Complete Notes |
2018 Stats
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The road to Omaha begins on Friday, Feb. 15, as all nine American Athletic Conference baseball teams return to action for Opening Day of the 2019 season. American teams play a combined 28 games on Opening Weekend, including four matchups against top-five opponents. Six of the nine conference teams will begin their 2019 campaigns at home.
The American enters the 2019 season on the heels of one of its most successful campaigns with UConn, ECU, Houston and USF among the 64 teams that competed in the 2018 NCAA Baseball Championship. The conference’s four selections were the most since 2015 and tied for the fourth-most bids with the Big Ten and Pac-12 among the 31 NCAA Division I conferences. The league has had at least three NCAA tournament teams in each of the last four seasons with a team hosting a regional in four of the past five years.
The American ranked fourth among NCAA Division I conferences in conference RPI in 2018. The league has finished fourth in the RPI rankings for the past two years and has been a top-6 RPI conference for the past five seasons.
After winning its second conference tournament and becoming the third American team to host an NCAA regional, ECU was chosen to win the conference title in 2019. Finishing 2018 with a 44-18 overall record, the Pirates were listed in seven preseason national polls with its highest ranking at No. 11 from D1Baseball.com. ECU, which ended the season ranked No. 15 in the final NCAA RPI report, returns a core of starters to the lineup, including eight players who recorded at least 100 plate appearances.
Among the eight sluggers is All-America outfielder Bryant Packard, who garnered five preseason All-America nods in the offseason. Packard, the conference’s 2018 Player of the Year, had at least one hit in 32-consecutive games on the way to setting the league’s single-season batting average record at .406, which ended the year ranked sixth nationally. He also stood first in the American Athletic Conference in hits (89), slugging percentage (.671) and total bases (147) and was placed on the USA Baseball 2019 Golden Spikes Award Preseason watch list.
In addition to Packard, ECU brings back 2018 conference Rookie Pitcher of the Year Alec Burleson and first team All-Conference first baseman Spencer Brickhouse, along with three preseason All-Conference selections: junior righthanded pitcher Tyler Smith, junior lefthanded pitcher Jake Agnos and junior catcher Jake Washer. ECU led the league with 356 RBIs, 58 home runs, 393 runs scored and fewest walks allowed (170) in 2018. The Pirates open the season at home with a series against Radford.
Following its second NCAA regional appearance in three years, UConn prepares for a tough nonconference slate in 2019, beginning with a series against No. 4 Louisville in Lakeland, Fla. The Huskies play only 19 home games in their final season at J.O. Christian Field before moving into their new on-campus stadium. UConn, which received national recognition in three preseason polls, is set to play 37 games against 16 programs that finished 2018 in the top-100 of the RPI. Additionally, the Huskies face eight teams which reached the 2018 NCAA tournament.
The Huskies went 37-22-1 in 2018, earning 23 road wins to tie for the nation’s lead and set a program record. UConn ended the year ranked No. 20 in the final NCAA RPI report and returns All-America southpaw Mason Feole, who was voted Preseason Pitcher of the Year by The American’s coaches. Feole collected four All-America nods in the preseason and was featured on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason watch list. Feole finished his sophomore season with a 2.50 ERA, nine wins and 120 strikeouts through 16 starts and 100.2 innings pitched in 2018. He anchors a returning pitching staff that includes righthander Jeff Kersten, lefty Chase Gardner and relief pitcher Jake Wallace. Last year’s Rookie Position Player of the Year Isaac Feldstein, along with All-Conference shortstop Anthony Prato (.320 BA, 78 H and 11 2B) are among the experienced returners to the lineup for the Huskies.
Houston also received attention in multiple preseason polls after finishing 2018 with a 38-25 overall record, including a 16-8 conference record for its second outright regular season American title. Houston earned a bid to the NCAA Chapel Hill regional for its fourth postseason appearance in five years. The Cougars are 22-2 under head coach Todd Whitting during Opening Weekend and prepare for a series against Northwestern State.
Houston, which was picked second in The American’s preseason coaches’ poll, is led by junior third baseman Jared Triolo and senior designated hitter Joe Davis, who were both preseason All-Conference selections. Davis is batting .316 for his career with conference records of 229 hits, 35 home runs and 382 total bases. Triolo ranked third in the league with a .344 batting average and was second with 85 hits in 2018. Houston looks to replace two American Pitchers of the Year (Trey Cumbie and Aaron Fletcher), as it brings back righthanders Ryan Randel, Fred Villarreal and Carter Henry.
Coming off a historic year in which USF set single-season conference records in batting average (.296), slugging percentage (.464), doubles (147) and total bases (951), the Bulls will face four teams that played in NCAA regionals right out of the gate. The Bulls take on Samford, Florida, North Carolina and Florida State to start their season. Going 36-22-1 in 2018, USF earned its third NCAA regional appearance in four years. The Bulls return two of its top-five hitters from its 2018 lineup, including first baseman Joe Genord (.633 SLG%) and outfielder Kyle Phillips (.333 BA).
UCF finished its 22nd season with at least 35 wins following a 35-21 slate in 2018. UCF will start things off at John Euliano Park in a series against Siena. The Knights return the majority of their lineup, including All-Conference selections Dallas Beaver, Tyler Osik, Matthew Mika and Ray Alejo. UCF finished 2018 ranked first nationally with nine shutouts, seventh with 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings, ninth with a conference-record 109 stolen bases and 13th with a 3.32 ERA. UCF’s pitching staff returns 47 percent of the team’s total strikeouts from last year and includes senior starter Chris Williams, who held a 2.81 ERA through 15 appearances with 79 strikeouts in 2018.
Tulane enters its third season under head coach Travis Jewett, as the Green Wave is coming off a 25-33 season. Tulane returns four of its top five hitters from 2018, including first baseman Trevor Jensen (.306) and second baseman Jonathon Artigues (.303) who each hit over .300. Additionally, the Green Wave returns starters Keagan Gillies and Kaleb Roper to the pitching staff. The Green Wave opens 2019 with a three-game series at home against George Washington.
Wichita State embarks on its second season under The American’s banner, as the Shockers will play four games against three different opponents in Arizona to open its new campaign. Wichita State takes on Grand Canyon twice before playing No. 5 Stanford in a neutral game on Saturday. The Shockers end their weekend against Pepperdine on Sunday. Wichita State had an 18-4 start to its nonconference slate in 2018 and finished the season with a 35-21-1 mark. The Shockers are tasked with replacing nine draft picks from last year’s roster, including MLB’s No. 3 overall pick, Alec Bohm. Wichita State returns senior infielder Luke Ritter, who led the team with a .341 batting average and tied for the team lead with 76 hits in 2018.
Cincinnati head coach Scott Googins will start his second season with the Bearcats after a 13-year run at Xavier. Cincinnati had its best finish since 2011, evened out at .500 overall (28-28) and in league play (12-12). The Bearcats lost many key players from its 2018 squad to graduation or the MLB draft, but return four key position players to the lineup, including first baseman Eric Santiago and designated hitter Cole Murphy, as well as outfielders AJ Bumpass and Joey Wiemer. The Bearcats led the nation with 1.27 double plays per game and finished second in the NCAA with 71 double plays in 2018. Cincinnati starts off 2019 in a series at Florida Atlantic.
Memphis is coming off a 20-36 season and 5-19 mark in American play. The Tigers return third baseman Cale Hennemann, who led Memphis with a .299 batting average and two triples. He’s joined by first baseman Kyle Ouellette and shortstop Alec Trela, who combined for 70 RBIs in 2018. Two southpaws are set to anchor the pitching rotation: senior Hunter Smith and junior Chris Durham. The Tigers start their season at FedExPark against Indiana in a three-game series.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE:
Friday, February 15
Radford at ECU - 4 p.m.
Indiana at Memphis - 5 p.m.
Siena at UCF - 6 p.m.
Louisville vs. UConn - 6 p.m.
Cincinnati at Florida Atlantic - 6:30 p.m.
Samford at USF - 7 p.m.
George Washington at Tulane - 7:30 p.m.
Northwestern State at Houston - 7:30 p.m.
Wichita State at Grand Canyon - 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 16
Radford at ECU - 2 p.m.
Indiana at Memphis - 3 p.m.
Louisville vs. UConn - 3 p.m.
Cincinnati at Florida Atlantic - 4 p.m.
George Washington at Tulane - 5:30 p.m.
Grand Canyon vs. Wichita State - 6 p.m.
Siena at UCF - 6 p.m.
Samford at USF - 6:30 p.m.
Northwestern State at Houston - 7:30 p.m.
Stanford vs. Wichita State - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 17
Cincinnati at Florida Atlantic - Noon
Pepperdine vs. Wichita State - Noon
Samford at USF - 1 p.m.
Louisville vs. UConn - 1 p.m.
Radford at ECU - 1 p.m.
Siena at UCF - 1 p.m.
Northwestern State at Houston - 2 p.m.
Indiana at Memphis - 2 p.m.
George Washington at Tulane - 2 p.m.
All times Eastern and are subject to change