Bearcats Search For First Wins Of 2007 At Austin Peay

Bearcats Search For First Wins Of 2007 At Austin PeayBearcats Search For First Wins Of 2007 At Austin Peay

Feb. 14, 2007

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SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati baseball team travels to Clarksville, Tenn. this weekend (Feb. 17-19) in search of its first wins of the 2007 season. A pair of opponents await the Bearcats as UC will face Austin Peay (two games) and Central Arkansas (once). The Bearcats were swept by Florida Atlantic last weekend in the opening series of the year, but lost two of the three contests by one run. Austin Peay has yet to play this year, while Central Arkansas lost two of three to Arkansas-Little Rock in its opening weekend.

NOTING THE BEARCATS:

  • Josh Harrison exploded on the first weekend of play, becoming the first Bearcat since 2004 to homer in three consecutive games. The sophomore hit .385 for the weekend and extended his career-best hitting streak to 18 games.
  • Senior Kyle Rapp made his mark at the plate, going 4-for-8 at FAU, after finishing last year just 3-for-15 (.200).
  • A total of 11 players appeared in their first game in a Bearcat uniform, while six played at the Division I level for the first time.
  • Brian Szarmach's home run in Friday's opener was the 18th of his collegiate career, drawing him within one of cracking the UC career top-20 list.
  • Newcomer Cameron Satterwhite ripped a team-best two doubles in the opening series and matched his career-high with three hits in the FAU finale.

NOTING THE GOVERNORS:

  • Austin Peay will open its 2007 campaign this weekend, after posting a 32-27 record last season. The Govs were chosen to finish fourth in a preseason poll of the Ohio Valley Conference coaches.
  • The Governors will be led offensively by sophomore OF Ryan Gilboy. As a freshman, Gilboy earned first team all-conference honors, hitting .366 with five home runs, 54 RBI and eight stolen bases. Baseball America tabbed Gilboy a player to watch in the OVC.
  • On the hill, senior Shawn Kelley who will start on Friday against UC, is the staff ace. Kelley went 5-6 last year, but turned in a 3.30 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 95.1 innings.

NOTING THE BEARS:

  • Central Arkansas makes the jump to Division I and the Southland Conference after a 30-18 finish as a Division II member last season. The Bears are projected to finish last in the six-team East Division of the SLC according to the league coaches. UCA lost two of three to Arkansas-Little Rock on its opening weekend of play.
  • Senior Matt Warren was the top hitter last weekend for UCA, hitting .444 (4-for-9) with two RBI.
  • The Bearcats are likely to face junior RHP Daniel Price on Saturday. Against ULR, Price allowed just two runs and five hits in five innings, but was handed the defeat.

NOT LIKE LAST YEAR: During the Bearcats' opening weekend of play, several events occurred that didn't well into last year. A look at a sampling:

  • The Bearcats stole seven bases in three games. A year ago, it took UC six games to get that number.
  • As a team, UC recorded four home runs, a feat that wasn't accomplished until seven games into last season.
  • After homering only five times in 2006, Josh Harrison went deep three times at Florida Atlantic. Harrison's third roundtripper last year came on April 12; game number 31 for UC.
  • Michael Hill walked six in his first 3.1 innings of work, after allowing only six walks in 10.2 innings at East Carolina. Another transfer, Cameron Satterwhite, totaled four strikeouts in 10 at-bats, after fanning only eight times in 62 at-bats at Indiana in 2006.
  • Senior Kyle Rapp went 4-for-8 at the plate with three RBI, after going just 3-for-15 with two RBI all of last year.

HARRISON BACK AT IT: Josh Harrison closed his freshman year with a bang, recording at least one hit in the final 15 games of the year and earning numerous accolades. The Cincinnati native picked right up where he left off over the weekend at Florida Atlantic, going 5-for-13 (.385) to extend his career-best hitting streak to 18 games. During the streak, Harrison is hitting .443 (31-for-70). The FAU series also showcased Harrison's power and speed blend as he homered three times and stole two bases. He also became the first Bearcat since Brian Szarmach in 2004 to homer in three consecutive contests. For his play, Harrison became the first Bearcat this season to be named to the College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll.

UC AGAINST THE OHIO VALLEY: The Bearcats have played 111 games against current members of the Ohio Valley Conference, holding a record of 56-55 (.505). UC has played all but three members of the league, including a 1-4 record against Austin Peay. UC has also played Eastern Kentucky (25-29), Morehead State (25-22), Murray State (1-0), Tennessee-Martin (2-0) and Tennessee Tech (2-0) from the OVC.

UC AGAINST THE SOUTHLAND: Cincinnati is 5-1 (.833) against current members of the Southland Conference, but has never faced Central Arkansas. Of the 12 teams in the SLC, the Bearcats have faced Nicholls State (2-0), Northwestern State (0-1) and Southeastern Louisiana (2-0).

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.