FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 24, 2026) – University of South Florida baseball got a win on the road down south at FGCU. The Bulls (21-4, 2-1 American) defeated the Eagles (17-8, 3-3 ASUN) 7-3.
It was a slow start to the game, with the first run not coming until the top of the fifth for South Florida.
Bradke Lohry walked with two outs and would soon steal second. He would score when
Eli Thomas doubled down the left field line. The lead would be 1-0, Bulls headed to the sixth.
South Florida scored six in the top of the sixth.
Jake Kulikowski drew a leadoff walk,
Santiago Carriles was hit by a pitch, and
Jack Lutz walked to load the bases. After a pitching change for the Eagles,
Jacob Green would walk to score Kulikowski.
Jevin Relaford would be hit by a pitch to score Carriles.
Ryan Pruitt singled through the left side of the infield, and scored Lutz and Green, and Relaford would advance to second. Lohry laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Relaford to third, and Pruitt to second. Relaford would score on a wild pitch, and Pruitt advanced to third. He scored on a sacrifice fly from Thomas, giving the Bulls a 7-0 lead, ending the sixth inning.
FGCU fought back in the bottom of the eighth inning. A leadoff walk by Sebastian Lippman was later followed by a single by Keaton Kangas. Wilfred Gonzalez would walk to load the bases. Javier Gorostola drove two runners in with a single to left field. Evan Dempsey would drive in another run when he reached on an error. The lead would be 7-3 Bulls, which would be maintained for the remainder of the game.
Dominic Pontbriant started on the mound for South Florida. He recorded four strikeouts while giving up two hits and a walk.
Jonah Sarabia received the win for the Bulls, throwing 1.1 innings while recording a strikeout. South Florida threw a total of nine strikeouts on the night.
Notables:
• South Florida is currently in first place in the American Conference.
• The Bulls entered conference play in first place in the American for the first time since 2021, when South Florida advanced to a Super Regional.
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Jonah Sarabia earned his first win of the season.
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Eli Thomas had two hits and two RBIs on the night.
• South Florida recorded three double plays.
Up Next:
South Florida leaves the state of Florida for the first time in the 2026 season this weekend. The Bulls head to Charlotte for a three-game series against the 49ers. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, March 27th. The first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m., and all games will stream on ESPN+.
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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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