Complete Notes
The American’s baseball teams will play their final midweek games and conclude their regular season slates this week. The final midweek nonconference games are scheduled for Tuesday, while the last conference series of 2018 will be played over the weekend. All eight bids to the 2018 American Baseball Championship have been clinched, as Tulane and Wichita State grabbed the final two spots last weekend.
After sweeping No. 18 UConn in a doubleheader last Friday, Houston earned a share of The American’s regular season title for a second-consecutive season with 16-8 conference record. The Cougars will have the top seed heading into the championship in Clearwater, Fla. from May 22-27. Three of the Cougars’ final four conference series were victories over ranked opponents. 3B Jared Triolo leads the league with 72 hits, and LHP Aaron Fletcher owns a conference-low 1.73 ERA. Fletcher is the reigning Pitcher of the Week and has received that honor three times this season—more than any pitcher in the conference this year.
The American enters the week with the fourth-best RPI in the nation and third-best nonconference winning percentage among the 31 Division I conferences at .642. Eight of the league’s nine teams are top-100 RPI programs, while The American is just one of five conferences with two top-20 RPI teams (alongside the ACC, Atlantic Sun, Pac-12 and SEC). ECU’s RPI ranking is No. 13, while UConn’s is No. 19.
UConn, ECU and Houston were each featured in numerous national polls this week. ECU extended its streak to nine-straight weeks in all five polls, making the top 10 for the fourth week this season. The Pirates received their highest ranking from D1Baseball.com at No. 9. For the first time this season, Houston joined ECU in making all five lists, receiving its highest ranking at No. 20 from Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. UConn has been in at least three national polls for a fourth-consecutive week with its top ranking coming from the NCBWA at No. 22.
ECU is still in contention for a portion of the regular season title after taking two of three against Cincinnati, clinching the series with a 6-5 walk-off win on Sunday. DH/OF Bryant Packard is batting a league-high .404 and has the third-longest hitting streak in the country at 28 games. ECU has won 12 of its last 13 nonconference games and will host its final home game of the regular season against Campbell on Tuesday before heading to UConn for its final conference series.
The American’s teams have had solid defensive outings this season and rank in the top 20 in multiple statistical categories. Both Cincinnati and Tulane are only two of 15 teams in the nation to turn a triple play this season. The Bearcats have also turned the most double plays in the nation with 61 and 1.22 per game this year. ECU owns the 20th-best fielding percentage in the nation at .978, while UCF is No. 11 in the country with a 3.19 ERA. The Knights also have the most shutouts in the nation with nine and have held teams to 7.09 hits allowed per nine innings, good for ranking third in the NCAA. USF is fifth in the nation with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings, fueled by southpaw ace Shane McClanahan who leads the nation with 15.06 strikeouts per nine innings.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE / RESULTS
Tuesday, May 15
Cincinnati 14, Ohio State 4 (7)
UCF at Jacksonville - Cancelled
UConn at Rhode Island – 3:30 p.m.
Campbell at ECU - 6:30 p.m.
USF at Florida Gulf Coast - 6:30 p.m.
Tulane at Louisiana - 7 p.m.
Kansas State at Wichita State (ESPN3) - 7 p.m.
UT Martin at Memphis - 7:30 p.m. %
Rice at Houston - 8:05 p.m.
Thursday, May 17
ECU at UConn * - 1 p.m.
USF at Cincinnati * - 6 p.m.
Tulane at UCF * - 6:30 p.m.
Houston at Southeastern Louisiana - 7 p.m.
Wichita State at Memphis * - 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 18
UConn at ECU * - 1 p.m.
USF at Cincinnati * - 6 p.m.
Tulane at UCF * - 6:30 p.m.
Houston at Southeastern Louisiana - 7 p.m.
Wichita State at Memphis * - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday May 19
Tulane at UCF * - 1 p.m.
ECU at UConn * - 1 p.m.
USF at Cincinnati * - 1 p.m.
Wichita State at Memphis * - 2 p.m.
All times ET & subject to change
* conference game
% Babe Howard Classic