TicketsApril 28, 2009
Game Notes | | | Listen Live on Wednesday
THE MATCH-UP
Following its first three-game sweep of the conference season, the Bearcats look to keep their momentum going when they take on Xavier on Tuesday, April 28, and Wednesday, April 29. Tuesday's game will be played at Hayden Field on the Xavier campus at 3 p.m., while Wednesday's game will be held at Marge Schott Stadium beginning at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday's game between the Bearcats and Musketeers marks Glenn Sample Night, as Cincinnati will honor its all-time winningest coach who passed away on Nov. 21, 2008.
SCOUTING XAVIER
· Xavier heads into the week with a 23-16 record and a 10-8 Atlantic 10 record after taking two of three games from Temple last weekend.
· The Musketeers and Bearcats have met twice this season, with Cincinnati winning the first game, 7-4, and Xavier winning the second game, 12-8.
· Ben Thomas leads the team in batting average (.372), home runs (10), and RBI (42).
· Thomas is one of seven Musketeers players that owns a batting average over .300.
· Xavier has been a terror on the base paths this season, stealing 79 bags in 98 attempts.
· Jordan Conley is the team's top arm out of the bullpen with a 3.31 ERA and five saves, while Danny Rosenbaum owns the 5.43 ERA, the best among starters.
WEEKEND SWEEP
· For the first time this season, Cincinnati earned a weekend sweep taking all three games from Villanova.
· Cincinnati got off to a strong start on Friday, April 24, when UC scored a season-high 16 runs en route to a 16-2 win. Billy Welsh earned his first win of the season going a season-best 6.0 innings.
· On Saturday, April 25, Cincinnati trailed 8-7 in the bottom of the 10th inning and was down to its last strike when Mike Spina deposited a home run over the left-field fence, tying the game at eight. During the next at-bat, Lance Durham hit a walk-off home run to right field, giving the Bearcats a 9-8 come-from-behind win.
· In the series finale on Sunday, April 25, Brian Garman, Tyler Smith, and Jake Geglein combined to strike out 13 batters and Justin Riddell hit a three-run home run to carry Cincinnati to a 4-3 win.
· For the series, UC hit .316 and was led by Lance Durham's .533 average. Cameron Satterwhite, Spina, Durham, and Riddell combined to hit .421 with seven home runs and 19 RBI.
KING OF THE HILL
· For almost one month, senior Jake Geglein was tied atop the University of Cincinnati career saves list with Curtis Moak (1998-01).
· Moak was a 25th-round selection by the Cincinnati Reds in 2001 and he finished his career with 15 career saves.
· On Friday, April 17, Geglein recorded a six-out save against St. John's to preserve an 11-8 win and move past Moak on UC's career saves list with 16.
· Geglein added to his career saves mark with a save in UC's series finale against Villanova on April 26.
· Geglein has six saves this season, which is tied for first in the BIG EAST. His three saves in league play are also tied for first.
· Geglein ranked second in the BIG EAST with nine saves in 2008.
· In his career, Geglein has collected eight saves in BIG EAST action, and needs just one more save to tie for 10th on the all-time conference saves lists.
· On Sunday, April 5, Geglein pitched a career-high five innings of relief to earn the win against Louisville. In his five innings of work, Geglein scattered four hits, struck out two, and gave up just one run.
SENIOR SWING
· In the opening 25 games of his senior season, Cameron Satterwhite got off to a rough start hitting .193, with 30 strikeouts.
· Over the past 15 games, Satterwhite has come to life and played a vital role in UC's series wins over Notre Dame, St. John's and Villanova.
· Since the start of the Louisville series on April 9, Satterwhite is hitting .358 (19-of-53), with seven doubles, three home runs, and a team-best 17 RBI.
· In the second game of a three-game set against Louisville on April 5, Satterwhite went 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI.
· In the series opener against Villanova on April 24, Satterwhite hit two home runs, marking his second multi-home run game of the season.
· Over his past 15 games, Satterwhite has raised his batting average 62 points -- from .193 to .255.
ON PACE
· Lance Durham, the son of former MLB player Leon Durham, is in his first season with the Red and Black and has made an immediate impact on the UC program.
· Durham enters the week leading the team and ranking first in BIG EAST with a .448 average. Durham is the league leader in hits (73), and on-base percentage (.516).
· In 40 games, Durham has 27 multi-hit games and he has reached base safely in 37 games.
· Durham ranks second on the squad with 38 RBI and has hit six home runs.
· On March 31 vs. Wright State, Durham went 3-for-5 from the plate, including a three-run home run, and drove in a career-high five runs.
· Durham is on pace to finish the season with 98 hits, which would rank first in the UC single-season record book, and his .448 average would be the best single-season mark in school history.
· The top single-season batting average in UC history is held by Mark Gabbard, who batted .416 in 1993 (min. 100 at-bats).
IT ONLY TAKES TWO
· Since arriving in Clifton in 2008, Mike Spina has turned himself into one of top players in UC history in only two seasons.
· After hitting 21 home runs last season, Spina has already hit 14 this season. His 35 career home runs rank sixth on UC's all-time list.
· Of the top seven players on Cincinnati's all-time home run list, Spina is the only player on that list not to play four years in the Red and Black.
· Spina also ranks in the Top 10 on UC's career batting average list, on-base percentage list, slugging percentage list, and sacrifice flies list.
· Spina needs just three more RBI to break into the Top 10 on UC's career RBI chart.
ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
· Freshman T.J. Jones has been one of the catalysts at the top of the order for UC in the second half of the season.
· After starting the season 1-for-14 (.071), Jones has moved from the bottom of the order to the top of the order.
· In the 24 games since March 20, Jones is second on the team in batting average, hitting .349.
· During that span, Jones leads the team in triples and is tied for second on the team with 20 RBI.
· In league play, Jones is tied for the conference lead in triples (3) and ranks eighth in on-base percentage (.487).
· April 17-19 at St. John's was Jones' first weekend as a lead-off man for UC, and he finished the weekend series with a .450 average, one home run, three RBI, a stolen base, and an on-base percentage of .625.
· As a lead-off hitter this season, Jones is batting .379, with one home run and seven RBI, and owns an on-base percentage of .621.
DOUBLE UP
· Senior Cameron Satterwhite has proven to be a threat to hit for extra bases throughout his career at UC.
· In only three years, Satterwhite ranks in the all-time Top 10 on the UC home runs and doubles charts.
· The Cincinnati, Ohio, native has accumulated 47 doubles in his career and currently sits in a tie for seventh place on UC's all-time doubles list with Chris Hamblen (1999-02).
ONE-TWO PUNCH
· Mike Spina and Lance Durham have provided UC with clutch performances this season in the middle of the lineup.
· The duo has combined for 43 multi-hit games and 22 multi-RBI games, including seven four-plus RBI games.
· With runners in scoring position, Spina and Durham have combined to hit .378.
· Durham's and Spina's 20 combined home runs account for 42.6 percent of the team's home runs, while their 83 RBI's account for 34.1 percent of the team's RBI's.
· In Cincinnati's come-from-behind win over Villanova on Saturday, April 25, Spina and Durham hit back-to-back two-out, solo home runs in the bottom of the 10th inning to give UC a 9-8 win.
POWER SURGE
· In UC's 16-2 win over Villanova on April 24, the Bearcats hit four home runs.
· It was the third time this season that UC has hit four home runs in a game, with the other occurrences coming against Purdue in the season opener on Feb. 20, and against Pittsburgh on March 22.
· Cincinnati has hit 47 home runs this season and UC has hit two-plus home runs in 16 of its 40 games.
· The Red and Black are 11-5 on the season when hitting two-plus home runs.
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 40 games this season, 14 of Spina's 54 hits have been home runs.
· Spina is averaging one home run for every 11.4 at-bats.
· 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.
· 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.
· Against Villanova on April 25, the Bearcats were down 8-7 in the bottom of the 10th and Spina was down in the count, one balls, two strikes. Spina delivered a home run on the next pitch that tied the game at eight, and during the next at-bat Lance Durham hit a solo home run giving UC the win.
· Spina leads the BIG EAST with 14 home runs, and is third in RBI (51).
· Only 97 games into his UC career, Spina ranks sixth on the UC career home runs chart with 35.
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 equaled 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).
· For his efforts, Riddell was named to the BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge All-Tournament team presented by CollegeBaseball360.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.
· In UC's 4-3 win over Villanova on April 26, Riddell's three-run, third-inning home run proved to be the deciding factor in the win.
· In the Villanova series April 24-26, Riddell had three multi-RBI games.
· Of his 47 hits this season, 17 have gone for extra bases. Riddell has 11 doubles, one triple, and five home runs. He also ranks third on the team with a .324 batting average.
PRIME TIME EXPOSURE
· For the first time in program history, the UC baseball team hosted a nationally-televised contest on Sunday, April 5.
· In front of a season-best 1,984 fans, Cincinnati defeated Louisville 10-9 on ESPNU.
· Sophomore Nick Rohlfs went 3-for-4 from the plate and drove in a career-high five runs, including the game-winning RBI's in the seventh inning.
· Senior Jake Geglein pitched the final five innings of the game, earning his second win of the season. In five innings, Geglein gave up just one earned run.
A LOOK BACK
· April 14-15, the University of Cincinnati baseball team hosted the inaugural Joe Nuxhall Classic at Marge Schott Stadium.
· The event honored one of Cincinnati's most beloved figures, Joe Nuxhall, while promoting collegiate baseball in Southwest Ohio.
· On the first day of the tournament, Wright State defeated Miami (OH), 7-3, before Xavier beat Cincinnati 12-8 in the nightcap.
· In the Championship, Xavier rallied to score two runs in the bottom of the eighth to defeat Wright State, 10-9.
· Xavier's Zach Richard was named 2009 Joe Nuxhall Classic Most Valuable player. Richard went 3-for-7 at the plate, with three runs scored and four RBI, including the game-winning RBI in the championship game.
· Opening ceremonies for the event included a video tribute from "The Voice of the Reds", Marty Brennaman, and a first pitch by Joe Nuxhall's son, Kim Nuxhall.