TicketsMarch 27, 2012
CINCINNATI at DAYTON
Probable Starting Pitchers
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28 | 3 p.m. | Listen |
UC RHP Grant Walker 6-3/173 Fr. 3.21 ERA 1-1 W-L 14.0 IP 5 BB 4 SO
UD RHP Parker Schrage 6-3/200 Jr. 6.11 ERA 0-5 W-L 28.0 IP 9 BB 13 SO
The University of Cincinnati baseball team (8-14, 0-3 BIG EAST) will look to end an eight-game losing streak when it heads north on I-75 to play the University of Dayton (10-14, 2-1 Atlantic 10) Flyers at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Freshman right-handed pitcher Grant Walker will take the mound for the Bearcats against the Flyers, Cincinnati's third most played opponent in school history. The UD-Cincinnati game can be heard live on Real Talk 1160 WQRT-AM, with pregame coverage set to begin at 2:30 p.m. Real-time stats via GameTracker will be available on GoBEARCATS.com.
SETTING THE SCENE
-After winning eight of nine games to improve its record to 8-6, the Cincinnati Bearcats baseball team has lost its past eight ballgames to fall to 8-14, including 0-3 in BIG EAST Conference play.
-During UC's slump, the Bearcats have played the toughest stretch of opponents they're slated to face all season. After UC got swept in three close games against Michigan State, the 2011 Big Ten Conference champions and 2012 preseason favorites to repeat, UC dropped a midweek road game at Butler. The Bearcats then lost to No. 2-ranked and then-undefeated Kentucky before getting swept on the road by No. 21 Louisville.
ON THE MOUND FOR THE BEARCATS
-Freshman right-hander Grant Walker will get the start for the Bearcats against the Flyers. Walker is 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA on the season. He's allowed five earned runs in 14 innings pitched with five walks and four strikeouts.
-Walker is making his third start of the season for UC. In his last start against No. 2 Kentucky on March 21, Walker surrendered five runs (four earned) on seven hits with two walks and two punchouts in 3.2 innings pitched.
BEARCATS SHOW RESILIENCY DURING SKID
-UC has allowed its opponent to score first and take the lead in the first inning in each of the past eight games, during which Cincinnati is 0-8.
-The Bearcats are outscoring their foes 19-15 after the sixth inning during their eight-game losing skid, during which time falling behind has been a problem for UC.
-During the losing streak, Cincinnati is getting outscored by its opponent 47-14 from the first inning through the sixth innings.
MR. 400
-UC baseball head coach Brian Cleary earned career win No. 400 after the Bearcats defeated Chicago State 6-0 in the first game of a March 10th doubleheader.
-Heading into the midweek vs. Butler and Kentucky, Cleary has 402 career wins, which are two away from tying UC hall-of-famer Glenn Sample's all-time UC mark of 404 career victories.
-Sample coached the Bearcats baseball team for 21 seasons from 1961-1981.
SHOWING THE GLOVE
-Cincinnati ranks third in the BIG EAST Conference with a .972 fielding percentage as a team.
-UC's 24 fielding errors are tied for the second fewest of any team in the BIG EAST.
-The Bearcats are tied for first in the conference for fewest stolen bases allowed with 15.
-UC has caught 12 runners attempting to steal, which is tied for second in the league.
-Senior catcher Jake Saylor is tied for first in the conference with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 134 chances.
-Saylor has thrown out eight base runners this season, which is tied for third most in the BIG EAST.
GLASS & BIELEK'S 12-GAME HIT STREAKS END
-Sophomore right fielder Justin Glass and freshman third baseman Joey Bielek are tied with the team lead with a 12-game hitting streak in 2012.
-On March 18 against Michigan State, Glass went 4 for 4 with one RBI and a walk.
-Glass saw his streak, which began during the second game of a doubleheader against Oakland, come to end against Louisville on March 24. During the streak, Glass batted .408 (20 of 49) with six RBIs, 12 runs scored and a .491 on-base percentage.
-Freshman third baseman Joey Bielek saw his 12-game hitting streak that began Feb. 26 vs. UMBC at the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem, N.C. come to end Wednesday against No. 2 Kentucky after he recorded an 0-for-4 day.
-During the streak, Bielek hit .415 (22 of 53) with 13 RBIs and .429 on-base and .547 slugging percentages.
-Twice during the streak, Bielek has recorded a 4-for-5 game: Game 1 of a March 3 doubleheader vs. Oakland; and the second game of a doubleheader on March 10 vs. Chicago State.
IRON MAN SPENCE
-Senior first baseman was not in the starting lineup for the first time in his UC career Wednesday against No. 2 Kentucky.
-After starting all 57 games at first base for the Bearcats in 2011, Spence started UC's first 18 ballgames in 2012, a string of 75 games.
-Senior Kiley Jones started at first base against UK and was pinch-ran for in the seventh inning, which allowed Spence to enter the field at first base in the eighth inning.