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Bulls bits

TAMPA -- South Florida has been picked to finish fourth in the Conference USA preseason baseball poll and Bulls shortstop Myron Leslie was named to the preseason all-conference team.

Tulane, the defending C-USA champion, was picked to repeat. The Green Wave was followed by Houston, C-USA newcomer East Carolina, USF, Memphis and Charlotte. The bottom half of the poll included TCU, another league newcomer, at seventh, followed by Southern Miss, Louisville, Cincinnati, UAB and Saint Louis.

USF was one of three conference teams that earned bids to the 2001 NCAA tournament. Tulane and Houston joined the Bulls in the field along with East Carolina, then a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.

Leslie, a freshman All-American according to two publications in 2001, will handle shortstop duties as a sophomore after spending his rookie season at third base. He was fifth among C-USA hitters and led USF with a .366 average last season. His .460 on-base percentage was fourth in the league and so were his 94 hits. The switch-hitter was 10th in the league with 36 walks.

"There's no question Conference USA is one of the top four or five leagues in the country," said USF coach Eddie Cardieri, whose team opens play with a two-game series against Stetson on Feb. 9 and 10 at Red McEwen Field. "I think we have the pitching, hitting and defense to be in the mix at the top of the league."

TRACK: USF freshman Bente General topped a field of 73 runners in the 800 meters at the Blue Heaven Rumble in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Jan. 26, winning in 2 minutes, 11.49 seconds. Her time was just 1.49 seconds off an NCAA provisional qualifying mark.

Other top performances for USF included senior Tara Quinn in the mile run and Amber Delpino in the 400 meters. Quinn was fourth in the mile in 4:58.88. Delpino finished fourth out of a field of 97 runners in 57.54.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: USF finished its four-game road swing with one victory and three losses.

The Bulls fell to Southern Mississippi, Louisville and Cincinnati while managing a 69-64 win at then-No. 23 Tulane.

The Bulls (12-8, 2-5 in C-USA) host Texas Christian tonight at 7 and Houston on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Sun Dome.

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