University of South Florida Baseball Club

---

University of South Florida Baseball Club
File:USF Club Baseball Logo (NCBA).jpg
Information
Affiliations	University of South Florida
League	National Club Baseball Association
Location	Tampa, Florida
Ballpark	Huggins-Stengel Field
Year founded	2013
Nickname(s)	Bulls
President	Tyler Rossback
Website	http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/campus-rec/sport-clubs/index.aspx
Uniforms
Home Road Throwback

The University of South Florida Baseball Club is a university sports club from the University of South Florida that participates in the National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) intercollegiate baseball league. Founded in 2013, the club offers all students at the university's Tampa campus an opportunity to play competitive, college-level baseball in a casual and friendly environment. The club operates under the direct supervision and funding of the Sports Club Office of the University of South Florida and is not affiliated with, or related in any way to the official NCAA USF baseball team.

History

The original USF Baseball Club team shortly after their inaugural game.

In the summer of 2013, a graduating senior named Tyler Prado founded the baseball club as a way for students to continue their baseball careers through college. As the son of USF's baseball manager at the time, he was inspired by the many dozens of talented ballplayers that were turned away at the yearly NCAA walk-on tryouts to create an environment where they could play on a competitive level without the stress and demands of the NCAA team. In the official articles of creation, Prado wrote:

"The purpose of The Baseball Club shall be to provide an orgnanization wherein the experienced and inexperienced baseball players may enjoy and participate in the sport of baseball...By embracing the physiological and psychological benefits of baseball, this club will hereby strive to enhance the physical and mental well being of all its members."

The club's constitution was drafted with the assistance of the Sports Club Office and was ratified on June 3rd, 2013. Tyler Prado served as the club's first president.

The baseball club's first game was played on February 15th, 2014 against the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Baseball Club. The game, dubbed "The Battle of the Bay", was played in front of a crowd of roughly 100 people at Al Lang Stadium, with St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman giving a speech and throwing out the first pitch. Dylan Benedict, who would go on to become one of team's longest-tenured players, started on the mound for the visiting Tampa club. The St. Petersburg squad made a late surge to take the first matchup in nine innings of play. The game was intended to be an annual tradition, but exterior pressures prevented rematches in the years to follow.

Prado's efforts to join a formal league, the National Club Baseball Association, in 2014 were unsuccessful, and the team settled for five more games with USF-St. Pete at Huggins-Stengel Field to flesh out the team's spring exhibition schedule. Under interim manager Alex Haines, the club would lose to their cross-bay rivals in each of the remaining contests, giving the team a record of 0-6 in their debut season. Tyler Prado left the team following his graduation, leaving the fledgling program to Haines.

Under President Haines in the summer of 2014, the club formally joined the NCBA in their DII competition level, and was placed in a division with opponents such as University of Florida, University of Central Florida, College of Coastal Georgia, Stetson University, Florida Gulf Coast University, and University of South Florida St. Petersburg Baseball Club.

Early Years

A picture of the 2017 club following a win against the University of Florida in Ocala, FL.

In its infancy, the baseball club went through cycles of participation. Traditionally, the beginning of the fall semester would bring a relatively large number of people to the initial practices, which would then decline throughout the semester as the lack of fall games dissuaded fringe members, leaving behind a steady core that would maintain throughout the spring season.

As the team became more organized following its admission to the NCBA, uniform modifications and standardized practices were introduced by the successive presidents, leading to more realistic expectations for club members from season to season. The club's sophomore season in the spring of 2015 was shortened to twelve games following a scheduling error with the NCBA, but the team still produced a 5-7 record, playing most of their games at Huggins-Stengel Field and Campbell Park in St. Petersburg, Florida. A lukewarm 2016 season followed in a similar fashion, with scheduling woes shortening the Bull's season to just twelve games (more than twenty were planned) for a 4-8 record. Pat Walther, a classic five-tool centerfielder, led the team in most statistics during these years. In March of 2016, the club participated in the NCBA Spring Training Showcase in Plant City, FL, where they faced University of Illinois and University of Wisconsin in a special exhibition series.

The team experienced a renaissance following the appointment of President Bryan Rosenberg in the fall of 2016, as he implemented presidential policies and a managerial style that more closely reflected the club's original purpose. Led by talented acquisitions such as graduate student Max Needham and Taiwanese import Mike Chang, the club made a genuine run at a division title battle with the mighty FGCU team before mid-season injuries to key players slowed them down. The baseball club settled for a division record of 7-5, their first winning season in club history.

File:2018 USF Club Baseball Management.jpg

2018 Club Management. From left to right: Tyler Rossback, Chad Wien, Jarrett Tilton, Bryan Rosenberg

In 2018, the club went 16-12 (12-3 conference) in its most successful season to date. Past, present and future collided in the team's first place finish, as longtime veteran Mitchel Geron teamed up with the slugging Chang and newcomers Chad Wien and Conlan Hale to decimate the Dixie South Region. The team went 1-2 in the regional tournament in Peachtree City, GA, being ultimately defeated by their bitter rivals, the University of Central Florida.

Structure

Although the club operates under the supervision and guidance of the USF Sports Club Office, it is self-governing and its executive board officers are either elected or appointed following the end of each school year. The executive board consists of the President, Vice President, Treasurer and Risk Manager, all of whom typically double as the captains of the actual baseball team. Historically, the President of the club is also an active player-manager, and is entitled to make decisions regarding scheduling, lineup creation, fund allocation, and on-field decisions. 100% of the club's membership must be current USF students, but associate members such as alumni, faculty and the spouses of current club members are allowed to join under special circumstances. According to NCBA rules, only men who attend the university full-time and have not played baseball professionally or exceeded their years of eligibility are able to play in official NCBA games. However, any registered student at the university can join practices, workouts and serve special roles on the team.

In the spirit of its original purpose, the club has never held an official tryout session, and judges each player's level of dedication, skill and work ethic by their entire body of work and attendance. The team has both a general roster, which contains everyone who comes to practices regularly, and a travel roster, which contains everyone who is expected to play in the weekend games. In the event a member on the travel roster is injured, or if the travel roster loses too many players, players are added from the general roster at the discretion of the club President. The travel roster typically contains around twenty players.

Official team communication is relayed through the GroupMe mobile app, the team's Facebook page, and the GameChanger baseball management program.

Ballparks

Since the club's inception, they have been barred from using the on-campus USF Baseball Stadium for their practices, workouts, and home games. Drills and workouts have traditionally been held at the campus intramural softball complex on weekday nights, and nearby Temple Terrace Little League is used for full field and batting practice on the weekends. The team has historically alternated between Campbell Park, which sits across Interstate 375 from Tropicana Field, and Huggins-Stengel Field for their home games, depending on availability. In the fall of 2017, Huggins-Stengel Field, a former spring training home of the New York Yankees, was officially chosen as the exclusive home of the USF Baseball Club.

Past Presidents

Tyler Prado (Founder): August 2013 - May 2014

Alex Haines: May 2014 - May 2015

Alex Maldonado: May 2015 - May 2016

Connor Tomlinson: May 2016 - September 2016

Bryan Rosenberg: September 2016 - May 2018

Tyler Rossback: May 2018 - Present

Notable Players

Dylan Benedict, the club's ace, throwing in his last game against FGCU on April 8th, 2017

Dylan Benedict, a former Florida International University pitcher, served as the team's premier starting pitcher for its first four years, throwing several shutouts and a no-hitter against the College of Coastal Georgia during that time. The sidewinder was nationally recognized for his stats and accomplishments and was generally feared by NCBA opponents. He holds most of the team's career records for pitching, including strikeouts, wins, and hit by pitches (HBP).

Patrick Walther, as mentioned above, led the team in all categories during his three years of service, and holds most of the team's career and single-season offensive records. He also played stellar defense, stole bases uncontested, and provided a cannon outfield arm that has never truly been matched. Along with Dylan Benedict and Mitchel Geron, Walther was one of the team's first great stars.

Mitchel Geron, an accounting major, played on the team for five years as a second baseman and centerfielder and compiled an impressive offensive resume that ranks among the greats in club history. Despite nagging injuries that plagued his career, his defensive and baserunning abilities made him an institution during the club's early years, and frequently featured in the top of the lineup.

Nick Loyd has been a mainstay of the club for three years, serving as the captain of the outfield and the club treasurer during his career. He holds the team's record for stolen bases in a career and season with thirteen and maintained a batting average near or above .400 in all of his seasons. Known for his colorful arm sleeves and calm demeanor on the field, Loyd set a standard for USF outfielders and designated hitters with everyday consistency and intensity in tight situations.

Bryan Rosenberg was a stalwart first baseman for the Bulls through the best and worst times in the club's history, and served as its fourth president. Enduring (and playing through) several injuries, including torn menisci, broken fingers and sprained ankles throughout his four years of service, he brought a fierce intensity to the club and displayed cunning baseball intelligence that had not been matched before or since. As a player, Rosenberg was a consistent slap hitter who often poked holes in the opponent's defense and showed unwavering commitment to giving 100% on every play in the field. In a final season of glory in 2018, he even played catcher despite being left-handed. As a manager and president, he almost single-handedly turned the club from one doomed to fail, to a division champion and regional contender in just two short years. He continues to help the club in his new capacities as volunteer coach and USF Sports Club Supervisor.

External Links

Team Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/usfclubbaseball/

GameChanger Site: https://gc.com/t/fall-2017/university-of-south-florida-club-baseball-5979d5ff9d691f1436000002

References

This article "University of South Florida Baseball Club" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:University of South Florida Baseball Club. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

---