Complete Notes |
Conference Stats
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The race to the top of The American’s baseball standings begins this weekend, as conference play opens Friday, March 22. The American enters league play with the fifth-best RPI ranking among the 31 NCAA Division I conferences, holding a 101-76 (.571) nonconference record.
ECU (15-6), UCF (15-6), Tulane (14-7), UConn (11-7), USF (11-8), Houston (10-9) and Memphis (10-9) all own winning records heading into American play. 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.
UCF (No. 18) and UConn (No. 21) are featured in the top-25 of the NCAA’s latest RPI report. Only five other conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC) have at least two schools listed in the top 25.
Four batters in The American are hitting .400 or better, including ECU’s Alec Burleson (.438), Wichita State’s Jordan Boyer (.435) and Luke Ritter (.405), as well as Tulane’s Kody Hoese (.400). Burleson also owns a 2.35 ERA through six appearances on the mound.
UCF heads to ECU for a three-game series to begin conference play. Friday’s conference opener between the Knights and Pirates will be streamed live on the
American Digital Network. The Knights are tied with the Pirates for the top nonconference record in The American heading into the opening weekend of league play. ECU leads the all-time series 34-14, coming out on top in the past four of five meetings.
UCF highlighted the conference’s midweek action with its third win over a ranked opponent this season. The Knights held off No. 14 Florida State on the road, 9-7, Tuesday night. UCF posted a six-run fifth inning, as Tyler Osik and Matthew Mika teamed up for four hits, five RBIs and three runs in the win. Osik is on a career-long eight-game hitting streak and a 19-game on-base streak. Kyle Kemp struck out the side in the ninth inning, including two punchouts with the bases loaded. He has fanned 22 batters over 13 innings this season with an ERA of 0.69.
The Pirates are coming off a weekend sweep of Maryland after their midweek clash against UNC Wilmington was rained out. Lefthander Jake Kuchmaner was named National Pitcher of the Week for the second-straight week after tossing the 28th perfect game in Division I NCAA history in Sunday’s 3-0 finale against the Terrapins. Kuchmaner struck out eight, retiring all 27 batters he faced. ECU holds a league-low 3.26 ERA, while owning the second-best offense in The American (.287 BA, .383 OB% and .433 SLUG%). Five hitters in the Pirates’ lineup are batting over .300, including Burleson, Spencer Brickhouse (.373), Lane Hoover (.364), Bryant Packard (.324) and Turner Brown (.313).
Wichita State (9-11) earned a 13-inning walk-off win over Kansas, 3-2, thanks to a solo home run from Hunter Gibson for his second long ball of the season. The Shockers will host Memphis in a three-game series at Eck Stadium to open conference play. Boyer and Ritter are among the two leading hitters in the league this season. Ritter is riding a 32-game on-base streak dating back to last season. Memphis has won six of its last eight games and has claimed its last three series. Memphis' 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings rank 10th nationally. The Shockers and Tigers meet in a three-game set for the second time in each program history.
It will be a battle between two of the conference’s 2018 NCAA regional teams when UConn heads to Houston for three games this weekend. Both the Huskies and Cougars look to rebound after Tuesday losses. Houston took two games in last year’s regular-season series against the Huskies. The Cougars have won six of their last eight heading into the weekend. Joe Davis is batting .347 with eight home runs, 27 RBIs and a .764 slugging percentage this year. Devon Roedahl is tied for the conference’s lead with three wins out of the bullpen this year.
UConn has played its first 18 games of the season on the road, sweeping Michigan State in four games in its most recent series last weekend. The UConn bullpen allowed one run in 16.1 innings in the four-game series, while its offense outscored the Spartans 42-13. Chris Winkel has recorded 10 RBIs in his last five games, while Anthony Prato has reached safely in 24-straight games.
USF welcomes Cincinnati (6-13) to USF Baseball Stadium for a three-game series to start conference play this weekend. The Bulls lead the all-time series against the Bearcats, 45-21, winning four of the last five meetings. However, Cincinnati took two of three games of the series in both 2017 and 2016. The Bearcats own one of the best fielding percentages in the nation (.980) and are led by Joey Bellini, who is batting .341 on the year. USF is led by Joe Genord, who is batting .348 to enter the weekend. Eleven different Bulls have hit a home run this year, combining for 21, which ranks 25th nationally. Cincinnati and USF are each coming off midweek losses.
Tulane defeated Louisiana 7-3 Wednesday and will close-out a 12-game homestand when it welcomes Houston Baptist to Turchin Stadium for three games this weekend. The Green Wave’s offense has been firing on all cylinders and leads The American with a .312 batting average, .408 on-base percentage, .533 slugging percentage, 174 runs, 231 hits, 45 doubles, 33 home runs, 10 triples and 157 RBIs. Tulane has reached double-digit hits in 14 games this season. Kody Hoese has 10 home runs, 34 hits, 23 runs scored, 69 total bases and is slugging .812 to lead the conference.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
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
*Denotes conference game