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The TCU – Cal State Fullerton and Vanderbilt – Stanford series were two of the top match-ups of the second week of the 2011 college baseball season. This week’s Notebook includes those series as well as other notables from around the nation.

Here’s this week’s by the numbers look at the action…

18…Scoreless innings pitched by Texas ace Taylor Jungmann. After blanking Maryland to start the season, the

Taylor Jungman has thrown two complete game shutouts to open the season.

junior did it again Friday with a 2-0, 4-hit win at Hawaii. All nine hits Jungmann has given-up this year have been singles. He has 18 strikeouts and just one walk.

15…Innings it took on Saturday for Hawaii to scratch-out a 5-4 win over the Longhorns. David Peterson scored the winning run on a wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the 15th. Pitchers from the two teams combined for 25 strikeouts, seven walks, four hit batters, and six wild pitches in the 4 1/2 hour maraton. Hawaii’s Pi’ikea Kitamura and Texas’ Paul Montalbano were each o-for-7 at the plate.

3…Big wins for Cal at the Baseball at the Beach Tournament in Myrtle Beach, SC. In the second weekend of their swan song season, the Golden Bears outscored Coastal Carolina, North Carolina State and Kansas State by a combined 29-1 to improve to 5-1. The bulk of the runs came in their 17-0 win over Coastal Carolina. Chanticleer ace Anthony Meo yielded 9 ER on 10 hits in just 5.0 IP in the drubbing.

7…RBIs to go along with 2 HR by Golden Bears CF Chad Bunting in the win over Coastal Carolina. Bunting was 7-for-12 (.583) for the weekend in Myrtle Beach.

5…Straight wins to open the season by Michigan State before dropping an 8-0 decision at Clemson Sunday. The 5-0 start for Jake Boss, Jr.’s squad is the best by MSU since 1964. Senior centerfielder Brandon Eckerle leads the Spartans with a .696 (16-for-23) average.

6…Straight losses to open the season by Michigan after being swept in three games by Rutgers in Port St. Lucie, FL. All six Wolverine losses are to Big East Teams (they were 0-3 at the Big East/Big Ten Challenge). Rutgers starter Tyler Gebler tossed a complete game to earn the win in the series-opener.

10…Combined runs allowed (7 earned) by UCLA aces Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole in Saturday and Sunday’s shocking 5-3 and 8-3 losses to San Jose State. After the losses, the Bruins fell to 4-2 after opening last year with 22 straight wins.

Matt Zahel saved both of Toledo's wins at Louisville.

2…Wins to start their series at Louisville by Toledo. The Rockets won by scores of 3-1 and 4-2 Friday and Saturday as the Cardinals lost their first two home games of a season for the first time in 20 years. Toledo closer Matt Zahel saved both wins with a total of 2.0 perfect innings with three strikeouts. Toledo had lost twice to Canisius and once to Creighton in the season’s opening weekend. Louisville won Sunday’s finale 4-2.

0…Hits allowed by Georgia Tech starter Jed Bradley in 7.0 IP in Saturday’s 5-0 win over St. John’s. Bradley fanned 10 with three walks to earn his first win of 2011. Bradley has 20 Ks and has allowed just four hits and one run in 12 1/3 innings this season.

.800…Batting average of Yellow Jacket 3B/1B/C Matt Skole in the 3-game series. Skole was 8-for-10 with a HR and 7 RBIs on the weekend.

0…Runs scored by St. John’s in their first two games of the series with the Yellow Jackets before finally erupting for a 13-3 win in Sunday’s series finale. The Red Storm has scored a total of 35 runs in their three games at the season-opening Big East/Big Ten Challenge.

10…Runs scored in the first inning by Georgia Tech in Friday’s 13-0 series-opening win. Red Storm starter Sean Hagan exited after allowing all 10 ER on 9 hits in just 2/3 IP.

2…Of 3 games won by Cal State Fullerton at TCU to hand the Horned Frogs their first series loss in nearly two years. After dropping Friday’s opener, the Titans won by finals of 8-4 and 2-1 Saturday and Sunday, respectively. TCU ace Matt Purke (17-0 in his career) did not pitch in the series due to a blister on his finger. TCU last lost a series in March 2009 when they lost two of three to San Diego State.

1…Career Division One win by Delaware pitcher Eric Young. It came in Friday’s 7-3 upset at Arizona State. Young, a transfer from Riverside CC, gave-up two runs in 5.0 IP in his first career start in the series-opener against the Sun Devils. Blue Hens DH Jimmy Yezzo helped Young by going 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs.

Danny Hultzen

15…Strikeouts with no walks in 7.0 IP by Virginia’s Danny Hultzen in Friday’s 10-1 win over East Carolina. Hultzen yielded a single to open the game and then retired 19 straight Pirates. He struckout the side three times.

19…Combined strikeouts by Texas A&M’s John Stilson and Gonzaga’s Ryan Carpenter in Friday’s 1-0 win in 11 innings by the Aggies. Stilson, who was one of the top closers in the country last year, fanned 9 in 9.0 shutout innings in his second start of 2011, while Carpenter rang-up 10 Ks in 7 1/3 IP.

2…Wins over Top-30 teams (CB360 composite poll) by Stanford’s Jordan Pries. The junior helped the Cardinal beat #26 Cal in his first start on Tuesday and then earned another victory at #3 Vanderbilt on Sunday for Stanford’s only win in the 3-game series in Nashville. Pries totaled 11.0 IP with 8 Ks and 6 BB. He didn’t allow a hit through the first four innings of the 5-2 win over Vandy (7-1), although the first seven pitches he threw were balls. Stanford (3-3) will rely on Pries even more this year after the announcement that teammate Brett Mooneyham will miss the season after requiring surgery to repair a finger he cut in January.

7 2/3…Scoreless innings pitched by Radford relievers Jason Patton, Brad Wimmers and Abram Williams in Friday’s 13-inning 8-6 win over Auburn. Highlander LF Matt Hillsinger led-off the to of the 13th with a home run to help Radford to the upset.

14…Runs allowed in 11.0 IP by Alabama starting pitchers Adam Morgan, Nathan Kilcrease and Tucker Hawley in losses at the Jaguar Classic, hosted by South Alabama. The Crimson Tide staff surrendered a total of 43 hits in setbacks to Southeastern Louisiana, South Alabama and Central Florida.

26…Game hitting streak, to tie a school record, by Central Florida’s Beau Taylor that ended in Saturday’s loss to Southeastern Louisiana . Taylor made-up for in by going 2-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs in Sunday’s 12-4 win over Alabama.

3…RBIs and a home run by Appalachian State’s Jeremy Dowdy in Friday’s 7-4 upset of Miami in Coral Gables. The Hurricanes still took two of three games in the series.

Lawrence Pardo

29…Years since Appalachian State had beaten a ranked opponent prior to that win at #19 Miami. Freshman (and Miami native) Lawrence Pardo earned his first win in his second career start in his return to his home town. Prado gave-up three unearned runs on four hits in 6.0 IP.

2…Wins in the first two weeks of the season by Connecticut. The Huskies entered the season with the program’s first top 10 ranking, but have stumbled to a 2-4 start. Their lone wins are over winless Michigan and Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Friday and Saturday starters Elliott Glynn and Matt Barnes, respectively, have suffered all four defeats.

1.2…Runs-a-game scored by UConn in its four losses, while averaging 11 runs in its two wins, but just 1.2 runs in its four losses. Coaches we spoke to at the Big East/Big Ten Challenge last weekend said the losses of Pierre LePage (.327-29 SB) and Mike Olt (.381-23 HR-76 RBIs) from last year’s line-up will be tough to overcome.

10…Strikeouts by Oregon State’s Sam Gaviglio in Friday’s complete game, two-hit 2-0 over UConn. The junior has 15 Ks with one BB and has allowed just two unearned runs in 15 2/3 IP this season.

2…RPI-boosting wins last week by Texas A&M Corpus Christi, which beat Texas 8-7 on Tuesday and then topped Oregon State by the same score on Saturday. Islanders catcher Jumpy Garcia was 2-for-5 with 4 RBIs in the win over the Longhorns.

16…Innings it took Elon to defeat South Florida 7-5 Sunday in Tampa to tie the longest game in USF history. The game featured 14 pitchers, but amazingly took just under 3 1/2 hours to play. 21 of the game’s 24 hits were singles, the other three went for doubles.

16…Strikeouts in 7 2/3 IP by Memphis pitcher Dan Langfield in Friday’s win over Kennesaw State. The sophomore gave-up a pair of first inning singles, struckout the side in the second innings and then retired 16 of the next 19 batters he faces.

240…Points raised on Mike McGee’s batting average (.440) after the Florida State outfielder went 9-for-15 with two HR, 9 runs and 11 RBIs. McGee made his first pitching appearance of the season in the top of the 8th inning  and then homered in the bottom of the inning Sunday against Hofstra. It marks the eighth time McGee has homered and pitched in the same game.

27…Consecutive batters retired, spanning two starts, by Florida’s Brian Johnson. The lefty set down 10 straight batters to end his first start of 2011 against South Florida and then retired the first 17 men he faced in last Thursday’s win over Boston College. He is 2-0 with 12 shutout innings to open his sophomore campaign.

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Three Games On Tap For Monday…Hopefully!

Our coverage of the 2010 College World Series is brought to you by The Dugout in Omaha, with everything you’re looking for when it comes to officially licensed CWS hats and shirts.  If you can’t make it to Rosenblatt make sure to follow the link for all of your CWS gear!

CB360 CWS Scoreboard

Monday Schedule

10 am – FINAL: Clemson 6, #1 Arizona St. 3
3:30 pm – FINAL: Florida St. 8,  Florida 5 (Gators Eliminated)
8 pm – FINAL: UCLA 6, TCU 3

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

Sunday’s CB360 CWS Blog

8:20 am – Well, the Arizona State vs. Clemson game that was supposed to have been played last night is supposed to start in about an hour and a half.  It’s not looking too promising right now though, because it’s been pouring down rain all morning.  I woke-up at around 3:45 this morning and heard it coming down pretty good then.  It stopped for a short time, but it’s been raining pretty steadily for a few hours now.  The local weather shows a front that looks like it could pass within the next couple hours.

Two more games are also scheduled for later today.  Florida State vs. Florida in the afternoon elimination game and TCU vs. UCLA tonight.  It’s likely to be a touch and go day.  Stay tuned…

10:22 am - The sun is shining and Arizona State vs. Clemson is underway.  It’s the first morning game at the CWS since June 10, 2000 when USC played Florida State.  This morning’s game is also a rematch of last year’s Tempe Super Regional won by the Sun Devils.

Clemson head coach Jack Leggett was fired-up after the home plate meeting with ASU’s Tim Esmay and the umpires.  Leggett raced away from the plate and was immediately engulfed in a near dog pile by his team before they batted in the top of the first inning.

• ASU starter Seth Blair (12-1) has already walked a season-high four batters in his first two innings on the mound.  Blair is the Pac 10 Pitcher of the Year.  He ended his day with five free passes.

• Blair topped the 100 pitch mark with two on and no outs in the top of the 5th inning.  He left after 4 1/3 innings with runners at the corners in the top of the 5th.  He threw 110 pitches and gave-up five earned runs.  It was his second shortest start of the season, after a 3.0 inning start vs BYU on May 10.

• It’s easy to see why ASU’s Rauol Torrez wears the “C” (for captain) on his
  

  Rauol Torrez

  chest.  Torrez lined what could have easily been just a single to left field in the third inning, but he didn’t settle for one base.  Torrez never broke stride and made it into second ahead of the throw from Jeff Schaus.  He then took third on a wild pitch by Casey Harman and scored on a Sac Fly to right by Austin Barnes.  His slide home just beat the throw by Kyle Parker.

• As if the heads-up base running weren’t enough, Torrez made a Brooks Robinson-esque play at third in the top of the next inning.  Spencer Kieboom hit a hot shot just inside the line, which carried Torrez into foul territory.  He did a piroutett and fired a strike across the diamond to get the out.

• Clemson came into the series with 95 errors this season, which ranks in the bottom one-third of the 301 Division One college teams in the country.  However, the Tigers also came into the CWS with 75 double plays turned, which is good for 3rd nationally.

• The Tigers caught a break in the top of the 5th with ASU LF Drew Maggi lost a fly ball off the bat of Richie Shaffer in a high sky.  Maggi froze with his hands up in the air to both sides…the ball landed some 30 feet away from him.

• The biggest “BOO” of the CWS so far came from the smallest crowd to date when a ball girl dropped a foul ball that caromed off the net behind the plate.  Some traditions never change…

• The announced attendance for the morning game was 14,198 for a four game total of 83,953.

• All 14 of Clemson’s hits in its 6-3 win over ASU were singles.

CB360 Clemson/ASU Postgame Video

• The Florida vs. Florida State match-up in the 3:30 pm elimination game was the 5th meeting in the 5th different city between the two rivals this season.  Florida State won previous encounters in Tampa, Jacksonville and Tallahassee, while Florida beat the Seminoles in Gainesville.

• Florida State leadoff man Tyler Holt started the bottom of the first inning with a home run high off the batter’s eye in center field.  Holt was starting in his 198th consecutive game.

• Mike McGee launched a 3-run shot in the third inning.  McGee is also FSU’s closer and is a finalist for the John Olerud Award given to the two-way player of the year.   He came into a bases loaded situation with the tying run at first base in the 9th inning.  The game ended on a line drive to shortstop Stephen Cardullo who then stepped on second to end the game.  McGee now has 13 saves and 16 HR this season.
  

  Stephen Cardullo

• Cardullo had an even more impressive blast when he sent one over the batter’s eye and out of the stadium to straight away centerfield…where the distance is 408.

• Clemson and Florida State are trying to end a 55-year championship drought for the ACC.  The only Atlantic Coast Conference team to win the College World Series was Wake Forest in 1955.

• Does anyone else always make an audible “Oooo” every time they see a batter get hit by a pitch?

• Florida called on #3 starter Brian Johnson after fellow freshman and #2 starter Randall Hudson gave-up four runs in 2 2/3 IP.  Johnson didn’t fair much better though.  He surrendered two runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings in just his second relief appearance of the season.  The last hit Johnson gave-up was Cardullo’s HR.

• It worked!  99.9 % of the time the old “fake to third throw to first” never works, but it did today.  FSU pitcher Daniel Bennett picked-off Florida’s Tyler Thompson at first base when he executed the move to end the top of the 8th inning.

• The announced crowd for the Florida-Florida State game was 19,841 for a five game total of 103,794 and an average of 20,759.

CB360 Florida/Florida State Postgame Video

• UCLA pitcher Trevor Bauer said after Saturday’s start that he doesn’t like big baseball caps that make him look “like a conductor”.  That’s why he has worn the same hat for the last two years.

• Every win UCLA gets during the CWS adds to its school record season total.

• Beach balls in the outfield bleachers are the norm here, but there was a barrage of beach balls on the warning track in left field just before the start of the sixth inning.

• The most electric moment of the CWS so far was Taylor Featherston’s 2-out, 3-run triple in the top of the 7th inning.  The TCU shortstop laced a Gerrit Cole pitch over Beau Amaral in left centerfield to get the Horned Frogs on the board.  TCU had managed just one hit throught the first six innings, but had four hits in the inning to cut their deficit to 5-3.

• The TCU-UCLA game drew a crowd of 23,345 to make it a six game total of 127,139…still about 10 K behind last year’s pace.  Does no LSU and no Texas really affect the draw that much?  So much for Rosenblatt nostalgia…

• Gerrit Cole (11-3) had 13 strikeouts to lead UCLA to its 6-3 win over TCU.  He had the one hiccup when he gave-up the bases loaded triple to Taylor Featherston in the 7th, but he came back in the 8th and had the last two of his punchouts.  Cole and TCU’s Matt Purke have lived-up to their billing.  They have been the most impressive individuals of the CWS so far.

• With its win UCLA now waits until Friday to play either Florida State or TCU again.  Those two play an elimination game Wednesday night.

UCLA/TCU Postgame Video Interviews

By The Numbers And Analysis For Each Of The Omaha Eight

The beginning of the end is almost here.  The last College World Series that will ever be played at Rosenblatt Stadium starts Saturday.  Below are statistical breakdowns of this year’s eight CWS teams as well as a “by the numbers” look at each team and analysis.

Once the CWS begins Collegebaseball360.com will have daily coverage of every game in Omaha, including post game video with players and coaches, a daily blog and a daily CWS scoreboard.

CWS Bracket One

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Jim Schlossnagle

TCU Horned Frogs (51-12)
Head Coach: Jim Schlossnagle  (7th season)

1…College World Series appearance by the Horned Frogs.  It’s also the first CWS appearance by any Mountain West Conference team in the 11 year history of the league.

51…Wins this season-a school record.

37-3…Combined record of TCU starting pitchers Matt Purke, Kyle Winkler and Steven Maxwell.   The trio has also combined for 312 strikeouts and just 95 walks in 317 2/3 IP.

23-0…TCU’s record this season when its pitching staff strikes out at least 10 batters in a game.

14…Wins with no losses by Purke.  The freshman was also the 14th overall pick in the first round by the Texas Rangers in the 2009 MLB draft, but he chose to go to college instead.

5-1…The Horned Frogs’ record so far in the NCAA post season.  Their only loss was vs. Texas in game two of their Super Regional.

.340…Team batting average, which is 10th best in the nation this season.

3.46…Team ERA-good for a #7 national ranking.  TCU is the only team in the nation to rank in the top 10 in both team batting average and ERA.

.558…Team slugging percentage-the best of any of the eight CWS teams and good for a #6 NCAA ranking.

1…TCU player, Matt Curry, who has double-digit home runs and stolen bases.  Curry leads the Horned Frogs with 17 and 12, respectively.  Curry also has team highs with 26 doubles and an 1.173 OPS.

.373 & 66…Team best batting average and RBIs by outfielder Jason Coats, who has also hit 13 HR.

ANALYSIS: TCU has the best combination of pitching and hitting of the eight teams in Omaha.  Any questions about the Horned Frogs offensive and pitching stats against Mountain West Conference competition have already been answered.  They took two of three from one of the nation’s best offensive teams, New Mexico, during the regular season.  They also beat the nation’s best pitching team, Texas, in last week’s Super Regional.  The biggest question would appear to be whether they can avoid the awe factor of the program’s first CWS appearance.

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Mike Martin

Florida State Seminoles (47-18)
Head Coach: Mike Martin  (31st season)

20…College World Series appearances by the FSU-the fifth most all-time appearances by a school.

2,570…Florida State baseball games head coach Mike Martin has been involved in as a player, assistant and head coach.  Martin has been involved in nearly 75% of the 2,526 wins in the history of Florida State baseball.

15 & 68…Team leading home runs and RBIs by Mike McGee, who is also batting .328.

12…Team leading saves by McGee, which is tied for 10th in the nation.  The junior, who doubles as the team’s closer, is 4-0 on the mound with a 1.37 ERA.

0…Complete games by the FSU pitching staff.  The Seminoles join Arizona State as the only two CWS pitching staffs without a CG this season.

15…Out of 15 FSU pitchers who have made at least one relief appearance during the season.

255…Walks issued by the Seminole staff-the most of any of the teams in Omaha.

30…Team best stolen bases by Tyler Holt, who is also batting a team best .352 and leads the ‘Noles with 82 runs scored.

ANALYSIS: As usual, Mike Martin’s Seminoles have a team that can hit, but there are questions with their pitching depth.  Sean Gilmartin was knocked-out early in FSU’s Super Regional opener against Vanderbilt and then had to come back out of the bullpen to help win game three.  A win over TCU and freshman ace Matt Purke in the opener would be huge.

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John Savage

UCLA Bruins (48-14)
Head Coach: John Savage  (6th season)

3…College World Series appearances by the Bruins.  This is their first since 1997.

48…School record wins this season.

#6…National seed of the Bruins, which are one of just three national seeds to make it to Omaha.

22…School record wins to open the season by UCLA.  The Bruins first setback was an 8-4 loss to Stanford on April 3rd.

2.94 & .218…Team ERA and opponent batting average of the Bruin pitching staff.  The ERA is the second best in the nation (behind Texas).

639…NCAA leading strikeouts fired by the UCLA pitching staff.

396…Of the strikeouts that have been recorded by weekend starters Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer and Rob Rasmussen.  The trio is also a combined 31-8 this season.

11…Wins this season by Rasmussen.  The junior has the most wins by a Bruin hurler since Jim Parque set the school record with 13 on the team’s 1997 CWS team.

1…Career complete game Rasmussen has tossed.  It came in Sunday’s Super Regional clincher vs. Cal State Fullerton.

.464 & .401…Team slugging percentage and on-base percentage.  The slugging percentage is the lowest in the CWS field, while the on-base percentage is tied for the second lowest with Oklahoma.

0…Double digit home run hitters for UCLA.  They’re the only such CWS team this year.

.328-7-45…Batting average, HR and RBIs by Tyler Rahmatulla, who started 61 of UCLA’s 62 games this season as their primary 3-hole hitter.  The sophomore will miss the CWS after breaking his wrist in the Bruins’ Super Regional celebration dog pile.

ANALYSIS: As evidenced by the strikeout total UCLA is built on not just pitching, but power arms and that’s what usually gets it done in the post season (although not for Texas last week).  The Bruin pitchers aren’t just strong-armed, they’re confident as well.  UCLA must overcome the loss of Rahmatulla, who emerged early as one of their top run producers.  A team that doesn’t have a lot of offense to begin with can’t afford to lose what offense it has.

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Kevin O'Sullivan

Florida Gators (47-15)
Head Coach:  Kevin O’Sullivan  (3rd season)

6…College World Series appearances by the Gators.  This is their first trip to Omaha since finishing as the national runner-up in 2005.

3…Years as a head coach by Gator boss Kevin O’Sullivan.  He made trips to the CWS as a Clemson assistant in 2000, 2002 and 2006.

3…National seed of the Gators, making the first round Florida vs. UCLA game the only one to feature two national seeds.

6.9…Runs a game scored by Florida-the lowest of the eight teams in the field in Omaha.

.381…On-base percentage by the Gators-the lowest of the eight CWS competitors.

1…Complete game this season by the Florida pitching staff.  Alex Panteliodis got it last week when he struck out 12 in Florida’s 7-2 win over Miami in the Super Regional opener.

11…Saves by Kevin Chapman, who has made a staff high 30 appearances while holding opposing batters to a .183 average.

6…Florida position players who have started at least 25 games who are either freshmen or sophomores.

2…Freshmen, Brian Johnson (6-4) and Hudson Randall (8-3), who join the sophomore Panteliodis (11-2) in the weekend pitching rotation.

3.97 & .413…Johnson’s ERA and batting average this season.  The freshman has started 14 times on the mound as well as 26 games in the Gator line-up.

17 & 70…Team leading home runs and RBIs by freshman Austin Maddox, who has started 61 of his team’s 62 games this season.

.358 & 23…Team high batting average and stolen bases by Matt den Dekker, who is one of a handful of seniors on the team.  He has also hit 13 home runs and has scored a team best 64 runs.

.978…Team fielding percentage-the best of the eight CWS teams and 6th best in the nation.

ANALYSIS: The Gators don’t do anything particularly flashy, they are just good across the board and they find a way to win.  They’re battled tested with big SEC series wins, including the regular season finale vs. fellow CWS team South Carolina.   There’s a possible Omaha awe factor as well for the young Gators.

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CWS Bracket Two

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Tim Esmay

Arizona State Sun Devils (52-8)
Head Coach: Tim Esmay  (1st season)

#1…National seed.  The Sun Devils are one of just three national seed (along with UCLA and Florida) to make it to Omaha this year.

22…College World Series appearances by ASU-the third most all-time behind Texas (33) and Miami (23)

24…Consecutive wins by ASU to open the season.  They suffered their first loss on April 2nd with a 6-5 setback to Oregon in 12 innings.

134…Stolen bases by the Sun Devils-the most of any CWS team.  Drew Maggi leads ASU with 35 swipes.

14…NCAA leading triples hit by Pac 10 Player of the Year Zack MacPhee, who also leads the Sun Devils with a .679 slugging percentage.  MacPhee’s .394 batting average is second only to Riccio Torrez’s .399 avg.

33-3…Combined record of starting pitchers Merrill Kelly, Jake Borup and Pac 10 Pitcher of the Year Seth Blair.

7-2…The trios ASU record last year, with all the decisions courtesy of Blair.  Kelly is in his first year at ASU after transferring from Yavapai CC, while Borup made just eight appearances last year as a freshman.

0…Innings pitched this year by Josh Spence due to an elbow injury.  Spence was 10-1 with a 2.37 ERA for last year’s CWS team.  He was drafted in the third round of last year’s MLB draft by the Angels, but chose to return to ASU for his senior season.

0…Complete games by the ASU pitching staff.  They join Florida State as the only two staffs in Omaha without a CG this year.

23…Saves by Sun Devil pitchers-the most of any CWS team this season.  Jordan Swaggerty leads the way with 14, which is tied for the third most in the nation.

.239…Opponent batting average by the Sun Devil staff.  The mark is second only to UCLA’s CWS leading .219.

ANALYSIS: Arizona State brought plenty of confident teams to Omaha under former head coach Pat Murphy, but never brought home the big prize.  Under Tim Esmay the Sun Devils enter the CWS this year in circumstances similar to last year’s Cal State Fullerton team that was 5-0 in Regionals and Super Regionals, but went 0-2 in Omaha.  ASU still has the same swagger under Esmay as they head under Murphy, but can they finally go the distance with it?

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Jack Leggett

Clemson Tigers (43-23)
Head Coach: Jack Leggett  (17th season)

12…College World Series appearances by Clemson – the 11th most all-time appearances by a team.

43…Wins by the Tigers – the fewest of the eight CWS teams.

23…Clemson losses – the most of the field in Omaha.

20 & 20…Touchdown passes thrown and home runs hit by quarterback/outfielder Kyle Parker, who is the first such 20/20 two-sport athlete in Division One history.  The Colorado Rockies took Parker with the 26th pick in the first round of this year’s MLB draft.

4.72…Team ERA – the highest of this year’s CWS teams.

.280…Opponent batting average, which is also the highest of the eight pitching staffs in Omaha.

8.8…Runs a game scored by the Tigers, making them the highest scoring offense in Omaha this year.

17 & 23…Home runs hit and stolen bases by 3B John Hinson, who is also batting .345 with 72 RBIs.

15 & 85…Home runs and RBIs by OF Jeff Schaus, whose RBI total ranks fifth in the nation and is the most of any player at the College World Series.

7-2…Alex Frederick’s record on the mound.  The reliever has made just one start with a team high 30 appearances and is tied with starter Casey Harman (7-3) for the second most wins on the Tiger staff.

1…Complete game (tossed by Harman) by the Clemson pitching staff.

5…Tigers relievers, incuding Frederick, who have made at least 20 appearances this season.  Harman and Scott Weismann (8-2) have each made 17 starts and are the only Clemson pitchers without a relief appearance in 2010.

ANALYSIS: The Tigers hit and then hit some more, as evidenced by their 31 runs in their three Super Regional games vs. Alabama.  They scored at least 10 runs in a game 25 times this season, but how will they fair in their first round match-up against an Arizona State team that pitches, hits and plays defense?  ASU is going to put it in play and Clemson’s defense also ranks just 135th in the nation.

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Sunny Golloway

Oklahoma Sooners (49-16)
Head Coach: Sunny Golloway  (6th season)

10…College World Series appearances by the Sooners, who haven’t been to Omaha since 1995.  OU won the 1994 National Championship.

100…Home runs hit this season by Oklahoma – the most by any of the eight CWS teams and good for eighth in the nation.

65…Sac bunts by the Sooners, which is also the most by any of the eight CWS teams and good for seventh in the nation.

4…Home runs hit in OU’s two Super Regional wins over Virginia by Cody Reine.  The OF was 5-for-8 with 11 RBIs in the game two and three victories.  Five of his 10 HR this year have come in NCAA play.

95…Stolen bases by Oklahoma.  With five more swipes OU would join Coastal Carolina and Miami as the only three teams with at least 100 HR and 100 SB this season.

2…Straight wins by Oklahoma to close their Super Regional series after losing 3-2 to Virginia in the opener.  The Cavaliers hadn’t lost back to back games all season.

0…Runs allowed by the Sooners in their 11-0 Super Regional clinching win over UVA.  It’s their first shutout in NCAA play since 1992.

.371/16/64…Team best batting average, home runs and RBIs by Garrett Buechelle.  The sophomore is the son of 11-year MLB veteran Steve Buechelle.

.311/15/52…Batting average, home runs and RBIs by Cameron Seitzer.  The sophomore is the son of 12-year MLB veteran Kevin Seitzer.

.976…Team fielding percentage – tied with Arizona State for the second best fielding rate at the CWS.

5-0…Record of pitcher Jack Mayfield.  The freshman has made just three starts with 13 relief outings, but he has one of the pitching staff’s three complete games this year.

7 & 5…Wins and saves by Jeremy Erben, who leads the Sooners with 31 appearances, including 29 in relief.  Erben’s saves are second to Ryan Duke, who leads the team with 11.

540…Miles from OU’s campus in Norman, OK to Omaha, NE.  The number has been posted in the Sooner’s dugout all season.

ANALYSIS: Oklahoma took a page out of Virginia’s own book when it went on the road to beat the Cavs in last week’s Super Regional (as UVA did last year at Ole Miss).  The first round match-up vs. South Carolina’s Blake Cooper (see below) is an intriguing one.  Despite the big offensive numbers the Sooners have put-up this year they were shutout twice and scored just three runs in three games against the best pitchers they’ve seen so far: Texas.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Ray Tanner

South Carolina Gamecocks (48-15)
Head Coach: Ray Tanner  (14th season)

9…College World Series appearances by the Gamecocks.  Their last appearance was in 2004.

3…Times (including this year) that South Carolina made it to Omaha in the same year as intrastate rival Clemson.  The two also appeared together at the CWS in 2002 and 1977.

2-0…South Carolina’s record vs. Clemson at the ’02 CWS – the only games between the two teams in Omaha.

12…Home runs hit and stolen bases by Whit Merrifield.  The junior leads his team in both categories and he’s the only Gamecock with double digit home runs and stolen bases.

13 & 70…Sacrifice bunts and runs scored by Merrifield - both tops in the SEC.

9…South Carolina players who have hit at least seven home runs and driven-in at least 28 runs in 2010.

15 & 52…Team leading doubles and RBIs by Adrian Morales.  The junior is batting .286.

.371…Team high batting average of Jackie Bradley, Jr., who had 51 RBIs entering the CWS.

12 & 118 1/3…Wins and innings pitched by Gamecock ace Blake Cooper, who leads the SEC in both departments.  The senior (12-1, 2.81 ERA) suffered his only loss of the season in his last start of the regular season to SEC regular season champion Florida.

4…Complete games pitched by the SC pitching staff – the most of the eight CWS teams.  Sam Dyson (5-5, 4.39 ERA) has tossed three of them, while Cooper has the other.

91…Combined relief appearances by Michael Roth (1-1, 1.50, 3 SV), Matt Price (3-1, 2.54, 10 SV) and Jose Mata (7-1, 2.34).  Roth is second in the SEC with 33 appearances, while Mata’s 31 are tied for third.

568…Strikeouts by the Gamecock pitching staff.  The total ranks third in the nation and is second only to UCLA’s 619 of the teams in Omaha.

ANALYSIS: Like SEC rival Florida, South Carolina is a team that lacks a lot of flash, but just gets it done.  Cooper is a bulldog who has gone up against the top pitchers in the SEC and lost just once all season.  While none of the other starters approach his production, the bullpen is deep enough to make the Gamecocks a legit threat.  Their Sunday match-up with OU could be the best of the four first round games.

Thoughts and Notes From Day One Super Regional Play

Matt Purke struckout 11 in TCU's 3-1 win over Texas. (TCU photo)

(I’m not going to mention the name of my phone provider, because c’mon this isn’t a product placement blimp.)  Anyway, I got to watch most of the last three innings of the Texas-TCU game on my phone while dining…and while my wife was driving.  I say “most”, because my phone ran out of juice with one out to go in the game.  I guess I still need to make the extra investment for a car charger.

Purked: How about the performance by TCU freshman Matt Purke in the 3-1 upset of #2 national seed Texas?  The lefty retired the first eight batters he faced and then 11 of the next 12 after allowing a hit in the third inning.  He struckout 11 and is now 14-0.

Backs To The Wall: Give Vanderbilt credit for rallying from a 6-0 deficit in the first three innings of the game.  The Commodores actually rallied back to tie the game and then take 7-6 and 8-7 leads before McGee’s heroics.  One Vandy loss now sends Florida State to Omaha and the Commodores back to Nashville.  Don’t count Tim Corbin’s guys out though.  They were 3-0 in elimination games to win last week’s Louisville Regional, including two wins over the #7 national seeded Cardinals.

Credit Where It’s Due: I was critical of the newly retired Eric Byrnes when he was making his debut as a college baseball analyst last week for his apparent lack of preparation.  Byrnes noted during Friday’s Florida-Miami telecast that he stayed in Florida all week to do his research rather than return home to the west coast.  Byrnes came with good stuff Friday, including locker room material Miami provided Florida, like Hurricane head coach Jim Morris calling his team the New York Yankees of college baseball.  Byrnes, Kyle Peterson and play-by-play man Clay Matvick seem a lot more comfortable together in the booth this week, and Byrnes’ care free attitude seems to bring out a lot more of Peterson’s personality.  More “Oppo Tacos” please.

Costly Miscue: It wasn’t scored as an error, but a big mistake by Miami shortstop Stephen Perez led to Florida’s first three runs of the Gainesville Super Regional.  With two outs and the bases loaded Perez thought he caught a sinking line drive off the bat of Brian Johnson to apparently end the inning.  However, it was ruled the he took it on a short hop, and since Perez never threw to first base it was ruled a hit and a run scored.  Florida’s next batter, Mike Zunino, then lined a single to left to score two more & make the score 3-0.

Alex Panteliodis (Gatorcountry.com)

Upon Further Review: Instant replay of Perez’s non catch appeared to show he had actually caught the ball.  Byrnes asked about using instant replay in college baseball like it’s used in college football and to some extent in MLB games.  “If you have the technology use it,” Byrnes said.  I agree with that to an extent.  I do think the big leagues need more replay, but I’m not in favor of it in the college game.  The biggest reason is with 301 Division One teams the Super Regionals and the College World Series are the only games guaranteed to be on TV.  Even the Regionals don’t have full television coverage.  The argument can be made that post season games are the most important, so available technology should be used when it’s there.  But what about those last three games of the regular season?  They were just as important to teams like Tennessee and Kentucky and several others who were trying to get into their post season tournaments, but TV isn’t uniformly in play like it is for the MLB.  When every college game’s on TV I’ll go for it (and by the way, that would be a pretty big day if every game is on TV), but until then no replay is the way to go.

Johnny Pants: A big time effort from Florida pitcher Alex Panteliodis.  The sophomore fanned 12 in a career-best nine innings to help the Gators down the Hurricanes 7-2.  It’s not just the first complete game of the season for Florida, it’s the staff’s first since 2008.  Pitching isn’t quite the same precious commodity in Super Regional play as it is in Regionals, but it’s always big to save every arm possible in the first game of a big series.  While Panteliodis went the distance for Florida, David Guiterrez and Jason Santana each worked four innings for Miami.

Miscues II: Miami had two errors which lead to five unearned runs in the five-run loss.  The Hurricanes have now committed 10 errors in their six NCAA Tournament games this year, while Florida is yet to commit an error in its four NCAA games.

Son Of A Robby: Florida’s Tyler Thompson is the son of 11-year MLB veteran Robby Thompson.  He was named to our Regional Prime Time Performer Honor Roll this week for his three home run game in last week’s Regional title game win over FAU.  Thompson homered again in Friday’s win over Miami to give him four HR in his last two games after hitting just two during the regular season.

Special K Day: Friday was a big strikeout day for starting pitchers.  Cal State Fullerton’s Noe Ramirez (12-1) had 13 Ks in 7 IP in a 4-3 win over #6 national seed UCLA.  Bruin starter Gerrit Cole had 7 Ks in 6 2/3 IP in the loss to move his season total to 138, which is the third best in Bruins history.

On The Clock: Don’t be surprised if the subject of the length of games comes up during and after the College World Series.  Last night’s Cal State Fullerton-UCLA game lasted 3:35.  Remember that experimental 20 second clock at the SEC Tournament?  It kept most 9-inning games at around three hours.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s implemented in the NCAA post season soon.

Visit our Super Regional Central Page – with links to all eight Super Regional capsules.

FSU Next Faces TCU At CWS

Mike McGee & FSU celebrate Friday's walk-off HR. (Photo Larry Novey FSU)

By clicking the “Tallahassee Super Regional” link above this page will expand to fully support the table below.

CLICK HERE for our Super Regional Central page where you find links to the other Super Regionals.

Best two of three series (all times Eastern)

Gm 1 -Friday – FINAL: Florida State 9, Vanderbilt 8 |  Final Stats
FSU Recap | Vandy Recap FSU leads series 1-0
* Highlight: Mike McGee hits 2-out walk-off home run

Gm 2-Saturday – FINAL:  Vanderbilt 6, Florida State 2 |  Final Stats
VANDY Recap | FSU Recap Series Tied 1-1

Gm 3-Sunday FINAL: Florida State 7, Vanderbilt 6 |  Final Stats
FSU Recap | VANDY Recap

Florida State wins series (2-1)

Podcast with Vanderbilt’s Richie Goodenow

The Skinny

Florida State: The Seminoles were the only #1 seed to go on the road for Regional play this year.  They were 3-0 at the Norwich, CT Regional, and get to host the Super Regional after Vanderbilt upset #7 national seed Louisville last week.  Mike Martin’s FSU teams have made it to at least a Super Regional in 10 of the 12 years the format has been in place.

Mike McGee does a little bit of everything for the Seminoles.  The junior leads the team with 14 HR, 67 RBIs, 11 saves, and a 0.38 ERA to go with a 4-0 record on the mound.  Starter Sean Gilmartin (8-7, 4.74 ERA) is a two-way player as well.  He’s hitting .409 with 11 RBIs in limited plate appearances.  Tyler Holt is the team’s top overall hitter with a team leading .349 avg. as well as 12 HR, 42 RBIs, 24 doubles, 29 stolen bases, and a 1.069 OPS.

Vanderbilt: This season marks the fifth straight NCAA appearance for Tim Corbin’s Commodores, and it’s his second trip to the Super Regionals.  Vanderbilt players buzzed their heads prior to last week’s Regional win at Louisville, and now Corbin has a debt to pay.  He promised his team he would buzz his head as well if they won the Regional, and he says he will keep his promise.

Freshman Anthony Gomez (.377) has been one of the top hitters in the SEC all year.  Jason Esposito (.359/10 HR/59 RBIs/30 SB) and Aaron Westlake (.308/14 HR/58 RBIs) are the team’s top run producers.  The Commodores have players with some pedigree.  Sophomore Jack Armstrong (7-3, 4.32 ERA) is the son of the former big league pitcher with the same name and freshman Mike Yastrzemski (.233/2 HR/16 RBIs) is the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.

Staff ace Sonny Gray (9-5, 3.51) pitched for USA baseball last year and is invited again this year.  He is perhaps the best pitcher in the nation with five losses.  Russell Brewer (2-2, 3.07 ERA, 6 SVs) heads a relief corps that has seen six hurlers total 13 saves.  Richie Goodenow (podcast above) was the story of last week’s Regional.  The junior made just his second career start in what was his 68th career appearance in Sunday’s elimination game vs. Louisville an tossed a two-hit shutout to force Monday’s deciding game.

Tallahassee Super Regional

Texas catcher Rupp, Florida two-way threat Johnson earn top CB360 Primetime honors …

Texas junior catcher Cameron Rupp

Rupp has been named the national Primetime Player of the Week and Johnson is the Primetime Pitcher of the Week, while 17 others (listed below, with headshots and info. capsule) join them in comprising the Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll, as selected by CollegeBaseball360.com.

CLICK HERE for archive of previous CB360 Primetime award winners (scroll down for earlier weeks).

Florida freshman LHP/DH Brian Johnson

Johnson delivered on the mound and at the plate, logging seven shutout innings and providing the pinch-hit single that sparked a 9th-inning rally to beat Arkansas in the 2-1 series-clinching finale (the only weekend series between top-10 teams in the CB360 Composite National Rankings). Rupp helped vault Texas atop many of the national polls, as the cleanup batter smacked a pair of 1st-inning home runs and nearly did the same in the series finale – leading the way for a Longhorns squad that swept Oklahoma State while extending its win streak to 16 games.

JOHNSON rose to the occasion while facing an Arkansas offense that owned the best conference batting average (.338) in the elite Southeastern Conference. The 6-3, 225-pound lefthander racked up a season-high nine strikeouts and faced only 25 batters in the seven shutout innings, scattering three hits (.130 team batting avg.) and one walk with only three Razorbacks reaching second base (each occupied that position for  only a few moments).

Brian Johnson pitched seven shutout innings and delivered the pinch-hit single that sparked the winning rally, as Florida edged Arkansas by a 2-1 score to win that top-10 showdown series (photo courtesy of Florida).

The impressive outing saw Johnson post four 1-2-3 innings (1st-2nd-4th-7th) and allow multiple baseunners in only the 3rd, when James McCann was hit by a 1-out pitch and Matt Vinson followed with a single into left. Johnson executed the pickoff play to erase McCann and Collin Kuhn’s single put another runner on second, but Johnson forced Bo Bigham into a 4-3 groundout to end the pitcher’s busiest inning.

Andy Wilkins walked to open the 5th, but Johnson quickly record two outs (KS-F8-KS) to maintain the 1-0 thriller. One inning later, Zack Cox sent a 2-out double into the rightfield corner – but Johnson induced cleanup batter Brett Eibner to fly out to center field.

An Arkansas home run tied the game in the 8th and Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan elected to move Johnson into the DH spot in the bottom of the 9th. The rookie responded by working ahead in the count vs. bullpen ace Mike Bolsinger before poking a 2-0 pitch up the middle for a 1-out single. Moments later, Johnson’s pinch-runner Cody Dent came home with the series-winning run – leaving Florida (28-11/12-6) two games behind South Carolina in the race for the SEC title.

Johnson – who located 70 of his 99 pitches for strikes in the pressure-packed outing – now owns a 2.91 season ERA. He was batting 8-for-23 (.348) prior to the single that sparked the game-winning rally.

If setting an early tone is a character trait for “primetime” players, RUPP left no doubt during four games over the past week. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound cleanup hitter had an early-game home run in a midweek win over Texas Arlington before providing plenty of early fireworks in all three games of the Oklahoma State series (14-1/5-0/9-3). Rupp smashed a 3-run blast in the 1st inning of the series opener and then duplicated that feat one day later, as Texas clinched the series with a 19-1 scoring edge over the first two days.

Texas junior Cameron Rupp did his usual stellar job directing the pitching staff during the past week's action – but his early-game power display in multiple games repeatedly set the tone (in a midweek game vs. UT Arlington and sweep of Oklahoma State; photo courtesy of big12sports.com).

Two feet was all that separated Rupp from another 1st-inning home run in the series finale, but he still settled for an RBI double high off the wall. He finished the week with 13 RBI (boosting his team-best total to 40) and a 1.296 slugging pct. (his season totals now include 7 HR and 10 2B).

Rupp alsp continued to manage the impressive Texas pitching staff, calling pitches for a group of hurlers that combined for a 1.25 ERA during the week.

(note: additional action photos for some of the other honorees may be added to this page).

Primetime Performer Award Criteria (not based solely on raw stats, but rather …)
• 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; made significant contribution to team’s postseason positioning (single-game wins, “quality” wins, series wins, road wins, etc.).
• Involved in clutch performances, such as late game-winning hits, noteworthy comebacks, game-changing plays, team leadership, key defensive efforts, etc.
• Performed at a top level against a team rated highly nationally (or within its conference), with bonus consideration given for key performances away from home field and vs. traditional rivals.
• Overcame adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).
• Any accomplishment that is rare, historic, record-setting, etc., on a national level.

The other 17 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll for April 19-25 include: Boston College sr. CF Robbie Anston (Odessa, Fla.) … Washington State sr. RHP Chad Arnold (Kennewick, Wash.) … UC Irvine sr. RHP Christian Bergman (Altadena, Calif.) … Oklahoma jr. 2B Danny Black (Roseville, Calif.) … Stanford fr. 3B Kenny Diekroeger ( Woodside, Calif.) … Seton Hall 5th-yr. sr. 2B Chris Fontanelli (Toms River, N.J.) … Tennessee jr. catcher Blake Forsythe (Memphis, Tenn.) … North Carolina jr. RHP Matt Harvey (Mystic, Conn.) … Florida fr. LHP/DH Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) … Texas State sr. 1B Kyle Livingstone (Ft. Worth, Texas) … Florida State jr. LF/RHP Mike McGee (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) … Texas Tech fr. 2B Jamodrick McGruder (Mesquite, Texas) … Coastal Carolina so. SS Taylor Motter (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) … Connecticut jr. 3B Mike Olt (Branford, Conn.) … Texas junior catcher Cameron Rupp (Plano, Texas) … Virginia Tech so. 1B Ronnie Shaban ( Moseley, Va.) … Mississippi so. DH Matt Snyder (Centreville, Va.) … Texas A&M-Corpus Christi jr. LF Chris Vergne (San Juan, Puerto Rico) … and Arizona sr. RHP Daniel Workman (Sierra Vista, Ariz.).

The 19 honorees include a pair of two-way talents (LHP/DH and LF/RHP), along with four other righthanded pitchers, three second baseman, two catchers, a pair of first basemen, two third basemen, a shortstop, leftfielder, centerfielder and DH. The selections feature a 5th-year senior, five seniors, seven juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen. The honorees hail from 10 different home states/foreign countries, led by four from Florida and three each from California and Texas, plus two each from Connecticut and Virginia, along with one from Arizona, New Jersey, Puerto Rice, Tennessee and Washington.

PRIMETIME PERFORMERS WEEKLY HONOR ROLL #10 (April 27, 2010)

(presented by CollegeBaseball360.com)

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

Player (Pos.) … School … Yr. … Hometown … Stats & Notes

ROBBIE ANSTON (CF)
Boston College … Sr.
Odessa, FL

Leadoff hitter who paced sweep at #50 North Carolina State (9-5/10-8/11-10), lifting Eagles to 2nd-place in ACC Atlantic Division … had 3 hits in each game while batting 9-for-17 (.529) with 7 RBI, 8 runs, 19 total bases (2 HR, 3B, 2 2B) and pair of stolen bases … hit 9th-inning, 2-run single for go-ahead runs in game-2 … his leadoff home run tied series finale in the 8th.

CHAD ARNOLD (RHP)
Washington State … Sr./Jr.
Kennewick, WA

Logged complete-game victory to knock off #24 Oregon State in Pacific-10 Conference series opener (5-1), limiting the Beavers to 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 11 (35 batters faced) … rolled up 10 groundout during his 125-pitch outing … dropped his season ERA to 3.03 and now is allowing opposing batters a .227 combined batting average.

CHRISTIAN BERGMAN (RHP)
UC Irvine … Sr.
Altadena, CA

Allowed leadoff single vs. UC Davis (runner was caught stealing) but went on to record 27 straight outs and face the minimum 27 batters, in a 1-hit victory over UC Davis (13-0) to help keep UC Irvine in the Big West Conference title hunt (no conf. tournament) … 19 of his outs came via strikeouts (6) or groundouts (13) … located 71% 0f his pitches for strikes (63 of 89).

DANNY BLACK (2B)
Oklahoma … Jr.
Roseville, CA

Sooners’ 2-hole hitter who racked up 10 RBI in three big wins (8-3 vs. #14 TCU; 6-5 in 13/10-2 at #37 Texas A&M), helping solidify OU’s postseason positioning … his other stats in the three big wins included 2 home runs, 3 runs scored, 2  doubles and a pair of walks.

KENNY DIEKROEGER (3B)
Stanford … Fr.
Woodside, CA

Lower-third hiter (7-hole) who had a pair of game-winning RBI in the Pacific-10 Conference series sweep of Bay-area rival #18 California (3-2/15-12/11-10) …  hit 6-for-12 and factored into 8 runs (5RBI-3R, 2B-BB) during series; executed sac-fly to win pitchers duel in opener … added 3-5/2RBI-2R effort in game-2 before his RBI double capped 3-run rally that won finale – pushing Cardinal (10-5) to within one game of Pac-10 leader Arizona  State.

CHRIS FONTANELLI (2B)
Seton Hall … 5th-Yr.-Sr.
Toms River, NJ

Helped hand #10 Louisville only its third home loss of the 2010 season (8-6; as one if the BIG EAST lower-ranked teams upset a league leader; SHU also suffered narrow losses in the series, 2-4/1-3) … had early 2-out RBI single and 2 runs in win over Cards; scored tying run in 5th inning of opener (2-2); executed 11 fielding chances as part of SHU’s error-free series.

BLAKE FORSYTHE (C)
Tennessee … Jr.
Memphis, TN

Helped post three wins over CB360 top-50 teams (18-8 vs. #46 Western Carolina; doubleheader sweep of #17 Vanderbilt, 4-2 in 11 & 4-3 in 7, to complete that Southeastern Conference series) … hit 5-13 with 6 RBI and pair of home runs in those three big wins (3 runs, double, 2 walks, hit-by-pitch) …  his 2-run blast ended 11-inning game vs. Vandy … a couple hours later, his walk was part of 2-run, game-ending rally that gave Vols the series.

Matt Harvey (RHP)
North Carolina … Jr. … Mystic, CT

Struck out 15 batters (nine “looking) from #19 Clemson, in complete-game win (5-3) as UNC went on to win key road series … held Tigers to 6 hits (.167 batting) and a single walk … posted 6 straight Ks in 6th and 7th innings.

*BRIAN JOHNSON (LHP/DH)
Florida … Fr.
Cocoa Beach, FL

Delivered on the mound and at the plate, as Gators edged #4 Arkansas (2-1) to win that top-10 series matchup between two of top teams in the Southeastern Conference … pitched 7.0 scoreless innings and allowed only 3 hits (.130 tean batting avg.) by SEC’s top offense (the Razorbacks entered the game with a .338 team batting avg. in league play) …  had 9 Ks and only 1 walk …  his 1-out single sparked 9th-inning rally (his pinch-runner scored winning run).

KYLE LIVINGSTONE (1B)
Texas State … Sr.
Ft. Worth, TX

Hit 5-for-11 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored in three big wins for Texas State (9-3 vs. #49 Baylor; 5-3 and 7-3 vs. Southland Conference contender Northwestern (La.) State), as the Bobcats cracked the national rankings for the first time during the 2010 season … serves primarily as team’s 5-hole hitter … played lead role in the win over Baylor (3RBI-2R).

MIKE McGEE (LF/RHP)
Florida State … Jr.
Port St. Lucie, FL

Two-way talent (5-6/8-7/7-6) who helped Florida State edge its  in-state rival and #11 Miami, in hard-fought series with three 1-run games …  hit 5-for-9 in the series with 3 HR, 5 RBI and 5 walks (also 4 runs, 2 doubles and a sac-fly) … his 9th-inning, 2-out, 2-run home run won the series (also was the pitcher of record, with 1.2IP-2K-5BF) … earlier walked and scored in 3-run bottom of 8th, as FSU similarly rallied to win gm-2 (2R in 9th).

JAMODRICK McGRUDER (2B)
Texas Tech … Fr.
Mesquite, TX

Texas Tech leadoff batter who hit 9-for-14 while factoring into 13 runs (7RBI, 6runs, 5 stolen bases, 2 doubles, 3 walks, sacrifice fly), as the Red Raiders won a key Big 12 Conference series at #41 Kansas (2-10/11-8/21-10) … closed the series at Kansas with an impressive all-around game, batting 4-for-5 with  6 RBI, 4 runs scored, a pair of doubles, 2 stolen bases, a walk and a sacrifice fly … did not make an error in the three-game series (12 fielding chances).

TAYLOR MOTTER (SS)
Coastal Carolina … So.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL

The Chanticlers’ 9-hole hitter who helped extend team’s win streak to 17 games, with sweep of Big South contender Virginia Military Institute (7-0/3-2/6-2) … hit 5-for-10 with a pair of home runs in the road series (4 RBI, 4 runs, 2 doubles, 2 walks; also made no errors on 13 fielding chances) … launched a key home run in the 3-2 series clincher, with Coastal Carolina going on to sweep the Keydets and gain firm control of the Big South race.

MIKE OLT (3B)
Connecticut
Jr. … Branford, CT

5-hole batter who led sweep of Rutgers in BIG EAST Conference showdown series (7-2/6-3/8-7 in 12) … hit 11-for-14 (.786) with 5 RBI and 2 home runs in the three games (5R-SF) … delivered quanity (5-for-6) and quality (9th-inning, tying HR) during the series finale versus the Scarlet Knights.

*CAMERON RUPP (C)
Texas … Jr.
Plano, TX

Cleanup batter who hit pair of 1st-inning, 3-run home runs and nearly added another 1st-run HR (RBI 2B high off wall) in Big 12 Conference series sweep of Oklahoma State (14-1/5-0/9-3), as Longhorns pushed their win streak to 16 … amassed 11 RBI & 12 total bases (2HR-2 2B; 4R-B) in series, also 2-run HR in midweek win over Arlington … called pitches for a Longhorns staff that posted a 1.25 ERA over the course of the four-game week.

RONNIE SHABAN (1B)
Virginia Tech
So. … Moseley, VA

Supplied several key hits from the 5-hole in Virginia Tech’s Atlantic Coast Conference series win over #5 Georgia Tech (3-1 in 11/10-3/12-14), batting 6-for-12 in the series with 5 RBI and 3 runs score (also had a home run, triple, 2 walks and a stolen base3) …  hit the g0-ahead single in 11th inning of the series opener … his 2-run home run in game-2 helped the Hokies race out to 6-0 lead, en route to the series-clinching win over the highly-ranked Yellowjackets.

MATT SNYDER (DH)
Mississippi … So.
Centreville, VA

Delivered from cleanup spot in Mississippi’s sweep of #7 LSU (11-9/9-8 in 11/7-6), batting at a .500 clip (6-12) with 7 RBI, 3 home runs and 5 runs scored (also reached on a BB & HBP) … delivered in opener vs. ace Anthony Ranaudo, with 1st-inning solo shot and 2-inning grand slam (8-2 lead) … closed series in similar fashion, with tying 2-run home run in the 8th.

CHRIS VERGNE (LF)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi … Jr.
San Juan, Puerto Rico

2-hole batter who helped Islanders win series from #31 Southeastern Louisiana (the Southland Conference leader) … hit 2-run double for early 4-2 lead in game-2 and added clinching grand slam (10-5 final) … went on to score 3 runs in series finale (11-5).

DANIEL WORKMAN (RHP)
Arizona … Sr./Jr.
Sierra Vista, AZ

Beat in-state rival #1 Arizona State (4-2; 6.1 innings, 2 runs, 5 hits, 4 strikeouts, 23 batters faced) and closed week with solid short start in team’s 6-4 win over #6 UCLA (3.1IP-R-3H-2BB-5K) … his combined stats in the pair of starts: 9.2 IP, 3R, 8H, 2BB, 9 Ks (.216 opp. batting avg.).

* – Rupp is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Johnson the Primetime Pitcher of the Week … note that rankings above refer to the CB360 top-50 … primary class years are based on academic standing (some players may have an extra year of eligibility).

SLU’s Brock, ‘Bama’s Morgan Headline Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll … CollegeBaseball360.com has announced its fifth group of Primetime Performers, for action during the third week of March. St. Louis University senior first baseman Danny Brock (Loveland, Colo.) is the CB360 Primetimer Player of the Week while Alabama sophomore lefthander Adam Morgan (Marietta, Ga.) is the Primetime Pitcher of the Week.

Danny Brock

Adam Morgan

Brock and Morgan are joined by 14 other clutch players from throughout the nation in comprising the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll for May 15-21.

BROCK – son of 10-year Major Leaguer Greg Brock (’82-86 Dodgers; ’87-’91 Brewers) – played a lead role in SLU’s doubleheader sweep of a Kansas team that was #25 in the CB360 Composite National Rankings (KU was fresh off a pair of wins at national power LSU). During the pair of convincing wins (12-8/8-5), the 3-hole hitter Brock smacked his 10th home run of the season while batting 4-for-8, reaching base two other times (BB, HBP) and factoring directly into half  of the Billikens’ 20 runs (6 RBI, 5 R).

Danny Brock scored or drove in 10 of SLU's 20 runs during the convincing doubleheader sweep of #25 Kansas.

The 6-1, 210-pount righthanded hitter led the way for a SLU offense that roughed up a pair of the KU pitching staff’s top righthanded starters – junior T.J. Walz (a 2009 all-Big 12 Conference performer) and senior Cameron Selik. Walz was touched for eight runs and nine hits in 6.1 innings (2BB-6K) while Selik surrendered seven runs and eight hits in 6.0 IP (2BB-7K). Walz was the Jayhawks’ game-1 winner one week earlier at LSU while Selik had started and won the series clincher vs. the defending national champions.

Brock’s three-run homer in the bottom of the 7th put SLU ahead for good in the opener vs. Kansas (3-for-4, 5RBI-3R-BB) and he tacked on another strong effort in the game-2 victory (1B-RBI-2R-HBP). He ended the week with a .405 season batting average and was the Atlantic 10 Conference leader in home runs (10), RBI (36), slugging percentage (.892), walks (17) and runs scored (24), plus third in the A-10 with a .525 on-base percentage. He entered this week with an eye-popping 1.417 season “OPS” (on-base plus slugging), through 20 games.

CLICK HERE to listen to a podcast interview with Brock.

MORGAN delivered #21 Alabama’s 4-1 opening victory in its series win vs. a Vanderbilt team listed 17th in the CB360 composite rankings. The 6-1/180-pound lefthander shut out the Southeastern Conference’s top offense through six innings, ultimately allowing only on run on six hits and three walks through 6.2 innings (3 Ks). The Commodores entered the game with a gaudy .352 team batting average while averaging nearly nine runs and 12 hits per game in the first 17 games of the season (VU was 15-2 before losing to Morgan and the Tide in game-1). Morgan did not allow a Vanderbilt runner to reach second base until there was two outs in the seventh, which also is when VU managed its only extra-base hit of the day vs. Morgan (an Anthony Gomez double; VU’s five other hits vs. Morgan included four 2-out singles with nobody on base).

Adam Morgan shut out the SEC's top offense (#17 Vanderbilt) through six innings, leading the Tide to a game-1 victory and eventual series win.

In addition to the challenge of facing the Vanderbilt hitters, Morgan had the added pressure of knowing that VU sophomore RHP Sonny Gray (a projected 1st-rounder in 2011) would be facing his teammates. Morgan proved up to the task, rolling up a 1-2-3 inning to start his outing, then allowing a leadoff walk to Jason Esposito but quickly erasing the runner on a pickoff play. Brian Harris had a 2-out single vs. Morgan in the third but was stranded at first, as was cleanup hitter Andrew Giobbi after his single in the fourth.

Gomez managed a 2-out single in the fifth, but was forced out at second. Bryan Johns earned a leadoff walk vs. Morgan in the sixth, but he was caught stealing and Giobbi later was stranded at first following his 2-out single. Vanderbilt’s only run came in the seventh, courtesy of two more 2-out hits.

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.
• 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 and vs. traditional rivals.
• Overcoming adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).
• Any accomplishment that is rare, historic, record-setting, etc., on a national level.
The other 14 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll include: Utah sophomore catcher C.J. Cron (Phoenix, Ariz.), Arkansas jr. CF/RHP Brett Eibner (Houston, Texas), Ball State righthanded reliever Perci Garner (Dover, Ohio), Maryland 1B/RH closer Dan Gentzler (Berwyn, Pa.), Stanford jr. catcher Zach Jones (Draper, Utah), LSU so. LHP Chris Matulis (Lake Worth, Fla.), Florida State jr. RF/RH closer Mike McGee (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Mississippi LHP Drew Pomeranz (Collierville, Tenn.), Fordham 5th-yr. sr. DH Angelo Ponte (Old Tappart, N.J.), Arizona fr. LF Robert Refsnyder (Laguna Hills, Calif.), High Point jr. RF Nate Roberts (Spring Grove, Ill.), San Diego jr. SS Tony Strazzara (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Florida so. 1B Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) and Charlotte senior catcher Zane Williams (Claremore, Okla.).

C.J. Cron

Brett Eibner

Perci Garner

Dan Gentzler

Zach Jones

Chris Matulis

Mike McGee

Drew Pomeranz

Angelo Ponte

Robert Refsnyder

Nate Roberts

Tony Strazzara

Preston Tucker

Zane Williams

The 16 honorees include three two-way players (RHP/RF; CF/RHP; 1B/RHP), four other pitchers (three of them lefties), three catchers, two first basemen, a shortstop, leftfielder, rightfielder and DH. The selections feature a 5th-year senior, three seniors, seven juniors, four sophomore and the freshman Refsnyder. Three of the players are Florida natives and two are Arizona products, with all of the others coming from different home states: California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah.

Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll #5 (March 15-21)

(presented by CollegeBaseball360.com)
“It’s not so much what you do, as it is when you do it.”

Player (Pos.) … School … Yr. … Hometown … Stats & Notes
*Danny Brock (1B) … St. Louis … Sr. . … Loveland, CO
Smacked 10th HR of season while batting 4-8 from 3-hole and factoring into 10 runs (6RBI-5R; BB-HBP) during sweep of #25 Kansas (12-8/8-5)

C.J. Cron (C) … Utah … So. . … Phoenix, AZ
Went 6-10 with 10 RBI (7R-2HR-2B) from cleanup spot, in pair of wins over #29 New Mexico (16-2/9-8 in 10)

Brett Eibner (CF/RHP) … Arkansas … Jr. . … Houston, TX
Homered twice (4 RBI) in gm-1 win at  #6 LSU; started series finale on mound (6IP-3R/2ER-7H-2BB-7K)

Perci Garner (RHP) … Ball State … Jr. . … Dover, OH
Flamethrower posted 4-inning win at #8 Louisville (R-2H-6K; 5-1/UL’s 2nd loss in ’10)

Dan Gentzler (1B/RHP) … Maryland … Sr. . …  Berwyn, PA
Homered twice (4RBI-3R-BB) and took mound in 9th for save (man on 3rd; 1-3 groundout/KL/4-3), in 5-2 win over #12 Ga. Tech

Zach Jones (C) … Stanford … Jr. . … Draper, UT
9-hole hitter who went 8-12 (2 RBI-3R) in sweep of Pepperdine (9-8/10-6/11-6)

Chris Matulis (LHP) … LSU … So. . … Lake Worth, FL
Starting pitcher in series finale 5-1 win vs. #13 Arkansas (5.1IP-R-5H-4BB-6K)

Mike McGee (RF/RHP) … Florida State … Jr. . … Port St. Lucie, FL
3-hole hitter who went 4-for-9 (RBI, R) and saved both wins (1.2 total shutout IP; 4-3/5-3) in series at #19 UNC

*Adam Morgan (LHP) … Alabama … So. . … Marietta, GA
Held SEC’s top offense to one run, in 4-1 series opener at #17 Vanderbilt (6.2IP-6H-3BB-3K)

Drew Pomeranz (LHP) … Mississippi … Jr. . … Collierville, TN
Logged 6.0 shutout innings in 9-0 opener at #28 Kentucky (H-2BB-9K)

Angelo Ponte (DH) … Fordham … 5th-Yr.-Sr. . … Old Tappart, NJ
Factored into all of Rams’ runs (3RBI-R) during 4-3 win at #20 Miami

Robert Refsnyder (LF) … Arizona … Fr. . … Laguna Hills, CA
Hit 6-10 with 8 RBI (2R) in dominating DH vs. #32 Wichita St. (13-5/19-0)

Nate Roberts (RF) … High Point … Jr. . … Spring Grove, IL
Went 3-4 (3RBI-2R) as 3-hole hitter in 13-12 win over #24 East Carolina, then 2-4 (RBI-3R) vs. #42 VMI (15-14)

Tony Strazzard (SS) … San Diego … Jr. . … Scottsdale, AZ
2-hole hitter who went 4-for-9 (4R-RBI) in pair of wins over #22 Rice (6-4/6-5 in 10)

Preston Tucker (1B) … Florida … So. . … Tampa, FL
#3 hitter who had 4 RBI and went 2-for-4 (HR, BB) in 8-5 rivalry win over #7 Florida St.;  batted 5-12 (4 RBI-3R-2 HR-2B) in sweep of #43 Mississippi St. (7-2/5-4/4-1)

Zane Williams (C) … Charlotte … Sr. . … Claremore, OK
Factored into 5 runs (4RBI-R-2B-2 BB) during 11-10 win over #5 Clemson

* – Brock is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Morgan the Primetime Pitcher of the Week … note that rankings above refer to the CB360 top-50 … class years are based on academic standing (some players may have an extra year of eligibility)

LSU’s Ranaudo Tabbed Preseason National Player of the Year