COURTESY PHOTO
Peabody native Brandon Bingel is making an impact on both sides of the ball with the Bryant University baseball team.
By JOSHUA KUMMINS
CHESTNUT HILL — The art of the two-way player becomes even more rare as one ascends up the baseball ladder.
Not only has Peabody native and St. John’s Prep alum Brandon Bingel kept his position in Bryant University’s lineup and pitching rotation, but he’s been a key part of the Bulldogs’ success during his junior season.
It’s been a fun year for Bingel and the Bulldogs in Smithfield, R.I., as they currently stand 33-8 overall and 16-2 in Northeast Conference play. They have been ranked as the top team in the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association Poll seven weeks running, this week unanimously.
“As a team, we’re having a lot of success right now,” Bingel said after Bryant’s 18-6 win at Boston College last Wednesday. “We need to keep grinding out games like we are, scoring a lot of runs, and letting our pitchers have easy games for us.”
Bingel has played in 40 of Bryant’s 41 games and posted a .279 average with 29 RBI at the plate, all while earning victories in six of his nine starts on the mound and holding his ERA at exactly 3.50.
Balancing practice time for a two-way player may seem difficult, but it has been made a lot easier after head coach Steve Owens and his coaching staff adjusted Bingel’s use this season.
Bingel has played several positions over the course of his career when he isn’t taking his turn in the weekend rotation, now usually on Sundays. His name has been penned onto the lineup card as designated hitter or pitcher more often than not this season, but that doesn’t take away from how much of a versatile asset he has been to the team.
“He played shortstop, second base, DHs, he plays left field for us, and he’s a weekend pitcher, so he’s a special kid and a good competitor,” Owens said. “He’s a big clutch hitter for us, and he’s been very good as a starting pitcher for the last year and a half. He’s very versatile and knows the game well.”
The Bulldogs still lean on Bingel’s versatility, but he has completely shifted his attention to hitting during practice and pitching, primarily on his own time, this season.
“I just hit during the day at practice and then try to do all my pitching stuff afterwards,” Bingel said of how he approaches the balance. “I actually stopped doing anything in the field, so I get my swings in and then after that work on pitching.”
Shifting his focus has definitely paid off for Bryant, which opened up a 3.5-game lead in the NEC standings after winning three of four games this weekend against Sacred Heart.
Bingel ― who has seen his velocity tick up and as a result of the increased focus ― earned wins in each of his last two starts, including on Sunday after he tossed no-hit ball for 5.2 innings in a 3-0 shutout of the defending NEC champions.
“On the mound, I’m just trying to get guys to make easy outs,” said Bingel, who was a three-year varsity baseball player and golfer at St. John’s Prep. “I just try to be around the zone, limit my walks, and make good pitches every inning.”
He did exactly that against the Pioneers, retiring the lineup in order his first time through. In the end, he just walked three and allowed one runner to reach second base.
Ending last year without an NEC title left the Bulldogs with a sour taste in their mouths, a taste they’re looking to wash away by playing into June.
“We obviously weren’t happy with how it went (last year), but I think our chemistry clicked right away this year,” Bingel said. “Right from the start, we’ve been looking to get back to where we think we should be at the end of the year, which is an NCAA regional.”
Names and notes
- Lynn’s Ben Bowden was named to the midseason watch list for the 12th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. The Lynn English grad has appeared in 17 games this season at Vanderbilt, posting a 2-1 record with nine saves.
- Peabody’s Antonia Pagliuca shattered the Assumption College women’s track record in the 3,000-meters with a time of 10:15.66 at the Skyhawk Invite on Saturday, winning the race.
- Nahant’s Kurtis White had a stellar week for the Franklin Pierce baseball team, going 10-for-19 with seven runs scored, four RBI, three doubles and a triple. White is hitting .281/.381/.437 in 42 games for the Ravens.
- Lynn English graduate Drew Gentile went 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Bridgewater State baseball team in its 8-1 win over Framingham State on Sunday.
- Lynn native and St. Mary’s product Cam O’Neill went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the Holy Cross baseball team’s 10-9 win over Lafayette on Saturday. The Crusaders will be the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, which begins on May 14.
- Peabody’s Mike Davis had a 7-for-15 week at the plate for the Salem State baseball team as it clinched first place in the MASCAC. He went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBI, and three runs scored in a 13-6 win over Fitchburg State on Saturday.
- Marblehead’s Kiley Fischer logged a goal and an assist for the Babson women’s lacrosse team in its 16-8 win over MIT on Wednesday. Fischer has scored 20 points (18 goals) in 15 games for Babson.
- Mount Ida men’s lacrosse senior defenseman Steve Koziski, of Peabody, made a big impact during Mount Ida’s senior day, scoring a goal on four shots and picking up five ground balls in a 24-0 win over Anna Maria.
- Revere’s Victoria Russo went 2-for-2 with a walk, RBI and run scored in the Mount Ida softball team’s 3-2 win over Simmons on Saturday. She also had a hit and scored a run in Friday’s win over Rivier. Her Revere teammate, Kristina Stella, had two hits for Mount Ida on Friday.
- Though the Merrimack baseball team lost both games of a doubleheader to Franklin Pierce on Saturday, Bobby Losanno, of Peabody, had a great day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and RBI in the first game and 2-for-4 with a RBI, run scored, walk and double in the second game.
- Marianne Halas, a Lynn native and St. Mary’s grad, went 1-for-1 with a double in the Emmanuel College softball team’s 8-6 win over Simmons on Wednesday.
- Saugus native Courtney Leddy went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk in Bridgewater State softball’s 9-1 win over Framingham State on Saturday.
- Bridgewater State women’s lacrosse goalie Allie Forman earned two wins this past week in the net, making four saves in the Bears’ 14-4 win over Framingham State on Wednesday and making 11 saves in their 10-5 win over Worcester State on Friday.
- Nicole Pavao of Peabody led the Mount Ida women’s lacrosse team with six goals and an assist in their 22-7 win at Albertus Magnus.
- Lynn Classical grads Soraya Auguste and Melody Francis had strong showings for the Fitchburg State track team at the MASCAC/Alliance Championship meet on Saturday. Auguste placed 10th in the discus, and Francis finished seventh in the long jump.
- Nahant’s Abby Hooper scored a goal and logged an assist for the Colby women’s lacrosse team in their 8-6 loss to Bates in the NESCAC quarterfinal game on Saturday. Hooper has scored 18 goals and recorded five assists this season for the Mules.
- Lynnfield native and St. John’s Prep grad Justin Foley threw a scoreless ninth inning for the Bates College baseball team, striking out one, in their 9-5 loss to Southern Maine on Thursday. He also delivered two flawless innings of relief in Bates’ 11-6 loss to Colby on Friday. Fellow St. John’s Prep alum Rob DiFranco earned the win in relief for Bates on Saturday in its 3-1 win over Colby, and another Prep grad, Dan Trulli, went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Bates’ 9-3 win over Colby on Monday.
- Drew DiMaiti of Tufts and St. Mary’s captured third place in the 400 hurdles (53.95) in the NESCAC championship meet last week at Amherst College. He was also on the third-place 4×400 relay team (3:19.34) and finished sixth in the 400-meter (49.22). Tufts finished second in the meet. DiMaiti scored 10.5 points and was named to the NESCAC All-Star Team in both the 400 hurdles and 4×400 relay.
Joshua Kummins can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKummins.
