Tough start to Spring Break for UConn baseball
While the Huskies grabbed a ranked win on Wednesday, the series against Campbell left a lot to be desired.
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Tough breaks abound in Buies Creek
UConn looked poised to win a second consecutive series over the weekend after taking Friday’s opener against Campbell by a 6-5 scorelines, as the Camels came close but were unable to complete the comeback from down 6-1 at the seventh-inning stretch.
The Huskies were up 5-2 after three innings and led 6-5 in the middle of the eighth, but three four-pitch walks and a single were enough to help the hosts tie the game and in the 10th, a two-base error put what proved to be the game-winning run on base, while a wild pitch put him 90 feet from scoring.
Campbell took the second half of Saturday’s doubleheader- and the series with it- in regulation, but UConn held a 5-1 advantage heading into the bottom of the sixth before the Camels had a six-run frame and added another in the eighth for good measure.
There weren’t any errors of which to speak in that disastrous sixth inning and of the six Campbell hits, four were singles and two were doubles, with just one walk. Ian Cooke and then Cayden Suchy just struggled to get outs and it led to an unfortunate weekend and a series loss UConn might want back.
While RPI isn’t viable for a few more weeks, Campbell is 8-12 and at No. 173 in the rankings. As a member of the Coastal Athletic Association, which finished No. 10 in conference RPI in 2024, that number is unlikely to take a sigificant leap upward without a very strong showing in league play.
These kinds of weekends are bound to happen, particularly in baseball, where one game can be incredibly random, but for UConn, series that they wish they had won are starting to pile up.
The Huskies seem to have found a good weekend starter in Oliver Pudvar, while Thomas Ellisen has turned in good outings and the offense has performed well, but the pitching depth that Jim Penders and the coaching staff is used to hasn’t shown up yet. This is the last weekend before conference play begins and UConn is still the team to beat in the Big East.
Around the Big East
Until RPI is viable, which comes in mid-April, this space will take a look at what each Big East team has been doing in the early part of the season.
Butler
The Bulldogs were swept by Belmont in four games over the weekend, with just one contest finishing within 10 runs. That trend continued as the midweek, as Ball State and Notre Dame each earned big wins. Butler has the weekend off, but will travel to Saint Louis and Miami (OH) in the midweek.
Creighton
Creighton went to San Francisco and won the series over the Dons, coming back from a series-opening loss. The Bluejays also earned a victory over South Dakota State in midweek play. Saint Mary’s will come to Omaha this weekend, with a crosstown battle against Nebraska- Omaha in the midweek.
Georgetown
It was a sweep for Monmouth against Georgetown last weekend, which has now fallen in four straight games. There were plenty of offensive fireworks, with each game having at least 18 runs, while Maryland also came away with a victory over the Hoyas on Tuesday. Radford will come to Capital One Park this weekend, as will Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday.
St. John’s
Maine and St. John’s played 16 innings on Friday and the Red Storm came away with the win, riding the momentum to a sweep. The run continued in two midweek games against Manhattan and Fairfield. Ed Blankenmeyer’s team goes to Winthrop this weekend and will play Wagner and CCSU in the midweek.
Seton Hall
Seton Hall took two of three from Stony Brook over the weekend. Wagner snagged a victory over the Pirates on Tuesday, but Seton Hall rebounded with a 10-run win over Dartmouth on Wednesday. The Pirates will host Iona this weekend and has Hofstra and St. Peter’s in midweek action.
Xavier
Tulane took the series over Xavier in uptown New Orleans over the weekend, with the Musketeers bursting out for 10 runs in their win, despite scoring six combined in the other two games. Ball State awaits at home this weekend and Kentucky will host Xavier on Tuesday.
Villanova
NJIT had a run-rule win on Saturday, but Villanova was able to take the other two games and win the series at home. It also secured a win over Princeton on Wednesday. The Wildcats will take on Wofford this weekend and then will face Delaware State in the Liberty Bell Classic on Tuesday.
Non-conference opponents
Without a new NCAA Tournament bracket projection, this portion of the newsletter will examine trends among UConn’s non-conference opponents.
UNC Greensboro (10-10) swept North Carolina A&T over the weekend, but fell to New Mexico State in midweek play.
Campbell (8-12) rebounded from a Friday loss to score two come-from-behind victories over UConn and has won two straight series, though the Camels fell to No. 25 Coastal Carolina Tuesday.
Miami (FL) (13-9) had a tough start to ACC play, getting swept by then-No. 13 Wake Forest, but secured some positive momentum by beating Florida Atlantic.
Florida Atlantic (17-4) swept Bradley to win its seventh consecutive game, though Miami (FL) halted that run there.
Maine (4-15) got swept by St. John’s over the weekend. They stayed local and lost their sixth and seventh straight games to Fordham and Army.
The Week Ahead
Friday: at UNC Greensboro; 6 p.m.; ESPN+
Saturday: at UNC Greensboro; 2 p.m.; ESPN+
Sunday: at UNC Greensboro; 1 p.m.; ESPN+
Tuesday: Boston College; 3:05 p.m.; UConn+
Wednesday: at Northeastern; 2:30 p.m.; FloSports
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