TicketsMarch 5, 2009
Game Notes | Baseball Adds Game vs. Xavier
THE MATCH-UP
The University of Cincinnati baseball team kicks off a four-game home series with the Bradley University Braves at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 6, at Marge Schott Stadium. The Bearcats and Braves play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 7, before wrapping up the series with a 1 p.m. start on Sunday, March 8. Bradley (2-3) lost three games to Lipscomb last weekend, while Cincinnati (1-4) fell to Miami (OH) 11-8 on Wednesday.
SCOUTING BRADLEY
· Bradley enters the weekend with a 2-3 record and a 0-3 road record.
· The Braves were swept last weekend at Lipscomb by scores of 8-2, 4-3, and 8-4.
· The Braves are batting just .216 through the season's first five games.
· In the early going, Bradley is just 10-for-48 (.208) with runners in scoring position and 8-for-49 (.163) with two outs.
· Senior Grant Escue leads the team in batting average (.350), runs scored (6), home runs (2), and RBI (8).
· While the Bradley bats may be struggling, the Braves pitching staff has been tremendous through five games.
· Collin Brennan and Rob Scahill have started four of the team's five games this season and both pitchers have earned no-decisions in all four starts despite posting strong numbers.
· Brennan owns an ERA of 1.93 and has scattered only six hits, while striking out 11 in 9.1 innings of work.
· Scahill has pitched a team best 11.0 innings and posts a 4.09 ERA. The junior has also struck out a team-high tying 11 batters and has issued only five walks
· As a team, Bradley's ERA is 4.91.
BEARCATS ADD WEEKDAY GAME
· Due to the cancellation of three games at Davidson and a mid-week game vs. Ohio, the Bearcats have added a mid-week game for Wednesday, March 11.
· Cincinnati and local foe Xavier will meet at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, at Marge Schott Stadium.
OLD FOES
· When Bradley enters Marge Schott Stadium this weekend, it will be the first time that the former Missouri Valley Conference rivals have met since 1970.
· Cincinnati owns a 20-16 lead in the all-time series.
· In the last meeting between the two schools, Cincinnati swept a doubleheader, 5-4 and 5-0, on May 1, 1970 at Bradley.
SPINA CRACKS CAREER TOP-TEN
· In his first season in the Red and Black in 2008, Mike 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 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.
· A first-inning two run home run against Miami (OH) on March 4 gave Spina his fourth home run of the season and the 25th of his career.
· Only 64 games into his UC career, Spina is tied with Brian Szarmach (2003-07) and Mike Mottice (1988-91) for 10th on the UC career home runs chart.
· One more home run will tie Spina with Aaron Moll (2001-04) and Steve Pickerell (2003-04) for eighth on the all-time home runs chart.
SOPHOMORE SURGE
· 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.
· In his last two outings against Davidson and Miami (OH), Riddell has continued to swing the bat well going a combined 3-for-7 from the plate, including his first career triple vs. Miami (OH).
· Of his team-best 11 hits this season, seven have gone for extra bases. Riddell has three doubles, one triple, and three home runs.
OFF THE BENCH
· Head coach Brian Cleary said one of the strengths of the Bearcat team in 2009 would be its depth off the bench.
· In six pinch-hit at-bats this season, the Bearcats have delivered four hits.
· Freshman Cory Hough, freshman Dorian West, and junior Beach Brooks are a combined 4-for-4 in pinch-hitting situations.
· In the seventh inning against Miami (OH), Hough and Brooks strung together back-to-back two-out pinch-hit base hits to keep the inning alive. Later in the inning, both scored on passed balls to tie the game at eight.
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.
· Through five games, Scott is batting .375 in the lead-off spot and is 4-for-5 in stolen bases.
WEST MAKES HIS MARK
· 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 made the first start of his career in the designated hitter's role.
· In his first start, West hit a three-run home run and finished the game with four RBI.
· In four games this year, West is batting .200, but is third on the team with five RBI.
BIG EAST PREDICTIONS
· In the 2009 BIG EAST preseason poll, UC was picked to finish fifth by the BIG EAST head coaches.
· Seniors Michael Hill and Cameron Satterwhite were chosen to the all-BIG EAST Preseason Team.
· Louisville was unanimously chosen as the favorite to win the 2009 conference championship. Louisville's Chris Dominguez and Justin Marks took home Preseason Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year honors, respectively.
· USF was picked to finish in second place with 103 votes, followed by Notre Dame (99 votes), St. John's (93 votes), and Cincinnati (77 votes). Filling out spots six through 10 were Connecticut, West Virginia, Rutgers, Seton Hall, and Villanova. Pittsburgh and Georgetown were selected 11th, and 12th, respectively.
UC TRIO MAKES BROOKS WALLACE WATCH LIST
· Seniors Mike Spina, Cameron Satterwhite, and Jake Geglein were named to the 2009 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Watch List, the College Baseball Foundation announced on Dec. 4.
· Last season, Spina hit .377, which ranked eighth in the BIG EAST, and belted 21 home runs. Spina's 21 home runs were matched by Louisville's Chris Dominguez. Spina also drove in 79 runs last season, which ranked first in the BIG EAST.
· Satterwhite hit .364 for UC last season, which ranked third on the team, while recording 21 doubles, 14 home runs, and 61 RBI en route to second-team all-BIG EAST honors and second-team ABCA Rawlings all-Mideast recognition.
· Geglein made 26 appearances out of the bullpen last season and pitched 43.0 innings with 36 strikeouts compared to just seven walks. Geglein finished the season with nine saves and a 2.30 ERA, and his nine saves ranked third in the BIG EAST.
· The Wallace Award is dedicated to the memory of former Texas Tech player and assistant coach Brooks Wallace. Wallace was a slick-fielding shortstop at Texas Tech from 1977 to 1980. In the summer of 1984, he was diagnosed with cancer and fought the disease courageously until his death on March 24, 1985, at age 27.
MORE PRESEASON HONORS
· Coming off a season in which he tied for the BIG EAST Conference lead in home runs (21) and led the conference in RBI (79), senior Mike Spina earned preseason second-team all-America honors by RecruitingCloser.com, the website announced on Wednesday, January 21.
· On Feb. 17, Spina also was tabbed a preseason honorable-mention all-American by CollegeBaseballInsider.com.
· Spina posted a .377 batting average last season and added 12 doubles to accompany his home run and RBI numbers. Spina also led the conference with a .731 slugging percentage and ranked in the Top 12 of the league in nine statistical categories.
· The Newberry, Fla., native was drafted in the 35th round by the Minnesota Twins in the 2008 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, but elected to return to UC for his senior season.
OH CAPTAIN
· On its first official practice on Sunday, Feb. 1, head coach Brian Cleary announced that the captain for the 2009 Cincinnati squad will be senior Jake Geglein.
· "Jake is coming off a great season last year," Cleary said. "He is incredibly well respected by our staff and his teammates, who selected him as captain, which I think is a great choice."
· Last season, Geglein saw action in 26 games and did not give up an earned run in 20 of 26 appearances. His 26 appearances tie for ninth on the UC single-season appearances chart.
LOOK WHO'S BACK
· Coming off one of the most successful seasons in school history, Cincinnati lost some key parts from last year's squad, including 2008 BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year Josh Harrison. Despite the losses of Harrison, UC's all-time wins leader Dan Osterbrock, and UC's career stolen bases leader Tony Campana, the Bearcats also return a core group of players that look to build upon last seasons success.
· Seniors Mike Spina and Cameron Satterwhite return to Clifton after both players had career seasons in 2009. The duo combined to hit 35 home runs and drive in 140 RBI.
· In 2008, Spina and Satterwhite accounted for 51.5 percent of UC's home runs and 35.8 percent of Cincinnati's RBI.
· With the departure of Campana, who stole a UC record 104 stolen bases in his two seasons in the Red and Black, junior Jamel Scott will be counted on to manufacture runs with his legs.
· A season ago, Scott swiped 35 bases in 44 attempts, ranking second on the team and second in the BIG EAST.
· Cincinnati also has a solid mix of hurlers returning with seniors Michael Hill and Jake Geglein.
· Despite the fact that 7th round 2008 MLB Draft choice Dan Osterbrock received most of the attention from opposing teams last season, Hill owned the top ERA among all UC starters in 2008.
· Hill owned a 6-4 record last season and struck out 65 batters in 80.2 innings of work en route to a 3.46 ERA.
· Geglein was UC's anchor out of the bullpen last season, appearing in 26 games and finishing with nine saves.
· Alongside Hill and Geglein, junior Brian Garman looks to add to the success gained from his final six starts of the 2008 campaign.
· From April 30 - May 25, Garman went 3-1 and owned a 2.43 ERA in five starts. Garman sent UC to the BIG EAST Championship game after giving up six hits in 6.1 innings in a 13-2 win over USF.