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Bearcats Welcome Huskies To Marge Schott Stadium

Bearcats Welcome Huskies To Marge Schott StadiumBearcats Welcome Huskies To Marge Schott Stadium

April 20, 2007



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SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati will look to keep pace in the tightly-contested BIG EAST standings when the Bearcats host Connecticut this weekend (April 20-22). UC has won three of its last five BIG EAST games to move into a tie for sixth in the league standings at 19-16 overall and 5-6 in league play. Connecticut (17-18, 4-8 BIG EAST) is 11th in the league race after dropping two of three to Louisville.

NOTING THE BEARCATS:

  • The key to the Bearcats' offensive success this season has been the stolen base as UC leads the BIG EAST with 94 thefts. The mark ranks as the fourth-highest single season total in UC history and is just 25 shy of matching the school record.
  • On April 1 at Georgetown, junior speedster Tony Campana set a new UC single-season record for steals with 36, eclipsing Ken Schneider's previous mark.
  • The Bearcats' pitching has been anchored by sophomore starters Steve Blevins and Dan Osterbrock. The duo holds a combined 11-6 record and a 3.33 ERA.
  • Josh Harrison ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage and stolen bases. He is tied for first in the league in RBI with teammate Neall French. Each player has 42 RBI this season.
  • A pair of rainouts last week have altered UC's upcoming schedule. The Bearcats will make up the rained out Xavier game from April 11 on Tuesday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. UC's game with Morehead State on May 2 will now be a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. in place of the cancelled West Virginia game from April 15.

NOTING THE HUSKIES:

  • After finishing last season second in the BIG EAST at 39-18-1, 18-6-1 in league play, the Huskies are 11th in this year's standings. UConn lost two of three last weekend against Louisville and is 17-18 overall and 4-8 in BIG EAST action.
  • Senior INF Dennis Donovan is the squad's leading hitter, holding a .340 average and a team-best 23 RBI.
  • Sophomore lefty Mike Tarsi is the team's No. 1 starting pitcher, but holds a record of 2-3 and a 4.76 ERA.
  • The Huskies won all four meetings between the teams last year, including a first round contest at the BIG EAST Championship.

LONG BALLS STILL COMING: Even with the loss of some its power hitters from a year ago, the Bearcats find themselves tied for first in the BIG EAST with 37 home runs. Surprisingly, one of UC's biggest power threat has been one of its smaller players as 5'7" Josh Harrison is tied for third in the league with nine blasts, with senior Neall French just one shot behind in sixth. A look at some UC home runs notes:

  • The Bearcats' five homers against Ohio on April 17 were the most in a single game by UC since hitting six on May 1, 2004 against Saint Louis.
  • Another of UC's little guys got in the act at Georgetown on March 31 as 5'7" Tony Campana became the first Bearcat since Mark Haske on March 30, 2005 to lead-off a game with a homer. Haske's blast came against Ohio.
  • One of UC's usual power suppliers, Brian Szarmach, tallied the first multi-home run game of his career on April 14 at West Virginia.
  • Twice this year, and most recently on April 14 at West Virginia, the Bearcats have hit back-to-back home runs.
  • Cameron Satterwhite had a career game on April 17 vs. Ohio, matching the UC single-game record with three homers.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: In its nearly three seasons of existence, Marge Schott Stadium has provided a solid home field advantage for the Bearcats. Since its opening, the Bearcats hold a 51-29 (.638) record at home. As was the case last season, the Bearcats' team numbers have been better at home than on the road. Both UC's team batting average (.303 to .273) and ERA (3.47 to 5.86) are significantly better at Marge Schott Stadium.

HARRISON BACK AT IT: Josh Harrison has picked up where he left off last year in 2007, hitting .326 and ranking among the BIG EAST leaders in runs (3rd, 45), home runs (T-3rd, nine), RBI (T-1st, 42), total bases (5th, 83) and stolen bases (T-5th, 16). 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 93 games making up his UC career, Harrison has failed to gather a hit in just 15 contests. Harrison had the biggest game as a Bearcat on March 24 at Pittsburgh, homering twice in a game for the first time and tying a school record with eight RBI.

OFF AND RUNNING: The Bearcats' running game has quickly evolved into one of the team's biggest weapons and is on track to produce one of the best efforts in school history. The Bearcats have swiped 94 bases this year, tying for the fourth-highest total by a UC team, and just 26 shy of a new school record. Tony Campana has been the catalyst as he has stolen a UC single-season record 43 bags. In 11 games this year, Campana has swiped multiple bags in a game including a school-record six in the second half of a doubleheader at North Carolina A&T on Feb. 24, topping Ken Schneider's previous high of five set in 1991. Campana is ranked second nationally in steals and is joined in double figures by Adam Yeager (18) and Josh Harrison (16), who rank fourth and fifth in the BIG EAST, respectively. As a team, UC ranks second in the country with 2.74 stolen bases per game, through April 15. Efficiency has also been key for the Bearcats as they have stolen safely in 94 of 112 attempts for an 83.9 percent success rate.

ROTATION MAINSTAYS: The Bearcats' starting pitching has excelled this season thanks to the play of sophomores Steve Blevins and Dan Osterbrock. The pair ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in wins, strikeouts and innings and have each won a BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week award. A closer look at each player's contributions this year:

  • After being victimized by a lack of run support early in the season, Blevins has won five of his last seven outings after starting the year 0-3. He had his best outing on March 9 vs. Cleveland State, hurling eight shutout innings with five strikeouts. Blevins has excelled in the walk-to-strikeout ratio with just 18 free passes and 49 K's in 65 innings of work. His ERA stands at 3.10, nearly three runs better than last year. After yielding 14 home runs last season, Blevins allowed his first of the year on March 24 at Pittsburgh in his 40th inning of the season.
  • Osterbrock, who holds a 6-1 record, has won six of his last seven starts and his 2.78 ERA ranks eighth among BIG EAST pitchers. His best outing came with a three-hit shutout of Dartmouth on March 3. On March 31 at Georgetown and again on April 14 at West Virginia, Osterbrock struck out a career-high eight, and his season total of 61 ranks second in the BIG EAST. The lefty hurled his third complete game of the season, keying UC's 4-3 win over Notre Dame on April 6.

BULLPEN LOCKDOWN: The Bearcats have enjoyed solid performances from the bullpen, with a newcomer and some surprising returnees leading the way.

  • Junior Billy Welsh has gotten his short stay off to a fine start, holding opponents scoreless in nine of his 15 appearances and turning in a 2.96 ERA. The righty got his first win at UC with 2.2 innings of relief against Cleveland State and he ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in saves (T-5th, 4) and appearances (T-9th). Opponents are hitting just .215 against him.
  • Junior southpaw Adam Calez has a 2.77 ERA in 11 appearances, while limiting opponents to a .167 batting average. After struggling with control last season (26 walks, 18 strikeouts), Calez has struck out 16 and walked only seven so far this year.
  • Sophomore Jake Geglein and Evan Sanford have also performed well this season. Geglein has a stellar 1.46 ERA in eight outings, while striking out 10 and picking up a win and his first-ever save. Sanford has allowed just two runs in his last seven innings, striking out 13 and gathering his first career win.
  • Considered a team strength throughout the year, the bullpen has struggled lately, yielding a 12.06 ERA in the team's last four games.

OUTFIELD IN GOOD HANDS: 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. The additions of Tony Campana, Cameron Satterwhite and Michael Obyc have more than filled the holes.

  • Campana has been a sparkplug at the top of the line-up, swiping a UC single-season record 43 bases and hitting .329 to rank second on the squad. Campana had a career-best 18-game hit streak snapped on March 25 but has gathered at least one hit in all but four of UC's 35 games this season. In addition to ranking second in the BIG EAST in steals, Campana also ranks among the league leaders in hits (T-10th, 49), runs (T-12th, 32) and walks (T-8th, 23).
  • Satterwhite has a 10-game hit streak to his credit this year and is batting .266 overall. He has shown a flair for the dramatic this year as he has hit game-winning homers on March 10 vs. Cleveland State and again on March 28 vs. Wright State. The sophomore had one of the biggest performances ever by a Bearcat on April 17 vs. Ohio as he tied school records with three home runs and 14 total bases. He barely missed the mark for RBI, finishing one shy with seven.
  • Obyc has provided another option, starting a total of 18 games between the outfield and first base. He holds a batting average of .296, nearly twice his career average, and has eight RBI.

A MUCH NEEDED LIFT: With Logan Parker's big bat lost in the middle of the line up, seniors Neall French and Brian Szarmach and freshman Michael Earley have stepped up to fill the hole:

  • French has been the anchor of the Bearcat line-up, leading the BIG EAST with 42 RBI and tying for sixth with eight home runs. He has been red hot as of late, hitting safely in 10 of his last 12 games at a .340 clip (17-for-50) with 19 RBI during the stretch. French had his best day as a Bearcat at Kentucky on March 7, with a career-best six RBI, courtesy of a pair of three-run homers. He barely missed the cycle on March 31 at Georgetown, missing only the single and driving in five.
  • Szarmach is hitting a career-high .298 and has 30 RBI. He also has eight doubles, a triple and seven home runs, including his first career multi-homer game on April 14 at West Virginia.
  • Since returning from a wrist injury in early March, freshman Michael Earley has batted .338 (27-for-80) with four doubles, five home runs and 14 RBI in 26 games.