Bryant is heading to Raleigh Regional of the NCAA baseball tourney; who will Bulldogs face?

SMITHFIELD — The real drama came over the weekend. Monday afternoon was just a little excess anxiety.

The live ESPN show announcing the NCAA baseball field went to commercial before Bryant heard its name called. The top half of the 64-team bracket had already been revealed, and the Bulldogs weren’t included.

Their ticket was punched by winning the America East championship. An automatic bid was secured. But it took until after the break for Bryant to officially end eight years outside the sport’s premier event.

More: It's been a long road back for this former Hendricken baseball/football star

The Bulldogs were drawn as the No. 4 seed in the Raleigh Regional. They’ll face top regional seed and No. 10 national seed North Carolina State in a Friday night showcase at Dail Park. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and Bryant will have an immediate chance to upset one of the eight ACC teams that were selected.

“It was special for this group,” Bryant coach Ryan Klosterman said. “We’ve had some opportunities to play in that last game of the season, in the championship, and it hasn’t gone our way.”

The Bulldogs lost a pair of chances to clinch Northeast Conference titles in 2019 and 2021. Central Connecticut came out of the loser’s bracket on both occasions to break Bryant’s heart. Long Island handed the Bulldogs another bitter defeat in a winner-take-all matchup in 2022.

This second attempt in a new league came with a different result. Bryant ripped off a three-game winning streak in Binghamton that included a 15-10 thriller against UMBC in the finale. Jackson Phinney’s three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning salted it away, as the Bulldogs snapped a late 10-10 tie.

“There was some pressure,” Bryant first baseman Carmine Petosa said. “But we all just sat back and had fun. We’re just playing with our boys and having a great time.”

Petosa was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after going 8-for-15 with three home runs and three doubles. He’s a Wake Forest transfer who will visit a former conference foe — North Carolina State is less than two hours down the road from the Demon Deacons. The Wolfpack will be the fourth Power 5 opponent for Bryant this season, joining Central Florida, Maryland and Pittsburgh.

“They’re hosting for a reason,” former Bishop Hendricken star Brandyn Durand said. “We’re going to go in there and we’re going to play our brand of baseball. We’re not going to change anything — not do anything different.”

Durand and former South Kingstown standout Zac Zyons both started the title game against the Retrievers. They’re sophomores who didn’t experience those dark days against the Blue Devils. Washington & Jefferson transfer Tyler Horvat is also among the new blood — the Bulldogs counted nearly two dozen freshmen or transfers on their projected 2024 roster.

“We’ve been underdogs all year,” Horvat said. “We kind of relish that. I think we’re going to show everybody what we have in this group.”

Duke dumped North Carolina State (33-20) out of the ACC Tournament in the second round. The Wolfpack, South Carolina (36-23) and James Madison (34-23) each earned at-large bids to reach Raleigh. The Gamecocks and Dukes will square off in Friday’s afternoon game, a 2 p.m. first pitch.

Bryant (36-19) will either be in a winner’s-bracket game or face an elimination game on Saturday. The Bulldogs lost two straight during their last postseason trip, falling to East Carolina and William & Mary. Their most recent taste of success at this point in the season came in a 4-1 stunner against Arkansas in 2013. Klosterman brings some good karma with him to this venue — his first college hit with Clemson came at North Carolina State.

“Anybody can beat anybody,” Klosterman said. “If you don’t play well, chances are you’re going to lose. If you do play well, you’re going to give yourselves an opportunity to win.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bryant is heading to Raleigh Regional of the NCAA baseball tourney; who will Bulldogs face?