WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley baseball program has been quickly ascending the past couple of years, and there's plenty to indicate that the best is yet to come this spring.
 
The 2026 Falcons return all eight of their All-Northeast 10 honorees from last year's historic team. Bentley won a program-best 33 wins in 2025. That achievement came only one year after winning 29 games in 2024, which briefly stood as the most wins in program history.
 
Among Bentley's key returners this year are Brendan Sencaj, Pat Heber, and Zach Eigenbrod. Sencaj, a junior, was named the NE10 Northeast Division Player of the Year in 2025. He led the conference in hitting (.411), RBI (67), and runs scored (62). Heber, a southpaw senior, finished the 2025 season with a 3.71 ERA and 5-3 record. He struck out 76 batters in 77.2 innings. Eigenbrod earned the NE10 Northeast Division Rookie Pitcher of the Year. He posted a perfect 5-0 record to go with a 3.23 ERA in 61.1 innings. Batters hit just .204 off of Eigenbrod last season.
 
Stan DeMartinis III and Nick Pappas, both of whom are graduate students, joined Heber and Sencaj on the All-NE10 First Team last year. DeMartinis crushed a team-leading 13 home runs, and he drove in 50 runs while slugging .605. Pappas, who played mostly in left field, hit .304 with six homers, 12 doubles, and 41 RBI.
 
Another graduate student, Jared Berardino, joined Eigenbrod on the All-NE10 Second Team in 2025. Berardino hit .329 with 14 doubles and six home runs. The right fielder's .972 OPS ranked third on the team, behind DeMartinis (1.035) and Sencaj (1.148).
 
Senior shortstop Tommy Bolton earned All-NE10 Third Team last year. Bentley's primary leadoff hitter, Bolton posted a team-leading .497 on-base percentage, and he scored 42 runs.
 
Curt Heath's impressive freshman season landed him on the NE10 All-Rookie Team, along with Eigenbrod. Heath played mostly at second base, hitting .327 in his 34 games. He drew more walks (16) than strikeouts (15), leading to a .444 on-base percentage.
 
Mike Hill, the 2025 NE10 Coach of the Year, and his staff made several key acquisitions heading into the 2025-26 school year. Graduate pitcher Evan McCarthy is poised to enter the weekend rotation for Bentley following an outstanding 2025 season at Assumption. McCarthy posted a 3.47 ERA through 62.1 innings last year, striking out 64 batters in the process.
 
Fellow graduate student Sam Belliveau transferred from UMass, and his Division-I experience will be a significant factor for Bentley's pitching staff.
 
It's not just the veterans that Hill is counting on in the arms race. Freshmen Dylan Lawrence and Caleb Allen are expected to be key contributors. This includes a return of outstanding relievers Timmy Orie and Keegan Antelman. Last year, Orie posted a 2.63 ERA in 27.1 innings, while Antelman finished the season with a 2.35 ERA in 30.2 innings.
 
Speedsters David VanderZouwen and Hunter Smith are expected to start the season in centerfield platoon. VanderZouwen hit .265 in 37 games as a freshman last year. Smith missed the 2025 season with an injury, but in 2024 he showed that he can really be a difference maker. In 19 games two seasons ago, Smith stole 13 bases, scored 23 runs, slugged a couple of homers, and hit .280.
 
Sencaj has played a handful of positions through his first two collegiate seasons, but he's expected to return to his high school roots at the hot corner this spring. Sencaj started his Bentley career by playing some catcher, and last year he split time between first base and centerfield.
 
Sencaj's move across the diamond opens the door for Jake Maydak at first base. The sophomore had a successful rookie campaign, hitting .301 through 34 games.
 
Senior Tommy Goonan returns at catcher for Bentley. In 16 games last year, Goonan hit .302 with a .939 OPS.
 
All of that said, Bentley is receiving votes (9 points) in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason National Poll. NE10 coaches voted the Falcons as the favorites to win the conference crown this year.
 
The 2026 campaign begins in Florida. The season debut is at Barry Friday, Feb. 6. The Falcons take on Lynn the following day (Feb. 7), and the weekend concludes at Palm Beach (Feb. 8). The Falcons make a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., Feb. 20-22, where they will play Saint Thomas Aquinas, Bridgeport, and Mercy.
 
Bentley's home opener is March 21 – a conference doubleheader against Southern New Hampshire.