TicketsUniversity of Cincinnati baseball opens the 2020 season at the Atlanta Challenge, visiting Georgia State Friday at 4 p.m., No. 19 Georgia Tech Saturday at 2 p.m. and Kennesaw State Sunday at 1 p.m.
// PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
// OPPONENT OVERVIEW
Georgia State
• Friday marks the first meeting between the two teams
• Georgia State went 15-41 in 2019 including 6-24 in the Sun Belt
• The Panthers are under the direction of first-year Head Coach Brad Stromdahl
• They return junior Griffin Cheyney, who hit .300 in 2019 with 65 hits, and sophomore Josh Smith and Elian Merejo, the latter who led the team last season with seven homeruns and 35 RBI
• On the mound, junior Trey Horton (6.75 ERA, 59 strikeouts) returns while highly-touted freshmen Camren Landry and Chandler Dawson will look to make an impact
Georgia Tech
• UC is 0-6 all-time against Georgia Tech with the last matchup in 1998
• The Yellow Jackets entering opening week ranked as high as No. 19 in the various polls, holding their highest position on the D1Baseball.com rankings
• Last season, they went 43-19 and hosted an NCAA Regional as the No. 3 national seed, losing to Auburn in the regional final to end their season
• Danny Hall, entering his 27th season, remains at the helm as the winningest coach in Georgia Tech history
• Georgia Tech returns five players who hit better than .300 last season (Michael Guldberg, Luke Waddell, Jackson Webb, Austin Wilhite, Colin Hall)
• On the mound, Brant Hurter led the team with a 2.42 ERA last season
• The Yellow Jackets also return Andy Archer, who missed last season due to injury, and welcome in freshman Zach Maxwell
Kennesaw State
• Sunday will be the first meeting between the two programs
• KSU went 27-29 in 2019 with an 11-13 record in the Atlantic Sun, missing the conference tournament for the first time in eight years
• Head Coach Mike Sansing enters his 29th season and is the winningest coach in program history
• The Owls boast preseason conference player of the year Terence Norman, who led the league with a .350 batting average in 2019
• Returner Justin Russell was also a preseason honoree and led the Atlantic Sun in homeruns (12) and slugging percentage (.609) a year ago
• Kennesaw State also returns starting pitcher Ryan Kennedy who led the team in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched in 2019
• Sophomore reliever Jared Rine will look to build on his rookie campaign where he finished with two saves, 39 strikeouts and a 3.44 ERA
// RETURNING CORE
• Head Coach Scott Googins can nearly duplicate his 2019 postseason lineup to start the year as many familiar faces will anchor the Bearcats strong defense
• Eric Santiago returns to third base while middle infielders and fellow seniors Joey Bellini and Jace Mercer will look to pick up where they left off last year
• Griffin Merritt started 26 games as a freshman and looks to grab the full-time starting role at first
• Preseason All-American Joey Wiemer returns to left field alongside center fielder Jeremy Johnson
• Behind the plate, Mitch Holding started the most games at catcher last season and looks to repeat that in his senior campaign
• On the mound, starters Nathan Kroger, Evan Shawver, Garrett Schoenle and Drake Batcho will vie for weekend spots
• Senior relievers Nathan Moore and Chase Stewart will lead the bullpen efforts along with underclassmen Nick Murray and Jackson Murphy
// A GOOD ENDING TO BUILD ON
• UC closed out its most historic postseason in program history last year, advancing to the NCAA Tournament following a 45-year hiatus
• The Bearcats entered the AAC Tournament having never won a game there (0-10) and having not won a conference tournament matchup in their last 17 attempts
• UC was the No. 2 seed after being picked to finish second-to-last in the preseason coaches poll
• The Bearcats beat seven-seed Memphis 11-6 then followed with a 8-4 victory over No. 3 Tulane
• In the semifinals, UC took down six-seed UCF by a score of 10-6
• In the championship game against four-seed and annual regional team UConn, the Bearcats' bats continued on their blistering pace, beating the Huskies 22-5
• With the conference's automatic bid, UC shipped off to Corvallis, Oregon, for NCAA Regional action
• The magical postseason continued when UC took down host and reigning national champion Oregon State 7-6
• The Bearcats fell the following day to eventual CWS finals participant Michigan before the season came to an end against Crreighton
// LOOKING AHEAD
• The Bearcats will travel to storied Dick Howser Stadium on the campus of Florida State next weekend, February 21-23
• The Seminoles enter the 2020 season ranked in all NCAA-recognized polls, sitting No. 12 by D1Baseball.com and Baseball America, No. 14 by the NCBWA and No. 15 by Collegiate Baseball
• The Seminoles open the season by hosting Niagara for a three-game set then host USF on Tuesday, February 18
• After the visit to Florida, UC will play eight of its next nine games at home
• The 2020 home-opener at Marge Schott Stadium is slated for Wednesday, February 26 against Indiana State
• A four-game weekend series versus Oakland follows
• Next, a midweek trip to Kentucky on Wednesday, March 3 is scheduled
• The homestand concludes with a three-game series against Eastern Michigan at Marge Schott Stadium March 6-8
// TICKETS ON SALE NOW
• Season tickets for the 2020 season are now available by calling 1-877-CATS-TIX, by logging on to GoBearcats.com or by visiting the ticket office
• Prices remain at $50 for adults and $30 for youth, senior, military and faculty for home games
• Single game tickets and flex packs are now also on sale
• Single tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youth and seniors and groups can receive a discounted rate of $2
• Flex packs include ten undated vouchers for just $30
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Stay connected with Bearcats Baseball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
// PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
| Friday, February 14 | Saturday, February 15 | Sunday, February 16 | |
| UC | LHP Evan Shawver | RHP Nathan Kroger | LHP Drake Batcho |
| Opponent | LHP Seth Clark | RHP Jared Rine |
// OPPONENT OVERVIEW
Georgia State
• Friday marks the first meeting between the two teams
• Georgia State went 15-41 in 2019 including 6-24 in the Sun Belt
• The Panthers are under the direction of first-year Head Coach Brad Stromdahl
• They return junior Griffin Cheyney, who hit .300 in 2019 with 65 hits, and sophomore Josh Smith and Elian Merejo, the latter who led the team last season with seven homeruns and 35 RBI
• On the mound, junior Trey Horton (6.75 ERA, 59 strikeouts) returns while highly-touted freshmen Camren Landry and Chandler Dawson will look to make an impact
Georgia Tech
• UC is 0-6 all-time against Georgia Tech with the last matchup in 1998
• The Yellow Jackets entering opening week ranked as high as No. 19 in the various polls, holding their highest position on the D1Baseball.com rankings
• Last season, they went 43-19 and hosted an NCAA Regional as the No. 3 national seed, losing to Auburn in the regional final to end their season
• Danny Hall, entering his 27th season, remains at the helm as the winningest coach in Georgia Tech history
• Georgia Tech returns five players who hit better than .300 last season (Michael Guldberg, Luke Waddell, Jackson Webb, Austin Wilhite, Colin Hall)
• On the mound, Brant Hurter led the team with a 2.42 ERA last season
• The Yellow Jackets also return Andy Archer, who missed last season due to injury, and welcome in freshman Zach Maxwell
Kennesaw State
• Sunday will be the first meeting between the two programs
• KSU went 27-29 in 2019 with an 11-13 record in the Atlantic Sun, missing the conference tournament for the first time in eight years
• Head Coach Mike Sansing enters his 29th season and is the winningest coach in program history
• The Owls boast preseason conference player of the year Terence Norman, who led the league with a .350 batting average in 2019
• Returner Justin Russell was also a preseason honoree and led the Atlantic Sun in homeruns (12) and slugging percentage (.609) a year ago
• Kennesaw State also returns starting pitcher Ryan Kennedy who led the team in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched in 2019
• Sophomore reliever Jared Rine will look to build on his rookie campaign where he finished with two saves, 39 strikeouts and a 3.44 ERA
// RETURNING CORE
• Head Coach Scott Googins can nearly duplicate his 2019 postseason lineup to start the year as many familiar faces will anchor the Bearcats strong defense
• Eric Santiago returns to third base while middle infielders and fellow seniors Joey Bellini and Jace Mercer will look to pick up where they left off last year
• Griffin Merritt started 26 games as a freshman and looks to grab the full-time starting role at first
• Preseason All-American Joey Wiemer returns to left field alongside center fielder Jeremy Johnson
• Behind the plate, Mitch Holding started the most games at catcher last season and looks to repeat that in his senior campaign
• On the mound, starters Nathan Kroger, Evan Shawver, Garrett Schoenle and Drake Batcho will vie for weekend spots
• Senior relievers Nathan Moore and Chase Stewart will lead the bullpen efforts along with underclassmen Nick Murray and Jackson Murphy
// A GOOD ENDING TO BUILD ON
• UC closed out its most historic postseason in program history last year, advancing to the NCAA Tournament following a 45-year hiatus
• The Bearcats entered the AAC Tournament having never won a game there (0-10) and having not won a conference tournament matchup in their last 17 attempts
• UC was the No. 2 seed after being picked to finish second-to-last in the preseason coaches poll
• The Bearcats beat seven-seed Memphis 11-6 then followed with a 8-4 victory over No. 3 Tulane
• In the semifinals, UC took down six-seed UCF by a score of 10-6
• In the championship game against four-seed and annual regional team UConn, the Bearcats' bats continued on their blistering pace, beating the Huskies 22-5
• With the conference's automatic bid, UC shipped off to Corvallis, Oregon, for NCAA Regional action
• The magical postseason continued when UC took down host and reigning national champion Oregon State 7-6
• The Bearcats fell the following day to eventual CWS finals participant Michigan before the season came to an end against Crreighton
// LOOKING AHEAD
• The Bearcats will travel to storied Dick Howser Stadium on the campus of Florida State next weekend, February 21-23
• The Seminoles enter the 2020 season ranked in all NCAA-recognized polls, sitting No. 12 by D1Baseball.com and Baseball America, No. 14 by the NCBWA and No. 15 by Collegiate Baseball
• The Seminoles open the season by hosting Niagara for a three-game set then host USF on Tuesday, February 18
• After the visit to Florida, UC will play eight of its next nine games at home
• The 2020 home-opener at Marge Schott Stadium is slated for Wednesday, February 26 against Indiana State
• A four-game weekend series versus Oakland follows
• Next, a midweek trip to Kentucky on Wednesday, March 3 is scheduled
• The homestand concludes with a three-game series against Eastern Michigan at Marge Schott Stadium March 6-8
// TICKETS ON SALE NOW
• Season tickets for the 2020 season are now available by calling 1-877-CATS-TIX, by logging on to GoBearcats.com or by visiting the ticket office
• Prices remain at $50 for adults and $30 for youth, senior, military and faculty for home games
• Single game tickets and flex packs are now also on sale
• Single tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youth and seniors and groups can receive a discounted rate of $2
• Flex packs include ten undated vouchers for just $30
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Stay connected with Bearcats Baseball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.