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UC Faces Kentucky In Key Non-Conference Match-Up

UC Faces Kentucky In Key Non-Conference Match-UpUC Faces Kentucky In Key Non-Conference Match-Up

March 6, 2007

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SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati faces one of its stiffest tests of the year when the Bearcats travel to Lexington, Ky. to take on 17th-ranked Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. The Bearcats have won five of their last seven contests to improve to 5-6 on the year. Kentucky, one of the surprise teams in all of college baseball last season, has started the year 12-0 to climb as high as No. 17 in the national polls.

NOTING THE BEARCATS:

  • Junior speedster Tony Campana has already entered the top-20 in UC single season history with 18 stolen bases, sharing a tie for 14th on the list. Campana needs just 18 more swipes to break Ken Schneider's mark of 35 set in 1991.
  • Steve Blevins' record stands at an unlucky 1-3, despite gathering his first win against Dartmouth on March 3. The Bearcats have averaged just 4.3 runs per game in Blevins' four starts, while averaging 10 per game in the other seven contests of the year.
  • Cameron Satterwhite hit his BIG EAST leading sixth double of the young season on Sunday vs. Dartmouth. The Indiana transfer is on pace to shatter the UC single season record of 25 established by Mike Kinnett in 1985.
  • Cincinnati ranks atop the BIG EAST leaderboard with 35 stolen bases, just 13 fewer than it gathered all of last year. The Bearcats are on pace to set a school record for steals in a season, with the current mark at 119.

NOTING THE WILDCATS:

  • Kentucky, after being picked to finish fourth in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference, has opened 2007 with 12 consecutive victories. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 131-35 during the winning streak.
  • Sean Coughlin is the reigning SEC Player of the Week after going 9-for-18 with 12 RBI in five games last week. The senior catcher is hitting .347 with 19 RBI this season.
  • Junior lefty Andrew Albers will get the start on the mound for UK. Albers is 3-0 this year with a 2.00 ERA in three starts. In his last outing, Albers gave up three runs in six innings against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Friday.
  • UK has dropped two straight to the Bearcats, including a 10-9 decision last season.

UC AGAINST THE SEC: The Bearcats are 25-81 (.236) against current members of the SEC, including a 10-27 mark against Kentucky. Since 1958, UC has faced Alabama (0-3), Auburn (0-1), Florida (0-3), South Carolina (12-26), Tennessee (2-12) and Vanderbilt (1-9).

OSTERBROCK EARNS BIG EAST HONORS: For the second consecutive week, a member of the UC baseball team has been honored by the BIG EAST as sophomore Dan Osterbrock has been tabbed the league's pitcher of the week. The honor is the first of his career for Osterbrock. Osterbrock earned the award after twirling a three-hit shutout against Dartmouth on Saturday. In the seven-inning outing, Osterbrock allowed just the three hits and three walks, while striking out five. The performance marked the third complete game of Osterbrock's career and his first-ever shutout.

OFF AND RUNNING: The Bearcats' running game has quickly evolved into one of the team's biggest weapons and is on track to be one of the best efforts in school history. In 11 games this year, Cincinnati has swiped 35 bags, just 13 less than its total of 48 attained all of last year. Tony Campana has been the catalyst with 18 steals, more than any Bearcat has totaled since Kevin Youkilis (22) and Matt Singer (18) in 2001. Campana was at his best the week of Feb. 19-24, as he tallied 12 stolen bases, including a school-record six in the second game of a doubleheader at North Carolina A&T on Feb. 24, topping Ken Schneider's previous high of five set in 1991. If the Bearcats stick to their current pace, they will topple the school record of 119 thefts established in 1992.

BLEVINS THE UNLUCKY ONE: In 2006, Steve Blevins had it all. He set a school record for wins by a freshman with nine, while leading the BIG EAST in wins and innings pitched. His offense did the part as the Bearcats averaged 7.3 runs per game in his 16 starts. Early in 2007, Blevins has still been successful on the mound (4.12 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 24.0 innings), but a lack of run support has pushed his record to 1-3. In Blevins' four starts, UC is averaging 4.3 runs per game and 10 in the other seven contests. Strikeouts has become a bigger part of Blevins' repertoire this year as he has twice established a career-high, including a personal-best nine at Austin Peay on Feb. 18.

HARRISON BACK AT IT: Josh Harrison has picked up where he left off last year early in 2007, hitting .317 and leading the team in home runs (four) and RBI (14). At Austin Peay on Feb. 18, Harrison saw his career-best 18-game hit streak come to an end, but he bounced back with his fourth long ball one day later. In the 69 games making up his UC career, Harrison has failed to gather a hit in just 10 contests. The sophomore has shown his blend of speed and power this year, adding eight stolen bases to his home run total. For his play at Florida Atlantic (Feb. 9-11), Harrison became the first Bearcat this season to be named to the College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll.

BULLPEN LOCKDOWN: Two newcomers have joined returning ace A.J. Upton in forming a lethal threesome in the Bearcats' bullpen.

  • Junior Billy Welsh has gotten his short stay off to a fine start, holding opponents scoreless in 9.2 innings over a team-leading five appearances and notching a pair of saves. Opponents are hitting just .091 against the righty.
  • After struggling in his initial outing at Florida Atlantic, sophomore Michael Hill has been dominant ever since. In his last three appearances, including one start, Hill has hurled 13 consecutive shutout innings and notched the first two wins of his collegiate career. For the year, opponents are batting just .122 against him.
  • Upton, a candidate for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, has shrugged off allowing a walk-off homer at Florida Atlantic with three straight scoreless outings. The homer at FAU was the only hit allowed by the junior this year.
  • As a threesome, the group has pitched 28.2 innings with 29 strikeouts, a collective ERA of 1.88 and an opponents batting average of only .104.

GETTING CROWDED: With LaFringe Hayes gone to graduation and Josh Harrison moved to the infield, UC entered the season needing someone to step up in the outfield. With the additions of Tony Campana, Cameron Satterwhite and Michael Obyc, the Bearcats have found the cogs to fill the holes. Campana has been a sparkplug at the top of the line-up, swiping 18 bases and hitting a team-leading .341. Satterwhite is off to a good start leading the BIG EAST with six doubles. The surprise in the group has been Obyc, who moved into the starting line-up at Austin Peay and is hitting .333 with three doubles and five RBI.

A MUCH NEEDED LIFT: Senior Brian Szarmach is providing the Bearcats a much needed boost in the middle of the line-up, as he is hitting a career-best .325, with four doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI. The stretch from Feb. 19-24 was especially good for Szarmach as he hit .500 (6-for-12) with six runs scored, two doubles, a home run and eight RBI.

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 41-25 (.621) 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.

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).

BEARCATS ON THE AIR: Last fall, the UC Department of Athletics relaunched its official website, GoBEARCATS.com, and with it rolled out CATSVision All-Access. This spring, Tommy Gelehrter, UC's manager of new media and broadcasting, will provide fans exclusive radio coverage of approximately 15 games, along with the BIG EAST Championship. The tentative schedule includes: March 10 vs. Cleveland State; March 16 and 18 vs. Chicago State; March 21 vs. Toledo; March 28 vs. Wright State; April 3 at Dayton; April 11 vs. Xavier; April 17 vs. Ohio; April 20 and 22 vs. Connecticut; April 25 vs. Butler; April 28-29 vs. Villanova; May 2 vs. Morehead State; May 9 vs. Miami (Ohio); May 16 at Miami (Ohio) and May 17 vs. Louisville.