TicketsUniversity of Cincinnati baseball travels to No. 12 Florida State this weekend for a three-game series. The Bearcats and Seminoles will face off Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games will air live on the ACC Network Extra.
// PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
// OPPONENT OVERVIEW
• UC is 2-23 all-time against Florida State
• The two teams last met during the Metro Conference Tournament in 1991 held in Blacksburg, Virginia
• The Seminoles opened up with a 9-3 win on May 15 then ended the Bearcats' season three days later in a 13-12 game
• The two teams finished the 1991 regular season with a three-game series where Florida State swept in Cincinnati
• UC's two wins over FSU came in a 5-4 conference tournament victory in 1990 and a 2-0 regular-season win at home in 1989
• Florida State opened the season with a 3-1 loss to Niagara then bounced back with two loud wins, 14-4 and 11-1, to take the series
• The Seminoles then hosted fellow AAC opponent USF on Tuesday, winning 7-3
• They enter the week ranked as high as No. 12 in the D1Baseball.com poll
• The Seminoles won the Athens Regional last season, beating FAU and then host Georgia twice
• From there they took down LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional with a 6-4 victory and a 5-4 win in twelve innings
• At the College World Series, FSU beat Arkansas then saw the season come to an end after loses to Michigan and Texas Tech
• Legendary Head Coach Mike Martin Sr. retired following the 2019 season and handed the reins over to son Mike Martin Jr. who now leads the Seminoles after 22 years as an assistant
• Martin Jr. played for Florida State, making two College World Series appearances
// STEADY SANTIAGO
• Senior captain Eric Santiago has proven his reliability at the plate and in the field
• Entering this week, Santiago has reached base in 26 straight games, including a 23-game streak to end the 2019 season
• His defense never seems to falter
• In 161 career games played with 153 starts, he has committed just eight errors
• While starting 55 games at third base and five at first base last year, Santiago had just one error with 81 putouts and 90 attempts for a .994 fielding percentage
• His last error came against Tulane on March 29, 2019
• He is just as versatile as reliable. Santiago has played in every single defensive position during his Bearcats career
• In the regular-season closer last year against Xavier, he was sent out to center field in the late innings, achieving the feat
// 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 an 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
• 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 21 | Saturday, February 22 | Sunday, February 23 | |
| Cincinnati | LHP Evan Shawver | RHP Nathan Kroger | LHP Drake Batcho |
| Florida State | RHP CJ Van Eyk | LHP Shane Drohan | RHP Conor Grady |
// OPPONENT OVERVIEW
• UC is 2-23 all-time against Florida State
• The two teams last met during the Metro Conference Tournament in 1991 held in Blacksburg, Virginia
• The Seminoles opened up with a 9-3 win on May 15 then ended the Bearcats' season three days later in a 13-12 game
• The two teams finished the 1991 regular season with a three-game series where Florida State swept in Cincinnati
• UC's two wins over FSU came in a 5-4 conference tournament victory in 1990 and a 2-0 regular-season win at home in 1989
• Florida State opened the season with a 3-1 loss to Niagara then bounced back with two loud wins, 14-4 and 11-1, to take the series
• The Seminoles then hosted fellow AAC opponent USF on Tuesday, winning 7-3
• They enter the week ranked as high as No. 12 in the D1Baseball.com poll
• The Seminoles won the Athens Regional last season, beating FAU and then host Georgia twice
• From there they took down LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional with a 6-4 victory and a 5-4 win in twelve innings
• At the College World Series, FSU beat Arkansas then saw the season come to an end after loses to Michigan and Texas Tech
• Legendary Head Coach Mike Martin Sr. retired following the 2019 season and handed the reins over to son Mike Martin Jr. who now leads the Seminoles after 22 years as an assistant
• Martin Jr. played for Florida State, making two College World Series appearances
// STEADY SANTIAGO
• Senior captain Eric Santiago has proven his reliability at the plate and in the field
• Entering this week, Santiago has reached base in 26 straight games, including a 23-game streak to end the 2019 season
• His defense never seems to falter
• In 161 career games played with 153 starts, he has committed just eight errors
• While starting 55 games at third base and five at first base last year, Santiago had just one error with 81 putouts and 90 attempts for a .994 fielding percentage
• His last error came against Tulane on March 29, 2019
• He is just as versatile as reliable. Santiago has played in every single defensive position during his Bearcats career
• In the regular-season closer last year against Xavier, he was sent out to center field in the late innings, achieving the feat
// 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 an 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
• 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.