Bulls Head to DeLand for Midweek Matchup With Hatters
WMATCHUP: USF at Stetson
SCHEDULE: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
LOCATION: DeLand, Fla., Melching Field at Conrad Park
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RADIO: BullsUnlimited
WATCH: ESPN+
GAME NOTES
TAMPA, March 26, 2019 – The USF baseball team heads east for a meeting with Stetson Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
The Bulls (12-10, 1-2 The American) fell to Cincinnati in the final two games of the opening American Athletic Conference series. Each game was close, as the Bearcats outscored USF, 12-10 in the series.
Junior righty hander
Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) picked up his second win of the year on Friday, tossing a season long 7.0 innings with a career best 11 strikeouts. He was named to The American Weekly Honor Roll on Monday.
Senior
Kyle Phillips (Orlando) hit .462 over the weekend, tallying two hits in each contest. He led the Bulls with a .366 average during league action last season and is hitting .330 through the first 22 games.
The Matchup
Stetson holds a slim 87-84 edge in the all-time series against the Bulls. The teams have played each year going back to 1966. Stetson leads the series in DeLand, 44-37 and has won three-straight in the series. Though they didn't meet, USF was in DeLand for last year's NCAA Regional. It was the first time that Stetson hosted a regional in program history.
Phillips was named to the DeLand Regional All-Tournament team, hitting .455 in three games.
Know the Foe
On the heels off one of their best seasons in program history, the Hatters have yet to find last year's magic that produced 48 wins and a trip to the NCAA Super Regionals. Stetson is 9-14 entering Wednesday, recently coming off a three-game swing in Lubbock, Texas where the team played what was a ranked Michigan squad and No. 18 Texas Tech. The Hatters defeated the Red Raiders on Sunday, but fell, 5-4, on Monday night.
Senior Baylen Sparks leads the team with a .296 average. Junior Jorge Arenas is hitting .275 and has a team high 17 RBI and classmate Austin Bogart is batting .274 with 13 runs.
Freshman righty Danny Garcia has been the team's most reliable arm, holding a 1.93 ERA out of the bullpen with 14 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. Sophomore righty Chris Gonzalez leads the starters with a 2.67 ERA and is 3-0 on the year, while Garcia is 2-0.
Nota-Bulls
- The Bulls are second in The American with a 3.88 ERA.
- 11 different Bulls have home runs this season.
- Junior Jordan Santos (Tampa) is 12th nationally with 1.10 walks per game.
- Sullivan is second in The American with 44 strikeouts and second with 5.40 hits allowed per nine innings.
- Phillips is batting .381 over his last five games.
- Senior Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) is batting .615 with two doubles, two homers, five runs and four RBI in four midweek games this year. He has also walked seven times and has a .750 on base percentage.
- Phillips is right behind, hitting .421 in those four games.
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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