Game Info and discussion - Bulls vs Bethune

[Brad]

USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com

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Matchup: USF (26-14, 9-6 The American) vs. Bethune-Cookman (17-24, 11-7 MEAC) 
Date: Tuesday, April 24
Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Tampa, Fla. | USF Baseball Stadium (3,211)
Follow: Stats | Listen | Watch - Facebook Live

 

No. 24 Bulls Host Bethune-Cookman in Final Home Midweek Game
USF defeated the Wildcats, 16-1, on Feb. 28 and just took 2-of-3 from UCF, garnering rankings in three different polls

 

TAMPA, April 23, 2018 – The newly ranked University of South Florida baseball team has its final home midweek game of the season Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. when Bethune-Cookman comes to Tampa.  

The Bulls (26-14, 9-6 The American) went 3-1 last week and took 2-of-3 from UCF over the weekend. At 26-14 and a No. 21 RPI, USF entered the top-25 in three different polls Monday. D1Baseball has USF ranked 24^th, Perfect Game at No. 23 and Baseball America as high as No. 20.

Sophomore Carson Ragsdale (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) went 2-for-4 Saturday and Sunday and hit .500 over the weekend. Junior David Villar(Pembroke Pines, Fla.) hit .375 with two runs, a double and a pair of clutch home runs. He gave the Bulls what turned out to be the game-winning homer late in Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Knights. In the third inning of Sunday’s 4-2 win, he followed a Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) two-run shot with another solo blast to make it 3-2.

Sophomore lefty Noah Yager (Davie, Fla.) was sensational out of the bullpen last week, logging 8.1 scoreless innings with just five hits allowed and 15 strikeouts. He got the win against UNF on Tuesday, going 5.1 innings with a career-best 10 strikeouts. He then pitched 3.0 innings in relief on Sunday with five strikeouts. Yager was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll on Monday. 

Freshman righty Baron Stuart (Okeechobee, Fla.) will again make the midweek start. He’s 2-2 with 19 strikeouts this season. It’ll be his eighth start of the year. 

SERIES HISTORY

The Bulls and Wildcats will meet for the 68^th time on Tuesday. The Bulls own a 60-17 edge in the series. USF is 10-7 against Bethune-Cookman in the last 17 contests since 2011. Both teams split in the 2017 Gainesville Regional. USF defeated the Wildcats 9-1 to open postseason play, but Bethune defeated the Bulls 6-4 in the elimination game. 

The Bulls had their largest margin of victory of 2018 in the season’s first meeting on Feb. 28 in Daytona Beach, 16-1. USF had eight extra-base hits in the win with five doubles, two homers and a triple. Villar went 3-for-6 with a double, home run and a single. He had two runs scored and two RBI. JuniorGarrett Zech (Naples, Fla.) went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI

SCOUTING REPORT

The Wildcats are led offensively by Nate Sterijevski, hitting .307 with 25 runs scored, five doubles and 18 RBI. Ian Claudio is hitting .322, though he only has 59 at-bats. Danny Rodriguez leads the team with eight doubles and six home runs.

Junior righty Jordan Pinto will throw for Bethune-Cookman Tuesday and make his third start. In 12 appearances, he has a 3.82 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 30.2 innings of work. Ivan Coutinho has been the Wildcats’ top reliever with a 2.66 ERA and 35 strikeouts to only eight walks in 23.2 innings. 

NOTA-BULLS

·   Villar still leads the Bulls with a .385 average and his 17 doubles, ranking ninth nationally.

·   The Bulls are tops in The American with a .293 team average, a .463 slugging, 258 runs scored, 403 hits, 104 doubles and 14 triples. They sit third nationally in doubles and 14^th in triples.  

·   After striking out 40 UCF batters over the weekend, USF’s pitching staff ranks sixth nationally with 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

[BrassBulls12]

Would like to see Stuart have a better outing, He looks like a Future Fri/Sat guy. 

[BrassBulls12]

Stuart didn't get the start I was hoping for. Seems like CBM has a quick hook on him when it looks like the wheels might fall off. 

[Brad]

USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com

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Bulls Take Care of Wildcats, 5-3, in Year’s Final Home Midweek Game

Coco Montes and Duke Stunkel Jr. led the way with three hits apiece
 

TAMPA, APRIL 24, 2018 – The University of South Florida baseball team scored two runs in the fifth to retake the lead for good, giving it a 5-3 win against Bethune-Cookman Tuesday night. 

The first two innings were quick for both sides, but the Wildcats (17-25, 11-7 MEAC) struck first with a run in the third. The Bulls (27-14, 9-6 The American) responded with two runs on three hits in the bottom half. Junior catcher Tyler Dietrich(Naples, Fla.) led off with a double to center, followed by an RBI double by Coco Montes(Miami). Senior Duke Stunkel Jr. (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) followed with a single up the middle, scoring Montes from second.

USF maintained a one-run lead after both sides traded runs in the fourth. Bethune-Cookman again tied it with a run in the top of the fifth. But three-straight singles in the bottom half from Montes, Stunkel Jr. and David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) pushed the Bulls back in front, 4-3. JD Dutka(Suwanee, Ga.) hit s sac fly to score Stunkel Jr., making it 5-3 after five innings.

Key Stats

3 – Montes and Stunkel Jr. got the offense going all night, each finishing 3-for-4 with a combined three runs scored and two RBI. 

10 – The Bulls tallied 10 hits, the 23^rd time they’ve had double-digit hits this season. 

7 – Andrew Perez (Orlando) pitched a perfect ninth and struck out two to pick up his seventh save.

Notables

-   Freshman Graham Hoffman (Tampa, Fla.) had one of his best pitching outings of the year, logging 2.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

-   Junior Kyle Phillips (Orlando) hit his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot in the fourth.

-   The Bulls had three more doubles and have 107 on the season, tops in The American and to-five nationally. 

Up Next

The Bulls have their final home series of the season beginning Friday at 7 p.m. against Memphis. USF will honor four seniors in the home finale Sunday, with a scheduled first pitch of 11 a.m.