potential as a 6-foot-5 left-hander with a 92 mph fastball, he didn’t perform to the level of a Colonial Athletic Association starter.