Florida's Kevin O'Sullivan with ESPN's Kyle Peterson at the CWS

With the start of the season rapidly approaching, here’s a look at some of the top teams in the country heading into the 2012 college baseball season.

Our rankings are based on a “composite formula” that combines not only the existing weekly preseason national polls, but also other factors like strength of schedule and preseason conference polls. Other criteria will continually be added throughout the season to our composite rankings.

Here is a look at the top 10 teams heading into the season.

( ) Stats in parenthesis are from the 2011 season.

* After a statistic denotes team leader in that statistical category.

Top 10 By Conference: SEC: 4, ACC: 2, Big 12: 2, Pac-12: 1, Conference USA: 1

CLICK HERE to see the entire CB360 2012 Preseason Composite National Rankings

1. Florida

2011 Record: 53-19

In 2010, Kevin O’Sullivan led Florida to its first College World Series since 2005’s national runner-up appearance, but the Gators were two and ‘que in Rosenblatt Stadium’s swan song. Last year, virtually the same team stormed all the way to the CWS Championship Series, only to fall to SEC Eastern Division rival South Carolina.

The question O’Sullivan has this year is – Can that same core of players take things one step farther?

While the two-time defending champion Gamecocks have considerable losses to deal with (see below), the Gators return almost everyone from last year’s 53 win team.

Starting pitchers Hudson Randall (11-3*, 2.17 ERA, 124 1/3 IP*, 2 CG*), Karsten Whitson (8-1, 2.40 ERA, 97 1/3 IP, 92 K*) and two-way player Brian Johnson (8-1, 2.40 ERA/.307 BA, 5 HR, 29 RBIs) combined to pitch nearly half of the team’s 644 innings last year. A slew of heavy duty arms will back them up in the bullpen.

The line-up is led by catcher Mike Zunino (.371*, 19 HR*, 23 Doubles*, 67 RBIs, 75 Runs*, 1.116 OPS*) and senior Preston Tucker (.308, 15 HR, 74 RBIs*, 23 Doubles*). Daniel Pigott (.331, 5 HR, 40 RBIs, 15 SB*), Nolan Fontana (.289, 5 HR, 49 RBIs), Austin Maddox (.280, 6 HR, 35 RBIs/0.67 ERA, 21 App., 5 SV*), Tyler Thompson (.264, 27 Starts), and Vickash Ramjit (.382, 19 Starts) all fortify the best top to bottom everyday lineup in the country heading into the season. Tucker told us anything short of a national championship this year would be a disappointment and it’s hard to disagree.

The Gators challenge themselves right away when they host a three-game series vs. Cal State Fullerton to open the season.

CLICK HERE to listen to a podcast interview with Gator Preston Tucker.

2. South Carolina

2011 Record:  55-14

Ray Tanner’s Gamecocks won a second straight national title last year after returning a slew of talent from the 2010 championship squad. This year will be different though. South Carolina loses several key players from the back-to-back championship teams – including position players Jackie Bradley, Jr. (.247, 6 HR, 27 RBIs), Scott Wingo (.338, 4 HR, 31 RBIs), Brady Thomas (.316, 4 HR, 43 RBIs), Robert Beary (.289, 3 HR, 35 RBIs), Adrian Morales (.281, 3 HR, 40 RBIs), and relievers John Taylor (8-1, 1.14 ERA, 50 App., *) and Jose Mata (3-0, 1.76 ERA). The two pitchers combined to make 73 appearances (50 by Taylor) en-route to the team’s second crown last year.

While the losses are formidable, South Carolina does return arguably the most important pitcher in the country, Michael Roth (14-3*, 1.06 ERA, CG*, 145 IP*, 112 K*), over the last two seasons. Sophomore closer Matt Price (7-3, 1.83 ERA, 20 SV*, 59 IP, 70 K*), Forrest Koumas (6-1, 2.96 ERA) and Colby Holmes (7-3, 3.69 ERA) fortify a solid pitching staff.

Infield cornerstone Christian Walker (.358*, 10 HR*, 62 RBIs*, 21 Doubles*, 64 Runs*, .992 OPS*) and  Evan Marzilli (.291, 3 HR, 31 RBIs) are also back for a shot at another run at Omaha.

South Carolina is the only SEC team to reach the NCAA Tournament and also record 40 or more wins in each of the last 12 seasons. The Gamecocks have 577 overall wins, including 222 in SEC play (the most of any team in the conference) during that stretch.

3. Stanford

2011 Record: 35-22

You would be hard pressed to find a team that played a tougher schedule than Stanford last year. You would be even harder pressed to find a pitcher who had tougher head-to-head match-ups in 2011 than Cardinal ace Mark Appel (6-7, 3.02 ERA, 2 CG*, 110 1/3 IP*). Stanford opened its season with series at Rice, at Vanderbilt and at Texas, making the likes of Sonny Gray and Taylor Jungmann Appel’s counterparts on those nights. That’s not to mention match-ups with Sam Gaviglio, Gerrit Cole, Brady Rodgers, Kurt Heyer, and Erik Johnson in Pac-10 play.

The long and short of it is, while Appel won just six times for a 35 win Stanford team, both were battle tested when the NCAA Tournament rolled around as the Cardinal won the Fullerton Regional before falling to North Carolina in Super Regional play.

Appel leads a pitching staff that includes Dean McArdle (7-4*, 4.21 ERA), A.J. Vanegas (1-0, 3.35 ERA, 23 App.) and Brett Mooneyham, who missed all of last season due to injury. The lefty made 28 starts in his first two seasons in 2009 & ’10.

The everyday lineup is stocked with the likes of Stephen Piscotty (.364*, 3 HR, 40 RBIs, 13 Doubles), Brian Ragira (.329, 4 HR, 46 RBIs*, 5 Triples*), Tyler Gaffney (.327, 3 HR, 35 RBIs, 5 Triples*, 10 Doubles, 42 Runs*), Austin Wilson (.311, 5 HR*, 30 RBIs), Lonnie Kauppila (.298, 10 Doubles, 25 RBIs), Kenny Diekroeger (.293, 2 HR, 31 RBIs, 31 Runs), and Jake Stewart (.287, 19 RBIs, 15 Doubles*, 8 SB*, 32 Runs).

By the way, Texas, Rice and Vandy all visit Sunken Diamond this year.

4. North Carolina

2011 Record: 51-16

The good news for Mike Fox and his Tar Heels last year was, after being eliminated in the Regional round in 2010 (on the heels of four straight CWS appearances from 2006-2009), they got back to Omaha in 2011. The bad news was, it was one of their shortest CWS trips. North Carolina was just 1-2 at TD Ameritrade Park last year, with a win over Texas sandwiched between losses to Vanderbilt.

The good news for Fox this year is he returns the bulk of last year’s team. Colin Moran (.335*, 9*, 71 RBIs*, 20 Doubles*, .982 OPS*), Tommy Coyle (.311, 2 HR, 36 RBIs, 57 Runs*, 16 Doubles, 18 SB*), Jacob Stallings (.292, 4 HR, 43 RBIs), Chaz Frank (.278, 35 RBIs, 10 SB). Coyle and Stallings were two of just three Tar Heels to start all 67 games last year. The biggest blow to the lineup and infield is the loss of shortstop Levi Michael (.289, 5 HR, 48 RBIs).

The pitching staff loses ace Patrick Johnson (13-2*, 2.47 ERA, 113 IP*, 125 K*), but there are more than enough returning arms to pick-up the slack. Among them Kent Emanuel (9-1, 2.33 ERA*, 104 1/3 IP), Chris Munnelly (6-5, 4.09 ERA, 10 Starts, 1 SV), Tate Parrish (2.20 ERA, 32 App., 16 1/3 IP, 15 K), Andrew Smith (3-1, 2.77 ERA, 24 App., 26 IP, 27 K), Shane Taylor (2-3, 3.00 ERA, 36 IP, 38 K), R.C. Orlan (2-0, 3.79 ERA, 32 App., 19 IP, 24 K), and Michael Morlin (4-2, 4.64 ERA, 32 App., 6 Starts, 10 SV*, 64 IP, 66 K).

5. Texas A&M

2011 Record: 47-22

Like its arch rival, Texas, Texas A&M is coming-off a trip to the College World Series. It was the program’s first appearance under head coach Rob Childress and its first since 1999. Unlike Texas, this will be A&M’s last season in the Big 12, as the Aggies move to the SEC (along with Missouri) next season.

Kind of makes the April 27-29 series (first game in College Station with the second two in Austin) must see college baseball.

Regardless of next year’s conference address, Childress has the cupboard stocked with returning talent this year. Most notably, reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Tyler Naquin (.381*, 68 Runs*, 44 RBIs, 7 triples*, 23 doubles*, .987 OPS*). The Aggie leadoff man is joined by Jacob House (.301, 3 HR, 52 RBIs*), Matt Juengel (.308, 7 HR*, 50 RBIs), and 2011 Freshman All-American Krey Bratsen (.332, 36 RBIs, 19 sac bunts*, 31 SB*).

Childress has plenty of pitching back too, with Michael Wacha (9-4, 2.29 ERA, 2 CG, 129 2/3 IP*, 123 K*) and versatile Ross Stripling (14-2*, 2.29 ERA, 4 CG*, 4 SV, 125 2/3 IP) at the front of the weekend rotation. Those two combine to give the Aggies one of the top Friday-Saturday duos in the country.

6. Rice

2011 Record: 42-21

Time marches on as Ray Graham prepares for his 21^st season at the helm at Rice. The veteran has averaged an amazing 45 wins in his two decades at the helm. If he hits that number this year and next, he will move past 1,000 career victories.

Graham enters 2011 looking to replace, arguably, the best player in Rice history – Anthony Rendon (.327*, 6 HR, 20 Doubles*, 1.043 OPS*). The third baseman’s home runs dropped last year thanks to BBCOR, but he still hit 52 HR in his three seasons in an Owl uniform. He was the sixth overall pick and the first college position player selected in last year’s MLB Draft (Washington Nationals).

As good as Rendon is, the one thing Rice did not do while he was there is go to the College World Series. The Owls were the No. 8 national seed and hosted an NCAA Regional last year, but they went just 1-2 and saw Cinderella Cal advance all the way to the CWS out of their Regional.

Rice has both plenty of offense and pitching returning this year. Michael Ratterree (.327*, 6 HR*, 53 RBIs*, 20 Doubles*), Craig Manuel (.309, 35 RBIs, 26 Runs) and Shane  Hoelscher (.281, 3 HR, 37 RBIs, 13 Doubles, 30 Runs) are among the top position players back.

Austin Kubitza (6-5, 2.34 ERA*, 100 IP*, 102 K*) heads the weekend rotation, while Matthew Reckling (4-1, 3.10 ERA, 78 1/3 IP, 96 K), Tyler Duffey (8-2*, 2.52 ERA, 30 App., 60 2/3 IP, 76 K), and John Simms (3-2, 3.32 ERA, 62 1/3 IP, 63 K, 23 App.) all return as well. Reckling is the grandson of Rice alum T.R. Reckling, for whom Rice’s home stadium, Reckling Park, is named.

7. Texas

2011 Record: 49-19

After failing to advance to the College World Series from 2006-2008, Augie Garrido’s Longhorns have righted the ship with trips to Omaha two of the last three seasons. Last year’s Omaha appearance was historically short though. Texas was two-and-out for just the second time in its 25 CWS appearances since 1966 last year with losses to Florida and North Carolina.

Gone from last year’s team is first round draftee Taylor Jungmann (13-3, 1.60 ERA, 5 CG, 141 IP*, 126 K*), whose only three losses of the season came in consecutive weeks in NCAA play. Cole Green (8-4, 3.14 ERA, 106 IP, 104 K) is gone as well, leaving Garrido with nearly 250 innings pitched to replace. It’s Texas though, so arms won’t be a problem.  National Freshman of the Year Corey Knebel (3-2, 1.13 ERA, 19 SV*, 55 2/3 IP, 61 K), Sam Stafford (6-2, 1.77 ERA) and Hoby Milner (7-4, 2.45 ERA) are back along with a host of other options.

Erich Weiss (.348*, 4 HR, 7 triples*, 12 doubles, 45 RBIs*, 1.003 OPS*) was the Longhorns’ top bat as a freshman last year, but he’ll need others to step-up around him with the losses of veterans Brandon Loy (.342, 30 RBIs) and Tant Shepherd (.303, 5 HR*, 41 RBIs).

8. Arkansas

2011 Record:

If Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn knows nothing else about the 2012 season, he knows this – his Razorbacks will not have to go through Arizona State in Tempe in the NCAA Tournament. After both teams went to the 2009 College World Series, they squared-off in a 2010 Super Regional, with ASU again advancing to Omaha. Arkansas then bowed-out to the Sun Devils in Tempe in the Regional final last year. However, there is no way the two will meet in the postseason this year, because Arizona State is ineligible due to NCAA probation.

Freshman All-American Dominic Ficociello (.335*, 4 HR, 50 RBIs*, 15 Doubles) is back to lead a lineup that returns five position players from a team that won a tight race in the SEC Western Division. Only two games in the loss column separated first place from last place in the division. Bo Bigham (.291, 2 HR, 20 RBIs, 17 SB), Matt Reynolds (.243, 3 HR, 22 RBIs, 16 SB) and Tim Carver (.232, HR, 13 RBIs, 30 Runs, 24 SB*) are among those who will need to step-up to replace the power and production of James McCann (.306, 6 HR, 38 RBIs, 14 Doubles) and Kyle Robinson (.291, 10 HR*, 49 RBIs).

The Razorbacks will rely on a pitching staff whose 3.20 ERA in 2011 was the program’s best since 1982. All-SEC pitcher D.J. Baxendale (10-2*, 1.58 ERA*, CG, 3 SV, 81/3 IP*, 77 K*) is at the front of the weekend rotation and is among 10 returning Hog pitchers. Freshman All-Americans Barrett Astin (5-2, 2.72 ERA, 3 SV, 27 App.*) and Nolan Sanburn (2-4, 3.62 ERA, 8 SV) combined for 92 IP and 92 Ks last year.

9. Georgia Tech

2011 Record:

The Yellow Jackets hosted an NCAA Regional for the ninth time in 12 years in 2011, but failed to advance after being upset in the first round by Austin Peay and ultimately seeing Mississippi State advance to Super Regional play.

Danny Hall enters his 19^th season at Georgia Tech just 13 wins away from 1,000 in his career. He is also looking to take his team back to the College World Series for the first time since 2006.

Hall loses his top overall bat in Matt Skole (.348*, 10 HR, 58 RBIs*, .990 OPS*), but he has more than enough returning offense back in 2011 with Jake Davies (.347, 5 HR, 35 RBIs, 13 Doubles), Freshman All-American Kyle Wren (.340, 32 RBIs, 11 Doubles, 7 Triples*, 57 Runs*, 16 SB), Sam Dove (.310, 18 RBIs, 30 Runs), Brandon Thomas (.307, 3 HR, 29 RBIs, 29 Runs, 12 Doubles, 19 SB*), Daniel Palka (.297, 12 HR*, 52 RBIs, 18 Doubles, 41 Runs), Mott Hyde (.275, 4 HR, 47 RBIs, 39 Runs, 13 Doubles), and Zane Evans (.270, 5 HR, 46 RBIs, 34 Runs, 14 Doubles) all returning.

Mark Pope (11-4*, 1.74 ERA, 5 CG*, 113 2/3 IP*) is the biggest pitching loss, but the ’11 staff is still deep with Buck Farmer (11-3*, 2.91 ERA, 2 CG, 108 1/3 IP, 106 K*), Matthew Grimes (7-4, 4.15 ERA, 73 2/3 IP, 77 K), DeAndre Smelter (2-1, 0.52 ERA), Luke Bard (2-2, 2.72 ERA, 8 SV*, 25 App.*, 49 2/3 IP, 46 K), Dusty Isaacs (1-1, 2.72 ERA, 36 1/3 IP, 40 K, 25 App.*), and Devin Stanton (1-0, 3.38 ERA, 18 App.) all back looking for a deep NCAA run.

10. LSU

2011 Record: 36-20

Since winning the 2009 national championship, LSU was eliminated in NCAA Regional play in 2010 and just missed the NCAA field in 2011. Paul Mainieri’s young squad struggled to find consistency last year, but last year’s youngsters are all SEC-seasoned veterans now for a team that many considered a 2012 CWS favorite as soon as the 2011 season ended.

The biggest place where inexperience showed last year was in the weekend pitching rotation, where freshmen Kevin Gausman (5-6, 3.51 ERA, 89 2/3 IP*, 86 K*) and Kurt McCune (7-3*, 89 2/3 IP*, 3.31 ERA*) ate the bulk of the innings. Fellow Freshman Ryan Eades (4-1, 4.81 ERA, 6 starts, 18 App.) emerged and joined his classmates in the weekend rotation by season’s end, going 3-0 in his last three starts of the season. That included a win over eventual Super Regional team Mississippi State. Eades also went on to earn Cape Cod Pitcher of the Year honors last summer. Those three give Mainieri what he thinks is the best weekend rotation in the nation entering the season.

The Tigers must fill the void left by closer Matty Ott (1-3, 2.60 ERA, 6 SV*). Sophomore Nick Rumbelow (2-0, 4.85 ERA, 10 App.), All-American juco transfer Nick Goody and freshman Aaron Nola (the younger brother of Austin Nola) have been competing for that spot. The two who fall short in that battle will start the season as set-up men.

Mikie Mahtook (.383*, 61 Runs*, 12 doubles, 5 triples*, 14 HR*, 56 RBIs*), who hit 14 of the team’s 34 home runs last year, is gone. JaCoby Jones (.338, 4 HR, 32 RBIs, 11 Doubles, 12 SB) will take over for him in centerfield, while Raph Rhymes (.360, 3 HR, 42 RBIs, 43 Runs, 18 Doubles)), Mason Katz (.337, 4 HR, 53 RBIs, 40 Runs, 21 Doubles*), and Austin Nola (.296, 2 HR, 42 RBIs, 13 Doubles, 40 Runs) are all back in the everyday lineup.

CLICK HERE to listen to a podcast interview with LSU head coach Paul Mainieri.

We’ve all seen projections over the past few weeks as to how the 2011 NCAA Baseball Tournament LIKELY will shake out … but what about a projection showing how the tournament SHOULD be formatted? – in an ideal situation in which all 64 teams were seeded and placed into appropriate Regionals.

College Baseball 360 undertook this task (full draw below), using these guidelines:

(note that some slight adjustments have been made to this projection – with update coming prior to the NCAA selections on May 30)

• The May 27 update of the CB360 Composite National Rankings (CNR) was used to seed teams 1-58 (with the remaining six teams seeded based on the May 24 official NCAA RPI).

• Some slight modifications then were made to avoid teams from the same conference being placed in the same Regional and also to avoid Regional #1 seeds being paired against a conference rival in probable Super-Regional meetings.

• The CNR formula currently features 16 different elements, 15 of them weighed equally along with a bonus/penalty for record over past-10 games. The 15 core criteria are averaged and converted to a 100-point scale, with the max bonus/penalty being 0.5 pts. The 15 core criteria currently used in the CNR include six polls/rankings, five RPI-type calculations, and four NCAA Tournament projections (see the Composite National Rankings link on right sidebar and then scroll down for more info. on the CNR formula).

For example, Vanderbilt is the new #1 team in the Composite National rankings and would be paired up in its home Regional with Alcorn State (#64 “seed”), plus Creighton and Coastal Carolina (the #32 and #33 teams in the current CB360 top-50/CNR). Essentially, the combined seeds in all of the day-1 matchups listed below add up to 65 (prior to modifications to keep conference rivals apart in the earlygoing).

The resulting 16 Regionals are listed below, paired up for Super-Regional matchups (i.e. winners of the Vanderbilt and Rice regionals would meet in the Super Regionals). Teams are listed in descending order of seed within each regional (1-2-3-4).

Note that Auburn (CNR #44) and Georgia (CNR #45) are not included in this projection, due to not having a winning record. The numbers 1-43 listed below refer to actual CNR standings; those listed as 44-49 indicate two spots higher than actual CNR (due to omission of Auburn and Georgia). Those listed as #50-#64 are projected automatic qualifiers not included in the top-49.

It’s an interesting read to see how the tournament might play out, minus the current geographical and travel-cost restrictions. CB360 hopes to have another update or two of this projection, as some of the data sources update their numbers.

2011 NCAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT FULLY-SEEDED PROJECTION
(based primarily on the CB360 Composite National Rankings; slight corrections made to avoid certain conference matchups)

(1) Vanderbilt
Creighton (32)
Coastal Carolina (33)
Alcorn State (64)

Rice (15)
Oklahoma (17)
Mississippi (47)
Gonzaga (50)

_______________________________

(2) South Carolina
Arizona (31)
Kent State (34)
Navy (63)

Clemson (14)
Southern Mississippi (18)
Florida Atlantic (46)
James Madison (51)

_______________________________

(3) Florida
Central Florida (30)
Oklahoma State (35)
Maine (62)

Oregon State (13)
Miami (19)
Kansas State (48)
Michigan State (52)

_______________________________

(4) Virginia
East Carolina (29)
LSU (36)
Princeton (61)

Arkansas (16)
Connecticut (20)
Jacksonville (45)
Texas Tech (49)

_______________________________

(5) North Carolina
California (28)
Baylor (37)
Wright State (60)

Texas A&M (11)
Fresno State (21)
East Tennessee State (44)
Charlotte (53)

_______________________________

(6) Texas
Troy (27)
North Carolina State (38)
Austin Peay (59)

(12) TCU
UC Irvine (22)
Texas State (43)
Bethune-Cookman (54)

_______________________________

(7) Florida State
Stetson (26)
Elon (39)
Oral Roberts (58)

Cal State Fullerton (10)
UCLA (23)
Alabama (42)
Sacred Heart (55)

_______________________________

(8) Arizona State
Florida International (24)
Mississippi State (40)
Samford (57)

Georgia Tech (9)
Stanford (25)
Dallas Baptist (41)
Manhattan (56)

Next Five: Southeastern Louisiana, Mercer, St. John’s, Cal State Bakersfield and College of Charleston

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

• The big news of the week (and probably the year) is that Cal will eliminate baseball after the 2011 season. Title IX has taken a beating since the news was announced last Tuesday, but this is not a Title IX issue, especially
  

  Cal head coach Dave Esquer

  considering women’s gymnastics and women’s lacrosse are among the other sports that Golden Bears Athletic Director Sandy Barbour and Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau will give the ax. The move is a sign of a time when pure economics drives decisions in college athletics. A reported $321 million football stadium renovation doesn’t help things. That said, it’s one thing to hear of schools like Vermont and Duquesne dropping baseball. Those schools don’t have football revenue to prop them up. But this is a BCS conference school, and a “baseball” conference to boot. If a place like Cal, which has won two national championships and has been to the College World Series a total of five times, can cut baseball it doesn’t bode well for other programs across the land.

• I took a small step in my own show of support for the Golden Bears this week when I ordered my Cal baseball cap from Dugouthats.com. I’ll be wearing it as much as possible through the end of the Cal baseball era.

• Have you seen the Sporting News Magazine Sports’ Smartest Athletes list?  Former Yale and current Oakland A’s pitcher Craig Breslow has the distinction of the smartest athlete in the land. Breslow was a molecular
  

  Craig Breslow

  biophysics and biochemistry major at Yale and was once accepted to NYU’s medical school after scoring a 34 on his MCAT…the average med school applicant scores a 28. Breslow isn’t the only former college baseball player on the list. In fact, six former college baseball stars reside among the top 13 on the 20-man list. They are: #3 Ross Ohlendorf – Princeton/Pittsburgh Pirates. #8) Chris Young - Princeton/San Diego Padres…he’s the first athlete to be named All-Ivy League in both baseball and basketball. #9) Brad Ausmus – Dartmouth/Houston Astros. #12) Jody Gerut – Stanford/San Diego Padres. #13) Craig Counsell – Notre Dame/Milwaukee Brewers. Kansas City Royals pitcher Brian Bannister, who played at USC, is also listed as an honorable mention pick.

• Somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 2011 college baseball schedules were released last week, including the first ACC slate released to date – Virginia Tech. The Hokies biggest early test will be their opening weekend at the Coastal Carolina Tournament.

• The field is set for the 2011 Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park. Houston, Rice, Texas A&M, Baylor, Kentucky, and Utah will all participate in the March 4-6 event in the big league ballpark. Utah released its schedule last week, and the Utes will open their season with three games at Cal, three games at Arkansas, and then open in Houston against Texas A&M. That gives Bill Kinneberg’s squad seven straight games to open the 2011 campaign against 2010 NCAA Tournament teams.
  

  Chad Jones (Travis Spradling photo)

• Former LSU two-sport star Chad Jones was back in Baton Rouge over the weekend. At halftime of Saturday’s LSU-Tennessee football game LSU showed a video recapping his career as a football and baseball player for the Tigers. He and former LSU teammate Jared Mitchell are the only two players to ever win both a BCS football national title and the College World Series. Jones gave-up baseball for a pro football career when he was drafted by the New York Giants last spring, but his athletic career is on hold right now. He nearly lost his leg in June when he crashed his SUV into a pole in New Orleans. Jones is currently going through extensive rehab and could still require more surgery on the leg in the future.

• The Big 12 Tournament will go back to a double elimination format beginning in 2011. Big 12 athletic directors approved the proposal from the league’s baseball coaches. The Big 12 has used a pool play format since 2006, but the change will be made after four games on the second to last day of this year’s tournament were meaningless. Eight teams will qualify for the 2001 tournament. They will be split into two pools and use double elimination to determine the winner of each pool. The winners will then play for the championship.

South Carolina four-year standout Blake Cooper will be making his third start at the 2010 CWS, in Monday's series opener vs. UCLA.

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.

Kyle Enders

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.).

South Carolina ace Blake Cooper will be looking for his 34th career win in the CWS Championship Series opener vs. UCLA (photo courtesy of SC).

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).

South Carolina senior catcher Kyle Enders has played solidly behind the plate during the 2010 CWS and launched his third home run of the season in the 3-1 win over Clemson (photo courtesy of SC).

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

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).

Senior shortstop Ryan Graepel (pictured) and North Carolina's other veteran players have been part of a program that has compiled three College World Series trips and 195 wins spanning the past four seasons (photo courtesy of UNC).

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)

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.

Mark Marquess Interview

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.

Danny Hayes & Stefan Romero have been the only consistent “big bats” in the Beaver lineup.

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.

Tanner Robles improved his season K-to-BB ratio to 55K/14 BB.

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.

The Oregon State coaches could have their work cut out for them the rest of the way.

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 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

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

James Stanfield (KU photo)

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

Corey Chaffins (EMU photo)

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)

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

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