Friday will be 170th meeting between the programs on the baseball diamond
Game Details: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-March 2, Times: 6:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m. & 1:00 p.m.
Parking: Details
TV: ESPN+
Bulls Unlimited: Listen
Live Coverage: Stats
South Florida Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Tickets: HERE
TAMPA, FEB. 27, 2025 – University of South Florida baseball (5-3; 0-0 AAC) will renew the War on I-4 this weekend when the Bulls take on UCF (7-2; 0-0 Big 12) in a three-game series at the USF Baseball Stadium. First pitch for the Friday opener, the 170th series meeting, is set for 6:30 p.m. Games can be seen on ESPN+ or heard on Bulls Unlimited digital radio.
USF Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 inductee Eddie Cardieri, the winningest coach in USF baseball history, is slated to throw out the first pitch on Friday. Saturday members of USF’s 2015 NCAA team will be honored and Tommy Peterson, a relief pitcher on that team, will deliver the opening pitch.
The Bulls enter the weekend winners of three of their last four games and victorious in their first two series of the season. In its last outing, USF scored a late inning win over FIU, which entered the game 7-1, at the USF Baseball Stadium.
USF opened their 60th season, and first under Mitch Hannahs, with a home series win over Iowa. They followed with their first non-conference series win since 2002, taking two of three games at Georgia Southern.
Setting The Stage:
The Bulls will send Corey Braun to the mound on Friday and James Hill on Saturday. Sunday’s starting pitcher has yet to be determined. Braun has had a strong start to his USF career. After two starts, Braun brings a 2.45 ERA into the weekend and a team leading 13 strikeouts and 11 innings pitched. Senior first baseman Sebastian Greico has homered in back-to-back games and leads the team with three. He has had two hits, including a home run, in each of the last two games and leads the team with 9 RBI and a .773 slugging percentage.
Series History:
The Bulls hold a narrow 86-83 lead in the series, dating back to a 5-1 USF win on March 13, 1971, in Tampa in the first meeting. The Knights took two of three in the latest clash, a three-game series March 1-3, 2024, in Orlando. The teams have met every year since 1985 except the 2020 COVID shortened season.
Note-A-Bull:
• Junior Ryan Pruitt has reached base in all of USF’s eight games. Pruitt leads the team in hits with 10 and doubles with four. He is tied for the lead with four stolen bases.
• Senior Marcus Brodil has reached base in the Bulls first eight games and is tied for the team lead with four stolen bases. Brodil has not been caught stealing and is 4-4 on the season.
• Matt Rose has been on base in each of the Bulls first eight games. Rose is tied for second on the team with eight hits.
• Right-hander Bryce Archie has had two strong starts for the Bulls. In his latest start against FIU, Archie recorded a career-high six strikeouts. Archie, who hit 95 mph with his fastball, went three innings, allowing five hits and two runs, one earned. Archie pitched three scoreless innings vs. No. 9 Florida State in his first start, striking out four.
• Sophomore right-hander Adan Longoria recorded his first career win, pitching one inning in relief against FIU.
Hannahs at the Helm:
Mitch Hannahs was named South Florida’s eighth head coach in program history on June 8, 2024, after compiling 355 wins over 11 seasons at Indiana State. The 2023 ABCA NCAA DI Midwest Region Coach of the Year guided the Sycamores to six conference titles and five NCAA Regionals, guiding ISU to a spot in the 2023 NCAA Super Regional. He takes over a USF team that went 26-29 last year and features 24 new players.
60th Year of USF Baseball:
The South Florida Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and will enter its 60th campaign in 2025. The Bulls have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and earned their first-ever Super Regional berth in 2021. USF has won 11 conference titles – five tournament titles (3 Sun Belt, 1 Metro and 1 American) and six regular season championships (3 Sun Belt, 2 Metro and 1 C-USA). Bulls baseball players have been recognized with All-America honors 12 times and 19 Bulls have earned Freshman All-America accolades.
Tickets:
Tickets to watch Bulls baseball at the USF Baseball Stadium may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or clicking HERE.
Follow us:
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF Baseball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
About USF Baseball
The South Florida Baseball program played its first season in 1966 and will enter its 60th campaign in 2025. Mitch Hannahs was named South Florida’s eighth head coach in program history on June 8, 2024, after compiling 355 wins over 11 seasons at Indiana State. The 2023 ABCA NCAA DI Midwest Region Coach of the Year guided the Sycamores to six conference titles and five NCAA Regionals. The Bulls have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and earned their first-ever Super Regional berth in 2021. The Bulls have won five conference tournament titles (3 Sun Belt, 1 Metro and 1 American) and six regular season championships (3 Sun Belt, 2 Metro and 1 C-USA). USF baseball players have been recognized with All-America honors 12 times and 19 Bulls have earned Freshman All-America accolades. USF has had 131 MLB Draft Picks. Former 2018 first-round draft pick, Shane McClanahan, is a two-time MLB All-Star.
– #GoBulls –
