Despite a slow start to the season, the Huskies look to rebound against the Owls.
When:
Friday, February 21, 6:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, February 22, 4 p.m. ET
Sunday, February 23, 12 p.m. ET
Where: FAU Baseball Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Radio: Mixlr
TV:
Friday: FAUSports.com
Saturday: FAUSports.com
Sunday: FAUSports.com
Projected Starters
Friday: TBA vs. TBA
Saturday: TBA vs. TBA
Sunday: TBA vs. TBA
Series History
UConn has made the trip to Boca Raton to play the Owls in a weekend series three times before, doing so 2006, 2015 and 2023. The latter two matchups ended in sweeps, one for each side, while the Huskies got a 2-1 series win in the programs’ first matchup.
Ian Cooke had a strong start in the opener two seasons ago, allowing just one earned run over 6 1⁄3 innings, while Thomas Ellisen gave them 3 2⁄3 frames of shutout ball in relief on Sunday. Most of the lineup has since departed Storrs, but Bryan Padilla got in all three games, while Matt Garbowski and Ryan Daniels each appeared twice.
Current Florida Atlantic pitching coach Jordan Tabakman pitched six shutout innings in 2015 against his future employer, but UConn fell, 5-4.
What to Watch For
It was a weekend to forget for UConn in Caguas, with 22 walks and six more hit-by-pitches in 25 innings by Husky pitching, as well as some subpar defense. However, pitching in a tunnel and fielding inside isn’t the best preparation for in-game situations and these things often have a way of sorting themselves out. If this is still the case by the time the middle of March rolls around, then it’ll be another conversation, but for now it’s not much more than an inconvenience.
One positive trend from last weekend was the hitting. While it wasn’t always the timeliest, with eight runners left on base on Friday and nine on Sunday, UConn is hitting .292/.382/.368. That slugging percentage isn’t likely to stay that low, with just six extra-base hits, but five Huskies have at least four hits and Ryan Daniels is among them, adding his team’s only home run.
A plus-side of a lack of innings from the starters meant lots of arms needed to get into game action early. Oliver Pudvar, who hadn’t pitched since 2023 after missing 2024 with injury and made his UConn debut following transfer from Manhattan. He pitched 3 1⁄3 shutout innings on opening day. Will he be able to take an important bullpen role and run with it?
Florida Atlantic is 4-0 on the young season. The Owls were picked sixth by the coaches in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll and took Delaware to the woodshed to open the year, winning by a combined 35-5. The Fightin’ Blue Hens aren’t a national power but have finished Greg Mamula’s first two seasons in the top 125 in RPI and are turning into a solid program. They followed that up with a 2-1 win over Miami (FL) in the midweek.
There’s not much to glean from a weekend that dominant, as Florida Atlantic’s OPS is north of 1.000, which is not sustainable, nor is the pitching staff’s 0.89 WHIP and 1.25 ERA.
However, one thing to glean is the number of arms that worked in those four games. No starter went more than five innings and 15 pitchers took to the mound, averaging nearly four per game. UConn will have an opportunity to attack Florida Atlantic’s bullpen depth and see if it will stand up against a team projected to finish in the middle of the road of the American Athletic Association.
Even if the Huskies’ pitching, which was the team’s strength going into the year, needs another week pitching off a mound to get going, UConn has a chance to outslug the Owls and get in the win column for the first time this season.