http://collegebaseball360.com/hail-szczur/ http://collegebaseball360.com/hail-szczur/#comments Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:01:57 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=1645

www.simplesharebuttons.com

Villanova Two Sport Star Matt Szczur Continues Impressive Season In FCS Playoff Win

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

Villanova, PA-  On a snow covered day at Villanova Stadium junior Wildcat receiver Matt Szczur had another big day to help #2 seed Villanova to a 46-7 Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinal playoff win over New Hampshire (10-3).

Matt Szczur (Villanova photo)

Szczur (pronounced SEE-zer, like Julius Caesar or Little Caesar’s if you prefer) had a 29-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the VU (12-1) romp.  He finished his day with 40 yards on seven carries along with 46 receiving yards on a pair of catches.  His lone 37 yard kickoff return gave him 123 all-purpose yards on the day.

Szczur now has a streak of nine straight games with either a touchdown catch, pass or run.  He has also returned a kickoff for a score this season.   Szczur has completed all three of his pass attempts this season for 21 yards and two touchdowns.  The wide receivers other stats:  45 receptions for 534 yards and four TDs, 86 rushes for 562 yards (6.7) and 7 touchdowns, and 26 kickoff returns for 719 yards (27.7) and another score.

Szczur is the only player in either the Football Bowl Subdivision or Football Championship Subdivision to have touchdowns via a run, reception, pass, and kick return this season.   He was also named both the Colonial Athletic Association’s Offensive Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year

Szczur on the diamond (VU photo)

in 2009.  He is just the second player in conference history to receive both awards in the same season.

His 2009 calender year is even more impressive considering he batted a team-high .346 last spring during his first season on the Wildcat football team.  (Szczr is a junior, but he missed what would have been his freshman baseball season in 2008 due to injury.)  He also had 10 doubles, two triples, one home run, scored a team-high 45 runs, and tied for the Villanova team lead with 18 stolen bases.

Szczur and other college baseball players who also play another sport have been featured this fall in the Collegebaseball360.com Two Sport Reports.

Szczur and Villanova are now on to the FCS National semifinals where they will host Colonial Athletic Association rival William & Mary 11-2).  That game will be played at Villanova Stadium.  Villanova’s official web site, www.villanova.com, says the game will either be Friday night (Dec. 11) at 8 p.m. or Saturday afternoon (Dec. 12) at 4 p.m.

www.simplesharebuttons.com

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/hail-szczur/feed/ 0

Junior Two Sport Star Is One Of Three Finalists

Tate On The Gridiron

Tate set the Notre Dame record for most receptions and receiving yards in a season, breaking Jeff Samardzija’s previous marks set in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Tate enters Saturday’s regular-season finale with 83 receptions for 1,295 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. He has added touchdowns via punt return (one) and rushing (two) for 15 total touchdowns this season.

Tate has a .318 career batting average with 16 stolen bases and 51 runs scored in his first two seasons as an outfielder on the Irish baseball team.  54 of his 63 career starts came in 2009 when he batted .329.  His football feats have been featured this fall in Collegebaseball360.com’s Two Sport Reports.

The 5-11, 195-pounder from Hendersonville, Tenn., has registered five multi-touchdown games in 2009 and no player in the Football Bowl Subdivision has more 100-yard receiving games than Tate’s eight this year. His eight games with at least 100 yards receiving is tied for most in a season in school history and his 14 career games with at least 100 receiving yards is the most in Irish history.

Tate has 2,506 yards receiving at Notre Dame and needs 78 yards to break Samardzija’s career receiving yards record.

Tate On The Diamond

Tate’s 23 career touchdown receptions ranks second all-time at Notre Dame and his 147 career receptions ranks fourth on Notre Dame’s career list.  Samardzija is another former Fighting Irish baseball/football standout.  He is now a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.

Among FBS receivers, Tate ranks second in total touchdowns, scoring and scoring per game. He is tied for third in touchdown receptions, ranks fourth in receiving yards and receiving yards per game. Tate stands eighth in total receptions, ninth in receptions per game and all-purpose yards and is 10th in yards per catch.

The Biletnikoff Award recipient will be named at the Home Depot/ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10, 2009 and will be honored at a dinner in Tallahassee, Fla., on Feb. 13, 2010.

(Release & Staff Report)

Junior wide receiver one of 15 “players to watch” in final weeks of regular season

Golden Tate

The 5-11, 195-pounder two sport star from Hendersonville, Tenn., leads the Irish with 74 receptions for 1,172 yards with 11 receiving touchdowns adding two rushing touchdowns and one punt return touchdown. He is five receptions shy and 78 yards away from breaking Notre Dame’s single-season school record for receptions and receiving yards.

Tate’s 14 total touchdowns are tied for most among wide receivers in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He is tied for third in touchdown receptions, ranks fourth in total receiving yards and receiving yards per game and is ninth in both yards per catch and receptions per game. Tate has totaled seven 100-yard receiving games this year, second most in Notre Dame history and no FBS player has more this season.

Tate is also a two year member of the Fighting Irish baseball team.  He has a career .318 batting average with 51 runs scored and 16 stolen bases.

Tate has also been named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award (top college football player) and the Biletnikoff Award (top collegiate wide receiver).

Stanford football/baseball player Toby Gerhart is a Walter Camp semifinalist as well.  The senior running back has rushed for 1,395 yards and 19 touchdowns for the Cardinal in 2009.  He is also an outfielder on the Stanford baseball team.

Both Tate and Gerhart have been featured throughout the current football season on the exclusive Collegebaseball360.com Two Sport Reports.

A list of five finalists will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The 2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, who is voted on by the Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be presented live on Thursday, Dec. 10 during the 6 p.m. edition of ESPN SportsCenter.

The winner will receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven, CT.

2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Players to Watch”

Toby Gerhart, Senior, RB, Stanford – 1,395 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns
Mardy Gilyard, Senior, WR, Cincinnati – Averaging over 180 all-purpose yardage a game
Jerry Hughes, Senior, DL, TCU – 13 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks
Mark Ingram, Soph., RB, Alabama – 1,297 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns
Case Keenum, Junior, QB, Houston – Leads nation with 4,194 passing yards and 31 touchdowns
Dion Lewis, Freshman, RB, Pittsburgh – 1,291 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns
Rolando McClain, Junior, LB, Alabama – 77 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions
Colt McCoy, Senior, QB, Texas – Completing 72.3% of passes for 2,792 yards and 19 touchdowns
Kellen Moore, Soph., QB, Boise State – Leads nation with 172.49 passing efficiency
Jacquizz Rodgers, Soph., RB, Oregon State – 1,545 rushing & receiving yards and 18 touchdowns
Jordan Shipley, Senior WR, Texas – 81 receptions for 1,096 yards and 8 touchdowns
C.J. Spiller, Senior, RB/KR, Clemson – Averaging 195.2 all-purpose yards a game
Ndamukong Suh, Senior, DT, Nebraska – 14 QB hurries, 11 tackles for loss, 8 pass breakups and 5 sacks
Golden Tate, Junior, WR, Notre Dame – 1,174 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns
Tim Tebow, Senior, QB, Florida – Has passed for 10 touchdowns and rushed for 12 more

(Staff and release contributions)