Men UConn Baseball 2023

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Curren Larson who did not play last year at all. The rest appear to be freshman which makes sense. Brown has been in and out of transfer portal so that would not be a surprise if his named did not appear on roster later this week

Final cuts to the roster still have to take place as well. Hector Alejandro is out for the year with an injury. Four other players will need to be cut from the spring roster and presumably redshirted to bring the roster to 37. Guessing they will most likely be incoming freshmen, but we shall see in a few days.

As pointed out above, Curren Larson did not play at all last season with UConn. He played summer ball with Norwich of the Futures League, and I saw him pitch several times. Larson had big problems with his control in Norwich, in some ways he reminded me of Jimmy Wang who played with Norwich the summer season before, who also showed a lack of control when he pitched. Larson did not make a good impression on me with his pitching while he was in Norwich.

Not surprised at all that Chris Brown is not on the travel roster to start the season, UConn simply has a number of guys who can play 3B who certainly seemed to be ahead of him during the fall ball season, which very well could be the reason Brown entered the transfer portal again. After his solid 2021 spring season with UConn, Brown had a tough time in summer ball that summer, and it doesn't seem that he has played well since. Brown is supposed to play summer ball with Bridgeport of the Connecticut Collegiate Baseball League, which may even be a step below the Futures League in terms of quality.

 

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[lukefrom11]

Ever since Brown was benched in that Dunkin series it was likely to happen

 

[huskymedic]

Assisted access <<

* Chris Brown is included in this draft (not sure if accurate - we’ll see I guess)*

 

[dbmill]

Assisted access <<

* Chris Brown is included in this draft (not sure if accurate - we’ll see I guess)*

I was wondering about the injury that put Hector Alejandro out for the season. It's mentioned in the above story:

<Alejandro was forced to miss his senior season at Naugatuck due to Tommy John surgery, and he went on to red shirt his freshman year at UConn in 2021. He appeared in 12 games, starting two in 2022, when he finished the season with a 8.62 ERA, striking out 17 batters in 15.2 innings pitched in his first year back on the mound. This past summer he pitched for the Mystic Schooners of the NECBL. >

 

[dbmill]

For UConn baseball, this would include Chris Jones. One of his extra duties with UConn baseball is broadcasting each game on MIXLR. Love listening to Chris Jones call the games, as he does a fine job on play by play, plus he often provides info on UConn baseball during these broadcasts that you are not likely to hear anywhere else.

 

[huskyinfl]

I live in Venice. I'm going to check out this game versus Ohio State. Hopefully we crush them. Anyone want to still see if they can drink like its spring weekend? Lol

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

This article on the UConn is a good read. It covers much of what has been mentioned on these threads about the players contending for playing time in the outfield. Korey Morton and T.C. Simmons are the returning starters and are certainly quality players. Transfer Jake Studley and freshman Niko Brini are the main candidates to take over the other outfield spot as well. It is also possible that transfer Dominic Freeberger who saw a lot of time in the infield during fall ball games could end up in the outfield mix as well if the coaching staff decides to go in that direction.

One outfielder who did not get a mention in this article is freshman Drew Kron. He played for Norwich in the Futures League last summer, so I got to see him play a number of times. His outfield defense was terrific, and he has good speed. His bat was okay, but nothing all that special. Still, under ordinary circumstances a freshman like him would probably see some playing time as an outfield defensive replacement and possibly as a pinch runner as well. If his offense continues to develop, I definitely would not be surprised to see him starting in CF for UConn in future seasons. As with everything else, we'll see what happens with Kron in the future.

 

[dbmill]

JUCO RHP Curren Larson is no longer listed on the online 2023 UConn baseball roster.

 

[CL82]

I live in Venice. I'm going to check out this game versus Ohio State. Hopefully we crush them. Anyone want to still see if they can drink like it’s spring weekend? Lol

It’s not the drinking. It’s the recovery.

 

[dbmill]

 

[dbmill]

JUCO RHP Curren Larson is no longer listed on the online 2023 UConn baseball roster.

Freshman LHP Kolby Pascarelli is no longer listed on the online 2023 UConn baseball roster as well.

 

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Finally, preseason interviews with the coaching staff!

 

[huskyinfl]

It’s not the drinking. It’s the recovery

Im still hurting from the super bowl. lol but still stupid enough and prideful to show up for UConn.
I will say Bocca Lupo Pizza is pretty good (wellen park outside the stadium). I expect a no-hitter with front to back homeruns by the entire lineup of Huskies.

 

[dbmill]

Finally, preseason interviews with the coaching staff!

Listening to this interview reinforces the notion that there is a lot of depth with the position players on this team. A quick summery from my first quick listen to this interview, I'm sure there is more to glean from repeated listens.

Catchers:

Matt Garbowski has recovered from his injuries from last season, and that is a big thing. They like his bat (he hit well last season despite his injuries) and his defense. Sounds like the number 1 guy behind the plate.
Ryan Hyde is a leader, he has made himself into a good player. Sounds like he is currently the chief back up to Garbowski.
Levi McAllister is new to the team as a freshman, but he is a player with potential.

Infield

Three returning starters in the infield, Huber, Smith, and Padilla. As for Padilla, a hard worker, and they expect big things from him this season, basically building upon what he did last season.

Dominic Freeberger can play anywhere, including catcher in a pinch. They love his bat, sounds like the leader at 3B for now. With his flexibility, could end up playing elsewhere if needed.
Luke Broadhurst can play the corners on the infield. Love his offense. Very talented, he adds nice maturity to the lineup. I suspect he is the leader for playing time at D.H. at this point, but there are plenty of options at that spot.
Chris Brown, he has had success at 3B in the past. No mention of how he is currently doing.

Paul Tammaro is an outstanding defensive player, can play anywhere in the infield. His bat doesn't sound bad either. Suspect he is the first guy off the bench to fill in at the middle infield spots.
Ryan Daniels - They say he is a weapon offensively, another guy who can play anywhere in the infield. Sound very high on him.
Maddix Dalena - They love his offense, he has shown good power and a mature bat. He could spell Huber at 1B on occasion, possibly get time at D.H. as well. Still, there is just so much playing time to go around on this team.

Juliano and Sorensen both got some positive words about them, but as for playing time, we'll see.

Outfield:

Morton and Simmons are returning starters, obviously much is expected of them.
Sounds like the battle for the final outfield spot between Studley and Brini may still be on. The expectations for a terrific defensive outfield sound very high with either of them playing along side Morton and Simmons.

Drew Kron - The comments here about him mirror pretty much from what I have said about watching play in Norwich last summer, he is fun to watch play the outfield. His bat has shown flashes so far, someone to watch for the future.
Nice comment on Greger, called him a hard worker.

Definitely recommend listening to this interview.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Me thinks the talent upgrade behind the starters is huge and while last year, we generally avoided the injury bug down the stretch, I think we have enough off the bench to keep things rolling.

 

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D1Baseball.com has been doing conference previews for the last couple of weeks. I believe there is only one conference preview left to do on their website, and that is the one for the Big East. Hoping it will come out later today.

 

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[huskymedic]

-> … A program that finished better than sixth in its conference only once in the first six years of Penders’ tenure is now a heavy favorite to make it five straight trips to a regional and not an outlandish pick for Omaha. <-

-> “I wouldn’t say just Omaha. Coach preaches every day that our goal isn’t to make Omaha. Our goal is to come back from Omaha with the wins and to win a national championship,” Huber said.

If the Huskies do it, they will likely do it relying on underclassmen from the Northeast or transfers getting their first taste of Division I, much like last year’s team that fell one win short of the CWS. Many of these Huskies, however, remember how close they came and what it must take to get there.

“The last game David Smith played was a game for Omaha. The last game Bryan Padilla played. T.C. Simmons, Korey Morton, Matt Garbowski, Ian Cook—the last game they played was knocking down the door to go for the grand prize,” MacDonald said. “There’s a lot of guys back who are hungry for that grand prize.” <-

 

[dbmill]

Freshmen RHP's Sam Clark and J.J. Hood did not make the 37 man spring playing roster according to notations on the online 2023 UConn baseball roster in their individual bio sections. Guessing they are still considered part of the team and redshirts for the 2023 season, and could show up again on the fall ball roster later this year, assuming they don't end up in the transfer portal.

Sam Clark - Baseball - University of Connecticut Athletics

Sam Clark (13) Right-Handed Pitcher - 2023 Season: Not on the 37-man roster. High School: Lettered three seasons for head coach Tony Dibiase at Cheverus High

uconnhuskies.com

J.J. Hood - Baseball - University of Connecticut Athletics

J.J. Hood (49) Right-Handed Pitcher - 2023 Season: Not on 37-man roster.

uconnhuskies.com

 

[dbmill]

I was checking out the 2023 UConn baseball media guide that was just posted today on the UConn Athletics website, and I found a section that apparently lists the grad students on the team that still have two seasons of eligibility, so they could be back to play next season as well:

Zach Fogell
Will Nowak
Stephen Quigley
Jake Studley
Paul Tammaro

 

[scotty0330]

Freshmen RHP's Sam Clark and J.J. Hood did not make the 37 man spring playing roster according to notations on the online 2023 UConn baseball roster in their individual bio sections. Guessing they are still considered part of the team and redshirts for the 2023 season, and could show up again on the fall ball roster later this year, assuming they don't end up in the transfer portal.

Sam Clark - Baseball - University of Connecticut Athletics

Sam Clark (13) Right-Handed Pitcher - 2023 Season: Not on the 37-man roster. High School: Lettered three seasons for head coach Tony Dibiase at Cheverus High

uconnhuskies.com

J.J. Hood - Baseball - University of Connecticut Athletics

J.J. Hood (49) Right-Handed Pitcher - 2023 Season: Not on 37-man roster.

uconnhuskies.com

So I think roster is at 37 if Hector Alejandro is out with an injury and doesn't have to be included. Is my math correct?

 

[dbmill]

So I think roster is at 37 if Hector Alejandro is out with an injury and doesn't have to be included. Is my math correct?

Yes.

 

[huskymedic]

Second installment: