USF Named D1Baseball Team of the Day After Upset Win Over No. 5 Florida
USF VS. NO. 5 FLORIDA RECAP
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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, FEB. 20, 2019 – USF baseball is the talk of the nation after going toe-to-toe with one the top-ranked teams in the country and not flinching one bit.
Head coach
Billy Mohl's Bulls were named D1Baseball.com's Team of the Day on Wednesday following the program's 6-1 victory over No. 5 Florida in front of 2,363 fans at USF Baseball Stadium on Tuesday night.
"It was a night to remember in Tampa," D1Baseball's Kendall Rogers wrote in the
D1 Digest.
USF's memorable early-season triumph included a combined two-hitter by the staff. Sophomore right-hander
Baron Stuart (Okeechobee, Fla.) set the table for USF's 13-strikeout night by fanning six in four hitless innings right out of the gates.
Florida didn't get its first hit until the sixth inning and junior left-hander
Logan Lyle (Bartow, Fla.) put the clamps on the comeback attempt by striking out three straight batters with runners on the corners in the seventh. Lyle struck out one more in a scoreless eighth and junior right-hander
Nelson Alvarez (Miami) put the finishing touches on USF's second win over a top-10 Florida program since 2017 with a game-ending strikeout.
"It's big. We want to be known as one of the best programs in the state of Florida," Mohl said. "Beating what obviously has been the best program in the state of Florida, our guys are feeling pretty good about themselves."
Bulls fans felt great about USF's offense on a night that featured timely hits and powerful performances.
Junior
Austin Bodrato's one-out single capped off a two-run first for the Bulls. Senior
Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) went 2-for-4 and drove in his second run with a solo homer in the third.
Senior
Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) kept the power surge going with a leadoff homer that sparked a three-run seventh for USF. Senior
Kyle Phillips (Orlando) added a two-run double in the frame and produced three of the Bulls' season-high 12 hits.
"It was nice seeing KP, in that situation, come through," Mohl said. "He's a senior and that's what you look for in an all-conference player, and he delivered."
That's something the Bulls have done often lately against top-tier competition. USF has defeated three top-five teams in its last four regular-season chances and more big-time opportunities are there for the taking this weekend.
All eyes will be on the 3-1 Bulls when they travel to Chapel Hill for a three-game series against No. 6 North Carolina that begins Friday at 3 p.m.
"They've got three legit possible first-round arms that we're going to face on the weekend," Mohl said. "It will be a good test."
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USF Baseball Stadium will be packed again when the Bulls head back home to host No. 13 Florida State on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. Purchase tickets at
USFBullsTix.com.
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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 11th 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.
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