Entering the weekend, USF's baseball team was written off for dead, but for a long time it looked like a premature burial. The Bulls knew they needed to sweep three games from Wichita State to qualify for the American Conference tournament and then get help from the teams ahead of them.
Well, USF won on Thursday -- and the right teams lost. The Bulls came from behind to win on Friday in 10 innings, setting up a winner-take-all game on Saturday with the Shockers at Red McEwen Field.
It was at about that time that a certain caustic wit (that would be me) was wondering if I would have to outfit the team in new footwear. That's because I wrote before the start of the final series that odds of getting into the tournament were so long that it was the equivalent of climbing a mountain wearing flipflops.
Well, darned if the Bulls didn't almost reach the peak of the metaphorical mountain. In Saturday's game, they battled from behind three times, including a two-run double by Jacob Green in the bottom of the ninth that tied the game.
However, the Shockers struck for three runs in the 10th and, well, that was that. The Bulls lost 8-5.
Thank you, Bulls Nation 🤘 pic.twitter.com/ZXhSqA8M1e
— USF Baseball (@USFBaseball) May 16, 2026
The Bulls end head coach Mitch Hannahs second season at USF with a 32-21 overall record, a one-game improvement over last season. But no Bulls is celebrating that because they were 11-16 in the conference after reaching the tournament semifinals last year.
The gaudy 18-3 start to the non-conference portion of this season was fool's gold for the Bulls. They fattened up on a weak schdule to that point, which probably created unrealistic expectations. Injuries were certainly a factor, but the Bulls suffered from a lack of offense.
They were eighth in runs scored (out of 10 teams) during conference games. They were last in home runs.
The pitching staff allowed nearly six runs in conference games.
Clearly, a lot needs to change before next season.
Give them credit for one thing: Facing the odds they did going into the final series, the Bulls could have mailed it in.
They did not.
And since it's only Hannah's second season of a five-year, $1.6 million contract, no sense pushing the panic button. That's the most lucrative contact Bulls baseball history.
Things were looking good coming into this season. The Bulls won 16 conference games last year under Hannahs and seemed ready to build on that. They did not. Missing the American tournament for the second time in three seasons is a bitter disappointment, especially considering it is played in nearby Clearwater.
No one is suggesting Hannahs' job is in jeopardy, but I would imagine there'll be some interesting talks between him and CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins in the coming days.
We all know why that has to be. "Almost" reaching the mountain peak, even in a pair of flipflops, won't cut it.
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