LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (11–17, 3–6 America East) heads into its fourth conference series of the season this weekend, welcoming NJIT (10-17, 2-7 AE) to Edward A. LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass.
LAST TIME OUT
With April underway, the River Hawks carry a 2–2 record from last week's games. UMass Lowell holds an 11–17 overall mark and a 3–6 record in conference action, currently sitting sixth in the America East.
The River Hawks started the week off with a 4–3 win over Dartmouth in non-conference play last Tuesday. Graduate student Nicholas Solorzano (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) went 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run in the contest, senior Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.) added a hit and three walks, as freshman Cal Chance (Wolcott, Conn.) recorded a run and an RBI in the contest, along with the go-ahead single in the eighth. In his first start of the season, junior Evan Cornelius (Milford, Mass.) pitched 4.1 innings with two strikeouts and no earned runs in his outing. Graduate student Will Melby Jr. (Munster, Ind.) tossed 1.0 inning with two strikeouts, no runs and no hits, securing his third win of the season, while graduate student Frankie DeMaro (Newburgh, N.Y.) also pitched one scoreless inning with a strikeout, collecting his first save of the season.
In a conference series against UAlbany, UMass Lowell claimed the opener, 4–0, behind a strong pitching performance, but dropped the next two games, 7–2 and 4–2. In game one, redshirt sophomore Sean O'Leary (Foxboro, Mass.) was effective at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs. Senior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) knocked two hits in five at-bats with two RBI, while junior Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) also went 2-for-5 at the plate with a run in the contest. Starting on the mound, senior Brian Foley (Milton, Mass.) pitched 2.1 innings with five strikeouts in a hitless outing. Sophomore Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) went 3.2 innings with two strikeouts, earning his third win of the season, while sophomore Nolan Geisler (Bayonne, N.J.) threw 3.0 innings with three strikeouts and allowed just two hits, securing his first save of the season in his outing. In the second matchup against the Great Danes, junior Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) knocked two doubles in four at-bats with an RBI and a run. Junior Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) began the second game on the mound, pitching 3.0 innings with two strikeouts, as DeMaro came in at relief, going 3.1 innings with three strikeouts and no runs in his outing. During the final game, O'Leary went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and a run, and graduate student Jorge Burgos (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) added a hit and a run in the contest. Out of the bullpen, senior Jacob Jette (Franklin, Mass.) started on the bump, pitching four innings with four strikeouts, and Foley entered at relief, going two scoreless frames with three strikeouts.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Continuing through the conference season, O'Leary ranks first on the team in batting average (.292), while also tying for first with Martinez and Chance for hits (31). Solorzano is sitting in first for home runs (4), on-base plus slugging percentage (.874), slugging percentage (.474), and on-base percentage (.400). Masse is still leading the team in runs scored (28) and walks (20), while tying for first on the team in stolen bases (5) with Martinez and Chance. Martinez ranks first on the team for runs batted in with 23, while also leading in doubles with 10. O'Leary is also tied for first in triples with Chance and Burgos at one each.
Mucciarone leads the team in earned run average (4.10), and holds a team-low in WHIP at 1.30. Melby Jr. and LeFrancois are both tied for the most wins on the team with three. Martinez ranks first on the team in saves with three. Mucciarone has also pitched in the most innings (41.2) on the team, while Foley has tossed the most strikeouts on the team at 42.
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.
A NEW UML DI PROGRAM CAREER DOUBLES LEADER
On Wednesday, March 25, Carlos Martinez stepped to the plate for his second at-bat against Northeastern and drove a double to right field. The double was his 44th as a River Hawk, making the outfielder UMass Lowell Baseball's Division I career leader in doubles.
COMPLETE GAME PERFORMANCE BY MUCCIARONE
On Friday, March 27, Alfred Mucciarone made his sixth start of the season and dominated the Maine Black Bears, throwing a complete game in a 10–1 UMass Lowell victory. The junior right-hander pitched all nine innings, striking out seven, allowing four hits, and giving up zero walks and no earned runs. The River Hawks' last complete game came on April 26, 2024, when Michael Simes threw all nine innings in a 2–0 win over UMBC.
AE OVERALL PLAYER STATISTICAL RANKS
At this stage in conference play, Masse ranks third in the America East for runs scored at 28, as O'Leary sits behind tied for sixth in runs scored with 26. O'Leary is also tied for eighth in the conference for hits (31) with Martinez and Chance. Martinez is tied for sixth in the conference for runs batted in with 23 and is also tied for second in doubles with 10. Solorzano ranks tied for sixth in home runs (4) in the conference, while Martinez, Burgos, and O'Leary are all tied for ninth in home runs in the America East with three. Masse ranks tied for third in the conference for walks with 20, as Scott is tied for fifth in walks at 19.
Mucciarone is ranked sixth for earned run average in the America East at 4.10, and sits tied for fourth in innings pitched with 41.2. Foley is still leading the conference in total strikeouts with 42, as Mucciarone ranks tied for fourth with 32. Melby Jr. and LeFrancois are both tied for third in the conference for wins with three each, and Geisler is tied for ninth in wins at two. Martinez ranks tied for second in saves with three.
For overall team rankings in the conference, the River Hawks are ranked third for batting average (.263).
SCOUTING NJIT
NJIT comes into the weekend series after taking an 11-1 outcome over Rider on Tuesday, before previously falling in a three-game series to Binghamton last weekend. The Highlanders have a 10–17 overall record, currently ranked in seventh place in the America East with a 2–7 mark. Offensively, senior Austin Francis has posted a .323 batting average for a team-high 30 hits with seven doubles, 23 RBI and 24 runs scored on the season, while freshman Lorenzo Camilleri owns a team-high 1.006 on-base plus slugging percentage and a .329 batting average, as well as 25 hits, 18 RBI, 10 runs scored, six doubles, a triple and three home runs. On the mound, redshirt graduate student Josh Willitts has held a 4.62 earned run average in eight starts, throwing 37.0 innings pitched so far, and totaling 31 strikeouts. Another pitcher to watch for is redshirt graduate student Mark Scamardella who owns a 4.96 earned run average with a 2–2 record in eight appearances, pitching 32.2 innings with a team-high 33 strikeouts.
MATCHUP HISTORY
The Highlanders lead the all-time series against the River Hawks 8–13, as UMass Lowell holds a 5–5 home record over NJIT. In the 2025 season, the Highlanders took all three games in last year's series against the River Hawks.
