BOSTON – A week away from first pitch, Suffolk baseball's senior captain Brady Chant has been tabbed to the 2018 Preseason All-New England Baseball Journal Division III Team the publication released in its latest weekly insider Friday afternoon. The team is NEBJ's projection of the top player at each position picked from all the New England region programs heading into the 2018 slate.
Chant enters his final season with the blue-and-gold at the helm of Suffolk's offense and has the chance to break multiple marks in the Rams' record books including hits, runs, RBI, total bases, stolen bases and doubles.
The D3Baseballl.com Preseason All-American second-team selection is coming off a campaign in which he put together a .361 batting average with 69 hits and led all New Englanders with 118 total bases, a number that sat third in the country, behind 13 doubles, four dingers and a school-record 12 triples. His record breaking triples made him the 2017 NCAA DIII Statistical Champion in both triples and triples per game (.27) with the Warwick, Rhode Island native anchoring the Suffolk squad to the same honors in both categories.
His offensive numbers from last season included a .434 on-base percentage along with a .618 slugging percentage to lead the Rams to their third consecutive GNAC Title and third straight NCAA Regional trip. At the regional tournament, he helped Suffolk put together their best showing in seven overall appearances with back-to-back victories to advance to the winner's bracket and play on Championship Sunday.
The honor is added to a large shelf of accolades Chant has already collected throughout his career. In 2017, he became the second-ever Ram to earn D3Baseball.com All-American status after earning his second straight all-region nod from the organization and third consecutive New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) all-region accolade. To go with his regional recognition, he has been acknowledged by the conference with all-league first-team accolades in each of his three seasons, as well as three gold gloves.
Chant and the Rams are seven days away from lifting the lid on the 71st Suffolk baseball season. The Rams 2018 season opener is set to get underway Friday, March 9 against Albion at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Auburndale, Florida.
2018 Preseason All-NEBJ Division III Team
RHP: Davis Mikell, Castleton
LHP: Patrick Maybach, Salve Regina
C: Christian Vargas, Salve Regina
1B: Chris Fowler, UMass Boston
2B: Kyle Hartenstein, Mitchell
3B: Tommy O'Hara, UMass Boston
SS: Kyle Bonicki, Clark
OF: Dylan Hapworth, Southern Maine
OF: Brady Chant, Suffolk
OF: Evan Delaney, New England College
DH: Ryan Arena, Babson
UT: Jake Dexter, Southern Maine