The UConn baseball team went 7-11 across their first 18 games of the season. UConn has since gone 15-7, with 12 of those victories coming in their last 14 contests. Now, the Huskies head into the final stretch of the regular season, which starts this weekend in Storrs when they welcome the Villanova Wildcats.
On paper, this weekend’s series might not seem that competitive; the two Big East Conference foes are separated by 126 RPI points on warrennolan.com’s rankings. Despite that separation, every one of Connecticut’s last 14 regular-season games matters. The Hook C, who are ranked 38th in RPI as of 5 p.m. yesterday, kept the good times rolling following their road sweep of the Georgetown Hoyas, run-ruling both of their midweek nonconference opponents at Elliot Ballpark.
UConn has made a comeback in each of their past five games, with graduate third baseman Luke Broadhurst delivering several clutch hits. Broadhurst put the Huskies ahead three times versus the Hoyas last weekend, one of which was a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning of Friday’s series opener. Although he had one hit across both midweek contests, the graduate third baseman will deliver when the opportunity presents itself.
Graduate shortstop Paul Tammaro has been another catalyst for Connecticut in April. Tammaro has driven in 17 runs over the Hook C’s last four home games, and 22 of his 29 RBIs have come since April 1. While the month may almost be over, the graduate shortstop should continue to produce from the top of the batting order.
So will redshirt junior Bryan Padilla, who has five hits and seven RBIs in his last four games. Padilla has kept his season batting average above .250 since the series finale against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in late March. That stretch spans 19 games and is one the Brooklyn native will seek to maintain this weekend.
Graduate right fielder Jake Studley is batting .253 with six homers and 12 RBIs, but he is not alone among his outfield power hitters. Graduate center fielder Caleb Shpur and senior left fielder Korey Morton each have had Studley’s back. Morton is the only other UConn player hitting above .300 with a team-leading 50 base knocks. While the Norwalk native hits for average and power, Shpur utilizes his speed to bring a boost from the back-end of the lineup.
No Husky has more than the Endicott transfer’s 16 stolen bases on 17 attempts, five of which have come in his last six contests. Beyond the basepaths, Shpur has settled into collegiate baseball in Storrs as he enters this weekend on a 14-game hitting streak. Sophomore first baseman Maddix Dalena has been on his own offensive tear. Dalena went yard two days ago for the first time since his three-homer game on April 12, and with six hits in his last three contests, his 10th homer of the year could be in the cards.
It should be the same rotation as last week for the Huskies. Graduate lefty Garrett Coe tossed three innings against the Hofstra Pride on Wednesday but will likely get the nod on Saturday. Junior righty Ian Cooke will go for his third straight double-digit strikeout performance tonight. Graduate righty Stephen Quigley seeks his first decision in five weeks in Sunday’s series finale.
Before falling to the Bucknell Bison on Tuesday, the Wildcats collected a critical series victory over the Creighton Bluejays in Plymouth, Pennsylvania. Villanova had three innings where they scored 5+ runs off Creighton’s pitching staff, two of which were in the seventh.
Junior right fielder Shane Solari drove in a run in each of those three frames last weekend, including his first homer of the season on Friday. Solari has seen the ball well since the Wildcats’ series against the Seton Hall Pirates, with eight hits and 10 RBIs in his last six contests. Although he bats eighth in the lineup, Villanova’s right fielder seeks to keep his five-game hitting streak going in style.
Rider transfer Scott Shaw is on his own hot stretch. Shaw heads into this weekend on a six-game hitting streak, but what makes it more impressive are his four multi-hit performances in that stretch. The Wildcats’ team leader had one multi-hit game — a three-hit afternoon versus the St. John’s Red Storm — in his previous seven contests before this span.
Shaw makes up one-third of Villanova’s heart of the batting order, along with fellow graduate students Jack O’Reilly and Jason Neff. O’Reilly does just as much damage from the No. 2 spot in the lineup with 16 doubles on a team-leading 47 base knocks. He might not necessarily be the team’s fastest player, but he tends to touch home plate more than once when he scores.
The fourth-year Wildcat has scored twice four times in his last nine contests; his team is 3-1 in those games. Neff, meanwhile, is an RBI machine. The Richmond transfer has driven in a run in eight out of his last nine games and leads the team with 34 on the season.
Beyond those three, look out for sophomore shortstop Michael Whooley and graduate center fielder AJ Hansen. Whooley has a hit in seven out of his last eight contests. Hansen, Villanova’s lone player with 10+ steals, is one of the toughest No. 9 hitters Connecticut has faced this year.
Two of the Wildcats’ three starters this weekend pitched into the seventh inning versus the Bluejays. Big East Pitcher of the Week Devin Rivera has not allowed a run in his last two outings and tossed 6.2 shutout innings in last Sunday’s series finale. True freshman Jake Francis gets the start tonight, looking to replicate his weekend performances against St. John’s and Seton Hall. Graduate righty Luke McCullough pitches Saturday in the hopes of going 6+ innings for the third straight weekend.
First pitch in Storrs tonight is at 6:05 p.m., while Saturday’s is at 2:05 p.m. and Sunday’s is at 1:05 p.m. All three contests will air on the Big East Digital Network.