Pitching carrying USF baseball’s hot start
ORACLE FILE PHOTO/JACKIE BENITEZ
With a 22-3 record, USF is off to its best start in school history.
The hot start stems partly from the Bulls' dominance on the mound, with USF pitchers producing stats in 2017 that are comparable to those of the highest-ranked teams in the nation.
Thus far in the season, the Bulls rank in the top 10 in four different pitching categories – ERA, WHIP, strikeout-to-walk ratio and strikeouts per nine innings.
With starters Phoenix Sanders and Shane McClanahan leading the way, the Bulls collect more strikeouts per nine innings than any other team in the country, averaging 11.3 per game.
Sanders, by himself, records an average of 13.15 strikeouts per game, putting him at No. 16 in the nation individually, with McClanahan not far behind in 24th.
“He throws a lot of pitches for strikes and that’s what makes him what he is,” coach Mark Kingston said after a March 17 win against Harvard. “He’s not scared to compete, and he’ll throw any pitch to anybody.”
To go along with the strikeouts, the Bulls are consistently keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard.
Allowing an average of 2.05 earned runs per game, the Bulls have the second lowest ERA in Division I baseball, with No. 1 overall Oregon State being the only team ahead of them.
The low ERA has been the biggest improvement for the Bulls' pitching staff from last season, where the Bulls allowed an average of 4.43 runs per nine innings pitched, which ranked 126th in the country.
Despite the phenomenal pitching from the Bull, USF, for the most part, is on the fringe of the most recent rankings.
Of the five rankings listed on NCAA.com, the Bulls are only ranked in the top 25 of the RPI rankings at 15, and 25th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s poll.
Despite what the rankings read, the Bulls aren’t too concerned.
“We just take each game one game at a time,” USF starter Ryan Valdes said after defeating Jacksonville. “We’re not worried about a streak, or what the rankings say. We’re focused on the next game.”
More Stories
USF campus ministers offer perspective on stadium development: ‘Exciting benefit of exposure.’
Take a tranquil stroll down Sycamore Drive. It’s a quieter part of campus, hidden away from the usual hustle and bustle of USF. It’s home to an area colloquially known as “Religious Row,” a collection of on-campus religious organizations. In just a few years – with the construction of an on-campus football stadium – the […]
Here’s why these USF softball players chose their jersey numbers
For athletes, the number they wear is more than the added fabric on the back of their jersey. It often tells a deeper story about the players — who they are and where they come from. Here’s why these three USF softball players chose their respective jersey numbers. Related: USF softball is gaining momentum during […]
USF football head coach Alex Golesh: The man behind the process
Football coach Alex Golesh said USF has been on his mind since his own days as a college student when the program was top five in the country. “I distinctly remember sitting there watching it and thinking ‘What is S Florida and what are they doing in the top five in the country?’” Golesh said. […]
USF baseball matches last season’s wins at midseason
USF baseball has reached its midseason, powering through a turnaround year. Despite losing to Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday 7-5, It has already won 21 games, matching the same total from last season with a road victory against Tulane on Sunday. The Bulls (21-16, 7-5 AAC) stand third out of 10 teams in the conference. […]
USF men’s basketball was gutted by the transfer portal. Here’s who remains on the roster.
Things move pretty quickly in this new world of college basketball thanks in large part to the explosion of the transfer portal. Less than a month removed from a second round exit in the National Invitation Tournament, USF men’s basketball looks a lot different than it did in mid-March. In the span of a […]
USF softball is gaining momentum during season’s final stretch
As the USF softball season draws to a close, it seems the team has found some momentum. The Bulls (30-16, 9-9 AAC) have won six of its last seven games. In the last nine days, they have won their last two conference series and stunned the then-ranked No.9 Florida Gators on Wednesday. USF had yet […]