UConn baseball team heads to Mississippi

The UConn baseball team heads to Starkville, Miss. this weekend to compete in the Mississippi State Tournament and attempt to put an end to its early season woes. The Huskies start today at 11 a.m. with a double-header against Lipscomb and Mississippi State, and then move on to play Lipscomb again tomorrow and Mississippi State on Sunday.

Left-handed ace Brian Ward is set to start the first game. Ward has been more than reliable on the hill, starting the season with 2 wins in 2 starts and posting a 1.26 ERA. Unfortunately for the team, he is the only pitcher with a winning decision on his stat sheet so far.

Leading the offense for UConn so far are senior first baseman Ryan Fuller, with an average of .421, and freshmen center fielder Eric Yavarone, who is batting .400. Both players have started all six games so far and will be looking to continue their success as the team looks to increase theirs.

The two opponents for the Huskies this weekend have a combined record of 10-4, with Mississippi State boasting six of those wins. The Huskies need these wins in order to get some momentum going and get back in the rankings.

Fielding is of some concern for UConn. The Huskies lost their most recent game to Rhode Island by a score of 2-0 despite not surrendering a single earned run. The starter for UConn, Anthony Marzi, threw 6.2 innings of hitless baseball to add to the impact the errors had on the game.

Outfielder Billy Ferriter was day-to-day with a hamstring injury last weekend, which ended up keeping him out of the lineup entirely for the three-game stretch. Ferriter hit .284 last year for the team. Coach Jim Penders could not be reached for comment on his status.

The first game start was originally scheduled for 2:30 p.m., but was bumped up due to "high probability of severe weather conditions in the Starkville vicinity Friday afternoon and evening," according to Mississippi State Media Relations. The other Friday game for the Huskies was also moved up, going from 6:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday games remained unchanged.