CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 29, 2026) – University of South Florida baseball lost its first series of the 2026 season on the road in Charlotte. The Bulls (22-6, 3-3 American) were defeated by the 49ers (18-10, 3-3 American) 2-1 in the series. Charlotte won the first and third games 11-2 and 10-3. South Florida took Game 2, 9-5.
 
In Game 1, Charlotte scored in the bottom of the first, in Game 2, the Bulls scored in the top of the first, and in Game 3, both teams scored in the first. A five-run first inning set an early high-scoring tone for the deciding game of the three-game series.
 
Firstly, the Bulls scored two in the top half of the inning. Ryan Pruitt led the game off with a walk, and Matt Rose later walked as well. Pruitt and Rose simultaneously stole second and third. Former Charlotte 49er and now Bull, Juan Correa, scored Pruitt on a groundout to third base. Jack Lutz was next due up and would single up the middle to score Rose from second.
 
Secondly, Charlotte scored three in the bottom half of the first. Spencer Nolan hit a leadoff single to shallow left field to get the 49ers started. Todd Hudson drew a walk, and Cody Gunderson was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Dylan Koontz would then also be hit by a pitch to score Nolan, and Alec DeMartino would draw a walk to score Hudson. South Florida starting pitcher Landen Yorek's day would end there, as Nolan Bernard entered the game for the Bulls. Bernard struck out the first batter he saw, and then Cale Stricklin would hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Koontz. The first inning would end with Charlotte in front, 3-2.
 
Neither team wanted the scoring to end, with both teams recording a run in the second. That would be the final run South Florida would score in the game.
 
A pitch hit Gabe Graulau to start the top half of the second for South Florida. Pruitt would ground out to the pitcher, but allow Graulau to advance to second. Bradke Lohry hit a single up the middle, scoring Graulau from second.
 
In the bottom half of the second, Johnny Sutryk singled on a shallow hit ball to center and advanced to second after a balk. Nolan would ground out in the middle of the infield but allow Sutryk to advance to third. He would score when Hudson singled to left center. The score would be 4-3 49ers ending the second.
 
Charlotte continued to extend their lead in the coming innings, starting in the bottom of the fourth. Nolan would double down the right field line and later advance to third on a wild pitch. A dropped third strike wild pitch would score Nolan and give Charlotte a 5-3 lead, ending the fourth.
 
The fifth inning was similar to the fourth, with the 49ers scoring another run. Robert Nedry started the inning with a single through the left side. Stricklin would advance him to third with a single to right center. Nedry would score when Adrian Jimenez grounded out in the deep middle of the infield. The Charlotte lead would be 6-3, heading to the sixth.
 
The 49ers piled it on even more in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Gunderson homered 380 feet to left field with one out in the inning. Koontz singled, and DeMartino doubled to put runners on second and third. Nedry singled through the right side of the infield to score them both. The lead would become 9-3 for the 49ers to end the sixth.
 
Another run came across for Charlotte in the seventh. Nolan led off the inning with a walk and later stole second. He scored on a single to left center from Hudson, who was thrown out going for second. Through seven, the score would be 10-3 in favor of Charlotte, which would be held for the remainder of the game.
 
Landen Yorek started on the mound for South Florida but did not make it out of the first inning after giving up three runs. Nolan Bernard came in to relieve him and threw the majority of the innings for the Bulls with four. He recorded five strikeouts while giving up six runs, three hits, a walk, and received the loss.
 
Notables:
• South Florida is now 3-3 in conference play in 2026.
• Charlotte hit at least one home run in all three games of the series.
• The 49ers scored at least one run in six out of eight innings.
• Nolan Bernard is now 1-2 on the season after receiving the loss today.
• Bradke Lohry is currently on a 15-game reached base streak. Lance Trippel is on a 13.
 
Up Next:
The Bulls return home to Tampa to host Bethune-Cookman for a non-conference midweek matchup. The game is scheduled for Tuesday, March 31st, at 6:30 p.m. and will be streaming on ESPN+.
 
Tickets:
Interested in tickets for the 2026 Bulls baseball season? Click here to learn more.
 
Follow us:
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF Baseball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
 
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.
– #GoBulls –