LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (8-11, 1-2 AE) heads to Merrimack (9-10) for a midweek matchup on Tuesday before returning to Edward A. LeLacheur Park on Wednesday, hosting Northeastern (12-9) in its home opener. The River Hawks will then travel to Maine (3-19, 1-2 AE) for a conference series this weekend.
LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks enter the final week of March after going 1-3 overall during last week's contest. Following a midweek game at Boston College and a conference series at Binghamton, UMass Lowell now sits at an 8-11 overall record with a 1-2 America East record. The River Hawks now sit tied for fifth in the America East conference with a 1-2 record.
UMass Lowell began the week matching up against Boston College for its first of three contests this season, falling 12–2 in the game on Wednesday. Junior Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double, as senior Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.) went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and an RBI. Graduate student Frankie DeMaro (Newburgh, N.Y.) went 1.0 inning in the start. Sophomore Jake Zawatsky (Billerica, Mass.) and senior Liam Rose (Voorhees, N.J.) entered as relief pitchers, with Zawatsky going 1.0 inning with no hits and runs, and Rose went 1.0 inning with a strikeout and allowed no hits or runs.
The River Hawks opened conference play on a strong note after mounting a late rally to force extra innings, eventually taking a 7–5 victory over Binghamton. Senior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) went 2-for-5 at the plate with a home run and a double, while also tallying two runs, an RBI, a strikeout and his third save of the season. Two other River Hawks, Masse and senior Joseph DeLanzo (Nutley, N.J.) each posted multi-hit performances in the contest. Masse went 2-for-4 at the plate with a run, while DeLanzo went 2-for-4 at the plate. Graduate student Jorge Burgos (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) knocked his second home run of the season, adding two RBI and a run. Junior Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) started on the bump, pitching 5.1 innings with six strikeouts. Sophomore Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) secured his second victory of the season after going 3.2 innings with three strikeouts, while also allowing just one hit and zero runs.
The River Hawks then battled in the final two games of the series against the Bearcats, but faced setbacks in both contests, falling 16–10, and then dropping the series finale, 14–10. In the second game against Binghamton, freshman Cal Chance (Wolcott, Conn.) registered two hits, two RBI and two runs, while DeLanzo and Burgos each tallied multi-hit performances, as DeLanzo hit 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI and Burgos went 2-for-4 with a double and a run. On the mound, senior Brian Foley (Milton, Mass.) got the start, pitching 3.2 innings with three strikeouts, while freshman Christopher Klueber (Bourne, Mass.) tossed 2.0 innings, keeping the opposition hitless and scoreless. In the final game of the series against the Bearcats, DeLanzo went 3-for-5 at the plate, as Masse added two hits and two runs. Beginning on the bump, senior Jacob Jette (Franklin, Mass.), pitched 1.2 innings with a strikeout, while DeMaro went 2.0 innings, allowing no hits or runs and walking just one batter.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Now entering conference play, Chance ranks first on the team in batting average (.325), hits (26), and doubles (6). Graduate student Nicholas Solorzano (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) sits in first for on-base plus slugging percentage at .909, while Masse leads the team in runs scored (23), walks (15), and stolen bases (4). Martinez ranks first on the team for runs batted in with 15, while also being tied for first in home runs (3) with Burgos. Redshirt-sophomore Sean O'Leary (Foxboro, Mass.) is tied for first in triples with Chance and Burgos at one each.
Mucciarone leads the team in earned run average (4.25), as freshman Josh Doney (Lynn, Mass.) holds a team-high in WHIP at 1.04. Sophomore Nolan Geisler (Bayonne, N.J.), LeFrancois, and graduate student Will Melby Jr. (Munster, Ind.) are all tied for the most wins on the team with two. Martinez leads the team in saves with three. Mucciarone has also pitched in the most innings (29.2), while Foley leads the team in strikeouts at 30.
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.
AE OVERALL PLAYER STATISTICAL RANKS
Nearing the end of March, Chance ranks eighth in the conference for batting average at .325, as Solorzano sits eighth in the America East for on-base plus slugging percentage at .909. Chance is also ranked third for hits with 26 and is tied for fourth in doubles with six. Masse still ranks second in the conference in runs scored at 23, as Martinez and O'Leary are both behind tied for sixth in runs scored with 17. Martinez is ranked 10th in the conference for runs batted in with 15. Burgos, O'Leary, and Chance are all tied for fifth in triples (1), while Burgos and Martinez are tied for seventh in home runs at three. Masse sits second in the America East for walks with 15, as Scott is behind in fifth for walks at 13.
Mucciarone is ranked sixth for earned run average in the America East at 4.25. Foley is still leading the conference in total strikeouts with 30, as Mucciarone ranks tied for fourth with 23. Mucciarone is also sitting tied for second in innings pitched with 29.2. Melby Jr., Geisler, and LeFrancois are all tied for fourth in the conference for wins with two each. Martinez ranks second in saves with three, while LeFrancois is tied for fourth in saves at one.
For overall team rankings in the conference, the River Hawks are ranked third for batting average (.271) and are sitting in first for fielding percentage (.978).
SCOUTING MERRIMACK
The River Hawks prepare for a midweek matchup against Merrimack after the Warriors fell 3–14 and 3–5 in a doubleheader on Saturday against Canisius, now holding a 9-10 overall record on the season. Graduate student Joey Frammartino has been a key offensive piece for the Warriors, leading the team in batting average (.361), and on-base plus slugging percentage at 1.070. He's also tallied 22 hits with five doubles and two home runs, along with 17 runs scored and 13 runs batted in. Senior Greg Cristino has also been effective, recording 20 hits with six doubles and three home runs, 18 RBI, 16 runs, and has batted .278 so far this season. Junior Colby Barker is the pitcher to watch for Merrimack, posting a team-high for strikeouts (25), innings pitched (25.2), earned run average (0.35) and also collecting the most wins on the team with five.
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN
The Huskies enter Wednesday's contest against UMass Lowell, following a series victory over Elon this past weekend, securing a 17–7 decision in the series finale. Northeastern sits at a 12-9 overall record, so far this season. Redshirt-senior Harrison Feinberg leads the Huskies overall in batting average at .313, while also registering 25 hits with seven doubles and three home runs, 21 runs and 19 RBI. Junior Ryan Gerety has posted 23 hits with five doubles and a home run, 19 runs, and nine RBI. Out of the bullpen, senior Luc Rising holds a 1.37 earned run average through 26.1 innings pitched, tossing the most strikeouts on the team with 25.
SCOUTING MAINE
Maine looks ahead to the weekend series against the River Hawks after dropping a three-game series to UMBC this past weekend. The Black Bears claimed a victory in the final game against the Retrievers, 4–3, as Maine now holds a 3-19 overall record with a 1-2 America East record. Offensively, graduate student Juju Stevens has tallied a .293 batting average with 24 hits including six doubles and eight home runs, while also recording 22 runs and 13 RBI. Freshman Troy Carpenter has collected a team-high in RBI (28) and home runs (9), while also knocking 22 hits with three doubles, and adding 15 runs scored. The key pitcher for Maine is senior Gianni Gambardella, striking out 14 batters and appearing in 29.2 innings, while also owning a team-best earned run average of 6.37.
MATCHUP HISTORY
The River Hawks sit at an all-time series record of 11-9 against Merrimack, with the Warriors securing both contests from last season. The last ten matchups with Merrimack are evenly split at 5–5, but UMass Lowell owns a 5-4 away record over the Warriors. Northeastern holds a 2-10 record in the all-time series over the River Hawks, with the Huskies claiming the most recent matchup in 2025. Against the Black Bears, the all-time series sits at a 20-30 edge for Maine, but the River Hawks own a 12-10 home record over the Black Bears. Maine played UMass Lowell in a three-game series last year, taking two of the three contests.
