The Daily Campus

Issue date: 4/3/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Erin Odell Pierre LePage takes a swing in UConn's loss to Boston College on Wednesday. Fatse is batting .206 on the season for the Huskies and has 12 RBIs. [Click to enlarge]

After Wednesday's out-of-conference visit from Boston College resulted in a tough-luck, blown-save-tainted defeat, coach Jim Penders assessed the baseball team as they near the halfway mark in the 2009 campaign. According to their leader, the Huskies will need to make some changes - and fast - in order to play beyond the regular season.

"It all comes down to the Big East; we have to win in the Big East conference," Penders said. "The chances of getting an at-large bid right now with the way that we've been playing up to this point - with our record the way it is - are very slim, so we've gotta go out and win the conference or certainly get into position to do that, and you gotta win series, and you gotta win series on the road."

UConn (12-13, 2-4 Big East) gets a chance to start working on their second-half turnaround this weekend, when the Huskies travel to Seton Hall for a three-game series at Owen T. Carrol Field beginning at 3 p.m. today. The Pirates (13-10, 4-2 Big East) currently sit in a four-team jam for second in the conference. Last weekend, they hosted Louisville in their most recent Big East action and took the first two games of the three-game set before dropping the finale in a 17-inning marathon, 8-6.

"It's gonna be a challenge," Penders said of taking on the Pirates. "They've got a very good pitching staff and they're very well coached."

One member of that staff, sophomore right-hander Joe DiRocco, was named Big East Pitcher of the Week for his work against the Cardinals. DiRocco pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just six hits to the powerful Louisville lineup to pick up his third win. His ERA stands at a miniscule 1.48 and he leads the Pirates with two complete games.

The Huskies will counter with a trio of starters led by their own ace, senior righty John Folino (2-2, 2.84 ERA), who pitched eight shutout innings for his second victory in the first game of the team's last in-conference series with South Florida on March 27. Folino was dominant on that afternoon, striking out 10 to run his season total to 31 in 31.2 innings of work - good for team-highs in both categories. Sophomores Greg Nappo and Elliot Glynn round out the Huskies' rotation for the weekend series.

UConn's best slugger, sophomore Mike Olt, has been relegated to designated hitting duties for the last two games after straining his shoulder on a diving attempt at shortstop against UMass on March 30. Olt is tied with freshman George Springer for the team-lead in homeruns at five each. Springer has dazzled on both offensive and defense in his rookie season, showing good speed on the bases, power to all fields, and excellent defensive work in center field.



The Huskies salvaged the final game of a three-game series the last time the two programs met - back in April 2008 at UConn's J.O. Christian Field - scoring six runs in the fifth inning to win 11-5 and avoid the sweep.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools