Loading

Bearcats Host NKU for a Wednesday Afternoon Matchup

CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team hosts Northern Kentucky for its last home midweek game of the 2022 season Tuesday. It will be an early start, with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 a.m. ET. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at BearcatStats.com.

Opens in a new window Watch Opens in a new window Live Stats Opens in a new window Game notes
Bearcats Host NKU for a Wednesday Afternoon MatchupBearcats Host NKU for a Wednesday Afternoon Matchup

CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team hosts Northern Kentucky for its last home midweek game of the 2022 season Tuesday. It will be an early start, with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 a.m. ET.

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at BearcatStats.com.

CINCINNATI
2022 Record: 19-25, 9-9 AAC
Head Coach: Scott Googins
Record at UC: 114-118 (5th)
Career Record: 455-475 (17th)
 
NORTHERN KENTUCKY
2022 Record: 15-27, 8-13 HOR
Head Coach: Dizzy Peyton
School Record: 15-27 (1st)
Career Record: Same

PITCHING MATCHUP
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11
11 a.m. • ESPN+
LHP Carter Earls vs. RHP TJ Graves

SERIES BUSINESS
UC leads the all-time series, 34-15. The Bearcats have won six out of the past seven games against the Norse. Tuesday's game will mark the ninth-straight game in the series played at UC's home ballpark. 

SETTING THE STAGE

  • The Bearcats took a huge series against Tulane over the weekend, winning two of three. Every game was decided by just one run.
  • NKU is 2-2 in its last four after coming off a six-game losing streak. The Norse is 7-14 in non-conference games this season.

ABOUT THE BEARCATS

  • The Bearcats average 6.9 runs per game, which leads the American Athletic Conference.
  • Griffin Merritt leads the conference with 16 homers and 1.07 RBIs per game while Joe Powell (.355) ranks fourth in the AAC in batting average. 
  • UC has seven players with five or more home runs. No other team in the conference has more than five. Those seven players, Merritt (16), Nicholson (10), Komistek (8), Cole Harting (6), JP Sponseller (5), Kerrington Cross (5) and Joe Powell (5), have accounted for over 83% of the team's home runs and over 76% of the RBIs. 
  • Merritt (1.101) and Powell (1.086) each have over a 1.000 OPS, while their slugging percentages rank first and third in the AAC, respectively (Merritt: .716, Powell: .637)
  • As a team, UC has hit 66 homers and 1.50 homers per game, both of which are best in the conference.  

LAST TIME VS THE NORSE

  • The last time these two teams met on May 14, 2019, UC won a tight one, 6-5. The Bearcats scored five unearned runs.
  • In a sloppy game, UC scored runs on two balks, a walk, two wild pitches and a throwing error. 
  • The Bearcats have outscored NKU, 53-28, in the last seven meetings. UC is 6-1 in those games. 
  • UC leads in the all-time series, 34-15.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE

  • In 35 games played, catcher Joe Powell is hitting .355 (4th in AAC), has an OBP of .449 (3rd in AAC) and is slugging .637 (3rd in AAC).
  • His five homers rank fifth on the team and his four triples are the most in the conference. 
  • In the field, Powell has a 1.000 fielding % and has thrown out 10 runners on the base paths this season.

CINCINNATI SLUGGERS

  • The Bearcats rank 39th in the nation with 66 homers and 27th in homers per game (1.50), both of which are tops in the AAC. 
  • In the conference, UC leads in slugging % (.477) and is second in total bases (723). Its .370 on-base percentage is good for fourth in the AAC.
  • Griffin Merritt (.716) and Joe Powell (.637) rank first and third, respectively, in the AAC in slugging %. Merritt's numbers are good for 23rd in the nation.

GOING, GOING, GONE

  • After the first weekend of college baseball this year, UC led the nation in home runs with nine. They now rank first in the conference and 39th  in the nation with 66.
  • UC has three players with five each, Harting has 6, Nicholson has 10, Komistek has eight and Merritt has 16.
  • Merritt's 16 homers have come in 162 at-bats, averaging one every 10.1 ABs.
  • The Bearcats launched 67 homers during the 2021 season, which ranked third in the conference. They are on pace for 78 right now.

HOME COOKING

  • UC won its first home game against Ohio State, 5-4. That marks the sixth-straight year it has won its home opener.
  • Cincinnati followed that up by winning three of four against Northwestern, starting the year 4-1 at home.
  • The Bearcats have a 297-190 (.610) all-time record at UC Baseball Stadium and have only had three seasons with a .500 winning percentage or lower at home.
  • Since 2016, the team's home record is 105-59 (.640).
  • The Bearcats had a stretch of games from March 18 to April 10 where they played 13 of 15 games at home, going 7-6 in those games.
TICKET INFORMATION
To purchase single-game tickets or flex packs, visit GoBearcats.com/Tickets or call 1-877-CATS-TIX (1-877-228-7849). 
 
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

NOTE: All dates and times are subject to change due to weather. All schedule changes will be announced on Twitter at @GoBearcatsBASE.