Senior-Class Salute: South Carolina 178 wins from 2007-10

In the most recent update of CB360’s exclusive Senior Class Salute, we highlight a South Carolina baseball program that will be taking on UCLA in the CWS Championship Series (first game is tonight, at 6:30 central), after beating in-state rival twice (5-1/4-3) to earn the finals berth.

South Carolina has amassed a 178-82 record (.685) record over the past four seasons and is is tied with fellow SEC team Vanderbilt (also 178-82) for the 10th-most wins in all of Division I baseball, from 2007-10 (other SEC teams on the list below include: LSU, 12th with 175 wins from ‘07-’10 … Mississippi, 20th with 162 Ws … and Arkansas, 21st with 161). (front-page photo of Blake Cooper courtesy of South Carolina)

Following games played over the past few days at the CWS, Florida State departed Omaha with a record of 196-65 (.751) spanning the 2007-10 seasons. FSU finished with the 4th-best record from ‘07-’10, one behind ACC rival North Carolina. Coastal Carolina sits atop the list at 202-53, followed by 2010 CWS entrant Arizona State’s 201-52 (ASU narrowly finished with a better 4-year win pct. than Coastal, .795 to .792).

TCU – by virtue of its recent wins over FSU (the Frogs’ second CWS win over the Seminoles) and UCLA –moved into a tie with Rice for the 5th-most wins over any D-I program during the 2007 (186-65; .741).

The CB360 Senior Class Salute is modeled after a similar feature on sister site CollegeSoccer360.com. One difference between a sport such as women’s soccer and baseball is that senior classes for many baseball programs can be affected by: players leaving early for pro ball; players coming and going via transfer; and some utilizing a redshirt/extra season. Nonetheless, the 28 baseball programs listed below have experienced sustained winning over the past four years (with each averaging 39 or more wins per season) … and many of the players who are seniors/5th-year-seniors/redshirt juniors have played key roles in each program’s success during this four-year stretch.

(Note: the Senior-Class Salute will be a regular CB360 feature throughout the 2010 NCAAs and in future seasons … CB360 also will be developing lists for top junior classes based on career wins and top combined records over the past two seasons).

In addition to SC, ASU, FSU and TCU, two other teams at the 2010 CWS –  Oklahoma (19th; 163-88-1/.649) and Clemson (22nd; 161-97-1/.624) – are among the 28 winningest 4-year programs listed below. Oklahoma is 19th on this 4-year wins lists, while Clemson (161-97-1; .624) is tied with Arkansas for 21st on this list.

Florida ended its season with a combined record of 152-93 (.620) from 2007-10, while the remaining 2010 CWS team, UCLA, has gone 144-99 (.593) over the past four seasons.

South Carolina turned in a 46-20 record in 2007, followed by 40-23 marks in both 2008 and ‘09, before fashioning the 52-16 record this season.

Two players – righthanded ace pitcher Blake Cooper (Neeses, S.C.) and catcher Kyle Enders (Greer, S.C.)  – have been contributing members of the South Carolina program during the past four seasons, helping the Gamecock compile a yearly average of nearly 45 wins during that 2007-10 span.

South Carolina’s senior class also includes six players who attended other colleges/junior colleges earlier in their careers (or joined the program as a walk-on midway through their college career): RHP Jay Brown (Brunswick, Ga.), C/DH Brady Thomas (Anderson, S.C.), infielders Bobby Haney (Smithtown, N.Y.) and Jeffrey Jones (Ft. Worth, Texas), 1B Nick Ebert (Ocala, Fla.) and RHP Jordan Propst (Gaffney, S.C.).

COOPER – who is slated to make his third start of the 2010 CWS in Monday’s series opener vs. UCLA – has closed his college career with a stellar senior season that includes a 2.86 ERA and 12-2 record, a 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (116/38) and 21 more innings pitched (129) than hits allowed (108; .230 opp. batting avg.). The 5-foot-10, 180-pound RHP has led the way for a group of SC pitchers that has combined for a 3.53 staff ERA and .228 opponent batting avg.

A standout pitcher throughout his four seasons (33 career wins), Cooper made two starts versus Oklahoma during CWS bracket – with his combined stats including a 3.38 ERA, 0-1 record, 10 hits allowed, 3 walks and 11 strikeouts in 10.2 innings. Both of those games were tense 1-run decisions, with SC losing the first game vs. OU 4-3 (Cooper had 5IP-3R-6H-BB-5K) on June 20. Cooper then returned to the mound on June 24 and had no-decision in a solid outing (5.2IP-R-4H-2BB-HB-6K), as the Gamecocks stayed alive with a 4-3 win.

Cooper (a Edisto High School product) has compiled a 3.78 ERA and 33-13 record in 68 career appearances (61 starts) for South Carolina, with a 2.5 career K-to-walk ratio (283/113) and an average of roughly one hit allowed per inning (374 H; 369.0 IP).

ENDERS picked a perfect time to hit his third home run of the season, doing so in the recent 5-1 win over Clemson to help SC fight off elimination. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound righthanded-hitting catcher has made 49 starts this season (59 games played) while batting .282 with 32 RBI and 13 extra-base hits (9 2B, 3B). His total”free passes” (32 walks + 7 hit-by-pitch) are more than twice his strikeouts (19), helping yield an on-base pct. of .369.

Over the course of his four-year career, Enders (a Riverside HS product) has hit .276 in 224 games played, with 99 RBI, 90 runs scored, 48 extra-base hits (13 HR, 2 3B, 33 2B) and 51 walks.

The 28 teams on the list (see below) of winningest programs from 2007-10 include six from the ACC, five SEC, plus three Big 12 programs and three from Conference USA, along with two each from the BIG EAST and Big West, and one each from the Atlantic-10, Big South, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Pacific-10, Southern Conf. and the Summit League.

Three teams on this list – Wichita State (#15), Charlote (#18) and East Carolina (#20) – failed to reach the 2010 NCAAs.

There have been 76 different teams over the past four years (2007-10) that have posted at least one season with 40-plus wins.

Winningest Senior Classes in 2010 College Baseball Season (2007-10)
(prior to CWS Championship Series)
(research courtesy of CollegeBaseball360.com; please credit accordingly)
* – 2010 College World Series teams

Place	Team	Won	Loss	Tie	Pct.	'10 W	'10 L	'10 T	'09 W	'09 L	'09 T	'08 W	'08 L	'08 T	'07 W	'07 L	'07 T
(1)	Coastal Carolina	202	53	0	.792	55	10	0	47	16	0	50	14	0	50	13	0
(2)	Arizona State*	201	52	0	.795	52	10	0	51	14	0	49	13	0	49	15	0
(3)	North Carolina	197	70	0	.738	38	22	0	48	18	0	54	14	0	57	16	0
(4)	Florida State*	196	65	0	.751	48	20	0	45	18	0	54	14	0	49	13	0
(5)	TCU*	186	65	0	.741	54	14	0	40	18	0	44	19	0	48	14	0
(5)	Rice	186	70	0	.727	40	23	0	43	18	0	47	15	0	56	14	0
(7)	Texas	185	68	1	.730	50	13	0	50	16	1	39	22	0	46	17	0
(7)	Louisville	185	77	0	.706	50	14	0	47	18	0	41	21	0	47	24	0
(9)	Virginia	184	68	1	.729	51	14	0	49	15	1	39	23	0	45	16	0
(10)	Vanderbilt	178	82	0	.685	46	20	0	37	27	0	41	22	0	54	13	0
(10)	South Carolina*	178	82	0	.685	52	16	0	40	23	0	40	23	0	46	20	0
(12)	LSU	175	84	2	.674	41	22	0	56	17	0	49	19	1	29	26	1
(13)	Texas A&M	174	83	1	.676	43	21	1	37	24	0	46	19	0	48	19	0
(14)	UC Irvine	173	71	1	.708	39	21	0	45	15	0	42	18	0	47	17	1
(15)	Cal State Fulleton	172	81	0	.680	46	18	0	47	16	0	41	22	0	38	25	0
(15)	Wichita State	172	85	0	.669	41	19	0	30	27	0	48	17	0	53	22	0
(17)	Miami	171	77	0	.690	43	20	0	38	22	0	53	11	0	37	24	0
(18)	Charlotte	164	67	0	.710	39	17	0	33	22	0	43	16	0	49	12	0
(19)	Oklahoma*	163	88	1	.649	50	18	0	43	20	0	36	26	1	34	24	0
(20)	Mississippi	162	95	0	.630	39	24	0	44	20	0	39	26	0	40	25	0
(21)	Arkansas	161	90	0	.641	43	21	0	41	24	0	34	24	0	43	21	0
(21)	Clemson*	161	97	1	.624	45	25	0	44	22	0	31	27	1	41	23	0
(23)	East Carolina	160	91	0	.638	32	27	0	46	20	0	42	21	0	40	23	0
(24)	Georgia Tech	158	80	1	.663	47	15	0	38	19	1	41	21	0	32	25	0
(25)	Oral Roberts	157	73	0	.683	36	27	0	33	15	0	48	14	0	40	17	0
(25)	Coll. of Charleston	157	80	0	.663	44	19	0	35	22	0	39	20	0	39	19	0
(25)	Southern Miss.	157	95	0	.623	36	24	0	40	26	0	42	22	0	39	23	0
(28)	St. John's	156	77	0	.670	43	20	0	30	22	0	42	16	0	41	19	0

College Baseball Sr.-Class Salute: Coastal Leads the Way from ‘07-’10

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers have compiled the most wins (198-50-0) in Division I college baseball spanning the past four seasons (2007-10) and sit atop the first edition of CB360’s exclusive Senior Class Salute. This offering is modeled after a similar feature on sister site CollegeSoccer360.com (see links below):

(front page photo of senior catcher Jose Iglesias – who has logged 115 games played over the past two seasons – courtesy of Coastal Carolina; Iglesias played his first season at St. John’s)

One difference between a sport such as women’s soccer and baseball is that senior classes for many baseball programs can be affected by: players leaving early for pro ball; players coming and going via transfer; and some utilizing a redshirt/extra season. Nonetheless, the 25 baseball programs listed below have experienced sustained winning over the past four seasons (with each averaging 39 or more wins per season) … and many of the players who are seniors/5th-year-seniors/redshirt juniors have played key roles in the program’s success during this four-year stretch.

(Note: the Senior-Class Salute will be a regular CB360 feature throughout the 2010 NCAAs and in future seasons … CB360 also will be developing lists for top junior classes based on career wins and top combined records over the past two seasons).

Coastal Carolina’s four-year run has included three rare 50-win seasons (50-13 in 2007 … 50-4 in ‘08 … and 51-17 in the current 2010 season)  plus 47-16 in ‘09. Two programs – Arizona State (195-50-0) and North Carolina (195-68-0) – currently are tied for second on this four-year list, followed by Florida State (190-62-0), Rice (184-68-0), Louisville (181-66-1), Texas (181-66-1) and Virginia (180-65-1) in spots #4-#8. TCU (178-62-0) and LSU (174-82-2) round out the top-10.

The 25 teams on this list include five each from the ACC and SEC, plus three Big 12 programs and three from Conference USA, along with two Big West squads and one each from the Atlantic-10, BIG EAST, Big South, Missouri Valley, Mountain West,  Pacific-10, and the Summit League.

Six of the top-8 national seeds for the 2010 NCAAs – Coastal, ASU, Louisville, Texas, UVa and Georgia Tech (#25) – are included on this top-25 list (Florida is 147-91-0 over the past four seasons and UCLA 136-97-0).

Three teams on this top-25 list – Wichita State (#15), Charlote (#18) and East Carolina (#20) – failed to reach the 2010 NCAAs.

There have been 73 different teams over the past four years (2007-10) that have posted at least one season with 40-plus wins.

Winningest Senior Classes in 2010 College Baseball Season (2007-10)
(prior to 2010 NCAAs … research courtesy of CollegeBaseball360.com; please credit accordingly)
* – not in 2010 NCAAs

Place	Team	Won	Loss	Tie	Pct.	'10 W	'10 L	'10 T	'09 W	'09 L	'09 T	'08 W	'08 L	'08 T	'07 W	'07 L	'07 T
(1)	Coastal Carolina	198	50	0	.798	51	7	0	47	16	0	50	14	0	50	3	0
(2)	Arizona State	195	50	0	.760	46	8	0	51	14	0	49	13	0	49	15	0
(3)	North Carolina	195	68	0	.742	36	20	0	48	18	0	54	14	0	57	16	0
(4)	Florida State	190	62	0	.754	42	17	0	45	18	0	54	14	0	49	13	0
(5)	Rice	184	68	0	.730	38	21	0	43	18	0	47	15	0	56	14	0
(6)	Louisville	183	75	0	.709	48	12	0	47	18	0	41	21	0	47	24	0
(7)	Texas	181	66	1	.732	46	11	0	50	16	1	39	22	0	46	17	0
(8)	Virginia	180	65	1	.734	45	16	0	39	23	0	49	15	1	47	11	0
(9)	TCU	178	62	0	.742	46	11	0	40	18	0	44	19	0	48	14	0
(11)	LSU	174	82	2	.678	40	20	0	56	17	0	49	19	1	29	26	1
(10)	Vanderbilt	173	79	0	.687	41	17	0	37	27	0	41	22	0	54	13	0
(13)	UC Irvine	171	69	1	.711	37	19	0	45	15	0	42	18	0	47	17	1
(12)	Texas A&M	171	81	1	.678	40	19	1	37	24	0	46	19	0	48	19	0
(14)	South Carolina	169	81	0	.676	43	15	0	40	23	0	46	20	0	46	20	0
(14)	Wichita State*	169	85	0	.665	38	19	0	30	27	0	48	17	0	53	22	0
(16)	Cal State Fulleton	167	78	0	.681	41	15	0	47	16	0	41	22	0	38	25	0
(17)	Miami	165	74	0	.690	37	17	0	38	22	0	53	11	0	37	24	0
(18)	Charlotte*	164	67	0	.710	39	17	0	33	22	0	43	16	0	49	12	0
(19)	Mississippi	161	93	0	.634	38	22	0	44	20	0	39	26	0	40	25	0
(21)	East Carolina*	160	91	0	.638	32	27	0	46	20	0	42	21	0	40	23	0
(20)	Arkansas	158	87	0	.645	40	18	0	41	24	0	34	24	0	43	21	0
(21)	Oklahoma	157	85	1	.648	44	15	0	43	20	0	36	26	1	34	24	0
(24)	Oral Roberts	156	71	0	.687	35	25	0	33	15	0	48	14	0	40	17	0
(23)	Georgia Tech	156	78	1	.666	45	13	0	38	19	1	41	21	0	32	25	0
(24)	Southern Miss.	156	93	0	.627	35	22	0	40	26	0	42	22	0	39	23	0

CLICK HERE to see similar Senior Class Salute on sister site CollegeSoccer360.com
(… here’s another sample of a Senior-Class Salute from CS360 … and here’s another)

CB360 On-Site Report (Stanford-Oregon St.; 4/17)

Beavers Offense Missing in 5-3 Loss To Cardinal … CB360 west-coast correspondent Chase Titleman checks in from another key Pac-10 series (excerpts of his Road2Rosenblatt.com report included below; edited by CB360 co-founder Pete LaFleur; front-page photo courtesy of Stanford) …

Stanford sophomore righthander Jordan Pries, who has been magnificent his past three outings, outdueled Beavers pitcher Tanner Robles as each threw 7.1 innings, but Pries got more support from his teammates as the Cardinal (#45 in the CB360 Composite National Rankings) won Saturday at Oregon State (CNR #14) for the second day in a row, 5-3.

Longtime Stanford head coach Mark Marquess appears to have the Cardinal youth heading in the right direction.

One day after the Cardinal blasted OSU at home 14-6 in a 19-hit attack, Pries – the reining PAC-10 “Pitcher of the Week” and a recent CB360 national Primetime Pitcher of the Week honoree – gave up three runs off the bat of Oregon State third baseman Stefan Romero, who hit a towering 3-run blast off the glove of centerfielder Jake Stewart (who leaped in front of a TV camera crew in left-center, but came up empty).

Pries gave up six hits with seven Ks and only ran into trouble in the 5th, when he loaded the bases on walks – only to get out of the jam as the Beavers came up short offensively, which has really been a microcosm of the Oregon State season.

As head coach Mark Marquess (in his 34th year) will allude to in an interview after the game (see link below), Oregon State has one of the deepest pitching staffs, not only in the PAC-10 but throughout the nation.

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Despite the success of the pitching staff, the Beavers often struggle to score runs  as the offense often lacks some quality punch throughout the lineup. To compound the problem, PAC-10 opponents haven’t provided any extra outs via poor defensive play over the past two weekends, nor have the Beavers taken advantage of some baserunning situations when the opportunity presents itself.

In the showdown the previous week with UCLA, Oregon State second baseman Keith Jennette failed to score from third base with less than two outs when leadoff hitter Adalberto Santos hit a hard grounder at second baseman Tyler Rahmatulla (who had to range to his left) in a 1-0 game in the bottom of the 8th.

The run would have tied the game, with the Beavers later potentially winning the game 2-1 as they eventually came back to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th.

Throughout the 16-inning affair, Oregon State twice ran themselves out of winning opportunities when baserunners at second base challenged Bruin shortstop Niko Gallego, who made several diving attempts in the hole and threw out runners at third base (those runner typically should have been “freezing” to read the ball through into the outfield, before advancing).

As fate would have it, those runs would have scored later in the inning.

Those little things were the type of factors that helped Oregon State’s 2006 and 07′ teams to win back-to-back national titles … but they are elements missing this year in Corvallis. With some better baserunning execution, the Beavers would have won the series with Bruins last week and could have won today to even the series versus Stanford.

As an example, with Oregon State in a tight ballgame once again today versus the Cardinal, the Beavers failed to advance on the basepaths with heads-up baserunning, leaving another solid effort wasted by a stellar OSU pitching staff.

In the second inning, Pries wheeled for a pickoff try at second base and the ball tipped off the glove of Jake Schlander (hitting hero from game-1) – but Romero failed to advance, as he apparently didn’t realize the ball was rolling into the outfield. Centerfielder Jake Stewart was playing deep (with cleanup hitter Danny Hayes at bat), and Romero could have waltzed into third and possibly scored if the ball had been bobbled, which it wasn’t.

Not to be outdone, Hays later hit a double into left-center in the bottom of the 8th, but he also failed to advance to third when the throw from cutoff man Jake Schlander sailed over the head of trailing first baseman Jon Kaskow. The ball rolled all the way beyond the first-base foul line and was fielded by catcher Zach Jones before Hays even appeared to realize that the throw was errant. Hays seemed content with himself after hitting the double, his eyes drifting down to the dirt near second base (similar to Romero) while failing to stay with the ball (a “cardinal sin” of baserunning).

With an offense that struggles to score runs consistently, Oregon Stage must scrap for each extra base an opponent will provide, but so far the past two weekends have witnessed the Beavers asleep at the wheel on the bases.

Lefthander Tanner Robles, who was masterful a week ago versus the Bruins, picked up where he left off and was in control of today’s game when the Beavers raced to a 3-0 lead in the 3rd. But that was the only punch Oregon State landed and the Cardinal slowly jabbed their way back into the game.

Robles went 7.1 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits with four K’s and one base on ball. He pitched well enough to win for the second week in a row, as he has much of the season, although his 4-3 record is nowhere near reflective of his quality performance in 2010.

With the score tied in the bottom of the 10th (3-3), and the bunt in order, Stanford second baseman Colin Walsh drilled a 2-1 fastball from closer Tyler Waldron over the grandstand in right field for the game-winning RBIs. Walsh drove in Adam Gaylord, who reached on a drag bunt when Waldron and catcher Parker Berberet collided after failing to communicate bunt coverage.

The Cardinal did the little things that the Beavers simply didn’t do to win, and – when Oregon State went quietly 1-2-3 in the 10th – the Cardinal celebrated the series, now aiming higher for a much-prized weekend sweep on Benchmark Sunday.

The little things are coming back to haunt an Oregon State program that may be at a major crossroads, with the entire season possibly hanging in the balance of a punch-less offense – amid an ocean of quality arms and a pitching staff as good as any in the nation.

Head Coach Pat Casey and associate head coach Marty Lees, possibly distraught over the team’s’performance the past three weekends, did not attend the post-game press conference. The Beavers may be in trouble, as they have lost four of their past five on a current seven-game homestand and still must face league-leading Arizona State, along with California, Arizona and the Washington schools in the closing months.

Although Rivals.com has the Beavers listed as hosting an NCAA regional in Corvallis, this may not be a team worthy of such high standard. They simply do not push across enough runs to support such a talented pitching staff, and if things do not turn around offensively in a hurry with the bulkhead of the PAC-10 season hanging in the balance, Oregon State could end up on the outside looking in come “Selection Sunday” in June.

Thursday’s Top-50 Results/Links

Eight teams ranked in CB360’s Composite National Rankings were in action on March 4, with the most noteworthy matchups including LSU-Pepperdine, ASU-Cal Poly, Kentucky-San Diego St., and Oklahoma-So. Florida. (front-page photo courtesy of ASU/Jason Wise).

Thursday’s games did not involve any matchups between fellow CNR top-50 teams, but #1 LSU (home vs. Pepperdine) and #6 Arizona State (at Cal Poly) each defeated teams that were listed in the CNR top-50 the previous week. Oklahoma (#26 in the CNR) also faced a challenge at home vs. a South Florida team that was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference, while #23 Kentucky played across the country and lost at San Diego State (which took 2-of-3 from previous CNR #21/current #37 San Diego).

CollegeBaseball360.com provides regular updates of games involving CNR top-50 teams, via the on-site Twitter feed (located in the right sidebar of all the site’s pages) and also now on the “Today’s Top-50 Games” page (which often will include links for live coverage, team rosters, gamenotes, etc.). Time permitting, CB360 also will begin providing in-game Twitter updates (in addition to final scores/details) – with the new offerings to include starting pitchers, lineups for big games, and in-game updates/details (particularly for matchups of fellow top-50 teams or when a potential upset is  brewing).

March 4 Noteworthy Games

(ranks indicate CB360  Composite National Rankings top-50)

Final Scores (upsets in italics)

• at #1 LSU 8, Pepperdine 1  |  Final Stats
LSU Recap |  PEP Recap (not yet posted)  |  Photos

• #6 Arizona State 12, Cal Poly 9 (Surprise, AZ)  |  Final Stats
ASU Recap |  CP Recap

• at #15 North Carolina 6, Gardner Webb 5  |  Final Stats
UNC Recap |  GW Recap |  Photos

• at #16 Oregon State 10, UC Riverside 3  |  Final Stats
OSU Recap |  UCR Recap

•at San Diego State 12, #23 Kentucky 4 |  Final Stats
SDSU Recap |  KY Recap

• #25 Stanford 10, at UC Davis 6  |  Final Stats
STAN Recap |  UCD Recap

• at #26 Oklahoma 5, South Florida 4  |  Final Stats
OU Recap |  USF Recap |  Photos

#42 Florida International 5, Utah Valley 4 (Surprise, AZ)  |  Final Stats
FIU Recap |  UV Recap

Schedule (with links)

• 3:00 ET – Gardner Webb at #15 North Carolina

UNC info. –  NOTEBOOK |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS

• 3:00 CT – South Florida at #26 Oklahoma

OU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS
Sooner Classic MAIN PAGE (March 4-7; field includes USF, W. Illinois & S.F. Austin)

• 2:00 PT – #25 Stanford at UC Davis

STAN info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS

• 3:00 PT – UC Riverside vs. #16 Oregon St.

(Surprise, AZ)

OSU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE

• 4:00 PT – #6 Arizona State vs. Cal Poly (Surprise, AZ)

ASU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS

• 6:30 CT – Pepperdine at #1 LSU

LSU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE
PEP info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS

• 6:00 PT – #23 Kentucky at San Diego State

KY info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE
SDSU info. – ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE

• 7 MT – #42 FIU vs. Utah Valley (Surprise, AZ)

FIU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE

Kansas Splits Domed Doubleheader With EMU

Both Teams Finally Get Season-Openers In

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Senior Cameron Selik earned his first victory of the season, holding Eastern Michigan to

one run on two hits over six innings, while the Jayhawks sent 12 men to the plate and scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to down Eastern Michigan 9-5 in the second game of the doubleheader Monday night at the Metrodome.  EMU won the first game, 3-1.

Selik silenced EMU’s bats for most of the night.  He allowed just two base runners – an RBI double following an error and an infield single in the sixth – but was in control for most of the evening. He retired the first 10 men he faced, before EMU shortstop Aaron Crooks reached on an error with one out in the fourth.

Dating back to his NCAA Tournament victory against Coastal Carolina last May, Selik has allowed just one earned run on five hits over his last 12 2/3 innings.

His offense tallied single runs in each of the first three innings to help him earn his first win.

Senior Robby Price drove in runs in both the first and second innings, while sophomore James Stanfield tripled home Jimmy Waters in the third to stake KU to a 3-0 lead.

Kansas broke the game open in the eighth without the benefit of a base hit. The Jayhawks sent 12 men to the plate in the frame, drawing eight walks and a hit by pitch to score six runs. During the inning, seven-straight Jayhawks reached

base without the benefit of a base hit with two outs.

As a team, KU collected just four hits and none after Stanfield’s third-inning triple.

In the first game, EMU pitcher Corey Chaffins held the Jayhawks to one run on just three hits over seven innings. Junior Jimmy Waters drove in KU’s only run of the game with a fourth-inning RBI single to plate Brian Heere, who walked to lead off the inning.

Chaffins had everything working to shut down the Kansas offense in the season opener for both squads, as he went seven strong innings, yielding just one run on three hits while tallying eight strikeouts to earn the victory.

The victory in game one marks EMU’s second win all-time against the Jayhawks, while Jay Alexander earns his second straight season opening victory as the Eagles’ Head Coach. It marks EMU’s first win over a top 25 team since the 2007 season when the team topped No. 19 Tennessee.

The Eagles out-hit the Jayhawks in both games, 8-3 in game one and 7-4 in game two, but a disastrous eighth inning in game two in which the Eagles’ pitching staff allowed eight walks and a hit batsman proved too much to overcome, despite a late rally with four runs in the ninth inning to limit the deficit. The split moves the all-time series to 4-2 between the two squads, with Kansas holding on to the advantage.

The games were originally scheduled to be played on the Jayhawks’ home field in Lawrence, KS, but they were moved to the Metrodome due to snow and low temperatures across the Midwest.

(Releases & staff report)

Composite National Rankings – Feb. 19

CNR Contact: Pete LaFleur (pete@collegebaseball360.com)

CollegeBaseball360.com again will be the home of the Composite National Rankings (CNR) during the 2010 season.  The preseason CNR – encompassing five national polls and a projected strength of schedule – is listed below, with the top-10 teams including: Texas, LSU, Cal State Fullerton, Virginia, UC Irvine, Rice, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Florida and Arizona State.

The CNR again is based on a 100-point scale. Teams in the five national polls – USA Today/ESPN (coaches poll), NCBWA (writers), Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, and Rivals – receive points based on their standings in each poll (60 pts for #1, 59 for #2, etc.). For polls involving voting points (coaches and CB), the CNR adjusts to reward teams that have larger margins in the voting-point totals (whereas two teams with nearly the same voting-point total will be closer in the CNR allotment for that poll).

The five CNR totals from the national polls are averaged (max. of 60) and 37 is added to each total. Finally, a projected strength-of-schedule bonus is added (max of 3 CNR pts) to produce the 100-point scale.

The CNR top-50 combines several groups of “experts” to provide a preseason projection of the 2010 NCAA Championship field (50 teams, plus 14 others from lower-rated automatic-bid conferences – those teams will be projected in next week’s CNR). Later in the season, other factors – such as various power rankings, NCAA-field predictions and last-10-games records – will be included in the CNR formula.

The 16 conferences represented in the CNR top-50 include nine from the Southeastern Conference (two top-10; six top-25): #2 LSU, #9 Florida, #15 Arkansas, #20 South Carolina, #22 Mississippi, #23 Georgia, #31 Vanderbilt, #34 Alabama and #38 Kentucky. There also are eight from the Big 12 Conference (only one in top-25) – #1 Texas, #27 Kansas, #28 Oklahoma, #30 Texas A&M, #36 Kansas State, #39 Missouri, #42 Oklahoma State and #43 Nebraska – and seven from the Atlantic Coast Conference (three top-10; six top-25): #4 Virginia, #7 Florida State, #8 Georgia Tech, #12 Clemson, #13 North Carolina, #14 Miami and #48 Boston College.

Nearly half of the teams (24 of 50) in the CNR top-50 come from the SEC, Big 12 and ACC, followed by five from the Pacific-10 Conference (one top-10; three top-25) – #10 Arizona State, #16 Oregon State, #25 UCLA, #29 Stanford and #41 Arizona – and two other west-coast leagues: four Big West Conference teams (# 3 Cal State Fullerton, #5 UC Irvine, #37 Long Beach State and #40 Cal Poly) and the West Coast Conference trio of #21 San Diego, #35 Pepperdine and #44 Gonzaga).

Three other leagues have multiple teams in the CNR: Conference USA (#6 Rice, #17 East Carolina, #26 Southern Mississippi), the Big Ten (#24 Ohio State, #33 Minnesota,) and the Atlantic Sun (#48 Florida Gulf Coast, #50 Jacksonville). Seven conferences have single representatives in the CNR top-50: the Mountain West (#11 TCU), Big South (#18 Coastal Carolina), BIG EAST (#19 Louisville), Missouri Valley (#32 Wichita State), the Summit League (#44 Oral Roberts), Sunbelt (#46 Middle Tennessee) and Western Athletic (#47 Fresno State).

College Baseball 2010 Composite National Rankings (CNR)

courtesy of CollegeBaseball360.com (#1; Feb. 19.)

1. Texas – 98.50
2. LSU – 96.11
3. Cal State Fullerton – 95.14
4. Virginia – 94.04
5. UC Irvine – 89.68
6. Rice – 89.33
7. Florida State – 88.89
8. Georgia Tech – 88.17
9. Florida – 87.94
10. Arizona State – 87.66
11. TCU – 80.50
12. Clemson – 80.16
13. North Carolina – 79.57
14. Miami (FL) – 79.34
15. Arkansas  – 78.17
16. Oregon State – 77.90
17. East Carolina – 76.51
18. Coastal Carolina – 76.43
19. Louisville – 76.05
20. South Carolina – 72.92
21. San Diego – 72.83
22. Mississippi – 72.68
23. Georgia – 68.34
24. Ohio State – 63.79

25. UCLA – 63.43
26. Southern Mississippi – 61.94
27. Kansas – 56.78
28. Oklahoma – 54.04
29. Stanford – 53.75
30. Texas A&M – 52.96
31. Vanderbilt – 50.75
32. Wichita State – 49.83
33. Minnesota – 48.92
34. Alabama – 44.37
35. Pepperdine – 44.36
36. Kansas State – 42.79
37. Long Beach State – 39.54
38. Kentucky – 38.79
39. Missouri – 38.73
40. Cal Poly – 38.02
41. Arizona – 37.97
42. Oklahoma State – 37.88
43. Nebraska – 37.44
44. Oral Roberts – 37.27
Gonzaga – 37.27
46. Middle Tennessee – 37.20
47. Fresno State – 37.14
48. Florida Gulf Coast – 37.08

Boston College – 37.08

50. Jacksonville – 37.02

Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List

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

Baseball America 2010 Preseason All-America Teams

The SEC Leads The Way With 13 Selections

Baseball America has released it Preseason All-American college baseball teams.  BA annually polls major league scouting directors to vote on the team and make their selections based on performance, talent and professional potential. In the past, the preseason All-America team has been a predictor both of the first round of the draft and of team success. For example, 11 of the 15 college players drafted in the first round last June appeared on Baseball America’s preseason All-America list – eight of them on the first team. And for the second year in a row, 11 of last year’s preseason All-Americans played for teams that reached the College World Series.

Virginia outfielder Jarrett Parker was named to the first team, along with Georgia Tech pitchers Deck McGuire and Kevin Jacob. The second team includes Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal, Florida State pitcher Tyler Holt, Boston College designated hitter Mickey Wiswall and Virginia pitcher/first baseman Danny Hultzen. Virginia Tech outfielder Austin Wates and pitcher Jesse Hahn were third-team selections, along with Florida State outfielder/pitcher Mike McGee.
Alabama second baseman Ross Wilson is the only repeat member of the preseason first team. Cal State Fullerton shortstop Christian Colon is also a repeat preseason All-American, but he moves up from the third team last year to the first team this year. Middle Tennessee State outfielder Bryce Brentz—who also received votes as a two-way player—is the only player who appeared on every scouting director’s ballot.

Rice’s Anthony Rendon and Arkansas’ Zack Cox are the only sophomores on the first team, which is otherwise dominated by juniors. There are four sophomores on the second team and three on the third team, but there are no seniors on any of the three teams.

The SEC led all conferences with 13 preseason selections to the team.  The ACC had 10 players tabbed.   The Big 12 and Conference USA each landed four players on the team, while the Pacific-10, Big West and Big Ten produced two All-Americans apiece. Eight other conferences placed one player apiece on the team: The Atlantic Sun, Big East, Mid-American, Mountain West, Ohio Valley, Southland, Sun Belt and West Coast conferences.

First Team

C    Micah Gibbs, Louisiana State
1B    Hunter Morris, Auburn
2B    Ross Wilson, Alabama
3B    Anthony Rendon, Rice
SS    Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton
OF    Bryce Brentz, Middle Tennessee State
OF    Todd Cunningham, Jacksonville State
OF    Jarrett Parker, Virginia
DH    Zack Cox, Arkansas
UT    Brett Eibner, Arkansas
SP    Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech
SP    Drew Pomeranz, Mississippi
SP    Anthony Ranaudo, Louisiana State
SP    Chris Sale, Florida Gulf Coast
RP    Kevin Jacob, Georgia Tech

Second Team

C    Yasmani Grandal, Miami
1B    Andy Wilkins, Arkansas
2B    Kolbrin Vitek, Ball State
3B    Tony Thompson, Kansas
SS    Rick Hague, Rice
OF    Gary Brown, Cal State Fullerton
OF    Michael Choice, Texas-Arlington
OF    Tyler Holt, Florida State
DH    Mickey Wiswall, Boston College
UT    Danny Hultzen, Virginia
SP    Gerrit Cole, UCLA
SP    Sonny Gray, Vanderbilt
SP    Taylor Jungmann, Texas
SP    Alex Wimmers, Ohio State
RP    Kevin Rhoderick, Oregon State

Third Team

C    Cameron Rupp, Texas
1B    Cody Hawn, Tennessee
2B    Chris Bisson, Kentucky
3B    Rob Segedin, Tulane
SS    B.A. Vollmuth, Southern Mississippi
OF    Ryan LaMarre, Michigan
OF    Leon Landry, Louisiana State
OF    Austin Wates, Virginia Tech
DH    Jedd Gyorko, West Virginia
UT    Mike McGee, Florida State
SP    Jack Armstrong, Vanderbilt
SP    Kyle Blair, San Diego
SP    Jesse Hahn, Virginia Tech
SP    Brandon Workman, Texas
RP    Addison Reed, San Diego State

Strike IX Strikes A Chord For College Baseball Fans

New Book Chronicles 1999 Providence Baseball Season

There are not a lot of books about college baseball, but I have come across a new one that’s worth a read by every college baseball fan.  In Strike IX author Paul Lonardo details the final season of baseball at Providence College.

Have you ever had something you love taken away from you?  That’s what happened to the PC Friars in the fall of 1998 when they were told that the season they were preparing for would be the last at Providence.  The reason?  Title IX (get the title now?), which on its face prohibits educational discrimination on the basis of sex.  However, Title IX has also brought the ax down on many male collegiate sports teams, and that’s what happened at Providence.

In Strike IX Lonardo does a great job of detailing exactly what Title IX is and well as what it’s supposed to be.  For example, did you know there is a three-pronged test for assessing compliance in intercollegiate ahtletics?  Here they are:

Prong One:  Providing athletic opportunities that are substantially proportionate to the student enrollment.

Prong Two:  Demonstrate a continual expansion of athletic opportunities for the underrepresented sex.

Prong Three:  Full and effective accomodations of the interest and ability of underrepresented sex.

However, most schools do not even both considering prongs two or three, because prong one, known as “proportionality” is the easiest and most cost effective.  (I won’t go into more here, you’ll have to check out the book.)

While Lonardo deftly explains Title IX he also does a good job of detailing Providence’s 1999 season as well as life as a college baseball player.  Anyone who’s seen the movie Major League can appreciate the black t-shirts that the Friars wore under their uniforms in ‘99 that read:  “THERE’S ONLY ONE THING LEFT TO DO…” on the front and “WIN THE WHOLE %@!()& THING” on the back.

Ultimately, Providence didn’t win the whole thing, but they had a great run by winning the 1999 Big East Tournament and then going to the Tallahassee Regional finals before falling to eventual College World Series runner-up Florida State.  The Friars even earned the respect and praise of FSU fans, who cheered “Friars!, Friars!” durring the final inning of Providence baseball history.

It’s January, but if you’re looking for something to get you ready for the arrival of college baseball next month Strike IX could be the way to go.

Gerhart & Tate Are Consensus All-Americans

Mantles Are Full For The Two Sport Stars

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate and Stanford running back Toby Gerhart have capped their 2009 award hauls by being named Consensus All-Americans on the football field.  The Associated Press named both first-team All-Americans on Wednesday.

Both Tate and Gerhart earned first-team status on the five All-American teams that comprise the consensus designation: The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), The Walter Camp Football Foundation, and The Associated Press.

Gerhert is Stanford’s first consensus All-American since Troy Walters in 1999.  Tate takes the first consensus honors since Shane Walton did it in 2002.

Tate won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wide receiver, while Gerhart hoisted the Doak Walker Award as the top running back in the country.  He was the Heisman Trophy runner-up to Alabama running back Mark Ingram.

Tate recently capped off the best receiving season in Notre Dame football history. He finished with 93 receptions for 1,496 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns in 2009. Tate added two rushing touchdowns, one punt return for a score and totaled 1,915 all-purpose yards, second

most in Irish single-season history.

Tate equaled or surpassed eight school records this year, including most catches and receiving yards in a season, tied for most touchdown catches in a season, most receiving yards in a career, most 100-yard receiving games in a season and career, most receiving yards per game in a season and tied for most consecutive games with a touchdown reception.

Gerhart ranks second in the nation in rushing, averaging 144.7 yards per game, and he leads the nation in scoring (13.33) and touchdowns (26). He has rushed for 100 or more yards in 10 of Stanford’s 12 games this season, including three games in which he rushed for 200 yards or more. He has also carried the ball 10 or more yards, 50 times this season, according to ESPN, the nation’s highest.

He was at his best down the stretch, as he averaged 185.5 yards a game and scored 13 touchdowns over Stanford’s last four contests against No. 7 Oregon (223), No. 11 USC (178), California (136) and Notre Dame (205). The Cardinal posted a 3-1 record in those games to finish the regular season with an 8-4 overall record, its most wins in a single-season since the 2001 campaign.

Gerhart and Tate have also been college baseball players at their respective schools.  Gerhart played for three seasons on the diamond for the Cardinal baseball squad, helping the team to the 2008 College World Series.  Tate played

baseball for two years for the Irish, batting .329 last season.

Tate has already announced his plans to enter April’s NFL draft.  Gerhart has not officially announced his plans, but he is expected to enter the draft as well (he has a 5th year of football eligibility and one season of baseball eligibility left).  Both could also still be selected in the June MLB draft.

Gerhart and Stanford face Oklahoma in the Brut Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.  Tate and Notre Dame will not play in a bowl game.

Tate and Gerhart have been among more than 35 college baseball players who have been included throughout the fall in the exclusive Collegebaseball360.com Two Sport Reports.

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