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USF hopes playing in a good conference and facing other state teams has prepared it for the regional at Florida State.
By PETE YOUNG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 30, 2002
Conference USA has bemoaned a perceived lack of respect from the NCAA in football and basketball.
Not in baseball.
South Florida and C-USA were big winners when the NCAA Tournament field of 64 was announced Monday. The conference, in its seventh season, earned five bids, surpassed only by the SEC's six.
"I've been saying this is a great baseball league and that people are going to find out about it. And it's starting to happen," said USF coach Eddie Cardieri, whose team plays No.2-seed Central Florida on Friday at the Tallahassee Regional.
"When (East Carolina) and TCU came into the league, I knew that we would have four or five teams every year."
The third-seeded Bulls (33-27), who finished seventh in C-USA and went 2-2 at the league tournament, wedged into the NCAAs for the ninth time in Cardieri's 17 seasons primarily on strength of schedule.
According to boydsworld.com, a web site that mimics the RPI rankings used by the NCAA, USF is No.37 and C-USA No.5. USF also has the state of Florida. A record-tying nine teams from the state were selected, and the Bulls played 17 games against Florida schools.
In all, the Bulls played 31 games against 11 NCAA teams.
USF hopes to parlay its accrued toughness into victories. The Bulls went 2-1 against UCF (40-20) this season, winning 9-4 in Tampa and splitting in Orlando, winning 9-5 and losing 6-2. The loss came in the most recent game, April23. UCF right-hander Bo Hall went the distance, striking out six and allowing seven hits. Only Jeff Baisley (3-for-4, triple, RBI, run), figured out Hall, who will start Friday.
"(Hall is) smart. He doesn't just go out and throw," Cardieri said. "I think we know what we have to do."
USF will start Leto graduate John Uhl (9-4, 3.42 ERA).
"It's vital to win that first game, and he's been our best guy," Cardieri said.
The rest of the staff had been erratic until last week when the Bulls received superb starts at the C-USA tournament from Jason Bartz (five innings, two earned runs) Ryan Gloger (six innings, two earned runs) and David Austen (9 innings, 6 strikeouts, 1 earned run).
Bartz, a right-hander, or Gloger, a left-hander, will start Saturday against top-seeded Florida State or Stetson.
The offense has been steady. Eight Bulls with at least 100 at-bats are hitting above .300. Baisley, a freshman third baseman, leads at .362 and 62 RBIs. He will play on a tender Achilles' that caused him to miss the last two C-USA tournament games.
While beating UCF is the immediate priority, toppling FSU is the ultimate challenge. The hosts are No.1 in the nation.
"They'll have that crowd, and that is very powerful," Cardieri said. "But it's baseball. Yes, it can be done. It's going to be a great challenge.
"The main thing is that we play a good game; play errorless ball, don't walk people, swing the bat the way you're capable. And all of a sudden, you've played a pretty good game, and you look up and you've won."