The snow that lays peacefully over a windy Storrs wouldn’t suggest that baseball is going to be played anytime soon, but on Friday, the University of Connecticut baseball team will begin their season with the USF Baseball Tournament in Tampa, Fla.
It’s an exciting time to be a Hook C fan as experts predict that UConn will be amongst the top Big East teams once more. In this year’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Connecticut’s 48 points are the most in the conference, indicating that they are currently the favorite to top the conference standings.
After head coach Jim Penders led the team to 44 wins and secured an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament last season, three Huskies landed on the Preseason All-Big East Team: graduate right-handed pitcher Stephen Quigley, graduate outfielder Jake Studley and senior left-handed pitcher Garrett Coe. Quigley was named the Preseason Pitcher of the Year and Studley the Preseason Player of the Year for the Big East.
Last season was Quigley’s first in Storrs after transferring from Wheaton College. In 15 games, including 14 starts, he was 4-3 with a 4.83 ERA. He led the Huskies with 76.1 innings pitched and tied a team high with 74 strikeouts. Although he may be viewed as the leader of UConn’s pitching staff, along with Coe, Quigley will receive tons of aid this season from their pool of arms that includes established players such as Brady Afthim, Ian Cooke, Braden Quinn and Jack Sullivan. Developing the young arms will also be a point of emphasis this campaign as the pitching staff has nine true freshmen currently listed heading into the season.
Wheaton may just serve as a pipeline to play for UConn; aside from Quigley, Studley also transferred from Wheaton last year for his first season in Storrs. He made the First Team All-Big East as well as the Second Team All-New England after posting a .321/.416/.492 slash line in 60 games. Overall, he ranks at or near the top of his team in most major offensive statistics. He had 75 hits on the season while whacking 12 doubles, two triples and eight home runs. He also had 57 RBIs, six stolen bases and 30 walks. Study and fellow grad student Luke Broadhurst look to form perhaps the most formidable lineup duo in the Big East. Aside from those two, players such as Drew Kron, Korey Morton and Paul Tammaro all could see high-leverage at-bats this season for the Huskies.
The talent that Connecticut has acquired has led to a team that is constructed to have few flaws on either side of the ball entering a new campaign. With both honed and raw talent alike looking to prove themselves on the field, Penders should have no problem mixing-and-matching his lineups to give his team the best chance at victory every day. Now that they have the Preseason Pitcher and Player of the Year, in addition to being the favorite to win the Big East, UConn has set the standard for what should be another exciting season of baseball.
The Hook C is set to play in three games in the USF Baseball Tournament: Game one will be Friday at 6 p.m. against South Florida, game two will be Saturday at 12 p.m. against Indiana State and game three will be Sunday at 9 a.m. against Louisville. Fans at home can catch the first game against USF on ESPN+.