The UConn Blog - 2022 NCAA Baseball TournamentEscalators are for cowards.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49593/uconn-fav.png2022-06-13T20:58:30-04:00http://www.theuconnblog.com/rss/stream/229135622022-06-13T20:58:30-04:002022-06-13T20:58:30-04:00UConn baseball eliminated by No. 2 Stanford in deciding game of Stanford Super Regional
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<figcaption>Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog</figcaption>
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<p>The Huskies came up one win short of making the College World Series for the first time since 1979.</p> <p id="OKDsgP">UConn baseball’s season ended with a bang on Monday night, one that unfortunately came from the dugout of No. 2 Stanford. The Huskies gave up 15 hits, including two home runs, to the potent Cardinal, losing in Game 3 of the Stanford Super Regional, 10-5, ending their season.</p>
<p id="B6fBEW">The Huskies started the game by chasing the Stanford starter, Joey Dixon, before he recorded a single out, scoring three runs on four hits in the top of the first, but after that, it was dominated by the hosts. Stanford outscored UConn 10-2 over the final eight-and-a-half innings en route to its second-straight College World Series appearance. </p>
<p id="GhXayl">David Smith and Erik Stock started the game with back-to-back hits, Casey Dana reached base after getting hit by a pitch and Ben Huber cleared the bases with a double down the left field line in what was an ideal start for the Huskies. Padilla followed with a two-bagger of his own and T.C. Simmons walked to load the bases, but a double play got the Cardinal out of the jam. </p>
<p id="h0m6BA">The hosts fired back in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs on two hits, but the Stanford death star wasn’t fully operational until the middle of the game. The No. 2 seed scored six in the bottom of the fourth with four singles, a walk and a grand slam to make it 8-3, putting Stanford ahead for good.</p>
<p id="htqiES">UConn loaded up the bases in the third inning and got multiple runners on base in the fifth and eighth innings, but failed to capitalize with any clutch knocks. The Huskies couldn’t get much of anything going contact-wise against a stout Stanford bullpen, with just three hits from the second to the seventh. </p>
<p id="W7DizP">When their offense did fire up, it was just a little too late to pose any real threat. UConn scored on a solo home run from Zach Bushling in the sixth inning and an RBI double in the ninth from Simmons, but Stanford kept them at arm’s length. They scored in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run and then again in the seventh with a sacrifice fly. </p>
<p id="hZIR4W">UConn ends the season with a 50-16 record, the program’s highest-ever win total. The Huskies also won their first-ever Super Regional contest with its <a href="https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/12/23164375/uconn-huskies-baseball-powers-past-no-2-stanford-in-first-game-of-super-regional">Game 1 victory</a> over the Cardinal.</p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/13/23166715/uconn-baseball-eliminated-by-no-2-stanford-in-deciding-game-of-stanford-super-regionalLuke Swanson2022-06-12T22:53:59-04:002022-06-12T22:53:59-04:00UConn loses Game 2 of Stanford Super Regional; No. 2 Cardinal force Game 3
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<p>The Huskies will play in a winner-take-all game on Monday with a trip to Omaha on the line.</p> <p id="CGZnaT">With its back against the wall, No. 2 Stanford held UConn baseball’s bats in check on Sunday night in an 8-2 win that forces a rubber match on Monday night with a spot in the College World Series on the line.</p>
<p id="TFHGh5">UConn didn’t get much going after the first two innings. The Huskies hit 2-for-17 with runners on base and 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position on the night.</p>
<p id="5vNT61">The Huskies fell behind early due to a less-than-stellar start from Austin Peterson. The UConn staff ace allowed seven of the eight runs scored by Stanford in the first two innings and was ejected from the game after getting pulled and exchanging words with the umpire. </p>
<p id="KIuv0b">As a result of this ejection, Peterson will serve a four-game suspension and miss the majority of the College World Series, should the Huskies get that far.</p>
<p id="viRFmp">After Peterson exited the game, Cole Chudoba stepped up and provided a steady hand, with 5 2⁄3 innings of one-run ball that gave the Huskies a chance to answer the early Stanford barrage, but an answer never came. </p>
<p id="XkISIi">UConn scored in the first inning, starting with a double from Erik Stock who was driven home by a Ben Huber single, and in the second, with a David Smith double to center field to make it 8-2. But runners left on base in both frames presented missed opportunities to keep up with the Cardinal offense and to make matters worse, the Huskies would have just one hit in the final seven innings of the game. </p>
<p id="KvTqvK">The Huskies will have another shot at securing a place in Omaha on Monday. First pitch, which will be broadcast on ESPN2, is at 4 p.m.</p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/12/23165303/uconn-loses-game-2-of-super-regional-at-stanford-to-force-game-3Luke Swanson2022-06-12T02:26:21-04:002022-06-12T02:26:21-04:00UConn baseball powers past No. 2 Stanford in first game of super regional
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<p>The Huskies survived a late comeback to put themselves in the driver’s seat to make the College World Series.</p> <p id="WJ0Teq">If UConn baseball proved last weekend in the regional round that it able to hang with power conference players, the Huskies took it a step further on Friday night with a 13-12 win over No. 2 overall seed Stanford. The win over the Cardinal marked UConn’s first-ever victory in a Super Regional.</p>
<p id="eikAYz">The Huskies’ win featured an offensive explosion with 13 runs on 17 hits including seven doubles, three home runs and a near-total collapse by their bullpen. Stanford scored eight runs in the final two innings to nearly tie the game up. The Cardinal had eight home runs on the night, their program-high since 2004.</p>
<p id="2kkmAc">For UConn, it was a complete offensive performance, with every member of the Huskies’ lineup recording a hit by the second inning of play. Heading into hostile territory, UConn made sure to hit Stanford early and often, sending 11 batters to the plate in the second inning where the visitors scored eight runs. </p>
<p id="V9DFiA">The Huskies were gifted a run in the first inning after a Cardinal error put Casey Dana on second, and Ben Huber took advantage with an RBI double down the left field line. They picked up where they left off in the next frame, with back-to-back doubles from Korey Morton and T.C. Simmons to start the inning.</p>
<p id="xKy8Nj">Matt Donlan ratcheted the power up a notch with a home run to center field, then three straight hits from David Smith, Erik Stock and Casey Dana kept the parade going. Bryan Padilla sent in Dana with an RBI double and Morton capped off the inning by one-upping the way he started it, with a towering home run over the trees in left field. </p>
<p id="YqUY3t">Even with that run support, UConn starter Pat Gallagher was shaky early on. The sophomore gave up a pair of two-run home runs in the bottom of the second to cut UConn’s lead to 9-5 but, luckily, he would settle down from there. Gallagher would end the game with 6 <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings pitched and just one earned run given up outside of that second inning, striking out eight and giving up just one walk. </p>
<p id="qMKZnf">UConn got insurance in the fourth inning with an RBI triple from Simmons and an RBI single from Donlan, then again in the top of the seventh with back-to-back doubles from Zach Bushling and Smith, as well as a sacrifice fly from Dana, to make it 13-4.</p>
<p id="9pbUzH">Stanford showed flashes of their signature power throughout the later innings, culminating in a pair of home runs in the bottom of the seventh to bring the regional hosts within seven, making it 13-6. </p>
<p id="DcCFZn">The hosts didn’t make it easy on the Huskies in the ninth, plating six runs in the bottom of the frame, giving UConn a good sweat. Star first baseman Carter Graham fired a warning shot in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run homer to make it 13-8 and head coach Jim Penders made the call to his closer Justin Willis. He didn’t have much easier of a time with the potent Stanford lineup, giving up two more home runs to make it 13-12, but ultimately got the final out to end the game.</p>
<p id="Y1hxPX">UConn baseball will play Stanford again tomorrow night at 7 p.m. with a chance to close them out and advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska with ace Austin Peterson set to pitch for the Huskies.</p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/12/23164375/uconn-huskies-baseball-powers-past-no-2-stanford-in-first-game-of-super-regionalLuke Swanson2022-06-11T09:14:51-04:002022-06-11T09:14:51-04:00Super Regional Preview: UConn travels to No. 2 Stanford with a spot in the College World Series on the line
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<p>The Huskies have even loftier ambitions this year</p> <p id="zH1C7G"><strong>Time and TV</strong></p>
<p id="0pi4ho">Saturday, 10:30 p.m. EDT (ESPNU)</p>
<p id="6htLU5">Sunday, 7 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPNU)</p>
<p id="zKHr80">Monday (if necessary), ESPN Networks</p>
<p id="w4R2oy"><strong>Where</strong>: Sunken Diamond, Stanford, California</p>
<p id="qD7GBx"><strong>Radio</strong>: <a href="https://mixlr.com/uconnbsb"><strong>Mixlr</strong></a></p>
<p id="ycviHw"><strong>Projected Starters:</strong></p>
<p id="j1OnIw">RHP Pat Gallagher (10-3, 3.17 ERA)</p>
<p id="H9ukLn">RHP Austin Peterson (11-2, 3.30 ERA)</p>
<p id="OJLuUh">RHP Enzo Stefanoni (6-1, 3.20 ERA)</p>
<p id="bUil4V"><strong>Odds to advance (via DraftKings):</strong></p>
<p id="axFyqi">UConn +240</p>
<p id="ygoABS">Stanford -310 </p>
<p id="qeu2KD"><strong>What to watch for:</strong></p>
<p id="YiSnQV"><strong>Can UConn baseball continue to defy the odds?</strong></p>
<p id="aiME7H">The Huskies had everything to prove heading into the NCAA tournament, with its non-conference strength of schedule ranked No. 229 in the country, according to Warren Nolan. They had to win their way in through the Big East tournament, but once in the College Park Regional, UConn was able to advance against solid competition. Wake Forest and No. 15 Maryland were both top-10 RPI teams headed into the weekend and the Huskies sent them both packing to reach their first super in over a decade. No. 2 Stanford is a quality squad, ranked No. 3 in RPI with impressive stats on offense.</p>
<p id="78UWwP">The Cardinal won both the Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles and have a 45-15 record. Slugger Carter Graham, with his .340 batting average and 22 home runs, has led the way, as one of four Stanford hitters to have reached the 15-home run plateau.</p>
<p id="NyMD1V">The Cardinal’s top starter, Alex Williams, has had an otherworldly season with a WHIP under 1.00 and a 2.35 ERA, good enough to win Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year and first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. </p>
<p id="phq8I6">Stanford, after dispatching Binghamton, fell to Texas State, forcing the hosts to advance through the loser’s bracket, taking a winner-take-all Game 7 against the Bobcats. The Cardinal dig the long ball, ranking No. 14 in the country with 105 homers in 2022. </p>
<p id="49R6kA">UConn stepped up a level from Big East competition to prevail over at-large ACC and Big Ten teams Maryland and Wake Forest. This weekend, it will rachet up just a bit more, as the Huskies will face one of the premier programs in collegiate baseball, as this represents Stanford’s third straight Super Regional, while the Cardinal are vying for their 18th College World Series appearance.</p>
<p id="hpZ3Je"><strong>Unfamiliar territory</strong></p>
<p id="ejdCIM">UConn baseball is in only its second-ever Super Regional since the format was introduced in 1999, as the Huskies also advanced to the Columbia Super Regional in 2011 to face the eventual national champion, the No. 4 South Carolina Gamecocks.</p>
<p id="CAAZ9B">UConn came closest to this point in 2019, when the Huskies were kicked to the loser’s bracket in the Oklahoma City Regional after falling to Nebraska and fought back to the final, taking No. 9 Oklahoma State to the brink but ultimately failing to beat them. UConn fell to Washington in a similar fashion in the Conway Regional final in 2018, but lost in the first game.</p>
<p id="VlFMjt">Casey Dana, Matt Donlan and Bryan Padilla had standout performances to make it happen, all three of them making the all-regional team. Padilla went 3-for-4 in both wins over Maryland and Donlan had two home runs and nine RBI in the opening round of the tournament. Dana went 6-for-19 with three doubles and three RBI.</p>
<aside id="geCSBY"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament","url":"https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/5/31/23149521/2022-ncaa-baseball-tournament"}]}'></div></aside><p id="Ukskuz"><strong>Pitching swap</strong></p>
<p id="UqBs46">After a gutsy regional performance, throwing nearly 160 pitches, head coach Jim Penders will save Austin Peterson until the second game of the series, where it will either be all hands on deck with elimination at stake or a chance to put away the No. 2 seed in the tournament. </p>
<p id="CnLo1v">Pat Gallagher will face off against Stanford’s ace Williams on Saturday and if the series goes to a third game, Enzo Stefanoni will likely get the ball.</p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/11/23159026/super-regional-preview-uconn-travels-to-no-2-stanford-with-a-spot-in-the-college-world-seriesLuke Swanson2022-06-10T08:00:00-04:002022-06-10T08:00:00-04:00UConn baseball is no underdog. ‘Every game is an elimination game if you’re from the Northeast’
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<p>The Huskies will face No. 2 Stanford this weekend in Super Regional play.</p> <p id="xzvS39">According to Draft Kings Sportsbook, UConn baseball has +240 odds to win the Stanford Super Regional against the No. 2 Cardinal. That would make them an underdog, as Stanford is -310. </p>
<p id="IiTaMg">Don’t tell that to the Huskies.</p>
<p id="8AaoRZ">“I think we know it’s not going to be easy to win, especially against a team as good as Stanford, but underdog my ass,” pitching coach Joshua MacDonald said.</p>
<p id="zUdvwm">It’s easy to see why the oddsmakers feel Stanford has the better chance to win the best-of-three series and move on to the College World Series.</p>
<p id="OoxTTM">Currently ranked No. 3 in the RPI, the Cardinal finished 21-9 in Pac-12 play, good enough for first place in college baseball’s fourth-best conference according to RPI, while also winning the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament. </p>
<p id="Ib5TaI">The Cardinal have a road series win against both Oregon State and UCLA, each Quad 1 opponents, while topping Texas State, ranked No. 20 in the RPI, two out of three times in the Stanford Regional last weekend, in addition to a midweek win over Arkansas at a neutral site.</p>
<p id="HGRtla">UConn finished first in the Big East, ranked No. 13 out of 31 Division I conferences, but has just two more top-100 games (14) than Stanford has top-50 wins (12). While two of the team’s final three weekend series featured Quad 2 competition, each series came at home and represented the first top-100 games since the first weekend of the season.</p>
<p id="uU9eVH">Strength of schedule is the big separator between two teams that have each won 45 games this season and sport winning percentages at the .750 plateau. Stanford will arrive more battle-tested, but that did not matter in Regional play, as UConn played four games against two top-15 RPI schools in No. 15 Maryland and Wake Forest, finishing 3-1.</p>
<p id="xitFfg">“We’ve won a lot this year. I think we know how to win,” MacDonald said. </p>
<p id="TFKmQV">While the numbers may favor the Cardinal, games aren’t played on paper for a reason. The RPI isn’t infallible, and the Husky coaches know it.</p>
<p id="9kg6dX">“When I said we were playing elimination games from the opening weekend, I meant it,” head coach Jim Penders said. “If you pay attention to the RPI, everything is an elimination game if you’re from the Northeast.</p>
<p id="RiQLYJ">“It’s a battle-tested group and they showed some resiliency.”</p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/10/23161992/uconn-baseball-is-no-underdog-every-game-is-an-elimination-game-if-youre-from-the-northeastShawn McGrath2022-06-09T11:30:00-04:002022-06-09T11:30:00-04:00How transfers helped get UConn baseball over the hump in the NCAA Tournament
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<figcaption>Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog</figcaption>
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<p>Three years after featuring just a single transfer from another four-year school, the Huskies now have 10, many of whom are key contributors.</p> <p id="x1zwG9">As UConn baseball waited out a rain delay during the 2019 Oklahoma City Regional, pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Josh MacDonald decided to pull out his phone and check the transfer portal. He noticed a new name that had been in for all of five minutes and immediately called the player. Roughly a month later, he committed to UConn.</p>
<p id="yiNopI">The player was Erik Stock, UConn’s left fielder who currently leads the team with 257 at-bats, 94 hits and 23 doubles and ranks second with a .366 batting average and 1.042 OPS.</p>
<p id="rBcCHY">The Huskies’ 2019 squad that fell in the Oklahoma City winner-take-all final featured a single transfer from a four-year school — catcher Paul Gozzo.</p>
<p id="LkZXFK">This year’s team, which made the program’s second-ever super regional, features 10 — pitchers Austin Peterson (Purdue by way of Wabash Valley CC), Justin Willis (Vanderbilt), Enzo Stefanoni (Harvard), Cole Chudoba (Assumption) and Kenny Campbell (Lafayette); catcher Matt Donlon (Stonehill College), first baseman Ben Huber (Limestone College), second baseman David Smith (LaSalle), right fielder Casey Dana (Seton Hall) and Stock (Old Dominion).</p>
<p id="QsvpJ2">While head coach Jim Penders has preferred to build his team by bringing in freshmen, developing them over four years and using JUCO additions to plug the holes left by draftees, he knew the landscape of the sport was changing and he needed to adapt. Not only did the introduction of the transfer portal make it easier for players to change schools, the bonus COVID year and the one-time transfer rule flooded the market.</p>
<p id="Qft6Wm">“When the portal started, we had to get in there. You gotta embrace it,” Penders said. “You have to be agile in our profession. I don’t coach the same way I did six months ago, let alone six years ago. You have to be ready to change and if I want our players to change and adapt, I better be setting that example too.”</p>
<p id="deFeKb">UConn’s influx of transfers can also be attributed to the way the roster turned over.</p>
<p id="6Cfdgv">“We had guys graduating and moving on and the roster was bigger, so there were more openings than we’ve ever had,” MacDonald said. “We identified areas that we thought that we would have — potential gaps that had to be filled.”</p>
<p id="l829fS">With the staff expecting to use first baseman Reggie Crawford more as a pitcher, they got Huber to fill in. The move became even more valuable when Crawford underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery since the Huskies already had a ready-made replacement. When Chris Winkel graduated and Kyler Fedko turned pro, Dana came in as a power bat in the outfield. MacDonald felt the team needed one more starter, so they added Stefanoni.</p>
<p id="Gdd8xw">All the picks-ups were borne out of need, one way or another.</p>
<p id="42BrqD">“We’re just trying to fill potential major issues,” MacDonald said. “It’s more ‘Where are the potential problems?’”</p>
<p id="pL2CJo">After coming up short in regional finals in both 2018 and 2019, UConn finally broke through to super regionals this year. The transfers have played a central role — Peterson is the team’s ace and the “most consistent pitcher in my tenure,” according to Penders; Willis shuts the door as the closer while Donlan, Huber, Smith, Dana and Stock are all starters at their respective positions.</p>
<p id="tILUEm">However, their contributions have made the unexpected emergence of younger players all the more valuable. They’ve transformed UConn into a team capable of just making the NCAA Tournament field into one within reach of the College World Series.</p>
<p id="nJ6aA7">“If I knew Ian Cooke was gonna be as [he is], I don’t know if I grab Enzo,” MacDonald said. “Or if I knew that [Jack] Sullivan and [Brady] Afthim were really good, do I go after Cole? But the idea is that you’re not a worse team with more talent, right? You’re just not. As long as you can help those guys navigate through and find roles and find a place to be successful, the portal is going to be gonna be good to us.”</p>
<p id="VwXx7b">It’s proven to be a symbiotic relationship, too. Most of the transfers came to prove themselves, whether at a higher-level program than where they were, at the Division I level or to professional scouts. That mentality has not only made UConn a better team, it’s helped the players improve as well.</p>
<p id="iN9noq">“All those guys could have come in and thought, ‘I gotta get mine and I’m gonna think about me and I’m thinking about the draft.’ It wound up being the exact opposite,” Penders said. “I think they found something here that a rising tide raises all ships and they’ve realized that winning is the best developer — winning championships in the best developer.”</p>
<p id="s9csWs">Four seasons ago in Oklahoma City, UConn fell tantalizing short of super regionals with a team built on the back of a then-junior class that included star shortstop Anthony Prato, ace Mason Feole and closer Jake Wallace. Only one player from that squad — Fedko — remains with the program. Now, the Huskies have transformed into a transfer-heavy team, one just two victories away from going to Omaha for the first time since 1979.</p>
<p id="aIuRPM">“We always call ourselves ‘Last Chance UConn’ because a lot of us came from the portal and transferred from other schools,” Stock said.</p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/9/23160621/how-transfers-helped-get-uconn-huskies-baseball-over-the-hump-in-the-ncaa-tournamentDaniel Connolly2022-06-09T09:23:19-04:002022-06-09T09:23:19-04:00UConn baseball’s Zach Bushling ready to contribute wherever needed in super regional vs. No. 2 Stanford
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<p>The senior third baseman brings his rosy attitude to the Husky dugout.</p> <p id="B6KGhl">UConn baseball’s starting third baseman Zach Bushling, wears rose-colored glasses when he walks up to the practice field every day. And to the airport. And to the team hotel. Literally, bright pink shades that his teammates love, but his head coach just doesn’t see the style. </p>
<p id="zQmo76">“He knows how hideous they are, and it’s kind of become a joke,” head coach Jim Penders said. </p>
<p id="naAze3">But other members of the team disagree, and the trend of wearing Joe Burrow-esque glasses have spread— shortstop Bryan Padilla and left-handed reliever Brendan O’Donnell have both gone out and purchased themselves a pair. </p>
<p id="FjzasY">The irony is, according to Penders, Bushling doesn’t need them. Through rose-colored glasses is just how he sees the world. </p>
<p id="1FQ8cQ">“He’s never had a bad day and we feed off of that energy. He’s so loose and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win the game or do whatever he can for the team,” Penders said. </p>
<p id="klGqOo">Bushling’s willingness to perform every role under the sun for UConn baseball has definitely been useful for the Huskies this year. He’s filled in wherever the team has needed him in the lineup: The senior started out the season alternating between batting leadoff and the two spot, then on April 5, transitioned to batting fifth with a few games at cleanup. </p>
<p id="QYm1MY">During a stretch from <a href="https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/4/6/23012450/uconn-huskies-baseball-defeats-central-connecticut-25-6-in-midweek-mashing">April 5 against CCSU</a> to <a href="https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/4/21/23032952/uconn-baseball-umass-boston-college-reacps">April 20 against Boston College</a>, a span of 11 games, Bushling hit 17-for-37, raising his batting average from .282 to .322, with five doubles, three home runs and 18 RBIs, driving in runs like a natural five-hole slugger. </p>
<p id="3y6ikn">Recently, Bushling moved to ninth in the lineup to take advantage of his ability to get on base ahead of the potent top of the lineup and he’s taken it in stride. </p>
<p id="8Bbw8R">“I’m there and then you have [David Smith] right there, it’s kind of like two leadoff hitters. I think it’s actually a good combo and that’s why I’m not upset about it at all,” Bushling said. “It’s perfect, I get on base, and they get me in.”</p>
<p id="YvzK4d">Bushling’s approach at the plate doesn’t change no matter where in the lineup he’s featured. Opposing pitchers approach him in much the same way whether he’s hitting leadoff, so Bushling’s approach won’t change much either. </p>
<p id="qxzaMN">“I go in there thinking the same thing every time, try to get the fastball and get my hands inside and stay through the ball,” Bushling said. </p>
<p id="sIYeSr">The approach has been working for him throughout the season, batting .271 with 64 hits, 16 doubles and 46 RBI, including a clutch postseason knock in a <a href="https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/5/23154810/uconn-huskies-baseball-defeats-maryland-to-advance-to-ncaa-tournament-regional-final">winner’s bracket game</a> against No. 15 Maryland in the College Park Regional, a two-run home run that gave the Huskies some breathing room against the hosts. </p>
<aside id="im7hUc"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament","url":"https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/5/31/23149521/2022-ncaa-baseball-tournament"}]}'></div></aside><p id="FcnY6T">Bushling originally transferred to UConn from Sierra College in California, following in former utility man Michael Woodworth’s footsteps in playing both for Sierra and the Huskies, although the two did not meet until coming to Storrs. </p>
<p id="pCmJmK">Like Woodworth, who saw time at second base and the outfield, Bushling is a utility man, able to play second base, shortstop and third base. He even says he can play the outfield, but has appeared strictly in the infield for the Huskies.</p>
<p id="nMueS1">After coming to UConn, Bushling and his teammates clicked right away, but during his first year of eligibility, the season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>
<p id="bOqAsm">“It was kind of devastating to me because I came from [junior college] and I was excited, I finally got my [Division I] opportunity then COVID shut it down,” Bushling said. </p>
<p id="OF5ETt">But Bushling’s fortunes at UConn started to change in 2021, starting every game at shortstop and collecting 48 hits and 26 RBI, tied for second on the team with 45 runs scored. The 2021 team fell just short in the South Bend Regional, but this year’s team just has a different bit of chemistry to it, according to Bushling, and a lot of it is down to the infectious attitude of the man they call “Bush.”</p>
<p id="w8clby">“He’s a great player to have in our lineup, but he’s even a better person to have in our clubhouse and in our lives,” Penders said. “I promised him that if we get to Omaha, I’d have to wear the rose-colored glasses.”</p>
<p id="NeXQdX">“[Penders] knows, he knows,” Bushling said. “We’re going to Omaha and he’s wearing them the whole ride.”</p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/9/23160544/uconn-baseballs-zach-bushling-ready-to-contribute-wherever-needed-in-super-regional-vs-no-2-stanfordLuke Swanson2022-06-08T10:25:28-04:002022-06-08T10:25:28-04:00How UConn baseball advanced to its first Super Regional since 2011
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VAuTjwURRaOrAoNN5skb3lQsgug=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70955632/2022_5_15XavierMusketeersUConnbaseball061.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog</figcaption>
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<p>The Huskies passed their test in the regional with flying colors.</p> <p id="xlZihA">They did it.</p>
<p id="qPFRJx">UConn baseball made its first Super Regional since 2011 and set the program record for wins in a season with its 49th victory on Monday night, an <a href="https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/7/23157331/uconn-huskies-baseball-advances-to-super-regionals-with-wild-win-over-maryland">8-7 decision</a> over No. 15 Maryland in the seventh game of the College Park Regional.</p>
<p id="bsvyj6">The Huskies were the 3-seed in the regional, along with the Terrapins and Wake Forest, each of which were in the top-10 in the RPI, as well as LIU. Jim Penders’ club had put together an impressive regular season but received an appropriate seed.</p>
<aside id="JAi1im"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"NCAA Tournament: UConn baseball tabbed as 3-seed in College Park Regional","url":"https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/5/30/23147503/uconn-baseball-to-college-park-regional"}]}'></div></aside><p id="FxUQwJ">Despite a gaudy record, UConn had faced just one Quad 1 opponent all season in a single game, nine more against Quad 2 schools and 33 of its 59 contests against Quad 4 opponents, which lead to an RPI in the low 40s. That put the Huskies well out of the range to host, especially considering the tournament committee’s emphasis on non-conference strength of schedule, where UConn ranked No. 229 out of 301 Division I teams according to Warren Nolan.</p>
<p id="2jQKAr">The Huskies’ record could not be argued with at 46-13, but their lack of quality opponents left them lower on the pecking order since they were unproven against NCAA Tournament-caliber competition.</p>
<p id="3n48y8">While not a point of emphasis for the committee, a lack of quality opponents left UConn with a strong record heading into the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and the Huskies were exposed by No. 10 Notre Dame and Central Michigan, surrendering 37 runs in three games in the South Bend Regional, including 26 in their matchup against the Fighting Irish.</p>
<p id="j4WJ0s">With a pair of top-10 teams awaiting in College Park, there was concern the same thing could happen again, especially since two of those 10 games against top-100 teams occurred the first weekend of the season, leaving room for the Storrs Nine to get fat on Quad 4 weekend series sweeps against North Florida (No. 164 in RPI), Seton Hall (No. 189), FIU (No. 223), St. John’s (No. 225) and Butler (No. 242).</p>
<p id="Hmubjv">However, this was a new year.</p>
<p id="K9u2DK">After Rhett Lowder — ACC Pitcher of the Year and likely the best arm UConn faced all year — rolled through the first eight hitters he faced for Wake Forest in <a href="https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/3/23153361/uconn-huskies-baseball-survives-wake-forest-to-open-ncaa-tournament">Friday’s opener</a>, Zach Bushling made an adjustment and ripped a double into the right-center gap, scoring when the lineup flipped over and David Smith recorded a single. From then on, Lowder would not retire more than three straight Huskies and the seven earned runs and 10 hits each were season-highs for the sophomore after he pitched to a 2.61 ERA in the regular season, never allowing more than three earned runs in a start.</p>
<p id="4fQV3e">UConn was suddenly 2-0 for the first time in 50 years after a pair of home runs fueled a three-run seventh and a four-run eighth against hosts Maryland, breaking open what was a <a href="https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/5/23154810/uconn-huskies-baseball-defeats-maryland-to-advance-to-ncaa-tournament-regional-final">closely battled contest</a> to that point.</p>
<p id="v5y80L">The Huskies had never been in this position, despite making regional finals in both 2018 and 2019. They did so from the loser’s bracket in both years.</p>
<p id="HqvnK6">Maryland, with its backs against the wall, played from in front by jumping on starter Enzo Stefanoni for three runs in the first inning. While Terps pitcher Nick Robinson, who had a 7.61 ERA across 23 <sup>2</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings this year heading into his outing, kept UConn at bay across five scoreless frames, the team stayed calm.</p>
<p id="mu4Rlj">Once Robinson departed with a 4-0 lead, the Huskies took advantage of three walks, a hit-by-pitch and two wild pitches across three Terrapin pitchers, using the six free bases to tie the proceedings. Ultimately, the hosts still forced a winner-take-all Game 7 with a <a href="https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/5/23155873/maryland-defeats-uconn-huskies-baseball-to-force-winner-take-all-game-in-regional-final">walk-off win in the 11th inning</a>.</p>
<p id="EXU1tT">Winning a regional takes gutsy pitching performances, a role that was served by Friday starter Austin Peterson. After delivering to home plate 109 times against Wake Forest, he would do so 50 more times on Monday in a do-or-die situation, helping build a bridge to closer Justin Willis through the middle innings. He earned the win, surrendering two runs on a pair of hits and walks each, while striking out five across 2 <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>3</sub> innings of work.</p>
<p id="kwjVw9">It’s not easy to move on to Super Regionals. Just ask the 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021 iterations of the Huskies. It’s even harder to do so in the Northeast, where travel is aplenty, good opponents are few and far between and keeping players home — and thus away from the SEC and ACC — can be a challenge.</p>
<aside id="YamJJe"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Can UConn baseball make a super regional?","url":"https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/2/23147856/can-uconn-huskies-baseball-make-a-super-regional"}]}'></div></aside><p id="xN3xqe">Games are not played on paper. It was obvious from watching the ball club that the Huskies had talent. Just how much was unclear. Now, they’ve had a chance to truly prove it, passed the test and stand two victories against No. 2 Stanford away from Omaha, a journey to which the program has not made since 1979.</p>
https://www.theuconnblog.com/2022/6/8/23158948/how-uconn-huskies-baseball-advanced-to-its-first-super-regional-since-2011Shawn McGrath