The Husky infield returns the bulk of its core from 2024.
Welcome to The UConn Blog’s 2025 UConn baseball preview. This is our 10th season covering the Huskies on a day-to-day basis between this site and our newsletter, which will have something new each day leading up to opening day.
UConn baseball was voted a unanimous favorite by the Big East’s coaches in the preseason coaches’ poll after a Super Regional campaign in 2024, partially due to the returning talent in the infield. Three of the six Huskies named to the preseason all-conference team will man the infield: first baseman Maddix Dalena, third baseman Tyler Minick and shortstop Bryan Padilla.
Dalena’s accolades for 2025 don’t end with his preseason All-Big East nod; he was awarded the Big East Preseason Player of the Year award as well. A junior, he posted a .242/.358/.511 slash line last season. His 12 doubles, 13 bombs and 43 RBIs all ranked near the top of the team. Quality production at the plate netted him second-team all-Big East honors, and having made 54 starts at first base, he won’t be going anywhere any time soon. The Pennsylvania native will anchor the lineup this year.
Husky fans will also see a lot of Minick this season. The sophomore made the majority of his 35 starts last year at designated hitter but has the aptitude to hold down a corner infield spot to keep his bat in the lineup. With last year’s chief third baseman Luke Broadhurst having graduated, Minick could fill the hole left at the hot corner. In his freshman season, Minick slashed .266/.304/.525 en route to seven doubles, nine homers and one triple. He was also a member of the 2024 Big East All-Tournament team.
Padilla rounds out the Huskies’ trio of infielders awarded preseason honors, and like Dalena and Minick, he’ll be a staple in the UConn infield throughout the year. The graduate student has started 111 games for the Huskies over the last two seasons, but will likely make the move from second base to shortstop following the departure of graduate student Paul Tammaro, who started all 61 games at short for the Huskies last season. The spot is familiar for Padilla, who played 120 games there between 2022 and 2023.
Second base is a bit more of a question mark for UConn as the season approaches, but the player most likely to fill the role is junior Ryan Daniels. Daniels played 42 games his freshman year in 2023 — making 20 starts — and shined, slashing .273/.402/.409 with an .811 OPS. A hip injury ended his 2024 season prematurely, but Daniels, now healthy, is the presumable candidate to slot in at second base, reclaiming his spot on the right side of the infield.
Behind the plate will be senior Matt Garbowski, a 2024 second-team All-Big East honoree in 2024, who donned the pads for 47 starts last year and tallied 45 hits (six doubles, four homers) for a .285 batting average. UConn lists just two other catchers on its 2025 roster — both freshmen — making it safe to say Garbowski will be doing the majority of the catching for the Huskies this season.
Utility man Aidan Dougherty has a chance to make an impact and work his way into the lineup, as well. He was a JuCo All-American in 2024 with Linn-Benton Community College and has since transferred to Storrs in a return to Division I baseball. Dougherty originally enrolled at Oregon State but transfered after his freshman fall semester before appearing in a game. He has since played two seasons at LBCC. In 84 career collegiate games, the junior held a .351 batting average with 114 hits. Predominantly an outfielder, Dougherty can play some corner infield or DH if needed.
Grant MacArthur is a fellow transfer, coming by way of San Joaquin Delta College. The first baseman hit .357/.482/.643 in 46 games with an OPS of 1.125 with the Mustangs last year. Of his 61 hits, 23 went for extra bases (10 doubles, 13 home runs) and he excelled with runners in scoring position, snagging 62 RBI. His bat could be a quality candidate for DH should Penders give Minick the nod at third base.
Other infielders include red-shirt freshman Rob Rispoli and true freshman Jack Larose, but with the proven track record of the players expected to start, playing time could be hard to come by for these young Huskies.