TicketsMarch 31, 2010
The University of Cincinnati baseball team plays its first BIG EAST Conference home series of the season this weekend when it welcomes the USF Bulls to Marge Schott Stadium for a three-game set. The opener of the three-game series is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 1, and UC will send junior Nick Johnson to the hill to face the reigning BIG EAST Conference Pitcher of the Week, USF junior Randy Fontanez. Friday's game is also slated for a 6:30 p.m. start, while Saturday's series finale will be played at 1 p.m. Saturday is also Father/Son Day where a youth ticket is free with the purchase of an adult ticket. Live audio and gametracker will be available for all three games this weekend on www.GoBEARCATS.com.
THE SERIES WITH THE BULLS
· USF leads the all-time series with Cincinnati, 27-14.
· Despite USF leading the series, Cincinnati has won eight of the last 11 meetings against the Bulls dating back to the 2006 season.
· Cincinnati is 8-10 all-time when playing the Bulls at home, including a 5-1 since Marge Schott Stadium opened in 2004.
· In 2008, the Bearcats and the Bulls sqaured off five times, with UC taking four-of-five games from USF. The Bearcats took two-of-three games from the Bulls to open the conference season that year, before winning twice in the BIG EAST Tournament.
· Last season, USF took 2-of-3 games from UC down in Tampa, but Cincinnati's 4-2 win on May 2 was USF's only home conference loss on the season. The Bulls finished 11-1 at home last season.
ABOUT USF
· USF comes into the weekend with an 11-14 record and a 3-0 BIG EAST mark after sweeping Notre Dame last weekend.
· Seven of the Bulls' 14 losses have come against ranked opponents this season (Miami (Fla.), Florida, Oklahoma, and Ohio State).
· Offensively, USF is led by sophomore Sam Mende's .352 average, while junior Stephen Hunt is tied for the team lead with three home runs and 21 RBI.
· As a pitching staff, The Bulls rank first in the BIG EAST in strikeouts (220) and third in opposing batting average (.255).
· Junior Randy Fontanez, the 2010 BIG EAST Preseason Pitcher of the Year, leads the team with 46 strikeouts and is coming off a no-hitter last Friday against Notre Dame.
· All three of USF's weekend starters, Fontanez, Andrew Barbosa, and Teddy Kaufman, own ERA's below 4.00.
· Fielding has plagued the Bulls this season as they ranked third in the conference in errors entering the week with 35 errors. Two more errors against Stetson on Tuesday, March 30, upped the season error total to 37, which has led to 36 unearned runs.
MISCUES MOUNTING UP
· Coming into the weekend, Cincinnati has committed 28 errors on the season, which ranks in the Top 5 in the BIG EAST.
· However, eight of UC's 28 errors on the season have come in the last five games.
· During that stretch, those eight errors have led to 12 unearned runs and UC has posted a 1-4 record.
· In the prior 17 contests, the Bearcats had commited 20 errors, leading to 11 unearned runs.
LEADING THE CHARGE
· All season long, senior Jimmy Jacquot has ranked among the team leaders in batting average, home runs, and RBI.
· Jacquot currently ranks second on the team with a .338 batting average and three home runs, while tying for the team lead in RBI with 17.
· Over Cincinnati's last 15 games, Jacquot is hitting a team-best .397, with six doubles, a triple, three home runs and 14 RBI. During that stretch, Jacquot has eight multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games.
· Also during that stretch, opponents have tried to steal 23 bases on Jacquot, and the senior has thrown out 11 runners. Of the 12 that have stolen a bag, Jacquot did not attempt a throw on five occassions.
· On the season, Jacquot has thrown out 14 of 29 runners (48.3 percent) attempting to steal.
EXPERIENCE IN THE PEN
· Senior Brian Garman, junior Brian Sand, and senior Andrew Burkett have been spectacular out of the bullpen for Cincinnati this season.
· Garman has posted a 1.66 ERA in six appearances out of the bullpen and one start, and has struck out 26 batters, while walking eight in 21.2 innings.
· Sand owns an ERA of 3.09 and has struck out 16 and given up six walks in 23.1 innings of work.
· Garman got the start against Villanova on March 28, and in the first four innings had at least one runner on second base with less than two outs. In each situation, Garman got out of the inning without giving up a run.
· In relief, Sand shut down Ohio State on Feb. 28 and did not surrender a hit in 5.0 innings of work to pick up his first win of the season.
· Sand has pitched at least two innings in six of his eight relief appearances and on the season has struck out 16, while giving up six walks, three of which were intentional walks.
· Burkett has posted four saves for Cincinnati this season and has struck out 12 in 7.2 innings en route to a 2.35 ERA.
· Burkett is one save away from tying for 10th on UC's single-season saves list.
COLEMAN MAKES DEBUT
· Sophomore Kendal Coleman saw his first action of the season against Dayton on Wednesday, March 24.
· Coleman was a solid reserve for UC in 2009, making 34 appearances, including 21 starts. He hit .256 with 12 RBI on the season.
· In Coleman's season-debut against Dayton, he was the designated hitter and went 2-for-3 against the Flyers.
· In his four starts this season, Coleman is 5-for-15 (.333) and has an on-base percentage of .412.
NEW YEAR, NEW RESULTS
· The Cincinnati pitching staff has 10 returners from last year's staff, giving the Bearcats an experienced group of hurlers.
· Last season, the UC pitching staff struggled with an ERA of 6.56, which ranked last in the BIG EAST.
· In the first 22 games of the 2009 season, the Cincinnati's ERA was at 5.68.
· Through 22 games this season, the Bearcats pitching staff has been much improved as Cincinnati has an ERA of 4.04.
· Two of UC's starters, senior Tyler Smith and junior Dan Jensen have ERA's of 3.19 and 3.73, respectively.
· Senior Brian Garman and junior Brian Sand have both pitched 20-plus innings in relief this season and own ERA's of 1.66 and 3.09, respectively.
· Entering the week, the pitching staff has given up 62 walks on the season, the third fewest in the BIG EAST Conference, while striking out 148, which ranked fifth in the conference.
FEB. 26-28 BIG TEN/BIG EAST BASEBALL CHALLENGE
· In the inaugural BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge in 2009, Cincinnati went 0-3, which included an 11-10 loss to Purdue and a 6-5 loss to Ohio State.
· The Bearcats responded in the 2010 edition of the Big Ten/BIG EAST Baseball Challenge with a 2-1 record.
· Cincinnati lost a heartbreaker in its first game of the challenge to Penn State when the Nittany Lions rallied for two runs in the ninth to tie the game, before winning in the 12th inning.
· In game two, UC trailed 6-0 to Purdue heading into the ninth inning, before the Bearcats rallied for seven runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Boilermakers, 7-6.
· In the finale of the event, Cincinnati jumped in front early and never looked back as it defeated No. 13 Ohio State, 12-4.
· The win over the Buckeyes was the highest-ranked opponent the Bearcats have beaten since beating No. 11 Tulane, 12-4, on April 4, 2004.
SAND, JONES NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
· For the second year in a row, Cincinnati had two players named to the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge All-Tournament team.
· In 2009, senior Jamel Scott and junior Justin Riddell were the two Bearcats selected to the all-tournament team.
· This season, UC junior Brian Sand and T.J. Jones were named to the all-tournament team with Sand earning first-team honors and Jones getting the second-team nod.
· In relief, Sand shut down Ohio State and did not surrender a hit in 5.0 innings of work.
· He inherited runners on first and second with no outs in the fifth inning after Ohio State scored two quick runs in the inning to make the score 8-4. Sand was helped out by junior Mikel Huston, who made a leaping catch at the wall to save a three-run home run, before inducing a 4-6-3 double play to end the scoring threat in the fifth.
· From that point on, Sand was untouchable and he picked up his first win of the season. The Cincinnati native forced the Buckeyes into three double plays.
· Jones led the Bearcats offensively for the weekend hitting .462 (6-of-13), with five RBI.
· Jones started the weekend off with a three-hit performance against Penn State, before going 1-for-4 with two RBI in a comeback win over Purdue.
· In the weekend finale against Ohio State, Jones went 2-for-3, scored two runs, and drove in three in the win over the Buckeyes, while defensively he helped turn four of UC's five double plays.
· The five doubles tied a single-game school record.
INJURY UPDATE
· Cincinnati has been without the services of two of its freshmen for most of the season.
· Freshman pitcher Chris McElroy will be out for the remainder of the 2010 season with an elbow injury.
· Fellow freshman Jake Proctor was hit by a pitch on the hand on Saturday, Feb. 27, and missed nine games with a broken hand. Proctor made his return to the lineup on March 19 against Toledo.