Bulls Look to Gain More Ground With Series at Memphis
MATCHUP: USF at Memphis
WEEKEND SCHEDULE: Friday, 7 p.m. | Saturday, 3 p.m. | Sunday, 2 p.m.
LOCATION: Memphis, Tenn., FedEx Park
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GAME NOTES
TAMPA, May 2, 2019 – The USF baseball team heads to Memphis for a three-game swing to open the final month of the year.
The Bulls (22-21, 4-11 The American) have won six of the last seven games heading into the weekend following Tuesday's 6-4 victory over Stetson. With three weeks remaining in the regular season, USF is just one game behind Wichita St. for eighth in the league standings. The top-eight qualify for the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championships in Clearwater at the end of the month. Seeds 5-9 are separated by just three games.
USF will again go with the same pitching rotation in Memphis. Sophomore righty
Baron Stuart (Okeechobee, Fla.) has given the Bulls length the last two weeks, tossing 8.0 and 7.0 innings. He'll get the nod Friday. Junior right hander
Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) will again start Saturday and senior righty
Alec Wisely (Jacksonville, Fla.) will go Sunday. Wisely pitched 6.2 scoreless innings on Sunday with five strikeouts. He was named The American Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
Nota-Bulls
- Senior first baseman Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) is third on USF's all-time list with 43 career home runs, needing four to be tied for second. He's hitting a team best .351 with 46 RBI.
- Classmate Kyle Phillips (Orlando) is batting .366 over the last 10 games.
- Redshirt sophomore Jake Sullivan (Tampa) is batting .355 over the last 10 games. He hit a homer and went 2-for-4 on Tuesday.
- Senior Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.) is hitting .333 over the last 10 games with two home runs and 11 RBI.
- Freshman Julio Cortez (Miami) has played in the last 14 games at either catcher or DH. He's batting .370 over the last 10 games.
The Matchup
The Bulls owna 27-22 lead in the all-time series against the Tiger. USF took 2-of-3 from Memphis on the road in 2017 and again in Tampa last year. USF leads the all-time series in Memphis, 14-10.
Know the Foe
The Tigers (22-20, 6-8 The American) are just 2.5 games ahead of USF. Memphis has a well-rounded lineup, currently third in the league in scoring (6.3). Hunter Goodman leads the team with a .354 average, nine home runs and 51 RBI to rank second in the conference. Ben Brooks is hitting .308 with 36 runs and Colton Neel is batting .299 with 11 doubles and 34 runs scored.
Neel is also the team's closer, posting eight saves in 14 appearances with 21 strikeouts in 14.2 innings. The Tigers lead The American with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Lefty Hunter Smith (4-5, 5.55 ERA, 68 K's) will start Friday. Lefty hander Chris Durham (3-2, 3.90 ERA, 58 K's) will start Saturday and righty Alex Hicks (3-2, 3.52 ERA, 68 K's) will get the start in Game 3.
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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