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Texas catcher Rupp, Florida two-way threat Johnson earn top CB360 Primetime honors …

Texas junior catcher Cameron Rupp (Plano, Texas) and Florida freshman lefthander/DH Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) headline the nation’s players who turned in noteworthy performances during the past week, as the college baseball regular season entered its final month.

Texas junior catcher Cameron Rupp

Rupp has been named the national Primetime Player of the Week and Johnson is the Primetime Pitcher of the Week, while 17 others (listed below, with headshots and info. capsule) join them in comprising the Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll, as selected by CollegeBaseball360.com.

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

Florida freshman LHP/DH Brian Johnson

Johnson delivered on the mound and at the plate, logging seven shutout innings and providing the pinch-hit single that sparked a 9th-inning rally to beat Arkansas in the 2-1 series-clinching finale (the only weekend series between top-10 teams in the CB360 Composite National Rankings). Rupp helped vault Texas atop many of the national polls, as the cleanup batter smacked a pair of 1st-inning home runs and nearly did the same in the series finale – leading the way for a Longhorns squad that swept Oklahoma State while extending its win streak to 16 games.

JOHNSON rose to the occasion while facing an Arkansas offense that owned the best conference batting average (.338) in the elite Southeastern Conference. The 6-3, 225-pound lefthander racked up a season-high nine strikeouts and faced only 25 batters in the seven shutout innings, scattering three hits (.130 team batting avg.) and one walk with only three Razorbacks reaching second base (each occupied that position for  only a few moments).

Brian Johnson pitched seven shutout innings and delivered the pinch-hit single that sparked the winning rally, as Florida edged Arkansas by a 2-1 score to win that top-10 showdown series (photo courtesy of Florida).

The impressive outing saw Johnson post four 1-2-3 innings (1st-2nd-4th-7th) and allow multiple baseunners in only the 3rd, when James McCann was hit by a 1-out pitch and Matt Vinson followed with a single into left. Johnson executed the pickoff play to erase McCann and Collin Kuhn’s single put another runner on second, but Johnson forced Bo Bigham into a 4-3 groundout to end the pitcher’s busiest inning.

Andy Wilkins walked to open the 5th, but Johnson quickly record two outs (KS-F8-KS) to maintain the 1-0 thriller. One inning later, Zack Cox sent a 2-out double into the rightfield corner – but Johnson induced cleanup batter Brett Eibner to fly out to center field.

An Arkansas home run tied the game in the 8th and Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan elected to move Johnson into the DH spot in the bottom of the 9th. The rookie responded by working ahead in the count vs. bullpen ace Mike Bolsinger before poking a 2-0 pitch up the middle for a 1-out single. Moments later, Johnson’s pinch-runner Cody Dent came home with the series-winning run – leaving Florida (28-11/12-6) two games behind South Carolina in the race for the SEC title.

Johnson – who located 70 of his 99 pitches for strikes in the pressure-packed outing – now owns a 2.91 season ERA. He was batting 8-for-23 (.348) prior to the single that sparked the game-winning rally.

If setting an early tone is a character trait for “primetime” players, RUPP left no doubt during four games over the past week. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound cleanup hitter had an early-game home run in a midweek win over Texas Arlington before providing plenty of early fireworks in all three games of the Oklahoma State series (14-1/5-0/9-3). Rupp smashed a 3-run blast in the 1st inning of the series opener and then duplicated that feat one day later, as Texas clinched the series with a 19-1 scoring edge over the first two days.

Texas junior Cameron Rupp did his usual stellar job directing the pitching staff during the past week's action – but his early-game power display in multiple games repeatedly set the tone (in a midweek game vs. UT Arlington and sweep of Oklahoma State; photo courtesy of big12sports.com).

Two feet was all that separated Rupp from another 1st-inning home run in the series finale, but he still settled for an RBI double high off the wall. He finished the week with 13 RBI (boosting his team-best total to 40) and a 1.296 slugging pct. (his season totals now include 7 HR and 10 2B).

Rupp alsp continued to manage the impressive Texas pitching staff, calling pitches for a group of hurlers that combined for a 1.25 ERA during the week.

(note: additional action photos for some of the other honorees may be added to this page).

Primetime Performer Award Criteria (not based solely on raw stats, but rather …)
• 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; made significant contribution to team’s postseason positioning (single-game wins, “quality” wins, series wins, road wins, etc.).
• Involved in clutch performances, such as late game-winning hits, noteworthy comebacks, game-changing plays, team leadership, key defensive efforts, etc.
• Performed 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.
• Overcame adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).
• Any accomplishment that is rare, historic, record-setting, etc., on a national level.

The other 17 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll for April 19-25 include: Boston College sr. CF Robbie Anston (Odessa, Fla.) … Washington State sr. RHP Chad Arnold (Kennewick, Wash.) … UC Irvine sr. RHP Christian Bergman (Altadena, Calif.) … Oklahoma jr. 2B Danny Black (Roseville, Calif.) … Stanford fr. 3B Kenny Diekroeger ( Woodside, Calif.) … Seton Hall 5th-yr. sr. 2B Chris Fontanelli (Toms River, N.J.) … Tennessee jr. catcher Blake Forsythe (Memphis, Tenn.) … North Carolina jr. RHP Matt Harvey (Mystic, Conn.) … Florida fr. LHP/DH Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) … Texas State sr. 1B Kyle Livingstone (Ft. Worth, Texas) … Florida State jr. LF/RHP Mike McGee (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) … Texas Tech fr. 2B Jamodrick McGruder (Mesquite, Texas) … Coastal Carolina so. SS Taylor Motter (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) … Connecticut jr. 3B Mike Olt (Branford, Conn.) … Texas junior catcher Cameron Rupp (Plano, Texas) … Virginia Tech so. 1B Ronnie Shaban ( Moseley, Va.) … Mississippi so. DH Matt Snyder (Centreville, Va.) … Texas A&M-Corpus Christi jr. LF Chris Vergne (San Juan, Puerto Rico) … and Arizona sr. RHP Daniel Workman (Sierra Vista, Ariz.).

The 19 honorees include a pair of two-way talents (LHP/DH and LF/RHP), along with four other righthanded pitchers, three second baseman, two catchers, a pair of first basemen, two third basemen, a shortstop, leftfielder, centerfielder and DH. The selections feature a 5th-year senior, five seniors, seven juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen. The honorees hail from 10 different home states/foreign countries, led by four from Florida and three each from California and Texas, plus two each from Connecticut and Virginia, along with one from Arizona, New Jersey, Puerto Rice, Tennessee and Washington.

PRIMETIME PERFORMERS WEEKLY HONOR ROLL #10 (April 27, 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

ROBBIE ANSTON (CF)
Boston College … Sr.
Odessa, FL

Leadoff hitter who paced sweep at #50 North Carolina State (9-5/10-8/11-10), lifting Eagles to 2nd-place in ACC Atlantic Division … had 3 hits in each game while batting 9-for-17 (.529) with 7 RBI, 8 runs, 19 total bases (2 HR, 3B, 2 2B) and pair of stolen bases … hit 9th-inning, 2-run single for go-ahead runs in game-2 … his leadoff home run tied series finale in the 8th.

CHAD ARNOLD (RHP)
Washington State … Sr./Jr.
Kennewick, WA

Logged complete-game victory to knock off #24 Oregon State in Pacific-10 Conference series opener (5-1), limiting the Beavers to 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 11 (35 batters faced) … rolled up 10 groundout during his 125-pitch outing … dropped his season ERA to 3.03 and now is allowing opposing batters a .227 combined batting average.

CHRISTIAN BERGMAN (RHP)
UC Irvine … Sr.
Altadena, CA

Allowed leadoff single vs. UC Davis (runner was caught stealing) but went on to record 27 straight outs and face the minimum 27 batters, in a 1-hit victory over UC Davis (13-0) to help keep UC Irvine in the Big West Conference title hunt (no conf. tournament) … 19 of his outs came via strikeouts (6) or groundouts (13) … located 71% 0f his pitches for strikes (63 of 89).

DANNY BLACK (2B)
Oklahoma … Jr.
Roseville, CA

Sooners’ 2-hole hitter who racked up 10 RBI in three big wins (8-3 vs. #14 TCU; 6-5 in 13/10-2 at #37 Texas A&M), helping solidify OU’s postseason positioning … his other stats in the three big wins included 2 home runs, 3 runs scored, 2  doubles and a pair of walks.

KENNY DIEKROEGER (3B)
Stanford … Fr.
Woodside, CA

Lower-third hiter (7-hole) who had a pair of game-winning RBI in the Pacific-10 Conference series sweep of Bay-area rival #18 California (3-2/15-12/11-10) …  hit 6-for-12 and factored into 8 runs (5RBI-3R, 2B-BB) during series; executed sac-fly to win pitchers duel in opener … added 3-5/2RBI-2R effort in game-2 before his RBI double capped 3-run rally that won finale – pushing Cardinal (10-5) to within one game of Pac-10 leader Arizona  State.

CHRIS FONTANELLI (2B)
Seton Hall … 5th-Yr.-Sr.
Toms River, NJ

Helped hand #10 Louisville only its third home loss of the 2010 season (8-6; as one if the BIG EAST lower-ranked teams upset a league leader; SHU also suffered narrow losses in the series, 2-4/1-3) … had early 2-out RBI single and 2 runs in win over Cards; scored tying run in 5th inning of opener (2-2); executed 11 fielding chances as part of SHU’s error-free series.

BLAKE FORSYTHE (C)
Tennessee … Jr.
Memphis, TN

Helped post three wins over CB360 top-50 teams (18-8 vs. #46 Western Carolina; doubleheader sweep of #17 Vanderbilt, 4-2 in 11 & 4-3 in 7, to complete that Southeastern Conference series) … hit 5-13 with 6 RBI and pair of home runs in those three big wins (3 runs, double, 2 walks, hit-by-pitch) …  his 2-run blast ended 11-inning game vs. Vandy … a couple hours later, his walk was part of 2-run, game-ending rally that gave Vols the series.

Matt Harvey (RHP)
North Carolina … Jr. … Mystic, CT

Struck out 15 batters (nine “looking) from #19 Clemson, in complete-game win (5-3) as UNC went on to win key road series … held Tigers to 6 hits (.167 batting) and a single walk … posted 6 straight Ks in 6th and 7th innings.

*BRIAN JOHNSON (LHP/DH)
Florida … Fr.
Cocoa Beach, FL

Delivered on the mound and at the plate, as Gators edged #4 Arkansas (2-1) to win that top-10 series matchup between two of top teams in the Southeastern Conference … pitched 7.0 scoreless innings and allowed only 3 hits (.130 tean batting avg.) by SEC’s top offense (the Razorbacks entered the game with a .338 team batting avg. in league play) …  had 9 Ks and only 1 walk …  his 1-out single sparked 9th-inning rally (his pinch-runner scored winning run).

KYLE LIVINGSTONE (1B)
Texas State … Sr.
Ft. Worth, TX

Hit 5-for-11 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored in three big wins for Texas State (9-3 vs. #49 Baylor; 5-3 and 7-3 vs. Southland Conference contender Northwestern (La.) State), as the Bobcats cracked the national rankings for the first time during the 2010 season … serves primarily as team’s 5-hole hitter … played lead role in the win over Baylor (3RBI-2R).

MIKE McGEE (LF/RHP)
Florida State … Jr.
Port St. Lucie, FL

Two-way talent (5-6/8-7/7-6) who helped Florida State edge its  in-state rival and #11 Miami, in hard-fought series with three 1-run games …  hit 5-for-9 in the series with 3 HR, 5 RBI and 5 walks (also 4 runs, 2 doubles and a sac-fly) … his 9th-inning, 2-out, 2-run home run won the series (also was the pitcher of record, with 1.2IP-2K-5BF) … earlier walked and scored in 3-run bottom of 8th, as FSU similarly rallied to win gm-2 (2R in 9th).

JAMODRICK McGRUDER (2B)
Texas Tech … Fr.
Mesquite, TX

Texas Tech leadoff batter who hit 9-for-14 while factoring into 13 runs (7RBI, 6runs, 5 stolen bases, 2 doubles, 3 walks, sacrifice fly), as the Red Raiders won a key Big 12 Conference series at #41 Kansas (2-10/11-8/21-10) … closed the series at Kansas with an impressive all-around game, batting 4-for-5 with  6 RBI, 4 runs scored, a pair of doubles, 2 stolen bases, a walk and a sacrifice fly … did not make an error in the three-game series (12 fielding chances).

TAYLOR MOTTER (SS)
Coastal Carolina … So.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL

The Chanticlers’ 9-hole hitter who helped extend team’s win streak to 17 games, with sweep of Big South contender Virginia Military Institute (7-0/3-2/6-2) … hit 5-for-10 with a pair of home runs in the road series (4 RBI, 4 runs, 2 doubles, 2 walks; also made no errors on 13 fielding chances) … launched a key home run in the 3-2 series clincher, with Coastal Carolina going on to sweep the Keydets and gain firm control of the Big South race.

MIKE OLT (3B)
Connecticut
Jr. … Branford, CT

5-hole batter who led sweep of Rutgers in BIG EAST Conference showdown series (7-2/6-3/8-7 in 12) … hit 11-for-14 (.786) with 5 RBI and 2 home runs in the three games (5R-SF) … delivered quanity (5-for-6) and quality (9th-inning, tying HR) during the series finale versus the Scarlet Knights.

*CAMERON RUPP (C)
Texas … Jr.
Plano, TX

Cleanup batter who hit pair of 1st-inning, 3-run home runs and nearly added another 1st-run HR (RBI 2B high off wall) in Big 12 Conference series sweep of Oklahoma State (14-1/5-0/9-3), as Longhorns pushed their win streak to 16 … amassed 11 RBI & 12 total bases (2HR-2 2B; 4R-B) in series, also 2-run HR in midweek win over Arlington … called pitches for a Longhorns staff that posted a 1.25 ERA over the course of the four-game week.

RONNIE SHABAN (1B)
Virginia Tech
So. … Moseley, VA

Supplied several key hits from the 5-hole in Virginia Tech’s Atlantic Coast Conference series win over #5 Georgia Tech (3-1 in 11/10-3/12-14), batting 6-for-12 in the series with 5 RBI and 3 runs score (also had a home run, triple, 2 walks and a stolen base3) …  hit the g0-ahead single in 11th inning of the series opener … his 2-run home run in game-2 helped the Hokies race out to 6-0 lead, en route to the series-clinching win over the highly-ranked Yellowjackets.

MATT SNYDER (DH)
Mississippi … So.
Centreville, VA

Delivered from cleanup spot in Mississippi’s sweep of #7 LSU (11-9/9-8 in 11/7-6), batting at a .500 clip (6-12) with 7 RBI, 3 home runs and 5 runs scored (also reached on a BB & HBP) … delivered in opener vs. ace Anthony Ranaudo, with 1st-inning solo shot and 2-inning grand slam (8-2 lead) … closed series in similar fashion, with tying 2-run home run in the 8th.

CHRIS VERGNE (LF)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi … Jr.
San Juan, Puerto Rico

2-hole batter who helped Islanders win series from #31 Southeastern Louisiana (the Southland Conference leader) … hit 2-run double for early 4-2 lead in game-2 and added clinching grand slam (10-5 final) … went on to score 3 runs in series finale (11-5).

DANIEL WORKMAN (RHP)
Arizona … Sr./Jr.
Sierra Vista, AZ

Beat in-state rival #1 Arizona State (4-2; 6.1 innings, 2 runs, 5 hits, 4 strikeouts, 23 batters faced) and closed week with solid short start in team’s 6-4 win over #6 UCLA (3.1IP-R-3H-2BB-5K) … his combined stats in the pair of starts: 9.2 IP, 3R, 8H, 2BB, 9 Ks (.216 opp. batting avg.).

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

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Six 2009 Semifinalists On 2010 List

USA Baseball announced Thursday its preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List, marking the organization’s first step toward identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country. Sponsored by Major League Baseball, the Golden Spikes Award will be presented in 2010 for the 33rd time.

The Watch List features 50 of the nation’s top amateur talents, and it will be a “rolling” list to ensure that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the Golden Spikes Award, to be presented live on Tuesday, July 13, at the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest in Anaheim, Calif.

Headlining the 2010 Watch List are six athletes who were among the 30 semifinalists for the 2009 Golden Spikes Award. Those players are Daniel Bibona (LHP, Sr., UC Irvine), Bryce Brentz (OF/RHP, Jr., Middle Tennessee), Deck McGuire (RHP, Jr., Georgia Tech), Addison Reed (RHP, Jr., San Diego State), Anthony Rendon (3B, So., Rice) and Alex Wimmers (RHP, Jr., Ohio State).

“We’re very pleased to announce the 50 members of the preseason Watch List for the 2010 Golden Spikes Award,” said Paul Seiler, Executive Director/CEO of USA Baseball. “The level of amateur baseball talent in our country continues to rise each year, and there is no greater evidence of this than seeing six 2009 semifinalists named to the 2010 Watch List.”

The list of 50 names also features Bryce Harper of the College of Southern Nevada, a junior. The freshman catcher is the only junior-college player named to the list. Alex Fernandez, as a sophomore pitcher for Miami Dade Community College (now Miami Dade College) in 1990, stands as the only junior-college player to ever win the Golden Spikes Award.

LSU leads all schools with four players named to the Watch List. Texas is second with three, and Alabama, Arkansas, Cal State Fullerton, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Georgia Tech, University of Miami, Rice and Virginia have two apiece.

The SEC tops all conferences with 15 Watch List players. Other leading conferences include the ACC with 10 athletes, the Big 12 with five, and the Big West and Conference USA with three each. Juniors dominate the list with 35 players named. Sophomores are next with nine players, there are five seniors, and Harper is the lone freshman.

On Tuesday, June 1, USA Baseball officials will cut the list of players to 30 names. The final list of 30 will then be sent to a voting body consisting of select professional baseball personnel, past USA Baseball National Team coaches, select members of the media, former USA Baseball sports information directors, and current USA Baseball staff — about 150 voters in total.

All voters will be asked to choose five players from the list of 30 names. Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2010. June 1 will also mark the day when college baseball fans from across the country will be able to vote for their favorite player for the Golden Spikes Award on goldenspikesaward.com. On Tuesday, June 8, USA Baseball will announce the five finalists, and voting for a winner will commence that same day.

The 2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award will be presented nationally July 13 on an award show via live telecast from Anaheim on goldenspikesaward.com, USABaseball.com and MLB.com in conjunction with All-Star FanFest.

Past winners of the Golden Spikes Award include Terry Francona (1980), Will Clark (1985), Robin Ventura (1988), Jason Varitek (1994), J.D. Drew (1997), Mark Prior (2001), Jered Weaver (2004), Tim Lincecum (2006), David Price (2007), Buster Posey (2008) and last year’s winner, Stephen Strasburg.

2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Important Dates

Thursday, Feb. 18 – 50-player Watch List released, shaped by USA Baseball officials, advisors and college SIDs
Tuesday, June 1 – 30 semifinalists announced, selected by USA Baseball officials; semifinalist voting begins; voters select five
Friday, June 4 – Deadline to vote for finalists, 5:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday, June 8 – Five finalists announced; finalist voting begins; voters to select one
Friday, June 18 – Deadline to vote for winner, 5:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday, July 13 – Golden Spikes Award presentation live at All-Star FanFest in Anaheim

Complete 2010 preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List:

Name, School, Position, Class (in order of name)

Chad Bettis, Texas Tech, RHP, Junior
Daniel Bibona, UC Irvine, LHP, Senior
Bryce Brentz, Middle Tennessee, OF/RHP, Junior
Michael Choice, Texas-Arlington, OF, Junior
Gerrit Cole, UCLA, RHP, Sophomore
Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton, SS, Junior
Zack Cox, 3B/RHP, Arkansas, Sophomore
Todd Cunningham, OF, Junior
Blake Dean, LSU, Jacksonville State, 1B/OF, Senior
Sam Dyson, South Carolina, RHP, Junior
Brett Eibner, Arkansas, RHP/OF, Junior
Micah Gibbs, LSU, C, Junior
Sean Gilmartin, Florida State, LHP, Sophomore
Yasmani Grandal, University of Miami, C, Junior
Sonny Gray, Vanderbilt, RHP, Sophomore
Justin Grimm, Georgia, RHP, Junior
Jedd Gyorko, West Virginia, 2B/3B, Junior
Rick Hague, Rice, SS, Junior
Bryce Harper, College of Southern Nevada, C/3B/OF, Freshman
Cody Hawn, Tennessee, 1B, Junior
Chris Hernandez, University of Miami, LHP, Junior
Tyler Holt, Florida State, OF, Junior
Danny Hultzen, Virginia, LHP/1B, Sophomore
Kevin Jacob, Georgia Tech, RHP, Junior
Taylor Jungmann, Texas, RHP, Sophomore
Leon Landry, LSU, OF, Junior
Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech, RHP, Junior
Hunter Morris, Auburn, 1B/OF, Junior
Jarrett Parker, Virginia, OF, Junior
Drew Pomeranz, Mississippi, LHP, Junior
Anthony Ranaudo, LSU, RHP, Junior
Addison Reed, San Diego State, RHP, Junior
Anthony Rendon, Rice, 3B, Sophomore
Daniel Renken, Cal State Fullerton, RHP, Junior
Kyle Roller, East Carolina, 1B, Senior
Cameron Rupp, C, Junior, Texas
Chris Sale, Florida Gulf Coast, LHP, Junior
Jake Smith, Alabama, 3B/RHP, Senior
Josh Spence, Arizona State, LHP, Senior
Tony Thompson, Kansas, 3B, Junior
Preston Tucker, Florida, 1B, Sophomore
Kolbrin Vitek, Ball State, 3B/RHP, Junior
Austin Wates, Virginia Tech, OF, Junior
Cody Wheeler, Coastal Carolina, LHP, Junior
Ross Wilson, Alabama, 2B/SS, Junior
Alex Wimmers, Ohio State, RHP, Junior
Mickey Wiswall, Boston College, 3B/1B, Junior
Kolten Wong, Hawaii, 2B, Sophomore
Scott Woodward, Coastal Carolina, 3B, Junior
Brandon Workman, Texas, RHP, Junior

Ten Questions On The Eve Of The College Baseball Season

A new college baseball season is about to begin.  It’s a season that is started a week earlier than it was originally slated to begin, and one school (James Madison) has already canceled its season opener, because (spoiler) it snows in roughly two-thirds of the country in mid-February.

Anyway, from time to time different thoughts pop into my head and I have managed to corral a few of them here.  So, here are Ten College Baseball Questions For 2010… (in no particular order)…

1.  Can LSU Repeat? The odds say it’s not going to happen.  Oregon State (2006-2007), LSU (1996-1997) and Stanford (1987-1988) are the only teams to win back-to-back crowns since Rod Dedeaux’s USC Trojans ended a streak of five straight titles from 1970-1974.  Paul Mainieri’s Tigers have a lot of key elements returning, like Blake Dean’s bat and Anthony Ranaudo & Matty Ott’s arms, but the odds just aren’t in their favor.  On the other hand…

Russell Moldenhauer (Texas Photo)

2.  Can Texas Be Stopped? The odds (along with a sick pitching staff and a lot of returning everyday players) would seem to be in Augie Garrido’s favor.  The Longhorns return three starters, Taylor Jungmann, Cole Green and Chance Ruffin who could all be just about anyone’s number one starter.  The trio combined to win 26 games last year.  Cameron Rupp, Kevin Keyes and Omaha long ball ace Russell Moldenhauer are also back to lead the offense.  With all that back the biggest question right now seem to be can they stay number one from now until season’s end?

3.  Would An LSU vs. Texas Championship Re-Match Be Good For College Baseball? It would be good for TV ratings, but I don’t know that it would actually be good for the game as a whole.  Does anyone who’s not a Yankees fan think that the cash cow’s 27th title is good for any other MLB team other than the one in the Bronx with the new stadium and overpriced (and often empty) seats?  Texas and LSU at the College World Series is good for college baseball, because it gets casual fans a little more interested.  But when it comes time for all the marbles David vs. Goliath  is just more fun.

4.  Speaking Of David…Who Will Be This Year’s Cinderella? Fresno State was the ultimate Cinderella two years ago, but Mike Batesole’s great-great-great grand children will be playing before we see that kind of run again.  But that doesn’t mean there won’t be more Cinderellas.  They’re quite common when it comes to the CWS.  Fresno State, Southern Mississippi, Louisville, Southwest Missouri State, Notre Dame, and San Jose State all made it to Omaha in the last decade in what was either their first appearance or their first trip after a long CWS drought.  The odds say there’ll be a Cinderella, but the waiting is the hardest (and most fun) part.

Bryce Brentz (MTSU photo)

5.  Will Bryce Brentz Win the NCAA’s Triple Crown? The Middle Tennessee State slugger just about did it last year.  He led the nation with his .465 batting average, and he tied Alabama’s Kent Matthes for the home run title with 28.  Brentz also topped the charts with his .930 slugging percentage, but he missed the Triple Crown with “just” 73 RBIs.  That technically tied for 31st nationally, but Brentz was just 14 RBIs behind NCAA leader Paul Goldschmidt of Texas State.  Logical thinking would say Brentz, now a junior, doesn’t have a chance, but logic never pitched to Brentz.

6.  Can Arizona State Overcome The Loss Of Pat Murphy? Love him or hate him, it’s hard to argue with the success that Murphy had in his 15 years in the ASU dugout.   But it’s not like ASU had never won prior to Murph’s arrival.  He led his team to Omaha four times, but the program has 21 CWS appearances since 1964 thanks to Bob Winkles and Jim Brock.  Now it’s Tim Esmay’s turn to guide the cruise ship Sun Devil.  Esmay, a former Utah head coach, himself played for Brock in Omaha twice, and he was also on Murphy’s staff for the last five seasons.  He also has a lot of experience sitting with him in the dugout.  Ken Knutson is in his first year as an assistant on the ASU staff after 17 seasons as the Washington Huskies’ head coach.  ASU’s line-up is loaded again, and there’s plenty of pitching too.  For now anyway the good ship ASU doesn’t show any signs of running aground.

Jarrett Parker (UVA photo)

7.  Is Virginia The Next National Power Or A One-Hit Wonder? The Cavaliers can hardly be considered a Cinderella.  Yes, last year was their first-ever College World Series trip, but they are from the ACC and they won their conference tournament last year.  Glass slippers aside, it would be easy to write-off UVA as a team that got hot and made a big run.  However, last year’s CWS squad included 23 underclassmen and set 11 school records…and the most prominent components-like Danny Hultzen, Jarrett Parker and Kevin Arico to name a few-are all back this year.  Who saw North Carolina coming prior four years ago?  Mike Fox’s Tar Heels hadn’t been to Omaha since 1989 prior to 2006 & now they’ve gone four straight times.  Cavalier head coach Brian O’Connor has now guided the Cavs to six straight NCAA berths, and he has been a guy whose destiny has always seemed to be Omaha.  He grew-up in the shadow of Rosenblatt Stadium in Council Bluffs, NE, pitched in the ’91 CWS for Creighton, helped Notre Dame get to Omaha in 2002 as the Irish pitching coach, and finally took his own team to the promised land last year…not to mention the fact that his mug is one of the players on the famed “Road To Omaha” statue outside Rosenblatt.  So, if you’re asked what lies in the shadow of the statue the safe answer might be “O’Connor’s Cavaliers”.

8.  Is A Northern Team Ready To Make A Real National Statement? Michigan and Notre Dame flirted with it last decade.  St. John’s has had its moments, and Ohio State and Minnesota have each had some success, but it all comes down to pitching.  Or more specifically, pitching depth.  The biggest difference in teams in the good southern teams and the good northern teams is pitching depth.  There are guys coming out of the bullpen in the ACC and SEC who could be starters on most Big Ten and Big East teams.  Just look at last year’s save numbers in those conferences:  157 in the SEC & 160 saves in the ACC compared to 110 and 121 in the Big Ten and Big East, respectively.  But save totals don’t even tell half the story.

When it comes to playing in an NCAA Regional winning the first game is important, but for a northern team winning the first two games of a regional is critical.  The team that starts 2-0 at a regional is at least one starting pitcher ahead of each opponent it plays the rest of the weekend.  Look at Minnesota last year:  They lost their regional opener to Baylor, then out-slugged Southern 11-8 and Baylor 15-12 atfter that before falling 10-3 to LSU.  They played respectably, but they gave-up 10 runs a game over their last three contests, while LSU gave-up 3 runs with its third starter on the mound.   Ohio State lost 24-8 to Georgia to its regional opener last year, then won 6-4 and 13-6 in elimination games before getting trounced 37-6 by Florida State in game four (game 3 for FSU).  OSU’s starting pitcher gave-up 7 runs without getting an out in that game.  But what about Michigan in 2007?  The Wolverines won the first two games of their regional, lost game three, but then beat Vanderbilt in the deciding game four to advance to a Super Regional.  In 2002 Notre Dame used just five pitchers while going 3-0 at their Regional en-route to being the only northern team to advance to Omaha since the ’80s.  The Irish also used just two pitchers in their two Super Regional wins over Florida State the following week.   It’s no coincidence that in recent years only teams from the south have come back  to win a Regional after losing one of their first two games.

ECU's Kyle Roller (ECU photo)

9.  Is Conference USA The Most Underrated Baseball Conference In The Country? Quick question…what three conferences have sent at least one team to the College World Series in each of the last five seasons?  If you said the SEC, Pac 10 and Conference USA you get the gold star for the day (but remember to raise your hand before blurting out the answer next time).  Rice, Tulane and last year’s darling Southern Mississippi have all gone to Omaha in that stretch.  Terry Rooney left LSU after a trip to the 2008 CWS in part because C-USA had earned a reputation as a three bid league.  But Conference USA didn’t just get three bids last year.  Rice, Southern Miss. and East Carolina all advanced to Super Regionals, and ECU and USM did it by beating South Carolina and Georgia Tech, respectively, in Regional action.  USM then beat Florida on the road to advance to Omaha, Rice lost to eventual National Champ LSU in its Regional while ECU fell to a North Carolina team that made a fourth straight CWS appearance.  C-USA has arrived, and based on the talent the aforementioned ’09 Super Regional teams have back, the conference doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

10.  Will The Season Just Start Already? Really, aren’t you tired of waiting?  Oops, that’s another question, we don’t have room for eleven.  Is it here yet?  That’s another questions too…

Longhorns Look To Win Again

2009 Regular Season Champion:  Texas

2009 Tournament Champion:  Texas beat #3 seed Missouri 12-7 in the title game.

Postseason Power:  The Big 12 was well represented in the postseason with 8 of 10 teams that play baseball (Colorado and Iowa State do not) going to an NCAA Regional.  However, eventual national runner-up Texas was the only Big 12 team to even advance to a Super Regional.

Early Accolades:  Six Big 12 players, Tony Thompson (Kansas), Ryan Duke (Oklahoma) and Texas players Cameron Rupp, Chance Ruffin, Taylor Jungmann, and Cole Green have all received preseason All-American recognition.

Baylor

2009 Record:  (30-26, 10-16)

Mascot:  Bears

Head Coach:  Steve Smith

Location:  Waco, TX

Vitals:  .299 BA, 73 HR, .376 OBP, .983 Fld%…5.29 ERA, 2 CG, 10 SVs, 461 K, 224 BB, .292 opp. BA

Packed For Postseason:  2009 marked the 10th time in the last 12 seasons that Baylor made it to an NCAA Regional.  The Bears were 1-2 at last year’s Baton Rouge Regional.

Home Cookin’:  Baylor opens the season with an 18-game homestand.

Big Holes To Fill:  The Bears return five starters from last year’s team, but it’s not who’s back but who’s gone that is most significant.  Baylor loses it’s top thee run producers: Shaver Hansen (.330, 17 HR, 59 RBIs), Dustin Dickerson (.377, 10 HR, 41 RBIs) and Aaron Miller (.310, 12 HR, 47 RBIs).  They combined to hit more than half of the team’s 73 home runs.

Swing Man:  Logan Verrett (7-1, 5.13 ERA, 3 SVs) made five starts and 20 overall appearances.  He’s one of just three pitchers on the staff who had a winning record last year, and he’s the only one of the trio to pitch more than 37 innings.

Kansas

2009 Record:  (39-24, 15-12)

Mascot:  Jayhawks

Head Coach:  Ritch Price

Location:  Lawrence, KS

Vitals:  .301 BA, 61 HR, .389 OBP, .967 Fld%…4.46 ERA, 4 CG, 10 SV, 466 K, 179 BB, .267 opp. BA

Tourney Talk:  Kansas advanced to just the fourth NCAA Regional in school

Tony Thompson (KU photo)

history in 2009.  The Jayhawks were 2-2 at the Chapel Hill Regional.

Tony Terrific:  Junior 3B Tony Thompson exploded in 2009.  After hitting just .276 with 5 HR and 18 RBIs as a true freshman in 2008 Thompson won the first Triple Crown in Big 12 Conference history by batting .389 with 21 home runs and 82 RBIs.  He sported an 1.195 OPS, and struck out just 35 times in 247 at-bats.

Line-Up Losses:  While Thompson is KU’s biggest returning bat, the Jayhawks also lose two solid bats from last year’s team.  David Narodowski (.354) and Buck Afinir (.333) combined to hit 18 HR with 106 RBIs.

Family Ties:  Junior RHP Brett Bochy (5-0, 4.34 ERA) is the son of San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, while Soph. OF Jason Brunansky (.280, 2 HR) is the son of former big leaguer Tom Brunansky.

Hurlin’ ‘Hawks:  Bochy is one of 8 veteran pitchers to return from last year’s NCAA squad.  Included are weekend starters Lee Ridenhour (6-3, 4.65 ERA) and T.J. Walz (8-3, 4.70 ERA), while bullpen stalwarts Bochy, Colton Murray (2-3, 3.23 ERA) and Travis Blankenship (3-2, 5.80 ERA) combined for 102 appearances (just two starts among them) 132 Ks and 45 BB.

Kansas State

2009 Record:  (43-18-1, 14-11-1)

Mascot:  Wildcats

Head Coach:  Brad Hill

Location:  Manhattan, KS

Vitals:  .317 BA, 58 HR, .399 OBP, .972 Fld%…4.52 ERA, 6 CG, 11 SV, 453 K, 169 BB, .282 opp. BA

Wild (cat) Ride: 2009 will forever be the season that all future K-State baseball teams are judged by.  The Wildcats set a school record for wins, while earning the first NCAA Tournament berth in the 113 years of the program.  Head Coach Brad Hill also earned Big 12 and ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors.

Losses On The Mound…:  KSU loses its top two starting pitchers, including Big 12 Pitcher of the Year A.J. Morris (14-1, 2.09 ERA) who had 5 of the team’s 6 complete games. He and Lance Hoge (6-4, 4.54 ERA) notched nearly half of the

Jason King (KSU photo)

team’s wins.

…And Losses At The Plate: The Wildcats also have to replace their top three run producers from 2009 with Justin Bloxom (.361 BA, 12 HR, 63 RBIs), Jordan Cruz (.324, 11 HR, 52 RBIs) and Drew Biery (.329, 9 HR, 44 RBIs) all gone.  That trio accounted for more than half of the Cat’s 58 HR.

Wildcats Back:  Carter Jurica (.353, 4 HR, 46 RBIs), Nick Martini (.336, 4 HR, 50 RBIs) and Jason King (.316, 7 HR, 61 RBIs) give K-State a solid base to the line-up, while pitchers Thomas Rooke (5-2, 4.33 ERA) and James Allen (2-1, 5.50 ERA) also return.  The two combined to make 56 appearances with 99 Ks in 90 IP last year.

Missouri

2009 Record:  (35-27, 16-11)

Mascot:  Tigers

Head Coach:  Tim Jamieson

Location:  Columbia, MO

Vitals:  .272 BA, 41 HR,.964 Fld% …5.08 ERA, 6 CG, 12 SV, 492 K, 177 K

Tiger Fact:  Missouri’s 2009 NCAA bid gave Tim Jamieson’s team a seventh straight NCAA Regional berth.  Mizzou is one of just 14 programs in the country to receive NCAA bids from 2003-2009.  Missouri was 1-2 at the Oxford, MS Regional.  They lost twice to Western Kentucky and beat Monmouth.

Tough Losses:  Missouri loses both its staff pitching, Kyle Gibson (11-3, 3.21 ERA, 131 K), who went to Minnesota with the 22nd pick in last year’s draft, as well as its top bat,  Greg Folgia (.326, 12 HR, 70 RBIs) who was taken by Cleveland in the 40th round.

Draft Dodger:  Aaron Senne (.305, 6 HR, 43 RBIs) was picked by Minnesota in the 32nd round of last year’s draft, but chose to return for his senior season.

Bullpen By Committee:  Missouri had eight pitchers who appeared in at least 24 games in 2009.  On several occasions the Tigers at least eight pitchers for an inning in conference games.  Brad Buehler (1-3, 4.29 ERA, 8 SVs) led the team with 35 relief appearances for a total of 35.2 IP.  He and Tyler Clark (3-0, 2.86 ERA, 28 app.) are among the top returning bullpen arms.

Nebraska

2009 Record:  (25-28-1, 8-19)

Mascot:  Cornhuskers

Head Coach:  Mike Anderson

Location:  Lincoln, NE

Vitals:  .282 BA, 48 HR, .368 OBP, .970 Fld%…6.22 ERA, 4 CG, 6 SV, 361 K, 256 BB, .291 opp. BA

Rare Absence:  Nebraska failed to advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2009, marking just the second time since 2000 that the Cornhuskers failed to reach the postseason.

Coaching Connections:  Nebraska assistant Dave Bingham led Kansas to the 1993 College World Series as head coach of the Jayhawks.  Nebraska head coach Mike Anderson was an assistant on the ‘Husker’s 2001 & 2002 CWS squads before leading his own team to Omaha in 2005.

Cornhusker Returnees:  Sr. OF Tyler Farst (.333, 3 HR, 36 RBIs) received honorable mention All-Big 12 honors.  He was the only Cornhusker to receive All-Conference recognition.  Adam Bailey (.325, 12 HR, 50 RBIs) returns as well. 

Mound Experience: The Cornhuskers return a group of pitchers who combined to earn 23 of the team’s 25 total wins last year.  Mike Nesseth (5-4, 5.01 ERA) leads the group.  The senior led the pitching staff in wins, ERA, saves (2), and strikeouts with 73 in 64.2 IP.  He made 8 starts with 20 overall appearances, and tossed one of the team’s four complete games.   A handful of junior college transfers will also try to bolster a staff whose ERA ranked second to last in the Big 12 in ’09.

Two-Sport Cooper:  Sophomore Khiry Cooper (.229, 2 HR, 9 RBIs) had just 70 at-bats as a true freshman, but he’ll look for bigger contributions this year.  The 6’2 receiver/outfielder had 13 catches for 80 yards and a TD last fall for the Nebraska’s Holiday Bowl champion team.  Cooper was drafted in the 5th round by the L.A. Angels Of Anaheim coming out of high school.

Bulldog Bound:  Nebraska opens its season with a four-game series at Fresno State Feb. 19-22.

Oklahoma

2009 Record:  (43-20, 17-10)

Mascot:  Sooners

Head Coach:  Sunny Golloway

Location:  Norman, OK

Vitals:  .317 BA,  91 HR, .407 OBP, .973 Fld%…5.09 ERA, 3 CG, 16 SV, 495 K, 198 BB, .275 opp. BA

Out At Home:  Oklahoma hosted an NCAA Regional last year that included Arkansas, Wichita State and Washington State.  The Sooners made it to the championship round, but the Razorbacks advanced all the way to Omaha.

Ryan Duke (OU photo)

Sunny Days:  Since taking the helm at Oklahoma head coach Sunny Golloway has led OU to five straight NCAA berths.  That includes 2005 when he was 12-6 after taking over after Larry Cochell resigned.

The Duke Of Saves:  Junior closer Ryan Duke (3-1, 3.22) became the first Sooner pitcher since 2000 to earn All-American status after saving 16 games last season.  His save total led the Big 12 and ranked 6th in the nation.

Powered Down:  OU led the Big 12 with 91 HR in 2009, but loses its top four home run hitters.  Big 12 Player of the Year J.T. Wise (17 HR), Aaron Baker (15), Jamie Johnson (13), and Bryant Hernandez (12) are all gone.

Oklahoma State

2009 Record:  (36-24, 9-16)

Mascot:  Cowboys

Head Coach:  Frank Anderson

Location:  Stillwater, OK

Vitals:  .300 BA, 81 HR, .379 OBP, .976 Fld%…4.69 ERA, 3 CG, 15 SV, 516 K, 199 BB, .264 opp. BA

Power Outage: The Cowboys lose their top four power hitters from last years team.  Michael Dabbs (13 HR, 38 RBIs), Tyrone Hambly (10 HR, 41 RBIs), Neil Medchill (14 HR, 57 RBIs), Doug Kroll (10 HR, 36 RBIs) combined to smack 47 of OSU’s home runs.

Depleted Pitching:  The losses of starting pitchers Andrew Oliver (5-6, 5.30 ERA, 97 K in 88.1 IP),  and Tyler Blandford (7-4, 5.31 ERA, 97 K in 78 IP) and Randy McCurry (4-1, 2.16 ERA, 10 SVs) leave big holes to fill in the weekend rotation as well as the back end of the bullpen.

California Dreamin’:  After opening its season at home on Feb. 20 with one game vs. Oklahoma Christian, OSU plays USC, UCLA and Vanderbilt the following weekend at the Dodgertown Classic in L.A.

Kevin Keyes hit 9 HR last year for Texas.

Texas

2009 Record:  (50-16-1, 17-9-1)

Mascot:  Longhorns

Head Coach:  Augie Garrido

Location:  Austin, TX

Vitals:  .288 BA, 53 HR, .377 OBP, .976 Fld%…2.95 ERA, 6 CG, 18 SV, 556 K, 189 BB, .227 opp. BA

Armed & Ready:  Closer Austin Wood (6-1, 2.61 ERA, 15 SVs) is one of the two pitchers Texas loses from a staff whose 2.95 ERA

Taylor Jungmann

ranked second in the nation.   Taylor Jungmann (11-3, 2.00 ERA), Cole Green (5-3, 3.34 ERA) and Chance Ruffin (10-3, 3.32 ERA) are among the notable returnees.

Play Small:  The Longhorn offense was second to last in the Big 12 with 53 home runs, but led the nation with 104 sacrifice bunts last year.

Loaded Line-Up:  Texas loses five players who started at least 43 games last year, but they return some of their most productive players including Kevin Keyes (.305, 9 HR, 46 RBIs), catcher Cameron Rupp (.292, 11 HR, 46 RBIs), Brandon Loy (.288) who tied for the NCAA lead with 25 sac bunts, and Russell Moldenhauer (.262, 4 HR, 14 RBIs).  Moldenhauer started just 26 games last year due to injury, and he hit all four of his home runs at the College World Series.

Texas A&M

2009 Record:  (37-24, 14-13)

Mascot:  Aggies

Head Coach:  Rob Childress

Location:  College Station, TX

Vitals:  .298 BA, 85 HR, .392 OBP, .971 Fld%…4.49 ERA, 2 CG, 13 SV, 568 K, 172 BB, .261 opp. BA

Crowd Favorites:  Texas A&M ranked 9th in the nation with an average of 4,076 fans per game at Olsen Field in 2009.

One Step Back:  After going to back-to-back Super Regionals for the first time in program history in 2007 & 2008, the Aggies were just 1-2 at the Ft. Worth Regional last year.  Both losses were to Oregon State.

Trade-Off:  While the Aggies did lose Luke Anders (13 HR) and Kyle Colligan (15 HR), Brodie Green and Joe Patterson return to lead a team that hit the second-most home runs in the conference last year.   Colligan hit his team-leading 15 HR in 233 AB, while Patterson’s 12 HR came in just 145 AB.

Pitching The Pill:  Head coach Rob Childress’ forte is piching, and while the Aggies didn’t have the eye-popping 2.95 ERA that Texas had in ’09 his staff still tied for second with Kansas in the Big 12 at 4.49.  Ross Hales (6-2, 4.11 ERA) is the top starter back, while Nick Fleece (4-1, 3.54 ERA, 5 SVs) is the only returning reliever (of four) who combined for the team’s 13 saves last year.

Texas Tech

2009 Record:  (25-32, 12-15)

Mascot:  Red Raiders

Head Coach:  Dan Spencer

Location:  Lubbock, TX

Vitals:  .299 BA, 40 HR, .382 OBP, .959 Fld%…6.31 ERA, 2 CG, 12 SV, 409 K, 266 BB, .304 opp. BA

Experience:  The Red Raiders return seven of their top nine batters from last year’s squad, including C Jeremy Mayo (.313, 11 HR, 35 RBIs).  Three other returnees hit .327 or better.  However, the team that finished last in the Big 12 with just 40 HR loses its top home run hitter, Chris Richburg (.341, 14 HR, 60 RBIs), who led the team in nearly every offensive category.

Home Boy:  Lubbock RHP Chad Bettis (6-1, 3.59 ERA) did a little of everything last year.  He was the only Tech pitcher with a winning record, he started four games, made 19 relief appearances, tossed one of the staff’s two complete games, and earned 7 of the Red Raider’s 12 saves.

2010 Big 12 Predictions

Player of the Year:  Tony Thompson-Kansas – The junior takes the honor a year after winning the first Triple Crown in the history of the Big 12 Conference.

Pitcher of the Year:  Taylor Jungmann-Texas

Conference Champion:  Texas – There’s just too much great pitching and too many key line-up contributors back for them not to repeat.

Longhorn Longball In Omaha

Russell Moldenhauer led Texas with 4 HR and a 1.000 Slg.% at the CWS.

Texas DH Russell Moldenhauer’s explanation was simple “We’re not playing at Disch-Falk (the Longhorn’s home field),” Moldenhauer said after belting a pair of solo shots in UT’s 7-6 loss to LSU in game one of the CWS Championship Series.  Moldenhauer led Texas with 4 solo HR in his six games in Omaha after totaling just 15 hits in 38 games in 2009 prior to the College World Series (he was inured for much of the season).

The Longhorns needed every longball they could muster in Omaha.  They scored 17 of their 36 runs at the CWS courtesy of home runs (12 of the 14 shots were solo,)  Texas had just a .413 slugging percentage going into the College World Series, but they slugged at a .537 clip in their six games at Rosenblatt.

The home runs, along with a CWS-best 4.02 ERA in their six games, helped them overcome a.258 2-out batting average and .373 on-base percentage in Omaha.  Their 2-out average ranked 6th in the eight team CWS field, while the OBP was last.  However, only LSU’s .555 slugging percentage was better than Texas’ .537.

It’s also quite ironic that the team that led the nation with 104 sacrifice bunts (including an NCAA Tournament record with seven in a Super Regional game vs. TCU) in 2009 while hitting just a total of 53 home runs had more homers than any other team at the CWS.  LSU was second with 13 Omaha home runs, but the other six College World Series participants managed a combined 18 HR in a total of 19 games at Rosenblatt.

All told seven of the Longhorn’s nine regulars hit home runs during their stay in Omaha.  Here’s the breakdown with CWS HRs followed by each player’s final 2009 HR tally:

Russell Moldenhauer:  4/4 (Hit .350 with a slg% of 1.000 in 6 CWS games.)

Cameron Rupp:  3/11 (the 11 HR led Texas in ’09. Tied w/Keyes w/6 CWS RBIs.)

Kevin Keyes:  2/9  (Added two doubles & tied for team-leading w/6 RBIs.)

Connor Rowe:  2/8 (Had 7 total hits, including two doubles at CWS.)

Travis Tucker: 1/3 (Rowe led Texas with a .400 avg. in Omaha.)

Preston Clark:  1/3 (Hit .381 in Omaha (8 hits), but his HR was his only extra-base hit.)

Michael Torres:  1/5 (He also had a pair of Omaha doubles.)

Neither Brandon Belt nor Brandon Loy homered in Omaha, but they had 3 and 4 RBIs respectively.  Loy led the nation with 25 sac bunts in 2009, but he had just one in 6 games in Omaha.  Belt had 11 sac bunts in ’09, including two at the CWS.

Other Top Moments Of 2009

4.  Southern Mississippi Sweeps Florida To Go To Omaha

5.  The Texas vs. Boston College 25-inning Game

6.  Andrew Darr Comes Off The Bench & Comes Up Big For Arkansas

7.  Virginia Beats Stephen Strasburg In Irvine Regional Opener

8.  Washington State And Gonzaga End Long NCAA Tournament Droughts

9.  Cal Poly Gets Its First NCAA Tournament Bid

10.  Kansas’ Field of Dreams: Kansas, Kansas State & Wichita State All Get NCAA Bids

11.  Stephen Strasburg Strikes out 17 in a no hitter

12.  Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers No-hits Michigan

13.  Kansas Sweeps #1 Texas

14.  Bryce Brentz Has An April To Remember

15.  Clemson’s Kyle Parker Does Double Duty

16.  #1 Arkansas Beats #1 Arizona State

17.  Rhode Island Beats Miami And Oklahoma State

18.  Kansas State’s A.J. Morris beats Arizona State’s Mike Leake

19.  North Carolina’s Mike Fox Wins His 1,000th Game

20.  Illinois Shocks #1 LSU In Baton Rouge

21.  Alabama’s Kent Matthes Launches Longballs

22.  Freshman Levi Michael Starts In North Carolina’s Season Opener

23.  LSU Opens The New Alex Box Stadium

24.  Oregon Brings Back Baseball

LSU’s Ranaudo Tabbed Preseason National Player of the Year

Rupp and Jungmann Named MVPs At Team’s Award Banquet

AUSTIN, Texas – Taylor Jungmann and Cameron Rupp were named the Texas Baseball Most Valuable Pitcher and Most Valuable Player, respectively, at the Longhorns’ 2009

Taylor Jungmann

Baseball Awards Banquet on Sunday afternoon.

Jungmann was 11-3 with a 2.00 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 94.1 innings. He was instrumental in the Longhorns’ postseason run, going 4-0 with a 0.42 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 21.1 innings in Super Regional and College World Series action. Jungmann was tabbed a Freshman All-American and earned College World Series All-Tournament Team status.

Rupp led the Longhorns with 11 doubles and 46 RBI on the season. He hit .292 and added 46 runs and 13 doubles as the Horns’ starting catcher. Rupp hit .370 with eight runs, three doubles, three home runs and eight RBI in 12 NCAA postseason games. He earned College World Series All-Tournament honors and was named All-Big 12 honorable mention.

Cameron Rupp

Connor Rowe was tabbed the Lowe’s Most Improved Player. Rowe hit .277 with seven doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 40 RBI. He provided College World Series heroics, hitting the game winning walk-off home run against Arizona State to send the Longhorns to the championship series.

Travis Tucker earned the Team Captain Award. He hit .297 with a team-high 52 runs, 12 doubles, two triples, 30 RBI and 13 stolen bases as the Longhorns’ starting second baseman. Tucker remains on the squad as a student assistant following his three-year playing career.

Keith Shinaberry was voted by the players as the Teammate of the Year. Shinaberry was a four-year member of the Horns and was 1-0 with a 2.53 ERA as a senior.

The UT Athletics Student Services issued three awards for academic accomplishment. Shinaberry earned the Student Services Most Inspired Academic Performance Award, Russell Moldenhauer garnered the Academic Achievement Award and Stayton Thomas earned the Longhorn Academic Spirit Award.

The banquet concluded with the squad being presented with their College World Series runner-up rings.

(Press Release)

More Longhorns Notes

• Texas downed Texas State 9-7 on Sunday in a 14-inning exhibition game at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
• Texas State was a 2009 NCAA Regional Team.
• The Longhorns scrimmaged Baylor last week as well.  The two games count against the Longhorn’s 2010 56- game limit, so they will play a 54-game regular season.
• Tant Sheppard was 3-for-6 with a home run and five RBIs to lead Texas at the plate.
• Russell Moldenhauer homered as well.  He homered vs. Baylor as well.
• Brandon Workman, Austin Dicharry and Cole Green each pitched two shutout innings.

Collegebaseball360.com Editor, Sean Stires, shares some thoughts from a day of baseball at Rosenblatt Stadium…