The Northeastern University baseball team is set to travel to Fort Myers, Florida, for a three-game weekend starting Friday, February 20. The Huskies will first face the Boston Red Sox in their annual exhibition game at 1:05 p.m., broadcast on NESN. Following this matchup, Northeastern will play a two-game series against Minnesota on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at noon at the Lee Health Complex, which serves as the spring training home of the Minnesota Twins.
This trip marks Northeastern’s return to Florida after opening its season at the MLB Desert Invitational. The exhibition against the Red Sox continues a tradition that began in 1977 with a single-game event at Fenway Park and has been held annually since 2004 during Spring Training. This year’s contest will be the 22nd meeting between Northeastern and Boston.
After an 0-3 start to their season, the Huskies aim to recover as they resume NCAA play against Minnesota. Shortstop Carmelo Musacchia leads Northeastern in hits (7), batting average (.500), and stolen bases (4). Outfielder Carter Bentley has contributed two RBIs while starting all three games in right field. Freshman infielder Charlie Criscola made an immediate impact by hitting a bases-clearing double in his first collegiate appearance and finishing his debut weekend with three hits in nine at-bats (.333) along with two steals.
Minnesota enters the series following a 24-28 record last season under head coach Ty McDevitt, who is now in his second year leading the Golden Gophers. Last year, Minnesota secured notable wins over top-ten teams Oregon State and Oregon despite their overall record. This season, Minnesota started strong with victories over Ball State, St. John’s, and Stetson—outscoring those opponents by a combined total of 27-5—and posted two shutouts before losing narrowly to Florida Gulf Coast earlier this week. The upcoming games will be only the fifth time Northeastern and Minnesota have met; each team has won twice in previous matchups.
“Northeastern’s annual scrimmage against the Red Sox offers NU a chance to test itself against professional pitching and competition ahead of CAA play,” according to program sources.
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