TicketsFeb. 14, 2010
As the University of Cincinnati baseball team kicks off a new decade of action on Friday, Feb. 19, at Florida Atlantic University, the Bearcats wanted to take a look back at the 2000's by selecting a UC Baseball All-Decade Team.
The UC All-Decade team will consist of a 15-man roster and is made up of players who played at least two seasons at Cincinnati from 2000-09. The list was chosen by current and former members of the UC Sports Communications Department using stats and honors from the 2000 season through the 2009 campaign.
THIRD BASE - KEVIN YOUKILIS (1998-2001)
In his four years on campus, Kevin Youkilis cemented himself as one of the all-time greats in UC baseball history. When looking at Youkilis' 2000 and 2001 seasons, he combined to hit .378 with 28 doubles, 37 home runs, and 105 RBI. In 2000, Youkilis hit .352 with 21 doubles, 19 home runs and drove in 44 runs en route to earning first-team all-Conference USA and second-team All-America honors. The 19 home runs set a UC single-season record, which stood for eight years. However, in his senior campaign for the Red and Black, Youkilis hit .405, blasted 18 home runs and drove in 61 runs en route to another first-team all-conference nod and first-team All-America accolades, UC's first first-team all-American since Billy Wolff in 1965. Based upon his numbers he put up in only the 2000 and 2001 seasons, Youkilis ranks among the UC Top 5 single-season leaders in runs scored, doubles, home runs, total bases, walks, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. He Led C-USA in hitting (2001), runs (2000), home runs (2000) and walks (2000, 2001) . Over his career, Youkilis ranks among the Top 3 in UC history in 12 statistical categories. In 2005 as Conference USA celebrated its 10th anniversary, Youkilis was one of 11 players named to the Conference USA All-Decade Team.
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OUTFIELD - MATT SINGER (1998-2001)
A three-time, first team all-Conference USA selection, Matt Singer single-handedly rewrote the record books during his illustrious four-year career as a Bearcat. During the 2000 and 2001 seasons, Singer combined to hit .342 with 39 doubles, 21 home runs, and knocked in 119 runs. In the 2001 season, Singer drove in 62 runs, which is ninth all-time in a single season. In that same season he was honored as the Conference USA Scholar Athlete of the Year. Over the span of his career, Singer ranks first in five offensive categories, including hits, doubles, RBI, total bases, and at-bats. Overall he ranks among the Top 4 in UC history in 12 statistical categories. He currently holds or is tied for first in three single-season records, which include RBI (79), total bases (166), and games played (60).