THE SERIES
USF (22-20, 7-11 WCC) at BYU (22-14, 11-4 WCC)
Location: Provo, Utah
Venue: Miller Park
 
Game 1: Thursday, Apr. 27 
First Pitch: 5 p.m. (Pacific Time)  
TV/Video: BYUtv
Audio: BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143)
Stats: StatBroadcast
USF Starter: RHP Grant Goodman (3-3, 4.09)
BYU Starter: RHP Maverik Buffo (4-5, 5.27)
 
Game 2: Friday, Apr. 28 
First Pitch: 5 p.m. (Pacific Time)  
TV/Video: BYUtv
Audio: BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143)
Stats: StatBroadcast
USF Starter: RHP Thomas Ponticelli (2-1, 2.01)
BYU Starter: RHP Brady Corless (5-0, 4.17)
 
Game 3: Saturday, Apr. 29
First Pitch: 12 p.m. (Pacific Time)  
TV/Video: TheW.tv / Sling TV
Audio: BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143)
Stats: StatBroadcast
USF Starter: RHP Daniel Slominski (3-4, 4.47)
BYU Starter: LHP Hayden Rogers (4-1, 3.10)

Complete Game Notes [PDF]

First Pitch
USF (22-20, 7-11 WCC) makes the trip out to Provo, Utah this weekend for a three-game series at BYU (22-14, 11-4 WCC) beginning at 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday. The Dons are coming off a 7-2 midweek victory over Cal on Tuesday that followed their second consecutive WCC series win by taking two of three from Santa Clara on the road this past weekend. Meanwhile, BYU comes into the series having won four of their five conference series so far, including winning two of three at San Diego this past weekend.  
 
The Dons at a Glance...                                  
THIS PAST WEEK

• Sam Granoff allowed one run over six innings, while Brady Bate and Ross Puskarich each homered to lead the Dons to a 7-2 win over Cal on Tuesday at home.
• Dropped the series opener at Santa Clara, 3-2, as the Broncos scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Nico Giarratano and Matt Sinatro drove in USF's two runs on the night.
• USF rebounded with a 4-2 win on Saturday afternoon behind Thomas Ponticelli's first career complete game where he struck out 10 in the effort. Puskarich homered as the Dons scored twice in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie.
• In the series finale, USF exploded offensively in a 12-7 win, piling up 16 hits. Dominic Miroglio led the way by going 5-for-5 with a pair of RBI and Allen Smoot went 4-for-6 with three runs driven in and his second long ball of the year.
   
   

WHO'S HOT?
Dominic Miroglio is leading the team with a .450 (18-40) average over the last 10 games. Over that span, Miroglio has three doubles, a home run and six RBI while pacing the team with nine runs scored. Allen Smoot continues to swing a hot bat as well, hitting .359 (14-39) over that same stretch where he has contributed four doubles, a home run and seven RBI. On the mound, lefty Scott Parker and right-hander Brenden Jenkins continue to pose a formidable late-game presence. Parker is 2-0 with seven strikeouts over his last seven innings of work without allowing an earned run, while Jenkins has earned a save while striking out nine in his last eight innings, having not allowed any runs at all.

WHERE THEY STAND
The Dons find themselves trying to make a late push over their final three conference series. USF comes into the weekend in seventh place at 7-11 in WCC action, while BYU sits in third place at 11-4 in conference play. Loyola Marymount and Gonzaga – each at 14-4 – have taken over first place from San Diego (13-5), who now sits in fourth. The Dons round out their conference slate with series against Pepperdine (6-9) and Pacific (2-16).    
 
SOMEBODY STOP THAT GUY
Matt Sinatro extended his on-base streak to 23 games by drawing a pair of walks against Cal on Tuesday. Sinatro is hitting .323 during his streak – the longest on the team this season - having registered hits in all but four of those contests. He has drawn 17 walks over that span while sporting an on base percentage of .434.
  
KEEP IT COMING
Allen Smoot has been as steady an offensive presence as the Dons have had this year, ranking in the top-10 in the WCC in average (.333), on base percentage (.424), hits (53) and walks (24). Smoot has registered hits in 15 of the last 19 contests, 10 of which have been multi-hit performances, highlighted by a season-best four hits at Gonzaga on Mar. 26 and at Santa Clara on Apr. 23. Altogether, Smoot leads the team in multi-hit performances (16) and is tied for the team lead (with Dominic Miroglio) in multi-RBI games (8).
 
OUCH! 
Brady Bate comes into the weekend leading the WCC in hit by pitches, wearing 14 bean balls so far on the year, which ties for the eighth-most in a single season in USF history.

BETTER STAY PUT
Catcher Dominic Miroglio has been the most difficult catcher in the West Coast Conference to run on this year, leading the WCC with 18 runners caught stealing. He has thrown out 55 percent of would-be base stealers on the year. The redshirt junior was named to the Johnny Bench Award watch list earlier this year, which is given annually to the top Division I catcher in the country.  
 
HOME AND AWAY
The Dons have made the most of home field advantage this season, hitting .280 as a team with a 2.73 ERA at Benedetti Diamond, where they are 11-7 on the year. On the contrary, USF has gone just 9-13 on the road where they are hitting .254 with a 4.44 ERA.
 
CATCH AND THROW
The Dons have enjoyed steady defense all year long as they enter the week boasting the conference's best fielding percentage (.978), led by reigning WCC Defensive Player of the Year in shortstop Nico Giarratano, who has yet to commit an error in 181 chances.  
 
SHUT IT DOWN
Left-hander Scott Parker (25) and righty Brenden Jenkins (23) rank first and second in the conference in appearances this year. Parker has worked primarily in late-game situations out of the bullpen where he boasts a 1.73 ERA from the seventh inning on. He has struck out 15 batters in 15 2/3 innings in such situations this season. Jenkins has been a key stopper in his own right, holding a 1.59 ERA in the seventh inning or later, striking out 28 batters in 22 2/3 innings of work from the seventh inning on while picking up a pair of saves on the year.
 
SPEED KILLS
The Dons lead the conference with 62 stolen bases as a team. Individually, Matt Sinatro and Tyler Villaroman pace the conference with 15 thefts apiece. Sinatro is trying to match last season's total of 26 stolen bases, which was the eighth-most for a single season in USF history. Harrison Bruce (10) also ranks among the top-10 in the WCC this season.
 

Scouting Report
 
About BYU
The Cougars come into the weekend on the heels of a big road series win at San Diego this past weekend, having taking two of three from the Toreros. BYU posted sweeps earlier this year of Saint Mary's and Pacific, while their only conference series loss came to Loyola Marymount in the first weekend of WCC play. As a team, the Cougars enter the series as one of the WCC's most potent offenses, leading the WCC in batting average (.304), runs scored (265) and home runs (38), among others, while proving the most difficult lineup to strikeout with a conference-low 225 strikeouts. Sophomore outfielder Brock Hale leads the conference in hitting (.388), while sophomore outfielder Keaton Kringlen (.340) and senior catcher Bronson Larsen (.339) also rank among the top-10. Kringlen (40) and Larsen (39) rank first and second in RBIs with Larsen's nine home runs standing as the second-most in the conference.   

Series Notes Against BYU
BYU holds a 10-8 edge in the series during Nino Giarratano's tenure at USF (since 1999). The Cougars have won five of the last six and eight of the last 11 meetings heading into this year's series. Last season, USF won the series opener, 6-5, at home before dropping the final two games of the series, 12-6 and 9-3. USF's last series win over BYU came in 2014 when the Dons took two of three at home. Prior to BYU joining the West Coast Conference in 2012, the Dons had won two of the three matchups, splitting a pair of games in 2001 and winning 20-4 in 2010.   
   
Last Time Out
Left-hander Sam Granoff battled through a tough first two innings before settling in and the offense came through in the form of Brady Bate and Ross Puskarich, who each homered in the Dons' 7-2 win over Cal on Tuesday afternoon from Benedetti Diamond. Granoff (2-3) allowed a leadoff single that led to a run-scoring base hit by Andrew Vaughn in the top of the first before allowing another single and hitting a batter. With the bases loaded, Granoff was able to induce a comebacker and a ground out to third base to escape the first frame with just one run coming across. That would end up being the only run Granoff allowed over six innings of work in which he scattered seven hits, walked a batter and struck out one. It was Granoff's first win since his season debut against Northern Colorado on Feb. 19, a span of eight appearances. Supporting Granoff on the offensive side were Bate and Puskarich, who clubbed their fourth and third home runs, respectively. Bate connected with one out in the bottom of the second after Michael Perri led off the inning with a single. The next inning saw Puskarich turn around 1-1 offering from Cal starter Rogelio Reyes (2-5) and deposit it into the netting in left center to give USF a 5-1 lead. Puskarich's three-run shot came on the heels of back-to-back two-out walks to Riley Helland and Perri.

On Deck
Following this week's series with BYU, the Dons will meet Cal again in midweek action next Tuesday, this time in Berkeley with a first pitch of 7:05 p.m. USF will then host Pepperdine in a three-game series May 5-7 at Benedetti Diamond.