By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- There was an elite leadoff hitter atop of the Bridgewater State University baseball lineup the past four seasons.

Scott Emerson set program records for hits (243) and runs (217) in a career while stealing 107 bases, earning All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference first-team honors four times.

The loss of Emerson after that sensational career left a large void for the Bears heading into the 2026 season.

Finding a player to be the kind of spark plug Emerson had been since 2023 figured to be a difficult proposition for BSU.

Then along came Rylan Secovich (Southwick, Mass.), a junior center fielder who transferred to the school after playing two seasons at Dean College.

Secovich stepped right into the leadoff spot this spring and delivered the kind of production the Bears had grown accustomed to from Emerson.

The exercise physiology major made the All-MASCAC first team and had a major role in BSU winning a fifth straight conference championship.

The Bears (30-8) leave for Maryland on Wednesday to play in a four-team NCAA Division III regional, taking on host and nationally Ranked Salisbury University Friday at 10 a.m.

Secovich exceeded Emerson's best average, hitting .392, and broke the single-season stolen base record at BSU. He is 40-for-45, topping the mark of 37 that was set by Jason Arraiol in 2003.

Secovich is tied for fourth in Division III nationally with the 40 stolen bases and is fifth with 1.05 per game.

With 50 runs scored, Secovich is sixth on BSU's single-season list and his 58 hits are tied for 11th. Emerson equaled or exceeded that total three times.

"It's like Scotty Emerson, 2.0, with the stolen bases, the average, the hits, causing havoc on the bases, scoring runs," said BSU coach Greg Zackrison. "He's been a godsend for where we are now. He's been really good."

Like Emerson, Secovich has been able to set the tone for the Bears by constantly getting on base.

Secovich has had a hit in 32 of the 38 games he's played and opened the season with a 13-game hitting streak.

Using his speed to make things happen has always been part of Secovich's game, and he takes pride in that.

"Yes, 100 percent," said Secovich. "I did that (at Dean) and I love being at the top of the order. I'm the one who starts the rallies and I like that."

While playing for Dean in 2024, Secovich hit .301 in 22 games with 17 starts and stole 14 bases, earning a spot on the All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference rookie team.

Last season, Secovich broke three school records in a 24-hour span and made the All-GNAC third team.

Secovich owns the Dean record for stolen bases (30) and hits (55) in a season and stolen bases (44) in a career. He batted .347 in 60 games at Dean with 77 hits and 55 runs.

But the Bulldogs went a combined 25-50 in his two seasons, and Secovich wanted to play somewhere where he could contend for a championship.

"I needed something different than the team I was on," said Secovich. " I just wanted a championship. I wanted to win so bad, so that's why I decided to come here."

Secovich picked up where he left off at Dean when the BSU season began in March in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

He was consistently getting on base during the spring trip and that carried over when the Bears started playing in New England.

"I was expecting to push my limits to do better than I was (at Dean)," said Secovich. "I kind of did that. I just put my head down and kept going every single day."

To break a stolen base record that was more than two decades old was a highlight of his first BSU season.

"It was cool," Secovich said. "All my life, I've been a quick guy, knowing how to read pitchers, get jumps."

The threat of Secovich to opponents once he reaches first looms large for the BSU offense.

"The 40 stolen bases is very impressive," said Zackrison. "Having a good leadoff hitter is key, especially at our level.

"A guy who can hit the ball in play with that much speed, it's just tough for defenses to plan around. Once he gets on base when is he going?

"Pitchers have to be quicker to the plate. He steals second base, and now he's in scoring position."

In two seasons at Dean, Secovich didn't get the chance to play in a postseason tourney. That changed last week when the Bears swept three games to win the MASCAC, and now he's bound for the NCAAs.

"It was definitely nerve wracking at the start," said Secovich. "But once that first inning happened, I was comfortable. I knew these guys had my back always.

"It'll be more competition, of course (at the NCAAs). But there's nothing me and these guys can't do.

"I am so happy to be here. I couldn't ask for anything different. The guys here have your back and look out for you. It was agreat squad we have here."