TAMPA, May 14, 2025— When the book is written about the transformation of USF baseball under head coach Mitch Hannahs and staff, when the ahead-of-schedule initial season is chronicled, left-hander Corey Braun will be in the first chapter.
 
The personality of these work-in-progress Bulls? They keep working. They keep improving. Heading into the final regular-season series (Thursday through Saturday) against the East Carolina Pirates, the home-standing Bulls (27-22, 14-10) remain in contention for a No. 2 seed in next week's American Athletic Conference Tournament at Clearwater.
 
It's a far cry from where the program has been in recent seasons. Braun has been the tone-setter for USF's positive direction.
 
"You want as many stable pieces as possible, and there are some years when you don't have a Friday night guy (obvious ace), so when you do have that, you sometimes don't appreciate them to the depth you probably should,'' Hannahs said. "But Corey has been unbelievable. And it's not just the stability he has provided (in the opening game of a series).
 
"It bleeds into (the second) game. You have hitters kind of on their backs after one night. So he has affected entire weekends, and that has been so important because we have played with so many guys who just weren't that established. Corey has provided this team with confidence.''
 
Braun, a 6-foot-2, 212-pound left-hander who transferred from Ole Miss, is 7-2 with a 3.21 ERA and a minuscule 1.05 WHIP (walks and hits allowed per inning), plus 88 strikeouts in 87 innings. He consistently throws strikes (just 22 walks). He's a tough-minded bulldog who goes deep into games (at least six innings in 11 of his 13 starts, including a two-hit complete-game shutout of Tulane on March 28).
 
"Corey is very competitive and very aggressive,'' Bulls pitching coach Daniel Schlereth said. "He's not afraid, which is a huge staple for us. He attacks guys quickly, which we preach, getting guys out quickly in three pitches or less. He's the epitome of that guy.
 
"It's not something I say out loud in front of anybody, but he's the staple of how I'd like to mold this pitching staff. He gets after people constantly. He's so efficient, and he has helped save our pitching staff and bullpen time and time again. He has just been a breath of fresh air.''
 
Finally, Braun has found a home across the bridge from his hometown of Seminole and his launching pad, St. Petersburg Osceola High School.
 
He began at Charleston Southern (20 appearances as a freshman) and then bet on himself, opting for flexibility and development at Santa Fe College. He was 7-1 with 76 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings during a Mid-Florida Conference first-team all-star campaign.
 
That led to his third team in three seasons, the SEC's Ole Miss Rebels, who won the national championship in 2022. But Braun didn't play last season — not one inning, not one pitch.
 
"My number was never called,'' Braun said. "It's a tough place to get a spot. There was a lot of really good talent, like Liam Doyle (now at Tennessee, a projected top-10 draft pick). I knew all along I could do it and be an effective pitcher. I just needed to find a place to give me that chance.''
 
USF was that team.
 
"It has been really great being here,'' Braun said. "I'm very happy. I love being back home and having my parents watch me play. We've got a good ball club that's getting better every day. I'm just happy to be contributing.''
 
Braun's fastball has touched 96 miles per hour, but he also has reliable options with his breaking ball, cutter, and changeup. He throws with conviction, the key to his control, and that approach has attracted attention from scouts.
 
For now, though, Braun wants to help the Bulls succeed in the AAC Tournament.
 
"I feel like everybody expects me to perform (well), so I've got to be the same guy every time,'' Braun said. "Everybody is counting on me, and I like that (responsibility). No matter what, my mindset is going out there and getting it done.''
 
Braun's approach has impressed his coaches.
 
"I just like that he's much more of a fighter and scrapper than you would ever imagine,'' Hannahs said. "He's quiet and humble, but there's a fire inside him. And he's smart. He pounds the zone, and other teams try to put him in play. But Corey says, 'OK, you want to swing early in the count? I'll just put the ball in an area where you can't hurt me.' I love how he makes adjustments.''
 
"He runs toward the competition, not away from it,'' Schlereth said. "This guy battles and doesn't want to come out of the game. He wants to finish. He wants to throw nine innings every time out. He's such a tough guy to crack, so he consistently goes deep into games. He has a quality four-pitch repertoire, but it starts with that fastball. He's got a lower arm slot, so he's tough to square up. His ball has the illusion of rising a little bit, so nobody hits it very well. He's just very professional and consistent. Thank goodness we got him.''
 
Braun is equally grateful that he landed with the Bulls.
 
"I came here with a goal that I was going to start at the bare minimum and work toward my goals,'' Braun said. "It's really awesome to be out there playing and contributing. We're winning, and I think we have the capability of making a good playoff run. I couldn't be more happy with how it has gone.
 
"I never intended to transfer every single year because you always feel like a freshman, trying to meet people and fit in. But USF has been great. I feel very comfortable and feel very much at home.''
 
Hannahs at the Helm:
Mitch Hannahs was named South Florida's eighth head coach in program history on June 8, 2024, after compiling 355 wins over 11 seasons at Indiana State. The 2023 ABCA NCAA DI Midwest Region Coach of the Year guided the Sycamores to six conference titles and five NCAA Regionals, guiding ISU to a spot in the 2023 NCAA Super Regional. He takes over a USF team that went 26-29 last year and features 24 new players.
 
60th Year of USF Baseball:
The South Florida Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and will enter its 60th campaign in 2025. The Bulls have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and earned their first-ever Super Regional berth in 2021. USF has won 11 conference titles - five tournament titles (3 Sun Belt, 1 Metro, and 1 American) and six regular season championships (3 Sun Belt, 2 Metro, and 1 C-USA). Bulls baseball players have been recognized with All-America honors 12 times, and 19 Bulls have earned Freshman All-America accolades.
 
Tickets:
Tickets to watch Bulls baseball at the USF Baseball Stadium may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or clicking HERE.
 
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About USF Baseball
The South Florida Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and will enter its 60th campaign in 2025. Mitch Hannahs was named South Florida's eighth head coach in program history on June 8, 2024, after compiling 355 wins over 11 seasons at Indiana State. The 2023 ABCA NCAA DI Midwest Region Coach of the Year guided the Sycamores to six conference titles and five NCAA Regionals. The Bulls have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and earned their first-ever Super Regional berth in 2021. 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, and 19 Bulls have earned Freshman All-America accolades. USF has had 131 MLB Draft Picks. Former 2018 first-round draft pick Shane McClanahan is a two-time MLB All-Star.