http://collegebaseball360.com/michigan-alum-matheny-to-manage-st-louis-cards/ http://collegebaseball360.com/michigan-alum-matheny-to-manage-st-louis-cards/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:45:02 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=23478

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Veteran Catcher Named To Replace LaRussa…

New Cardinals manager Mike Matheny played at Michigan from 1989-1991 (Courtesy MGoblue.com).

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — University of Michigan alumnus and 13-year Major League Baseball veteran Mike Matheny (1989-91) was officially introduced as the 49th manager in St. Louis Cardinals history at a press conference Monday (Nov. 14). Matheny replaces Tony LaRussa, who retired after the Cardinals won the 2011 World Series in seven games over the Texas Rangers.

Matheny becomes the first Wolverine alum to manage in the Major Leagues since Steve Boros (1956-57) was the skipper of both the Oakland Athletics (1983-84) and the San Diego Padres (1986).

“It’s very exciting to have one of our own named manager of the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals,” Michigan head coach Rich Maloney said. “Mike was an outstanding player at Michigan, a Gold Glove winner and All-Star in the big leagues, and now a Major League manager. Mike continues to raise the bar in everything he does. He’s a true class act, and we in the Michigan family could not be more proud.”

Matheny played for four teams during his Major League career and won four Gold Gloves at catcher, earning three with the Cardinals (2000, ’03, ’04) and another with the San Francisco Giants (2005). He helped the Cardinals to postseason play four times in five seasons, including a World Series appearance in 2004. Matheny also played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays and ended his playing career with the San Francisco Giants. His best power year came with the Giants in 2005 when he hit 13 home runs and 34 doubles, drove in 59 runs and had a .406 slugging percentage.

A native of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Matheny earned the Ray L. Fisher Award (Michigan’s Most Valuable Player) and was named to the All-Big Ten Conference third team his junior year (1991) in Ann Arbor. He had 15 doubles, seven home runs, and 39 runs batted in as a co-captain. A member of the 1990 Big Ten All-Academic team, Matheny won the Ted Sizemore Award as Michigan’s top fielder as a freshman and had just one error in 174 chances in 1990. He helped Michigan to the Big Ten regular-season title and an NCAA Regional appearance in 1989. Matheny was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the eighth round of the 1991 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Matheny recently visited Ann Arbor as he was the keynote speaker in the 2011 Michigan baseball banquet in May.

(Release)

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Wolverines vs. Buckeyes This Weekend In Big Ten

After a slow start to the season Michigan finds itself in a four-way tie for first place in the Big Ten Conference standings heading into this weekend’s showdown with Ohio State.  In this podcast interview Collegebaseball360.com Big Ten correspondent Chris Webb talks to Wolverine head coach Rich Maloney about his team’s turnaround this season as well as the extension of the college baseball season and its impact on Northern schools, RPI and more.

Rich Maloney

* NOTE: Maloney references Notre Dame’s 2002 CWS team in this interview.  He is correct that Florida State was ranked #1 in the nation when the Irish defeated them in the Tallahassee Super Regional.

LaMarre

The junior outfielder went from a .303 hitter with 3 home runs with a .780 OPS as a freshman to a .344 average with 12 HR, 62 RBIs and a 1.052 OPS as a sophomore.  He played for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League last summer, and now LaMarre’s a NCBWA Preseason All-American as he prepares for his junior campaign. In this interview with CB360 Editor Sean Stires he talks about the strides he’s made in his career, what it will take for Michigan to get back to the NCAA Tournament and more.

6’2 – 206 – Jr. – Jackson, MI  Head Coach: Rich Maloney

LaMarre and Michigan will compete in the second annual Big Ten-Big East Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, Feb. 26-28. For tickets visit  www.BigTenBIGEASTChallenge.com.

Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers No-Hits Michigan

Alex Wimmer & Dan Burkhart celebrate after Wimmers' no-hitter

Michigan for the first time since 2002.

As a freshman reliever in 2008, Wimmers had pitched just 2/3 of an inning in the Michigan series while his team was bludgeoned  by Wolverine batters.  However, he would do his own bludgeoning with 14 strikeouts and four walks in the crucial victory.  Three of the walks were erased by an old friend.  Wimmers’ battery mate, Dan Burkhart, threw out all three Wolverines who attempted a stolen base.  Burkhart and Wimmers had been teammates both in high school and back to their Little League days.

Michigan’s starting pitcher that day, Chris Fetter, was no slouch himself.  Fetter was a second team All-American in 2008, and he was named first team All-Big Ten in 2009.

Wimmers’ no-hitter came in the 250th all-time meeting between Ohio State and Michigan since the teams first played in 1895.  Wolverine head coach Rich Maloney made sure to find Wimmers after the series finale to congratulate him

Wimmers

Wimmers spoke with Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires right after his no-hitter.  Click the play button to listen to the exclusive podcast interview.

Wimmers finished the season with a 9-2 record, 3.27 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 104 2/3 IP.  He was named Co-Big 10 Pitcher of the Year (along with Indiana’s Eric Arnett) and was named to four All-American Teams.

Burkhart was named Big Ten Player of the Year and was a semi-finalist for the Johnny Bench Award.

Todd was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Ohio State finished the season with a 42-19 overall record, a Big Ten regular season championship and an NCAA Regional berth.  Michigan missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004.

The tide had turned.

Other Top Moments Of 2009

13.  Kansas Sweeps #1 Texas

14.  Bryce Brentz Has An April To Remember

15.  Clemson’s Kyle Parker Does Double Duty

16.  #1 Arkansas Beats #1 Arizona State

17.  Rhode Island Beats Miami And Oklahoma State

18.  Kansas State’s A.J. Morris beats Arizona State’s Mike Leake

19.  North Carolina’s Mike Fox Wins His 1,000th Game

20.  Illinois Shocks #1 LSU In Baton Rouge

21.  Alabama’s Kent Matthes Launches Longballs

22.  Freshman Levi Michael Starts In North Carolina’s Season Opener

23.  LSU Opens The New Alex Box Stadium

24.  Oregon Brings Back Baseball