BOSTON -- The Northeastern University baseball team (14-12, 8-4 CAA) returns home to Friedman Diamond for a four-game homestand this week, beginning with a non-conference midweek matchup against UConn (14-15, 2-1 Big East) on Tuesday, March 31st at 2:30 p.m. The Huskies then open a critical CAA North Division series against Monmouth (14-10, 10-2 CAA) on Thursday, April 2nd at 2:30 p.m. Friday's game two is also set for 2:30 p.m., with the series finale on Saturday, April 4th at 1 p.m. as part of the team's Family & Friends Game. All four contests will stream on FloCollege, with Tuesday and Thursday also airing on NESN+.
 
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
 
1. BATTLE-TESTED AT HOFSTRA: Northeastern dropped a hard-fought three-game CAA series at Hofstra last weekend, taking a 1-2 series result despite a combined 32-26 scoreline across three games. Hofstra walked off the Huskies in extra innings on Friday, 5-4 in 11, before Northeastern stormed back in game two from an 11-7 sixth-inning deficit to win 12-11, with Harrison Feinberg drawing a go-ahead bases-loaded walk in the eighth. Hofstra walked off again on Sunday, rallying from a 10-7 ninth-inning deficit to stun the Huskies 11-10 and claim the series. Despite the result, the Huskies' offense showed fight — Matt Brinker drove in six runs across the three games, Feinberg collected five hits and five RBI on the weekend, and Ryan Gerety reached base in all three games to extend his team-leading reached-base streak. Northeastern sits second in the CAA North Division at 8-4, two games behind first-place Monmouth.
 
2. SCOUTING THE OTHER HUSKIES: Tuesday's midweek clash with UConn marks the first of a home-and-home series between the two New England programs, with the return trip to Storrs set for May 12th. The Huskies from Storrs enter at 14-15 overall and 2-1 in the Big East after taking a series from Xavier over the weekend at Elliot Ballpark — UConn won the opener 3-1 behind a strong start from Charlie West, rolled to an 8-0 shutout in game two with 10 strikeouts from starter Cayden Suchy, and dropped the finale 6-1. The Huskies went 38-21 a year ago but missed the NCAA Tournament field, and features 12 games against Power-4 opponents on this year's schedule. UConn opened the season at the same MLB Desert Invitational in Phoenix, where both teams faced off with Nebraska.
 
3. HAWKS COME TO TOWN: The weekend series with Monmouth looms as one of the most important of the CAA season for the Huskies. The Hawks have been the hottest team in the conference, riding a four-game winning streak and an eye-popping 10-2 CAA record that includes series sweeps of Towson and Elon and series wins over Hofstra and Stony Brook. Monmouth is a perfect 6-0 in CAA road games this season — a streak the Huskies will look to snap at Friedman Diamond. With 18 conference games remaining, and another against the Hawks later in the year, a series win this weekend would go a long way toward Northeastern's push for a second consecutive CAA regular season title.