Riding a season-high three-game winning streak, the Massachusetts baseball team’s confidence is elevated following a 2-1 weekend series victory over St. Bonaventure and a come-from-behind win over Harvard Monday.
A major theme for the Minutemen (9-11, 7-5 Atlantic 10) has been their late-inning heroics, something they did again Monday with a 6-5 win over the Crimson after a seventh inning rally.
Now, they turn their attention to a non-conference opponent in Central Connecticut Tuesday and will look toward pitcher Tim Cassidy, who is scheduled to start, to continue the momentum. Cassidy has struggled so far this season, making four appearances and posting a 7.84 ERA.
UMass coach Mike Stone said even though it is a non-conference game, Tuesday’s matchup is an important one for the Minutemen.
“We are not at .500 yet so every game is important,” Stone said after Monday’s win. “We have to be ready to go and expect to win and execute.”
Kyle Adie continues to produce at the top of the order for UMass and leads the team with a .372 batting average. Meanwhile, the power is coming from Adam Picard, who belted a three-run home run Monday and leads the team with two home runs and 14 RBIs.
CCSU (10-15) enters the game with a struggling pitching staff and is 3-3 in its last six games. The Blue Devils have been outscored 32-13 over this span, with a meager .225 team batting average and boast a 4.65 combined earned run average this season.
When asked about the mindset heading into Tuesday’s game, Picard said UMass has to stay with the same approach which has led to success over the past week.
“(We) just need to play every inning the best we can, stay with our approach,” Picard said. “It has been successful over the past couple of days and if we stay with it we’ll continue to be successful.”
CCSU will counter with a lineup that hinges on the success of a trio of players. Dominic Severino leads the Blue Devils in hitting (.341 average) and home runs (three), while Franklin Jennings (.317) and Dean Lockery (.315) are the only other regulars batting over .300.
Tyler Fiedler can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @Tyler_Fiedler.
