While the UConn baseball team may be disappointed with their 15-11 loss on Sunday against the Miami Hurricane, the program did win two out of the three games this past weekend. While the offense never dissipated, walks and hit batters ultimately led to Connecticut’s demise, with 10 batters taking a base on balls and three hitters wearing a pitch. However, UConn has a chance to get back on track this Tuesday, at home, against the LIU Sharks.
The Sharks come into Tuesday’s contest sporting a 5-11 record, where their pitching has sometimes gotten them into trouble. The program’s pitching staff has struggled, owning an ERA over 8.5; a significant reason for this boils down to the fact that the Sharks walk nearly five batters a game. For UConn, a program that walks and hits as well as any program in the country, this could spell early trouble for LIU. However, the Sharks do have some hitters that the Huskies will want to look out for.
The UConn pitching staff will want to pay extra attention to the scouting report of senior catcher Jack Power. Power not only owns a solid .232/.348/.536 slash line but has been playing his best baseball as of late. The senior is coming off an excellent weekend against Central Connecticut State where he hit two home runs, including the walk-off blast this past Saturday. However, this is not an isolated incident; this is Power’s second multi-home run performance of the season, emphasizing the fact that when he gets hot, he’s as dangerous as anyone in the country to do some damage to the dish.
Of course, if the Huskies wish to emerge victorious this weekend, they also need to neutralize the bats of Benjamin Fierenzi and Joseph Durso, both of whom are hitting nearly .290 and are responsible for a majority of the Sharks’ offense. In all of the Sharks’ wins this season, either Fierenzi or Durso scored a run with their bat. However, in the program’s losses, their bats have gone silent on some occasions, meaning that UConn’s success on Tuesday will almost certainly be tied to how well their pitching staff can contain the duo. On the other hand, UConn will be hoping for a big day from junior Ryan Daniels, who has been mashing the ball at a high level for the program.
Daniels comes into Tuesday slashing an excellent .405/.500/.690 from the dish. Not only this, but Daniels has tied his season high home runs total (3) in only 11 games. The Meriden native is also coming off an excellent offensive weekend against Miami, where he was a man on a mission, finding ways to get on base, whether it was with his bat or grinding out a deep count and walking. Look for Daniels to keep the momentum rolling on Tuesday as he will undoubtedly impact the outcome of this contest. Tyler Minick is another name that UConn fans will want to be on the lookout for this Tuesday.
The sophomore is amid an excellent 2025 campaign, slashing .406/.459/.844 in eight games played. Minick also leads the program in RBIs, despite missing three contests. Minick is also coming off a weekend at Miami where he played some of his best baseball all year, leaving “The Sunshine State” with three multi-hit contests and driving in six runners for that series. Considering how hot Minick has been at the dish for Hook C, don’t be surprised to see his name all over the box score of this contest.
Tuesday is the first time all season long that the Huskies will compete at Elliot Park in Storrs, Conn. This contest is the only home game that Connecticut will participate in for nearly two weeks. Still, it will be crucial to see the type of start the program gets out to, considering Connecticut will face some difficult road tests in the coming weeks.