For the first time all season with Kevin Merrell in the lineup, USF head coach Mark Kingston put Duke Stunkel Jr. in the leadoff spot of his order prior to the Bulls opening NCAA Regional game against Bethune-Cookman.
And how it paid off.
Stunkel Jr. went 4-for-6 including a big two-run homer in the second inning as part of a 9-1 rout by the Bulls of the Wildcats in the Gainesville Regional of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon.
“I was just trying to lift the ball in the air,” said the centerfielder Stunkel Jr. about his home run.