Perfect Game recognizes four Bryant freshmen

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University baseball head coach Ryan Klosterman's first recruiting class is quickly earning recognition from national outlets as Perfect Game listed four Bulldogs among its top rookies in the Northeast Conference.

Perfect Game ranked the top freshman in each conference throughout the country, with the Black and Gold taking up four of the seven listed in the NEC.

Damaurys Rodriguez was listed as the top incoming freshman in the league, while Alvaro Espinal (No. 4), James Myler (No. 5) and Mark Scamardella (No. 7) were all among the top seven.

Rodriguez hit .312 in his career at Wilson High in Pennsylvania and was ranked one of the top 50 catchers nationally by Perfect Game.

Espinal shined locally at Attleboro High and was a Perfect Game Preseason All-American in both 2019 and 2020. He was a two-time Sun Chronicle All-Star and got his feet wet in the Newport Collegiate Summer League in the summer of 2020.

Myler was selected as one of the top players in the Tri-State area by Newsday and was a two-time Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American. He hit .367 with four doubles, three triples and five home runs in his most recent season at Longwood.

Scamardella shined at Xaverian and was ranked one of the top 50 players in the state of New York by Perfect Game last year. He hit .320 as a junior after earning team MVP honors as a sophomore.

The Bulldogs have a history of impact freshmen, having produced eight Freshman All-Americans and eight NEC Rookies of the Year since making the jump to the Division I level in 2009. That includes Ryan Ward who was named the Collegiate Baseball Co-National Freshman Player of the Year in 2018. Five of those eight freshmen have gone onto earn All-American honors at some point in their careers.