For the first time in two years, the University of Cincinnati will be playing a game on its campus. On Thursday night against UAB, the Bearcats will officially open their brand-new state-of-the-art baseball stadium. The facility will seat 3,000, including suites and other amenities that will make it one of the best stadiums in the country. The UAB-Cincinnati series is one of six matchups this weekend that will have affect on the conference title race or berths in the upcoming conference tournament.


HITTERS OF THE WEEK

ROB JOHNSON, HOUSTON
Junior, C/OF, Butte, Mont.
Johnson scored at least one run, recorded at least one RBI and produced two hits in each game of Houston’s series victory at Louisville. He finished the weekend 6-for-13 (.462) with four runs scored, while extending his hitting streak to 10 games. In Sunday’s series finale, Johnson produced his first multiple home run game and closed out the weekend with three homers and eight RBI.

BRIAN BOGUSEVIC, TULANE
Sophomore, OF/LHP, Oak Lawn, Ill.
Bogusevic hit .538 (7-for-13) with a 1.000 slugging percentage in a series sweep of Saint Louis. He posted a pair of three-hit games and had at least two RBI in each outing. Bogusevic gave Tulane the sweep with a walk-off grand slam on Sunday. He scored four times on the week, hit two home runs and drove in eight runs.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

KYLE SCHMIDT, USF
Junior, RHP, Palm Harbor, Fla.
Schmidt picked up two victories last week, while posting a 0.90 ERA over 10 innings pitched. On May 11, he threw four shutout innings against Stetson, allowing two hits and striking out two. On Sunday, he helped USF to a series win at UAB after allowing one earned run on five hits over six innings, fanning five and walking only one.


C-USA NOTEBOOK

CHARLOTTE
The 49ers dropped all three games of their series against No. 17 Southern Miss this past weekend. Senior RANDALL POPLIN connected on his tenth home run of the season against Southern Miss. He joins JAMIE RUSCO as 49ers with double-figure home run totals. This marked the first time Charlotte teammates have reached double-figures in home runs since 1998. Rusco’s 14 round-trippers is the fifth-best single-season total in school history. Poplin collected a season-high five RBI in the final home game of his career against Southern Miss. Freshman RHP ADAM MILLS is tied for the team lead in wins with four and has recorded 37 strikeouts with only 14 walks.

CINCINNATI
The Bearcats dropped three games at Memphis this past weekend, including one in extra innings and another by one run. Sophomore MARK MUSCENTI etched his name in the Cincinnati record books as he broke Kevin Youkilis’ record for career hit-by-pitch. With four HBP’s against Memphis, Muscenti now has 36, breaking Youkilis’ mark of 34. For the second time this season, the Bearcats hit back-to-back home runs, this time coming in the ninth inning of game two of Saturday’s doubleheader. UC’s JIM OLDS and DREW SAYLOR did the trick for the Bearcats, matching the accomplishment of JON DeLUCA and PAT LeMASTERS earlier this season. The home run by Olds was the first of his UC career. Senior STEVE PICKERELL accomplished a rare feat by blasting two home runs in UC’s eight-run fourth inning outburst at Ball State. One of Pickerell’s homers was the first grand slam of his career, while the other marked the 100th hit of his career.

EAST CAROLINA
East Carolina won its seventh straight Conference USA series last weekend and clinched at least a share of its first C-USA regular season title. The Pirates posted a 4-1 record last week, knocking off UNC Wilmington Tuesday, 3-0, and completing the season sweep of N.C. State Wednesday, 7-2. ECU took the first two games of the TCU series before having its record 22 game win-streak in C-USA play snapped on Sunday. Junior 1B RYAN NORWOOD set a new school record for doubles in a season with his 24th two-bagger on Saturday. Senior OF JAMIE PAIGE went 8-for-18 last week and added five stolen bases. ECU's pitching staff compiled a 2.00 ERA in five games last week, allowing 10 earned runs in 45 innings and striking out 36. Sophomore C JAKE SMITH hit his first two home runs of the season in the 14-3 win over TCU in the second game of the series. Junior OF DARRYL LAWHORN hit .571 in four games last week going 4-for-7 with three runs scored on one double and a home run as he slugged 1.143.

HOUSTON
The Cougars won two-of-three at Louisville this past weekend. Houston rallied with four runs in the top of the eighth inning in Sunday’s finale to take an 8-4 victory, marking the Cougars first win this season when trailing after seven innings. UH pounded out 19 hits in the series opener and had at least one hit in every inning. At one point in game two, the Cougars had recorded at least one hit in 18 consecutive innings, dating back to the series finale against Memphis on May 9. Sophomore C BRETT LOGAN and sophomore utility player KEVIN ROBERTS each tied UH single-game records with five hits on Saturday. Roberts had nine consecutive hits at one point with three against Memphis on May 9 and six straight at Louisville in Saturday’s twin-bill. Sophomore OF TRAVIS TULLY became just the fourth player in school history to record a 20-game hitting streak with an eighth-inning single on Sunday. Senior 1B THANOS PAPAVASILIOU became the 11th player in school history to pound out three doubles in a game on Sunday.

LOUISVILLE
The Cardinals dropped two-of-three games to Houston this past weekend. U of L won the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, 7-5, with a five-run eighth inning. Senior OF MARK JURICH hit a three-run homer to tie it and RON BRAUN won it with his team-leading fifth triple of the season that scored two runs. Jurich ranks in the league’s top five in home runs (18) and RBI (57), accounting for 35% of the team’s homers and 20% of the team’s RBI. In 16 games as Louisville’s leadoff hitter, he is batting .388 with 10 homers, 25 RBI and a .881 slugging percentage. Jurich has played every inning this season and has failed to reach base in only two games. Freshman SS CHRIS CATES was the Cards leading hitter last week, going 5-for-14 with a double and a pair of runs scored.

MEMPHIS
The Tigers secured a spot in the Conference USA Tournament with their 5-4 victory over Cincinnati Sunday. It will be the Tigers’ first trip to postseason play since they advanced to the semifinals of the 2001 C-USA Tournament. By finishing off the sweep of Cincinnati, the Tigers gave their head coach DAVE ANDERSON his 100th victory in three-plus seasons at Memphis. The sweep was the second for the Tigers in league play this season at home. Senior JARRETT GRUBE took part in his third league shutout in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader. Grube logged 7.2 innings and fanned 10 UC batters in the Tigers’ 3-0 extra-inning win over the Bearcats. The shutout was a C-USA-leading fourth in league play by the Tigers. Junior Bill Edwards held UC scoreless through six innings, allowing just two hits in his sixth league start of the season on Sunday.

SAINT LOUIS
The Billikens dropped three games at No. 13 Tulane over the weekend. Sophomore OF JOHNNY SWEENEY has hit safely in 12 of his last 15 outings and has two or more hits in seven games over that stretch. Junior PATRICK VALDEZ matched his career-high of three RBI with a career-best four hits in the series finale at Tulane on Sunday. He also had a pair of hits, including a double, in Saturday’s game. In the Billikens wood bat game against Southern Illinois on May 12, senior JOE BUEHLER struck out a career-high seven batters in just four innings. SLU’s next win will mark the 300th career victory for head coach BOB HUGHES.

USF
The Bulls won two-of-three at UAB over the weekend to close out a 3-1 week. USF opened the series with a 23-5 victory on Friday, reaching season-highs for runs scored and hits (22). Junior 3B JEFF BAISLEY went 5-for-6 with two RBI and five runs scored. The five hits tied the school record for hits in game. His five runs scored also tied the school mark for runs in a single contest. Junior C DEVIN IVANY (3-for-6) notched four runs scored and four RBI, thanks to a grand slam home run in the top of the fourth inning. Freshman RHP CASEY HUDSPETH picked up his eighth win of the season in the outing, striking out a career-best 10. His eight wins are the most by a USF freshman since Mark Roberts and Pat Ryan each won eight games in 1994 and he leads the team in strikeouts with 71. Hudspeth is tied for the league lead in victories in C-USA games with five. Junior OF BRYAN HIERLMEIER notched his 10th double of the season on Sunday to become the only USF player this season with 10 doubles and 10 home runs.

SOUTHERN MISS
Southern Miss swept a series at Charlotte over the weekend and has now eight straight Conference USA games, including five on the road. Sophomore 1B MARC MADDOX opened the series by hitting a pair of home runs in Friday night’s 11-4 win and then added a solo homer in Saturday’s 3-1 victory. Five of junior SS MATT SHEPHERD’s seven hits in the series were doubles. He had two doubles on Friday and Sunday and is tied with junior 2B JARRETT HOFFPAUIR for second place in C-USA with 23 two-baggers. The 23 doubles match the most by a USM player since Jeremy Schied hit 25 in 1998. Eight different Golden Eagle starters recorded at least one multiple hit game in the Charlotte series as USM finished with 42 hits in the series. Senior RHP AUSTIN TUBB registered saves in back-to-back games to become the school’s all-time leader in that category with 19. Freshman RHP PATRICK EZELL, who has been filling in for CLIFF RUSSUM as the team’s No. 1 starter for the past three weeks, now has a 66-9 walk-to-strikeout ratio. He has five wins and a 3.91 ERA.

TCU
The Horned Frogs dropped two-of-three games to No. 5 East Carolina in Kinston, N.C. this past weekend. Freshman OF AUSTIN ADAMS was the Frogs hitting star, registering back-to-back three-hit games on Friday and Saturday before hitting a three-run home run on Sunday that provided all of TCU’s runs in a 3-1 victory. Freshman CHAD HUFFMAN has hit safely in his last eight games, going 17-for-32 (.531) over that span. He leads all C-USA freshmen and ranks second in the league in batting (.405) and on-base percentage (.498), while leading the circuit in being hit by pitched with 19. Junior RHP CHAD UNDERWOOD made his first collegiate start on Sunday and moved into a tie with CLAYTON JEROME for the team lead in wins with seven. He held the league’s top hitting team to just three base hits in five innings, while striking out three. TCU pitchers have allowed a league-low 39 home runs this season.

TULANE
The Green Wave swept Saint Louis over the weekend and remain tied for second place in the C-USA standings. Sophomore P/OF BRIAN BOGUSEVIC, the conference’s Hitter of the Week, was also a star on the mound. He struck out a career-high 10 over eight innings to earn his eighth win of the year. He has struck out a team-high 74 batters with just 20 walks over 85 innings pitched this year. With six home runs over the weekend, Tulane has now hit at least one home run in each of the past seven games. The Wave has hit multiple home runs in nine of the last 12 outings. In his first season at Tulane, junior GREG DINI has started 36 games at catcher and leads the team with 10 home runs, 114 total bases and a .606 slugging percentage. He has added 14 doubles, 46 RBI and is batting .372.

UAB
UAB dropped two-of-three games to USF this past weekend, but leads Louisville by 1 ½ games for the final spot in the Conference USA Tournament. Junior reliever ERIC ROBERTS recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts against USF on Sunday. He allowed only one run on three hits through six innings of work against the Bulls. Roberts leads UAB in strikeouts (80) and appearances (31). Junior DH NATHAN McCORKLE led the Blazers at the plate last week, going 7-for-13 (.538) with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI. Senior IF DANIEL HILL also had seven hits last week, including a double and his team-leading 11th home run of the season. With 21 career homers, he has moved into ninth place on UAB’s all-time list. Junior RHP ADAM PRICE picked up his team-leading fifth win of the season on Saturday, nearly throwing a complete-game before Roberts came in and struck out Myron Leslie to pick up his fourth save of the year.


THE POLLS
East Carolina is the third C-USA program to reach the Top 5, joining Houston (2000) and Tulane (2001).

Baseball America (May 17)
1. Stanford (39-9)
2. Texas (46-10)
3. Rice (38-9)
4 Louisiana State (38-14)
5. South Carolina (39-13)
6. Miami (Fla.) (37-11)
7. EAST CAROLINA (45-8)
8. Long Beach State (36-13)
9. Mississippi (38-15)
10. Notre Dame (42-9)
11. TULANE (37-15)
12. Arkansas (35-18)
13. Florida (37-16)
14. Washington (32-16-1)
15. Texas A&M (38-15)
16. Oral Roberts (42-8)
17. SOUTHERN MISS (39-13)
18. Oklahoma (34-18)
19. Arizona State (35-13)
20. Virginia (40-11)
21. Georgia Tech (34-17)
22. Cal State Fullerton (33-20)
23. Georgia (35-17)
24. UCF (39-12)
25. North Carolina (36-15)

Collegiate Baseball (May 17)
1. Stanford (39-9)
2. Texas (46-10)
3. Rice (38-9)
4. EAST CAROLINA (45-8)
5. Miami (Fla.) (37-11)
6. Notre Dame (42-9)
7. Virginia (40-11)
8. Georgia (35-17)
9 Louisiana State (38-14)
10. Georgia Tech (34-17)
11. Long Beach State (36-13)
12. Mississippi (38-15)
13. Washington (32-16-1)
14. Oral Roberts (42-8)
15. Arkansas (35-18)
16. South Carolina (39-13)
17. Arizona State (35-13)
18. Florida (37-16)
19. North Carolina (36-15)
20. UCF (39-12)
21. Oklahoma (34-18)
22. Florida State (34-19)
23. Cal State Fullerton (33-20)
24. TULANE (37-15)
25. Wichita State (38-13)
26. SOUTHERN MISS (39-13)
27. Oklahoma State (32-18)
28. Clemson (32-21)
29. Texas Tech (34-17)
30. Texas A&M (38-15)


Sports Weekly/ESPN (May 17)
1. Stanford (39-9)
2. Rice (38-9)
3. Texas (46-10)
4. Miami (Fla.) (37-11)
5 Louisiana State (38-14)
6. South Carolina (39-13)
7. EAST CAROLINA (45-8)
8. Long Beach State (36-13)
9. Texas A&M (38-15)
10. Mississippi (38-15)
11. Notre Dame (42-9)
12. TULANE (37-15)
12. Arkansas (35-18)
13. Arizona State (35-13)
14. North Carolina (36-15)
15. Florida (37-16)
16. SOUTHERN MISS (39-13)
Virginia (40-11)
18. Wichita State (38-13)
19. Arkansas (35-18)
20. Oral Roberts (42-8)
21. Washington (32-16-1)
22. Georgia Tech (34-17)
23. Georgia (35-17)
24. Cal State Fullerton (33-20)
25. Florida State (34-19)

NCBWA (May 17)
1. Stanford (39-9)
2. Rice (38-9)
3. Texas (46-10)
4. EAST CAROLINA (45-8)
5. Miami (Fla.) (37-11)
6 Louisiana State (38-14)
7. South Carolina (39-13)
8. Notre Dame (42-9)
9. Mississippi (38-15)
10. Long Beach State (36-13)
11. TULANE (37-15)
12. SOUTHERN MISS (39-13)
13. Wichita State (38-13)
14. Oral Roberts (42-8)
15. Arkansas (35-18)
16. Washington (32-16-1)
17. Florida (37-16)
18. Texas A&M (38-15)
19. Georgia (35-17)
20. Oklahoma (34-18)
21. North Carolina (36-15)
22. College of Charleston (37-11)
23. Virginia (40-11)
24. Arizona State (35-13)
25. UCF (39-12)
26. Texas Tech (34-17)
27. Lamar (35-13)
28. Georgia Tech (34-17)
29. Florida State (34-19)
30. Vanderbilt (35-16)
31. Florida Atlantic (36-13)
32. College of Charleston (39-11)
33. Cal State Fullerton (33-20)
34. North Carolina State (31-19)
35. Oklahoma State (32-18)


C-USA TOURNAMENT UPDATE
Six teams have officially punched their tickets to the Conference USA Tournament after three more schools qualified over the weekend. Houston, TCU and Memphis have now joined East Carolina, Southern Miss and Tulane in guaranteeing a spot in Houston.

East Carolina has clinched at least a share of its first regular season championship and can clinch the title outright and earn the No. 1 seed in the tournament with just one more victory. Should ECU be swept by USM, the Golden Eagles would be the top seed if Tulane loses at least once at Houston. Should Southern Miss sweep East Carolina and Tulane sweep Houston, Tulane would be the top seed, Southern Miss would be the No. 2 seed and ECU would be the No. 3 seed.

The fight for the final two spots is down to four teams. USF needs just one win against Louisville to secure its spot in the tourney. UAB leads Louisville by 1 ½ games, but the Cardinals hold the tie-breaker should the two schools end up tied. Charlotte remains alive, but would need to sweep its series at TCU and get help from three other teams to gain a berth.

LEADING THE WAY
For the third straight week, East Carolina has the best overall record in Division I (45-8). Here’s a look at the top marks:

1. EAST CAROLINA 45-8
2. Oral Roberts 42-8
3. Notre Dame 43-9
4. Texas 46-10
5. Rice 39-9
6. Stanford 40-10


GREAT START
Former Cincinnati 1B Kevin Youkilis, a two-time Alll-Conference USA selection, was called up to the Boston Red Sox last Friday night. He made his major league debut at Toronto on Saturday and in his second at-bat he hit a towering home run into left field at SkyDome. Youkilis is now one of 15 former Conference USA stars playing in the big leagues and one of only three position players.

HOME RUN HAVEN
According to the NCAA Mid-Season Trends Report, Conference USA was the second-best home run-hitting league in the nation.

C-USA schools were averaging 1.08 home runs per game. Only the Sun Belt, with an average of 1.12 per game, was averaging more.

Currently, East Carolina leads the league with 91 home runs, followed by Southern Miss with 75 and Charlotte with 67.

Last season, just four players hit 15 or more home runs. Already this year, five players have reached that plateau. ECU’s Trevor Lawhorn leads the way with 20, followed by Ryan Frith of Southern Miss with 19. ECU’s Ryan Jones and Louisville’s Mark Jurich each have 18, while TCU’s Shelby Ford has hit 15.


LAST WEEK’ S STARS
Other than the players of the week, here’s a look at some of the top performances in Conference USA during the games of May 10-16.

HITTING
CIN – STEVE PICKERELL – in a win at Ball State on May 11, accomplished the rare feat of homering twice in the same inning. First homer was a solo shot and the second was his first career grand slam. Hit .357 (5-for-14) on the week with seven RBI.
ECU – JAMIE PAIGE – hit .444 (8-for-18) last week, including three multiple-hit outings. Had an on-base percentage of .583 and stole five bases in five attempts. Added a pair of RBI and scored five times.
MEM – CHAD HOUSE – produced the Tigers’ first four-hit game of the 2004 season in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader sweep of Cincinnati. Had seven hits on the week and added a double, a triple and an RBI with four runs scored.
USF – MIKE MACALUSO – batted .438 (7-for-16) with a team-high eight RBI and a team-best six runs scored. He had at least one hit and one RBI in each outing, hitting a double and a home run while adding a stolen base.
USM – RYAN FRITH – hit .615 (8-for-13) on the week, helping USM to a series sweep on the road. Had one double and one home run, while driving in three. Also reached base on a hit by pitch and an intentional walk.
TCU – AUSTIN ADAMS – was the hero of Sunday’s win at East Carolina, hitting a game-winning three-run home run. Was 7-for-12 (.583) on the week with a pair of three-hit games vs. ECU.

PITCHING
CIN – AARON MOLL – threw 9 shutout innings at Memphis in game one on Saturday, receiving a no-decision when UC lost in the 10th. Allowed just five hits and struck out five with just three walks.
ECU – BRODY TAYLOR – returned to ECU’s weekend rotation and earned his seventh win of the season. Held TCU to two runs on four hits while striking out five.
HOU – MATT VARNER – won his third straight game, taking the first game of the Louisville series. Allowed one earned run on four hits, while fanning three in picking up his team-leading seventh win of the season.
MEM – JARRETT GRUBE – combined with Corey Kines for a shutout against Cincinnati on Saturday. Struck out 10 batters while walking just two over 7 2/3 innings in game one on Saturday.
USM – PATRICK EZELL – threw seven shutout innings at Charlotte on Friday, allowing just three hits to earn his fifth win of the year. Struck out five and walked two, retiring 11 straight batters at one point.
TCU – CHAD UNDERWOOD – made his first collegiate start at East Carolina on Sunday, holding the Pirates to three hits over five scoreless innings. Struck out three and walked one while tossing just 66 pitches in the five innings.
TUL – DANIEL LATHAM – in his first collegiate start, threw seven solid innings against Saint Louis. Allowed three runs and eight hits, while striking out four and walking just one.


PSEUDO-RPI REPORT
Six Conference USA teams are ranked in the Top 54 of the latest Pseudo-RPI’s, as published by Boyd Nation (www.boydsworld.com). Here’s a look at where each C-USA school currently ranks (through games of May 16):

16. East Carolina
34. Southern Miss
40. Tulane
47. TCU
52. Houston
54. USF
81. Memphis
119. UAB
153. Louisville
164. Charlotte
217. Saint Louis
228. Cincinnati


FOUR NAMED HOWSER SEMIFINALISTS
Four Conference USA standouts have been named as semifinalists for the 2004 Dick Howser Trophy, given to the nation’s top collegiate baseball player. East Carolina’s Ryan Jones and Trevor Lawhorn are joined by Ryan Frith and Jarrett Hoffpauir of Southern Miss in receiving National Player of the Year consideration.

The Dick Howser Trophy, given in memory of the former Florida State University All-America shortstop and major league player and manager who died of brain cancer in 1987, is regarded by many as college baseball's most prestigious award. Criteria for consideration for the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage, qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser's life.

Conference USA’s four semifinalist selections tied for third among all Division I leagues. Only the SEC (6) and Big 12 (5) had more.

HEY NINETEEN
East Carolina had its school and Conference USA records for consecutive overall victories snapped at 19 with a loss to UNC Wilmington on May 4. Here’s a look at the longest win streaks in league annals:

19 East Carolina (3/27/04-5/4/04)
15 Tulane (4/14/01-5/12/01)
14 UAB (2/25/99-3/21/99)
14 USF (3/2/96-3/20/96)
13 UAB (2/11/03-3/4/03)
12 Southern Miss (3/1/97-3/19/97)

MORE ECU MARKS
Sunday’s 3-1 loss to TCU in Kinston snapped East Carolina’s consecutive league win record at 22 games. Here’s a look at the longest win streaks in league play:

22 East Carolina (3/27/04-current)
16 Houston (4/16/00-3/30/01)
14 Tulane (4/19/98-5/17/98)
13 USF (3/24/96-4/21/96)
12 Tulane (4/14/01-5/12/01)
12 Tulane (3/21/99-4/18/99)

DID YOU KNOW ?
Eleven of Conference USA’s 12 schools have now posted at least one win vs. a ranked team this season. Charlotte, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Louisville, Memphis, USF, Southern Miss, TCU, Tulane and UAB have all accomplished the feat.

UC’S NELSON NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Cincinnati first baseman Jack Nelson has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team for his success on and off the field. Nelson is a business management major carrying a 3.68 GPA. The sophomore ranks second on the team and 13th in Conference USA this season with a .358 batting average. Nelson was the only sophomore named to the 11-player first team and was one of four sophomores selected overall. His name will autmotically appear on the All-American ballot, with the teams being announced on June 1.



C-USA VS. RANKED FOES
Seven different Conference USA schools have combined to post 22 wins over ranked teams this season, five more wins than the entire total from last season. Here’s a look at this season’s wins:

Feb. 19 TCU 14, (35) Oklahoma State 6
Feb. 20 Houston 3, (14) Cal State Fullerton 2
Feb. 24 Charlotte 5, (11) Clemson 4
Feb. 27 TCU 6, (33) Texas Tech 4
Feb. 28 East Carolina 3, (11) Clemson 2 (11 inn.)
Feb. 28 TCU 8, (33) Texas Tech 5
Feb. 29 East Carolina 6, (11) Clemson 4
Feb. 29 Houston 4, (8) Long Beach State 2
Mar. 2 Houston 10, (25) Baylor 4
Mar. 6 Houston 10, (1) LSU 5
Mar. 6 Southern Miss 21, (33) Oklahoma State 5
Mar. 12 Tulane 5, (5) Arizona State 3
Mar. 16 USF 7, (6) Miami (Fla.) 2
Mar. 16 Houston 3, (4) Rice 2
Mar. 23 Southern Miss 8, (8) Mississippi 7
Apr. 6 Tulane 1, (2) LSU 0
Apr. 13 USF 10, (26) UCF 4
Apr. 20 TCU 5, (13) Oklahoma 4
Apr. 20 USF 6, (23) UCF 3
Apr. 20 Southern Miss 8, (6) Mississippi 4
Apr. 21 East Carolina 6, (28) N.C. State 3
Apr. 27 Southern Miss 6, (9) Mississippi 3

2004 HITTERS/PITCHERS OF THE WEEK
Conference USA names a Hitter of the Week and a Pitcher of the Week each week during the season. The award is selected by the Conference office and announced on Mondays.

HITTER OF THE WEEK
F16 Brett Cooley DH Houston
F23 Matt Shepherd SS Southern Miss
Sam Clark OF UAB
M1 Ryan Jones OF East Carolina
M8 Ryan Frith OF Southern Miss
M15 Marc Maddox 1B Southern Miss
M22 Chad Huffman IF TCU
Matt Barket OF Tulane
M29 Jarrett Hoffpauir 2B Southern Miss
A5 Trevor Lawhorn 2B East Carolina
A12 Ryan Norwood 1B East Carolina
Carlos Velasquez OF Southern Miss
A19 Jamie Paige OF East Carolina
Daniel Hill 1B UAB
A26 Tommy Manzella IF Tulane
MY3 Ryan Jones OF East Carolina
MY10 Daniel Hill 1B UAB
MY17 Rob Johnson C/OF Houston
Brian Bogusevic OF Tulane

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
F16 Greg Bunn RHP East Carolina
F23 Chase Lirette RHP USF
M1 Derek Hankins RHP Memphis
M8 Brett Cooley RHP Houston
M15 Cliff Russum RHP Southern Miss
M22 Casey Hudspeth RHP USF
M29 Clayton Jerome RHP TCU
A5 Derek Hankins RHP Memphis
A12 Brian Bogusevic LHP Tulane
A19 Dave Guntorius RHP Saint Louis
A26 Chad Underwood RHP TCU
MY 3 Derek Hankins RHP Memphis
MY10 Matt Varner RHP Houston
MY17 Kyle Schmidt RHP USF


2004 C-USA TOURNAMENT
The 2004 Conference USA Baseball Tournament will be held May 26-30 in Houston, Texas. The University of Houston will serve as the host for the event, which will be played at Cougar Field on UH’s campus. The championship game on Sunday, May 30 will be televised by affiliates of the Conference USA Television Network. This will be the first time that Houston has hosted the C-USA Tournament. However, Cougar Field played host to NCAA Regionals in 1999 and 2000, as well as an NCAA Super Regional in 2000. Southern Miss is the defending tournament champion.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, May 26
Game One 9:00 a.m
Game Two 12:30 p.m.
Game Three 4:00 p.m.
Game Four 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 27
Game Five 9:00 a.m
Game Six 12:30 p.m.
Game Seven 4:00 p.m.
Game Eight 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 28
Game Nine 3:00 p.m
Game Ten 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 29
Game Eleven 9:00 a.m
Game Twelve 12:30 p.m.
Game Thirteen (if necessary) 4:00 p.m.
Game Fourteen (if necessary) 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 30
Championship Game 1:00 p.m.



SERIES TIEBREAKERS
Here’s a look at who holds the edge in series tie-breakers this season (as of May 17):

East Carolina – over MEM, CHA, USF, CIN, LOU, HOU, SLU, TCU
Tulane - over ECU, CHA, CIN, LOU, USM, MEM, USF, SLU
Southern Miss - over HOU, USF, TCU, SLU, MEM, UAB, LOU, CHA
TCU - over MEM, HOU, CIN, USF, SLU, LOU
Houston – over UAB, CHA, SLU, CIN, MEM, LOU
Memphis – over LOU, UAB, USF, CIN
USF – over CIN, SLU, UAB
UAB – over TUL, CHA, TCU
Charlotte – over SLU, LOU, USF
Louisville – over UAB, CIN
Saint Louis – over CIN
Cincinnati – over CHA

MISSING YOU
With Conference USA playing a 30-game regular season schedule, each team will miss one team during the 2004 season. Below is a look at the series’ that will not take place this spring:
Charlotte-Memphis
Cincinnati-Southern Miss
East Carolina-UAB
Houston-USF
Louisville-Saint Louis
TCU-Tulane


C-USA TOURNAMENT TV SYDICATION
Here’s a look at where to find the championship game of the C-USA Tournament on television (as of May 17): Please note that additional outlets may be added in the coming weeks.

Charter Communications Information Network, Ch. 3 – St. Louis (Live)
· Distribution: Reaches 465,000 households in Missouri and Illinois.
College Sports Television (CSTV), DirecTV Ch. 610 – (Live)
· Distribution: Reaches nearly 15 million homes on DirecTV, Adelphia cable systems and Insight Communications cable systems.
Comcast Charter Sports Southeast (Live)
· Distribution: - Reaches 3 million homes in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Cox Sports Television - New Orleans (Live)
· Distribution: Reaches more than 600,000 households throughout Louisiana.
Fox Sports Net Chicago (Tape Delay on June 1st at 1:00 p.m.)
· Distribution: Reaches 3.8 million households throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
Fox Sports Net South (Time TBD)
· Distribution: Reaches 9.1 million households throughout Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
KTVS TV-38 – Albuquerque, NM (Live)
· Distribution: Reaches 712,000 in the Albuquerque area.
UNC Charlotte Cable Television, Ch. 22 – (Live)
· Distribution: Reaches 400,000 households in the Charlotte/Mecklenburg area.
WFTE-TV, UPN 58 – Louisville (Live)
· Distribution: Reaches 607,000 households in the Louisville area.
WXIV-TV, Ch. 14 - Greensboro (Live)
· Distribution: Reaches 800,000 households in the Greensboro, North Carolina and Roanoke, Virginia areas.

Total Potential Distribution: 38,684,000 households


NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Five different C-USA players earned National Player of the Week honors during the 2004 season, including Tulane’s Brian Bogusevic, who has earned it twice. A total of 38 have earned weekly national honors during the league’s first nine seasons.

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER/NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
M1 Derek Hankins RHP Memphis
M15 Cliff Russum RHP Southern Miss
MY17 Brian Bogusevic LHP/OF Tulane

NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BASEBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION
M1 Derek Hankins RHP Memphis
M8 Ryan Frith OF Southern Miss
M15 Cliff Russum RHP Southern Miss
A12 Brian Bogusevic LHP Tulane

COLLEGEBASEBALLINSIDER.COM REGIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
A1 Jarrett Hoffpauir 2B Southern Miss


TWO NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES WATCH LIST
Conference USA has two players that have been named to the official watch list for the 2004 Golden Spikes Award - as sponsored by USA Baseball in conjunction with the MLB Players Association. The Golden Spikes Award is given to the top amateur baseball player in America. ECU sophomore 2B TREVOR LAWHORN and USM junior IF JARRETT HOFFPAUIR are among the current candidates for the award.

FOUR NAMED TO JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST
Four Conference USA players have been named to the 2004 Johnny Bench Award Watch List, it was announced by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. Tulane’s BRIAN BORMASTER, USF’s Devin Ivany, Cincinnati’s STEVE PICKERELL and BRAD WILCUTT of Southern Miss were named to the initial list of 45 candidates for the award given to the nation’s top catcher. A list of 10 semifinalists will be announced on May 20, with the winner being announced on June 30.

NCAA ATTENDANCE RECORD SHATTERED
On March 11, Houston and San Diego State played in front of the largest crowd to ever watch a college baseball game. A crowd of 40,106, near capacity at 42,000-seat PETCO Park, was on hand at the brand- home of the San Diego Padres. That crowd shattered the old record of 27,673 set by Tulane and LSU in 2002. On April 27, Tulane and LSU played in front of 21,343 at the Superdome, the third-largest ever.

C-USA ON TV
Here’s a look at the remaining Conference USA baseball games that will be televised during the 2004 season:

C-USA Television Network
May 30 C-USA Championship Game 2:00 p.m.
CSTV: College Sports Television
May 30 C-USA Championship Game 2:00 p.m.


C-USA RADIO OUTLETS
East Carolina WGHB-AM (1250)
Houston KAXF-FM (88.3)
Louisville WAVG-AM (1450)
Memphis WUMR-FM (91.7)
Southern Miss WKNZ-FM (101.7)
TCU KTCU-FM (88.7)
Tulane WRBH-FM (88.3)

C-USA PRESS BOX PHONE NUMBERS
Charlotte (704) 687-3148
Cincinnati TBA
East Carolina (252) 328-4604
Houston (713) 743-0840
Louisville (502) 852-3601
Memphis Nat Buring - (901) 678-1301
AutoZone- (901) 722-0213
Saint Louis (314) 402-8655
USF (813) 974-3604
Southern Miss (601) 266-5684
TCU (817) 257-7966
Tulane (504) 862-8224
UAB (205) 934-0200


CONFERENCE USA BASEBALL HISTORY
In its first eight seasons, Conference USA has developed into one of the nation’s top college baseball conferences. Here’s a look at some of the league’s accomplishments:

· One College World Series appearance
· Four NCAA Super Regional appearances
· 23 NCAA Regional bids
· 147 players selected in the major league draft
· 49 victories over Top 10 non-conference opponents
· 24 wins over Top 5 non-conference foes
· 57 All-Americans
· 35 Freshman All-Americans
· 34 National Players of the Week