The American Athletic Conference featured a number of strong pitching staffs in 2016. In fact, five different teams had sub-.4.00 ERAs, including the Cincinnati Bearcats, who put together a mark of 3.69 as a team. UC starters played a large role in pitching the team to success and it should once again in 2017.
All that pitching strength would not have been possible without staff ace Andrew Zellner. The 6’3” 191-pound right-hander pitched so well last year he was selected as a 2016 All-AAC First-Teamer and was a possible candidate to be drafted.