Names keep popping up, names keep dropping, so with the Final Four games just days away, cast your vote.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Mike Jarvis hopes to coach USF
Former St. John’s coach and current ESPN analyst Mike
Jarvis submitted an application to USF after Robert
McCullum was fired on March 10.
During a phone interview, Jarvis expressed his
interest in becoming the next men’s basketball coach
at South Florida. Here’s the interview in its
entirety.
Oracle: What kind of qualifications do you think it
will take to come to another Big East school? Do you
feel like a prime candidate for USF?
Mike Jarvis: Every school has different criteria for
selecting a coach. Honestly, the only person who could
answer that would be the athletic director (Doug
Woolard). I’m sure they’re looking for someone who’s a
proven coach and has been successful. I’m not sure
what other things are on their priority list, but
every coach brings something special to the table. It
really depends on what they are looking for at a
particular school.
O: Previously you were mentioned for other coaching
jobs, such as Miami. What draws you to USF?
MJ: I was asked when it opened up, if I would have an
interest and I basically said that I would. You have
to make a decision (about whether that) is something
you have an interest in and … when I was asked that
question, (I said) that I would. Nothing really much
has happened since then but there is not a whole lot I
can say about that position.
O: You had some success with St. John’s, but there was
some controversy. Do you think you’ve moved passed
that? Can (school) officials move past that?
MJ: I really would rather not talk about that or any
specifics at this time. But my record speaks for
itself. I’ve been a teacher and an educator for
30something years and have had incredible success on
and off the court. I have been the president of the
National Association of Basketball Coaches, have
coached the United States of America Basketball
(under-22 men’s team in 1993). I guess it would be
like asking a parent about something their kids did
once in their lifetime. I basically tell folks, ‘Hey
listen, when you me, look at my body of work and you
look at who I am.’ You can talk to anybody you want
and ask them what they think about me personally or
coaching wise. The honest to God truth is I let my
life speak for itself.
O: How badly do you want to get back into coaching?
MJ: I would love to coach again, but it would have to
be at the right place with the right people. If I can
find a special place — and that would be determined
primarily by the people who I am working for and what
their goals and missions were — then I would certainly
enjoy coaching again. But only under those
circumstances.
O: Would coming back to the Big East be one of the
situations you would like to be back in?
MJ: I don’t know. Honestly, it really wouldn’t be
about going back to one particular place or
conference. It’s really about being in a really,
really good and wholesome environment and working with
good people. That’s the main thing.
O: Have you seen the USF campus?
MJ: Yeah, I’ve been there. I did a game there, I did
the Syracuse game (March 14).
O: Did you like what you saw?
MJ: Oh yeah, it was a wonderful place. I mean, Tampa
is a great place. Whoever goes to coach there I’m sure
will be very, very happy living there. I’m sure they
are going to hire a good coach and a good person.
Whoever that is, I hope they do really well.
—Brendan Galella
Jarvis submitted an application to USF after Robert
McCullum was fired on March 10.
During a phone interview, Jarvis expressed his
interest in becoming the next men’s basketball coach
at South Florida. Here’s the interview in its
entirety.
Oracle: What kind of qualifications do you think it
will take to come to another Big East school? Do you
feel like a prime candidate for USF?
Mike Jarvis: Every school has different criteria for
selecting a coach. Honestly, the only person who could
answer that would be the athletic director (Doug
Woolard). I’m sure they’re looking for someone who’s a
proven coach and has been successful. I’m not sure
what other things are on their priority list, but
every coach brings something special to the table. It
really depends on what they are looking for at a
particular school.
O: Previously you were mentioned for other coaching
jobs, such as Miami. What draws you to USF?
MJ: I was asked when it opened up, if I would have an
interest and I basically said that I would. You have
to make a decision (about whether that) is something
you have an interest in and … when I was asked that
question, (I said) that I would. Nothing really much
has happened since then but there is not a whole lot I
can say about that position.
O: You had some success with St. John’s, but there was
some controversy. Do you think you’ve moved passed
that? Can (school) officials move past that?
MJ: I really would rather not talk about that or any
specifics at this time. But my record speaks for
itself. I’ve been a teacher and an educator for
30something years and have had incredible success on
and off the court. I have been the president of the
National Association of Basketball Coaches, have
coached the United States of America Basketball
(under-22 men’s team in 1993). I guess it would be
like asking a parent about something their kids did
once in their lifetime. I basically tell folks, ‘Hey
listen, when you me, look at my body of work and you
look at who I am.’ You can talk to anybody you want
and ask them what they think about me personally or
coaching wise. The honest to God truth is I let my
life speak for itself.
O: How badly do you want to get back into coaching?
MJ: I would love to coach again, but it would have to
be at the right place with the right people. If I can
find a special place — and that would be determined
primarily by the people who I am working for and what
their goals and missions were — then I would certainly
enjoy coaching again. But only under those
circumstances.
O: Would coming back to the Big East be one of the
situations you would like to be back in?
MJ: I don’t know. Honestly, it really wouldn’t be
about going back to one particular place or
conference. It’s really about being in a really,
really good and wholesome environment and working with
good people. That’s the main thing.
O: Have you seen the USF campus?
MJ: Yeah, I’ve been there. I did a game there, I did
the Syracuse game (March 14).
O: Did you like what you saw?
MJ: Oh yeah, it was a wonderful place. I mean, Tampa
is a great place. Whoever goes to coach there I’m sure
will be very, very happy living there. I’m sure they
are going to hire a good coach and a good person.
Whoever that is, I hope they do really well.
—Brendan Galella
Connecticut's Tom Moore interest in USF job
During a phone conversation with Connecticut associate head coach Tom Moore, he expressed interest in South Florida’s vacant coaching position.
Here’s the conversation in its entirety.
Oracle: Have you spoke with anyone from South Florida?
Tom Moore: No, not me directly, no. They made some phone calls early in the process to our athletic director. But I haven’t spoken with USF yet.
O: Have you been paying attention to the rumors (at USF)?
TM: Yeah, I heard (Winthrop’s) Gregg Marshall is no longer a candidate and that (John) Pelfrey (of South Alabama) is no longer a candidate. I’m not sure how much truth there is to that.
O: Are you at all interested in USF?
TM: Oh yeah, definitely. Yeah, definitely.
O: Can you talk about the potential of remaining in the Big East?
TM: I think any Big East job is a coveted job because of the history of the league on the national landscape. I think South Florida has great untapped potential because of the region of the country and the recruiting base. All those things make it an attractive job and I’m definitely interested in it.
O: What would it be like to establish a legacy here as opposed to becoming a coach at a place like Connecticut?
TM: Any time you get an opportunity where you get a chance to put your own stamp – it’s a unique challenge. With South Florida being new to the league and not having a Big East identity yet, I think whoever is fortunate enough to get the job has a real neat opportunity to put their own stamp on the program. I mean, in terms of the style of play and hopefully establishing a winning tradition within the league.
O: What is the interest in coming to USF as opposed to some of the previous offers you received?
TM: I think on a broader base it’s more about being a head coach in general. I’ve been blessed to be at a great program learning under a Hall of Fame coach (Jim Calhoun) who has won two national championship and been fortunate to work with so many future NBA players; it’s been an incredible learning experience here. I feel ready to go back to being a head coach. I’ve had opportunities to really look at some outstanding situations. The opportunities and potential at South Florida speak for themselves, actually.
O: Are you ready for a change of scenery down in Florida, maybe?
TM: Yeah, I mean my wife and I are up for anything if it’s a good situation, to be honest with you. I think the neat thing that UConn has afforded me is to meet people from all over the country because of the outstanding reputation of the program. It’s allowed me to build relationships with high school and AAU coaches from all over. We’ve been successful in recruiting from down south. We had Rashand Anderson, who I recruited from Lakeland High School. He helped us win a national championship and was a 1,000-point scorer for us. I think it could be a fit.
O: What impressions did you have from your previous visit to USF (on March 1, 2006)?
TM: We were only down there for a short amount of time. But it was very attractive and in a nice area. The facilities were nice and I think the weather and the climate are going to be attractive to a lot of kids. I think that’s a big part of the intriguing package.
— Brendan Galella
Here’s the conversation in its entirety.
Oracle: Have you spoke with anyone from South Florida?
Tom Moore: No, not me directly, no. They made some phone calls early in the process to our athletic director. But I haven’t spoken with USF yet.
O: Have you been paying attention to the rumors (at USF)?
TM: Yeah, I heard (Winthrop’s) Gregg Marshall is no longer a candidate and that (John) Pelfrey (of South Alabama) is no longer a candidate. I’m not sure how much truth there is to that.
O: Are you at all interested in USF?
TM: Oh yeah, definitely. Yeah, definitely.
O: Can you talk about the potential of remaining in the Big East?
TM: I think any Big East job is a coveted job because of the history of the league on the national landscape. I think South Florida has great untapped potential because of the region of the country and the recruiting base. All those things make it an attractive job and I’m definitely interested in it.
O: What would it be like to establish a legacy here as opposed to becoming a coach at a place like Connecticut?
TM: Any time you get an opportunity where you get a chance to put your own stamp – it’s a unique challenge. With South Florida being new to the league and not having a Big East identity yet, I think whoever is fortunate enough to get the job has a real neat opportunity to put their own stamp on the program. I mean, in terms of the style of play and hopefully establishing a winning tradition within the league.
O: What is the interest in coming to USF as opposed to some of the previous offers you received?
TM: I think on a broader base it’s more about being a head coach in general. I’ve been blessed to be at a great program learning under a Hall of Fame coach (Jim Calhoun) who has won two national championship and been fortunate to work with so many future NBA players; it’s been an incredible learning experience here. I feel ready to go back to being a head coach. I’ve had opportunities to really look at some outstanding situations. The opportunities and potential at South Florida speak for themselves, actually.
O: Are you ready for a change of scenery down in Florida, maybe?
TM: Yeah, I mean my wife and I are up for anything if it’s a good situation, to be honest with you. I think the neat thing that UConn has afforded me is to meet people from all over the country because of the outstanding reputation of the program. It’s allowed me to build relationships with high school and AAU coaches from all over. We’ve been successful in recruiting from down south. We had Rashand Anderson, who I recruited from Lakeland High School. He helped us win a national championship and was a 1,000-point scorer for us. I think it could be a fit.
O: What impressions did you have from your previous visit to USF (on March 1, 2006)?
TM: We were only down there for a short amount of time. But it was very attractive and in a nice area. The facilities were nice and I think the weather and the climate are going to be attractive to a lot of kids. I think that’s a big part of the intriguing package.
— Brendan Galella
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Woolard speaks: McCullum done at USF
The long-awaited decision has been made by Athletic Director Doug Woolard regarding the men’s basketball team, and the result shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise: Robert McCullum is out as the Bulls’ coach.
A fourth consecutive losing season under McCullum wasn’t going to cut it for Woolard, who wanted to see “significant improvement” this season, so McCullum was fired Friday with two years left on his six-year contract.
USF(12-18, 3-16) improved from its miserable 7-22, 1-16 season in Big East play a year ago, but it wasn’t significant enough, and for the second straight year, it wasn’t good enough for the Bulls to make it to the Big East Tournament.
I tried asking Woolard on Friday night a few different ways what it would’ve taken for McCullum to be retained, but he was firm with his answer that it wasn’t about this season only.
“When I stepped back and really reviewed the entire past four seasons, and I realized that our overall record was 40-76, our conference record was 10-54 and we only had one conference regular-season road win in four years, so it became apparent that we needed to be further along than that over a four-year stretch,” Woolard said over the phone. “There really wasn’t any single factor. It was just looking at the whole body of work over four years.”
Woolard spent part of last week at the Big East Tournament in New York City, and now he’s likely to head to some of the NCAA Tournament to try in fill a coaching opening in the toughest basketball conference in the nation.
The only player I could get a hold of Friday night who was willing to go on the record was senior Chris Capko, who appeared in 65 games at guard under McCullum. Capko already has his degree, and his college playing days are over.
But if he was returning to USF next season, he said he would’ve wanted McCullum back as his coach. Capko also said he wasn’t surprised with Woolard’s decision because McCullum told the team earlier in the week “the situation and how it was happening.”
“I’m biased toward coach because he was my coach for four years, but I can’t really say I’m surprised,” Capko said. “I would wish for him to be back, just because he was the guy who brought me here, and I’m all for him — the kind of program he runs, the way he manages us.”
Assistant coach Greg Gary also said he wasn’t surprised at Woolard’s decision, but obviously he was in favor of McCullum returning next season. Just like he said last week, Gary said Friday that if he had a son he would send him to McCullum because of the way he handles players in situations in basketball and in life.
“I feel very, very bad for coach McCullum,” Gary said. “He’s an unbelievable person, and I’m very disappointed for him.”
Go to The Oracle for the full story and to read Assistant Sports Editor Brendan Galella’s column about McCullum’s firing.
-- Kevin Smetana
A fourth consecutive losing season under McCullum wasn’t going to cut it for Woolard, who wanted to see “significant improvement” this season, so McCullum was fired Friday with two years left on his six-year contract.
USF(12-18, 3-16) improved from its miserable 7-22, 1-16 season in Big East play a year ago, but it wasn’t significant enough, and for the second straight year, it wasn’t good enough for the Bulls to make it to the Big East Tournament.
I tried asking Woolard on Friday night a few different ways what it would’ve taken for McCullum to be retained, but he was firm with his answer that it wasn’t about this season only.
“When I stepped back and really reviewed the entire past four seasons, and I realized that our overall record was 40-76, our conference record was 10-54 and we only had one conference regular-season road win in four years, so it became apparent that we needed to be further along than that over a four-year stretch,” Woolard said over the phone. “There really wasn’t any single factor. It was just looking at the whole body of work over four years.”
Woolard spent part of last week at the Big East Tournament in New York City, and now he’s likely to head to some of the NCAA Tournament to try in fill a coaching opening in the toughest basketball conference in the nation.
The only player I could get a hold of Friday night who was willing to go on the record was senior Chris Capko, who appeared in 65 games at guard under McCullum. Capko already has his degree, and his college playing days are over.
But if he was returning to USF next season, he said he would’ve wanted McCullum back as his coach. Capko also said he wasn’t surprised with Woolard’s decision because McCullum told the team earlier in the week “the situation and how it was happening.”
“I’m biased toward coach because he was my coach for four years, but I can’t really say I’m surprised,” Capko said. “I would wish for him to be back, just because he was the guy who brought me here, and I’m all for him — the kind of program he runs, the way he manages us.”
Assistant coach Greg Gary also said he wasn’t surprised at Woolard’s decision, but obviously he was in favor of McCullum returning next season. Just like he said last week, Gary said Friday that if he had a son he would send him to McCullum because of the way he handles players in situations in basketball and in life.
“I feel very, very bad for coach McCullum,” Gary said. “He’s an unbelievable person, and I’m very disappointed for him.”
Go to The Oracle for the full story and to read Assistant Sports Editor Brendan Galella’s column about McCullum’s firing.
-- Kevin Smetana
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Spring practice nearing
One thing that's always interesting about covering the baseball games will be the random -- though not really random because they're becoming more frequent -- coach Jim Leavitt sightings.
He loves baseball, as most of the in-depth fans know, and, as it has been said before by many publications: Leavitt was the Big 8 batting champ in 1976 at Mizzou.
Crazy, right? Well, Leavitt said tonight that the football team ran 40s on Monday, and it'll probably shock most of you who the fastest player on the team is.
Want to guess? Who would you think a receiver like Taurus Johnson or defensive backs Mike Jenkins or Trae Williams?
Nope, it's actually receiver Colby Erskin. Yeah, I know, Erskin. Leavitt said he ran a 4.23.
Leavitt said redshirt freshman Carlton Mitchell came in second with a 4.28. Impressive numbers and Leavitt says he really wants to work Mitchell into the offense, and with the departures of Ean Randolph and S.J. Green, Mitchell looks to really move up the ladder and compete for a starting job.
And for those you haven't heard anything about the highly-touted running back Mike Ford in a while, he clocked in a 4.66, which, Leavitt said, impressed everyone since the cousin of senior receiver Amarri Jackson weighs in at 220 pounds.
One thing that Leavitt pointed out was amount of coaching changes that not only USF has had this offseason, but Miami and FSU as well. The Bulls have added four new coaches -- two hires and two grad assistant promotions -- FSU had five including Lawrence Dawsey being hired at the same position for the Seminoles, and the Hurricanes, obviously, outright fired Larry Coker.
Leavitt said he was excited about his new coaching staff and that everyone has been clicking during workouts. More importantly, as we discussed that he takes a daily run around campus, Leavitt, as always, is ready to get back to practice.
Should be an interesting spring.
-- Mike Camunas
He loves baseball, as most of the in-depth fans know, and, as it has been said before by many publications: Leavitt was the Big 8 batting champ in 1976 at Mizzou.
Crazy, right? Well, Leavitt said tonight that the football team ran 40s on Monday, and it'll probably shock most of you who the fastest player on the team is.
Want to guess? Who would you think a receiver like Taurus Johnson or defensive backs Mike Jenkins or Trae Williams?
Nope, it's actually receiver Colby Erskin. Yeah, I know, Erskin. Leavitt said he ran a 4.23.
Leavitt said redshirt freshman Carlton Mitchell came in second with a 4.28. Impressive numbers and Leavitt says he really wants to work Mitchell into the offense, and with the departures of Ean Randolph and S.J. Green, Mitchell looks to really move up the ladder and compete for a starting job.
And for those you haven't heard anything about the highly-touted running back Mike Ford in a while, he clocked in a 4.66, which, Leavitt said, impressed everyone since the cousin of senior receiver Amarri Jackson weighs in at 220 pounds.
One thing that Leavitt pointed out was amount of coaching changes that not only USF has had this offseason, but Miami and FSU as well. The Bulls have added four new coaches -- two hires and two grad assistant promotions -- FSU had five including Lawrence Dawsey being hired at the same position for the Seminoles, and the Hurricanes, obviously, outright fired Larry Coker.
Leavitt said he was excited about his new coaching staff and that everyone has been clicking during workouts. More importantly, as we discussed that he takes a daily run around campus, Leavitt, as always, is ready to get back to practice.
Should be an interesting spring.
-- Mike Camunas
Was it smack talk?
Thanks to ChiTownBull on The BullsPen for posting this and bringing to my attention.
A story from the Gainesville Sun pulls a quote from my game story for the USF/UF game on Feb. 27, and references a Maruszak (spelled Maruszack in the Sun) quote that I got following the 10-5 loss.
I asked Maruszak about missing an opportunity to really solidfy the 9-1 start wasn't a fluke and he said he felt the team did. And whether he was just mad after the loss or was geniune — which I feel he was because I haven't talked a USF player that is tired of hearing about Florida's dominace of the state media — the quote probably wasn't necessary smack talk, just how Maruszak felt the game should have played out.
I actually think both Florida and USF are pretty evenly matched in baseball. Neither is a powerhouse this year, but I give USF the edge with experience on its pitching staff, espeically if Friday night start Danny Otero can get out of the current funk he's in.
I'll post the quote for those who missed it:
"We're a better team than that club right there," Maruszak said. "Florida has the big name and everything - we're a much better team than them. When we get them next time in regionals, if they make regionals, if we play them, we're going to beat them. That's a guarantee."
Here's a link to my orginal game story from the 27th:
http://media.www.usforacle.com/media/storage/paper880/news/2007/02/28/Sports/Bulls.Miss.Out-2748248.shtml
And here's a link to the Gainesville Sun story, which I actually think is just a notebook.
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/GATORS16/70306009/-1/sports
Geez, and no byline credit on the quote either. Where's the love from the Sun?
— Mike Camunas
A story from the Gainesville Sun pulls a quote from my game story for the USF/UF game on Feb. 27, and references a Maruszak (spelled Maruszack in the Sun) quote that I got following the 10-5 loss.
I asked Maruszak about missing an opportunity to really solidfy the 9-1 start wasn't a fluke and he said he felt the team did. And whether he was just mad after the loss or was geniune — which I feel he was because I haven't talked a USF player that is tired of hearing about Florida's dominace of the state media — the quote probably wasn't necessary smack talk, just how Maruszak felt the game should have played out.
I actually think both Florida and USF are pretty evenly matched in baseball. Neither is a powerhouse this year, but I give USF the edge with experience on its pitching staff, espeically if Friday night start Danny Otero can get out of the current funk he's in.
I'll post the quote for those who missed it:
"We're a better team than that club right there," Maruszak said. "Florida has the big name and everything - we're a much better team than them. When we get them next time in regionals, if they make regionals, if we play them, we're going to beat them. That's a guarantee."
Here's a link to my orginal game story from the 27th:
http://media.www.usforacle.com/media/storage/paper880/news/2007/02/28/Sports/Bulls.Miss.Out-2748248.shtml
And here's a link to the Gainesville Sun story, which I actually think is just a notebook.
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/GATORS16/70306009/-1/sports
Geez, and no byline credit on the quote either. Where's the love from the Sun?
— Mike Camunas
Monday, March 05, 2007
The right baseball story
Inadvertantly, the wrong baseball story ran in Monday's edition of the Oracle.
The situation was brought to my attention this morning, and to correct it, we should have the story posted online at www.usforacle.com by the afternoon.
Here's the story on the blog to read as well.
Sorry to inconvience any of our readers.
— Mike Camunas
Bulls drop two of three to Central Michigan
By Mike Camunas, Sports Editor
Call it six hours and 55 minutes of disappointment.
Actually, it was the whole series with Central Michigan.
The Bulls, coming off a blown-lead loss to Florida on Tuesday, lost two of three games to the Chippewas, including splitting Sunday’s doubleheader.
USF (10-4) lost 18-7, then won 19-9 to Central Michigan (4-5). But following the 9-1 start, one of the best in team history, coach Lelo Prado calls the three games — in which the team gave up 33 runs, committed 10 errors and saw two starting pitchers get rocked for 14 combined earned runs — a “total disappointment.”
“That’s what this whole weekend was,” Prado said. “I mean, I’m proud of them for coming back (in the second game) and scoring 19 runs. Friday night we played terrible … and in the first game today, we battled a little, but our pitching was awful.”
In the first game, the usual Friday night starter Danny Otero (3-2) pitched 6 1/3 innings, but gave up seven earned runs, including a three-run fifth. After starting the season with a 0.41 ERA, the senior transfer from Duke’s ERA has ballooned to 2.70.
Otero got pushed back to a Saturday start, but then became the Game 1 starter when rain forced the Bulls to schedule the doubleheader.
“Otero is supposed to be our stud,” Prado said. “He’s got to pitch better than what he did, because if he doesn’t, then we’re in trouble.”
Junior starter Chris Delaney didn’t fare any better an hour after the 18-7 drubbing by the Chippewas. Delaney (2-0) lasted just two innings — but in the second, the Tampa native gave up seven runs, including a grand slam by Central Michigan designated hitter Scott Szpyrka.
Prado also wasn’t happy with the number of errors committed.
“The errors were awful,” Prado said. “(Shortstop Walter) Diaz has got to get better. (Third baseman Addison) Maruszak has got to get better. We drop fly balls — if they can’t make the plays, we’ll find someone who can.”
The Bulls, as Prado saw it, found few bright spots over the three games against a Chippewa team that lost only 23 of 58 games last season.
First baseman Brandin Daniel continued to swing a hot bat, going 6-for-12 with six RBI and a home run, and centerfielder Joey Angelbeger hit two home runs and went 4-for-10 with six RBI.
“Daniel has been on the ball all year. We expect him to do that for us,” Prado said, adding that Angelberger “still has to wake up out there. … A junior needs to play smarter to play at this level.”
Added Angelberger, “Yeah, this (series) was a big letdown. … A lot can happen in baseball. You’re going to make errors, but we let them snowball. One will run into another and into another. We just have to move past them.”
Daniel, who is batting a team-high .420 with more than 45 plate appearances, agreed the team will make errors from time to time, but has to concentrate more to stop the errors from recurring each inning.
“I really can’t say what (the errors are from),” Daniel said. “You get a bad hop, you misread the ball — stuff happens.”
Prado wasn’t happy with the errors Sunday, but he was even less pleased with his players, and he has said before if the job doesn’t get done, then he’ll find someone else who can do it.
“We won’t be satisfied with winning one out of three games,” Prado said. “We won’t accept it, or we’ll get new baseball players.”
The situation was brought to my attention this morning, and to correct it, we should have the story posted online at www.usforacle.com by the afternoon.
Here's the story on the blog to read as well.
Sorry to inconvience any of our readers.
— Mike Camunas
Bulls drop two of three to Central Michigan
By Mike Camunas, Sports Editor
Call it six hours and 55 minutes of disappointment.
Actually, it was the whole series with Central Michigan.
The Bulls, coming off a blown-lead loss to Florida on Tuesday, lost two of three games to the Chippewas, including splitting Sunday’s doubleheader.
USF (10-4) lost 18-7, then won 19-9 to Central Michigan (4-5). But following the 9-1 start, one of the best in team history, coach Lelo Prado calls the three games — in which the team gave up 33 runs, committed 10 errors and saw two starting pitchers get rocked for 14 combined earned runs — a “total disappointment.”
“That’s what this whole weekend was,” Prado said. “I mean, I’m proud of them for coming back (in the second game) and scoring 19 runs. Friday night we played terrible … and in the first game today, we battled a little, but our pitching was awful.”
In the first game, the usual Friday night starter Danny Otero (3-2) pitched 6 1/3 innings, but gave up seven earned runs, including a three-run fifth. After starting the season with a 0.41 ERA, the senior transfer from Duke’s ERA has ballooned to 2.70.
Otero got pushed back to a Saturday start, but then became the Game 1 starter when rain forced the Bulls to schedule the doubleheader.
“Otero is supposed to be our stud,” Prado said. “He’s got to pitch better than what he did, because if he doesn’t, then we’re in trouble.”
Junior starter Chris Delaney didn’t fare any better an hour after the 18-7 drubbing by the Chippewas. Delaney (2-0) lasted just two innings — but in the second, the Tampa native gave up seven runs, including a grand slam by Central Michigan designated hitter Scott Szpyrka.
Prado also wasn’t happy with the number of errors committed.
“The errors were awful,” Prado said. “(Shortstop Walter) Diaz has got to get better. (Third baseman Addison) Maruszak has got to get better. We drop fly balls — if they can’t make the plays, we’ll find someone who can.”
The Bulls, as Prado saw it, found few bright spots over the three games against a Chippewa team that lost only 23 of 58 games last season.
First baseman Brandin Daniel continued to swing a hot bat, going 6-for-12 with six RBI and a home run, and centerfielder Joey Angelbeger hit two home runs and went 4-for-10 with six RBI.
“Daniel has been on the ball all year. We expect him to do that for us,” Prado said, adding that Angelberger “still has to wake up out there. … A junior needs to play smarter to play at this level.”
Added Angelberger, “Yeah, this (series) was a big letdown. … A lot can happen in baseball. You’re going to make errors, but we let them snowball. One will run into another and into another. We just have to move past them.”
Daniel, who is batting a team-high .420 with more than 45 plate appearances, agreed the team will make errors from time to time, but has to concentrate more to stop the errors from recurring each inning.
“I really can’t say what (the errors are from),” Daniel said. “You get a bad hop, you misread the ball — stuff happens.”
Prado wasn’t happy with the errors Sunday, but he was even less pleased with his players, and he has said before if the job doesn’t get done, then he’ll find someone else who can do it.
“We won’t be satisfied with winning one out of three games,” Prado said. “We won’t accept it, or we’ll get new baseball players.”
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