VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova goes head-to-head with its first nationally-ranked opponent this weekend as it heads to Storrs, Conn. for a three-game tilt with No. 15 UConn at Elliot Ballpark, starting Friday.

Through its first three BIG EAST series of the year, Villanova (14-18-1, 4-5) has picked up just one series win, taking two games from Butler two weeks ago on the home field at Plymouth Meeting. Currently, the Wildcats sit tied for fourth in the conference standings alongside Georgetown with a .444 winning percentage. UConn (30-7, 6-0), on the other hand, is tied for the top spot with Creighton through two league series, facing St. John's and Seton Hall.

This weekend will continue a series with the Huskies that dates back to 1947 with the Wildcats trailing 24-40 overall and 23-47 when playing as BIG EAST opponents. Villanova took the first game in last year's series, ending a 11-game losing streak in the series. Road trips to Connecticut have proven to be tough for the 'Cats, facing a 5-20 standing in those games with the last win coming on March 29, 2008 with a 7-2 victory to send that series into a rubber match.

Projected Starters
Friday, April 22 | 6:05 p.m.
UConn: RHP Austin Peterson (7-0)
Villanova: RHP Cole Patten (2-5)
Saturday, April 23 | 2:05 p.m.
UConn: RHP Pat Gallagher (6-2)
Villanova: LHP Tyler Arella (2-2)
Sunday, April 22 | 1:05 p.m.
UConn: RHP Enzo Stefanoni (5-1)
Villanova: RHP Chic DeGaetano (3-0)

Runnin': Villanova has racked up the fourth-most runs in the BIG EAST this season with 201, 176 of those going down as an RBI. Before Tuesday's win over Delaware in the Liberty Bell Classic Championship, the Wildcats had recorded at least one home run in four consecutive games, moving them to 22 on the year. Chris Rotondo has accounted for a team-high 39 runs this year, good enough for fifth in the league and 87^th in the nation. He also leads the team with 32 RBI and nine home runs.

Don't Run on Reiner: Catcher Will Reiner has caught 12 runners stealing this season, marking the 10^th most in a single season in Villanova history. On the career list, he is seventh with 28.

Wilkinson Closes the Door: With a save in Tuesday's win, Danny Wilkinson logged his first of the season. The junior has collected 12 saves in his career, moving him to sixth on the program's career list. He is just two shy of moving into the top-five.

Scouting the Huskies: UConn brings an 11-game winning streak into the series since falling to Kent State, 4-5, back on April 3. In this stretch of runs, the Huskies have outscored opponents 145-39, bringing at least 10 runs across in eight of those game with the team posting 20+ runs in wins over Massachusetts and Central Connecticut State. This season, UConn has scored 318 runs on 405 hits, hitting for extra bases 154 times with 87 doubles, 17 triples and 50 homers, all BIG EAST-highs. The doubles and triples sit at 12^th and fifth in the nation, respectively. It has the league's best batting average at a .304 clip. Erik Stock leads the bats with a .424 batting average, the ninth-best in the nation, connecting on 64 hits, placing him at third nationally. Both Stock and Casey Dana lead the team with 38 RBI. The Huskies own the nation's fourth-best ERA at 3.05 with the eighth-most shutouts at five. Four of the best ERAs in the BIG EAST belong to UConn as well, led by Ian Cooke's 1.95 that is second in the league. Austin Peterson has fanned a league-best 81 batters this season, putting him at eighth nationally.