Will starting pitching be a strength for UConn?
The Huskies got three great outings from their starters on opening weekend.
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Can starting pitching be a strength?
UConn baseball fans grew well-accustomed to offensive slugfests during the Hook C’s 2023 campaign: The Huskies scored 476 runs last year, good enough for No. 29 in the nation, but their 4.91 team ERA was their worst mark since 2008.
Much of that was down to the inconsistency in the starting pitching. Their starting pitching staff — three of whom started opening weekend games at USF — didn’t have their best stuff each time on the mount.
Ian Cooke entered 2023 as the presumed Friday ace after a breakout 2022 and had a mixed season. His 5.74 ERA was a whole two points higher than his 3.64 mark from 2022, and opposing batters hit .286 against him.
Likewise, Stephen Quigley entered the season as a highly-touted transfer from Wheaton College but didn’t end up wowing the Husky faithful, with a 4.83 ERA and a 4-3 record.
Garrett Coe was the one member of the starting rotation that was a pleasant surprise in 2023. The bullpen arm took a primary role as a weekend starter by the end of the year, boasting a .220 batting average against and 47 strikeouts through 55 innings pitched, but a 4.42 ERA still put him below UConn’s lofty standards for starting pitchers.
Last weekend, however, UConn’s weakness turned into a strength. The starting pitchers combined to toss 18 innings through three games and allowed just two total earned runs, striking out 15 and allowing just three walks and 11 hits.
Cooke kicked off the weekend with a six-inning, three-hit performance where he shut out Louisville. Coe followed that up with a 5 1/3-inning, one-run performance in the second game of the doubleheader in another win against USF, striking out five in the process and walking just one. Quigley had a similarly impressive showing against Indiana State, but UConn’s offense couldn’t pull it out.
With the pitching performance its starters put in, the only reason UConn dropped a game in Tampa was the bats— the Huskies mustered up just 16 hits on opening weekend. If UConn’s lineup gets going, the team will be in very good shape heading into the rest of 2024.
Around the Big East
While it was just one game, St. John’s had the loudest result of the weekend. Before rain washed out the final two games of the series, the Red Storm took down No. 3 Florida, 9-5. Georgetown challenged itself in the MLB Desert Invitational, but fell once to California and twice to Kansas State. Xavier also took a chance, traveling to No. 9 Clemson, but were swept in impressive fashion by the Tigers. Butler met a similar fate against Florida State, but in just two games due to the weather that wreaked havoc across Florida.
Creighton easily handled Coppin State on the road with two wins and would have had a third if not for a curfew, while Seton Hall was 2-1 in South Carolina, taking down Michigan State and Merrimack. Villanova had the worst weekend of anyone, as the Wildcats were on the wrong end of three games against Incarnate Word.
This weekend’s foe, California, was 2-1 in the MLB Desert Invitational, with wins over the aforementioned Hoyas and Kansas State. UConn will open March against Auburn, which eased into the year with a sweep over Eastern Kentucky. Rutgers also got its season started 3-0, dispatching Winthrop on the road.
Bracketology
The initial brackets, which we won’t revisit until midseason, are pretty similar at the top. Baseball America and D1Baseball.com diverge on just two hosts. Baseball America elevated No. 14 South Carolina and No. 16 Iowa, while D1Baseball.com has No. 12 Duke and No. 13 NC State. Overall, the brackets shared 53 of 64 teams, with some divergence coming in automatic bids for low- and mid-major conferences.
Baseball America
UConn is a 2-seed in Baseball America’s preseason Field of 64, as the Big East’s only representative. However, it’s a tough spot for the Huskies, as they’re in No. 2 LSU’s Baton Rouge Regional, along with 3-seed Louisiana- Lafayette and 4-seed Southern. A trip to Alex Box Stadium would be a great time for fans, but the Tigers don’t typically lose there.
Several 2024 opponents litter the field, including fellow 2-seeds Auburn (Clemson Regional), Northeastern (Nashville Regional), UC Irvine (Corvallis Regional) and UCLA (Austin Regional). Indiana State (Knoxville Regional), Kansas State (Iowa City Regional), Louisville (Nashville Regional) and UC Santa Barbara (Austin Regional) are 3-seeds, while Maine (Corvallis Regional) is a 4-seed.
D1Baseball
D1Baseball.com is slightly less bullish on the Huskies, but did not send them to an SEC environment. UConn, as projected Big East champions, is in No. 13 NC State’s Raleigh Regional. They’re joined by 2-seed Alabama and 4-seed Saint Louis.
Auburn (Clemson Regional), Indiana State (Winston-Salem Regional), Kansas State (Fayetteville Regional), Northeastern (Knoxville Regional) and UC Santa Barbara (Corvallis Regional) are each 2-seeds, while UConn is joined on the 3-line by Louisville (Nashville Regional), UC Irvine (Baton Rouge Regional) and UCLA (Austin Regional). CCSU (Winston-Salem Regional) is the lone 2024 opponent in as a 4-seed.
The Week Ahead
Friday: at California, 9:05 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Networks
Saturday: at California, 5:05 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Networks
Sunday: at California, 4:05 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Networks
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