Taggart says bowl is Bulls’ top goal

TAMPA — Willie Taggart spent 20 minutes Saturday morning talking with the board of the USF Alumni Association, taking a wide range of questions such as how he would measure success during this first season leading the Bulls.

“Going bowling. That should happen here, year in and year out,” said Taggart, taking over a team that hasn’t played in a bowl since 2010. “Our ultimate goal is to win the Big East. That has to be our goal every season. But I want this football team to come together. We can’t get any of those things done until we come together as one team.”

Spring practice starts in three weeks, but Taggart likes what he’s seen at 5:30 a.m. conditioning workouts, which he calls “The Chase,” a nod to his constant reminders of “chasing greatness.”

“I really think our kids are buying into what we’re doing. We’re doing the little things and we’re having fun,” he said. “We’re in the process of doing it. Are we there yet? No. By no means, we’re not there yet. But we’re going to get there. They’re training now. I tell them they’re untrained right now, and we have to train them and get them right.”

The USF baseball bounced back from a 1-5 start with a solid 6-4 win at UCFTuesday night, getting four scoreless innings in the first career start for sophomore Mikey Clarkson. USF’s 3-4 hitters, James Ramsay and Jimmy Falla, each had two hits, combining for three RBIs. Steven Leasure pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save of the season.