Not only is the UConn baseball team coming off the heels of a massive sweep over the St. John’s Red Storm, but the Huskies have been playing their best baseball as of late, winning 13 straight contests. UConn hopes to extend their winning streak this week, hosting Rutgers this Tuesday and URI on Wednesday at Elliot Ballpark.
A significant reason why Connecticut has found success during this streak is due to their prolific offense, which works itself into deep counts and does damage off mistake pitches. The primary reason behind the Huskies’ success so far has been due to the bat of Tyler Minick. The sophomore is slashing .367/.445/.741 from the dish. Minick also leads the program with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs in 147 at bats. If the Huskies wish to be successful this week, they will lean on Minick to continue his hot stretch. Even if Minick can’t get it going like he would like, the Huskies have plenty of dangerous batters looking to cause damage, including Ryan Daniels.
Daniels is also amid an excellent offensive campaign, slashing .350/.462/.664 from the plate. The Meriden native has also launched nine home runs so far. In 137 at bats Daniels has driven in 42 runners. Daniels will be another hitter that UConn will need to be on their A-game, especially considering the talent they will face this week.
On Tuesday, the Huskies will face Rutgers, and with that they will be tasked with containing Ty Doucette, who has mashed the baseball in all 44 of the Scarlet Knight’s contests.
Doucette has launched nine home runs this season for the program, however, he does more than hit for power. The Nova Scotia native slashes .333/.420/.508 from the plate, while accumulating a team high 41 RBIs.
While Rutgers’ 20-24 record is enough to fool some, they are not a program to be taken lightly. In most of the programs 20 wins this season, Doucette has made his mark felt. If the Huskies wish to emerge victorious in this contest, then they will need to do their best to contain the sophomore, as this season’s Scarlet Knight offense lives through him.
Trevor Cohen is another name that UConn fans will want to lookout for. While Cohen doesn’t necessarily hit for power like his teammate, having one home run on the season, he has been an extra base machine. Not only does his .370 batting average lead the program, but his 18 doubles is also a program high. If Connecticut can contain this duo, then it will be tough pickings for this season’s Scarlett Knights roster, which has struggled to plate runs at times.
On Wednesday, the Huskies will similarly have their hands full at home, this time against the URI Rams. While the Scarlett Knights are by no means a pushover squad, the Rams feature a lineup with an ability to do damage, and quickly. URI features three players who have double digit home run totals, including Jack Hopko, who has been the best hitter for the program this season.
Hopko owns an excellent slash line of .367/.450/.657, including 13 home runs. However, the most impressive part of Hopko’s game comes with runners in scoring position, driving in 69 runners this season, by far the best on URI. For as much damage as this URI lineup can cause, containing Hopko in dicey situations will likely determine this contest, as he has been nothing short of excellent this year. In a significant part of URI’s 27 wins this year, he has broken games open with his ability to drive runners in, even when facing unfavorable matchups out of the bullpen.
The Huskies have an excellent chance of extending their win streak to 15 games, but to do so they will need complete performances from everyone, including the pitching staff. Winning these contests in a dominating manner would set the rest of the Huskies season up nicely, as some crucial Big East series’ remain on the horizon.