The effects of Cal’s decision to eliminate baseball after the upcoming 2011 season have officially hit the Golden Bears on the field. Prized freshman pitcher Eric Jaffe has enrolled at UCLA and will be eligible to compete for the already pitching strong Bruins this season.

Eric Jaffe gives UCLA another power arm.

Jaffe was taken in the 19th round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. Baseball America rated him as the number 86 prospect in his class during his senior season at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, CA. He was 8-1 with a 0.83 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings in his final high school season. He also batted .442 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs.

The 6’4, 225 lb. right-hander initially attended Cal in the fall of 2010, but after the school announced on September 28 that it planned to eliminate baseball after the 2011 season Jaffe’s plans changed. He successfully petitioned the NCAA for the right to play at his new school this season.

UCLA’s pitching staff is already led by 2011 preseason All-Americans Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer, whose power arms helped the Bruins finish second at the 2010 College World Series.

While the fund-raising process to Save Cal Baseball has gone very well (more than $15 million in pledges) since the September announcement, the exodus may not be over. Cal infielder Brett Bishop was expected to transfer to Fresno Community College, while 2010 staff ace Justin Jones could transfer to Oregon after the 2011 season.

By College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires

We are just days away from a new year and that means we’re less than two months away from the start of the 2011 college baseball season. There was good and there was bad, and with that in mind here are 10 significant things we’ll take from college baseball in 2010…

1.  Goodbye to Rosenblatt Stadium

What can be said about Rosenblatt that hasn’t already been said? After 60 years at the top of the hill in Omaha, Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium hosted its final College World Series in 2010. The move to the new TD Ameritrade Park in 2011 is seen by progress to some, but heartbreak to many. The new park will have all the amenities that Rosenblatt lacked, and maybe the future will be even brighter at the CWS and Omaha down the road. However, wouldn’t it have been nice if the new stadium had even a hint of nostalgia? The new Yankee Stadium has oversized high-priced seats and is swelling with luxury suites, but they still managed to keep the look from the House that Ruth Built. Too bad they couldn’t do the same at TDA.  CLICK HERE to read a letter of thanks from Omaha native Paul Fiarkoski to Johnny Rosenblatt.

2. Cal Cuts Baseball

Septbember 28, 2010 could be remembered as “Black Tuesday” at Cal. That’s the day Cal-Berkley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Athletic Director Sandy Barbour announced the school would eliminate baseball and four other sports (rugby, gymnastics and lacrosse) at their school at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 season. The given reason was to “generate an estimated $4 million annual savings in direct and indirect costs for Cal Athletics, while limiting further growth in expenses.” The outcry was instant, and the “Save Cal Baseball” movement began.  More than $10 in pledges have poured in to save the 118 year-old baseball program and the four other sports. The future is still uncertain, but head coach Dave Esquer’s Golden Bears are ranked 33rd in Collegiate Baseball’s 2011 preseason poll.

3. Arizona State Gets Probation

Our top story from 2009 was Pat Murphy leaving ASU, but Tim Esmay still led the Sun Devils to Omaha after the departure of the controversial head coach. That won’t be possible in 2011 after the NCAA slapped the program with postseason probation due to “lack of institutional control”.  Click here for the full rundown. While Arizona State plans to appeal the postseason ban, the school has been sanctioned nine times since 1953 (in sports other than baseball). Murphy is currently working in the San Diego Padres organization, but the NCAA also ruled that if he were to return to college baseball he would not be able to make recruiting calls until December 14, 2011.

4. Garrett Wittels Chases History, And Then…

Garrett Wittels

Heading into the 2010 season nobody was talking about Florida International, and they sure weren’t talking about Garrett Wittels. However, by season’s end the sophomore infielder who hit just .246 as a freshman was the toast of college baseball. Wittels batted .413 by hitting safely in all 56 games he started in 2010 (he didn’t play in five games) while helping his team to a Sun Belt Conference title and an NCAA Regional berth. He enters 2010 on the heels of Robin Ventura’s 1987 Division I record 58-game hitting streak. Things took a turn for the surreal earlier this month though when Wittels and a group of friends were charged with raping two 17-year-old girls on Dec. 20 in the Bahamas. Wittels is free on bond as the 2011 season approaches. ESPN is scheduled to televise FIU’s season-opening series against Southeastern Louisiana, but for now the question is will Wittels be in the line-up or behind bars?

5.  South Carolina Wins The CWS

Ray Tanner

Ray Tanner’s Gamecocks became regulars at Omaha over the last decade, but they never won it all. In the 61st and final CWS at Rosenblatt, South Carolina changed that in a big way. South Carolina lost its first game, but stormed back to win six straight to claim the school’s first major championship in any sport. They also beat their biggest rival, Clemson, twice in the process. No player more embodied the Gamecocks’ team effort than soph. Michael Roth, who made his first two starts of the season on the Omaha dirt. Roth held opponents to a .167 average in 16 1/3 total innings at the CWS. It was only fitting that South Carolina won in dramatic fashion on Whit Merrifield’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning against UCLA.

6. Matt Curry’s CWS Grand Slam

Matt Curry

With two out, a full count and his team down by two runs to Florida State, TCU’s Matt Curry jacked a grand slam to centerfield to stave-off elimination. The big hit made TCU an instant CWS legend in the the most electric moment of the 61st and final series at Rosenblatt. Not bad for a senior who played his first two seasons of college ball at Howard Junior College. Of that moment, TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle would later tell us “That’s a game and that’s a moment I think that if they were to do a history of the College World Series…it’s gonna be a very small part, but I think it would be a part.” Said Curry afterward “When I hit it, I knew it was gone, because I’ve hit home runs and I usually know when I get them. I look and I’m all fired up” CLICK HERE for more postgame reaction from Curry, Schlossnagle and FSU head coach Mike Martin.

7. TCU Beats Texas In Super Regionals

Before Curry had his shot at Omaha immortality, TCU had to beat Texas in Super Regional play. Many thought the Horned Frogs were deserving of a national seed and the chance to host a Super Regional that would come with that distinction, but that didn’t happen. Instead, for a second straight year TCU was matched with the perennial power in Austin with a trip to Omaha on the line.  TCU won games one and three by giving-up just a run in each game against the #2 national seed Longhorns to send the Horned Frogs to the program’s first CWS. CLICK HERE for more from TCU’s historic win.

8. New Mexico And Oregon Make It To NCAA Regionals

Ray Birmingham

For the game of college baseball to grow it has to prosper in places where it has not traditionally prospered. New Mexico made it to an NCAA Regional for the first time in 48 years in 2010, while Oregon made it in just its second season since resurrecting the program after a nearly 30 year extinction. The Lobos and Ducks reached the postseason with the distinctive styles of their head coaches. For UNM it was Ray Birmingham’s “Kick down the door” offensive approach, while UO did it with George Horton’s pitching laden formula. It should come as no surprise that both programs prospered under their skippers. Birmingham led New Mexico Junior College to a 2005 national championship, while Horton more famously won the 2003 CWS at Cal State Fullerton.

9. Kyle Parker’s Record-Setting Double Duty

Kyle Parker

Parker took being a two-sport college athlete to another level during the 2009-2010 season. The Clemson quarterback/outfielder became the first Division One athlete to ever throw 20 touchdown passes and hit 20 home runs in the same academic year. In fact, he was the first to even go 15/15. Parker helped the football team to a Music City Bowl win in the fall and then helped Jack Leggett’s baseball team reach the College World Series in the spring. Parker was taken by the Colorado Rockies with the 26th overall pick in the June, 2010 draft. He has signed a professional contract and will report to spring training in 2011. CLICK HERE for an exclusive podcast interview with Parker.

10. UCLA And Arizona State Get Off To Fast Starts

The Bruins and Sun Devils both ended their seasons in Omaha, and they both got their seasons off to blazing hot starts. UCLA road its pitching out of the gates to a 22-0 record that didn’t end until an April 2 loss to Stanford. Arizona State used its balance of pitching and offense to start 24-0 under new head coach Tim Esmay. Their first setback came a day after UCLA’s first defeat when they dropped a 12-inning game at Oregon. John Savage’s Bruins ended their season with a 51-17 mark and a second place finish at the CWS, while ASU finished with a 52-10 mark despite going 0-2 in Omaha.

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By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

Sunny Golloway

Golloway’s idea would move the college baseball schedule to the summer, which would also mean changing the way college baseball players attend classes. “I think baseball players should go to school in the summer full-time. I think baseball players should go to school in the spring full-time,” he recently told CB360 contributor Chris Webb. “I think in the fall…should be like our summer. That’s where our athletes should take three or six (credit) hours, be able to relax more and have some down time. And then let’s start in the spring, getting going.”

Golloway argues that college baseball currently gets lost in the large shadow of the popularity of college basketball and “March Madness”. He also thinks that college baseball stadiums around the country would have a better chance to be filled by starting later in the spring when temperatures are warmer. Golloway says the shift in the season would also allow for a better opportunity at a national television contract that would give fans the chance to “fall in love” with college baseball they way they have with college hoops and college football.

golloway-tv Click the “Play” button to listen to more of Golloway’s comments.

What do you think about the idea of a summer college baseball schedule?  Cast your vote now!!

View This Poll

Save Cal Baseball Drive Continues…

Cal Baseball continues to get closer to its goal of being reinstated. A recent message via Facebook from the “Save Cal Baseball” group says they are “VERY close” to their goal of $10 million raised to reinstate baseball and the other four sports that got the ax at Cal back in September. Those other sports are men’s and women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse and rugby. The group’s goal has been to have that $10 by January 1, 2011 and then raise another $2.5 by next year to keep those sports running for the next four years. The immediate problem specific to the baseball program is continued uncertainty. Two current Cal players plan to transfer after the current fall semester. Prized freshman pitcher Eric Jaffe will go to UCLA, where he will apply for an NCAA waiver to play in 2011. Infielder Brett Bishop plans to go to Fresno Community College. Sophomore ace Justin Jones (10-6, 4.22 ERA) could also transfer to Oregon, although he will stay at Cal for the upcoming season.

Todd Walker

The Hall On The Bayou…

Former LSU and MLB baseball player Todd Walker was recently inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Walker was a first-team All-American in 1993 and ’94. He was named the College World Series MVP while helping the Bayou Bengals to the ’93 national title. Walker set the SEC’s all-time records for hits, runs, RBIs, and total bases in his three season at LSU. He went on to a 12-year Major League career after being taken with the 8th overall pick in the first round of the 1994 draft. He was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame last year and was also named to CWS Legends Team earlier this year.

Dinner With A Side Of Murphy…

Former Arizona State baseball coach Pay Murphy is no longer working in college baseball, but he’s still around the game. Murphy is on the lecture circuit giving seminars to high school players who aspire to play at the next level. A release for an upcoming event in the Chicago suburbs says Murphy will “explain how the college recruiting process really works and will inform you on what college coaches look for in players. Also discussed will be work ethic, desire, intangibles and the importance of academic success which starts in high school.” Murphy is also currently employed by the San Diego Padres.

Villanova football/baseball star Matt Szczur

Hail Szczur…

Two-sport star Matt Szczur (pronounced SEE-zur) and the Villanova football team are at it again. Szczur scored four touchdowns and threw for another to lead the Wildcats to a 42-24 win over Appalachian State to advance to the FCS football playoff semi-finals over the weekend. Villanova is the reigning FCS national champion. Szczur played baseball at Villanova last season and signed with the Chicago Cubs after being taken in the 5th round of this year’s MLB Draft. He also took time off from Villanova’s baseball season in 2010 to donate bone marrow to 19-month-old girl with leukemia. VU baseball teammates Christian Culicerto and Marlon Calbi both play for the football team as well. CLICK HERE to read more about Villanova’s playoff win.

The Schedules Continue To Roll In…

As of our latest tally, only roughly 40 of 300 Division One 2011 college baseball schedules are yet to be released. We have done our best to post them on our Schedule Page as they have been announced throughout the fall. We have also made some new additions to the Schedule Page this year. You will now be able to access 2011 schedules, 2011 rosters, 2010 team statistics, and 2011 team statistics (as they all become available). Be sure to bookmark the Schedule Page for easy access to all this information throughout the 2011 college baseball season!

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

Garrett Wittels became the story of the 2010 college baseball season and his pursuit of history will be at the forefront when the 2011 season begins. The Florida International outfielder will put his 56-game hitting streak on the line when FIU hosts Southeastern Louisiana to begin the new season and the ESPN family of stations will be there. Wittels needs hits in each of FIU’s three games to break former Oklahoma State star Robin Ventura’s 24-year-old Division One record 58-game hit streak. The first two games of the series will be on ESPN3.com, while Sunday’s possibly historic series finale will be televised at 7:30 p.m. ET by ESPNU. If I were a baseball betting man I would say it’s a pretty safe guess that Ventura will be in the broadcast booth working as an analyst for those games.

Speaking Of TV…

We received a Tweet this week from a college baseball fans who is trying to drum-up interest in getting more college baseball games on TV. He wanted us to ask this basic question on our site: “Would you watch a college baseball game of the week on TV”? ESPNU does a great job of putting SEC games on during the season and you can typically find games on Fox Sports Regional channels as well, but what about other national games?  CLICK HERE to send us an e-mail on the subject or Tweet us @CB360updates.

Get A Big Hat And Pass It Around…

The latest update on the on-going effort to save the Cal baseball program looks promising. According to a message from Doug Nickle, who runs the Save Cal Baseball Facebook page, the group had a “productive” meeting with Cal Chancellor Robert Birgeneau last week. Of that meeting, Nickle says “While he (Birgeneau) maintains that we have an uphill battle, he was eager to learn of our significant efforts thus far. He can’t give us a specific number or a time frame, but he did in fact say the door to reinstatement is open!” The Save Cal Baseball official pledge drive is about to start, and they already have roughly $3.5 million in pledges. They hope to have $10 million by the previously announced January 1, 2011 deadline.

Hooping And Hurling…

College baseball’s early signing period started last week and college basketball players can sign letters of intent in the same window. Turns out Patrick Connaughton plans to play both sports at Notre Dame. Connaughton stands 6’5″ and plans to play forward for Mike Brey on the basketball court and pitch for Mik Aoki as well. The Irish have had several football/baseball players in recent years like Jeff Samardzija, Golden Tate, Evan Sharpley, and Eric Maust, but Connaughton will be the first in a long time to hit the hardwood and the diamond under the Golden Dome. Look for Connaughton in future Two-Sport Reports here on Collegebaseball360.com. Current reports include current college baseball players who also play sports like football, soccer, swimming, and squash. We still haven’t found any wrestlers though.

Nomar Better Late Than Never…

The Cape Cod League will induct 10 players plus one into its Hall of Fame this weekend. Nomar Garciaparra was actually inducted in 2002, but he was not able to attend the ceremony due to a scheduling conflict. The five-time All-Star will be there this Saturday (Nov. 20) to receive his plaque at the Chatham Bars Inn. Garciaparra’s former Boston Red Sox teammate, Lou Merloni, is among this year’s inductees. The others are Tom Grieve (Chatham), David Aardsma (Falmouth), Wayne Granger (Sagamore), Peter Ford (Harwich), Casey Close (Harwich), Michael Loggins (Harwich), Jack Cressend (Cotuit), Tom Weir (Chatham), and Steve Robbins (Wareham).

It’s Not Heaven, It’s Iowa…

For the first time in three decades Iowa will have a completely new field when its new season begins. Iowa’s Duane Banks Field recently received a new Kentucky Bluegrass playing surface, with some other “tweaks” to the field. They also moved home plate up five feet, so the new distance to center field will go from 400 to 395 feet. The move was made to help with the grading and drainage of the field. Head coach Jack Dahm also told Hawkeyesports.com that they will have new batting cages and turf down the left field line.

North Carolina’s Chase Jones

King For A Day…

North Carolina bullpen catcher Chase Jones was recently named his school’s 2010 Homecoming King. Jones was diagnosed with brain cancer in the fall of 2006 and has survived to not only be a contributor to the Tar Heel baseball team, but he also founded the UNC BaseBald For A Cure Foundation. Proceeds have helped children’s cancer patients.

Inside The Webb…

If you missed it last week, we have a new addition to the web site. Inside The Webb made its debut last Friday with Chris Webb. Chris is a great advocate for college baseball and we’re excited to have him share his thoughts in this weekly column and we hope you enjoy his insights as well!

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

• The latest update regarding Cal baseball is this: They need a lot of money…fast. When I talked to Cal head coach Dave Esquer recently he was still in the process of trying to find out exactly how much he needed to raise and how soon (CLICK HERE to listen to the interview). It’s been an obviously fluid situation of information since the decision to ax the Cal baseball program was made in late September and Golden Bear supporters have done a great job trying to rally support to save the program. Their new web site, Savecalbaseball.com, says they have to raise $5 million by January 1, 2011. That’s a lot of money in not much time. The web site includes contact information on how anyone can pledge their support for Cal baseball.

• Former Alabama head coach Jim Wells is back in baseball, but not in the college game. Wells was recently hired as an assistant baseball coach at Calvary High School in Shreveport, LA. He retired last year after 15
  

  Former Alabama baseball coach Jim Wells

  years and a 625-322 record at Alabama. Wells guided the Crimson Tide to the 1997 College World Series title game. His college head coaching career began at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, LA. Calvary head coach Rodney Traweek told the Shreveport Times that Wells’ hiring gives him a “dream team” of assistant coaches and added “He’ll help us with communication with college coaches, pitching, hitting, a little bit of everything.” Calvary won Louisiana state championships in 2007 and 2008.

• Speaking of Alabama, Mitch Gaspard’s squad has announced its 2011 schedule. There’s not much in the way of “marquee” non-conference games on the slate, but with two SEC teams (Arkansas and Vanderbilt) that went to a Super Regional in 2010 and two other conference foes (South Carolina and Florida) that advanced to Omaha there’s not much incentive to toughen the non-conference schedule. Alabama (a 2010 Super Regional team itself) does get to host 2009 CWS champion LSU and 2010 champion South Carolina in its last two home SEC series of the season.

• Schools are continually releasing their 2011 baseball schedules, and we are trying to keep up with them as best we can. There were probably more than 30 that were released last week. Click Here to visit our schedule page to see the list to date. If there is a schedule that has been released that we don’t have be sure to let us know and we’ll add it.
  

  Otto Graham played football, basketball and baseball at Northwestern (courtesy Northwestern).

• The Big Ten has been naming its “Big Ten Icons Top 50” over the last several weeks. Former Big Ten athletes like Jack Nicklaus (Ohio State), Super Bowl winner Drew Brees (Purdue) and Heisman winner Ron Dayne (Wisconsin) are on the list, but there are a few baseball players as well. Jim Abbott (Michigan) is #36 on the list, while multi-sport standouts Dave Winfield (Minnesota) and Otto Graham (Northwestern) and #15 and #14, respectively. Winfield played basketball and baseball for the Golden Gophers. He helped the basketball team win the 1972 Big Ten title and helped lead the ’73 baseball team to the College World Series. Graham was an All-American in both football and basketball, while hitting .300 as a centerfielder for the Wildcat baseball team. Winfield is in the baseball Hall of Fame, while Graham is in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Click Here to see the Big Ten Icon list to date.

• Construction recently began for a new stadium at Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC. Phase one of the project will consist of things like new a new concessions area, restrooms and entrance gate to Taylor Field. It is expected to be ready for the start of the 2011 season. Phase two will begin in June 2011. It will include a new press box, dugouts and grandstand that will seat 1,985.

The last few weeks have been rough ones in Berkley, CA. On September 28 Cal announced that baseball, men’s and women’s gymnastics and women’s lacrosse would all be cut after the current 2010-2011 academic year.

Dave Esquer

The apparent good news in the time since the announcement is that head coach Dave Esquer’s squad might be spared the axe if they could raise the money to fund the program in future years. However, Esquer says those plans have hit a snag…at least for now.

In this exclusive interview with Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires Esquer discusses the challenges Cal baseball currently faces to save the program and how Title IX is now rearing its ugly head.

Esquer Dave Esquer interview Part 1

Esquer2 Dave Esquer interview Part 2

Some other facts about Cal baseball…

• Cal had more players on Major League rosters at the start of the 2010 season than any other college baseball program.
• Baseball has been a sport at Cal-Berkley since 1892.
• Esquer estimates his program will need a $7-$9 million dollar commitment over the next 3-5 years in order for baseball to survive at Cal.
• For more information you can also visit the Save Cal Baseball Facebook page.

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

• This week’s Notebook starts with some great news out of Berkley, where the announcement was made just weeks ago that baseball would be eliminated at Cal after the 2011 season. According to a direct message we received from the Save Cal Baseball Facebook page, Cal Baseball will be saved if the program can raise the money to fund the program on an annual basis. It’s estimated that around $1 million a year will be needed to keep Cal baseball going. The first step in Cal’s fund raising starts next Monday, Oct. 25 when it hosts the 2010 Cal Baseball Golf Classic at Contra Costa Country Club. Anyone from inside or outside the Cal Baseball family is welcome to play. The field will be limited to 144 players. For more information on the event or to find out how to donate to the Save Cal Baseball fund contact Sam Petke: spetke@gmail.com or Dave Baker: dbaker@moorebaker.com or visit the Save Cal Baseball Facebook page.

• Texas hosted Vanderbilt in a pair of weekend 12-inning exhibitions. Both teams advanced to Super Regionals earlier this year. The Commodores won the first one 7-2 on Friday, while the Longhorns were victorious 7-5 on Sunday. Texas starter Taylor Jungmann gave-up four runs in 4.0 innings Friday night, while Vanderbilt ace Sonny Gray faced nine batters with a walk and two strikeouts in his 3.0 hitless innings. St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday, who is the brother of Vandy assistant Josh Holliday, was in attendance. Matt lives in the Austin area. Texas fell behind 5-0 in Sunday’s scrimmage, but seven Longhorn hurlers then combined for 8.0 shutout innings to let Texas rally for a 7-5 win. Vandy starter Grayson Garvin tossed 3.0 perfect innings, while UT’s Cole Green allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits in his 3.0 innings.

• The Great One’s son has chosen baseball over hockey. Trevor Gretzky, the son of NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, has committed to play baseball for baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn at San Diego State. Trevor hit .341 with two home runs at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, CA. It’s the same high school
  

  Trevor and Wayne Gretzky

  current Carolina Panther and former Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen attended.

• Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon was honored during Saturday’s Rice-Houston football game. Rendon was re-presented this year’s Dick Howser Trophy by Jana Howser (Dick Howser’s daughter) and Bo Carter of the NCBWA. Rendon originally received the award in July as the National Player of the Year. The junior batted .394 with 26 home runs and 85 RBIs in 2010. His 26 home runs were four more than his strikeout total of 22.

• Florida State is among the most recent teams to unveil its 2011 schedule. A trip to Georgia for a three-game series the first weekend of March is the most notable non-conference trip the Seminoles will make. They also play four single games against Florida in Tampa, Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Tallahassee.

• Nebraska has a marquee non-conference series on its 2011 schedule. The Cornhuskers welcome 2010 College World Series runner-up UCLA to Lincoln for three games March 4-6. It will be decidedly colder in Nebraska than it was when the Bruins made their Omaha run in June. Nebraska also hosts three games with Fresno State March 11-13.
  

  Nebraska's Hawks Field at Haymarket Park

• Speaking of the Cornhuskers, the University of Nebraka’s Board of Regents has approved $4.75 million to build the school’s new indoor baseball/softball facility that we mentioned last week. The 22,000 square foot facility will be located at Haymarket Park, near the current playing facilities for both teams. The new building will include batting cages, pitching mounds and a turf system to allow the baseball and softball teams to take indoor infield practice.

• Michigan plays its first 18 games of the 2011 season in Florida, Texas, South Carolina, and California. The Wolverines concluded that season-opening swing with three games at Stanford March 18-19. They also play a 19th game, an exhibition against the New York Mets on February 27 in Port St. Lucie, FL.

• Speaking of Stanford, Baseball America recently released its ranking of college baseball’s top recruiting classes and Mark Marquess tops the list. Here’s a look at the top 10: 1. Stanford 2. LSU 3. UCLA 4. San Diego 5. Oregon 6. Florida 7. Georgia Tech 8. Arkansas 9. Rice 10. Cal State Fullerton. Who has the #11 class according to BA? None other than the Cal Golden Bears…which were supposed to become extinct after the 2011 season.