BC’s Coach Expected To Take Irish Helm Next Week…

Click this link to get your officially licensed Notre Dame t-shirts for just $5 from Dugouthats.com!!

South Bend, Ind. – During his 12 seasons at Note Dame (1995-2006), Paul Mainieri amassed a record of 533-213-3 as head coach of the Irish baseball team. In his final eight seasons at Notre Dame, the current LSU head coach won 367 games while taking the Irish to eight straight NCAA Tournaments. He also ended ND’s 45-year College World Series drought with a 2002 trip to Omaha.

In his first four seasons at LSU, Mainieri’s teams have made two College World Series appearances with a 2009 national championship under his belt.

Dave Schrage

It would be an understatement to say things have not gone as well at Notre Dame during the past four seasons, as Mainieri’s successor Dave Schrage compiled a record of 119-114-1 from 2007-2010. Schrage’s Irish finished this past season with a 22-32 record while failing to qualify for the Big East Tournament for the first time since Notre dame joined the conference in 1996. It also was the program’s first losing record since 1987.

Dave Schrage was fired in June.

Sources have told CollegeBaseball360.com that a press conference will be held “early next week” and at that time Boston College head coach Mikio Aoki will be named Notre Dame’s next baseball coach.

Aoki’s 114-104-1 record over the past four years is only slightly better than Schrage’s, but the BC coach has compiled that record in an Atlantic Coast Conference that has seen a total of eight teams advance to the CWS during that time. Louisville is the only Big East team to qualify for the CWS since 2007. In fact, while Louisville and Notre Dame are the only current Big East teams to advance to Omaha in the past 20 years, ACC teams have combined to make 26 appearances in the CWS during that same stretch (Miami has made several CWS appearances since 1990, but the Hurricanes did not join the ACC until 2005). Only the SEC, with 33 appearances, has sent more teams to Omaha in the past two decades.

Mikio Aoki

Aoki also has another feather in his cap that Schrage could not accomplish – an NCAA Regional berth. Aoki’s 2009 squad became the first Boston College team in 42 years to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 42 years, and he coached in possibly the most famous game in NCAA Regional history when his Eagles fell 3-2 in 25 innings to eventual CWS runner-up Texas.

“You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?” – Talking Heads Once In A Lifetime lyrics

When Schrage was hired at Notre Dame in the summer of 2006, he stepped into his dream job. He was was a lifelong Notre Dame fan who had grown up in the Chicago suburbs, shagging batting practice home run balls at Wrigley Field. It wasn’t long, though, before his dream turned into a nightmare. Schrage’s wife, Jody, died after a battle with cancer shortly before the start of the 2007 season. “He was never the same person after that,” a person close to Schrage told me. “He was still a baseball guy, but there were times in the dugout when you could just tell he didn’t have that same fire.”

While Schrage’s personal tragedy was devastating, the contrast of his own personality compared to that of Mainieri’s was a tough adjustment for the players who had suited up for both coaches. “I think it all goes back to that first year,” former ND captain Jeremy Barnes told CB360. “A lot of things happened off the field that were hard to deal with.  I would say Schrage was not fully himself and things were a little more lax.”

Jeremy Barnes

Barnes, who is in his second season in the Philadelphia Phillies minor-league organization, added, “Mainieri ran a very tight ship. It created a different culture, and with the team being so young it was unfortunately the wrong type of foundation to build upon for the next couple of years, because the majority of that group was there for the next three or four years.”

“Player A” agreed. “Mainieri had incredible senior leadership in the lockerroom where everything was policed amongst us,” he said. “Coach Schrage didn’t implement that disciplinary value amongst the players from the get-go, and so when he doesn’t come back with [discipline] either … the discipline was missing. The culture itself of Notre Dame baseball is completely different [now]. There are no similarities at all. None.”

Last of the breed …

Ryan Connolly was a fifth-year senior for the Irish this past season. He sat out all of 2006 (Mainieri’s last at ND) due to a shoulder injury. He battled the injury during his Notre Dame career but still managed to lead his team with a .335 average, 11 HR and 38 RBIs in 2010. He was the only player remaining from the Mainieri era.

Ryan Connolly

“I think the biggest difference [between Schrage and Mainieri] was organization,” Connolly said. “Mainieri was overly organized to the point it was overwhelming, but at the same time we would have been lost without it. You knew when you had to go to the bathroom, tie your shoes … everything was down to the second. That just made going out and playing baseball that much easier, because you didn’t have to worry about anything. You could just go out and play. Coach Schrage was looser, and I think guys struggled with that.”

However, Connolly says he and his teammates share the blame with Schrage: “Did he go out there and play? No. There are nine guys who go out there and play, but at the end of the day if we don’t go out there and win they’re going to go to the top. It’s the nature of the beast, and he’s an easy target. I have no beef with Dave Schrage.” Connolly said.

The great communicator …

While Connolly sees organization as the biggest difference between Mainieri and Schrage, ‘Player B‘ sees another big difference. “Mainieri was always talking to players and communicating with them to make sure everyone was mentally prepared to succeed,” he said. “He wanted to always make sure that everyone knew their role on the team and that we were in the loop on what was going on. Not every player was OK with it, but everyone always knew what was going on at all times.”

However, “Player B” says that approach was not the case with Schrage: “Not a lot of guys knew what was going on.  Not a lot of guys understood their role on the team. Some guys would just happen to see the lineup card and see they were playing that day, but there was no communication between player and coach before that, whereas coach Mainieri would have a 30-minute conversation with a guy if it was someone who hadn’t played in a while, so he would be mentally prepared.”

When it comes to communicating, Aoki would appear to be somewhere in the middle between Mainieri and Schrage.

Mike Belfiore pitched for Boston College in the previously mentioned 25-inning game during the 2009 Austin Regional. He was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 45th overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft and now pitches for the single-A South Bend Silverhawks … whose stadium happens to be about a 10-minute drive from the Notre Dame campus.

Mike Belfiore

Belfiore recently told the South Bend Tribune: “Coach Aoki doesn’t say a lot. That’s part of his personality. He lets everything pan out, and then he’ll bring you in his office and let you know where things stand. He doesn’t play that game of you have to guess where you’re at.:

Belfiore also told the Tribune: “[Aoki] is a great guy. He always made school the first priority …H e knows how to back his players up in every sense. He doesn’t let you beat your head into a brick wall. He’ll always point out things that you need to work on. He always wants you to be better.”

Barnes says it’s an approach that he thinks will be important for Notre Dame’s next head coach. “You have to be firm and unwavering,” Barnes said. “As soon as you get there, implement your rules and philosophies and do not waiver, even on the little things. Have an open door to the players and try to keep a good relationship with them, but at the same time you’re the boss – players don’t run the program.”

Northern exposure …

Assuming Aoki is Notre Dame’s next head coach, he will face many of the same challenges that he has faced at Boston College. Boston is only slightly farther north on the map than South Bend, so Aoki has dealt with similar weather to what he will see in Northern Indiana.

He succeeded in recent years with rosters that were comprised mostly of players from the northeast, at a time when many of the top players from that region have opted to stay relatively close to home by playing in the warmer weather of the nearby Carolinas and Virginia, to name a few.

Evan Marzilli and Christian Walker are from Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, respectively, but they helped South Carolina win the 2010 national title. Cody Wheeler (Indiana), Tommy LaStella (New York) and Anthony Meo (Rhode Island) helped Coastal Carolina’s 2010 team fashion the best season in the program’s history, while Virginia’s talented closer Kevin Arico hails from New Jersey.

Aoki’s new association with Notre Dame will give him a much broader recruiting canvas, but it also will bring with it a more strict academic standard. According to one source, San Diego pitcher Sammy Solis and Illinois outfielder Willie Argo are two recent examples of smart student-athletes who wanted to play for Schrage at Notre Dame, but they could not meet the school’s high academic standards.

An inside shot of Eck Stadium (courtesy und.com)

Solis – whose father played at Notre Dame – was 9-2 with a 3.42 ERA for the WCC champion Toreros this year, while Argo belted 16 home runs with 51 stolen bases and a .335 batting average during his first two years for the Illini (’09-’10).

Whatever challenges Aoki faces in academics could be countered with a facility upgrade. At Boston College, the playing field also doubles as a parking lot during football season, while Notre Dame’s Frank Eck Stadium (built in 1994) still is among the top three baseball facilities in the Big East. Only Louisville’s Jim Patterson Stadium and Marge Schott Stadium in Cincinnati would rank above Eck.

Back to the future?

If in fact Aoki is named Notre Dame’s next head coach, the first questions will be the composition of his coaching staff. Aoki did not have a pitching coach at Boston College, and one source has indicated that current Irish assistant Dave Dengler could be retained in that role.

There also is the question of the value of having a former Notre Dame player on the new staff.  “I don’t think it’s important,” Barnes said. “I think when I was there, we had the kind of players who understood team cohesiveness.  If one of those players was hired as an assistant, he would know that feeling and type of player they should recruit and be successful there. I think it would be beneficial, but I don’t think it’s a necessity.”

Connolly concurs: “I don’t think [a former ND player on the staff is] necessary, but it may help. [ND football coach] Brian Kelly had no ties to Notre Dame, but that guy knows what it means to be at Notre Dame. He kicked it up seven gears.  You don’t have to be associated with ND to coach here.”

“Player A” simply says of the current change: “This is a great time for Notre Dame baseball”.

So. Carolina Faces Virginia/Oklahoma Winner At CWS

Christian Walker's 8th inning home run helped South Carolina cap its two game sweep.

series sweep and clinch a spot in the College World Series. The Gamecocks are headed to Omaha for the first time since 2004.   Click the links below for more details.

By clicking the “Myrtle Beach Super Regional” title link above, this page will expand to fully support the table below.

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

Best 2-of-3 Super Regional Series
(CC’s Super-Regional Home Page)

• Saturday – 12 ET (ESPNU)
South Carolina 4,  at Coastal Carolina 3
Final Stats |  SC Recap |  CC Recap (w/ quotes)
Photos (SC)  |  Quotes (SC)

• Sunday – 1 ET (ESPN)
FINAL: South Carolina 10,  Coastal Carolina 9 |  Final Stats
CAR Recap | CC Recap

* South Carolina wins series (2-1)

CB360 Podcast interview with South Carolina’s Blake Cooper (from earlier this season).
CB360 Podcast interview with Coastal Carolina’s Rico Noel (recorded after Regionals).

THE SKINNY …

COASTAL CAROLINA (#4 National Seed)
(55-8 … 25-0/1st Big South … Big South Tournament champs)
Super-Reg. Notes |  Roster |  2010 Stats |  Media  Guide |  Quick Facts (preseason)
Big South Conf. info. – Homepage |  Weekly Release |  Conference Stats

Over the past four seasons, no team has won more games than Gary Gilmore and Coastal Carolina.  Including last weekend’s 4-1 Regional showing, the Chanticleers have won 202 games from 2007-present. Arizona State is right behind with 198 victories. Gilmore has taken players that were on other teams’ “B” lists and turned Coastal into a national player. The one thing missing from his resume is a trip to the College World Series.

The Chants are a rare combination of speed and power, with 107 home runs and 160 stolen bases. They are thought to be the only DI team to top 100 HRs and 150 SBs in the same season. Rico Noel (podcast link above) leads the nation with 56 swipes, while Scott Woodward has 54. Noel also has 11 home runs (including a walk-off shot to beat the College of Charleston in the Regional, with CC facing elimination) – making him one of six Chants with double-digit dingers. Catcher Jose Iglesias leads the way with 16 HR and 78 RBI.

The pitching is good, too, with jr. LHP Cody Wheeler (3.59 ERA; 12-0 record) and so. RHP Anthony Meo (2.63; 13-2) leading the rotation, backed by Ryan Connolly (2.08l 3-0), Austin Fleet (2.53; 8 saves; 6-1) and Matt Rein (2.70; 2 SV; 7-0) out of the bullpen.

Myrtle Beach Regional (CC results)
(1) Coastal Carolina 6,  (4) Stony Brook 0 | Final Stats
CC Recap | SB Recap

(2) College of Charleston 16,  (1) Coastal Carolina 6 |  Live Stats
CofC Recap |  CC Recap |  Quotes

(1) Coastal Carolina 25,  (4) Stony Brook 7 (elim. game)  | Final Stats
CC Recap | SB Recap

(1) Coastal Carolina 8,  (2) College of Charleston 7 |  Final Stats
CC Recap | CofC Recap

(1) Coastal Carolina 11,  (2) College of Charleston 10 (10 inn.) |  Final Stats
CC Recap (w/ video highlights) | CofC Recap

Awards/Honors:
• Jim Birmingham (LHP; Sr./Jr.) – 33rd-round MLB draft pick (S.F. Giants)
• Daniel Bowman (OF; So.) – Big South Tournament MVP
• Ryan Connolly (RHP; Fr.)– Freshman All-American (Collegiate Baseball) … 2nd team all-Big South
• Austin Fleet (RHP; 5th-Yr. Sr.) – 16th-round MLB draft pick (S.F. Giants)
• Chance Gilmore (OF; 5th-Yr.-Sr.) – 25th-round MLB draft pick (L.A. Dodgers) … Big South All-Tournament Team
• Gary Gilmore – Big South Coach of the Year
• Keith Hessler (LHP; Jr./So.) – 28th-round MLB draft pick (Arizona Diamondbacks)
• Jose Iglesias (C; Sr.) – Johnny Bench Award Finalist … 1st team all-Big South
• Tommy LaStella (2B; Jr./So.) – 1st team all-Big South
• Anthony  Meo (RHP; So.) – 2nd team All-American (Collegiate Baseball) … Big South Pitcher of the Year … Big South All-Tournament Team
• Taylor Motter (SS; So.) – 1st team all-Big South … NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
• Rico Noel (CF; Jr.) – 5th-round MLB draft pick (San Diego Padres) … 1st team all-Big South … NCAA Regional MVP
• Cody Wheeler (LHP; Jr.) – 2nd team All-American (Collegiate Baseball) … 5th-round MLB draft pick (Arizona Diamondbacks) … 1st team all-Big South … NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
• Rich Witten (DH; Jr./So.) – NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team … Big South All-Tournament Team
• Scott Woodward (3B; Jr.) – 15th-round MLB draft pick (Oakland A’s) … 1st team all-Big South … NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team

•  •  •

SOUTH CAROLINA
(46-15 … 21-9 SEC/#3-seed … 0-2 at SEC Tournament)
SC info. – Super-Reg. Notes •  PDF |  Roster |  2010 Stats |  Media Guide
SEC info. – Home Page (w/standings)  |  Weekly Release |  Conference Stats |  Media Guide

The Gamecocks became Omaha regulars from 2002-2004, but Ray Tanner’s squad hasn’t been back to Rosenblatt since that three-year stretch.

South Carolina doesn’t have nearly the eye-popping offensive numbers that Coastal Carolina boatss, but Jackie Bradley, Jr. (.367, 11 HR, 49 RBI) is one of eight SC players who have hit at least seven home runs. Whit Merrifield has 12 HR, while Adrian Morales leads the Gamecocks with 52 RBI.

Pitching is the strength of a team that was in the conversation for a national seed before going 0-2 at the SEC Tournament. Senior RHP Blake Cooper (podcast link above) is 11-1 with a 2.75 ERA. He is one of five Gamecock hurlers who have pitched at least 23 innings and have an ERA below 3.00.  Cooper is only 5-10, but he has a bulldog mentality in the mold of former Cy Young Winner David Cone.

Columbia Regional (SC results)

(1) South Carolina 9,  (4) Bucknell 5 |  Final Stats
SC Recap |  BUCK Recap

(1) South Carolina 9,  (3) The Citadel 4 |  Final Stats
SC Recap |  CIT Recap |  Photos |  Postgame Blog

(1) South Carolina 10,  (2) Virginia Tech 2 |  Final Stats
SC Recap |  VT Recap

Awards/Honors:
• Parker Bangs (RHP/UTIL; Jr.) – 31st-round MLB draft pick (K.C. Royals)
• Jackie Bradley, Jr. (CF; So.) – 2nd team all-SEC … SEC All-Drefensive Team … NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
• Blake Cooper (RHP; Sr.) – 3rd team All-American (Collegiate Baseball) … 12th-round MLB draft pick (Arizona Diamondbacks) … 1st team all-SEC … NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
• Sam Dyson (RHP; Jr.) – 4th-round MLB draft pick (Toronto Blue Jays)
• Kyle Enders (C; Sr.) – NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
• Bobby Haney (SS; Sr.) –22nd-round MLB draft pick (S.F. Giants)
• Evan Marzilli (LF; Fr.) – SEC All-Freshman Team … NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
• Whit Merrifield (RF/IF; Jr.) – 9th-round MLB draft pick (K.C. Royals)
• Adrian Morales (3B; Jr.) – NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
• Steven Neff (LHP; So.) – 23rd-round MLB draft pick (K.C. Royals)
• Matt Price (RHP; Fr.) – Freshman All-American (Collegiate Baseball) … 2nd team all-SEC … SEC All-Freshman Team
• Jordan Propst (RHP; Sr.) – 49th-round MLB draft pick (K.C. Royals)
• Brady Thomas (DH; Sr.) – NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
• Christian Walker (1B; Fr. ) – SEC All-Freshman Team
• Scott Wingo (2B; Jr.) – SEC All-Drefensive Team

Myrtle Beach Super Regional

A By The Numbers Look At Week 12 Action…

Garrett Wittels (FIU photo)

58…NCAA record hitting streak set by Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura in 1987.  Wittels needs hits in five more games to to Wichita State’s Phil Stephenson (1981) for the second longest streak in D1 history.

3 & 7…Home runs and RBIs by Wittels’ teammate, Mike Martinez, in the same game Wittels hit safely for the 41st game to help FIU down Arkansas State 15-4.

21…Game winning streak by Texas snapped in Friday’s 2-1 loss at Kansas State.  It’s the first ever home win against a number one ranked team for the Wildcats.

2…Consecutive Big 12 regular season titles for the Longhorns (41-8, 21-3), which clinched this year’s championship with wins in the last two games of the series with the Wildcats (32-15, 11-9), who are in third place in the Big 12.  Texas Tech (26-12, 12-9) is in second place.

50…Mile per hour wind gusts Saturday afternoon in the Buffalo, NY area where Canisius beat Manhattan 23-20.

Steve McQuail (Canisius photo)

68…RBIs this season by Canisus’ Steve McQuail-a new Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference single-season record-after the junior drove in 6 runs with the help of a grand slam in the Griffs’ win.  The previous record of 67 RBIs had stood since 1993.

3…Grand slams hit this season by McQuail, who is 8-for-9 with 24 RBIs this season with the bases loaded.

9…Saves this season by UCLA pitcher Dan Klein-the most for a Bruin pitcher since 1993.

28…Innings pitched without allowing an earned run by # 32 New Mexico’s Willy Kesler prior  to allowing a one out two run home run in the top of the 9th inning in Saturday’s 3-2 win over #12 TCU.

140…Pitches needed by Kesler (5-1) to pick-up his third complete game of the season.

6…Straight games New Mexico had lost to TCU prior to Saturday’s victory.

9 & 67…Home runs and total bases by TCU in Sunday’s series-clinching 26-4 win over New Mexico in Albuquerque.  The home runs ties a new single-game program record, while the total bases sets a new school record.  In addition to the nine long balls, the Horned Frogs tallied 20 singles, four doubles and a triple.

2 & 7…Home runs hit and RBIs by TCU’s Aaron Schultz, who was 4-for-4 with a double in the victory.

Aaron Schultz (Photo courtesy Brett Davis)

16…Straight series wins by the Horned Frogs dating back to last season.  TCU (36-10, 13-4) leads New Mexico (31-17, 13-7) by three games in the Mountain West Conference standings.

24-1…Record of TCU’s weekend pitching rotation.  Kyle Winkler (7-1) suffered his first loss Saturday to the Lobos, while Matt Purke (9-0) and Stephen Maxwell (8-0) remain unbeaten.

13…Combined earned runs given-up by Vanderbilt’s Sonny Gray and LSU’s Anthony Ranaudo in Friday’s 15-16 game won by the Tigers.

15…Strikeouts by San Diego’s Kyle Blair in Friday’s 2-0 win over Portland. Blair (7-3) gave-up just one hit in the complete game effort.

2…Outs in the 9th inning when Blair’s no-hit bid ended thanks to a double by Portland’s Kris Kauppila.

14…Wins with no losses in WCC play for San Diego after winning the first two games of the series.

3…Outs recorded on a ground ball off the bat of #30 Texas State’s Jeff McVaney in Saturday’s 5-2 upset loss to McNeese State.  Steven Irvine, Matt Fontenot and Bryn Thompson combined on the 5-4-3 triple play.

1…NCAA bid officially locked-up when Dartmouth beat Columbia 11-5 in Sunday’s deciding game three of the Ivy League Championship Series.

Quintavious Drains

4…Pitchers, Cole Green of Texas, Anthony Meo of Coastal Carolina, Quintavious Drains of Jackson State, and Pittsburgh’s Cory Baker, who share the Division One lead with 10 wins this season.

1,022…Career wins by Ohio State’s Bob Todd, who announced his retirement last week after 27 years as a college baseball head coach.  Todd has 898 wins in his time in Columbus.  His Buckeyes dropped two of three games to Illinois over the weekend after he announced his intentions to step down at the end of this season.

13…Runs scored by Tennessee in Saturday’s 25-5 win at Georgia.  The Vols hit four home runs in the inning and scored 9 runs before an out was recorded.

52…Total bases for the Vols in the game to break the previous program record of 47.

0 & 11…Runs allowed and strikeouts recorded in 8.0 IP by Arkansas’ Mike Bolsinger in Sunday’s 7-0 series-clinching win at Ole Miss.  The Rebels’ 1-7 batters combined to go 0-for-22 in the loss. The win has the Razorbacks (36-11, 15-8) tied with the Rebels (34-14, 15-8) tied for first place in the SEC’s Western Division.

2…Wins by #44 Kentucky ( 25-21, 8-15) over South Carolina (36-10, 17-6) to keep the Wildcats’ NCAA hopes alive.  The SEC series win is just the second of the season for the Wildcats.

10…Consecutive SEC series South Carolina had won (dating back to last season) prior to losing two of three games in Lexington.  The Gamecocks are now tied for first place in the SEC’s Eastern Division with Florida (33-11, 17-6), which took two of three games vs. Alabama over the weekend.  The Gamecocks and Gators meet in Columbia in two weeks in the final weekend of the regular season.

Rob Folsom's walk-off double capped Oregon State's sweep of Oregon (OSU photo)

3…Games won by #47  Oregon State (24-17, 7-11) over # 20 Oregon (30-18, 10-11) to give the Beavers just their second Pac 10 series win of 2010.

11 of 12…Games Oregon State had lost prior to sweeping its weekend series vs. the Ducks.

8…Teams within three games of one another in the Pac 10 Conference race.  Arizona State is 39-5 overall and leads the conference race with a 14-4 mark.  Cal (11-9) UCLA (10-8) and Stanford (10-8) are all tied for second place at four games back, followed by Arizona (9-9), Oregon (10-11), Washington State (8-9), Washington (8-10), and Oregon State (7-11).

4…Games won by Fresno State (30-20, 11-5) at #48 New Mexico State (35-16-1, 13-6-1) to move ahead of the Aggies and into first place in the WAC standings.

23…Years since Auburn (33-15, 15-9) had swept a series from Mississippi State prior to taking three games from the Bulldogs over the weekend.  The Tigers are in second place in the SEC East.

3…Consecutive SEC series lost by defending national champion LSU (34-14, 12-11) after dropping two of three vs. Vanderbilt of the weekend. The Bayou Bengals  are in fourth place in the SEC East.

11…Home runs hit this season by Notre Dame outfielder Ryan Connolly, who is the only Irish player with double digit long balls.  Connolly also leads the Irish with a .367 batting average and 1.140 OPS.

4…Home runs hit by Connolly from 2006-2009.  The fifth-year senior missed all of 2006 and most of the next three seasons due to shoulder injuries.  All four of his previous career home runs were hit over the last 13 games of the 2009 campaign.

10…RBIs by West Virginia’s Grant Buckner in Saturday’s 22-6 win over the Irish.  The third baseman was 4-for-5 with three home runs, while setting a new school record for single-game RBIs to help the Mountaineers to their first Big East series sweep of the season.