2024 College Top 25 Preview: No. 24 Northeastern
Image credit: Mike Sirota (Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)
Last season: 44-16 (20-10 CAA), lost in Winston-Salem Regional
Final ranking: NR
Coach (record at school): Mike Glavine (270-192-1, nine seasons)
The good news: From last year’s tournament team, the Huskies return four of its five most productive hitters, two-thirds of its weekend rotation and a host of key bullpen arms. Five-tool dynamo Mike Sirota could be the highest draft pick in program history, and last year he hit .346/.472/.678 while setting new career-highs in nearly every offensive category. Also in the outfield, fellow outfielder and 2023 CAA rookie of the year Cam Maldonado (.354/.434/.642) is in line for another big season, and last year as a true freshman he led the team in hitting and also swiped 32 bags. Alex Lane will provide plenty of thump in the middle of the order, and last year he led the Huskies with 58 RBIs while hitting .318/.427/.596. Veteran first baseman and lefthanded slugger Tyler MacGregor will also hit in the middle of the order, and last year he hit .332/.416/.625 with a team-leading 18 home runs. Coach Glavine’s squad also boasts a fair share of firepower on the mound. It is a pitching staff littered with polished arms who really attack the strike zone. Sophomore Aiven Cabral will anchor the rotation after pitching his way to a 9-4 record with a 2.58 ERA en route to a first-team All-CAA selection. Senior Wyatt Scotti (6-4, 3.91 ERA) scattered just 13 walks in his 76 innings last year and will follow Cabral in the rotation. After gaining some experience as a starter last year, crafty righthander Jake Gigliotti (8-0, 3.24 ERA) will get the ball on Sundays. He attacks from a lower slot, lives around the zone and he changes speeds well. Junior righthander Dennis Colleran is now fully healthy after missing the 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Colleran will be the Huskies’ closer and possesses a lethal sinker-slider combo. Lanky lefthanders James Quinlivan (16 IP) and Will Jones (6.2 IP) logged just 22.2 combined innings in 2023, but both are in line for bigger roles in 2024. Keep an especially close eye on Jones. Over the summer, Jones logged a 2.51 ERA with 37 strikeouts to just five walks across 28.2 innings in the New England Collegiate League. The 6-foot-5 southpaw then made one appearance on the Cape, in which he did not allow an earned run and struck out seven across 3.1 innings.
The bad news: Northeastern this year will be without third baseman Danny Crossen (.346/.417/.535), the team’s second-leading hitter in 2023, and 2023 CAA defensive player of the year Spenser Smith (.236/.347/.323). Smith’s defensive prowess will be almost impossible to replace, while Crossen in 2023 hit for both power and average. The lone starting pitcher from last year who the Huskies will be without is Eric Yost (6-1, 4.23 ERA), who was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 17th round. Two of the 2023 team’s go-to bullpen arms—Patrick Harrington (6-0, 4.50 ERA) and Griffin Young (3-3, 2.63 ERA)—have since graduated, which leaves valuable roles up for grabs. However, with Dennis Colleran back to full strength and arms like Quinlivan, Jones and sophomore Charlie Walker (0-0, 0.90 ERA) waiting in the wings, the bullpen seems to be in good hands.
Player to know: Harrison Feinberg, OF. Feinberg enjoyed a solid first season with the Huskies after transferring from Southern California. He hit .264 with seven doubles, 10 home runs and 27 RBIs while flashing plenty of bat speed and above-average power. Feinberg is an ultra-physical player who will assume an everyday role in 2024 and will have the chance to establish himself as a key piece in the lineup.
Path to Omaha: Northeastern last year returned to the tournament for the second time in three seasons, and its 44 wins were the most in program history. It had the makings of a potential dark horse, but unfortunately got sent to the buzzsaw that was the Winston-Salem Regional. The Huskies hung with Maryland for seven and a half innings in their first game before eventually falling 7-2, but a disappointing 11-3 loss to George Mason ended their season. This year’s team is arguably just as good—if not better—than last year’s regional team, and will again be a team that nobody wants to see come June. The Huskies are a gritty, “Northeast tough” group that have enough talent and depth to make their first trip to the College World Series since 1966.
| Pos. | Name | Year | AVG | OBP | SLG | AB | HR | RBI |
| C | Gregory Bozzo | Sr. | 230 | .293 | .297 | 148 | 2 | 24 |
| 1B | Tyler MacGregor | R-Sr. | .332 | .416 | .624 | 229 | 18 | 54 |
| 2B | Luke Beckstein | Sr. | .229 | .355 | .314 | 153 | 3 | 33 |
| 3B | Jack Doyle | Jr. | .182 | .333 | .455 | 11 | 1 | 4 |
| SS | Jack Goodman | So. | Transfer—Pepperdine | |||||
| OF | Harrison Feinberg | R-So. | .264 | .373 | .543 | 140 | 10 | 27 |
| OF | Mike Sirota | Jr. | .346 | .472 | .678 | 214 | 18 | 54 |
| OF | Cam Maldonado | So. | .353 | .434 | .642 | 215 | 13 | 45 |
| DH | Alex Lane | Sr. | .318 | .427 | .596 | 223 | 16 | 58 |
| Pos. | Name | Class | W | L | ERA | IP | SO | SV |
| SP | Aiven Cabral | So. | 9 | 4 | 2.58 | 84 | 69 | 0 |
| SP | Wyatt Scotti | Sr. | 6 | 4 | 3.91 | 76 | 57 | 0 |
| SP | Jake Gigliotti | Sr. | 8 | 0 | 3.24 | 67 | 65 | 2 |
| RP | Dennis Colleran | R-So. | Did not play – injured | |||||
| RP | Charlie Walker | So. | 0 | 0 | 0.90 | 10 | 17 | 0 |
| RP | Brett Dunham | Jr. | 1 | 0 | 3.93 | 18 | 12 | 0 |
