The South Carolina baseball team will kick off its 35th NCAA Tournament appearance on Friday. The Gamecocks will begin their journey toward a return to the College World Series with a game against James Madison, which will air at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
Leading up to the game, GamecockCentral will be breaking down South Carolina’s potential opponents in the Raleigh Regional. Last, but certainly not least, is the Bryant Bulldogs, who enter the regional as a No. 4 seed.
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How Bryant got here
Bryant heads into the NCAA Tournament with a 36-19 overall record across regular season and conference tournament play. The Bulldogs also earned a 20-7 record against teams in the America East Conference.
Bryant will be making its fourth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after sweeping the America East regular season and tournament titles. The team clinched its first America East Tournament championship after defeating UMBC 15-10 on Saturday, May 25.
The Bulldogs most recently made the field of 64 in 2016 and are 1-6 all time in the NCAA Tournament. They are the only team in this regional to earn their way in as an auto-bid.
How Bryant stacks up against NCAA Division I teams
Bryant enters the Raleigh Regional with the easiest strength and lowest RPI of any of the regional’s four teams. While NC State, South Carolina and JMU all have RPIs in the top 50, the Bulldogs check in at No. 116, according to D1 Baseball.
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The team earned that ranking, despite its glittering record, because it played most of its games against Quad IV opponents. The Bulldogs dominated against squads in this category, accumulating a 30-5 record against them. They also picked up five Quad III wins in 11 games but struggled to a 1-8 mark against teams in Quads I and II. D1 Baseball ranks Bryant’s strength of schedule No. 270 overall in the nation.
The Bulldogs have also developed a distinct home field advantage at the Bryant University Baseball Complex, where it amassed a 20-4 record. Bryant went 14-15 on the road and 2-0 at neutral locations this year.
Bryant’s key players
Bryant was the premier team in the America East this past season, leading the conference in many statistical categories as a team. The Bulldogs finished first in runs scored (413), home runs (81), batting average (.282), earned run average (5.27) and strikeouts (399).
As a result, the team landed five players on the America East All-Conference First Team — starting pitchers Luke Delongchamp and Austin Wainer, second baseman Zac Zyons, shortstop Chris Einemann and outfielder Gavin Noriega. Noriega was also named America East Player of the Year, becoming the first Bryant student-athlete in any sport to do so.
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Noriega finished the 2024 season with a .338 batting average, 18 home and 58 RBI. The senior led the conference in runs scored (59) and on-base percentage (.479). He also finished second in home runs, walks (43), slugging percentage (.692) and OPS (1.171).
Wainer and Delongchamp have served as Bryant’s one-two punch at the top of the rotation for much of the season. Wainer, a senior, pitched to a 7-2 record and 4.03 ERA across 80.1 innings. He also led the team with 67 strikeouts. Delongchamp, a junior, ended the season with a 5-2 record and a team-high 2.76 ERA. He struck out nearly one batter per inning in the process (59 punchouts in 65.1 innings).
Bryant’s previous history with South Carolina
South Carolina has yet to play Bryant in a competitive game. Should the Gamecocks and Bulldogs meet at any point in the Raleigh Regional, it will be the first time either team has played the other in their respective program’s histories.
Game one details
Bryant will play its first NCAA Tournament game against No. 1 seed and regional host NC State at 7 p.m. on Friday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
South Carolina will have the opportunity to play against either of these teams on Saturday.
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