USF is making its 14th NCAA Regional appearance after winning the 2021 AAC Championship.
MATCHUP: South Florida vs. No. 15 Florida
SCHEDULE: Friday, June 4, 12 p.m.
LOCATION: Florida Ballpark in Gainesville, Fla.
GAINESVILLE (June 3, 2021) – The University of South Florida Bulls (28-27) begin play in the program’s 14th NCAA Regional appearance on Friday, June 4 at 12 p.m. against host and No. 15-nationally ranked Florida.
The Bulls are the No. 4 seed in the regional while the Florida Gators are the No. 1 seed.
South Florida secured a regional berth by winning the 2021 American Athletic Conference Championship in Clearwater last Sunday. Picked to finish last in the AAC preseason coaches poll, the Bulls entered the conference tournament as the No. 6 seed and hoisted their first tournament championship trophy since 1995 (Metro Conference).
Head coach Billy Mohl (4th season) is guiding USF to a regional for the second time in his tenure as skipper. Coach Mohl will send redshirt freshman Jack Jasiak (6-7, 2.92 ERA) to the mound against the Gators. Jasiak (Spring Hill) has been nearly untouchable in his last two outings, surrendering just four hits with 15 strikeouts over 15.2 IP. He set a new AAC Tournament record with a 12-strikeout performance against Tulane last Thursday.
Over his last four starts, Jasiak is 4-0 with a 0.61 ERA (2 ER/29.2 IP). The right-hander leads the team with 11 quality starts this season.
USF also has redshirt seniors Dylan Burns (Vero Beach) and Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) rested and ready for another tournament run. Redshirt sophomore Brad Lord (Crawfordville) was named to the AAC All-Tournament Team after pitching six scoreless innings to propel the Bulls into the championship game.
Orion Kerkering (Venice) and Logan Lyle (Bartow) have each made 22 appearances this season and have USF’s most reliable bullpen arms.
Leadoff hitter Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) paces the offense in batting average (.326), hits (73), doubles (14), and RBI (41). The redshirt freshman also has 10 home runs this season, including five over his last 11 games.
Roberto Peña (Caracas, Venezuela) leads the Bulls with 12 homers followed by Riley Hogan (Orlando) with 11. Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) was named the AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player and Jarrett Eaton (Mobile, Ala.) had a breakout offensive showing for USF at the conference tournament.
Gainesville Regional Schedule
Friday, June 4
Game One: 12 p.m. ET – South Florida vs. Florida
Game Two: 5 p.m. ET – South Alabama vs. Miami
Saturday, June 5
Game Three: 12 p.m. ET – Loser Game One vs. Loser Game Two
Game Four: 4 p.m. ET – Winner Game One vs. Winner Game Two
Sunday, June 6
Game Five: 12 p.m. ET – Loser Game Four vs. Winner Game Three
Game Six: 6 p.m. ET – Winner Game Four vs. Winner Game Five
Monday, June 7
Game Seven (if necessary): 1 p.m. ET – Winner Game Six vs. Loser Game Six
University of Florida Gators
The Gators (38-20) are the top seed in the Gainesville Regional and ranked No. 15 nationally. Florida earned an at-large berth to the field after falling in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament semifinals.
Florida opened the 2021 season as the preseason No. 1-ranked team in the country.
The Gators rank 17th in the country this season in hits (555), 19th in walks (261) and 22nd in home runs (77). On the mound, Florida is 12th in walks allowed/9-inn. (2.94) and 13th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.11).
Jud Fabian ranks sixth in the country with 20 home runs this year. Jacob Young leads the team in hits (78), batting average (.317) and stolen bases (13).
The Gators will send Tampa native Tommy Mace (6-1, 4.32 ERA) to the hill against the Bulls. Mace, a right-handed junior, has struck out 109 batters over 85.1 IP this season.
University of Miami Hurricanes
The Hurricanes (32-19) were bounced from the AAC Tournament after two straight losses. Miami earned an at-large bid to the field and is the No. 2 seed in Gainesville.
Miami’s pitching staff ranks 15th in the country in walks allowed/9-inn. (2.96), 17th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.05) and 18th in WHIP (1.26).
Christian Del Castillo leads the team with a .368 batting average. Yohandy Morales has a team-best 10 homers and 43 RBI. C. Del Castrillo (7) and Jordan Lala (13) are the only two stolen base threats on a team that does not run a lot.
Miami’s power numbers (76 doubles/54 homers) are comparable to South Florida’s (81 doubles/53 homers).
South Alabama Jaguars
The Jaguars (33-20) won the Sun Belt East Division during the regular season and claimed the Sun Belt postseason championship to earn an automatic bid to regionals. South Alabama is the No. 3 seed in Gainesville.
Pitching and defense are strengths for the Jaguars. South Alabama ranks 27th in the country in team ERA (3.84) and is 19th in fielding percentage (.979). The Jaguars also rank 14th in WHIP (1.24) and 25th in hits allowed/9-inn (7.86).
Ethan Wilson leads the team in batting average (.319) and walks (33). Michael Sandle has a team-best nine homers and 44 RBI. Sandle is 14-15 in stolen base attempts.
Up Next
A win on Friday would produce a matchup against the Miami/South Alabama winner on Saturday at 4 p.m. A loss would set up a 12 p.m. contest on Saturday against the Miami/South Alabama loser. The NCAA Regional is a double-elimination tournament.
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.
– #GoBulls –
