PREVIEW: Recharged Broncs hungry for redemption

By Benjamin Shinault

Rider’s 2025 baseball team was historically good: it clinched its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season title in 10 years off a walk-off, three-run home run. The team also held the MAAC Player, Reliever, Pitcher and Coach of the Year. 

After such a fairytale regular season, it was only fitting to think the Broncs could go all the way and win the MAAC Championship, right?

Unfortunately, the Broncs came up just short in the championship game, ending their NCAA tournament hopes. 

One thing was left for certain: a fire was lit under the team and the Broncs’ 2026 baseball team are hungry for redemption, with some new and familiar faces.

Fresh, young talent

Much of the Broncs lineup will look the same when it comes to the hitters, but in the rotation and the bullpen, some new names are looking to bring the heat.

Three new freshman pitchers have been added to the mix: Conner Flynn, Dylan Kane and Noah Heath.

Flynn, the 33rd-ranked right-handed pitcher in Pennsylvania, can bring the heat with his fastball that reaches over 90 mph with ease.

Junior outfielder, Kyle Neri, likes what he has seen so far from the freshman flamethrower.

“He gets up there, he’s kind of a fireballer,” Neri said. 

Neri also added the Broncs are bringing in a two-way weapon with Heath. Coming from Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, the newcomer can both pitch and roam the infield.

Kane, a New Jersey native, is ranked just outside of the top 100 right-handed pitchers in the state.

Stepping off the mound, Rider is also bringing in two freshman catchers. 

Demetri Bardatsos from Mansfield, New Jersey, the younger brother of former Bronc Socrates Bardatsos, ’23, can deliver behind the plate, but also in the batter’s box, as he held a batting average of .419 in his senior year of high school.

Nick Filipponi, also from Mansfield, is ranked as the 22nd best catcher in the state. 

Currently on the Rider roster is junior catcher Nick Shuhet, who is coming off a superb sophomore campaign, but with Filipponi and Bardatsos, Shuhet can get some more rest this season from behind the plate.

Rider dips toes into portal

The Broncs are not strangers to bringing in some talent via the transfer portal, and this year, they have brought in four new transfers.

Graduate student Daniel Chun is one of the four transfer players this season. While he did not get a ton of starts at New York University, he is trying his luck in Lawrenceville.

The Broncs’ depth at the catching position got even stronger with the addition of junior Dillon Jennings, who spent a season at Frederick Community College and played well enough to land on a Division I team.

Another transfer, sophomore infielder Eliot Medlock, was ranked as the sixth best player in the state of New Hampshire and is looking to show his full potential at second base after only playing 17 games for the Bryant University Bulldogs last season. 

The Broncs’ fourth and final transfer is junior right-handed pitcher Alex D’Ambrosio, who spent the last two seasons at Seton Hall University, where he accumulated 18 strikeouts in just 23 innings pitched. D’Ambrosio is now hoping to receive the ball more this season and be a solid inning-eater for the Broncs.

Running it back

Much of the Broncs’ success last season came from the offense, and lucky for Rider most of the starting lineup is returning to Sonny Pittaro field.

“I believe that we have a very mature team this year,” Neri said, “I think what you see in practice now is a group that not only knows how to play together, but also a group that’s been together for quite a while now and trusts each other.”

Senior hitters like Will Gallagher, Erich Hartmann and Anthony Paskell hope to make one more lasting impact for the Broncs this season.

Last season, Hartmann was among the leaders in the MAAC for batting average, runs scored, hits and fielding percentage.

 Between Gallagher and Paskell, they combined for 85 hits, 44 runs batted in and 47 walks.

Neri, now entering his third season with Rider baseball, will look to continue bringing his five tools to the plate.

Neri was named to the All-MAAC first team last year and was named to the Preseason All-MAAC team on Feb. 5.

With there being 12 seniors on the roster who have spent all four years at Rider, their knowledge and experience trickle down to the freshmen who are starting their collegiate baseball career.

“You see guys who want to work, you see guys who want to be a part of something, and they have really taken in the culture that we have here …I think that is something that is from this older group passing it down,” Neri said.

Acting Head Coach Barry Davis, who spent 20 seasons with the Broncs and is now subbing in for Head Coach Lee Lipinski, states that this is a golden opportunity for Hartmann, Paskell and Neri.

“If I’m them, I want that, you want that expectation and we will see what they can do,” Davis said.

Davis also said that, with having most of the starting lineup back, expectations are high.

“It does help having experienced guys, I feel like that’s a bonus for us this year … so, expectations are pretty high,” Davis said.

‘We have a pretty deep staff’

Much like the starting lineup for the Broncs, most of the starting rotation and parts of the bullpen will be returning also.

Seniors PJ Craig and Clayton Poliey will once again take a bulk of the starts for the Broncs, while younger arms hope to eat some innings as well.

“We have a pretty deep staff in terms of numbers,” Davis said.

One of the many stars of the Broncs last season, senior Gavin Hawkes, who won MAAC Reliever of the Year, will miss the entire 2026 season as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery.

Other pitchers like sophomore Kyle Batt and juniors Jack Ruditzky and Jake Dorety hope to deliver for the Broncs this year as well.

Batt, who showed flashes of what he could become for Rider last season, is a name to look out for.

“Usually when you are a freshman and able to contribute the way he did, you want to be able to improve on that and I think he will,” Davis said, “He’s got a good attitude, a good work ethic.”

Batt will be one of the starters in the Broncs’ opening weekend as they head down south to Asheville, North Carolina, on Feb. 20 to face off against the University of North Carolina Asheville Bulldogs. First pitch will be at 3 p.m.

The quest for another MAAC regular season title will begin for the Broncs on March 6, when they take on the Pioneers of Sacred Heart University. However, this team has their eyes on a bigger prize: a MAAC Championship and a ticket back to the NCAA tournament.