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Homegrown talent making big impact for USF
Andrew Keesee reports
TAMPA, Fla. - There's no such thing as too much experience, but a little youthful exuberance never hurt anyone. USF baseball has benefitted from the latter as of late. They've won seven consecutive games, the most recent of which was capped off by a 12th inning, walk-off home run by freshman Drew Brutcher against Stetson on Saturday, March 6.
"It just felt great up there, jumping up and down," Brutcher said. "(It was) just a great time."
Brutcher, a Lakeland High School alum, came to USF as a pitcher. He's being used as an outfielder, and it's worked out well so far.
"We call him the Lakeland Clipper. Kind of a Joe DiMaggio type," USF head baseball coach Billy Mohl stated. "He kind of does everything. He has a chance to be a real special player."
Brutcher isn't the only freshman contributing to the Bulls current winning streak. Hitting right behind Brutcher in the batting lineup is Hialeah native Matt Ruiz.
"As a freshman coming into college, you might be scared to really go at it," explained Ruiz, who is currently sports the second-highest batting average among Bull hitters. "Starting off like this, it really puts your name on the map, and grabs people's attention, and it's a great way to start your career."
Brutcher and Ruiz appear to be the perfect one-two punch to headline their freshman class. They respectively hit first and second in the batting lineup, they both lead the Bulls in a hitting category -- Brutcher with 5 home runs, Ruiz with 20 hits -- and they're even roommates.
"Drew is a really calm, cool, and collected guy," Ruiz said of Brutcher when asked who is chattier. "(He) doesn't really talk much so being a roommate with Drew isn't really hard at all."
Ruiz also said Brutcher is the messier roommate, so there is a bit of an ‘Odd Couple’ element at play. The two are also a dynamic duo.
"We have a lot more to come. (We have) three more years," the soft-spoken Brutcher shared. "We're just trying to (make) each other better. That's all that matters."
"The freshmen, we're just a bunch of dogs," Brutcher continued about his age group. "We don't care who is pitching. We don't care if they're college level. We just go out and play. That's how we are."
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