TicketsBearcats Set To Battle Xavier
UC faces rival for second time
Contact: Shawn Sell
4/12/2005
Brian Szarmach homered twice last weekend at Saint Louis. |
SETTING THE SCENE: Round two of the baseball version of the Crosstown Shootout between Cincinnati and Xavier is set for Wednesday, April 13 at XU?s Hayden Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. The Bearcats will bring a 12-16 record into the mid-week contest, after taking two of three games at Saint Louis over the weekend to clinch their first Conference USA series win of the season. Xavier is 12-20 in 2005 after a slow start that included a 6-0 loss to the Bearcats on March 13. The Musketeers are scheduled to host Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday in a tune-up for the Bearcats. Round three of the UC-XU series will take place May 11 in the UC Baseball Stadium.
NOTES FROM SAINT LOUIS:
? After winning just one series over the last two seasons, the Bearcats clinched series win number three, taking two of three at Saint Louis. UC has now taken series wins over Duke, Cleveland State and the Billikens this year.
? In his first Conference USA start since 2002, senior Justin Minges earned a victory in game two. The win was his first since early 2003.
? In Sunday?s triumph, Matt Heber became the fourth UC hurler to earn his first career win this season..
? Tony Maynard broke into UC?s top-20 for career innings pitched with 6.1 innings in Friday?s start. Maynard ranks 19th with 183.2 innings in his career. Tom Infante is next at 185.0.
ABOUT XAVIER: The Musketeers have dropped four of their last six contests to enter the match-up with UC at 12-20. Prior to the recent cold stretch, Xavier had won a season-best five in a row that included a sweep of Massachusetts. Senior OF Jay Johnson has continued his outstanding career for the Musketeers, leading the team in virtually every offensive category, including batting average (.387), homers (four) and RBI (24). Three other XU players join Johnson hitting over .300, including Sean Brewer who ranks second at .368. Xavier has also been solid on the mound as they rank third in the Atlantic 10 with a 4.51 team ERA and tied for fourth with a .283 opponents batting average. Xavier is scheduled to battle Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday, prior to the UC contest. The match-up marks the second of three scheduled contests between the crosstown rivals.
UC AGAINST THE ATLANTIC 10: Cincinnati has played just three current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference since 1958 in a total of 195 games. The Bearcats hold a record of 126-68-1 (.649) against the A-10, including a 59-36-1 mark against Xavier. UC has also faced Dayton (65-32) and Duquense (2-0). After playing Dayton at least once in each of the last 13 seasons, Xavier is the only A-10 member the Bearcats are scheduled to face this season.
TWICE AS NICE: With a pair of home runs at Saint Louis April 8-10, sophomore OF Brian Szarmach took over the team lead with six longballs this season. While Szarmach has developed into one of the Bearcats? most consistent power threats, his home runs have been coming two at a time. At Wake Forest Feb. 25-27, Szarmach blasted the first two homers of his collegiate career. He did the same thing March 25-27 at Southern Miss and repeated the feat once more at Saint Louis to total six home runs this season. In addition to the power numbers, Szarmach has also shown more consistency at the plate, hitting .302 (13-for-43) in his last 11 games to raise his batting average to a season-high .274.
APPROACHING 200: UC head coach Brian Cleary is closing in on a coaching milestone, as he is just six wins shy of the 200-victory plateau for his career. Already the second winningest coach in school history, Cleary holds a career record of 194-286-1 (.404). The legendary Glenn Sample heads the list with 391 career victories.
ON A TEAR: LaFringe Hayes made his return to the line-up April 9 at Saint Louis and despite a two-week lay off, showed no signs of slowing down. For the weekend, Hayes went 7-for-9 (.778), logging the first four-hit game of his UC career. In his last 17 games, 15 of which saw him gather at least one hit, Hayes is hitting a blistering .500 (34-for-68). During the stretch Hayes has scored 25 runs, with five doubles, four triples, eight RBI and eight stolen bases. In this week?s Conference USA rankings, Hayes? .430 batting average is tops among all players.
HEATING UP: Junior 2B Mark Muscenti and sophomore OF Brian Beltz have both been hot as of late, helping to solidify the bottom of the order. Muscenti is 10-for-28 (.357) in his last eight games, including his first three-hit game of the season in game one of an April 3 doubleheader against Houston. Muscenti also hit his second homer of the season at Saint Louis on April 10, giving him a new career-high. Beltz is 8-for-15 (.533) in his last five outings, with a trio of two-hit performances.
BEATING HOUSTON: Cincinnati?s win in game one of an April 3 doubleheader vs. Houston marked the end of a frustrating stretch for the Bearcats. Prior to that victory, UC had dropped its last seven straight to the Cougars, its longest streak against any Conference USA opponent entering the season. With that streak behind them, the Bearcats will next try to end a six-game losing streak to Memphis. That series will take place at home, May 13-15.
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 and Miami (twice each), and Kent State (once) before season?s end. UC has 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.
PLAYING ?EM TIGHT: UC has shown improvement in close games this year, as they are 3-5 in games decided by two runs or less. The Bearcats were just 5-10 in those games last year.
STRONG AT THE FRONT...: The Bearcats have found the ace to their starting rotation in senior Tony Maynard. The former Freshman All-American has been solid this season, posting a 4-2 record and a 4.17 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 (10th-54.0) and wins (T10th-4). Maynard also helped the Bearcats snap a seven-game losing streak to Houston with five gritty innings on April 3. After taking a line drive off the right shoulder and head in the fourth inning, Maynard remained in the game and allowed just one run on four hits in the outing.
...AND AT THE BACK: UC has 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 .211 batting average. The senior has appeared in a team-best 16 games, recording three saves and striking out 26 hitters. Kay?s 2.49 ERA ranks first on the team. His three saves this season are also the most by a Bearcat hurler since Nate Bouldin?s five in 2002.
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.
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 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.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: After struggling through a tough 2004 season that saw UC post a record of just 5-23 in the first 28 games of the year, the Bearcats have shown a huge turnaround through 28 games this season. In addition to winning seven more games, the Bearcats have also shown great improvement on the mound, due in large part to the addition of new pitching coach Joe Regruth. With a win in game one of an April 3 doubleheader vs. Houston, UC reached 10 wins in their 23rd contest of the year, a feat that didn?t come until game number 44 last season.
CONFERENCE KILLERS: In spite of a 3-8 Conference USA record, several Bearcats find themselves ranked high in the conference-only stats. A summary of those players? performances follows:
? Brian Szarmach is tied for third with four home runs during league play. He is also one of six players tied for 12th with 11 RBI.
? Logan Parker is one of 10 players tied for 10th with four doubles.
? Kyle Markle is first in opponents batting average (.100) and is fourth with a 2.84 ERA. The senior is also tied for tied for sixth with six appearances.
? The trio of Josh Kay, Matt Heber and Bryan Wood are tied for 12th with five C-USA pitching appearances.
SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM Building on its strong tradition of academic success, the Bearcat Baseball team had another outstanding quarter during the Winter of 2004-05. A total of five student-athletes earned a TopCat Scholar award (GPA over 3.5) and 12 were named Bearcat Scholars (GPA over 3.0). Additionally, freshman Dustin Alvey was recognized as UC?s Top Male Scholar-Athlete of the Quarter after earning a 4.0 GPA. Senior Jim Olds was another of the 17 UC student-athletes to earn 4.0 GPA?s for the quarter. Below is a look at the players honored
Topcat Scholars (GPA?s between 3.5-4.0): Dustin Alvey, Josh Kay, Jim Olds, Evan Sanford.
Bearcat Scholars (GPA?s between 3.0-3.5): Brian Beltz, Nick Buscemi, Jon DeLuca, Erik Eitel, Mike Foley, Jake Geglein, LaFringe Hayes, Pat LeMasters, Kyle Markle, Jack Nelson, David Oberly, Bryan Wood.
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.
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 in all but the six games Hayes was injured, the duo has combined to nab 14 of UC?s 20 stolen bases. Hayes has been the primary threat as he is tied for sixth in the conference with 10 steals in 11 attempts.
WELCOME ADDITIONS: The Bearcats have enjoyed the contributions of newcomers Mark Haske, LaFringe Hayes and Logan Parker as the trio have been mainstays in the line-up. As a group, the threesome is batting .330 (105-for-318), with 21 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs, 46 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Hayes leads the team in hitting at .430 and is also tops in runs (28), hits (37), triples (five) and stolen bases (10). Haske is second on the team in hitting at .310 and is also second in runs (26), hits (36), triples (two) and stolen bases (four). Parker ranks third with a .276 batting average and is second on the squad with five homers and is tied for second with 19 RBI.
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 28 games this year and are fifth 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.
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 three 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 .972 fielding percentage and is tied for third in Conference USA with 34 double plays.
FIRST WINS: A total of four 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 then beat Cleveland State on March 5. Matt Heber was the most recent first time winner, getting a relief triumph April 10 at Saint Louis. In addition to this foursome, redshirt sophomore Nick Buscemi earned his first win in nearly two seasons after beating Toledo. Buscemi missed all of 2004 recovering from arm surgery.
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 nine appearances, Markle has allowed just four runs and six hits in 16.0 innings, lowering his ERA to 5.75. His opponents batting average during the run is only .118.