Bulls Welcome FGCU Tuesday Night
MATCHUP: USF vs. FGCU
SCHEDULE: Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Tampa, Fla., USF Baseball Stadium
FOLLOW: Live Stats, Twitter updates
@USFBaseball
RADIO: BullsUnlimited
WATCH: YouTube
TAMPA, April 1, 2019 – The USF baseball team hosts Florida Gulf Coast University on Tuesday in the first home midweek game since defeating then-No. 5 Florida on Feb. 19.
The Bulls (12-14, 1-5 The American) are coming off of a tough home series against No. 11 ECU, dropping three to the first-place team in The American. Senior first baseman
Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) hit .300 in the series with a double, a RBI and two runs. Redshirt sophomore
Jake Sullivan (Tampa) batted .571 (4-for-7) with a RBI in two games. Senior catcher
Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) had a season high three hits in the series finale on Sunday.
The Matchup
Tuesday will be the 17th all-time meeting in the series between the Bulls and Eagles. The Bulls got their first-ever win over FGCU in Tampa on March 13 of last year, a 10-3 victory. This week's visitors hold an 11-5 edge in the all-time series.
Genord is hitting .400 in three career games against the Eagles with a run, a homer and three RBI.
Know the Foe
Winners of five straight, the Eagles enter Tuesday at 19-8, 1-2 in the ASUN. FGCU leads the conference in hitting (.294), hits (275), scoring (8.0) and on base percentage (.406). Freshman Joe Kinker leads the ASUN with a .400 average. He has five homers, 24 RBI and 29 runs scored. Senior Jay Hayes is hitting .392 with six home runs and a league best 12 doubles & 31 RBI. Junior catcher Alex Brait is hitting .352 with a team high 30 runs.
Junior left hander Trey Vickery will make his first start Tuesday. He's 3-0 in 17.1 innings out of the bullpen with a 3.12 ERA.
Nota-Bulls
- 11 different Bulls have home runs this season.
- Junior Jordan Santos (Tampa) is 19th nationally with 1 walk per game this year.
- Genord is just one home run away from moving into fourth on USF's all-time list.
- Genord is batting .667 in five midweek games this year with four home runs, eight RBI and seven runs.
- Senior Kyle Phillips (Orlando) is batting .476 in those five midweek 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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