University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Texas Tech University
No. 10 HookC Opens Gainesville Regional Against Texas Tech
6/1/2023 9:37:00 PM | Baseball
Game Notes | Live Stats (Texas Tech)Â | WATCH
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The UConn baseball team (43-15) open the Gainesville Regional with a matchup against the Texas Tech Red Raiders beginning at 12 p.m. ET on ESPNU. All of the Huskies postseason games will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN family of networks.Â
The NCAA Regionals are a four-team double elimination format similar to the BIG EAST Championship.Â
The second-seeded Huskies are making their 24th NCAA Tournament appearance and fifth-straight. Last year the Huskies captured the College Park Regional title and advanced to the program's second Super Regional. The Huskies won Game 1 of the Stanford Super Region to record the first-ever Super Regional win in program history but fell one game short of the College World Series.Â
The Red Raiders have been to seven-straight NCAA Tournaments and have reached the College World Series four times since 2014 with the most recent visit in 2019.Â
The No 2 Florida Gators and Florida A&M will play the second game of the day at 5:30 p.m. ET.Â
News and Notes
Another Strong Campaign.. The Huskies are making another run at the NCAA Tournament with 40 wins on the season. The 40 wins is 4th most in a single season and is the first time in program history that the Huskies have had back-to-back 40-win regular seasons. With its at-large bid on Monday, it is the fifth-straight NCAA Tournament and ninth NCAA Tournament since 2010 for the Huskies.Â
700.. Head coach Jim Penders is one win away from securing his 700th victory of his career. The all-time winningest coach at UConn secured his 600th win on May 21st 2021 against Seton Hall. It has been 132 games to get 99 wins, if he gets it this weekend it would be fewest amount of games to get 100 wins in his career.Â
HookC in NCAA Tournament... The Huskies have been to nine NCAA Tournaments since 2010 and now five-straight. During that stretch the Huskies have won 17 games. The 17 wins during that time is 28th most in the country. Overall this is the 24th NCAA Tournament appearance for the HookC and the program has reached five College World Series. The last CWS appearance came in 1979.Â
Power Conference Dubs... Since 2010, UConn is 87-73 against teams currently in "Power 5" Conferences. The Huskies went 7-4 in 2022 with victories against Louisville, USC, BC, Wake Forest, Maryland and Stanford. This season the Huskies are 6-3 with a series split against Ohio State, a season series split with Boston College (1-1) and a home series sweep against Rutgers.. Wins duirng the stretch also include Clemson, Texas, Oregon State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Michigan and Virginia
History vs. SEC.. UConn is 0-25 all-time against current SEC teams. The Huskies last played an SEC opponent in 2020, with a matchup against No. 1 Vanderbilt in the MLB4 Tournament UConn has played Florida (0-6), Georgia (0-4), Mississippi State (0-4), Vanderbilt (0-4), South Carolina (0-3), Tennessee (0-2), Auburn (0-1) and Missouri (0-1). The game against Missouri came in 2008 when the Tigers were a member of the Big 12.Â
Huskies vs. Red Raiders.. UConn is 1-4 all-time against Texas Tech including a tightly contested four-game sweep for the Red Raiders in Lubbock in 2021. The Huskies lost a one-run game in the series opener with the tying run getting thrown out at the plate to end the game in the 9th. In the series finale, the Huskies carried a two-run lead into the bottom of the 10th. But back-to-back-to-back home runs lifted the No. 7 Red Raiders to the series sweep. The Huskies lone win came in the state of Florida in 2013 at UCF. UConn won 1-0 in 11 innings. Billy Ferriter hit a go-ahead sac fly in the 11th after the UConn pitching staff shut out Texas Tech with Brian Ward going 7.0 innings of work. Jordan Tabakman closed it out.
Bursting On The Scene.. In his only season in Storrs, Dominic Freeberger joined the Huskies and took home BIG EAST Player of the Year honors. The UNC Asheville transfer led the conference with 76 hits, 57 runs batted in, ranked second in runs scored with 55 and his .350 batting average was second in the league among players that recorded 61 at bats or more. The Baltimore, Md. native registered 27 multi-hit games during the regular season and has had numerous clutch moments in his lone season as a Husky. Freeberger is the first Husky to win BIG EAST Player of the Year since Kyler Fedko in 2021.Â
All-Conference 'Skies.. The Huskies landed five players on the All-BIG EAST First Team (most among teams) with RHP Stephen Quigley, LHP Zach Fogell, 1B Ben Huber, 3B Dominic Freeberger and OF Jake Studley earning the honors. Team captain David Smith and designated hitter Luke Broadhurst secured second team All-BIG EAST status.Â
Not Done Until Third Out.. The Huskies been exceptional with two outs this season. UConn is hitting .322 on the year with two down and have produced 177 of its 405 RBI (43.7%). Ben Huber leads the team with 28 RBI with Bryan Padilla just behind him at 27. In comparison to last year's 50-win Super Regional team that hit .299 with two outs and had 166 two-out RBI at this point last season.Â
Comeback Kids.. The Huskies have registered 11 wins this season when they have trailed after five innings. The Huskies had three such wins last season. UConn more impressively has won five games this year when they've trailed entering their final at-bat. The Huskies came back from three runs down in the ninth against Cal Poly and twice came back from a run down entering their final at bat against Rutgers. Against Butler, Luke Broadhurst hit a two-run walk-off home run to lift the Huskies to a series win, 7-6.Â
Securing Series.. After splitting the first two weekends of the season, the Huskies have rattled off 12-straight series victories that has featured a pair of four-game series wins, three 3-game series sweeps and one 2-game series sweep. The Huskies has not had a losing week all season.Â
BIG EAST Title Pursuit.. The Huskies run-ruled Creighton 10-0 in eight innings to secure its third straight BIG EAST Regular Season title. The Huskies accomplish the feat after being picked aas the preseason favorite. UConn has now won four BIG EAST regular season titles as a program. The Huskies have won five BIG EAST Tournament Championships.Â
Willis All-Time Saves Leader.. UConn closer Justin Willis set the program record with his 23rd career save against Georgetown in game one of the doubleheader (April 22nd). The previous record holder was Mike James (2001-04). Willis has a BIG EAST leading 11 saves and has a 0.96 ERA in nine appearances in BIG EAST play. The RHP is 3-1 in league play with four saves.Â
Road "Skies.. The Huskies once again rank near the tops in the country in road wins. UConn has won 18 road games this season and have added seven neutral site victories. The 25 road/neutral site combo ranks second in the nation (Indiana State, 27).
Get Him On, Get Him In.. David Smith has been one of the top lead off hitters in the country. The team captain has reached base safely in 51 of the 54 games he has played. The second baseman missed four games against Hofstra and Butler a couple weeks ago. He ranks 29th in the country with 69 runs scored and is 4th in the nation with 38 stolen bases. Smith became the first Husky since Jack Sundberg (2015) to steal 30 bags last weekend vs. Seton Hall. Dennis Dwyer (40 stolen bases) holds the single-season record (1993). Smtih led the BIG EAST Conference Tournament with 11 hits in five gams to earn him All-Tournament team honors.
