TAMPA, Fla. (March 3, 2026) – University of South Florida baseball (10-3) defeated Stetson (5-8) on a Tuesday night midweek matchup, 12-4. The Bulls have their best start to a season since 2017 and will look to keep it rolling at home this weekend.
 
Stetson started the game hot with three runs in the top of the first. Juan De La Cruz was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and shortly after, stole second. Renzo Gonzalez singled to center field with one out to advance De La Cruz to third. Left fielder Foster Apple ripped a ball down the left field line for a triple, scoring De La Cruz and Gonalez. Apple would score on a sacrifice fly by Yohann Dessureault. The Hatters would lead 3-0 to end the first.
 
South Florida wouldn't be scoreless for long and responded in the bottom of the third. A lead-off walk for Jack Lutz got the Bulls started, and Jevin Relaford was next to bat and drove Lutz in on a double down the left field line. Gabe Graulau then flew out to center field, allowing Relaford to advance to third. Relaford would score when the next batter, Ryan Pruitt, laid down a bunt. The inning would end with Stetson still leading, 3-2.
 
The Bulls would keep the scoring going in the next inning, the fourth. Nathan Earley hit a lead-off double, and he was immediately followed by a Matt Rose single, advancing Earley to third. Lance Trippel singled to left field, scoring Earley and advancing Rose to second. Jack Lutz drew a walk to load the bases for Jevin Relaford, who flew out to center field to score Rose from third. Gabe Graulau doubled to right field to score Trippel and advance Lutz to third. Pruitt walked, then advanced to second, Graulau to third, and Lutz scored on a wild pitch. Bradke Lohry was next to bat and hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Graulau. Jake Kulikowski walked, and then Nathan Earley singled to center field, scoring Pruitt and advancing Kulikowski to third. After a Hatters pitching change, Kulikowski scored, and Earley advanced to second, shortly after advancing to third on a wild pitch. To round it all out, Rose would single to first, scoring Earley. The Bulls would lead 10-3 at the end of the fourth.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, South Florida continued to score. Back-to-back walks for Lutz and Relaford got the inning started. Relaford would soon steal second, and Lutz would steal third, and then score on a throwing error by the Hatters catcher. Relaford would follow in Lutz's footsteps and steal third moments later. He would then score on a sacrifice fly by Pruitt, to give the Bulls a 12-3 lead through five.
 
Stetson would score a fourth run in the top of the seventh. Back-to-back doubles by Gonzalez and Apple scored Gonzalez, to give us our final score of 12-4.
 
Brisen Tweedy made his first collegiate start on the mound for South Florida. He went on to pitch 2.1 innings and gave up three runs while recording one strikeout. Dominic Pontbriant would receive the win for the Bulls, pitching 2.2 innings and recording a strikeout.
 
Notables:
• Ryan Pruitt starts the year on a 13-game reached base streak.
• Nathan Earley is on a 10-game reached base streak, and Jevin Relaford an eight.
• Brisen Tweedy made his first collegiate start on the mound.
• Jack Lutz entered the game with four walks on the season and recorded three more tonight.
• This is the second-highest scoring game of the season for South Florida.
• Relaford leads the team in stolen bases with nine on 12 attempts.
 
Up Next:
South Florida will host Southern University for a three-game weekend series, including a Saturday doubleheader. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, March 6th at 5:00 p.m., streaming 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.
– #GoBulls –