Baseball and softball to both host Houston this weekend
For the first time this season, USF fans will be able to see their baseball and softball teams take on the same opponent on the same weekend. Both teams have a home matchup against Houston starting Friday.
The Bulls have been a bit off the pace in their respective seasons and are looking to get on the right track as they go into the home stretch. Baseball (23-17, 4-8 AAC) currently sits in sixth place in the conference while softball (36-13, 6-5) is fourth and unlikely to catch the leaders.
Here’s a preview of both series against the Cougars.
Baseball
Coming off its first conference series win against Cincinnati, coach Billy Mohl’s squad will look to continue their positive momentum against the fourth-place Cougars (26-15, 7-5). They’ll have their hands full, however, as they take on the top offense in the AAC.
Houston is tied for the best team batting average at .282 and ranks in the top five of multiple offensive statistics. The team’s best offensive weapon is redshirt sophomore catcher Anthony Tulmero, who ranks fourth in the conference with a .371 batting average.
They also boast one of the best pitchers in the conference in junior Ben Sears who ranks fourth with a 2.79 ERA.
USF will once again have to rely heavily on its young players to help produce at the plate in the absence of sophomore outfielder Drew Brutcher, who’s been out with an injury for a few weeks.
Luckily, freshmen like outfielders Jackson Mayo, Marcus Brodil and infielders Sonny Rao and Bobby Boser have all been contributing, especially in USF’s most recent series. The quartet combined for 13 hits, 12 runs and 12 RBIs.
The Bulls return home to begin a three-game series against Houston on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on iHeartRadio Bulls Unlimited.
Softball
USF softball will play its final home series of the regular season this weekend, looking to improve its conference standings with just a handful of games to go.
The Bulls’ spot in the conference standings is surprisingly low considering their overall record is second to only Wichita State. The team’s 30-8 nonconference record indicates their place in the standings is misleading, though it’s clear the stiffer competition in the AAC has given USF problems.
On the national level, the Bulls are ranked 41st in the nation by D1Softball’s RPI rankings, and were in the top 25 as recently as mid-March. Houston enters this weekend No. 82 in the RPI, and although the Bulls have not played any opponents in the RPI 51-100 range, they hold a 19-3 record against teams in the 101-200 range and a 7-9 mark against top 50 opposition.
Perhaps the safest bet Bulls fans can make is that senior pitcher Georgina Corrick will pitch the majority of innings this weekend. Her 217 innings pitched through Wednesday is the most in Division I.
For a bit more perspective, Corrick has been in the circle for roughly 65% of all innings for USF this season with an overall ERA of 0.48. In conference play, Corrick’s ERA is 1.33, a significant difference for her but still a stellar mark.
At the plate, the hot-hitting outfield duo of junior Alexis Johns and redshirt sophomore Meghan Sheehan will lead the Bulls. The former leads the team in batting average at .360 and actually has been hitting better in-conference at a .389 clip. The latter is the Bulls’ other .300 hitter and leads the team with 23 RBI so far this season.
First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
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