TAMPA, Fla. (April 9, 2026) – Just past the regular season's mid-point, the USF baseball team has established itself as a contender for the American Conference championship and an NCAA Regional bid.
 
The pitching has been stellar. The offense has been opportunistic. And the defense has been steady.
 
This weekend will tell us more.
 
The Bulls (24-8, 5-4) will travel to face the UTSA Roadrunners (22-10, 6-3) in San Antonio, Texas. UTSA is coming off a 47-win season in which it defeated the No. 2-ranked Texas Longhorns to capture the NCAA Regionals and earn the program's first Super Regional appearance.
 
The Roadrunners, who finished No. 13 in last season's final D1 Baseball national poll, were picked second in the American's preseason poll (USF was picked fifth).
 
"UTSA is a quality team,'' Bulls head coach Mitch Hannahs said. "We're going to play on dirt (in the infield) and we haven't played on a ton of dirt this season. You're in Texas, so it's going to be hard and fast dirt and we have to adapt really quickly. You hope that the wind isn't blowing out and hope we can play a real game in normal conditions. But it is going to be a measuring stick, no question."
 
"Our guys know from last year that UTSA has a good club. They're going to fight you from the minute you walk in the gate to the minute you walk out. I'm anxious to see our team play.''
 
So far, seeing the Bulls play has been a joy.
 
USF has built upon last season — a 31-25 finish in Hannahs' debut — and become a more well-rounded team.
 
"The biggest part for young people to understand at this level is you can never just hold the fort,'' Hannahs said. "You've got to continue to get better and that's where we're at. These guys have worked really hard.
 
"Sometimes, the thing that gets lost is, as coaches sitting here, we're not the ones getting punched. When young athletes get whacked a little bit or they get chopped up at the plate or they make a mistake, they speed up. So it's really important to learn how to handle the bad and the good. The guys who have long careers, they know how to do that. When we started, we had guys who were afraid to make mistakes. You can't win that way. So we are definitely evolving.''
 
Pitching has been a strength.
 
Right-hander Michael Senay (6-0, 1.34 ERA), who is on pace to become the most successful freshman pitcher in USF's 61-season program history, and left-hander Edwin Alicea (5-2, 4.11) are reliable front-of-the-rotation starters. Right-hander Ethan Sutton (1-1, 3.12, six saves, 39 strikeouts in 26 innings) has developed into a lights-out closer.
 
"The two guys (Senay, Alicea) have been really solid,'' said Hannahs, whose primary third option, Landen Yorek, has battled injuries. "I feel like we're starting to put together three or four guys on the back end. We just need a couple more bridge guys in front of them.''
 
Offensively, the Bulls are batting .298 as a team with 233 runs (7.2 per game). There's not much power (just 12 home runs), but Hannahs said he's pleased with the extra-base production of 68 doubles (more than twice the opponent's total) and 13 triples (tied for fifth nationally).
 
"I think we're getting a lot of good at-bats in tough situations,'' Hannahs said. "They're not always home runs, but they're doubles and triples and we'll take that.''
 
USF is also adept at manufacturing scoring with a running game that features shortstop Jevin Relaford (20 stolen bases in 24 attempts, tied for 18th nationally) and center fielder Ryan Pruitt (17 steals in 20 attempts).
 
"We're a scrappy team,'' Pruitt said. "We'll walk. We'll hit-and-run. We'll bunt, play small ball, big ball, whatever we need to do. We'll take some bases (on steals) when that's needed.
 
"The biggest thing we've learned from Coach Hannahs is we're never out of the fight. We're capable of coming back, no matter what. No matter how big of a deficit we have to overcome, we're going to do whatever we can to get it done.''
 
USF's most consistent offensive performers have been catcher Lance Trippel (team-leading .333 batting average), Relaford (.323, on-base percentage of .442), second baseman Bradke Lohry (.322), right fielder Ja-cob Green (.319), third baseman Jack Lutz (.308), designated hitter Na-than Earley (.292, 22 RBIs), Pruitt (.283, team-leading 24 RBIs), and left fielder Jake Kulikowski (.268, team-leading three homers).
 
"If you're looking for a way to describe our team, I think the word 'gritty' would apply,'' Lohry said. "We find ways to win. That's really what we're all about. So much of that is attention to detail. We harp on doing the little things right and that always leads to the big things.''
 
Hannahs said USF's pitching and defense has become better and deeper — a product of more athleticism within the roster — with the nation's 12th-best ERA (3.47) and 12th-best fielding percentage (.983).
 
Combined with an offense that keeps finding winning margins, despite the lack of power, USF has positioned itself nicely for the stretch run.
 
"All the conversation (about USF potentially winning the conference and reaching the NCAA Regional) outside these lines, it has to stay out there,'' Hannahs said. "When you consume yourself with that, you struggle.
 
"We don't talk about that at all. We talk about playing a really good brand of baseball every single day consistently, over and over and over. That's our mission right now — taking care of what's directly in front of us and playing consistent baseball. If you do that, the rest takes care of itself.''
 
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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 –