Virginia Looks To Keep Rolling After CWS Season

2009 Division Winners: Florida State won the Atlantic & North Carolina won the Coastal.

2009 Champion: Virginia defeated Florida State 6-3 to capture their 3^rd ACC championship and first since 1996.

2009 Tough: Only two ACC teams finished with a below .500 record, with all ACC Coastal Division teams finishing at least 11 games over the mark.  The league also saw a record-tying seven teams earn a trip to the NCAA tournament with four teams (Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina) hosting regionals.

2010 No Easier: The ACC has 3 teams in the top 10 and 6 in the top 16 in Collegiate Baseball’s “Fabulous 40” Preseason Poll, the most by any conference in the country.  Virginia leads the way ranked 3^rd, followed by Georgia Tech at number 6, and Florida State 7^th.  Miami starts the year ranked 12^th, while North Carolina checks in at number 13 and Clemson begins the year 16^th.

Premier Players: 11 ACC players find themselves on the Louisville Slugger pre-season All-America teams including a conference high four 1^st teamers.  Those on the first team are RHP Deck McGuire from Georgia Tech, C Yasmani Grandal from Miami, OF Jarrett Parker of Virginia, and OF Tyler Holt from Florida State.

2010 ACC Coastal Division Preview

Yesterday we previewed the ACC’s Atlantic Division and today we look at the Coastal Division.

Duke

2009 Season: (35-24, 15-15)

Nickname: Blue Devils

Head Coach: Sean McNally

Location: Durham, NC

Vitals: .300 BA, 53 HR, .379 OBP, .979 Fld. %…4.83 ERA, 17 SVs, 427 K, 238 BB, .267 Opp. BA

Blue Devil Bats: Duke loses their top three hitters from a year ago including All-ACC 2^nd teamer Nate Frieman who led the team with a .340 BA, 20 HR, and 62 RBI.  The Devils, however, do return All-ACC 2^nd team performer Sr. OF Jeremy Gould (.340, 20 doubles, 7 HR) and Ping! All-Freshman So. OF Will Piwnica-Worms (.317, 37 R, 30 RBI).

Challenging Schedule: Duke plays nine NCAA tournament teams from last year this season.  25 of their 56 games are against teams that qualified for regionals, including non-conference foes Baylor and Georgia.

Two Home Parks: The Blue Devils will call two facilities home beginning this year.  Duke will still play at Jack Coombs Field, their home since 1931, but will also play 18 home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home of the minor league team.

Georgia Tech

Deck McGuire (GT photo)

2009 Season: (38-19-1, 17-10-1)

Nickname: Yellow Jackets

Head Coach: Danny Hall

Location: Atlanta, GA

Vitals: .315 BA, 111 HR, .411 OBP, .965 Fld. %…4.65 ERA, 12 SVs, 523 K, 234 BB, .267 Opp. BA

Wrapping Up the Decade: Georgia Tech played in the NCAA tournament for the 23^rd time in the last 25 years and hosted a regional for the 7^th time in the decade.  They advanced to the regional championship before falling to eventual College World Series participant Southern Mississippi.

Deep Staff: The Jackets return one of the top pitching staffs in the country led by 2009 Collegiate Baseball 1^st team All-American and ACC Pitcher of the Year Deck McGuire (11-2, 3.50 ERA, 118 K) and So. RHP Mark Pope (5-1, 6.00 ERA, 8 SVs).

Big Offense: In addition to the great pitching, Georgia Tech brings back plenty of offense from a team that hit a league high 111 homeruns from a year ago.  Four players hit double digit homeruns, and three of them are back this season: All-ACC 2^nd teamer Tony Plagman (.354, 18 HR, 73 RBI), Jr. SS Derek Dietrich (.311, 10 HR, 54 RBI), and 1^st Freshman All-American Matt Skole (.302, 17 HR, 58 RBI).

Miami

2009 Season: (38-22, 18-12)

Nickname: Hurricanes

Head Coach: Jim Morris

Location: Coral Gables, FL

Vitals: .294 BA, 68 HR, .394 OBP, .965 Fld. %…4.71 ERA, 19 SVs, 479 K, 206 BB, .259 Opp. BA

Yasmani Grandal (Miami photo)

Eye of the Storm: Miami loses OF Chris Herrmann (.341, 9 HR, 44 RBI), a 10^th round draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles, but do welcome back several big bats with the return of preseason 1^st team All-American C Yasmani Grandal (.299, 16 HR, 45 RBI), and Sr. 2B Scott Lawson (.333, 75 H, 21 doubles).

Pitching Strength: The Hurricanes will have to find a new closer since Kyle Bellamy (3-1, 0.97 ERA, 16 SVs) turned pro, but they do return Jr. LHP Chris Hernandez (7-5, 4.76 ERA, 93 K), and Sr. RHP David Gutierrez (4-6, 4.38 ERA, 1 CG).  They also get back Jr. LHP Eric Erikson who was a 2^nd team All-ACC selection in 2008, but missed 2009 after having Tommy John surgery.

Miami Bound : Miami looks to make the NCAA tournament for the 37^th consecutive year, and has a schedule that could lead to success.  The Canes play all but 19 games at home, including a season-ending series against Virginia.  They do have to travel to Florida State and Georgia Tech, plus play an exhibition game against the Florida Marlins March 3^rd in Jupiter, FL.

North Carolina

2009 Season: (48-18, 19-10)

Nickname: Tar Heels

Head Coach: Mike Fox

Location: Chapel Hill, NC

Vitals: .313 BA, 69 HR, .403 OBP, .970 Fld. %…3.73 ERA, 17 SVs, 661 K, 264 BB, .244 Opp. BA

Big Losses: The Tar Heels must deal with the loss of 1B Dustin Ackley, Rivals.com Player of the Year and 2^nd overall pick in the MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners.  Ackley led the ACC with a .417 BA, 111 H, and 22 HR and was named the Hitter of the Decade by Rivals.com.  Also gone is top pitcher Adam Warren who finished with a 10-2 record, 3.31 ERA, and 103 K.

Carolina History: UNC earned a 4^th straight trip to the College World Series last season becoming the first ACC team to accomplish that feat.  Carolina also became the first ACC school to send a team to the CWS, a bowl game, and the men’s Final Four in the same season.

Key Returners: UNC goes for 5 straight CWS appearances with a few key parts returning.  Jr. OF Ben Bunting (.336, 92 H, 63 R) leads the offense, while Jr. RHP Colin Bates (4-4, 3.15 ERA, 6 SVs) a 3^rd team preseason All-American, heads up the pitching staff.

Danny Hultzen (UVA photo)

Virginia

2009 Season: (49-15-1, 16-11-1)

Nickname: Cavaliers

Head Coach: Brian O’Connor

Location: Charlottesville, VA

Vitals: .327 BA, 59 HR, .401 OBP, .972 Fld. %…3.23 ERA, 18 SVs, 593 K, 190 BB, .239 Opp. BA

Let the Good Times Keep Rolling: Virginia, fresh off their first ever trip to the College World Series, returns 23 of 29 letterman and begin the season ranked

Jarrett Parker (UVA photo)

2^nd by Baseball America, their highest ranking ever in school history.

Stop Them If You Can: The entire starting lineup returns in 2009, including All-American Jr. OF Jarrett Parker (.355, 16 HR, 65 RBI, 20 SB), Jr. OF Dan Grovatt (.356, 51 RBI, 14 SB) and ACC Freshman of the Year LHP/1B Danny Hultzen (.327, 37 RBI, .993 Fld. %).

Dominant Pitching: The Cavaliers led the ACC with a 3.23 team ERA, a .239 Opp. BA, and 593 K and they return several key pitchers for 2010.  Among those back are Danny Hultzen (9-1, 2.17, 107 K), Jr. RHP Tyler Wilson (9-3, 2.97, 1 SV), and Jr. RHP Kevin Arico (2-3, 2.70, 11 SVs).

Virginia Tech

2009 Season: (32-21, 12-17)

Nickname: Hokies

Head Coach: Pete Hughes

Location: Blacksburg, VA

Vitals: .319 BA, 52 HR, .405 OBP, .960 Fld. %…5.18 ERA, 10 SVs, 428 K, 191 BB, .287 Opp. BA

Good Season, Tough League: Virginia Tech finished last in the ACC Coastal division last year, but still finished 11 games above .500 overall.  Jr. C/OF Steve Domecus was named to the All-ACC 2^nd team becoming the first Hokie player named to an All-ACC team in Tech’ five seasons in the league.

Top Offense Back: The Hokies return 3 of their top 4 hitters from 2009 with Steve Domecus (.406, 4 HR, 42 RBI), Jr. Austin Wates (.397, 5 HR, 16 SB), and Sr. OF Mike Kaminski (.340, 6 HR, 38 RBI) all back to lead the offense.

Hokie Arms: Tech Jr. Jesse Hahn (1-2, 1 SV, 23 K in 24 IP) was named a preseason All-American by PGCrosschecker.com, a team that is made up of players who rank among the best pro prospects.  Tech also welcomes back Jr. LHP Justin Wright (7-2, 3.95, CG, 59 K).

2010 ACC Coastal Predictions

ACC Coastal Winner: Virginia just beats out Georgia Tech

Top ACC Coastal Player: Jarrett Parker—Virginia

Top ACC Coastal Pitcher: Deck McGuire—Georgia Tech

2010 ACC Predictions:

ACC Winner: Florida State does it again

Top ACC Player: Tyler Holt—Florida State

Top ACC Pitcher: Deck McGuire—Georgia Tech

By Collegebaseball360.com contributor Shawn Lewallen

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

Fox has become a fixture on the CWS podium.

It’s not like Mike Fox is the first college baseball coach to reach a milestone.  In fact, when Fox’s Tar Heels beat Gardner-Webb 10-3 on March 4th in Chapel Hill he became the 51st head coach in NCAA history to reach the 1,000 win milstone.  But Fox’s recent succes at UNC that got him to 1K is impressive.

That win over Gardner-Webb was #8 of what turned out to be a 48-win season and a fourth straight trip to the College World Series.  Fox’s overall record now stands at 1,040-347-5, including a 500-208-1 record in 11 seasons in Chapel Hill.

Think about that for a minute.  He has averaged 45 wins a year since taking over at his alma mater (he’s also one of just six men to play in and then coach his team at the CWS).  Do you know how hard it is to win even 40 games a year in college baseball?

The ACC has sent at least two teams to Omaha in three of the four years Fox and his Tar Heels have gone to the CWS, and in 2008 UNC, Miami (FL), and Florida State all made it.   How about the fact that in this decade ACC teams Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, Virginia, and Fox’s Tar Heels have all made it to Omaha at least once, while UVA is the only team on that list without multiple CWS trips in that span.  (And that’s only because the Cavs didn’t get good until Brian O’Connor showed-up in 2004.)

Carolina has made 10 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and Fox’s 213 wins over the last four seasons is second to none in college baseball.

Fox had 28 former Tar Heels on MLB rosters in 2009 including:  Daniel Bard (Boston), Andrew Miller (Florida) and Chris Ianetta (Colorado), and guys like Dustin Ackley and Alex White are likely to suit-up in a big league uni soon.

Like any coach Fox would be the first to tell you it’s the players who make it happen, and he’s had some good ones help him top 1,000 wins while he’s worn his alma mater’s Tar Heel blue.

Other Top Moments Of 2009

20.  Illinois Shocks #1 LSU In Baton Rouge

21.  Alabama’s Kent Matthes Launches Longballs

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

23.  LSU Opens The New Alex Box Stadium

24.  Oregon Brings Back Baseball

Freshman Levi Michael Starts In North Carolina’s Season Opener

Levi Michael Started 65 of UNC's 66 games as a true freshman.

Levi Michael was far from the first freshman to start in a college baseball season opener, but he wasn’t just any freshman.  The Welcome, N.C. native was a three-year starter at North Davidson High School, but the only reason he wasn’t a four-year starter is because he graduated in December 2008 so he could enroll at North Carolina for the 2009 spring semester.

Did I mention UNC had a preseason #1 ranking and coming off its third straight trip to the College World Series?  (No pressure at all.)

Michael started from day one though.  He batted second in the Tar Heel line-up on Feb. 20 vs. VMI, and his job was to set the table for All-American Dustin Ackley.  (Again, no pressure.)  The freshman phenom came though in flying colors though. Michael went 1-for-3 with a walk and HBP, scoring three runs to help the Tar Heels down the Keydets 13-3.

For the series Michael finished 2-for-7 at the plate with 4 runs and an RBI.  He proved to be versatile by not

(UNC photo)

only batting in different parts of the order (including clean-up) by also playing 3B, 2B and SS, while helping head coach Mike Fox and North Carolina to their fourth straight College World Series appearance (a nice consolation for missing senior prom).

The 5’10 switch hitter was not surprisingly named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American by batting .290 with 13 home runs, 15 doubles, 4 triples, 54 runs scored, 57 RBIs, and a .954 OPS.  He started all but one of North Carolina’s games in 2009.

So what are the expectations for Michael at UNC in 2010 after Ackley’s graduation?  (No pressure…)

Other Top Moments Of 2009

23.  LSU Opens The New Alex Box Stadium

24.  Oregon Brings Back Baseball

Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires shares some thoughts from another day at the College World Series…

• Does Arizona State’s Kole Calhoun remind anyone else of the character ‘Ham” Porter from the movie Sandlot?   Calhoun (pictured right) and his teammate, Carlos Ramirez, are built more like beer league softball players than college baseball players, but they play the part well.  Neither strikes out a lot for power guys, and they both know how to work a count.  Calhoun’s OPS is .981, while Ramirez’s is 1.126. After Thursday’s win over North Carolina, Calhoun now has 3 home runs and 10 RBIs in Omaha, including a grand slam vs. the Tar Heels. Meanwhile, Ramirez has caught all 64 of the Sun Devils’ games this season.  Like Oakland’s Billy Beane has said “We’re not selling blue jeans”.

• Speaking of movie characters…ASU’s Pat Murphy reminds me of Mickey Rourke’s “Marv” in Sin City.  Murph was born in New York, and he brings that east coast toughness to the desert & the Pac 10.  The confidence his players exude often borders on, if not crosses into, cockiness, but given the results (3 CWS in the last five years) that’s not a bad thing.

• The ebb and the flow…Arizona State jumped-out to a 6-0 lead in Tuesday’s game vs. Texas, only to see the Longhorns score the last ten runs of the game.  North Carolina opened Thursday’s game with the first four runs of the game, to bring ASU’s total to 14 straight combined unanswered runs.  The Sun Devils then used an 8-run seventh inning en-route to 12 unanswered runs of their own before UNC finally got a run in the 9th in ASU’s 12-5 win.

• North Carolina’s Garrett Gore played in the 21st and final College World Series game of his career Thursday night.  He’s played in more CWS games than anyone in the history of the event.

• Gore’s teammate, Dustin Ackley, collected a ninth inning double Thursday to extend his record NCAA Tournament hitting streak to 21 games. It was his 28th career CWS base hit, a CWS record.

• Robin Ventura is just a dude who knows baseball.  When he talks baseball during a game as an ESPN analyst he makes me listen intently to what he has to say.  Ventura speaks and explains the mechanics of the game, both pitching and hitting, in a manner that’s easily understood. His breakdown of Ackley’s swing during Thursday night was eye opening.

Is it just a coincidence? Since 2000 the winner of bracket 2 has gone on to win the College World Series.  Texas and Arizona State are the remaining teams from bracket 2 this year, while LSU and Arkansas reside in bracket 1.