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#1 Pick Harper Heads List Of Signees…

It came right down to the wire, but number one overall MLB draft pick Bryce Harper signed his first professional contract with the Washington Nationals just before the deadline late Monday night.  The 17-year-old junior college player inked a five year contract worth a reported $9.9 million, including a $6.25 million signing bonus.

Bryce Harper

Harper’s deal was inked just seconds before the 12:01 am E.T. deadline early Tuesday morning.  Like Harper, last year’s top pick, Stephen Strasburg, is also represented by Scott Boras. Like Harper, Strasburg’s negotiations with the Nationals went down to the wire.

Harper is expected to be introduced to the Washington D.C. media next week during the Nationals’ next homestand. He will begin his career in the Gulf Coast League and then play in the fall Instructional League.

Seven other college players who were taken in the first round of June’s draft also inked deadline deals.  The highest of those pick is former Ole Miss pitcher Drew Pomeranz.  The lefty was taken with the #5 pick and signed with the Cleveland Indians for $2.65 million.

Other college first round signees (with their corresponding draft order) include:

7. Matt Harvey-RHP-North Carolina/New York Mets – $2.525 million signing bonus

11. Deck McGuire-RHP-Georgia Tech/Toronto Blue Jays – $2 million signing bonus

12. Yasmani Grandal-C-Miami (FL)/Cincinnati Reds – $2.99 million four-year contract

24. Gary Brown-OF-Cal State Fullerton/San Francisco Giants – $1.45 million signing bonus

25. Zack Cox-3B-Arkansas/St. Louis Cardinals – $2.99 million four-year contract

26. Kyle Parker-OF-Clemson/Colorado Rockies – $1.4 million bonus

CLICK HERE to continue reading about the college player drafted in the first round who didn’t sign as well as Kyle Parker’s unique contract.

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Nine College Players Among Unsigned First Rounders…

The countdown is on for big league teams to sign players who were selected in the 2010 MLB Draft. With the deadline Monday night at midnight E.T. (officially 12:01 am Tuesday, August 17), 17 first round draft picks remain unsigned. Nine of those 17 are college baseball players.

Overall #1 draft pick Bryce Harper

Number one overall pick, Bryce Harper, played just a year at the College of Southern Nevada. The 17-year-old phenom got his GED so he could skip his senior year of high school to begin his march toward the professional ranks. He hit ,442 with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs while leading Coyotes to the Junior College World Series. He also received the Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s top amateur baseball player.

The Washington Nationals took Harper with the top pick in this year’s draft, just as they did with former San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg last year. Like Strasburg, Harper is a client of mega agent Scott Boras, who is known as a tough negotiator. Harper also still has three years of college eligibility remaining, which gives him plenty of bargaining leverage.

Interestingly, Harper’s junior college coach, Tim Chambers, has already left Southern Nevada to become the head coach at UNLV.

Most of the other eight unsigned first round college players are juniors, which gives them negotiating leverage as well.  Zack Cox of Arkansas is one of the exceptions. He is a draft eligible sophomore because he is already 21 years old.  Cox was taken by St. Louis with the 25th overall pick in June.

Here’s a look at other unsigned first round college players with their corresponding draft order:

5. Drew Pomeranz-LHP-Ole Miss./Cleveland Indians

6. Barret Loux-RHP-Texas A&M/Arizona Diamondbacks

7. Matt Harvey-RHP-North Carolina/New York Mets

11. Deck McGuire-RHP-Georgia Tech/Toronto Blue Jays

12. Yasmani Grandal-C-Miami (FL)/Cincinnati Reds

24. Gary Brown-OF-Cal State Fullerton/San Francisco Giants

26. Kyle Parker-OF-Clemson/Colorado Rockies

Parker is a bit of a wild card, because he plays both football and baseball at Clemson. This past year he became the first player in Division One history to throw 20 touchdown passes and hit at least 20 home runs in the same academic year. He has three years of eligibility remaining on the football team, but just one season remaining with the baseball team.

Parker’s self-imposed deadline for the Rockies to sign him passed last month, but there is always the chance he could sign with Colorado before the deadline, continue to play football for the Tigers and then play minor league baseball next spring and summer.

Notes & Thoughts From Saturday…

I will be checking in throughout the day and into tonight with notes and quotes and happenings from Saturday’s action.  The first game of the day is TCU vs. Florida State, with UCLA facing Florida in the night cap.  Don’t forget you can follow results with recaps and more throughout the series on our CWS Scoreboard page.

Game 1 Final- TCU 8-11-2, Florida State 1-4-0 WP-Matt Purke (15-0), LP-Sean Gilmartin (9-8)
Postgame Video

Game 2 Final - UCLA 11-18-2, Florida 3-6-1 WP-Trevor Bauer (11-3), LP-Alex Panteliodis (11-3)
Postgame Video

• It’s a fairly overcast day in Omaha as we get ready for the start of the TCU-Florida State game.  The clouds mixed with a nice breeze make it pretty comfortable for fans who are used to sun and sweltering humidity at this time of year.

• Saw a lot of LSU t-shirts and tailgate canopies and the like on the streets and in the parking lot when I was making my way into the stadium today.  I don’t know if they actually made their way here from Louisiana or if they’re just local LSU fans…which there are a lot of here in Omaha.

• TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle has been named the NCBWA’s National Coach of the Year.  Schlossnagle’s Horned
  

  Jim Schlossnagle

  Frogs (51-12) have already set a school record for wins in a season, while reaching the CWS for the first time in program history.

• The NCBWA also named Texas pitcher Chance Ruffin the National Stopper of the Year.  Ruffin’s 1.11 ERA ranks second in the nation.  He was 6-1 with 14 saves this season before Texas was eliminated by TCU in last week’s Super Regional in Austin.

• One more announcement today from the NCBWA: Drew Pomeranz of Ole Miss, Miami’s Yasmani Grandal and Anthony Rendon of Rice are the three finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy.  The winner will be announced at a ceremony on July 2 in Lubbock, TX.

• TCU is not only making its first CWS appearance, it’s also its first ever game vs. Florida State.  In fact, any meeting with the other two teams in its bracket, Florida and UCLA, will also be TCU’s first game against those schools.

• Longtime official scorer Lou Spry is working his overall 600th CWS game today in some capacity.
  

  CWS Scorer Lou Spry

• The Horned Frogs can flat-out hit.  TCU scored five runs on six hits in the first inning off FSU starter Sean Gilmartin, who was not fooling anyone.  The lowest batting average by TCU’s starting nine is Aaron Schultz’s .303.  They were hitting ropes off Gilmartin in the three innings he worked.  Even Bryan Holaday’s 2nd inning infield single was a liner that hit Gilmartin.  The lefty was uninjured.

• Schlossnagle got bold in the third inning and it paid off…at least a little.  With runners at second and third with one out TCU 9-hole batter Brance Rivera plated Jantzen Witte with a squeeze bunt, but the play didn’t end there.  Taylor Featherston, who was at second base, never broke stride and tried to score from second base.  He was thrown out at the plate to finish a 1-3-2 double play on the throw home by first baseman Jayce Boyd.

• Matt Purke was just electric.  The freshman did walk four to tie a season-high, but he was untouchable when he wanted (and needed) to be.  His final line: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 UER, 7 K, 4 BB, 116 pitches, 66 strikes.

• TCU had four sac bunts in its win over Florida State.  The Horned Frogs kept bunting, even in the late innings when they were up 6-1.  Jason Coats said after the game that it’s “near automatic” for them to bunt with runners at first and second and no outs.  They now have 61 sac bunts this season.

• Local authorities have put-up a temporary chain link fence around the Rosenblatt Stadium and parking lot perimeter.  There are just a handful of gates where fans can go in and out.

• Florida and UCLA’s first round Saturday match-up was a rematch from the Women’s College World Series first round.  The UCLA softball team beat Florida 16-3 en-route to winning the program’s 12th softball national championship.

• From CB360 co-editor Pete LaFleur on our Twitter feed today:  “Do we really need to be reminded constantly about the differences between college and pro baseball?”  I didn’t get to hear exactly what he was talking about, but it’s not the first time ESPN has done this.  Yes, there are subtle differences.  Yes, the bat goes “PING”, but it’s still baseball!

• Erin Andrews isn’t Dancing With The Stars anymore.  She’s back doing sideline reporting at the CWS for game two (Kyle Peterson had game one).  This could end-up being her last event for ESPN, because her contract is up at the end of the month.

• In both of Saturday’s games the first two batters reached base safely for all four teams in the first inning.  The lead-off man scored for each of the four teams.

• Holy den Dekker!  Florida center fielder Matt den Dekker made a
  

  Matt den Dekker

  sensational over the shoulder and sliding catch to rob Bruin right fielder Brett Krill of extra bases in the bottom of the fourth inning.  If you didn’t see it watch Sports Center Saturday night and Sunday morning.  It’s a web gem.

• When Trevor Bauer struckout Jonathon Pigott to start the bottom of the 7th it was his 10th of the night as well as his third straight at that point, but it was also his 151st strike out of the season.  The total breaks an 18 year old school record.

• Bauer finished his night with 11 strike outs and two walks in 7 IP.  He also
  

  Trevor Bauer

  balked twice to become the fifth pitcher in CWS history to balk twice in the same game.

• I’ve been extremely impressed with UCLA’s offense.  I never would have thought that the team that would have double digit hits and runs on day one would be the Bruins…especially with 3-hole hitter Tyler Rahamatulla out with the broken wrist.  The Bruins hit the ball hard all night and scored at least a run in all but the second inning.

Our coverage of the 2010 College World Series is brought to you by The Dugout in Omaha, with everything you’re looking for when it comes to officially licensed CWS hats and shirts.  If you can’t make it to Rosenblatt make sure to follow the link for all of your CWS gear!

The Last Notebook Of The Regular Season…

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

Talking LSU, Arkansas, NCAA Regionals & More

As we get closer to conference tournaments and NCAA selections we will continue to go around the country and talks to people who cover college baseball.  This week Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires talks to NCBWA member Randy Rosetta, who covers LSU for the Baton Rouge Advocate.  The conversation starts with Mississippi’s recent sweep of LSU as well as the shaky performances of ace pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Anthony Ranaudo.  They also talk about Arkansas and how the SEC race is shaping-up, with a look toward NCAA Regional bids.

Interview

A By The Numbers Look At Another Week Of Action

Kyle Parker (Clemson photo)

Kyle Parker.  The quarterback/outfielder threw 20 touchdowns for the Tigers last fall and became the first “20-15″ player in Division One history after belting a grand slam in Tuesday’s 22-4 win over USC Upstate.  He also tallied his 16th homer of the season in Sunday’s win over North Carolina.

3 & 7…Home runs hit and RBIs by Parker’s teammate, John Stinson, in that same Tuesday game.  The three HR tied a Clemson single-game record.  Clemson scored 17 of its 22 runs in the first three innings alone.

5…Former college football/baseball players taken in the weekend’s NFL draft- Stanford’s Toby Gerhart (#51-Minnesota Vikings), Notre Dame’s Golden Tate (#60-Seattle Seahawks), LSU’s Chad Jones (#76 New York Giants), Minnesota’s Eric Decker (#87-Denver Broncos), and Florida’s Riley Cooper (#159-Philadelphia Eagles).  Gerhart and Tate were second round picks, Jones and Decker went in the third round, while Cooper was tabbed in the fifth round.

5…At-bats, hits, runs scored, and RBIs by Georgia Tech’s Thomas Nichols, whose two home runs were among his five hits, in Wednesday’s 18-4 win over Georgia Southern.

48…Consecutive seasons Arizona State has won at least 30 games.  The current campaign also marks the 50th time overall the Sun Devils have reached the 30-win mark.

11…Teams, including ASU (33-5), that notched their 30th win before losing their 10th game this season.  Virginia (34-9), Texas (34-7), Georgia Tech (34-7), LSU (32-9), Arkansas (33-8), Coastal Carolina (36-5), South Carolina (32-8), Connecticut (33-7), Louisville (32-7), Vanderbilt (32-10), and TCU (30-8) also accomplished the feat.  UCLA (29-7) and Appalachian State (29-8-1) still have the chance to do it as well.

6…Home runs surrendered in 9.0 innings by UCLA in Tuesday’s 16-5 loss to Long Beach State.  Dirtbag  DH Jordan Cases connected for two of the long balls.

17….Home runs surrendered by UCLA pitchers in the previous 295.0 innings prior to Tuesday’s loss.  The 16 runs and 18 hits allowed by the Bruin pitching staff were also season-highs.

2…Wins by Kansas State over intrastate rival Wichita State both this season and last season.

1952 & 1953…The last time K-State took back-to-back season series from the Shockers.

Christian Bergman (UCI photo)

1…Batter who reached base vs. Christian Bergman in Sunday’s 13-0 UC Irvine win over UC Davis.  Aggie center fielder Daniel Cepin singled on the first pitch he saw, and Bergman then proceeded to retire the next 26 batters he faced.  Cepin was thrown out on a stolen base attempt.

12…Combined errors (six each) by North Carolina State and East Carolina in the Wolfpack’s 8-6 Wednesday win over the Pirates.  The miscues led to a total of eight unearned runs scored.

1977…The last time Notre Dame played in Ann Arbor prior to Michigan’s 3-2 home win on Tuesday.  (The teams played several neutral site games near Grand Rapids, MI over the years.)

13…Two-out runs scored by the Wolverines in Wednesday’s 13-1 win over the Irish in their return trip to Notre

Mike Olt homered twice to help UConn sweep Rutgers (UConn photo).

Dame.

17…Straight wins by Coastal Carolina after a 3-game sweep of VMI.  It’s the second longest winning streak in program history, and the best since the 1983 team won 19 straight.

21…Straight wins by Connecticut-a program record and the third longest winning streak in the nation in 2010-after the weekend’s 3-game sweep of Rutgers.  UConn (33-7, 13-2) entered the weekend tied with the Scarlet Knights for first place in the Big East Conference, but now owns sole possession of the top spot.

300…Career hits by Bryant’s Nick Campbell, who reached the school-record milestone with a double in Saturday’s win over Fairleigh Dickinson.

56 & 2…Respective strikeouts and walks in 64.0 IP this season by Minnesota’s Seth Rosin.  The right-hander had 7 Ks and no walks in 7 2/3 innings in Friday’s 14-0 win over Indiana, the top offensive team in the Big Ten entering the weekend’s action.

15…Strikeouts by North Carolina’s Matt Harvey in Friday’s complete game 5-3 win over Clemson.

156…Pitches thrown by Harvey (including 101 for strikes) to pick-up the victory.

13…Game winning streak by #6 Arkansas that was snapped when #9 Florida won the last two games of their series in Gainesville.

0…Earned runs surrendered in 12 2/3 combined innings by Gator starters Brian Johnson and Hudson Randall Florida’s wins in games two and three of the series.

3 1/3…Scoreless innings pitched by Gator reliever Greg Larson to earn his third save of the year in Saturday’s win that ended the Razorbacks’ 13-game streak.

9…Runs allowed in 6 2/3 innings by Pittsburgh’s Corey Baker en-route to his 9th win of the season.  The Panthers led West Virginia 12-1 going into the bottom of the sixth inning and then held-on to win 13-9.

3…Pitchers, including Baker, who lead the nation with nine victories.  He is tied with Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers and Cole Green of Texas.

4…Hits apiece given-up by Wimmers and Green with respective complete game wins over Penn State and Oklahoma State to earn their ninth wins of the year.  Wimmers recorded 10 strikeouts while Green notched five.

Taylor Jungmann (Texas photo)

18-2…Wimmers‘ record over the last two seasons.  The junior is just the third Ohio State pitcher in the last 127 years to start a season 9-0.

19 & 1…Strikeouts recorded and runs allowed in his last two starts (16 innings) by Green’s teammate, Taylor Jungmann.

16…Consecutive wins by Texas, including 14 straight Big 12 contests, after a 3-game sweep of Oklahoma State.  The 16 straight wins are the most for the Longhorns in five years.

4…Runs allowed in their last 49 2/3 innings of Big 12 action by Texas starting pitchers.

2…Consecutive wins by Virginia Tech over Georgia Tech to hand the Yellow Jackets (34-7, 16-5) their first back-to-back losses of the season.  GT salvaged a 14-12 win in Sunday’s series finale.

23:40…Hours and minutes of the rain delay of game two of the series, which Va. Tech won 10-3.  The game was halted by rain Saturday with the Hokies leading 6-0 in the middle of the fourth inning.

7-5…Virginia Tech’s (28-14, 11-10) record vs. top-10 teams over the last four weekends.

3…Wins by Ole Miss over LSU in their weekend series in Oxford, MS. It’s the first time the defending national champs have been swept in an SEC set since 2008.

Ole Miss freshman Alex Yarbrough

2…Of the Rebel wins that came in walk-off fashion.  They won game two 9-8 in 11 innings after Alex Yarbrough’s game winning single on Saturday, and then capped the sweep on Sunday with a 7-6 win thanks to a game-ending RBI single by Kevin Mort.

14…Combined runs allowed in a total of 4 2/3 IP by LSU’s Anthony Ranaudo (9 R in 1 2/3 IP) and Mississippi’s Drew Pomeranz (5 R in 3.0 IP) in the opener of the series, which was played early Saturday afternoon instead of  Friday night after heavy rains forced postponement.

23…Combined strikeouts by UCLA starters Gerrit Cole (10K in 8 IP) and Trevor Bauer (13K in 9 IP) to help the Bruins take two of three games at Arizona in their three game series.

50…Total runs scored by Texas Tech and Kansas in two games played on Sunday in Lawrence, KS.  The Red Raiders won by finals of 11-8 and 21-10 to win the series 2-1.

12…Doubles hit by the Red Raiders in the 21-10 victory.  The binge of two-baggers ties a Big 12 single-game record.

7…Of those doubles that came in the top of the second inning-one shy of the NCAA record.

Aces Go Head-To-Head In LSU-Ole Miss Match-Up

Collegebaseball360.com contributor Randy Rosetta covers LSU baseball for the Baton Rouge Advocate.  He checks-in with a preview of today’s marquee pitching match-up between LSU’s Anthony Ranaudo and Drew Pomeranz of Ole Miss.  Pomeranz went head-to-head last week with CB360 Prime Time Pitcher of the Week Blake Cooper of South Carolina.

NOTE:  This game was rained-out Friday night and will be played as part of a Saturday doubleheader.

By RANDY ROSETTA

Anthony Ranaudo (LSU photo)

(Oxford, MS)–LSU coach Paul Mainieri will have a pretty good seat Friday when the fifth-ranked Tigers square off with No. 19 Ole Miss, with aces Anthony Ranaudo and Drew Pomeranz locking up for the second year in a row.

Just being in the stadium would be enough for him, though.

“I’d like to sit in the stands and just enjoy it,” Mainieri said.

“This is probably the matchup of the year in college baseball – two guys who are going to go in the top 5 (of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft) and for sure in the top 10 picks.”

Ranaudo and Pomeranz collided in the series opener last season, with Pomeranz and the Rebels claiming a 7-4 victory, one of just three losses Ranaudo suffered all season.

Pomeranz was 8-4 last season and is off to a 6-0 start this season with a 1.38 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings. He tops the SEC in ERA, strikeouts and opponent batting average (.165).

This hasn’t been a dominant season for Ranaudo – yet.

Drew Pomeranz

He missed four starts with a stress reaction in his right elbow and has come back to start on the last four Southeastern Conference weekends with a pair of victories and a 3.00 ERA. Ranaudo has struck out 22 in 21 innings and last week logged a season-high six frames with eight strikeouts vs. Alabama.

“I think Anthony is 100 percent and will be the Anthony Ranaudo of old,” Mainieri said.

A key for Ranaudo will be to keep his emotions in check as he strives to match whatever Pomeranz does. Last week a controversial call led to a four-run Alabama second inning, but the Crimson Tide never threatened again with Ranaudo on the mound.

“I have to go out there like it’s any other start, compete and set the tone for our pitchers, just throw strikes and be me,” Ranaudo said. “The bar is set pretty high this weekend.

“I’m 100 percent ready – no pitch count and my arm feels great. I’m back in my routine for everything, so now I can just go out and focus on winning games.”

Mainieri doesn’t expect the situation to overwhelm his big right-hander.

READ MORE

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

Big Pitching Performances Headline The Week

Justin Jones

the first to do it Friday afternoon.  He was followed by: Alex Wimmers-Ohio St., Cole Green-Texas, Justin Jones-Cal, D.D. Hanks-South Alabama, Merrill Kelly-Arizona St., and Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel.

1…Freshman among that group of eight game winners-Cal LHP Justin Jones (8-2, 2.62 ERA), who has both of his team’s complete games this season.

12…Strikeouts by Wojciechowski in his Friday complete game 4-2 win over Furman.

4…ACC series lost by North Carolina this season after being swept in Miami over the weekend.

4…ACC series lost by the Tar Heels over the previous three seasons combined.  UNC lost three conference series last year, none in 2008 and one in 2007.  They also lost just two in 2006 for a total of six ACC series defeats from ’06-’09 en-route to four trips to the College World Series.

David Guetierrez (Miami photo)

7…RBIs by Hurricane catcher Yasmani Grandal, who homered to help his team to the weekend sweep of the Tar Heels.

7…Perfect innings pitched by Miami’s David Guetierrez in Wednesday’s 9-0 win over Florida Gulf Coast.  The senior struck out seven and retired all 21 batters he faced in just his second start of the season before leaving the game after throwing 84 pitches.  Hurricane reliever Eric Whaley lost the perfect game and no-hitter when he hit a batter and gave-up a single in the 8th inning.

3…Wins by #6 Georgia Tech over visiting #16 Clemson.  The sweep was sparked by Friday’s 10th inning walk-off home run by Yellow Jacket right fielder Chase Burnett.

15…Consecutive games in which a Georgia Tech player has homered after second baseman Jacob Esch went deep in Sunday’s 11-3 series finale, which gave Clemson its fifth straight loss.

9…Of Clemson’s 13 losses this season (including three in its five-game slide) which have been decided by one or two runs.

5…Runs scored by #25 Virginia Tech in the top of the 9th inning in Sunday’s 8-5 win over #3 Virginia, which avoided a 3-game sweep.  The rally was capped by Buddy Sosnoskie’s 2-out bases clearing double.

3…Walks issued in just 1/3 of an inning by Cavalier closer Kevin Arico, who had earned his Division One leading 12th save earlier in the series, in that Hokie rally.

4…Walks issued by Arico (0-1)  in 20 innings pitched prior to Sunday’s outing.

0 & 23…Runs allowed and strikeouts totaled in 25 combined innings by Texas starting pitchers Brandon

Brandon Workman (Texas photo)

Workman, Taylor Jungmann and Cole Green in the Longhorns’ weekend sweep of arch rival Texas A&M.  The trio also surrendered a grand total of seven hits on the weekend.

12 & 6…Consecutive wins by Texas and losses by Texas A&M, respectively, after the Aggies’ fourth sweep at the hands of the Longhorns in the last five seasons.  The sweep keeps Texas 2 1/2 games ahead of Kansas State in the Big 12 Conference standings.

14…Big 12 leading home runs hit by Nebraska’s Adam Bailey this season.

1…Hit by Bailey in 13 at-bats vs. Kansas (not a home run), while the Jayhawks took two of three games in the series from the Cornhuskers.

1996…The last time Kansas won a series in Lincoln prior to the weekend’s wins.

1,000…Career wins by Rutgers head coach Fred Hill after his Scarlet Knights beat South Florida 6-1 Saturday en-route to a 3-game weekend sweep of South Florida.  The wins move RU into a first place tie with Connecticut atop the Big East Conference standing.

1…Home run this season by LSU sophomore Grant Dozer-a walk-off shot that ended Sunday’s 6-5 14-inning win over Alabama to cap a 3-game weekend sweep.

2002…The last time LSU (30-6, 11.4) swept a series from Alabama (22-15, 5-10).

7…Ride or die innings pitched by LSU closer Matty Ott to earn his first win of the season.  The sophomore allowed two runs on four hits in the longest outing of his career.  He gave-up the runs in the 8th inning and then proceeded to toss six scoreless frames.

32…Division One leading wins by Coastal Carolina, which beat Gardner-Webb 13-0 Sunday for its 13th straight win.

4…Third inning home runs hit by UC Riverside in Sunday’s 7-5 win over Long Beach State.

Marcus Stroman

3…Hits by Duke second baseman Marcus Stroman in Saturday’s upset of #8 Florida State.

3…Scoreless innings pitched by Stroman, who moved to the mound and earned his fourth win in relief in that same game.

4…RBIs along with a home run hit by Arkansas’ Brett Eibner in Saturday’s win over Georgia.  He is tied for the team lead with 11 HR this season.

7…Innings pitched in that game by Eibner, who earned his third win in his ninth start of the season.

11…Straight wins by the Razorbacks (31-6, 12-3) after Sunday’s 13-5 win over the Bulldogs.  Arkansas has the most overall wins and conference wins of any team in the SEC.

20…Combined strikeouts by starting pitchers Blake Cooper of South Carolina and Drew Pomeranz of Ole Miss in Friday’s Gamecock win over the Rebels.  Cooper (7-0) scattered four hits with 10 K in the complete game effort to help

Christian Walker (USC photo)

South Carolina win two of three games in the series.

9…Straight South Carolina batters who reached base safely in a seven-run 2nd inning-capped by Christian Walker’s grand slam-in Saturday’s 9-5 win over the Rebels.

4…Runs scored by Arizona in the bottom of the 9th inning to rally to beat Washington State 12-11 Sunday in Tucson.

11…Straight wins by the home team in the series between the Wildcats and Cougars.

14…Strikeouts in 8 2/3 IP by Arizona’s Kurt Heyer in Friday’s 5-3 win over Wazzou.

18…Scoreless inning streak by Pepperdine’s Matt Bywater that ended when Gonzaga scored a 1st inning run en-route to a 16-3 win.

8…Runs scored by Miami (OH) in the bottom of the 9th inning of Tuesday’s 12-11 win over Xavier.