LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (7-8) travels back to the east coast this week, beginning with a midweek contest at Boston College (12-8) before hitting the road to compete in its first conference series of the season against Binghamton (6-10).
LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks return from a successful weekend against Pepperdine, where the team secured the series 3–1 and moved to 7–8 overall on the season. UMass Lowell wrapped up its California trip with a 6–3 overall record.
The first game concluded with a well-fought victory against Pepperdine, 7-6, marking the 200th win of Head Coach Nick Barese's collegiate head coaching career. Freshman Cal Chance (Wolcott, Conn.) racked up five hits at the plate, tying the UMass Lowell Division I single-game program record. Three other River Hawks recorded multi-hit performances at bat, as senior Joseph DeLanzo (Nutley, N.J.) tallied two hits, two RBI, and one run, while senior Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.) collected two hits with an RBI and redshirt-sophomore Sean O'Leary (Foxboro, Mass.) posted two hits with a run and an RBI. Freshman Christopher Klueber (Bourne, Mass.) earned his first collegiate start on the mound, pitching 4.0 innings with two earned runs and one strikeout. Graduate student Will Melby Jr.(Munster, Ind.) claimed his second victory of the year after going 2.0 innings with one strikeout without allowing a hit, while senior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) closed the game for the River Hawks, allowing just one hit with a strikeout to earn his second save of the season.
In game two, Martinez led the way for the River Hawks, as the senior had an impressive day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a home run, while also posting three runs and two RBI, as the team escaped a close battle, 7-4, in extra innings against the Waves. Graduate student Nicholas Solorzano (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) posted the first home run of his River Hawk career in the contest, while also tallying two RBI. On the mound to begin, junior Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) pitched 7.2 innings with two strikeouts and just two earned runs in his outing. Sophomore Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) entered the game in relief for UMass Lowell, earning his first victory of the season in 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit and no earned runs.
During the doubleheader to wrap up the series at Pepperdine, junior Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) was on fire at the plate, as the catcher went 7-for-9 with six RBI, with the River Hawks earning a split in the twin bill to clinch a 3–1 series victory for UMass Lowell. The River Hawks won the first game on Saturday, 5-4, before falling, 13-8, in the finale to finish the weekend. Some key offensive players for UMass Lowell in the doubleheader included Solorzano was perfect at plate, going 3-for-3 with a home run, while senior Scott went 3-for-7 with a run and an RBI and O'Leary went 3-for-5 with two runs. On the bump, senior Brian Foley (Milton, Mass.) started the first game of the doubleheader, pitching 3.2 innings with six strikeouts, while senior Jacob Jette (Franklin, Mass.) was on the hill in the second game, going 2.0 innings. Sophomore Nolan Geisler (Bayonne, N.J.) recorded the game one win, pitching 5.1 innings with two strikeouts and allowing just one earned run.
LEADING THE FLOCK
After competing in 15 games so far, Solorzano currently leads the team in batting average (.375), and sits in first in on-base plus slugging percentage at 1.168. Junior Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) sits in first for runs scored at 18, while Chance has tallied the most hits on the team with 22 and doubles with five. Martinez ranks first on the team for runs batted in with 13, while also being tied for first in home runs (2) with O'Leary and Solorzano. O'Leary is also tied for first in triples with graduate student Jorge Burgos (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) at 1 each. Scott and Masse are both tied for first in walks with 11, and Martinez, Masse and junior Ryan Strand (Goffstown. N.H.) are all tied for first in stolen bases with three each.
Mucciarone leads the team in earned run average (3.33), as Geisler holds a team-high in WHIP at 1.10. Geisler and Melby Jr. are both tied for the most wins on the team with two. Martinez ranks first on the team in saves with two. Mucciarone has also pitched in the most innings (24.1), while Foley leads the team in strikeouts at 27.
A RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE
On Saturday, March 7, the River Hawks knocked 22 hits at San Francisco, tying the UMass Lowell Division I program record for most hits in a single game, while also marking the most singles in a contest with 18 in UMass Lowell Division I history. This outing matches their performance on April 15, 2022, when the team posted 22 hits versus Hartford in a 20-4 victory. The previous record for singles in a game as a team was 15, also versus Hartford in the same contest on April 15, 2022.
TYING THE UML DI SINGLE-GAME HITS RECORD
On Thursday, March 12, Chance compiled five hits in the first game of the series at Pepperdine, as the freshman's performance matched the UMass Lowell Division I single-game hits record. He recorded four singles and one double, while also tallying a run and an RBI. The catcher became just the seventh River Hawk in UMass Lowell DI history to reach five hits in a game.
STORMING THE RANKINGS
Foley has delivered consistently strong performances, steadily climbing the NCAA Division I leaderboard, as the right-hander is currently ranked in 10th for strikeouts per nine innings with an average of 14.88. The senior has tossed 27 strikeouts after pitching 16.1 innings, so far.
GARNERING AMERICA EAST WEEKLY AWARDS
After closing out their trip in California in strong fashion, Geisler was named the America East Pitcher of the Week, while Chance was selected as the America East Rookie of the Week. This is the first time both players have received conference honors in their collegiate careers.
AE OVERALL PLAYER STATISTICAL RANKS
Progressing more into the month of March, Solorzano ranks second on the conference leaderboard for batting average at .375, slugging percentage at .656 and on-base percentage at .512. Solorzano is also sitting in first for on-base plus slugging percentage at 1.168. Chance is behind Solorzano in third for batting average at .373, and is tied for second in hits with 22 and tied for third in doubles with five. Masse ranks second in the America East in runs scored at 18, as O'Leary is behind in fifth for runs scored with 16. Martinez is tied for eighth place for runs batted in with 13. Both Burgos and O'Leary are tied for fifth in the conference in triples (1). Scott and Masse are both tied for second in the conference in walks at 11.
Mucciarone is ranked third for earned run average in the America East at 3.33, with Foley in eighth at 5.51. Foley is leading the conference in total strikeouts with 27, as Mucciarone ranks tied for seventh with 17. Mucciarone is also sitting in second for innings pitched at 24.1. Melby Jr. and Geisler are both tied for second in the conference for wins with two each. Martinez is tied for second in saves with two, while LeFrancois is tied for fourth in saves at one.
For overall team rankings in the conference, the River Hawks are ranked second for batting average (.263) and are sitting in first for fielding percentage (.975).
SCOUTING BOSTON COLLEGE
Boston College enters the contest on Wednesday against the River Hawks after taking a 5-4 victory over Sacred Heart on Tuesday, March 17. The Eagles now sit at a 12-8 overall record, so far this season. Offensively, the key player to watch for the Eagles is sophomore Julio Solier who leads the team in batting average (.388), hits with 33 and stolen bases with 10, while also recording 21 runs, seven RBI, six doubles and two triples. Graduate student Nick Wang has a batting average of .289, while leading the team in on-base plus slugging percentage at 1.063, home runs with nine and RBI with 30. The infielder has also posted 22 hits, 16 runs, and three doubles. Senior A.J. Colarusso is the pitcher to watch on the Eagles, as he owns a 4.37 earned run average and a 1-1 record, tossing in a team-high 22.2 innings, while also striking out the most batters on the team with 22.
SCOUTING BINGHAMTON
The River Hawks open America East play against the Bearcats, who are coming off a series against Bryant in which they dropped two of three, including an 8–4 loss in the finale. Binghamton enters at 6–10 overall and 1–2 in conference play. Sophomore Steven Kraus leads the team overall in batting average (.328), on-base plus slugging percentage (.958), and RBI (11), while tying with sophomore Matt Bolton for first on the team in hits (19), doubles (4), and runs scored (12). Bolton also hits .306 with a .846 on-base plus slugging percentage and seven RBI. Out of the bullpen, junior Conner Griffin has recorded a 6.63 earned run average in his five starts through 19.0 innings, tallying a team-high 19 strikeouts. Junior Jake Dally has been beneficial on the mound, owning a 3.09 earned run average, and pitching 11.2 innings in five appearances with 16 strikeouts.
MATCHUP HISTORY
The River Hawks have faced Boston College 11 times since April 2014, as the Eagles hold a 2–9 record in the all-time series. Last season, UMass Lowell and Binghamton met three times, with the River Hawks taking a 2–1 series in Lowell, Mass. The Bearcats hold a 24–17 advantage all-time, but UMass Lowell owns a 12–5 home record, and have won two straight against Binghamton while also going 6–4 over the last 10 matchups.
