TicketsApril 21, 2008
SETTING THE SCENE: On the fourth day of a stretch of six-straight games, the University of Cincinnati baseball team hosts Xavier in a rare Monday night contest. An added game to the schedule, this evening's matchup is the first of three between the crosstown foes. At the halfway mark of the BIG EAST race, UC is currently tied for second place in the standings. Cincinnati is off to its best start in three years of league competition and already boasts one more victory than it recorded during the 2007 BIG EAST slate. Victorious in 10 of its last 13 games, the UC pitching staff is paced by No. 1 starter Dan Osterbrock. The owner of a 5-2 record, Osterbrock was named the BIG EAST Conference Pitcher of the Week after an eight-inning performance on Friday night in which he struck out a season-high nine batters and gave up four hits on his way to his fourth consecutive win victory. Mike Spina received his third BIG EAST Honor Roll award after hitting .500, with a double and two homers last week.
SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS: Xavier makes the trek to Marge Schott Stadium fresh off of winning two out of three games against St. Joseph's over the weekend. Taking the series moved XU to 10-6 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Musketeers' offense is headed by six hitters that are batting above the .300 mark. Zac Richard leads the squad with a .352 average, five home runs, and 36 runs batted in. Adam Posano has notched a team-high 11 doubles and is a perfect 6-of-6 in stolen base attempts. The Xavier pitching staff owns a 5.65 team ERA.
NOTING THE BEARCATS: Cincinnati has won 10 of its last 13 games and is firmly positioned in second place in the BIG EAST Conference race, at 11-4. Cameron Satterwhite is tops on the team with a .349 batting average and 14 doubles. Junior third baseman Mike Spina continues to shine with a .331 average that includes a team-high seven home runs. Senior center fielder Tony Campana is hitting .325, and leads the squad with four triples and 27 steals. Campana and Jamel Scott are ranked No. 1 and 2 in the BIG EAST with 27 and 25 stolen bases respectively. As a team, the Bearcats are hitting .290 with 25 home runs, 56 doubles and nine triples. Cincinnati's three weekend starting pitchers have amassed 127 strikeouts and only 34 free passes in 152 innings of work. Dan Osterbrock is 5-2 with a 2.79 ERA, while Michael Hill owns a 3-2 record and a 3.12 ERA. Tyler Smith is 3-3, with a 3.60 earned run average, to go with 46 punch outs and 16 walks.
SATTERWHITE SEEING THE BALL ALRIGHT: Over the last 18 games, no one is hitting better for the Bearcats than Cameron Satterwhite. Leading the team with his .414 average over the span, Satterwhite is hitting (29-of-70) since March 26.
HARRISON ENJOYS RED-HOT WEEK: Josh Harrison raised his season average 30 points, from .274 to .304 by batting a torrid 11-of-24 in five games last week. In both of last week's non-league tilts against Kentucky and Butler, Harrison tallied three hits each. He notched five hits in 15 at bats against Georgetown over the weekend, including a pair of doubles. The junior is second on the team with 15 multiple-game hits, including five three-hit performances.
SPINA CONTINUES TO RACK UP BIG EAST HONORS: For the third time this seasn, junior third baseman Mike Spina wsa recognized by the BIG EAST Conference for his performance at the plate. The Bearcats' starter at the hot corner for every game thus far, earned BIG EAST Honor Roll acclaim after hitting .500 (9-of-18) in five games last week. The Newberry, Fla. native's highlight of the week came in Friday night's 7-1 win over Georgetown in which he finished 3-for-4, with two home runs and four RBIs.