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Another Potentially Historic Streak In The Making…

NASHVILLE – Ronnie Freeman broke the Kennesaw State baseball all-time hit streak mark as he had a hit in his 42nd consecutive game, but the Owls lost a sixth-inning lead as No. 2-ranked Vanderbilt rallied for a, 9-5, victory at Hawkins Field on Wednesday evening.

Photo courtesy Kennesaw State

The big news of the night was Freeman and his fourth inning single to center field that broke the 12-year old record set by former KSU All-American and NCAA Division II Player of the Year, Jason Jones. The Owls sophomore, who had walked in the first inning and was hit by a pitch in the second, now has the 12th longest streak in NCAA history and the fifth longest streak in Division I history.

“This is a great honor for Ronnie,” boasted head coach Mike Sansing on Freeman’s accomplishment. “There have been a lot of great players that have come through our program and Ronnie is without question is one of them. To surpass such a milestone so early in his career is unbelievable.”

Kennesaw State is the only program in the history of the NCAA, Division I, II or III to boast two players with hitting streaks of longer than 40 games. Freeman now has the longest NCAA Division I hitting streak in the state of Georgia. Sam Barth of Augusta State (Division II) has the longest NCAA hitting streak in the state at 47 games.

Florida International junior Garrett Wittels‘ carried a 56-game hitting streak into 2011, but it ended in FIU’s season-opening loss to Southeastern Louisiana. Former MLB and Oklahoma State star Robin Ventura holds the Division One record with hits in 58 straight games in 1988.

Although the Owls jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Owls found themselves trailing the No. 2-ranked Commodores, 4-1, after three innings. But, Sean McClurken walked with one out in the fourth inning, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Freeman’s record-breaking hit, a line drive single to center field to bring the Owls to within two runs.

McClurken had his best game of the season with three hits and reached base four times as he has embraced his role as the Owls leadoff hitter to the tune of a .381 average in the last six games.

The Owls tied the game in the top of the fifth inning when Will Howard skied a two-run home run over the right field fence for his second home run of the season. The following inning saw the Black and Gold turn a potential big inning into narrow one-run lead.

Freeman led off the inning with a hit and Andy Chriscaden followed with his second double of the game to put runners on second and third with nobody out. With Peyton Hart up, Freeman was picked off third before Hart singled to center field.

Drew Fowlkes, who did not start for the first time this season, gave the Owls a 5-4 lead with a pinch-hit single to right field, but that was all the runs Kennesaw State would score as Vanderbilt’s Mark Lamm struck out Howard and Bucky Smith to strand runners at second and third.

“I thought the first half of the game we matched up pretty well,” added Sansing. “But we left too many runners on base in crucial situations. If we can push a couple of those runners across that would have made an impact.”

Sean Fream (0-1), who settled down after a rough start, cruised through the fourth and fifth innings and retired the first two batters of the sixth inning before surrendering an infield single to Riley Reynolds and walking Curt Casali and Tony Kemp to load the bases.

Freshman Drew Duncan relieved Fream and walked Mike Yastrzemski on five pitches to tie the game and then gave up a two-run single up the middle to Anthony Gomez that put the Commodores ahead. Vanderbilt would add two more runs in the bottom of the seventh.

“Again too many walks,” commented Sansing. “We’re giving too many free bases and we aren’t making people earn runs. Instead of forcing a team to group together hits all they need to get is one [hit] that does the damage.”

The Owls open up a three-game series against Belmont on Friday afternoon at 5:00 ET in Nashville. The series will continue with single games on Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET.

(Courtesy Kennesaw State)

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We started our position-by-position look at some of the top players with catchers earlier this week. Now we’re going to the middle of the infield with the shortstops. Here’s our look at some of the top men up the middle to watch heading into the 2011 college baseball season…

1. Garrett Wittels – Florida International

Heading into the new season it will be hard not to watch Wittels as he pursues college baseball immortality. The FIU junior slowly gained attention last year as he collected hit after hit in game after game, taking his hitting streak to 56 games to end the 2010 season. He hit .413 over the course of that streak and needs hits in his team’s first three games of the season against Southeastern Louisiana to break former Oklahoma State 3B Robin Ventura’s 1987 record 58-game streak. The junior’s other numbers last year looked like this: 100 hits, 60 RBIs, 21 doubles, and just 19 strikeouts compared to 22 walks.

2. B.A. Vollmuth – Southern Mississippi

As a freshman in 2009, Vollmuth’s offensive numbers (.237, 8 HR, 28 RBIs) were far from eye-popping. Vollmuth started just 25 games during that freshman season, but 23 of those starts came during USM’s Cinderella run to the College World Series. Vollmuth used that run and a trip to Cape Cod that summer to springboard to a monster 2010 sophomore campaign, when he batted .386 with 20 home runs, 17 doubles, 72 runs, and 76 RBIs – all team-highs. He also sported a 1.219 OPS. If not for Rice’s Anthony Rendon (whom we’ll talk about when we get to our 3B list), Vollmuth likely would have been the C-USA Player of the Year. He’ll look for a third straight NCAA berth and even bigger things in 2011.

3. Deven Marrero – Arizona State

Not too many players can walk-in the door as a freshman and have the kind of season Marrero did in 2010. Marrero set a Sun Devil freshman record by hitting a team-best .397 with 11 stolen bases while making most of his 37 starts at shortstop. He earned All-American status for his efforts in the spotlight at ASU while helping the Sun Devils reach the College World Series. The 6’1 shortstop didn’t just survive, but thrived in that spotlight en-route to Omaha. He had game-winning hit in the bottom of the 12th inning to beat Arkansas in game one of their Super Regional and then scored the winning run the next day to send ASU to the CWS.

4. Kenny Diekroger – Stanford

Diekroger is another freshman who thrived as a true freshman in 2010 for one of the perennial top teams in the country. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the second round out of high school, but instead of signing the Woodside, CA native stayed close to home to play for Mark Marquess. The decision has, so far, paid-off. Diekroger jumped into the line-up, leading Stanford with a .356 averaged and 41 RBIs. He started 54 of his team’s 55 games to help the Cardinal get back to the NCAA Tournament after a 2009 absence. Diekroger was named a New England Collegiate Baseball Summer League All-Star last summer. His younger brother, Danny Diekroger, joins him this year as a freshman on the Cardinal baseball team. He played third base last year, but moves to shortstop in 2011.

5. Brad Miller – Clemson

Miller led his team with a .357 batting average to help the Tigers reach the College World Series. Now a junior, the 6’0, 185 lb. Miller scored 71 runs with 49 RBIs, 8 home runs and a team-best four triples while starting all but one of Clemson’s 70 games in 2010. His 1.018 OPS was also the second best on the Tiger roster. After the run to Omaha, Miller played the rest of the summer with the USA Collegiate National Team. He was one of just three on the roster who played for Team USA in both 2009 and 2010, becoming the first Clemson player since 2000 and 2001 to have that distinction.

6. Levi Michael – North Carolina

It’s hard to believe, but Michael is already a junior. The early high school graduate batted .290 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs while helping UNC to Omaha in 2009 in what should have been his senior season in high school. He moved from second base to shortstop last year and his overall production moved-up as well. The 5’10 sophomore led the Tar Heels with his .346 average, and while his home run total dipped to nine, his slugging percentage still went up from .527 to .575. His OBP also went from .377 to .480 thanks to 44 BB and 17 HBP, compared to just 26 strikeouts. He also led his team with 20 stolen bases.

7. Adam Bryant – Troy

While fellow Sun Belt star Garrett Wittels garnered all the national acclaim for his hitting streak last season, Bryant had a monster “below the radar” campaign of his own. Of course, Bryant wasn’t below the radar as far as Sun Belt Conference pitchers were concerned. The 5’10 junior batted .356 with 65 RBIs, while leading the Sun Belt with 23 HR, 70 runs and a .744 slugging percentage. He struck out just 38 times in 250 at-bats and amassed an OPS of 1.175. Bryant smashed four of his home runs en-route to Troy’s run to the Sun Belt Tournament title game, which they lost 14-10 to Wittels and FIU to fall one win short of an NCAA bid. He committed just three errors in 295 chances for a spectacular .990 fielding percentage.

8. K.C. Serna – Oregon

The junior has been in the line-up at shortstop for all but a handful of games in the two years since George Horton and Oregon brought baseball back to Eugene. From the lead-off spot in the order, Serna hit a team-high .348 last year. He also led the Ducks with 14 stolen bases and a .419 OBP, while helping the program to an NCAA Regional bid in just its second year of existence. He also belted five home runs with 13 doubles. The Ventura, CA native was the starting shortstop for the Western Division at the Cape Cod League All-Star Game as a member of the Falmouth Commordores last summer.

9. Nolan Fontana – Florida

Fontana was a vital cog in the Gators’ run to the College World Series as a freshman in 2010. He started all but one of Florida’s 64 game and sparkled at shortstop, committing just four errors in 279 chances. That alone made him the first player in program history to earn a Rawlings Gold Glove Award. His overall offensive numbers (.283, 3 HR, 23 RBIs) aren’t eye-popping, but his move to the top of the order in early April helped solidify the Gator line-up and the drive to Omaha. Fontana’s .437 OBP with 53 walks were team-highs, while his 29 strikeouts tied Preston Tucker for the fewest of any batter with at least 200 at-bats. He also played for the USA Collegiate National Team over the summer.

10. Steve Nyisztor – Rutgers

Nyisztor is one in a long line of players from Toms River, NJ to wear the Scarlet Knight’s uniform for head coach Fred Hill. He batted .410 as a freshman at second base, but that wasn’t even good enough to earn first-team All-Big East honors. That went to Louisville star Ryan Wright. Nyisztor makes the move from 2B to SS this year after committing just three errors last season. His other offensive numbers included 17 doubles, 52 runs, 51 RBIs, four HR, three triples, 11 stolen bases, and a 1.013 OPS.

11. Eric Stamets – Evansville

Stamets earned consensus Freshman All-American honors and was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year after starting all 59 of Evansville’s games last year. He batted .321 with four home runs, 15 doubles and 27 RBIs, while leading the Purple Aces with 57 runs and 43 stolen bases. His school record stolen base total ranked fifth in the nation and were the most by any DI freshman. Stamets walked 33 times with 12 HBP and just 33 strikeouts in 234 at-bats.  He had 75 hits and did not go back-to-back games without a hit all season.

Others To Watch…

Caleb Busheyhead – Oklahoma

Taylor Featherston – TCU

Ryan Lashley – Stetson

Taylor Motter – Coastal Carolina

Austin Nola – LSU

Joe Panik – St. John’s

Justin Roland – Charlotte

Tim Smalling – Virginia Tech

Darnell Sweeney – Central Florida

Chad Zurcher – Memphis

Related

Top 11 Non-Conference Schedules In 2011

Top 11 Catchers To Watch In 2011

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By College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires

We are just days away from a new year and that means we’re less than two months away from the start of the 2011 college baseball season. There was good and there was bad, and with that in mind here are 10 significant things we’ll take from college baseball in 2010…

1.  Goodbye to Rosenblatt Stadium

What can be said about Rosenblatt that hasn’t already been said? After 60 years at the top of the hill in Omaha, Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium hosted its final College World Series in 2010. The move to the new TD Ameritrade Park in 2011 is seen by progress to some, but heartbreak to many. The new park will have all the amenities that Rosenblatt lacked, and maybe the future will be even brighter at the CWS and Omaha down the road. However, wouldn’t it have been nice if the new stadium had even a hint of nostalgia? The new Yankee Stadium has oversized high-priced seats and is swelling with luxury suites, but they still managed to keep the look from the House that Ruth Built. Too bad they couldn’t do the same at TDA.  CLICK HERE to read a letter of thanks from Omaha native Paul Fiarkoski to Johnny Rosenblatt.

2. Cal Cuts Baseball

Septbember 28, 2010 could be remembered as “Black Tuesday” at Cal. That’s the day Cal-Berkley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Athletic Director Sandy Barbour announced the school would eliminate baseball and four other sports (rugby, gymnastics and lacrosse) at their school at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 season. The given reason was to “generate an estimated $4 million annual savings in direct and indirect costs for Cal Athletics, while limiting further growth in expenses.” The outcry was instant, and the “Save Cal Baseball” movement began.  More than $10 in pledges have poured in to save the 118 year-old baseball program and the four other sports. The future is still uncertain, but head coach Dave Esquer’s Golden Bears are ranked 33rd in Collegiate Baseball’s 2011 preseason poll.

3. Arizona State Gets Probation

Our top story from 2009 was Pat Murphy leaving ASU, but Tim Esmay still led the Sun Devils to Omaha after the departure of the controversial head coach. That won’t be possible in 2011 after the NCAA slapped the program with postseason probation due to “lack of institutional control”.  Click here for the full rundown. While Arizona State plans to appeal the postseason ban, the school has been sanctioned nine times since 1953 (in sports other than baseball). Murphy is currently working in the San Diego Padres organization, but the NCAA also ruled that if he were to return to college baseball he would not be able to make recruiting calls until December 14, 2011.

4. Garrett Wittels Chases History, And Then…

Garrett Wittels

Heading into the 2010 season nobody was talking about Florida International, and they sure weren’t talking about Garrett Wittels. However, by season’s end the sophomore infielder who hit just .246 as a freshman was the toast of college baseball. Wittels batted .413 by hitting safely in all 56 games he started in 2010 (he didn’t play in five games) while helping his team to a Sun Belt Conference title and an NCAA Regional berth. He enters 2010 on the heels of Robin Ventura’s 1987 Division I record 58-game hitting streak. Things took a turn for the surreal earlier this month though when Wittels and a group of friends were charged with raping two 17-year-old girls on Dec. 20 in the Bahamas. Wittels is free on bond as the 2011 season approaches. ESPN is scheduled to televise FIU’s season-opening series against Southeastern Louisiana, but for now the question is will Wittels be in the line-up or behind bars?

5.  South Carolina Wins The CWS

Ray Tanner

Ray Tanner’s Gamecocks became regulars at Omaha over the last decade, but they never won it all. In the 61st and final CWS at Rosenblatt, South Carolina changed that in a big way. South Carolina lost its first game, but stormed back to win six straight to claim the school’s first major championship in any sport. They also beat their biggest rival, Clemson, twice in the process. No player more embodied the Gamecocks’ team effort than soph. Michael Roth, who made his first two starts of the season on the Omaha dirt. Roth held opponents to a .167 average in 16 1/3 total innings at the CWS. It was only fitting that South Carolina won in dramatic fashion on Whit Merrifield’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning against UCLA.

6. Matt Curry’s CWS Grand Slam

Matt Curry

With two out, a full count and his team down by two runs to Florida State, TCU’s Matt Curry jacked a grand slam to centerfield to stave-off elimination. The big hit made TCU an instant CWS legend in the the most electric moment of the 61st and final series at Rosenblatt. Not bad for a senior who played his first two seasons of college ball at Howard Junior College. Of that moment, TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle would later tell us “That’s a game and that’s a moment I think that if they were to do a history of the College World Series…it’s gonna be a very small part, but I think it would be a part.” Said Curry afterward “When I hit it, I knew it was gone, because I’ve hit home runs and I usually know when I get them. I look and I’m all fired up” CLICK HERE for more postgame reaction from Curry, Schlossnagle and FSU head coach Mike Martin.

7. TCU Beats Texas In Super Regionals

Before Curry had his shot at Omaha immortality, TCU had to beat Texas in Super Regional play. Many thought the Horned Frogs were deserving of a national seed and the chance to host a Super Regional that would come with that distinction, but that didn’t happen. Instead, for a second straight year TCU was matched with the perennial power in Austin with a trip to Omaha on the line.  TCU won games one and three by giving-up just a run in each game against the #2 national seed Longhorns to send the Horned Frogs to the program’s first CWS. CLICK HERE for more from TCU’s historic win.

8. New Mexico And Oregon Make It To NCAA Regionals

Ray Birmingham

For the game of college baseball to grow it has to prosper in places where it has not traditionally prospered. New Mexico made it to an NCAA Regional for the first time in 48 years in 2010, while Oregon made it in just its second season since resurrecting the program after a nearly 30 year extinction. The Lobos and Ducks reached the postseason with the distinctive styles of their head coaches. For UNM it was Ray Birmingham’s “Kick down the door” offensive approach, while UO did it with George Horton’s pitching laden formula. It should come as no surprise that both programs prospered under their skippers. Birmingham led New Mexico Junior College to a 2005 national championship, while Horton more famously won the 2003 CWS at Cal State Fullerton.

9. Kyle Parker’s Record-Setting Double Duty

Kyle Parker

Parker took being a two-sport college athlete to another level during the 2009-2010 season. The Clemson quarterback/outfielder became the first Division One athlete to ever throw 20 touchdown passes and hit 20 home runs in the same academic year. In fact, he was the first to even go 15/15. Parker helped the football team to a Music City Bowl win in the fall and then helped Jack Leggett’s baseball team reach the College World Series in the spring. Parker was taken by the Colorado Rockies with the 26th overall pick in the June, 2010 draft. He has signed a professional contract and will report to spring training in 2011. CLICK HERE for an exclusive podcast interview with Parker.

10. UCLA And Arizona State Get Off To Fast Starts

The Bruins and Sun Devils both ended their seasons in Omaha, and they both got their seasons off to blazing hot starts. UCLA road its pitching out of the gates to a 22-0 record that didn’t end until an April 2 loss to Stanford. Arizona State used its balance of pitching and offense to start 24-0 under new head coach Tim Esmay. Their first setback came a day after UCLA’s first defeat when they dropped a 12-inning game at Oregon. John Savage’s Bruins ended their season with a 51-17 mark and a second place finish at the CWS, while ASU finished with a 52-10 mark despite going 0-2 in Omaha.

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Florida International baseball player Garrett Wittels has been arrested in the Bahamas and charged in connection with the rape of two 17-year-old girls.

Garrett Wittels

According to the Miami Herald, Wittels, 20, Robert Rothschild, 21, and Jonathon Oberti, 21, were arrested on December 20 and released on $10,000 bond after a court hearing on Dec. 23.

Wittels and Oberti are charged with allegedly raping one of the girls. Rothschild is charge with allegedly raping both girls.

The alleged incident happened at the Atlantis Hotel and Resort and Casino on Paradise Island last week.

Wittel’s father, Michael Wittels,  told the Herald “Anyone can accuse anyone of anything at any time,” Michael Wittels said. “He’s not doing well, obviously. He’s blown away. He’s devastated that someone would accuse him of this.”

Michael Wittels went on to say the girls passed themselves off as students at the University of Arkansas and followed Garret Wittels and his friends to a private party. The elder Wittels also says there is surveillance video that shows the girls were the aggressors in pursuing the men. The legal age of consent in the Bahamas is 16.

Wittels gained fame during the 2010 college baseball season by hitting safely in 56 straight games. It’s the second longest Division I hitting streak of all time. Robin Ventura’s 58-game streak is the NCAA DI record. FIU’s first three games of the 2010 season are scheduled to be televised by the ESPN family of networks as he attempts to break the mark.

CLICK HERE to read more.

UCLA Duo Heads Louisville Slugger Teams…

UCLA's Trevor Bauer

Other first team pitchers are Matt Purke-TCU (16-0, 3.02 ERA), Taylor Jungmann-Texas (8-3, 2.03 ERA), Danny Hultzen-Virginia (11-1, 2.78 ERA), Noe Ramirez-Cal State Fullerton (12-1, 2.54 ERA), and John Stilson-Texas A&M (9-1, 10 SV, 0.80 ERA).

First team position players are C-Peter O’Brien-Bethune-Cookman (.386-20 HR), 1B-Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee State (25 HR, .421), 2B-Zack MacPhee-Arizona St. (.389, 20 SB), 3B-Anthony Rendon-Rice.394, 26 HR), SS-B.A. Vollmuth-Southern Mississippi (.386, 20 HR), OF-Jackie Bradley, Jr.-South Carolina (.368, 13 HR), OF-Alex Dickerson-Indiana (.419, 24 HR), OF-George Springer-Connecticut (.337, 18 HR, 33 SB), DH-Garrett Wittels-Florida International (.413, 56-game hitting streak), UT-Mike McGee-Florida State (.328, 17 HR).

Purke is projected by Collegiate Baseball as the National Player of the Year.

Click here to see the complete 2011 Louisville Slugger Preseason 1st, 2nd and 3rd Teams

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By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

Garrett Wittels became the story of the 2010 college baseball season and his pursuit of history will be at the forefront when the 2011 season begins. The Florida International outfielder will put his 56-game hitting streak on the line when FIU hosts Southeastern Louisiana to begin the new season and the ESPN family of stations will be there. Wittels needs hits in each of FIU’s three games to break former Oklahoma State star Robin Ventura’s 24-year-old Division One record 58-game hit streak. The first two games of the series will be on ESPN3.com, while Sunday’s possibly historic series finale will be televised at 7:30 p.m. ET by ESPNU. If I were a baseball betting man I would say it’s a pretty safe guess that Ventura will be in the broadcast booth working as an analyst for those games.

Speaking Of TV…

We received a Tweet this week from a college baseball fans who is trying to drum-up interest in getting more college baseball games on TV. He wanted us to ask this basic question on our site: “Would you watch a college baseball game of the week on TV”? ESPNU does a great job of putting SEC games on during the season and you can typically find games on Fox Sports Regional channels as well, but what about other national games?  CLICK HERE to send us an e-mail on the subject or Tweet us @CB360updates.

Get A Big Hat And Pass It Around…

The latest update on the on-going effort to save the Cal baseball program looks promising. According to a message from Doug Nickle, who runs the Save Cal Baseball Facebook page, the group had a “productive” meeting with Cal Chancellor Robert Birgeneau last week. Of that meeting, Nickle says “While he (Birgeneau) maintains that we have an uphill battle, he was eager to learn of our significant efforts thus far. He can’t give us a specific number or a time frame, but he did in fact say the door to reinstatement is open!” The Save Cal Baseball official pledge drive is about to start, and they already have roughly $3.5 million in pledges. They hope to have $10 million by the previously announced January 1, 2011 deadline.

Hooping And Hurling…

College baseball’s early signing period started last week and college basketball players can sign letters of intent in the same window. Turns out Patrick Connaughton plans to play both sports at Notre Dame. Connaughton stands 6’5″ and plans to play forward for Mike Brey on the basketball court and pitch for Mik Aoki as well. The Irish have had several football/baseball players in recent years like Jeff Samardzija, Golden Tate, Evan Sharpley, and Eric Maust, but Connaughton will be the first in a long time to hit the hardwood and the diamond under the Golden Dome. Look for Connaughton in future Two-Sport Reports here on Collegebaseball360.com. Current reports include current college baseball players who also play sports like football, soccer, swimming, and squash. We still haven’t found any wrestlers though.

Nomar Better Late Than Never…

The Cape Cod League will induct 10 players plus one into its Hall of Fame this weekend. Nomar Garciaparra was actually inducted in 2002, but he was not able to attend the ceremony due to a scheduling conflict. The five-time All-Star will be there this Saturday (Nov. 20) to receive his plaque at the Chatham Bars Inn. Garciaparra’s former Boston Red Sox teammate, Lou Merloni, is among this year’s inductees. The others are Tom Grieve (Chatham), David Aardsma (Falmouth), Wayne Granger (Sagamore), Peter Ford (Harwich), Casey Close (Harwich), Michael Loggins (Harwich), Jack Cressend (Cotuit), Tom Weir (Chatham), and Steve Robbins (Wareham).

It’s Not Heaven, It’s Iowa…

For the first time in three decades Iowa will have a completely new field when its new season begins. Iowa’s Duane Banks Field recently received a new Kentucky Bluegrass playing surface, with some other “tweaks” to the field. They also moved home plate up five feet, so the new distance to center field will go from 400 to 395 feet. The move was made to help with the grading and drainage of the field. Head coach Jack Dahm also told Hawkeyesports.com that they will have new batting cages and turf down the left field line.

North Carolina’s Chase Jones

King For A Day…

North Carolina bullpen catcher Chase Jones was recently named his school’s 2010 Homecoming King. Jones was diagnosed with brain cancer in the fall of 2006 and has survived to not only be a contributor to the Tar Heel baseball team, but he also founded the UNC BaseBald For A Cure Foundation. Proceeds have helped children’s cancer patients.

Inside The Webb…

If you missed it last week, we have a new addition to the web site. Inside The Webb made its debut last Friday with Chris Webb. Chris is a great advocate for college baseball and we’re excited to have him share his thoughts in this weekly column and we hope you enjoy his insights as well!

Garrett Wittels ended the 2010 college baseball season in pursuit of history, and he will open the 2011 season in primetime.

CLICK HERE to see the complete 2011 Florida International schedule.

Rundown Of Regional Scores & Highlights

SUPER REGIONAL sites, match-ups and dates.

Here’s the Day 1 Regional Notebook, with thoughts and highlights from Friday’s action.

Here’s the Day 2 Regional Notebook., with thoughts and highlights from Saturday’s games.

Here’s the Day 3 Regional Notebook, with thoughts and highlights from Sunday’s games.

You also can follow our live Twitter updates throughout the day @CB360updates and can sign up for CB360’s exclusive FREE text-message service that allows you to tailor-pick from what games you’d like updates.

CLICK HERE to see our NCAA Tournament page, which includes capsules and stats for each of the 16 Regionals and 64 teams in the 2010 tournament field.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(All times eastern, unless noted)

Atlanta Regional

Friday
FINAL:  #2 Alabama 11,  #3 Elon 2 | Final Stats
AL Recap |  Elon Recap

FINAL:  #1 Georgia Tech 10, #4 Mercer 3 | Final Stats
GT Recap |  MER Recap

Saturday (upsets in italics)
FINAL: (4) Mercer 13,  (3) Elon 7 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
MER Recap |  Elon Recap

FINAL: (1) Georgia Tech 5,  (2) Alabama |  Final Stats
GT Recap (w/ GT press conf. audio)  |  ALA Recap

Sunday (upsets in italics)
FINAL:  (2) Alabama 5, (4) Mercer 3 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
AL Recap | ME Recap

FINAL:  (2) Alabama 8, (1) Georgia Tech 1 |  Final Stats
AL Recap | GT Recap

*Alabama forces winner-take-all game on Monday

Monday: Regional Championship Game
FINAL: (2) Alabama 10, (1) Georgia Tech 8 |  Final Stats
AL Recap | GT Recap

* Alabama advances to the Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Auburn Regional

Friday
FINAL: #2 Clemson 10,  #3 Southern Mississippi 1 | Final Stats
CLEM Recap | SoMiss Recap

FINAL: # 1 Auburn 9,  #4 Jacksonville State 7 | Final Stats
AUB Recap | J’ville-St Recap

Saturday (upsets in italics)
FINAL:  (3) Southern Mississippi 19,  (4) Jacksonville State 6 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
SoMiss Recap |  JSU Recap |  Photos

FINAL:  (2) Clemson 5,  (1) Auburn 2 |  Final Stats
CLEM Recap |  AUB Recap |  Photos

Sunday
FINAL:  (1) Auburn 17,  (3) Southern Mississippi 8 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
AUB Recap | SoMiss Recap

FINAL: (1) Auburn 11,  (2) Clemson 10 |  Final Stats
AUB Recap | CLEM Recap |  Photos (AUB)

*Auburn forces winner-take-all game on Monday

Monday: Regional Championship Game
FINAL:  (2) Clemson 13, (1) Auburn 7 | Final Stats
CLEM Recap | AUB Recap

* Clemson advances to the Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Austin Regional

Friday (upsets in italics)
FINAL: #3 Louisiana-Lafayette 1,  #2 Rice 0 |  Final Stats
LL Recap |  Rice Recap

FINAL: #1 Texas 11, #4 Rider 0 | Final Stats
TX Recap |  Rider Recap |  Photos |  Quotes |  Notes

Saturday
FINAL: #2 seed Rice 19,  #4 Rider 1 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
Rice Recap (w/ postgame video)  |  Rider Recap

FINAL:  (1) Texas 4,  (3) Louisiana-Lafayette 2 |  Live Stats
TX Recap |  LL Recap | Photos |  Quotes |  Notes |  Ruffin Feature

Sunday
FINAL: (2) Rice 9, (3) Louisiana-Lafayette 1 (elimination game) |  Final Stats
RICE Recap | LL Recap

FINAL:  (1) Texas 4, Rice 1 |  Final Stats
TX Recap | Rice Recap |  Photos (TX)  |  Quotes (TX)  |  Notes (TX)

* Texas advances to Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Charlottesville Regional

Friday
FINAL: #1 Virginia 15, #4 VCU 4 | Final Stats
VA Recap | VCU Recap

FINAL: #2 Ole Miss 10, #3 St. John’s 5 | Final Stats
OleMiss Recap | SJU Recap

Saturday
FINAL: #3 seed  St. John’s 8,  #4 VCU 6 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
SJU Recap |  VCU Recap

FINAL:  (1) Virginia 13, (2) Mississippi 7 |  Final Stats
UVA Recap |  Ole Miss Recap |  Photos |  Video Highlights |  Quotes |  Notes

Sunday (upsets in italics)
FINAL:   (3) St. John’s 22,  (2) Mississippi 16 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
SJU Recap | Miss Recap

FINAL:  (3) St. John’s 6, (1) Virginia 5 |  Final Stats
SJU Recap | UVA Recap

* St. John’s forces winner-take-all game on Monday

Monday: Regional Championship Game
FINAL:  (1) Virginia 5,  (2) St. John’s 3 |  Final Stats
UVA Recap | SJU Recap

* Virginia advances to the Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Columbia Regional

Friday (upsets in italics)
FINAL:  #3 The Citadel 7, #2 Virginia Tech 2 |  Final Stats
CIT Recap |  VT Recap

FINAL:  #1 South Carolina 9, #4 Bucknell 5 | Final Stats
SC Recap |  BUCK Recap

Saturday
FINAL:  (2) Virginia Tech 16, (4) Bucknell 7 (elimination game)  |  Live Stats
VT Recap | BUCK Recap |  Photos (VT)  |  Photos (BUCK)

FINAL:  (1) South Carolina 9,  (3) The Citadel 4 |  Final Stats
SC Recap |  CIT Recap |  Photos |  Postgame Blog

Sunday
FINAL:  (2) Virginia Tech 4, (3) The Citadel 3 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
VT Recap | Cit Recap

FINAL: (1) South Carolina 10, Virginia Tech 2 |  Final Stats
SC Recap | VT Recap

* South Carolina advances to Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Coral Gables Regional

Friday
FINAL:  #2 Texas A&M 17,  #3 Florida International 3 | Final Stats
A&M Recap | FIU Recap
* FIU’s Garrett Wittels extended hitting streak to 55 games.

FINAL:  #1 Miami 12,  #4 Dartmouth 8 | Final Stats
MIA Recap | DART Recap

Saturday (upsets in italics)
FINAL: #4 seed Dartmouth 15, #3 Florida International 9 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
DART Recap |  FIU Recap |  Postgame Press Conf. Video (FIU)  |  Photos (FIU)  |  Quotes (FIU)  |  Notes (FIU)
* Garrett Wittels extended hitting streak to 56 games (FIU’s season over)

FINAL:  (1) Miami 14,  (2) Texas A&M 1 |  Final Stats
MIA Recap |  A&M Recap

Sunday (upsets in italics)
FINAL:  (2) Texas A&M 4, (4) Dartmouth 3 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
A&M Recap | Dart Recap

FINAL:  (2)  Texas A&M 11,  (1) Miami 7 |  Final Stats
MIA Recap | A&M Recap

* Texas A&M forces winner-take-all game

Monday: Regional Championship Game
FINAL:  Miami 10, (2) Texas A&M 3 |  Final Stats
MIA Recap | A&M Recap

*Game suspended with Miami leading 3-2 in the second inning.  Game is scheduled to resume at 1pm Eastern Time on Tuesday.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fayetteville Regional

Friday (upsets in italics)
FINAL: #1 Arkansas 19,  #4 Grambling 7 | Final Stats
ARK Recap |  GRAM Recap

FINAL: #3 Washington State 8, #2 Kansas State 6 | Final Stats
WSU Recap |  KSU Recap |  Photos (KSU)  |  Quote |  Notes (KSU)

Saturday
FINAL: (3) Kansas State 9, (4) Grambling 8 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
KSU Recap | GRAM Recap |  Photos (KSU)  |  Highlights (video)  |

FINAL: (1) Arkansas 6,  (2) Washington State 4 |  Final Stats
ARK Recap |  WSU Recap | Photos:  ARK … WSU |  Highlights (video)  |

Sunday (upsets in italics)
FINAL:  (3)  Washington State 9, (2) Kansas State 6 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
WSU Recap | KSU Recap

FINAL – (3) Washington State 10, (1) Arkansas 7 |  Live Stats
WSU Recap |  ARK Recap |  Photos

* WSU forces winner-take-all game

Monday: Regional Championship Game
FINAL: Arkansas 7,  Washington State 2 | Final Stats
ARK Recap | WSU Recap

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ft. Worth Regional

Friday (upsets in italics)
FINAL: #3 Arizona 10,  #2 Baylor 9 | Final Stats
BAY Recap | AZ Recap

FINAL:  #1 TCU 16, #4 Lamar 3 | Final Stats
TCU Recap | Lamar Recap

Saturday
FINAL: #2 Baylor 6,  #4 Lamar 4 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
BAY Recap | Lamar Recap |  Photos (BAY)  |  Quotes (BAY)

FINAL:  (1) TCU 11,  (3) Arizona 5 |  Final Stats
TCU Recap |  AZ Recap |  Postgame Video |  Quotes

Sunday
FINAL:  (2) Baylor 4,  (3) Arizona 3 (elimination game)  |  Live Stats
BU Recap | UofA Recap

FINAL:  (1) TCU 9, (2) Baylor 0 |  Final Stats
TCU Recap | BAY Recap

* TCU Advances to Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fullerton Regional

Friday (upsets in italics)
FINAL: #3 New Mexico 9,  #2 Stanford 5 | Final Stats
UNM Recap | STAN Recap

FINAL:  #4 Minnesota 3, #1 Cal State Fullerton 1 |  Final Stats
MN Recap |  FULL Recap

* All games on ESPNU

Saturday (upsets in italics)
FINAL:  (1) Cal State Fullerton 6, (2) Stanford 5 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
CSF Recap | STAN Recap |  Photos |  Quotes

FINAL: (4) Minnesota 6,  (3) New Mexico 4 | Final Stats
UNM Recap | MN Recap |  Photos (MN)  |  Blog (NM)

Sunday

FINAL:  (1) Cal State Fullerton 11, (3) New Mexico 3 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
CSF Recap | UNM Recap

FINAL – (1) Cal State Fullerton 7,  (4) Minnesota 2 |  Final Stats
FULL Recap |  MN Recap

* Fullerton forces winner-take-all game

Monday: Regional Championship Game
FINAL:  (1) Cal State Fullerton 9, (4) Minnesota 5 |  Final Stats
CSF Recap | MINN Recap

MORE analysis from Chase Titleman on our partner site: Road 2 Rosenblatt.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gainesville Regional

Friday (upsets in italics)
FINAL: #3 Oregon State 6, #2 Florida Atlantic 4 | Final Stats
OSU Recap | FAU Recap

FINAL: #1 Florida 7, #4 Bethune-Cookman 3 | Final Stats
UF Recap | BC Recap

Saturday
FINAL: #2 seed Florida Atlantic 12,  #4 Bethune-Cookman 6 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
FAU Recap | BC Recap

FINAL: (1) Florida 10,  (3) Oregon State 2 |  Final Stats
FL Recap |  OrSt Recap |  Photos (FL)  |  Notes (OrSt)

Sunday
FINAL:  (2) Florida Atlantic 11, (3) Oregon State 7 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
FAU Recap | OSU Recap

FINAL: (1) Florida 15,  Florida Atlantic 0 |  Final Stats
UF Recap | FAU Recap

* Florida advances to Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Los Angeles Regional

Friday
FINAL: #2 LSU 11, #3 UC-Irvine 10 (11 inn.) | Final Stats
LSU Recap | UCI Recap

FINAL: #1 UCLA 15, #4 Kent State 1 | Final Stats
UCLA Recap | KSU Recap

Saturday
FINAL:  (3) UC Irvine 19, (4) Kent State 9 (elimination game) | Final Stats
UCI Recap | KSU Recap |  Quotes (UCI)

FINAL: (1) UCLA 6,  (2) LSU 3 | Final Stats
UCLA Recap | LSU Recap |  Photos |  Video: Highlights (LSU) …  Postgame (UCLA) |  Quotes

Sunday
FINAL:  (2) LSU 4, (3) UC Irvine 3 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
UCI Recap | LSU Recap

FINAL – (1) UCLA 6,  (2) UC Irvine 2 |  Final Stats
UCLA Recap |  UCI Recap

* UCLA advances to the Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Louisville Regional

Friday
FINAL:  #2 Vanderbilt 8, #3 Illinois State 7 (13 inn.) | Final Stats
Vandy Recap | ISU Recap

FINAL: #1 Louisville 11, #4 St. Louis 2 | Final Stats
LOU Recap | SLU Recap

Saturday
FINAL: #3 seed Illinois State 8,  #4 Saint Louis 3 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
ISU Recap | SLU Recap |  Photos (ISU)  | Quotes:  ISU … SLU |  Notes (ISU)

FINAL:  (1) Louisville 7, (2) Vanderbilt 1 | Final Stats
LOU Recap |  VAN Recap |  Photos |  Quotes: LOU … VAN |  Notes (VAN)

Sunday (upsets in italics)
FINAL:  (2) Vanderbilt 10,  (3) Illinois State 4 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
Vandy Recap | ISU Recap

*Vanderbilt forces winner-take-all game on Monday

Monday: Regional Championship Game
FINAL: (2) Vanderbilt 3, (1) Louisville 2 (10 inn.) |  Final Stats
VANDY Recap | LOU Recap

* Vanderbilt advances to the Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Myrtle Beach Regional

Friday
FINAL: #1 Coastal Carolina 6, #4 Stony Brook 0 | Final Stats
CC Recap | SB Recap

FINAL: #2 College of Charleston 9, #3 North Carolina State 6 | Final Stats
CofC Recap |  NC-St Recap

Saturday (upsets in italics)
FINAL: #4 seed Stony Brook 6,  #3 North Carolina State 2 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
SB Recap | NC State Recap

FINAL: (2) College of Charleston 16,  (1) Coastal Carolina 6 |  Live Stats
CofC Recap |  CC Recap |  Quotes

Sunday
FINAL:  (1) Coastal Carolina 25, (4) Stony Brook 7 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
CC Recap | SB Recap

FINAL:  (1) Coastal Carolina 8, (2) College of Charleston 7 |  Final Stats
CC Recap | CofC Recap

* Coastal forces winner-take-all game on Monday

Monday: Regional Championship Game
FINAL:  Coastal Carolina 11, College of Charleston 10 (10 inn.) |  Final Stats
CC Recap (W/video highlights) | CofC Recap

* Coastal Carolina advances to the Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Norman Regional

FINAL: #1 Oklahoma 7,  #4 Oral Roberts 6 (10 inn.) | Final Stats
OU Recap | ORU Recap

FINAL:  #3 North Carolina 12, #2 California 3 | Final Stats
UNC Recap | CAL Recap

Saturday
FINAL: #4 seed Oral Roberts 9,  #2 California 8 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
ORU Recap |  Cal Recap |  Photos (ORU)

FINAL: (1) Oklahoma 7,  (3) North Carolina 6 (10 inn.) |  Final Stats
OU Recap |  UNC Recap |  Photos (OU)  |  Photos (UNC)  |  Video Highlights |  Postgame Video

Sunday
FINAL:  (3) North Carolina 12, (4) Oral Roberts 4 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
UNC Recap | ORU Recap

FINAL:  (1) Oklahoma 3,  (3) North Carolina 2 |  Final Stats
OU Recap | UNC Recap

* Oklahoma advances to Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Norwich Regional

Friday (upsets in italics)
FINAL: #1 Florida State 11,  #4 Central Connecticut State 3 | Final Stats
FSU Recap |  CC Recap

FINAL: #3 Oregon 5, #2 Connecticut 3 | Final Stats
ORE Recap | UConn Recap

Saturday
FINAL: (2) Connecticut 25,  (4) Central Connecticut 5 (elimination game)  | Final Stats
UConn Recap | CCSU Recap (w/ video hi-lites) |  Photos |  Quotes |  Notes

FINAL:  (1) Florida State 6, (3) Oregon 4 |  Final Stats
FSU Recap (w/ postgame video & highlights)  |  ORE Recap

Sunday (upsets in italics)
FINAL:  (3) Oregon 4, (2) Connecticut 3 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
ORE Recap | UConn Recap

FINAL:  (1) Florida State 5, (3) Oregon 3 |  Final Stats
FSU Recap | ORE Recap

* Florida State advances to Super Regionals

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tempe Regional

Friday (upsets in italics)
FINAL: #3 Hawaii 4, #2 San Diego 3 |   Game Tracker
Hawaii Recap | USD Recap

FINAL: #1 Arizona State 6, #4 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 2 | Final Stats
ASU Recap | MIL Recap

Saturday
FINAL:  (2) San Diego 22,  (4) Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1 (elimination game)  |  Live Stats
USD Recap | MIL Recap

FINAL:  (1) Arizona State 12,  (3) Hawaii 1 | Final Stats
ASU Recap |  Hawaii Recap

Sunday (upsets in italics)
FINAL:  (3) Hawaii 12, (2) San Diego 9 (elimination game)  |  Final Stats
Hawaii Recap | USD Recap

FINAL:  (1) Arizona State 8,  (3) Hawaii 4 |  Final Stats
ASU Recap | Hawaii Recap

* Arizona State advances to Super Regionals

MORE coverage with Chase Titleman from our partner site Road 2 Rosenblatt.

A Look Around The Country At Saturday’s NCAA Action

• The hitting streak continues, but the season is over.  Garrett Wittels extended his hitting streak to 56 games in Florida International’s 15-9 loss to Dartmouth.  The loss eliminated FIU from the Coral Gables Regional.  That means Wittels will begin the 2011 season needing hits in his first two games to tie Robin Ventura for the all-time Division One record hit streak.
  

  Garrett Wittels (FIU photo)

• ““Teams are gonna know what to anticipate.  He likes to drive the ball away.  Look for some teams to try to different things next season.  Try busting him hard inside.  Nobody tried to do that.  We know he can push the ball into right center field, but can he turn on the ball?  I think that’s gonna be the test.”  That’s what ESPNU studio analyst Jay Walker had to say about Wittels and how other teams might approach him next year.  So let me get this straight…Wittels batted .409 this season, hit safely in 56 games, smacked 20 doubles, and came to the plate 237 times, but nobody ever challenged him inside once and he never once turned on the ball?  Great analysis Jay (I hope the sarcasm is detected)!  Anyone who hits in 56 straight and bats .400 over the course of the season is going to do it by going to all fields.  More great analysis by someone we’ve never heard of who probably saw all of eight of Wittels’ at-bats this season.
• Dartmouth clean-up batter Jason Brooks was 2-for-5 in the win over FIU with a grand slam and a total of 6 RBIs.  The win was the first for Dartmouth in the NCAA Tournament since 1987 and the first for the Ivy League since Princeton won a game in 2004.
• Not to be outdone, Illinois State got its first NCAA win in 34 years by downing St. Louis 8-3 in the Louisville Regional elimination game.  Kevin Tokarski homered and drove-in four.
  

  Anthony Rendon (Rice photo)

• Anthony Rendon jacked 3 HR and totaled 7 RBIs to lead Rice to a resounding 19-1 elimination game win over Rider at the Austin Regional.  With the Owls leading 11-0 Wayne Graham lifted starter Taylor Wall after 3 2/3 hitless innings.
• Southern Mississippi’s Taylor Walker was 4-for-4 with a home runs, 4 runs and 4 RBIs in an Auburn Regional elimination win over Jacksonville State.
• Matt Weisinger hit two of St. John’s‘ four home runs in Charlottesville to help the Red Storm eliminate VCU 8-6.
• Baylor beat Lamar 6-5 in Ft. Worth.  Logan Vick had his 29th extra base hit to set a freshman school record.
• Florida Atlantic had a season-high 18 hits to eliminate Bethune-Cookman with a 12-6 win in Gainesville.
• Buddy Sosnoskie belted two HR with 6 RBIs to help Virginia Tech beat Bucknell 16-7.
• Stony Brook eliminated North Carolina State with a 6-2 win in Myrtle Beach.  Sophomore Tyler Johnson (10-3) set a new Seawolves single-season record for wins.  Johnson notched 10 Ks in 8 IP.
• Tyler Garwal hit a walk-off home run to keep Oral Roberts‘ season going with a 9-8 win over Cal in Norman.  The Golden Eagles hit 4 HR and won despite walking 9 batters.
• Francis Larson hit his 25th career home run to help UC Irvine beat Kent State 19-9 in the L.A. elimination game.  Larson has now hit the most home runs in Anteater history.
  

  Neil Holland (UofL photo)

• Louisville’s 7-1 win over Vanderbilt set a program record with the 50th win of the season for the Cardinals.  Neil Holland got his 17th save with 3 shutout innings of one hit ball.
• How confident was Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell that his team could start Regional play 2-0?  Cardinal ace Thomas Royse (9-1, 2.91 ERA) did not start either of his team’s first two games.  He’ll start Sunday, which is the final game of McDonnell’s 3-game suspension.
• Mike Olt is UConn’s all-time home run (44) and RBI (177) leader after belting two long balls with a career-best 8 RBIs as the Huskies routed Central Connecticut State 25-5.  UConn now faces Oregon, which lost 6-4  to Florida State.
• Rain and lightening caused two hours and 28 minutes of delay, but Miami cruised to a 14-1 win over Texas A&M.  Hurricane 1B Scott Lawson was 4-for-6 with 3 HR and 6 RBIs.
• Danny Hultzen gave-up 6 earned runs in 6 IP, but still improved to 10-1 as Virginia beat Ole Miss. 13-7.  The Cavaliers tied a school record with their 49th win.
• Mike Ferraro was 4-for-6 with a home run, two doubles and 6 RBIs to lead San Diego to a resounding 22-1 elimination game win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Tempe.
• Here’s a lesson to the kids at home: ALWAYS RUN IT OUT.  Stanford’s Colin Walsh hit a fairly routine fly ball to left field, but Cal State Fullerton’s Casey Watkins dropped it.  Walsh motored all the way to third on the play and scored on a single by Stephen Piscotty.  The Titans still won 6-5 thanks to a pair of 2-run home runs by Christian Colon.
• Stanford goes 0-2 at the Fullerton Regional.  It’s just the second time Stanford has gone two and out in Regional play.  The last time it happened was in 1994 in Austin, TX.
• There were a total of seven upsets on Saturday.  Five #4 seeds won, with three of those wins vs. #2 seeds.  Two #1 seeds lost to #2 seeds.
• Minnesota is the Cinderella of the Regionals so far.  The fourth-seeded Golden Gophers downed #3 New Mexico 6-4 in 10 innings the Fullerton winner’s bracket game to go to 2-0.
• Scott Matyas struckout 8 in three scoreless, hitless innings of relief to improve to 5-1.
• Eight of Saturday’s Regional games were decided by double digits.
• Citadel’s 1-3 batters combined to go just 2-for-12 in their 9-4 loss to South Carolina.  The Gamecocks used a 5-run 7th inning to take the win.
• Starting pitchers Blake Cooper (11-1) of South Carolina and Asher Wojciechowski (12-3) of The Citadel combined for 23 strikeouts and just 4 walks.
  

  Trevor Bauer (UCLA photo)

• Trevor Bauer had 11 strikeouts to lead UCLA to a 6-3 win over defending national champion LSU in the L.A. winner’s bracket game.  Anthony Ranaudo had 10 Ks in the loss.
• The Bruins (45-13) tied a program record for most wins in one season.  It equals the win total from the Bruins’ 1997 team (45-19-1), which was the last UCLA program to go to the College World Series.
• Junior Casey Harman tossed the first complete game of his career to help #2 seed Clemson topple #1 Auburn 5-2  in Auburn.  Harman scattered five hits with 8 strikeouts.
• Arizona State’s Seth Blair is 12-0 after giving-up just a run in 7 IP as the overall #1 seeded Sun Devils rolled Hawaii 12-1.
• Joe Weik smacked two home runs and had a career-high 6 RBIs to help TCU down Arizona 11-5.  The Horned Frogs improve to 48-11 to tie the school record for wins in a season.
• TCU pitchers Matt Purke (13-0) and Tyler Lockwood combined for 10 strikeouts, making TCU 21-0 when its pitchers have at least 10 Ks in a game.

Notes & Thoughts From Day 1 NCAA Action (updated)

CLICK HERE for DAY-1 NCAA SCOREBOARD

• Minnesota was the only #4 seed that won on Friday (3-1 at Cal State Fullerton, see notes below), while the collective #3 seeds went 9-7 vs. the #2s. The #3 seeds that posted the “minor upsets” (some may have been considered the favorites?) included: Louisiana-Lafayette 1, Rice 0 (in Austin) … The Citadel 7, Virginia Tech 2 (in Columbia) … Washington State 8, Kansas State 6 (in Fayetteville) … Arizona 10, Baylor 9 (in Ft. Worth) … New Mexico 9, Stanford 5 (in Fullerton, which also had the 4-vs.-1 upset) … Oregon State 6, Florida Atlantic 4 (in Gainesville) … North Carolina 12, California 3 (in Norman) … Oregon 5, Connecticut 3 (in Norwich) … and Hawaii 4, San Diego 2 (in Tempe). See bullet notes below for some highlights from Friday’s nine “upsets” (along with info. from the other games).

• Regional host teams have the option to take the first or second game on Day-1 of NCAA Regional play. The hosts traditionally take the second or “Prime Time” game, and this year was no different with 12 of 16 Regional hosts opting for game two. Coastal Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma were the only Regional hosts to opt for the early game rather than the night cap (some coaches prefer to get the game out of the way, avoid risk of rain delays, get their team a few hours more rest, etc.). All four of those teams won.
  

  11 year MLB veteran turned college baseball analyst Eric Byrnes

• Disclaimer: I (Sean Stires … Pete LaFleur ditto) like Eric Byrnes. That said, Byrnes was considered by many to be more style than substance in his playing days, so it’s only fitting that ESPNU has continued its tradition of going with style over substance by using the newly-retired Byrnes in the broadcast booth during the Coral Gables Regional. Case in point:  Texas A&M was trailing FIU 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning. After Aggie leadoff man Jaoquin Hinojosa reached base safely, 2-hole batter Tyler Naquin tried (unsuccessfully) to bunt him over. This prompted Byrnes to question why A&M was playing for only onw run so early in the game…. An inning later, with #9 batter Andrew Collazo at the plate in the same situation, Byrnes said, “We’re not bunting again are we?” Uh, yes Eric they were, and after Collazo executed his 8th sac-bunt of the season a graphic popped-up on the screen that showed that A&M had just tied a school record with its 59th sac-bunt of the season. The Aggies entered the day tied for 14th nationally in that department. Apparently game preparation was not high on Byrnes’ list of things to do prior to his college baseball broadcasting debut.
• Byrnes, who played at the 1997 College World Series for UCLA, again showed his lack of knowledge of the current college game later in the broadcast when the subject of NCAA bids came up. Minnesota was mentioned as the only Big Ten representative in the tournament, while the Pac-10 was one of three conferences to get eight bids. “How does that happen, though,” Byrnes asked. “We’re talking one team from the Big Ten and eight from the Pac.” Um…do I really need to say more? Thankfully, Kyle Peterson was there to keep Byrnes pointed in the right direction.
• In fairness to Byrnes, he did provide some needed entertainment when the game turned into a blowout in the middle innings.
• When Florida International pitcher Daniel DeSimone hit Caleb Shofner with a pitch in the bottom of the 5th inning, it marked the 100th HBP by the Golden Panther pitching staff this season. The dubious mark sets an NCAA single-season record.
• Garrett Wittels extended hit hitting streak to 55 games in FIU’s loss to Texas A&M. He doubled to right-center field by swinging at a 3-0 pitch to lead off the top of the 6th inning. A smattering of boos were directed at A&M pitcher Barret Loux when the count reached 3-0 and it looked like Wittels might not have a chance to swing in his third at-bat of the day.
• The hit by Wittels marked the 16th time he extended the streak with a hit between the 4th and 6th innings this season. He’s kept the streak going 25 times in the first three innings of a game, 13 times from the 7th through 9th innings, and once (March 26 vs. Arkansas-Little Rock) in the 12th inning.
• Five different Texas A&M players hit home runs in the 17-3 win, while Aggie winning pitcher Loux (11-2) struck out 10 in 8 IP. He’s now fanned 136 in 104 innings this season.
• The Aggies have won seven straight, 13 of their past 14 and 19 of 22 games dating back to April 27.
• Southern Mississippi’s got some work to do if they’re going to make a return trip to the College World Series (and possibly extend Brett Favre’s NFL career … although something tells us he’s coming back anyway!). The Golden Eagles fell 10-1 to Clemson in their Regional opener. USM ace Scott Copeland dropped to 11-1 with his first loss of the season, after winning as a starter and deep reliever at the C-USA Tournament (to earn CB360 national Primetime Pitcher of the Week honors).
  

  Brett Eibner hit 3 HR in Arkansas' Friday win over Grambling St. (Arkansas photo)

• Brett Eibner smacked 3 HR to help Arkansas rout Grambling State 19-7.  Eibner was 4-for-5 with 7 RBIs and 5 runs. Look for the two-way talent on the mound this weekend as well. Collin Kuhn and Andy Wilkins each homered twice for the Hogs.
• The Citadel pulled-off a minor upset as the #3-seeded Bulldogs beat #2 Virginia Tech, 7-2. The win is the 13th straight for The Citadel, but the best news is they didn’t even use ace Asher Wojciechowski (3.25 ERA, 12-2. 144 Ks in 119 IP). Lefty Matt Talley (8-3) tossed 7.0 innings and won, while 3B David Greene had a 2-run HR from the 7-hole. The jr. RHP “Wojo” is slated to be opposed on Saturday by South Carolina’s ace, sr. RHP Blake Cooper (2.94, 10-1, 88 Ks in 104 IP). Justin Wright was the losing pitcher on Friday vs. Citadel (5.1IP-6R-10H-BB-5K), as VT’s #1-3 hitters combined to hit only 2-for-14 (CF/leadoff Sean Ryan has a 2-run HR in the 7th).
• Zach Osborne registered Louisiana-Lafayette’s first NCAA Tournament shutout since 2002 by blanking Rice, 1-0. Catcher/cleanup hitter Chad Keefer’s 2-out single in the 8th inning plated the game’s lone run.
• Baylor scored five runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, but they came up short in a 10-9 loss to Arizona at the Ft. Worth Regional. The Bears left runners at first and third to end the game. They committed three errors to give the Wildcats five unearned runs in the 6th inning. Steve Selsky & DH/6-hole Josh Garcia (2RBI-2R-HBP) homered for the Wildcats, while SS Alex Mejia was 3-for-4 with 4 RBI, a double & run scored from the bottom of the order.
• Baylor’s Logan Vick walked twice to set a single-season school record with 56 BBs this year. The Bears left 12 men on base (including the two in the 9th), with Gregg Glime‘s home run and 3 RBI pacing the Baylor offense. Logan Verrett had no-decision (3.1IP-3R-5H-BB-2K) and Shawn Tolleson (2-7) was let down by his defense in the hard-luck loss (3.2IP-6R/1ER-5H-BB-2K).
• Closing in on 200: … Friday’s win by Coastal Carolina (6-0 vs. Stony Brook) is the 199th victory for the Chanticleers over past four seasons (199-50-0, from 2007-10).
  

  Oklahoma's Chris Ellison

• Chris Ellison drove in Cody Reine in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Oklahoma a 7-6 win over Oral Roberts. Reine had homered two innings earlier to tie the game (6-6) and ultimately force extra innings.
• One-time Little League World series participant Michael Broad hit one of Miami’s two 1st-inning, 3-run home runs to help the Hurricanes beat Dartmouth, 12-8. The ‘Canes held on after leading 11-0 thru five innings. Joe Sclafani homered twice for the Big Green.
• Oregon State beat Florida Atlantic, 6-4, in Gainesville, Fla. The start of the game was delayed a total of 3:15 by rain. Tyler Smith hit his first home run in nearly two months in the win.
• “Lobos fight scratch and claw baby, we’ll play anybody, anywhere anytime and we’re trying to spend a lot of our effort trying to prove that we can play with anybody in the country.” – Those were New Mexico third-year head coach Ray Birmingham’s comments during his in-game interview on ESPNU while his team was playing Stanford. Is it any wonder UNM is making its first NCAA appearance since 1962?
• New Mexico won that game, 9-5, for the second NCAA Tournament win in school history. Willy Kesler had no-decision (5.2IP-4R-11H-BB-5K) and Jason Oatman (1-2) picked up the relief win (3.1IP-R-3H-2K). RF Chris Juarez went 3-for-4 (3RBI-2B) from the 5-hole, while the 2-hole-batting catcher Rafael Neda homered and scored 4 times (1B/2-hole Justin Howard had 3R).
• Don’t know how to say his name, but Pi’ikea Kitamura was hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded in the top of the 9th inning to give Hawaii a 4-3 win over San Diego in Tempe, Ariz. San Diego ace Kyle Blair had another solid outing but did not figure into the decisions (8IP-3R/1ER-7H-8K). USD’s Mike Ferraro homered from the 7-hole and had 2 RBI, but USD’s #1-5 hitters combined for only 4 hits.
  

  LSU's Trey Watkins

• In his only at-bat of the night, LSU’s Trey Watkins smacked a 2-strike, 2-out double in the bottom of the 11th to lift LSU to an 11-10 over UC-Irvine. LSU’s Austin Nola forced extra innings when his blooper to right with 2 outs in the 9th scored Johnny Dishon, who motored all the way  aroundfrom first base.
• Jack Armstrong’s pinch-hit single scored Andrew Giobbi to give Vanderbilt an 8-7 win over Illinois State at the Louisville Regional opener. If the name of the offensive hero sounds familiar, it’s because Armstrong has been one of Vandy’s top starting pitchers this season and we’re sure to see him make a start over the weekend.
• Oregon beat Connecticut, 5-3, in Norwich, Conn., thanks to three runs in the top of the 9th inning.
• TCU didn’t use freshman ace Matt Purke (12-0), but the Horned Frogs still cruised to a 16-3 win over Lamar. Kyle Winkler and Greg Holle combined for 11 strikeouts to improve TCU to 20-0 this year when its pitchers have at least 10 K in a game. Purke will go Saturday vs. Arizona.
• Louisville also sat its ace, Thomas Royse (9-1), in its 11-2 win over Saint Louis. Head coach Dan McDonnell was not in the dugout, as he served the first game of his three-game suspension for last week’s dustup with an umpire at the Big East Tournament.
• Minnesota pulled-off the biggest Day-1 upset, as the #4 seed Golden Gophers downed #1 seed andnd host Cal State Fullerton, 3-1 in Fullerton. Jr. RHP  Seth Rosin (9-4) faced only 26 batters and struck out 7 with no walks in 8.0 innings to move his season totals to 95 Ks and only 12 BB. All the Gophers runs came in the opening frame, with RBI singles from Kyle Knudson and Matt Puhl scoring AJ Pettersen & AndyHenkmeryer (other run scores on error/unearned).
• Washington State registered its 19th come-from-behind win of the season, an 8-6 victory over Kansas State in Fayetteville, Ark. Adam Conley postedhis 19th save, while the Cougar bullpen notched its 18th win of the year (one away from tyingthe school record set in 1987). Cody Barlett’s 2-run HR in the 8th inning proved to be the game-winner.
• It took a 5-run 8th inning for South Carolina to rally to a 9-5 home win over Bucknell. It’s the Gamecock’s 12th straight postseason home win.
• Texas scored all 11 of its runs with 2-outs in an 11-0 win over Rider in Austin. Brandon Workman (12-1) tossed a complete game.
• Ole Miss held off St. John’s, 10-5, in Charlottesville, Va. The Red Storm scored all five of their runs in the last two innings.
• Tony Plagman was 5-for-5 in Georgia Tech’s 10-0 win over Mercer in Atlanta.
• Florida freshman Hudson Randall notched a career-best 10 strikeouts in 7.1 innings to help the Gators beat Bethune-Cookman, 7-3. Randall didn’t allow a hit until the 5th inning.
• UCLA routed Kent State, 15-1 in L.A., for the Bruins 25th home win of the season. Their 44 total wins are one away from tying the program’s single-season record set in 1997.
• North Carolina validated its NCAA berth with a 12-3 win over Cal in Norman, Okla. The Tar Heels have scored eight or more runs in 16 of their past 24 first- or second0round NCAA Tournament games.
• 5,684 fans saw Oregon beat UConn, 5-3 at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn. The Ducks rallied for three runs in the top of the 9th. Reliever Madison Boer has notched a save in Oregon’s past four wins. An attendance of 1,948 was on hand earlier in the day to see Florida State beat Central Connecticut, 11-3.
• Kole Calhoun hit his team-leading 14th HR to help overall #1 seed Arizona State beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 6-2 in Tempe.