Bulls Face The Citadel for the First Time
MATCHUP: USF vs. The Citadel
WEEKEND SCHEDULE: Thursday, 7 p.m. | Friday, 6:30 p.m. | Saturday, 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Tampa, USF Baseball Stadium
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TAMPA, April 17, 2019 – The USF baseball team steps away from The American slate, hosting The Citadel for three games beginning Thursday night.
The Bulls (15-20) are hosting four non-conference games this week before finishing the final four weeks of The American schedule. USF fell to UNF Tuesday at home. Senior
Kyle Phillips (Orlando) and freshman
Julio Cortez (Miami) each had two hits in the game. Redshirt junior righty
Dylan Burns (Vero Beach, Fla.) struck out a career high five in 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Nota-Bulls
- Senior first baseman Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) is third on USF's all-time list with 42 for his career. He's hitting a team best .339 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI.
- Junior Jordan Santos (Tampa) is batting .343 in his last 10 games.
- USF will go with the same weekend rotation as the last two weeks. Sophomore righty Baron Stuart (Okeechobee, Fla.) will start Thursday, junior righty Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) will start Friday and senior Alec Wisely (Jacksonville, Fla.) will get the call on Saturday.
The Matchup
This will be the first meeting between the Bulls and Bulldogs. USF took 2-of-3 from another member of the Southern Conference, Samford to open the year. Those Bulldogs currently lead the SOCON at 26-11 and 8-1 in league play. USF is 16-7 against current members of the SOCON.
Know the Foe
The Bulldogs (10-25) are led offensively by freshman infielder Tyler Corbitt, hitting .338 with 11 doubles and 25 runs. Sophomore Ben Peden leads the team with seven home runs and 29 RBI.
The Citadel will start senior righty Jordan Merritt (3-4, 3.12 ERA) on Thursday, who leads the team with 51 strikeouts. Sophomore lefty Shane Connolly (3-3, 2.75 ERA) will start Friday, having tossed two complete games this season. Senior right hander Dylan Spence (2-6, 5.12 ERA). will start Saturday.
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.
– #GoBulls –
