Which newcomers can make an impact this year?

These five newcomers can make an immediate impact for UConn.

Welcome to our 2025 UConn baseball preview. This is our 10th season covering the Huskies on a day-to-day basis and the third with this newsletter. We’ll have plenty of content all week leading up to opening day!

Eight months ago, Florida State hit a walk-off home run in the 12th inning of Game 2 of the Tallahassee Super Regional to end UConn’s season. The dramatics behind the loss are enough to make the pain of losing sour for anybody, but especially so for those who knew it would be their last game as a Husky.

Following the season’s end, two key starting pitchers, Garrett Coe and Stephen Quigley, graduated, as did four key cogs in the lineup in left fielder Korey Morton, right fielder Jake Studley, shortstop Paul Tammaro and third baseman Luke Broadhurst.

These players took up a lot of big innings and at-bats, leaving voids in their place. Between the incoming freshman class and the transfers UConn scored out of the portal, there are 20 new faces on the roster this year. We’ve picked five — all transfers, considering playing time for true freshmen will be incredibly tough to come by — to highlight, with each having something a bit different to offer the program.

Sam Biller (Outfield, Graduate)

A California native, Biller makes his way to the east coast after playing his first four seasons of collegiate baseball in his home state. As a freshman in 2021, Biller saw decent time with the Cal Poly Mustangs, making 45 appearances and 27 starts, but transferred the following year to Loyola Marymount. Biller was an everyday player in 2023 and 2024, making 94 starts over the two seasons.

Biller has made improvements each year as he has gotten more adjusted to the collegiate game. From 2023 to 2024, he repeated his hit total (51) , scored 11 more runs, hit eight more home runs, cashed in 16 more RBIs, walked six more times and stole 15 more bases. He is coming off his best season in his college career and is among the top Huskies in consideration for one of the two available starting spots in the outfield.

While Biller has an intriguing power/speed combination, he does strike out quite a bit, having done so 52 times in 200 at-bats last season. If he can cut down on his strikeout rate, then he can be a key piece for UConn with his years of experience.

Beau Root (OF, Graduate)

Root may not have the exact same skillset as his grandfather — 21-year MLB legend Tim McCarver — but he can bring a spark to the Husky lineup that is hard for any coach to turn down.

At Division III Middlebury College, Root excelled in his three seasons for the Panthers, his biggest strength being his ability to get on base. The Washington Depot native has a career .374 batting average and has had no problem working walks (52) or getting hit by pitches (11), bringing his on-base percentage to .461. Like Biller, Root is a speed threat, swiping 28 bases in 2022 and 26 more 2024.

Root took home first team all-NESCAC honors, led the conference in runs and hits and tied for first in total bases in 2024. His 15 career triples is a Middlebury program record and he ranks second all-time in career stolen bases (61) and hits in a season (63). From the left side of the plate, Root slaps base hits and wreaks havoc on the bases.

Aidan Dougherty (Utility, Junior)

Dougherty’s ability to play around the diamond makes him a great candidate for this list, given he can give the Huskies innings in both the infield and the outfield.

Dougherty spent two seasons with the Linn-Benton Community College, and in 2024, slashed .371/.439/.543 across 42 games with the Roadrunners. He was a mainstay at the top of LBCC’s lineup, hitting mostly leadoff and playing a variety of positions around the diamond, including all three outfield spots, first base and designated hitter. Dougherty followed up his impressive spring performance with a .380/.459./.509 summer ball slash line through 44 games, playing in the West Coast League.

The bat is Dougherty’s specialty and his positional versatility gives him a good chance to see some innings in 2025. The outfield is his best spot to land, given UConn is returning junior Maddix Dalena at first base and likely to promote Tyler Minick – last year’s primary DH – to third base. With Caleb Shpur the only outfielder returning from last year, Dougherty will compete with Biller, Root and others for the corners.

Greg Shaw III (Right-handed pitcher, Junior)

Despite coming out of high school as a third baseman, Shaw shifted to become a full-time pitcher by the time he reached Manhattan for his freshman season. The transition proved effective, as across career 70 2/3 innings pitched, Shaw struck out 74 with a 4.58 ERA, holding hitters to a .267 batting average against.

Coming to Storrs, Shaw can make an immediate impact for the Huskies as a fiery right-hander. The Huskies’ depth for right-handed pitching is a bit top-heavy, giving Shaw a chance to win some innings. Behind Ian Cooke, who is projected to be UConn’s No. 1 starter, mostly question marks follow. Shaw could be a midweek starting option for UConn, but if sophomore Ben Schild is shaky coming back from injury and guys like junior Thomas Ellisen and graduate Hector Alejandro underperform, Shaw could be throwing big-time innings both early and late in the season.

Oliver Pudvar (Left-handed pitcher, Redshirt Sophomore)

Pudvar missed all of 2024 with an injury and post-injury performance for pitchers can be difficult to predict, but he did have a bright freshman season. In 16 appearances, he threw 44 2/3 innings, struck out 43 and carried a 4.37 ERA before being named to the MAAC All-Rookie team at the year’s end.

His role with the Jaspers wasn’t one of a typical one-inning reliever. Pudvar recorded more than six outs out of the bullpen on 10 occasions, eating innings and keeping his team in games. In his best appearance of 2023, he threw five innings, struck out seven, walked none and allowed one earned run.