UConn softball is set to start their season this afternoon as they head to Orlando, FL to compete in the Black & Gold Classic. Hosted by UCF, the Huskies join them along with Howard, Georgia State and Seattle for this four-day event.
The Huskies are coming off a solid season in which they dominated regular season play but struggled when it mattered most. Entering the Big East Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, UConn came in having lost the last two championship games to Villanova. After beating St. John’s in their first game, UConn went on to lose to the two teams who played each other in the final, Villanova and eventual champion Seton Hall.
While not the ending the team wanted, the results keep showing that the program is on the upswing. Connecticut comes off their second straight season of winning 30+ games (38 in 2022 and 34 in 2023). It also marked back-to-back seasons with the Huskies winning the Big East regular season title.
A big contributor to UConn’s success was their ability to swipe bags on the base path. As a unit, the team finished seventh in stolen bases per game (2.43) in Division I, with Lexi Hastings finishing 10th in the NCAA with 40 and Aziah James tied in 16th with 34 of her own.
James is the biggest loss for Connecticut as they head into 2024. A season ago, James finished top-three in at-bats, RBIs, hits and stolen bases for the Huskies, having a hand in many key moments for the team. Now that James has graduated, UConn needs someone to step up into the role she had in 2023.
Good news for UConn is they returned the rest of their core from 2023, including all their pitchers.
Payton Kinney was one of the staples for this UConn team, earning a solid 2.99 ERA over 105.1 innings. The Huskies’ work horse Hope Jenkins returns for her sophomore campaign after leading the team with 34 appearances. Meghan O’Neil, tied third in the NCAA for saves (9), comes back to provide a great bullpen option for head coach Laura Valentino.
Hastings and Grace Jenkins highlight the positional talent that is coming back to Storrs hoping to build upon their performances from last year. Hastings was arguably the team MVP, leading the team in SLG% (.597), OB% (.509), home runs (6), steals (40), runs (51) and hits (59). Jenkins provided pop in a lineup that needed it, leading the team in doubles (17) and RBIs (44).
UConn also welcomes in five freshmen along with transfer Hallie Siems (pitcher) from Memphis. The freshman class this year includes Sarah Blaskiewicz (catcher), Kaitlyn Breslin (outfielder), Caylee De Meo (infielder), Rayah Snyder (infielder) and Sydnee Koosh (pitcher).
As for how this weekend shapes up, UConn is scheduled to play six games with doubleheaders on Thursday and Friday. The schedule goes like this: Howard (Thursday 2 p.m.), UCF (Thursday 7 p.m. and Saturday 5:30 p.m.), Georgia State (Friday 12:30 p.m.) and Seattle (Friday 3 p.m. and Sunday 9:30 a.m.).
For streaming, both games against UCF are available to watch on ESPN+.