Xavier baseball beats UConn to advance in Big East Tournament

MASON − In previewing the Big East Tournament , Xavier head coach Billy O'Conner said these high-stakes postseason games typically come down to timely hitting, defense and execution late in the game. O'Conner must have felt like a prophet on Thursday, May 21, when No. 3 Xavier opened the tournament with clutch situational hitting, baserunning and stellar pitching in a 5-1 victory over No.

2 UConn at Prasco Park. Xavier head coach Billy O'Conner: "We're playing our best baseball right now. " More: Xavier baseball aims for NCAA automatic bid at Big East Tournament "We were really good situationally.

We moved the baseball when we needed to, we took advantage of wild pitches," O'Conner said. "We were really fundamentally sound. That's how you win these games.

That's what we pride ourselves on. That's what we talk about all the time, just catching and throwing the baseball, fundamentally sound. "If you do that, you have a chance to win and that's kind of what carried us today.