America East Baseball News & Notes: Bryant is on a Roll

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As the end of March approaches, one thing is becoming clear about this college baseball season: the Bryant Bulldogs are the team to beat. Riding an eight-game winning streak, the Bulldogs sit atop the league with a 14-8 overall record and a 2-1 mark in conference play. With an RPI currently ranked at 94, Bryant is on pace for another 30-win season, which would mark consecutive years reaching that milestone. At this stage, staying healthy appears to be the only major concern for a squad that is quickly distancing itself from the field.

Last weekend, while the Bulldogs stepped away from league play, they maintained their momentum by sweeping a series against Sacred Heart. Bryant’s offense was relentless, scoring 31 runs over three games, beginning with a run-rule victory on Friday, followed by a Saturday doubleheader sweep. They continued their winning ways in a midweek clash against Rhode Island on Wednesday, securing a 4-2 victory fueled by three solo home runs from Justin Hackett, Hunter Kingsbury, and Carlos Irizarry. Seven pitchers combined for the win, with Thomas Maher moving to 1-0 and Zach Davis earning his first save of the year. Bryant currently boasts the best team ERA in the league at 4.96, anchored by reigning America East Pitcher of the Week Kaden Hilburger. In his last start against the Pioneers, Hilburger allowed only one run and a single hit over six innings, striking out five and retiring 16 of the last 17 batters he faced.

Another surprise this season has been UMBC. Despite being picked to finish last in the preseason coaches’ poll, the Retrievers currently occupy second place with a 10-9 overall record and a 2-1 conference mark. They recently took two of three games at home against the Maine Black Bears, winning the first two contests before dropping the series finale. UMBC leads the league in several offensive and defensive categories, including team batting average at .289, fielding percentage at .971, and a league-best .414 on-base percentage. They have also proven aggressive on the base paths, successful on 30 of 37 stolen base attempts while committing only 20 errors to date.

Binghamton also made a statement by taking two of three from UMass Lowell. After dropping the series opener 7-5, the Bearcats erupted for 30 runs over the final two games to secure the series victory. Much of that production came from America East Player of the Week Sean Sweeney, who proved to be a nearly impossible out for River Hawks’ pitching. Over the final two games, Sweeney went 5-for-7 and reached base seven times in 11 plate appearances. For the series, he posted a 1.557 OPS, drove in seven runs, and scored three times.

UAlbany enjoyed a productive road trip as well, taking their series against NJIT by scoring 10 runs in each of their two victories on Friday and Sunday. They followed that performance with a 4-3 midweek home win over UMass Amherst, where a grand slam from Jaxon Mueller provided the margin of victory. Brian Cadieux earned the win in relief, tossing four innings of four-hit, shutout ball while striking out four.

While the season hasn’t unfolded as Maine would have hoped, the Black Bears feature one of the league’s brightest stars in Troy Carpenter. Named America East Rookie of the Week for the third time this season, Carpenter posted a staggering 1.900 OPS over four games last week, slashing .400/.500/1.400 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. His two-homer performance on Sunday lifted Maine to its lone win over UMBC. Carpenter currently leads the league in both home runs with 10 and RBIs with 28, while ranking second in slugging percentage at .699 and third in OPS at 1.060.

We will be back next week with more updates and highlights from across America East Baseball.