Complete Notes |
Conference Stats
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – American Athletic Conference baseball teams will combine for nine midweek games before conference play begins over the weekend. The American went 27-10 against nonconference opponents last week, as seven conference teams are coming off series wins, including three weekend sweeps. The American outscored its nonconference opponents 131-77 through 30 games last weekend.
ECU (15-6), UCF (14-6), Tulane (13-7), UConn (11-6), USF (11-7), Houston (10-8) and Memphis (10-8) each own winning records heading into this week’s action. The Pirates continue to receive national recognition, with their highest ranking coming in at No. 14 from Baseball America, while UCF received votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s (NCBWA) and USA Today’s Coaches’ polls.
UConn (No. 14) and UCF (No. 20) are each featured in the top-20 of the NCAA’s latest RPI report. Only four other conferences (ACC, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC) have at least two schools featured in the top 20.
For a second-straight week, ECU sophomore lefthander Jake Kuchmaner was named National Pitcher of the Week by the NCBWA and Perfect Game/Rawlings on Tuesday. Kuchmaner also picked up back-to-back American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week nods and was tabbed as one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week.
Kuchmaner tossed the 28th perfect game in NCAA Division I history. He struck out eight batters, allowing no hits, runs, or walks in Sunday’s 3-0 win at Maryland to complete a weekend sweep of the Terrapins. Retiring all 27 hitters he faced, Kuchmaner recorded at least one strikeout in seven frames with two in the eighth.
ECU plays host to instate rival UNC Wilmington on Wednesday night before starting American play inside Clark-LeClair Stadium against UCF. Friday’s conference opener between the Knights and Pirates will be featured on the American Digital Network.
After playing 19 of its first 20 games at home, UCF will hit the road for a four-game swing, starting Tuesday night at No. 14 Florida State on the ACC Network Extra. The Knights took two of three against VCU over the weekend to win their fourth series of the year. The starting rotation had their best weekend of the season with 20 strikeouts and one walk over 19 innings of work. Last weekend, Tyler Osik, Ray Alejo, Matthew Mika and Dallas Beaver combined to hit .488 with 15 RBIs and 16 runs. Kyle Kemp has maintained a perfect ERA on the year. He has recorded 12 innings pitched with 19 strikeouts.
UConn is coming off a four-game sweep of Michigan State played in Greenville, S.C. The UConn bullpen allowed one run in 16.1 innings in the four game series. UConn scored 11 runs in the eighth inning during the series, as Mike Woodworth and Chris Winkel each drove in a team-high seven runs. The Huskies take on Virginia Wednesday. The midweek matchup will feature the two longest tenured coaching staffs in the country. UConn will then begin its conference slate with its ninth road game of the year at Houston.
USF swept its second weekend series of the year, taking three games against Dartmouth over the weekend. USF scored 27 runs and allowed just five in the series. Senior Joe Genord hit .529 to lead the Bulls through a 4-1 week. USF ranks 16th nationally with 1.17 home runs per game. Eleven different Bulls have hit a long ball this season. USF takes on North Florida Tuesday night before welcoming Cincinnati to Tampa to open conference play.
Houston won its fourth series of the season after taking two in a three-game series at Dallas Baptist in its first true road games of the year. The Cougars visit McNeese State Tuesday before hosting UConn over the weekend. Joe Davis leads The American and is tied for 11th in the nation in RBIs (27) and 12th outright in slugging percentage (.809). His eight home runs are tied for eighth nationally, while his .368 batting average is tied for seventh. Devon Roedahl leads The American in wins (3), each coming out of the bullpen.
Tulane wraps up a nine-game homestand this week when it faces Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday and Houston Baptist in a three-game series over the weekend at Turchin Stadium. The Green Wave outscored UC Riverside 30-12, taking two of three games to clinch its third series last weekend. Tulane leads the conference with a .312 batting average, .406 on-base percentage, .529 slugging percentage, 167 runs, 221 hits, 150 RBIs, 10 triples and 31 home runs this year. Koedy Hoese is batting .398 and slugging .783 with a conference-high 33 hits, nine home runs and 65 total bases.
In its final game before conference play begins, Memphis will take on Southeast Missouri State on the road Tuesday night. Starting off the year 0-3, the Tigers have won seven of their last 10 games, including taking two in a weekend-series against UNC Wilmington. Hunter Goodman continued to pace Memphis at the plate with a .429 weekend batting average. The rookie tallied eight RBIs, including four in Sunday's series-clinching victory. The Tigers head to Wichita State to open conference play this weekend.
Wichita State went 2-2 last weekend against Rhode Island, ending on a high note with a 5-1 win Sunday. The Shockers will stay at home for the next nine games, welcoming Kansas to Eck Stadium on Wednesday. Through 19 games, Wichita State has been paced at the plate by senior infielders Jordan Boyer (.435) and Luke Ritter (.400). Boyer currently ranks second in The American in hitting while Ritter is third. Ritter is riding a 31-game on-base streak dating back to last season and is on a nine-game hitting streak. Wichita State begins American Athletic Conference play with a three-game series against Memphis.
Cincinnati looks to bounce back after losing two in a three-game series against Niagara to conclude an eight-game homestand. Joey Wiemer leads Cincinnati at the plate this season, batting .286 with 20 hits. Nathan Kroger tossed 7.0 shutout innings and struck out eight batters in Cincinnati’s 5-0 win over Niagara last Saturday. The Bearcats take on Wright State for the second time this season on Tuesday. American Athletic Conference play begins this weekend with the Bearcats heading to Florida for a three-game series at USF.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
Tuesday, March 19
Cincinnati at Wright State - 3 p.m.
UCF at Florida State (ACC Network Extra) - 6 p.m.
USF at North Florida (ESPN+) - 6 p.m.
Memphis at Southeast Missouri - 7 p.m.
Houston at McNeese State - 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 20
UConn at Virginia (ACC Network Extra) - 4 p.m.
UNCW at ECU - 6:30 p.m.
Kansas at Wichita State (Cox) - 7 p.m.
Louisiana-Lafayette at Tulane - 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 22
UCF at ECU (ADN) - 6:30 p.m.
Cincinnati at USF - 7 p.m.
Memphis at Wichita State - 7 p.m.
Houston Baptist at Tulane - 7:30 p.m.
UConn at Houston - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 23
Memphis at Wichita State - 3 p.m.
Houston Baptist at Tulane - 3 p.m.
UCF at ECU - 4 p.m.
UConn at Houston - 7:30 p.m.
Cincinnati at USF - 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 24
UCF at ECU - Noon
UConn at Houston - 12:30 p.m.
Cincinnati at USF - 1 p.m.
Memphis at Wichita State - 2 p.m.
Houston Baptist at Tulane - 2 p.m.
All times Eastern and subject to change