USF vs UCF 6pm tonight

[ctbrown24]

Hope a bunch can make it!

TAMPA, Fla. (April 16, 2007) – The University of South Florida baseball team will host the University of Central Florida Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. at Red McEwen Field in Tampa.

USF owns a 50-47 all-time series lead over the Knights and has won the last three outings over the team from Orlando. The Bulls beat the Knights 11-4 at the in-state match up two weeks ago in Tampa, then will conclude the three-game series next week, April 24, in Orlando at 6:30 p.m.

The Bulls enter Tuesday’s game following a 1-2 weekend against Villanova and a postponed (to May 15) mid-week game with Stetson. USF is now 26-12 overall and fourth in the BIG EAST with a 9-6 record.

USF is batting .301 with 380 hits and 273 runs scored. The Bulls have tallied 246 RBI while hitting 59 doubles, five triples and 16 home runs. On the mound, USF owns a 3.99 ERA, allowing 348 hits and 205 runs while striking out 265 and walking 150 opponents.

UCF comes to Tampa after a 6-2 victory over Florida on April 10 and an open weekend April 13-15. The Knights are 18-19 overall and 1-8 in Conference USA this season.

UCF has 341 hits in 1240 at bats for a .275 average this season. The Knights have scored 180 runs while recording 148 RBI from 47 doubles, eight triples and 10 home runs. UCF’s pitching staff has allowed 363 hits and 235 runs for a 4.90 ERA. The Knights have struck out 291 opponents while walking 169.

Junior shortstop Walter Diaz leads the Bulls with a .390 average and a team-high 62 hits, 11 doubles, one triple and 78 total bases. Diaz is currently riding a 20-game hitting streak.

Junior left handed pitcher James Rowe will make the start for the Bulls on Tuesday. Rowe, who is 0-1 with a 10.50 ERA, has made eight appearances this season, with one start, and has struck out seven while walking four.

Junior outfielder Tyson Auer has registered a team-high .357 batting average so far this season for the Knights, posting 51 hits and 18 RBI. Auer has also stolen 17 bases and drawn 10 walks.

Junior RHP Brett Bordwine will start his sixth game of the season on Tuesday night. Bordwine is 2-2 in eight appearances and owns a 5.40 ERA. He has struck out 35 and walked 20 in 26.2 innings.

The Bulls host Rutgers, who lead the BIG EAST with a 7-2 conference record, April 20-22 at Red McEwen Field. The Bulls and Scarlet Knights play at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, then at noon on Sunday.

[mutt]

Love to see the BULLS destroy the ucfers but can't make it...

[JoeB]

Hopefully James Rowe will give us a strong five or six innings tonight.  Need a solid start from him to beat those UCFers.

[CoolBull1]

Scared about our pitching tonight....haven't seen Rowe pitch yet but that ERA scares me!

Heading out for dinner in a few minutes then over to the "Red"....we'll be there.  Go Bulls!

[JoeB]

He's been unimpressive at best this season.  Here are his year to date stats.  He has pitched in 8 games, but only has 6 innings to his credit.  Not exactly a great ratio of innings worked per game played.  In that small amount of time he's given up 8 hits, 4 walks, and has hit 5 batters.  That makes 17 batters to reach out of 6 innings.  So, basically it means that just under 3 batters reach base per inning when he's out there.  Getting back to those number of batters hit, he is only one behind the team leader, Chris Delaney.  Delaney has pitched over 53 more innings than Rowe though.  He has given up 7 earned runs in 6 innings pitched.  

We'll be lucky to get 3 or 4 innings out of Rowe tonight.  My guess is they'll give him the first part of the game, then let Yuri throw the middle innings, and then let Davis Bilardello throw the back three.  If its close we'll see Sanford in the game.  We've lost 3 out of our last 4 games, so this is a very important game.  We don't want to lose this one heading into our matchup with conference leading Rutgers, so Lelo might have a quick hook in this game.    

[SeaBull]

How did he make the team and why is he still on the roster?

It really sucks that I can't make it out tonight. I really don't like working in Pinellas County

[JoeB]

He isn't really a starter.  He's been used as a situational lefty so far this year.  I've only seen him pitch well once this year.  I think it was against Pitt, and we were already getting beat, but I believe he came in and gave us two or three good innings.  

I'd like to report that last year he had better stats, but it would be a lie.  Last year's stats are even worse.  He only pitched 7 innings in 10 appearances last year and gave up 11 earned runs for a 14.14 ERA.  In those 7 innings he allowed 12 hits and 17 walks ( a staggering 29 batters reaching base or over 4 per inning of work).  The opponents batting average against him was .414.  Doesn't exactly give me warm fuzzies seeing that he is our starter tonight.  

[SeaBull]

Having this guy on scholarship makes about as much sense as, oh say, Mike Benzer on Scholarship.  : :

[JoeB]

Being on scholarship isn't the point really.  Its using him where it helps him and the team the best.  This goes back to my argument last week, that we are thin in the bullpen.  When Daniel Thomas got injured, it bumped Yuri into the starting rotation.  Well he got lit up last week, so this is just the next guy to get a shot.  Losing Ryan Lau earlier in the year wasn't good either.  Him and Yuri were probably the two best fits for a spot start.  But we'll see.