The University of Connecticut baseball team will return to the diamond for a three game weekend series at their home field of Elliot Ballpark in Storrs, Conn., where they will host a conference foe in the St. John’s Red Storm.
The Hook C has gotten hot, winning five of their last six games after hitting a few bumps in the early going of the season. Last weekend, the Huskies dropped the series opener against Xavier, but not before generating momentum on the offensive side late in the contest. The team harnessed that momentum to win the subsequent two games in the series, receiving strong performances from starters Garrett Coe and Stephen Quigley in each. UConn then returned on Tuesday to mercy-rule Bryant, 12-1, on Tuesday before handling Maine on Wednesday, 20-2, in the same mercy-rule fashion.
The hot streak has elevated the Hook C’s overall record to 14-16 this season. The three-game series versus the Musketeers was their first Big East matchup of the season, making them 2-1 in conference play in the early going. That record has them tied for third in the conference.
Connecticut head coach Jim Penders is likely to turn to his typical weekend starters in Gabe Van Emon, Coe and Quigley ahead of the inter-conference battle. Van Emon was not effective in his last start against Xavier, as he allowed nine runs to score before being pulled in the third inning, leaving his team to fight back from a 9-0 deficit. Overall, he is 1-4 with a 5.88 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 33.2 innings this season.
On the other hand, Coe and Quigley pitched phenomenally in games two and three of the Xavier series. Coe managed seven scoreless innings and worked into the eighth before allowing two runs, his only mishap of the day. For the game, he managed 7.1 innings while allowing just four hits and two walks. The win moved the lefty to 4-4 with a 5.04 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 44.2 innings. Quigley shut down the Musketeers over seven innings in the series’ rubber match, scattering seven hits while walking just two and striking out seven batters. This year, Quigley is 1-3 with a 3.60 ERA and 38 strikeouts over a team-high 45 innings.
Sophomore first baseman Maddix Dalena has been one of UConn’s hottest bats during the team’s recent hot streak. He’s hit safely in five of his last six games, including smacking three total home runs in the Xavier series last weekend. Against Bryant on Tuesday, he smacked two doubles and drove in two more runs before hitting yet another dinger against Maine. The hitting barrage has helped raise his batting average out of the .100s to a respectable .244. In addition to average, Dalena has hit six home runs, five doubles and has driven in 19 runs over 24 total contests.
The Red Storm have been superb so far this season, amassing an overall record of 22-5-1. They’ve won each of their last three games and haven’t lost in seven straight games, as they tied against Winthrop in the middle of the streak.
The Johnnies will deploy their top two starters to begin the series in Xaver Kolhosser and Mario Pesca. Kolhosser has managed at least five innings in seven of his eight starts this year. In his last start last weekend against Villanova, he completed 5.1 innings and allowed five runs on five hits while striking out two and was credited with the win. He is 7-1 with a 3.55 ERA and 26 strikeouts over a team-high 45.2 innings. Pesca did not allow a run to cross the plate in the second game of the Nova series, working through 5.1 innings while scattering five hits and two walks while striking out four. He is 4-0 with a 2.65 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 37.1 innings.
It’ll most likely be Evan Chaffee who receives the nod for Sunday’s game three as he is third on his team with five starts this season. He also did not allow a Wildcat to score in the Villanova series, managing 5.2 innings while yielding just five hits en route to a game two victory. He is 2-0 with a 4.88 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 27.2 innings on the campaign.
Sophomore catcher Jimmy Keenan has given the Johnnies a unique combination of contact and power at the dish this season. He ranks first on his team in several offensive categories, including hits (41), doubles (12), home runs (six), RBIs (34), total bases (75), slugging percentage (.688) and on-base plus slugging (1.129). He’s also second in batting average on his team with a .376 clip, behind only Blake Mayberry’s outstanding .422 mark. He’ll be a tough out for the UConn staff to manage, though suppressing his production would pay huge dividends if the team hopes to win the series.
The Huskies had won seven straight games against the Red Storm before dropping their latest matchup back on April 8, 2023. Overall, history has been in Connecticut’s favor: they are 66-60 all-time when facing St. John’s.
Game one of the three-game series is set for 6:05 p.m. this Friday. Game two will be on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. before the series concludes with a 1:05 p.m. start time on Sunday. All games can be streamed live on FloSports or the Big East Digital Network.