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Bearcats Continue Homestand Against Butler

Bearcats Continue Homestand Against ButlerBearcats Continue Homestand Against Butler

April 25, 2007

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SETTING THE SCENE: One night following a disappointing 9-5 loss to Xavier, the University of Cincinnati baseball team will look to get back in the win column tonight taking on Butler. First pitch at Marge Schott Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. UC will bring a 21-18 record into the contest, while Butler is 14-24 after a win over Marian yesterday.

NOTING THE BEARCATS:

  • The key to the Bearcats' offensive success this season has been the stolen base as UC leads the BIG EAST with 102 thefts. The mark ranks as the third-highest single season total in UC history and is just 17 shy of matching the school record.
  • The Bearcats have also shown good power this season, ranking first in the BIG EAST with 42 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. His current total stands at 47.
  • 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, 49).

NOTING THE BULLDOGS:

  • Butler has won its last two games to improve to 14-24 on the season. The Bulldogs earned a 5-4 win over Marian yesterday in its latest contest.
  • Senior C Joe Dempsey is one of the top hitters on the Butler roster, ranking second on the team with a .306 batting average and adding team bests with five homers and 30 RBI.
  • Junior lefty Bryan Bokowy (3-4 record, 4.53 ERA) is slated to make his eighth start of the year for the Bulldogs. Bokowy's last start came vs. Wright State on April 10, when he allowed four runs with eight strikeouts in 6.1 innings.

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 42 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.
  • The Bearcats have struggled in turning their long balls into wins as UC is just 13-11 in games it homers this year.

HARRISON BACK AT IT: Josh Harrison has picked up where he left off last year in 2007, hitting .322 and ranking among the BIG EAST leaders in runs (4th, 47), home runs (T-6th, nine), RBI (3rd, 43), total bases (6th, 89) 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 97 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 102 bases this year, ranking as the third-highest total by a UC team, and just 18 shy of a new school record. Tony Campana has been the catalyst as he has stolen a UC single-season record 47 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 (19) and Josh Harrison (17), who rank fourth and fifth in the BIG EAST, respectively. As a team, UC ranks third in the country with 2.63 stolen bases per game, through April 22. Efficiency has also been key for the Bearcats as they have stolen safely in 102 of 125 attempts for an 81.6 percent success rate.

SCHEDULE CHANGE: 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.

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.

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 53-31 (.631) 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 (.299 to .273) and ERA (3.48 to 5.86) are significantly better at Marge Schott Stadium.

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 49 RBI and tying for second with 10 home runs. He has been red hot as of late, hitting safely in 14 of his last 16 games, including eight straight at a .344 clip (22-for-64) with 26 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 .290 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 .333 (30-for-90) with six doubles, five home runs and 14 RBI in 30 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 47 bases and hitting a team-leading .333 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 39 games this season. In addition to ranking second in the BIG EAST in steals, Campana also ranks among the league leaders in runs (13th, 36) and walks (T-7th, 25).
  • Satterwhite has a 10-game hit streak to his credit this year and is batting .289 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.

MILESTONE VICTORY: The Bearcats' victory over Chicago State on March 18 was a special one for UC head coach Brian Cleary as it marked the 250th triumph of his coaching career. Cleary ranks second in school history in coaching wins with 258, trailing only the legendary Glenn Sample who amassed 391 victories. The triumph also marked the program's 1,000 victory since 1958.