Cincinnati- The Jordan Bischel era is officially underway in Clifton, as the first-year head coach looks to lead Cincinnati through the Big 12.
Bischel, enters his first season as the head coach of Cincinnati, replacing longtime head coach Scott Googins, who led the Bearcats for the past six seasons before resigning amidst an NCAA investigation last spring. Bischel, comes to Cincinnati after spending the previous five seasons as the Head Coach of Central Michigan where he recorded a 314-156 record during his time as a NCAA division one head coach.
The Bearcats open the 2024 season with a three-game series vs Jacksonville this weekend. The Dolphins were projected to win the Atlanta Sun in the preseason and provide a great test for the Bearcats in their opening weekend.
“I’m excited to be here, it’s always crazy this time of year when first pitch is about 72 hours away, we are really excited to get out there and see where we are at with this team,” Bischel told reporters on Tuesday afternoon.
Cincinnati’s revamped roster includes 21 new faces, with 12 of those coming from other Universities via transfer portals. A roster that is highlighted by returners Tommy O’Conner, Cole Harting, Kory Klingenbeck, Griffin Hugus, Chase Horst, Kerrington Cross, who all saw significant playing time throughout the 2023 season.
However, Bischel added a pair of veteran transfers including outfielders Hunter Jessee (Indiana), Dalton Pearson (Georgia State), RHP Seth Logue (Kentucky), RHP Keegan Allen (West Virginia). Utility Players Christian Mitchelle (Central Michigan), Josh Kross (Eastern Michigan), all in which should see significant time throughout the 2024 season.
Alongside the transfer class, Bischel also bolstered his staff with true freshman Nate Taylor, who stared at local West Clermont High School for the last three seasons, where he was the Cougars most valuable pitcher. Taylor, is expected to see a big role for Bischel’s Bearcats this season after entering the season ranked No. 23 on the D1 Baseball Impact Freshman list earlier this winter.
For Bischel, he mentions the depth of this team will be something the Bearcats will have to lean on throughout the season, especially in their first season in the Big 12. “There should be 12-15 guys that we feel we can insert into the lineup that have a chance to be pretty productive,” Bischel told reporters. “
Bearcats scouting report
Bischel noted that Tommy O’Conner and Josh Kross will split time between first base and designated hitter and will hit in the middle of the order. “Those two guys are very talented offensive bats that will do some great quality things for us this season,” Bischel noted.
O’Conner returns to the Bearcats after a tremendous sophomore season where he batted .303%, with eight home runs, two doubles, two triples while driving in 19 runs across just 24 games in 2023. Not only did O’Conner prove that he was capable of being an everyday player for the Bearcats, but he also displayed his ridiculous power after hitting a mammoth homerun on top of Fifth Third Arena last season that had an exit velocity north of 111mph. “You saw the second half of last season when Tommy was able to get some regular at bats, he only got better as the season moved on.” Bischel said. “The thing for Tommy though, is he will have to caution himself from being more than he is, and that is a really good player.
The right side of the infield appears to be a lock as Bischel announced Central Michigan transfer Christine Mitchelle will be the everyday shortstop, alongside Kerrington Cross over at third base. Mitchell was one of the five Bearcats named to the D1 top 100 prospect list after a tremendous freshman campaign at Central Michigan where he picked up Second-team all MAC honors after batting .307%, with 53 runs scored, 13 doubles, 3HRS and 29 RBI’s as a true freshman.
Mitchelle was one of the biggest additions for Bischel this offseason but was a decision that was easy for start studded sophomore after following Bischel to Cincinnati shortly after being named the next head coach of Cincinnati.
Outfielder Cole Harting returns for his senior season as the Cincinnati native continues to play a big role for the Bearcats in the outfield. Harting finished the 2023 season with 10 home runs, seven doubles, one triple, 38 RBI’s and 38 runs scored, while appearing in 53 of the Bearcats 53 games as a junior.
Joining him in the outfield will be Georgia State transfer Dalton Pearson who had a stellar junior season for the Panthers where he slugged .285% on the season but was known for his relentless defensive efforts in center field. Bischel told reports that the Georgia State transfer would see significant amount of time in center field this season.
Bischel also noted sophomore Landyn Vidourek as a someone who has had a great offseason and could be one of those players that sees significant time in the outfield alongside Harting, Jesse and Pearson. “Landyn Vidourek has been a guy that has really taken off since I arrived on campus, He is probably our most improved player,” said Bischel. “He will be a guy that will see time in right field and hit near the middle of the order.”
However, the Bearcats starting rotation will be something to keep an eye on as Kentucky transfer is one of the only players in the rotation with substantial innings during their college career, alongside Chase Horst, Tommy Boba, Griffin Hugus who all saw significant innings for the Bearcats a season ago. “There is some pretty good upside on the mound, but we are really inexperienced on the mound.” Bischel stated. “Chase Horst and Tommy Boba pitched significant innings last year. Seth Logue has pitched only about 60 innings throughout his career at Kentucky. We really don’t have a guy on that staff that we can look at and say, they have pitched for a couple seasons at a successful rate, but we have the pieces for guys that could be very productive on the mound,”
Who Gets the Nod for the Bearcats.
Jordan Bischel told reporters on Tuesday that Seth Logue will start the first game of the series on Friday, with Nate Taylor slated to start the second game of the double-header, while Tommy Boba will get the ball to close out the Series on Sunday.
Bearcats fans can watch both games of Friday’s doubleheader on ESPN+, while Sunday’s game will not be televised.
