(Courtesy TCU Media Relations)
No-hitter is ninth in school history
(EDINBURG, TX) – Four TCU Horned Frog pitchers combined to throw the program’s ninth no-hitter and just the third nine-inning no-hitter in school history. Walker Kelly tossed four hitless innings to earn his first collegiate win, while Taylor Cragin, Tyler Lockwood and Eric Marshall all combined to throw the final five hitless innings. Along the way, Marshall tallied his third save of the season.
The Frogs last no-hitter came on this same field as Brad Furnish twirled a seven-inning no-hitter against Stephen F. Austin on February 19, 2006. The last combined no-hitter came back on February 7, 1995 when four pitchers combined to no-hit Abilene Christian.
TCU struck first, picking up a run on a hit in the opening frame. Taylor Featherston took a 2-1 pitch off the foot with one out in the inning and moved to second on a balk by Bronc starter Mike Lankford. Chris Ellington did the job, lining a single to left field to give the Frogs the early 1-0 advantage.
The Frogs missed a golden opportunity to add to their lead in the second inning as they loaded the bases with two outs. Jimmie Pharr reached on a two-out error by the shortstop to keep the inning alive. Ben Carruthers was hit by a pitch and Corey Steglich walked to load the bases, but Bronc starter Mike Lankford got a pop-up to end the inning.
Making his first collegiate start, Walker Kelly (1-1) did a good job to hold the Broncs’ offense in check. He tossed four innings, facing just two batters over the minimum. He hit a batter to open the third inning but set down the next three batters in order to strand the runner at first. A lead-off walk in the fourth also went by the wayside as he retired the next three batters he faced.
TCU finally broke through in the sixth inning, scoring two runs on two hits to open up a 3-0 lead. Matt Vern started the Horned Frog rally as he took a fastball off the side with one out. Zac Jordan battled through a 0-2 count, coming up with his second double in as many days, scoring Vern all the way from first for a 2-0 lead. Matt Curry followed with a base hit up the middle to drive in Jordan for the three-run cushion.
Cragin came on in the fifth and pitched around a walk in each of the fifth and sixth innings before giving way to Tyler Lockwood in the seventh.
Lockwood pitched a perfect seventh, before a lead-off hit batsman made things interesting in the eighth. The runner moved to second with one out and advanced to third with two out. Featherston preserved the no-hitter, making a spectacular play at second to rob Abraham Garcia of a base hit up the middle. The ball glance off the umpire and took a high hop, but Featherston was able to glove it and throw Garcia out at home. The inning closed without any further drama.
Eric Marshall pitched around a two-out hit batsman to preserve the no-hitter. Carruthers made the final play on the infield to end the contest.
The Frogs improve to 21-10 on the season. They will go for their second straight series sweep on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Former Cal State Fullerton Player Critically Injured
(Courtesy Cal State Fullerton)
Former Baseball Player Injured; Former Cheerleader Killed
April 9, 2009
Fullerton, Calif. - Former Titan baseball player Jon Wilhite is in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit at UCI Medical Center after suffering injuries in the early-morning hit-and-run auto accident that killed Los Angeles Angels' pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others, including Cal State Fullerton student Courtney Stewart, a CSF cheerleader in 2007-08.
Wilhite, with the Titans from 2004-2008, was a passenger in the car that was struck by a driver apparently running a red light at the intersection of Orangethorpe Ave. and Lemon St. in Fullerton.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Courtney Stewart and Jon Wilhite," said Director of Athletics Brian Quinn. "The world of athletics is not equipped for these kind of tragic events."
The Titans' baseball team played a Big West Conference baseball game at Cal State Northridge Thursday. It was suspended due to darkness with the score 4-4 going to the 13th inning.
"On behalf of all of Titan baseball, players current and past, the coaching staff and administration, we would like to send out our best wishes to Jon Wilhite and his family for a speedy recovery," said second-year Fullerton Head Coach Dave Serrano.
"This morning's news of the tragic accident that caused the death of Angels' pitcher Nick Adenhart and others, and the injuries to Jon, has been devastating. Just as Jon is trying to overcome his injuries, we as a program, will try to overcome this, too."
Former teammate and current Titan senior first baseman Jared Clark said, "Our thoughts and prayers are going out to Jon right now for a speedy recovery. He is a Titan and we are going to play as hard as we can for him today, because that is what he would want us to do."
Wilhite is widely known for being a great teammate and consummate Titan. He was a career .292 hitter with 24 RBI in his four eligible seasons in a Titan uniform. He was a redshirt on the Titans' 2004 national championship team and also served as a CSF media relations intern in 2008.
Wilhite is from Manhattan Beach and attended Mira Costa High School. Stewart was born in New Mexico but grew up in Claremont and lived in Diamond Bar.
The fourth person in the car was Henry Pearson also was from Manhattan Beach and a baseball teammate of Wilhite's at Mira Costa. He graduated from Arizona State before starting law school in Fullerton. He was beginning a career as a sports agent.
Former Baseball Player Injured; Former Cheerleader Killed
April 9, 2009
Fullerton, Calif. - Former Titan baseball player Jon Wilhite is in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit at UCI Medical Center after suffering injuries in the early-morning hit-and-run auto accident that killed Los Angeles Angels' pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others, including Cal State Fullerton student Courtney Stewart, a CSF cheerleader in 2007-08.
Wilhite, with the Titans from 2004-2008, was a passenger in the car that was struck by a driver apparently running a red light at the intersection of Orangethorpe Ave. and Lemon St. in Fullerton.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Courtney Stewart and Jon Wilhite," said Director of Athletics Brian Quinn. "The world of athletics is not equipped for these kind of tragic events."
The Titans' baseball team played a Big West Conference baseball game at Cal State Northridge Thursday. It was suspended due to darkness with the score 4-4 going to the 13th inning.
"On behalf of all of Titan baseball, players current and past, the coaching staff and administration, we would like to send out our best wishes to Jon Wilhite and his family for a speedy recovery," said second-year Fullerton Head Coach Dave Serrano.
"This morning's news of the tragic accident that caused the death of Angels' pitcher Nick Adenhart and others, and the injuries to Jon, has been devastating. Just as Jon is trying to overcome his injuries, we as a program, will try to overcome this, too."
Former teammate and current Titan senior first baseman Jared Clark said, "Our thoughts and prayers are going out to Jon right now for a speedy recovery. He is a Titan and we are going to play as hard as we can for him today, because that is what he would want us to do."
Wilhite is widely known for being a great teammate and consummate Titan. He was a career .292 hitter with 24 RBI in his four eligible seasons in a Titan uniform. He was a redshirt on the Titans' 2004 national championship team and also served as a CSF media relations intern in 2008.
Wilhite is from Manhattan Beach and attended Mira Costa High School. Stewart was born in New Mexico but grew up in Claremont and lived in Diamond Bar.
The fourth person in the car was Henry Pearson also was from Manhattan Beach and a baseball teammate of Wilhite's at Mira Costa. He graduated from Arizona State before starting law school in Fullerton. He was beginning a career as a sports agent.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Hogs Sweep Sun Devils
(Courtesy Arkansas Media Relations)
(FAYETTEVILLE, AR) – Freshman Tim Carver had two hits including a game-winning single in the fifth inning to rally the No. 1 University of Arkansas baseball team to an 8-7 victory over No. 1 Arizona State in front of a Baum Stadium record 11,014 fans in Fayetteville on Wednesday night.
Arkansas (24-6) takes two from Arizona State (23-7) who was ranked No. 1 in three national polls entering the midweek series. The Hogs are now 7-1 against teams from the Pacific 10 conference this season.
“This was a great crowd and a great atmosphere,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. “When I saw the attendance on the scoreboard I couldn’t believe it. The fans were a big part of both wins against Arizona State and we appreciate the support that we’ve had all season.”
As the game began one could tell that it was going to be an impressive crowd as fans streamed in from the gates. No one would know just how big the crowd was until the seventh inning when it was announced that there were 11,434 tickets sold for the contest and more than 11,000 were in attendance. The two numbers dwarf the already robust Baum Stadium records of 10,727 tickets sold and 10,581 actual attendance set on May 5, 2007 against LSU. The two-game series with Arizona State brought 17,300 fans through the turnstiles, another Razorback record, this one for a midweek series, and the 19,776 tickets sold were also a midweek series record.
The Razorbacks had to rally against the Sun Devils who took advantage of four walks issued by Arkansas pitching and six hits to build a 6-1 lead by the end of the third. A first inning home run by Jason Kipnis, RBI hits by Abe Ruiz, Raoul Torrez and Kipnis had the Sun Devils looking as if they would earn a series split in Fayetteville.
The Hogs would score once in the second inning on three consecutive singles, but it was the Razorback fourth that changed the feel of the game. With one out Andy Wilkins hit a chopper to the shortstop who fielded the ball cleanly and fired to first. The good throw was dropped by Ruiz allowing Wilkins to remain on the bag and firing up the crowd which had been silenced by the Arizona State bats. Sophomore Brett Eibner followed up the error with a ground-rule double to center field and Andrew Darr connected on the second of his three hits into left field to plate both runners and make it a 6-4 game. A sacrifice bunt was followed by three more singles by Carver, Chase Leavitt and Bo Bigham and suddenly the Razorbacks were down by just one, 6-5.
“With the schedule that we play, we’ve been behind a lot this year, but we’ve never panicked,” Van Horn said. “When we were down 5-0, we got a lot of at-bats and both teams were using middle of the week pitching and getting a little bit thin. When we got that inning where they had the error, we took advantage of that. We got some big two out hits and next thing you know we were right back in it and I thought our bullpen did a good job.”
Arizona State added an unearned run in the top of the fifth to make it 7-5, but the Razorback bats were not done as two walks came back to burn the Arizona State pitching staff in the bottom of the inning. Darr singled to score the first run and with two outs Carver came to the plate with runners on second and third and delivered a single to left field plating Eibner and Darr and giving the Razorbacks their first and final lead.
“I told our guys these are two great wins, but I don’t want these games to be the highlight of the season,” Van Horn cautioned. “We have a lot of baseball left to play. I know we have guys in the clubhouse that can stay focused because they know what’s up. I’m just real proud of them with the way they hung in.”
On the mound the Razorbacks had some issues over the opening three innings, but the staff settled in and six pitchers combined to upend the Sun Devils. Zack Cox came into the game with one out in the fifth and tossed three innings of two hit ball with one walk to earn his third victory of the season. Tuesday night’s winner Sam Murphy threw the end of the eighth to earn a hold and Stephen Richards closed out the contest with one inning of work including a pair of strikeouts to end it.
Arkansas pounded out 11 hits in the contest led by Darr’s three and Carver and Eibner’s two each. Other hits for the Razorbacks came from Leavitt, Bigham, Wilkins and catcher James McCann.
The Razorbacks get back into Southeastern Conference play this weekend when they host Vanderbilt for three games beginning on Friday night at 6:35 p.m.
(FAYETTEVILLE, AR) – Freshman Tim Carver had two hits including a game-winning single in the fifth inning to rally the No. 1 University of Arkansas baseball team to an 8-7 victory over No. 1 Arizona State in front of a Baum Stadium record 11,014 fans in Fayetteville on Wednesday night.
Arkansas (24-6) takes two from Arizona State (23-7) who was ranked No. 1 in three national polls entering the midweek series. The Hogs are now 7-1 against teams from the Pacific 10 conference this season.
“This was a great crowd and a great atmosphere,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. “When I saw the attendance on the scoreboard I couldn’t believe it. The fans were a big part of both wins against Arizona State and we appreciate the support that we’ve had all season.”
As the game began one could tell that it was going to be an impressive crowd as fans streamed in from the gates. No one would know just how big the crowd was until the seventh inning when it was announced that there were 11,434 tickets sold for the contest and more than 11,000 were in attendance. The two numbers dwarf the already robust Baum Stadium records of 10,727 tickets sold and 10,581 actual attendance set on May 5, 2007 against LSU. The two-game series with Arizona State brought 17,300 fans through the turnstiles, another Razorback record, this one for a midweek series, and the 19,776 tickets sold were also a midweek series record.
The Razorbacks had to rally against the Sun Devils who took advantage of four walks issued by Arkansas pitching and six hits to build a 6-1 lead by the end of the third. A first inning home run by Jason Kipnis, RBI hits by Abe Ruiz, Raoul Torrez and Kipnis had the Sun Devils looking as if they would earn a series split in Fayetteville.
The Hogs would score once in the second inning on three consecutive singles, but it was the Razorback fourth that changed the feel of the game. With one out Andy Wilkins hit a chopper to the shortstop who fielded the ball cleanly and fired to first. The good throw was dropped by Ruiz allowing Wilkins to remain on the bag and firing up the crowd which had been silenced by the Arizona State bats. Sophomore Brett Eibner followed up the error with a ground-rule double to center field and Andrew Darr connected on the second of his three hits into left field to plate both runners and make it a 6-4 game. A sacrifice bunt was followed by three more singles by Carver, Chase Leavitt and Bo Bigham and suddenly the Razorbacks were down by just one, 6-5.
“With the schedule that we play, we’ve been behind a lot this year, but we’ve never panicked,” Van Horn said. “When we were down 5-0, we got a lot of at-bats and both teams were using middle of the week pitching and getting a little bit thin. When we got that inning where they had the error, we took advantage of that. We got some big two out hits and next thing you know we were right back in it and I thought our bullpen did a good job.”
Arizona State added an unearned run in the top of the fifth to make it 7-5, but the Razorback bats were not done as two walks came back to burn the Arizona State pitching staff in the bottom of the inning. Darr singled to score the first run and with two outs Carver came to the plate with runners on second and third and delivered a single to left field plating Eibner and Darr and giving the Razorbacks their first and final lead.
“I told our guys these are two great wins, but I don’t want these games to be the highlight of the season,” Van Horn cautioned. “We have a lot of baseball left to play. I know we have guys in the clubhouse that can stay focused because they know what’s up. I’m just real proud of them with the way they hung in.”
On the mound the Razorbacks had some issues over the opening three innings, but the staff settled in and six pitchers combined to upend the Sun Devils. Zack Cox came into the game with one out in the fifth and tossed three innings of two hit ball with one walk to earn his third victory of the season. Tuesday night’s winner Sam Murphy threw the end of the eighth to earn a hold and Stephen Richards closed out the contest with one inning of work including a pair of strikeouts to end it.
Arkansas pounded out 11 hits in the contest led by Darr’s three and Carver and Eibner’s two each. Other hits for the Razorbacks came from Leavitt, Bigham, Wilkins and catcher James McCann.
The Razorbacks get back into Southeastern Conference play this weekend when they host Vanderbilt for three games beginning on Friday night at 6:35 p.m.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
#1 Arkansas Beats #1 Arizona State
(Courtesy University of Arkansas Media Relations)
(FAYETTEVILLE, AR) – In the first No. 1 vs. No. 1 matchup in Baum Stadium history the Arkansas Razorback baseball team used a five-run seventh inning to defeat the Arizona State Sun Devils on Tuesday night, 7-3.
Arkansas (23-6, 10-2 SEC) improves to 3-4 against No. 1 teams under head coach Dave Van Horn while Arizona State (23-6, 8-1 Pac 10) has its four-game winning streak snapped with the loss.
“The crowd was great tonight,” Van Horn said. “They were loud and really into it. There were times when we had two strikes on a guy and they got out of their seats and were really cheering for us and pulled us through those tough innings. [Arizona State] made a few mistakes in the seventh inning that we were able to take advantage of and hit the ball well, which led to as many runs as we got.”
Down 3-1, the Arkansas seventh began with an out, but Chase Leavitt worked a walk after fouling off several tough pitches. Van Horn then went to the bench and brought up Tom Hauskey who hit the first pitch he saw past the first baseman and into right field moving Leavitt to third. The single prompted Arizona State to make a pitching change but the Razorback hitters were not fazed as Ben Tschepikow greeted the new arm with a bloop single to center field which scored the first run of the inning. Arkansas’ next batter Andy Wilkins was hit by a pitch placing runners at first and second for Jacob House. House hit a 2-0 pitch sharply up the middle which the Arizona State shortstop fielded but then booted allowing pinch runner Collin Kuhn to score and tie the game while also leaving runners on first and second.
With the game tied, Andrew Darr strode to the plate and fought off a 1-2 pitch into left field which scored Tschepikow for Arkansas’ first lead. Two batters later pinch hitter Scott Lyons drove a single to right-center field which scored two runners to make it a 6-3 ballgame.
“Tom [Hauskey] did what a pinch hitter is supposed to do in that situation,” Van Horn said. “He came in and saw the first pitch was a good one and put it out in the outfield. Scott Lyons did a great job to come in there and get a big hit for us.”
Arkansas’ pitchers did a very good job of limiting damage throughout the game as they stranded six Arizona State base runners and allowed the Sun Devils to score just one run in three separate innings. Arkansas starter Brett Eibner tossed five innings and allowed two runs on five hits with three strikeouts before handing the ball off to Sam Murphy who was very good against the eager Sun Devil hitters. Murphy would account for the win as he pitched 2.1 innings and gave up one run on two hits. Stephen Richards picked up a five-out save, striking out three and more importantly getting the first batter he faced to ground into a double play to end an Arizona State threat in the eighth.
Arizona State was the first team to score as they stole one run in the third. With two outs, Zack MacPhee took advantage of the pitchers windup and stole home after getting on base with a walk and moving to second on an attempted sacrifice and to third on a wild pitch. The Sun Devils would also plate runs in the fourth with three hits and the sixth with a home run to take a 3-1 lead in the game heading into the seventh.
The Razorbacks would score their first run of the game in the fourth inning when Wilkins scored on a single up the middle by House. Wilkins had doubled to the right-center field gap.
The Razorbacks and Sun Devils conclude their series on Wednesday evening with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch.
(FAYETTEVILLE, AR) – In the first No. 1 vs. No. 1 matchup in Baum Stadium history the Arkansas Razorback baseball team used a five-run seventh inning to defeat the Arizona State Sun Devils on Tuesday night, 7-3.
Arkansas (23-6, 10-2 SEC) improves to 3-4 against No. 1 teams under head coach Dave Van Horn while Arizona State (23-6, 8-1 Pac 10) has its four-game winning streak snapped with the loss.
“The crowd was great tonight,” Van Horn said. “They were loud and really into it. There were times when we had two strikes on a guy and they got out of their seats and were really cheering for us and pulled us through those tough innings. [Arizona State] made a few mistakes in the seventh inning that we were able to take advantage of and hit the ball well, which led to as many runs as we got.”
Down 3-1, the Arkansas seventh began with an out, but Chase Leavitt worked a walk after fouling off several tough pitches. Van Horn then went to the bench and brought up Tom Hauskey who hit the first pitch he saw past the first baseman and into right field moving Leavitt to third. The single prompted Arizona State to make a pitching change but the Razorback hitters were not fazed as Ben Tschepikow greeted the new arm with a bloop single to center field which scored the first run of the inning. Arkansas’ next batter Andy Wilkins was hit by a pitch placing runners at first and second for Jacob House. House hit a 2-0 pitch sharply up the middle which the Arizona State shortstop fielded but then booted allowing pinch runner Collin Kuhn to score and tie the game while also leaving runners on first and second.
With the game tied, Andrew Darr strode to the plate and fought off a 1-2 pitch into left field which scored Tschepikow for Arkansas’ first lead. Two batters later pinch hitter Scott Lyons drove a single to right-center field which scored two runners to make it a 6-3 ballgame.
“Tom [Hauskey] did what a pinch hitter is supposed to do in that situation,” Van Horn said. “He came in and saw the first pitch was a good one and put it out in the outfield. Scott Lyons did a great job to come in there and get a big hit for us.”
Arkansas’ pitchers did a very good job of limiting damage throughout the game as they stranded six Arizona State base runners and allowed the Sun Devils to score just one run in three separate innings. Arkansas starter Brett Eibner tossed five innings and allowed two runs on five hits with three strikeouts before handing the ball off to Sam Murphy who was very good against the eager Sun Devil hitters. Murphy would account for the win as he pitched 2.1 innings and gave up one run on two hits. Stephen Richards picked up a five-out save, striking out three and more importantly getting the first batter he faced to ground into a double play to end an Arizona State threat in the eighth.
Arizona State was the first team to score as they stole one run in the third. With two outs, Zack MacPhee took advantage of the pitchers windup and stole home after getting on base with a walk and moving to second on an attempted sacrifice and to third on a wild pitch. The Sun Devils would also plate runs in the fourth with three hits and the sixth with a home run to take a 3-1 lead in the game heading into the seventh.
The Razorbacks would score their first run of the game in the fourth inning when Wilkins scored on a single up the middle by House. Wilkins had doubled to the right-center field gap.
The Razorbacks and Sun Devils conclude their series on Wednesday evening with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch.
Who Are Those Guys?
If you saw the "OPS Animals" entry last week you saw a name that is at once uncommon and possibly out of place. Brett Nommensen led the nation last week with a 1.536 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage), and he was ahead of such names as Alabama's Kent Matthes (national home run leader) and Rich Poythress of then #1 Georgia.
So what did Nommensen do for an encore last week? The Eastern Illinois centerfielder reached base safely in his first 13 trips to the plate, and ended-up batting 10-for-13 (.769) with 3 home runs, two doubles, 9 RBIs, and 7 runs to help his Panthers go 5-0 against St. Louis, Chicago State and Murray State.
Entering this week the 5'10, 190 pound senior leads the nation with a 1.022 slugging percentage and .642 on-base percentage to swell his OPS to 1.664. Nommensen is 17th nationally with his 11 home runs, his .516 batting average is second in the country, and he has 20 walks, 12 times hit by pitch, with just seven strikeouts this season.
Nommensen has scored a team-high 36 runs, and he's also tied for third on his team with 26 RBIs...and he's doing it from the lead-off spot.
While his numbers are eye-popping, it's not like Nommensen is a one-man wrecking crew. Eastern Illinois has tough outs throughout its line-up that include: Richie Derbak (.455-24 RBIs), Jordan Kreke (.408-6 HR-29 RBIs*), Curt Restko (.383), Zach Skidmore (.330-4 HR-23 RBIs), and Jordan Tokarz (.324-6HR-27 RBIs).
Eastern Illinois (21-5) has wins this season over then #15 Oklahoma, South Florida and Indiana. The Panthers have also won 11 straight games coming into this week, and Nommensen has excelled during the current stretch of success as well batting .606 (20-33) with 10 extra-base hits, 13 RBIs and 17 runs.
The Panthers are the defending Ohio Vally Conference Tournament champs, but they didn't win the crown as the front-runner in 2008. They had to win their last regular season game just to get into the OVC Tournament, and then beat four teams in four days to gain the conference's automatic NCAA bid. (Sound anything like the Fresno State team that had to win the WAC Tourney to make an NCAA regional and then won the national title after starting as a #4 regional seed?)
While Eastern Illinois' season didn't end with the same fairytale ending as FSU, the Panthers did put up a fight before bowing out at the Lincoln, NE regional. EIU scored 17 runs in their two losses (Nebraska 13-10 and Oral Roberts 8-7 in 10 inn.) to end their own storybook season.
Coming into the eighth week of the season EIU sports a .370 team batting average with 110 walks and just 127 strikeouts. They also have a respectable 4.34 team ERA with two pitchers who are 5-0 (Mike Recchia-0.92 ERA in 6 starts and Josh Mueller) as well as two-way standout Richie Derbak who has 5 saves and a 2.00 ERA to go along with his aforementioned .455 batting average.
They'll be the team to beat entering the OVC Tournament this year, but they'll be a major headache if they go to Ohio State or any other regional in the midwest. So don't wait until May or June to ask what Butch asked Sundance: "Who are those guys?"
So what did Nommensen do for an encore last week? The Eastern Illinois centerfielder reached base safely in his first 13 trips to the plate, and ended-up batting 10-for-13 (.769) with 3 home runs, two doubles, 9 RBIs, and 7 runs to help his Panthers go 5-0 against St. Louis, Chicago State and Murray State.
Entering this week the 5'10, 190 pound senior leads the nation with a 1.022 slugging percentage and .642 on-base percentage to swell his OPS to 1.664. Nommensen is 17th nationally with his 11 home runs, his .516 batting average is second in the country, and he has 20 walks, 12 times hit by pitch, with just seven strikeouts this season.
Nommensen has scored a team-high 36 runs, and he's also tied for third on his team with 26 RBIs...and he's doing it from the lead-off spot.
While his numbers are eye-popping, it's not like Nommensen is a one-man wrecking crew. Eastern Illinois has tough outs throughout its line-up that include: Richie Derbak (.455-24 RBIs), Jordan Kreke (.408-6 HR-29 RBIs*), Curt Restko (.383), Zach Skidmore (.330-4 HR-23 RBIs), and Jordan Tokarz (.324-6HR-27 RBIs).
Eastern Illinois (21-5) has wins this season over then #15 Oklahoma, South Florida and Indiana. The Panthers have also won 11 straight games coming into this week, and Nommensen has excelled during the current stretch of success as well batting .606 (20-33) with 10 extra-base hits, 13 RBIs and 17 runs.
The Panthers are the defending Ohio Vally Conference Tournament champs, but they didn't win the crown as the front-runner in 2008. They had to win their last regular season game just to get into the OVC Tournament, and then beat four teams in four days to gain the conference's automatic NCAA bid. (Sound anything like the Fresno State team that had to win the WAC Tourney to make an NCAA regional and then won the national title after starting as a #4 regional seed?)
While Eastern Illinois' season didn't end with the same fairytale ending as FSU, the Panthers did put up a fight before bowing out at the Lincoln, NE regional. EIU scored 17 runs in their two losses (Nebraska 13-10 and Oral Roberts 8-7 in 10 inn.) to end their own storybook season.
Coming into the eighth week of the season EIU sports a .370 team batting average with 110 walks and just 127 strikeouts. They also have a respectable 4.34 team ERA with two pitchers who are 5-0 (Mike Recchia-0.92 ERA in 6 starts and Josh Mueller) as well as two-way standout Richie Derbak who has 5 saves and a 2.00 ERA to go along with his aforementioned .455 batting average.
They'll be the team to beat entering the OVC Tournament this year, but they'll be a major headache if they go to Ohio State or any other regional in the midwest. So don't wait until May or June to ask what Butch asked Sundance: "Who are those guys?"
Thursday, April 2, 2009
What's In The Water In New Mexico?
Have you noticed those two New Mexico teams winning games at an alarming rate so far this season? Both New Mexico (25-5) and New Mexico State (25-3) are off and running so far in 2009 with offenses that are setting the bar for others to follow.
Coming into this week's action New Mexico led the nation in: Batting average (.407), hits (436) and triples (34). The Lobos are also second nationally in: Runs (325) and runs a game (11.6), and they're third in the nation in: Doubles (79) and slugging percentage (.612).
New Mexico State's not doing too badly either. The Aggies top the national ranking in: Home Runs (63), runs (363), runs a game (13.0), doubles (85), slugging percentage (.661), and walks (229).
I wrote on the blog yesterday about the individual national OPS leaders (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). How about these TEAM OPS numbers: New Mexico- 1.072 and New Mexico State-1.161.
It's not like either of these teams has historically been a hidden gem of the southwest. New Mexico has averaged 28 wins over the last three years, while NM State has averaged just 23 wins over that same period.
Ray Birmingham is in his second season as the Lobo's head coach after nearly two decades coaching at the junior college level. He brought a handful of players with him from New Mexico Junior College, and they've helped to spearhead his offensive attack. Brian Cavazos-Galvez is batting .455 with a 1.268 OPS, while Kevin Atkinson sports a .463 average and 1.206 OPS. However, neither can touch Ryan Honeycutt's team-leading .511 average to go with a 1.245 OPS.
The Lobos set an NCAA record earlier this year with 6 triples in one inning, and they have 24 heading into this weekend's action. They do play in a good size yard at 340 down both lines, and while much is made about Denver's "mile high" altitude of 5,208 feet, Albuquerque's altitude is 5,312.
New Mexico's signature wins came on March 17th and 18th over a Texas A & M team that was ranked in the top ten in pretty much every national poll.
Meanwhile, at 3,908 elevation in Las Cruces, Rocky Ward and his Aggies start WAC play this weekend against Sacramento State. A sweep of the four-game series would surpass the Aggies' 28 wins last year.
Like New Mexico, several New Mexico State players have gaudy offensive numbers. Brian Marquez is batting .371 with a team-high 13 home runs and a 1.378 OPS. Mike Sodders leads his team with a .424 average and 13 doubles to go with seven homers, and a 1.337 OPS. Jeffry Farnham is hitting .418, Wade Reynoso .400, Nate Shaver's at .394, and Richard Stout's batting at a .387 clip with a team-high 47 runs scored.
The Aggies don't have the signature wins that the Lobos have, but they have split two games with their intra-state rival. They also have a four-game WAC series at defending national champion Fresno State next weekend.
Bottom line-both New Mexico teams appear to have an entertaining brand of baseball that I'm doing searches on my DVR to see if I can find a game to watch, and both teams look to be on a collision course with an NCAA regional.
Coming into this week's action New Mexico led the nation in: Batting average (.407), hits (436) and triples (34). The Lobos are also second nationally in: Runs (325) and runs a game (11.6), and they're third in the nation in: Doubles (79) and slugging percentage (.612).
New Mexico State's not doing too badly either. The Aggies top the national ranking in: Home Runs (63), runs (363), runs a game (13.0), doubles (85), slugging percentage (.661), and walks (229).
I wrote on the blog yesterday about the individual national OPS leaders (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). How about these TEAM OPS numbers: New Mexico- 1.072 and New Mexico State-1.161.
It's not like either of these teams has historically been a hidden gem of the southwest. New Mexico has averaged 28 wins over the last three years, while NM State has averaged just 23 wins over that same period.
Ray Birmingham is in his second season as the Lobo's head coach after nearly two decades coaching at the junior college level. He brought a handful of players with him from New Mexico Junior College, and they've helped to spearhead his offensive attack. Brian Cavazos-Galvez is batting .455 with a 1.268 OPS, while Kevin Atkinson sports a .463 average and 1.206 OPS. However, neither can touch Ryan Honeycutt's team-leading .511 average to go with a 1.245 OPS.
The Lobos set an NCAA record earlier this year with 6 triples in one inning, and they have 24 heading into this weekend's action. They do play in a good size yard at 340 down both lines, and while much is made about Denver's "mile high" altitude of 5,208 feet, Albuquerque's altitude is 5,312.
New Mexico's signature wins came on March 17th and 18th over a Texas A & M team that was ranked in the top ten in pretty much every national poll.
Meanwhile, at 3,908 elevation in Las Cruces, Rocky Ward and his Aggies start WAC play this weekend against Sacramento State. A sweep of the four-game series would surpass the Aggies' 28 wins last year.
Like New Mexico, several New Mexico State players have gaudy offensive numbers. Brian Marquez is batting .371 with a team-high 13 home runs and a 1.378 OPS. Mike Sodders leads his team with a .424 average and 13 doubles to go with seven homers, and a 1.337 OPS. Jeffry Farnham is hitting .418, Wade Reynoso .400, Nate Shaver's at .394, and Richard Stout's batting at a .387 clip with a team-high 47 runs scored.
The Aggies don't have the signature wins that the Lobos have, but they have split two games with their intra-state rival. They also have a four-game WAC series at defending national champion Fresno State next weekend.
Bottom line-both New Mexico teams appear to have an entertaining brand of baseball that I'm doing searches on my DVR to see if I can find a game to watch, and both teams look to be on a collision course with an NCAA regional.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The OPS Animals
Since the NCAA has released its weekly statistical rankings for the last two weeks, it's easier to see who's really standing out across the nation. Alabama's Kent Matthes has been on a tear for the first month and a half of the 2009 season, but it's been hard to compare what he's doing to others without the NCAA rankings.
I thought I would take a quick sample of the top "OPS Animals" (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) across the country heading into week seven of the season.
Here's a quick look at the top ten as of March 29th (the reporting date for this week's NCAA stats rankings).:
Slug%-OBP=OPS
1. Brett Nommensen-Eastern Illinois-.923-.613= 1.536
His on-base percentage leads the nation thanks in part to 17 BB and 11 times HBP. He also has 9 doubles and 8 home runs.
2. Ryan Enos-Dallas Baptist-.944-.560= 1.504
He's hit 10 home runs with 11 doubles along with 13 BB and 6 HBP.
3. Rich Poythress-Georgia-.936-.556= 1.492
He's hit 13 home runs with 7 doubles, and he's walked 22 times. He also leads the nation with 47 RBIs.
4. Jason Kipnis-Arizona State-.914-.569= 1.483
Has 10 doubles with 8 home runs, and with 20 BB his OBP is 4th in the nation.
5. Kent Matthes-Alabama-1.000-.487= 1.487
Leads the nation with 16 HR, Slg% and 96 total bases. He's also third with 43 RBIs.
6. Pat Irvine-Elon-.933-.526= 1.459
He's hit 9 home runs and has walked 15 times.
7. Bryce Brentz-Middle Tennessee-.952-.505= 1.457
His slg% is second in the nation, and his 12 home runs are fourth. He also has a pair of triples and 80 total bases.
8. Jeff Hanson-Sacred Heart-.918-.500= 1.418
He's belted 7 home runs so far.
9. Blake Forsythe-Tennessee-.890-.526= 1.416
He has 11 home runs, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 19 BB, and 4 HBP. He's also tenth nationally with 81 total bases.
10. Marvin McWhorter, Jr.-Jackson State-.828-.583= 1.411
His OBP ranks third nationally. None of his stats jump-off the page, but he's solid across the board with 4 HR, 5 doubles, 2 triples, and 7 HBP.
Notice that there are no New Mexico or New Mexico State players in the top ten on the OPS rankings, but the Lobos and Aggies rank third and first, respectively, in teams slugging percentage. The two teams are also at or near the top of a lot of other team and individual NCAA stat rankings.
Coming-up in tomorrow's blog: What's in the water in New Mexico.
I thought I would take a quick sample of the top "OPS Animals" (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) across the country heading into week seven of the season.
Here's a quick look at the top ten as of March 29th (the reporting date for this week's NCAA stats rankings).:
Slug%-OBP=OPS
1. Brett Nommensen-Eastern Illinois-.923-.613= 1.536
His on-base percentage leads the nation thanks in part to 17 BB and 11 times HBP. He also has 9 doubles and 8 home runs.
2. Ryan Enos-Dallas Baptist-.944-.560= 1.504
He's hit 10 home runs with 11 doubles along with 13 BB and 6 HBP.
3. Rich Poythress-Georgia-.936-.556= 1.492
He's hit 13 home runs with 7 doubles, and he's walked 22 times. He also leads the nation with 47 RBIs.
4. Jason Kipnis-Arizona State-.914-.569= 1.483
Has 10 doubles with 8 home runs, and with 20 BB his OBP is 4th in the nation.
5. Kent Matthes-Alabama-1.000-.487= 1.487
Leads the nation with 16 HR, Slg% and 96 total bases. He's also third with 43 RBIs.
6. Pat Irvine-Elon-.933-.526= 1.459
He's hit 9 home runs and has walked 15 times.
7. Bryce Brentz-Middle Tennessee-.952-.505= 1.457
His slg% is second in the nation, and his 12 home runs are fourth. He also has a pair of triples and 80 total bases.
8. Jeff Hanson-Sacred Heart-.918-.500= 1.418
He's belted 7 home runs so far.
9. Blake Forsythe-Tennessee-.890-.526= 1.416
He has 11 home runs, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 19 BB, and 4 HBP. He's also tenth nationally with 81 total bases.
10. Marvin McWhorter, Jr.-Jackson State-.828-.583= 1.411
His OBP ranks third nationally. None of his stats jump-off the page, but he's solid across the board with 4 HR, 5 doubles, 2 triples, and 7 HBP.
Notice that there are no New Mexico or New Mexico State players in the top ten on the OPS rankings, but the Lobos and Aggies rank third and first, respectively, in teams slugging percentage. The two teams are also at or near the top of a lot of other team and individual NCAA stat rankings.
Coming-up in tomorrow's blog: What's in the water in New Mexico.
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