Mid-March in the college baseball world largely means conference baseball is on the horizon, and that’s true for the Colonial Athletic Association.

Conference play for the 2023 season began across the league last weekend, and the fact that no team swept another may prove it could be a dogfight to the finish across the CAA as the weeks go along.

Charleston, Northeastern, UNC Wilmington and other top conference contenders are trying to establish themselves at the head of the standings, but others are lurking in the shadows trying to slow the momentum of the front-runners – this weekend and in future series.

Get on the ride now, because the battles may become much more tense as the road to the postseason winds through the spring months.

Here’s a look at the games to watch across the CAA schedule this week, with matchups throughout the conference schedule being streamed live on FloBaseball.

NOTE: All times are listed in Eastern Time and are subject to change.

Stony Brook Vs. Charleston

Welcome to the party, Stony Brook. You’ll be thrown into the fire immediately. 

The Seawolves make their CAA debut this weekend against the preseason conference favorite, Charleston, but Stony Brook brings plenty of pedigree of its own over from its prior stop in the America East Conference, and that must be respected. 

Stony Brook won that league’s regular-season title last season but was barred by the America East from participating in the league tournament (and, therefore, competing for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament) following Stony Brook’s announcement that it would be moving to the CAA for the 2023 campaign. 

It was a disappointing end to a successful season for the Seawolves, but they’re now determined to pick up right where they left off against a new crop of conference opponents. 

Makin’ his presence felt on the ???????? stage ??

Congratulations to @evangiordano12 on becoming one of @CBNewspaper’s National Players of the Week ?

?? x #NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/SWCgiHbN9s

— Stony Brook Baseball (@StonyBrookBASE) March 13, 2023

Returning America East Player of the Year Evan Giordano has had no problems with the switch and change of scenery thus far. He’s batting .448 and slugging .690, while bashing in 22 RBIs. All of those are team-high marks. 

Still, he and his teammates will have their hands full against a battle-tested Charleston squad that holds nonconference wins on the year against Virginia Tech and Coastal Carolina, among others – and a Cougars rotation that features the much-ballyhooed junior right-hander William Privette. 

Privette is the reigning CAA Pitcher of the Year and one of the country’s top closers. He is garnering plenty of looks from professional teams as a high-level prospect on the mound. 

But, beware of the Seawolves, as they seemed to have figured out their mojo and are on a five-game winning streak. The run comes after losing their first nine games. 

Charleston probably will be pushing for the sweep, but against a Stony Brook squad trying to make a statement in its first impression, it won’t come easily.

North Carolina A&T Vs. Northeastern

Speaking of teams that have been trying to make some moves in their first CAA season, how about we talk about what North Carolina A&T is doing? 

The Aggies won their first CAA series last weekend against Towson (plus a Tuesday-evening nonconference triumph against UNC Greensboro) to improve to 9-7 on the year, which has them well on pace to surpass the 15 wins they picked up last season. 

Can A&T keep the positive energy going against Northeastern, which is looking for a third straight campaign of at least 30 wins? That remains to be seen, but the Aggies have handled the adjustments needed to succeed in the CAA with flying colors. 

Consider the Huskies their first exam after all the preparation.

A 10-1 start to the year for Northeastern was dinged a little bit with a pair of one-run losses to Elon in their own opening conference series of the season, but junior right-hander Wyatt Scotti (4-0, 3.27 ERA, 19 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched) remains one of the league’s top arms, regardless. 

He’s found a new breakout star to pair with in Division III grad transfer Griffin Young (2-0, 1.88 ERA, 18 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings), too, making the duo one of the top 1-2 pitching punches in the CAA. 

On top of all of that might on the mound, no CAA team has hit more home runs this year than the Huskies’ 25, with senior Alex Lane leading the way with five bombs. 

Northeastern also holds a league-best .302 team batting average. 

A&T is tied for third in the conference for strikeouts, though, so perhaps with enough control in their pitches, the Aggies can catch some Huskies swinging for the fences a little off-guard.

William & Mary Vs. Hofstra

Just this week alone, William & Mary has scored 46 runs in a two-game stretch. If that type of offense isn’t enough to entice you, what will? 

The Tribe closed their opening CAA series of the year against Charleston with a 12-3 victory Sunday, following a pair of 2-1 defeats, a positive sign for the W&M program against one of the favorites to take the conference crown. 

Two days later, the Tribe followed their double-digit day by dropping 34 runs – yes, 34 – against Norfolk State for the second-highest total in school history, though it wasn’t even the first time this year the team had crossed over more than 30 times in a single game. William & Mary scored 33 runs in a February win over Marist. 

.@WMTribeBaseball now holds the second and third spots in most runs scored this season.

Remarkably topped their 33-run output from earlier in the year despite having seven fewer hits today. The Tribe drew 20 walks and 10 HBP in the win. pic.twitter.com/GkpOlGg3Qv

— Friday Starters (@fridaystarters) March 14, 2023

So yeah, it’s safe to say the Tribe lineup has got some pop to it, especially with players such as senior infielder Ben Williamson (.426 average, .689 slugging, 15 RBIs) and senior outfielder Joe Delossantos (.370, .521, 13 RBIs) providing run-driving power and efficiency that helps pace the program. 

Meanwhile, at Hofstra, the Pride’s pitching has been a mess, allowing double-digit runs on six occasions in 14 games, as the rotation has more recorded balls (87) than strikeouts (81) as of Tuesday evening. They have allowed 134 runs, which is tied for the most given up in the CAA. 

This blurb isn’t meant to pick on Hofstra, especially as senior outfielder Will Kennedy (.404 average) is a name to watch over the course of the conference slate, but with the way William & Mary can put up absurd scoring numbers, this could become an offensive clinic for the Tribe in the series finale Sunday afternoon.