Kent State University
#25 University of Connecticut
Flashes Welcome in #25 UConn for Weekend Series
3/31/2022 10:10:00 AM | Baseball
KENT, OHIO- Kent State returns home to Schoonover Stadium this weekend for a three-game non-conference series with the #25 Connecticut Huskies.
The three-game set begins on Friday with an afternoon first pitch at three followed by 1 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday. It's a marquee matchup for the Golden Flashes as this is the first time a ranked team has come into Schoonover Stadium for a series in over a decade.
The weekend series features two of the winningest teams north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Since 2010, the Flashes have 432 wins and Connecticut has 427, good for second and third on the list behind only Oregon State (courtesy UConn).
The Flashes are coming in off a weekend where they took three of four from the Northern Illinois Huskies. The bats were in full force over the weekend, scoring 43 runs over the four-game series. Through 19 games so far this season, the Flashes own a team batting average of .303, tops in the MAC and a top-30 mark in the NCAA.
It's been a balanced effort for the offense with six hitters posting 20 or more hits so far this season with freshman Connor Ashby adding a whopping 17 hits in just 10 games. Eight Flashes have 11 or more runs scored and seven have driven in at least 10 runs.
On the mound, the Flashes got strong performances from Richie Dell, Collin Romel and Eric Chalus. Dell allowed two earned runs over six innings while Romel and Chalus each allowed one run over five innings of work.
The Huskies come into the series at 17-6 on the season, dropping a mid-week game to Boston College on Tuesday and took two of three from Rhode Island over the weekend. The reigning Big East champions are the favorites once again this season.
Preseason All-Big East selection outfielder Eric Stock leads the offense, hitting .419 and leading the team in hits (39), tied for the team lead in homers (5) and is second on the team in rbi (20). Like Kent State, the Huskies have a balanced attack with six players hitting at or near .300 and both programs are averaging nearly seven runs a contest.
The Huskies have also been solid on the mound, pitching to a team earned run average of 2.74. The starting trio of Austin Peterson, Pat Gallagher and Enzo Stefanoni have a 2.70 or better earned run average. Peterson also got a pre-season Big East nod and is slated to toss Friday's game. The three scheduled starters are all averaging better than a strikeout per inning as well.
The weekend series will be streamed for free on Box Cast with Dan Griffin and Tyler Henry on the call. Live stats will also be provided and links are available on the baseball schedule page.
The concession stand at Schoonover Stadium will also be open this weekend. Fans will be able to purchase the traditional concession items as well as select beer options (Friday and Saturday only for beer). Like the concessions at the MACC, the Schoonover concession stand is cashless.
The Golden Flashes will make up their date with the Pitt Panthers on Tuesday in the Steel City. They return home to Schoonover the following weekend to host Bowling Green for a four-game conference series.
