Bulls Host Shockers In Important Weekend Series
MATCHUP: USF vs. Wichita St.
SCHEDULE: Thursday, 7 p.m. | Friday, 6:30 p.m. | Saturday, 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Tampa, USF Baseball Stadium
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TAMPA, May 15, 2019 – The USF baseball team opens the final weekend with a three game series against Wichita State.
Battle for the Beach: The Bulls (25-25, 7-14 The American) enter the weekend tied with Wichita for the final spot in the American Athletic Conference Championships in Clearwater, set to begin May 21.
USF took 2-of-3 at UConn last weekend. The pitching was solid, as the starters went at least 6.0 innings in all three games. Senior righty
Alec Wisely (Jacksonville, Fla.) was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll on Monday. He pitched 7.0 innings against the Huskies in the final game of Saturday's doubleheader, surrendering one run on four hits.
Senior
Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) hit .625 over the weekend in just two games, (5-for-8). He had a career high three hits in the opener.
Sophomore righty
Baron Stuart (Okeechobee, Fla.) will again start in the first game. Junior right hander
Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) will start Friday and Wisely will start Saturday on Senior Day.
Nota-Bulls
- Senior first baseman Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) is third on USF's all-time list with 44 career home runs. He's hitting a team best .347 with 52 RBI, both third in The American.
- Classmate Kyle Phillips (Orlando) is batting .315 on the year with 11 doubles, three triples and 38 runs.
- Redshirt sophomore Jake Sullivan (Tampa) is batting .400 over the last five games and is second on the team with a .324 average.
- Freshman Julio Cortez (Miami) has played in the last 21 games at either catcher or DH. He's batting .400 over the last 10 games and .382 in the limited action this season.
- Genord has hit the laces off the ball during midweek games, batting .525 in 11 games. Phillips is hitting .429 in those games.
The Matchup
The Bulls made their first trip to Wichita St. last season and the Shockers will make their first trip to Tampa this weekend. The Shockers are 5-2-1 against USF, having met in 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii prior to joining The American last year. The first two contests were neutral site games in New Orleans. Both teams met in the conference tournament last year. USF lost the opener before eliminating Wichita St. the next day by a score of 7-2.
Know the Foe
The Shockers (24-28, 7-14 The American) lost a lot from their 2018 team, including third overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, Alec Bohm. Senior infielder Luke Ritter is one of the only returners from last year's lineup. He leads the team with a .330 average, nine home runs, 13 doubles and 42 runs. Jordan Boyer is hitting .319 with 32 runs, 13 doubles and a team high 36 RBI.
Senior righty Clayton McGinness (5-4, 4.30 ERA) will start Thursday. He pitched a complete game shutout against ECU last weekend. Sophomore right hander Liam Eddy (4-7, 5.12 ERA) will make the start Friday.
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.
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