USF looks to translate offensive success into weekend wins
MATCHUP: USF vs. Florida A&M (four-game series)
SCHEDULE: Friday, 1 p.m. (doubleheader), Saturday, 2 p.m., Sunday, 12 p.m. at USF Baseball Stadium
FOLLOW: USF Live Stats I Twitter updates @USFBaseball
RADIO: BullsUnlimited (iheart Radio)
WATCH: ESPN+
GAME NOTES: PDF
TAMPA (Feb. 25, 2021) – The USF baseball team (0-3) returns home to host Florida A&M (0-4) in a four-game weekend series. Each team is seeking their first win of the season as the Bulls were swept by Florida Gulf Coast to begin the 2021 campaign last weekend and FAMU was swept by Stetson.
Head coach Billy Mohl (4th season) has announced Jack Jasiak (Spring Hill) and Brad Lord (Crawfordville) as USF’s starting pitchers in Friday’s doubleheader. Saturday and Sunday starting pitchers for USF are yet to be determined.
Jasiak (0-0) earned a no decision on opening day vs. FGCU. The right-hander tossed his fourth quality start in five career outings and allowed a career-low three hits while striking out five batters over 6.1 IP last weekend. Lord (0-1) suffered a loss in his debut with the Green & Gold vs. FGCU. Lord allowed five runs over 3.2 IP and struck out six batters.
True freshmen Drew Brutcher (Lakeland) and Matt Ruiz (Haileah) paced the USF offense last weekend, combining to go 13-for-27 at the plate with three extra-base hits, four RBI and six runs scored. Ruiz (.500) recorded multi-hit efforts in all three games and totaled three stolen bases, while Brutcher (.455) homered and added five walks. Redshirt freshmen Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville), Jarrett Eaton (Mobile, Ala.) and Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) each tallied four hits in the season-opening series. Cantu leads the Bulls through three games with four RBI.
Collectively, the Bulls batted .294 (35-119) in the opening series and plated 17 runs. USF tallied 12 hits twice, already surpassing the team’s 2020 season high of 11 hits in a ballgame.
Scouting FAMU
The Rattlers were outscored, 16-4, in their four-game series to begin the 2021 campaign at Stetson. Florida A&M was picked to finish second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division this year and landed five players on the MEAC Preseason Team. Third baseman Tristen Cooper was tabbed to the First Team while Kyle Coleman, Jeremiah McCollum, Seyjuan Lawrence and Jared Weber were named to the Second Team. Cooper led the Rattlers with a .327 batting average in 2020. Right-handed pitcher Josh Hancock (0-1) was impressive in a 1-0 loss in the series at Stetson. The senior allowed one run on five hits over. 6.0 IP while striking out five batters and issuing just one walk. Junior LJ Bryant went 5-for-10 at the plate with a double and a pair of walks at Stetson.
Up Next
Following this four-game series, USF faces Stetson in a home-and-home series, March 5-7. The three-game set opens on Friday, March 5 at Stetson with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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.
