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Bearcats Out For Revenge Against Xavier

Bearcats Out For Revenge Against XavierBearcats Out For Revenge Against Xavier

April 23, 2007

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SETTING THE SCENE: Cincinnati will be out for revenge when it hosts Xavier on Tuesday (April 24) at Marge Schott Stadium. UC will be trying to avenge a 1-0 loss to the Musketeers on March 20. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. The Bearcats bring a record of 21-17 into the contest, while Xavier sits at 19-21.

NOTING THE BEARCATS:

  • The key to the Bearcats' offensive success this season has been the stolen base as UC leads the BIG EAST with 100 thefts. The mark ranks as the third-highest single season total in UC history and is just 19 shy of matching the school record.
  • The Bearcats have also shown good power this season, ranking first in the BIG EAST with 41 homers. The count has already surpassed the total UC has hit in each of the past two seasons.
  • 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.
  • Sophomore lefty Dan Osterbrock has become the staff ace, tying for second in the BIG EAST with seven wins and ranking fourth with a 2.57 ERA.
  • Josh Harrison ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage and stolen bases.
  • Neall French is among the BIG EAST leaders in home runs (T-2nd, 10) and RBI (1st, 47).
  • 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 MUSKETEERS:

  • The Musketeers find themselves just one game out of first place in the Atlantic 10 with a 12-3 league mark and a 19-21 overall record. Xavier has been red hot as of late, winning seven of its last eight contests.
  • Senior C Jordan Wolf leads XU offensively with team highs in batting average (.359), runs (31), hits (55), homers (six), RBI (28) and stolen bases (12).
  • Senior RHP Dan Graham is set to make his third start of the year on Tuesday. Graham holds a 0-1 record with a 12.00 ERA in four games. His last start came on April 18 vs. Eastern Kentucky when he allowed three runs in five innings of work.
  • The Musketeers have struggled away from home, holding an 8-21 road record. Xavier is 10-0 at Hayden Field and 1-0 in neutral site contests.

LONG BALLS STILL COMING: Even with the loss of some its power hitters from a year ago, the Bearcats find themselves first in the BIG EAST with 41 home runs. Neall French has been the biggest power provider, tying for second in the league with 10 homers. Surprisingly, one of UC's biggest power threats has been one of its smaller players as 5'7" Josh Harrison is tied for sixth in the BIG EAST with nine blasts. 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.

HARRISON BACK AT IT: Josh Harrison has picked up where he left off last year in 2007, hitting .320 and ranking among the BIG EAST leaders in runs (4th, 47), home runs (T-6th, nine), RBI (3rd, 42), total bases (6th, 87) and stolen bases (T-5th, 17). 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 96 games making up his UC career, Harrison has failed to gather a hit in just 16 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 the best effort in school history. The Bearcats have swiped 100 bases this year, ranking as the third-highest total by a UC team, and just 20 shy of a new school record. Tony Campana has been the catalyst as he has stolen a UC single-season record 46 bags. In 12 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 both nationally and in the BIG EAST in steals and is joined in double figures by Adam Yeager (18) and Josh Harrison (17), 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 100 of 121 attempts for an 82.6 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. Recently, John Baird has joined the fold and has delivered right away. 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 eight 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 20 free passes and 51 K's in 71 innings of work. 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 and has allowed just four so far in 2007.
  • Osterbrock, who holds a 7-1 record, has won seven of his last eight starts and his 2.57 ERA ranks fourth 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 fourth complete game of the season, keying UC's 6-1 win over Connecticut on April 21.
  • Baird was strong in his BIG EAST debut vs. Connecticut on April 22, twirling his first career complete game and striking out a career-best six. He, along with Osterbrock the day prior, became the first UC pitchers to throw consecutive nine-inning complete games since Nate Bouldin and B.J. Borsa in 2003.

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-12th). 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.

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 47 RBI and tying for second with 10 home runs. He has been red hot as of late, hitting safely in 13 of his last 15 games at a .350 clip (21-for-60) with 24 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 solid .291 and has 32 RBI ranking him 13th in the BIG EAST. 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 .326 (29-for-89) with five doubles, five home runs and 14 RBI in 29 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 46 bases and hitting .325 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 five of UC's 38 games this season. In addition to ranking second in the BIG EAST in steals, Campana also ranks among the league leaders in runs (13th, 35) and walks (T-7th, 25).
  • Satterwhite has a 10-game hit streak to his credit this year and is batting .290 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 .292, nearly twice his career average, and has eight RBI.

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 53-30 (.639) 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 (.298 to .273) and ERA (3.34 to 5.86) are significantly better at Marge Schott Stadium.