By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball program will be taking a trip down memory lane this weekend.

The only two Bears' teams to reach the NCAA Division 3 World Series will be honored Saturday afternoon during a ceremony between games of a doubleheader against Worcester State University at Alumni Park.

It was 20 years ago this spring when the 1996 BSU squad finished third in the national tournament in Salem, Va. One year later, the Bears won the Mid-Atlantic Regional and made a second trip to the nationals, finishing seventh.

The '96 team went 31-10 while the '97 team was 29-11-1 for easily the best two-year run in program history.

"I'm very fortunate to have coached teams like that,'' said Rick Smith, now in his 23rd season as the BSU coach. "Many New England coaches don't ever get that opportunity to go as far as these guys brought me.

"The reality of it is, and I'll quote Hank Pearson (Smith's coach at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High). He basically said, 'Put the bats and balls out on the field and try not to mess them up.'"

That's what these guys were like. These guys were a machine. They pitched, they hit, they ran. Every aspect of the game, they understood it. They played at a World Series, a national level. That was what they were capable of.''

The '96 team won the New England Regional, and after losing the World Series opener to eventual champion William Paterson, put together three straight wins over Marietta, Methodist and Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

In the national semifinal round, BSU was eliminated by Cal-Lutheran, 3-1.

Kevin O'Leary hit .430 with five homers while going 6-2 with seven saves and a 2.44 earned run average.

"Kevin O'Leary arguably is probably one of the best players to come out of New England at the Division 3 level,'' said Smith. "He played the game like a man with boys, is what he did.''

Other key players were Jim Martorona (.415), Matt Ardolino (.373, eight homers), Brian DeSantes, Chris Quirk, current assistant coach Matt Poitras and Mike Armold. Pitcher Jason Newhall went 8-1 and Fred Martin of Taunton and Joe Dillon won five games each.

A year later, BSU was sent to the Mid-Atlantic Regional and opened 1-1 before winning three straight games for another trip to the nationals.

That team featured Ed Nadeau of Taunton (.387, 14 doubles, nine triples, eight homers and 50 RBI), Derek Grudinskas (.402, seven homers), Mike McMahon (.392), Poitras (.379) and Matt Gallant.

Doug Climo was 5-0 with a 2.58 ERA, Dillon won six games and Martin, a member of the BSU Athletics Hall of Fame, was 4-0.

"We had talented, talented kids,'' said Smith, whose coaching staff back then included Bob Wooster. "We had a support staff that took care of us unbelievably.

"(Former) President (Adrian) Tinsley was remarkable with her support of the program. In her words, 'I want a national championship' and we worked hard to try to get it for her because she was there with the support to almost make it happen.''

A number of the players from both teams are expected to be back on campus, reliving the two top seasons in program history that came in back-to-back years.

"I'm going to be happy to see all of them,'' said Smith. "They all played at a level where you didn't have to motivate them. They just played. They knew what they were there for and they knew what they wanted to do and they just went out and did it.

"It was a tremendous group of guys that happened to get together all at the same time and play.''