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Mike Gambino Is New Boston College Baseball Coach

Sean Stires — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:46:40 +0000

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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Mike Gambino, a 1999 graduate of Boston College, has been named head baseball coach, Director of Athletics Gene DeFilippo announced today.

Mike Gambino

Gambino, who was an assistant coach for the Eagles from 2003-05, replaces Mik Aoki who resigned to become the head coach at Notre Dame.

“We are very excited to bring back Mike Gambino as our new head coach,” DeFilippo said. “As a former player and assistant coach here, Mike has the experience and passion to bring the baseball program to the next level. He has already hit the ground running.”

Gambino has spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech under former BC head coach, Pete Hughes. He served as the Hokies’ recruiting coordinator and also worked with the hitters and infielders. Virginia Tech’s batting average improved 40 points (from .279 to .319) under his direction since the 2006 season.

“I want to thank Fr. Leahy, Gene DeFilippo and Tom Peters for giving me the opportunity to come back and coach at my alma mater,” Gambino said. “I’m very excited to be back at the Heights. I plan to continue to build on the success established by my coaching predecessors. It’s a goal I have been working toward since I was a player. We will strive for excellence in the classroom and on the field. We’re going to work extremely hard as a staff and as a team to get BC into the national tournament consistently, and we’re going to have a lot of fun doing it.”

With Gambino’s help, the 2010 Hokies made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2000 and finished the season ranked No. 20 in the country.

Prior to working in Blacksburg, Gambino spent a year as a regional scout for the Detroit Tigers.

Gambino, who played for the Eagles from 1997-2000, started 166 games in the middle infield. He held a career batting average of .313 with 22 doubles, eight homers, 87 RBI and 117 runs. In his final season in 2000, he belted 78 hits and scored 52 times, which ranks tied for fifth and eighth, respectively, in a single season. His 78 hits that year was the most in a single season at the time.

He was a first-team All-Big East, All-New England and All-Northeast region honoree following his senior campaign. He also earned second-team All-New England and Big East Academic Team accolades during his playing career. Following his career with BC, the Garrison, N.Y., native played two seasons in the Boston Red Sox minor league system. He spent the 2000 season with the Augusta Green Jackets before splitting the 2001 season between Augusta and the Lowell Spinners. In 2002, the Red Sox hired Gambino as a special assistant to the Major League staff before heading back to Lowell for a coaching role with the Spinners just prior to the June draft. Following his stint in Lowell, the Red Sox sent Gambino to the Major League Baseball Scout Development Program.

In January 2003, Gambino returned to Boston College as an assistant coach under Hughes.

Gambino received his bachelor’s degree from the Heights in English and theology.

GAMBINO’S CAREER
2010 – Boston College head coach
2007-10 – Virginia Tech assistant coach
2006 – Detroit Tigers regional scout
2003-05 – Boston College assistant coach
2000-02 – Played in Boston Red Sox minor league system
1996-2000 – Played at Boston College

(Boston College Release)

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Aoki Expected To Be Hired Soon At Notre Dame

Sean Stires — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 23:21:43 +0000

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BC’s Coach Expected To Take Irish Helm Next Week…

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

* In preparation of this story, I talked to several sources, including four former Notre Dame baseball players who played for both Dave Schrage and Paul Mainieri. Two of them, former captains Jeremy Barnes and Ryan Connolly, agreed to be quoted, while two asked to remain anonymous. Those players will be referred to as ‘Player A’ and ‘Player B’.

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South Bend, Ind. – During his 12 seasons at Note Dame (1995-2006), Paul Mainieri amassed a record of 533-213-3 as head coach of the Irish baseball team. In his final eight seasons at Notre Dame, the current LSU head coach won 367 games while taking the Irish to eight straight NCAA Tournaments. He also ended ND’s 45-year College World Series drought with a 2002 trip to Omaha.

In his first four seasons at LSU, Mainieri’s teams have made two College World Series appearances with a 2009 national championship under his belt.

Dave Schrage

It would be an understatement to say things have not gone as well at Notre Dame during the past four seasons, as Mainieri’s successor Dave Schrage compiled a record of 119-114-1 from 2007-2010. Schrage’s Irish finished this past season with a 22-32 record while failing to qualify for the Big East Tournament for the first time since Notre dame joined the conference in 1996. It also was the program’s first losing record since 1987.

Dave Schrage was fired in June.

Sources have told CollegeBaseball360.com that a press conference will be held “early next week” and at that time Boston College head coach Mikio Aoki will be named Notre Dame’s next baseball coach.

Aoki’s 114-104-1 record over the past four years is only slightly better than Schrage’s, but the BC coach has compiled that record in an Atlantic Coast Conference that has seen a total of eight teams advance to the CWS during that time. Louisville is the only Big East team to qualify for the CWS since 2007. In fact, while Louisville and Notre Dame are the only current Big East teams to advance to Omaha in the past 20 years, ACC teams have combined to make 26 appearances in the CWS during that same stretch (Miami has made several CWS appearances since 1990, but the Hurricanes did not join the ACC until 2005). Only the SEC, with 33 appearances, has sent more teams to Omaha in the past two decades.

Mikio Aoki

Aoki also has another feather in his cap that Schrage could not accomplish – an NCAA Regional berth. Aoki’s 2009 squad became the first Boston College team in 42 years to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 42 years, and he coached in possibly the most famous game in NCAA Regional history when his Eagles fell 3-2 in 25 innings to eventual CWS runner-up Texas.

“You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?” – Talking Heads Once In A Lifetime lyrics

When Schrage was hired at Notre Dame in the summer of 2006, he stepped into his dream job. He was was a lifelong Notre Dame fan who had grown up in the Chicago suburbs, shagging batting practice home run balls at Wrigley Field. It wasn’t long, though, before his dream turned into a nightmare. Schrage’s wife, Jody, died after a battle with cancer shortly before the start of the 2007 season. “He was never the same person after that,” a person close to Schrage told me. “He was still a baseball guy, but there were times in the dugout when you could just tell he didn’t have that same fire.”

While Schrage’s personal tragedy was devastating, the contrast of his own personality compared to that of Mainieri’s was a tough adjustment for the players who had suited up for both coaches. “I think it all goes back to that first year,” former ND captain Jeremy Barnes told CB360. “A lot of things happened off the field that were hard to deal with. I would say Schrage was not fully himself and things were a little more lax.”

Jeremy Barnes

Barnes, who is in his second season in the Philadelphia Phillies minor-league organization, added, “Mainieri ran a very tight ship. It created a different culture, and with the team being so young it was unfortunately the wrong type of foundation to build upon for the next couple of years, because the majority of that group was there for the next three or four years.”

“Player A” agreed. “Mainieri had incredible senior leadership in the lockerroom where everything was policed amongst us,” he said. “Coach Schrage didn’t implement that disciplinary value amongst the players from the get-go, and so when he doesn’t come back with [discipline] either … the discipline was missing. The culture itself of Notre Dame baseball is completely different [now]. There are no similarities at all. None.”

Last of the breed …

Ryan Connolly was a fifth-year senior for the Irish this past season. He sat out all of 2006 (Mainieri’s last at ND) due to a shoulder injury. He battled the injury during his Notre Dame career but still managed to lead his team with a .335 average, 11 HR and 38 RBIs in 2010. He was the only player remaining from the Mainieri era.

Ryan Connolly

“I think the biggest difference [between Schrage and Mainieri] was organization,” Connolly said. “Mainieri was overly organized to the point it was overwhelming, but at the same time we would have been lost without it. You knew when you had to go to the bathroom, tie your shoes … everything was down to the second. That just made going out and playing baseball that much easier, because you didn’t have to worry about anything. You could just go out and play. Coach Schrage was looser, and I think guys struggled with that.”

However, Connolly says he and his teammates share the blame with Schrage: “Did he go out there and play? No. There are nine guys who go out there and play, but at the end of the day if we don’t go out there and win they’re going to go to the top. It’s the nature of the beast, and he’s an easy target. I have no beef with Dave Schrage.” Connolly said.

The great communicator …

While Connolly sees organization as the biggest difference between Mainieri and Schrage, ‘Player B‘ sees another big difference. “Mainieri was always talking to players and communicating with them to make sure everyone was mentally prepared to succeed,” he said. “He wanted to always make sure that everyone knew their role on the team and that we were in the loop on what was going on. Not every player was OK with it, but everyone always knew what was going on at all times.”

However, “Player B” says that approach was not the case with Schrage: “Not a lot of guys knew what was going on. Not a lot of guys understood their role on the team. Some guys would just happen to see the lineup card and see they were playing that day, but there was no communication between player and coach before that, whereas coach Mainieri would have a 30-minute conversation with a guy if it was someone who hadn’t played in a while, so he would be mentally prepared.”

When it comes to communicating, Aoki would appear to be somewhere in the middle between Mainieri and Schrage.

Mike Belfiore pitched for Boston College in the previously mentioned 25-inning game during the 2009 Austin Regional. He was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 45th overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft and now pitches for the single-A South Bend Silverhawks … whose stadium happens to be about a 10-minute drive from the Notre Dame campus.

Mike Belfiore

Belfiore recently told the South Bend Tribune: “Coach Aoki doesn’t say a lot. That’s part of his personality. He lets everything pan out, and then he’ll bring you in his office and let you know where things stand. He doesn’t play that game of you have to guess where you’re at.:

Belfiore also told the Tribune: “[Aoki] is a great guy. He always made school the first priority …H e knows how to back his players up in every sense. He doesn’t let you beat your head into a brick wall. He’ll always point out things that you need to work on. He always wants you to be better.”

Barnes says it’s an approach that he thinks will be important for Notre Dame’s next head coach. “You have to be firm and unwavering,” Barnes said. “As soon as you get there, implement your rules and philosophies and do not waiver, even on the little things. Have an open door to the players and try to keep a good relationship with them, but at the same time you’re the boss – players don’t run the program.”

Northern exposure …

Assuming Aoki is Notre Dame’s next head coach, he will face many of the same challenges that he has faced at Boston College. Boston is only slightly farther north on the map than South Bend, so Aoki has dealt with similar weather to what he will see in Northern Indiana.

He succeeded in recent years with rosters that were comprised mostly of players from the northeast, at a time when many of the top players from that region have opted to stay relatively close to home by playing in the warmer weather of the nearby Carolinas and Virginia, to name a few.

Evan Marzilli and Christian Walker are from Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, respectively, but they helped South Carolina win the 2010 national title. Cody Wheeler (Indiana), Tommy LaStella (New York) and Anthony Meo (Rhode Island) helped Coastal Carolina’s 2010 team fashion the best season in the program’s history, while Virginia’s talented closer Kevin Arico hails from New Jersey.

Aoki’s new association with Notre Dame will give him a much broader recruiting canvas, but it also will bring with it a more strict academic standard. According to one source, San Diego pitcher Sammy Solis and Illinois outfielder Willie Argo are two recent examples of smart student-athletes who wanted to play for Schrage at Notre Dame, but they could not meet the school’s high academic standards.

An inside shot of Eck Stadium (courtesy und.com)

Solis – whose father played at Notre Dame – was 9-2 with a 3.42 ERA for the WCC champion Toreros this year, while Argo belted 16 home runs with 51 stolen bases and a .335 batting average during his first two years for the Illini (’09-’10).

Whatever challenges Aoki faces in academics could be countered with a facility upgrade. At Boston College, the playing field also doubles as a parking lot during football season, while Notre Dame’s Frank Eck Stadium (built in 1994) still is among the top three baseball facilities in the Big East. Only Louisville’s Jim Patterson Stadium and Marge Schott Stadium in Cincinnati would rank above Eck.

Back to the future?

If in fact Aoki is named Notre Dame’s next head coach, the first questions will be the composition of his coaching staff. Aoki did not have a pitching coach at Boston College, and one source has indicated that current Irish assistant Dave Dengler could be retained in that role.

There also is the question of the value of having a former Notre Dame player on the new staff. “I don’t think it’s important,” Barnes said. “I think when I was there, we had the kind of players who understood team cohesiveness. If one of those players was hired as an assistant, he would know that feeling and type of player they should recruit and be successful there. I think it would be beneficial, but I don’t think it’s a necessity.”

Connolly concurs: “I don’t think [a former ND player on the staff is] necessary, but it may help. [ND football coach] Brian Kelly had no ties to Notre Dame, but that guy knows what it means to be at Notre Dame. He kicked it up seven gears. You don’t have to be associated with ND to coach here.”

“Player A” simply says of the current change: “This is a great time for Notre Dame baseball”.

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ACC Baseball 2010 Preseason Poll

Sean Stires — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:31:45 +0000

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League Coaches Pick Virginia To Repeat As Champion

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Virginia, which made its first ever College World Series appearance last June, has been picked as the 2010 preseason favorite in a vote of the league’s 12 head baseball coaches.

The Cavaliers, who return a strong cast that includes All-America outfielder Jarrett Parker, 2009 ACC Freshman of the Year Danny Hultzen and 2009 ACC Championship MVP Dan Grovatt, were projected as the ACC’s 2010 champion on eight head coaches’ ballots. Three coaches chose Florida State, and North Carolina received one vote.

Eleven of the league’s head coaches picked Virginia as the favorite to win the Coastal Division, with defending division champion North Carolina receiving one vote. Florida State was a favored to claim a fourth straight Atlantic Division championship on 10 ballots, while two coaches favored Clemson.

Georgia Tech placed second in the overall Coastal Division preseason coaches’ voting, followed by North Carolina, Miami, Virginia Tech and Duke.

Clemson was picked to finish second in the Atlantic Division, followed by Boston College, NC State, Wake Forest and Maryland.

Teams were awarded six points for each first-place vote, five points for each second-place vote, etc.

Virginia, which won a school-record 49 games in 2009, was joined in the College World Series by North Carolina, which made its ACC-record fourth straight trip to Omaha. Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Miami also made the 2009 NCAA field, with Clemson and Florida State joining North Carolina and Virginia in the final 16.

ACC teams open their 2010 seasons Feb. 19 and conclude regular-season play May 22. The 2010 ACC Baseball Championship will be held May 26-30 at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, N.C.

Complete results of the 2010 ACC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll are listed below. First-place votes are in parenthesis:

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Team Points 2009 Record

Florida State (10) 70 45-18. 19-9 ACC

Clemson (2) 62 44-22, 19-11 ACC

Boston College 42 34-26, 13-15 ACC

NC State 38 25-31, 10-20 ACC

Wake Forest 21 22-30, 6-24 ACC

Maryland 19 27-27, 10-20 ACC

COASTAL DIVISION

Team Points 2009 Record

Virginia (11) 71 49-15-1, 16-11-1 ACC

Georgia Tech 57 38-19-1. 17-10-1 ACC

North Carolina (1) 44 48-18, 19-10 ACC

Miami 42 38-22, 18-12 ACC

Virginia Tech 20 32-21, 12-17 ACC

Duke 18 35-24, 15-15 ACC

Overall champion: Virginia (8)

Others receiving votes: Florida State (3), North Carolina (1)

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ACC Baseball 2010 Preview – Atlantic Division

Sean Stires — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:01:50 +0000

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Florida State & Clemson Are Among The Nation’s Elite

2009 Division Winners: Florida State won the Atlantic & North Carolina won the Coastal.

2009 Champion: Virginia defeated Florida State 6-3 to capture their 3^rd ACC championship and first since 1996.

2010 No Easier: The ACC has three teams in the top 10 and six teams ranked in the top 16 in Collegiate Baseball’s “Fabulous 40” Preseason Poll, the most by any conference in the country. Virginia leads the way ranked 3^rd, followed by Georgia Tech at number 6, and Florida State 7^th. Miami starts the year ranked 12^th, while North Carolina checks in at number 13 and Clemson begins the year 16^th.

Premier Players: 11 ACC players find themselves on the Louisville Slugger pre-season All-America teams including a conference high four 1^st teamers. Those on the first team are RHP Deck McGuire from Georgia Tech, C Yasmani Grandal from Miami, OF Jarrett Parker of Virginia, and OF Tyler Holt from Florida State.

2010 ACC Atlantic Division Preview

*We will preivew the ACC’s Coastal Division and make our predictions for overall conference winner, Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year tomorrow.

Boston College

2009 Season: (34-26, 14-15)

Nickname: Eagles

Head Coach: Mik Aoki

Location: Chestnut Hill, MA

Vitals: .304 BA, 58 HR, .382 OBP, .972 Fld. %…4.65 ERA, 11 SVs, 460 K, 222 BB, .278 Opp. BA

History Made: BC’s 25-inning NCAA Regional loss to Texas last year was named the #1 collegiate baseball game to remember for the past decade by the Yahoo Sports blog Destination: Omaha. It also ranked fourth on the Collegebaseball360.com “Top Moments of 2009” list. The game lasted an NCAA record 7 hours and 3 minutes, saw 683 pitches thrown, and 171 official at-bats.

Eagles Lost, Return : Boston College deals with the loss of C Tony Sanchez (.346, 14 HR, 51 RBI) who was selected 4^th overall in the 2009 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. BC does welcome back Sr. OF Robbie Anston who finished second on the team with a .344 BA and stealing a team-high 15 bases.

Battle of Boston: The Eagles play an exhibition game against the Red Sox March 3^rd down in Fort Myers, FL.

Clemson

2009 Season: (44-22, 19-11)

Nickname: Tigers

Head Coach: Jack Leggett

Location: Clemson, SC

Vitals: .299 BA, 65 HR, .387 OBP, .967 Fld. %…3.68 ERA, 13 SVs, 548 K, 203 BB, .253 Opp. BA

Big Arms Return: The 3.68 team ERA was fifth best in the nation last year and Clemson returns several of their top

Clemson two sport standout Kyle Parker

pitchers from 2009, including Jr. LHP Casey Harman (7-3, 3.95 ERA, 1 SV) and So. LHP Chris Dwyer who led the team with 95 Ks, becoming the first freshman to lead the Tigers in strikeouts since 1997.

Back Among the Elite: Clemson’s 44 wins last year was a 13-game improvement, third best in school history. They also made their 22^nd NCAA tournament appearance in the past 23 years and their 8^th trip to a super-regional.

Passing Parker: Tiger outfielder Kyle Parker is also Clemson’s starting quarterback. He threw 20 touchdown passes while helping Clemson beat Kentucky in this season’s Music City Bowl. Parker hit 12 home runs with 52 RBIs on last years Super Regional team as well. CLICK HERE to see more two-sport college baseball players in the Collegebaseball360.com Two Sport Reports.

Home Sweet Home: The Tigers play 22 of their first 30 games at home and don’t leave the state of South Carolina until game 16 – a one game battle against Charlotte in North Carolina.

Florida State

2009 Season: (45-18, 19-9)

Nickname: Seminoles

Head Coach: Mike Martin

Location: Tallahassee, FL

Vitals: .321 BA, 89 HR, .432 OBP, .960 Fld. %…4.58 ERA, 13 SVs, 468 K, 303 BB, .256 Opp. BA

Tallahassee Talent: Florida State returns four players named to the Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America

Sean Gilmartin

Teams. Jr. OF Tyler Holt (.401, 87 R, 34 SB) is a first team selection. Jr. OF Mike McGee (.379, 19 HR, 78 RBI) is on the second team, while So. LHP Sean Gilmartin, 2009 ACC Pitcher of the Year, (12-3, 3.49 ERA, 2 CG) and Sr. SS Stephen Cardullo (.376, 10 HR, 20 SB) are third-teamers.

Record Breakers: The Seminoles advanced to their 9^th Super Regional in school history by beating Ohio State 37-6 in the Regional Championship. FSU set school records for runs (37), hits (38), doubles (15), and total bases (66) in one game.

Schedule Notes: FSU opens their season February 19^th when they host Georgia State. They will also play the Philadelphia Phillies March 3^rd in Clearwater. And in what could amount to an Atlantic Division Championship Series, the Seminoles travel to Clemson to wrap up the regular season May 20-22.

Maryland

2009 Season: (27-27, 10-20)

Nickname: Terrapins

Head Coach: Erik Bakich

Location: College Park, MD

Vitals: .281 BA, 48 HR, .368 OBP , .968 Fld. %…5.93 ERA, 11 SVs, 384 K, 215 BB, .293 Opp. BA

New Era: Erik Bakich was named the 6^th head coach in Maryland history in June after former coach Terry Rupp resigned. Rupp left after nine seasons despite leading Maryland to 10 ACC wins in 2009, the most since 1972.

Need Some Offense: The .281 BA in 2009 was 11^th in the league last year, and Maryland loses 3 of their top 4 hitters. They do return they top hitter in Sr. INF David Poutier who hit .321 with 14 doubles and 8 stolen bases.

Young Foundation: Maryland returns just 18 players from a year ago, and has only 5 seniors on their current roster.

North Carolina State

2009 Season: (25-31, 10-20)

Nickname: Wolfpack

Head Coach: Elliott Avent

Location: Raleigh, NC

Vitals: .266 BA, 48 HR, .371 OBP, .951 Fld. %…5.12 ERA, 9 SVs, 469 K, 230 BB, .272 Opp. BA

Two sport star Russell Wilson

Future Pack Attack: NC State’s incoming recruiting class is ranked 11^th by Baseball America. It’s the 3^rd highest ranked class in the ACC behind North Carolina (7^th) and Virginia (9^th).

Key Returners: The Wolfpack hit a league-worst .266 as a team, but do return several of their top hitters from 2009. Sr. INF Andrew Ciencin (.308, 15 doubles, .481 Slg%), Sr. OF Drew Poulk (.266, 9 HR, 36 RBI), and Sr. INF Kyle Wilson (.265, 5 HR, 30 SB) will lead the offensive attack this season.

Friendly Down the Stretch: If NC State can be in contention toward the end of the season, the schedule plays nicely in their favor. The last month of the season keeps the Wolfpack at home for 14 of their final 17 ballgames, including home series against ACC foes Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Duke. The only road trip is a three game series at Florida State May 14-16.

Double Duty: Wolfpack infielder Russell Wilson is also the starting quarterback for the NC State football team. He passed for an ACC-leading 31 touchdowns with 11 interceptions in 2009. CLICK HERE to see more two-sport college baseball players in the Collegebaseball360.com Two Sport Reports.

Wake Forest

2009 Season: (22-30, 6-24)

Nickname: Demon Deacons

Head Coach: Tom Walter

Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Vitals: .284 BA, 55 HR, .364 OBP, .951 Fld. %…7.30 ERA, 10 SVs, 360 K, 242 BB, .329 Opp. BA

Pitchers Returning: Several top pitchers return for Wake Forest this season, including standout So. LHP Zach White (4-1, 3.32 ERA, 3 SVs, .237 Opp. BA), So. LHP Austin Stadler (4-5, 4.13 ERA, 2 SVs), and Jr. RHP Ryan McGrath (3-1, 5.95 ERA, .236 Opp. BA).

Offense Back: The Demon Deacons return speed and power to the lineup this season. Jr. OH Steven Brooks (.313, 30 RBI, 11 SB), Sr. C Mike Murray (.306, 6 HR, 37 RBI), and So. 3B/OF Carlos Lopez (.268, 12 HR, .562 Slg. %) all are back to lead the offense.

Home Sweet Home: Wake Forest plays their first 13 games at home, and 34 of their 57 regular-season games at Wake Forest Baseball Park.

2010 ACC Atlantic Predictions:

ACC Atlantic Winner: Florida State, with Clemson right on their heels.

Top ACC Atlantic Player: Tyler Holt—Florida State

Top ACC Atlantic Pitcher: Sean Gilmartin—Florida State

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Top College Baseball Moments Of 2009 #5

Sean Stires — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:01:41 +0000

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The Texas vs. Boston College 25-Inning Game

(With the end of the year fast approaching, we’re counting down some of the top moments from the 2009 college baseball season. We’ll have one a day through New Year’s Eve.)

There’s not a lot to say about this game that hasn’t already been said. It’s probaly the most famous college baseball game of the decade, and arguably the most famous ever. The record setting game started on May 30th and it ended on May 31st.

Texas pitcher Austin Wood and BC hurler Mike Belfiore got the lion’s share of the attention for their epic relief performances that night, but there was a lot of other action (or inaction) in those 7-plus hours in Austin.

Here’s a By The Numbers look at the game that the Longhorns finally won 3-2:

Austin Wood

12 1/3…innings Austin Wood pitched without giving-up a hit. Wood entered the game with one out and a runner at second base in the 7th inning.

14…career-high strikeouts by Wood in his 13 total innings of work. He walked two batters and eventually gave-up two hits.

9 2/3…innings pitched in relief by Belfiore who entered the game in the 9th inning.

11…strikeouts and 129 total pitches Belfiore threw in what turned out to be the last college game of his career.

22…combined scoreless innings pitched by Wood & Belfiore…they totaled 25 strikeouts.

25.1…combined innings pitched by 8 other Texas & BC pitchers…they totaled 17 strikeouts.

Mike Belfiore

169…pitches thrown by Austin Wood in his scoreless, two-hit 13-inning effort.

683…total pitches thrown by a total of 10 Longhorn & Eagle pitchers.

96…degrees at first pitch at 6:02 p.m. Central Time.

78…degrees when the game ended at 1:05 a.m.

36…combined runners left on base-24 by Texas and 12 by Boston College.

33…putouts recorded by Texas 1B Preston Clark - A new NCAA single-game record.

Travis Tucker

12…at-bats each by Longhorns Travis Tucker & Michael Torres to set a new NCAA record.

3…combined hits by Tucker and Torres.

7…total players who had at least 10 official at-bats during the game.

37…total players who participated in the game – Texas head coach Augie Garrido and BC head coach Mikio Aoki each used all of their position players.

3…positions each played by BC’s Belfiore, Matt Hamlet and Andrew Lawrence.

192…combined plate appearances and 171 combined at-bats by the two teams-both single game NCAA records.

1988…the year of the previous longest NCAA postseason game – A 19-inning content between Clemson and Fordham in New Britain, CT.

1971…the year of the previous longest game in NCAA history – A 23-inning game between Louisiana-Lafayette and McNeese State.

46…scoreless half innings on the scoreboard in the game.

4…half innings in which either team scored a run. The Longhorns scored 2 in the 2nd inning and didn’t score again until Travis Tucker drove-in Connor Rowe in the top of the 25th inning in what turned-out to be the game-winner.

18…scoreless innings between runs – Boston College scored single runs in the 4th and 6th innings.

Kevin Keyes

1…home run hit in the game – A 2-run shot by Texas RF Kevin Keyes in the 2nd.

3…other Longhorns who played rightfield after Keyes left the game after just three at-bats.

2…times the scoreboard at Disch-Falk Stadium had to be reset during the game so the score could be displayed by innings.

1…standing ovation the two teams received at the end of the game.

Final Thoughts: After the game ended just after 1 a.m. Texas out-slugged Army 14-10 in a game that started later that night at 6p.m. Longhorn starter Taylor Jungmann gave-up 6 runs in just 3 1/3 IP. They used just four other pitchers in that game. Preston Clark’s game-ending grand slam gave the Longhorns the Regional title.

Texas hosted and beat TCU in two of three games at the Super Regional the following weekend. Austin Wood totaled 3 innings of relief in the last two games to help the Longhorns get to the College World Series.

In his six appearances after the famed 13-inning outing here are Wood’s numbers: 11 IP, 16 hits, 10 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, with a 6.54 ERA. Wood made his nation-leading 41st appearance of the season when he toed the rubber for the last time in the final game of the CWS vs. LSU. Texas was the eventual national runner-up.

Mike Belfiore was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 45th overall pick on the 2009 MLB draft. After signing he made 11 starts with 14 overall appearances for the single-A Missoula Osprey. He was 2-2 with a 2.17 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 58 IP.