University of Connecticut Athletics
BIG EAST race goes down to the wire
5/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
STORRS, CT (May 16) - And down the stretch they come.
Much like an exciting Kentucky Derby, the race for the BIG EAST baseball postseason is rounding the final turn and heading for the finish line. The pack is kicking up dust, with the leaders running three wide at the front and the hopefuls closely nipping at their heels.
Seven teams enter the final weekend with a chance of making the four-team BIG EAST Tournament, the Huskies among the field (see standings below). Connecticut, with a conference record of 12-10-0, will travel to Pittsburgh for a three-game series starting on Saturday. For any chance at making the postseason, UConn will need to take all three games. The Panthers, also at 12-10-0, need to do the same.
"It's going to be a competitive series," said head coach Andy Baylock. "We're going to have to go down there and play our best against a really tough Pittsburgh team. They're having a heck of a year. But we should be rested and ready to go, so I'm looking forward to getting out there and playing the games."
If the Huskies do sweep against the Panthers, they'll also need some help. Notre Dame, Boston College and Virginia Tech hold identical 15-8-0 BIG EAST records and are slugging it out for the conference crown. Each team controls its own destiny, though the Irish and Eagles will have to duke it out against each other over the weekend. If UConn can pull out a sweep at Pittsburgh, a sweep by either Notre Dame or Boston College would knock its opponent from the postseason mix and allow the Huskies to sneak in. The same scenario is possible if West Virginia can take all three games in its series against Virginia Tech.
Rutgers, clinging to the fourth spot in the BIG EAST with a 14-9-0 record, will visit St. John's over the weekend. The Red Storm, hanging around at 12-11-0, also still have hopes of making the postseason. If St. John's sweeps Rutgers and UConn and Pitt split their series, the Red Storm would nab the last tournament spot. However, if UConn sweeps its series and St. John's takes at least two games from Rutgers, the Huskies would earn the last invite.
"We have no control over how everyone else in the conference does, so we just have to stay focused on our series with Pitt," said Baylock. "The only thing we can control is winning. Anything can happen in a weekend like this."
In The Hunt...
BIG EAST Overall W L T Win % W L T Win % Notre Dame 15 8 0 .652 36 14 0 .720 Boston College 15 8 0 .652 29 19 0 .604 Virginia Tech 15 8 0 .652 27 24 0 .529 Rutgers 14 9 0 .609 30 18 0 .625 Pittsburgh 12 10 0 .545 32 15 1 .677 Connecticut 12 10 0 .545 27 20 0 .574 St. John's 12 11 0 .522 26 21 0 .553
