University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Xavier University
HookC Begins BIG EAST Championship On Wednesday Night
5/20/2025 9:33:00 PM | Baseball
MASON, OHIO - The UConn baseball team (36-19) opens the BIG EAST Championship on Wednesday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m. against third-seeded Xavier (31-25) at Prasco Park.
UConn enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed and will be home for its opener against the Musketeers. The Huskies opened BIG EAST play at the end of March against Xavier and dropped two of three on the weekend. UConn is 14-11 all-time against Xavier.Â
The Huskies are 9-5 in the BIG EAST Championship at Prasco Park with BIG EAST titles in 2021 and 2022. 2025 will be the first season that UConn is not the one seed at Prasco. Overall, the Huskies are 41-29 all-time in the BIG EAST Championship with five championships (1990, 1994, 2013, 2021, 2022).Â
After beginning the season with a 13-17 record and lost the first two BIG EAST series of the season. The Huskies had spent the first eight weekends on the road and were the last team in Division I baseball to play a home weekend series.Â
UConn righted the ship, going 23-2 to close the regular season. The offense is hitting .363 over that stretch, averaging 11.52 runs per game with 65 doubles, 57 home runs and stolen 75 bases. The pitching has been much better over the stretch with a team ERA of 4.23 with 244 strikeouts in 219 innings pitched.Â
The Huskies landed five on the All-BIG EAST teams with Ryan Daniels earning BIG EAST Player of the Year. Daniels is the first Husky since Dominic Freeberger in 2023 to take home the honor. Rob Rispoli and Caleb Shpur join Daniels on the first team while Tyler Minick and Brady Afthim were voted to the BIG EAST second team. Â
UConn hit its 88th home run of the season on Saturday against the Maine Black Bears. The home run set a new program record for the Huskies, eclipsing their previous total of 87 set last season in 2024. Tyler Minick leads the way with 20 home runs with Ryan Daniels at 15 home runs, Sam Biller at 13 and Grant MacArthur with 10. It is only the second time in program history that the Huskies have had three players hit 13 home runs or more in the same season (2010, Olt (23), Springer (18), Mike Nemeth (15).
