FSU’s Cardullo, Wright St.’s Kaminsky Headline Primetime Performers #3

First Week of March Yielded Plenty of Clutch Performances …

CollegeBaseball360.com has announced its third group of Primetime Performers, for action during the first week of March. Florida State senior TCU shortstop Stephen Cardullo (Coral Springs, Fla.) has been named the Primetime Player of the Week while Wright State senior righthander Alex Kaminsky (Fostoria, Ohio) is the CB360 Primetime Pitcher of the Week. Cardullo (pictured at left) and Kamisky (right) headline a Primetime Performer Honor Roll that includes 18 other players who delivered in the clutch during the past week of college baseball action. (front-page photo courtesy of FSU/Larry Novey)

Cardullo (pictured; FSU photo/David Gast) lived up to his batting position as FSU’s key 3-hole hitter, leading the Seminoles (#4 in the CB360 composite rankings) to an early-week win over in-state rival and #5 Florida (10-5, in Tampa) and a dominating series sweep of #27 Georgia (12-1/9-2/17-5). He batted .600 during the four games (9-for-15), with 8 RBI, 5 runs scored, 4 walks and a stolen base (also reached base a 14th time after being hit-by-pitch and made no errors during the week). At one point in the series, Cardullo reached base on nine consecutive plate appearances – and he capped the week by factoring into seven of FSU’s runs in the series finale vs. the Bulldogs (2-for-5, 4 RBI, 3 R, BB, SB).

Kaminsky (pictured below) was up to the challenge while facing #2 Virginia (#1 in some polls) on the Cavaliers’ home field. He yielded only one run while striking out seven and scattering seven hits, with only one walk over 7.0 innings. The Raiders went on to post the 2-1 upset, reprising their historic win over then-#1 Georgia during the 2009 season.

Similar to the weekly awards presented on sister site CollegeSoccer360.com, the CB360 Primetime Performer honors various players based on any/all of the following “primetime” criteria…not solely based on raw stats.

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.

Additional information and bio. data on the Primetime Performers (including stats/notes in chart at bottom of page), along with action photos, is being added to this release (headshots/action photos also will be added to the previous two Primetime Performer releases, which can be accessed via the Awards sidebar link).

(top row, from left) Jacksonville State’s Daniel Adamson, Arkansas’ Tim Carver, St. Mary’s Troy Channing, Rice’s Jimmy Comerata, Clemson’s Chris Epees, (bottom row, from left) St. Louis’ Steve Fernandez, Houston’s Michael Goodnight, Texas’ Taylor Jungmann and Texas A&M’s Barret Loux.

The other 18 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll include Jacksonvolle St. senior CF  Daniel Adamson (Centerpoint, Ala.), East Tennessee St. so. 3B/RHP Bo Reeder (Cookeville, Tenn.), Arkansas so.  SS Tim Carver (Fayetteille, Ark.), St. Mary’s so. DH Troy Channing (Pleasanton, Calif.), Rice sr. 1B Jimmy Comerata (Missouri City, Texas), Clemson jr. CF Chris Epps (Stone Mountain, Ga.), St. Louis so. utility player Steve Fernandez (St. Louis, Mo.), Houston so. RHP Michael Goodnight (Houston, Texas), Texas so. RHP Taylor Jungmann (Temple, Texas), Texas A&M jr. RHP Barret Loux (Houston, Texas), Arizona St. so. SS Drew Maggi (Phoenix, Ariz.), Arizona fr. 3B Seth Mejias-Brean (Tucson, Ariz.), Cal jr. RHP Kevin Miller (San Jose, Calif.), UCSB sr. catcher Marty Mullins (Los Gatos, Calif.), Florida so. RHP Alex Panteliodis (Tampa, Fla.), Oregon sr. catcher Eddie Rodriguez (Warden, Wash.), Alabama jr. SS Josh Rutledge (Cullman, Ala.) and jr. LHP Chris Sale (Lakeland, Fla.).

The 20 honorees include seven pitchers (six of them RHPs), four centerfielders, two shortstops,  two catchers and a pair of utility players, plus a first baseman, third baseman and DH. The selections feature eight sophomores, six seniors, five juniors and a freshmen – with four of the honorees hailing from the home state of Texas, plus three each from California and Florida, two each from Alabama and Arizona, and one each from Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Washington.

(top row, from left) Arizona State’s Drew Maggi, Arizona’s Seth Mejias-Brean, Cal’s Kevin Miller, UCSB’s Marty Mullins, Florida’s Alex Panteliodis, (bottom row, from left) East Tennessee’s Bo Reeder, Oregon’s Eddie Rodriguez, Alabama’s Josh Rutledge and Florida Gilf Coast’s Chris Sale.

Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll #3 (March 1-7)

(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

Daniel Adamson (CF) … Jacksonville State … Sr. … Centerpoint, AL …
*Stephen Cardullo (SS) … Florida State … Sr. … Coral Springs, FL …
Tim Carver (SS) … Arkansas … So. … Fayetteille, AR …
Troy Channing (DH) … St. Mary’s … So. … Pleasanton, CA …
Jimmy Comerata (1B) … Rice … Sr. … Missouri City, TX …
Chris Epps (CF) … Clemson … Jr. … Stone Mountain, GA …
Steve Fernandez (UTIL) … St. Louis … So. … St. Louis, MO …
Michael Goodnight (RHP) … Houston … So. … Houston, TX …
Taylor Jungmann (RHP) … Texas … So. … Temple, TX …
*Alex Kaminsky (RHP) … Wright State … Sr. … Fostoria, OH …
Barret Loux (RHP) … Texas A&M … Jr. … Houston, TX
Drew Maggi (SS) … Arizona State… So. … Phoenix, AZ …
Seth Mejias-Brean (3B) … Arizona … Fr. … Tucson, AZ …
Kevin Miller (RHP) … California … Jr. … San Jose, CA …
Marty Mullins (C) … UC Santa Barbara … Sr. … Los Gatos, CA …
Alex Panteliodis (RHP) … Florida … So. … Tampa, FL …
Bo Reeder (3B/RHP) … East Tennessee State … So. … Cookeville, TN …
Eddie Rodriguez (C) … Oregon … Sr. … Warden, WA …
Josh Rutledge (SS) … Alabama … Jr. … Cullman, AL …
Chris Sale (LHP) …  Florida Gulf Coast … Jr. … Lakeland, FL …
* – Cardullo is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Kaminsky the Primetime Pitcher of the Week … note that class years are based on academic standing (some players may have an extra year of eligibility)

Primetime Performers of the Week #2 (Feb. 22-28)

Season’s First Full Week of Action Yields Numerous Clutch Performances

CollegeBaseball360.com again has recognized a group of players from throughout the nation for their “primetime performances,” during the season’s first full week of play (Feb. 22-28). TCU sophomore leftfielder Jason Coats (Plano, Texas) has been named the Primetime Player of the Week while Tennessee sophomore lefthander Steven Gruver (Canfield, Ohio) is the CB360 Primetimer Pitcher of the Week. Coats and Gruver headline a Primetime Performer Honor Roll that includes 19 other players who delivered in the clutch during the past week of college baseball action.

Note – stats/highlights for each player have been added to the bottom of this release (additional headshots/action photos may be added, time permitting)

Coats (pictured) – led #10 TCU’s offense, as the Horned Frogs won 2-of-3 games (5-2/4-6/8-1) at #4 Cal State Fullerton. Coats factored into seven of TCU’s 17 runs in the series vs. the Titans, batting .571 (8-for-14) in the three games, with a pair of home runs, 6 RBI, 3 runs scored and a double. Gruver logged a dominating performance in the Vols’ 9-2 win at #15 Oregon State, setting the tone for his team as they quickly bounced back from a tough 17-1 loss in the series opener. Gruver logged 7.0 shutout innings while striking out nine and allowing only three hits and one walk by the Oregon State hitters.

Similar to the weekly awards presented on sister site CollegeSoccer360.com, the CB360 Primetime Performer honors various players based on any/all of the following “primetime” criteria…not solely based on raw stats.

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.

Additional information and bio. data on the Primetime Performers, along with headshots and action photos, is being added to this release.

The other 19 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll include TCU sr. RHP Steven Maxwell (The Woodlands, Calif.) and two players from East Carolina – soph. 3B Corey Thompson (Apex, N.C.) and jr. RHP Brad Mincey (Wilmington, N.C.) – along with the following clutch players: Eastern Michigan jr. RHP Corey Chaffins (New London, Ohio), N.C. State fr. 1B
 Danny Canela (Miami, Fla.), CS Northridge jr. 3B Justin DeMarco (Huntington Beach, Calif.), Maine fr. RHP Jeffrey Gibbs (Toronto, Ont.), Coastal Carolina sr. catcher  
Jose Iglesias (Miami, Fla.), Texas so. RHP
Taylor Jungmann (Temple, Texa), UCLA jr. RF Brett Krill (Laguna Nigel, Calif.), sr. RHP Lenny Linsky (Palos Verdes, Calif.), jr. 3B Bobby Loveless (Friendswood, Texas), Texas Arlington sr. RHP 
Jason Mitchell (Phoenix, Ariz.), Lamar sr. CF Anthony Moore (Cedar Hills, Texas), San Diego State jr. RHP Addison Reed (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Cincinnati sr. RHP
 Brian Sand (Cincinnati, Ohio)
, Manhattan jr. 1B Austin Sheffield (Augusta, Ga.), Le Moyne fr. 2B 
Zach Wiley (Toluca Woods, Calif.) and San Francisco jr. 3B 
Stephen Yarrow (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.).

The 21 honorees include 10 pitchers (nine of them RHPs), four third baseman, two first baseman, a catcher, second baseman and one outfielder from each spot (LF-CF-RF). The selections feature eight juniors, six seniors, four sophomores and three freshmen – with a whopping eight of the honorees hailing from California, plus four from Texas, three from Ohio, two each from Florida and North Carolina, and one from both Georgia and Ontario.

Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll (Feb. 22-28)

(presented by CollegeBaseball360.com)

“It’s not so much what you do, as it is when you do it.”

Player (Pos.) … School … Yr., Ht./Wt. … Hometown … Stats & Notes
Danny Canela (1B) … North Carolina State … Fr. … Miami, FL)
… opened scoring with early 2B/R, then 2-run tying double in 10th vs. #5 UC Irvine (5-2/10)
Corey Chaffins RHP) … (Eastern Michigan … Jr. … New London, OH)

… beat #27 Kansas (3-1) while pitching in big-league Metrodome (7.0 IP, R, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 K)
*Jason Coats (LF) … Texas Christian … So. … Plano, TX)
… led offense to series win (5-2/4-6/8-1) at #4 Cal State Fullerton (8-for-14, 6 RBI, 3 R, 2 HR, 2B)
Justin DeMarco (3B) … Cal State Northridge … Jr. … Huntington Beach, CA)
… helped post 7-1 win at #22 San Diego and sweep of  #37 Pepperdine (game-ending/near-darkness hit in 12-inn. 3-2 win; 7-6 road win), batting 5-for-12 (2 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 2B, SB)
Jeffrey Gibbs (RHP) … Maine … Fr. … Toronto, ONT)
… rose to the challenge in 5-3 win at #12 North Carolina (5.1 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 7 K)
*Steven Gruver (LHP) … Tennessee … So. … Canfield, OH)
… logged 7.0 shutout innings in 9-2 win t #15 Oregon State (3 H, BB, 9K)
Jose Iglesias (C) … Coastal Carolina … Sr. … Miami, FL)
… hit 6-for-8 with 5 RBI in DH sweep (7-3/13-6) vs. #5 Irvine’s top starters (2 R, 2 2B, BB)
Taylor Jungmann (RHP) … Texas … So. … Temple, TX)
… his 7.0 shutout innings in game-1 (6-0) set tone for series sweep of #20 Stanford (4 H, 4 BB, 10 K)
Brett Krill (RF) … UCLA … Jr. … Laguna Nigel, CA)
… hit 6-13 with 5 RBI/5R/4 2B) vs. #36 Long Beach (10-1), #33 Vanderbilt (9-2) & USC (6-1)
Lenny Linsky (RHP) … Hawaii … Sr. … Palos Verdes, CA)
… saved three straight games vs. #30 Oregon (4-3/2-1/5-2), totaling 5.1 shutout innings (H, 5 K)
Bobby Loveless (3B) … Stephen F. Austin … Jr. … Friendswood, TX)
… 3-run HR capped 7-run t-3rd and provided final margin, in 7-6 win at #29 Texas A&M
Steven Maxwell (RHP) … TCU … Sr. … The Woodlands, CA)
… won 5-2 opener during series win at #4 CS Fullerton (6.1 IP, R, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K)
Brad Mincey (RHP) … East Carolina … Jr. … Wilmington, NC)
… delivered 7.2 strong innings to win series clincher vs. #19 South Carolina (UER, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K)
Jason Mitchell (RHP) … Texas Arlington … Sr. … Phoenix, AZ)
… set Southland Conference record with 18 Ks while logging 8.2 no-hit innings, during team’s 14-inning win over Missouri Valley Conference co-favorite Missouri State (1-0; ended with 9.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB)
Anthony Moore (CF) … Lamar … Sr. … Cedar Hills, TX)
… doubled in 1st inning and tripled in 2nd, while scoring 3 runs to help win at #17 Rice (2-for-4 ,BB)
Addison Reed (RHP) … San Diego State … Jr. … Rancho Cucamonga, CA)
… converted closer set tone with 11-K CG in 5-2 opener of series win vs. rival #22 San Diego (4 H, BB)
Brian Sand (RHP) … Cincinnati … Sr. … Cincinnati, OH)
… answered call with 5.0 scoreless/no-hit relief innings, in 12-4 win vs. #25 Ohio St. (BB, HB, K)
Austin Sheffield (1B) … Manhattan … Jr. … Augusta, GA)
… delivered several key hits in 12-7 upset win at #13 Miami (3-for-5, 3 RBI, R, 3 2B, BB)
Corey Thompson (3B) … (East Carolina … So. … Apex, NC)
… supplied 5 clutch RBI during series win (2-6/4-3/4-2) vs. #19 South Carolina (4-for-12, R, HR)
Zach Wiley (2B) … Le Moyne … Fr. … Toluca Woods, CA)
… reached 7 times & factored into 5R in two wins (6-2/3-10/12-11) at #26 So-Miss (2BI-4R-HR-4BB)
Stephen Yarrow (3B) … San Francisco … Jr. … South Lake Tahoe, CA)
… smacked 2 HR as Dons took series (5-0/3-7/11-5) at #40 Cal Poly (6-10, 4 RBI, 3 R, 2B, 3 BB)
* – Coats is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Gruver the Primetime Pitcher of the Week

BIG Ten/BIG EAST Challenge All-Tournament Team

CollegeBaseball360.com – in conjunction with coaches and media-relations representatives from the 20 teams – has selected the all-tournament team for the 2010 Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge (held Feb. 26-28, in the St. Petersburg, Fla., area). The selections include 11 first-teamers, 11 second-teamers and seven honorable mention.

Selections were based on statistics during the three games, in addition to other criteria such as clutch play, defensive contributions, team leadership and other intangibles. The honorees include at least one from all 20 participating teams, led by three from Louisville and two each from seven other teams (Cincinnati, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, St. John’s and Villanova).

Shortstop Joe Panik (pictured) helped St. John’s join Louisville as the only 3-0 teams at the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge. Panik batted 5-for-8 with 3 walks (also reached twice via HBP) and factored into nearly half of  SJU’s total runs (6 of 13) during the tournament. … Note: eight other teams went 2-1: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Villanova.

The all-tournament selections feature 11 juniors, nine sophomores, five seniors, three freshmen and a fifth-year senior. Four are New Jersey natives and four more are from Ohio, plus three from Kentucky, two each from California, Indiana, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania – and one each from Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The honorees include one pure leadoff hitter, two that batted in the #2 spot all weekend, a pair of 3-hole hitters and three cleanup batters (plus two 5-hole hitters, one 6-hole, two 7-hole, one 9-hole and six who batted in multiple lineup spots during the tournament).

Ohio State pitcher Alex Wimers is the only repeat selection to the Challenge all-tournament team. (Note: all class years referenced below refer to academic standing … additional headshots and action photos will be added to this release, time permitting).

2010 Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge All-Tournament Team

(presented by CollegeBaseball360.com)

First-team position players included (top row, from left): Kevin Plawecki, Jerrud Sabourin, Matt Dittman, Adam Duvall and Joe Panik … (bottom row, from left) Stewart Ijames, Michael Stephens and Matt Szczur (the all-tournament first-team pitchers are pictured below).

First Team
C – #26 Kevin Plawecki (Purdue, fr., 7-hole … Carmel, IN)
… hit .700 (7-for-10 … 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 2B, BB, HBP, SB, E)
1B – #35 Jerrud Sabourin (Indiana, jr., 3-hole … San Diego, CA)
… hit .462 (6-for-13 … 4 RBI, 3 R, 2 2B, BB, 2 K)
1B – #17 Matt Dittman (Illinois, jr., cleanup … Libertyville, IL
… hit .667 (6-for-9, 3 RBI, 4 R, 2B, 2 BB, HBP, SB, 3K)
2B – #30 Adam Duvall (Louisville, sr., 2-hole … Louisville, KY)
… hit .500 (6-for-12, 4 RBI, 4 R, HR, 3 2B, BB, SAC, K, E)
SS – #2 Joe Panik (St. John’s, so., 5-hole … Hopewell Junction, NY)
… hit .625 (5-for-8, 2 RBI, 4 R, 3B, 2B, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 2K, E)
LF – #5 Stewart Ijames (Louisville, jr., 7-hole … Owensboro, KY)
… hit .500 (5-for-10, 3 RBI, 2 R, HR, 2B, BB, K, CS)
CF – #24 Michael Stephens (Ohio State, sr., cleanup … Victorville, CA)
… hit .667 (6-for-9 … 4 RBI, 4 R, HR, 2 2B, 2 BB, HBP, SB, SB, 2K, E)
RF – #20 Matt Szczur (Villanova, jr., leadoff … Erma, NJ)
… hit .600 (9-for-15, RBI, 6 R, 3B, 2B, 2K, CS)
UTIL (2B/RHP)–#14 Zach Morton (Northwestern, so., 9-hole; Rothschild, WI)
… hit .429 (3-for-7, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, SAC, E
… 0.00 ERA, 0-1,  1 GS, 6 IP, 2 UER, 6 H, BB,  BK, 3K, .250 opp. batting
RHP – #18 Thomas Royse (Louisville, jr. … Lexington, KY)
… 0.00 ERA, 1-0, 1 GS, 6 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 9 K, .100 opp. batting
RHP (relief) – #47 Brian Sand (Cincinnati, sr. … Cincinnati, OH)
… 0.00 ERA, 1-0, 1 GP, 5 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 HB, 1K, .000 opp. batting

(from left) The 2010 Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge first team all-tournament pitchers include Northwestern two-way player Zach Morton, Louisville game-1 starter Thomas Royse and Cincinnati’s Brian Sand (whose 5.0 shutout relief innings earned him the win vs. Ohio State).

Second Team
C/DH – #33 Ben Heath (Penn State, jr., cleanup … Huntersville, NC)
… hit .333 (6-for-18, 4 RBI, 6 R, 3 HR, 2 2B, 4K)
1B – #29 Mike Nemeth (Connecticut, jr., 5-hole … Washington, NJ)
… hit .500 (5-for-10, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2B, BB, 2K, E)
2B – #2 T.J. Jones (Cincinnati, so., 3/2-hole … Cincinnati, OH)
… hit .462 (6-for-13, 5 RBI, 4 R, 2B, 2 BB, HBP, 2E)
SS – #1 AJ Pettersen (Minnesota, so., 2-hole/leadoff … Minnetonka, MN)
… hit .455 (5-for-11, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 2B, BB, HBP, SF)
3B – #12 Andrew Carpenter (Michigan State, so., 7/8-hole … Dayton, OH)
… hit .462 (6-for-13, 4 RBI, 3 R, 2B, SF, 4K)
LF – #18 Jeremy Baltz (St. John’s, fr., 6-hole … Vestal, NY)
… hit .462 (6-for-13, 2 RBI, 2 R, HR, 2K, 2 GDP)
CF/RF – #16 Ryan Durant (Iowa, sr., 3-hole … Eldridge, IA)
hit .545 (6-for-11, 6 RBI, 2 R, HR, 2B, BB, 2 SF, 3K)
RHP – #14 Alex Wimmers (Ohio State … jr., Cincinnati, OH
… 1.12 ERA, 1-0, 1 GS, 8 IP, 2 R/1 ER, 5 H, BB, WP, 6K,  .179 opp. batting
LHP – #32 Jarred Hippen (Iowa, so. … Rock Falls, IL)
… 3.12 ERA, 1-0, 1 GS, 8.2 IP, 3 R, 6 H, BB, 8K,  .188 opp. batting
LHP – #23 Kyle Helisek (Villanova, so. … Cranberry Township, PA)
… 1.29 ERA, 1-0, 1 GS, 7 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 5 BB, 2 K,  .167 opp. batting
RHP (relief) – #32 Chris Enourato (West Virginia, sr. … Bridgeport, WV)
… 0.00 ERA, 1-0, 1 GP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 7 K, .154 opp. batting

Honorable Mention
1B–#38 Casey Martin (Notre Dame, 5th-yr. sr., cleanup/7-hole; Charleston, IN)
… hit .556 (5-for-9, R, BB, E)
LF – #3 Junior Carlin (South Florida, jr., 2-hole … Riverview, FL)
… hit .462 (6-for-13, 2 RBI, 2 R, HBP, K)
LF – #7 Pat Biserta (Rutgers, jr., 2/6-hole … Pt. Pleasant Boro, NJ)
… hit .357 (5-for-14, 3 RBI, 2 R, HR, SB, K)
LF – #34 Quentin Williams (Northwestern, so., 7/8-hole … Pittsburgh, PA)
… hit .556 (5-for-9, 2 RBI, R, HR, 2K)
RHP – #29 Jon Prosinski (Seton Hall, fr. … Skillman, NJ)
… 0.00 ERA, 1-0, 1 GS, 6 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, BK, 6K, .211 opp. batting
RHP – #26 Kurt Wunderlich (Michigan State, jr. … Des Peres, MO)
… 0.00 ERA, 1-0, 1 GS, 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, BB, HB, 6K, .174 opp. batting
RHP (relief) – #17 Brandon Sinnery (Michigan, so. … Worcester, MA)
… 0.00 ERA, 0-0, SV, 2 GP, 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 6 K, .067 .opp batting

College Baseball Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll Feb. 23

Top Performers Shine During Opening Weekend

CollegeBaseball360.com has recognized a group of players from throughout the nation for their “primetime performances” during the season’s opening weekend (Feb. 19-21). Leading the way are three top honorees – as New Mexico senior centerfielder Max Willett (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Oregon sophomore second baseman Danny Pulfer (Cypress, Calif.) share the inaugural honor as Co-Primetime Players of the Week while Ball State senior righthander Morgan Coombs (West Terre Haute, Ind.) is the first Primetime Pitcher of the Week. These three players headline the first Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll (listed below).

Willette batted 7-for-11 (RBI, 3R, 2B) in leading New Mexico to a series win at top-ranked Texas, while Pulfer hit .412 (7-for-17) and had a hand in nearly 40% of Oregon’s 32 runs (6 RBI, 6 R) during the Ducks’ breakout southern-California roadswing (highlighted by wins over #3 Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State). Coombs delivered in a pressure-packed situation at #15 Arkansas, closing Ball State’s 5-2 win with 5.0 strong innings (UER, 4H, 8K) despite 8,000-plus spirited Razorbacks fans cheering against him.

Similar to the weekly awards presented on sister site CollegeSoccer360.com, the CB360 Primetime Performer honors various players based on any/all of the following “primetime” criteria…not solely based on raw stats.

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.

• Overcoming adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).

Additional information and bio. data on the Primetime Performers, along with headshots and action photos, is being added to this release.

The other 17 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll include New Mexico senior 1B Justin Howard, two sophomores (LHP/1B Danny Hultzen and 3B Steven Proscia) from the Virginia team that took 2-of-3 at East Carolina en route to the #1 national ranking, and two players (so. RHP Jordan Pries, jr. SS Jake Schlander) from the Stanford team that swept Rice, along with the following clutch performers: Northwestern State so. OF/1B Colin Bear … Hawaii so. RF Collin Bennett … Georgia Tech so. LHP Jed Bradley … East Carolina so. LHP Kevin Brandt … Louisiana-Monroe jr. RHP Wil Browning … Pepperdine jr. LHP Matt Bywater … Florida sr. CF Matt den Dekker … TCU fr. RF/C Josh Elander … Gonzaga sr. CF Drew Heid … Kentucky so. RHP/1B Braden Kapteyn … Baylor sr. RHP Willie Kempf … and Fresno State jr. 1B Jordan Ribera.

The 20 honorees include nine pitchers (pair of 2-way players; 5 RHP/4 LHP), five first baseman (including both 2-way players, plus one who also played OF), three centerfielders, three corner outfielders (one also played 1B, one C), one second baseman, one shortstop, one third baseman and one catcher (also played OF). TCU’s Elander is the only freshman among the Primetime players, which also include a fifth-year senior, six seniors, three juniors and a big sophomore-class representation of nine honorees.

The group includes four Texas natives – Bear, Elander, Howard and Kempf – and four more from California (Bywater, Pries, Pulfer and Ribera), along with two Primetime players from Washington and one each from Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New York and North Carolina.

(from left) Oregon second baseman Danny Pulfer, Ball State closer Morgan Coombs and New Mexico centerfielder Max Willett headline CB360’s first group of Primetime Performers (photos courtesy of each school).

WILLETT – batting from the #6 spot – combined with Howard to lead a Lobos offense that hit .284 with 10 extra-base hits in a three-game road series versus #1-ranked Texas and its vaunted pitching staff. UNM shocked the college baseball world by taking the series in Austin (2-6/6-5/3-1), with Willett batting 7-for-11 (.636, RBI, 3 R, 3B, 2B, HBP, SF) and playing error-free in center field.

After a solid showing in the opener (2-for-4, 2B), Willett went 3-for-4 in UNM’s game-2 upset. He led off the 6th by placing and opposite-field triple into the right-center gap and scored moments later for a 5-4 deficit. Three innings later, moments after Howard’s game-tying home run, Willett delivered in a situational plate appearance – flying out the left field for a sacrifice fly that plated Devon Conley as the eventual winning run.

Willett’s game-3 effort (2-for-3, 2R, 2B) helped produce another win over the Longhorns. He hit a 1-out single up the middle and scored the game’s first run in the 4th, later adding the game’s final run in the 8th (after a 2-out double down the leftfield line).

A second team all-Mountain West Conference selection in 2009 (.355, 46 RBI, 4 HR, 15 2B, 12-13 SB, 15 sac. bunts, 0 errors), Willett played sparingly in his first three seasons at UNM – totaling only 59 games played and 31 starts spanning the 2006-08 seasons. He batted only .229 as a sophomore in 2007 before seeing his junior season (12 GS) cut short by a hand injury. He is a product of Colorado’s Thunder Ridge High School, where he played on state-championship teams in both baseball and football.

Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll (Feb. 19-21)

“It’s not so much what you do, as it is when you do it.”

Player (Pos.) … School … Yr., Ht./Wt. … Hometown … Stats & Notes

Colin Bear (OF) … Northwestern St. … So., 6-3/210 … Houston, TX

Collin Bennett (RF) … Hawaii … So., 6-1 … Bellevue, WA

Jed Bradley (LHP) … Georgia Tech … So., 6-4/210 … Huntsville, AL

Kevin Brandt (LHP) … East Carolina … So., 6-2/190 … Fuquay Varina, NC

Wil Browning (RHP) … La. Monroe Jr., 6-3/200 … Kosciusko, MS

Matt Bywater (LHP) … Pepperdine … Jr., 6-2/195 … Thousand Oaks, CA

*Morgan Coombs (RHP) … Ball State … Sr., 6-1/190 … West Terre Haute, IN

Matt den Dekker (CF) … Florida … Sr., 6-1/210 … Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Josh Elander (RF/C) … TCU … Fr., 6-0/205 … Round Rock, TX

Drew Heid (CF) … Gonzaga … Sr., 5-10/175 … Touchet, WA

Justin Howard (1B) … New Mexico … Sr., 6-0/205 … Ennis, TX

Danny Hultzen (LHP/1B) … Virginia … So., 6-3/200 … Bethesda, MD

Braden Kapteyn (RHP/1B) …Kentucky … So., 6-4/220 … Lansing, IL

Willie Kempf (RHP) … Baylor … Sr., 6-0/195 … Castroville, TX

Jordan Pries (RHP) … Stanford … So., 6-0/190 … Alameda, CA

Steven Proscia (3B) … Virginia … So., 6-2/215 … Suffern, NY

*Danny Pulfer (2B) … Oregon … So., … 5-10/190 … Cypress, CA

Jordan Ribera (1B) … Fresno State … Jr., 6-0/220 … Fresno, CA

Jake Schlander (SS) … Stanford … Jr., 6-2/195 … Scottsdale, AZ

*Max Willett (CF) … New Mexico … Sr., 5-10/190 … Highlands Ranch, CO

* – Note: Pulfur and Willett shared the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week award, while Coombs was the inaugural Primetime Pitcher of the Week