TicketsApril 29, 2008
SETTING THE SCENE: Coming off of an off day after playing a stretch of nine games in 10 days, in which it posted a 5-4 mark, the University of Cincinnati baseball team faces cross-town foe Xavier in a pair of mid-week, non-conference tilts. Having tangled one time already this season, Cincinnati needed 11 innings to win the first matchup, 6-4. Named the BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week on Monday, Josh Harrison heads into the Xavier home-and-home series carrying a five-game hitting streak. The junior also boasts a string of 10 consecutive hits. The top hitter in the UC lineup, Mike Spina leads the team with his .355 batting average, nine home runs, and 43 runs batted in. Cincinnati's top base-stealing threats, Tony Campana (30 steals), and Jamel Scott (25 steals), are listed first and second in the BIG EAST Conference.
SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS: Xavier heads into the two-game set on the heels of a three-game sweep of Atlantic 10 Conference rival St. Bonaventure at Hayden Field. Taking the series moved XU to 13-5 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Musketeers' offense is headed by six hitters that are batting above the .300 mark. Zac Richard and Steve Brown share the team lead with identical marks of .352. Richard owns five home runs, 11 doubles, and 38 runs batted in, while Brown has one homer, 11 doubles, and 24 RBIs. Adam Posano has notched a team-high 14 doubles and is a perfect 7-of-7 in stolen base attempts. The Xavier pitching staff owns a 5.53 team ERA.
NOTING THE BEARCATS: Cincinnati is listed third place in the current BIG EAST Conference race, at 12-6 and is coming off its busiest stretch of the season. Mike Spina has raised his stock as the top hitter on the squad. Spina is batting .355, including nine home runs and 43 RBIs. Cameron Satterwhite is second on the team with his .348 batting average and 17 doubles. Josh Harrison has raised his average to .343, with 12 doubles and three homers, while senior Tony Campana boosted his stolen base total to 30. UC's center fielder is hitting .310, and leads the squad with five triples. Campana and Jamel Scott are ranked No. 1 and 2 in the BIG EAST in the stolen base department. Scott owns 25 thefts on 32 attempts. As a team, the Bearcats are hitting .293 with 35 home runs, 64 doubles and 11 triples. Cincinnati's three weekend starting pitchers have amassed 137 strikeouts and only 40 free passes in 158.1 innings of work. A winner in each of his previous five starts, Dan Osterbrock leads UC with his 6-2 record, and 2.69 ERA, while Michael Hill and Tyler Smith each stand at 3-3.
HARRISON NAMED BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cincinnati second baseman Josh Harrison was a perfect 10-for-10 at the plate in the three-game set at Louisville and posted a 13-for-21 effort (.619) at the plate in six games last week to earn BIG EAST Player of the Week honors. Harrison collected eight runs scored and five RBIs, as UC went 3-3 last week. The junior infielder was successful on 6-of-7 stolen base attempts and displayed his power by belting a home run and a double at Louisville to post an .810 slugging percentage.
HARRISON ENDING APRIL ON HIGH NOTE: Josh Harrison has raised his batting average nearly 60 points, from .274 to .343 by hitting a torrid 24-of-45 (533) over his last 11 games. Over the last two weeks, Harrison has hit safely in 10 of 11 games and boasts eight multiple-hit games, including five games with three or more hits. The junior shares the team lead with 19 multiple-game hits, including seven three-hit performances.
SPINA CONTINUES TO COLLECT BIG EAST HONORS: For the third time this season, third baseman Mike Spina was recognized the week of April 21 by the BIG EAST Conference for his performance at the plate. The Bearcats' starter at the hot corner for all but two games thus far, earned BIG EAST Honor Roll acclaim after hitting .500 (9-of-18) in five games.
OFF AND RUNNING: The Bearcats' running game was one of the nation's best last year and is listed 11th nationally this week. The Bearcats have reached safely on 2.12 stolen bases per game and have made good on 89-of-116 stolen base attempts (.766) this season. The Bearcats swiped 130 bases in 2007, ranking as the highest total ever by a UC team. As a team, UC ranked fourth last season with 2.32 steals per game.
LEAD-OFF TERROR: Tony Campana continues to be a big impact at the top of the Bearcats' lineup, while patrolling center field in every game since transferring to Cincinnati. A spark plug at the top of the order, Campana is hitting .310 and is 30-of-38 in stolen base attempts.
RECORD SETTING THIEF: An offensive catalyst at the top of the lineup, Tony Campana set a Cincinnati single-season record with 60 stolen bases as a junior. Campana finished as the NCAA leader in steals at better than one stolen base per game. In his first year with the Bearcats, he came up one stolen base short of equaling the program's career record of 61. Already this season Campana eclipsed the mark for career stolen bases and his 30 thefts this season give him 90 career steals and counting.
STAFF ACE: In 2007, Dan Osterbrock was one of the BIG EAST's best hurlers posting a 9-1 record. Owning a 6-2 record and a 2.67 ERA, the Cincinnati native opened the season by striking out eight in six innings of work at Miami (FL). The lefty has show masterful control, striking out 50 this year against only seven walks in 67 innings.
OSTERBROCK LIKES TO FINISH WHAT HE STARTED: Lefthander Dan Osterbrock has made a habit of finishing BIG EAST Conference games, with three complete games in his last five outings. Although he did not record a strikeout, the Cincinnati native pitched a complete game, allowing three runs on six hits in a 5-3 win at Notre Dame. Two weeks later, the lefty did it again, striking out eight over nine innings to garner a 6-3 victory against Pittsburgh. Osterbrock tossed a complete game in his last outing, an 11-2 triumph at Louisville. Osterbrock tossed five complete games a year ago and currently boasts eight career complete games.
SPEEDY SCOTT: After hitting the Bearcats' first home run of 2008 at Miami (FL), Jamel Scott has shown plenty speed. UC's swift sophomore is sharing the top spot in the BIG EAST Conference in stolen bases, having made good on 25-of-32 attempts this season. Scott started the campaign with a string of 14 consecutive steals before being caught. The Bearcats' No. 2 hitter, Scott boasts a .287 average and a .360 on-base percentage.
LOOKING AHEAD: Cincinnati hosts Rutgers in a BIG EAST Conference thre-gameseries this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Friday's series opener at Marge Schott Stadium is scheduled to get underway at 6:30 p.m.