What were you doing in your last semester of your senior year of high school? Cruising the main drag, maybe thinking about where you would go to college and trying decide whether you were going to take Susie or Stacey to the senior prom?
Odds are, you weren't dealing with nasty fastballs and sliders from ACC pitchers, but that's exactly what Levi Michael is doing at North Carolina. You see, rather than deciding what kind of tux to go with at the prom, Michael graduated from North Davidson high school a semester early, and now he's donning Tar Heel blue in Chapel Hill.
Michael's journey is not unprecedented. It's become common for college football players, like Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen, to enroll a semester early for a jump start on the college playbook. Former USC QB, John David Booty, even left high school an entire year early. But spring football is PRACTICE. We're just talking about PRACTICE.
Kyle Parker took it a step further last year when he enrolled at Clemson in January. Parker not only practiced with the football team during spring drills, but also hit .303 with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs in 2008, during what would have been his senior year in high school. However, Clemson finished seven games under .500 in the ACC and missed the NCAA tournament. Parker sat while four other quarterbacks took snaps for the Tigers last fall, but he'll compete for the starting job next season.
Michael stepped out of high school gym class and into the fire when he enrolled at UNC in January, just in time for the first season of his college baseball career.
North Carolina is 35-11 overall and 16-7 and in first-place in the ACC's Coastal Division. The Tar Heels are ranked number one in this week's USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and NBCWA Poll, not to mention three straight trips to the College World Series. Pressure anyone?
You're probably saying to yourself "Ok, but he's hitting eighth or ninth in the order", right? Wrong. UNC head coach Mike Fox has Michael batting in the middle of the line-up, and he's not just surviving, he is thriving. Through 45 games, Michael is batting .314 with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs. His home run and RBI totals are second only to two-time All-American Dustin Ackley.
Michael has a .605 slugging percentage and .412 on-base percentage with 23 walks, 35 strikeouts and a team-high ten times hit by pitch. He just finished a week in which he hit .533 (8-15) with four doubles, a triple and a home run with 4 RBIs.
His high school finals are a thing of the past, and Michael and the rest of his college teammates are off this week while they take their college final exams. It'll be worth it for Michael if he trades cruising the main drag in his Welcome, NC home town for a trip on the team bus on S. 13th Street past Bob Gibson Blvd. and into the Rosenblatt Stadium parking lot about five weeks from now.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday CB360 Scoreboard
College Baseball Scores (Tuesday, April 28, 2009)
courtesy of CollegeBaseball360.com
Results involving top-25 teams (NCBWA/writers poll)
at #4 UC Irvine 6, Southern California 5
Southern Mississippi 6, #8 Mississippi 4 (Pearl, MS)
at #10 Texas 12, Texas State 2
at #12 Arkansas 8, #11 Oklahoma 7 (10 inn.)
North Florida 10, at #13 Miami 1
at #15 Virginia 5, Liberty 2
at #16 Cal Poly 17, Fresno State 16 (10 inn.)
at #17 Texas A&M 4, #18 TCU 3 (10 inn.)
at Elon 10, #21 East Carolina 8
at College of Charleston 13, #22 Coastal Carolina 7
at #23 Kansas State 10, North Dakota 2
Other Scores (listed alphabetically, by winner)
at Appalachian State 14, Radford 3
at Arkansas-Little Rock 19, Alcorn State 9 (8 inn.)
at Arkansas-Little Rock 12, Alcorn State 6
at Auburn 26, Troy 6
at Binghamton 8, Marist 5
at Boston College 13, Quinnipiac 10
Buffalo 14, St. Bonaventure 5 (Buffalo, NY)
at UCLA 7, Long Beach State 5
UC Riverside 2, at San Diego 1
Cal State Bakersfield 8, at UC Santa Barbara 6
Canisius 13, Niagara 7 (Buffalo, NY)
at UCF 9, South Florida 5
at Central Michigan 12, Concordia (MI) 2
Connecticut 17, at Bryant 5
Creighton 5, at South Dakota State 2
Dallas Baptist 6, at Sam Houston State 2
at Dartmouth 13, Hartford 5
Delaware 12, at Rutgers 5
at Delta State 13, Mississippi Valley State 5
at Evansville 10, Oakland City 4
at Florida Gulf Coast 8, Florida International 4
Fordham 15, at Manhattan 12
George Mason 12, at UMBC 4
at Georgetown 15, Norfolk State 4
at Harvard 16, Northeastern 13
at Illinois 5, Southern Illinois 1
Illinois-Chicago 10, at Notre Dame 5
at Kansas 11, Chicago State 5
at Kansas 9, Chicago State 1
at Kennesaw State 12, Alabama State 9
at Lamar 11, Louisiana-Monroe 10
Lewis-Clark State 5, at Washington 2
Louisville 11, at Kentucky 2
at Louisiana-Lafayette 4, McNeese State 1
at Maine 10, Thomas 2
at Maryland 17, James Madison 10
Massachusetts 11, at Siena 10 (10 inn.)
Mercer 9, at Florida A&M 6
Miami (OH) 9, at Indiana 6
at Middle Tennessee State 7, Belmont 5
Missouri 7, Eastern Illinois 4 (O'Fallon, MO)
Monmouth 20, at St. Peter's 10
Navy 8, at Delaware State 4
at Nebraska 4, New Mexico 2
at Nevada 3, UC Davis 2
at UNLV 13, Cal State Northridge 6
at New York Tech 20, St. John's 12
North Carolina A&T 7, at UNC Greensboro 6
at UNC Wilmington 10, North Carolina Central 3
at UNC Wilmington 14, North Carolina Central 0 (7 inn.)
at Northern Colorado 20, Air Force 14
at Northern Iowa 9, Iowa 3
at Oklahoma State 6, Texas-Arlington 2
at Oregon State 10, Oregon 2
Pacific 16, at California 11
Purdue 14, at Ball State 6 (8 inn.)
Rhode Island 10, at Holy Cross 4
Sacred Heart 20, Fairfield 13 (Fairfield, CT)
at San Jose State 6, St. Mary's 4
Southeastern Louisiana 8, at Jackson State 7
St. Louis 8, at Missouri State 3
St. Thomas (MN) 6, at Minnesota 3
at Stetson 8, Bethune-Cookman 7
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 12, at Texas-Pan American 7
Towson 8, at George Washington 4
Utah 11, at Utah Valley State 8
at Valparaiso 5, Bradley 2
at Villanova 7, Temple 6
at Virginia Tech 9, High Point 1
at Wake Forest 11, Davidson 3
at West Virginia 8, Morehead State 1 (6 inn.)
Western Carolina 8, at Charlotte 6
at Western Illinois 6, Eureka 4
at Western Kentucky 14, Austin Peay 4
at Wichita State 5, Tabor 3
at William and Mary 10, VMI 9
at Wisconsin-Milwaukee 5, Northern Illinois 2 (7 inn.)
at Wisconsin-Milwaukee 6, Northern Illinois 4 (7 inn.)
at Wright State 23, Urbana 0
at Xavier 10, Cincinnati 9
Canceled/Postponed
Tulane at #5 LSU
Texas-San Antonio at #24 Baylor (DH)
Washington State at Gonzaga
Tennessee-Martin at Arkansas State
Northwestern State at Grambling State
Southeast Missouri State at Central Arkansas
Long Island at Lafayette
Southeast Missouri State at Central Arkansas
Eastern Michigan at Michigan State
North Central at Northwestern
Penn State at Pittsburgh
Georgetown (KY) at Marshall
Ohio at Cleveland State
Toledo at Bowling Green State
Illinois Wesleyan at Illinois State
Princeton at Rider
courtesy of CollegeBaseball360.com
Results involving top-25 teams (NCBWA/writers poll)
at #4 UC Irvine 6, Southern California 5
Southern Mississippi 6, #8 Mississippi 4 (Pearl, MS)
at #10 Texas 12, Texas State 2
at #12 Arkansas 8, #11 Oklahoma 7 (10 inn.)
North Florida 10, at #13 Miami 1
at #15 Virginia 5, Liberty 2
at #16 Cal Poly 17, Fresno State 16 (10 inn.)
at #17 Texas A&M 4, #18 TCU 3 (10 inn.)
at Elon 10, #21 East Carolina 8
at College of Charleston 13, #22 Coastal Carolina 7
at #23 Kansas State 10, North Dakota 2
Other Scores (listed alphabetically, by winner)
at Appalachian State 14, Radford 3
at Arkansas-Little Rock 19, Alcorn State 9 (8 inn.)
at Arkansas-Little Rock 12, Alcorn State 6
at Auburn 26, Troy 6
at Binghamton 8, Marist 5
at Boston College 13, Quinnipiac 10
Buffalo 14, St. Bonaventure 5 (Buffalo, NY)
at UCLA 7, Long Beach State 5
UC Riverside 2, at San Diego 1
Cal State Bakersfield 8, at UC Santa Barbara 6
Canisius 13, Niagara 7 (Buffalo, NY)
at UCF 9, South Florida 5
at Central Michigan 12, Concordia (MI) 2
Connecticut 17, at Bryant 5
Creighton 5, at South Dakota State 2
Dallas Baptist 6, at Sam Houston State 2
at Dartmouth 13, Hartford 5
Delaware 12, at Rutgers 5
at Delta State 13, Mississippi Valley State 5
at Evansville 10, Oakland City 4
at Florida Gulf Coast 8, Florida International 4
Fordham 15, at Manhattan 12
George Mason 12, at UMBC 4
at Georgetown 15, Norfolk State 4
at Harvard 16, Northeastern 13
at Illinois 5, Southern Illinois 1
Illinois-Chicago 10, at Notre Dame 5
at Kansas 11, Chicago State 5
at Kansas 9, Chicago State 1
at Kennesaw State 12, Alabama State 9
at Lamar 11, Louisiana-Monroe 10
Lewis-Clark State 5, at Washington 2
Louisville 11, at Kentucky 2
at Louisiana-Lafayette 4, McNeese State 1
at Maine 10, Thomas 2
at Maryland 17, James Madison 10
Massachusetts 11, at Siena 10 (10 inn.)
Mercer 9, at Florida A&M 6
Miami (OH) 9, at Indiana 6
at Middle Tennessee State 7, Belmont 5
Missouri 7, Eastern Illinois 4 (O'Fallon, MO)
Monmouth 20, at St. Peter's 10
Navy 8, at Delaware State 4
at Nebraska 4, New Mexico 2
at Nevada 3, UC Davis 2
at UNLV 13, Cal State Northridge 6
at New York Tech 20, St. John's 12
North Carolina A&T 7, at UNC Greensboro 6
at UNC Wilmington 10, North Carolina Central 3
at UNC Wilmington 14, North Carolina Central 0 (7 inn.)
at Northern Colorado 20, Air Force 14
at Northern Iowa 9, Iowa 3
at Oklahoma State 6, Texas-Arlington 2
at Oregon State 10, Oregon 2
Pacific 16, at California 11
Purdue 14, at Ball State 6 (8 inn.)
Rhode Island 10, at Holy Cross 4
Sacred Heart 20, Fairfield 13 (Fairfield, CT)
at San Jose State 6, St. Mary's 4
Southeastern Louisiana 8, at Jackson State 7
St. Louis 8, at Missouri State 3
St. Thomas (MN) 6, at Minnesota 3
at Stetson 8, Bethune-Cookman 7
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 12, at Texas-Pan American 7
Towson 8, at George Washington 4
Utah 11, at Utah Valley State 8
at Valparaiso 5, Bradley 2
at Villanova 7, Temple 6
at Virginia Tech 9, High Point 1
at Wake Forest 11, Davidson 3
at West Virginia 8, Morehead State 1 (6 inn.)
Western Carolina 8, at Charlotte 6
at Western Illinois 6, Eureka 4
at Western Kentucky 14, Austin Peay 4
at Wichita State 5, Tabor 3
at William and Mary 10, VMI 9
at Wisconsin-Milwaukee 5, Northern Illinois 2 (7 inn.)
at Wisconsin-Milwaukee 6, Northern Illinois 4 (7 inn.)
at Wright State 23, Urbana 0
at Xavier 10, Cincinnati 9
Canceled/Postponed
Tulane at #5 LSU
Texas-San Antonio at #24 Baylor (DH)
Washington State at Gonzaga
Tennessee-Martin at Arkansas State
Northwestern State at Grambling State
Southeast Missouri State at Central Arkansas
Long Island at Lafayette
Southeast Missouri State at Central Arkansas
Eastern Michigan at Michigan State
North Central at Northwestern
Penn State at Pittsburgh
Georgetown (KY) at Marshall
Ohio at Cleveland State
Toledo at Bowling Green State
Illinois Wesleyan at Illinois State
Princeton at Rider
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday Collegebaseball360 Scoreboard
Just a handful of games took place on Monday. Here they are:
Connecticut 6, at Northeastern 4
Dallas Baptist 12, at Stephen F. Austin 8
Louisiana Tech 10, at Sacramento State 5
at Stanford 12, San Francisco 4
at Tennessee Tech 7, Alabama A&M 1
at Utah Valley State 7, BYU 2
Connecticut 6, at Northeastern 4
Dallas Baptist 12, at Stephen F. Austin 8
Louisiana Tech 10, at Sacramento State 5
at Stanford 12, San Francisco 4
at Tennessee Tech 7, Alabama A&M 1
at Utah Valley State 7, BYU 2
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday's Rundown Of Scores & Series Results
Here's a look at Sunday's scores and Top 25 series results:
Results involving top-25 teams (NCBWA/writers poll)
at #1North Carolina 4, Maryland 2 UNC wins series 3-0
Kansas State 6, at #2 Texas 6 (10 inn.) K-State wins series 2-0-1
#3 Arizona State 6, at California 5 ASU wins series 2-1
at #11 Mississippi 6, #4 Georgia 1 Ole Miss wins series 2-1
at #7 LSU 7, Auburn 6 LSU wins series 3-0
at #21 Clemson 6, #8 Georgia Tech 3 Clemson wins series 2-1
#9 Cal State Fullerton 6, at UC Davis 0 Fullerton wins series 3-0
at #10 Florida State 14, Wake Forest 10 FSU wins series 3-0
at #12 Miami 11, Virginia Tech 3 Miami wins series 2-1
#13 Arkansas 15, at Tennessee 8 Arkansas wins series 2-1
#14 Oklahoma 11, at #15 Baylor 8 OU wins series 3-0
N.C. State 7, at #16 Virginia 6 Virginia wins series 2-1
#17 Cal Poly 15, at UC Santa Barbara 7 Cal Poly wins series 2-1
at #18 Texas A&M 6, #25 Oklahoma State 4 TAMU wins series 2-1
#19 Coastal Carolina 8, at Presbyterian 3 CC wins series 2-1
#20 TCU 6, at San Diego State 5 TCU wins series 2-1
at #22 Florida 9, South Carolina 5 Fla wins series 3-0
Northwestern 10, at #23 Ohio State 6 OSU wins series 2-1
Other Scores (listed alphabetically, by winner)
at Alabama 3, Kentucky 2
Albany 10, at Stony Brook 7
at Appalachian State 11, Wofford 6
Arizona 7, at Stanford 6
at Arkansas-Little Rock 15, Houston Baptist 2 (7 inn.)
Arkansas State 9, at New Orleans 3
Army 12, at Lafayette 7 (7 inn.)
Army 12, at Lafayette 10
at Ball State 11, Western Michigan 7
Bethune-Cookman 10, at UMES 0 (8 inn.)
Binghamton 8, at New Jersey Tech 2 (7 inn.)
Binghamton 4, at New Jersey Tech 2 (7 inn.)
Boston College 7, at Duke 6 (11 inn.)
at Brown 17, Yale 10 (7 inn.)
at Brown 11, Yale 3
Bryant 9, at LeMoyne 1
Bucknell 12, at Lehigh 6 (7 inn.)
Bucknell 17, at Lehigh 8
Buffalo 3, at Akron 2
at Butler 4, Youngstown State 1
at UCLA 5, Oregon State 2
UC Riverside 2, at Cal State Northridge 0
at Centenary 8, IPFW 1
Central Arkansas 21, at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 6 (7 inn.)
Central Connecticut 11, at Long Island 9
UCF 12, at UAB 6
at Central Michigan 3, Toledo 0
Charlotte 8, at St. Louis 6
at Cincinnati 4, Villanova 3
at The Citadel 8, Georgia Southern 4
at Cornell 4 , Princeton 3
Dartmouth 11, at Harvard 5 (7 inn.)
at Davidson 5, UNC Greensboro 4 (11 inn.)
Dayton 11, at Fordham 9
at East Tennessee State 16, High Point 10
at Eastern Illinois 5, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 0
Eastern Kentucky 9, at Jacksonville State 3
at Eastern Michigan 8, Northern Illinois 7
Elon 12, at Samford 9
Fairfield 14, at Rider 4
Florida A&M 18, at Coppin State 2 (7 inn.)
Florida International 7, at Louisiana-Monroe 6
at George Mason 9, Hofstra 5
George Washington 6, at Duquesne 1
Gonzaga 11, at Santa Clara 1
Hartford 7, at UMBC 6
at Harvard 4, Dartmouth 3
at Holy Cross 9, Navy 5 (7 inn.)
at Holy Cross 9, Navy 2
Houston 9, at Marshall 8 (10 inn.)
Illinois 9, at Penn State 2
Indiana 3, at Michigan 1
Indiana State 11, Oakland City 0 (Evansville, IN)
at James Madison 6, Georgia State 5
at Kansas 8, Nebraska 2
at Kansas 9, Nebraska 4
Kent State 8, at Ohio 5
at Lamar 14, Northwestern State (7 inn.)
at LaSalle 7, Massachusetts 3
at LeMoyne 4, Bryant 1 (7 inn.)
Liberty 10, at Gardner-Webb 9 (11 inn.)
Lipscomb 3, at Jacksonville 2
Long Beach State 10, at Pacific 3
Louisiana Tech 7, at Sacramento State 4
at Maine 5, Vermont 1 (7 inn.)
at Manhattan 11, Canisius 7
Marist 16, at Siena 5
at UMBC 10, Hartford 2 (7 inn.)
Mercer 7, at North Florida 2
Miami (OH) 14, at Bowling Green 12
Michigan State 14, at Iowa 5
Middle Tennessee State 11, at South Alabama 5
at Minnesota 5, Purdue 2
at Missouri 15, Texas Tech 2 (7 inn.)
Missouri State 11, at Evansville 3
at Morehead State 18, Murray State 9
at Nevada 13, al State Bakersfield 6
UNLV 11, at Air Force 3
at New Mexico State 20, Hawaii 9 (7 inn.)
at Niagara 12, New York Tech 9
at Norfolk State 11, Savannah State 10
North Carolina A&T 7, at Delaware State 3
UNC Wilmington 10, at Towson 7
at Northeastern 6, VCU 5
at Norfolk State 11, Savannah State 10
Notre Dame 13, at Louisville 12
at Old Dominion 6, William and Mary 4
at Pennsylvania 11, Columbia 5 (7 inn.)
at Pennsylvania 15, Columbia 9
at Pittsburgh 12, Rutgers 8
at Prairie View A&M 18, UT Pan American 7
Princeton 9, at Cornell 7 (7 inn.)
Quinnipiac 8, at Fairleigh Dickinson 4
Rhode Island 6, at St. Joseph's 1
Sacred Heart 15, at Monmouth 6
at San Diego 17, Portland 7
at San Francisco 4, Pepperdine 2
at San Jose State 6, Fresno State 5
at Seton Hall 6, Georgetown 5
South Dakota State 16, at Western Illinois 7
at South Florida 9, West Virginia 6
Southeast Missouri State 13, at Austin Peay 3
Southeastern Louisiana 13, at Sam Houston State 6
at Southern 9, Texas Southern 8 (12 inn.)
at Southern Illinois 8, Illinois State 0
at St. Bonaventure 8, Richmond 6
St. John's 13, at Connecticut 4
at St. Mary's 5, Loyola Marymount 4
St. Peter's 12, at Iona 1
at Stephen F. Austin 4, UT Arlington 3 (10 inn.)
at Stony Brook 4, Albany 1 (7 inn.)
at Tennessee Tech 12, Tennessee-Martin 6
UTSA 6, at Nicholls State 5
at Texas State 15, McNeese State 2 (7 inn.)
Toledo 3, at Central Michigan 1
at Troy 12, Louisiana-Lafayette 3
at Tulane 12, Memphis 11 (12 inn.)
VMI 6, at Winthrop 5
at Wagner 17, Mount St. Mary's 6
Washington 6, at Oregon 3
Washington State 6, at Southern California 4
Western Carolina 6, at Furman 4
at Western Kentucky 4, Florida Atlantic 3
at Wright State 16, Valparaiso 1
Valparaiso 2, at Wright State 1
at Vanderbilt 11, Mississippi State 3
Vermont 6, at Maine 3
Xavier 6, at Temple 5
Youngstown State 6, at Butler 5 (10 inn.)
Canceled/Postponed
Alabama A&M at Alabama State (2)
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Grambling State
Cleveland State at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2)
Oral Roberts at North Dakota State (2)
Wichita State at Northern Iowa
Bradley at Creighton
Results involving top-25 teams (NCBWA/writers poll)
at #1North Carolina 4, Maryland 2 UNC wins series 3-0
Kansas State 6, at #2 Texas 6 (10 inn.) K-State wins series 2-0-1
#3 Arizona State 6, at California 5 ASU wins series 2-1
at #11 Mississippi 6, #4 Georgia 1 Ole Miss wins series 2-1
at #7 LSU 7, Auburn 6 LSU wins series 3-0
at #21 Clemson 6, #8 Georgia Tech 3 Clemson wins series 2-1
#9 Cal State Fullerton 6, at UC Davis 0 Fullerton wins series 3-0
at #10 Florida State 14, Wake Forest 10 FSU wins series 3-0
at #12 Miami 11, Virginia Tech 3 Miami wins series 2-1
#13 Arkansas 15, at Tennessee 8 Arkansas wins series 2-1
#14 Oklahoma 11, at #15 Baylor 8 OU wins series 3-0
N.C. State 7, at #16 Virginia 6 Virginia wins series 2-1
#17 Cal Poly 15, at UC Santa Barbara 7 Cal Poly wins series 2-1
at #18 Texas A&M 6, #25 Oklahoma State 4 TAMU wins series 2-1
#19 Coastal Carolina 8, at Presbyterian 3 CC wins series 2-1
#20 TCU 6, at San Diego State 5 TCU wins series 2-1
at #22 Florida 9, South Carolina 5 Fla wins series 3-0
Northwestern 10, at #23 Ohio State 6 OSU wins series 2-1
Other Scores (listed alphabetically, by winner)
at Alabama 3, Kentucky 2
Albany 10, at Stony Brook 7
at Appalachian State 11, Wofford 6
Arizona 7, at Stanford 6
at Arkansas-Little Rock 15, Houston Baptist 2 (7 inn.)
Arkansas State 9, at New Orleans 3
Army 12, at Lafayette 7 (7 inn.)
Army 12, at Lafayette 10
at Ball State 11, Western Michigan 7
Bethune-Cookman 10, at UMES 0 (8 inn.)
Binghamton 8, at New Jersey Tech 2 (7 inn.)
Binghamton 4, at New Jersey Tech 2 (7 inn.)
Boston College 7, at Duke 6 (11 inn.)
at Brown 17, Yale 10 (7 inn.)
at Brown 11, Yale 3
Bryant 9, at LeMoyne 1
Bucknell 12, at Lehigh 6 (7 inn.)
Bucknell 17, at Lehigh 8
Buffalo 3, at Akron 2
at Butler 4, Youngstown State 1
at UCLA 5, Oregon State 2
UC Riverside 2, at Cal State Northridge 0
at Centenary 8, IPFW 1
Central Arkansas 21, at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 6 (7 inn.)
Central Connecticut 11, at Long Island 9
UCF 12, at UAB 6
at Central Michigan 3, Toledo 0
Charlotte 8, at St. Louis 6
at Cincinnati 4, Villanova 3
at The Citadel 8, Georgia Southern 4
at Cornell 4 , Princeton 3
Dartmouth 11, at Harvard 5 (7 inn.)
at Davidson 5, UNC Greensboro 4 (11 inn.)
Dayton 11, at Fordham 9
at East Tennessee State 16, High Point 10
at Eastern Illinois 5, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 0
Eastern Kentucky 9, at Jacksonville State 3
at Eastern Michigan 8, Northern Illinois 7
Elon 12, at Samford 9
Fairfield 14, at Rider 4
Florida A&M 18, at Coppin State 2 (7 inn.)
Florida International 7, at Louisiana-Monroe 6
at George Mason 9, Hofstra 5
George Washington 6, at Duquesne 1
Gonzaga 11, at Santa Clara 1
Hartford 7, at UMBC 6
at Harvard 4, Dartmouth 3
at Holy Cross 9, Navy 5 (7 inn.)
at Holy Cross 9, Navy 2
Houston 9, at Marshall 8 (10 inn.)
Illinois 9, at Penn State 2
Indiana 3, at Michigan 1
Indiana State 11, Oakland City 0 (Evansville, IN)
at James Madison 6, Georgia State 5
at Kansas 8, Nebraska 2
at Kansas 9, Nebraska 4
Kent State 8, at Ohio 5
at Lamar 14, Northwestern State (7 inn.)
at LaSalle 7, Massachusetts 3
at LeMoyne 4, Bryant 1 (7 inn.)
Liberty 10, at Gardner-Webb 9 (11 inn.)
Lipscomb 3, at Jacksonville 2
Long Beach State 10, at Pacific 3
Louisiana Tech 7, at Sacramento State 4
at Maine 5, Vermont 1 (7 inn.)
at Manhattan 11, Canisius 7
Marist 16, at Siena 5
at UMBC 10, Hartford 2 (7 inn.)
Mercer 7, at North Florida 2
Miami (OH) 14, at Bowling Green 12
Michigan State 14, at Iowa 5
Middle Tennessee State 11, at South Alabama 5
at Minnesota 5, Purdue 2
at Missouri 15, Texas Tech 2 (7 inn.)
Missouri State 11, at Evansville 3
at Morehead State 18, Murray State 9
at Nevada 13, al State Bakersfield 6
UNLV 11, at Air Force 3
at New Mexico State 20, Hawaii 9 (7 inn.)
at Niagara 12, New York Tech 9
at Norfolk State 11, Savannah State 10
North Carolina A&T 7, at Delaware State 3
UNC Wilmington 10, at Towson 7
at Northeastern 6, VCU 5
at Norfolk State 11, Savannah State 10
Notre Dame 13, at Louisville 12
at Old Dominion 6, William and Mary 4
at Pennsylvania 11, Columbia 5 (7 inn.)
at Pennsylvania 15, Columbia 9
at Pittsburgh 12, Rutgers 8
at Prairie View A&M 18, UT Pan American 7
Princeton 9, at Cornell 7 (7 inn.)
Quinnipiac 8, at Fairleigh Dickinson 4
Rhode Island 6, at St. Joseph's 1
Sacred Heart 15, at Monmouth 6
at San Diego 17, Portland 7
at San Francisco 4, Pepperdine 2
at San Jose State 6, Fresno State 5
at Seton Hall 6, Georgetown 5
South Dakota State 16, at Western Illinois 7
at South Florida 9, West Virginia 6
Southeast Missouri State 13, at Austin Peay 3
Southeastern Louisiana 13, at Sam Houston State 6
at Southern 9, Texas Southern 8 (12 inn.)
at Southern Illinois 8, Illinois State 0
at St. Bonaventure 8, Richmond 6
St. John's 13, at Connecticut 4
at St. Mary's 5, Loyola Marymount 4
St. Peter's 12, at Iona 1
at Stephen F. Austin 4, UT Arlington 3 (10 inn.)
at Stony Brook 4, Albany 1 (7 inn.)
at Tennessee Tech 12, Tennessee-Martin 6
UTSA 6, at Nicholls State 5
at Texas State 15, McNeese State 2 (7 inn.)
Toledo 3, at Central Michigan 1
at Troy 12, Louisiana-Lafayette 3
at Tulane 12, Memphis 11 (12 inn.)
VMI 6, at Winthrop 5
at Wagner 17, Mount St. Mary's 6
Washington 6, at Oregon 3
Washington State 6, at Southern California 4
Western Carolina 6, at Furman 4
at Western Kentucky 4, Florida Atlantic 3
at Wright State 16, Valparaiso 1
Valparaiso 2, at Wright State 1
at Vanderbilt 11, Mississippi State 3
Vermont 6, at Maine 3
Xavier 6, at Temple 5
Youngstown State 6, at Butler 5 (10 inn.)
Canceled/Postponed
Alabama A&M at Alabama State (2)
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Grambling State
Cleveland State at Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2)
Oral Roberts at North Dakota State (2)
Wichita State at Northern Iowa
Bradley at Creighton
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday Scores
Here's a quick rundown of Thursday's action. To have college baseball scores delivered directly to your cell phone, PDA or email just click-on "Free Text/Email" on the front page of Collegebaseball360.com.
#6 UC Irvine 8, at Utah 3
New Mexico 12, at BYU 2
Cleveland State 7, at Niagara 3
at Delaware State 3, Delaware 1
at Eastern Illinois 11, Illinois College 1
at Hartford 7, Yale 6 (12 inn.)
at Holy Cross 17, Brown 12
Navy 10, at UMES 7
at Robert Morris 9, Chicago State 8
Stony Brook 5, at Fairleigh Dickinson 1
at Wisconsin-Milwaukee 7, Cardinal Stritch 3
#6 UC Irvine 8, at Utah 3
New Mexico 12, at BYU 2
Cleveland State 7, at Niagara 3
at Delaware State 3, Delaware 1
at Eastern Illinois 11, Illinois College 1
at Hartford 7, Yale 6 (12 inn.)
at Holy Cross 17, Brown 12
Navy 10, at UMES 7
at Robert Morris 9, Chicago State 8
Stony Brook 5, at Fairleigh Dickinson 1
at Wisconsin-Milwaukee 7, Cardinal Stritch 3
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Burning Questions While Waiting For The Weekend
A few things have been stirring in my mind lately...
1. Is Arizona State really that good, or is the rest of the Pac 10 just down this year? The Sun Devils (29-8 overall) lead the conference with a 13-2 mark heading into this weekend's series at Cal. Oregon State and Washington State are the next closest league contenders with 8-4 Pac 10 records. Those two teams have respective overall marks of 23-9 and 19-17. The only other team in the conference with an overall record better than .500 is USC (20-17, 9-6).
2. Will the Big 12 get a team to Omaha this year? Texas, Baylor and Nebraska all advanced to the 2005 College World Series, but the Big 12 has not had a representative at Omaha since. Texas leads a half-dozen Big 12 teams that will contend for an NCAA regional bid, but all of those teams have head-scratching series losses in conference play. Will that competition give them a leg-up in the post-season?
3. Who will be this year's Fresno State? As of now the Bulldogs (18-20) could follow Oregon State's lead by being the second straight defending national champion to miss the NCAA tournament the following year. They're batting just .268 with a 5.51 team ERA. As for candidates for this year's Cinderella: I wouldn't want to be a #2 seed at an NCAA regional and have to play West Virginia. It's a line-up full of though outs that all "ding it". For that reason, I also wouldn't want to have to face the Mountaineers with my third or fourth starter on the mound. (Think Louisville two years ago.)
4. Can Eastern Illinois keep going without Brett Nommensen? The centerfielder is having surgery to repair the hamate bone in his right wrist, and a 4-6 week recovery time sinks the rest of his senior season. He was hitting .521 with 11 home runs, 13 doubles, and a nation's best 1.670 OPS at the time he was injured. EIU is 27-8, and has lost just once since Nommensen was injured, but a return to an NCAA regional will be tougher without their catalyst.
5. Who's the best team in the brutal SEC? Georgia staked a claim by taking 2 of 3 from Arkansas last week, but LSU won its series with the Bulldogs earlier this month before dropping two games to Tennessee last weekend. The Razorbacks are at Tennessee this weekend, and finish with conference series vs. LSU, at Alabama and vs. Ole Miss. The top 3-4 spots in each SEC division could turnover before the conference tournament starts a month from now.
1. Is Arizona State really that good, or is the rest of the Pac 10 just down this year? The Sun Devils (29-8 overall) lead the conference with a 13-2 mark heading into this weekend's series at Cal. Oregon State and Washington State are the next closest league contenders with 8-4 Pac 10 records. Those two teams have respective overall marks of 23-9 and 19-17. The only other team in the conference with an overall record better than .500 is USC (20-17, 9-6).
2. Will the Big 12 get a team to Omaha this year? Texas, Baylor and Nebraska all advanced to the 2005 College World Series, but the Big 12 has not had a representative at Omaha since. Texas leads a half-dozen Big 12 teams that will contend for an NCAA regional bid, but all of those teams have head-scratching series losses in conference play. Will that competition give them a leg-up in the post-season?
3. Who will be this year's Fresno State? As of now the Bulldogs (18-20) could follow Oregon State's lead by being the second straight defending national champion to miss the NCAA tournament the following year. They're batting just .268 with a 5.51 team ERA. As for candidates for this year's Cinderella: I wouldn't want to be a #2 seed at an NCAA regional and have to play West Virginia. It's a line-up full of though outs that all "ding it". For that reason, I also wouldn't want to have to face the Mountaineers with my third or fourth starter on the mound. (Think Louisville two years ago.)
4. Can Eastern Illinois keep going without Brett Nommensen? The centerfielder is having surgery to repair the hamate bone in his right wrist, and a 4-6 week recovery time sinks the rest of his senior season. He was hitting .521 with 11 home runs, 13 doubles, and a nation's best 1.670 OPS at the time he was injured. EIU is 27-8, and has lost just once since Nommensen was injured, but a return to an NCAA regional will be tougher without their catalyst.
5. Who's the best team in the brutal SEC? Georgia staked a claim by taking 2 of 3 from Arkansas last week, but LSU won its series with the Bulldogs earlier this month before dropping two games to Tennessee last weekend. The Razorbacks are at Tennessee this weekend, and finish with conference series vs. LSU, at Alabama and vs. Ole Miss. The top 3-4 spots in each SEC division could turnover before the conference tournament starts a month from now.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Shark Attack 2006
(Notre Dame, IN) West Virginia leads Notre Dame 11-3 as they get ready to bat in the top of the seventh inning, so we'll take another walk down memory lane of past Blue-Gold weekends.
The 2006 Blue-Gold weekend was all Jeff Samardzija's. The wide receiver/pitcher started Friday night's series opener on the mound vs. Rutgers before a crowd of 3,507, which is still the biggest crowd in Eck Stadium history. Fans stood in line for more than an hour to get their hands on a commemorative "Shark" poster that pictured a shirtless Samardzija wearing a pair of shoulder pads and holding a bat across his shoulders. He struckout six that night to get the "w" in an 11-5 Irish victory.
Irish football coach Charlie Weis and football captains Brady Quinn, Tom Zbikowski and Travis Thomas tossed-out ceremonial first pitches before the game.
The next day inside Notre Dame Stadium, Samardzija caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Quinn during the Blue-Gold football game.
The total attendance for the 3-game series was 10,003.
Three two-sport athletes are playing in this weekend's Notre Dame-West Virginia series. Punter Eric Maust will pitch in Sunday's series finales (he beat the Mountaineers in last season's finale in Morgantown), former quarterback Evan Sharpley is tonight's starting first baseman and wide receiver Golden Tate is in left field tonight.
The first 1,000 fans at tomorrow's game will receive a poster of Tate, who will also play two or three offensive series in the football scrimmage at Notre Dame Stadium before heading across the Joyce Center parking lot to suit-up with the baseball team.
West Virginia now leads tonight's game 17-3 after plating a 6-spot in the top of the 7th inning.
The 2006 Blue-Gold weekend was all Jeff Samardzija's. The wide receiver/pitcher started Friday night's series opener on the mound vs. Rutgers before a crowd of 3,507, which is still the biggest crowd in Eck Stadium history. Fans stood in line for more than an hour to get their hands on a commemorative "Shark" poster that pictured a shirtless Samardzija wearing a pair of shoulder pads and holding a bat across his shoulders. He struckout six that night to get the "w" in an 11-5 Irish victory.
Irish football coach Charlie Weis and football captains Brady Quinn, Tom Zbikowski and Travis Thomas tossed-out ceremonial first pitches before the game.
The next day inside Notre Dame Stadium, Samardzija caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Quinn during the Blue-Gold football game.
The total attendance for the 3-game series was 10,003.
Three two-sport athletes are playing in this weekend's Notre Dame-West Virginia series. Punter Eric Maust will pitch in Sunday's series finales (he beat the Mountaineers in last season's finale in Morgantown), former quarterback Evan Sharpley is tonight's starting first baseman and wide receiver Golden Tate is in left field tonight.
The first 1,000 fans at tomorrow's game will receive a poster of Tate, who will also play two or three offensive series in the football scrimmage at Notre Dame Stadium before heading across the Joyce Center parking lot to suit-up with the baseball team.
West Virginia now leads tonight's game 17-3 after plating a 6-spot in the top of the 7th inning.
The Ghost Of Blue-Gold Weekends Past
(Notre Dame, IN) Since Notre Dame now trails West Virginia 11-2, I thought I would take a look back at a few of the more memorable baseball series that have taken place here at Notre Dame on the same weekend as the Blue-Gold football scrimmage.
Easily the most memorable baseball match-up during a Blue-Gold weekend came in 2002, when former ND head coach, Pat Murphy, brought his Arizona State Sun Devils to town. It was the first time a former Irish head coach of ANY sport returned to coach against Notre Dame.
The atmosphere at Frank Eck Stadium was electric, with members of the Irish marching band in attendance playing the Notre Dame fight song and other tunes between innings. Several rowdy Irish hockey players were also there to cheer J.P. Gagne, who picked-up the win in relief (Gagne was himself a high school hockey player in Minnesota).
Paul Mainieri's Irish won the game 9-4. The ASU line-up featured three players who are currently in the Major Leagues: Reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox) was the Sun Devils' starting shortstop, Andre Ethier (LA Dodgers) started in right field and Jeff Larish (Tigers) started at third base. The trio combined to go 1 for 9 with 2 RBIs (both RBIs by Larish).
That '02 Irish team would go on to the school's first College World Series appearance since 1957. While that ND team had several players who were drafted by MLB clubs, none advanced past the AAA level.
A then Eck Stadium record crowd of 2,900 saw the game. The second and only other scheduled game of the series was canceled by rain.
Easily the most memorable baseball match-up during a Blue-Gold weekend came in 2002, when former ND head coach, Pat Murphy, brought his Arizona State Sun Devils to town. It was the first time a former Irish head coach of ANY sport returned to coach against Notre Dame.
The atmosphere at Frank Eck Stadium was electric, with members of the Irish marching band in attendance playing the Notre Dame fight song and other tunes between innings. Several rowdy Irish hockey players were also there to cheer J.P. Gagne, who picked-up the win in relief (Gagne was himself a high school hockey player in Minnesota).
Paul Mainieri's Irish won the game 9-4. The ASU line-up featured three players who are currently in the Major Leagues: Reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox) was the Sun Devils' starting shortstop, Andre Ethier (LA Dodgers) started in right field and Jeff Larish (Tigers) started at third base. The trio combined to go 1 for 9 with 2 RBIs (both RBIs by Larish).
That '02 Irish team would go on to the school's first College World Series appearance since 1957. While that ND team had several players who were drafted by MLB clubs, none advanced past the AAA level.
A then Eck Stadium record crowd of 2,900 saw the game. The second and only other scheduled game of the series was canceled by rain.
It's Dinging Again
(Notre Dame, IN) West Virginia has struck again with another "dinger". Justin Parks just belted a 3-run home run, his 9th of the season, to give West Virginia an 11-2 lead with Notre Dame now batting in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Eight of West Virginia's eleven runs have come with two outs.
Eight of West Virginia's eleven runs have come with two outs.
They Ding It In West Virginia
(Notre Dame, IN) When I was with Notre Dame in Morgantown, WV last year, a Mountaineer fan told me "We ding it around here!" West Virginia didn't really "ding it" that weekend as the Irish took two out of three games, while limiting the home run hungry Mountaineers to four home runs in the 3-game series. The Irish won two of the three games, and three of the WVU home runs came in the series finale, which ND won 9-4.
West Virginia has been dinging it so far tonight though. It now leads Notre Dame 7-2 after Jedd Gyorko, the reigning Big East Rookie of the Year, hit a 3-run opposite field home run into the trees beyond the right field wall.
Blue-Gold weekend has traditionally produced some of the top crowds in Notre Dame baseball history, and there's a big crowd on hand here tonight as well. I'll be looking back at some of the top crowds and memorable Blue-Gold weekend baseball moments shortly.
West Virginia has been dinging it so far tonight though. It now leads Notre Dame 7-2 after Jedd Gyorko, the reigning Big East Rookie of the Year, hit a 3-run opposite field home run into the trees beyond the right field wall.
Blue-Gold weekend has traditionally produced some of the top crowds in Notre Dame baseball history, and there's a big crowd on hand here tonight as well. I'll be looking back at some of the top crowds and memorable Blue-Gold weekend baseball moments shortly.
The Only Remaining Game In The Big East Tonight
(Notre Dame, IN) With the Mountaineers batting and leading 3-1 in the top of the second, this game is the only contest on today's Big East slate that's still in progress. The other five games around the league today have all gone final. Here's a quick rundown:
Cincinnati 11 St. John's 8
UConn 9 Georgetown 5
Louisville 6 Rutgers 1
Pittsburgh 3 Seton Hall 1
South Florida 6 Villanova 4
The USF win makes them 11-2 in Big East play, and makes this game that much more important for if WVU is to keep pace with the conference leading Bulls. USF and WVU go head-to-head next weekend in Tampa.
ND is now batting and trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the 2nd.
Cincinnati 11 St. John's 8
UConn 9 Georgetown 5
Louisville 6 Rutgers 1
Pittsburgh 3 Seton Hall 1
South Florida 6 Villanova 4
The USF win makes them 11-2 in Big East play, and makes this game that much more important for if WVU is to keep pace with the conference leading Bulls. USF and WVU go head-to-head next weekend in Tampa.
ND is now batting and trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the 2nd.
Mountaineers Plate Three In Top Of First
(Notre Dame, IN) The team that has one of the best offenses in the Big East year-in and year-out got the game started with three runs off Cole Johnson in the top of the first inning on a beautifully sunny 69 degree night at Frank Eck Stadium.
WVU shortstop Jedd Gyorko started the scoring with an RBI single-the third of three straight singles to start the game, catcher Tobias strike plated another with a double to left-center field and Grant Buckner got the third of the runs home with a ground out.
It could have been worse-with two outs and a runner on Joe Agreste lined a ball up the middle that ricocheted in the air off Johnson's glove and into Mick Doyle's leather at second base to end the inning.
The Irish just scored a run off WVU starter Jarryd Summers to make the score 3-1 in the home half of the first inning.
WVU shortstop Jedd Gyorko started the scoring with an RBI single-the third of three straight singles to start the game, catcher Tobias strike plated another with a double to left-center field and Grant Buckner got the third of the runs home with a ground out.
It could have been worse-with two outs and a runner on Joe Agreste lined a ball up the middle that ricocheted in the air off Johnson's glove and into Mick Doyle's leather at second base to end the inning.
The Irish just scored a run off WVU starter Jarryd Summers to make the score 3-1 in the home half of the first inning.
Blue-Gold Weekend Notre Dame vs. West Virginia
(Notre Dame, IN) It's Blue-Gold football weekend at Notre Dame, and in addition to the Irish football team's annual scrimmage tomorrow, two teams wearing blue and gold are going head-to-head on the baseball diamond this weekend.
Notre Dame is hosting West Virginia, and this is actually the third straight year these two teams have meet during the Blue-Gold football weekend. Two years ago they played here at Notre Dame, and in 2008 they met in Morgantown, WV. WVU hosted its spring game on Saturday last year, and Notre Dame played its spring game that same day. The Irish won two of three games both times.
This is an important three-game series for both teams. West Virginia (27-7, 10-2)is tied with USF atop the Big East Conference standings, while the Irish (20-13, 6-6) need at least a couple wins to stay in contention for a spot in the 8-team Big East Championship next month.
One of the top pitchers in the league, Cole Johnson (4-0, 2.30 ERA), is on the mound for the Irish tonight, but WVU has runners at first and third with no outs in the top of the 1st as I clack away at the keyboard. I'll be checking-in on the blog throughout tonight's game.
Notre Dame is hosting West Virginia, and this is actually the third straight year these two teams have meet during the Blue-Gold football weekend. Two years ago they played here at Notre Dame, and in 2008 they met in Morgantown, WV. WVU hosted its spring game on Saturday last year, and Notre Dame played its spring game that same day. The Irish won two of three games both times.
This is an important three-game series for both teams. West Virginia (27-7, 10-2)is tied with USF atop the Big East Conference standings, while the Irish (20-13, 6-6) need at least a couple wins to stay in contention for a spot in the 8-team Big East Championship next month.
One of the top pitchers in the league, Cole Johnson (4-0, 2.30 ERA), is on the mound for the Irish tonight, but WVU has runners at first and third with no outs in the top of the 1st as I clack away at the keyboard. I'll be checking-in on the blog throughout tonight's game.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Mid-Week Blog Thoughts...
A few thoughts about a few teams around the country, starting with a couple Big 12 teams in the Sunflower state...
1. Kansas State...The Wildcats tied a school record for the best start in school history with Tuesday's 13-5 win over the state's traditional baseball power, Wichita State. K-State is 27-9 overall, and you have to go all the way back to 1976 to find a KSU team that has started that well. They also have the best pitcher in the Big 12, and possibly the country, in A.J. Morris. The right-hander is 9-0 (the only 9-game winner in the country), he's third in the nation with his 1.19 ERA and his 64 strikeouts are 16th. The Wildcats have quality non-conference wins over San Diego State and Arizona State. In the latter Morris won a head-to-head match-up with the Sun Devils' Mike Leake (8-1, 1.53 ERA). At 7-5, KSU is tied for fourth-place in the Big 12 with...
2. Kansas...The Jayhawks (24-12) picked-up their sixth straight win Tuesday when they downed Creighton 7-6 in 10 innings. Brett Bochy, the son of San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, got his third win in relief. Like K-State, KU has a quality win over Arizona State and another over Arkansas in Fayetteville. Kansas has also swept two Big 12 series from Texas and Oklahoma State to improve to 18-2 at home. The 18 wins matches their home win total from 2008. They're just 4-7 on the road, and they go to Texas Tech this weekend. KU and K-State play a 3-game series to close the regular season.
Sidetrack...I caught the last inning of the KU-Creighton game last night on CBS College. The game was played at Rosenblatt Stadium. Was that REALLY the same stadium where the College World Series is played? No wonder Omaha's building a new downtown park. I still love Rosenblatt for the CWS.
Sidetrack II...Kevin Kugler was calling the game on TV. Talk about a charmed life. The dude started calling CWS games locally for an Omaha station, parlayed that into the CWS for Westwood One, and now he can add the Olympics and the NCAA Final Four (including the championship game) to his impressive resume.
Back on track...
3. I've said this before, Washington State is a good team, but a brutal non-conference schedule may kill its chances for an NCAA bid. Among the Cougars' non-conference losses: Rice, Arkansas (3), Oklahoma (2 of 4), Oral Roberts, Pepperdine (2), and a 17-6 loss to Gonzaga Tuesday night. WSU is 15-16 overall, and 5-4 in the Pac 10 after finishing 30-26 and 8-16 in the conference last year. UCLA received an at-large bid with a 33-27 overall record and 13-11 overall mark last year. The Cougars should get consideration if they can get close to that this year, but a little less Arkansas at the front of the schedule would have helped a team that has to navigate an already tough Pac 10 slate to begin with. Their remaining schedule includes series with Oregon State and Stanford, which makes this weekend's home series with Arizona (15-16, 3-9 Pac 10) crucial.
4. Gonzaga...The Bulldogs (24-10, 7-2 WCC) are in third place in the West Coast Conference behind San Diego and Loyola Marymount. They've already racked-up two non-conference wins over Missouri as well as conference series wins over Pepperdine and San Diego. Their top two starters, Matt Fields and Steven Ames, have combined to go 11-1 with 89 strikeouts and just 25 walks in 105 1/3 innings.
5. Arkansas...the Razorbacks appear to be in a classic hangover after two big home wins over Arizona State last week. The Hogs (24-9) have lost three straight for the first time this season after a 3-2 home setback to Louisiana-Monroe Tuesday at Baum Stadium. They have a big SEC series at Georgia this weekend.
6. West Virginia...the Mountaineers (26-7) are #26 in this week's Collegiate Baseball poll. It's the first time they've been in the CBN rankings since 1982, when they finished two wins away from the College World Series. WVU took two of three games from defending Big East regular season champion, St. John's, last weekend. Their 10-2 conference mark has them tied with South Florida atop the Big East standings. The Mountaineers visit Notre Dame this week and then travel to USF April 24-26. WVU's non-conference schedule has never been overly challenging, and its top inter-conference wins this year are over Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky. The Mountaineers have losses to Illinois and Minnesota, which have been two of the better teams (along with Ohio State) in the Big 10 this season.
1. Kansas State...The Wildcats tied a school record for the best start in school history with Tuesday's 13-5 win over the state's traditional baseball power, Wichita State. K-State is 27-9 overall, and you have to go all the way back to 1976 to find a KSU team that has started that well. They also have the best pitcher in the Big 12, and possibly the country, in A.J. Morris. The right-hander is 9-0 (the only 9-game winner in the country), he's third in the nation with his 1.19 ERA and his 64 strikeouts are 16th. The Wildcats have quality non-conference wins over San Diego State and Arizona State. In the latter Morris won a head-to-head match-up with the Sun Devils' Mike Leake (8-1, 1.53 ERA). At 7-5, KSU is tied for fourth-place in the Big 12 with...
2. Kansas...The Jayhawks (24-12) picked-up their sixth straight win Tuesday when they downed Creighton 7-6 in 10 innings. Brett Bochy, the son of San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, got his third win in relief. Like K-State, KU has a quality win over Arizona State and another over Arkansas in Fayetteville. Kansas has also swept two Big 12 series from Texas and Oklahoma State to improve to 18-2 at home. The 18 wins matches their home win total from 2008. They're just 4-7 on the road, and they go to Texas Tech this weekend. KU and K-State play a 3-game series to close the regular season.
Sidetrack...I caught the last inning of the KU-Creighton game last night on CBS College. The game was played at Rosenblatt Stadium. Was that REALLY the same stadium where the College World Series is played? No wonder Omaha's building a new downtown park. I still love Rosenblatt for the CWS.
Sidetrack II...Kevin Kugler was calling the game on TV. Talk about a charmed life. The dude started calling CWS games locally for an Omaha station, parlayed that into the CWS for Westwood One, and now he can add the Olympics and the NCAA Final Four (including the championship game) to his impressive resume.
Back on track...
3. I've said this before, Washington State is a good team, but a brutal non-conference schedule may kill its chances for an NCAA bid. Among the Cougars' non-conference losses: Rice, Arkansas (3), Oklahoma (2 of 4), Oral Roberts, Pepperdine (2), and a 17-6 loss to Gonzaga Tuesday night. WSU is 15-16 overall, and 5-4 in the Pac 10 after finishing 30-26 and 8-16 in the conference last year. UCLA received an at-large bid with a 33-27 overall record and 13-11 overall mark last year. The Cougars should get consideration if they can get close to that this year, but a little less Arkansas at the front of the schedule would have helped a team that has to navigate an already tough Pac 10 slate to begin with. Their remaining schedule includes series with Oregon State and Stanford, which makes this weekend's home series with Arizona (15-16, 3-9 Pac 10) crucial.
4. Gonzaga...The Bulldogs (24-10, 7-2 WCC) are in third place in the West Coast Conference behind San Diego and Loyola Marymount. They've already racked-up two non-conference wins over Missouri as well as conference series wins over Pepperdine and San Diego. Their top two starters, Matt Fields and Steven Ames, have combined to go 11-1 with 89 strikeouts and just 25 walks in 105 1/3 innings.
5. Arkansas...the Razorbacks appear to be in a classic hangover after two big home wins over Arizona State last week. The Hogs (24-9) have lost three straight for the first time this season after a 3-2 home setback to Louisiana-Monroe Tuesday at Baum Stadium. They have a big SEC series at Georgia this weekend.
6. West Virginia...the Mountaineers (26-7) are #26 in this week's Collegiate Baseball poll. It's the first time they've been in the CBN rankings since 1982, when they finished two wins away from the College World Series. WVU took two of three games from defending Big East regular season champion, St. John's, last weekend. Their 10-2 conference mark has them tied with South Florida atop the Big East standings. The Mountaineers visit Notre Dame this week and then travel to USF April 24-26. WVU's non-conference schedule has never been overly challenging, and its top inter-conference wins this year are over Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky. The Mountaineers have losses to Illinois and Minnesota, which have been two of the better teams (along with Ohio State) in the Big 10 this season.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Four TCU Pitchers Toss Combined No-Hitter
(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.
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.
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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