College Baseball Primetime Performers of the Day (May 23)

May 24, 2012
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Belmont junior first baseman Judah Akers (Cookeville, Tenn.) and Missouri sophomore lefthander Ron Zastryzny(Corpus Christi, Texas) headline the CB360 postseason Primetime Performers of the Day for Wed., May 23. They are joined by eight others in comprising the CB360 Primetime Performers Daily Honor Roll, with Akers the Cb360 Primetime Player of the Day and Zastryzny  the Primetime Pitcher of the Day.  front-page photo courtesy of Missouri

CLICK HERE for Tuesday’s CB360 Primetime Performers Daily Honor Roll
CLICK HERE for Wednesday’s CB360 scoreboard
CLICK HERE for Tuesday’s CB360 scoreboard

CLICK HERE for the CB360 Conference Tournament Central home page

As with the CB360 Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll, this daily recognition goes beyond the raw stats – also taking into account quality of opponent (i.e. upsets and high-end matchups), significance towards NCAA qualification/seeding, all-around play, clutch efforts and other situational factors.

See below for photos and capsule info. on all 10 Primetime honorees (full conference tournament results from past two days, plus other key games, also included at bottom of page).

CLICK HERE for CB360 Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll for the past week (May 14-20)
Previous CB360 Primetime Performers (2012) … Week-1 … Week-2 … Week-3
Week-4 … Week-5 … Week-6 … Week-7 … Week-8 … Week-9
Week-10 … Week-11 … Week-12 … Week-13

CB360 PRIMETIME PLAYER OF THE DAY
#10 JUDAH AKERS

Belmont … 1B … Jr.
Cookeville, TN … 5-hole … bats: R

Singled and scored to force extra inning in bottom of 9th and then stroked game-winning single in the 15th (despite facing a desperation 5-infielder aliggnment), ending 4-3 marathon game in Atlantic Sun Tournament vs. dangerous 6-seed and host team Stetson (which owns the top RPI of any A-Sun team) … showed his hitting prowess by going with first pitch in bottom of the 9th, sending opposite-field single into right field and ultimately scoring with 2-outs for 3-3 game … added another late-game hit in 13th (2-out single) and then won game in the 15th, with single up the middle to score Drew Turner … second on team with .326 batting avg. (33 RBI, 16 doubles, 3 HR).

 

CB360 PRIMETIME PITCHER OF THE DAY
#8 RON ZASTRYZNY

Missouri … LHP … So.
Corpus Christi, TX

Rose to the big-game challenge on opening day in Oklahoma City at Big 12 Tournament, logging 8.1 shutout innings as Tigers knocked off 3rd-seeded Texas (5-0) …  faced only 29 batters in the 114-pitch outing, with five hits allowed, no walks and three strikeouts … had gone 0-1 with a 6.57 ERA in two previous career starts vs. the Longhorns … has a 3.65 season ERA and 5-5 record, with 69 strikeouts.


 

 

 

 

CB360 PRIMETIME PERFORMERS DAILY HONOR ROLL
#10 GARRETT CAREY
Oklahoma … Jr. … 3B
Hutto, TX … 9-hole … bats: R

Picked a clutch time for his first home run of the season, turning on a 1-1 pitch and pulling the ball down the leftfield line for dramatic 1-0, 9th-inning end to the 4th-seeded Sooners opening game at the Big 12 Tournament, 1-0 vs. arch-rival (5) Oklahoma State … spoiled another strong effort from Cowboys ace Andrew Heaney, who was countered by a solid showing by OU’s Dillon Overton (7.1IP-6H-8K) … unlikely hero who now is batting only .212 for the season,w ith 21 RBI and seven doubles.

 

 

 

CB360 PRIMETIME PERFORMERS
DAILY HONOR ROLL
#24 JAKE DAVIES
Georgia Tech … Sr. … 1B
McDonough, GA … cleanup … bats: L 

Launched pair of 2-out, 2-run home runs to power 8-seed Georgia Tech past top-seeded Florida State, 5-4 on the opening day of the ACC Tournament (at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, N.C.) … sent 1-2 pitch over leftfield fence for opposite-field blast in the 1st, then drove ball over fence in right-center (1-1 pitch) as GT stretched to 5-0 lead in the 5th … also reached on a walk in the upset win … hit multiple home runs for the second time in his career … batting .329 with 11 home runs and team-best 62 RBI … also has totaled more walks (24) than strikeouts (20).

 

CB360 PRIMETIME PERFORMERS
DAILY HONOR ROLL
#13 MIKE GERBER
Creighton … So. … CF
Naperville, IL … 6-hole … bats: L 

Helped 8th-seeded Creighton post its second straight upset at the Missouri Valley Conference (held in Springfield, Ill.), batting 4-for-5 and factoring into four of his team’s runs (3RBI-2R-HR) as Jays posted 11-5 win over 4-seed Illinois State … connected on 2-run blast to right-center in bottom of the 3rd, his team-leading 4th home run of the season but first in more than a month (and the team’s first HR since May 5) … also doubled in the key winners-bracket game … posted a 4-hit game for the first time in his college career … a fairly unlikely candidate to deliver a 4-hit postseason game, as he is batting only .232 for the season  – but has a team-best 31 RBI.

 

CB360 PRIMETIME PERFORMERS
DAILY HONOR ROLL
#2 JUSTIN MACKERT
The Citadel … Sr. … LF
Cleveland, OH … 3-hole … bats: R

Combined with Tyler Griffin as hitting leaders for 6th-seeded squad in 8-6, 11-inning upset of 2nd-seeded College of Charleston, at the Southern Conference Tournament in Greenville, S.C. … hit 2-for-4, reached on a walk and drove in three valuable runs – including one on a 2-out home run to left in the 8th … that run proved to be valuable insurance minutes later, as the Cougars rallied to force extra innings … leads team with .279 batting avg., 35 RBI and six home runs.

 

CB360 PRIMETIME PERFORMERS
DAILY HONOR ROLL
#6 SHAWN MARQUARDT
Miami Ohio … 5th-Yr.-Sr. … LHP
Carmel, IN

Led 7th-seeded Red Hawks to 5-0 win over 2-seed Toledo, on opening day of Mid-America Conference Tournament in Avon, Ohio … went the distance in 5-hit shutout, facing only 31 batters (four over the minimum) with no walks, a hit batter and two strikeouts in the economical 96-pitch outing … provided huge boost for Miami team coming off a disappointing regular season … leads staff with 3.33 ERA, 7-5 record and 66 strikeouts (.252 opp. batting).

 

CB360 PRIMETIME PERFORMERS
DAILY HONOR ROLL
#16 DANIEL MINOR
Texas A&M Corpus Christi … Jr. … RHP
Dripping Springs, TX

Delivered clutch outing on opening day of the Southland Conference Tournament (at Texas  State), working eight innings while allowing only one earned run – as the 8th-seeded Islanders knocked off top seed Sam Houston State, 9-2 … scattered eight hits but walked only one, with three strikeouts … improved to 10-3, tying the school record for wins in a season … also leads staff with 2.20 ERA and virtually a strikeout per inning (110 Ks, in 110.1 IP) … has compiled a 4.8 K-to-walk ratio (23 BB).

 

CB360 PRIMETIME PERFORMERS
DAILY HONOR ROLL
#33 ALEX PRACHER
St. Joseph’s … Grad. … RHP
Marlton, NJ

Went the distance with 5-hit shutout to knock off talented 3-seed Rhode Island squad, on opening day of Atlantic-10 Tournament in the Bronx, N.Y. (3-0) … struck out five and walked four, while facing 34 and helping preserve his team’s bullpen … gave St. Joseph’s the victory in the program’s first-ever appearance at the A-10 tournament … owns a 3.59 season ERA, with 80 strikeouts (in 95 innings).

 

CB360 PRIMETIME PERFORMERS
DAILY HONOR ROLL
#13 BRENT PUGH
Georgia Southern … So. … 3B
Atlanta, GA … 9-hole … bats: R

Provided bonus production from the bottom of the order, batting 4-for-6 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored – as part of 23-hit attack, as the 6th-seeded Eagles blew past 3-seed Elon, 19-2 (at the Southern Conference Tournament, in Greenville, S.C.) … joined teammates Michael Burruss and Tyler Avera in posting 4-hit games during the rout … unlikely offensive leader, batting only .241 for the season … his 4 RBI vs. Elon were nearly half of his total from the regular season (9).

CLICK HERE for the CB360 Conference Tournament Central home page

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WEDNESDAY’S KEY GAMES (schedule & results; May 23, 2012)
(sorted based on conference RPI, per WarrenNolan.com)

upsets in italics

ACC Tournament  (Greensboro, NC) … Tournament Central
• 8-seed Georgia Tech 5 … def. (1) Florida State 4
• 3-seed North Carolina State 3 … def. (6) Miami 2
• 2-seed North Carolina 6 … def. (7) Wake Forest 0

SEC Tournament  (Hoover, AL) … Tournament Central
• 9 seed Mississippi 2 … elim. (6) Arkansas 0
• 7-seed Mississippi State 3 … def..(1) LSU 2
• 10-seed Auburn 3 … elim. (8) Georgia 2
• 5-seed Vanderbilt 3 … def. (2) South Carolina 2

Big 12 Tournament  (Oklahoma City, OK) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Oklahoma 1 … def. (5) Oklahoma State 0
• 1-seed Baylor 11 … def. (8) Kansas State 1
• 2-seed Texas A&M 10 … def. (7) Kansas 4
• 6-seed Missouri 5 … def. (3) Texas 0

Conference USA Tournament  (Pearl, MS) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Memphis 14 .. def. (4) Southern Mississippi 3
• 1-seed Rice 7 … def. (8) Houston 5
• 3-seed Tulane 4 … def. (6) East Carolina 3

Missouri Valley Tournament  (Springfield, MO) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Evansville 8 … elim. (1) Indiana State 5
• 2-seed Missouri State 7 … elim. (3) Wichita State 0
• 8-seed Creighton 11 … def. (4) Illinois State 5
• 6-seed Southern Illinois 9 … def. (7) Bradley 8

Southern Conference Tournament  (Greensville, SC) … Tournament Central
• 7-seed The Citadel 8  … def. (2) College of Charleston 6  (11 inn.)
• 6-seed Georgia Southern 19 … def. (3) Elon 2
• 1-seed Appalachian State 7 … def. (8) Furman 5
• 4-seed Samford 7 … def. (5) Western Carolina 0

Western Athletic Tournament  (Mesa, AZ) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Fresno State 8 … def. (4) Hawaii 2
• 3-seed Nevada 4 … def. (6) Louisiana Tech 3

Big Ten Tournament  (Columbus, OH) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Michigan State 10 … def. (4) Nebraska 9
• 6-seed Ohio State 12 … def. (3) Penn State 5 

Atlantic Sun Tournament  (DeLand, FL) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Mercer 11 ... def. (2) South Carolina Upstate 2
• 4-seed Florida Gulf Coast 12 … def. (3) Kennesaw State 4
•  1-seed Belmont 4 ... def. (6) Stetson 3  (15 inn.)

BIG EAST Tournament  (Clearwater, FL) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Seton Hall 6 … def. (6) Rutgers 1
• 2-seed St. John’s 12 … def. (7) Notre Dame 2
• 1-seed Louisville 8 … def. (8) Pittsburgh 4
• 5-seed Connecticut 7 … def. (4) South Florida 2

Southland Tournament  (San Marcos, TX) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Texas Arlington 6 … def. (5) McNeese State 2
• 8-seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 9 … def.  (1) Sam Houston State 2
• 3-seed Texas State 11 … def. (6) Stephen F. Austin 1
• 2-seed Southeastern Louisiana 6 … def. (7) Central Arkansas 3   

Mountain West Tournament  (Las Vegas, NV) … Tournament Central
• 4-team tournament starts at 3 PT at May 24

Sun Belt Tournament  (Bowling Green, KY) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Louisiana-Monroe 7 … def. (4) South Alabama 4
• 2-seed Arkansas State 12 … def. (7) Middle Tennessee 1
• 1-seed Florida Atlantic 4 … def. (8) Western Kentucky 3

Big South Tournament  (High Point, NC) … Tournament Central
• 2-seed Campbell 10 … def. (7) High Point 4 (resumed from 5/22)
• 4-seed Gardner-Webb 4 … elim. (8) Charleston Southern 3
• 7-seed High Point 7 elim. (6) UNC Asheville 1
• 1-seed Coastal Carolina 5 … def. (5) Radford 3
• 3-seed Liberty vs. (2) Campbell (Big South, gm-8) – moved to 5/24, 11 a.m. ET

Colonial Tournament (Harrisonburg, VA) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed VCU 11 … def. (4) George Mason 7
• 3-seed Delaware 8 … def. (6) Towson 7  (12 inn.)
• 6-seed Towson vs. (4) George Mason  (elimination game) – ppd to 5/24

Ohio Valley Tournament  (Jackson, TN) … Tournament Central
•  4-seed Eastern Illinois 2 … def. (5) Morehead State 1
• 6-seed Southeast Missouri 4 … def. (3) Jacksonville (AL) State 1

Atlantic 10 Tournament  (Bronx, NY) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Richmond 9 … def. (4) UMass 5 
• 6-seed St. Joseph’s 3 … def. (3) Rhode Island 0
• 3-seed Rhode Island 6 … elim. (4) UMass 5

Mid-American Tournament  (Avon, OH) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Western Michigan 4 …def. (4) Ohio 2
• 6-seed Eastern Michigan 4 … def. (3) Central Michigan 3
• 7-seed Miami Ohio 5 … def.. (2) Toledo 0
• 1-seed Kent State 9 … def. (8) Buffalo 0

Metro Atlantic (MAAC) Tournament  (Troy, NY) … Tournament Central
• 4-team tournament begins May 24

Horizon Tournament  (Chicago, IL) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Illinois-Chicago 10 … def. (5) Butler 1
• 6-seed Youngstown State 8 … def. (3) Milwaukee 4

America East Tournament  (Stony Brook, NY) … Tournament Central
• 3-seed Binghamton 2 … def. (2) Albany 1 
• 1-seed Stony Brook 14 … def. (4) Maine 6

Summit Tournament  (Tulsa, OK) … Tournament Central
• 4-team tournament begins May 24

Great West Tournament  (no auotomatic NCAA bid; 8-team tournament)  Tournament Central
• 1-seed Utah Valley 9 … def. (5) Houston Baptist 8

Non-Conference
• at Oregon 2 … def. Portland 1

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TUESDAY’S KEY GAMES (schedule & results; May 22, 2012)

upsets in italics

SEC Tournament  (Hoover, AL) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Kentucky 2 … def. (9) Mississippi 0
• 7-seed Mississippi State 9 … def. (6) Arkansas 1
• 3-seed Florida 6 … def. (10) Auburn 1
• 5-seed Vanderbilt 4 … def. (8) Georgia 1

Big South Tournament  (High Point, NC) … Tournament Central
• 5-seed Gardner-Webb 8 … def. (4) Gardner-Webb 2
• 1-seed Coastal Carolina 9 … def. (8) Charleston Southern 8
• 3-seed Liberty 9 … def. (6) UNC Asheville 2
• 7-seed High Point vs. (2) Campbell – suspended to 5/23( (HP leads 2-1, t3)

Missouri Valley Tournament  (Springfield, MO) … Tournament Central
• 4-seed Illinois State 10 … def. (5) Evansville 3
• 8-seed Creighton 5 … def. (1) Indiana State 0
• 6-seed Southern Illinois 6 … def. (3) Wichita State 3

• 7-seed Bradley 5 … def. (2) Missouri State 3

Patriot League  (title series; gm-3/final)
• at 1-seed Army 8 … def. (2) Holy Cross 4
… Final Stats: HTML & PDF  |  Army Recap  |  HC Recap  |  Photos

Great West  (no auotomatic NCAA bid; 8-team tournament)  Tournament Central
•  1-seed Utah Valley 17 … def.  (8) New York Tech 10

Non-Conference
• Oregon at Portland – rainout (no makeup; still set to play Wed., May 23 at Oregon, 6 PT)
• UCLA 6 … won at UC Irvine 1
• Stanford 10 … won at Santa Clara 5
• at Washington State 1 … def. Gonzaga 0  (10 inn.)

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