TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 19, 2026) – University of South Florida baseball made national headlines Thursday morning after earning the No. 1 play on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 during its two-game sweep of North Dakota State. The Bulls will look to carry this momentum into a three-game weekend series against Georgia Southern.
In Game 2 of the series against NDSU, left fielder
Jacob Green made a catch falling over the wall into the visiting bullpen along the left field line. The Bulls went on to win the game 3-1.
Setting The Stage:
South Florida is 4-1 to start the season and is coming off a two-game sweep of North Dakota State, in their first-ever meeting. Georgia Southern has started the year 0-4 and is coming off a loss to fifth-ranked Georgia Tech, 25-1.
Series History:
The Bulls lead the series 2-1 after a three-game series at Georgia Southern last season. This will be the first time these two teams have met in Tampa. South Florida took games one and two and lost the third game of the series 9-8 in 11 innings. All three games were high scoring, averaging 10 runs per game.
Note-A-Bull:
- Ryan Pruitt has started the first five games of the season on a five-game hitting streak.
- Freshman Eli Thomas has started the year with a .462 batting average.
- Landon O'Donnell leads the team with two saves.
- Nolan Bernard starts the season with two wins.
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About USF Baseball
The University of South Florida baseball program, founded in 1966, enters its 61st season in 2026. Head coach Mitch Hannahs returns for his second year at the helm after leading the Bulls to 32 wins in his debut season—the program's highest win total since 2018. USF also posted 16 victories in American Athletic Conference play, marking its best conference showing since joining the league.
Hannahs, a 2023 ABCA NCAA Division I Midwest Region Coach of the Year, was named USF's eighth head coach on June 8, 2024, after an 11-year run at Indiana State, where he tallied 355 wins, six conference titles, and five NCAA Regional appearances.
USF has made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a historic Super Regional berth in 2021. The Bulls have captured five conference tournament titles (three Sun Belt, one Metro, one American) and six regular season championships (three Sun Belt, two Metro, one C-USA).
The program continues to develop top-tier talent with 134 MLB Draft picks all-time, including three selections in 2025. Notable alumni include two-time MLB All-Star and 2018 first-round draft pick Shane McClanahan. Bulls have earned All-America honors 12 times and Freshman All-America recognition 19 times.
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