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Photo Credit: Minor League Baseball
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In 2024, the USF Bulls needed to win their final game to make the AAC Baseball tournament. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and with that, Billy Mohl was dismissed. That prompted athletic director Michael Kelly to make a change. It did not take long for him to replace Mohl with Mitch Hannahs. Hannahs came from Indiana State, where he helped the program win multiple conference championships. The fans were hoping that the team would be better, and from some experience, the fans showed up. The last three games were at home versus the East Carolina Pirates. The series ended with the Bulls’ seventh conference series win, taking two out of three over the Pirates.
This was the first time since 2021 that the USF Bulls beat the Pirates at Red McEwen Field. With the series win, it was the first time since 2018 that USF finished in regular and conference records that were over .500. The Bulls finished with an overall record of 29-23 and a conference record of 16-11. The 29 regular-season wins are the most since 2018, when they finished 36-33-1. The 16 conference wins are the highest since joining the AAC and the fifth most in program history. The Bulls finished third in the AAC and got the third seed in the tournament.
The two teams that finished in front of the USF Bulls were the UTSA Roadrunners and the Charlotte 49ers. The game that got them the third seed was closer than most hoped. USF jumped off to a great start with an RBI from Marcus Brodil, and Carlos Jacome scored an unearned run. The big inning came in the fourth when the Bulls scored four runs, including a two-run home run from Matthew Buffington. It was Buffington’s first home run of the season. In the next two innings, the teams would trade single runs. The winning run came from Jackson Mayo, who stole third and scored on a throwing error. That became important because the Pirates scored three runs in the seventh and one more in the ninth. The final score was 6-5.
The AAC Championship baseball tournament starts on Tuesday at 9 AM. The first game will be the fifth-seeded Tulane Green Wave and the fourth-seeded Florida Atlantic Owls. Game 2 starts 47 minutes after Game 1 and will feature the eighth-seed Rice Owls and the one-seed UTSA Roadrunners. The next game starts at 4 PM and will feature the seventh seed Wichita State Shockers and the number two seed Charlotte 49ers. Game 4 will take place 47 minutes after Game 3 and will feature a rematch with the sixth-seeded East Carolina Pirates and the third-seeded USF Bulls. The tournament will take place at BayCare Ballpark, home of the A-affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies in the Clearwater Threshers.
Can the USF Bulls win in round one and move on in the AAC Tournament? Leave a comment below.
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Author Profile
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Bradley Walker serves as the Director of Operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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About the Author
[…] Under a beautiful blue sky with a slight breeze, BayCare Ballpark hosted the first round of the AAC Baseball Tournament. The games started at 9 AM and ended shortly after 10 PM, a whole day of great baseball. The fans for all the teams were in attendance, and some of them were parents of the players. The four losing teams will play on Wednesday, and the four winners will play again on Thursday. In game 3, it was Wichita State vs Charlotte. Before you blinked, Charlotte was up 6-0 and the Shockers could do not do nothing right. The 49ers won 7-1, and it made it a long day for the Shockers with just one run on four hits. The final game of the day was the East Carolina Pirates vs the USF Bulls. […]