Haverhill, MA (August 2, 2018) – Six sophomore members of the 2018 Northern Essex Community College baseball team have announced their plans to transfer on to four institutions for the upcoming 2018-19 seasons. In the spring 2019, they will suit up for five different NCAA institutions spanning all three divisions.
The first member of the team to commit was pitcher Corey Imbriano (Wakefield, MA), who will attend the University of Dayton, a member of the Division I Atlantic-10 Conference. The Flyers are coached by Massachusetts native Jayson King who will enter his second season with the program. On the mound in 2018, Imbriano was named First-Team All-Region as he had a 2.41 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched with a 4-2 win loss record and a save on the season.
Joining Imbriano at the Division I level is center fielder Ben Irvine (Peabody, MA) who recently committed to the Maryland Terrapins in the highly competitive Big Ten Conference (B1G). Irvine, earned Second Team All-American honors to go along with his First-Team All-Region selection. He finished the season second in the nation with 40 stolen bases in 43 attempts, also led the team with 55 runs scored.
Ryan Collins (Peabody, MA), a First-Team All-Region and Rawlings Gold Glove selection announced his plans in June to attend NCAA II Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN. Collins who had a .944 fielding percentage, batted .404 on the season with 61 hits and was second in the team in home runs with five.
Joining Collins at the NCAA II level is infielder Nolan Steevens (Wilton, NH) who will head to Central, SC and join Southern Wesleyan University. Steevens, who was an Honorable Mention All-Region pick is also a two-time Academic All-American. He batted .375 on the year with 42 hits and had an on-base percentage of .450.
Two other members of the program have elected to stay close to home and join NCAA Division III Rivier University in Nashua, NH. Pitchers Devin Carvalho (North Andover, MA) and Nick Musto (Londonderry, NH) will provide immediate experience to the Raiders roster. Carvalho pitched 15 innings in relief for the Knights in 2018, his lone decision on the season was a win in the District F Super Regional that sent the team onto the World Series. Musto started one game on the year and made 10 appearances out of the bullpen to record a 4-2 record in 27.1 innings pitched. Musto recorded the win in the Knights Region XXI Championship Game with two innings of one hit relief.
Northern Essex Community College competes as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and sponsors nine varsity intercollegiate sports including baseball, men's basketball, golf, softball, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country and men's and women's track and field. For more information on Northern Essex Community College Athletics please visit the official website of Northern Essex Athletics (http://athletics.necc.mass.edu).