LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (16-26, 8-10 AE) welcomes the Quinnipiac Bobcats (23-17-1) on Tuesday, April 29, for its fourth-straight home game, before hosting the UAlbany Great Danes (13-26) for a weekend series starting on Friday, May 2.
LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks enter Tuesday's game following a 2-2 week, highlighted by a series victory against Binghamton over the weekend. Junior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) knocked two hits and added two runs in the tight, 5-4 setback during the midweek contest against Boston College. In the series against Binghamton, as the Bearcats captured game one with an 8-1 victory, with sophomore River Hart (Nashua, N.H.) adding a hit and the lone run. Saturday's game began with UMass Lowell up 5-2 after six innings of play before being suspended until Sunday due to weather. The River Hawks closed the door on the Bearcats, earning a 5-4 victory to even the series. UMass Lowell continued the strong play, grabbing their second win in a row and the series over Binghamton with a 5-2 decision in the final game of the weekend. Senior Conor Kelly (Hopkinton, Mass.) went 2-for-2 with two RBI, while freshman Brayden Cali (Taunton, Mass.) posted two hits, two RBI, and one run during the final games of the series. Graduate student Dylan Bedder (New Providence, N.J.) stayed composed, earning a pair of saves in the two victories. Redshirt junior Brendan Holland (North Andover, Mass.) started in game two, tossing 6.0 innings while adding nine strikeouts and allowing two earned runs. In the third game, redshirt sophomore Nick Dirito (Plymouth, Mass.) pitched 7.0 innings, allowing one earned run and registering three strikeouts.
LEADING THE FLOCK
This week, Kelly has taken over the team lead with a .337 batting average and a .439 on-base percentage. Senior Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.) ranks first on the team in doubles (14) and RBI (30). Senior Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) leads in OPS (.985), runs (35), hits (47), triples (5), slugging percentage (.567) and stolen bases (12), all while being tied with Martinez and Hart for home runs (6).
Bedder leads the team in earned run average (3.20), while also posting the lowest WHIP (1.22). Dirito tallies the most wins (5) and is tied for the lead in saves (4) on the team with Bedder. Holland has added a team-high 59 strikeouts, with sophomore Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) totaling the most innings pitched (56.2) by a River Hawk.
HIT INTO PLAY
The River Hawks have tallied 18 games this season with 10+ hits. The team's overall record in those 18 games is 10-8. The River Hawks posted a season-high 21 knocks versus Lafayette on Sunday, March 9. UMass Lowell is 14-10 when totaling eight or more hits in a contest.
STRIKE THREE YOU'RE OUT
UMass Lowell's pitching staff has totaled four games so far with 12+ strikeouts. This season, the team posted 15 strikeouts against Le Moyne on March 23, only one short of the Division I program record of 16, which was set during the 2018 season. When posting 10+ strikeouts in a game this season, the River Hawks hold a 6-4 record.
ETCHING HIS NAME IN THE RECORD BOOK
In game two of the doubleheader against Bryant on Friday, March 28, Holland was dominant on the bump, striking out 11 batters to tie the River Hawks' Division I single-game record, matching Matt Draper's effort from March 4, 2023 against James Madison.
CRACKING THE LEADERBOARD
Remaining on the NCAA leaderboard, Luccini is currently tied for 11th in triples (5) and tied for 23rd in triples per game (.12).
AE OVERALL PLAYER STATISTICAL RANKS
Heading into the final stretch of the season, the River Hawks fill the America East leaderboard, as Luccini ranks first in triples (5), sixth in runs (35), tied for seventh in hits (49), and tied for sixth in doubles (12). Fish is tied for second in doubles (14),and tied for fourth in triples (2) in the conference.
Dirito owns third in the conference in earned run average (3.74). Mucciarone sits in third for innings pitched (56.2), as Holland sits right behind him in fourth (56.1). Holland also ranks third in strikeouts (59), with Mucciarone one spot behind in fourth (51). Dirito is tied for second in wins in the America East (5) and tied for third for saves (4) alongside Bedder.
SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC
Quinnipiac split a doubleheader against Fairfield in its most recent matchup, now sitting at an overall record of 23-17-1. Junior Christian Smith has been a key piece of the offense for the Bobcats, recording a .361 batting average and an OPS of 1.118 with 57 hits, 49 RBI, 40 runs, as well as 11 doubles and 10 home runs. Graduate student Sebastian Mueller has made an impact, posting 54 hits, 43 RBI, 43 runs while knocking nine doubles and 12 home runs. Out of the bullpen, junior Mike Poncini has tossed 39.0 innings, while striking out 40 batters.
SCOUTING UALBANY
The Great Danes enter the week coming off a series loss to Bryant, falling to a 13-26 overall record and a 3-12 conference record. The top offensive player for UAlbany has been senior Ryan Ferremi tallying 40 hits, 26 RBI, 28 runs with 11 doubles, three triples and three home runs. Redshirt sophomore Levi McAllister has boasted a team-high 37 RBI and six home runs, while adding 29 hits and 20 runs. On the mound, junior Dylan Banner has pitched 69.1 innings with 41 strikeouts, owning a 3.50 earned run average and a 1.20 WHIP.
MATCHUP HISTORY
The River Hawks will be matching up against Quinnipiac for the first time in the Division I era.
The all-time series against UAlbany stands at a 24-21 record, as the River Hawks secured the most recent contest in a 5-4 decision. UMass Lowell is currently on a two-game winning streak over the Great Danes. The River Hawks home record in the series sits at 9-9, while their away record is 11-11. In the last 10 matchups, they sit at 5-5.
