Losing.

The USF baseball team has seen a lot of that lately.

The Bulls have lost five games in a row, including a complete thumping by their intrastate rivals, the UCF Golden Knights on Tuesday night.

It’s more than halfway through the season, and USF is struggling to stay at .500 and could manage only four hits against the Knights, looking far from spectacular in the process.

Ranked third in the Big East preseason poll, the Bulls have shown little promise of being a serious contender in the conference.

In fact, USF is now ranked sixth in the conference and is in dire need of some adjustments.

“Everything has to improve, but the big thing is to get running on all cylinders,” coach Eddie Cardieri said. “When you’re swinging the bat good and pitching good and making the plays in the field, you want to get that going all at one time.”

And right now, nothing is going smoothly for the Bulls.

Both hitting and pitching are going through a major slump, and the schedule is not going to get any easier for USF.

Notre Dame is coming in for a three- game series this weekend, and after the performance in the UCF game – well, they’re going to need more than four hits.

So what’s the answer?

Just go with the flow and hope that things start to click? That might work, but if this team doesn’t start to get things going in a hurry, there won’t be any life after the regular season.

The ride for the Bulls is very rocky at the moment. Doing nothing will hurt this team rather than help.

Some major tweaking of the lineup is definitely needed. Possibly to a batting order that scores runs.

If USF doesn’t mix things up, there will be more and more of the same results. Then, of course, having Brian Baisley’s bat, which has been inactive due to a back injury, return to the lineup would help.

But pitching also needs to be shaken up.

Starting a guy who hasn’t seen much time could produce something worthwhile.

Like some wins, which haven’t been in abundance lately.

And if not, that might wake up the pitcher who didn’t get the start and get his wheels turning in the right direction.

However, there’s still a good number of games to be played. Time can be your friend, if you use it wisely.

Right now, the Bulls are trying to find that spark. Something that will get the team out of this funk.

What they need is a little change. And a little more consistency.

Then maybe the losing can stop.

“We still have a chance to be the Big East champs,” Cardieri said.

We’ll see.