Mon May 26 16:40:00 UTC 2025: **Huskies Sweat Out NCAA Bid as Central Connecticut and Fairfield Punch Tickets**
**Storrs, CT** – The UConn Huskies baseball team faces an anxious wait as the NCAA selection committee prepares to announce the field of 64 for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. After a strong second half of the season, culminating in a Big East Tournament finals loss to Creighton, Coach Jim Penders’ squad (38-21) is on the bubble, hoping their late-season surge and quality wins are enough to secure an at-large bid.
“We’ll have a little agita, for sure,” Penders admitted, acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding their fate. The Huskies were 13-17 in April, and lost their first two conference series to Creighton and Xavier, then won 15 conference games in a row and 25 of their last 29 games.
Meanwhile, celebrations erupted at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) and Fairfield University as they secured automatic bids to the tournament. CCSU defeated LIU in a thrilling 6-5, 12-inning contest to win the Northeast Conference (NEC) title. Fairfield clinched the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship with a 7-6, 10-inning victory over Rider.
CCSU coach Charlie Hickey said of his team: “In these games, you’ve got to win at all cost, you’ve got to get your best guys out there and ride ’em. We wouldn’t have slept all summer if we didn’t have our best guy.”
The selection committee faces a challenging task, balancing automatic qualifiers with at-large selections. UConn’s resume includes impressive out-of-conference wins against teams like Miami, North Carolina, and Vanderbilt. However, the Big East’s overall strength and potential “bid steals” from other conferences could work against them.
Penders remains optimistic, saying, “We feel as though our resume speaks for itself,” while emphasizing their history of strong performances in the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies will gather on campus to watch the Selection Show on Monday, hoping to hear their name called and extend their season.
First Piper 