It's a showdown of intrastate rivals this weekend, as the Sacred Heart University baseball team hits the road for a three-game series against Central Connecticut State, which currently sits atop the Northeast Conference standings. SHU is three games behind the Blue Devils and could pull into a tie for first with a sweep, or at least trim the deficit by taking two out of three. The Pios are currently in a three-way tie for second place with Fairleigh Dickinson and Wagner.

First pitch in the Hardware City is set for noon on Thursday, with the start time having been moved up due to impending wet weather later in the day. A pair of 1 p.m. contests will follow on Friday and Saturday. Thursday's game will be live on both NEC Front Row (video) and Mixlr (audio only), while live stats will be available for all three contests.  

LAST TIME OUT
Sacred Heart turned Fiondella Field into its own personal rage room on Tuesday afternoon. Just two days removed from failing to hold an 11-5, seventh-inning lead at LIU, the Pios took some of their frustrations out on the Hartford Hawks. SHU launched four home runs on the day – including a pair from Zack Kovalchik – as part of an 18-hit attack on the way to a 18-3 non-conference win. 

A LOOK AT THE PIOS
Sacred Heart (13-12, 8-4 NEC) suffered its first NEC series loss of the season last weekend, with the disappointing defeat to LIU in the Sunday's series finale. The road gets no easier for the Pios, who will find out a lot about where their 2023 campaign is headed over the next three weekends. SHU squares off with first-place CCSU this weekend, then returns home for back-to-back series against the two teams it is currently tied for second with: FDU and Wagner.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
A seven-time NEC champion, CCSU (15-5, 11-1 NEC) is off to a hot start in 2023. The Blue Devils swept their first three league series – against Maryland Eastern Shore, Delaware State and Norfolk State – and then took two of three on the road at Wagner last season. The CCSU pitching staff is holding opponents to a .269 batting average, which tops the NEC. Boston College graduate transfer Ramon Jimenez boasts the league's third-best OPS, at 1.213, on an eye-catching .403/.477/.736 slash line.

ON THE MOUND

Sacred Heart projected starters:
Thursday: Jake Babuschak (RHP)
            Season stats: 33.1 IP, 44 H, 23 R (21 ER), 13 BB, 30 K, 5.67 ERA, 1.71 WHIP
            Last start: March 31 at LIU (L), 7.0 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Friday: Jack Kramer (RHP)
            Season stats: 32.0 IP, 32 H, 20 R (17 ER), 19 BB, 34 K, 4.78 ERA, 1.59 WHIP
            Last start: March 31 at LIU (ND), 4.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R (2 ER), 5 BB, 4 K
Saturday: TBD

CCSU projected starters:
Thursday: Dominic Niman (LHP)
            Season stats: 32.2 IP, 34 H, 17 R (12 ER), 10 BB, 30 K, 3.31 ERA, 1.35 WHIP
            Last start: March 31 at Wagner (W), 6.0 IP, 8 H, 7 R (5 ER), 5 BB, 4 K
Friday: TBD
Saturday: Jake Neuman (LHP)
            Season stats: 29.0 IP, 31 H, 16 R (14 ER), 11 BB, 17 K, 4.34 ERA, 1.45 WHIP
            Last start: April 2 at Wagner (W), 5.2 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K 

LAST TIME AGAINST THE BLUE DEVILS
CCSU swept the 2023 series between the two teams, with 5-3 and 9-1 wins at Veteran's Park, followed by a 14-6 victory in a neutral-site contest at Dunkin' Donuts Park in Hartford. Mongelli homered in the game in Hartford, as part of a five-hit weekend. Hunter Pasqualini went 7-for-15 and scored six runs at the top of the lineup for the Blue Devils 

ALL-TIME VS. CCSU
The two teams have met 98 times in an all-time series which dates to 1998, with CCSU holding a 56-42 edge overall, including a 46-36 margin in NEC play. Setting last year aside, the two teams have been rather evenly matched in recent history. They split six games in 2021, with each winning two of three at home. The Blue Devils won two of three in 2019, but the Pios claimed three of four in 2018. 

NEXT UP
SHU plays its ninth straight road game on Wednesday, when it travels to Army for a midweek contest. The Pios are then home for eight straight, beginning with a weekend series against FDU April 14-16.