LAWRENCEVILLE — Dr. Barry Davis wasn’t planning on managing again after he stepped away from the Rider University baseball team before the start of the 2025 season.
But circumstances can change.
When the Broncs needed a skipper for the 2026 campaign after Lee Lipinski was granted a personal leave of absence, they turned to the veteran who had piloted the program for the previous 20 years.
“The decision to do it wasn’t based on how good we were,” Davis said. “It was based on probably trying to help and do the right thing.”
Guess you can say he’s back like he never left because Rider is atop the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings and has a ballclub capable of winning its third league championship in the last six seasons.
The Broncs are 22-13 overall and 16-5 in the MAAC after they took two of three from Manhattan — the series clincher a walk-off grand slam off the bat of first baseman Charley Magoulick. That’s good for a 1.5 game lead over second-place Fairfield (Rider took two of three from the Stags in Connecticut).
“We have an older group so they are clearly aware of the goals, aware of what needs to be done and it’s evident in how we play at times,” Davis said. “I think we’ve been pretty consistent.”
Despite 20 years and 483 career victories in the Sonny Pittaro Field dugout, he had to get himself to be all-in once again.
Davis spent last year as the first base coach at Princeton and wrote a fictional novel ‘Old Dog, New Tricks’ about a disgraced college basketball coach who is hired to turn around a struggling program.
“I had to ease into it because it’s a situation that is sensitive,” Davis said. “I have a way of doing things and I’m trying to navigate that the best I can, understand the situation and be smart about what’s going on and try to guide them and get the ship steered in the right direction. As we’ve gone on it’s gotten more normal. Now I feel more like I’ve been here then when I first got here.”
Rider coach Dr. Barry Davis goes over ground rules against Manhattan during an NCAA baseball game on Friday, April 17, 2026 at Sonny Pittaro Field in Lawrenceville. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
It helped having an older team that returned seven of eight starters from a 34-win club. Rider leads the MAAC in batting average (.297), runs scored (266), total bases (577), slugging percentage (.455), OPS (.850) and field percentage (.982).
“There’s good leadership on this team,” said Davis, adding that he’s either coached or recruited just about everybody on the roster. “Our senior leadership is really good, our juniors have been playing since they were freshmen and have experienced things. We’re in a good place.”
The Broncs step out of conference this weekend for a series against Monmouth before their final 12 league games. The top two avoid having to play on the first day at the MAAC Tournament, which will be held from May 20-23 at Heritage Financial Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
“We can do this,” Davis said. “Their expectation is high, their standard is high, and we still have to go out and do it, but we’re in position to do it.”
Perhaps even inspiration for his next book?
“Could be,” Davis said, “… could be.”