GAMEDAY INFORMATION
University of South Florida Bulls (15-19, 4-2 AAC) at Houston Cougars (18-15, 4-2 AAC)
SCHEDULE: Friday, April 14 – 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, April 15 – 3 p.m. | Sunday, April 16 – 2 p.m. (all times ET)
BALLPARK: Schroeder Park | Houston, Texas
ALL-TIME SERIES: Houston leads, 33-20
TV: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Here
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFBaseball
GAME NOTES: USF | Houston
2023 MEDIA GUIDE: View
*Saturday's game has been moved to 3 p.m. ET due to inclement weather.
HOUSTON, Texas (April 13, 2023) – The University of South Florida Bulls enter the third weekend of conference play tied atop the AAC standings with the Houston Cougars and ECU Pirates. The Bulls travel to Houston this weekend for a three-game series with the Cougars.
South Florida is seeking wins in each of its first three conference series for the first time since 2015. The Bulls enter the weekend riding a three-game winning streak after a series win versus Tulane and a 13-2 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday night.
Three different players combined for a season-high four home runs against Bethune-Cookman. Bobby Boser registered his second two-homer game of the season and Nelson Rivera circled the bases for the fist time this year. Daniel Cantu matched a career high with his eighth home run of the season.
True freshmen Rafael Betancourt (.343) and Eric Snow (.339) enter the weekend leading the team in batting average. Cantu leads the Bulls in homers (8) and RBI (31), and has reached base safely in 16 consecutive games. Boser and Drew Brutcher both carry seven-game hitting streaks into the weekend.
On the mound, USF will send out the same starting rotation for the sixth straight weekend series. Ethan Brown, Hunter Mink and Jack Cebert have combined for nine quality starts over their last 13 combined outings with a collective 3.32 ERA (28 ER/76.0 IP) and 86 strikeouts.
Houston is 10-8 at home this season and won four straight meetings with the Bulls. The Cougars swept the series in Tampa last season and the teams split a four-game set in Houston in 2021. USF's last series win over the Cougars came in 2019 in Tampa. The Bulls are seeking their first series win in Houston since 2002.
Pitching Matchups
Friday – LHP Ethan Brown (1-3, 4.32 ERA) vs. RHP Josh Ekness (1-2, 5.25 ERA)
Saturday – RHP Hunter Mink (6-2, 4.14) vs. RHP Paul Schmidtz (1-3, 4.25)
Sunday – RHP Jack Cebert (2-1, 4.50) vs. RHP Cade Citelli (2-3, 5.40)
Up Next
The Bulls wrap up a four-game road swing at UNF on Tuesday, April 18 in Jacksonville.
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 58th season in 2023 under head coach Billy Mohl (sixth season). 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 Bulls were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft. Former 2018 first-round selection, Shane McClanahan, became the program's first-ever MLB All-Star in 2022 and was the starting pitcher for the American League.
– #GoBulls –
