Baseball Season Preview
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University baseball team was just getting things going.
Bryant had just swept a two-game series from Western Carolina and was prepared to head north for the bulk of its remaining schedule.
Fast forward 11 months and the Black and Gold have never been more excited for a 12am wakeup call and an 11-hour bus trip. They'll step on the bus with masks on and with some unfinished business to attend to.
Bryant returns nearly its entire starting lineup from last season's final game at Western Carolina. In addition, all but two pitchers that saw considerable time on the mound are back.
Like many other programs across the country, the Bulldogs benefited when the NCAA granted all spring student-athletes. The Black and Gold welcome back fifth-years James Ciliento, Vito Morgese and Jack Ipsen. They also picked up Liam McGill, a fifth-year that will earn his MBA at Bryant after completing his undergraduate degree at Columbia. Add in veteran transfers Logan Allen and Kevin Gould, a bevy of explosive upperclassmen and a highly-touted freshmen class, and the Black and Gold will feature depth and versatility.
Behind the Plate
The addition of McGill from Columbia will not only give the Bulldogs a veteran presence in games, but also in a bringing along underclassmen Alex Lane, Damaurys Rodriguez and Sam Sinisgalli.
McGill was a three-time All-Ivy selection for the Lions, appearing in 136 career games. He hit .316 with 164 hits, 30 doubles, 14 home runs, 83 RBI and a .411 OBP. McGill hit four or more home runs and drove in 24+ runs in each of three full seasons he played at Columbia.
Lane showed pop as a true freshman last spring, collecting a double and two home runs in 12 games. He also threw out three runners trying to steal.
The Bulldogs will also rely on the duo of Rodriguez and Sinisgalli this spring. Rodriguez, like many Bulldogs before him, enters the season as the projected Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year by both Perfect Game and D1Baseball. He was a standout at Wilson High in Pennsylvania, hitting .312 with career OBP of .450. Rodriguez will also be the first Bulldog to wear No. 0.
Sinisgalli made the team as a walk-on in the Fall of 2019 and went on to appear in three games last spring. He made his collegiate debut at Virginia Tech and had his first-career AB at Maryland.
Around the Infield
Head coach Ryan Klosterman was an All-SEC infielder at Vanderbilt and his second season in Smithfield will feature a veteran group led by third-year sophomore Jake Gustin. Last season, the Bulldogs posted a .971 fielding percentage in 15 games.
Gustin appeared in 50 games as a true freshman in 2019, hitting .287 with 27 RBI and a .396 OBP. There was no sophomore slump for the Peabody, Mass., native as he hit .321 with seven doubles, eight RBI, 10 runs scored and eight stolen bases in 15 games.
Classmates Matt Woods and Brian Nicolas, and second-year freshman Tommy DiTullio also return for the Black and Gold. Woods played in the outfield a year ago, stealing seven bases and scoring a team-high 12 runs on the year. Nicolas hit .309 as a true freshman in 2019 and has played both third and second in his career. DiTullio started the 12 games at short last season and committed just one error in 44 chances.
Bryant added two veterans via transfer with Logan Allen and Michael Stellato. Allen was a two-year captain at Division II Bridgeport before the program was shut down. He hit .336 with 19 stolen bases as a true freshman, missed the 2019 season with injury and bounced back to hit .390 with eight stolen bases before the abrupt end of 2020.
Stellato spent two seasons at Northern Essex Community College, earning NJCAA Academic All-American honors both years. He .306 with seven extra-base hits in 23 games as a freshman in 2019.
Bryant also returns Brandon Taylor and welcomes freshmen Lewis Barnum and Stan DeMartinis III to its rotation this spring. Taylor is in his second season with the Bulldogs after transferring from Monmouth, while Barnum was one of the top 20 infielders in San Diego in 2020. DeMartinis can play both in the infield and behind the plate.
Around the Outfield
James Ciliento is still roaming the outfield for the Black and Gold after the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility. One of the best leaders in program history, Ciliento is one of the most experienced outfielders in all of New England. He's appeared 164 career games, hitting 305 with 39 doubles, 16 home runs, 119 RBI, 142 runs scored and 26 stolen bases.
Ciliento will team up with bash brother Shane Kelly to give the Black and Gold one of the top duos in the league. Kelly is back for his fourth year after hitting .328 with seven extra-base hits and nine RBI in an abbreviated 2020 season. He's played in 101 games and has 11 career home runs.
Second-year freshman Derek Smith will like to make it a trio for the Black and Gold. Inserted into the starting lineup in left at Maryland last year, Smith went 7-for-23 with a double, triple and four runs scored in five games.
The Black and Gold will also look to Vincenzo Castronovo, Alvaro Espinal and James Myler to contribute. Castronovo enters his third year in the program and has six doubles and four home runs in 81 career at-bats. Espinal and Myler both enjoyed standout prep careers, with both earning Perfect Game Preseason All-American recognition as high school seniors in 2020.
On the Mound
It's a who's who on the mound as the Black and Gold enters the 2021 season. Bryant returns all but 27.0 innings from a season ago.
Leading the pack will be fourth-year junior Tyler Mattison. The hard-throwing righty will look to bounce back from a slow start to 2020, entering the season with a 14-6 career record. Mattison is a two-time All-NEC selection and is projected to make his third-straight Opening Day start.
Bryant will also return fifth-years Jack Ipsen and Vito Morgese and veterans Matthew Stansky, Tyler Schoff and Will Treuel. Ipsen chose to use the extra year of eligibility and has the chance to become just the sixth pitcher in program history to appear in 80 career games. He's 2-3 with two saves and a 5.07 career ERA in 65.2 innings. Ipsen has allowed just 23 hits over 29.0 innings the last two seasons.
Stansky will be Ipsen's sidekick in the bullpen for the third-straight year, entering his fourth year with a 4-0 record and three saves in 39 appearances. He's allowed just five earned runs over 33.1 innings the last two seasons.
Bryant will also get the services of Morgese back following Tommy John surgery. The lefty missed all of 2020 following the surgery and is primed to put the finishing touches on a marvelous career. Morgese has made 29 career starts and is 11-11 with a 4.34 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 170.0 innings.
Schoff and Treuel also enter their fourth years in the program. Schoff has made 22 career appearances, posting a 2-4 career record. Treuel has made 31 career appearances and will likely shift back to the bullpen after starting three games a season ago.
Luke Garofalo, John MacDonald, Jackson Harrigan, Jack Halbruner and Mike Randazzo all return after making multiple appearances a season ago. Garofalo missed his true freshman season with an injury but returned to post some of the best numbers on the staff last year. He went 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA in 11.1 innings. That included 6.0 innings of two-run ball in the final game of the season.
MacDonald has appeared in 19 games over his first two years, posting a 2-2 record in 39.2 innings. Harrigan, a former walk-on, has developed into one of Bryant's go-to arms, appearing in 20 games and posting a 3.91 ERA, 21 strikeouts and just seven walks in 23.0 innings.
Halbruner and Randazzo are a pair of lefties that made five combined appearances. Halbruner was returning from Tommy John surgery last season, while Randazzo enjoyed an outstanding fall for the Black and Gold.
Bryant will also welcome in grad transfer Kevin Gould from Endicott. Gould went 14-4 with a 2.54 ERA in 30 career appearances for the Gulls. He was the 2017 Commonwealth Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year, going 6-1 with a 2.38 ERA.
The Black and Gold will also look for contributions from left-handers Christian Allegretti, Ryan Bradley and Logan Frasier, and righties Liam LeVangie, John Carney, Nick McDonald, Mark Scamardella, Austin Wainer and Brett Wichrowski. LeVangie and McDonald both enter their second years in the program but did not make an appearance in 2020.