Plenty of new faces will roam the Husky outfield in 2025
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.
Unlike the depth the Huskies will return around the infield heading into 2025, new faces aplenty will make their UConn debuts in the outfield as the team looks to generate success in a tightly-contested Big East.
Losses
The Huskies said goodbye to four outfielders heading into 2025, including two huge starters: Korey Morton and Jake Studley. Morton cemented himself as a UConn baseball legend and his 2024 season was his best, setting career-highs in most major statistical categories including hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs and runs scored. In 160 total games wearing a UConn uniform, Morton slashed .346/.402/.571 with 187 hits, 25 homers and 113 RBI. He was a member of the First Team All-Big East in 2024 and last August, signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros.
Studley made 57 starts last year, hitting .276 with 10 home runs predominantly out of the leadoff spot. Fans knew 2024 would be his last season, given he was a graduate student, but the Huskies will have to retool in his absence all the same. Alongside Studley and Morton to leave the program is T.C. Simmons, who also graduated. He appeared in 26 games, made 16 starts and hit .222 in 2024, but missed plenty of time due to injury.
The last loss is junior Drew Kron. Despite entering the transfer portal following last season, Kron opted to stay at UConn, though he won’t be playing baseball for the Huskies. He joined the football team as a wide receiver, according to the 2025 spring roster and will not be on the diamond this year.
Returners
The turnover from last year’s outfielders to this upcoming year is slim — in fact, only one outfielder from UConn’s 2024 roster is running it back for 2025.
Caleb Shpur returns to the team for his graduate season and is projected to be the everyday center fielder this year, reclaiming the position he played most often in 2024. Shpur was named to the 2025 Preseason All-Big East Team, joining five teammates. He made 49 starts for the Huskies last year and appeared in 56 total games.
He pairs a decent bat (.265 batting average in 2024) with elite speed (26 stolen bases to lead the team) and defense (one error compared to 131 putouts). Shpur mostly hit near the bottom of the lineup last year but could see a jump up entering his second season in Storrs.
Additions
Head coach Jim Penders hit the recruiting trail heavy following the 2024 season and reigned in four transfers to flesh out his depth in the outfield. With Shpur’s spot in center likely safe, the newly-acquired transfer portal guys will compete for the corners.
Sam Biller is a graduate transfer entering his first season with the Huskies after spending his past three seasons with Loyola Marymount. In his three-year career with Lions, Biller hit .259/.378/.429 in 116 games, racking up 114 hits, 17 homers and 73 RBI. Like Shpur, he offers considerable speed, swiping 21 bags in 2024, and defensive ability.
A second graduate transfer, Beau Root, comes to Storrs by way of Division III Middlebury College. Root excelled in 2024, leading his conference in runs scored and hits, while also tying for first in total bases. He hit .354 in 2024 to accompany his .374 career average, and both gets on base and steals bases at a high clip (.461 OBP and 61 steals in 104 career games). His skill set and stats grade out very similarly to Biller and Shpur, giving Penders plenty of options with the season on the horizon.
Carter Groen is a sophomore from Texas who spent his freshman year with Iona. In his freshman season, he was named to the 2024 All-MAAC rookie team, playing mostly right field. He had 54 hits in 45 starts, including 13 doubles, four triples and four home runs.
The final candidate for the corner outfield openings is junior Aidan Doughtery. Officially listed on the roster as a utility man, Dougherty has experience playing both the outfield and infield with his previous program, Linn-Benton Community College, where he played two seasons. He was named to the 2024 ABCA/Rawlings Pacific Association Division All-America First Team for his production at the plate. Across 43 games, Dougherty had 65 hits including 19 extra base hits, 23 RBI and 21 stolen bases. He could also slot in at designated hitter if the outfield fills out.