Friday (2/27) News Links
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OWH: In close shaves, Nebraska relies on The Beard
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OWH: In close shaves, Nebraska relies on The Beard
LJS: Hohensee soon, Placzek back this weekend
Nebraska right-hander Jake Hohensee may be able to throw in practice this week and be able to pitch by March 13, NU coach Darin Erstad said Wednesday.
Hohensee, a sophomore from Lincoln East, has pitched in two games this season but was hampered by an arm injury. An MRI showed nothing awry, according to Erstad.
Infielder Jake Placzek will travel with the Huskers to Los Angeles for their series against Loyola Marymount this weekend. The junior from Papillion-La Vista missed the first two trips this season after he broke a finger when it was slammed in a car door. Placzek, who started most of last season at shortstop, will be available to play this week. Erstad said he could play second, third or shortstop.
Erstad said he has not decided on his Sunday starter. Sophomore Max Knutson, who had been the No. 3 starter behind Chance Sinclair and Kyle Kubat, will be replaced, but Erstad was not sure who was in that mix.
"Max needs to fine-tune some things and we'll see," the coach said. Knutson pitched 31/3 innings in his start against BYU last weekend.
The NU-Loyola Marymount series starts Friday at 8:05 p.m. (CST), continues Saturday at 8:05 p.m. and concludes Sunday at 2:05 p.m. Games will be carried on the Husker Sports Network (1400 AM in Lincoln), and a livestream is available on LMULions.com.
Nebraska travels to Houston on March 6-8 to face Texas A&M, Hawaii and LSU in the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
LJS: Hohensee soon, Placzek back this weekend
Nebraska right-hander Jake Hohensee may be able to throw in practice this week and be able to pitch by March 13, NU coach Darin Erstad said Wednesday.
Hohensee, a sophomore from Lincoln East, has pitched in two games this season but was hampered by an arm injury. An MRI showed nothing awry, according to Erstad.
Infielder Jake Placzek will travel with the Huskers to Los Angeles for their series against Loyola Marymount this weekend. The junior from Papillion-La Vista missed the first two trips this season after he broke a finger when it was slammed in a car door. Placzek, who started most of last season at shortstop, will be available to play this week. Erstad said he could play second, third or shortstop.
Erstad said he has not decided on his Sunday starter. Sophomore Max Knutson, who had been the No. 3 starter behind Chance Sinclair and Kyle Kubat, will be replaced, but Erstad was not sure who was in that mix.
"Max needs to fine-tune some things and we'll see," the coach said. Knutson pitched 31/3 innings in his start against BYU last weekend.
The NU-Loyola Marymount series starts Friday at 8:05 p.m. (CST), continues Saturday at 8:05 p.m. and concludes Sunday at 2:05 p.m. Games will be carried on the Husker Sports Network (1400 AM in Lincoln), and a livestream is available on LMULions.com.
Nebraska travels to Houston on March 6-8 to face Texas A&M, Hawaii and LSU in the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
LJS: Hohensee soon, Placzek back this weekend
LJS: Meyers model of freshmen for Huskers
Darin Erstad looks at a roster with 14 newcomers and has to wonder whether they can mesh with a senior-laden team.
So far, through a 4-3 start in the season, he is starting to believe that won't be a problem.
Nebraska has used six freshman pitchers, starts a new second baseman and has used two new starters on the mound so far.
"It is encouraging to see them come through in tough situations," the Husker coach said of his young pitchers. "It seems like if one guy does well, the others do well. 'If he can do it, then I can do it,' kind of approach."
Erstad said mental preparation has helped the younger pitchers succeed.
"You don't want to overload (mental preparation) and give too much and crush their brains with it. But pitching has kept us in games. We've given up some hits, but that's what we do because we pitch to contact."
Jake Meyers, a freshman from Omaha Westside, is a good example of why the newcomers are not a baby-sitting problem for Erstad and his staff.
Meyers, who was named the Journal Star co-captain of the Super State team for his prowess at the plate and his 9-0, 0.97 earned-run average last year, has thrown four innings, picked up a save and kept opponents scoreless. He has allowed just three hits and struck out three.
"He is a competitor, an athlete with good bloodlines," Erstad said of Meyers, the son of former NU All-American and former San Francisco Giant Paul Meyers. "We've seen him get into 3-0, 3-1 and 2-0 situations and come right back with a strikeout."
"I just do what I've done my whole life: throw strikes," Meyers said. "I've always had a good change-up and it is getting better. There is nothing more satisfying than getting somebody on a changeup. The best change-up is the one you can't see coming."
While Meyers is probably going to pitch exclusively this year, the key to Westside's back-to-back state championships keeps his batting eye sharp and keeps his glove ready for playing the outfield, too.
"I try to stay sharp with the hitting and try to get in some time in the outfield every day," he said. "I wouldn't mind getting a chance in the field. For now, I'll stick with pitching if that's best for the team."
While he develops as a pitcher, Meyers said he works on a game plan to calm his nerves and be the best he can be on the mound.
"Tanner (catcher Lubach) is awesome to work with. He'll come to the mound and smile and talk about the eight guys behind me and how I just have to settle in and throw strikes. It is pretty simple, really."
Briefly
* Erstad said that although NU has stolen third base a few times in the first seven games, he has not seen enough base runners to determine whether the team's speed and taking extra bases is effective. "You have to have somebody on base with less than two outs to see if stealing and bunting is effective," he said.
* Erstad said Jake Hohensee might be able to return in time to pitch against Florida Gulf Coast in the first weekend home series. Hohensee, a right-hander, pitched well in the season-opening weekend but injured his pitching arm. Jake Placzek, who started at shortstop and third base last year, might get his first action on the diamond this weekend. He was out because of a broken fingertip.
* Loyola Marymount, Nebraska's opponent Friday through Sunday, was picked to win the WCC title this year. The Lions are 5-2 overall and are 5-1 at home this season. "This is the sleeper team we picked to make it to Omaha this year," Erstad said. "A lot of experience, lot of good pitching. We know this team is good."
* Nebraska second baseman Jake Schleppenbach is batting .400 and fielding well at second base. The Lincoln Pius X grad said he benefited from his season at Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College last year.
"I got a lot more confidence and a lot more ABs (at-bats) than I would have coming here as a walk-on and playing behind Pat Kelly," Schleppenbach said. Erstad said moving Schleppenbach up in the batting order was a result of his impressive showing at the plate. Only Schleppenbach and Ryan Boldt (.520) are hitting above .300 this season.
LJS: Meyers model of freshmen for Huskers
Darin Erstad looks at a roster with 14 newcomers and has to wonder whether they can mesh with a senior-laden team.
So far, through a 4-3 start in the season, he is starting to believe that won't be a problem.
Nebraska has used six freshman pitchers, starts a new second baseman and has used two new starters on the mound so far.
"It is encouraging to see them come through in tough situations," the Husker coach said of his young pitchers. "It seems like if one guy does well, the others do well. 'If he can do it, then I can do it,' kind of approach."
Erstad said mental preparation has helped the younger pitchers succeed.
"You don't want to overload (mental preparation) and give too much and crush their brains with it. But pitching has kept us in games. We've given up some hits, but that's what we do because we pitch to contact."
Jake Meyers, a freshman from Omaha Westside, is a good example of why the newcomers are not a baby-sitting problem for Erstad and his staff.
Meyers, who was named the Journal Star co-captain of the Super State team for his prowess at the plate and his 9-0, 0.97 earned-run average last year, has thrown four innings, picked up a save and kept opponents scoreless. He has allowed just three hits and struck out three.
"He is a competitor, an athlete with good bloodlines," Erstad said of Meyers, the son of former NU All-American and former San Francisco Giant Paul Meyers. "We've seen him get into 3-0, 3-1 and 2-0 situations and come right back with a strikeout."
"I just do what I've done my whole life: throw strikes," Meyers said. "I've always had a good change-up and it is getting better. There is nothing more satisfying than getting somebody on a changeup. The best change-up is the one you can't see coming."
While Meyers is probably going to pitch exclusively this year, the key to Westside's back-to-back state championships keeps his batting eye sharp and keeps his glove ready for playing the outfield, too.
"I try to stay sharp with the hitting and try to get in some time in the outfield every day," he said. "I wouldn't mind getting a chance in the field. For now, I'll stick with pitching if that's best for the team."
While he develops as a pitcher, Meyers said he works on a game plan to calm his nerves and be the best he can be on the mound.
"Tanner (catcher Lubach) is awesome to work with. He'll come to the mound and smile and talk about the eight guys behind me and how I just have to settle in and throw strikes. It is pretty simple, really."
Briefly
* Erstad said that although NU has stolen third base a few times in the first seven games, he has not seen enough base runners to determine whether the team's speed and taking extra bases is effective. "You have to have somebody on base with less than two outs to see if stealing and bunting is effective," he said.
* Erstad said Jake Hohensee might be able to return in time to pitch against Florida Gulf Coast in the first weekend home series. Hohensee, a right-hander, pitched well in the season-opening weekend but injured his pitching arm. Jake Placzek, who started at shortstop and third base last year, might get his first action on the diamond this weekend. He was out because of a broken fingertip.
* Loyola Marymount, Nebraska's opponent Friday through Sunday, was picked to win the WCC title this year. The Lions are 5-2 overall and are 5-1 at home this season. "This is the sleeper team we picked to make it to Omaha this year," Erstad said. "A lot of experience, lot of good pitching. We know this team is good."
* Nebraska second baseman Jake Schleppenbach is batting .400 and fielding well at second base. The Lincoln Pius X grad said he benefited from his season at Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College last year.
"I got a lot more confidence and a lot more ABs (at-bats) than I would have coming here as a walk-on and playing behind Pat Kelly," Schleppenbach said. Erstad said moving Schleppenbach up in the batting order was a result of his impressive showing at the plate. Only Schleppenbach and Ryan Boldt (.520) are hitting above .300 this season.
LJS: Meyers model of freshmen for Huskers
NU: Huskers Visit LA for Three-Game Set with LMU
Friday, Feb. 27 - 8:05 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (1-1) vs. RHP Welmon (1-1)
TV: None
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream (LMULions.com)
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Saturday, Feb. 28 - 8:05 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: LHP Kubat (0-0) vs. RHP Trevor Megill (1-0)
TV: None
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream (LMULions.com)
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Sunday, March 1 - 2:05 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: TBA vs. RHP Tylor Megill (2-0)
TV: None
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream (LMULions.com)
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Huskers Battle Lions in First Meeting Since 1988
After taking three-of-four from the BYU Cougars in Peoria, Ariz., last weekend, the Nebraska baseball team (4-3, 0-0 Big Ten) hits the road for the third straight weekend for a three-game series in Los Angeles, Calif., against the Loyola Marymount Lions (5-2, 0-0 WCC).
The Lions have played six of their seven games at home this season and are 5-1 at Page Stadium. The Lions opened the season with a series sweep of San Jose State and last weekend rallied to win the final two games of their series against Saint Joseph's after dropping the series opener. The Lions lost their lone road game of the season, a 7-6 loss at San Diego State.
The Huskers and Lions have meet just twice all-time, with both meeting coming in 1988. Following a eight-day trip to Hawaii, the Huskers stopped in Los Angeles and played a pair of games against the Lions on their way back to Lincoln. The Lions took both games, 15-9 (3/29/88) and 10-7 (3/30/88).
This weekend's games are scheduled for 8:05 p.m. (CT) on both Friday and Saturday, while the finale on Sunday is set for 2:05 p.m. (CT).
Seniors Chance Sinclair (1-1) and Kyle Kubat (0-0) are scheduled to throw on the first two games of the series for the third straight week. The Huskers have not announced a starter for Sunday's finale.
On the Radio
Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Lane Grindle and Ben McLaughlin call all of the action on the Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln - and live on Huskers.com, the Official Husker App or the TuneIn Radio App.
TV Coverage
None of this week's games at Loyola Marymount will be on TV.
Web Streams
All three of this weekend's game will be video streamed live for free on LMULions.com.
Banking on Boldt
Sophomore outfielder Ryan Boldt has been on an offensive tear to start the season, posting a .520 (13-for-25) average through seven games with one triple and a team-high eight runs scored.
Boldt was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday after carving up BYU's pitching staff in Peoria, Ariz. Boldt ended the four-game series going 10-for-16 with six runs scored and three walks to no strikeouts.
Last season, Boldt was named the No. 2 freshman in country by Baseball America, while also earning All-Big Tournament and NCAA Regional All-Tournament honors, as well as Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America accolades.
Welcome Home
After one season at Hutchinson CC, sophomore infielder Jake Schleppenbach returned to Lincoln to play for the Huskers.
The Pius X graduate has been a welcome addition to the 2015 squad, as he has filled a defensive hole at second base left by Pat Kelly and he ranks second on the team with a .400 (10-for-25) batting average.
Schleppenbach hit in the bottom third of the lineup over the first six games of the year, before moving to the leadoff spot in Saturday's 9-1 win over BYU. The sophomore made the most his opportunity with a 3-for-5 performance and a pair of runs scored.
Young Guns
Through seven games of the 2015 season the Huskers have seen six freshmen pitchers take the mound. The six newcomers have combined for 13.1 innings of work over nine relief appearances.
The six freshmen have shown early success as well, as five of them have yet to allow a run, while the group holds an ERA of 0.69.
Over the past three seasons combined the Huskers had a total of nine freshmen see time on the mound, including three in 2012, two in 2013 and four in 2014.
Finding the Offense
The Huskers are hitting an uncharacteristic .253 though seven games this season, but may have turned the corner in Saturday's 9-1 win over BYU.
Nebraska notched season highs in both runs (9) and hits (12), including a season-high three doubles. Adding in Ryan Boldt's triple the Huskers had four extra-base hits in the game, after producing a total of seven extra-base hits through the first six games of the season.
Close the Door
After playing his freshman season at Louisburg College in North Carolina, Josh Roeder joined the Huskers in 2013 and helped solidify the back end of NU's bullpen.
During the 2013 season, Roeder saw most of his action in a setup role to Dylan Vogt, but did collect six saves. Roeder took over the closer role in 2014 and saved 12 games.
With three saves through seven games this season, Roeder enters Friday's game against Loyola Marymount ranked second in NU history with 21 career saves and needs 11 more saves in 2015 to break Brett Jensen's school record of 31 saves.
Veteran Group
Nebraska's senior class includes eight members who all played a role in Nebraska's return to the NCAA Tournament last season.
The eight member class is made up of five position players who have combined to start 430 games, while three pitchers have made 101 combined appearances, including 48 starts.
Confidence in the Pen
During Darin Erstad's tenure at Nebraska, the Husker bullpen has done its job when it has a lead.
Led by pitching coach Ted Silva, the Huskers are 81-11 since 2012 when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 83-6 when leading after seven innings and nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 92-4 record.
24 Hits to Go
After Michael Pritchard and Pat Kelly each joined Nebraska 200-hit club last season, senior Austin Darby is 24 hits away from becoming the program's 23rd member.
If he joins the club, Darby would be the fourth Husker to join over the past three seasons, as Chad Christensen ended his career with 247 hits in 2013.
Prior to Christensen, Jake Opitz was the last Husker to join the club in 2008.
Matt Hopper holds the school record with 338 career hits and is one of just two players in school history to have topped 300 hits.
NU 200-Career Hit Club
1. 338 Matt Hopper 2000-03
2. 305 Jeff Leise 2000-03
3. 281 Will Bolt 1999-02
4. 261 Darin Erstad 1993-95
5. 251 Michael Pritchard 2001-14
6. 250 Paul Meyers 1984-86
7. 249 Joe Simokaitis 2002-05
8. 248 Jed Dalton 1992-95
9. 247 Chad Christensen 2010-13
10. 246 Darin Petersen 1992-95
11. 242 Mark Kister 1985-87
12. 240 Alex Gordon 2003-05
13. 238 DJ Belfonte 2007-10
14. 234 Todd Sears 1995-97
15. 231 Daniel Bruce 2002-05
16. 229 Ken Ramos 1987-89
17. 227 Jake Opitz 2005-08
18. 223 Curtis Ledbetter 2003-05
19. 222 John Cole 1999-01
20. 212 Pat Kelly 2012-14
21. 203 Ken Harvey 1997-99
22. 201 Francis Collins 1995-97
Like Your Chances with Sinclair
Even though Chance Sinclair is coming off his worst career outing as a Husker, giving up seven runs on 10 hits in a loss to BYU, fans should feel confident with him on the mound Friday night.
A third-team All-American and unanimous first-team All-Big Ten performer last season, Sinclair has a career record of 10-2, including a perfect 6-0 record during Big Ten play.
During his career, the right-hander has gone 6.0 or more innings in 13 of his 17 starts, including nine outings of at least 7.0 innings or more and a 9.0-inning complete game against Ohio State in 2014.
Experienced Lefty
Senior Kyle Kubat has two starts under his belt in 2015 and enters NU's series with LMU with 30 career starts on the mound, which ranks 14th all time at Nebraska. The lefty from Waterloo, Neb., started eight games in each of his first two seasons before making 12 starts last year.
If Kubat starts at least 12 games in 2015 he will become the first Husker since Johnny Dorn to make at least 40 career starts. Dorn ranks second all-time at Nebraska with 58 career starts from 2000 to 2003.
Since 2000, only four pitchers at Nebraska have made at least 40 career starts, including Shane Komine (59), Dorn (58), Jamie Rodrigue (53) and Zach Kroenke (41).
Not Nice to Steal
Senior catcher Tanner Lubach enters Friday with 34 runners caught stealing, which ranks third all-time at Nebraska. Lubach has started six of NU's seven games in 2015 and was the Huskers' primary catcher each of the past two seasons after transferring to Nebraska following one year at Hutchinson Community College.
Cory Burleson (2009-12) holds the school record with 46 runners caught stealing, while current volunteer assistant Jeff Christy ranks second with 38 runners caught stealing in just two years behind the plate in 2005 and 2006.
Topping 100
Senior Austin Darby is 15 RBIs away from becoming the 44th Husker since 1986 to notch 100 RBIs for their career.
Blake Headley (66) and Tanner Lubach (56) also have a chance to join the club this year, but both would need to have career years, as neither has produced even a 30-RBI season.
Pat Kelly joined the club last year and ended his three-year career with 125 RBIs, while Michael Pritchard fell four RBIs short of 100 career RBIs.
Matt Hopper is the only Husker to ever top the 200-RBI mark, with a school-record 271 RBIs.
NU: Huskers Visit LA for Three-Game Set with LMU
Friday, Feb. 27 - 8:05 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (1-1) vs. RHP Welmon (1-1)
TV: None
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream (LMULions.com)
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Saturday, Feb. 28 - 8:05 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: LHP Kubat (0-0) vs. RHP Trevor Megill (1-0)
TV: None
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream (LMULions.com)
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Sunday, March 1 - 2:05 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: TBA vs. RHP Tylor Megill (2-0)
TV: None
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream (LMULions.com)
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Huskers Battle Lions in First Meeting Since 1988
After taking three-of-four from the BYU Cougars in Peoria, Ariz., last weekend, the Nebraska baseball team (4-3, 0-0 Big Ten) hits the road for the third straight weekend for a three-game series in Los Angeles, Calif., against the Loyola Marymount Lions (5-2, 0-0 WCC).
The Lions have played six of their seven games at home this season and are 5-1 at Page Stadium. The Lions opened the season with a series sweep of San Jose State and last weekend rallied to win the final two games of their series against Saint Joseph's after dropping the series opener. The Lions lost their lone road game of the season, a 7-6 loss at San Diego State.
The Huskers and Lions have meet just twice all-time, with both meeting coming in 1988. Following a eight-day trip to Hawaii, the Huskers stopped in Los Angeles and played a pair of games against the Lions on their way back to Lincoln. The Lions took both games, 15-9 (3/29/88) and 10-7 (3/30/88).
This weekend's games are scheduled for 8:05 p.m. (CT) on both Friday and Saturday, while the finale on Sunday is set for 2:05 p.m. (CT).
Seniors Chance Sinclair (1-1) and Kyle Kubat (0-0) are scheduled to throw on the first two games of the series for the third straight week. The Huskers have not announced a starter for Sunday's finale.
On the Radio
Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Lane Grindle and Ben McLaughlin call all of the action on the Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln - and live on Huskers.com, the Official Husker App or the TuneIn Radio App.
TV Coverage
None of this week's games at Loyola Marymount will be on TV.
Web Streams
All three of this weekend's game will be video streamed live for free on LMULions.com.
Banking on Boldt
Sophomore outfielder Ryan Boldt has been on an offensive tear to start the season, posting a .520 (13-for-25) average through seven games with one triple and a team-high eight runs scored.
Boldt was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday after carving up BYU's pitching staff in Peoria, Ariz. Boldt ended the four-game series going 10-for-16 with six runs scored and three walks to no strikeouts.
Last season, Boldt was named the No. 2 freshman in country by Baseball America, while also earning All-Big Tournament and NCAA Regional All-Tournament honors, as well as Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America accolades.
Welcome Home
After one season at Hutchinson CC, sophomore infielder Jake Schleppenbach returned to Lincoln to play for the Huskers.
The Pius X graduate has been a welcome addition to the 2015 squad, as he has filled a defensive hole at second base left by Pat Kelly and he ranks second on the team with a .400 (10-for-25) batting average.
Schleppenbach hit in the bottom third of the lineup over the first six games of the year, before moving to the leadoff spot in Saturday's 9-1 win over BYU. The sophomore made the most his opportunity with a 3-for-5 performance and a pair of runs scored.
Young Guns
Through seven games of the 2015 season the Huskers have seen six freshmen pitchers take the mound. The six newcomers have combined for 13.1 innings of work over nine relief appearances.
The six freshmen have shown early success as well, as five of them have yet to allow a run, while the group holds an ERA of 0.69.
Over the past three seasons combined the Huskers had a total of nine freshmen see time on the mound, including three in 2012, two in 2013 and four in 2014.
Finding the Offense
The Huskers are hitting an uncharacteristic .253 though seven games this season, but may have turned the corner in Saturday's 9-1 win over BYU.
Nebraska notched season highs in both runs (9) and hits (12), including a season-high three doubles. Adding in Ryan Boldt's triple the Huskers had four extra-base hits in the game, after producing a total of seven extra-base hits through the first six games of the season.
Close the Door
After playing his freshman season at Louisburg College in North Carolina, Josh Roeder joined the Huskers in 2013 and helped solidify the back end of NU's bullpen.
During the 2013 season, Roeder saw most of his action in a setup role to Dylan Vogt, but did collect six saves. Roeder took over the closer role in 2014 and saved 12 games.
With three saves through seven games this season, Roeder enters Friday's game against Loyola Marymount ranked second in NU history with 21 career saves and needs 11 more saves in 2015 to break Brett Jensen's school record of 31 saves.
Veteran Group
Nebraska's senior class includes eight members who all played a role in Nebraska's return to the NCAA Tournament last season.
The eight member class is made up of five position players who have combined to start 430 games, while three pitchers have made 101 combined appearances, including 48 starts.
Confidence in the Pen
During Darin Erstad's tenure at Nebraska, the Husker bullpen has done its job when it has a lead.
Led by pitching coach Ted Silva, the Huskers are 81-11 since 2012 when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 83-6 when leading after seven innings and nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 92-4 record.
24 Hits to Go
After Michael Pritchard and Pat Kelly each joined Nebraska 200-hit club last season, senior Austin Darby is 24 hits away from becoming the program's 23rd member.
If he joins the club, Darby would be the fourth Husker to join over the past three seasons, as Chad Christensen ended his career with 247 hits in 2013.
Prior to Christensen, Jake Opitz was the last Husker to join the club in 2008.
Matt Hopper holds the school record with 338 career hits and is one of just two players in school history to have topped 300 hits.
NU 200-Career Hit Club
1. 338 Matt Hopper 2000-03
2. 305 Jeff Leise 2000-03
3. 281 Will Bolt 1999-02
4. 261 Darin Erstad 1993-95
5. 251 Michael Pritchard 2001-14
6. 250 Paul Meyers 1984-86
7. 249 Joe Simokaitis 2002-05
8. 248 Jed Dalton 1992-95
9. 247 Chad Christensen 2010-13
10. 246 Darin Petersen 1992-95
11. 242 Mark Kister 1985-87
12. 240 Alex Gordon 2003-05
13. 238 DJ Belfonte 2007-10
14. 234 Todd Sears 1995-97
15. 231 Daniel Bruce 2002-05
16. 229 Ken Ramos 1987-89
17. 227 Jake Opitz 2005-08
18. 223 Curtis Ledbetter 2003-05
19. 222 John Cole 1999-01
20. 212 Pat Kelly 2012-14
21. 203 Ken Harvey 1997-99
22. 201 Francis Collins 1995-97
Like Your Chances with Sinclair
Even though Chance Sinclair is coming off his worst career outing as a Husker, giving up seven runs on 10 hits in a loss to BYU, fans should feel confident with him on the mound Friday night.
A third-team All-American and unanimous first-team All-Big Ten performer last season, Sinclair has a career record of 10-2, including a perfect 6-0 record during Big Ten play.
During his career, the right-hander has gone 6.0 or more innings in 13 of his 17 starts, including nine outings of at least 7.0 innings or more and a 9.0-inning complete game against Ohio State in 2014.
Experienced Lefty
Senior Kyle Kubat has two starts under his belt in 2015 and enters NU's series with LMU with 30 career starts on the mound, which ranks 14th all time at Nebraska. The lefty from Waterloo, Neb., started eight games in each of his first two seasons before making 12 starts last year.
If Kubat starts at least 12 games in 2015 he will become the first Husker since Johnny Dorn to make at least 40 career starts. Dorn ranks second all-time at Nebraska with 58 career starts from 2000 to 2003.
Since 2000, only four pitchers at Nebraska have made at least 40 career starts, including Shane Komine (59), Dorn (58), Jamie Rodrigue (53) and Zach Kroenke (41).
Not Nice to Steal
Senior catcher Tanner Lubach enters Friday with 34 runners caught stealing, which ranks third all-time at Nebraska. Lubach has started six of NU's seven games in 2015 and was the Huskers' primary catcher each of the past two seasons after transferring to Nebraska following one year at Hutchinson Community College.
Cory Burleson (2009-12) holds the school record with 46 runners caught stealing, while current volunteer assistant Jeff Christy ranks second with 38 runners caught stealing in just two years behind the plate in 2005 and 2006.
Topping 100
Senior Austin Darby is 15 RBIs away from becoming the 44th Husker since 1986 to notch 100 RBIs for their career.
Blake Headley (66) and Tanner Lubach (56) also have a chance to join the club this year, but both would need to have career years, as neither has produced even a 30-RBI season.
Pat Kelly joined the club last year and ended his three-year career with 125 RBIs, while Michael Pritchard fell four RBIs short of 100 career RBIs.
Matt Hopper is the only Husker to ever top the 200-RBI mark, with a school-record 271 RBIs.
NU: Huskers Visit LA for Three-Game Set with LMU
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
MEDIA LINKS
LMU vs. Nebraska - Friday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Saturday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Sunday • 12:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
THIS WEEK
Having won three straight games for the second time this year, LMU (6-2) will look to keep the momentum going this weekend when it welcomes Nebraska (4-3) to Page Stadium for a three-game series...the two teams have only met twice in program history, as the Lions earned a pair of victories at home on March 29 and 30 of 1988...live video and stats for the series can be found at LMULions.com...
LION TRACKS
Sophomore Brenton Arriaga tossed six strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three, en route to earning the victory and improving to 1-0 this year as LMU (6-2) recorded a 5-2 victory over UC Riverside (5-4) on Tuesday at the Riverside Sports Complex...freshman Billy Wilson notched his fourth multi-hit game of his young career in the win, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and one RBI...sophomores Austin Miller and Cassidy Brown also recorded multi-hit games, with Miller going 2-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot...Sean Watkins, who started the game in right field and went 1-for-4 with a two-RBI double, also threw a perfect inning of relief, striking out three in the eighth...the LMU bullpen finished the game with three scoreless innings of work, as Michael Silva threw a scoreless seventh before J.D. Busfield recorded his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning...
PUNCHOUT PROS
The LMU pitching staff has shown a knack for missing bats early this year, as the Lions have registered 71 strikeouts in 71 innings of work to average 1 per inning and 8.86 per game played...leading the way for the Lions are starters Colin Welmon (16 strikeouts) and Tylor Megill (13 strikeouts)...both Welmon and Megill have registered a 10+ strikeout game this year, something that LMU did not accomplish all of last season (last: Aaron Griffin | 4/27/13 at Portland)...Welmon's 12 strikeout game against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 was the first for the Lions since Trevor Megill struck out 12 at #18 USD on 5/12/12...at the current strikeout-per-game rate, LMU is on pace to strike out 461 batters during the regular season...the LMU record for strikeouts in a season is 451 in 2000...
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Never afraid to wear a pitch to reach first base, LMU has quickly recorded an NCAA-leading 24 hit-by-pitches over eight games this year (3.00 per game)...UC Davis has been hit 22 times, while Oregon has been hit 20 times...LMU is on pace to drawing 156 hit-by-pitches during the regular season...LMU's existing program record is 112 in 2000...Joe Murray, Cassidy Brown and Billy Wilson have all been hit four times, while nine different Lions have registered at least one hit-by-pitch...the high-water mark for the year was five hit batsmen against Saint Joseph's on 2/21 in the second game of a doubleheader, while LMU has not managed a hit-by-pitch in only one game this year (2/24 at UC Riverside)...outside of the game at UCR, the fewest hit-by-pitches in a game for the Lions this year is two (San Jose State, 2/13 | at San Diego State, 2/17)...the five hit-by-pitches were the most for the Lions since recording five at Cal State Fullerton on 5/18/10...in addition to the hit-by-pitches, LMU has also drawn 25 walks this year (3.13 per game)...David Fletcher has drawn six walks, while Tanner Donnels and Ted Boeke have drawn five...using a 52-game regular season, LMU is on pace to draw 162 walks headed into any postseason games...
IN A PINCH
LMU has shown a strong bench so far this year when players have been called upon to contribute in a pinch...the Lions are batting .533 (8-for-15) in pinch-hit opportunities, led by junior Joe Christian (2-for-2) and freshman Jamey Smart (3-for-6)...in those 16 at bats, LMU pinch-hitters have registered a double and four RBI...
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Tylor Megill earned Rawlings West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in his second career start, it was announced by the Conference office on Monday...Megill combined on a 10-0 shutout of Saint Joseph's on 2/21 from Page Stadium...Megill clinched the weekend series victory over Saint Joseph's, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while striking out a career-best 11 batters to record the win...the right-hander threw 88 pitches before turning the ball over the bullpen as the Lions ultimately posted the first shutout victory of the season...the weekly selection is the first of the year for LMU...Santa Clara's Jose Vizcaino, Jr. was named WCC Player of the Week for the second time in as many weeks...
TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE
With a home-heavy 2015 schedule that features 31 games at Page Stadium, including 23 under the lights, fans will have plenty of opportunity to see the Lions in action this year - and there is no better way to catch the action than by purchasing a season ticket plan...season ticket plans start at $40 for a General Admission season ticket...each season ticket purchased comes with a commemorative LMU Scarf...children 12 years and under attending any regular season LMU baseball game get in for free if they are wearing their softball or baseball youth league uniform...to purchase General Admission season tickets or single-game tickets, please visit LMULions.com/tickets...
ABOUT NEBRASKA
Nebraska enters the weekend series with the Lions sporting a 4-3 overall record after taking three-of-four from BYU in Peoria, Ariz...the Huskers opened the 2015 season at UNLV, dropping two-of-three...Ryan Boldt paces the offense for Nebraska, hitting .520 with eight runs scored and a triple...Blake Headley has driven in eight runs to accompany two doubles and a triple, while Ben Miller has amassed seven RBI and two doubles...Chance Sinclair (1-1, 5.06 ERA) is slated to take the ball on Friday, while lefty Kyle Kubat (0-0, 2.31 ERA) will pitch Saturday...Sunday's starter is still TBA...Nebraska is led by fourth-year head coach Darin Erstad...
I'M GOING STREAKING!
LMU had four different players register a hitting streak of 12 games last year, but only one made it past that mark...David Fletcher carried a 15-game hitting streak into the 2015 season, and with a hit in each of the first four games this year, ran that streak to 19 games before it ended against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 (0-for-2 | 2 BB)...Fletcher, who has still reached in 23 straight games, posted multiple hits in 10 of the games en route to accumulating a .413 batting average to go along with 12 runs scored, 7 RBI, 2 doubles, a triple and 11 stolen bases...despite the hit streak coming to an end just short of 20 games, he has hit safely in 34 of his last 36, and 37 of the last 40 dating back to 2014...in addition to Fletcher, Billy Wilson and Sean Watkins have also reached in all 8 games this year...
THE NAME OF THE GAME
It's often said that pitching is the name of the game, and LMU starters have played the game well through eight games in 2015...senior Colin Welmon tossed six innings and allowed just one unearned run on Opening night before going seven frames and allowing only one earned run while striking out 12 in his second start...redshirt-junior Trevor Megill went six of his own and allowed just one run on just two hits with four strikeouts on 2/14 in his first start of the season...Tylor Megill followed his brother's lead with six innings of his own, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out a pair in the finale against San Jose State before registering five shutout innings and 11 strikeouts to combine on LMU's first shutout of the year on 2/21 against Saint Joseph's...the momentum has also carried into the midweek, as sophomore Brenton Arriaga threw five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits at San Diego State on 2/17, before registering a victory and tossing six innings and allowing jus two runs at UC Riverside on 2/24...so far the Lion starters have pitched to five victories and a 1.60 ERA, allowing just 31 hits, striking out 42 and limiting opponents to just a .195 batting average against over 45 innings of work...removing the game against San Diego State, LMU relievers have also been stellar, registering a .78 ERA with 28 strikeouts and just 14 hits allowed (.177 average against) over 23 innings of work...in total, the LMU bullpen has posted a 3.12 ERA and a 1-1 record with three saves...
PICKED BEFORE THE PITCH
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon and sophomores David Fletcher and Austin Miller were tabbed preseason All-WCC prior to the start of the 2015 campaign...all three players earned first team All-WCC selections in 2014...the All-WCC selection was the second for Welmon...for more information on their stellar 2014 campaigns, please see the "All-Conference Returners" section of this release...
SURVEY SAYS
The LMU baseball team, led by seventh-year head coach Jason Gill, is the favorite to win the 2015 WCC Championship, it was announced by the conference office following a poll of the 10 conference head coaches...the Lions earned six of 10 possible first-place votes and 77 overall points in the poll...LMU is also the favorite according to Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com...
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
LMU returns four players who received All-WCC recognition at the end of the 2014 season, including first-teamers Colin Welmon, Austin Miller and David Fletcher to accompany honorable mention selection Ted Boeke...Welmon went 10-2 with a 2.37 ERA over 14 starts last year, posting four complete games, including three straight to finish the year, and all four in his last five starts...the native of Tustin, Calif., who struck out 58 and walked 19 over 106.1 innings, tossed 7.0+ innings in all but two starts...Miller earned first team Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to go along with a WCC Freshman of the Year selection...he batted a team-high .374 with 46 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and 18 RBI while swiping 25 bases in 29 attempts and reaching at a .474 clip...the native of Greeley, Colo. also drew 21 hit-by-pitches, matching the LMU record for a single season, while leading the team in average, slugging percentage (.451), on-base percentage, runs scored, hits (77), triples, total bases (93) and stolen bases...Fletcher earned Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to accompany an American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings second team All-West Region selection and the WCC Defensive Player of the Year...the native of Cypress, Calif. hit .329 with 37 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and 28 RBI while starting all 56 games for the Lions at shortstop...he also hit safely in 30 of LMU's last 32 games, including a team-high 15-game hit streak to finish the year...Boeke batted .289 with 14 runs scored, four doubles, two triples and 10 RBI over 45 games played and 35 starts as a freshman...the La Crescenta, Calif. native also batted .364 with 10 runs scored, three doubles, two triples and seven RBI against conference foes...
THAT'S GOLD, COLIN! GOLD!
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon is one of 50 players named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list...the award will eventually name the top amateur baseball player in the country in a trophy presentation on Tuesday, June 23 in Los Angeles...sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, 2015 marks the 38th year of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award...Welmon is the first Lion to be named to the list since Angelo Songco (2009)...the preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, and will be a "rolling" list until May 22 -- when the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists are announced -- ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the collegiate and high school seasons...
WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will video stream all home baseball games this year through Lion's All-Access...the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast...all road games will once again feature an audio play-by-play broadcast, and links to those broadcasts can be found on the LMU baseball page at LMULions.com...
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
In its 33rd season as the home of Lion baseball in 2015, George C. Page Stadium also enters its second year under the lights...the 2015 LMU baseball schedule features 31 of its 52 games played at home, including 23 under the lights...the Lions are 5-1 (3-1 under lights) so far at home in 2015...LMU went 20-10 at home last year, including 13-5 under the lights...the Lions will play only one non-conference road weekend series during the regular season this year (Arkansas)...non-conference series feature games vs. San Jose State, Saint Joseph's and Nebraska, while WCC foes Santa Clara, Gonzaga, BYU, Pacific and USD will all visit LMU...the Lions, who have posted a 522-385-4 (.575) overall record in the park's 32 seasons, have claimed five conference titles while calling Page Stadium home...the first Page Stadium conference title came in 1986, when the Lions posted a 24-8 record at home...the best record came in 1988, when LMU was 30-5 (.857)...
JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY
For the third consecutive year, the West Coast Conference will hold a WCC Championship Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif. from May 21-23 to decide who will claim the WCC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament...the top-four teams will compete in the tournament, with the #1 seed facing #4 and #2 facing #3 in first-round play...the tournament is double elimination until the championship game on Saturday, where the winner earns the automatic bid...
WELLS FARGO PCH CUP
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Wells Fargo Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup...the series, which is in its sixth year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference...any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur...for the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships...LMU currently leads the 2014-15 standings, 6-4.5...Pepperdine has won the challenge in each of the first five seasons...to learn more about the PCH Cup and view the current scorecard, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/6n4l82s
HEADED TO THE HALL
LMU baseball was well-represented in this year's LMU Hall of Fame class, as Billy Traber and Scott Walter were both be inducted into the Hall on 2/21 as part of the 16th class to be inducted...as part of the celebration, Traber threw out that night's ceremonial first pitch - to Walter...Traber and Walter combined to form one of the best three-year batteries in the history of the West Coast Conference, leading the baseball program to three straight conference crowns, the first men's program to do so in school history...Walter would go on to earn second-team All-American honors as a catcher in 2000 and ranks third all-time with 36 home runs...Traber also went on to earn All-America honors and was the WCC Pitcher of the Year in 2000, ranking second all-time with 338 strikeouts...
@BASEBALLLMU ON TWITTER
For fans, scouts, parents and players who are interested in following LMU baseball even closer this year, LMU baseball assistant coach Bryant Ward is tweeting under the handle @BaseballLMU...to get the inside look at LMU baseball from the coaching perspective, make sure to follow @BaseballLMU on Twitter...
FINISH WHAT YOU START
Senior Colin Welmon has registered three career complete-game shutouts, including two last year, and six career complete games...the right-hander completed four of his last five starts overall in 2014, including each of his final three...his first career complete-game shutout came against Hawaii on 2/28/13 (2 H | 6 K | 95 Pitches)...he then went the distance in a shutout on 4/17/14 at BYU (6 H | 2 BB | 3 K | 117 Pitches)...his most recent shutout came on 5/16/14 at Pacific (5 H | 4 K | 99 Pitches)...
BEAN NAMED AMBASSADOR FOR INCLUSION
One year after Major League Baseball issued a policy prohibiting players from harassing and discriminating against others players based on their sexual orientation, former Commissioner Bud Selig appointed former LMU outfielder and LMU Hall of Famer Billy Bean as MLB's first Ambassador for Inclusion...the announcement was made on July 15, 2014...in his new role, Bean, who made public that he is gay in 1999, will provide guidance and training related to efforts to support those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community throughout Major League Baseball...he will work with Major and Minor League Clubs to encourage equal opportunity in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA Workplace Code of Conduct...Bean, whose No. 44 baseball jersey is retired at LMU, spent four seasons with the Lions, where he still is a record holder in numerous categories...Bean led the Lions to the program's first ever College World Series appearance in 1986 during his senior season...he was named to the All-WCC first team twice in his career, and was a member of the ABCA All-American second team in his senior season...Collegiate Baseball named him honorable mention All-American as a junior...Bean holds the WCC single-season record for walks with 66, is the LMU single-season record holder for runs scored with 84, and still ranks among WCC career leaders in five offensive categories...Bean was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in 2012...
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Senior Tanner Donnels, redshirt senior Kevin Glomb, sophomore Tim Peabody, and brothers Trevor and Tylor Megill all have family ties to LMU...Donnels' father, Chris, played baseball at LMU and was part of LMU's 1986 World Series team before being selected in the first round of the 1987 draft by the New York Mets and embarking on a eight-year MLB career...Chris Donnels is LMU's all-time leader in slugging percentage (.650), home runs (45) and RBI (225), setting the LMU single-season records for home runs (21) and RBI (91) in 1986...Donnels' mother and grandfather also attended LMU...Glomb's brother, Michael, played baseball for LMU from 2004-08, while his sister played volleyball at LMU in 2005...Peabody's mother, Nadine, played softball at LMU, while his uncle, Tom, was a member of LMU's 1989-90 Elite Eight men's basketball team...right-hander Trevor Megill enters his redshirt junior year, while his brother, Tylor, begins his first year on the hill at LMU...
LIONS IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
LMU had two former baseball players in the Major Leagues in 2014, as C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles Angels) spent his 10th year on the game's biggest stage...Ryan Wheeler (Los Angeles Angels) appeared last year for Colorado, while Eric Farris (Minnesota), who also has MLB experience, competed in Minor League Baseball throughout the 2014 season...in addition to Wheeler and Farris, 10 former Lions played in the Minor Leagues in 2014, including Bret Dahlson and Kevin Garcia who finished LMU careers in 2014...the Lions have had more than 120 players drafted by Major League Baseball teams in program history, including 29 players in the last 10 years...Billy Traber and Chris Donnels are the lone Lions to be selected in the first round, both selected by the Mets...Traber went 16th overall in 2000, while Donnels was taken with the 24th pick in 1987...including Traber and Donnels, LMU has had 22 players selected in the first five rounds of a MLB draft...LMU's best draft came in 2000, as a Lion was taken in each of the first three rounds - Traber went in the first, followed by Michael Schultz in the second, and Scott Walter in the third...for a list of current Lions playing in professional baseball, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/7taglqf
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
MEDIA LINKS
LMU vs. Nebraska - Friday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Saturday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Sunday • 12:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
THIS WEEK
Having won three straight games for the second time this year, LMU (6-2) will look to keep the momentum going this weekend when it welcomes Nebraska (4-3) to Page Stadium for a three-game series...the two teams have only met twice in program history, as the Lions earned a pair of victories at home on March 29 and 30 of 1988...live video and stats for the series can be found at LMULions.com...
LION TRACKS
Sophomore Brenton Arriaga tossed six strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three, en route to earning the victory and improving to 1-0 this year as LMU (6-2) recorded a 5-2 victory over UC Riverside (5-4) on Tuesday at the Riverside Sports Complex...freshman Billy Wilson notched his fourth multi-hit game of his young career in the win, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and one RBI...sophomores Austin Miller and Cassidy Brown also recorded multi-hit games, with Miller going 2-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot...Sean Watkins, who started the game in right field and went 1-for-4 with a two-RBI double, also threw a perfect inning of relief, striking out three in the eighth...the LMU bullpen finished the game with three scoreless innings of work, as Michael Silva threw a scoreless seventh before J.D. Busfield recorded his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning...
PUNCHOUT PROS
The LMU pitching staff has shown a knack for missing bats early this year, as the Lions have registered 71 strikeouts in 71 innings of work to average 1 per inning and 8.86 per game played...leading the way for the Lions are starters Colin Welmon (16 strikeouts) and Tylor Megill (13 strikeouts)...both Welmon and Megill have registered a 10+ strikeout game this year, something that LMU did not accomplish all of last season (last: Aaron Griffin | 4/27/13 at Portland)...Welmon's 12 strikeout game against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 was the first for the Lions since Trevor Megill struck out 12 at #18 USD on 5/12/12...at the current strikeout-per-game rate, LMU is on pace to strike out 461 batters during the regular season...the LMU record for strikeouts in a season is 451 in 2000...
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Never afraid to wear a pitch to reach first base, LMU has quickly recorded an NCAA-leading 24 hit-by-pitches over eight games this year (3.00 per game)...UC Davis has been hit 22 times, while Oregon has been hit 20 times...LMU is on pace to drawing 156 hit-by-pitches during the regular season...LMU's existing program record is 112 in 2000...Joe Murray, Cassidy Brown and Billy Wilson have all been hit four times, while nine different Lions have registered at least one hit-by-pitch...the high-water mark for the year was five hit batsmen against Saint Joseph's on 2/21 in the second game of a doubleheader, while LMU has not managed a hit-by-pitch in only one game this year (2/24 at UC Riverside)...outside of the game at UCR, the fewest hit-by-pitches in a game for the Lions this year is two (San Jose State, 2/13 | at San Diego State, 2/17)...the five hit-by-pitches were the most for the Lions since recording five at Cal State Fullerton on 5/18/10...in addition to the hit-by-pitches, LMU has also drawn 25 walks this year (3.13 per game)...David Fletcher has drawn six walks, while Tanner Donnels and Ted Boeke have drawn five...using a 52-game regular season, LMU is on pace to draw 162 walks headed into any postseason games...
IN A PINCH
LMU has shown a strong bench so far this year when players have been called upon to contribute in a pinch...the Lions are batting .533 (8-for-15) in pinch-hit opportunities, led by junior Joe Christian (2-for-2) and freshman Jamey Smart (3-for-6)...in those 16 at bats, LMU pinch-hitters have registered a double and four RBI...
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Tylor Megill earned Rawlings West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in his second career start, it was announced by the Conference office on Monday...Megill combined on a 10-0 shutout of Saint Joseph's on 2/21 from Page Stadium...Megill clinched the weekend series victory over Saint Joseph's, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while striking out a career-best 11 batters to record the win...the right-hander threw 88 pitches before turning the ball over the bullpen as the Lions ultimately posted the first shutout victory of the season...the weekly selection is the first of the year for LMU...Santa Clara's Jose Vizcaino, Jr. was named WCC Player of the Week for the second time in as many weeks...
TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE
With a home-heavy 2015 schedule that features 31 games at Page Stadium, including 23 under the lights, fans will have plenty of opportunity to see the Lions in action this year - and there is no better way to catch the action than by purchasing a season ticket plan...season ticket plans start at $40 for a General Admission season ticket...each season ticket purchased comes with a commemorative LMU Scarf...children 12 years and under attending any regular season LMU baseball game get in for free if they are wearing their softball or baseball youth league uniform...to purchase General Admission season tickets or single-game tickets, please visit LMULions.com/tickets...
ABOUT NEBRASKA
Nebraska enters the weekend series with the Lions sporting a 4-3 overall record after taking three-of-four from BYU in Peoria, Ariz...the Huskers opened the 2015 season at UNLV, dropping two-of-three...Ryan Boldt paces the offense for Nebraska, hitting .520 with eight runs scored and a triple...Blake Headley has driven in eight runs to accompany two doubles and a triple, while Ben Miller has amassed seven RBI and two doubles...Chance Sinclair (1-1, 5.06 ERA) is slated to take the ball on Friday, while lefty Kyle Kubat (0-0, 2.31 ERA) will pitch Saturday...Sunday's starter is still TBA...Nebraska is led by fourth-year head coach Darin Erstad...
I'M GOING STREAKING!
LMU had four different players register a hitting streak of 12 games last year, but only one made it past that mark...David Fletcher carried a 15-game hitting streak into the 2015 season, and with a hit in each of the first four games this year, ran that streak to 19 games before it ended against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 (0-for-2 | 2 BB)...Fletcher, who has still reached in 23 straight games, posted multiple hits in 10 of the games en route to accumulating a .413 batting average to go along with 12 runs scored, 7 RBI, 2 doubles, a triple and 11 stolen bases...despite the hit streak coming to an end just short of 20 games, he has hit safely in 34 of his last 36, and 37 of the last 40 dating back to 2014...in addition to Fletcher, Billy Wilson and Sean Watkins have also reached in all 8 games this year...
THE NAME OF THE GAME
It's often said that pitching is the name of the game, and LMU starters have played the game well through eight games in 2015...senior Colin Welmon tossed six innings and allowed just one unearned run on Opening night before going seven frames and allowing only one earned run while striking out 12 in his second start...redshirt-junior Trevor Megill went six of his own and allowed just one run on just two hits with four strikeouts on 2/14 in his first start of the season...Tylor Megill followed his brother's lead with six innings of his own, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out a pair in the finale against San Jose State before registering five shutout innings and 11 strikeouts to combine on LMU's first shutout of the year on 2/21 against Saint Joseph's...the momentum has also carried into the midweek, as sophomore Brenton Arriaga threw five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits at San Diego State on 2/17, before registering a victory and tossing six innings and allowing jus two runs at UC Riverside on 2/24...so far the Lion starters have pitched to five victories and a 1.60 ERA, allowing just 31 hits, striking out 42 and limiting opponents to just a .195 batting average against over 45 innings of work...removing the game against San Diego State, LMU relievers have also been stellar, registering a .78 ERA with 28 strikeouts and just 14 hits allowed (.177 average against) over 23 innings of work...in total, the LMU bullpen has posted a 3.12 ERA and a 1-1 record with three saves...
PICKED BEFORE THE PITCH
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon and sophomores David Fletcher and Austin Miller were tabbed preseason All-WCC prior to the start of the 2015 campaign...all three players earned first team All-WCC selections in 2014...the All-WCC selection was the second for Welmon...for more information on their stellar 2014 campaigns, please see the "All-Conference Returners" section of this release...
SURVEY SAYS
The LMU baseball team, led by seventh-year head coach Jason Gill, is the favorite to win the 2015 WCC Championship, it was announced by the conference office following a poll of the 10 conference head coaches...the Lions earned six of 10 possible first-place votes and 77 overall points in the poll...LMU is also the favorite according to Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com...
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
LMU returns four players who received All-WCC recognition at the end of the 2014 season, including first-teamers Colin Welmon, Austin Miller and David Fletcher to accompany honorable mention selection Ted Boeke...Welmon went 10-2 with a 2.37 ERA over 14 starts last year, posting four complete games, including three straight to finish the year, and all four in his last five starts...the native of Tustin, Calif., who struck out 58 and walked 19 over 106.1 innings, tossed 7.0+ innings in all but two starts...Miller earned first team Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to go along with a WCC Freshman of the Year selection...he batted a team-high .374 with 46 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and 18 RBI while swiping 25 bases in 29 attempts and reaching at a .474 clip...the native of Greeley, Colo. also drew 21 hit-by-pitches, matching the LMU record for a single season, while leading the team in average, slugging percentage (.451), on-base percentage, runs scored, hits (77), triples, total bases (93) and stolen bases...Fletcher earned Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to accompany an American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings second team All-West Region selection and the WCC Defensive Player of the Year...the native of Cypress, Calif. hit .329 with 37 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and 28 RBI while starting all 56 games for the Lions at shortstop...he also hit safely in 30 of LMU's last 32 games, including a team-high 15-game hit streak to finish the year...Boeke batted .289 with 14 runs scored, four doubles, two triples and 10 RBI over 45 games played and 35 starts as a freshman...the La Crescenta, Calif. native also batted .364 with 10 runs scored, three doubles, two triples and seven RBI against conference foes...
THAT'S GOLD, COLIN! GOLD!
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon is one of 50 players named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list...the award will eventually name the top amateur baseball player in the country in a trophy presentation on Tuesday, June 23 in Los Angeles...sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, 2015 marks the 38th year of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award...Welmon is the first Lion to be named to the list since Angelo Songco (2009)...the preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, and will be a "rolling" list until May 22 -- when the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists are announced -- ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the collegiate and high school seasons...
WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will video stream all home baseball games this year through Lion's All-Access...the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast...all road games will once again feature an audio play-by-play broadcast, and links to those broadcasts can be found on the LMU baseball page at LMULions.com...
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
In its 33rd season as the home of Lion baseball in 2015, George C. Page Stadium also enters its second year under the lights...the 2015 LMU baseball schedule features 31 of its 52 games played at home, including 23 under the lights...the Lions are 5-1 (3-1 under lights) so far at home in 2015...LMU went 20-10 at home last year, including 13-5 under the lights...the Lions will play only one non-conference road weekend series during the regular season this year (Arkansas)...non-conference series feature games vs. San Jose State, Saint Joseph's and Nebraska, while WCC foes Santa Clara, Gonzaga, BYU, Pacific and USD will all visit LMU...the Lions, who have posted a 522-385-4 (.575) overall record in the park's 32 seasons, have claimed five conference titles while calling Page Stadium home...the first Page Stadium conference title came in 1986, when the Lions posted a 24-8 record at home...the best record came in 1988, when LMU was 30-5 (.857)...
JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY
For the third consecutive year, the West Coast Conference will hold a WCC Championship Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif. from May 21-23 to decide who will claim the WCC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament...the top-four teams will compete in the tournament, with the #1 seed facing #4 and #2 facing #3 in first-round play...the tournament is double elimination until the championship game on Saturday, where the winner earns the automatic bid...
WELLS FARGO PCH CUP
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Wells Fargo Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup...the series, which is in its sixth year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference...any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur...for the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships...LMU currently leads the 2014-15 standings, 6-4.5...Pepperdine has won the challenge in each of the first five seasons...to learn more about the PCH Cup and view the current scorecard, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/6n4l82s
HEADED TO THE HALL
LMU baseball was well-represented in this year's LMU Hall of Fame class, as Billy Traber and Scott Walter were both be inducted into the Hall on 2/21 as part of the 16th class to be inducted...as part of the celebration, Traber threw out that night's ceremonial first pitch - to Walter...Traber and Walter combined to form one of the best three-year batteries in the history of the West Coast Conference, leading the baseball program to three straight conference crowns, the first men's program to do so in school history...Walter would go on to earn second-team All-American honors as a catcher in 2000 and ranks third all-time with 36 home runs...Traber also went on to earn All-America honors and was the WCC Pitcher of the Year in 2000, ranking second all-time with 338 strikeouts...
@BASEBALLLMU ON TWITTER
For fans, scouts, parents and players who are interested in following LMU baseball even closer this year, LMU baseball assistant coach Bryant Ward is tweeting under the handle @BaseballLMU...to get the inside look at LMU baseball from the coaching perspective, make sure to follow @BaseballLMU on Twitter...
FINISH WHAT YOU START
Senior Colin Welmon has registered three career complete-game shutouts, including two last year, and six career complete games...the right-hander completed four of his last five starts overall in 2014, including each of his final three...his first career complete-game shutout came against Hawaii on 2/28/13 (2 H | 6 K | 95 Pitches)...he then went the distance in a shutout on 4/17/14 at BYU (6 H | 2 BB | 3 K | 117 Pitches)...his most recent shutout came on 5/16/14 at Pacific (5 H | 4 K | 99 Pitches)...
BEAN NAMED AMBASSADOR FOR INCLUSION
One year after Major League Baseball issued a policy prohibiting players from harassing and discriminating against others players based on their sexual orientation, former Commissioner Bud Selig appointed former LMU outfielder and LMU Hall of Famer Billy Bean as MLB's first Ambassador for Inclusion...the announcement was made on July 15, 2014...in his new role, Bean, who made public that he is gay in 1999, will provide guidance and training related to efforts to support those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community throughout Major League Baseball...he will work with Major and Minor League Clubs to encourage equal opportunity in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA Workplace Code of Conduct...Bean, whose No. 44 baseball jersey is retired at LMU, spent four seasons with the Lions, where he still is a record holder in numerous categories...Bean led the Lions to the program's first ever College World Series appearance in 1986 during his senior season...he was named to the All-WCC first team twice in his career, and was a member of the ABCA All-American second team in his senior season...Collegiate Baseball named him honorable mention All-American as a junior...Bean holds the WCC single-season record for walks with 66, is the LMU single-season record holder for runs scored with 84, and still ranks among WCC career leaders in five offensive categories...Bean was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in 2012...
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Senior Tanner Donnels, redshirt senior Kevin Glomb, sophomore Tim Peabody, and brothers Trevor and Tylor Megill all have family ties to LMU...Donnels' father, Chris, played baseball at LMU and was part of LMU's 1986 World Series team before being selected in the first round of the 1987 draft by the New York Mets and embarking on a eight-year MLB career...Chris Donnels is LMU's all-time leader in slugging percentage (.650), home runs (45) and RBI (225), setting the LMU single-season records for home runs (21) and RBI (91) in 1986...Donnels' mother and grandfather also attended LMU...Glomb's brother, Michael, played baseball for LMU from 2004-08, while his sister played volleyball at LMU in 2005...Peabody's mother, Nadine, played softball at LMU, while his uncle, Tom, was a member of LMU's 1989-90 Elite Eight men's basketball team...right-hander Trevor Megill enters his redshirt junior year, while his brother, Tylor, begins his first year on the hill at LMU...
LIONS IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
LMU had two former baseball players in the Major Leagues in 2014, as C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles Angels) spent his 10th year on the game's biggest stage...Ryan Wheeler (Los Angeles Angels) appeared last year for Colorado, while Eric Farris (Minnesota), who also has MLB experience, competed in Minor League Baseball throughout the 2014 season...in addition to Wheeler and Farris, 10 former Lions played in the Minor Leagues in 2014, including Bret Dahlson and Kevin Garcia who finished LMU careers in 2014...the Lions have had more than 120 players drafted by Major League Baseball teams in program history, including 29 players in the last 10 years...Billy Traber and Chris Donnels are the lone Lions to be selected in the first round, both selected by the Mets...Traber went 16th overall in 2000, while Donnels was taken with the 24th pick in 1987...including Traber and Donnels, LMU has had 22 players selected in the first five rounds of a MLB draft...LMU's best draft came in 2000, as a Lion was taken in each of the first three rounds - Traber went in the first, followed by Michael Schultz in the second, and Scott Walter in the third...for a list of current Lions playing in professional baseball, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/7taglqf
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
MEDIA LINKS
LMU vs. Nebraska - Friday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Saturday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Sunday • 12:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
THIS WEEK
Having won three straight games for the second time this year, LMU (6-2) will look to keep the momentum going this weekend when it welcomes Nebraska (4-3) to Page Stadium for a three-game series...the two teams have only met twice in program history, as the Lions earned a pair of victories at home on March 29 and 30 of 1988...live video and stats for the series can be found at LMULions.com...
LION TRACKS
Sophomore Brenton Arriaga tossed six strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three, en route to earning the victory and improving to 1-0 this year as LMU (6-2) recorded a 5-2 victory over UC Riverside (5-4) on Tuesday at the Riverside Sports Complex...freshman Billy Wilson notched his fourth multi-hit game of his young career in the win, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and one RBI...sophomores Austin Miller and Cassidy Brown also recorded multi-hit games, with Miller going 2-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot...Sean Watkins, who started the game in right field and went 1-for-4 with a two-RBI double, also threw a perfect inning of relief, striking out three in the eighth...the LMU bullpen finished the game with three scoreless innings of work, as Michael Silva threw a scoreless seventh before J.D. Busfield recorded his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning...
PUNCHOUT PROS
The LMU pitching staff has shown a knack for missing bats early this year, as the Lions have registered 71 strikeouts in 71 innings of work to average 1 per inning and 8.86 per game played...leading the way for the Lions are starters Colin Welmon (16 strikeouts) and Tylor Megill (13 strikeouts)...both Welmon and Megill have registered a 10+ strikeout game this year, something that LMU did not accomplish all of last season (last: Aaron Griffin | 4/27/13 at Portland)...Welmon's 12 strikeout game against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 was the first for the Lions since Trevor Megill struck out 12 at #18 USD on 5/12/12...at the current strikeout-per-game rate, LMU is on pace to strike out 461 batters during the regular season...the LMU record for strikeouts in a season is 451 in 2000...
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Never afraid to wear a pitch to reach first base, LMU has quickly recorded an NCAA-leading 24 hit-by-pitches over eight games this year (3.00 per game)...UC Davis has been hit 22 times, while Oregon has been hit 20 times...LMU is on pace to drawing 156 hit-by-pitches during the regular season...LMU's existing program record is 112 in 2000...Joe Murray, Cassidy Brown and Billy Wilson have all been hit four times, while nine different Lions have registered at least one hit-by-pitch...the high-water mark for the year was five hit batsmen against Saint Joseph's on 2/21 in the second game of a doubleheader, while LMU has not managed a hit-by-pitch in only one game this year (2/24 at UC Riverside)...outside of the game at UCR, the fewest hit-by-pitches in a game for the Lions this year is two (San Jose State, 2/13 | at San Diego State, 2/17)...the five hit-by-pitches were the most for the Lions since recording five at Cal State Fullerton on 5/18/10...in addition to the hit-by-pitches, LMU has also drawn 25 walks this year (3.13 per game)...David Fletcher has drawn six walks, while Tanner Donnels and Ted Boeke have drawn five...using a 52-game regular season, LMU is on pace to draw 162 walks headed into any postseason games...
IN A PINCH
LMU has shown a strong bench so far this year when players have been called upon to contribute in a pinch...the Lions are batting .533 (8-for-15) in pinch-hit opportunities, led by junior Joe Christian (2-for-2) and freshman Jamey Smart (3-for-6)...in those 16 at bats, LMU pinch-hitters have registered a double and four RBI...
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Tylor Megill earned Rawlings West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in his second career start, it was announced by the Conference office on Monday...Megill combined on a 10-0 shutout of Saint Joseph's on 2/21 from Page Stadium...Megill clinched the weekend series victory over Saint Joseph's, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while striking out a career-best 11 batters to record the win...the right-hander threw 88 pitches before turning the ball over the bullpen as the Lions ultimately posted the first shutout victory of the season...the weekly selection is the first of the year for LMU...Santa Clara's Jose Vizcaino, Jr. was named WCC Player of the Week for the second time in as many weeks...
TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE
With a home-heavy 2015 schedule that features 31 games at Page Stadium, including 23 under the lights, fans will have plenty of opportunity to see the Lions in action this year - and there is no better way to catch the action than by purchasing a season ticket plan...season ticket plans start at $40 for a General Admission season ticket...each season ticket purchased comes with a commemorative LMU Scarf...children 12 years and under attending any regular season LMU baseball game get in for free if they are wearing their softball or baseball youth league uniform...to purchase General Admission season tickets or single-game tickets, please visit LMULions.com/tickets...
ABOUT NEBRASKA
Nebraska enters the weekend series with the Lions sporting a 4-3 overall record after taking three-of-four from BYU in Peoria, Ariz...the Huskers opened the 2015 season at UNLV, dropping two-of-three...Ryan Boldt paces the offense for Nebraska, hitting .520 with eight runs scored and a triple...Blake Headley has driven in eight runs to accompany two doubles and a triple, while Ben Miller has amassed seven RBI and two doubles...Chance Sinclair (1-1, 5.06 ERA) is slated to take the ball on Friday, while lefty Kyle Kubat (0-0, 2.31 ERA) will pitch Saturday...Sunday's starter is still TBA...Nebraska is led by fourth-year head coach Darin Erstad...
I'M GOING STREAKING!
LMU had four different players register a hitting streak of 12 games last year, but only one made it past that mark...David Fletcher carried a 15-game hitting streak into the 2015 season, and with a hit in each of the first four games this year, ran that streak to 19 games before it ended against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 (0-for-2 | 2 BB)...Fletcher, who has still reached in 23 straight games, posted multiple hits in 10 of the games en route to accumulating a .413 batting average to go along with 12 runs scored, 7 RBI, 2 doubles, a triple and 11 stolen bases...despite the hit streak coming to an end just short of 20 games, he has hit safely in 34 of his last 36, and 37 of the last 40 dating back to 2014...in addition to Fletcher, Billy Wilson and Sean Watkins have also reached in all 8 games this year...
THE NAME OF THE GAME
It's often said that pitching is the name of the game, and LMU starters have played the game well through eight games in 2015...senior Colin Welmon tossed six innings and allowed just one unearned run on Opening night before going seven frames and allowing only one earned run while striking out 12 in his second start...redshirt-junior Trevor Megill went six of his own and allowed just one run on just two hits with four strikeouts on 2/14 in his first start of the season...Tylor Megill followed his brother's lead with six innings of his own, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out a pair in the finale against San Jose State before registering five shutout innings and 11 strikeouts to combine on LMU's first shutout of the year on 2/21 against Saint Joseph's...the momentum has also carried into the midweek, as sophomore Brenton Arriaga threw five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits at San Diego State on 2/17, before registering a victory and tossing six innings and allowing jus two runs at UC Riverside on 2/24...so far the Lion starters have pitched to five victories and a 1.60 ERA, allowing just 31 hits, striking out 42 and limiting opponents to just a .195 batting average against over 45 innings of work...removing the game against San Diego State, LMU relievers have also been stellar, registering a .78 ERA with 28 strikeouts and just 14 hits allowed (.177 average against) over 23 innings of work...in total, the LMU bullpen has posted a 3.12 ERA and a 1-1 record with three saves...
PICKED BEFORE THE PITCH
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon and sophomores David Fletcher and Austin Miller were tabbed preseason All-WCC prior to the start of the 2015 campaign...all three players earned first team All-WCC selections in 2014...the All-WCC selection was the second for Welmon...for more information on their stellar 2014 campaigns, please see the "All-Conference Returners" section of this release...
SURVEY SAYS
The LMU baseball team, led by seventh-year head coach Jason Gill, is the favorite to win the 2015 WCC Championship, it was announced by the conference office following a poll of the 10 conference head coaches...the Lions earned six of 10 possible first-place votes and 77 overall points in the poll...LMU is also the favorite according to Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com...
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
LMU returns four players who received All-WCC recognition at the end of the 2014 season, including first-teamers Colin Welmon, Austin Miller and David Fletcher to accompany honorable mention selection Ted Boeke...Welmon went 10-2 with a 2.37 ERA over 14 starts last year, posting four complete games, including three straight to finish the year, and all four in his last five starts...the native of Tustin, Calif., who struck out 58 and walked 19 over 106.1 innings, tossed 7.0+ innings in all but two starts...Miller earned first team Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to go along with a WCC Freshman of the Year selection...he batted a team-high .374 with 46 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and 18 RBI while swiping 25 bases in 29 attempts and reaching at a .474 clip...the native of Greeley, Colo. also drew 21 hit-by-pitches, matching the LMU record for a single season, while leading the team in average, slugging percentage (.451), on-base percentage, runs scored, hits (77), triples, total bases (93) and stolen bases...Fletcher earned Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to accompany an American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings second team All-West Region selection and the WCC Defensive Player of the Year...the native of Cypress, Calif. hit .329 with 37 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and 28 RBI while starting all 56 games for the Lions at shortstop...he also hit safely in 30 of LMU's last 32 games, including a team-high 15-game hit streak to finish the year...Boeke batted .289 with 14 runs scored, four doubles, two triples and 10 RBI over 45 games played and 35 starts as a freshman...the La Crescenta, Calif. native also batted .364 with 10 runs scored, three doubles, two triples and seven RBI against conference foes...
THAT'S GOLD, COLIN! GOLD!
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon is one of 50 players named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list...the award will eventually name the top amateur baseball player in the country in a trophy presentation on Tuesday, June 23 in Los Angeles...sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, 2015 marks the 38th year of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award...Welmon is the first Lion to be named to the list since Angelo Songco (2009)...the preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, and will be a "rolling" list until May 22 -- when the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists are announced -- ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the collegiate and high school seasons...
WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will video stream all home baseball games this year through Lion's All-Access...the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast...all road games will once again feature an audio play-by-play broadcast, and links to those broadcasts can be found on the LMU baseball page at LMULions.com...
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
In its 33rd season as the home of Lion baseball in 2015, George C. Page Stadium also enters its second year under the lights...the 2015 LMU baseball schedule features 31 of its 52 games played at home, including 23 under the lights...the Lions are 5-1 (3-1 under lights) so far at home in 2015...LMU went 20-10 at home last year, including 13-5 under the lights...the Lions will play only one non-conference road weekend series during the regular season this year (Arkansas)...non-conference series feature games vs. San Jose State, Saint Joseph's and Nebraska, while WCC foes Santa Clara, Gonzaga, BYU, Pacific and USD will all visit LMU...the Lions, who have posted a 522-385-4 (.575) overall record in the park's 32 seasons, have claimed five conference titles while calling Page Stadium home...the first Page Stadium conference title came in 1986, when the Lions posted a 24-8 record at home...the best record came in 1988, when LMU was 30-5 (.857)...
JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY
For the third consecutive year, the West Coast Conference will hold a WCC Championship Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif. from May 21-23 to decide who will claim the WCC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament...the top-four teams will compete in the tournament, with the #1 seed facing #4 and #2 facing #3 in first-round play...the tournament is double elimination until the championship game on Saturday, where the winner earns the automatic bid...
WELLS FARGO PCH CUP
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Wells Fargo Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup...the series, which is in its sixth year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference...any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur...for the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships...LMU currently leads the 2014-15 standings, 6-4.5...Pepperdine has won the challenge in each of the first five seasons...to learn more about the PCH Cup and view the current scorecard, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/6n4l82s
HEADED TO THE HALL
LMU baseball was well-represented in this year's LMU Hall of Fame class, as Billy Traber and Scott Walter were both be inducted into the Hall on 2/21 as part of the 16th class to be inducted...as part of the celebration, Traber threw out that night's ceremonial first pitch - to Walter...Traber and Walter combined to form one of the best three-year batteries in the history of the West Coast Conference, leading the baseball program to three straight conference crowns, the first men's program to do so in school history...Walter would go on to earn second-team All-American honors as a catcher in 2000 and ranks third all-time with 36 home runs...Traber also went on to earn All-America honors and was the WCC Pitcher of the Year in 2000, ranking second all-time with 338 strikeouts...
@BASEBALLLMU ON TWITTER
For fans, scouts, parents and players who are interested in following LMU baseball even closer this year, LMU baseball assistant coach Bryant Ward is tweeting under the handle @BaseballLMU...to get the inside look at LMU baseball from the coaching perspective, make sure to follow @BaseballLMU on Twitter...
FINISH WHAT YOU START
Senior Colin Welmon has registered three career complete-game shutouts, including two last year, and six career complete games...the right-hander completed four of his last five starts overall in 2014, including each of his final three...his first career complete-game shutout came against Hawaii on 2/28/13 (2 H | 6 K | 95 Pitches)...he then went the distance in a shutout on 4/17/14 at BYU (6 H | 2 BB | 3 K | 117 Pitches)...his most recent shutout came on 5/16/14 at Pacific (5 H | 4 K | 99 Pitches)...
BEAN NAMED AMBASSADOR FOR INCLUSION
One year after Major League Baseball issued a policy prohibiting players from harassing and discriminating against others players based on their sexual orientation, former Commissioner Bud Selig appointed former LMU outfielder and LMU Hall of Famer Billy Bean as MLB's first Ambassador for Inclusion...the announcement was made on July 15, 2014...in his new role, Bean, who made public that he is gay in 1999, will provide guidance and training related to efforts to support those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community throughout Major League Baseball...he will work with Major and Minor League Clubs to encourage equal opportunity in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA Workplace Code of Conduct...Bean, whose No. 44 baseball jersey is retired at LMU, spent four seasons with the Lions, where he still is a record holder in numerous categories...Bean led the Lions to the program's first ever College World Series appearance in 1986 during his senior season...he was named to the All-WCC first team twice in his career, and was a member of the ABCA All-American second team in his senior season...Collegiate Baseball named him honorable mention All-American as a junior...Bean holds the WCC single-season record for walks with 66, is the LMU single-season record holder for runs scored with 84, and still ranks among WCC career leaders in five offensive categories...Bean was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in 2012...
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Senior Tanner Donnels, redshirt senior Kevin Glomb, sophomore Tim Peabody, and brothers Trevor and Tylor Megill all have family ties to LMU...Donnels' father, Chris, played baseball at LMU and was part of LMU's 1986 World Series team before being selected in the first round of the 1987 draft by the New York Mets and embarking on a eight-year MLB career...Chris Donnels is LMU's all-time leader in slugging percentage (.650), home runs (45) and RBI (225), setting the LMU single-season records for home runs (21) and RBI (91) in 1986...Donnels' mother and grandfather also attended LMU...Glomb's brother, Michael, played baseball for LMU from 2004-08, while his sister played volleyball at LMU in 2005...Peabody's mother, Nadine, played softball at LMU, while his uncle, Tom, was a member of LMU's 1989-90 Elite Eight men's basketball team...right-hander Trevor Megill enters his redshirt junior year, while his brother, Tylor, begins his first year on the hill at LMU...
LIONS IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
LMU had two former baseball players in the Major Leagues in 2014, as C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles Angels) spent his 10th year on the game's biggest stage...Ryan Wheeler (Los Angeles Angels) appeared last year for Colorado, while Eric Farris (Minnesota), who also has MLB experience, competed in Minor League Baseball throughout the 2014 season...in addition to Wheeler and Farris, 10 former Lions played in the Minor Leagues in 2014, including Bret Dahlson and Kevin Garcia who finished LMU careers in 2014...the Lions have had more than 120 players drafted by Major League Baseball teams in program history, including 29 players in the last 10 years...Billy Traber and Chris Donnels are the lone Lions to be selected in the first round, both selected by the Mets...Traber went 16th overall in 2000, while Donnels was taken with the 24th pick in 1987...including Traber and Donnels, LMU has had 22 players selected in the first five rounds of a MLB draft...LMU's best draft came in 2000, as a Lion was taken in each of the first three rounds - Traber went in the first, followed by Michael Schultz in the second, and Scott Walter in the third...for a list of current Lions playing in professional baseball, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/7taglqf
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
MEDIA LINKS
LMU vs. Nebraska - Friday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Saturday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Sunday • 12:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
THIS WEEK
Having won three straight games for the second time this year, LMU (6-2) will look to keep the momentum going this weekend when it welcomes Nebraska (4-3) to Page Stadium for a three-game series...the two teams have only met twice in program history, as the Lions earned a pair of victories at home on March 29 and 30 of 1988...live video and stats for the series can be found at LMULions.com...
LION TRACKS
Sophomore Brenton Arriaga tossed six strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three, en route to earning the victory and improving to 1-0 this year as LMU (6-2) recorded a 5-2 victory over UC Riverside (5-4) on Tuesday at the Riverside Sports Complex...freshman Billy Wilson notched his fourth multi-hit game of his young career in the win, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and one RBI...sophomores Austin Miller and Cassidy Brown also recorded multi-hit games, with Miller going 2-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot...Sean Watkins, who started the game in right field and went 1-for-4 with a two-RBI double, also threw a perfect inning of relief, striking out three in the eighth...the LMU bullpen finished the game with three scoreless innings of work, as Michael Silva threw a scoreless seventh before J.D. Busfield recorded his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning...
PUNCHOUT PROS
The LMU pitching staff has shown a knack for missing bats early this year, as the Lions have registered 71 strikeouts in 71 innings of work to average 1 per inning and 8.86 per game played...leading the way for the Lions are starters Colin Welmon (16 strikeouts) and Tylor Megill (13 strikeouts)...both Welmon and Megill have registered a 10+ strikeout game this year, something that LMU did not accomplish all of last season (last: Aaron Griffin | 4/27/13 at Portland)...Welmon's 12 strikeout game against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 was the first for the Lions since Trevor Megill struck out 12 at #18 USD on 5/12/12...at the current strikeout-per-game rate, LMU is on pace to strike out 461 batters during the regular season...the LMU record for strikeouts in a season is 451 in 2000...
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Never afraid to wear a pitch to reach first base, LMU has quickly recorded an NCAA-leading 24 hit-by-pitches over eight games this year (3.00 per game)...UC Davis has been hit 22 times, while Oregon has been hit 20 times...LMU is on pace to drawing 156 hit-by-pitches during the regular season...LMU's existing program record is 112 in 2000...Joe Murray, Cassidy Brown and Billy Wilson have all been hit four times, while nine different Lions have registered at least one hit-by-pitch...the high-water mark for the year was five hit batsmen against Saint Joseph's on 2/21 in the second game of a doubleheader, while LMU has not managed a hit-by-pitch in only one game this year (2/24 at UC Riverside)...outside of the game at UCR, the fewest hit-by-pitches in a game for the Lions this year is two (San Jose State, 2/13 | at San Diego State, 2/17)...the five hit-by-pitches were the most for the Lions since recording five at Cal State Fullerton on 5/18/10...in addition to the hit-by-pitches, LMU has also drawn 25 walks this year (3.13 per game)...David Fletcher has drawn six walks, while Tanner Donnels and Ted Boeke have drawn five...using a 52-game regular season, LMU is on pace to draw 162 walks headed into any postseason games...
IN A PINCH
LMU has shown a strong bench so far this year when players have been called upon to contribute in a pinch...the Lions are batting .533 (8-for-15) in pinch-hit opportunities, led by junior Joe Christian (2-for-2) and freshman Jamey Smart (3-for-6)...in those 16 at bats, LMU pinch-hitters have registered a double and four RBI...
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Tylor Megill earned Rawlings West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in his second career start, it was announced by the Conference office on Monday...Megill combined on a 10-0 shutout of Saint Joseph's on 2/21 from Page Stadium...Megill clinched the weekend series victory over Saint Joseph's, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while striking out a career-best 11 batters to record the win...the right-hander threw 88 pitches before turning the ball over the bullpen as the Lions ultimately posted the first shutout victory of the season...the weekly selection is the first of the year for LMU...Santa Clara's Jose Vizcaino, Jr. was named WCC Player of the Week for the second time in as many weeks...
TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE
With a home-heavy 2015 schedule that features 31 games at Page Stadium, including 23 under the lights, fans will have plenty of opportunity to see the Lions in action this year - and there is no better way to catch the action than by purchasing a season ticket plan...season ticket plans start at $40 for a General Admission season ticket...each season ticket purchased comes with a commemorative LMU Scarf...children 12 years and under attending any regular season LMU baseball game get in for free if they are wearing their softball or baseball youth league uniform...to purchase General Admission season tickets or single-game tickets, please visit LMULions.com/tickets...
ABOUT NEBRASKA
Nebraska enters the weekend series with the Lions sporting a 4-3 overall record after taking three-of-four from BYU in Peoria, Ariz...the Huskers opened the 2015 season at UNLV, dropping two-of-three...Ryan Boldt paces the offense for Nebraska, hitting .520 with eight runs scored and a triple...Blake Headley has driven in eight runs to accompany two doubles and a triple, while Ben Miller has amassed seven RBI and two doubles...Chance Sinclair (1-1, 5.06 ERA) is slated to take the ball on Friday, while lefty Kyle Kubat (0-0, 2.31 ERA) will pitch Saturday...Sunday's starter is still TBA...Nebraska is led by fourth-year head coach Darin Erstad...
I'M GOING STREAKING!
LMU had four different players register a hitting streak of 12 games last year, but only one made it past that mark...David Fletcher carried a 15-game hitting streak into the 2015 season, and with a hit in each of the first four games this year, ran that streak to 19 games before it ended against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 (0-for-2 | 2 BB)...Fletcher, who has still reached in 23 straight games, posted multiple hits in 10 of the games en route to accumulating a .413 batting average to go along with 12 runs scored, 7 RBI, 2 doubles, a triple and 11 stolen bases...despite the hit streak coming to an end just short of 20 games, he has hit safely in 34 of his last 36, and 37 of the last 40 dating back to 2014...in addition to Fletcher, Billy Wilson and Sean Watkins have also reached in all 8 games this year...
THE NAME OF THE GAME
It's often said that pitching is the name of the game, and LMU starters have played the game well through eight games in 2015...senior Colin Welmon tossed six innings and allowed just one unearned run on Opening night before going seven frames and allowing only one earned run while striking out 12 in his second start...redshirt-junior Trevor Megill went six of his own and allowed just one run on just two hits with four strikeouts on 2/14 in his first start of the season...Tylor Megill followed his brother's lead with six innings of his own, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out a pair in the finale against San Jose State before registering five shutout innings and 11 strikeouts to combine on LMU's first shutout of the year on 2/21 against Saint Joseph's...the momentum has also carried into the midweek, as sophomore Brenton Arriaga threw five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits at San Diego State on 2/17, before registering a victory and tossing six innings and allowing jus two runs at UC Riverside on 2/24...so far the Lion starters have pitched to five victories and a 1.60 ERA, allowing just 31 hits, striking out 42 and limiting opponents to just a .195 batting average against over 45 innings of work...removing the game against San Diego State, LMU relievers have also been stellar, registering a .78 ERA with 28 strikeouts and just 14 hits allowed (.177 average against) over 23 innings of work...in total, the LMU bullpen has posted a 3.12 ERA and a 1-1 record with three saves...
PICKED BEFORE THE PITCH
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon and sophomores David Fletcher and Austin Miller were tabbed preseason All-WCC prior to the start of the 2015 campaign...all three players earned first team All-WCC selections in 2014...the All-WCC selection was the second for Welmon...for more information on their stellar 2014 campaigns, please see the "All-Conference Returners" section of this release...
SURVEY SAYS
The LMU baseball team, led by seventh-year head coach Jason Gill, is the favorite to win the 2015 WCC Championship, it was announced by the conference office following a poll of the 10 conference head coaches...the Lions earned six of 10 possible first-place votes and 77 overall points in the poll...LMU is also the favorite according to Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com...
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
LMU returns four players who received All-WCC recognition at the end of the 2014 season, including first-teamers Colin Welmon, Austin Miller and David Fletcher to accompany honorable mention selection Ted Boeke...Welmon went 10-2 with a 2.37 ERA over 14 starts last year, posting four complete games, including three straight to finish the year, and all four in his last five starts...the native of Tustin, Calif., who struck out 58 and walked 19 over 106.1 innings, tossed 7.0+ innings in all but two starts...Miller earned first team Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to go along with a WCC Freshman of the Year selection...he batted a team-high .374 with 46 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and 18 RBI while swiping 25 bases in 29 attempts and reaching at a .474 clip...the native of Greeley, Colo. also drew 21 hit-by-pitches, matching the LMU record for a single season, while leading the team in average, slugging percentage (.451), on-base percentage, runs scored, hits (77), triples, total bases (93) and stolen bases...Fletcher earned Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to accompany an American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings second team All-West Region selection and the WCC Defensive Player of the Year...the native of Cypress, Calif. hit .329 with 37 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and 28 RBI while starting all 56 games for the Lions at shortstop...he also hit safely in 30 of LMU's last 32 games, including a team-high 15-game hit streak to finish the year...Boeke batted .289 with 14 runs scored, four doubles, two triples and 10 RBI over 45 games played and 35 starts as a freshman...the La Crescenta, Calif. native also batted .364 with 10 runs scored, three doubles, two triples and seven RBI against conference foes...
THAT'S GOLD, COLIN! GOLD!
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon is one of 50 players named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list...the award will eventually name the top amateur baseball player in the country in a trophy presentation on Tuesday, June 23 in Los Angeles...sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, 2015 marks the 38th year of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award...Welmon is the first Lion to be named to the list since Angelo Songco (2009)...the preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, and will be a "rolling" list until May 22 -- when the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists are announced -- ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the collegiate and high school seasons...
WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will video stream all home baseball games this year through Lion's All-Access...the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast...all road games will once again feature an audio play-by-play broadcast, and links to those broadcasts can be found on the LMU baseball page at LMULions.com...
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
In its 33rd season as the home of Lion baseball in 2015, George C. Page Stadium also enters its second year under the lights...the 2015 LMU baseball schedule features 31 of its 52 games played at home, including 23 under the lights...the Lions are 5-1 (3-1 under lights) so far at home in 2015...LMU went 20-10 at home last year, including 13-5 under the lights...the Lions will play only one non-conference road weekend series during the regular season this year (Arkansas)...non-conference series feature games vs. San Jose State, Saint Joseph's and Nebraska, while WCC foes Santa Clara, Gonzaga, BYU, Pacific and USD will all visit LMU...the Lions, who have posted a 522-385-4 (.575) overall record in the park's 32 seasons, have claimed five conference titles while calling Page Stadium home...the first Page Stadium conference title came in 1986, when the Lions posted a 24-8 record at home...the best record came in 1988, when LMU was 30-5 (.857)...
JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY
For the third consecutive year, the West Coast Conference will hold a WCC Championship Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif. from May 21-23 to decide who will claim the WCC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament...the top-four teams will compete in the tournament, with the #1 seed facing #4 and #2 facing #3 in first-round play...the tournament is double elimination until the championship game on Saturday, where the winner earns the automatic bid...
WELLS FARGO PCH CUP
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Wells Fargo Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup...the series, which is in its sixth year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference...any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur...for the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships...LMU currently leads the 2014-15 standings, 6-4.5...Pepperdine has won the challenge in each of the first five seasons...to learn more about the PCH Cup and view the current scorecard, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/6n4l82s
HEADED TO THE HALL
LMU baseball was well-represented in this year's LMU Hall of Fame class, as Billy Traber and Scott Walter were both be inducted into the Hall on 2/21 as part of the 16th class to be inducted...as part of the celebration, Traber threw out that night's ceremonial first pitch - to Walter...Traber and Walter combined to form one of the best three-year batteries in the history of the West Coast Conference, leading the baseball program to three straight conference crowns, the first men's program to do so in school history...Walter would go on to earn second-team All-American honors as a catcher in 2000 and ranks third all-time with 36 home runs...Traber also went on to earn All-America honors and was the WCC Pitcher of the Year in 2000, ranking second all-time with 338 strikeouts...
@BASEBALLLMU ON TWITTER
For fans, scouts, parents and players who are interested in following LMU baseball even closer this year, LMU baseball assistant coach Bryant Ward is tweeting under the handle @BaseballLMU...to get the inside look at LMU baseball from the coaching perspective, make sure to follow @BaseballLMU on Twitter...
FINISH WHAT YOU START
Senior Colin Welmon has registered three career complete-game shutouts, including two last year, and six career complete games...the right-hander completed four of his last five starts overall in 2014, including each of his final three...his first career complete-game shutout came against Hawaii on 2/28/13 (2 H | 6 K | 95 Pitches)...he then went the distance in a shutout on 4/17/14 at BYU (6 H | 2 BB | 3 K | 117 Pitches)...his most recent shutout came on 5/16/14 at Pacific (5 H | 4 K | 99 Pitches)...
BEAN NAMED AMBASSADOR FOR INCLUSION
One year after Major League Baseball issued a policy prohibiting players from harassing and discriminating against others players based on their sexual orientation, former Commissioner Bud Selig appointed former LMU outfielder and LMU Hall of Famer Billy Bean as MLB's first Ambassador for Inclusion...the announcement was made on July 15, 2014...in his new role, Bean, who made public that he is gay in 1999, will provide guidance and training related to efforts to support those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community throughout Major League Baseball...he will work with Major and Minor League Clubs to encourage equal opportunity in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA Workplace Code of Conduct...Bean, whose No. 44 baseball jersey is retired at LMU, spent four seasons with the Lions, where he still is a record holder in numerous categories...Bean led the Lions to the program's first ever College World Series appearance in 1986 during his senior season...he was named to the All-WCC first team twice in his career, and was a member of the ABCA All-American second team in his senior season...Collegiate Baseball named him honorable mention All-American as a junior...Bean holds the WCC single-season record for walks with 66, is the LMU single-season record holder for runs scored with 84, and still ranks among WCC career leaders in five offensive categories...Bean was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in 2012...
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Senior Tanner Donnels, redshirt senior Kevin Glomb, sophomore Tim Peabody, and brothers Trevor and Tylor Megill all have family ties to LMU...Donnels' father, Chris, played baseball at LMU and was part of LMU's 1986 World Series team before being selected in the first round of the 1987 draft by the New York Mets and embarking on a eight-year MLB career...Chris Donnels is LMU's all-time leader in slugging percentage (.650), home runs (45) and RBI (225), setting the LMU single-season records for home runs (21) and RBI (91) in 1986...Donnels' mother and grandfather also attended LMU...Glomb's brother, Michael, played baseball for LMU from 2004-08, while his sister played volleyball at LMU in 2005...Peabody's mother, Nadine, played softball at LMU, while his uncle, Tom, was a member of LMU's 1989-90 Elite Eight men's basketball team...right-hander Trevor Megill enters his redshirt junior year, while his brother, Tylor, begins his first year on the hill at LMU...
LIONS IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
LMU had two former baseball players in the Major Leagues in 2014, as C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles Angels) spent his 10th year on the game's biggest stage...Ryan Wheeler (Los Angeles Angels) appeared last year for Colorado, while Eric Farris (Minnesota), who also has MLB experience, competed in Minor League Baseball throughout the 2014 season...in addition to Wheeler and Farris, 10 former Lions played in the Minor Leagues in 2014, including Bret Dahlson and Kevin Garcia who finished LMU careers in 2014...the Lions have had more than 120 players drafted by Major League Baseball teams in program history, including 29 players in the last 10 years...Billy Traber and Chris Donnels are the lone Lions to be selected in the first round, both selected by the Mets...Traber went 16th overall in 2000, while Donnels was taken with the 24th pick in 1987...including Traber and Donnels, LMU has had 22 players selected in the first five rounds of a MLB draft...LMU's best draft came in 2000, as a Lion was taken in each of the first three rounds - Traber went in the first, followed by Michael Schultz in the second, and Scott Walter in the third...for a list of current Lions playing in professional baseball, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/7taglqf
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
MEDIA LINKS
LMU vs. Nebraska - Friday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Saturday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Sunday • 12:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
THIS WEEK
Having won three straight games for the second time this year, LMU (6-2) will look to keep the momentum going this weekend when it welcomes Nebraska (4-3) to Page Stadium for a three-game series...the two teams have only met twice in program history, as the Lions earned a pair of victories at home on March 29 and 30 of 1988...live video and stats for the series can be found at LMULions.com...
LION TRACKS
Sophomore Brenton Arriaga tossed six strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three, en route to earning the victory and improving to 1-0 this year as LMU (6-2) recorded a 5-2 victory over UC Riverside (5-4) on Tuesday at the Riverside Sports Complex...freshman Billy Wilson notched his fourth multi-hit game of his young career in the win, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and one RBI...sophomores Austin Miller and Cassidy Brown also recorded multi-hit games, with Miller going 2-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot...Sean Watkins, who started the game in right field and went 1-for-4 with a two-RBI double, also threw a perfect inning of relief, striking out three in the eighth...the LMU bullpen finished the game with three scoreless innings of work, as Michael Silva threw a scoreless seventh before J.D. Busfield recorded his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning...
PUNCHOUT PROS
The LMU pitching staff has shown a knack for missing bats early this year, as the Lions have registered 71 strikeouts in 71 innings of work to average 1 per inning and 8.86 per game played...leading the way for the Lions are starters Colin Welmon (16 strikeouts) and Tylor Megill (13 strikeouts)...both Welmon and Megill have registered a 10+ strikeout game this year, something that LMU did not accomplish all of last season (last: Aaron Griffin | 4/27/13 at Portland)...Welmon's 12 strikeout game against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 was the first for the Lions since Trevor Megill struck out 12 at #18 USD on 5/12/12...at the current strikeout-per-game rate, LMU is on pace to strike out 461 batters during the regular season...the LMU record for strikeouts in a season is 451 in 2000...
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Never afraid to wear a pitch to reach first base, LMU has quickly recorded an NCAA-leading 24 hit-by-pitches over eight games this year (3.00 per game)...UC Davis has been hit 22 times, while Oregon has been hit 20 times...LMU is on pace to drawing 156 hit-by-pitches during the regular season...LMU's existing program record is 112 in 2000...Joe Murray, Cassidy Brown and Billy Wilson have all been hit four times, while nine different Lions have registered at least one hit-by-pitch...the high-water mark for the year was five hit batsmen against Saint Joseph's on 2/21 in the second game of a doubleheader, while LMU has not managed a hit-by-pitch in only one game this year (2/24 at UC Riverside)...outside of the game at UCR, the fewest hit-by-pitches in a game for the Lions this year is two (San Jose State, 2/13 | at San Diego State, 2/17)...the five hit-by-pitches were the most for the Lions since recording five at Cal State Fullerton on 5/18/10...in addition to the hit-by-pitches, LMU has also drawn 25 walks this year (3.13 per game)...David Fletcher has drawn six walks, while Tanner Donnels and Ted Boeke have drawn five...using a 52-game regular season, LMU is on pace to draw 162 walks headed into any postseason games...
IN A PINCH
LMU has shown a strong bench so far this year when players have been called upon to contribute in a pinch...the Lions are batting .533 (8-for-15) in pinch-hit opportunities, led by junior Joe Christian (2-for-2) and freshman Jamey Smart (3-for-6)...in those 16 at bats, LMU pinch-hitters have registered a double and four RBI...
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Tylor Megill earned Rawlings West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in his second career start, it was announced by the Conference office on Monday...Megill combined on a 10-0 shutout of Saint Joseph's on 2/21 from Page Stadium...Megill clinched the weekend series victory over Saint Joseph's, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while striking out a career-best 11 batters to record the win...the right-hander threw 88 pitches before turning the ball over the bullpen as the Lions ultimately posted the first shutout victory of the season...the weekly selection is the first of the year for LMU...Santa Clara's Jose Vizcaino, Jr. was named WCC Player of the Week for the second time in as many weeks...
TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE
With a home-heavy 2015 schedule that features 31 games at Page Stadium, including 23 under the lights, fans will have plenty of opportunity to see the Lions in action this year - and there is no better way to catch the action than by purchasing a season ticket plan...season ticket plans start at $40 for a General Admission season ticket...each season ticket purchased comes with a commemorative LMU Scarf...children 12 years and under attending any regular season LMU baseball game get in for free if they are wearing their softball or baseball youth league uniform...to purchase General Admission season tickets or single-game tickets, please visit LMULions.com/tickets...
ABOUT NEBRASKA
Nebraska enters the weekend series with the Lions sporting a 4-3 overall record after taking three-of-four from BYU in Peoria, Ariz...the Huskers opened the 2015 season at UNLV, dropping two-of-three...Ryan Boldt paces the offense for Nebraska, hitting .520 with eight runs scored and a triple...Blake Headley has driven in eight runs to accompany two doubles and a triple, while Ben Miller has amassed seven RBI and two doubles...Chance Sinclair (1-1, 5.06 ERA) is slated to take the ball on Friday, while lefty Kyle Kubat (0-0, 2.31 ERA) will pitch Saturday...Sunday's starter is still TBA...Nebraska is led by fourth-year head coach Darin Erstad...
I'M GOING STREAKING!
LMU had four different players register a hitting streak of 12 games last year, but only one made it past that mark...David Fletcher carried a 15-game hitting streak into the 2015 season, and with a hit in each of the first four games this year, ran that streak to 19 games before it ended against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 (0-for-2 | 2 BB)...Fletcher, who has still reached in 23 straight games, posted multiple hits in 10 of the games en route to accumulating a .413 batting average to go along with 12 runs scored, 7 RBI, 2 doubles, a triple and 11 stolen bases...despite the hit streak coming to an end just short of 20 games, he has hit safely in 34 of his last 36, and 37 of the last 40 dating back to 2014...in addition to Fletcher, Billy Wilson and Sean Watkins have also reached in all 8 games this year...
THE NAME OF THE GAME
It's often said that pitching is the name of the game, and LMU starters have played the game well through eight games in 2015...senior Colin Welmon tossed six innings and allowed just one unearned run on Opening night before going seven frames and allowing only one earned run while striking out 12 in his second start...redshirt-junior Trevor Megill went six of his own and allowed just one run on just two hits with four strikeouts on 2/14 in his first start of the season...Tylor Megill followed his brother's lead with six innings of his own, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out a pair in the finale against San Jose State before registering five shutout innings and 11 strikeouts to combine on LMU's first shutout of the year on 2/21 against Saint Joseph's...the momentum has also carried into the midweek, as sophomore Brenton Arriaga threw five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits at San Diego State on 2/17, before registering a victory and tossing six innings and allowing jus two runs at UC Riverside on 2/24...so far the Lion starters have pitched to five victories and a 1.60 ERA, allowing just 31 hits, striking out 42 and limiting opponents to just a .195 batting average against over 45 innings of work...removing the game against San Diego State, LMU relievers have also been stellar, registering a .78 ERA with 28 strikeouts and just 14 hits allowed (.177 average against) over 23 innings of work...in total, the LMU bullpen has posted a 3.12 ERA and a 1-1 record with three saves...
PICKED BEFORE THE PITCH
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon and sophomores David Fletcher and Austin Miller were tabbed preseason All-WCC prior to the start of the 2015 campaign...all three players earned first team All-WCC selections in 2014...the All-WCC selection was the second for Welmon...for more information on their stellar 2014 campaigns, please see the "All-Conference Returners" section of this release...
SURVEY SAYS
The LMU baseball team, led by seventh-year head coach Jason Gill, is the favorite to win the 2015 WCC Championship, it was announced by the conference office following a poll of the 10 conference head coaches...the Lions earned six of 10 possible first-place votes and 77 overall points in the poll...LMU is also the favorite according to Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com...
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
LMU returns four players who received All-WCC recognition at the end of the 2014 season, including first-teamers Colin Welmon, Austin Miller and David Fletcher to accompany honorable mention selection Ted Boeke...Welmon went 10-2 with a 2.37 ERA over 14 starts last year, posting four complete games, including three straight to finish the year, and all four in his last five starts...the native of Tustin, Calif., who struck out 58 and walked 19 over 106.1 innings, tossed 7.0+ innings in all but two starts...Miller earned first team Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to go along with a WCC Freshman of the Year selection...he batted a team-high .374 with 46 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and 18 RBI while swiping 25 bases in 29 attempts and reaching at a .474 clip...the native of Greeley, Colo. also drew 21 hit-by-pitches, matching the LMU record for a single season, while leading the team in average, slugging percentage (.451), on-base percentage, runs scored, hits (77), triples, total bases (93) and stolen bases...Fletcher earned Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to accompany an American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings second team All-West Region selection and the WCC Defensive Player of the Year...the native of Cypress, Calif. hit .329 with 37 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and 28 RBI while starting all 56 games for the Lions at shortstop...he also hit safely in 30 of LMU's last 32 games, including a team-high 15-game hit streak to finish the year...Boeke batted .289 with 14 runs scored, four doubles, two triples and 10 RBI over 45 games played and 35 starts as a freshman...the La Crescenta, Calif. native also batted .364 with 10 runs scored, three doubles, two triples and seven RBI against conference foes...
THAT'S GOLD, COLIN! GOLD!
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon is one of 50 players named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list...the award will eventually name the top amateur baseball player in the country in a trophy presentation on Tuesday, June 23 in Los Angeles...sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, 2015 marks the 38th year of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award...Welmon is the first Lion to be named to the list since Angelo Songco (2009)...the preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, and will be a "rolling" list until May 22 -- when the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists are announced -- ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the collegiate and high school seasons...
WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will video stream all home baseball games this year through Lion's All-Access...the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast...all road games will once again feature an audio play-by-play broadcast, and links to those broadcasts can be found on the LMU baseball page at LMULions.com...
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
In its 33rd season as the home of Lion baseball in 2015, George C. Page Stadium also enters its second year under the lights...the 2015 LMU baseball schedule features 31 of its 52 games played at home, including 23 under the lights...the Lions are 5-1 (3-1 under lights) so far at home in 2015...LMU went 20-10 at home last year, including 13-5 under the lights...the Lions will play only one non-conference road weekend series during the regular season this year (Arkansas)...non-conference series feature games vs. San Jose State, Saint Joseph's and Nebraska, while WCC foes Santa Clara, Gonzaga, BYU, Pacific and USD will all visit LMU...the Lions, who have posted a 522-385-4 (.575) overall record in the park's 32 seasons, have claimed five conference titles while calling Page Stadium home...the first Page Stadium conference title came in 1986, when the Lions posted a 24-8 record at home...the best record came in 1988, when LMU was 30-5 (.857)...
JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY
For the third consecutive year, the West Coast Conference will hold a WCC Championship Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif. from May 21-23 to decide who will claim the WCC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament...the top-four teams will compete in the tournament, with the #1 seed facing #4 and #2 facing #3 in first-round play...the tournament is double elimination until the championship game on Saturday, where the winner earns the automatic bid...
WELLS FARGO PCH CUP
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Wells Fargo Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup...the series, which is in its sixth year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference...any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur...for the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships...LMU currently leads the 2014-15 standings, 6-4.5...Pepperdine has won the challenge in each of the first five seasons...to learn more about the PCH Cup and view the current scorecard, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/6n4l82s
HEADED TO THE HALL
LMU baseball was well-represented in this year's LMU Hall of Fame class, as Billy Traber and Scott Walter were both be inducted into the Hall on 2/21 as part of the 16th class to be inducted...as part of the celebration, Traber threw out that night's ceremonial first pitch - to Walter...Traber and Walter combined to form one of the best three-year batteries in the history of the West Coast Conference, leading the baseball program to three straight conference crowns, the first men's program to do so in school history...Walter would go on to earn second-team All-American honors as a catcher in 2000 and ranks third all-time with 36 home runs...Traber also went on to earn All-America honors and was the WCC Pitcher of the Year in 2000, ranking second all-time with 338 strikeouts...
@BASEBALLLMU ON TWITTER
For fans, scouts, parents and players who are interested in following LMU baseball even closer this year, LMU baseball assistant coach Bryant Ward is tweeting under the handle @BaseballLMU...to get the inside look at LMU baseball from the coaching perspective, make sure to follow @BaseballLMU on Twitter...
FINISH WHAT YOU START
Senior Colin Welmon has registered three career complete-game shutouts, including two last year, and six career complete games...the right-hander completed four of his last five starts overall in 2014, including each of his final three...his first career complete-game shutout came against Hawaii on 2/28/13 (2 H | 6 K | 95 Pitches)...he then went the distance in a shutout on 4/17/14 at BYU (6 H | 2 BB | 3 K | 117 Pitches)...his most recent shutout came on 5/16/14 at Pacific (5 H | 4 K | 99 Pitches)...
BEAN NAMED AMBASSADOR FOR INCLUSION
One year after Major League Baseball issued a policy prohibiting players from harassing and discriminating against others players based on their sexual orientation, former Commissioner Bud Selig appointed former LMU outfielder and LMU Hall of Famer Billy Bean as MLB's first Ambassador for Inclusion...the announcement was made on July 15, 2014...in his new role, Bean, who made public that he is gay in 1999, will provide guidance and training related to efforts to support those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community throughout Major League Baseball...he will work with Major and Minor League Clubs to encourage equal opportunity in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA Workplace Code of Conduct...Bean, whose No. 44 baseball jersey is retired at LMU, spent four seasons with the Lions, where he still is a record holder in numerous categories...Bean led the Lions to the program's first ever College World Series appearance in 1986 during his senior season...he was named to the All-WCC first team twice in his career, and was a member of the ABCA All-American second team in his senior season...Collegiate Baseball named him honorable mention All-American as a junior...Bean holds the WCC single-season record for walks with 66, is the LMU single-season record holder for runs scored with 84, and still ranks among WCC career leaders in five offensive categories...Bean was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in 2012...
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Senior Tanner Donnels, redshirt senior Kevin Glomb, sophomore Tim Peabody, and brothers Trevor and Tylor Megill all have family ties to LMU...Donnels' father, Chris, played baseball at LMU and was part of LMU's 1986 World Series team before being selected in the first round of the 1987 draft by the New York Mets and embarking on a eight-year MLB career...Chris Donnels is LMU's all-time leader in slugging percentage (.650), home runs (45) and RBI (225), setting the LMU single-season records for home runs (21) and RBI (91) in 1986...Donnels' mother and grandfather also attended LMU...Glomb's brother, Michael, played baseball for LMU from 2004-08, while his sister played volleyball at LMU in 2005...Peabody's mother, Nadine, played softball at LMU, while his uncle, Tom, was a member of LMU's 1989-90 Elite Eight men's basketball team...right-hander Trevor Megill enters his redshirt junior year, while his brother, Tylor, begins his first year on the hill at LMU...
LIONS IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
LMU had two former baseball players in the Major Leagues in 2014, as C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles Angels) spent his 10th year on the game's biggest stage...Ryan Wheeler (Los Angeles Angels) appeared last year for Colorado, while Eric Farris (Minnesota), who also has MLB experience, competed in Minor League Baseball throughout the 2014 season...in addition to Wheeler and Farris, 10 former Lions played in the Minor Leagues in 2014, including Bret Dahlson and Kevin Garcia who finished LMU careers in 2014...the Lions have had more than 120 players drafted by Major League Baseball teams in program history, including 29 players in the last 10 years...Billy Traber and Chris Donnels are the lone Lions to be selected in the first round, both selected by the Mets...Traber went 16th overall in 2000, while Donnels was taken with the 24th pick in 1987...including Traber and Donnels, LMU has had 22 players selected in the first five rounds of a MLB draft...LMU's best draft came in 2000, as a Lion was taken in each of the first three rounds - Traber went in the first, followed by Michael Schultz in the second, and Scott Walter in the third...for a list of current Lions playing in professional baseball, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/7taglqf
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
MEDIA LINKS
LMU vs. Nebraska - Friday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Saturday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Sunday • 12:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
THIS WEEK
Having won three straight games for the second time this year, LMU (6-2) will look to keep the momentum going this weekend when it welcomes Nebraska (4-3) to Page Stadium for a three-game series...the two teams have only met twice in program history, as the Lions earned a pair of victories at home on March 29 and 30 of 1988...live video and stats for the series can be found at LMULions.com...
LION TRACKS
Sophomore Brenton Arriaga tossed six strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three, en route to earning the victory and improving to 1-0 this year as LMU (6-2) recorded a 5-2 victory over UC Riverside (5-4) on Tuesday at the Riverside Sports Complex...freshman Billy Wilson notched his fourth multi-hit game of his young career in the win, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and one RBI...sophomores Austin Miller and Cassidy Brown also recorded multi-hit games, with Miller going 2-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot...Sean Watkins, who started the game in right field and went 1-for-4 with a two-RBI double, also threw a perfect inning of relief, striking out three in the eighth...the LMU bullpen finished the game with three scoreless innings of work, as Michael Silva threw a scoreless seventh before J.D. Busfield recorded his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning...
PUNCHOUT PROS
The LMU pitching staff has shown a knack for missing bats early this year, as the Lions have registered 71 strikeouts in 71 innings of work to average 1 per inning and 8.86 per game played...leading the way for the Lions are starters Colin Welmon (16 strikeouts) and Tylor Megill (13 strikeouts)...both Welmon and Megill have registered a 10+ strikeout game this year, something that LMU did not accomplish all of last season (last: Aaron Griffin | 4/27/13 at Portland)...Welmon's 12 strikeout game against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 was the first for the Lions since Trevor Megill struck out 12 at #18 USD on 5/12/12...at the current strikeout-per-game rate, LMU is on pace to strike out 461 batters during the regular season...the LMU record for strikeouts in a season is 451 in 2000...
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Never afraid to wear a pitch to reach first base, LMU has quickly recorded an NCAA-leading 24 hit-by-pitches over eight games this year (3.00 per game)...UC Davis has been hit 22 times, while Oregon has been hit 20 times...LMU is on pace to drawing 156 hit-by-pitches during the regular season...LMU's existing program record is 112 in 2000...Joe Murray, Cassidy Brown and Billy Wilson have all been hit four times, while nine different Lions have registered at least one hit-by-pitch...the high-water mark for the year was five hit batsmen against Saint Joseph's on 2/21 in the second game of a doubleheader, while LMU has not managed a hit-by-pitch in only one game this year (2/24 at UC Riverside)...outside of the game at UCR, the fewest hit-by-pitches in a game for the Lions this year is two (San Jose State, 2/13 | at San Diego State, 2/17)...the five hit-by-pitches were the most for the Lions since recording five at Cal State Fullerton on 5/18/10...in addition to the hit-by-pitches, LMU has also drawn 25 walks this year (3.13 per game)...David Fletcher has drawn six walks, while Tanner Donnels and Ted Boeke have drawn five...using a 52-game regular season, LMU is on pace to draw 162 walks headed into any postseason games...
IN A PINCH
LMU has shown a strong bench so far this year when players have been called upon to contribute in a pinch...the Lions are batting .533 (8-for-15) in pinch-hit opportunities, led by junior Joe Christian (2-for-2) and freshman Jamey Smart (3-for-6)...in those 16 at bats, LMU pinch-hitters have registered a double and four RBI...
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Tylor Megill earned Rawlings West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in his second career start, it was announced by the Conference office on Monday...Megill combined on a 10-0 shutout of Saint Joseph's on 2/21 from Page Stadium...Megill clinched the weekend series victory over Saint Joseph's, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while striking out a career-best 11 batters to record the win...the right-hander threw 88 pitches before turning the ball over the bullpen as the Lions ultimately posted the first shutout victory of the season...the weekly selection is the first of the year for LMU...Santa Clara's Jose Vizcaino, Jr. was named WCC Player of the Week for the second time in as many weeks...
TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE
With a home-heavy 2015 schedule that features 31 games at Page Stadium, including 23 under the lights, fans will have plenty of opportunity to see the Lions in action this year - and there is no better way to catch the action than by purchasing a season ticket plan...season ticket plans start at $40 for a General Admission season ticket...each season ticket purchased comes with a commemorative LMU Scarf...children 12 years and under attending any regular season LMU baseball game get in for free if they are wearing their softball or baseball youth league uniform...to purchase General Admission season tickets or single-game tickets, please visit LMULions.com/tickets...
ABOUT NEBRASKA
Nebraska enters the weekend series with the Lions sporting a 4-3 overall record after taking three-of-four from BYU in Peoria, Ariz...the Huskers opened the 2015 season at UNLV, dropping two-of-three...Ryan Boldt paces the offense for Nebraska, hitting .520 with eight runs scored and a triple...Blake Headley has driven in eight runs to accompany two doubles and a triple, while Ben Miller has amassed seven RBI and two doubles...Chance Sinclair (1-1, 5.06 ERA) is slated to take the ball on Friday, while lefty Kyle Kubat (0-0, 2.31 ERA) will pitch Saturday...Sunday's starter is still TBA...Nebraska is led by fourth-year head coach Darin Erstad...
I'M GOING STREAKING!
LMU had four different players register a hitting streak of 12 games last year, but only one made it past that mark...David Fletcher carried a 15-game hitting streak into the 2015 season, and with a hit in each of the first four games this year, ran that streak to 19 games before it ended against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 (0-for-2 | 2 BB)...Fletcher, who has still reached in 23 straight games, posted multiple hits in 10 of the games en route to accumulating a .413 batting average to go along with 12 runs scored, 7 RBI, 2 doubles, a triple and 11 stolen bases...despite the hit streak coming to an end just short of 20 games, he has hit safely in 34 of his last 36, and 37 of the last 40 dating back to 2014...in addition to Fletcher, Billy Wilson and Sean Watkins have also reached in all 8 games this year...
THE NAME OF THE GAME
It's often said that pitching is the name of the game, and LMU starters have played the game well through eight games in 2015...senior Colin Welmon tossed six innings and allowed just one unearned run on Opening night before going seven frames and allowing only one earned run while striking out 12 in his second start...redshirt-junior Trevor Megill went six of his own and allowed just one run on just two hits with four strikeouts on 2/14 in his first start of the season...Tylor Megill followed his brother's lead with six innings of his own, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out a pair in the finale against San Jose State before registering five shutout innings and 11 strikeouts to combine on LMU's first shutout of the year on 2/21 against Saint Joseph's...the momentum has also carried into the midweek, as sophomore Brenton Arriaga threw five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits at San Diego State on 2/17, before registering a victory and tossing six innings and allowing jus two runs at UC Riverside on 2/24...so far the Lion starters have pitched to five victories and a 1.60 ERA, allowing just 31 hits, striking out 42 and limiting opponents to just a .195 batting average against over 45 innings of work...removing the game against San Diego State, LMU relievers have also been stellar, registering a .78 ERA with 28 strikeouts and just 14 hits allowed (.177 average against) over 23 innings of work...in total, the LMU bullpen has posted a 3.12 ERA and a 1-1 record with three saves...
PICKED BEFORE THE PITCH
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon and sophomores David Fletcher and Austin Miller were tabbed preseason All-WCC prior to the start of the 2015 campaign...all three players earned first team All-WCC selections in 2014...the All-WCC selection was the second for Welmon...for more information on their stellar 2014 campaigns, please see the "All-Conference Returners" section of this release...
SURVEY SAYS
The LMU baseball team, led by seventh-year head coach Jason Gill, is the favorite to win the 2015 WCC Championship, it was announced by the conference office following a poll of the 10 conference head coaches...the Lions earned six of 10 possible first-place votes and 77 overall points in the poll...LMU is also the favorite according to Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com...
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
LMU returns four players who received All-WCC recognition at the end of the 2014 season, including first-teamers Colin Welmon, Austin Miller and David Fletcher to accompany honorable mention selection Ted Boeke...Welmon went 10-2 with a 2.37 ERA over 14 starts last year, posting four complete games, including three straight to finish the year, and all four in his last five starts...the native of Tustin, Calif., who struck out 58 and walked 19 over 106.1 innings, tossed 7.0+ innings in all but two starts...Miller earned first team Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to go along with a WCC Freshman of the Year selection...he batted a team-high .374 with 46 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and 18 RBI while swiping 25 bases in 29 attempts and reaching at a .474 clip...the native of Greeley, Colo. also drew 21 hit-by-pitches, matching the LMU record for a single season, while leading the team in average, slugging percentage (.451), on-base percentage, runs scored, hits (77), triples, total bases (93) and stolen bases...Fletcher earned Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to accompany an American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings second team All-West Region selection and the WCC Defensive Player of the Year...the native of Cypress, Calif. hit .329 with 37 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and 28 RBI while starting all 56 games for the Lions at shortstop...he also hit safely in 30 of LMU's last 32 games, including a team-high 15-game hit streak to finish the year...Boeke batted .289 with 14 runs scored, four doubles, two triples and 10 RBI over 45 games played and 35 starts as a freshman...the La Crescenta, Calif. native also batted .364 with 10 runs scored, three doubles, two triples and seven RBI against conference foes...
THAT'S GOLD, COLIN! GOLD!
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon is one of 50 players named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list...the award will eventually name the top amateur baseball player in the country in a trophy presentation on Tuesday, June 23 in Los Angeles...sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, 2015 marks the 38th year of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award...Welmon is the first Lion to be named to the list since Angelo Songco (2009)...the preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, and will be a "rolling" list until May 22 -- when the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists are announced -- ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the collegiate and high school seasons...
WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will video stream all home baseball games this year through Lion's All-Access...the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast...all road games will once again feature an audio play-by-play broadcast, and links to those broadcasts can be found on the LMU baseball page at LMULions.com...
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
In its 33rd season as the home of Lion baseball in 2015, George C. Page Stadium also enters its second year under the lights...the 2015 LMU baseball schedule features 31 of its 52 games played at home, including 23 under the lights...the Lions are 5-1 (3-1 under lights) so far at home in 2015...LMU went 20-10 at home last year, including 13-5 under the lights...the Lions will play only one non-conference road weekend series during the regular season this year (Arkansas)...non-conference series feature games vs. San Jose State, Saint Joseph's and Nebraska, while WCC foes Santa Clara, Gonzaga, BYU, Pacific and USD will all visit LMU...the Lions, who have posted a 522-385-4 (.575) overall record in the park's 32 seasons, have claimed five conference titles while calling Page Stadium home...the first Page Stadium conference title came in 1986, when the Lions posted a 24-8 record at home...the best record came in 1988, when LMU was 30-5 (.857)...
JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY
For the third consecutive year, the West Coast Conference will hold a WCC Championship Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif. from May 21-23 to decide who will claim the WCC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament...the top-four teams will compete in the tournament, with the #1 seed facing #4 and #2 facing #3 in first-round play...the tournament is double elimination until the championship game on Saturday, where the winner earns the automatic bid...
WELLS FARGO PCH CUP
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Wells Fargo Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup...the series, which is in its sixth year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference...any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur...for the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships...LMU currently leads the 2014-15 standings, 6-4.5...Pepperdine has won the challenge in each of the first five seasons...to learn more about the PCH Cup and view the current scorecard, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/6n4l82s
HEADED TO THE HALL
LMU baseball was well-represented in this year's LMU Hall of Fame class, as Billy Traber and Scott Walter were both be inducted into the Hall on 2/21 as part of the 16th class to be inducted...as part of the celebration, Traber threw out that night's ceremonial first pitch - to Walter...Traber and Walter combined to form one of the best three-year batteries in the history of the West Coast Conference, leading the baseball program to three straight conference crowns, the first men's program to do so in school history...Walter would go on to earn second-team All-American honors as a catcher in 2000 and ranks third all-time with 36 home runs...Traber also went on to earn All-America honors and was the WCC Pitcher of the Year in 2000, ranking second all-time with 338 strikeouts...
@BASEBALLLMU ON TWITTER
For fans, scouts, parents and players who are interested in following LMU baseball even closer this year, LMU baseball assistant coach Bryant Ward is tweeting under the handle @BaseballLMU...to get the inside look at LMU baseball from the coaching perspective, make sure to follow @BaseballLMU on Twitter...
FINISH WHAT YOU START
Senior Colin Welmon has registered three career complete-game shutouts, including two last year, and six career complete games...the right-hander completed four of his last five starts overall in 2014, including each of his final three...his first career complete-game shutout came against Hawaii on 2/28/13 (2 H | 6 K | 95 Pitches)...he then went the distance in a shutout on 4/17/14 at BYU (6 H | 2 BB | 3 K | 117 Pitches)...his most recent shutout came on 5/16/14 at Pacific (5 H | 4 K | 99 Pitches)...
BEAN NAMED AMBASSADOR FOR INCLUSION
One year after Major League Baseball issued a policy prohibiting players from harassing and discriminating against others players based on their sexual orientation, former Commissioner Bud Selig appointed former LMU outfielder and LMU Hall of Famer Billy Bean as MLB's first Ambassador for Inclusion...the announcement was made on July 15, 2014...in his new role, Bean, who made public that he is gay in 1999, will provide guidance and training related to efforts to support those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community throughout Major League Baseball...he will work with Major and Minor League Clubs to encourage equal opportunity in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA Workplace Code of Conduct...Bean, whose No. 44 baseball jersey is retired at LMU, spent four seasons with the Lions, where he still is a record holder in numerous categories...Bean led the Lions to the program's first ever College World Series appearance in 1986 during his senior season...he was named to the All-WCC first team twice in his career, and was a member of the ABCA All-American second team in his senior season...Collegiate Baseball named him honorable mention All-American as a junior...Bean holds the WCC single-season record for walks with 66, is the LMU single-season record holder for runs scored with 84, and still ranks among WCC career leaders in five offensive categories...Bean was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in 2012...
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Senior Tanner Donnels, redshirt senior Kevin Glomb, sophomore Tim Peabody, and brothers Trevor and Tylor Megill all have family ties to LMU...Donnels' father, Chris, played baseball at LMU and was part of LMU's 1986 World Series team before being selected in the first round of the 1987 draft by the New York Mets and embarking on a eight-year MLB career...Chris Donnels is LMU's all-time leader in slugging percentage (.650), home runs (45) and RBI (225), setting the LMU single-season records for home runs (21) and RBI (91) in 1986...Donnels' mother and grandfather also attended LMU...Glomb's brother, Michael, played baseball for LMU from 2004-08, while his sister played volleyball at LMU in 2005...Peabody's mother, Nadine, played softball at LMU, while his uncle, Tom, was a member of LMU's 1989-90 Elite Eight men's basketball team...right-hander Trevor Megill enters his redshirt junior year, while his brother, Tylor, begins his first year on the hill at LMU...
LIONS IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
LMU had two former baseball players in the Major Leagues in 2014, as C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles Angels) spent his 10th year on the game's biggest stage...Ryan Wheeler (Los Angeles Angels) appeared last year for Colorado, while Eric Farris (Minnesota), who also has MLB experience, competed in Minor League Baseball throughout the 2014 season...in addition to Wheeler and Farris, 10 former Lions played in the Minor Leagues in 2014, including Bret Dahlson and Kevin Garcia who finished LMU careers in 2014...the Lions have had more than 120 players drafted by Major League Baseball teams in program history, including 29 players in the last 10 years...Billy Traber and Chris Donnels are the lone Lions to be selected in the first round, both selected by the Mets...Traber went 16th overall in 2000, while Donnels was taken with the 24th pick in 1987...including Traber and Donnels, LMU has had 22 players selected in the first five rounds of a MLB draft...LMU's best draft came in 2000, as a Lion was taken in each of the first three rounds - Traber went in the first, followed by Michael Schultz in the second, and Scott Walter in the third...for a list of current Lions playing in professional baseball, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/7taglqf
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
MEDIA LINKS
LMU vs. Nebraska - Friday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Saturday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Sunday • 12:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
THIS WEEK
Having won three straight games for the second time this year, LMU (6-2) will look to keep the momentum going this weekend when it welcomes Nebraska (4-3) to Page Stadium for a three-game series...the two teams have only met twice in program history, as the Lions earned a pair of victories at home on March 29 and 30 of 1988...live video and stats for the series can be found at LMULions.com...
LION TRACKS
Sophomore Brenton Arriaga tossed six strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three, en route to earning the victory and improving to 1-0 this year as LMU (6-2) recorded a 5-2 victory over UC Riverside (5-4) on Tuesday at the Riverside Sports Complex...freshman Billy Wilson notched his fourth multi-hit game of his young career in the win, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and one RBI...sophomores Austin Miller and Cassidy Brown also recorded multi-hit games, with Miller going 2-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot...Sean Watkins, who started the game in right field and went 1-for-4 with a two-RBI double, also threw a perfect inning of relief, striking out three in the eighth...the LMU bullpen finished the game with three scoreless innings of work, as Michael Silva threw a scoreless seventh before J.D. Busfield recorded his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning...
PUNCHOUT PROS
The LMU pitching staff has shown a knack for missing bats early this year, as the Lions have registered 71 strikeouts in 71 innings of work to average 1 per inning and 8.86 per game played...leading the way for the Lions are starters Colin Welmon (16 strikeouts) and Tylor Megill (13 strikeouts)...both Welmon and Megill have registered a 10+ strikeout game this year, something that LMU did not accomplish all of last season (last: Aaron Griffin | 4/27/13 at Portland)...Welmon's 12 strikeout game against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 was the first for the Lions since Trevor Megill struck out 12 at #18 USD on 5/12/12...at the current strikeout-per-game rate, LMU is on pace to strike out 461 batters during the regular season...the LMU record for strikeouts in a season is 451 in 2000...
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Never afraid to wear a pitch to reach first base, LMU has quickly recorded an NCAA-leading 24 hit-by-pitches over eight games this year (3.00 per game)...UC Davis has been hit 22 times, while Oregon has been hit 20 times...LMU is on pace to drawing 156 hit-by-pitches during the regular season...LMU's existing program record is 112 in 2000...Joe Murray, Cassidy Brown and Billy Wilson have all been hit four times, while nine different Lions have registered at least one hit-by-pitch...the high-water mark for the year was five hit batsmen against Saint Joseph's on 2/21 in the second game of a doubleheader, while LMU has not managed a hit-by-pitch in only one game this year (2/24 at UC Riverside)...outside of the game at UCR, the fewest hit-by-pitches in a game for the Lions this year is two (San Jose State, 2/13 | at San Diego State, 2/17)...the five hit-by-pitches were the most for the Lions since recording five at Cal State Fullerton on 5/18/10...in addition to the hit-by-pitches, LMU has also drawn 25 walks this year (3.13 per game)...David Fletcher has drawn six walks, while Tanner Donnels and Ted Boeke have drawn five...using a 52-game regular season, LMU is on pace to draw 162 walks headed into any postseason games...
IN A PINCH
LMU has shown a strong bench so far this year when players have been called upon to contribute in a pinch...the Lions are batting .533 (8-for-15) in pinch-hit opportunities, led by junior Joe Christian (2-for-2) and freshman Jamey Smart (3-for-6)...in those 16 at bats, LMU pinch-hitters have registered a double and four RBI...
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Tylor Megill earned Rawlings West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in his second career start, it was announced by the Conference office on Monday...Megill combined on a 10-0 shutout of Saint Joseph's on 2/21 from Page Stadium...Megill clinched the weekend series victory over Saint Joseph's, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while striking out a career-best 11 batters to record the win...the right-hander threw 88 pitches before turning the ball over the bullpen as the Lions ultimately posted the first shutout victory of the season...the weekly selection is the first of the year for LMU...Santa Clara's Jose Vizcaino, Jr. was named WCC Player of the Week for the second time in as many weeks...
TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE
With a home-heavy 2015 schedule that features 31 games at Page Stadium, including 23 under the lights, fans will have plenty of opportunity to see the Lions in action this year - and there is no better way to catch the action than by purchasing a season ticket plan...season ticket plans start at $40 for a General Admission season ticket...each season ticket purchased comes with a commemorative LMU Scarf...children 12 years and under attending any regular season LMU baseball game get in for free if they are wearing their softball or baseball youth league uniform...to purchase General Admission season tickets or single-game tickets, please visit LMULions.com/tickets...
ABOUT NEBRASKA
Nebraska enters the weekend series with the Lions sporting a 4-3 overall record after taking three-of-four from BYU in Peoria, Ariz...the Huskers opened the 2015 season at UNLV, dropping two-of-three...Ryan Boldt paces the offense for Nebraska, hitting .520 with eight runs scored and a triple...Blake Headley has driven in eight runs to accompany two doubles and a triple, while Ben Miller has amassed seven RBI and two doubles...Chance Sinclair (1-1, 5.06 ERA) is slated to take the ball on Friday, while lefty Kyle Kubat (0-0, 2.31 ERA) will pitch Saturday...Sunday's starter is still TBA...Nebraska is led by fourth-year head coach Darin Erstad...
I'M GOING STREAKING!
LMU had four different players register a hitting streak of 12 games last year, but only one made it past that mark...David Fletcher carried a 15-game hitting streak into the 2015 season, and with a hit in each of the first four games this year, ran that streak to 19 games before it ended against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 (0-for-2 | 2 BB)...Fletcher, who has still reached in 23 straight games, posted multiple hits in 10 of the games en route to accumulating a .413 batting average to go along with 12 runs scored, 7 RBI, 2 doubles, a triple and 11 stolen bases...despite the hit streak coming to an end just short of 20 games, he has hit safely in 34 of his last 36, and 37 of the last 40 dating back to 2014...in addition to Fletcher, Billy Wilson and Sean Watkins have also reached in all 8 games this year...
THE NAME OF THE GAME
It's often said that pitching is the name of the game, and LMU starters have played the game well through eight games in 2015...senior Colin Welmon tossed six innings and allowed just one unearned run on Opening night before going seven frames and allowing only one earned run while striking out 12 in his second start...redshirt-junior Trevor Megill went six of his own and allowed just one run on just two hits with four strikeouts on 2/14 in his first start of the season...Tylor Megill followed his brother's lead with six innings of his own, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out a pair in the finale against San Jose State before registering five shutout innings and 11 strikeouts to combine on LMU's first shutout of the year on 2/21 against Saint Joseph's...the momentum has also carried into the midweek, as sophomore Brenton Arriaga threw five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits at San Diego State on 2/17, before registering a victory and tossing six innings and allowing jus two runs at UC Riverside on 2/24...so far the Lion starters have pitched to five victories and a 1.60 ERA, allowing just 31 hits, striking out 42 and limiting opponents to just a .195 batting average against over 45 innings of work...removing the game against San Diego State, LMU relievers have also been stellar, registering a .78 ERA with 28 strikeouts and just 14 hits allowed (.177 average against) over 23 innings of work...in total, the LMU bullpen has posted a 3.12 ERA and a 1-1 record with three saves...
PICKED BEFORE THE PITCH
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon and sophomores David Fletcher and Austin Miller were tabbed preseason All-WCC prior to the start of the 2015 campaign...all three players earned first team All-WCC selections in 2014...the All-WCC selection was the second for Welmon...for more information on their stellar 2014 campaigns, please see the "All-Conference Returners" section of this release...
SURVEY SAYS
The LMU baseball team, led by seventh-year head coach Jason Gill, is the favorite to win the 2015 WCC Championship, it was announced by the conference office following a poll of the 10 conference head coaches...the Lions earned six of 10 possible first-place votes and 77 overall points in the poll...LMU is also the favorite according to Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com...
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
LMU returns four players who received All-WCC recognition at the end of the 2014 season, including first-teamers Colin Welmon, Austin Miller and David Fletcher to accompany honorable mention selection Ted Boeke...Welmon went 10-2 with a 2.37 ERA over 14 starts last year, posting four complete games, including three straight to finish the year, and all four in his last five starts...the native of Tustin, Calif., who struck out 58 and walked 19 over 106.1 innings, tossed 7.0+ innings in all but two starts...Miller earned first team Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to go along with a WCC Freshman of the Year selection...he batted a team-high .374 with 46 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and 18 RBI while swiping 25 bases in 29 attempts and reaching at a .474 clip...the native of Greeley, Colo. also drew 21 hit-by-pitches, matching the LMU record for a single season, while leading the team in average, slugging percentage (.451), on-base percentage, runs scored, hits (77), triples, total bases (93) and stolen bases...Fletcher earned Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to accompany an American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings second team All-West Region selection and the WCC Defensive Player of the Year...the native of Cypress, Calif. hit .329 with 37 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and 28 RBI while starting all 56 games for the Lions at shortstop...he also hit safely in 30 of LMU's last 32 games, including a team-high 15-game hit streak to finish the year...Boeke batted .289 with 14 runs scored, four doubles, two triples and 10 RBI over 45 games played and 35 starts as a freshman...the La Crescenta, Calif. native also batted .364 with 10 runs scored, three doubles, two triples and seven RBI against conference foes...
THAT'S GOLD, COLIN! GOLD!
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon is one of 50 players named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list...the award will eventually name the top amateur baseball player in the country in a trophy presentation on Tuesday, June 23 in Los Angeles...sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, 2015 marks the 38th year of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award...Welmon is the first Lion to be named to the list since Angelo Songco (2009)...the preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, and will be a "rolling" list until May 22 -- when the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists are announced -- ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the collegiate and high school seasons...
WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will video stream all home baseball games this year through Lion's All-Access...the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast...all road games will once again feature an audio play-by-play broadcast, and links to those broadcasts can be found on the LMU baseball page at LMULions.com...
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
In its 33rd season as the home of Lion baseball in 2015, George C. Page Stadium also enters its second year under the lights...the 2015 LMU baseball schedule features 31 of its 52 games played at home, including 23 under the lights...the Lions are 5-1 (3-1 under lights) so far at home in 2015...LMU went 20-10 at home last year, including 13-5 under the lights...the Lions will play only one non-conference road weekend series during the regular season this year (Arkansas)...non-conference series feature games vs. San Jose State, Saint Joseph's and Nebraska, while WCC foes Santa Clara, Gonzaga, BYU, Pacific and USD will all visit LMU...the Lions, who have posted a 522-385-4 (.575) overall record in the park's 32 seasons, have claimed five conference titles while calling Page Stadium home...the first Page Stadium conference title came in 1986, when the Lions posted a 24-8 record at home...the best record came in 1988, when LMU was 30-5 (.857)...
JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY
For the third consecutive year, the West Coast Conference will hold a WCC Championship Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif. from May 21-23 to decide who will claim the WCC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament...the top-four teams will compete in the tournament, with the #1 seed facing #4 and #2 facing #3 in first-round play...the tournament is double elimination until the championship game on Saturday, where the winner earns the automatic bid...
WELLS FARGO PCH CUP
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Wells Fargo Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup...the series, which is in its sixth year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference...any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur...for the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships...LMU currently leads the 2014-15 standings, 6-4.5...Pepperdine has won the challenge in each of the first five seasons...to learn more about the PCH Cup and view the current scorecard, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/6n4l82s
HEADED TO THE HALL
LMU baseball was well-represented in this year's LMU Hall of Fame class, as Billy Traber and Scott Walter were both be inducted into the Hall on 2/21 as part of the 16th class to be inducted...as part of the celebration, Traber threw out that night's ceremonial first pitch - to Walter...Traber and Walter combined to form one of the best three-year batteries in the history of the West Coast Conference, leading the baseball program to three straight conference crowns, the first men's program to do so in school history...Walter would go on to earn second-team All-American honors as a catcher in 2000 and ranks third all-time with 36 home runs...Traber also went on to earn All-America honors and was the WCC Pitcher of the Year in 2000, ranking second all-time with 338 strikeouts...
@BASEBALLLMU ON TWITTER
For fans, scouts, parents and players who are interested in following LMU baseball even closer this year, LMU baseball assistant coach Bryant Ward is tweeting under the handle @BaseballLMU...to get the inside look at LMU baseball from the coaching perspective, make sure to follow @BaseballLMU on Twitter...
FINISH WHAT YOU START
Senior Colin Welmon has registered three career complete-game shutouts, including two last year, and six career complete games...the right-hander completed four of his last five starts overall in 2014, including each of his final three...his first career complete-game shutout came against Hawaii on 2/28/13 (2 H | 6 K | 95 Pitches)...he then went the distance in a shutout on 4/17/14 at BYU (6 H | 2 BB | 3 K | 117 Pitches)...his most recent shutout came on 5/16/14 at Pacific (5 H | 4 K | 99 Pitches)...
BEAN NAMED AMBASSADOR FOR INCLUSION
One year after Major League Baseball issued a policy prohibiting players from harassing and discriminating against others players based on their sexual orientation, former Commissioner Bud Selig appointed former LMU outfielder and LMU Hall of Famer Billy Bean as MLB's first Ambassador for Inclusion...the announcement was made on July 15, 2014...in his new role, Bean, who made public that he is gay in 1999, will provide guidance and training related to efforts to support those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community throughout Major League Baseball...he will work with Major and Minor League Clubs to encourage equal opportunity in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA Workplace Code of Conduct...Bean, whose No. 44 baseball jersey is retired at LMU, spent four seasons with the Lions, where he still is a record holder in numerous categories...Bean led the Lions to the program's first ever College World Series appearance in 1986 during his senior season...he was named to the All-WCC first team twice in his career, and was a member of the ABCA All-American second team in his senior season...Collegiate Baseball named him honorable mention All-American as a junior...Bean holds the WCC single-season record for walks with 66, is the LMU single-season record holder for runs scored with 84, and still ranks among WCC career leaders in five offensive categories...Bean was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in 2012...
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Senior Tanner Donnels, redshirt senior Kevin Glomb, sophomore Tim Peabody, and brothers Trevor and Tylor Megill all have family ties to LMU...Donnels' father, Chris, played baseball at LMU and was part of LMU's 1986 World Series team before being selected in the first round of the 1987 draft by the New York Mets and embarking on a eight-year MLB career...Chris Donnels is LMU's all-time leader in slugging percentage (.650), home runs (45) and RBI (225), setting the LMU single-season records for home runs (21) and RBI (91) in 1986...Donnels' mother and grandfather also attended LMU...Glomb's brother, Michael, played baseball for LMU from 2004-08, while his sister played volleyball at LMU in 2005...Peabody's mother, Nadine, played softball at LMU, while his uncle, Tom, was a member of LMU's 1989-90 Elite Eight men's basketball team...right-hander Trevor Megill enters his redshirt junior year, while his brother, Tylor, begins his first year on the hill at LMU...
LIONS IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
LMU had two former baseball players in the Major Leagues in 2014, as C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles Angels) spent his 10th year on the game's biggest stage...Ryan Wheeler (Los Angeles Angels) appeared last year for Colorado, while Eric Farris (Minnesota), who also has MLB experience, competed in Minor League Baseball throughout the 2014 season...in addition to Wheeler and Farris, 10 former Lions played in the Minor Leagues in 2014, including Bret Dahlson and Kevin Garcia who finished LMU careers in 2014...the Lions have had more than 120 players drafted by Major League Baseball teams in program history, including 29 players in the last 10 years...Billy Traber and Chris Donnels are the lone Lions to be selected in the first round, both selected by the Mets...Traber went 16th overall in 2000, while Donnels was taken with the 24th pick in 1987...including Traber and Donnels, LMU has had 22 players selected in the first five rounds of a MLB draft...LMU's best draft came in 2000, as a Lion was taken in each of the first three rounds - Traber went in the first, followed by Michael Schultz in the second, and Scott Walter in the third...for a list of current Lions playing in professional baseball, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/7taglqf
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
MEDIA LINKS
LMU vs. Nebraska - Friday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Saturday • 6:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
LMU vs. Nebraska - Sunday • 12:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats | GameTracker
THIS WEEK
Having won three straight games for the second time this year, LMU (6-2) will look to keep the momentum going this weekend when it welcomes Nebraska (4-3) to Page Stadium for a three-game series...the two teams have only met twice in program history, as the Lions earned a pair of victories at home on March 29 and 30 of 1988...live video and stats for the series can be found at LMULions.com...
LION TRACKS
Sophomore Brenton Arriaga tossed six strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three, en route to earning the victory and improving to 1-0 this year as LMU (6-2) recorded a 5-2 victory over UC Riverside (5-4) on Tuesday at the Riverside Sports Complex...freshman Billy Wilson notched his fourth multi-hit game of his young career in the win, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and one RBI...sophomores Austin Miller and Cassidy Brown also recorded multi-hit games, with Miller going 2-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot...Sean Watkins, who started the game in right field and went 1-for-4 with a two-RBI double, also threw a perfect inning of relief, striking out three in the eighth...the LMU bullpen finished the game with three scoreless innings of work, as Michael Silva threw a scoreless seventh before J.D. Busfield recorded his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning...
PUNCHOUT PROS
The LMU pitching staff has shown a knack for missing bats early this year, as the Lions have registered 71 strikeouts in 71 innings of work to average 1 per inning and 8.86 per game played...leading the way for the Lions are starters Colin Welmon (16 strikeouts) and Tylor Megill (13 strikeouts)...both Welmon and Megill have registered a 10+ strikeout game this year, something that LMU did not accomplish all of last season (last: Aaron Griffin | 4/27/13 at Portland)...Welmon's 12 strikeout game against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 was the first for the Lions since Trevor Megill struck out 12 at #18 USD on 5/12/12...at the current strikeout-per-game rate, LMU is on pace to strike out 461 batters during the regular season...the LMU record for strikeouts in a season is 451 in 2000...
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Never afraid to wear a pitch to reach first base, LMU has quickly recorded an NCAA-leading 24 hit-by-pitches over eight games this year (3.00 per game)...UC Davis has been hit 22 times, while Oregon has been hit 20 times...LMU is on pace to drawing 156 hit-by-pitches during the regular season...LMU's existing program record is 112 in 2000...Joe Murray, Cassidy Brown and Billy Wilson have all been hit four times, while nine different Lions have registered at least one hit-by-pitch...the high-water mark for the year was five hit batsmen against Saint Joseph's on 2/21 in the second game of a doubleheader, while LMU has not managed a hit-by-pitch in only one game this year (2/24 at UC Riverside)...outside of the game at UCR, the fewest hit-by-pitches in a game for the Lions this year is two (San Jose State, 2/13 | at San Diego State, 2/17)...the five hit-by-pitches were the most for the Lions since recording five at Cal State Fullerton on 5/18/10...in addition to the hit-by-pitches, LMU has also drawn 25 walks this year (3.13 per game)...David Fletcher has drawn six walks, while Tanner Donnels and Ted Boeke have drawn five...using a 52-game regular season, LMU is on pace to draw 162 walks headed into any postseason games...
IN A PINCH
LMU has shown a strong bench so far this year when players have been called upon to contribute in a pinch...the Lions are batting .533 (8-for-15) in pinch-hit opportunities, led by junior Joe Christian (2-for-2) and freshman Jamey Smart (3-for-6)...in those 16 at bats, LMU pinch-hitters have registered a double and four RBI...
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Tylor Megill earned Rawlings West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in his second career start, it was announced by the Conference office on Monday...Megill combined on a 10-0 shutout of Saint Joseph's on 2/21 from Page Stadium...Megill clinched the weekend series victory over Saint Joseph's, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while striking out a career-best 11 batters to record the win...the right-hander threw 88 pitches before turning the ball over the bullpen as the Lions ultimately posted the first shutout victory of the season...the weekly selection is the first of the year for LMU...Santa Clara's Jose Vizcaino, Jr. was named WCC Player of the Week for the second time in as many weeks...
TICKET PACKAGES ON SALE
With a home-heavy 2015 schedule that features 31 games at Page Stadium, including 23 under the lights, fans will have plenty of opportunity to see the Lions in action this year - and there is no better way to catch the action than by purchasing a season ticket plan...season ticket plans start at $40 for a General Admission season ticket...each season ticket purchased comes with a commemorative LMU Scarf...children 12 years and under attending any regular season LMU baseball game get in for free if they are wearing their softball or baseball youth league uniform...to purchase General Admission season tickets or single-game tickets, please visit LMULions.com/tickets...
ABOUT NEBRASKA
Nebraska enters the weekend series with the Lions sporting a 4-3 overall record after taking three-of-four from BYU in Peoria, Ariz...the Huskers opened the 2015 season at UNLV, dropping two-of-three...Ryan Boldt paces the offense for Nebraska, hitting .520 with eight runs scored and a triple...Blake Headley has driven in eight runs to accompany two doubles and a triple, while Ben Miller has amassed seven RBI and two doubles...Chance Sinclair (1-1, 5.06 ERA) is slated to take the ball on Friday, while lefty Kyle Kubat (0-0, 2.31 ERA) will pitch Saturday...Sunday's starter is still TBA...Nebraska is led by fourth-year head coach Darin Erstad...
I'M GOING STREAKING!
LMU had four different players register a hitting streak of 12 games last year, but only one made it past that mark...David Fletcher carried a 15-game hitting streak into the 2015 season, and with a hit in each of the first four games this year, ran that streak to 19 games before it ended against Saint Joseph's on 2/20 (0-for-2 | 2 BB)...Fletcher, who has still reached in 23 straight games, posted multiple hits in 10 of the games en route to accumulating a .413 batting average to go along with 12 runs scored, 7 RBI, 2 doubles, a triple and 11 stolen bases...despite the hit streak coming to an end just short of 20 games, he has hit safely in 34 of his last 36, and 37 of the last 40 dating back to 2014...in addition to Fletcher, Billy Wilson and Sean Watkins have also reached in all 8 games this year...
THE NAME OF THE GAME
It's often said that pitching is the name of the game, and LMU starters have played the game well through eight games in 2015...senior Colin Welmon tossed six innings and allowed just one unearned run on Opening night before going seven frames and allowing only one earned run while striking out 12 in his second start...redshirt-junior Trevor Megill went six of his own and allowed just one run on just two hits with four strikeouts on 2/14 in his first start of the season...Tylor Megill followed his brother's lead with six innings of his own, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out a pair in the finale against San Jose State before registering five shutout innings and 11 strikeouts to combine on LMU's first shutout of the year on 2/21 against Saint Joseph's...the momentum has also carried into the midweek, as sophomore Brenton Arriaga threw five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits at San Diego State on 2/17, before registering a victory and tossing six innings and allowing jus two runs at UC Riverside on 2/24...so far the Lion starters have pitched to five victories and a 1.60 ERA, allowing just 31 hits, striking out 42 and limiting opponents to just a .195 batting average against over 45 innings of work...removing the game against San Diego State, LMU relievers have also been stellar, registering a .78 ERA with 28 strikeouts and just 14 hits allowed (.177 average against) over 23 innings of work...in total, the LMU bullpen has posted a 3.12 ERA and a 1-1 record with three saves...
PICKED BEFORE THE PITCH
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon and sophomores David Fletcher and Austin Miller were tabbed preseason All-WCC prior to the start of the 2015 campaign...all three players earned first team All-WCC selections in 2014...the All-WCC selection was the second for Welmon...for more information on their stellar 2014 campaigns, please see the "All-Conference Returners" section of this release...
SURVEY SAYS
The LMU baseball team, led by seventh-year head coach Jason Gill, is the favorite to win the 2015 WCC Championship, it was announced by the conference office following a poll of the 10 conference head coaches...the Lions earned six of 10 possible first-place votes and 77 overall points in the poll...LMU is also the favorite according to Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com...
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
LMU returns four players who received All-WCC recognition at the end of the 2014 season, including first-teamers Colin Welmon, Austin Miller and David Fletcher to accompany honorable mention selection Ted Boeke...Welmon went 10-2 with a 2.37 ERA over 14 starts last year, posting four complete games, including three straight to finish the year, and all four in his last five starts...the native of Tustin, Calif., who struck out 58 and walked 19 over 106.1 innings, tossed 7.0+ innings in all but two starts...Miller earned first team Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to go along with a WCC Freshman of the Year selection...he batted a team-high .374 with 46 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and 18 RBI while swiping 25 bases in 29 attempts and reaching at a .474 clip...the native of Greeley, Colo. also drew 21 hit-by-pitches, matching the LMU record for a single season, while leading the team in average, slugging percentage (.451), on-base percentage, runs scored, hits (77), triples, total bases (93) and stolen bases...Fletcher earned Freshman All-American accolades from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association to accompany an American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings second team All-West Region selection and the WCC Defensive Player of the Year...the native of Cypress, Calif. hit .329 with 37 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and 28 RBI while starting all 56 games for the Lions at shortstop...he also hit safely in 30 of LMU's last 32 games, including a team-high 15-game hit streak to finish the year...Boeke batted .289 with 14 runs scored, four doubles, two triples and 10 RBI over 45 games played and 35 starts as a freshman...the La Crescenta, Calif. native also batted .364 with 10 runs scored, three doubles, two triples and seven RBI against conference foes...
THAT'S GOLD, COLIN! GOLD!
Senior right-hander Colin Welmon is one of 50 players named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list...the award will eventually name the top amateur baseball player in the country in a trophy presentation on Tuesday, June 23 in Los Angeles...sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, 2015 marks the 38th year of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award...Welmon is the first Lion to be named to the list since Angelo Songco (2009)...the preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, and will be a "rolling" list until May 22 -- when the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists are announced -- ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the collegiate and high school seasons...
WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will video stream all home baseball games this year through Lion's All-Access...the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast...all road games will once again feature an audio play-by-play broadcast, and links to those broadcasts can be found on the LMU baseball page at LMULions.com...
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
In its 33rd season as the home of Lion baseball in 2015, George C. Page Stadium also enters its second year under the lights...the 2015 LMU baseball schedule features 31 of its 52 games played at home, including 23 under the lights...the Lions are 5-1 (3-1 under lights) so far at home in 2015...LMU went 20-10 at home last year, including 13-5 under the lights...the Lions will play only one non-conference road weekend series during the regular season this year (Arkansas)...non-conference series feature games vs. San Jose State, Saint Joseph's and Nebraska, while WCC foes Santa Clara, Gonzaga, BYU, Pacific and USD will all visit LMU...the Lions, who have posted a 522-385-4 (.575) overall record in the park's 32 seasons, have claimed five conference titles while calling Page Stadium home...the first Page Stadium conference title came in 1986, when the Lions posted a 24-8 record at home...the best record came in 1988, when LMU was 30-5 (.857)...
JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY
For the third consecutive year, the West Coast Conference will hold a WCC Championship Tournament at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif. from May 21-23 to decide who will claim the WCC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament...the top-four teams will compete in the tournament, with the #1 seed facing #4 and #2 facing #3 in first-round play...the tournament is double elimination until the championship game on Saturday, where the winner earns the automatic bid...
WELLS FARGO PCH CUP
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Wells Fargo Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup...the series, which is in its sixth year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference...any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur...for the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships...LMU currently leads the 2014-15 standings, 6-4.5...Pepperdine has won the challenge in each of the first five seasons...to learn more about the PCH Cup and view the current scorecard, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/6n4l82s
HEADED TO THE HALL
LMU baseball was well-represented in this year's LMU Hall of Fame class, as Billy Traber and Scott Walter were both be inducted into the Hall on 2/21 as part of the 16th class to be inducted...as part of the celebration, Traber threw out that night's ceremonial first pitch - to Walter...Traber and Walter combined to form one of the best three-year batteries in the history of the West Coast Conference, leading the baseball program to three straight conference crowns, the first men's program to do so in school history...Walter would go on to earn second-team All-American honors as a catcher in 2000 and ranks third all-time with 36 home runs...Traber also went on to earn All-America honors and was the WCC Pitcher of the Year in 2000, ranking second all-time with 338 strikeouts...
@BASEBALLLMU ON TWITTER
For fans, scouts, parents and players who are interested in following LMU baseball even closer this year, LMU baseball assistant coach Bryant Ward is tweeting under the handle @BaseballLMU...to get the inside look at LMU baseball from the coaching perspective, make sure to follow @BaseballLMU on Twitter...
FINISH WHAT YOU START
Senior Colin Welmon has registered three career complete-game shutouts, including two last year, and six career complete games...the right-hander completed four of his last five starts overall in 2014, including each of his final three...his first career complete-game shutout came against Hawaii on 2/28/13 (2 H | 6 K | 95 Pitches)...he then went the distance in a shutout on 4/17/14 at BYU (6 H | 2 BB | 3 K | 117 Pitches)...his most recent shutout came on 5/16/14 at Pacific (5 H | 4 K | 99 Pitches)...
BEAN NAMED AMBASSADOR FOR INCLUSION
One year after Major League Baseball issued a policy prohibiting players from harassing and discriminating against others players based on their sexual orientation, former Commissioner Bud Selig appointed former LMU outfielder and LMU Hall of Famer Billy Bean as MLB's first Ambassador for Inclusion...the announcement was made on July 15, 2014...in his new role, Bean, who made public that he is gay in 1999, will provide guidance and training related to efforts to support those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community throughout Major League Baseball...he will work with Major and Minor League Clubs to encourage equal opportunity in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA Workplace Code of Conduct...Bean, whose No. 44 baseball jersey is retired at LMU, spent four seasons with the Lions, where he still is a record holder in numerous categories...Bean led the Lions to the program's first ever College World Series appearance in 1986 during his senior season...he was named to the All-WCC first team twice in his career, and was a member of the ABCA All-American second team in his senior season...Collegiate Baseball named him honorable mention All-American as a junior...Bean holds the WCC single-season record for walks with 66, is the LMU single-season record holder for runs scored with 84, and still ranks among WCC career leaders in five offensive categories...Bean was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor in 2012...
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Senior Tanner Donnels, redshirt senior Kevin Glomb, sophomore Tim Peabody, and brothers Trevor and Tylor Megill all have family ties to LMU...Donnels' father, Chris, played baseball at LMU and was part of LMU's 1986 World Series team before being selected in the first round of the 1987 draft by the New York Mets and embarking on a eight-year MLB career...Chris Donnels is LMU's all-time leader in slugging percentage (.650), home runs (45) and RBI (225), setting the LMU single-season records for home runs (21) and RBI (91) in 1986...Donnels' mother and grandfather also attended LMU...Glomb's brother, Michael, played baseball for LMU from 2004-08, while his sister played volleyball at LMU in 2005...Peabody's mother, Nadine, played softball at LMU, while his uncle, Tom, was a member of LMU's 1989-90 Elite Eight men's basketball team...right-hander Trevor Megill enters his redshirt junior year, while his brother, Tylor, begins his first year on the hill at LMU...
LIONS IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
LMU had two former baseball players in the Major Leagues in 2014, as C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles Angels) spent his 10th year on the game's biggest stage...Ryan Wheeler (Los Angeles Angels) appeared last year for Colorado, while Eric Farris (Minnesota), who also has MLB experience, competed in Minor League Baseball throughout the 2014 season...in addition to Wheeler and Farris, 10 former Lions played in the Minor Leagues in 2014, including Bret Dahlson and Kevin Garcia who finished LMU careers in 2014...the Lions have had more than 120 players drafted by Major League Baseball teams in program history, including 29 players in the last 10 years...Billy Traber and Chris Donnels are the lone Lions to be selected in the first round, both selected by the Mets...Traber went 16th overall in 2000, while Donnels was taken with the 24th pick in 1987...including Traber and Donnels, LMU has had 22 players selected in the first five rounds of a MLB draft...LMU's best draft came in 2000, as a Lion was taken in each of the first three rounds - Traber went in the first, followed by Michael Schultz in the second, and Scott Walter in the third...for a list of current Lions playing in professional baseball, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/7taglqf
LMU: Nebraska Visits Page This Weekend
D1 - Weekend Preview: Feb. 27-March 1
This Week:
1. UCF readies for big test against Ole Miss (Kendall Rogers)
2. Mississippi State and Arizona take hot offenses into Starkville showdown (Aaron Fitt)
3. Get ready for more Reedy River rowdiness (Aaron Fitt)
UCF’s Balance Crucial In Revenge Series
UCF won’t have to dig too deep for motivation this weekend when it plays host to Ole Miss in one of the nation’s most important weekend series.
Ole Miss signifies many things for the Knights. Entering the third weekend of the season last year, the Knights were 6-2 and riding a confidence wave they thought might bring positive results on the road against the big, bad Southeastern Conference foe.
Cre Finfrock is off to a terrific start as a freshman for the Knights. (UCF)
Cre Finfrock is off to a terrific start as a freshman for the Knights. (UCF)
Things didn’t unfold as planned. The Knights lost the first two games of the Ole Miss series in heartbreaking, one-run fashion, and in the series finale, as you might expect, those close setbacks took their toll in a disappointing 9-2 setback. On the mound to start that game was sophomore righthander Robby Howell, who will start this weekend at home against those same Rebels. Last year? Howell allowed seven runs on six hits in just 3 1/3 innings.
That’s motivation enough for Howell, but how about the rest of the team, which rattled off four consecutive losses after that Ole Miss series and found itself in a massive hole after a seven-game losing streak and back-to-back series losses to the Rebels and Central Michigan—at home, mind you.
UCF eventually put all the pieces together, but it was too late. The Knights put themselves in too bad of a situation early in the season, and it cost them come Selection Monday when they were left out of the field of 64 with a 36-23 overall record.
UCF is off to a terrific 8-0 start this season, but coach Terry Rooney doesn’t want to make the Ole Miss series bigger than it is. But we’d be lying if we said this wasn’t the perfect measuring stick for this veteran-laden team.
“Our players know it’s an exciting weekend against an exciting opponent. We played a close series against those guys last year, a series that was pretty competitive,” Rooney said. “We return a tremendous amount of veteran players from that team last year, and that was a team that I believe was a win away from making a regional. We’ve learned from it and we’ve put ourselves in position so far this season to win some close games. I feel like we’ve showed a lot of poise.
“Our players know it’s an exciting weekend against an exciting opponent. We played a close series against those guys last year, a series that was pretty competitive,” Rooney said. “We return a tremendous amount of veteran players from that team last year, and that was a team that I believe was a win away from making a regional. We’ve learned from it and we’ve put ourselves in position so far this season to win some close games. I feel like we’ve showed a lot of poise.”
“We’ve got a lot of guys who came back with something to prove,” he continued. “From a competitiveness standpoint, this team has some great combinations.”
UCF has one of the more intriguing clubs in college baseball. This team has a plethora of talent, but you look through the roster, and you’ll notice six seniors are in the starting lineup, along with senior righthander Zach Rodgers — who will start the series opener against the Rebels — in the weekend rotation. It’s not uncommon to see teams with multiple seniors on the field, but seven in integral positions isn’t something you see every day. So, perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising UCF is off to an incredibly fast start, highlighted by its big statement last weekend in Mobile, Ala., when it beat Arkansas and No. 12 Maryland, along with Mark Calvi’s always-gritty South Alabama club.
“We’ve been saying it a lot the past few weeks, but to us, everything matters,” Rooney said. “Just because you have experience doesn’t mean you’re going to win games. Every pitch in every situation matters to this team, and that’s the way we approach things.”
UCF’s overall balance is impressive. The Knights enter the weekend hitting at a superb .351 clip, while the pitching staff has excelled despite not having that premier veteran arm that has stood out on the national stage. UCF does have one of the more talented freshman arms in mature-looking righthander Cre Finfrock.
Finfrock and two-way player Kyle Marsh, who pitches and starts at second base, have been terrific thus far. Finfrock was an advanced prospect in high school, ranked No. 76 nationally by Perfect Game and drafted in the 24th round by the Milwaukee Brewers despite being deemed as a tough sign. Finfrock (1.54 ERA in 11.2 innings) is showing good stuff against quality competition. The righty will sit in the low 90s with his fastball with very good command to both sides of the plate, while his slider and changeup are secondary offerings that provide him with a legitimate three-pitch mix. Meanwhile, Marsh has made just two appearances on the mound, and allowed no runs, but is making a massive impact at the plate, where he’s hitting .483/.595/.828 with two homers and a team-best 15 RBIs. Both freshmen will go through the usual lumps, but the early returns obviously are very good.
“Finfrock and Marsh, both, after eight games, they’re not really freshmen anymore. They’ve been put in stressful situations and all of those guys played high school and summer baseball at a pretty high level,” Rooney said. “A lot of the talk out of high school about Kyle was him as a pitcher, and we recruited him knowing he’d be a two-way guy. He’s got tremendous poise.
“The biggest thing for Cre from high school until now is just his command. He’s really learned to separate his pitches, and again, he’s another guy with really good poise. He didn’t pitch much in the fall for us, so he’s still really learning as he goes. He has a big arm and he’s really impressing me every time he takes the mound.”
Marsh and Finfrock are getting plenty of veteran instruction as the season continues. The offense has been potent with Matt Diorio .517/.622/.724, Tommy Williams .419/.441/.613 and JoMarcos Woods .409/.458/.545 leading the way, while talented Dylan Moore, who had a strong summer out in California and moved from second base to shortstop in the fall, is showing major strides that could get him into the All-America discussion, Rooney hopes.
“Dylan is now at shortstop, and he’s an incredible player. He’s gotten stronger offensively, and he’s just a great player. In my mind, he’s on his way to an All-American type of season,” Rooney said. “He’s been a huge part of our success.”
While Marsh gets guidance from a hefty dose of veterans in the field, Finfrock is learning from Rodgers and Howell. Rodgers is a good arm who will pound the strike zone most of the time, while the Knights believe Howell could evolve into a very impressive prospect. Howell (2.31 ERA, 11.2 innings) is showing better command thus far, and has an 89-92 mph fastball to go with a slider/changeup combination. Meanwhile, the Knights also think massive 6-foot-6, 246-pound lefty Harrison Hukari can turn into a truly dominant arm. Hukari works in the mid-to-upper 80s with his fastball and can go offspeed when he wants to — all from a difficult downhill angle.
“Robby has taken a big step for us when it comes to command,” Rooney said. “He’s going to make a big difference for us. We also think Harrison is going to be a go-to guy for us out of the pen. He can be a starting pitcher, or close games, and that makes his role versatile. He’s made some big jumps for us and he’s just so valuable out there.”
One of the key ingredients to success both in conference, and especially in the postseason, is experience. The Knights are blessed with veterans, and they can fill in the remaining holes with talented younger players who make a sizable difference, sometimes sooner than expected.
The Knights look like they are built for the postseason, but everything leading up to the postseason counts, starting with a revenge series against the Rebels.
– Kendall Rogers
Measuring Stick Weekend In Starkville
Mississippi State is one of three teams in Division I with a 9-0 record heading into Week Three, but it has been hard to get a feel for just how good the Bulldogs are because none of their nine games have come against a team that currently has a winning record, or against a team that seems likely to make a regional.
This weekend, MSU faces its first real test, as it hosts the Diamond Classic in Starkville. The Bulldogs play two games against 8-2 Arizona—one of the more talented offensive teams in the country—and two against 3-4 Samford. The Friday and Saturday games against the Wildcats should be revealing.
Last year, Mississippi State traveled to Tucson and went 1-3, splitting two games against Arizona and losing twice to UC Santa Barbara. The Bulldogs look like a better club than they were a year ago—but so do the Wildcats.
Both teams enter the weekend with robust offensive numbers. Mississippi State is hitting .336 as a team with 91 runs in nine games, while Arizona is hitting .346 with 86 runs in 10 games. Three Bulldogs enter the weekend hitting better than .500, as freshman Ryan Gridley (.591/.667/.864) and redshirt sophomore Jacob Robson (.536/.675/.571) have been revelations, while gritty senior Seth Heck (.533/.689/.567) continues to get better and better. Let’s focus on that trio.
Mississippi State's Ryan Gridley (Bill Simmonds/MSU Athletics)
Mississippi State’s Ryan Gridley (Bill Simmonds/MSU Athletics)
Freshman Faces: Ryan Gridley
At 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, Gridley was not a marquee prospect coming out of high school, but Mississippi State coach John Cohen said he is mature beyond his years, which has helped him hit the ground running in Starkville.
“You know what he’s done, what most freshmen don’t do, he’s made life more simple for himself,” Cohen said. “He doesn’t try to do too much, he lets the game come to him … He plays like an older kid. He doesn’t complicate things, and that’s usually where the younger player screws it up. He can put a charge into balls, he can hit doubles, but he’s a great hit-and-run guy, he can handle the bat, and his approach is really simple.”
Just because Gridley is undersized, don’t get fooled into thinking he lacks raw ability. He may be a grinder, but he also has a good righthanded swing, and his feet really work.
“He’s a little guy, he’s got some strength,” Cohen said. “He’s got great lateral quickness, he’s got arm strength. He really understands how to run the bases. He’s a really good college baseball player. He’s an average runner, he’ll be a 6.9 type of runner, but he’s got great first-step quickness. He gets out of the box really good on bunts, so he can run a 3.8 on a bunt, but not a great traditional 60 runner. When he got here, our ballpark plays pretty big, and my thing with him was you just can’t hit fly balls. That’s what he’s just eliminated, hitting fly balls. Everything off his bat’s a line drive or hard ground balls.”
The Maple Hammer
The MSU coaches have been singing Robson’s praises since the Canadian showed up as a freshman in the fall of 2012. In fact, here’s what Cohen told me about Robson that September:
“He’s a legitimate 6.4 runner. An unbelievable athlete, a lefthanded hitter—he’s going to be special. He’s just a dynamic athlete who can run, jump, throw. He’s going to hit too, got great feel for the barrel. He’s special.”
Mississippi State's Jacob Robson Jacob Robson (Mississippi State)
Mississippi State’s Jacob Robson Jacob Robson (Mississippi State)
It just took Robson a few years to show everybody else how special he is. He hit just .206 in 97 at-bats as a freshman, and just .063 in 16 at-bats last year before an injury curtailed his season.
Like Gridley, Robson is undersized at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, but his plus-plus speed makes him electrifying, and he’s finally learned how to put it to optimal use.
“He’s really taking advantage of his skill set,” Cohen said. “He’s acquired strength in the last three years, and he is a power runner. He can really go. He’s gonna bunt to the right side, the left side, make you make plays, and put a lot of pressure on the defense. He’s worked really hard to take the ball out of the air and just use his skill set, and that’s really exciting to see.”
And the Canadian comes with one of college baseball’s best nicknames, too: The Maple Hammer.
What The Heck?
In his first season at Mississippi State after transferring in from the junior-college ranks, Heck posted a solid .299/.407/.338 line and played rock-solid defense at shortstop, where he successfully filled the big shoes of departed mainstay Adam Frazier. Heck made just four errors last year for a .984 fielding percentage, making him the glue of the infield.
“He’s another guy who knows how to play,” Cohen said. “He doesn’t have tremendous range or outstanding arm strength, he just creates outs defensively and hits the ball hard at the plate. He’s one of those guys you expect to be the president of the United States one day, and you just feel honored to coach. He’s overlooked because you look at the stopwatch, and he’s running average. Then you watch him throw and you say, ‘Man, that’s probably not even average for an upper-level D-I shortstop.’ Then you watch him hit and there’s not a lot of pop. But every time that guy walks to the plate, he’s either going to get hit by a pitch, or he’s gonna walk, or hit the ball hard.”
A true sign of Heck’s development is his improved running times to first base. Not many players make dramatic gains with their speed—and Heck hasn’t gotten faster, but he has learned to get out of the batter’s box quicker, making the speed he has play better. When he first arrived on campus, Cohen said, Heck ran to first base in 4.45 to 4.5 seconds. By the end of last year, he had cut his time to 4.25 to 4.3 seconds. Now, Cohen said, he’s getting from home to first in 4.15 to 4.2 seconds.
“You know what it says on his locker?” Cohen said. “We let every player put whatever they want on their name plate. His just says, ‘Keep proving them wrong.’ That’s kind of who he is. You go to a showcase and just watch him as a senior in high school, you go, ‘Man, there’s nothing SEC about this guy.’ He just keeps on trucking. I would not put any limits on what this guy can do.”
Other Emerging Bulldogs
• With catcher Gavin Collins sidelined with a broken hamate bone (Cohen said he should be ready to go by the start of SEC play), juco transfer Josh Lovelady has had a chance to show what he can do behind the plate. So far, he and fellow catcher Cody Walker have combined to throw out 12 of the 16 runners who have attempted to steal against Mississippi State.
“Gavin’s going to be a great defender, but he’s a power bat in the middle of your lineup,” Cohen said. “Our other two guys can really catch and throw; Josh Lovelady has the majority of those throw-outs. He threw a 1.95 (pop time to second base) in a game last night. And he throws on the bag, he just keeps throwing guys out.”
• Mississippi State has gotten strong work from its four weekend starters, Preston Brown (2-0, 2.45), Austin Sexton (1-0, 2.25), Lucas Laster (1-0, 2.16) and Vance Tatum (1-0, 0.84).
“None of those guys are going to blow up a radar gun; they just all have tremendous pitchability,” Cohen said. “They have all pitched inside really well, which we think is just crucial. They all get to the bottom of the strike zone. They just all know how to pitch. That’s a real credit to (pitching coach) Butch (Thompson) and what he has done. This year, we’re not going to have the typical SEC 94-95. We have some guys who can do that, but that’s not what our rotation’s going to look like. It’s going to look like sink, pitch in, do a great job with our running game. Really consistent pieces.”
• Even without Jonathan Holder and Jacob Lindgren, the Bulldogs think their bullpen has a chance to be elite. Wily low-slot lefty Ross Mitchell has done nothing but make outs for three years, and he as picked right up where he left off this year, going 2-0, 0.00 in 11 innings. Trevor Fitts, a former starter, has found a home in the closer role, where he has shown excellent poise in tight spots. Power righties Zac Houston and Dakota Hudson have both shown wipeout stuff, with fastballs up to 92-93 and swing-and-miss breaking balls. Daniel Brown brings an 89-90 fastball and good breaking ball from the left side. Sidewinder Myles Gentry, who has been sidelined with shoulder issues, is progressing well and should be back soon, giving this staff another look.
“I think it’s a deeper, more complete staff,” Cohen said. “You don’t have a Lindgren sitting there throwing 94, you don’t have a Holder with 20 saves. But I think we have more pieces than we’ve ever had.”
• One final MSU note: first baseman Wes Rea has started just three of MSU’s nine games after getting hit by a pitch on the knee. Cohen said it hit a nerve, and inhibited the flow of blood to his foot. Doctors had to perform a procedure to improve his circulation, but Cohen said he should be able to play this weekend, or if not, next weekend.
– Aaron Fitt
A New Culture For Arizona
Wildcats coach Andy Lopez said he was disheartened when he returned from heart surgery last year and discovered his team was rudderless. A sense of entitlement pervaded the veterans on the club, and leadership was lacking.
“I really wanted to re-establish the intangibles,” Lopez said. “Last year it was like they were sucked out of us, they were gone. The ability to play hard and compete and work hard—we’ve always had that, that’s always been a trait. They may not have the most talent, but they’re going to play hard against you. And when they do have good players, they’ll still play hard.
“I said to our club, ‘Look man, I don’t know what you’re going to be able to do. But I know this: We’re going to play hard. We’re going to play hard and compete, from day one in practice.’ We’re doing that right now in the rotation.”
Arizona second baseman Scott Kingery (Shotgun Spratling)
Arizona second baseman Scott Kingery (Shotgun Spratling)
Pitching is the big question mark facing the Wildcats this year. They have a dynamite group of position players, led by preseason All-America middle infielders Kevin Newman (.405/.469/.476) and Scott Kingery (.455/.490/.682), who are both off to torrid starts. That duo anchors the defense as well as the offense; Kingery played center field last year but has just one error so far at second base this spring.
“A lot of people are coming in to watch those two guys up the middle, Newman and Kingery. And Kingery is a center fielder playing second base right now, but it’s been a very easy transition,” Lopez said. “Really easy on the eyes, fun to watch. He’s going to be a good second baseman when it’s all said and done.”
Arizona has another key up-the-middle veteran in senior catcher Riley Moore (.444/.512/.694, 2 HR, 11 RBI), who was the starting catcher for a national championship team as a freshman but saw his progress stall out over his next two seasons. He was drafted in the 21st round by the Phillies as a junior last year, and he told Lopez he planned to sign. At that point, Lopez was ready to cut the cord with his junior class and start fresh.
“At the time, I was very disappointed in that junior class. I didn’t think that junior class handled my (health) situation well,” Lopez said. “I came back in January and four games into it, I told my staff, ‘This team will be lucky to be .500,’ because I saw nothing of the intangibles and work ethic, zero. So we lived through that nightmare. Everybody got drafted, and if you tell me you’re signing as a junior, I’m going to find somebody else for your money. So we didn’t have any money for Riley.
“When he came back, I told Riley, ‘There was a guy who caught for the Yankees named Thurman Munson. We’re going to turn you into Thurman Munson this year.’ It really makes me feel like I’m happy for him to be back, happy for the program. I see a lot of intangibles going on with Riley Moore right now.”
Moore has played through a bad shoulder and done a nice job handling Arizona’s pitching staff, which remains a work in progress. Lopez harbors hopes that sophomore righty Austin Schnabel can develop into an ace, because he has the best stuff, with a 90-92 fastball that bumps 94 on occasion and developing secondary stuff. Redshirt freshman righty Robby Medel lacks overpowering stuff but has good feel for pitching and thrives by locating his changeup to both sides of the plate. Veterans Tyger Talley and Cody Hamlin both have experience as starters and will continue to compete for rotation spots as well.
Arizona's Bobby Dalbec (Shotgun Spratling)
Arizona’s Bobby Dalbec (Shotgun Spratling)
The back of the bullpen is anchored by two-way talent Bobby Dalbec, who can run his fastball up to 94-95 and has developed a good slider and changeup, according to Lopez. The Wildcats were hoping veteran Mathew Troupe, coming off Tommy John surgery, could provide another boost, and he was progressing well and showing 90-91 mph fastball velocity, but he felt some shoulder stiffness last week and was slated to get examined this weekend. In the meantime, freshman Cameron Ming (4-0, 1.17) has emerged as a key setup man thanks largely to his fearlessness and mean streak. Nathan Bannister, who had a strong summer in the Cape Cod League, gives this bullpen another quality option from the right side. Cody Moffett and Rio Gomez are the key lefthanders, but Lopez is still looking for more consistency from them.
The competition for roles is ongoing, and this weekend should help the Wildcats figure out where their pieces fit best.
“If you’re really good at something, jobs chase you,” Lopez said. “You don’t have to chase the job. They’ll say, ‘I need you to come work for me, because you’re really good at what you do.’ So if you pitch well, innings are chasing you.”
– Aaron Fitt
Reedy River Rivalry Renewed
College baseball’s best rivalry starts up again this weekend in the Palmetto State, as No. 5 South Carolina faces off against Clemson in a series that travels from Clemson on Friday to Greenville on Saturday to Columbia on Sunday. The rivalry has been one-sided in recent years, with the Gamecocks winning 13 of the last 16 meetings dating back to the 2010 College World Series, but it has been no less intense. In fact, when I asked former Clemson star Richie Shaffer for his favorite memory of the rivalry, his answer surprised me: the two white-knuckle games in Omaha in 2010, which were both won by South Carolina.
“They got the best of us, but those were the most intense games I’ve ever played in,” Shaffer said.
His other favorite memory of the rivalry was the Sunday rubber game of the 2010 regular-season series, a 19-6 blowout win that featured Shaffer’s first career home run and marked the last time Clemson has won the series against the Gamecocks.
That game must feel like ancient history to Clemson fans. Last year, the Tigers had a strong chance to win the series and still found a way to get swept in excruciating fashion. Incidentally, when I asked former South Carolina catcher Grayson Greiner for his favorite memories of the rivalry, he selected the Friday opener of the 2014 series at Carolina Stadium. The Tigers led 6-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, when Greiner’s grand slam electrified the stadium and ignited South Carolina’s 9-6 comeback victory.
“Coming back from 6-1 on Friday night at home, Carolina Stadium was deafening,” Greiner said. “I could barely hear myself think when I was rounding the bases.”
After South Carolina blew out the Tigers on Saturday in Greenville, Clemson looked like it would salvage Sunday’s rubber game, until the Gamecocks stormed back to score four runs with two outs in the ninth inning to take a 5-3 win and complete the sweep.
“It was such a good series and the fact that we swept them with two crazy wins was something I’ll never forget,” Greiner said.
Wil Crowe
Wil Crowe
So what will this rivalry have in store this time around? Cold temperatures, for one—all three games could be played in the low 40s. But don’t expect the weather to keep the fans away. They should be treated to a fantastic pitching matchup Friday, as Clemson lefthander Matthew Crownover (1-0, 0.00) takes on South Carolina righty Wil Crowe (1-0, 0.87), who moves into the Friday spot. That will slide Jack Wynkoop (1-1, 3.46) to Saturday, when he’ll start against Zack Erwin (1-0, 0.66) in a battle of fine junior lefthanders. South Carolina has not named a Sunday starter, as the Gamecocks intimated they might use lefty Josh Reagan in a relief role if they need him to win one of the first two games. Clemson will go with Brody Koerner on Sunday.
I’ll be on hand all weekend with full coverage of this fantastic traveling series.
– Aaron Fitt
This post was edited on 2/27 11:13 AM by HuskerFan31
D1 - Weekend Preview: Feb. 27-March 1
This Week:
1. UCF readies for big test against Ole Miss (Kendall Rogers)
2. Mississippi State and Arizona take hot offenses into Starkville showdown (Aaron Fitt)
3. Get ready for more Reedy River rowdiness (Aaron Fitt)
UCF’s Balance Crucial In Revenge Series
UCF won’t have to dig too deep for motivation this weekend when it plays host to Ole Miss in one of the nation’s most important weekend series.
Ole Miss signifies many things for the Knights. Entering the third weekend of the season last year, the Knights were 6-2 and riding a confidence wave they thought might bring positive results on the road against the big, bad Southeastern Conference foe.
Cre Finfrock is off to a terrific start as a freshman for the Knights. (UCF)
Cre Finfrock is off to a terrific start as a freshman for the Knights. (UCF)
Things didn’t unfold as planned. The Knights lost the first two games of the Ole Miss series in heartbreaking, one-run fashion, and in the series finale, as you might expect, those close setbacks took their toll in a disappointing 9-2 setback. On the mound to start that game was sophomore righthander Robby Howell, who will start this weekend at home against those same Rebels. Last year? Howell allowed seven runs on six hits in just 3 1/3 innings.
That’s motivation enough for Howell, but how about the rest of the team, which rattled off four consecutive losses after that Ole Miss series and found itself in a massive hole after a seven-game losing streak and back-to-back series losses to the Rebels and Central Michigan—at home, mind you.
UCF eventually put all the pieces together, but it was too late. The Knights put themselves in too bad of a situation early in the season, and it cost them come Selection Monday when they were left out of the field of 64 with a 36-23 overall record.
UCF is off to a terrific 8-0 start this season, but coach Terry Rooney doesn’t want to make the Ole Miss series bigger than it is. But we’d be lying if we said this wasn’t the perfect measuring stick for this veteran-laden team.
“Our players know it’s an exciting weekend against an exciting opponent. We played a close series against those guys last year, a series that was pretty competitive,” Rooney said. “We return a tremendous amount of veteran players from that team last year, and that was a team that I believe was a win away from making a regional. We’ve learned from it and we’ve put ourselves in position so far this season to win some close games. I feel like we’ve showed a lot of poise.
“Our players know it’s an exciting weekend against an exciting opponent. We played a close series against those guys last year, a series that was pretty competitive,” Rooney said. “We return a tremendous amount of veteran players from that team last year, and that was a team that I believe was a win away from making a regional. We’ve learned from it and we’ve put ourselves in position so far this season to win some close games. I feel like we’ve showed a lot of poise.”
“We’ve got a lot of guys who came back with something to prove,” he continued. “From a competitiveness standpoint, this team has some great combinations.”
UCF has one of the more intriguing clubs in college baseball. This team has a plethora of talent, but you look through the roster, and you’ll notice six seniors are in the starting lineup, along with senior righthander Zach Rodgers — who will start the series opener against the Rebels — in the weekend rotation. It’s not uncommon to see teams with multiple seniors on the field, but seven in integral positions isn’t something you see every day. So, perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising UCF is off to an incredibly fast start, highlighted by its big statement last weekend in Mobile, Ala., when it beat Arkansas and No. 12 Maryland, along with Mark Calvi’s always-gritty South Alabama club.
“We’ve been saying it a lot the past few weeks, but to us, everything matters,” Rooney said. “Just because you have experience doesn’t mean you’re going to win games. Every pitch in every situation matters to this team, and that’s the way we approach things.”
UCF’s overall balance is impressive. The Knights enter the weekend hitting at a superb .351 clip, while the pitching staff has excelled despite not having that premier veteran arm that has stood out on the national stage. UCF does have one of the more talented freshman arms in mature-looking righthander Cre Finfrock.
Finfrock and two-way player Kyle Marsh, who pitches and starts at second base, have been terrific thus far. Finfrock was an advanced prospect in high school, ranked No. 76 nationally by Perfect Game and drafted in the 24th round by the Milwaukee Brewers despite being deemed as a tough sign. Finfrock (1.54 ERA in 11.2 innings) is showing good stuff against quality competition. The righty will sit in the low 90s with his fastball with very good command to both sides of the plate, while his slider and changeup are secondary offerings that provide him with a legitimate three-pitch mix. Meanwhile, Marsh has made just two appearances on the mound, and allowed no runs, but is making a massive impact at the plate, where he’s hitting .483/.595/.828 with two homers and a team-best 15 RBIs. Both freshmen will go through the usual lumps, but the early returns obviously are very good.
“Finfrock and Marsh, both, after eight games, they’re not really freshmen anymore. They’ve been put in stressful situations and all of those guys played high school and summer baseball at a pretty high level,” Rooney said. “A lot of the talk out of high school about Kyle was him as a pitcher, and we recruited him knowing he’d be a two-way guy. He’s got tremendous poise.
“The biggest thing for Cre from high school until now is just his command. He’s really learned to separate his pitches, and again, he’s another guy with really good poise. He didn’t pitch much in the fall for us, so he’s still really learning as he goes. He has a big arm and he’s really impressing me every time he takes the mound.”
Marsh and Finfrock are getting plenty of veteran instruction as the season continues. The offense has been potent with Matt Diorio .517/.622/.724, Tommy Williams .419/.441/.613 and JoMarcos Woods .409/.458/.545 leading the way, while talented Dylan Moore, who had a strong summer out in California and moved from second base to shortstop in the fall, is showing major strides that could get him into the All-America discussion, Rooney hopes.
“Dylan is now at shortstop, and he’s an incredible player. He’s gotten stronger offensively, and he’s just a great player. In my mind, he’s on his way to an All-American type of season,” Rooney said. “He’s been a huge part of our success.”
While Marsh gets guidance from a hefty dose of veterans in the field, Finfrock is learning from Rodgers and Howell. Rodgers is a good arm who will pound the strike zone most of the time, while the Knights believe Howell could evolve into a very impressive prospect. Howell (2.31 ERA, 11.2 innings) is showing better command thus far, and has an 89-92 mph fastball to go with a slider/changeup combination. Meanwhile, the Knights also think massive 6-foot-6, 246-pound lefty Harrison Hukari can turn into a truly dominant arm. Hukari works in the mid-to-upper 80s with his fastball and can go offspeed when he wants to — all from a difficult downhill angle.
“Robby has taken a big step for us when it comes to command,” Rooney said. “He’s going to make a big difference for us. We also think Harrison is going to be a go-to guy for us out of the pen. He can be a starting pitcher, or close games, and that makes his role versatile. He’s made some big jumps for us and he’s just so valuable out there.”
One of the key ingredients to success both in conference, and especially in the postseason, is experience. The Knights are blessed with veterans, and they can fill in the remaining holes with talented younger players who make a sizable difference, sometimes sooner than expected.
The Knights look like they are built for the postseason, but everything leading up to the postseason counts, starting with a revenge series against the Rebels.
– Kendall Rogers
Measuring Stick Weekend In Starkville
Mississippi State is one of three teams in Division I with a 9-0 record heading into Week Three, but it has been hard to get a feel for just how good the Bulldogs are because none of their nine games have come against a team that currently has a winning record, or against a team that seems likely to make a regional.
This weekend, MSU faces its first real test, as it hosts the Diamond Classic in Starkville. The Bulldogs play two games against 8-2 Arizona—one of the more talented offensive teams in the country—and two against 3-4 Samford. The Friday and Saturday games against the Wildcats should be revealing.
Last year, Mississippi State traveled to Tucson and went 1-3, splitting two games against Arizona and losing twice to UC Santa Barbara. The Bulldogs look like a better club than they were a year ago—but so do the Wildcats.
Both teams enter the weekend with robust offensive numbers. Mississippi State is hitting .336 as a team with 91 runs in nine games, while Arizona is hitting .346 with 86 runs in 10 games. Three Bulldogs enter the weekend hitting better than .500, as freshman Ryan Gridley (.591/.667/.864) and redshirt sophomore Jacob Robson (.536/.675/.571) have been revelations, while gritty senior Seth Heck (.533/.689/.567) continues to get better and better. Let’s focus on that trio.
Mississippi State's Ryan Gridley (Bill Simmonds/MSU Athletics)
Mississippi State’s Ryan Gridley (Bill Simmonds/MSU Athletics)
Freshman Faces: Ryan Gridley
At 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, Gridley was not a marquee prospect coming out of high school, but Mississippi State coach John Cohen said he is mature beyond his years, which has helped him hit the ground running in Starkville.
“You know what he’s done, what most freshmen don’t do, he’s made life more simple for himself,” Cohen said. “He doesn’t try to do too much, he lets the game come to him … He plays like an older kid. He doesn’t complicate things, and that’s usually where the younger player screws it up. He can put a charge into balls, he can hit doubles, but he’s a great hit-and-run guy, he can handle the bat, and his approach is really simple.”
Just because Gridley is undersized, don’t get fooled into thinking he lacks raw ability. He may be a grinder, but he also has a good righthanded swing, and his feet really work.
“He’s a little guy, he’s got some strength,” Cohen said. “He’s got great lateral quickness, he’s got arm strength. He really understands how to run the bases. He’s a really good college baseball player. He’s an average runner, he’ll be a 6.9 type of runner, but he’s got great first-step quickness. He gets out of the box really good on bunts, so he can run a 3.8 on a bunt, but not a great traditional 60 runner. When he got here, our ballpark plays pretty big, and my thing with him was you just can’t hit fly balls. That’s what he’s just eliminated, hitting fly balls. Everything off his bat’s a line drive or hard ground balls.”
The Maple Hammer
The MSU coaches have been singing Robson’s praises since the Canadian showed up as a freshman in the fall of 2012. In fact, here’s what Cohen told me about Robson that September:
“He’s a legitimate 6.4 runner. An unbelievable athlete, a lefthanded hitter—he’s going to be special. He’s just a dynamic athlete who can run, jump, throw. He’s going to hit too, got great feel for the barrel. He’s special.”
Mississippi State's Jacob Robson Jacob Robson (Mississippi State)
Mississippi State’s Jacob Robson Jacob Robson (Mississippi State)
It just took Robson a few years to show everybody else how special he is. He hit just .206 in 97 at-bats as a freshman, and just .063 in 16 at-bats last year before an injury curtailed his season.
Like Gridley, Robson is undersized at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, but his plus-plus speed makes him electrifying, and he’s finally learned how to put it to optimal use.
“He’s really taking advantage of his skill set,” Cohen said. “He’s acquired strength in the last three years, and he is a power runner. He can really go. He’s gonna bunt to the right side, the left side, make you make plays, and put a lot of pressure on the defense. He’s worked really hard to take the ball out of the air and just use his skill set, and that’s really exciting to see.”
And the Canadian comes with one of college baseball’s best nicknames, too: The Maple Hammer.
What The Heck?
In his first season at Mississippi State after transferring in from the junior-college ranks, Heck posted a solid .299/.407/.338 line and played rock-solid defense at shortstop, where he successfully filled the big shoes of departed mainstay Adam Frazier. Heck made just four errors last year for a .984 fielding percentage, making him the glue of the infield.
“He’s another guy who knows how to play,” Cohen said. “He doesn’t have tremendous range or outstanding arm strength, he just creates outs defensively and hits the ball hard at the plate. He’s one of those guys you expect to be the president of the United States one day, and you just feel honored to coach. He’s overlooked because you look at the stopwatch, and he’s running average. Then you watch him throw and you say, ‘Man, that’s probably not even average for an upper-level D-I shortstop.’ Then you watch him hit and there’s not a lot of pop. But every time that guy walks to the plate, he’s either going to get hit by a pitch, or he’s gonna walk, or hit the ball hard.”
A true sign of Heck’s development is his improved running times to first base. Not many players make dramatic gains with their speed—and Heck hasn’t gotten faster, but he has learned to get out of the batter’s box quicker, making the speed he has play better. When he first arrived on campus, Cohen said, Heck ran to first base in 4.45 to 4.5 seconds. By the end of last year, he had cut his time to 4.25 to 4.3 seconds. Now, Cohen said, he’s getting from home to first in 4.15 to 4.2 seconds.
“You know what it says on his locker?” Cohen said. “We let every player put whatever they want on their name plate. His just says, ‘Keep proving them wrong.’ That’s kind of who he is. You go to a showcase and just watch him as a senior in high school, you go, ‘Man, there’s nothing SEC about this guy.’ He just keeps on trucking. I would not put any limits on what this guy can do.”
Other Emerging Bulldogs
• With catcher Gavin Collins sidelined with a broken hamate bone (Cohen said he should be ready to go by the start of SEC play), juco transfer Josh Lovelady has had a chance to show what he can do behind the plate. So far, he and fellow catcher Cody Walker have combined to throw out 12 of the 16 runners who have attempted to steal against Mississippi State.
“Gavin’s going to be a great defender, but he’s a power bat in the middle of your lineup,” Cohen said. “Our other two guys can really catch and throw; Josh Lovelady has the majority of those throw-outs. He threw a 1.95 (pop time to second base) in a game last night. And he throws on the bag, he just keeps throwing guys out.”
• Mississippi State has gotten strong work from its four weekend starters, Preston Brown (2-0, 2.45), Austin Sexton (1-0, 2.25), Lucas Laster (1-0, 2.16) and Vance Tatum (1-0, 0.84).
“None of those guys are going to blow up a radar gun; they just all have tremendous pitchability,” Cohen said. “They have all pitched inside really well, which we think is just crucial. They all get to the bottom of the strike zone. They just all know how to pitch. That’s a real credit to (pitching coach) Butch (Thompson) and what he has done. This year, we’re not going to have the typical SEC 94-95. We have some guys who can do that, but that’s not what our rotation’s going to look like. It’s going to look like sink, pitch in, do a great job with our running game. Really consistent pieces.”
• Even without Jonathan Holder and Jacob Lindgren, the Bulldogs think their bullpen has a chance to be elite. Wily low-slot lefty Ross Mitchell has done nothing but make outs for three years, and he as picked right up where he left off this year, going 2-0, 0.00 in 11 innings. Trevor Fitts, a former starter, has found a home in the closer role, where he has shown excellent poise in tight spots. Power righties Zac Houston and Dakota Hudson have both shown wipeout stuff, with fastballs up to 92-93 and swing-and-miss breaking balls. Daniel Brown brings an 89-90 fastball and good breaking ball from the left side. Sidewinder Myles Gentry, who has been sidelined with shoulder issues, is progressing well and should be back soon, giving this staff another look.
“I think it’s a deeper, more complete staff,” Cohen said. “You don’t have a Lindgren sitting there throwing 94, you don’t have a Holder with 20 saves. But I think we have more pieces than we’ve ever had.”
• One final MSU note: first baseman Wes Rea has started just three of MSU’s nine games after getting hit by a pitch on the knee. Cohen said it hit a nerve, and inhibited the flow of blood to his foot. Doctors had to perform a procedure to improve his circulation, but Cohen said he should be able to play this weekend, or if not, next weekend.
– Aaron Fitt
A New Culture For Arizona
Wildcats coach Andy Lopez said he was disheartened when he returned from heart surgery last year and discovered his team was rudderless. A sense of entitlement pervaded the veterans on the club, and leadership was lacking.
“I really wanted to re-establish the intangibles,” Lopez said. “Last year it was like they were sucked out of us, they were gone. The ability to play hard and compete and work hard—we’ve always had that, that’s always been a trait. They may not have the most talent, but they’re going to play hard against you. And when they do have good players, they’ll still play hard.
“I said to our club, ‘Look man, I don’t know what you’re going to be able to do. But I know this: We’re going to play hard. We’re going to play hard and compete, from day one in practice.’ We’re doing that right now in the rotation.”
Arizona second baseman Scott Kingery (Shotgun Spratling)
Arizona second baseman Scott Kingery (Shotgun Spratling)
Pitching is the big question mark facing the Wildcats this year. They have a dynamite group of position players, led by preseason All-America middle infielders Kevin Newman (.405/.469/.476) and Scott Kingery (.455/.490/.682), who are both off to torrid starts. That duo anchors the defense as well as the offense; Kingery played center field last year but has just one error so far at second base this spring.
“A lot of people are coming in to watch those two guys up the middle, Newman and Kingery. And Kingery is a center fielder playing second base right now, but it’s been a very easy transition,” Lopez said. “Really easy on the eyes, fun to watch. He’s going to be a good second baseman when it’s all said and done.”
Arizona has another key up-the-middle veteran in senior catcher Riley Moore (.444/.512/.694, 2 HR, 11 RBI), who was the starting catcher for a national championship team as a freshman but saw his progress stall out over his next two seasons. He was drafted in the 21st round by the Phillies as a junior last year, and he told Lopez he planned to sign. At that point, Lopez was ready to cut the cord with his junior class and start fresh.
“At the time, I was very disappointed in that junior class. I didn’t think that junior class handled my (health) situation well,” Lopez said. “I came back in January and four games into it, I told my staff, ‘This team will be lucky to be .500,’ because I saw nothing of the intangibles and work ethic, zero. So we lived through that nightmare. Everybody got drafted, and if you tell me you’re signing as a junior, I’m going to find somebody else for your money. So we didn’t have any money for Riley.
“When he came back, I told Riley, ‘There was a guy who caught for the Yankees named Thurman Munson. We’re going to turn you into Thurman Munson this year.’ It really makes me feel like I’m happy for him to be back, happy for the program. I see a lot of intangibles going on with Riley Moore right now.”
Moore has played through a bad shoulder and done a nice job handling Arizona’s pitching staff, which remains a work in progress. Lopez harbors hopes that sophomore righty Austin Schnabel can develop into an ace, because he has the best stuff, with a 90-92 fastball that bumps 94 on occasion and developing secondary stuff. Redshirt freshman righty Robby Medel lacks overpowering stuff but has good feel for pitching and thrives by locating his changeup to both sides of the plate. Veterans Tyger Talley and Cody Hamlin both have experience as starters and will continue to compete for rotation spots as well.
Arizona's Bobby Dalbec (Shotgun Spratling)
Arizona’s Bobby Dalbec (Shotgun Spratling)
The back of the bullpen is anchored by two-way talent Bobby Dalbec, who can run his fastball up to 94-95 and has developed a good slider and changeup, according to Lopez. The Wildcats were hoping veteran Mathew Troupe, coming off Tommy John surgery, could provide another boost, and he was progressing well and showing 90-91 mph fastball velocity, but he felt some shoulder stiffness last week and was slated to get examined this weekend. In the meantime, freshman Cameron Ming (4-0, 1.17) has emerged as a key setup man thanks largely to his fearlessness and mean streak. Nathan Bannister, who had a strong summer in the Cape Cod League, gives this bullpen another quality option from the right side. Cody Moffett and Rio Gomez are the key lefthanders, but Lopez is still looking for more consistency from them.
The competition for roles is ongoing, and this weekend should help the Wildcats figure out where their pieces fit best.
“If you’re really good at something, jobs chase you,” Lopez said. “You don’t have to chase the job. They’ll say, ‘I need you to come work for me, because you’re really good at what you do.’ So if you pitch well, innings are chasing you.”
– Aaron Fitt
Reedy River Rivalry Renewed
College baseball’s best rivalry starts up again this weekend in the Palmetto State, as No. 5 South Carolina faces off against Clemson in a series that travels from Clemson on Friday to Greenville on Saturday to Columbia on Sunday. The rivalry has been one-sided in recent years, with the Gamecocks winning 13 of the last 16 meetings dating back to the 2010 College World Series, but it has been no less intense. In fact, when I asked former Clemson star Richie Shaffer for his favorite memory of the rivalry, his answer surprised me: the two white-knuckle games in Omaha in 2010, which were both won by South Carolina.
“They got the best of us, but those were the most intense games I’ve ever played in,” Shaffer said.
His other favorite memory of the rivalry was the Sunday rubber game of the 2010 regular-season series, a 19-6 blowout win that featured Shaffer’s first career home run and marked the last time Clemson has won the series against the Gamecocks.
That game must feel like ancient history to Clemson fans. Last year, the Tigers had a strong chance to win the series and still found a way to get swept in excruciating fashion. Incidentally, when I asked former South Carolina catcher Grayson Greiner for his favorite memories of the rivalry, he selected the Friday opener of the 2014 series at Carolina Stadium. The Tigers led 6-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, when Greiner’s grand slam electrified the stadium and ignited South Carolina’s 9-6 comeback victory.
“Coming back from 6-1 on Friday night at home, Carolina Stadium was deafening,” Greiner said. “I could barely hear myself think when I was rounding the bases.”
After South Carolina blew out the Tigers on Saturday in Greenville, Clemson looked like it would salvage Sunday’s rubber game, until the Gamecocks stormed back to score four runs with two outs in the ninth inning to take a 5-3 win and complete the sweep.
“It was such a good series and the fact that we swept them with two crazy wins was something I’ll never forget,” Greiner said.
Wil Crowe
Wil Crowe
So what will this rivalry have in store this time around? Cold temperatures, for one—all three games could be played in the low 40s. But don’t expect the weather to keep the fans away. They should be treated to a fantastic pitching matchup Friday, as Clemson lefthander Matthew Crownover (1-0, 0.00) takes on South Carolina righty Wil Crowe (1-0, 0.87), who moves into the Friday spot. That will slide Jack Wynkoop (1-1, 3.46) to Saturday, when he’ll start against Zack Erwin (1-0, 0.66) in a battle of fine junior lefthanders. South Carolina has not named a Sunday starter, as the Gamecocks intimated they might use lefty Josh Reagan in a relief role if they need him to win one of the first two games. Clemson will go with Brody Koerner on Sunday.
I’ll be on hand all weekend with full coverage of this fantastic traveling series.
– Aaron Fitt
This post was edited on 2/27 11:13 AM by HuskerFan31
D1 - Weekend Preview: Feb. 27-March 1
PG - Weekend Preview: Week 3
Weather continues to be the common theme heading into the third weekend of college baseball action for the 2015 season. Another round of snow hit the state of North Carolina hard, leaving several teams scrambling to find new venues, and opponents, to play at and against. In particular, the Irish Classic, which was supposed to be played in Cary, N.C., has already been cancelled.
As a result Notre Dame will travel to Macon, Ga., to play Akron, Belmont and Mercer at Mercer's home turf, while Cincinnati and Iowa will travel to Emerson, Ga., to play at the PG Park South Fields at LakePoint Sports. Maryland, who is just on the outside of the top 25, will also play at LakePoint this weekend in a three-game set against Appalachian State.
The two biggest series of the weekend, as detailed below, will take place in the state of South Carolina, between long-time in-state rivals No. 10 South Carolina and Clemson, as well as in Santa Barbara, as the Gauchos host the Oregon Ducks.
Top 25 in Action
Rk. Team Opponent Location
1 Vanderbilt home vs. Illinois State Nashville, TN
2 Virginia at Myrtle Beach tournament* Myrtle Beach, SC
3 Florida home vs. Stony Brook Gainesville, FL
4 UCLA home vs. Michigan State Los Angeles, CA
5 Texas Christian home vs. Cal Poly Fort Worth, TX
6 Louisiana State home vs. Princeton Baton Rouge, LA
7 Houston home vs. Columbia Houston, TX
8 Texas home vs. San Diego Austin, TX
9 Texas Tech home vs. Sacramento State Lubbock, TX
10 South Carolina home and away vs. Clemson Clemson, Greenville, Columbia, SC
11 Miami home vs. Wright State Coral Gables, FL
12 Louisville home vs. Xavier Louisville, KY
13 Oregon at No. 14 UC Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
14 UC Santa Barbara home vs. No. 13 Oregon Santa Barbara, CA
15 North Carolina vs. Rhode Island at Francis Marion University Florence, SC
16 Florida State home vs. UNC Wilmington Tallahassee, FL
17 Arkansas home vs. Eastern Illinois Fayetteville, AR
18 Mississippi State home vs. Arizona, Samford* Starkville, MS
19 Texas A&M home vs. Dartmouth College Station, TX
20 Rice home vs. Stanford Houston, TX
21 Arizona State home for Phoenix Muni Classic* Phoenix, AZ
22 UCF home vs. Ole Miss Orlando, FL
23 Kennesaw State home vs.Connecticut Kennesaw, GA
24 Georgia at Georgia Southern Statesboro, GA
25 Oregon State home vs. Grambling State Corvallis, OR
*Virginia plays Hartford (Fri.), Seton Hall (Sat.) and Cornell (Sun.)
*Mississippi State plays Arizona (Fri. and Sat.) and Samford (Sat. and Sun.)
*Arizona State plays Bakersfield (Thurs. and Fri.), Purdue (Fri.), and Gonzaga (Sat.)
Marquee Matchup:
No. 10 South Carolina vs. Clemson
In what will be an intriguing early season showdown for bragging rights in the Palmetto State, South Carolina will face a difficult test in a difficult Clemson Tigers' club. The Gamecocks are coming off a week in which they made a jump in the Perfect Game rankings and swept Northeastern in a three-game weekend set. And, Clemson enters the weekend on a strong note as well, as they are riding a four-game win streak.
While both of these teams have interesting offensive weapons that will come into play, this appears to be a series that will still very much be about pitching. South Carolina has made a minor change in their rotation, as sophomore star righty Wil Crowe will now slide into the Friday night starter role. Crowe has gotten off to an outstanding start in 2015, posting a 0.87 ERA over his first two starts. The hard throwing righty has struck out 17 while walking only three over that span.
Having a pitcher like Crowe on Friday nights gives them an ace that can stack up toe to toe with anyone in the conference. And, we can confidently say that based on not just the type of numbers he's posted early, but the type of pure power stuff he's shown. Crowe works consistently at 91-94 mph with his fastball and has superb command of his two different breaking pitches. He also has the changeup, which could be pivotal as he tries to combat the dangerous Clemson lefties like Steven Duggar and the red-hot switch hitting Tyler Krieger.
Those bats will be a big key for Clemson as they tried to disrupt a pitcher in Crowe, who appears to be locked in. But if you're looking for a small edge to give Clemson, Crowe was on a limited pitch count last week as they readied him for his move into the Friday night slot. Now, that doesn't figure to be any sort of significant issue, but like any elite pitcher, the more patient the Tigers can be and the quicker they can push Crowe out of the game, the better off they'll be.
Tyler Krieger (Photo: Clemson)
But, Clemson's hopes do center on what they can get out of those high upside hitters in their lineup. Their star catcher, Chris Okey, has gotten off to a slow .222 start at the plate, but is too polished of a hitter to be held down for long. They will need a strong weekend from him, and will hope the hot-hitting ways of their designated hitter, Tyler Krieger - who is hitting .462 through his first seven games - continues. And the team will be watched closely throughout the spring by pro scouts because of the intrigue surrounding their toolsy right fielder, Steven Duggar. Duggar is arguably one of the most athletic players in the nation and has blistering game-changing speed to go with his cannon of a throwing arm.
Duggar has yet to truly catch fire this spring, and in a way that's a microcosm of how we can currently view this Clemson team. They are 5-2 without all of their top hitters fully clicking on all cylinders. And the hope if you are the Gamecocks is that you can get out of this series before that happens.
What South Carolina has going for them to hold these Clemson hitters down is the depth in their rotation. Aside from Crowe, they will send former Friday night starter Jack Wynkoop to the mound on Saturday, a crafty lefty with exceptional command and feel for his secondary pitches. The Gamecocks have a bullpen that is packed to the rafters with power arms, and it's a bullpen that hasn't fully pitched to its potential so far. Sophomore righty, Taylor Widener has been outstanding at the end of games, posting a 2.08 ERA and striking out eight batters over his first 4 1/3 innings of work.
As good as South Carolina is on the pitching side of things, their lineup may be even more dangerous. One star that Clemson will have their work cut out for them trying to slow down is freshman phenom Alex Destino. The South Carolina coaching staff seemed to have a hard time containing their excitement when it came to the lefty slugger and now it's easy to see why. Destino is hitting a robust .458 and has already clubbed two home runs in the young season. He already looks to be evolving into one of the most feared hitters in the SEC, and it will be incumbent upon the lefty heavy Clemson rotation to try to slow him down. On the flip side, it will be a fascinating early season measuring stick for Destino to see how he fares against top-flight lefties.
It's those top-flight lefties that will keep Clemson in contention in this series. Led by polished juniors Matt Crownover and Zack Erwin, the Tigers have a one-two punch that makes them an incredibly challenging team to take a series from, even for a team like South Carolina. Crownover only tops out around 90 mph with his fastball, but he commands about as well as any pitcher in the nation. He has yet to walk a batter through his first 13 innings this spring, and he's also yet to allow a run. He's also struck out 15 batters in that span. Erwin has started nearly as hot, posting a 0.66 ERA over 13 2/3 innings. Erwin, in particular, has the arsenal, led by a big curveball which he knows how to vary the speed and shape of, to keep this tough Gamecocks lineup off balance. And, he does have the juice on his fastball, working mostly at 87-91 mph, to keep hitters honest.
Mound Matchup:
Dillon Tate (UC Santa Barbara) vs. Cole Irvin (Oregon)
The Friday night matchup in the Oregon-UC Santa Barbara series features Dillon Tate of the Gauchos and Cole Irvin of the Ducks. While both pitchers are highly regarded and draft eligible, there are significant differences in their arsenals and also their current status in the scouting community.
Tate has gone from undrafted high school arm to a player who is the hottest new candidate to be the first overall pick in this year's June draft. Tate's late development - he threw just three innings as a freshman before emerging as the Gauchos' closer last year - belies his impressive athleticism.
Tate has a live body at 6-foot-2 and 185-pounds but his arm strength garners the most attention. His fastball sits at 94-96 mph and he touched 99 mph last summer while closing for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team. The arm action is easy which makes Tate an even more enticing prospect.
Dillon Tate (Photo: J.D. Dickstein)
Tate's wipeout slider, which is consistently in the mid-80s, gives him a second plus pitch and it is almost a hybrid cutter/slider. He shows a plus changeup as well but the slider is his go-to pitch. Ironically, his fastball is the least likely of the three to generate a swing and miss, and if we are nitpicking then this is a possible concern.
Tate is showing the scouting community everything they want to see in a first overall pick. He brings athleticism, multiple plus offerings, projection, durability and current performance as a starter. This Friday will be his stiffest test to date.
Cole Irvin was a 29th round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012 and he quickly validated that with a Freshman All-American season in 2013. As a true freshman that year, Irvin set a school record with 12 wins and finished with a 2.48 ERA in 16 starts. He logged 116 innings and punched out 60 hitters.
Irvin intrigues scouts with his loose arm and his 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame that screams projection. It all seemed to be coming together in the fall of his sophomore year when his fastball velocity increased to the 90-92 mph range. Unfortunately, Irvin then discovered that he was injured and he had Tommy John surgery in February of 2014.
Fast forward to today, Irvin's recovery has gone exceptionally well and he even started on Opening Day for the Ducks. He is on a strict pitch count but all signs have been positive so far. Irvin's velocity has been in the 87-90 mph range which is consistent with where he was at the end of his tremendous freshman season. His curveball is understandably not quite back but the slider and changeup have been outstanding through two starts.
Irvin will be on a pitch count of approximately 50 pitches on Friday. He has logged seven innings through his two starts to the tune of a 1.29 ERA. Irvin is technically a redshirt sophomore, so regardless of his continued development in 2015 he could return next year and still maintain a degree of draft leverage.
Oregon will test Tate with its patient approach and ability to execute the inside game. It will be interesting to see if the Duck's bunting and baserunning chicanery will affect Tate's raw stuff in any way. Oregon also brings more power to the party than usual and they currently boast a .421 slugging percentage. Finally, the Ducks can start as many as six lefthanded hitters which might neutralize Tate's power slider and force him to rely on his changeup, something scouts are eager to see more of.
Irvin will also be challenged in the contest as the Gauchos bring a very similar patient approach. With Irvin on a small pitch count, it would not be surprising to see this be his shortest outing of the year from an innings perspective.
The Series
Oregon and USCB come into this weekend series with rosters of College World Series caliber and both are programs poised to make a deep run into the NCAA tournament. Their styles are almost identical as Andrew Checketts was one of George Horton's original assistants at Oregon. This weekend will likely be a baseball clinic in pitching, defense, and some West Coast style "skilling it up."
Oregon remains an example of just how difficult getting to Omaha can be. Horton took Cal State Fullerton to the College World Series six times in his 11 seasons as the skippper, yet rebuilding the Ducks' program has proven more difficult.
Having said that, the Ducks have much to be proud of including being a Top 8 National Seed in two of the last three seasons. Additionally, Oregon's 146 wins since the beginning of the 2012 season are tied for the second most nationally during that time, trailing only LSU.
The main challenge over the last two seasons has been elite competition. In that time, Oregon is an alarming 0-9 in regular season series versus teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament.
Two key elements that could change that trend are the Ducks' newfound power and depth. Three junior college transfers - Matt Eureste, Brandon Cuddy, and Phil Craig-St. Louis - have made immediate contributions offensively. The continued production of veterans Shaun Chase and Mitchell Tolman make this the longest Oregon lineup that Horton has had.
The Gauchos have an edge in the strength of their starting rotation as Shane Bieber and Justin Jacome match up well with anyone in the Saturday and Sunday roles. Bieber brings a low three-quarters arm slot and frisbee slider and he has made a big jump since his freshman season in 2014. Jacome has stumbled out of the gate this year but he was a Cape Cod all-star last summer and he has been in the Gaucho rotation for three seasons, even spending some of the time in the Friday role.
Two non-household names who play big roles in this series are Oregon freshman lefthander David Peterson and UCSB two-way talent Robby Nesovic. Peterson is 6-foot-6 and has advanced pitchability. Through two starts he has a 2.38 ERA and 15 strikeouts over just 11 1/3 innings. Peterson will pitch on Saturday.
Nesovic has hit .325 or better in two consecutive seasons and the unconventional righty is at it again. Nesovic is hitting .483 with 10 runs batted in and he is the best pure hitter in the Gaucho lineup.
One other matchup of interest will be the back of the bullpens. Oregon closer Garrett Cleavinger is an experienced lefthander with a live fastball in the mid-90s. He rates as a top five round prospect and his bat-missing ability plays large in the ninth inning.
Since the Gauchos All-American closer is now their Friday night starter, the void in the ninth inning has been filled by junior college transfer James Carter. While largely unproven, Carter's fastball will play up to 94 mph as a reliever. Even without a true out pitch, Carter has been good so far and he has three saves already in 2015.
This series has the feel of an old-school West Coast Super Regional. These two teams offer identical styles and a plethora of pro talent. The ability to defend the "little game" will in all likelihood decide the series.
LakePoint in Action:
Ian Happ (Photo: Cincinnati)
As noted above, poor weather has continued to create re-scheduling nightmares for teams looking for playable fields, and for the second week in a row the PG Park South Fields at LakePoint Sports will once again play host to college baseball.
The University of Cincinnati and University of Iowa agreed to play a three-game series in Georgia even before the Irish Classic in Cary, N.C. was officially cancelled. Cincinnati features Perfect Game's No. 20 overall draft-eligible prospect for this year, switch-hitting outfielder Ian Happ, who is off to a blistering start to the 2015 season hitting .476 with three doubles and two home runs. Iowa boasts a prominent draft eligible prospect of their own in righthander Blake Hickman (No. 97 overall), who has a 2.45 ERA over his first two starts (7 1/3 innings) of the year.
Earlier this week it was already confirmed that the University of Maryland, who just missed this week's top 25, would also travel to LakePoint to take on Appalachian State. Maryland is 5-1 on the young season and is led by Friday starter Michael Shawaryn, one of the top prospects eligible for the 2016 draft, who is off to a 2-0 start this year giving up only two walks and six base hits in 13 innings, with 13 strikeouts. The Terrapins have five regulars in their everyday lineup hitting .300 or above, including two - LaMonte Wade and Nick Cieri - hitting better than .400.
Murray State and Dayton - who both participated in games at LakePoint last weekend - return to Georgia for a three-game set against one another, while Eastern Kentucky also returns, this time to play Bowling Green.
To view the weekend schedule please visit these links: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
National Notes:
• In a release sent out on Monday by the College of Charleston it was learned that sophomore righthander Bailey Ober would miss the 2015 season when it was determined he would undergo Tommy John surgery. "We hate to lose one of the nation's best pitchers and a huge part of our program in Bailey Ober," said head coach Monte Lee in the release. "We hope that by having the surgery now, he will be able to make a full recovery by the beginning of next season." Ober went 10-3 with a 1.52 ERA during his Freshman All-American season.
• The long-awaited answer about where Brady Aiken would play during the 2015 season came on Thursday in a release from the IMG Academy. Aiken, who started the 2013 Perfect Game All-American Classic for the West squad and went unsigned by the Houston Astros as the first overall pick from last year's draft, will be joining the Astros' fifth-round pick from last year, Jacob Nix, at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. "We're excited for Brady (Aiken) to join us at IMG Academy," said IMG Academy's Director of Baseball, Dan Simonds in the release. "At IMG (Academy) he will have access to everything from world-class coaches and performance experts to top-notch facilities and the latest technology." IMG was rumored to be one of the options available to Aiken this spring, which included playing for an independent league team as well as a junior college.
• How about the boost that redshirt sophomore Mitchell Traver provides during the mid-week for the TCU Horned Frogs? After battling through injuries his first two years of college, the former Perfect Game All-American turned in his second consecutive quality start in the early portion of the spring. Going seven strong innings, Traver did an exceptional job of pounding the strike zone, striking out 12 batters while walking none and allowing just two hits. He worked in the 91-93 mph range with his fastball and topped at 95, just as he had last week, with a slider that sat in the mid-80s. As impressive as those numbers were here's a set that's better: Of the 83 pitches he threw, 60 of them were for strikes and Traver never found himself in a 2-0 count. With Traver solidifying himself as a legit starter during mid-week games, Texas Christian now has a four-man rotation that can match any in the country. After taking the series at nationally ranked Arizona State last weekend and a tight 1-0 victory last night against Texas Southern, the Frogs are riding momentum as they play Cal Poly at home during week three.
PG - Weekend Preview: Week 3
Weather continues to be the common theme heading into the third weekend of college baseball action for the 2015 season. Another round of snow hit the state of North Carolina hard, leaving several teams scrambling to find new venues, and opponents, to play at and against. In particular, the Irish Classic, which was supposed to be played in Cary, N.C., has already been cancelled.
As a result Notre Dame will travel to Macon, Ga., to play Akron, Belmont and Mercer at Mercer's home turf, while Cincinnati and Iowa will travel to Emerson, Ga., to play at the PG Park South Fields at LakePoint Sports. Maryland, who is just on the outside of the top 25, will also play at LakePoint this weekend in a three-game set against Appalachian State.
The two biggest series of the weekend, as detailed below, will take place in the state of South Carolina, between long-time in-state rivals No. 10 South Carolina and Clemson, as well as in Santa Barbara, as the Gauchos host the Oregon Ducks.
Top 25 in Action
Rk. Team Opponent Location
1 Vanderbilt home vs. Illinois State Nashville, TN
2 Virginia at Myrtle Beach tournament* Myrtle Beach, SC
3 Florida home vs. Stony Brook Gainesville, FL
4 UCLA home vs. Michigan State Los Angeles, CA
5 Texas Christian home vs. Cal Poly Fort Worth, TX
6 Louisiana State home vs. Princeton Baton Rouge, LA
7 Houston home vs. Columbia Houston, TX
8 Texas home vs. San Diego Austin, TX
9 Texas Tech home vs. Sacramento State Lubbock, TX
10 South Carolina home and away vs. Clemson Clemson, Greenville, Columbia, SC
11 Miami home vs. Wright State Coral Gables, FL
12 Louisville home vs. Xavier Louisville, KY
13 Oregon at No. 14 UC Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
14 UC Santa Barbara home vs. No. 13 Oregon Santa Barbara, CA
15 North Carolina vs. Rhode Island at Francis Marion University Florence, SC
16 Florida State home vs. UNC Wilmington Tallahassee, FL
17 Arkansas home vs. Eastern Illinois Fayetteville, AR
18 Mississippi State home vs. Arizona, Samford* Starkville, MS
19 Texas A&M home vs. Dartmouth College Station, TX
20 Rice home vs. Stanford Houston, TX
21 Arizona State home for Phoenix Muni Classic* Phoenix, AZ
22 UCF home vs. Ole Miss Orlando, FL
23 Kennesaw State home vs.Connecticut Kennesaw, GA
24 Georgia at Georgia Southern Statesboro, GA
25 Oregon State home vs. Grambling State Corvallis, OR
*Virginia plays Hartford (Fri.), Seton Hall (Sat.) and Cornell (Sun.)
*Mississippi State plays Arizona (Fri. and Sat.) and Samford (Sat. and Sun.)
*Arizona State plays Bakersfield (Thurs. and Fri.), Purdue (Fri.), and Gonzaga (Sat.)
Marquee Matchup:
No. 10 South Carolina vs. Clemson
In what will be an intriguing early season showdown for bragging rights in the Palmetto State, South Carolina will face a difficult test in a difficult Clemson Tigers' club. The Gamecocks are coming off a week in which they made a jump in the Perfect Game rankings and swept Northeastern in a three-game weekend set. And, Clemson enters the weekend on a strong note as well, as they are riding a four-game win streak.
While both of these teams have interesting offensive weapons that will come into play, this appears to be a series that will still very much be about pitching. South Carolina has made a minor change in their rotation, as sophomore star righty Wil Crowe will now slide into the Friday night starter role. Crowe has gotten off to an outstanding start in 2015, posting a 0.87 ERA over his first two starts. The hard throwing righty has struck out 17 while walking only three over that span.
Having a pitcher like Crowe on Friday nights gives them an ace that can stack up toe to toe with anyone in the conference. And, we can confidently say that based on not just the type of numbers he's posted early, but the type of pure power stuff he's shown. Crowe works consistently at 91-94 mph with his fastball and has superb command of his two different breaking pitches. He also has the changeup, which could be pivotal as he tries to combat the dangerous Clemson lefties like Steven Duggar and the red-hot switch hitting Tyler Krieger.
Those bats will be a big key for Clemson as they tried to disrupt a pitcher in Crowe, who appears to be locked in. But if you're looking for a small edge to give Clemson, Crowe was on a limited pitch count last week as they readied him for his move into the Friday night slot. Now, that doesn't figure to be any sort of significant issue, but like any elite pitcher, the more patient the Tigers can be and the quicker they can push Crowe out of the game, the better off they'll be.
Tyler Krieger (Photo: Clemson)
But, Clemson's hopes do center on what they can get out of those high upside hitters in their lineup. Their star catcher, Chris Okey, has gotten off to a slow .222 start at the plate, but is too polished of a hitter to be held down for long. They will need a strong weekend from him, and will hope the hot-hitting ways of their designated hitter, Tyler Krieger - who is hitting .462 through his first seven games - continues. And the team will be watched closely throughout the spring by pro scouts because of the intrigue surrounding their toolsy right fielder, Steven Duggar. Duggar is arguably one of the most athletic players in the nation and has blistering game-changing speed to go with his cannon of a throwing arm.
Duggar has yet to truly catch fire this spring, and in a way that's a microcosm of how we can currently view this Clemson team. They are 5-2 without all of their top hitters fully clicking on all cylinders. And the hope if you are the Gamecocks is that you can get out of this series before that happens.
What South Carolina has going for them to hold these Clemson hitters down is the depth in their rotation. Aside from Crowe, they will send former Friday night starter Jack Wynkoop to the mound on Saturday, a crafty lefty with exceptional command and feel for his secondary pitches. The Gamecocks have a bullpen that is packed to the rafters with power arms, and it's a bullpen that hasn't fully pitched to its potential so far. Sophomore righty, Taylor Widener has been outstanding at the end of games, posting a 2.08 ERA and striking out eight batters over his first 4 1/3 innings of work.
As good as South Carolina is on the pitching side of things, their lineup may be even more dangerous. One star that Clemson will have their work cut out for them trying to slow down is freshman phenom Alex Destino. The South Carolina coaching staff seemed to have a hard time containing their excitement when it came to the lefty slugger and now it's easy to see why. Destino is hitting a robust .458 and has already clubbed two home runs in the young season. He already looks to be evolving into one of the most feared hitters in the SEC, and it will be incumbent upon the lefty heavy Clemson rotation to try to slow him down. On the flip side, it will be a fascinating early season measuring stick for Destino to see how he fares against top-flight lefties.
It's those top-flight lefties that will keep Clemson in contention in this series. Led by polished juniors Matt Crownover and Zack Erwin, the Tigers have a one-two punch that makes them an incredibly challenging team to take a series from, even for a team like South Carolina. Crownover only tops out around 90 mph with his fastball, but he commands about as well as any pitcher in the nation. He has yet to walk a batter through his first 13 innings this spring, and he's also yet to allow a run. He's also struck out 15 batters in that span. Erwin has started nearly as hot, posting a 0.66 ERA over 13 2/3 innings. Erwin, in particular, has the arsenal, led by a big curveball which he knows how to vary the speed and shape of, to keep this tough Gamecocks lineup off balance. And, he does have the juice on his fastball, working mostly at 87-91 mph, to keep hitters honest.
Mound Matchup:
Dillon Tate (UC Santa Barbara) vs. Cole Irvin (Oregon)
The Friday night matchup in the Oregon-UC Santa Barbara series features Dillon Tate of the Gauchos and Cole Irvin of the Ducks. While both pitchers are highly regarded and draft eligible, there are significant differences in their arsenals and also their current status in the scouting community.
Tate has gone from undrafted high school arm to a player who is the hottest new candidate to be the first overall pick in this year's June draft. Tate's late development - he threw just three innings as a freshman before emerging as the Gauchos' closer last year - belies his impressive athleticism.
Tate has a live body at 6-foot-2 and 185-pounds but his arm strength garners the most attention. His fastball sits at 94-96 mph and he touched 99 mph last summer while closing for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team. The arm action is easy which makes Tate an even more enticing prospect.
Dillon Tate (Photo: J.D. Dickstein)
Tate's wipeout slider, which is consistently in the mid-80s, gives him a second plus pitch and it is almost a hybrid cutter/slider. He shows a plus changeup as well but the slider is his go-to pitch. Ironically, his fastball is the least likely of the three to generate a swing and miss, and if we are nitpicking then this is a possible concern.
Tate is showing the scouting community everything they want to see in a first overall pick. He brings athleticism, multiple plus offerings, projection, durability and current performance as a starter. This Friday will be his stiffest test to date.
Cole Irvin was a 29th round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012 and he quickly validated that with a Freshman All-American season in 2013. As a true freshman that year, Irvin set a school record with 12 wins and finished with a 2.48 ERA in 16 starts. He logged 116 innings and punched out 60 hitters.
Irvin intrigues scouts with his loose arm and his 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame that screams projection. It all seemed to be coming together in the fall of his sophomore year when his fastball velocity increased to the 90-92 mph range. Unfortunately, Irvin then discovered that he was injured and he had Tommy John surgery in February of 2014.
Fast forward to today, Irvin's recovery has gone exceptionally well and he even started on Opening Day for the Ducks. He is on a strict pitch count but all signs have been positive so far. Irvin's velocity has been in the 87-90 mph range which is consistent with where he was at the end of his tremendous freshman season. His curveball is understandably not quite back but the slider and changeup have been outstanding through two starts.
Irvin will be on a pitch count of approximately 50 pitches on Friday. He has logged seven innings through his two starts to the tune of a 1.29 ERA. Irvin is technically a redshirt sophomore, so regardless of his continued development in 2015 he could return next year and still maintain a degree of draft leverage.
Oregon will test Tate with its patient approach and ability to execute the inside game. It will be interesting to see if the Duck's bunting and baserunning chicanery will affect Tate's raw stuff in any way. Oregon also brings more power to the party than usual and they currently boast a .421 slugging percentage. Finally, the Ducks can start as many as six lefthanded hitters which might neutralize Tate's power slider and force him to rely on his changeup, something scouts are eager to see more of.
Irvin will also be challenged in the contest as the Gauchos bring a very similar patient approach. With Irvin on a small pitch count, it would not be surprising to see this be his shortest outing of the year from an innings perspective.
The Series
Oregon and USCB come into this weekend series with rosters of College World Series caliber and both are programs poised to make a deep run into the NCAA tournament. Their styles are almost identical as Andrew Checketts was one of George Horton's original assistants at Oregon. This weekend will likely be a baseball clinic in pitching, defense, and some West Coast style "skilling it up."
Oregon remains an example of just how difficult getting to Omaha can be. Horton took Cal State Fullerton to the College World Series six times in his 11 seasons as the skippper, yet rebuilding the Ducks' program has proven more difficult.
Having said that, the Ducks have much to be proud of including being a Top 8 National Seed in two of the last three seasons. Additionally, Oregon's 146 wins since the beginning of the 2012 season are tied for the second most nationally during that time, trailing only LSU.
The main challenge over the last two seasons has been elite competition. In that time, Oregon is an alarming 0-9 in regular season series versus teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament.
Two key elements that could change that trend are the Ducks' newfound power and depth. Three junior college transfers - Matt Eureste, Brandon Cuddy, and Phil Craig-St. Louis - have made immediate contributions offensively. The continued production of veterans Shaun Chase and Mitchell Tolman make this the longest Oregon lineup that Horton has had.
The Gauchos have an edge in the strength of their starting rotation as Shane Bieber and Justin Jacome match up well with anyone in the Saturday and Sunday roles. Bieber brings a low three-quarters arm slot and frisbee slider and he has made a big jump since his freshman season in 2014. Jacome has stumbled out of the gate this year but he was a Cape Cod all-star last summer and he has been in the Gaucho rotation for three seasons, even spending some of the time in the Friday role.
Two non-household names who play big roles in this series are Oregon freshman lefthander David Peterson and UCSB two-way talent Robby Nesovic. Peterson is 6-foot-6 and has advanced pitchability. Through two starts he has a 2.38 ERA and 15 strikeouts over just 11 1/3 innings. Peterson will pitch on Saturday.
Nesovic has hit .325 or better in two consecutive seasons and the unconventional righty is at it again. Nesovic is hitting .483 with 10 runs batted in and he is the best pure hitter in the Gaucho lineup.
One other matchup of interest will be the back of the bullpens. Oregon closer Garrett Cleavinger is an experienced lefthander with a live fastball in the mid-90s. He rates as a top five round prospect and his bat-missing ability plays large in the ninth inning.
Since the Gauchos All-American closer is now their Friday night starter, the void in the ninth inning has been filled by junior college transfer James Carter. While largely unproven, Carter's fastball will play up to 94 mph as a reliever. Even without a true out pitch, Carter has been good so far and he has three saves already in 2015.
This series has the feel of an old-school West Coast Super Regional. These two teams offer identical styles and a plethora of pro talent. The ability to defend the "little game" will in all likelihood decide the series.
LakePoint in Action:
Ian Happ (Photo: Cincinnati)
As noted above, poor weather has continued to create re-scheduling nightmares for teams looking for playable fields, and for the second week in a row the PG Park South Fields at LakePoint Sports will once again play host to college baseball.
The University of Cincinnati and University of Iowa agreed to play a three-game series in Georgia even before the Irish Classic in Cary, N.C. was officially cancelled. Cincinnati features Perfect Game's No. 20 overall draft-eligible prospect for this year, switch-hitting outfielder Ian Happ, who is off to a blistering start to the 2015 season hitting .476 with three doubles and two home runs. Iowa boasts a prominent draft eligible prospect of their own in righthander Blake Hickman (No. 97 overall), who has a 2.45 ERA over his first two starts (7 1/3 innings) of the year.
Earlier this week it was already confirmed that the University of Maryland, who just missed this week's top 25, would also travel to LakePoint to take on Appalachian State. Maryland is 5-1 on the young season and is led by Friday starter Michael Shawaryn, one of the top prospects eligible for the 2016 draft, who is off to a 2-0 start this year giving up only two walks and six base hits in 13 innings, with 13 strikeouts. The Terrapins have five regulars in their everyday lineup hitting .300 or above, including two - LaMonte Wade and Nick Cieri - hitting better than .400.
Murray State and Dayton - who both participated in games at LakePoint last weekend - return to Georgia for a three-game set against one another, while Eastern Kentucky also returns, this time to play Bowling Green.
To view the weekend schedule please visit these links: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
National Notes:
• In a release sent out on Monday by the College of Charleston it was learned that sophomore righthander Bailey Ober would miss the 2015 season when it was determined he would undergo Tommy John surgery. "We hate to lose one of the nation's best pitchers and a huge part of our program in Bailey Ober," said head coach Monte Lee in the release. "We hope that by having the surgery now, he will be able to make a full recovery by the beginning of next season." Ober went 10-3 with a 1.52 ERA during his Freshman All-American season.
• The long-awaited answer about where Brady Aiken would play during the 2015 season came on Thursday in a release from the IMG Academy. Aiken, who started the 2013 Perfect Game All-American Classic for the West squad and went unsigned by the Houston Astros as the first overall pick from last year's draft, will be joining the Astros' fifth-round pick from last year, Jacob Nix, at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. "We're excited for Brady (Aiken) to join us at IMG Academy," said IMG Academy's Director of Baseball, Dan Simonds in the release. "At IMG (Academy) he will have access to everything from world-class coaches and performance experts to top-notch facilities and the latest technology." IMG was rumored to be one of the options available to Aiken this spring, which included playing for an independent league team as well as a junior college.
• How about the boost that redshirt sophomore Mitchell Traver provides during the mid-week for the TCU Horned Frogs? After battling through injuries his first two years of college, the former Perfect Game All-American turned in his second consecutive quality start in the early portion of the spring. Going seven strong innings, Traver did an exceptional job of pounding the strike zone, striking out 12 batters while walking none and allowing just two hits. He worked in the 91-93 mph range with his fastball and topped at 95, just as he had last week, with a slider that sat in the mid-80s. As impressive as those numbers were here's a set that's better: Of the 83 pitches he threw, 60 of them were for strikes and Traver never found himself in a 2-0 count. With Traver solidifying himself as a legit starter during mid-week games, Texas Christian now has a four-man rotation that can match any in the country. After taking the series at nationally ranked Arizona State last weekend and a tight 1-0 victory last night against Texas Southern, the Frogs are riding momentum as they play Cal Poly at home during week three.
PG - Weekend Preview: Week 3
BA - Weekend Preview: Feb. 27-March 1
With one more win last year, Terry Rooney felt as though his Central Florida team would have earned an NCAA regional bid. Instead, the 36-23 Knights fell just shy.
They don't want that to happen again.
This season, Rooney has a lineup stacked from top to bottom with talented seniors-last year's juniors who came back with something to prove.
"The only thing that we could learn from (last year) is to play a little bit better and to show up every single day and know everything matters," Rooney said. "And so far, though it's early in the season, only eight games, the guys have done that."
The No. 15 Knights are 8-0, tying the best start in school history. They're coming off a weekend at the South Alabama Tournament in which they picked up wins against host South Alabama, Arkansas and nationally ranked Maryland.
This weekend will provide another test.
UCF will host No. 24 Mississippi in a weekend matchup of two Top 25 programs. In some ways, the Rebels are the opposite of the Knights-they're coming off a trip to Omaha a year ago, but this year's squad is a young one.
"When you look at us, we have a lot of guys who have experience, but it's a relatively young team," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. "The sophomores now have the experience because they played in the College World Series a year ago, but we're still on paper pretty young."
The Rebels will be facing a UCF team that can hit with the best of them-entering the weekend sixth in the country with a .534 slugging percentage. Senior shortstop Dylan Moore (.368/.415/.605, one home run) and senior third baseman Tommy Williams (.419/.441/.613, one home run) make for a powerful left side of the infield. Corner outfielder Erik Barber, another senior, has homered twice. And though senior first baseman James Vasquez (.233/.333/.233) hasn't yet hid his stride this season, Rooney said he expects an All-American quality year out of him.
However, some of the greatest contributors to the UCF cause so far have been freshmen.
Righthander Cre Finfrock (2-0, 1.54) has one of the better arms in the country and is showing improved command, Rooney said. He rounds out a rotation with Friday starter Zach Rodgers (1-0, 3.00) and sophomore lefthander Robby Howell (2-0, 2.31), who Rooney said has taken a big leap forward this season.
Offensively, freshman catcher Logan Heiser has homered twice in just 16 at-bats. And two-way blue-chip recruit Kyle Marsh has lived up to his billing, batting .483/.595/.828 with two homers and a team-leading 15 RBIs, firmly entrenching himself as the starting second baseman in a veteran infield.
Highly sought after as a pitcher in the draft, Marsh picked up a one-out, base-loaded save against Maryland and could see time in the back end of the bullpen or perhaps as a Sunday starter.
"I don't know if anyone could expect the type of start that he's had, which is incredible," Rooney said. "But we recruited him as a two-way player. Last year as a draft, it was more as a pitcher. But from our standpoint, we always knew he'd be a two-way player. That was always the plan."
Mississippi will counter with a pitching staff that has posted a 2.66 team ERA this season. Friday anchor Christian Trent (2-0, 1.64), a junior lefthander, is off to the best start in school history with an 11-0 career record, and Bianco said he thinks Trent might be the most underrated starter in the SEC. He can touch the low 90s with his fastball, mixing in a hard slider and a change.
Behind Trent, the Rebels' rotation has faced some early adversity. Junior righthander Sean Johnson will likely need Tommy John surgery after an MRI revealed a torn UCL. And senior righthander Sam Smith (0-1, 8.10) has struggled as he's tried to come back from a sports hernia. Bianco said scar tissue might have affected Smith's motion and arm slot.
A positive for the Rebels, though, has been the return of righthander Brady Bramlett from a torn labrum. The redshirt sophomore is 1-0, 1.50 and has fanned 19 batters in 12 innings. His velocity isn't all the way back, but Bianco said he's been able to throw his changeup for strikes and his slider has been crisp. Bianco likened the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Bramlett to former Rebel and current Cardinals starter Lance Lynn for his heavy fastball and similar body.
"It's a difficult injury to come back from, but he's a terrific kid and a tremendous worker," Bianco said. "And it's amazing-three weeks ago we knew he was going to start, but probably figured he would start in the middle of the week. Now, he's pitched lights-out two weekends in a row."
Offensively, Mississippi will lean on sophomore leadoff hitter J.B. Woodman (.292/.379/.458), who made the move to center field this year, where his athleticism plays well. Senior first baseman Sikes Orvis remains a power threat in the middle of the order, batting .280/.345/.600 and slugging two home runs this year. Sophomore Colby Bortles (.346/.414/.462), too, has handled the bat well, while also making a smooth transition from a DH/bench role to starting third baseman.
It's been a tougher transition for freshman second baseman Tate Blackman (.105/.227/.158)-No. 7 on the Freshman Top 50-to college ball. But he's shown defensive ability, and Bianco said he believes he has the potential to be a star within the program.
The series with UCF will be a rematch of last year's three-game set in Oxford, Miss. The Rebels came away with a sweep in that series but needed two walk-off wins to do so. Both coaches said they expect this weekend to be just as competitive.
"For me, this is like an SEC weekend for us," Bianco said. "Of course, we get away from home, our first road trip of the year, and we play a team that's top 15 in the country and a veteran club, and Terry Rooney's done a terrific job down there. He's really made them a competitor.
"We want our guys to answer the bell."
Top 25 Tournaments
Virginia Tournament, Myrtle Beach, S.C.:
(4) Virginia, Cornell, Hartford, Seton Hall
Diamond Classic, Starkville, Miss.:
(13) Mississippi State, Arizona, Samford
Phoenix Muni Classic, Phoenix:
(18) Arizona State, Cal State Bakersfield, Gonzaga, Purdue
Jack Wynkoop
Jack Wynkoop (Photo by Tony Farlow)
Clemson renews rivalry with South Carolina
If Clemson wants to climb back into the Top 25, this weekend could offer the perfect opportunity to make its case. The Tigers will be facing a nationally ranked program and-more specifically-their fiercest rival.
That's right: The time has come for in-state powerhouses South Carolina and Clemson to lock horns once again. The series starts Friday, and like in years past, will be played at three different sites in South Carolina, beginning at Clemson, moving to Greenville on Saturday, then concluding in Columbia.
The matchup features a No. 12 South Carolina team and a team in Clemson that dropped out of the Top 25 with a 1-2 opening weekend but has since won four straight. The Tigers lead the all-time series 170-134-2, but the Gamecocks have dominated in recent years, winning 23 of the past 31 contests since 2007.
Pitching could be at the forefront, as both teams have gotten off to excellent starts on the mound. Friday night features a duel between Clemson lefty Matthew Crownover (1-0, 0.00, 15 strikeouts in 13 innings) and South Carolina's Wil Crowe (1-0, 0.87, 17 strikeouts in 10 innings), while southpaws Zack Erwin (1-0, 0.66) and Jack Wynkoop (1-1, 3.46) tangle on Saturday.
Redshirt freshman Reed Rohlman (.455/.458/.682, one home run) has gotten off to a sizzling start for Clemson, and South Carolina's prized freshman Alex Destino (.458/480/.708, two home runs) has been one of the top hitters in the SEC.
"They're like us a lot," Clemson head coach Jack Leggett told reporters after the team's 11-5 win against Wofford on Wednesday. "Their starting pitching is good. We've got three good starting pitchers, and they've got three guys who go out and do some good things for them.
"They've got some experienced guys in the order, so it'll be a challenge for our pitchers, and it'll be a great experience for both teams and all the fans, and I'm looking forward to Friday night."
Dillon Tate
Dillon Tate
Ties Run Deep As Gauchos Look To Continue Hot Start Against Ducks
When UC Santa Barbara head coach Andrew Checketts brings out the lineup card and shakes hands with the opposing coach before Friday's game, it won't be like just any other day. The coach he'll be greeting will be his old boss, Oregon's George Horton.
"It's got a chance to be pretty cool," Checketts said. "I've had some pretty cool opportunities. The first game I got to coach was against my former head coach at Oregon State, coach (Pat) Casey. I'm assuming I'll have probably some of the same emotions when I go see George out there.
"Obviously we have a great relationship, and I'll be forever grateful to him for the opportunity he gave to go up there and work for him and helping me get this job up here."
Checketts worked as Horton's recruiting coordinator at Oregon, helping build the Ducks' program from scratch into one of the Pac-12's best, before leaving to take the head job at UCSB after the 2011 season. He led the Gauchos to regionals in just his second season in 2013, breaking a decade-long drought, and has them off to a 7-1 start and back in the Top 25 at No. 22 this week as they prepare to host the 20th-ranked Ducks.
This weekend will mark the first time the two coaches have faced off since Checketts' departure four years ago-the Gauchos will make a return visit to Eugene next year-but there won't be much to hide. Checketts doesn't shy away from the fact he's used the Oregon program as a roadmap for his own.
"Everybody's different based on where you're at and your locale and how you recruit and where you recruit and that part of it," Checketts said, "but the style of play and the West Coast offense and the short game and trying to have complete players that can do everything is something that we've tried to do.
"I worked for George for four years, and we're friends," Checketts said. "(Ducks assistants) coach (Jay) Uhlman, coach (Mark) Wasikowski-Jay and I coached together. 'Was' and I sat at games a bunch and played against each other when he was at Arizona. So yeah, there's close knowledge of each program. Should be a fun weekend. I think the style of play will be somewhat similar, just based on coming from the same coaching family tree. Coach (Neil) Walton, who runs our offense, played for George at Fullerton. So, I think everybody's fairly familiar with each other."
As Checketts alluded to, the Gauchos remain a traditional West Coast-style lineup-a team that has to bunt, run and generally needs multiple hits in an inning to score. The power surge going on around the nation brought on by the new baseballs doesn't apply in their case, as they've hit a grand total of one home run in their first eight games. Nevertheless, Checketts does feel like the Gauchos are ahead of where they expected to be, offensively. Through Wednesday's games, they ranked 20th nationally in average (.325) and 51st scoring (7.0 runs/game) and are fresh off piling up 28 runs in three games against Kentucky last weekend.
Grinding leadoff man Andrew Calica, finally healthy after two years plagued by injuries, has been the igniter, posting a whopping .600 on-base percentage, and Checketts has liked what he's gotten from senior outfielder Luke Swenson, hitting .391 coming off ACL surgery himself, along with middle of the lineup anchors Robby Nesovic and Cameron Newell, each off to identical .483 (14-for-29) starts. Nesovic and Swanson are both intelligent college hitters, albeit not major pro prospects, while the senior Newell has bounced back off a disappointing junior season that saw his average dip 48 points from when he hit .309 as a sophomore for the Gauchos' NCAA team.
"We felt like last year (Newell) wasn't was good as he could be," Checketts said. "The year before, he'd been an all-conference selection and had hit over .300. We felt like last year he was pressing a little bit, and this year he seems a lot more comfortable. He's much more confident. He's been very good for us. He's pretty dynamic from a college standpoint because he can do a lot of different things."
Calica, an unsigned 17th-round pick out of high school, would be the obvious peg as the best prospect in the Gaucho lineup, owing to his strong arm and plus defense in center field. But Checketts has been intrigued by junior first baseman Dalton Kelly, who's getting his first crack at an everyday role and has responded by hitting .333 (11-for-33).
"(Kelly) may end up being an outfielder in professional baseball because he does run with having as good as a 6.6 (second) 60(-yard dash time). It's pretty nice to have that kind of speed at first base. He's a plus-plus defender at first base, but his swing's pretty loose. I know the pro guys like him and like the athleticism and like the speed."
The Gauchos' pitching has grabbed more of the headlines, and rightfully so. Through Wednesday, their staff ranked fifth in the nation in ERA at 1.38 and is led by future first-rounder Dillon Tate (for more on Tate, see John Manuel's latest column). The former closer turned starter, Tate will move into the Friday role for the first time this weekend-he'll oppose a pitcher Checketts recruited to Oregon, Cole Irvin-flip-flopping with pitchability righthander Shane Bieber, who slides back to Saturday.
Checketts says the Gauchos had hoped to make the switch for last week's Kentucky series but felt Tate hadn't recovered quickly enough from his last outing to be ready in time. When Tate did take the mound against the Wildcats, he really only had two of his four pitches working, his fastball and slider. Even so, the righthander, whose fastball has topped out at 98 mph before settling in at 93-96, tossed seven shutout innings and struck out nine against an SEC lineup.
"When he's got all four of them going," Checketts said, "he's hard to hit."
Tate's absence has led to some moving parts in the Gaucho bullpen, though junior college transfer James Carter has pitched well in assuming the closer's role through the early going. He's gone 3-for-3 in save opportunities thus far and struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings. Carter's shown 93 mph velocity and Checketts feels he could find even more as he settles into the role.
But despite all the positives of the first two weeks, an early series like this one can quickly point out where a team's issues are. And who better to do that than your old boss.
"We've won some games, (but) we've still got a lot to learn about ourselves," Checketts said. "Our bullpen needs identity. We have some culture, but there's still a little identity that we're out there searching for. So, it'll be a big week for us. This'll be a big test."
-Jim Shonerd
Around The Nation
• Looking for a sneaky interesting series to watch? Try UNC Wilmington traveling to Tallahassee to face No. 25 Florida State. We pegged the Seahawks as a potential at-large team out of the Colonial Athletic Association before the season, and coach Mark Scalf's team is off to a 6-0 start, including two wins against another ACC team in Wake Forest. The Seahawks have a mature, veteran lineup led by senior first baseman Corey Dick, who's off to a .400 (8-for-20) start. UNCW is hitting .320 as a group, good for .27th in the country. The Seminoles are always a difficult out at home-and are 30-2 all-time against CAA opponents-but they're coming off a disappointing series loss last weekend at Georgia and will need more out of a lineup that hasn't hit its stride thus far. Preseason All-American D.J. Stewart has been a force as usual, hitting .375/.605/.625, but just two other Seminole regulars are hitting over .250. The FSU lineup did have an encouraging night on Tuesday, scoring 10 runs on 11 hits in a midweek win against Jacksonville.
• Along with UNCW, six other teams remain undefeated and untied through Wednesday (excluding the 20 teams that haven't played yet). Three of them are ranked: No. 4 Virginia (7-0), No. 13 Mississippi State (9-0) and No. 15 UCF (8-0). The rest are Southern California and Texas A&M at 9-0 and Ohio at 6-0. While UCF and UNCW face stiff tests this weekend, the other undefeated power conference schools stand a strong chance of remaining perfect. Texas A&M, which has yet to play away from College Station and has been cleaning up against overmatched opponents, hosts Dartmouth. The Trojans haven't challenged themselves on the weekend yet either and still won't this time as they face Fordham, but they do have midweek wins against Cal State Fullerton, Kentucky and Fresno State.
• Another blast of cold weather has wreaked havoc with college baseball schedules again. Among others, Virginia has had to relocate what was supposed to be a home weekend for the second straight week. The Cavaliers will play Hartford, Seton Hall and Cornell at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, S.C. North Carolina is in the same boat, moving its series with Rhode Island to Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C. Another ranked team, Maryland, has moved its home series with Appalachian State to the Lake Point Complex in Emerson, Ga. The six-team Irish Classic, slated for Cary, N.C. and headlined by Notre Dame, East Carolina and North Carolina State, has been scrubbed entirely, leaving those teams looking for landing places elsewhere.
BA - Weekend Preview: Feb. 27-March 1
With one more win last year, Terry Rooney felt as though his Central Florida team would have earned an NCAA regional bid. Instead, the 36-23 Knights fell just shy.
They don't want that to happen again.
This season, Rooney has a lineup stacked from top to bottom with talented seniors-last year's juniors who came back with something to prove.
"The only thing that we could learn from (last year) is to play a little bit better and to show up every single day and know everything matters," Rooney said. "And so far, though it's early in the season, only eight games, the guys have done that."
The No. 15 Knights are 8-0, tying the best start in school history. They're coming off a weekend at the South Alabama Tournament in which they picked up wins against host South Alabama, Arkansas and nationally ranked Maryland.
This weekend will provide another test.
UCF will host No. 24 Mississippi in a weekend matchup of two Top 25 programs. In some ways, the Rebels are the opposite of the Knights-they're coming off a trip to Omaha a year ago, but this year's squad is a young one.
"When you look at us, we have a lot of guys who have experience, but it's a relatively young team," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. "The sophomores now have the experience because they played in the College World Series a year ago, but we're still on paper pretty young."
The Rebels will be facing a UCF team that can hit with the best of them-entering the weekend sixth in the country with a .534 slugging percentage. Senior shortstop Dylan Moore (.368/.415/.605, one home run) and senior third baseman Tommy Williams (.419/.441/.613, one home run) make for a powerful left side of the infield. Corner outfielder Erik Barber, another senior, has homered twice. And though senior first baseman James Vasquez (.233/.333/.233) hasn't yet hid his stride this season, Rooney said he expects an All-American quality year out of him.
However, some of the greatest contributors to the UCF cause so far have been freshmen.
Righthander Cre Finfrock (2-0, 1.54) has one of the better arms in the country and is showing improved command, Rooney said. He rounds out a rotation with Friday starter Zach Rodgers (1-0, 3.00) and sophomore lefthander Robby Howell (2-0, 2.31), who Rooney said has taken a big leap forward this season.
Offensively, freshman catcher Logan Heiser has homered twice in just 16 at-bats. And two-way blue-chip recruit Kyle Marsh has lived up to his billing, batting .483/.595/.828 with two homers and a team-leading 15 RBIs, firmly entrenching himself as the starting second baseman in a veteran infield.
Highly sought after as a pitcher in the draft, Marsh picked up a one-out, base-loaded save against Maryland and could see time in the back end of the bullpen or perhaps as a Sunday starter.
"I don't know if anyone could expect the type of start that he's had, which is incredible," Rooney said. "But we recruited him as a two-way player. Last year as a draft, it was more as a pitcher. But from our standpoint, we always knew he'd be a two-way player. That was always the plan."
Mississippi will counter with a pitching staff that has posted a 2.66 team ERA this season. Friday anchor Christian Trent (2-0, 1.64), a junior lefthander, is off to the best start in school history with an 11-0 career record, and Bianco said he thinks Trent might be the most underrated starter in the SEC. He can touch the low 90s with his fastball, mixing in a hard slider and a change.
Behind Trent, the Rebels' rotation has faced some early adversity. Junior righthander Sean Johnson will likely need Tommy John surgery after an MRI revealed a torn UCL. And senior righthander Sam Smith (0-1, 8.10) has struggled as he's tried to come back from a sports hernia. Bianco said scar tissue might have affected Smith's motion and arm slot.
A positive for the Rebels, though, has been the return of righthander Brady Bramlett from a torn labrum. The redshirt sophomore is 1-0, 1.50 and has fanned 19 batters in 12 innings. His velocity isn't all the way back, but Bianco said he's been able to throw his changeup for strikes and his slider has been crisp. Bianco likened the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Bramlett to former Rebel and current Cardinals starter Lance Lynn for his heavy fastball and similar body.
"It's a difficult injury to come back from, but he's a terrific kid and a tremendous worker," Bianco said. "And it's amazing-three weeks ago we knew he was going to start, but probably figured he would start in the middle of the week. Now, he's pitched lights-out two weekends in a row."
Offensively, Mississippi will lean on sophomore leadoff hitter J.B. Woodman (.292/.379/.458), who made the move to center field this year, where his athleticism plays well. Senior first baseman Sikes Orvis remains a power threat in the middle of the order, batting .280/.345/.600 and slugging two home runs this year. Sophomore Colby Bortles (.346/.414/.462), too, has handled the bat well, while also making a smooth transition from a DH/bench role to starting third baseman.
It's been a tougher transition for freshman second baseman Tate Blackman (.105/.227/.158)-No. 7 on the Freshman Top 50-to college ball. But he's shown defensive ability, and Bianco said he believes he has the potential to be a star within the program.
The series with UCF will be a rematch of last year's three-game set in Oxford, Miss. The Rebels came away with a sweep in that series but needed two walk-off wins to do so. Both coaches said they expect this weekend to be just as competitive.
"For me, this is like an SEC weekend for us," Bianco said. "Of course, we get away from home, our first road trip of the year, and we play a team that's top 15 in the country and a veteran club, and Terry Rooney's done a terrific job down there. He's really made them a competitor.
"We want our guys to answer the bell."
Top 25 Tournaments
Virginia Tournament, Myrtle Beach, S.C.:
(4) Virginia, Cornell, Hartford, Seton Hall
Diamond Classic, Starkville, Miss.:
(13) Mississippi State, Arizona, Samford
Phoenix Muni Classic, Phoenix:
(18) Arizona State, Cal State Bakersfield, Gonzaga, Purdue
Jack Wynkoop
Jack Wynkoop (Photo by Tony Farlow)
Clemson renews rivalry with South Carolina
If Clemson wants to climb back into the Top 25, this weekend could offer the perfect opportunity to make its case. The Tigers will be facing a nationally ranked program and-more specifically-their fiercest rival.
That's right: The time has come for in-state powerhouses South Carolina and Clemson to lock horns once again. The series starts Friday, and like in years past, will be played at three different sites in South Carolina, beginning at Clemson, moving to Greenville on Saturday, then concluding in Columbia.
The matchup features a No. 12 South Carolina team and a team in Clemson that dropped out of the Top 25 with a 1-2 opening weekend but has since won four straight. The Tigers lead the all-time series 170-134-2, but the Gamecocks have dominated in recent years, winning 23 of the past 31 contests since 2007.
Pitching could be at the forefront, as both teams have gotten off to excellent starts on the mound. Friday night features a duel between Clemson lefty Matthew Crownover (1-0, 0.00, 15 strikeouts in 13 innings) and South Carolina's Wil Crowe (1-0, 0.87, 17 strikeouts in 10 innings), while southpaws Zack Erwin (1-0, 0.66) and Jack Wynkoop (1-1, 3.46) tangle on Saturday.
Redshirt freshman Reed Rohlman (.455/.458/.682, one home run) has gotten off to a sizzling start for Clemson, and South Carolina's prized freshman Alex Destino (.458/480/.708, two home runs) has been one of the top hitters in the SEC.
"They're like us a lot," Clemson head coach Jack Leggett told reporters after the team's 11-5 win against Wofford on Wednesday. "Their starting pitching is good. We've got three good starting pitchers, and they've got three guys who go out and do some good things for them.
"They've got some experienced guys in the order, so it'll be a challenge for our pitchers, and it'll be a great experience for both teams and all the fans, and I'm looking forward to Friday night."
Dillon Tate
Dillon Tate
Ties Run Deep As Gauchos Look To Continue Hot Start Against Ducks
When UC Santa Barbara head coach Andrew Checketts brings out the lineup card and shakes hands with the opposing coach before Friday's game, it won't be like just any other day. The coach he'll be greeting will be his old boss, Oregon's George Horton.
"It's got a chance to be pretty cool," Checketts said. "I've had some pretty cool opportunities. The first game I got to coach was against my former head coach at Oregon State, coach (Pat) Casey. I'm assuming I'll have probably some of the same emotions when I go see George out there.
"Obviously we have a great relationship, and I'll be forever grateful to him for the opportunity he gave to go up there and work for him and helping me get this job up here."
Checketts worked as Horton's recruiting coordinator at Oregon, helping build the Ducks' program from scratch into one of the Pac-12's best, before leaving to take the head job at UCSB after the 2011 season. He led the Gauchos to regionals in just his second season in 2013, breaking a decade-long drought, and has them off to a 7-1 start and back in the Top 25 at No. 22 this week as they prepare to host the 20th-ranked Ducks.
This weekend will mark the first time the two coaches have faced off since Checketts' departure four years ago-the Gauchos will make a return visit to Eugene next year-but there won't be much to hide. Checketts doesn't shy away from the fact he's used the Oregon program as a roadmap for his own.
"Everybody's different based on where you're at and your locale and how you recruit and where you recruit and that part of it," Checketts said, "but the style of play and the West Coast offense and the short game and trying to have complete players that can do everything is something that we've tried to do.
"I worked for George for four years, and we're friends," Checketts said. "(Ducks assistants) coach (Jay) Uhlman, coach (Mark) Wasikowski-Jay and I coached together. 'Was' and I sat at games a bunch and played against each other when he was at Arizona. So yeah, there's close knowledge of each program. Should be a fun weekend. I think the style of play will be somewhat similar, just based on coming from the same coaching family tree. Coach (Neil) Walton, who runs our offense, played for George at Fullerton. So, I think everybody's fairly familiar with each other."
As Checketts alluded to, the Gauchos remain a traditional West Coast-style lineup-a team that has to bunt, run and generally needs multiple hits in an inning to score. The power surge going on around the nation brought on by the new baseballs doesn't apply in their case, as they've hit a grand total of one home run in their first eight games. Nevertheless, Checketts does feel like the Gauchos are ahead of where they expected to be, offensively. Through Wednesday's games, they ranked 20th nationally in average (.325) and 51st scoring (7.0 runs/game) and are fresh off piling up 28 runs in three games against Kentucky last weekend.
Grinding leadoff man Andrew Calica, finally healthy after two years plagued by injuries, has been the igniter, posting a whopping .600 on-base percentage, and Checketts has liked what he's gotten from senior outfielder Luke Swenson, hitting .391 coming off ACL surgery himself, along with middle of the lineup anchors Robby Nesovic and Cameron Newell, each off to identical .483 (14-for-29) starts. Nesovic and Swanson are both intelligent college hitters, albeit not major pro prospects, while the senior Newell has bounced back off a disappointing junior season that saw his average dip 48 points from when he hit .309 as a sophomore for the Gauchos' NCAA team.
"We felt like last year (Newell) wasn't was good as he could be," Checketts said. "The year before, he'd been an all-conference selection and had hit over .300. We felt like last year he was pressing a little bit, and this year he seems a lot more comfortable. He's much more confident. He's been very good for us. He's pretty dynamic from a college standpoint because he can do a lot of different things."
Calica, an unsigned 17th-round pick out of high school, would be the obvious peg as the best prospect in the Gaucho lineup, owing to his strong arm and plus defense in center field. But Checketts has been intrigued by junior first baseman Dalton Kelly, who's getting his first crack at an everyday role and has responded by hitting .333 (11-for-33).
"(Kelly) may end up being an outfielder in professional baseball because he does run with having as good as a 6.6 (second) 60(-yard dash time). It's pretty nice to have that kind of speed at first base. He's a plus-plus defender at first base, but his swing's pretty loose. I know the pro guys like him and like the athleticism and like the speed."
The Gauchos' pitching has grabbed more of the headlines, and rightfully so. Through Wednesday, their staff ranked fifth in the nation in ERA at 1.38 and is led by future first-rounder Dillon Tate (for more on Tate, see John Manuel's latest column). The former closer turned starter, Tate will move into the Friday role for the first time this weekend-he'll oppose a pitcher Checketts recruited to Oregon, Cole Irvin-flip-flopping with pitchability righthander Shane Bieber, who slides back to Saturday.
Checketts says the Gauchos had hoped to make the switch for last week's Kentucky series but felt Tate hadn't recovered quickly enough from his last outing to be ready in time. When Tate did take the mound against the Wildcats, he really only had two of his four pitches working, his fastball and slider. Even so, the righthander, whose fastball has topped out at 98 mph before settling in at 93-96, tossed seven shutout innings and struck out nine against an SEC lineup.
"When he's got all four of them going," Checketts said, "he's hard to hit."
Tate's absence has led to some moving parts in the Gaucho bullpen, though junior college transfer James Carter has pitched well in assuming the closer's role through the early going. He's gone 3-for-3 in save opportunities thus far and struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings. Carter's shown 93 mph velocity and Checketts feels he could find even more as he settles into the role.
But despite all the positives of the first two weeks, an early series like this one can quickly point out where a team's issues are. And who better to do that than your old boss.
"We've won some games, (but) we've still got a lot to learn about ourselves," Checketts said. "Our bullpen needs identity. We have some culture, but there's still a little identity that we're out there searching for. So, it'll be a big week for us. This'll be a big test."
-Jim Shonerd
Around The Nation
• Looking for a sneaky interesting series to watch? Try UNC Wilmington traveling to Tallahassee to face No. 25 Florida State. We pegged the Seahawks as a potential at-large team out of the Colonial Athletic Association before the season, and coach Mark Scalf's team is off to a 6-0 start, including two wins against another ACC team in Wake Forest. The Seahawks have a mature, veteran lineup led by senior first baseman Corey Dick, who's off to a .400 (8-for-20) start. UNCW is hitting .320 as a group, good for .27th in the country. The Seminoles are always a difficult out at home-and are 30-2 all-time against CAA opponents-but they're coming off a disappointing series loss last weekend at Georgia and will need more out of a lineup that hasn't hit its stride thus far. Preseason All-American D.J. Stewart has been a force as usual, hitting .375/.605/.625, but just two other Seminole regulars are hitting over .250. The FSU lineup did have an encouraging night on Tuesday, scoring 10 runs on 11 hits in a midweek win against Jacksonville.
• Along with UNCW, six other teams remain undefeated and untied through Wednesday (excluding the 20 teams that haven't played yet). Three of them are ranked: No. 4 Virginia (7-0), No. 13 Mississippi State (9-0) and No. 15 UCF (8-0). The rest are Southern California and Texas A&M at 9-0 and Ohio at 6-0. While UCF and UNCW face stiff tests this weekend, the other undefeated power conference schools stand a strong chance of remaining perfect. Texas A&M, which has yet to play away from College Station and has been cleaning up against overmatched opponents, hosts Dartmouth. The Trojans haven't challenged themselves on the weekend yet either and still won't this time as they face Fordham, but they do have midweek wins against Cal State Fullerton, Kentucky and Fresno State.
• Another blast of cold weather has wreaked havoc with college baseball schedules again. Among others, Virginia has had to relocate what was supposed to be a home weekend for the second straight week. The Cavaliers will play Hartford, Seton Hall and Cornell at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, S.C. North Carolina is in the same boat, moving its series with Rhode Island to Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C. Another ranked team, Maryland, has moved its home series with Appalachian State to the Lake Point Complex in Emerson, Ga. The six-team Irish Classic, slated for Cary, N.C. and headlined by Notre Dame, East Carolina and North Carolina State, has been scrubbed entirely, leaving those teams looking for landing places elsewhere.
BA - Weekend Preview: Feb. 27-March 1
ESPN: Five Omaha favorites with work to do
Editor's note: Each week during the regular season, ESPN.com is teaming up with our friends at D1Baseball.com to provide "The Fives," a look at five teams or players in a specific category.
It takes a while for the college baseball season to heat up -- literally this year, as well as figuratively -- so a couple of early-season losses are usually pretty easy to recover from. Nevertheless, there are several would-be national title contenders who stumbled a little out of the gate and would like to put the first two weekends behind them.
Vanderbilt
Since the defending national champions brought back shortstop Dansby Swanson, a leading contender for the Golden Spikes Award, as well as potential first-round pitchers Carson Fulmer, Walker Buehler and Tyler Ferguson, they pretty much have to repeat in Omaha in order not to underachieve. Nevertheless, Ferguson and relief ace Hayden Stone have given up 12 runs in seven innings between them, and Buehler hasn't thrown a pitch because of an injury that's considered minor. As a result, the Commodores took home losses to Santa Clara and Indiana State in their first two weekends. They still won both series, and because of their talent and the fact that you don't have to finish in the top half of the SEC to make a regional, Commodores fans shouldn't be panicking just yet -- it just hasn't been the kind of start you'd expect to see from the preseason No. 1.
Cal State Fullerton
Last year, the Titans had about as ugly a season as you could imagine early on, and on the field, at least, it looks like Fullerton is trying to top that. It has lost five of seven to start the season, including two losses to Stanford (which is OK) and close defeats to Alabama State (a veteran club that rates as the best in the SWAC) and South Florida (which has a marquee ace in Jimmy Herget). Missing Justin Garza during the opening weekend hurt, but the Titans also managed to lose a game in which Thomas Eshelman took a perfect game into the seventh inning. That might have something to do with the team slugging .258 overall.
The good news: All of their losses have been close -- they've been outscored by only four runs on the season. The bad news: They've got ground to make up, and they've got to do it against a nonconference schedule that still includes UCLA, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska and Texas Tech. The Titans might have already blown their margin for error.
Nebraska
Even though there's no shame in losing an opening series to UNLV since the Rebels are a quality club, losing one game to BYU and getting taken to extra innings in another is not the way the Huskers wanted to start the season. Next up is a trip to Loyola Marymount, an Omaha sleeper that could absolutely put another torpedo in Darin Erstad's club. Last year, Indiana had a rough time in early nonconference play and came back to roar through the Big Ten and earn a national seed, so there's room to be optimistic, even if the Big Ten isn't the walkover conference it has been in the past. The best hope for Nebraska is for outfielder Ryan Boldt to continue to hit .520/.600/.600 all season and figure out the rest later, but that might not be sustainable.
Florida State
Florida State might have just had a bad week, because its first weekend was business as usual: three wins over Oakland, which is not exactly the best competition. But if the Seminoles have learned anything from their football team, it's that strength of schedule doesn't matter if you win. D.J. Stewart was hitting well, Mike Compton looked at home in the Friday night spot, and it seemed like this Florida State team would be the kind of inexorable consumer of victories that Mike Martin always seems to coach.
The Seminoles found one of, like, three presumably not-so-great SEC teams, Georgia, and lost a doubleheader on the road. Add a midweek loss to Jacksonville and the Noles are out of the top 25 for the time being.
The good news is that apart from a pair of midweek games against the up-and-coming UCF Knights, Florida State's schedule is pretty easy over the next couple of weeks, and the Seminoles have plenty of time to get their act together before they face Florida and Virginia in mid-March.
Louisville
Louisville's 4-3 record, while suboptimal, is more comparable to Vanderbilt's sleepy start than Fullerton's potential disaster. The Cardinals have been hurt by the entire Ohio Valley having turned into an unyielding glacial hellscape this February -- a home game against Eastern Kentucky was lost last week when the snow reclaimed Kentucky, while a home series against Wisconsin-Milwaukee became a last-minute road trip to Georgia to play Arkansas State. So there are some mitigating factors.
Even so, Louisville is one of only two teams that Fullerton has been able to stop kicking itself long enough to beat, and the Cardinals needed to come back from 8-1 down in the fourth inning on Sunday to avoid being swept by Arkansas State, which is better than Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but not so good that that sort of thing is acceptable if you want to go to Omaha.
After dominating Eastern Illinois on Opening Day, ace right-hander Kyle Funkhouser got pretty well funkhoused himself, allowing seven runs in only 4 2/3 innings in what might have been the best performance by a Louisville starter all weekend. No. 3 starter Josh Rogers is currently 0-1 with an ERA of "Please stop hurting me, I'll tell you where the rebel base is!"
Suffice it to say, there's room for improvement, and with series against Miami and Ole Miss coming in the next two weeks, that improvement had better come soon.
ESPN: Five Omaha favorites with work to do
Editor's note: Each week during the regular season, ESPN.com is teaming up with our friends at D1Baseball.com to provide "The Fives," a look at five teams or players in a specific category.
It takes a while for the college baseball season to heat up -- literally this year, as well as figuratively -- so a couple of early-season losses are usually pretty easy to recover from. Nevertheless, there are several would-be national title contenders who stumbled a little out of the gate and would like to put the first two weekends behind them.
Vanderbilt
Since the defending national champions brought back shortstop Dansby Swanson, a leading contender for the Golden Spikes Award, as well as potential first-round pitchers Carson Fulmer, Walker Buehler and Tyler Ferguson, they pretty much have to repeat in Omaha in order not to underachieve. Nevertheless, Ferguson and relief ace Hayden Stone have given up 12 runs in seven innings between them, and Buehler hasn't thrown a pitch because of an injury that's considered minor. As a result, the Commodores took home losses to Santa Clara and Indiana State in their first two weekends. They still won both series, and because of their talent and the fact that you don't have to finish in the top half of the SEC to make a regional, Commodores fans shouldn't be panicking just yet -- it just hasn't been the kind of start you'd expect to see from the preseason No. 1.
Cal State Fullerton
Last year, the Titans had about as ugly a season as you could imagine early on, and on the field, at least, it looks like Fullerton is trying to top that. It has lost five of seven to start the season, including two losses to Stanford (which is OK) and close defeats to Alabama State (a veteran club that rates as the best in the SWAC) and South Florida (which has a marquee ace in Jimmy Herget). Missing Justin Garza during the opening weekend hurt, but the Titans also managed to lose a game in which Thomas Eshelman took a perfect game into the seventh inning. That might have something to do with the team slugging .258 overall.
The good news: All of their losses have been close -- they've been outscored by only four runs on the season. The bad news: They've got ground to make up, and they've got to do it against a nonconference schedule that still includes UCLA, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska and Texas Tech. The Titans might have already blown their margin for error.
Nebraska
Even though there's no shame in losing an opening series to UNLV since the Rebels are a quality club, losing one game to BYU and getting taken to extra innings in another is not the way the Huskers wanted to start the season. Next up is a trip to Loyola Marymount, an Omaha sleeper that could absolutely put another torpedo in Darin Erstad's club. Last year, Indiana had a rough time in early nonconference play and came back to roar through the Big Ten and earn a national seed, so there's room to be optimistic, even if the Big Ten isn't the walkover conference it has been in the past. The best hope for Nebraska is for outfielder Ryan Boldt to continue to hit .520/.600/.600 all season and figure out the rest later, but that might not be sustainable.
Florida State
Florida State might have just had a bad week, because its first weekend was business as usual: three wins over Oakland, which is not exactly the best competition. But if the Seminoles have learned anything from their football team, it's that strength of schedule doesn't matter if you win. D.J. Stewart was hitting well, Mike Compton looked at home in the Friday night spot, and it seemed like this Florida State team would be the kind of inexorable consumer of victories that Mike Martin always seems to coach.
The Seminoles found one of, like, three presumably not-so-great SEC teams, Georgia, and lost a doubleheader on the road. Add a midweek loss to Jacksonville and the Noles are out of the top 25 for the time being.
The good news is that apart from a pair of midweek games against the up-and-coming UCF Knights, Florida State's schedule is pretty easy over the next couple of weeks, and the Seminoles have plenty of time to get their act together before they face Florida and Virginia in mid-March.
Louisville
Louisville's 4-3 record, while suboptimal, is more comparable to Vanderbilt's sleepy start than Fullerton's potential disaster. The Cardinals have been hurt by the entire Ohio Valley having turned into an unyielding glacial hellscape this February -- a home game against Eastern Kentucky was lost last week when the snow reclaimed Kentucky, while a home series against Wisconsin-Milwaukee became a last-minute road trip to Georgia to play Arkansas State. So there are some mitigating factors.
Even so, Louisville is one of only two teams that Fullerton has been able to stop kicking itself long enough to beat, and the Cardinals needed to come back from 8-1 down in the fourth inning on Sunday to avoid being swept by Arkansas State, which is better than Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but not so good that that sort of thing is acceptable if you want to go to Omaha.
After dominating Eastern Illinois on Opening Day, ace right-hander Kyle Funkhouser got pretty well funkhoused himself, allowing seven runs in only 4 2/3 innings in what might have been the best performance by a Louisville starter all weekend. No. 3 starter Josh Rogers is currently 0-1 with an ERA of "Please stop hurting me, I'll tell you where the rebel base is!"
Suffice it to say, there's room for improvement, and with series against Miami and Ole Miss coming in the next two weeks, that improvement had better come soon.
ESPN: Five Omaha favorites with work to do
ESPN: Baseball Power Rankings (Week 2)
Welcome back to the ESPN.com Power Rankings. We're two weeks into the season and already we've seen a large amount of upsets, surprises and beatdowns. But of course, you knew those were coming, so no big surprise here.
And you guys know the harsh reality of the Power Rankings -- no quarter asked, no quarter taken. Here is who's hot and who's not in college baseball this week.
1. TCU (7-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 2
Of Note: The Frogs were brave enough to take on the task of going to the desert to play a tough Arizona State team and came away with a pair of wins. Feather, meet cap. Cody Jones played the hero role, slapping an RBI single in the ninth inning to secure Sunday's 3-2 win in the rubber match.
2. Virginia (7-0)
Trending:
Last ranked: 1
Of Note: Not sure about the "up" trending moniker, but the Cavaliers have gone unbeaten in seven games with few big sweat marks. They've only had one close shave (Sunday's 5-4 win over Marist), so this is one of those "the jury's still out" situations for boys from Charlottesville.
3. UCLA (7-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 7
Of Note: Wow, who would've thought we'd be talking about UCLA's offense, not its pitching? Is the Earth still on its axis? But yes, it's true. The normally boney-armed Bruins' bats hit .331 and scored 26 runs against North Carolina's elite pitching staff in an impressive series win this past weeked.
4. South Carolina (6-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 6
Of Note: The Gamecocks have rebounded from that initial loss to College of Charleston on opening day. But the competition level hasn't been worth a hill of beans, so we'll find out more about the boys from Columbia when Clemson comes calling this weekend.
5. Houston (6-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: 11
Of Note: There's a lot to like about the Cougars' 6-2 start, including a series win over Alabama this weekend. Newcomers are leading the offense as freshman Zac Taylor is hitting .391 from his nine-hole spot in the order. JC transfer Chris Iriart and freshman Connor Wong hit .346 and .308, respectively.
6. Texas Tech (9-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 12
Of Note: Geez. C'mon Tech, give somebody a chance to score, will ya? In a four-game sweep of Northern Illinois, the Red Raiders' pitching and defense posted 35 of 36 scoreless innings. The last time Tech had back-to-back shutouts in a doubleheader was vs. Iowa State in 1997.
7. North Carolina (4-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: 5
Of Note: The Tar Heels' top-flight arms corps got roughed up pretty harshly by UCLA, so they could've taken a bigger fall here. But the offense showed promise and, you know, Benton Moss, Trent Thornton, et al, won't be down for long.
8. Arizona State (4-3)
Trending:
Last ranked: 8
Of Note: If we're factoring in strength of schedule already, nobody has had a tougher slate than the Sun Devils. Going 3-3 versus Big 12 bullies Oklahoma State and TCU is good; the bump to the strength of schedule is even better. This team will be callus-tough when Pac-12 play rolls around.
9. Florida (7-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 9
Of Note: That Miami series was not only great fun to watch but also really even and could've gone either way, considering both Florida wins were by a single run. Since donning new sport glasses, CF Buddy Reed has hit .444, including a game-winning RBI single in Friday's 4-3 win.
10. Vanderbilt (6-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: 1
Of Note: Everybody's No. 1 has been a roller coaster so far, taking on losses and getting pushed to extra innings by Santa Clara and Indiana State. The Commodores better get their ship straightened because a trip to SoCal to play UCLA, USC and TCU looms next week.
11. Rice (6-3)
Trending:
Last ranked: 14
Of Note: As Wayne Graham likes to say, playing bad competition is boring. Thus, Rice takes trips to play at Arizona -- beauty. If not for that ninth-inning implosion and freakish steal of home by the Wildcats in Saturday's 7-6 loss, the Owls would've swept the Cats in Tucson. Still, it's a good series win.
12. Texas (7-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: We were a little cautious with Texas in the preseason, but oh how that pitching has caught fire early. Against Minnesota, the Longhorns' arms posted three shutouts and the offense posted 31 runs, the most in a four-game series since plating 35 runs versus Dallas Baptist in 1989.
13. Oklahoma State (5-3)
Trending:
Last ranked: 16
Of Note: The "down" trend isn't a big thing here -- more a monument of a tough early schedule. But you had to love the Cowboys' three-game blitz of Washington State, Utah and Washington by a combined score of 33-5. Losing SS Donnie Walton for a few weeks with a hand injury does sting.
14. LSU (6-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 4
Of Note: Hard to gauge what to make of the Tigers so far, given the lack of competition. But the good news is after stranding 17 baserunners in the loss to Nicholls State, they outscored snow-challenged Boston College 31-9 in three games.
15. UCF (8-0)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: What a week for the Knights, beating a pair of ranked teams in Arkansas and Maryland. That certainly makes them an upstart to keep an eye on, especially with an upcoming nonconference schedule that includes Miami, Florida State and a three-gamer against Ole Miss. This should be fun.
16. UC Santa Barbara (7-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: OK, Gauchos. You're good. A pair of blowouts over Kentucky got everyone's attention. But now you've got to have some staying power. Oregon comes calling this weekend, and closer extraordinaire Dillon Tate (12 saves last year) with take on the Friday starter role.
17. Mississippi State (9-0)
Trending:
Last ranked: 17
Of Note: Like LSU above, it's pretty hard to evaluate the Bulldogs considering the weak schedule so far. Get back to us after this weekend when Arizona makes a visit to Dudy-Noble. Dogs will have revenge on their mind after getting spanked with a rolled up newspaper by the Cats in the desert last year.
18. Maryland (5-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: There was a lot of hype surrounding the Terrapins going into this season, and so far they've lived up to it, losing just a white-knuckle, one-run game to UCF and routing Arkansas 13-6 this past weekend at the South Alabama Tournament.
19. Oregon (8-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: The Ducks have quietly gone out and won a series at Hawall and swept New Mexico State. But keep an eyebrow raised because three of their wins have been of the come-from-behind variety. They'll get a big test at UC Santa Barbara this week.
20. College of Charleston (4-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: Monte Lee is becoming a stud on the coaching landscape, especially after his team made super regionals last year and opened this season with an upset of South Carolina. Although things got a little hairy this weekend as they swept three from The Citadel by a total of just four runs.
Dropped out: Louisville (5-3), Nebraska (4-3), Stanford (4-4), Loyola Marymount (6-2), Ole Miss (5-2), Cal State Fullerton (2-5)
Five on deck: Dallas Baptist (6-1), Miami (7-3), Florida State (5-3), San Diego State (8-1), Oregon State (5-3)
ESPN: Baseball Power Rankings (Week 2)
Welcome back to the ESPN.com Power Rankings. We're two weeks into the season and already we've seen a large amount of upsets, surprises and beatdowns. But of course, you knew those were coming, so no big surprise here.
And you guys know the harsh reality of the Power Rankings -- no quarter asked, no quarter taken. Here is who's hot and who's not in college baseball this week.
1. TCU (7-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 2
Of Note: The Frogs were brave enough to take on the task of going to the desert to play a tough Arizona State team and came away with a pair of wins. Feather, meet cap. Cody Jones played the hero role, slapping an RBI single in the ninth inning to secure Sunday's 3-2 win in the rubber match.
2. Virginia (7-0)
Trending:
Last ranked: 1
Of Note: Not sure about the "up" trending moniker, but the Cavaliers have gone unbeaten in seven games with few big sweat marks. They've only had one close shave (Sunday's 5-4 win over Marist), so this is one of those "the jury's still out" situations for boys from Charlottesville.
3. UCLA (7-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 7
Of Note: Wow, who would've thought we'd be talking about UCLA's offense, not its pitching? Is the Earth still on its axis? But yes, it's true. The normally boney-armed Bruins' bats hit .331 and scored 26 runs against North Carolina's elite pitching staff in an impressive series win this past weeked.
4. South Carolina (6-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 6
Of Note: The Gamecocks have rebounded from that initial loss to College of Charleston on opening day. But the competition level hasn't been worth a hill of beans, so we'll find out more about the boys from Columbia when Clemson comes calling this weekend.
5. Houston (6-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: 11
Of Note: There's a lot to like about the Cougars' 6-2 start, including a series win over Alabama this weekend. Newcomers are leading the offense as freshman Zac Taylor is hitting .391 from his nine-hole spot in the order. JC transfer Chris Iriart and freshman Connor Wong hit .346 and .308, respectively.
6. Texas Tech (9-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 12
Of Note: Geez. C'mon Tech, give somebody a chance to score, will ya? In a four-game sweep of Northern Illinois, the Red Raiders' pitching and defense posted 35 of 36 scoreless innings. The last time Tech had back-to-back shutouts in a doubleheader was vs. Iowa State in 1997.
7. North Carolina (4-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: 5
Of Note: The Tar Heels' top-flight arms corps got roughed up pretty harshly by UCLA, so they could've taken a bigger fall here. But the offense showed promise and, you know, Benton Moss, Trent Thornton, et al, won't be down for long.
8. Arizona State (4-3)
Trending:
Last ranked: 8
Of Note: If we're factoring in strength of schedule already, nobody has had a tougher slate than the Sun Devils. Going 3-3 versus Big 12 bullies Oklahoma State and TCU is good; the bump to the strength of schedule is even better. This team will be callus-tough when Pac-12 play rolls around.
9. Florida (7-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 9
Of Note: That Miami series was not only great fun to watch but also really even and could've gone either way, considering both Florida wins were by a single run. Since donning new sport glasses, CF Buddy Reed has hit .444, including a game-winning RBI single in Friday's 4-3 win.
10. Vanderbilt (6-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: 1
Of Note: Everybody's No. 1 has been a roller coaster so far, taking on losses and getting pushed to extra innings by Santa Clara and Indiana State. The Commodores better get their ship straightened because a trip to SoCal to play UCLA, USC and TCU looms next week.
11. Rice (6-3)
Trending:
Last ranked: 14
Of Note: As Wayne Graham likes to say, playing bad competition is boring. Thus, Rice takes trips to play at Arizona -- beauty. If not for that ninth-inning implosion and freakish steal of home by the Wildcats in Saturday's 7-6 loss, the Owls would've swept the Cats in Tucson. Still, it's a good series win.
12. Texas (7-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: We were a little cautious with Texas in the preseason, but oh how that pitching has caught fire early. Against Minnesota, the Longhorns' arms posted three shutouts and the offense posted 31 runs, the most in a four-game series since plating 35 runs versus Dallas Baptist in 1989.
13. Oklahoma State (5-3)
Trending:
Last ranked: 16
Of Note: The "down" trend isn't a big thing here -- more a monument of a tough early schedule. But you had to love the Cowboys' three-game blitz of Washington State, Utah and Washington by a combined score of 33-5. Losing SS Donnie Walton for a few weeks with a hand injury does sting.
14. LSU (6-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 4
Of Note: Hard to gauge what to make of the Tigers so far, given the lack of competition. But the good news is after stranding 17 baserunners in the loss to Nicholls State, they outscored snow-challenged Boston College 31-9 in three games.
15. UCF (8-0)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: What a week for the Knights, beating a pair of ranked teams in Arkansas and Maryland. That certainly makes them an upstart to keep an eye on, especially with an upcoming nonconference schedule that includes Miami, Florida State and a three-gamer against Ole Miss. This should be fun.
16. UC Santa Barbara (7-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: OK, Gauchos. You're good. A pair of blowouts over Kentucky got everyone's attention. But now you've got to have some staying power. Oregon comes calling this weekend, and closer extraordinaire Dillon Tate (12 saves last year) with take on the Friday starter role.
17. Mississippi State (9-0)
Trending:
Last ranked: 17
Of Note: Like LSU above, it's pretty hard to evaluate the Bulldogs considering the weak schedule so far. Get back to us after this weekend when Arizona makes a visit to Dudy-Noble. Dogs will have revenge on their mind after getting spanked with a rolled up newspaper by the Cats in the desert last year.
18. Maryland (5-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: There was a lot of hype surrounding the Terrapins going into this season, and so far they've lived up to it, losing just a white-knuckle, one-run game to UCF and routing Arkansas 13-6 this past weekend at the South Alabama Tournament.
19. Oregon (8-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: The Ducks have quietly gone out and won a series at Hawall and swept New Mexico State. But keep an eyebrow raised because three of their wins have been of the come-from-behind variety. They'll get a big test at UC Santa Barbara this week.
20. College of Charleston (4-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR
Of Note: Monte Lee is becoming a stud on the coaching landscape, especially after his team made super regionals last year and opened this season with an upset of South Carolina. Although things got a little hairy this weekend as they swept three from The Citadel by a total of just four runs.
Dropped out: Louisville (5-3), Nebraska (4-3), Stanford (4-4), Loyola Marymount (6-2), Ole Miss (5-2), Cal State Fullerton (2-5)
Five on deck: Dallas Baptist (6-1), Miami (7-3), Florida State (5-3), San Diego State (8-1), Oregon State (5-3)
ESPN: Baseball Power Rankings (Week 2)
BA: 2015 Top 50 Prospects By Class
Seniors
38. Josh Roeder, rhp, Nebraska R-R 6-0 174 Never
Sophomores
7. Ryan Boldt, of, Nebraska L-R 6-2 195 Red Sox '13 (22)
2015 Top 50 Prospects By Class
Seniors
38. Josh Roeder, rhp, Nebraska R-R 6-0 174 Never
Sophomores
7. Ryan Boldt, of, Nebraska L-R 6-2 195 Red Sox '13 (22)
2015 Top 50 Prospects By Class
