Bulls find their way home

The saying goes, "Home is where the heart is," but so far this year, UB's baseball team has been playing like it has a home field advantage no matter where it travels.

Sporting a record of 11-19 so far this year, the Bulls will play St. Bonaventure at Amherst Audubon Field in what will be the Bulls' second game of the season against a competitor from the "Big Four."

The Bulls, 11-19 overall and 1-6 in the Mid-American Conference, will finally be able to take advantage of the UB fans as well as a home field advantage.

"We don't have to deal with the bus rides, hotel rooms," said UB head coach Bill Breene. "They're going to be able to stay in class and have an opportunity for their family and friends to be in the stands. So I think it's going to be a huge advantage for our guys."

Despite failing to maintain a winning record, Breene remains optimistic regarding the remainder of the Bulls' season. Behind two-time team MVP and pro-hopeful Joe Mihalics, UB has been causing problems for every team they have faced.

St. Bonaventure, behind its starting rotation has one of the most dangerous offenses in the Atlantic-10 conference. Outfielder Brian Pellegrini leads the team with a .400 batting average and seven homeruns on the season.

"(St. Bonaventure is) a solid team, they play very good fundamental baseball," said Breene. "We know a lot about each other. It's just a matter of typical game planning."

Owning a record of 17-15 overall, St. Bonaventure is 9-11 on the road. The Bonnies are coming off a seven-game home stand and will play on the road for five games.

The Bulls' starting pitching rotation, consisting of Adam Ruszkowski and Matt Francavillo, will have its hands full dealing with a Bonnie dugout boasting five starters who have amassed more then a .325 batting average. Coupled with a starting pitcher giving up just over three earned runs a game, St. Bonaventure is a force to be reckoned with.

As explosive as St. Bonaventure's offense may be, the Bulls are likely to be able to defuse it. First baseman James Kingsley and second baseman Mike Folli have mainly been the foundation of the Bulls' infield so far this season. Kingsley leads UB with seven homeruns and 28 RBI's, while Folli is fourth on the team in at bats and manages to maintain a .314 batting average.

Coach Breene, along with the rest of the UB fans, will be able to breathe easy if the Bulls are in position to bring in freshman closer Tony Kurtz. Two weeks ago Kurtz recorded his first save, retiring seven batters and striking out four in 2.1 innings against the Bowling Green Falcons.

Playing at home should be a huge lift for the Bulls and a great chance to make up ground in the MAC Tournament race.

"I think (playing at home) is real important," said Breene. "Especially for a team like us who has played its first 30 games on the road. Based on the way the conference schedule is laid out, our first three conference match-ups were away, so we've been on the road an extra long time.

Fans of the Bulls will have their first opportunity to see the much-improved baseball team, which could win more games this season than it has since its reinstatement into Division I.

Buffalo will commence a 10-game home stretch, including an appearance in the Big 4 tournament, which will likely include a rematch against St. Bonaventure.

Breene understands the fact that there is not much buzz around the baseball team right now, but he hopes that the fans will start to come out to support the team more.

"Certainly there's not much we can expect (the fans) to do the first half of the season," said Breene. "But now the majority of our games are home. I would encourage (the UB students) to come show their support. The team is playing well and we're going to have a good chance to win a bunch of these home games."

First pitch is set for 2 p.m. this afternoon at the Amherst Audubon Field, located across the street from the UB North Campus, next to the Pepsi Center.