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Baseball falls in ninth for fourth straight loss
Taking a 1-1 game into the ninth inning, USF gave up a two-out, two-run single in a 3-1 loss to Seton Hall on Friday night for the Bulls' fourth straight setback.
USF (19-24, 10-6) got a quality start from ace Randy Fontanez, but stuck with him in the ninth inning, even after he walked and hit the first two batters in a tie game. Fontanez got to two outs with runners at second and third, but Seton Hall's Will Walsh hit a two-run single for a 3-1 lead. Seton Hall (15-22-1, 5-11), which got eight strong innings of three-hit ball from starter Joe DiRocco, got a perfect ninth from reliever Benny Mejia to close out the win.
Two of USF's three hits came from sophomore Daniel Rockhold, who leads the Bulls with 14 RBIs in Big East play. All four of USF's recent losses have come at home, and the Bulls get another shot at the Pirates at 7 p.m. Saturday, with the series wrapping up Sunday at noon.
-- USF women's golf won two major Big East awards, as Marci Kornegay was honored as Big East Coach of the Year, and freshman Shena Yang was named Freshman of the Year. Yang and teammate Rachel Edwards were unanimous selections to the All-Big East team. ... Read more
Grothe emotional about Bucs, return to football
TAMPA -- Perhaps five minutes into talking to reporters after his first football practice since September, Matt Grothe had to stop and collect himself, overcome with the emotion of a day in a Bucs uniform. ... Read more
Bucs' Morris impressed by Grothe's first day
Former USF quarterback Matt Grothe might not be with the Bucs beyond these three days of rookie minicamp, but head coach Raheem Morris said he's liked what he's seen of him so far.
"I was very impressed with Grothe," Morris said. "I unfortunately missed his local workout. I was able to see it on tape when I got back,and he was very impressive on that. Now, listening to him get into a huddle, you understand why he was in control of his team, why he was a guy over there at South Florida that ran the show. Just talking to him, he has the lingo of a quarterback, the mind of a quarterback, the personality of a quarterback.
"He lacks some size. I like picking on him a little bit. I told him to stand up when he was behind center. I like messing with my guys. You're talking about a sharp guy, a guy who has a lot of wins under his belt, a lot of yards. ... I can see why."
More from Grothe coming shortly ...
Pewter-and-red debut: Bucs get look at Grothe
TAMPA -- He faces long odds, to be sure, but former USF standout Matt Grothe is one of three quarterbacks working out at the Bucs' rookie minicamp, which started Friday afternoon at One Buc Place.
Grothe, wearing a red No. 6 jersey, looked comfortable running through early drills, going through calls and handoffs with former Mississippi quarterback Jevan Snead and former Texas Southern quarterback Bobby Reid. Snead is one of four quarterbacks under contract with the Bucs, while the other two passers are hoping to earn contracts after a strong showing this weekend. ... Read more
Busbee, Harris join Grothe at Bucs' minicamp
Former USF quarterback Matt Grothe isn't the only Bulls rookie hoping to land a free-agent contract with the Bucs this weekend -- tight end Ben Busbee and defensive lineman Aaron Harris have also accepted invitations to participate in Tampa Bay's rookie minicamp, which starts this afternoon at One Buc Place.
That makes a total of 11 players from last year's USF team that will be in NFL minicamps -- five players were drafted, two more signed free-agent contracts, and four are hoping to do the same with a strong showing this weekend -- receiver Jessie Hester is doing the same thing with the Lions.
We'll be over at One Buc this afternoon and should be able to bring notes, as well as the first pics of Grothe, Busbee and Harris in their Bucs uniforms. Will any of the three show enough to land a free-agent contract?
USF softball's skid reaches six straight
USF softball dropped a doubleheader at Villanova on Wednesday, putting the Bulls at 21-26 and one loss away from assuring them of a sub-.500 record for the regular season.
USF lost by scores of 8-4 and 6-1, leaving the Bulls 6-10 in Big East play, in a three-way tie for eighth and just one game out of last place. The Bulls have six games remaining, and only the top eight teams qualify for the Big East tournament -- USF needs to finish strong this weekend against Louisville (32-15) and next weekend at Georgetown (17-29) to lock up a spot in the tournament field.
The Bulls had solid hitting in the doubleheader, getting a combined 17 hits in the two games, but USF didn't have the pitching to stay in either game. Up 4-3 in the third inning of first game, USF gave up four runs in the fourth, and in the second game, the Bulls trailed 5-0 after three innings.
-- USF took a 14-7 home loss to Miami on Wednesday, finishing the season 0-6 against the Hurricanes and Gators, outscored 69-26. Without its strong weekend starters, the Bulls have had trouble keeping Miami's bats in check, giving up 15 runs in the first meeting and 14 on Wednesday. ... Read more
Freedom's Guy to walk on with Bulls
Former Freedom and Zephyrhills quarterback Tyler Guy confirmed this afternoon he'll join USF as an invited walk-on.
Guy, a 6-foot-6 three-sport ZHS standout who transferred last summer, said he'll initially work out at tight end -- the position he played as a ZHS freshman -- but could get a chance to take snaps as both a QB and punter.
"I'm pretty relieved," said Guy, who passed for 1,640 yards last season for Freedom, which finished 7-3 and made the Class 5A playoffs.
"I knew I had this opportunity. I had it when (Jim) Leavitt was there and then when Coach (Skip) Holtz came, (ex-Freedom) Coach (James) Harrell talked to him. ... Some small schools offered me some stuff, but I couldn't pass this up. ... It's a perfect situation."
A two-year starter for the Bulldogs, Guy abruptly lost his job last spring when new coach Jerrell Cogmon employed a triple-option offense for which Guy -- a pocket passer -- was ill-suited. Cogmon was fired months later before ever coaching a game when allegations of recruiting were uncovered.
As a junior, Guy threw for more than 1,400 yards. ... Read more
Poland adds another key piece to 2010-11 Bulls
USF made the signing of junior college guard Jawanza Poland official on Wednesday, which allows coach Stan Heath to talk about the fifth member of his incoming recruiting class, expected to challenge for a starting job next season.
"He's one of those guys that fell under the radar because he didn't play this year," Heath said. "That's good for us, because he has three years to play for us. He's a terrific athlete who could be a great defensive player. His upside and his ability to come in and help us right away are things we need."
Poland, 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, sat out this past season at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas -- he was one of five players who transferred from Cowley College to follow coach Steve Eck before the season, but only three of the five were granted waivers from Cowley.
Poland had committed to USF two days before signing day, then backed off, saying he wanted to open things back up. Heath made a visit to the family home in Wichita, Kan., last week and helped convince Poland that USF was the right place for him. ... Read more
Bowls: Big East renews in St. Pete, adds Liberty
The Big East has finalized its bowl lineup for the next four seasons, renewing its agreement with the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg and adding a new option with the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
The new lineup has affiliations for six bowls for the eight-team league, with three new relationships and four back from the last two years. Here's the new selection order:
-- The league champ remains an automatic berth for a BCS bowl
-- The Champs Bowl in Orlando, vs. an ACC opponent
-- The Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, also vs. an ACC opponent
-- The (new) New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York, vs. a Big 12 opponent
-- The Papajohns.com Bowl or the Liberty Bowl, vs. a Conference USA or SEC opponent
-- The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, against a Conference USA or Sun Belt opponent
The St. Pete game is entering its third year, and Big East commissioner John Marinatto said he has been pleased with its addition to the conference's postseason lineup. ... Read more
Links: Revisiting Selvie, draft from a year ago
Go back a year, and as the NFL draft gurus were wildly projecting the 2010 draft a year ahead, nearly all had USF defensive end George Selvie as a first-round pick. I feel a need to heap praise upon SI.com's Andrew Perloff, who nearly a full year before the draft, perfectly nailed Sam Bradford going to the Rams and Gerald McCoy going third to the Bucs. (Update: Coincidentally, Perloff has his super-early 2011 mock draft out. Congrats, Bucs fans, he has you picking No. 2. And NFLdraftscout.com's Rob Rang offers his.) ... Read more
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South Florida Bulls fans, you've come to the right place: the USF Sports Bulletin blog. Tampa Bay Times sportswriter Greg Auman, who covers USF, will post news and thoughts on the Bulletin, and we invite your participation in the comments area.
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