Currier Finishes as NCAA Statistical Champion

SALEM, Mass. - Salem State junior Nolan Currier (Maynard, Mass.) was named the NCAA Division III Statistical Champion for earned run average (ERA) for the 2026 season. 

Currier led all of Division III with a career-best 1.07 ERA this year while posting career-highs in wins by finishing 6-0, and innings pitched (50.1 IP). He also set other career-highs this past year, including complete games (four), strikeouts (54), WHIP (0.97), and batting average against (.140). 

He was the team leader in wins, complete games, K/9 (9.66 - min. 35.0 IP), strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP. In terms of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), he ranked among the top five in multiple pitching categories, including ERA (1st), wins (2nd), K/9 (5th), and WHIP (2nd).

Currier was the only pitcher from the MASCAC to be ranked within the top five in ERA in the country. He struck out five or more batters in each start, highlighted by a career-high 11 in a 3-0 win over Anna Maria, where he allowed just two hits. In three of his starts this year, he allowed zero runs. Statistically, Currier ranked within the top-10 of numerous pitching categories in program history for season performance, including: ERA (third), shutouts (fourth), batting average against (second), and wins (sixth).

With his strong season, Currier earned multiple honors, including MASCAC Pitcher of the Week (twice), MASCAC Pitcher of the Year, MASCAC All-Conference First Team, D3baseball.com All-Region II First Team, American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) / Rawlings All-Region II First Team, and D3baseball.com All-America Fifth Team. He was the seventh Viking to earn All-American honors and the first since 2016 when Richard Fecteau was named a D3baseball.com Pre-Season All-American. He is also the third pitcher to earn the honor and the first since Steve Stapleton in 1993-94. 

Currier and the Vikings finished the year with a 21-17 overall record while going 16-8 in conference. Salem's 20-plus win season was the first since 2023, and the 16 conference victories are the most in program history. Salem ranked fourth in the conference in offense, driving in 226 runs, and had scored 10 or more runs in seven contests this year. As a pitching staff, the squad had the third-lowest ERA in the MASCAC (5.07) while allowing the least amount of hits (211). In the MASCAC Quarterfinals, Salem earned the No. 2 seed and topped No. 3 seed Worcester State 20-10. In the semifinals, Salem lost a tough 7-4 contest at No. 1 Bridgewater State before bowing out of the playoffs with a 13-4 loss to Worcester State in the final game of the semifinals.