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Top Performers Shine During Opening Weekend

Max Willett (NewMexico/CF)

CollegeBaseball360.com has recognized a group of players from throughout the nation for their “primetime performances” during the season’s opening weekend (Feb. 19-21). Leading the way are three top honorees – as New Mexico senior centerfielder Max Willett (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Oregon sophomore second baseman Danny Pulfer (Cypress, Calif.) share the inaugural honor as Co-Primetime Players of the Week while Ball State senior righthander Morgan Coombs (West Terre Haute, Ind.) is the first Primetime Pitcher of the Week. These three players headline the first Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll (listed below).

Willette batted 7-for-11 (RBI, 3R, 2B) in leading New Mexico to a series win at top-ranked Texas, while Pulfer hit .412 (7-for-17) and had a hand in nearly 40% of Oregon’s 32 runs (6 RBI, 6 R) during the Ducks’ breakout southern-California roadswing (highlighted by wins over #3 Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State). Coombs delivered in a pressure-packed situation at #15 Arkansas, closing Ball State’s 5-2 win with 5.0 strong innings (UER, 4H, 8K) despite 8,000-plus spirited Razorbacks fans cheering against him.

Danny Pulfer (Oregon/2B)

Similar to the weekly awards presented on sister site CollegeSoccer360.com, the CB360 Primetime Performer honors various players based on any/all of the following “primetime” criteria…not solely based on raw stats.

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.

Morgan Coombs (Ball St./RHP)

• Involved in clutch performances, such as late game-winning hits, noteworthy comebacks, game-changing plays, team leadership, 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.

• Overcoming adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).

Additional information and bio. data on the Primetime Performers, along with headshots and action photos, is being added to this release.

The other 17 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll include New Mexico senior 1B Justin Howard, two sophomores (LHP/1B Danny Hultzen and 3B Steven Proscia) from the Virginia team that took 2-of-3 at East Carolina en route to the #1 national ranking, and two players (so. RHP Jordan Pries, jr. SS Jake Schlander) from the Stanford team that swept Rice, along with the following clutch performers: Northwestern State so. OF/1B Colin Bear … Hawaii so. RF Collin Bennett … Georgia Tech so. LHP Jed Bradley … East Carolina so. LHP Kevin Brandt … Louisiana-Monroe jr. RHP Wil Browning … Pepperdine jr. LHP Matt Bywater … Florida sr. CF Matt den Dekker … TCU fr. RF/C Josh Elander … Gonzaga sr. CF Drew Heid … Kentucky so. RHP/1B Braden Kapteyn … Baylor sr. RHP Willie Kempf … and Fresno State jr. 1B Jordan Ribera.

The 20 honorees include nine pitchers (pair of 2-way players; 5 RHP/4 LHP), five first baseman (including both 2-way players, plus one who also played OF), three centerfielders, three corner outfielders (one also played 1B, one C), one second baseman, one shortstop, one third baseman and one catcher (also played OF). TCU’s Elander is the only freshman among the Primetime players, which also include a fifth-year senior, six seniors, three juniors and a big sophomore-class representation of nine honorees.

The group includes four Texas natives – Bear, Elander, Howard and Kempf – and four more from California (Bywater, Pries, Pulfer and Ribera), along with two Primetime players from Washington and one each from Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New York and North Carolina.

(from left) Oregon second baseman Danny Pulfer, Ball State closer Morgan Coombs and New Mexico centerfielder Max Willett headline CB360’s first group of Primetime Performers (photos courtesy of each school).

WILLETT – batting from the #6 spot – combined with Howard to lead a Lobos offense that hit .284 with 10 extra-base hits in a three-game road series versus #1-ranked Texas and its vaunted pitching staff. UNM shocked the college baseball world by taking the series in Austin (2-6/6-5/3-1), with Willett batting 7-for-11 (.636, RBI, 3 R, 3B, 2B, HBP, SF) and playing error-free in center field.

After a solid showing in the opener (2-for-4, 2B), Willett went 3-for-4 in UNM’s game-2 upset. He led off the 6th by placing and opposite-field triple into the right-center gap and scored moments later for a 5-4 deficit. Three innings later, moments after Howard’s game-tying home run, Willett delivered in a situational plate appearance – flying out the left field for a sacrifice fly that plated Devon Conley as the eventual winning run.

Willett’s game-3 effort (2-for-3, 2R, 2B) helped produce another win over the Longhorns. He hit a 1-out single up the middle and scored the game’s first run in the 4th, later adding the game’s final run in the 8th (after a 2-out double down the leftfield line).

A second team all-Mountain West Conference selection in 2009 (.355, 46 RBI, 4 HR, 15 2B, 12-13 SB, 15 sac. bunts, 0 errors), Willett played sparingly in his first three seasons at UNM – totaling only 59 games played and 31 starts spanning the 2006-08 seasons. He batted only .229 as a sophomore in 2007 before seeing his junior season (12 GS) cut short by a hand injury. He is a product of Colorado’s Thunder Ridge High School, where he played on state-championship teams in both baseball and football.

Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll (Feb. 19-21)

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

Player (Pos.) … School … Yr., Ht./Wt. … Hometown … Stats & Notes

Colin Bear (OF) … Northwestern St. … So., 6-3/210 … Houston, TX

Collin Bennett (RF) … Hawaii … So., 6-1 … Bellevue, WA

Jed Bradley (LHP) … Georgia Tech … So., 6-4/210 … Huntsville, AL

Kevin Brandt (LHP) … East Carolina … So., 6-2/190 … Fuquay Varina, NC

Wil Browning (RHP) … La. Monroe Jr., 6-3/200 … Kosciusko, MS

Matt Bywater (LHP) … Pepperdine … Jr., 6-2/195 … Thousand Oaks, CA

*Morgan Coombs (RHP) … Ball State … Sr., 6-1/190 … West Terre Haute, IN

Matt den Dekker (CF) … Florida … Sr., 6-1/210 … Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Josh Elander (RF/C) … TCU … Fr., 6-0/205 … Round Rock, TX

Drew Heid (CF) … Gonzaga … Sr., 5-10/175 … Touchet, WA

Justin Howard (1B) … New Mexico … Sr., 6-0/205 … Ennis, TX

Danny Hultzen (LHP/1B) … Virginia … So., 6-3/200 … Bethesda, MD

Braden Kapteyn (RHP/1B) …Kentucky … So., 6-4/220 … Lansing, IL

Willie Kempf (RHP) … Baylor … Sr., 6-0/195 … Castroville, TX

Jordan Pries (RHP) … Stanford … So., 6-0/190 … Alameda, CA

Steven Proscia (3B) … Virginia … So., 6-2/215 … Suffern, NY

*Danny Pulfer (2B) … Oregon … So., … 5-10/190 … Cypress, CA

Jordan Ribera (1B) … Fresno State … Jr., 6-0/220 … Fresno, CA

Jake Schlander (SS) … Stanford … Jr., 6-2/195 … Scottsdale, AZ

*Max Willett (CF) … New Mexico … Sr., 5-10/190 … Highlands Ranch, CO

* – Note: Pulfur and Willett shared the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week award, while Coombs was the inaugural Primetime Pitcher of the Week

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Milestones & Upsets Highlight The First Week Of 2010

Max Willett (UNM photo)

2…wins by unranked New Mexico at #1 Texas in Austin.  The Lobos lost the season-opener on Friday, but came back with 3-1 and 6-5 wins Saturday and Sunday.  The wins are the first ever for New Mexico over a #1 ranked team.  Texas topped every national poll heading into the season.

.636…batting average by Lobo Max Willett in the 3-game series.  He had a 1.615 OPS with two doubles and a triple.  Willett also had the game-winning RBI in Saturday’s win.

23…runs by Washington State in Sunday’s 23-o rout of Seattle-the most runs by a Cougar team since 1999.  15 different Cougars had at least one hit.

5…Wazzou pitchers who combined in the shutout.

1,001…Career wins by LSU head coach Paul Mainieri after his Tigers’ 3-game weekend sweep of Centenary.  Mainieri hit the 1,000 win mark with Saturday’s 25-8 victory.

1,000…Career wins by Ohio State head coach Bob Todd after his Buckeyes won three games over the weekend in Jacksonville, FL.  OSU pounded Richmond 20-9 Sunday to get Todd to the milestone.

Danny Hall (GT photo)

901…career wins for Georgia Tech’s Danny Hall after a weekend sweep of Missouri State.

36…runs scored by Canisius in a doubleheader sweep of Illinois-Chicago Saturday at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, NC.  The Golden Griffins won the first game 20-4 and took the second game 16-10.

3…games Stanford won vs. 5th ranked Rice in Palo Alto.

11…runs Stanford scored in the 7th inning of game two of the series on Saturday.  The Cardinal was trailing 4-2 at the time.

5…pitchers Rice used during Stanford’s biggest inning in nearly two years.

265…wins at Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field by Oregon (and former Fullerton) head coach George Horton after Friday’s upset of the 4th ranked Titans.

6-5…the score of Friday’s Louisiana-Monroe win over Ole Miss.  It was the Rebels’ first season-opening loss since 1981.

Paul Karmas (St. John's photo)

1 & 15…combined hits and strikeouts by St. John’s starting pitchers Bruce Kern (5 IP-0H-0BB-8K) and Nick Cenatiempo (4 IP-1 H-0R-BB-7) in Friday and Saturday wins over New Orleans.

3…home runs by Red Storm 1B Paul Karmas in Sunday’s 31-6 win over UNO.

5…total runs by West Virginia in weekend losses to #17 Coastal Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia Tech.

9 1/2…runs a game scored by the Mountaineers last year-which ranked 12th in the nation.

14,922…fans who saw #2 Virginia win two of three games over #11 East Carolina at ECU’s Clark-LeClair Stadium.  Friday’s opening day crowd of 5,012 is the largest in stadium history.  Saturday’s crowd of 5,136 marked the first time ECU ever had back-to-back attendance of more than 5.000.

14…combined pitchers used by the Cavaliers (6) and Pirates (8) in Sunday’s 14-11 UVA series-clinching win.

3 2/3…innings pitched by UVA starter Cody Winiarski.  It was the longest stint for any of the 14 hurlers.  Virginia had 19 hits while East Carolina totaled 11.

4:11…the total time of the 9-inning game.

4:39…time of Lamar’s 5-4 win in 17-innings over Maine.  The game is the longest in Lamar history.  The two teams had played a 2 hour and 27 minute 9-inning game prior to the marathon.

12…strikeouts in 6 innings by Georgia Tech’s Jed Bradley in Sunday’s 13-0 win over Missouri State.  The lefty allowed just four hits and retired 6 of the first 8 batters he faced via strikeout.

13…strikeouts in 6 innings by Arizona freshman Kurt Heyer.  Heyer allowed just three hits and fanned 13 of the 22 batters he faced in Sunday’s win over Utah Valley in his collegiate debut.

2,500…all-time wins for the Arizona baseball program after Heyer’s performance Sunday.

Kevin Tokarski (ISU photo)

8…straight wins by UC Irvine pitcher Daniel Bibona after his 10 strikeout performance in a 5-1 win over Loyola Marymount.

3…the magic number during opening weekend for Illinois State’s Kevin Tokarski.  The redshirt sophomore tripled on the Redbirds’ first pitch of 2010.  He stole 3 bases with 3 doubles in his team’s first three games of the season.   Tokarski was a 2008 Freshman All-American, but missed last season due to wrist surgery.

8,803…total attendance of TCU‘s season-opening 3-game sweep of 2009 NCAA participant Sam Houston State.  The mark is a single-series TCU record.

.800…batting average by Horned Frog freshman Josh Elander.  He was 8-for-10 with a team-high six RBIs to start his career.

1…hit allowed in 6 innings on the mound by Conference USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year Todd McInnis.  The Southern Mississippi hurler didn’t give-up a hit until there were two outs in the 5th inning of Friday’s win over Northwestern State.  He exited the game after he reached his 75 pitch limit.

10 of 10…Pac 10 Conference teams that finished opening weekend with a winning record.  The Pac 10 is the only BCS conference that claimed that distinction over the first three days of the 2010 season.

Brentz, MTSU Are Preseason Favorites

Will The Sun Belt Race Go Down To The Wire Again?

2009 Regular Season Champion:  Middle Tennessee & Western Kentucky * MTSU and WKU shared the regular season crown based on their identical 21-8 league marks.  The Blue Raiders were the #1 seed at the Sun Belt Tournament, because they won their two head-to-head games vs. the Hilltoppers (game 3 of their series was rained-out).

2009 Tournament Champion: Middle Tennessee beat Louisiana-Monroe 3-1

Banner Year:  Middle Tennessee earned the Sun Belt Conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid by winning the league tournament in 2009.  Regular season co-champion Western Kentucky garnered the program’s first-ever at-large bid when it was picked for the Oxford, MS Regional.

On The Way Out:  The University of New Orleans recently announced that it will leave the Sun Belt Conference and the Division I ranks after the current season.  The program plans to begin the transition to Division III.

2010 Sun Belt Conference Preview

Arkansas State

2009 Record:  (23-30, 12-18)

Mascot:  Red Wolves

Head Coach:  Tommy Raffo

Location:  Jonesboro, AR

Vitals:  .296 BA, 34 HR, .393 OBP, .959 Fld%…5.67 ERA, 2 CG, 6 SV, 392 K, 215 BB, .282 opp. BA

Murray Watts (ASU photo)

Heart Of The Order:  Arkansas State loses three of its top five hitters, but the team’s 3 and 4 batters in the line-up, but Todd Baumgartner (.350, 8 HR, 53 RBIs, 13 SB) and Murray Watts (.305, 10 HR, 44 RBIs), both return.  One of those two led the Red Wolves in nearly every offensive category in 2009.  Watts is in his third season at his home town school after redshirting at Arkansas in 2007.  Leadoff man Cody Pace (.282)  is back for his senior season as well.

Pitching Questions:  The pitching staff loses its top three hurlers, Chris Bullington (2-3, 3.95 ERA), Chase Ware (5-3, 4.22 ERA) and Nick Lambert (4-1, 4.35 ERA), from a year ago.  Junior Andy Ferguson (5-5, 4.65 ERA) tied Ware for a team-high with five wins in ’09.

Home Opportunities:  The Red Wolves host 2009 Sun Belt Co-Champs Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky as well as 2009 Super Regional host Ole Miss this season.

Hey Rookie:  Former big league pitcher Jim Morris is the team’s featured speaker at its preseason Grand Slam Banquet.  The movie “The Rookie” was based on Morris’ inspirational and non-traditional route to Major League Baseball.

Arkansas-Little Rock

2009 Record:  (16-34, 7-21)

Mascot:  Trojans

Head Coach:  Scott Norwood

Location:  Little Rock, AR

Vitals:  .274 BA, 51 HR, .380 OBP, .941 Fld%…7.14 ERA, 2 CG, 5 SV, 368 K, 250 BB, .314 opp. BA

Core Four:  The Trojans lose their top overall hitter, Matt Apfel (.325 12 HR, 41 RBIs), but they return four key regulars from last year’s line-up.   Nate Brown (.306, 7 HR, 42 RBIs), Tim Emmons (.292, 10 HR, 32 RBIs), Tyson Parks (.276, 6 HR, 34 RBIs), and Landis Wilson (.274, 2 HR, 25 RBIs) each started at least 44 of the team’s 50 games in 2009.

Trojan Turnover:  UALR has 29 players on its roster (including the four previously mentioned returnees) who began their college baseball careers at other schools (mostly junior colleges).  20 junior college transfers, including 2009 NJCCA All-Americans Cody Giles, Ryan Juris and Casey McCollum, are among 26 newcomers on this year’s roster.

Mound Experience:  Four of the pitching staff’s top five pitchers, Adam Champion (3-7, 5.60 ERA, 13 starts), Sean Potter (2-4, 6.07 ERA, 25 app/6 starts), Anthony Pryor (3-4, 6.99 ERA, 10 starts), and J.R. Boling (2-3, 3.53 ERA, 3 SV), are all back for the Trojans in 2001.  All four are seniors.

Tough Tests:  The Trojans make non-conference  mid-week road trips to four 2009 NCAA Tournament teams – Kansas, Oral Roberts, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss.  They also host Kansas on May 18.

Florida Atlantic

2009 Record:  (30-26, 12-17)

Mascot:  Owls

Head Coach:  John McCormack

Location:  Boca Raton, FL

Vitals:  .313 BA, 59 HR, .396 OBP, .965 Fld%…6.41 ERA, 1 CG, 14 SV, 354 K, 281 BB, .295 opp. BA

Nick DelGuidice (FAU photo)

Balancing Act:  FAU had 12 batters who saw extensive duty in the line-up in 2009.  Seven of them hit between 6 and a team-leading 9 home runs and had between 32 and 52 RBIs (departed William Block led the team in both categories).  Junior SS Nick Delguidice (.321, 6 HR, 38 RBIs) is the only returnee from that group.

Something To Build On:  Nick Albaladejo (.373, 10 RBIs) started just 20 games as a freshman last year, but five of them were in the Owl’s last seven games.  The catcher finished his season by being named to the Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team.  He was 7 for 12 (.583) with four of his total 10 RBIs in three tournament games.  Albaladejo started just four of FAU’s first 23 games, but earned more playing time by hitting .308 in his opportunities.

Owl Arms:  Junior starter Mike Gipson (4-5, 5.93) is FAU’s top returning starter.  He had the staff’s only complete game and also earned a save last year.  Fellow junior Glen Troyanowski (4-3, 5.75 ERA, 6 SVs) is the top arm back in the bullpen.  Sophomore Hugh Adams (3-2, 3 SV) returns as well.

Big East Battles:  The Owls open the season by hosting a 3-game series vs. Big East member Cincinnati.  They also host Big East team Pittsburgh (March 10) and Rutgers (March 16 & 17) in 2010.

Florida International

2009 Record:  (34-22, 18-12)

Mascot:  Golden Panthers

Head Coach:  Turtle Thomas

Location:  Miami, FL

Vitals:  .325 BA, 82 HR, 65 SB, .410 OBP, .958 Fld%…5.74 ERA, 4 CG, 10 SV, 445 K, 167 BB, .297 opp. BA

Is That A Hole Or The Grand Canyon?:  FIU returns six of its top nine batters from last year’s team, but it loses one of the top power hitters in the country.  Tyler Townsend’s 24 home runs ranked 8th in the nation, his .434 batting average was 13th and he was 20th in the NCAA rankings with 77 RBIs.  He was taken by Baltimore in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft.

Filling The Void:  Senior first baseman Tim Jobe (.364, 10 HR, 48 RBIs) heads the group of top returnees.  He’s joined by Mike Martinez (.335, 6 HR, 37 RBIs), Junior Arrojo (.316, 23 SB), Pablo Bermudez (.313), and Raiko Alfonso (.300).

Panther Pitching:  Two weekend starters, Scott Rembisz (6-3, 4.69 ERA) and LHP Corey Polizzano (4-3, 6.20 ERA), are back to bolster the FIU pitching staff.  Sophomore LHP R.J. Fondon (7-2, 5.05 ERA, 2 SV) and Jorge Marban (4 SV, 24 app.)are among the returning relief corps.

Golden Panthers Go West :  18 of FIU’s first 22 games are in the state of Florida.  The only exceptions are four are games vs. Utah Valley State, Cal-Riverside, Cal Poly, and Arizona State at the Coca Cola Classic March 4-7 in Surprise, AZ.

Louisiana-Lafayette

2009 Record:  (27-30-1, 14-15)

Mascot:  Ragin’ Cajuns

Head Coach:  Tony Robichaux

Location:  Lafayette, LA

Vitals:  .278 BA, 51 HR, 68 SB, .358 OBP, .968 Fld%…5.01 ERA, 2 CG, 12 SV, 374 K, 202 BB, .288 opp. BA

Ragin’ Cajun Returns:  The team brings back six position players from 2009, including 3 of 4 infield spots. Greg Fontenot (.329), RBI leader Chad Keefer (.282, 8 HR, 47 RBIs) and Kyle Olasin (.305, 10 SB) are the top returnees.  Travis Whipple (.329, 8 HR), Scott Hawkins (.303, 10 HR) and Les Smith (.284, 9 HR, 41 RBIs) are the line-up’s  biggest losses.

Returning Pitching:   Senior Zach Osborne (5-3, 3.44 ERA) who had both of the staff’s complete games as well as a save and  junior Michael Cook (5-3, 5.88 ERA) are the top starters to return.  The duo tied for the team lead in wins.  Senior Justin Robichaux (3-3, 1.98 ERA, 2 SV) started six games and came out of the pen11 times last year.  They lose LHP Greg Wilborn, who was drafted in the 18th round by the Dodgers.

Bayou Cookin’:  The Ragin Cajuns play 22 of their first 25 and 46 games overall in Louisiana this season.

Louisiana-Monroe

2009 Record:  (32-27, 12-17)

Mascot:  Warhawks

Head Coach:  Jeff Schexnaider

Location:  Monroe, Louisiana

Vitals:  .325 BA, 85 HR, 65 SB, .415 OPB, .965 Fld%…6.27 ERA, 6 CG, 10 SV, 338 K, 235 BB, .325 opp. BA

So Long Soignier:  ULM loses Ben Soignier, who  led the Warhawks in batting average (.376), doubles (22), RBIs (71), slg% (.628), and on-base percentage (.500) last year.  He also hit 11 HR.  Soignier was drafted in the 18th round by Florida last year after a stellar senior season.

Oh Canada:  Another key loss is OF Jon Prevost (.332, 15 HR, 52 RBIs).  The Montreal native was recently named to the Canadian Baseball Network’s 2009 All-Canadian College First Team.

Boomer Blanchard (ULM photo)

Key Returns:  The Warhawks return four key contributors, Jordy Poche (.365), Perry Smith (.365), Boomer Blanchard (.351, 12 HR), and Matt Laird (.301, 10 HR, 55 RBIs), to this year’s line-up. Blanchard was named 2009 Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year.  Poche also started 12 games on the mound (2 wins).  Fellow starter Don Williams (6-2, 5.72 ERA, team-high 3 CG) also returns along with reliever Corey Brown (4-2, 3.46 ERA, SV).

Bring It On:  ULM opens the season with a 3-game series in Oxford, MS vs. 2009 Super Regional team Ole Miss.  They also face defending national champion LSU in Baton Rouge on March 9th.

Middle Tennessee State

2009 Record:  (44-18, 21-8)

Mascot:  Blue Raiders

Head Coach:  Steve Peterson

Location:  Murfreesboro, TN

Vitals:  .340 BA, 101 HR, .416 OBP, .969 Fld%…5.15 ERA, 5 CG, 16 SV, 392 K, 233 BB, .281 opp. BA

Bryce Brentz (MTSU photo)

The Champ Is Here:  The defending conference champions are led by junior OF/P Bryce Brentz.  The reigning SBC Player of the Year led the nation in batting average (.465), home runs (28-T), and slugging % (.930), while his .535 on-base % ranked 4th nationally.  Brentz was also 5-3 with a 4.57 ERA and a complete game in 14 starts on the mound.

Supporting Cast:  MTSU returns five other tough outs in the line-up with Tyler Burnett (.344, 7 HR), Blake McDade (.340, 6 HR, 51 RBIs), Ben Darlington (.325, 7 HR), Stuart Meinhart (.324, 6 HR), and Drew Robertson (.312) all back.

Staff Ace:  Senior Kenneth Roberts (11-1, 3.04 ERA) is back to lead the pitching staff.  Brentz and senior Chad Edwards (8-2, 5.77 ERA) give the Blue Raiders a solid pitching rotation.

Key Losses:  Rawley Bishop (.398, 14 HR), Nathan Hines (.352, 11 HR, 73 RBIs) and closer Coty Woods (4-3, 1.62 ERA, 15 SV) were all drafted and signed professionally last summer.

SEC Challenge:  MTSU plays home-and-home series vs. in-state rivals Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

New Orleans

2009 Record:  (22-23, 12-18)

Mascot:  Privateers

Head Coach:  Bruce Peddie

Location:  New Orleans, LA

Vitals:  .291 BA, 54 HR, 60 SB, .370 OBP, .948 Fld%…7.76 ERA, 0 CG, 10 SV, 337 K, 220 BB, .312 opp. BA

Baseball Jones:  Sophomore OF Rodarrick Jones (.299,7 HR, 12 SB) was named the New York Collegiate Summer League’s #3 prospect by Baseball America.  In 41 games for Glen Falls last summer he hit .279 with 13 stolen bases and a team-high 25 RBIs.

Locked-In Line-Up:  Including Jones UNO returns its top six hitters for first year head coach Bruce Peddie.  Jr. Jay Morris (.362), Sr. Alan Harris (.344, 9 HR, 44 RBIs), Sr. Nick Schwaner (.332, 12 HR, 53 RBIs, 1.015 OPS), Jared Comarda (.306, 9 HR), and Ryan Eden (.270, 5 HR) combined with Jones to hit 44 of the Privateers’ 54 home runs in 2009.

Privateer Pitching:  UNO returns 12 of its 16 pitchers who saw action last year, including Soph. RHP Joe Zimmerman (3-4, 6.04 ERA, 13 starts) and Jr. RHP Cory Myers (2-8, 9.31 ERA, 11 starts), who were the only hurlers on the staff to reach double digit starts.  The biggest loss is reliever David Burch (2-0, 3.26 ERA, 9 SV).

South Alabama

2009 Record:  (25-30, 13-16)

Mascot:  Jaguars

Head Coach:  Steve Kittrell

Location:  Mobile, AL

Vitals:  .328 BA, 37 HR, .394 OBP, .966 Fld%…6.70 ERA, 1 CG, 10 SV, 387 K, 226 BB, .314 opp. BA

Eddy Cabrera (USA photo)

Two Sport Milestone:  Freshman Eddy Cabrera is also a member of the USA football team.  2009 was  South Alabama’s first season of college football, which makes Cabrera the first player in the 45-year history of the USA baseball program to play both  football and baseball.  The defensive back played in five games last fall and ranked third on the team with two interceptions.

Pitching Questions:  The Jaguars lose three of their top starters, Brandon Sage (3-6, 4.64 ERA), Matt Jackson (5-4, 5.33 ERA) and Miles Ethridge (4-4, 7.38 ERA), who combined to make 35 of the team’s 55 starts last year.  They do return their most versatile pitcher, Lance Baxter (3-3, 3.74 ERA).  The senior southpaw made seven starts and also led the staff with 6 saves.

No Doss:  The Jaguars lose one of the most prolific hitters in program history, David Doss.  The catcher Leaves South Alabama as the Jags’ all-time leader in career hits (312), doubles (70), RBI (197) and at-bats (851).  He hit .378 with 12 HR and 59 RBIs last year before being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Solid Returns:  USA does return a quartet of solid hitters from last year’s team.  OF Adam Heisler led the Jags with a .309 average while stealing 16 bases,  Jake Overstreet hit .336 with 18 doubles and 4 HR, Clint Reynolds hit .328 with a team-high 18 stolen bases, and INF Zach Grichor hit .306.

Troy

2009 Record:  (33-23, 18-10)

Mascot:  Trojans

Head Coach:  Bobby Pierce

Location:  Troy, AL

Vitals:  .309 BA, 67 HR, .392 OBP, .970 Fld%…6.32 ERA, 0 CG, 13 SV, 382 K, 234 BB, .299 opp. BA

En-masse Experience:  Troy returns 13 seniors, of which 9 are position players.  Eight of those nine have been starters at some point in their first three years.  The team’s top two hitters from 2009, OF Miles Hoyle (.350, 9 HR, 35 RBIs) and 1B Ryan Ditthardt (.327, 7 HR, 54 RBIs) along with OF Chad Watson, (.317, 6 HR, 10 SB) are included in the veteran group.

Significant Losses:  Gold Glove third baseman Brett Henry (.314, 7 HR, 42 RBIs) and team home run leader Trevor Tyre (.324, 11 HR, 36 RBIs) are the two biggest holes to fill in the Trojan line-up.  The pitching staff also loses starters Jason Walls (4-4, 4.73 ERA) and Travis Burge (6-2, 5.47 ERA) as well as closer Chris Sorce (2-1, 3.26 ERA, 5 SV).   Sophomore Tyler Ray (7-3, 4.60 ERA) is the only returning weekend starter.  His seven wins and 62 strikeouts led the Trojans.

CWS Challenge:  Troy plays four games vs. 2009 College World Series teams.  They play a 3-game series at Arkansas Feb. 26-28 as well as one game at Southern Mississippi on March 10th.

Western Kentucky

2009 Record:  (42-20, 21-8)

Mascot:  Hilltoppers

Head Coach:  Chris Finwood

Location:  Bowling Green, KY

Vitals:  .330 BA, 88 HR, .423 OBP, .982 Fld%…5.47 ERA, 1 CG, 19 SV, 450 K, 216 BB, .282 opp. BA

Historic Hilltoppers:  WKU’s share of the Sun Belt Conference regular season crown in 2009 was a program first.  The team also advanced to its first-ever NCAA Regional championship game before falling to Ole Miss.  Their at-large bid was also a first for the program.

No Net Gains:  The Hilltoppers have two huge holes to fill in the middle of their line-up this year.  Wade Gaynor (.371, 25 HR, 78 RBIs, 21 SB) was drafted in the 3rd round by Detroit last year with the 89th overall pick.  The highest draft pick in the Hilltoppers’ 90-year history is also the first WKU player to hit 20 HR and steal 20 bases in the same season.  Chad Cregar (.325, 19 HR, 63 RBIs, 19 SB) was drafted by Florida.  The team also loses 2009 Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Matt Hightower (7-3, 4.01 ERA), who also hit .300 with 11 HR and 53 RBIs.

Key Returns:  Western Kentucky does return a slew of key players.  Junior catcher Matt Rice is a preseason All-American.  He’s joined in the line-up by Jake Wells Matt Payton and OF Kes Carter, who only started 24 games last year.   Starting pitchers Shane Cameron (5-2, 5.03 ERA) and Matt Ridings (8-2, 4.84 ERA) are back.  Ridings was drafted last June, but opted to return for his senior season.  Eight WKU pitchers combined for 19 saves last year.  Senior LHP Bart Carter (6-1, 6.00) led the staff with 4 saves.

2010 Sun Belt Conference Predictions

Player of the Year:  Bryce Brentz – Middle Tennessee State

Pitcher of the Year:   Kenneth Roberts – Middle Tennessee State

Sun Belt Champion:  Middle Tennessee State