LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (4-9) play in its first midweek game of the season when they travel to Longwood (4-12) on Wednesday, March 12, before kicking off conference play at UMBC (2-8) this weekend, starting on Friday, March 14.

LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks competed in a round-robin contest with Richmond and Lafayette this past weekend, earning their fourth victory of the season, 17-6, on Sunday morning. In the win, sophomore Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) was perfect from the plate going 3-for-3 with two RBI and four runs. Redshirt-sophomore Nick Dirito (Plymouth, Mass.) got his first start of the 2025 season, earning a win, after throwing six strikeouts through 5.1 innings pitched. Sophomore Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) added three knocks, including two doubles, and one run during the first game on Friday morning versus Lafayette. Senior Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.) posted two hits and an RBI in Friday's defeat against Richmond, while Donahue recorded 2-for-4 from at bat, with one run in Saturday's rematch against the Spiders.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Donahue leads the team in batting average (.468), slugging percentage (.702) and OPS (1.202). The catcher is also tied for first in runs (11) with senior Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) and Fish, as well as tied for first in hits (22) with Fish. Fish leads in doubles (8), while junior Joseph DeLanzo (Nutley, N.J.) ranks right below him (6) while Donahue sits in third with five. Coming up clutch with runners in scoring position, DeLanzo paces the squad in RBI with 13. Sophomore Sean O'Leary (Foxboro, Mass.) and Luccini have each tallied three home runs, so far, to take first on the team. Rounding things out, junior Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.) and Luccini are both tied in first for triples with one. 

Up on the bump, Dirito has posted a 2.84 earned run average, with a 1.34 WHIP through 12.2 innings pitched to lead his team. He also has a team high in strikeouts with 18 and in saves with two. Sophomore Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) has thrown in a team high 21.0 innings, recording 16 strikeouts alongside a 1.52 WHIP. Redshirt-junior Brendan Holland (North Andover, Mass.) has punched out 13 batters in 17.2 innings. 

HIT INTO PLAY
Following this weekend's play, the River Hawks have totaled seven games with 10+ runs, so far this season. UMass Lowell has reached the 15 hits mark three times so far, including the most recent matchup versus Lafayette on Sunday afternoon when they totaled 21, a new season high.

CRACKING THE LEADERBOARD
Donahue has earned his way on to the NCAA leaderboard for the first time all season, as he is currently tied for 22nd in batting average (.468) in Division I and sits at fifth in hits per game (2.00). Fish is currently tied for 18th in doubles (8) while sitting 10th in doubles per game (.62) in the country. He also ranks 42nd in hits per game (1.69).

AE OVERALL PLAYER STATISTICAL RANKS
Donahue has launched his name up the charts as he sits first in the America East in batting average (.468), slugging percentage (.702), OPS (1.202), and hits (22), while also ranking seventh in doubles (5) and ninth in runs (11). All over the leaderboards, Fish ranks third in on-base percentage (.500), and batting average (.440), second in OPS (1.160), and hits (22) in the America East, while also sitting first in doubles (8), while ranking 10th in runs scored (11). Masse has claimed sixth in on-base percentage (.474). Consistently launching the ball over the fence, Luccini and O'Leary are tied for fifth (3), in home runs. Luccini also sits eighth in runs with 11 in the America East. Hot at the plate, O'Leary finds himself second in slugging percentage (.697), third in OPS (1.144), fourth in batting average (.364), and 10th in RBI (10) in the America East. DeLanzo sits in the fourth spot for RBI (13), and 4th in doubles (6) on the America East leaderboard.

For the pitchers, Mucciarone sits in eighth in earned run average (5.14) in the America East while adding an opposing batting average of .310, for ninth in the conference. He has also thrown 21.0 innings, the third most in the league, and tossed 16 strikeouts for sixth in the AE. Holland ranks eighth in innings pitched (17.2), while Dirito sits third in saves (2) and fourth in batters struck out (18) in the America East.

SCOUTING LONGWOOD
Longwood enters tomorrow's matchup coming off a 12-2 defeat to Richmond on Tuesday, March 11, in seven innings, falling to a 4-12 overall record. Senior Casey Gibbs led the Lancers with two hits and one RBI against the Spiders.

An offensive weapon for the Lancers, graduate student James Nelson has collected 20 hits, 14 RBI, seven doubles, and two home runs, while posting a batting average of .392 and 1.115 OPS. Alongside Nelson,  junior Tré Keels tallies 13 hits, 15 runs and nine RBI. The pitcher spotlight features graduate student Guillermo Garcia Jr. who has thrown 20.1 innings, launching 17 strikeouts and adding a 1.62 WHIP.

SCOUTING UMBC
The Retrievers fell in their most recent game versus Lehigh this past Sunday afternoon, 6-2. UMBC stands at a 2-8 overall record as they get ready for America East action. In the defeat Sunday, sophomore Jesiah Carpenter stood out with two knocks and one run. 

Carpenter highlights the top players to watch for UMBC as he totals nine hits, seven runs, four RBI and one home run. Redshirt sophomore Leewood Molessa has posted a .269 batting average with an OPS of .871, while also recording seven hits, four runs, and five RBI. On the mound, sophomore Logan Wiley has been strong, notching a 0.96 earned run average and 0.96 WHIP in 9.1 innings pitched, while adding five strikeouts. 

MATCHUP HISTORY
The midweek game marks the first time UMass Lowell will be meeting with Longwood in the Division I era. In the all-time series between UMBC, the River Hawks hold a 22-16 record over the Retrievers. UMass Lowell took a three-game series in 2024, 2-1, finishing with a 5-3 victory at home on April 28.