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By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

Gobble, Gobble…

To kick-off this week’s Notebook, we first want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! No matter where you are or what you are doing this week and throughout the holidays, do it safely! Also, with the end of the year fast approaching and football winding down, be sure to look for more pre-season college baseball information coming soon. The start of the 2011 college baseball season is now less than three months away!

TD Ameritrade Park will be the new home of the CWS in 2011.

New Stadium, Higher Prices…

With the hoopla of the last College World Series played at Rosenblatt Stadium, the emphasis is now on the CWS’ move to downtown Omaha and TD Ameritrade Park. While ticket prices won’t have the same kind of hike in price that Yankee Stadium had when the new palace in the Bronx went up last year, CWS season ticket holders will pay more to watch the first series in the new building. Multiple Omaha media outlets have reported that College World Series of Omaha, Inc. has informed season ticket holders that ticket prices will be higher next year.

The price of a 2011 season ticket package at TDA will reportedly go for $374-up from $293 this year. A general admission book of 10 tickets will also go from the $70 price over the last three years to $80. Individual reserved seats will see a slight bump in price as well from $22 to $28. The new stadium also will not have box seats like Rosenblatt did. Some 2,800 season ticket holders who have the rights to buy roughly 14,600 tickets will receive renewal notices the first week of December. They have until February 1 to return their orders.

Tar Heel Gone…

Brian Goodwin

North Carolina has suspended Brian Goodwin for the 2011 spring semester for a violation of university policy . Goodwin earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors last season by batting .291 with seven home runs and team-highs of eight triples and 63 RBIs. UNC has not disclosed what rule Goodwin broke, but does say that his suspension is not related to the NCAA investigation into the Tar Heel football program.

Gone Batty…

Most of the emphasis on the new bat regulations for the upcoming 2011 season has been on college baseball, but high school baseball players will face some changes as well. Composite bats will still be allowed in 2011 for high schoolers, but the list of allowable composites is short. CLICK HERE for the list of composite bats that meet the ball exit speed ratio (BESR) for high schools (excluding California) for the upcoming season. The National Federation of State High School Associations will follow college baseball’s lead and completely ban composite bats in 2012.

Speaking Of Bats…

Black Friday will be upon us soon, but if you are looking for baseball, softball or football gear for your athlete there’s no need to fight the crowds during the Holiday Season. Baseball Express is one of College Baseball 360’s top sponsors, and they have special Baseball Internet Specials for you right now. Just click the link and enter the coupon code AFSSPD2 to receive 15% off baseball orders of $99 or more from Nov. 23-28. The softball code is AFSSPD3 and the football code is AFSSPD3.

The Conference Shuffle…

The biggest announcements regarding conference realignments this came out of the Big 12, Big Ten and Pac 10, but the situation remains very fluid. Texas State, UT-San Antonio and Denver are set to join the WAC for the 2012-2013 academic year. Denver is the only one of the three that plays neither Division One baseball nor football, while TSU and UTSA will both move from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS or DI) next year. Meanwhile, Hawaii could be ready to follow Boise State and Fresno State to the Mountain West Conference, but that move may not include baseball. There’s a good chance Hawaii will be a football only member of the MWC, with the rest of its sports possibly joining the Big West. At least one recent report says 16 of Hawaii’s 18 teams would prefer the Big West, which would mean much shorter travel times and costs for the lower-revenue generating sports.

New Name, Same Stage…

One of college baseball’s premiere early season events has a new name. What used to be the Whataburger Classic in Corpus Christi, TX is now the Kleberg Bank College Classic. Kleberg recently signed a five-year naming rights contract for the event, which will still be played at Whataburger Field-the home of the minor league Corpus Christi Hooks. Last year’s event saw Oklahoma and UCLA both go to the College World Series. This year’s field includes Oregon State, Indiana, UConn, and Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Auf Deutsch Bitte…

Greg Frady (10) led Germany to a third place finish at the European Championships.

Georgia State baseball coach Greg Frady has been named the European Baseball Coach of the Year. Frady was honored for leading the German National Team to a third-place finish at this year’s European Baseball Championship. It’s the highest finish for the Germans and their first medal in the history of the event. Frady has led his Georgia State Panthers to 73 wins over the last two seasons, including a 2009 NCAA Regional bid.

Three For The SEC…

National letter of intent signings continue to be announced by college baseball teams across the country. It’s a big enough feather in the cap of any high school to send just one player to the Division One ranks, but Lake Wales High School in Lake Wales, FL has a full plume this Thanksgiving. The Highlanders had three players recently sign baseball NLIs with SEC schools. Colton Davis and Jarred Smith will continue to be teammates next year after signing with Auburn, while Justin Shafer signed to play at Florida. Davis and Shafer both turned down DI football offers to play baseball. Lake Wales has a population of roughly 12,000.

Players are timed in the 60-yard dash at Arizona's scout day.

And At The Next Level…

All 30 MLB teams were represented by more than 70 scouts at the University of Arizona’s scout day over the weekend. Scouts put draft eligible Wildcats through their paces in things like the 60-yard dash, a half dozen rounds of batting practice and positional throwing (including pitchers). Senior outfielder Bobby Rinard turned-in the top 60 time at 6.5 seconds. The workout was the last such event for the scouts before the holidays.

Wearing It Out…

We received a question in our mail bag this week about the record for home runs in consecutive at-bats by a DI baseball player. The email cited former Sam Houston State player Tommy Cliffe, who homered in five straight at-bats in 1999. The e-mailer wanted to know if that might be the NCAA record. Turns out, Florida State’s Marshall McDougall did Cliffe one better in that same season. After singling in his first at-bat, McDougall went on to go yard in his next six trips to the plate in his historic 16 RBI day in the Seminole’s 26-2 win over Maryland on May 9, 1999. Have a question for us? Make sure  to drop us a line by clicking here.

V Is For Verlander…

Old Dominion recently retired the jersey of  Justin Verlander. The current Detroit Tiger set the ODU and Colonial Athletic Association record with 427 strikeouts in 335 2/3 innings in his three-year career from 2002-2004. Verlander was the second overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft by Detroit after winning 21 games for his alma mater. He also helped Team USA to a silver medal finish at the 2003 Pan Am Games.

Keep Growing College Baseball…

Three more schools have made recent additions and/or renovations to their college baseball facilities. Lamar just finished the H.D. “Tex” and Emma Strait Baseball Training Facility. It’s a 9,600 square foot indoor practice center. Butler has made several tweaks to Bulldog Park, with a new turf halo around home plate, new laser-graded infield sod, new netting, and a still to be completed fan patio area down the left field line. Columbia also just dedicated its new Robertson Field at Satow Stadium. The digs include new chairback seating, a new home dugout and a state-of-the-art scoreboard.

Give a unique gift this Christmas from Dugouthats.com.  The Dugout in Omaha has officially licensed 2010 College World Series memorabilia that would make the perfect gift this holiday season (click on the image to left to enlarge).

From t-shirts and caps to limited edition prints commemorating the last CWS ever played at historic Rosenblatt Stadium. Dugouthats.com also always  hats of your favorite college teams like LSU, Texas, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, UCLA, South Carolina, Miami and more.

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Several Current Big Leaguers Highlight Team

RICHMOND, Va. - The Colonial Athletic Association has announced its Silver Anniversary team for baseball, which features 10 former CAA Players of the Year, 17 All-Americans and 11 former or current Major League Baseball players.

As part of its 25th Anniversary celebration in 2009-10, the CAA is recognizing Silver Anniversary teams in 21 championship sports. The teams were selected by a panel of current and former coaches in the conference.

Baseball has been a championship sport in the CAA since the league’s inception in 1986 and nine different schools have earned titles. East Carolina won seven CAA championships over a 14-year span, including four in a row from 1988-91. VCU has captured four league crowns (2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007) while Old Dominion (1994-96) and Richmond (1986, 1997, 1998) each have three titles. George Mason (1988, 1992) and UNC Wilmington (2004, 2006) have won a pair of CAA championships and Georgia State (2009), James Madison (2008) and William and Mary (2001) have won one.

The CAA has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s top baseball conferences. The conference has sent multiple teams to the NCAA Baseball Championship in nine of the past 12 years, and the CAA had three teams received tournament berths in 1995, 1999 and 2001.

CAA BASEBALL SILVER ANNIVERSARY TEAM

Dana Allison – James Madison – 1986-89 – Front Royal, Va.
•    Earned CAA Player of the Year and All-America honors in 1988
•    Two-time All-CAA selection who went 12-2 with a 1.53 ERA in 1988
•    Ranks among JMU’s top five in career wins (25), complete games (23)and strikeouts (220)

Sean Casey – Richmond – 1993-95 – Pittsburgh, Pa.
•    Received CAA Player of the Year and All-America accolades in 1995
•    Three-time All-CAA honoree who led the nation in batting in 1995 (.461)
•    Played 11 years in the majors and was a three-time National League All-Star

Jason Dubois – VCU – 1998-2000 – Virginia Beach, Va.
•    Three-time All-CAA selection who received All-America honors in 2000
•    Won the CAA Triple Crown in 2000 with a .435 average, 19 homers and 74 RBI
•    Ranks among VCU’s career top 10 in batting (.375), homers (37), and RBI (183)

Tommy Eason – East Carolina – 1989-91 – Snow Hill, N.C.
•    Received first-team All-CAA honors in 1989 and 1990
•    Batted over .300 in all three seasons and hit .336 for his career
•    Hit .366 and led the CAA in home runs (17) and RBI (62) in 1990

Wayne Gomes – Old Dominion – 1991-93 – Hampton, Va.
•    Earned first-team All-CAA honors in 1993 and was a 1991 Freshman All-American
•    Second on ODU’s career saves list (16) and struck out 156 batters in 100 innings
•    Fourth overall pick in the 1993 draft who pitched seven seasons in the majors

Brendan Harris – William and Mary – 1999-2001 – Queensbury, N.Y.
•    Received first-team All-CAA and All-State accolades in 2001
•    Ranks among W&M’s top five in career batting (.363), hits (237), runs (185) and RBI (160)
•    Currently plays for the Minnesota Twins

Ronald Hill – UNC Wilmington – 2002-05 – Wilmington, N.C.
•    Two-time All-Region honoree who earned first-team All-CAA honors in 2005
•    Posted  a perfect 17-0 career record in CAA regular season and postseason games
•    Holds the UNCW record for wins in a season (12) and a career (31)

Tim Hummel – Old Dominion – 1998-2000 – Montgomery, N.Y.
•    Received first-team All-America honors and was the CAA Player of the Year in 2000
•    Three-time All-CAA selection who received Freshman All-America accolades in 1998
•    Batted .388 for his career and owns the ODU career record for on-base percentage (.508)

Brandon Inge – VCU – 1996-98 – Lynchburg, Va.
•    Earned first-team All-America and CAA Co-Player of the Year honors in 1998
•    Three-time All-CAA selection as a shortstop and a relief pitcher
•    Nine-year veteran of the Detroit Tigers who made the All-Star team in 2009

Winfred Johnson – East Carolina – 1983-86 – Pittsboro, N.C.
•    Two-time All-American (1985, 1986) who was the 1986 CAA Player of the Year
•    First player in NCAA history with 70 career homers and 35 pitching victories
•    Owns ECU career records for batting average (.369), homers (70), RBI (221) and wins (35)

Brian Jordan – Richmond – 1986-88 – Baltimore, Md.
•    Two-time ABCA All-Region selection (1987, 1988)
•    Ranks seventh in career homers (32) and stolen bases (57) at Richmond
•    Played 14 seasons in the majors and made the All-Star team in 1999

Eddie Kim – James Madison – 2000-03 – Fairfax, Va.
•    Honored as the CAA Player of the Year in 2002 and 2003
•    Two-time All-Region selection and an All-America honoree in 2003
•    Among JMU’s top five in career batting (.409), home runs (36) and RBI (197)

Scott Krieger – George Mason – 2006-09 – Towson, Md.
•    Received CAA Player of the Year and All-America honors in 2009
•    Three-time All-CAA selection who owns five Mason career records
•    Among the top five in CAA history in hits (303), homers (69), runs (228) and RBI (238)

Kellen Kulbacki – James Madison – 2005-07 – Hershey, Pa.
•    Two-time All-American who was Collegiate Baseball’s 2006 Co-National Player of the Year
•    Chosen as the CAA and state of Virginia Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007
•    Set CAA season records for batting average (.464) and home runs (24) in 2006

Sean Marshall – VCU – 2001-03 – Richmond, Va.
•    Two-time All-CAA honoree who was a Freshman All-American in 2001
•    Ranks among VCU’s career top 10 in starts (40) and strikeouts (254)
•    Just completed his fourth season as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs

Cla Meredith – VCU – 2002-04 – Chesterfield, Va.
•    Two-time All-CAA selection who earned honorable mention All-America honors in 2003
•    Ranks among VCU’s career top 10 in saves (15), appearances (79) and ERA (2.52)
•    Just finished his fifth season in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles

Greg Miller – James Madison – 1998-2001 – Herndon, Va.
•    Earned All-CAA and All-Region accolades in 1999 and 2001
•    Owns CAA and JMU records for hits in a career with 318
•    Set five CAA Tournament records by going 7-for-7 with 3 HR and 9 RBI against UR in 2000

Sergio Miranda – VCU – 2005-07 – Bayamon, Puerto Rico
•    Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner in 2007 and a two-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year
•    Three-time All-CAA selection who earned Freshman All-America honors in 2005
•    Among the top three in career assists (570), hits (283) and batting average (.376) at VCU

Jeff Palumbo – George Mason – 2001-04 – Bowie, Md.
•    CAA Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2003 and 2004
•    Batted .402 and led the nation in runs per game in 2004 (81 in 58 games)
•    Among the top 10 in CAA history in at-bats (865), runs (205) and hits (283)

Matt Quatraro – Old Dominion – 1993-96 – Selkirk, N.Y.
•    Received All-America and Academic All-America honors in 1996
•    Three-time All-CAA selection who was the MVP of the 1994 CAA Tournament
•    Led the CAA with a .416 batting average in 1996 and hit .400 for his career

John Raynor – UNC Wilmington – 2003-06 – Benson, N.C.
•    Received All-America accolades in 2006 after batting .420 with 69 RBI and 42 steals
•    Two-time All-CAA and ABCA All-Region selection (2005, 2006)
•    Among the top five in career batting (.352), runs (161), hits (230), and RBI (148) at UNCW

Justin Verlander – Old Dominion – 2002-04 – Manakin-Sabot, Va.
•    All-time strikeout leader (427) for ODU, the CAA and the state of Virginia
•     Two-time All-CAA and All-Region selection
•    Five-year member of the Detroit Tigers who made the All-Star team in 2007 and 2009

Ron Walker – Old Dominion – 1995-97 – Indian Mills, N.J.
•    Earned All-CAA accolades as a third baseman and relief pitcher
•    Two-time All-Region honoree and a Freshman All-American in 1995
•    ODU’s all-time leader in saves (17) and ranks second in career home runs (36)

Chris Widger – George Mason – 1990-92 – Wilmington, Del.
•    Received first-team All-CAA and All-Region honors in 1991 and 1992
•    Among Mason’s career top 10 in home runs (32), RBI (149) and doubles (52)
•    Played 10 seasons in the majors and won a World Series with the 2005 Chicago White Sox

(Release)