Bulls and Hatters - Game 3 Tuesday

[Brad]

Courtesy USF SID

Bulls And Hatters Meet For Game Three On Tuesday At 6 p.m.

TAMPA, Fla. (April 9, 2007) – The University of South Florida Bulls (25-10, 8-4 BIG EAST) and the Stetson Hatters (27-9, 10-2 A-Sun) will meet for the third and final time of the 2007 regular season on Tuesday, April 10 at 6 p.m. at Red McEwen Field in Tampa.  

USF trails the all-time series with Stetson 75-71, but looks to win back-to-back games against the Hatters for the first time since 2005. The Bulls beat Stetson 6-5 on March 6 after losing 9-4 to the Hatters Feb. 20 in DeLand. USF beat Stetson for the first time in six tries with the victory in March and broke the Hatters' 13-game Tuesday-night winning streak, which included three contests this season, and the rest dating back to last season.

USF and Stetson first met in 1966, USF's first season of baseball. The Hatters took that March 19 game 3-1 in DeLand. Stetson last beat USF earlier this season, 9-4, on Feb. 20, 2007, also in DeLand.  

USF enters Tuesday’s game after taking 2-of-3 from West Virginia April 5-7. The Bulls won the first two games by a total of 17-13, but lost to the Mountaineers 16-5 Saturday afternoon, dropping their record to 25-10 overall and 8-4 in the BIG EAST.  

USF is batting .307 with 356 hits in 1159 at bats. The Bulls notched four home runs last weekend, increasing their season total to 16. USF also has 55 doubles, five triples and 173 drawn walks. USF has scored 264 runs while allowing only 192 against. The Bulls own a 4.07 earned run average after allowing 324 hits and 141 earned runs in 312 innings. USF has struck out 244 batters and walked 139.

Stetson comes to Tampa on a seven-game win streak, the longest of the season for the 27-9 (10-2 A-Sun) Hatters. Stetson has recorded three wins from both Kennesaw State and Gardner-Webb and one from Bethune-Cookman in the past two weeks.

The Hatters have produced 420 hits in 1289 at bats for a .326 average this season. Stetson has collected 21 home runs, 12 triples and 82 doubles while drawing 123 walks. On the mound, Stetson owns a 3.27 ERA, allowing 146 runs, 118 of which were earned from 298 hits. The Hatter pitchers have struck out 238 and walked just 113.  

Individually, USF junior shortstop Walter Diaz is currently riding a 17-game hitting streak, dating back to the Miami (Ohio) game March 13. Diaz is 30-for-68 (.441) in the past 17 games with 14 RBI and 18 runs scored. He has registered three doubles, a triple and a home run while drawing 19 walks, one of which was intentional. Diaz has also stolen eight bases in that time.  

The longest hitting streak in the past nine seasons at USF was Johnny Rayburn’s 20 in 1999 and 2000. Rayburn collected hits in 19-straight games to end the 1999 season, then added one more in 2000 before going hitless in the second game of that season.

Matt Quevedo will get the start for USF on Tuesday. The right handed pitcher owns a 3.42 ERA with a 3-0 record in 10 appearances. Quevedo, who has made seven starts this season, has one complete game in his freshman season.  

Jeremy Cruz is the Hatters’ top hitter, connecting on 55 hits in 140 at bats for a .393 average. Cruz has a team-high 12 doubles along with his two home runs and pair of triples.  

Robbie Donovan will make his fifth start Tuesday night for the Hatters. Donovan, who is 1-1 with a 2.36 ERA, has struck out 22 while walking 18 in 10 appearances.

After the in-state match up with Stetson, USF will leave for Pennsylvania on Thursday, April 12 to play a weekend series with Villanova. The Bulls and Wildcats will meet at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth April 13-15 for a three-game BIG EAST series.

[JoeB]

Big game for us.  Stetson has the highest RPI of any opponent left on our schedule, with the possible exception of Georgia Tech.  Hopefully Matt Quevedo will have a quality start.

[BullsDude08]

gonna be a great game tuesday night....it might be a little chilly still!! I love this weather. Hey JoeB, where you find the RPI's of teams?