TAMPA (May 18, 2024) – The University of South Florida (26-29, 11-16 AAC) fought until the finish in Saturday's regular season finale, but came up short in a 10-7 loss to the UAB Dragons (26-27, 13-14 AAC), a result that ended the Bulls' season short of qualifying for the conference tournament.
South Florida kept its tournament hopes alive on Friday night with an 8-4 win over UAB, but faced another must-win in Saturday's finale. The Bulls put together a ninth-inning rally with three runs and brought the tying run to the plate with one out, but couldn't complete the comeback.
The Blazers led 5-0 after the top of the second inning before the Bulls chipped away to make it a 5-3 affair in the bottom of the third. UAB extended its lead to 10-3 in the sixth inning and USF continued to battle until the final out.
Seniors Joaquin Monque (Weston), John Montes (Toa Alto, Puerto Rico) and Ben Rozenblum (Coral Springs) each drove in runs during the ninth-inning rally.
Saturday marked the final game for South Florida's seniors. In the top of the ninth inning, Hunter Mink (Palm Harbor) went to the mound from the dugout to call for a pitching change with his twin brother Tanner Mink (Palm Harbor) exiting the game to a standing ovation. Fellow senior Riley Skeen (Pompano Beach) recorded the final out of the frame to cap a stellar final campaign.
The senior class included the Minks, Montes, Monque, Rozenblum, Drew Brutcher (Lakeland), Riley Skeen (Pompano Beach), Dominick Madonna (Lady Lake), Kyle Scrape (Tampa), Peyton Jula (Sarasota), and student managers Dusty Snyder and Jackson Cothren.
Notable
- Brutcher concludes his standout career at South Florida tied for fourth in program history in home runs (40), eighth in extra-base hits (86) and ninth in walks (135).
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 59th season in 2024 under head coach Billy Mohl (seventh 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 19 have earned Freshman All-America accolades, most recently Eric Snow in 2023. 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 –
