HookC Opens B1G Home Series vs. Rutgers

UConn+ | MIXLR | Game Notes

Storrs, Conn. - The UConn baseball team (13-5) hosts Rutgers (12-8) in a three-game series this weekend at Elliot Ballpark. The series opens with a doubleheader on Friday, March 24 beginning at 1:05 p.m. Game two will start approximately 45 minutes after game one finishes. The series finale is Sunday, March 26 at 1:06 p.m. All three games will be streamed for Free on UConn+ and MIXLR.

The series pits two of the top teams in the Northeast with the Huskies winning 50 games last season and advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals. Rutgers won 44 games and narrowly missed out on the NCAA Tournament. It is very early but both teams are in the Top 30 of the RPI, with Rutgers (No. 17), and UConn (No. 30).

Smitty Spark... Team Captain David Smith is starting to heat up at the top of the UConn order. During the latest five-game stretch, he is hitting .368 with a pair of doubles, two homers and seven driven in. Despite the low batting average, Smith has found ways to impact the game including a team-high 26 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.

Tough With Two.. This UConn offense has been at their best with two outs this season. The Huskies are hitting .330 with two away and have delivered 60 two-out RBIs this season. Ben Huber leads the way with 14-two out RBIs and is hitting 13-24 (.542) with two outs this season. Dominic Freeberger (.423) and Jake Studley (.407) are also hitting over .400 with two gone.

Rhino Raking.. Ben Huber continues to produce in the middle of the UConn order. The first baseman is third in the country with 12 doubles and ranks first on the team with a .643 sluggling percentage and 16 walks this season. The Pendleton, S.C. native has hit three home runs and ranks second on the team with 16 runs scored and 19 runs batted in.

Rutgers Series Resumes With Home-And-Home.. This weekend's series resumes an old BIG EAST rivalry against the Scarlet Knights. The two teams will play this year in Storrs and have a series scheduled to be played in late March in 2024 in Piscatway, N.J. The two programs haven't linked up since 2014 when the teams split a rain-shortened two game series in Storrs. UConn is 31-34 all-time against Rutgers with a 14-10 mark at home.

Huskies vs. Big Ten.. UConn is 13-5 against the BIG Ten since the start of the 2019 season. The Huskies opened the year with a series split in a four-game set against Ohio State. Last season, UConn won the College Park Regional with a pair of wins against the Terps. Over the latest stetch the Huskies have compiled wins against Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan State, Illinois and Nebraska.

Starting Rotation Stepping Up.. The UConn starting rotation is rounding into form after a quality weekend against San Diego State. The rotation combined to throw 23.2 innings and gave up just five earned runs over the four game set. Jack Sullivan tossed a career-high 6.2 innings and struck out a career-high eight on Sunday. Andrew Sears posted a season-high 5.1 innings and also struck out eight. All four pitchers pitched past the fifth inning, allowing the bullpen to have a reduced role from some of the previous weekends.

Spring "Break The Bats Out".. The UConn offense heated up over the course of its eight-game spring break trip, scoring 78 runs (9.75 per/game). The trip that totaled just shy of 11,000 miles was one of the more successful spring break trips with the team going 6-2 during the stretch. It was the fourth time UConn has gone 6-2 during their spring break trip since 2010. During the trip the Huskies hit .320 with 25 doubles, nine homers and slugged .507 as a unit. With 53 walks and 13 hit by pitches the Huskies pushed the on-base percentage to .440 for the trip.

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Players Mentioned

Dominic Freeberger

Ben Huber

Andrew Sears

David Smith

Jake Studley

Jack Sullivan

University of Connecticut Athletics