Huskies a No. 2 seed in Oklahoma City Regional
The Story: The baseball team made the NCAA tournament for the sixth time in the past 10 years when it earned an at-large bid as a No. 2 seed in the Oklahoma City regional. UConn will open against No. 3 seed Nebraska on Friday at 1 p.m., with top-seeded Oklahoma State facing Ivy League champion Harvard.
ROUGH END TO GREAT WEEK: UConn is coming off a 22-5 loss to Cincinnati in the AAC Championship game on Sunday, but played well throughout the week in Clearwater, Florida, to secure a berth. The Huskies have always angled to host a regional (which they did in 2010), but as a No. 2 seed were shown deference as one of the top 30 teams in the nation.
Even though they lost, reaching the final was crucial for coach Jim Penders and the Huskies, who were on the NCAA tournament bubble last week. They were the No. 4 seed in the AAC tournament and benefited from top seed ECU’s early elimination. Only three AAC teams were selected for the NCAA tournament — UConn and ECU joined Cincinnati with at-large bids — meaning Tulane and Houston got the squeeze.
ROAD TO THE CWS: The Huskies will open against Nebraska, which is coached by former Los Angeles Angels standout Darin Erstad. There is a double-elimination format for the regionals, with the winner moving to a best-of-three series in the Super Regionals against the winner of the Lubbock regional — Texas Tech, Florida, Dallas Baptist or Army — for the right to go to the College World Series.
WHAT DID PENDERS SAY? “Hey, it’s a brand new season. [The AAC title game] counted for one loss, the last time I checked. It’s a fresh start, and I don’t want [our players] to lose sight that we’ve come a long way the last eight, 10 days. I thought we showed resiliency and toughness that better exemplified a UConn team.”
NCAA HISTORY: The Huskies, who have made five appearances in the College World Series (but none since 1979), are in the NCAA tournament for the 21st time. They reached the regional final last season, losing 9-6 to Washington. Their greatest success under Penders came in 2011, when they reached the Super Regional before losing to eventual champion South Carolina.
STARTING PITCHER: Penders wasn’t ready to name a starter for the opener, but All-American Mason Feole will be on full rest and be ready to go if Penders turns to him. Feole is 3-3 with 75 strikeouts in 72 innings with opponents hitting only .233 against him. The bullpen is strong, led by closer Jacob Wallace‘s minuscule 0.73 ERA, 56 strikeouts in 37 innings and a team-best .156 average against.
CONNECTICUT IS COLLEGE BASEBALL CRAZY: UConn will be joined in the 64-team field by conference champions CCSU, making its sixth appearance under Charlie Hickey, and Quinnipiac, which is back in the tournament for the first time in 14 years.
Hey, I Know You!
The Story: Former UConn center Napheesa Collier scored 27 points in her WNBA debut as the Minnesota Lynx defeated former teammate Katie Lou Samuelson and the Chicago Sky 89-71 on Saturday.
COLLIER COMFORTABLE: Collier’s 27 points were the second-most in WNBA history for a rookie debut after Candace Parker scored 34 points in her first game in 2008. Collier, the sixth pick in the WNBA Draft, made eight of 10 shots with six rebounds and three blocks in 33 minutes. Samuelson, the fourth pick in the draft, scored four points in 18 minutes, making her only shot and adding a pair of free throws.
CONNECTICUT CONNECTIONS: The Huskies have 18 former players on WNBA contracts, though Maya Moore won’t play this season as she takes a year off to recover and Breanna Stewart is likely out for the year after tearing an Achilles’ tendon (though she will be paid by the league as a brand ambassador). Longtime stars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi will also miss a portion of the season because of injuries.
Here’s where former UConn players will be playing this season:
Atlanta Dream: Tiffany Hayes, Renee Montgomery
Chicago Sky: Stefanie Dolson, Katie Lou Samuelson, Gabby Williams
Connecticut Sun: Morgan Tuck
Dallas Wings: Moriah Jefferson, Azura Stevens
Minnesota Lynx: Napheesa Collier (plus Maya Moore)
New York Liberty: Tina Charles, Bria Hartley, Kia Nurse, Kiah Stokes
Phoenix Mercury: Diana Taurasi
Seattle Storm: Sue Bird, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (plus Breanna Stewart)
Morning Read
DIANA BREAKS DOWN KLAY: Nothing beats a great player critiquing a great player, and Diana Taurasi breaks down Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson‘s game. (ESPN)
PATTERSON ON WOMEN’S CUP ROSTER: Former UConn defender Tori Patterson, who played from 2014-2016, was named to Jamaica’s Women’s Wolrd Cup team, which will compete in France this summer. (The UConn Blog)
TRIO NAMED ALL-PING TEAM: Seniors Jimmy Hervol and Nick Harrington and junior Drake Hull were named to the Division I Ping All-Northeast Region team. (UConnHuskies.com)
