Louisville Hosts As National Seed

Cards Must Overcome McDonnell’s Suspension

Collegebaseball360.com correspondent Chris Webb is at the Louisville Regional this weekend and he’ll be providing special coverage of the event for us.  Webb’s coverage starts with a preview of the host Cardinals, who are a national seed (#7) for the first time in program history.

By Chris Webb

The #1 seeded Louisville Cardinals, who are hosting their own Midwest Regional for the second consecutive season, may have been dealt a serious blow in their quest for Omaha when head coach Dan McDonnell was suspended for three games after his ejection from Louisville’s final game in the Big East Tournament, a 5-3 loss to St. Johns.

Although the stout competition in this years regional tournament would cause great concern for many around the

nation, especially without a quality leader like McDonnell guiding the ship, the talent that comprises the Louisville roster will make the job of assistant coach Chris Lemonis a lot easier.

A trio of All-Americans will be on display this weekend for Louisville starting with third baseman Phil Wunderlich who headlines a lethal Cardinal attack.

Wunderlich, a Junior, leads Louisville with 20 home runs, while being tied for third on the team in average (.357) and RBI’s (58).

The leading hitter for the Cards is first baseman Andrew Clark who comes into Regional action with a .377 clip, along with 12 home runs, and 58 RBI.

Ryan Wright is the Cardinals’ leading run producer with 77 RBI to compliment his .366 average.

To speak to the depth of the Louisville sluggers, the team boasts seven starters with averages north of .310, which could have been even greater if the programs top offensive prospect – Josh Richmond – hadn’t been lost for 40 games due to a wrist injury.

With Richmond healthy, the team carries a .317 cumulative batting average, while collecting 156 doubles, 9 triples, and 85 home runs in 60 games, equating to a gaudy .517 slugging percentage, along with an on-base percentage of .402.

The aggressiveness as the plate continues on the base paths as 80 bags have been swiped in 103 attempts, led by Cardinal Catcher Jeff Arnold, who leads the team with 16 stolen bases.
Wunderlich has swiped 12 himself as well.

As impressive as the offensive numbers are, the pitching staff might one-up their peers.

As a team Louisville has a 3.71 ERA while collecting 454 strikeouts in 550 innings. Seven Cardinal pitchers with at least 30 innings have ERAs sub-4 with a pair of All-Americans that bookend the staff.

At 9-1, Thomas Royse is the leader of the Louisville rotation. Royse has a 2.91 ERA in 99 innings with 94 strikeouts. Opponents who bat .252 off Royse don’t fare much better against the rest of the pitching staff, as opposing offenses (.261 ave) are finding it difficult to string hits together.

The other All-American arm the Cardinals have is closer Neil Holland. With 16 saves Holland is one of the best in the country, a sentiment reflected by his 2.10 ERA, with 52 strikeouts in 51 innings of work. Holland has held the opposition to a stingy .153 batting average while collecting eight wins on the season.

Justin Amlung (5-1, 4.01), and Dean Kiekhefer (4-3, 4.31) are two starters with at least nine starts between them. If not seeing action in the rotation Bob Revesz (1-1, 1.95), Matt Koch (2-0, 3.55), Derek Self (7-0, 4.53), and Tony Zych (4-2, 5.47) will see action in relief.

With such a complete program, Louisville is the favorite in their own regional.  McDonnell’s suspension should do little to derail this team, if not bring them closer together.

Louisville has it all this year on the diamond.  Contact, power, speed and a quality pitching staff that has a lights-out Friday night starter, along with a great closer, and several other quality arms,  Vanderbilt will have a hard time eliminating Louisville, even with the loss of their head coach this weekend.

In securing a national seed, the Cardinals are looking forward to hosting a Super Regional, and will leave no rock unturned in that pursuit.

College Baseball Notebook-Week 11

Streaks, Upsets And Other Notable Action…

38…Game hitting streak by Florida International’s Garrett Wittels.  The sophomore extended the nation’s longest active streak with an RBI single in his last at-bat of the game on Sunday with two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings (an 8-7 loss to Louisiana-Monroe).  Wittels’ current streak is the longest in

Division One baseball in the last 11 years.

8…Underdogs that won weekend series vs. CB360 Top 50 teams.  The most notable wins were: #26 Auburn took two of three at #5 Arkansas and  unranked North Carolina State won two of three against #8 Georgia Tech.

7…Straight losses by defending national champion LSU (32-13, 11-10) after dropping all three games in its weekend series at Florida (31-11, 15-6).  The Tigers were swept by Ole Miss last weekend as well.

14…Years (1996) since Florida last swept a series against LSU.

.390…The Gators’ team batting average in their sweep while outscoring the Tigers by a combined 28-14.  Matt den Dekker led Florida’s nine starters who all had at least one hit in Sunday’s finale by going 5-for-5 with a home run and 4 RBIs.

4…Strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings pitched, wins this season and RBIs in Sunday’s game by freshman starting pitcher/designated hitter Brian Johnson (4-2), who hit the first grand slam of his young career.

2…Home runs hit in an 8-run fifth inning by Auburn’s Hunter Morris in Saturday’s win over Arkansas.  Morris started the inning with a homer and later launched a two-run blast to help the Tigers (30-15, 12-9) total four HR and all eight of their runs in the 8-7 victory.

38…Years since Ole Miss last swept a series vs. Mississippi State in Starkville, MS prior to taking three games from the rival Bulldogs over the weekend at Dudy Noble Field.  The three wins have the Rebels tied for first place with Arkansas in the SEC West.

20…Straight wins by Texas after Sunday’s 4-1 win over Baylor to cap a 3-game weekend sweep.  The 20 consecutive wins are the most at Texas since the 1988 team also rattled-off 20 in a row.

5…Consecutive Big 12 series sweeps by the Longhorns (38-7, 19-2) to help them set a new conference record with 17 straight wins in league play.  The previous record was set in 2008 by Texas A&M.

1…Earned run allowed by Texas starting pitchers, who combined to strike out 29 batters in 33.0 innings in the three games.

12…Scoreless innings pitched in the three games by the Longhorn bullpen, highlighted by Hoby Miner’s four perfect innings to pick-up the win in Saturday’s 2-1 win in 14 innings.

3…Games won by #1 Arizona State at #4 UCLA to give the Sun Devils their first sweep at Jackie Robinson Stadium since 1994.

23-4…Combined score by which the Sun Devils (38-5, 14-4) outscored the Bruins (30-10, 7-8) in the three games.  20 of the 23 runs allowed by the UCLA pitching staff, which came into the weekend with the second best ERA in the nation at 2.80, were earned.

7…First inning RBIs by Louisville’s Andrew Clark, who hit both a 3-run blast and a grand slam in the 10-run opening frame of Saturday’s 24-6 win over Rutgers.  Clark ended the game 4-for-4 with 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 4 runs, and a HBP.

16…Barry Larkin’s jersey number, which was retired in Ann Arbor on Saturday prior to the Wolverine’s 3-2 loss to Ohio State.  Larkin played at Michigan from 1983 to 1986.

2…Wins by the Wolverines (27-15, 9-6) over the Buckeyes (24-15, 8-7) to remain tied with Northwestern (18-25, 9-6) atop the Big Ten conference standings.  Ohio State was part of a four-way tie first place heading into the weekend.

0…Innings pitched in the series by Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers, who was a scratch after he  injured a hamstring just moments before Friday’s 4-1 OSU loss.  Wimmers (9-0, 1.61 ERA) entered the weekend tied for the national lead with his nine wins.  His ERA ranks sixth nationally.

17…Game winning streak by #6 Coastal Carolina snapped in Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to #3 Virginia.

30…Straight Big South Conference home wins by Coastal Carolina after a weekend 3-game sweep of UNC Asheville in Conway, SC.

22…Game winning streak by # 18 Connecticut snapped in Wednesday’s 7-3 loss to Central Connecticut State.  The Huskies (35-9, 14-3) split two home games vs. #34 Pittsburgh (31-11, 13-4) (game three was rained-out) to maintain a narrow lead over Louisville (36-7, 14-4) at the top of the Big East Conference standings.

24…Game hitting streak by UConn’s Mike Nemeth that ended when he went o-for-4 in a 13-4 loss to Pitt in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader.  Nemeth had extended the streak to 24 earlier in the day when he hit his 9th home run of the season in UConn’s 11-7 game one victory.

12 & 487…Games played and batters faced by Notre Dame pitchers without giving-up a home run.  The longest such

stretch for the Irish pitching staff since 2006 ended Friday when Paul Karmas of St. John’s hit a solo shot in the fifth inning of Notre Dame’s 14-5 win.

13…Strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings by North Carolina State’s Jake Buchanen in Friday’s 6-5 win over #8 Georgia Tech.  The effort helped the Wolfpack (28-18, 11-13) take two of three games from the Yellow Jackets (36-9, 17-7) to keep their NCAA hopes alive.

32…Career home runs hit by UT Arlington’s Michael Choice to set a new program record.  Choice hit his 14th HR of the season in Saturday’s win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

16…Of Choice’s home runs that have come in “clutch” situations, including seven tie-breaking shots, five game-tying home runs and two that have provided the eventual winning runs for his team.

10…Strikeouts in 8.0 innings by Florida Gulf Coast pitcher Chris Sale (7-0)  in Friday’s 4-2 win over #27 Clemson to give the Eagles (28-15) their only win in the weekend’s non-conference 3-game series.

16…Strikeouts by Nicholls State’s Clint Dempster in Friday’s 5-3 complete game win over #44 Southeastern Louisiana.

15…RBIs last week by Wichita State’s Preston Springer, who hit .565 (13-for-23) with 9 runs, five doubles and three home runs last week.  Springer helped the Shockers to midweek wins over Big 12 teams Kansas and Oklahoma State.  He hit his first career grand slam against the Cowboys on Wednesday.

3…Home runs by Illinois State third baseman Ryan Court in Saturday’s 18-8 win over Wichita State.  The win gave the Redbirds their first ever run rule victory over the Shockers.

CB360 Primetime Performers of the Week #7 – April 6

Louisville’s Clark, Stanford’s Pries Headline Weekly Primetime Honorees …

Louisville senior first baseman Andrew Clark (New Palestine, Ind.) and Stanford sophomore righthander Jordan Pries (Alameda, Calif.) headline CB360’s most recent Primetime Performers Weekly Honor, for action during the end of March/start of April. Clark has been named the national Primetime Player of the Week and Pries is the Primetime Pitcher of the Week, while 16 others join them in comprising the Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll (as selected by CollegeBaseball360.com).

PRIES went the distance on April 2 in game-2 of the series at #2 UCLA, as the Cardinal handed the Bruins their first loss of the season (8-4). The 6-0, 190-pound righthander allowed three earned runs on eight hits and four walks, with four strikeouts while facing a potent UCLA lineup that featured four players hitting above .390 for the season.

The 133-pitch complete game saw Pries sparkle through the first 7.2 innings, as he allowed only an unearned run and four hits until late in the 8th inning. Twice in the game, Pries retired seven in a row – and his first six frames featured two 1-2-3 innings and four others in which he induced a double-play ball.

Pries allowed five hits from UCLA’s top-two hitters in the lineup (Blair Dunlap and Beau Amaral), but the sophomore steered clear of any big innings by limiting the other Bruins batters to a combined 3-for-23 in the upset win.

CLARK led Louisville to a 4-0 week, helping keep the Cardinals on course for a possible top-8 seed in the NCAA Championship. The 6-3, 225-pound lefthanded hitter batted at a .556 clip during the week (10-for-18), with four home runs, 10 RBI, nine runs scored, a pair of doubles, a walk and a sacrifice fly (plus a 1.333 slugging pct.).

In a midweek game at Indiana, the 3-hole hitter continued to star in his comeback from a ribcage stress fracture. The Hoosiers opted to send their ace Friday-night starter, LHP Drew Leininger, to the mound for a potential 3-inning save and IU was one out from the upset – but Clark drove a 1-1 pitch over the rightfield fence for a 2-run homer and the winning 5-4 margin. The blast ended Leininger’s impressive shutout streak that had spanned 28.2 innings (Leininger also entered the game with a lowly 0.79 season ERA).

Two days later, Clark single-handedly turned away BIG EAST challenger Villanova by batting 5-for-5, racking up 13 total bases (2 HR, 2 2B) and factoring into seven of the Louisville runs (5 RBI, 4 R) during the 12-4 opener. The Cardinals went on to sweep the Wildcats and remain tied atop the BIG EAST standings (5-1; 24-3 overall).

In his seven games since returning from the ribcage injury, Clark is batting .444 with 13 RBI. His .408 season batting avg. includes 25 RBI, 17 runs scored and six home runs in 14 games played.

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, key defensive efforts, 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.

(from left) Andrew Ciencin (NC St.), Harrry Clark (UAB), Grant Dayton (Auburn), Clayton Farhat (Lamar), Cole Green (Texas) and Justin Jones (Cal).

The other 16 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll include: N.C. State so. 3B Andrew Ciencin (Cranford, N.J.) … Alabama-Birmingham freshman catcher Harry Clark (Memphis, Tenn.) … Auburn jr. LHP Grant Dayton (Huntsville, Ala.) … Lamar jr. LF Clayton Farhat (Plano, Texas) … Texas jr. RHP Cole Green (Coppell, Texas) … California fr. LHP Justin Jones (Oakdale, Calif.) … Arkansas so. CF Collin Kuhn (Beaver Dam, Wis.) … so. RHP Jacob Lee (Jonesboro, Ark.) … Texas Tech so. RF Scott LeJeune (Austin, Texas) …San Diego St. fr. RHP Ethan Miller (Chino Hills, Calif.) … Coastal Carolina jr. CF Rico Noel (Lawton, Okla.) … Florida so. LHP Alex Panteliodis (Tampa, Fla.) … Oregon jr. LF Marcus Piazzisi (Placentia, Calif.) … Tennessee jr. LF P.J. Polk (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) … Tulane so. catcher Jeremy Schaffer (Bellaire, Texas) … and Virginia Tech jr. RF Austin Wates (Richmond, Va.).

(from left) Collin Kuhn (Arkansas), Jacob Lee (Arkansas St.), Scott LeJuene (Texas Tech), Ethan Miller (San Diego St.), Rico Noel (Coastal Carolina) and Alex Panteliodos (Florida).

The 18 honorees include seven pitchers (three LHPs), three leftfielders, two catchers, a pair of centerfielders, two rightfielders, a first baseman and a third baseman. The selections feature one senior, seven juniors, seven sophomores and three freshmen. Four of the players are California natives are four others are Texas products, along with two from the state of Tennessee and one each from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wisconsin.

(from left) Marcus Piazzisi (Oregon), P.J. Polk (Tennessee), Jeremy Shaffer (Tulane) and Austin Wates (Virginia Tech).

PRIMETIME PERFORMERS WEEKLY HONOR ROLL (April 6, 2010)

(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
Andrew Ciencin (3B) … North Carolina State … So. …. Cranford, NJ
6-hole hitter whose 7th-inning grand slam provided winning margin in series-clinching win over #3 Virginia (7-5); hit 2-for-4 and scored game’s first run in earlier win over UVa (6-5)

*Andrew Clark (1B) … Louisville … Sr. … New Palestine, IN
3-hole hitter continued to star after returning from ribcage stress fracture; his 10-for-18/4-HR/10-RBI/9-R week included GW homer at Indiana (ending ace LHP Drew Leininger’s 28.2-inn. shutout streak) and 13 total bases in opener vs. BIG EAST challenger Villanova (5-5, 2HR-5RBI; UL swept)

Harry Clark (C) … Alabama-Birmingham  … Fr. … Memphis, TN
Rookie 8-hole batter hit 3-for-4 with 2 RBI (R, 2B) in 6-4 upset of in-state power #25 Alabama

Grant Dayton (LHP) … Auburn … Jr. … Huntsville, AL
Seven strong innings to win finale of rivalry series at #25 Alabama (1R-7H-6K)

Clayton Farhat (LF) … Lamar … Jr. … Plano, TX
2-hole hitter who led series win vs. #24 SE Louisiana; 4-for-8 with 4 RBI in the two wins (7-4/8-1; R-3B-2B-SAC)

Cole Green (RHP) … Texas … Jr. … Coppell, TX
Dominant outing to win tight game-2 (2-0) in sweep at #16 Oklahoma (which entered game with .323 team batting avg.); faced only 26 batters in 7.2-inn., 112-pitch outing (3H-2BB-6K); only runner to reach 2nd base vs. Green was after late dropped ball on forceout

Justin Jones (LHP) … California … Fr. … Oakdale, CA
Logged 8.0 shutout innings and faced only 28 batters (4H-5K) in game-2 win over #21 Arizona (8-0), as Bears posted their first Pac-10 series sweep since 2007

Collin Kuhn (CF) … Arkansas … So. … Beaver Dam, WI
Leadoff batter who came through with 2-out/2-strike grand slam to beat #49 Kentucky in 17-16 shootout that clinched SEC series (bailed out staff that coughed up 8-run lead); career-high 4 hits in that series finale (3R-2B-BB-HBP), also strong effort in game-2 win (10-1; 2-for-5, 3RBI-2R-HR-2B)

Jacob Lee (RHP) … Arkansas State … So. … Jonesboro, AR
Delivered series-clinching win (3-1) vs. #20 Western Kentucky team that was averaging nearly 10R per game (6.2 shutout IP-5H-3BB-8K)

Scott LeJeune (RF) … Texas Tech … So. … Austin, TX
Cleanup batter who led series win vs. #24 Kansas State (8-5/13-4 wins); hit 6-for-8 in the pair of wins (3RBI-3R-2 2B-BB-HBP)

Ethan Miller (RHP) … San Diego State … Fr. … Chino Hills, CA
Beat #14 TCU with 7.0 shuout innings, in his second start of season (3-1; 8H-BB-3K)

Rico Noel (CF) … Coastal Carolina … Jr. … Lawton, OK
Leadoff batter whose 11th-inning HR delivered 4-3 win at #11 Clemson (2-for-4, 2 RBI, sac. fly)

Alex Panteliodis (LHP) … Florida … So. … Tampa, FL
Won pitchers duel opposite #18 Vanderbilt’s highly-rated ace Sonny Gray, in 3-2 series opener (6.1IP-R-7H-2BB-6K)

Marcus Piazzisi (LF) … Oregon … Jr. … Placentia, CA
2-hole hitter whose 12th-inning single handed #1 Arizona St. its first loss (6-5; hit 3-for-5 with 2RBI, 2 BB); also doubled in 1-0 loss to ASU and had RBI/R as part of early 3-0 lead in finale (3-7 loss)

P.J. Polk (LF) … Tennessee … Jr. … Murfreesboro, TN
Leadoff man who homered twice in game-2 win (5-2) at #12 Mississippi; hit combined 6-for-12 pair of wins during series upset (10-6 finale; 4 RBI-4R)

*Jordan Pries (RHP) … Stanford … So. … Alameda, CA
His 133-pitch complete game handed #2 UCLA its first loss (8-4; 3 earned runs-8H-4BB-4K); allowed only one run (unearned) and four hits until late in the 8th

Jeremy Schaffer (C) … Tulane … So. .. Bellaire, TX
Smacked 1st-inning grand slam in 10-5 win at #36 Tulane (2-for-4; 5RBI-2R-SB-SAC); added 425-ft blast to dead-center in 7-5 clincher of key CUSA series (2RBI-BB)

Austin Wates (RF) … Virginia Tech … Jr. … Richmond, VA
3-hole batter who paced series win at #4 Florida State (VT had not won at FSU since ‘89; 1-25 in previous 26 games vs. ‘Noles) … led 10-5 opening win (4-5, 3RBI-R-2 2B) and scored in gm-2 (8-7; VT’s first-ever series win over FSU)

* – Adam Clark is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Pries the Primetime Pitcher of the Week … note that rankings above refer to the CB360 top-50 … class years are based on academic standing (some players may have an extra year of eligibility)

College Baseball Notebook-Week 7

A By The Numbers Look At The Latest Week’s Action

We comb through hundreds of box scores, game recaps and releases each week to find our Notebooks nuggets.  If there’s something noteworthy you think we need to add drop us an email.

7…Wins apiece for South Alabama pitcher D.D. Hanks and Asher Wojciechowski of The Citadel.  Both earned their nation-leading wins Friday night.

8:13 P.M…The time (Eastern) South Alabama’s 9-2 win over New Orleans ended Friday night, making Hanks (7-1) the nation’s first 7-game winner.  He struck out 9 in his fourth complete game effort of the season.

9:37 P.M…The time (Eastern) The Citadel’s 3-2 win over Wofford ended Friday night, to make Wojciechowski the nation’s second 7-game winner.  He fanned 9 as well in 8 innings of work.

46…Combined wins by Arizona State and UCLA to open the 2010 season.

2…Combined losses by ASU and UCLA Friday night, as they both tasted defeat for the first time to Pac 10 foes.  ASU’s 24-game winning streak and UCLA’s 22-game streak were both respective school records.  Both the Sun Devils and Bruins would win their series finales to win 2 of 3 games on the weekend.

5:24…Time of ASU’s 6-5 loss in 12-innings to Oregon Friday night in Eugene.  The game featured an hour and five minutes of rain and lightening delays.

3…Sun Devil errors in the loss, leading to five of six Duck runs being unearned.  Junior Marcus Piazzisi had the

game-ending RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning.

1…Career home run by ASU’s Drew Maggi-a solo shot that gave the Sun Devils a 1-0 win over the Ducks in the series-opener to run their record to 24-0.

7…Runs scored by Stanford in the 5th inning en-route to their 8-4 win over UCLA that same night.

6…Of those runs that were unearned due to a throwing error that started the frame.  Four runs crossed the plate with two outs.

9…Innings pitched by Stanford’s Jordan Pries (3-1) who notched the second complete game of the season for both he and his team while handing the Bruins their first loss.

3…Home runs hit by Virginia Tech in Saturday’s 8-7 win at Florida State.  Coupled with Friday’s 10-5 series-opening win over the Seminoles, the Hokies notched their first series win ever over FSU (the lost 9-6 in Sunday’s series finale).

400…Career wins for Virginia Tech head coach Pete Hughes after the weekend’s two wins over the ‘Noles.  Hughes is in his 14th year as a head coach.

2…Wins by Georgetown in its three-game series with Notre Dame to give the Hoyas their first ever series win over the Fighting Irish.

1…Grand slam hit by North Carolina State’s Andrew Ciencin to help the Wolfpack upset #3 Virginia Sunday.  The win gave NC State its second win over the Cavs in the 3-game series.

9 of 9…Virginia closer Kevin Arico’s record in save opportunities this season prior to his first blown save in Friday’s 6-5 loss in 11 innings to NC State.

500…Wins at NC State by head coach Elliott Avent after the Friday night win.  He’s just the second coach in school history with as many victories.

16…Strikeouts in 9 innings by South Florida’s Andrew Barbosa in Friday’s 5-0 win over Cincinnati.

9…Combined strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings by Cincinnati relievers Brian Garman and Andrew Burkett in Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Bulls.  Garman (3-0) fanned 7 of the 9 batters he faced to earn the win, while Burkett K’d 2 of 3 Bulls in the 9th to notch his 5th save.

3…Grand slams hit in a span of five games by East Carolina’s Zach Wright, who connected on his third slam in Tuesday’s 8-0 win over Elon.

15…Strikeouts by ECU pitcher Zach Woods-a career-high-in that same win over Elon.  He fanned 7 of the first 9 batters he faced to become just the second Pirate pitcher in the last 40 years record 15 punch outs in a game.

20 & 23…Runs scored Thursday and Friday by Cal State Fullerton in wins over UC Davis to give the Titans back-to-back 20-run games for the first time in 30 years.  They won Saturday’s finale 3-2 to open 3-0 in Big West play.

21 2/3…Innings pitched by Texas hurlers prior to surrendering a run to Oklahoma en-route to a 3-game weekend sweep.  The Longhorns won by finals of 5-0, 2-0 and 9-3 in Norman.

11…Game winning streak by #35 Pittsburgh-a school record-heading into last weekend’s Big East series at Rutgers.

5…Runs scored by Rutgers in the bottom of the 9th inning of Thursday’s 9-8 series-opening win to snap Pitt’s streak.  The Scarlet Knights won game two 6-1 to run their winning streak to eight before falling 6-5 to the Panthers in the finale.  Since a 1-8 start to the season RU has won 13 of its last 16 games.

3…Straight complete games pitched by UT Arlington right-hander Jason Mitchell (4-2) after Thursday’s 4-0 win over Nicholls State.

3…Games played away from home this season by Arizona, which opened the season with a 20-5 record at Kindall Field/Sancet Stadium.

3…Losses by Arizona at Cal in their first road trip of the year.  The Golden Bears beat the Wildcats by finals of 7-2, 8-0 & 4-3 in Berkley over the weekend in the second Pac 10 series of the season for both teams.

13…Total bases for Louisville’s Andrew Clark in Thursday’s 12-4 win over Villanova.  The senior first baseman was 5-for-5 with two home runs, two doubles and 5 RBIs in the game.

13…RBIs for Clark in his last seven games since returning from a rib cage stress fracture.  Clark’s 9th inning game-winning HR in Tuesday’s 5-4 win over Indiana is among the four home runs he’s hit in that stretch.

28 2/3…Scoreless innings streak by Indiana pitcher Drew Leininger that ended with Clark’s home run.

26…Runs scored by IU in Sunday’s 26-6 win over Michigan-the most runs ever scored by a Hoosier team in Big Ten play.  The final scored was also the most lopsided win for IU in the 186 game series vs. the Wolverines, who still won the series 2-1.

1…Hit allowed by Rice’s Taylor Wall in Thursday’s 6-0 win over cross-town rival Houston.  Wall struck out seven with one BB to earn the Rice pitching staff’s first complete game of the season.

6…Sacrifice bunts by TCU-a school record-in Thursday’s 4-1 win over visiting San Diego State.

14…Straight batters retired by Horned Frog freshman pitcher Matt Purke from the 3rd through the 7th inning of that game.  Purke struck out 10, but settled for a no-decision in the win.  (TCU won the series 2-1.)

2-1…Score of Pacific’s Big West series-opening win at Long Beach State.

1998…The last time Pacific won a road game at LBSU (the Dirt Bags still won the series 2-1).

12…Strikeouts in 8 innings by UC Irvine pitcher Daniel Bibona in a series-opening 16-2 win over Cal State Northridge en-route to a 3-game sweep to open Big West Conference play.

6…Runs scored with two outs in the 8th and 9th innings of Tennessee’s 10-6 win over Ole Miss on Sunday to win the series 2-1.

7…Straight losses to open SEC play by the Vols before winning the last two games of the series vs. the 12th ranked

Rebels.

2…Home runs by Tennessee outfielder P.J. Polk in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Mississippi.

10…Doubles hit by North Florida-a school record-in a 13-5 win over East Tennessee State.

4…Of those doubles that were hit by UNF catcher David Eldredge.

20…Game hitting streak by Central Florida’s Chris Duffy after recording at least one hit in all five UCF games last week.  Duffy is among the nation’s leaders with a .478 average, 13 HR and 48 RBIs.

12…Strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings in two appearances by Wichita State reliever Cobey Guy.  The senior logged a career-high 3 1/3 innings with 6 Ks after entering the game in the first inning of Sunday’s 17-2 win over Evansville.

1,700…Career wins by Wichita State head coach Gene Stephenson after Sunday’s victory over the Purple Aces, making him just the second coach in Division 1 baseball history to reach that milestone.

2010 Preseason All-Big East First Team

West Virginia’s Jedd Gyorko Named Preseason Player Of The Year

Here’s a look at the 2010 Preseason All-Big East First Team as named by a vote of conference coaches:

Player of the Year: Jedd Gyorko, Jr., SS, West Virginia

CLICK HERE for an exclusive podcast interview with Jedd Gyorko

Pitcher of the Year: Randy Fontanez, Jr., RHP, South Florida

C  Erick Fernandez, Jr., Georgetown - .349 BA, 5 HR, 28 RBIs

C  Jeff Arnold, Sr., Louisville - .246 BA, 3 HR,

1B Andrew Clark, Sr., Louisville - .350 BA, 9 HR, 55 RBIs

2B  Adam Duvall, Sr., Louisville - .328 BA, 11 HR, 51 RBIs

3B  Dan DiBartolomeo, Jr., WVU -.439 BA, 8 HR, 59 RBIs

SS Jedd Gyorko, Jr., WVU -.421 BA, 8 HR, 58 RBIs

OF George Springer, So., UConn -.358 BA, 16 HR, 57 RBIs

OF Stewart Ijames, So., Louisville -.349 BA, 8 HR, 39 RBIs (2008 Stats)

OF Jimmy Parque, Jr., St. John’s -..360 BA, 5 HR, 61 RBIs

OF Junior Carlin, Jr., USF - .384 BA, 0 HR, 27 RBIs

DH Matt Szczur, So., Villanova - .346 BA, 1 HR, 24 RBIs, 18 SB

P  Randy Fontanez, Jr., USF (7-3, 3.09 ERA)

P  Jarryd Summers, Jr., WVU (7-3, 3.05 ERA)

P  Cole Johnson, Jr., Notre Dame (7-3, 4.56 ERA)

P  Tony Zych, So., Louisville (6-2, 3.25 ERA)

Louisville Baseball 2010 Schedule

Cards to play 31 home games, 41 games vs. BCS Conference foes & 12 games against 2009 NCAA teams

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville baseball head coach Dan McDonnell released the Cardinals’ 2010 schedule on Thursday and it includes 31 games at Jim Patterson Stadium, 41 games against BCS Conference schools and 12 games against NCAA Regional teams from last year.

The Cards, which won swept the BIG EAST Conference and regular season titles and advanced to the NCAA Super Regional in 2009, will play seven games against Big Ten competition and six games against Southeastern Conference teams, including a three-game series at reigning SEC champion Ole Miss.

“The 2010 schedule features some great opponents in some great venues that should really challenge our squad each week,” said McDonnell, who is 135-63 in three seasons in Louisville, including three straight NCAA appearances and back-to-back BIG EAST Tournament titles in 2008 and 2009. “As in years past, we continue to put an emphasis on playing against the best competition in the nation by scheduling more than 40 games against teams from the BCS conferences, as well as numerous NCAA Regional caliber squads. And as always, we’ve made it a priority to take advantage of having one of the top home facilities in the nation by playing more than 30 games at Jim Patterson Stadium.”

Louisville will open the 2010 season at home on Feb. 19-21 with a three-game series against reigning Mid-American Conference champion Bowling Green at Jim Patterson Stadium and will follow that with a mid-week game at home against Morehead State on Feb. 23.

The Cardinals will then take to the road for the first time for their first appearance in the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge hosted by St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission on Feb. 26-28. Louisville will play Michigan on Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Dunedin Stadium, spring training home for the Toronto Blue Jays, in the only night game on the opening day of the event, which will feature 10 games each day matching up teams from the Big Ten and BIG EAST.

Following the opener, the Cardinals will face Michigan State on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 4:30 p.m. ET at Jack Russell Stadium, the longtime spring headquarters for the Philadelphia Phillies, while Louisville’s finale will be against Minnesota, a 2009 NCAA Regional squad, on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. ET at the Naimoli Complex, former spring training host for the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Cards will return home from Florida to host a five-game homestand at Jim Patterson Stadium. Louisville will host a mid-week game against Evansville (March 3), a three-game weekend series with NCAA Division I independent Le Moyne College (March 5-7) and a mid-week game against Indiana (March 9) in a rematch of the last year’s NCAA Regional first round game in Louisville. The Cardinals will play a return game against the Hoosiers on March 30 in Bloomington.

U of L will then return to the road for a three-game series in Oxford, Miss., against Ole Miss on March 12-14 in a match-up of reigning conference championship programs. It will also be a reunion for McDonnell, who served as an assistant coach at Ole Miss from 2001-06, and Cards’ senior first baseman Andrew Clark, who played one season for the Rebels before transferring to Louisville.

After hosting 2009 NCAA Regional team Xavier on March 15 for Elementary School Day at Patterson Stadium, the Cardinals will host their final non-conference weekend series on March 19-21 against Ball State.

Following a mid-week return game at Evansville on March 23, the Cards will the defense of their 2009 BIG EAST Conference title with a three-game series at home against Connecticut on March 26-28 at Jim Patterson Stadium. The series will be a rematch of last year’s BIG EAST Tournament title game, won by Louisville 11-3 in Clearwater, Fla.

Along with UConn, the Cardinals will host BIG EAST foes Villanova (April 1-3), Seton Hall (April 23-25), Rutgers (April 30-May 2) and St. John’s (May 14-16). Louisville will play four BIG EAST opponents on the road, including Pittsburgh (April 9-11), West Virginia (April 16-18), Georgetown (May 7-9) and Notre Dame (May 20-22).

The Cardinals will play the first of two games against rival Kentucky on April 6 in Lexington, while the Wildcats will visit Jim Patterson Stadium in Louisville on April 28. U of L will also play two games against 2009 NCAA Regional squad Western Kentucky on April 14 in Bowling Green and on April 21 in Louisville and a mid-week home game against in-state foe Eastern Kentucky on May 18.

On May 4-5, Louisville will travel to Columbus, Ohio for a two-game, mid-week series against 2009 NCAA Regional participant Ohio State, while on May 11, the Cards will be in Nashville, Tenn., for a mid-week game at Vanderbilt in a rematch of last year’s NCAA Regional title game, which was won by Louisville 5-3.

The 2010 BIG EAST Championship is set for May 26-30 at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla., where the Cardinals have won the last two tournament titles and have an 11-2 record overall. The 2010 NCAA Championship is set to begin on June 4 with regional play.

The 2010 Louisville squad returns seven position starters and most of its pitching staff from a team that finished the season ranked 14th in the nation after making the program’s second NCAA Super Regional appearance in McDonnell’s three years as the head coach.