In 1968, UConn baseball played at J.O. Christian Field for the first time. Over 50 years later, the program prepares to say farewell to the facilities. The Huskies play their home opener on Tuesday, taking up Hartford, kicking off the final season at JOC.
UConn was first scheduled to make its home debut on March 12, but it was postponed because of climate. After gambling 21 games on the road, the Huskies eventually get a hazard to defend their indoor turf.
Having won 9 of its final 12, UConn (thirteen-8, 2-1 The American) took three at Houston in its convention opener over the weekend. Junior Mason Feole returned to All-Conference shape, tossing seven innings without allowing an earned run, putting out 8.
Hartford (five-11, 2-1 America East) is confident after sweeping Georgetown in a 3-sport series in Washington, outscoring the Hoyas 20-4 in the series.
It’s a reasonably pinnacle-heavy lineup for the Hawks, even though the offense isn’t always the primary motive for their eleven losses. Nik Pagan, Zachary Ardito, and Chris Sullivan boast batting averages north of .300, combining 27 RBIs and 20 runs this season.
Instead, pitching has been the weak point for Hartford thus far this season. Six extraordinary pitchers have commenced video games for the Hawks. The simplest two with a minimum of four starts offevolved—Nicholas Dombrowski and Billy DeVito—have ERAs of 4. Eleven and five.12, respectively. Redshirt senior Sebastian DiMauro has been the most dependable arm out of the pen, accumulating a 1. Ninety-eight ERA with nine strikeouts in 13.2 innings.
The Hawks are coached by Justin Blood, currently in his eighth season at the program’s helm. Before taking the process at Hartford, Blood spent six years in Storrs, serving as the pitching instructor and recruiting coordinator under UConn head coach Jim Penders.
This might be the 55th meeting between UConn and Hartford. The Huskies have a 39-15 area inside the all-time collection, including two victories over the Hawks’s final season.
Though J.O. Christian Field will soon close its doors for the last time, the baseball group will keep playing its games on campus, across the road from the contemporary subject. The new centers are scheduled to be ready in 2020. The beginning of the cease starts with the initial planned pitch for three p.m.
