University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Miami
BSB Travels to 305 to Face Hurricanes
3/5/2025 12:17:00 PM | Baseball
MIAMI - The UConn baseball team (2-7) heads to Miami to face off against the Hurricanes in a three-game series this weekend at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. The series begins Friday, March 7 at 7 p.m. continues on Saturday, March 8 at 6 p.m. and wraps up on Sunday March 9 at 1 p.m. All three games can be streamed on ACCN+ or heard on MIXLR.Â
The Huskies are coming off a 1-2 weekend in the Southern California Classic but did close the weekend with a 6-2 victory against No. 14 Vanderbilt. UConn starter Tommy Ellisen pitched a career-high 6.0 innings and tied a career-high with five strikeouts en route to a victory. Three UConn home runs from Ryan Daniels, Bryan Padilla and Sam Biller helped produce enough offense to beat the Commodores.
UConn faces Miami for the first time since 1970 and hold an 0-2 all-time record against the Hurricanes. A four-time National Champion, the Hurricanes have reached the College World Series 25 times with the most recent coming in 2016. Miami is 10-3 on the season with a Wednesday midweek matchup against Villanova, before playing the Huskies this weekend.Â
Offensive Output... The UConn offense is off to one of its better starts to the season with 62 runs (6.88 runs per game) in the first nine games. The team is batting .295 with Daniels (.371), Grant MacArthur (.424), Rob Rispoli (.333) and Minick (.333) all hitting over .333 with regular playing time. The offense is also hitting .325 with runners in scoring position. The lineup is also hitting .333 against right-handed pitching. Â
Babe MacArthur... Grant MacArthur has already been a big addition for the Huskies in 2025. The San Joaquin Delta College transfer is off to a hot start with a team-leading .424 batting average (14-33), .513 on-base percentage and is tied for the team lead with eight runs scored and five walks. The El Cajon, CA native has a team-best five multi-hit games and has reached base in all nine games this year.Â
Robby... Redshirt freshman Rob Rispoli has made his impact felt in seven games and five starts in 2025. The Staten Island, N.Y. native is hitting .333 (7-21) with six runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. He hit his first career home run against UCLA on March 1.Â
The UConn Vet... Long time Husky Bryan Padilla hit a go-ahead home run against No. 14 Vanderbilt on March 2nd in the fourth inning to help lift the Huskies to a ranaked win. The homer for the fifth-year senior and tri-captain is the 22nd of his career. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native has now collected 186 hits and driven in 125 runs. The infielder also has 95 career walks while scoring 121 runs. Â
Jude The Stude... RHP Jude Abbadessa missed all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery and has come back strong to begin 2025. The former 2016 Little League World Series champion has appeared in four games and has not allowed a run in 3.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .091 against the Endicott, N.Y. native as Abbadessa looks to build a back-end of the bullpen role for himself.
Puds Producing... Oliver Pudvar missed all of last season with injury and has returned and looked strong for the Huskies early on. Limited due to pitch count, the LHP made his first career start against USC. Pitching 3.0 innings, striking out a career-high five batters and leaving the game with a lead. The Shelburne, VT native has already logged 10 innings this year including 3.1 shutout innings without allowing a hit on Opening Day vs. Stetson. Â Â
