TAMPA, May 19, 2025— Talk about a powerful impact. USF first baseman Sebastian Greico has 14 home runs — tied for second in the American Athletic Conference — while ranking in the top 10 of four other league offensive categories.
 
As the No. 3-seeded Bulls (29-23) prepare for Tuesday night's opener in the AAC Tournament at Clearwater's BayCare Ballpark, there's no question that Greico has been quite the find for USF.
 
Actually, it was Greico who unwittingly found the Bulls.
 
He talked his way into the office of Coach Mitch Hannahs, simply asking for an opportunity. For USF, it has been a great return on investment — a valuable, all-conference level player for no scholarship money at all — but Greico has been thrilled to play his final college season for the hometown team.
 
With one season remaining on a baseball odyssey that transported him to Coastal Alabama Community College, Eastern Kentucky and Florida A&M, Greico hoped to get his foot in the door with the recently hired Hannahs last summer. None of his baseball connections had a relationship with the new coach, so Greico turned up unannounced at the Selmon Athletic Center.
 
"Do you have an appointment?'' the receptionist asked. "Is he expecting you?''
 
"Yeah, he's expecting me,'' said Greico, now admitting to his white lie, but justifying his determination to capture an audience with Hannahs.
 
Greico had something to offer. He had 17 homers in 2023, setting a FAMU program record. Even though he visited Southern Miss the same weekend as his meeting with Hannahs, Greico took the walk-on offer to USF. It was always his preferred destination out of Gaither High School (where he played as a home-schooled student).
 
"I always wanted to come to USF, but I was never good enough for that opportunity,'' said Greico, 24, who had no formal offers coming out of high school.
 
He's good enough now.
 
"Sebastian has a knack for finding the barrel,'' Hannahs said. "I don't think he gets enough credit for that. He has really good power for a college player. But what has impressed me more is his ability to stay on all pitches, whether it's right-hand, left-hand, low slot, high slot.
 
"People are aware of him. They don't want to let our 8-9-1-2 guys get on because they know Greico is sitting there in the three-hole. He has helped everybody in front of him, but I don't think we've done a good job of protecting him in the lineup. Every guy we've put behind him, it seems like they have their worst game of the year. So they've been throwing him what they want him to hit and never giving in. The fact that he has been able to handle that, while still putting up solid numbers and getting key hits, that's impressive.''
 
Greico also has displayed excellent plate discipline for a power hitter, getting more walks (34) than strikeouts (33), while leading the Bulls in homers (14), RBIs (47), doubles (12), total bases (104) and slugging percentage (.584).
 
"I wanted to play at a bigger school this year against better competition to see where I really stood,'' said Greico, who didn't play in the final regular-season series against East Carolina but is hopeful of returning to USF's lineup for the AAC Tournament. "I've had big jumps in my game and this season has been a really good one. Being on the bigger stage has helped me improve with all the technology and resources that USF offers.
 
"When I talked to Coach Hannahs, it was later in the recruiting cycle and there really wasn't any scholarship money (remaining). He said all he could guarantee was I'd be able to compete for a spot. Well, that was all I was looking for.''
 
Greico has had some big performances. Early on, he homered in three straight games. At Memphis, he was 4-for-6 with two homers. But he is most proud of his consistency.
 
"Everything goes back to preparation,'' Greico said. "Coach (Bryan) Peters gives us these advanced scouting reports and you get a good idea of how these pitchers are going to attack you. It has really helped me develop my approach.
 
"My job is to drive in my runs by whatever means possible. In the past, when it was two strikes, I was still swinging for the fences. I have a much better two-strike approach now, so I'm putting more balls in play and still hitting them hard. So I definitely feel like I've become a more complete player.''
 
Greico would love to continue playing baseball professionally. Even if that happens, he still might be the second-best professional athlete in his family.
 
Greico's older brother, Christian, is a professional bass fisherman who competes on the Major League Fishing circuit. Three years ago, he captured the $100,000 first prize at an event and has continued to build his brand through sponsorships and active participation on his YouTube channel.
 
"We used to go out fishing together all the time, but he always had more skill and he loved it more than I did,'' Greico said. "He lives in North Carolina now, but whenever he's down here, I love getting out there with him to catch some bass.''
 
Last summer, USF baseball unexpectedly caught a big fish of its own when Greico surfaced. He produced a memorable season and he's hoping it's just the start of something much bigger.
 
The Bulls have won seven straight series in the AAC and they captured 16 league victories, a program record.
 
"We're all definitely excited (for the AAC Tournament in Clearwater),'' Greico said. "We've got a tight-knit group. We're very capable of doing well. You just never know what can happen in baseball.''
 
Sometimes, if you just show up with confidence — like Greico did when he visited Hannahs — it can lead to a great opportunity.
 
 
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.