The silent killer: Kyle Neri’s Bronc success

By Benjamin Shinault

Just a few weeks after Rider baseball pulled off a historic upset win over nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina University in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Rider made quite the addition to its team, a homegrown New Jersey talent named Kyle Neri. 

Neri served as the perfect replacement for then star outfielder, Brendan O’Donnell, as Neri possessed all five tools on the field: hitting for power and average, speed, fielding and strength.

When then Head Coach Barry Davis saw Neri, he knew he would be a perfect match for the school only an hour away from his home.

‘I got a call’

Coming out of Williamstown High School in 2022, Neri was a sought-after prospect. Neri,   according to Perfect Game, was ranked a top 10 outfielder in New Jersey and within the top 50 prospects overall.

In high school, Neri carried a batting average of .410 and had 75 hits. Neri was also a standout recruit at the Perfect Game Circuit.

With this, Neri would commit to Bryant University, but at Bryant, Neri did not dress once as he took a redshirt year. 

“Originally, my first plan was to play four years and be done, and I knew being there I would have to wait a little longer,” Neri said. “It just wasn’t my spot.”

Neri hopped into the transfer portal and awaited schools to come after him. At that time, Rider was playing in the Conway Regional in the 2023 NCAA tournament. After the Broncs were eliminated, Davis needed to recharge his team, which was decimated by graduates and players hopping in the portal. 

“I saw him play a summer game down in Hammonton, New Jersey. We talked, he came up for a visit and I made him an offer and he took it,” Davis said.

Rolling with the Broncs

In his first year at Rider, Neri got a bulk of the starts. He wrapped up his impressive redshirt freshman season with a batting average of .312, while hitting six home runs and bringing in 27 runs. With the head-turning stats, he took home MAAC All-Rookie team honors.

As each season passed, Neri became an even better player. In his sophomore season with the Broncs, he finished the season on the All-MAAC first team, once again batting well over .300 at .324, lacing 14 doubles, bringing in 43 runs and slugging six home runs.

This season, Neri sits in the top 10 for batting average, on base + slugging percentage, RBIs, hits and runs scored. 

For Neri, not much has changed when it comes to mechanics or a different style of coaching, he just feels more comfortable.

“I’m playing against guys that I know more often,” Neri said. “You can start to figure out where they are weaker and you can attack those spots over the years.”

Neri did get a change of scenery, though, when he played for the Upper Valley Nighthawks in the summer of 2025, a collegiate summer league team based out of Hartford, Vermont. 

With the Nighthawks, Neri played alongside current Rider players in junior pitcher Jack Ruditzky and junior catcher Nick Shuhet.

There, Neri suffered a head injury and could not play a ton, but still learned a lot.

“I got hit in the head while I was there and was out for 10 days, so I think being able to struggle and then take a step back for those 10 days showed me how to push through everything,” Neri said.

Off the diamond

Like most division I athletes, they grow up playing many sports, and Neri is no different. Neri took part in street hockey, track and basketball. But, one sport, the one he played before he could even remember, was baseball.

“I started playing even before I could remember,” Neri said. “I played all the sports growing up, but I played baseball all the time and the others kind of got weeded out.”

Through Rider baseball, Neri was able to grow close with his fellow outfielders, but got the closest with senior pitcher PJ Craig.

Playing together for three years now, the two grew a strong bond.

“I’ve clicked with a few pitchers as well. PJ Craig has been one of them that I’ve been close with throughout my time,” Neri said.

‘He doesn’t say a whole lot’

On the field, Neri is intense, but behind the scenes, teammates and coaches describe Neri as a quiet guy.

“He’s relatively quiet, he doesn’t say a whole lot,” Davis said. “He’s easy to talk to, pretty steady demeanor. What you see is what you get.”

Despite being a MAAC leader and, now, Rider News Male Player of the Year, Neri still wants to help out the team any way he can, even if it is cleaning up the trash in the dugout.

“He’s not entitled, he doesn’t say, ‘I don’t have to pick up the dirt, or pick up the trash, or pick up the balls, move the screens,’ he’s willing to do all those things, which is always great when you have a senior leader,” Davis said.

With the season starting to dwindle down and the race for another MAAC championship is on, Neri is planning on finishing the season strong and adding to his already stacked Rider resume.

“The plan right now is to win the MAAC Championship and go to regionals,” Neri said. For Neri also, the future for him is still undecided, leaving anticipation for the Rider star.

“I would love to play baseball as long as the game lets me,” Neri said.