Around this time a year ago, Dawson Bryce was celebrating a triumphant end to his high school career after helping Taunton win back-to-back Division 1 state championships in Massachusetts.
You may be thinking: what could possibly top that high? Well, Bryce’s year that followed as a freshman at Merrimack College may have just rivaled it.
“I started the year kind of slow and thought I was gonna be taken out of the lineup at one point, but I ended up turning it on and didn’t turn it off the rest of the year,” Bryce said, reflecting on his first collegiate season. “I expected to do well and help my team, but all of this that happened exceeded my expectations. ... It’s just been a blessing.”
Among a laundry list of conference and regional honors, Bryce became the second straight Merrimack player to win Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, following power-slugging catcher/designated hitter Frankie Ferrentino (East Longmeadow, Mass.). He was also honored among the best in the region as ECAC Rookie of the Year and ABCA/Rawlings All-Northeast Region.
