Saturday’s tilt will be a rematch of a 5-0 win by the Bulls on Thursday.
MATCHUP: No. 6 seed USF vs. No. 2 seed Tulane
SCHEDULE: Sat., May 29 – 47 minutes after the conclusion of the 9 a.m. game
LOCATION: BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla.
TAMPA (May 28, 2021) – The No. 6 seed University of South Florida Bulls (26-26) will play for a spot in the 2021 American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship finals on Saturday against No. 2 seed Tulane University (30-23). First pitch is slated for 47 minutes following the conclusion of the 9 a.m. game at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater.
USF is in the driver’s seat, playing out of the winner’s bracket, and needs only one win to advance. Tulane would need to beat the Bulls twice on Saturday to move into the finals.
USF is playing in the semifinals for the second time (2018) and operating out of the winner’s bracket for the first time. The Bulls have never advanced to the finals of the American Championship.
The Bulls have advanced to the semifinals with wins over Wichita State (7-2) and Tulane (5-0). Outstanding starting pitching and timely hitting have been the key ingredients. The Bulls have hit three home runs over the course of two tournament games, including two by Roberto Peña (Caracas, Venezuela), and collectively scored four runs when facing two outs in an inning.
Overall, USF has won four in a row, and nine of their last 13 games. During their four-game winning streak, the Bulls are outscoring their opponents, 27-4.
Head coach Billy Mohl (4th season), a Tulane alum, will send Dylan Burns (Vero Beach) to the mound against the Green Wave. Burns (4-4, 3.41 ERA) has been dominant over his last three appearances (two starts – both quality starts). The redshirt senior is 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA (3 ER/16 IP) and 20 strikeouts in that span. Burns recorded a career-best 10 strikeouts in each of his last two starts (at Memphis & Wichita State). The right-hander is 4-2 with a 3.13 ERA (16 ER/46 IP) and 48 punchouts over his last eight starts.
The USF bullpen is in great shape heading into the semifinals, having only used Logan Lyle (Bartow) for 3.1 IP on Tuesday and Orion Kerkering (Venice) for a third of an inning on Thursday.
Scouting Tulane
After suffering a 5-0 loss to USF on Thursday, the Green Wave stayed alive in the conference tournament with a run-rule victory over Wichita State on Friday, 12-2 (7 innings). Thursday was just the fourth time Tulane has been shutout by an opponent this season, and first by a conference foe.
While not confirmed, based on season trends and availability, the most likely candidate to make Saturday’s start against USF is right-handed pitcher Tyler Hoffman (4-3, 3.94 ERA). The redshirt sophomore has struck out 71 batters and issued 31 walks over 48 IP this year. Hoffman has been tagged with 15 runs (10 earned) over his last three outings (10.2 IP).
Up Next
A win on Saturday would propel USF into the tournament finals. A USF loss on Saturday would set up a rematch between the Bulls and Green Wave later in the day with that winner advancing to the finals. The winner-take-all finale of the American Championship will be against either No. 1 seed East Carolina or No. 5 seed UCF. The championship game is slated for 12 p.m. on Sunday, May 30.
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 –
