A By The Numbers Look At The Weekend’s Action

Alex Kaminsky (WSU photo)

1…Run allowed in 7 IP by Wright State starter Alex Kaminsky in Friday’s 2-1 win over #1/#2 Virginia.  Kaminsky struckout 7 to earn his first win of the season in a head-to-head dual with UVA sophomore ace Danny Hultzen.

2…Wins in the last two years by the Raiders on a top ranked team’s home field.  WSU beat #1 Georgia last year in Athens.

10…Runs and hits allowed in 2 1/3 innings by Kentucky starter Taylor Rogers in Saturday’s 14-13 win over Monmouth.

0 & 9…Hits allowed & strikeouts recorded in 4 IP by Wildcat reliever Matt Little, who earned the win in that game after allowing just two hits.

10…Hit batters by Monmouth pitchers in the loss to Kentucky to tie an NCAA record.  It’s just the third time a pitching staff has hit 10 batters in a game.

4…Straight hit batters by Monmouth pitchers Andy McDonnell (1) and Stephen Prosapio, who hit Kentucky’s Braden Kapteyn with the bases loaded and the score tied 13-13 to give the Wildcats the winning run.

1…Career home run by 5’9-160 pound Kentucky redshirt junior Neiko Johnson, whose long ball on a 2-2 pitch in the bottom of the 9th inning tied the score at 13 just before the four straight hit batsmen.

103…Runs scored by Georgia State in a 4-game series vs. North Carolina Central.

14…Of the runs scored by Georgia State junior Mark Micowski, who transferred to the school this year after Vermont disbanded baseball last year.  Micowski hit for the cycle in the first four innings of Friday’s 32-3 victory.  He batted .636 with 10 RBIs in the four games.

17…Combined strikeouts by George Washington pitchers Matt Branham and Scott DeCecco in Friday’s 5-1 win over USC Upstate.  The combined effort tied a school record.

210…Career Ks by Branham-whose career high 12 strikeouts in the win made him the 3rd pitcher in GW history to top the 200 K mark.

6…Straight wins by USC Upstate prior to the loss-a record for the Spartans since joining the Division One ranks.

1…Hit allowed by West Virginia’s Jarryd Summers in 8 innings in a 1-0 loss to Western Carolina.  Summers fanned 11 in the loss.  The only hit he allowed was a solo home run by WCU third baseman Tyler Kirkpatrick.

3…Hits allowed by Catamount starter Jason Sullivan-who struckout 8 in 9 shutout innings to improve to 3-0 on the season with the win over the Mountaineers.

Blake Kelso (Houston photo)

9…Strikeouts by Houston’s Michael Goodnight in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Texas at the Houston College Classic.

1…Wild pitch by Longhorn starter Brandon Workman-after a triple by Houston’s Blake Kelso-which allowed the game’s only run to score.

2…Losses by Cal State Fullerton in a 3-game series at Arizona to fall to 4-6 on the season.  The Titans started the year ranked in the top 10 in every poll.

1…Inning pitched by Titan All-American Daniel Renken in Friday’s 8-7 loss to the Wildcats.  Renken was lifted after hitting Wildcat CF Joey Rickard to lead-off the 2nd inning.

3…Walk-off wins by Arizona this season after freshman Seth Mejias-Brean singled home classmate Alex Mejia in the bottom of the 11th inning in that win over the Titans.

8…Strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings by Florida starter Alex Panteliodis in Friday’s 7-1 series-opening win over Miami (FL).

7…Strikeouts in 3 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings pitched by Gator reliever Nick Maronde to earn his first save of the season in that same win over the Hurricanes.

Kevin Chapman

4…Shutout innings pitched by Florida reliever Kevin Chapman in Sunday’s series-clinching 4-2 win over Miami.  Chapman gave-up just one hit with two strikeouts to earn his second save of 2010.

17…Combined strikeouts in 12 innings pitched by Duke starters Eric Pfisterer (10) and Michael Ness (7) who each tossed six shutout innings to help the Blue Devils to a 3-game sweep of Temple.

11…Strikeouts in 6 IP by Florida Gulf Coast ace Chris Sale in a 7-2 win over Wichita State.

2…Home runs hit over the weekend by Middle Tennessee State’s Bryce Brentz.  The outfielder led the nation with 28 HR last year, but he had been shutout through the first two weeks of the season.

1…Loss this season by Washington State after falling 4-1 in Sunday’s finale of a 4-game series with Utah.  The Cougars had started 9-0 for their best opening to a season since 1988.

Steve Fernandez

138…Pitches thrown by Santa Clara starter Alex Rivers in a 4-0 win over San Jose State.  Rivers scattered seven hits with five strikeouts for his third career complete game.

5…RBIs by St. Louis redshirt freshman Steve Fernandez to help St. Louis down Ohio State 10-9 on Saturday.

109…Pitches thrown by West Virginia’s Chris Enourato, who struckout 9 in seven innings of relief to help the Moutaineers to an 11-8 win over Illinois.  Enourato retired 16 of the first 17 batters he faced.

3…Wins by WVU (with seven losses) this season.  Enourato has earned two of the wins and a save in his five relief outings.

16…RBIs in five games by New Mexico State’s Wade Reynoso.  He batted .522 (12-23) with 3 home runs and 11 runs scored as well in wins over New Mexico and St. Joseph’s.

XU to Face Six 2009 NCAA Tournament Participants in 2010

Musketeer head coach Scott Googins

teams will prepare us for our conference play. We’re excited about the atmosphere of where we’ll be playing, against teams in the ACC, SEC and Big XII, all good baseball conferences and good teams in those conferences.”

Complete 2010 Xavier Schedule

XU will open the season with 10 straight road games before its home opener on March 9 against LeMoyne. The Musketeers will take on tournament participant Missouri in Columbia Mar. 12-16 followed by a single game at Louisville and then will host Oakland for a three-game homestand Mar. 19-21. Xavier is set to play at Kentucky (Mar. 23) and at Indiana (Mar. 24) before opening Atlantic 10 conference play at Saint Louis Mar. 26-28.

“We have young arms but they have to be able to produce and we are definitely hoping to build off success from last year,” Googins mentioned. “It’s hard to look that far ahead, to the A-10 schedule, but I think we will be in the mix. Hopefully our guys will be up to the challenge.”

The Musketeers will play nine three-game A-10 series this season, including La Salle (Apr. 9-11), Duquesne (Apr. 16-18), Charlotte (May 7-9) and Massachusetts (May 14-16) at home. Other than SLU, Xavier will travel to Richmond (Apr. 2-4), Rhode Island (Apr. 23-25), Dayton (Apr. 30-May 2) and Saint Joseph’s (May 20-22) to round out its conference schedule.

Other teams in the Musketeers’ schedule in 2010 include Campbell University, Miami (Ohio), Ohio State, Cincinnati, Eastern Kentucky and Ohio. XU will once again be participating in the second annual Joe Nuxhall Classic Apr. 13-14, which will be hosted by Miami (Ohio) this season. Xavier will defend its 2009 title at the Classic in 2010 against the field that includes Cincinnati, Miami and Wright State.

(Release)

Stillwater, OK Twelve NCAA Tournament teams from 2009 highlight Oklahoma State’s 2010 baseball schedule, which was released today.

OSU head coach Frank Anderson

will compete in the Dairy Queen Classic, which is held in the Metrodome in Minneapolis, and will battle host Minnesota, Northwestern and Loyola Marymount.

Complete 2010 Oklahoma State Schedule (PDF)

Following the back-to-back road trips, OSU will open a 12-game home stand at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium on March 12 against Massachusetts. The home stand includes a pair of games against Wright State, which was an NCAA Regional team last season. That stretch will take the Cowboys into Big 12 Conference play, where they open on the road at Kansas State on March 26.

In Big 12 Conference action, Anderson’s club will play host to Nebraska, Texas Tech, Kansas and Texas A&M. The conference home opener is against the Cornhuskers on April 2.

Among the Cowboys’ other non-conference opponents are Missouri State and Wichita State, both of which OSU will face at home and on the road this season. Anderson’s club will host a showdown against Rice on May 11.

OSU also has a non-conference game against Bedlam-rival Oklahoma in Stillwater on April 13. The two teams will alternate hosting a non-conference game each season, with the Cowboys making the trip to Norman in 2011. The games will not count towards either team’s Big 12 record.

“It’s been in the works for a while to get a game back on our campuses every year, and we’re excited to get this first one back in Stillwater,” said Anderson of the non-conference game agreement with OU. “It will be something the fans will enjoy, and it will only enhance the rivalry.”

The Cowboys and Sooners will continue their conference rivalry with the usual Bedlam Series, with the opener May 7 at the new Oneok Field in Tulsa, Okla., and the final two games at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.

The Big 12 Baseball Championship will be held at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark May 26-30, while NCAA Regionals get underway on June 4. The College World Series begins play on June 19 in Omaha, Neb.

(Release)

HANOVER, N.H. — Dartmouth College head baseball coach Bob Whalen today announced the 2010 schedule for his defending Ivy League champion squad this spring, including eight games against teams that participated in the 2009 NCAA Regionals. The Big Green will open the season with excellent challenges on March 6 in Charlottesville, Va., where they will square off against Wright State and host Virginia, both of which played in the postseason with the Cavaliers advancing to the College World Series. The three-game trip will conclude the following day with another contest versus Virginia. Dartmouth's Bob Whalen In mid-March, Dartmouth will embark on an 11-game spring trip with the first stop in Winter Haven, Fla., where they will play three Big Ten schools — Illinois twice, Northwestern and Ohio State (a 2009 NCAA participant) — before wrapping up the trip with a three-game series at another 2009 NCAA team, Bethune-Cookman. Complete 2010 Dartmouth Schedule The Ivy season will get under way with a doubleheader on April 3 at Cornell, the team the Big Green defeated in the Ivy Championship series this past May. The first of 10 home dates will take place on April 6 against Williams to begin a 12-game homestand. Columbia, Penn and Yale will all make the trek to Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park, as will New England rivals Quinnipiac, Holy Cross and Boston College of the ACC, the final NCAA team Dartmouth will play in the regular season. After the season wraps up on May 1-2 with doubleheaders against Harvard, the victors of the Rolfe and Gehrig Division will play in the Ivy Championship on May 8-9. Dartmouth is coming off a 27-18 campaign in 2009 when it won the Ivy Championship series by defeating Cornell, two games to one. The Big Green went 16-4 in league play, winning their first 11 games against conference foes. The 2009 Ivy League Player of the Year, Nick Santomauro, signed with the New York Mets this summer as a 10th-round draft choice, but Coach Whalen has his entire pitching staff back as well as four positional starters to defend their title. Senior left-hander Robert Young (5-4, 4.63 ERA) is the Big Green captain and anchors the staff with a pair of right-handers in All-Ivy second-teamer sophomore Kyle Hendricks (6-3, 4.84 ERA) and senior Ben Murray (6-1, 5.27 ERA) in the rotation as well. The Ivy leader in saves, junior right-hander Ryan Smith (2-3, 11 saves), returns already owning the single-season and career marks for saves at Dartmouth. Offensively, sophomore shortstop Joe Sclafani (.339 BA/.417 OBA/.477 SLG) is the Big Green’s leading returning hitter and provides excellent defense up the middle. He combines with junior second baseman Jeff Onstott (.308/.427/.497) to make up the league’s foremost double-play combination. A pair of senior outfielders in Jim Wren (.325/.374/.506) and Brett Gardner (.314/.419/.500) return to help give Dartmouth a strong nucleus in its offensive attack. (Release)

Two trips to Florida and five home conference series highlight 2010 ledger

Cincinnati Head Coach Brian Cleary

they participate in the second Big Ten-BIG EAST Baseball Challenge in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla., area. Cincinnati will open the Big Ten-BIG EAST Baseball Challenge against Penn State, before taking on Purdue and Ohio State to round out the event.

Complete 2010 Cincinnati Schedule

Following the Big Ten-BIG EAST Challenge, the Bearcats kick off their 31-game home schedule with a three-game series versus Youngstown State March 5-7. UC also will host LeMoyne College (March 10), Niagara (March 12-14), Toledo (March 19-21), Kentucky (March 30), Xavier (April 28), and Miami University (May 11) at Marge Schott Stadium in non-conference contests.

The Red and Black hit the road for non-conference games at Butler (March 23), at Dayton (March 24), at Ohio (April 20), at Xavier (April 27), at Wright State (May 5), and at Miami University (May 12). After hosting the Joe Nuxhall Classic last year, UC will travel up the road to Miami (OH) and McKie Field at Hayden Park to participate in the second Joe Nuxhall Classic April 13-14. For the second year in a row, the teams competing for the Joe Nuxhall Classic title will be UC, Miami (OH), Xavier, and Wright State.

UC plays five of its nine conference series’ at home this season, but the conference slate begins March 26-28 when the Bearcats travel to Plymouth Meeting, Penn., to take on Villanova. Other conference road series include Seton Hall (April 9-11), Notre Dame (23-25), and Connecticut (May 8-9).

USF (April 1-3), St. John’s (April 16-18), West Virginia (April 30-May 2), Pittsburgh (May 14-16), and Georgetown (May 20-22) will all make the trip to Clifton to play in Marge Schott Stadium, which was voted on by BIG EAST players and coaches as the favorite conference venue to play in.

(Release)

Wildcats Face 15 NCAA Tournament Teams From 2009

Kentucky Head Coach Gary Henderson

and several difficult non-conference tests. The Wildcats will host a 29-game schedule at Cliff Hagan Stadium and play a total of 27 contests away from Lexington.

Complete 2010 Kentucky Schedule (PDF)

UK will open its 2010 campaign for the second consecutive season at Coastal Carolina (47-16, No. 28 RPI), a team that finished the season ranked in the top 25. The Chanticleers will host the Wildcats in its preseason tournament, with UK’s season opener coming against ACC power Virginia Tech (32-21, No. 50 RPI) on Feb. 19 at noon ET. UK will also face West Virginia (37-18, No. 102 RPI) for the second consecutive year on Feb. 20 at 11 a.m., before facing the host Chanticleers Feb. 21 at 3 p.m.

“I thought it was important that we test our kids early and get them ready for 10 weeks of SEC play,” Henderson said. “When we got the extra week of competition in the schedule, we were able to add the trip to Coastal Carolina, which we are really pleased about. The trip was a good experience for us last year and we are looking forward to going down there. It is obviously three very good teams and we are going to be tested early in the season.”

The Wildcats will return to Cliff Hagan Stadium for their home opener on Feb. 24, hosting in-state foe Murray State (34-21) at 4 p.m. ET, before beginning a three-game homestand Feb. 26-28 with Mid-American Conference member Bowling Green (28-22).

UK’s next test will be significant, as the Wildcats begin a four-game road swing with a stop in Morehead, Ky., to face off with the Eagles on March 2, before embarking on a trip to San Diego for three games on the west coast. UK will face 2009 NCAA Regional participant San Diego State (41-23, No. 45 RPI), coached by Tony Gwynn, on March 4 before facing traditional powers San Diego (29-25, No. 50 RPI) on March 5 and Monmouth on March 6.

“You are playing two regional teams again out in San Diego,” Henderson said. “I want the team to experience some travel and play against top level competition on the road. It is important for the team to understand what it is going to be like on the road against good teams.”

After the trip to the west coast, UK will embark on a six-game homestand that includes non-conference matchups with Evansville (25-30), IPFW (13-38) and Wright State (33-30). The Wildcats then begin the rugged SEC conference season, welcoming defending conference regular-season champion Ole Miss (44-20, No. 14 RPI) in the league opener, March 19-21 at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

“The conference is going to be extremely competitive again,” Henderson said. “We are going to have as many returning players as ever in the league. When you look at the rosters and stats from around the conference, there is no weak team. It is going to be a great challenge from week to week. It is an absolute grind, 10 weeks of tremendous competition in great environments for college baseball.”

UK will host SEC series with Ole Miss, Alabama (37-21, No. 39 RPI), Florida (42-22, No. 10 RPI), South Carolina (40-23, No. 21 RPI) and 2009 NCAA Champion LSU (56-17, No. 4 RPI) during the year. The Wildcats will take trips for SEC play to Vanderbilt (37-27, No. 27 RPI), Arkansas (41-24, No. 7 RPI), Auburn (31-25, No. 33 RPI), Tennessee (26-29, No. 58 RPI) and Georgia (38-24, No. 20 RPI).

Highlighting UK’s non-conference action are mid-week contests with 2009 NCAA Regional teams Xavier (39-21, No. 59 RPI), Western Kentucky (42-20, No. 41 RPI), Louisville (47-18, No. 17 RPI) and Indiana (32-27, No. 108 RPI). UK will also face Cincinnati (29-29) and Lipscomb (24-32), as part of its non-conference season.

UK will play rivals Murray State, Indiana, Western Kentucky, Louisville, Cincinnati and Morehead State during the season. The last few years the rivalry games have increased in fan excitement and interest, and in 2010 UK will hit the road to face Louisville in the River City, WKU in Bowling Green, Ky., Murray State in Paducah, Ky., Morehead State in Morehead, Ky., and Indiana in Bloomington, Ind.

“I think when you have as many good programs as we do in the state, it is important that everyone plays each other,” Henderson said. “The series’ that we have had in state have been extremely competitive and have created a lot of excitement and interest. As the programs continue to get better, the rivalries and fan support continues to grow, which makes for some great environments in the in-state contests.”

(Press Release)

Commodores to play 35 games at Hawkins Field in spring

Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin

The Commodores will face 13 teams that made the NCAA tournament a year ago and 14 teams that finished with 30 or more wins.

Complete 2010 Vanderbilt Schedule (PDF)

Due to changes in the start date for baseball, Vanderbilt will open the season at home for the first time since 2005 as Niagara comes to Hawkins Field the weekend of Feb. 19-21 for a three-game series. VU will play Austin Peay on Feb. 23 before heading to Los Angeles to participate in the Jackie Robinson Tournament the weekend of Feb. 26-28. The Commodores will take on UCLA (Feb. 26) and USC (Feb. 27) at their home parks before concluding the trip against Big 12 power Oklahoma State (Feb. 28) at Dodger Stadium.

“I like the fact that we can open the season here at Hawkins Field for the first time in five years, then go out west the following week to play in a very high caliber tournament to prepare us for Southeastern Conference competition,” said Corbin.

Vanderbilt will return home for a nine-game homestand to start March, including hosting the Music City Classic after a one-year sabbatical. Tennessee Tech (March 2) will take on the Dores to open the skein before Kent State (March 5), Illinois State (March 6) and Indiana (March 7) come to Nashville to participate in the Classic the following weekend. Both Kent State and Indiana made the NCAA field in 2009, with the Commodores and Hoosiers facing off in the Louisville Regional last spring.

VU will close out its non-conference weekend schedule against Ohio (March 12-14) and will play home-and-home games against Western Kentucky (March 16 in Nashville, March 17 in Bowling Green) in midweek action.

The Commodores will open SEC play on the road against Alabama (March 19-21).

Vanderbilt will return home for a seven-game homestand with contests against Lipscomb (March 23), Wright State (March 24) Kentucky (March 26-28) and Wofford (March 30-31).

The Dores open April with a series at Florida (April 2-4) before beginning an eight game stretch at home against Belmont (April 6), South Carolina (April 9-11), Middle Tennessee (April 13) and Auburn (April 16-18).

The team will play its longest stretch away from home at the end of April with six games on the road: Lipscomb (April 20), Middle Tennessee (April 21), Tennessee (April 23-25) and at Austin Peay (April 27).

VU’s final stretch of regular season contests begins with a home series against Georgia (April 30, May 1-2) followed by a road series against defending national champions LSU (May 7-9). The Tigers are back on the schedule after a two-year absence due to the SEC schedule rotation. Ole Miss is not on the schedule for the next two years.

Vanderbilt will host Louisville in a rematch of last season’s regional championship game on May 11.

The Dores will travel to Mississippi State the weekend of May 14-16, before closing out the regular season at home against College World Series participant Arkansas on May 20-22. The series against the Razorbacks is a Thursday, Friday, Saturday set that every team in the league plays on the final weekend in preparation for the conference tournament.

The SEC tourney begins on May 26 in Hoover, Ala., and runs until May 30.

Schedule Notes:

• 2009 NCAA tournament teams on the schedule include Oklahoma State, Tennessee Tech, Kent State, Indiana, Western Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Middle Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Louisville, Arkansas.

• Opponents with 40 or more wins in 2009: Kent State (43-17), Western Kentucky (42-20), Florida (42-22), South Carolina (40-23), Middle Tennessee (44-18), LSU (56-17), Louisville (47-18), Arkansas (41-24).

• Opponents with 30 or more wins in 2009 (not including above teams): Oklahoma State (34-24), Tennessee Tech (31-24), Indiana (32-27), Alabama (37-21), Auburn (31-25), Georgia (38-24).

• Longest road trip: six games (April 20-27). Longest homestand: nine games (March 2-16).

(Press Release)