University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Welcome Panthers to J.O. Christian Field
3/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 24, 2011
STORRS, Conn. - The UConn baseball team will open 2011 BIG EAST Conference play this weekend with a three-game series with Pittsburgh beginning on Friday, March 25. The Friday afternoon match-up is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. UConn is 8-9-1 and is coming off a 2-2 tie in 16 innings with Holy Cross, while Pittsburgh is 12-6 after a 4-3 loss to Akron on Tuesday.
QUICK HITS ON THE UCONN HUSKIES
- UConn is 8-9-1 on the year entering the weekend. The Huskies are coming off a 2-2 tie with Holy Cross. The Tuesday afternoon game was called a tie after 16 innings due to darkness.
- Leading the way on the hill for the Huskies is Matt Barnes with 36.1 innings thrown and a team-best 36 strikeouts. He also has an ERA on 1.24 in five starts.
- The 2011 season marks the 116th season of baseball at the University of Connecticut.
THROWING THE FIRST PITCH
UConn's veterans man the hill for the Huskies this weekend as all three starting pitchers for the UConn ballclub have 13 or more career wins, 140 or more career strikeouts and over 165 career innings pitched.
TENTATIVE STARTING PITCHERS
Friday at 3:00 p.m.
Matt Barnes (Jr., RHP, Bethel, Conn.)
16-8, 167.0 IP, 166 K's
Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Elliot Glynn (Sr., LHP, Long Beach, Calif.)
13-14, 232.0 IP, 146 K's
Sunday at Noon
Greg Nappo (Sr. LHP, Madison, Conn.)
17-12, 236.2 IP, 172 K's
LEADING THE WAY
Mike Nemeth is leading the way for the Huskies in 2011 as he is batting .355 with 27 hits, five doubles and 11 RBI. George Springer has a team-best 18 RBI this season and has hit two home runs to lead the Huskies in that category as well. LJ Mazzilli has hit a team-high seven doubles, while Nick Ahmed has scored 14 times and recorded 20 hits.
Despite earning two losses in his first two starts of the season, Matt Barnes has struck out 36 batters in five games thrown. He struck out 11 batters in UConn's 3-2 loss to Minnesota (2/19) and nine in UConn's 3-1 loss to Indiana. He is currently 3-2 on the year with a 1.24 ERA.
WEEKLY HONORS
Matt Barnes was named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week as well as the ECAC Pitcher of the Week on March 14 and March 15. Barnes threw a complete-game shutout, the second of his career, en route to his second victory of the season. He allowed just two hits in the 4-0 win over San Diego on Saturday, March 12.
BIG EAST HONOR ROLL
Feb. 28 - Greg Nappo
March 7 - Matt Barnes
March 14 - Mike Nemeth
AROUND THE NATION
The 2011 UConn baseball team is scheduled to play in three different time zones and 11 different states this season.
A TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
The 2011 UConn baseball schedule includes 16 games against teams that competed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The Huskies also have 14 games against teams that finished in the top-50 RPI in 2010. UConn will host 17 games at J.O. Christian Field this season, including five BIG EAST Conference series. Two games will be played at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn. and one game will be play at New Britain Stadium in New Britain, Conn.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Mike Nemeth is UConn's all-time leader in hits (265) and doubles (60). Nemeth owns the UConn single-season records for doubles (22), hits (98) runs batted in (84) and games played (64). All of those record breakers were tallied in 2010. George Springer ranks second in runs scored in the UConn record books with 169. He is one behind Sean Irey's record mark of 170.
Springer ranks fifth in home runs with 36 in his career, one behind Jerry LaPenta's (1983-86) 37 homers. In UConn's single-season record book, Springer owns the top spot in runs scored with 84 and walks with 60, both of which he recorded in 2010. Kevin Vance ranks fourth in career saves with 11. He is seven away from tying Matt Karl's tally of 18 career saves.
HOME SWEET HOME
UConn finished the regular season 19-4 at J.O. Christian Field in 2010. The Huskies are 0-1-1 at home in 2011 after falling to Sacred Heart at Dodd Stadium on March 15 and tying Holy Cross 2-2 (16 innings) on March 22.
THE BEST OF THE BIG EAST
Since head coach Jim Penders took over the UConn baseball program in 2004, UConn has boasted a record of 93-84-1 in BIG EAST Conference games. In the last two seasons, the Huskies are 34-19. In BIG EAST Championship Tournament action UConn is 11-7 in four appearances since 2004 and has battled its way into the championship game in three of the last four years.
In 2010, UConn was a half-game away from taking home the BIG EAST Regular Season title as Louisville won the crown, then the Huskies dropped a 3-0 heart-breaker to St. John's in the championship in Clearwater, Fla.
