By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- For the first time in program history, the Bridgewater State University baseball team won at least 30 games in consecutive seasons.

The Bears went 30-15 in 2022 and 33-15 in 2023, reaching the NCAA Division 3 tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011-12.

BSU, which set a program record for wins last spring, has a talented veteran lineup returning as it bids to keep the good times rolling.

The Bears, picked to finish first in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, open the season with eight games at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

BSU kicks off a week-long stay with a doubleheader against Brockport on March 2.

The Bears lost three of their top pitchers -- Matt Josselyn, Tyler Dasilva-Medeiros and David Kerns -- to graduation, but nearly all of the position players are returning.

"We were relying on pitching the last two years," said coach Greg Zackrison, who took over the program in 2019, "and the offense has been very good. This year, the offense has been upgraded and the pitching is still going to be solid.

"This should be reminiscent of those old late 1990s offenses that (former BSU coach) Rick (Smith) used to have. There won't be as many home runs, but our speed and double power is very, very good."

The infield will include returners Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.), the leadoff hitter and junior second baseman, senior Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) at shortstop and sophomore Riley Thornell (Wareham, Mass.) at third base. Sophomore Josh Selander (Granby, Conn.)  and Stonehill College transfer Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.), a sophomore, will get time at first base and as the DH.

Emerson, a first-team All-MASCAC selection, hit .341 last season while Lindsay, named to the second team, had a .338 average and made the Division 3 Region 2 all-defensive team. Thornell batted .315 while Selander was at .333.

Flaherty hit .278 with three homers and eight RBI in 14 games at Division 1 Stonehill before suffering an injury last season.

Also returning are right fielder senior Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.), who hit .317 with six homers and 45 RBI and made the All-MASCAC first team in 2023 after being the conference player of the year in 2022, plus senior center fielder Cam James (Ipswich, Mass.), a .351 hitter with 34 RBI.

Senior left fielder Joe Frechette (Plymouth, Mass.), who missed last season with an injury but hit .319 in 2022 when he made the All-MASCAC second team, returns to the lineup this spring.

Joining the Bears this season is outfielder/DH Steven Simon (Hanover, Mass.), who led Brandeis University with a .385 average last season and batted .320 the previous year.

Sophomore Dan Jasmin (East Meadow, N.Y.), a .283 hitter, will play the outfield and be used as a pitcher.

Graduate student Mathew Pigeon (Canton, Mass.) returns as the catcher after hitting .320 in 30 games.

On the mound, BSU has to overcome the loss of Josselyn, the MASCAC pitcher of the year, who was first among NCAA Division 3 pitchers with nine complete games last season, going 9-2 with a 2.36 earned run average; Dasilva-Medeiros, an All-New England pick and the program's career save leader who had a 1.40 ERA with 10 saves in 15 relief appearances and Kerns, who was 4-4 in 11 games with 10 starts.

"Everyone seems to be getting better and older," said Zackrison of his staff. "We don't have Josselyn or Kerns or Medeiros, but we'll have a lot of guys who have pretty good arms who will fill a lot of roles.

"They should be good. We don't have that top guy, but we have a lot more bulk of good arms. We've been top heavy, now there's a lot of arms."

Leading the way is graduate student Matthew Seavey (North Attleboro, Mass.), a second-team all-conference pick last season when he was 4-3 with a 2.92 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 11 games.

Junior Shane Handrahan (Raynham, Mass.) is a versatile pitcher who was 5-0 with a save and a 1.37 ERA in six starts and six relief appearances.

"Handrahan is a starter, comes in during games, closes games," said Zackrison. "He'll be in a roving role. He's a lefty and he throws strikes.

BSU should get a boost from transfers Nick Reiser (Nahant, Mass.), who was at Cortland State last season, and Christian Loescher (Peabody, Mass.), who was at Stonehill.

Also returning to the staff is sophomore Trey Yesu (Monson, Mass.), who was 3-3 in 13 games.

"We have a lot of arms," said Zackrison, "and there'll be some guys who have to earn some roles."

BSU won the MASCAC title with a 17-4 record in 2022 and shared first place with Framingham State at 15-6 last season.

The Bears won their opening-round NCAA tourney game against Endicott, which advanced to the Division 3 World Series, before losing the next two last season at home. BSU was stopped in two straight NCAA tourney games by Cortland State in 2022.

"Now that they've had back-to-back years, it's been a whole new ballgame," said Zackrison, whose team has had indoor workouts since Jan. 15. "It opens your eyes when you play Endicott and Cortland State and those teams. They're hungry to get back.

"I'm excited for this year. We've got a good group of everyday players coming back and we've got some good arms."