A By The Numbers Look At The First Full Week Of The Season

Jason Mitchell (UTA photo)

0…Hits allowed in five innings of relief by UT pitcher Cole Green.  He fanned 6 with no walks in the series finale.

18…Strikeouts by UT Arlington pitcher Jason Mitchell in Friday’s win over Missouri State.  Mitchell lost a no-hitter with one out to go in the game, which the Mavericks won 1-0 in 14 innings.   The 18 Ks breaks a school and Southland Conference record.  He struck out at least two batters in all but the 8th inning (1).

0…Runs allowed in 5 innings of relief in that same game by Arlington reliever Adam Boydston, who fanned 8 himself with just one walk and one hit allowed.

2…Wins in three games  by TCU at Cal State Fullerton over the weekend.

4…Home losses by the Titans already this season.

8…Home losses by Fullerton in 2009.

2…Losses in his first two starts by Cal State Fullerton pitcher Daniel Renken after allowing 3 ER in 6 IP in Friday’s loss to the Horned Frogs.

3…Losses by Renken all of last year.

2…Wins by #19 Coastal Carolina over #4 UC Irvine on Saturday in Myrtle Beach, SC.

9…Runs in the 8^th inning of game two of the doubleheader by the Chanticleers to beat the Anteaters 13-6.

2…Combined losses by Irvine pitchers Daniel Bibona and Eric Pettis in Saturday’s twin bill.

3…Combined losses by Bibona and Pettis in 2009.

109…Pitches thrown in 5 1/3 IP by Bibona in his loss.

119…Pitches thrown in 6 2/3 IP by Pettis in his loss.

5…RBIs by Coastal Carolina catcher Jose Iglesias in the doubleheader sweep.  He was 6-for-8 at the plate in the games.

6…Runs scored by Irvine in the 8th inning on Sunday to beat James Madison 15-9 for their only win in Myrtle Beach.  In addition to their losses to Coastal Carolina the Anteaters also fell to North Carolina State.

Greg Peavey (OSU photo)

8…Strikeouts and earned runs allowed in 3 ½ innings by Tennessee’s Bryan Morgado in Friday’s 17-1 loss

to Oregon State.

0…Runs allowed with 9 strikeouts by Oregon State’s Greg Peavey in Sunday’s 1-0 win over the Vols.  Peavey allowed just three hits with one walk in his first win of the season.

0.64…Peavey’s ERA in his first 14 innings pitched this season.

9…Strikeouts in 6 innings by Louisville pitcher Thomas Royse in Friday’s 2-0 win over Michigan.

10…Strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings by Todd McInnis in 26th ranked Southern Mississippi’s 8-2 loss to LeMoyne.

2 of 3…Games Southern Miss. dropped to LeMoyne after falling 12-11 in the series finale.

20…Runners left on base by the Golden Eagles in the pair of defeats.

5…RBIs by Dolphin LF Chris Edomonson in the 12-11 win over USM.

84…Runs scored by Arizona State in its 7-0 start to the season.

18…Runs allowed by the Sun Devils (two unearned) for a 2.36 staff ERA.

15…Runs and hits by Georgia Tech in Saturday’s 15-0 win over Xavier.

1…Win over a top 10 team in the history of Xavier baseball after Sunday’s 7-6 win over #4 Georgia Tech.

4 & 3…Respective errors and unearned runs allowed by the Yellow Jackets in their first loss of 2010.

13…Errors in three games committed by Notre Dame en-route to a 1-2 weekend at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge.

Maine's Jeffrey Gibbs

6…Of those errors committed by the Fighting Irish in Sunday’s 8-7 10-inning win over Penn State.

1…Win this season for Maine (1-5) after Saturday’s 5-3 upset of #12 North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

1…Career win for Black Bear pitcher Jeffrey Gibbs, who earned the win vs. the Tar Heels.  He struckout seven and allowed 2 ER in 5 1/3 IP.

2…Career starts by Gibbs-a 6’4-190 lb. freshman from Toronto, Ontario.

12…Strikeouts in 7 IP by Virginia sophomore Danny Hultzen in a 13-0 win over Rhode Island.  The lefty allowed no runs and no walks on two hits to improve to 2-0.

43…Runs scored by the Cavs in their 3-game sweep of URI while allowing just 7 runs to improve to 6-1.

Manhattan's John Soldinger

0…Runs allowed in 4 IP by Manhattan freshman reliever John Soldinger in Sunday’s 12-7 win over the 10th ranked Miami Hurricanes.

7…Earned runs allowed in 5 IP by Jasper starting pitcher Mike Gazzola who got credit for the win after exiting with his team leading 9-5.

7 & 9…Combined runs scored and RBIs, respectively, by Manhattan 2-5 batters Mark Onorati, Mike McCann, Chad Salem, and Austin Sheffield in the upset of the Hurricanes.  The quartet also combined to hit .500 (10-for-20).

6-0…Washington State’s record after Sunday’s 10-7 win over Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX.  It’s Wazzou’s best start since going 9-0 to start the 1988 season.

Brian Fletcher (Auburn photo)

4, 11 & 13…Home runs, RBIs & runs scored by New Mexico State shortstop Ryan Aguayo.  The junior hit .440 with an 1.120 slugging percentage in six games last week.

3…Of Aguayo’s home runs that came in one game-a 17-5 win over Akron.  He hit half of the Aggies’ 6 HRs in the contest.

4 & 9…Home runs and RBIs by Eastern Kentucky’s Anthony Ottrando in the Colonel’s season-opening 3-game series vs. Western Carolina.

11…RBIs with 3 home runs in 3 games by Auburn’s Brian Fletcher.  His 10th inning walk-off home run gave the Tigers a Friday win over Boston College.

15…Strikeouts in 7 IP by Ole Miss lefty Drew Pomeranz in a win over Oakland.  He allowed just a run on a solo HR.

8-0…The deficit top-ranked LSU faced in the middle of the 6th inning at home Saturday vs. William & Mary. The Tigers scored 8 runs in the bottom of the 6th and then added two more runs in the 7th to win 10-9.

22…Years since LSU had overcome as big a deficit.  They came back from 10 runs down to beat Ole Miss in 1988.

13 1/3…Total innings pitched in two outings last week by Kansas pitcher Cameron Selik.  The junior allowed just one earned run with 10 strikeouts vs. Eastern Michigan and Sacramento State.

All 2010 Big East Schedules Have Been Released

Bulls head coach Lelo Prado

University of Tampa Baseball Stadium to accommodate the construction set to begin in early April.

“2010 is going to be an exciting year for USF baseball,” said Prado. “This schedule is going to challenge us every time we take the field right from the beginning when we go to Gainesville.”

The Bulls will be tested by the challenging 27-game BIG EAST schedule and will also face Sunshine State rivals Florida, Miami, Florida Atlantic, Stetson, Jacksonville, North Florida and UCF.

The Bulls will kick off 2010 by heading north on Interstate-75 to Gainesville to face Florida in a three-game set on Feb. 19-21. The Gators will make a return trip to Tampa on April 21 for a mid-week tilt at George Steinbrenner Field.

Complete 2010 USF Schedule

USF will then participate in the 2010 Big Ten – Big East Challenge in Clearwater for the second consecutive year. Last year’s Challenge, which featured eight programs from the BIG EAST and all of the Big Ten baseball-playing institutions,  was very well attended, including a final-day attendance of 5,000 for the six games played at the Naimoli Complex.

On Friday, February 26, the first day of the 2010 Challenge, USF will take on Ohio State University at 4:30 p.m. at Al Lang Field. The meeting will mark the eighth meeting and first since 1997 between the Bulls and Buckeyes, with USF holding a 4-3 edge.

The Bulls’ second contest will be under the lights of Bright House Stadium on Saturday against the Fighting Illini of Illinois. The Bulls will look to snap a four-game losing streak dating back to 2004 and even the all-time series at four apiece as the Illini have taken four of the seven all-time meetings.

Prado and his Bulls will wrap up the Challenge on Sunday against familiar opponent Michigan at 1:00 p.m. at the Naimoli Complex.  They will have a chance to avenge a loss suffered in the inaugural Big East – Big Ten Challenge when they dropped a 6-5 decision to the Wolverines in the opening game.

Tickets for the second BIG EAST-Big Ten Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, are available online at www.BigTenBIGEASTChallenge.com.

After the Challenge, the Bulls will collide with Miami in Tampa at George M. Steinbrenner Field as part of the Inaugural Florida Four Tournament on March 2. It will mark the first of two mid-week clashes with the Hurricanes, who made their 37th consecutive NCAA appearance in 2009. USF will make the trip to Miami on April 28.

Following the Florida Four, the Bulls will make the trek to Norman, Okla., March 4-7 for four games including a pair of contests against the Sooners, another 2009 NCAA tournament team.  The Bulls will also take on Stephen F. Austin and Western Illinois during their stay in Norman.

After returning from Norman, USF will stay in Florida for the rest of the month hosting a pair of mid-week games against Jacksonville (March 9-10), and then host a pair of weekend series against Eastern Illinois (March 12-14) and Mercer (March 19-21).

USF will get another crack at Ohio State in March, as the Bulls and Buckeyes will meet on the 24th in a final tune-up before BIG EAST conference play begins at Red McEwen Field.

Due to the recently announced construction of a new USF baseball stadium, all home games played after the Notre Dame series (March 26-28) will be played at either George Steinbrenner Stadium or University of Tampa’s Spartan Stadium.

The new baseball stadium will remain on the same footprint as the existing field, but will be realigned in order to create a plaza and ticketing area that is shared with the new softball stadium. Current plans have the softball field located south of the baseball stadium.

“We are very pleased with the progress and design of the new baseball stadium ,”  said USF Executive Associate Director of Athletics Bill McGillis.’ It is on a fast-track, and we have every intention of having it completed in time for the first pitch of 2011.  We are anticipating a spectacular facility – a very intimate setting with team and spectator amenities that will be first class in every way.  There is not doubt it will be one of the premier college baseball stadiums in the entire country.”

The baseball stadium is expected to include new step-down team dugouts, bullpens, covered batting cages, multiple party pavilions, a press box and a 1,500 seat spectator grandstand with a shade canopy, an elevated, shaded entertainment or hospitality deck and service amenities. The overall capacity of the stadium is expected to exceed 3,000 and is being designed to accommodate additional seating that will enable USF to host NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals.

“We are very happy to accommodate the construction plans for the new stadium by moving to games to Steinbrenner Stadium,” added Prado. “I want to personally the thank New York Yankees, Felix Lopez (Senior Vice President with the New York Yankees), Mark Newman (senior VP of baseball operations of the New York Yankees) along with the University of Tampa because of their help it allows us to begin construction of our facility and have it completed for the 2011 season.”

The 27-game BIG EAST schedule consists of home series against Notre Dame (March 26-28), Georgetown (April 9-11), Villanova (April 23-25), Seton Hall (April 30-May 2) and Connecticut (14-16). The road slate consists of trips to Cincinnati (April 1-3), Rutgers (April 16-18), St. John’s (May 7-9) and will close out the 2010 season with a trip to Pittsburgh (May 20-22) for a three game set in the Steel City.

USF will host home series against Georgetown, Villanova and Connecticut at Steinbrenner Stadium, along with a mid-week match-up against UCF on April 6. UT Spartan Stadium will serve as the Bulls’ home for the Seton Hall series and April 27 game against Florida Gulf Coast.

Times for most home weekend series are as follows: Friday and Saturday night games will be at 7 p.m. and the first pitch for Sunday games will take place at 1 p.m however times may very.

Weekday games are slated for a 7 p.m. start, however times are subject to change. Be sure to check GoUSFBulls.com regularly for any schedule changes and updates.

Earlier this year, the BIG EAST Conference announced the return of the BIG EAST Championships to Clearwater at Bright House Field. It has been chosen as the site of the 2010 and 2011 BIG EAST Conference Baseball Championships.

Bright House Field served as the venue for the 2006, 2008 and 2009 BIG EAST Championships. The 2010 BIG EAST Conference Baseball Championship will be played May 26-30 (Wednesday through Sunday), with the top eight teams in the regular season standings qualifying. The 2011 conference tournament will take place May 25-29. The winner of the BIG EAST Championship receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

The championship game of the 2010 BIG EAST tournament is scheduled to be televised live on ESPNU.

The Bulls lost just five players from a 2009 ball club that went 18-9 in the BIG EAST en route to a second place finish, just a half game back of regular and tournament champion, Louisville. The 2009 BIG EAST Coach of the Year, Lelo Prado, enters his fourth year at USF with a vision to take his program to next level.

2009 Freshmen All-Americans Sam Mende and Todd Brazeal headline a solid core of returners, and the Bulls also bring back their ace in Randy Fontanez, who went 7-3 in 13 starts last season. 2009 BIG EAST Batting Champion Junior Carlin and 2008 Freshman of the Year Ryan Lockwood, also return for the 2010 season.

(Release)

Clemson’s Kyle Parker Does Double Duty

Parker threw 19 TDs this season for bowl bound Clemson.

It’s hectic enough being a two sport college athlete, but it’s even more chaotic when the two sports converge.  That is what happened to Clemson’s Kyle Parker during the weekend of April 11, 2009.

The Clemson football team was wrapping-up its spring drills with the annual Spring Football Game, which meant he would be under center at quarterback that afternoon.  But the Tiger baseball team was also hosting Miami in a crucial ACC series that weekend.  (See where this is going?)

Parker first suited-up for his first-year football coach, Dabo Swinney, and had a stellar day on the gridiron.  He completed 10-of-21 passes for 171 yards and no interceptions on the day.  He also added a rushing touchdown in his action at Frank Howard Field at Memorial Stadium (known to most as “Death Valley).  His day wasn’t done there though.

Parker then rushed to Doug Kingsmore stadium to play the doubleheader with the baseball team.  He got there after the first game had started, but he went 2-for-4 with his 6th home run of the season and 3 RBIs after being inserted into the line-up at DH for Richard Mounce.  Despite his efforts Clemson lost 12-8 to the Hurricanes.

Parker came-up big again in the second game, going 1-for-3 with his 7th home run.

Parker hit .255 with 12 HR in 2009 (Clemson Photo)

He had 2 RBIs with 2 runs as Clemson won 9-1.   In the series finale the next day Parker failed to homer, but he was 1-for-3 with 2 more RBIs as Clemson downed Miami 9-6 to win the series.

Parker finished his sophomore season by hitting .255 with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs.  Clemson finished the season with a 44-12 record with a trip to the Tempe Super Regional.

His 2009 football season was solid as well.  Parker passed for 2,385 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions to help Clemson to an 8-5 regular season record.  The Tigers face Kentucky in the Dec. 27 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN.

Parker is among more than 35 college baseball players who have been included in the Collegebaseball360.com Two Sport Reports throughout the fall.

Other Top Moments Of 2009

16.  #1 Arkansas Beats #1 Arizona State

17.  Rhode Island Beats Miami And Oklahoma State

18.  Kansas State’s A.J. Morris beats Arizona State’s Mike Leake

19.  North Carolina’s Mike Fox Wins His 1,000th Game

20.  Illinois Shocks #1 LSU In Baton Rouge

21.  Alabama’s Kent Matthes Launches Longballs

22.  Freshman Levi Michael Starts In North Carolina’s Season Opener

23.  LSU Opens The New Alex Box Stadium

24.  Oregon Brings Back Baseball

Rhode Island Beats Miami And Oklahoma State

Rhode Island head coach Jim Foster

North Carolina State in Raleigh, NC, but its biggest statements came in games on the home fields of two highly ranked teams in 2009.

Rhody was just 4-2 heading into its March 3 match-up vs. the Miami Hurricanes in Coral Gables, but 67 degree weather proved agreeable to the New England club.  The Rams downed the Hurricanes 3-0 thanks to 8 shutout innings from Eric Smith, who scattered three singles vs. the 8th ranked team in the nation.  Luke Demko pitched a perfect 9th inning for his first save of the season.

Rob Deveney, Zoey Angulo (a Miami native) and Mike LeBel each had an RBI in what is probably the biggest win in the history of the URI program.  Miami was

Eric Smith is the first URI player to ever be taken in an MLB draft.

ranked in five national polls, including 8th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. They were also coming of the program’s 23rd appearance in the College World Series.

“This is just an unbelievable win for us,” Foster would say after the game. “To come out and shut down a team that was ranked No. 1 in the country last year says a lot about our guys. They have been playing so well. I couldn’t be happier right now.”

Smith’s first win of the season earned him national recognition after making Rhode Island the first unranked team to blank Miami on its home field since 2000.

The Rams closed their Florida trip with wins over Fairfield and #25 Ohio State and then headed to Oklahoma.

On March 15 Smith and URI held their ground, but lost 4-3 to 4th ranked Cal State Fullerton in Stillwater and then played host Oklahoma State that same day.

Angulo’s 5th inning two-run home run gave the Rams the boost they needed in a 5-4 win over the 11th ranked Cowboys.  The homer put URI up 5-1 at the time, and then they held on after OSU added two runs in the 6th and another in the 9th inning.  Demko again finished it to earn his 3rd save.

The wins gave Rhode Island plenty of national attention, but ultimately they were not enough to land a spot in the NCAA Tournament.  The Rams finished with a 37-20 overall record with a 19-6 mark and 2nd place finish in the Atlantic 10.  Dayton won the conference regular season crown, while Xavier earned the A-10’s automatic NCAA berth by winning the conference tournament.

Dan Rhault was named the A-10 Player of the Year after leading the Rams with a .393 average and 57 RBIs.  Smith finished the season with a 5-2 record and 3.38 ERA.  He became the highest URI player ever taken in the MLB draft when he went 60th overall to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Other Top Moments Of 2009

18.  Kansas State’s A.J. Morris beats Arizona State’s Mike Leake

19.  North Carolina’s Mike Fox Wins His 1,000th Game

20.  Illinois Shocks #1 LSU In Baton Rouge

21.  Alabama’s Kent Matthes Launches Longballs

22.  Freshman Levi Michael Starts In North Carolina’s Season Opener

23.  LSU Opens The New Alex Box Stadium

24.  Oregon Brings Back Baseball

Knights have a total of 36 games at home this season

UCF Head Coach Terry Rooney

“We are looking forward to a very competitive 2010 schedule,” said second-year head coach Terry Rooney. “As always Conference USA continuously ranks as one of the top five baseball leagues in the country. That combined with our non-conference schedule will give fans plenty of opportunities to see the Knights this year.”

Complete 2010 UCF Schedule

While UCF has three more home games this year compared to 2009, prices on season tickets remain unchanged for the 2010 campaign. Reserved chairback seating behind homeplate will be $199, while a reserved bleacher season ticket costs $150 for adults and $99 for faculty/staff, youth and seniors.  Orders can be placed through the ticket office at 407-823-1000.

Opening Day 2010 is set for Friday, Feb. 19, at 6:30 p.m. when Savannah State travels to Orlando for a three-game series in what will be the first meeting between the Knights and Tigers.

Following a midweek tilt at Florida Feb. 24, UCF will host Siena (Feb. 26-28), Duquesne (March 2), North Florida (March 3), Central Michigan (March 5-7), Miami (March 9), Hartford (March 12-14) and USF (March 16) in a 13-game homestand.

The clash with the Miami Hurricanes marks the first contest between the two programs since 1995. UCF eventually makes the return trip to face UM March 23.

The Knights’ remaining non-conference home series takes place March 19-21 against Presbyterian, another team UCF has never faced.

For the second-straight season, UCF kicks off the Conference USA slate on the road when it heads to Houston March 26-28. Rooney’s program also makes trips this year to square off against Southern Mississippi, Marshall and Tulane. USM is coming off its first appearance in the College World Series.

Meanwhile, UCF welcomes UAB, Rice, Memphis and East Carolina to its East Orlando campus. The Owls and Pirates are both hoping to ride momentum from last year as they both reached the 2009 NCAA Super Regionals.

(Press Release)