TicketsWHEN: Friday, May 5 (5 p.m.), Saturday, May 6 (2 p.m.), Sunday, May 7 (1 p.m.)
WHERE: UC Baseball Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
2023 RECORDS: Cincinnati (20-24, 8-7 AAC); No. 14 ECU (31-14, 9-6 AAC)
ALL-TIME SERIES: ECU leads 8-36-2
LAST MEETING: ECU defeated Cincinnati, 13-3 (7), on April 16, 2023 in Greenville, N.C.
CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team welcomes No. 14-ranked East Carolina to UC Baseball Stadium for a three-game series this weekend. The series kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday on ESPN+.
Cincinnati sits fourth in the American Athletic Conference with three series still to play. The Bearcats have won five of their last six heading into an eight-game homestand.
Last time out, Cincinnati swept a three-game series from South Florida by scores of 9-7 (10), 11-9 and 10-4. The Bearcats had a weekend average of .364 with 12 extra-base hits, including eight homers, eight stolen bases and 20 walks drawn. It was the Bearcats' first sweep of the Bulls since the 2006 season.
Junior outfielder Josh Hegemann had a .875 average (7-for-8) in two games against the Bulls. He produced the Bearcats' first four-hit performance of the season in the series finale, going 4-for-4 with a walk and one run scored. It was the Bearcats' first four-hit performance since Paul Komistek's on April 2, 2022 against ECU.
Redshirt junior Ryan Nicholson was named American Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Monday. The first baseman batted .333 (5-for-15) with two homers, one triple, seven RBI and five runs scored in Cincinnati's sweep of USF.
Nicholson has a .292 average (49-for-168) with 11 home runs, 32 RBI and 31 runs scored in 42 starts. He leads the club in hits (49), home runs (11), doubles (11) and multi-hit games (15) and is second on the team in RBI (32) and multi-RBI games (10).
Redshirt sophomore Kerrington Cross was on a tear in the month of April. The utility player batted .368 (21-for-57) with 12 RBI, eight multi-hit performances, six doubles, seven stolen bases and 23 runs scored in 14 games. He has produced two-or-more hits in six of his last seven games. He is first on the team in runs scored (37) and sacrifice hits (4) and is second in hits (40), doubles (8) and stolen bases (12).
Sophomore two-way player Tommy O'Connor has a .393 average (11-for-28) in conference play with a .786 slugging percentage and .541 on-base percentage. He has three homers, nine RBI, nine walks and seven runs scored in eight games played.
Cincinnati ranks first in the conference and 62nd nationally in base on balls with 223 walks drawn. UC also sits first in the league in stolen bases (89) and stolen bases per game (2.02) – good for 20th and 27th nationally. The Bearcats have six players with eight-or-more stolen bases this season, led by Lauden Brooks who is 14-of-15 in stolen base attempts.
On the mound, redshirt junior Chase Hopewell leads the staff in starts (11), innings pitched (51.0) and strikeouts (45). He eclipsed 100 strikeouts in his career on Saturday. He leads the league in starts – good for 20th nationally – and runners picked off with four.
Freshman Chase Horst pitched to a 1.69 ERA in two outings over the weekend. He earned his third win of the season on Sunday, allowing one unearned run on three hits with three strikeouts and zero walks in 3.1 innings. He boasts a team-best 2.76 ERA in conference play. He has allowed just five earned runs in 16.1 innings and has struck out 16 batters with only four walks.
UC has an all-time record of 8-36-2 against ECU. The Bearcats dropped a three-game series to the Pirates earlier this season on April 14-16 in Greenville, N.C.
Cincinnati is looking to snap a nine-game losing skid to ECU. The Bearcats last defeated the Pirates, 7-3, on April 1, 2022 in Cincinnati.
// SCOUTING NO. 14 ECU
ECU comes in at No. 14 in the D1Baseball Top 25 and is the NCBWA's No. 11 team in the country. The Pirates sit third in the American with a 9-6 record. The Pirates took two of three in a road series against Tulane over the weekend before dropping a 2-1 midweek decision to UNC on Wednesday.
ECU is batting .287 as a team and holds a 4.11 staff ERA, backed by a .976 fielding percentage. Jacob Starling was named to the AAC weekly honor after hitting .500 (9-18) with seven runs scored, two doubles, one home run and two runs driven in four games last week.
// PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday
UC: RHP Garrett Harker
ECU: LHP Zach Root
Saturday
UC: RHP Chase Hopewell
ECU: RHP Josh Grosz
Sunday
UC: RHP Tommy Boba
ECU: TBD
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati hosts crosstown rival Xavier at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9 inside UC Baseball Stadium.
// TICKET INFORMATION
To purchase single-game tickets, 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.
WHERE: UC Baseball Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
2023 RECORDS: Cincinnati (20-24, 8-7 AAC); No. 14 ECU (31-14, 9-6 AAC)
ALL-TIME SERIES: ECU leads 8-36-2
LAST MEETING: ECU defeated Cincinnati, 13-3 (7), on April 16, 2023 in Greenville, N.C.
CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team welcomes No. 14-ranked East Carolina to UC Baseball Stadium for a three-game series this weekend. The series kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday on ESPN+.
Cincinnati sits fourth in the American Athletic Conference with three series still to play. The Bearcats have won five of their last six heading into an eight-game homestand.
Last time out, Cincinnati swept a three-game series from South Florida by scores of 9-7 (10), 11-9 and 10-4. The Bearcats had a weekend average of .364 with 12 extra-base hits, including eight homers, eight stolen bases and 20 walks drawn. It was the Bearcats' first sweep of the Bulls since the 2006 season.
Junior outfielder Josh Hegemann had a .875 average (7-for-8) in two games against the Bulls. He produced the Bearcats' first four-hit performance of the season in the series finale, going 4-for-4 with a walk and one run scored. It was the Bearcats' first four-hit performance since Paul Komistek's on April 2, 2022 against ECU.
Redshirt junior Ryan Nicholson was named American Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Monday. The first baseman batted .333 (5-for-15) with two homers, one triple, seven RBI and five runs scored in Cincinnati's sweep of USF.
Nicholson has a .292 average (49-for-168) with 11 home runs, 32 RBI and 31 runs scored in 42 starts. He leads the club in hits (49), home runs (11), doubles (11) and multi-hit games (15) and is second on the team in RBI (32) and multi-RBI games (10).
Redshirt sophomore Kerrington Cross was on a tear in the month of April. The utility player batted .368 (21-for-57) with 12 RBI, eight multi-hit performances, six doubles, seven stolen bases and 23 runs scored in 14 games. He has produced two-or-more hits in six of his last seven games. He is first on the team in runs scored (37) and sacrifice hits (4) and is second in hits (40), doubles (8) and stolen bases (12).
Sophomore two-way player Tommy O'Connor has a .393 average (11-for-28) in conference play with a .786 slugging percentage and .541 on-base percentage. He has three homers, nine RBI, nine walks and seven runs scored in eight games played.
Cincinnati ranks first in the conference and 62nd nationally in base on balls with 223 walks drawn. UC also sits first in the league in stolen bases (89) and stolen bases per game (2.02) – good for 20th and 27th nationally. The Bearcats have six players with eight-or-more stolen bases this season, led by Lauden Brooks who is 14-of-15 in stolen base attempts.
On the mound, redshirt junior Chase Hopewell leads the staff in starts (11), innings pitched (51.0) and strikeouts (45). He eclipsed 100 strikeouts in his career on Saturday. He leads the league in starts – good for 20th nationally – and runners picked off with four.
Freshman Chase Horst pitched to a 1.69 ERA in two outings over the weekend. He earned his third win of the season on Sunday, allowing one unearned run on three hits with three strikeouts and zero walks in 3.1 innings. He boasts a team-best 2.76 ERA in conference play. He has allowed just five earned runs in 16.1 innings and has struck out 16 batters with only four walks.
UC has an all-time record of 8-36-2 against ECU. The Bearcats dropped a three-game series to the Pirates earlier this season on April 14-16 in Greenville, N.C.
Cincinnati is looking to snap a nine-game losing skid to ECU. The Bearcats last defeated the Pirates, 7-3, on April 1, 2022 in Cincinnati.
// SCOUTING NO. 14 ECU
ECU comes in at No. 14 in the D1Baseball Top 25 and is the NCBWA's No. 11 team in the country. The Pirates sit third in the American with a 9-6 record. The Pirates took two of three in a road series against Tulane over the weekend before dropping a 2-1 midweek decision to UNC on Wednesday.
ECU is batting .287 as a team and holds a 4.11 staff ERA, backed by a .976 fielding percentage. Jacob Starling was named to the AAC weekly honor after hitting .500 (9-18) with seven runs scored, two doubles, one home run and two runs driven in four games last week.
// PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday
UC: RHP Garrett Harker
ECU: LHP Zach Root
Saturday
UC: RHP Chase Hopewell
ECU: RHP Josh Grosz
Sunday
UC: RHP Tommy Boba
ECU: TBD
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati hosts crosstown rival Xavier at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9 inside UC Baseball Stadium.
// TICKET INFORMATION
To purchase single-game tickets, 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.