Friday, February 14
Davidson, NC
5 p.m.
Davidson College Athletics
vs
Bryant
Photo by: Tim Cowie/DavidsonPhotos.com
Baseball Hosts Bryant in Season-Opening Weekend
2/12/2025 4:46:00 PM | Baseball
Davidson's 2025 baseball season, the 123rd in program history, will begin this weekend when the Bryant Bulldogs come to town for a three-game set.
It's the first of three straight weekend series at Wilson Field to start the season (also Bucknell and Lafayette).
The Wildcats are coming off a 24-28 season in 2024 and were picked to finish fifth in the 12-team Atlantic 10 Conference, with one first-place vote.
LATEST ON THE 'CATS
• Rucker Taylor is entering his seventh season as the Wildcats' head coach and his 13th year with the program. His teams have posted a 166-114 record (.593), and he ranks second on the program's career wins list.
• Infielder Eli Putnam returns after a breakthrough season in 2024 that included Atlantic 10 First Team and All-Academic Team honors. Putnam led the A-10 with 16 home runs and a .679 slugging percentage, while ranking second with a 1.135 OPS. He ranked fourth in the league with 57 runs and 58 RBIs and also led Davidson with a .352 average, 16 doubles, 133 total bases and 13 hit-by-pitches.
• Top-tier hitters Noah Jouras and Michael O'Shaughnessy also return. Jouras, a catcher, hit. 329 with a .921 OPS and a team-best four triples last year, while infielder O'Shaughnessy hit .315 with a 1.020 OPS, eight home runs and 41 RBIs despite being limited by injury to 37 games.
• Outfielder Cider Canon hit .314 with a .986 OPS, seven home runs and 30 RBIs in his freshman season and earned a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie Team.
• The Wildcats' weekend rotation features right-hander Wilson Perkins (6-4, 5.31 ERA, 76 Ks, 84.2 IP) and lefties Isaac Fix (5.96 ERA, 2-4, 55 Ks, 51.1 IP) and Cooper Cavanaugh (1-6, 5.64 ERA, 59 Ks, 52.2 IP). Perkins is slated to be the Friday starter for the second straight year, while Cavanaugh returns to the rotation after an All-Rookie Team nod. Fix begins the season as a starter a year after filling a flex role that saw him make 19 appearances and eight starts.
• Lefties Matt Weber and Jason Ban also return on the mound. In 2024, Weber had a breakthrough season after returning from injurie. He posted a 4-1 record and 4.50 ERA with four saves and 43 strikeouts in 42.0 innings. Ban held opposing hitters to a team-low .153 batting average, while going 2-1 with two saves and a 4.26 ERA in 25.1 innings.
• Seniors Perkins, Putnam, Weber and Landon Reeves and junior O'Shaughnessy are serving as team captains.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• Bryant is coming off a 36-19 campaign that included America East regular season and tournament titles and a trip to the NCAA's Raleigh Regional.
• The Bulldogs are the preseason pick to win the America East title.
• Outfielder Gavin Noriega is the returning America East Player of the Year. Last season, he hit .330 with a Bryant single-season record 18 home runs.
• Fellow America East First Team pick, second baseman Zac Zyons, hit a league-best .369 last season.
• Another First Teamer, pitcher Luke Delongchamp, also returns. He was 5-2 with a league-best 2.76 ERA in 65.1 innings.
• The Bulldogs are coached by Ryan Klosterman, who played alongside Rucker Taylor in Vanderbilt's infield.
It's the first of three straight weekend series at Wilson Field to start the season (also Bucknell and Lafayette).
The Wildcats are coming off a 24-28 season in 2024 and were picked to finish fifth in the 12-team Atlantic 10 Conference, with one first-place vote.
LATEST ON THE 'CATS
• Rucker Taylor is entering his seventh season as the Wildcats' head coach and his 13th year with the program. His teams have posted a 166-114 record (.593), and he ranks second on the program's career wins list.
• Infielder Eli Putnam returns after a breakthrough season in 2024 that included Atlantic 10 First Team and All-Academic Team honors. Putnam led the A-10 with 16 home runs and a .679 slugging percentage, while ranking second with a 1.135 OPS. He ranked fourth in the league with 57 runs and 58 RBIs and also led Davidson with a .352 average, 16 doubles, 133 total bases and 13 hit-by-pitches.
• Top-tier hitters Noah Jouras and Michael O'Shaughnessy also return. Jouras, a catcher, hit. 329 with a .921 OPS and a team-best four triples last year, while infielder O'Shaughnessy hit .315 with a 1.020 OPS, eight home runs and 41 RBIs despite being limited by injury to 37 games.
• Outfielder Cider Canon hit .314 with a .986 OPS, seven home runs and 30 RBIs in his freshman season and earned a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie Team.
• The Wildcats' weekend rotation features right-hander Wilson Perkins (6-4, 5.31 ERA, 76 Ks, 84.2 IP) and lefties Isaac Fix (5.96 ERA, 2-4, 55 Ks, 51.1 IP) and Cooper Cavanaugh (1-6, 5.64 ERA, 59 Ks, 52.2 IP). Perkins is slated to be the Friday starter for the second straight year, while Cavanaugh returns to the rotation after an All-Rookie Team nod. Fix begins the season as a starter a year after filling a flex role that saw him make 19 appearances and eight starts.
• Lefties Matt Weber and Jason Ban also return on the mound. In 2024, Weber had a breakthrough season after returning from injurie. He posted a 4-1 record and 4.50 ERA with four saves and 43 strikeouts in 42.0 innings. Ban held opposing hitters to a team-low .153 batting average, while going 2-1 with two saves and a 4.26 ERA in 25.1 innings.
• Seniors Perkins, Putnam, Weber and Landon Reeves and junior O'Shaughnessy are serving as team captains.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• Bryant is coming off a 36-19 campaign that included America East regular season and tournament titles and a trip to the NCAA's Raleigh Regional.
• The Bulldogs are the preseason pick to win the America East title.
• Outfielder Gavin Noriega is the returning America East Player of the Year. Last season, he hit .330 with a Bryant single-season record 18 home runs.
• Fellow America East First Team pick, second baseman Zac Zyons, hit a league-best .369 last season.
• Another First Teamer, pitcher Luke Delongchamp, also returns. He was 5-2 with a league-best 2.76 ERA in 65.1 innings.
• The Bulldogs are coached by Ryan Klosterman, who played alongside Rucker Taylor in Vanderbilt's infield.
Players Mentioned
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