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College Baseball Stock Up/Stock Down – Week 1

Sean Stires — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:01:36 +0000

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A Look At Some Movement From Opening Weekend Action

It’s only one weekend, but there were plenty of statements made over the course of the season’s first three days. Granted, the trends are a little skewed right now, since everything is based on mostly head-to-head match-ups, but we’ll do this every week throughout the season. Here are three teams whose stock is up and three whose stock is down after opening weekend:

Stock Up

New Mexico: Ray Birmingham’s Lobos did the nearly unthinkable when they went to Disch-Falk Stadium in Austin and took two of three games from top-ranked Texas. Both teams stranded a lot of runners, but the Lobos out-pitched the team with last year’s second best ERA (2.95) by compiling a 1.73 ERA compared to 2.67 for the Longhorns. The biggest difference was the late innings where New Mexico outscored Texas 6-1 in the series from the 6th-9th innings. The Lobos now find themselves in the national polls the earliest in program history. Last year’s #21 Baseball America ranking on March 23 was the previous earliest national ranking.

Oregon: Did the stars align for George Horton’s Ducks, or are they that good? Horton returned to the place where he won the 2004 National Championship and six College World Series berths and beat his former team, Cal State Fullerton, 7-3 on opening night. They’re off to a 3-1 start after wins over Long Beach State and Loyola Marymount along with an 11-7 loss to Pepperdine. Not bad for a team that won just 14 games in its first season of DI baseball since 1981 last year. The opening night win also snapped a 13-game losing streak that ended the 2009 campaign. Before anyone gets too excited though remember this: Oregon won its season opener and then took 2 of 3 games from defending National Champion Fresno State last year. They were 8-8 in their first 16 games only to win just 6 more times after March 15th. Their stock is up now, but wait and see might be the better approach for now where the Ducks are concerned.

Stanford: Stanford missed the NCAA Tournament in 2009, but made a big splash to start the 2010 campaign with a 3-game sweep of #5 Rice at Sunken Diamond. The biggest question for the Cardinal coming into the season appeared to be offense, but that question was answered at least for a week. Eleven different batters had at least one RBI over the weekend as Stanford outhit the Owls .327 to .233. Mark Marquess will find out a lot more about his team this weekend when they go to Austin for a 3-game set with Texas.

Stock Down

Texas: After a National Runner-Up finish last year Augie Garrido’s Longhorns were the consensus number one team entering the season. Texas opened 2009 with 11 straight wins and didn’t lose a home game until March 14. In fact, the Longhorns only suffered six setbacks at Disch-Falk Stadium all of last year. However, they dropped 2 of 3 games at home to New Mexico last weekend to unanimously fall from the top spot in each of this week’s rankings. Stat of the weekend: 19 combined runners left on base in their 6-5 & 3-1 losses. All the key parts are there, it’s just a matter of getting them in-synch. Texas hosts a hot Stanford team this weekend.

Rice: Credit Wayne Graham for going to California to start the season for a second straight year, but he and his Owls took 3 on the chin while being swept at Stanford. Rice hit just .233 as a team, but the 9.49 staff ERA along with 19 walks and 23 strikeouts in 24 2/3 IP have to be the most concerning stats from the weekend.. The longest outing by a Rice starter was 3 1/3 innings pitched by Jared Rogers in Saturday’s 14-5 loss (Stanford exploded for 11 runs in the 7th inning). To make matters worse, the Owls lost their home opener to Lamar 13-7 Wednesday night to fall to 0-4. Rice can point to the fact that his team bounced-back nicely after losing 2 of 3 games at Cal Poly to open last season. The Owls host Elon, Nebraska and Texas A&M Corpus Christi this weekend.

Cal State Fullerton: Dave Serrano’s Titans followed their season opening 7-3 loss to Oregon with a 6-0 setback to Pepperdine before beating Long Beach State 8-1 for their first win of the season. Fullerton hit just .240 in their three games, with the trio of Gary Brown, Billy Marcoe and Christian Colon combining for 12 of the team’s 23 hits. Meanwhile, starting pitchers Daniel Renken and Noe Ramirez yielded 7 earned runs in 11 2/3 combined IP. A 3-game home series with 2009 Super Regional team TCU is one of this weekend’s more intriguing match-ups.

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WCC 2010 Preseason Baseball Poll & All-Conference Team

Sean Stires — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:17:44 +0000

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San Diego Tabbed As The Team To Beat In 2010

SAN BRUNO, CA - San Diego was picked as the favorite to win this year’s WCC regular season title in the 2010 preseason baseball poll, as voted on by the head coaches in the conference. The Toreros received six first place votes for a total of 48 points and are ranked 24th in Collegiate Baseball’s preseason poll. Pepperdine was picked second with 38 points and is also receiving national recognition, ranked 34th in the Collegiate Baseball’s preseason poll. San Francisco totaled 33 points for third, while 2009 WCC Champion Gonzaga got one first place vote for 29 points to finish fourth, just edging out 2009 runner-up Loyola Marymount, which received 28 points for fifth. Rounding out this year’s preseason poll are Santa Clara, which received the last first place vote with 20 points, Saint Mary’s with 17 points, and Portland with 11 points.

San Diego is coming off a fifth place finish last year and return a number of key players, including 2009 WCC Player of the Year James Meador (SR, OF), and 2009 All-WCC first team members Zach Walters (JR, 3B) and AJ Griffin (SR, RHP), who also made the preseason all-conference team. In addition, Head Coach Rich Hill, who is the league’s all-time leader in WCC victories (246), will bring back Kevin Muno (JR, OF) and Kyle Blair (JR, RHP), who were both named to the preseason all-conference team. In all, San Diego, which led the league in batting average (.319), brings back eight starting position players and four pitchers.

Pepperdine, under Head Coach Steve Rodriguez, finished tied for third last year and led the league in strikeouts (477), opposing batting average (.240), and were tied for the lead in saves (12) and earned runs allowed (237). The Waves’ returners will be highlighted by Matt Bywater (JR, LHP), a 2009 All-WCC first team selection, and Cole Cook (SO, RHP) and Brian Humphries (SO, OF), who were both named to last year’s all-freshman team. Cook was also named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American last year.

San Francisco tied for third last year and will be led by 12th year Head Coach Nino Giarratano, who was named an assistant coach for the 2010 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. The Dons return 23 letterwinners, including 2009 All-WCC first team members Derek Poppert (SR, SS) and Doug Murray (SR, RHP), who led the league in wins going 9-0. In addition, junior infielder Stephen Yarrow was named to the preseason all-conference team.

Gonzaga, fresh off its first ever regular season and WCC Championship Series title, is led by 2009 WCC Coach of the Year, Mark Machtolf. The Zags will field a young team as they return three position starters and three pitchers, highlighted by Drew Heid (SR, OF), who was the 2009 Alaska Summer League MVP, and Cody Martin (JR, RHP), who tied for second in the league with six saves. Loyola Marymount, which finished second last year under first year Head Coach Jason Gill, returns four position starters and three pitchers, led by 2009 All-WCC first team selection Jonathan Johnson (JR, 2B) and all-freshman team members Ryan Hawthorne (SO, OF) and Shon Roe (SO, INF). Santa Clara, under Head Coach Mark O’Brien, returns five starting position players and eight pitchers, led by 2009 All-WCC first team members Geoff Klein (SR, C), who tied for the league lead in batting average (.379), and Nate Garcia (SR, RHP), who led the league in strikeouts (96), as well as Tommy Medica, who was named ot the preseason all-conference team. Saint Mary’s, led by Head Coach Jedd Soto, will be led by the 2009 WCC Freshman of the Year, Troy Channing, who became just the third player in WCC history to win the Triple Crown and was a second-team All-American. Portland returns eight starting position players and two starting pitchers under Head Coach Chris Sperry. Highlighting the returnees are 2009 All-Freshman team selection Kris Kauppila (SO, SS), and Zach Varce (JR, RHP), who tied for the league lead in saves with nine.

2010 WCC Baseball Preseason Poll
1. San Diego – 48 (6)
2. Pepperdine – 38
3. San Francisco – 33
4. Gonzaga – 29 (1)
5. Loyola Marymount – 28
6. Santa Clara – 20 (1)
7. Saint Mary’s – 17
8. Portland – 11
(First place votes)

Preseason All-Conference Teams
Position Players
Troy Channing, SMC
Drew Heid, GON
Riley Henricks, POR
Brian Humphries, PEP
Kris Kauppila, POR
Geoff Klein, SCU
James Meador, USD
Tommy Medica, SCU
Kevin Muno, USD
Zach Walters, USD
Stephen Yarrow, USF

Pitchers
Kyle Blair, USD
Matt Bywater, PEP
Cole Cook, PEP
AJ Griffin, USD
Doug Murray, USF

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West Coast Conference 2010 Baseball Preview

Sean Stires — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:01:27 +0000

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Gonzaga Looks For WCC Repeat After Winning First Crown

2009 Regular Season Champion: Gonzaga (36-18, 14-7)

2009 Tournament Champ: Gonzaga defeated Loyola Marymount 4-3 and 14-3 in the Championship Series to win their first ever WCC title.

Preseason Hype: Two West Coast Conference teams are ranked in Collegiate Baseball’s Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I preseason poll. San Diego comes in at number 24, while Pepperdine checks in ranked 34^th.

Reigning WCC Player of the Year James Meador of San Diego

Student-Athletes: Four WCC players were named to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSida Academic All-District VIII First Team, the most by any conference in the district. Evan Wells of Gonzaga, Ryan Wheeler of Loyola Marymount, Bryant Kraus Portland, and Drew Johnson of San Francisco all made the team.

The West Coast Conference looks to rebound from a down year in 2008. After sending three teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and two in 2008, only Gonzaga made it in 2009. The Bulldogs go after their second straight WCC crown after capturing their first ever conference title last year. However, several contenders are ready to make a run this year led by San Diego and Pepperdine.

Gonzaga

2009 Season: (36-18, 14-7)

Nickname: Bulldogs

Head Coach: Mark Machtolf

Location: Spokane, WA

Vitals: .299 BA, 39 HR, .390 OPB, .971 Fld%…4.44 ERA, 11 SVs, 422 K, 180 BB, .284 Opp. BA

Outfield Strength: CF Drew Heid (.355 BA, 8 triples) and LF Matt Castellitto (.278 BA, team high 9 HR) returns to lead the Bulldog offense.

Tough to Replace: The Bulldogs must fill the holes left by C Tyson Van Winkle, who led the team with a .362 BA, 27 doubles, and a .543 Slg%, and WCC Pitcher of the Year Matt Fields, who posted an 8-1 record with a 3.47 ERA and 74 Ks.

Strong Like Bull(dog): A challenging non-conference schedule awaits Gonzaga. Included are matchups against Missouri, Kansas, Texas Tech, Notre Dame and UC-Irvine.

Loyola Marymount

2009 Season: (30-29, 13-8)

Nickname: Lions

Head Coach: Jason Gill

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Vitals: .297 BA, 42 HR, .380 OBP, .971 Fld%…5.65 ERA, 9 SVs, 404 K, 198 BB, .304 Opp. BA

Who’s Next: Loyola Marymount has to deal with the loss of their top two offensive threats due to the graduations of OF Angelo Songco and 1B Ryan Wheeler. Songco (.360 BA, 15 HR, 63 RBI) led the Lions in nine offensive categories and was the only WCC player to be a semifinalist for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award given annually to nation’s top collegiate baseball player. Wheeler finished the 2009 season with a .319 BA while pounding out 20 doubles, 9 HR and 48 RBI.

Feast or Famine: 2009 saw its ups and downs for the Lions. After winning 8 of their first 10 games, LMU lost their next 10 only to win the next 8. Wins included victories over 5^th-ranked UC-Irvine, 6^th-ranked Cal State Fullerton and a four-game sweep of defending national champion Fresno State.

Jump right in: The Lions open the 2010 season with a three game series against 8^th-ranked UC-Irvine.

Pepperdine

2009 Season: (31-23, 12-9)

Nickname: Waves

Head Coach: Steve Rodriguez

Location: Malibu, CA

Vitals: .284 BA, 43 HR, .361 OBP, .982 Fld %…4.52 ERA, 12 SVs, 477 K, 223 BB, .240 Opp. BA

Pepperdine's Denny Duron

Golden Gloves: Pepperdine led the WCC with a .982 fielding percentage, committing only 36 errors all season, 23 fewer than the second place team, Gonzaga. INF Denny Duron earned WCC Defensive Player of the Year honors going 42 games while committing only 3 errors.

Big Arms: The Waves top two pitchers, Jr. LHP Matt Bywater (6-1, 3.57 ERA, 66 K, .217 Opp BA) and So. RHP Cole Cook (7-3, 3.69 ERA, 79 K, .195 Opp. BA, 1 SV) return to lead one the top pitching staffs in the WCC.

Nothing But the Best: A challenging non-conference slate features games against Cal State Fullerton, UC-Irvine, LSU, Stanford, and UCLA.

Portland

2009 Season: (25-26, 7-14)

Nickname: Pilots

Head Coach: Chris Sperry

Location: Portland, OR

Vitals: .290 BA, 50 HR, .361 OBP, .969 Fld %…5.32 ERA, 12 SVs, 295 K, 171 BB, .298 Opp. BA

Taking Flight: Portland’s 25 wins a year ago is the highest total in the 12 year tenure of head coach Chris Sperry.

Foundation for the Future: 20 of the 32 players on the 2010 roster are freshman or sophomores.

Key Returners: So. RHP Kyle Kraus (4-6, 4.00 ERA) and Jr. RHP Zach Varce (3-5, 2.69 ERA, 9 SVs) lead the young pitching staff, while Jr. INF Riley Hendricks (.344 BA, 31 RBI) and So. INF Kris Kauppila (.336 BA, 20 doubles, 8 SB) return to lead the Pilot offensive attack.

San Diego

2009 Season: (29-25, 11-10)

Nickname: Toreros

Head Coach: Rich Hill

Location: San Diego, CA

Vitals: .319 BA, 47 HR, .381 OBP, .961 Fld %…5.07 ERA, 12 SVs, 425 K, 190 BB, .274 Opp. BA

Big Hitters: San Diego was the top hitting team in the WCC in 2009 with a .319 team BA. They were led by Jr. James Meador (.376 BA, 80 H, 45 RBI), who was named the WCC Player of the Year, and So. Zach Walters (.377 BA, 13 doubles, 4 triples).

Mound Marvel: Sr. RHP A.J. Griffin became a starter during conference play last year posting an 8-3 record with a 3.33 ERA and 3 SVs. His 28 career saves are tied for most in WCC history.

Close to Home: The Toreros leave the state of California only three times this season. The first is March 26-28 for a three game series against Coastal Carolina. An early April trip to Tempe to play a pair against Arizona State, and a five game swing to Oregon to face Portland, Oregon and Oregon State in May complete the interstate road trips.

San Francisco

2009 Season: (28-28, 12-9)

Nickname: Dons

Head Coach: Nino Giarratano

Location: San Francisco, CA

Vitals: .296 BA, 41 HR, .375 OBP, .968 Fld. %…5.09 ERA, 9 SVs, 371 K, 194 BB, .278 Opp. BA

Fleet Feet: Sr. OF Zach Kim swiped 42 bases in 2009 breaking the single-season USF record. For the year, the Dons stole 107 bases in 129 attempts, a staggering 83 % clip.

Strong Arm Returns: 1^st team All-WCC P Doug Murray returns to head the USF staff. As a junior, Murray went 9-0 in 18 starts posting a 3.77 ERA while striking out 45. Murray was the only WCC pitcher to finish the season undefeated.

Save the Dates: USF hosts Rikkyo University from Japan in a special exhibition game at Benedetti Stadium March 3^rd. The Dons also take on St. Mary’s April 16^th at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.

Santa Clara

2009 Season: (19-34, 6-15)

Nickname: Broncos

Head Coach: Mark O’Brien

Location: Santa Clara, CA

Vitals: .286 BA, 24 HR, .356 OBP, .966 Fld. %…6.31 ERA, 7 SVs, 399 K, 170 BB, .312 Opp. BA

Key Returners: Two of the three Santa Clara players that garnered 1^st team All-WCC honors last year return this year’s squad. Sr. C Geoff Klein (.379 BA, 81 H, 56 RBI) led the WCC in batting average and hits in 2009 and anchors the everyday lineup this year. Sr. RHP Nate Garcia (7-5, 4.33 ERA, 96 K, 3 CG) will lead one of the younger pitching staffs in the conference.

Youth is Served: The Broncos’ 2010 roster includes 20 first-year players and 14 true freshman.

Welcome back: RS JR. Tommy Medica played in just 9 games last year before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He was leading the team with a .429 BA while scoring 9 runs and collecting 7 doubles at the time of his injury. For his career, Medica is a .361 hitter, 3^rd best in SCU history, and the WCC batting champ his freshman year in 2007.

St. Mary’s

2009 Season: (28-27, 9-12)

Nickname: Gaels

Head Coach: Jedd Soto

Location: Moraga, CA

Troy Channing

Vitals: .288 BA, 50 HR, .374 OBP, .965 Fld. %…5.35 ERA, 9 SVs, 364 K, 180 BB, .295 Opp. BA

Young Gun: 3B Troy Channing earned WCC Freshman of the Year honors after winning the conference triple crown becoming just the third player in WCC history to accomplish that feat. For the season, Channing hit .379, crushed 20 HR, and drove in 75. Channing also was just one of two freshman to be a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy.

Tough Road to Hoe: Trips to UC-Irvine, Tulane, Southern Mississippi, and Stanford highlight a challenging non-conference road schedule.

Need a Staff: Three of the Gaels top pitchers from a season ago are gone. Brian Justice, Scott Schneider and Nathan Gonzalez combined to earn 15 of the team’s 28 wins in 2009. Sr. RHP Brandon Berl (2-2, 4.01 ERA, 6 SVs) and So. RHP Kyle Barraclough (4-5, 4.70 ERA) lead the staff.

West Coast Conference Predictions

2010 Champion: Pepperdine, with San Diego fighting with them down to the wire

2010 Player of the Year: James Meador—San Diego

2010 Pitcher of the Year: Matt Bywater—Pepperdine

(By Collegebaseball360.com contributor Shawn Lewallen)