Notre Dame head coach Mik Aoki discusses his team’s fall exhibition game vs. Michigan State. The game was played prior to the ND-MSU football game.

Schools To Play Second Exhibition On Eve Of Football Game…

ND's Mik Aoki

The Notre Dame football team hosts Michigan State Saturday afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium, but the baseball teams from the two schools will play an exhibition game that morning as well. The baseball exhibition is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. at Notre Dame’s Frank Eck Stadium, which is located just a couple hundred yards from the football stadium.

“Our team is excited about this weekend’s exhibition game with Michigan State,” second-year Irish head coach Mik Aoki said. “It not only gives the coaching staff a tremendous opportunity to evaluate our players in a game setting as opposed to practice, but it also gives the players a chance to compete against someone other than themselves.”

This is the second straight year the two schools have met on the same day as the ND-MSU football game. They squared-off in East Lansing in 2010 as well.

MSU's Jake Boss, Jr.

Notre Dame and Michigan State have become regular competitors on the baseball diamond in recent years. They opened the season against each other at last year’s Big East/Big Ten Challenge in Dunedin, Fla. The eventual Big Ten champion Spartans won that game 2-1. Michigan State won a game at Notre Dame on May 17 as well. Jake Boss, Jr.’s Spartans also swept a three game series at Notre Dame in 2010.

The format of the game is expected to be 14 innings or around three hours. Both teams are expected to use use most of the players on their rosters.

Saturday’s game counts against the teams’ 2012 56-game regular season limit, but it will not count toward their 2012 won-loss records.

Other fall exhibition games around the country this weekend include:

Friday:  Ontario Blue Jays at Central Michigan

Saturday:  USA at UNC Wilmington

Sunday:  Ontario National at Eastern Michigan

The college baseball season continues to gain momentum as well swing into week four. This week’s Notebook combines some of the observations of College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires with the observations and insights of CB360 contributor Jack Blanchat.

Bryan Peters had both of Nebraska's game-winning hits over UCLA.

weekend in Lincoln. All three games went to extra innings. How rare is that? Nebraska has been playing baseball since 1889, but prior to Friday and Saturday it had never had extra inning games in back-to-back days go to extra frames. Gerrit Cole lost a perfect game after retiring Nebraska’s first 20 batters Friday, but still helped the Bruins win 1-0 in 11 innings thanks to nine shutout innings.

With Trevor Bauer on the mound, Nebraska’s hopes for a win weren’t looking any better on Saturday. Bauer fanned 17 in 10 innings, but settled for a 129 pitch no-decision in the Cornhusker’s 2-1 win. Bryan Peters had the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 12th for Nebraska, while Dylan Vogt pitched five no-hit innings of relief to earn the win.

The Cornhuskers then plated three runs in the bottom of the 9th inning in Sunday’s series finale and eventually won 5-4 in 11 innings. Peters was the hero again, belting a game-ending home run to give Nebraska back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time in eight years.

Nebraska is 8-4 with a team batting average of .303. UCLA is 7-4, despite a 1.55 team ERA with 126 strikeouts and 42 walks in 104 1/3 IP.

Gator Bait…

Florida (10-1) suffered its first loss of the season to Florida State in the Florida Four event last week, but the Gators came back strong over the weekend with a three-game sweep of Miami in Gainesville. Florida’s starting rotation of Brian Johnson, Hudson Randall and Karsten Whitson combined to allow just two earned runs in 17.0 innings during the series. It’s just the second time in school history that Florida has swept a three-game set from the Hurricanes.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise…

Cal State Bakersfield's Jonathon Montoya

Don’t look now, but Cal State Bakersfield is on a run. The Roadrunners have won 10 straight with the help of some great pitching. Bakersfield, playing its first games away from home this season, gave up just two runs while going 4-0 at the Coca Cola Classic over the weekend in Surprise, AZ. The biggest of the wins was a 2-1 10-inning victory over Arizona State. Freshman Cael Brockmeyer’s 10th inning home run off ASU All-American Mitchell Lambson was the difference. The Roadrunners also turned-in wins over Kansas (12-0), Air Force (5-0) and Northern Illinois (6-1). Bakersfield starting pitchers Tommy Hoenshell, Mike McCarthy, Jonathon Montoya, and Brandon Van Dam combined to pitch 35 innings, while giving-up just two runs. McCarthy was the only one not to pitch 9.0 innings.

Sycamore No-No…

Indiana State’s Jason Van Skike tossed a no-hitter in Saturday’s 8-0 win over Central Arkansas. It’s the school’s 10th all-time no-hitter, but the first nine inning no-no for a Sycamore since 1943. Van Skike needed 143 pitches to complete the gem, which still had its share of base runners. Van Skike struckout five, but he walked eight batters and hit one more.

TCU’s Aces…

When talking about TCU pitchers, 2010 freshman phenom Matt Purke is typically the first name to come to mind. However, Kyle Winkler has been lights out so far this year for the Horned Frogs. Winkler (3-0) has allowed just two unearned runs in 22 1/3 IP so far this season. The senior has 19 strikeouts and just one walk with a .149 opponent batting average. He moved to the Friday spot in the rotation the last two weeks while Purke battled a blister on his pitching hand.

Purke has pitched 10.0 shutout innings himself this season (he pitched against Kansas on opening weekend and pitched Sunday against Texas Tech) to improve to 2-0 this year and 18-0 in his career. Meanwhile, freshman Andrew Mitchell has surrendered just a run in his first 15 2/3 IP, including a Sunday start against Cal State Fullerton last week when Purke missed his start.

The Horned Frogs’ bullpen is still a work in progress though. TCU’s opponents have scored winning runs in the 8th inning or later in all four of the team’s losses this year.

Kyle Robinson

Razorback Off & Running…

Arkansas senior Kyle Robinson played sparingly in his first year at Arkansas last year after transferring from Indian River CC. Injuries played a part in his limited time, but Robinson is making-up for it this year. He hit .474 (9-for-19) with three home runs and 13 RBIs last week. The outfielder’s .465 batting average is the third best in the SEC through the first three weeks of 2011. He also ranks in the top five in the conference in slugging percentage (#3 – .791), runs (#5 – 14), hits (T-#1 – 20), and RBI (#1 – 21).

Quality Pitching…

Notre Dame is just 4-6 through Mik Aoki’s first ten games at the helm, but it’s not for a lack of pitching. Starting pitchers Brian Dupra, Cole Johnson and Todd Miller combined to give the Irish nine straight quality starts (at least 6.0 IP and 3 ER or less) to open the season. The last time a Notre Dame staff had just six straight quality starts was 2001, when 2000 and 2001 first round draft pick Aaron Heilman helped the program achieve its first ever #1 national ranking. Dupra, Johnson and Miller combined for 22 2/3 IP with 21 strikeouts and no walks in their three starts last weekend, but went 0-2 with a no-decision (the Irish beat Manhattan in extra innings in Miller’s start).

Duke-ing It Out…

James Madison is off to a record-setting start in 2011. The Duke’s 11-1 start is the best in program history. JMU leads the nation with 30 home runs and 13.3 runs-a-game through the season’s first three weeks.

Stanford @ Texas…

Now we’ll turn things over to Jack Blanchat, who was at the Stanford vs. Texas series in Austin. The Longhorns took two out of three games in the series. Blanchat’s insights start with thoughts on Texas ace Taylor Jungman, who saw his run of 22.0 scoreless innings to open the season come to a close in Friday’s 4-3 Texas win.

Taylor Jungmann

Taylor Jungmann is the real deal – it doesn’t get much simpler than that. He’s confident, aggressive, and he mixes up his pitches and gets outs in every way. His odd delivery makes it hard to pick up the baseball coming out of his hand, and he gets results. It shows something that Friday night was his worst outing of the season so far, considering he pitched eight and two-thirds innings and only gave up three runs on six hits. Even more impressive about those six hits was that nobody got multiple hits off Jungmann – and nothing was hit particularly hard other than a triple from Brian Ragira that broke up Jungmann’s perfect game in the fifth inning.

The environment at Disch-Falk Field was like an NCAA super regional – absolutely crazy, and jam-packed. It’s one of the biggest stadiums in college baseball in terms of capacity and playing dimensions. The stadium also has field turf instead of a natural grass playing surface, so that made conditions a little harder because the baseball would occasionally act very strangely after it bounced off the turf. The playing conditions, which included wind coming in from left field most of the time, resulted in no home runs for a Stanford team that had six dingers in eight games coming into this series, but it also contributed to the three triples in the series as well.

Texas trotted out a few new faces in their lineup, and they all had a few bright spots, but they still looked very much like freshmen. Jacob Felts did a nice job behind the plate, catching Jungmann’s Friday win(although, the way Jungmann is pitching, it’s hard not to do a good job behind the plate), and he went 2-for-7 and scored a run offensively – altogether not a bad weekend for a freshman catcher. Freshman rightfielder Mark Payton went just 1-for-10 at the plate, but he still scored a run and had two RBI in the series thanks to some erratic Stanford pitching. Finally, freshman third baseman Erich Weiss was solid on offense – he had a hit in every game – but he struggled defensively in Saturday’s contest. He had two errors at the hot corner, and could have been docked for one more if the scorekeeper had been less friendly.

Dean McArdle

Stanford’s pitching rotation is shaping up pretty well – now the offense just has to go out and get Mark Appel a win on Friday night. The sophomore has had tremendous stuff in all three of his starts this season, but by virtue of going up against Sonny Gray and Taylor Jungmann, Appel’s record sits at 0-2 so far. It’s easy to believe that Appel will get back in the win column as the season goes along, but he has shown he can be a primetime player on Friday nights – something the Cardinal will need if they want to overtake UCLA and Gerrit Cole in the Pac-10 down the road.

Dean McArdle pitched very well Saturday (in a 9-2 win) – he’s a bulldog pitcher who had his control working and now has a 7-0 career record at Stanford. He and Jordan Pries are surprisingly similar pitchers, both
righthanders with great control and a nice array of pitches, even though they don’t have overpowering stuff.

I think at this point in the season Stanford head coach Mark Marquess is just trying to mix up his rotation a little bit and see how guys work in different places. Mark Appel brings the power on Friday night and has almost out-dueled both Sonny Gray and Taylor Jungmann.
The three week “Country Music Swing” – Houston, Nashville, and Austin – has been tough on the Cardinal’s record, but they have been impressive so far. I get the sense that the team is ready for a few days off, and they’ll get it with finals week this week. In the big picture, Stanford won’t face as consistently good pitchers as they’ve faced these last three weeks, and that should help cut down on strikeouts. Stanford struck out 27 times in the series against Texas (Jungmann had nine) and therefore stranded 23 runners. All in all, this three-week test has been good for Stanford, though. They’ll be ready to take on teams in a deep Pac-10 Conference, and they’ll have just as much or more experience against the nation’s top teams when it comes time for the NCAA Tournament.

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In his first four years at Notre Dame, Herman Petzold totaled three hits in 10 at-bats and played in a total of 11 games with no starts. In his first three games of 2011, the fifth-year senior went 5-for-12 (.417) at the plate with two doubles, and a team-high five RBIs, while starting three games in the Irish outfield.

Petzold almost didn’t make it back to Notre Dame for his fifth and final year of college eligibility after Mik Aoki took over when Dave Schrage was fired, but his start to the new season helped his team to a 2-1 record at the Big East/Big Ten Challenge.

In this interview with Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires, Petzold discusses his road back, his new coach, new position on the field, and new outlook.

Petzhold

5’10 – 175 – Sr. – Saint Claire Shore, MI

Head Coach: Mik Aoki

Perseverance Pays For Fifth-Year Senior…

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Eleven games, no starts, 10 at-bats, three hits, and four runs scored. That stat line was the sum of Notre Dame’s Herman Petzold after four years as a reserve infielder under the Golden Dome.

Herman Petzold was 5-for-12 last week after going 3-for-10 in his first four years combined.

All that changed in one swing of the bat on the second day of the 2011 season. It was a moment that would knock a huge self-imposed chip off Petzold’s shoulder, but it was also a moment that almost never happened.

Petzold and his teammates were trailing Purdue 2-0 in the top of the third inning on day two of the Big East/Big Ten Challenge. He was in the starting line-up for the second straight day (and second time in his career) under new Irish head coach Mik Aoki.

The fifth-year senior stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, but quickly found himself down in the count 0-2. Petzold stroked the next pitch into the gap in left centerfield. Matt Scioscia scored, Alex Robinson crossed the plate and Mick Doyle scurried all the way around from first base to touch home as well. Petzold was thrown out at third base trying to stretch his double into a triple, but by then it didn’t matter. His 3-run double propelled his team to a record-setting 19-2 victory while unleashing four years of frustration at the same time.

At the end of his first three career starts, Petzold had batted .417 (5-for-12) with two doubles, three runs scored and a team-high five RBIs to help his team to a 2-1 record and land a spot on the Big East/Big Ten Challenge All-Tournament Team. A career in one weekend, but it’s only half the story. The real story was the fact that Petzold was even on the Irish roster, let alone in the starting line-up in 2011.

When Mik Aoki became the head coach at Notre Dame last July an email to announce his hire was sent to all the players on the team roster, but that roster didn’t include the name Herman Petzold. The infielder from St. Clair Shores, MI had used his four years of eligibility under former Irish head coach Dave Schrage, and there was little reason to believe a little used reserve would come back for a fifth year.

Mik Aoki took over at Notre Dame on July 13, 2010 after four years at Boston College.

Petzold had other plans. He sent Aoki an email urging him to let him return for one more season.

“I think two things (in the email) were clear,” Aoki said. “One was that he loved Notre Dame and that he cared for his teammates here. The other was that he had been less than thrilled with his personal experience with the baseball program.”

That’s where the chip came in. Fifth-year seniors in college baseball are rare, but most guys who do come back have been daily contributors, maybe had an injury along the way, but hadn’t quite done enough to get drafted. Petzhold was a walk-on who had played in 11 games from 2007-2010, but that never kept him from thinking he should have been on the field.

“I got the sense the first time I spoke with him that he absolutely thought that he should have been playing,” said Aoki. “He absolutely thought he hadn’t gotten a fair shake, and I’m not here to tell you whether he did or not.  He’s a polite kid, he’s a good kid, but there’s no question he had a chip on his shoulder.”

Petzold does not disagree about that boulder sized chip lodged on his 5’10 frame after watching from the bench as his team went 119-104-1 over his first four seasons in South Bend.

“I’d be lying to say that I didn’t (have one),” he said.  “Ideally you don’t want to have that, you know give off that aura of attitude. I guess it’s just in my nature. To sit through four years of up and down and inconsistent ball clubs and not have an opportunity to help out was very frustrating.”

To convince his new coach to allow him to come back, the double major in finance and mathematics gave Aoki some tangible evidence to go on. Petzold had been named an All-Star in the Coastal Plains Summer League after his junior year in 2009. He followed that with a solid 2010, batting .284 with a home run, 23 RBIs and 26 runs in 48 games and 176 at-bats for the Florence Redwolves.

Those numbers drew interest from Division II coaches who talked to Petzold about transferring to use his last year of eligibility. The numbers also piqued Aoki’s curiosity in the kid who wasn’t on his roster.

“One of the things that intrigued me is that Coastal Plains Leauge is a good league,” said Aoki.  “The fact that Herm for two years in a row produced at a pretty high level in the Coastal Plains League… I just felt like there must be something there.”

So Aoki made Petzold an offer. He could come back for fall workouts to give the new staff a chance to see him and evaluate his play.

“I told him I’ll be honest with you, and if that means it’s a truth you don’t want to hear and I don’t think you’re good enough for us I’ll tell you that,” said the former Boston College head coach.  “If I think you are good enough I’ll tell you that too, and if it’s someplace in the middle, then you have a decision to make. The way it worked out, it was somewhere in the middle.”

Petzhold's play with the Florence Redwolves in the Coastal Plains League helped convince Mik Aoki to give him a shot last fall.

Based on that evaluation, Petzold could either stay at Notre Dame for the 2011 season or move on for one season at a DII program. Petzold had those same kind of DII offers coming out of high school, but this was Notre Dame and this was his team. After four years as a reserve infielder, he spent the fall working in the outfield. There were still no guarantees, but by the time fall camp closed Aoki told Petzold he had a shot.

“Really what I told him at the end of the fall was, listen, I don’t know ultimately how it’s going to shake out, but if I had to project it at this point and time (in October) I can tell you that I think you’ll take on a more significant role than you have at any point prior to this year,” said Aoki.

Aoki couldn’t put a tangible number of at-bats or games on the table, but he felt like Petzold’s bat fit into what the new staff was looking for. He kept putting up quality at-bats when the team began practice in January and found himself in the starting line-up for the first time in his career when the Irish opened the season against Michigan State last week in Dunedin, FL.

“After the fall working with the new staff I felt a better bond. I’m happy with my decision,” Petzold said after his big opening weekend.

It’s still early and it’s only three games, but Petzold says his three starts and what came with them have been worth the four year wait. “Absolutely,” he said. “I’m looking forward to trying to turn the program around this year and being a big part of that.”

Petzold says he’s not the only one to benefit from the fresh slate provided by Aoki and his new staff.

“Watching the team and seeing the team interacting, there’s just more fun being had. The energy level’s higher and you can tell people are a lot more confident too. In the past there was just not that much confidence. People didn’t believe in one another. When you have that kind of chemistry and belief in one another it’s really something special.”

Aoki said Petzold’s bond with his team is something that has been obvious since that first email.

“I think he wanted to come back, because he has a real affinity for his teammates. He had been with them for four years and just wanted to stick it out to the end.”

Three starts, five hits in 12 at-bats, and five RBIs. Numbers from three games that eclipse the stats and frustrations of four years. That chip has the fifth-year senior off to a good start, but that’s just what it is- a start. Both player and coach agree there are many more games to be played this season.

“He’s earned the opportunity he has right now, and he certainly took advantage of it this past weekend,” said Aoki. “That’s going to extend him some more rope and hopefully he takes advantage of it the whole year. If that chip is the gasoline that’s gonna keep the thing burning and he’s gonna be a good player for us all year, then great I hope he has a chip on his shoulder the whole time.”

“Every blind squirrel finds a nut,” added Petzold. “It’s a long season.”

Maybe the squirrel just took a chunk out of that chip.

Press play below to listen to Petzold’s interview with Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires.

A By The Numbers Rundown Of The Action…

College baseball’s opening weekend is in the books and now it’s on to the grind of the regular season. We got to see a ton of baseball and a lot of teams at the third annual Big East/Big Ten Challenge in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Dunedin over the weekend, so we thought we would share some observations, insights and numbers from a weekend that saw 24 games played in beautifully sunny weather.

Here’s the by the numbers look…

3-0…Records by Louisville and Michigan State at this year’s Challenge. It’s the third straight year two teams have finished unblemished, but it’s the first time each conference has had a 3-0 team. Louisville and St. John’s both did it last year, while Michigan and Ohio State accomplished the feat in 2009.

Brandon Eckerle (MSU photo)

19…Years since Michigan State last started a season with a 3-0 mark. Head coach Jake Boss, Jr.’s team sported a .343 batting average, 2.42 ERA and .981 fielding percentage (2 errors) to start the 2011 campaign.

.667…Batting average by MSU centerfielder Brandon Eckerle to tie the Challenge record. The senior earned MVP honors after going 8-for-12 in wins over Notre Dame, Seton Hall and Cincinnati.

6…Pitchers used by the Spartans in their three games. Starters Kurt Wunderlich, Tony Bucciferro and Andrew Waszak combined to allow seven runs in 17 1/3 IP.

0.67…ERA turned-in by the Louisville pitching staff-a new single Challenge record. The Cardinals allowed a total of three runs in their wins over Michigan, Ohio State and Minnesota. The Cardinal staff pitched 23 straight innings without allowing a run. Understandably, Ian Dooley, who announced Louisville’s win over Ohio State here on Collegebaseball360.com, called the Louisville staff the best one he saw all weekend.

13…Strikeouts by the Louisville staff, including eight by starter Matt Koch, in the 6-3 win over Michigan. The 13 Ks are the third most in a Challenge game by a pitching staff. Louisville pitchers fanned 27 with eight BB in 27.0 innings over the weekend.

2…Errors committed by Louisville all weekend-both in the same game by shortstop Alex Crittendon, who was one of a handful of freshmen making their debut for the Cards.

Jeremy Baltz (SJU photo)

32…RBIs in three games by St. John’s en-route to scoring 34 runs. The 32 RBIs is one away from the Challenge record set by the Red Storm in 2010. The Johnnies batted .383 with 11 doubles, two triples and a home run over the weekend. They were paced by 2010 National Freshman of the Year Jeremy Baltz, who was 7-for-14 at the plate with five runs and seven RBIs.

7-2…Three year record posted by St. John’s in the three years of the Big East/Big Ten Challenge, after going 2-1 in 2011.

2…Earned runs allowed by Red Storm starting pitchers Matt Carasiti, Sean Hagan and Brendan Lobban in 15 1/3 combined IP. The bullpen combined to allow 11 ER in 15 2/3 innings.

7-1…Lead the Red Storm blew in Sunday’s 8-7 loss in 11 innings to Ohio State. St. John’s was held scoreless over the last eight innings after jumping out to the early lead. It was the first win of the Greg Beals era at OSU.

Josh Dezse

2…Shutout innings pitched by Ohio State freshman Josh Dezse to earn earn his first collegiate win. It was his second relief appearance of the weekend for the Buckeyes.

.583…Team-high batting average by Dezse (7-for-12), who was also the Buckeye’s starting DH in all three games. His batting average is the third-highest in the Big Ten after opening weekend, while his .111 opponent batting average ranks third in the conference.

.545…Team-best batting average by Cincinnati freshman Justin Glass (6-for-11), who collected four of the hits and an RBI in his team’s season-opening win over Ohio State.

.156…Batting average by Minnesota en-route to a 1-2 weekend. The Golden Gophers managed just three doubles and a triple, while committing eight errors. Nick O’Shea, who hit .456 with 6 RBIs, was one of the few offensive bright spots.

12 1/3…Total innings pitched by Minnesota’s three starting pitchers. Phil Isaksson gave-up just a run in 5.0 IP in his no-decision in the head-to-head match-up against UConn All-American Matt Barnes in Minnesota’s only win.

11…Strikeouts by Barnes in 6.0 IP, while suffering the loss in that game. Barnes set the Challenge single-game strikeout record in the Saturday start, but Friday starter Elliot Glynn surrendered 3 ER in 4 2/3 IP in UConn’s season-opening 10-2 loss to Purdue, in what was the upset of the Challenge. Glynn’s stuff looked good, but he appeared to overthrow at times, with three walks and two hit batters in the loss.

Matt Morgan (Purdue photo)

5 2/3…Scoreless innings pitched by Purdue’s Matt Morgan in the upset of the Huskies. The senior struckout five and allowed just three hits to earn the win.

11…Pitchers used by Purdue in three games-the most of any team at the Challenge. The Boilermakers ended the weekend with a 6.00 ERA.

19…Runs scored by Notre Dame in its 19-2 Saturday win over the Boilermakers-a new single-game Challenge record. It was also Mik Aoki’s first win at Notre Dame.

3…RBIs on a double by Irish outfielder Herman Petzold to spark an 11-run fourth inning in that game. Petzold is a fifth-year senior who had three hits and no RBIs in his first four years at Notre Dame. He finished the weekend by going 5-for-12 with three runs, two doubles and five RBIs in the first three starts of his career.

0-3…Record by Michigan at the ’11 Challenge. The Wolverines had by far the toughest draw of any team at the event, with losses to Louisville, St. John’s and Connecticut.

.311…Team batting average for the Wolverines, but the pitching staff had a 9.00 ERA. Starters Brandon Sinnery, Bobby Brosnahan and Ben Ballantine combined to allow 12 ER in just 10.1 IP, while the Michigan defense committed six errors.

Will Walsh (Seton Hall photo)

4…Times hit by pitch by Seton Hall’s Will Walsh in Friday’s 8-6 loss to Penn State-one away from the single-game NCAA record held by former Stanford OF Carlos Quentin. Penn State starter Heath Johnson accounted for five of his team’s Challenge record seven hit batsmen in the contest. PSU pitchers hit nine batters in three games, while Seton Hall pitchers plunked one batter all weekend.

4…Wild pitches by Seton Hall pitchers in that game-also a Challenge record.

2.77…Team ERA for a Penn State team that hit just .240, while going 2-1. However, seven Nittany Lion errors allowed eight unearned runs to score. Starting pitchers Steven Hill and John Walter combined to allow just four earned runs in 15 1/3 IP.

2.42…Staff ERA for a West Virginia team that is traditionally strong on hitting and thin on pitching. Mountaineer starters Jonathon Jones and Harrison Musgrave combined to allow no runs with 13 Ks, five hits and no walks in 13.0 IP.

Josh Parr (Illinois photo)

4…Stolen bases in three games by Illinois shortstop Josh Parr-a new Challenge record. His biggest steal came in the top of the 9th inning of Sunday’s 5-4 loss to West Virginia. After stealing second base with two outs, his brother, Justin Parr, drove him in to tie the game, but WVU plated the winning run in the bottom of the inning.

40-38…Head-to-head record of the two conferences in the three years of the Big East/Big Ten Challenge, with the slight edge going to the Big East. The Big Ten took the first Challenge 15-9, but the Big East won 17-13 last year and 14-10 this year.

20,064…Total viewers who joined us to watch 13 2011 Big East/Big Ten Challenge games webcast here on Collegebaseball360.com. Thanks to everyone who watched and thanks as well to both conferences as well as Angel Natal from the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission and Bo Carter from the NCBWA!

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

Garrett Wittels became the story of the 2010 college baseball season and his pursuit of history will be at the forefront when the 2011 season begins. The Florida International outfielder will put his 56-game hitting streak on the line when FIU hosts Southeastern Louisiana to begin the new season and the ESPN family of stations will be there. Wittels needs hits in each of FIU’s three games to break former Oklahoma State star Robin Ventura’s 24-year-old Division One record 58-game hit streak. The first two games of the series will be on ESPN3.com, while Sunday’s possibly historic series finale will be televised at 7:30 p.m. ET by ESPNU. If I were a baseball betting man I would say it’s a pretty safe guess that Ventura will be in the broadcast booth working as an analyst for those games.

Speaking Of TV…

We received a Tweet this week from a college baseball fans who is trying to drum-up interest in getting more college baseball games on TV. He wanted us to ask this basic question on our site: “Would you watch a college baseball game of the week on TV”? ESPNU does a great job of putting SEC games on during the season and you can typically find games on Fox Sports Regional channels as well, but what about other national games?  CLICK HERE to send us an e-mail on the subject or Tweet us @CB360updates.

Get A Big Hat And Pass It Around…

The latest update on the on-going effort to save the Cal baseball program looks promising. According to a message from Doug Nickle, who runs the Save Cal Baseball Facebook page, the group had a “productive” meeting with Cal Chancellor Robert Birgeneau last week. Of that meeting, Nickle says “While he (Birgeneau) maintains that we have an uphill battle, he was eager to learn of our significant efforts thus far. He can’t give us a specific number or a time frame, but he did in fact say the door to reinstatement is open!” The Save Cal Baseball official pledge drive is about to start, and they already have roughly $3.5 million in pledges. They hope to have $10 million by the previously announced January 1, 2011 deadline.

Hooping And Hurling…

College baseball’s early signing period started last week and college basketball players can sign letters of intent in the same window. Turns out Patrick Connaughton plans to play both sports at Notre Dame. Connaughton stands 6’5″ and plans to play forward for Mike Brey on the basketball court and pitch for Mik Aoki as well. The Irish have had several football/baseball players in recent years like Jeff Samardzija, Golden Tate, Evan Sharpley, and Eric Maust, but Connaughton will be the first in a long time to hit the hardwood and the diamond under the Golden Dome. Look for Connaughton in future Two-Sport Reports here on Collegebaseball360.com. Current reports include current college baseball players who also play sports like football, soccer, swimming, and squash. We still haven’t found any wrestlers though.

Nomar Better Late Than Never…

The Cape Cod League will induct 10 players plus one into its Hall of Fame this weekend. Nomar Garciaparra was actually inducted in 2002, but he was not able to attend the ceremony due to a scheduling conflict. The five-time All-Star will be there this Saturday (Nov. 20) to receive his plaque at the Chatham Bars Inn. Garciaparra’s former Boston Red Sox teammate, Lou Merloni, is among this year’s inductees. The others are Tom Grieve (Chatham), David Aardsma (Falmouth), Wayne Granger (Sagamore), Peter Ford (Harwich), Casey Close (Harwich), Michael Loggins (Harwich), Jack Cressend (Cotuit), Tom Weir (Chatham), and Steve Robbins (Wareham).

It’s Not Heaven, It’s Iowa…

For the first time in three decades Iowa will have a completely new field when its new season begins. Iowa’s Duane Banks Field recently received a new Kentucky Bluegrass playing surface, with some other “tweaks” to the field. They also moved home plate up five feet, so the new distance to center field will go from 400 to 395 feet. The move was made to help with the grading and drainage of the field. Head coach Jack Dahm also told Hawkeyesports.com that they will have new batting cages and turf down the left field line.

North Carolina’s Chase Jones

King For A Day…

North Carolina bullpen catcher Chase Jones was recently named his school’s 2010 Homecoming King. Jones was diagnosed with brain cancer in the fall of 2006 and has survived to not only be a contributor to the Tar Heel baseball team, but he also founded the UNC BaseBald For A Cure Foundation. Proceeds have helped children’s cancer patients.

Inside The Webb…

If you missed it last week, we have a new addition to the web site. Inside The Webb made its debut last Friday with Chris Webb. Chris is a great advocate for college baseball and we’re excited to have him share his thoughts in this weekly column and we hope you enjoy his insights as well!

NOTRE DAME, IN – Chuck Ristano, who helped lead Monmouth to a pair of Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, has been hired as the volunteer assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame, first-year head baseball coach Mik Aoki announced Friday.

Chuck Ristano

“I am honored to join Coach Aoki’s inaugural staff here at Notre Dame,” said Ristano. “This program has always been one of tremendous character and class. Notre Dame has been successful on and off the field. I look forward to our continued work to reestablish a championship tradition.”

“We are quite lucky to add a person of Chuck’s knowledge, experience and leadership to our staff,” said Aoki. “He has a consistent record of locating and developing quality players and more importantly student-athletes. Chuck will play an instrumental role in the future success of this program.”

Ristano acted as the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J. for four years (2006-2009). He not only directed all phases of recruitment, but also was responsible for the development of off-season throwing and conditioning programs. Ristano coordinated study hall and all travel plans, and even assisted in numerous fundraising activities. He placed players in a number of top-level summer collegiate leagues.

Ristano helped guide the Hawks to the conference title and automatic NCAA bid in 2007 and 2009. Monmouth won 30 or more games in three of his four seasons on staff, including a school-record 37 victories in 2008. The Hawks appeared in the 2007 Tempe Regional and 2009 Oxford Regional.

Ristano also recruited and tutored three pitchers selected in the Major League Baseball draft, including Ryan Buch and Brett Brach, who were selected in the eighth and tenth round, respectively, in the 2009 MLB Draft. In total, seven of his recruits eventually signed professional baseball contracts.

Under Ristano’s guidance, seven pitchers earned all-conference honors, four earned all-region honors and four more were named TPX All-Americans, including Brach, who was the 2007 NEC Pitcher of the Year.

In his first season at Monmouth (2006), Ristano’s pitching staff ranked eighth nationally in earned-run average (3.34), setting a school record. In 2008, his staff posted a 3.99 ERA, as the Hawks joined 11 other teams to finish in the NCAA top 20 in ERA in two of the previous three seasons. In 2007, his staff set a school record with 374 strikeouts.

During his four seasons at the school, Monmouth posted a 132-89 record and compiled a team ERA of 4.35. The Hawks led the NEC in ERA in 2006, finished second each of the other three years and led the conference in strikeouts twice.

In 2005, Ristano served as pitching coach at his alma mater Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. He tutored both first team all-conference pitchers, including the league’s pitcher of the year, and helped the Pioneers to their first ever NEC Tournament appearance.

Ristano, who spent the 2010 season as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Temple University, was a four-year letterwinner at Sacred Heart (2001-04). He was a two-time captain and four-time NEC All-Academic Team honoree. Ristano graduated with a B.S. degree in sports management in 2004.

(Notre Dame release)

Duo Comes From BC With Aoki…

Joe Hastings

Hastings, a former All-American first baseman at East Carolina who has spent the last four seasons coaching at Boston College, has been hired as an assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame, head baseball coach Mik Aoki announced Thursday. Hastings will spearhead the national recruiting efforts for the Irish, as well as serve as hitting and infield coach.

“We are thrilled about having a person with such a phenomenal baseball background on our staff,” Aoki said. “Joe will bring a wealth of knowledge in all areas of the game. He has not only developed into one of the top evaluators of high school talent in the country, but also shines in player development. I have no doubt he will continue such success here at Notre Dame.”

“I am so excited to join the Notre Dame family,” Hastings said. “I am thankful to Coach Aoki for this tremendous opportunity. It truly is one of the premier opportunities in all of college baseball. I look forward to hit the ground running and really get after it on the recruiting trail. We all have huge aspirations for this program. We want to not only compete for conference championships, but ultimately we want to bring this program back to Omaha.”

Jesse Woods

Woods spent the last three seasons coaching under Aoki at Boston College.  He  will serve as the Irish outfield coach while assisting Joe Hastings with the program’s recruiting efforts and hitters.

“I am thrilled that Jesse has joined our staff,” Aoki said. “He brings tremendous experience after three years in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Jesse really knows what it takes to win and will make our program better. He has the motivation to excel and I know, both the student-athletes we have on the team and future recruits, will benefit greatly from him joining the staff.”

“I am very excited to be a part of the coaching staff at Notre Dame,” Woods said. “It is a fantastic opportunity to work at such a prestigious institution as Notre Dame. I look forward to the challenge ahead as we strive toward our ultimate goal of Omaha.”

In addition to his recruiting duties with the Eagles, Woods worked with the Boston College outfielders and hitters. He has developed three of the premier outfielders in New England and the Atlantic Coast Conference since his arrival in 2008. Barry Butera was drafted in the 21st round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft in 2009. Robbie Anston established himself as one of the best leadoff hitters in the country in 2009 and earned all-ACC second team honors. Anston was drafted in the 26th round of the 2010 draft, while John Spatola was nabbed in the 35th round.

In addition to his recruiting duties with the Eagles, Hastings worked with the Boston College infielders and hitters. He mentored eight Major League Baseball draft picks and six All-Atlantic Coast Conference performers in his four seasons with the Eagles. In 2009, Boston College had four players earn all-conference honors, the most for the program since joining the ACC.

The 2009 Eagles’ offense was one of the most productive in school history. Boston College hit .304 as a team, scored 416 runs, hit 151 doubles and 58 homers, slugged at a .464 clip and had an on-base percentage of .382. The Eagles ranked fourth in the nation in sacrifice hits (73) and seventh in the nation in doubles.

Prior to coaching at Boston College, Hastings served one season (2006) as an assistant coach at the Virginia Military Institute. The Keydets established a new school record for wins with 30 and had their first winning season in over 40 years. VMI also set the school record for runs, RBI and hits.

(Notre Dame release)