2026 UConn Huskies baseball team

2026 UConn Huskies baseball
2026 UConn Huskies baseball
Big East regular season co-champions
Conference	Big East Conference
Record	32–26 (15–6 Big East)
Head coach	Jim Penders (23rd season);
Assistant coaches	Jeff Hourigan (15th season); Joshua McDonald (15th season); Chris Podeszwa (23rd season);
Home stadium	Elliot Ballpark

2026 Big East Conference baseball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 20 St. John's ‍†‍‡‍^y	15	–	6	.714	36	–	26	.581
UConn ‍†‍‍	15	–	6	.714	32	–	26	.552
Xavier ‍†‍‍	15	–	6	.714	28	–	30	.483
Creighton ‍‍‍	13	–	8	.619	31	–	26	.544
Georgetown ‍‍‍	9	–	12	.429	28	–	28	.500
Butler ‍‍‍	9	–	12	.429	20	–	34	.370
Villanova ‍‍‍	5	–	16	.238	19	–	30	.388
Seton Hall ‍‍‍	3	–	18	.143	16	–	30	.348

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 2026^[1] Rankings from D1Baseball

The 2026 UConn Huskies baseball team represents the University of Connecticut in the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Huskies play their home games at Elliot Ballpark on campus in Storrs, Connecticut. The team is coached by Jim Penders, in his 23rd season at UConn. They play as members of the Big East Conference.

The Huskies completed the regular season with a 32–24 record, including 15–6 in the Big East. They finished in a three-way tie for first place, their sixth straight year with at least a share of the Big East regular season title. Penders earned his 800th win on May 3, 2026 against East Tennessee State.^[2] UConn entered the 2026 Big East Conference baseball tournament as the second seed, having lost a series to top-seeded St. John's and won the series against third-seeded Xavier. In the Tournament, the Huskies were eliminated in two games.^[3]

Previous Season

The Huskies finished the regular season with a 17–4 conference record, 38–21 overall, claiming a share of the Big East title. They entered the 2025 Big East Conference baseball tournament as the second seed, as Creighton claimed a tiebreaker from an early season series. UConn finished the tournament 2–2 and was not included in the NCAA Tournament field.

Personnel

Roster

2026 Connecticut Huskies roster^[4]

Pitchers

10 - Drew Smith - Sophomore
12 - Sean Finn - Junior
13 - Charlie West - Junior
15 - Brady Ericson - Freshman
18 - Charlie Hale - Junior
20 - Evan Hamberger - Senior
22 - Garret Garbinski - Junior
24 - Matt McDowell - Freshman
25 - Ryan Tatar - Freshman
26 - Joe Pitts - Sophomore
27 - Tristan Aasland - Junior
30 - Frank Spirito IV - Sophomore
32 - Austin Trumpour - Graduate
36 - Paxton Meyers - Graduate
37 - Sam Hutchinson - Junior
38 - JT Caruso - Junior
39 - Kyle Peters - Sophomore
40 - Joe Talarico - Junior
41 - Greg Shaw III - Senior
45 - Cayden Suchy - Sophomore
46 - Rob Gilchrist - Junior
46 - Oliver Pudvar - Junior
48 - Justin Lessing - Graduate

Catchers

5 - Steve Thomas - Graduate
6 - Cam Righi - Freshman
11 - Connor Lane - Sophomore
42 - Gabriel Tirado - Sophomore
54 - Chris Cancel - Sophomore

Outfielders

1 - Chris Polemeni - Junior
9 - Chase Taylor - Junior
49 - Nater Wachter - Junior

Infielders

2 - Tyler Minick - Junior
3 - Rob Rispoli - Sophomore
4 - Evan Menzel - Sophomore
19 - Peyton Jemison - Sophomore
21 - Logan Charboneau - Freshman
31 - Jackson Marshall - Sophomore
34 - Bryce Detwiler - Freshman
43 - Maddix Dalena - Junior

Utility

7 - Anthony Belisario - Sophomore

Coaches

2026 Connecticut Huskies baseball coaching staff^[4]
16 – Jim Penders – Head coach – 23rd season 29 – Jeff Hourigan – Assistant coach/Recruiting coordinator – 15th season 33 – Joshua MacDonald – Assistant coach – 15th season 14 – Chris Podeszwa – Volunteer assistant coach – 23rd season

Schedule

Legend
	UConn win
	UConn loss
	Cancellation
Bold	UConn team member
*	Non-Conference game

2026 Connecticut Huskies baseball game log (32–24)^[5]

Regular season (32–24)

February (4–6)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	BE Record
Feb 13	vs Nebraska*		Salt River Fields at Talking Stick • Scottsdale, AZ (MLB Desert Invitational)	L 2–12 ⁽⁷⁾	Clark (1–0)	West (0–1)	None		0–1
Feb 14	vs Kansas State*		Scottsdale Stadium • Scottsdale, AZ (MLB Desert Invitational)	L 3–7	Feser (1–0)	Meyers (0–1)	None	368	0–2
Feb 15	vs Air Force*		Salt River Fields at Talking Stick • Scottsdale, AZ (MLB Desert Invitational)	L 6–12	Downing (1–0)	Pudivar (0–1)	Rhyne (1)	275	0–3
Feb 17	at Arizona State*		Phoenix Municipal Stadium • Phoenix, AZ	L 7–17	Klecker (0–1)	Aasland (0–1)	None	2,834	0–4
Feb 19	at Arizona*		Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ	W 6–4 ⁽¹²⁾	Shaw III (1–0)	Kling (0–1)	None	1,887	1–4
Feb 20	at Arizona*		Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ	W 4–0	West (1–0)	Kramkowski (0–1)	None	2,274	2–4
Feb 21	at Arizona*		Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ	L 4–5	Hicks (1–0)	Garbinski (0–1)	Brandt (1)	2,913	2–5
Feb 22	at Arizona*		Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ	W 11–2	Pudvar (1–1)	McKinney (0–2)	Finn (2)	3,129	3–5
Feb 27	at UNC Wilmington*		Brooks Field • Wilmington, NC	W 5–2	Hale (1–0)	Capocci (0–1)	None	1,002	4–5
Feb 28	at UNC Wilmington*		Brooks Field • Wilmington, NC	L 1–2	Ruh (2–0)	Meyers (0–2)	None	1,327	4–6

March (11–9)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	BE Record
Mar 1	at UNC Wilmington*		Brooks Field • Wilmington, NC	L 2–7	Williford (1–0)	Finn (0–1)	None	1,459	4–7
Mar 4	New Haven*		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	W 9–4	Aasland (1–1)	Glickman (0–3)	None	350	5–7
Mar 6	at Old Dominion*		Bud Metheny Ballpark • Norfolk, VA	W 4–2	West (2–1)	Kuskie (2–2)	Meyers (2)	143	6–7
Mar 7	at Old Dominion*		Bud Metheny Ballpark • Norfolk, VA	W 14–3	Shaw III (2–0)	Gatti (0–2)	None	304	7–7
Mar 8	at Old Dominion*		Bud Metheny Ballpark • Norfolk, VA	L 5–6	Tanton (1–0)	Pudvair (1–2)	Davis (2)	116	7–8
Mar 10	Boston College*		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	L 19–26	Hard (2–1)	Aasland (1–2)	None	558	7–9
Mar 14	at Portland*		Joe Etzel Field • Portland, OR	W 8–5	Hale (2–0)	Segal (0–1)	Meyers (3)	242	8–9
Mar 14	at Portland*		Joe Etzel Field • Portland, OR	L 6–8	Swygart (2–0)	Suchy (0–1)	Via (2)	242 (DH)	8–10
Mar 15	at Portland*		Joe Etzel Field • Portland, OR	L 3–5	Louis (1–1)	Meyers (0–3)	None	231	8–11
Mar 17	at California*		Evans Diamond • Berkeley, CA	W 9–3	Hale (3–0)	Roach (1–1)	Trumpour (1)	407	9–11
Mar 18	at Santa Clara*		Stephen Schott Stadium • Santa Clara, CA	W 12–5	Shaw III (–0)	Lazark (1–1)	None	387	10–11
Mar 20	at San Jose State*		Excite Ballpark • San Jose, CA	L 6–16 ⁽¹⁰⁾	Thomas (2–2)	West (2–2)	None	386	10–12
Mar 21	vs San Diego State*		Excite Ballpark • San Jose, CA	L 4–6	Russell (3–1)	Trumpour (0–1)	None	251	10–13
Mar 22	vs San Diego State*		Excite Ballpark • San Jose, CA	W 7–5	Pudvar (2–2)	Belardes (1–3)	Hale (1)	306	11–13
Mar 22	at San Jose State*		Excite Ballpark • San Jose, CA	W 8–0	Hale (4–0)	Smith (1–3)	None	387	12–13
Mar 25	Quinnipiac*		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	L 3–8	Hiller (1–1)	Trumpour (0–2)	None	290	12–14
Mar 27	Xavier		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	W 3–1	West (3–2)	Piech (3–3)	Shaw III (1)	289	13–14	1–0
Mar 28	Xavier		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	W 8–0	Suchy (1–1)	Vasiliou (0–1)	None	279	14–14	2–0
Mar 29	Xavier		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	L 1–6	Chronister (1–2)	Pudvar (2–3)	Helsel (3)	437	14–15	2–1
Mar 31	at Northeastern*		Parsons Field • Brookline, MA	W 21–5 ⁽⁷⁾	Talarico (1–0)	Cropper (0–1)	None	193	15–15

April (11–5)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	BE Record
Apr 2	Creighton		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	L 1–3	Adams (2–1)	West (3–3)	Burke (2)	301	15–16	2–2
Apr 3	Creighton		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	W 11–2	Suchy (2–1)	Pineau (3–1)	None	413	16–16	3–2
Apr 4	Creighton		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	W 11–9	Shaw III (4–0)	Curtin (0–3)	None	521	17–16	4–2
Apr 7	at Bryant*		Conaty Park • Smithfield, RI	W 6–2	Meyers (1–3)	Mulhol (0–1)	None	142	18–16
Apr 10	at Butler		Bulldog Park • Indianapolis, IN	L 4–5	Hagen (2–0)	Meyers (1–4)	None	237	18–17	4–3
Apr 11	at Butler		Bulldog Park • Indianapolis, IN	W 3–1	Suchy (3–1)	Winders (2–3)	None	448	19–17	5–3
Apr 12	at Butler		Bulldog Park • Indianapolis, IN	W 13–0 ⁽⁷⁾	Purdar (3–3)	Buckle (2–6)	None	250	20–17	6–3
Apr 15	at No. 24 Boston College*		Eddie Pellagrini Diamond • Brighton, MA	L 5–8	Kipp (1–3)	Gilchrist (0–1)	Mitchell (1)	179	20–18
Apr 17	St. John's		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	L 0–4	O'Leary (5–3)	West (3–4)	None	910	20–19	6–4
Apr 18	St. John's		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	L 5–6	Hoeckel (1–1)	Shaw III (4–1)	Frede (3)	918	20–20	6–5
Apr 18	St. John's		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	W 10–0 ⁽⁷⁾	Pudvar (3–3)	Mowad (2–4)	None	1,308	21–20	7–5
Apr 21	Rhode Island*		Dunkin' Donuts Park • Hartford, CT	W 9–5	Hale (5–0)	Kopetski (1–2)	Meyers (4)	986	22–20
Apr 24	at Georgetown		Capital One Park • Tysons, VA	W 14–2	West (4–4)	Raab (2–4)	None	217	23–20	8–5
Apr 25	at Georgetown		Capital One Park • Tysons, VA	W 22–4	Suchy (4–1)	Seid (5–4)	None	117	24–20	9–5
Apr 26	at Georgetown		Capital One Park • Tysons, VA	W 3–2	Pudvar (5–3)	Rucker (0–5)	Hale (2)	222	25–20	10–5
Apr 28	at Rutgers*		Bainton Field • Piscataway, New Jersey	W 5–4	Hale (6–0)	Kane (1–2)	Meyers (5)	427	26–20

May (6–4)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	BE Record
May 1	East Tennessee State*		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	L 7–14	Scott (3–4)	West (4–5)	None	426	26–21
May 2	East Tennessee State*		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	L 1–6	Bell (5–2)	Suchy (4–2)	Curless (4)	810	26–22
May 3	East Tennessee State*		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	W 4–3	Pudvar (6–3)	Jones (3–3)	Shaw III (2)	610	27–22
May 8	at Seton Hall		Owen T. Carroll Field • South Orange, NJ	W 4–3	West (5–5)	Svenson (2–6)	Meyers (6)	145	28–22	11–5
May 9	at Seton Hall		Owen T. Carroll Field • South Orange, NJ	W 13–1	Hale (7–0)	Kuhn (1–3)	None	117	29–22	12–5
May 10	at Seton Hall		Owen T. Carroll Field • South Orange, NJ	W 7–3	Pudvar (7–3)	Christopher (4–5)	Shaw III (3)	234	30–22	13–5
May 12	Northeastern*		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	L 6–10	McSweeney (2–1)	Hamberger (0–1)	Rogovic	612	30–23
May 14	Villanova		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	W 6–5	West (6–5)	Podgorski (1–4)	Shaw III (4)	469	31–23	14–5
May 15	Villanova		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	W 8–0	Suchy (5–2)	Kelley (2–8)	None		32–23	15–5
May 16	Villanova		Elliot Ballpark • Storrs, CT	L 6–9	Moore (5–0)	Pudvar (7–4)	None	1,081	32–24	15–6

Post-Season

Big East Tournament (0–2)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	BET Record
May 20	(3) Xavier	(2)	Prasco Park • Mason, OH	L 1–5	Piech (8–3)	West (6–6)	None		32–25	0–1
May 21	(4) Creighton	(2)	Prasco Park • Mason, OH	L 4–7	Mager (3–1)	Suchy (5–3)	Wendt (1)	3,423	32–26	0–2

Rankings from D1Baseball. Parentheses indicate tournament seedings.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
Coaches'^[6]	RV	RV*
Baseball America^[7]	—	—
NCBWA†^[8]	RV	—
D1Baseball^[9]	—	—
Perfect Game^[10]	—	—

† NCBWA ranks 30 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 25 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

References

↑ "2026 Baseball Standings". bigeast.com. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
↑ Mike Anthony (May 14, 2026). "How Jim Penders found balance through 23 years and over 800 UConn baseball wins". Greenwich Time. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
↑ Dom Amore (May 22, 2026). "UConn loses twice, eliminated from Big East baseball tournament to end season". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
1 2 "2026 Baseball Roster". UConn Huskies. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
↑ "2026 Schedule". UConn Huskies athletics. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
↑ Baseball Coaches Poll
↑ Baseball America College: Top 25
↑ NCBWA Division I poll
↑ D1 Baseball
↑ Perfect Game Top 25 Rankings

[1] "2026 Baseball Standings". bigeast.com. Retrieved June 11, 2026.

[2] Mike Anthony (May 14, 2026). "How Jim Penders found balance through 23 years and over 800 UConn baseball wins". Greenwich Time. Retrieved May 17, 2026.

[3] Dom Amore (May 22, 2026). "UConn loses twice, eliminated from Big East baseball tournament to end season". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 24, 2026.

[roster-4] 1 2 "2026 Baseball Roster". UConn Huskies. Retrieved December 6, 2025.

[5] "2026 Schedule". UConn Huskies athletics. Retrieved December 6, 2025.

[6] Baseball Coaches Poll

[7] Baseball America College: Top 25

[8] NCBWA Division I poll

[9] D1 Baseball

[10] Perfect Game Top 25 Rankings

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