LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (12-25, 5-10 AE) returns to action on Wednesday April 26 with a visit to Boston College (27-12, 12-9 ACC) before hosting the Maine Black Bears (21-12, 11-1 AE) for a weekend series at LeLacheur Park.
 
LOOKING AT UMASS LOWELL
The River Hawks had a difficult week last week, going 1-4 in five games. UMass Lowell fell to Merrimack at home before a bounce back with at Rhode Island and a sweep by UMBC at the weekend. The River Hawks look to bounce back again with difficult matchups ahead.
 
Alex Luccini has been the team's hottest hitter of late, leading the River Hawks hitting at a .324 clip. The sophomore has 36 hits and 28 RBIs through 34 appearances. Fritz Genther is hitting .306 with a team-high six homeruns. Genther has tallied 38 hits and 28 RBIs this season. Gerry Siracusa has found life of late at the plate, hitting .304 on the year and leading the team with 48 hits and 13 doubles. The veteran also has a team-best 30 RBIs and 67 total bases.
 
The River Hawks are likely to use the same weekend rotation seen in conference this weekend. Matt Draper has a 4.94 ERA to lead the team with a 2-5 record. Draper's 51 strikeouts also are a team high. Nick DiRito has been solid in his rookie campaign with a 3-2 record and a 7.65 ERA. Joshua Becker has 26 strikeouts and a 2-2 record with a 4.15 ERA in 10 appearances.
 
Game Info at Boston College
 
Wednesday, April 26 at Boston College (5:30 p.m.)
 
Harrington Athletics Village (Brighton, Mass.)
 
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LAST MEETING
The River Hawks took down the Eagles in a 10-0 route last season behind two home runs from Fritz Genther and three-run blast by Brandon Fish. The victory marked the first win over Boston College in program history. The Eagles hold a 4-1 edge all-time against UMass Lowell.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Boston College is one of the top programs in the country this season, sitting at #11 in the national polls through 39 contests. The Eagles have 11 wins over ranked teams this season and are 27-12 overall. Last weekend, they completed an ACC sweep of #16 North Carolina on the road, entering Wednesday's game on a three-game win streak. Barry Walsh leads the team hitting at .320 clip in 35 games with 41 hits. Travis Honeyman and Joe Vetrano are tied for the team lead with 43 hits. Vetrano and Patrick Roche have a team-high 29 RBIs on the year. Cameron Leary leads the team with 10 homeruns on the year. The Eagles have also been a good base-running team, sitting fourth in the ACC with 48 stolen bases, with Honeyman leading the way at a perfect 9-9.
 
Game Info vs. Maine
 
Friday, April 28 vs. Maine (6 p.m.)
 
LeLacheur Park (Lowell, Mass.)
 
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Saturday, April 29 vs. Maine (1 p.m.)
 
LeLacheur Park (Lowell, Mass.)
 
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Sunday, April 30 vs. Maine (12 p.m.)
 
LeLacheur Park (Lowell, Mass.)
 
Watch | Live Stats
 
LAST MEETING
The River Hawks and Black Bears met earlier this season in Orono. Maine completed the sweep, outscoring UMass Lowell 24-14 in three games. Prior to this year's previous meeting, the River Hawks had won three straight games against Maine.
 
SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS
Since the teams last met, Maine has won nine of its last 10 games, including a sweep of UAlbany and a 2-1 series win over Binghamton. The Black Bears' offense has been lethal this season, scoring 86 runs over the last 10 games. As a unit, Maine leads the conference with a .308 batting average. Four players sit in the top 10 hitters in the conference while two pitchers sit in the top 10 in ERA, as the Black Bears are a deep team with threats up and down the lineup. Quinn McDaniel is having a career year, hitting .390 with 53 runs, 46 hits, 10 doubles, nine homeruns and 30 RBIs. Maine's likely rotation of Colin Fitzgerald (4-1), Noah Lewis (4-1) and Caleb Leys (3-0) have been stellar on the mound this season.