TAMPA, Fla. (April 16, 2026) – He's human. After an otherworldly first half, USF baseball freshman right-hander Michael Senay was rocked in his last start. After allowing just eight earned runs and walking seven batters in his first eight outings, Se-nay was touched for six earned runs and five walks on Saturday at UTSA.
 
And now for Senay's next impressive trick:
 
Moving forward and rebounding from adversity.
 
That's difficult for many young players. But USF head coach Mitch Hannahs said an unflappable mentality sets Senay apart.
 
"I've always said maturity doesn't have an age,'' Hannahs said. "I mean, Michael is an 18-year-old, but he's as mature as a 38-year-old. It's that ability to turn the page and move on, that's what separates him from a lot of guys. He has been a rock, just so, so steady.
 
"He's still good when he doesn't have his best stuff and that's rare in a freshman. It's very easy for a young kid to get flustered by what happened the batter before. It gets in their head and they try to overthrow the next one. But Michael just settles back in. Great mechanics, really solid mechanics, have gotten him here. He has the ability to repeat the delivery, then he has the mindset to go with all of that.''
 
Senay, who has worked through the seventh inning in five of his nine outings, is expected to start Saturday afternoon when the Bulls (26-10, 6-6) face the UAB Blazers (23-14, 8-4, tying UTSA for first place) at Red McEwen Field in the middle portion of a three-game American Conference series.
 
The Bulls are coming off a 4-2 victory at Miami on Wednesday night.
 
Even with the forgettable result at UTSA, Senay still is working on one of the best freshman seasons of any starting pitcher in the program's 61-season history.
 
He's 6-1 with a 2.20 ERA (it was 1.34 heading into UTSA).
 
USF's freshman victory record is eight (achieved by Mark Roberts and Pat Ryan in 1994, then equaled by Casey Hudspeth in 2004). USF's freshman ERA record is 1.72 (Jimmy Herget in 2013).
 
Don't worry about Senay getting carried away with statistics. Level-headed and composed, he never seems prone to overstatement. Hannahs joked that the medical staff constantly checks Senay's heart rate "to make sure he has one.''
 
"You just don't see kids like this (very often),'' Bulls pitching coach Daniel Schlereth said. "He's an old-school, throwback type of guy because (most) guys who come in now are worried about velocity and chasing all this other stuff that doesn't matter. He's a guy who's 88 to 92 (miles per hour) and hits his spots for the most part. He has a really good slider. So that's a good recipe.
 
"He pitches. He's a pitcher. He's not overpowering. But he throws strikes with all his pitches and shows up every day ready to go. We're just trying to keep stacking (good) starts and not pay attention to anything else. Obviously, people are starting to talk about him now.''
 
Senay, a 6-foot-2, 200-pounder (after gaining 30 pounds in the last three years), was heavily on the radar of every state school (including the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles). He opted for USF because he saw a quicker route to playing time. He also loved the opportunity to be developed by Schlereth, a former first-round pick and major-league pitcher who had a 13-season professional career.
 
USF first showed interest in Senay, from Orlando's East River High School, through the previous staff with head coach Billy Mohl. The contact intensified when Hannahs took over.
 
And everyone noticed in 2024 during Senay's junior prep season, when he pitched for the Czech National Team (he has dual citizenship and regularly visits the Czech Republic, the homeland of his mother, Lucie). Traveling to Japan, Senay pitched six scoreless innings in games against Taiwan and Japan.
 
Senay had the option of pitching for the Czech team at the recent World Baseball Classic, but decided to not interrupt his first season at USF.
 
"I've been on big stages before,'' Senay said. "I knew if I had the right amount of confidence, I could (be successful at USF).''
 
Senay said he emulates former Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer, mostly because of that player's calm mound mindset and mix of pitches. Schlereth said Senay reminds him of Rick Porcello, a former teammate with the Detroit Tigers who broke into the big leagues at age 20.
 
"Low-heartbeat guy,'' Schlereth said. "Always kept his team in it, got them to hit it on the ground. Very efficient. Senay has shown similar characteristics.''
 
Older fans might mention Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. Senay said he has seen videos of Maddux, who made it look ridiculously simple by hitting his spots, pitching to contact and toying with hitters.
 
Those are probably not fair comparisons for Senay, who just completed his ninth college start. But his control, his metronome-like consistency and his even-keeled personality are unusual.
 
"He was actually really outgoing when he was younger,'' said Senay's father, Mike. "He would talk to any stranger. Beginning in high school, he became more introverted. We talked over the years and I always told him, 'Hey, don't show any emotions out there. Have ice in your veins.' He was kind of a natural at that.''
 
He was hit hard twice (Charlotte and UTSA). Otherwise, Senay has allowed zero runs in five of his other seven starts.
 
Senay has mostly made it seem easy.
 
"It's all about playing catch with the catcher,'' Senay said. "Just throw it right to his chest, right through him, and just see what the hitters can do.''
 
So far, not much.
 
"Michael knows his job, then he goes out and does it quietly,'' Hannahs said. "As a coach, you can't ask for more.''
 
Setting The Stage:
South Florida fell in a three-game series to UTSA on the road in San Antonio, 2-1. Miami hosted Wake Forest for a weekend ACC series and won 2-1. The Hurricanes made a statement in Game 3, securing the series with an 8-0 win on Sunday afternoon.
 
Series History:
The all-time series record is held by the Bulls at 10-5. South Florida is 6-3 at home when hosting the Blazers and won a three-game series at home against them last year, 2-1.
 
Note-A-Bull:

• The Bulls lead the nation in sacrifice flies with 30.
• UAB trails South Florida by one hit on each team's season total.
• South Florida is 19-0 when scoring six or more runs.
• Jevin Relaford is ranked in the top 20 nationally in stolen bases with 22.
• Lance Trippel is on a 20-game reached base streak, the longest for any Bull this season.
• South Florida is 13-2 in games in which a Bull has hit a home run.

 
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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 –