After an incredible 2023 that saw the Boston College Eagles threaten to host an NCAA Regional, 2024 was a rocky transition year under first year head coach Todd Interdonato. While Interdonato was able to retain much of Mike Gambino’s roster, injuries and inconsistency plagued the team throughout the year as they learned the ins and outs of his system and style.
The 2024 Boston College Eagles went 22-31 overall and 8-22 in the ACC, missing the conference tournament. Surprisingly, BC went 7-18 at home and 12-12 on the road. They’ll have to play better in their own stadium if they’re to be successful in 2025. Team stars John West and Cam Leary depart for the MLB, but a large and heavily experienced group returns.
Catchers (Starter Rank: 15, Group Rank: 10)
Parker Landwehr served as the primary catcher for Boston College last season, though Beck Milner received some experience at the position and in the lineup. The junior backstop hit .224 in 58 at-bats and had 2 doubles and a home run. After an impressive summer hitting .341 with five extra base hits in just 44 at-bats for the Bristol Blues of the New England Collegiate League, Milner could emerge as the everyday catcher.
Milner’s competition for the role has been graduate transfer Gunnar Johnson, who transferred in from Wofford and is former Todd Interdonato player. He may not have the upside of Milner, but Johnson does boast a .304 career batting average over 82 career games. He also has the advantage of playing three previous years in Todd Interdonato’s system while at Wofford. It’s a toss-up as to who will earn the starting nod, but expect both to see the field throughout the season.
Infield (Starter Rank: 13, Group Rank: 7)
Boston College returns virtually their entire starting infield from their 2023 Tuscaloosa Regional Final team. Kyle Wolff, Vince Cimini, Sam McNulty, Nick Wang and Patrick Roche have combined to play in nearly 600 games for Boston College and have amassed over 2,000 collegiate at-bats.
Junior Kyle Wolff looks to remain at first base after a breakout sophomore campaign in which he slashed .315/.421/.503 with a .924 OPS. Despite being banged up for much of the season, Wolff started in all 53 of BC’s games and had 22 extra-base hits. 5th year Patrick Roche, a natural third baseman, is capable of playing first should he be needed. And Owen DeShazo is a 6’6” junior from Glen Allen, Virginia that has the athleticism to back-up at first base if needed but is expected to be more of an outfielder.
Graduate Vince Cimini will be the starter at second base for the Eagles. The graduate student has amassed more than 600 plate appearances and provides plenty of experience despite a .246 career average. He’ll be pushed for playing time by sophomore Esteban Garcia, who enjoyed a productive summer in the Appalachian League, hitting .277 with nine extra base hits over just 112 at-bats. True freshman Julio Solier, ranked the 162nd best prospect to make it to campus by Perfect Game, is the shortstop of the future and could push for playing time all over the infield.
Speaking of shortstop, Sam McNulty returns to lead the infield after starting every game there last season. The slick-fielding Cambridge, Massachusetts native will be a spark plug towards the bottom of the lineup, where he hit .281 with 12 doubles in 2024. Freshman Solier is likely McNulty’s immediate back-up.
Boston College has two starting-caliber third basemen in graduate student Patrick Roche and senior Nick Wang. Expect both of their bats to be in the lineup one way or the other. Roche does have experience in the outfield and is capable of playing first, but he’s most likely to serve as the everyday designated hitter. Roche was having a great season last year before suffering an injury in mid-April that cost him the final 20 games of the year. The hometown hitter slashed .306/..446/.505 with a .951 OPS in 33 games and was a key bat in the Eagles' lineup. Wang’s bat is also essential to the lineup and has been an every day player for BC since arriving as a transfer from Holy Cross following the 2022 season. The slugging infielder provides plenty of power and should improve on his 11 home run number from 2024.
Outfield (Starter Rank: 16, Group Rank: 16)
Boston College loses most of its starting outfield from last season after the graduation of Cam Caraher and the departure of slugger Cam Leary to the MLB draft. Experienced outfielder Barry Walsh also graduated, leaving sophomore Adam Magpoc as only returning outfielder with playing experience. Magpoc is a converted infielder from California who impressed as a true freshman in 2024. The switch-hitter played in 48 games, hitting .288 with 12 extra base hits and nine stolen bases. Magpoc has a patient approach at the plate, can play all three outfield positions, and could emerge as a star in Chestnut Hill with a breakout second year. He is projected to be the starting right fielder.
Todd Interdonato and his staff dipped into the transfer portal to find the rest of their starting outfield and may have found two gems. Josiah Ragsdale, a junior from Iona, is poised to start in center field and bat near the top of the order. The New Jersey native is a five-tool threat after hitting .385 with 28 extra base hits last year. Ragsdale also stole 22 bags last year and appears to have the perfect skill set for an Interdonato team.
Jack Toomey is a junior from Holy Cross that will likely be the team’s starting left fielder and bat in the middle of the BC lineup. At Holy Cross he was a freshman All-American and the Patriot League Freshman of the Year after hitting .312 with 19 doubles and seven home runs. He took a step back as a sophomore but his 32 walks versus 33 strikeouts on the year is one of many reasons to expect a bounceback in 2025.
BC’s outfield depth leaves a lot of question marks as true freshman Jace Roossien, sophomore Tony Humphrey, and the aforementioned Owen Deshazo are the leading candidates for playing time behind the starters. Roossien is the most intriguing of the trio and is capable of playing any of the three outfield positions. With a right-handed dominant lineup, Roossien’s switch hitting ability could make him a key piece off the bench when playing matchups late in games.
Projected Lineup
Rotation (Rank: 16)
Boston College stalwart John West is off to the next level and Sunday starter Michael Farinelli is gone as well, leaving junior AJ Colarusso as the only returning starter from their 2024 weekend rotation. Colarusso made 14 starts in an up-and-down year for the Eagles last season, going 3-8 with a 7.20 ERA over 65 innings pitched.
Which arms will be set up behind Colarusso in the weekend rotation is the big question mark for Boston College. There are some intriguing returning options in senior Tyler Mudd and sophomore Kyle Kipp. Mudd was a very good reliever for BC early last year before an injury derailed his season in mid-March. He’d return in late April to make four appearances. Before the injury he was arguably the ace of the bullpen, going 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 24 strikeouts in just 19.1 innings pitched. The southpaw has the ability to throw starter innings as evidenced by 86 pitch performance against William & Mary or his 71 pitch performance against NC State. Mudd could be in the rotation or once again serve as the bullpen ace.
Kyle Kipp is a promising sophomore coming off a fantastic summer playing for the Kingsport Axemen in the Appy League. In 19.1 innings over the summer, he went 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA and 21 strikeouts. While he was predominantly a reliever as a freshman, Kipp shined in his only start in 2024, going five innings and striking out five while only allowing one earned run to Georgetown on May 14th. While he’s a candidate for the weekend, don’t be surprised if he ends up being BC’s primary midweek guy to start the year.
If Mudd ends up in the bullpen and Kipp gets the nod for midweeks, graduate transfer pitchers Alex Bryant and Karl Meyer are the favorites to land the remaining two spots in the weekend rotation. Bryant is a right-hander from Holy Cross whose arsenal features a fastball and curve combo. In thirteen starts for the Crusaders last year, the Sarasota, Florida native went 5-3 with 73 strikeouts. Meyer is making the jump from Division III where he played at nearby MIT and went 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 11 starts. Meyer has a solid three pitch mix that includes a low 90s fastball paired with change up and a sweeping curveball.
As of this writing, I currently project a weekend rotation that consists of Colarusso, Bryant, and Meyer with Kipp taking the midweek role and Mudd anchoring the bullpen. Other outside options for the rotation include transfers Peter Schaefer and John Kwiatkowski.
Bullpen (Rank: 16)
The bullpen looks to be a lot stronger if it's led by Tyler Mudd at the back end. Right-hander Joey Ryan returns after missing all of 2024 due to injury. The graduate student was a crucial part of the 2023 team that went to an NCAA Regional. Senior Eric Schroeder and his sinker/slider combo is back as well and looks to improve on a disappointing 2024. Both Schroeder and Ryan will be in line for high leverage innings. Sophomore Gavin Hasche, who made 15 appearances as a freshman, will look to improve after a fantastic summer in the Appy League that saw him boast a 2.00 ERA over 18 innings.
Todd Interdonato brings in four more transfers in an effort to boost the depth of the pitching staff. John Kwiatkowski transferred in from Manhattan and is an impressive physical presence on the mound. If he can get his command issues under control, he could be in line to be the closer if Mudd makes the rotation. Another closing candidate could be fellow southpaw Matt Spada, who, like Meyer, comes over from the D-III ranks. He was dominant out of the Wesleyan bullpen in 2024, boasting an impressive 1.01 ERA over 26.2 innings pitched.
Dylan Howanitz comes over with impressive numbers from the D-II ranks after going 4-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 31 games at West Chester. Another physical reliever, Howanitz is going to be an option as well in the late innings for BC. Speaking of physical, Columbia transfer JD Ogden is a 6’5”, 220 pound southpaw from White Bear Lake, Minnesota. He’s yet another physical arm that features a good fastball/slider combo. Of the six key pitchers brought in from the transfer portal, five of them are 6’3” or taller and at least 220 pounds.
In addition to the transfers, Boston College has brought in six freshmen arms that could provide further depth. John Mass and Cesar Gonzalez are listed as two-way players that could see opportunities out of the bullpen. Gonzalez is the more likely of the two to get a chance first, as his arsenal features a mid-90s fastball. The freshmen arms most probable to make an impact for the Eagles are Brady Miller and Gavin Soares. Both players provide a different skill set for Internado to employ for matchups. Miller is a left-handed pitcher with a good fastball while Soares is a righty that features a really good breaking ball.
Connor Murphy, Connor Southwell, and Jacob Burnham may struggle for playing time in their first years, but if the arms ahead of them struggle, don’t be surprised if they get an early opportunity to impress.
Projected Staff
Outlook
Boston College’s strength is the stable of experience in both the lineup and the bullpen. Despite finishing last in the conference last season, healthy seasons from Kyle Wolff and Patrick Roche should pay dividends offensively with the additions of Josiah Ragsdale and Jack Toomey. Expect them to improve on their 13th ACC ranked batting average of .268 and 55 home runs. BC was 4th in the conference in stolen bases last year with 81 last year. Over his tenure at Wofford, Todd Interdonato teams were well known for their running game. They will steal even more runs this year and be aggressive on the base paths as they look to create offense.
How the Eagles’ pitching fares is what BC’s ultimate success will hinge upon. In 2024, they were the worst team in the ACC in ERA and opposing batting average. Interdonato has brought in a slew of big, experienced arms via the transfer portal that should see their numbers improve upon last year.
The return of Tyler Mudd and breakout seasons from Colarusso and Kipp would see Boston College in the conversation for the ACC Tournament. Add in a breakout season from Adam Magpoc combined with healthy seasons from their experienced infield and it’s very possible that BC could threaten for the Top 25 and hosting a Regional. While they are currently ranked 14th in our Preseason Power Rankings, any team in the ACC has the capability of threatening for the NCAA Tournament. Todd Interdonato is a fantastic coach and if certain things go right for Boston College, they could find themselves back in a Regional after a one year hiatus.