After clinching the series against UMiami last weekend and dominating LIU in their home opener on Tuesday, the UConn baseball team is set for an eight-game stretch down in North Carolina.
The Huskies will start off in Buis Creeks, N.C., where they have a three-game series against Campbell. The Fighting Camels are entering the series with a 6-10 overall record. They are coming off a series win against Texas State and will continue their home stretch with the Huskies. The Campbell series will open on Friday, March 14 at 6:00 p.m., continuing on Saturday, March 15 at 3:05 p.m. and closing out on Sunday, March 16 at 1:00 p.m.
Following the Campell series, UConn will remain in North Carolina through the university’s spring break for two midweek matchups against Duke and North Carolina. On Tuesday, the Huskies will be in Durham to face off against the 12-6 Blue Devils. Then, the next day, UConn will make the short drive to Chapel Hill for a single matchup against No. 6 North Carolina. The Tar Heels are entering this game with a 15-2 overall record. Last week, UNC’s Hunter Stokely was named ACC Player of the Week. The veteran first baseman had one of the best weeks of his collegiate baseball career, as he slashed .524/.621/1.143 while recording 11 hits, 11 RBIs, 10 runs and 24 total bases in just six games played. During that stretch, Stokely also launched four home runs which was double what he’d ever had in one week.
The Huskies will face Duke on Tuesday, March 18; first pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. and then No. 6 North Carolina on Wednesday, March 19, also at 4:00 p.m.
After Duke and North Carolina, Connecticut will have Thursday off. The Huskies will continue their road trip around North Carolina and stop at their final destination with a three-game series against UNC Greensboro. The Spartans will enter this weekend series with a 7-9 overall record. They are coming off a win against High Point and a series loss to Radford. The final series of the North Carolina stretch for the Huskies will commence on Friday, March 21 at 6:00 p.m., then continue on Saturday, March 22 at 2:00 p.m., and wrap up on Sunday, March 23 at 1:00 p.m.
Some positives for the Huskies as they are 13 games into the start of the season has been sophomore Tyler Minick who leads the team in batting average, as he currently stands at .436. Behind Minick is junior Grant MacArthur (.426), junior Ryan Daniels (.383) and redshirt freshman Rob Rispoli (.343). As for hits, MacArthur leads with 20, followed by Daniels with 18, Minick with 17 and Caleb Shpur with 13 hits. For home runs RBIs, Minick once again leads the team with six homers and 21 RBIs. The Huskies offense has been consistent through the first part of their schedule and will be crucial to keep up in their slate of games in North Carolina. All eight of the games of the Hook C’s road trip to North Carolina will be available to stream on MIXLR.