The Huskies’ 24-game winning streak is the nation’s longest. And Will Jones, a 6-foot-5 lefthanded graduate student, is their unlikely ace.
It’s been a magical year for Northeastern baseball — and the No. 19 Huskies (45-9) hope the best is still to come.
They lead the NCAA in most wins (a school record) and fewest losses. They’ve won their last 24 games (another school record) while establishing the nation’s longest active winning streak. They rank third nationally in stolen bases and their pitching staff is No. 1 overall in earned run average (2.94), shutouts (16) and walks plus hits per inning pitched (1.05).
The Huskies enter this week’s CAA Baseball Championship with a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed, thanks to a 25-2 conference record (six games better than No. 2 North Carolina Wilmington). Winning the conference title would earn Northeastern an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament — but even if they should suffer an upset, the Huskies would remain in contention for an at-large NCAA bid based on the success of their regular season.
Northeastern opens the double-elimination CAA tournament in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, at 3 p.m. Thursday against an opponent to be determined (streaming via FloCollege).
Coach Mike Glavine is pursuing a second CAA title and third NCAA bid in a span of five years. He says he’s never been more confident in a team thanks to the deep staff managed by associate head coach Kevin Cobb, who serves as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.
“We’re going in with a pitching staff that can run four or five starters out there, plus another five to seven bullpen guys,” says Glavine, whose Huskies haven’t lost since April 6. “That’s how this team is built. Our hitting has been really good — it’s just the pitching has been on another level.”
Leading the Huskies into tournament play is graduate student Will Jones (10-0), the embodiment of Husky resilience. The 6-foot-5-inch lefthander didn’t throw a pitch his first two seasons at Northeastern and didn’t earn a start until last year. He entered this season with a 4-2 career record.
Now he ranks No. 4 in the nation in wins and ERA (1.99).
“Will’s success here has not been a straight line,” Glavine says. “We had plenty of uncomfortable player-coach conversations of, ‘Why am I not traveling?’ and ‘Why am I not pitching?’ We didn’t exactly see eye to eye — but in a very respectful way. And I just said to him, essentially, ‘You’ve got to do more.’”
Jones was set back by Tommy John elbow surgery in high school in suburban Boston.
“My career has definitely been up and down,” says Jones, who is pursuing an MBA after graduating last year in business administration with a concentration in finance. “I started off as just a roster guy near the bottom and worked my way up to the Friday starting role, which has definitely been cool. It really is a testament to coach Cobb and coach Glav and their ability to develop guys and keep guys engaged. Even when things aren’t going your way, they still have the belief in you and give you a chance to prove yourself and continue to work with you even if you aren’t one of the top guys on the staff.”
Jones’s best pitch is a big curveball, which he complements with fastballs (four-seam and two-seam) and a cutter that he developed last year. His fastball tops out in the low 90s mph.
“I’m not the hardest throwing guy,” Jones says. “But I’m able to throw all my pitches where I want, when I want.”
Jones and his fellow stars have fed off the camaraderie of this special group.
“We’re in every game,” Jones says. “Our defense and hitting are unbelievable. It’s just knowing that your defense has your back even if you make a bad pitch. Knowing you have guys all over the field who can make a big play for you allows you to have that mindset where I can attack anybody at any count, maybe even [from] behind. I can still throw that fastball knowing that my stuff’s good enough — or that my defense is good enough where they’ll be able to pick me up. And that allows me to pitch the way I want to.”
Jones is confident the Huskies will approach the postseason with their typical aggression.
“It’s a completely new season,” Jones says. “None of the games you played before matter. We’ve got to look at it like it’s a completely blank slate and attack them with everything we have.
“In every close game, whether we’re winning or we’re behind, it never feels like we’re out. We know we have the staff. We know we have the bats. That allows us to play with a ton of confidence regardless of the score, regardless of who we’re playing.”
Jones’s story of patient resolve will be remembered beyond this season, Glavine says.
“Each year his velocity kept climbing and his command got better,” Glavine says. “For me it was seeing how hard he worked, seeing him stay with it. He would be frustrated but he would never show it to the team or to me or be disrespectful. He just kept working and working.
“I’ve said this to Will and I’ve said it to the team: His story is going to be passed down from me when guys talk about wanting to play more or pitch more. I’m going to bring up Will Jones’s name every year and say, ‘Look at what Will Jones did.’ ‘This is what Will Jones showed me.’ ‘This is what Will Jones did when he got the opportunity.’
“People say, ‘How is your team doing this?’ The answer is it’s because of guys like Will. It’s guys like him that stick around. They don’t have instant success and they say, ‘I’m going to figure it out.’ That’s what he did and I can’t wait to watch him pitch some more for us.”