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UC Takes On West Virginia In Opening Round BIG EAST Contest

UC Takes On West Virginia In Opening Round BIG EAST ContestUC Takes On West Virginia In Opening Round BIG EAST Contest

May 19, 2008

SETTING THE SCENE: No. 2 seed Cincinnati won't have to look far for its BIG EAST Championship opening round opponent as the Bearcats will meet seventh-seeded West Virginia on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla. The Bearcats, winners of five straight, completed the regular season with a sweep of the Mountaineers last weekend to conclude the season with a school record 36 wins.

A WINNING STATE OF MIND: UC established a pair of victory records this year, setting school marks for overall and conference wins in a season. The Bearcats' 36 wins are one better than the previous best set in 2000, while the 19 conference victories is two better than the mark set by the 1995 Great Midwest Conference Champions.

HARRISON RIDING HIGH: Josh Harrison has raised his batting average over 100 points, from .274 to .372 by hitting a torrid 49-of-99 (.495) over his last 33 games. The junior shares the team lead with 28 multiple-game hits, including a team best 10 three-hit performances and is among the BIG EAST leaders in average, runs, hits, doubles, total bases, RBI and stolen bases.

SPINA HITS HIS STRIDE: After seeing his average dip to .256 early in the month, Mike Spina concluded April on a terror. For the month, Spina hit at a .432 clip, belting six doubles and nine home runs, while driving in 32 runs. In 22 games in the month, Spina collected at least one hit in all but three of the contests, posting 13 multi-hit games along the way. Spina hasn't let up as the calendar flipped over, hitting .405 with six homers and 19 RBI through 11 games in May.

OFF AND RUNNING: The Bearcats' running game has been one of the nation's best for the second straight year and was listed ninth nationally last week. The Bearcats have averaged 2.24 stolen bases per game and have made good on 123-of-158 stolen base attempts (.7778) this season. The Bearcats swiped 130 bases in 2007, ranking as the highest total ever by a UC team. This year's squad boasts a second-place ranking on UC's single season team list. Individually, Tony Campana (44-of-55), Jamel Scott (32-of-41) and Josh Harrison (29-of-36) rank Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the BIG EAST.

SPEEDY SCOTT: Jamel Scott has shown plenty of speed this year, trailing only teammate Tony Campana in the BIG EAST Conference in stolen bases, having made good on 32-of-41 attempts this season. Scott started the campaign with a string of 14 consecutive steals before being caught. The Bearcats' No. 2 hitter for much of the year, Scott boasts a .307 average and enters the BIG EAST Championship riding a career-best 14-game hitting streak in which he is hitting .373 (22-for-59). Scott pulled off one of baseball's most exciting plays with a straight steal of home plate against Chicago State on March 2.

LEAD-OFF TERROR: Tony Campana continues to make 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 .343 and is 44-of-55 in stolen base attempts this year. In addition to leading the BIG EAST in stolen bases, Campana also ranks third among league players with 85 hits. After leading the country in steals per game last year, Campana is among the best again in 2008 and has stretched his UC career record total to 104 thefts. The lightning quick senior was at his best during the final series of the year against West Virginia, going 9-for-15 (.600) with six RBI and four stolen bases.

BULLPEN ANCHOR: Junior Jake Geglein has blossomed into the stopper in the Bearcats' bullpen, enjoying a phenomenal season in his new role. The Cincinnati native has appeared in a team-best 23 games and holds a 3-0 record with a 2.47 ERA and eight saves. Geglein has held opponents scoreless in 15 of his 23 outings this year and has 34 strikeouts and six walks in 40 innings of work. He is also making a name for himself in UC history, ranking third on the single season saves list and holding a tie for fourth with 10 career saves.

OSTERBROCK AMONG THE BEST: Dan Osterbrock has made himself into one of the BIG EAST's best hurlers in the past two seasons and on May 16 against West Virginia left his mark on Cincinnati annals as well. Against the Mountaineers, Osterbrock earned the 20th win of his career, ranking him first all-time among UC hurlers. In 2008, Osterbrock is the owner of a 8-2 record and a 3.56 ERA. The junior has won seven straight decisions and has shown masterful control all year, striking out 60 and walking just nine in 83.1 innings of work.

JUST PLAIN NASTY: Junior pitcher Michael Hill has been unhittable in his last two outings, with one of the appearances the best of his collegiate career. Entering the BIG EAST Championship, Hill has retired 23 consecutive batters, including a three-hit complete game with a career-high 10 strikeouts on May 11 at Seton Hall. The outing earned Hill his first ever BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week award. For the season, Hill is 5-3 with a 3.47 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 72.2 innings of work.

A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH: Cameron Satterwhite has enjoyed an outstanding junior season that sees him ranked third on the squad with a .363 batting average. The Cincinnati native has done his part in the power department as well, ranking second on the Bearcats with 13 home runs and sitting second with 57 RBI. Satterwhite really started to turn it on in late March. After hitting a respectable .271 through the first 18 games, Satterwhite has been hitting at a .399 (61-for-153) clip in the 37 games since March 25, with all but one of his home runs and all but eight of his RBI.

COMING ON STRONG: Head coach Brian Cleary's theory on new players needing 100 at-bats to get accustomed to Division I competition has another supporter in freshman shortstop Chris Peters. Since nearing and surpassing the mark in recent weeks, Peters is hitting .344 (22-for-64) in his last 19 games. Peters lashed three hits for the second time this year in game one of the May 3 doubleheader with Rutgers, including a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning.

NOT ON MY WATCH: Senior catcher Ryan Baker has quietly been one of the Bearcats' most important contributors this season, especially with his work behind the plate. For the year, Cincinnati ranks third in the BIG EAST in stolen bases allowed, having yielded just 32 in 55 games. Against Baker individually, opponents are successful on just 54 percent of their steal attempts.

HARRISON A PERFECT `10': Cincinnati second baseman Josh Harrison was a perfect 10-for-10 at the plate in the three-game set at Louisville (April 25-27) 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 added eight runs scored and five RBIs during the stretch. 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's performance also landed him a mention in Baseball America's weekly notebook.

CAMPANA NAMED BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The final BIG EAST Player of the Week for the 2008 season is UC senior Tony Campana. The centerfielder led the Bearcats to a regualr season closing sweep of West Virginia by hitting .600 against the Mountaineers with with six runs, nine hits, six RBI and four stolen bases. Campana becomes UC's third player of the week, joining Mike Spina (March 10) and Josh Harrison (April 28).