Connor Hartman (Hingham, Mass.) produced 30 goals and 41 points for Bates last season. (Bates College Athletics)
Dan Annino took over as the head coach of the Bates men’s lacrosse team for the 2023 season. In his first two years, his teams won a total of four games.
In 2025, it only took the first five games of the season to beat that mark.
The five-game winning streak to begin the season was the best start the Bobcats (6-2) have gotten off to since the 2017 season, when they won 14 consecutive contests and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division 3 tournament.
The key to the turnaround, said Annino, was to play without any expectations, something that's held the team back in recent seasons.
