On Sunday, UConn baseball hosted their annual Alumni Game at Elliot Ballpark with former players making their return to face off against the 2022 Huskies. The current team defeated the alums 16-2.
Walking into the ballpark, “UConn versus UConn,” with the current and older logo, was presented on the jumbotron. Family, friends and Husky fans filled the ballpark with excitement to see some returning players back in action.
At the start, the contest was close and low-scoring but that didn’t last the entirety of the game. The first to put runs on the board were the current Huskies, with two runs in the second inning and another run in the third.
The alums attempted to bounce back with two runs in the fifth inning. They built up a rally that was cut short from a diving catch to get the double play, ending the inning for the alums. For the current Huskies, David Smith led the team with a solo homerun in the fifth inning and a triple. They blasted the game open when they scored 10 runs in the eighth inning.
In the top of the ninth inning, the alums scored one more run before the current Huskies sealed the win. This game was filled with laughter and was a chance for returning players to compete on UConn’s field again. Overall, it was a successful day for the Husky family.
Some of the turnout alums included, Chris Winkel, Willy Yahn, Paul Gozzo, Zac Susi, Kenny Haus, Jeff Kersten, Joe Simeone, Cole Chudoba and David Langer.
Chudoba, a graduate student on the Spring 2022 roster made his UConn comeback on the other side of the diamond, with the alums. This was his first time returning to the ballpark with his previous teammates from just about four months ago when they made their run in the 2022 Super Regionals.
Additionally, the annual team awards were announced at the game; the coaching staff selected all the award winners. Casey Dana was named the Mary Dropo Unsung Hero and the James Allen Pitching Award was given to Austin Peterson. Enzo Stefanoni was named the Dee Rowe Scholar Athlete. Award winners for the Hirshhorn Family Foundation Award are Devin Kirby and Korey Moron. Finally, the players selected Matt Donlan to be awarded as the Lawrence Panciera MVP.
UConn will endure more intensity in the upcoming weeks as they have three exhibition games. They will face the University of Rhode Island at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2. Then, they will continue the competition with a game against The Academie de Baseball du Canada on Friday, Oct. 7 at 6:05 p.m. Lastly, to finish up the fall, the Huskies will play Fordham University on Oct. 15 at 2:05 p.m. All three games will be hosted at UConn’s home field, Elliot Ballpark and all admissions will be free.