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For the fourth time in program history, and the first time as a member of the America East Baseball Conference. The Bryant College Bulldogs are in the field of 64 for the NCAA Baseball Tournament. This is the first time since 2016, that the Bulldogs will be playing baseball in June. They won the regular season title, then swept through the postseason tournament. Capping off their run with a 15-10 victory over UMBC in Saturday’s championship game.
In previous appearances in the tournament, Bryant College has gone 1-6 in seven games played. Their lone win came in 2013 when the Bulldogs defeated Arkansas. They are heading to Raleigh, NC as a four-seed to face the North Carolina State Wolfpack (33-20) of the ACC. The Wolfpack earned the #10 seed in this year’s tournament. It will be the 34th appearance by the program and the 12th time since 2010. The Wolfpack has been a part of 18 of the last 21 tournaments since 2003. NC State’s head coach Elliot Avent is leading the Wolfpack to the tournament for the 21st time during his career at the school. This is the seventh time that State has hosted a regional.
Bryant College goes to Raleigh with warm bats. As a team in the three games at Binghamton, the Bulldogs hit .379 with seven doubles and eight home runs. Those numbers were done in three games played. They will enter the tournament hitting .282 as a team. They have tied a D1 regular season program record with 81 home runs. Gavin Noriega led the team with 18 bombs, which was a program record. Carmine Petosa hit 14 home runs and also drove in 60. He had 20 doubles to go along with the home runs. After starting the year 1-7, the Bulldogs went 35-12 to get to where they are now.
NC State went 1-1 in the recent ACC Tournament defeating Virginia Tech 19-9 in a mercy rule win that went eight innings. Then they lost to Duke 8-1 on May 23. At home this spring, NC State was 25-7. They hit .284 as a team with 83 home runs and 88 doubles. The pitching staff had a team ERA of 6.30. They have used two guys in the closer role. Jacob Dudan (3-2, 4.46 ERA, 5 Saves) and Derrick Smith (3-1, 5.24 ERA, 5 saves). On offense, they are led by two .300 hitters. Alec Makarewicz (.376 BA, 19 HR, 71 RBI) has played all 53 games for the Wolfpack, and Garrett Pennington (345 BA, 14 HR, 59 RBI) also played in all 53 games.
Austin Wainer should get the ball on Friday night vs the Wolfpack. He is the #1 starter for Bryant College. His record is 7-2, 4.03 ERA, 1 CG, 80-1 IP. He will be making his 16th start of the year. Bryant also has the best closer in America East in Zach Nichols (0-2 record, 5.79 ERA, 8 Saves). In 23.1 IP his line is 24 hits, 16 runs, 15 earned. He allowed five home runs.
The other two teams in the regional are James Madison (34-23), the three seed, and South Carolina (36-23), the two seed. These two will play the day game on Friday at 2 PM.
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