TAMPA, FEB. 17, 2025 – University of South Florida baseball will play the final game of a season-opening four-game homestand Tuesday when the Bulls take on No. 9 Florida State at USF Baseball Stadium. First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN+ or heard on Bulls Unlimited digital radio.
USF will send right-hander Bryce Archie to the mound. The junior is in his second season with the USF baseball program, and also plays quarterback for the football team, starting eight games last season and leading the Bulls to a 5-3 record and Hawai’i Bowl victory in those starts. Archie, who throws in the mid-90’s, made 13 appearances on the mound last year, including three starts, going 0-2.
The Bulls take on the Seminoles on the heels of a season-opening series win over Iowa, the first series under first-year head coach Mitch Hannahs.
The Bulls opened their 60th season, and first under Hannahs, with a 5-4 victory over the Hawkeyes last Friday. A two-out seventh-inning grand slam by junior Ryan Pruitt proved to be the difference as USF opened the Mitch Hannahs era with a victory. Iowa took the second game 8-2, holding USF scoreless after the first inning and the Bulls’ bats managed only three hits. In the series finale, USF took a first inning lead for the third straight game and plated five runs in the fifth inning on the way to the series-clinching win behind 13 hits and three home runs.
Setting The Stage:
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. The Bulls return five position players and nine pitchers from the 2024 team.
Series History:
The Bulls and Seminoles have met 90 times, the most recent meeting a 12-4 Seminoles win on Feb. 27, 2024, in Tallahassee. Florida State leads the series 76-14 and has won the last four meetings. The Bulls last win came in 2017 with a 4-2 victory in Tallahassee. This is the first meeting in Tampa since 2017, a 12-4 Seminoles victory. The Bulls are 28-89 all-time against ranked foes.
Note-A-Bull:
Junior Ryan Pruitt was named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll after he went 5-for-9 (.556) with two home runs, including a grand slam that was the difference in the opening-day win, and five RBI in the opening series.
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.
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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.
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