TAMPA, Fla. (March 6, 2026) – University of South Florida baseball (11-3) defeated Southern University (4-9) despite having to work through an over-an-hour-long rain delay, 6-1. For the first time since 2023, the Bulls recorded 16 strikeouts.
Scoring began in the bottom of the third with the Bulls getting on the board first. Relaford, followed by Green, led off the inning with singles, putting runners on the corners. The top of the order in Pruitt came due up, and Pruitt reached on a fielder's choice that scored Relaford; Green was out on the play. Next up was Lohry, who singled, and he was followed by Kulikowski, who walked to load the bases. A batter later,
Eli Thomas walked to score Pruitt. To round out the scoring,
Lance Trippel hit a single through the left side to score Kulikowski and Lohry. South Florida led 4-0 through the third.
The Bulls would extend their lead in the bottom of the fifth. Kulikowski reached first on a fielder's choice and was shortly after advanced to third after
Nathan Earley singled through the right side. Kulikowski would tag from third to score on a fly ball hit to left field by Thomas. USF would lead 5-0 through five innings.
Southern fought back in the top of the sixth, when Jacoby Radcliffe singled on a slowly hit ball towards first. He later stole second and third and scored when Kamero Byrd grounded out to second. The score would be 5-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth.
South Florida immediately earned its five-run lead right back in the bottom half of the sixth, with a solo home run down the left field line by
Jevin Relaford. That's the Bulls' fifth home run of the season, Relaford's first as a Bull.
Edwin Alicea made his fourth start on the mound this season for USF, and threw 5.2 innings, right up until the rain delay occurred. Alicea recorded 12 strikeouts while giving up one run on five hits and one walk.
Ethan Sutton came into the game after an over an hour-long delay and threw the final 3.1 innings, making for a combined complete game between the two. Sutton scored four strikeouts and gave up one walk, no hits, and no runs.
Notables:
•
Ryan Pruitt's reached base streak of 13 to start the year came to an end, but
Nathan Earley remains and extended his on-base streak to the last 11 games.
•
Edwin Alicea and
Ethan Sutton pitched a combined complete game, recording 16 strikeouts.
• Alicea advances to 3-0 on the season after recording 12 of the 16 strikeouts.
• Sutton earns his second save of the season.
• South Florida is 5-0 in games in which a Bull has hit a home run.
•
Jevin Relaford leads the team in stolen bases with nine on 12 attempts.
Up Next:
South Florida plays a doubleheader against Southern University for games two and three of the series on Saturday, March 7th. First pitch of the first game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., and both games will be streamed 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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