April 15, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

DONS PLAY FOUR ON THE ROAD THIS WEEK: USF (21-14, 5-4 WCC) heads to Palo Alto on Wednesday for a mid-week match up with No. 10 Stanford (18-11-1) on the Pac-10. First pitch at Sunken Diamond is set for 6:00 PM. For West Coast Conference play this weekend, the Dons will make the 46 mile trek south to Santa Clara for a three game series at Stephen Schott Stadium. Friday's game against the Broncos (19-14, 5-4 WCC) is set for 7:00 PM, Saturday's first pitch is at 6:00 PM, and Sunday's game will begin at 1:00 PM.

NEXT UP FOR THE DONS: USF has a busy week coming up, with five games in six days. On Tuesday (4/22) the Dons host Sacramento State at Benedetti Diamond at 2:00 PM. Then, on Wednesday USF hops a bus to Fresno for a 6:00 PM game. For the weekend West Coast Conference series, the Dons host Portland at Benedetti Diamond. Friday will be a 3:00 PM start, with both Saturday's and Sunday's games begining at 1:00 PM.

SCOUTING REPORT - WEEK 9

GAME #36 - NO. 10 STANFORD CARDINAL (18-11-1)

SCOUTING STANFORD: The 2008 Stanford Baseball team is looking to return to its familiar spot among the top teams in the Pac-10 Conference and also get back to NCAA postseason action after its string of 13 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament came to an end during a difficult 2007 season that saw the Cardinal need a late season run just to finish 28-28 overall and 9-15 in the Pac-10. This year's club has plenty of reasons to be hopeful as the Cardinal will be an experienced group that returns many of the key components from last year's team. Stanford has a total of 29 players back in uniform from a year ago, including 13 of the 14 pitchers who saw action on the mound last season and seven position player starters. Leading the Cardinal at the plate, junior outfielder Sean Ratliff is batting .313 (36-115) with nine doubles, three triples, 11 homeruns, and 32 RBI. On the mound, sophomore right-hander Jeffery Inman is 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 36.1 innings. Head Coach Mark Marquess is in his 30th season at the helm for the Cardinal and has a 1253-608-6 career record.

TEAM COMPARISONS - 2008 SEASON STATS
Team	W-L	BA	RUNS	HITS	HR	RBI	BB 	ERA 	SO	OBA
USF 	21-14	.293 	219 	356 	16	201 	125	4.50 		222 	.266
STAN	18-11-1	.292	198	309	33	185	103	4.13		191	.272

LAST MEETINGS: at Stanford 4, USF 1 (2/20/07)

GAME #37-39 - SANTA CLARA BRONCOS (19-14, 5-4 WCC)

SCOUTING SANTA CLARA: After finishing the 2007 below .500 with a 27-29 overall record, and coming in fifth in conference at 9-12, Santa Clara began the year hoping their depth and veterans could lead to a better 2008. So far, so good, as the Broncos currently sit at 19-14, 5-4 WCC and are tied with USF for third in the conference standings. Five Broncos have at least 10 doubles, with three clocking in with 11. Leading the Broncos at the plate is sophomore infielder Jon Karcich who is batting .333 (41-123) with 11 doubles, eight homeruns, and 31 RBI. On the mound, freshman right-hander Thain Simon is 7-1, 1.48 ERA in 14 appearances (one start), with 35 strikeouts. Head Coach Mark O'Brien is in his seventh season at the helm for Santa Clara and owns a 185-182 overall record.

TEAM COMPARISONS - 2008 SEASON STATS
Team	W-L	BA	RUNS	HITS	HR	RBI	BB 	ERA 	SO	OBA
USF 	21-14	.293 	219 	356 	16	201 	125	4.50 		222 	.266
scu	19-14	.318	237	378	34	225	103	5.42		265	.301

LAST MEETINGS: SCU 4, at USF 3 (4/5/07); at USF 6, SCU 2 (4/6/07); SCU 10, at USF 6 (4/7/08)

WHO'S HOT FOR THE DONS:

Joey Railey MOVES UP HITS CHART: Senior second baseman Joey Railey is known to get a lot of hits. With a team leading 43 on the season, Railey now has 204 for his career, good for 9th place all time. He needs eight to pass Jason Howard (1998-03/211) for eighth place. Also, with 93 career walks, and counting, Railey is sixth all time on the walks chart. He needs just six more to pass John Mangiante (1980-83/98) for seventh place.

LIPKIN STILL LEADING ALL BATTERS: Sophomore catcher Ryan Lipkin is leading the Dons with a very impressive .394 batting average (39-for-99) in his first year on the Hilltop. Lipkin is also tied for second with eight doubles. On the year, Lipkin has one homerun, 11 RBI, 22 runs scored, and is 2-for-2 in stolen bases.

Stephen Yarrow SLAMS FIRST HOMERUN: Freshman Stephen Yarrow smashed his first career homerun as a Don in Friday's (4/11) game with No. 9 Pepperdine. With a runner on in the second inning, Yarrow homered to right-center, scoring the Dons only runs in the 11-2 loss.

Mitchell Bialosky RAISES HIS BATTING AVERAGE: Senior first basmen/RHP Mitchell Bialosky raised his batting average a full 20 points last week from .286 to .306 after hitting .467 (7-for-15) with a double and four RBI.

MORGAN LEADS IN RBI AND HOMERUNS: Senior right-fielder Kyle Morgan leads USF with 33 RBI and four homeruns in 35 games. Morgan is tied for second with eight doubles and earned his first triple in the 9-5 win over LMU (4/4).

KALOGRIDES IS DONS ERA LEADER: In 12 appearances, all in relief, sophomore right hander Alex Kalogrides leads all Dons with a 1.78 ERA and is 3-0. in 25.1 innings, Kalogrides has struckout 21 batters and oppenents are batting just .207 against him.

DONS EARN FIRST WIN AGAINST SAN JOSE STATE SINCE 2005 SEASON: Not since a 7-3 win at San Jose State on March 15, 2005 have the Dons beat the Spartans. The losing streak includes five games and two and a half seasons (2006 through the two teams first meeting of 2008). USF took a 4-2 come from behind victory at Municipal Stadium on April 9, 2008.

DONS SMASH 27 HITS VERSUS NO. 9 PEPPERDINE: Even though they were swept this weekend, the Dons still managed to get it done at the plate, punching 27 hits, including three doubles and a homerun, and scored 17 runs.

DONS WIN STREAK ENDS: USF may have been swept by No. 9 Pepperdine last weekend, but that can't dampen spirits after the Dons completed a super hot streak in which they won 13 of 14 games, including seven and six game win streaks. In the span, USF batted .339 with 41 doubles, five triples, seven homeruns, 96 RBI and 106 runs scored. The pitchers had a low 2.44 ERA with 102 strikeouts and held opponents to .203 batting. USF went 9-0 at home and 5-1 in conference.

HOME SWEET HOME: USF typically plays well at Benedetti Diamond, and after losing its 2008 home opener 8-6 to San Jose State on March 4th, the Dons have won 10 straight home games. At Benedetti Diamond this year, the Dons are batting .350 with 133 hits (36 doubles, five triples, and seven homeruns), and 85 RBI. Pitchers have a 3.00 ERA with 87 strikeouts and are holding opponents to a .202 batting average.

USF IN WEST COAST CONFERENCE STANDINGS: As a team, USF is second with a 4.50 ERA. Individually, nine Dons are among the top ten in 11 categories. Senior LHP Matt Baugh is first in both innings pitched (63.0) and complete games (2), sixth with a 3.71 ERA, and 10th with 39 strikeouts. Freshman LHP Matt Lujan holds three spots, including third in ERA (3.19), tied for third in complete games (1), and sixth in opponents batting average (.245). Sophomore catcher Ryan Lipkin is third with a .394 batting average and fifth with a .455 on base percentage. Junior RHP Evan Fredrickson also has two spots, coming in first with a .205 opponents batting average and third with 57 strikeouts. Senior right fielder Kyle Morgan (tied for seventh with 33 RBI), senior shortstop Tavo Hall (tied for fourth with 10 stolen bases), senior second baseman Joey Railey (tied for fifth with 21 walks), and freshman LHP Garrett Luippold (tied for third with 17 appearances) all have one spot in the charts.