TicketsBearcats Headed To Southern Miss
UC seeking first conference wins
Contact: Shawn Sell
3/24/2005
Jack Nelson and the Bearcats will battle Southern Miss this weekend. |
SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati returns to Conference USA baseball action this weekend as they travel to Hattiesburg, Miss. to meet Southern Miss. Action from Pete Taylor Park gets underway on Friday (March 25) at 6:30 p.m. CT, with matinee starts (3 p.m.-Saturday, 1 p.m.-Sunday) on tap for the balance of the weekend. The Bearcats earned a 10-4 non-conference win over Toledo on Wednesday to even their record at 9-9. UC is 0-3 in league play after being swept by Louisville last weekend. Southern Miss brings a 15-5, 1-2 C-USA mark into the series after two mid-week victories and losses in two of three games to TCU last weekend.
NOTES FROM NOTRE DAME/TOLEDO:
? Logan Parker recorded the first four-hit game of the season for the Bearcats with a single, two doubles and a home run vs. Toledo. The long ball was Parker?s team-best fifth of the year.
? A.J. Upton made his collegiate debut throwing one inning at Notre Dame.
? Kyle Markle extended his consecutive shutout innings streak to 9.2.
? Head coach Brian Cleary moved one step closer to the 200-career victory plateau with the Bearcats? win over Toledo. Cleary now has 191 victories in his coaching career.
? Jack Nelson played in the 100th game of his collegiate career on Tuesday at Notre Dame.
? Jon DeLuca recorded the 75th RBI of his career on Wednesday against Toledo.
? Nick Buscemi made his first start in nearly two seasons vs. Toledo after recovering from elbow surgery last year. The redshirt sophomore also earned his first victory since April 13, 2003 vs. Louisville.
ABOUT SOUTHERN MISS: The Golden Eagles are 15-5 this season after winning midweek contests against South Alabama and Mississippi Valley State. Southern Miss is just 1-2 in league play, however, after dropping two of three to TCU last weekend. Offensively, the Eagles are led by preseason all-conference selection Marc Maddox. The junior 1B is tops on the team in average (.380) and home runs (eight) and is tied with catcher Brad Wilcutt with 28 RBI. Patrick Ezell was tabbed as Conference USA?s preseason Pitcher of the Year, but the sophomore has struggled this season, holding a ERA of 7.04. Mike Cashion has been the ace of the starting staff with a 2-1 record and a 3.18 ERA, while Daniel Best hasn?t allowed a run in nine appearances out the bullpen.
UC AGAINST CONFERENCE USA: In their 10th and final season of Conference USA play, the Bearcats hold an all-time conference record of 69-174-1 (.285). UC has played a total of 552 games against current C-USA members since 1958, holding a record of 217-334-1 (.394), including a 9-34 mark against Southern Miss. UC?s record against other C-USA opponents includes Charlotte (13-13), East Carolina (2-6-1), Houston (6-23), Louisville (63-63), Memphis (26-54), Saint Louis (45-42), TCU (1-8), Tulane (7-35), UAB (19-36) and USF (6-20). Per conference rules, UC will not face one member of the league this year and this season, will skip Tulane.
UC ADDS TO SCHEDULE: Because of two weather-related cancellations, UC has added a single contest against Xavier to its upcoming schedule. The game will be played on Monday, April 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the UC Baseball Stadium.
BIG DAY AT THE DISH: Logan Parker turned in his finest day at the plate during UC?s 10-4 win over Toledo on March 23. For the day, Parker recorded his first four-hit game as a Bearcat and the first by a UC player this season. Among Parker?s knocks were a pair of doubles and his team-leading fifth home run of the year. Parker?s four-hit performance was the first by a Bearcat since Aaron Moll had four hits on May 21, 2004 vs. UAB.
BUCKEYE STRENGTH: UC?s win over Toledo on March 23 extended the Bearcats? record to a perfect 5-0 against Ohio school?s this season. In addition to the Toledo victory, Cincinnati has also swept three games from Cleveland State, while taking a single contest from Xavier. The Bearcats will have plenty more chances to battle fellow Buckeye schools as they are scheduled to meet Xavier (three times), Miami (twice), Kent State and Ohio (once each) before season?s end. With the Toledo win, UC has now won nine of its last 10 games against Ohio adversaries.
BACK TO FORM?: Coming into this season, senior Kyle Markle was expected to be an integral part of the Bearcats? bullpen, but the former Freshman All-American struggled in the early stages of the season, holding an 18.69 ERA in his first four appearances covering 4.1 innings. But since the beginning of March, Markle has become one of UC?s most reliable relievers. In his last five appearance, Markle has allowed no runs and just two hits in 9.2 innings, lowering his ERA to 5.79.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: After struggling through a tough 2004 season that saw UC post a record of just 3-15 in the first 18 games of the year, the Bearcats have shown a huge turnaround through 18 games this season. In addition to winning six more games, the Bearcats have also bettered their numbers in nearly every hitting and pitching total.
ON A TEAR: LaFringe Hayes has been Cincinnati?s hottest hitter as of late, taking over the team-lead in hitting at .390. In his last 14 games, 13 of which saw him gather at least one hit, Hayes is hitting a blistering .458 (27-for-59). During the stretch Hayes has scored 22 runs, with four doubles, four triples, six RBI and seven stolen bases. Included in the recent hot streak was a career-best 11-game hit streak.
THE NEED FOR SPEED: After ranking last in Conference USA in 2004 with a program-low 10 stolen bases, the Bearcats bolstered their team speed with the additions of transfers LaFringe Hayes and Mark Haske. Batting 1-2 in the line-up all 18 games this season, the duo has combined to nab 13 of UC?s 19 stolen bases. Hayes has been the primary threat as he is tied for second in the conference with nine steals in nine attempts. The additional speed has helped the Bearcats to tie for ninth in the C-USA team statistics.
SERIES DROUGHT ENDS: The Bearcats put an end to a pair of dry spells with a sweep of Duke on Feb. 18-20. Prior to the weekend, UC had not won a non-conference series of at least three games since a three-game sweep of Cleveland State, March 8-10, 2002, a span of seven series. The sweep by the Bearcats was also the first by the team since the 2002 Cleveland State series.
APPROACHING 200: UC head coach Brian Cleary is closing in on a coaching milestone, as he is just nine wins shy of the 200-victory plateau for his career. Already the second winningest coach in school history, Cleary holds a career record of 191-279-1 (.407). The legendary Glenn Sample heads the list with 391 career victories.
ANOTHER SWEEP: After winning just one series last season, the Bearcats have already won two this year, with both going down as sweeps. UC?s sweep of Duke Feb. 18-20 was the first by the Bearcats since 2002. Before the sweep of Cleveland State March 4-6, UC hadn?t swept more than one opponent since the 2001 season, when they took all three from four teams (Wofford, Cleveland State, UAB and Charlotte).
COMING ON STRONG: After going just 1-for-15 in the opening weekend at Florida Atlantic, junior 3B Jon DeLuca delivered a career-best 12-game hit streak that saw him hit .370. Slow starts are nothing new to DeLuca, who has experienced one each of his last two years before breaking out and going on for big years. As a freshman, DeLuca started 0-for-12 and 2-for-20 before going on to hit .257 in his final 42 games to end the year at .241. Last year, DeLuca went 0-for-11 and 4-for-24, while missing 10 of the first 20 games of the year. Again he rebounded, by hitting .280 over the last 35 games of the year to finish at .263. Since his streak was snapped, DeLuca has gone on to gather a hit in each of the last three games.
FRENCH NAMED TO WATCH LIST: Junior catcher Neall French has been named to the 37-member initial watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, honoring the nation's best collegiate catcher. The award is sponsored each year by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission and is named after the former Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame backstop. The watch list will be narrowed down to 10 semifinalists, who will be announced on May 17. The three finalists will be revealed on June 1, with the sixth annual award winner being announced at the Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 29.
TRIPLE THE FUN: Three-base hits came in bunches for the Bearcats March 4-6 vs. Cleveland State as they accounted for seven in the three-game series. LaFringe Hayes was at the center of the output, recording four. In the March 4 win, Hayes tied a school and Conference USA record with a pair of triples, while helping the Bearcats match a conference mark with four in the game. Hayes? first triple also went down as the first in UC Baseball Stadium history. After ranking last in C-USA in 2004 with just five triples, the Bearcats have already bettered the total with eight three-baggers in only 18 games this year and are fourth in the conference in the category. Hayes has a shot at the school record for triples in a season as his five already tie him for fourth in school annals. Billy Wolff set the record with nine in 1965.
STRONG AT THE FRONT...: The Bearcats seem to have found the ace to their starting rotation in senior Tony Maynard. The former Freshman All-American has been solid this season, posting a 3-0 record and a 2.95 ERA. Against Xavier on March 13, Maynard turned in the best outing of his collegiate career, holding the Musketeers hitless into the eighth inning. For the day, Maynard matched his career-best with eight innings of work, surrendering just one hit and one walk and striking out a career-high seven. In this week?s Conference USA rankings, Maynard finds himself ranked among the league leaders in ERA (seventh), innings pitched (fourth-39.2) and wins (T-ninth).
...AND AT THE BACK: UC may have also solved the issue of who will serve as the closer based on senior Josh Kay?s performance this year. Kay has proven to be nearly unhittable as he is holding opponents to a .184 batting average. The senior has appeared in a team-best 10 games , recording two saves and striking out 17 hitters. Kay?s 3.21 ERA ranks second on the team.
IRON MEN: The Bearcats? infield has shown their durability during the 2005 season as the foursome of 1B Logan Parker, 2B Mark Muscenti, 3B Jon DeLuca and SS Mark Haske have combined to play all but one inning at their respective positions. DeLuca was the first to get a break as he sat down for the ninth inning of UC?s win over Toledo on March 23. The continuity has proved valuable as the infield holds a combined .974 fielding percentage and is tied for seventh in Conference USA with 18 double plays.
BEARCATS PICKED 10TH IN C-USA: In a preseason poll of conference coaches, the Bearcats have been chosen to finish 10th in Conference USA this season. Tulane, ranked No. 1 nationally in the preseason by Baseball America, earned all 12 of the first place votes as the favorite to win the conference. Defending C-USA Tournament Champions TCU were picked second, with last year?s regular season titlists East Carolina rounding out the top three.
MORE BONUS BASEBALL: For the third straight Opening Day, the Bearcats went extra innings, as they dropped a 7-6, 13-inning contest to Florida Atlantic on Feb. 11. UC played 11 innings at Duke in the 2003 season opener, dropping a 4-3 decision. The Bearcats bounced back last year, taking a 3-2, 12-inning win over the Blue Devils. The 13 innings played at Florida Atlantic were the most for the Bearcats since a 15-inning marathon (5-4 win) on May 9, 2003 at Saint Louis. Extra innings have been a norm for UC this year, as they have already played two extended contests, matching the total of all of last season.
WELCOME ADDITIONS: The Bearcat line-up has enjoyed the contributions of newcomers Mark Haske, LaFringe Hayes and Logan Parker as the trio has combined to start every game this year. As a group, the threesome is batting .350 (79-for-226), with 14 doubles, seven triples, six home runs, 36 RBI and 15 stolen bases. Hayes leads the team in hitting at .359 and is also tops in runs (25), hits (30), triples (five) and stolen bases (nine). Haske is second on the team in hitting at .358 and is also second in runs (20), triples (two) and stolen bases (four). Parker is tops on the squad with five homers and is second with 17 RBI.
NEW ROTATION: During the 2004 season, a total of 11 different pitchers started at least one game on the mound for the Bearcats. With six of those players either no longer on the roster or injured, UC has been forced to find new members for its rotation. Senior Tony Maynard has stepped up to anchor the staff and has 23 starts in career. But a youth movement has filled the balance of the rotation as UC has turned to freshmen Kevin Schrader and Sean Munninghoff. The latter has proved to be one of the bigger surprises for the Bearcats this season, as he is 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA, while limiting opponents to a .239 batting average. With the Bearcats now in the midst of its midweek schedule, senior Justin Minges and sophomore Nick Buscemi have also earned starts on the mound.
UNLIKELY POWER: Entering this season, the Bearcats expected power from players like Jon DeLuca, Neall French, Jack Nelson and Logan Parker. But in the early stages of 2005, an unlikely group has provided most of the Bearcats? power output. In the Feb. 11 opener, senior Erik Eitel hit just the third home run of his career. A day later, juniors Mark Muscenti and LaFringe Hayes went long on consecutive at-bats. The blast for Muscenti was only the second of his career, while Hayes? homer was the first of his collegiate career. Another unlikely candidate went deep on Feb. 20 at Duke as sophomore Brian Beltz picked up the first long ball of his career. The trend continued at Wake Forest as Beltz tallied his second career blast and Brian Szarmach hit the first two of his collegiate career. While the quintet has combined for seven of UC?s 11 homers, Parker has made an immediate impact in the Bearcat line-up with the other four longballs.
DELUCA EARNS C-USA HONOR: Jon DeLuca, who helped the Bearcats to a sweep of Duke, was named Conference USA Hitter of the Week on Feb. 21. DeLuca had multiple hits in all three games of the weekend and finished the set hitting .500 (7-for-14). He drove in a total of four runs, while scoring three more and doubling twice. The award is the first ever C-USA accolade for DeLuca.
FIRST WINS: A trio of Bearcat hurlers have broken into the win column for the first time in their careers in 2005. Bryan Wood was the first to earn his initial triumph, getting a relief win on Feb. 19 at Duke. One day later, it was Sean Munninghoff picking up a W against the Blue Devils. Kevin Schrader was the most recent first time winner, as he beat Cleveland State on March 5.
MARKED IMPROVEMENTS: With the corner outfield spots a bit of a question mark this year, sophomores Brian Beltz and Brian Szarmach have shown great improvement. Beltz has stared 11 games and is hitting .278. He also has shown improved power, by hitting two homers, something he failed to do in 216 at-bats last year. Szarmach also got in the power act with two blasts at Wake Forest (Feb. 25-27) and followed that up with a .417 performance vs. Cleveland State. For the year, Szarmach is hitting .267 and has recorded career-highs in doubles (five), homers (two) and RBI (nine).
UP NEXT: Following this weekend?s trip to Southern Miss, UC will open its second of three long homestands, this one covering six games. The Bearcats host Ohio in a non-conference contest on March 30, before entertaining Houston for a three-game set April 1-3. The next week, the Bearcats are scheduled for home match-ups with Xavier (April 4) and Purdue (April 6).