College Baseball Notebook-Week 13

FIU’s Wittels Heads This Week’s “By The Numbers”…

45…Game hitting streak by Florida International’s Garrett Wittels.  The sophomore had at least one hit in each of FIU’s three wins over South Alabama over the weekend to tie Roger Schmuck of Arizona State (1971) for the third longest Division One hitting streak of all-time.

47…Game hitting streak by Phil Stephenson of Wichita State in 1981 for the second longest streak in NCAA history.  Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura’s 58 game streak (which ended at the 1987 College World Series) is the longest in DI history.

3…Teams that have qualified for the 2010 NCAA Baseball Tournament.  San Diego and Cal State Fullerton joined Ivy League champ Dartmouth by claiming the their regular season crowns over the weekend.  San Diego won the WCC thanks to losses by Portland, while Fullerton claimed at least a share of the Big West after sweeping Long Beach State.  The Titans own the tie-breaker with UC Irvine and need just one win or one Cal State Northridge loss to win the title outright.

18-2…Fullerton’s record in its last 20 games since losing game one of its series vs. Irvine back on April 9th.

19…Straight NCAA Tournament appearances Fullerton will make when it plays in its NCAA regional this season.  It’s the third longest active streak in the nation behind Miami (37) and Florida State (32).

47…Days it took to complete TCU’s 19-17 win in 12 innings over Air Force to clinch the 2010 Mountain West

Conference Championship.  The game began on March 28th in Colorado Springs, and was suspended due to weather.  It resumed in the 7th inning Friday afternoon in Ft. Worth with TCU leading 16-15.

12…Strikeouts by TCU pitcher Matt Purke, who gave-up just a run on five hits in six innings of relief in that game to improve to 10-0.  The freshman is the Horned Frog’s regular Friday starter.

8…Home runs TCU hit in that game to help the Horned Frogs to a new school record total of 84 HR hit this season.  The record had stood since 1998.

3…Weekend wins by Kentucky (29-23, 12-15) over LSU to hand the defending national champions their fourth straight SEC series loss.  The Tigers (34-18, 12-15) have lost 11 of their last 12 SEC games and 12 of their last 14 games overall.

19…Years since Kentucky had last swept a weekend series from LSU.

21…Years since LSU played in the NCAA Tournament but did not host a Regional.  The Tigers played in College Station Texas that year.  LSU has hosted 18 NCAA Regionals since then, but could find themselves on the road when the tournament starts this year.

16-8…Score by which Indiana trailed Kentucky heading into the bottom of the 8th inning of Tuesday’s game vs. Kentucky.  The Hoosiers plated five runs with two outs in the 8th and then added three more in the 9th to force extra innings before Michael Early’s walk-off hit gave IU an improbable 18-17 victory.

0-for-6…What Early was at the plate in the game prior to drilling a pitch off the left field wall to plate Dylan Smith with the game-winning run.

4 & 7…Home runs hit and RBI’s by St. John’s left fielder Jeremy Baltz in Friday’s 8-5 win over #6 Louisville (the Red

Storm lost the other two games in the series).  The freshman leads St. John’s with a .412 average, 18 home runs and 68 RBIs this season.

14-0…Northwestern’s lead over Michigan in the middle of the third inning Sunday in Ann Arbor.

15-14…The final score of Michigan’s comeback win over the Wildcats.  The game ended on Mike Dufek’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

5 2/3…Scoreless innings pitched by Wolverine reliever Matt Miller to pick-up the win.  The junior struck out seven and gave-up just two hits to keep the Wildcats scoreless while Michigan scored the last nine of its 15 unanswered runs.

14…Straight games Virginia has won after sweeping North Carolina over the weekend.  North Carolina (32-20, 11-16) had won eight straight and 10 of its last 11 games heading into the series with the Cavs (43-9, 21-6).

2…Walk-off hits the Cavaliers needed to pull off the sweep.  John Barr’s 2-out RBI single capped Saturday’s game one 3-2 victory,  while John Hicks ended Sunday’s 5-3 win with a 3-run home run.

900…Wins at Ohio State by head coach Bob Todd after Sunday’s 11-6 win over Iowa for the Buckeyes’ lone win of the 3-game series.  Todd will retire at season’s end.

7…Scoreless innings pitched by South Carolina’s bullpen in a 3-game weekend sweep of Arkansas.  Five relievers combined to give-up just two hits after starter Tyler Webb left after giving-up three runs in three innings in Sunday’s 5-3 win to cap the sweep.

33…Consecutive Big South Conference games won by #5 Coastal Carolina (45-6, 23-0) after a 3-game sweep of #39 Liberty (37-15, 18-6).  The Chanticleers remain in good shape to receive a top 8 national seed after sweeping the second place team in their conference.

14,619…Fans who saw Florida’s 3-game sweep of Georgia over the weekend in Gainesville.  It’s the best 3-game attendance figure in program history.  Florida (37-12, 20-7) and South Carolina (41-11, 29-7) are tied for first place in the SEC East.  They go head to head this weekend.

4…Straight SEC series won by Auburn after taking two of three games from Tennessee.  The Tigers (35-17, 17-10) now lead the SEC West.

15…Years since Auburn last won the SEC’s Western Division.  They close the regular season this weekend at Ole Miss.

10…Run deficit faced by Rice as the Owls prepared to bat in the bottom of the third inning Sunday vs. Southern Mississippi.

19…Unanswered runs Rice scored to beat the Golden Eagles 21-14.  Anthony Rendon paced the Owls, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and 4 RBIs to help Rice lock-up the top seed in the Conference USA Tournament.

7…RBIs by USM’s B.A. Vollmuth in the loss.  The sophomore shortstop belted a pair of home runs himself, including a grand slam.

1,000…Career wins by Arizona head coach Andy Lopez after his Wildcats topped #1 Arizona State 12-4 Sunday night in Tucson.  Lopez is the 16th active coach and the 46th all-time Division One coach to reach the milestone.

1…Loss by ASU’s Merrill Kelly (9-1) this season after giving-up six runs (five earned) in just 3 2/3 IP-his shortest start of the season.  The 12 runs are the most given-up by the Sun Devils this year.

25…Consecutive scoreless innings pitched by Rhode Island’s Tim Boyce (a new URI school record).  The senior struck out 10 and gave-up just two singles with his second straight complete game shutout in Friday’s 6-0 win over Richmond.

27 1/3…Consecutive scoreless innings pitched by Wichita State’s Jordan Cooper after Friday’s 3-0 win over Missouri State.  The sophomore fanned 14 and struck out at least one batter in every inning to improve to 8-2.

69…Walks issued to UT Arlington outfielder Michael Choice this season to set a new Southland Conference single season record.  Choice is batting .401 with 16 home runs and 58 RBIs for the Mavericks (26-26).  He was walked

intentionally in the first inning of Sunday’s 11-8 win over Lamar to set the record.

19…Times Choice has been intentionally walked this season to help him lead the nation with his 69 free passes 2010.

10…Big Ten teams that are all still alive in the race to qualify for next week’s 6-team Big Ten Tournament. Four  teams, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, and Iowa, are tied for fifth place.

.266…UC Riverside’s Tony Nix’s season batting average entering last week’s action.

.341…Nix’s current average after a week in which he was 17-for-26 with three home runs, five doubles, a triple, 11 runs scored, and 15 RBIs.  Nix had a stretch during which he had nine straight hits, including a 6-for-6 game against Loyola Marymount.

4…Home runs hit by Bucknell’s Paul Shribman to help the #4 seed Bison beat #1 seed Army in the Patriot League’s best two of three semifinal series.  Shribman belted a grand slam in the series clinching win and finished the weekend by batting 8-for-13 with 9 RBIs and 7 runs scored.  Bucknell faces #3 seed Holy Cross in this weekend’s Patriot League Championship Series.

College Baseball Attendance Report #10

Here’s the week ten college baseball attendance report as compiled by Tami Cutler of the NCBWA.  We have included the top ten most attended games from last week as well as the top ten season to date attendance averages and the ten top single-game attendances of the 2010 season.

Last Week’s Top Attended Games (4/19-4/25)
1.  10,509 Northwestern State at LSU, 4/21
2.  10,022 LSU at Ole Miss, 4/24 (1)
3.  8,783 LSU at Ole Miss, 4/25
4.  8,236 LSU at Ole Miss, 4/24 (2)
5.  7,776 Oral Roberts at Arkansas, 4/20
6.  7,314 Oklahoma State at Texas, 4/24
7.  7,217 Kansas State at Wichita State, 4/20
8.  7,138 Oklahoma State at Texas, 4/25
9.  6,183 Kentucky at Western Kentucky, 4/20
10.  5,688 Miami, Fla. at Florida State, 4/24

Top Season Attendance  School/Avg./Total #
1. LSU 10,664 / 319,934 / 30
2. Arkansas 7,372 / 199,069 / 27
3. Ole Miss 6,759 / 175,740 / 26
4. South Carolina 6,425 / 147,782 / 23
5. Texas 6,333 / 177,349 / 28
6. Mississippi State 6,066 / 151,661 / 25
7. Florida State 4,763 / 123,840 / 26
8. Clemson 4,643 / 116,095 / 25
9. Alabama 4,174 / 79,310 / 19
10. Texas A&M 3,827 / 103,341 / 27

Top Game Attendances Season To Date
1.  36,056 Louisiana Tech at Minnesota, 3/27
2.  14,588 UCLA vs. USC, 2/28
3.  12,313 Alabama at LSU, 4/17
4.  11,588 Centenary at LSU, 2/19
5.  11,332 Alabama at LSU, 4/16
6.  11,225 Arkansas at LSU, 3/19
7.  11,220 Pepperdine at LSU, 3/6
8.  11,157 Kansas at LSU, 3/12
9.  11,126 Centenary at LSU, 2/20
10.  11,089 Tennessee at Mississippi State, 4/17

CLICK HERE to see the full report.

CB360 Primetime Performers #8 (April 13)

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)

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.

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.

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.

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)

College Baseball Notebook-Week 8

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

2…Wins by Washington State over #1 Arizona State.  By taking two of three games in the series in Pullman the Cougars won their first series in program history over the Sun Devils.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Around The Bases-April 1

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…

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.

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.

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!

College Baseball Notebook-Week 3

A By The Numbers Look At The Weekend’s Action

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday’s Top-50 Results/Links

Eight teams ranked in CB360’s Composite National Rankings were in action on March 4, with the most noteworthy matchups including LSU-Pepperdine, ASU-Cal Poly, Kentucky-San Diego St., and Oklahoma-So. Florida. (front-page photo courtesy of ASU/Jason Wise).

Thursday’s games did not involve any matchups between fellow CNR top-50 teams, but #1 LSU (home vs. Pepperdine) and #6 Arizona State (at Cal Poly) each defeated teams that were listed in the CNR top-50 the previous week. Oklahoma (#26 in the CNR) also faced a challenge at home vs. a South Florida team that was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference, while #23 Kentucky played across the country and lost at San Diego State (which took 2-of-3 from previous CNR #21/current #37 San Diego).

CollegeBaseball360.com provides regular updates of games involving CNR top-50 teams, via the on-site Twitter feed (located in the right sidebar of all the site’s pages) and also now on the “Today’s Top-50 Games” page (which often will include links for live coverage, team rosters, gamenotes, etc.). Time permitting, CB360 also will begin providing in-game Twitter updates (in addition to final scores/details) – with the new offerings to include starting pitchers, lineups for big games, and in-game updates/details (particularly for matchups of fellow top-50 teams or when a potential upset is  brewing).

March 4 Noteworthy Games

(ranks indicate CB360  Composite National Rankings top-50)

Final Scores (upsets in italics)

• at #1 LSU 8, Pepperdine 1  |  Final Stats
LSU Recap |  PEP Recap (not yet posted)  |  Photos

• #6 Arizona State 12, Cal Poly 9 (Surprise, AZ)  |  Final Stats
ASU Recap |  CP Recap

• at #15 North Carolina 6, Gardner Webb 5  |  Final Stats
UNC Recap |  GW Recap |  Photos

• at #16 Oregon State 10, UC Riverside 3  |  Final Stats
OSU Recap |  UCR Recap

•at San Diego State 12, #23 Kentucky 4 |  Final Stats
SDSU Recap |  KY Recap

• #25 Stanford 10, at UC Davis 6  |  Final Stats
STAN Recap |  UCD Recap

• at #26 Oklahoma 5, South Florida 4  |  Final Stats
OU Recap |  USF Recap |  Photos

#42 Florida International 5, Utah Valley 4 (Surprise, AZ)  |  Final Stats
FIU Recap |  UV Recap

Schedule (with links)

• 3:00 ET – Gardner Webb at #15 North Carolina

UNC info. –  NOTEBOOK |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS

• 3:00 CT – South Florida at #26 Oklahoma

OU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS
Sooner Classic MAIN PAGE (March 4-7; field includes USF, W. Illinois & S.F. Austin)

• 2:00 PT – #25 Stanford at UC Davis

STAN info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS

• 3:00 PT – UC Riverside vs. #16 Oregon St.

(Surprise, AZ)

OSU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE

• 4:00 PT – #6 Arizona State vs. Cal Poly (Surprise, AZ)

ASU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS

• 6:30 CT – Pepperdine at #1 LSU

LSU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE
PEP info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS

• 6:00 PT – #23 Kentucky at San Diego State

KY info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE
SDSU info. – ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE

• 7 MT – #42 FIU vs. Utah Valley (Surprise, AZ)

FIU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE

Texas Tops Baseball/Football School List In 2009

Both Longhorn Teams Are National Runners-Up

Technically we’re cheating a little bit, but what the heck.  The seemingly forever lead-up to the January 7 BCS National Championship game between Alabama and Texas I started thinking about schools that have been exceptional this year in both baseball and football.

Texas finished second at the College World Series in 2009, and then came-up short again with a 37-21 loss to the Tide to end the 2009 college football season.  As I said, we’re cheating a bit, because while the bulk of the action came in the 2009 calender year the CWS was in the 2008-2009 academic year.

With that disclaimer out of the way, here’s a look at how schools performed on the diamond and gridirion in ‘09…

1. Texas:  Lost to LSU in the CWS Championship Series in Omaha and lost to Alabama in Pasadena in the BCS Title Game.
2. LSU:  The Tigers won college baseball’s national championship and lost to Penn State 19-17 in the New Year’s Day Capitol One Bowl.  Two Sport star Chad Jones pitched for LSU in Omaha and started all 13 football games at safety in ‘09.
3. Alabama:  The football team won the BCS Championship and the baseball team played in an NCAA Regional.  Mark Ingram won the school’s first Heisman Trophy in 2009, while Kent Matthes tied for the national lead with 28 home runs.
4. Arkansas:  The Razorbacks made it to the College World Series and the football team beat East Carolina 20-17 in the Liberty Bowl.
5. North Carolina:  Baseball went to a fourth straight CWS and football fell 19-17 to Pittsburgh in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
6. Southern Mississippi:  The Golden Eagle baseball team had a Cinderella run to Omaha while the football team lost 42-32 to Middle Tennessee State in the New Orleans Bowl.
7. Florida:  Tim Tebow ended his career with a 51-24 pasting of Brian Kelly-less Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl and baseball played in a Super Regional.
8. TCU:  The Horned Frog football team’s only loss was to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl and the baseball team was one win away from Omaha with a Super Regional loss to eventual national runner-up Texas.
9. Ole Miss:  Baseball played in a Super Regional and football beat Oklahoma State 21-7 in the Cotton Bowl.
10. Florida State:  Bobby Bowden cruised into retirement with a 33-21 win over West Virginia in the Gator Bowl and the baseball team played in a Super Regional.
11. Clemson:  The football team beat Kentucky 21-13 in the Music City Bowl and baseball advanced to a Super Regional.  Kyle Parker threw a touchdown pass in the bowl win and scored a run in the Super Regional.
12. East Carolina:  Lost to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl and played in a Super Regional.
13. Middle Tennessee State:  Football beat Southern Mississippi in the New Orleans Bowl and baseball played in an NCAA Regional.  Bryce Brentz tied for the national lead with 28 HR.

There were other schools such as Miami (FL) that played in both a bowl game and made an NCAA Regional in an NCAA Regional, but we cut the list off with MTSU.  The Blue Raiders have played in just four bowl games in their history.   The fact that they also played in a baseball regional in the same calender year makes the feat all the more unique for the Sun Belt Conference school.

Xavier 2010 Baseball Schedule

XU to Face Six 2009 NCAA Tournament Participants in 2010

CINCINNATI – Xavier University baseball head coach Scott Googins has announced the 2010 schedule, a slate that includes early season trips to Tennessee (Feb. 19-21), Georgia Tech (Feb. 26-28), Duke (Mar. 3) and Wake Forest (Mar. 5-7). The Musketeers will face six teams that made it to the NCAA Tournament in 2009, including Super Regional participant Louisville on March 16.

“We are really excited about the non-conference schedule that includes several teams with well known tradition,” commented Googins. “The guys are looking forward to playing at several great venues this season and those non-conference

teams will prepare us for our conference play. We’re excited about the atmosphere of where we’ll be playing, against teams in the ACC, SEC and Big XII, all good baseball conferences and good teams in those conferences.”

Complete 2010 Xavier Schedule

XU will open the season with 10 straight road games before its home opener on March 9 against LeMoyne. The Musketeers will take on tournament participant Missouri in Columbia Mar. 12-16 followed by a single game at Louisville and then will host Oakland for a three-game homestand Mar. 19-21. Xavier is set to play at Kentucky (Mar. 23) and at Indiana (Mar. 24) before opening Atlantic 10 conference play at Saint Louis Mar. 26-28.

“We have young arms but they have to be able to produce and we are definitely hoping to build off success from last year,” Googins mentioned. “It’s hard to look that far ahead, to the A-10 schedule, but I think we will be in the mix. Hopefully our guys will be up to the challenge.”

The Musketeers will play nine three-game A-10 series this season, including La Salle (Apr. 9-11), Duquesne (Apr. 16-18), Charlotte (May 7-9) and Massachusetts (May 14-16) at home. Other than SLU, Xavier will travel to Richmond (Apr. 2-4), Rhode Island (Apr. 23-25), Dayton (Apr. 30-May 2) and Saint Joseph’s (May 20-22) to round out its conference schedule.

Other teams in the Musketeers’ schedule in 2010 include Campbell University, Miami (Ohio), Ohio State, Cincinnati, Eastern Kentucky and Ohio. XU will once again be participating in the second annual Joe Nuxhall Classic Apr. 13-14, which will be hosted by Miami (Ohio) this season. Xavier will defend its 2009 title at the Classic in 2010 against the field that includes Cincinnati, Miami and Wright State.

(Release)

Parker Helps Clemson To Music City Bowl Win

Two Sport Star Helps Tigers To First Bowl Win Since 2005

Nashville, TN– Clemson two sport star Kyle Parker passed for 141 yards and a touchdown to help the Tigers to a 21-14 win over Kentucky Sunday night in the Music City Bowl.

Parker, who also played in a Super Regional last spring with the Tiger baseball team, was 8 of 14 through the air.  His lone touchdown pass of the night was a 32-yard strike to Jacoby Ford to give Clemson a 14-10 lead in the first half.  He hit C.J. Spiller earlier in the 90-yard drive on a 42-yard catch and run.

Spiller was named Music City Bowl MVP after amassing 172 all-purpose yards.  The senior running back had three catches for 58 yards, 15 rushes for 75 yards and returned two kickoffs for a total of 47 yards.  It was his last collegiate game.

Clemson (9-5) had not won a bowl game since a 2005 Champs Sports Bowl victory.  Kentucky (7-6) was trying to make program history by winning a fourth straight bowl.

Parker will now take a breather before he prepares for the start of Clemson’s baseball season.  He hit .255 with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs in 2009.  Parker was a freshman All-American in 2008 when he batted .303 with 14 HR and 50 RBIs in what would have been his freshman season in high school, but he graduated a semester early to begin his career at Clemson.

The Clemson baseball team opens its 2010  season Feb. 19 when it hosts Miami (OH).  The Tigers also play Michigan State and Furman that weekend.

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