USF's ironman offers more than durability

TAMPA Jonathan Koscso has had his share of bumps and bruises during his career with the University of South Florida baseball team.

There was the hip flexor he battled for two months as a freshman, an injury bad enough that coaches and teammates joked he looked like he was walking on a wooden leg.

Of the 75 balls from opposing pitchers that have struck Koscso's body while at USF, a few have caught his hands well enough to make throwing and catching a painful ordeal. Another pitch earlier this season in a game against Stetson struck his knee cap; the next morning, he could barely walk.

But 226 times over the past four years, Bulls coach Lelo Prado has written down his starting lineup and there's only one name he has penciled in each and every time: Koscso.

The senior third baseman will carry his personal Iron Man streak into the Bulls final regular-season series, which begins tonight at home against Pittsburgh. Should nothing bad happen between now and the conclusion of USF's 2011 season – be it this weekend, at next week's Big East Conference tournament in Clearwater, or beyond – Koscso will become just the second player in program history to start every game of his career, joining Myron Leslie.

"I think it's just a testament to a daily attitude of just going out and giving everything you've got. When you do that, good things seem to happen I think," said Koscso, whose consecutive starts streak is the second-longest active in Division I baseball, behind only Clemson's Jeff Schaus (247). "As a result, I've had a however-long-game-start streak as I have, and I feel like I've been pretty consistent on the field with my performance."

A career .316 hitter and USF's leader this season with a .332 average, Koscso ranks in the top 10 in program history for career hits (268) and runs scored (178). His career record of being hit by a pitch (75) ranks eighth all-time in NCAA history.

He's been versatile defensively, playing second, third and shortstop during his time with the Bulls, and has a career .960 fielding percentage. Baseball America named him the Big East's top defensive third baseman prior to the season.

"He's a guy I can trust every day," Prado said. "When I come to the ball park, I know what I'm getting."

Richie Warren, who coached Koscso at Jesuit High, agrees. He remembers a tireless worker who was meticulous in everything he did.

Warren called Koscso the smartest player he's ever coached with great natural leadership qualities, but said it's another intangible that makes Koscso a truly special player.

"The one thing that you can't measure in Jonathan is his heart," Warren said. "He's just got a tremendous amount of passion, and you can tell he cares about it. At Jesuit, he really cared about the name he wore across his chest. He took pride in that, and you can tell it's the same way at USF."

Koscso has done well preparing himself for life after baseball. He completed his degree this spring in biomedical sciences and recently was accepted into USF's College of Medicine.

Just the same, he's been in touch with the medical college admissions office about deferring his enrollment should a pro opportunity arise. Right now, Koscso's simply focused on trying to finish his USF career on a positive note.

The Bulls will play Pittsburgh for the right to extend their season, entering the league series tied with Seton Hall for the eighth and final spot for the conference tournament. It's a circumstance that leaves Koscso with unfinished business.

"There is an amount of personal satisfaction in what I've been able to do, but in the four years I've been here we haven't had a chance to move on into a regional, we haven't really had a chance to win a conference tournament yet," Koscso said. "If we're unable to do that my career here wouldn't really feel complete, I don't think, because when I was recruited here as a freshman that was the goal and that was the mindset, so we definitely want to walk away from here after reaching that."

When it does come time for Koscso to walk away, he'll do so having made a lasting impression.

"What I'm always going to remember about Jon is the dedication, a guy that came in where everybody wasn't knocking his door down, but we gave him an opportunity and he took the opportunity and ran off with it," Prado said. "I was just a lucky coach to have him play for me, but he would have been successful wherever he would have gone because that's the kind of person he is."

aadkins@tampatrib.com (813) 259-7616