Coming off a weekend sweep against the Villanova Wildcats, the Connecticut Huskies look to continue rolling against in-state competition in Fairfield University. This will be a single game featuring the two teams who are meeting for the 14th time in the history of the two programs. Currently, UConn leads the all-time record at 10-3 and is on a three-game winning streak versus the Stags. The last matchup came in April of 2022 which resulted in a 4-1 win for Connecticut.
Looking into this game, it seems the Huskies have the advantage. UConn comes in with a record of 20-10 on the year while Fairfield is playing sub-.500 ball at 5-14 in 2023.
UConn’s base stealing is a big advantage for them. They have two players who are top 20 in the nation for stolen bases in Aziah James (22) and Lexi Hastings (21). James, a graduate student, just notched her first collegiate home run in the Villanova series, a grand slam. As a team, UConn ranks ninth in the entire NCAA for stolen bases per game with just about 2.64 steals per game. UConn is No. 46 in the country with a .304 team batting average.
Some other statistical leaders to note; shortstop Jana Sanden and catcher Grace Jenkins lead the team with five home runs and seven doubles each. Sanden had two home runs in the first game against Villanova to bring her yearly total to five, tying her season total for home runs from last year in just 26 games. Infielder Makenzie Mason continues to lead the Huskies with a .407 batting average while outfielder Lexi Hastings leads the team in walks with 19.
Fairfield has struggled offensively so far this season. To this point in the year, the team still has yet to hit a home run. The Stags have a team slash line of .246/.327/.316 as a unit with no player with eight RBIs or above. They’ve been outscored 90-54 by their opponents and opposing pitchers have thrown a 1.98 ERA against them. As for the Stags pitching, they’ve faired a little better than their hitters. They have a 3.92 ERA in 121.1 innings. Pitchers Allie Bridgman (2.76 ERA) and Samantha Lindsay (3.67 ERA) are the main starters for the Stags and have pitched well.
As for similar competition, the Huskies and the Stags played games against Boston University and Liberty but neither team was able to win those games.
This game will take place at Burrill Family Field at the Connecticut Softball Complex here in Storrs at 6 p.m. Tuesday night. Tickets for students are free and others can be purchased through the UConn Huskies webpage. It will also be streamed on UCONN+.
