The Bulls gear up for the second weekend series at home that takes place Saturday and Sunday
MATCHUP: USF vs Northeastern
SCHEDULE: Saturday, 2 p.m. & 6 p.m.
Sunday, 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Tampa, Fla. | USF Baseball Stadium
FOLLOW: Live Stats, Twitter updates @USFBaseball
RADIO: BullsUnlimited 2
WATCH: YouTube
GAME NOTES: (PDF)
TAMPA (Feb. 21, 2020) – The USF baseball team will play host to Northeastern for the second time in program history during a three-game series this weekend.
The Bulls (2-3) offense showed promise against No. 12 Florida State during their midweek battle Tuesday evening. USF came out of the gates firing in the top of the first inning. Jordan Santos (Tampa, Fla.) drove in the first run for USF with a single to right field, scoring Dontae Mitchell (St. Petersburg, Fla.). The Bulls extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the third but fell short, 6-3, to the Seminoles.
Carson Ragsdale (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) earned a spot on the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll following his performance against Marist on Feb. 16. Ragsdale tossed a team-high 10 strikeouts through six innings of work while allowing one run. Redshirt junior right-hander picked up his first win of the season when the Bulls defeated the Red Foxes, 4-2.
Several Bulls found themselves top three in The American in categories after the first week of play. JD Dutka (Suwanee, Ga.) leads in plate appearances at 24, Mitchell leads the AAC in walks at five, Logan Lyle holds first in appearances (3), Nick Gonzalez (Tampa, Fla.) is in second for stolen bases at three. Dylan Buck (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.), Jake Sullivan (Tampa, Fla.), and Dutka are tied for second in at-bats with 20. Dylan Burns’ (Vero Beach, Fla.) save against Marist has him sitting second in saves, and Jack Jasiak (Spring Hill, Fla.) sits second in innings pitched at seven.
Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.), will get the call to open up the first game of the series and Saturdays doubleheader. Jasiak will be on the hill for the Bulls to start the second game of the doubleheader. On the mound to close out the series will be Ragsdale on Sunday.
The Matchup
The Bulls will play host to Northeastern for the second time in program history. The two programs faced each other in Tampa on March 2, 2004 with the Bulls taking the first meeting, 4-1.
Know the Foe
· Northeastern heads into the weekend series against the Bulls at 0-3. The Huskies will compete in a spring training exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox prior to the weekend matchup at USF.
· Senior right-hander Kyle Murphy will get the call to open up the series on the mound for Northeastern. Junior right-hander Sam Jacobsak will be on hill to start game two of the doubleheader on Saturday. The Huskies will go to freshman Sebastian Keane to close out the series on Sunday.
Notable
· Riley Hogan (Orlando, Fla.) went 3-for-3 at No. 12 Florida State on Tuesday, and has now recorded five hits in the last two games.
· Dontae Mitchell enters the weekend on a four-game hitting streak.
· The last time the Bulls defeated Northeastern was on March 2, 2004 in the first meeting between the schools.
Up Next
The Bulls will head to Coral Gables to face No. 1 Miami in a midweek battle on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 3 p.m.
About USF Baseball
The University of South Florida baseball program is one of the fastest rising programs in the country. The Bulls earned their third NCAA Regional berth in the last four seasons and had six all-conference selections in 2018. Four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, including the program’s fourth first rounder, pitcher Shane McClanahan. Third baseman David Villar was taken in the 11th round after being named first team all-conference and an All-American. 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 in head coach Billy Mohl first season 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 of the season. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 13 NCAA appearances.
– #GoBulls –
