VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova (11-28, 5-7) will take on No. 10 UConn (30-11, 6-3) for a three-game BIG EAST series starting on Friday, April 28 with a double header. Game one of the double header is set for a 11:00 am first pitch with game two to follow approximately 30 minutes after game one concludes. The series will conclude Sunday with an 12:00 p.m. first pitch. Fans can watch all three games on FloSports and follow the live stats. Check the website and the social media pages linked at the bottom for any updates on game times and dates due to weather.
 

Projected Starters:
Friday, April 28 | DH 1 | 11:00 a.m. | Live Stats
Villanova: Cade Udell
UConn: Andrew Sears
 
Friday, April 28 | DH 2 | 2:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Villanova: Devin Rivera
UConn: Stephen Quigley
 
Sunday, April 30 | 12:00 p.m. | Live Stats
Villanova: TBA
UConn: Ian Cooke
 

Return To BIG EAST Ball: This series will mark the 68^th time that Villanova and UConn have gone head-to-head dating back to 1947. The two teams have matched up in conference play for a majority of their history with the Huskies leading the Wildcats 42-25 all-time and 39-24 in BIG EAST ball. UConn won the last matchup in the series finale in the Huskies house on May 24, 2022, taking the 2-1 victory. The Huskies took game one of the series by a 4-1 margin on May 22 and the Wildcats claimed game two on May 23 in a 4-1 victory.

Last Time Out: The Wildcats come off a close 5-4 victory over Wagner in a midweek game on Tuesday April 25. Villanova had a slow start at the plate with the Wildcats and Seahawks tied at one run a piece up until the sixth inning. Both teams managed a run, but the Wildcats pulled ahead in the bottom of the sixth with two runs scored off an RBI single and a sacrifice fly for the 3-2 result. Villanova plated two more runs in the top of the seventh for the 5-2 lead with Wagner trimming the lead down to a one run game in the top of the eighth. The Wildcats held on and outlasted the Seahawks for the 5-4 win.

Teamwork Makes The Dream Work: Numerous 'Cats put the work in to earn the win over Wagner this past Tuesday including graduate utility Peter Giombetti, graduate third baseman Steve Grober, senior first baseman Jack O'Reilly and graduate shortstop Craig Larsen. Giombetti started in the designated hitter position and had a strong day going 2-for-3 and plated two runs for the 'Cats. Grober had a day with two RBI to get Villanova's first two runs on the scoreboard. O'Reilly hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the seventh to mark his eighth on the year. Larsen went 2-for-4 and scored one run on the day.

Don't Run On Reiner: Graduate catcher Will Reiner started behind the plate for the 'Cats in the midweek game versus Wagner and caught two would-be base stealers on the day. In the top of the fourth he threw out Wagner's David Melfi to get the last out of the inning. He had another strong throw in the in the top of the sixth to catch the Seahawk's Cody Bey trying to claim second for the first out of the inning.
 
Putting The Work In: Graduate pitcher Sal Fusco came in to relieve Stephen Turzai on the mound during the top of the sixth and tossed for 2.1 innings striking out four and only allowing in two runs while earning the win on the day. Graduate pitcher Zach Camp, who was recently named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll, closed out the game for the 'Cats pitching for the last 1.1 innings and had a punchout with a strong Villanova defense behind him to conclude the competition. Camp earned the BIG EAST recognition after his stellar closing performances last week, especially against Xavier. Most notably Camp came in to close out the final game of the series versus Xavier, managing five punchouts in just the last 2.1 innings without letting a single hit or run in during his time on the rubber. 


Honing In On The Huskies

• UConn, now ranked No. 10 in the nation, enters the series after facing off with Georgetown over the past weekend taking the series but dropping the final game to the Hoyas in a 6-2 loss. The Huskies took game one 12-5 and game two 6-3 over Georgetown. UConn took a win on Tuesday, April 25 over Rhode Island in a 9-0 win.
• Graduate utility Dominic Freeberger, redshirt junior infielder/outfielder David Smith and graduate first baseman Ben Huber are the big power driving the Huskies offense. Freeberger and Smith have both started in all 41 games on the season so far while Huber has started 38.
• Freeberger has primarily played at third while making four appearances on the mound this season. He is slashing the highest among his teammates with .357/.434/.582 and leads the team in hits (60). The graduate player has hit 11 doubles and seven home runs while scoring 46 runs and 43 RBI. On the basepath he has gone 3-for-6. At third he has made 27 putouts, 53 assists and four errors.
• Smith lends his efforts shifting mainly between center, left and second base this season. He has gone 49-for-164 while slashing .280/.433/.488 and leads the team in runs (53), stolen bases (27), walks (38) and is tied for first with two triples. Smith has also hit 15 doubles and five home runs while plating 53 runs and 25 RBI on the season so far. In the field he has made 68 putouts, 31 assists and one error.
• Huber is slashing .333/.432/.647 and leads the Huskies in doubles (18), home runs (10) and RBI (47). The fifth year has also gone 51-for-153 scoring 36 runs for UConn and stealing three bases. At first he has made 265 putouts, 13 assists and five errors.
• Junior left-handed pitcher Andrew Sears and graduate righty Stephen Quigley headline the starting rotation for the Huskies. Sophomore right-hander Ian Cooke will close things out for UConn. So far this season, Sears has started all nine games he's appearance in yielding an ERA of 5.40 over 41.2 innings while batters are averaging .229 against him. Sears struck out 53, walked 14 and allowed 36 hits and 25 earned runs. Quigley has started eight of the nine games he has played in and leads the team with a 5.19 ERA over 43.1 innings while batters are averaging .287 against him. Quigley has struck out 41, walked 13 and surrendered 48 hits and 25 runs. Cooke has started all nine games he's taken the mound in and leads the team in strikeouts with 54 on the year. Cooke has a 5.28 ERA over 46.0 innings pitched while batters are averaging .279 against him. Cooke has issues 21 walks, 51 hits and 27 earned runs in.

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