THE LEAD
The New Haven baseball team will return to the diamond after an 11-day layoff when they play a three-game set at Southwest Division foe Saint Rose on Sunday, April 19 and Monday, April 20. First pitch on Sunday' is slated for 2:30 pm. Monday's double header will start at Noon with a pair of seven-inning game games. The second game will start approximately 30 minutes after game one ends. All the action from Saint Rose will be broadcast live on the Charger Sports Network on NE10 NOW.
SERIES HISTORY VS SAINT ROSE
This series will now feature over 50 games between the two schools with this series. The Blue and Gold hold an all-time series lead of 30-18 versus the Golden Knights. This includes UNH riding an 8-2 winning streak over the last 10 games. The Chargers own a 17-5 mark at home with an 11-8 advantage in Albany. Since both teams have been NE10 members, UNH has a 19-9 conference record against Saint Rose. In the last outing going back to 2019 (they did not meet in the Covid-shortened 2020 season), the two teams split a doubleheader on May 4, 2019. Saint Rose won the opener 6-5, while the Chargers earned the split with a come-from behind 6-4 win in the nightcap. Then-senior Andrew Garcia (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) broke open a 4-4 tie with a two-RBI single in a three-run seventh inning. Then freshman Noah Budzig (Cromwell, CT/Cromwell) went 3-for-9 in the two games. Izaiya Mestre (Pittsfield, Mass./Taconic) (Pittsfield, Mass./Taconic) earned his first and only career save scattering one hit, striking out three in a three-inning effort. The series dates back to May 8, 1992 when Saint Rose won the first game 6-5 here in West Haven.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
UNH (2-3 NE10, 2-1 Southwest Division) enters the weekend coming off a series win against Adelphi. The Blue and Gold won two of three games against the Panthers, outscoring them 19-5 in a doubleheader sweep on April 4. Andrew Bianco (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park) delivered the big blow, a two-out, three-run homer to break open a 2-2 tie in the nightcap, in an eventual 5-3 Charger win. Mestre and Andrew Cain (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) (Seaford, NY/Seaford) picked up the wins. In the Chargers 14-2 win in the opener, UNH scored 11 runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take control. Overall, Hunter Boag (Colts Neck, N.J./Colts Neck) (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) leads the team with a .417 batting average and four RBIs. Bianco has a team-best six hits and is batting .400 through five games. Mestre is 1-0 in his two appearances, pitching to a 1.00 ERA, striking out 10 while allowing only two walks.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Saint Rose (2-6 NE10, 2-6 Southwest Division) enters the four-game series with the Chargers on the heels of four straight losses, the last two coming against red-hot Le Moyne on Tuesday afternoon. The Golden Knights fell to Le Moyne 6-0 and 10-1 in Syracuse, NY. Le Moyne's Joe Vail tossed a no-hitter in the first game. Jack McDonald homered to account for Saint Rose's lone run of the day. McDonald leads the Panthers with a .346 batting average and six RBIs. He is tied for the team led with 9 hits. Derek Haughey has five hits and four RBIs and is hitting .313 through the first eight games. As a team, Adelphi is hitting .226 and have struck out 77 times through eight games. Saint Rose's Frankie Pizzo and Jared Restmeyer lead the pitching staff. Both are 1-1 and have thrown over 10 innings each in their two starts.
POST SEASON PLANS
As announced by the conference office on April 1st, the NE10 has adopted a postseason plan that includes all 14 teams qualifying for the conference championship. The Championship will be conducted in divisional play until the championship series. With seven teams in each division, the top seeded team will receive a first-round bye with the highest seeds, 2-4, hosting first-round games on Tuesday, May 11. Semifinal match-ups will take place on Thursday, May 13 with a best of three divisional championship series set for Sunday, May 16 and if necessary, Monday, May 17. The NE10 Championship Series, another best two of three series, is scheduled for Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22.
Playoff Dates
Tuesday, May 11 - Southwest Division First Round
Thursday, May 13 - Southwest Division Semifinal
Sunday, May 16/Monday, May 17 - Southwest Division Championship Series (Best 2 of 3)
Friday, May 21/Saturday, May 22 - Northeast-10 Conference Championship Series (Best 2 of 3)
NE10 Championship Baseball Bracket (PDF)
THE 2021 SCHEDULE
As recently announced by the league, the NE10 adopted a divisional format for 2021 – Northeast and Southwest – with all schools slated to play a 24-game conference schedule. Series will consist of four games on weekends in doubleheader format, while schools maintain the ability to extend the weekend series to three days or alter the days in which they play in accordance with academic calendars. New Haven will play in the Southwest Division which is made up of seven teams including Adelphi, American International, Le Moyne, Pace, Saint Rose and Southern Connecticut. In addition to its 24-game conference schedule, New Haven will play three non-divisional dates, including one date against a Northeast Division opponent, Saint Anselm, bringing their total scheduled games for 2021 to 29.
CHARGERS FIFTH IN PRESEASON POLL
In a poll of the conference's 14 head coaches, the New Haven baseball team was selected to finish fifth, among the seven teams in the Southwest Division. The Chargers received 56 points, three shy of a third place tie with Pace and Southern Connecticut. Adelphi and Le Moyne hold the top two positions in the preseason poll, with the Panthers earning 86 points and eight first place votes. Le Moyne garnered 74 points and three first place votes. Southern New Hampshire was a near unanimous choice to win the Northeast Division earning 12 of the 14 possible first place votes and a total of 90 points.
NEW HAVEN REGIONALLY RANKED TO OPEN 2021 SEASON
In the weekly tally conducted by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, New Haven was ranked seventh in the East Region Poll. The poll, which is voted on by a nine-member panel, ranks the top-10 teams in the East Region which is made up of three conferences; The Northeast-10, the East Coast Conference and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. Southern New Hampshire was the unanimous No. 1 team in the most recent poll and leads a group of four Northeast-10 teams that make up the top-four in the poll.
UP NEXT
New Haven will return home to face crosstown rival SCSU starting on Friday, April 23. The series will continue with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 24 with a single game on Sunday, April 25 to conclude the series. All four games will be played at Frank Vieira Field on the UNH campus. Friday's first pitch will be at 3:00 pm, while the weekend games will start at Noon. You can watch all the action broadcast live on the Charger Sports Network on NE10 NOW. Live stats will also be available via NewHavenChargers.com.
