USF’s Fontanez & Arizona’s Selsky Take Top Honors …
CollegeBaseball360.com has announced its sixth group of Primetime Performers, for action during the final week of March. Arizona sophomore rightfielder Steve Selsky (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week while South Florida righthander Randy Fontanez (Oviedo, Fla.) has been recognized as the Primetime Pitcher of the Week.
(note: thanks to Sean Stires for assisting with the creation of this week’s Primetime page, following a busy weekend for sister site CollegeFencing360.com.)
Selsky and Fontanez are joined by 13 other clutch players from throughout the nation in comprising the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll for week-six of the college baseball season.
SELSKY (picutred; UA photo) – a 6-1, 205-pound cleanup hitter – was instrumental in helping the 21st-ranked Wildcats go 4-1 last week against two fellow teams in the CB360 Composite National Rankings top-50 (#36 New Mexico and #44 Oregon). Arizona pushed its win streak to 15 straight games before dropping the series finale against the Ducks. Selsky batted .500 (10-20) in the five games and was involved in 16 of his team’s runs, scoring 10 with eight RBI, a pair of home runs and three stolen bases. His impressive 1.483 OPS for the week included a .583 on-base percentage plus a .900 slugging percentage.
FONTANEZ (pictured below) fired the first 9-inning no-hitter in Division I baseball this season, during his team’s BIG EAST Conference opening 4-0 win over visiting Notre Dame (sparking the Bulls to a series sweep, as they look to challenge Louisville for the conference title). The 6-1, 195-pound righthander racked up a career-high 12 strikeouts, with only two walks, while throwing 80 of his 119 pitches (67%) for strikes. Fontanez did not allow a runner to reach second base until there was one out in the top of the 9th (thanks to the second catchers-interference call of the game). The gem is the third no-hitter in USF history and the first since 1992.
(USF Photo)
Over the course of the nine innings, Fontanez faced 31 batters and allowed only three balls to reach the outfield - as his 27 outs includedthe 12 Ks (at least one every inning; half of them “looking”) along with 10 groundouts, a foulout to first base, a popup to the shortstop and three flyouts (leftfielder Junior Carlin never had to touch the ball in the game). Veteran outfielder Ryan Connolly (3-hole hitter) was the only Notre Dame batter that reached base multiple times and was ND’s only baserunner until the 9th.
Fontanez yielded a 2-out walk to Conn0lly in the opening inning before quickly inducing the foulout. He then posted two of his six 1-2-3 innings, with Connolly reaching again in the 4th on a full-count catcher’s interference (Fontanez K’d the next two hitters). Following four straight 1-2-3 innings, ND leadoff batter David Mills drew a 1-out walk in the 9th and moved to second base two batters later on another CI call with Connolly at the plate (2-2 count), moments before the 12th K from Fontanez completed the no-hitter.
Primetime Performer Award Criteria
• Must have been playing for or against a CB360 top-50 team (in the Composite National Rankings) or performed a high level in a game that could be key to a team’s conference/NCAA postseason qualification.
• Involved in clutch performances, such as late game-winning hits, noteworthy comebacks, game-changing plays, team leadership, etc.
• Performing at a top level against a team rated highly nationally (or within its conference), with bonus consideration given for key performances away from home field and vs. traditional rivals.
• Overcoming adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).
• Any accomplishment that is rare, historic, record-setting, etc., on a national level.
The other 13 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll include: Elon sr. 1B Ryan Adams (Burlington, N.C.), Arizona State so. RHP Jake Borup (Mesa, Ariz.), Virginia fr. DH Stephen Bruno (Audubon, N.J.), Arkansas so. 3B Zach Cox (Louisville, Ky.), Georgia Tech jr. SS Derek Dietrich (Parma, Ohio), Air Force sr. 1B Addison Gentry (Roseville, Calif.), Univ. of the Pacific fr. LHP/1B John Haberman (Stockton, Calif.), Florida State jr. CF Tyler Holt (Gainesville, Fla.), ASU so. SS Drew Maggi (Phoenix, Ariz.), Memphis sr. LHP Brennon Martin (Memphis, Tenn.), Georgia Tech jr. RHP Deck McGuire (Richmond, Va.), N.C. State fr. RHP Felix Roque (Miami, Fla.) and Louisville jr. RHP Thomas Royse (Lexington, Ky.).
(note: headshots of the 15 players to be added to this release, time permitting.)
The 15 honorees include seven pitchers (two LHPs, one of them the two-way player Haberman), two shortstops, two first basemen (one of them Haberman, a third baseman, rightfielder, centerfielder, rightfielder and DH. The selections feature three seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen. Three of the players are California natives and three more call Florida home, along with two each from Arizona and Kentucky, along with one from New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.
PRIMETIME PERFORMERS WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
(presented by CollegeBaseball360.com)
“It’s not so much what you do, as it is when you do it.”
Player (Pos.) … School … Yr. … Hometown … Stats & Notes
Ryan Adams (1B) … Elon … Sr. … Burlington, NC
Had a pinch-hit, 2-run HR in 15-10 win over #4 Clemson, then scored winning run in 4-3 win vs. Tigers the next day.
Jake Borup (RHP) … Arizona State … So. … Mesa, AZ
Struck out 12 in 7 .2 IP of 3-2 win over Cal; allowed lead-off hit to start game and then didn’t allow another hit until the top of the 8th inning.
Stephen Bruno (DH) … Virginia … Fr. … Audubon, NJ
The 9-hole batter had game-winning single in 4-3opener vs. #4 Clemson; drove in 3-of-4 UVA runs in the game, as #2 Cavs went on to win key series.
Zach Cox (3B) … Arkansas … So. … Louisville, KY
Belted 2 HR while batting .556 (10-18) with 8 RBI in a 5-0 week; 6 RBI came in sweep of SEC rival Alabama.
Derek Dietrich (SS ) … Georgia Tech … Jr. … Parma, OH
His 2-run HR capped 5-run rally in 9th for 11-8 win vs. #27 North Carolina (career-high 5H in game); hit 7-15 in Tech’s first sweep at UNC since ’97.
* Randy Fontanez (RHP) … South Florida … Jr. … Oviedo, FL
Struck out 12 with only two walks in season’s first D-I, 9-inning no-hitter (4-0 vs. Notre Dame).
Addison Gentry (1B) … Air Force … Sr. … Roseville, CA
Homered twice (4-4, 4RBI-3B) in 14-11 win over #13 TCU (added 3H-3RBI-HR in series finale that was halted in 7th with AFA up 16-15).
John Haberman (LHP/1B) … Pacific … Fr. … Stockton, CA
1st-inning reliever who earned first career win in 9-4 upset of #21 Stanford (5IP-3R-6H-BB-2K); also hit 9-18 (10 RBI) in sweep of San Jose State.
Tyler Holt (CF ) … Florida State … Jr. ….Gainesville, FL
Lead-off hitter who hit for cycle (2RBI-3R) in his first 4 ABs vs. Maryland (9-5); singled in 1st, doubled in 2nd, tripled in 3rd, homered in 5th (first FSU cycle since ’04).
Drew Maggi (SS) … Arizona State … So. … Phoenix, AZ
His 2-out single gave ASU 3-2 win over Cal, for series sweep and best unbeaten start (23-0) in program’s history (hit 5-11 in series).
Brennon Martin (LHP) … Memphis … Sr. … Memphis, TN
Fanned five and allowed only one earned run in 5-2 complete game vs. #24 Rice (10H-1BB), as Tigers took series (2-of-3) from Owls first first time in C-USA play.
Deck McGuire (RHP) … Georgia Tech … Jr. … Richmond, VA
Struck out 10 in 7 IP for 2-1 win at #27 North Carolina (part of UNC’s first 0-3 home series since 2003).
Felix Roque (RHP) … North Carolina State … Fr. … Miami, FL
Posted first career win vs. his hometown team, after logging final 4.1 IP during 11-inn. upset of #17 Miami (7-6; 2R-5H-2BB-3K).
Thomas Royse (RHP) … Louisville … Jr. … Lexington, KY
Allowed only three hits and K’d 11 in 1-0 win over #47 UConn.
* Steve Selsky (RF) … Arizona … So. … Manhattan Beach, CA
Cleanup hitter who batted 10-20 and had a hand in 16 of team’s runs (8 RBI, 10 R, 2 HR) during 4-1 week vs. #36 New Mexico and #44 Oregon.
* – Selsky is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Fontanez the Primetime Pitcher of the Week … note that rankings above refer to the CB360 top-50 … class years are based on academic standing (some players may have an extra year of eligibility)