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The University of Cincinnati's baseball team finished the regular season 15-39 with a 6-18 record in the American Athletic Conference. To the public eye, many could consider that an awful year, however, to those who have remotely followed Bearcats baseball, it isn't. The team is loaded with promising freshmen. Ryan Atkinson, a local product of Colerain High School, is Cincinnati's lone senior on a very young team. This year wasn't a disappointment. They had a rough season, but the future is bright. Plus, when it comes to postseason baseball, everyone is 0-0.
Cincinnati takes on Houston tonight at 7 p.m., and is available on CBS Sports Network. Junior Ian Happ, recently named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, will lead the Bearcats into battle. Happ finished the year with a .366 BA/ 70 Hits / 43 RBI's / 14 HR stat line.
Not bad for a Conference Player of the Year, is it?
Cincinnati is definitely the underdog in the game tonight against Houston. Houston enters the AAC tournament as the top seed and the favorites to win and earn get an elusive bid to the College World Series.
Cincinnati has knocked off ranked opponents and some other very good teams this season. Memphis, a team who is my dark horse to win the AAC tournament due to their offensive firepower, has been on the losing end of four of Cincinnati's six conference wins this season. The Bearcats also beat UCF, who was ranked in the top 10 at the time, and Indiana, who should also be added to the list of quality teams Cincinnati has defeated during the regular season.
Not to get ahead ourselves, but if UC pulls off the upset, they could potentially face Memphis again, assuming the Tigers get past USF in their own tournament opener. That could open the door for an interesting tournament if you're a Bearcats fan.
Hopefully the baseball team can spark a little postseason magic and make a run in this tournament!
All things American Athletic Conference Baseball can be seen here: http://www.theamerican.org/sports/2015/3/27/BASE_0327153113.aspx