University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Cal Poly
BSB Begins 2020 Season in Stacked MLB4 Tournament
2/13/2020 10:43:00 PM | Baseball
Game Notes | Media Guide | Quick Facts
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.. - The UConn baseball team opens the 2020 season by participating in the MLB4 Collegiate Baseball Tournament at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, spring training home of the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks.
On Opening Day the Huskies go up against West Coast perennial power Cal Poly at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, February, 14. UConn then plays the 2019 National Champions and No. 1 team in the country, Vanderbilt on Saturday, February, 15 at 5 p.m. ET. UConn closes out the weekend vs. No. 8 Michigan on Sunday, February 15 at 12 p.m. ET. All three games will have video streams on MLB.com and can also be heard on 91.7 FM WHUSÂ or online at fm.whus.org.
The Huskies are coming off a regional final appearance in the NCAA Oklahoma City Regional, it was the second-straight NCAA appearance for UConn and sixth since 2010.
Taking On No. 1... UConn is 1-3 against the No. 1 team in the country (rankings kept since 2000) and last played the top team in the land in 2016. The Huskies faced off against No. 1 Florida in a Gainseville Regional winners bracket game. The Huskies were tied with the Gators 5-5 in the eighth inning before Jonathan India led off the frame with a home run.
The Huskies notched a win against the No. 1 team in 2001 against No. 1 Notre Dame. The Huskies defeated the Fighting Irish 19-12 on May 6 in South Bend.
Huskies vs. MLB4 Field... The Huskies will play Cal Poly for the first time in program history on Friday. UConn has faced the Commordores (0-3) and Wolverines (1-2) three times in its hstory. UConn and Michigan will play four-straight games against one another with one game in Scottsdale and then a three-game series in Port St. Lucie, Fla. at the Mets Spring Training facility.
Power Conference Dubs... The Huskies were 10-5 against "Power 5" Conference in 2019 with a 3-2 mark against the ACC and 6-2 record vs. the Big Ten. Since 2010, UConn is 69-51 against teams currently in "Power 5" Conferences. Wins include Clemson, Louisville, Texas, Oregon State, Texas Tech, Â Â Â Oklahoma, Nebraska and Oklahoma State.Â
MacDonald's All-Americans... UConn has had a ton of success on the mound under eighth year pitching coach Josh MacDonald. The Huskies have had five-straight seasons with an All-American on the mound and six total since 2015. Carson Cross ('15), Anthony Kay ('16), John Russell ('17), Mason Feole ('18), P.J. Poulin ('18) and Jake Wallace ('19) all earned All-America honors under Coach Mac. Coach MacDonald is the only pitching coach in the country that has done that with his current program.
Northern California Flavor... The Huskies have five    players on the 35-man roster that are from the California Junior College pipeline.  INF David Langer (Chabot College), C/1B Cole Brodnansky (Santa Rosa JC), and RHP Kenny Haus (El Camino College) all return for the Huskies this season. UConn has added INF Zach Bushling (Sierra College) and RHP Nick Krauth (Diablo Valley)
Cali junior college transfer have made a huge impact for the Huskies since the 2014 season. Blake Davey, Joe DeRoche-Duffin, Keith Krueger, Tyler Gnesda, Isaac Feldstein, Mike Woodworth, Jeff Kersten, Chase Gardner and Thad Phillips all have led the Huskies to success.
A New Home For the HookC.. UConn broke ground in the fall of 2018 on a new baseball, soccer and softball complex that will change the game for the Huskies. The facility is going to be ready for a March 29 debut against old Big East foe Seton Hall. The ballpark will be an immense upgrade over previous home, J.O. Christian Field and the program is also going to be part of a new performance center, down the left field line, that will feature hitting tunnels, locker rooms, athletic training, weight room, coaches offices and much more to make the facility a new home for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer teams.
Winning Culture... Â UConn won 368 games from 2010-2019, ranking tied for 34th in the country during that span. The Huskies face off against two teams on that list this season (Vanderbilt (1st, 471), ECU (30th, 374).Â
Connecticut Under Penders... In its 16 seasons of competition under the watch of head coach Jim Penders, UConn owns a 564-392-4 record, advancing to six NCAA Tournaments and winning the 2013 Big East Tournament crown and 2016 American Athletic Conference Tournament. Coach Penders became the all-time winningest coach at UConn after capturing his 557th victory at Tulane on May 16, 2019 to move past his old coach and mentor Andy Baylock. Since 2004, the Huskies have boasted 11 All-Americans. UConn has secured 13 30-win season under Penders and received four at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament.Â
MLB Pipeline... Connecticut established a new program-record with five former Huskies in Major League Baseball at one time during the 2015 season. The Huskies matched that total again in 2018 with five UConn alums on MLB rosters at the end of the 2018 season (Ahmed, Andreoli, Barnes, Oberg, Springer). The Huskies had alums win World Series titles in back-to-back seasons. In 2017, George Springer won World Series MVP en route to the Astros winning the Commissioner's trophy and Matt Barnes took home the hardware with the Red Sox in 2018. Anthony Kay became the seventh Husky since 2013 to make his MLB debut, appearing for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019.
MLB Draft Picks… Since the draft's inception in 1965, 100 Connecticut players have been selected by major league teams. Under Jim Penders, 52 Huskies have been drafted or signed by MLB clubs, including five (Jake Wallace, Anthony Prato, Mason Feole, Mike Woodworth and CJ Dandeneau) a season ago. The Huskies have also had four first round picks (Mike Olt, George Springer, Matt Barnes and Anthony Kay) since 2010. 21 players are beginning 2020 spring training with an MLB organization.
