TicketsUC-Houston Doubleheader Rained Out
Monday contest also cancelled
Contact: Shawn Sell
4/1/2005
UC senior relief pitcher Kyle Markle. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Persistent rain in the area has forced the cancellation of Saturday's Conference USA doubleheader between Cincinnati and Houston. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday (April 3) beginning at 1 p.m.
Because of the inclement weather in Cincinnati, the Bearcats will also be forced to cancel a scheduled Monday (April 4) contest vs. Xavier. Atlantic 10 Conference rules mandate that Monday be used as a make-up day for league games, meaning Xavier will have to play league rival St. Joseph?s instead.
Tony Maynard and Kevin Schrader will draw the starts on the mound for Cincinnati on Sunday, taking on Houston?s Matt Farrington and Kevin Roberts. UC enters the weekend 9-13 overall and 0-6 in C-USA, while Houston is 11-15 and 4-2 in league play.
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati baseball team will be out to snap a six-game Conference USA losing streak when it returns to home action this weekend vs. Houston. The three-game series from the UC Baseball Stadium is set to get underway on Friday (April 1) with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. The set continues on Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The Bearcats enter the series trying to snap a four-game overall losing streak that has dropped the squad?s record to 9-13 and 0-6 in C-USA. Houston is just 11-15 overall, but is in a five-way tie for third place in the league standings with a 4-2 mark.
NOTES FROM OHIO:
? Adam Calez made his first career start in right field. The true freshman responded with his first career hit, a two-run double in the ninth inning.
? Mark Haske hit his first home run in a Cincinnati uniform to lead off the first inning. The blast was the first for Haske since a walk-off grand slam vs. South Carolina on April 24, 2004 as a member of the University of Alabama.
? Haske and Jack Nelson each extended their season-best hit streaks to seven games, while Brian Szarmach upped his career-best string to six in a row.
? On a sunny day with the temperature in the 70?s, the Bearcats welcomed their largest home crowd of the season to the UC Baseball Stadium, with a total of 557.
? After starting in his last five outings, freshman pitcher Sean Munninghoff was used as a reliever and pitched three hitless, shutout innings.
ABOUT HOUSTON: The Cougars have played their traditionally tough schedule that this year has included 16 of 26 games against ranked teams. Houston is just 11-15 on the year, but boasts a 4-2 Conference USA mark that puts them in a five-way tie for third place in the league standings. Houston utilizes a trio of players that see time as both hitters and pitchers and all three are scheduled to start on the mound this weekend. Brad Lincoln (Sunday starter) leads the team in hitting at .392 and is also tops with 19 RBI and is 2-4 with a 5.04 ERA on the hill. Kevin Roberts (Saturday starter) is right behind Lincoln at .347 and is 2-1 with a 3.82 ERA. Matt Farrington will start on Friday and has been the staff ace with a 5-0 record and a 2.28 ERA. The junior has struggled at the plate however, hitting just .179 with 11 RBI.
UC AGAINST CONFERENCE USA: In their 10th and final season of Conference USA play, the Bearcats hold an all-time conference record of 69-177-1 (.281). UC has played a total of 555 games against current C-USA members since 1958, holding a record of 217-337-1 (.392), including a 6-23 mark against Houston. 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), Southern Miss (9-37), 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.
BACK ON THE MOUND: Junior Jack Nelson made an impressive return to the pitching mound on March 25 at Southern Miss. After not facing a batter in a game or practice all season, Nelson turned in two shutout innings against the Golden Eagles. Nelson?s mound appearance was his first since March 23, 2004 at Miami (Ohio).
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.
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 seven appearances, Markle has allowed just one run and four hits in 11.2 innings, lowering his ERA to 5.29. His opponents batting average during the run is only .098.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: After struggling through a tough 2004 season that saw UC post a record of just 3-19 in the first 22 games of the year, the Bearcats have shown a huge turnaround through 22 games this season. In addition to winning six more games, the Bearcats have also bettered their numbers in nearly every hitting and pitching total.
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 191-283-1 (.403). The legendary Glenn Sample heads the list with 391 career victories.
BUCKEYE STRENGTH: UC?s loss to Ohio on March 30 was the Bearcats? first to an in-state rival since last April and put the team?s 2005 record at 5-1 against Ohio foes. In addition to a win over Toledo on March 23, 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), and Kent State (once) before season?s end. With the Toledo win, UC has now won nine of its last 11 games against Ohio adversaries.
POLL WINNER: In a poll conducted on www.ucbearcats.com, junior 1B Logan Parker was voted the Bearcats? team MVP through the first half of the season. A total of 565 fans cast votes for Parker, who finished nearly 300 votes ahead of junior OF LaFringe Hayes. The final tally showed 1,247 votes recorded in the survey.
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 15 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 23 runs, with four doubles, four triples, six RBI and eight stolen bases. Included in the recent hot streak was a career-best 11-game hit streak. Hayes has been slowed as of late, missing the last three games with a shoulder injury.
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 but three games this season, the duo has combined to nab 14 of UC?s 20 stolen bases. Hayes has been the primary threat as he is tied for second in the conference with 10 steals in 10 attempts. The additional speed has helped the Bearcats to tie for 10th in the C-USA team statistics.
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 at least one hit five of the last seven 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 22 games this year and are tied for 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 3-1 record and a 4.01 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 innings pitched (T-ninth-42.2) and just outside of the lead in wins.
...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 .189 batting average. The senior has appeared in a team-best 12 games, recording two saves and striking out 18 hitters. Kay?s 2.81 ERA ranks first 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 two innings 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 .968 fielding percentage and is tied for fifth in Conference USA with 23 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 .355 (93-for-262), with 17 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs, 41 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Hayes leads the team in hitting at .390 and is also tops in runs (26), triples (five) and stolen bases (10). Haske is second on the team in hitting at .356 and is also second in runs (23), triples (two) and stolen bases (four), while leading the team with 32 hits. Parker ranks third with a .326 batting average and is tops on the squad with five homers and is tied for first with 19 RBI.
HARD TO HIT: While the Bearcats are 10th in Conference USA in ERA this week, it?s not because opponents are racking up the hits. UC?s pitching staff ranks fifth the league in opponent?s batting average at a .269 clip. The problem for the hurlers has been walks as the Bearcats rank next to last in C-USA in walks allowed (124) and are tied for second in hit by pitch (30). UC also ranks first in the league with 28 wild pitches.
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 24 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 2-3 with a 4.68 ERA. With the Bearcats now in the midst of its midweek schedule, senior Justin Minges and sophomore Nick Buscemi have also earned starts.
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 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 nine of UC?s 15 homers, Parker has made an immediate impact in the Bearcat line-up with five longballs. Szarmach has also been a pleasant surprise with four home runs this season.
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. In addition to this trio, redshirt sophomore Nick Buscemi earned his first win in nearly two seasons after beating Toledo. Buscemi missed all of 2004 recovering from arm surgery.