Complete Notes |
Conference Stats
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Six American Athletic Conference baseball teams won their final midweek nonconference regular season game Tuesday, as The American will wrap up the 2019 conference slate this weekend. Seven of the nine conference teams have clinched a bid to The American Baseball Championship in Clearwater, Fla., from May 21-26, while USF and Wichita State will battle for a spot this weekend. Cincinnati closes the regular-season nonconference slate with a three-game series against crosstown rival Xavier, as the conference has combined for a 169-103 (.621) record against other conferences this season. The American enters the final weekend of the regular season with the fifth-best RPI ranking among the 31 Division I conferences.
No. 6 ECU won its first outright American regular season title last weekend after taking two of three games at Wichita State and will look to secure the most wins in conference play history with 20 when it welcomes Memphis to Clark-LeClair Stadium for its final conference series of the season. The Pirates have won all seven of their American series this year and became the fifth team in NCAA baseball to reach 40 wins this season after walking off against Campbell 4-3 Tuesday night. Tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Brady Lloyd’s squeeze bunt brought in the game-winning run.
UCF’s Dalton Wingo tied an American record with three home runs, as UCF held off Florida Atlantic in a 13-10 win Tuesday night. UCF capped its midweek regular season slate with a 14-1 record, including wins over No. 3 Florida, No. 14 Florida State, No. 17 Miami (Fla.) and Florida Atlantic (RV). Wingo ended the night 4-for-5 with six RBIs and three runs scored. He led five UCF batters with multiple hits, as the Knights pounded-out 17 on the night. UCF welcomes Houston to John Euliano Park this weekend for its final regular season series of the season starting Thursday.
Houston will look to bounce back after narrowly falling to Rice 2-1 at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas, Tuesday night. Houston received votes in the latest NCBWA and USA Today’s Coaches’ polls. The Cougars took two of three against second-place Tulane a week ago. Jared Triolo holds top marks for Houston in batting average (.323), on-base percentage (.412), hits (64), doubles (15) and runs scored (42).
Tulane is coming off an 11-1 seven-inning win over South Alabama in New Orleans Tuesday night. The Green Wave held South Alabama to two hits, while every player in their lineup contributed offensively, combining for 13 hits with six going for extra bases. The Green Wave’s offense continues to surge, as the team leads The American in 10 offensive categories this season. Tulane hosts UConn in its regular-season series finale this weekend.
Tulane junior third baseman Kody Hoese was named one of 25 semifinalists for the 2019 Golden Spikes Award Wednesday and one of 26 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy Thursday. Hoese has established himself as one of the most elite hitters in American history, leading The American with a .403 batting average, producing 85 hits with 19 doubles, 23 home runs, 60 RBIs and 67 runs scored, while slugging .820 with a .496 on-base percentage. His 23 home runs are currently tied for the most in the country and the most hit in conference history. Hoese also ranks in the top 20 in the NCAA in batting average, home runs per game, slugging percentage, runs per game, hits, runs, doubles and hits per game.
UConn head coach Jim Penders tied the Huskies’ all-time wins record Tuesday, earning his 556th career victory in a 5-4 win at Rhode Island. Closer Jacob Wallace leads the conference with 13 saves this season, holding a 0.84 ERA through 23 appearances out of the bullpen.
USF will spend its last week of the regular season at home, hosting Wichita State in a series that will determine the final spot in The American Tournament. The Bulls enter the last week tied with the Shockers for eighth place. Last year, Wichita State and USF split the set, as each team took a game before the series finale ended in a 9-9 tie. USF took two of three at UConn last weekend. Wichita State defeated Oral Roberts 4-2 on the road on Tuesday night. The Shockers are led by Luke Ritter (.330) and Jordan Boyer (.319) at the plate.
Memphis’ midweek finale was cancelled on Tuesday, as the Tigers wrap up conference play at first-place ECU this weekend. Freshman Hunter Goodman has established himself as one of the top rookies in the league, ranking top 10 in The American in hits (74), runs scored (48), home runs (11), RBIs (62), total bases (126) and slugging percentage (.589). His 62 RBIs rank first in the conference.
Cincinnati wrapped up its conference slate taking two of three at Memphis last weekend. The Bearcats defeated the Tigers 7-4 Friday and won 4-2 on Sunday, as closer Korren Thompson picked up a save in both victories. The Bearcats are currently third in The American and will await their final seeding at the end of the week. Cincinnati defeated Northern Kentucky 6-5 on Tuesday in front of a record crowd of 3,860 fans. Starter Garrett Schoenle earned the win after 5.0 innings with four runs, five hits, two walks and nine strikeouts, while Thompson earned his 10th save of the season in the ninth. Cincinnati finishes the regular season outside of conference play with a three-game series against Xavier. The two teams will wrap up the series at Great American Ball Park Saturday night after the Reds take on the Dodgers.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 16
Houston at UCF - 6 p.m.*
Xavier at Cincinnati - 6 p.m.
Memphis at ECU - 6:30 p.m.*
Wichita State at USF - 7 p.m.*
UConn at Tulane - 7:30 p.m.*
Friday, May 17
Houston at UCF - 6 p.m.*
Xavier at Cincinnati - 6 p.m.
Memphis at ECU - 6:30 p.m.*
Wichita State at USF - 7 p.m.*
UConn at Tulane - 7:30 p.m.*
Saturday, May 18
Memphis at ECU - 1 p.m.*
Wichita State at USF - 1 p.m.*
UConn at Tulane - 2 p.m.*
Houston at UCF - 6 p.m.*
Cincinnati at Xavier – 7:30 p.m.
All times Eastern and are subject to change
* Denotes conference game