The Huskies will play in Puerto Rico for the first time.
When:
Friday, February 14, 10 a.m. ET (Stetson)
Saturday, February 15, 4 p.m. ET (Missouri)
Sunday, February 16, 7 p.m. ET (Penn State)
Where: Estadio Ydelfonso Solá Morales, Caguas, PR
Radio: Mixlr
TV:
Friday: ESPN+
Saturday: ESPN+
Sunday: ESPN+
Projected Starters
Friday: LHP Gabe Van Emon vs. TBA
Saturday: RHP Ian Cooke vs. LHP Daniel Wissler
Sunday: RHP Thomas Ellisen vs. LHP Ryan DeSanto
Series History
UConn is 4-3 against Stetson since the Huskies’ first trip to Florida in 1967, though this is the first time they’ll play outside DeLand. UConn last faced the Hatters in 2017, a 9-3 win as Wills Montgomerie helped tie a school record in strikeouts in a game, punching out 14.
Missouri has only appeared on the schedule once, doing so as part of a trip to Stetson to open the 2008 season. The Tigers won, 7-1. Mike Nemeth, in his first collegiate game, scored the run.
Penn State has played exclusively neutral-site games against the Huskies despite the five-and-a-half-hour drive between the two schools. Most recently, they played on consecutive days, also in the 2008 seasons. Both were UConn victories. Former Boston College head coach Mike Gambino now leads the Nittany Lions, entering his second season in the role.
What to Watch For
It’s the first weekend of the season and with that, one of the keys is always to see how the new pieces fit together. UConn has plenty of experience returning in the starting rotation and infield, as reigning Big East pitcher of the year Ian Cooke and Gabe Van Emon are expected to anchor the rotation and each of the five infield spots will likely be occupied by a returner in Matt Garbowski, first baseman Maddix Dalena, second baseman Ryan Daniels, shortstop Bryan Padilla and third baseman Tyler Minick, but that third weekend spot, the outfield and the remainder of the pitching staff have questions.
Caleb Shpur is back and likely in center field, but who’s taking the corner spots? Sam Biller has impressed in both fall ball and presesaon play, but how does he fit in as a transfer? Will it be Carter Groen or Beau Root, each new to the team, in the final spot, or does utility man Aidan Dougherty find his way onto the diamond somehow after making the leap from junior college?
Who pitches on Sunday and will they hold on to that spot? Junior Thomas Ellisen made four starts in his freshman season, but had an ERA north of 6.50 last year. Tim Cate, Mason Feole and Anthony Kay have been tremendous left-handed starters from their freshman seasons in the past, will Cayden Suchy assert himself as they did? Does Ben Schild make the leap as a sophomore? Is there someone presently off the radar that by the middle of April is securely part of that mix?
Where’s the bridge to Brady Afthim? Braden Quinn is gone, as is Joe Cinella. They were the only non-starters above 20 innings. Some transfers are now in the mix, including Evan Hamberger and Olivar Pudvar, but they’ll need more than that to get through a 56-game season. If any of Ellisen, Schild and Suchy aren’t in the rotation, they’ll definitely factor into this equation, but in just a month, UConn will need stretched-out midweek starters. Pitching depth will need to sort itself out over this weekend and likely, beyond.
Aside from who fills the spots, the offense is generally a question mark. Luke Broadhurst, Korey Morton, Jake Studley and Paul Tammaro, each a huge reason why UConn hit .273/.374/.463 as a team last year, have all graduated. There are some big sticks coming to replace them, including Biller and Dougherty, but Minick will need to play a bigger role as a sophomore and the double-play combo of Daniels and Padilla are going to be relied upon more than in the past.
The starting pitching is going to be there, as will the middle of the lineup, but the bullpen and just how long the lineup will be remain question marks. UConn will face three quality teams that will all be challenging for NCAA Tournament bids, which will help accelerate finding the answers to those questions.