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Bearcats Renew Rivalry With Dayton Tonight

Bearcats Renew Rivalry With Dayton TonightBearcats Renew Rivalry With Dayton Tonight

April 19, 2006

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SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati will try to snap a three-game losing streak when Dayton visits the UC Baseball Stadium tonight for a 6:30 p.m. contest. The match-up renews UC's third-longest rivalry for the first time since 2004. The Bearcats fell to 20-15 with an 11-10 setback to crosstown rival Xavier on Monday evening. Dayton is 20-13 after sweeping Duquesne over the weekend to stretch its winning streak to four.

NOTES FROM THE XAVIER GAME:

  • After winning 12 straight home games in March and April, the Bearcats have now dropped three straight home contests.
  • With the 11-10 loss, the Bearcats' record in one-run games falls to 3-7 this season.
  • UC had its win streak against Xavier halted at four. The Musketeers' last win over the Bearcats came with a 4-1 victory on Feb. 29, 2004.
  • Josh Harrison (six games) and Mark Muscenti (five games) improved their respective hitting streaks. Brian Szarmach's sixth inning single upped his hit streak to a season-best four games.
  • Muscenti made moves on several UC career lists including: at-bats (T-12th, 659), runs (14th, 122) and hits (T-13th, 187).
  • Jon DeLuca moved into a tie for 14th on UC's career games played list. He shares the spot with former teammate Brad Schutz (2000-03) with 183 games.
  • Muscenti matched his career-best with four runs scored.

NOTING THE BEARCATS:

  • True freshman Josh Harrison continues to pace the Bearcats in hitting, with a .361 average. Logan Parker is tops in homers and RBI with six and 36, respectively, but he hasn't homered in his last 16 games.
  • The Bearcats are ranked in the top-six in the BIG EAST in batting average, runs, triples, home runs and RBI.
  • The sixth inning has been great to the Bearcats this season, as UC is outscoring its opponents 62-16 in that frame. The 62 runs is nearly twice the total of any other single inning UC scoring output.
  • Team defense has been a strength for UC this season as the Bearcats are third in the BIG EAST with 39 double plays. UC ranks 15th nationally with 1.11 twin killings per contest.
  • After struggling through much of this season, Brian Szarmach has enjoyed a strong performance lately, hitting 5 for 14 (.357) in his last four games. The junior OF has also added five RBI during the stretch.

NOTING THE FLYERS:

  • The Flyers have won four straight, including a weekend sweep of Atlantic 10 rival Duquesne to improve to 20-13 on the year. Dayton is tied for second in the A-10 with a 9-3 league mark
  • Senior INF Galen Schumm, a first-team all-conference selection last year, paces Dayton with a .339 batting average and six home runs. Bryan Chandler is tops with 26 RBI.
  • Dayton will start senior RHP Luke Trubee on the mound against UC. Trubee, a preseason All-American, is 5-4 this year with a 5.86 ERA. In his last start against Duquesne on Saturday, Trubee surrendered three runs in eight innings of work with five strikeouts to pick up his fifth win.

SCHEDULE CHANGE: Due to a scheduling conflict at Xavier, the UC-XU game scheduled for May 9 has been cancelled. The Bearcats may add a game in its place, but have no plans at this time.

SUDDENLY A STRUGGLE: The Cincinnati pitching staff has found the going rough as of late, as the Bearcats have dropped three of their last five contests. In the five game stretch, UC hurlers hold a collective 9.20 ERA, while opponents are hitting a robust .351. Wildness has also contributed to the cause as Cincinnati has issued 41 walks, while striking out just 26 in the last 45 innings of action.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: In its nearly two seasons of existence, the state-of-the-art UC Baseball Stadium has provided a solid home field advantage for the Bearcats. At no time has the edge been more significant than this year as the Bearcats are 13-4 at home. UC is hitting nearly 60 points higher at home than on the road and averages over two runs per game more. Of Cincinnati's 27 home runs this year, 19 have come at home. Since its opening, the Bearcats hold a 30-19 (.612) record at home. Prior to a loss to Rutgers on April 14, the Bearcats had a 12-game home winning streak, the second-longest in school history, behind a 17-game streak in 1960-61.

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF: In his first season as a collegiate pitcher, true freshman Steve Blevins is having an outstanding season. In 10 starts and one relief appearance, Blevins leads the Bearcats with 58.1 innings pitched, holding a record of 6-3 and a 6.02 ERA and striking out a team-high 45. Without two rough starts at the beginning of the year, Blevins would have a 6-1 record and a 4.35 ERA. He is also within striking distance of the UC record (7) for wins by a freshman pitcher.

FILLING A HOLE: Freshman Josh Harrison has excelled since taking over the number two position in the batting order from the graduated Mark Haske. This season Harrison leads the team with a .361 batting average. The Cincinnati native has helped the Bearcats in a number of ways, stealing a team-high eight bases, notching four home runs, including his first career grand slam, scoring 38 runs and driving in 28. Harrison's 17 multi-hit games help him rank among the BIG EAST leaders with 52 total hits, while his run total is tied for third in the league. Since March 31, a span covering 11 games, Harrison has been hot, hitting .353 (18 for 51). In the field, Harrison has drawn starts at shortstop, second base, catcher and in the outfield.

TIGHT GAME BLUES: Close games have been the Bearcats' achilles heel this season as seven of UC's 15 losses have come by a single run. At no point was it more evident than March 24-26 at Connecticut, when UC opened BIG EAST play with a pair of one-run losses. The Bearcats followed that up with a 4-3, 11-inning defeat at Miami (Ohio) on March 29, but earned an 11-10 win over USF on April 2. UC has been hurt by a pair of 1-0 losses this season, something that hasn't happened since accurate records were kept beginning in 1958.

A SCORING MACHINE: The Bearcats have become one of the BIG EAST's most dangerous offensive teams this season, averaging 7.3 runs per game and hitting .290 as a team. These numbers come despite being shutout four times and being held to a single run once. A sampling of some other UC scoring notes:

  • In 35 games this season, the Bearcats have reached double-figure scoring 11 times, after doing so just seven times in 55 games last year.
  • In UC's Feb. 19 game at North Carolina A&T and again on March 19 vs. Oakland, the Bearcats scored 10 runs in the sixth inning.
  • UC has scored over 20 runs twice this season, a feat that hasn't been accomplished by a UC team twice in a year since 2001.
  • The Bearcats' 23 runs on March 19 vs. Oakland were the most by a UC team since the school record of 26 against UAB on April 24, 1993.
  • UC, ranked third in the BIG EAST in runs scored (255), boasts three of the top-eight individual run scorers in the league.

DELUCA PICKING UP THE PACE: Senior 3B Jon DeLuca has made himself a dangerous hitter in the UC line-up with a recent stretch of hot hitting. Over his last 20 games, DeLuca is hitting .392 (29 for 74) with 12 runs and 17 RBI. The hot streak has raised his average from .255 on March 11 to .336. DeLuca hit .800 in the Bearcats' sweep of Oakland on March 18-19 and was instrumental in UC's sweep of USF, March 31-April 2. Against the Bulls, DeLuca hit .583 (7 for 12) and tallied seven RBI to earn BIG EAST Player of the Week honors on April 3. He was also placed on the College Baseball Foundation Honor Roll, joining Logan Parker as UC players named to the list this season. The stretch has also seen DeLuca match the school record for doubles in a game with three vs. USF on March 31.

FINDING HIS STROKE: As a sophomore, Jack Nelson was one of the most dangerous hitters in Conference USA with a .360 batting average. After struggling as a junior, Nelson is back on track during his senior year, ranking third on the team with a .330 average. His power numbers are also back up as Nelson has connected on eight doubles and five home runs. The long balls have mostly come in pairs as Nelson has a pair of multi-homer games to his credit this year (March 10, vs. Cleveland State and April 12, vs. Akron), giving him three for his career.

NOT SO FAST: Three new members of the BIG EAST have led to a big shakeup in the current league standings vs. the preseason coaches' poll. Only BIG EAST-leading Notre Dame and fourth-place Louisville are currently holding the position they were tabbed to finish in prior to the season.

OFF TO THE RACES: The Bearcats have enjoyed a collective improvement in team speed this season, having collected 34 stolen bases through 35 games, already topping the Bearcats' total of 30 from all of last season. Josh Harrison and LaFringe Hayes have been the catalysts of the speed outbreak, with eight and seven, respectively. Logan Parker has been the surprise speed merchant as he has swiped seven bases after posting just three last season.

THE ANCHOR: Logan Parker has been the anchor of the Bearcats' line-up in 2006, beating opponents with both his bat and his patience. This year, Parker is fourth on the team in hitting at .326, while adding eight doubles, six triples, six homers and a team-leading 36 RBI. He has also shown great patience at the plate, drawing a BIG EAST-leading 34 walks. Parker is making waves in the new league, where he ranks among the conference leaders in RBI (T-2nd, 36), total bases (3rd, 82), triples (1st, 6), runs (T-8th, 36), home runs (T-4th, 6) and slugging percentage (7th, .621). Additionally, Parker, who stole just three bases all of last year, has swiped seven in 2006. Lately, Parker has struggled with power, going homerless in 16 straight games.

BUCKEYE STRENGTH: The Bearcats are out to continue their recent success against in-state rivals in 2006, with 10 games against Ohio schools scheduled. UC is 5-2 against in-state teams this year, after an April 17 loss to Xavier. UC's next Ohio battle is April 19 vs. Dayton. Last year, UC posted an 8-4 mark against in-state foes and has won 17 of its last 24 games against Ohio adversaries.

UNDER THE RADAR: Throughout his career, senior 2B Mark Muscenti has flown under the radar, but if he continues the play he has this season, that won't be the case for long. This year, Muscenti is hitting .314, above his career average of .277 entering the season. He also has recorded 21 RBI, putting him on pace to top his career-high of 28. Always a steady fielder, Muscenti has a career fielding percentage of .968 in 192 games and has started 105 consecutive games, with all but one coming at second base. Muscenti has also made waves on UC's career lists, moving into the top-20 in games played (9th, 192), walks (12th, 95), at-bats (T-12th, 659), on-base percentage (T-12th, .424), hits (T-13th, 187), runs (14th, 122) and doubles (T-17th, 35). Muscenti is also the school record holder with 69 career hit by pitch.

UPTO(N) THE TASK: Redshirt sophomore A.J. Upton has provided the biggest surprise of the 2006 season for the Bearcats as he has evolved into the Bearcats' closer. After seeing limited action last season, Upton is now tied for third in the BIG EAST this year with five saves. He holds a 3.00 ERA and is limiting batters to a .188 batting average in a team-best 15 appearances. A former walk-on, Upton is already making his mark on the UC record books with his save total, ranking seventh on the single season list and 13th on the career chart.

HIGH ON HAYES: LaFringe Hayes has been a catalyst at the top of UC's line-up much of this season, using his speed to contribute in many ways. In game one of UC's Feb. 19 doubleheader at North Carolina A&T, Hayes scored five runs, becoming the first UC player to reach the total since Craig Tewes on March 7, 2001 vs. Xavier. During that same weekend, Hayes once again tied the school record for most triples in a single game, a mark that Hayes has already achieved one other time in his career, as he ripped two. With 11 triples in nearly two seasons at UC, Hayes is just one back of Billy Wolff's career record. Hayes is tied for second in the BIG EAST with four triples and is tied for third with 38 runs scored. In addition, Hayes ranks behind only Josh Harrison for team-high honors with seven stolen bases.

BIG COMEBACK: When Mark Muscenti's single through the middle scored Logan Parker in the ninth inning of UC's come-from-behind win over USF on April 2, the Bearcats not only finished off a sweep of the Bulls, but they also put an end to a lengthy dry spell. Trailing 10-8 heading into the ninth, Cincinnati put together five consecutive singles, capped by Muscenti's hit, to rally for an 11-10 win. The ninth inning comeback snapped a streak of 98 consecutive games the Bearcats had lost when trailing after eight innings. Before the win over USF, the last victory of the kind came on May 16, 2002 vs. Saint Louis as Chris Hamblen's two-run, walk-off home run sent UC to an 8-7 victory.

PARKER HONORED FOR PLAY: Logan Parker's big weekend against Oakland March 18-19 earned him recognition from both the BIG EAST and on the national scene. In addition to being named BIG EAST Player of the Week, Parker also earned a spot on the College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll. For the series, Parker hit .462 (6 for 13), with all but one of his hits going for extra-bases. The senior ripped three home runs in the series, including a pair of three-run shots in the series-opener, while also recording 11 RBI, including seven in one game. Parker slugged an incredible 1.385 in the wins, while scoring six runs, walking four times and stealing two bases.

DELUCA'S BIG WEEKEND: Jon DeLuca enjoyed a stellar weekend against Oakland (March 18-19), hitting an astounding .800 (8 for 10) in the three-game series. He opened the weekend with a five-hit game, the first of his career. DeLuca also doubled twice, hit the first triple of his career and drove in four runs, while scoring seven during the set.

MR. VERSATILITY: Freshman Josh Harrison produced one of the top storylines of UC's series with Cleveland State, March 10-12. After Nick Maragas, the Bearcats' only healthy catcher, went down with an injury, Harrison was forced to don the catcher's gear for the first time in a game in his life. Harrison held his own behind the plate, handling 21 chances without an error or passed ball. The versatile freshman received high marks for his play from UC head coach Brian Cleary and the Bearcat pitching staff.

ALL THE WAY: During the 2005 season, Cincinnati's pitchers turned in only one complete game, but the 2006 staff doubled that total in just one day with its Feb. 19 doubleheader performance at North Carolina A&T. In the twinbill, juniors Kyle Rapp and Glen Simon each pitched all seven innings, leading the Bearcats to a sweep. In the first complete game of either pitcher's career, each struck out a career-high with Rapp fanning seven and Simon 13. The back-to-back complete games were the first for Bearcat hurlers since B.J. Borsa and Nate Bouldin each went all the way on April 5-6, 2003 vs. Southern Miss.

BEARCATS 10TH IN BIG EAST POLL: In its first season as a member of the BIG EAST Conference, the Bearcats have been tabbed to finish 10th in a poll of the league's 12 coaches. Notre Dame, the defending champions of the conference tournament, were the overwhelming favorites to win the 2006 title. The Fighting Irish picked up a total of nine first place votes, while Pittsburgh picked up two first place nods. Villanova, chosen in a tie for seventh, also earned a first place vote.