(Jon Sammis/The Daily Campus)
The UConn softball team will continue conference play this weekend when it hits the road for the first time in a month to take on Memphis. The conference rivals will play a three-game set that begins on Friday afternoon at 6 p.m. followed by a 3 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. The two teams will wrap things up on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Huskies (16-28, 2-10 the American) will look to string a few wins together after they ended their four-game losing skid against Central Connecticut State University on Wednesday. Junior pitcher Jill Stockley dazzled in her complete-game effort, matching a career-high with seven strikeouts. Stockley only allowed four hits and no earned runs (one total).
The left side of the infield will look to stay hot at the plate as freshman Briana Marcelino is coming off a two-hit day against CCSU, including her fourth double in a three-game span, while sophomore Carli Cutler drove in a RBI. Redshirt freshman Olivia Sappington has done her part at the plate as she’s now reached base in eight straight games, which matches the longest such streak of anyone on the team this season.
Sophomore Chloe Kerns has been killing it during conference play as she’s posted a team-best .462 batting average in nine game appearances and is one of three Huskies batting .290 or better against conference opponents. Marcelino also seems to enjoy conference play with her .314 average in such games with a team-best eight doubles.
While UConn leads the all-time series against Memphis 6-5, the Huskies are seeking their first series win against the Tigers since head coach Jen McIntyre’s first year at the helm in 2015. Since then, UConn has dropped both series over the past two seasons.
After a blazing hot 16-5 start to the season that included a nine-game winning streak, the Tigers (31-15, 6-6 the American) have cooled off of late. Most recently, Memphis split a couple of midweek matchups with Mississippi State and Murray State. Before that, the third place Tigers lost two of three on a road trip against UCF.
The Tigers potent lineup has four players batting .300 or better, led by senior Kyler Trosclair’s .427 mark. Trosclair leads the team with 33 runs scored and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 33. Her .483 on-base percentage is a team-high while her .554 slugging percentage is good for second best on the dangerous Tigers’ offense.
Memphis will really test both UConn’s pitching and defense this weekend as they have been an offensive powerhouse this season, leading the conference in almost every offensive category. Their team numbers include a .316 batting average, an on-base percentage of .390 and 245 runs scored all lead the conference. They also lead the American in hits (378), triples (18) and stolen bases (76).
The Huskies will return to Storrs following this weekend’s series as they’ll be set to take on Bryant on April 24 at 3 p.m.
Kevin Arnold is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at kevin.arnold@uconn.edu.