SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant baseball team opened winter practice on Monday afternoon, preparing for the upcoming 2026 season. BryantBulldogs.com breaks down the Bulldogs position-by-position.

Position: Pitchers
Returners: Michael Belcher, Jackson Vanesko, Landon White, Dylan Scudder, Owen Birchard, Sean Zaslaw, Kaden Hilburger, Greg Gorman, Ty Davis, Zach Davis, Bradley Lewis, Billy Mulholland, Thomas Maher,
Newcomers: Justin Dressler, Aidan Vining, Zev Salsberg, Tommy Flaherty, Thomas Galusha, Cole Schiff, Ian Carter, Will Hurley, Jameson Dobis

Quick Pitch:
Bryant will feature a new weekend rotation for the third-straight year following the graduation of Luke Delongchamp and Clay Robbins.

Fun Fact:
Michael Belcher was the first pitcher at Bryant to win conference rookie of the year honors since James Karinchak in 2015.

Notes and Notables:

• While two thirds of Bryant's weekend rotation graduated, Belcher returns after taking over the Friday role in mid-April. Belcher went on to earn America East Rookie of the Year honors, posting a 3-1 record, 4.52 ERA, 60 strikeouts and just 18 walks in 65.2 innings.
• In league play, he struck out 31 in 40.1 innings and the Bulldogs ended the year by winning each of his final six regular season starts. Belcher held opponents to a .250 average but worked at least five innings in just five of his 13 starts.
• Vanesko returns as one of the team's veterans and will look to keep the ball rolling on what was an outstanding comeback season in 2025. After missing most of 2024 and all of 2025 with Tommy John, Vanesko returned to go 6-3 with a 2.93 ERA in 43.0 innings. He held opponents to a .203 average.
• After starting the year as one of Bryant's midweek starters, Vanesko shifted to a long relief role in conference play, going 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 18.2 innings. He was brilliant in the America East Tournament, allowing just two runs on five hits over a career-high 6.0 innings in an elimination game vs UAlbany.
• In his career, Vanesko is 10-4 with a 3.81 ERA and two saves in 82.2 innings.
• White returns as one of the premier relievers in the region, having posted a 3.19 ERA and eight saves in 29 relief appearances over the last two seasons. Last year, he posted seven saves, struck out 36 and allowed just 22 hits in 22.2 innings.
• After allowing six runs over his first five outings (5.2 innings) last spring, White closed the year by allowing just five runs over his final 13 outings (17.0 innings). That included an impressive showing AE play where he struck out 21 batters in just 10.2 innings.
• Scudder enters his second season with Bryant this spring and gives the Bulldogs options as both a starter and a reliever. Last spring, he made 14 relief appearances, finishing 0-2 with a 5.02 ERA in 28.2 innings. Scudder struck out 35 and walked just 12 on the year.
• He was also strong down the stretch, allowing just four runs on nine hits over his final 13.0 innings. That included 3.0 innings of hitless relief vs UAlbany in the America East Tournament.
• Birchard emerged as key part of Bryant's bullpen last spring as just a true freshman. He made just two appearances in Bryant's first 22 games but pitched in nine of the final 34 games. Birchard posted a 2-0 record, a 1.72 ERA and struck out 29 batters in 15.2 innings. He allowed just eights (.151 oppBA).
• Birchard allowed two runs without recording an out in his collegiate debut at Delaware but bounced back to allow just one run the rest of the year. He closed the season by striking out 18 and walking just two over his final five appearances (9.0 innings).
• Zaslaw had his 2025 cut short due to an injury but is back this spring looking to deepen Bryant's bullpen. He made seven appearances last spring before getting injured, going 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 7.1 innings. He struck out seven and walked five. Zaslaw is 3-0 with a 5.67 ERA in 25 appearances as a Bulldog.
• Hilburger enters the 2026 season looking to bounce back from Tommy John surgery that cost him nearly all of 2024 and all of 2025. The righty from Yorktown, Va., made nine appearances as a true freshmen in 2023 but was injured in his lone appearance of 2024. After rehabbing all of last season, Hilburger shined in the NECBL, striking out 26 and allowing just 16 hits in 19.0 innings for Danbury. 
• Ty Davis and Lewis both saw action in 2025, combining to make 22 appearances. Davis went 1-1 with one save in 10.2 innings, while Lewis was a lefty specialist that posted a 2.25 ERA in 8.0 innings. 
• Greg Gorman enters his second season as a full-time pitcher, having made three appearances (2.1 IP, 3.86 ERA). Billy Mulholland and Thomas Maher have yet to make an appearance for the Black and Gold.
• The Black and Gold brought in a big class of transfer arms that includes Aidan Vining, Justin Dressler, Cole Schiff, Zev Salsberg, Tommy Flaherty and Thomas Galusha.
• Vining was a three-time GNAC Pitcher of the Year and a 2025 Division III All-American at Johnson & Wales. He set program records for strikeouts (307) and innings (258.2) in his career, winning 22 games. Vining has thrown at least 74 innings in each of the last three seasons.
• Dressler shined as a freshman at Division II Pace last spring, posting a 4-2 record and a 4.44 ERA in 17 appearances (7 starts). He struck out 37 in 52.2 innings.
• Schiff is another veteran lefty that joins the Bulldogs after four seasons at UNC Asheville. He missed all of 2025 with injury but went 3-2 with 53 strikeouts in 61.0 innings in his last full season in 2024. 
• Salsberg joins the Bulldogs from Ohio State where he worked eight innings over 10 appearances. Galusha pitched at UConn last season, making seven appearances (one start). He struck out six over 5.2 innings of work.
• Flaherty comes from Division III Clark (MA) and has experience as both a starter and a reliever. He made 40 appearances in his career at Clark, going 10-7 with a 4.75 ERA, 121 strikeouts and just 58 walks in 119.1 innings. He had his best year in 2025, finishing 7-2 with 65 strikeouts in 60.2 innings.
• Ian Carter, Will Hurley and Jameson Dobis all join the Bulldogs as true freshmen.