With four games remaining in the season and the playoffs looming just a few weeks away, the Bayhawks may have to find their groove in order to make the postseason. To date this year, they’ve had an up and down season and stand at 4-6—good for eighth out of nine in Major League Lacrosse. Although this might not sound too promising for postseason potential, the Bayhawks stand just one win out of a playoff spot and fans must take into consideration the league as it is today.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Major League Lacrosse (MLL) had its inaugural season in 2001 and basically is comprised of teams stock full of college lacrosse All-Americans. Most games could basically be All-Star games. The league has had its ups and downs along the way, adding and dropping a few teams. The MLL attempted its expansion westward in 2006, adding four teams, including teams in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver and Chicago. At that time, lacrosse, and especially professional lacrosse was mainly a sport operated and played on the East Coast. Consequentially, these teams suffered financially due to attendance problems and moved a few years later. The only one who would survive was the Denver Outlaws—the defending champs and current first place team.

Following the unsuccessful Westward push, the MLL decided to stay on the East side of the United States and expanded in a different way. The Ohio Machine were added along with the Charlotte Hounds in 2012, and have been successfully playing since then. The two teams are sitting at second and fourth, respectively, this season. The Florida Launch came into the league in 2014 and the Atlanta Blaze were added to the league in 2016 and are playing in their second season this year.

The only professional lacrosse league in the world projects to expand further in the next few years, hoping to come close to doubling their current count of nine teams. With the recent expansion of college lacrosse to the West (Utah), the MLL looks to benefit from the growth of the game. Once known as a hotbed sport—lacrosse was a sport mostly utilized and played in Baltimore, Long Island, and other major cities on the East Coast—the sport has gained popularity throughout the West over the past five years. Under Armour holds an Underclass Tournament every year during the weekend of their Under Armour All-American Senior Game at Towson University, and many of the teams from the West Region have been impressive considering the competition they have. The growth of the game is something that will be intriguing to follow for the next few years and into the future. Many colleges and big cities could be a major beneficiary of this sport in the coming years.

One thing people like about lacrosse is its combination of sports such as basketball and football, with many twists. Lacrosse is known as “the fastest game on two feet”, and combines skills such as agility and quickness and strength. It is a game played with such attributes as finesse and strength, and combines the two in a way that becomes instantly unique.

As for this year’s version of the Bayhawks, they may not be shining as of now, but have what it takes to jump ahead in the standings during the last three weeks of the season. Myles Jones has been leading the team from the midfield all year, and can throw his athletic frame around to create some highlight reel goals. In the All-Star game two weeks ago Jones was named the MVP after scoring four goals including the game winner for the Stripes in OT. Sticking with the highlight reel trend, recent addition Lyle Thompson has provided a spark at the attack, just like he did in his college days at Albany. A member of the Onondaga Nation, Thompson thrived at Albany, breaking the record for most career points in NCAA Division 1 (400). His ability to finish anywhere on the field and make a goalie look clueless is up there as one of the best ever. In the last two games he has played in, he has a combined 7 goals and 2 assists.

Matt Danowski and Josh Byrne round out the attack unit for the Bayhawks. Recently graduated from Hofstra University, Byrne has lit up the scoreboard in his five games for the Bayhawks this summer, averaging 5 points a game. Danowski has only played in one more game than Byrne, but has scored 23 points on the year, making him a solid contributor to the offense. Other notable attackmen include another recent graduate, Colin Heacock, Nathan Lewnes, and Shawn Evans.

Myles Jones is backed up by some star studded names from the midfield, including a former star from Syracuse, Matt Abbott. Abbott and youngster Jake Froccaro have shown their offensive prowess throughout the year, netting multiple solid performances. The defensive unit for the Bayhawks includes CJ Costabile, the hero for the Duke Blue Devils in their 2010 championship victory, as well as a couple of Terps. Jesse Bernhardt and Niko Amato have brought their defensive stalwart to Annapolis and have the potential to shut down an offense.

Most MLL teams include plenty of big names, considering most of them were studs for their respective D1 (or D3) college teams. But the thing that stands out the most with this version of the Chesapeake Bayhawks is their young talent. With the exception of a few, many of the key contributors of the offense and defense have graduated college within the last few years. Besides adjusting to the level of play in the MLL these dudes are in fantastic shape and have excellent daily routines coming from their physically taxing collegiate seasons. All in all, the maximum goals for the Bayhawks are still attainable. The star-studded lineup has what it takes to “run the table” in the MLL playoffs.

MLL All-Star Game Highlights:

 

Sam Kuhn
Sam Kuhn

Lacrosse Analyst

Sam Kuhn currently is the graduate assistant for the men’s lacrosse program at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio and is working to complete his Masters of Business Administration in 2020. Sam graduated from the College of Wooster in 2018, where he received his Bachelors Degree in English and played lacrosse as well. In his four years, Sam was a two time All-NCAC selection, a first team All-Region selection in 2018, and surpassed 100 goals for his career, one of seven members in program history to do so. Sam has interned with Inside Lacrosse, and wrote for the sports section of The Wooster Voice.

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