BROOKLINE, Mass. – North Carolina A&T's baseball season ended on Saturday with a 12-0 loss to the Northeastern Huskies, the 25th-ranked team in the nation, at Friedman Diamond.
It was an interesting season for the Aggies, where they struggled early in the non-conference, losing 10 straight from March 2-17. However, the Aggies got off to an outstanding start once Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play began.
They took out two of three at War Memorial Stadium from William & Mary before going on the road and taking two of three from UNC Wilmington. Those were not insignificant wins. William & Mary and UNCW became two of the six teams that qualified for the 2025 CAA Baseball Championship Tournament, May 24-27 in Charleston, SC. In fact, the Aggies took two out of three in three of their first four CAA series, going 2-1 against Monmouth.
But after an 8-5 start in conference play, the Aggies went 1-13 in the CAA the remainder of the season to finish 9-18 conference play. A&T finished 15-37 overall. If everyone stays in place, however, the Aggies have an exciting future ahead. A&T relied on four key freshmen in 2025 -- Tyler Smith, JT Taylor, Bruce Wyche, and Savoi Edwards.
The foursome combined for 34 home runs, 44 doubles, eight triples, 144 runs, and 136 RBIs. Smith led the team in batting average (.323), Taylor led the Aggies in home runs (11), and Wyche led the team in runs scored (47). A&T will need to replenish its pitching. The Aggies will lose right-hander Jacob Halford, the team's leader in saves (5) and appearances (23).
A&T will also lose RHP Diego Barrett, who led the team in ERA (3.88) and strikeouts (51). Opponents hit only .192 against Barrett. In addition, the Aggies will need to replace RHP Angel Ortiz, who led the team in wins (6-2) and innings pitched (69.2).
A&T junior RHP Gavin Sentell (L, 1-10) got the start on Saturday against Northeastern, and the Huskies quickly got off to a 3-0 lead in the home first thanks to an RBI double from Carmelo Musacchia and a two-run double from Matt Brinker. In the Northeastern fourth, an A&T error led to three unearned runs. The Huskies scored four runs in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead.
Northeastern scored five more runs in the sixth to put the Aggies away. Huskies left-handed starter Jordan Gottesman (W, 8-2) went five innings, giving up only one hit and striking out nine Aggies. Right-handed pitchers Joseph Hauser and James Morice completed the two-out shutout for the Huskies.
The Huskies put together four extra-base hits, all doubles, to improve to 45-9 overall and 25-2 in the CAA. Saturday marked Northeastern's 24th straight win. Meanwhile, the Aggies will go into the offseason with tons of young talent.
