LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (8-13) takes on local rival Merrimack (6-16-1) for a midweek contest on Tuesday, March 25, before hosting Bryant (9-12-1) on Friday, March 28, for the first home conference series of the season.
LAST TIME OUT
A busy week for the River Hawks began with a walk-off single from senior Jake Fitzgibbons (Franklin, Mass.) in Wednesday night's 8-7 victory over Holy Cross in the home opener. The catcher went 3-for-5 at the plate, while posting two RBI and one run. Graduate student Kevin Zarnoch Jr. (Boston, Mass.) and junior Jacob Jette (Franklin, Mass.) both went 1.1 innings, tossing three strikeouts apiece. Saturday's doubleheader versus Le Moyne was a field day for senior Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.), as he finished the day going 6-for-6 at the plate with four RBI, five runs, two homers, one triple and one double, helping lead the River Hawks to 13-6 and 9-4 victories in Lowell. Sophomore Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) earned the first victory of his River Hawk career in the first game of the doubleheader, adding four strikeouts, while Zarnoch collected three strikeouts, including his first save of the season. Redshirt-junior Brendan Holland (North Andover, Mass.) started the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday, pitching 5.0 innings with six strikeouts. Redshirt-sophomore Nick Dirito (Plymouth, Mass.) fanned two batters, while pitching in 3.0 frames during the 9-4 victory. In Sunday's matchup versus Le Moyne, senior Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.) recorded two hits, with one RBI and one run on the day.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Fish sits at a team-high .443 batting average, while leading in doubles (9) and on-base percentage (.500). Luccini totals a 1.185 OPS and a .731 slugging percentage to lead the team, while ranking first in runs (22), triples (3) and home runs (6). Sophomore Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) paces the squad with 28 hits, while junior Joseph DeLanzo (Nutley, N.J.) is ranked at the top of the team in RBI (20). Junior Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.) and Luccini are both tied with five stolen bases each.
On the mound, Dirito leads the team in earned run average (3.43) and saves (3), while Holland and junior Brian Foley (Milton, Mass.) each have two wins on the season. Holland totals the most innings, so far, with 28.2 frames pitched. Sophomore Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) has struck out the most batters on the team with 28, while also posting a team-best 1.53 WHIP.
HIT INTO PLAY
In four games played last week, the River Hawks recorded three more 10+ hit games for a total of eleven on the season. UMass Lowell has reached the 15 hits mark four times so far, with one contest having a massive amount of hits, as the team stroked a season-best 21-total knocks versus Lafayette on Sunday, March 9. The most recent matchup with 10+ hits occurred this past Saturday against Le Moyne, when the River Hawks posted 14.
CRACKING THE LEADERBOARD
On the NCAA leaderboard, Luccini is currently tied for 15th in triples (3) and 28th in triples per game (.14). Fish is ranked 10th in Division I for doubles per game (.53), while grabbing 18th in batting average (.443).
AE OVERALL PLAYER STATISTICAL RANKS
So far this season, Fish leads the America East in overall batting average at .443, with Donahue right behind in third at .373. Luccini is sitting at the top with a .731 slugging percentage so far, with Fish ranking third (.639), and sophomore River Hart (Nashua, N.H.) in seventh (.564). Fish is ranked second in on-base percentage (.500), with sophomore Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) in fourth (.464) and Luccini in fifth (.454). Luccini's 1.185 OPS ranks first in the league, while Fish's 1.139 ranks him third. Climbing the leaderboards, Luccini sits second in runs (22). For hits, Donahue is ranked fifth (28) in the America East, with Luccini and Fish tied for sixth (27). DeLanzo has remained in the top 10 for RBI, sitting in fifth (20), as Luccini ranks seventh (18). Fish is tied for first in the America East for doubles (9), with Luccini in first for triples (3) and second in home runs (6).
Dirito has had a hot start to the season, totaling a 3.43 earned run average and three saves, both ranking third, while also owning a .247 batting average against opponents which sits fourth. Meanwhile, Mucciarone ranks second in the conference in strikeouts (28).
SCOUTING MERRIMACK
Merrimack hosts the River Hawks following a 7-3 victory at Rider University on Sunday, March 23, to move to a 6-16-1 overall record on the season. Freshman Jayden Hamilton stood out for the Warriors knocking three hits in four plate appearances with one double, one RBI and one run.
Offensively, junior Logan Castellano has recorded a .295 batting average and .500 slugging percentage, while adding 23 hits, 17 RBI, 14 runs, seven doubles and three home runs. Also playing a key role for the Warriors' offense, graduate student Cavan Brady has collected 26 hits, 10 RBI, 18 runs, nine doubles and two homers, with a .286 batting average and a .451 slugging percentage. On the mound, redshirt freshman Nick Hunkele has thrown 22.2 innings and punched out 16 batters, while adding a WHIP of 1.41 and earned run average of 5.56, with two wins on the season.
SCOUTING BRYANT
Bryant has an overall record of 9-12-1, as the Bulldogs won their most recent matchup on Sunday, March 23, against America East opponent UAlbany, 9-8, to move to 1-2 in conference play. In the victory over UAlbany, senior Pat D'Amico hit one home run and one double on his way to a 3-for-5 day at the plate, with two RBI and two runs. Bryant was projected to be the number one team in the America East preseason poll before the season, after winning the conference championship last season.
Junior Brandyn Durand and graduate student Gavin Noriega have been key players for the Bulldogs with Durand tallying 30 hits, 20 RBI, 17 runs, five doubles and five home runs, while batting .349 and slugging .581, and Noriega earning 25 hits, 24 RBI, 14 runs, eight doubles and three homers, while slugging .483. Freshman Michael Belcher has tossed 28 strikeouts over 24.1 innings pitched for the Bulldogs, with a 1.23 WHIP and a 4.81 earned run average.
MATCHUP HISTORY
The River Hawks have faced Merrimack 18 times, holding an 11-7 overall record over the Warriors all-time. The most recent contest happened on April 16, 2024, when UMass Lowell earned a victory at Merrimack, 12-5.
UMass Lowell and America East foe Bryant have faced 14 times, sitting at an even record at 7-7. The last game occurred back during the America East Championship in May of 2024, when the Bulldogs took down the River Hawks, 8-4. UMass Lowell has posted a 4-1 record at home versus Bryant, and in its last 10 games holds a 7-3 record over the Bulldogs.
