Former USF pitcher Bryce Archie found a baseball career after USF, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t visit Red McEwen every now and then. ORACLE PHOTO/CAMILLE GRALL

On Feb. 18, 2025, USF pitcher Bryce Archie made his first collegiate appearance on the mound, facing a ranked Florida State squad. 

A year later to the day, the former two-sport athlete watched someone else take the mound — this time from the home-side bleachers at Red McEwen Field. 

Since he left USF, Archie said life has been different — trading out textbooks for a draft card and baseball year-round. 

Archie was drafted in the 14th round by the Cincinnati Reds in July 2025 while sitting on his couch finishing homework, contemplating a potential return to football.

“The rounds just kept going by. I’m like, ‘Okay, maybe I have to go back and play football’. That wasn’t a bad idea for me,” Archie said. “It happened fast in the span of 24 hours. I was in another state playing baseball again, it was crazy.”
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After the draft, Archie was keen on making his way back to Tampa to get more time with USF assistant coach Daniel Schlereth, whom he called “one of the greatest pitching coaches in the nation.”

Schlereth, 39, who is no stranger to the diamond after a decade of professional baseball experience, gave Archie a compliment of his own. 

“I think [Archie’s] a sneaky big leaguer waiting to happen,” Schlereth said. “He’s probably one of my favorite guys I’ve had.” 

Yet, beyond his ceiling, USF coach Mitch Hannahs and Schlereth both said they were glad Archie visited — it meant they were doing something right. 

“I hope we develop a relationship with our guys and they feel like they got something that they wouldn’t have gotten in another school,” Hannahs said. “It makes me feel good that those guys want to be around.” 

Archie said he didn’t think the place had gotten too bad without him either. In fact, maybe it had improved. 

“I feel like Mitch did a great job with the guys he brought in,” Archie said. “[I’m] excited to see this team succeed, probably better than we did last year.”

Alongside Archie, former USF pitchers Corey Braun and Austin Newton have also made appearances over the offseason, Schlereth said. 

Both were also drafted, by the Athletics and the Rockies, respectively.
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But coming back to Tampa provided comfort for Archie, who said the transition to the pros was tough. In a rapidly changing moment in life, he found something familiar. 

“It was definitely growing pains at first,” Archie said. “I felt like I didn’t do enough.” 

After a year, balancing football and baseball, Archie said he had to reframe his mind to focus solely on baseball. 

During his senior spring at USF, Archie split almost every day between baseball and football workouts. 

“I was coming from waking up in the morning, going to football, and then in the middle of the day going to baseball,” Archie said. “[Now] I get to wake up on my own time and only do baseball, so it was a lot different, but I feel like I got a good schedule put together and I figured it out.” 

Archie’s quick adaptation to life in the big leagues didn’t surprise Schlereth or Hannahs, though. 

“Guys like [Archie] are easy,” Schlereth said. “It makes it easy when a guy buys in immediately.” 

As Archie turns the page, now a member of the Arizona Complex League Reds, he’s working to not overcomplicate America’s past time. 

Players often get caught up in the allure of making it past college, but he said it’s still just baseball. 

“I wouldn’t say it’s a lot different,” Archie said. “At the end of the day, you’re playing baseball, and you still got those strikes.”

So, despite the change of pace, Archie could never find himself too far from Red McEwen Field — even if it meant trading his glove for a ticket at the box office.