LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates men's lacrosse team won their most games since 2019 last year and the Bobcats are looking to build on that success entering the 2026 campaign, which begins on the road Wednesday at 4 p.m. when they take on Union College.

Head coach Dan Annino is entering his fourth year at the helm of the program. In 2025, the Bobcats finished 9-7 and 4-6 in conference play, qualifying for the NESCAC tournament as the sixth seed. 

"Our guys walked out of last season really hungry," Annino says. "They had a taste of success but still felt like we left a lot on the table. We were competitive with some of the top teams in the country, but the next step for us is learning how to win those games."

Senior USA Lacrosse Honorable Mention All-America and second team All-NESCAC midfielder Connor Hartman (Hingham, Mass.) and junior long stick midfielder Drew McClutchy (Farmington, Conn.) are the team captains this year for the Bobcats. Hartman scored 30 goals and dished out 11 assists while often being the focus of the opposing team's defense in 2025, while McClutchy recorded 22 ground balls and caused seven turnovers.

"Hartman and McClutchy have established themselves as leaders on and off the field," Annino says. "We're excited to have more talent around Connor this year which will make him that much more dangerous, and Drew is such a smart lacrosse player. He makes everyone around him better." 

Possession is the name of the game in lacrosse, and the Bobcats have one of the best in the face-off circle. USA Lacrosse Magazine named junior Miles Schmidt (Seattle) a preseason Third Team All-America selection. He's coming off a sophomore season where he was named honorable mention All-New England by the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. Schmidt won 210 faceoffs in 329 chances last year, good for a face-off percentage of .638, the second-best in the NESCAC. More than just a face-off specialist, Schmidt also tallied four goals (with a shots-on-goal percentage of .765) and dished out an assist.

"Miles has gotten better every year," Annino says. "He learned the nuances of the college game his first year here and really committed to his fitness. He got quicker, while also maintaining his strength, and it showed last season."

Annino also likes the depth behind Schmidt, with fellow junior Graham Ray (Southborough, Mass.) and sophomore Finn Gibbons (Portsmouth, R.I.) having impressed when given the opportunity last year. Bates finished the 2025 campaign with the best face-off winning percentage as a team in the NESCAC at .637.

Offensively, the Bobcats return their top six point-scorers from a year ago. Junior Riley McClure (Georgetown, Mass.) tallied a team-high 49 points, leading the Bobcats with 35 goals. Hartman ranked second on the team with 41 points and sophomore Jack Goldbach (West Caldwell, N.J.) tallied 18 goals and a team-leading 18 assists. Junior Gray Doyle (Summit, N.J.), sophomore Xander Frey (Potomac, Md.), and senior Liam Rule (Seattle) all return as offensive threats for the Bobcats. 

"This group should be really dynamic this year," Annino says. "We are bringing in some fresh faces as well but it's always nice to return around 80 percent of your point production." 

The Bobcat defense graduates some key contributors from a year ago. But the return of junior Benjamin Kondner (Owings Mills, Md.) should help, as he earned All-NESCAC honors as a first-year before missing last season due to injury. Junior Teddy Rosen (New Canaan, Conn.) caused 13 turnovers last season and sophomore short stick defensive midfielders Mason Proutt (Baltimore, Md.) and Dane Jones (Slingerlands, N.Y.) should be strong contributors as well this season.

"We have a lot of really good athletes in that room," Annino says. "Guys like (graduated seniors) Cooper Lance and Ben Miller are tough to replace, but we're going to do it as a committee." 

The last line of the defense for the Bobcats is junior goalie Andrew Toland (Hingham, Mass.), who upped his save percentage to .508 last year. Toland has started 26 games over the course of his first two years as a Bobcat.

"I think Toland is underrated," Annino says. "We need to lean on his voice between the pipes to fill some of the gaps that might be left by some younger, inexperienced guys on the field."

Annino is excited to see how his team responds to their recent success.

"It would be easy for this team to feel a little complacency," Annino says. "We achieved a lot of our goals last year, but the day after last season ended they were already looking forward to 2026. So we're hungry for more."