University of Massachusets Athletics
Tuesday, May 1
Hartford, Conn.
7 p.m.
University of Massachusetts
at
Hartford
Massachusetts Breaks From Atlantic 10 Play in Four-Game Week
April 30, 2018 | Baseball
Minutemen face three America East opponents in Hartford, Maine and Stony Brook
| University of Massachusetts Baseball Game Notes | |
| Games 34-37 Date | Time |
Massachusetts (12-21) at Hartford (16-25) Tues., May 1 | 7 p.m. Maine (11-28) at Massachusetts Wed., May 2 | 3 p.m. Massachusetts at Stony Brook / vs. Bryant Sat., May 5 | Noon/3:30 p.m. |
| Location | Hartford: Hartford, Conn. (Dunkin' Donuts Park) | Directions Maine: Amherst, Mass. (Earl Lorden Field) | Directions Stony Brook/Bryant: Stony Brook, N.Y. (Joe Nathan Field) | Directions |
| Series History | Hartford: Massachusetts leads, 23-11 Maine: Massachusetts leads, 50-48-1 Stony Brook: First Meeting Bryant: First Meeting |
| Live Video | Hartford: TBD Maine: Atlantic 10 Network Stony Brook: AmericaEast.TV Bryant: TBD |
| Live Statistics | Hartford: Sidearm Stats Maine: Sidearm Stats Stony Brook: Sidearm Stats Bryant: TBD |
| @UMassBaseball | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Baseball | UMass Athletics | |
| Season Statistics | Massachusetts | Hartford | Maine | Stony Brook | Bryant |
Batting Practice
University of Massachusetts baseball steps aside from Atlantic 10 play this week with three consecutive games against America East foes before closing the stretch with a neutral-site matchup against Bryant of the Northeast Conference.
The Minutemen begin by visiting Hartford on Tues., May 1 in a 7 p.m. game at Dunkin' Donuts Park, the home of the Hartford Yard Goats (AA-COL). After facing the Hawks, UMass will host Maine on Wed., May 2 and travel to Stony Brook for a doubleheader on Sat., May 5. The host Seawolves will meet the Minutemen in the twinbill opener at noon, ahead of a 3:30 p.m. clash with Bryant.
Recap In A Minute
A seven-run second inning set the stage for George Mason to take the rubber game of its three-game series with UMass, 11-2, on Sun., April 29. Alec Norton had three of Massachusetts' 12 hits. Eddy Hart extended his hitting streak to eight games with a 2-for-4 performance, including a double in the first inning.
Massachusetts pocketed the middle contest by a 1-0 margin on the strength of a Marcus Fry home run, plus a combined shutout effort on the mound by Sean Harney and Casey Aubin. In the opener on Fri., April 27, Mason starter Zach Mort took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Andrew Noonan broke it up with an RBI single in a 2-1 loss.
An 'East'ern Touch
All-time against current members of the America East Conference, UMass holds a record of 80-65-1, a mark that accounts for having never played against conference foes Binghamton and Stony Brook. The Minutemen have more wins over Maine (50) and Hartford (23) than any other team in the league.
Aside from a 26-10 record against Central Connecticut, the Northeast Conference is rather uncharted territory for the Maroon and White. Dating back to 2001 UMass has taken six of seven matchups with Sacred Heart, while taking its lone game against Wagner (1982) and splitting a pair with LIU Brooklyn, the most recent of which came in 1988.
Notes From The Rubber
Justin Lasko tossed his third career complete game on Fri., April 27 at George Mason, going the distance for the second time this season and dealing at least eight innings for the fourth time in his last five starts.
The junior and Stratford, Connecticut product had two different stints in the Summer of 2017 with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He went 2-0 in his four starts, tossing 19.1 innings and stringing together a 2.79 ERA against some of the nation's top bats.
Putting In Your 'Hart' And Soul
Dating back to the Richmond finale on Sun., March 25, Eddy Hart has hit safely in 19 of UMass' last 21 games, including the last eight in a row. Originally from Middleboro, Massachusetts, that stretch includes Hart's first three home runs of his career as well as a Fri., April 13 performance against Rhode Island in which he finished just a triple short of the cycle.
Hart (9) and Ryan Lever (14) boast the longest hitting streaks amongst the Minutemen thus far in 2018.
Excuse Me Your Honor, [Seven] Youths
To this point in 2018, seven different freshmen have seen game action for the Minutemen. On the mound, the class has in part been highlighted by Natick, Massachusetts native Sean Harney. Harney has made three starts on the season and posted a team-best ERA of 2.79 over 38.2 innings pitched.
Despite receiving no-decisions in two of his last three starts, Harney took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Rhode Island on Sat., April 14. The following Saturday against La Salle (April 21), Harney dealt 6.2 innings of two-run ball while tying his single-game career high with six strikeouts.
Call Them The Comeback Kids
In a sweep of Bucknell from March 12-14, Massachusetts was forced to come from behind in each of the three matchups. The last time the Minutemen eliminated consecutive deficits en route to a three-game series sweep was on May 8 and May 9, 2001, when UMass claimed both doubleheader tilts against Saint Joseph's (13-8 and 9-5) before posting an 11-9 triumph to close the weekend.
That year the Maroon and White won the Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship after going 16-6 in the league, ultimately finishing the campaign with an overall record of 27-19.
Not To Be Confused With Brothers Osborne
The Minuteman pitching staff features one set of twin brothers in sophomores Brooks Knapek and Carter Knapek. The duo threw back-to-back in a win over Central Connecticut on Sun., March 11, with Brooks earning the win after four no-hit innings of relief, during which he struck In tout four and surrendered just one walk. Carter then entered for the ninth and collected his first career save. That capped a strong day on the mound for the Minutemen as Justin Lasko started on the hill, striking out five over his four innings of work.
Welcome Back, Coach
A former UMass infielder and captain, head coach Matt Reynolds returns to the Pioneer Valley after three years (2014-17) guiding Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland and seven seasons as an assistant coach at Navy (2007-14).
Prior to Navy, Reynolds served as a graduate assistant under Mike Stone at UMass for three seasons (2005-07). He played his final two collegiate seasons in Amherst after transferring from the University of Maine. He earned Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team honors in 2003 and was named the Minutemen's Most Valuable Player the following year.
On Deck
After Saturday's Bryant game the Minutemen will hit the books and prepare for final exams. The squad will resume competition on Fri., May 11, opening a three-game series against Fordham at 3 p.m. from Earl Lorden Field.
Follow UMass Baseball
Follow UMass baseball on Twitter (@UMassBaseball), Instagram (UMassBaseball) and Facebook (UMass Baseball) for the latest news and updates around the team.
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