Bulls Host Pair of Midweek Tilts Against ASUN Foes
Matchups: USF (10-6) vs. FGCU (13-2) / Jacksonville (10-6)
Dates: Tuesday, March 13 | Wednesday, March 14
Times: 6:30 p.m. | 7 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla., | USF Baseball Stadium (3,211)
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TAMPA, MARCH 12, 2018 – The University of South Florida baseball team will host its first two midweek games of the year, beginning Tuesday against FGCU before taking on Jacksonville for the second time on Wednesday.
The Bulls (10-6) had their first series sweep of the year, taking three from Central Michigan over the weekend. Pitching dominated Friday and Saturday, as USF rode another strong outing from All-American
Shane McClanahan (Cape Coral, Fla.) on Friday and a gem from redshirt senior righty
Peter Strzelecki (Lake Worth, Fla.) on Saturday.
McClanahan tossed 6.0 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and Strzelecki scattered a career-high 12 strikeouts across 7.0 scoreless innings to give USF a 6-0 shutout in game two. The Bulls outslugged the Chippewas with a 10-6 win on Sunday.
Strzelecki was named to The American Weekly Honor Roll on Monday.
JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.) led the Bulls with a .429 average last week, followed by classmates
David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and
Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.), who each hit. 375.
SERIES HISTORY – FGCU
Tuesday will be the 16th all-time meeting in the series between the Bulls and Eagles. FGCU holds a 11-4 edge and has won three-straight games. The Eagles defeated USF in Fort Myers, 2-1, last season, ending a 19-game win streak. USF is seeking its first win over FGCU in Tampa (0-7).
SERIES HISTORY – Jacksonville
The Bulls and Dolphins have a long history going back to 1966, and Wednesday marks the 110th meeting. USF holds a slim 56-53 edge in the series. The Bulls own a 42-26 lead at home. Over the last 21 meetings, the Bulls have won 11 times. The Dolphins defeated the Bulls last week, 4-2, but the sides have split the last three times they have played twice in the same season.
SCOUTING REPORT – FGCU
The Eagles are riding a seven-game win streak heading into Tuesday and have been led by their offense, ranking fourth in the nation with a .333 average. Eight starters are hitting better than .300, led by Gage Morey's .404 average. Kohl Gilmore is hitting .386 with seven homers to rank seventh nationally, Marc Coffers is hitting .381 and the ASUN Player of the Week Richie Garcia is batting .365. The Eagles are sixth nationally with a .431 on base percentage and 10
th with 8.7 runs per game.
SCOUTING REPORT – Jacksonville
The Dolphins are also 10-6 heading into a Tuesday night matchup against Richmond before coming to Tampa. John Cassala still leads the team with a .381 average. Ruben Someillan is hitting .358 and had three hits against the Bulls last week.
Righty Greg Shanahan will make his second appearance of the year on Wednesday. He has pitched 3.0 innings and has given up one hit with three strikeouts.
NOTA-BULLS
- Villar is hitting a team-high .411 and ranks 11th in the nation with eight doubles.
- USF is third in the country with 47 doubles on the year.
- Dutka went 3-for-4 with a double at Jacksonville last week.
- USF's 158 hits on the year leads The American.
- USF tallied a 12 hits and 10 runs on Sunday. It has reached double-digit hits nine times this season and double-digit runs six times.
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.
– #GoBulls –
