In the scheme of things athletic, it doesn’t get that much play. But you have to believe that the folks who call the shots at USF can’t be pleased with what’s going on with baseball.
USF still seems in over its head in the Big East in basketball. But then, the Big East is the toughest basketball conference in the country. The Bulls do hold their own in football, although that’s a nuanced way of saying they’re still under-achieving.
High school football is popular around here. Basketball less so. But baseball is year-round and big–just look at the legacy of Major Leaguers from Hillsborough County alone–from Wade Boggs and Dwight Gooden to Tino Martinez and Matt Joyce. Teams such as Alonso High and Jesuit are no strangers to national rankings. The Big East’s only Florida team should be a perennial conference baseball power.
So, it had to be as embarrassing as it was frustrating for USF, which debuted its new baseball facility this spring, to not even make it (as one of eight teams) to the Big East Conference post- season tournament this year. And it was held at Bright House Field–in Clearwater. (Seton Hall beat St. John’s for the championship.)
The Bulls finished 25-29 and 13-14 in conference play. This is the first time since 2004, when USF was in Conference USA, that the team failed to qualify for its conference tournament. The five-year contract of coach Lelo Prado, who had known considerable success previously at the University of Tampa and Louisville, is up this July.