Complete Notes
The American had an 8-2-1 start to the week in nonconference action and will enter Week 4 of league play this weekend. Three teams remain locked at the top of the conference standings with Cincinnati (16-15, 6-3), ECU (25-7, 4-2), and Houston (20-12, 6-3) sharing a .667 winning percentage in American games.
The American is one of three conferences to have at least two top-10 RPI teams and has the third-best nonconference winning percentage (.623) among the 31 Division I conferences.
ECU cracked the top 10 in this week’s national polls, coming in at No. 7 on D1baseball.com’s list, No. 8 on Baseball America’s poll and No. 9 on the USA Today coaches’ poll after a series win at Washington. It marked the first series win in the West Coast for the Pirates. ECU was listed on all five national polls for the fourth straight week. The Pirates have won eight series this season after collecting its sixth shutout of the year to clinch the season series against Elon with a 3-0 win on Wednesday. RHP Chris Holba is 7-0 with a 1.33 ERA, while RHP Tyler Smith is 5-0 with a 1.11 ERA this year. Both starters’ ERAs are ranked within the nation’s top 20. ECU will host USF (21-12, 5-4) this weekend. The Pirates are 4-1 in their past five home games.
Wichita State (23-7, 3-3) joins ECU in receiving national attention, moving up to No. 20 on the D1baseball.com, NCBWA and USA Today polls. C Gunnar Troutwine hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning at Oklahoma State on Tuesday, as the Shockers overcame a five-run deficit to clinch the season series with a 10-7 win. The Shockers hold a 16-2 home record and host UConn this weekend.
The Huskies (17-10-1, 3-3) received votes in the NCBWA and USA Today polls this week after a chilly series win over No. 22 UCF (23-11, 4-5). UConn is coming off a 9-9 10-inning tie with Bryant on Wednesday.
Cincinnati catapulted to the top of the conference standings after sweeping Memphis (9-12, 1-8) at home last weekend. The 3-0 series marked the first time the Bearcats swept an opponent in two seasons. Cincinnati has won back-to-back series after taking two of three against Houston on March 30-31. Cincinnati split its midweek action at the Joe Nuxhall Classic this week, cruising past Wright State 11-1 on Tuesday and falling to Miami (Ohio) in the championship game on Wednesday. The Bearcats will head to Orlando for a series against UCF (23-11, 4-5) this weekend.
UCF most recently shut out its nation-leading eighth opponent of the year to split the season series with Miami (Fla.) after a 4-0 Wednesday night win. Starter Cre Finfrock threw five hitless innings and fanned seven batters.
Memphis had a strong start to the week, sweeping Arkansas State in a two-game series with a 4-1 win on Tuesday and a 6-3 win on Wednesday. The Tigers will host Baylor at FedExPark for a three-game series this weekend.
Houston remains at the top of The American’s standings entering Week 4 of league play after winning a tough series against USF. The Cougars are coming off a 1-0 win over Rice, as 2B Connor Hollis brought home the only run of the game in the seventh inning on a single up the middle. The Cougars’ Friday starter, LHP Trey Cumbie, has two complete games and the second-most strikeouts in the conference (63). Saturday’s starter, LHP Aaron Fletcher, holds the nation’s sixth-best ERA at 1.03 to lead The American and is coming off an eight-inning, 11-strikeout performance. Houston will head to Tulane (14-20, 4-5) over the weekend. The Green Wave is coming off a 4-3 Tuesday night walk-off win over New Orleans.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Tuesday, April 10
Cincinnati 11, Wright State 1 %
Wichita State 10, Oklahoma State 7
Houston 1, Rice 0
Memphis 4, Arkansas State 1
Tulane 4, New Orleans 3
Wednesday, April 11
UConn 9, Bryant 9 (10 Innings)
Stetson 5, USF 2
UCF 4, Miami (Fla.) 0
ECU 3, Elon 0
Memphis 6, Arkansas State 3
Miami (Ohio) 9, Cincinnati 8 %
Friday, April 13
UConn at Wichita State * - 4 p.m. (DH)
Cincinnati at UCF * - 6:30 p.m.
USF at ECU * - 6:30 p.m.
Baylor at Memphis - 7:30 p.m.
Houston at Tulane * - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 14
Baylor at Memphis - 3 p.m.
Houston at Tulane * - 3 p.m.
USF at ECU * - 4 p.m.
Cincinnati at UCF * - 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 15
USF at ECU * - Noon
Cincinnati at UCF * - Noon
Baylor at Memphis - 2 p.m.
UConn at Wichita State * - 2 p.m.
Houston at Tulane * - 2 p.m.
All times ET & subject to change
* conference game
%Joe Nuxhall Classic