THE LEAD
Fresh off a series win at St. Rose this past Sunday and Monday, the UNH baseball team will host crosstown rival SCSU in a key NE10 series this weekend. The four games will be played over a two-day stretch, playing a pair of doubleheaders on Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24. Both days will start at Noon and be contested on Frank Vieira Field on the UNH campus. Friday's two games will consist of a nine-inning contest, followed by a seven-inning game. On Saturday, the games will be played in reverse order, with a nine-inning game first and the seven-inning game being played second. All the action from Frank Vieira Field will be broadcast live on the Charger Sports Network on NE10 NOW.
SERIES HISTORY VS SCSU
Friday's game will be the 110th in the long-standing rivalry between the two schools. UNH holds a 74-34-1 all-time advantage. In games played at Frank Vieira Field, the Chargers own a 38-11 lead. In NE10 Conference games, the Blue and Gold holds a 47-21 advantage. The last 10 games have seen each team win five games. SCSU has won the last two games, including a 5-4 win on April 30, 2019. The two teams did not meet in the Covid-19 shortened 202 season. The Owls scored five first-inning runs and that held up in the last meeting on April 30, 2019. Current Chargers Thomas Eletto (Locust Valley, N.Y./Locust Valley) (Locust Valley, NY/Locust Valley) and Noah Budzik (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) (Cromwell, CT/Cromwell) contributed three hits, a run and an RBI with Eletto having two of the three hits. The series dates back to April 22, 1963 when UNH won the first-ever meeting 18-1. The lone tie came less than a year later when the two teams played to a 1-1 stalemate on April 7, 1964. Â
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
UNH (4-4; 4-2 NE10) is led offensively by Tyler Wells (Danville, Vt./St. Johnsbury Academy) (Danville, VT/St. Johnsbury Academy), who enters the series batting .400 through the six games. He has eight hits, including a few key ones against St. Rose this past weekend. His seven RBI's are tied for the team lead with Andrew Bianco (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park), whose two home runs lead UNH so far this season. Billy Huber (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) (Smithtown, NY/Hauppauge) and Bianco are tied with the team lead with 10 hits. Bianco is hitting .357 and Huber .323 to date. Huber's four doubles leads the Chargers. Huber and Wells had four hits in the recently-concluded three-game series with St. Rose. On the hill, four different Chargers have recorded wins - Eletto, Izaiya Mestre (Pittsfield, Mass./Taconic) (Pittsfield, MA/Taconic), Andrew Cain (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) Seaford, NY/Seaford), and Cam Guarino (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) (Falmouth, ME/Falmouth). Eletto has yet to give up an earned run in nine innings pitched. He garnered the win in game two of the St. Rose series. Mestre leads the team with 13.1 innings of work. He has struck out 12 and two walks. UNH is fifth among the 14 teams with a team .272 batting average. The Chargers team ERA of 4.50 places the Blue and Gold fourth among the NE10.
SCOUTING THE OWLSÂ
SCSU enters the series having lost three of four to AIC last weekend. Tony Zambito leads the way at the plate, hitting .471 having collected a team high 16 hits in 34 at bats. He also leads the Owls in runs (11), total bases (19), and stolen bases (8).Zambito has a seven-game hitting streak, accentuated by a 4-6 effort in their last twinbill against AIC on Sunday. Izaiah Walker is hitting .385 and leads the team with four doubles. Andrew Eng has 14 RIs to lead the Owls and drove in four in the weekend series against AIC. On the mound, Zach Rodgers has made four starts, and enters this weekend having allowed only one run in his last eight innings. He has thrown the most innings of any Owl (12.2) in their nine games. He is pitching to a 2.13 ERA. Tommy Hughes has also been a workhorse, collecting two wins in his six relief appearances. He has struck out nine, while only walking one batter. Spencer Fox is another bullpen arm the Chargers will see this weekend. He is pitching to a 2.68 ERA, allowing only one run in his last eight innings as well.
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 wil take to the road when they play four Southwest Division games against Pace on Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2. Both doubleheaders in Pleasantville, NY will start at Noon. The lone home date remaining on the 2021 Chargers schedule is a doubleheader scheduled against Le Moyne on Wednesday, May 5 at 1:00 pm. 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.Â
