Winter Recap, Spring Preview
As winter sports enter the twilight of their seasons, spring athletes are preparing to kick off their 2025 campaigns. Before we get too caught up in our sports of sticks and bats (that’s lacrosse and baseball/softball, if you didn’t know), let’s recap how our winter sports have fared since the last issue of the paper published on Feb. 6.
Men’s Basketball - Men’s Basketball continued their IAP struggles into February. Since their 69-66 win against Salve Regina on Feb. 1, they have lost four straight conference games and have officially been eliminated from the NEWMAC Championship tournament. They face Clark University in their season finale, sporting a dismal 9-15 record (3-12 conference).
Women’s Basketball - Women’s Basketball has slipped since the last issue of The Tech. They have lost three of their last four conference games, including a tough loss in OT to Babson on Feb. 12, falling to fourth place in the NEWMAC. They currently hold a 10-13 record (6-3 conference) and have secured a spot in the NEWMAC Championship Tournament. They finish the season with two conference games against Wheaton and Salve Regina, both of which will have major implications in the seeding of the tournament.
Men’s Volleyball - Men’s Volleyball has seemingly cooled off. After their hot 7-0 start, they currently sit at 9-5. All five of their losses have come from ranked teams— their most recent defeat was to No. 14 St. John Fisher University on Feb. 15. If this trend holds up, the team might be in for a rough weekend: MIT is set to take on No. 3 Vassar College on Feb. 21, and No. 1 NYU on Feb. 22. The team currently is ranked No. 20 nationally by the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll and are most likely at risk of losing their ranking if they continue to drop games against ranked competition.
Looking Ahead to Spring Sports
Many sports have later start dates that will be captured best in the next issue. These are the current spring team sports starting this week.
Men’s Lacrosse - Men’s Lacrosse begins their season on Feb. 22 at Roger Williams University. They’re projected to finish 3rd in the NEWMAC according to the Preseason Coaches Poll. They have twenty-six returning student-athletes and are seeking to improve upon their 6-10 record last season.
Women’s Lacrosse - Women’s Lacrosse kicks off their 2025 season on Feb. 22 against Endicott College. Projected to place 2nd in the NEWMAC according to the Preseason Coaches Poll, the Engineers hope to continue their success from last season. In 2024, the Engineers finished with a 17-5 record but lost in the NEWMAC Championship Game to Babson College (who are projected to repeat as champions this year). MIT made it a game deep into the NCAA tournament before losing to William Smith in the second round.
Baseball - MIT’s Baseball Team starts their season against Mitchell College on March 1st. They are ranked 5th in the NEWMAC according to the Preseason Coaches Poll. The team hopes to improve upon their 17-20 record in 2024 as they enter the last season of Head Coach Andy Barlow’s tenure at MIT (who previously announced his retirement at the end of the season).