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Some Big Match-Ups Highlight The Start Of 2010 Campaign

We’re almost there.  The 2010 college baseball season starts tomorrow.  Most of the nearly 300 teams that open their seasons Friday haven’t played together in a real game since last May.

Not every team is playing this weekend.  Maine is the only team from the America East Conference that has a series scheduled.  The Black Bears are in Beaumont, TX to face Lamar.  There are a lot of Northern teams that didn’t add a week to their schedules this year even though the NCAA decided to do so last summer after Feb. 26th was the originally scheduled starting point.  In fact, all eight Ivy League teams don’t get 2010 started until the weekend of March 5th, while none of the nine Northeast Conference teams will take the field this weekend either.

A majority of teams are playing this weekend though.  Here’s a look at some intriguing interconference games across the country.

(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.

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Can Xavier Keep Momentum From First Conference Title Going?

2009 Regular Season Champion: Dayton

2009 Tournament Champion: Xavier defeated Rhode Island 10-1 in the A10 Championship game to capture its first ever conference title.

No Mid-Major: The Atlantic 10 had a league record 16 players selected in June’s MLB draft.  Jr. RHP Ryan Smith led the way after being taken in the 2^nd round, 60^th overall, by the Arizona Diamondbacks.  At least 10 league schools had one player selected with Rhode Island having a program-record 4 players taken.

End of an Era: 2010 will be the final season for baseball at Duquense.  On Jan. 25th the school’s administration announced plans to cut men’s varsity sports in baseball, swimming, golf, and wrestling in an effort to save money and restructure its athletic programs.

Charlotte

2009 Season: (33-22, 16-11)

Nickname: 49ers

Head Coach: Loren Hibbs

Location: Charlotte, NC

Vitals: .322 BA, 63 HR, .414 OBP, .959 Fld. %…4.61 ERA, 10 SVs, 348 K, 169 BB, .277 Opp. BA

Ryan Rivers (A-10 photo)

On the Rebound: Charlotte missed the NCAA tournament in 2009 after qualifying the previous two seasons, and now will try to get back despite losing three of its top five hitters, including 1^st team All-Conference 1B Rob Lyerly (.401, 12 HR, 49 RBI) and Houston Astros draft pick 3B Aaron Bray (.339, 36 RBI, 11 SB).

Still Strong: In spite of those losses, the Niners do return three 2^nd team All-A10 selections in Sr. C Zane Williams (.329, 9 HR, 41 RBI), Jr. DH Ryan Rivers (.313, 18 HR, 65 RBI) and Jr. OF Justin Wilson (.364, 53 R, 19 SB).

Pitching Strength: Charlotte’s strength this season could be their pitching staff which returns 10 of 14 arms from 2009.  Back this year are 2^nd team All-A10 Jr. RHP Joe Yermal (8-3, 3.01, 1 CG), Sr. RHP Kelly McClain (6-2, 3.03, 5 SVs) and So. Tyler Pilkington (5-1, 4.38, 1 SV).

Dayton

2009 Season: (38-19, 21-6)

Nickname: Flyers

Head Coach: Tony Vittorio

Location: Dayton, OH

Vitals: .332 BA, 77 HR, .414 OBP, .958 Fld. %…5.52 ERA, 13 SVs, 370 K, 181 BB, .312 Opp. BA

Jimmy Roesinger

No Pressure: Dayton looks to win back-to-back regular season A10 championships after capturing their first ever title last season.  The Flyers won a program record 38 games and beat out Rhode Island by a game in the standings.  Atlantic 10 coaches picked Dayton to win the conference once again.

Talent Flying High: If UD wins the conference again, it will be because of the load of talent returning this season.  Jr. INF Jimmy Roesinger (.401, .575 Slg. %, 11 SB), Sr. INF Zach Jacob (.354, 79 H, 11 HR), and Sr. INF Cole Tyrell (.295, 12 HR, 60 RBI) are all back to lead the offense while A10 Rookie of the Year Cameron Hobson (7-1, 3.43 ERA, 2 SVs, 83 K) and Sr. RHP Eric Wagner (6-1, 3.99 ERA, 1 SV) head up the pitching staff.

Duquesne

2009 Season: (14-41, 7-19)

Nickname: Dukes

Head Coach: Mike Wilson

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Vitals: .280 BA, 46 HR, .373 OBP, .944 Fld. %…7.95 ERA, 6 SVs, 252 K, 235 BB, .331 Opp. BA

Fighting Until the End: With 2010 proving to be the final season of baseball at Duquesne, the Dukes will look to improve upon their league worst 14 wins from 2009.  To do that, they’ll need plenty of leadership from Freshman All-American Rick Devereaux (.323, 15 doubles, 45 RBI) and Jr. RHP Andrew Heck (2-3, 3.78 ERA, 1 CG).

Season of Lasts: Duquesne begins its last season February 19^th at South Carolina.  Their final home game is May 16^th against Temple and, in what will likely be their final game in school history, the Dukes finish on the road at Fordham May 22^nd.

Fordham

2009 Season: (22-32, 16-11)

Nickname: Rams

Head Coach: Nick Restaino

Location: Bronx, NY

Vitals: .281 BA, 34 HR, .364 OBP, .957 Fld. %…6.23 ERA, 10 SVs, 270 K, 307 BB, .296 Opp. BA

Looking for More: Fordham finished last season 10 games  below .500, but five games up in the conference, a tie for 4^th place.  This season, with 26 of 30 lettermen returning, Fordham could be poised to make a run at their first NCAA tournament since 1998.

Key Returners: Leading the way this season for the Rams is 5^th year Sr. LHP J.P. Mack (6-3, 5.01 ERA, 3 CG), and 5^th year Sr. INF Ryan McCrann (.318, 15 doubles, 23 RBI).

Schedule Notes: The Rams host two games in early March with games scheduled March 3^rd against Manhattan and March 10 with New York Tech.  They’ll likely find friendlier weather, but tougher opponents on the Spring Break trip down to Florida where they’ll meet Pittsburgh three times, and Miami, FL and Michigan twice.

George Washington

2009 Season: (22-33, 11-15)

Nickname: Colonials

Head Coach: Steve Mrowka

Location: Washington, DC

Vitals: .283 BA, 52 HR, .371 OBP, .958 Fld. %…6.03 ERA, 4 SVs, 404 K, 283 BB, .297 Opp. BA

Sean Rockey (GW photo)

Top Hitters Return: George Washington brings back their top two hitters from a season ago.   Sr. 2B Sean Rockey (.420, 81 H, 10 HR, 60 RBI) leads the way.  Rockey is a pre-season 3^rd team All-American, the only A10 player to be named to the team.  Also back is Sr. SS Tom Zebroski (.347, 8 HR, 17 SB).

Big Loss: GW must replace A10 pitcher of the Year Pat Lehman, who led the team with a 7-4 record with a 2.40 ERA and 6 complete games.  The Colonials will rely heavily on returners Jr. RHP Eric Cantrell (5-2, 4.46 ERA, 1 CG), and Sr. RHP Ryan LaPointe (4-3, 4.69, 2 SVs).

Big Start: The first four games this year for GW are on the road against College World Series participants.  They begin the season February 19^th in Chapel Hill against North Carolina, before hitting Charlottesville for a game with Virginia on the 24^th.

Sink Or Swim:  Sophomore pitcher Marshall Seedorf is also a member of the George Washington swimming team.  In 2008-2009 he was one of the top freshman sprinters in the A10.  CLICK HERE to listen to san exclusive podcast interview with Seedorf.

LaSalle

2009 Season: (19-30, 8-18)

Nickname: Explorers

Head Coach: Mike Lake

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Vitals: .286 BA, 30 HR, .364 OBP, .974 Fld. %…5.78 ERA, 8 SVs, 284 K, 210 BB, .304 Opp. BA

All-A10 Returners: LaSalle returns two all-conference selections from last year.  Team leading hitter Sr. OF John Malloy (.329, 19 doubles, 8 HR) was an honorable mention A10 member, while So. OF Tony Negrin (.374, 46 H, 7 SB), was named to the All-Rookie team making it four straight years a member of the LaSalle team earned that honor.

Road Warriors: The Explorers have just 23 home games this season, with road trips to NC State, Florida, and Old Dominion in the first three weeks.  The home slate is set to begin March 3^rd when LaSalle hosts rival Lafayette.

Massachusetts

2009 Season: (27-26, 16-11)

Nickname: Minutemen

Head Coach: Mike Stone

Location: Amherst, MA

Vitals: .309 BA, 60 HR, .387 OBP, .954 Fld. %…5.10 ERA, 10 SVs, 387 K, 198 BB, .281 Opp. BA

Mike Gedman (UMass photo)

Minuteman Offense: UMass featured 7 regulars who hit over .300 last year and see 5 return this year led by Sr. 1B Mike Gedman (.345, .580 Slg. %., 9 SB), 1^st team All-A10 performer Sr. OF Mike Donato (.336, 73 H, 40 RBI), and So. C Tom Conley (.312, .424 OBP).

Pitching Matters: In addition to being the team’s top hitter, Gedman was the team’s top closer as well going 1-4, with a 2.42 ERA, 5 SVs, and a .192 Opp. BA in 15 appearances.  Jr. LHP Charlie Benson (3-0, 3.19 ERA, SV), and Sr. RHP Bryan Leigh (4.07 ERA, 4 SVs) return as well.  UMass does face the task of losing top pitcher Mitchell Clegg (7-1, 4.15 ERA, 1 CG).

Better Late Then Never: UMass gets a later start than most everyone else with their first game not until March 12^th when they begin a 4 game series in Stillwater against Oklahoma State.

Rhode Island

2009 Season: (37-20-1, 19-6)

Nickname: Rams

Head Coach: Jim Foster

Location: Kingston, RI

Vitals: .305 BA, 54 HR, .376 OBP, .969 Fld. %…4.76 ERA, 15 SVs, 397 K, 188 BB, .269 Opp. BA

Oliver Palmer (URI photo)

Big Year: Rhode Island finished just one game behind Dayton for the A10 championship last year and return 7 of 8 regular starters to the lineup this season.  Back for the Rams is Sr. INF Oliver Palmer (.342, 21 doubles, 11 HR) and Jr. OF Jeff Cammans (.335, 69 H, 17 SB).

Key Pitchers: Sr. RHP Tim Boyce, Jr. RHP Ken Graveline, and Jr. LHP Chris Pickering all return this season to lead the staff.   The three combined for 18 wins and 133 K in 30 starts.

Early Tests: The Rams begin their season with 3 games against Mississippi State in Starkville before heading the Virginia for a three-game series with the Cavaliers.

Richmond

2009 Season: (22-25, 11-16)

Nickname: Spiders

Head Coach: Mark McQueen

Location: Richmond, VA

Vitals: .283 BA, 44 HR, .392 OBP, .957 Fld. %…6.33 ERA, 11 SVs, 361 K, 193 BB, .300 Opp. BA

Breakthrough Year?: Richmond improved by only 2 wins last year, but raised their winning percentage by almost 10 points from 2009, and return 7 of 8 position starters and 3 of 4 starting pitchers to this year’s team.

Offensive Leaders Back: The Spiders return their top 3 hitters with So. 2B Adam McConnell, a Ping! Baseball Freshman All-American (.355, 70 H, 31 SB), Sr. 3B Cameron Brown (.340, 11 HR, 39 RBI, and Jr. RF Mike Mergenthaler (.301, 6 HR, 41 RBI) back to lead the offensive attack this year.

St. Joseph’s

2009 Season: (16-30-1, 9-17)

Nickname: Hawks

Head Coach: Fritz Hamburg

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Vitals: .290 BA, 24 HR, .391 OBP, .956 Fld. %…6.25 ERA, 7 SVs, 265 K, 253 BB, .305 Opp. BA

Wanna Be Startin’ Something: St. Joe’s won just 9 A10 games in 2009, but the mark was still good enough for their best conference finish since 2003.  First-year coach Fritz Hamburg also led the team to their first conference series sweep in almost 7 years when the swept LaSalle in a 3-game series.

New Stars Emerge: Sr. 1B/OF Dewey Oriente led the team with a .403 BA, with 6 HR and 39 RBI on his way to Honorable Mention All-A10 honors.  Sr. INF David Valesente (.369, 15 doubles, 5 HR) and Sr. LHP Randy Mower (5-5, 4.80 ERA, 44 K) also aided the cause and all return this year.

Home Away from Home: The Hawks will call Campbell Field in Camden, NJ home this season as they await a new on campus facility.  The home schedule begins March 2^nd against Delaware sandwiched between road trips.  When they return home March 12^th, St. Joe’s will play 16 home games in a row through April 6^th.

Saint Louis

2009 Season: (30-25, 12-13)

Nickname: Billikens

Head Coach: Darin Hendrickson

Location: St. Louis, MO

Vitals: .286 BA, 46 HR, .391 OBP, .963 Fld. %…5.45 ERA, 8 SVs, 342 K, 182 BB, .312 Opp. BA

Zach Miller (SLU photo)

In Position: St. Louis’ 30 wins a year ago marked just the third time in school history the team won 30 or more games, and tied for second most wins in a season.  2009 was also just the fourth time since 1972 that the Billikens finished above .500.  In two years as head coach, Darin Hendrickson has improved the team’s win total from 16 to 24, and now 30.

Offense Back: St. Louis brings back 3 of their top 4 hitters with Sr. 1B Danny Brock (.336, 71 H, 15 doubles), Sr. C Ben Braaten (.335, 8 HR, 41 RBI) and So. INF Zach Miller (.324, 10 HR, 61 RBI), a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, leading the way.

Pitching Questions: The Billikens will need to rely on several newcomers on the mound this season.  Sr. RHP Bryant Cotton (5-4, 4.64 ERA, 52 K) is the only pitcher returning who started double-digit games last year.

St. Bonaventure

2009 Season: (24-25, 9-17)

Nickname: Bonnies

Head Coach: Larry Sudbrook

Location: St. Bonaventure, NY

Vitals: .284 BA, 24 HR, .374 OBP, .957 Fld. %…5.31 ERA, 7 SVs, 296 K, 216 BB, .288 Opp. BA

Offensive Struggles: St. Bonaventure had just 4 regulars hit over .300 last year, and only 2 of them return this season.  The two returnees are Jr. SS Jesse Bosnik (.321, 60 H, 26 SB) and So. OF Ryan Skellie (.331, 48 H, 31 RBI).  Skellie was named to the A10 All-Rookie team for his effort, becoming the first Bonnie ever named to the team.

Schedule Notes: The Bonnies begin the season February 27^th in Winter Haven, FL where they play 9 games in 10 days against 9 different opponents.  They then take the next 9 days off before opening the home schedule March 17^th with a doubleheader against Niagara.

Temple

2009 Season: (17-33, 11-15)

Nickname: Owls

Head Coach: Rob Valli

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Vitals: .321 BA, 43 HR, .378 OBP, .939 Fld. %…7.03 ERA, 12 SVs, 261 K, 238 BB, .328 Opp. BA

Find Some Bats: Temple returns just two of their top 9 hitters from last year.  Leading the charge this season is Sr. INF Tony Jusino (.363, 73 H, 19 doubles) and Jr. SS Rafael Cordero (.310 while playing in 23 games)  Also returning is So. INF Foster Dunagin who went 9-23, with 5 RBI in very limited action.

Mound Presence: The Owls finished 13^th out of 14 in the conference in terms of ERA, but bring back every pitcher who started a game last year except for one.  The still young, but experienced staff is led by Sr. RHP Ryan Thomas (4-3. 5.03 ERA, 3 SVs) and Sr. RHP Matt Blackburn (3-1, 4 SVs, 31 K).  They also return Sr. RHP Matt Mongiardini who threw only 4 innings last year before going down with a season-ending injury.  Mongiardini went 6-5 with a 3.59 ERA in 2008.

Frequent Fliers: Temple will rack up the air miles at the start of this season.  The first three weekends of the season have them traveling to Fort Myers, FL for three games against Florida Gulf Coast, Las Vegas for a series with UNLV, and then to Durham, NC to take on Duke.

Xavier

2009 Season: (39-21, 18-9)

Nickname: Musketeers

Head Coach: Scott Googins

Location: Cincinnati, OH

Vitals: .311 BA, 50 HR, .400 OBP, .971 Fld. %…5.71 ERA, 14 SVs, 446 K, 275 BB, .294 Opp. BA

Ben Thomas (Xavier photo)

Best Season Ever: Xavier captured their first ever Atlantic 10 tournament championship and made their first trip to the NCAA tournament in school history last year.  The 39 wins in 2009 were the most in a season ever, and school records were also set for runs, hits, doubles, and RBI.

Key Returners: The top 3 hitters return led by Sr. INF Zac Richard (.350, 8 doubles, 22 RBI), Jr. INF Ben Thomas (.338, 16 HR, 66 RBI) and Sr. OF Bobby Freking (.335, 58 H, 35 RBI).  The Musketeers also get a boost with Jr. OF John McCambridge back who rapped out 60 hits a stole 42 bases.  The pitching staff is bolstered with the return of Jr. RHP Brian Muransky (7-2, 5.05 ERA).

Tough Tests: Xavier’s non-conference schedule is loaded with challenges, beginning with a opening weekend trip to Knoxville to face Tennessee.  The also travel to Georgia Tech, Duke, Wake Forest, Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio State.

2010 Atlantic 10 Predictions

Atlantic 10 Champion: Charlotte, with Dayton and Xavier contending

Player of the Year: Sean Rockey—George Washington

Pitcher of the Year: Cameron Hobson–Dayton

(By Collegebaseball360.com contributor Shawn Lewallen)

Rhode Island Beats Miami And Oklahoma State

Rhode Island head coach Jim Foster

North Carolina State in Raleigh, NC, but its biggest statements came in games on the home fields of two highly ranked teams in 2009.

Rhody was just 4-2 heading into its March 3 match-up vs. the Miami Hurricanes in Coral Gables, but 67 degree weather proved agreeable to the New England club.  The Rams downed the Hurricanes 3-0 thanks to 8 shutout innings from Eric Smith, who scattered three singles vs. the 8th ranked team in the nation.  Luke Demko pitched a perfect 9th inning for his first save of the season.

Rob Deveney, Zoey Angulo (a Miami native) and Mike LeBel each had an RBI in what is probably the biggest win in the history of the URI program.  Miami was

Eric Smith is the first URI player to ever be taken in an MLB draft.

ranked in five national polls, including 8th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. They were also coming of the program’s 23rd appearance in the College World Series.

“This is just an unbelievable win for us,” Foster would say after the game. “To come out and shut down a team that was ranked No. 1 in the country last year says a lot about our guys. They have been playing so well. I couldn’t be happier right now.”

Smith’s first win of the season earned him national recognition after making Rhode Island the first unranked team to blank Miami on its home field since 2000.

The Rams closed their Florida trip with wins over Fairfield and #25 Ohio State and then headed to Oklahoma.

On March 15 Smith and URI held their ground, but lost 4-3 to 4th ranked Cal State Fullerton in Stillwater and then played host Oklahoma State that same day.

Angulo’s 5th inning two-run home run gave the Rams the boost they needed in a 5-4 win over the 11th ranked Cowboys.  The homer put URI up 5-1 at the time, and then they held on after OSU added two runs in the 6th and another in the 9th inning.  Demko again finished it to earn his 3rd save.

The wins gave Rhode Island plenty of national attention, but ultimately they were not enough to land a spot in the NCAA Tournament.  The Rams finished with a 37-20 overall record with a 19-6 mark and 2nd place finish in the Atlantic 10.  Dayton won the conference regular season crown, while Xavier earned the A-10’s automatic NCAA berth by winning the conference tournament.

Dan Rhault was named the A-10 Player of the Year after leading the Rams with a .393 average and 57 RBIs.  Smith finished the season with a 5-2 record and 3.38 ERA.  He became the highest URI player ever taken in the MLB draft when he went 60th overall to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Other Top Moments Of 2009

18.  Kansas State’s A.J. Morris beats Arizona State’s Mike Leake

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

20.  Illinois Shocks #1 LSU In Baton Rouge

21.  Alabama’s Kent Matthes Launches Longballs

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

23.  LSU Opens The New Alex Box Stadium

24.  Oregon Brings Back Baseball

Four Things I’m Thinking About Right Now

1.  College football’s Doak Walker and Biletnikoff Awards could both go to guys who also play college baseball.  If you have followed our Two Sport Reports so far this season you know that Stanford’s Toby Gerhart and Notre Dame’s Golden Tate are among college baseball players who have excelled on the gridiron this fall.

Gerhart’s 1,395 rushing yards are currently the third most in the nation, while Tate is fourth in the land with  1,172 receiving yards.  Tate has scored a total of 14 touchdowns (11 receiving, 2 rushing & 1 punt return), while Gerhart has rumbled across the goal line 19 times.  Tate needs just 78 more receiving yards to break current Chicago Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija’s Notre Dame single season receiving school record.

Gerhart batted .288 with 7 home runs and 36 RBIs for the Cardinal in 2009.  Tate hit .329 with 13 stolen bases and scored 45 runs at the top of the Irish line-up last season.

Both were also just named Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalists.  The duo goes head to head when Notre Dame visits Stanford on Nov. 28th in the regular season finale for both teams.

2.  I talked a little about schedules last week, and I mentioned how Virginia’s first two weeks of 2010 will be challenging with three games each vs. East Carolina and Rhode Island.  Well how about Rhode Island’s 2010 slate?  Rhody opens the season with three games in Starkville, MS vs. Mississippi State and then heads to Charlottesville, VA for those three games against the Cavaliers the following weekend.

There’s a double edged sword for a northern team scheduling two such trips.  The Pros:  You’ll get guarantees for making the trips (needed revenue for teams that don’t get DI college football windfall), you’ll bump your strength of schedule and RPIs, you give your players exposure to great college baseball environments, and you have the chance to compete against and beat good competition.  The Con:  You need to win at least two games in a three-game series to get credit when it comes down to NCAA Tournament selection time.

I’ve talked to an NCAA selection committee member about this before.  Winning just one of three games is essentially the same as losing all three games when it comes to selection.  Teams from the north are better off scheduling just two games against an ACC or SEC team and hope for a split, but most teams from the south have no interest in that.

Jim Foster’s URI team won 37 games in 2009.  They played single games against the likes of Miami, Oklahoma State, Ohio State and Boston College (all tourney teams), but they missed the NCAA Tournament.  They still have a handful of “TBA” games in Winter Haven, FL to be added to the 2010 slate.  We’ll see how things shake out…

3.  I talked last week about guys flying below the radar in high school and then blossoming in college. There’s no better example than Middle Tennessee State’s Bryce Brentz.  The 2009 Team USA outfielder who grew up in Knoxville is wearing blue instead of orange in college, and he’s wearing it well.  As a sophomore last season Brentz led the nation with his .465 average, 28 home runs and .930 slugging percentage.  Not bad for a guy who says he never thought much about playing for Tennessee because he was a “late bloomer”.   MTSU has also won 71 games with a 2009 NCAA Regional appearance in Brentz’s first two years in Murfreesboro.

4.  There’s been a lot of recent talk about revamping instant replay in Major League Baseball.  Most of the talk, centered around umpiring mistakes that were made during the playoffs.   People like Bob Costas are in favor of expanding replay during the playoffs, but not necessarily during the regular season.  The reasoning is there are more cameras in use and the games mean more, so why not take advantage of the extra technology and make sure you get the calls right.  Would you want that rationale applied to the College World Series?  Those games are arguably the most important games of the college season, and they’re all televised by ESPN.  Who’s to say they are really the most important games though?  One could argue though that game three of a Super Regional is just as important as any game in Omaha, because you have to win there just to get to the promised land.  While all Super Regional games are now televised there are not as many cameras in use there, and the angles are different, because the college stadiums are smaller than Rosenblatt Stadium.

Getting the calls right is the most important thing, but sometimes hairs are split by technology.  Case in point:  the Chicago Bulls vs. Denver Nuggets game last week.  A last second shot initially looked like the Bulls won the game.  However after ten minutes of replay review the shot was waved off and the Nuggets won.  If it takes ten minutes to make the decision shouldn’t the initial ruling just stand?

College football has instant replay, but that system is far from perfect.  Who hasn’t watched a college football game and scratched their heads at calls made on the field that are overturned even when video replays don’t indisputably support the decision to overturn them.  Too often judgment in the replay booth replaces judgments made on the field, and that’s not how replay is supposed to be used.

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Rhode Island turned in a school-record 37 wins in 2009

URI Head coach Jim Foster (left) and Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn (right)

This past season was one for the ages as the Rams amassed a school-record 37 victories, including wins over No. 8 Miami, No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Ohio State. In defeating the eighth-ranked Hurricanes, URI became the first unranked team to hold Miami scoreless since 2001. The Rams also became the first team to shut down the Hurricanes on their home field since 2004.

Rhody kept the momentum rolling in league play, finishing second overall in the Atlantic 10 and advancing to the Conference’s championship game by way of downing top-seeded Dayton by seven runs.

With just two seniors on the team, URI put together what, arguably, is best season in Rhode Island baseball history. The Rams saw seven players collect All-Conference honors, including A-10 Player of the Year Dan Rhault. Four Rams earned NEIBA All-New England honors while Nick Greenwood was an ABCA Northeast Region selection and the A-10’s first-ever recipient of a Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Rhode Island also had a program-best four players taken in the 2009 MLB Draft, including URI’s highest-ever draft pick Eric Smith – who went 60th overall to Arizona.

Additionally, Foster was selected as the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association’s Division I Coach of the Year.

The Bosox Club, established in 1967, was formed to promote baseball at all levels and to assist the Boston Red Sox in community and charitable endeavors. With over 900+ die-hard Red Sox fans from all over New England (and beyond), the BoSox Club represents the largest officially sponsored baseball booster club in the world.

Traditionally, the BoSox Club has raised funds both inside and outside its membership to support many worthy causes including the Red Sox Foundation, the Jimmy Fund and New England Little League organizations. The BoSox Club is also instrumental in providing seating for challenged fans at Fenway Park through the Challenger Program, and provides financial assistance to a select group of deserving athletes to attend a baseball camp each summer.

(Press Release)