Bulls Welcome Columbia to Town For a Four-Game Series
Matchups: USF (4-4) vs. Columbia (0-4)
Dates: Friday, March 2 – Sunday, March 4
Times: 7 p.m. | 2 p.m. (DH) | 1 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla., | Tampa (3,211)
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GAME NOTES
TAMPA, MARCH 1, 2018 – The University of South Florida baseball team will look to keep its power surge going when it opens a four-game series against Columbia Friday at 7 p.m.
The Bulls (4-4) followed up a 13-hit, 13-run finale to win the Fordham series with a 14-hit, 16-run bludgeon at Bethune-Cookman Wednesday night. USF defeated the Wildcats, 16-1, scoring its most runs in a game since 2014.
USF tallied nine extra-base hits with five double, two triples and two homers. Junior
Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) matched a career-high with three hits, two being triples. He became the first Bull to do that in a game since May 29, 2015.
Classmate
David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) went 3-for-6 and was just a triple shy of the cycle. Freshman righty
Baron Stuart (Okeechobee, Fla.) had plenty of run support, but was solid in his first career start, going 5.0 strong innings.
SERIES HISTORY
The Bulls and Lions are meeting for the ninth time on Friday and for the first time since 2014. All eight previous matchups have been in Tampa. The Bulls own a 5-3 edge in the series and have won two-straight.
SCOUTING REPORT
The Lions opened their season at UNLV last weekend, dropping four games to start 2018. Sophomore catcher Liam McGill led the Columbia offense, hitting .538 (7-for-13) with three runs, a homer and three RBI. Junior infielder Joe Engel was also a bright spot, hitting .375 with three RBI and a run scored.
The Lions will throw righty Ty Wiest on Friday, lefty Ben Wereski in game one Saturday, righty Harrisen Egly in game two of the doubleheader and righty Jordan Chriss on Sunday.
NOTA-BULLS
- Junior Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) went 2-for-4 with a run and a RBI Wednesday, upping his team-high average to .393.
- Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) hit his third double in the last three games Wednesday night. For the second time since Saturday, it came with the bases loaded and cleared the bags.
- Junior transfers Kyle Phillips (Orlando) and Jordan Feist (Brandon, Fla.) hit a home run a double, respectively, against Bethune-Cookman.
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.
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