The four-game series concludes on Saturday with Senior Day.
MATCHUP: USF vs. No. 10 East Carolina (four-game series)
SCHEDULE: Thurs., May 20 at 2 p.m. (DH), Fri., May 21 at 3 p.m., Sat., May 22 at 1 p.m. (Senior Day)
TAMPA (May 19, 2021) – The USF baseball team (22-24, 12-12 AAC) returns from an eight-game road stretch to conclude the regular season at home this weekend. Awaiting the Bulls in the Bay are the No. 10-ranked East Carolina Pirates. The series begins with a doubleheader on Thursday, May 20 and will conclude with single games on Friday and Saturday.
Prior to Saturday’s finale, USF will honor its 10 student-athletes and two managers on Senior Day. Those being recognized are: Carson Skelton, Ryan Block, Connor Churchill, Matt Marini, Max Holmes, Joseph Sanchez, Baron Stuart, Logan Lyle, Riley Hogan, Jake Sullivan, Collin Sullivan and Dylan Burns.
Head coach Billy Mohl has announced Joseph Sanchez (Miami), Collin Sullivan (Randolph, Mass.) and Jack Jasiak (Spring Hill) as USF’s starting pitchers for the series, respectively, with the Game 4 started yet to be determined.
Sanchez has made 13 relief appearances for the Bulls this season, and will get the ball for his first start in the series opener. Sullivan is 2-2 with a 2.54 ERA (11 ER/39 IP) and 45 strikeouts over his last six starts. Jasiak leads the team with nine quality starts and has earned a win in back-to-back outings.
The Bulls slugged 19 extra-base hits and 10 home runs last weekend in their split at Wichita State. Roberto Peña (Caracas, Venezuela) and Carmine Lane (Lake Placid) did a bulk of that damage. Peña, named the AAC Player of the Week, batted .533 with three doubles, two homers and four RBI in the series. Lane had a double and three home runs. Lane leads USF in batting average (.324) and has hit .395 with five doubles and five homers over his last 10 games.
Scouting East Carolina
On the mound and at the plate, the Pirates are one of the top teams in the country. ECU is ranked No. 10/11 by all of the major polls entering the weekend. At 36-11, the Pirates’ winning percentage is fifth in the NCAA. ECU ranks 12th in the country in batting average (.307), 18th in home runs (65) and slugging (.485), 13th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.17), 20th in strikeouts/9-inn. (10.4) and 25th in walks allowed/9-inn. (3.28).
Connor Norby leads the country in hits (83) and ranks sixth in batting average (.426). The Pirates’ three top hitters are batting .340 or better, and three players have double digit home run counts.
ECU has announced the following weekend rotation: RHP Gavin Williams (8-0, 1.47 ERA), RHP Tyler Smith (2-2, 4.11), LHP Carson Whisenhunt (5-0, 3.09) and TBD for Game 4. Williams ranks eighth in the country in ERA and eighth in strikeouts/9-inn. (14.24).
Up Next
Following this series, the Bulls will remain close to home for the American Championship Tournament which is slated to begin on Tuesday, May 25 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater. Seeding and a complete game schedule will be announced by the league at the conclusion of the regular season on Saturday.
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 –
