TicketsMarch 2, 2009
Game Notes | | Miami (OH) - Cincinnati Game on Wednesday Moved to Marge Schott Stadium
THE MATCH-UP
After completing one game of its four-game series at Davidson last weekend, Cincinnati (1-3) will play two mid-week contests against Mid-American Conference teams when it travels to V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio to play Ohio University (1-3) on Tuesday, March 3, before welcoming Miami University (1-3) to Marge Schott Stadium on Wednesday, March 4. Wednesday's game between Miami (OH) and Cincinnati was originally set to be played on Miami's campus, but due to unplayable field conditions at McKie Field at Hayden Park, the game has been moved to Marge Schott Stadium.
SCOUTING OHIO
· Ohio enters the game with a 1-3 overall record and the Bobcats have not played a game since Feb. 22 due to inclement weather.
· Robert Maddox III leads the team in batting average, hitting .429 on the season.
· Hayden Johnston is the team's top power threat thus far in the season as five of his seven hits have gone for extra bases, including two home runs.
· The Bobcats own a team batting average of .254, a team slugging percentage of .410, and a team on-base percentage of .369.
· The Ohio pitching staff owns an ERA of 6.00 and opponents are hitting just .267 off Bobcat hurlers.
SCOUTING MIAMI
· Miami enters mid-week contests against Marshall and UC with a 1-3 record after earning its first win of the season on Friday vs. William & Mary, 13-1.
· Junior Zach Hatfield got off to a hot start in the opening four games of the 2009 campaign as he leads the RedHawks in batting average (.467), hits (7), home runs (4), and RBI (11).
· Chris Nadeau (.438), Jordan Petraitis (.400), and Adam Eaton (.400), are the three other RedHawk players batting over .400 on the young season.
· As a team, the RedHawks are batting .312, while opponents are hitting .318 against RedHawk pitchers.
· Five Miami relievers have combined to pitch eight innings and give up four hits without giving up an earned run.
· As a staff, the Miami hurlers own a 7.09 ERA.
GOING YARD
· In his rookie campaign at UC last season, Justin Riddell played in 40 games and made 35 starts for the Bearcats. In those 40 games, Riddell collected two home runs, 15 RBI, and owned a slugging percentage of .360.
· At the BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge Feb. 20-22, Riddell was a tough out as he batted .615, going 8-for-13 from the plate.
· In the season-opener vs. Purdue, Riddell went 4-for-4 from the plate and equalled his home run total from 2008 with two home runs in the contest.
· Against Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 22, Riddell hit his third home run of the season, surpassing his total from 2008.
· At the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge, Riddell led the tournament in home runs (3), total bases (19), and slugging percentage (1.462), while tying for the tournament lead in batting average (.615).
· Riddell also ranked second among all players in on-base percentage (.643) and hits (8).
· For his efforts, Riddell was named to the BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge All-Tournament team presented by CollegeBaseball360.com, and was also one of 12 players nationally selected as Players of the Week by RecruitingCloser.com.
· He continued his hot hitting going 1-for-3 at Davidson on Feb. 27. His lone hit was a double and it drove in two runs.
GREAT SCOTT
· With the departure of Tony Campana, junior Jamel Scott stepped into the lead-off spot in the line-up and has gotten off to a great start.
· At the BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge, Scott batted .500, including a 4-for-5 performance against Michigan.
· Against the Wolverines, Scott made arguably the top defensive play of the week when he made an over-the-shoulder catch before slamming into the wall in the fourth inning, preventing two runs from scoring.
· Scott also proved to be a terror on the base paths, going 3-for-3 in stolen bases.
· Scott joined sophomore Justin Riddell as a BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge All-Tournament Team selection, presented by CollegeBaseball360.com.
SPINA CLOSING IN
· During the opening weekend of the 2009 season, senior Mike Spina made an immediate impact for UC.
· In his first season in the Red and Black in 2008, Spina hit a UC single-season record 21 home runs and drove in a UC single-season record tying 79 RBI.
· In the first game vs. Purdue on Feb. 20, Spina hit two home runs to continue where he left off last season and he finished the weekend with two home runs and six RBI.
· In the only game played at Davidson on Feb. 27, Spina hit a grand slam in the fifth inning to put UC on top, 9-5, his third home run of the season. Spina has 10 RBI through four games this season.
· Only 63 games into his UC career, Spina is one home run away from tying Brian Szarmach (2003-07) and Mike Mottice (1988-91) for 10th on the UC career home runs chart with 25 round-trippers.
WILD WEST
· In his first career at-bat against Purdue on Feb. 20, freshman Dorian West recorded his first career hit with a pinch-hit infield single.
· Against Davidson on Feb. 27, West got the start as the designated hitter marking the first start of his career.
· In his first start, West hit a three-run home run and finished the game with four RBI.
· In three games this year, West is batting .333 with four RBI.
NEW RELIEF
· In the last two games vs. Ohio State and Davidson, the Bearcat bullpen has come out and shut down the opposition.
· In those two contests, UC relievers have combined to give up just one earned run in nine innings of work.
· In those two outings, newcomers Dan Jensen and Andrew Burkett have collectively pitched 8.1 of the nine innings out of the pen.
· Against Davidson, Jensen gave up one hit in 2.1 innings to earn his first win in a Cincinnati uniform.
· Burkett has been an outstanding middle reliever in those contests giving up five hits and one earned run in six innings of work.
· In the last two games, the Bearcat bullpen has struck out six batters while not giving up a walk.