Both top seeds gone
The 2026 final is Blackstone Valley Spinners against Lunenburg Phillies, and both got there the hard way. Blackstone, seeded third, took their best-of-three over second-seeded Auburn Rockets with two wins. Lunenburg, seeded fourth, took theirs over top-seeded Tatnuck Double Play with two wins.
The league notes the irony itself: the same two clubs contested the crown last year. Blackstone won it in 2025 and are trying to repeat.
Lunenburg reached the semi-finals through a play-in, beating host Shrewsbury 7-1 at Shrewsbury High School on July 23.
Three and four beating two and one, two years in a row against the same opponent, is a story a league should not have to write by hand.
High Cheese builds and runs a bracket seeded off the standings, so the series scores and the seeds sit together.
Central New England Baseball Association in detail
- Five clubs, nineteen and up with no ceiling, and rosters mostly made of college players.
- The full 2026 season posted in advance, and the playoff page kept current.
- Five clubs, four playoff places, and seeding that decided everything.
- Opening day 9-1 and 7-4, a play-in 7-1, and a championship clinched 3-2 and 8-1.
- Five clubs, all returning, several run by player-managers who are named.
- Batting and pitching are kept as two separate sections.
- The free agent pool is the published route in; no person is named.
- A Free Agent Player Pool, and the league tells you to be specific about your skill set.
- Krock Field in Worcester, McLaughlin Park in Leominster, Shrewsbury High School.
- Unlimited age from nineteen, and a best-of-three postseason.
- Reports on the play-in, both semi-finals, opening day and the final, all dated.
- No album or gallery.
- Nobody is thanked in public.
- Blackstone's first title came in 2025, in their fourth year, and the managers are named.
- No officers are named, though the player-managers of two clubs are.
- Who plays, how good it is and how to get seen are all answered.
- No forms, waiver or bylaws render.
- Opening day May 27, regular season done July 23, championship in August.
- Nothing is for sale.
- No crew or assignor is named.
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