SCHEDULE:
Friday, February 16 – 10 a.m. | Louisville vs. Indiana State | 2 p.m. – UConn vs. Louisville | 6 p.m. – UConn vs. South Florida
Saturday, February 17 – 12 p.m. Indiana State vs. UConn | 4 p.m. – Louisville vs. South Florida
Sunday, February 18 – 1 p.m. – Indiana State vs. South Florida
*Schedule has been updated due to forecast of inclement weather
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GAME NOTES: USF | Indiana State | Louisville | UConn
By Joey Johnston
It's a new-look South Florida baseball program. After a subpar season described as "completely unacceptable'' by Coach Billy Mohl, the Bulls hope that structural and philosophical changes will prompt some more favorable results.
Mohl will now serve as the Bulls' de facto pitching coach, returning to his hands-on roots, where he helped to develop 16 draft picks and five major-leaguers at USF.
The Bulls will no longer look to get runners on base and primarily rely on a hit-or-miss home-run strategy. Instead, they will sprinkle in some dash to their bash, cranking up the running game, making things happen, even playing some small ball if needed.
Last season's 21-39 last-place finish is history. The Bulls, energized and rejuvenated, pledge that USF's program is prepared to make its move in the American Athletic Conference. They want to follow up on the promise of 2021, when USF qualified for the program's first NCAA Super Regional and nearly reached the College World Series.
"We're out for redemption after last year,'' said Mohl, whose Bulls face a pair of 2023 NCAA Regional qualifiers, along with a postseason blueblood, during the opening-weekend home stand, beginning with Friday night's clash against the UConn Huskies. "I think these guys have a mission in the back of their heads as well. They want to put us right back where we were a couple of years ago.''
The Bulls can't wait for that opportunity.
"It definitely wasn't enjoyable to lose a lot last year and we're looking to clean that up,'' said second baseman Bobby Boser, an All-AAC preseason selection, who batted .323 last season with a team-leading 15 home runs and a conference-leading .744 slugging percentage. "We're going to use our power and our speed and have a really dynamic offense.''
Mohl said urgency has been applied by his two new staff members — associate head coach Alan Kunkel, who runs the offense, and assistant coach Chris Cates, who oversees the running game — and the credibility that comes with their combined seven seasons of previous USF coaching experience.
Kunkel was part of the coaching staff during USF's historic run in 2021, and Cates was in the dugout for three Regional appearances with the Bulls in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
But as Mohl and his team have learned, offensive firepower means little without an effective pitching staff. Last season, USF had a 6.82 team ERA (221st nationally), while allowing 10.78 hits per nine innings (232nd).
"Just having someone to stop the bleeding when things start going south is going to be the key,'' said right-hander Jack Cebert, who was an All-AAC preseason selection after going 4-4 with a 5.05 ERA last season, including 65 strikeouts and just 21 walks in a team-leading 76.2 innings pitched. "Last year, if stuff started going south — and it went south quick — no one was really there to stop it. The key is going to be who steps up, but we have the players to do it.''
Cebert has his sights set on the Friday night role, which he'll have to wrestle away from veteran Hunter Mink. Sophomore Lawson Gailey along with newcomers Dominick Madonna (North Florida transfer), Peyton Jula (Austin Peay) and Matt Brown (St. Petersburg College) will contend for other starting spots. And don't overlook the impact of three potential impact freshmen — Logan Bevis (6-foot-6, 220 pounds from Montverde Academy), Adan Longoria (Plant City) and left-hander Austin Waring (Orangewood Christian) — who should figure into the rotation or bullpen.
There's also returning experience in Tanner Mink, Riley Skeen, Austin Grause and left-hander Joey Volini, who is coming off Tommy John surgery. Sophomore Chandler Dorsey has a live arm and made 22 appearances (third-most) out of the bullpen last season.
Regardless of the roles, Mohl's primary pitching requirement remains the same.
He despises walks.
"What Coach Mohl always tells you is to throw strikes — good strikes — and that's the biggest thing for success in college baseball,'' Cebert said. "If you don't throw strikes, you can't pitch. That's what we're going to this year and we're going to win a lot more games.
"We get to spend a lot more time with him (Mohl) than we did in the past, which is awesome. He has a lot of experience coaching big-leaguers and hopefully we have some on this team.''
Mohl said he's looking forward to returning USF to its status as a pitching-rich program.
"It's always a tough decision when you've got to make staff changes, but there's such a big comfort factor in doing what I was doing before I became the head coach here that it really wasn't a tough decision,'' Mohl said. "I feel more at home. That's my area (of expertise) and it's good to work with the pitchers directly again.
"Look, we really pitched well that year (2021) we almost got to Omaha. We'll get back to basics — pitching and defense — because that's what wins you championships. If you can pitch, you can win. When you can't pitch, it makes it really hard to win. If you can really pitch, you can sometimes get by with an average offense.''
USF doesn't have an average offense. In fact, Mohl said the Bulls might have their most potent lineup in the last decade.
"I think our offense is going to be a lot of fun and we're going to be a scary lineup to face for sure,'' Boser said.
Boser and shortstop Eric Snow (a freshman All-American who batted .343 last season) return as one of the AAC's top offensive/defensive combinations in the middle infield. Matt Rose figures to be the third baseman, while John Montes, Rafael Betancourt and Joaquin Monque are the first-base candidates. Ben Rozenblum (AAC All-Tournament Team) and Monque should split time at catcher.
In the outfield, right fielder Drew Brutcher (34 career home runs – sixth all-time in program history) is set and Jackson Mayo appears the top candidate to roam centerfield. Junior-college transfer Kohl Robertson (.410, 10 homers at Pasco-Hernando State College), formerly of Sickles High School, will get an early look in left field.
"I like our lineup,'' Mohl said. "I think we're going to score from runs. Now we need to make quality pitches. Everything we do in the bullpen should be like skill work. At the end of the day, you're like a master marksman, a sniper with the baseball. If we can execute like that, I think our results will be dramatically different.''
When conference play rolls around in late March, USF will contend with a revamped AAC, anchored by ECU, but now also includes Charlotte (2023 Regional team), Florida Atlantic, Rice (2003 National Champions and seven-time College World Series participant), UAB and UTSA (2023 C-USA runner-up).
The Bulls were picked fifth (with one first-place vote) in the 10-team AAC. That's probably a reflection of USF's baseball program undergoing some changes.
Mohl said he believes it will be changes for the better.
