For a young team which was just inside the cut line a year ago, every series against the teams expected to be around the playoff bubble takes on added meaning. The Sacred Heart University baseball team faces its second such test in as many weeks this weekend, as the Pioneers open the home portion of their schedule with three Northeast Conference games against Merrimack. The Warriors finished in a three-way tie for sixth a year ago, just three games behind fourth-place SHU, and missed the postseason only due to tiebreakers.
 
First pitch is set for 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday at Veterans Memorial Park in Bridgeport. The Pios were above .500 overall (11-10) and posted a 9-6 record in NEC play at the Vet in 2023. SHU lost just one of five home series last season.
 
All three games will feature a live audio stream via Mixlr. Live stats will be available as well.
 
THE LAST WEEK
SHU opened NEC play in style last week, as Jake Babuschak fired a shutout in the opener at Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday and three Pio pitchers followed up to post another shutout in the back end of the doubleheader. Sacred Heart took two out of three on the road at FDU last weekend, suffered a 10-0 (7 inn.) defeat at Northeastern on Tuesday and then rolled to a 6-2 win at Yale on Wednesday.
 
A LOOK AT THE PIOS
If the talent level across the NEC is similar to a year ago, Sacred Heart (4-10, 2-1 NEC) can do a lot of work towards solidifying its station in the first two weeks of the season. A series win over 2023 third-place team FDU is already in the bag, and the Pios have a competitive Merrimack team on the docket this weekend. Series wins over both before even hitting the 20^th of March could be a huge boon to a young team which will likely only hit its stride as it gets more experience.
 
Michael Simonelli leads the NEC in walks (13). The Pios are third in the league in team ERA (6.67), but just 10^th in on-base percentage (.329). SHU has stolen 25 bases, which ranks second in the NEC, and has posted a reasonable success rate of 69.4% (25-for-36) while trying to force the issue and make the most of its limited baserunners.
 
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Merrimack (3-11, 1-2 NEC) was also on the road to open NEC play and dropped two out of three to a Coppin State team which it finished tied with a year ago. The Eagles swept a doubleheader on Friday, 7-4 and 5-4, while Merrimack bounced back to take a wild, 16-11 affair on Sunday.
 
Last year's NEC Rookie of the Year, Frankie Ferrentino leads the Warrior offense with a 1.059 OPS, which ranks eighth in the league, via a .333/.459/.600 slugging percentage through 45 at-bats (15-for-45). Merrimack is second in the NEC in on-base percentage (.358) but ranks middle of the pack in team ERA (7^th, 8.70).
 
ON THE MOUND
Sacred Heart projected starters:
Friday: Jake Babuschak (RHP)
            2024 stats: 21.1 IP, 19 H, 12 R (11 ER), 8 BB, 14 K, 4.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
            Last start: 3/8 at FDU (W), 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Saturday: Elijah Foster (RHP)
            2024 stats: 11.0 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 14 BB, 16 K, 5.73 ERA, 2.00 WHIP
            Last start: 3/10 at FDU (ND), 1.0 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 0 K
Sunday: Joe Trombley (RHP)
            2024 stats: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 4 K, 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP
            Last start: 3/8 at FDU (ND), 4.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
 
Merrimack projected starters:
Friday: Tyghe Healy (LHP)
            2024 stats: 17.0 IP, 17 H, 8 R (6 ER), 15 BB, 17 K, 3.18 ERA, 1.86 WHIP
            Last start: 3/8 at CSU (ND), 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 9 K
Saturday: Andrew Heffernan (RHP)
            2024 stats: 15.1 IP, 24 H, 14 R (13 ER), 6 BB, 14 K, 7.63 ERA, 1.96 WHIP
            Last start: 3/8 at CSU (ND), 4.2 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Sunday: Brayden Ryan (RHP)
            2024 stats: 19.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 7 BB, 16 K, 2.37 ERA, 0.84 WHIP
            Last start: 3/10 at CSU (ND), 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
 
PREVIOUSLY AGAINST MERRIMACK
A year ago, the two met on the final weekend of the regular season, as SHU made the trip to Andover, Mass., and extinguished Merrimack's postseason hopes by taking two out of three. The Warriors used a walk-off grand slam from Scott Elliott to rally for a 5-3 victory in Thursday's opener, which left the home team in need of just one win from a Friday doubleheader to lock up an NEC Championship berth. The Pioneers would not allow it though, as they hung 28 runs on Merrimack across a doubleheader sweep of 13-7 and 15-11.
 
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE WARRIORS
The two teams have only met 15 times in their history, all since Merrimack joined the NEC in 2021, but will continue to see plenty of each other as both depart for the MAAC for 2025. Merrimack holds a 9-6 advantage in the all-time series, and SHU is just 2-4 against the Warriors in six meetings at the Vet.
 
NEXT UP
SHU will travel to Bryant on Tuesday before making its first-ever trip to Stonehill for a three-game NEC series next weekend, March 22-24.