By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Here's a look at the week ahead (April 27-May 3) for the Bridgewater State University athletics teams:
TUESDAY
BASEBALL, at Worcester State (DH), 2:00 PM: The Bears start the final week of the regular season by facing the Lancers in a pair of games.
BSU (23-6, 17-2 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference) defeated Worcester State (14-16, 12-7, tied for third place in the MASCAC) on April 20 at home, 5-1.
The first-place Bears own a four-game lead in the conference with five games remaining.
WOMEN'S LACROSSE, at home, Salem State, 6:00 PM: For the third time in five years, the Bears will open the MASCAC tournament by hosting the Vikings.
BSU enters the quarterfinal round with four straight wins, improving to 5-2 in the conference to earn the No. 3 seed. The Bears are 7-10 overall, 3-5 at Mazzaferro Field.
Salem State is the No. 6 seed with a 2-5 record and is 8-6 overall.
The Bears defeated the Vikings at home on April 21, 15-5, with Ashley Silva scored five goals.
WEDNESDAY
BASEBALL, at home, Wentworth Institute of Technology, 3:00 PM: The Bears finish the non-conference portion of the schedule by hosting the Leopards at Alumni Park. BSU is 6-4 against non-MASCAC teams.
Wentworth is 18-16 and 7-8 in the Conference of New England. The Leopards defeated BSU, 14-11, last season in a game that included 30 hits and 376 pitches being thrown.
SOFTBALL, at home, Roger Williams, 3:00 PM: The Bears host the Hawks in their final non-conference game.
BSU (15-19, four straight losses) has not played the Hawks (18-12) since losing, 5-4, in Minneola, Fla., in March 2020, not long before the season was halted due to COVID.
Roger Williams, a member of the Conference of New England, has not played at Bridgewater State since a 10-2 loss to the Bears in 1985.
THURSDAY
MEN'S TENNIS, at home, TBD, 3:00 PM: The regular-season champion Bears begin the Little East Conference tournament by hosting a semifinal-round match at the Rosen Memorial Tennis Courts.
BSU went 6-0 in the conference for its second title in three seasons and is 10-4 overall. The Bears begin the postseason on an eight-match winning streak.
Their opponent will be determined on Tuesday when the two quarterfinal-round matches take place. Third-seeded UMass Boston plays sixth-seeded Southern Maine and fourth-seeded Salem State hosts fifth-seeded Western Connecticut while No. 2 Rhode Island College has a bye.
FRIDAY
MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD, at the Division III New England Championships, 10:00 AM: The Bears travel to the Blake Track at Springfield College for the two-day New England meet.
BSU finished 11th out of 34 teams in 2025, compiling 23 points.
The team had four All-New England performers, including former Bears Corey Stalters (javelin), Kevin McBirney (800), Chigozie Adigwe (110 hurdles) and Alex Huynh (high jump).
The meet begins in the morning with the final event of the day at 7:15 p.m.
WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD, at the Division III New England Championships, 10:00 AM: The Bears will be at Springfield College's Blake Track for the New England meet after finishing seventh out of 39 teams with 35 points in 2025.
Winning New England titles last season were former Bears Kiara Abrantes (with a school record in the 400) and Serenity Sands (high jump).
Abrantes was also an All-New England performer by finishing sixth in the 200. Another ex-BSU athlete, Alison McDonough, earned All-New England honors by finishing third in the 100 hurdles and fifth in the 100.
Sophomore Grace Inacio (Taunton, Mass.) returns after finishing seventh in the 200 for All-New England honors in her first season.
BASEBALL, at Anna Maria, 4:00 PM: The Bears meet the second-place AMCATS to open a three-game series to wind up the regular season.
Anna Maria, a first-year member of the MASCAC, is 23-12 and 13-6 in the conference. The AMCATS are 14-5 at home.
The school announced recently that Anna Maria will be closing after this semester.
SATURDAY
MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD, at the Division III New England Championships, 10:00 AM: The second day of competition begins in the morning and ends with the relay races, the last one scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD, at the Division III New England Championships, 10:00 AM: The meet will start in the morning and finish with a relay race at 5:15 p.m.
BASEBALL, at home, Anna Maria (DH), Noon: The Bears finish the regular season with a doubleheader against the AMCATS.
BSU will open the conference tournament next week. The Bears own an 11-1 record at home.
SOFTBALL, at home, Anna Maria (DH), 12:30 PM: The AMCATS visit Alumni Park for a twinbill to conclude the regular season.
Anna Maria begins the week 13-19 and is 2-10 in the MASCAC.
The Bears will be hosting Senior Day.