Big East title on line as Huskies take on Creighton
STORRS — Casey Dana slid head first into home plate, always a risky proposition, as the Uconn baseball team was fighting for a nonconference win at Northeastern on April 26. He paid a price.
“He caught the catcher’s cleat,” coach Jim Penders said. “His arm was just split open, it was just filleted. Twenty-six stitches. This happens on a Tuesday, and Friday he’s in the lineup. And he’s Big East player of the week.”
Dana, grad transfer, outfielder from Seton Hall, is typical of what the Huskies are doing, and what they need to be as the season enters the stretch. First place in the Big East is on the line in a threegame series against Creighton starting Friday at Elliot Ballpark in Storrs.
“I love the toughness,” said Penders, who is playing several transfers and grad students. “I love the maturity. They’re a lot of fun to be around, but they have the gray beards. They have instincts on bases, and if they don’t they know how to fake it because they’ve had experiences.”
Dana missed one game, then returned for the series at Butler last weekend and, facing a potentially devastating loss Friday night, he delivered an RBI single early and a sacrifice fly in the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Uconn won, 8-7, in the 10th on David Smith’s inside-the-park homer, and went on to sweep the series as Dana went 8-for-13 with two homers and nine RBI.
“Casey has played in a lot of meaningful games and every RBI he gets is meaningful,” Penders said. “He’s just a tough kid. Doesn’t say much, he’s like a cowboy. He just shows up and performs.”
Uconn (37-8) is 11-1 in the Big East, with Creighton (25-12, 10-2) on its heels. Dylan Tebrake (6-1, 2.76 ERA) goes against the Huskies’ Austin Peterson (8-0. 2.95) to start things off on Friday afternoon at 3:05, with Game 2 Saturday at 1 p.m. and Game 3 Sunday at 11:30. The Saturday game will be televised by The CW (Ch. 20). If the Huskies win two of three they’d have a two-game lead and hold the head-to-head tie-breaker with six conference games left.
Uconn has outscored opponents 377-160, but the key to the
gaudy record has been success in close games. Uconn is 5-0 in extra-inning games and 11-4 in games decided by two runs or less.
“It’s veterans,” Penders said. “These kids have been down the block.”
The RPI race
Uconn has been ranked in the top 20 in most of the national polls but, significantly, not Baseball America’s, which is evidently putting a lot of weight on the RPI. Uconn was in the 60s in RPI two weeks ago despite its record, because of its strength of schedule. But as the Huskies have continued to win, so have some of the teams they beat earlier in the year, and the RPI is improving. They are 45th at the start of play Thursday.
The Huskies have seven games in a row at home, including three vs. Creighton, No. 97, and three vs. Xavier, No. 83. Series wins could push Uconn into position to get an at-large NCAA bid in the event they don’t win conference tournament and its automatic bid. The four-day Big East tournament begins on May 26 at Xavier.
Draft opinions
Uconn has several players with hopes of being taken in the 20-round MLB amateur draft July 17-19. Reggie Crawford, the combo slugging first baseman and hard throwing lefty pitcher, is out for the college season after having Tommy John surgery in September, but he is still considered likely to go in the first round. Padres GM A.J. Preller, a frequent visitor to New England, was on campus recently to watch and meet with Crawford, who is doing some light throwing and swinging.
“Somebody’s gonna take Reggie in the first round,” Penders said. “They’d be stupid to pass on him.”
Peterson and outfielder Eric Stock could go somewhere between Rounds 5 and 10. Catcher Matt Donlan, pitcher Pat Gallagher, Dana and first baseman Ben Huber are others with hopes of getting a call on Day 2 or 3 .
Dana’s older brother, Cullen, was drafted by the Padres in 2018. His younger brother, Caden, is expected to be a high draft pick out of high school this year.