Three 2011 NCAA Teams Among Six-Team Field…

Bubble Teams Not Fans Of Lobos, Tigers…

Ray Birmingham

The Lobos had lost seven straight games heading into the MWC Tourney, but the first four of those losses came at Oklahoma and the last three setbacks were to conference rival TCU. Both of those teams have already eclipsed 40 wins this season as they shoot to get back to Omaha after trips there last year.

Birmingham’s Lobos have been seemingly unfazed by their late season misfortunes since arriving in San Diego, and now find themselves one win away from a return trip to the NCAA tournament. New Mexico (19-39) has beaten #3 seed BYU, #1 seed TCU and #2 seed Utah in succession to advance to Friday’s MWC Championship game against either TCU or Utah.

“This team has been through a lot,” Birmingham said after Thursday’s win over the Utes. ” There is a method to my madness and we’re getting there.”

That “madness” has included a brutal schedule this season after Birmingham guided New Mexico to its first NCAA bid in nearly five decades in 2010. The Lobos started the season by dropping three games at Arizona State (a fourth game was rained-out). Their non-conference slate also included games against Oklahoma State, Arizona, Texas Tech, Gonzaga and Oklahoma, finishing just 1-17 against those teams which are all in the NCAA conversation this weekend.

The Lobos also faced TCU, which was a preseason #1 team in some polls, six times (going 1-5) in conference play during the regular season.

“A lot of blogs said we had the hardest schedule in the nation and I believe we did,” Birmingham said after his team’s tournament win over TCU. “We’re not afraid to face the best now. We know how to face the best.”

New Mexico, a team with an RPI of 158 entering the week, is just the second No. 6 seed to advance to the championship game of the MWC Tournament. The only other team to do it was Utah in 2009. The Utes claimed the title that year.

TCU and Utah play at 6 p.m. ET Friday. New Mexico faces the winner at 10 p.m. A Lobo win would give them the tournament title and automatic NCAA bid. If the TCU/Utah winner beats UNM they would play an “if necessary” winner take all game on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. All games are televised by the Mtn. Network and CBS College Sports (channels 616 and 613, respectively on DirecTV).

Missouri players celebrate after Thursday's win (courtesy Big 12).

Missouri is another team that is causing migraines for NCAA bubble teams this week. The Tigers brought just a 24-30 record into this week’s Big 12 Tournament, but they won four of their last five conference series to close the regular season. Those wins all came against teams with higher seeds in this week’s tournament: Texas A&M (2), Baylor (5), Kansas State (6), and Texas Tech (7).

Two teams Missouri did not beat during the regular season were No. 1 seed Texas and No. 4 seed Oklahoma State. The Tigers dropped all six match-ups to the Longhorns and Cowboys in back-to-back weekends at the start of April, but their fortunes changed in rematches this week in Oklahoma City.

Missouri knocked-off top-seeded Texas 6-4 on Wednesday and then held-off OSU 6-5 on Thursday to advance to the tournament semifinals. Missouri led Oklahoma State 5-0, only to see the Cowboys score five runs over the last two innings to tie the game before Eric Garcia‘s walk-off hit with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning.

“I’m really proud of these guys, not just this weekend, but the last five or six weeks,” Mizzou head coach Tim Jamieson said after his team’s fifth walk-off win of the season. “These guys read the blogs and read the websites much more than I do. They know we have to finish above .500 or win the tournament. We can’t finish above .500, so it’s pretty simple math.”

The Tigers now have Friday off and wait until Saturday morning at 10 ET to face the winner of Friday’s Texas-Oklahoma State elimination game. The eight-team Big 12 Tourney is formatted similarly to the College World Series, so if Mizzou wins Saturday it moves on to Sunday’s championship game (Texas A&M is 2-0 in the other four-team pool). If the Texas/OSU winner beats Missouri Saturday morning there will be a rematch that afternoon.

The Big 12 Championship game is Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET on Fox Sports Regional Networks.

Elsewhere…

Auburn and Georgia were both teams with work to do to heading into the SEC Tournament, but the bubble has already burst for one of those teams. Georgia (29-29) eliminated Auburn (29-29) in more ways than one with Thursday’s 3-2 victory.

Since a team must finish above .500 to receive an NCAA at-large bid, Auburn’s season is now done. With that in mind, Georgia must not only beat South Carolina on Friday, but they would also have to beat Florida Saturday afternoon to meet the above .500 requirement. South Carolina fell 7-2 to Vanderbilt Thursday night, while Florida is 2-0 with wins over Mississippi State and Alabama.

The fact that Georgia and Auburn could both finish below .500 after qualifying for the SEC field could indirectly help the at-large cases of two teams that didn’t make it to Hoover. Three-time defending SEC champion LSU (36-20 overall) is home this week with an RPI of 23, while Ole Miss (30-25) awaits selection Monday with an RPI of 40.
The only realistic shot the Big East had to get two teams in the NCAA Tournament was for someone other than Connecticut to win its conference tourney. That’s closer to happening after defending champion St. John’s (34-18 and this year’s #2 seed) downed Pittsburgh 6-4 Thursday to improve to 2-0, while UConn (40-16-1) was upset 4-3 by #4 seed Seton Hall (31-23) to fall into the elimination bracket.

The Huskies (38 RPI) are still in good shape for an at-large bid, but anything other than a conference tournament title would all but kill any chances of hosting a regional for a second straight year.
Houston pulled-off its second straight upset at the Conference USA Tournament Thursday. The No. 6 seed Cougars downed No. 2 Southern Mississippi 7-6 a day after downing No. 3 East Carolina 8-5. As we reported earlier this week, Southern Miss. is without two of its top three starting pitchers, Geoffrey Thomas and Jonathon Thompson, who are suspended for academic reasons. Houston (27-30) now faces No. 7 Tulane (30-26).
It didn’t quite match Wednesday’s 20-inning marathon between Western Carolina and Elon in the SoCon Tournament, but Georgia Tech outlasted North Carolina State 6-5 in 15 innings Thursday at the ACC Tourney. Yellow Jacket Matt Hyde stole home in the top of the 15th to give his team the win in the longest game in ACC Tournament history. Georgia Tech, NC State, Clemson and Florida State all are 1-1 in Pool B.

No. 8 seed Arkansas-Little Rock has clinched spot in Sunday’s Sun Belt Championship game. UALR (22-32) has wins over No. 1 Troy and No. 4 Western Kentucky.

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College Baseball 360 contributor Stephen Francis checks-in with his weekly look at some of the top college baseball comings and goings from the state of Texas…

By Stephen Francis

There were three big series going on this weekend involving Texas teams, and one of them (Texas vs. Stanford) was already covered by fellow College Baseball 360 contributor Jack Blanchat so the focus this week is on the Houston College Classic and the TCU-Texas Tech series.

TCU @ Texas Tech

What looked like a competitive series on paper (TCU entered the game at 4-4 in the midst of a three game losing streak and Texas Tech came in at 8-2 with a team batting average of .366) turned out to be the shot in the arm that the Horned Frogs needed.

TCU dominated in 25 of the 27 innings played, as those were the only two where Texas Tech put anything on the scoreboard.  The Frogs also received a huge offensive boost for the weekend from a bat that had remained relatively dormant through the first eight games of the season.

Jason Coats

Left fielder Jason Coats entered the weekend with a meager .125 batting average with just four hits and seven strikeouts in 32 at bats.  That made it no further than the first at bat of the second inning when he drove a single up the middle.  That little hit ignited a spark that reminded Frog fans of 2010 again.  He then added another single, a triple, and then a mammoth home run that’s rumored to still be in the air before finally being retired for the first time of the game in the ninth inning.  On the night, he finished 4-for-5, a double short of the cycle with three runs scored, three runs batted in and two stolen bases.  But Coats’ big night almost over-shadowed the other big story of the game.

Junior right-hander Kyle Winkler continued his run of dominance with another eight shutout innings of four-hit pitching.  Winkler struck out nine Red Raider hitters and walked none, although he did bean two.  Now let’s play a game of “Which stat is more impressive?”

1)  For the season, Winkler has now fired off 22 1/3 innings without surrendering an earned run.  He has a good chance to build on that streak against Houston Baptist this coming weekend.

2)  For the season, Winkler has allowed just eleven hits.  Would anyone like to take a guess as to how many have gone for extra bases? ________________________  *Hint, I gave you the answer.  Look at the blank.*

The Frogs went on to win handily by the score of 7-0.

Coats had a milder game two as TCU won a blowout that turned into a close game, 8-6.  He only hit two for four with a double and an RBI.  All six of those Tech runs came in the fifth.

Matt Purke

Game three saw the return of sophomore left-hander Matt Purke.  That pesky blister was definitely a thing of the past as Purke flat-out dominated Red Raider hitters for six innings of shutout one-hit baseball.  He tallied six strikeouts in his second victory of the season and like Winkler, he also has a 0.00 ERA.

As for Coats, he only had one hit in three at bats.  But, it was another “big ‘un.”  Coats drove a solo home run to left field to lead off the eighth.  He also opened the scoring in the first with a sacrifice fly, giving him two RBI and a run in the final game of the series.

The Red Raiders squeaked a run across in the ninth, but the damage had already been done and the Frogs took the game and the sweep with an 8-1 win.

Coats finished the series going 7-for-12 with a double, a triple, two home runs, six RBIs, four runs and two stolen bases.  That’s why he’s the Lone Star State Player of the Week for week three.  Now to travel south to check out what happened in Houston . . .

Houston College Classic

Game One — Baylor 5, Houston 2

Four Texas teams participated in the round robin-style Houston College Classic this weekend at Minute Maid Park.  Baylor and Houston kicked off the festivities with a fairly entertaining contest.

Logan Verrett

Baylor junior RHP Logan Verrett took the mound for the Bears and tossed 6 2/3 innings to earn the win.  He struck out seven Cougar hitters in the outing while they scattered just seven hits off of him.  The win makes Verrett 2-1 on the season with a respectable 4.02 ERA.  Reliever Brooks Pinckard notched his second save of the year to close it out.

Baylor third baseman Jake Miller put together three base hits with a run in the winning effort for the Bears.

Houston left fielder Jake Runte scored both of the Cougars’ runs in the losing effort and ended the day batting 3/4.

Game Three — Rice 8, Kentucky 7

After two relatively low-scoring games, all the opening day of baseball at the Houston College Classic needed was an offensive outburst.  Game three provided that as the second of two “local” teams pounded out a victory to close the day.

Jeremy Rathjen

Neither starting pitcher fared very well but several Rice hitters strung together a few hits for a solid evening at the plate.

First baseman/pitcher J. T. Chargois, designated hitter/first baseman Anthony Rendon and center fielder Jeremy Rathjen each finished with three hits.  Rathjen also drove in two runs while Chargois and Rendon each scored two.

In the end though, the difference in the score came off the bat of second baseman Michael Ratterree; who led off the seventh inning with a solo home run, his second of the season.

To close things out, Chargois took the mound for the final inning and two thirds to notch his second save of the season.

Game Five — Houston 8, Kentucky 5

Caleb Ramsey

The Houston bats came alive to the tune of 12 hits against Kentucky as the Cougars bounced back from their loss in the series opener.  The hometown team broke the game wide open in the seventh inning with six runs on seven hits to erase a 2-1 deficit.  Senior left fielder Caleb Ramsey drove in the third and fourth runs of the breakout frame with a single to the first base side and led all Houston hitters with three hits, including a ninth inning triple.  In addition, he drove in three runs and scored twice.  Sophomore Dakota Dill sealed the win with two innings of scoreless relief to notch his first save of the year.

Game Six — Rice 1, Texas A&M 0

For their second game in a row, Texas A&M found themselves on the short end of another outstanding pitchers’ duel in a match-up where the teams combined to scatter just 12 total hits in the Saturday night finale.

Rice scored the game-winning run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by catcher Craig Manuel after Chargois led off the frame with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt.

Owls starter Austin Kubitza went the distance, allowing six hits for the complete game shutout and his first collegiate victory.  The freshman baffled the Aggie batsmen all evening with seven strikeouts and no bases on balls to earn College Baseball 360’s Prime Time Pitcher of the Week Award.

Game Seven –

Game Eight — Baylor 12, Rice 8

Max Muncy

Baylor and Rice collided in an offensive explosion to combine for 27 hits as the Bears earned a much-needed second win of the series to leave Houston with an overall winning record at 6-5.

Sophomore Max Muncy turned in what was almost the best single-game offensive performance of the Classic by accounting for half of the Baylor offense.  The first baseman batted 3-for-6 and drove in amazing six runs on the ballgame with the last four coming in dramatic fashion.

In the bottom of the 10th with the score knotted at eight, shortstop Landis Ware led off with a double to left and moved over on a sacrifice bunt to put the winning run at third.  In an interesting decision to set up forces at every base, the Rice coaching staff called for back-to-back intentional walks to Brooks Pinckard and Logan Vick.  Two pitches later, Muncy stroked a game-winning walk-off grand slam to right field for an abrupt but authoritative end to the game.

Rice’s Shane Hoelscher collected two hits, two RBI and a run in the losing effort.  The Owls fell to 8-5 with the defeat.

Game Nine — Texas A&M 11, Houston 4

The finale of the Houston College Classic saw the Aggies come alive and deliver the second half of a “double-whammy” to the city of Houston after Rice’s earlier defeat.  Texas A&M hitters knocked around 15 hits in the outburst, led by sophomore Tyler Naquin.  In a performance equal to that of Muncy in the previous game, Naquin accomplished a rare feat of his own.

He began the game by doubling down the right field line for an RBI in the first and then later scored.  He drove in two more runs in the second inning with a triple to right center for his second hit of the day.  After a ground out to short in the fourth, Naquin cranked a two run home run to right field in the sixth inning for hit number three as well as his fourth and fifth runs batted in.  This left him a single away from the cycle.  He completed the task an inning later with an RBI base hit to plate the 11th and final run of the game for the Aggies.

For the Cougars, John Cannon and Landon Appling each drove in two runs.

Texas A&M senior Nick Fleece earned his second victory of the year with 2 2/3 innings of shutout pitching.  The victory pushed the Aggies to a 9-3 record while Houston fell to 6-5 on the season.

In all, it was three days of great baseball with a solid mix of masterful pitching and powerful hitting.  Of the Texas teams involved, Baylor and Rice finished the Classic 2-1 while Houston and Texas A&M each went 1-2.

The key games to watch in the Lone Star State this week are:

Baylor vs. Louisiana Tech — 4 games, Thursday — Sunday

Texas A&M vs. Florida International — 3 games, Friday — Sunday

Rice vs. Florida International — Wednesday

Rice — AT&T Tournament, San Francisco, CA — 3 games:  Long Beach State Friday, California Saturday, UC-Santa Barbara Sunday

Houston @ Texas St. — 3 games, Friday — Saturday

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

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6…Cougars who were hit by pitch in Sunday’s 9-5 series-clinching win over ASU.  Garry Kuykendall was plunked three times.

Clemson's Mike Freeman

6…RBIs by Clemson second baseman Mike Freeman in Wednesday’s win over Georgia.  Freeman played for the Bulldogs in 2007 before transferring to Georgia.

300…Career wins by Georgia head coach Dave Perno with a 6-5 Sunday win over Ole Miss-UGA’s only win in the series. Perno is in his 9th season at the helm at his alma mater.

15…Strikeouts in 8 IP by Ole Miss pitcher Drew Pomeranz in Friday’s 4-1 win over Georgia.  It’s the second time this season Pomeranz has fanned 15 in a game.

14…School record runs scored in the first inning by Arkansas in Wednesday’s 32-8 win over visiting St. Louis.  The Razorbacks also combined to tie a school record with 30 RBIs in the game.

2…Men named Fred Hill who were head coaches at Rutgers last week.  Fred Hill, Sr.-of the RU baseball team and Fred Hill, Jr.-of the Scarlet Knight men’s basketball team.

1…Fred hill who is currently coaching at Rutgers after Fred Hill, Jr. was dismissed as basketball coach last week.  The younger Hill’s dismissal was in part precipitated in part by an alleged profanity laced tirade directed at Pittsburgh baseball coach Joe Jordano during an April 1 9-8 win by RU.

2…Wins at Notre Dame over the weekend by Rutgers.  Saturday’s 25-5 win gave the elder Hill and his team its first win at Notre Dame since 2002.  The road series win at Eck Stadium is RU’s first since the Irish and Scarlet Knights joined the Big East together in 1996.

Michael Lang

7…Home runs hit by Rutgers in Saturday’s 25-5 onslaught.  Outfielder Michael Lang had two of the long balls with 7 RBIs.

3…Wins needed by Fred Hill, Sr. to reach 1,000 for his career.  He’s been the head coach at Rutgers since 1984.

1…Closer the Jersey coach could not use in Friday’s 9-8 loss to the Irish due to a jersey flap.  His closer, Tyler Gebler, was wearing jersey #4 instead of his usual #43 in the game and with the tying run at 2nd base and two outs in the bottom of the 8th Hill went to the pen to the freshman.  However, Gebler was ruled an illegal substitution in the game, because Hill had crossed-out Steve Nyisztor’s #41 instead of Gebler’s #43 on the line-up card he turned-in before the game.  Hill had to go to Kevin Lillis, who gave-up back-to-back RBI hits, including Adam Norton’s game-winning triple.  Gebler has a 1.50 ERA, while his 6 saves are tied for second-best in the Big East.

2…Triples hit and innings pitched by Notre Dame’s David Mills in Tuesday’s 13-6 win over Oakland.  The lefty started the game as the Irish DH and later entered the game on the mound.  He had 2 RBIs and pitched 4 innings in relief to earn another win on Friday in ND’s only win of the Rutgers series.

2…Wins by Pittsburgh over fifth-ranked Louisville in their weekend series at Pitt’s Trees Field.  Losses Friday and Saturday to start the series, combined with a midweek loss to Kentucky, gave the Cardinals their first back-to-back setbacks of the season as well as their first series loss.

4…Runs scored in the top of the 9th inning of Sunday’s series finale to give Louisville a 9-7 win and avoid the series sweep.  Adam Duvall and Ryan Wright each belted two-run home runs to provide the offense.

17…Combined runs surrendered 13 1/3 by Louisville starting pitchers Thomas Royse, Dean Kiekhefer and Gabriel Shaw in the three games vs. Pitt.  Royse (6-1) suffered his first loss in the series-opener.  Shaw was making his first start of the season in Sunday’s finale after 14 relief outings.

36…Combined runs that same trio had surrendered in 104 1/3 previous innings pitched this season.

Alex Wimmers

14…Strikeouts with no walks by Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers (7-0) in Friday’s 7-1 win over Indiana.  Hoosier outfielder Alex Dickerson went 0-for-4 in the game to end his 21-game hitting streak.

4…Home runs in as many games to end the week by Duke’s Will Currier.  His 8 RBIs over the weekend helped the Blue Devils take two of three games from #12 Clemson.

2…Hits allowed by Oregon State’s Greg Peavey in Friday’s complete game 4-1 win over #2 UCLA.  Peavy’s efforts handed the Bruins their first consecutive losses after a midweek setback to Cal State Fullerton.

16…Innings needed for UCLA to beat OSU 3-1 in game two of the Pac 10 series on Saturday.  The game lasted 6 hours and 23 minutes.

39…Combined runners left on base by the Bruins (22) and Beavers (17) in Saturday’s marathon.

529…Pitches thrown in the game by a total of 12 pitchers, including eight sent to the mound by Oregon State.

11…Consecutive scoreless innings pitched by UCLA pitchers-with seven scoreless frames to end the 16-inning game combined with four shutout half innings to start Sunday’s series finale, which the Bruins won 8-2.

18…Combined pitchers used by LSU (8) and Southern Mississippi (10) in Wednesday’s 6-5 win in 12-innings in Metairie, LA.

2…Wins by Auburn over defending SEC & National Champion LSU in their weekend series at Auburn’s Samford Stadium.  The Tigers win game three 6-5 after a game-ending squeeze bunt by right fielder Justin Fredejas.

1998…The last time Auburn had won a home series vs. LSU prior to the weekend’s wins.  LSU had swept the last two series between the two teams and had won eight of the previous 11 series since 1999.

0…Outs recorded by Auburn starting pitcher Cole Nelson, who surrendered six earned runs on seven hits in Friday’s 14-10 loss to open the series.

0…Hits by Auburn catcher Tony Caldwell, who still had 3 RBIs in Saturday’s 11-7 Auburn win.  Caldwell was 0-for-1, but drove-in his runs with a bases loaded walk and two sac flies.  He also had a sacrifice bunt on the day.

Trent Mummey

7…RBIs in the series by Auburn’s Trent Mummey, who made his first three starts of the year after injuring his ankle prior to the start of the season.  Mummey hit two home runs, including his second career grand slam.

2 of 3…Wins by Oregon in its series at Stanford to give the Ducks their first Pac 10 series win since 1980 and their first Pac 10 road series win since 1976 at Washington.

21…Wins by Oregon through 32 games this season after winning just 17 games all of last year-the first year baseball was played at the school after it was disbanded following the 1981 season.

26…Game hitting streak by Kansas State’s Nick Martini-the longest active D1 streak in the nation this season.  A pair of 21-game hitting streaks ended over the weekend.  Martini had at least one hit in KSU’s series vs. Nebraska.  His streak is a school record and the fifth-longest in Big 12 history.

62…Career stolen bases by Martini’s teammate, Adam Muenster, to set a school record that had held since 1995.  Muenster’s record-breaker came in Sunday’s 8-3 win over the Cornhuskers.

8,540…Fans who saw K-State take two of three games from Nebraska to set a 3-game series attendance record at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan.

9-0…Kentucky’s lead over Alabama heading into the top of the sixth inning of Sunday’s game in Lexington, KY.

11-9…Final score of Alabama’s win in that game.  Jake Smith’s grand slam capped a 5-run sixth inning and the Tide scored five more runs in the 8th and another in the 9th to cap the biggest comeback in school history.

Jason Coats

4…Combined shutout innings pitched by Alabama’s Tyler White and Nathan Kilcrease in Sunday’s improbable comeback.  White got the win to improve to 3-1 while Kilcrease earned his second save.

3…Home runs off three different pitchers by TCU’s Jason Coats in Sunday’s 12-2 win over Houston.   Coats’ efforts helped the Horned Frogs outscore the Cougars 33-3 in the series.

2…Wins by Virginia Tech over #14 Miami in their weekend series.  The Hokies’ first ever series win over the Hurricanes comes a week after their first win over another traditional college baseball power-Florida State.

3…ACC series won by Virginia Tech all of last season.  They have won four of five conference series already this season, with their only loss (a sweep) coming at the hands of Clemson.

Jamie Skagerlind

2…Walk-off home runs in as many days by Bryant first baseman Jamie Skagerlind to help his team win three of four games vs. Central Connecticut State.  Skagerlind’s shot in the bottom of the 10th inning ended Saturday’s 3-2 win in game one of a doubleheader.  His blast to end Sunday’s 7-inning twin bill opener capped a 5-run Bryant rally.  The game-winning blasts are his only home runs of the season.

3…No-hitters thrown last week.  Fresno State’s Greg Gonzalez and Lehigh’s Greg Angelo each tossed 7-inning no-hitters, while Kevin Johnson of West Florida fired the second 9-inning no-no of 2010.  Gonzalez is the first Bulldog to pitch a no-hitter in 34 years, while Angelo had the first at Lehigh since 1988.

11…Shutout innings pitched across two games by North Florida’s John Atteo.  He earned the win with two scoreless innings in Tuesday’s 3-1 upset of Florida State, and then fired a complete game shutout in Sunday’s 10-0 win over USC Upstate.

1,201…Career wins by UNF head coach Dusty Rhodes-who will retire at season’s end-with Atteo’s Sunday victory.

A By The Numbers Look At The Weekend’s Action

Alex Kaminsky (WSU photo)

1…Run allowed in 7 IP by Wright State starter Alex Kaminsky in Friday’s 2-1 win over #1/#2 Virginia.  Kaminsky struckout 7 to earn his first win of the season in a head-to-head dual with UVA sophomore ace Danny Hultzen.

2…Wins in the last two years by the Raiders on a top ranked team’s home field.  WSU beat #1 Georgia last year in Athens.

10…Runs and hits allowed in 2 1/3 innings by Kentucky starter Taylor Rogers in Saturday’s 14-13 win over Monmouth.

0 & 9…Hits allowed & strikeouts recorded in 4 IP by Wildcat reliever Matt Little, who earned the win in that game after allowing just two hits.

10…Hit batters by Monmouth pitchers in the loss to Kentucky to tie an NCAA record.  It’s just the third time a pitching staff has hit 10 batters in a game.

4…Straight hit batters by Monmouth pitchers Andy McDonnell (1) and Stephen Prosapio, who hit Kentucky’s Braden Kapteyn with the bases loaded and the score tied 13-13 to give the Wildcats the winning run.

1…Career home run by 5’9-160 pound Kentucky redshirt junior Neiko Johnson, whose long ball on a 2-2 pitch in the bottom of the 9th inning tied the score at 13 just before the four straight hit batsmen.

103…Runs scored by Georgia State in a 4-game series vs. North Carolina Central.

14…Of the runs scored by Georgia State junior Mark Micowski, who transferred to the school this year after Vermont disbanded baseball last year.  Micowski hit for the cycle in the first four innings of Friday’s 32-3 victory.  He batted .636 with 10 RBIs in the four games.

17…Combined strikeouts by George Washington pitchers Matt Branham and Scott DeCecco in Friday’s 5-1 win over USC Upstate.  The combined effort tied a school record.

210…Career Ks by Branham-whose career high 12 strikeouts in the win made him the 3rd pitcher in GW history to top the 200 K mark.

6…Straight wins by USC Upstate prior to the loss-a record for the Spartans since joining the Division One ranks.

1…Hit allowed by West Virginia’s Jarryd Summers in 8 innings in a 1-0 loss to Western Carolina.  Summers fanned 11 in the loss.  The only hit he allowed was a solo home run by WCU third baseman Tyler Kirkpatrick.

3…Hits allowed by Catamount starter Jason Sullivan-who struckout 8 in 9 shutout innings to improve to 3-0 on the season with the win over the Mountaineers.

Blake Kelso (Houston photo)

9…Strikeouts by Houston’s Michael Goodnight in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Texas at the Houston College Classic.

1…Wild pitch by Longhorn starter Brandon Workman-after a triple by Houston’s Blake Kelso-which allowed the game’s only run to score.

2…Losses by Cal State Fullerton in a 3-game series at Arizona to fall to 4-6 on the season.  The Titans started the year ranked in the top 10 in every poll.

1…Inning pitched by Titan All-American Daniel Renken in Friday’s 8-7 loss to the Wildcats.  Renken was lifted after hitting Wildcat CF Joey Rickard to lead-off the 2nd inning.

3…Walk-off wins by Arizona this season after freshman Seth Mejias-Brean singled home classmate Alex Mejia in the bottom of the 11th inning in that win over the Titans.

8…Strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings by Florida starter Alex Panteliodis in Friday’s 7-1 series-opening win over Miami (FL).

7…Strikeouts in 3 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings pitched by Gator reliever Nick Maronde to earn his first save of the season in that same win over the Hurricanes.

Kevin Chapman

4…Shutout innings pitched by Florida reliever Kevin Chapman in Sunday’s series-clinching 4-2 win over Miami.  Chapman gave-up just one hit with two strikeouts to earn his second save of 2010.

17…Combined strikeouts in 12 innings pitched by Duke starters Eric Pfisterer (10) and Michael Ness (7) who each tossed six shutout innings to help the Blue Devils to a 3-game sweep of Temple.

11…Strikeouts in 6 IP by Florida Gulf Coast ace Chris Sale in a 7-2 win over Wichita State.

2…Home runs hit over the weekend by Middle Tennessee State’s Bryce Brentz.  The outfielder led the nation with 28 HR last year, but he had been shutout through the first two weeks of the season.

1…Loss this season by Washington State after falling 4-1 in Sunday’s finale of a 4-game series with Utah.  The Cougars had started 9-0 for their best opening to a season since 1988.

Steve Fernandez

138…Pitches thrown by Santa Clara starter Alex Rivers in a 4-0 win over San Jose State.  Rivers scattered seven hits with five strikeouts for his third career complete game.

5…RBIs by St. Louis redshirt freshman Steve Fernandez to help St. Louis down Ohio State 10-9 on Saturday.

109…Pitches thrown by West Virginia’s Chris Enourato, who struckout 9 in seven innings of relief to help the Moutaineers to an 11-8 win over Illinois.  Enourato retired 16 of the first 17 batters he faced.

3…Wins by WVU (with seven losses) this season.  Enourato has earned two of the wins and a save in his five relief outings.

16…RBIs in five games by New Mexico State’s Wade Reynoso.  He batted .522 (12-23) with 3 home runs and 11 runs scored as well in wins over New Mexico and St. Joseph’s.

Tigers To Open Season In Tucson

Missouri Head Coach Tim Jamieson

face Houston, TCU and Texas in a non-conference contest.

Complete 2010 Missouri Baseball

The home schedule will open up on March 10 against Western Illinois. That game will kick off a 10-game home stand at Taylor Stadium.

The Big 12 Conference schedule begins on March 26-28 when the Tigers head to College Station, Texas to take on Texas A&M. MU will also have road conference series against Oklahoma (April 9-11), Texas Tech (April 30-May 2) and Kansas (May 7-9).

Baylor will be in Columbia on April 2-4 in the first home Big 12 series of the season. Other home conference series include Oklahoma State (April 16-18), Kansas State (April 23-25), Nebraska (May 14-16) and Texas (May 21-23). The Tigers’ final six conference games of the year will be at Taylor Stadium.

Once again in 2010, Mizzou has games scheduled in both of the Major League Baseball stadiums in Missouri. MU and Illinois will meet at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on April 7 and the Tigers will face Kansas in a non-conference game at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium on April 21.

Mizzou will also continue the annual Wood Bat Classic, as it will take on Eastern Illinois on April 27 at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon, Mo.

The Big 12 Tournament will get underway on May 26 at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Okla. and the NCAA Tournament will begin on June 4.

A schedule note, with the exception of the home opener on March 10, all of Missouri’s weeknight home games will start at 6 p.m., which is a change from the 6:30 p.m. starts of past seasons.

(Release)

TEMPE, AZ Arizona State Baseball will begin its quest for its sixth National Championship and 22nd trip to Omaha and the College World Series on February 19th when the Sun Devils host the Northern Illinois Huskies at Winkles Field- Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark in the 2010 Season Opener. Announced today by head coach Tim Esmay, the 2010 schedule features 35 games at Packard Stadium, including two non-conference match-ups with in-state rival Arizona on April 20 and May 4.

ASU Interim Head Coach Tim Esmay (ASU Photo)

regular season on March 16 and 17 at Goodwin Field in Fullerton.

Complete 2010 ASU Schedule

Arizona State will play an exhibition game at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark on March 2, when they host Meiji University from Japan.

The rest of the non-conference slate features two straight four-game series to open the 2010 season. Northern Illinois opens the year in Tempe from Feb. 19-21, followed by Towson from Feb. 26-28. The SEC’s Auburn Tigers will visit Tempe for a three-game set beginning March 12, and the Houston Cougars will play at Packard Stadium for three games starting March 19. Grand Canyon (March 9), San Diego (April 5-6), San Francisco (April 27-28) and BYU (May 10-11) will also visit Tempe.

The leader in West Coast attendance for the past five years, Arizona State will once again enjoy one of the nation’s best home field advantages. Over 125,000 fans came through the turnstiles to watch the Devils play in 2009, as ASU averaged 3,207 fans per home game. Thanks to tremendous fan support that creates an unmatched atmosphere at home, the Sun Devils went 36-4 at home, winning their third consecutive Pac-10 championship and advancing to the College World Series for the third time in five years.

For the eighth straight year, Arizona State will travel to Surprise, Ariz., for the Coca-Cola Classic at Surprise Stadium, Spring Training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. The Devils will face 2009 NCAA Tournament participant Cal Poly, who played in the Tempe Regional, on March 4, Pac-10 rival Oregon State in a non-conference match-up on March 5, UC Riverside on March 6, then wrap up the weekend in Surprise against former ASU assistant coach and current Florida International head coach Turtle Thomas and the Golden Panthers on March 7.

In addition to an always difficult non-conference schedule, the three-time defending Pac-10 Champion Sun Devils will once again compete in one of the toughest conferences in all of college baseball. Conference adversaries visiting Tempe include Cal (March 26-28), USC (April 16-18), Washington (April 23-25) and 2009 NCAA Tournament participant Oregon State (May 21-23). The Sun Devils will travel to Eugene, Oregon for the first time in school history when they take on the Ducks for a three-game series beginning April 1. ASU will also travel to 2009 NCAA Tournament team Washington State (April 9-11), UCLA (April 30-May 2), in-state rival Arizona (May 15-17) and close out the regular season at Sunken Diamond in Palo Alto, Calif. for three games with Stanford (May 27-29).

Arizona State will be seeking its 11th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, which will begin on June 4. Super Regionals will follow from June 11-14 with the college baseball season culminating in the College World Series, beginning June 19 at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. 2010 marks the final season the College World Series will be played at Rosenblatt Stadium, as the annual championship tournament will move to TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha beginning in 2011.

(Release)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara University’s baseball program announced its 2010 schedule today. The 55-game slate, released by ninth-year head coach Mark O’Brien, begins February 19-21, with a home series against the University of Nevada.

Santa Clara Head Coach Mark O'Brien

“Every year we’re going to bring in some of the best teams on the West Coast to play us here,” said O’Brien. “Just as important is to go to different venues, into some hostile environments. We have an early-season series at Houston which will be a good test for us and games at San Diego State and Cal State Fullerton.”

Complete 2010 Santa Clara Schedule (PDF)

Three games with local rival San Jose State March 5-7, a midweek trip to play 2008 College World Series Champion Fresno State March 9 and an extended series at SDSU March 20-23 are also part of the non-conference schedule.

“We are going to be tested early and tested often,” said O’Brien. “In my mind you need to play teams that will prepare you for conference and we’ll do that.”

A 13-game homestand at Schott Stadium, March 26 through April 13, dominates the team’s midseason calendar. The Broncos will play its first two WCC series at home, matching up with Portland April 1-3 and Pepperdine April 9-11.

“What a great environment for college baseball,” O’Brien says about SCU’s Schott Stadium which opened in 2005. “We are very fortunate. It’s a perfect place for families to come out and watch a game.”

Twelve of Santa Clara’s final 16 games are on the road: at Gonzaga April 30 through May 2, at Stanford May 10, at UC Davis May 19, at 2009 CWS qualifiers Cal State Fullerton May 21-23 and finishing up the regular season at LMU May 28-30.

(Release)

Knights have a total of 36 games at home this season

UCF Head Coach Terry Rooney

“We are looking forward to a very competitive 2010 schedule,” said second-year head coach Terry Rooney. “As always Conference USA continuously ranks as one of the top five baseball leagues in the country. That combined with our non-conference schedule will give fans plenty of opportunities to see the Knights this year.”

Complete 2010 UCF Schedule

While UCF has three more home games this year compared to 2009, prices on season tickets remain unchanged for the 2010 campaign. Reserved chairback seating behind homeplate will be $199, while a reserved bleacher season ticket costs $150 for adults and $99 for faculty/staff, youth and seniors.  Orders can be placed through the ticket office at 407-823-1000.

Opening Day 2010 is set for Friday, Feb. 19, at 6:30 p.m. when Savannah State travels to Orlando for a three-game series in what will be the first meeting between the Knights and Tigers.

Following a midweek tilt at Florida Feb. 24, UCF will host Siena (Feb. 26-28), Duquesne (March 2), North Florida (March 3), Central Michigan (March 5-7), Miami (March 9), Hartford (March 12-14) and USF (March 16) in a 13-game homestand.

The clash with the Miami Hurricanes marks the first contest between the two programs since 1995. UCF eventually makes the return trip to face UM March 23.

The Knights’ remaining non-conference home series takes place March 19-21 against Presbyterian, another team UCF has never faced.

For the second-straight season, UCF kicks off the Conference USA slate on the road when it heads to Houston March 26-28. Rooney’s program also makes trips this year to square off against Southern Mississippi, Marshall and Tulane. USM is coming off its first appearance in the College World Series.

Meanwhile, UCF welcomes UAB, Rice, Memphis and East Carolina to its East Orlando campus. The Owls and Pirates are both hoping to ride momentum from last year as they both reached the 2009 NCAA Super Regionals.

(Press Release)