Catchers' Power, First Career Starts Highlight Week

Below is the 10th Navs College Baseball Report of the 2026 season. Weekly installments will be posted by Tuesday throughout the spring.

LYNN, Mass. — Here are the latest college highlights for the team's incoming players:

Rhode Island catcher Danny Leikus put together his most impressive week of the season, recording six hits, four RBI and three runs scored while striking out twice in 17 at-bats. Highlighting his recent performance was a two-run home run against Bryant, which was the first of his collegiate career, in an eventual 10-9 victory last Tuesday.

Leikus was not the only soon-to-be North Shore backstop to clear the fences, as Northwestern's Jay Slater hit his fifth of the season in Friday's Big Ten series opener against Michigan. He went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs, with his round-tripper helping to spark a ninth-inning comeback.

High Point outfielder Lane Allen had a strong finish to last week, connecting on his sixth home run of the season in a Saturday win over Charleston Southern before going 2-for-3 in Sunday's series finale which fellow incoming Navigator Aidan Paul started on the mound. Paul had a solid outing in his 10th start of the season, allowing two runs over 4.2 innings. 

North Shore returnee Simmi Whitehill is on an incredible tear for Monmouth, having reached base in 33 consecutive games and also put together a nine-game hit streak. Whitehill went 6-for-10 over the weekend against Stony Brook, opening the series with his fourth homer during a 2-for-4, three-RBI performance on the way to an 8-4 Friday win.

Grayson Carpenter continues to be an on-base machine in his debut season at Dayton, reaching 10 more times and scoring eight runs this past week, raising his on-base percentage to an incredible .441. Carpenter knocked an RBI triple in Friday's 10-2, series-opening win for the Flyers against Richmond. 

Oral Roberts' Hudson Ellis is authoring a similar type of season, as he drove in a run in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday while scoring a total of six to help the Golden Eagles post another sweep in Summit League action against South Dakota State. He finished a four-game week with two multi-hit games. 

Speaking of shortstops, Hofstra's Michael Brown emerged on Sunday for his best game of a CAA series against UNC Wilmington. The leadoff hitter's 2-for-5 performance helped the Pride to a 6-5 win. Both of his hits were doubles, with one resulting in a crucial game-tying RBI and eventual go-ahead run scored in the ninth inning. 

Returning Navigator Jack Rickheim is riding an eight-game hit streak for Harvard, which has helped his average climb to second on the Crimson at .294. He had three hits in last Tuesday's Beanpot game against Harvard before hitting safely in all three Ivy League games against Dartmouth on the weekend. Following a multi-hit performance in the front end of a Saturday doubleheader, Rickheim had an RBI single and scored another run to help his team to a 7-6 series finale victory. 

Rickheim's teammate and middle infield partner Tyler Shulman is also playing some of his most consistent baseball of the season in mid-April. He started the Dartmouth series with a multi-hit game and an RBI, while adding another hit, two RBI and a run scored on Saturday. 

Another streak was kept alive last week, as Bowling Green's Pauly Mancino has scored at least one run in seven consecutive games. A big reason why his baserunning streak surged was his four hits against UMass on the weekend, including a 3-for-4 Sunday effort in which he scored the Falcons' lone run. He also stole three bases during the series.

On the mound, Lynn native and St. Mary's grad Josh Doney was busy during UMass Lowell's America East series against UMBC. The left-hander recorded the final out of a 9-7, 10-inning win on Saturday before earning his first career start the next afternoon. 

Cornell's John Hegarty is a recent addition to the North Shore roster who also started for the first time last wek, pitching 3.2 innings on the way to the Big Red's 5-3 Friday win over Yale. Hegarty has an outstanding 2.88 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 25 innings of work in his sophomore season.

Veteran Navigator Cole Yennaco continued his run of outstanding relief, finishing his Merrimack squad's two latest wins over Rhode Island and Sacred Heart. The first of those outings resulted in his sixth save of the spring. All told, Yennaco pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out one. Also in the bullpen, Groveland native Ethan Hunt registered a strikeout in his first pitching appearance in the last month for New Orleans.

The Navigators will return to historic Fraser Field and the NECBL for their 19th summer season in 2026, with first pitch set for Friday, June 5. Stay up to date on the latest Navs news by visiting nsnavs.com and following the team on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.