Tampa, Fla. – After having opened ASUN play with a series win over FGCU, the Stetson baseball team will play its final scheduled game against South Florida tonight when the Hatters and Bulls square off at USF Baseball Stadium.
 
The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
USF took the first three games between the teams this year, but Stetson won the last meeting two weeks ago, giving the Hatters a slim 89-88 lead in the all-time series.
 
Not only is the game the final of the year between the teams, it is the final non-conference game of the season for USF. The American Athletic Conference is playing only conference games the rest of the year, with four games each weekend.
 
Both teams will send first-time starters to the mound for the game tonight, and both have ties to the University of Florida.
 
Stetson's Nick Long, a redshirt junior right-hander, started his career as a Gator during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He pitched in five games during each of those two seasons, getting a redshirt for the 2018 campaign. From there he moved on to the State college of Florida in Bradenton for the 2019 season, appearing in 13 games, 12 as a starter. He posted a 5-4 record that year with a 3.58 ERA.
 
Now in his second year at Stetson, Long has pitched in relief in eight total games, all in relief. He has allowed just one earned run in 11 innings, with that coming two weeks ago in the game against USF. He is a hard-thrower who has recorded 14 strikeouts in his 11 innings of work.
 
USF redshirt sophomore Devin Hemenway also spent time as part of the Florida program. A left-handed hurler from Niceville, Hemenway spent the 2018 season at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, posting a 6-3 record with a 2.84 ERA, earning a spot ono the NJCAA National All-Star team. That performance also gained the attention of the Florida coaches, who brought him in for the 2019 season. He redshirted that year before returning to Santa Fe for the 2020 campaign, posting a 3-1 record with a 1.98 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 36.1 innings.
 
So far this year, Hemenway has appeared in just four games, all in relief, for the Bulls. He has allowed two earned runs in 2.1 innings over those four outings with three walks and two strikeouts. He made a short appearance on the mound against Stetson two weeks ago, facing just two batters. He surrendered a hit to Hernen Sardinas, allowed two runs to score on a wild pitch and then walked Nick DiPonzio.
 
USF comes into the game with a 9-12 record on the year after getting swept this past weekend on the road at No. 6 Texas Tech. Overall, the Bulls have dropped four straight games and nine of their last 11.
 
A trio of USF hitters have done much of the damage against Stetson pitchers in the four games this year. Carmine Lane is batting .563 against the Hatters with six RBI while Roberto Pena has hat .455 with four home runs and seven RBI. Drew Brutcher has also been a thorn in the side of the Hatters, hitting .350 with four home runs and six RBI. He delivered the walk-off homer in the 12-inning game between the teams.
 
Sardinas and Kyle Ball have led the charge for Stetson in the games with USF. Both are hitting .316 in those games, and both have driven in four runs. Banks Griffith (.417) and Connor Kehl (.400) have also done well against USF this year.
 
The game at USF starts a five-game road stretch for the Hatters. Stetson will return to ASUN play on Thursday night at Jacksonville to open a three-game series and will then travel to Gainesville for their second game against Florida next Tuesday night before return to Melching Field for a series against North Florida on April 9-11.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.