The UConn baseball team will return to the diamond for two early-week matchups at their home field of Elliot Ballpark in Storrs, Conn. They’ll begin by hosting the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils for an April Fool’s Day matchup on Monday, before turning their attention to the Columbia Lions on Tuesday.
The Hook C dropped their last two contests in Storrs last week, first losing 4-7 against Boston College on Tuesday before mounting a comeback that came up just short, 6-7, against Northeastern on Wednesday. Caleb Shpur had three RBIs in the comeback attempt against Northeastern, including a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The losses dropped the Huskies to 9-15 through 24 games on the campaign.
After Ben Schild and Gabe Van Emon spearheaded the two midweek matchups for Connecticut last week, it’ll likely be Stephen Quigley and Garrett Coe who get the nod in the games versus CCSU and Columbia. Quigley was electric in his last outing, pitching a complete game against Rutgers in which he allowed just one run and struck out four batters in a win. He’s 1-3 on the season with a 3.67 ERA over 34.1 innings. Coe worked four innings in relief in the Northeastern game, walking just one batter and not allowing a run while striking out four. The lefty is 3-4 on the season with a 5.54 ERA over 37.1 innings this year, striking out 36 batters.
Korey Morton has been UConn’s best hitter all season. He paces the Hook C in most of the major offensive categories, including batting average (.314), hits (32), RBIs (16) and doubles (six). He’s also third for Connecticut, with four home runs. He’ll continue to be a fixture in the heart of the Husky lineup in the upcoming midweek matchups.
Entering Friday, CCSU is 6-9 on the season. They’ve fared better in conference play, going 5-4 against Northeast Conference opponents. That record places them fifth of the 12 NEC teams. By the time Connecticut welcomes them, the Blue Devils will have played three games against Stonehill.
It’s difficult to predict who will receive the nod for Central given that they have a three-game set to play before heading to Storrs, though it’s safe to assume that it’ll be one of Jake Neuman, Drew Munn or Anthony Mozzicato. This year, Neuman is 2-2 with a 3.95 ERA over 27.1 innings. Munn is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA over 24 innings. Mozzicato is 1-3 with a 3.86 ERA over 21 innings.
One of the Blue Devils’ top offensive contributors thus far has been infielder Aidan Redahan. In 15 games ahead of the Stonehill series, he’s batting .311 with three home runs and 12 RBIs. He scored nine runs and stole two bases. In total, he’s compiled 19 hits including one double in 61 at-bats.
The Huskies have won their previous seven games against Central, going 35-9 against them overall in the past. Their last matchups came on April 10, 2023, where the Hook C bested CCSU by a 10-4 final score.
The Lions have gone 7-12 through their first 19 games of the season, including 2-1 againstthe Ivy League Conference. That conference record has them tied for second place of the eight Ivy League teams. They have three games set against Penn before they travel to Storrs to take on UConn.
Like CCSU, it’s difficult to predict who will start for Columbia against the Huskies since the team will play three more games ahead of the matchup. What’s more, the Lions have deployed eight different starting pitchers throughout the season with the possibility for more if they start yet another arm in any of the Penn games. Joe Sheets has started the most games ahead of the weekend with five, pitching to a 9.82 ERA over just 18.1 innings. If not Sheets, the Hook C could also face Derek Yoo or JD Ogden, or any other pitcher that head coach Brett Boretti elects to use.
Jack Cooper has been one of Columbia’s best hitters this season. His .320 batting average ahead of the Penn series is second on his team, while he ranks first or tied for first in hits (24), home runs (seven) and RBIs (26). In addition to Cooper, Cole Hage has been a fixture for the Lions this year. He ranks first on his squad in batting average (.338), home runs (seven) and slugging percentage (.735) on the campaign.
The Huskies have gone 3-2 against the Lions in the past. Their last matchup back on April 4, 2023, was a 19-14 slugfest where Colombia pulled out on top.
The Blue Devils matchup is set for 3:05 p.m. on Monday with the Lions game following at 3:35 p.m. on Tuesday. Both games can be streamed on UConn+.