LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (6-12) will return to Massachusetts to take on the Holy Cross Crusaders (6-12) on Wednesday, March 20 in Worcester before opening the home and conference slate against the UAlbany Great Danes (0-14) on Friday, March 22.
 
March 20 at Holy Cross – 5:00 p.m.
 
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March 22 vs. UAlbany – 3pm
 
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March 23 vs. UAlbany – 1pm
 
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March 24 vs. UAlbany – 12pm
 
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LAST TIME OUT
 
The River Hawks fell in the series at Penn State last weekend but picked up a first win over the Nittany Lions and a first win over a Big 10 team. UMass Lowell took game two 11-9 behind a seven-run fourth inning and strong hitting up and down the lineup. James Capellupo and Michael Simes were stellar on the mound to secure the win for the River Hawks. The offense tallied 14 runs in game three, but Penn State rallied late to win the game and the series. Alex Luccini hit .538 over the weekend with seven hits and seven runs to go with three homers and two doubles, with a 1.385 slugging percentage. UMass Lowell has come up with big wins over the last two weekends, taking down Oral Roberts 2-1 and pushing a strong Penn State to the final game of the weekend to decide the series.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
Holy Cross welcomes the River Hawks to Fitton Field with a 6-12 record on the year. The Crusaders have tallied wins at William & Mary, #24 Kansas State and Hawaii earlier in the season. Last week, Holy Cross went 2-2, beating Massachusetts 21-5 before falling 2-1 to Iona in a weekend series. The Crusaders will visit Brown on Tuesday, March 19 before hosting the River Hawks on Wednesday for their home opener. Chris Baillargeon leads the team hitting .309 and is tied for the team lead in hits (17), RBIs (10) and home runs (2). Holy Cross has had success on the bases this year with 26 stolen bases on 32 attempts.
 
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
UAlbany is 0-14 to begin the year after playing #9 Tennessee, George Washington, Purdue and Georgetown in the non-conference slate. The Great Danes fell to Army before dropping the weekend series at Georgetown last week and will have this week to prepare for the conference opener in Lowell. Will Binder is hitting .333 with a team-high 16 hits to lead the offense. UAlbany has hit six homers this season while allowing 18 through 14 games. The Great Danes fell 2-1 in last season's series against UMass Lowell.
 
A LOOK AT THE LEAGUE
 
Binghamton sits atop the league after beating NJIT 2-1 in the first America East series of the season. NJIT is in second with the lone conference win while Bryant and UMass Lowell are third and fourth in the league. UMBC, Maine and UAlbany round out the standings.
 
Six teams open conference play this weekend with NJIT away at Fairfield for three games. The River Hawks take on UAlbany while UMBC hosts Binghamton. Maine and Bryant also open their conference accounts with a three-game series in Smithfield.
 
OFFENSE FIRING
 
UMass Lowell's offense has found life in the non-conference slate, getting production up and down the lineup. The River Hawks have scored 105 runs through 18 games this season, 40 more than last year's total through the first 18 games. UMass Lowell is third in the league in runs scored and tied with NJIT for the league lead in hits with 163. The River Hawks lead the league in doubles, with 39 so far, and are third in the league with 17 home runs and 92 RBIs.