Thursday Recap/Analysis (tournaments & top-50; 5/27)

Flies in the Ointment? …

The upsets kept flowing on Thursday, based on the CB360 Composite National Rankings, as more than half of the games (14 of 26) involving CB360 top-50 teams ended up in upsets. Most notably, five of the CNR’s top-10 teams (#2-3-7-8-10) all were knocked off, while several other teams emerged as potential “flies in the ointment” – underdogs that could win a conference automatic bid to the NCAAs (and, in the process, burst the bubble of an NCAA at-large hopeful). 

CLICK HERE for CB360’s Conference Tournament Main Page

(Note – Scores for all games involving the CB360 top-50 are listed at the bottom of this page, with the customary links provided for the one non-tournament game … also be sure to access CB360’s conference tournament main page via the link posted above.)

There were 26 games on Thursday involving CB360 top-50 teams, including seven head-to-head match-ups (33 total top-50 teams in action). The only top-50 game outside a conference tournament setting was #1 Arizona State’s 4-2 series-opening win at #32 Stanford.

Here are teams from five leagues (seven teams total) that have the makings for NCAA-bid spoilers (the potential flies in the ointment):

• Mercer (Atlantic Sun) – The #2-seeded Bears were nowhere close to being in the discussion for an NCAA at-large bid, with a #157 official NCAA RPI this week (trailing six other A-Sun teams), but Mercer sits in the catbird seat as the only 2-0 squad at the six-team A-Sun Tournament … should the Bears win this event, the focus then will shift to whether Florida Gulf Coast still would get into the NCAA’s as an at-large (effectively making the A-Sun a two-bid league and taking a spot from some unfortunate budble team) … many tournament projections had FGCU as a solid at-large possibility (the Eagles ran away with the A-Sun regular-season title and entered the week with a #45 NCAA RPI, plus a #36 standing in the CNR top-50) … Thursday’s key results saw #4 seed North Florida knock off FGCU in shockingly easy fashion (13-2), while Mercer beat #3 seed East Tennessee State (10-7) in the day’s only match-up of teams that won on Wed. … next up: FGCU faces ETSU today in a noon elimination game, followed by another elimination game at 4:00 (UNF vs. Jacksonville) and Mercer’s 8:00 game vs. the FGCU-ETSU winner.

• Rutgers ad St. John’s (BIG EAST) – There teams have earned a day off on Friday, as each is 2-0 following their Thursday upsets (#6 seed RU beat #2 seed UConn, 9-6, one day after knocking off #3 seed Pittsburgh in a 9-5 opening-day game … #4 seed SJU knocked off top seed Louisville, 11-4) … if Rutgers or St. John’s win the BIG EAST Tournament, the league likely will have locked up three bids to the NCAAs … Pitt has been hoping to be that third entrant, but that was far from certain following the Panther’s first-day loss to #7 seed Cincinnati (9-6) …Louisville entered the tournament as the #5 team in the official NCAA RPI (#7 in the cb360 CNR) while UConn was the #24 RPI (CNR #18) and Pitt’s tenuous situation included a #47 RPI and #42 CNR … Friday’s games: Pitt and UConn will meet in a 4:00 elimination games, as will Louisville and #5 seed South Florida (7:00).

• Lamar and Texas Arlington – This is a similar situation to the one above, as these teams have started 2-0 in the Southland Conference Tournament … #5 seed UTA benefited from the day-1 upset that saw #8 seed Nicholls State beat regular-season champ Texas State, as the Mavericks then rallied to beat Nicholls (5-4) … on the other side of the bracket, the #7 seed Lamar stopped surging Northwestern (La.) State on Wed. and the earned its day off with a Thursday win over #6 seed McNeese State, 10-7 (McNeese earlier had edged #3 seed Southeastern Louisiana, 8-7) … should Lamar or UTA win the tournament, it’s likely that the Southland still could be a one-bid league for the NCAAs – as each of the top seeds have shaky at-large credentials (Texas State #48 NCAA RPI/#46 CNR … SLU #40 RPI, #50 CNR … NWLA #76 RPI and now eliminated from the Southland Tour.) … Friday’s games include a 10:00 a.m. CT elimination game (SLU-McNeese), followed by another elimination game between Texas St. and Nicholls … Lamar and UTA will be awaiting the winners in the night games (starting at 5:00).

• Arkansas State (Sunbelt) –The #7 seed has joined top seed Florida Atlantic as the 2-0 teams, but a Trojans title at this tournament might simply solidify the end of the season for #2 seed Louisiana (Lafayette)  … UL-L entered the Sunbelt Championship with a #33 RPI (matching its spot in the CNR), but the regular-season co-champs already have been bounced back home and have to be considered a bubble team (especially if Arkansas State were to snatch the automatic bid) … the #3 and #4 seeds – Middle Tennessee and Florida International – entered the week as longshots for the NCAAs, with each facing elimination gaames on Friday (FIU plays #5 seed South Alabama in the brutal 9:00 AM game, followed by MTSU and #6 seed Troy) … #8 seed Western Kentucky was a top-25 team on the national scene at the midseason point, but the Hilltoppers wrapped up their second-half swoon by going 0-2 this week) … FAU will be awaiting the FIU-USA winner on Friday afternoon (4 ET), followed by Ark. St. s. the MTSU/Troy winner.

• Western Carolina (SoCon) – Speaking of teams that had strong starts to the season and then faded, WCU could jump back into the picture following its Thursday rally from a 6-0 deficit to upset CNR #28 College of Charleston (7-6) … #6 seed WCU joins regular-season champ The Citadel as 2-0 starters in the Southern Conference Tournament … #2 seed CofC (#29 RPI) may be secure for NCAA at-large consideration, meaning that a WCU tournament title could ensure three NCAA bids for the SoCon (WCU entered the event 57th in the official NCAA RPI) … #3 seed Elon (#51 RPI/#44 CNR) is another SoCon hopeful for the NCAAs, but the Phoenix likely need to win their Friday elimination game vs. #5 seed Samford (7 ET; winner has to beat Citadel twice on Sat.) … Friday’s 3:00 elimination game will pit C of C vs. #7 seed Appalachian State (winner has to beat WCU twice on Sat.).

In addition to games mentioned above, Thursday’s other top-50 upsets included:

• Texas Tech 4,  #2 Texas 1 (Big 12)
• #17 Florida State 11,  #3 Virginia 4 (Big 12)
• #25 Virginia Tech 6,  #8 Georgia Tech 2
• #14 Auburn 3,  #10 South Carolina 1 (Big 12)
• Boston College 12,  #12 Miami 10 (Big 12)
• #34 LSU 7, #16 Vanderbilt 5 (Big 12)
• #29 Alabama 6,  #23 Mississippi 3 (Big 12)
• Middle Tennessee State 3,  #33 Louisiana-Lafayette 0 (Big 12)
• Florida International 7,  #47 Western Kentucky 3 (Sunbelt)
• High Point 2,  #49 Liberty 1 (Big South)

TOP TEAMS – Texas (0-2) already is out of title contention at the Big 12 Tournament, while Virginia now has a tougher road to repeating as ACC Tournament champion (in order to reach the title game, the Cavs first need BC to beat FSU on Friday, then UVa has to defeat Miami on Sat.). Note that the Big 12  and ACC both use a round-robin format in their tournaments. The losses by Texas and UVa, coupled with Arizona State’s win over Stanford, can only strengthen ASU’s position as the potential #1 national seed.

SEC – One day after all four SEC Tournament games resulted in upsets, Thursday’s slate saw the underdogs (based on the CNR) win three more times – including Auburn’s win that eliminated South Carolina. Two teams that filled the final two SEC spots – #8 seed Alabama and #7 LSU – now find themselves on the inside tracks to the title game.

BUBBLE SEEKERS – Boston College (#46 RPI) and Texas Tech (#48) kept alive their hopes for making the NCAAs. All four teams in BC’s bracket at the ACC Tournament (#1 seed Virginia, #4 Miami, #5 Florida St. and #8 BC) have started 1-1, with one team ultimately advancing to Sunday’s title game. BC will face FSU on Friday at noon, while UVa and Miami will meet on Sat. (also at noon). In order to reach the Big 12 title game, #5 seed Texas Tech need to beat #8 seed Missouri on Saturday while getting help in two others games (Missouri beating #4 seed Texas A&M on Fri. and top seed Texas then beating A&M on Sat.).

MORE BUBBLE WATCH – Liberty’s loss could extinguish the Flames’ hopes for an NCAA at-large spot (#44 official NCAA RPI, but lost on Wed.). Several other NCAA bubble teams also are 1-1 at their conference tournaments, after winning on Thursday:

• #38 New Mexico 7,  BYU 6
• #42 Pittsburgh 13,  Cincinnati 4
• #46 Texas State 8,  Stephen F. Austin 2
• #50 Southeastern Louisiana 10,  Northwestern (La.) State 4

THURSDAY’S TOP-50 RESULTS (5/27/10; upsets in italics)
(based on the CB360 Composite National Rankings)

Reminder – follow THIS LINK for CB360’s Conference Tournament Main Page (with links to all of the conference tournament  central pages that include complete info., links, etc.)

• #1 Arizona State 4,  at #32 Stanford 2 (Pac-10 reg.-season)  |  Final Stats
ASU Recap |  STAN Recap

• Texas Tech 4,  #2 Texas 1 (Big 12)

• #17 Florida State 11,  #3 Virginia 4 (ACC)

• #4 Coastal Carolina 11,  Radford 9 (Big South)

• #5 Florida 5,  #13 Arkansas 4 (SEC)

• St. John’s 6,  #7 Louisville 5

• #25 Virginia Tech 6,  #8 Georgia Tech 2

• #14 Auburn 3,  #10 South Carolina 1 (SEC)

• Boston College 12,  #12 Miami 10 (ACC)

• #34 LSU 7, #16 Vanderbilt 5 (SEC)

• Rutgers 6,  #18 Connecticut 5 (BIG EAST)

• #22 Rice 24,  Houston 3 (C-USA)

• #29 Alabama 6,  #23 Mississippi 3 (SEC)

• #27 Texas A&M 7,  Missouri 2 (Big 12)

• Western Carolina 7,  #28 College of Charleston 6

• Middle Tennessee State 3,  #33 Louisiana-Lafayette 0 (Sunbelt)

• #35 Florida Atlantic 10,  South Alabama 9 (Sunbelt)

• North Florida 13,  #36 Florida Gulf Coast 2 (Atlantic Sun)

• #38 New Mexico 7,  BYU 6 (Mt. West)

• #39 The Citadel 6,  #44 Elon 3 (SoCon)

• #42 Pittsburgh 13,  Cincinnati 4 (BIG EAST)

• #46 Texas State 8,  Stephen F. Austin 2 (Southland)

• Florida International 7,  #47 Western Kentucky 3 (Sunbelt)

• High Point 2,  #49 Liberty 1 (Big South)

• #50 Southeastern Louisiana 10,  Northwestern (La.) State 4 (Southland)

College Baseball Notebook-Week 11

Streaks, Upsets And Other Notable Action…

38…Game hitting streak by Florida International’s Garrett Wittels.  The sophomore extended the nation’s longest active streak with an RBI single in his last at-bat of the game on Sunday with two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings (an 8-7 loss to Louisiana-Monroe).  Wittels’ current streak is the longest in

Division One baseball in the last 11 years.

8…Underdogs that won weekend series vs. CB360 Top 50 teams.  The most notable wins were: #26 Auburn took two of three at #5 Arkansas and  unranked North Carolina State won two of three against #8 Georgia Tech.

7…Straight losses by defending national champion LSU (32-13, 11-10) after dropping all three games in its weekend series at Florida (31-11, 15-6).  The Tigers were swept by Ole Miss last weekend as well.

14…Years (1996) since Florida last swept a series against LSU.

.390…The Gators’ team batting average in their sweep while outscoring the Tigers by a combined 28-14.  Matt den Dekker led Florida’s nine starters who all had at least one hit in Sunday’s finale by going 5-for-5 with a home run and 4 RBIs.

4…Strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings pitched, wins this season and RBIs in Sunday’s game by freshman starting pitcher/designated hitter Brian Johnson (4-2), who hit the first grand slam of his young career.

2…Home runs hit in an 8-run fifth inning by Auburn’s Hunter Morris in Saturday’s win over Arkansas.  Morris started the inning with a homer and later launched a two-run blast to help the Tigers (30-15, 12-9) total four HR and all eight of their runs in the 8-7 victory.

38…Years since Ole Miss last swept a series vs. Mississippi State in Starkville, MS prior to taking three games from the rival Bulldogs over the weekend at Dudy Noble Field.  The three wins have the Rebels tied for first place with Arkansas in the SEC West.

20…Straight wins by Texas after Sunday’s 4-1 win over Baylor to cap a 3-game weekend sweep.  The 20 consecutive wins are the most at Texas since the 1988 team also rattled-off 20 in a row.

5…Consecutive Big 12 series sweeps by the Longhorns (38-7, 19-2) to help them set a new conference record with 17 straight wins in league play.  The previous record was set in 2008 by Texas A&M.

1…Earned run allowed by Texas starting pitchers, who combined to strike out 29 batters in 33.0 innings in the three games.

12…Scoreless innings pitched in the three games by the Longhorn bullpen, highlighted by Hoby Miner’s four perfect innings to pick-up the win in Saturday’s 2-1 win in 14 innings.

3…Games won by #1 Arizona State at #4 UCLA to give the Sun Devils their first sweep at Jackie Robinson Stadium since 1994.

23-4…Combined score by which the Sun Devils (38-5, 14-4) outscored the Bruins (30-10, 7-8) in the three games.  20 of the 23 runs allowed by the UCLA pitching staff, which came into the weekend with the second best ERA in the nation at 2.80, were earned.

7…First inning RBIs by Louisville’s Andrew Clark, who hit both a 3-run blast and a grand slam in the 10-run opening frame of Saturday’s 24-6 win over Rutgers.  Clark ended the game 4-for-4 with 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 4 runs, and a HBP.

16…Barry Larkin’s jersey number, which was retired in Ann Arbor on Saturday prior to the Wolverine’s 3-2 loss to Ohio State.  Larkin played at Michigan from 1983 to 1986.

2…Wins by the Wolverines (27-15, 9-6) over the Buckeyes (24-15, 8-7) to remain tied with Northwestern (18-25, 9-6) atop the Big Ten conference standings.  Ohio State was part of a four-way tie first place heading into the weekend.

0…Innings pitched in the series by Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers, who was a scratch after he  injured a hamstring just moments before Friday’s 4-1 OSU loss.  Wimmers (9-0, 1.61 ERA) entered the weekend tied for the national lead with his nine wins.  His ERA ranks sixth nationally.

17…Game winning streak by #6 Coastal Carolina snapped in Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to #3 Virginia.

30…Straight Big South Conference home wins by Coastal Carolina after a weekend 3-game sweep of UNC Asheville in Conway, SC.

22…Game winning streak by # 18 Connecticut snapped in Wednesday’s 7-3 loss to Central Connecticut State.  The Huskies (35-9, 14-3) split two home games vs. #34 Pittsburgh (31-11, 13-4) (game three was rained-out) to maintain a narrow lead over Louisville (36-7, 14-4) at the top of the Big East Conference standings.

24…Game hitting streak by UConn’s Mike Nemeth that ended when he went o-for-4 in a 13-4 loss to Pitt in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader.  Nemeth had extended the streak to 24 earlier in the day when he hit his 9th home run of the season in UConn’s 11-7 game one victory.

12 & 487…Games played and batters faced by Notre Dame pitchers without giving-up a home run.  The longest such

stretch for the Irish pitching staff since 2006 ended Friday when Paul Karmas of St. John’s hit a solo shot in the fifth inning of Notre Dame’s 14-5 win.

13…Strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings by North Carolina State’s Jake Buchanen in Friday’s 6-5 win over #8 Georgia Tech.  The effort helped the Wolfpack (28-18, 11-13) take two of three games from the Yellow Jackets (36-9, 17-7) to keep their NCAA hopes alive.

32…Career home runs hit by UT Arlington’s Michael Choice to set a new program record.  Choice hit his 14th HR of the season in Saturday’s win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

16…Of Choice’s home runs that have come in “clutch” situations, including seven tie-breaking shots, five game-tying home runs and two that have provided the eventual winning runs for his team.

10…Strikeouts in 8.0 innings by Florida Gulf Coast pitcher Chris Sale (7-0)  in Friday’s 4-2 win over #27 Clemson to give the Eagles (28-15) their only win in the weekend’s non-conference 3-game series.

16…Strikeouts by Nicholls State’s Clint Dempster in Friday’s 5-3 complete game win over #44 Southeastern Louisiana.

15…RBIs last week by Wichita State’s Preston Springer, who hit .565 (13-for-23) with 9 runs, five doubles and three home runs last week.  Springer helped the Shockers to midweek wins over Big 12 teams Kansas and Oklahoma State.  He hit his first career grand slam against the Cowboys on Wednesday.

3…Home runs by Illinois State third baseman Ryan Court in Saturday’s 18-8 win over Wichita State.  The win gave the Redbirds their first ever run rule victory over the Shockers.

May Madness: Weekend College Baseball Preview

May is upon us, and my questions is:  What happened to April?  The last 30 days just flew right by.  Oh well, I guess that’s what happens.  You know what they say “April showers bring May Madness”…so maybe they don’t really say that, but they should.

Conference baseball tournaments are just a little more than a month away, and league baseball races are tightening-up.  There are some big match-ups around the country this weekend that will go a long way toward determining which teams have a shot at at-large NCAA berths a month from now and which teams are hitting the showers until next year.

Before I run down some of this weekend’s match-ups I want to take a second to give a shout to have been providing some great content for us this season:  Pete LaFleur is the co-editor at Collegebaseball360.com and he cranks out those CB360 Composite National Rankings in his lab each week and he also works tirelessly (maybe a little tired) on the daily Match-Ups and Results pages, which include pitching match-ups and other great information.  Chase Titleman provides us with great coverage of the Pac 10 at Road2rosenblatt.com, Chris Webb from Buckeyestatebaseball.com continues to give us great Big Ten coverage and Randy Rosetta from the Baton Rouge Advocate always has great insight on the SEC and LSU.  We have had recent podcasts with all of them, and we’ll have more as we go forward.

Now, on to the weekend…

(All rankings are based on the exclusive CB360 Composite National Rankings.  RPI is based on the official NCAA rank.)

#1 Arizona State (35-5, 11-4) RPI-3 at #4 UCLA (30-7, 7-5) RPI-8

This is the series we’ve been waiting for all season.  The two Pac 10 teams that started the season with a combined 46-0 record will play three this weekend at Jackie Robinson Stadium.  The six probable starting pitchers in the series have a combined 41-5 record.  UCLA entered the week with the second best team ERA in the nation (2.80), while ASU’s (3.21) was the fifth best.  The Sun Devils lead the Pac 10 with a .350 batting average and 84 stolen bases.

How High? The last time a top-five UCLA team played a top-five opponent was April 1997, when the #6 Bruins took two of three games from #2 Stanford.  Both of those teams advanced to the ‘97 College World Series.

#13 LSU (32-10, 11-7) RPI-11 at #7 Florida (28-11, 12-6) RPI-2

LSU has won 17 of its last 20 SEC series, but the defending national champions were swept last weekend at Ole Miss.  The Tigers are in second place in the SEC Western Division, two games behind Arkansas.  The Gators are coming off possibly their biggest series win of the season after taking two of three from the Razorbacks, which extended their winning streak to 13 games prior to losing the last two games of that series.  Florida is in second place in the SEC Eastern Division, two games behind overall SEC leader South Carolina.

Gator Bait: Florida has won three of the last four series between the two teams, including the last two series in Gainesville.  READ MORE about this week’s match-up.

#15 Cal State Fullerton (25-13, 10-2) RPI-20 at Pacific (25-14, 7-5) RPI-93

Pacific has never been to an NCAA Regional, which makes this weekend’s series in Stockton vs. Fullerton possibly the

biggest series in the history of the program.  Pacific sits in third place in the Big West, three games behind perennial bully Fullerton.  If they have any chance to make a Regional this year, they have to win this series.  Since a sluggish start to the season, Dave Serrano’s Titans have won seven straight and 13 of their last 15 games heading into this key conference series vs. Ed Sprague’s Tigers.  The Tigers made a statement two weeks ago when they won two of three games at UC Irvine.  Pacific took two of three from the Titans in Fullerton last year, but the Tigers have never won a home series vs. the Titans.  Fullerton is 72-11 all-time vs. Pacific.

Just The Stats: The Titans and Tigers rank first and second, respectively, in the Big West in batting average (.336/.333) and fielding percentage (.976/.973).  Fullerton has the second beast ERA (3.89) in the league, while Pacific (5.00) ranks fourth.

#18 UConn (34-8, 14-2) RPI-23 at #34 Pittsburgh RPI-39

This season’s Big East Conference race wasn’t supposed to be a race.  It was supposed to be Louisville and everyone else.  Someone forgot to tell UConn and Pittsburgh.  The Huskies and Panthers site in first and second place, respectively,  in the conference standings heading into the weekend.  UConn’s only Big East series loss was at Louisville, and started a program best 22-game winning streak

(snapped earlier this week by Central Connecticut State) by winning the finale of that set (they lost the first two games 1-0 & 4-2).  Meanwhile, Pittsburgh was a 9th inning rally away from sweeping Louisville a week after losing two of three to Rutgers.  Pitt’s Corey Baker (9-1, 4.40 ERA) shares the NCAA wins lead.  He is expected to match-up with Elliot Glynn (4-2, 2.16 ERA) in the series-opener.  Glynn’s ERA ranks 18th nationally.

Among The Best: Pitt’s .368 team batting average is second in the nation to Georgia State’s .375 average, while UConn’s 3.67 ERA ranks 10th nationally.  The Huskies also have an amazing five players who have stolen at least 20 bases.  They entered the week ranked fourth in both overall stolen bases (117 now 123) and stolen bases per game (2.93).

Ohio State (23-13, 7-5) RPI-91 at Michigan (25-14, 7-5) RPI-65

This would obviously be a much more attractive national match-up if it were football and not baseball, but this is a big series for both teams.  They enter the weekend in a four-way tie for first place in the Big Ten Conference standings.  OSU ace Alex Wimmers (9-0, 1.61 ERA) is tied for the NCAA lead with his nine wins, and his ERA also ranks sixth in the nation.  Wimmers started last year’s series vs. Michigan by pitching the first 9-inning no-hitter in Ohio State history, helping the Buckeyes take two of three games from their bitter rivals.  Michigan had won 18  of the previous 24 meetings between the two teams.

X-Factor: Michigan Preseason All-American Ryan LaMarre has played in only 18 games this season after injuring his hand during opening weekend at Texas Tech.  LaMarre is now back in the line-up, and has batted .500 (34-for-68) with two home runs, 24 runs, 17 RBIs, and a 1.286 OPS.

Around The Bases-April 15

Four Things I’m Thinking About Right Now…

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

As April hits its stride we’re getting ready for another weekend of college baseball.  We’ve had some new podcasts and will continue to have more in the coming weeks as we look at different teams and conferences around the country.  Here are some things that gnawed at my mind this week…

Say What… Here are the current statistics of two catchers.  One is on the 2010 Johnny Bench Award Watch List, but

the other is not.  See if you can guess which one is:  A.  .414 BA, 7 HR, 37 RBIs, 1.211 OPS, 1 Passed Ball  B.  .294 BA, 6 HR, 25 RBIs, .888 OPS, 3 Passed Balls.  If you said catcher “B” is the one on the watch list you would be correct (I won’t mention his name here).  Catcher “A” is Miami Hurricane Yasmani Grandal.  After hitting 16 home runs and then playing last summer for Team USA the junior was not only not on the original watch list, but also left out of the group of nine catchers who were added to the watch list this week.  That’s 61 total catchers now on the watch list, but the guy hitting .414 at one of the best programs in the history of the sport is not one of them.

Big Shake-Up…Before last week the Big East was looking like it was going to be a one-bid league when NCAA selections come out next month, and Louisville was looking like it might earn the programs first top 8 national seed.  That all changed when Pittsburgh took two of three games from the Cardinals in the Steel City.  Pittsburgh (22-9, 6-3) was three outs from sweeping the series before Louisville rallied to salvage the series finale, but their two wins shook-up the Big East standings.  South Florida (16-16, 8-1) is in first place followed by UConn (24-7, 7-2) and Rutgers (18-13, 7-2), with Louisville (26-6, 6-3) and Pitt tied for fourth place.  USF played a brutal early schedule, but has zero quality wins to show for it.  UConn handed Louisville its other conference loss and seems to be gaining momentum.

Revving-up The RPI…The NCAA’s official RPI is out, and it’s no shock that the top five teams include Arizona State, Arkansas, UCLA, Florida, and Virginia.  Three of those five teams made it to Omaha last year and a fourth (Florida) played in a Super Regional.  Louisville (Big East), Coastal Carolina (Big South), Clemson, Texas, and Oregon State round-out the top ten.  That gives the Pac 10 three top ten RPI teams, the ACC and SEC each have two.  Here are some “non-power conference” teams that join Louisville and Coastal Carolina in the RPI Top-50:  17. Western Kentucky 21. The Citadel 23. TCU 24. New Mexico 30. College of Charleston 35. Western Carolina 39. Texas State 40. Connecticut 41. San Diego 44. Southeastern Louisiana 47. South Alabama 49. Pittsburgh 50. VMI

Gary Brown (mattbrownphoto.com)

Titan Turnaround…Since a disappointing 8-8 start to the season Cal State Fullerton (18-12, 5-1 Big West) has won ten of its last 14 games, including two of three from Big West rival UC Irvine last weekend.  The Titans also won a midweek match-up over UCLA (26-3)-a team that moved to #1 in two polls this week.  Fullerton didn’t shy away from tough competition early on, with six of those losses coming at the hands of TCU (24-7), Arizona (23-9) and Arizona State (28-3).  The Titan’s offense is starting to click, with Gary Brown and Billy Marcoe hitting .443 and .402, respectively.  The biggest issue has been inconsistent pitching from a team that has been traditionally dominant on the mound.  2010 Team USA invitees Tyler Pill and Nick Ramirez are a combined 2-7, although Pill gave-up just an unearned run in 8 1/3 IP and also had an RBI in Sunday’s 6-1 win over the Anteaters.  Expect the Titans to build some serious momentum over the next month…

CB360 Primetime Performers #8 (April 13)

Duke’s Currier, Oregon State’s Peavey Take Top Primetime Honors …

Duke designated hitter Will Currier (Dripping Spring, Texas) and Oregon State junior righthander Greg Peavey (Vanouver, Wash.) headline CB360’s most recent Primetime Performers Weekly Honor, for action during the first fill weeek of April of April.

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

Currier has been named the national Primetime Player of the Week and Peavey is the Primetime Pitcher of the Week, while 17 others join them in comprising the Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll (as selected by CollegeBaseball360.com).

Currier homered in all three games and totaled 8 RBI in Duke’s 2-1 series vs. #11 Clemson, while Peavey was masterful in his 2-hit victory over a potent #2 UCLA team.

PEAVEY outdueled UCLA ace Gerrit Cole in the 7-1 series opener, allowing only two hits (3BB-6K) from a Bruins offense that entered the game with a gaudy .347 team batting average. The 6-1, 200-pound righthanded lowered his season ERA to 1.91 while opposing batters now are hitting at a lowly .167 clip vs. Peavey this season.

UCLA’s only hits against Peavey came on cleanup batter Justin Uribe’s single through the left side in the 4th inning on a hit-and-run and #6 hitter Cody Regis’ soft  liner that knucked in for a 7th-inning single. Peavey allowed only three batters to reach scoring position (none after the 4th) and the only run he allowed came on a sacrifice fly. The Hudson Bay High School product retired 10 of the first 11 batters and allowed only one baserunner in his final 5.1 innings.

CURRIER led the way for a Duke program that now has taken an ACC series from two national powers (UNC and Clemson). The 6-4, 215-pound homered from the 3-hole in all four games during the past week, including a 9-5 win over William & Mary and every game in the series at Durham Bulls Park vs. #11 Clemson (10-9/5-11/7-2). His 8-RBI series vs. the Tigers included a grand slam and a pair of 2-run blasts.

Currier is riding an extended home run streak (6 HRs in past 9 games) and is slugging at a .691 clip for the season, with 22 RBI.

Currier’s 2-out home run was part of Duke’s early explosion (9R in first 3 inn.) vs. William & Mary. The righthanded power hitter added a 2-run blast early in the opener vs. Clemson junior LHP Casey Harman, capping a 4-run bottom of the 3rd as the Blue Devils claimed a 4-3 lead (en route  to the 10-9 win). Currier later singled and scored in the 8th, sparking a 5-run outburst that thrust Duke into a 10-8 lead.

One day later, Currier delivered a clutch 2-out blast in the bottom of the 6th, pulling a pitch from RHP Scott Weismann and sending it down the leftfield line for a grand slam and 4-3 lead (Clemson rallied to win in 11 innings). Currier’s 1st-inning blast in the series finale (vs. LHP Will Lamb) staked Duke to a 2-0 lead, and the Devils went on to claim the series with a 7-2 victory.

Primetime Performer Award Criteria
• Must have been playing for or against a CB360 top-50 team (in the Composite National Rankings) or performed a high level in a game that could be key to a team’s conference/NCAA postseason qualification.
• Involved in clutch performances, such as late game-winning hits, noteworthy comebacks, game-changing plays, team leadership, key defensive efforts, etc.
• Performing at a top level against a team rated highly nationally (or within its conference), with bonus consideration given for key performances away from home field and vs. traditional rivals.
• Overcoming adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).
• Any accomplishment that is rare, historic, record-setting, etc., on a national level.

(from left) Matt Argyopoulos (Washington St.), Ryan Behmanesk (Dallas Baptist), Jay Brown (South Carolina), Nate Brown (Ark.-Little Rock), Cory Brownsten (Pitt) and Jeremy Erben (Oklahoma).

The other 17 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll include: Washington State jr. 3B Matt Argyropoulos (Longview, Wash.) … Dallas Baptist so. 1B Ryan Behmanesh (Mansfield, Texas) …South Carolina sr. RHP Jay Brown (Brunswick, Ga.), Arkansas-Little Rock sr. CF Nate Brown (Bemidji, Minn.) …Pittsburgh sr. catcher Cory Brownsten (Lockport, N.Y.) … Oklahoma sr. RHP Jeremy Erben (New Braunfels, Texas) … Georgia Tech fr. RHP Buck Farmer (Conyers, Ga.) … Auburn jr. RF/CF Justin Fradejas (Pensacola, Fla.) … Kentucky 5th-yr.-sr. 1B Gunner Glad (Tulsa, Okla.) … Oregon fr. 1B Jack Marder (Calabasas, Calif.) … Virginia jr. CF Jarrett Parker (Stafford, Va.) … Cal State Fullerton so. RHP/RF Tyler Pill (Covina, Calif.) … Mississippi jr. LHP Drew Pomeranz (Collierville, Tenn.) … Virginia Tech sr. SS Tim Smalling (Raleigh, N.C.) … Indiana State sr. CF Ryan Strausborger (Osceola, Ind.) … Furman jr. 1B Aaron Thompkins (Canton, Ohio) … and Baylor so. RHP Logan Verrett (Corpus Christi, Texas).

(from left) Buck Farmer (Ga. Tech), Justin Fradejas (Auburn), Gunner Glad (Kentucky), Jarrett Parker (Virginia) and Tyler Pill (CS Fullerton).

The 19 honorees include seven pitchers (one of them a LHP and one a two-way player), four first basemen, three centerfielders, one rightfielders (two-way player), plus a catcher, shortstop, third baseman, outfielder (RF/CF) and DH.

The selections feature seven seniors, six juniors, three sophomores, two freshmen and a first-year senior. The honorees hail from 13 different home states, led by four from Texas and two each from the home states of California, Georgia and Washington – plus one each from Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia.

(from left) Drew Pomeranz (Mississippi), Tim Smalling (Va. Tech), Ryan Strausborger (Indiana State), Aaron Tompkins (Furman) and Logan Verrett (Baylor).

PRIMETIME PERFORMERS WEEKLY HONOR ROLL#8 (April 13, 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
Matt Argyropoulos (3B) … Washington State … Jr. … Longview, WA
Doubled and scored 9th-inn. winning run in opener vs. #1 Arizona St.; hit 3-for-6 and factored into 4 runs (3RBI-2R-HR-2B-SAC-SF) during pair of wins in ASU series (6-5/7-11/9-5).

Ryan Behmanesh (1B) … Dallas Baptist … So. … Mansfield, TX
Hit 1st-inning grand slam, added leadoff 2B and run scored in 7-6 win at #30 Rice.

Jay Brown (RHP) … South Carolina … Sr. … Brunswick, GA
Logged 6.1 innings (2H-2K) in combined 2-hitter at #18 Vanderbilt (2-0), handing Commodores third loss of season and first shutout at home in SEC game since ’05; did not allow a batter past 2nd base; combined with two relievers to face min. 27 batters.

Nate Brown (CF) … Arkansas-Little Rock … Sr. … Bemidji, MN
Hit 2-run HR in 7th during 9-6 comeback win at #16 Mississippi (3-for-4, 3 RBI-2R-BB); Rebels had been 21-0 when leading after 6.

Cory Brownsten (C) … Pittsburgh … Sr. … Lockport, NY
Hit 7-for-12 and factored into 11 runs (7RBI-4R-3B-2B-BB), as Panthers took 2-of-3 from #5 Louisville (8-3/15-5/7-9).

*Will Currier (DH) … Duke … Sr. … Dripping Springs, TX
3-hole hitter who homered in all four games (one a grand slam) during week, with 8 RBI in Clemson series (as Blue Devils won 2-of-3 vs. #11 Tigers).

Jeremy Erben (RHP) … Oklahoma … Sr. … New Braunfels, TX
Turned in long-relief outing (7.2IP-2R/1ER-6H-4BB-9K; 120 pitches) to win at #14 TCU, in front of nearly 4,000 opposing fans (4-2); inherited bases-loaded threat in the 1st and induced double-play ball, plus another groundout to preserve 2-0 lead; improved to 6-0.

Buck Farmer (RHP) … Georgia Tech … Fr. … Conyers, GA
Inherited 2-0 deficit with no outs and bases loaded in 1st inning at #3 Virginia; charged with only 1 run over 6.0 innings en route to win (9-7) that tied series (4H-6K).

Justin Fradejas (RF/CF) … Auburn … Jr. … Pensacola, FL
Batted 9-for-19 (6RBI-6R, 3 2B) in 4-1 week, including 3-for-7 (2RBI-2R-SAC-SB) in pair of wins vs. #7 LSU (10-14/11-7/6-5); 9-hole hitter who shifted to leadoff in series finale (won game with safety-squeeze bunt); extended hit streak to 14 games.

Gunner Glad (1B) … Kentucky … 5th-Yr.-Sr. … Tulsa, OK
3-hole batter who led 5-0 win at #5 Louisville (HR-2RBI-R-HBP) and near-sweep vs. #22 Alabama (7-6/8-2/9-11); hit 5-13 in ‘Bama series (3RBI-R-2B-BB-SF-SB).

Jack Marder (1B) … Oregon … Fr. … Calabasas, CA
#6 hitter who went 4-7 with 4 RBI (3R-2 2B-2BB-SB) in pair of wins at #24 Stanford (5-2/9-6/1-2); had RBI single/R in 8th of gm-2, then 3-run 2B in 9th for 7-6 lead.

Jarrett Parker (CF) … Virginia … Jr. … Stafford, VA
7-hole batter who went 4-10 with 4 RBI (R-BB-3B-HBP-SF) in showdown series vs. #4 Georgia Tech (7-4/7-9/9-1).

*Greg Peavey (RHP) … Oregon State … Jr. … Vancouver, WA
Beat #2 UCLA (7-1) with masterful 2-hitter (3BB-6K; Bruins were batting .347 as a team), lowering his season ERA to 1.91 and opp. batting avg. to .167.

Tyler Pill (RHP/RF) … Cal State Fullerton … So. … Covina, CA
Cleanup hitter who helped upset #2 UCLA (6-1; RBI/R) and win series vs. #21 UC Irvine (4-7/6-3/6-1 … 3H-RBI-4R-2BB), adding near-CG to win finale vs. UCI (8.1IP-UER-7H-BB-4K).

Drew Pomeranz (LHP) … Mississippi … Jr. … Collierville, TN
Struck out 15 and allowed only 1 run (8IP-4H-3BB), as Rebels rallied to win 4-1 opener at Georgia; outdueled UGa ace and big-league prospect Justin Grimm.

Tim Smalling (SS) … Virginia Tech … Sr. … Raleigh, NC
3-hole batter who played lead role in pair of wins over #14 Miami (9-7/2-9-4-2); hit 5-for-8 in those wins (2RBI-2R-HR-2 2B-SB).

Ryan Strausborger (CF) … Indiana State … Sr. … Osceola, IN
Leadoff batter who hit 6-10 in pair of wins at #27 Citadel (3-4/11-7/4-2), with 2RBI-3R-2B-4SB-BB.

Aaron Thompkins (1B) … Furman … Jr. … Canton, OH
2-hole hitter who smacked 2-run HR in 11-3 opening win at #28 College of Charleston (also 2B), then had 2-out tying single/go-ahead run in 7th of clinching game-2 (8-5; BB); also doubled in finale.

Logan Verrett (RHP) … Baylor … So. … Corpus Christi, TX
Struck out 13 (12 “looking”) in 4-hitter vs. #26 Texas A&M (13-1; 2BB), Baylor’s biggest win margin in 266-game Battle-of-Brazos rivalry that dates back to 1904; helped preserve Bears bullpen that won series finale (2-1).

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

College Baseball Notebook-Week 8

A By The Numbers Look At The Latest Week’s Action

2…Wins by Washington State over #1 Arizona State.  By taking two of three games in the series in Pullman the Cougars won their first series in program history over the Sun Devils.

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6…Cougars who were hit by pitch in Sunday’s 9-5 series-clinching win over ASU.  Garry Kuykendall was plunked three times.

6…RBIs by Clemson second baseman Mike Freeman in Wednesday’s win over Georgia.  Freeman played for the Bulldogs in 2007 before transferring to Georgia.

300…Career wins by Georgia head coach Dave Perno with a 6-5 Sunday win over Ole Miss-UGA’s only win in the series. Perno is in his 9th season at the helm at his alma mater.

15…Strikeouts in 8 IP by Ole Miss pitcher Drew Pomeranz in Friday’s 4-1 win over Georgia.  It’s the second time this season Pomeranz has fanned 15 in a game.

14…School record runs scored in the first inning by Arkansas in Wednesday’s 32-8 win over visiting St. Louis.  The Razorbacks also combined to tie a school record with 30 RBIs in the game.

2…Men named Fred Hill who were head coaches at Rutgers last week.  Fred Hill, Sr.-of the RU baseball team and Fred Hill, Jr.-of the Scarlet Knight men’s basketball team.

1…Fred hill who is currently coaching at Rutgers after Fred Hill, Jr. was dismissed as basketball coach last week.  The younger Hill’s dismissal was in part precipitated in part by an alleged profanity laced tirade directed at Pittsburgh baseball coach Joe Jordano during an April 1 9-8 win by RU.

2…Wins at Notre Dame over the weekend by Rutgers.  Saturday’s 25-5 win gave the elder Hill and his team its first win at Notre Dame since 2002.  The road series win at Eck Stadium is RU’s first since the Irish and Scarlet Knights joined the Big East together in 1996.

7…Home runs hit by Rutgers in Saturday’s 25-5 onslaught.  Outfielder Michael Lang had two of the long balls with 7 RBIs.

3…Wins needed by Fred Hill, Sr. to reach 1,000 for his career.  He’s been the head coach at Rutgers since 1984.

1…Closer the Jersey coach could not use in Friday’s 9-8 loss to the Irish due to a jersey flap.  His closer, Tyler Gebler, was wearing jersey #4 instead of his usual #43 in the game and with the tying run at 2nd base and two outs in the bottom of the 8th Hill went to the pen to the freshman.  However, Gebler was ruled an illegal substitution in the game, because Hill had crossed-out Steve Nyisztor’s #41 instead of Gebler’s #43 on the line-up card he turned-in before the game.  Hill had to go to Kevin Lillis, who gave-up back-to-back RBI hits, including Adam Norton’s game-winning triple.  Gebler has a 1.50 ERA, while his 6 saves are tied for second-best in the Big East.

2…Triples hit and innings pitched by Notre Dame’s David Mills in Tuesday’s 13-6 win over Oakland.  The lefty started the game as the Irish DH and later entered the game on the mound.  He had 2 RBIs and pitched 4 innings in relief to earn another win on Friday in ND’s only win of the Rutgers series.

2…Wins by Pittsburgh over fifth-ranked Louisville in their weekend series at Pitt’s Trees Field.  Losses Friday and Saturday to start the series, combined with a midweek loss to Kentucky, gave the Cardinals their first back-to-back setbacks of the season as well as their first series loss.

4…Runs scored in the top of the 9th inning of Sunday’s series finale to give Louisville a 9-7 win and avoid the series sweep.  Adam Duvall and Ryan Wright each belted two-run home runs to provide the offense.

17…Combined runs surrendered 13 1/3 by Louisville starting pitchers Thomas Royse, Dean Kiekhefer and Gabriel Shaw in the three games vs. Pitt.  Royse (6-1) suffered his first loss in the series-opener.  Shaw was making his first start of the season in Sunday’s finale after 14 relief outings.

36…Combined runs that same trio had surrendered in 104 1/3 previous innings pitched this season.

14…Strikeouts with no walks by Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers (7-0) in Friday’s 7-1 win over Indiana.  Hoosier outfielder Alex Dickerson went 0-for-4 in the game to end his 21-game hitting streak.

4…Home runs in as many games to end the week by Duke’s Will Currier.  His 8 RBIs over the weekend helped the Blue Devils take two of three games from #12 Clemson.

2…Hits allowed by Oregon State’s Greg Peavey in Friday’s complete game 4-1 win over #2 UCLA.  Peavy’s efforts handed the Bruins their first consecutive losses after a midweek setback to Cal State Fullerton.

16…Innings needed for UCLA to beat OSU 3-1 in game two of the Pac 10 series on Saturday.  The game lasted 6 hours and 23 minutes.

39…Combined runners left on base by the Bruins (22) and Beavers (17) in Saturday’s marathon.

529…Pitches thrown in the game by a total of 12 pitchers, including eight sent to the mound by Oregon State.

11…Consecutive scoreless innings pitched by UCLA pitchers-with seven scoreless frames to end the 16-inning game combined with four shutout half innings to start Sunday’s series finale, which the Bruins won 8-2.

18…Combined pitchers used by LSU (8) and Southern Mississippi (10) in Wednesday’s 6-5 win in 12-innings in Metairie, LA.

2…Wins by Auburn over defending SEC & National Champion LSU in their weekend series at Auburn’s Samford Stadium.  The Tigers win game three 6-5 after a game-ending squeeze bunt by right fielder Justin Fredejas.

1998…The last time Auburn had won a home series vs. LSU prior to the weekend’s wins.  LSU had swept the last two series between the two teams and had won eight of the previous 11 series since 1999.

0…Outs recorded by Auburn starting pitcher Cole Nelson, who surrendered six earned runs on seven hits in Friday’s 14-10 loss to open the series.

0…Hits by Auburn catcher Tony Caldwell, who still had 3 RBIs in Saturday’s 11-7 Auburn win.  Caldwell was 0-for-1, but drove-in his runs with a bases loaded walk and two sac flies.  He also had a sacrifice bunt on the day.

7…RBIs in the series by Auburn’s Trent Mummey, who made his first three starts of the year after injuring his ankle prior to the start of the season.  Mummey hit two home runs, including his second career grand slam.

2 of 3…Wins by Oregon in its series at Stanford to give the Ducks their first Pac 10 series win since 1980 and their first Pac 10 road series win since 1976 at Washington.

21…Wins by Oregon through 32 games this season after winning just 17 games all of last year-the first year baseball was played at the school after it was disbanded following the 1981 season.

26…Game hitting streak by Kansas State’s Nick Martini-the longest active D1 streak in the nation this season.  A pair of 21-game hitting streaks ended over the weekend.  Martini had at least one hit in KSU’s series vs. Nebraska.  His streak is a school record and the fifth-longest in Big 12 history.

62…Career stolen bases by Martini’s teammate, Adam Muenster, to set a school record that had held since 1995.  Muenster’s record-breaker came in Sunday’s 8-3 win over the Cornhuskers.

8,540…Fans who saw K-State take two of three games from Nebraska to set a 3-game series attendance record at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan.

9-0…Kentucky’s lead over Alabama heading into the top of the sixth inning of Sunday’s game in Lexington, KY.

11-9…Final score of Alabama’s win in that game.  Jake Smith’s grand slam capped a 5-run sixth inning and the Tide scored five more runs in the 8th and another in the 9th to cap the biggest comeback in school history.

4…Combined shutout innings pitched by Alabama’s Tyler White and Nathan Kilcrease in Sunday’s improbable comeback.  White got the win to improve to 3-1 while Kilcrease earned his second save.

3…Home runs off three different pitchers by TCU’s Jason Coats in Sunday’s 12-2 win over Houston.   Coats’ efforts helped the Horned Frogs outscore the Cougars 33-3 in the series.

2…Wins by Virginia Tech over #14 Miami in their weekend series.  The Hokies’ first ever series win over the Hurricanes comes a week after their first win over another traditional college baseball power-Florida State.

3…ACC series won by Virginia Tech all of last season.  They have won four of five conference series already this season, with their only loss (a sweep) coming at the hands of Clemson.

2…Walk-off home runs in as many days by Bryant first baseman Jamie Skagerlind to help his team win three of four games vs. Central Connecticut State.  Skagerlind’s shot in the bottom of the 10th inning ended Saturday’s 3-2 win in game one of a doubleheader.  His blast to end Sunday’s 7-inning twin bill opener capped a 5-run Bryant rally.  The game-winning blasts are his only home runs of the season.

3…No-hitters thrown last week.  Fresno State’s Greg Gonzalez and Lehigh’s Greg Angelo each tossed 7-inning no-hitters, while Kevin Johnson of West Florida fired the second 9-inning no-no of 2010.  Gonzalez is the first Bulldog to pitch a no-hitter in 34 years, while Angelo had the first at Lehigh since 1988.

11…Shutout innings pitched across two games by North Florida’s John Atteo.  He earned the win with two scoreless innings in Tuesday’s 3-1 upset of Florida State, and then fired a complete game shutout in Sunday’s 10-0 win over USC Upstate.

1,201…Career wins by UNF head coach Dusty Rhodes-who will retire at season’s end-with Atteo’s Sunday victory.

College Baseball Notebook-Week 7

A By The Numbers Look At The Latest Week’s Action

We comb through hundreds of box scores, game recaps and releases each week to find our Notebooks nuggets.  If there’s something noteworthy you think we need to add drop us an email.

7…Wins apiece for South Alabama pitcher D.D. Hanks and Asher Wojciechowski of The Citadel.  Both earned their nation-leading wins Friday night.

8:13 P.M…The time (Eastern) South Alabama’s 9-2 win over New Orleans ended Friday night, making Hanks (7-1) the nation’s first 7-game winner.  He struck out 9 in his fourth complete game effort of the season.

9:37 P.M…The time (Eastern) The Citadel’s 3-2 win over Wofford ended Friday night, to make Wojciechowski the nation’s second 7-game winner.  He fanned 9 as well in 8 innings of work.

46…Combined wins by Arizona State and UCLA to open the 2010 season.

2…Combined losses by ASU and UCLA Friday night, as they both tasted defeat for the first time to Pac 10 foes.  ASU’s 24-game winning streak and UCLA’s 22-game streak were both respective school records.  Both the Sun Devils and Bruins would win their series finales to win 2 of 3 games on the weekend.

5:24…Time of ASU’s 6-5 loss in 12-innings to Oregon Friday night in Eugene.  The game featured an hour and five minutes of rain and lightening delays.

3…Sun Devil errors in the loss, leading to five of six Duck runs being unearned.  Junior Marcus Piazzisi had the

game-ending RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning.

1…Career home run by ASU’s Drew Maggi-a solo shot that gave the Sun Devils a 1-0 win over the Ducks in the series-opener to run their record to 24-0.

7…Runs scored by Stanford in the 5th inning en-route to their 8-4 win over UCLA that same night.

6…Of those runs that were unearned due to a throwing error that started the frame.  Four runs crossed the plate with two outs.

9…Innings pitched by Stanford’s Jordan Pries (3-1) who notched the second complete game of the season for both he and his team while handing the Bruins their first loss.

3…Home runs hit by Virginia Tech in Saturday’s 8-7 win at Florida State.  Coupled with Friday’s 10-5 series-opening win over the Seminoles, the Hokies notched their first series win ever over FSU (the lost 9-6 in Sunday’s series finale).

400…Career wins for Virginia Tech head coach Pete Hughes after the weekend’s two wins over the ‘Noles.  Hughes is in his 14th year as a head coach.

2…Wins by Georgetown in its three-game series with Notre Dame to give the Hoyas their first ever series win over the Fighting Irish.

1…Grand slam hit by North Carolina State’s Andrew Ciencin to help the Wolfpack upset #3 Virginia Sunday.  The win gave NC State its second win over the Cavs in the 3-game series.

9 of 9…Virginia closer Kevin Arico’s record in save opportunities this season prior to his first blown save in Friday’s 6-5 loss in 11 innings to NC State.

500…Wins at NC State by head coach Elliott Avent after the Friday night win.  He’s just the second coach in school history with as many victories.

16…Strikeouts in 9 innings by South Florida’s Andrew Barbosa in Friday’s 5-0 win over Cincinnati.

9…Combined strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings by Cincinnati relievers Brian Garman and Andrew Burkett in Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Bulls.  Garman (3-0) fanned 7 of the 9 batters he faced to earn the win, while Burkett K’d 2 of 3 Bulls in the 9th to notch his 5th save.

3…Grand slams hit in a span of five games by East Carolina’s Zach Wright, who connected on his third slam in Tuesday’s 8-0 win over Elon.

15…Strikeouts by ECU pitcher Zach Woods-a career-high-in that same win over Elon.  He fanned 7 of the first 9 batters he faced to become just the second Pirate pitcher in the last 40 years record 15 punch outs in a game.

20 & 23…Runs scored Thursday and Friday by Cal State Fullerton in wins over UC Davis to give the Titans back-to-back 20-run games for the first time in 30 years.  They won Saturday’s finale 3-2 to open 3-0 in Big West play.

21 2/3…Innings pitched by Texas hurlers prior to surrendering a run to Oklahoma en-route to a 3-game weekend sweep.  The Longhorns won by finals of 5-0, 2-0 and 9-3 in Norman.

11…Game winning streak by #35 Pittsburgh-a school record-heading into last weekend’s Big East series at Rutgers.

5…Runs scored by Rutgers in the bottom of the 9th inning of Thursday’s 9-8 series-opening win to snap Pitt’s streak.  The Scarlet Knights won game two 6-1 to run their winning streak to eight before falling 6-5 to the Panthers in the finale.  Since a 1-8 start to the season RU has won 13 of its last 16 games.

3…Straight complete games pitched by UT Arlington right-hander Jason Mitchell (4-2) after Thursday’s 4-0 win over Nicholls State.

3…Games played away from home this season by Arizona, which opened the season with a 20-5 record at Kindall Field/Sancet Stadium.

3…Losses by Arizona at Cal in their first road trip of the year.  The Golden Bears beat the Wildcats by finals of 7-2, 8-0 & 4-3 in Berkley over the weekend in the second Pac 10 series of the season for both teams.

13…Total bases for Louisville’s Andrew Clark in Thursday’s 12-4 win over Villanova.  The senior first baseman was 5-for-5 with two home runs, two doubles and 5 RBIs in the game.

13…RBIs for Clark in his last seven games since returning from a rib cage stress fracture.  Clark’s 9th inning game-winning HR in Tuesday’s 5-4 win over Indiana is among the four home runs he’s hit in that stretch.

28 2/3…Scoreless innings streak by Indiana pitcher Drew Leininger that ended with Clark’s home run.

26…Runs scored by IU in Sunday’s 26-6 win over Michigan-the most runs ever scored by a Hoosier team in Big Ten play.  The final scored was also the most lopsided win for IU in the 186 game series vs. the Wolverines, who still won the series 2-1.

1…Hit allowed by Rice’s Taylor Wall in Thursday’s 6-0 win over cross-town rival Houston.  Wall struck out seven with one BB to earn the Rice pitching staff’s first complete game of the season.

6…Sacrifice bunts by TCU-a school record-in Thursday’s 4-1 win over visiting San Diego State.

14…Straight batters retired by Horned Frog freshman pitcher Matt Purke from the 3rd through the 7th inning of that game.  Purke struck out 10, but settled for a no-decision in the win.  (TCU won the series 2-1.)

2-1…Score of Pacific’s Big West series-opening win at Long Beach State.

1998…The last time Pacific won a road game at LBSU (the Dirt Bags still won the series 2-1).

12…Strikeouts in 8 innings by UC Irvine pitcher Daniel Bibona in a series-opening 16-2 win over Cal State Northridge en-route to a 3-game sweep to open Big West Conference play.

6…Runs scored with two outs in the 8th and 9th innings of Tennessee’s 10-6 win over Ole Miss on Sunday to win the series 2-1.

7…Straight losses to open SEC play by the Vols before winning the last two games of the series vs. the 12th ranked

Rebels.

2…Home runs by Tennessee outfielder P.J. Polk in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Mississippi.

10…Doubles hit by North Florida-a school record-in a 13-5 win over East Tennessee State.

4…Of those doubles that were hit by UNF catcher David Eldredge.

20…Game hitting streak by Central Florida’s Chris Duffy after recording at least one hit in all five UCF games last week.  Duffy is among the nation’s leaders with a .478 average, 13 HR and 48 RBIs.

12…Strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings in two appearances by Wichita State reliever Cobey Guy.  The senior logged a career-high 3 1/3 innings with 6 Ks after entering the game in the first inning of Sunday’s 17-2 win over Evansville.

1,700…Career wins by Wichita State head coach Gene Stephenson after Sunday’s victory over the Purple Aces, making him just the second coach in Division 1 baseball history to reach that milestone.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll-March 29

Pitt Among Four New Teams In This Week’s Poll

TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona St. is ranked No. 1 for the third straight time in Collegiate Baseball newspaper’s NCAA Division I baseball poll.

The Sun Devils (23-0, 3-0 Pac-10 Conference) swept a 3-game series at home against California during the past week. The 23 consecutive wins to start the season is a new school record, surpassing the 21-0 start by the 1961 squad. ASU is hitting .358 as a team and averaging 9.39 runs per game with 64 doubles, 22 triples, 18 home runs and 54 stolen bases. The pitching staff has a 2.88 ERA and has struck out 221 batters and walked only 62. Only 10 stolen bases have been allowed by Sun Devil pitchers and catchers over the 23-game span.

Poll Notes: Several other schools have been red hot. UCLA is also unbeaten at 20-0 which is the best start in school history. The Bruins have outscored their opposition, 181-53. Other notable winning streaks include Pittsburgh (11 in a row), Georgia Tech. (7), Louisiana St. (6), and Vanderbilt (6). Arizona has won 15 of its last 16, Western Kentucky 11 of its last 12 and The Citadel 7 of its last 8. Teams that fell out of the poll this week include Alabama (0-4 last week), Ohio St. (1-3), North Carolina (1-3) and Auburn (3-2). New to the poll this week is Kansas St. (19-3), Western Kentucky (20-5), Pittsburgh (18-4) and The Citadel (18-6).

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s
NCAA Div. I Poll (As of March 29, 2010)
www.baseballnews.com
Rank School (Record)	Points	Previous
1. Arizona St. (23-0)	497	1
2. UCLA (20-0)	495	3
3. Virginia (20-4)	493	2
4. Louisiana St. (20-3)	491	4
5. Georgia Tech. (21-2)	490	5
6. Florida St. (19-4)	486	7
7. Texas (18-6)	484	10
8. Louisville (20-3)	481	12
9. Oklahoma (20-3)	479	13
10. Oregon St. (16-5)	476	9
11. Mississippi (19-6)	474	17
12. Florida (18-5)	472	8
13. Clemson (18-6)	469	6
14. South Carolina (19-5)	467	18
15. Coastal Carolina (19-5)	465	11
16. Texas Christian (17-5)	463	14
17. Miami, Fla. (16-7)	460	15
18. Arizona (20-5)	458	19
19. Arkansas (18-5)	457	20
20. Kansas St. (19-3)	454	—
21. Western Kentucky (20-5)	452	—
22. S.E. Louisiana (22-3)	451	21
23. Vanderbilt (21-4)	449	23
24. Pittsburgh (18-4)	445	—
25. The Citadel (18-6)	443	—
26. U.C. Irvine (14-8)	441	24
27. Texas A&M (17-6)	439	25
28. Stanford (12-6)	437	26
29. Va. Military Inst. (20-4)	432	28
30. Wichita St. (14-7)	427	30

Arizona State Rounds Out Baseball Coaching Staff

Former Big Leaguer Mike Benjamin Is Latest Addition

TEMPE, AZ - Major League Baseball veteran Mike Benjamin will join the Arizona State baseball coaching staff.  Benjamin played in the big leagues for San Francisco, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia.  He and current ASU interim head coach Tim Esmay were Sun Devil teammates in 1986 and 1987.

Ken Knutson has been elevated to a full-time assistant coach on the ASU staff as well.  Knutson was the University of Washington head coach for the last 17 seasons.  He was originally going to be the volunteer assistant coach before Pat Murphy left ASU.  Knutson will work as the pitching coach for Esmay.

Memphis 2010 Baseball Schedule

Tigers’ Schedule highlighted by 29 home games at FedExPark

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The 2010 edition of Memphis baseball faces another demanding schedule that will showcase 29 home games, including 13 contests versus NCAA Regional participants, head coach Daron Schoenrock announced today.

“Staying with the promise to our athletes and Tiger fans, this is another very challenging college baseball schedule,”

Schoenrock stated. “Conference USA weekend series’ are very tough and our non-conference schedule is designed to prepare the team for these weekends. Strength of schedule is a huge factor in developing the RPI necessary to make the NCAA Regionals. I look forward to seeing the 2010 Tiger team attack this schedule and the challenges that await us.”

Complete 2010 Memphis Schedule

With a more experienced club, Schoenrock has ramped up the competition for the upcoming season. In its 56-game schedule, Memphis will play 20 games against 2009 NCAA Regional participants, 14 contests versus five clubs that won either their respective regular season or conference tournament titles, 11 games against NCAA Regional champs and three against one College World Series qualifier.

With FedExPark set to open in February, Memphis will get the 2010 season underway, at home, with a three-game set against in-state rival and Sun Belt Tournament champs Middle Tennessee State–one of the Tiger’s seven opponents that advanced to NCAA postseason play in 2009. The MTSU series is just one of four weekends in which Memphis will host an NCAA Regional foe. The Tigers will also host 2009 Ohio Valley Tournament champ Tennessee Tech (Mar. 19-21), 2009 C-USA Tournament winner Rice (Mar. 26-28) and 2009 C-USA regular season title holders East Carolina (Apr. 9-11) at the new ballpark.

Memphis will welcome C-USA opponents Tulane (Apr. 23-25) and UAB (May 7-9) to its new home, while making weekend trips to Marshall (Apr. 2-3), Houston (Apr. 16-18), UCF (Apr. 30- May 2) and College World Series participant Southern Miss (May 20-22).

As is customary for the Tigers, they will participate in the Service Academies Spring Classic at Millington’s USA Stadium. There Memphis will take on Toledo, Pittsburgh and Bradley on Feb 26-28, respectively.

The Tiger’s non-conference slate is highlighted by a pair tilts versus NCAA Regional champions Ole Miss. Memphis will travel to Oxford, Miss. for a March 2 meeting, before hosting the Rebels in the annual clash at AutoZone Park on April 13. In efforts to boost its RPI late in the year, Memphis will travel to Big 12 member, Oklahoma for a three-game weekend, May 14-16. The U of M will make home-and-home trips with Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State. Other non-league sets include a two-game series’ at Dallas Baptist (Mar. 12-13) and against South Alabama (Mar. 16-17).

For the second-straight season, the Tigers will make the short drive to Jackson, Tenn., to play Austin Peay at Pringles Park, home of the Seattle Mariners Class AA affiliate West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx.

Memphis will play single road games at UT-Martin (Feb.23), at Mississippi State (Mar. 24). The Tigers will host single home contests against Portland (Mar. 8), UCA (May 11) and Murray State (May 12).

(Release)

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