COLUMBUS, OH - Alex Wimmers has been chosen as the best pitcher in college baseball for the 2010 season. Ohio State’s junior All-American, who fashioned a 9-0 record and a 1.61 earned run average this season, was named by the College Baseball Foundation (CBF) as its National Pitcher of the Year Friday in Lubbock, Texas.

Alex Wimmers (OSU photo)

The 10 semifinalists included Arizona State’s Seth Blair, Cal State Fullerton’s Noe Ramirez, Coastal Carolina’s Anthony Meo, Texas’ Chance Ruffin, Texas A&M’s John Stilson, Virginia’s Danny Hultzen and TCU’s Matt Purke.

“It’s such a great honor to be chosen by the College Baseball Foundation for this award,” Wimmers said. “It’s hard to explain what I am feeling. To think that Stephen Strasburg won this award last year and now I’m getting it this year. It’s really crazy, isn’t it? This is just so unbelievable and it truly is an honor.”

The Foundation, in conjunction with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association of America, announced its National Pitcher of the Year winner in Lubbock, Texas, as part of its College Baseball Awards Show. The event also included the naming of the Dick Howser Award for the National Player of the Year and the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award. The awards followed the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony that took place July 1 in Lubbock.

Bob Todd, Ohio State’s retiring head coach, attended the awards show in support of his ace hurler.

“This is an outstanding award for a very deserving person,” Todd said. “Alex has worked extremely hard and it has made him the pitcher that he is today. I think there would be so many more accolades that would have been bestowed upon Alex if he hadn’t have gotten hurt and missed a month of the season. But all-in-all, I think this is absolutely great for our baseball program at Ohio State to have a national award winner in Alex Wimmers.”

Ironically, the CBF Hall of Fame’s inaugural induction ceremony in 2008 included Ohio State’s Steve Arlin, who set the standard of greatness for an Ohio State pitcher. Arlin, Ohio State’s first two-time first-team All-American, helped lead the Buckeyes to back-to-back appearances at the College World Series in 1965 and 1966 and to its only national championship in 1966.

For his efforts Arlin was honored as the Most Valuable Player at the College World Series in 1966 and is a member of the All-Time College World Series Team and the College World Series Legend’s team. His Ohio State jersey, No. 22, was retired in 2004.

Wimmers, the first Buckeye to win one of the national season-long awards and the second two-time first-team All-America, certainly did his best to reach the rare air of Arlin. After pitching out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2008, Wimmers put together two outstanding seasons as an Ohio State starter.

• He first came onto the college baseball national scene in 2009 when he went 9-2 with a 3.27 ERA and was named first-team All-America by PING! Baseball and second- or third-team All-America by five other awarding publications. He threw the first nine-inning no hitter in Ohio State history May 2 vs. Michigan with 14 strikeouts. He also picked up back-to-back complete game victories with 29 combined strikeouts vs. Indiana (14 Ks) and Pittsburgh. He also got the win vs. No. 2 Miami and he was named Big Ten Conference co-Pitcher of the Year. He led the Big Ten with 136 strikeouts and with a .211 opponents’ batting average.
• In 2010, Wimmers led the Big Ten in ERA and opposing batting average (.218) while posting his 9-0 mark despite missing three starts with a hamstring injury. He was 4-0 with a 1.15 ERA in five Big Ten starts and he was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year at the conclusion of the season, becoming the first back-to-back award winner in Big Ten history.

Career-wise Wimmers, who was drafted in the first round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft by the Minnesota Twins, ranks among Ohio State’s all-time Top 5 in four key statistical areas and he is sixth in another. He is fourth at Ohio State in fewest runs allowed (81) and he is fifth in strikeouts (273), fewest earned runs allowed (71) and fewest hits (173). He is also sixth in earned run average (2.94). His 18 career victories rank 23rd. His strikeout total is also good for a tie for 16th-place all-time in the Big Ten Conference.

The College Baseball Foundation was established in 2004 and has inducted 57 greats into its College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock. The group promotes the highest ideals and recognition of greatness on college baseball diamonds in the 150 years since the first intercollegiate contest in 1859 between Amherst and Williams.

Buckeyes Name Former Ball State Coach

New OSU head coach Greg Beals

The committee of Ohio State administrators plus senior baseball players Tyler Engle and Dean Wolosiansky then proceeded to learn much more about this Springfield, Ohio native who has bachelor’s (1995; human movement studies) and master’s (1999; sports administration) degrees from Kent State University. And it not only liked what it heard from Beals, but it liked the sincerity of his delivery, his enthusiasm for engaging various audiences – the surrounding community, alumni, the University as a whole and potential recruits – and his goal of taking Ohio State back to the College World Series.

Beals, head coach the past eight years at Ball State and who led the school to three MAC West Division titles and the first MAC Tournament crown in school history, was named today to lead the Ohio State baseball program. He becomes just the third head baseball coach at Ohio State in the last 48 years and the 11th in 127 years of baseball at one of the nation’s most comprehensive universities.

“I can not tell you how excited I am about this opportunity,” Beals said. “I look forward to donning the Ohio State Block ‘O’ cap and representing The Ohio State University.  I have surrounded myself with great people – administrators, coaches and student-athletes – that I will be forever grateful to.  Now I join an Athletics Department that embraces the motto ‘You Win with People.’”

Ohio State Associate Athletics Director Chris Schneider, the sport administrator for the program, announced the hiring.

“Coach Beals has all the attributes we were looking for in a head coach,” Schneider said. “He has achieved success as a head coach, he is a proven recruiter, he is a developer of talent and he is extremely passionate about developing student-athletes in all aspects of their lives.

“Plus, head coach at Ohio State was a dream position for him and his deeds supported that fact: he accepted the position on the spot when we offered it Wednesday evening. He did not need to give it any more thought.”

Beals, named “best game coach” in the MAC in 2009 by Collegebaseballinsider.com, led Ball State to a 243-202 record in his eight seasons as coach with three seasons of 36-or-more victories. After setting the school record for a first-year coach with 36 wins in 2003, Beals led the Cardinals to consecutive 38-win seasons, including an NCAA Regional appearance in 2006 – Ball State’s first NCAA Regional since 1969 – in addition to MAC West Division crowns in 2003, 2005 and 2009.

His 2006 team knocked off top-seed Kentucky in the NCAA Lexington Regional for, perhaps, the school’s greatest victory on the diamond. His teams were 2-2 vs. Ohio State.

His abilities as a recruiter – in terms of finding and then developing talent – have yielded most impressive results. He has watched 21 of his Ball State players get selected in the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, including four players in 2006 and three players in both 2009 and 2010.

Last week, in fact, Beals looked on as his 2010 first-team All-American utility player – Kolbrin Vitek, from Bryan, Ohio – was selected with the 20th pick of the first round by the Boston Red Sox and third-year sophomore pitcher Perci Garner, from Dover, Ohio, was chosen in the second round by the Philadelphia Phillies. A third Cardinal – Zach Dygert – was selected in the 22nd round by the Houston Astros.

Ball State players have thrived off the playing field under Beals, as well. His squad boasts a team Grade Point Average of 3.04 and 14 of his players have been named to the MAC all-academic team.

Beals has been a collegiate coach for 17 years. Prior to his position at Ball State, he was an assistant coach for nine seasons at his alma mater, Kent State. He was a part of three Golden Flash teams to make an NCAA Regional – 1994, 2001 and 2002 – and three that won MAC championships. He also worked with 21 players who would sign professional contracts and 17 who would be named to the MAC all-academic team.

Beals, who spent three seasons in the New York Mets’ farm system after his playing career at Kent State, attended Kenton Ridge High School in Springfield, Ohio, where he played baseball under Coach Tom Randall, a member of the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame.

Beals and his wife Kathy, a four-year basketball letterwinner at Kent State, have three daughters: Kayla, Amber and Morgan.

“Kathy, the girls and I look forward to getting entrenched in the University and the Columbus community,” Beals said.

(OSU release)

Collegebaseball360.com contributor Chris Webb runs the blog Buckeyestatebaseball.com.  He lives in Columbus, OH, and provides his thoughts on Bob Todd’s recent retirement as well as the current state of the Ohio State baseball program.

By Chris Webb

The spring of 2010 has been a bit of a struggle for me. While I could go on at great length at how much it sucks that my car was totaled while I was not driving it, life happens. The upper resporitory turned viral eye infection has not been overly pleasant, but again those things happen. What has caused me the most disdain and provided the most discomfort is what has transpired on the baseball diamond.

Ken Griffey Jr. isn’t Ken Griffey Jr.

Junior is reason number one as to why I am a baseball fan, writer, ex-player, junkie, nut, whatever. As a kid in the early 90s none captured my imagination like the Kid. So much is the fact I thought he name was King Griffey Jr. and he automatically was the best baseball player by being the King. As I now watch Baseball Tonight or SportsCenter I cringe whenever I see a Mariners highlight knowing Junior is a shell of the greatness he once possessed.

The same can be said of Ohio State baseball.

When the calendar changed to 2010 for Buckeye baseball faithful the resounding thought was “our year”. The players would say they practiced and prepped harder than before in hopes that the season would take Ohio State baseball to a place they last saw 42 seasons ago. Instead of taking a step towards Omaha the members of the Ohio State baseball team are walking through the Oval as conference tournaments are underway across the country.

It is easy to say the season was a bust. It was, there is no way around it. It is one thing for Michigan to go from first to seventh from 2008 to 2009, they lost a handful of extremely talented underclassmen to the MLB Draft and returned little from their championship team. Ohio State? This was a team that lost three players to graduation, returned eight starters in the field, the entire weekend rotation. Instead of being the toast of Columbus the Bucks are the butt of jokes around college baseball.

Bob Todd retired after winning 1,024 games in his Hall of Fame career. (OSU photo)

Which is unfortunate because the student-athletes and program deserve better, and this fall from grace was a longtime coming.

As Bob Todd retires as head coach of the baseball team at Ohio State there is no denying that the program is better for his time. With 901 wins, seven Big Ten titles, another eight tournament crowns, and never a losing season, Coach Todd has done more than any coach in Ohio State baseball history.

Yet his resume is void of one major accomplishment, a trip to Omaha, and he leaves a program that needs rebuilding.

I am fully aware of the context and the difficulty of such a task. A trip to Omaha is a major achievement for any program and many fail to come close to the final field of eight. However it is hard to bleed Scarlet & Gray while having baseball in your blood and not have a bitter taste for Coach Todd’s tenure.

While Ohio State was dominating the Big Ten in the early 90s, they were hardly more than a blip on the radar screen. In racking up five-consecutive 40 win seasons from 1991-1995 Ohio State twice went 0-2 in NCAA Regional play, advancing just once to a Regional final in 1993. The string of great seasons was capped with a 49-9 mark in 1995 which was the best record in the nation, yet the Bucks were blown out 20-6 by Kansas in game one of the Regional before falling 6-5 to Jacksonville to end the season.

Regardless of national shortcomings, Ohio State was the premier program in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes dominated the diamonds across the Big Ten just as football powered through the gridiron. Coach Todd had made Ohio State a conference powerhouse after being a cellar-dweller in the season leading to his arrival.

Riding the wave of momentum, construction was set forth for a new baseball stadium, one that became Bill Davis Stadium. The stadium which will host the Big Ten Tournament this week ironically, now in its 14th season cost $4.7 million to construct. While Ohio State was showing an interest in upgrading facilities throughout its Department of Athletics, soon after the Schottenstein Center and Jesse Owens Stadium were constructed  as well as renovations to Ohio Stadium, Coach Todd provided Ohio State a program to pour money into.

Bill Davis Stadium hosts the Big Ten Tournament this week, but the Buckeyes won't be playing in it. (OSU photo)

With a decade of conference and regional success and a state-of-the-art facility in his back pocket, Coach Todd was primed to take Ohio State to the next level.

Initially it appeared the Buckeyes were there.

In just year three of Bill Davis, the stadium would be home to a NCAA Regional and Super Regional. At 50-14, 25-3 in the Big Ten, the 1999 season provided Coach Todd with his shining moment. Sweeping through the Regional field, Ohio State hosted Cal-State Fullerton with a shot to advance to Omaha. For a team that rattled off winning streaks of 14 and 21 games during the course of the season, winning two would seem to be not a problem.

Unfortunately Ohio State would again be exposed on the national level. A 23-3 loss at Miami early in the season, coupled with Ohio State being outscored 24-7 by the Titans after taking game one of the Super Regional, left many wondering if Ohio State could truly compete on a national level. While the future would answer that question, the first 11 years of Todd’s tenure provided optimism for Buckeye baseball in the new millenium.

The optimism would turn into misery.

Ohio State would again host a Regional, doing so in 2001, but in doing so Ohio State would begin to be exposed to a changing collegiate baseball environment.

Perhaps victims of their own success, Ohio State began to see programs across the Big Ten show a renewed interest in a once-proud sport. Interest and, more importantly, money began to stream into the baseball programs across the Midwest. Where Ohio State had done so five years prior, discussion to increase facilities were soon heard around the Big Ten.

Though easily the top dog in the Big Ten still, was Ohio State starting to lose grip on an Ohio stranglehold? The rising program at Kent State would reach a program high as the Flashes were the team to knock off Ohio State in the Columbus Regional, ending the 2001 season with yet another 0-and-2 Regional showing.

Either unknowing of the changing environment or steadfast in set ways, little changed for Coach Todd in the early 2000s compared to the 1990s. While the Bucks continued their conference supremacy, failing to finish out of the top two in the Big Ten from 2001-2004, the program already had four 20-loss seasons in the decade’s first five years, a number that topped the three such seasons in the 1990s.

Beyond the diamond, college baseball itself was undergoing changes.

A sport that once received little notice was finding a home and voice on the internet. With the likes of Eric Sorenson and Mark Etheridge those who loved the game started to fill the college baseball void. Though small in product, with the internet an infinite audience could be reached as attention was slowly turning towards the college game. Online blogs and sites began to creep up providing analysis and opinions on the game that once were falling on deaf ears were being heard.

This would be a wave Ohio State failed to jump on. Relying on the raw number of wins, Coach Todd neglected building a RPI-favorable schedule for his teams. With the idea of reaching 40 wins to secure a Regional at-large berth, pushovers would line the schedule. Instead of facing stiffer competition to prep for an improving Big Ten or Regional field, the fascination with obtaining as many wins as possible was there.

Not only did Ohio State lose touch of what an elite program needed to do, the grip on the Big Ten continued to lessen. Four of the decade’s first five seasons yielded 12 or more conference losses, just twice in the 1990s did this happen. Yet by winning the Big Ten Tournament Ohio State would still advance to Regional play in 2002 and 2003, with the 2003 season joining the 2001 campaign as a season Ohio State hosted a Super Regional. Yet again the Bucks fell short as Southwest Missouri State swept the Super Regional.

The last half of the decade would prove that the game had indeed passed Coach Todd and a once dominate Ohio State program quickly became middle-of-the-pack.

The run of 12 or more conference losses would extend through the 2000s, ending at eight seasons with an 18-6 mark in 2009. Equally as long was the drought Ohio State suffered in winning a Big Ten championship, compared to how Ohio State won five-consecutive titles from 91-95. The run in the mid-90s ended with a 6th place 15-13 Big Ten mark. In 2007 and 2008 Ohio State fell to a .500 conference program going 15-15 each season finishing sixth and fifth, respectively.

Getting hot at the right time was needed in 2005 and 2007 as Ohio State won the conference’s automatic bid, even though they finished the conference season tied for fourth and sixth respectively, while having seasons the RPI rated to be well beyond those of the contending at-large teams.

New York Yankee Nick Swisher starred at Ohio St. from 2000-2002. (Courtesy Getty Images)

Along with the ongoing issues on the field, resentment off of the field began to invade the Buckeye clubhouse. While his players of the 1990s speak fondly of Coach Todd, a different sentiment is struck with those of the latter half of his career. While notable alumni of various Big Ten and Midwest schools openly give back and speak of their time at such and such U in favor, Ohio State’s biggest star, Nick Swisher is silent and nowhere to be found.

For those who would travel to Bill Davis Stadium in the late-2000s, you would think the stadium was little more than an extension of Union Cemetary found up the street on Olentangy River Road. The exuberance and passion that separates the collegiate game from the professional world could be found everywhere but Columbus. Winning cures all, yet the bottom-feeders of the Big Ten would show more fire and joy of donning their uniform than those who wore the Scarlet & Gray. Not only was Ohio State not winning, the Buckeyes at times seemed to want to be anywhere but on the diamond.

The little pomp on the field was matched by declining fanfare in the stands.

A program that boasted attendance figures that once rivaled elite programs in the nation saw a steady decline in those who entered the Bill Davis gates. In 2005 Ohio State was 23rd in the nation in average attendance with an average crowd of 2,570 per game. The number would fall to 2,260 in 2006 a mark that finished 26th. The slide continued in 2007 with 27th best average attendance of 2,073. In 2008 Ohio State fell out of the top 30, down to 32 at 1,863. Then in 2009 the number would shrink to 1,768, 35th best.

A prolonged drought in championship seasons, disdain in the clubhouse, and now a shrinking fanbase or more importantly, a decline in support and money into the program. The were ills abound with Ohio State baseball as Coach Todd entered the final season of his contract. The program was appearing to be in shambles.

All of that seemed to change after 2009.

A year after the championship drought was ended, 40-wins put down in the record books, and a trip to a Regional, Ohio State baseball was supposed to be back. Yeah it was back, back to be a middle of the road team again.

2010 saw Ohio State fail to win 30 games for the first time under Coach Todd. Another first was the Buckeyes finished below .500 in the Big Ten at 11-13. Yet another first was Ohio State closing the season dropping their last five conference series. Before 2010 Ohio State never lost more than two series in a row.

From a conference powerhouse, to conference elite, to middle of the road, to out of the picture, the bottom had fallen out of Ohio State baseball. For the first time ever, Ohio State’s expected operating budget for the baseball program topped the $1 million mark. A million dollar program was now being passed by Northwestern, a school which does not fulfill the allotted 11.7 scholarships. Providing the program’s biggest black eye were back-to-back losses to Webber International, and Rollins. Institutions that are respectively NAIA and DII, with enrollments smaller than one freshman dorm at Ohio State.

Ironically Coach Todd’s lowest of moments might save the future of Ohio State baseball.

After dropping a pair of midweek games to nationally ranked Louisville, a team in-region which has risen to national prominence including a trip to Omaha in the last five seasons, Coach Todd announced he was retiring at season’s end. Citing the lack of desire and passion for the game Coach Todd stated he wanted to get out before it was too late, the thought of retiring and spending more time with his family had come to him during the spring trip.

In missing the Big Ten Tournament for just the second time in 20 years, while finishing with a conference losing record for the first time since 1987, a season that started with no current Buckeye yet born.  Energy, time, and passion is needed to return Ohio State to where it once was, while then taking the final step that eluded Coach Todd.

While myself, and hopefully every Buckeye alum, fan, parent, and player is thankful for what Coach Todd has done for Ohio State in his 23 years. Instead of forcing Ohio State to not renew his contract, Coach Todd knew he no longer had it in him to be the coach at Ohio State. While the memories of the 1990s are great, like Junior, Ohio State is a shell of what it once was.

Coach Bob Todd by the numbers

• 1,052-559-2 overall
• 413-236 in the Big Ten
• Seven Big Ten Championships (1991-95, 99, 2001, 09)
• Eight Big Ten Tournament Championships (1991, 94, 95, 97, 2002, 03, 05, 07)
• 13 NCAA Regional Appearances (1991-95, 97, 99, 2001-2003, 05, 07, 09)
• 2 Super Regional Appearance (2001, 2003)
• 22 years of 30 or more victories (1987-2009)
• Never a losing season
• 72 professional signed players
• 19 All-Americans
• Eight Academic All-Americans

Todd Is Winningest Coach In OSU History

Retiring head coach Bob Todd has a record of 897-471-2 at Ohio State. (Photo courtesy OSU)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - After 39 years as a baseball coach, including 37 years on the Division I collegiate level, Ohio State head baseball coach Bob Todd will end his coaching career at the conclusion of the 2010 season. The 61-year-old Todd informed his team, the defending Big Ten Conference champion and vying for a second consecutive championship, of his decision to resign from his position, and retire from coaching, Wednesday following the game with Louisville.

“I think I’m ready,” said Todd, the winningest coach in Ohio State history with 897 wins. “I always said I wanted a career and not just a job. I think I found that. I still feel good and I love this game because it has been a very enjoyable and prominent part of my life and that of my family, but I have always felt I’d rather leave this game too early than too late.”

“Bob Todd’s dedication and passion for Ohio State baseball is immeasurable,” Ohio State Director of Athletics Gene Smith said. “He has personified Buckeye Baseball for 23 seasons and has guided our program onto the national landscape. Most importantly, he has impacted countless numbers of young men that have played for us and his legacy will live through them. We will always appreciate everything he has done for The Ohio State University.”

CLICK HERE to see video of Todd speaking with Columbus area media about his pending retirement.

A Legacy of Achievement

There isn’t much that Todd, a 1971 graduate of Missouri with a master’s from Missouri-St. Louis, hasn’t experienced. He is a member of two Halls of Fame – the American Baseball Coaches Association (2009) and the Ohio State Varsity “O” (2008) – and earlier this season – Feb. 21 vs. Richmond – he coached his 1,000th victory, becoming just the 41st Division I coach to achieve the milestone.

Milestone accomplishments don’t begin to tell the story of Todd’s coaching legacy, which includes two years at Ritenour High School in St. Louis, Mo., nearly 10 years as an assistant coach to Gene McArtor at Missouri, four years as a head coach at Kent State, 23 years here at Ohio State and two stints as a coach with Team USA. The following achievements can help frame the career journey, though:

• Todd has never had a losing season in 27 years as a head coach.
• He has never won fewer than 30 games at Ohio State and he has won at least 40 games 11 times, including a school-record 52 in 1991 and 50 in 1999.
• He is the first and only five-time winner of the Big Ten’s Coach of the Year award.
• His teams have won seven Big Ten championships and eight Big Ten Tournament titles for 15 combined conference titles.
• Every player who has played four years at Ohio State has been a Big Ten or Big Ten Tournament champion.
• Seventy-two of his players have signed Major League Baseball contracts, 19 have been named All-America and eight have earned Academic All-America distinction.
• The Buckeyes have played in 13 NCAA Regionals under Todd and have hosted two NCAA Super Regionals.

Proud & Respectful Champions

The coach of Ohio State’s oldest varsity sport has emphasized pride, hard work and respect for both opponents and tradition as the key attributes for any player who puts on the school’s jersey and colors. That’s why his Buckeyes don’t just have a history of winning championships, they have a history of competing to the last out for championships. Who can forget…

• The 2007 team becoming the first sixth-seed to win the Big Ten Tournament;
• The 2005 team winning 15 of its final 17 games just to make the Big Ten tourney and then winning four more to qualify for the NCAAs;
• The finish in 2003 – winning the Auburn Regional – and coming within two wins of the College World Series despite losing Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and All-American Scott Lewis in the final Big Ten series;
• The 1999 team that won 50 games, won a school-record 21 consecutive games and broke new ground in college baseball by being one of two northern schools to host an NCAA regional;
• Ohio State coming within one win of the 1999 College World Series;
• The 1995 team winning three Big Ten Tournament games in one day – May 21 over Purdue and Minnesota twice – to win the championship;
• The 1994 squad’s best-in the nation 49-9 record, including a dominant 25-2 record in the Big Ten, the first of two 25-win Big Ten seasons (1999 was the other); and
• The 1991 team’s – Todd’s fourth at Ohio State – school-record 52 wins and NCAA appearance, ending an eight-year NCAA dry spell for the Scarlet and Gray.

Best in the Big Ten

No program in the Big Ten has won more games since 1988 than Ohio State, Todd’s first season in Columbus. In fact, no program in the Big Ten has won or accomplished more of anything than Todd’s Ohio State teams over the last 22 years. Consider these records and accomplishments since 1988:

• Ohio State has won more Big Ten championships – seven – than any other school.
• No team comes close to the eight Big Ten Tournament titles that Ohio State has won.
• Ohio State’s 13 NCAA appearances are tied for tops in the league with Minnesota.
• Ohio State was the first school to host an NCAA Super Regional and it is the only Big Ten school to host two Super Regionals.
• No team has more overall wins or Big Ten Conference wins than Ohio State’s 873 and 402, respectively.
• No coach has more Big Ten Coach of the Year honors than Todd’s five.

OSU’s 10th Coach

Just the 10th head coach in OSU history, Todd’s all-time head coaching record is 1,021-553-2. He was 124-82 at Kent State between 1984-87 and he is currently just three wins shy of 900 Ohio State wins with an 897-471-2 mark.

Todd’s teams are 392-224 in Big Ten Conference play. His teams have won 20 or more conference games six times and they have played in the Big Ten tournament 21 times, missing only once. Ohio State has played in the tournament the last 13 seasons, the longest current streak by any team and the Big Ten record.

Outside the Lines

Highly respected in college baseball, Todd has served on numerous national committees, most notably the prestigious NCAA Division I Baseball Committee, which he served from 1998-2004.

More importantly for the baseball program and Ohio State fans, Todd was the energy behind the building of Bill Davis Stadium, Ohio State’s 4,450-seat stadium that raised the bar for college stadiums in the Big Ten and sparked stadium upgrades throughout. The team is playing its 14th season in the stadium this year.

Todd and his wife, Glenda, have four grown children – Scott, a 1996 Ohio State graduate and a four-year baseball letterwinner; Jeff, a 1997 graduate and three-year baseball letterman at Southern Mississippi; Brad, a 2001 graduate and two-year wrestling letterman at Ohio State and Stacey, a 2003 graduate and three-time field hockey letterwinner at Ohio State.

Todd and Glenda reside in Worthington, a Columbus suburb, and they also have a home in Florida, which is about to be frequented a little more by the entire Todd family, a growing family that now includes seven grandchildren, all of whom are about to see “Grandpa” a little more.

(Courtesy OSU Sports Information)

Second Annual Event Starts Friday

Three frost-free days of baseball await teams from the Big Ten and Big East Conferences in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater, FL  area this weekend at the second annual Big Ten/Big East Baseball Challenge.   Most of the teams playing this weekend started their seasons last weekend, but a handful will play their season-openers this Friday-Sunday.

Collegebaseball360.com will provide live webcasts of 9 games at this year’s Challenge.  CLICK HERE for the video streaming schedule.  We will also provide continuous coverage of the event throughout the weekend on our Big Ten/Big East Challenge Page.  All 30 of this weekend’s match-ups can currently be found on that page.

Below are capsules for every team participating in this weekend’s event (for the second time in as many years Georgetown and Pittsburgh will not participate).  We have included results for each team from last week’s games.

Cincinnati

2009 Record:  (29-29, 13-14)

Mascot:  Bearcats

Head Coach:  Brian Cleary

Location:  Cincinnati, OH

Vitals:  .285 BA, 72 HR, .382 OBP, .965 Fld%…6.73 ERA, 1 CG, 12 SV, 376 K, 194 BB, .318 opp. BA

Thefts Are Down:  After stealing 130 and 133 bases in 2007 and 2008, respectively, the Bearcats swiped just 33 bases last year.  The only Big East team with fewer stolen bases was West Virginia with 23.

Long Gone Spina:  Cincinnati has a big hole to fill in the middle of the order with the loss of Mike Spina (.342, 23 HR, 69 RBIs).  The third baseman was taken in the 11th round of last year’s MLB Draft by the Oakland A’s.  His home run total was second in the Big East to Louisville’s Chris Dominguez (25).  Spina had an 1.121 OPS last year.

More Losses:  The Bearcats also lose Lance Durham, whose .427 average was the second-best in the conference last year.  Durham was drafted in the 14th round by Toronto last June.  His 99 hits set the UC single-season record formerly held by Boston Red Sox infielder Kevin Youklis.  Cincinnati also loses its top pitcher, Jake Geglein (6-1, 2.97 ERA, 9 SV), who signed a free agent contract with the Texas Rangers.  Geglein was the only Bearcat pitcher with either a winning record or a sub-3.00 ERA last year.

Across The Pond:  Cincinnati head coach Brian Cleary served as the pitching coach for the British National Baseball Team at the 2009 Baseball World Cup.  He served in the same role when the team won the silver medal at the 2007 European Championships.

Opening Weekend:  The Bearcats were 1-2 last weekend in a 3-game series vs. Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, FL.  Cincy won the opener 5-3, but lost the last two games by a combined 12-0.

Connecticut

2009 Record:  (36-24, 14-13)

Mascot:  Huskies

Head Coach:  Jim Penders

Location:  Storrs, CT

Vitals:  .318 BA, 51 HR, .393 OBP, .959 Fld%…4.39 ERA, 1 CG, 14 SV, 455 K, 197 BB, .269 opp. BA

Hungry Huskies:  UConn returns eight batters from a scrappy line-up who hit .301 or better last year, including George Springer (.358, 16 HR, 57 RBIs, 1.133 OPS), Mike Nemeth (.346, 6 HR, 47 RBIs, 22 doubles), Pierre LePage (.340, 1 HR, 38 RBIs), and Mike Olt (.301, 8 HR, 40 RBIs).  LePage helped the Bourne Braves win the Cape Cod League Championship last summer.  The biggest loss is that of Pete Fatse (.354, 11 HR, 54 RBIs).  CLICK HERE to listen to a podcast interview with LePage.

Husky Hurlers:  The Huskies lose key relievers David Erickson (3.21 ERA, 12 SV), Dusty Odenbach (2-3, 3.34 ERA) and Dennis Accomando (1-1, 3.46 ERA), who combined to make 75 relief appearances last year.  They also lose John Folino whose six wins led the staff.   Top returnees to the staff include Soph. Scott Oberg, who was 4-0 with a team-best 1.78 ERA, Matt Barnes (5-3), and Elliott Glynn (5-4, 4.76 ERA).  Glynn led the team with 12 starts and also hit .266 while making 24 starts as an outfielder.

Coast To Coast:  After opening its season in Florida at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge UConn heads to California for a four-game series with Cal State Northridge followed by a game at USC.  The Huskies then play Tennessee, Marshall and Ohio State in Knoxville, TN.

Illinois

2009 Record:  (34-20, 16-8)

Mascot:  Fighting Illini

Head Coach:  Dan Hartleb

Location:  Champaign, IL

Vitals:  .316 BA, 42 HR, .394 OBP, .970 Fld%…5.32 ERA, 2 CG, 11 SV, 297 K, 201 BB, .298 opp BA

Thunder Sticks:  Illinois returns seven of its top nine hitters from a 2009 team that came-up just short of an NCAA Regional bid.  Senior catcher Aaron Johnson (.333, 10 HR, 52 RBIs) and sophomore OF Willie Argo (.355, 12 HR, 47 RBIs, 1.072 OPS) provide the biggest pop among the returnees who combined for 34 of the team’s 42 home runs last year.  Junior Pete Cappetta’s .382 average also ranked sixth among Big 10 batters in ‘09

Big Splash:  Argo homered in his first three collegiate at-bats in a March 7 loss at LSU last year.  The Illini shocked the eventual national champions by winning the other two series games in Baton Rouge.

Solid Arms:  Sophomores Bryan Roberts (5-4, 6.72 ERA) and Will Strack (6-1, 3.84 ERA) are Illinois’ top returning starters from a year ago.  Strack made 9 starts and picked-up a pair of saves as well with six relief outings.  Three other pitchers who combined for six saves and six wins return as well.

South Carolina Swing:  While Illinois doesn’t play the likes of LSU this year they start their spring trip on March 5 in Greenville, SC vs. 2009 Super Regional team East Carolina.  The Illini also plays two games vs. Big South Conference preseason favorite Coastal Carolina in Conway, SC

Opening Weekend:  After the start date to the 2010 season was pushed-up a week Illinois scheduled two home games vs. Bradley.  Those game were cancelled last weekend due to snow and freezing temperatures.

Indiana

2009 Record:  (32-27, 16-7)

Mascot:  Hoosiers

Head Coach:  Tracy Smith

Location:  Bloomington, IN

Vitals:  .321 BA, 62 HR, .402 OBP, .960 Fld%…5.15 ERA, 7 CG, 10 SV, 439 K, 216 BB, .284 opp. BA

Arnett-less:  The Hoosiers lose staff ace Eric Arnett (12-2, 2.50 ERA) who tied the IU record for wins and set a new program mark with 109 Ks, which ranked second in the Big 10.  He was named co-Big 10 Pitcher of the Year with Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers.  Arnett, who also pitched six of the staff’s seven complete games last year,  is the first Indiana pitcher to earn conference pitcher of the year honors and to be named All-American.  He was a first round pick by Milwaukee in last year’s MLB Draft.

Hoosier Holes:  Arnett is among eight Hoosier players who signed professional contracts after their 2009 Big Ten Tournament Championship seson.  Leading hitter Kipp Schutz (.392) and slugging catcher Josh Phegley (.344, 17 HR, 66 RBIs) are the top offensive losses.

Young Slugger:  Freshman All-American outfielder Alex Dickerson (.370, 14 HR, 57 RBIs, 1.044 OPS) heads a list of four returning starters who hit .314 or better last season.

On The Mound:  Senior reliever Chris Squires (2-2, 3.93 ERA, 8 SV) and weekend starter Blake Monar (5-3, 4.64 ERA) are the top returning IU pitchers.  Freshman Casey Smith and redshirt sophomore Matt Ernest are two newcomers to the Hoosier staff in 2010.  Smith is head coach Tracy Smith’s son, while Ernest has played wide receiver for the IU football team for the last two seasons.  He had seven catches for 69 yards and a TD in 2009.

Opening Weekend:  Lost their first three games at #24 San Diego by a combined 34-16 before winning the series finale 7-5.

Iowa

2009 Record:  (16-36, 4-19)

Mascot:  Hawkeyes

Head Coach:  Jack Dahm

Location:  Iowa City, IA

Vitals:  .293 BA, 40 HR, .380 OBP, .951 Fld%…6.25 ERA, 0 CG, 7 SV, 330 K, 230 BB, .312 opp. BA

Line-Up Losses: The Hawkeyes return six of their top nine batters from a year ago, but they lose both Justin Toole (.346, 15 SB) and Wes Freie (.289, 9 HR, 44 RBIs).

Key Returns:  All-Big Ten outfielder Ryan Durant (.370) is back to lead the offense.  He’s joined by Mike McQuillan (.363), team stolen base leader Kurtis Muller (19) and Sean Flanagan (.310), who played in 27 games and started just 18, but still managed 6 home runs.  Flanagan had a .696 slg % in Big Ten games.

Young Arms:  No Iowa pitcher made more than nine starts last year, but the three who each started nine games all return.  Sophomores Phil Schreiber (2-2, 4.57 ERA), Jarred Hippen (3-4, 4.87 ERA) and Nick Brown (2-4, 6.35 ERA) combined to win seven of Iowa’s 13 wins in 2009.

Big 12 Bound:  Iowa plays eight straight games vs. a pair of Big 12 teams that made the NCAA Tournament in early March.  The Hawkeyes start a four-game series at Kansas on March 5, and then head to Austin, TX to start another four-game set vs. 2009 College World Series runner-up Texas.  Each series includes a day two doubleheader.  They host another Big 12 team, Nebraska, on April 27.

Opening Weekend:  Iowa split two games in Clarksville, TN to open the season.  The Hawkeyes debuted with a 19-11 win over Illinois State and lost to Austin Peay 13-8.

Louisville

2009 Record:  (47-18, 19-7)

Mascot:  Cardinals

Head Coach:  Dan McDonnell

Location:  Louisville, KY

Vitals:  .304 BA, 85 HR, .394 OBP, .970 Fld%…4.32 ERA, 2 CG, 13 SV, 536 K, 182 BB, .261 opp. BA

Cardinals Trending Hot: Louisville enters 2010 with two straight Big East Tournament championships, and the Cardinals are fresh off their second Super Regional appearance in the last three years.  They won the BE regular season & tournament titles last year.  The program’s 135 wins over the last three seasons rank sixth in the nation.  The Cardinals have made three straight NCAA appearances, including two Super Regionals and a College World Series trip, under head coach Dan McDonnell.  Cal State Fullerton beat Louisville last year in the Fullerton Super Regional to advance to Omaha.

Loaded Line-Up:  The Cardinals return seven of eight everyday players from last year’s Super Regional squad.  All-American junior Phil Wunderlich (.367, 18 HR, 68 RBIs, 1.113 OPS) leads the group of returnees.  Seniors Andrew Clark (.350, 9 HR, 55 RBIs) and Adam Duvall (.328, 11 HR, 51 RBIs, 12 SB) are back as well.

Ready To Return:  Outfielder Stewart Ijames is back after last season with a shoulder injury.  Ijames was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2008 after hitting .351 with 8 home runs, 11 doubles and 39 RBIs.  He led the Coastal Plain League with 12 home runs for the Thomasville HiToms last summer.

Pitching Prowess:  Louisville returns 12 of the 15 pitchers who saw action last year, but they do lose their ace, Justin Marks (11-3, 3.77 ERA, 129 K in 105 IP).  The left was taken by Oakland in the 3rd round of last year’s MLB draft. Dean Kiekhefer (6-5, 5.00 ERA),  Gabriel Shaw (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 3 SV), Tony Zych (6-2, 3.25 ERA, 2 SV) and Thomas Royse (3-2, 3.48 ERA, 2 SV) lead the group of returnees.

Gone But Not Forgotten:  The Cardinals also lose 6′4, 240 lb. Chris Dominguez (.345, 25 HR, 82 RBIs) who hit 61 home runs with a school record 218 RBIs in his three-year career (he only played three games in 2006 due to a broken forearm).  He was taken in with the 86th overall pick by San Francisco in last year’s draft.  His 25 home runs in ‘09 are a single-season school record, while his 61 career long balls are second in the Louisville record books.

Opening Week: Louisville swept a 3-game series vs. Bowling Green last weekend.  The improved to 4-0 with a 7-2 win Tuesday night over Morehead State.

Michigan

2009 Record:  (30-25, 9-15)

Mascot:  Wolverines

Head Coach:  Rich Maloney

Location:  Ann Arbor, MI

Vitals:  .294 BA, 55 HR, .387 OBP, .968 Fld%…4.82 ERA, 3 CG, 12 SV, 421 K, 205 BB, .293 BB

Out Of The Blue:  Michigan has been one of the most successful teams from the north over the last seven years, but 2009 broke that recent trend.  After winning three straight Big Ten titles from 2006-2008 Michigan didn’t even qualify for the league’s postseason tournament last year.

Dominant Duo:  Preseason All-American OF Ryan LaMarre (.344, 12 HR, 62 RBIs) and 2009 All-Big Ten first baseman Mike Dufek (.304, 17 HR, 59 RBIs, 19 doubles) head the list of seven returning Wolverines who started at least 30 games last year.  Dufek was also 1-1 on the mound with a 2.70 ERA and three saves.

Plethora Of Pitching:  The Wolverines return 11 of their 14 pitchers who saw action last year, although staff ace Chris Fetter (7-3, 3.26 ERA) is the top loss.  Fetter had all three of the pitching staff’s complete games last year, and he struckout 103 in 94 IP.  Senior LHP Eric Katzman (7-4, 3.53 ERA) returns to lead the rotation, while Matt Miller (3.70 ERA, 3 SV) and Tyler Burgoon (4-2, 4.84 ERA, 4 SV) join Dufek in the bullpen.

Carolina Challenge:  Michigan plays a 3-game series at North Carolina, which has made four straight College World Series Appearances, March 5-7.  The Wolverines also play two games vs. Coastal Carolina in Myrtle Beach March 13 & 14.

Crankin’ It: Coley Crank hit .467 (7-for-15) with four home runs and nine runs batted in at the Red Raider Invitational (Feb. 19-21). He is believed to be the first player in the modern era of Division I baseball to hit three home runs on opening day after blasting out a trio of balls against Jacksonville State (Feb. 19). Crank reached base in all four games, playing primarily as a designated hitter.  Named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week.

Opening Weekend:  Went 2-2 at the Red Raider Shootout in Lubbock, TX.  Won first two games vs. Jacksonville State, but lost last two games vs. Texas Tech.

Michigan State

2009 Record:  (23-31, 13-11)

Mascot:  Spartans

Head Coach:  Jake Boss, Jr.

Location:  East Lansing, MI

Vitals:  .284 BA, 30 HR, .366 OBP, .966 Fld%…5.19 ERA, 2 CG, 7 SV, 302 K, 244 BB, .294 opp. BA

Who’s The Boss:  Second year Michigan State head coach Jake Boss, Jr.’s dad, Jake Boss, Sr., is the Spartans’ volunteer assistant coach.  The elder boss has 29 years of head coaching experience was inducted into the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1994.  He has also served as a Major League scout for the Toronto Blue Jays and L.A. Dodgers.

Sparty’s Charges:  The Spartans return the bulk of their starting position players, although they do lose their top overall hitter Eric Roof (.345, 6 HR, 41 RBIs), who led the team in nearly every offensive category.  Outfielder Eli Boike (.310, 36 RBIs, 12 SB), who led MSU with 8 home runs heads the list of returnees.  Jeff Holm (16), Jonathon Roof (11) and Brandon Eckerle (13) combined with Boike to help the Spartans steal 71 bases last year.

Two For One:  Two of three weekend starters, Soph. Tony Bucciferro (5-2, 3.55 ERA) and Jr.  A.J. Achter (3-6, 3.76 ERA), return to spearhead the pitching staff.  They do lose Nolan Moody (6-5, 4.53 ERA), who led the staff with his six wins and tossed the team’s only two complete games.

Opening Weekend: Beat Furman & Miami (OH), but lost 10-2 to Clemson in Greenville, SC.  MS.  Shortstop Jonathon Roof was named Big Ten Player of the Week. Roof went 7-for-11 at the plate over the weekend with two homers, three RBIs and four runs scored.

Minnesota

2009 Record:  (40-19, 17-6)

Mascot:  Golden Gophers

Head Coach:  John Anderson

Location:  Minneapolis, MN

Vitals:  .314 BA, 55 HR, .391 OBP, .971 Fld%…4.85 ERA, 1 CG, 18 SV, 392 K, 192 BB, .285 opp. BA

Slow And Steady:  Minnesota didn’t make a big early splash like Illinois, but the Gophers had just a pair of two-game losing streaks and one three-game skid during the regular season en-route to 40 wins in 2009.  Minnesota has won at least 40 games and gone to an NCAA Regional in two of the last three seasons.

Minnesota Milestone:  Head coach John Anderson got his 1,000th career win last May with a 7-6 win at Penn State.  Anderson is the 20th head coach to win 1,000 games with the same team and the first Big Ten coach to accomplish the feat.

Iron Men:  Senior Michael Kvasnicka (.341, 10 HR, 65 RBIs) leads trio of returning Minnesota players who started all 59 games last year.  Redshirt Soph. Nick O’Shea (.287, 11 HR, 44 RBIs) started every game last year as well, while A.J. Petterson (.353) started all but one game.  The Golden Gophers do lose Derek McCallum (.409, 18 HR, 86 RBIs), who also started every game last year and then was taken by the Minnesota Twins in the fourth round of last year’s MLB Draft.

Golden Arm:   Closer Scott Matyas (0-1, 2.22 ERA, 15 SV) is back to lead the pitching staff.  The junior finished second in the Big Ten with his 15 saves last year to Ohio State’s Jake Hale.  He struckout 45 of the 104 batters he faced in 28 1/3 innings last year.  Matyas was drafted by the Yankees last year in the 29th round, but he opted to return for his jurnio season (he redshirted in 2007). Fellow junior Seth Rosin (7-1, 4.21 ERA) is the lone returning weekend starter.

Opening Weekend: Took 2 of 3 games from Akron in Ft. Myers, FL.  The two wins were by finals of 6-0 and 1-0.  Michael Kvasnicka scored the only run of the series finale with a walk-off home run.  It was the Golden Gopher’s first walk-off HR since 2005.

Northwestern

2009 Record:  (14-35-1, 5-17)

Mascot:  Wildcats

Head Coach:  Paul Stevens

Location:  Evanston, IL

Vitals:  .264 BA, 35 HR, .333 OBP, .964 Fld%…6.39 ERA, 6 CG, 4 SV, 274 K, 182 BB, .318 opp. BA

Big League Digs:  The Wildcats will play a doubleheader vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee’s Miller Park on April 28.  The twin bill will be played after the Milwaukee Brewers play the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 12:10 pm game.

Wildcat Workhorses:  Northwestern returns it entire weekend pitching rotation from 2009.  Senior LHP Joe Muraski (3-5, 5.31 ERA) led the staff with 65 Ks in 81 1/3 IP, while posting a team-best .276 opponent batting average, junior LHP Eric Jokisch (4-7, 5.48 ERA) pitched five of the staff’s six complete games en-route to a team-leading 88 2/3 IP and sophomore RHP Eric Morton (2-7, 5.65 ERA) was the only other Wildcat to pitch more than 57 innings in ‘09.    Relievers Michael Jahns (1-1, 3.56 ERA) and Francis Brooke (2-2, 3.68 ERA) are back as well.

Long Ball Loss:  The Wildcats return most of their line-up from 2009, but they lose home run and RBI leader Tony Vercelli (.258, 11 HR, 40 RBIs).  Paul Snieder (.244, 6 HR, 25 RBIs) is the team’s top returning home run hitter, Kenneth Avila (.293) hit for the best average last year, while Chris Lashmet (.296, 5 HR, 30 RBIs) returns as well.

No Home Cookin’:  For the second straight year Northwestern will play just 15 home games.

Opening Weekend:  Northwestern went 0-4 at the Bojangles Baseball Classic in Rock Hill, SC.  The Wildcats were outscored 58-9 in their four games vs. Winthrop, Marist and George Mason (twice).

Notre Dame

2009 Record:  (36-23, 15-12)

Mascot:  Fighting Irish

Head Coach:  Dave Schrage

Location:  Notre Dame, IN

Vitals:  .309 BA, 51 HR, .392 OBP, .966 Fld%…5.36 ERA, 7 CG, 12 SV, 328 BB, 220, .286 opp. BA

Line-Up Losses:  The Irish lose their top three hitters, including their top two run producers from 2009. CF  A.J. Pollock (.365, 10 HR, 52 RBIs, 21 SB) was taken by Arizona with the 17th overall pick in last year’s MLB draft.  He was the highest Irish player drafted since 1965.  SS Jeremy Barnes (.353, 15 HR, 70 RBIs) was drafted in the 11th round by Philadelphia.  Barnes was Notre Dame’s RBI leader in 3 of his 4 years.  Meanwhile, OF Golden Tate (.329, 45 R, 13 SB), who won the Biletnikoff Award on the football field last fall, won’t play baseball this year to prepare for April’s NFL Draft.

Solid Nucleus:  Despite the significant losses Notre Dame still returns six players who hit .301 or better in 2009, including Jr. INF Mick Doyle (.327) and Sr. OF David Mills (.325), who was also 2-1 with a save as a relief pitcher.

Plenty Of Pitching:  Virtually every significant pitcher from 2009 is back this season, including the entire weekend rotation of Jr. Cole Johnson(7-3, 4.47 ERA),  Jr. Brian Dupra (6-5, 3 CG) and Sr. Eric Maust (6-3, 4.94) who has also doubled as a punter on the Irish football team.  Relievers Will Hudgins (2-0, 3.65 ERA, 3 SV), Todd Miller (1-2, 5.40 ERA, 5 SV) and Ryan Richter (5-2, 3.85 ERA) return as well.  RHP Ryan Sharpley is also back after missing all of 2009 due to injury.

Addition By Addition:  Collegiate coaching veteran Dave Dengler joins the Irish staff as the pitching coach for 2010.  As a head coach he led Linn-Blinton CC and Yavapai JC to a combined five Junior College World Series appearances, including the 1993 NJCAA National Championship (Yavapai).  Dengler was also the head coach at Portland State for four years before the program was disbanded.  In his 23 years as a college coach Dengler had 23 pitchers, including World Series MVP Curt Schilling, selected in the MLB Draft.

Opening Weekend: The Fighting Irish swept three games vs. Mississippi Valley State.  Notre Dame swept the games played in Itta Bena and Greenville, MS by a combined 39-10.  First baseman Casey Martin was named Big East Player of the Week after going 8-for-16 with two home runs and 7 RBIs.

Ohio State

2009 Record:  (42-19, 18-6)

Mascot:  Buckeyes

Head Coach:  Bob Todd

Location:  Columbus, OH

Vitals:  .328 BA, 66 HR, .400 BA, .963 Fld%…6.39 ERA, 5 CG, 21 SV, 462 K, 265 BB, .300 opp. BA

Dynamic Duo:  Reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Dan Burkhart (.354, 10 HR, 62 RBIs) and co-Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Alex Wimmers (9-2, 3.27 ERA) return to spearhead the Buckeyes in 2010.  The juniors were not only high school teammates at Cincinnati’s Archbishop Moeller high school, but also teammates back to their Little League days.  Burkhart started 57 of OSU’s 61 games last year, while serving as the battery mate for Wimmers’ May 2, 2009 no-hitter in a 6-0 win over arch-rival Michigan.

Buckeyes Back:  Including Burkhart OSU returns 8 of its top 10 hitters from last year’s NCAA Regional team.  Among them are outfielder Michael Stephens (.346, 14 HR, 63 RBIs), team batting leader Ryan Dew (.388), Zach Hurley (.346, 14 SB), Cory Kovanda (.341), and Matt Streng (.308, 8 HR).  Starting pitchers Eric Best (7-4, 5.95 ERA) and and Dean Wolosiansky (11-2, 6.04 ERA) are back as well.

There’s A Hole In The Pen:  The biggest hole to fill for the Buckeyes in 2010 will be the one left by closer Jake Hale (0-1, 1.31 ERA, 18 SV).  The All-American led the Big Ten and ranked second in the nation last year with his 18 saves.

Bad Aftertaste:  Despite the thrill of a trip to the Tallahassee NCAA Regional last year, Ohio State ended the season on a sour note with a 37-4 loss to host Florida State.  The Seminoles set NCAA Tournament records for runs, hits (38), total bases (66), and doubles (15) against a team that was playing its fourth game in three days.  33 of the FSU runs were earned.  Without those runs the OSU staff ERA would drop nearly half a run to 5.93.

Big East Challenge, Part II:  In addition to its games vs. Notre Dame, USF and Cincinnati at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge Ohio State has five more match-ups with Big East teams during the regular season.  The Buckeyes play UConn on March 14 in Knoxville, TN,  USF again in Winter Haven on March 24, two games vs. Louisville in Columbus May 4 & 5, and then welcome Pittsburgh to town for a May 18 contest.

Opening Weekend: The Buckeyes were 3-0 last weekend in Jacksonville, FL.  They out scored North Florida, Florida A&M and Richmond by a combined 40-12.  The three wins gave head coach Bob Todd 1,000 career victories.  Alex Wimmers earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors he fanned 9 with one walk in 6 innings in the season-opening 4-2 win over North Florida.

Penn State

2009 Record:  (25-26, 8-16)

Mascot:  Nittany Lions

Head Coach:  Robbie Wine

Location:  State College, PA

Vitals:  .294 BA, 29 HR, .371 OBP, .964 Fld%…5.78 ERA, 1 CG, 10 SV, 339 K, 219 BB, .300 opp. BA

Staying & Going:  Penn State returns its top two hitters, but loses two of its top run producers from last year’s team.  sophomore Jordan Sternaka led the Nittany Lions in batting average (.365), home runs (6), RBIs (42), slg% (.536), and triples (3) as a true freshman.  He also tied fellow returnee Blake Lynd (.356) for the team lead with 39 runs scored.  PSU does lose coach’s son Cory Wine (.307, 5 HR, 41 RBIs) and Mike Deese (.301, 5 HR, 40 RBIs).

PSU Pitching:  The pitching staff loses its top three starters from 2009, but three top relievers return.  Sophomore Ryan Ignas (5-1, 5.31 ERA, 5 SV) led the staff in wins and saves last year, Sr. LHP David Lutz (4-2, 3.38 ERA, 3 SV) had the staff’s best ERA and Jr. Jesse Alfreno’s (1-0, 4.44 ERA, SV) 20 appearances were the team’s third-most behind Lutz (26) and Ignas (22).  Alfreno is also a cornerback on the Penn State football team.

Texas Two Step:  Penn State plays five straight games against 2009 NCAA Tournament teams in March with two games vs. Texas A&M in College Station, TX followed by a 3-game set vs. Texas State in San Marcos.

Opening Weekend: Penn State’s three scheduled games last weekend were canceled due to snow.  The Nittany Lions were to have played a neutral site game vs. Coppin State and two games at Longwood.

Purdue

2009 Record:  (25-26, 11-12)

Mascot:  Boilermakers

Head Coach:  Doug Schreiber

Location:  West Lafayette, IN

Vitals:  .316 BA, 40 RBIs, .405 OBP, .954 Fld%…5.96 ERA, 4 CG, 10 SV, 341 K, 199 BB, .301 opp. BA

Big Boiler Losses:  Purdue loses three vital cogs from last year’s team.  Brandon Haveman (.422, 20 doubles), John Cummins (.400) and slugger Dan Black (.310, 15 HR, 51 RBIs) are all gone.  Black’s 62 walks were second in the nation in 2009.

Top Returners:  Sophomore infielder Eric Charles (.371, 45 Runs) is the Boilermakers top returning hitter.  He’s joined in the line-up by David Blount (.322) and Drew Madia (.290, 6 HR, 32 RBIs), whose home run and RBI totals were both second to Black last year.

Plenty Of Pitching:  All three weekend starters, seniors Matt Bischoff (4-5, 5.54 ERA) & Matt Jansen (4-6, 6.62 ERA) and junior Matt Morgan (6-5, 4.75 ERA), are back for the Boilermakers this year.  Bischoff has received All-Big Ten recognition in each of his first three seasons.  Saves leader Kevin Cahill (3-2, 6.40 ERA, 6 SV) is back in the bullpen along with Drew Wurdack (4-1, 5.45 ERA, 2 SV)

Home Grown:  23 players on Purdue’s official web site roster are from the state of Indiana.

Out Of The Gate:  Purdue’s three games this weekend vs. Villanova, Cincinnati and Rutgers are its first three games of the 2010 season.

Rutgers

2009 Record:  (22-31, 8-19)

Mascot:  Scarlet Knights

Head Coach:  Fred Hill

Location:  Piscataway, NJ

Vitals:  .292 BA, 35 HR, 52 SB, .374 OBP, .956 Fld%…6.24 ERA, 1 CG, 10 SV, 311 K, 236 BB, .310 opp BA

King Of The Hill:  Entering his 27th season at Rutgers, Fred Hill is easily the longest tenured head coach in the Big East.  Hill became just the third person to have his jersey retired at Montclair State at a Feb. 13 ceremony.  He started his head coaching career there and guided Montclair to the 1983 NCAA Division III World Series.  Hill enters 2010 just 20 wins away from 1,000. Hill’s  brother Brian is currently an assistant coach for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, and his son, Fred, is the head coach of the Rutgers men’s basketball team.

A Lot In The Line-Up:  The Scarlet Knights return eight position players, a DH and 10 of their top 11 hitters from last year’s team.  Michael Lang (.343, 8 HR, 38 RBIs, 10 SB and Jaren Matthews (.328, 6 HR, 28 RBIs, 10 SB) head the pack.

Mound Presence:  2009 Cape Cod All-Star Casey Gaynor (2-9, 5.54 ERA) is among the pitching staff’s top three pitchers who return.  Gaynor was the pitching staff’s workhorse, with the team’s only complete game.  Willie Beard (0-2, 2.28 ERA) thrived as the team’s closer with 8 saves as a freshman, while senior RHP Matt Giannini returns after missing 2009 due to injury.

Challenges Abound:  Rutgers makes its Big Ten/Big East Challenge debut this year, but it has a pair of challenges sandwiched around the second weekend of the season.  The Scarlet Knights open 2010 with three games vs. the Miami Hurricanes in Coral Gables, FL and then face another ACC power with three more games vs. Georgia Tech in Atlanta March 5-7.

Opening Weekend:  The Scarlet Knights lost their three games to Miami last weekend.  The Hurricanes outscored Rutgers 31-16 in the series.

St. John’s

2009 Record:  (30-22, 16-11)

Mascot:  Red Storm

Head Coach:  Ed Blankmeyer

Location:  Queens, NY

Vitals:  .349 BA, 42 HR, .422 OBP, .963 Fld%…6.20 ERA, 1 CG, 10 SV, 328 K, 235 BB, .315 opp. BA

Red, White & Blue:  Head coach Ed Blankmeyer will serve as an assistant coach this summer for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.  The 2010 schedule is highlighted by the V FISU World University Championships in Japan.

Red Storm Regulars:  St. John’s returns five players who made at least 34 starts and hit .331 or better.  Soph. OF Jimmy Parque (.360, 5 HR, 61 RBIs) and Jr. third baseman Greg Hopkins (.349, 7 HR, 45 RBIs).  They lose Tim Morris (.415, 12 HR) and Matt Kemp (.379, 16 SB) who were selected in the 11th and 19th rounds, respectively, in last year’s MLB Draft.

Plus Pitching:  The Red Storm returns a group of pitchers that accounted for 44 of the staff’s 52 starts last year, including Nick Cenatiempo (5-3, 7 starts), Eddie Medina (5-3, 4 starts, 1 SV), Brendan Lobban (4-2, 7 starts) and Bruce Kern (5-4, 11 starts) who had the team’s only complete game.  Senior closer Ryan Cole (2-0, 3.49 ERA, 5 SV) is back as well.

Opening Weekend: St. John’s opened its season by sweeping a 3-game series at New Orleans. The weekend was highlighted by a 31-6 win in the series finale.  The 31 runs scored are the most in a game for the Red Storm since 1954.  Paul Karmas was 4-for-7 in the game with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs.   This will be the Privateers’ last season of Division I competition as they transition to Division III in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Seton Hall

2009 Record:  (25-24, 13-14)

Mascot:  Pirates

Head Coach:  Rob Sheppard

Location:  South Orange, NJ

Vitals:  .274 BA, 20 HR, .371 OBP, .954 Fld%…4.33 ERA, 9 CG, 5 SV, 307 K, 199 BB, .282 opp. BA

All In The Family:  Head coach Rob Sheppard’s brother, Mike Sheppard, Jr., is the head baseball coach at Seton Hall Prep.  Their father, Mike Sheppard, Sr., coached the Pirates from 1974-2003.

All In The Family II:  Seton Hall volunteer assistant Zach Porcello’s younger brothers, Rick and Jake Porcello, both played for Mike Sheppard, Jr. at Seton Hall Prep.  Rick Porcello was a first round draft pick by the Detroit Tigers in 2007.  He was 14-9 with a 3.96 ERA for the Tigers last year.   Jake Porcello is now a freshman pitcher on the Seton Hall roster.

Tale Of The Tape:  The Pirates lose their top two hitters, Matt Smedberg (.382, 2 HR, 26 RBIs) and Chris Affinito (.324, 9 HR, 50 RBIs), as well as two of their weekend starters, Sean Black (4-6, 3.99 ERA, 2 CG) and Keith Cantwell (6-3, 3.48 ERA, 5 CG), from last year’s team.   Their top returners are Sr. OF Michael Rogers (.299, HR, 23 RBIs), Jr. SS A.J. Rusbarsky (.271, 1 HR, 20 RBIs) and Jr. RHP Joe DiRocco (4-3, 4.46 ERA, 2 CG).

Opening Weekend:  Seton Hall opened the season by being swept in a 3-game series at Texas A&M.  The Aggies outscored the Pirates 30-11.

South Florida

2009 Record:  (34-25, 18-9)

Mascot:  Bulls

Head Coach:  Lelo Prado

Location:  Tampa, FL

Vitals:  .315 BA, 36 HR, .407 OBP, .968 Fld%…4.79 ERA, 8 CG, 11 SV, 402 K, 204 BB, .274 opp. BA

Big Plans:  Plans are in the works for a new baseball stadium at USF.  The stadium is part of a $30 million facilities upgrade that will benefit other sports as well.  The overall capacity of the stadium is expected to exceed 3,000 and is being designed to accommodate additional seating that will enable USF to host NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals.l The new home plate and press box area will be built on what is currently the right field foul pole area of Red McEwen Field.

Sophomore Slump:  Junior OF Ryan Lockwood will look for a big bounce-back season in 2010.  He hit .415 and was named Collegiate Baseball’s 2008 National Freshman of the Year, but slumped to just a .289 average last year.

The Champ Is Back:  Lockwood and 2009 Big East batting champion (conference games only) Junior Carlin (.384 overall/.471 Big East games)) are among five line-up regulars who return in 2010.  57 of Carlin’s hits last year were singles, which contributed to USF’s .441 ranking 8th in the 12-team Big East.

Great Expectations:  League coaches named Jr. RHP Randy Fontanez (7-3, 3.09 ERA, 6 CG) the Preseason Big East Pitcher of the Year.  Fontanez made 13 starts in 2009, while holding opponents to a .250 average.  He tossed six of the staff’s eight complete games.   USF also returns starters Derrick Stultz (5-4, 4.48 ERA) and Teddy Kauffman (3-5, 5.86 ERA) as well as reliever Kevin Quackenbush (2-2, 3.94 ERA, 6 SV).

Opening Weekend:  USF lost three games in Gainesville, FL last weekend.  The Gators outscored the Bulls 22-9.

Villanova

2009 Record:  (22-28, 6-20)

Mascot:  Wildcats

Head Coach:  Joe Godri

Location:  Villanova, PA

Vitals:  .282 BA, 23 HR, .384 OBP, .970 Fld%…6.15 ERA, 4 CG, 8 SV, 283 K, 206 BB, .308 opp. BA

Hail Szczur:  OF/C Matt Szczur (pronounced like Julius Caesar) helped lead the Villanova football team to the 2009 FCS Division I National Championship in December.  He was named both the CAA’s Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year this for the season.  The junior ran for 810 yards and 10 touchdowns, passed for 22 yards and 2 TDs, averaged 27.2 yards on 30 kickoff returns, and had 51 catches for 610 yards and 4 more TDs in 2009.  Szczur missed his freshman baseball season due to injury, but he led the Wildcats with a .346 average and 18 stolen bases last year.  More Experience:  Szczur is one of five returning position playing starters for VU, including Jr. INF David Koczirka (.340, HR, 39 RBIs) 12 of 14 pitchers who saw action for the Wildcats last year are back as well.  The group combined to make all 50 starts in 2009.  Senior RHP Brian Streilein (5-8, 5.46 ERA, 2 CG) leads the rotation, while Jr. LHP Mike Francisco (1-2, 4.24 ERA, 4 SV) leads the relief corps.

Challenge Debut:  Villanova opened the 2009 season by playing eventual national champion LSU in the first games in the new Alex Box Stadium, making this year the team’s debut in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge.

Opening Weekend: The Wildcats opened the 2010 season by sweeping a 3-game series at Norfolk State.  They outscored the Spartans by a combined 30-6.  Brian Streilein earned Big East Pitcher of the Week recognition by pitching 6 2/3 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in the season-opening 13-2 win.  Ten Wildcats had at least one hit in the game.

West Virginia

2009 Record:  (37-18, 17-10)

Mascot:  Mountaineers

Head Coach:  Greg Van Zant

Location:  Morgantown, WV

Vitals:  .360 BA, 68 HR, .443 OBP, .966 Fld%…5.40 ERA, 7 CG, 10 SV, 375 K, 199 BB, .300 opp. BA

Dinging It:  The Mountaineers led the Big East in batting average (.360), slugging percentage (.564), on-base percentage (.443), and runs scored (525) in 2009.

.400 Or Bust:  Two of the top three hitters in the Big East return to lead the West Virginia offense this year.  Dan DiBartolomeo’s .439 overall average led the conference, while Jedd Gyorko’s .421 avg. was third.  Gyorko is a 2009 Cape Cod League All-Star who was the 2008 Big East Freshman of the Year.  Big East coaches voted him the 2010 Preseason Player of the Year.  Line-Up Losses:  WVU loses its top two home run hitters in Justin Parks and Austin Markel who hit 12 and 15 HR, respectively last year.

Mound Men:  Weekend starters Jr. RHP Jarryd Summers (7-3, 3.06 ERA, 2 CG) andLHP Jonathon Jones (6-2, 6.57 ERA) are joined by workhorse closer Chris Enourato (6-2, 3.66 ERA, 6 SV) as the top returnees on the pitching staff.  Enourato made 20 relief appearances last year and averaged more than two innings per outing.  The senior has been named to the NCBWA’s Preseason Stopper of the Year watch list.

Phantom Starts:  WVU pitchers Jarryd Summers, Jonathon Jones and Billy Gross were credited with a combined 15 “starts” on the offensive scorecard last season, but none of them had an at-bat or any offensive stat during the year.  Head coach Greg Van Zant’s custom is to substitute his DH for the pitcher when that spot in the batting order is due at the plate for the first time in a game.

Opening Weekend:  The Mountaineers lost three games in Conway, SC to Coastal Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia Tech.  They were outscored 24-5 in the trio of losses.

Milestones & Upsets Highlight The First Week Of 2010

Max Willett (UNM photo)

2…wins by unranked New Mexico at #1 Texas in Austin.  The Lobos lost the season-opener on Friday, but came back with 3-1 and 6-5 wins Saturday and Sunday.  The wins are the first ever for New Mexico over a #1 ranked team.  Texas topped every national poll heading into the season.

.636…batting average by Lobo Max Willett in the 3-game series.  He had a 1.615 OPS with two doubles and a triple.  Willett also had the game-winning RBI in Saturday’s win.

23…runs by Washington State in Sunday’s 23-o rout of Seattle-the most runs by a Cougar team since 1999.  15 different Cougars had at least one hit.

5…Wazzou pitchers who combined in the shutout.

1,001…Career wins by LSU head coach Paul Mainieri after his Tigers’ 3-game weekend sweep of Centenary.  Mainieri hit the 1,000 win mark with Saturday’s 25-8 victory.

1,000…Career wins by Ohio State head coach Bob Todd after his Buckeyes won three games over the weekend in Jacksonville, FL.  OSU pounded Richmond 20-9 Sunday to get Todd to the milestone.

Danny Hall (GT photo)

901…career wins for Georgia Tech’s Danny Hall after a weekend sweep of Missouri State.

36…runs scored by Canisius in a doubleheader sweep of Illinois-Chicago Saturday at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, NC.  The Golden Griffins won the first game 20-4 and took the second game 16-10.

3…games Stanford won vs. 5th ranked Rice in Palo Alto.

11…runs Stanford scored in the 7th inning of game two of the series on Saturday.  The Cardinal was trailing 4-2 at the time.

5…pitchers Rice used during Stanford’s biggest inning in nearly two years.

265…wins at Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field by Oregon (and former Fullerton) head coach George Horton after Friday’s upset of the 4th ranked Titans.

6-5…the score of Friday’s Louisiana-Monroe win over Ole Miss.  It was the Rebels’ first season-opening loss since 1981.

Paul Karmas (St. John's photo)

1 & 15…combined hits and strikeouts by St. John’s starting pitchers Bruce Kern (5 IP-0H-0BB-8K) and Nick Cenatiempo (4 IP-1 H-0R-BB-7) in Friday and Saturday wins over New Orleans.

3…home runs by Red Storm 1B Paul Karmas in Sunday’s 31-6 win over UNO.

5…total runs by West Virginia in weekend losses to #17 Coastal Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia Tech.

9 1/2…runs a game scored by the Mountaineers last year-which ranked 12th in the nation.

14,922…fans who saw #2 Virginia win two of three games over #11 East Carolina at ECU’s Clark-LeClair Stadium.  Friday’s opening day crowd of 5,012 is the largest in stadium history.  Saturday’s crowd of 5,136 marked the first time ECU ever had back-to-back attendance of more than 5.000.

14…combined pitchers used by the Cavaliers (6) and Pirates (8) in Sunday’s 14-11 UVA series-clinching win.

3 2/3…innings pitched by UVA starter Cody Winiarski.  It was the longest stint for any of the 14 hurlers.  Virginia had 19 hits while East Carolina totaled 11.

4:11…the total time of the 9-inning game.

4:39…time of Lamar’s 5-4 win in 17-innings over Maine.  The game is the longest in Lamar history.  The two teams had played a 2 hour and 27 minute 9-inning game prior to the marathon.

12…strikeouts in 6 innings by Georgia Tech’s Jed Bradley in Sunday’s 13-0 win over Missouri State.  The lefty allowed just four hits and retired 6 of the first 8 batters he faced via strikeout.

13…strikeouts in 6 innings by Arizona freshman Kurt Heyer.  Heyer allowed just three hits and fanned 13 of the 22 batters he faced in Sunday’s win over Utah Valley in his collegiate debut.

2,500…all-time wins for the Arizona baseball program after Heyer’s performance Sunday.

Kevin Tokarski (ISU photo)

8…straight wins by UC Irvine pitcher Daniel Bibona after his 10 strikeout performance in a 5-1 win over Loyola Marymount.

3…the magic number during opening weekend for Illinois State’s Kevin Tokarski.  The redshirt sophomore tripled on the Redbirds’ first pitch of 2010.  He stole 3 bases with 3 doubles in his team’s first three games of the season.   Tokarski was a 2008 Freshman All-American, but missed last season due to wrist surgery.

8,803…total attendance of TCU‘s season-opening 3-game sweep of 2009 NCAA participant Sam Houston State.  The mark is a single-series TCU record.

.800…batting average by Horned Frog freshman Josh Elander.  He was 8-for-10 with a team-high six RBIs to start his career.

1…hit allowed in 6 innings on the mound by Conference USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year Todd McInnis.  The Southern Mississippi hurler didn’t give-up a hit until there were two outs in the 5th inning of Friday’s win over Northwestern State.  He exited the game after he reached his 75 pitch limit.

10 of 10…Pac 10 Conference teams that finished opening weekend with a winning record.  The Pac 10 is the only BCS conference that claimed that distinction over the first three days of the 2010 season.

Three Wins In Florida Get Coach To Milestone

Bob Todd

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ohio State head coach Bob Todd picked up the 1,000th win of his career, a 20-9 victory over Richmond Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville, Fla.

The ABCA Hall of Famer became just the 41st head coach in college baseball history to achieve the feat.

“I have been in coaching for a long time and had some very talented players and assistant coaches,” Todd said. “To win 1,000 is a great honor for me.”

­­12 Buckeyes had an RBI in the game including all nine starters. Matt Streng finished 2-for-5 with five runs scored and Chris Griffin finished 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI off the bench. Ryan Dew also had three hits and two runs scored for Ohio State.

For the third game in a row, the Buckeyes took a lead in the first two innings. This time, Ohio State used three walks, two hit batters and a two-out RBI single by Dan Burkhart to take a 4-0 lead after the top of the second. The Spiders took advantage of four Ohio State errors in the bottom half of the frame to cut the lead in half at 4-2 after two innings.

The Buckeyes then responded by posting a nine-run third capped off by a three-run long ball by Brian DeLucia. All nine Buckeyes scored a run in the inning which included a single, double, DeLucia’s home run, four walks, an error and a hit batter.

After the Spiders scored two in the bottom of the fourth, Ohio State answered right back with a pair to make it 15-4 in the top of the fifth when Matt Streng delivered an RBI double and Chris Griffin came through with a pinch-hit RBI single.

The Spiders scored another pair in the sixth but again the Buckeyes answered back in the seventh as the first three batters reached base and scored in the inning. Richmond scored two more in the bottom half of the inning, making it an 18-8 contest.

The Buckeyes tacked on a run in each of the final two frames to close out the scoring. It was the first time since March 13 of last season against Pittsburgh that Ohio State scored 20-plus runs in a game.

The Buckeyes (3-0) will be back in action in the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge Friday against South Florida in St. Petersburg, Fla. First pitch is slated for 4:30 p.m.

Notes

– After head coach Bob Todd had some difficulty with a bump in the home dugout last night, the sniper attacked team manager Blair Everhart in the visiting dugout before this morning’s contest.

– After wearing the home white uniforms Saturday night, the Buckeyes were back to the red jerseys with white pants Sunday.

– The game was the 11th overall meeting between the Buckeyes and Spiders and first since 2004.

– The Buckeyes’ streak of 21.2 innings without giving up an earned run to start the season ended in the bottom of the 4th.

– Ryan Cypret’s diving stop ranging deep to his left kept a two-run sixth for the Spiders from becoming an even bigger inning as there was a runner on third with two down at the time.

– For the second consecutive game, the Buckeyes forced their opponent to use a starting position as a relief pitcher.

– The last time an Ohio State team scored 40 in the first three games of the season was 1996.

Ten Questions On The Eve Of The College Baseball Season

A new college baseball season is about to begin.  It’s a season that is started a week earlier than it was originally slated to begin, and one school (James Madison) has already canceled its season opener, because (spoiler) it snows in roughly two-thirds of the country in mid-February.

Anyway, from time to time different thoughts pop into my head and I have managed to corral a few of them here.  So, here are Ten College Baseball Questions For 2010… (in no particular order)…

1.  Can LSU Repeat? The odds say it’s not going to happen.  Oregon State (2006-2007), LSU (1996-1997) and Stanford (1987-1988) are the only teams to win back-to-back crowns since Rod Dedeaux’s USC Trojans ended a streak of five straight titles from 1970-1974.  Paul Mainieri’s Tigers have a lot of key elements returning, like Blake Dean’s bat and Anthony Ranaudo & Matty Ott’s arms, but the odds just aren’t in their favor.  On the other hand…

Russell Moldenhauer (Texas Photo)

2.  Can Texas Be Stopped? The odds (along with a sick pitching staff and a lot of returning everyday players) would seem to be in Augie Garrido’s favor.  The Longhorns return three starters, Taylor Jungmann, Cole Green and Chance Ruffin who could all be just about anyone’s number one starter.  The trio combined to win 26 games last year.  Cameron Rupp, Kevin Keyes and Omaha long ball ace Russell Moldenhauer are also back to lead the offense.  With all that back the biggest question right now seem to be can they stay number one from now until season’s end?

3.  Would An LSU vs. Texas Championship Re-Match Be Good For College Baseball? It would be good for TV ratings, but I don’t know that it would actually be good for the game as a whole.  Does anyone who’s not a Yankees fan think that the cash cow’s 27th title is good for any other MLB team other than the one in the Bronx with the new stadium and overpriced (and often empty) seats?  Texas and LSU at the College World Series is good for college baseball, because it gets casual fans a little more interested.  But when it comes time for all the marbles David vs. Goliath  is just more fun.

4.  Speaking Of David…Who Will Be This Year’s Cinderella? Fresno State was the ultimate Cinderella two years ago, but Mike Batesole’s great-great-great grand children will be playing before we see that kind of run again.  But that doesn’t mean there won’t be more Cinderellas.  They’re quite common when it comes to the CWS.  Fresno State, Southern Mississippi, Louisville, Southwest Missouri State, Notre Dame, and San Jose State all made it to Omaha in the last decade in what was either their first appearance or their first trip after a long CWS drought.  The odds say there’ll be a Cinderella, but the waiting is the hardest (and most fun) part.

Bryce Brentz (MTSU photo)

5.  Will Bryce Brentz Win the NCAA’s Triple Crown? The Middle Tennessee State slugger just about did it last year.  He led the nation with his .465 batting average, and he tied Alabama’s Kent Matthes for the home run title with 28.  Brentz also topped the charts with his .930 slugging percentage, but he missed the Triple Crown with “just” 73 RBIs.  That technically tied for 31st nationally, but Brentz was just 14 RBIs behind NCAA leader Paul Goldschmidt of Texas State.  Logical thinking would say Brentz, now a junior, doesn’t have a chance, but logic never pitched to Brentz.

6.  Can Arizona State Overcome The Loss Of Pat Murphy? Love him or hate him, it’s hard to argue with the success that Murphy had in his 15 years in the ASU dugout.   But it’s not like ASU had never won prior to Murph’s arrival.  He led his team to Omaha four times, but the program has 21 CWS appearances since 1964 thanks to Bob Winkles and Jim Brock.  Now it’s Tim Esmay’s turn to guide the cruise ship Sun Devil.  Esmay, a former Utah head coach, himself played for Brock in Omaha twice, and he was also on Murphy’s staff for the last five seasons.  He also has a lot of experience sitting with him in the dugout.  Ken Knutson is in his first year as an assistant on the ASU staff after 17 seasons as the Washington Huskies’ head coach.  ASU’s line-up is loaded again, and there’s plenty of pitching too.  For now anyway the good ship ASU doesn’t show any signs of running aground.

Jarrett Parker (UVA photo)

7.  Is Virginia The Next National Power Or A One-Hit Wonder? The Cavaliers can hardly be considered a Cinderella.  Yes, last year was their first-ever College World Series trip, but they are from the ACC and they won their conference tournament last year.  Glass slippers aside, it would be easy to write-off UVA as a team that got hot and made a big run.  However, last year’s CWS squad included 23 underclassmen and set 11 school records…and the most prominent components-like Danny Hultzen, Jarrett Parker and Kevin Arico to name a few-are all back this year.  Who saw North Carolina coming prior four years ago?  Mike Fox’s Tar Heels hadn’t been to Omaha since 1989 prior to 2006 & now they’ve gone four straight times.  Cavalier head coach Brian O’Connor has now guided the Cavs to six straight NCAA berths, and he has been a guy whose destiny has always seemed to be Omaha.  He grew-up in the shadow of Rosenblatt Stadium in Council Bluffs, NE, pitched in the ’91 CWS for Creighton, helped Notre Dame get to Omaha in 2002 as the Irish pitching coach, and finally took his own team to the promised land last year…not to mention the fact that his mug is one of the players on the famed “Road To Omaha” statue outside Rosenblatt.  So, if you’re asked what lies in the shadow of the statue the safe answer might be “O’Connor’s Cavaliers”.

8.  Is A Northern Team Ready To Make A Real National Statement? Michigan and Notre Dame flirted with it last decade.  St. John’s has had its moments, and Ohio State and Minnesota have each had some success, but it all comes down to pitching.  Or more specifically, pitching depth.  The biggest difference in teams in the good southern teams and the good northern teams is pitching depth.  There are guys coming out of the bullpen in the ACC and SEC who could be starters on most Big Ten and Big East teams.  Just look at last year’s save numbers in those conferences:  157 in the SEC & 160 saves in the ACC compared to 110 and 121 in the Big Ten and Big East, respectively.  But save totals don’t even tell half the story.

When it comes to playing in an NCAA Regional winning the first game is important, but for a northern team winning the first two games of a regional is critical.  The team that starts 2-0 at a regional is at least one starting pitcher ahead of each opponent it plays the rest of the weekend.  Look at Minnesota last year:  They lost their regional opener to Baylor, then out-slugged Southern 11-8 and Baylor 15-12 atfter that before falling 10-3 to LSU.  They played respectably, but they gave-up 10 runs a game over their last three contests, while LSU gave-up 3 runs with its third starter on the mound.   Ohio State lost 24-8 to Georgia to its regional opener last year, then won 6-4 and 13-6 in elimination games before getting trounced 37-6 by Florida State in game four (game 3 for FSU).  OSU’s starting pitcher gave-up 7 runs without getting an out in that game.  But what about Michigan in 2007?  The Wolverines won the first two games of their regional, lost game three, but then beat Vanderbilt in the deciding game four to advance to a Super Regional.  In 2002 Notre Dame used just five pitchers while going 3-0 at their Regional en-route to being the only northern team to advance to Omaha since the ’80s.  The Irish also used just two pitchers in their two Super Regional wins over Florida State the following week.   It’s no coincidence that in recent years only teams from the south have come back  to win a Regional after losing one of their first two games.

ECU's Kyle Roller (ECU photo)

9.  Is Conference USA The Most Underrated Baseball Conference In The Country? Quick question…what three conferences have sent at least one team to the College World Series in each of the last five seasons?  If you said the SEC, Pac 10 and Conference USA you get the gold star for the day (but remember to raise your hand before blurting out the answer next time).  Rice, Tulane and last year’s darling Southern Mississippi have all gone to Omaha in that stretch.  Terry Rooney left LSU after a trip to the 2008 CWS in part because C-USA had earned a reputation as a three bid league.  But Conference USA didn’t just get three bids last year.  Rice, Southern Miss. and East Carolina all advanced to Super Regionals, and ECU and USM did it by beating South Carolina and Georgia Tech, respectively, in Regional action.  USM then beat Florida on the road to advance to Omaha, Rice lost to eventual National Champ LSU in its Regional while ECU fell to a North Carolina team that made a fourth straight CWS appearance.  C-USA has arrived, and based on the talent the aforementioned ’09 Super Regional teams have back, the conference doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

10.  Will The Season Just Start Already? Really, aren’t you tired of waiting?  Oops, that’s another question, we don’t have room for eleven.  Is it here yet?  That’s another questions too…