VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova (4-19) returns to the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth to open the BIG EAST schedule with a three-game series versus Georgetown (14-11) starting on Friday, March 31 with first pitch at 3:00 p.m. Game two of the series will start at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and the series will conclude Sunday with a 12:00 p.m. first pitch. Fans can watch all three games on FloSports and follow the live stats.
 

Projected Starters:
Friday, March 31 | 3:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats
Villanova: Chic DeGaetano
Georgetown: Cody Jensen
 
Saturday, April 1 | 1:00 p.m. | Watch |  Live Stats
Villanova: Devin Rivera
Georgetown: Andrew Williams
 
Sunday, April 2 | 12:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats
Villanova: Brandon Siegenthaler
Georgetown: Jake Bloss
 

Back To BIG EAST Ball: This series will mark the season's BIG EAST schedule opener and the 151^st time that Villanova and Georgetown have gone head-to-head dating back to 1898. The two teams have met 118 times in BIG EAST history starting in 1985. The Wildcats lead the Hoyas 97-54 all-time and 80-38 in all-time conference play. Villanova won the last matchup at home against Georgetown on April 3, 2022, taking the 5-3 victory at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. The Hoyas claimed the series from April 1-3, 2022, winning the first two games on the weekend.

Last Time Out: The Wildcats come off a 9-7 victory after a back-and-forth game between Villanova and Lehigh ended in the win to punch the 'Cats ticket to the Liberty Bell Classic semifinals. Villanova didn't allow Lehigh to take the lead at any point in the game and battled to victory on Tuesday afternoon. The 'Cats took the lead back with two big runs in the top of the ninth. The Villanova pitching staff was able to keep the Mountain Hawks at bay to close the book on the day with the final strikeout coming from junior pitcher Cade Udell.

Stepping Up To The Plate: Graduate students Peter Giombetti, Paul Cooke, and Craig Larsen each played integral roles to get the 'Cats on the board and take the win over Lehigh. Giombetti, the designated hitter, had three hits, two RBI and a run scored on the day. Cooke, the left fielder, also had three hits, one RBI and two runs. Larsen, the shortstop, hit the winning run and went 3-for-6 with two RBI and one run scored.

Hansen's Hot: Senior centerfielder AJ Hansen had a standout performance in the Liberty Bell Classic face off with the Mountain Hawks, going 3-for-5 with an RBI double and a run for the 'Cats. He also made a huge play in the outfield to throw a runner out at home who could have taken the late lead for Lehigh.


Honing In On The Hoyas

• Georgetown enters the series after sweeping Dayton over the past weekend, taking a 10-7 loss to Maryland on Tuesday, March 28 and another loss 9-7 to Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday, March 29.
• Junior outfielder/first baseman Jake Hyde and graduate outfielder Ubaldo Lopez are the two leading the charge for the Hoyas offense. Both players have started all 23 games on the season so far making a large impact on the scoreboard for Georgetown.
• Hyde makes most of his starts in right field with the occasional start as the designated hitter. In more recent competitions he has shifted between first base and right field but played the last series against Dayton in right. Hyde is slashing .308/.366/.571 and leads the Hoyas in hits (28) and triples (2). Hyde has also scored 19 runs, hit five doubles, five home runs and 20 RBI on the season so far. In the field he has made 44 putouts and three assists.
• Lopez lends his efforts to his team as the designated hitter with some appearances in left field. In the last series against Dayton, he started all three games in left. The graduate student has gone 26-for-77 slashing the highest among his teammates with .338/.480/.688. He leads the Hoyas in doubles (6), runs scored (21), RBI (23) and home runs (7). In the outfield he has made 18 putouts and one error.
• Graduate pitcher Cody Jensen and sophomore left-hander Andrew Williams headline the starting rotation for the Hoyas. So far this season, Jensen has started in five games with seven appearances yielding an ERA of 4.07 over 24.1 innings and batters are averaging .202 against him. Jensen has struck out 24, walked 12 and allowed 18 hits and 15 runs. Williams has started six of the seven games he has played in with an ERA of 3.41 over 31.2 innings and batters are averaging .211 against him. Williams has struck out 30, walked nine and surrendered 24 hits and 12 runs.
• Graduate pitcher Jake Bloss will close things out on the weekend for the Hoyas. Bloss has appeared in six games, starting four of them and owning a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 2.76 over 29.1 innings pitched. Bloss has issued 32 strikeouts, 11 walks, one wild pitch and allowed 23 hits and 12 runs to be scored while hitting two by pitch. In the field he has made one putout and two assists.

 
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