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