The 2012 season is over, but what a season it was for the USF baseball team. In 2011, the team finished just 25-29 (13-14) on the year, finishing 9th and missing the Big East tournament. This season, they put that behind them and finished with an outstanding record of 38-22 (17-10) making to the Big East tournament game (first time in program history). They had a major upset win over UF in Gainesville, played against the New York Yankees in the spring, and finished with an RPI of 64, just missing out on the NCAA tournament.
MVP award - While there are several players that have impressive resumes from this season, the winner of this award goes to sophomore outfielder James Ramsay. Ramsay, coming off of a freshman campaign where he batted just .250, had a break out season. Ramsay ended the year with a .339 batting average (led the team), had 9 doubles, 2 home runs, drove in 31 runs, and lead the team with 14 steals while playing terrific defense and anchoring the middle of the batting order. Ramsay was able to put all his skills together this season and was named 2nd team All Big East as well.
Cy Young - This award could be argued either way, but the winner of this year's award goes to Derrick Stultz (with all the respect in the world for Barbosa of course). Stultz missed the last two seasons with shoulder injuries, but he returned in style for his senior campaign. He ended the year with a record of 9-1 with an ERA of 3.29, being named to the 2nd team All Big East. He worked 87.2 innings, allowing 71 hits, 23 walks, and struck out 60 batters. Stultz became the number two punch behind Barbosa and gave the Bulls a great rotation that led them to the Big East title game.
Rookie of the year - Probably one of the biggest surprises this season was the rise fo freshman Kyle Teaf. At the start of the season, Chad Taylor was the starting short stop, but eventually moved back to the outfield and gave rise to Teaf who didn't look back when he won the job. He finished the season batting .259 with 1 home run, 6 doubles, 2 triples, drove in 16 runs and added 5 steals while playing the hot corner.
Most underrated player - While Stultz, Barbosa, and Lovecchio got all the talk in the USF rotation, it was Matt Reed who emerged as one of the most underrated player and came up big in some of the most pressure filled situations. Reed finished the year at 5-3 with a 2.76 ERA. He worked 78.1 innings, allowing 70 hits, 19 walks, and struck out 16 batters. While he didn't rack up the strike out totals like Barbosa, he did come up clutch in huge games. He was the starter in the friendly against the Yankees, he won the road game at UF, and helped win a double header vs. UCONN to get to the Big East title game.
What the team is bringing back for the 2013 season - The Bulls return a lot of star power from the 2012 team and a lot of young players that got their first taste of D1 baseball this season. Having so many young players that got playing time will be key to keep the team winning in 2013.
Starting with the pitching staff, the Bulls will return Joey Lovecchio, one of the key starters from 2012. With Lovecchio back, it will help the rotation, but there are holes. Nick Gonzalez returns and will probably be moved into the starting rotation (made spot start vs. UCONN in Big East tournament and won) and we might see Kyle Parker be brought in. There will be freshmen added in the offseason, but for now, this is what is returning for 2013 (from the current roster). In the bullpen, the Bulls will be strong with Austin Adams, Adrian Puig, Steven Leasure, Devin Smith, Janick Serrallonga, and Ray Delphey (pending his return from injury) to help anchor the back end of ball games.
In the infield, the left side of the diamond will be covered by rising freshmen Zac Gilcrease at 3rd base and Kyle Teaf at short stop. The 2nd base position might fall to Kyle Copack. At first base, there will be an open battle, but the Bulls have Jimmy Falla returning as well who can step in. Behind the plate, the Bulls return Blake Sydeski who started several games this season. The outfield is loaded with returning starters. Alex Mendez, James Ramsay, and Anthony Diaz are all returning and Chad Taylor will return as well (injury during the 2012 season).
What the team is losing for the 2013 season -The Bulls are losing a lot from their 2012 team that will have a direct impact in 2013. Three starters are leaving, Derrick Stultz, Andrew Barbosa, and Matt Reed are graduating, leaving the Bulls with some holes to fill in the rotation. Andrew Loynaz leaves the bullpen as well. The team is also losing 4 position players. Catcher Andrew Longley, 2nd baseman Luis Llerena, 1B Todd Brazeal, and 3B Daniel Rockhold are also leaving. This is a lot of power that is leaving the batting order and solid defensive players as well. The team has depth to fill the voids left behind, but it will be a challenge to make up for the arms and power of these seniors (could lose some to MLB draft, but won't know that for a little while at least).
Overall analysis of the season: I'll be the first to eat my words. At the start of the season, I predicted the team would win around 20 to 25 games. Looking at the pitchers coming off of injury and the questions in the batting order, it was, on paper, easy to jump to an early conclusion, but they proved me wrong (yes, I am a fan, opinions are allowed). The team won 38 games and nearly made it to the NCAA tournament, showing they could rebound after a down 2011 season. The pitchers like Barbosa coming off of injury were clutch, the young freshman like Teaf came through, and the power in the batting order showed itself with guys like Rockhold and Longley. It was a great season (wish they were still going) and the team returns a strong center for the 2013 season as they look to build off this season. With a winnable Big East, the Bulls will be right back in the title race.
2013 outlook - 2013 should be another strong season for USF. They have a strong nucleus of young stars returning and have veteran players returning as well. There are two question areas that are of concern, the rotation and the power in the batting order. The rotation is losing 3 starters and returns just one from the 2012 team. The team has options they can turn to, but there will be concerns entering the season. Then the other issue is replacing three of the top power hitters in the batting order. The team has a lot of contact power, but lacks some home run threats in there. The team will have to get better with runners in scoring position (might add in recruiting as well).
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