TicketsCINCINNATI – Winners of 10 of the last 11 games, the University of Cincinnati baseball team will look to stay hot on Tuesday when it hosts Evansville at 3:00 p.m. at UC Baseball Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The 13-4 start for UC is its best since going 15-2 in its first 17 games to start the 2000 season.
Cincinnati has done it both at the plate and on the mound so far this year, leading the Big 12 in ERA (3.24) while ranking tied for third in batting average (.305). UC and West Virginia are the only two Big 12 teams with a batting average above .300 and a team ERA below 3.50.
Of course, the Bearcats are still causing havoc on the basepaths as well, leading the Big 12 and ranking fourth among Power Four programs with 46 stolen bases.
Individually, the story of the last week has been the herculean bat of Quinton Coats. The Big 12 Player of the Week has been on a tear as of late and hit seven home runs last week, homering at least one in all five games. Coats hit .500 (11-for-22) and drove in 17 runs as well, slugging an eye-popping 1.545 to help lead Cincinnati to a road win at Western Kentucky and four home wins vs. UC San Diego.
While Coats grabbed the headlines last week, he wasn’t the only Cincinnati hitter to turn in a notable performance. Jackson Smith was outstanding last week, slashing .538/.708/1.077 across five games while hitting out of the leadoff spot. Smith was 7-for-13 at the plate and accumulated 10 free bases, logging seven walks and reaching on a hit by pitch three times. He also was 3-for-3 stealing bases and flexed his muscles as well, hitting a grand slam in game one of Friday's doubleheader vs. UC San Diego.
Christian Mitchelle also hit four home runs last week, none bigger than his 11th inning, walk-off blast to end the UCSD series on Sunday. Also Cal Sefcik, who had the first 11 games of the year due to injury, made his return to the starting lineup and didn’t miss a beat. He started three games this past weekend and hit a team-best .615 (8-fof-13) with three doubles.
On the mound, Nathan Taylor tied his career high with 11 strikeouts in the opener vs. UC San Diego, and Logan Knight followed that up in the next game with five innings of one-run ball, striking out eight.
The four-game series sweep vs. UCSD makes that two years in a row that Cincinnati has taken all four games from an opponent at home, matching last year’s four-game sweep vs. Canisius. In the series vs. the Tritons this past weekend, the Bearcats slugged 11 home runs and hit .388 as a team while holding UCSD to a .186 batting average.
PROMOTIONS
Fans will be able to enjoy the first Discount Tuesday of the year, with $2 hot dogs and $7 tickets.
Be sure to enjoy our pregame happy hour, which features $5 domestic beers prior to first pitch for EVERY game!
ABOUT EVANSVILLE
The Aces bring a 3-11 overall record into Tuesday’s game, but have faced big-time opponents in No. 18 Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss. Most recently, Evansville was swept by the Rebels in Oxford this past weekend. Junior outfielder Reid Haire has hit three home runs, most on the team. The Aces are coached by longtime skipper Wes Carroll, who led the program to an NCAA Super Regional, the first trip in school history.
NEXT UP
Cincinnati begins Big 12 play this weekend at BYU, with the series kicking off this Thursday, March 12. The Bearcats will stay out west and play two games at Utah Valley next Monday and Tuesday.
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