The North Adams Steeplecats head into the 2026 season with high hopes after a deep playoff run last summer. Coach Mike Gladu has assembled a pitching staff made up of pitchers from across the country, and will look to them for stability and effectiveness throughout the season as they push towards the playoffs once again. As they say, pitching wins championships, so here are the arms that will hope to do just that this year with North Adams.
Jake Foster (Rhode Island College): Foster joins North Adams after his second year at RIC, where he more than doubled his strikeout numbers from the season prior. The six foot tall righty had his best outing of the season against Babson on April 9th, allowing only one run over five innings while striking out three.
Niklas Pavia (Dayton): The big righty out of the A-10 conference comes to the NECBL for the second summer in a row, having pitched for Keene in the summer of 2025. Pavia enjoyed a good stint with the Swamp Bats, pitching to an ERA of 4.09 across three outings, totaling 11 innings with the club.
Liam Riordan (RPI): Riordan arrives at the Steeplecats by way of RPI, where he just finished up his second season for the Engineers. He finished his season strong against St. Lawrence, throwing five innings of two-run ball, striking out four and allowing no extra-base hits.
James Morr (St. Lawrence): Morr figures to play a big part in the Steeplecats bullpen, providing length and effectiveness in a multi-inning role. He did exactly that in his last outing of the season, throwing two scoreless innings against Clarkson while allowing just one hit.
Steven Sams (Middle Georgia State): Sams joins North Adams from D-II Middle Georgia State, after previously transferring from Chipola College. Sams appeared in 17 games, striking out an impressive 53 batters in only 39.2 innings.
Kellen Moore (Lafayette): Moore looks to be on track to be one of the more important arms in Mike Gladu’s bullpen, arriving in North Adams after his sophomore season at Lafayette. Moore can operate as a multi-inning reliever or in a single-inning capacity, making him one of the more versatile options out of the Steeplecats bullpen.
Jakob Foster (Mt. Saint Mary’s): Foster projects as a possible Opening Day starter for the Steeplecats, having pitched effectively in his junior campaign for Mt. Saint Mary’s. The right hander from Bristow, VA lowered his ERA by nearly two runs from his previous season, while also setting a career high in wins.
Nolan Currier (Salem State): Currier comes to the Steeple City after a season where he impressed both at the plate and on the mound. He batted .314 with an OPS of .910, while also accumulating 27 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched, good for an average of 10.13 per game.
Rich Kerstetter (Central Connecticut State): Kerstetter joins North Adams from CCSU, reuniting with batterymate Owen Arias. In his second season at CCSU, Kerstetter appeared in 16 games, recording both a start and a save in the process.
Eli Fleming (Stetson): Fleming comes to North Adams after redshirting his freshman year at Stetson. He brings a reputation of summer league effectiveness, having pitched for the Vermont Lake Monsters of the FCBL in 2025, putting up stellar results there. Fleming pitched to an ERA of 1.85 across 24.1 innings, striking out 11.
Parker Guthrie (Washington U): Guthrie joins North Adams looking to continue his success from the college season, where he pitched to an ERA of 2.59 across 41.2 innings. Guthrie brings big strikeout stuff to the pitching staff, having struck out 78 batters throughout his collegiate career.
Joe LaPrade (St. Lawrence): LaPrade represents the second St. Lawrence pitcher to join the Steeplecats’ staff, and returns for his second season with North Adams while also having pitched for Shelter Island in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League. Across those two teams, LaPrade combined for an ERA of 3.38 over 32 innings pitched.
Matt Higgins (Colby): Higgins joins North Adams after a stellar sophomore campaign at Colby, working to a 2.98 ERA across 10 appearances and 42.1 innings pitched. His best outing of the season was his last, pitching seven innings against Amherst College while only allowing one earned run and striking out four.
Sam Formus (Portal): Formus comes to North Adams bringing two seasons worth of summer ball experience, having pitched in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League with the Westfield Starfires. While there, he compiled 23.2 innings of work, striking out 15.
Trey Power (Alabama State): The only Steeplecat whose team qualified for this year’s NCAA Baseball regionals, Power will bring big-game experience to a team who is hoping to be able to utilize it with a playoff push. Power showed a real ability to keep the ball in the yard this season for the Hornets, allowing only 0.5 HR/9 along the way to a SWAC title and a tournament berth.
Gage Wheaton (Niagara): Wheaton had a solid year for Niagara University, coming to North Adams after a junior season where he finished with an ERA of 5.37 for the Purple Eagles. His best outing of the year came on May 3 against Rider, where he threw seven shutout innings, striking out five and walking none.
Anthoni Kiafoulis (Penn): Kiafoulis returns to North Adams for a second summer, after he did not pitch this season for Penn. He will look to replicate the success he found in his 2025 campaign, after he allowed no earned runs across three innings, surrendering only a single unearned run.
Garret Gates (RPI): The second pitcher to join North Adams from RPI, Gates will be an option for Coach Mike Gladu out of the rotation. In his first season with the Engineers after transferring in from NJIT, Gates posted an ERA of 4.12 while striking out 39 batters compared to only 22 walks.
Brady Burgess (Middle Georgia State): Burgess joins the team out of Tampa, FL, and seems to be primed to play a big part in the North Adams bullpen. This season for Middle Georgia State, Burgess appeared in 10 games, throwing multiple innings in five of them, showing off his versatility in a variety of roles.
David Johnson (Middle Georgia State): Another part of the sizable contingent from Middle Georgia State, Johnson produced good results in a limited sample size this season for the Knights. He allowed a singular run across three innings, striking out two and allowing a batting average of just .200.
Tyler Tedeschi (NYU): From the Big Apple all the way to North Adams, Tedeschi joins the Steeplecats for a second summer in a row, looking for a big season to follow up a solid junior campaign for the Violets. Tedeschi pitched in five games for the Steeplecats in 2025, starting once.
All in all, North Adams boasts a pitching staff with an intriguing mix of youth and experience across all levels of NCAA competition, and will hope to continue the momentum of last season’s playoff push. They start that journey on June 6th, in Keene, NH at 6:30 pm, with their first home game taking place on June 7th at 4:00 at Joe Wolfe Field.