The Bryant Bulldogs baseball team is the NCAA Division I varsity intercollegiate baseball team of Bryant University, located in Smithfield, Rhode Island. The program participates as a member of the America East Conference. The Bulldogs previously participated as members of the Northeast Conference. It plays at Conaty Park on the northern edge of Bryant's campus. Ryan Klosterman has been the program's head coach since the 2020 season.
In Division I, Bryant has appeared in two NCAA tournaments; it has won the NEC tournament twice and the NEC regular season title four times. In Division II, it appeared in five NCAA tournaments, including the 2004 College World Series; it won the Northeast-10 Tournament once and the NE-10 regular season title six times.
Three former Bulldogs, Keith MacWhorter, James Karinchak, and Mickey Gasper have gone on to play in Major League Baseball.
Contents
History
Division II
1969 was Bryant's first season of varsity NCAA baseball. Under head coach Bill Stein, the team went 5–14. In 1970, it improved to 11–8. For those first two seasons, Bryant competed in the College Division's Southern New England Conference (SNEC). For its first three seasons, Bryant was located in Providence; Stein coached the team in all three seasons before moving to Georgetown to become an assistant men's basketball coach under John Thompson. The school moved to its present-day Smithfield location ahead of the 1971–72 academic year.
The school hired Steve Thornton to replace Stein. The school did not sponsor a team in 1974 or 1976, but in the three seasons Thornton did coach (1972, 1973, and 1975), Bryant went 26–28 overall. In the middle of this stretch, in August 1973, the NCAA reorganized its divisions. Prior to then, the NCAA had competed in two divisions, a large-school University Division and a small-school College Division. Following the reorganization, the University Division became Division I, while the College Division split into Division II and Division III. UC Riverside became a Division II Independent. Bryant, which had been playing in the College Division, joined Division II.
In 1976, Keith MacWhorter became the program's first MLB draft selection when the Dodgers picked him in the 15th round. He later played for the Boston Red Sox.
Former Providence hockey player Bob Reall coached the team from 1977 to 1978. The team went a combined 11–41. Another Providence alumnus, Michael McGuinn, was the head coach from 1979 to 1983. The program had its worst season in McGuinn's first year, going 1–22. The team suffered two 18-run losses (22–4 to New Haven and 18–0 to Eastern Connecticut) but also lost five one-run games. Its lone win came against Barrington.
Bryant was a founding member of the Northeast-7 Conference in the 1980–81 academic year. The conference became the Northeast-8 when Saint Anselm joined the following year and the Northeast-10 (NE-10) when Saint Michael's and Quinnipiac joined for the 1987–88 academic year.
Earl Matthewson replaced McGuinn and coached the team from 1984 and 1986. He had an overall record of 58–32–1 won the Northeast-10 Coach of the Year award in all three seasons. The 1985 team went 21–11 and lost to Stonehill in the NE-10 title game. In 1986, Bryant 22–11–1, won the NE-10, and qualified for its first NCAA tournament. It went 0–2 at the Northeast Regional, losing games to New Haven and Adelphi.
Division I
Bryant joined the NCAA Division I in the 2009 season. Playing as an independent, the Bulldogs went 32–22. Shortstop Pat McKenna was drafted by the Tigers following the season. The school's programs joined the Northeast Conference (NEC) for the 2009–10 academic year; the baseball program was ineligible for the postseason from 2010 to 2012 while the school completed the transition to Division I.
In 2010, Bryant won the NEC regular season title with a 25–7 conference record. It won three of the NEC's four major awards: Pinzino was named Coach of the Year, Kevin Brown Rookie of the Year, and Brent Almeida Pitcher of the Year. Brown was also named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.
Following the season, Pinzino was involved in an incident that led to his resignation. At a postseason athletic department barbecue in May, Pinzino became intoxicated, got in a fight with an assistant baseball coach on Bryant's baseball field, and was confrontational with police when they arrived at the scene. Pinzino was arrested and charged with three misdemeanors (simple assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest). As a result, he resigned his position as Bryant's baseball coach.
Bryant hired Steve Owens to replace him. Owens came from Le Moyne, which had left Division I for Division II the same offseason. At Le Moyne, he won four MAAC regular season titles, was named conference Coach of the Year twice, and appeared in three NCAA tournaments.
In Owens's second season, 2012, Bryant won another NEC regular season title, going 33-21 (24-8 NEC). The Bulldogs again won three of the conference's four major awards: Owens was Coach of the Year, Kevin McAvoy Rookie of the Year, and Peter Kelich Pitcher of the Year.
In 2013, Bryant set a program wins record and reached its first Division I NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs had a 40–15–1 regular season that included a 19-game winning streak from March 22 to April 16. For the third time, the team won three NEC major awards, with Owens the Coach of the Year, AJ Zarozny the Rookie of the Year, and Brown the Player of the Year. The team lost its opener in the NEC tournament to Long Island, then won four games in a row to win the tournament and the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the third seed in the Manhattan Regional, Bryant defeated Arkansas in the opener before losing consecutive games. They finished the season at 45–18–1. Owens was named the ABCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year. Brown was named a Third-Team All-American by the ABCA, and five players were named First-Team All-New England. Brown, Kelich, and Joseph Michaud were drafted after the season.
Conference affiliations
Southern New England Conference (College Division): 1969–1970
Independent (College Division/Division II): 1971–1973, 1975, 1976–1980
Northeast-10 Conference (Division II): 1981–2008
Independent (Division I): 2009
Northeast Conference (Division I): 2010–2022
America East Conference (Division I): 2023–present
Bryant in the NCAA tournament
Bryant has appeared in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament four times. They have a record of 1–8.
Venues
Conaty Park
Bryant has played at Conaty Park since it was built for the 2000 season. Prior to being dedicated to alumni donor Bill Conaty on April 28, 2012, it was known as the Bryant Baseball Complex. Its capacity of 500 people consists of 200 chairback seats and berm seating beyond the outfield fence.
In 2004, the facility hosted the Division II Northeast Regional, which included Bryant, Saint Anselm, Dowling, and Caldwell. Bryant went 3–1 to win the double-elimination regional.
Head coaches
Since its first season in 1969, Bryant has had nine head coaches. Bill Stein, who held the position from 1969 to 1971, was the program's first head coach. Jon Sjogren, who coached the team from 1991 to 2005, is both the longest-tenured (15 seasons) and winningest (360) coach.
Yearly records
Below is a table of Bryant's yearly records. After playing its first season in 1969, the team was not sponsored in 1974 or 1976. It joined Division I in 2009.
Notable alumni
Bulldogs who have gone on to play Major League Baseball:
Mickey Gasper (born 1995), 1B – Boston Red Sox (2024), Minnesota Twins (2025), Boston Red Sox (2026-Present)
James Karinchak (born 1995), P – Cleveland Guardians (2019–2023)
Keith MacWhorter (born 1955), P – Boston Red Sox(1980)
Major League Baseball draft
2010
One Bulldog was selected in the 2010 MLB draft. Catcher Jeff Vigurs was taken in the 22nd round by the Chicago Cubs. He appeared in 32 games for the short-season Boise Hawks that year.
2013
Three Bulldogs were selected in the 2013 draft: outfielder Kevin Brown (22nd round, Chicago Cubs), pitcher Joseph Michaud (33rd round, Oakland), and pitcher Pete Kelich (38th round, San Diego). All three signed professional contracts.
2014
In 2014, a record four Bulldogs were selected in the MLB draft. Pitcher Kevin McAvoy, chosen by Boston in the fourth round, became the program's highest draft pick. Outfielder Carl Anderson (Pittsburgh) and catcher Tom Gavitt (Oakland) were selected with consecutive picks in the 19th round. Pitcher Craig Schlitter was selected in the 27th round by Colorado.