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National Champ LSU And Arkansas Look For CWS Returns

2009 Eastern Division Champion:  Florida

2009 Western Division Champion:  LSU & Ole Miss Tied with 20-10 records

2009 SEC Tournament Champion:  LSU

Banner Year:  Teams outside the SEC often complain the conference gets too much respect when it comes to NCAA Tournament bids, but the SEC lived-up to its lofty status last year.  Eight SEC teams received NCAA bids in 2009, with half of them, LSU, Ole Miss, Florida, and Arkansas, advancing to at least a Super Regional.  Arkansas and LSU both made it to Omaha, while the Tigers winning the 2009 National Championship.

Big Crowds:  The SEC drew a record of nearly 1.9 million fans to its on-campus ballparks in 2009, the fourth year in a row to draw over 1.6 million. Seven SEC teams drew in excess of 100,000 fans to their parks in 2009. The SEC averaged a record 4,689 fans per game in 2009, the third straight year to exceed the 4,000 mark.

2010 SEC Western Division Preview

Alabama

2009 Record:  (37-21, 18-11)

Mascot:  Crimson Tide

Head Coach: Mitch Gaspard

Location:  Tuscaloosa, AL

Vitals:  .330 BA, 107 HR, 60 SB, .415 OBP, .971 Fld%…5.13 ERA, 4 CG, 11 SV, 487 K, 182 BB, .277 opp. BA

New Head Coach:  Mitch Gaspard took the reigns of the Alabama program after long time skipper Jim Wells

Ross Wilson (ESPN.com)

retired last summer.  Gaspard served two stints as an assistant to Wells, including the last two seasons as Alabama’s recruiting coordinator.  He was the head coach at Northwestern State from 2002-2007.  Prior to that he helped Wells take Alabama to the College World Series three times as a Crimson Tide assistant.

Solid Returns:  Preseason All-American 2B Ross Wilson (.353, 9 HR, 57 RBIs) is one of four returning players who started at least 49 games last year.  Senior Jake Smith (.359, 18 HR, 54 RBIs), Freshman All-American Taylor Dugas (.352, 13 SB) and Josh Rutledge (.305) are back as well, as is Clay Jones (.331, 7 HR, 39 RBIs), who started just 35 games last year.  The biggest loss to the line-up is OF Kent Matthes (.358, 28 HR, 81 RBIs), who tied for the NCAA home run lead.

Pitching Questions:  Alabama loses starters Austin Hyatt (8-3, 3.76 ERA) and Del Howell (5-3, 6.33 ERA).  Those two combined to make 26 starts & tossed three of the staff’s four complete games.  With nine starts last year soph. LHP Adam Morgan (4-2, 4.17 ERA) is the team’s most experience returning starter.  Redshirt soph. reliever Tyler White (1-0, 2.28 ERA, 2 SV) and Jr. Nathan Kilcrease (4-4, 4.11 ERA, 2 SV) are among the top returning relievers.

Arkansas

2009 Record:  (41-24, 14-15)

Mascot:  Razorbacks

Head Coach:  Dave Van Horn

Location:  Fayetteville, AR

Vitals:  .273 BA, 80 HR, 67 SB, .368 OBP, .968 Fld%…4.67 ERA, 1 CG, 16 SV, 511 K, 245 BB, .267 opp. BA

Andy Wilkins

All-American Trio:  Juniors Brett Eibner (.231, 12 HR, 54 RBIs) & Andy Wilkins (.319, 19 HR, 58 RBIs) and sophomore Zach Cox (.266, 13 HR, 39 RBIs) have all received preseason All-American recognition.  Arkansas, LSU and Texas are the only three schools in the country to have three players receive All-American recognition.  Cox was a Freshman All-American last year as well.

Two-Way Duo:  Eibner and Cox are pitchers as well.  Eibner (5-5, 5.00 ERA) tied a team-high with 17 starts last year with the staff’s only complete game.  Cox (5-1, 4.82 ERA, SV) mad all 14 of his appearances out of the bullpen.

Plenty More Pitching:  Senior Mike Bolsinger (6-4, 2.99 ERA, 2SV) is among the top returning pitchers to the Razorback staff.  He picked-up the only save at last year’s College World Series.  Drew Smyly (3-1, 4.66 ERA, 14 starts).  Dallas Keuchel (9-3, 3.92 ERA) and Stephen Richards (6-2, 2.19 ERA, 9 SV) are the biggest staff losses

Auburn

2009 Record:  (31-25, 11-19)

Mascot:  Tigers

Head Coach:  John Pawlowski

Location:  Auburn, AL

Vitals:  .286 BA, 103 HR, 40 SB, .381 OBP, .969 Fld%…6.12 ERA, 0 CG, 12 SV, 411 K, 228 BB, .321 opp. BA

Notable Drought:  Since going to the NCAA Tournament five times from 2000-2005 Auburn has missed the tourney the last four years.

Mound Presence:  Junior LHP Grant Dayton (2-6, 5.92 ERA) and soph. Jon Luke Jacobs (3-4, 5.74 ERA) are back to lead the weekend rotation.  They are expected to be joined by 6’7 lefty Cole Nelson, a junior college transfer who was drafted in the 48th round by Tampa Bay last year.  Austin Hubbard (3-3, 4.20 ERA, 12 SV) and Bradley Hendrix (7-3, 5.09 ERA) are back to lead the bullpen.  Hendrix’s 7 wins led the staff as did his 24 relief appearances.  Another juco transfer, Stephen Kohlscheen, helped lead Cowley College to last year’s Junior College World Series.

A Lot In The Line-Up:  Auburn returns seven of its top nine hitters from 2009.  Justin Hargett led the Tigers in average (.330) and on-base percentage (.426).  He’s joined by Brian Fletcher (.301, 17 HR, 54 RBIs), Casey McElroy (.286, 7 HR), Hunter Morris (.282, 12 HR), and Tony Caldwell (.281, 9 HR).

No Mummey…For Now:  Auburn recently announced that centerfielder Trent Mummey (.289, 15 HR) will miss at least a month with a severely sprained right ankle.  Mummey had 17 of Auburn’s 40 stolen bases last year.  He was also named to the SEC All-Defensive Team.   Junior college transfer Justin Fradejas will fill-in until he returns.

Desert Challenge:  The Tigers go to Tempe, AZ for a 3-game series with Arizona State March 12-14.

LSU

2009 Record:  (56-17, 20-10)

Mascot:  Tigers

Head Coach:  Paul Mainieri

Location:  Baton Rouge, LA

Vitals:  .315 BA, 107 HR, 114 SB, .405 OBP, .974 Fld%…4.02 ERA, 679 K, 186 BB, .257 opp. BA

Anthony Ranaudo (ESPN.com photo)

LSU Line-Up Losses:  The Tigers lose four of their top five batters from last year’s National Championship team.  D.J. LeMahieu (.350, 12 SB), Ryan Schimpf (.336, 22 HR, 70 RBIs, 18 SB), Sean Ochinko (.333, 9 HR), and Jared Mitchell (.327, 11 HR, 36 SB) are all gone.

Top Bats Back:  LSU still returns the like of Sr. Blake Dean (.328, 17 HR, 71 RBIs), Tyler Hanover (.321), SEC Tournament MVP Mikie Mahtook (.316, 7 HR), Leon Landry (.300, 12 HR), and slick fielding Austin Nola, who didn’t join the starting line-up until LSU’s 40th game of the season last year.  He did not commit an error at shortstop in 24 chances at the College World Series.

On The Hill:  While they lose top overall pitcher Louis Coleman (14-2, 2.93 ERA, 142 K), the Tigers return several top notch pitchers to carry the load.  The group is led by junior Anthony Ranaudo (12-3, 3.04, 159 K).  He’s joined by Austin Ross (6-8, 5.18 ERA), soph.closer Matty Ott (4-2, 2.68 ERA, 16 SV), Daniel Bradshaw (4-0, 3.04 ERA), Paul Bertuccini (2-0, 3.86 ERA, 3 SV), and Chris Matulis (6-2, 4.82 ERA).

On The Bayou:  LSU plays its first 21 games of the season in Louisiana.  The only road game is at Northwestern State in Natchitoches.

Mississippi

2009 Record:  (44-20-, 20-10)

Mascot:  Rebels

Head Coach:  Mike Bianco

Location:  Oxford, MS

Vitals:  .310 BA, 56 HR, 92 SB, .398 OBP, .970 Fld%…4.06 ERA, 4 CG, 17 SV, 623 K, 189 BB, .271 opp. BA

Dealing With Draft Losses:  After setting a school record with 20 wins in SEC play Ole Miss had 11 players drafted last year, including five underclassmen who signed pro contracts.  Jordan Henry (.343, 38 SB), Logan Power (.311, 7 HR, 20 doubles) and Kyle Henson (.338, 8 HR) are the top losses in the line-up.   Scott Bittle (5-2, 2.17 ERA), Phillip Irwin (8-3, 3.84 ERA), Brett Bukvich (9-3, 4.42 ERA), and Nathan Baker (4-3, 3.63 ERA) are all gone from the pitching staff.

Matt Smith (secsports.com)

Bats That Are Back:  The good news for the Rebles is three players shared the team lead with 8 home runs, and two of those players, Matt Smith (.336, 8 HR, 59 RBIs) and Matt Snyder (.298, 8 HR, 31 RBIs) are back this year.  Smith was the team RBI leader.  Snyder and his twin brother, Mike, are expected to share the corner infield spots.  Tim Ferguson (.358, 18 SB) and Zac Miller (.341) are among other top returnees to the line-up.

Mound Returnees:  Junior LHP Drew Pomeranz (8-4, 3.40 ERA) will lead the weekend rotation.  Closer Jake Morgan (4-1, 3.46 ERA, 9 saves) suffered an injury in the off-season, so David Goforth (1-1, 2.80 ERA, 3 SV) is expected to move into that role.   Senior Rory McKean (5-1, 4.53 ERA) is among a handful of other experience relievers who return.

Welcome Back?:  The Rebels will host a 3-game series with reigning Big East Champion Louisville March 12-14.  The Cardinals are coached by former Ole Miss assistant Dan McDonnell and have been to Super Regionals in two of the last three seasons.

Mississippi State

2009 Record:  (25-29, 9-20)

Mascot:  Bulldogs

Head Coach:  John Cohen

Location:  Starkville, MS

Vitals:  .298 BA, 61 HR, 72 SB, .398 OBP, .968 Fld%…6.57 ERA, 5 CG, 12 SV, 365 K, 246 BB, .304 opp. BA

Dogs Absent:  Since making NCAA Tournament appearances from 2003-2007, including the ’07 CWS, Mississippi State has missed the last two NCAA Tourneys.  In fact, the Bulldogs have not been to the SEC tournament for the last two years either.

Big Dogs Back:  1B Connor Powers (.301, 19 HR, 63 RBIs) and DH Ryan Duffy (.339, 10 HR, 33 RBIs) were MSU’s top home runs hitters last year, and they’re both back to lead the offense.  Jet Butler (.335) and Russ Sneed (.333, 9 HR, 43 RBIs) return as well.  Leading hitter Scott DeLoach (.353) and Grant Hogue (.315, 29 SB) are the biggest offensive losses.

Hard Working Dogs:   Nick Routt (5-3, 4.15 ERA, 4 CG) and Tyler Whitney (3-4, 5.18 ERA, CG), who accounted for 24 of the staff’s 54 starts and all five complete games last year, are both back.   The Bulldogs lose saves leader Chad Crosswhite (6 SV, 7.38 ERA).  Routt is expected to lead the rotation, while Whitney could move to the closer role.  Lefty junior college transfer Trey Johnson and freshman Chris Stratton could factor in the weekend rotation.  Johnson hit 19 HR as a two-way player last year at Blinn (TX) CC.

Special Delivery:  For the second straight year Mississippi State players hand delivered tickets in neighborhoods throughout Starkville to local fans who ordered 2010 season tickets.  Head coach John Cohen started the program when he was the head coach at Kentucky.

2010 SEC Western Division Predictions

Top Western Division Player:  Andy Wilkins – Arkansas

Top Western Division Pitcher:  Anthony Ranaudo – LSU

Western Division Champion:  LSU

CLICK HERE to see the Eastern Division Preview & Predictions

2010 SEC Baseball Overall Predictions

SEC Player of the Year:  Preston Tucker – Florida

SEC Pitcher of the Year:  Anthony Ranaudo – LSU

Overall SEC Champion:  South Carolina

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Can Oral Roberts Repeat…AGAIN?

ORU head coach Rob Walton

The Skinny: To say that Oral Roberts has dominated the Summit League would be an insult to the word understatement.  The Golden Eagles not only run roughshod through the postseason by winning 12 straight Summit (formerly the Mid-Continent) League titles, but they have also gone 246-27 (.901) in Summit League regular-season games since joining the conference in 1998.  ORU is 36-1 in those conference tournament games.  They’ve won 27 straight such games, with the lone loss coming to Southern Utah in 2000.

All that success begs the obvious question:  Can anyone even challenge Oral Roberts in 2010?

Centenary

2009 Season: (33-19, 16-10)

Mascot:  Gents

Head Coach: Ed McCann

Location:  Shreveport, LA

Vitals: .312 BA, 36 HR, .398 OBP, .959 Fld%…4.87 ERA, 10 SVs, 387 K, 167 BB, .296 Opp. BA

Giant Killer: The Gents posted wins over top-ranked Texas A&M and 18^th ranked Arkansas in 2009.

No Cupcakes: Centenary opens the 2010 schedule in Baton Rouge against defending national champion LSU.  They also play a two-game set at another ’09 CWS team, Arkansas, in March.

Big Losses: Centenary has to deal with the loss of All-Summit League performers Chris LaLonde (4-0, 6.35 ERA) and Ricky Imperiali (.325, 19 doubles).  Travis Leverson led the team with a .386 BA & led the Summit with 18 stolen bases.

Who’s Back:  Michael Tompkins (.348, 8 HR, 45 RBIs) & Tell Ross (.350, 7 HR, 49 RBIs) will pace the offense.

Ace Rising:  Justin Kraft (6-4, 4.08 ERA, 4 CG, 77 K in 81.2 IP should be one of the top pitchers in the conference.

Northern Exposure:  Reigning America East champion Binghamton leaves New York for a 4-game series in Shreveport March 27-29.

IPFW

2009 Season: (13-38, 6-21)

Mascot:  Mastadons

Head Coach: Bobby Pierce

Location:  Ft. Wayne, IN

Vitals: .261 BA, 28 HR, .360 OBP, .952 Fld%…8.10 ERA, 264 K, 268 BB, .328 opp. BA

Boiler Up: IPFW notched two of their 13 wins on the season against Big 10 foe Purdue, sweeping the season series.

Mr. Everything: The Mastodons must replace INF Chris Gottschall, who led the team in every offensive category, except triples and stolen bases.

North Dakota State

2009 Season: (16-28, 10-14)

Mascot:  Bison

Head Coach: Tod Brown

Location:  Fargo, ND

Vitals:  .296 BA, 16 HR, .373 OBP, .952 Fld%…6.71 ERA, 285 K, 184 BB, .315 opp. BA

Youth Movement: NDSU returns two second team All-Summit League selections in So. P John Straka and So. C Justin Kilne.  Straka led North Dakota State with a 4-3 record with a 3.49 ERA and 54 strikeouts.  Kline set a Bison freshman record and led the Summit League with a team-leading .432 batting average.

Road Warriors: NDSU plays its first 26 games on the road this season before finally opening the home schedule April 13^th against Dakota Wesleyan.

Oakland

2009 Season: (22-34, 10-18)

Mascot:  Golden Grizzlies

Head Coach: John Musachio

Location:  Rochester, MI

Vitals:  .299 BA, 49 HR, .380 OBP, .960 Fld%…8.00 ERA, 5 CG, 8 SV, 274 K, 273 BB, .336 opp. BA

Record Setter: The Golden Grizzlies must replace infielder Andrew Stafford who broke single-season school records by smacking 82 hits and posting a .381 batting average.

Strong Arms: Oakland returns all 10 pitchers who earned a win last season.

Tough Test: Oakland opens its season with a three-game series against Mississippi in Oxford.

Oral Roberts

2009 Season: (33-15, 16-2)

Mascot:  Golden Eagles

Head Coach: Rob Walton

Location:  Tulsa, OK

Vitals:  .303 BA, 80 HR, .403 OBP, .962 Fld%…3.76 ERA, 9 CG, 4 SV, 498 K, 193 BB, .242 opp. BA

Seth Furmanek

Key Departures: ORU faces the task of replacing Summit League Player of the Year Mark Serrano (9-1, 2.50 ERA), and San Diego Padres first round draft pick Jerry Sullivan (8-3, 3.12 ERA).

Key Returners: Senior C Seth Furmanek (.333, 17 HR) and senior INF Colby Price (.342, 10 doubles), lead a potent Golden Eagles offense.

Road Tests: Oral Roberts has trips this season to Baylor, UCLA, and Texas.

Home Cookin’: Since 1998 ORU’s J.L. Johnson Stadium has hosted either the Mid-Continent or Summit League postseason tournament 10 of 12 times.

South Dakota State

Jesse Sawyer

2009 Season: (26-30, 17-10)

Mascot:  Jackrabbits

Head Coach: Ritchie Price

Location:  Brookings, SD

Vitals:  .315 BA, 65 HR, .392 OBP, .963 Fld%…6.80 ERA, 4 CG, 6 SV, 322 K, 222 BB, .317 opp. BA

Country’s Best Eh: Junior third baseman Jesse Sawyer was named the top Canadian college baseball player according to CanadianBaseballNetwork.com after setting SDSU single season records for homeruns (19) and total bases (148).  Sawyer also led the team with 61 runs scored and 58 RBI.

Hot Streak: After starting the season 5-22, the Jackrabbits won 19 of their last 25 games while all nine regular starters finished the season hitting above .300

Southern Utah

2009 Season: (27-24, 15-7)

Mascot:  Thunderbirds

Head Coach: David Eldredge

Location:  Cedar City, UT

Vitals:  .318 BA, 52 HR, .396 OBP, .957 Fld%…5.85 ERA, 6 CG, 11 SV, 258 K, 237 BB, .313 opp. BA

Man on a Mission: Southern Utah third baseman Bo Cuthbertson earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors and was named to the PING!Baseball All-Freshman third-team after leading the team with a .393 average.  Cuthbertson, though, is taking the next two years off while serving on an LDS mission in Uruguay.

Thunderbird Hoosiers: SU returns just 15 players from last year’s roster.

Career Leader: Newly named assistant coach Keli’i Zablan finished his Thunderbird playing days first in career at-bats and total bases.

Western Illinois

2009 Season: (13-33, 8-16)

Mascot:  Leathernecks

Head Coach: Mike Villano

Location:  Macomb, IL

Vitals:  .297 BA, 37 HR, .956 Fld%…10.27 ERA, 235 K, 218 BB

Stan Hyman

Tragic Loss: Mike Villano was named Western Illinois head coach November 23^rd after Stan Hyman passed away at age 50 after battling leukemia.

Big Wins: The Leathernecks first victory last year was a 24-0 win over Medaille, with their second coming four days later over 12^th ranked Oklahoma State.

Major Opportunities: WIU faces some heavy hitters on this season’s schedule.  Included are trips to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Predictions:

2010 Champion: Oral Roberts, while Centenary looks to be the closest challenger

2010 Player of the Year: North Dakota State’s Justin Kline

2010 Pitcher of the Year: North Dakota State’s John Straka

Baseball Players Won Major Awards & A National Title On The Gridirion In 2009

Toby Gerhart

loss to Florida.  Collaros hit .204 in 49 at-bats for the UC baseball team in 2009.

Toby Gerhart-Running Back-Stanford

Gerhart had a monster year on the gridiron in 2009.  He won the Doak Walker Award and finished 28 points behind Alabama’s Mark Ingram in the closest Heisman Trophy race ever.  Gerhart led the NCAA with 1,871 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns during his senior season.  The 6’1-235 lb. back rushed for 3,522 yards and a Pac-10 record 43 TDs in his career.  Gerhart totaled 135 yards and 2 touchdowns in Stanford’s 31-27 Sun Bowl loss to Oklahoma.

He played for three seasons on the Stanford baseball team, and he started each of the Cardinal’s 2008 College World Series games.

Gerhart could exercise a fifth year of football eligibility (he missed most of 2007 with a knee injury) and he still has a final season of baseball eligibility remaining.  However,  he  is expected to forego those options to prepare for February’s NFL combine and, ultimately, April’s NFL draft.

Chad Jones (LSU photo)

Chad Jones-Safety-LSU

After helping the LSU baseball team win the 2009 College World Series, Jones started all 13 games at safety for the Tiger football team.  Jones’ 74 tackles were the fifth-most by an LSU player this season.  He also returned punts in five differeent games in 2009, including an 87-yarder for a touchdown in a win over Mississippi State.  He had 6 tackles in LSU’s Capitol One Bowl loss to Penn State.

Jones, an outfielder converted to pitcher in ’09,  had a 2.70 ERA in 9 relief appearances last season.

Kyle Parker-Quarterback-Clemson

Parker passed for 2,526 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his first season as Clemson’s starting quarterback this season.  He threw for 141 yards and a TD in the Tiger’s 21-13 win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl.

Parker is entering his third season with the Clemson baseball team in 2010 (he graduated high school a semester early to enroll at Clemson in January 2008).  He batted .255 with 12 HR and 52 RBIs last season.

Dave Shinskie-Quarterback-Boston College

Shinskie is not a college baseball player, but he is an interesting two sport athlete.  Shinskie is a 25-year-old freshman who is starting at quarterback for the BC football team.  He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2003 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins, and he finished his minor league baseball career in 2009 in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

Shinskie passed or 2,049 yards with 15 touchdowns and 14 int. in 2009.  He threw for 218 yards with a TD and an int. in BC’s 24-13 Emerald Bowl loss to USC.  He is not eligible to play for the Boston College baseball team.

Matt Szczur-Wide Receiver-Villanova

Szczur helped lead Villanova to the 2009 FCS National Championship.  He

Matt Szczur (4) and Chris Whitney hoist Villanova's championship trophy.

totaled 227 yards from scrimmage in VU’s 23-21 win over Montana in the title game in December.  Szczur ran for 159 yards and had 4 catches for 68 more yards.  He was named both the CAA’s Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year this season.  He ran for 810 yards and 10 touchdowns, passed for 22 yards and 2 TDs, averaged 27.2 yards on 30 kickoff returns, and had 51 catches for 610 yards and 4 more TDs in 2009.

Szczur led the Wildcat baseball team with a .346 average last spring after missing his freshman baseball season due to injury.

Golden Tate-Wide Receiver-Notre Dame

Tate was the 2009 Biletnikoff Award winner after finishing fourth in the nation with 1,496 receiving yards and 15 TD grabs.  He also ran for two touchdowns and returned a punt for another score.  In December he declared himself for April’s NFL Draft.  The Irish finished the season with a 6-6 record this season, but opted not to play in a bowl game.

Tate had a .318 career batting average in 63 starts in his two-year baseball career with the Irish.  He still has two years of baseball eligibility remaining, but he does not plan to play for the Notre Dame baseball team in 2010.

2009 National Champions Back On The Field

Seven position players that started games last year are back for the 2010 season, including all-American senior DH/outfielder Blake Dean, junior catcher Micah Gibbs, junior outfielder Leon Landry, sophomore infielder Tyler Hanover, sophomore outfielder Mikie Mahtook, sophomore shortstop Austin Nola, and sophomore infielder Grant Dozar.

LSU returns 10 pitchers that recorded innings last season, including junior right-hander Anthony Ranaudo, a 2009 third-team All-American who was No. 3 in the nation in strikeouts with 159.

Also returning to the pitching staff is ace reliever Matty Ott,  a sophomore right-hander who established the LSU single-season saves record last year with 16 and was voted the SEC Co-Freshman of the Year.

The veterans are complemented by a talented class of 13 newcomers, including five players that have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. LSU’s incoming class was ranked No. 3 in the nation in the Collegiate Baseball magazine annual recruiting survey.

“I believe very strongly that we are going to be successful with this group of players,” Mainieri said. “There’s no doubt we can win with the kids that are here.”

LSU opens the 2010 season on February 19 versus Centenary in Alex Box Stadium.

(Courtesy LSUsports.net press release)