By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, JULY 6, 2017 – Billy Mohl transformed USF into one of the elite pitching staffs in the country and now he's ready for much more.

In front of a packed Sun Dome Arena Club, USF System President Judy Genshaft and Director of Athletics Mark Harlan formally introduced Mohl as the seventh head baseball coach in program history on Thursday afternoon.

"We're very excited about the direction the program is heading," Genshaft said. "Billy Mohl has been a big part of the recent success and has helped to bring high-caliber student-athletes here to USF."

Genshaft and Harlan have seen firsthand just how much of an impact Mohl made on the program since he arrived to Tampa with former head coach Mark Kingston in 2015. Game 1 saw Mohl's staff mow down then-No. 17 Cal State Fullerton with 15 strikeouts in 2-1 victory to open the 2015 season. That USF squad made the program's first NCAA Regional appearance in 13 years and Mohl's staff played a huge role in the Bulls making another NCAA run in 2017.

"The future of USF baseball is bright and now it's time to usher in the 'Billy Ball' era," Harlan said.

In some ways, USF baseball will look a lot like past teams led by Kingston, who had Mohl on his staff since their Illinois State days in 2010. Prior to Illinois State, Kingston was an assistant coach at Tulane, when Mohl was a standout pitcher on the 2005 College World Series team. Like his mentor, Mohl strongly believes in integrity, hard work and the Bulls' brand bringing out all the beautiful aspects of baseball.

"You're going to see a team that has a lot of energy. You're going to see a team that plays the game the right way and plays the game hard every single day," Mohl said to reporters. "That's what you can expect from me."

Fighting off tears, Mohl spent the first part of the press conference thanking countless family members and former coaches for making his head coaching dream a possibility. In that same sincere manner, Mohl spoke about his goals that consist of "championships" and continuing the recent tradition of NCAA postseason trips. Mohl also wants the Bulls to be highly active in the community and continue raising money for the Vs. Cancer Foundation and TGH. USF has raised roughly $40,000 in the fight against childhood cancer the past three years.

"I can promise you as we move forward, 100 percent effort will be given every day to make fans and alums proud of this program," he said.

Proud might be an understatement when you talk to Green and Gold supporters about the job Mohl has already done with the program. Since taking over the USF staff, eight pitchers have been drafted and at least 500 strikeouts have been logged into the scorebook each season. As a top-25 team in 2017, USF set a program record with 620 punch-outs and led the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (10.1) while ranking 10^th in the country with a 3.24 team earned run average.

"He's very good at what he does," senior right-hander Peter Stryzelecki said. "As you can see by the numbers, he leads us and he puts us in the best positions to succeed."

Mohl said he plans to keep his previous pitching coach role while leading a program that will make the Bay Area a top priority in recruiting. Nearly 40 percent of last season's roster was made of local players and 32 of 34 Bulls hailed from the Sunshine State.

"There's so many great baseball players that are here currently and have come through this city in the past," he said. "That will be a heavy emphasis for us."

Many of USF's current players made a push for Mohl to be elevated to head coach status during the search process. Much of that talent filled the seats at the press conference Thursday and each one is eager to get the 2018 campaign going with a familiar face in his new role.

"It's an exciting day for all of us and I'm just ready to get to work with coach," Stryzelecki said.
 
About USF Baseball
The University of South Florida baseball team is one of the fastest rising programs in the country. The Bulls reached the NCAA Regionals in 2015 for the first time in 13 years and followed that success with a 42-19 record and second NCAA regional trip in three years in 2017. The Bulls earned just their second and third wins over top-five ranked teams with victories against then-No. 3 Florida State and at then-No. 5 Florida during the 2017 season. During the 2017 season, USF reached the 40-win mark for the first time since 1996 and entered the top-25 in the major collegiate baseball polls for the first time since 2013. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 12 NCAA appearances.