USF matches up against FGCU for the second time in three weeks, now riding a seven-game win streak.
MATCHUP: USF vs. FGCU (three-game series)
SCHEDULE: Friday, 6:30 p.m. at FGCU, Saturday, 5 p.m. at USF, Sunday, 2 p.m. at FGCU
RADIO: BullsUnlimited (iheart Radio) – Saturday ONLY at USF
TAMPA (March 11, 2021) – After a mid-week postponement at Florida State, USF (7-3) is ready to put its seven-game winning streak on the line against Florida Gulf Coast University (7-4). The opening and closing games of the three-game set will be played in Fort Myers with the middle game being played at USF Baseball Stadium in Tampa on Saturday at 5 p.m. The series begins on Friday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Swanson Stadium.
The Bulls and Eagles squared off to begin the 2021 campaign three weeks ago with FGCU emerging victorious in a three-game sweep. That sweep is certainly fresh in the minds of the Bulls who promptly began their winning streak following that series. And, while it took place just a few weeks ago, USF looks like a completely different team. The Bulls dropped the opener, 4-1, in 10 innings, and the finale, 12-10, after leading 7-0 in that ballgame. In that opening series, USF stranded 44 runners on base over three games while batting .232 with runners on base and just .229 with runners in scoring position. Since then, the Bulls are hitting .413 with runners on base and .400 with runners in scoring position.
Head coach Billy Mohl (4th season) has announced Jack Jasiak (Spring Hill) and Brad Lord (Crawfordville) as USF’s starting pitchers in the first two ballgames, respectively, with Sunday’s starter yet to be determined.
Jasiak (2-0, 1.29 ERA) has posted quality starts in all three of his outings and is the reigning AAC Pitcher of the Week. The redshirt freshman handed Stetson its first loss of the year last Friday while recording season bests in inning pitched (7.2) and strikeouts (10). Jasiak has issued just one walk over 21.0 IP and his strikeout-to-walk ratio (24.00) ranks second in the country.
Lord (1-1) earned his first win of the year against FAMU when the right-hander tossed seven scoreless innings and fanned seven batters while allowing just three hits.
True freshman Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) is the reigning AAC Player of the Week after batting .333 (5-15) with three homers, five RBI, five runs scored, one walk and one stolen base vs. Stetson. Brutcher homered in three consecutive games, including a walk-off blast in the 12th inning of the finale.
Riley Hogan (Orlando) homered on three straight days against FAMU and enters the weekend as USF’s RBI leader (13).
Matt Ruiz (Hialeah), another true freshman, continues to pace the Bulls’ offense, leading the team in batting average (.444), hits (20), doubles (5) and total bases (32). Redshirt freshman Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) was USF’s unsung hero against Stetson at the plate, leading the Bulls at a .583 clip to enter this weekend batting .429. Another newcomer making waves is Keanu Jacobs-Guishard (Philipsburg, St. Maarten). Jacobs-Guishard has had game-tying hits in the ninth inning, including a two-run homer, in the weekend finale of two straight series.
Scouting FGCU
The Eagles enter the weekend on a two-game skid. Since their last meeting with USF, the Eagles have dropped two of three to No. 20 FAU, won three of four from Kansas and most recently fell to Indiana State on Tuesday, 5-3. FGCU has four batters hitting over .300, led by Joe Kinker (.375), a sophomore named to the 2019 ASUN All-Freshmen Team. Richie Garcia (.324) went 4-for-11 in the last USF series with three RBI, four runs scored and a homer. Mason Studstill (1-0, 1.33 ERA) and Mason Miller (0-1, 11.37) are two of FGCU’s probable starters in the series. Studstill, a senior, pitched six scoreless innings against USF with six strikeouts in the season opener on March 20th. Studstill is the reigning ASUN Pitcher of the Week and will likely matchup against the AAC Pitcher of the Week, Jack Jasiak, in the opener Friday. Studstill earned the win over FAU with eight shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out nine. Miller, a freshman southpaw, made the start in Game 2 in the USF series and allowed one run on two hits over 2.1 IP while walking five.
Up Next
Following this three-game series, the Bulls host Stetson for a single game on Tuesday, March 16 before hosting nationally-ranked FAU in a three-game set beginning Friday, March 19.
About USF Baseball
The USF Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and is entering its 56th season in 2021. The Bulls have won 1,628 games entering the 2021 season and made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including three since 2015. The Bulls have won four conference tournament titles (3 Sun Belt and 1 Metro) and had 126 all-conference selections. USF baseball players have been recognized with All-America honors 12 times, most recently with third baseman David Villar in 2018. Four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first round selection in pitcher Shane McClanahan, who appeared in the 2020 World Series with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Bulls saw continued success in head coach Billy Mohl’s first season in 2018, reaching 36 wins, advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2012, and making the program’s latest NCAA Tournament appearance while also achieving a ranking in multiple polls for the final two months of the season.
– #GoBulls –
