Midseason Catch-Up: Five players to keep an eye on
The Huskies are off to a fast start in 2023. Here are the guys leading the charge.
Photo: Ian Bethune
UConn baseball’s success in recent years has been underscored by its success on the road.
The Huskies start every season roaming the country with road series and neutral site games until the weather in Storrs allows them to host games which, as we all know, can take a while.
Even with the opening of Elliot Ballpark and its turf field, UConn has continued to play long road trips for the first month of the season, usually flying under the radar as men’s and women’s basketball’s postseason wraps up.
As a result of these journeys, the Huskies’ many road series against teams in the South and West of the country will typically boost their RPI, which currently sits at No. 26 in the nation per Warren Nolan, though it’s still a little early to truly rely on RPI, as Elon sits in the top 20.
UConn’s first month of the season has followed fairly close to that formula. After starting the season 3-3, the Huskies have turned on the burners with a 17-4 run since March 3 that has featured sweeps of Florida Atlantic, Rutgers, and UMBC with series wins against San Diego State and Hawai’i as well.
The Huskies are on the right track heading into Big East play, and they have their offense (mostly) to thank. They rank No. 31 in runs scored per game (8.4) and No. 40 in on-base percentage (.409).
The starting pitching has been slower to come around. After reworking their starting rotation from last year and reworking much of the bullpen, the Huskies’ pitching staff has posted a combined 4.92 ERA and allowed 4.33 walks per game, both marks outside of the top 100 teams in the nation.
UConn is again looking like the team to beat in the Big East this year, and the minimum expectation that head coach Jim Penders has is making the NCAA Tournament.
Here are five Huskies to watch in the second half of the season:
3B/P Dominic Freeberger
UConn’s marquee transfer has lived up to expectations and more to start the season. Bursting onto the scene from UNC Asheville, Freeberger has been an offensive dynamo for the Huskies.
Freeberger leads the team in average (.385), slugging percentage (.615), and on-base percentage (.493), while also pacing the Huskies in RBI (35) and runs scored (32) from the second spot in the order. He’s a true multi-tool player, playing tremendous defense from third base, and has made three single-inning appearances out of the bullpen without allowing a baserunner.
Freeberger’s shining moment of the season so far came in extra innings against Rutgers, walking off the opening game of the series with a single up the middle. Expect more clutch hits from Freeberger as the season rolls on.
INF/DH Luke Broadhurst
Broadhurst transferred in from ECSU in the offseason, but he didn’t need to be shown around campus when he got there.
A freshman in 2018, the Stafford Springs native came to UConn, redshirted, then made the decision to transfer to the Division III level. There, he captained the Warriors to a national championship and arrived back on campus to fight for his spot. Based on his performance so far this season, it’s safe to say he’s won that battle.
Broadhurst is hitting .347/.472/.598 with five home runs on the season, starting the majority of games as the designated hitter and settling into the five-spot in the lineup.
In the few games he hasn’t started, he’s come up clutch in pinch-hitting situations, but if he continues to bat as well as he has, it’ll be tough to leave him out of the lineup.
RF Jake Studley
Coming from Division III Wheaton College, Studley has been another immediate impact transfer that the Huskies can rely on in the middle of the order.
Slotting into the cleanup spot as of late, the graduate student has done a great job in the middle of the order with a .347 batting average, .472 on-base percentage, and a .531 slugging percentage.
But as good as he’s been at the plate, Studley has provided the Huskies tremendous stability in right field. Taking the place of Casey Dana, a first baseman who played right field in 2022, Studley has been rock-solid, failing to commit an error so far in 2023 and providing value to the Huskies on both sides of the field.
2B Ryan Daniels
When UConn’s center fielder to start the season, veteran T.C. Simmons, was injured at the start of March with a broken hand, Penders had to get creative with his lineups. As a result, team captain David Smith slotted to the outfield, but the spot he left on the middle infield was still up for grabs.
The two candidates for the position emerged quickly: Oswego State transfer Paul Tammaro acquitted himself well, but freshman Ryan Daniels has made more starts at second base and seems primed to hold onto that spot. He’s hitting .275 on the year through 20 appearances, hitting seven doubles in just 51 at-bats, and put together an impressive five-RBI performance in the second game of the Rutgers series.
UConn will have a good problem on its hands when Simmons comes back later in the season, with him, Daniels, and Tammaro fighting for one spot in the lineup. But all options will be useful for the Huskies as they fight for their third-straight Big East title and beyond.
The first series of Big East play will begin with a 12 p.m. doubleheader at St. John’s on Thursday.