Around The Bases-March 11
A Look At Teams Trending In Different Directions
The fourth week of the college baseball season is under way, and we are starting to get a true feel for what teams are (and aren’t). UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton were each top 10 teams at the start of the season, so who could have predicted they would be a combined 9-12 heading into this weekend’s action?
Here are a few teams that caught my eye this week:
Stock-Up
UCLA: The Bruins lost a lot of offensive production from last year’s team, but they’re 11-0 thanks to solid contributions throughout the line-up as well as stellar pitching. UCLA is batting .372 and averaging 8.7 runs a game while the pitching staff has a 2.00 ERA with 130 strikeouts and just 24 walks in 90 innings. Dean Espy (.440, 3 HR, 12 RBIs), Steve Rodriguez (.400, 5 HR, 11 RBIs) and Niko Gallego (.314, 3 HR, 13 RBIs) have powered the offense, while Gerrit Cole (3-0, 2.50 ERA) and Trevor Bauer (2-0, 2.45 ERA) have combined for 49 strikeouts with just 6 BB in 32 2/3 IP.
Duke: Since going 1-3 to open the season in Waco, TX vs. Baylor and Georgia (with a win over the Bulldogs) Duke has rattled-off eight straight wins. Granted, the wins have been over Fordham, Temple and Quinnipiac, but 3 of the Blue Devil’s last four wins have been by shutout. The Duke pitching staff has a 0.80 ERA over its last five games with 55 strikeouts and 13 walks. It would be easy to write the Blue Devils off as they prepare to open ACC play this weekend vs. arch rival North Carolina, but Duke did take 2 of 3 games from the Tar Heels last year. Could this be the year Duke gets to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1961?
Kansas State: The Wildcats, fresh off the program’s first NCAA Tournament in 2009, had a lot of questions coming into the season. They lost Big 12 Pitcher of the Year A.J. Morris as well as several key bats, including Justin Bloxom. They’re 9-2, and while they don’t have a “signature” win, they’re hitting .342 with 30 stolen bases and averaging 9.6 runs a game. Carter Jurica leads the way with a .449 average, 15 runs, 20 RBIs, and 6 SB. But what’s most impressive is K-State’s pitching. The Wildcats aren’t overpowering anyone, but they don’t walk anyone either. The pitching staff has a 3.83 ERA with 77 Ks and just 17 walks in 101 IP. Ryan Daniel (3-0, 2.81 ERA) has 10 strikeouts and just one free pass in 16 IP, while Evan Marshall (2-0, 1.71 ERA) is yet to walk a batter with 13 Ks in 20 IP.
Villanova: If we’re going to mention the K-State Wildcats we have to mention the Villanova Wildcats, which handed KSU its last loss last week in Winter Haven, FL. The win over K-State along with an 8-1 victory over Indiana at the the Big Ten/Big East Challenge gives VU two wins over 2009 NCAA Tourney teams. Outfielder Justin Bencsko is batting .525 with a 1.218 OPS to lead the Wildcats (10-2) to their best start in head coach Joe Godri’s nine years at the helm. The senior has spearheaded an offense that is averaging 9.0 runs a game despite just one home run.
Stock-Down
Georgia: The Bulldogs have lost five straight after Tuesday’s 11-1 drubbing at the hands of Kennesaw State. Georgia (6-7) was outscored 62-11 in those games by KSU, Alabama and Florida State (3 games). Bulldog batters are hitting just .288 and they’ve struckout 95 times while drawing just 45 walks. Those numbers combined with 21 errors (.957 fielding %) and a 7.55 staff ERA make it easy to see why Georgia is struggling. They’ll hope to get better with a 3-game series with Siena this weekend and a midweek game at Georgia Tech before opening SEC play next week vs. Auburn.
San Diego: Since opening the season with three home wins over Indiana, the Toreros have lost 7 of their last 10 games to fall to 6-7. San Diego has plenty of pop with 11 home runs, but it’s batting just .283 with a .363 on-base percentage. 18 errors have led to 12 unearned runs that have proven costly.
San Diego State: The Aztecs are just 5-7 heading into their SDSU Invitational this weekend. With the losses of Stephen Strasburg and two other starters pitching would have appeared to be the concern heading into 2010. However, Addison Reed, who saved 20 games last year, has transitioned nicely into a starter. The junior (2-1, 3.20 ERA) leads the pitching staff with 23 strikeouts and has issued just five walks. Bryan Crabb (1-1, 1.72) has also been solid. Tony Gwynn’s .963 fielding percentage (17 errors) and .261 batting average have been the biggest problem.
Fresno State: Just two years removed from a National Championship, Fresno State is a shell of the 2008 Wonderdog team. The Bulldogs are hitting .312 with 16 home runs but….(drum roll please)…defense (the recurring theme this week) is the worst of any team mentioned this week. FSU (6-6) has committed 26 errors already this season to lose 6 of their last 9 games since opening 2010 with three wins over Nebraska. Fresno State should be fine once WAC play begins if Mike Batesole’s defense can cure itself.
NCBWA Division II College Baseball Poll-March 9
Florida Southern Keeps The Top Spot
NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BASEBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION
MARCH 8, 2010 DIVISION II POLLS
NATIONAL POLL
RANK SCHOOL W-L PTS PREV
1 Florida Southern (11) 16-2 418 1
2 Mount Olive, N.C. (3) 17-1 388 2
3 UC San Diego (1) 19-3 384 10
4 Southern Arkansas (1) 16-3 367 4
5 Central Missouri 14-4 350 9
6 Columbus State, Ga. 16-2 302 13
7 Grand Valley State, Mich. 4-1 297 6
8 West Chester, Pa. 10-3 294 8
9 Abilene Christian, Texas 15-2 283 15
10 New Mexico Highlands 12-3 250 11
11 Emporia State, Kans. 10-3 235 3
12 Cal State San Bernardino 12-5 216 5
13 Valdosta State, Ga. 17-5 208 22
14 Franklin Pierce, N.H. 4-1 202 14
15 Kutztown, Pa. 7-0 178 20
16 UNC Pembroke 14-3 177 NR
17 Tampa, Fla. 15-5 159 T-24
18 Chico State, Calif. 13-3 151 T-16
19 Southern Indiana 8-4 112 RV
20 Francis Marion, S.C. 13-4 110 7
21 Minnesota State Mankato 7-3 88 21
22 Delta State, Miss. 13-5 83 12
23 Nebraska-Omaha 9-1 65 RV
24 Adelphi, N.Y. 4-2 37 RV
25 Erskine, S.C. 16-5 35 RV
Dropped out: #T-16 Ashland, #18 Florida Tech, #19 Catawba, #23 Dowling, #T-24 Texas-Permian Basin.
Also receiving votes: Ashland, Ohio (4-3) 30; Florida Tech (14-5) 23; Incarnate Word, Texas (17-5) 20; Slippery Rock, Pa. (4-5) 19; Winona State, Minn. (6-2) 10; Cal State Dominguez Hills (12-7) 7; USC Aiken (11-7) 7; Armstrong Atlantic, Ga. (13-3) 5; Rollins, Fla. (14-5) 5; West Virginia State (4-0) 5; Fort Hays State, Kans. (9-3) 1; Hawaii Pacific (12-3) 1.
College Baseball Notebook-Week 3
A By The Numbers Look At The Weekend’s Action
Alex Kaminsky (WSU photo)
1…Run allowed in 7 IP by Wright State starter Alex Kaminsky in Friday’s 2-1 win over #1/#2 Virginia. Kaminsky struckout 7 to earn his first win of the season in a head-to-head dual with UVA sophomore ace Danny Hultzen.
2…Wins in the last two years by the Raiders on a top ranked team’s home field. WSU beat #1 Georgia last year in Athens.
10…Runs and hits allowed in 2 1/3 innings by Kentucky starter Taylor Rogers in Saturday’s 14-13 win over Monmouth.
0 & 9…Hits allowed & strikeouts recorded in 4 IP by Wildcat reliever Matt Little, who earned the win in that game after allowing just two hits.
10…Hit batters by Monmouth pitchers in the loss to Kentucky to tie an NCAA record. It’s just the third time a pitching staff has hit 10 batters in a game.
4…Straight hit batters by Monmouth pitchers Andy McDonnell (1) and Stephen Prosapio, who hit Kentucky’s Braden Kapteyn with the bases loaded and the score tied 13-13 to give the Wildcats the winning run.
1…Career home run by 5′9-160 pound Kentucky redshirt junior Neiko Johnson, whose long ball on a 2-2 pitch in the bottom of the 9th inning tied the score at 13 just before the four straight hit batsmen.
103…Runs scored by Georgia State in a 4-game series vs. North Carolina Central.
14…Of the runs scored by Georgia State junior Mark Micowski, who transferred to the school this year after Vermont disbanded baseball last year. Micowski hit for the cycle in the first four innings of Friday’s 32-3 victory. He batted .636 with 10 RBIs in the four games.
17…Combined strikeouts by George Washington pitchers Matt Branham and Scott DeCecco in Friday’s 5-1 win over USC Upstate. The combined effort tied a school record.
210…Career Ks by Branham-whose career high 12 strikeouts in the win made him the 3rd pitcher in GW history to top the 200 K mark.
6…Straight wins by USC Upstate prior to the loss-a record for the Spartans since joining the Division One ranks.
1…Hit allowed by West Virginia’s Jarryd Summers in 8 innings in a 1-0 loss to Western Carolina. Summers fanned 11 in the loss. The only hit he allowed was a solo home run by WCU third baseman Tyler Kirkpatrick.
3…Hits allowed by Catamount starter Jason Sullivan-who struckout 8 in 9 shutout innings to improve to 3-0 on the season with the win over the Mountaineers.
Blake Kelso (Houston photo)
9…Strikeouts by Houston’s Michael Goodnight in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Texas at the Houston College Classic.
1…Wild pitch by Longhorn starter Brandon Workman-after a triple by Houston’s Blake Kelso-which allowed the game’s only run to score.
2…Losses by Cal State Fullerton in a 3-game series at Arizona to fall to 4-6 on the season. The Titans started the year ranked in the top 10 in every poll.
1…Inning pitched by Titan All-American Daniel Renken in Friday’s 8-7 loss to the Wildcats. Renken was lifted after hitting Wildcat CF Joey Rickard to lead-off the 2nd inning.
3…Walk-off wins by Arizona this season after freshman Seth Mejias-Brean singled home classmate Alex Mejia in the bottom of the 11th inning in that win over the Titans.
8…Strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings by Florida starter Alex Panteliodis in Friday’s 7-1 series-opening win over Miami (FL).
7…Strikeouts in 3 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings pitched by Gator reliever Nick Maronde to earn his first save of the season in that same win over the Hurricanes.
Kevin Chapman
4…Shutout innings pitched by Florida reliever Kevin Chapman in Sunday’s series-clinching 4-2 win over Miami. Chapman gave-up just one hit with two strikeouts to earn his second save of 2010.
17…Combined strikeouts in 12 innings pitched by Duke starters Eric Pfisterer (10) and Michael Ness (7) who each tossed six shutout innings to help the Blue Devils to a 3-game sweep of Temple.
11…Strikeouts in 6 IP by Florida Gulf Coast ace Chris Sale in a 7-2 win over Wichita State.
2…Home runs hit over the weekend by Middle Tennessee State’s Bryce Brentz. The outfielder led the nation with 28 HR last year, but he had been shutout through the first two weeks of the season.
1…Loss this season by Washington State after falling 4-1 in Sunday’s finale of a 4-game series with Utah. The Cougars had started 9-0 for their best opening to a season since 1988.
Steve Fernandez
138…Pitches thrown by Santa Clara starter Alex Rivers in a 4-0 win over San Jose State. Rivers scattered seven hits with five strikeouts for his third career complete game.
5…RBIs by St. Louis redshirt freshman Steve Fernandez to help St. Louis down Ohio State 10-9 on Saturday.
109…Pitches thrown by West Virginia’s Chris Enourato, who struckout 9 in seven innings of relief to help the Moutaineers to an 11-8 win over Illinois. Enourato retired 16 of the first 17 batters he faced.
3…Wins by WVU (with seven losses) this season. Enourato has earned two of the wins and a save in his five relief outings.
16…RBIs in five games by New Mexico State’s Wade Reynoso. He batted .522 (12-23) with 3 home runs and 11 runs scored as well in wins over New Mexico and St. Joseph’s.
UCLA’s Cole Gets 2010 USA Baseball Team Trials Invite
List Of Invitees Continues To Grow
Cole
DURHAM, N.C. – Sophomore right-hander Gerrit Cole has been invited to the 2010 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Trials, as announced Monday by USA Baseball. Cole went 4-0 with a 1.06 ERA for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2009.
Cole has gone 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA through three starts this season, collecting 26 strikeouts and two walks in 18.0 innings. The native of Santa Ana, Calif., has limited the opposition to a .117 batting average in three games.
In UCLA baseball history, only two Bruins – Troy Glaus (1995-96) and Josh Karp (1999-2000) – have competed for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in multiple years.
Last summer, Cole led the Team USA in strikeouts (46) and innings pitched (34.0) en route to leading the USA National Team to the 2009 World Baseball Challenge Championship in Prince George, British Columbia (Canada).
Cole helped the USA National Team throw a combined no-hitter in a 10-0 victory over Guatemala on July 2, registering 11 strikeouts in 5.2 scoreless innings. In addition, he tossed a complete game in a 1-0 victory against Canada on July 24, scattering two hits and strikeout seven batters in nine innings.
The 2010 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Trials will take place from June 5-11 in Cary, N.C. USA Baseball will invite up to 38 college players to the 2010 National Team Trials. The player pool will primarily be comprised of non draft-eligible college players.
The 2010 USA National Team will be coached by Utah head coach Bill Kinneberg. Assistant coaches this summer include pitching coach Dave Serrano (head coach, Cal State Fullerton), Ed Blankmeyer (head coach, St. John’s) and Nino Giarratano (head coach, San Francisco).
Others Who Have Received USA Baseball Trials Invitations
Matt Jensen-Cal Poly
Danny Hultzen-Virginia
Kyle Winkler-TCU
Nick Ramirez-Cal State Fullerton
Tyler Pill-Cal State Fullerton
Mikie Mahtook-LSU
Austin Nola-LSU
Matty Ott-LSU
Sonny Gray-Vanderbilt
CLICK HERE to read more.
College Baseball Attendance Report #3
Fans Continue To Flock To LSU’s Alex Box Stadium
By Average (min. 1,200)
School Avg. Total #
1. LSU 10,529 115,823 11
2. South Carolina 6,929 34,647 5
3. Arkansas 6,589 46,122 7
4. Ole Miss 6,429 51,434 8
5. Texas 5,972 47,779 8
6. Mississippi State 5,941 59,413 10
7. Florida State 4,941 39,530 8
8. Clemson 4,810 33,669 7
9. Alabama 4,364 13,092 3
10. East Carolina 3,882 38,826 10
11. Texas A&M 3,690 25,836 7
12. Miami, Fla. 3,511 31,601 9
13. Southern Miss 3,257 26,059 8
14. Florida 3,170 15,854 5
15. Rice 2,991 14,954 5
16. Tulane 2,986 29,885 10
17. Wichita State 2,950 14,754 5
18. TCU 2,825 11,298 4
19. Hawaii 2,796 27,968 10
20. Arizona State 2,663 13,316 5
21. Baylor 2,636 29,002 11
22. Louisiana-Lafayette 2,548 17,835 7
23. Georgia 2,480 9,920 4
24. Auburn 2,289 22,894 10
25. Fresno State 2,234 17,868 8
26. Oregon State 2,141 6,424 3
27. Texas Tech 2,115 19,038 9
28. Cal State Fullerton 2,097 14,677 7
29. Virginia 1,993 13,956 7
30. Vanderbilt 1,875 14,996 8
31. Georgia Southern 1,733 19,065 11
32. Stanford 1,592 9,552 6
33. New Mexico 1,410 4,229 3
34. Georgia Tech 1,387 12,485 9
35. Kentucky 1,360 5,439 4
36. Long Beach State 1,308 9,160 7
Top Game Attendances (min. 2,000)
14,588 UCLA vs. USC, 2/28
11,588 Centenary at LSU, 2/19
11,220 Pepperdine at LSU, 3/6
11,126 Centenary at LSU, 2/20
10,663 William & Mary at LSU, 2/27
10,607 William & Mary at LSU, 2/28 (1)
10,401 Brown at LSU, 3/7
10,262 Centenary at LSU, 2/21
10,165 Brown at LSU, 3/5
10,016 William & Mary at LSU, 2/28 (2)
9,974 Pepperdine at LSU, 3/4
9,801 McNeese State at LSU, 2/25
8,348 Florida vs. Florida State, 3/2
8,214 Clemson at South Carolina, 3/7
8,004 Ball State at Arkansas, 2/20
7,926 Duquesne at South Carolina, 2/20
7,713 ULM at Ole Miss, 2/20
7,611 ULM at Ole Miss, 2/19
7,359 Ball State at Arkansas, 2/19
7,151 Stanford at Texas, 2/27
7,105 South Carolina vs. Clemson, 3/6
6,925 Oakland at Ole Miss, 2/27
6,910 Duquesne at South Carolina, 2/21
6,677 Stanford at Texas, 2/28
6,536 Ball State at Arkansas, 2/21
6,413 Michigan St./SEMO at Mississippi St., 3/6
6,380 Duquesne at South Carolina, 2/19
6,352 New Mexico at Texas, 2/20
6,346 South Carolina at Clemson, 3/5
6,221 Oakland at Ole Miss, 2/26
6,189 ULM at Ole Miss, 2/21
6,148 Troy at Arkansas, 2/26
6,013 Michigan State at Mississippi State, 3/7
5,956 SEMO at Mississippi State, 3/5
5,953 New Mexico at Texas, 2/21
5,943 SE Louisiana at Mississippi State, 2/26
5,927 SE Louisiana at Mississippi State, 2/27
5,920 Rhode Island at Mississippi State, 2/20
5,916 Troy at Arkansas, 2/28
5,915 Miami (OH) at Clemson, 2/19
5,878 SE Louisiana at Mississippi State, 2/28
5,858 Oakland at Ole Miss, 2/28
5,819 Rhode Island at Mississippi State, 2/19
5,810 Stanford at Texas, 2/26
5,806 Rhode Island at Mississippi State, 2/21
5,764 Troy at Arkansas, 2/27
5,755 New Mexico at Texas, 2/19
5,738 UAB at Mississippi State, 2/23
5,639 Memphis at Mississippi, 3/2
5,539 Furman at Clemson, 2/21
5,392 Georgia State at Florida State, 2/20
5,318 Seton Hall at Texas A&M, 2/19
5,278 Arkansas State at Ole Miss, 2/23
5,254 Georgia State at Florida State, 2/19
5,217 Presbyterian at South Carolina, 3/3
5,136 Virginia at East Carolina, 2/20
5,131 UT Pan American at Texas, 3/2
5,055 Hofstra at Florida State (DH), 2/27
5,012 Virginia at East Carolina, 2/19
5,010 Seton Hall at Texas A&M (DH), 2/20
4,950 Dallas Baptist at Texas, 2/24
4,848 South Alabama at Alabama, 2/20
4,774 Virginia at East Carolina, 2/21
4,690 Wright State at Clemson, 2/27
4,610 Florida at Miami, Fla., 3/7
4,577 Illinois-Chicago at Alabama (DH), 2/26
4,502 Georgia State at Florida State, 2/21
4,461 South Carolina at East Carolina, 2/27
4,426 Florida at Miami, Fla., 3/6
4,366 Hofstra at Florida State, 2/28
4,274 Florida at Miami, Fla., 3/5
4,109 Oregon State at Hawaii, 2/19
4,037 Winthrop at Texas A&M, 3/6
4,027 Wright State at Clemson, 2/28
3,884 Wright State at Clemson, 2/26
3,743 South Carolina at East Carolina, 2/28
3,723 USF at Florida, 2/20
3,667 Illinois-Chicago at Alabama, 2/26
3,607 Northwestern State at Southern Miss, 2/20
3,569 Northwestern State at Southern Miss, 2/19
3,563 Clemson vs. Michigan State, 2/20
3,561 West Virginia at East Carolina, 3/6
3,464 Oregon at Cal State Fullerton, 2/19
3,458 LeMoyne at Southern Miss, 2/27
3,434 Winthrop at Texas A&M, 3/5
3,422 USF at Florida, 2/21
3,360 Northwestern State at Southern Miss, 2/21
3,348 Western Carolina at East Carolina, 3/7
3,316 Nebraska at Rice, 2/27
3,309 USF at Florida, 2/19
3,287 Rutgers at Miami, Fla., 2/19
3,280 Nebraska at Fresno State, 2/19
3,268 Dayton at Clemson, 3/3
3,228 Sam Houston State at TCU, 2/19
3,214 South Carolina at East Carolina, 2/26
3,199 Missouri at Auburn, 2/27
3,196 Towson at Arizona State (DH), 2/27
3,192 Texas A&M at Baylor, 2/27
3,151 Oregon at Hawaii, 2/26
3,148 Stetson at Georgia, 2/27
3,147 Texas A&M-CC at Rice, 2/28
3,138 LeMoyne at Southern Miss, 2/26
3,135 Rutgers at Miami, Fla., 2/20
3,128 Oregon State at Hawaii, 2/21
3,128 Florida Gulf Coast at Wichita State, 3/6
3,119 LeMoyne at Southern Miss, 2/28
3,094 Rutgers at Miami, Fla., 2/21
3,072 Sam Houston State at TCU, 2/20
3,011 Northern Illinois at Arizona State, 2/19
3,003 Boston College at Tulane, 2/19
2,964 Florida Gulf Coast at Wichita State, 3/7
2,958 Florida Gulf Coast at Wichita State, 3/5
2,956 Louisiana-Monroe at Southern Miss, 3/3
2,954 Manhattan at Miami, Fla., 2/28
2,952 Texas State at Baylor, 2/26
2,930 Manhattan at Miami, Fla., 2/26
2,918 North Dakota at Wichita State, 3/2
2,912 Nicholls State at Louisiana-Lafayette, 2/20
2,907 Oral Roberts at Baylor, 3/6
2,906 Houston at Rice, 3/2
2,895 Michigan at Texas Tech, 2/20
2,891 Manhattan at Miami, Fla., 2/27
2,879 Siena at Florida, 2/25
2,852 Mississippi Valley State at Southern Miss, 2/24
2,850 Lamar at Rice, 2/24
2,830 Miami (Ohio) at Auburn, 3/6
2,828 Oregon State at Hawaii, 2/20
2,823 Illinois at East Carolina, 3/5
2,806 BYU at Texas A&M, 3/3
2,805 Oregon at Hawaii (DH), 2/28
2,798 Boston College at Tulane, 2/20
2,786 North Dakota at Wichita State, 3/3
2,782 Georgia Tech at Georgia Southern, 2/23
2,754 Old Dominion at East Carolina, 2/23
2,739 Winthrop at Texas A&M, 3/7
2,735 Elon at Rice, 2/26
2,715 Southeast Missouri at Auburn, 2/20
2,715 Lipscomb at Tulane, 2/27
2,709 Boston College at Tulane, 2/21
2,706 Georgia at Baylor, 2/21
2,670 Duke & Georgia at Baylor (DH), 2/19
2,662 Duke at Baylor, 2/20
2,630 Towson at Arizona State, 2/26
2,623 Miami (Ohio) at Louisiana-Lafayette, 2/27
2,605 Nicholls State at Louisiana-Lafayette, 2/19
2,602 The Citadel at Hawaii (DH), 3/5
2,601 Western Kentucky at Baylor, 2/28
2,557 Lipscomb at Tulane, 2/28
2,557 Dartmouth/Wright State at Virginia, 3/7
2,548 Northern Illinois at Arizona State (DH), 2/20
2,521 UCF at Florida, 2/24
2,514 New Orleans at Tulane, 2/24
2,513 Presbyterian at Georgia, 2/24
2,503 Sam Houston State at TCU, 2/21
2,495 UTSA at TCU, 3/2
2,494 Southeast Missouri at Auburn, 2/19
2,492 Stephen F. Austin at Texas A&M, 2/24
2,460 The Citadel at Hawaii, 3/6
2,450 Oregon at Fresno State, 3/5
2,449 Lipscomb at Tulane, 2/26
2,433 Oral Roberts at Baylor, 3/5
2,414 Dartmouth at Virginia, 3/6
2,358 Tennessee at Oregon State, 2/27
2,350 Nebraska at Fresno State, 2/20
2,346 Oregon State vs. Arizona State, 3/5
2,340 Oral Roberts at Baylor, 3/7
2,300 Xavier at Tennessee, 2/19
2,298 Louisiana Tech at Baylor, 3/3
2,259 Oregon at Fresno State, 3/7
2,243 Jacksonville State at Texas Tech, 2/19
2,241 BYU at Baylor, 3/2
2,234 The Citadel at Hawaii, 3/4
2,232 UC Riverside vs.Arizona State, 3/5
2,223 Oregon at Hawaii, 2/25
2,217 Tennessee at Oregon State, 2/28
2,198 Stetson at Georgia, 2/28
2,193 TCU at Cal State Fullerton, 2/26
2,190 Nebraska at Fresno State, 2/21
2,162 Jacksonville State at Texas Tech, 2/21
2,138 Bethune-Cookman at Texas Tech, 2/27
2,130 Miami (Ohio) at Louisiana-Lafayette, 2/28
2,126 Rice at Stanford (DH), 2/20
2,117 Boston College at Auburn, 2/26
2,109 Southeast Missouri at Auburn, 2/21
2,092 Miami (Ohio) at Auburn, 3/7
2,091 Oregon at Fresno State (DH), 3/6
2,071 LeMoyne at Louisville, 3/7
2,061 Stetson at Georgia, 2/26
2,041 Rhode Island at Virginia, 2/27
2,028 TCU at Cal State Fullerton, 2/28
2,027 Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton, 2/21
2,015 Washington State at Texas Tech, 2/28
2,012 Michigan at Texas Tech, 2/21
USA Today/ESPN College Baseball Coaches’ Poll-March 8
Three Traditional Powers Fall From The Rankings
March 8, 2010
|
Rank
|
School (first-place votes) |
Record
|
Points
|
Last week
|
 |
||||
|
1
|
LSU (25) |
11-0
|
768
|
1
|
|
||||
|
2
|
Florida State (3) |
10-0
|
733
|
3
|
|
||||
|
3
|
Arizona State (2) |
11-0
|
700
|
4
|
|
||||
|
4
|
Virginia (1) |
9-2
|
673
|
2
|
|
||||
|
5
|
Georgia Tech |
10-1
|
584
|
7
|
|
||||
|
6
|
Texas |
8-3
|
553
|
5
|
|
||||
|
7
|
Clemson |
9-1
|
520
|
9
|
|
||||
|
8
|
Florida |
7-2
|
516
|
6
|
|
||||
|
9
|
TCU |
8-2
|
507
|
8
|
|
||||
|
10
|
Coastal Carolina |
10-1
|
483
|
10
|
|
||||
|
11
|
Louisville |
11-0
|
455
|
13
|
|
||||
|
12
|
North Carolina |
10-1
|
444
|
12
|
|
||||
|
13
|
UCLA |
9-0
|
347
|
18
|
|
||||
|
14
|
Miami (Fla.) |
7-3
|
336
|
11
|
|
||||
|
15
|
Oklahoma |
11-1
|
305
|
22
|
|
||||
|
16
|
Arkansas |
8-2
|
285
|
17
|
|
||||
|
17
|
Mississippi |
9-2
|
251
|
19
|
|
||||
|
18
|
Oregon State |
7-3
|
232
|
15
|
|
||||
|
19
|
Rice |
7-5
|
193
|
20
|
|
||||
|
20
|
Vanderbilt |
10-1
|
183
|
NR
|
|
||||
|
21
|
East Carolina |
7-3
|
170
|
21
|
|
||||
|
22
|
Kentucky |
9-1
|
104
|
NR
|
|
||||
|
23
|
Ohio State |
8-2
|
100
|
25
|
|
||||
|
24
|
UC-Irvine |
6-5
|
88
|
16
|
|
||||
|
25
|
Alabama |
8-1
|
83
|
NR
|
|
||||
Dropped out: No. 14 Cal State-Fullerton (4-6), No. 23 South Carolina (6-4), No. 24 Stanford (7-4).
Others receiving votes: North Carolina State 73; Stanford 63; Cal State-Fullerton 59; Texas A&M 53; Wichita State 41; South Carolina 35; Kansas State 28; Washington State 21; Georgia 19; Southeastern Louisiana 19; Western Kentucky 11; Oklahoma State 10; Florida International 8; New Mexico 5; Houston 4; St. John’s 4; Liberty 3; Oregon 3; Middle Tennessee 2; Arizona 1.
The 2010 board: The USA TODAY/ESPN Board of Coaches is made up of 31 coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the American Baseball Coaches Association. The board for the 2010 season: Terry Alexander, Jacksonville; John Anderson, Minnesota; Ed Blankmeyer, St. John’s; Rob Cooper, Wright State; Sherman Corbett, Texas-San Antonio; Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt; David Eldredge, Southern Utah; Mike Gaski, North Carolina-Greensboro; Nino Giarratano, San Francisco; Gary Gilmore, Coastal Carolina; Keith Guttin, Missouri State; Danny Hall, Georgia Tech; Daniel Heefner, Dallas Baptist; Loren Hibbs, Charlotte; Charlie Hickey, Central Connecticut State; George Horton, Oregon; Steve Jaksa, Central Michigan; Omar Johnson, Jackson State; Rick Jones, Tulane; Steve Kittrell, South Alabama; Paul Kostacopoulos, Navy; Kevin Leighton, Manhattan; Gary McClure, Austin Peay; Mervyl Melendez, Bethune-Cookman; Gary Powers, Nevada; Mark Scalf, North Carolina-Wilmington; Jim Schlossnagle, TCU; Matt Senk, Stony Brook; Doug Smith, UC-Riverside; Steve Smith, Baylor; Bob Whalen, Dartmouth.
Baseball America College Baseball Poll-March 8
Fullerton Falls From This Week’s Rankings
DURHAM, N.C.—Virginia bounced back from an upset loss Friday to Wright State to win its last three games over the weekend and remain at No. 1 in the Baseball America Top 25 rankings for the third straight week.
The top four teams in the rankings all stood pat as Virginia and Louisiana State both dominated home tournaments while No. 3 Texas won a tight contest with No. 9 Rice at the Houston College Classic on Friday, part of a 2-1 weekend for the Longhorns. Florida State was the lone team to move up in the top 10, as the Seminoles knocked off Florida in midweek action and swept then-No. 25 Georgia over the weekend. Florida State and Florida flip-flopped the Nos. 5 and 6 rankings.
The Florida State-Georgia series was one of three ACC-SEC matchups over the weekend. The Gators recovered from their midweek loss to go on the road and take two of three at Miami, which fell to No. 20 in the rankings, while Clemson moved up to No. 12 after winning two-of-three from rival South Carolina, which dropped to No. 19. Elsewhere, UCLA continued its hot start by sweeping Nebraska, vaulting the Bruins up four spots in the rankings to No. 15.
Vanderbilt and Oklahoma both made their season debuts in the rankings this week, at Nos. 24 and 25, respectively, after both posted perfect weekends. The Commodores and Sooners replace Cal State Fullerton and Georgia in the rankings. The Titans, No. 4 in the preseason, fell all the way out of the rankings after dropping two-of-three at Arizona last weekend, their third straight losing weekend.
The staff of Baseball America determines the Top 25 rankings. Records indicated are through games of March 7 and do not include ties.
| Rk. | Team | W-L | Last Week | Prev. |
| 1. | Virginia | 9-2 | 3-1 | 1 |
| 2. | Louisiana State | 11-0 | 4-0 | 2 |
| 3. | Texas | 8-3 | 3-1 | 3 |
| 4. | Georgia Tech | 10-1 | 3-0 | 4 |
| 5. | Florida State | 10-0 | 4-0 | 6 |
| 6. | Florida | 7-2 | 2-2 | 5 |
| 7. | Texas Christian | 8-2 | 3-1 | 7 |
| 8. | Coastal Carolina | 10-1 | 3-0 | 8 |
| 9. | Rice | 7-5 | 4-1 | 9 |
| 10. | Louisville | 11-0 | 4-0 | 10 |
| 11. | Arizona State | 11-0 | 4-0 | 12 |
| 12. | Clemson | 9-1 | 3-1 | 13 |
| 13. | East Carolina | 7-3 | 3-0 | 14 |
| 14. | Arkansas | 8-2 | 3-1 | 17 |
| 15. | UCLA | 9-0 | 3-0 | 19 |
| 16. | UC Irvine | 6-5 | 2-2 | 11 |
| 17. | North Carolina | 10-1 | 4-0 | 20 |
| 18. | Mississippi | 9-2 | 3-1 | 21 |
| 19. | South Carolina | 6-4 | 2-2 | 15 |
| 20. | Miami | 7-3 | 2-2 | 16 |
| 21. | Oregon State | 7-3 | 2-1 | 22 |
| 22. | Kentucky | 9-1 | 3-1 | 23 |
| 23. | Stanford | 7-4 | 3-1 | 24 |
| 24. | Vanderbilt | 10-1 | 4-0 | NR |
| 25. | Oklahoma | 11-1 | 5-0 | NR |
| Dropped Out: Cal State Fullerton (18), Georgia (25) | ||||
NCBWA College Baseball Poll-March 8
Only Slight Movements In This Week’s Rankings
DALLAS - The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association continues
its tradition of NCAA Division I polls for the 13th year with its 2010
weekly surveys. Weekly polls will be circulated from Feb. 22-June 29
following the 64th annual NCAA World Series in Omaha, Neb., and final
CWS competition at historic Rosenblatt Stadium.
The poll voters come from 40 college baseball writers and related media
persons from throughout the nation. This week’s poll has representation
by 10 different conferences among the 302 baseball-playing schools in
the 2010 NCAA Division I ranks, and there have been 12 circuits in the
surveys this season. Last year there were 17 different leagues (from 30
in NCAA Division I) among the Top 30 polls. For more information or to
join the NCBWA, please go to www.ncbwa.com< target=_blank href=”http://www.ncbwa.com/”>http://www.ncbwa.com/>.
Rank School Conference Overall Record Previous Rank
1 LSU Southeastern 11-0 1
2 Florida State Atlantic Coast 10-0 3
3 Arizona State Pacific-10 11-0 4
4 Virginia ACC 9-2 2
5 Georgia Tech ACC 10-1 7
6 Texas Big 12 8-3 6
7 Florida SEC 7-2 5
8 TCU Mountain West 8-2 8
9 Clemson ACC 9-1 9
10 Louisville Big East 11-0 11
11 North Carolina ACC 10-1 12
12 Coastal Carolina Big South 10-1 13
13 Miami (Fla.) 7-3 10
14 Arkansas SEC 8-2 15
15 Rice Conference USA 7-5 16
16 UCLA Pac-10 9-0 20
17 East Carolina C-USA 7-3 19
18 Oregon State Pac-10 7-3 18
19 Oklahoma Big 12 11-1 22
20 Mississippi SEC 9-2 21
21 Vanderbilt SEC 10-1 25
22 UC Irvine Big West 6-5 14
23 Ohio State Big Ten 8-2 23
24 Kentucky SEC 9-1 27
25 Stanford Pac-10 7-4 26
26 Cal State Fullerton Big West 4-6 17
27 Alabama SEC 8-1 28
28 South Carolina SEC 6-4 24
29 Texas A&M Big 12 9-2 NR
30 NC State ACC 10-1 NR
Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically):
Appalachian State
(9-0), Auburn (9-2), Belmont (10-1),
College of Charleston (9-3), Connecticut (5-1), East Tennessee State
(8-2), Florida (8-2), Georgia (6-6),
Houston (5-5), Kansas (7-3), Kansas State (9-2), Lamar (9-2), Liberty
(9-0), Mississippi State (8-3),
New Mexico (8-4), Oregon (9-5), Southeastern Louisiana (11-1), Southern
Mississippi (7-4), St. John’s (7-2),
Washington State (9-1), Western Carolina (8-2), Western Kentucky (8-3),
Wichita State (7-1).
Dropped Out: Georgia (29), St. John’s (30).
By conference: SEC 8, ACC 7, Pac-10 4, Big 12 3, Big West 2, C-USA 2,
Big East 1, Big South 1, Big Ten 1, MWC 1.
Collegiate Baseball Poll-March 8
LSU Has Another Top National Ranking
TUCSON, Ariz.– Defending national champion Louisiana St. is ranked No. 1 for the third straight time in Collegiate Baseball newspaper’s NCAA Division I baseball poll.
The Tigers (11-0) posted two wins over Pepperdine and two wins over Brown at home last week. LSU is 11-0 for the first time since 1997 when the Tigers won their first 19 games of the season en route to the school’s fourth national championship. LSU has won 17 straight home games dating back to last season.
Poll Notes: Several other schools have been red hot. Second ranked Arizona St. is 11-0 while third ranked Florida St. is unbeaten at 10-0 after sweeping a 3-game series at home against Georgia. Two other unbeaten teams are Louisville (11-0, best start since 1957 when the Cardinals went 15-0) and UCLA (9-0, best start since 1955). Coastal Carolina (10-1) has won eight straight while Oklahoma (11-1) has captured six in a row. Two teams fell out of the top 30 in Western Kentucky (3-2 last week) and U.C. Irvine (2-2). New to the poll this week is N.C. State (10-1) and Alabama (8-1).
The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.
(Top 30 Agate Follows)
| Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s | ||
| NCAA Div. I Poll (As of March 8, 2010) | ||
| www.baseballnews.com | ||
| Rank School (Record) | Points | Previous |
| 1. Louisiana St. (11-0) | 493 | 1 |
| 2. Arizona St. (11-0) | 491 | 2 |
| 3. Florida St. (10-0) | 489 | 6 |
| 4. Virginia (9-2) | 488 | 3 |
| 5. Georgia Tech. (10-1) | 486 | 5 |
| 6. Texas (8-3) | 484 | 4 |
| 7. Coastal Carolina (10-1) | 481 | 8 |
| 8. Louisville (11-0) | 478 | 13 |
| 9. Florida (7-2) | 477 | 7 |
| 10. UCLA (9-0) | 475 | 14 |
| 11. Texas Christian (8-2) | 473 | 9 |
| 12. Oregon St. (7-3) | 472 | 10 |
| 13. Clemson (9-1) | 469 | 12 |
| 14. North Carolina (10-1) | 468 | 15 |
| 15. Miami, Fla. (7-3) | 466 | 11 |
| 16. Oklahoma (11-1) | 464 | 17 |
| 17. Ohio St. (8-2) | 462 | 16 |
| 18. Mississippi (9-2) | 460 | 18 |
| 19. Arkansas (8-2) | 458 | 19 |
| 20. East Carolina (7-3) | 455 | 21 |
| 21. Wichita St. (7-1) | 452 | 24 |
| 22. New Mexico (8-4) | 449 | 20 |
| 23. South Carolina (6-4) | 448 | 22 |
| 24. Kentucky (9-1) | 445 | 25 |
| 25. Washington St. (9-1) | 440 | 28 |
| 26. S.E. Louisiana (11-1) | 438 | 29 |
| 27. Vanderbilt (10-1) | 436 | 30 |
| 28. N.C. State (10-1) | 433 | � |
| 29. Stanford (7-4) | 432 | 27 |
| 30. Alabama (8-1) | 429 | � |
Bob Todd Interview
Ohio State head coach Bob Todd talks with Collegebaseball360.com’s Sean Stires at the 2010 Big Ten/Big East Baseball Challenge.
