TicketsUC Hosts Charlotte On Student Appreciation Weekend
Bearcats in 10th in C-USA
Contact: Shawn Sell
4/14/2005
Mark Muscenti is hitting .438 in his last nine games. |
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati will be out to improve upon its standing in Conference USA this weekend when it returns home to host Charlotte in a three-game series. Action from the UC Baseball Stadium gets underway on Friday (April 15) with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. Saturday?s game two will start at 4 p.m., with a 1 p.m. first pitch scheduled for Sunday. The weekend will also feature Student Appreciation Days with giveaways for UC students. The Bearcats, winners of three straight, will bring a 13-16 overall record and a 3-8 league mark into the weekend. UC is 10th in the league standings, just one game back of East Carolina and two behind eighth-place Charlotte. The 49ers are 20-12, 5-7 C-USA.
NOTES FROM XAVIER:
? David Theobald added his name to a growing list of UC pitchers to gain their first wins this year after beating Xavier with five solid innings.
? Mark Muscenti recorded his second career four-hit game and his first this season.
? Neall French hit his first home run as a Bearcat in the second inning.
? Muscenti?s eighth inning single marked the 125th hit of his collegiate career.
? Brian Szarmach hit his team-best seventh home run of the season. It also marked the third straight contest Szarmach had homered.
? Kevin Schrader made his first career start in right field after nine starts on the mound.
? Muscenti also stretched his hitting streak to a season-best five games in a row, raising his average to a season-high .298.
ABOUT CHARLOTTE: The 49ers enter the UC series after being swept by Conference USA front-runner Tulane last weekend. Charlotte holds a record of 20-12 and is 5-7 in league play, good for eighth place in the C-USA standings. The 49ers? season has been up and down and has featured a sweep of Saint Louis, while taking two of three from East Carolina. They have also been swept by USF this season. Charlotte?s offense ranks fifth in the conference in both hitting (.292) and scoring (236 runs) and leads the league with 19 triples. Chris Lane leads the team with a .349 batting average, while Kris Rochelle is tops with six homers and 34 RBI. Both Rochelle and fellow catcher Chris Taylor have been recipients of C-USA Hitter of the Week awards this season. On the mound, Charlotte is seventh in C-USA with an ERA of 4.71. Adam Mills has won a team-high five games, but has an ERA of 5.81. In the bullpen, Erik Walker has tallied seven saves, with a 1.23 ERA.
UC AGAINST CONFERENCE USA: In their 10th and final season of Conference USA play, the Bearcats hold an all-time conference record of 70-178-1 (.283). UC has played a total of 558 games against current C-USA members since 1958, holding a record of 218-338-1 (.392), including a 13-13 mark against Charlotte. UC?s record against other C-USA opponents includes East Carolina (2-6-1), Houston (7-24), Louisville (63-63), Memphis (26-54), Saint Louis (47-43), 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.
STUDENT WEEKEND: This weekend?s series with Charlotte will feature student days with giveaways for all UC students. On Friday (April 15), Cincinnati iWireless will be on hand as game sponsor, with students having the chance to win a free cell phone. Kings Island will also have free passes to give away all weekend long. On Saturday and Sunday, all fans can stop by the concession stand for $1 hot dogs, courtesy of Aramark Sports and Entertainment.
APPROACHING 200: UC head coach Brian Cleary is closing in on a coaching milestone, as he is just five wins shy of the 200-victory plateau for his career. Already the second winningest coach in school history, Cleary holds a career record of 195-286-1 (.406). The legendary Glenn Sample heads the list with 391 career victories.
IT MUST BE THE CATCHER: Neall French?s home run on April 14 at Xavier continued a run of success for Bearcat backstops in games played at Hayden Field. In UC?s last eight games at Xavier, its catchers have homered in six of the contests, coming for a total of eight longballs. Steve Pickerell was the biggest power threat, smashing six round trippers in six games. French and Chris Hamblen added the other two deep balls.
TWICE AS NICE: With a pair of home runs at Saint Louis April 8-10 and another at Xavier on April 14, sophomore OF Brian Szarmach took over the team lead with seven longballs this season. While Szarmach has developed into one of the Bearcats? most consistent power threats, the majority of 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. In addition to the power numbers, Szarmach has also shown more consistency at the plate, hitting .313 (15-for-48) in his last 12 games to raise his batting average to a season-high .280.
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 18 games, 15 of which saw him gather at least one hit, Hayes is hitting a blistering .472 (34-for-72). During the stretch Hayes has scored 26 runs, with five doubles, four triples, eight RBI and eight stolen bases. In this week?s Conference USA statistics, Hayes? .411 batting average ranks third.
BUCKEYE STRENGTH: UC?s win over Xavier on April 14 improved the Bearcats? record to 6-1 against Ohio schools this season. In addition to the Xavier win, Cincinnati has also swept three games from Cleveland State, while taking a prior single contest from Xavier and one vs. Toledo. The Bearcats will have plenty more chances to battle fellow Buckeye schools as they are scheduled to meet Miami (twice), Kent State and Xavier (once each) before season?s end. UC has won 10 of its last 12 games against Ohio adversaries, including three straight against crosstown rival Xavier.
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 14-for-32 (.438) in his last nine games, including his first four-hit game of the season on April 14 at Xavier. 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.
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.
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.
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.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: After struggling through a tough 2004 season that saw UC post a record of just 5-24 in the first 29 games of the year, the Bearcats have shown a huge turnaround through 29 games this season. In addition to winning eight 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
NOT SO FAST: While junior DH Jack Nelson isn?t enjoying the same offensive success he did in 2004, its not because of strikeouts. In the first round of NCAA national rankings released this week, Nelson is listed as the 10th toughest player in the nation to strikeout, going down just once every 21.2 at-bats. Nelson has shown his patience with 16 walks and just five strikeouts in 131 total plate appearances.
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 .326 (108-for-331), with 21 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs, 47 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Hayes leads the team in hitting at .411 and is also tops in runs (29), triples (five) and stolen bases (10). Haske is first on the team in hits (38), second on the team in hitting at .314 and is also second in runs (27), triples (two) and stolen bases (four). Parker is second on the squad with five homers and is third with 20 RBI.
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.
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 tied for sixth 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 .974 fielding percentage and is tied for second in Conference USA with 36 double plays. In the first round of NCAA National rankings, the Bearcats are ninth in double plays per game with 1.21.
FIRST WINS: A total of five 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, prior to Matt Heber getting a relief triumph April 10 at Saint Louis. David Theobald was the latest first-time winner, beating Xavier on April 14.