College Baseball 360 » Justin Bencsko http://collegebaseball360.com baseball news, college baseball stats, sean stires, pete lafleur, college world series video, college baseball podcast, Fri, 14 Feb 2025 21:33:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.38 College Baseball 2010 Stats Leaders-April 1 http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders-april-1/ http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders-april-1/#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:39:56 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=5963

Here’s the latest “unofficial” look at college baseball’s national stats leader as of Thursday, April 1.

J.D. Ashbrook

HOME RUNS

1.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  14

2.  J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  12

2.  Wes Cunningham-Murry St.  12

2.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  12

2.  Ben Harty-New Mexico St.  12

2.  Peter O’Brien-Bethune-Cookman  12

7.  Jordan Ballard-VMI  11

7.  Michael Choice-UT Arlington  11

7.  Mac Doyle-Wofford  11

7.  Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  11

7.  Kyle Parker-Clemson  11

Jake Overstreet

RBIs

1.  Jake Overstreet-South Alabama  48

2.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  47

3.  Jacob Tanis-Mercer  43

4.  Danny Brock-St. Louis  42

5.  Sam Eberle-Jacksonville St.  41

5.  Drew Lee-Moorehead St.  41

7.  Ben Harty-New Mexico St.  40

7.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  40

9.  Kyle Blackburn-Georgia Southern  39

9.  Nate Woods-Belmont  39

Sean Toole

BATTING AVERAGE

1.  Sean Toole-Pittsburgh  .508 (31-61)

2.  Matt Szczur-Villanova  .500  (41-82)

3.  Chris Benson-Utah Valley  .494 (41-83)

4.  Garret Bivone-UT Pan American  .492 (30-61)

5.  Kevin Tokarski-Illinois State  .487  (38-78)

6.  Justin Bencsko-Villanova  .485 (32-66)

6.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  .485 (49-101)

8.  Ryan Rivers-Charlotte  .471 (41-87)

9.  Adam Doleac-Southern Mississippi  .468 (29-62)

10.  Dom Hayes-West Virginia  .460 (40-87)

A.J. Kirby-Jones

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

1.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  1.023

2.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  .980

3.  Wes Cunningham-Murray State  .930

4.  Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee State  .910

5.  Mac Doyle-Wofford  .879

6.  Zack MacPhee-Arizona State  .865

7.  Jacke Healey-Youngstown St.  .857

8.  Ryan Rivers-Charlotte  .851

9.  Kevin Tokarski-Illinois State  .846

10.  Chace Perkins-New Mexico State  .845

Brian Harris

ON-BASE PERCENTAGE

1.  Brian Harris-Vanderbilt  .595

2.  Kevin Tokarski-Illinois State  .592

3.  Justin Bencsko-Villanova  .584

3.  Vincent Mejia-UT Pan American  .584

5.  Chad Salem-Manhattan  .582

6.  Brock Stassi-Nevada  .578

7.  Nate Roberts-High Point  .577

8.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  .573

9.  Taylor Dugas-Alabama  .570

10.  Dan Gulbransen-Jacksonville  .568

Merrill Kelly

WINS

1. Corey Baker-Pittsburgh  6

1. Gerrit Cole-UCLA  6

1. D.D. Hanks-South Alabama  6

1. Merrill Kelly-Arizona State  6

1. Josh Schneider-Morehead State  6

1. Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel  6

Matt Andress-Appalachian State  5

Trevor Bauer-UCLA  5

Jake Borup-Arizona State  5

Bryant Cotton-St. Louis  5

Ryan Daniel-Liberty  5

Matt Davenport-William & Mary  5

Brandon Efferson-Southeastern Louisiana  5

Mike Gipson-Florida Atlantic  5

Cole Green-Texas  5

Kyle Hunter-Kansas State  5

Justin Jones-California  5

Keegan Linza-Liberty  5

Brandon Love-Mercer  5

Nick Montgomery-Middle Tennessee State  5

Alex Panteliodis-Florida  5

Marcus Pointer-Pacific  5

David Rowse-Pacific  5

Thomas Royse-Louisville  5

Matt Shelton-Sam Houston State  5

John Stilson-Texas A&M  5

Paul Tremlin-Cal State Northridge  5

Brandon Williamson-Dallas Baptist  5

Alex Wimmers-Ohio State  5

Barret Loux

Strikeouts

1.  Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel  59

2.  Barret Loux-Texas A&M  58

3.  Trevor Bauer-UCLA  56

3.  Gerrit Cole-UCLA  56

3.  Taylor Jungmann-Texas  56

6.  Noe Ramirez-Cal State Fullerton  53

7.  Jason Mitchell-UT Arlington  52

8.  D.D. Hanks-South Alabama  51

8.  Luke Irvine-Northwestern (LA) State  51

10.  Tanner Peters-UNLV  50

Chad Sheppard

SAVES

1.  Matty Ott-LSU  9

1.  Kevin Arico-Virginia  9

3.  Chad Sheppard-Northwestern State  7

3.  Jordan Swagerty-Arizona State  7

5.  Wes Alsup-Tennessee Martin  6

Adam Cimber-Washington  6

Chris Dennis-Portland  6

Chris Franklin-Southeastern Louisiana  6

Tyler Gebler-Rutgers  6

Dan Gentzler-Maryland  6

John Ivie-Belmont  6

Chris Patterson-Appalachian State  6

Brooks Pinckard-Baylor  6

Ryne Purcell-Eastern Kentucky  6

Chance Ruffin-Texas  6

Lex Rutledge-Samford  6

Seth Simmons-East Carolina  6


]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-stats-leaders-april-1/feed/ 0 Around The Bases-April 1 http://collegebaseball360.com/around-the-bases-april-1/ http://collegebaseball360.com/around-the-bases-april-1/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:17:26 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=5970

Passion Buckets Full Of Baseball And Final Four

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

April is here, and my Passion Bucket is overflowing.  For those who’ve never heard of a Passion Bucket, it’s a term that was coined by UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel and made popular on the Dan Patrick Radio Show.  It’s also a term that was used by Cornell basketball player Ryan Wittman prior to last week’s Sweet 16 basketball match-up with Kentucky.

Wittman’s use of the term stirred-up some unwarranted controversy when John Feinstein took it to mean “we’re the smart kids”.   Turned out Wittman’s coach, Steve Donohue,  had just told him to drop the “Passion Bucket” during the presser at Patrick’s request.  Turns out Passion Bucket just stands for how much enthusiasm or excitement you have for something, and mine is overflowing with thoughts of college baseball and the Final Four…and even how they run together…

Brad Stevens

Butler’s in the Final Four.  How cool is that?  Their home floor, Hinkle Fieldhouse, is where the movie Hoosiers was filmed.  The college baseball equal would be Creighton making it to the College World Series.  Wait…that happened in 1991.  Butler’s coach, Brad Stevens, is home grown, just like Brian O’Connor, who pitched at the Series for the Blue Jays in ’91 and who took Virginia to Omaha last year.  Stevens looks so young he gets mistaken for the water boy, but he’s worked his way up the ladder since starting as Butler’s Coordinator of Basketball Operations ten years ago.  By the way, Minnesota Twins reliever Pat Neshek played college ball at Butler.

Tom Izzo is a guy you just have to respect.  He’s taken Michigan State to six Final Fours in 12 years.  His teams grind out possessions and games like a Polish lady with big forearms grinds out Kielbasa.  It got me thinking…what’s Michigan State’s college baseball counterpart?  I’m going with Texas:  Walk, sac bunt, infield hit, 4-3 RBI…Augie Garrido’s great pitching and small ball approach is college baseball’s answer to Izzo’s Spartans.  Augie’s obviously had some success at it too.  And how about Jake Boss, Jr.’s MSU baseball team?  At 16-4,  his Spartans open Big Ten play vs. Iowa this weekend with the best record in the conference.

Speaking of Texas, the Longhorns (18-7) leave their home state for the first time this season when they visit Oklahoma this weekend.  Texas has played road games at Rice and Texas Tech with three neutral site games at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Arizona State (23-0) and UCLA (21-0) are the only two remaining unbeaten Division One teams in college baseball.

Merrill Kelly

The Sun Devils visit Oregon this weekend in their second Pac 10 series, while UCLA hosts Stanford in it conference opener.  The most amazing thing to me about ASU’s unblemished record is the fact they’ve done it without Josh Spence (10-1, 2.37 ERA in ’09) throwing one pitch so far this year.  The Aussie has been out all year with an arm injury, but his teammates have more than picked-up the slack.  Sophomore Jake Borup pitched all of 8.0 innings last year, but he’s 5-0, while juco transfer Merrill Kelly is tied for the national lead at 6-0.  Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole (6-0, 2.63 ERA) and Trevor Bauer (5-0, 2.33 ERA) have lived-up to their expectations at UCLA.  Both teams have off the charts talent and numbers in the line-up.  Too bad they don’t meet until the end of the month.  Oh, if you want to read a good rant on these teams and the national rankings check out what Chase Titleman has to say at Road2rosenblatt.com!

Who’s been impersonating as the three Conference USA teams that went to at least a Super Regional last year?  Last year’s CWS Cinderella, Southern Mississippi (14-9) , has lost five of its last seven games, including losing two of three last week to UAB.  East Carolina (17-9) just bludgeoned North Carolina Central by a combined 65-12 last weekend, but they just lost a 15-13 slug fest to UNC Wilmington and had losses to Monmouth and High Point.  ECU opens C-USA play this weekend vs. Tulane and then heads to Memphis next week.  Speaking of Memphis, the Tigers took two of three from Rice (14-12) last week for their first ever series win over the Owls, which are falling out of the polls with losses in five of their last eight games.  All three C-USA teams have played tough opponents, all three have hit in spots and consistent pitching has eluded all three as well.

Joe Godri

Villanova (17-4) is off to its best start since head coach Joe Godri arrived in 2002.  The Wildcats have a tough task ahead of them this weekend if they want to keep it going.  Godri’s ‘Cats will be “big game hunting” when they travel to Louisville (21-3) for their second Big East series of the season.  Godri has a tradition of plastering the logo of top-caliber teams his team has beaten on his office wall, and just one win at Louisville this weekend would go a long way.  Wildcats Justin Bencsko (.485) and Matt Szczur (.500) have names that are hard to pronounce, but they’re among the nation’s hitting leaders.  Louisville’s Thomas Royse (5-0, 1.42 ERA) and Neil Holland (4-0, 0.42 ERA, 6 SVs) might be the best pitchers they’ll face this season.

That series and many others start on Thursday this weekend due to Easter coming this Sunday.  Here’s hoping your Easter Baskets and Passion Buckets are full!

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/around-the-bases-april-1/feed/ 0 College Baseball 2010 Statistics Leaders-March 25 http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-statistics-leaders-march-25/ http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-statistics-leaders-march-25/#comments Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:40:38 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=5589

An Unofficial 2nd Look At The National Leaders

The NCAA won’t release its official statistics leaders until after the conclusion of the Final Four, so here’s our “unofficial” look at some individual category leaders.  Pitching Statistics are still a little hard to qualify, so for now we’re sticking with wins, saves and strikeouts.  We’ve added slugging percentage, on-base percentage and a “Triple Crown Watch” this week to the offensive categories.

(Stats as of March 25, 2010)

Corey Baker

Wins

These Pitchers Are Tied With 5 Victories

Matt Andress-Appalachian State

Corey Baker-Pittsburgh

Aaron Barrett-Mississippi

Jake Borup-Arizona State

Gerrit Cole-UCLA

Ryan Daniel-Kansas State

Brandon Efferson-Southeastern Louisiana

Merrill Kelly-Arizona State

Brandon Love-Mercer

Alex Panteliodis-Florida

Marcus Pointer-Pacific

Josh Schneider-Morehead State

Brandon Williamson-Dallas Baptist

Alex Wimmers-Ohio State

Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel

Gerrit Cole

Strikeouts

1.  Taylor Jungmann – Texas  51

2.  Gerrit Cole – UCLA  49

3.  Asher Wojciechowski – The Citadel 48

4.  Trevor Bauer – UCLA  47

4.  Barret Loux – Texas A&M  47

6.  Jason Mitchell – UT Arlington  43

7. Tanner Peters – UNLV  44

8.  Daniel Bibona-UC Irvine  43

8. Danny Hultzen – Virginia  43

8.  Ryan Fraser – Memphis  43

Matty Ott

Saves

1.  Matty Ott-LSU  8

2.  Kevin Arico-Virginia  7

2.  Chad Sheppard-Northwestern State  7

2.  Jordan Swagerty-Arizona State  7

5.  Chris Patterson-Appalachian State  6

5.  Seth Simmons-East Carolina  6

7.  Wes Alsup-Tennessee Martin  5

Chris Dennis-Portland  5

Austin Fleet-Coastal Carolina  5

Chris Franklin-Southeastern Louisiana  5

John Ivie-Belmont  5

Drew Mahaffey-The Citadel  5

Daniel Ottone-Western Carolina  5

Brooks Pinckard-Baylor  5

Ryne Purcell-Eastern Kentucky  5

Mikel Rodenberg-High Point  5

Chance Ruffin-Texas  5

Lex Rutledge-Samford  5

John Soldinger-Manhattan  5

Garrett Bivone

Batting Average

1.  Garrett Bivone-UT Pan American  .531  (26-49)

2.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  .530  (44-83)

3.  Matt Szczur-Villanova  .529 (37-70)

4.  Justin Bencsko-Villanova  .527  (29-55)

5.  Mark Hill-George Mason  .517  (41-60)

6.  Sean Toole-Pittsburgh  .509  (27-53)

7.  Matt Dittman-Illinois  .500  (22-44)

7.  David Popkins-UC Davis  .500  (21-42)

9.  Chris Benson-Utah Valley  .492  (31-63)

10.  Brandon Padula-Maryland  .486  (36-74)

A.J. Kirby-Jones

Home Runs

1.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  13

2.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  12

3.  Ben Harty-New Mexico State  11

4.  Mac Doyle-Wofford  10

Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  10

Phil Wunderlich-Louisville  10

Pat Biserta-Rutgers  10

Danny Brock-St. Louis  10

J. D. Ashbrook-Morehead State   10

Kyle Parker-Clemson  10

Chris Duffy

RBIs

1.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  40

2.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  39

2.  Drew Lee-Morehead State  39

4.  Ben Harty-New Mexico State  38

4.  Jacob Tanis-Mercer  38

6.  Danny Brock-St. Louis  36

6.  Sam Eberle-Jacksonville State  36

6.  Nate Woods-Belmont  36

6.  Joe Leonard-Pittsburgh  36

10.  Connor Powers-Mississippi St.  34

10.  Paul Karmas-St. John’s  34

Mac Doyle

Slugging Percentage

1.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  1.155

2.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  1.120

3.  Mac Doyle-Wofford  1.000

4.  Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  .959

5.  Jacke Healey-Youngstown State  .950

6.  Zack MacPhee-Arizona State  .922

7.  Brandon Hairston-Norfolk State  .909

8.  Ryan Soares-George Mason  .908

9.  Wes Cunningham-Murray State  .897

10.  T.J. Blanton-Bowling Green  .895

Brian Harris

On-Base Percentage

1.  Justin Bencsko-Villanova  .613

2.  Brian Harris-Vanderbilt  .608

2.  Nate Roberts-High Point  .608

4.  Taylor Dugas-Alabama  .607

5.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  .606

6.  Chad Salem-Manhattan  .602

7.  Mark Hill-George Mason  .600

8.  Alan Denman-Campbell  .595

9.  Vincent Mejia-UT Pan American  .587

10.  David Popkins-UC Davis  .585

Chris Duffy

Triple Crown Watch

Chris Duffy-Central Florida

BA: .530  #2

HR:  12  #2

RBI:  40  #1

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-statistics-leaders-march-25/feed/ 0 College Baseball 2010 Statistics Leaders-March 19 http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-statistics-leaders-march-19/ http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-statistics-leaders-march-19/#comments Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:52:08 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=5284

An Unofficial Look At The National Leaders

The NCAA won’t release its official statistics leaders until after the conclusion of the Final Four, so here’s our “unofficial” look at some individual category leaders.  Pitching Statistics are still a little hard to qualify, so for now we’re sticking with wins, saves and strikeouts.

PS-Don’t look now, but there are a couple early Triple Crown candidates!

Justin Bencsko

Batting Average

1.  Justin Bencsko-Villanova .558  (24-43)

2.  Kevin Tokarski-Illinois State .551 (27-49)

3.  Mark Hill-George Mason .537  (22-41)

4.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida .529  (37-70)

5.  Brandon Padula-Maryland .518  (29-56)

6.  B.J. LaRosa-Bucknell .509  (27-53)

7.  Chad Salem-Manhattan .500  (19-38)

7.  Zach Macphee-Arizona State .500  (27-54)

7.  Garrett Bivone-UT Pan American .500  (18-36)

10.  Carlos Alonso-Delaware .491  (27-55)

Chris Duffy

RBIs

1.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  35

2.  Ben Harty-New Mexico St.  33

2.  Joe Leonard-Pittsburgh       33

4.  Connor Powers-Mississippi St. 32

4.  Jake Overstreet-So. Alabama   32

6.  Jacob Tanis-Mercer  31

7.  Danny Brock-St. Louis 30

7.  Sam Roberts-VMI  30

7.  Thomas Carroll-Mercer  30

10.  Jeff Schaus-Clemson  29

Danny Brock

Home Runs

1.  Chris Duffy-Central Florida  11

2.  Danny Brock-St. Louis  9

2.  Mike Sodders-New Mexico State  9

2.  A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  9

5.  Ryan Aguayo-New Mexico St.  8

5.  Stephen Yarrow-San Francisco  8

5.  Paul Hoilman-East Tenn. State  8

5.  Ben Harty-New Mexico St.  8

5.  Connor Powers-Mississippi St.  8

5.  Kyle Parker-Clemson  8

5.  Jordan Ballard-VMI  8

Taylor Jungmann

Strikeouts

1.  Taylor Jungmann-Texas  43

2.  Gerrit Cole-UCLA  41

2.  Tanner Peters-UNLV  41

4.  Jason Mitchell-UT Arlington  38

5.  Trevor Bauer-UCLA  38

6.  Barret Loux-Texas A&M  37

6.  Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel  37

8.  Shawn Tolleson-Baylor  36

9.  Andrew Kittredge-Washington  35

10.  Cody Martin-Gonzaga  35

Matt Andress

Wins

The Following 18 Pitchers Are All Tied With 4 Victories

Matt Andress-Appalachian State

Corey Baker-Pittsburgh

Jake Borup-Arizona State

Gerrit Cole-UCLA

Ryan Daniel-Kansas State

Brandon Efferson-Southeastern Louisiana

Cole Green-Texas

D.D. Hanks-South Alabama

Merrill Kelly-Arizona State

Brandon Love-Mercer

Alex Panteliodis-Florida

Marcus Pointer-Pacific

Dayne Quist-UC Davis

Cameron Selik-Kansas

John Stilson-Texas A&M

Brandon Williamson-Dallas Baptist

Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel

Pete Woodworth-Florida Gulf Coast

Kevin Arico

Saves

1.  Kevin Arico-Virginia  6

1.  Matty Ott-LSU  6

1.  Chris Patterson-Appalachian State 6

1.  Jordan Swagerty-Arizona St.  6

5.  Wes Alsup-UT Martin  5

5.  Austin Fleet-Coastal Carolina  5

5.  Drew Manhaffey-The Citadel  5

5.  Bruce Pinckard-Baylor  5

5.  Ryne Purcell-Eastern Kentucky  5

5.  Mikel Rodenberg-High Point  5

5.  Chance Ruffin-Texas  5

5.  Chad Sheppard-Northwestern St.  5

5.  Seth Simmons-East Carolina  5

]]> http://collegebaseball360.com/college-baseball-2010-statistics-leaders-march-19/feed/ 0 Around The Bases-March 11 http://collegebaseball360.com/around-the-bases-march-11/ http://collegebaseball360.com/around-the-bases-march-11/#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:48:17 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=4731

A Look At Teams Trending In Different Directions

The fourth week of the college baseball season is under way, and we are starting to get a true feel for what teams are (and aren’t).  UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton were each top 10 teams at the start of the season, so who could have predicted they would be a combined 9-12 heading into this weekend’s action?

Here are a few teams that caught my eye this week:

Stock-Up

UCLA:  The Bruins lost a lot of offensive production from last year’s team, but they’re 11-0 thanks to solid contributions throughout the line-up as well as stellar pitching.  UCLA is batting .372 and averaging 8.7 runs a game while the pitching staff has a 2.00 ERA with 130 strikeouts and just 24 walks in 90 innings.  Dean Espy (.440, 3 HR, 12 RBIs), Steve Rodriguez (.400, 5 HR, 11 RBIs)  and Niko Gallego (.314, 3 HR, 13 RBIs) have powered the offense, while Gerrit Cole (3-0, 2.50 ERA) and Trevor Bauer (2-0, 2.45 ERA) have combined for 49 strikeouts with just 6 BB in 32 2/3 IP.

Duke:  Since going 1-3 to open the season in Waco, TX vs. Baylor and Georgia (with a win over the Bulldogs) Duke has rattled-off eight straight wins.  Granted, the wins have been over Fordham, Temple and Quinnipiac, but 3 of the Blue Devil’s last four wins have been by shutout.  The Duke pitching staff has a 0.80 ERA over its last five games with 55 strikeouts and 13 walks.  It would  be easy to write the Blue Devils off as they prepare to open ACC play this weekend vs. arch rival North Carolina, but Duke did take 2 of 3 games from the Tar Heels last year.  Could this be the year Duke gets to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1961?

Kansas State:  The Wildcats, fresh off the program’s first NCAA Tournament in 2009, had a lot of questions coming into the season.  They lost Big 12 Pitcher of the Year A.J. Morris as well as several key bats, including Justin Bloxom.  They’re 9-2, and while they don’t have a “signature” win, they’re hitting .342 with 30 stolen bases and averaging 9.6 runs a game.  Carter Jurica leads the way with a .449 average, 15 runs, 20 RBIs, and 6 SB.  But what’s most impressive is K-State’s pitching.  The Wildcats aren’t overpowering anyone, but they don’t walk anyone either.  The pitching staff has a 3.83 ERA with 77 Ks and just 17 walks in 101 IP.   Ryan Daniel (3-0, 2.81 ERA) has 10 strikeouts and just one free pass in 16 IP, while Evan Marshall (2-0, 1.71 ERA) is yet to walk a batter with 13 Ks in 20 IP.

Villanova:  If we’re going to mention the K-State Wildcats we have to mention the Villanova Wildcats, which handed KSU its last loss last week in Winter Haven, FL.  The win over K-State along with an 8-1 victory over Indiana at the the Big Ten/Big East Challenge gives VU two wins over 2009 NCAA Tourney teams.  Outfielder Justin Bencsko is batting .525 with a 1.218 OPS to lead the Wildcats (10-2) to their best start in head coach Joe Godri’s nine years at the helm.  The senior has spearheaded an offense that is averaging 9.0 runs a game despite just one home run.

Stock-Down

Georgia:  The Bulldogs have lost five straight after Tuesday’s 11-1 drubbing at the hands of Kennesaw State.  Georgia (6-7) was outscored 62-11 in those games by KSU, Alabama and Florida State (3 games).   Bulldog batters are hitting just .288 and they’ve struckout 95 times while drawing just 45 walks.  Those numbers combined with 21 errors (.957 fielding %) and a 7.55 staff ERA make it easy to see why Georgia is struggling.  They’ll hope to get better with a 3-game series with Siena this weekend and a midweek game at Georgia Tech before opening SEC play next week vs. Auburn.

San Diego:  Since opening the season with three home wins over Indiana, the Toreros have lost 7 of their last 10 games to fall to 6-7.  San Diego has plenty of pop with 11 home runs, but it’s batting just .283 with a .363 on-base percentage.  18 errors have led to 12 unearned runs that have proven costly.

San Diego State:  The Aztecs are just 5-7 heading into their SDSU Invitational this weekend.  With the losses of Stephen Strasburg and two other starters pitching would have appeared to be the concern heading into 2010.  However, Addison Reed, who saved 20 games last year, has transitioned nicely into a starter.  The junior (2-1, 3.20 ERA) leads the pitching staff with 23 strikeouts and has issued just five walks.  Bryan Crabb (1-1, 1.72) has also been solid.  Tony Gwynn’s .963 fielding percentage (17 errors) and .261 batting average have been the biggest problem.

Fresno State:  Just two years removed from a National Championship, Fresno State is a shell of the 2008 Wonderdog team.  The Bulldogs are hitting .312 with 16 home runs but….(drum roll please)…defense (the recurring theme this week) is the worst of any team mentioned this week.  FSU (6-6) has committed 26 errors already this season to lose 6 of their last 9 games since opening 2010 with three wins over Nebraska.  Fresno State should be fine once WAC play begins if Mike Batesole’s defense can cure itself.

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