Baseball (17-16, 8-6 Mid-American Conference) Due to inclement weather for most of the season, the Bulls (17-16, 8-6) held their home opener Tuesday against Canisius (25-14, 8-4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), but were swept by the Griffins 15-3 and 2-1 in a doubleheader. After the 15-3 blowout in the first, the Bulls responded with an early 1-0 lead to start the second game.
Jonathan Jones played third base for Portville High School, where he would routinely toss a quarter-pound baseball about 20 meters away to his shortstop.
As a 5-year-old, Rebecca Mayville would gaze out the window on long car drives, mesmerized by horses - tall, powerful and gentle creatures.
Baseball (17-14, 8-6 Mid-American Conference) The Bulls faced MAC East-leading Kent State (25-13, 11-4 MAC) this past weekend, winning the first game before dropping the next two.
When Stacey Evans (2002-05) began her career on the softball team in 2002, the Bulls didn't have much to celebrate. In their first two seasons as a Division I program, the Bulls went 19-78.
Kent State's offense has scored over nine runs in a game four times and has not been shutout in Mid-American Conference play this season. Buffalo senior pitcher Kevin Hughes took the mound and changed that.
On my way to Buffalo's spring football scrimmage last Saturday, I passed through a game that actually meant something. It was a beautiful Saturday and the Buffalo softball and football teams were both playing; the football team at UB Stadium, the softball team at adjacent Nan Harvey Field.
Buffalo's last home loss over the weekend involved much more than what was on the scoreboard. Although the Bulls (21-20, 5-5 Mid-American Conference) lost three out of four games this past weekend, their biggest loss was saying goodbye to their five senior players. Seniors center fielder Holly Luciano, shortstop Sammi Gallardo, third baseman Tori Pettine, first baseman Heather Ryder and pitcher Tori Speckman lost their last game at Nan Harvey Field, falling to Toledo (15-31, 6-10 MAC) 6-2 on Senior Day.
The Buffalo women's tennis team (14-5, 5-3 Mid-American Conference) entered Akron looking for revenge on Saturday. Not only was it seeking a win in its regular season finale, the Bulls were also out for redemption - the Zips eliminated them in the first round of last year's MAC Championships. The Bulls defeated Akron (10-16, 0-9 MAC) 6-1 Saturday.
The Buffalo men's tennis team thought it was going to have a breath of fresh air after this past weekend.
Quarterbacks: B- Junior Joe Licata's absence was clear. Sophomore Tony Daniel - running the first team - and freshman Collin Michael - running the second team - started slow in the first few possessions.
The football team got a look at three of its quarterbacks Saturday, but if everything goes according to the Bulls' plan, none of them will see the field in the fall.
Baseball (16-12, 7-4 Mid-American Conference) After having their home opener doubleheader against Niagara (10-21, 3-7 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) canceled Tuesday, the Bulls travel to Kent State (23-12, 9-3 MAC) this weekend for a three-game series.
This year's Bulls team will need to replace a player who had a strong voice in the locker room and doubled as the best shutdown cornerback on the team, and arguably the best in the conference. Senior corner Najja Johnson is one of the two 2013 first-team All-Mid-American Conference players (along with Khalil Mack) on the Bulls' defense who will not return due to graduation. With seniors like Johnson, Derek Brim and Okoye Houston no longer playing, the football team will rely on groomed veterans and young players to step into the defensive secondary. "You can't replace guys like Mack and Johnson, but you can learn and mimic their ethics," said junior cornerback Cortney Lester, who played across from Johnson for three years. Johnson led the team in pass breakups with nine and tied for the team lead in interceptions with three.
Baseball (16-12, 7-4 Mid-American Conference) After having their home opener doubleheader against Niagara (10-21, 3-7 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) canceled Tuesday, the Bulls travel to Kent State (23-12, 9-3 MAC) this weekend for a three-game series.
Last season, the Buffalo defense recorded 38 sacks and 90 tackles for loss. More than half of this production is no longer on the team - with no loss more notable than that of linebacker Khalil Mack. Starting defensive linemen Colby Way and Beau Bachtelle have also graduated.
10. Baseball sweeps Western Michigan
When former Bulls running back James Starks - the school's all-time leading rusher at the time - graduated after the 2009 season, it not only left a major hole in the backfield, but also marked the end of the career of one of the greatest athletes UB had ever seen. Little did Bulls fans know that the next great Bulls running back was already on campus: Branden Oliver. When Oliver was a freshman, Starks - now with the Green Bay Packers - told him he would break his records.
Solutions by The State News
