Northeastern Opens NCAA Baseball Regional Play At Kansas On Friday
Rob Washburn
Northeastern opens play in the NCAA Baseball Championship on Friday afternoon as the Huskies (38-20) face host Kansas (40-16) in the opening game of the Lawrence Regional at 1 p.m. (ET). The game will air on ESPN+.
Northeastern is making its 12
th appearance in the NCAA Championship after reeling off four straight victories to capture its second straight CAA Baseball title last Sunday with a 3-2 walk-off win over Campbell. The Huskies went 1-2 in the regionals a year ago, recording its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1973.
The Huskies are led offensively by first-team All-CAA outfielders Harrison Feinberg (.330, 16 HR, 63 RBI’s) and Ryan Gerety (.323, 5 HR, 37 RBI’s), designated hitter Matt Brinker (.310, 8 HR, 59 RBI’s) and freshman leadoff hitter Tyler Harmony (.371). Northeastern utilizes an aggressive running game, leading the nation with 210 stolen bases.
On the mound, Northeastern has gotten strong performances from starting pitchers Robbie O’Connor (9-2, 4.31 ERA), Luc Rising (5-4, 3.24 ERA) and Ryan Griffin (7-2, 3.90 ERA). Out of the bullpen, Andrew Wertz (2-2, 6 saves) was named the Most Outstanding Player at the CAA Baseball Championship after contributing a win and two saves in four appearances.
Kansas has had an outstanding season, capturing the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. The Jayhawks’ offense has belted 102 home runs, led by Tyson LeBlanc (21), Josh Dykoff (15), Augusto Mungarrieta (15) and Tyson Owens (14). On the hill, Mathis Nayral is 4-3 with a 4.59 ERA and Dominic Voegele is 5-3 with 108 strikeouts in 85.1 innings. Reliever Boede Rahe has nine saves.
Joining Northeastern and Kansas in the regional are Arkansas (36-19) and Missouri State (34-19), who will meet at 6 p.m. (ET) on Friday.