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WEEKEND MATCHUP: USF vs. Dartmouth
SCHEDULE: Friday, 7 p.m. | Saturday, 6:30 p.m. | Sunday, 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Tampa, USF Baseball Stadium
Bulls Get Ready for Series Against Dartmouth
This will be the last weekend series before conference play begins on March 22
TAMPA, March 14, 2019 – The USF baseball team welcomes Dartmouth to Tampa for a three-game series beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
The Bulls (8-7) split a pair of road midweek games, dropping a 8-7 slugfest at Jacksonville Tuesday before knocking off Bethune-Cookman in extra innings Wednesday. Senior first baseman Joe Genord (Lake Worth, Fla.) hit a two-run homer in the top of the 10th Wednesday to give the Bulls their first lead and the eventual win. Classmate Tyler Dietrich (Naples, Fla.) hit a two-run shot of his own in that frame and junior right-hander Nelson Alvarez (Miami) struck out seven in the final 2.1 to pick up his third win.
Genord is batting .444 in the last five games and leads the team with a .370 average, five home runs and 15 RBI. He had four hits against the Wildcats in the win to set a new career high.
The Bulls will again go with junior righty Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) on Friday, who leads the team with 29 strikeouts. Senior righty Alec Wisely (Jacksonville) had his best start in the second game against Liberty last weekend, tossing 7.0 innings to match a career high in a USF uniform. He’ll start Saturday, and junior right hander Ben Koff (Gainesville, Fla.) will get the ball on Sunday, making his second start. Koff has walked four and has 15 strikeouts in 13.1 innings this year.
The Matchup
The Bulls own a 4-0 lead in the all-time series against Dartmouth. The Big Green were in Tampa in 2016 for a three-game series, as the Bulls took 2-of-3. USF is outscoring Dartmouth, 15-3, in the five meetings.
Know the Foe
The Big Green are 4-4 on the year and in the beginning of a lengthy trip through Florida, traveling to Kissimmee and Winter Haven in addition to Tampa for a total of seven games. Dartmouth is on a three-game winning streak entering the weekend. Senior infielder Steffen Torgersen leads the team with a .333 average, one homer, four RBI and five runs.
Righty Justin Murray will start Friday, as he leads the Ivy League with 1.13 walks allowed per nine innings. Righty Cole O’Connor will start Saturday, having pitched a complete game earlier this season. Righty hander Nathan Skinner will get the ball on Sunday.
Nota-Bulls
· The Bulls are 23rd nationally with 1.13 home runs per game.
· 11 different Bulls have home runs this season.
· Junior Jordan Santos (Tampa) is 21st in the country and tops in The American with 1.14 walks per game, leading the team and conference with 16.
· Junior outfielder Austin Bodrato (Northvale, N.J.) is batting .375 over the last five games.
Bulls Bits
- DID YOU KNOW?: USF has the only Division I coaching staff in the state of Florida in which every member was selected in the MLB Draft – head coach Billy Mohl (2006, Philadelphia); assistants Chuck Jeroloman (2004, Boston), Chris Cates (2007, Minnesota), Brian Jeroloman (2006, Toronto). The Bulls’ coaching staff has a combined 25 years of playing experience in pro baseball.
About USF Baseball
The University of South Florida baseball team is one of the fastest rising programs in the country. The Bulls reached the NCAA Regionals in 2015 for the first time in 13 years and followed that success with a 42-19 record and second NCAA regional trip in three years in 2017. The Bulls continued the success under first-year head coach Billy Mohl in 2018, reaching 36 wins and advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2012, while being ranked in multiple polls for the final two months. USF earned its third NCAA Regional berth in the last four seasons and had six all-conference selections in 2018. The team had four players drafted in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first rounder, Shane McClanahan. Junior third baseman David Villar was taken in the 11th round after tallying 24 doubles and hitting better than .370, being named first team all-conference and an All-American. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 13 NCAA appearances.
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– #GoBulls –
Patrick Puzzo
Assistant Director of Communications (Baseball, Volleyball, Sailing) // USF Athletics
