First-place USF to host ECU
Coach Mark Kingston has led the Bulls to a 22-11-1 record and first place in the AAC thus far. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
USF will look to remain atop the AAC standings when it resumes conference play this weekend at home against East Carolina.
On paper, the Pirates (20-13, 3-3) have the advantage in multiple categories, including batting average and ERA.
Perhaps the biggest discrepancy between the teams is the number of players with exceptional batting averages.
Seven Pirates are batting at least .300, while catcher Levi Borders is the lone Bull to achieve that mark. Borders is hitting .325 and was just a double shy of hitting for the cycle in USF’s previous outing Tuesday.
Left fielder Luke Lowery leads the Pirates with a .381 batting average, eight home runs and 31 RBIs.
ECU has the second-highest team batting average behind UCF with .296 and the third-lowest ERA at 2.75.
On the other hand, USF (22-11-1, 5-1) is seventh among eight teams with a .249 batting average and sixth with a 3.93 ERA.
The Bulls have won seven of their past 10 games, but are coming off a 13-7 loss to FIU, whereas the Pirates have lost six of their past 10 games, but are fresh off a 7-5 win over Campbell.
ECU has also had an explosive offense this season. In the Pirates’ 20 wins, they’ve outscored their opponents 166-55. Eleven of those games were won by at least five runs.
The action begins Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the USF Baseball Stadium, continues Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
More Stories
‘We’re moving in a new direction’: Golesh working toward improving program culture
When coach Alex Golesh stepped up to take on the difficult task of transforming a football team with a losing record into a successful one, he said he knew it would be a lot of work. In a Tuesday press conference, he acknowledged the first spring practices have been used to establish a new culture […]
Potential candidates for men’s basketball head coaching position
Shortly after Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Kelly announced the firing of coach Brian Gregory on March 10, many names have surfaced as potential candidates to fill the newly-opened position. Gregory’s dismissal occurred less than 24 hours after the Bulls lost 73-58 to ECU in the first round of the AAC tournament. A […]
No. 1 South Carolina’s defense halts USF’s NCAA title hopes
After a valiant effort in the first half against No. 1 South Carolina, No. 8 USF women’s basketball’s season came to an end after a 76-45 loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Friday afternoon in Columbia, South Carolina. Although the odds were against them, the Bulls (27-7) defense put pressure on […]
Bulls log first weekend series win
It was the bottom of the ninth in the tie game between South Florida and Army on Friday night when junior infielder John Montes stepped into the box. He took one deep breath and swung away, sending a ball over the fence to walk off the Black Knights (7-10) 8-7. Montes continued the momentum […]
Bulls go 1-2 to finish South Florida Showdown
Coming off two consecutive walk off victories over Lehigh and No. 9 Texas, USF softball came into this past weekend poised to continue its impressive play. After splitting Saturday’s games over Marist and Iowa, the Bulls fell in their rematch with the Longhorns. USF 6, Marist 2 The Bulls (19-13) opened up their three game […]
Bulls beat Golden Eagles in overtime, advance to second round of NCAA tournament
Senior forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu split two free throws to give No. 8 South Florida a 67-65 lead with seven seconds remaining in overtime against Marquette in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in Columbia, South Carolina. With their season on the line, the Bulls’ (27-6) defense sealed the victory on Friday […]