TicketsFeb. 7, 2007
SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati opens the 2007 baseball season, its 11th under head coach Brian Cleary, this weekend (Feb. 9-11) at Florida Atlantic. FAU is located in Cleary's hometown of Boca Raton. The Bearcats finished the 2006 season with a 32-26 record, snapping a four-year stretch by qualifying for the BIG EAST Championship in the program's first season in the league. UC was picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST this year and returns 17 letterwinners from 2006. Florida Atlantic opened the season over weekend, taking a trio of home games over Mississippi Valley State.
NOTING THE OWLS:
- The Owls opened the 2007 season with three home victories against Mississippi Valley State over the weekend, including a 33-3 mauling in game two. FAU will try to build on a 30-28 record of a year ago.
- Florida Atlantic will make its maiden voyage through the Sun Belt Conference in 2007 after a lengthy association with the Atlantic Sun Conference. FAU is picked to finish fourth in its new league this season.
- The Owls are led by junior RHP Mickey Storey, a member of the Sun Belt preseason all-conference team. Storey won seven games in 2006 and hurled five innings with eight strikeouts in his first start of the year vs. MVS.
- At the plate, newcomer Daniel Bomback was the top swinger in the first weekend, hitting .692, with one homer and three RBI.
NOTING THE BEARCATS:
- Cincinnati was chosen to finish seventh in the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of the league's coaches. Baseball America also picked the Bearcats to finish seventh.
- The Bearcats are led by a pair of returning Freshmen All-Americans in pitcher Steve Blevins and infielder Josh Harrison. In addition to the Freshman All-American honors, the players were selected second and third team All-BIG EAST, respectively, in 2006.
- Blevins has received multiple preseason honors, including a spot on the Brooks Wallace Award watch list, honoring the nation's top player. He is a member of the BIG EAST preseason all-conference team and is a player to watch in the BIG EAST according to Baseball America.
- Blevins will become the first Bearcat since B.J. Borsa in 2002 and 2003 to start consecutive Opening Days on the mound.
- Harrison enters the season riding a career-long 15-game hitting streak. The stretch, in which Harrison has hit .456 (26-for-57), is the longest by a Bearcat since Matt Singer hit in 17 straight in 2001.
- The Bearcats are 4-6 on Opening Day under Brian Cleary. UC has dropped its last two openers and five of the last six.
- UC will open the season at Florida Atlantic for the second time in three years, marking a return to the hometown of Cleary.
LAST TIME AT FAU: The Bearcats opened the 2005 season in Boca Raton, dropping all three games to the Owls by a total of just six runs. The opener to the series went 13 innings with the Owls scoring in the last of the 13th to take a 7-6 win. Game two was another nail biter with Florida Atlantic scoring four runs in the bottom of the eighth to earn a 6-3 triumph. The finale again saw the Owls on the comeback trail, as the home team completed the sweep with two runs each in the seventh and eighth innings to cap off an 11-9 victory.
UC AGAINST THE SUN BELT: Cincinnati has never won a game against current members of the Sun Belt Conference, Florida Atlantic's new conference this season. The Bearcats hold an 0-9 record in those match-ups, but have faced just three of the 11 baseball playing schools. In addition to an 0-3 mark against FAU, Cincinnati has also faced Arkansas State (0-1) and Western Kentucky (0-4) from the Sun Belt.
BLEVINS NAMED TO WALLACE WATCH LIST: Sophomore RHP Steve Blevins has been named to the 2007 Wallace Watch, the College Baseball Foundation announced. The "Watch" is comprised of 148 of the nation's best players, all vying for the Brooks Wallace Award, honoring college baseball's top player at the conclusion of the 2007 season. Blevins is one of six BIG EAST players on the list.
BEARCATS TABBED SEVENTH IN BIG EAST: The BIG EAST coaches have spoken and Cincinnati has been picked to finish seventh in the conference this year. St. John's was a narrow favorite to win the BIG EAST Championship, earning seven of the 12 first place votes and edging defending champion Notre Dame, 116 points to 110. The Fighting Irish accumulated four first place votes, while third place Louisville earned the final tally. Rutgers, Connecticut and USF make up spots 4-6 ahead of the Bearcats. The coaches also honored Bearcat sophomore RHP Steve Blevins with a spot on the preseason all-conference squad.
BUCKEYE STRENGTH: In recent years, Cincinnati has enjoyed success against its in-state rivals, winning 19 of its last 27 games against Ohio adversaries, including 7 of 10 last year. The Bearcats will work to continue that success again in 2007 with 11 match-ups against Ohio schools. The in-state contests are: March 9-11 vs. Cleveland State, March 20 at Xavier, March 21 vs. Toledo, March 28 vs. Wright State, April 3 at Dayton, April 11 vs. Xavier, April 17 vs. Ohio, May 9 vs. Miami and May 16 at Miami. In 2006, UC's .700 winning percentage against other Ohio teams ranked as the third-best in the state behind Kent State and Wright State (.750 each).
SUCCESS OVER THE SUMMER: Baseball America, one of the nation's top publications for coverage of college baseball, tabbed Bearcats John Baird and Josh Harrison as two of the best prospects to compete in summer wooden bat leagues this summer. The Cincinnati duo was tabbed among the top-10 professional prospects after their performances this summer in the Great Lakes Collegiate League. Baird, a member of the Delaware Cows, was ranked as the third-best prospect in the league. Harrison, who spent his summer with the Cincinnati Steam, was picked as top prospect No. 6. The pair were also touted as co-top pitching and co-top hitting prospects, respectively, in the league.
WHO'S ON FIRST...WHAT'S ON SECOND?: In true form that would make the comedy team of Abbott and Costello smile, the Bearcats will have to answer the question this season of Who's on First, What's on Second? With Logan Parker playing professionally, UC has a sizable hole to fill at first base. Neall French appears to the frontrunner, but he hasn't played competitively since 2005. The second base position is also up in the air as either sophomore Josh Harrison or freshman Jamel Scott will man the position. If Harrison is at second, sophomore Cory Hodskins will work the hot corner. Scott at second base means Harrison will shift to third.
NEWCOMERS ABOUND: Cincinnati's roster is chalk full of new faces as 17 newcomers became Bearcats since last season concluded. The list includes six Division I transfers, one junior college import and 10 freshmen. Several newbies, including OF Tony Campana and Cameron Satterwhite, C Ryan Baker and pitchers John Baird, Brian Garman and Michael Hill, will all be counted on for immediate contributions.
UPTON A BEARCAT TO WATCH: Junior closer A.J. Upton has been recognized among the nation's best at his position as he has earned a berth on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America Stopper of the Year Award watch list. The award is presented annually to the top relief pitcher in Division I. Upton is listed among the top-35 relievers in the country for the award that will be announced on June 7, just eight days after the finalists are revealed. The mid-season watch list will be announced on April 18. Upton ranked fourth in the BIG EAST last season with six saves, while holding a 2-2 record and a 3.86 ERA.
CLEARY'S CONNECTIONS: This weekend marks a special occasion for Cincinnati 11th year skipper Brian Cleary as he returns to his hometown of Boca Raton, Fla. Cleary's roots in Boca Raton go just a little bit deeper as he is a childhood friend and former high school teammate of Florida Atlantic Associate Head Coach John McCormack.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: In its two full seasons of existence, Marge Schott Stadium has provided a solid home field advantage for the Bearcats. With 28 home games on this season's home schedule, UC will look to carry over its home field success of 2006 this year. Last season, the Bearcats finished the year with a 22-10 record at home and hit 62 points higher (.319 to .257) at home than on the road, while averaging over three runs per game more. Since its opening, the Bearcats hold a 39-24 (.619) record at home. Prior to a loss to Rutgers on April 14, 2006 the Bearcats had a 12-game home winning streak, the second-longest in school history, behind a 17-game streak in 1960-61.
YEAGER GOT COMFORTABLE: Prior to the 2006 season, UC head coach Brian Cleary stated that it often takes new players 100 at-bats to get acclimated to Division I pitching. Freshman shortstop Adam Yeager proved Cleary's theory to be true. After passing the 100 AB mark in mid-April, Yeager hit .337 (34 for 101) in his last 26 games. Yeager's offensive production was improved all around as he had 21 runs scored and 13 RBI, along with six doubles, a triple and two home runs during the stretch.