The Massachusetts baseball team will look to generate positive momentum Wednesday, as it travels to Boston to face a Northeastern squad that’s won five of its last six games.
The Minutemen (3-14, 0-3 Atlantic 10) have struggled to maintain consistency this season, but may be slowly coming out of their funk just in time to face the Huskies (15-11). After a 1-12 start, UMass has gone 2-2 over their last four games including a series victory at home over the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
As the weather warms, Minutemen bats hope to do the same, as the squad averaged 5.25 runs per game over the past four contests. Previously, UMass struggled mightily to produce offensively, averaging only 2.1 runs over its first 13 games.
Despite the difficult start to the season, Minutemen coach Mike Stone saw signs of life in his team’s previous game against Siena. Trailing by six runs in the seventh inning, the UMass bats finally showed resilience, mounting a three-run comeback effort.
“We finally had some guys step up sometimes, and get some base hits with guys in scoring position,” Stone said.
While those offer encouraging signs, there’s still room for improvement, especially with the Huskies on the horizon.
“We need to execute better, and that’s really what we’ve been focusing on all year,” Stone said. “We need to produce more and we can’t be satisfied with what we’ve done, because it’s not good enough.”
The Minutemen will have the opportunity to improve their execution Wednesday against a productive Northeastern pitching staff which leads the Colonial Athletic Association in a number of categories. The Huskies had compiled a 3.16 earned run average over 225 innings heading into their Tuesday matchup against Rhode Island.
Opponents are hitting .246 against Northeastern, while striking out 153 times.
The Minutemen will counter with southpaw Connor LeBlanc, who will toe the rubber for the fourth time this season. LeBlanc is 0-2 on the season, pitching to a 7.43 ERA. He’s allowed 17 hits over 13.1 innings, while striking out six and walking five.
LeBlanc, a member of last year’s Atlantic-10 All-Rookie team, will face a Huskies lineup led by Connor Lyons and Jason Vosler, who are hitting .327 and .317, respectively. Vosler leads his team with 22 runs batted in, while Lyons boasts an impressive .394 on-base percentage. Rob Fonseca (.299) and Aaron Barbosa (.295) have also hit well so far this season.
Adam Picard has led the way offensively for UMass, posting a .321 average while also pitching in relief when called upon. Picard compiled a .444 average over the past four games, while driving in three runs. He leads the team in batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage.
Wednesday’s game does not decide the seeding for the 2013 Baseball Beanpot, but it may act as a potential preview for the showdown at Fenway Park on April 29. The Minutemen will host Boston College on April 10 to determine one half of the Beanpot Championship game while Northeastern Harvard the same day to determine the other participant.
First pitch against the Huskies is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
Mark Chiarelli can be reached at mchiarel.student.umass.edu and followed on twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.
