Brutcher’s sweet swing a game-changer for USF Baseball
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
University of South Florida (19-14, 1-5 AAC) vs. Memphis (13-15, 1-5 AAC)
SCHEDULE: Thurs., April 14 – 6:30 p.m. | Fri., April 15 – 4 p.m. | Sat., April 16 – 11 a.m.
BALLPARK: USF Baseball Stadium | Tampa, Fla.
ALL-TIME SERIES: USF leads, 31-25
TV: ESPN+
RADIO: iHeart Radio Bulls Unlimited
LIVE STATS: View
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFBaseball
GAME NOTES: View
2022 MEDIA GUIDE: View
By Joey Johnston
He's 6-foot-6, 205 pounds — long, lean and powerful. Midway through his sophomore season, USF outfielder Drew Brutcher already looks like one of the most prolific home-run hitters in program history.
A deep dive into Brutcher's background indicates all the right stuff. He's from a baseball family, the son of a high-school coach, a player who always had the raw ability and is now catching up to his prominent physical tools.
If the Bulls (19-14 1-5 American Athletic Conference) need a spark heading into Thursday night's opener of the three-game series against the Memphis Tigers (13-15, 1-5), Brutcher is a powerful possibility.
He's second on USF batting (.316) and RBIs (31), while leading the team in homers (10), while compiling an off-the-charts 1.106 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). His 31 walks this season lead the AAC and rank 17th nationally.
"Drew is the kind of guy who can change a game with one swing,'' Bulls head coach Billy Mohl said.
One swing.
Sometimes, that's all it takes.
USF fans learned that last season when Brutcher produced one of the most unforgettable moments in Bulls history — in any sport — during Game 1 of the NCAA Super Regionals at Texas.
The Bulls scored once in the ninth, but still trailed by two runs before a rabid Longhorn crowd of 7,180 fans. With one man on, Brutcher was at the plate, having fouled off a curveball from All-American Tanner Witt. He worked the count to 3-2. USF was one strike away from defeat. The crowd's noise reached a fever pitch.
"You're always hoping for magic,'' Bulls shortstop Nick Gonzalez said. "With Butcher up, it can definitely happen.''
"At that moment, I was completely locked in,'' Brutcher said.
"I was just thinking, 'Please throw another curveball,' because I knew if he did, Brutcher would hit it out of sight,'' USF's Daniel Cantu said.
Inexplicably, Witt went to the curveball. Brutcher swung and … well … let's go to the USF dugout.
"One moment, you could hardly hear yourself think and then the whole stadium went silent,'' USF pitcher Brad Lord said.
"Everybody was on the top railing or running on the field, just going crazy,'' USF pitcher Joseph Sanchez said. "I didn't move because I couldn't believe what I just saw. I guess it's like the Lotto. There's always a chance.''
"I was on the phone to the bullpen because you're thinking, 'What if Brutcher does run into one and tie it up?' '' Karsten Whitson said. "I'm planning ahead. Then I see the ball in flight and I'm thinking, 'Oh my gosh. If that's fair, it's gone.' ''
It was fair. And it was gone.
The storybook moment didn't have a perfect finish because Texas won it 4-3 on a ninth-inning walk-off hit. The Longhorns then wrapped up the Super Regionals with a Game 2 victory, eliminating the Bulls two wins short of the College World Series in Omaha.
But the sheer drama of Brutcher's moment — the two-run clutch homer in a hostile environment (by a freshman, no less) — served as a symbol for the never-say-die nature of USF's historic season.
It will be remembered forever.
"It was all like a blur to me and I didn't know what to think in the moment,'' Brutcher said. "It's like when you're playing whiffle-ball in the backyard as a kid. You dream of those things. To get that opportunity and have it actually happen, I'm very grateful.
"It would've been a good win. It was a letdown to have it all taken away on a walk-off, so we were disappointed. I'd like to have that moment again one day in a big game and have us win.''
The odds are good that Brutcher will have plenty of big moments at USF.
"Drew is a complete five-tool player,'' Mohl said. "He has good bloodlines. His father (Brutcher's coach at Lakeland High School) played pro ball. Drew can really hit and he's a key player for our program.''
Brutcher's current priority is positioning the Bulls for a strong finish to the regular season, a run in the AAC Tournament and another NCAA bid. He said he believes the Bulls are capable of that.
If the Bulls get in another big postseason game and Brutcher is at the plate with everything on the line, who knows? He knows the feeling of that moment. And he has delivered.
Who can ever forget?
"The moment was magical, his swing was perfect and the flight of that ball was just majestic,'' Gonzalez said.
"Brutch hits the bomb and the whole Texas stadium goes quiet,'' USF infielder Matt Ruiz said. "I remember looking up at the little section of USF fans in the upper right deck, this little green-and-gold section going absolutely crazy. It was amazing.''
Brutcher won't forget, but he said it's necessary to turn the page.
"You can't live in the past because you always want to improve,'' Brutcher said. "We got hot at the right moment last season. We had a bunch of kids who knew how to fight and win. We've got to get back to that. And I think that's what we're going to do.''
For tickets, please visit usfbullstix.com or call 1-800-Go-Bulls.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 57th season in 2022. Head coach Billy Mohl is entering his fifth season at the helm. The Bulls have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including four since 2015, and earned their first-ever Super Regional berth in 2021. USF was ranked in the Top 25 by five different publications in the final 2021 polls, checking in as high as No. 16. The Bulls have won five conference tournament titles (3 Sun Belt, 1 Metro and 1 American) and six regular season championships (3 Sun Belt, 2 Metro and 1 C-USA). USF baseball players have been recognized with All-America honors 12 times, most recently with third baseman David Villar in 2018, and 18 have earned Freshman All-America accolades, most recently Drew Brutcher and Carmine Lane in 2021. Four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program's fourth first-round selection in pitcher Shane McClanahan, who made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series and was the Rays' postseason game one starter in 2021.
– #GoBulls –
