TAMPA, May 28, 2025— By anyone's standards, it was a season of great improvement for the USF baseball program.
 
The Bulls finished 31-25, the program's highest victory total since 2018 (36 wins). USF's 16 league victories were the most since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2013-14. The Bulls also won seven of their nine conference series.
 
"But certainly, we're nowhere close to where we want to be,'' first-year head coach Mitch Hannahs said.
 
Hannahs, who transformed Indiana State into a perennial NCAA contender, was hired to wake up USF's baseball potential. That means AAC championships, NCAA Regional appearances, and doing what it takes to reach USF's first College World Series.
 
With top-notch facilities and a baseball-centric location in the Tampa Bay area, Hannahs said USF's program has the proper natural resources. By identifying the right players and developing a gritty work ethic, Hannahs said he believes the biggest goals are realistic for the Bulls.
 
The Bulls hit the ground running when Hannahs was hired, building a 2025 recruiting class that was ranked 25th nationally by Perfect Game, and USF already has stretched its outreach into 2026 and beyond.
 
"The first year of building a program is always tough,'' pitching coach Daniel Schlereth said. "We lost some incredibly talented arms and players (from the 2024 team), but I think we surprised a lot of people based on what we did all year. They didn't pick us that high in the (AAC) preseason poll (seventh in a 10-team league). I don't know if we shocked anybody inside of our building, but I think we opened some eyes around the league. This program will keep getting better and better.''
 
Positives?
 
The Bulls contended all season long for the AAC title and upset the Florida Gators 7-1 in Gainesville. They were 5-5 in mid-week non-conference games, with two of the defeats coming against powerhouse Florida State. After immediately falling into the losers bracket, the Bulls battled into the AAC Tournament semifinals with a pair of hard-earned, come-from-behind one-run victories (4-3 against Wichita State, 7-6 against Charlotte).
 
USF was eliminated by East Carolina, the eventual AAC champion, 9-7 in Saturday's semifinals at Clearwater's BayCare Ballpark. The Bulls built an early 4-0 advantage but fell behind 6-4 when the Pirates clubbed a pair of three-run homers.
 
The Bulls rallied for a tie on back-to-back seventh-inning solo homers by Bradke Lohry and Carter Murphy. USF had the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning, but Carlos Jacome's screaming line drive was snared by ECU shortstop Dixon Williams for the game's final out.
 
Murphy, who had just hit an RBI double and was looking to score from second base on Jacome's would-be hit, crumpled to the ground and remained motionless for about a minute. USF players quietly gathered in left field for the final words from Hannahs.
 
"These guys were hell-bent on winning this tournament,'' Hannahs said. "Even getting up this (Saturday) morning, you saw it when they came out today. That's what I appreciate most about this group.
 
"There aren't a lot of words right now for those guys. I have a lot of respect for the guys who have stayed in this program for four or five years and didn't go anywhere else. Those guys are hurting right now. It hits pretty hard, so there's nothing I can say right now that's going to alleviate that.''
 
In time, Hannahs said his players will appreciate what was done to lay a foundation for the success of future USF teams. Individual accolades went to left-hander Corey Braun (8-4, 3.71 ERA, who was selected to the All-AAC first team, while right-hander Jack Nedrow (5-3, 3.75 ERA) and first baseman Sebastian Greico (.281 batting average with a team-leading 14 homers and 47 RBIs) earned spots on the All-AAC second team.
 
The Bulls also received notable offensive performances from right fielder Marcus Brodil (team-leading .330), third baseman Matt Rose (.322), second baseman Jacome (.309), and center fielder Ryan Pruitt (.281, team-leading 24 stolen bases).
 
"This group started in August, and we pushed them really hard,'' Hannahs said. "They came to work every day with a fighting attitude. And that showed most of the year with how they scrapped.
 
"We have a lot of momentum. Obviously, you take the core group of guys who really led this team, add guys in with them, and you really get back to work in the fall. I think that's the biggest lesson for these guys. Champions are made in the fall. They're not made in May or June. It happens in the fall.''
 
The big things get attention.
 
But Hannahs said it's the little things that make the biggest difference in baseball.
 
"The more you're in these deep games, it's easier to explain why we hit and run in this situation, why we swing our outfield in this situation,'' Hannahs said. "There are so many little things within the game that are going on that most general people up in the crowd don't even understand or don't see. For a lot of young players, they don't understand it at first, either. So the more you're in (important) games, it's so much easier to explain those things in the fall.''
 
The Bulls achieved a level of respectability in 2025, but Hannahs said USF's program is chasing championships.
 
"Like we explain to our guys all the time, those people who walk into our stadium are going to make a decision on whether or not they want to come back,'' Hannahs said. "They'll want to come back based on the brand of baseball they watch, based on how much fight and effort our guys give.
 
"With recruiting, it's the same thing. People are going to decide on programs where they see a future. They (want to) see guys fighting for more than just being average. In that respect, I'm really pleased with our beginning point.''
 
But the program's mantra?
 
USF baseball has much bigger things in mind.
 
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.