USF Athletics

Bulls Set to Host Samford in Season-Opening Series

February 14, 2019

WEEKEND MATCHUP: Samford at USF
SERIES SCHEDULE: Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.
LOCATION: USF Baseball Stadium, Tampa
FOLLOW: Live stats |Twitter updates @USFBaseball
RADIO LINKS: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
POSITION PREVIEWS: Outfield | infield | pitchers
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
GAME NOTES

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, FEB. 14, 2019 – Fresh off its third NCAA Regional appearance in four years, USF baseball is excited to begin the 2019 season with a three-game series that will take on a postseason-type feel.

It all begins 7 p.m. Friday, when second-year head coach Billy Mohl's Bulls host Samford, which won the Southern Conference Tournament last season and defeated Florida State in the first round of the Tallahassee Regional. Saturday's game is slated for 6:30 p.m. and Sunday's action starts at 1 p.m. at USF Baseball Stadium.

"We'll have our work cut out for us," Mohl said.

USF returns 19 letter winners from last season's DeLand Regional team, including two starting pitchers penciled into the first weekend rotation of the season.

Collin Sullivan will get the ball first on Friday night after primarily serving as USF's Sunday starter last season. The junior right-hander from Randolph, Mass., went 3-1 last year with a 3.80 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 64 innings. Sullivan gave USF a huge boost by striking out seven in complete-game fashion against Wichita State at the conference tournament.

"He's one of our returners who has experience," Mohl said. "He's thrown some big games."

Alec Wisely will provide the Bulls with more experience as the Saturday starter. The senior right-hander from Jacksonville, Fla., struck out 52 batters in 42.1 innings last season and went 3-0 with a 3.61 ERA in 19 appearances (five starts).

"Wisely is kind of our Peter Strzelecki type. He's going to throw a ton of strikes. He's going to do all the little things right," Mohl said. "Hopefully he's a workhorse for us on Saturdays and gets us deep in the game to kind of save our bullpen. That way we can unload our bullpen on Fridays and Sundays."

From there, USF is taking a wait-and-see approach to its starting rotation spot for Sunday. One option is junior right-hander Ben Koff (Gainesville, Fla.), who played for College of Central Florida the past two seasons.

"You possibly could see him start Sunday, or you could possibly see him out of the pen Friday and Saturday," Mohl said.

USF's other option for Sunday is junior newcomer Pat Doudican. The left-hander from Wall, N.J., shined at Polk State College the past two seasons and led the FCSAA in strikeouts in 2017

Mohl noted the starting rotation isn't set in stone for the season, saying it's going to be a "fluid process throughout the course of the year." The situation reminds Mohl of last season's offense, which took 16 games to really get going once former Bulls standout Coco Montes settled into the leadoff spot.

"I'm expecting something similar with the pitchers," Mohl said. "It might take us a good handful of games to get our arms wrapped around what our rotation will look like moving into conference play."

Spring Developments
Mohl has seen numerous notable developments since USF's first team practice of the season on Jan. 25.

Expect to see plenty of freshman infielders Nick Gonzalez (Tampa) and Dylan Buck (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.), who have fit in well with the veterans.

"I'm looking for them to have productive years for us," Mohl said.

Mohl also sees plenty of potential in junior outfielder Austin Bodrato. The Northvale, N.J., native played for Santa Fe College last season and was a Florida Gator in 2017.

"Austin Bodrato looks to be a nice left-handed bat for us," Mohl said. "He's shown steady progress throughout the course of the spring."

Mohl is happy to have a healthy senior first baseman in Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) and he's been impressed with senior outfielder Chris Chatfield's ability to cut down on his swing-and-miss throughout the preseason.

Veteran starting pitchers have brought a consistency to the staff throughout spring practices and Mohl really liked what went on at the back end of his bullpen.

"Graham Hoffman has kind of made the biggest jump on the pitching staff in terms of actual stuff," he said. "His breaking ball is much improved from last year."

Know the Foe
Samford was the popular preseason pick by league coaches and media to win the Southern Conference title after a highly successful 2018 campaign.

Last season, the Bulldogs posted 37 wins, won the Southern Conference Tournament and advanced to the Tallahassee Regional, where they opened with a 7-6 victory over No. 7 Florida State.

Samford returns three of its top five hitters from 2018, including sophomore first baseman Brooks Carlson (.343, 10 HR, 47 RBI), junior catcher Anthony Mulrine (.307, 8 HR, 49 RBI) and junior shortstop Branden Fryman (.262, 13 2B, 26 RBI), who stole 25 bases last season. Fryman's father, Travis, played 13 seasons in the big leagues with Detroit (1990-97) and Cleveland (1998-2002).

"They're a good team that is coached very well and they're an aggressive team," Mohl said. "They have some power. We've got to keep the ball down and keep them off-balance."

Samford's weekend rotation will include Collegiate Baseball preseason All-American Samuel Strickland, Jesse McCord and Zach Hester.

Strickland, a sophomore, returns to lead the staff after earning five different All-America honors and the Southern Conference's Freshman of the Year award in 2018. The left-hander went 8-2 with a 2.33 ERA and a team-leading 87 strikeouts in 2018. Strickland also led his league by limiting opposing SoCon hitters to a .177 average. All of that production helped Strickland reel in Southern Conference preseason pitcher of the year recognition earlier this month.

"We're going to get a true Friday night ace going against us," Mohl said.

McCord, a senior, last pitched for Samford in 2017 and posted a 3-3 record before missing most of the season with an injury. The right-hander sat out 2016 after transferring from Mississippi State, where he made three appearances during his 2015 season that was cut short due to an injury. Prior to College, McCord was named a 2014 MaxPreps and Louisville Slugger All-American out of Spanish Fort (Ala.) High School.

Hester, a junior, joins the Samford squad after becoming the NJCAA Division II National Pitcher of the Year in 2018. The right-hander led LSU Eunice to its sixth NJCAA national championship, earning World Series Pitcher of the Tournament and NJCAA All-America first-team accolades. Hester led all NJCAA Division II pitchers last season with 13 wins and 133 strikeouts, completing his LSU Eunice career with a 22-3 record and 2.62 ERA.


Bulls Bits

• FIRST PITCH: USF will play at home on opening weekend for the fourth straight season and the sixth time in the past seven years. The Bulls have won six of their past seven opening games and they're 37-16 overall in season openers.
• DID YOU KNOW?: USF has the only Division I coaching staff in the state of Florida in which every member was selected in the MLB Draft – head coach Billy Mohl (2006, Philadelphia); assistants Chuck Jeroloman (2004, Boston), Chris Cates (2007, Minnesota), Brian Jeroloman (2006, Toronto). The Bulls' coaching staff has a combined 25 years of playing experience in pro baseball.
• TICKET INFO: Season tickets are $80 ($64 for USF alumni, faculty, or staff), and there will be a Flex Pack option that includes 10 tickets for $30. For the Florida State and Florida matchups, the single-game ticket prices will be $10. All other single-game tickets will be $7 for ages 12 and over, and $5 for children under the age of 12. Make purchases at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.

 
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 continued the success under first-year head coach Billy Mohl in 2018, reaching 36 wins and advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2012, while being ranked in multiple polls for the final two months. USF earned its third NCAA Regional berth in the last four seasons and had six all-conference selections in 2018. The team had four players drafted in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program's fourth first rounder, Shane McClanahan. Junior third baseman David Villar was taken in the 11^th round after tallying 24 doubles and hitting better than .370, being named first team all-conference and an All-American. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 13 NCAA tournament appearances.
 
Follow the baseball team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.