Conference competition gets into full swing for the Colonial Athletic Association this weekend, with four intraleague series on the docket. 

Each CAA team save UNC Wilmington sees a conference opponent, including Charleston, which surged to the front of the line through the league’s first weekend. The Cougars swept preseason favorite Northeastern, putting 28 runs on the board in three games. 

The resounding start to CAA play continues an impressive first few weeks to the 2022 slate for Charleston, which scored a win on March 15 over national powerhouse Texas. 

Before this weekend, CAA clubs are in non-conference action throughout the East Coast. 

VCU Vs. William & Mary

Tuesday, March 29 at 5 p.m. ET 

A former conference foe visits Williamsburg, as reigning Atlantic 10 Conference champion and 2021 NCAA Tournament participant VCU challenges William & Mary. 

The Tribe head into this non-conference tilt coming off a solid start to CAA play, taking 2-of-3 from a UNC Wilmington bunch tabbed to contend for the conference title. 

Matt Thomas rides a five-game hitting streak into Tuesday’s matchup, including a 5-of-13 weekend at UNCW. Amid the current streak, Thomas also hit his team-leading sixth home run of the campaign March 22 against Duke. 

VCU carried an eight-game winning streak into its weekend series at East Carolina, but dropped the first two. The Rams have struggled away from home, dropping to 2-6 in true road games after their visit to Greenville. To keep VCU’s travel woes going, William & Mary pitchers must watch out for Tyler Locklear. 

Locklear is one of 66 batters in all of Div. I baseball with at least eight home runs on the year. 

Charleston Vs. Hofstra

Friday, April 1 at 3 p.m.; Saturday, April 2 at 1 p.m.; Sunday April 3 at 1 p.m. 

CAA-leading Charleston takes its perfect conference record into Long Island to face Hofstra, coming off its own strong start to the league season. The Pride took 2-of-3 at Elon last week, including a 15-6 decision in the rubber match on March 27. 

Matt Pelcher went 4-for-5 at the plate, bumping up his season average to .375 in nine games. Brian Morrell’s average dipped after the Hofstra rout, but he remains near the top of the CAA at .394 through 18 games. 

Charleston’s JT Marr isn’t far behind with a .380 batting average in 92 plate appearances. Marr and Trotter Harlan have been excellent at the dish for the Cougars. Connor Campbell is also 3-0 in six starts with a 2.43 ERA on the mound, and William Privette is delivering some of the best numbers of any reliever in the nation: a 0.70 ERA, 35 strikeouts and four saves. 

Delaware Vs. Towson

Friday, April 1 at 3 p.m.; Saturday, April 2 at 1 p.m.; Sunday, April 3 at 1 p.m.  

Delaware boasts some impressive wins on its resume thus far in 2022, beating a Notre Dame team with ambitions on Omaha, and Maryland, which should compete for the Big Ten championship. 

The Blue Hens faced a rocky start to CAA competition, however, losing the first two in their league-opening series against James Madison. After surrendering 20 combined runs in the two losses, Delaware regrouped to avoid the sweep with nine unanswered runs spread across the first five innings. 

Delaware might be the most complete batting order the Colonial has to offer, with seven primary starters hitting between .303 and Dominic Ragazzo’s team-leading .342. Ragazzo’s ability to get on base consistently can cause headaches for opponents—he’s also made 13 steals on 14 attempts heading into the Towson series. 

For the Tigers, Delaware’s visit marks the opening of CAA play. They continue non-conference action on Tuesday with a visit to Maryland, looking to finish strong at the end of what’s been a challenging docket. 

Towson lost five straight over one stretch, after opening the 2022 campaign on the wrong end of a four-game sweep against powerhouse Miami.