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Bubble Teams Not Fans Of Lobos, Tigers…

Heading into this week’s Mountain West Conference Baseball Tournament there was no reason to be thinking highly of No. 6 seed New Mexico. Someone forgot to tell head coach Ray Birmingham.

Ray Birmingham

The Lobos had lost seven straight games heading into the MWC Tourney, but the first four of those losses came at Oklahoma and the last three setbacks were to conference rival TCU. Both of those teams have already eclipsed 40 wins this season as they shoot to get back to Omaha after trips there last year.

Birmingham’s Lobos have been seemingly unfazed by their late season misfortunes since arriving in San Diego, and now find themselves one win away from a return trip to the NCAA tournament. New Mexico (19-39) has beaten #3 seed BYU, #1 seed TCU and #2 seed Utah in succession to advance to Friday’s MWC Championship game against either TCU or Utah.

“This team has been through a lot,” Birmingham said after Thursday’s win over the Utes. ” There is a method to my madness and we’re getting there.”

That “madness” has included a brutal schedule this season after Birmingham guided New Mexico to its first NCAA bid in nearly five decades in 2010. The Lobos started the season by dropping three games at Arizona State (a fourth game was rained-out). Their non-conference slate also included games against Oklahoma State, Arizona, Texas Tech, Gonzaga and Oklahoma, finishing just 1-17 against those teams which are all in the NCAA conversation this weekend.

The Lobos also faced TCU, which was a preseason #1 team in some polls, six times (going 1-5) in conference play during the regular season.

“A lot of blogs said we had the hardest schedule in the nation and I believe we did,” Birmingham said after his team’s tournament win over TCU. “We’re not afraid to face the best now. We know how to face the best.”

New Mexico, a team with an RPI of 158 entering the week, is just the second No. 6 seed to advance to the championship game of the MWC Tournament. The only other team to do it was Utah in 2009. The Utes claimed the title that year.

TCU and Utah play at 6 p.m. ET Friday. New Mexico faces the winner at 10 p.m. A Lobo win would give them the tournament title and automatic NCAA bid. If the TCU/Utah winner beats UNM they would play an “if necessary” winner take all game on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. All games are televised by the Mtn. Network and CBS College Sports (channels 616 and 613, respectively on DirecTV).

Missouri players celebrate after Thursday's win (courtesy Big 12).

Missouri is another team that is causing migraines for NCAA bubble teams this week. The Tigers brought just a 24-30 record into this week’s Big 12 Tournament, but they won four of their last five conference series to close the regular season. Those wins all came against teams with higher seeds in this week’s tournament: Texas A&M (2), Baylor (5), Kansas State (6), and Texas Tech (7).

Two teams Missouri did not beat during the regular season were No. 1 seed Texas and No. 4 seed Oklahoma State. The Tigers dropped all six match-ups to the Longhorns and Cowboys in back-to-back weekends at the start of April, but their fortunes changed in rematches this week in Oklahoma City.

Missouri knocked-off top-seeded Texas 6-4 on Wednesday and then held-off OSU 6-5 on Thursday to advance to the tournament semifinals. Missouri led Oklahoma State 5-0, only to see the Cowboys score five runs over the last two innings to tie the game before Eric Garcia‘s walk-off hit with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning.

“I’m really proud of these guys, not just this weekend, but the last five or six weeks,” Mizzou head coach Tim Jamieson said after his team’s fifth walk-off win of the season. “These guys read the blogs and read the websites much more than I do. They know we have to finish above .500 or win the tournament. We can’t finish above .500, so it’s pretty simple math.”

The Tigers now have Friday off and wait until Saturday morning at 10 ET to face the winner of Friday’s Texas-Oklahoma State elimination game. The eight-team Big 12 Tourney is formatted similarly to the College World Series, so if Mizzou wins Saturday it moves on to Sunday’s championship game (Texas A&M is 2-0 in the other four-team pool). If the Texas/OSU winner beats Missouri Saturday morning there will be a rematch that afternoon.

The Big 12 Championship game is Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET on Fox Sports Regional Networks.

Elsewhere…

Auburn and Georgia were both teams with work to do to heading into the SEC Tournament, but the bubble has already burst for one of those teams. Georgia (29-29) eliminated Auburn (29-29) in more ways than one with Thursday’s 3-2 victory.

Since a team must finish above .500 to receive an NCAA at-large bid, Auburn’s season is now done. With that in mind, Georgia must not only beat South Carolina on Friday, but they would also have to beat Florida Saturday afternoon to meet the above .500 requirement. South Carolina fell 7-2 to Vanderbilt Thursday night, while Florida is 2-0 with wins over Mississippi State and Alabama.

The fact that Georgia and Auburn could both finish below .500 after qualifying for the SEC field could indirectly help the at-large cases of two teams that didn’t make it to Hoover. Three-time defending SEC champion LSU (36-20 overall) is home this week with an RPI of 23, while Ole Miss (30-25) awaits selection Monday with an RPI of 40.
The only realistic shot the Big East had to get two teams in the NCAA Tournament was for someone other than Connecticut to win its conference tourney. That’s closer to happening after defending champion St. John’s (34-18 and this year’s #2 seed) downed Pittsburgh 6-4 Thursday to improve to 2-0, while UConn (40-16-1) was upset 4-3 by #4 seed Seton Hall (31-23) to fall into the elimination bracket.

The Huskies (38 RPI) are still in good shape for an at-large bid, but anything other than a conference tournament title would all but kill any chances of hosting a regional for a second straight year.
Houston pulled-off its second straight upset at the Conference USA Tournament Thursday. The No. 6 seed Cougars downed No. 2 Southern Mississippi 7-6 a day after downing No. 3 East Carolina 8-5. As we reported earlier this week, Southern Miss. is without two of its top three starting pitchers, Geoffrey Thomas and Jonathon Thompson, who are suspended for academic reasons. Houston (27-30) now faces No. 7 Tulane (30-26).
It didn’t quite match Wednesday’s 20-inning marathon between Western Carolina and Elon in the SoCon Tournament, but Georgia Tech outlasted North Carolina State 6-5 in 15 innings Thursday at the ACC Tourney. Yellow Jacket Matt Hyde stole home in the top of the 15th to give his team the win in the longest game in ACC Tournament history. Georgia Tech, NC State, Clemson and Florida State all are 1-1 in Pool B.

No. 8 seed Arkansas-Little Rock has clinched spot in Sunday’s Sun Belt Championship game. UALR (22-32) has wins over No. 1 Troy and No. 4 Western Kentucky.

 

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Duke’s Currier, Oregon State’s Peavey Take Top Primetime Honors …

CLICK HERE for archive of previous CB360 Primetime award winners (scroll down for earlier weeks)

Duke sr. DH Will Currier

Currier has been named the national Primetime Player of the Week and Peavey is the Primetime Pitcher of the Week, while 17 others join them in comprising the Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll (as selected by CollegeBaseball360.com).

Currier homered in all three games and totaled 8 RBI in Duke’s 2-1 series vs. #11 Clemson, while Peavey was masterful in his 2-hit victory over a potent #2 UCLA team.

Oregon State jr. RHP Greg Peavey

PEAVEY outdueled UCLA ace Gerrit Cole in the 7-1 series opener, allowing only two hits (3BB-6K) from a Bruins offense that entered the game with a gaudy .347 team batting average. The 6-1, 200-pound righthanded lowered his season ERA to 1.91 while opposing batters now are hitting at a lowly .167 clip vs. Peavey this season.

Oregon State jr. RHP Greg Peavey's 2-hitter knocked off a #2 UCLA squad that owned a .347 team batting average (photo courtesy of OSU).

UCLA’s only hits against Peavey came on cleanup batter Justin Uribe’s single through the left side in the 4th inning on a hit-and-run and #6 hitter Cody Regis’ soft  liner that knucked in for a 7th-inning single. Peavey allowed only three batters to reach scoring position (none after the 4th) and the only run he allowed came on a sacrifice fly. The Hudson Bay High School product retired 10 of the first 11 batters and allowed only one baserunner in his final 5.1 innings.

CURRIER led the way for a Duke program that now has taken an ACC series from two national powers (UNC and Clemson). The 6-4, 215-pound homered from the 3-hole in all four games during the past week, including a 9-5 win over William & Mary and every game in the series at Durham Bulls Park vs. #11 Clemson (10-9/5-11/7-2). His 8-RBI series vs. the Tigers included a grand slam and a pair of 2-run blasts.

Currier is riding an extended home run streak (6 HRs in past 9 games) and is slugging at a .691 clip for the season, with 22 RBI.

Duke senior DH Will Currier (#45) had a home run celebration in all four games last week, including the series win vs. #11 Clemson (photo courtesy of Duke).

Currier’s 2-out home run was part of Duke’s early explosion (9R in first 3 inn.) vs. William & Mary. The righthanded power hitter added a 2-run blast early in the opener vs. Clemson junior LHP Casey Harman, capping a 4-run bottom of the 3rd as the Blue Devils claimed a 4-3 lead (en route  to the 10-9 win). Currier later singled and scored in the 8th, sparking a 5-run outburst that thrust Duke into a 10-8 lead.

One day later, Currier delivered a clutch 2-out blast in the bottom of the 6th, pulling a pitch from RHP Scott Weismann and sending it down the leftfield line for a grand slam and 4-3 lead (Clemson rallied to win in 11 innings). Currier’s 1st-inning blast in the series finale (vs. LHP Will Lamb) staked Duke to a 2-0 lead, and the Devils went on to claim the series with a 7-2 victory.

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) Matt Argyopoulos (Washington St.), Ryan Behmanesk (Dallas Baptist), Jay Brown (South Carolina), Nate Brown (Ark.-Little Rock), Cory Brownsten (Pitt) and Jeremy Erben (Oklahoma).

The other 17 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll include: Washington State jr. 3B Matt Argyropoulos (Longview, Wash.) … Dallas Baptist so. 1B Ryan Behmanesh (Mansfield, Texas) …South Carolina sr. RHP Jay Brown (Brunswick, Ga.), Arkansas-Little Rock sr. CF Nate Brown (Bemidji, Minn.) …Pittsburgh sr. catcher Cory Brownsten (Lockport, N.Y.) … Oklahoma sr. RHP Jeremy Erben (New Braunfels, Texas) … Georgia Tech fr. RHP Buck Farmer (Conyers, Ga.) … Auburn jr. RF/CF Justin Fradejas (Pensacola, Fla.) … Kentucky 5th-yr.-sr. 1B Gunner Glad (Tulsa, Okla.) … Oregon fr. 1B Jack Marder (Calabasas, Calif.) … Virginia jr. CF Jarrett Parker (Stafford, Va.) … Cal State Fullerton so. RHP/RF Tyler Pill (Covina, Calif.) … Mississippi jr. LHP Drew Pomeranz (Collierville, Tenn.) … Virginia Tech sr. SS Tim Smalling (Raleigh, N.C.) … Indiana State sr. CF Ryan Strausborger (Osceola, Ind.) … Furman jr. 1B Aaron Thompkins (Canton, Ohio) … and Baylor so. RHP Logan Verrett (Corpus Christi, Texas).

(from left) Buck Farmer (Ga. Tech), Justin Fradejas (Auburn), Gunner Glad (Kentucky), Jarrett Parker (Virginia) and Tyler Pill (CS Fullerton).

The 19 honorees include seven pitchers (one of them a LHP and one a two-way player), four first basemen, three centerfielders, one rightfielders (two-way player), plus a catcher, shortstop, third baseman, outfielder (RF/CF) and DH.

The selections feature seven seniors, six juniors, three sophomores, two freshmen and a first-year senior. The honorees hail from 13 different home states, led by four from Texas and two each from the home states of California, Georgia and Washington – plus one each from Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia.

(from left) Drew Pomeranz (Mississippi), Tim Smalling (Va. Tech), Ryan Strausborger (Indiana State), Aaron Tompkins (Furman) and Logan Verrett (Baylor).

PRIMETIME PERFORMERS WEEKLY HONOR ROLL#8 (April 13, 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
Matt Argyropoulos (3B) … Washington State … Jr. … Longview, WA
Doubled and scored 9th-inn. winning run in opener vs. #1 Arizona St.; hit 3-for-6 and factored into 4 runs (3RBI-2R-HR-2B-SAC-SF) during pair of wins in ASU series (6-5/7-11/9-5).

Ryan Behmanesh (1B) … Dallas Baptist … So. … Mansfield, TX
Hit 1st-inning grand slam, added leadoff 2B and run scored in 7-6 win at #30 Rice.

Jay Brown (RHP) … South Carolina … Sr. … Brunswick, GA
Logged 6.1 innings (2H-2K) in combined 2-hitter at #18 Vanderbilt (2-0), handing Commodores third loss of season and first shutout at home in SEC game since ’05; did not allow a batter past 2nd base; combined with two relievers to face min. 27 batters.

Nate Brown (CF) … Arkansas-Little Rock … Sr. … Bemidji, MN
Hit 2-run HR in 7th during 9-6 comeback win at #16 Mississippi (3-for-4, 3 RBI-2R-BB); Rebels had been 21-0 when leading after 6.

Cory Brownsten (C) … Pittsburgh … Sr. … Lockport, NY
Hit 7-for-12 and factored into 11 runs (7RBI-4R-3B-2B-BB), as Panthers took 2-of-3 from #5 Louisville (8-3/15-5/7-9).

*Will Currier (DH) … Duke … Sr. … Dripping Springs, TX
3-hole hitter who homered in all four games (one a grand slam) during week, with 8 RBI in Clemson series (as Blue Devils won 2-of-3 vs. #11 Tigers).

Jeremy Erben (RHP) … Oklahoma … Sr. … New Braunfels, TX
Turned in long-relief outing (7.2IP-2R/1ER-6H-4BB-9K; 120 pitches) to win at #14 TCU, in front of nearly 4,000 opposing fans (4-2); inherited bases-loaded threat in the 1st and induced double-play ball, plus another groundout to preserve 2-0 lead; improved to 6-0.

Buck Farmer (RHP) … Georgia Tech … Fr. … Conyers, GA
Inherited 2-0 deficit with no outs and bases loaded in 1st inning at #3 Virginia; charged with only 1 run over 6.0 innings en route to win (9-7) that tied series (4H-6K).

Justin Fradejas (RF/CF) … Auburn … Jr. … Pensacola, FL
Batted 9-for-19 (6RBI-6R, 3 2B) in 4-1 week, including 3-for-7 (2RBI-2R-SAC-SB) in pair of wins vs. #7 LSU (10-14/11-7/6-5); 9-hole hitter who shifted to leadoff in series finale (won game with safety-squeeze bunt); extended hit streak to 14 games.

Gunner Glad (1B) … Kentucky … 5th-Yr.-Sr. … Tulsa, OK
3-hole batter who led 5-0 win at #5 Louisville (HR-2RBI-R-HBP) and near-sweep vs. #22 Alabama (7-6/8-2/9-11); hit 5-13 in ‘Bama series (3RBI-R-2B-BB-SF-SB).

Jack Marder (1B) … Oregon … Fr. … Calabasas, CA
#6 hitter who went 4-7 with 4 RBI (3R-2 2B-2BB-SB) in pair of wins at #24 Stanford (5-2/9-6/1-2); had RBI single/R in 8th of gm-2, then 3-run 2B in 9th for 7-6 lead.

Jarrett Parker (CF) … Virginia … Jr. … Stafford, VA
7-hole batter who went 4-10 with 4 RBI (R-BB-3B-HBP-SF) in showdown series vs. #4 Georgia Tech (7-4/7-9/9-1).

*Greg Peavey (RHP) … Oregon State … Jr. … Vancouver, WA
Beat #2 UCLA (7-1) with masterful 2-hitter (3BB-6K; Bruins were batting .347 as a team), lowering his season ERA to 1.91 and opp. batting avg. to .167.

Tyler Pill (RHP/RF) … Cal State Fullerton … So. … Covina, CA
Cleanup hitter who helped upset #2 UCLA (6-1; RBI/R) and win series vs. #21 UC Irvine (4-7/6-3/6-1 … 3H-RBI-4R-2BB), adding near-CG to win finale vs. UCI (8.1IP-UER-7H-BB-4K).

Drew Pomeranz (LHP) … Mississippi … Jr. … Collierville, TN
Struck out 15 and allowed only 1 run (8IP-4H-3BB), as Rebels rallied to win 4-1 opener at Georgia; outdueled UGa ace and big-league prospect Justin Grimm.

Tim Smalling (SS) … Virginia Tech … Sr. … Raleigh, NC
3-hole batter who played lead role in pair of wins over #14 Miami (9-7/2-9-4-2); hit 5-for-8 in those wins (2RBI-2R-HR-2 2B-SB).

Ryan Strausborger (CF) … Indiana State … Sr. … Osceola, IN
Leadoff batter who hit 6-10 in pair of wins at #27 Citadel (3-4/11-7/4-2), with 2RBI-3R-2B-4SB-BB.

Aaron Thompkins (1B) … Furman … Jr. … Canton, OH
2-hole hitter who smacked 2-run HR in 11-3 opening win at #28 College of Charleston (also 2B), then had 2-out tying single/go-ahead run in 7th of clinching game-2 (8-5; BB); also doubled in finale.

Logan Verrett (RHP) … Baylor … So. … Corpus Christi, TX
Struck out 13 (12 “looking”) in 4-hitter vs. #26 Texas A&M (13-1; 2BB), Baylor’s biggest win margin in 266-game Battle-of-Brazos rivalry that dates back to 1904; helped preserve Bears bullpen that won series finale (2-1).

* – Currier is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Peavey 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)

MOBILE, Ala. - University of South Alabama baseball head coach Steve Kittrell announced the Jags’ 2010 regular season schedule Wednesday afternoon. The 56-game slate features 32 home games, including the 25th annual South Alabama Classic.

USA head coach Steve Kittrell

“I think it’s a very competitive non-conference schedule, and it should prepare us for Sun Belt Conference play, which is getting better every year,” Kittrell said. “We’re excited about the challenges ahead and look forward to starting practice on Jan. 29.”

Kittrell’s club starts the season with 14 of its first 16 games at home. USA opens with a doubleheader against Jackson State (Feb. 19), then the Jags hit the road to take on Alabama the next day before returning home for a Sunday rematch with the Crimson Tide to round out the opening weekend.

Complete 2010 South Alabama Schedule

USA hosts the South Alabama Classic the following weekend. The tournament field includes another team with a great baseball history – Wichita State – along with North Florida and Eastern Michigan. Wichita State played in the 2002 Classic, while North Florida and Eastern Michigan will be visiting Stanky Field for the first time.

Following the tournament, the Jags take on a pair of storied programs in consecutive midweek games. USA travels to Mississippi State (March 2), then gets a visit from Tulane the following day. South Alabama’s last nonconference series is a four-game set with Siena (March 5-7).

After a pair of midweek games at home against Tennessee Tech, the Jags open Sun Belt Conference play with a three-game series at Arkansas-Little Rock. The Jags took two of three from the Trojans a season ago. The Jags follow that series with a pair of midweek games at Memphis, then return to Stanky Field for the conference home opener when they host longtime rival Louisiana-Lafayette (March 19-21).

After four more road games, including a series at Middle Tennessee, the Jags return for a five-game homestand when they host Southern Miss (March 30), New Orleans (April 2-4) and Southeastern Louisiana (April 6).

The Jags hit the road for Western Kentucky the following weekend (April 9-11), but not before making a stop along the way to take on Auburn (April 7). After the three-game set with the Hilltoppers, USA heads back home for games against Nicholls State (April 13) and Louisiana-Monroe (April 16-18). The Jags took both games of a rain-shortened two-game set against the Warhawks last year.

Kittrell’s squad then travels back to Arkansas, this time to take on Arkansas State (April 23-25), and on the way back the Jags stop for games with Nicholls State (April 27) and Southern Miss (April 28), before closing with seven of the last 10 at home.

USA rounds out the regular season hosting Florida Atlantic (May 7-9), Auburn (May 11) and Troy (May 20-22), and going on the road to face Florida International (May 14-16).

The Jags’ game against Auburn will be their fifth game of the season against an opponent from the Southeastern Conference. USA went a perfect 4-0 in home games against teams from the SEC in 2009, including a win over No. 6 Ole Miss that gave Kittrell his 1,000th career win, and a win against No. 21 Alabama in front of a Stanky Field record crowd of 4,436.

The Sun Belt Conference Championship is scheduled for May 26-29 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

(Release)

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois head baseball coach Mike Villano announced the 2010 baseball schedule, Thursday, Dec. 17.

Leatherneck head coach Mike Villano

but I think that will help our guys build a lot of character.”

Complete 2010 Western Illinois Schedule

The 2010 schedule begins with a doubleheader at Alabama State as part of a three-game series from Feb. 27-28. The Leathernecks then travel to Saint Louis for a single game against the Billikens on March 3 before traveling to Norman, Okla. to take part in the Sooner Classic from March 5-7. Western will face tournament-host Oklahoma on March 5 before a double-header against Stephen F. Austin on March 6. The Leathernecks will conclude the tournament with a single game against USF on March 7.

Western will travel back to Saint Louis for a single game tilt on March 9 before traveling to Missouri to play a single game against the Tigers on March 10. The Leathernecks continue their swing through the Big XII with a two game series at Oklahoma State from March 16-17.

The team then heads south for a three-game series at UAB from March 19-21 before facing Arkansas-Little Rock for two games from March 23-24. Western Illinois returns to the Midwest for a three-game series at Iowa from March 26-28.

Western’s home schedule opens up with a game against Coe College on March 31 before the team heads back to Iowa for a single game on April 6. The Leathernecks will then return to Macomb for an 11-game homestand beginning with a single game against Clarke College on April 7. The homestand continues as Western opens up Summit League play with a four-game series against North Dakota State (April 9-11) before welcoming Bradley for one game on April 14.

“It’s always nice to be at home for an extended period of time,” Villano said. “I think we’ll need that long homestand after being on the road for over a month. It’s always good for the team to be able to come back to a place that they know really well.”

The Leathernecks will then welcome another Summit League opponent for a four-game series when IPFW comes to town April 16-18. The homestand concludes with a game against Illinois College on April 20.

Western will hit the road again as it faces last year’s Summit League champion Oral Roberts in a four-game series from April 23-25. The Leathernecks continue Summit League play with a four-game home series against Oakland from April 30-May 2 before heading to Bradley for a single game on May 4.

Western will then travel south for the second time to take on conference foe Centenary in a four-game series from May 7-9 before returning home for a four-game series against Southern Utah from May 14-16. The Leathernecks will then travel to Davenport, Iowa for a neutral-site game against the Hawkeyes on May 18.

Western concludes its 2010 regular-season schedule with a four-game series at South Dakota State from May 20-22.

The Summit League Tournament will be held in Tulsa, Okla. from May 27-29 and features the top four teams from The Summit League.

(Release)

JONESBORO, Ark. – Thirty-one home games, including 15 Sun Belt Conference matchups and a home clash with perennial national power Ole Miss highlight the schedule for the 2010 Arkansas State baseball season, which gets underway Feb. 19 when the Red Wolves host Southern Illinois in a three-game series at Tomlinson Stadium and Kell Field.

Three of the top four teams in last year’s Sun Belt Conference regular season standings will visit Tomlinson Stadium, including defending regular season co-champions Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky.  Florida International, which finished fourth in the regular season a year ago, and sixth-place

Arkansas State Head Coach Tommy Raffo

South Alabama will also travel to Jonesboro.  The Red Wolves will close out the regular season by hosting in-state and conference rival Arkansas-Little Rock.

Complete 2010 Arkansas State Schedule

Regional rivals Memphis, Southeast Missouri State, Murray State and UT Martin will all visit Jonesboro during the regular season as well, and the 2010 schedule marks the first time since the 2004 season that ASU’s schedule consists entirely of Division I opponents.

Arkansas State will play 11 of its first 12 games at home, hosting SIU, Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Portland in the season’s first three weekends.  The Red Wolves open SBC play March 12-14 at Louisiana-Lafayette before returning to Jonesboro to face MTSU in the March 19-21 SBC home opener.

“We are very excited about the 2010 baseball schedule,” said ASU head coach Tommy Raffo.  “We are presented with some early challenges before conference play begins that will help prepare us for play in the Sun Belt.  The 31 home games at Tomlinson Stadium will be a great opportunity for our players, our fans, and the people in Northeast Arkansas to watch quality baseball.”

Seven starters return from last year’s team, including All-Sun Belt Conference performer Murray Watts, who hit .305 a year ago and led the team with 16 doubles, 10 home runs and 44 RBIs.  Junior outfielder Todd Baumgartner, who hit a team-best .350 with 15 doubles, eight home runs and 43 RBIs returns as well.  The Red Wolves also return junior Andy Ferguson and sophomore Jacob Lee who were both weekend starters on the mound a year ago.

(Release)

Bruins Will Play 21 Of Their First 25 Games At Home

Belmont Head Coach David Jarvis

Shelby Park. It is the third time in four years that Belmont has faced a Missouri Valley Conference opponent to open the season. In last season’s home opener Belmont won two-of-three games against Illinois State, and in 2007 the Bruins opened up with two wins over Bradley.

Complete 2010 Belmont Schedule (PDF)

REGIONAL MATCHUPS
Belmont will trade home games with six area teams – Western Kentucky, Murray State, MTSU, Tennessee Tech, UT-Martin, and Austin Peay – which will make up a majority of the Bruins’ non-conference slate. The regional matchups begin at home with WKU (42-20) on Feb. 24. The Hilltoppers earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history after sharing the Sun Belt regular season title. Belmont will travel to WKU on April 7, to fulfill the two-game series.

OHIO VALLEY OPPPONENTS
Eleven of Belmont’s 28 non-conference games will be against teams from the Ohio Valley Conference, beginning with a three-game series against Eastern Illinois (36-14) from Feb. 26-28. After facing the 2009 regular season champions, the Bruins will travel to Murray State (34-21-1) on March 2 for the first of 21 road games during the season.

Belmont’s OVC tour resumes on March 23 when the Bruins host 2009 tournament champion Tennessee Tech (31-24-1) in Shelby Park. Senior Day is schedule for May 18 against Tennessee-Martin (20-31) – the last home game of the season. The Austin Peay series will take place on the road on April 20 and at home on the 28th.

SEC
Belmont will play two Southeastern Conference teams with Vanderbilt (37-27) on April 6 at Hawkins Field in Nashville, and Tennessee (26-29) on April 27 in Knoxville.

NEW BEGINNINGS
Belmont will face three new opponents in 2010 including Cleveland State, Eastern Michigan and Evansville. All games will be played at Shelby Park with Evansville opening the season on Feb. 19, Eastern Michigan (25-35) playing three games in two days from March 5-6, and a mid-week bout with Cleveland State (21-31) March 16 and 17.

The Bruins’ first substantial road trip will be a nine-game swing including a stop in Arkansas to play Arkansas-Little Rock for the first time since 1998.

CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
The Bruins open the conference season on the road against reigning Atlantic Sun Tournament Champion Jacksonville (37-22) on March 12. The Dolphins eliminated Belmont en route to their fourth A-Sun title and sixth berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bruins will play 27 conference games, three less than last season’s A-Sun slate which the Bruins finished with an even 15-15 record. All conference series are three games as most will occur over the span of two days, except Lipscomb and Florida Gulf Coast. ETSU is the lone conference member that the Bruins will not play in the regular season.

The baseball edition of the Battle of the Boulevard between arch-rival Lipscomb will be held in Shelby Park from March 19-21.

Belmont will conclude the regular season on road against Mercer on May 20 and 21.

The 2010 Atlantic Sun Championship will be held in Nashville at Lipscomb’s Dugan Field from May 25-29.

SHELBY IS HOME
Shelby Park will field all of Belmont’s 32 home games in 2009, ending nearly two decades of hosting teams at Greer Stadium – the home of the Nashville Sounds, Class AAA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Blue Raiders Have 27 Home Games In 2010

MTSU Head Coach Steve Peterson

“With the exception of Ohio University, our schedule looks much like it has in recent years,” noted Peterson. “It will feature a lot of familiar foes, and have a lot of road games close by that our fans can follow us to.”

Complete 2010 MTSU Schedule

Tennessee and Vanderbilt are home-and-home foes once again, as are Austin Peay, Belmont, David Lipscomb and Tennessee Tech.

Middle Tennessee will play Southern Illinois in multi-game series’ home and away, and will also have a three-game road trip to Jacksonville State in early March.

“We have a tough non-conference slate, as we always try to do, to prepare us for conference play,” said Peterson. “Tennessee was very good at the end of the season last year, and Vandy is being touted as perhaps having the best pitching staff in the country. Tennessee Tech made the NCAA tournament last year, and Southern Illinois and Jacksonville State are always a tough series for us.”

The 56-game schedule will include 18 games against Sun Belt Conference foes, beginning with a three-game home stand against Louisiana-Monroe March 12-13-14. It will close the regular season with what has become the traditional season-ending series with Western Kentucky.

Sunday, April 25th, is tentatively set as Little League Day at Reese Smith Field. Middle Tennessee will host SBC foe Arkansas-Little Rock on that day.

(Release)