THE BASICS:

SERIES INFORMATION: Hartford Hawks (2-14, 1-2 AE) at Maine Black Bears (3-9, 0-0 AE)
TIME: Friday, March 23 at 3 p.m. and Saturday, March 24 (Doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.)
LOCATION: Fiondella Field (West Hartford, Conn.)
COVERAGE: Live Stats | Twitter: @HartfordBASE
 
FIRST PITCH
The University of Hartford baseball team opens its #AEBase home slate with a three-game set against the Maine Black Bears. Due to impending weather on Sunday, the Hawks and Black Bears will play a single game of Friday at 3 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 12 p.m.  

SCOUTING MAINE                                                                      
The Black Bears, who were picked second in the preseason America East coaches poll, have opened 2018 4-17, with wins over Ohio, Miami, and Texas Rio Grande Valley.
 
All-TIME vs. MAINE
The Black Bears hold a sizable, 91-38 advantage in the long-time conference matchup. The Hawks, however, have had a slight advantage as of late, winning 13 of the last 20 meetings.  
           
LAST TIME OUT
After opening their America East schedule against UMBC this weekend, the Hawks dropped two close weekday games, falling to Northeastern 3-1 on Monday and to Bryant, 8-6 on Tuesday.  
 
THE THRASHER
Freshman John Thrasher has made an immediate impact on the Hawks, recording five RBIs, nine runs, a pair of extra-base hits and a home run in his first eleven games in a Hawks Uniform.
 
BARDZELL BOMB
Bardzell tied a career-high two home runs and four RBIs in the Hawks 13-11 win over Fairfield on February 28th. Bardzell leads the Hawks in Home runs (5), and RBIs (12), sitting second in the America East in home runs and seventh in RBIs.
 
HOT BAT
Senior Nick Campana has opened the season with an impressive .417 batting average, which leads the America East, while scoring on 11 occasions and driving in nine runs.
 
LAST SEASON
The Hawks finished last season 20-30 overall and 8-13 in the America East before falling to Maine in the America East Tournament. Then-senior first baseman David MacKinnon, junior shortstop Ben Bengtson, and Bardzell were all named to the America East All-Conference First Team. It marked the second consecutive First Team selection for MacKinnon and Bengtson and the first for Bardzell.
 
TRIO OF CAPTAINS
In the fall, the team voted senior third baseman TJ Ward, redshirt-junior pitcher Jake Regula and Bardzell as the Hawks' team captains for the 2018 season. Ward, who will be serving his second season as team captain, started 38 games as a junior, ranking third on the team in RBI (32) and fifth in home runs (5). Regula appeared in 19 games on the hill for the Hawks this past season, making three starts and recording a pair of saves. Bardzell started 49 games in his sophomore campaign, leading the America East in RBIs (43), batting average (.343) and slugging percentage (.619), while lead the team in doubles (13), triples (5) and home runs (9) on his way to earning America East First Team All-Conference honors.
 
THE SHOW
A trio of Hawks was selected in the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft in June. Hawks catcher Erik Ostberg was taken by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 13th round, while shortstop Ben Bengtson went to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 23rd round and first baseman David MacKinnon was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 32nd round. Hartford now has 17 players drafted in program history and seven during head coach Justin Blood's tenure.
 
HE'S A WINNER
Blood's 146 wins has him tied with the late Roger Wickman for the most in program history.
 
STAFF STRUCTURE
The majority Blood's coaching staff remains the same for the 2018 campaign, but the group has had some minor adjustments since last season. Associate head coach Steve Malinowski, who has been on Blood's staff since his arrival in Hartford, returns for his seventh season while assistant coach Elliot Glynn returns for his fourth season in the Hartford dugout.
 
Joining the staff this season is volunteer assistant coach Ethan Newton, who comes to Hartford from Allegany College where he served as the associate head coach for two seasons. Dr. David Miller also joins the Hawks this season as the Director of Baseball Analytics.
 
DUNKIN' DONUTS PARK   
The Hawks will play four games inside of Dunkin' Donuts Park in Hartford this season. Hartford is set to host in-state rivals Central Connecticut and UConn next Saturday, March 31, before hosting UMass on Tuesday, May 1, and Central Connecticut on Wednesday, May 16. CLICK HERE to buy tickets for March 31, and CLICK HERE to May 1 and 16.  
 
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks will stay in the nutmeg state for a 3:30 p.m. Wednesday matchup with Yale at Yale Field.