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Conference Races, Upsets & A Hit Streak Highlights…

The latest weekend of college baseball was, overall, light on upsets in the College Baseball 360 Top 50 Rankings. In fact, higher-ranked teams won 76% (29-9) of Sunday’s games involving the CB360 top-50. There were 40 series over the past few days involving CB360 top-50 teams, with 14 resulting in sweeps by the higher-ranked teams while 19 other favorites won their series 2-1.

The weekend saw a total of just six Top 50 series upsets, with Ole Miss pulling off the biggest series shocker-taking two of three games from #3 South Carolina.#21 Arkansas had the other big SEC upset by taking two of three from #4 Florida. (SEC Standings & potential Tournament seeding listed below.)

The rest of the series upsets came from the lower half of the Top 50. Wichita State took two of three from #36 Creighton, Missouri won its series at #44 Kansas State, and UNC Greensboro & Western Kentucky took series from #49 College of Charleston and #50 Florida Atlantic, respectively. #14 Fresno State didn’t lose its series, but did tie Louisiana Tech with two wins each.

Missouri started 2-9 in the Big-12, but has now won three straight series against Top 50 conference opponents Baylor, Texas A&M and K-State to move to 8-12 and seventh place in the Big 12.

Big 12 Standings

1. Texas A&M 15-6 2. Texas 17-7 3. Oklahoma St. 12-8 4. Oklahoma 13-9 5. Texas Tech & Baylor 9-12 7. Missouri 8-12 8. Kansas St. 9-14 9. Kansas 9-15 10. Nebraska 7-13

Chad Holbrook

This Tweet from South Carolina Associate Head Coach Chad Holbrook probably sums-up college baseball Sundays the best “Why do we talk about Sundays?? Its simple really-Teams that win on Sundays host regionals and play in Omaha. That’s what we are trying to do.”

Dallas Baptist dropped two out of three games in its series at #11 Texas A&M, but in winning the second game of the set the Patriots added to their quality win resume. DBU (32-15) has wins this season over Oklahoma State, TCU (2), Oklahoma, Rice, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M as the DI independent shoots for an at-large NCAA bid.

Speaking of TCU, the #15 Horned Frogs picked-up a Super Regional quality series win at#20 Oklahoma State. What’s probably most impressive about Jim Schlossnagle’s squad taking two of three in Stillwater is the fact that they did it without pitchers Matt Purke and Steven Maxwell. Purke (4-1, 1.55 ERA) is out with a shoulder injury, while Maxwell (5-0, 2.90 ERA) was sidelined due to a sore biceps. Purke threw on flat ground from 120 feet on Sunday. TCU hopes he will be available for the Mountain West Conference Tournament, which starts on May 24.

Princeton locked-up an NCAA bid by winning the Ivy League title Sunday.

Princeton locked-up an automatic NCAA bid by winning the Ivy League Championship Series over the weekend. The Tigers downed defending Ivy champion Dartmouth 8-5 on Sunday in the deciding game three of the series. The win gives Princeton (23-22) its 17th conference crown and first since 2006. While the Tigers are just a game over .500 this season, they handed LSU its first loss of the year back on March 6 in Baton Rouge.

The quarterfinalists for the National Pitcher of the Year Award were announced heading into the weekend, and it would be hard to make an argument against UCLA‘s Trevor Bauer as the current front runner for the honor. The junior fired his fifth straight complete game (and sixth this year) in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Oregon to help the Bruins to a three-game sweep in Eugene. Bauer (9-2) struckout 12 and leads the nation with 154 Ks. His 411 strikeouts make him the first Bruin with more than 400 in a career. He needs just 10 more Ks to set his own single season record from a year ago. Bauer’s efforts helped UCLA to its first road sweep of the season. The Bruin pitching staff has given-up just six runs over the last six games.

Oregon State's Tony Bryant

#7 Oregon State kept its steam train rolling by taking two of three games from #24 Cal. The Beavers (34-11, 14-4) have won each of their six Pac-10 Conferences series this season, while Cal (28-16, 12-9) has dropped two of its last three conference sets. OSU closer Tony Bryant earned his ninth save in as many chances this season in Sunday’s series clincher.

Pac-10 Standings

1. Oregon St 14-4 2. Arizona St 13-5 3. UCLA 14-7 4. Cal 12-8 5. Arizona 9-9 6. USC 8-10 7. Stanford 8-9 8. Oregon 5-12 9. Washington St. 4-13 and Washington 4-13

Ray Graham reached a career milestone over the weekend. The Rice head coach got carer win number 900 in Friday’s 8-2 win over cross-town rival Houston en-route to a series sweep. Graham and the Owls sit in second place behind Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA standings. The two teams meet in Hattiesburg, Miss to close the regular season.

Conference USA Standings

1. Southern Mississippi 14-4 2. Rice 12-6 3. East Carolina 11-10 4. Memphis & Houston 9-9 6. Tulane 8-10 7. UAB 9-12 8. UCF 7-11 9. Marshall 5-13

There were just two league series played in the ACC, with North Carolina and Wake Forest sweeping Maryland and Boston College, respectively. The rest of the teams in the league were either playing non-conference series or on break for final exams.

ACC Atlantic Standings

1. Florida State 16-8  2. Clemson 13-11  3. North Carolina State 11-13  4. Wake Forest 10-14  5. Boston College 7-19  6. Maryland 5-22 …

ACC Coastal Standings

1. Virginia 20-4  2. Georgia Tech 18-6  3. Miami 16-7  4. North Carolina 16-8  5. Virginia Tech 9-15  6. Duke 5-19

The West Coast Conference race got tighter when San Francisco dropped two of three at San Diego and Gonzaga swept Santa Clara. The Bulldogs now lead the WCC standings by percentage points over the Dons. Gonzaga (25-13-1, 9-3) has three conference series to play, while USF (25-22, 11-4) has just two left. The two teams meet in the regular season finale May 27-29 in Spokane. With no conference tournament, the WCC’s automatic NCAA bid is likely to be determined that weekend.

WCC Standings

1. Gonzaga 9-3 (.750)  2. San Francisco 11-4 (.733) 3. San Diego 8-7 4. Portland 6-6 5. Pepperdine 5-7 &  Loyola Marymount 5-7 7. St. Mary’s 6-9 8. Santa Clara 4-11

Cal State Fullerton has won five of its last seven games since dropping two of three Big West Conference games to Cal Poly two weeks ago. The Titans (33-13, 14-4) swept three at Riverside over the weekend to inch closer to another conference crown. UC Irvine (31-13, 10-5) took two of three from Cal Poly (21-21, 10-8) and sits in good shape to get at least an at-large NCAA bid. Poly likely needs to win at least nine of its final 12 games to have a chance at the program’s second bid in the last three years (and in program history). They close the season with three games at Pacific, a game at Stanford and three at Cal State Bakersfield.

Big West Standings

1. Fullerton 14-4  2. Irvine 10-5  3. Cal Poly 10-8  4. Long Beach & Davis 8-7  5. Riverside & Santa Barbara 6-9  7. Pacific 7-11  8. Northridge 3-12

The longest active Division One hitting streak in the nation is still alive at 33 straight games after Ryan Jones collected at least one hit in each of Michigan State’s (30-14, 13-5) three weekend wins over Purdue. Jones’ efforts helped the Spartans improve to 9-0 in Big Ten home games this season. They went into the weekend tied for first place with the Boilermakers in the conference standings, but now lead Minnesota (which they swept last month) by two games with two series to go. The top six teams advance to the Big Ten Tournament.

Michigan State's Ryan Jones extended his DI leading hitting streak to 33 games.

Big Ten Standings

1. Michigan St. 13-5  2. Minnesota 11-7  3. Purdue, Ohio St. & Illinois 10-8  6. Penn St. & Indiana 8-10  9. Iowa & Northwestern 7-11  11. Michigan 6-12

Big East Standings

1. UConn 17-3  2. St. Johns 13-7  3. West Virginia 13-8  4. Pittsburgh 12-9  5. South Florida 11-9  6. Louisville & Cincinnati 11-10  8. Notre Dame 10-10  9. Seton Hall 10-11

Southern Conference Standings

1. Elon 21-6  2. Greensboro 16-8  3. Charleston 15-9  4. Samford & Georgia  Southern 14-10  6. Appalachian St.  7. 12-11..Furman 10-13  8. Wofford & The Citadel 8-16

Southland Conference Standings

1. Texas St. 20-7  2. Stephen F. Austin 17-10  3. Sam Houston St. 16-11  4. Southeastern Louisiana 15-12  5. Texas A&M Corpus Christi 14-13  6. UT-Arlington & UT-San Antonio 13-14  8. McNeese & Nicholls 12-15

WAC Standings

1. Hawaii 12-4  2. Fresno St. 12-6  3. San Jose St. 9-7  4. New Mexico St. 7-8  5. Louisiana Tech 8-11  6. Nevada 6-9  7. Sacramento St. 3-12

America East Standings

1. Stony Brook 15-2  2.  Binghamton 12-4  3. Maine 12-5  4. Albany 9-7  5. Hartford 1-15  6. UMBC 0-16

Atlantic-10 top-9

1. Charlotte & Rhode Island 15-6  3. LaSalle & Dayton 11-7  5. Xavier & Richmond 10-8  7. Fordham & St. Bonaventure 9-8  9. StLouis 7-11

Atlantic Sun top-8

1. Stetson 20-4  2. Jacksonville 18-9  3. Belmont 14-10  4. Kennesaw St. 13-10  5. East TN 12-10  6. Mercer 12-11  7. Florida Gulf Coast 11-13  8. North Florida 13-14

Big South Standings

1. Coastal Carolina 17-4  2. Liberty 15-6  3. Charelston Southern & Gardner-Webb 12-9  5. Winthrop 11-10  6. Radford 10-11  7. VMI 9-11,  8. UNC-Asheville & High Point 7-14  10. Presbyterian 5-16

Colonial Standings

1. Old Dominion 16-8  2. James Madison & UNC-Wilmington 15-9  4. Towson 14-10  5. Delaware 15-12  6. Georgia State & William and Mary 13-11  8. Northeastern 10-14  9. VCU & Hofstra 9-15  11. George Mason 6-21

Horizon League Standings

1. Wright St. 13-5  2. Valparaiso 13-6  3. Illinois-Chicago 11-7  4. Milwaukee 11-8  5. Youngstown St. 7-11  6. Butler 7-12  7. Cleveland St. 4-17

MAAC Standings

1. Manhattan 16-1  2. Rider 15-6  3. Siena 10-8  4. Marist & Fairfield 9-9  6. Canisius 8-8  7. Iona 7-11  8. St. Peter’s 4-13  9. Niagara 4-17

MAC East Standings

1. Kent St. 17-4  2. Miami 14-7  3.  Bowling Green 10-11  4. Ohio 7-14  5. Akron 5-16  6. Buffalo 2-18

MAC West Standings

1. Central Michigan 14-7  2. Eastern Michigan & Toledo 13-8  4. Northern Illinois 12-9  5. Western Michigan 10-11  6. Ball St. 8-12

MEAC Standings

1. Bethune-Cookman 18-0  2. Delaware St 11-7  3. Norfolk St. & North Carolina A&T 9-8  5. Maryland-Eastern Shore 7-11  6. Florida A&M 6-12  7. Coppin St. 2-16

Missouri Valley Standings

1. Creighton 10-5  2. Wichita St. 9-6  3. Missouri St 8-6  4. Illinois St. & Southern Illinois 8-7  6. Evansville 6-8  7. Indiana St. 6-9  8. Bradley 4-11

Mountain West Standings

1. TCU 15-2  2. Utah 15-5  3. New Mexico 10-11  4. BYU 7-9  5. UNLV 7-10  6. San Diego State 7-11  7. Air Force 2-15

Northeast Conference Standings top-7

1. Monmouth 22-6  2. Sacred Heart 19-9  3. Long Island 18-9  4. Bryant 15-12  5. Central Connecticut St. 15-13  6. Wagner 12-16  7. Quinnipiac 11-21

OVC Standings top-7

Austin Peay 13-4…SE Missouri 10-6…Jacksonville (AL) St..TN Martin 9-8…E. Ill. 9-9…E. Kentucky 10-11..TN Tech 8-10

Summit League Standings

1. South Dakota St. 16-4  2. Oral Roberts 14-6  3. North Dakota St. 11-8  4. Western Illinois 10-10  5. Southern Utah & IPFW 8-12  6. Centenary 6-13

Sun Belt Standings top-8

1. Troy 16-7  2. Florida International 15-8  3. Florida Atlantic & Louisiana-Lafayette 14-9  5. Western Kentucky 13-10  6. South Alabama 11-12  7. Arkansas St. 10-13  8. Arkansas-Little Rock 8-15

SEC West Standings

1. Alabama & Arkansas 12-12  3. Auburn, Mississippi & Mississippi St. 11-13  6. LSU 8-16

SEC East Standings

1. Vanderbilt 19-5  2. South Carolina & Florida 18-6  4. Georgia 14-10  5. Kentucky & Tennessee 5-19

SEC TOURNAMENT SEEDINGS AS OF 5/9/11

1. VANDERBILT
2. ALABAMA (Won 2 of 3 vs. Arkansas)
3. SOUTH CAROLINA (Won 2 of 3 vs. UF)
4. FLORIDA (Lost 2 of 3 vs. SC)
5. GEORGIA
6. ARKANSAS (Lost 2 of 3 vs. Alabama)
7/8/9. AUBURN (2-1 vs. UM; 0-3 vs. MSU)
7/8/9. OLE MISS (1-2 vs. AU; TBD vs. MSU) 7/8/9. MISS. STATE (3-0 vs. AU; TBD vs. UM)
————————————————————————
10. LSU
11. TENNESSEE
12. KENTUCKY

Tournament Seeding Information

The eight teams that make up the 2011 Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament are determined by the best winning percentage in conference competition.

The divisional champion with the highest conference winning percentage is the first seed and the remaining divisional champion is the second seed.  All other teams are seeded 3-8 by conference winning percentage.

Dugouthats.com has officially licensed 2010 College World Series memorabilia year- round!

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We are finally down to the pitchers in our look at some of the top college baseball players to watch heading into the 2011 season. Our list of top pitchers will conclude soon with the top relievers.

1. Matt Purke – TCU – So. – LHP

Purke was everything he was supposed to be in 2010. The 14th overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft went right down the wire in his decision to turn pro or attend TCU before picking college. The Spring, TX native went 16-0 with a 3.02 ERA to help Jim Schlossnagle’s Horned Frogs reach the College World Series for the first time in program history. He struckout 142 batters in 116 1/3 innings with just 34 BB and he thrived in all the big moments. Purke fanned 11 in TCU’s Super Regional win over Texas. He then went 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in Omaha with wins over Florida State and UCLA to earn CWS All-Tournament honors. Oh by the way, he was also named the National Freshman of the Year.

2. Trevor Bauer – Jr. – RHP – UCLA

Bauer is 21-6 with a 3.00 ERA in his first two years at UCLA. He has earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors both years, including last year when he was 12-3 with a 3.02 ERA and a nation-leading 165 strikeouts in 131 1/3 innings. He was 9-3 with a team-best 2.99 ERA as a freshman in 2009. He made 10 relief appearances and 10 starts with four complete games (of UCLA’s five) that season, which would have been his senior year of high school had he not enrolled early at UCLA. Bauer was 2-0 in two starts at the 2010 College World Series. He had 13 strikeouts in an elimination game start against TCU to get the Bruins into the CWS Finals. He finished with 24 strikeouts and four walks in 15.0 IP in Omaha. The Valencia, CA native had 24 strikeouts in 17 1/3 IP for the USA Collegiate National Team in 2009.

3. Gerrit Cole – Jr. – RHP – UCLA

Cole was selected in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft out of high school by the New York Yankees, but opted to attend UCLA instead. That made him the first high school first round draft pick to ever attend UCLA. Cole was a Freshman All-American in 2009, going 4-8 with a 3.49 ERA, 104 strikeouts, 38 walks, and a .191 opponent batting average in 85 innings. In his seven losses as a starter that year the UCLA offense averaged just 2.0 runs-a-game. Cole was 11-4 with a 3.34 ERA to earn All-Pac-10 and All-American honors for the College World Series runners-up last year. He was third in the nation with 153 strikeouts in 123.0 IP. The Santa Ana, CA native has gone 6-0 over the last two summers for the USA Collegiate National Team. He had a 0.76 ERA in 2010 and a 1.06 ERA in ’09.

4. Danny Hultzen – Virginia – Jr. – LHP

Hultzen was one of the top two-way players in the country as a freshman in 2009, when he became the first Virginia player to be named ACC Freshman of the Year. He hit .327 with 37 RBIs in 54 starts, while going 9-1 with a 2.17 ERA and  107 Ks in 95 1/3 innings and 16 starts on the mound. Hultzen had a 2.05 ERA in his NCAA Tournament starts to help Brian O’Connor’s Cavs to their first College World Series. Hultzen was used primarily as a pitcher in 2010 and was just as dominant. The Bethesda, MD native was 11-1 with 123 strikeouts in 106 2/3 IP and a 2.78 ERA in 16 starts to become the first Cav to be named ACC Pitcher of the Year. His 20 career wins are tied for sixth in Virginia school history.

5. Taylor Jungmann – Jr. – RHP – Texas

Jungmann earned second team All-Big 12 honors last year after going 8-3 with a 2.03 ERA. He fired a team-high 120.0 innings with 129 strikeouts, 41 walks and one complete game. His .209 opponent batting average was also the best among the Longhorn’s starters. Jungmann was 11-3 with 101 strikeouts in 94 2/3 IP as a freshman in 2009, while finishing third in the nation with a .193 opponent batting average. The Temple, TX native made four appearances for the 2009 national runner-up Longhorns at the College World Series. He was 3-0 with a 0.59 ERA, 15 strikeouts, five and five walks in 15 1/3 total innings. Jungmann also fired a complete-game in his only Omaha start, which was game two of the CWS Championship Series.

6. Noe Ramirez – Cal State Fullerton – Jr. – RHP

Ramirez was named a Freshman All-American and Co-Big West Freshman of the Year (along with teammate Tyler Pill) in 2009 after going 9-2 with a 3.33 ERA. He struckout a Fullerton freshman record 100 batters in 110 2/3 IP to help the Titans to the College World series. He earned All-American status in 2010 after going 12-1 with a 2.54 ERA as the Friday starter for the Titan’s Super Regional team. The East Los Angeles native pitched at least 7.0 innings in 10 of his 14 starts, with two complete games. He struckout 119 in a team-best 109 1/3 IP. With Fullerton head coach Dave Serrano working as his pitching coach, Ramirez had five saves in nine relief appearances for the USA Collegiate National Team over the summer. He combined with Vanderbilt’s Sonny Gray and TCU’s Kyle Winkler to no-hit Korea on July 15.

7. Sonny Gray – Vanderbilt – Jr. – RHP

Gray was a Freshman All-American in 2009 after going 5-1 with a 4.30 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings for the Commodore’s NCAA Regional team. He was 10-5 with a 3.48 ERA and team-highs of 113 strikeouts and 108 2/3 IP last year. Gray earned his tenth win of the season in Vandy’s only win against Florida State at the Tallahassee Super Regional. The Smyrna, TN native has pitched for the USA Collegiate National Team in 2009 and 2010. He was drafted in the 27th round by the Chicago Cubs out of high school. At 5’11, 180 pounds, he has a build similar to former South Carolina ace Blake Cooper.

8. Jed Bradley – Jr. – LHP – Georgia Tech

Bradley was one of three Georgia Tech pitchers to win nine games (along with Deck McGuire and Brandon Cumpton) during his sophomore 2010 season. In fact, he became the ACC’s first nine-game winner when the Yellow Jackets beat fifth-ranked Miami on May 16. He was 9-5 with a 4.83 ERA in 16 starts in ’10. He struckout 99 with just 25 walks in 91 1/3 innings to earn second team All-ACC honors. The Huntsville, AL native saw his stock rise even further last summer when he became a Cape Cod League All-Star as a member of the Wareham Gateman. Baseball America tabbed Bradley the number four prospect in the Cape League heading into 2011.

9. Tyler Anderson – Jr. – LHP – Oregon

Anderson turned-in a 7-5 record with a 2.98 ERA as Oregon’s Friday starter in a Pac-10 that sent a record eight teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2010. He led the Ducks with 102 2/3 innings, with just 33 walks and 105 strikeouts, which ranked 36th in the nation. The 2010 All-Pac-10 performer was also a member of the USA Collegiate National Team over the summer. He was 1-0, while giving-up no earned runs in three starts. The Las Vegas, NV native was drafted in the 50th round by the Minnesota Twins in 2008. He is Baseball America’s #16 college prospect heading into the 2011 season.

10. Cole Green – Texas – Sr. – RHP

Green was the top pitcher on a team that is built on pitching in 2010. He earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors after going 11-2 with a 2.74 ERA. He logged 111 2/3 innings and tied Brandon Workman with a team-high four complete games. His big year came after a combined record of 8-10 in his first two years in Austin. Green had three no-decisions in three starts at the 2009 College World Series, but he struckout 15 in 15.0 IP. The Coppell, TX native was drafted in the fourth round of last year’s MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers, but he turned down the chance to go pro in favor of returning for his senior season.

11. Alex Panteliodis – Jr. – LHP – Florida

Panteliodis started the season in the bullpen, but soon became a stalwart in the weekend rotation as a sophomore in 2010. He earned two wins in relief in Florida’s season-opening series against South Florida and then gave-up just two hits in 5 2/3 IP in his first start of the year against Miami. Panteliodis ended his season with an 11-3 record, which included a five-game winning streak heading into the College World Series. The highlight of the Tampa, FL native’s season was his first career complete game, 12 strikeout performance in the Gators’ Super Regional opening win against the Hurricanes. He retired the last 14 batters of the game for the win.

12. Anthony Meo – Jr. – RHP – Coastal Carolina

Meo is 22-4 with a 2.74 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 173 1/3 innings in his first two years at Coastal Carolina. He enters his junior season with the eighth-best ERA and tied for 11th in wins in school history. Meo was a Freshman All-American in 2009 after going 9-2 with a 2.93 ERA. He earned All-American honors in 2010 with his 13-2 record, 2.61 ERA and 94 strikeouts. His wins and ERA were team-highs, while he finished second to former teammate Cody Wheeler’s (12-0, 3.64 ERA) 113 Ks. The duo helped Coastal Carolina to the program’s first Super Regional, which they dropped to eventual national champion South Carolina. Meo pitched for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League last summer.

13. Steven Maxwell – Sr. – RHP – TCU

Maxwell is back for his redshirt senior season at TCU after a breakthrough 2010 season that saw him drafted in 12th round by the Minneosta Twins. Maxwell was 5-2 from 2007-2009 for the Horned Frogs, but he was 11-2 with a team-best 2.70 ERA for TCU’s College World Series team in 2010. He finished with 93 strikeouts and earned All-American accolades and Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year honors. Maxwell’s 2008 season was cut short after three appearances due to an elbow injury that would require Tommy John surgery. He was the starting pitcher in four of TCU’s six shutouts in 2010.

14. Justin Jones – So. – RHP – Cal

Along with TCU’s Matt Purke, Jones was one of the top freshman pitchers in the nation in 2010. He earned first team All-Pac-10 and Freshman All-American honors after going 10-6 with a 4.22 ERA. He not only led the Golden Bears in wins, but also had more than a third of the NCAA Regional team’s 29 victories on the season. Jones also tossed Cal’s only two complete games. One of his top wins of the season came on March 12 against Rice to help Cal split their four-game series with the Owls in Houston. His ten wins ranked third in the Pac-10, behind UCLA’s Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer. The Oakdale, CA native was a seventh round pick of the Chicago White Sox in the 2009 MLB Draft.

15. Kyle Winkler – Jr. – RHP – TCU

The fact that TCU is favored to get back to Omaha in 2011 is evidenced by the fact that the Horned Frogs have three starters on this list. Winkler was 12-3 with a 3.39 ERA in 2010. His 19 starts, two complete games and 116 2/3 innings led the TCU pitching staff. His 12th win of the season was the biggest of his career. Winkler fired 7 2/3 shutout innings of five-hit ball at Texas on June 13 to clinch the Super Regional and send Jim Schlossnagle’s Horned Frogs to the College World Series for the first time in program history. Winkler has a two-year record of 19-4 with a 3.69 ERA. The Sugar Land, TX native was a member of the 2010 USA Collegiate National Team.

Others To Watch…

Matt Andriese – UC Riverside

Jack Armstrong – Vanderbilt

Chad Arnold – Washington State

Matt Barnes – UConn

Brian Dupra – Notre Dame

Dylan Floro – Cal State Fullerton

Kyle Hansen – St. John’s

Kurt Heyer – Arizona

Brian Johnson – Florida

Seth Manness – East Carolina

Ben Nelson – Navy

Tyler Pill – Cal State Fullerton

Mark Pope – Georgia Tech

Hudson Randall – Florida

Carson Smith – Texas State

Nick Tropeano – Stony Brook

Logan Verrett – Baylor

Tony Zych – Louisville

Related

Top 11 Non-Conference Schedules In 2011

Top 11 Catchers To Watch In 2011

Top 11 Shortstops To Watch In 2011

Top 11 Second basemen To Watch In 2011

Top 11 Third basemen To Watch In 2011

Top 11 First basemen To Watch In 2011

To Outfielders To Watch In 2011

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In the latest update of CB360’s exclusive Senior Class Salute, we take a look at a TCU baseball program that has accumulated one of the nation’s highest victory totals over the past four seasons (184-64; .742). The Horned Frogs today will be playing Florida State for the second time at the College World Series, with FSU (196-64; .754) also ranking among the winningest programs from 2007-10. (front page photo of Tyler Lockwood courtesy of TCU)

LOCKWOOD ranks as one of the more versatile and valuable pitchers at the 2010 College World Series, as a former starter who shifted into a relief/closer role this season (following the arrival of 1st-round talent Matt Purke). The 6-foot, 170-pound Lockwood has crafted a 1.97 ERA in 26 relief appearances this season, with 7 saves, a 6-2 record, nearly twice as many strikeouts as walks (36/17), and 6.1 more innings pitched than hits allowed (59.1/53). The Kempner High School product has help opposing hitters to a .239 batting avg., with his solid control numbers including only 5 hit batters and a single wild pitch.

Over the course of his stellar four-year career, Lockwood has compiled a 3.32 ERA and 22-8 record in 86 appearances (23 starts), with nearly a 3-to-1 career K-to-walk ratio (194/67) and 290 his allowed in 290.1 innings (30 HB, 12 WP, 7 SV).

MARSHALL – a 5th-year senior – played sparingly in 2006 and ’07 (1.1 innings each season) before making 53 relief appearances over the past three seasons. His career numbers with the Horned Frogs include a 4.00 ERA, 5-2 record and 10 saves, plus 56 strikeouts, 30 walks and 67 hits allowed in 72 innings (9 HB, 4 WP). The 6-foot-3, 140-pound veteran was TCU’s closer in 2009 (prior to Lockwood’s shift in role), with Marshall’s stellar 2009 season including a 1.48 ERA and 9 saves in 24 appearances (2-2, 20 K, 4 BB, 22 H, 30.1 IP).

MAXWELL – who has a 5th-year of eligibility (after making only three appearances in 2008) – has combined with the dominant lefthander Purke and sophomore RHP Kyle Winkler to form one of the nation’s top 3-man rotations this season. His strong 2010 season has included a 2.41 ERA and 11-2 record in 17 starts, with 89 strikeouts, only 34 walks and 83 hits allowed in 100.2 innings.

The three-headed monster of Maxwell-Purke-Winkler has combined for a 28-4 record and 2.89 ERA spanning 54 appearances (52 starts) and 327.1 innings during the 2010 season. The trio has amassed a 3.2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (321/102) and has thrown 48 more innings than hits allowed (280). Opposing hitters have combined to hit only .280 vs. the TCU 3-man rotation this season.

In his four seasons at TCU, the 6-0/180-pound Maxwell has gone 16-4 with a 3.44 ERA in 47 appearances (31 starts … 150 K, 55 BB, 170 H, 14 HB, 8 WP in 178 innings).

The 28 teams on the list of winning programs from 2007-10 include six from the ACC, five SEC, plus three Big 12 programs and three from Conference USA, along with two each from the BIG EAST and Big West, and one each from the Atlantic-10, Big South, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Pacific-10, Southern Conf. and the Summit League.

Three teams on this list – Wichita State (#15), Charlote (#18) and East Carolina (#20) – failed to reach the 2010 NCAAs.

There have been 76 different teams over the past four years (2007-10) that have posted at least one season with 40-plus wins.

Winningest Senior Classes in 2010 College Baseball Season (2007-10)
(through June 22 games at the 2010 College World Series)
(research courtesy of CollegeBaseball360.com; please credit accordingly)
* – 2010 College World Series teams

By The Numbers And Analysis For Each Of The Omaha Eight

The beginning of the end is almost here.  The last College World Series that will ever be played at Rosenblatt Stadium starts Saturday.  Below are statistical breakdowns of this year’s eight CWS teams as well as a “by the numbers” look at each team and analysis.

Once the CWS begins Collegebaseball360.com will have daily coverage of every game in Omaha, including post game video with players and coaches, a daily blog and a daily CWS scoreboard.

CWS Bracket One

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Jim Schlossnagle

TCU Horned Frogs (51-12)
Head Coach: Jim Schlossnagle  (7th season)

1…College World Series appearance by the Horned Frogs.  It’s also the first CWS appearance by any Mountain West Conference team in the 11 year history of the league.

51…Wins this season-a school record.

37-3…Combined record of TCU starting pitchers Matt Purke, Kyle Winkler and Steven Maxwell.   The trio has also combined for 312 strikeouts and just 95 walks in 317 2/3 IP.

23-0…TCU’s record this season when its pitching staff strikes out at least 10 batters in a game.

14…Wins with no losses by Purke.  The freshman was also the 14th overall pick in the first round by the Texas Rangers in the 2009 MLB draft, but he chose to go to college instead.

5-1…The Horned Frogs’ record so far in the NCAA post season.  Their only loss was vs. Texas in game two of their Super Regional.

.340…Team batting average, which is 10th best in the nation this season.

3.46…Team ERA-good for a #7 national ranking.  TCU is the only team in the nation to rank in the top 10 in both team batting average and ERA.

.558…Team slugging percentage-the best of any of the eight CWS teams and good for a #6 NCAA ranking.

1…TCU player, Matt Curry, who has double-digit home runs and stolen bases.  Curry leads the Horned Frogs with 17 and 12, respectively.  Curry also has team highs with 26 doubles and an 1.173 OPS.

.373 & 66…Team best batting average and RBIs by outfielder Jason Coats, who has also hit 13 HR.

ANALYSIS: TCU has the best combination of pitching and hitting of the eight teams in Omaha.  Any questions about the Horned Frogs offensive and pitching stats against Mountain West Conference competition have already been answered.  They took two of three from one of the nation’s best offensive teams, New Mexico, during the regular season.  They also beat the nation’s best pitching team, Texas, in last week’s Super Regional.  The biggest question would appear to be whether they can avoid the awe factor of the program’s first CWS appearance.

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Mike Martin

Florida State Seminoles (47-18)
Head Coach: Mike Martin  (31st season)

20…College World Series appearances by the FSU-the fifth most all-time appearances by a school.

2,570…Florida State baseball games head coach Mike Martin has been involved in as a player, assistant and head coach.  Martin has been involved in nearly 75% of the 2,526 wins in the history of Florida State baseball.

15 & 68…Team leading home runs and RBIs by Mike McGee, who is also batting .328.

12…Team leading saves by McGee, which is tied for 10th in the nation.  The junior, who doubles as the team’s closer, is 4-0 on the mound with a 1.37 ERA.

0…Complete games by the FSU pitching staff.  The Seminoles join Arizona State as the only two CWS pitching staffs without a CG this season.

15…Out of 15 FSU pitchers who have made at least one relief appearance during the season.

255…Walks issued by the Seminole staff-the most of any of the teams in Omaha.

30…Team best stolen bases by Tyler Holt, who is also batting a team best .352 and leads the ‘Noles with 82 runs scored.

ANALYSIS: As usual, Mike Martin’s Seminoles have a team that can hit, but there are questions with their pitching depth.  Sean Gilmartin was knocked-out early in FSU’s Super Regional opener against Vanderbilt and then had to come back out of the bullpen to help win game three.  A win over TCU and freshman ace Matt Purke in the opener would be huge.

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John Savage

UCLA Bruins (48-14)
Head Coach: John Savage  (6th season)

3…College World Series appearances by the Bruins.  This is their first since 1997.

48…School record wins this season.

#6…National seed of the Bruins, which are one of just three national seeds to make it to Omaha.

22…School record wins to open the season by UCLA.  The Bruins first setback was an 8-4 loss to Stanford on April 3rd.

2.94 & .218…Team ERA and opponent batting average of the Bruin pitching staff.  The ERA is the second best in the nation (behind Texas).

639…NCAA leading strikeouts fired by the UCLA pitching staff.

396…Of the strikeouts that have been recorded by weekend starters Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer and Rob Rasmussen.  The trio is also a combined 31-8 this season.

11…Wins this season by Rasmussen.  The junior has the most wins by a Bruin hurler since Jim Parque set the school record with 13 on the team’s 1997 CWS team.

1…Career complete game Rasmussen has tossed.  It came in Sunday’s Super Regional clincher vs. Cal State Fullerton.

.464 & .401…Team slugging percentage and on-base percentage.  The slugging percentage is the lowest in the CWS field, while the on-base percentage is tied for the second lowest with Oklahoma.

0…Double digit home run hitters for UCLA.  They’re the only such CWS team this year.

.328-7-45…Batting average, HR and RBIs by Tyler Rahmatulla, who started 61 of UCLA’s 62 games this season as their primary 3-hole hitter.  The sophomore will miss the CWS after breaking his wrist in the Bruins’ Super Regional celebration dog pile.

ANALYSIS: As evidenced by the strikeout total UCLA is built on not just pitching, but power arms and that’s what usually gets it done in the post season (although not for Texas last week).  The Bruin pitchers aren’t just strong-armed, they’re confident as well.  UCLA must overcome the loss of Rahmatulla, who emerged early as one of their top run producers.  A team that doesn’t have a lot of offense to begin with can’t afford to lose what offense it has.

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Kevin O'Sullivan

Florida Gators (47-15)
Head Coach:  Kevin O’Sullivan  (3rd season)

6…College World Series appearances by the Gators.  This is their first trip to Omaha since finishing as the national runner-up in 2005.

3…Years as a head coach by Gator boss Kevin O’Sullivan.  He made trips to the CWS as a Clemson assistant in 2000, 2002 and 2006.

3…National seed of the Gators, making the first round Florida vs. UCLA game the only one to feature two national seeds.

6.9…Runs a game scored by Florida-the lowest of the eight teams in the field in Omaha.

.381…On-base percentage by the Gators-the lowest of the eight CWS competitors.

1…Complete game this season by the Florida pitching staff.  Alex Panteliodis got it last week when he struck out 12 in Florida’s 7-2 win over Miami in the Super Regional opener.

11…Saves by Kevin Chapman, who has made a staff high 30 appearances while holding opposing batters to a .183 average.

6…Florida position players who have started at least 25 games who are either freshmen or sophomores.

2…Freshmen, Brian Johnson (6-4) and Hudson Randall (8-3), who join the sophomore Panteliodis (11-2) in the weekend pitching rotation.

3.97 & .413…Johnson’s ERA and batting average this season.  The freshman has started 14 times on the mound as well as 26 games in the Gator line-up.

17 & 70…Team leading home runs and RBIs by freshman Austin Maddox, who has started 61 of his team’s 62 games this season.

.358 & 23…Team high batting average and stolen bases by Matt den Dekker, who is one of a handful of seniors on the team.  He has also hit 13 home runs and has scored a team best 64 runs.

.978…Team fielding percentage-the best of the eight CWS teams and 6th best in the nation.

ANALYSIS: The Gators don’t do anything particularly flashy, they are just good across the board and they find a way to win.  They’re battled tested with big SEC series wins, including the regular season finale vs. fellow CWS team South Carolina.   There’s a possible Omaha awe factor as well for the young Gators.

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The Dugout in Omaha has everything you’re looking for when it comes to officially licensed CWS hats and shirts!

CWS Bracket Two

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Tim Esmay

Arizona State Sun Devils (52-8)
Head Coach: Tim Esmay  (1st season)

#1…National seed.  The Sun Devils are one of just three national seed (along with UCLA and Florida) to make it to Omaha this year.

22…College World Series appearances by ASU-the third most all-time behind Texas (33) and Miami (23)

24…Consecutive wins by ASU to open the season.  They suffered their first loss on April 2nd with a 6-5 setback to Oregon in 12 innings.

134…Stolen bases by the Sun Devils-the most of any CWS team.  Drew Maggi leads ASU with 35 swipes.

14…NCAA leading triples hit by Pac 10 Player of the Year Zack MacPhee, who also leads the Sun Devils with a .679 slugging percentage.  MacPhee’s .394 batting average is second only to Riccio Torrez’s .399 avg.

33-3…Combined record of starting pitchers Merrill Kelly, Jake Borup and Pac 10 Pitcher of the Year Seth Blair.

7-2…The trios ASU record last year, with all the decisions courtesy of Blair.  Kelly is in his first year at ASU after transferring from Yavapai CC, while Borup made just eight appearances last year as a freshman.

0…Innings pitched this year by Josh Spence due to an elbow injury.  Spence was 10-1 with a 2.37 ERA for last year’s CWS team.  He was drafted in the third round of last year’s MLB draft by the Angels, but chose to return to ASU for his senior season.

0…Complete games by the ASU pitching staff.  They join Florida State as the only two staffs in Omaha without a CG this year.

23…Saves by Sun Devil pitchers-the most of any CWS team this season.  Jordan Swaggerty leads the way with 14, which is tied for the third most in the nation.

.239…Opponent batting average by the Sun Devil staff.  The mark is second only to UCLA’s CWS leading .219.

ANALYSIS: Arizona State brought plenty of confident teams to Omaha under former head coach Pat Murphy, but never brought home the big prize.  Under Tim Esmay the Sun Devils enter the CWS this year in circumstances similar to last year’s Cal State Fullerton team that was 5-0 in Regionals and Super Regionals, but went 0-2 in Omaha.  ASU still has the same swagger under Esmay as they head under Murphy, but can they finally go the distance with it?

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Jack Leggett

Clemson Tigers (43-23)
Head Coach: Jack Leggett  (17th season)

12…College World Series appearances by Clemson – the 11th most all-time appearances by a team.

43…Wins by the Tigers – the fewest of the eight CWS teams.

23…Clemson losses – the most of the field in Omaha.

20 & 20…Touchdown passes thrown and home runs hit by quarterback/outfielder Kyle Parker, who is the first such 20/20 two-sport athlete in Division One history.  The Colorado Rockies took Parker with the 26th pick in the first round of this year’s MLB draft.

4.72…Team ERA – the highest of this year’s CWS teams.

.280…Opponent batting average, which is also the highest of the eight pitching staffs in Omaha.

8.8…Runs a game scored by the Tigers, making them the highest scoring offense in Omaha this year.

17 & 23…Home runs hit and stolen bases by 3B John Hinson, who is also batting .345 with 72 RBIs.

15 & 85…Home runs and RBIs by OF Jeff Schaus, whose RBI total ranks fifth in the nation and is the most of any player at the College World Series.

7-2…Alex Frederick’s record on the mound.  The reliever has made just one start with a team high 30 appearances and is tied with starter Casey Harman (7-3) for the second most wins on the Tiger staff.

1…Complete game (tossed by Harman) by the Clemson pitching staff.

5…Tigers relievers, incuding Frederick, who have made at least 20 appearances this season.  Harman and Scott Weismann (8-2) have each made 17 starts and are the only Clemson pitchers without a relief appearance in 2010.

ANALYSIS: The Tigers hit and then hit some more, as evidenced by their 31 runs in their three Super Regional games vs. Alabama.  They scored at least 10 runs in a game 25 times this season, but how will they fair in their first round match-up against an Arizona State team that pitches, hits and plays defense?  ASU is going to put it in play and Clemson’s defense also ranks just 135th in the nation.

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Sunny Golloway

Oklahoma Sooners (49-16)
Head Coach: Sunny Golloway  (6th season)

10…College World Series appearances by the Sooners, who haven’t been to Omaha since 1995.  OU won the 1994 National Championship.

100…Home runs hit this season by Oklahoma – the most by any of the eight CWS teams and good for eighth in the nation.

65…Sac bunts by the Sooners, which is also the most by any of the eight CWS teams and good for seventh in the nation.

4…Home runs hit in OU’s two Super Regional wins over Virginia by Cody Reine.  The OF was 5-for-8 with 11 RBIs in the game two and three victories.  Five of his 10 HR this year have come in NCAA play.

95…Stolen bases by Oklahoma.  With five more swipes OU would join Coastal Carolina and Miami as the only three teams with at least 100 HR and 100 SB this season.

2…Straight wins by Oklahoma to close their Super Regional series after losing 3-2 to Virginia in the opener.  The Cavaliers hadn’t lost back to back games all season.

0…Runs allowed by the Sooners in their 11-0 Super Regional clinching win over UVA.  It’s their first shutout in NCAA play since 1992.

.371/16/64…Team best batting average, home runs and RBIs by Garrett Buechelle.  The sophomore is the son of 11-year MLB veteran Steve Buechelle.

.311/15/52…Batting average, home runs and RBIs by Cameron Seitzer.  The sophomore is the son of 12-year MLB veteran Kevin Seitzer.

.976…Team fielding percentage – tied with Arizona State for the second best fielding rate at the CWS.

5-0…Record of pitcher Jack Mayfield.  The freshman has made just three starts with 13 relief outings, but he has one of the pitching staff’s three complete games this year.

7 & 5…Wins and saves by Jeremy Erben, who leads the Sooners with 31 appearances, including 29 in relief.  Erben’s saves are second to Ryan Duke, who leads the team with 11.

540…Miles from OU’s campus in Norman, OK to Omaha, NE.  The number has been posted in the Sooner’s dugout all season.

ANALYSIS: Oklahoma took a page out of Virginia’s own book when it went on the road to beat the Cavs in last week’s Super Regional (as UVA did last year at Ole Miss).  The first round match-up vs. South Carolina’s Blake Cooper (see below) is an intriguing one.  Despite the big offensive numbers the Sooners have put-up this year they were shutout twice and scored just three runs in three games against the best pitchers they’ve seen so far: Texas.

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Ray Tanner

South Carolina Gamecocks (48-15)
Head Coach: Ray Tanner  (14th season)

9…College World Series appearances by the Gamecocks.  Their last appearance was in 2004.

3…Times (including this year) that South Carolina made it to Omaha in the same year as intrastate rival Clemson.  The two also appeared together at the CWS in 2002 and 1977.

2-0…South Carolina’s record vs. Clemson at the ’02 CWS – the only games between the two teams in Omaha.

12…Home runs hit and stolen bases by Whit Merrifield.  The junior leads his team in both categories and he’s the only Gamecock with double digit home runs and stolen bases.

13 & 70…Sacrifice bunts and runs scored by Merrifield - both tops in the SEC.

9…South Carolina players who have hit at least seven home runs and driven-in at least 28 runs in 2010.

15 & 52…Team leading doubles and RBIs by Adrian Morales.  The junior is batting .286.

.371…Team high batting average of Jackie Bradley, Jr., who had 51 RBIs entering the CWS.

12 & 118 1/3…Wins and innings pitched by Gamecock ace Blake Cooper, who leads the SEC in both departments.  The senior (12-1, 2.81 ERA) suffered his only loss of the season in his last start of the regular season to SEC regular season champion Florida.

4…Complete games pitched by the SC pitching staff – the most of the eight CWS teams.  Sam Dyson (5-5, 4.39 ERA) has tossed three of them, while Cooper has the other.

91…Combined relief appearances by Michael Roth (1-1, 1.50, 3 SV), Matt Price (3-1, 2.54, 10 SV) and Jose Mata (7-1, 2.34).  Roth is second in the SEC with 33 appearances, while Mata’s 31 are tied for third.

568…Strikeouts by the Gamecock pitching staff.  The total ranks third in the nation and is second only to UCLA’s 619 of the teams in Omaha.

ANALYSIS: Like SEC rival Florida, South Carolina is a team that lacks a lot of flash, but just gets it done.  Cooper is a bulldog who has gone up against the top pitchers in the SEC and lost just once all season.  While none of the other starters approach his production, the bullpen is deep enough to make the Gamecocks a legit threat.  Their Sunday match-up with OU could be the best of the four first round games.

Day Two Super Regional Notes And Thoughts

Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan

Miami hasn’t won a postseason game in Gainesville since 2002.

The Big “E”s: Miami committed seven, that’s right seven errors in Saturday’s loss to Florida.  Only one of the four runs scored by the Gators was earned.  In fact, just two of Florida’s 11 runs in the two games was earned thanks to nine Hurricane miscues.  Miami hasn’t won a postseason game in Gainesville since 2002.

Mighty Mo: It didn’t take long for Texas to take back the momentum in it’s series with TCU.  After losing 3-1 in Friday’s opener the Longhorns drubbed the Horned Frogs 14-1 on Saturday to send the game to a deciding third game.  The rout was due in part to the dominant pitching of Taylor Jungmann, who struck out 9 in 8 1/3 IP, but also largely to three Horned Frog errors that led to six unearned runs scored by the Longhorns.  All five runs allowed in 3 2/3 IP by TCU starter Steven Maxwell (11-2) were unearned.

Crowded House: The first two games of the Texas-TCU Super Regional have drawn more than 7,300 fans each to Disch-Falk Field.  That makes 21 games this season in which the Longhorns have played in front of a crowd of more than 7,000.

Livin’ On The Edge: Vanderbilt downed Florida State 6-2 Saturday to force Sunday’s winner take all game.  The win makes the Commodores 4-0 in NCAA elimination games this year.  Saturday’s win halted Florida State’s seven game winning streak.

Not So Super: This is Florida State’s 10th Super Regional since 1999, but the Seminoles have won just one of their last seven Super Regional series since advancing to Omaha in the first two years of the format in 1999 and 2000.  Three of those Super Regional losses came on their home field.  Including their 1-1 mark this year, the Seminoles are 9-14 all-time in Super Regional games.

Great Garvin: Commodore reliever Grayson Garvin tossed three shutout innings to finish Saturday’s win.  Garvin has now given-up just two runs with 12 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings in three postseason appearances this year.

Son Of A Yaz: Vanderbilt freshman Mike Yastrzemski is the grandson of Red Sox Hall of Famer Carl

Vanderbilt freshman Mike Yastrzemski

Yastrzemski, but he has a Seminole connection as well.  Mike’s dad, Michael, played at Florida State from 1980-’83.  Mike is 4-for-7 in the Super Regional with a double, a home run and two RBIs.

Is That A Girl, What’s She Know About College Baseball? Those were my wife’s words, not mine, when she heard Pam Ward doing the play-by-play of Virginia’s 3-2 win over Oklahoma in game one of their series.  I’ll admit I was skeptical of Ward doing the game, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone.  I have to say though that Ward did a solid job.  She’s got a lot of experience doing softball games, and she even used that to provide some baseball insight.  Ward talked about the current moratorium on composite bats in college baseball and how college softball may consider the same thing with all of the home runs hit at this year’s Women’s College World Series.

Hoos Boom: Virginia scored all three of its runs in that game on home runs.  Phil Gosselin led-off the bottom of the 1st inning with his 10th HR of the year and then Dan Grovatt hit the deciding two-run blast in the 6th.

Nice Lid: Did you see the hat UCLA pitcher Trevor Bauer wore during the Fullerton game at Jackie Robinson Stadium?  It’s so faded and worn looking that it looks like Jackie Robinson could have worn it during his playing days with the Bruins.

That’s A Bold Statement: “Of all the guys I’ve seen hit Harold Martinez is my favorite hitter.  Manny Ramirez is my guy in Major League baseball.  When I walk into a room and a Manny Ramirez at-bat is on I’m not walking out.   That’s how I felt about Harold Martinez.”  That’s what Eric Byrnes said about injured Miami third baseman Harold Martinez, who was hospitalized in Gainesville with an infected shin.  Byrnes got to see first hand last week just how explosive Martinez’s bat is when the sophomore had 9 RBIs and two HR in the Coral Cables Regional.

Jake Smith hit a home run and earned a save in Alabama's win.

Tide Rolling: Alabama beat Clemson 5-4 in Saturday’s series opener.  The Crimson Tide, which barely made the SEC Tournament field,  has won 13 of its last 15 games to move to within one win from Omaha.  One more win would make Mitch Gaspard just the second rookie coach in the last 30 years to take a team to the College World Series.  Dan McDonnell did it at Louisville in 2007.

The Two Jakes: How about Alabama’s Jake Smith?  The senior started at third base and hit his 14th home run of the season to help the Tide win Saturday’s game.  He then gave-up just a hit over the final two scoreless innings of the game to earn his sixth save.

It’s On Where? With all eight Super Regionals in action on Saturday it was a little hard to actually find where some of them were (or weren’t) being televised.  I was never actually able to watch the Alabama-Clemson game on TV.  I did watch parts of it on ESPN3.com.  That’s where I found most of the UCLA-Fullerton game, and then the video froze.  Turned out they moved it to ESPN2 after the Florida-Miami game was over. It’s just a shame that unless you were on the west coast most of the UCLA-Fullerton series was either on TV after 11pm ET Friday night (it ended after 2am) or was not on TV at all.

Bopping Bruins: UCLA hit four home runs in Saturday’s 11-7 10-inning win over the Titans.  Tyler Rahmatulla had the biggest of the blasts.  With UCLA down to its last two strikes of the season the sophomore’s 2-run shot gave the Bruins a 7-6 lead in the top of the 9th.  Fullerton tied the score 7-7 in the bottom of the inning, and then UCLA plated four in the 10th for the win.

Golden Gallego: Bruin shortstop Niko Gallego made two great plays in the bottom of the 10th to help force Sunday’s deciding game.  Niko is the son of 13-year MLB vetern Mike Gallego.

White Between The Eyes: When Arizona State reliever Mitchell Lambson went to the mound in the top of the 8th inning umpires apparently told him he had too much rosin on his hat.  The reasoning would be that the white from the rosin could be deceptive to Arkansas batters.  Sounds fairly reasonable, and the rationale would be in line with the fact that pitchers cannot have white on their gloves.  What I’ve never understood is how a few white stitches on a pitcher’s glove (or in this case rosin on a hat that’s also covered in white salt stains) aids in hiding the ball than a full home white uniform (like ASU was wearing Saturday night)…or even white lettering on a dark uniform (like Arkansas had).

Lights Out Lambson: Rosin or no rosin, Lambson had 2 Ks in a 1-2-3 inning, and he wasn’t done there.  In a game ASU eventually won 7-6 in 12 innings, Lambson (8-2) fired five shutout innings of relief with six strikeouts to earn the win.

Uggghh: I really want to watch the Arkansas-Arizona State series, just not with Justin “I continually second guess head coaches who have been to the College World Series four times” Kutcher calling the action.  Ok, so Dave Van Horn didn’t bring in Brett Eibner to pitch leading 6-5 in the 9th inning…we get it.  Now go back to criticizing umpires.

Tough Night: Eibner was called out not once, but twice for batter’s interference.  The second one ended the top of the 12th inning.  The two-way star (21 HR, 69 RBIs) then gave-up the game-winning hit to Deven Marrero in the bottom of the 12th.

Texas and TCU are headed for game three of a Super Regional for a second straight year after the Longhorn’s lopsided 14-1 win over the Horned Frogs Saturday at Disch-Falk Field.  Collegebaseball360.com’s Stephen Francis was in Austin for Saturday’s game and was able to talk one on one with Texas pitcher Taylor Jungmann, TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle and TCU pitcher Steven Maxwell in these video interviews.

Francis also writes for Examiner.com, and you can read his report here.  Francis will also have video and more analysis on Collegebaseball360.com after Sunday’s deciding game three.

THE FINAL RELEASE

Vanderbilt sophomore lefthander Richie Goodenow

With the Super-Regional round fast approaching, CB360 takes a look back at the Primetime Performers from the Regional Round that wrapped up on Tuesday during this condensed week. Coastal Carolina junior centerfielder Rico Noel (Lawton, Okla.) has been selected the national Primetime Player of the Week while Vanderbilt junior lefthander Richie Goodenow (Nashville, Tenn.) is the Primetime Pitcher of the Week. (front-page photo courtesy of Coastal Carolina)

Coastal Carolina junior centerfielder Rico Noel

It doesn’t get much more “primetime” than during NCAA Tournament play, with 104 high-stakes games played over the five-day stretch of June 4-8. Noel and Goodenow are joined by 19 others in comprising CollegeBaseball360.com’s latest installment of the Primetime Performer Honor Roll, which included a player from each of the 16 advancing teams (plus one each from the five runner-up teams that were playing on the road and forced a game-7 finale).

NOEL supplied his all-around game througout the regional, with Coastal Carolina serving as the host and top seed at BB&T Field in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Chanticlers battled back from a 16-6 loss vs. 2-seed College of Charleston (in the winners-bracket), winning three straight games to earn a spot in the Super-Regional round.

Coastal Carolina's Noel Rico (pictured in action earlier this season) batted 10-for-23 in the Myrtle Beach Regional with 7 RBI, 7 runs scored, a pair of home runs and 6 stolen bases. His 9th-inning, 2-run blast vs. College of Charleston took Coastal from the brink of elimination to a decisive Monday rematch (photo courtesy of Coastal Carolina).

Over the course of the five regional games, Noel patroled center field while batting .435 (10-for-23) from the 2-hole/leadoff spots. He factored into 12 of Coastal’s runs (7 RBI, 7 R, 2 HR). The speedy veteran swiped six bases during the regional, yielding a nation-leading 56 stolen bases for the season.

The 5-foot-9, 170-pound righthanded hitter went 5-for-13 in three showdown games vs. Charleston (6-16; 8-7; 11-10, in 10) – highlighted by his 9th-inning home run as the Chanticleers were 2-outs away from elimination. That home run (his 11th of the season) came on a 1-2 pitch, with the ball sailing over the leftfield wall to turn a 1-run deficit into a 1-run win. His final line in that dramatic game also included batting 4-for-5 with 5 RBI and his 18th double of the season.

Noel collected three stolen bases in Monday’s clinching win, also batting 3-for-6 with a triple in that extra-inning finale. Earlier in the tournament, he helped post a pair of wins (6-0, 25-7) over a scrappy Stony Brook squad that upset 3rd-seed North Carolina State.

In addition to his 56 stolen bases, Noel ranks second on his team in season batting average (.348) and has motored home for a team-leading 81 runs, plus 62 RBI and 40 walks (.464 on-base pct.).

GOODENOW had been a solid lefthanded setup man for Vanderbilt throughout the 2010 season, making 28 appearances before being tabbed for his first start of the season in a pressure-packed situation. Homestanding and top-seeded Louisville was awaiting with a fresher and deeper pitching staff, along with a potent offense that ultimately finished the season with a .314 team batting average and 88 home runs.

Vanderbilt sophomore Richie Goodenow – typically a spot reliever and setup man – rose to the challenge in his first start of the season (second of career), fashioning a 2-hit shutout vs. the potent Louisville offense (7-0) that forced a decisive rematch. Goodenow had a pair of walks – but also rolled up two double-play balls – in facing only 29 batters during the 99-pitch complete game. (photo courtesy of Vanderbilt)

With his team needing to beat Louisville in that Sunday game (and again on Monday), Goodenow delivered a complete game that preserved the bullpen and set up the clinching Monday win. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound lefthander fashioned a 2-hit shutout (7-0) while facing only two batters over the minimum (29, with a pair of walks). He located 60 of 99 pitches for strikes, with 19 of his outs coming via strikeouts (5), groundballs (12, including pair of double-play balls) or infield popups (2).

A third-inning double represented the only Louisville batter who reached second base during the entire game.

Goodenow retired the first five batters he faced (four on strikeouts) before allowing a double by Cade Stalling (before a 4-3 groundout and F-9 flyout). Ryan Wright later was stranded after a 2-out walk in the 4th, with Goodenow then retiring seven straight before Andrew Clark’s leadoff walk in the 7th (followed by a 5-4 groundout and 4-6-3 double play).

The Cardinals’ fourth and final baserunner came in the 8th, when Josh Richmond sent a 1-out double up the middle but quickly was erased on a 4-6-3 double play.

Louisville’s #1 thru #6 hitters all went hitless (0-for-18 combined) during Goodenow’s masterpiece.

Primetime Performer Award Criteria (not based solely on raw stats, but rather …)
• Must have been playing for or against a CB360 top-50 team (in the Composite National Rankings) or performed a high level in games that could be key to a team’s conference/NCAA postseason qualification/advancement; made significant contribution to team’s postseason positioning (single-game wins, “quality” wins, series wins, road wins, etc.).
• Involved in clutch performances, such as late game-winning hits, noteworthy comebacks, game-changing plays, team leadership, key defensive efforts, etc.
• Performed 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.
• Overcame adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).
• Any accomplishment that is rare, historic, record-setting, etc., on a national level.

The other 19 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll for the NCAA Regionals include (see capsules for each player at bottom of release): St. John’s fr. LF Jeremy Baltz (Vestal, N.Y.) … Virginia jr. DH John Barr (Ivyland, Pa.) … Washington State sr. 2B Cody Bartlett (Kent, Wash.) … UCLA so. RHP Trevor Bauer (Valencia, Calif.) … Arizona State sr. RF Kole Calhoun (Buckeye, Ariz.) … Cal State Fullerton jr. SS Christian Colon (Corona, Calif.) … South Carolina sr. RHP Blake Cooper (Neeses, S.C.) … Texas A&M jr. catcher Kevin Gonzalez (Houston, Texas) … Clemson jr. 3B  John Hinson (Asheville, N.C.) … College of Charleston jr. SS Jamie Holler (Rock Hill, S.C.) … Florida State so. 3B Sherman Johnson (Tampa, Fla.) … Texas so. RHP Taylor Jungmann (Temple, Texas) … Arkansas so. LF Collin Kuhn (Beaver Dam, Wis.) … Miami sr. 2B Scott Lawson (Grapevine, Texas) … TCU sr. RHP Steven Maxwell (The Woodland, Texas) … Alabama so. LHP Adam Morgan (Marietta, Ga.) … Oklahoma so. RF Cody Reine (Walker, La.) … Minnesota jr. RHP Seth Rosin (Shoreview, Minn.) … and Florid so. LF Tyler Thompson (Tequesta, Fla.).

The week-16 honorees ended up including at least one player from every position, with seven total pitchers (five RHPs and a pair of LHPs), three leftfielders, two shortstops, two third basemen and two rightfielders, plus a catcher, first baseman, second baseman, centerfielder and DH. The 21 selections feature five seniors, eight juniors, seven sophomores and the freshman Balyz. The honorees hail from 15 different home states, led by four from Texas and two each from California, Florida and South Carolina – plus one each from Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.

PRIMETIME PERFORMERS WEEKLY HONOR ROLL #16
(NCAA Regionals; June 4-8, 2010 … presented by CollegeBaseball360.com)

“It’s not so much what you do, as it is when you do it.”

JEREMY BALTZ (LF … #18)
St. John’s  •  Fr.
Vestal, NY  •  Vestal HS
6-3  •  190  •  Bats: Right

Power-hitting rookie (finished with 24 HR) who wrapped up impressive first season by batting 7-for-16 (.438) with 19 total bases (4 HR) and 13 times on-base (3BB-3HBP) spanning five regional games at Virginia, as 3rd-seed SJU reached the final game … racked up a 1.779 OPS (.591 on-base + 1.188 slugging pct.) at the regional, highlighted by 2-HR game in 6-5 win over the top seed/host Cavaliers … his 2-run blast in the bottom of the 8th of that game sent Red Storm from brink of elimination into Monday rematch (won by UVa, 5-3; Baltz had RBI 1B) … helped eliminate 2-seed Ole Miss (20-16; 1-for-3, RBI-2R-BB-2HBP), after homering in earlier 10-5 loss to the Rebels (2-for-3; 3RBI-2BB) … collected his other HR in 8-6 win over VCU (2RBI, HBP, sac-fly).

JOHN BARR (DH … #7)
Virginia  •  Jr.
Ivyland, PA  •  Germantown Academy
6-2  •  195

Provided bonus production from the 9-hole in key 13-7 winners-bracket game vs. 2-seed Mississippi (4-for-4, 4 RBI, 2B, HBP) … also had some timely offensive moments in pair of games vs. upstart St. John’s (R, BB in 6-5 loss … BB, HBP in 5-3 clinching win) … hit .500 in the four regional games (6-12; 5RBI-2R-2B-2BB-2HBP-SB), including 15-4 opener vs. Virginia Commonwealth (RBI-R-SB).

CODY BARTLETT (2B … #2)
Washington State  •  Sr./Jr.
Kent, WA  •  Kentwood HS
5-8  •  170  •  Bats: Right

Flashed his shortstop background with error-free showing (22 fielding chances) at the regional, also batting .381 (8-for-21) with several key plays from the 2-hole  … factored into 10 runs (4RBI-8R-2HR; 2BB) for 3rd-seeded Cougars squad that made run to regional’s final day … walked and scored twice in 10-7 win over top seed/host Arakansas, forcing the final game … helped knock off #2 seed Kansas State on opening day (9-6; 2-for-4, R-BB) and later smacked huge 8th-inning HR in elimination-game win over KSU (8-6; 3-for-5, 2RBI-3R) … also homered in winners-bracket loss vs. Arkansas (6-4;2-4, 2RBI-R) and had a single/run in 7-2 loss to the Razorbacks.

TREVOR BAUER (RHP … #47)
UCLA  •  So.
Valencia, CA  •  Hart HS
6-1  •  175

Came through in 6-3 winners-bracket victory over LSU, allowing only a single earned run (plus 2 UERs) in 8.0 strong innings … struck out 11 of the 33 batters he faced in that 121-poitch outings, with 7 hits allowed and a pair of walks.

KOLE CALHOUN (RF … #49)
Arizona State … Sr.
Buckeye, AZ  •  Yavapai JC/Buckeye HS
5-11  •  190  •  Bats: Left

Helped Sun Devils reach 50-win mark, following victories over Milwaukee (6-2) and Hawaii (12-1, 8-4) … homered in all three games (giving him 16 HR for the season) while reaching base seven times … factored into four runs vs. Milwaukee (3RBI-2R-HR; BB-HBP) … hit 2-for-4 to help close out Hawaii (BB).

CHISTIAN COLON (SS … #4)
Cal State Fullerton  •  Jr.
Corona, CA  •  Canyon HS
6-0  •  180  •  Bats: Right

Helped Titans win their 4th straight elimination game (9-5 clincher vs. Minnesota) – on the same day he was selected 4th overall in the MLB draft … hit .476 (10-for-21) while factoring into 15 runs (9RBI-8R-2HR) during the five regional games … top-seeded and host team Fullerton had been upset by Minnesota in opener (3-1) before staying alive with 6-5 win over 2-seed Stanford, with Colon homering twice in that key win (4RBI) … went 3-for-5 later that day to help eliminate New Mexico, 11-3 (2RBI-3R-2B-BB) … helped beat Minnesota on Sunday night (7-2; 2-for-4, BB) to force decisive 9-5 finale in which he went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and 3 runs scored (2 2B, HBP).

BLAKE COOPER (RHP … #27)
South Carolina  •  Sr.
Neeses, SC  •  Edisto HS
5-10  •  180

Battle-tested veteran who delivered victory for his team in top pitching matchup opposite The Citadel’s ace Asher Wojciechowski, during 9-4 winners-bracket game … did not allow an earned run (4 UER) in game that saw Citadel holding a 4-2 lead entering the 7th … struck out 12 while allowing 6 hits and 3 walks over 7.1 innings, en route to boosting his season record to 11-1.

KEVIN GONZALEZ (C … #10)
Texas A&M  •  Jr.
Houston, TX  • Mayde Creek HS
5-10  •  195  •  Bats: Right

Veteran catcher who supplied bonus offense from the 8-hole, as 2nd-seeded Aggies reached final game in regional … launched huge solo HR in top of 9th vs. Dartmouth, as A&M rallied to avoid elimination with 4-3 comeback win … hit .389 (7-for-18) with an .889 slugging pct. (2 HR, 3 2B) in five games at the regional (5RBI-3R) … helped blow out surging 3-seed Florida International in 17-3 opener (2-for-5, 2RBI-R-HR) … went 2-for-5 with a double in 11-7 win over host team Miami and then 2-for-4 (2RBI-R-2B) in final game, a 10-3 loss to the ‘Canes.

RICHIE GOODENOW (LHP … #15)
Vanderbilt  •  Jr.
Nashville, TN  •  Overton HS
6-2  •  200

Setup man who rose to the occasion in his first start of the season with 2-hit shutout vs. top seed Louisville (7-0), helping his 2nd-seed team rally to beat the host team twice … faced only 29 batters (2 over the minimum) in masterful outing vs. potent Cardinals offense … issued only a pair of walks in the 99-pitch outing that includes 60 strikes thrown … 19 of his outs came via strikeouts (5), groundballs (12, including pair of double-play balls) or infield popups (2) – while a 3rd-inning double represented the only Louisville player that reached scoring position … held each of Louisville #1 thru #6 batters hitless (0-for-18 combined).

JOHN HINSON (3B … #4)
Clemson  •  Jr./So.
Asheville, NC  •  Reynolds HS
6-0  •  175  •  Bats: Left

Delivered clutch play at the hot corner (no errors) and from the 6-hole, batting .563 (9-for-16) with and 19 total bases (3HR-2B; 5RBI-5R-BB-HBP) for 2nd-seeded Clamson … turned in strong efforts during three games (10-1, 10-11, 13-7) vs. top seed Auburn (7-for-12, 4RBI-4R-2HR-2B-BB-HBP) … had a pair of singles and an RBI in winners-bracket game and closed 2-for-3 in clinching win (RBI-3R-HR-2B-BB-HBP) … helped team nearly win second game vs. Auburn (3-5, 2RBI-R-HR) … opened regional going 2-for-4 with a HR vs Southern Mississippi.

JAMIE HOLLER (SS … #4)
College of Charleston … Jr.
Rock Hill, SC  •  Sumter JC/Northwestern HS
6-0  •  170  •  Bats: Right

Slick fielder who made no errors in four regional games (22 fielding chances) while coming through with some timely offense from the 9-hole for 2nd-seeded Cougars … played lead role in 16-6 winnners-bracket victory over top seed and host Coastal Carolina (3-for-5, 2RBI-2R) … connected on a 2-out/2-run blast for his 4th HR of season in that win over CC … batted 7-for-14 in three games vs. Coastal (pair of 1-run losses, 8-7 & 11-10, in 10), factoring into 7 of his team’s runs (3RBI-5R-HR-2B) … also singled and scored in opening win over N.C. State (9-6).

SHERMAN JOHNSON (3B … #32)
Florida State  •  So.
Tampa, FL  •  Alonso HS
5-10  •  180  •  Bats: Left

Steady 2-hole hitter who helped Seminoles advance from a rare road regional, in Norwich, Conn. (11-3 vs. Central Connecticut; 6-4 and 5-3 vs. Oregon) … hit .417 (5-12) with a pair of HR and a double while factoring into seven of team’s runs (4RBI-5R) during the three games (2 BB, SB) … went 2-for-3 with his 8th HR of season in final win over the Ducks (2RBI-BB) … also homered and hit his 14th 2B in earlier win over Oregon (2R).

TAYLOR JUNGMANN (RHP … #26)
Texas  •  So.
Temple, TX  •  Georgetown HS
6-6  •  195

Closed out home regional with impressive outing that helped beat 2nd-seed Rice, 4-1 … faced only 25 batters (2 over the min.) in 7.2 innings, while improving to 7-3 for the season … allowed the lone run on 2 hits and 2 walks, with 7 strikeouts and 9 groundball outs in that 84-pitch outing.

COLLIN KUHN (LF … #25)
Arkansas  •  So.
Beaver Dam, WI  •  Beaver Dam HS
5-11  •  190  •  Bats: Right

Leadoff batter who blasted 4 home runs in the regional … hit 4-for-9 and factored into six runs (4RBI-3R-HR; 2 2B-BB-HBP) during pair of wins vs. Washington State (6-4 winners-bracket; 7-2 finale) … hit .412 (7-16) at the regional and had a hand in 11 of the team’s runs (7RBI-8R-4HR; 2 2B-3BB-2 HBP-SB), with the other games including 19-7 win over Grambling and 10-7 loss to WSU (16th HR of season) … went 3-for-5 with 2RBI-2R-HR-2B in the pivotal first win over the Cougars.

SCOTT LAWSON (1B … #2)
Miami  •  Sr.
Grapevine, TX  •  Grayson JC/Colleyville Heritage HS
5-10  •  185  •  Bats: Left

One of a handful of players across the nation with a 3-HR game during regional round, doing so from the 2-hole in 14-1 winners-bracket win over 2-seed Texas A&M … went 4-for-6 in that game while factoring into 7 of the Hurricanes runs (6RBI-4R-3HR) … hit .529 (9-17) with 22 total bases in the four regional games (6RBI-5R-4HR-2B-4BB), with a single, walk and two runs scored in 10-3 clinching win over A&M … opened regional batting 2-for-4 in 12-8 win over Dartmouth (3RBI-R-BB) and added another 2-for-4 game in 11-7 loss to A&M (HR-2B).

STEVEN MAXWELL (RHP … #4)
TCU  •  Sr./Jr.
The Woodlands, TX  •  The Woodlands HS
6-0  •  180

Veteran leader of strong 3-man rotation, delivering key victory in 9-0 winners-bracket game vs. Baylor … faced only 27 batters (3 over the min.) in 8.0 strong innings … struck out 10 while holding the Bears to 3 hits and a pair of walks in the 114-pitch outing.

ADAM MORGAN (LHP … #32)
Alabama  •  So.
Marietta, GA  •  Kell HS
6-1  •  180

Surging lefthander whose complete game sparked a regional-winning rally by 2nd-seeded ‘Bama … picked up the Sunday-night win (8-1) over top seed/host Georgia Tech, forcing the decisive game on Monday … faced only 33 batters in that 114-pitch outing (75 strikes), with only 5 hits allowed and a walk while totaling 9 strikeouts and 10 groundouts … limited GT’s #1 thru #5 hitters to a combined 3-for-19 batting.

RICO NOEL (CF … #1)
Coastal Carolina  •  Jr.
Lawton, OK  •  Lawton HS
5-9  •  170  •  Bats: Right

Talented all-around hitter from the 2-hole/leadoff spots, batting .435 (10-for-23) and factoring into 12 runs (7RBI-7R-2HR) during five regional games … hit 5-for-13 in three showdown games with the College of Charleston (6-16; 8-7; 11-10, in 10) – including the 9th inning, 1-out/2-run HR that won the middle game in dramatic fashion … racked up six stolen bases in the regional, pushing his season total to a nation-leading 56 … his big game in the 8-7 win over CofC included batting 4-for-5 with 5 RBI, his 11th HR of season and 18th 2B … came back next day to hit 3-for-6, triple score twice and collect 3 SBs in clinching win … also helped post pair of wins over scrappy Stony Brook squad (6-0, 25-7).

CODY REINE (RF … #11)
Oklahoma  •  So.
Walker, LA  •  Grayson JC/Walker HS
5-9  •  215  •  Bats: Left

Provided several key offensive plays from the 6-hole, as Sooners advanced with three 1-run wins (7-6 vs. Oral Roberts in 10; 7-6 vs. North Carolina in 10; and 3-2 vs. UNC) … his 7th-inning, 2-out single scored final run in finale vs. the Tar Heels … sparked 10th-inning rally vs. ORU with 1st-pitch/1-out single up the middle (went on to score winning run) … hit 2-for-5 with a sac.-bunt in crucial first win over UNC … batted 5-for-11 in the regional (2RBI-3R-HR-2BB-HBP-SAC).

SETH ROSIN (RHP … #29)
Minnesota  •  Jr.
Shoreview, MN  •  Mounds View HS
6-6  •  245

Shocked top seed and host team Cal State Fullerton with 8.0 dominating innings, as 4th seed Minnesota won its opening game at the regional (9-4) … allowed a single run on 3 hits and no walks, with 7 strikeouts and 6 groundouts among his 26 batters faced (2 over the min.).

TYLER THOMPSON (LF … #18)
Florida  •  So.
Tequesta, FL  •  Jupiter HS
6-1  •  190  •  Bats: Left

Platoon starter in left field who picked perfect time for best game of his career, leading the way regional clinching win over 2-seed Florida Atlantic (15-0) … batted 4-for-5 out of the 9-hole in that game, with his 3 home runs matching his career total entering the game … factored into 7 runs during that final win (6RBI-4R-3HR-2B) … tied program record for total bases (14) while becoming first Gator with 3HR in an NCAA Tournament game (his RBI 2B opened the scoring) … earlier hit 2-for-4 (R-3B) in 10-2 winners-bracket game vs. Oregon State.

* – Coastal Carolina’s Noel is the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Vanderbilt’s Goodenow the Primetime Pitcher of the Week … primary class years are based on academic standing (some players may have an extra year of eligibility)

TCU Next Faces Florida State At CWS

Kyle Winkler fanned 6 in 7 1/3 IP Sunday to help TCU upend Texas.

2-1 to make the first trip to the College World Series in program history.  The Longhorns entered the nation with the best ERA in the nation, but TCU managed to win games one and three of the series by giving-up just a run in each game.  Texas notched its only win by a 14-1 margin on Saturday.

While TCU is making its first CWS appearance, Texas has the most trips to Omaha of any other program with 33.

By clicking the “Austin Super Regional” 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 two of three series (All Times Eastern)

Gm 1 – Friday - FINAL: TCU 3, Texas 1 | Final Stats
TCU Recap | UT Recap * TCU leads series 1-0
* HIGHLIGHT:  Fr. Matt Purke 11 Ks, improves to 14-0

Gm 2 – Saturday – FINAL: Texas 14, TCU 1 |  Final Stats
TCU Recap | TX Recap Series Tied (1-1)  Series Notes
* HIGHLIGHTS: Taylor Jungmann 9 K in 8 1/3 IP
Tant Shepherd (4-5) HR, 3 RBIs

EXCLUSIVE postgame video interviews.

Gm 3 -Sunday FINAL: TCU 4, Texas 1 |  Final Stats
TCU Recap | TX Recap
Series Notes
* TCU wins series (2-1)

CB360 Podcast with TCU catcher Bryan Holaday

The Skinny

Texas: (#2 National Seed) A year after finishing as the runner-up at Omaha not much has changed for Augie Garrido’s Longhorns.  There was no signature 25-inning Regional game this year, but Texas still swept through the Austin Regional with wins over Rider, Louisiana-Lafayette and Rice by outscoring those three 19-3.  That 3-0 stretch followed three losses at the Big 12 Tournament, which was the team’s only 3-game losing streak this year.

The Longhorns lead the nation in both ERA (2.44) and fielding percentage (.980).  Closer Chance Ruffin leads the nation with a 0.73 ERA.  He has 14 saves and a 6-1 record in 36 appearances.  Taylor Jungmann (7-3, 2.10), Cole Green (11-1, 2.63) and Brandon Workman (12-1, 3.43) are nearly unrivaled as a weekend rotation, but the rotation they’ll see this weekend will give them a run for their money.

Texas is batting just .289 heading into the weekend, but Russell Moldenhauer’s .341 average leads six regulars who are hitting .305 or better.  The home run total (79) is up from a year ago, but small ball is still in play.  Texas ranks 4th in the nation with 72 sac bunts, with Brandon Loy’s 16 sac bunts tied for 6th nationally.  The Longhorns set an NCAA single game record with seven sac bunts in a Super Regional game vs. TCU last year.

TCU: TCU has hosted Regionals the last two years going a combined 6-0 in the process.  This is the second straight and overall Super Regional appearance for Jim Schlossnagle and the Horned Frogs.  TCU was in the conversation for one of the top eight national seeds, but finds itself at #2 national seed Texas for Super Regional play for a second straight year.

While pitching is the biggest strength of the Longhorns, TCU’s staff gives them a run for their money.  Starters Matt Purke (Louisville Slugger National Freshman of the Year), Kyle Winkler and Steven Maxwell are a combined 35-2 with 293 strikeouts and just 88 walks.  Meanwhile, Kaleb Merck (2-1, 1.08) and Tyler Lockwood (6-2, 2.06) have combined for eight save in 43 relief outings.

Jason Coats leads the TCU offense with a .377 avg. and 65 RBIs, Matt Curry has 17 HR and a team-best 12 SB and catcher Bryan Holaday (podcast above)  provides the leadership to go along with his 12 HR.

The Question:  Will anyone score any runs?

Austin Super Regional

A By The Numbers Look At The Last Week Before The NCAA Tournament

Garrett Wittels (Sun Belt photo)

batting .414 this season.

4…Games shy of Robin Ventura’s all-time record 58 game hitting streak Wittels now stands.  FIU needs two wins in double-elimination regional play to give him a chance to tie the mark.

5…Of 27 #1 seeds, Bethune-Cookman, TCU, Coastal Carolina, The Citadel and Minnesota, that won their conference tournaments.

27…Years since Atlantic Sun champion Mercer had won a conference crown.  The Bears won what was then known at the Trans America Athletic Conference in 1983.

13…Straight conference tournaments Oral Roberts has won.  ORU’s Summit League (formerly the Mid-Continent) championship streak is the third longest in NCAA history behind Oklahoma State’s 16 and Wichita State’s 14.

30…Straight Summit League Tournament games won by ORU after going 3-0 at this year’s event.

9…Big Ten Championships won by Minnesota-a conference record-after the Golden Gophers beat Iowa to claim the 2010 crown.

12…Innings it took Virginia Commonwealth to beat UNC-Wilmington 7-5 in the CAA Championship game.  VCU’s Joe Van Meter homered in the top of the 12th for the eventual game winning runs.

VCU's Joe Van Meter

104…Hits this season by Van Meter-a new CAA single season record.  The third baseman was also named the CAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

8…Straight NCAA Tournament bids for Southern Mississippi after beating Rice 7-4 to claim just the program’s second Conference USA crown.  After running all the way to the College World Series last year, the Golden Eagles were an NCAA “bubble team” going into this year’s CUSA tourney.

2…Missouri Valley Conference title won by Illinois State after beating Wichita State 17-8 to claim the title.  WSU was playing in its 33rd MVC title game.

3…Grand slams hit in the same game by BYU in a 25-18 win over Utah in a Mountain West Conference elimination game.  Sean McNaughton hit two of the slams, while Austin Hall hit the other.  The three grand slams in one game ties an NCAA record.

27 & 4…Strikeouts recorded and runs allowed by TCU starting pitchers Matt Purke, Steven Maxwell and Kyle Winkler to help the Horned Frogs go 3-0 at the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

Kyle Winkler (TCU photo)

32-2…Combined record this season of Purke, Maxwell and Winkler to help TCU to its seventh straight NCAA bid.

13-1…LSU head coach Paul Mainieri’s record at the SEC Tournament after his Tigers completed a 2010 sweep of the event with Sunday’s 4-3 win over Alabama in the championship game.  LSU did not qualify for the tournament in Mainieri’s first season at the helm in 2007, but they have now won three straight SEC Tournament titles.

3…Shutout innings of relief pitched by LSU starter Anthony Ranaudo to help his team win the SEC title game in 11 innings.

4,895…Fans in attendance to see The Citadel win the Southern Conference Championship-a 10-3 win over Western Carolina in Charleston, SC.

12…Straight wins by The Citadel after winning the SoCon title game.  Bulldog ace Asher Wojciechowski is also 12-2 this season after striking out eight in eight innings to earn the victory.

Lamar's Anthony Moore (SLC photo)

7…Seed of Southland Conference Tournament champion Lamar, which beat #1 seed Texas State 17-7 to claim the crown.

.625…Batting average of Lamar centerfielder Anthony Moore to help the Cardinals sweep their four SLC Tournament games.  Moore was 10-for-16 at the plat with three home runs, two doubles, and 10 RBIs to earn tournament MVP honors.

18…Years since Hawaii had won a WAC Championship prior to beating Fresno State 9-6 in this year’s championship game in Mesa, AZ.

4…Straight WAC Tournament championships Fresno State had won before losing to the Rainbows in Sunday’s title game.

33…Wins this season by St. Louis-a new school record-after beating #1 seed Charlotte to win the program’s second Atlantic 10 Tournament championship.

25…Years since Grambling State had won a SWAC title before beating Alcorn State to win this year’s championship.

5…ACC Championships won by Florida State after the Seminoles downed North Carolina State 8-3 in Sunday’s championship game.

CLICK HERE to see the Collegebaseball360.com NCAA Tournament page for complete 2010 Tournament coverage.