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A By The Numbers Look At The First Full Week Of The Season

3…Weekend wins over Stanford by Texas.  The Longhorns had dropped 2 of 3 games at home to New Mexico on opening weekend, while the Cardinal had started the season with a home 3-game sweep of Rice.

20-5…Combined score of Texas’ three wins.

1…Home run by Longhorn DH Russell Moldenhauer in the series.  The single longball surpasses his 2009 regular season total.  All four of Moldenhauer’s home runs last season were at the College World Series.

Jason Mitchell (UTA photo)

0…Hits allowed in five innings of relief by UT pitcher Cole Green.  He fanned 6 with no walks in the series finale.

18…Strikeouts by UT Arlington pitcher Jason Mitchell in Friday’s win over Missouri State.  Mitchell lost a no-hitter with one out to go in the game, which the Mavericks won 1-0 in 14 innings.   The 18 Ks breaks a school and Southland Conference record.  He struck out at least two batters in all but the 8th inning (1).

0…Runs allowed in 5 innings of relief in that same game by Arlington reliever Adam Boydston, who fanned 8 himself with just one walk and one hit allowed.

2…Wins in three games  by TCU at Cal State Fullerton over the weekend.

4…Home losses by the Titans already this season.

8…Home losses by Fullerton in 2009.

2…Losses in his first two starts by Cal State Fullerton pitcher Daniel Renken after allowing 3 ER in 6 IP in Friday’s loss to the Horned Frogs.

3…Losses by Renken all of last year.

2…Wins by #19 Coastal Carolina over #4 UC Irvine on Saturday in Myrtle Beach, SC.

9…Runs in the 8^th inning of game two of the doubleheader by the Chanticleers to beat the Anteaters 13-6.

2…Combined losses by Irvine pitchers Daniel Bibona and Eric Pettis in Saturday’s twin bill.

3…Combined losses by Bibona and Pettis in 2009.

109…Pitches thrown in 5 1/3 IP by Bibona in his loss.

119…Pitches thrown in 6 2/3 IP by Pettis in his loss.

5…RBIs by Coastal Carolina catcher Jose Iglesias in the doubleheader sweep.  He was 6-for-8 at the plate in the games.

6…Runs scored by Irvine in the 8th inning on Sunday to beat James Madison 15-9 for their only win in Myrtle Beach.  In addition to their losses to Coastal Carolina the Anteaters also fell to North Carolina State.

Greg Peavey (OSU photo)

8…Strikeouts and earned runs allowed in 3 ½ innings by Tennessee’s Bryan Morgado in Friday’s 17-1 loss

to Oregon State.

0…Runs allowed with 9 strikeouts by Oregon State’s Greg Peavey in Sunday’s 1-0 win over the Vols.  Peavey allowed just three hits with one walk in his first win of the season.

0.64…Peavey’s ERA in his first 14 innings pitched this season.

9…Strikeouts in 6 innings by Louisville pitcher Thomas Royse in Friday’s 2-0 win over Michigan.

10…Strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings by Todd McInnis in 26th ranked Southern Mississippi’s 8-2 loss to LeMoyne.

2 of 3…Games Southern Miss. dropped to LeMoyne after falling 12-11 in the series finale.

20…Runners left on base by the Golden Eagles in the pair of defeats.

5…RBIs by Dolphin LF Chris Edomonson in the 12-11 win over USM.

84…Runs scored by Arizona State in its 7-0 start to the season.

18…Runs allowed by the Sun Devils (two unearned) for a 2.36 staff ERA.

15…Runs and hits by Georgia Tech in Saturday’s 15-0 win over Xavier.

1…Win over a top 10 team in the history of Xavier baseball after Sunday’s 7-6 win over #4 Georgia Tech.

4 & 3…Respective errors and unearned runs allowed by the Yellow Jackets in their first loss of 2010.

13…Errors in three games committed by Notre Dame en-route to a 1-2 weekend at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge.

Maine's Jeffrey Gibbs

6…Of those errors committed by the Fighting Irish in Sunday’s 8-7 10-inning win over Penn State.

1…Win this season for Maine (1-5) after Saturday’s 5-3 upset of #12 North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

1…Career win for Black Bear pitcher Jeffrey Gibbs, who earned the win vs. the Tar Heels.  He struckout seven and allowed 2 ER in 5 1/3 IP.

2…Career starts by Gibbs-a 6’4-190 lb. freshman from Toronto, Ontario.

12…Strikeouts in 7 IP by Virginia sophomore Danny Hultzen in a 13-0 win over Rhode Island.  The lefty allowed no runs and no walks on two hits to improve to 2-0.

43…Runs scored by the Cavs in their 3-game sweep of URI while allowing just 7 runs to improve to 6-1.

Manhattan's John Soldinger

0…Runs allowed in 4 IP by Manhattan freshman reliever John Soldinger in Sunday’s 12-7 win over the 10th ranked Miami Hurricanes.

7…Earned runs allowed in 5 IP by Jasper starting pitcher Mike Gazzola who got credit for the win after exiting with his team leading 9-5.

7 & 9…Combined runs scored and RBIs, respectively, by Manhattan 2-5 batters Mark Onorati, Mike McCann, Chad Salem, and Austin Sheffield in the upset of the Hurricanes.  The quartet also combined to hit .500 (10-for-20).

6-0…Washington State’s record after Sunday’s 10-7 win over Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX.  It’s Wazzou’s best start since going 9-0 to start the 1988 season.

Brian Fletcher (Auburn photo)

4, 11 & 13…Home runs, RBIs & runs scored by New Mexico State shortstop Ryan Aguayo.  The junior hit .440 with an 1.120 slugging percentage in six games last week.

3…Of Aguayo’s home runs that came in one game-a 17-5 win over Akron.  He hit half of the Aggies’ 6 HRs in the contest.

4 & 9…Home runs and RBIs by Eastern Kentucky’s Anthony Ottrando in the Colonel’s season-opening 3-game series vs. Western Carolina.

11…RBIs with 3 home runs in 3 games by Auburn’s Brian Fletcher.  His 10th inning walk-off home run gave the Tigers a Friday win over Boston College.

15…Strikeouts in 7 IP by Ole Miss lefty Drew Pomeranz in a win over Oakland.  He allowed just a run on a solo HR.

8-0…The deficit top-ranked LSU faced in the middle of the 6th inning at home Saturday vs. William & Mary. The Tigers scored 8 runs in the bottom of the 6th and then added two more runs in the 7th to win 10-9.

22…Years since LSU had overcome as big a deficit.  They came back from 10 runs down to beat Ole Miss in 1988.

13 1/3…Total innings pitched in two outings last week by Kansas pitcher Cameron Selik.  The junior allowed just one earned run with 10 strikeouts vs. Eastern Michigan and Sacramento State.

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Will 2010 Conference Race Be As Close As 2009?

2009 Regular Season Champion:  George Mason

2009 Tournament Champ:  Georgia St. beat UNC Wilmington 12-10

Last year’s CAA regular season race was one of the closest in the history of the conference.  Just 1 1/2 games separated second place from eighth place in the final regular season standings.  In fact, five teams were vying for the final three spots in the 2009 CAA Tournament on the last day of the 2009 regular season.

2010 CAA Preview

Delaware

2009 Record:  (28-20, 11-10)

Mascot:  Blue Hens

Head Coach:  Jim Sherman

Location:  Newark, DE

Vitals:  .319 BA, 85 HR, .407 OBP, .962 Fld%…5.40 ERA, 6 CG, 5 SV, 341 K, 181 BB, .285 opp. BA

Into The Hall:  Head coach Jim Sherman was recently inducted into the Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame.  Sherman helped the Blue Hens to three NCAA Tournaments during his playing days from 1979-’82.  The outfielder set the program record with 46 career home runs.

Ryan Cuneo

Everyday Alonso:  Senior Carlos Alonso (.380, 37 RBIs, 20 doubles) reached base safely in each of the Blue Hen’s 48 games last year.  The third baseman is the first player to do so in Delaware program history.  Alonso also stole a team-high 12 bases.

Blue Hen Pop:  Another senior, Ryan Cuneo (.285, 17 HR, 56 RBIs), is back as well to provide the pop in the Delaware line-up.  He’ll have to help Delaware overcome the losses of Bill Merkler (.371, 17 HR) and Scott Shockley (10 HR).

On The Mound:  Rich O’Donald (5-4, 4.32 ERA, 3 CG) and Brian Rorick (4-3, 4.85 ERA, 3 CG) give the Blue Hens two-thirds of their weekend rotationn back from last year.  They combined for all six of the pitching staff’s six complete games.  They must replace Corey Crispell (5-4, 3.88 ERA) who had a team-best 3 saves.

George Mason

2009 Record:  (42-14, 19-5)

Mascot:  Patriots

Head Coach:  Bill Brown

Location:  Fairfax, VA

Vitals:  .321 BA, 82 HR, .401 OBP, .970 Fld%…4.45 ERA, 1 CG, 15 SV, 379 K, 164 BB, .275 opp. BA

Banner Year:  Head coach Bill Brown was named the ABCA East Region’s Coach of the Year in 2009 after leading his team to a school records for wins, home wins, winning percentage and home runs as well as an NCAA Tournament bid.  A school record six Patriots were also taken in the MLB Draft.

Lone Patriot:  George Mason had five players named First Team All-CAA last year, but RHP Kevin Crum (8-4, 4.64 ERA) is the only one back in 2010.

Big Shoes To Fill:  The Patriots lose their top three hitters, Chris Henderson (.413, 14 HR, 1.189 OPS), Scott Krieger (.372, 20 HR, 80 RBIs) and Justin Bour (.339, 17 HR, 66 RBIs), from last year’s team.  They also lose their top two relievers Ben Reade (3-1, 3.03 ERA) and Shawn Griffith (4-0, 3.05 ERA), who combined to make 51 appearances, and starter Mike Modica (11-2, 4.34 ERA) who tossed the staff’s only CG.

Georgia State

2009 Record:  (39-22, 12-9)

Mascot:  Panthers

Head Coach:  Greg Frady

Location:  Atlanta, GA

Vitals:  .310 BA, 74 HR, .403 OBP, .961 Fld%…5.44 ERA, 5 CG, 19 SV, 474K, 261 BB, .283 opp. BA

Good Times:  Georgia State set a school record with 39 wins last season en-route to winning the program’s first CAA Tournament championship.  The Panthers were 0-2 in the Atlanta (Georgia Tech) NCAA Regional.

Panthers On The Prowl:  Senior first baseman Bradley Logan (.309, 10 HR, 49 RBIs)  and pitchers Ryan Moore (7-2, 4.41 ERA) and Justin Malone (1-0, 1.35 ERA, 7 SVs) are the team’s top returnees.  Malone held opponents to a .216 average, and he didn’t allow a home run in 26 2/3 IP.  Five other pitchers who combined for seven more saves are

Mark Micowski

back as well.

Tough Losses:  The team’s top two runs producers from a year ago, Marc Mimeault (.398, 15 HR, 58 RBIs) and Derek Simmons (.316, 13 HR, 53 RBIs),  are gone.

Top Transfer:  Mark Micowski comes to the Panthers after the University of Vermont eliminated its baseball program after last season.  Micowski was named to the 2008 America East All-Rookie Team and earned 2nd Team America East Conference honors last year after hitting .365 with 28 stolen bases.  He set a Vermont single season record with 80 hits last year.

Raising The Bar:  After opening last season by hosting four games vs. Cleveland State the Panthers will open 2010 with a 3-game series in Tallahassee, FL vs. Florida State.

Hofstra

2009 Record:  (11-32, 6-18)

Mascot:  Pride

Head Coach:  Patrick Anderson

Location:  Hempstead, NY

Vitals:  .294 BA, 20 HR, .383 OBP, .958 Fld%…9.78 ERA, 1 CG, 3 SV, 218 K, 181 BB, .375 opp. BA

Tight Pen:  Hostra used just 10 pitchers last season.  Nine of them made at least 14 appearances and pitched at least 14 2/3 innings.

Slight Returns:  The Pride loses three of its top four batters from last year.  Mark Stuckless (.392), Chris Mentrasti (.323) and Tom Legregni (.308) combined to steal 47 bases in 2009.  Matt Prokopowicz (.344, 3 HR, 30 RBIS, 4 SB) is the team’s top returning hitter.  Junior RHP Jeff Guthridge (4-2, 4.38 ERA) returns as well.  He was the only Hofstra pitcher with a winning record last year.

ACC Challenge:  Hofstra plays three games at Florida State Feb. 26-28 and then goes to Maryland for three games the following weekend.

James Madison

2009 Record:  (30-24, 12-11)

Mascot:  Dukes

Head Coach:  Spanky McFarland

Location:  Harrisonburg, VA

Vitals:  .330 BA, 75 HR, .410 OBP, .965 Fld%…6.84 ERA, 2 CG, 14 SV, 438 K, 233 BB, .300 opp. BA

Missed It By That Much:  The Dukes missed the CAA Tournament by percentage points last year, becoming the first

Trevor Knight

school in league history with a winning record to miss the tourney.

Knight Time:  JMU is led by CAA Preseason Player of the Year Trevor Knight.  The redshirt junior (he missed what would have been his freshman season in 2007 with injury) does a little of everything for the Dukes.  He hit .377 with 14 HR, 55 RBIs and a .641 slg% as a first baseman/DH.  Knight was also 3-2 on the mound with a 4.32 ERA in 41 2/3 IP.  He made 10 relief appearances and one start.

And Then Some:  Knight is one of eight returning JMU everyday position players.  The others include Matt Towsend, who hit .390 with 17 HR, 17 doubles and 17 SB, and 59 RBIs,  Matt Browning (.376, 9 HR, 59 RBIs),  David Herbek (.370, 10 HR, 50 RBIs, 20 doubles), Alex Foltz (.351),and  Mike Fabiaschi (.328).   Each of those six batters stole at least 13 bases to help the team total 108 swipes along with 75 HR last year.

And Some Pitching:  Starter Turner Phelps (8-2, 5.33 ERA) leads the rotation, while Kevin Munson (3-3, 2.85 ERA, 9 SVs) and his 95 mph fastball are back to close things out. JMU returns nine pitchers who compiled 87% of the team’s innings pitched last year.

Cape Kings:  Knight, Phelps and Munson were teammates with the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League last summer.  They teamed with the likes of East Carolina’s Kyle Roller to help Bourne win its first ever Cape championship.

Northeastern

2009 Record:  (28-25, 13-11)

Mascot:  Huskies

Head Coach:  Neil McPhee

Location:  Boston, MA

Vitals:  .288 BA, 50 HR, .352 OBP, .964 Fld&…4.60 ERA, 3 CG, 14 SV, 422 K, 200 BB, .286 opp. BA

Playing The Sox:   The Huskies are slated to face the Boston Red Sox on March 3  in Ft. Myers, FL.  It will be the seventh straight exhibition meeting with the MLB club.  The Red Sox haven’t allowed a Northeastern run since 2006, and have outscored the Huskies 73-2 since their first meeting in 2004.

Staying And Going:  Senior OF Frank Campagnone (.343, 19 RBIs) and soph. OF Matt Miller (.310, 21 RBIs) are the top returning hitters back from last year’s CAA Tournament team.  However, the Huskies lose their top run producers Mike Tamsin (.347, 45 RBIs), James Donaldson (.332, 12 HR, 43 RBIs) and Frank Pesanello (.281, 13 HR, 40 RBIs).

Strong Arms:  A pair of lefties are back from the Husky bullpen.  Senior Dan Zehr (2-3. 3.30 ERA) and soph. Andrew Leenhouts (1-1, 2.37 ERA) combined for 51 appearances and 10 saves last year.

His Own Glavine:  Northeastern assistant coach Mike Glavine is entering his fourth season on the Husky coaching staff this year.  The younger brother of Tom Glavine, Mike was inducted into the Northeastern Hall of Fame in 2006.  He had a 10-year professional career after hitting 28 home runs with 110 RBIs at Northeastern, which rank third and ninth, respectively, in the school record books.

Old Dominion

2009 Record:  (22-27, 13-11)

Mascot:  Monarchs

Head Coach:  Jerry Meyers

Location:  Norfolk, VA

Vitals:  .292 BA, 35 HR, .365 OBP, 75 SB, .972 Fld%…5.51 ERA, 7 CG, 5 SV, 275 K, 186 BB, .300 opp. BA

Jake McAloose

McAloose Is Loose:  Senior Jake McAloose is ODU’s only preseason All-CAA honoree.  The third baseman hit a team-best .413 with 6 home runs and 43 RBIs last year.  He also had an OPS of 1.111, while scoring a team-high 48 runs.  He’s joined in the line-up by Donnie Corsner (.323, 5 HR, 21 RBIs) and Josh Wright (.263, 11 HR, 49 RBIs).  Wright is a redshirt sophomore who made the CAA All-Rookie Team last year.

Two-Way Harris:  Sophomore RHP/OF Brett Harris (6-4, 4.95 ERA) led the Monarchs in wins last year, while racking-up five of the staff’s seven complete games.  Harris also hit .303 with 31 RBIs.

Action In The Pen:  Senior Chris Boggs (5-2, 3.20 ERA) had the staff’s best ERA and earned the second most wins in 2009.  He heads a group of three returners who each saved a game last year.  Boggs made six starts with 10 relief outings.

Towson

2009 Record:  (28-25, 12-12)

Mascot:  Tigers

Head Coach:  Mike Gottlieb

Location:  Towson, MD

Vitals:  .321 BA, 97 HR, .966 Fld%…7.67 ERA, 1 CG, 7 SV, 384 K, 250 BB

No Cream Puffs:  The Tigers play the most challenging schedule in school history this year, with six games against 2009 College World Series teams on the schedule.  Towson plays a four-game series at Arizona State Feb. 26-28 and finishes the month of March with two games at Virginia.

Key Returns:  Towson returns four of its top six batters from a team that set a school record with a .321 batting average last year.  Kevin Collins (.335, 14 HR, 56 RBIs, 11 SB) and Chris Wyshock (.310, 14 HR, 51 RBIs) lead the list of returnees.

Sizable Losses:  Gone are Gary Helmick (.430, 17 HR, 51 RBIs), Aaron Gabrielson (.307, 10 HR, 40 RBIs) and Jason Stifler (.266, 12 HR, 44 RBIs).

Nat’s Back:  Shortstop Nick Natoli returns after missing last season with a knee injury.  The junior was named CAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.  He also hit .349 that year, while earning 2nd team All-CAA honors.

On The Mound:  Towson’s top two starters, Drew Permison (3-2, 6.24 ERA) and Tyler Austin (3-1, 7.32 ERA), return.  Permison tossed the team’s only complete game last year.  They lose closer Josh Squatrito (5-2, 5.59 ERA, 7 SVs).

UNC Wilmington

2009 Record:  (31-23, 10-8)

Mascot:  Seahawks

Head Coach:  Mark Scalf

Location:  Wilmington, NC

Vitals:  .292 BA, 39 HR, .385 OBP, .966 Fld%…5.36 ERA, 0 CG, 15 SV, 379 K, 230 BB, .276 opp. BA

Cody Stanley

Returning In Droves:  The Seahawks return all eight starting position players from a year ago.  While they hit just 39 home runs in 2009 the players they return combined to hit 37 of those long balls.  Catcher Cody Stanley (.332, 12 HR, 56 RBIs, 1.033 OPS) and DH Robbie Monday (.277, 12 HR, 38 RBIs)  bring back the bulk of Wilmington’s power, and while Grayson Evans (.314) hit just 3 HR, he had almost as many doubles (21) as he had strikeouts (25).

Plus Pitching:  Several significant pitchers from last year’s team are back as well.  Daniel Cropper (5-2, 5.46 ERA) and Seth Frankoff (3-5, 5.76 ERA) were the team’s innings pitched leaders with 59 1/3 and 65 2/3, respectively.  Top relievers Bryan Booth (2-1, 3.31 ERA),  Tyler McSwain (2-1, 3.80 ERA) and and Steven Davis (5-2, 5.01 ERA) are back to carry the load in the bullpen.  They combined for 93 appearances and 13 of the team’s 15 saves.

Interesting Match-Up:  UNC Wilmington hosts a 3-game series with Rhode Island March 19-21.  The Rams just missed the NCAA Tournament last year.

VCU

2009 Record:  (20-26, 8-16)

Mascot:  Rams

Head Coach:  Paul Keyes

Location:  Richmond, VA

Vitals:  .299 BA, 23 HR, .380 OBP, .958 Fld%…6.40 ERA, 4 CG, 7 SV, 268 K, 164 BB, .302 opp. BA

Running Rams:  While VCU’s 23 home runs ranked second to last in the 11 team CAA last year, their 77 stolen bases were fourth best in the conference.  Senior outfielders Andrew Dimino (.323, 40 runs, .428 OBP), who led the CAA with 25 swipes, and Matt Leskiw (.343, 13 SB, .440 OBP) both return this year.

Solid Nucleus:  Dimino and Leskiw are among five of six VCU regulars who hit .301 or better in 2009, including  Joe Van Meter who led the team in batting average (.347) and doubles (13).  The Rams lose team home run leader Justin Wright (.327, 8 HR, 42 RBIs, .570 slg%).

William & Mary

2009 Record:  (24-25, 9-15)

Mascot:  Tribe

Head Coach:  Frank Leoni

Location:  Williamsburg, VA

Vitals:  .292 BA, 37 HR, .395 OBP, .950 Fld%…5.79 ERA, 1 CG, 6 SV, 347 K, 251 BB, .292 opp. BA

CWS Challenge:  William & Mary plays a combined five games vs. three 2009 College World Series teams.  They play three games at defending national champion LSU Feb. 26-28, one game at North Carolina on March 9 followed by a game at Virginia on March 16.

Gaping Hole:  The team’s top three hitters from a season ago, Tyler Stampone (.382, 5 HR, 40 RBIs), Rob Nickle (.351, 14 HR, 60 RBIs) and Jeff Jones (.347, 4 HR, 31 RBIs), are all gone.  the trio accounted for 43% of William & Mary’s RBIs and 62% of the team home run total last year.  Jones also stole a team-high 23 bases.  No other player had double digit swipes.

Returning Pitching:  Sophomore RHP Matt Davenport (6-2, 4.71 ERA) didn’t just lead the pitching staff in wins last year, he was also the only Tribe pitcher to sport a winning record.  Junior Logan Billbrough (3-3, 4.20 ERA, 3 SV)  returns as well.  His 24 appearances in 2009 were a team-high.

2010 CAA Predictions

CAA Champion: James Madison

Player of the Year: Trevor Knight – James Madison

Pitcher of the Year: Ryan Moore – Georgia State

Villanova Two Sport Star Matt Szczur Continues Impressive Season In FCS Playoff Win

Matt Szczur (Villanova photo)

Szczur (pronounced SEE-zer, like Julius Caesar or Little Caesar’s if you prefer) had a 29-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the VU (12-1) romp.  He finished his day with 40 yards on seven carries along with 46 receiving yards on a pair of catches.  His lone 37 yard kickoff return gave him 123 all-purpose yards on the day.

Szczur now has a streak of nine straight games with either a touchdown catch, pass or run.  He has also returned a kickoff for a score this season.   Szczur has completed all three of his pass attempts this season for 21 yards and two touchdowns.  The wide receivers other stats:  45 receptions for 534 yards and four TDs, 86 rushes for 562 yards (6.7) and 7 touchdowns, and 26 kickoff returns for 719 yards (27.7) and another score.

Szczur is the only player in either the Football Bowl Subdivision or Football Championship Subdivision to have touchdowns via a run, reception, pass, and kick return this season.   He was also named both the Colonial Athletic Association’s Offensive Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year

Szczur on the diamond (VU photo)

in 2009.  He is just the second player in conference history to receive both awards in the same season.

His 2009 calender year is even more impressive considering he batted a team-high .346 last spring during his first season on the Wildcat football team.  (Szczr is a junior, but he missed what would have been his freshman baseball season in 2008 due to injury.)  He also had 10 doubles, two triples, one home run, scored a team-high 45 runs, and tied for the Villanova team lead with 18 stolen bases.

Szczur and other college baseball players who also play another sport have been featured this fall in the Collegebaseball360.com Two Sport Reports.

Szczur and Villanova are now on to the FCS National semifinals where they will host Colonial Athletic Association rival William & Mary 11-2).  That game will be played at Villanova Stadium.  Villanova’s official web site, www.villanova.com, says the game will either be Friday night (Dec. 11) at 8 p.m. or Saturday afternoon (Dec. 12) at 4 p.m.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate baseball team has proven, even with the move to Division I, that it is not afraid of a challenge, and the 2010 season will be no exception, as the Spartans will play 32 of its 56 games in 2010 against teams that finished 2009 with non-losing records, 21 against teams with 30 or more wins, 18 against teams with an RPI of better than 100 and seven against teams that competed in the NCAA Regionals, as head coach Matt Fincher announced the schedule on Monday.

USC Upstate Head Coach Matt Fincher

Upstate, celebrating its 25^th season of play in 2010, will not stray from the path that Fincher has laid out for the team in its move to the Atlantic Sun Conference and Division I play. Once again, the team will find itself challenged every step of the way, beginning with a game against Appalachian State, which went 33-21 and finished 83^rd in the RPI in 2009, on Feb. 20.

Complete 2010 USC Upstate Schedule (PDF)

The Spartans will have a few more advantages up its sleeves in their schedule during the 2010 season, thanks mainly to 30 games in the friendly confines of Harley Park and no non-conference mid-week games more than three hours from the Spartanburg campus, heading only as far south as Charleston and as far north as Knoxville, Tenn.

Upstate will also continue to develop rivalries with traditional regional foes and powers, like the Atlantic 10’s Charlotte (at Charlotte, March 31; at Harley Park, April 6), the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Clemson (at Clemson, April 21), the Southern Conference’s The Citadel (at Charleston, March 10; at Harley Park, May 12) and the Southeastern Conference’s South Carolina (April 20, Columbia), and Tennessee (March 23, Knoxville). Upstate will also keep rivalries with the Big South’s Presbyterian (Feb. 20, Harley Park; Feb. 21, Clinton; April 7, Clinton), UNC Asheville (March 30, Harley Park; April 14, Asheville) and Gardner-Webb (March 3, March 24, Harley Park), all within an hour’s drive of Spartanburg, and Charleston Southern (March 9, Charleston; March 16, Harley Park).

The team will also start a few other non-conference relationships, including home-and-home agreements with SoCon power the College of Charleston (April 13, Harley Park; May 11, Charleston) and 2009 NCAA Regional participant Georgia State (Feb. 23, Atlanta; Feb. 24, Harley Park).

Fincher has also worked to keep developing the working relationship with Wofford for the Courtyard by Marriott Classic, a co-operative classic run by the two schools. This season, the tournament will occur on the second weekend of the season, from Feb. 26-28, with five games occurring in three days at Harley Park and Wofford playing four games at Russell C. King Field. The Spartans will host Dayton, NJIT and Butler during the tournament.

A reduction in the number of conference games from 30 to 27 in the 2010 season will also allow Upstate to play three more games at home, as the Spartans host George Washington for a three-game non-conference set on March 6-7. The Spartans will also play a two-game homestand to end the season on May 18-19 against the Colonial Athletic Association’s William & Mary.

The conference season favors Upstate this year as a mix of tough match-ups will head to Harley Park, as both the 2009 A-Sun Tournament champions and the two-time defending A-Sun regular season champions will visit Upstate. FGCU, the regular-season champs will kick off Upstate’s A-Sun season on March 12-13 while 2009 A-Sun Tournament champs Jacksonville visit on April 2-3. Also on Upstate’s home slate in A-Sun series are Campbell (April 16-17) and Kennesaw State (May 14-15).

The Spartans will hit the road five times for three-game A-Sun series, heading to ETSU (March 19-20), Belmont (March 26-27), North Florida (April 10-11), Mercer (April 23-24) and Stetson (May 7-8).

The Spartans return four starters and six pitchers from a squad that went 17-37 overall in 2009. The Spartans will be led by senior catcher Jimmy Tanner (Fayetteville, Ga./Starr’s Mill), who was an All-Star this summer in the Northwoods League, and senior Matt Branham (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley), who went struck out a school-record 82 batters in 82 innings before being drafted in the 47th round of the MLB draft by the Houston Astros in June.

(Release)

Rams looking to build on their record-setting 2009 campaign

URI Head Coach Jim Foster

home runs and fielding percentage – the 2010 squad will look to pick up where it left off, returning all but three starters (two pitchers, one infielder) from a year ago.

Rhody opens the new season with a three-game series at Mississippi State (Feb. 19-21) before heading to Charlottesville, Va. for three games against the Virginia Cavaliers.

Complete 2010 Rhode Island Schedule

The Rams will spend March 6-11 in Winter Haven, Fla., facing various opponents who have yet to be determined. URI then travels to UNC Wilmington for a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 19. From there, Rhody will travel to William and Mary for a pair of games on the 23rd and 24th.

The Atlantic 10 portion of the schedule will feature home series against Charlotte (April 9-11), Massachusetts (April 16-18), Xavier (April 23-25), Richmond (May 14-16), and George Washington (May 20-22).

The Rams will travel to play three-game conference series at Temple (March 26-28), Fordham (April 1-3), Duquesne (April 30-May 2), and St. Bonaventure (May 7-9).

The Ram’s non-conference home schedule features games against Central Connecticut (March 30), Boston College (March 31), Quinnipiac (April 13), Bryant (April 14), Brown (April 27), Siena (April 28) and Northeastern (May 19).

Rhode Island will also face Northeastern (April 7), Sacred Heart (April 20) and Connecticut (April 21) on the road.

Atlantic 10 action will wrap up at the league’s 2010 Championship at Campbell’s Field in Camden, N.J., from May 26-29.

HARRISONBURG, Va., Nov. 3, 2009 – A four-team tournament in Myrtle Beach, an extended trip to Florida, a home-and-away series with Virginia, 12 games against 2009 NCAA Tournament teams, and home night games for the first time in program history highlight the 2010 James Madison baseball schedule released Tuesday.

JMU Head Coach Spanky McFarland

his 13^th season with the Dukes.  “It’s a little harder because I feel we have an experienced team that should be able to handle it.  Any time you have a lot of experience, you want to play as good a schedule as you can.  The thinking is to try to give the team more than one way to get into the NCAA tournament.  We want to get the RPI high enough that we can get an at-large bid into the tournament if we don’t win the CAA.”

Complete 2010 James Madison Schedule

Overall the schedule features eight games against top 50 teams in the 2009 RPI and 17 against the top 100.  Additionally, the Diamond Dukes will play 12 games against teams that qualified for the 2009 NCAA field of 64, including games against College World Series qualifier Virginia in Charlottesville on March 2 and at home on March 17.  The home contest against the Cavaliers will be one of the marquee games for JMU’s first season in Veterans Memorial Stadium and the first home night game in program history.

One of the key early weekends on the schedule will be the Baseball at the Beach event hosted by Coastal Carolina at BB&T Coastal Field, home of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Class A Carolina League in Minor League Baseball.  The weekend will have the feel of a four-team NCAA Regional as JMU will be joined by Coastal Carolina (Feb. 26), UC Irvine (Feb. 28), and North Carolina State (Feb. 27).  The Anteaters spent much of the 2009 season ranked first in the nation and, along with CCU, finished in the top 30 of the final RPI.

McFarland commented on the weekend in Myrtle Beach, “We tried to put ourselves in a regional atmosphere so that if we do make it, we’ll have the experience of playing at some tough places against good teams.  It should be a good test early in the season.”

The new stadium will officially open the first weekend of the season when JMU hosts Marist College in a three-game set Feb. 19-21.  The Red Foxes reached the NCAA Tournament as champions of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.  Other games against NCAA teams include May 18 at East Carolina, May 12 at Monmouth, and March 26-28 at George Mason.

The week after Baseball at the Beach, JMU will travel to Jacksonville, Fla. for eight games in a span of 10 days.  The trip includes three games against host North Florida (March 5, 11, 13) along with two games against Illinois State (March 12 & 14), and single games against Alcorn State (March 6) and Stetson (March 9 at Stetson).

The Florida trip will also feature an exhibition game against the Japanese Collegiate All-Stars on March 7.  McFarland stated, “I think that’s one of those once-in–a-lifetime experiences that transcends everything.  It’s an opportunity to meet other people and see how the sport is played in a different country.  It will be a good cultural experience for the guys.   And they are a very good team so it will be another good test.”

The Colonial Athletic Association portion of the 2010 schedule features eight three-game series in the traditional Friday, Saturday, and Sunday format and will culminate in the four-team CAA Championship May 27-29 at UNC Wilmington’s Brooks Field.  JMU will play home series against Towson (March 19-21), William and Mary (April 9-11), UNCW (April 16-18), and Delaware (April 30-May 2).  Road series include George Mason (March 26-28), Old Dominion on Easter Weekend (April 2-4), Hofstra (May 14-16), and VCU (May 21-23).

In addition to Virginia, the Dukes will play home-and-away series against Radford, Longwood, Liberty, Maryland, and VMI.  They will also have a three-game trip to Kennesaw State in Georgia April 24-25.

July Photo of Construction On JMU's Veterans Stadium

JMU’s new stadium, Veterans Memorial Stadium, is nearly completed construction and will be available when the team begins practice in early February.  The facility features a synthetic turf playing surface throughout (including the infield dirt area) with seating for 1,200 and lights.  The complex also includes renovations to JMU’s Memorial Hall with new locker rooms, offices for coaches, team meeting rooms, indoor batting cages, sports medicine, and strength training facilities.  The indoor areas will be occupied during JMU’s winter break.

The schedule at the new stadium includes a total of 11 night games with first pitch at 6:30 p.m. at all games with the exception of Sundays beginning March 19 through the remainder of the season.  JMU, which has traditionally played only a handful of night games in a season, will play nearly 20 night contests home and away in 2010.

McFarland added, “I’m excited about the night games.  When we return from Florida we’ll start immediately.  I think that will be fun.  We’re going with 6:30 games so kids can come to games and still get home at a decent time.  It’s also late enough that it’s after work and dinner so hopefully people can get there.”

JMU returns an experienced roster in 2010 with 23 of 29 letterwinners back from last year’s 30-24 squad.  The Dukes return starters at all eight field positions and players who accounted for 1,655 of the team’s 1,960 total at bats.  On the mound, JMU returns nine pitchers who threw at least 25 innings last year and players who accounted for 413 2/3 of the team’s 474 total innings pitched.  In addition, the Dukes return a starting catcher who missed all but 10 games in 2009 due to injury and a pair of probable starting pitchers who sat out the entire season due to an injury and a transfer redshirt.

NOTE: The Veterans Memorial monument at the entrance to the new baseball/softball complex will be dedicated this Sunday, Nov. 8, as part of Veterans Day celebrations in the city of Harrisonburg.  A parade downtown will begin at 2 p.m. with the monument dedication at 3:15 p.m. in the softball stadium at the new complex.  Members of the JMU baseball and softball programs along with the Marching Royal Dukes will be in attendance as part of the ceremony.

(Press Release)

VMI Head Coach Marlin Ikenberry

Highlights of the home schedule include visits from 2009 College World Series participant Virginia (April 14), along with in-state rivals Virginia Tech (April 27), Longwood (April 6), James Madison (April 7), Richmond (May 11) and VCU (May 19).  Also included will be Big South matchups against Coastal Carolina (April 23-25), Winthrop (May 14-16), Radford (April 30-May 2), Charleston Southern (March 26-28) and Presbyterian College (May 20-22).
Complete 2010 VMI Schedule
The schedule kicks off on Friday, Feb. 19, when Bucknell comes to town for a three-game set.  That series will be followed by the VMI’s only road trip of the season’s first month, taking on Richmond at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23.  Home series against Lafayette (Feb. 26-28), Maryland-Eastern Shore (March 5-7) and La Salle (March 11-14) follow, with a visit from Bryant also included (March 8) in the mix.

The Keydets hit the road over Spring Break in mid-March, traveling south for a two-game showdown against military rivals, The Citadel (March 16-17).  It will mark the first time that VMI has played a member of the Southern Conference since leaving the league following the 2003 season.

The trip then continues to High Point, as the Keydets will open Big South play against the Panthers for the second time in three seasons, coming March 19-21.  A road game at James Madison ends the six-game road stretch on March 24, capping VMI’s longest road swing of the season.

VMI returns home for a Big South series against Charleston Southern, marking VMI’s lone home Big South weekend among their first five conference series.  The Keydets hit the road again following that series, heading to Blacksburg for a March 30 matchup versus the Hokies before traveling to Asheville, N.C. for a conference weekend against UNC Asheville (April 2-3).

Following home games against Longwood and James Madison, the team heads to Gardner-Webb for the first time in program history on April 9-11 after knocking the Bulldogs out of the Big South Championship last season.  That trip will mark VMI’s last regular season venture outside the Commonwealth, as each of VMI’s final 22 games will be played either at home or at in-state foes.

The Cavaliers pay a visit to Gray-Minor Stadium on Wednesday, April 14.  It will mark the first time Virginia has played in Lexington since April 3, 2007, when the Keydets knocked off a third-ranked Cavs’ squad, 5-2, in front of 1,265 fans.  VMI then hits the road for four games, including a conference series at Liberty (April 16-18) and a trip to William & Mary on April 21.

The home stretch literally begins from there, as the Keydets will play not only their final four conference series of the season at home, but overall will finish the regular season with 15 of their final 17 contests at the friendly confines of Gray-Minor Stadium.  Coastal Carolina kicks things off before a visit from Virginia Tech on Tuesday, April 27.  A quick trip to Richmond for an April 28 date against VCU at The Diamond precedes a seven-game home stand for VMI, including dates against Radford, Richmond and Winthrop.

The regular season’s final week begins with a visit to Charlottesville to take on Virginia May 18, while the Keydets return home the next evening against VCU in VMI’s final non-conference tilt.  Presbyterian College wraps up its season on May 20-22, playing a three-game set in Lexington.

The 2010 Big South Baseball Championship will be held in Rock Hill, S.C. on May 25-29 and will be hosted by Winthrop.

(Press Release)