It has been over a week since the Massachusetts baseball team found itself on Earl Lorden Field – or any field for that matter.

The unpredictable New England weather has forced the Minutemen inside since they shut out Sacred Heart 7-0 behind a brilliant effort on the mound from sophomore Mike Crane. However, there is hope that the early-spring snow will melt and the precipitation will hold off so that the Maroon and White can make its long-awaited return to the diamond tomorrow, as it plans to host Fairfield.

“We like to stay in a good rhythm both offensively and defensively,” coach Mike Stone said. “We were out there [against Sacred Heart] moving runners over, knocking them in and fielding the ball well behind [Crane], and we just want to keep that rhythm going.”

The Stags (5-14-1 3-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) will serve as a brief precursor before the Minutemen travel to Bronx, N.Y. this weekend to resume their A-10 slate with a three-game set at Fordham. UMass has yet to host an A-10 series, as its scheduled contests with Xavier over the weekend were cancelled due to snow.

Fairfield, loser of three of its last four, is led by the junior duo of pitcher Tom Masiano and infielder Nick Hudyma. Masiano struck out 11 batters in the Stags 8-5 victory over Canisius in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday, and currently leads the Stags in strikeouts with 28. Meanwhile, Hudyma went 5-for-7 on the afternoon, and is hitting .328 with one home run and six runs batted in on the season.

For Stone, however, the emphasis will still be on getting a look at as many players as possible in the relatively young season.

“We are still in the process of assessing what we have and finding the right guys for different places,” Stone said. “So with that in mind, we still just want to keep sending guys out there and letting them get work to see where we’re at.”

This afternoon’s first pitch is at 3 p.m. at Earl Lorden Field.<