PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

Direct Link to Wednesday's Providence Journal Article by Mike Szostak 

April 18, 2007 

Mike Szostak: Bulldogs poised for playoff push

Committed leadership, better hitting and defense and an infusion of freshman talent have produced an impressive rebound for Bryant University's baseball team this spring.

The Bulldogs, 22-12 overall, are 14-3 and third in the Northeast-10 Conference as they prepare for a crucial three-game weekend series against first-place Franklin Pierce (27-5). They have won eight in a row and are ranked third in the NCAA Division II Northeast Region and third in New England Division II this week.

A year ago, their first season under new coach Jamie Pinzino, the Bulldogs staggered to an 18-33 finish.

"Any time you take a new position in coaching, some transition goes along with it. When we struggled, it was tough, and it made for a long season," Pinzino said of that inaugural campaign. He joined Bryant in August of 2005 after a year as head coach at Assumption and two as assistant coach at Tufts. He also coached at Holy Cross and Pomona-Pitzer. He replaced Jon Sjogren, who left for the baseball job at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.

Pinzino praised the leadership of senior co-captain Mike Rocco, the Bryant first baseman.

"We have had some guys step up in leadership roles that were missing last year. Mike is a more productive hitter than last year and is one of the key people bringing this team together. We're a young team, and it's important to have the upperclassmen bring them along," he said.

Rocco is hitting .285 with 12 doubles, which leads the league.

Third baseman Jason Alexander, a junior, and shortstop Pat McKenna, a sophomore, earned kudos for "making themselves better players." McKenna leads the team in hitting (.378), and Alexander is second (.304).

The 2007 Bulldogs are more athletic, which means they run faster, go from first to third on a single and score from first on a double. They are also bunting for base hits and not sitting back and waiting for home runs to fly off their wooden bats.

"We're playing aggressively, which is important in a wood-bat league," Pinzino said. The NE-10 is one of two wood-bat leagues in the nation, he added. The other is in the Midwest.

"It's much more fun to watch and much more fun to be a part of," he said of the wood-bat game.

Pinzino is using a five-man pitching rotation. Junior Eric Loh is 4-1 with an ERA of 2.41. Sophomore Dan Lozeau is 4-0 with an ERA of 3.69. Sophomore Kevin Cobb didn't pitch much as a freshman but is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA. Junior Luke Cowan is 2-3.

Two freshmen have made a significant impact already. Brent Almeida is 4-3 as a starter with a 1.30 ERA. He threw 14 1/3 scoreless innings last week and shut out Southern New Hampshire, 5-0, and is the NE-10 freshman of the week. Reliever Eric Polvani is 4-0 as the setup man.

Junior Adam Vuolo is the closer. He is 0-3 but has nine saves, tying the school record.

Freshmen Nick Campbell (.303), Taylor Ferguson (.292) and T.J. Magnell (.246) start in the outfield, and freshman Jeff Vigurs (.271) is the starting catcher. Another freshman, Dylan Stone (Portsmouth), is a utility infielder who has appeared in 11 games and started eight. He is hitting .182.

"Last year I was confident we could bring in the right guys with ability, and it's starting to show on the field. We have seven contributing freshmen: three outfielders, the catcher, two pitchers and a backup infielder. And I'm excited about the class for next fall. It will add some depth," Pinzino said.

The series against Franklin Pierce and a series against second-place UMass-Lowell the first week in May will provide a clue as to Bryant's chances in the NE-10 Tournament. The Bulldogs should qualify for the six-team field, but whether they are good enough to move up to first or second and gain a first-round bye is another question.

"Those are a couple of big series for us," Pinzino said. After playing single games against Bentley today and tomorrow, the Bulldogs will play a doubleheader at Franklin Pierce on Saturday and a single game against FP Sunday in Smithfield.