Kaufman's outing a nice gift for dad

University of South Florida left-hander Teddy Kaufman made sure his father's drive from Miami to Orlando on Tuesday night was worth the trip.

After all, it was Bob Kaufman's birthday, and the former high school basketball coach had other options.

Happy Birthday, pops.

In the best outing of the fifth-year senior's career (and one of the better performances in school history), Kaufman struck out 14 in USF's 4-0 win at Central Florida, allowing four hits and walking two.

"Everything was working," Kaufman said Wednesday. "I was able to expand the zone on them, and they were swinging at a lot of curveballs down in the zone. I made it a lot easier for me. It was a nice birthday gift for my dad."

Kaufman was never threatened. UCF didn't get a runner to third base until the seventh inning, and the Knights had trouble all night against Kaufman's assortment of curves, change-ups and fastballs.

"He has been a solid rock in Tuesday games for the past two years," Bulls coach Lelo Prado said. "It's the best stuff I've seen since he's been here. This team needed Teddy Kaufman (in that game)."

The victory was South Florida's second in a row after it fell to 3-12 by being swept in a doubleheader against Eastern Illinois on Saturday.

Kaufman, who transferred from Miami in 2007, said he can't remember striking out 14 in a game, even before Tommy John surgery caused him to miss a season at Miami Killian High. The 14 strikeouts were three shy of the school record, shared by Mark Moore (1978) and Jon Alexander (1987).

Staying or going?

The latest round of speculation about whether junior guard Dominique Jones will leave school early for the NBA draft started Wednesday when he posted an update on his Facebook page that said "it's time to make money now."

Bulls coach Stan Heath isn't ready to say goodbye to Jones yet.

"He just got a little frustrated," Heath said Wednesday. "If he is guaranteed first-round money, then I'd have to believe there is a good chance he will go. But no one will know that for a few weeks."

Jones issued a statement late Wednesday afternoon that said he has not made a decision but that he "will likely test the waters to further determine my positioning within the draft."

Bull bits

Football coach Skip Holtz said RB Jamar Taylor and DE David Bedford have been absent from the first two days of spring practice because of academic issues; Holtz said they have a chance to return if they can get their academics in order. ... Walk-on RB Joel Miller, the player at the center of Jim Leavitt's firing, has been participating in drills. ... USF's first scrimmage of the spring is scheduled for March 27. ... Sophomore SS Sam Mende, who didn't miss a game as a freshman, will be out three to four weeks with a broken jaw after being hit by a pitch in Saturday's loss to Eastern Illinois. ... Alonso High product Ray Delphey is expected to miss two weeks with a sore shoulder.