USF Baseball Swept By Notre Dame, On Bubble For Big East Tournament
by Ken DeCelles on May 15, 2011 11:36 AM EDT
in USF Bulls Baseball
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USF baseball continues their freefall down the Big East standings after being swept by Notre Dame over the weekend.
The Bulls lost the opener to the Fighting Irish 8-0 on Friday. Randy Fontanez could only go two innings before being pulled due to an illness. He was shaky early on, giving up a two-run homer to Eric Jagielo in the bottom of the 1st, but retired the next five batters before being pulled. Zack Pietrzyk did a good job in relief of Fontanez, going scoreless for the next five innings. But Pietrzyk and Andrew Loynaz gave up a 6 spot in the 8th inning as the game got away.
The Bulls did not fare any better in the doubleheader on Saturday. USF had their best shot for victory in the first game, as they had a 5-4 lead going into the bottom of the 6th. Matt Reed and Jimmy Moran gave up five runs in the inning, including a monster three-run shot by Trey Mancini to give Notre Dame an insurmountable 9-5 lead. The Fighting Irish tacked on another run in the 7th to claim game one of the doubleheader 10-5. In the finale, the Irish busted out to a 6-1 lead and the Bulls could not get it any closer than 6-3.
Going into the final weekend of the season, the Bulls are in 9th place in the Big East standings, a half-game behind 8th-place Seton Hall and a full game behind 7th-place Louisville. USF will play a red-hot Pitt at the New Red, but will need to at least win the series against the Panthers, plus get some help from either Georgetown (playing Seton Hall) or Notre Dame (against Louisville) to have any chance to play in the Big East Tournament that USF is hosting over in Clearwater.
If they miss the conference tournament, this will probably be the end of the Lelo Prado era at USF.
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Anyone else tired...
of being “on the bubble”?
Twitter.com/SenatorGiggity
by SenatorGiggity on May 15, 2011 12:26 PM EDT reply actions
This is pathetic.
There’s no excuse for a Florida team to be this bad in a 12th-rated league where a roadie series in Louisville or Cincinnati is considered a “trip south.”
If Prado isn’t gone after this season, it would be the sound of USF Athletics saying they just don’t care. And schools don’t spend $8 million on new stadia to not care.
Editor, Voodoo Five, South Florida Bulls SBN Blog
The Toughest Blog in America
Saying Lelo is gone if we miss Clearwater is complete conjecture
There is nothing in the history of USF Athletics under Doug Woolard to assume that we’ll be making a move. That might happen, but I don’t see any reason to think it necessarily will, especially after Doug said earlier this year he hopes to get an extension with Lelo done.
I know everyone is frustrated with the quality of this team. They aren’t where they should be right now. But saying USF “doesn’t care” if they keep Prado as coach shows no depth of understanding. We’re making surface judgments, and none of us (even me, who gets to more home games than anyone here and follows the team closely at home and on the road) is plugged in enough to make those kind of assessments.
Even Champ Kind thinks we might be rushing it a bit here.
Editor, Voodoofive.com. The Toughest Blog In America.
Wow, you are really committed to the #whitehat.
This is exactly the same kind of team that got Eddie Cardieri fired five years ago. Couldn’t score runs, pitching did its best but fell apart at the end of the season, totally bottomed out by May. The 2006 Bulls lost 14 of their last 18 games.
Meanwhile, this team could conceivably end its season on an 11-game losing streak, which would tie the school record. It’s entirely Lelo’s team — he can’t blame Cardieri’s kids anymore. They’re in a TERRIBLE baseball league in an area crawling with talented players, and they’re going to finish below .500 for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, Lelo’s off saying things like this:
“From day one, the goal has been, and still is, Omaha, Nebraska.” – USF Head Coach Lelo Prado
Guess what, they aren’t any closer to that then they were when he got here. And if the reason for keeping him around is something like “I think he’s the best man for the job”, then you really aren’t looking hard enough. How many coaches would LOVE to take this job? The upside is incredible. It’s the complete opposite of the men’s basketball job.
Voodoo Five - South Florida Bulls SBN Blog
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by Jamie DeVriend on May 15, 2011 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Agree with you on all points... except one.
That we’re absolutely firing Lelo if we crap out here. It just hasn’t been the pattern of USF Athletics under Woolard to do those types of things. As for the difference between Eddie and Lelo, remember that Doug hired Lelo. That counts for something. What exactly I’m not sure, but you would think he has some belief in his ability to build and lead a baseball team.
I put that Lelo quote in the midsesason report I posted, and I agree, it’s farcical at this point. We are whatever unit of measure you’d like to use (country miles, light years, galaxies) away from being Omaha competitive. We should be a better baseball team than we are right now, there is no question. The kids we have currently can’t hit, the overwhelming majority of our starters are upperclassmen, and there isn’t one higher end MLB propsect on the roster. These are all deep problems.
But I just don’t think that A = B here, and that means Lelo is fired. That’s my only point. There are some excuses he can use (Barbosa being the biggest) to say he’s had some bad luck. And someone else might be inclined to see it from his point of view. I just think this:
If they miss the conference tournament, this will probably be the end of the Lelo Prado era at USF.
is a bit premature. That’s all I’m saying. It wouldn’t shock me if it happens, but by no means do I think it’s probable.
Editor, Voodoofive.com. The Toughest Blog In America.
by Collin Sherwin on May 15, 2011 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree that changing coaches isn't a certainty given USF's history.
But it sure as hell would be warranted. With the advantages of weather, crazy amounts of local talent, and a lower-rated conference, there is no excuse for USF being this bad in baseball for this long.
If the University of Minnesota joined the Sun Belt and finished 8th in ice hockey five years in a row, I bet they’d fire their coach.
Editor, Voodoo Five, South Florida Bulls SBN Blog
The Toughest Blog in America
Just thought with it being the last year of Lelo's contract that Woolard would do a clean break
The team is no better off than where it was 5 years ago when Prado was hired.
Voodoo Five
The Toughest Blog in America
by Ken DeCelles on May 16, 2011 9:40 AM EDT up reply actions
Isn't this the last year of Lelo's contract?
If so, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t the head coach next season, even if the team manages to salvage the minimum level of acceptability by making the BET.
There seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction with the job that has been done so far. And let’s not forget about the new stadium. The on-field product hasn’t exactly kept people coming back after the initial excitement wore off. The new facilities, combined with the local recruiting potential and what should be less competitive conference mates, make this a more attractive job than it was 5-10 years ago. I appreciate everything Coach Prado has done, but if there was ever a time to make a change, this might be it.
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