University of Massachusets Athletics
Thursday, March 28
Richmond, Va.
6 P.M.
University of Massachusetts
at
VCU
Baseball Opens Atlantic 10 Schedule With Series Matchup At VCU
March 27, 2024 | Baseball
Minutemen and Rams launch three-game set Thursday, March 28, at 6 p.m., in Richmond, Virginia.
| University of Massachusetts Baseball Game Notes | |
| Game 20-22 | Massachusetts (7-12, 0-0 Atlantic 10) at VCU (16-9, 0-0 Atlantic 10) |
| Date // Time | Thursday, March 28 // 6 p.m. Friday, March 29 // 6 p.m. Saturday, March 30 // 1 p.m. |
| Location | Richmond, Va. // The Diamond |
| Series History | VCU, 13-4 Last Meeting: VCU, 6 (at) Massachusetts, 1 | May 15, 2022 |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Stream | ESPN+ Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| @UMassBaseball | @UMassAthletics | @CoachReynolds25 | |
| UMass Baseball | UMass Athletics | |
Follow UMass Baseball
Follow UMass baseball on Twitter (@UMassBaseball), Instagram (UMassBaseball) and Facebook (UMass Baseball) all season long for the latest news and updates around the team. Fans can also follow head coach Matt Reynolds on Twitter @CoachReynolds25.
Setting the Scene
University of Massachusetts baseball opens Atlantic 10 Conference play with a three-game series against VCU in Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday, March 28 through Saturday, March 30, at The Diamond. First pitch on Thursday and Friday is set for 6 p.m., while Saturday's contest will begin at 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Minutemen improved to 7-12 on the season after earning a series victory over non-conference opponent, Seton Hall, on Sunday afternoon. VCU currently holds a 16-9 record and are coming off a 6-3 loss to William & Mary on Tuesday.
Recap in a Minute
UMass went 2-1 in its weekend series at Seton Hall, as the Minutemen swept the doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.
In the 5-2 win during game two, Matt Travisano and Braden Sullivan led the team with two hits and two RBI apiece, while Sullivan added a run scored on a home run. Mike Gervasi had a solo home run for his one hit of the day, and tallied a RBI and a run. Kevin Skagerlind and Austin Burgess also had one hit and one run each, with Nolan Tichy plating a run. Leif Bigelow received the winning decision, his first as a Minuteman, after allowing only two hits and dealing three strikeouts to match a season-high in two complete innings.
The series finale saw Massachusetts come out on top, 11-1, with a run-rule. Gervasi aided the team to its victory with a career-high two home runs and his first double of the season, while adding a team-high three runs and three RBI in the contest. Sullivan totaled three hits, as well, on the day, which included a double. Skagerlind, Travisano and Jack Beverly contributed two hits each, followed by Tichy and Marc Willi with one apiece. In addition to Gervasi and Sullivan, Skagerlind, Beverly and Tichy all had a double on the afternoon. Skagerlind, Travisano, Tichy and Sullivan scored two runs apiece, while Beverly tallied two RBI. Four Minutemen in Skagerlind, Carter Hanson, Tichy and Sullivan had one RBI. Robbie O'Connor went a complete seven innings to pick up his first career win on the hill. He allowed one run, five hits, a walk and struck out two in his outing for Massachusetts.
All-Time vs. VCU
The Minutemen and Rams will meet for the 18th time in program history on Thursday, as VCU is ahead, 13-4, in the all-time series. Before becoming A-10 foes, UMass and VCU first met on March 18, 1979, as the Rams eked out a 5-4 win. The programs last met for a three-game series in 2022, with VCU sweeping the series.
Massachusetts last defeated VCU in game two of a three-game series on March 27, 2015, picking up a 3-2 victory on the road.
It's Going, Going, And It's Gone
Massachusetts has tallied 19 home runs in 19 games played from seven Minutemen. Gervasi leads the team with seven, followed by Beverly and Hanson with three. Tichy and Sullivan registered two on the year each, while Burgess, Justin Blumenthal both recorded one homer on the season.
Gervasi registered his first long ball of the year in the first game of the season against Bucknell, before hitting his second and third in back-to-back games. He had his second homer in game three of the Bucknell series, before hitting his third in game one at No. 13 Virginia. Hanson had a home run as well in game one of the Bucknell series and tallied his second in the game two 10-5 win at No. 13 Virginia. Tichy recorded his lone homer in the final game against Bucknell.
Burgess had his first home run of the year in game two at Elon, while Beverly and Blumenthal hit their first in game three at Elon. Beverly's homer marked the first of his career. Sullivan recorded his first career grand slam, marking his first collegiate home run, at UMES.
On A Roll…
Eight Minutemen are riding a current hitting streak, so far this season. Travisano and Gervasi sit on top of the leaderboard with three games, followed by Skagerlind, Willi and Sullivan with two. Beverly, Tichy and Burgess are all on a one-game streak. Travisano held the team's longest streak of 13 games before it came to an end.
Skagerlind leads the team with an 18-game reached base streak, the longest for the Minutemen, with Tichy on a 10-game reached base streak. Burgess and Sullivan follow behind with nine and eight, respectively, while Travisano is on a four-game streak. Gervasi is on a three-game streak, as Willi, Sam Hill and Kyle Hoog are on a two-game reached base streak. Beverly and Blumenthal have reached base in one game.
[Multi]ple Games
In 19 games, UMass has a strong showing with multi-hit games, as the Minutemen have run their total of multi-hit performances to 47. Travisano leads the production with 10, which included one four-hit game and three-hit contest. Beverly and Skagerlind have had eight and seven multi-hit games, respectively, with Gervasi following behind with five, including three hits in two games. Hanson and Sullivan tallied four multi-hit contests, with Hanson recording three hits in one game and Sullivan registering a four-hit and a three-hit performance. Tichy, Willi and Blumenthal totaled two multi-hit games. Three Minutemen have one game, as Toth put together a four-hit performance in one contest.
Massachusetts also contributed a total of 29 multi-RBI games, led by Beverly with six, including two three RBI games, followed by Hanson with five, which includes a three RBI contest. Gervasi has had four multi-RBI games, with one four-RBI contest. Burgess, Tichy and Sullivan have three multi-RBI contest, with Burgess having one three RBI game and Sullivan having the team's only five-plus RBI game, so far, this season. Travisano has had two multi-RBI games, while three players have registered one multi-RBI game, including Skagerlind and Jake Given with three RBI in one game.
Meet the Minutemen
A solid mix of returners and newcomers compose the 2024 edition of the Minutemen as the squad begins its 141st season. Nineteen members of the team are back from the 2023 campaign, while 16 players join for their first season in Amherst, including eight freshman and eight transfers.
Keeping it in the Family
The 2024 season marks the 58th straight campaign that Massachusetts baseball will have an alumnus of the Flagship campus as head coach. Seventh-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
Massachusetts heads to Boston, Massachusetts, for the Opening Round of the Beanpot Tournament on Tuesday, April 2, at 3 p.m., to take on Northeastern.
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