PROVIDENCE JOURNAL - Ex-Portsmouth Star Dylan Stone

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Where are they now: Ex-Portsmouth star Dylan Stone

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By MIKE SZOSTAK
Journal Sports Writer

SMITHFIELD — He started at shortstop for the 2006 Division II state champions and played well enough that season to earn all-division recognition.

So where is Dylan Stone of Portsmouth now? Finishing his college career as a member of the most successful class of baseball players in the history of Bryant University and preparing to receive his degree at commencement ceremonies Saturday.

Stone plays second base for the Bulldogs. He and six classmates had won 141 games heading into the final series of their collegiate career, a three-game set against Sacred Heart that started Wednesday at Bryant. The previous record was 129.

In addition, these seniors were in position to win the Northeast Conference regular-season championship in their first season of play. All they needed was one victory over second-place Sacred Heart. Bryant (31-21, 22-6) held a three-game led over the Pioneers with three games to play.

“This class has had great success. It was very instrumental in getting us where we are. The seniors played in the Division II regional final their first two years and in Division I won 30-plus games twice. Plus, they can cap this off by winning the Northeast Conference title,” head coach Jamie Pinzino said Tuesday.

Stone has contributed to that success. He played in his 200th game (of a possible 229) and made his 191st start Saturday at Quinnipiac and will finish sixth in career starts for the Bulldogs. He played left field as a freshman and took a few swings as a designated hitter, moved to first base as a sophomore and has been a fixture at second base the last two years.

His career batting average is .279; this season he is hitting .302 with 9 doubles and 25 RBI. He started the Sacred Heart series sixth in career at-bats (723), 12th in hits (202) and seventh in career putouts (759).

Stone’s play at Portsmouth High attracted Pinzino’s interest.

“He always had a great swing and was able to make contact. He had nice hands in the infield,” the coach said. “And it’s always nice to get guys from a good program. They know how to handle themselves in the big games. They know how to win.”

Pinzino tries to play his best players, regardless of position, which explains why he put the 5-foot-10 Stone at first base for the 2008 season.

“We had a senior at second base and a junior at shortstop, and we had graduated our first baseman. Dylan had the hands to field ground balls,” Pinzino said.

“It came as a little bit of a shock,” Stone said. He worked at first in the fall and during the winter, and the following spring the experiment succeeded. The infield adjusted, Pinzino recalled only one throw over Stone’s head, and he was adept at scooping low throws out of the dirt.

“He was probably the smallest first baseman in the country,” Pinzino said with a laugh, “but he did a great job, and that was one of the best defenses I’ve seen in a while.”

Stone knew he was not a career first baseman, and when the second-base job opened for the 2009 campaign, he moved to his right and never looked back. All he had to do was adjust his throwing motion — shortstops and third basemen move through the ball more naturally as they throw.

Reflecting upon his career, Stone said, “I got lucky because my teammates the last four years were as successful as I was. That’s why we had the opportunity to play so many games. You have to expect to win out there, and that’s the mentality we’ve had since our freshman year. Keep winning, keep playing games. My teammates have been there for me.”

Stone will receive a degree in finance Saturday and continue his search for a job in a tough market.