University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
University of Hartford
Huskies prepare for busy first week of April
4/2/2019 9:56:00 AM | Softball
STORRS, Conn.—The UConn softball team kicks off the month of April with one of their busiest weeks of the 2019 campaign. The Huskies will travel to Hartford to play in the make-up doubleheader against the Hawks, they will then play the Minutewomen of UMass on Wednesday, and end the week with a three-day series at home versus the Tigers of Memphis.
SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK
TUESDAY, Apr. 2nd at Hartford (DH) 1:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, Apr. 3rd vs. UMass at 3:00 p.m.
FRIDAY, Apr. 5th vs. Memphis at 3:00 p.m.
SATURDAY, Apr. 6th vs. Memphis at 1:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, Apr. 7th vs. Memphis at noon.
UConn (11-18, 2-4 AAC) is coming off a pretty impressive week worth of softball going 2-2 on the week. The Huskies took the series against the Shockers, winning two of the three games. UConn also opened the season at home back on March 27th in a single game versus UMass-Lowell.
The Huskies were firing on all cylinders offensively during the week's contest, led by sophomore Briana Marcelino. She blasted four home runs out of the park with a pair of homers in the series finale at Wichita State. Marcelino was rewarded for her work in the batter's box by the American Athletic Conference, being named Player of the Week. This honor was the first outright selection for UConn as well as the first of Marcelino's career.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Hartford (11-12, 1-2 America East) recently played several games against Stony Brook, emerging 1-2 from that series. The Hawks are led by eight freshmen in addition to a pair of seniors. Head Coach Angie Churchill is entering her second season at the helm. Hartford has endured some substantial schedule changes due to weather, but the Capital City Team looks to finish the 2019 campaign strong.
UMass wrapped up a series against Saint Louis where they only played two of the three scheduled games. The Minutewomen split the games and are currently 14-14 overall, 3-1 in the Atlantic 10. Kristi Stefanoni is in her sixth season as the head coach of UMass and has a fairly well-balanced 2019 roster. The Minutewomen bolster a roster of 19 student-athletes, 11 of which a mix of freshmen and sophomores.
Memphis will host Alcorn State in a doubleheader before heading to Connecticut to face UConn. The Tigers are currently 18-17 overall with a conference record of 2-4. Head Coach Natalie Poole is in her eighth season and has a 2019 roster loaded with freshmen.
