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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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A Look Around The Country At Saturday’s NCAA Action

• The hitting streak continues, but the season is over.  Garrett Wittels extended his hitting streak to 56 games in Florida International’s 15-9 loss to Dartmouth.  The loss eliminated FIU from the Coral Gables Regional.  That means Wittels will begin the 2011 season needing hits in his first two games to tie Robin Ventura for the all-time Division One record hit streak.
  

  Garrett Wittels (FIU photo)

• ““Teams are gonna know what to anticipate.  He likes to drive the ball away.  Look for some teams to try to different things next season.  Try busting him hard inside.  Nobody tried to do that.  We know he can push the ball into right center field, but can he turn on the ball?  I think that’s gonna be the test.”  That’s what ESPNU studio analyst Jay Walker had to say about Wittels and how other teams might approach him next year.  So let me get this straight…Wittels batted .409 this season, hit safely in 56 games, smacked 20 doubles, and came to the plate 237 times, but nobody ever challenged him inside once and he never once turned on the ball?  Great analysis Jay (I hope the sarcasm is detected)!  Anyone who hits in 56 straight and bats .400 over the course of the season is going to do it by going to all fields.  More great analysis by someone we’ve never heard of who probably saw all of eight of Wittels’ at-bats this season.
• Dartmouth clean-up batter Jason Brooks was 2-for-5 in the win over FIU with a grand slam and a total of 6 RBIs.  The win was the first for Dartmouth in the NCAA Tournament since 1987 and the first for the Ivy League since Princeton won a game in 2004.
• Not to be outdone, Illinois State got its first NCAA win in 34 years by downing St. Louis 8-3 in the Louisville Regional elimination game.  Kevin Tokarski homered and drove-in four.
  

  Anthony Rendon (Rice photo)

• Anthony Rendon jacked 3 HR and totaled 7 RBIs to lead Rice to a resounding 19-1 elimination game win over Rider at the Austin Regional.  With the Owls leading 11-0 Wayne Graham lifted starter Taylor Wall after 3 2/3 hitless innings.
• Southern Mississippi’s Taylor Walker was 4-for-4 with a home runs, 4 runs and 4 RBIs in an Auburn Regional elimination win over Jacksonville State.
• Matt Weisinger hit two of St. John’s‘ four home runs in Charlottesville to help the Red Storm eliminate VCU 8-6.
• Baylor beat Lamar 6-5 in Ft. Worth.  Logan Vick had his 29th extra base hit to set a freshman school record.
• Florida Atlantic had a season-high 18 hits to eliminate Bethune-Cookman with a 12-6 win in Gainesville.
• Buddy Sosnoskie belted two HR with 6 RBIs to help Virginia Tech beat Bucknell 16-7.
• Stony Brook eliminated North Carolina State with a 6-2 win in Myrtle Beach.  Sophomore Tyler Johnson (10-3) set a new Seawolves single-season record for wins.  Johnson notched 10 Ks in 8 IP.
• Tyler Garwal hit a walk-off home run to keep Oral Roberts‘ season going with a 9-8 win over Cal in Norman.  The Golden Eagles hit 4 HR and won despite walking 9 batters.
• Francis Larson hit his 25th career home run to help UC Irvine beat Kent State 19-9 in the L.A. elimination game.  Larson has now hit the most home runs in Anteater history.
  

  Neil Holland (UofL photo)

• Louisville’s 7-1 win over Vanderbilt set a program record with the 50th win of the season for the Cardinals.  Neil Holland got his 17th save with 3 shutout innings of one hit ball.
• How confident was Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell that his team could start Regional play 2-0?  Cardinal ace Thomas Royse (9-1, 2.91 ERA) did not start either of his team’s first two games.  He’ll start Sunday, which is the final game of McDonnell’s 3-game suspension.
• Mike Olt is UConn’s all-time home run (44) and RBI (177) leader after belting two long balls with a career-best 8 RBIs as the Huskies routed Central Connecticut State 25-5.  UConn now faces Oregon, which lost 6-4  to Florida State.
• Rain and lightening caused two hours and 28 minutes of delay, but Miami cruised to a 14-1 win over Texas A&M.  Hurricane 1B Scott Lawson was 4-for-6 with 3 HR and 6 RBIs.
• Danny Hultzen gave-up 6 earned runs in 6 IP, but still improved to 10-1 as Virginia beat Ole Miss. 13-7.  The Cavaliers tied a school record with their 49th win.
• Mike Ferraro was 4-for-6 with a home run, two doubles and 6 RBIs to lead San Diego to a resounding 22-1 elimination game win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Tempe.
• Here’s a lesson to the kids at home: ALWAYS RUN IT OUT.  Stanford’s Colin Walsh hit a fairly routine fly ball to left field, but Cal State Fullerton’s Casey Watkins dropped it.  Walsh motored all the way to third on the play and scored on a single by Stephen Piscotty.  The Titans still won 6-5 thanks to a pair of 2-run home runs by Christian Colon.
• Stanford goes 0-2 at the Fullerton Regional.  It’s just the second time Stanford has gone two and out in Regional play.  The last time it happened was in 1994 in Austin, TX.
• There were a total of seven upsets on Saturday.  Five #4 seeds won, with three of those wins vs. #2 seeds.  Two #1 seeds lost to #2 seeds.
• Minnesota is the Cinderella of the Regionals so far.  The fourth-seeded Golden Gophers downed #3 New Mexico 6-4 in 10 innings the Fullerton winner’s bracket game to go to 2-0.
• Scott Matyas struckout 8 in three scoreless, hitless innings of relief to improve to 5-1.
• Eight of Saturday’s Regional games were decided by double digits.
• Citadel’s 1-3 batters combined to go just 2-for-12 in their 9-4 loss to South Carolina.  The Gamecocks used a 5-run 7th inning to take the win.
• Starting pitchers Blake Cooper (11-1) of South Carolina and Asher Wojciechowski (12-3) of The Citadel combined for 23 strikeouts and just 4 walks.
  

  Trevor Bauer (UCLA photo)

• Trevor Bauer had 11 strikeouts to lead UCLA to a 6-3 win over defending national champion LSU in the L.A. winner’s bracket game.  Anthony Ranaudo had 10 Ks in the loss.
• The Bruins (45-13) tied a program record for most wins in one season.  It equals the win total from the Bruins’ 1997 team (45-19-1), which was the last UCLA program to go to the College World Series.
• Junior Casey Harman tossed the first complete game of his career to help #2 seed Clemson topple #1 Auburn 5-2  in Auburn.  Harman scattered five hits with 8 strikeouts.
• Arizona State’s Seth Blair is 12-0 after giving-up just a run in 7 IP as the overall #1 seeded Sun Devils rolled Hawaii 12-1.
• Joe Weik smacked two home runs and had a career-high 6 RBIs to help TCU down Arizona 11-5.  The Horned Frogs improve to 48-11 to tie the school record for wins in a season.
• TCU pitchers Matt Purke (13-0) and Tyler Lockwood combined for 10 strikeouts, making TCU 21-0 when its pitchers have at least 10 Ks in a game.

Here’s a look at the official Division One NCAA baseball statistics leaders in selected categories.  Stats are through games played on 5/23/10.

Jace Brinkerhoff

BATTING AVERAGE

Minimum 3.0 Plate Appearances Per Game &  Minimum 120 Plate Appearances

1. Justin Brinkerhoff-Utah Valley  .463

1. Justin Howard-New Mexico  .463

3. Sean Allaire-Central Connecticut St.  .456

4. Chad Oberacker-Tennessee Tech  .455

5. Chris Duffy-Central Florida  .447

6. Matt Szczur-Villanova  .443

7. D.J. Leonard-Bethune-Cookman  .441

8. Ryan Soares-George Mason  .438

8. Gary Brown-Cal St. Fullerton  .438

10. Joe Leonard-Pittsburgh  .436

Jordan Ribera

HOME RUNS

1. Jordan Ribera-Fresno St.  26

2. Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  24

2. A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  24

4. Alex Dickerson-Indiana  23

5. Anthony Rendon-Rice  22

6. Chris Duffy-Central Florida  21

6. Seth Furmanek-Oral Roberts  21

6. Luke Stewart-UAB  21

9.  The following players are tied with 20 home runs

Jeremy Baltz-St. John’s

Wes Cunningham-Murray St.

Brian Fletcher-Auburn

Matt Leeds-College of Charleston

Robert Maddox-Ohio

Justin Miller-Middle Tennessee

John Moreland-Mercer

Hunter Morris-Auburn

Peter O’Brien-Bethune-Cookman

Mike Olt-Connecticut

Doug Shribman-Bucknell

Jacob Tanis-Mercer

Nate Woods-Belmont

Nate Roberts

ON-BASE PERCENTAGE

Minimum 120 Plate Appearances

1. Nate Roberts-High Point  .578

2. Michael Choice-UT Arlington  .568

3. Yasmani Grandal-Miami (FL)  .552

4. Chris Bangi-Campbell  .548

4. Taylor Dugas-Alabama  .548

6. Kevin Tokarski-Illinois St.  .547

7. Shane Brown-Central Florida  .541

8. J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St.  .540

9. Chris Duffy-Central Florida  .539

10. Kyle Roller-East Carolina  .537

Jace Brinkerhoff

RBIs

1. Jace Brinkerhoff-Utah Valley  84

2. Jacob Tanis-Mercer  83

3. Chris Benson-Utah Valley  81

3. Chris Duffy-Central Florida  81

5. Matt Leeds-College of Charleston  80

6. Eric Cain-South Dakota St.  79

7. Nate Woods-Belmont  78

8. Wes Cunningham-Murray St.  77

8. Anthony Gallas-Kent St.  77

8. Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  77

Jake Rickenbach

RUNS

1. Jake Rickenbach-Utah Valley  85

2. Nate Roberts-High Point  84

3. Jace Brinkerhoff-Utah Valley  83

4. Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  76

5. Ryan Aguayo-New Mexico St.  75

5. Tom Zebroski-George Washington  75

7. Dallas Poulk-North Carolina St. 74

8. John Schultz-Pittsburgh  73

8. Perry Silverman-Canisius  73

10. George Springer-Connecticut  72

Paul Hoilman

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

Minimum 3.0 Plate Appearances PG & Minimum 120 Plate Appearances

1. Paul Hoilman-East Tennessee St.  .874

2. Chris Duffy-Central Florida  .850

3. Kevin Patterson-Auburn  .849

4. A.J. Kirby-Jones-Tennessee Tech  .846

5. Wes Cunningham-Murray St.  .835

6. Ryan Soares-George Mason  .809

7. Alex Dickerson-Indiana  .808

8. Sean Allaire-Central Connecticut St.  .804

9. J.D. Ashbrook-Morehead St. .795

10. C.J. Cron-Utah  .788

Willie Wesley

STOLEN BASES

(Caught Stealing)

1. Willie Wesley-Jackson St.  51 (5)

2. Rico Noel-Coastal Carolina  48 (13)

3. Scott Woodward-Coastal Carolina  46 (6)

4. Dexter Kelley-Savannah St.  44 (10)

5. Shawn Payne-Georgia St.  43 (2)

6. Willie Argo-Illinois  41 (4)

6. Eric Stamets-Evansville  41 (6)

8. Damian Csakai-Wagner  40 (5)

8. Tyler Wilson-Lipscomb  40 (10)

10. Ryan Strausborger-Indiana St.  39 (4)

Quintavious Drains

WINS

1. Quintavious Drains-Jackson St. (13-3)

2. Anthony Meo-Coastal Carolina  (12-1)

3. Corey Baker-Pittsburgh  (11-2)

3. Matt Purke-TCU (11-0)

3. Brandon Workman-Texas  (11-1)

6. Seth Blair-Arizona St.  (10-0)

Jake Borup-Arizona St.  (10-1)

Blake Cooper-South Carolina  (10-1)

Cole Green-Texas  (10-0)

Lance Harting-Longwood  (10-0)

Matt Iannazzo-Pittsburgh  (10-2)

Tim Kelley-Wichita St.  (10-2)

Cortney Nelson-Jackson St.  (10-4)

Daniel Renken-Cal St. Fullerton  (10-2)

Nick Rogers-North Carolina A&T  (10-3)

Chris Sale-Florida Gulf Coast  (10-0)

Shawn Teufel-Liberty  (10-3)

Cody Wheeler-Coastal Carolina  (10-0)

Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel  (10-2)

Chance Ruffin

ERA

Pitchers must have 1 IP for every game played by team & Minimum 50 IP

1. Chance Ruffin-Texas  0.86

2. John Stilson-Texas A&M  0.98

3. Trever Vermeulen-South Dakota St.  1.15

4. Kevin Munson-James Madison  1.23

5. Kenny Long-Illinois St.  1.56

6. Jordan Cooper-Wichita St.  1.59

7. Alex Wimmers-Ohio St.  1.60

8. Anthony Meo-Coastal Carolina  1.73

9. Matt Davenport-William & Mary  1.96

10. Chris Sale-Florida Gulf Coast  1.97

Kevin Arico

SAVES

1. Kevin Arico-Virginia  15

1. Neil Holland-Louisville  15

3. Andrew Burkett-Cincinnati  14

4. Chris Dennis-Portland  13

Kevin McKague-Army  13

Chris Patterson-Appalachian St.  13

Chance Ruffin-Texas  13

8.  Andy Deain-Northern Illinois  12

Paul Snieder-Northwestern  12

Jordan Swagerty-Arizona St.  12

Chris Sale

STRIKEOUTS

1. Chris Sale-Florida Gulf Coast  135

2. Asher Wojciechowski-The Citadel  128

3. Drew Pomeranz-Mississippi  127

4. Josh Smith-Lipscomb  124

5. Barrett Loux-Texas A&M  119

6. Trevor Bauer-UCLA  116

7. Eric Cantrell-George Washington  114

8. Gerrit Cole-UCLA  113

9. Bryce Shafer-Valparaiso  112

9. Boone Whiting-Centenary  112

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).