TicketsMarch 18, 2009
THE MATCH-UP
After having the week off for final exams, Cincinnati returns to the field for the first time in five days and puts its three-game winning streak on the line when it travels to Pittsburgh for its BIG EAST opening series March 20-22. The series kicks off on Friday, March 20, at 3 p.m. at Trees Field. Cincinnati has wone eight of its last 10 games, while the Panthers have also won eight on their last 10 contests.
SCOUTING PITTSBURGH
· The Panthers come into the opening weekend of conference action with a 9-5 record.
· Just like Cincinnati, Pittsburgh has won eight of its last 10 games.
· PITT owns a team batting average of .295 and is led by Chris Sedon and Matt Litzinger, who are hitting .443 and .423, respectively.
· Sedon also leads the team in runs scored (20), hits (27), home runs (4), and stolen bases (10), and is second in RBI (15).
· As a squad, the Panthers own an ERA of 5.29, and four hurlers own an ERA less than 1.00.
· Among starters, Corey Baker owns the top ERA (3.44) and is 2-0 on the season.
· This weekend's games are the first home games for the Panthers this season.
PROGRAM FIRST
· For the first time in program history, the UC baseball team will host a nationally televised contest.
· The series finale between Cincinnati and Louisville on Sunday, April 5, will be televised by ESPNU.
· Last season, the Bearcats and the Cardinals met in the BIG EAST Championship game and U of L went on to defeat UC, 6-3.
· The game on Sunday, April 5, is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
OL' LEFTHANDER
· On April 14-15, the UC baseball team will host the inaugural Joe Nuxhall Classic at Marge Schott Stadium.
· The Bearcats welcome Miami University, Wright State University, and Xavier University to compete in this year's tournament.
· Cincinnati, Miami, and Xavier will always participate in the tournament and the fourth team will be decided each season.
· The tournament also will alternate between Marge Schott Stadium and McKie Field at Hayden Park on the Miami University campus.
· On April 14, Miami will take on Wright State at 3 p.m. with the Bearcats and Musketeers meeting in the nightcap.
· The following day, the losers and the winners from the previous day will play each other.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
· After starting the season 1-3 away from Marge Schott Schott Stadium, Cincinnati recently went 8-3 during its 11-game homestand to improve its record to 9-6.
· During the homestand, eight UC players that earned 10-plus at-bats, batted .300 or above.
· Lance Durham led all players going 20-for-38 (.526) at home, with two home runs and nine RBI.
· Mike Spina was the top power threat during the homestand hitting five home runs and driving in 20 runs.
· The UC pitching staff owned a 4.70 ERA during the home stretch compared to a 6.81 ERA during the first four games of the season.
· Brian Garman made two starts during the homestand and struck out 11, while walking just two, in 13.2 innings of work as he earned two wins.
· Jake Geglein got off to a rough start as he picked up the loss in UC's season-opening defeat to Purdue, but got back on track at home.
· Geglein has made six appearances in the last 11 games and has given up just two hits in 5.2 innings of work.
· Geglein also earned three saves, moving him into second place on UC's all-time saves list with 14.
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
· Sophomore Chris Peters got off to a rough start in the opening five games as he hit .095 (2-for-21) with eight strikeouts.
· Since the start of the Bradley series on March 6, Peters has been a tough out for opposing pitchers.
· Over the last 10 games, Peters is batting .389 (14-for-36), which is third best on the team.
· During that stretch, Peters has four doubles, one home run, and has driven in eight runs. Peters also has struck out only five times.
OFF AND RUNNING
· The UC bats have been hot in the early going this season as the Bearcats have scored 119 runs in 15 games, averaging out to 7.93 runs per game.
· Three Bearcat players own batting averages over .400, led by Lance Durham, who is hitting .500.
· Cincinnati has scored 10-plus runs in seven games this season.
· Last season, it took UC 39 games to score 10-plus runs seven times.
TOUCH 'EM ALL
· 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.
· Through 11 games this season, Spina is off to a hot start as nine of his 25 hits have been home runs.
· 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.
· In the series finale against Bradley, Spina went 2-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI, as one of his home runs was a grand slam -- his second of the season.
· Heading into the week, Spina led the BIG EAST with nine home runs, ranked first in slugging percentage (.833), and was first in the BIG EAST with 32 RBI.
· In his first two at bats in game two of a doubleheader against Western Michigan on March 14, Spina hit two home runs, one of which was a grand slam, upping his home run total to nine. It was Spina's third grand slam this season.
· Only 74 games into his UC career, Spina sits in a tie for seventh place on the UC career home runs chart with 30.
· Spina needs two more home runs to move into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time home runs chart.
DURHAM WASTES NO TIME
· Lance Durham, the son of former MLB player Leon Durham, is in his first season with the Red and Black and has not wasted any time making an impact.
· Durham leads the team in batting average (.500) and hits (29).
· Against Bradley on March 6, Durham hit his first career home run, which cleared the scoreboard beyond the right field fence and bounced off of Fifth Third Arena.
· In 15 games, Durham has driven in 12 runs and he leads the team with 10 multi-hit games.
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 the eighth inning vs. Dayton on March 10, Riddell opened up a 7-6 lead in the eighth inning with a three-run home run to give UC a 10-6 lead.
· Of his 24 hits this season, 11 have gone for extra bases. Riddell has six doubles, one triple, and four 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 15 pinch-hit at-bats this season, the Bearcats have delivered eight hits.
· Freshman Cory Hough is 3-for-5 in pinch-hitting opportunities, while freshman Dorian West, redshirt freshman Zach Collaros, sophomore Justin Riddell, and junior Beach Brooks have all collected hits in pinch-hitting roles.
· In the seventh inning against Miami (OH) on March 4, 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.