Bulls Open Conference Play Home against Bearcats
WEEKEND MATCHUP: USF vs. Cincinnati
SCHEDULE: Friday, 7 p.m. | Saturday, 6:30 p.m. | Sunday, 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Tampa, USF Baseball Stadium
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GAME NOTES
TAMPA, March 21, 2019 – The USF baseball team opens American Athletic Conference action this weekend with a three-game series against Cincinnati.
The Bulls (11-8) dropped a midweek tilt at UNF Tuesday night, 7-2. Seniors
Kyle Phillips (Orlando) and
Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) and junior
Austin Bodrato (Northvale, N.J.) all had two hits in the game.
Senior
Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) hit .529 last week and was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the second time on Monday. Bodrato had eight RBI in the series and is batting .343 over his last 10 games.
There will be no changes to USF's rotation this weekend. Junior
Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) will start Friday, followed by senior
Alec Wisely (Jacksonville, Fla.) Saturday and junior
Ben Koff (Gainesville, Fla.) on Sunday. Wisely has gone 7.0 innings in consecutive outings and leads the team with a 3.18 ERA.
The Bulls are 59-61-1 in league play over the five year history of The American. USF is 3-2 in AAC openers and 14-4 in conference openers since 2001. The Bulls finished second in The American last year with their best mark at 14-9-1. USF won three games at The American Baseball Championship in Clearwater last year, the first time USF won at least three games in a conference tournament since 2012.
The Matchup
The Bulls lead the all-time series against the Bearcats, 45-21. USF leads the series in Tampa, 24-6. The Bulls had won 15-of-16 in the series prior to dropping 2-of-3 from the Bearcats in both 2016 and 2017. The Bulls have won four of the last five meetings, including three-straight.
Know the Foe
The Bearcats (6-13) have one of the best fielding percentages in the nation (.980) and are second in The American with 28 stolen bases. Junior infielder Joey Bellini is batting .341, but with just 41 at-bats on the year. Sophomore outfielder Joey Wiemer is hitting .284.
Senior righty AJ Kullman (0-3, 4.91 ERA) will start Friday, junior righty Nathan Kroger (1-1. 1.86 ERA) will start Saturday, and sophomore lefty Garrett Schoenle (1-0, 4.95 ERA) will start Sunday.
Nota-Bulls
- The Bulls are 25th nationally with 21 home runs.
- 11 different Bulls have home runs this season.
- Junior Jordan Santos (Tampa) is 24th in the country and tops in The American with 1.09 walks per game, leading the team and conference with 19.
- Kyle Phillips hit .366 during conference play last season.
- Genord is batting .348 entering the weekend and is third in the league with five home runs.
Bulls Bits
- 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.
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 appearances.
Follow the baseball team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
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