Bulldogs head to Tony Gwynn Classic; Open with San Diego State Friday (9 EST)

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Following an outstanding opening weekend, the Bryant University baseball team heads west to San Diego, Calif., this Friday to compete in the first-ever Tony Gwynn Classic hosted by San Diego State and the University of San Diego. The Bulldogs open the tournament on Friday night at 9:00 p.m. EST against the Aztecs.

Announced last summer, the Tony Gwynn Classic was founded to honor the incredible legacy of perhaps the most endearing sports personality to ever play in San Diego. Gwynn, who passed away in June of 2014 due to complications from cancer, played 20 seasons for the Padres and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. He was an eight-time batting champion and finished his career with a .338 batting average and 3,141 hits. Following his playing career, Gwynn returned to his alma mater and coached San Diego State for 12 seasons (2002-14).

SDSU and USD are serving as hosts to the tournament, which plans to become the preeminent in-season college baseball tournament in the country. Bryant will be joined by UC Santa Barbara, Kentucky, Tulane, Nebraska and Arizona. The weekend will feature 12 games in a true tournament format with a championship game to be played on Sunday morning.

Bryant is scheduled to play Friday night against SDSU and will play on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. EST against either Kentucky or UC Santa Barbara. Sunday's opponent and location will be determined following Saturday's contests.

The Bulldogs opened the season with a perfect 4-0 record at the Penn State Baseball Tournament at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C. last weekend. Bryant's 4-0 start is the best in school history and included a 17-inning win over Monmouth.

Bryant opened the season with a 6-1 win over Army, before posting a pair of come-from-behind victories over Monmouth on Saturday. The two teams started game one at 1:30 and didn't finish playing until 11:45 that night. Sophomore Mickey Gasper (Merrimack, N.H.) provided the heroics, ripping a bases-clearing double in the top of the 17th. The Black and Gold bounced back less than 10 hours later to defeat Big Ten foe Penn State, 3-1.

The Black and Gold hit .252 as a team and scored 25 runs in the first four games of the year. Junior Joe Paparelli (Preston, Conn.) led the way, going 6-for-13 with two doubles, two RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases. Classmate Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) and senior Zach Wood (Griswold, Conn.) each finished the weekend with a team-leading four RBI.

Bryant really shined on the mound, however, posting a 2.05 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 44 innings. Sophomore James Karinchak (Walden, N.Y.) settled nicely into his Friday role, striking out seven and scattering four hits over six scoreless innings. Bingel also picked up a win on Sunday, allowing one run on five hits over five innings.

The Bulldogs' bullpen was phenomenal over the four games, allowing just a single unearned run in 25 innings of work. Eleven Bryant relievers combined to allow just 13 hits, walk 12 and strikeout 19. Sophomore Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) was dominant in two outings, fanning nine in 5 1/3 innings of relief. Classmate Logan Lessard (Cromwell, Conn.) also pitched twice, collecting his first two saves of the season. Redshirt juniors Garrison Banas (Hadley, Mass.) and Oliver Powers (Newtown, Conn.) each picked up their first Bryant victories with strong relief outings.

San Diego State, Bryant's opponent on Friday, was swept by No. 14 Oregon on opening weekend but earned its first victory of the season on Tuesday over UC Irvine. The Aztecs won 41 games last season and appeared in an NCAA Regional. David Hensley leads the team with three doubles and three RBI. Projected starter Marcus Reyes allowed two runs on four hits and struck out five in seven innings on opening day.

The Bulldogs will either face No. 22 Kentucky or UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. The Wildcats went 2-1 on opening weekend, defeating George Mason and Dayton. UK hit .360 with eight doubles and 10 home runs in the first three games. Preseason All-American JaVon Shelby had four doubles and two home runs, while freshman Tristan Pompey hit three home runs and drove in six.

UC Santa Barbara opened the season with a four-game sweep of San Francisco before falling to St. Mary's on Tuesday. The Gauchos are hitting .335 with 10 doubles and four home runs in the first five games 2016. JJ Muno leads the team with eight hits, two doubles, a triple, a home run and six RBI.