College Baseball 360 » Drew Leininger http://collegebaseball360.com baseball news, college baseball stats, sean stires, pete lafleur, college world series video, college baseball podcast, Fri, 14 Feb 2025 21:33:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.38 Big Ten Tournament Notebook: Day 1 http://collegebaseball360.com/big-ten-tournament-notebook-day-1/ http://collegebaseball360.com/big-ten-tournament-notebook-day-1/#comments Thu, 27 May 2010 18:15:36 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=10089

Different year same results for Indiana

By Collegebaseball360.com Contributor Chris Webb

Columbus, OH–The Big Ten Tournament is scheduled to stay in Columbus through 2012, returning to downtown’s Huntington Park, the site of the 2009 tournament, for the final two years after being played in Bill Davis Stadium this season. For Indiana coach Tracy Smith the tournament could stay in Columbus forever. A year after dominating the field for Indiana’s second tournament title championship, in claiming a berth to NCAA regional play, the Hoosiers appear to be picking up in 2010 where 2009 left off. A scary notion for the other five teams in the tournament’s field.

Where the power arms of Eric Arnett and Matt Bashore led the Hoosiers’ title run a year ago, southpaw Drew Leininger is stepping in for the 2009 MLB Draft picks and not missing a beat. As Indiana hopes to become just the second sixth-seed to win the conference tournament, a feat Ohio State accomplished in 2007, Indiana got off to a great start in defeating three-seed Northwestern 5-0.  The victory saw Leininger pitch a complete-game shutout, scattering just eight hits over the nine innings while walking two, striking out six.

“I like pitching in Columbus” the sophomore stated in the postgame press conference. With the numbers he has put up on the Bill Davis mound you can’t blame him. Wednesday’s game would be the second time in 2010 that Leininger started a game in the home stadium of the Buckeyes. On April 10th Leininger pitched nine innings without allowing a earned run as Indiana won 6-4 in 10 innings. The performance of Leininger was vital to the hopeful tournament success coach Smith would state.

“The first game is so important when you’re not the first or second seed, if you start off in the losers it’s virtually impossible to climb you’re way back though. Huge performance by Drew, people might say ‘why did you stretch him out and not save him’ our mentality is we’re not going to save we have to win the first one and he did his job” said Smith.

With Leininger on the mound and the vaunted Hoosier offense in support, though the seeding would indicate an upset, there was little doubt who the better team was on the day, and it showed right away in the first inning. The Hoosiers scored four runs in the top of the first off first-team All-Big Ten pitcher Eric Jokisch, giving Leininger more than enough support to cruise to victory.

“I know every game I go to pitch our offense is going to put up numbers, they have the whole year” Leininger replied in speaking to the early run support. “I just have to go and hold them the best I can, I know that I’m going to get a lot of help and support” mentioned Leininger as he stated he was locating his fastball inducing groundballs.

“Drew’s been our guy all year, we know when he goes out there he gives us a really good chance of winning” said rightfielder Michael Earley who went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and run scored in the game. “He went out there today and got the job.”

Earley would be one of five Hoosiers to record a multi-hit game as every started recorded a hit in the 14-hit attack. Big Ten Player of the Year Alex Dickerson was held to two singles in three at-bats while scoring a run. With the victory Indiana will now play conference champion and one-seed Minnesota at 7:05. For Smith and his players they’re aware at what is at stake.

“One of my favorite sayings this time of year is ‘the hays in the barn’. I think as coaches a lot of the time, the only thing you can do late in the season is screw it up. You hope that you’re guys have a good attitude and relax. Our attitude with all of the things and injuries we’ve had to go through is just get in. We proved that last year once you’re in anything can happen. I know our guys are confident I love our mindstate. They’re not worried about failure or the results they’re just going out there and having fun which is what you want” said Smith following the game.

“We’re not going out and necessarily playing Minnesota, we’re going out there to play our game and not beat ourselves. We’re going to go out, do what we can” Earley stated in echoing Smith’s thoughts.

Big innings propels Hawkeyes flight

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Iowa Hawkeyes are as far as you can find from being the defending tournament champions. With a comeback 7-4 victory over Purdue, Iowa recorded its first Big Ten Tournament victory in 20 seasons.

In perhaps showing a bit of nerves and jitters, Iowa starter Jarred Hipped allowed two runs in the opening inning as a boisterous Boilermaker bunch enjoyed an early lead. In tacking on runs in the 3rd and 5th Purdue enjoyed a 4-0 at the game’s midpoint. Though trailing, Iowa head coach Jack Dahm felt no need to worry with his ace on the mound.

“I thought Jarred Hippen did a tremendous job in keeping us there. They got four runs but they weren’t going to score any more. That’s Jared continuing to mature as a pitcher, did an outstanding job plugging away, not panicing at all in playing pitch-to-pitch. Was an outstanding job by our guys and our pitching staff” stated Dahm.

With Hippen keeping Purdue at bay, the Iowa offense finally was able to string together a series of hits to put runs on the board in support of their ace. Tyson Blaser started the inning with a single through the left side followed by a Trevor Willis double off the center field wall. Willis advanced to third on a throwing error, Blaser scored. Kurt Lee singled to left to bring in Willis. Kurtis Muller followed in reaching by way of a fielding error. Both Lee and Muller would advance on a ground out before Mike McQuillan picked up an RBI with a single. Durant singled to right to score Muller to tie the start the game over at 4-4 going into the final four frames.

With Hippen cruising the momentum stayed on the side of the Black and Gold. Three runs were plated in the bottom of the sixth inning as a bunt single by Willis followed a walk and hit by pitch to load the bases. A double-play score the go-ahead and game-winning run before a Zach McCool two-RBI single scored to insurance runs. During the game deciding fifth and sixth innings Purdue was forced to use three pitchers to get out of the jam.

Purdue coach Doug Schreiber surprised some in electing to go with Matt Morgan on the mound opposed to All-Big Ten selection Matt Bischoff. Morgan pitched four innings allowing three runs, two earned off five hits in needing to be relieved in the fifth inning. Morgan did not walk a batter while striking out three. Joe Haase pitched just .2 innings in allowing the tying run off one hit in the fifth. Receiving the loss was Calvin Gunter after surrendering two runs to his credit in the sixth inning.

Trying to answer as to why Schreiber would sit his ace in game one, Dahm eluded to the fact his Hawkeyes have had a good bit of success against Bischoff while struggling against Morgan. There would be little unknown between the two as the teams squarded off in the Big Ten’s final weekend, a weekend that saw Iowa sweep Purdue, perhaps forcing Schreiber to go outside of the box. “He (Bischoff ) is one of the best pitchers in the conference, one of the best I’ve seen in the Big Ten in my seven years here, but for whatever reason we’ve had a lot of success against while Morgan has had a lot of success against us.

While questions were abound in Purdue’s pitching decisions, little could be had about Iowa as the sophomore Hippen continued to come up big. “I just had to keep them there” the left-handed stated in allowing the quick two runs. “I pitched the same way I had the entire season, I wanted to come out here and set the tone” said Hippen now 6-4 on the year.

It should come as no surprise that Hippen and his teammates felt little pressure when facing the early deficit. In the early season Iowa traveled to Austin, Texas for a four-game set with the Longhorns and Dahm spoke on how that trip provided confidence for his team in such a setting as tournament play.

“Before the first game against Texas we told our team we’re here for a reason. We have a strong nucleus of young players, freshman and sophomores, that one day will play in the NCAA Tournament either this year or next.  I told them when you’re in the tournament you’re going to play in an environment like Texas and we’re here to learn how to play in such an environment” said Dahm. “I felt that trip to Texas prepared us for the season and playing here.”

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/big-ten-tournament-notebook-day-1/feed/ 0 College Baseball 2010 Stats Leaders-April 28 http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders-april-28/ http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders-april-28/#comments Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:18:56 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=8064

Here’s a look at the official Division One NCAA baseball statistics leaders in selected categories.

Tom Clayton

BATTING AVERAGE

1.  Tom Clayton-Youngstown State  .474

2.  Sean Allaire-Central Connecticut St.  .473

3.  Effrey Valdez-New York Tech  .472

4.  Jonathon Kaskow-Stanford  .462

5.  Phil Cerreto-Longwood  .457

6.  Joe Leonard-Pittsburgh  .455

7.  Gary Brown-Cal State Fullerton  .454

7.  Kevin Tokarski-Illinois State  .454

9.  Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  .452

10.  Casey Jones-Southeast Missouri St.  .449

Jordan Ribera

HOME RUNS

1.  Jordan Ribera-Fresno State  20

2.  Jacob Tanis-Mercer  19

3.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  18

4.  J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  17

4.  Alex Dickerson-Indiana  17

6.  Jordan Ballard-VMI  16

Chris Duffy-Central Florida  16

Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  16

Matt Leeds-College of Charleston  16

Justin Miller-Middle Tennessee St.  16

Peter O’Brien-Bethune-Cookman  16

Dan Paolini-Siena  16

Kyle Parker-Clemson  16

Nate Woods-Belmont  16

Jacob Tanis

RBIs

1.  Jacob Tanis-Mercer  71

2.  Mac Doyle-Wofford  63

3.  Drew Lee-Morehead St.  62

3.  Matt Leeds-College of Charleston  62

3.  Jake Overstreet-South Alabama  62

3.  Greg Wallace-Evansville  62

7.  Nate Woods-Belmont  61

8.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  60

8.  Connor Powers-Mississippi St.  60

10.  Danny Brock-St. Louis  58

Justin Miller-Middle Tennessee St.  58

Anthony Ottrando-Eastern Kentucky  58

Brandon Williams-Georgia State  58

Taylor Dugas

ON-BASE PERCENTAGE

1.  Taylor Dugas-Alabama  .575

2.  Nate Roberts-High Point  .573

3.  Michael Choice-UT Arlington  .571

4.  Kevin Tokarski-Illinois St.  .570

5.  Effrey Valdez-New York Tech  .561

6.  Jonathon Kaskow-Stanford  .551

7.  J.D. Ashbrook-Moorehead St.  .548

7.  Yasmani Grandal-Miami (FL)  .548

9.  Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  .542

9.  Shane Brown-Central Florida  .542

Paul Hoilman

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

1.  Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  .890

2.  Mac Doyle-Wofford  .876

3.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  .854

4.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  .836

5.  J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  .834

6.  Rob Segedin-Tulane  .830

7.  Phil Cerreto-Longwood  .829

8.  Wes Cunningham-Murray St.  .827

9.  Dan Scheffler-Florida Atlantic  .825

10.  Jayson Langfels-Eastern Kentucky  .818

Nate Roberts

RUNS

1.  Nate Roberts-High Point  65

2.  J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  62

3,  Ryan Aguayo-New Mexico St.  61

3.  Dallas Poulk-North Carolina St.  61

5.  Jeff Rowland-Georgia Tech  59

6.  Tyler Holt-Florida St.  58

7.  Wes Cunningham-Murray St.  57

8.  Jared Andreoli-Western Kentucky  56

8.  Mark Micowski-Georgia St.  56

8.  Jonathon Ross-Savannah St.  56

TEAM BATTING AVERAGE

1.  Georgia State  .375

2.  Pittsburgh  .369

3.  Utah Valley  .361

4.  Southeast Missouri St.  .357

5.  New Mexico St.  .356

6.  New Mexico  .350

7.  Auburn  .349

8.  Central Connecticut St.  .347

9.  Arizona  .346

10.  Dallas Baptist  .345

Corey Baker

WINS

1.  Corey Baker-Pittsburgh  (9-1)

1.  Cole Green-Texas  (9-0)

1.  D.D. Hanks-South Alabama  (9-2)

1.  Alex Wimmers-Ohio St.  (9-0)

5.  Jake Borup-Arizona St.  (8-1)

Blake Cooper-South Carolina  (8-0)

Justin Jones-California  (8-3)

Merrill Kelly-Arizona St.  (8-0)

Anthony Meo-Coastal Carolina  (8-1)

Shawn Teufel-Liberty  (8-1)

Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel  (8-1)

Brandon Workman-Texas  (8-1)

* 25 pitchers are tied for 13th with seven wins

Chance Ruffin

ERA

Minimum 40 IP & Pitchers must have 1.0 IP for every game played by team

1.  Chance Ruffin-Texas  0.88

2.  John Stilson-Texas A&M  1.17

3.  Adam Izokovic-Gardner-Webb  1.43

4.  Nathan Forer-Southern Illinois  1.48

4.  Nathan Kilcrease-Alabama  1.48

6.  Alex Wimmers-Ohio St.  1.61

7.  Josh Slaats-Hawaii  1.71

8.  Chase Whitley-Troy  1.74

9.  Anthony Meo-Coastal Carolina  1.79

10.  Cole Green-Texas  1.82

Asher Wojciechowski

STRIKEOUTS

1.  Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel  98

2.  Drew Pomeranz-Mississippi  93

2.  Chris Sale-Florida Gulf Coast  93

4.  Josh Smith-Lipscomb  89

5.  Barret Loux-Texas A&M  88

6.  Taylor Jungmann-Texas  87

7.  Gerrit Cole-UCLA  86

8.  Trevor Bauer-UCLA  85

9.  Daniel Bibona-UC Irvine  84

10.  Eric Cantrell-George Washington  83

10.  Luke Irvine-Northwestern St.  83

10.  Jason Mitchell-UT Arlington  83

Chris Patterson

SAVES

1.  Kevin Arico-Virginia  13

1.  Chris Patterson-Appalachian St.  13

3.  Matty Ott-LSU  11

4.  Ryan Duke-Oklahama  10

Neil Holland-Louisville  10

Kevin McKague-Army  10

Jordan Swagerty-Arizona St.  10

8.  Andrew Burkett-Cincinnati  9

Lenny Linsky-Hawaii  9

Andy Mee-Florida Atlantic  9

Brooks Pinckard-Baylor  9

Chance Ruffin-Texas  9

Chad Sheppard-Northwestern St.  9

TEAM ERA

1.  Texas  2.30

2.  UCLA  2.80

3.  Coastal Carolina  3.02

4.  Oregon  3.14

5.  Arizona State  3.21

6.  Vanderbilt  3.29

7.  South Carolina  3.31

8.  Portland  3.39

9.  Louisiana-Lafayette  3.47

10.  Connecticut  3.56

10.  TCU  3.56

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders-april-28/feed/ 0 College Baseball 2010 Stats Leaders-April 21 http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders/ http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:25:24 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=7519

Here’s a look at the official Division One NCAA baseball statistics leaders in selected categories.

Carlos Alonso

BATTING AVERAGE

Minimum 3.0 Plate Appearances Per Game & Min. 80 Plate Appearances

1. Carlos Alonso-Delaware  .466

2. Kevin Tokarski-Illinois St.  .465

3. Anthony Gomez-Vanderbilt  .462

4. Phil Cerreto-Longwood  .461

5. J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  .460

6. Justin Frane-Valparaiso  .459

7. Jonathon Kaskow-Stanford  .455

8. Jerrud Sabourin-Indiana  .454

9. Effrey Valdez-NY Tech  .453

10. Chris Benson-Utah Valley  .449

A.J. Kirby-Jones

HOME RUNS

1. A-J Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  18

1. Jacob Tanis-Mercer  18

3. J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  17

4. Jordan Ballard-VMI  16

4. Alex Dickerson-Indiana  16

4. Matt Leeds-College of Charleston  16

4. Peter O’Brien-Bethune-Cookman  16

4. Nate Woods-Belmont  16

9. Pat Biserta-Rutgers  15

9. Drew Lee-Morehead St.  15

9. Jordan Ribera-Fresno St.  15

9. Mike Sodders-New Mexico St.  15

(7 tied with 14)

J.D. Ashbrook

RUNS

1. J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  62

2. Dallas Poulk-NC State 57

3. Ryan Aguayo-New Mexico St.  56

3. Nate Roberts-High Point  56

5. Wes Cunningham-Murray State  54

5. Tyler Holt-Florida St.  54

5. Jeff Rowland-Georgia Tech  54

8. Danny Lopez-Pittsburgh  51

8. Cory Spangenberg-VMI  51

8. Jacob Tanis-Mercer  51

Jacob Tanis

RBIs

1.  Jacob Tanis-Mercer  68

2.  Drew Lee-Morehead St.  61

3.  Nate Woods-Belmont  59

4.  Jake Overstreet-South Alabama  58

5.  Matt Leeds-College of Charleston  57

6.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  55

6.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech 55

8.  Dexter Kelley-Savannah St.  54

8.  Brandon Williams-Georgia St.  54

10. Danny Brock-St. Louis  53

10.  Tyler Huelsing-Memphis  53

10.  Connor Powers-Mississippi St.  53

Mac Doyle

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

1.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  .899

2.  Mac Doyle-Wofford  .874

3.  J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  .867

4.  Jacke Healey-Youngstown St.  .860

5.  Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  .859

6.  Chace Perkins-New Mexico St.  .853

7.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  .847

8.  Wes Cunningham-Murray St.  .846

9.  Ryan Fleming-Georgia St.  .838

10.  Dan Scheffler-Florida Atlantic  .837

Kevin Tokarski

ON-BASE PERCENTAGE

1.  Kevin Tokarski-Illinois St.  .576

2.  Taylor Dugas-Alabama  .572

3.  Nate Roberts-High Point  .564

4.  Michael Choice-UT Arlington  .563

5.  J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  .561

6.  Curtis Wilson-Southern  .556

7.  Chad Salem-Manhattan  .554

7.  Kyle Roller-East Carolina  .554

9.  Brian Harris-Vanderbilt  .552

10.  Anthony Rendon-Rice  .547

TEAM BATTING AVERAGE

1.  Georgia State  .378

2.  Pittsburgh  .370

3.  New Mexico St.  .367

4.  Arizona  .355

5.  Southeast Missouri St.  .354

5.  VMI  .354

7.  Utah Valley  .352

8.  Dallas Baptist  .348

9.  Auburn  .346

9.  New Mexico  .346

D.D. Hanks

WINS

These seven pitchers are tied with eight wins

Corey Baker-Pittsburgh

Cole Green-Texas

D.D. Hanks-South Alabama

Justin Jones-Cal

Merrill Kelly-Arizona State

Alex Wimmers-Ohio State

Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel

These 16 pitchers are tied with seven wins

Matt Andress-Appalachian State

Matt Barnes-UConn

Jake Borup-Arizona State

Blake Cooper-South Carolina

Quintavious Drains-Jackson State

Brandon Efferson-Southeastern Louisiana

Kyle Hunter-Kansas State

Kyle Kraus-Portland

Keegan Linza-Liberty

Anthony Meo-Coastal Carolina

Matt Ridings-Western Kentucky

Thomas Royse-Louisville

Josh Smith-Lipscomb

Shawn Teufel-Liberty

Brandon Workman-Texas

Chance Ruffin

ERA

Minimum 35 IP & 1 IP for every game played by team

1.  Chance Ruffin-Texas  0.95

2.  John Stilson-Texas A&M  1.17

3.  Drew Leininger-Indiana  1.20

4.  Nathan Forer-Southern Illinois  1.23

5.  Drew Pomeranz-Mississippi  1.38

6.  Nathan Kilcrease-Alabama  1.46

7.  Neil Holland-Louisville  1.50

8.  Alex Wimmers-1.71

9.  Adam Izokovic-Gardner-Webb  1.75

10.  Garrett Claypool-UCLA  1.85

Kevin Arico

SAVES

1.  Kevin Arico-Virginia  12

2.  Matty Ott-LSU  11

2.  Chris Patterson-Appalachian St.  11

4.  Ryan Duke-Oklahoma  10

4.  Jordan Swaggerty-Arizona St.  10

6.  Kevin McKague-Army  9

6.  Brooks Pinckard-Baylor  9

6.  Chance Ruffin-Texas  9

9.  Andrew Burkett-Cincinnati  8

9.  Adam Conley-Washington St.  8

9.  Chris Dennis-Portland  8

9.  Tom Heithoff-Evansville  8

9.  Neil Holland-Louisville  8

9.  Ryne Purcell-Eastern Kentucky  8

9.  Chad Sheppard-Northwestern St.  8

Drew Pomeranz

STRIKEOUTS

1.  Drew Pomeranz-Mississippi  90

2.  Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel  86

3.  Josh Smith-Lipscomb  80

4.  Taylor Jungmann-Texas  79

5.  Barret Loux-Texas A&M  78

5.  Chris Sale-Florida Gulf Coast  78

7.  Daniel Bibona-UC Irvine  76

7.  Gerrit Cole-UCLA  76

7.  Danny Hultzen-Virginia  76

10. Eric Cantrell-George Washington  75

TEAM ERA

1.  Texas  2.41

2.  UCLA  2.44

3.  Oregon  2.92

4.  Arizona State  3.06

4.  Vanderbilt  3.06

6.  Coastal Carolina  3.18

7.  South Carolina  3.27

8.  TCU  3.35

9.  Connecticut  3.37

10.  Portland  3.39

Stats through games as of 4/18/10

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders/feed/ 0 College Baseball 2010 Stats Leaders-April 16 http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders-april-16/ http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders-april-16/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:01:07 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=7083

Here are this week’s college baseball Division One leaders in selected categories, including Team ERA and Team Batting Average.  All stats are updated as of Thursday, April 15.

Chris Benson

BATTING AVERAGE

1.  Effrey Valdez-New York Tech  .473

2.  Chris Benson-Utah Valley  .467

3.  Phil Cerrato-Longwood  .461

4.  Zach Wentz-North Dakota St.  .460

5.  J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  .459

6.  Carlos Alonso-Delaward  .458

7.  Aaron Senne-Missouri  .457

8.  Casey Jones-SE Missouri St.  .453

9.  Kevin Tokarski-Illinois St.  .451

9.  Garrett Bivone-UT Pan American  .451

A.J. Kirby-Jones

HOME RUNS

1.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  17

1.  Jacob Tanis-Mercer  17

3.  Mike Sodders-New Mexico St.  15

4.  J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  14

4.  Adam Bailey-Nebraska  14

4.  Jordan Ballard-VMI  14

4.  Wes Cunningham-Murray St.  14

4.  Alex Dickerson-Indiana  14

4.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  14

4.  Matt Leeds-College of Charleston  14

4.  Peter O’Brien-Bethune-Cookman  14

4.  Jordan Ribera-Fresno St.  14

Jacob Tanis

RBIs

1.  Jacob Tannis-Mercer  65

2.  Jake Overstreet-South Alabama  56

3.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  53

4.  Danny Brock-St. Louis  52

5.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  51

6.  Drew Lee-Morehead St.  50

6.  Ryan Soares-George Mason  50

8.  Phil Cerreto-Longwood  49

8.  Wes Cunningham-Murray St.  49

8.  Tyler Huelsing-Memphis  49

8.  Jose Iglesias-Coastal Carolina  49

8.  Matt Leeds-College of Charleston  49

8.  Nick Rogers-North Carolina A&T  49

8.  Nate Woods-Belmont  49

Taylor Dugas

ON-BASE PERCENTAGE

1.  Taylor Dugas-Alabama  .577

2.  Brian Harris-Vanderbilt  .574

3.  J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  .570

4.  Jon Kelton-Alabama  .568

5.  Kevin Tokarski-Illinois St. .566

6.  Michael Choice-UT Arlington  .563

6.  Chad Salem-Manhattan  .563

6.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  .563

9.  Curtis Wilson-Southern  .556

10. Kyle Roller-East Carolina  .553

Mac Doyle

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

1.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  .941

2.  Mac Doyle-Wofford  .908

3.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  .879

4.  Wes Cunningham-Murray St.  .869

5.  Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  .867

6.  Ben Harty-New Mexico St.  .843

7.  Phil Cerreto-Longwood  .836

8.  J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  .830

8.  Chace Perkins-New Mexico St.  .830

8.  Chad Salem-Manhattan  .830

J.D. Ashbrook

RUNS

1.  J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  56

2.  Ryan Aguayo-New Mexico St.  55

3.  Jeff Rowland-Georgia Tech  51

4.  Mike Sodders-New Mexico St.  50

5.  Wes Cunningham-Murray State  48

5.  Danny Lopez-Pittsburgh  48

5.  Nate Roberts-High Point  48

5.  Cory Spangenberg-VMI  48

9.  Tyler Holt-Florida St.  47

9.  Jacob Tanis-Mercer  47

TEAM BATTING AVERAGE

1.  Georgia State  .386

2.  New Mexico St.  .370

3.  Pittsburgh  .369

4.  VMI  .355

4.  SE Missouri State  .355

6.  Utah Valley  .354

7.  Arizona  .351

8.  Auburn  .350

9.  Central Connecticut St.  .347

10.  Arizona State  .346

Justin Jones

WINS

These eight pitchers are tied with seven wins

Corey Baker-Pittsburgh

Cole Green-Texas

D.D. Hanks-South Alabama

Justin Jones-California

Merrill Kelly-Arizona State

Keegan Linza-Liberty

Alex Wimmers-Ohio State

Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel

* 29 pitchers are tied with six wins each.

Chance Ruffin

ERA

1.  Chance Ruffin-Texas  0.50

2.  Adam Izokovic-Gardner-Webb  1.06

3.  Neil Holland-Louisville  1.09

4.  Trever Vermeulen-South Dakota St.  1.21

5.  John Stilson-Texas A&M  1.25

6.  Drew Leininger-Indiana  1.38

7.  Chris Sale-Florida Gulf Coast  1.41

8.  Elliot Glynn-Connecticut  1.52

9.  Michael Wacha-Texas A&M  1.53

10.  Drew Pomeranz-Ole Miss  1.57

Drew Pomeranz

STRIKEOUTS

1.  Drew Pomeranz-Ole Miss  80

2.  Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel  74

3.  Gerrit Cole-UCLA  71

4.  Barret Loux-Texas A&M  70

4.  Josh Smith-Lipscomb  70

6.  Daniel Bibona-UC Irvine  68

6.  Taylor Jungmann-Texas  68

8.  Trevor Bauer-UCLA  67

8.  Chris Sale-Florida Gulf Coast  67

10.  Danny Hultzen-Virginia  66

10.  Mike McCarthy-Cal St. Bakersfield  66

10.  Jason Mitchell-UT Arlington  66

10.  Tanner Peters-UNLV  66

10.  Noe Ramirez-Cal State Fullerton  66

10.  John Stilson-Texas A&M  66

Kevin Arico

SAVES

1.  Kevin Arico-Virginia  11

2.  Matty Ott-LSU  10

2.  Chris Patterson-Appalachian St.  10

4.  Brooks Pinckard-Baylor  9

4.  Chance Ruffin-Texas  9

6.  Adam Conley-Washington St.  8

6.  Neil Holland-Louisville  8

6.  Ryne Purcell-Eastern Kentucky  8

6.  Chad Sheppard-Northwestern St.  8

6.  Jordan Swagerty-Arizona St.  8

TEAM ERA

1.  UCLA  2.28

2.  Texas  2.58

3.  Vanderbilt  2.92

4.  Oregon  2.93

5.  Oregon State  2.97

6.  Arizona State  3.03

7.  Coastal Carolina  3.17

8.  Portland  3.25

8.  TCU  3.25

10.  Connecticut  3.34

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders-april-16/feed/ 0 Big Ten Preview: Indiana vs. Ohio State http://collegebaseball360.com/big-ten-preview-indiana-vs-ohio-state/ http://collegebaseball360.com/big-ten-preview-indiana-vs-ohio-state/#comments Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:33:37 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=6592

Clash Of Last Year’s Champs On Tap

Ohio State was last year’s regular season Big Ten champion, while Indiana won the conference’s postseason tournament.  Chris Webb from Buckeyestatebaseball.com has provided us with an extensive preview of this weekend’s series in Columbus, OH as well as a Q & A with Indiana head coach Tracy Smith.  Next week Chris and I will record a podcast to talk about this series as well as other key Big Ten happenings.

From here through the conclusion of the season, I’ll provide insight into a Big Ten weekend series here on CollegeBaseball360. – Chris Webb

After a season in which three teams advanced to Regional play in Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio State, all eyes were on the Midwestern conference to see if the 10 schools can continue to make strides in closing the gap between a once-proud conference and the power conferences of the country.

Receiving the most off-season hype and buzz was the Ohio State Buckeyes. After advancing to the finals of the Tallahassee Regional, the Bucks were ranked as high as 14th in the preseason polls, receiving the lofty ranking by Collegiate Baseball. With 8 everyday starters returning to the lineup and All-American Alex Wimmers anchoring the pitching staff, Ohio State appeared to be the team to return the Big Ten to Omaha.

After a 17-8 start, which has seen inconsistent play throughout, Ohio State has fallen from every ranking and hope the upcoming weekend spurns them into second-half success, playing baseball worthy of a team headed to Omaha.

Bill Davis Stadium

Once the crown jewel of Northern ballparks, Bill Davis Stadium is now in it’s 14th season as the on-campus home for Ohio State. This weekend Bill Davis welcomes coach Tracy Smith and his Indiana Hoosiers for a key conference clash.

While Ohio State was the Big Ten regular season champion a year ago, Indiana ran through the field in the six-team Big Ten Tournament, held just minutes from Bill Davis at Columbus’ Huntington Park, the home of the AAA Columbus Clippers. In winning the postseason tournament, Indiana advanced to their second-ever NCAA Regional. While the Hoosiers went two-and-que in the Vanderbilt Regional, proof was shown that under Smith, Indiana is not far from becoming a regional power.

With two of the top contenders for the 2010 Big Ten crown squaring off, here is a look within the series.

Indiana Hooisers (14-13 overall 1-2 Big Ten)

@

Ohio State Buckeyes (17-8, 2-1)

Expected Rotation

Game 1 Friday April 9th, 6:35 PM:

LHP Matt Igel (0-3, 9.00) vs. RHP Alex Wimmers (6-0, 1.98)

Game 2 Saturday April 10th, 1:05 PM:

LHP Drew Leininger (4-1, 1.66) vs. RHP Drew Rucinski (3-1, 2.53)

Game 3 Sunday April 11th, 1:05 PM:

RHP Walker Stadley (3-2, 5.06) vs. RHP Dean Wolosiansky (2-3, 5.60)

Team Comparisons

Category…. Indiana…… Ohio State
RPI…………. 131…………… 114
SOS…………. 93……………. 212
IRS…………. 129……………. 89
Hitting…….. .329…………. .344
ERA………… 6.42………….. 4.56
Fielding…… .963………….. .956
HR………….. 41………………. 20
2B…………… 59………………. 46
3B…………… 6…………………. 9
SLG………… .522……………. .479
BB…………… 93……………….. 99
SO…………… 197………………. 112
OBP…………. .404…………….. .412
SB……………. 36-54………….. 13-23
OBA…………. .306…………….. .311
SO…………….. 174………………. 181
BB…………….. 124………………. 78
H………………. 294………………. 283
XBH………….. 90………………… 50
WHIP……….. 1.74………………. 1.63
Saves………… 4…………………… 7

About Indiana

The Hoosiers are coming off of an weekend series versus Michigan where the Wolverines took 2 of 3 on the road winning the first two games 16-10 (10) and 6-4. However the lasting thought of that series is the 26-6 shelling Indiana put on the Maize & Blue in Sunday’s getaway day.

Jerrud Sabourin (IU photo)

A midweek win over Ball State brought Indiana above .500 for the first time all season.

Leading the way offensively for Indiana is the Big Ten’s version of the Bash Bothers in Jerrud Sabourin and Alex Dickerson. Sabourin leads the Hoosiers with a .480 average (59-for-123) with six home runs and 31 RBI. Behind him in the lineup as IU’s cleanup hitter is Dickerson with a .444 average ( 52-for-11), 10 doubles, and a Big Ten leading 12 home runs in route to 39 RBI.

Five other regulars are batting north of .300 to give Indiana its lofty .329 team average. Indiana is aggressive on the bases, and though Sabourin and Dickerson provided powerful bats, the Hoosiers are balanced enough to string off runs going station to station.

On the mound Indiana once again touts an impressive pitcher who will via for Wimmers in the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year race. On the strength of a consecutive scoreless innings streak that reached more than 25 innings, south Drew Leininger is 4-1 with a conference leading 1.66 ERA with 30 strikeouts and nine walks in 43.1 innings. Chris Squires is the Hoosiers’ closer coming in with four saves, a 3.74 ERA, and 2-1 record.

About Ohio State

Ohio State returns home after winning a weekend series in the Windy City against Northwestern. Wins of 11-1 and 11-6 where sandwiched by an 8-2 loss to the Wildcats to give the Bucks it’s 2-1 weekend. In playing just their second game at home of the year, Ohio State defeated Xavier on Wednesday to improve to 17-8 on the year.

While Ohio State enters the weekend with the Big Ten’s top hitting team, and second-best pitching staff, the Buckeyes have yet to string together a series of games where both aspects are in sync. Also leading to the team’s inconsistencies is the performance in the field. A fielding mark of .956 has led to 32 unearned runs crossing the plate for the Bucks’ opposition.

As expected the pitching staff is led by Wimmers who looks to collect his second-consecutive Big Ten Pitcher of the Year award. Drew Rucinski steps into the rotation after starting the season as Ohio State’s closer, the Buckeyes #2 pitcher leads the team with four saves in a sign of his conversion.

Dan Burkhart-#15 (OSU photo)

Offensively Ohio State boasts the Big Ten’s reigning Player of the Year, in catcher Dan Burkhart, giving Ohio State one of the nation’s best battery. Burkhart (.378, 18 RBI) the 3-hole hitter, is surrounded in the lineup by centerfielder Michael Stephens (.384, 6 HR, 23), first baseman Ryan Dew (.368, 3, 23), outfielders Zach Hurley (.373, 5, 26), and Brian DeLucia (.384, 4 21) as the team’s main power source. Infielders Cory Rupert (.400), and Cory Kovanda (.390) set the table for the Buckeyes balanced lineup.

Series History

Ohio State leads the series, 154-98, winning 15 of the 27 conference meetings. Last year the two split two meetings. Ohio State won a non-conference game in Florida 2-0. Indiana won 13-3 in the Big Ten Tournament from Huntington Park. The last series victory for Indiana came in 1996.

Key Matchup

Ohio State starters versus Indiana 3-4-5 hitters. Michael Early (.321-4-14) joins Sabourin and Dickerson as the conference’s most potent middle of the order. Most important is the fact that Sabourin and Dickerson are left-handed hitters which pose a threat to Ohio State’s all right-handed rotation. Obviously if these three are clicking things are in Indiana’s favor. If the Bucks can keep the trio to a .300 average or lower, the Bucks are well on their way to a weekend series victory.

Special Feature: Q&A with Indiana’s Coach Tracy Smith

CW: By now you’re probably tired of talking about it, but last year’s team lost a lot of talent. When a coach has such a removal of talent due to early-entrees leaving via the draft, does the program feel like it’s starting over in a way? Are losses like that “projected” and planned around in recruiting to keep the cupboard as full as possible?

Tracy Smith (IU photo)

TS: Some were projected. We planned to lose the five top 10-round guys, but the ones we did not plan for were the two that signed in the 30-something rounds. We didn’t see that coming until the very end of the season and those are the ones that have impacted this year the most because both those kids were to be in our top 3 in the rotation.

Now, add the injury to Monar the first weekend, we have been without our projected top 3 starters all year. Pretty tough on us, but we have found a way to win some games anyway.

CW: Perhaps an effect of some of the departures is having your son, Casey, early-enroll and in essence play Division I baseball during his senior year of high school.

Where there times before the process when you had to approach the situation different as a parent and coach? And now is the joy of coaching your son one of the biggest thrills of your coaching tenure?

TS: We knew we were going to be thin when O’Gara and Dunning signed late, but it wasn’t until we saw it with our own eyes in the fall did we realize just how thin we were.

Casey was being recruited by a couple of other schools, and once he decided IU was where he wanted to go I started to get this idea of bringing him early. He is a pretty smart kid, and has been around my programs all his life, so I think he saw the opportunity this year which led to his decision.

Coaching your kid is a joy and a challenge at the same time. Given the fact that he decided on the mid-year matriculation into IU so late, we elected not to put him in the dorms. Yes, he is living at home this semester, and this is the challenge I am referring to. If he screws up he not only gets it at school, but he gets it at home and that has made for some interesting dinner conversations.

I have jokingly said that if we are speaking with each other by the end of the year that will be a major accomplishment. All kidding aside, I am thrilled to be coaching my own kid. Far too often in this business we (coaches) invest a significant amount of time developing other people’s kids so it is nice to give your own some of that time.

CW: Speaking of the pitching staff, are you able to update the status of Monar?

TS: He is working his way back slowly. We hope we can get him back at some point, but I am not counting on it.

CW: In stepping in for Monar as the #1 pitcher, Leininger appears to be having an “Arnett-type” year where an outstanding season seemingly comes from nowhere.

What did you see from Drew before this season that an outbreak like this wasn’t out of the question? What so far this season has impressed you the most with his performances?

TS: I would be lying to you if I said I thought he was going to be having this type of season, but we always thought he could have success at this level. He has made some changes to his delivery that have really helped him.

You take that and add that to his already tough mindset and smooth delivery, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. His consistency has been very impressive to me. He locates his pitches well and has consistently hit spots.

CW: Looking at the bats, you’re middle of he line-up is anchored by Sabourin and Dickerson. As the two had very solid 2009 campaigns, as a coach was there a lot of instruction needed for the duo to continue to excel?

Or was it a matter of letting good players be good players and only a matter of time before they picked up where they left off in 2009?

TS: Honestly, I have always believed coaches give themselves too much credit when it comes to players performing well. At IU, we try to instill an attitude of ownership in our kids. If you do well, take the credit. If you do poorly, don’t start pointing fingers.

So with these two, we pretty much give them an environment to develop their already extraordinary talents. Sure, as a coach you make some changes or suggestions that you think will help them, but for the most part if you have a player (or players) like these guys that already have a pretty good understanding of theirs swings, you just set up your bucket of balls behind the L-screen and feed them strikes during BP, the rest pretty much takes care of itself.

CW: Who are some of the players outside of those two that have really played well and filled in for the collective holes left by Josh Phegley, Evan Crawford, Kip Schultz and company?

TS: Freshman Micah Johnson has performed very well. He has provided the power we lost with Schultz and the speed we lost with Crawford. He is a very good player. Mike Earley is starting to give us more consistent at-bats, and from a senior that is what you expect. He also brings a toughness that you would love to see in all your players.

With Phegley, you had a catcher that understood the game. Coming into the year, we had 3 catchers that all bring a little something different to the table. The time we started playing more consistent baseball coincided with the time Dylan Swift took over behind the plate. He may not have the offensive numbers of some of the other guys, but he does a great job of handling our very immature staff during games.

CW: You have been as vocal as any coach in regards to the NCAA’s Universal Start Date and when it should be. Now that we’re in year two, what are your thoughts on the process after having it in a 13-week, and 14-week format?

TS: First, I am impressed that you knew I was vocal about this. I don’t mind the 14-week format, but the additional week was put on the “wrong” end of the season. By adding the additional week on the front end of the season, the NCAA has spoken loud and clear with regard to what it thinks about the schools playing baseball in the north – they don’t really care.

There is no other sport (outside of softball) that has the competitive disadvantages present like college baseball. The advantages and disadvantages, depending on what part of the country you are from, have a HUGE impact on your opportunity for post season play.

I don’t have enough time to give all the reasons, but clearly by adding the week to front of the college baseball season, the rich just got richer!

CW: There was a vote to go back to a 13-week schedule if the 14th week was not added on the back end. Why was that the approach being taken? Doesn’t a 13-week schedule hinder northern programs as much as southern in a compacted schedule?

Or was it just a matter of, we’re not having a 14th week at the front end until Hell freezes over?

TS: We, northern schools, have been dealing with schedule compaction as long as we have been coaching. We were used to it. But, when you add the week on the front end you have eliminated any chance for northern schools to schedule more home games.

More home games usually means a better chance to win. I have always said the term “home field advantage” was created for a reason. By adding the week on the front end, it ensures more road games for the northern schools, thus adding the potential for more RPI points to already inflated RPI numbers of southern conferences.

Many would argue that I am just complaining, and that the baseball is better in the south. Well, that may be true (I don’t agree), but I would like to see how some of these schools would perform early in the season if they were practicing on gym floors with little, or in most cases, no practice time on baseball fields.

I think if guys in the south experienced what the coaches in the north face year in and year out, then maybe they would be more sympathetic to our cause. I doubt it though, because they are at such a competitive advantage right now, why would they want to level the playing field. You got me going, didn’t you?

CW: Now that you are going… Discuss the current state of the Big Ten. It was mentioned last year following the Big Ten Tournament where four teams have had hopes of a Regional selection, with Illinois ultimately falling short, that it is ever-improving.

While on paper the Big Ten appears down from a year ago, what does it say that a program like Michigan State is on the rise as well as your continuing of building the Indiana program?

With OSU, Michigan, and Minnesota as established programs, do you feel the Big Ten is on the verge on taking the next step and perhaps narrowing the gap on the power conferences, and what has led to the revival?

TS: Well, I think the gap is closing. You have a lot of schools investing in their baseball programs, thus increasing expectations on winning.

However, what gets little discussion, and is probably this biggest reason the conference struggles to compete on a national level consistently is the fact that other conferences can over-sign. Teams in the Big Ten that recruit a significant number of high level talent have to lay back and wait to see how the draft plays out on how many guys they are going to lose.

Look what happened to Michigan last year. They win the Big Ten the year before, and fail to qualify for the tournament the next year. Is it because Coach Maloney was a great coach one year and bad one the next? No! He lost a ton of underclassmen and was not able to use their money until the players actually SIGNED a contract in the summer.

Who are you going to find that late to replace that kind of talent? You are not. We are experiencing a little bit of that ourselves this year.

Now, I do believe the Big Ten recognized this as a huge disadvantage for our league and instituted a rule change this year that allows schools to over sign up to one scholarship spread over two players.

It does help, but when other schools are over signing by 6-8 scholarships, the playing field is not even close to being even. The part that drives me nuts is nobody talks about this issue. Everyone wants to talk about weather, and huge stadiums, etc., as being the things the hold our conference back, but it’s not. The issue of over-signing is the real problem.

My friends who coach at southern schools laugh when I tell them that we can’t over-sign kids until our underclassmen physically sign a contact. They are like, “how in the heck do you guys recruit?” I have my response down to a science now, I put my hands behind my back and say, “like this.”

That said, I am not saying I agree with over-signing to the level most southern do it, because it can create some ugly scenarios where kids are “run off.” Again, too many reasons and not enough time to respond. But what I would like to see is some consistency with regard to the issue of over-signing.

I like the limits our conference has put on over-signing. Now, if we could get the rest of the country to buy into the Big Ten Conference’s rules, wouldn’t if be great? However, I say again, why would they? They are at too much of a competitive advantage under the current system to want to change.

As someone who is trying win every game I play, I guess I understand their position. But if the NCAA wants to do what is “right,” it will address the issue of over-signing, and adopt legislation that truly benefits our student-athletes all the while creating a more competitive environment for all of college baseball, not just some of it.

Alright, I am off my soap box.

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/big-ten-preview-indiana-vs-ohio-state/feed/ 0 College Baseball Notebook-Week 7 http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-notebook-week-7/ http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-notebook-week-7/#comments Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:04:17 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=6254

A By The Numbers Look At The Latest Week’s Action

We comb through hundreds of box scores, game recaps and releases each week to find our Notebooks nuggets.  If there’s something noteworthy you think we need to add drop us an email.

D.D. Hanks (USA photo)

7…Wins apiece for South Alabama pitcher D.D. Hanks and Asher Wojciechowski of The Citadel.  Both earned their nation-leading wins Friday night.

8:13 P.M…The time (Eastern) South Alabama’s 9-2 win over New Orleans ended Friday night, making Hanks (7-1) the nation’s first 7-game winner.  He struck out 9 in his fourth complete game effort of the season.

9:37 P.M…The time (Eastern) The Citadel’s 3-2 win over Wofford ended Friday night, to make Wojciechowski the nation’s second 7-game winner.  He fanned 9 as well in 8 innings of work.

46…Combined wins by Arizona State and UCLA to open the 2010 season.

2…Combined losses by ASU and UCLA Friday night, as they both tasted defeat for the first time to Pac 10 foes.  ASU’s 24-game winning streak and UCLA’s 22-game streak were both respective school records.  Both the Sun Devils and Bruins would win their series finales to win 2 of 3 games on the weekend.

5:24…Time of ASU’s 6-5 loss in 12-innings to Oregon Friday night in Eugene.  The game featured an hour and five minutes of rain and lightening delays.

3…Sun Devil errors in the loss, leading to five of six Duck runs being unearned.  Junior Marcus Piazzisi had the

Marcus Piazzisi

game-ending RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning.

1…Career home run by ASU’s Drew Maggi-a solo shot that gave the Sun Devils a 1-0 win over the Ducks in the series-opener to run their record to 24-0.

7…Runs scored by Stanford in the 5th inning en-route to their 8-4 win over UCLA that same night.

6…Of those runs that were unearned due to a throwing error that started the frame.  Four runs crossed the plate with two outs.

9…Innings pitched by Stanford’s Jordan Pries (3-1) who notched the second complete game of the season for both he and his team while handing the Bruins their first loss.

Jordan Pries

3…Home runs hit by Virginia Tech in Saturday’s 8-7 win at Florida State.  Coupled with Friday’s 10-5 series-opening win over the Seminoles, the Hokies notched their first series win ever over FSU (the lost 9-6 in Sunday’s series finale).

400…Career wins for Virginia Tech head coach Pete Hughes after the weekend’s two wins over the ‘Noles.  Hughes is in his 14th year as a head coach.

2…Wins by Georgetown in its three-game series with Notre Dame to give the Hoyas their first ever series win over the Fighting Irish.

1…Grand slam hit by North Carolina State’s Andrew Ciencin to help the Wolfpack upset #3 Virginia Sunday.  The win gave NC State its second win over the Cavs in the 3-game series.

9 of 9…Virginia closer Kevin Arico’s record in save opportunities this season prior to his first blown save in Friday’s 6-5 loss in 11 innings to NC State.

500…Wins at NC State by head coach Elliott Avent after the Friday night win.  He’s just the second coach in school history with as many victories.

16…Strikeouts in 9 innings by South Florida’s Andrew Barbosa in Friday’s 5-0 win over Cincinnati.

9…Combined strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings by Cincinnati relievers Brian Garman and Andrew Burkett in Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Bulls.  Garman (3-0) fanned 7 of the 9 batters he faced to earn the win, while Burkett K’d 2 of 3 Bulls in the 9th to notch his 5th save.

3…Grand slams hit in a span of five games by East Carolina’s Zach Wright, who connected on his third slam in Tuesday’s 8-0 win over Elon.

Zach Woods

15…Strikeouts by ECU pitcher Zach Woods-a career-high-in that same win over Elon.  He fanned 7 of the first 9 batters he faced to become just the second Pirate pitcher in the last 40 years record 15 punch outs in a game.

20 & 23…Runs scored Thursday and Friday by Cal State Fullerton in wins over UC Davis to give the Titans back-to-back 20-run games for the first time in 30 years.  They won Saturday’s finale 3-2 to open 3-0 in Big West play.

21 2/3…Innings pitched by Texas hurlers prior to surrendering a run to Oklahoma en-route to a 3-game weekend sweep.  The Longhorns won by finals of 5-0, 2-0 and 9-3 in Norman.

11…Game winning streak by #35 Pittsburgh-a school record-heading into last weekend’s Big East series at Rutgers.

5…Runs scored by Rutgers in the bottom of the 9th inning of Thursday’s 9-8 series-opening win to snap Pitt’s streak.  The Scarlet Knights won game two 6-1 to run their winning streak to eight before falling 6-5 to the Panthers in the finale.  Since a 1-8 start to the season RU has won 13 of its last 16 games.

3…Straight complete games pitched by UT Arlington right-hander Jason Mitchell (4-2) after Thursday’s 4-0 win over Nicholls State.

3…Games played away from home this season by Arizona, which opened the season with a 20-5 record at Kindall Field/Sancet Stadium.

Andrew Clark (Louisville photo)

3…Losses by Arizona at Cal in their first road trip of the year.  The Golden Bears beat the Wildcats by finals of 7-2, 8-0 & 4-3 in Berkley over the weekend in the second Pac 10 series of the season for both teams.

13…Total bases for Louisville’s Andrew Clark in Thursday’s 12-4 win over Villanova.  The senior first baseman was 5-for-5 with two home runs, two doubles and 5 RBIs in the game.

13…RBIs for Clark in his last seven games since returning from a rib cage stress fracture.  Clark’s 9th inning game-winning HR in Tuesday’s 5-4 win over Indiana is among the four home runs he’s hit in that stretch.

28 2/3…Scoreless innings streak by Indiana pitcher Drew Leininger that ended with Clark’s home run.

26…Runs scored by IU in Sunday’s 26-6 win over Michigan-the most runs ever scored by a Hoosier team in Big Ten play.  The final scored was also the most lopsided win for IU in the 186 game series vs. the Wolverines, who still won the series 2-1.

1…Hit allowed by Rice’s Taylor Wall in Thursday’s 6-0 win over cross-town rival Houston.  Wall struck out seven with one BB to earn the Rice pitching staff’s first complete game of the season.

6…Sacrifice bunts by TCU-a school record-in Thursday’s 4-1 win over visiting San Diego State.

14…Straight batters retired by Horned Frog freshman pitcher Matt Purke from the 3rd through the 7th inning of that game.  Purke struck out 10, but settled for a no-decision in the win.  (TCU won the series 2-1.)

2-1…Score of Pacific’s Big West series-opening win at Long Beach State.

1998…The last time Pacific won a road game at LBSU (the Dirt Bags still won the series 2-1).

12…Strikeouts in 8 innings by UC Irvine pitcher Daniel Bibona in a series-opening 16-2 win over Cal State Northridge en-route to a 3-game sweep to open Big West Conference play.

6…Runs scored with two outs in the 8th and 9th innings of Tennessee’s 10-6 win over Ole Miss on Sunday to win the series 2-1.

7…Straight losses to open SEC play by the Vols before winning the last two games of the series vs. the 12th ranked

P.J. Polk (UT photo)

Rebels.

2…Home runs by Tennessee outfielder P.J. Polk in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Mississippi.

10…Doubles hit by North Florida-a school record-in a 13-5 win over East Tennessee State.

4…Of those doubles that were hit by UNF catcher David Eldredge.

20…Game hitting streak by Central Florida’s Chris Duffy after recording at least one hit in all five UCF games last week.  Duffy is among the nation’s leaders with a .478 average, 13 HR and 48 RBIs.

12…Strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings in two appearances by Wichita State reliever Cobey Guy.  The senior logged a career-high 3 1/3 innings with 6 Ks after entering the game in the first inning of Sunday’s 17-2 win over Evansville.

1,700…Career wins by Wichita State head coach Gene Stephenson after Sunday’s victory over the Purple Aces, making him just the second coach in Division 1 baseball history to reach that milestone.

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-notebook-week-7/feed/ 0 College Pitcher Of The Year Watch List http://collegebaseball360.com/college-pitcher-of-the-year-watch-list/ http://collegebaseball360.com/college-pitcher-of-the-year-watch-list/#comments Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:30:47 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=5609

Big Names & Lessor Known Hurlers On The List

LUBBOCK, TX — As starting pitchers across the country continue to impact the success of their teams, the College Baseball Foundation has released the first Pitcher of the Year Watch List for 2010.  The Pitcher of the Year Award will be presented in Lubbock, Texas,on July 2 as part of the College Baseball Awards Show.

“This watch list is full of great college pitchers from around the country,” said Landon Holly, who together with Justin Knowles serves as co-chair for the Pitcher of the Year committee.  All the major conferences across the country have multiple representatives on the list, with the Pac-10 leading the way with nine.  Many of the smaller conferences also have representation on the list.

This is the second year the CBF will present the Pitcher of the Year Award.  Deck McGuire of Georgia Tech is the only 2009 finalist to appear on the 2010 watch list.  2009 Stopper of the Year Award winner Addison Reed of San Diego State (now a starter) is on the Pitcher of the Year watch list as well.

The award will be presented on July 2 in Lubbock, TX as part of the College Baseball Awards Show.

2010 College Pitcher of the Year Watch List

Jimmy Nelson-Alabama-SEC

Jake Borup-Arizona State-Pac 10

Mitchell Lambson-Arizona State-Pac 10

Josh Spence-Arizona State-Pac 10

Drew Smyly-Arkansas-SEC

Logan Verrett-Baylor-Big 12

Eric Johnson-California-Pac 10

Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel-Southern

Matt Rein-Coastal Carolina-Big South

Cody Wheeler-Coastal Carolina-Big South

Alex Panteliodis-Florida-SEC

John Gast-Florida State-ACC

Sean Gilmartin-Florida State-ACC

Deck McGuire-Georgia Tech-ACC

Drew Leininger-Indiana-Big 10

Matt Little-Kentucky-SEC

Shawn Teufel-Liberty-Big South

Anthony Ranaudo-LSU-SEC

Neil Holland-Louisville-Big East

Thomas Royse-Louisville-Big East

Matt Harvey-North Carolina-ACC

Francis Brooke-Northwestern-Big 10

Alex Wimmers-Ohio State-Big 10

Jeremy Erben-Oklahoma-Big 12

Aaron Barrett-Mississippi-SEC

Drew Pomeranz-Mississippi-SEC

Tyler Anerson-Oregon-Pac 10

Greg Peavey-Oregon State-Pac 10

Tanner Robles-Oregon State-Pac 10

Addison Reed-San Diego State-Mountain West

D.D. Hanks-South Alabama-Sun Belt

Trevor Vermeulen-South Dakota State-Summit

Josh Janway-Southeastern Louisiana-Southland

Scott Copeland-Southern Mississippi-Conference USA

Todd McInnis-Southern Mississippi-Conference USA

Cole Green-Texas-Big 12

Taylor Jungmann-Texas-Big 12

Chance Ruffin-Texas-Big 12

Barret Loux-Texas A&M-Big 12

John Stilson-Texas A&M-Big 12

Daniel Bibona-UC Irvine-Big West

Eric Pettis-UC Irvine-Big West

Mario Hollands-UC Santa Barbara-Big West

Trevor Bauer-UCLA-Pac 10

Gerrit Cole-UCLA-Pac 10

Jason Mitchell-UT Arlington-Southland

Sonny Gray-Vanderbilt-SEC

Danny Hultzen-Virginia-ACC

Jesse Hahn-Virginia Tech-ACC

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/college-pitcher-of-the-year-watch-list/feed/ 0 College Baseball Notebook-Week 5 http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-notebook-week-5/ http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-notebook-week-5/#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:30:18 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=5468

A By The Numbers Look At The Latest Week Of 2010

20 & 16…Wins without any defeats by Arizona State and UCLA, respectively, to start the season.  The Pac-10 teams are the only remaining undefeated Division 1 college baseball teams in the nation.  ASU’s start is the best since the 1961 team opened at 21-0, while the Bruin’s 16-0 start is a school record as is their 16-game winning streak.

41-7…Combined score of UCLA’s weekend 3-game sweep of 12-time defending Summit League champion Oral Roberts.

30 & 10…Strikeouts and walks in 27 IP in the series by the Bruin pitching staff.

1…Former Northern Iowa baseball player-Lucas O’Rear-who is in the NCAA Basketball Tournament’s Sweet 16 this week.  O’Rear, a junior forward on the UNI basketball team, helped 9th seeded Panthers beat UNLV 69-66 in the first

Lucas O'Rear

round of the tournament last Thursday, then shock overall #1 seed Kansas 69-67 Saturday night.

17 1/3…Innings O’Rear pitched for the UNI baseball team in 2009-it’s last season of existence.  Northern Iowa eliminated baseball after last season due to budget cuts.  The 6’6-255 pound O’Rear, whose fastball has touched 92 mph, struckout 15 batters and finished with a 4.67 ERA after making 10 appearances out of the Panther bullpen.

4.2 & 4.5…O’Rear’s scoring & rebounding averages this season for the 30-4 UNI basketball team, which faces Michigan State on Friday in St. Louis this week in the Sweet 16.

26…Consecutive scoreless innings pitched by Indiana’s Drew Leininger-who tossed 6 shutout frames in IU’s 10-3 win over Akron Saturday.  Leininger dropped his Big Ten-leading ERA to 0.70 while improving his record to 3-0.

14…Straight games in which TCU freshman Josh Elander had a hit to begin his career before going hitless in the Horned Frogs’ 6-4 win over Oral Roberts last Tuesday.

1…Career home run by Elander-it came in TCU’s next game, an 11-3 win over BYU last Friday.  It was also the freshman outfielder’s birthday.

1,825…Fans in attendance last Wednesday to see the first night game in James Madison history-a 6-3 loss to #1 Virginia-at the Dukes’ new Veterans Memorial Park.

10…Runs in 1+ inning pitched by Western Kentucky starter Taylor Haydel in Wednesday’s 17-6 loss to Vanderbilt.

32-5…Combined score of Arizona’s two mid-week wins over Wichita State in Tucson.

4…Wins in relief by Villanova’s Kevin Crimmel after pitching an inning in Friday’s 2-1 win over Niagara.

10…Strikeouts in 8 IP by VU starter Brian Streilein in that game.

9…Stolen bases by the Wildcats in a St. Patrick’s Day 11-8 win over Fairleigh Dickinson.

Dan Gentzler (Maryland photo)

2…Home runs by Maryland’s Dan Gentzler in Friday’s 5-2 win over Georgia Tech to hand the Yellow Jackets just their second loss of the season. Both HR came off 2009 ACC Pitcher of the Year Deck McGuire.

4…Saves this season earned by Gentzler after pitching a scoreless 9th inning of that same game.  Terp starter Brett Harman struckout eight in eight innings to earn the win.

8…RBIs by Georgia Tech’s Jay Dantzler the next day in GT’s 24-4 win over Maryland.  Dantzler was 4-for-6 in the game with a pair of home runs.

4…Home runs hit by Clemson in an 8-run first inning of its 22-6 win over Georgia Southern.  The Tigers hit 6 home runs, 9 doubles and a triple in the game.

0…Losses by Clemson (17-2, 6-0 ACC) through the first two weekend’s of conference play, making the Tigers the only ACC team without a league blemish, after a 3-game sweep of Virginia Tech.

12…Strikeouts in 8 IP by Virginia’s Danny Hultzen (4-1) in Friday’s 7-1 win over Boston College to give him 43 Ks and just 4 BB in 34 innings this season.

Tommy LaStella (Coastal Car. photo)

30 of 34…Innings that Hultzen has pitched this season that have been “goose eggs” on the scoreboard.

1…Cycle achieved by Tommy LaStella in Coastal Carolina’s 29-13 win over Charleston Southern.  The redshirt sophomore drove-in seven runs en-route to his first career cycle.

7…Runs scored in the 7th inning by LSU in Saturday’s 8-7 win over Arkansas in game two of their SEC-opening series in Baton Rouge. Arkansas had won the first game of the series 6-3 a day prior.

2…Hits by the Tigers-both singles by Micah Gibbs-through the first six innings off Razorback starter Drew Smyly, who left after 6 IP with a 5-1 lead.

0…Games won by Kansas since winning 2 of 3 games vs. LSU.  The Jayhawks dropped four games vs. Tulane and St. Louis last week after their March 12-14 series win in Baton Rouge.

12…RBIs with 3 home runs in four games last week by St. Louis 1B Danny Brock.  The son of former Big Leaguer Greg Brock leads the Billikens in batting average (.405) HR (10) RBIs (36) and slg. % (.892) through 20 games this season.

9…Innings pitched and strikeouts-both career-highs-by Michigan State pitcher A.J. Achter (2-0) in Saturday’s 13-0 win over Notre Dame.

5…Errors committed by the Fighting Irish in that game, leading to 7 unearned runs scored by the Spartans.

6 & 1…Strikeouts and hits allowed by Ball State reliever Perci Garner in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Louisville to hand UL (17-2) just its second overall loss and first home loss of 2010.

1-for-20…What Louisville’s 4 through 9 batters combined to hit in that game.

141…Batters faced by Kansas State pitcher Evan Marshall without issuing a walk prior to Friday’s 3rd inning free pass in the Wildcat’s 2-1 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  The sophomore’s no-walks streak spanned 29.0 innings.  He struckout a career-best eight batters in the no-decision to help K-State improve to 15-3.

Chris Duffy

11…RBIs with 4 home runs in five games last week by Florida’s Preston Tucker.  The Gator 1B homered in four straight games-the longest stretch by a UF player since 2007.  His efforts helped UF down Florida State 8-5 in a midweek game and then sweep its SEC opening series vs. Mississippi State.

2…Times Florida State scored game-winning runs in the 9th inning to take 2 of 3 games from North Carolina.  The Seminoles won 4-3 on Friday and 5-3 on Sunday.  FSU has claimed 9th inning wins 3 of the last 4 times it has faced UNC.

12…Nation-leading home runs by Central Florida outfielder Chris Duffy.  He also tops the nation with 39 RBIs.

3…Sacrifice flies last week by Duffy after none in his first three seasons at UCF.

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-notebook-week-5/feed/ 0 College Baseball Notebook-Week 4 http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-notebook-week-4/ http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-notebook-week-4/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:51:52 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=4966

A By The Numbers Rundown Of The Latest Action

Things got interesting in week four of the season, with a pair of traditional SEC powers losing home series over the weekend as well as a four time CWS team losing to an arch rival.  Here’s a look at some team and individual performances from week four of the college baseball season.

2…Games won by Kansas at #1 LSU over the weekend to hand the defending Nation Champions their first losses of 2010.

13…Runs in 13 IP by LSU’s three starting pitchers in the series.

0…Hits and runs allowed by Jayhawk closer Brett Bochy in 3 2/3 IP to earn saves in both KU wins.  The son of San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy struckout five with two walks.

Brett Bochy

13…Straight wins to open the season by Louisville-the best for the program since a 15-0 mark in 1957-after Friday’s 6-1 win at Ole Miss.

5…Runs scored by Louisville in the top of the 12th inning of that game to pick-up the victory.

17…Combined strikeouts by Rebel pitchers Drew Pomeranz (12 in 6 1/3 IP) and Brett Huber (5 in 4 1/3 IP) in the loss.

7…Walks issued by Louisville starter Thomas Royse in 6 1/3 IP.  Royse had walked just 3 batters in 18 innings in his previous three starts this season.

9…Ks by Mississippi starter Drew Barrett in Saturday’s 8-3 win to hand Louisville its first loss of the season.

2…Wins by Louisville (14-1) in the series after winning 10-8 in Sunday’s series finale in Oxford.  Cardinal head coach Dan McDonnell, a former Ole Miss assistant, was making his first trip back to Oxford since becoming Louisville’s head coach in 2007.

1 & 1…Win and save by Cardinal pitcher Neil Holland in the series.  Holland pitched a total of four innings in his two appearances with 6 strikeouts and a walk while allowing a run on one hit.

8…Combined home runs hit by North Florida and James Madison in UNF’s 22-19 win over the Dukes.

7…RBIs powered by two home runs by Ospreys shortstop Andrew Hannon in the win.

2…Wins by Duke over North Carolina in its 3-game ACC-opening series.  The Blue Devils also took 2 of 3 games from the Tar Heels last year.

8…Runs scored in the 6th inning of Duke’s 15-11 win, which came a day after falling 21-9 in the series-opener.

1/3…Inning pitched by Illinois starter Brian de la Torriente-who gave-up 6 runs on 5 hits in the Illini’s 11-10 over Coastal Carolina.

Casey McMurray (Illinois photo)

5…RBIs by Illinois DH Casey McMurray who doubled and hit his first home run of the season in that game to hand the Chants just their second loss of 2010.

6…Runs scored by Virginia in the top of the 9th inning to rally to beat Florida State 9-8 at Dick Howser Stadium on Saturday.

4…Of the UVA runs that scored with two outs to give the Cavs the first two games of the series and the first series win over the Seminoles in program history.

15…Strikeouts by UCLA’s Gerrit Cole in 7 2/3 innings Friday vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi at the Whataburger Classic.

41 & 4…Strikeouts and walks by Cole (4-0) in 25 2/3 IP so far this year.

15…Strikeouts by Cole’s teammate, Trevor Bauer, in 8 plus innings in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Mississippi State.

13-0…Record by UCLA after Sunday’s win over 5-2 win over Oklahoma in their finale at the Whataburger Classic.

1969…The last time the Bruins had a 13-game winning streak.  The 13-0 start is UCLA’s best of the modern era (dating back to 1955).

10…Straight games Oklahoma had won prior to Sunday’s loss to the Bruins.

Mario Hollands (UCSB photo)

16…Strikeouts in eight innings by Santa Barbara pitcher Mario Hollands in Friday’s 8-1 win over Northern Illinois.  The lefty matched a school record held by Barry Zito (1997) and Walt Rehm (1970).

8…Runs scored by Georgia Tech in the bottom of the 6th inning Saturday to rally for a 15-8 win over Wake Forest.

24…Total runs scored by Rice in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings of Saturday’s 26-11 win over Cal.

12…Of the runs that scored in the 6th inning as the Owls sent 17 batters to the plate in the frame.

7…Times Rice SS Rick Hague reached base in the game to tie a program record.  He was 4-for-4 with two walks with four runs scored and 3 RBIs.

8…RBIs in the game by Owl 3B Anthony Rendon, who homered twice in the victory.

8…Strikeouts in 8 IP by Manhattan’s Tom Costigan in a 13-1 win over West Virginia to help the Jaspers to a Saturday sweep of the Mountaineers.

4 & 3…Strikeouts and walks, respectively, in 8 total IP by Notre Dame’s Brian Dupra in his first two starts against Mississippi Valley State and Ohio State.  The junior surrendered 9 ER as he started the season 0-1 with a 10.12 ERA.

13 & 1…Strikeouts and walks, respectively, in Dupra’s last 14 IP vs. Stetson and Gonzaga to improve to 2-1 and drop his ERA to 4.91.

8…Total errors committed by Pacific in its first 13 games of the season.

5…Errors committed by Pacific in the 7th inning of Saturday’s 10-1 loss to Bradley in San Antonio.  The five miscues led to five unearned runs.

35 & 7…Strikeouts and walks by the Texas pitching staff in a weekend 3-game sweep of Iowa.

17…Strikeouts in 7 2/3 IP by Longhorn starter Taylor Jungmann in Friday’s 2-1 win.  It took a 10th inning walk-off home run by Tant Sheppard to get Texas the victory.

Taylor Jungmann

30-24…The score of Sunday’s Georgia State win over New Mexico State.

12…Combined home runs hit in the game by the Panthers and Aggies.

4…Of the home runs that were grand slams.   Ryan Aguayo hit the lone slam for NM State, while Carl Moniz, Bradley Logan and Joey Wood all had them for Georgia State.  The three slams ties an NCAA team record for a single game, while the four combined slams also ties an NCAA record.

14…RBIs in five games last week by Wood.  The sophomore DH batted .640 with an 1.160 slugging percentage for the Panthers.

10…Strikeouts in 8 innings by Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers (4-0) in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Tennessee.

8…Double digit strikeout performances by Wimmers in his 20 career starts.  He also won for the fourth time on the heels of a Buckeye loss.

5…Home runs last week by Tennessee Tech’s A.J. Kirby-Jones.  The junior is now Tech’s all-time home run leader with 33.  Kirby-Jones hit three of the long balls in Friday’s 9-0 win over Buffalo.

Jabari Henry (FIU photo)

2006…The last time an Indiana pitcher tossed a complete game shutout prior to sophomore Drew Leininger accomplishing the feat in Sunday’s 9-0 win over Central Michigan.

17…RBIs in five games by Florida International OF Jabari Henry, who hit five home runs while hitting .500 (9-18) during the week.

6…Home runs in five games by VMI 1B Jordan Ballard who had 14 RBIs in 14 at-bats.  He ended the week with a 1.929 slugging percentage.

7…Extra base hits-3 home runs, 3 doubles and a triple-in four games by Rutgers’ Pat Biserta.  The junior had a grand slam and totaled 13 RBIs to help RU go 4-0 after a 1-8 start to the season.

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