Basketball-centric UConn proving it's also a baseball school

UConn head coach Jim Penders congratulates Michael Woodworth (8) as he rounds the bases in the eighth inning of an NCAA college baseball game against Tulane in Hartford, Conn., in this April 27, 2018, photo. Penders, the nephew of former college hoops coach Tom Penders, credits Connecticut's basketball programs and their combined 15 national titles, with creating an athletics culture that has helped him recruit top players to Storrs and convince officials to build his team's just opened state-of-the art Elliot Ballpark, which comes complete with an artificial turf field and heated benches. (John Woike/Hartford Courant via AP)

UConn baseball head coach Jim Penders, right, looks on with his players during an NCAA college baseball game against Tulane in Hartford, Conn., in this April 27, 2018, photo. Penders, the nephew of former college hoops coach Tom Penders, credits Connecticut's basketball programs and their combined 15 national titles, with creating an athletics culture that has helped him recruit top players to Storrs and convince officials to build his team's just opened state-of-the art Elliot Ballpark, which comes complete with an artificial turf field and heated benches. (John Woike/Hartford Courant via AP)

UConn baseball coach Jim Penders walks on the field after beating Seton Hall in an NCAA college baseball game to win the Big East regular season conference title, Saturday, May 22, 2021, in Storrs, Conn. Penders, the nephew of former college hoops coach Tom Penders, says UConn's basketball programs have help build a top athletics culture at the school, which has helped him build a nationally recognized baseball program there.(AP Photo/Pat Eaton-Robb)