TAMPA, Fla. (April 19, 2026) – University of South Florida evaded a three-game sweep from UAB with a late run in the bottom of the eighth. The Bulls (27-12, 7-8 American) defeated the Blazers in Game 3 (25-15, 10-5 American), 1-0.
The sole run of the game came from an RBI double down the left field line hit by
Lance Trippel. He scored
Bradke Lohry, who hit a double down the left field line earlier in the inning. Trippel is now on a 22-game reached base streak, after hitting a home run in the first two games of the UAB series.
Kaden Smith made his fourth start on the mound for South Florida and earned his first collegiate quality start. He threw for a career-long seven innings and recorded six strikeouts while allowing just two hits and three walks.
Ethan Sutton entered the game in the eighth inning and earned his second win of the season. He earned himself three strikeouts and gave up just one hit.
Smith now has a 2.75 ERA on the 2026 season and has thrown 36.0 innings. The sophomore transfer from TCU has now been the Sunday starter for the Bulls in back-to-back conference series weekends.
Sutton now has a 2.41 ERA as the team's go-to closer with eight saves. He has thrown 33.2 innings and has recorded 44 strikeouts on the year.
Notables:
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Lance Trippel hit the game-winning RBI double to extend his reached-base streak to 22 games.
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Kaden Smith earned his first collegiate quality start.
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Jevin Relaford stole his 26th base of the season.
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Ethan Sutton earned his second win of the year.
Up Next:
South Florida heads right back on the road for the remainder of April. The first road trip is to DeLand, where the Bulls will face Stetson for a second matchup of the season. The first matchup between these two teams was back in early March, when South Florida won 12-4 at home.
The game is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21st, with first pitch at 6:00 p.m. It 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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