FORT MYERS, Fla.- After pitching in a team high 25 contests out of the bullpen for the 2021 Suncoast Conference Champion Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers, fireman Riley Skeen has signed his National Letter of Intent to pitch for the South Florida Bulls next season.
Skeen was a workhorse as a freshman in 2021, seeing action in 25 games, all in relief for the Bucs. He posted a 4-2 record and notched a 2.70 ERA which ranked third on the team behind 2021 MLB Draft Picks Antonio Knowles and Carlos Rodriguez. He was one of a number of Bucs to put up eye-popping strikeout numbers last season, punching out 53 opposing hitters in 36 2/3 innings, good for a 13.01 strikeouts per nine clip. He was big for the Bucs down the stretch in their run to their second straight Conference Championship, allowing just one earned run over his final nine appearances of the season, posting a 0.87 ERA during the stretch.
Skeen inks with a South Florida squad coming off of a magical late season run in 2021 as the Bulls went from a 6th place finish during the American Athletic Conference regular season, to an AAC Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. They didn't stop there, the Bulls then upset both Florida and Miami in the Gainesville Regional to reach the title game where they topped South Alabama to reach the NCAA Super Regionals. Their luck ended in Austin at the Texas Super Regional, but the Bulls finished the season 31-30 overall and became just the seventh team in NCAA history to reach the Super Regional round after entering the tournament as a four seed.
Skeen is the fourth Division I and sixth overall signee for the Bucs during the early signing period, joining Magnus Ellerts (Florida), Grant Besser (Rutgers), Matthew Corpas (Florida International), Frank Ellisalt (Nova Southeastern), and Kalvin Alexander (Georgia Southwestern).
Skeen and the Bucs will open their 2022 season on January 28th when they host the Marissa Gusto Memorial Tournament in downtown Fort Myers.