Can the Newport Gulls repeat as NECBL champs? Playoffs open Thursday at Cardines Field

The Newport Gulls’ goal heading into the upcoming NECBL playoffs?

“Repeat,” according to Newport manager Mike Coombs.

“Repeat and go in there with a good attitude. Be a little humble, eat some humble pie before you come on. Don’t get the big ego. Just play your game and everything will take care of itself.”

Last summer, a win streak of six fueled the Gulls on the road to their seventh championship in the 22-season history of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, following the relocation from Cranston to Newport in 2001.

This summer, the top-seeded team in the Coastal Division has the same aspiration.

Beginning Thursday, the Gulls will play in a best-of-3 series in the first round of playoffs, and they will host Game 1 and Game 3 (if necessary) at their home field, Cardines Field, on the road back to a potential back-to-back championship. The Gulls have gone back-to-back before, in 2001 and 2002 and back-to-back-to-back in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The sole single championship win came in 2009.

Newport clinched the playoffs' No. 2 seed in the regular-season finale with an 8-5 win over the Mystic Schooners. Following the win, Coombs reminded his team of a couple of things postgame.

“Don’t take anything for granted ... come out and play hard” and “playoffs are a whole different animal. You might be off that day, and they may be on, and they may hand you a loss, so you better be ready.”

The Gulls had to play hard for the win against the Schooners despite a hefty lead headed into the final two innings of the seven-inning game, as Mystic was already scheduled to play on Tuesday night, with the game against Newport postponed from Monday evening.

Newport jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead after a prolific four-run second inning and three-run fourth inning. Notably, infielder Jack Doyle had a homer and RBI in the second, and pinch hitter Greg Bozzo hit a two-RBI a single in the fourth.

Outfielder Andrew Duncan had a couple hits and two runs and infielder Matthew Ossenfort homered and had three hits to add to the Gulls’ offense. Seven Gulls scored for Newport.

Trouble arose in the sixth, though, when Mystic’s offense found its footing off the pitching of Mitchell Dean. Dean gave up three walks and Mystic’s Drew Kron’s grand slam cut the Newport lead to just three headed into the bottom of the sixth.

In these moments, Coombs reminds himself and his players of something of a mantra of his: “Slow to speak, slow to anger and quick to listen.”

With one more inning to go, the Gulls stayed calm, cool and collected to come out with the win over the Schooners and to secure the postseason berth.

“We’ve battled the whole summer,” Coombs said. “And we’ve kept our distance pretty good.”

More: These 3 players with Rhode Island ties have all signed Major League Baseball deals

The Gulls do not yet know their opponent, as NECBL regular season ends on Wednesday, but Coombs is sure no matter who they get, his team will have to fight for every win.

“There’s no funeral home in this league,” he said. “Everybody can come at you. Every day, every time you put the uniform on, come between the white lines, you’re going to have someone coming after you.”

That level of competition, though, among the league featuring some of NCAA baseball’s finest players, is what makes the league so great to Coombs.

"It’s fun though that we have that. Their best go against (our) best.”

Among some of the best to play at Cardines Field include 2013 MLB first-overall pick Mark Appel, Bryant University ace and Cleveland Guardians 2017 draftee James Karinchak, and, most recently, Miami Marlins’ fourth overall pick JJ Bleday, who currently plays for Oakland and competed for the Gulls in 2017.

A quote that sits atop the Newport Gulls’ website from former chairman of the Newport Gulls board — and former general manager of the Boston Red Sox — Lou Gorman says, “the Major League stars of tomorrow right here in Newport today.”

That’s precisely what Coombs expects out of his team come Thursday when the quest for another championship begins.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Can the Newport Gulls repeat as NECBL champs? Playoffs open Thursday at Cardines Field