The University of Rhode Island baseball team opened its season over the weekend with a series win and historic finale in Virginia against the College of William & Mary.
Heading into the weekend, William & Mary hadn’t lost to URI since 2012, sweeping the Rams in 2017 and 2022. The weekend series began on Friday with a doubleheader, playing a nine-inning game in the afternoon followed by a seven-inning game that night.
“I didn’t know what to expect with our team,” Rhode Island Head Coach Raphael Cerrato said. “We’ve had tough weather this winter, so we haven’t really been outside very much at all.”
Rhode Island split the doubleheader across two one-run games. Game one featured third-year righty Jeremy Urena on the mound, allowing five runs across 4.1 innings. Urena was backed up by his offense, delivering 17 hits in a 10-9 victory.
Following a 5-4 loss in game two, the stage was set for a record-breaking rubber match on Sunday. Rhode Island scored its most runs in a single game of all-time on record, and combined with William & Mary to tie the fourth-most runs scored in NCAA Division I history.
Across four hours and 31 minutes, the game lasted only seven innings as the run rule took effect with the Rams ahead by 14 runs. The teams scored a combined 58 runs, as Rhody took a 36-22 victory.
Half of Rhode Island’s 24 hits went for extra bases, with seven being home runs.
“Great effort, crazy score, not a normal game, super long, but we’ll take it,” Cerrato said.
URI trailed 14-6 after two innings, giving up 10 runs in the second inning and already calling on its third pitcher. The Rams were able to chip away with two scoreless innings to take a 15-14 lead entering the fifth inning.
“No one really felt down about it,” fourth-year captain Anthony DePino said. “We know we could hit, we showed it all weekend.”
After leading the team in home runs for the past two seasons, DePino picked up where he left off with his first home run of the season in the third inning.
“This season means everything to me,” DePino said. “It kind of feels like everything that happens, win or lose, the success of the team is kind of on my shoulders.”
Holding a one-run lead, Rhode Island brought across 17 runs in the top of the fifth. The star of the inning was first-year outfielder Adonis Medina, who debuted earlier in the game with a pinch-hit walk.
Medina opened the inning with a two-run home run in his first of three plate appearances. His next at-bat brought him his second homer of the inning before picking up a walk toward the end of the fifth.
“He’s certainly earned some opportunities to go out there and play,” Cerrato said. “He was someone we were considering as a redshirt…but he had a really good fall and a great preseason.”
Before Sunday, Medina had never had a multi-home run game in his time at Central High School in Providence. In his collegiate debut, he did it in the same inning.
“It was an unreal feeling,” Medina said. “I don’t know how I can really put it into words.”
His showcase of power brought him Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors on just five plate appearances, finishing 2-2 with three walks.
“It’s the best collegiate debut I’ve ever seen in 29 years of coaching,” Cerrato said.
Scoring settled down from there; 15 different pitchers were used by the two teams to finish off the historic afternoon and hand Rhody a series win.
“I thought our pitching was, and I still think it is our strength,” Cerrato said. “We just had a really good offensive weekend.”
After Rhode Island’s game against Merrimack was postponed on Tuesday, the attention turns to the No. 11 ranked University of Oregon.
“We want to go out and beat them and make a statement,” Cerrato said. “It’s exciting, it’s four games against a really good team, and it’s just ‘play good baseball.’ If we do that, we feel like we can compete with any team in the country.”
DePino has faced his fair share of top programs in the past three seasons, taking on the likes of Texas A&M University, the University of Tennessee and Auburn University. URI’s last win over a nationally-ranked opponent came in 2022 against the University of Connecticut.
“This year we have a different mindset,” DePino said. “We’re not really worried about who we’re playing against, we’re just trying to be the best versions of ourselves.”
The four-game series in Eugene, Oregon starts on Friday and all games will be broadcasted on Big Ten Plus.
