University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Nebraska
HookC Commences 2026 Season in MLB Desert Invitational
2/12/2026 11:41:00 PM | Baseball
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - The UConn baseball team commences its 2026 season with a trip to Arizona for the MLB Desert Invitational.
The Huskies open Friday, February 13 at 8 p.m. ET against Nebraska at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick and can be seen on MLB Network. Saturday, February 14 the Huskies face Kansas State at 7 p.m. ET at Scottsdale Stadium and Sunday, February 15 UConn wraps up the Invitational against the Air Force Academy at 8 p.m. ET. Saturday and Sunday's games will stream on MLB.com and all three games can be heard on MIXLR with Chris Jones on the call for his 17th season calling UConn baseball games.Â
UConn had its streak of six-straight NCAA Tournaments snapped in 2025 by just missing out on an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning 38 games and capturing a share of its fifth-straight BIG EAST Regular season title.Â
The Huskies enter the 2026 season with 20 newcomers with 15 transfers and 5 incoming freshmen.Â
UConn is slated to open the season with LHP Charlie West (Nebraska), LHP Cayden Suchy (Kansas State) and LHP Oliver Pudvar (Air Force) getting the starting nods on the bump.Â
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Winning Culture.. UConn has the 22nd most wins (577) nationally since the start of the 2010 season and have the fifth most out of non-Power 4 Conference teams (Dallas Baptist, Oregon State, Southern Miss and East Carolina).
During this stretch the Huskies have reached 10 NCAA Tournaments including six-straight from 2018-2024. UConn is one of 33 teams to reach 10 NCAA Tournaments or more during the 15-year span.Â
Monster Minick... Junior Tyler Minick enters his third season in Storrs coming off an All-American campaign. Earning Second Team NCBWA All-American honors. The Reading, Pa. native led the BIG EAST Conference and nearly set the program record with 22 home runs in 2025. The mark ranked eigth nationally. He finished first in the BIG EAST with 157 total bases and was second in the league with 74 RBI. In total, he hit .355 with  76 hits including 11 doubles, 15 stolen bases and slugged .734. The corner infielder will shift to the outfield to begin the season  and was voted a team captain by the team. Minick was also named an NCBWA Second Team Preseason All-American and Preseason All-BIG EAST selection.Â
Staten Island Stud ... Redshirt sophomore Rob Rispoli burst onto the scene last season after redshirting in 2024. The UConn shortstop earned First Team All-BIG EAST accolades after hitting .324 with 68 runs scored, 70 hits including five doubles, one triple and four homers. Rispoli drove in 30 and led the team with 46 walks. Rispoli was voted a team captain for the 2026 season and is primed to take another jump in his second season at the top of the UConn order.Â
Maddawg Returns... Senior Maddix Dalena makes his return to the UConn lineup in 2026 after dealing with an injury that limited him to just 11 games and eight starts last year. In 2024, Dalena had his best season in Storrs with 13 home runs and 43 runs batted in. He earned Second Team All-BIG EAST honors that season.Â
Life in the [Connor] Lane... Sophomore Connor Lane put together a strong freshman campaign in 2025. The Old Saybrook, Conn. native played in 39 games and made 31 starts and hit .280 with 11 doubles, six homers and 34 runs batted in. His numbers should continue to go up during a full season behind the plate.Â
WestWorld.. Junior Charlie West was a major surprise for the Huskies in 2025. After pitching out of the bullpen, an injury to Cayden Suchy allowed for the left-hander to slide into the rotation. The move to a starter turned into a big benefit for the Huskies and West. On April 9th he made his first career start vs. Hofstra and proceeded to make eight starts and go 6-0 with six of his outings lasting 5.0 innings or more. He set a career-high with 10 strikeouts against Georgetown and posted a career-high 7.0 innings vs. Maine to close the regular season. The South Setauket, N.Y. native closed the year with a 6.1 inning performance with two earned runs allowed in a victory against Xavier to send the Huskies to the BIG EAST Championship game. West returns with the lowest ERA amongst returners (2.58 ERA in 52.1 innings).
Pud Posting.. Lefthander Oliver Pudvar was the Huskies most consistent starting pitcher in 2025. He led the staff with 70.0 innings pitched in his 12 starts and 14 appearances. The Shelburne, VT native went 6-1 with a 3.60 ERA. Six of Pudvar's starts went 6.0 innings or more with his season-high being 7.0 innings on three separate occasions.Â
Suchy... Sophomore Cayden Suchy made nine appearances and four starts in 2025 before an injury sidelined him for the season. The left-hander shined in 7.0 inning start at UNC Greensboro that featured a season-high 10 punch outs. Suchy should be a big factor in the UConn starting rotation in 2026.
Finn Flourishes... Sean Finn took a big jump in 2025 as a key bridge to UConn closer Brady Afthim. The right-handed flame thrower appeared in 21 games and made four starts. Finn had nine appearances that went 2.0 innings or more. He finished the season with 49 strikeouts in 33.0 innings of work and held opponents to a .213 batting average against. The Warrington, Pa. native was named a 2026 BIG EAST preseason All-Conference performer and should be a huge factor in the back end of the UConn bullpen.Â
Shaw Eats Innings... In his first season in Storrs, Greg Shaw III led the Huskies with 26 appearances in 2025. 13 of those appearances lasted 2.0 innings or more including three appearances that collected 15 outs or more. The Manhattan College transfer went 4-0 with a 4.45 ERA and totaled 54.2 innings, ranking tied for third on last year's pitching staff.Â
Power Conference Dubs... Since 2010, UConn is 99-91 against teams that at the time of competition was in "Power 4" Conferences.Â
UConn has 11 games scheduled against Power 4 schools with Nebraska, Kansas State, Arizona State, Arizona (x4), California Boston College (2x) and Rutgers
Regular Season Champs... The Huskies secured its fifth-straight BIG EAST regular season title in 2025. UConn tied a record with 17 BIG EAST wins in the current 21-game format, a year after they set the record. It is just the second time It is the first time in program history the Huskies have won five-straight conference crowns.. The Huskies have been voted the preseason conference favorites in 2026.Â
Longest Tenured Staff in Division I.. The UConn baseball staff consisting of head coach Jim Penders, assistants Jeff Hourigan, Josh MacDonald and volunteer assistant Chris Podeszwa have now been together for 14 seasons. They are currently the longest tenured staff in Division I baseball.
2026 Captains... Tyler Minick, Maddix Dalena and Rob Rispoli were voted captains for the 2026 campaign.
