Baseball Heads to Sacred Heart for Non-Conference Matchup

University of Massachusetts Baseball Game Notes
Game 34 Date // Time	Massachusetts (9-24) at Sacred Heart (14-16) Tuesday, April 27 // 3 p.m.
Location	Bridgeport, Conn. (Veteran's Park)
Series History	Massachusetts leads, 6-1 Last meeting: (at) Massachusetts 15, Sacred Heart 3 // March 25, 2008
Live Statistics	PrestoSports
Streaming	Live stream unavailable
Twitter	@UMassBaseball \| @UMassAthletics \| @CoachReynolds25
Instagram	UMass Baseball \| UMass Athletics

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Setting the Scene
The University of Massachusetts baseball team will make a trip to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to take on the Sacred Heart Pioneers for a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, April 27, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. The contest will mark the first meeting of the two programs since 2008.

Recap in a Minute
UMass is coming off of an Atlantic 10 Conference series at Rhode Island, recording an 11-2 victory in game two of Friday's doubleheader. The Minutemen led in the ninth inning of the series opener before a Rhody comeback effort, and a comeback effort came up just short on Saturday with the squad seeking a series split.

In the first inning of Friday's nightcap, the Minutemen grabbed a 6-0 lead and cushioned the advantage with four more runs in the third inning and one more in the fifth. All nine in the starting lineup reached base and scored at least one run for the Maroon and White. Mike Gervasi provided three RBIs, getting one in the first and two in the third. Dylan Judd, Gervasi and Josh Petrucci had two hits each on the day, including a double each for Judd and Petrucci. Petrucci's hits were his first as a Minutemen, as well as his two RBIs. Kevin Skagerlind also recorded his first collegiate triple in the triumph.

On the mound, Jack Steele went all seven innings for the win. Steele allowed seven hits, striking out six along the way with three walks.

All-Time vs. Sacred Heart
The Minutemen hold a 6-1 advantage all-time against the Pioneers. UMass and SHU first matched up in 2001 and last met in 2008. On March 25, 2008, Massachusetts belted out 17 hits in a 15-3 win over the Pioneers at Earl Lorden Field. Brian Baudinet had a three-run homer as part of a four-RBI day and Andy Tuetken was a home run short of the cycle.

Commonwealth Connections

Freshman Kevin Gower and SHU senior Elijah Brown both attended Bishop Hendricken High School.
Assistant coach Nate Cole and SHU's head coach Nick Restaino spent a season as assistant coaches at Southern Connecticut State in 2014.
Cole also served as an assistant coach at SCSU when SHU's assistant coach TK Kiernan was a player in the program, including the year when Restaino was an assistant coach (2011-2014).

[Judd]-ging by the Long Ball
Sophomore Dylan Judd sits atop the leaderboard for the Minutemen in home runs, recording six so far this season. Judd collected his first two collegiate homers on back-to-back at bats during the 10-1 triumph at Towson on March 21. The game saw Judd tally four runs on three hits, one walk and five RBIs. His most recent home run came in the 9-8 victory against Merrimack where Judd had two runs on as many hits, one walk and three RBIs. The Oceanside, New York, native clubbed three others, with one each at Holy Cross (March 31), UConn (April 3) and Saint Joseph's (April 9).

Judd is currently riding a career-long nine-game hitting streak dating back to April 14 vs. Merrimack.

Meet the Minutemen
A solid mix of returners and newcomers compose the 2021 edition of the Minutemen as the squad begins its 138th season of competition. Twenty-two members of the team are back from the abbreviated 2020 campaign, while thirteen players are in their first season in Amherst, including seven freshmen and six transfers. A complete roster is available here.

Keeping it in the Family
The 2021 season marks the 55th straight campaign that Massachusetts baseball will have an alumnus of the Flagship campus as head coach. Fourth-year skipper Matt Reynolds is a double graduate (2005, '10G), and was preceded by fellow alumni Mike Stone '82 (1988-2017) and Dick Bergquist '57 (1967-87).

This is the second longest active streak across Division I baseball. Only BYU (62 consecutive seasons) has been led by an alum of its campus for a longer period.

On Deck
The Minutemen will complete their road swing with a four-game series with Atlantic 10 foe Fordham from April 30-May 2. Friday's opener in the Bronx will start at 3 p.m., while Saturday's 7/7 doubleheader and Sunday's finale will be played at 12 p.m.

Due to the ever-evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, game dates, times and opponents are subject to change. The best way to remain on top of schedule updates is via the official UMass baseball schedule page, as well as the team's social media accounts (@UMassBaseball).

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Players Mentioned

Mike Gervasi

Kevin Gower

Dylan Judd

Dylan Judd

Josh Petrucci

Kevin Skagerlind

Jack Steele

Scoreboard

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