Bentley edges SNHU in NE-10 Poll

NO. ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The Southern New Hampshire University baseball team was chosen second in the 2026 NE10 Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

The Penmen gathered three of a possible nine first-place votes and totaled 74 points to finish just behind Bentley University, which tallied five first-place votes and 75 points. Franklin Pierce University (66) and Pace University (60), each garnered a first-place vote, and placed third and fourth, respectively. Southern Connecticut State University (46), American International College (40) and Adelphi University (38) slotted in fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively, while Saint Anselm College (24), Saint Michael’s College (14) and Assumption University (13) rounded out the poll.

SNHU is coming off a season in which it went 32-16, including 28-7 in NE10 play to place third in the Northeast Division, lost in the NE10 final and narrowly missed out on its 13th straight trip to the NCAA postseason.

Head coach Chris Shank returns for his third season at the helm and will look to seniors Jake Risedorf (Barkhamsted, Conn.) and Jake Pisano (Hamden, Conn.) to provide returning experience to the lineup. Risedorf, an NE10 All-Conference Second Team selection last season, hit .297 with five home runs, 37 RBI and 40 runs scored in 46 games played. He also went 3-1 with a pair of saves and a 3.56 earned-run average (ERA) in 43.0 innings over nine appearances and six starts on the mound. Pisano was a Third Teamer despite missing the first 23 games of the season due to injury. He finished with a .391 batting average, three home runs, 15 RBI and 18 runs in 25 games. Senior Kyle Lavigne (Bedford, N.H.; .283, 1 HR, 24 RBI), junior Joel Valera (Boston, Mass.; .239 4 HR, 29 RBI) and senior Ruben Fernandez (Providence, R.I.; .231, 14 RBI) are also back.

Senior Parker Lendrum (Exeter, N.H.), a member of the NE10 All-Defensive Team last season, and redshirt-junior Zachary Brassill (No. Hampton, N.H.), both return from last year’s starting rotation. Lendrum was 5-2 with a 4.32 ERA in 10 starts over 58.1 innings, while Brassill finished 3-3 with a 4.75 ERA in 11 appearances, including nine starts, over 53.0 frames. Junior Devin Divita (New Hartford, Conn.), an NE10 Third Team choice, is back after going 6-1 with a 4.01 ERA in 17 appearances out of the bullpen a year ago. NE10 All-Rookie pick, sophomore Angel Baez (Leominster, Mass.), also returns after going 3-2 with a 3.61 ERA in 17 appearances, including five starts.

The Penmen open up the 2026 campaign with a five-game trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. Their first game is Feb. 19 (5:30 p.m.) against Felician University.

1. Bentley – 75 (5)
2. Southern New Hampshire – 74 (3)
3. Franklin Pierce – 66 (1)
4. Pace – 60 (1)
5. Southern Connecticut – 46
6. American Int’l – 40
7. Adelphi – 38
8. Saint Anselm – 24
9. Saint Michael’s – 14
10. Assumption – 13