University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Take on Pittsburgh in Final Home Series of 2009
5/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 8, 2009
Games #49-51: vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
Friday, May 8, 2009 - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 9, 2009 - 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 10, 2009 - 1:00 p.m.
BIG EAST CONFERENCE MATCH-UP
UConn, currently 27-21 on the year, will host Pittsburgh in a three-game BIG EAST ConferÂÂence series beginning on Friday night.
UConn enters today's contest after taking two games from Notre Dame last weekend. The Huskies are 5-5 in their last 10 games while Pittsburgh is 7-3.
DID YOU KNOW?
UConn is 32-22 all-time against the PittsÂÂburgh Panthers dating back to 1990. During that year, UConn swept Pittsburgh in three games by scores of 8-3, 16-4 and 15-3. Later in the season, head coach Andy Baylock (1980-2003) led the Huskies to the NCAA Northeast Regional before his team fell to both Georgia (7-2) and Rutgers (15-5).
As of May 7 the Huskies have defeated the Panthers in their last four meetings, includÂÂing the series sweep that UConn picked up over the Panthers during the 2008 season in Pittsburgh, Pa.
MR. CLUTCH
Matt Burnett is batting .402 (37-for-92) with runners on base, while John Andreoli is batÂÂting .458 (11-for-24). With the bases loaded Burnett is 6-for-10 (.600) and with runners in scoring position he is batting .410 (25-for-61). Andreoli is 8-for-13 (.615) in that scenario.
MAKING HISTORY
Freshman George Springer is leading the way with 14 homeruns in his first season with the Huskies.
His 14 long balls is the new UConn record for most homeruns in a single-season by a freshman.
SEEING DOUBLE
UConn has recorded double-digit runs in 16 games this season, including seven in a span of nine games.
IT'S ALL IN THE STREAK
Pierre LePage is currently on a 14-game hitting streak, tying the second-longest this season.
Nick Ahmed recorded a season-best 16- game hiting streak for the Huskies before being stopped by the St. John's pitching staff. He is currently on an eight-game run.
Matt Burnett had a 14-game hitting streak going this year as he recorded a hit in the Huskies' first 14 games of the 2009 season.
UNDER THE LIGHTS AT HOME
UConn has not played a home game under the lights since back in the 1990s.
The Huskies' first "home" game under the lights in the new decade will be played on Friday, May 8 at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn., home of the Connecticut Defenders, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Huskies are currently 9-9 at J.O. Christian Field this season. In the last nine home games, UConn was 5-4 against its opponents.Pittsburgh is 5-9 on the road, posting an advantage for the Huskies this weekend.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
UConn is 14-5 on the road as the Huskies picked up five straight road wins last week before their 5-4 loss to Notre Dame.After a four-game homestand for the Huskies Friday-Monday, the Huskies will finish out the regular season with four road games in five days before the BIG EAST Tournament.
AND THE WINNER IS...
Senior John Folino is currently the UConn wins leader on the hill with a record of 6-3 this season. His six victories marks a season-high for the dominating righty starter.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Pittsburgh enters the weekend as the best fielding team in the BIG EAST Conference as well as the 25th team in the nation. The Panthers have just 42 errors on the year in 1,603 chances for a .974 fielding percentage.The Panthers are led this season by Chris Sedon,
who is batting .398 with 68 hits, 56 runs, 16 homeruns and 46 RBI. He is ranked in the top 50 in the nation in home runs per game (29th-0.36), runs per game (18th-1.36) and slugging percentage (47th-.727).
SERIES PITCHING ROTATION
Friday, May 8
Pittsburgh: Nate Reed (LHP; 2-5; 6.75 ERA)
Connecticut: John Folino (RHP; 6-3; 3.92 ERA)
Saturday, May 9
Pittsburgh: Corey Baker (RHP; 6-2; 3.95 ERA)
Connecticut: Elliot Glynn (LHP; 3-4; 5.12 ERA)
Sunday, May 10
Pittsburgh: TBD
Connecticut: Matt McDonald (RHP; 3-1; 4.60 ERA)
BATTLEOF THE BATS
UConn recorded a season-high 21 hits in the Huskies' 17-5 win over Bryant in non-conference action on April 28.
IN THE RECORD BOOK
Peter Fatse has recently earned his way amongst the top-20 all-time UConn players in career hits (169), home runs (20), runs scored (117) and runs batted in (121).
FIVE IN A ROW
The Huskies recorded a five-game winning streak, their longest this season before a 5-2 loss to Georgetown in BIG EAST action on April 19.
SPRINGER EARNS FIRST HONOR OF SEASON
George Springer was tabbed the BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week for the week ending on May 3, earning the Huskies' first conference weekly award this season and just the second in the last two years.
BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS
Four Huskies have been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll this season.
March 2 - Mike Olt
March 30 - Peter Fatse & John Folino
April 13 - George Springer
LEADING SLUGGER
George Springer leads the Huskies with 58 hits this season in 167 at-bats as he has a .701 slugging percentage with a team-high 14 home runs and 51 RBI
Mike Nemeth and Springer have recorded 20 multiple hit games this year while Nemeth has a team-high 60 hits and 19 doubles.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE HUSKIES
Last weekend, the Huskies won 2-of-3 games in their BIG EAST Conference series against Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. In game one and two, the Huskies defeated the Fighting Irish 8-5 and 8-3 before falling short in game three, 5-4. UConn has not played since then due to final exams at the University.
George Springer hit .545 (6-for-11) against Notre Dame and had at least two hits in all six games during the seven-day span. He hit his 14th homerun of the season against the Fighting Irish on May 2, setting a new UConn record for most homeruns in a single season by a freshman.
WHAT'S ON DECK
The Huskies will host Central Connecticut State University in a 3:00 p.m. home game at J.O. Christian Field on Monday, May 11. This non-conference battle is an additional game for the Huskies this season, replacing the rained out contest against Fairfield back on April 21.
On Tuesday, May 12, UConn will travel to Boston College before heading to Villanova, Pa. to end regular season play with a three-game series against the Wildcats.
