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Duke’s Currier, Oregon State’s Peavey Take Top Primetime Honors …

Duke designated hitter Will Currier (Dripping Spring, Texas) and Oregon State junior righthander Greg Peavey (Vanouver, Wash.) headline CB360’s most recent Primetime Performers Weekly Honor, for action during the first fill weeek of April of April.

CLICK HERE for archive of previous CB360 Primetime award winners (scroll down for earlier weeks)

Duke sr. DH Will Currier

Currier has been named the national Primetime Player of the Week and Peavey is the Primetime Pitcher of the Week, while 17 others join them in comprising the Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll (as selected by CollegeBaseball360.com).

Currier homered in all three games and totaled 8 RBI in Duke’s 2-1 series vs. #11 Clemson, while Peavey was masterful in his 2-hit victory over a potent #2 UCLA team.

Oregon State jr. RHP Greg Peavey

PEAVEY outdueled UCLA ace Gerrit Cole in the 7-1 series opener, allowing only two hits (3BB-6K) from a Bruins offense that entered the game with a gaudy .347 team batting average. The 6-1, 200-pound righthanded lowered his season ERA to 1.91 while opposing batters now are hitting at a lowly .167 clip vs. Peavey this season.

Oregon State jr. RHP Greg Peavey's 2-hitter knocked off a #2 UCLA squad that owned a .347 team batting average (photo courtesy of OSU).

UCLA’s only hits against Peavey came on cleanup batter Justin Uribe’s single through the left side in the 4th inning on a hit-and-run and #6 hitter Cody Regis’ soft  liner that knucked in for a 7th-inning single. Peavey allowed only three batters to reach scoring position (none after the 4th) and the only run he allowed came on a sacrifice fly. The Hudson Bay High School product retired 10 of the first 11 batters and allowed only one baserunner in his final 5.1 innings.

CURRIER led the way for a Duke program that now has taken an ACC series from two national powers (UNC and Clemson). The 6-4, 215-pound homered from the 3-hole in all four games during the past week, including a 9-5 win over William & Mary and every game in the series at Durham Bulls Park vs. #11 Clemson (10-9/5-11/7-2). His 8-RBI series vs. the Tigers included a grand slam and a pair of 2-run blasts.

Currier is riding an extended home run streak (6 HRs in past 9 games) and is slugging at a .691 clip for the season, with 22 RBI.

Duke senior DH Will Currier (#45) had a home run celebration in all four games last week, including the series win vs. #11 Clemson (photo courtesy of Duke).

Currier’s 2-out home run was part of Duke’s early explosion (9R in first 3 inn.) vs. William & Mary. The righthanded power hitter added a 2-run blast early in the opener vs. Clemson junior LHP Casey Harman, capping a 4-run bottom of the 3rd as the Blue Devils claimed a 4-3 lead (en route  to the 10-9 win). Currier later singled and scored in the 8th, sparking a 5-run outburst that thrust Duke into a 10-8 lead.

One day later, Currier delivered a clutch 2-out blast in the bottom of the 6th, pulling a pitch from RHP Scott Weismann and sending it down the leftfield line for a grand slam and 4-3 lead (Clemson rallied to win in 11 innings). Currier’s 1st-inning blast in the series finale (vs. LHP Will Lamb) staked Duke to a 2-0 lead, and the Devils went on to claim the series with a 7-2 victory.

Primetime Performer Award Criteria
• Must have been playing for or against a CB360 top-50 team (in the Composite National Rankings) or performed a high level in a game that could be key to a team’s conference/NCAA postseason qualification.
• Involved in clutch performances, such as late game-winning hits, noteworthy comebacks, game-changing plays, team leadership, key defensive efforts, etc.
• Performing at a top level against a team rated highly nationally (or within its conference), with bonus consideration given for key performances away from home field and vs. traditional rivals.
• Overcoming adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).
• Any accomplishment that is rare, historic, record-setting, etc., on a national level.

(from left) Matt Argyopoulos (Washington St.), Ryan Behmanesk (Dallas Baptist), Jay Brown (South Carolina), Nate Brown (Ark.-Little Rock), Cory Brownsten (Pitt) and Jeremy Erben (Oklahoma).

The other 17 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll include: Washington State jr. 3B Matt Argyropoulos (Longview, Wash.) … Dallas Baptist so. 1B Ryan Behmanesh (Mansfield, Texas) …South Carolina sr. RHP Jay Brown (Brunswick, Ga.), Arkansas-Little Rock sr. CF Nate Brown (Bemidji, Minn.) …Pittsburgh sr. catcher Cory Brownsten (Lockport, N.Y.) … Oklahoma sr. RHP Jeremy Erben (New Braunfels, Texas) … Georgia Tech fr. RHP Buck Farmer (Conyers, Ga.) … Auburn jr. RF/CF Justin Fradejas (Pensacola, Fla.) … Kentucky 5th-yr.-sr. 1B Gunner Glad (Tulsa, Okla.) … Oregon fr. 1B Jack Marder (Calabasas, Calif.) … Virginia jr. CF Jarrett Parker (Stafford, Va.) … Cal State Fullerton so. RHP/RF Tyler Pill (Covina, Calif.) … Mississippi jr. LHP Drew Pomeranz (Collierville, Tenn.) … Virginia Tech sr. SS Tim Smalling (Raleigh, N.C.) … Indiana State sr. CF Ryan Strausborger (Osceola, Ind.) … Furman jr. 1B Aaron Thompkins (Canton, Ohio) … and Baylor so. RHP Logan Verrett (Corpus Christi, Texas).

(from left) Buck Farmer (Ga. Tech), Justin Fradejas (Auburn), Gunner Glad (Kentucky), Jarrett Parker (Virginia) and Tyler Pill (CS Fullerton).

The 19 honorees include seven pitchers (one of them a LHP and one a two-way player), four first basemen, three centerfielders, one rightfielders (two-way player), plus a catcher, shortstop, third baseman, outfielder (RF/CF) and DH.

The selections feature seven seniors, six juniors, three sophomores, two freshmen and a first-year senior. The honorees hail from 13 different home states, led by four from Texas and two each from the home states of California, Georgia and Washington – plus one each from Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia.

(from left) Drew Pomeranz (Mississippi), Tim Smalling (Va. Tech), Ryan Strausborger (Indiana State), Aaron Tompkins (Furman) and Logan Verrett (Baylor).

PRIMETIME PERFORMERS WEEKLY HONOR ROLL#8 (April 13, 2010)

(presented by CollegeBaseball360.com)

“It’s not so much what you do, as it is when you do it.”

Player (Pos.) … School … Yr. … Hometown … Stats & Notes
Matt Argyropoulos (3B) … Washington State … Jr. … Longview, WA
Doubled and scored 9th-inn. winning run in opener vs. #1 Arizona St.; hit 3-for-6 and factored into 4 runs (3RBI-2R-HR-2B-SAC-SF) during pair of wins in ASU series (6-5/7-11/9-5).

Ryan Behmanesh (1B) … Dallas Baptist … So. … Mansfield, TX
Hit 1st-inning grand slam, added leadoff 2B and run scored in 7-6 win at #30 Rice.

Jay Brown (RHP) … South Carolina … Sr. … Brunswick, GA
Logged 6.1 innings (2H-2K) in combined 2-hitter at #18 Vanderbilt (2-0), handing Commodores third loss of season and first shutout at home in SEC game since ’05; did not allow a batter past 2nd base; combined with two relievers to face min. 27 batters.

Nate Brown (CF) … Arkansas-Little Rock … Sr. … Bemidji, MN
Hit 2-run HR in 7th during 9-6 comeback win at #16 Mississippi (3-for-4, 3 RBI-2R-BB); Rebels had been 21-0 when leading after 6.

Cory Brownsten (C) … Pittsburgh … Sr. … Lockport, NY
Hit 7-for-12 and factored into 11 runs (7RBI-4R-3B-2B-BB), as Panthers took 2-of-3 from #5 Louisville (8-3/15-5/7-9).

*Will Currier (DH) … Duke … Sr. … Dripping Springs, TX
3-hole hitter who homered in all four games (one a grand slam) during week, with 8 RBI in Clemson series (as Blue Devils won 2-of-3 vs. #11 Tigers).

Jeremy Erben (RHP) … Oklahoma … Sr. … New Braunfels, TX
Turned in long-relief outing (7.2IP-2R/1ER-6H-4BB-9K; 120 pitches) to win at #14 TCU, in front of nearly 4,000 opposing fans (4-2); inherited bases-loaded threat in the 1st and induced double-play ball, plus another groundout to preserve 2-0 lead; improved to 6-0.

Buck Farmer (RHP) … Georgia Tech … Fr. … Conyers, GA
Inherited 2-0 deficit with no outs and bases loaded in 1st inning at #3 Virginia; charged with only 1 run over 6.0 innings en route to win (9-7) that tied series (4H-6K).

Justin Fradejas (RF/CF) … Auburn … Jr. … Pensacola, FL
Batted 9-for-19 (6RBI-6R, 3 2B) in 4-1 week, including 3-for-7 (2RBI-2R-SAC-SB) in pair of wins vs. #7 LSU (10-14/11-7/6-5); 9-hole hitter who shifted to leadoff in series finale (won game with safety-squeeze bunt); extended hit streak to 14 games.

Gunner Glad (1B) … Kentucky … 5th-Yr.-Sr. … Tulsa, OK
3-hole batter who led 5-0 win at #5 Louisville (HR-2RBI-R-HBP) and near-sweep vs. #22 Alabama (7-6/8-2/9-11); hit 5-13 in ‘Bama series (3RBI-R-2B-BB-SF-SB).

Jack Marder (1B) … Oregon … Fr. … Calabasas, CA
#6 hitter who went 4-7 with 4 RBI (3R-2 2B-2BB-SB) in pair of wins at #24 Stanford (5-2/9-6/1-2); had RBI single/R in 8th of gm-2, then 3-run 2B in 9th for 7-6 lead.

Jarrett Parker (CF) … Virginia … Jr. … Stafford, VA
7-hole batter who went 4-10 with 4 RBI (R-BB-3B-HBP-SF) in showdown series vs. #4 Georgia Tech (7-4/7-9/9-1).

*Greg Peavey (RHP) … Oregon State … Jr. … Vancouver, WA
Beat #2 UCLA (7-1) with masterful 2-hitter (3BB-6K; Bruins were batting .347 as a team), lowering his season ERA to 1.91 and opp. batting avg. to .167.

Tyler Pill (RHP/RF) … Cal State Fullerton … So. … Covina, CA
Cleanup hitter who helped upset #2 UCLA (6-1; RBI/R) and win series vs. #21 UC Irvine (4-7/6-3/6-1 … 3H-RBI-4R-2BB), adding near-CG to win finale vs. UCI (8.1IP-UER-7H-BB-4K).

Drew Pomeranz (LHP) … Mississippi … Jr. … Collierville, TN
Struck out 15 and allowed only 1 run (8IP-4H-3BB), as Rebels rallied to win 4-1 opener at Georgia; outdueled UGa ace and big-league prospect Justin Grimm.

Tim Smalling (SS) … Virginia Tech … Sr. … Raleigh, NC
3-hole batter who played lead role in pair of wins over #14 Miami (9-7/2-9-4-2); hit 5-for-8 in those wins (2RBI-2R-HR-2 2B-SB).

Ryan Strausborger (CF) … Indiana State … Sr. … Osceola, IN
Leadoff batter who hit 6-10 in pair of wins at #27 Citadel (3-4/11-7/4-2), with 2RBI-3R-2B-4SB-BB.

Aaron Thompkins (1B) … Furman … Jr. … Canton, OH
2-hole hitter who smacked 2-run HR in 11-3 opening win at #28 College of Charleston (also 2B), then had 2-out tying single/go-ahead run in 7th of clinching game-2 (8-5; BB); also doubled in finale.

Logan Verrett (RHP) … Baylor … So. … Corpus Christi, TX
Struck out 13 (12 “looking”) in 4-hitter vs. #26 Texas A&M (13-1; 2BB), Baylor’s biggest win margin in 266-game Battle-of-Brazos rivalry that dates back to 1904; helped preserve Bears bullpen that won series finale (2-1).

* – Currier is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Peavey the Primetime Pitcher of the Week … note that rankings above refer to the CB360 top-50 … class years are based on academic standing (some players may have an extra year of eligibility)

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Six 2009 Semifinalists On 2010 List

USA Baseball announced Thursday its preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List, marking the organization’s first step toward identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country. Sponsored by Major League Baseball, the Golden Spikes Award will be presented in 2010 for the 33rd time.

The Watch List features 50 of the nation’s top amateur talents, and it will be a “rolling” list to ensure that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the Golden Spikes Award, to be presented live on Tuesday, July 13, at the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest in Anaheim, Calif.

Headlining the 2010 Watch List are six athletes who were among the 30 semifinalists for the 2009 Golden Spikes Award. Those players are Daniel Bibona (LHP, Sr., UC Irvine), Bryce Brentz (OF/RHP, Jr., Middle Tennessee), Deck McGuire (RHP, Jr., Georgia Tech), Addison Reed (RHP, Jr., San Diego State), Anthony Rendon (3B, So., Rice) and Alex Wimmers (RHP, Jr., Ohio State).

“We’re very pleased to announce the 50 members of the preseason Watch List for the 2010 Golden Spikes Award,” said Paul Seiler, Executive Director/CEO of USA Baseball. “The level of amateur baseball talent in our country continues to rise each year, and there is no greater evidence of this than seeing six 2009 semifinalists named to the 2010 Watch List.”

The list of 50 names also features Bryce Harper of the College of Southern Nevada, a junior. The freshman catcher is the only junior-college player named to the list. Alex Fernandez, as a sophomore pitcher for Miami Dade Community College (now Miami Dade College) in 1990, stands as the only junior-college player to ever win the Golden Spikes Award.

LSU leads all schools with four players named to the Watch List. Texas is second with three, and Alabama, Arkansas, Cal State Fullerton, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Georgia Tech, University of Miami, Rice and Virginia have two apiece.

The SEC tops all conferences with 15 Watch List players. Other leading conferences include the ACC with 10 athletes, the Big 12 with five, and the Big West and Conference USA with three each. Juniors dominate the list with 35 players named. Sophomores are next with nine players, there are five seniors, and Harper is the lone freshman.

On Tuesday, June 1, USA Baseball officials will cut the list of players to 30 names. The final list of 30 will then be sent to a voting body consisting of select professional baseball personnel, past USA Baseball National Team coaches, select members of the media, former USA Baseball sports information directors, and current USA Baseball staff — about 150 voters in total.

All voters will be asked to choose five players from the list of 30 names. Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2010. June 1 will also mark the day when college baseball fans from across the country will be able to vote for their favorite player for the Golden Spikes Award on goldenspikesaward.com. On Tuesday, June 8, USA Baseball will announce the five finalists, and voting for a winner will commence that same day.

The 2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award will be presented nationally July 13 on an award show via live telecast from Anaheim on goldenspikesaward.com, USABaseball.com and MLB.com in conjunction with All-Star FanFest.

Past winners of the Golden Spikes Award include Terry Francona (1980), Will Clark (1985), Robin Ventura (1988), Jason Varitek (1994), J.D. Drew (1997), Mark Prior (2001), Jered Weaver (2004), Tim Lincecum (2006), David Price (2007), Buster Posey (2008) and last year’s winner, Stephen Strasburg.

2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Important Dates

Thursday, Feb. 18 – 50-player Watch List released, shaped by USA Baseball officials, advisors and college SIDs
Tuesday, June 1 – 30 semifinalists announced, selected by USA Baseball officials; semifinalist voting begins; voters select five
Friday, June 4 – Deadline to vote for finalists, 5:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday, June 8 – Five finalists announced; finalist voting begins; voters to select one
Friday, June 18 – Deadline to vote for winner, 5:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday, July 13 – Golden Spikes Award presentation live at All-Star FanFest in Anaheim

Complete 2010 preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List:

Name, School, Position, Class (in order of name)

Chad Bettis, Texas Tech, RHP, Junior
Daniel Bibona, UC Irvine, LHP, Senior
Bryce Brentz, Middle Tennessee, OF/RHP, Junior
Michael Choice, Texas-Arlington, OF, Junior
Gerrit Cole, UCLA, RHP, Sophomore
Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton, SS, Junior
Zack Cox, 3B/RHP, Arkansas, Sophomore
Todd Cunningham, OF, Junior
Blake Dean, LSU, Jacksonville State, 1B/OF, Senior
Sam Dyson, South Carolina, RHP, Junior
Brett Eibner, Arkansas, RHP/OF, Junior
Micah Gibbs, LSU, C, Junior
Sean Gilmartin, Florida State, LHP, Sophomore
Yasmani Grandal, University of Miami, C, Junior
Sonny Gray, Vanderbilt, RHP, Sophomore
Justin Grimm, Georgia, RHP, Junior
Jedd Gyorko, West Virginia, 2B/3B, Junior
Rick Hague, Rice, SS, Junior
Bryce Harper, College of Southern Nevada, C/3B/OF, Freshman
Cody Hawn, Tennessee, 1B, Junior
Chris Hernandez, University of Miami, LHP, Junior
Tyler Holt, Florida State, OF, Junior
Danny Hultzen, Virginia, LHP/1B, Sophomore
Kevin Jacob, Georgia Tech, RHP, Junior
Taylor Jungmann, Texas, RHP, Sophomore
Leon Landry, LSU, OF, Junior
Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech, RHP, Junior
Hunter Morris, Auburn, 1B/OF, Junior
Jarrett Parker, Virginia, OF, Junior
Drew Pomeranz, Mississippi, LHP, Junior
Anthony Ranaudo, LSU, RHP, Junior
Addison Reed, San Diego State, RHP, Junior
Anthony Rendon, Rice, 3B, Sophomore
Daniel Renken, Cal State Fullerton, RHP, Junior
Kyle Roller, East Carolina, 1B, Senior
Cameron Rupp, C, Junior, Texas
Chris Sale, Florida Gulf Coast, LHP, Junior
Jake Smith, Alabama, 3B/RHP, Senior
Josh Spence, Arizona State, LHP, Senior
Tony Thompson, Kansas, 3B, Junior
Preston Tucker, Florida, 1B, Sophomore
Kolbrin Vitek, Ball State, 3B/RHP, Junior
Austin Wates, Virginia Tech, OF, Junior
Cody Wheeler, Coastal Carolina, LHP, Junior
Ross Wilson, Alabama, 2B/SS, Junior
Alex Wimmers, Ohio State, RHP, Junior
Mickey Wiswall, Boston College, 3B/1B, Junior
Kolten Wong, Hawaii, 2B, Sophomore
Scott Woodward, Coastal Carolina, 3B, Junior
Brandon Workman, Texas, RHP, Junior

Some Big Match-Ups Highlight The Start Of 2010 Campaign

(CLICK HERE to see any of the 301 Division I college baseball schedules.)

Virginia at East Carolina

(3-game series)

Bam!  Right off the bat a prime time match-up.  Q: How did East Carolina end its 2009 season?  A:  With a Super Regional loss to ACC power North Carolina, which earned a fourth straight CWS berth.  Q:  Where did Virginia end its 2009 season?  A:  Omaha after a trip to the program’s first ever College World Series appearance.

With a young squad last year Brian O’Connor eased into the start of the season by winning its first 19 games against the likes of Bucknell, Fordham, and Canisius.  That’s not the case this year though.  The Cavaliers go to Greenville, NC at

Danny Hultzen

Clark-LeClair Stadium, where East Carolina beat South Carolina in last year’s NCAA Regional, in what is likely to be Super Regional-like atmosphere in week one.

Danny Hultzen, meet Kyle Roller.  Brad Mincey, this is Jarrett Parker.  If you can’t get excited about this one you probably liked the movie “Valentine’s Day” (my wife drug me there and she didn’t like it either).

New Mexico at Texas

(3-game series)

This is a classic match-up of hitting vs. pitching.  New Mexico led the nation last year with its .363 team batting average while Texas had the second-best ERA in the land at 2.95.  The Lobos haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1962, but the Longhorns have been to the College World Series 26 times with four National Championships in the time since then.

Taylor Jungmann

On the flip side, New Mexico had a 5.26 ERA while Texas sported just a .288 team batting average last year.  Augie Garrido’s Longhorns thrived on “small ball” last year with 104 sacrifice bunts compared to 54 home runs.  New Mexico only hit 51 long balls, but they led the nation by legging-out 47 triples.

Texas returns the bulk of its pitching staff, including Taylor Jungmann (11-3, 2.00 ERA) and Chance Ruffin (10-2, 3.32 ERA),  and is the consensus #1 team in the nation entering the season.  Catcher Rafael Neda (.415, 1.133 OPS) and Ryan Honeycutt (.406, 6 HR, 53 RBIs) lead the Lobo offense.

UNM head coach Ray Birmingham knows he’s putting his team’s feet to the fire with this series and other road trips to Arkansas and Arizona this season, but he hopes the tough tests pay off by season’s end.

Rice at Stanford

(3-game series)

Talk about tradition.  This is a College World Series match-up in February between two teams that traditionally thrive on pitching.  Stanford has been to Omaha 16 times, including five times in the last decade.  Rice has seven CWS appearances of its own, and they have all been since 1997.

Stanford missed the NCAA Tournament last year after joining Rice in Omaha in 2008, and they had trouble scoring

Anthony Rendon

runs last year.  The Cardinal ranked seventh in the Pac 10 with 341 runs scored.  Their .416 slugging percentage was also seventh in the league, while they were sixth with a .360 on-base percentage.  That didn’t combine well with a 5.12 ERA that ranked seventh as well.

Rice is led by 2009 National Freshman of the Year Anthony Rendon (.388, 20 HR, 72 RBIs) at the plate and Mike Ojala (5-0, 2.17 ERA) on the mound.  Rendon is one of eight returning starters from last year’s Super Regional team.  Sophomore LHP Brett Mooneyham (6-3, 4.14 ERA) gets the Friday start for Stanford.  Cardinal shortstop Jake Schlander is the reigning Pac 10 Defensive Player of the Year.  OF Kellen Kilsgaard (.313, 9 HR, 46 RBIs) is Stanford’s top overall returning offensive player.

This is just the third meeting between Wayne Graham and Mark Marquess’ teams.  The Cardinal swept a series at Sunken Diamond in 1991, while Rice won two out of three games at the 2003 College World Series.

Rhode Island at Mississippi State

(3-game series)

Rhode Island was the team that was perceived as the biggest snub last year after the NCAA Tournament bids were announced.  Jim Foster’s Rams won 37 games in 2009, but won neither the Atlantic 10’s regular season nor tournament titles.  Oliver Palmer (.342, 11 HR, 44 RBIs) and Mike LeBel (.323, 7 HR, 41 RBIs, 17 SB) lead the URI offense.  The pitching staff must replace its top two starters and its closer from last year’s squad.

Mississippi State has missed the last two NCAA Tournaments after going to the 2007 College World Series.  The Bulldogs have finished a combined 14 games under .500 with back-to-back 9-win seasons in SEC play in John Cohen’s first two years as the MSU head coach.  Connor Powers (.301, 19 HR, 63 RBIs) and Ryan Duffy (.339, 10 HR, 33 RBIs) head a group of solid returning players in the line-up.

George Horton

Oregon at Cal State Fullerton

This is just a one-game match-up to open the season on Friday.   Both teams aslo play Pepperdine and Long Beach State over the weekend.  The season-opener is a homecoming for Oregon head coach George Horton, who graduated from Fullerton in 1978 and later coached the Titans for 11 seasons.  Horton played on Fullerton’s first College World Series team in 1975 and later coaches the Titans to six CWS berths, including the 2004 National Championship.  He is one of just nine men to appear in Omaha as a player and head coach.  He left his alma mater after the 2007 College World Series when he was hired to revive a program at Oregon that had been

Dave Serrano

defunct since 1981.

Current Titan head coach Dave Serrano was an assistant under Horton at Cal State Fullerton from 1997 to 2004.  He coached UC Irvine to the 2007 CWS, and prevailed against Horton and the Titans in a 5-4 13 inning game that’s the longest game (in time) in CWS history.  Horton has a 7-6 head to head advantage when the two have met as head coach.

Horton, known as “The Commissioner” at Fullerton, ranks 19th among active head coaches with a .665 career winning percentage, while Serrano ranks 25th at .660.

Ten Questions On The Eve Of The College Baseball Season

A new college baseball season is about to begin.  It’s a season that is started a week earlier than it was originally slated to begin, and one school (James Madison) has already canceled its season opener, because (spoiler) it snows in roughly two-thirds of the country in mid-February.

Anyway, from time to time different thoughts pop into my head and I have managed to corral a few of them here.  So, here are Ten College Baseball Questions For 2010… (in no particular order)…

1.  Can LSU Repeat? The odds say it’s not going to happen.  Oregon State (2006-2007), LSU (1996-1997) and Stanford (1987-1988) are the only teams to win back-to-back crowns since Rod Dedeaux’s USC Trojans ended a streak of five straight titles from 1970-1974.  Paul Mainieri’s Tigers have a lot of key elements returning, like Blake Dean’s bat and Anthony Ranaudo & Matty Ott’s arms, but the odds just aren’t in their favor.  On the other hand…

Russell Moldenhauer (Texas Photo)

2.  Can Texas Be Stopped? The odds (along with a sick pitching staff and a lot of returning everyday players) would seem to be in Augie Garrido’s favor.  The Longhorns return three starters, Taylor Jungmann, Cole Green and Chance Ruffin who could all be just about anyone’s number one starter.  The trio combined to win 26 games last year.  Cameron Rupp, Kevin Keyes and Omaha long ball ace Russell Moldenhauer are also back to lead the offense.  With all that back the biggest question right now seem to be can they stay number one from now until season’s end?

3.  Would An LSU vs. Texas Championship Re-Match Be Good For College Baseball? It would be good for TV ratings, but I don’t know that it would actually be good for the game as a whole.  Does anyone who’s not a Yankees fan think that the cash cow’s 27th title is good for any other MLB team other than the one in the Bronx with the new stadium and overpriced (and often empty) seats?  Texas and LSU at the College World Series is good for college baseball, because it gets casual fans a little more interested.  But when it comes time for all the marbles David vs. Goliath  is just more fun.

4.  Speaking Of David…Who Will Be This Year’s Cinderella? Fresno State was the ultimate Cinderella two years ago, but Mike Batesole’s great-great-great grand children will be playing before we see that kind of run again.  But that doesn’t mean there won’t be more Cinderellas.  They’re quite common when it comes to the CWS.  Fresno State, Southern Mississippi, Louisville, Southwest Missouri State, Notre Dame, and San Jose State all made it to Omaha in the last decade in what was either their first appearance or their first trip after a long CWS drought.  The odds say there’ll be a Cinderella, but the waiting is the hardest (and most fun) part.

Bryce Brentz (MTSU photo)

5.  Will Bryce Brentz Win the NCAA’s Triple Crown? The Middle Tennessee State slugger just about did it last year.  He led the nation with his .465 batting average, and he tied Alabama’s Kent Matthes for the home run title with 28.  Brentz also topped the charts with his .930 slugging percentage, but he missed the Triple Crown with “just” 73 RBIs.  That technically tied for 31st nationally, but Brentz was just 14 RBIs behind NCAA leader Paul Goldschmidt of Texas State.  Logical thinking would say Brentz, now a junior, doesn’t have a chance, but logic never pitched to Brentz.

6.  Can Arizona State Overcome The Loss Of Pat Murphy? Love him or hate him, it’s hard to argue with the success that Murphy had in his 15 years in the ASU dugout.   But it’s not like ASU had never won prior to Murph’s arrival.  He led his team to Omaha four times, but the program has 21 CWS appearances since 1964 thanks to Bob Winkles and Jim Brock.  Now it’s Tim Esmay’s turn to guide the cruise ship Sun Devil.  Esmay, a former Utah head coach, himself played for Brock in Omaha twice, and he was also on Murphy’s staff for the last five seasons.  He also has a lot of experience sitting with him in the dugout.  Ken Knutson is in his first year as an assistant on the ASU staff after 17 seasons as the Washington Huskies’ head coach.  ASU’s line-up is loaded again, and there’s plenty of pitching too.  For now anyway the good ship ASU doesn’t show any signs of running aground.

Jarrett Parker (UVA photo)

7.  Is Virginia The Next National Power Or A One-Hit Wonder? The Cavaliers can hardly be considered a Cinderella.  Yes, last year was their first-ever College World Series trip, but they are from the ACC and they won their conference tournament last year.  Glass slippers aside, it would be easy to write-off UVA as a team that got hot and made a big run.  However, last year’s CWS squad included 23 underclassmen and set 11 school records…and the most prominent components-like Danny Hultzen, Jarrett Parker and Kevin Arico to name a few-are all back this year.  Who saw North Carolina coming prior four years ago?  Mike Fox’s Tar Heels hadn’t been to Omaha since 1989 prior to 2006 & now they’ve gone four straight times.  Cavalier head coach Brian O’Connor has now guided the Cavs to six straight NCAA berths, and he has been a guy whose destiny has always seemed to be Omaha.  He grew-up in the shadow of Rosenblatt Stadium in Council Bluffs, NE, pitched in the ’91 CWS for Creighton, helped Notre Dame get to Omaha in 2002 as the Irish pitching coach, and finally took his own team to the promised land last year…not to mention the fact that his mug is one of the players on the famed “Road To Omaha” statue outside Rosenblatt.  So, if you’re asked what lies in the shadow of the statue the safe answer might be “O’Connor’s Cavaliers”.

8.  Is A Northern Team Ready To Make A Real National Statement? Michigan and Notre Dame flirted with it last decade.  St. John’s has had its moments, and Ohio State and Minnesota have each had some success, but it all comes down to pitching.  Or more specifically, pitching depth.  The biggest difference in teams in the good southern teams and the good northern teams is pitching depth.  There are guys coming out of the bullpen in the ACC and SEC who could be starters on most Big Ten and Big East teams.  Just look at last year’s save numbers in those conferences:  157 in the SEC & 160 saves in the ACC compared to 110 and 121 in the Big Ten and Big East, respectively.  But save totals don’t even tell half the story.

When it comes to playing in an NCAA Regional winning the first game is important, but for a northern team winning the first two games of a regional is critical.  The team that starts 2-0 at a regional is at least one starting pitcher ahead of each opponent it plays the rest of the weekend.  Look at Minnesota last year:  They lost their regional opener to Baylor, then out-slugged Southern 11-8 and Baylor 15-12 atfter that before falling 10-3 to LSU.  They played respectably, but they gave-up 10 runs a game over their last three contests, while LSU gave-up 3 runs with its third starter on the mound.   Ohio State lost 24-8 to Georgia to its regional opener last year, then won 6-4 and 13-6 in elimination games before getting trounced 37-6 by Florida State in game four (game 3 for FSU).  OSU’s starting pitcher gave-up 7 runs without getting an out in that game.  But what about Michigan in 2007?  The Wolverines won the first two games of their regional, lost game three, but then beat Vanderbilt in the deciding game four to advance to a Super Regional.  In 2002 Notre Dame used just five pitchers while going 3-0 at their Regional en-route to being the only northern team to advance to Omaha since the ’80s.  The Irish also used just two pitchers in their two Super Regional wins over Florida State the following week.   It’s no coincidence that in recent years only teams from the south have come back  to win a Regional after losing one of their first two games.

ECU's Kyle Roller (ECU photo)

9.  Is Conference USA The Most Underrated Baseball Conference In The Country? Quick question…what three conferences have sent at least one team to the College World Series in each of the last five seasons?  If you said the SEC, Pac 10 and Conference USA you get the gold star for the day (but remember to raise your hand before blurting out the answer next time).  Rice, Tulane and last year’s darling Southern Mississippi have all gone to Omaha in that stretch.  Terry Rooney left LSU after a trip to the 2008 CWS in part because C-USA had earned a reputation as a three bid league.  But Conference USA didn’t just get three bids last year.  Rice, Southern Miss. and East Carolina all advanced to Super Regionals, and ECU and USM did it by beating South Carolina and Georgia Tech, respectively, in Regional action.  USM then beat Florida on the road to advance to Omaha, Rice lost to eventual National Champ LSU in its Regional while ECU fell to a North Carolina team that made a fourth straight CWS appearance.  C-USA has arrived, and based on the talent the aforementioned ’09 Super Regional teams have back, the conference doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

10.  Will The Season Just Start Already? Really, aren’t you tired of waiting?  Oops, that’s another question, we don’t have room for eleven.  Is it here yet?  That’s another questions too…

Virginia Looks To Keep Rolling After CWS Season

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

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

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

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

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

2010 ACC Coastal Division Preview

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

Duke

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

Nickname: Blue Devils

Head Coach: Sean McNally

Location: Durham, NC

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

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

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

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

Georgia Tech

Deck McGuire (GT photo)

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

Nickname: Yellow Jackets

Head Coach: Danny Hall

Location: Atlanta, GA

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

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

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

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

Miami

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

Nickname: Hurricanes

Head Coach: Jim Morris

Location: Coral Gables, FL

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

Yasmani Grandal (Miami photo)

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

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

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

North Carolina

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

Nickname: Tar Heels

Head Coach: Mike Fox

Location: Chapel Hill, NC

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

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

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

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

Danny Hultzen (UVA photo)

Virginia

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

Nickname: Cavaliers

Head Coach: Brian O’Connor

Location: Charlottesville, VA

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

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

Jarrett Parker (UVA photo)

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

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

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

Virginia Tech

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

Nickname: Hokies

Head Coach: Pete Hughes

Location: Blacksburg, VA

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

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

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

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

2010 ACC Coastal Predictions

ACC Coastal Winner: Virginia just beats out Georgia Tech

Top ACC Coastal Player: Jarrett Parker—Virginia

Top ACC Coastal Pitcher: Deck McGuire—Georgia Tech

2010 ACC Predictions:

ACC Winner: Florida State does it again

Top ACC Player: Tyler Holt—Florida State

Top ACC Pitcher: Deck McGuire—Georgia Tech

By Collegebaseball360.com contributor Shawn Lewallen

League Coaches Pick Virginia To Repeat As Champion

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Virginia, which made its first ever College World Series appearance last June, has been picked as the 2010 preseason favorite in a vote of the league’s 12 head baseball coaches.

The Cavaliers, who return a strong cast that includes All-America outfielder Jarrett Parker, 2009 ACC Freshman of the Year Danny Hultzen and 2009 ACC Championship MVP Dan Grovatt, were projected as the ACC’s 2010 champion on eight head coaches’ ballots. Three coaches chose Florida State, and North Carolina received one vote.

Eleven of the league’s head coaches picked Virginia as the favorite to win the Coastal Division, with defending division champion North Carolina receiving one vote. Florida State was a favored to claim a fourth straight Atlantic Division championship on 10 ballots, while two coaches favored Clemson.

Georgia Tech placed second in the overall Coastal Division preseason coaches’ voting, followed by North Carolina, Miami, Virginia Tech and Duke.

Clemson was picked to finish second in the Atlantic Division, followed by Boston College, NC State, Wake Forest and Maryland.

Teams were awarded six points for each first-place vote, five points for each second-place vote, etc.

Virginia, which won a school-record 49 games in 2009, was joined in the College World Series by North Carolina, which made its ACC-record fourth straight trip to Omaha. Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Miami also made the 2009 NCAA field, with Clemson and Florida State joining North Carolina and Virginia in the final 16.

ACC teams open their 2010 seasons Feb. 19 and conclude regular-season play May 22. The 2010 ACC Baseball Championship will be held May 26-30 at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, N.C.

Complete results of the 2010 ACC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll are listed below. First-place votes are in parenthesis:

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Team                                                   Points              2009 Record

Florida State (10)                                  70                    45-18. 19-9 ACC

Clemson (2)                                         62                    44-22, 19-11 ACC

Boston College                                     42                    34-26, 13-15 ACC

NC State                                               38                    25-31, 10-20 ACC

Wake Forest                                         21                    22-30, 6-24 ACC

Maryland                                              19                    27-27, 10-20 ACC

COASTAL DIVISION

Team                                                   Points              2009 Record

Virginia (11)                                         71                    49-15-1, 16-11-1 ACC

Georgia Tech                                        57                    38-19-1. 17-10-1 ACC

North Carolina (1)                                 44                    48-18, 19-10 ACC

Miami                                                   42                    38-22, 18-12 ACC

Virginia Tech                                        20                    32-21, 12-17 ACC

Duke                                                    18                    35-24, 15-15 ACC

Overall champion: Virginia (8)

Others receiving votes: Florida State (3), North Carolina (1)

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association  has announced its 2010 Preseason All-America Team.  The first team looks like this:

Click Here To See The Complete NCBWA Release (PDF)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia associate head coach Kevin McMullan has earned the 2009 ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year Award, the ABCA and Baseball America have announced. McMullan helped Virginia win an ACC Championship and reach the College World Series last season.McMullan will be presented his award at an honors luncheon at the national coaches’ convention in Dallas on Jan. 9, 2010.

“Thank you to the ABCA and Baseball America for choosing me as the recipient of the 2009 National Assistant Coach of the Year,” McMullan said. “I believe any time individual awards come a person’s way, it is more about the program they are

McMullan

involved with than about the individual person. This award is about the players and coaches in our program more so than about me. I am very thankful to the players and coaches who have played and coached at The University of Virginia for the sacrifices they have made to make our program amongst the best in college baseball.”

McMullan is starting his seventh season at Virginia and has been a member of head coach Brian O’Connor’s staff since O’Connor was hired prior to the 2004 season. McMullan serves as Virginia’s recruiting coordinator and hitting coach and works defensively with the Cavaliers’ infielders and catchers.

“Kevin is very deserving of this award because of his ability as a recruiter and evaluator of talent, combined with his ability to develop position players at the college level,” O’Connor said. “As our recruiting coordinator, Kevin has continued to bring in outstanding players who are the right fit for The University of Virginia.

“One of the most important reasons for our continued success at UVA has been the loyalty and commitment of our assistant coaches. Kevin has been 100 percent dedicated to the players in our program for the last six years. His everyday interaction with our players and assistance in their development is what separates Kevin from other coaches. He is completely committed to helping our players reach their potential.”

UVA Head Coach Brian O'Connor

The Cavaliers went 49-15-1 last season and played in the College World Series for the first time in program history. As a team, Virginia hit .327 and had a .972 fielding percentage last season – each total ranks as the third-best mark in UVa history.

The Cavaliers exploded offensively in 2009, leading the ACC in batting (.327) and setting six offensive team records, including hits (767), runs (507), doubles (138), triples (28), RBI (486) and at bats (2343). UVa had a school-record five players earn first-team All-ACC honors, while utility Danny Hultzen and outfielder Jarrett Parker each gleaned All-America laurels. Hultzen also was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, while Parker set the Virginia single-season records in runs (75), hits (94) and total bases (176) and tied the record for triples (7).

In his six years at Virginia, McMullan has helped guide Virginia to 265 wins – by far the most wins ever at Virginia over a six-year period and an average of 44 wins per season. Virginia also has earned six-consecutive NCAA tournament appearances as well as three No. 1 seeds. The NCAA appearances culminated in the Cavaliers’ first-ever appearance in the College World Series in 2009.

Thirteen of his Virginia position players have been selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, including Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals), Mark Reynolds (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Joe Koshansky (Colorado Rockies) – all of whom have already made their MLB debuts.

Zimmerman took just two months to jump to the major leagues and was selected as a National League All-Star in 2009, becoming the first former Cavalier to appear in the MLB All-Star Game. Reynolds and Koshansky each made their big league debuts in 2007.

McMullan has been instrumental in landing the most highly-touted recruiting classes to sign with Virginia. The 2004 class was ranked 12th nationally, while the 2005 class rated 10th, the 2006 group eighth, the 2007 class 13th, the 2008 group 14th and the 2009 class ninth.

Defensively, the Cavaliers have shined under McMullan. Five of the six teams have ranked among the nation’s top 40 in fielding percentage, with a program-record .975 mark (seventh nationally) in 2005.

(Press Release)

Gyorko

The West Virginia infielder hit .421 last season, and then he went to the Cape Cod League for the summer and continued to hit.  Gyorko was named a Cape Cod All-Star and All-Cape Cod player after batting .323 with five home runs for the Brewster Whitecaps. In this interview with Sean Stires he talks about which means more-being the 2008 Big East Rookie of the Year or being named All-Cape Cod, as well as what it’s like to hit .421 and not even be your team’s batting champion.

5’10 – 185 – Jr. – Morgantown, WV        Head Coach:  Greg Van Zant