TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2026) – University of South Florida baseball swept Georgia Southern (0-7) this weekend to advance to 7-1 on the season. The Bulls beat the Eagles 4-3 with a walk-off sacrifice fly.
Eagles first baseman Sean White got the scoring started in the top of the fourth with his first home run of the season, a solo shot off the video board in right field. Georgia Southern would end the top of the fourth up 1-0.
The lead would be extended at the top of the seventh for the Eagles. Nico Senese had a lead-off walk and was advanced to third by the next batter up, Bennett Edwards, with a double. South Florida made a pitching change to
Kaden Smith, and on his first batter, Grant Jordan hit a single to score Senese. Georgia Southern would lead 2-0 going to the bottom of the seventh.
South Florida scored its first runs of the game in the bottom of the seventh.
Jake Kulikowski hit a one-out single to center field, immediately followed by a
Nathan Earley double to right field, advancing Kulikowski to third. The Eagles would pull their starter, Will Robbins, for Will Holder.
Eli Thomas would be the first batter Holder would face. Thomas grounded out to second base but allowed Kulikowski to score and Earley to advance to third. Next to bat,
Lance Trippel, would single to right field and score Earley. The Bulls would end the seventh inning with the game tied at 2.
The tie game wouldn't last long, as Georgia Southern would reclaim the lead at the top of the eighth. White would walk and be pinch-run for by John Davis. Max Prozny would be next to bat and was hit by a pitch, advancing Davis to second. Nico Senese was next to bat, and during his at-bat, a passed ball would allow Davis to advance to third. Senese would soon ground out to first base, allowing Davis to score. The Eagles would lead 3-2 through the eighth inning.
South Florida would go on to rally in the bottom of the ninth. Kulikowski hit a lead-off double to get the Bulls going. Later in the inning, Earley would single to advance him to third. An Eagles pitching change would lead to
Gabe Graulau coming in to pinch run for Kulikowski at third. Next to bat was Trippel, who would single to left field, scoring Graulau and advancing Thomas to second.
Jack Lutz was hit by a pitch to load the bases, bringing
Jacob Green up to bat with one out. Green lined out to right field, but the ball was hit deep enough that it allowed Thomas to score from third. South Florida would walk it off and win 4-3.
Landon Yorek got the start on the mound for the Bulls. He would go on to pitch 5.2 innings, recording six strikeouts and giving up one run on three hits.
Landon O'Donnell was awarded the win for South Florida, pitching the last 0.2 innings. That is O'Donnell's first win of the season.
Key Stats:
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Ryan Pruitt is currently on an eight-game hitting streak.
• South Florida won on a walk-off sacrifice fly by
Jacob Green.
• South Florida is currently on a six-game win streak.
•
Landon O'Donnell recorded his first win of the season.
Up Next:
South Florida hits the road for the first time in the 2026 season with a quick day trip to Daytona. The Bulls will face Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday, February 24th at 6:00 pm.
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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.
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