Going Out With a Bang

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- His first college baseball experience took place at the University of Dayton after graduating from high school in 2021.

DJ Prampin (Worcester, Mass.) spent the 2021-22 academic year at the Division I university in Ohio where he red-shirted.

Rather than return for a second year, though, Prampin made the decision to transfer closer to home.

"It was Ohio, far from home," said Prampin. "It was a big change. I wasn't seeing playing time. I didn't see a fit."

Prampin weighed his next move and wound up selecting a school that had recruited him while he was a standout at Doherty Memorial High School.

Bridgewater State University is where Prampin moved to and joined the Bears' baseball team for the 2023 season.

"Bridgewater was my first offer when I was in high school," said Prampin. "When I left Dayton, (BSU coach Greg Zackrison) reached out to me again and I saw it as a second chance.

"I took the offer and it was probably one of the best decisions I made."

The outfielder is heading down the stretch of a career in which he has played 126 games and hit 21 home runs, helping the Bears win three straight Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships.

The senior captain and right fielder leads the team and the MASCAC with six homers (including two walk-off blasts), is second on the team and in the conference with 22 RBI and second on the team and third in the MASCAC with a .630 slugging percentage.

Prampin, who is batting a career-best .329 with 24 hits in 21 games, has helped BSU to a 16-5 start with 11 straight wins, the longest streak since 2012.

"Coming into this year, I thought, 'This is the last straw. I've got to go out with a bang,'" said Prampin. "I wanted to have the most fun I can. I've been playing this game my whole life. To know it's coming to an end, I wanted to go out and have fun and play the best that I can."

Prampin, who is second on the team with 12 stolen bases in 14 tries, had never hit a walk-off home run before doing so twice this season.

On March 9 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Prampin hit a two-out homer to right-center in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Immaculata University of Pennsylvania, 8-7.

Then, on Tuesday in the opener of a doubleheader with Salem State, Prampin broke a 6-6 tie with a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to end that game.

"The first one I hit in Myrtle was insane," said Prampin. "I had never hit a walk-off in my life and I kind of like blacked out a little bit. But it was a great moment.

"(Against Salem), I was having a rough game, but I knew we needed something big at the end of the game. I did miss a bunt sign, but I guess it worked out. They said if you miss a bunt sign, you better hit a home run."

Prampin now has 21 career homers and is tied for fifth with Justin Twieraga on the BSU all-time list, which is topped by John Kiely (29). Prampin's teammate and fellow captain, Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.), is third with 26.

"In high school, I was a slap hitter, put the ball on the ground," said Prampin. "As I got older, I got bigger and stronger and the power came from there."

Prampin began his career as a center fielder in 2023, played left in 2024 and was back in center last season before moving to right this spring.

"He's a very good defender," said Zackrison. "With him being so long and tall and having speed, he catches balls you think are out of his reach.

"It almost looks like the ball is six feet away and the next thing you know he reaches out and the ball's in his glove."

Prampin suffered a hamstring injury rounding third base in the fourth game of his second season in '24 against Neumann University in Myrtle Beach and was out 10 of the next 14 games.

He batted .303 with four homers and 22 RBI while playing solid defense.

"It was frustrating," said Prampin. "That was my first real injury. I had to adapt to it and take the time I needed. All I could think about was getting back on the field."

Last season, Prampin played all 45 games as BSU made it to the NCAA Division III tournament a fourth year in a row.

Prampin has appeared in all 21 games this season, and is doing a little bit of everything at the plate and in the field.

"He has elite bat speed, elite power," said Zackrison. "He's such a weapon once the ball is put in ball. He is a very, very quick, strong athlete.

"He's saving us when we're tied in the ninth. He's hitting big home runs. He's having a very heroic year."

The exercise physiology major, who wants to work in personal training, is hoping to finish his career by continuing the championship run and getting back to the NCAAs one last time.

"It's insane to be part of that," said Prampin. "Every year we've gotten a championship. It's an unreal feeling. We did it again and again. Hopefully we can do it again and make some history."

BSU has been a good fit for Prampin after he started out in a Division I program.

There are times when Prampin thinks back to Dayton, but in the end, his connection with the Bears worked out for the best.

"Here and there, I do (think about Dayton)," he said, "but it came down to what truly made me happy -- being at Division I and not playing or being at D-III with some of the guys that grew to be my best friends and winning championships. I came to peace with it.

"I couldn't be happier. It's definitely a blessing that I didn't see in the beginning. Over the years, I realized this was meant for me. Bridgewater was the place for me.

"It's definitely going to be a moment (when the career ends next month). It'll be emotional to step away from it. But at the same time, I'm very grateful for the last four years here."