Friday (3/6) News Links
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OWH: Big tourney's scenery won't faze NU players
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OWH: Big tourney's scenery won't faze NU players
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OWH: Big tourney's scenery won't faze NU players
LJS: Former NU assistant Bolt ready for Huskers
Darin Erstad isn't too worried about new Texas A&M assistant baseball coach Will Bolt.
"The way they've been handling the bat, he may have a lawn chair near third base," Erstad joked about his former assistant coach.
The Huskers face the Aggies on Friday at 3:35 p.m. in the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park (home of the Houston Astros). Nebraska faces Hawaii at noon Saturday and Louisiana State at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Texas A&M, ranked No. 14, is hitting .342. Five batters are batting .333 or better, and the Aggies have scored 107 runs in a 13-0 start to the season. By comparison, Nebraska is hitting .259, has scored 40 runs and is 6-4.
As he did for the Huskers for three seasons, Bolt, a former Nebraska standout, is in charge of hitting and recruiting and coaches third base.
"The philosophy is pretty much the same here as it was in Nebraska," Bolt said. "Remember, Rob Childress (in his 10th season at A&M) coached at Nebraska under Dave Van Horn and I played under Van Horn. I learned from the best. A blue-collar attitude, mental toughness and attention to details is the same here as it was in Nebraska."
Bolt joined the A&M staff Sept. 1. He said he loved Nebraska and appreciated the chance to work with Erstad, but moving near his hometown, being near his parents, "Where it is easier to be grandpa and grandma," was the key.
"I sold the snow blower and made the move, and no, I don't have a Texas accent yet," he said.
What he does have is designated hitter Mitchell Nau (.450 with 11 RBIs), center fielder and preseason All-American Nick Banks (.444 with 14 RBIs), left fielder Logan Taylor (.405 with five home runs), and a roster deep in hitting ability.
"We've just got to keep an even keel and not get out of control at the plate," Bolt said. "This weekend, we're going to be in a big-league park and we are playing some great competition. That's what it's all about."
Bolt has followed the Huskers, kept in touch with the coaching staff and some of the players.
"Looks like another good team and I'm looking forward to seeing those guys on the field," he said. "I'd like them to win every game - well, not the one with us."
On the base paths
* Erstad said he plans to feel at home in Minute Maid Park. "I know a spot on the bench where I can get real comfortable," he said. "I spent a lot of time sitting on the bench in Houston. I met my wife there when she was working at the University of Houston and we have great friends there." Erstad finished his playing career with the Astros in 2007 and 2008.
* To get into the prestigious tournament - where all six teams made the NCAA regionals last year - Erstad said he pulled every string. "It didn't hurt that I played there," he said. "This is a regional-type (NCAA) setting."
* Nebraska's Derek Burkamper, who threw a two-hit, seven-inning gem at Loyola Marymount last week, will start Sunday. "Burkamper threw strikes and pitched very well with two strikes - I call that command," Erstad said. Kyle Kubat, who pitched a three-hit, seven-inning win at Loyola Marymount, also is pitching well. "Kyle is Kyle, and his last two outings he delivered when we needed him and that was huge."
* NU's bullpen has a 0.60 ERA, with no runs allowed by closer Josh Roeder, Jeff Chesnut and freshmen Jake Meyers, Zack Engelken and Jake McSteen.
* Nebraska is hitting better, with a 15-hit attack Saturday against Loyola Marymount. "Our at-bats are grinding it out for quality. We get to two strikes and we extend the pitch count and grind it out. I think we feed off each other and we have a good quality to give attention to detail at the plate."
LJS: Former NU assistant Bolt ready for Huskers
Darin Erstad isn't too worried about new Texas A&M assistant baseball coach Will Bolt.
"The way they've been handling the bat, he may have a lawn chair near third base," Erstad joked about his former assistant coach.
The Huskers face the Aggies on Friday at 3:35 p.m. in the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park (home of the Houston Astros). Nebraska faces Hawaii at noon Saturday and Louisiana State at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Texas A&M, ranked No. 14, is hitting .342. Five batters are batting .333 or better, and the Aggies have scored 107 runs in a 13-0 start to the season. By comparison, Nebraska is hitting .259, has scored 40 runs and is 6-4.
As he did for the Huskers for three seasons, Bolt, a former Nebraska standout, is in charge of hitting and recruiting and coaches third base.
"The philosophy is pretty much the same here as it was in Nebraska," Bolt said. "Remember, Rob Childress (in his 10th season at A&M) coached at Nebraska under Dave Van Horn and I played under Van Horn. I learned from the best. A blue-collar attitude, mental toughness and attention to details is the same here as it was in Nebraska."
Bolt joined the A&M staff Sept. 1. He said he loved Nebraska and appreciated the chance to work with Erstad, but moving near his hometown, being near his parents, "Where it is easier to be grandpa and grandma," was the key.
"I sold the snow blower and made the move, and no, I don't have a Texas accent yet," he said.
What he does have is designated hitter Mitchell Nau (.450 with 11 RBIs), center fielder and preseason All-American Nick Banks (.444 with 14 RBIs), left fielder Logan Taylor (.405 with five home runs), and a roster deep in hitting ability.
"We've just got to keep an even keel and not get out of control at the plate," Bolt said. "This weekend, we're going to be in a big-league park and we are playing some great competition. That's what it's all about."
Bolt has followed the Huskers, kept in touch with the coaching staff and some of the players.
"Looks like another good team and I'm looking forward to seeing those guys on the field," he said. "I'd like them to win every game - well, not the one with us."
On the base paths
* Erstad said he plans to feel at home in Minute Maid Park. "I know a spot on the bench where I can get real comfortable," he said. "I spent a lot of time sitting on the bench in Houston. I met my wife there when she was working at the University of Houston and we have great friends there." Erstad finished his playing career with the Astros in 2007 and 2008.
* To get into the prestigious tournament - where all six teams made the NCAA regionals last year - Erstad said he pulled every string. "It didn't hurt that I played there," he said. "This is a regional-type (NCAA) setting."
* Nebraska's Derek Burkamper, who threw a two-hit, seven-inning gem at Loyola Marymount last week, will start Sunday. "Burkamper threw strikes and pitched very well with two strikes - I call that command," Erstad said. Kyle Kubat, who pitched a three-hit, seven-inning win at Loyola Marymount, also is pitching well. "Kyle is Kyle, and his last two outings he delivered when we needed him and that was huge."
* NU's bullpen has a 0.60 ERA, with no runs allowed by closer Josh Roeder, Jeff Chesnut and freshmen Jake Meyers, Zack Engelken and Jake McSteen.
* Nebraska is hitting better, with a 15-hit attack Saturday against Loyola Marymount. "Our at-bats are grinding it out for quality. We get to two strikes and we extend the pitch count and grind it out. I think we feed off each other and we have a good quality to give attention to detail at the plate."
LJS: Former NU assistant Bolt ready for Huskers
NU: Huskers Visit Texas for Houston College Classic
Texas A&M | Friday, March 6 - 3:35 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (1-2) vs. LHP Minter (2-0)
TV: ROOT Sports Southwest
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Hawaii | Saturday, March 7 - 12:05 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: LHP Kubat (1-0) vs. RHP Brashears (2-1)
TV: ROOT Sports Southwest
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network
LSU | Sunday, March 8 - 11:05 a.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Burkamper (1-0) vs. RHP Godfrey (2-0)
TV: ROOT Sports Southwest & Cox Sports
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Huskers Continue Road Swing with Trip to Houston
Following a 2-1 series victory over the Loyola Marymount Lions in Los Angeles, the Nebraska baseball team (6-4, 0-0 Big Ten) heads back on the road for the fourth straight weekend with a trip to Houston, Texas, for the Houston College Classic. One of the premier tournaments of the college baseball season, the event is held at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.
Nebraska will be joined in Houston this weekend by Texas A&M, Baylor, LSU, Houston and Hawaii, but will not play Houston or Baylor.
The Huskers have a tough slate this weekend, starting on Friday afternoon at 3:35 p.m. when they take on undefeated and No. 14 nationally-ranked Texas A&M (13-0, 0-0 SEC). It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2011, when they were both members of the Big 12 Conference.
Senior Chance Sinclair is scheduled to start the opener and will look to snap a two-game losing streak after posting a 10-1 record last season.
Nebraska and Hawaii then open the second day of the tournament on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. The Rainbow Warriors hold a 15-7 advantage over the Huskers all-time, but this will be the first time the two teams have ever met in the Continental United States.
Senior Kyle Kubat is scheduled to get the ball on Saturday. The lefty is 1-0 on a year and has gone at least 7.0 innings in each of his last two starts.
The Huskers wrap up the tournament on Sunday at 11:05 a.m. against the No. 7 nationally-ranked LSU Tigers (11-1, 0-0 SEC), the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Sophomore Derek Burkamper is scheduled to start on Sunday for the second straight weekend and is coming off his best outing as a Husker. Last Sunday against Loyola Marymount, Burkamper allowed only two hits and one walk over 7.0 innings of work, while striking out five.
Fans interested in attending the Houston College Classic can buy tickets in advance through the Houston Astros. Single-day and tournament passes are available.
On the Radio
Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Greg Sharpe and Lane Grindle 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
ROOT Sports Southwest will carry all nine games of the Houston College Classic. Cox Sports will also carry all of LSU's games, including Sunday's game between the Huskers and Tigers.
Web Streams
None of the games this weekend will be streamed.
Head of the Class
Two-time All-Big Ten performer Blake Headley has totaled 13 RBIs in the first 10 games of the season, setting a pace for 72.8 RBIs in 2015. That number though would not crack the top-10 single-season record book at Nebraska, as current Head Coach Darin Erstad holds the No. 10 spot with 76 RBIs in 1995.
Hitting in the No. 4 spot behind Ryan Boldt, who is hitting a team-best .459 on the season, Headley has taken advantage of runners on base. The Omaha native is hitting .800 with runners in scoring position this season and has produced RBIs in five out of six opportunities with a runner on third base and less than two outs.
With 13 RBIs this season, Headley is nearly halfway to his career-best total of 27 RBIs set last season.
Pitcher's Best Friend
Since 2012, the Huskers ranked 11th in the nation with 175 double plays turned, including 11 this season though 10 games. Mississippi State leads the nation since 2012 with 211 double plays.
Double Plays Since 2012
1. Mississippi State 211
2. Georgia Tech 200
3. Southern Miss 196
4. Arkansas 190
5. Washington State 190
6. Oregon State 189
7. Florida State 183
8. New Mexico 182
9. Tulane 180
10. Fresno State 177
11. Nebraska 175
Turning the Corner
Tanner Lubach didn't get off to the start he wanted in his senior year, going 0-for-18 to start to the season.
Lubach broke the dry spell with a double that nearly left the park against BYU on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Since the double against the Cougars, Lubach is hitting .428 (6-for-14) with a home run and a pair of multi-hit games.
More importantly, Lubach has struck out just once over the past four games, after notching nine strikeouts through his first six games of the season.
Banking on Boldt
Sophomore outfielder Ryan Boldt has been on an offensive tear to start the season, posting a .459 (17-for-37) average through 10 games with two-doubles, one triple and a team-high 10 runs scored.
Slotted third in the Husker lineup, Boldt already has one Big Ten Player of the Week (Feb. 23) award this season. His approach at the plate has been tough on opposing pitchers, with only three strikeouts to five walks. Boldt has posted an on-base percentage of .512.
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.
23 Hits to Go
After Michael Pritchard and Pat Kelly each joined Nebraska 200-hit club last season, senior Austin Darby is 23 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
Young Guns
Through 10 games this season the Huskers have seen six freshmen pitchers take the mound. The six newcomers have combined for 18.1 innings of work over 12 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 0.50..
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.
Aggie Staff Tied to Huskers
Friday will be somewhat of a reunion when the Huskers and Aggies meet.
All three of Texas A&M's coaches have ties to Nebraska. Aggie Head Coach Rob Childress was an assistant coach at Nebraska from 1998 to 2003, where he coached his two assistants, Justin Seely and Will Bolt.
Bolt, who was an assistant at Nebraska for the past three seasons, was a four-year starter at Nebraska from 1999 to 2002 and was a member of Nebraska's first two College World Series teams. Bolt was also a volunteer assistant on NU's 2005 College World Series team.
Seely transferred to Nebraska after two seasons at Northeast Texas CC, he went on to play on NU's College World Series teams in 2001 and 202. Seely was also a volunteer assistant at Nebraska in 2006 and 2007.
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 in three chances this season, Roeder enters Friday's game against Texas A&M 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 for 443 starts, while three pitchers have made 103 combined appearances, including 50 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 82-11 since 2012 when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 84-6 when leading after seven innings and nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 93-4 record.
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 .361 (13-for-36) 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 on Saturday, Feb. 21, a 9-1 win over BYU. The sophomore made the most his opportunity with a 3-for-5 performance and a pair of runs scored.
Since moving to the leadoff spot, Schleppenbach has scored six runs in four games.
Experienced Lefty
Senior Kyle Kubat has three starts under his belt in 2015 and enters his start on Saturday against Hawaii with 31 career starts on the mound, which ranks 13th 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.
His 32nd career start on Saturday will tie him for 11th on the career list with Joba Chamberlain (2005-06) and Patrick Leinen (1987-89).
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).
NU: Huskers Visit Texas for Houston Classic
Texas A&M | Friday, March 6 - 3:35 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (1-2) vs. LHP Minter (2-0)
TV: ROOT Sports Southwest
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Hawaii | Saturday, March 7 - 12:05 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: LHP Kubat (1-0) vs. RHP Brashears (2-1)
TV: ROOT Sports Southwest
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network
LSU | Sunday, March 8 - 11:05 a.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Burkamper (1-0) vs. RHP Godfrey (2-0)
TV: ROOT Sports Southwest & Cox Sports
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Huskers Continue Road Swing with Trip to Houston
Following a 2-1 series victory over the Loyola Marymount Lions in Los Angeles, the Nebraska baseball team (6-4, 0-0 Big Ten) heads back on the road for the fourth straight weekend with a trip to Houston, Texas, for the Houston College Classic. One of the premier tournaments of the college baseball season, the event is held at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.
Nebraska will be joined in Houston this weekend by Texas A&M, Baylor, LSU, Houston and Hawaii, but will not play Houston or Baylor.
The Huskers have a tough slate this weekend, starting on Friday afternoon at 3:35 p.m. when they take on undefeated and No. 14 nationally-ranked Texas A&M (13-0, 0-0 SEC). It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2011, when they were both members of the Big 12 Conference.
Senior Chance Sinclair is scheduled to start the opener and will look to snap a two-game losing streak after posting a 10-1 record last season.
Nebraska and Hawaii then open the second day of the tournament on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. The Rainbow Warriors hold a 15-7 advantage over the Huskers all-time, but this will be the first time the two teams have ever met in the Continental United States.
Senior Kyle Kubat is scheduled to get the ball on Saturday. The lefty is 1-0 on a year and has gone at least 7.0 innings in each of his last two starts.
The Huskers wrap up the tournament on Sunday at 11:05 a.m. against the No. 7 nationally-ranked LSU Tigers (11-1, 0-0 SEC), the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Sophomore Derek Burkamper is scheduled to start on Sunday for the second straight weekend and is coming off his best outing as a Husker. Last Sunday against Loyola Marymount, Burkamper allowed only two hits and one walk over 7.0 innings of work, while striking out five.
Fans interested in attending the Houston College Classic can buy tickets in advance through the Houston Astros. Single-day and tournament passes are available.
On the Radio
Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Greg Sharpe and Lane Grindle 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
ROOT Sports Southwest will carry all nine games of the Houston College Classic. Cox Sports will also carry all of LSU's games, including Sunday's game between the Huskers and Tigers.
Web Streams
None of the games this weekend will be streamed.
Head of the Class
Two-time All-Big Ten performer Blake Headley has totaled 13 RBIs in the first 10 games of the season, setting a pace for 72.8 RBIs in 2015. That number though would not crack the top-10 single-season record book at Nebraska, as current Head Coach Darin Erstad holds the No. 10 spot with 76 RBIs in 1995.
Hitting in the No. 4 spot behind Ryan Boldt, who is hitting a team-best .459 on the season, Headley has taken advantage of runners on base. The Omaha native is hitting .800 with runners in scoring position this season and has produced RBIs in five out of six opportunities with a runner on third base and less than two outs.
With 13 RBIs this season, Headley is nearly halfway to his career-best total of 27 RBIs set last season.
Pitcher's Best Friend
Since 2012, the Huskers ranked 11th in the nation with 175 double plays turned, including 11 this season though 10 games. Mississippi State leads the nation since 2012 with 211 double plays.
Double Plays Since 2012
1. Mississippi State 211
2. Georgia Tech 200
3. Southern Miss 196
4. Arkansas 190
5. Washington State 190
6. Oregon State 189
7. Florida State 183
8. New Mexico 182
9. Tulane 180
10. Fresno State 177
11. Nebraska 175
Turning the Corner
Tanner Lubach didn't get off to the start he wanted in his senior year, going 0-for-18 to start to the season.
Lubach broke the dry spell with a double that nearly left the park against BYU on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Since the double against the Cougars, Lubach is hitting .428 (6-for-14) with a home run and a pair of multi-hit games.
More importantly, Lubach has struck out just once over the past four games, after notching nine strikeouts through his first six games of the season.
Banking on Boldt
Sophomore outfielder Ryan Boldt has been on an offensive tear to start the season, posting a .459 (17-for-37) average through 10 games with two-doubles, one triple and a team-high 10 runs scored.
Slotted third in the Husker lineup, Boldt already has one Big Ten Player of the Week (Feb. 23) award this season. His approach at the plate has been tough on opposing pitchers, with only three strikeouts to five walks. Boldt has posted an on-base percentage of .512.
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.
23 Hits to Go
After Michael Pritchard and Pat Kelly each joined Nebraska 200-hit club last season, senior Austin Darby is 23 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
Young Guns
Through 10 games this season the Huskers have seen six freshmen pitchers take the mound. The six newcomers have combined for 18.1 innings of work over 12 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 0.50..
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.
Aggie Staff Tied to Huskers
Friday will be somewhat of a reunion when the Huskers and Aggies meet.
All three of Texas A&M's coaches have ties to Nebraska. Aggie Head Coach Rob Childress was an assistant coach at Nebraska from 1998 to 2003, where he coached his two assistants, Justin Seely and Will Bolt.
Bolt, who was an assistant at Nebraska for the past three seasons, was a four-year starter at Nebraska from 1999 to 2002 and was a member of Nebraska's first two College World Series teams. Bolt was also a volunteer assistant on NU's 2005 College World Series team.
Seely transferred to Nebraska after two seasons at Northeast Texas CC, he went on to play on NU's College World Series teams in 2001 and 202. Seely was also a volunteer assistant at Nebraska in 2006 and 2007.
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 in three chances this season, Roeder enters Friday's game against Texas A&M 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 for 443 starts, while three pitchers have made 103 combined appearances, including 50 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 82-11 since 2012 when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 84-6 when leading after seven innings and nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 93-4 record.
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 .361 (13-for-36) 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 on Saturday, Feb. 21, a 9-1 win over BYU. The sophomore made the most his opportunity with a 3-for-5 performance and a pair of runs scored.
Since moving to the leadoff spot, Schleppenbach has scored six runs in four games.
Experienced Lefty
Senior Kyle Kubat has three starts under his belt in 2015 and enters his start on Saturday against Hawaii with 31 career starts on the mound, which ranks 13th 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.
His 32nd career start on Saturday will tie him for 11th on the career list with Joba Chamberlain (2005-06) and Patrick Leinen (1987-89).
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).
NU: Huskers Visit Texas for Houston Classic
A&M: Aggies Face First Road Test at Houston College Classic
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - The No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies head to Minute Maid Park for the 2015 Houston College Classic where they will face three former conference foes in the tournament, including former Big 12 colleague Nebraska on Friday, former SWC mate Houston on Saturday and former Big 12 and SWC counterpart Baylor on Sunday. It marks A&M's eighth trip to the tournament. The Aggies own an 11-10 record in the tournament play going 2-1 on four occasions and 1-2 three times. At the tournament, the Aggies are 4-3 against Houston, 3-4 against Rice and 4-3 against outside entities, including 2-0 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, 1-0 vs. Tennessee, 1-0 vs. UC Irvine, 0-1 vs. Arizona State, 0-1 vs North Carolina and 0-1 vs. Utah.
#11 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (13-0) at HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC
MINUTE MAID PARK (40,950) • HOUSTON, TEXAS
SCHEDULE - Friday - 3:35 pm (Nebraska) • Saturday - 7:05 pm (Houston) • Sunday - 2:35 pm (Baylor)
RADIO - Sports Radio 1150 The Zone • Dave South (play-by-play)
TELEVISION - Friday - ROOT Sports Southwest alternate • Sunday - ROOT Sports Southwest
LIVE AUDIO - 12thMan.com • radioaggieland.com (free)
LIVE STATS - 12thMan.com/tamustats.com (mobile devices)
RANKINGS - Texas A&M - 11 (USAT), 11 (CB), 14 (D1B), 14 (NCBWA), 22 (BA); Nebraska - unranked; Houston - 8 (BA), 12 (CB), 12 (NCBWA), 13 (USAT), 16 (D1B); Baylor - unranked
SERIES HISTORIES - A&M leads NU, 27-22; A&M leads UH, 109-57-1; A&M leads BU, 180-134-4
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• FRIDAY: #34 AJ Minter (Jr., LHP, 2-0, 0.56) vs. NEBRASKA - #16 Chance Sinclair (Sr., RHP, 1-2, 5.74)
• SATURDAY: #38 Grayson Long (Jr., RHP, 2-0, 3.45) vs. HOUSTON - #26 Jake Lemoine (Jr., RHP, 1-0, 3.38)
• SUNDAY: #31 Matt Kent (Jr., LHP, 3-0, 2.29) vs. BAYLOR - #10 Austin Stone (Sr., RHP, 0-0, 4.91)
FOLLOWING THE ACTION
• RADIO - Fans can listen to all games locally on SportsRadio 1150 The Zone... Dave South (play-by-play) and selected commentators will call the action... pregame show begins 30 minutes prior to first pitch.
• MOBILE PHONE - listen to the game on your iPhone, Blackberry or PDA free of charge ... log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
TEXAS A&M/NEBRASKA SERIES NOTABLES
Friday will mark the 50th meeting between A&M and Nebraska with the Aggies owning a 27-22 advantage in the all-time series. The last time the teams met was in 2011 when the Aggies swept a three-game series at Olsen Field. Texas A&M has dominated the series lately, winning 8 of 9 since 2009, with the lone loss a 1-0 defeat in Lincoln in 2010.
TEXAS A&M/HOUSTON SERIES NOTABLES
Saturday marks 168th meeting between A&M and Houston with the Aggies owning a 109-57-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Cougars have won four of the last six meetings including a 10-8 decision last year on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. In last year's game, the Aggies were unable to maintain a 4-2 lead, yielding five runs in the fourth inning along with a pair of game-deciding runs in the eighth. Troy Stein and LOGAN TAYLOR each had three hits and scored two runs for the Aggies.
TEXAS A&M/BAYLOR SERIES NOTABLES
Baylor marks one of two teams Texas A&M has played more than 300 times. The squads have faced off on 318 occasions with the Aggies owning a 180-134-4 edge in the all-time series. The 318 meetings trails only the 366 times the Maroon and White have squared off with Texas. The 180 victories are tied for the highest tally against an opponent, with A&M holding a 180-95-2 all-time record against Rice.
The last time the teams met was April 2012 when Baylor swept a three game series, winning the first game, 5-3, in College Station and then winning the next two, 1-0 and 7-5, in Waco. The last time the teams met at a neutral site was at the 2010 Big 12 Championship title game, with A&M registering a 5-3 win in 10 innings to claim the crown.
NOTES AND NOTABLES
• Head coach Rob Childress enters his 10th season at the helm of the Texas A&M baseball program, beginning the year with a 372-208-2 record. Last season, he led the Aggies to the postseason to extend their school-record streak to eight consecutive seasons.
• The Aggies enter the week ranked in the Top 25 of all five major polls, earning the No. 11 spot in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and the Collegiate Baseball ranking, the No. 14 position in the D1Baseball.com ranking and NCBWA poll and the No. 22 spot in the Baseball America ranking.
1,000 WINS AT OLSEN FIELD
The Aggies enter the week needing eight home wins to reach the 1,000-win plateau at the friendly confines of Olsen Field. Now in their 38th season at the now-Blue Bell Park, the Maroon and White are 996-324-4 (.754).
FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #34 A.J. MINTER
Making his fourth consecutive start after his first 52 appearances were out of the bullpen... has not allowed one earned run in 16.0 innings of work... had his longest career outing last week, working 6.0 innings, allowing three runs, one earned, on six hits and one walk while striking out seven in a no-decision against Dartmouth... fanned a career-high nine while scattering two hits and five walks in 5.0 innings in a win two weeks ago against Penn State... did not allow a run in his nine SEC appearances last season, going 2-0 with one save in 9.0 innings of work... earned wins against Florida and Ole Miss and picked up a save against Arkansas in SEC action last season... longest career outing prior to this season was 2.2 innings, when he picked up a win against Florida, scattering two runs and striking out a career-high three in a win against Florida in the finale as A&M captured the series... as a freshman, did not allow a run in his first 13 appearances.
SATURDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #38 GRAYSON LONG
Earned wins in the Aggies last two outings with a pair of 6.0 inning performances... allowed just one unearned run, scattering five hits and one walk while striking out three in a win against Penn State... yielded one run on five hits and two walks while striking out four in a win last week against Dartmouth... enters play as the Aggies' active leader in wins (12), innings pitched (151.0) and strikeouts (105)... led the Aggies' with six wins last season... also ranked second on A&M with 15 starts and 89.1 innings pitched... started his sophomore campaign by allowing just one run in his first five starts, scattering 22 hits and 10 walks while striking out 22 batters in 34.0 innings... best career outing came against Auburn last season when he worked 8.0 shutout innings, fanning seven while scattering seven hits and one walk to help A&M stave of a series sweep... also earned SEC wins against Florida, eventual national champion Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Mississippi State, posting a 5-2 record in league action.
SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #31 MATT KENT
Making his 10th career start and his sixth career weekend start... leads Texas A&M with three wins... owns a 17-to-1 K/BB ratio in 2015 and 6.36-to-1 for his career... logged his longest-career outing in the finale of the opening series against Holy Cross, yielding just one unearned run on five hits while striking out three in 7.0 innings of work... two weeks ago he won the Sunday game against Penn State, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out six in 6.2 innings... prior to this season, both of his prior weekend starts came as a freshman in 2013, losses to Arkansas and LSU... was 1-0 with a 2.77 in his four starts as a sophomore... win came against Texas Southern (3/5/14), striking out a career nine while scattering three hits and one walk over 6.0 innings... has had success in long relief against SEC squads in the past including 5.0 scoreless innings at Mississippi State in 2014 and 5.0 blank frames at Ole Miss in 2013... his effort against Ole Miss in 2013 earned him SEC Freshman of the Week recognition.
SETTING THE TABLE
Aggie hitters leading off an inning have reached base in 49 of the 104 frames (.471), despite getting just 21 leadoff hits. A&M has drawn 21 walks and have been hit by five pitches to start innings. The Aggies have three leadoff home runs on the year. LOGAN TAYLOR (4-6) has reached base in four of his six plate appearances leading off, going 2-for-4 with two home runs, one walk and one HBP. MITCHELL NAU has reached on six of his 10 leadoff plate appearances, going 1-for-5 with three walks and two HBP. Other notables include LOGAN NOTTEBROK (4-6), and BLAKE ALLEMAND (8-16).
LISTEN AROUND THE WORLD
A&M fans in Bryan/College Station will find it easier to find baseball broadcasts as every game will air on SportsRadio 1150 The Zone. Free live audio of every pitch of the 2015 season is also available online at 12thMan.com. Fans across the world can listen to Aggie games free of charge on their iPhone, Blackberry and other selected PDAs and cell phones through the Radio Aggieland app. To check availability or to set up your device to listen to Aggie baseball all season long wherever you go, visit radioaggieland.com.
MAKING EVERY OUT COUNT
The Aggies are making every out count this season, hitting .309 (43-for-139) with two outs. Meanwhile, their opponents have scuffled, hitting .214 (31-for-145) with two outs. The Maroon and White have logged 34 RBI with two outs, an average of 2.62 per game. RONNIE GIDEON is batting .333 (5-for-15) with 11 RBI with two outs. JB MOSS hit .538 (7-for-13) with eight RBI with two outs during the span. Other notable hitters with two outs include, NICK BANKS (7-for-13, 6 RBI).
BANKS EARNS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA
NICK BANKS picked up a pair of Preseason All-America honors. The sophomore outfielder was named to the Perfect Game's 2015 Preseason College All-America Second Team and D1Baseball.com Preseason All-America Second Team.
As a freshman, Banks batted .327 with 29 runs, 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 26 RBI and seven stolen bases. In 30 SEC contests, Banks ranked fourth in the league with a .360 batting average, going 41-for-114 with seven doubles, one triple, one home run, 15 runs and 16 RBI.
Following his successful rookie campaign, Banks earned Freshman All-America recognition from National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association and Collegiate Baseball. He was named All-SEC Second Team as well as earning a place on the SEC All-Freshman squad. Banks and Florida's Logan Shore were the only two freshmen to earn All-SEC status in 2014.
Banks is living up to the publicity in 2015. He's batting .444 (20-for-45) with 13 runs, four doubles, one triple, one home run, 14 RBI and three stolen bases.
CALL ON ME
Coach Childress has three pitchers who he has called on 50 or more times in their career, including JASON FREEMAN, A.J. MINTER and ANDREW VINSON. MATT KENT is also nearing the half-century mark with 49 appearances.
Freeman leads all active Aggies with his 59 games which includes 56 relief appearances. For his career, the right-hander is 5-3 with a 4.81 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 67.1 innings. Minter is 5-0 with a 2.19 ERA, two saves and 63 strikeouts (25 BB) in 53.1 innings in 55 appearances, 52 in relief. In 53 games, all out of the bullpen, Vinson is 5-3 with a 3.06 ERA, two saves and 59 strikeouts (21 BB) in 61.2 innings. Kent counts nine starts among his 49 games. The southpaw is 8-4 with a 3.35 ERA and 70 strikeouts (11 BB) in 102.0 innings.
LOCAL BOY
With the departure of Krey Bratsen, the all-time Aggie leader in games played, newcomer BLAKE KOPETSKY takes over the role of the local boy. Kopetsky was a standout at Rudder High School in Bryan, earning three letters. He was tabbed an All-Texas 4A Third Team outfielder by the Texas SportsWriters Association as a senior in 2012. The last two years he played at Temple Junior College and returned home in the summers to star for the Brazos Valley Bombers.
Other recent players to hail from Bryan or College Station include Bratsen (2011-14), Luke Anders (2006-09), Nick Anders (2009), Kyle Nicholson (2004-07) and Keith Stein (2005-06).
Kopetsky has appeared in eight games, including five starts. He's batting .412 (7-for-17) with three runs, one double, one triple, four walks, two RBI and one stolen base. Kopetsky has reached base via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in all eight of his games and he boasts a .524 on-base percentage.
TRENDING UPWARD
The Aggies are one of just 22 schools to log 200 or more wins between 2010-14. Over the five-year span, Texas A&M is tied with Kent State for 17th place with 203 victories. The Maroon and White are 203-116-1 (.636) over the span. The SEC boasts six teams with over 200 wins between 2010-14, including South Carolina (245), Vanderbilt (240), LSU (227), Florida (216), Arkansas (208) and Texas. The six leads all conferences, trailed by the ACC (5), Pac 12 (4) and Big 12 (4).
ALLEMAND'S SENIORITY
BLAKE ALLEMAND enters the season as the most senior of veterans on the squad. Heading into Tuesday's game, Allemand has played in 180 games. With 20 more games, Allemand would become just the 17th Aggie to appear in 200 games. Five Aggies have appeared in 200 games in the 21st century, including school record holder Krey Bratsen (245 - 2011-014), Kevin Gonzalez (236 - 2008-11), Brodie Green (228 - 2007-10), Kyle Colligan (218 - 2006-09) and Brandon Wood (204 - 2010-13).
For his career, Allemand is hitting .280 (174-for-621) with 17 doubles, five triples, two home runs, 75 RBI and 26 stolen bases. He has made 174 career starts, including 47 in 2012, 61 in 2013 and 53 in 2014.
BIG INNINGS
The Aggies have been producing plenty of big innings early in the 2015 campaign. The Maroon and White have scored multiple runs in 32 of their 104 innings on the year. Texas A&M has had 18 innings with at least three runs and nine "Big Innings" with at least four runs. Twice in 2015, A&M has logged seven runs, including the second inning of the season opener against Holy Cross and in the seventh inning of the second game of the year. The Aggies have batted through the line four times this season.
POSTSEASON STREAK CONTINUES INTO 2015
Prior to the arrival of head coach ROB CHILDRESS, Texas A&M had never appeared in the NCAA Tournament more than four consecutive years. Advancing to the NCAA Houston Regional in 2014 extended the Aggies current string to eight consecutive years, something that had never happened before in the program's 113 year history.
Childress has led the Aggies to the postseason each of the last eight seasons, topping the previous-high water mark of four-straight trips, a feat that had happened only twice before at Texas A&M. Former head coach Tom Chandler led his squad to the NCAA Regionals each season from 1975 to 1978 and 11 years later the Aggies enjoyed a similar four-year run from 1986-89 under the direction of head coach Mark Johnson.
WALK'S AS GOOD AS A HIT
Texas A&M batters have taken advantage of the free passes in 2015. The Aggies are average 5.23 walks per game. The Maroon and White have 68 walks on the season, with 21 of them coming when leading off an inning. 35 of the 68 walks have resulted in runs, including each of the last two Sunday's when the Aggies have had four players walk and come around to score.
A HIT BY PITCH'S AS GOOD AS A HIT
Texas A&M batters have taken one for the team quite a bit in 2015, getting hit by 20 pitches in 13 games, an average 1.54 HBP per game. Eleven of the 20 players who have reached via an HBP have come around to score a run.
CATCHER'S INTERFERENCE IS AS GOOD AS A HIT
Two Aggies have reached via catcher's interference with both coming around to score.
2,500-WIN CLUB
The Aggies lead all SEC programs in all-time wins, but were recently joined by Mississippi State and Alabama in the prestigious 2,500-win club. Texas A&M is currently one of just 14 NCAA Division I programs to reach the 2,500-win plateau, entering play with a 2,528-1,430-42 mark. With 2,497 wins, Minnesota is just three wins away from becoming the 15th team to reach 2,500 wins. South Carolina would need 44 wins in 2015 to reach the plateau by the end of the year. Everybody is at least two decades worth of wins behind Fordham which owns 4,367 all-time wins.
INHERITANCE TAX
Texas A&M relief pitchers have stranded the last 18 inherited runners and 21 of 24 inherited runners on the season. The second game of the season was the only game the bullpen has allowed inherited runners to score, when three of the six scored in A&M's 16-11 win over Holy Cross. TY SCHLOTTMANN has been the most tested out of the bullpen and he has been up to the task, stranding eight of his nine inherited runners. KYLE SI-MONDS has stranded all four runners he has inherited.
PITCHER WEDGE
KYLE SIMONDS marks the only player on the squad to not play high school baseball. Simonds spent his springs at Grand Island (Neb.) Central Catholic High School playing golf. Skilled on the links, Simonds qualified for the Nebraska Class C state tournament all four years, finishing 11th at the championship as a junior. He got his share of baseball in the summers staring for American Legion squad Home Federal. He went 2-for-2 with one double, one home run and three RBI at the Cornhusker League All-Star Game in July 2012.
Simonds honed his pitching skills at Hutchinson Community College where he blossomed last year. As a sophomore, he was named the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Pitcher of the Year, posting a 13-0 record (13 wins led the nation) and a 2.30 ERA. He broke single sea-son school records for wins (13), complete-games (nine), shutouts (three) and strikeouts (103) in 2014.
The northpaw has been impressive in his four appearance this season. Simonds has not yielded a run in 9.1 innings, striking out 10 and scattering seven hits. In his first career outing, he retired 12 of 13 batters, he faced with the only batter reaching base on a HBP, as he blanked Holy Cross for 4.0 innings with four strikeouts. In his last appearance, Simonds scattered three hits over 2.1 innings against Stephen F. Austin, striking out four Lumberjacks. He blanked Penn State for two frames in the series opener.
STOUT BULLPEN
They have only been thrown in tight situations on a few occasions thus far in 2015, but the Aggies' bullpen has been solid. Twelve pitchers have combined to work 45.0 innings out of the bullpen, posting a 4-0 record, five saves, a 1.65 ERA, 33 hits and just five walks while striking out 41. The bullpen sports a WHIP of 0.84, opponent batting average of .205 and an 8.2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
KYLE SIMONDS has worked the most innings, weaving 9.1 scoreless frames, scattering seven hits while striking out 10 in four appearances. He owns one of the Aggies' five saves, a four-inning outing in the season opener against Holy Cross. TY SCHLOTTMANN has been called on the most, with nine appearances. The southpaw has worked 7.2 frames, earning a 1-0 record with 1.17 ERA, scattering five hits and two walks while striking out six. RYAN HENDRIX leads the Aggies with three saves. He has made five appearances, working 5.2 scoreless innings, scattering three hits and one walk while striking out five.
FOR STARTERS
Aggie starting pitchers have been solid in 2015, posting a 9-0 record with a 2.00 ERA after 13 games. A&M starters are holding opponents to a .251 batting and boast a 3.67-to-1 strikeouts-to-walk ratio (77/21). AJ MINTER (2-0) owns a 0.56 ERA, has held opponents to a .210 batting average and has allowed just five runs, one unearned, while striking out 23 in 16.0 innings over his first three starts. MATT KENT is also 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA, allowing seven runs, five earned, in 19.2 innings of work. The junior lefty boasts A&M's two longest starts. He has issued just one walk on the season, while striking out 17.
SEEMS LIKE JUST LAST YEAR
Here's a comparison of the Aggies offensive numbers through 13 games in 2014 and 2015.
2014
2015
Batting Average
.252
.342
Runs Per Game
5.15
8.92
Runs
67
116
Home Runs
5
17
RBI
62
107
Slugging Percentage
.343
.540
On-Base Percentage
.351
.443
STREAKS
NICK BANKS is in the midst of his longest career hit streak at 12 games. Banks has a hit in all 12 of the games he has played in 2015. He's batting .444 (20-for-45) with 13 runs, four doubles, one triple, one home run, 14 RBI and three stolen bases.
KYLE SIMONDS is on a 9.1 inning scoreless streak, covering four outings. He's scattered seven hits while striking out 10 (no walks) over the span.
RYAN HENDRIX is unscored upon in five outings, covering 5.2 innings. He's scattered three hits and one walk while striking out five over the span.
BLAKE KOPETSKY is on a six-game hit streak and the junior has reached base in all eight of the games he has played in this season. He owns a .412 batting average and .524 on-base percentage over the span, hitting 7-for-17 with four walks, three runs, one double, one triple, one stolen base and two RBI.
HUNTER MELTON is on a five-game hit streak. He's batting .444 (8-for-18) with three runs, one double, one home run and eight RBI over the span.
The Aggies own a 14-game win streak at Blue Bell Park dating back to the 2014 season.
MORE PITCHING AND BULLPEN NOTES
The Aggie bullpen has allowed one run in the last 24.2 innings of work dating back to the Saturday contest against Penn State. The relief pitchers have scattered 13 hits and two walks while striking out 20 over the span. The run includes three bullpen wins and four saves. The stretch included a string of 23.0 consecutive innings without yielding a run.
In the last 11 games, Texas A&M pitchers have held opponents to 84 hits and 18 walks while striking out 97 in 99.0 innings of work. The staff owns a 1.45 ERA, .228 opponent batting average and 1.03 WHIP during the span.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to action Tuesday as they host the UT Pan American Broncs in a pair of games on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The Tuesday game starts at 6:35 pm and Wednesday's first pitch is slated for 3:05 pm.
A&M: Aggies Face First Road Test at Houston CC
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - The No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies head to Minute Maid Park for the 2015 Houston College Classic where they will face three former conference foes in the tournament, including former Big 12 colleague Nebraska on Friday, former SWC mate Houston on Saturday and former Big 12 and SWC counterpart Baylor on Sunday. It marks A&M's eighth trip to the tournament. The Aggies own an 11-10 record in the tournament play going 2-1 on four occasions and 1-2 three times. At the tournament, the Aggies are 4-3 against Houston, 3-4 against Rice and 4-3 against outside entities, including 2-0 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, 1-0 vs. Tennessee, 1-0 vs. UC Irvine, 0-1 vs. Arizona State, 0-1 vs North Carolina and 0-1 vs. Utah.
#11 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (13-0) at HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC
MINUTE MAID PARK (40,950) • HOUSTON, TEXAS
SCHEDULE - Friday - 3:35 pm (Nebraska) • Saturday - 7:05 pm (Houston) • Sunday - 2:35 pm (Baylor)
RADIO - Sports Radio 1150 The Zone • Dave South (play-by-play)
TELEVISION - Friday - ROOT Sports Southwest alternate • Sunday - ROOT Sports Southwest
LIVE AUDIO - 12thMan.com • radioaggieland.com (free)
LIVE STATS - 12thMan.com/tamustats.com (mobile devices)
RANKINGS - Texas A&M - 11 (USAT), 11 (CB), 14 (D1B), 14 (NCBWA), 22 (BA); Nebraska - unranked; Houston - 8 (BA), 12 (CB), 12 (NCBWA), 13 (USAT), 16 (D1B); Baylor - unranked
SERIES HISTORIES - A&M leads NU, 27-22; A&M leads UH, 109-57-1; A&M leads BU, 180-134-4
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• FRIDAY: #34 AJ Minter (Jr., LHP, 2-0, 0.56) vs. NEBRASKA - #16 Chance Sinclair (Sr., RHP, 1-2, 5.74)
• SATURDAY: #38 Grayson Long (Jr., RHP, 2-0, 3.45) vs. HOUSTON - #26 Jake Lemoine (Jr., RHP, 1-0, 3.38)
• SUNDAY: #31 Matt Kent (Jr., LHP, 3-0, 2.29) vs. BAYLOR - #10 Austin Stone (Sr., RHP, 0-0, 4.91)
FOLLOWING THE ACTION
• RADIO - Fans can listen to all games locally on SportsRadio 1150 The Zone... Dave South (play-by-play) and selected commentators will call the action... pregame show begins 30 minutes prior to first pitch.
• MOBILE PHONE - listen to the game on your iPhone, Blackberry or PDA free of charge ... log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
TEXAS A&M/NEBRASKA SERIES NOTABLES
Friday will mark the 50th meeting between A&M and Nebraska with the Aggies owning a 27-22 advantage in the all-time series. The last time the teams met was in 2011 when the Aggies swept a three-game series at Olsen Field. Texas A&M has dominated the series lately, winning 8 of 9 since 2009, with the lone loss a 1-0 defeat in Lincoln in 2010.
TEXAS A&M/HOUSTON SERIES NOTABLES
Saturday marks 168th meeting between A&M and Houston with the Aggies owning a 109-57-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Cougars have won four of the last six meetings including a 10-8 decision last year on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. In last year's game, the Aggies were unable to maintain a 4-2 lead, yielding five runs in the fourth inning along with a pair of game-deciding runs in the eighth. Troy Stein and LOGAN TAYLOR each had three hits and scored two runs for the Aggies.
TEXAS A&M/BAYLOR SERIES NOTABLES
Baylor marks one of two teams Texas A&M has played more than 300 times. The squads have faced off on 318 occasions with the Aggies owning a 180-134-4 edge in the all-time series. The 318 meetings trails only the 366 times the Maroon and White have squared off with Texas. The 180 victories are tied for the highest tally against an opponent, with A&M holding a 180-95-2 all-time record against Rice.
The last time the teams met was April 2012 when Baylor swept a three game series, winning the first game, 5-3, in College Station and then winning the next two, 1-0 and 7-5, in Waco. The last time the teams met at a neutral site was at the 2010 Big 12 Championship title game, with A&M registering a 5-3 win in 10 innings to claim the crown.
NOTES AND NOTABLES
• Head coach Rob Childress enters his 10th season at the helm of the Texas A&M baseball program, beginning the year with a 372-208-2 record. Last season, he led the Aggies to the postseason to extend their school-record streak to eight consecutive seasons.
• The Aggies enter the week ranked in the Top 25 of all five major polls, earning the No. 11 spot in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and the Collegiate Baseball ranking, the No. 14 position in the D1Baseball.com ranking and NCBWA poll and the No. 22 spot in the Baseball America ranking.
1,000 WINS AT OLSEN FIELD
The Aggies enter the week needing eight home wins to reach the 1,000-win plateau at the friendly confines of Olsen Field. Now in their 38th season at the now-Blue Bell Park, the Maroon and White are 996-324-4 (.754).
FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #34 A.J. MINTER
Making his fourth consecutive start after his first 52 appearances were out of the bullpen... has not allowed one earned run in 16.0 innings of work... had his longest career outing last week, working 6.0 innings, allowing three runs, one earned, on six hits and one walk while striking out seven in a no-decision against Dartmouth... fanned a career-high nine while scattering two hits and five walks in 5.0 innings in a win two weeks ago against Penn State... did not allow a run in his nine SEC appearances last season, going 2-0 with one save in 9.0 innings of work... earned wins against Florida and Ole Miss and picked up a save against Arkansas in SEC action last season... longest career outing prior to this season was 2.2 innings, when he picked up a win against Florida, scattering two runs and striking out a career-high three in a win against Florida in the finale as A&M captured the series... as a freshman, did not allow a run in his first 13 appearances.
SATURDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #38 GRAYSON LONG
Earned wins in the Aggies last two outings with a pair of 6.0 inning performances... allowed just one unearned run, scattering five hits and one walk while striking out three in a win against Penn State... yielded one run on five hits and two walks while striking out four in a win last week against Dartmouth... enters play as the Aggies' active leader in wins (12), innings pitched (151.0) and strikeouts (105)... led the Aggies' with six wins last season... also ranked second on A&M with 15 starts and 89.1 innings pitched... started his sophomore campaign by allowing just one run in his first five starts, scattering 22 hits and 10 walks while striking out 22 batters in 34.0 innings... best career outing came against Auburn last season when he worked 8.0 shutout innings, fanning seven while scattering seven hits and one walk to help A&M stave of a series sweep... also earned SEC wins against Florida, eventual national champion Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Mississippi State, posting a 5-2 record in league action.
SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER: #31 MATT KENT
Making his 10th career start and his sixth career weekend start... leads Texas A&M with three wins... owns a 17-to-1 K/BB ratio in 2015 and 6.36-to-1 for his career... logged his longest-career outing in the finale of the opening series against Holy Cross, yielding just one unearned run on five hits while striking out three in 7.0 innings of work... two weeks ago he won the Sunday game against Penn State, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out six in 6.2 innings... prior to this season, both of his prior weekend starts came as a freshman in 2013, losses to Arkansas and LSU... was 1-0 with a 2.77 in his four starts as a sophomore... win came against Texas Southern (3/5/14), striking out a career nine while scattering three hits and one walk over 6.0 innings... has had success in long relief against SEC squads in the past including 5.0 scoreless innings at Mississippi State in 2014 and 5.0 blank frames at Ole Miss in 2013... his effort against Ole Miss in 2013 earned him SEC Freshman of the Week recognition.
SETTING THE TABLE
Aggie hitters leading off an inning have reached base in 49 of the 104 frames (.471), despite getting just 21 leadoff hits. A&M has drawn 21 walks and have been hit by five pitches to start innings. The Aggies have three leadoff home runs on the year. LOGAN TAYLOR (4-6) has reached base in four of his six plate appearances leading off, going 2-for-4 with two home runs, one walk and one HBP. MITCHELL NAU has reached on six of his 10 leadoff plate appearances, going 1-for-5 with three walks and two HBP. Other notables include LOGAN NOTTEBROK (4-6), and BLAKE ALLEMAND (8-16).
LISTEN AROUND THE WORLD
A&M fans in Bryan/College Station will find it easier to find baseball broadcasts as every game will air on SportsRadio 1150 The Zone. Free live audio of every pitch of the 2015 season is also available online at 12thMan.com. Fans across the world can listen to Aggie games free of charge on their iPhone, Blackberry and other selected PDAs and cell phones through the Radio Aggieland app. To check availability or to set up your device to listen to Aggie baseball all season long wherever you go, visit radioaggieland.com.
MAKING EVERY OUT COUNT
The Aggies are making every out count this season, hitting .309 (43-for-139) with two outs. Meanwhile, their opponents have scuffled, hitting .214 (31-for-145) with two outs. The Maroon and White have logged 34 RBI with two outs, an average of 2.62 per game. RONNIE GIDEON is batting .333 (5-for-15) with 11 RBI with two outs. JB MOSS hit .538 (7-for-13) with eight RBI with two outs during the span. Other notable hitters with two outs include, NICK BANKS (7-for-13, 6 RBI).
BANKS EARNS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA
NICK BANKS picked up a pair of Preseason All-America honors. The sophomore outfielder was named to the Perfect Game's 2015 Preseason College All-America Second Team and D1Baseball.com Preseason All-America Second Team.
As a freshman, Banks batted .327 with 29 runs, 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 26 RBI and seven stolen bases. In 30 SEC contests, Banks ranked fourth in the league with a .360 batting average, going 41-for-114 with seven doubles, one triple, one home run, 15 runs and 16 RBI.
Following his successful rookie campaign, Banks earned Freshman All-America recognition from National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association and Collegiate Baseball. He was named All-SEC Second Team as well as earning a place on the SEC All-Freshman squad. Banks and Florida's Logan Shore were the only two freshmen to earn All-SEC status in 2014.
Banks is living up to the publicity in 2015. He's batting .444 (20-for-45) with 13 runs, four doubles, one triple, one home run, 14 RBI and three stolen bases.
CALL ON ME
Coach Childress has three pitchers who he has called on 50 or more times in their career, including JASON FREEMAN, A.J. MINTER and ANDREW VINSON. MATT KENT is also nearing the half-century mark with 49 appearances.
Freeman leads all active Aggies with his 59 games which includes 56 relief appearances. For his career, the right-hander is 5-3 with a 4.81 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 67.1 innings. Minter is 5-0 with a 2.19 ERA, two saves and 63 strikeouts (25 BB) in 53.1 innings in 55 appearances, 52 in relief. In 53 games, all out of the bullpen, Vinson is 5-3 with a 3.06 ERA, two saves and 59 strikeouts (21 BB) in 61.2 innings. Kent counts nine starts among his 49 games. The southpaw is 8-4 with a 3.35 ERA and 70 strikeouts (11 BB) in 102.0 innings.
LOCAL BOY
With the departure of Krey Bratsen, the all-time Aggie leader in games played, newcomer BLAKE KOPETSKY takes over the role of the local boy. Kopetsky was a standout at Rudder High School in Bryan, earning three letters. He was tabbed an All-Texas 4A Third Team outfielder by the Texas SportsWriters Association as a senior in 2012. The last two years he played at Temple Junior College and returned home in the summers to star for the Brazos Valley Bombers.
Other recent players to hail from Bryan or College Station include Bratsen (2011-14), Luke Anders (2006-09), Nick Anders (2009), Kyle Nicholson (2004-07) and Keith Stein (2005-06).
Kopetsky has appeared in eight games, including five starts. He's batting .412 (7-for-17) with three runs, one double, one triple, four walks, two RBI and one stolen base. Kopetsky has reached base via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in all eight of his games and he boasts a .524 on-base percentage.
TRENDING UPWARD
The Aggies are one of just 22 schools to log 200 or more wins between 2010-14. Over the five-year span, Texas A&M is tied with Kent State for 17th place with 203 victories. The Maroon and White are 203-116-1 (.636) over the span. The SEC boasts six teams with over 200 wins between 2010-14, including South Carolina (245), Vanderbilt (240), LSU (227), Florida (216), Arkansas (208) and Texas. The six leads all conferences, trailed by the ACC (5), Pac 12 (4) and Big 12 (4).
ALLEMAND'S SENIORITY
BLAKE ALLEMAND enters the season as the most senior of veterans on the squad. Heading into Tuesday's game, Allemand has played in 180 games. With 20 more games, Allemand would become just the 17th Aggie to appear in 200 games. Five Aggies have appeared in 200 games in the 21st century, including school record holder Krey Bratsen (245 - 2011-014), Kevin Gonzalez (236 - 2008-11), Brodie Green (228 - 2007-10), Kyle Colligan (218 - 2006-09) and Brandon Wood (204 - 2010-13).
For his career, Allemand is hitting .280 (174-for-621) with 17 doubles, five triples, two home runs, 75 RBI and 26 stolen bases. He has made 174 career starts, including 47 in 2012, 61 in 2013 and 53 in 2014.
BIG INNINGS
The Aggies have been producing plenty of big innings early in the 2015 campaign. The Maroon and White have scored multiple runs in 32 of their 104 innings on the year. Texas A&M has had 18 innings with at least three runs and nine "Big Innings" with at least four runs. Twice in 2015, A&M has logged seven runs, including the second inning of the season opener against Holy Cross and in the seventh inning of the second game of the year. The Aggies have batted through the line four times this season.
POSTSEASON STREAK CONTINUES INTO 2015
Prior to the arrival of head coach ROB CHILDRESS, Texas A&M had never appeared in the NCAA Tournament more than four consecutive years. Advancing to the NCAA Houston Regional in 2014 extended the Aggies current string to eight consecutive years, something that had never happened before in the program's 113 year history.
Childress has led the Aggies to the postseason each of the last eight seasons, topping the previous-high water mark of four-straight trips, a feat that had happened only twice before at Texas A&M. Former head coach Tom Chandler led his squad to the NCAA Regionals each season from 1975 to 1978 and 11 years later the Aggies enjoyed a similar four-year run from 1986-89 under the direction of head coach Mark Johnson.
WALK'S AS GOOD AS A HIT
Texas A&M batters have taken advantage of the free passes in 2015. The Aggies are average 5.23 walks per game. The Maroon and White have 68 walks on the season, with 21 of them coming when leading off an inning. 35 of the 68 walks have resulted in runs, including each of the last two Sunday's when the Aggies have had four players walk and come around to score.
A HIT BY PITCH'S AS GOOD AS A HIT
Texas A&M batters have taken one for the team quite a bit in 2015, getting hit by 20 pitches in 13 games, an average 1.54 HBP per game. Eleven of the 20 players who have reached via an HBP have come around to score a run.
CATCHER'S INTERFERENCE IS AS GOOD AS A HIT
Two Aggies have reached via catcher's interference with both coming around to score.
2,500-WIN CLUB
The Aggies lead all SEC programs in all-time wins, but were recently joined by Mississippi State and Alabama in the prestigious 2,500-win club. Texas A&M is currently one of just 14 NCAA Division I programs to reach the 2,500-win plateau, entering play with a 2,528-1,430-42 mark. With 2,497 wins, Minnesota is just three wins away from becoming the 15th team to reach 2,500 wins. South Carolina would need 44 wins in 2015 to reach the plateau by the end of the year. Everybody is at least two decades worth of wins behind Fordham which owns 4,367 all-time wins.
INHERITANCE TAX
Texas A&M relief pitchers have stranded the last 18 inherited runners and 21 of 24 inherited runners on the season. The second game of the season was the only game the bullpen has allowed inherited runners to score, when three of the six scored in A&M's 16-11 win over Holy Cross. TY SCHLOTTMANN has been the most tested out of the bullpen and he has been up to the task, stranding eight of his nine inherited runners. KYLE SI-MONDS has stranded all four runners he has inherited.
PITCHER WEDGE
KYLE SIMONDS marks the only player on the squad to not play high school baseball. Simonds spent his springs at Grand Island (Neb.) Central Catholic High School playing golf. Skilled on the links, Simonds qualified for the Nebraska Class C state tournament all four years, finishing 11th at the championship as a junior. He got his share of baseball in the summers staring for American Legion squad Home Federal. He went 2-for-2 with one double, one home run and three RBI at the Cornhusker League All-Star Game in July 2012.
Simonds honed his pitching skills at Hutchinson Community College where he blossomed last year. As a sophomore, he was named the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Pitcher of the Year, posting a 13-0 record (13 wins led the nation) and a 2.30 ERA. He broke single sea-son school records for wins (13), complete-games (nine), shutouts (three) and strikeouts (103) in 2014.
The northpaw has been impressive in his four appearance this season. Simonds has not yielded a run in 9.1 innings, striking out 10 and scattering seven hits. In his first career outing, he retired 12 of 13 batters, he faced with the only batter reaching base on a HBP, as he blanked Holy Cross for 4.0 innings with four strikeouts. In his last appearance, Simonds scattered three hits over 2.1 innings against Stephen F. Austin, striking out four Lumberjacks. He blanked Penn State for two frames in the series opener.
STOUT BULLPEN
They have only been thrown in tight situations on a few occasions thus far in 2015, but the Aggies' bullpen has been solid. Twelve pitchers have combined to work 45.0 innings out of the bullpen, posting a 4-0 record, five saves, a 1.65 ERA, 33 hits and just five walks while striking out 41. The bullpen sports a WHIP of 0.84, opponent batting average of .205 and an 8.2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
KYLE SIMONDS has worked the most innings, weaving 9.1 scoreless frames, scattering seven hits while striking out 10 in four appearances. He owns one of the Aggies' five saves, a four-inning outing in the season opener against Holy Cross. TY SCHLOTTMANN has been called on the most, with nine appearances. The southpaw has worked 7.2 frames, earning a 1-0 record with 1.17 ERA, scattering five hits and two walks while striking out six. RYAN HENDRIX leads the Aggies with three saves. He has made five appearances, working 5.2 scoreless innings, scattering three hits and one walk while striking out five.
FOR STARTERS
Aggie starting pitchers have been solid in 2015, posting a 9-0 record with a 2.00 ERA after 13 games. A&M starters are holding opponents to a .251 batting and boast a 3.67-to-1 strikeouts-to-walk ratio (77/21). AJ MINTER (2-0) owns a 0.56 ERA, has held opponents to a .210 batting average and has allowed just five runs, one unearned, while striking out 23 in 16.0 innings over his first three starts. MATT KENT is also 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA, allowing seven runs, five earned, in 19.2 innings of work. The junior lefty boasts A&M's two longest starts. He has issued just one walk on the season, while striking out 17.
SEEMS LIKE JUST LAST YEAR
Here's a comparison of the Aggies offensive numbers through 13 games in 2014 and 2015.
2014
2015
Batting Average
.252
.342
Runs Per Game
5.15
8.92
Runs
67
116
Home Runs
5
17
RBI
62
107
Slugging Percentage
.343
.540
On-Base Percentage
.351
.443
STREAKS
NICK BANKS is in the midst of his longest career hit streak at 12 games. Banks has a hit in all 12 of the games he has played in 2015. He's batting .444 (20-for-45) with 13 runs, four doubles, one triple, one home run, 14 RBI and three stolen bases.
KYLE SIMONDS is on a 9.1 inning scoreless streak, covering four outings. He's scattered seven hits while striking out 10 (no walks) over the span.
RYAN HENDRIX is unscored upon in five outings, covering 5.2 innings. He's scattered three hits and one walk while striking out five over the span.
BLAKE KOPETSKY is on a six-game hit streak and the junior has reached base in all eight of the games he has played in this season. He owns a .412 batting average and .524 on-base percentage over the span, hitting 7-for-17 with four walks, three runs, one double, one triple, one stolen base and two RBI.
HUNTER MELTON is on a five-game hit streak. He's batting .444 (8-for-18) with three runs, one double, one home run and eight RBI over the span.
The Aggies own a 14-game win streak at Blue Bell Park dating back to the 2014 season.
MORE PITCHING AND BULLPEN NOTES
The Aggie bullpen has allowed one run in the last 24.2 innings of work dating back to the Saturday contest against Penn State. The relief pitchers have scattered 13 hits and two walks while striking out 20 over the span. The run includes three bullpen wins and four saves. The stretch included a string of 23.0 consecutive innings without yielding a run.
In the last 11 games, Texas A&M pitchers have held opponents to 84 hits and 18 walks while striking out 97 in 99.0 innings of work. The staff owns a 1.45 ERA, .228 opponent batting average and 1.03 WHIP during the span.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to action Tuesday as they host the UT Pan American Broncs in a pair of games on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The Tuesday game starts at 6:35 pm and Wednesday's first pitch is slated for 3:05 pm.
A&M: Aggies Face First Road Test at Houston CC
UH: Baseball To Take On The Houston College Classic At Minute Maid Park
The University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warrior baseball squad (5-8) remained on the mainland after a four-game non-conference set with Pepperdine, heading southeast to Texas for their next challenge this weekend. The 'Bows will open competition in the Houston College Classic on Friday (March 6) against a trio of schools at Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros.
The 'Bows travel into the Lone Star State on a three-game slide, falling in the final three series games to Pepperdine. The 'Bows proved strong offensively at times against the Waves, but faced sound pitching every outing. Pacing UH offensively this season is freshman first baseman Eric Ramirez, who ties Jordan Richartz for the team high in RBI (11), while hitting .386, which ranks 11th in the big-hitting Big West. Redshirt junior outfielder Alan Baldwin has also been doing his part, hitting .297 with eight (8) RBI. Over the weekend, the 'Bows got key performances from Richartz, with six (6) RBI and five (5) runs scored against the Waves, and JJ Kitaoka, who batted .357 in replacing injured Stephen Ventimilia in the infield.
Despite taking losses, starting pitchers LJ Brewster and Kyle Von Ruden held their own against the Waves. Brewster went a career-long seven innings with a career-high eight (8) strikeouts, while Von Ruden went five frames before making an exit after being hit by a line drive, striking out three (3) and allowing a single earned run. Battling through a big-hitting series opener, Tyler Brashears gave some runs, three (3) earned, but battled through for the win over the waves.
Hawai'i will begin Classic play on Friday against recently-ranked Baylor a 12:05 p.m. CT (8:05 a.m. HT). This is the first meeting between Baylor and Hawai'i. The Bears (6-5) opened the 2015 season with a 6-2 record to jump into the rankings after a straight sweep of Big West opponent then-13th ranked Cal Poly. However, as the BWC moved them into the spotlight, it also took it away, with Baylor dropping all three contests last weekend at Cal State Fullerton.
The Bears hit well, averaging .280 as a team, but have seen challenges keeping opposing offenses checked in the early season, logging a 5.29 team ERA. At the plate, senior outfielder Logan Brown has been the steadiest of all Baylor hitters. The 2014 Rawlings/ABCA Gold Glove teamer has started in all 11 games, and is hitting .359 with a team-high eight (8) RBI and nine (9) runs scored. Topping four Bears hitting over .300, sophomore catcher/first baseman Aaron Dodson is BU's extra base man, recording four (4) doubles, one (1) triple and one (1) home run in just seven games, while hitting a team-leading .429.
Next up in the College Classic is Nebraska on Saturday (March 7) at 12:05 p.m. CT (8:05 a.m. HT). Despite their distance apart, it is a deep series, this being the 23rd meeting. UH leads the all-time series 15-7, but these teams haven't met since 1998. After finishing last season in the NCAA (Stillwater) Regionals with 41 wins, the Huskers have opened this season 6-4, winning four of their last five games, including a 2-1 series win at Loyola Marymount last weekend. Before taking on the Rainbow Warriors, the Huskers will meet No. 11 Texas A&M in the Classic.
The Huskers' offense is concentrated on three key hitters Ryan Boldt, Jake Schleppenbach and Blake Headley. NU's center fielder, Boldt has started each game and leads the Huskers with a .459 average, topping the squad in both hits (17) and runs scored (10), aided by a .512 on-base percentage. At second base, Schleppenbach hits .361 through 10 games, scoring six (6) runs on a .425 OBP. A senior third baseman, Headley is adept at bringing Huskers home, hitting .351 with a team-best five (5) doubles and a triple, tallying a team-high 13 RBI.
The 'Bows round out the three-game weekend with the eighth-ranked Houston Cougars on Sunday (March 8) at 6:05 p.m. CT (1 p.m. HT), meeting for the first time. The Cougars (8-5) have proven adept in both phases of the game, recording a .285 batting average and 3.32 team ERA so far. The Cougars have been on the rise through the early season. However, they took a drop in the polls this week after dropping 2-of-3 to 2014 Ivy League Champion Columbia at home.
Seven Houston hitters are averaging over .270 on the year, all starters. Leading the way is junior first baseman Chris Iriart with a .364 average, 11 RBI, 10 runs and a team-high three (3) home runs. Classmate and right fielder Kyle Survance isn't far behind with a .340 average, using his speed to leg out extra base hits and a team-best 11 steals. Freshman shortstop Connor Wong is making his mark as well, batting .327 with two (2) doubles, one (1) triple and two (2) home runs, leading the team with 14 RBI. The Cougars will be tested before meeting Hawai'i, facing No. 2 LSU and No. 11 Texas A&M in Classic play.
After taking in the tournament, the 'Bows will return to Honolulu, opening an eight-game home stand with a four-set versus Oklahoma, March 12-15 at Les Murakami Stadium.
Games 15-17
What: Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors at the Houston College Classic (Baylor, Nebraska, Houston)
When: (Baylor) Friday, March 6 (12:05 p.m. CT/8:05 a.m. HT)
(Nebraska) Saturday, March 7 (12:05 p.m. CT/8:05 a.m. HT)
(No. 8 Houston) Sunday, March 8 (6:05 p.m. CT/1:05 p.m. HT)
Where: Houston, Texas (Minute Maid Park)
Television: ROOT Sports Southwest, the television home of the Houston Astros, will televise all games of the tournament. Please check here to verify if your cable/satellite provider carries the channel.
Streaming Video: None
Radio: The entire Houston College Classic will be broadcast live on ESPN AM 1420, picking up the opponent radio feeds from Minute Maid Park
Audio Webcast: www.espn1420am.com
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be provided throughout the Houston College Classic
Baylor Live Stats: http://bit.ly/1DY5T4c
Nebraska Live Stats: TBA
Houston Live Stats: http://bit.ly/1GLkCQy
UH: Baseball To Take On The Houston Classic
The University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warrior baseball squad (5-8) remained on the mainland after a four-game non-conference set with Pepperdine, heading southeast to Texas for their next challenge this weekend. The 'Bows will open competition in the Houston College Classic on Friday (March 6) against a trio of schools at Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros.
The 'Bows travel into the Lone Star State on a three-game slide, falling in the final three series games to Pepperdine. The 'Bows proved strong offensively at times against the Waves, but faced sound pitching every outing. Pacing UH offensively this season is freshman first baseman Eric Ramirez, who ties Jordan Richartz for the team high in RBI (11), while hitting .386, which ranks 11th in the big-hitting Big West. Redshirt junior outfielder Alan Baldwin has also been doing his part, hitting .297 with eight (8) RBI. Over the weekend, the 'Bows got key performances from Richartz, with six (6) RBI and five (5) runs scored against the Waves, and JJ Kitaoka, who batted .357 in replacing injured Stephen Ventimilia in the infield.
Despite taking losses, starting pitchers LJ Brewster and Kyle Von Ruden held their own against the Waves. Brewster went a career-long seven innings with a career-high eight (8) strikeouts, while Von Ruden went five frames before making an exit after being hit by a line drive, striking out three (3) and allowing a single earned run. Battling through a big-hitting series opener, Tyler Brashears gave some runs, three (3) earned, but battled through for the win over the waves.
Hawai'i will begin Classic play on Friday against recently-ranked Baylor a 12:05 p.m. CT (8:05 a.m. HT). This is the first meeting between Baylor and Hawai'i. The Bears (6-5) opened the 2015 season with a 6-2 record to jump into the rankings after a straight sweep of Big West opponent then-13th ranked Cal Poly. However, as the BWC moved them into the spotlight, it also took it away, with Baylor dropping all three contests last weekend at Cal State Fullerton.
The Bears hit well, averaging .280 as a team, but have seen challenges keeping opposing offenses checked in the early season, logging a 5.29 team ERA. At the plate, senior outfielder Logan Brown has been the steadiest of all Baylor hitters. The 2014 Rawlings/ABCA Gold Glove teamer has started in all 11 games, and is hitting .359 with a team-high eight (8) RBI and nine (9) runs scored. Topping four Bears hitting over .300, sophomore catcher/first baseman Aaron Dodson is BU's extra base man, recording four (4) doubles, one (1) triple and one (1) home run in just seven games, while hitting a team-leading .429.
Next up in the College Classic is Nebraska on Saturday (March 7) at 12:05 p.m. CT (8:05 a.m. HT). Despite their distance apart, it is a deep series, this being the 23rd meeting. UH leads the all-time series 15-7, but these teams haven't met since 1998. After finishing last season in the NCAA (Stillwater) Regionals with 41 wins, the Huskers have opened this season 6-4, winning four of their last five games, including a 2-1 series win at Loyola Marymount last weekend. Before taking on the Rainbow Warriors, the Huskers will meet No. 11 Texas A&M in the Classic.
The Huskers' offense is concentrated on three key hitters Ryan Boldt, Jake Schleppenbach and Blake Headley. NU's center fielder, Boldt has started each game and leads the Huskers with a .459 average, topping the squad in both hits (17) and runs scored (10), aided by a .512 on-base percentage. At second base, Schleppenbach hits .361 through 10 games, scoring six (6) runs on a .425 OBP. A senior third baseman, Headley is adept at bringing Huskers home, hitting .351 with a team-best five (5) doubles and a triple, tallying a team-high 13 RBI.
The 'Bows round out the three-game weekend with the eighth-ranked Houston Cougars on Sunday (March 8) at 6:05 p.m. CT (1 p.m. HT), meeting for the first time. The Cougars (8-5) have proven adept in both phases of the game, recording a .285 batting average and 3.32 team ERA so far. The Cougars have been on the rise through the early season. However, they took a drop in the polls this week after dropping 2-of-3 to 2014 Ivy League Champion Columbia at home.
Seven Houston hitters are averaging over .270 on the year, all starters. Leading the way is junior first baseman Chris Iriart with a .364 average, 11 RBI, 10 runs and a team-high three (3) home runs. Classmate and right fielder Kyle Survance isn't far behind with a .340 average, using his speed to leg out extra base hits and a team-best 11 steals. Freshman shortstop Connor Wong is making his mark as well, batting .327 with two (2) doubles, one (1) triple and two (2) home runs, leading the team with 14 RBI. The Cougars will be tested before meeting Hawai'i, facing No. 2 LSU and No. 11 Texas A&M in Classic play.
After taking in the tournament, the 'Bows will return to Honolulu, opening an eight-game home stand with a four-set versus Oklahoma, March 12-15 at Les Murakami Stadium.
Games 15-17
What: Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors at the Houston College Classic (Baylor, Nebraska, Houston)
When: (Baylor) Friday, March 6 (12:05 p.m. CT/8:05 a.m. HT)
(Nebraska) Saturday, March 7 (12:05 p.m. CT/8:05 a.m. HT)
(No. 8 Houston) Sunday, March 8 (6:05 p.m. CT/1:05 p.m. HT)
Where: Houston, Texas (Minute Maid Park)
Television: ROOT Sports Southwest, the television home of the Houston Astros, will televise all games of the tournament. Please check here to verify if your cable/satellite provider carries the channel.
Streaming Video: None
Radio: The entire Houston College Classic will be broadcast live on ESPN AM 1420, picking up the opponent radio feeds from Minute Maid Park
Audio Webcast: www.espn1420am.com
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be provided throughout the Houston College Classic
Baylor Live Stats: http://bit.ly/1DY5T4c
Nebraska Live Stats: TBA
Houston Live Stats: http://bit.ly/1GLkCQy
UH: Baseball To Take On The Houston Classic
LSU: No. 2 Baseball Takes on No. 7 Houston in Classic
BATON ROUGE, La. - Second-ranked LSU (12-1) takes its first road trip of the season this weekend as the Tigers play in the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
LSU will face the University of Houston (8-4) at 7 p.m. CT Friday, Baylor (6-5) at 3:30 p.m. CT Saturday and Nebraska (6-4) at 11 am. CT Sunday.
The games will be carried on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network (in Baton Rouge, 98.1 FM on Friday and Sunday, and 100.7 FM on Saturday), and live audio and stats for the contests may be accessed at www.LSUsports.net.
All LSU games will be televised by Cox Sports Television and by Root Sports Southwest. There will be no online streaming of any games in the Houston College Classic
"We're very excited for this opportunity to play in a Major League ball park against some outstanding teams," said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. "Having played 13 games, we have a pretty sound idea about the strengths and weaknesses of our team, and this weekend allows us to continue to develop as we begin SEC play next week. We're looking forward to having a great experience this weekend and the chance to see the tremendous LSU following in the Houston area."
This weekend's event marks the second time in LSU baseball history the Tigers have played in an MLB ball park. LSU played in the 1995 Hormel Foods Classic at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, at the time the home of the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers won three straight games over Florida State, Michigan and Minnesota in the Metrodome.
LSU is No. 2 in the Baseball America poll and No. 3 in the Collegiate Baseball rankings and enters Friday's game riding a nine-game win streak.
Mainieri said sophomore left-hander Jared Poche' (3-0) will start Friday's game on the mound for the Tigers, while Houston coach Todd Whitting will counter with sophomore right-hander Andrew Lantrip (3-0).
Poche' improved to 3-0 this season by defeating Princeton last Friday in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. He limited Princeton to two runs on six hits in 6.2 innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Poche has a 12-3 mark in his two seasons at LSU with a 2.37 career ERA.
LSU is hitting .334 on the year with nine home runs and 27 steals in 31 attempts. The Tigers are led at the plate by senior catcher Kade Scivicque, who is batting .448 (13-for-29) with three doubles, three homers, 10 RBI and 11 runs. Sophomore outfielder Jake Fraley is hitting .400 (12-for-30) with three doubles, three triples and seven RBI, while junior outfielder Mark Laird is batting .396 (19-for-48) with two doubles, five RBI, 14 runs and five steals.
Senior infielder Conner Hale has hit safely in all 13 of LSU's games this season, and he is batting .327 (18-for-55) on the year with five doubles, one triple, 10 RBI and nine runs scored.
Houston is hitting .277 as a team with seven home runs and 21 steals in 24 attempts. Junior first baseman Chris Iriart is batting .348 (16-for-46) with two doubles, three homers and 11 RBI, junior outfielder Kyle Survance is batting .333 (18-for-54) with one double, two triples, six RBI and 11 steals, and freshman infielder Connor Wong is hitting .321 (17-for-53) with two doubles, one triple, two homers and 14 RBI.
Houston leads, 25-19, in the all-time series with LSU that began in 1975. The teams met three times last season in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, with LSU defeating UH, 5-1, in the second round of the regional before the Cougars rebounded with 5-4 (11 innings) and 12-2 victories over the Tigers to win the regional. LSU and Houston also met in NCAA Regional play in 1985 at Austin (11-4 UH win) and in 1990 at Baton Rouge (6-4 LSU win).
Houston College Classic
#8 Houston Cougars (8-4) vs. #2 LSU Fighting Tigers (12-1)
LSU will play Baylor (6-5) on Saturday and Nebraska (6-4) on Sunday
DATES/TIMES
vs. Houston on Friday, March 6 - 7 p.m. CT
vs. Baylor on Saturday, March 7 - 3:30 p.m. CT
vs. Nebraska on Sunday, March 8 - 11 a.m. CT
STADIUM
Minute Maid Park in Houston
RANKINGS
LSU - No. 2 by Baseball America; No. 3 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 5 by USA Today
Houston - No. 8 by Baseball America; No. 12 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 13 by USA Today
Baylor - unranked
Nebraska - unranked
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge (Friday and Sunday); WTGE 100.7 FM in Baton Rouge (Saturday)
LSUsports.net - live audio and live stats
TV
All games will be televised by Cox Sports Television and by Root Sports Southwest
*There will be no online streaming of any games in the Houston College Classic
SERIES RECORD VS. HOUSTON
Houston leads, 25-19, in the all-time series with LSU that began in 1975. The teams met three times last season in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, with LSU defeating UH, 5-1, in the second round of the regional before the Cougars rebounded with 5-4 (11 innings) and 12-2 victories over the Tigers to win the regional. LSU and Houston also met in NCAA Regional play in 1985 at Austin (11-4 UH win) and in 1990 at Baton Rouge (6-4 LSU win).
PITCHING MATCHUP VS. HOUSTON
LSU - Jr. LHP Jared Poche' (3-0, 1.96 ERA, 18.1 IP, 5 BB, 13 SO)
UH - So. RHP Andrew Lantrip (3-0, 0.46 ERA, 19.2 IP, 3 BB, 16 SO)
LSU: No. 2 Baseball Takes on No. 7 Houston
BATON ROUGE, La. - Second-ranked LSU (12-1) takes its first road trip of the season this weekend as the Tigers play in the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
LSU will face the University of Houston (8-4) at 7 p.m. CT Friday, Baylor (6-5) at 3:30 p.m. CT Saturday and Nebraska (6-4) at 11 am. CT Sunday.
The games will be carried on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network (in Baton Rouge, 98.1 FM on Friday and Sunday, and 100.7 FM on Saturday), and live audio and stats for the contests may be accessed at www.LSUsports.net.
All LSU games will be televised by Cox Sports Television and by Root Sports Southwest. There will be no online streaming of any games in the Houston College Classic
"We're very excited for this opportunity to play in a Major League ball park against some outstanding teams," said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. "Having played 13 games, we have a pretty sound idea about the strengths and weaknesses of our team, and this weekend allows us to continue to develop as we begin SEC play next week. We're looking forward to having a great experience this weekend and the chance to see the tremendous LSU following in the Houston area."
This weekend's event marks the second time in LSU baseball history the Tigers have played in an MLB ball park. LSU played in the 1995 Hormel Foods Classic at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, at the time the home of the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers won three straight games over Florida State, Michigan and Minnesota in the Metrodome.
LSU is No. 2 in the Baseball America poll and No. 3 in the Collegiate Baseball rankings and enters Friday's game riding a nine-game win streak.
Mainieri said sophomore left-hander Jared Poche' (3-0) will start Friday's game on the mound for the Tigers, while Houston coach Todd Whitting will counter with sophomore right-hander Andrew Lantrip (3-0).
Poche' improved to 3-0 this season by defeating Princeton last Friday in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. He limited Princeton to two runs on six hits in 6.2 innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Poche has a 12-3 mark in his two seasons at LSU with a 2.37 career ERA.
LSU is hitting .334 on the year with nine home runs and 27 steals in 31 attempts. The Tigers are led at the plate by senior catcher Kade Scivicque, who is batting .448 (13-for-29) with three doubles, three homers, 10 RBI and 11 runs. Sophomore outfielder Jake Fraley is hitting .400 (12-for-30) with three doubles, three triples and seven RBI, while junior outfielder Mark Laird is batting .396 (19-for-48) with two doubles, five RBI, 14 runs and five steals.
Senior infielder Conner Hale has hit safely in all 13 of LSU's games this season, and he is batting .327 (18-for-55) on the year with five doubles, one triple, 10 RBI and nine runs scored.
Houston is hitting .277 as a team with seven home runs and 21 steals in 24 attempts. Junior first baseman Chris Iriart is batting .348 (16-for-46) with two doubles, three homers and 11 RBI, junior outfielder Kyle Survance is batting .333 (18-for-54) with one double, two triples, six RBI and 11 steals, and freshman infielder Connor Wong is hitting .321 (17-for-53) with two doubles, one triple, two homers and 14 RBI.
Houston leads, 25-19, in the all-time series with LSU that began in 1975. The teams met three times last season in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, with LSU defeating UH, 5-1, in the second round of the regional before the Cougars rebounded with 5-4 (11 innings) and 12-2 victories over the Tigers to win the regional. LSU and Houston also met in NCAA Regional play in 1985 at Austin (11-4 UH win) and in 1990 at Baton Rouge (6-4 LSU win).
Houston College Classic
#8 Houston Cougars (8-4) vs. #2 LSU Fighting Tigers (12-1)
LSU will play Baylor (6-5) on Saturday and Nebraska (6-4) on Sunday
DATES/TIMES
vs. Houston on Friday, March 6 - 7 p.m. CT
vs. Baylor on Saturday, March 7 - 3:30 p.m. CT
vs. Nebraska on Sunday, March 8 - 11 a.m. CT
STADIUM
Minute Maid Park in Houston
RANKINGS
LSU - No. 2 by Baseball America; No. 3 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 5 by USA Today
Houston - No. 8 by Baseball America; No. 12 by Collegiate Baseball; No. 13 by USA Today
Baylor - unranked
Nebraska - unranked
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge (Friday and Sunday); WTGE 100.7 FM in Baton Rouge (Saturday)
LSUsports.net - live audio and live stats
TV
All games will be televised by Cox Sports Television and by Root Sports Southwest
*There will be no online streaming of any games in the Houston College Classic
SERIES RECORD VS. HOUSTON
Houston leads, 25-19, in the all-time series with LSU that began in 1975. The teams met three times last season in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, with LSU defeating UH, 5-1, in the second round of the regional before the Cougars rebounded with 5-4 (11 innings) and 12-2 victories over the Tigers to win the regional. LSU and Houston also met in NCAA Regional play in 1985 at Austin (11-4 UH win) and in 1990 at Baton Rouge (6-4 LSU win).
PITCHING MATCHUP VS. HOUSTON
LSU - Jr. LHP Jared Poche' (3-0, 1.96 ERA, 18.1 IP, 5 BB, 13 SO)
UH - So. RHP Andrew Lantrip (3-0, 0.46 ERA, 19.2 IP, 3 BB, 16 SO)
LSU: No. 2 Baseball Takes on No. 7 Houston
D1 - College Weekend Preview: March 6-8
This Week:
1. Louisville Aims For Normalcy Against Miami - Kendall Rogers
2. Illinois Looks To Make Statement - Aaron Fitt
3. Dodgertown Classic Preview - Aaron Fitt
4. Houston College Classic Preview - Kendall Rogers
Louisville Looks To Return To Normal
It's been a long and well-traveled road to get here, but Louisville finally is ready to begin Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend at home against Miami, assuming the army of players and athletic department personnel can get the field cleared of the several inches of snow blanketing the synthetic turf at Jim Patterson Stadium.
It has been a whirlwind of a past few weeks for Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell. His club has had a series completely moved from Louisville, Ky., to Emerson, Ga., on just a couple of days notice because of brutally bad wintry weather. And on top of that, the Cardinals, who sit at 8-4 overall, haven't completely played their best brand of baseball just yet but who could blame them with the obstacles they've had to overcome thus far?
Drew Harrington (Louisville)
Drew Harrington (Louisville)
As we're on the eve of the Cardinals' first ACC series against perennial power Miami, a team looking to make a statement in chilly Kentucky this weekend, McDonnell began his day doing anything but preparing for the Hurricanes. He spent the morning talking with 'Canes head coach Jim Morris, both coaches wondering if the series needed to be pushed back to Saturday because UM was having trouble getting a flight to Louisville because of the heavy snow and icy conditions in the northern half of the country. McDonnell also is the leader of the movement to get the several inches of snow cleared off the field, something that's of great importance with the series 24 hours away.
"I've got a big group of guys right here ready to clear the field," McDonnell said with a laugh. "But not me, I'm doing other things. I'm the guy driving all over the place getting pizza and other food to make sure everyone is fed while they're doing it [clearing the field].
"The last two winters have been especially brutal for us. It's really affected some of the northern schools, and it's caused some teams to struggle a great deal early on," McDonnell continued. "Everyone was saying this was going to be a bad winter, then we get to practice outside during spring workouts because the weather was so great. Then bam, we get all of this. The kids are invincible, but this type of thing is a nightmare for coaches and administrators. It's pretty absurd."
Absurd, controversial, or whatever else you want to call this winter and the mid-February start date, the games must go on and the Cardinals enter the weekend looking to make a statement, proving to the country they deserved a lofty preseason ranking.
"We're good, but we're definitely not great just yet," McDonnell said. "The great thing is that we can get much better and we can play better defense, run the bases better, and so on. It's been a little challenging with these really low temperatures early in the season, but I think we're starting to hit a little better.
"The good thing about this is you start to learn a lot about your team," he continued. "What we found out the first 12 games is that we have some young super stars, and everyone else will eventually follow suit."
As the Cardinals fought their way to the College World Series last season, they had plenty of intriguing young players. Outfielder Corey Ray, now a sophomore, was someone we all thought was a premier talent. But in terms of this freshman class, the Cards have some great options, including two-way player Brendan McKay, who McDonnell is handing some extremely impressive comparisons to. McKay is hitting .529 in 17 at-bats, while he possesses an unblemished ERA in five appearances.
"I was fortunate enough to coach Stephen Head as an assistant at Ole Miss, and he was one of the greatest two-way players in college baseball history. McKay has that type of star power about him," McDonnell said. "He's very even keel, he's a tough Pittsburgh kid, and he's a little sheltered in the world of baseball. He didn't go to all this summer baseball stuff or the showcases. As a result of that, he's very team oriented, low key and he's a guy that's all about the team. He's not about himself at all.
"You flip him the ball, or get him at the plate, and he just attacks," he continued. "He's got a fastball that will sit around 88-91 mph, but he's got very good control of that pitch, and he adds a good changeup and a plus curveball. It's an upper-70s pitch with some good tilt, and it's a hard curveball on a strong downward angle."
"You flip him the ball, or get him at the plate, and he just attacks," he continued. "He's got a fastball that will sit around 88-91 mph, but he's got very good control of that pitch, and he adds a good changeup and a plus curveball. It's an upper-70s pitch with some good tilt, and it's a hard curveball on a strong downward angle."
McDonnell might not have as lofty of comparisons for other freshmen on this team, but he feels very good about Devin Hairston .333/.400/.571, Blake Tiberi and Colby Fitch, with Tiberi and Fitch guys he believes will be high impact players as the season progresses.
"Those guys are good, young bats for us. As a coach, it's always good to coach and have a few young guys you feel are going to make an impact, because each year you're having to replace somebody pretty good," he said. "I like our depth right now. We have a lot of options at the plate, and we have a lot of options on the mound even without some guys."
Though Drew Harrington has been terrific out of the bullpen for the Cards, they do enter the opening ACC series against the Hurricanes without a pair of very talented arms in Zack Burdi and Jake Sparger. Both pitchers are dealing with injuries, with Burdi having a muscle strain and Sparger banged up. The bad news is they aren't available against Zack Collins, Carl Chester and the 'Canes. The good news? Both pitchers are expected to be back next weekend when UL hosts Boston College.
"Both of those guys are throwing, but they're not game ready," he said. "We've gone a month of the season with arguably our best setup guy and our projected power-armed closer. They've been throwing short boxes, bullpens and everything else, but they're not quite ready. With that said, we've had some guys step up for us."
Though ace righthander and one of the top prospects for this year's draft Kyle Funkhouser was roughed up by Arkansas State a few weeks ago, McDonnell said he returned to his normal self for the most part against Xavier last weekend. Anthony Kidston remains a consistent and quality arm for the Cards, while one of the big keys moving forward is getting Josh Rogers back on track. The sophomore lefthander has a surprisingly high 8.36 ERA entering the UM series.
"He's had two bad starts, where he's been missing over the plate. He wasn't making two-strike pitches and that cost him," he said. "I felt like Josh had a good start last weekend, and we feel good about him moving forward, and this pitching staff as a whole once we get everyone healthy."
This weekend's series between the Cardinals and Hurricanes will be a very good measuring stick for both clubs. The Cardinals don't have a marquee series win to their credit just yet, and the 'Canes came up short against Florida a few weeks ago.
Now, if they can just get that pesky snow cleared.
More From The ACC
• North Carolina logoDuke Blue Devils logoNorth Carolina hosts Duke this weekend in one of the more interesting series of the ACC's opening weekend. The Blue Devils swept the Tar Heels last year in Durham, and UNC surely has revenge on its mind. But the Tar Heels will still be without bullpen stalwart Reilly Hovis, who is out for an undetermined period of time with a strained forearm, which prompted them to move Trent Thornton back to the bullpen last week. Thornton is well suited for the relief role, and he saved both halves of UNC's doubleheader sweep against Rhode Island last Friday, then picked up another save Monday at Liberty. But he gave up three runs in an inning when UNC brought him back to face VCU on Wednesday. UNC coach Mike Fox also said it is uncertain whether or not outfielder Skye Bolt will be back in the starting lineup this weekend. He was out of the lineup for a violation of team rules on Monday, then came off the bench to pinch-hit Wednesday.
Duke has started the season 10-1 against a soft nonconference schedule, though they opened with a nice series win on the West Coast against California. This weekend affords the Blue Devils a chance to make a real splash. Duke will start righty Andrew Istler on Friday, then marquee prospect Michael Matuella on Saturday (with a 40-pitch limit while he works his way back from some arm soreness), and Bailey Clark on Sunday. Theoretically, UNC's lefthanded-leaning lineup matches up well against Duke's all-righty rotation, but those are three quality righties for the Blue Devils. Clark has taken a nice jump as a sophomore, working regularly in the low 90s with good secondary stuff, and Istler is a proven bulldog with good stuff.
• Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets logoNotre Dame logoNotre Dame takes on Georgia Tech in another intriguing ACC series. The Fighting Irish, like the Blue Devils, are off to a 10-1 start, and their resume includes a pair of quality wins at Oklahoma in the first week of the season. Notre Dame's lineup features one of the nation's hottest hitters in Cavan Biggio (.525/.630/.950 with seven homers, two triples, two homers and 11 RBIs in 11 games), and the pitching staff has been solid, sporting a 2.94 team ERA. The Yellow Jackets are 9-3 overall and coming off a dominating sweep of Indiana State last weekend. Tech allowed just three runs total in those three games, as Jonathan King allowed just one hit over six shutout frames Friday, Ben Parr provided five stellar innings of relief Saturday, and Brandon Gold yielded just one hit over seven shutout Sunday. The Jackets' lineup is imposing, and if they continues to pitch like this, they should be a real factor in the ACC.
• Atlantic Coast logoMore ACC action kicks off this weekend as well. Boston College heads down to Florida State with a 5-6 record, and it will be interesting to see how rising power hitter Chris Shaw fares in a very hitter-friendly ballpark at Dick Howser Stadium. Shaw .256/.388/.513 isn't off to a terrific start from a batting average standpoint, but does have three homers and 17 RBIs, and should begin to establish more consistency Pittsburgh heads to Virginia, Virginia Tech to Wake Forest, and Clemson hopes to continue its hot ways against North Carolina State. You can see Aaron Fitt's look back at rising CU righthander Brody Koerner by Clicking Here.
Pitching-rich Illinois Eager To Shine In Oklahoma
The identity of Illinois' program has undergone a transformation in recent years. When Drew Dickinson was a senior for the Illini in 2002, the program was known more for its offense, and it seldom landed premier arms. Now Dickinson is the pitching coach, and he oversees one of the most talented pitching staffs in college baseball.
"Obviously pitching has never been our strong suit, especially in the North - good arms always go South," Dickinson said. "We've always hit, stolen bases, scored runs, played great defense - but we never had an ERA below 5. My first recruiting class came in in '13, and last year was the lowest ERA in school history, and now this season, it's just a culmination of guys buying in.
"I'm not afraid to say, you'd be hard-pressed to show me a better pitching staff in the entire country. Shoot, to have a first-rounder who's the closer and should probably be starting is just nuts to me. The execution level is through the roof."
"I'm not afraid to say, you'd be hard-pressed to show me a better pitching staff in the entire country. Shoot, to have a first-rounder who's the closer and should probably be starting is just nuts to me. The execution level is through the roof."
Few staffs have the luxury of being able to put a marquee arm like Tyler Jay in the back of the bullpen, and Dickinson is convinced the power lefthander has a future as a starter in pro ball, because he has the ability to command four very good pitches. But Illinois has four other bona fide rotation options in lefthanders Kevin Duchene and Rob McDonnell and righties Drasen Johnson and John Kravetz, so it can leave Jay in the bullpen, where he gives the team confidence that Illinois will win any game in which it leads after six innings. Hard-throwing righties Cody Sedlock, Nick Blackburn and Reid Roper make this bullpen even more formidable.
Throw in a veteran lineup with postseason experience, and Illinois looks like a very complete club. The Illini know they have a chance to serve notice to the rest of college baseball that they are a legitimate College World Series contender this weekend, when they travel to No. 21 Oklahoma State for a three-game series. The Illini carry a 9-2-1 record into the weekend, and they are brimming with confidence.
"This program, I think, needs a statement, kind of like what Indiana did in '13 and '14, to force the issue - 'Hey man, baseball's good here,' " Dickinson said. "I think Omaha's the only way you do that. We have a group that that's all they care about, that's all they talk about. We believe 100 percent we're an Omaha club. We definitely have a chip on our shoulder of wanting to get respect, and it's fun."
Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb said his team is self-motivated and mature, so he doesn't have to say anything to get his club ready to play against Oklahoma State, or anybody else. The lineup is loaded with quality seniors, led by Roper, McDonnell, Kravetz, Johnson, first baseman David Kerian and outfielders Casey Fletcher and Will Krug.
Tyler Jay (Illinois)
Tyler Jay (Illinois)
"You can't coach experience. These guys have been through ups and downs, which is part of athletics as you know," Hartleb said. "So to have those guys that have seen a lot, played at a high level, played in Big Ten tournaments and regionals, you can't coach those things. This group has worked extremely hard. Not only do we have veteran guys - sometimes you have veteran guys and it's not a good thing, so you have some seniors that have maybe shut it down because they don't think they'll have an opportunity to play beyond college. This group, that's not an issue. They get along, they're fun to be around, they care about each other and the program. It's a fun, fun group."
Hartleb said he has been pleased with his team's solid defense, anchored by the athletic middle-infield duo of Adam Walton and Roper (who plays second base and occasionally pitches in relief), as well as the speedy Krug in center field and junior Jason Goldstein behind the plate. That quartet makes Illinois very strong up the middle, which helps the pitching staff.
Walton, Krug and Roper also make the offense go out of the top three spots in the lineup. Roper was pull-oriented earlier in his career and had some holes in his swing, but he's using the entire field more this year, and he has been Illinois' best hitter in the first three weeks, batting .413/.491/.609 with six extra-base hits and 13 RBIs. But this lineup relies more on balance than star power.
"The thing I like about our lineup, it's not necessarily a lineup where you have one guy you count on to carry you," Hartleb said. "From 1-9 we have quality at-bats and threats. I don't think we have any dead outs in our lineup."
But the biggest strength of this team is its superb pitching staff. Junior lefthander Kevin Duchene ranked among the top 30 prospects in the prestigious Cape Cod League last summer and has been a fixture in the rotation since he was a freshman. He missed the first two weeks while serving a suspension, but he returned to throw seven shutout innings last week against Ball State. He gives Illinois an unflappable ace on Friday nights to set the tone for the weekend.
"He understands how to pitch," Dickinson said. "He talks like a 10-year vet: 'I'm going to throw this pitch two inches off the plate, I'm going to run this ball in.' Guys don't talk like that. It helps him execute at a high level. And he has big nuts. He just doesn't lose. That's an innate trait, you can't teach that. I don't care if his fastball's 86-91, you watch him pitch, you will fall in love. Anybody he faces, he will get outs and will handle them. It doesn't matter what team he faces."
Duchene has always been able to mix in a good changeup and a solid curveball, but he has added a cutter/slider this year that he can back-foot against righties or get lefties to chase down and away. He can manipulate the pitch effectively, throwing it around 82 mph with more depth, or throwing a shorter, harder version around 85.
Johnson (1-0, 0.87 in 20.2 IP) is similarly savvy. He just attacks the strike zone with a heavy fastball in the 87-89 range that bumps 90 with good run and sink, and he mixes in an excellent changeup, a good slider and a serviceable curveball. It's not knockout stuff, but he does all of the little things necessary to win-he fields his position well, controls the running game, and is uncommonly efficient.
The Illini can go with Kravetz or McDonnell on Sundays depending on matchups-this week they are leaning toward Kravetz, another dogged competitor with a funky, deceptive delivery and good run and sink on his 84-88 fastball. He also mixes three offspeed pitches effectively. McDonnell works at 88-92 from the left side with a changeup that Dickinson calls the best on the team. "He'll tell you he's going to throw it three times in a row, and three times in a row you'll swing and miss," Dickinson said.
Last weekend, the Illini played four games in a tournament in Myrtle Beach, then a fifth game Monday at Coastal Carolina. They showed they have the pitching depth to handle it. They started Sedlock on Monday, and he responded four innings of no-hit ball, sitting at 92-93 mph and touching 95-96. He also has a wipeout 12-to-6 power curveball at 80 mph. After Sedlock exited, Blackburn came in and showed 93-95 mph heat, though he pitched more at 91-93 earlier in the weekend in colder weather. He also features a nice slider. He was followed by 6-foot-6 lefty J.D. Nielsen, who has found success after dropping to a sidearm slot, making his 86-88 fastball play up.
Jay finished the game with three hitless innings, overpowering the Chanticleers with a fastball that sat at 93-96 from the left side and three very good secondary pitches. Last year, his slider was his go-to putaway pitch, but now Hartleb said he rates all of Jay's offspeed pitches the same.
"The lefthanders can't hit the slider, but now he's developed this changeup that's a disgusting pitch-just ridiculous fade and sink, and it's an 86-88 mph changeup," Dickinson said. "So I get mad because Tyler throws his changeup harder than I threw my fastball. They're all legit offerings that he commands in the strike zone at all times. Guys are gearing up for the fastball at 95, then he drops the changeup on you and you look like a fool. The curveball is 75-78, like a 12-to-6 breaking ball. The slider is anywhere from 82-84; lefthanders have no chance at it, and he'll throw it to righthanded hitters too. To watch the kid grow from year to year, to me it's special."
Scouts are always clamoring for premium arms to work as starters in college if they're capable of doing it, and Jay is clearly capable-the Illini emphasize that he's much more than just a one-inning thrower, and they are not afraid to extend him on a Sunday if he has not pitched much earlier in the weekend. So scouts might have to wait in pro ball to see him start on a regular basis, but he has a strong chance to be drafted in the first round regardless.
"He's throwing four pitches for strikes, and his command is so good," Hartleb said. "It's very poised. It's not one of those guys you throw out there and you hope he's going to throw strikes. He's a true pitcher with great velocity."
It isn't easy for a Northern program to build an elite pitching staff like this, but Dickinson is supremely confident in his abilities as a recruiter and an developer, and he complements the even-keeled Hartleb well. Over the last three years, the Illini have embraced the Velocity Plus Arm Care program developed by Tom House and Joe Newton, and Dickinson said the weighted-ball work has done wonders for the arm strength on his staff. The Illini hit on a number of key recruits over the last several years, and pitchers all seem to get better once they arrive on campus. The results speak for themselves.
"Coach Hartleb says, 'Drew, it's the best pitching staff I've ever seen at Illinois. It's going to be a tough problem but a good problem to have,' " Dickinson said. "There's just not innings to go around.
"The state of Illinois has unbelievable talent, and big schools try to come up and pluck talent all the time. But if we can make kids see, 'Hey, I don't need to leave to go to Omaha,' then we can have a staff like this every year. That's my goal."
Dodgertown Classic Preview: Four Thoughts
1. Time to test Vanderbilt's mettle.
Vanderbilt University logoIt hasn't been smooth sailing for the defending champions over the first three weeks of the season. The Commodores won hard-fought series against Santa Clara, Indiana State and Illinois State over the first two weeks, dropping games to the Broncos and Sycamores, and storming back from a 10-0 deficit Sunday to complete a sweep of the Redbirds. The 'Dores have shown plenty of moxie during their 10-2 start, and they have done it without one of the nation's best arms in junior righthander Walker Buehler, who made his season debut Tuesday with two hitless innings against Evansville. Expect to see Buehler at some point this weekend-probably Sunday against TCU. That will be one of the featured attractions of the best tournaments on the 2015 schedule.
Vandy's rotation has been fluid so far, with Friday starter Carson Fulmer as the only constant. Fulmer had his best outing of the young season last week against Illinois State, striking out 11 and allowing just two hits and three walks over six shutout innings. Friday he'll take on No. 4 UCLA and fellow junior righthander James Kaprielian in a true marquee matchup. Vandy will start sophomore lefthander John Kilichowski on Saturday at Southern California; he threw 5 1/3 shutout innings, allowing just two hits, last week against Illinois State, and he is providing some stability for the rotation while hard-throwing Tyler Ferguson continues to battle poor control. For now, lefty Philip Pfeifer appears entrenched at the back of the bullpen, while sophomore righty Hayden Stone's status is uncertain (he hasn't pitched since starting and throwing three shutout innings Feb. 24 against Tennessee-Martin). Pfeifer and Jordan Sheffield give the Commodores two power arms at the back of the bullpen, and Buehler's return could help the rotation realize its potential as the nation's best.
We still believe in the premier talent and depth of the Vanderbilt pitching staff, even though it has not yet completely clicked. But the offense has caught fire over the last six games, scoring nine of more runs in five of them, and 16 runs in three separate games. The top half of the lineup is very dangerous with Bryan Reynolds, Rhett Wiseman, Dansby Swanson, Zander Wiel and Will Toffey all locked in.
Vandy gets by far its stiffest test of the young season this weekend, facing a pair of top-six teams and a pitching-rich USC club that is off to a 12-1 start, albeit against a soft schedule. If Vanderbilt is truly the nation's best team, we'll find out this weekend.
2. Traver time.
TCU logoComing into the season, TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle talked about redshirt sophomore righthander Mitchell Traver as an X-factor. A 6-foot-9, 255-pound fireballer with tantalizing upside, Traver was limited by injury to one appearance over his first two years in Fort Worth, but he turned a corner in the Northwoods League last summer, and Schlossnagle thought he had a chance to emerge as a true ace if he could harness his potential.
"His last start in the fall, he threw five no-hit innings and didn't throw a fastball under 93. But he's thrown one-third of an inning in college," Schlossnagle said in January. "I could see a scenario where Traver continues to muddle along and doesn't do anything, or a scenario he becomes the Friday night starter. We've talked about that guy for two years, and he's been healthy for eight or nine months now. He's a wild card for sure."
Traver started the season in a midweek starter role and has been utterly dominant, going 2-0, 0.00 with 18 strikeouts and one walk in 16 innings. His fastball has been electric, but most importantly, he has been able to command it.
With lefthander Tyler Alexander struggling, the Horned Frogs are making a change in their rotation this weekend, calling upon Traver to start Friday night at USC. The rotation for the rest of the weekend remains undecided, but there is a solid chance lefthander Alex Young will go Saturday at UCLA and ace Preston Morrison will start Sunday against No. 1 Vandy at Dodger Stadium. The Frogs hope Traver can give them another strong outing Friday to keep the bullpen fresh. His outing will be one of the more interesting things to watch this weekend.
3. Finally, a true test for the Trojans.
Southern California logoUSC raced out to a 12-0 start before dropping a midweek game against UC Santa Barbara, but it's hard to know what to make of the Trojans because their weekend schedule has been extremely soft over the first two weeks. USC has dominated 0-7 Towson, 0-8 Oakland and 1-8 Fordham, three overmatched cold-weather opponents.
We projected Southern California as a regional team heading into the year, and this weekend we'll get a better feel for just how good this team is. The weekend rotation has been very strong thus far, allowing the Trojans to stick with Kyle Davis at the back of the bullpen. This weekend, they'll start junior righty Brent Wheatley (1-0, 2.12) on Friday against TCU, lefthander Kyle Twomey (3-0, 1.33) on Saturday against Vandy, and freshman righty Mitch Hart (2-0, 2.25) on Sunday against UCLA at Dodger Stadium. Twomey was one of the nation's top recruits coming out of high school and flashed potential over his first two seasons at USC, but this year he has improved his strike-throwing considerably over his first three starts, as attested by his 19-6 strikeout-walk mark in 20.1 innings. I'm looking forward to seeing how his breaking ball has progressed in his start against the dangerous Commodores; he showed up on campus as primarily a fastball-changeup pitcher, but he has worked hard to add a better breaking ball to his arsenal. He has a chance to be drafted in the first two rounds if that pitch has really developed.
Hart was the headliner of this year's recruiting class, and he has shown good feel for pitching with four offerings, including a 90-92 mph fastball, according to coach Dan Hubbs. Hubbs said Hart is still learning how to put hitters away, but his first few starts are encouraging. He'll have his hands full against UCLA's red-hot offense.
4. About that UCLA offense
UCLA logoThe Bruins scored 43 runs in their first three games against overmatched Hofstra, but they have continued to produce against better pitching the last two weeks, scoring 26 runs in three games against North Carolina's elite staff and 23 runs in a sweep of Michigan State, which has a veteran staff. So the Bruins will be ready for the front-line arms they'll see this weekend, starting with Fulmer.
Few hitters in college baseball have been hotter than UCLA junior outfielder Ty Moore, who enters the weekend hitting .511/.589/.600 with nine RBIs in 45 at-bats. Kevin Kramer (.426), Luke Persico (.360) and Chris Keck (.350) team with Moore to make UCLA very formidable in the top half of the lineup, though the bottom half has been less productive. Kramer, Moore and Keck are lefthanded, which is one reason it makes sense for TCU to throw lefty Alex Young against the Bruins on Saturday. Fulmer has a very good changeup and can handle lefthanded hitters well.
UCLA enters the weekend with an 11-1 record and also owns three solid midweek wins against Cal State Northridge (twice) and Long Beach State. With a winning weekend at Dodgertown, the Bruins can stake a claim as the nation's best team heading into the conference play.
Houston College Classic Preview: Four Thoughts
1. Texas A&M Finally Gets Competition
Texas AM logoThere's little doubt the Aggies are improved in a few areas this season, particularly offensively, where new hitting coach Will Bolt has transformed the Maroon & White into a more aggressive-oriented lineup. With that said, despite being just one of two power conference teams still undefeated (Virginia is the other), there are question marks about these Aggies for obvious reasons. Sure, the Aggies recorded a nice midweek win over Dallas Baptist earlier this week, but that was their first, yes, first quality victory, and they enter the weekend 265th nationally in Strength Of Schedule.
So, how will the Aggies handle a weekend filled with premier competition?
The Aggies are hitting .342 as a club and have slugged 17 homers with fast-rising shortstop turned outfielder Logan Taylor leading the charge. Taylor .405/.500/.644 has been a big-time power producer through 13 games with five homers and 11 RBIs. Preseason All-American Nick Banks .444/.500/.644 also is off to a terrific but not surprising start.
On the mound, the Aggies have more overall quality depth and power arms than usual, and no one right now is more decorated than physical lefthander A.J. Minter. Minter showed to be a big-time prospect over the summer, and has made quite an impressive transition from the bullpen to the Friday role in the absence of fellow lefty Tyler Stubblefield, who continues to rehab an ACL injury. Minter (0.56, 16 IP) will get a nice test against Nebraska to start the Houston College Classic, and is showing premium stuff thus far. Minter was been ranging from 92-95 mph with his fastball, touching 98 on multiple occasions despite colder than normal temperatures. His slider/cutter at 83-90 is a go-to offering for the talented lefty, while his changeup and curveball continue to make strides. Minter is evolving from a guy trying to punch hitters out into someone with potentially a true four-pitch mix.
2. Houston Has Will Tested
Remember before the season when we talked about how the Cougars were new to the idea of being one of the hunted? Well, the Cougars are starting to figure out what life is like when you're one of the nation's elite. The Cougars are getting tested at every turn, going 2-3 last week with a four-game series split with Columbia.
Jake Lemoine (Houston)
Jake Lemoine (Houston)
The Cougars hope to establish a little normalcy this weekend at Minute Maid Park, but it won't be easy with the teams on the schedule, including LSU and Texas A&M. The Tigers, who lost to the Cougars in the Baton Rouge Regional final last year, will be ready for sophomore righthander Andrew Lantrip and the Cougars in the primetime Friday matchup, while UH will need to turn around quickly the next night against righthander Grayson Long and sizzling Texas A&M. UH finishes the weekend against Hawaii, and desperately hopes senior righthander Aaron Garza can get back on track. Garza has been very much hittable so far this spring and carries a 5.94 ERA into the tourney.
To no surprise, the Cougars have gotten a hot start from talented junior outfielder Kyle Survance, while newcomers Chris Iriart and Connor Wong are exceeding expectations. Iriart, who's hitting .348, leads the team with three homers, while Wong is making the quick transition to big-time college baseball and is hitting .321 with two homers and 14 RBIs.
UH head coach Todd Whitting is about to find out a lot about his team this weekend.
3. LSU's Young Guns Hit The Road
Much like the Aggies, their SEC counterparts, the Tigers will face their stiffest test of the season thus far this weekend at Minute Maid Park. The Tigers played Kansas and Boston College in three-game sets before facing Princeton last weekend . Still, LSU does enter the weekend with the nation's 181st SOS, not exactly impressive.
Alex Lange (LSU)
Alex Lange (LSU)
The LSU offense, as very much expected, has been terrific with a .334 batting average and physical catcher Kade Scivicque .448/.486/.862 leading the charge with three homers and 10 RBIs, while Jake Fraley (.400) and Alex Bregman (.327) both are guys who can really make this offense go this weekend, especially the All-American shortstop.
On the mound, the Tigers have a rather unique situation with two freshmen in the weekend rotation in righthanders Alex Lange and Jake Godfrey. Lange has shown maturity beyond his years thus far, carrying a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings, along with 22 strikeouts and six walks, while Godfrey (1.26, 14.1 IP) has been solid despite not showing overpowering stuff. The Tigers, of course, love sure-handed lefthander and veteran Jared Poche, who will sit in the mid-to-upper 80s with his fastball with quality secondary stuff.
It's nice to see the Tigers willing to leave Baton Rouge before SEC play begins next weekend. That being said, expect a lot of Purple & Gold, along with maroon, in the stands.
4. Nebraska Looks To Impress
Life as a northern program can be rather tedious this time of year, but the Huskers appear to be putting the pieces together. Nebraska began the season with a tough road series loss to a quality UNLV club, but is since winners of five of its last seven contests, including a very impressive road series win over Loyola Marymount last weekend.
DarinErstadNebraska
Darin Erstad (Nebraska)
Derek Burkamper shined against the Lions last weekend, while many eyes are on righthander Chance Sinclair this weekend. Sinclair gets the start in the tournament opener against Texas A&M, and he's struggled thus far with a 5.74 ERA in 15 2/3 innings. Teams are hitting Sinclair, who allowed four runs in five innings last week, at an incredibly high .364 clip.
The good news for the Huskers?
Though the offensive numbers (.259) as a team aren't overly impressive, this is a team waiting to bust out of their seams at the plate. Sophomore Ryan Boldt .459/.512/.568 is off to a not-so-surprising great start, while Steven Reveles (.216), Tanner Lubach (.188) and Austin Darby (.154) are all guys much more talented than their batting averages indicate. The feeling around Lincoln, Neb., is that the trio will regroup at some point, but this weekend would be good timing.
It could be a statement weekend for the Big Red.
D1 - College Weekend Preview: March 6-8
This Week:
1. Louisville Aims For Normalcy Against Miami - Kendall Rogers
2. Illinois Looks To Make Statement - Aaron Fitt
3. Dodgertown Classic Preview - Aaron Fitt
4. Houston College Classic Preview - Kendall Rogers
Louisville Looks To Return To Normal
It's been a long and well-traveled road to get here, but Louisville finally is ready to begin Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend at home against Miami, assuming the army of players and athletic department personnel can get the field cleared of the several inches of snow blanketing the synthetic turf at Jim Patterson Stadium.
It has been a whirlwind of a past few weeks for Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell. His club has had a series completely moved from Louisville, Ky., to Emerson, Ga., on just a couple of days notice because of brutally bad wintry weather. And on top of that, the Cardinals, who sit at 8-4 overall, haven't completely played their best brand of baseball just yet but who could blame them with the obstacles they've had to overcome thus far?
Drew Harrington (Louisville)
Drew Harrington (Louisville)
As we're on the eve of the Cardinals' first ACC series against perennial power Miami, a team looking to make a statement in chilly Kentucky this weekend, McDonnell began his day doing anything but preparing for the Hurricanes. He spent the morning talking with 'Canes head coach Jim Morris, both coaches wondering if the series needed to be pushed back to Saturday because UM was having trouble getting a flight to Louisville because of the heavy snow and icy conditions in the northern half of the country. McDonnell also is the leader of the movement to get the several inches of snow cleared off the field, something that's of great importance with the series 24 hours away.
"I've got a big group of guys right here ready to clear the field," McDonnell said with a laugh. "But not me, I'm doing other things. I'm the guy driving all over the place getting pizza and other food to make sure everyone is fed while they're doing it [clearing the field].
"The last two winters have been especially brutal for us. It's really affected some of the northern schools, and it's caused some teams to struggle a great deal early on," McDonnell continued. "Everyone was saying this was going to be a bad winter, then we get to practice outside during spring workouts because the weather was so great. Then bam, we get all of this. The kids are invincible, but this type of thing is a nightmare for coaches and administrators. It's pretty absurd."
Absurd, controversial, or whatever else you want to call this winter and the mid-February start date, the games must go on and the Cardinals enter the weekend looking to make a statement, proving to the country they deserved a lofty preseason ranking.
"We're good, but we're definitely not great just yet," McDonnell said. "The great thing is that we can get much better and we can play better defense, run the bases better, and so on. It's been a little challenging with these really low temperatures early in the season, but I think we're starting to hit a little better.
"The good thing about this is you start to learn a lot about your team," he continued. "What we found out the first 12 games is that we have some young super stars, and everyone else will eventually follow suit."
As the Cardinals fought their way to the College World Series last season, they had plenty of intriguing young players. Outfielder Corey Ray, now a sophomore, was someone we all thought was a premier talent. But in terms of this freshman class, the Cards have some great options, including two-way player Brendan McKay, who McDonnell is handing some extremely impressive comparisons to. McKay is hitting .529 in 17 at-bats, while he possesses an unblemished ERA in five appearances.
"I was fortunate enough to coach Stephen Head as an assistant at Ole Miss, and he was one of the greatest two-way players in college baseball history. McKay has that type of star power about him," McDonnell said. "He's very even keel, he's a tough Pittsburgh kid, and he's a little sheltered in the world of baseball. He didn't go to all this summer baseball stuff or the showcases. As a result of that, he's very team oriented, low key and he's a guy that's all about the team. He's not about himself at all.
"You flip him the ball, or get him at the plate, and he just attacks," he continued. "He's got a fastball that will sit around 88-91 mph, but he's got very good control of that pitch, and he adds a good changeup and a plus curveball. It's an upper-70s pitch with some good tilt, and it's a hard curveball on a strong downward angle."
"You flip him the ball, or get him at the plate, and he just attacks," he continued. "He's got a fastball that will sit around 88-91 mph, but he's got very good control of that pitch, and he adds a good changeup and a plus curveball. It's an upper-70s pitch with some good tilt, and it's a hard curveball on a strong downward angle."
McDonnell might not have as lofty of comparisons for other freshmen on this team, but he feels very good about Devin Hairston .333/.400/.571, Blake Tiberi and Colby Fitch, with Tiberi and Fitch guys he believes will be high impact players as the season progresses.
"Those guys are good, young bats for us. As a coach, it's always good to coach and have a few young guys you feel are going to make an impact, because each year you're having to replace somebody pretty good," he said. "I like our depth right now. We have a lot of options at the plate, and we have a lot of options on the mound even without some guys."
Though Drew Harrington has been terrific out of the bullpen for the Cards, they do enter the opening ACC series against the Hurricanes without a pair of very talented arms in Zack Burdi and Jake Sparger. Both pitchers are dealing with injuries, with Burdi having a muscle strain and Sparger banged up. The bad news is they aren't available against Zack Collins, Carl Chester and the 'Canes. The good news? Both pitchers are expected to be back next weekend when UL hosts Boston College.
"Both of those guys are throwing, but they're not game ready," he said. "We've gone a month of the season with arguably our best setup guy and our projected power-armed closer. They've been throwing short boxes, bullpens and everything else, but they're not quite ready. With that said, we've had some guys step up for us."
Though ace righthander and one of the top prospects for this year's draft Kyle Funkhouser was roughed up by Arkansas State a few weeks ago, McDonnell said he returned to his normal self for the most part against Xavier last weekend. Anthony Kidston remains a consistent and quality arm for the Cards, while one of the big keys moving forward is getting Josh Rogers back on track. The sophomore lefthander has a surprisingly high 8.36 ERA entering the UM series.
"He's had two bad starts, where he's been missing over the plate. He wasn't making two-strike pitches and that cost him," he said. "I felt like Josh had a good start last weekend, and we feel good about him moving forward, and this pitching staff as a whole once we get everyone healthy."
This weekend's series between the Cardinals and Hurricanes will be a very good measuring stick for both clubs. The Cardinals don't have a marquee series win to their credit just yet, and the 'Canes came up short against Florida a few weeks ago.
Now, if they can just get that pesky snow cleared.
More From The ACC
• North Carolina logoDuke Blue Devils logoNorth Carolina hosts Duke this weekend in one of the more interesting series of the ACC's opening weekend. The Blue Devils swept the Tar Heels last year in Durham, and UNC surely has revenge on its mind. But the Tar Heels will still be without bullpen stalwart Reilly Hovis, who is out for an undetermined period of time with a strained forearm, which prompted them to move Trent Thornton back to the bullpen last week. Thornton is well suited for the relief role, and he saved both halves of UNC's doubleheader sweep against Rhode Island last Friday, then picked up another save Monday at Liberty. But he gave up three runs in an inning when UNC brought him back to face VCU on Wednesday. UNC coach Mike Fox also said it is uncertain whether or not outfielder Skye Bolt will be back in the starting lineup this weekend. He was out of the lineup for a violation of team rules on Monday, then came off the bench to pinch-hit Wednesday.
Duke has started the season 10-1 against a soft nonconference schedule, though they opened with a nice series win on the West Coast against California. This weekend affords the Blue Devils a chance to make a real splash. Duke will start righty Andrew Istler on Friday, then marquee prospect Michael Matuella on Saturday (with a 40-pitch limit while he works his way back from some arm soreness), and Bailey Clark on Sunday. Theoretically, UNC's lefthanded-leaning lineup matches up well against Duke's all-righty rotation, but those are three quality righties for the Blue Devils. Clark has taken a nice jump as a sophomore, working regularly in the low 90s with good secondary stuff, and Istler is a proven bulldog with good stuff.
• Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets logoNotre Dame logoNotre Dame takes on Georgia Tech in another intriguing ACC series. The Fighting Irish, like the Blue Devils, are off to a 10-1 start, and their resume includes a pair of quality wins at Oklahoma in the first week of the season. Notre Dame's lineup features one of the nation's hottest hitters in Cavan Biggio (.525/.630/.950 with seven homers, two triples, two homers and 11 RBIs in 11 games), and the pitching staff has been solid, sporting a 2.94 team ERA. The Yellow Jackets are 9-3 overall and coming off a dominating sweep of Indiana State last weekend. Tech allowed just three runs total in those three games, as Jonathan King allowed just one hit over six shutout frames Friday, Ben Parr provided five stellar innings of relief Saturday, and Brandon Gold yielded just one hit over seven shutout Sunday. The Jackets' lineup is imposing, and if they continues to pitch like this, they should be a real factor in the ACC.
• Atlantic Coast logoMore ACC action kicks off this weekend as well. Boston College heads down to Florida State with a 5-6 record, and it will be interesting to see how rising power hitter Chris Shaw fares in a very hitter-friendly ballpark at Dick Howser Stadium. Shaw .256/.388/.513 isn't off to a terrific start from a batting average standpoint, but does have three homers and 17 RBIs, and should begin to establish more consistency Pittsburgh heads to Virginia, Virginia Tech to Wake Forest, and Clemson hopes to continue its hot ways against North Carolina State. You can see Aaron Fitt's look back at rising CU righthander Brody Koerner by Clicking Here.
Pitching-rich Illinois Eager To Shine In Oklahoma
The identity of Illinois' program has undergone a transformation in recent years. When Drew Dickinson was a senior for the Illini in 2002, the program was known more for its offense, and it seldom landed premier arms. Now Dickinson is the pitching coach, and he oversees one of the most talented pitching staffs in college baseball.
"Obviously pitching has never been our strong suit, especially in the North - good arms always go South," Dickinson said. "We've always hit, stolen bases, scored runs, played great defense - but we never had an ERA below 5. My first recruiting class came in in '13, and last year was the lowest ERA in school history, and now this season, it's just a culmination of guys buying in.
"I'm not afraid to say, you'd be hard-pressed to show me a better pitching staff in the entire country. Shoot, to have a first-rounder who's the closer and should probably be starting is just nuts to me. The execution level is through the roof."
"I'm not afraid to say, you'd be hard-pressed to show me a better pitching staff in the entire country. Shoot, to have a first-rounder who's the closer and should probably be starting is just nuts to me. The execution level is through the roof."
Few staffs have the luxury of being able to put a marquee arm like Tyler Jay in the back of the bullpen, and Dickinson is convinced the power lefthander has a future as a starter in pro ball, because he has the ability to command four very good pitches. But Illinois has four other bona fide rotation options in lefthanders Kevin Duchene and Rob McDonnell and righties Drasen Johnson and John Kravetz, so it can leave Jay in the bullpen, where he gives the team confidence that Illinois will win any game in which it leads after six innings. Hard-throwing righties Cody Sedlock, Nick Blackburn and Reid Roper make this bullpen even more formidable.
Throw in a veteran lineup with postseason experience, and Illinois looks like a very complete club. The Illini know they have a chance to serve notice to the rest of college baseball that they are a legitimate College World Series contender this weekend, when they travel to No. 21 Oklahoma State for a three-game series. The Illini carry a 9-2-1 record into the weekend, and they are brimming with confidence.
"This program, I think, needs a statement, kind of like what Indiana did in '13 and '14, to force the issue - 'Hey man, baseball's good here,' " Dickinson said. "I think Omaha's the only way you do that. We have a group that that's all they care about, that's all they talk about. We believe 100 percent we're an Omaha club. We definitely have a chip on our shoulder of wanting to get respect, and it's fun."
Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb said his team is self-motivated and mature, so he doesn't have to say anything to get his club ready to play against Oklahoma State, or anybody else. The lineup is loaded with quality seniors, led by Roper, McDonnell, Kravetz, Johnson, first baseman David Kerian and outfielders Casey Fletcher and Will Krug.
Tyler Jay (Illinois)
Tyler Jay (Illinois)
"You can't coach experience. These guys have been through ups and downs, which is part of athletics as you know," Hartleb said. "So to have those guys that have seen a lot, played at a high level, played in Big Ten tournaments and regionals, you can't coach those things. This group has worked extremely hard. Not only do we have veteran guys - sometimes you have veteran guys and it's not a good thing, so you have some seniors that have maybe shut it down because they don't think they'll have an opportunity to play beyond college. This group, that's not an issue. They get along, they're fun to be around, they care about each other and the program. It's a fun, fun group."
Hartleb said he has been pleased with his team's solid defense, anchored by the athletic middle-infield duo of Adam Walton and Roper (who plays second base and occasionally pitches in relief), as well as the speedy Krug in center field and junior Jason Goldstein behind the plate. That quartet makes Illinois very strong up the middle, which helps the pitching staff.
Walton, Krug and Roper also make the offense go out of the top three spots in the lineup. Roper was pull-oriented earlier in his career and had some holes in his swing, but he's using the entire field more this year, and he has been Illinois' best hitter in the first three weeks, batting .413/.491/.609 with six extra-base hits and 13 RBIs. But this lineup relies more on balance than star power.
"The thing I like about our lineup, it's not necessarily a lineup where you have one guy you count on to carry you," Hartleb said. "From 1-9 we have quality at-bats and threats. I don't think we have any dead outs in our lineup."
But the biggest strength of this team is its superb pitching staff. Junior lefthander Kevin Duchene ranked among the top 30 prospects in the prestigious Cape Cod League last summer and has been a fixture in the rotation since he was a freshman. He missed the first two weeks while serving a suspension, but he returned to throw seven shutout innings last week against Ball State. He gives Illinois an unflappable ace on Friday nights to set the tone for the weekend.
"He understands how to pitch," Dickinson said. "He talks like a 10-year vet: 'I'm going to throw this pitch two inches off the plate, I'm going to run this ball in.' Guys don't talk like that. It helps him execute at a high level. And he has big nuts. He just doesn't lose. That's an innate trait, you can't teach that. I don't care if his fastball's 86-91, you watch him pitch, you will fall in love. Anybody he faces, he will get outs and will handle them. It doesn't matter what team he faces."
Duchene has always been able to mix in a good changeup and a solid curveball, but he has added a cutter/slider this year that he can back-foot against righties or get lefties to chase down and away. He can manipulate the pitch effectively, throwing it around 82 mph with more depth, or throwing a shorter, harder version around 85.
Johnson (1-0, 0.87 in 20.2 IP) is similarly savvy. He just attacks the strike zone with a heavy fastball in the 87-89 range that bumps 90 with good run and sink, and he mixes in an excellent changeup, a good slider and a serviceable curveball. It's not knockout stuff, but he does all of the little things necessary to win-he fields his position well, controls the running game, and is uncommonly efficient.
The Illini can go with Kravetz or McDonnell on Sundays depending on matchups-this week they are leaning toward Kravetz, another dogged competitor with a funky, deceptive delivery and good run and sink on his 84-88 fastball. He also mixes three offspeed pitches effectively. McDonnell works at 88-92 from the left side with a changeup that Dickinson calls the best on the team. "He'll tell you he's going to throw it three times in a row, and three times in a row you'll swing and miss," Dickinson said.
Last weekend, the Illini played four games in a tournament in Myrtle Beach, then a fifth game Monday at Coastal Carolina. They showed they have the pitching depth to handle it. They started Sedlock on Monday, and he responded four innings of no-hit ball, sitting at 92-93 mph and touching 95-96. He also has a wipeout 12-to-6 power curveball at 80 mph. After Sedlock exited, Blackburn came in and showed 93-95 mph heat, though he pitched more at 91-93 earlier in the weekend in colder weather. He also features a nice slider. He was followed by 6-foot-6 lefty J.D. Nielsen, who has found success after dropping to a sidearm slot, making his 86-88 fastball play up.
Jay finished the game with three hitless innings, overpowering the Chanticleers with a fastball that sat at 93-96 from the left side and three very good secondary pitches. Last year, his slider was his go-to putaway pitch, but now Hartleb said he rates all of Jay's offspeed pitches the same.
"The lefthanders can't hit the slider, but now he's developed this changeup that's a disgusting pitch-just ridiculous fade and sink, and it's an 86-88 mph changeup," Dickinson said. "So I get mad because Tyler throws his changeup harder than I threw my fastball. They're all legit offerings that he commands in the strike zone at all times. Guys are gearing up for the fastball at 95, then he drops the changeup on you and you look like a fool. The curveball is 75-78, like a 12-to-6 breaking ball. The slider is anywhere from 82-84; lefthanders have no chance at it, and he'll throw it to righthanded hitters too. To watch the kid grow from year to year, to me it's special."
Scouts are always clamoring for premium arms to work as starters in college if they're capable of doing it, and Jay is clearly capable-the Illini emphasize that he's much more than just a one-inning thrower, and they are not afraid to extend him on a Sunday if he has not pitched much earlier in the weekend. So scouts might have to wait in pro ball to see him start on a regular basis, but he has a strong chance to be drafted in the first round regardless.
"He's throwing four pitches for strikes, and his command is so good," Hartleb said. "It's very poised. It's not one of those guys you throw out there and you hope he's going to throw strikes. He's a true pitcher with great velocity."
It isn't easy for a Northern program to build an elite pitching staff like this, but Dickinson is supremely confident in his abilities as a recruiter and an developer, and he complements the even-keeled Hartleb well. Over the last three years, the Illini have embraced the Velocity Plus Arm Care program developed by Tom House and Joe Newton, and Dickinson said the weighted-ball work has done wonders for the arm strength on his staff. The Illini hit on a number of key recruits over the last several years, and pitchers all seem to get better once they arrive on campus. The results speak for themselves.
"Coach Hartleb says, 'Drew, it's the best pitching staff I've ever seen at Illinois. It's going to be a tough problem but a good problem to have,' " Dickinson said. "There's just not innings to go around.
"The state of Illinois has unbelievable talent, and big schools try to come up and pluck talent all the time. But if we can make kids see, 'Hey, I don't need to leave to go to Omaha,' then we can have a staff like this every year. That's my goal."
Dodgertown Classic Preview: Four Thoughts
1. Time to test Vanderbilt's mettle.
Vanderbilt University logoIt hasn't been smooth sailing for the defending champions over the first three weeks of the season. The Commodores won hard-fought series against Santa Clara, Indiana State and Illinois State over the first two weeks, dropping games to the Broncos and Sycamores, and storming back from a 10-0 deficit Sunday to complete a sweep of the Redbirds. The 'Dores have shown plenty of moxie during their 10-2 start, and they have done it without one of the nation's best arms in junior righthander Walker Buehler, who made his season debut Tuesday with two hitless innings against Evansville. Expect to see Buehler at some point this weekend-probably Sunday against TCU. That will be one of the featured attractions of the best tournaments on the 2015 schedule.
Vandy's rotation has been fluid so far, with Friday starter Carson Fulmer as the only constant. Fulmer had his best outing of the young season last week against Illinois State, striking out 11 and allowing just two hits and three walks over six shutout innings. Friday he'll take on No. 4 UCLA and fellow junior righthander James Kaprielian in a true marquee matchup. Vandy will start sophomore lefthander John Kilichowski on Saturday at Southern California; he threw 5 1/3 shutout innings, allowing just two hits, last week against Illinois State, and he is providing some stability for the rotation while hard-throwing Tyler Ferguson continues to battle poor control. For now, lefty Philip Pfeifer appears entrenched at the back of the bullpen, while sophomore righty Hayden Stone's status is uncertain (he hasn't pitched since starting and throwing three shutout innings Feb. 24 against Tennessee-Martin). Pfeifer and Jordan Sheffield give the Commodores two power arms at the back of the bullpen, and Buehler's return could help the rotation realize its potential as the nation's best.
We still believe in the premier talent and depth of the Vanderbilt pitching staff, even though it has not yet completely clicked. But the offense has caught fire over the last six games, scoring nine of more runs in five of them, and 16 runs in three separate games. The top half of the lineup is very dangerous with Bryan Reynolds, Rhett Wiseman, Dansby Swanson, Zander Wiel and Will Toffey all locked in.
Vandy gets by far its stiffest test of the young season this weekend, facing a pair of top-six teams and a pitching-rich USC club that is off to a 12-1 start, albeit against a soft schedule. If Vanderbilt is truly the nation's best team, we'll find out this weekend.
2. Traver time.
TCU logoComing into the season, TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle talked about redshirt sophomore righthander Mitchell Traver as an X-factor. A 6-foot-9, 255-pound fireballer with tantalizing upside, Traver was limited by injury to one appearance over his first two years in Fort Worth, but he turned a corner in the Northwoods League last summer, and Schlossnagle thought he had a chance to emerge as a true ace if he could harness his potential.
"His last start in the fall, he threw five no-hit innings and didn't throw a fastball under 93. But he's thrown one-third of an inning in college," Schlossnagle said in January. "I could see a scenario where Traver continues to muddle along and doesn't do anything, or a scenario he becomes the Friday night starter. We've talked about that guy for two years, and he's been healthy for eight or nine months now. He's a wild card for sure."
Traver started the season in a midweek starter role and has been utterly dominant, going 2-0, 0.00 with 18 strikeouts and one walk in 16 innings. His fastball has been electric, but most importantly, he has been able to command it.
With lefthander Tyler Alexander struggling, the Horned Frogs are making a change in their rotation this weekend, calling upon Traver to start Friday night at USC. The rotation for the rest of the weekend remains undecided, but there is a solid chance lefthander Alex Young will go Saturday at UCLA and ace Preston Morrison will start Sunday against No. 1 Vandy at Dodger Stadium. The Frogs hope Traver can give them another strong outing Friday to keep the bullpen fresh. His outing will be one of the more interesting things to watch this weekend.
3. Finally, a true test for the Trojans.
Southern California logoUSC raced out to a 12-0 start before dropping a midweek game against UC Santa Barbara, but it's hard to know what to make of the Trojans because their weekend schedule has been extremely soft over the first two weeks. USC has dominated 0-7 Towson, 0-8 Oakland and 1-8 Fordham, three overmatched cold-weather opponents.
We projected Southern California as a regional team heading into the year, and this weekend we'll get a better feel for just how good this team is. The weekend rotation has been very strong thus far, allowing the Trojans to stick with Kyle Davis at the back of the bullpen. This weekend, they'll start junior righty Brent Wheatley (1-0, 2.12) on Friday against TCU, lefthander Kyle Twomey (3-0, 1.33) on Saturday against Vandy, and freshman righty Mitch Hart (2-0, 2.25) on Sunday against UCLA at Dodger Stadium. Twomey was one of the nation's top recruits coming out of high school and flashed potential over his first two seasons at USC, but this year he has improved his strike-throwing considerably over his first three starts, as attested by his 19-6 strikeout-walk mark in 20.1 innings. I'm looking forward to seeing how his breaking ball has progressed in his start against the dangerous Commodores; he showed up on campus as primarily a fastball-changeup pitcher, but he has worked hard to add a better breaking ball to his arsenal. He has a chance to be drafted in the first two rounds if that pitch has really developed.
Hart was the headliner of this year's recruiting class, and he has shown good feel for pitching with four offerings, including a 90-92 mph fastball, according to coach Dan Hubbs. Hubbs said Hart is still learning how to put hitters away, but his first few starts are encouraging. He'll have his hands full against UCLA's red-hot offense.
4. About that UCLA offense
UCLA logoThe Bruins scored 43 runs in their first three games against overmatched Hofstra, but they have continued to produce against better pitching the last two weeks, scoring 26 runs in three games against North Carolina's elite staff and 23 runs in a sweep of Michigan State, which has a veteran staff. So the Bruins will be ready for the front-line arms they'll see this weekend, starting with Fulmer.
Few hitters in college baseball have been hotter than UCLA junior outfielder Ty Moore, who enters the weekend hitting .511/.589/.600 with nine RBIs in 45 at-bats. Kevin Kramer (.426), Luke Persico (.360) and Chris Keck (.350) team with Moore to make UCLA very formidable in the top half of the lineup, though the bottom half has been less productive. Kramer, Moore and Keck are lefthanded, which is one reason it makes sense for TCU to throw lefty Alex Young against the Bruins on Saturday. Fulmer has a very good changeup and can handle lefthanded hitters well.
UCLA enters the weekend with an 11-1 record and also owns three solid midweek wins against Cal State Northridge (twice) and Long Beach State. With a winning weekend at Dodgertown, the Bruins can stake a claim as the nation's best team heading into the conference play.
Houston College Classic Preview: Four Thoughts
1. Texas A&M Finally Gets Competition
Texas AM logoThere's little doubt the Aggies are improved in a few areas this season, particularly offensively, where new hitting coach Will Bolt has transformed the Maroon & White into a more aggressive-oriented lineup. With that said, despite being just one of two power conference teams still undefeated (Virginia is the other), there are question marks about these Aggies for obvious reasons. Sure, the Aggies recorded a nice midweek win over Dallas Baptist earlier this week, but that was their first, yes, first quality victory, and they enter the weekend 265th nationally in Strength Of Schedule.
So, how will the Aggies handle a weekend filled with premier competition?
The Aggies are hitting .342 as a club and have slugged 17 homers with fast-rising shortstop turned outfielder Logan Taylor leading the charge. Taylor .405/.500/.644 has been a big-time power producer through 13 games with five homers and 11 RBIs. Preseason All-American Nick Banks .444/.500/.644 also is off to a terrific but not surprising start.
On the mound, the Aggies have more overall quality depth and power arms than usual, and no one right now is more decorated than physical lefthander A.J. Minter. Minter showed to be a big-time prospect over the summer, and has made quite an impressive transition from the bullpen to the Friday role in the absence of fellow lefty Tyler Stubblefield, who continues to rehab an ACL injury. Minter (0.56, 16 IP) will get a nice test against Nebraska to start the Houston College Classic, and is showing premium stuff thus far. Minter was been ranging from 92-95 mph with his fastball, touching 98 on multiple occasions despite colder than normal temperatures. His slider/cutter at 83-90 is a go-to offering for the talented lefty, while his changeup and curveball continue to make strides. Minter is evolving from a guy trying to punch hitters out into someone with potentially a true four-pitch mix.
2. Houston Has Will Tested
Remember before the season when we talked about how the Cougars were new to the idea of being one of the hunted? Well, the Cougars are starting to figure out what life is like when you're one of the nation's elite. The Cougars are getting tested at every turn, going 2-3 last week with a four-game series split with Columbia.
Jake Lemoine (Houston)
Jake Lemoine (Houston)
The Cougars hope to establish a little normalcy this weekend at Minute Maid Park, but it won't be easy with the teams on the schedule, including LSU and Texas A&M. The Tigers, who lost to the Cougars in the Baton Rouge Regional final last year, will be ready for sophomore righthander Andrew Lantrip and the Cougars in the primetime Friday matchup, while UH will need to turn around quickly the next night against righthander Grayson Long and sizzling Texas A&M. UH finishes the weekend against Hawaii, and desperately hopes senior righthander Aaron Garza can get back on track. Garza has been very much hittable so far this spring and carries a 5.94 ERA into the tourney.
To no surprise, the Cougars have gotten a hot start from talented junior outfielder Kyle Survance, while newcomers Chris Iriart and Connor Wong are exceeding expectations. Iriart, who's hitting .348, leads the team with three homers, while Wong is making the quick transition to big-time college baseball and is hitting .321 with two homers and 14 RBIs.
UH head coach Todd Whitting is about to find out a lot about his team this weekend.
3. LSU's Young Guns Hit The Road
Much like the Aggies, their SEC counterparts, the Tigers will face their stiffest test of the season thus far this weekend at Minute Maid Park. The Tigers played Kansas and Boston College in three-game sets before facing Princeton last weekend . Still, LSU does enter the weekend with the nation's 181st SOS, not exactly impressive.
Alex Lange (LSU)
Alex Lange (LSU)
The LSU offense, as very much expected, has been terrific with a .334 batting average and physical catcher Kade Scivicque .448/.486/.862 leading the charge with three homers and 10 RBIs, while Jake Fraley (.400) and Alex Bregman (.327) both are guys who can really make this offense go this weekend, especially the All-American shortstop.
On the mound, the Tigers have a rather unique situation with two freshmen in the weekend rotation in righthanders Alex Lange and Jake Godfrey. Lange has shown maturity beyond his years thus far, carrying a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings, along with 22 strikeouts and six walks, while Godfrey (1.26, 14.1 IP) has been solid despite not showing overpowering stuff. The Tigers, of course, love sure-handed lefthander and veteran Jared Poche, who will sit in the mid-to-upper 80s with his fastball with quality secondary stuff.
It's nice to see the Tigers willing to leave Baton Rouge before SEC play begins next weekend. That being said, expect a lot of Purple & Gold, along with maroon, in the stands.
4. Nebraska Looks To Impress
Life as a northern program can be rather tedious this time of year, but the Huskers appear to be putting the pieces together. Nebraska began the season with a tough road series loss to a quality UNLV club, but is since winners of five of its last seven contests, including a very impressive road series win over Loyola Marymount last weekend.
DarinErstadNebraska
Darin Erstad (Nebraska)
Derek Burkamper shined against the Lions last weekend, while many eyes are on righthander Chance Sinclair this weekend. Sinclair gets the start in the tournament opener against Texas A&M, and he's struggled thus far with a 5.74 ERA in 15 2/3 innings. Teams are hitting Sinclair, who allowed four runs in five innings last week, at an incredibly high .364 clip.
The good news for the Huskers?
Though the offensive numbers (.259) as a team aren't overly impressive, this is a team waiting to bust out of their seams at the plate. Sophomore Ryan Boldt .459/.512/.568 is off to a not-so-surprising great start, while Steven Reveles (.216), Tanner Lubach (.188) and Austin Darby (.154) are all guys much more talented than their batting averages indicate. The feeling around Lincoln, Neb., is that the trio will regroup at some point, but this weekend would be good timing.
It could be a statement weekend for the Big Red.
D1 - College Weekend Preview: March 6-8
D1 - Sorenson: Off The Top Of My Head, March 5th
ATTENDANCE, THEN AND NOW
Man alive, have things ever changed for our sport.
Back about 20 years ago, finding a college baseball game on TV was nearly impossible.
ESPN used to televise a couple of regular season games a year in the mid-to-late 80s, but that dried up as the 90s came around. The conference tournaments and Regionals never found a home on the tube. Even the College World Series wasn't completely televised. Some games were on tape delay and some were on that new channel with the funky graphics that nobody got called ESPN2, or "The Deuce" as it were.
Attendance at college baseball games was very hither and yon. There were places like Fresno State, Hawaii and Wichita State that were niche markets making up some of the top-attended venues in the country. LSU? Mississippi State? Texas A&M? Oh sure, they were all tops crowd draws back then too. But the rest of the SEC? Eh, some yes, some no.
A couple days ago, while digging through my voluminous piles of college baseball junk I've accrued over the years, I came upon an issue of Collegiate Baseball from 1995 that showed the Top 20 programs in attendance for the season. Great Magillicudy! Was it ever a different landscape 20 years ago. Here is what the top 20 programs in total attendance looked like in 1995:
1- Texas, 173,372
2- Hawaii, 155,801
3- LSU, 148,995 *
4- Mississippi State, 132,105
5- Fresno State, 130,329 *
6- Wichita State, 89,701 *
7- Clemson, 88,994 *
8- Miami, 82,129 *
9- Tennessee, 81,801 *
10- Texas A&M, 79,815
11- Florida State, 78,695 *
12- Arizona State, 73,379
13- Southern Miss, 69,764
14- Ole Miss, 65,398
15- Florida, 57,151
16- Tulane, 47,899
17- North Carolina State, 41,846
18- Oklahoma State, 39,911
19- New Orleans, 38,003
20- Minnesota, 37,716
*asterisk indicates totals which were augmented by hosting Regionals.
Numerous things jump out. First off, LSU wasn't No. 1. I know, a head-slapper, isn't it? But it's true. In fact, according to sweet Lou Pavlovich at Collegiate Baseball, the 1995 season was the third season in a row where the Longhorns posted the biggest attendance numbers.
Hawaii was No. 2? Really? Yes, believe it or not, back in the 80s and 90s, the Rainbows were good. You could even venture to say they were a national power under Les Murakami. I went to a couple Hawaii games back in 2013 and I can attest they still get a good amount of fans and they are passionate. But back in those days, the Rainbows were a big draw and certainly the only game in town too. I remember the big controversy at the time being that Hawaii wanted to parlay their great crowds into a post-season advantage. But the NCAA selection committee never did pull the cord on putting a home Regional in Honolulu.
Florida pulled in 57,000-plus for a full season? The crowds for the Miami series I went to two weeks ago totaled over 14,000-plus for that weekend alone. So the equivalent of nearly a quarter of the entire 1995 season showed up at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville two weeks ago. How about that?
I was shocked to find Oklahoma State relatively low at No. 18. By the mid-90s, the Pokes were a decade and a half into being a real national power and in the middle of making a ridiculous 18-or-so year run as Big 8 Champions (somebody confirm that number for me). So it was odd that Allie P. Reynolds stadium didn't pull in more than 39,911 fans.
And can anyone figure out UNO at No. 19 and Minnesota at No. 20? Gah! That's a shock. I am aware that the Gophers have a good following, especially when the weather in late April and May is good and they are having a good season. But to be in the Top 20? Still a surprise. And New Orleans at No. 19? That was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Coupled with Tulane at No. 16, the Crescent City has a history of good college baseball fans.
Okay, now Fast Forward.
The 2015 season is seeing an unprecedented amount of college baseball coverage. Didn't Kyle Peterson tell us that ESPN and their associated networks are going to eventually be televising upwards of 300 games this season alone? Damn, that's cool. When you factor in networks like Fox Sports, NBCSN, CBS Sports Network, Cox Sports, the Big 10 Network, NESN and all, that number has to grow somewhere near the 400-plus games mark at least.
Now, what about in-person attendance at games? How do the numbers nowadays it compare to 1995? Well, the numbers have grown by a lot, as you might imagine. Our sport has never been more popular, be it on the boob tube or at the turnstiles. But there has certainly been a geographic shift as the SEC has embraced the sport like nobody else has in the last 10 or so years and now they dominate the attendance figures. But there are still some usual suspects in there as well.
Here are the figures for the 2014 season by comparison.
1- LSU, 413,638
2- Arkansas, 250,055
3- Mississippi State, 240,726
4- Ole Miss, 239,909
5- South Carolina, 237,961
6- Texas, 185,400
7- Florida State, 162,913
8- Texas A&M, 149,263
9- Clemson, 147,296
10- Florida, 126,421
11- TCU, 107,117
12- Virginia, 102,410
13- Alabama, 101,137
14- Miami, 97,515
15- Hawaii, 97,355
16- Arizona, 94,197
17- Rice, 92,043
18- Southern Miss, 91,286
19- Vanderbilt, 89,733
20- Creighton, 88,916
The top five are all SEC programs and all five have built new stadiums or refurbished old stadiums in the last few years. In fact, nine of the top 20 programs are from the Southern Monster conference. But yes, you still see Texas up there, Clemson is still ranked high and Southern Miss still makes the list.
Keep in mind a couple of things, these figures are for total number of fans, not average per game. So, for example, Creighton would rank at No. 10 if this was average attendance since they have 4,041 on average for Bluejay games. But since this list is based on their hosting only 22 home games, compared to 38 home games for LSU for example, it drags CU out of the top 10 and down to No. 20.
Also, keep in mind that LSU, Arkansas and Mississippi State all do that asinine "attendance" and "actual attendance" for their games. They don't believe attendance means butts in seats, so they count the ghosts that aren't there but have a ticket somewhere in some fairy tale-virtual land.
Tennessee, Tulane, N.C. State, Oklahoma State, UNO and Minnesota fell off the list. Wait did I just write that Oklahoma State fell out of the top 20? In fact, looking at the top 47 numbers I've got, OSU didn't even make THAT. Really? UNO and Minnesota join them in falling out of the Top 47 completely. Tennessee dropped from No. 9 in 1995 down to No. 39 last year.
A good case study in popularity of college baseball can be made with the other big spiral figure, Wichita State. After pulling in nearly 89,000 back in the day, the Shockers checked in with 86,366 last season. So the numbers didn't drop off much, but because of the popularity of college baseball in so many other locales, they drop from No. 6 nationally in '95 down to No. 21 in '14.
THIS WEEK'S EIGHT FOR OMAHA
If the season ended today, here is who I think would be left standing in TD Ameritrade Park listening to another country music band during the opening ceremonies.
- TCU
- Virginia
- UCLA
- Florida
- Texas Tech
- South Carolina
- UCF
- Oregon
EIGHT MORE FOR THE HALL.
The College Baseball Hall of Fame committee announced the following inductees into the Hall this week:
- Joe Arnold, pitcher, Miami-Dade C.C.
Played for Paul Mainieri's father Demie and was twice named an All American and went on to be the MVP of the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado in 1966. He went on to pitch for Arizona State for one season, winning 11 games. Arnold also became head coach at Florida Southern, winning two NCAA Division II titles, and later at Florida, where he led the Gators to Omaha twice.
- Lance Berkman, 1B, Rice
Bergman led the Owls to their first-ever appearance in the College World Series in 1997 after hitting .431 with 41 home runs and 143 RBI, good for the WAC triple crown. He finished his career with 67 home runs and 272 RBI.
- Larry Hays, head coach, Lubbock Christian and Texas Tech
Hays spent his entire career in Lubbock, leading LCU to 695 wins and the 1983 NAIA national title. He earned 813 more wins at Texas Tech, winning the school's first ever conference titles, which he did on four occasions, and first ever NCAA tournament bids, which he did on nine occasions.
- Al Holland, pitcher, North Carolina A&T
Threw four no-hitters in his college career and led the nation in strikeouts per nine innings twice. Had a 0.26 ERA in 1975, the third best ERA in NCAA history, in A&T's second season as a Division I program.
- Bill Holowaty, head coach, Eastern Connecticut State
Led ECSU to four NCAA division III national titles. He sits third on the D3 wins list with 1,404 wins, trailing only Gordie Gillespie and Don Schaly. Holowaty was also named the D3 national Coach of the Year four times.
- Mike Kelly, OF, Arizona State
Joins Robin Ventura of Oklahoma State and Brooks Kieschnick of Texas in being named the national Player of the Year honors twice in their careers. Hit .376 with 46 home runs in his three year Sun Devil career between 1989 and 1991.
- Rick Reichardt, OF, Wisconsin
Originally a football player in Madison, Reichardt led the Big 10 in receptions as a wide receiver in 1963, then that spring of 1964 he led the nation with a .443 batting average. Was also named the national Player of the Year and signed the largest MLB bonus contract at the time with the Angels.
- Frank Viola, pitcher, St. John's.
As a junior in 1981, Viola finished the season with a 10-0 record and a 0.87 ERA. The Redmen, as they were known then, went to the NCAA tournament in all three seasons he played. Viola defeated eventual national champion Arizona in their first game of the CWS, 6-1. , OF, Arizona State
Joins Robin Ventura of Oklahoma State and Brooks Kieschnick of Texas in being named the national Player of the Year honors twice in their careers. Hit .376 with 46 home runs in his three year Sun Devil career between 1989 and 1991.
PENCE'S PANTS.
How come I haven't seen any college baseball players take on the Hunter Pence pant style?
In this monkey-see, monkey-do world where college players seem to emulate everything they see from the Major Leagues, even sneaking in chewing tobacco at games, I thought there would be a handful of college players wearing their pant legs up above their knees. Why not, they run the bases with their batting gloves in their hands too, don't they?
Former UT-Arlington star Hunter Pence as a San Francisco Giant.
Former UT-Arlington star Hunter Pence as a San Francisco Giant.
FIVE NEW STADIUMS I NEED TO SEE
Over the last few years there have been a number of new cathedrals and refurbished facilities in our sport. After seeing Arizona State's new home of Phoenix Municipal Stadium, I got to thinking about some of the other new parks that I am Jonesing to go to. Anybody want to send me a plane ticket? If you're buyin' I'm flyin'.
1- Washington's Husky Ballpark
This stadium was a long time coming. A lonnnnnng time coming. The Huskies needed it to help keep pace in the Pac 12. But now it's another gleaming home facility in the burgeoning Northwest. It's also hard to beat that view of Mt. Rainier beyond right-center field.
2- Liberty's Liberty Baseball Stadium
I have made the trip to Lynchburg before. In fact, I have seen games played at old Worthington Stadium on two different occasions in past years. But from the pics I've seen, this new joint is pretty swank. Reverend Falwell would be proud.
3- Coastal Carolina's Watson Stadium.
Unfortunately the timing wasn't the best. The Chants needed their shining new diamond back a few years ago when they were a ranked team and hosting in the post-season at neighboring facilities. But I'm sure with their new digs, getting back in the national picture will happen again soon.
4- Illinois-Chicago's Curtis Granderson Stadium.
Named after its most famous alum, the Flames have a brand new home that still has the beautiful Chicago skyline out beyond centerfield. An all-turf playing surface helps them keep games on schedule even if the skies cry above a little.
5- Purdue's Alexander Field.
Like Coastal Carolina above, this facility was a tad ill-timed. When the Boilermakers were ranked in the top ten and got a home Regional in 2012, they had to make it at a stadium in the dangerous part of Gary, Indiana. Now, if coach Schreiber gets them back to that level, they'll have a comfy new facility to play it in.
Washington's Ballpark - Before.
Washington's Ballpark - Before.
Husky Ballpark - After
Husky Ballpark - After
NOW THIS IS HOW TO TRAVEL
In this day and age of grown men wearing cargo shorts and flip flops on airplanes, rubbing their hairy legs and yellow'd toenails on the 80-year old grandmother next to them, it was refreshing to see the tweet of the Toledo baseball players in the airport terminal on their way to Myrtle Beach all dressed in suits and ties.
Dapper dudes. The Toledo baseball players look well-hewn as they await their flight.
Dapper dudes. The Toledo baseball players look well-hewn as they await their flight.
Now I'm not saying people need to dress like the Monopoly Man when they travel, but when did casual, spring-cleaning wear become the norm when people fly on planes? Well done Toledo. Well done.
FIVE TEAMS IN THE WHITE HOT SPOTLIGHT
These five teams have had a lot of fanfare associated with the starts to their season. But now they will all play ranked opponents. We'll see if they are ready to put on their big-boy pants or not.
- Illinois, 9-2-1
This Weekend: at Oklahoma State
The Skinny:
The Illini are an experienced team and have some pinpoint arms. Starters Drasen Johnson (1-0, 0.870 and John Kravetz (1-0, 1.77) and All American reliever Tyler Jay (2-0, 0.00, 3svs) are all capable of shutting down anyone. This will be a good pitching matchup in Stillwater.
- Columbia, 2-2
This Weekend: at UCF
The Skinny:
Wow. Nobody saw an Ivy League team going down to a top 10 team and winning a pair of games. Yep, the Lions beat Houston twice in four games and automatically labeled themselves as the team to beat once again.
- Sacramento State, 6-4
This Weekend: vs. UC Santa Barbara
The Skinny:
The WAC favorites have jumped out to a 6-4 record. But what makes these guys madder than a Hornet's nest is allowing Texas Tech to score three runs in the bottom of he ninth inning to lose 4-3. Then they had the remaining three games cancelled due to weather. Here's their chance to make a splash again.
- San Diego, 4-6
This Weekend: at Mississippi State
The Skinny:
Everybody thought the Toreros were three-legged dogs after limping out to a surprising 2-6 struggle. But then they went to Austin and posted a pair of wins over Texas that got everyone's attention. Now they'll see if they can shock and awe us again. But doing it in Starkville won't be easy.
- Southern California, 12-1
This Weekend: The DodgerTown Classic vs. Vanderbilt, TCU and UCLA
The Sunny:
The Trojans finally lost their first game on Tuesday at UC Santa Barbara, but have raced out of the blocks unlike they have in the past 10 or 12 years. And it hasn't been against all cupcakes as two of their wins came against Cal State Fullerton and Kentucky. But this weekend will make everything prior to that look like child's play.
THE DEBUT DARLINGS.
The last few handful of teams will finally get things kicked off this weekend, well, weather permitting of course. Here are the last 0-and-0 heroes.
- Central Connecticut State.
When: Friday vs. Northeastern
Where: at the CCSU Tournament in New Britain, CT
Chances of playing:
Although the Friday games probably won't happen due to an expected high temperature of 29 degrees. But Saturday and Sunday could actually happen with temps in the upper 30s and lower 40s. But that field must be cleared of snow, which is a hefty job.
- Fairfield.
When: Friday at North Florida
Where: Jacksonville, Fla.
Chances of playing:
The first six games of their season have already been axed due to field conditions, three at Georgetown and three at William & Mary. The Stags will have to deal with some rain on Friday but Saturday looks like mid-60s temps to deal with, a heat wave by their standards.
- Massachusetts
When: Friday at Kentucky
Where: Lexington, Kentucky
Chances of playing:
Advantage Minutemen. Why? Well, it will be clear and sunny on Friday and Saturday, but the highs are projected to be 30 degrees and 41 degrees. Sunday is slated to be mid-40s with more clouds. At least UMass will feel more at home in the rugged temperatures, but of course, the talent level favors the Cats by a lot.
- New York Tech
When: Friday at George Mason
Where: Fairfax, Virginia
Chances of playing:
Tuesday's game at Stony Brook was not-suprisingly cancelled. But now, it looks like the Bears website says they will open the season at George Mason on Friday. However, a quick look at George Mason's schedule shows the Patriots have no game Friday, but will play Marshall on Saturday and Sunday in Thomasville, North Carolina.
- Yale
When: Saturday vs. Richmond
Where: At the Davidson Tournament
Chances of playing:
The 150th season's first contest of the season vs. New Haven at home was cancelled. Saturday the high temperatures in North Carolina are finally going to reach into the 50s without any clouds. The Bulldogs finished second in the Rolfe Division last year and return a lot of experience, so it could be an interesting season.
OUR NEXT COLLEGE BASEBALL FAN
Here is who we need to talk into becoming a fan of our sport.
The rather fetching Izila Shlesinger.
The rather fetching Izila Shlesinger.
Iliza Shlesinger
Everybody loves an intelligent, funny and smart aleck woman. One who can hold her own whether it's swilling some fine whiskey or smacking you back with a cutting comment. And how about a thousand bonus points if she happens to be a fabulous babe on top of all that. Welcome to the complete package in Iliza Shlesinger. The standup comedian and actress has the chops on stage and is easy on the eyes. You might recognize her from winning the 2008 "Last Comic Standing" on NBC. You can catch her latest special "Freezing Hot" on Netflix. She attended the University of Kansas.
Pull up a bleacher seat and a dog and suds sister.
BEST TWEET OF THE WEEK
After I posted a picture of the amount of radar guns the scouts were holding up for UC Santa Barbara's Dillon Tate, I hash-tagged with "#GunsUp". Well Texas Tech baseball SID Scott Lacefield was quick to correct me on what the hashtag #GunsUp should be reserved for
TexasTech-GunsUp
Thanks for the reminder Scott.
THE SONG REQUEST
Every time I hear a college stadium have fans request a song to play between innings by text, I always request Frank Zappa's "Catholic Girls." To this day, I have still never heard that song played.
WHERE I'LL BE
Just got off the Easton company learjet here in San Francisco and will be heading to the Texas-Stanford series. Can't wait for that Parker French vs. Cal Quantrill showdown tonight. Then I'll fly back on Saturday night in order to make the DodgerTown Classic at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. Vanderbilt-TCU and USC-UCLA spells F-U-N.
Okay StitchHeads, have a good college baseball weekend.
D1 - Sorenson: Off The Top Of My Head, March 5th
ATTENDANCE, THEN AND NOW
Man alive, have things ever changed for our sport.
Back about 20 years ago, finding a college baseball game on TV was nearly impossible.
ESPN used to televise a couple of regular season games a year in the mid-to-late 80s, but that dried up as the 90s came around. The conference tournaments and Regionals never found a home on the tube. Even the College World Series wasn't completely televised. Some games were on tape delay and some were on that new channel with the funky graphics that nobody got called ESPN2, or "The Deuce" as it were.
Attendance at college baseball games was very hither and yon. There were places like Fresno State, Hawaii and Wichita State that were niche markets making up some of the top-attended venues in the country. LSU? Mississippi State? Texas A&M? Oh sure, they were all tops crowd draws back then too. But the rest of the SEC? Eh, some yes, some no.
A couple days ago, while digging through my voluminous piles of college baseball junk I've accrued over the years, I came upon an issue of Collegiate Baseball from 1995 that showed the Top 20 programs in attendance for the season. Great Magillicudy! Was it ever a different landscape 20 years ago. Here is what the top 20 programs in total attendance looked like in 1995:
1- Texas, 173,372
2- Hawaii, 155,801
3- LSU, 148,995 *
4- Mississippi State, 132,105
5- Fresno State, 130,329 *
6- Wichita State, 89,701 *
7- Clemson, 88,994 *
8- Miami, 82,129 *
9- Tennessee, 81,801 *
10- Texas A&M, 79,815
11- Florida State, 78,695 *
12- Arizona State, 73,379
13- Southern Miss, 69,764
14- Ole Miss, 65,398
15- Florida, 57,151
16- Tulane, 47,899
17- North Carolina State, 41,846
18- Oklahoma State, 39,911
19- New Orleans, 38,003
20- Minnesota, 37,716
*asterisk indicates totals which were augmented by hosting Regionals.
Numerous things jump out. First off, LSU wasn't No. 1. I know, a head-slapper, isn't it? But it's true. In fact, according to sweet Lou Pavlovich at Collegiate Baseball, the 1995 season was the third season in a row where the Longhorns posted the biggest attendance numbers.
Hawaii was No. 2? Really? Yes, believe it or not, back in the 80s and 90s, the Rainbows were good. You could even venture to say they were a national power under Les Murakami. I went to a couple Hawaii games back in 2013 and I can attest they still get a good amount of fans and they are passionate. But back in those days, the Rainbows were a big draw and certainly the only game in town too. I remember the big controversy at the time being that Hawaii wanted to parlay their great crowds into a post-season advantage. But the NCAA selection committee never did pull the cord on putting a home Regional in Honolulu.
Florida pulled in 57,000-plus for a full season? The crowds for the Miami series I went to two weeks ago totaled over 14,000-plus for that weekend alone. So the equivalent of nearly a quarter of the entire 1995 season showed up at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville two weeks ago. How about that?
I was shocked to find Oklahoma State relatively low at No. 18. By the mid-90s, the Pokes were a decade and a half into being a real national power and in the middle of making a ridiculous 18-or-so year run as Big 8 Champions (somebody confirm that number for me). So it was odd that Allie P. Reynolds stadium didn't pull in more than 39,911 fans.
And can anyone figure out UNO at No. 19 and Minnesota at No. 20? Gah! That's a shock. I am aware that the Gophers have a good following, especially when the weather in late April and May is good and they are having a good season. But to be in the Top 20? Still a surprise. And New Orleans at No. 19? That was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Coupled with Tulane at No. 16, the Crescent City has a history of good college baseball fans.
Okay, now Fast Forward.
The 2015 season is seeing an unprecedented amount of college baseball coverage. Didn't Kyle Peterson tell us that ESPN and their associated networks are going to eventually be televising upwards of 300 games this season alone? Damn, that's cool. When you factor in networks like Fox Sports, NBCSN, CBS Sports Network, Cox Sports, the Big 10 Network, NESN and all, that number has to grow somewhere near the 400-plus games mark at least.
Now, what about in-person attendance at games? How do the numbers nowadays it compare to 1995? Well, the numbers have grown by a lot, as you might imagine. Our sport has never been more popular, be it on the boob tube or at the turnstiles. But there has certainly been a geographic shift as the SEC has embraced the sport like nobody else has in the last 10 or so years and now they dominate the attendance figures. But there are still some usual suspects in there as well.
Here are the figures for the 2014 season by comparison.
1- LSU, 413,638
2- Arkansas, 250,055
3- Mississippi State, 240,726
4- Ole Miss, 239,909
5- South Carolina, 237,961
6- Texas, 185,400
7- Florida State, 162,913
8- Texas A&M, 149,263
9- Clemson, 147,296
10- Florida, 126,421
11- TCU, 107,117
12- Virginia, 102,410
13- Alabama, 101,137
14- Miami, 97,515
15- Hawaii, 97,355
16- Arizona, 94,197
17- Rice, 92,043
18- Southern Miss, 91,286
19- Vanderbilt, 89,733
20- Creighton, 88,916
The top five are all SEC programs and all five have built new stadiums or refurbished old stadiums in the last few years. In fact, nine of the top 20 programs are from the Southern Monster conference. But yes, you still see Texas up there, Clemson is still ranked high and Southern Miss still makes the list.
Keep in mind a couple of things, these figures are for total number of fans, not average per game. So, for example, Creighton would rank at No. 10 if this was average attendance since they have 4,041 on average for Bluejay games. But since this list is based on their hosting only 22 home games, compared to 38 home games for LSU for example, it drags CU out of the top 10 and down to No. 20.
Also, keep in mind that LSU, Arkansas and Mississippi State all do that asinine "attendance" and "actual attendance" for their games. They don't believe attendance means butts in seats, so they count the ghosts that aren't there but have a ticket somewhere in some fairy tale-virtual land.
Tennessee, Tulane, N.C. State, Oklahoma State, UNO and Minnesota fell off the list. Wait did I just write that Oklahoma State fell out of the top 20? In fact, looking at the top 47 numbers I've got, OSU didn't even make THAT. Really? UNO and Minnesota join them in falling out of the Top 47 completely. Tennessee dropped from No. 9 in 1995 down to No. 39 last year.
A good case study in popularity of college baseball can be made with the other big spiral figure, Wichita State. After pulling in nearly 89,000 back in the day, the Shockers checked in with 86,366 last season. So the numbers didn't drop off much, but because of the popularity of college baseball in so many other locales, they drop from No. 6 nationally in '95 down to No. 21 in '14.
THIS WEEK'S EIGHT FOR OMAHA
If the season ended today, here is who I think would be left standing in TD Ameritrade Park listening to another country music band during the opening ceremonies.
- TCU
- Virginia
- UCLA
- Florida
- Texas Tech
- South Carolina
- UCF
- Oregon
EIGHT MORE FOR THE HALL.
The College Baseball Hall of Fame committee announced the following inductees into the Hall this week:
- Joe Arnold, pitcher, Miami-Dade C.C.
Played for Paul Mainieri's father Demie and was twice named an All American and went on to be the MVP of the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado in 1966. He went on to pitch for Arizona State for one season, winning 11 games. Arnold also became head coach at Florida Southern, winning two NCAA Division II titles, and later at Florida, where he led the Gators to Omaha twice.
- Lance Berkman, 1B, Rice
Bergman led the Owls to their first-ever appearance in the College World Series in 1997 after hitting .431 with 41 home runs and 143 RBI, good for the WAC triple crown. He finished his career with 67 home runs and 272 RBI.
- Larry Hays, head coach, Lubbock Christian and Texas Tech
Hays spent his entire career in Lubbock, leading LCU to 695 wins and the 1983 NAIA national title. He earned 813 more wins at Texas Tech, winning the school's first ever conference titles, which he did on four occasions, and first ever NCAA tournament bids, which he did on nine occasions.
- Al Holland, pitcher, North Carolina A&T
Threw four no-hitters in his college career and led the nation in strikeouts per nine innings twice. Had a 0.26 ERA in 1975, the third best ERA in NCAA history, in A&T's second season as a Division I program.
- Bill Holowaty, head coach, Eastern Connecticut State
Led ECSU to four NCAA division III national titles. He sits third on the D3 wins list with 1,404 wins, trailing only Gordie Gillespie and Don Schaly. Holowaty was also named the D3 national Coach of the Year four times.
- Mike Kelly, OF, Arizona State
Joins Robin Ventura of Oklahoma State and Brooks Kieschnick of Texas in being named the national Player of the Year honors twice in their careers. Hit .376 with 46 home runs in his three year Sun Devil career between 1989 and 1991.
- Rick Reichardt, OF, Wisconsin
Originally a football player in Madison, Reichardt led the Big 10 in receptions as a wide receiver in 1963, then that spring of 1964 he led the nation with a .443 batting average. Was also named the national Player of the Year and signed the largest MLB bonus contract at the time with the Angels.
- Frank Viola, pitcher, St. John's.
As a junior in 1981, Viola finished the season with a 10-0 record and a 0.87 ERA. The Redmen, as they were known then, went to the NCAA tournament in all three seasons he played. Viola defeated eventual national champion Arizona in their first game of the CWS, 6-1. , OF, Arizona State
Joins Robin Ventura of Oklahoma State and Brooks Kieschnick of Texas in being named the national Player of the Year honors twice in their careers. Hit .376 with 46 home runs in his three year Sun Devil career between 1989 and 1991.
PENCE'S PANTS.
How come I haven't seen any college baseball players take on the Hunter Pence pant style?
In this monkey-see, monkey-do world where college players seem to emulate everything they see from the Major Leagues, even sneaking in chewing tobacco at games, I thought there would be a handful of college players wearing their pant legs up above their knees. Why not, they run the bases with their batting gloves in their hands too, don't they?
Former UT-Arlington star Hunter Pence as a San Francisco Giant.
Former UT-Arlington star Hunter Pence as a San Francisco Giant.
FIVE NEW STADIUMS I NEED TO SEE
Over the last few years there have been a number of new cathedrals and refurbished facilities in our sport. After seeing Arizona State's new home of Phoenix Municipal Stadium, I got to thinking about some of the other new parks that I am Jonesing to go to. Anybody want to send me a plane ticket? If you're buyin' I'm flyin'.
1- Washington's Husky Ballpark
This stadium was a long time coming. A lonnnnnng time coming. The Huskies needed it to help keep pace in the Pac 12. But now it's another gleaming home facility in the burgeoning Northwest. It's also hard to beat that view of Mt. Rainier beyond right-center field.
2- Liberty's Liberty Baseball Stadium
I have made the trip to Lynchburg before. In fact, I have seen games played at old Worthington Stadium on two different occasions in past years. But from the pics I've seen, this new joint is pretty swank. Reverend Falwell would be proud.
3- Coastal Carolina's Watson Stadium.
Unfortunately the timing wasn't the best. The Chants needed their shining new diamond back a few years ago when they were a ranked team and hosting in the post-season at neighboring facilities. But I'm sure with their new digs, getting back in the national picture will happen again soon.
4- Illinois-Chicago's Curtis Granderson Stadium.
Named after its most famous alum, the Flames have a brand new home that still has the beautiful Chicago skyline out beyond centerfield. An all-turf playing surface helps them keep games on schedule even if the skies cry above a little.
5- Purdue's Alexander Field.
Like Coastal Carolina above, this facility was a tad ill-timed. When the Boilermakers were ranked in the top ten and got a home Regional in 2012, they had to make it at a stadium in the dangerous part of Gary, Indiana. Now, if coach Schreiber gets them back to that level, they'll have a comfy new facility to play it in.
Washington's Ballpark - Before.
Washington's Ballpark - Before.
Husky Ballpark - After
Husky Ballpark - After
NOW THIS IS HOW TO TRAVEL
In this day and age of grown men wearing cargo shorts and flip flops on airplanes, rubbing their hairy legs and yellow'd toenails on the 80-year old grandmother next to them, it was refreshing to see the tweet of the Toledo baseball players in the airport terminal on their way to Myrtle Beach all dressed in suits and ties.
Dapper dudes. The Toledo baseball players look well-hewn as they await their flight.
Dapper dudes. The Toledo baseball players look well-hewn as they await their flight.
Now I'm not saying people need to dress like the Monopoly Man when they travel, but when did casual, spring-cleaning wear become the norm when people fly on planes? Well done Toledo. Well done.
FIVE TEAMS IN THE WHITE HOT SPOTLIGHT
These five teams have had a lot of fanfare associated with the starts to their season. But now they will all play ranked opponents. We'll see if they are ready to put on their big-boy pants or not.
- Illinois, 9-2-1
This Weekend: at Oklahoma State
The Skinny:
The Illini are an experienced team and have some pinpoint arms. Starters Drasen Johnson (1-0, 0.870 and John Kravetz (1-0, 1.77) and All American reliever Tyler Jay (2-0, 0.00, 3svs) are all capable of shutting down anyone. This will be a good pitching matchup in Stillwater.
- Columbia, 2-2
This Weekend: at UCF
The Skinny:
Wow. Nobody saw an Ivy League team going down to a top 10 team and winning a pair of games. Yep, the Lions beat Houston twice in four games and automatically labeled themselves as the team to beat once again.
- Sacramento State, 6-4
This Weekend: vs. UC Santa Barbara
The Skinny:
The WAC favorites have jumped out to a 6-4 record. But what makes these guys madder than a Hornet's nest is allowing Texas Tech to score three runs in the bottom of he ninth inning to lose 4-3. Then they had the remaining three games cancelled due to weather. Here's their chance to make a splash again.
- San Diego, 4-6
This Weekend: at Mississippi State
The Skinny:
Everybody thought the Toreros were three-legged dogs after limping out to a surprising 2-6 struggle. But then they went to Austin and posted a pair of wins over Texas that got everyone's attention. Now they'll see if they can shock and awe us again. But doing it in Starkville won't be easy.
- Southern California, 12-1
This Weekend: The DodgerTown Classic vs. Vanderbilt, TCU and UCLA
The Sunny:
The Trojans finally lost their first game on Tuesday at UC Santa Barbara, but have raced out of the blocks unlike they have in the past 10 or 12 years. And it hasn't been against all cupcakes as two of their wins came against Cal State Fullerton and Kentucky. But this weekend will make everything prior to that look like child's play.
THE DEBUT DARLINGS.
The last few handful of teams will finally get things kicked off this weekend, well, weather permitting of course. Here are the last 0-and-0 heroes.
- Central Connecticut State.
When: Friday vs. Northeastern
Where: at the CCSU Tournament in New Britain, CT
Chances of playing:
Although the Friday games probably won't happen due to an expected high temperature of 29 degrees. But Saturday and Sunday could actually happen with temps in the upper 30s and lower 40s. But that field must be cleared of snow, which is a hefty job.
- Fairfield.
When: Friday at North Florida
Where: Jacksonville, Fla.
Chances of playing:
The first six games of their season have already been axed due to field conditions, three at Georgetown and three at William & Mary. The Stags will have to deal with some rain on Friday but Saturday looks like mid-60s temps to deal with, a heat wave by their standards.
- Massachusetts
When: Friday at Kentucky
Where: Lexington, Kentucky
Chances of playing:
Advantage Minutemen. Why? Well, it will be clear and sunny on Friday and Saturday, but the highs are projected to be 30 degrees and 41 degrees. Sunday is slated to be mid-40s with more clouds. At least UMass will feel more at home in the rugged temperatures, but of course, the talent level favors the Cats by a lot.
- New York Tech
When: Friday at George Mason
Where: Fairfax, Virginia
Chances of playing:
Tuesday's game at Stony Brook was not-suprisingly cancelled. But now, it looks like the Bears website says they will open the season at George Mason on Friday. However, a quick look at George Mason's schedule shows the Patriots have no game Friday, but will play Marshall on Saturday and Sunday in Thomasville, North Carolina.
- Yale
When: Saturday vs. Richmond
Where: At the Davidson Tournament
Chances of playing:
The 150th season's first contest of the season vs. New Haven at home was cancelled. Saturday the high temperatures in North Carolina are finally going to reach into the 50s without any clouds. The Bulldogs finished second in the Rolfe Division last year and return a lot of experience, so it could be an interesting season.
OUR NEXT COLLEGE BASEBALL FAN
Here is who we need to talk into becoming a fan of our sport.
The rather fetching Izila Shlesinger.
The rather fetching Izila Shlesinger.
Iliza Shlesinger
Everybody loves an intelligent, funny and smart aleck woman. One who can hold her own whether it's swilling some fine whiskey or smacking you back with a cutting comment. And how about a thousand bonus points if she happens to be a fabulous babe on top of all that. Welcome to the complete package in Iliza Shlesinger. The standup comedian and actress has the chops on stage and is easy on the eyes. You might recognize her from winning the 2008 "Last Comic Standing" on NBC. You can catch her latest special "Freezing Hot" on Netflix. She attended the University of Kansas.
Pull up a bleacher seat and a dog and suds sister.
BEST TWEET OF THE WEEK
After I posted a picture of the amount of radar guns the scouts were holding up for UC Santa Barbara's Dillon Tate, I hash-tagged with "#GunsUp". Well Texas Tech baseball SID Scott Lacefield was quick to correct me on what the hashtag #GunsUp should be reserved for
TexasTech-GunsUp
Thanks for the reminder Scott.
THE SONG REQUEST
Every time I hear a college stadium have fans request a song to play between innings by text, I always request Frank Zappa's "Catholic Girls." To this day, I have still never heard that song played.
WHERE I'LL BE
Just got off the Easton company learjet here in San Francisco and will be heading to the Texas-Stanford series. Can't wait for that Parker French vs. Cal Quantrill showdown tonight. Then I'll fly back on Saturday night in order to make the DodgerTown Classic at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. Vanderbilt-TCU and USC-UCLA spells F-U-N.
Okay StitchHeads, have a good college baseball weekend.
D1 - Sorenson: Off The Top Of My Head, March 5th
BA - Weekend Preview, Part I: March 6-8
The Houston College Classic has become one of the premier amateur events in the country since its debut in 2001. Domed Minute Maid Park guarantees three days of tripleheaders between top college programs in March, attracting both top teams and hordes of scouts, as well as strong attendance, especially considering the time of year.
Attendance should be strong again this year, as the event features Baylor, Hawaii, No. 8 Houston, No. 2 LSU, Nebraska and No. 22 Texas A&M.
However, this year's Dodgertown Classic will compete for the title of best college tournament in its return to Dodger Stadium, after a two-year hiatus from the stadium and one year completely off for the event. Dodgertown is back in style, though, with No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 Texas Christian and No. 25 Southern California in the fold. The Houston College Classic is previewed below. Mike Lananna will preview the Dodgertown Classic on Friday morning at baseballamerica.com.
Big-time tournaments generally signify the end of non-conference play four weeks into the season, but several leagues are delving into conference play this weekend. In fact, some league play has begun around the country, such as in the Mountain West.
Fresno State already has played two league series, in fact, getting swept at Nevada but sweeping a home series against Nevada-Las Vegas. The Bulldogs take a break from league play, but it's hardly a break-they travel to Oregon State for a scheduled four-game set with the Beavers.
Two MWC clubs are off to unbeaten starts, Nevada and San Diego State. The hard-hitting Wolf Pack visit instate rival UNLV with their 1-2 punch of senior first baseman Austin Byler and redshirt junior second baseman Ryan Howell, who have combined for 10 home runs, 14 HBPs and 23 walks in just 79 at-bats. The Pack is tied with Texas A&M for the national lead with 17 home runs. Meanwhile, San Diego State takes its seven-game winning streak and 12-1 record (3-0 in the MWC) on the road at New Mexico, which won two of three against Air Force in its first league series.
The Southland and Sun Belt also get started with league play, though neither league has ranked teams. The Atlantic Coast Conference begins with league games involving all 14 teams, including No. 11 Miami visiting No. 17 Louisville. The Hurricanes won the league's regular season a year ago, but the warm-weather 'Canes will be facing the Cardinals with a Friday forecast that's clear but with a high in the low 30s, according to the Weather Channel.
No. 3 Virginia, No. 20 North Carolina and No. 21 Florida State all play host to unranked foes. While the Cavaliers (against 3-6 Pittsburgh) and Seminoles (against 5-6 Boston College) should be favored to sweep their series, the Tar Heels have Duke coming to town.
ESPN will bring College Gameday to campus for the Duke-UNC basketball game Saturday night, but the baseball series has its own intrigue. Duke has won nine straight, won a road series at California and has done most of its damage with righthander Michael Matuella out of commission. He's thrown only one inning since beating Cal on Opening Day. Matuella is scheduled to throw this weekend (Saturday, weather permitting) on a limited pitch count, likely 40 pitches.
The Blue Devils have gotten a lift from their veteran middle infield, which has helped the team to an ACC-best .980 fielding percentage (just nine errors). Junior shortstop Kenny Koplove leads the team in on-base percentage in his .306/.435/.389 start; he also has two saves and 13 strikeouts out of the 20 outs he's recorded on the mound. Meanwhile, senior second baseman Andy Perez leads the ACC with 11 steals while batting .325/.423/.425.
North Carolina is 8-3 even though it really hasn't had anything go according to plan, starting with an ugly .944 fielding percentage (24 errors in 11 games). The Tar Heels' past two weekend series were moved due to weather, and projected closer Reilly Hovis will miss the weekend with a muscle pull. Pitching coach Scott Forbes also has pushed senior righty Benton Moss to Sunday to give him a bit more rest after pitching in freezing temperatures last weekend; Moss (2-0, 2.30) is off to a robust start with a 26-3 strikeout-walk rate.
"We know who our starters are," Forbes said, mentioning Moss, sophomore righty Zac Gallen (11-0 K-BB in 9 IP) and freshman flamethrower J.B. Bukauskas (1-1, 4.30). "We know Trent Thornton is our closer. But we have not gotten into a rhythm, and we haven't consistently gotten that bridge to Trent yet.
"The weather has affected everybody, so there's no excuses. Everybody's dealing with it. We just need to play better, period."
That extends to the Tar Heels defense as well as its offense, with junior center fielder Skye Bolt off to a .206/.349/.353 start.
"He needs to be better," head coach Mike Fox told the Daily Tar Heel's Carlos Collazo, a former Baseball America intern. "Skye Bolt needs to be better. I mean, he needs to perform better, and I think he will. We need Skye in there playing at a high level . . . but he obviously is a good player; he's just gotta play a little bit better."
Forbes said North Carolina's coaches are confident Bolt will bounce back at the plate and that the team won't keep fielding at a .944 clip.
"We better not!" Forbes laughed.
HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC PREVIEW
lsu
No. 2 Louisiana State
Record: 12-1
Head Coach: Paul Mainieri
Top Performers
Kade Scivicque, c: .448/.486/.862 (13-for-29), 3 HR, 10 RBI, 11 R
Mark Laird, cf: .396/.453/.438 (19-for-48), 0 HR, 5 RBI, 5 SB, 14 R
Alex Lange, rhp: 3-0, 2.25, 16 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 22 K
The Season So Far: The preseason No. 2 team in the country, the Tigers haven't hit many speed bumps thus far, losing only once-a midweek game against Nicholls State-in the season's first three weeks. They've warmed up for this weekend, their first significant challenge, by sweeping home series with Kansas, Boston College and Princeton.
Coach's View: "I think we're doing about as I expected. We thought we had a really good lineup. A lot of veteran players. The first weekend against Kansas, we swung the bats well in spurts but not real consistently. Then we had a midweek game where we had like 14 hits but they were all singles and we left 17 runners on base and ended up losing the game. We just tried to emphasize to the players that they had a lot of talent, that they needed to be more aggressive and swing the bat with more authority. So, they kind of got the message. Against Boston College the next weekend, I think we had about 20 extra-base hits and have continued to swing the bat really well ever since then."-Tigers head coach Paul Mainieri
What To Watch For: The Tigers landed their lofty preseason ranking principally on the strength of their lineup, and it hasn't disappointed, while their rotation was going to be leaning on a sophomore and two freshmen. It just happens that Alex Lange and Jake Godfrey are no ordinary freshmen.
The principal figures in LSU's top-ranked recruiting class-along with lefty Jake Latz, who's been sidelined with a stress reaction in his elbow-Godfrey and Lange have been sensational through their first three starts. Mainieri sees Lange as the next in the line of star pitchers to come through Baton Rouge, saying he's "taken the program by storm." The righthander has an impressive package of athleticism on the mound, poise beyond his age and an arsenal with a fastball that ranges from 91-95 mph and a knockout breaking ball. Godfrey, another righty, tends to be more emotional on the mound but has impressive stuff as well, led by a sinking fastball at 92-93 mph, and has gotten stronger each time out.
Lefty Jared Poche' is the old man of the rotation even though he's just a sophomore himself, but he's nonetheless embraced a leadership role. Poche' has the least overwhelming stuff of LSU's starters, relying on spotting his 87-91 mph fastball and pairing it with a changeup, but he knows how to win and isn't afraid to come after hitters. Meanwhile, another freshman, righty Jesse Stallings, has come on strong at the back of the bullpen. Stallings redshirted last year while recovering from Tommy John surgery and was throwing just 89-90 in fall, but he came out 92-94 with command and downhill angle in January. The Tigers handed him the reins as closer and all he's done is allow one hit in his first 5 2/3 innings of work, spanning six appearances.
About that lineup-it's still really good. Star shortstop Alex Bregman was one of the few Tiger regulars under .300-hitting .292 through Tuesday-but he had nonetheless been hitting balls hard consistently and started getting rewarded on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 against Grambling State. Junior Chris Chinea, getting his first chance at an everyday role, has emerged as the Tigers' cleanup hitter, batting .326/.385/.370, while sharing time behind the plate and at DH with power-hitting senior Kade Scivicque. The Tigers have also been much more aggressive stealing bases, ranking eighth in the country (23) after ranking 167th last year, an improvement Mainieri credits to first-year hitting coach Andy Cannizaro, whom he charged with making the Tigers more dynamic on the bases.
Houstonlogo
No. 8 Houston
Record: 8-5
Head Coach: Todd Whitting
Top Performers
Chris Iriart, 1b: .348/.474/.614 (16-for-46), 3 HR, 11 RBI, 11 R
Kyle Survance, of: .333/.438/.426 (18-for-54), 0 HR, 6 RBI, 11 SB
Andrew Lantrip, rhp: 3-0, 0.46, 19.2 IP, 13 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 16 K
The Season So Far: Things started out well enough for the Cougars, the No. 3 team in the preseason, as they swept Minnesota and took two of three from Alabama the first two weeks of the year, but they've hit the skids since. Houston's lost five of its last seven games, including a four-game split at home with Columbia last weekend.
Coach's View: "Really, I don't think our opponents have dictated whether we've won or lost a game yet. It's really all self-inflicted. We've made a ton of errors at spots we should play better defense. We haven't pitched well-we've walked more guys than we normally do. . . . Nobody's panicked. I've been doing this long enough, and my staff's been doing this long enough. You go through rough patches every year. Very rarely do you go from wire to wire and nothing goes wrong throughout the season. Last year, we got swept by Louisville at home, and we had plenty of other situations last year where you thought the whole thing was caving in. You just gotta keep grinding away at it."-Cougars head coach Todd Whitting
What To Watch For: When they're at full strength, the Cougars should field as complete a team as you'll find. That team just hasn't been seen much if at all over the first three weeks.
Preseason all-conference pick third baseman Connor Hollis, a .321 hitter last year, broke a hamate bone in the first game of the season and hasn't played since, though Whitting hopes to get him back in a couple weeks. Likewise, veteran outfielder Michael Pyeatt, a valuable lefty bat, has been sidelined with an ankle injury and won't be back any time soon. More bad news came in this week when the Cougars found out closer Bubba Maxwell is done for the season with Tommy John surgery.
Whitting has had to run as many as four freshman out in the lineup at a time, and the Cougars have felt Hollis' absence defensively at third base particularly hard. But, there have been some bright spots. Whitting loves the maturity of freshman shortstop Connor Wong, who quickly has become one of the Cougars' primary offensive threats, hitting .321/.351/.509 and leading the team in RBIs with 14. Junior-college transfer 1B Chris Iriart has lived up to his billing as a powerful presence in the middle of the order, with a team-high three home runs. Fellow juco transfer catcher Ian Rice has had a tougher time adjusting to D-I ball, hitting just .226 and homering only once so far-and that was on Opening Day-but he has plenty of pop as well if he can get going.
Another of Houston's strengths was expected to be its veteran rotation, which had all three of its members returning from last year, but only one of them, sophomore righty Andrew Lantrip, has held up his end of the bargain. The strikethrowing Lantrip has seized the Friday night role and starred, allowing only one run in three starts, while his more touted counterparts, righties Jake Lemoine and Aaron Garza, have been getting knocked around. Lemoine didn't throw much in the fall and Whitting expects him to get better as his arm gets more in shape. His secondary pitches have still looked solid, but his fastball velocity hasn't been its normal low to mid-90s. Lemoine did pitch well last week against Columbia, allowing three runs over seven innings to drop his ERA to 3.38. However, Garza, a senior who turned down pro ball last summer to come back to Houston for 2015, has struggled to the point-5.94 ERA-that his rotation spot could be in jeopardy, though he'll likely still get the ball Sunday against Hawaii.
texasaandm
No. 22 Texas A&M
Record: 13-0
Head Coach: Rob Childress
Top Performers
Logan Taylor, of: .405/.488/.892 (15-for-37), 5 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB
Nick Banks, of: .444/.500/.644 (20-for-45), 1 HR, 14 RBI, 3 SB
A.J. Minter, lhp: 2-0, 0.56, 16 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 8 BB, 23 K
The Season So Far: The Aggies have stormed out to their best start since 1993 (a College World Series year), with home weekend sweeps of Holy Cross, Penn State and Dartmouth. They're one of just two undefeated teams left in the nation, along with No. 3 Virginia.
Coach's View: "We've gotten off to a good start. Feel like we've been very consistent, offensively. We've got an older group from a lineup standpoint with a lot experience and a lot of college at-bats under their belt. From a pitching standpoint, our starters have all done a really good job and our bullpen's been very consistent as well."-Aggies head coach Rob Childress
What To Watch For: The Aggies have looked like a regular offensive juggernaut in the early going. They lead the nation in home runs (17, tied with Nevada) and are in the top five in both team average (.342) and scoring (8.9 runs/game). The degree of difficulty gets bumped up considerably this weekend, however. Along with these being the Aggies' first games away from College Station, only one of the seven teams the Aggies have beaten thus far (Dallas Baptist) currently owns a winning record.
The lineup has been producing from just about everywhere. The Aggies have six regulars hitting over .300 and another at .294. A trio of talented sophomores-outfielder Nick Banks, second baseman Ryne Birk and third baseman Ronnie Gideon-have been right in the thick of things as expected, but the Aggies have also gotten breakout seasons from a pair of upperclassmen in junior outfielder Logan Taylor and senior catcher Mitchell Nau. Converting from shortstop to left field this year, Taylor has found a comfort level he never could as infielder and his tools have come to the fore as a result. He leads the Aggies in homers with five already after hitting only one over his first two seasons combined. Then there's Nau, mostly a reserve for the last three years who has seized the chance to play everyday and emerged as the Aggies' leading hitter with a .450 average.
Banks remains the Aggies' feature attraction, however, thanks to dashing combination of strength and speed. A second-team all-SEC pick as a freshman after hitting .327, he's picked up where he left off, opening 2015 on a 13-game hitting streak. Fellow sophomore Birk has a solid approach and has been effective out of the two spot in the order, while Gideon has all kinds of power-already with three home runs-although it comes at the expense of strikeouts (13, most on the team) and iffy defense at third.
The Aggies have had to make do without presumptive No. 2 starter Tyler Stubblefield, who tore an ACL in January, but his loss has been offset by the emergence of junior lefty A.J. Minter. After working out of the bullpen his first two years, Minter has reinvented himself from being a two-pitch power reliever into a four-pitch starter, thanks to the development of his curveball and changuep. He's still got mid-90s velocity when he needs it though, and his cutter can be devastating. Strikethrowing righthander Grayson Long and southpaw Matt Kent round out an all-junior rotation.
baylor
Baylor
Record: 6-5
Head Coach: Steve Smith
Top Performers
Aaron Dodson, 1b: .429/.448/.750 (12-for-28), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB
Logan Brown, cf: .359/.479/.487 (14-for-39), 0 HR, 8 RBI, 4 SB
The Season So Far: Coming off a 26-31 season in 2014, Baylor faced little in the way of outside expectations. Nonetheless, the Bears began the season in impressive fashion, sweeping Cal Poly and taking two of three from MAC favorite Kent State. A reality check came last week as the Bears went out to Cal State Fullerton and got swept, though two of the games were competitive.
Coach's View: "I think we've played OK, given we started the season with a few guys banged up and with a pretty formidable test at the beginning of the season. We're getting guys back now, and I think we've got a chance to wind up being pretty good . . . If you can pitch, then you've got a chance. A year ago, we had too many injuries. We're trying to avoid that this year. It's hard to avoid, but we're trying. If we can pitch a little bit, then the bats will eventually be there." -Bears head coach Steve Smith
What To Watch For: This current group of Baylor hitters reminds coach Steve Smith of his 2012 team that reached super regionals, except it's much younger. That team started seven juniors or seniors, whereas this year's Bears started six freshmen or sophomores last Friday in Fullerton.
The Bears haven't shown the kind of power that group did-they have just three homers in 11 games-but Smith believes it's in there for guys such as first baseman/catcher Aaron Dodson, outfielder Kameron Esthay, catcher Cameron Miller and outfielder Darryn Sheppard, all of whom are freshmen or sophomores. The switch-hitting Dodson in particular has legitimate pop from both sides of the plate and has learned to quiet down his swing as a sophomore. One senior the Bears have been able to lean on is outfielder Logan Brown (.359/.479/.487). Brown played through a hamate injury in 2014 and hit just .218, but he's fully healthy now and has been a force with his speed and ability to distract opposing pitchers. Even now though, the Bears' coaches want him to be even more aggressive when he's on the bases.
The injury bug that bit the Bears hard last year hasn't let go yet, as they received word this week that No. 3 starter Ryan Smith, who came out in the second inning of his start in Fullerton, will need Tommy John surgery. Nonetheless, Smith feels that with other veterans that have been nicked up such as outfielder Adam Toth and second baseman Duncan Wendel returning, this weekend will be the first time he's seen his team at full strength-or at least close to it.
Another of the Bears' walking wounded, senior righthander Austin Stone, will get back in the rotation this Sunday and should assume the No. 1 role at some point as he returns to full strength after missing the last few weeks of 2014 with a bicep tendon strain. In the meantime, sophomore righthander Drew Tolson goes on Friday and sophomore lefthander Daniel Castano on Saturday. Smith compares Tolson to Texas Christian ace Preston Morrison as a guy that competes and gets by without great stuff. On the other hand, Castano does have stuff, reaching the low 90s with his fastball, but has been maddeningly inconsistent. Establishing roles in the bullpen-the Bears lost two late leads last week-has been another issue.
Hawaii
Hawaii
Record: 5-8
Head Coach: Mike Trapasso
Top Performers
Eric Ramirez, 1b: .386/.463/.409, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R
L.J. Brewster, rhp: 2-1, 1.86, 19.1 IP, 16 H, 5 BB, 14 K
The Season So Far: The Rainbows were very competitive in their season-opening four-game series with No. 19 Oregon, winning one game 10-1 and losing a pair of one-run games. They bounced back by winning a home series with Hofstra before coming over to the mainland to face Pepperdine, where the lost three of four, before heading to Houston.
Coach's View: "All we look for with our guys is to play better than what we have. I've been optimistic because I do think that we're going to play better and put things together as a team because we do have the pieces to do that, but it's been frustrating because we haven't done that yet. . . . We've just gotta execute our pitches, execute our swings a little bit better than we have the first 13 games. I told our guys, it's funny, because we're all a little frustrated, we haven't played well to this point, but we're three games under .500. We feel like it's about 30 games under .500 because we know we're better than what we've shown. But it's still early. We still have 12 weeks left, and I really do think this is a team that's capable of playing better and getting on a roll. Hopefully that'll start this weekend, but if not, I really do believe it'll start sometime." - Rainbow Warriors head coach Mike Trapasso
What To Watch For: Hawaii faces an uphill battle to compete in the Big West, having gone just 6-18 in the conference a season ago. Injuries and the draft have hit the program hard-their recruiting class two years ago lost six signees-but Trapasso does believe in the team's young talent.
The Rainbows were finally able to get some of their key signees through the draft last year, foremost among them first baseman Eric Ramirez. Ramirez passed on signing as a Brewers' 37th rounder last June and has carried the Hawaii offense thus far, along with senior outfielder Kaeo Aliviado. Trapasso opened the year with Ramirez hitting sixth but quickly bumped him up to the cleanup spot and may hit him third this weekend-with Aliviado moving to leadoff-which says a lot about what the freshman means. Ramirez hasn't hit any home runs yet, but Trapasso expects his power potential to play eventually, while his swing allows him to hit to all fields.
The reason Aliviado, a high-energy player who has three of their six home runs so far this year, is moving to the top of the order is that Hawaii just lost its primary leadoff man, second baseman Stephen Ventimilia, in the Pepperdine series. The senior was off to a .286 start before catching a cleat on home plate and slightly tearing his PCL in his knee, knocking him out of action for two or three weeks. Hawaii will also be without the player Trapasso feels is its best offensive threat, outfielder Marcus Doi, who's been battling a sports hernia on and off since the second half of last season.
Hawaii will have to piece together a small-ball offense until its back to full strength. Pitching is generally the Rainbows' forte-their home park suppresses offense-which left Trapasso frustrated with their performance at Pepperdine, where two of their losses were by scores of 16-1 and 10-5. Junior righthander L.J. Brewster slides into the Friday role this weekend. A converted third baseman, Brewster showed 94 mph velocity last summer but has been mostly 88-91 this spring, to go with a feel for four pitches. Righthander Tyler Brashears shows electric stuff at times, throwing 92 mph with sink at his best, but he's struggled to locate consistently and got hit hard (5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 HR) last week. One potentially big boost could come from senior righty Jarrett Arakawa, the team's No. 1 starter two years ago who's fought back from labrum surgery and could get on the mound in a limited role this weekend.
nebraska
Nebraska
Record: 6-4
Head Coach: Darin Erstad
Top Performers
Ryan Boldt, cf: .459/.512/.568 (17-for-37), 0 HR, 10 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB
Kyle Kubat, lhp: 1-0, 1.93, 18.2 IP, 16 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
The Season So Far: The Huskers stumbled out of the gates, scoring just five runs in three games in an opening-series loss to Nevada-Las Vegas. They've gotten on track the last two weekends though, taking three of four from Brigham Young and two of three against a quality Loyola Marymount team.
Coach's View: "(It's been) some good, some bad. For the most part, we've been pitching pretty well. Playing very good defense. Bats just hadn't unthawed yet that first weekend, and we've just progressively started swinging better. Played pretty sound baseball last weekend at Loyola Marymount. We have quite a few new guys on the team, and just kind of building our identity one game at a time. But I like the direction we're headed." - Huskers head coach Darin Erstad
What To Watch For: Nebraska was one of the Big Ten's top offensive teams a season ago, ranking third in the conference and 47th in the nation in scoring at 5.9 runs/game, but putting runs on the board hasn't come as easily in 2015. The Huskers have reached that six-run mark in just three of their first 10 games and have scored at a 4.0 runs/game clip. Just four Husker regulars are hitting over .250.
There's at least one Husker who has been on a tear though-star center fielder Ryan Boldt. A second-team Freshman All-American last year, Boldt hasn't shown much power yet in game action, but it's in there, and he has a very well-round skill set overall. Erstad can see Boldt continuing to mature as a hitter, and his breaks on balls in center field have gotten sharper as well. Aside from Boldt though, the Huskers are a team of grinders that should be, in their coach's words, "annoying to face."
Nebraska's pitching has kept it afloat through the first three weeks, posting a 2.63 ERA as a group. None of the Huskers' starters has overwhelming stuff, but all three are competitors that know how to pitch. Sunday starter righthander Derek Burkamper, an unsigned 20th-round pick in 2013, shows the most intriguing arsenal, with a fastball that touches 93 mph with good downhill angle and a quality changeup. The Huskers roll out a pair of seniors on Friday and Saturday, righthander Chance Sinclair and lefty Kyle Kubat, both of whom thrive on locating and mixing up their pitches.
Kubat (7 IP, 3 H, 1 R) and Burkamper (7 IP, 2 H, 1 R) were both outstanding in road wins last week at Loyola Marymount. Sinclair (1-2, 5.74) has struggled early on but was an all-Big Ten pick last year. The Huskers can also rely on a veteran closer in senior righthander Josh Roeder, and Erstad has been encouraged by how some of his other bullpen arms like righthanders Colton Howell and Jeff Chesnut have stepped into larger roles, making up for the loss of one of last year's mainstays in lefthander Zach Hirsh.
BA - Weekend Preview, Part I: March 6-8
The Houston College Classic has become one of the premier amateur events in the country since its debut in 2001. Domed Minute Maid Park guarantees three days of tripleheaders between top college programs in March, attracting both top teams and hordes of scouts, as well as strong attendance, especially considering the time of year.
Attendance should be strong again this year, as the event features Baylor, Hawaii, No. 8 Houston, No. 2 LSU, Nebraska and No. 22 Texas A&M.
However, this year's Dodgertown Classic will compete for the title of best college tournament in its return to Dodger Stadium, after a two-year hiatus from the stadium and one year completely off for the event. Dodgertown is back in style, though, with No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 Texas Christian and No. 25 Southern California in the fold. The Houston College Classic is previewed below. Mike Lananna will preview the Dodgertown Classic on Friday morning at baseballamerica.com.
Big-time tournaments generally signify the end of non-conference play four weeks into the season, but several leagues are delving into conference play this weekend. In fact, some league play has begun around the country, such as in the Mountain West.
Fresno State already has played two league series, in fact, getting swept at Nevada but sweeping a home series against Nevada-Las Vegas. The Bulldogs take a break from league play, but it's hardly a break-they travel to Oregon State for a scheduled four-game set with the Beavers.
Two MWC clubs are off to unbeaten starts, Nevada and San Diego State. The hard-hitting Wolf Pack visit instate rival UNLV with their 1-2 punch of senior first baseman Austin Byler and redshirt junior second baseman Ryan Howell, who have combined for 10 home runs, 14 HBPs and 23 walks in just 79 at-bats. The Pack is tied with Texas A&M for the national lead with 17 home runs. Meanwhile, San Diego State takes its seven-game winning streak and 12-1 record (3-0 in the MWC) on the road at New Mexico, which won two of three against Air Force in its first league series.
The Southland and Sun Belt also get started with league play, though neither league has ranked teams. The Atlantic Coast Conference begins with league games involving all 14 teams, including No. 11 Miami visiting No. 17 Louisville. The Hurricanes won the league's regular season a year ago, but the warm-weather 'Canes will be facing the Cardinals with a Friday forecast that's clear but with a high in the low 30s, according to the Weather Channel.
No. 3 Virginia, No. 20 North Carolina and No. 21 Florida State all play host to unranked foes. While the Cavaliers (against 3-6 Pittsburgh) and Seminoles (against 5-6 Boston College) should be favored to sweep their series, the Tar Heels have Duke coming to town.
ESPN will bring College Gameday to campus for the Duke-UNC basketball game Saturday night, but the baseball series has its own intrigue. Duke has won nine straight, won a road series at California and has done most of its damage with righthander Michael Matuella out of commission. He's thrown only one inning since beating Cal on Opening Day. Matuella is scheduled to throw this weekend (Saturday, weather permitting) on a limited pitch count, likely 40 pitches.
The Blue Devils have gotten a lift from their veteran middle infield, which has helped the team to an ACC-best .980 fielding percentage (just nine errors). Junior shortstop Kenny Koplove leads the team in on-base percentage in his .306/.435/.389 start; he also has two saves and 13 strikeouts out of the 20 outs he's recorded on the mound. Meanwhile, senior second baseman Andy Perez leads the ACC with 11 steals while batting .325/.423/.425.
North Carolina is 8-3 even though it really hasn't had anything go according to plan, starting with an ugly .944 fielding percentage (24 errors in 11 games). The Tar Heels' past two weekend series were moved due to weather, and projected closer Reilly Hovis will miss the weekend with a muscle pull. Pitching coach Scott Forbes also has pushed senior righty Benton Moss to Sunday to give him a bit more rest after pitching in freezing temperatures last weekend; Moss (2-0, 2.30) is off to a robust start with a 26-3 strikeout-walk rate.
"We know who our starters are," Forbes said, mentioning Moss, sophomore righty Zac Gallen (11-0 K-BB in 9 IP) and freshman flamethrower J.B. Bukauskas (1-1, 4.30). "We know Trent Thornton is our closer. But we have not gotten into a rhythm, and we haven't consistently gotten that bridge to Trent yet.
"The weather has affected everybody, so there's no excuses. Everybody's dealing with it. We just need to play better, period."
That extends to the Tar Heels defense as well as its offense, with junior center fielder Skye Bolt off to a .206/.349/.353 start.
"He needs to be better," head coach Mike Fox told the Daily Tar Heel's Carlos Collazo, a former Baseball America intern. "Skye Bolt needs to be better. I mean, he needs to perform better, and I think he will. We need Skye in there playing at a high level . . . but he obviously is a good player; he's just gotta play a little bit better."
Forbes said North Carolina's coaches are confident Bolt will bounce back at the plate and that the team won't keep fielding at a .944 clip.
"We better not!" Forbes laughed.
HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC PREVIEW
lsu
No. 2 Louisiana State
Record: 12-1
Head Coach: Paul Mainieri
Top Performers
Kade Scivicque, c: .448/.486/.862 (13-for-29), 3 HR, 10 RBI, 11 R
Mark Laird, cf: .396/.453/.438 (19-for-48), 0 HR, 5 RBI, 5 SB, 14 R
Alex Lange, rhp: 3-0, 2.25, 16 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 22 K
The Season So Far: The preseason No. 2 team in the country, the Tigers haven't hit many speed bumps thus far, losing only once-a midweek game against Nicholls State-in the season's first three weeks. They've warmed up for this weekend, their first significant challenge, by sweeping home series with Kansas, Boston College and Princeton.
Coach's View: "I think we're doing about as I expected. We thought we had a really good lineup. A lot of veteran players. The first weekend against Kansas, we swung the bats well in spurts but not real consistently. Then we had a midweek game where we had like 14 hits but they were all singles and we left 17 runners on base and ended up losing the game. We just tried to emphasize to the players that they had a lot of talent, that they needed to be more aggressive and swing the bat with more authority. So, they kind of got the message. Against Boston College the next weekend, I think we had about 20 extra-base hits and have continued to swing the bat really well ever since then."-Tigers head coach Paul Mainieri
What To Watch For: The Tigers landed their lofty preseason ranking principally on the strength of their lineup, and it hasn't disappointed, while their rotation was going to be leaning on a sophomore and two freshmen. It just happens that Alex Lange and Jake Godfrey are no ordinary freshmen.
The principal figures in LSU's top-ranked recruiting class-along with lefty Jake Latz, who's been sidelined with a stress reaction in his elbow-Godfrey and Lange have been sensational through their first three starts. Mainieri sees Lange as the next in the line of star pitchers to come through Baton Rouge, saying he's "taken the program by storm." The righthander has an impressive package of athleticism on the mound, poise beyond his age and an arsenal with a fastball that ranges from 91-95 mph and a knockout breaking ball. Godfrey, another righty, tends to be more emotional on the mound but has impressive stuff as well, led by a sinking fastball at 92-93 mph, and has gotten stronger each time out.
Lefty Jared Poche' is the old man of the rotation even though he's just a sophomore himself, but he's nonetheless embraced a leadership role. Poche' has the least overwhelming stuff of LSU's starters, relying on spotting his 87-91 mph fastball and pairing it with a changeup, but he knows how to win and isn't afraid to come after hitters. Meanwhile, another freshman, righty Jesse Stallings, has come on strong at the back of the bullpen. Stallings redshirted last year while recovering from Tommy John surgery and was throwing just 89-90 in fall, but he came out 92-94 with command and downhill angle in January. The Tigers handed him the reins as closer and all he's done is allow one hit in his first 5 2/3 innings of work, spanning six appearances.
About that lineup-it's still really good. Star shortstop Alex Bregman was one of the few Tiger regulars under .300-hitting .292 through Tuesday-but he had nonetheless been hitting balls hard consistently and started getting rewarded on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 against Grambling State. Junior Chris Chinea, getting his first chance at an everyday role, has emerged as the Tigers' cleanup hitter, batting .326/.385/.370, while sharing time behind the plate and at DH with power-hitting senior Kade Scivicque. The Tigers have also been much more aggressive stealing bases, ranking eighth in the country (23) after ranking 167th last year, an improvement Mainieri credits to first-year hitting coach Andy Cannizaro, whom he charged with making the Tigers more dynamic on the bases.
Houstonlogo
No. 8 Houston
Record: 8-5
Head Coach: Todd Whitting
Top Performers
Chris Iriart, 1b: .348/.474/.614 (16-for-46), 3 HR, 11 RBI, 11 R
Kyle Survance, of: .333/.438/.426 (18-for-54), 0 HR, 6 RBI, 11 SB
Andrew Lantrip, rhp: 3-0, 0.46, 19.2 IP, 13 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 16 K
The Season So Far: Things started out well enough for the Cougars, the No. 3 team in the preseason, as they swept Minnesota and took two of three from Alabama the first two weeks of the year, but they've hit the skids since. Houston's lost five of its last seven games, including a four-game split at home with Columbia last weekend.
Coach's View: "Really, I don't think our opponents have dictated whether we've won or lost a game yet. It's really all self-inflicted. We've made a ton of errors at spots we should play better defense. We haven't pitched well-we've walked more guys than we normally do. . . . Nobody's panicked. I've been doing this long enough, and my staff's been doing this long enough. You go through rough patches every year. Very rarely do you go from wire to wire and nothing goes wrong throughout the season. Last year, we got swept by Louisville at home, and we had plenty of other situations last year where you thought the whole thing was caving in. You just gotta keep grinding away at it."-Cougars head coach Todd Whitting
What To Watch For: When they're at full strength, the Cougars should field as complete a team as you'll find. That team just hasn't been seen much if at all over the first three weeks.
Preseason all-conference pick third baseman Connor Hollis, a .321 hitter last year, broke a hamate bone in the first game of the season and hasn't played since, though Whitting hopes to get him back in a couple weeks. Likewise, veteran outfielder Michael Pyeatt, a valuable lefty bat, has been sidelined with an ankle injury and won't be back any time soon. More bad news came in this week when the Cougars found out closer Bubba Maxwell is done for the season with Tommy John surgery.
Whitting has had to run as many as four freshman out in the lineup at a time, and the Cougars have felt Hollis' absence defensively at third base particularly hard. But, there have been some bright spots. Whitting loves the maturity of freshman shortstop Connor Wong, who quickly has become one of the Cougars' primary offensive threats, hitting .321/.351/.509 and leading the team in RBIs with 14. Junior-college transfer 1B Chris Iriart has lived up to his billing as a powerful presence in the middle of the order, with a team-high three home runs. Fellow juco transfer catcher Ian Rice has had a tougher time adjusting to D-I ball, hitting just .226 and homering only once so far-and that was on Opening Day-but he has plenty of pop as well if he can get going.
Another of Houston's strengths was expected to be its veteran rotation, which had all three of its members returning from last year, but only one of them, sophomore righty Andrew Lantrip, has held up his end of the bargain. The strikethrowing Lantrip has seized the Friday night role and starred, allowing only one run in three starts, while his more touted counterparts, righties Jake Lemoine and Aaron Garza, have been getting knocked around. Lemoine didn't throw much in the fall and Whitting expects him to get better as his arm gets more in shape. His secondary pitches have still looked solid, but his fastball velocity hasn't been its normal low to mid-90s. Lemoine did pitch well last week against Columbia, allowing three runs over seven innings to drop his ERA to 3.38. However, Garza, a senior who turned down pro ball last summer to come back to Houston for 2015, has struggled to the point-5.94 ERA-that his rotation spot could be in jeopardy, though he'll likely still get the ball Sunday against Hawaii.
texasaandm
No. 22 Texas A&M
Record: 13-0
Head Coach: Rob Childress
Top Performers
Logan Taylor, of: .405/.488/.892 (15-for-37), 5 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB
Nick Banks, of: .444/.500/.644 (20-for-45), 1 HR, 14 RBI, 3 SB
A.J. Minter, lhp: 2-0, 0.56, 16 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 8 BB, 23 K
The Season So Far: The Aggies have stormed out to their best start since 1993 (a College World Series year), with home weekend sweeps of Holy Cross, Penn State and Dartmouth. They're one of just two undefeated teams left in the nation, along with No. 3 Virginia.
Coach's View: "We've gotten off to a good start. Feel like we've been very consistent, offensively. We've got an older group from a lineup standpoint with a lot experience and a lot of college at-bats under their belt. From a pitching standpoint, our starters have all done a really good job and our bullpen's been very consistent as well."-Aggies head coach Rob Childress
What To Watch For: The Aggies have looked like a regular offensive juggernaut in the early going. They lead the nation in home runs (17, tied with Nevada) and are in the top five in both team average (.342) and scoring (8.9 runs/game). The degree of difficulty gets bumped up considerably this weekend, however. Along with these being the Aggies' first games away from College Station, only one of the seven teams the Aggies have beaten thus far (Dallas Baptist) currently owns a winning record.
The lineup has been producing from just about everywhere. The Aggies have six regulars hitting over .300 and another at .294. A trio of talented sophomores-outfielder Nick Banks, second baseman Ryne Birk and third baseman Ronnie Gideon-have been right in the thick of things as expected, but the Aggies have also gotten breakout seasons from a pair of upperclassmen in junior outfielder Logan Taylor and senior catcher Mitchell Nau. Converting from shortstop to left field this year, Taylor has found a comfort level he never could as infielder and his tools have come to the fore as a result. He leads the Aggies in homers with five already after hitting only one over his first two seasons combined. Then there's Nau, mostly a reserve for the last three years who has seized the chance to play everyday and emerged as the Aggies' leading hitter with a .450 average.
Banks remains the Aggies' feature attraction, however, thanks to dashing combination of strength and speed. A second-team all-SEC pick as a freshman after hitting .327, he's picked up where he left off, opening 2015 on a 13-game hitting streak. Fellow sophomore Birk has a solid approach and has been effective out of the two spot in the order, while Gideon has all kinds of power-already with three home runs-although it comes at the expense of strikeouts (13, most on the team) and iffy defense at third.
The Aggies have had to make do without presumptive No. 2 starter Tyler Stubblefield, who tore an ACL in January, but his loss has been offset by the emergence of junior lefty A.J. Minter. After working out of the bullpen his first two years, Minter has reinvented himself from being a two-pitch power reliever into a four-pitch starter, thanks to the development of his curveball and changuep. He's still got mid-90s velocity when he needs it though, and his cutter can be devastating. Strikethrowing righthander Grayson Long and southpaw Matt Kent round out an all-junior rotation.
baylor
Baylor
Record: 6-5
Head Coach: Steve Smith
Top Performers
Aaron Dodson, 1b: .429/.448/.750 (12-for-28), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB
Logan Brown, cf: .359/.479/.487 (14-for-39), 0 HR, 8 RBI, 4 SB
The Season So Far: Coming off a 26-31 season in 2014, Baylor faced little in the way of outside expectations. Nonetheless, the Bears began the season in impressive fashion, sweeping Cal Poly and taking two of three from MAC favorite Kent State. A reality check came last week as the Bears went out to Cal State Fullerton and got swept, though two of the games were competitive.
Coach's View: "I think we've played OK, given we started the season with a few guys banged up and with a pretty formidable test at the beginning of the season. We're getting guys back now, and I think we've got a chance to wind up being pretty good . . . If you can pitch, then you've got a chance. A year ago, we had too many injuries. We're trying to avoid that this year. It's hard to avoid, but we're trying. If we can pitch a little bit, then the bats will eventually be there." -Bears head coach Steve Smith
What To Watch For: This current group of Baylor hitters reminds coach Steve Smith of his 2012 team that reached super regionals, except it's much younger. That team started seven juniors or seniors, whereas this year's Bears started six freshmen or sophomores last Friday in Fullerton.
The Bears haven't shown the kind of power that group did-they have just three homers in 11 games-but Smith believes it's in there for guys such as first baseman/catcher Aaron Dodson, outfielder Kameron Esthay, catcher Cameron Miller and outfielder Darryn Sheppard, all of whom are freshmen or sophomores. The switch-hitting Dodson in particular has legitimate pop from both sides of the plate and has learned to quiet down his swing as a sophomore. One senior the Bears have been able to lean on is outfielder Logan Brown (.359/.479/.487). Brown played through a hamate injury in 2014 and hit just .218, but he's fully healthy now and has been a force with his speed and ability to distract opposing pitchers. Even now though, the Bears' coaches want him to be even more aggressive when he's on the bases.
The injury bug that bit the Bears hard last year hasn't let go yet, as they received word this week that No. 3 starter Ryan Smith, who came out in the second inning of his start in Fullerton, will need Tommy John surgery. Nonetheless, Smith feels that with other veterans that have been nicked up such as outfielder Adam Toth and second baseman Duncan Wendel returning, this weekend will be the first time he's seen his team at full strength-or at least close to it.
Another of the Bears' walking wounded, senior righthander Austin Stone, will get back in the rotation this Sunday and should assume the No. 1 role at some point as he returns to full strength after missing the last few weeks of 2014 with a bicep tendon strain. In the meantime, sophomore righthander Drew Tolson goes on Friday and sophomore lefthander Daniel Castano on Saturday. Smith compares Tolson to Texas Christian ace Preston Morrison as a guy that competes and gets by without great stuff. On the other hand, Castano does have stuff, reaching the low 90s with his fastball, but has been maddeningly inconsistent. Establishing roles in the bullpen-the Bears lost two late leads last week-has been another issue.
Hawaii
Hawaii
Record: 5-8
Head Coach: Mike Trapasso
Top Performers
Eric Ramirez, 1b: .386/.463/.409, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R
L.J. Brewster, rhp: 2-1, 1.86, 19.1 IP, 16 H, 5 BB, 14 K
The Season So Far: The Rainbows were very competitive in their season-opening four-game series with No. 19 Oregon, winning one game 10-1 and losing a pair of one-run games. They bounced back by winning a home series with Hofstra before coming over to the mainland to face Pepperdine, where the lost three of four, before heading to Houston.
Coach's View: "All we look for with our guys is to play better than what we have. I've been optimistic because I do think that we're going to play better and put things together as a team because we do have the pieces to do that, but it's been frustrating because we haven't done that yet. . . . We've just gotta execute our pitches, execute our swings a little bit better than we have the first 13 games. I told our guys, it's funny, because we're all a little frustrated, we haven't played well to this point, but we're three games under .500. We feel like it's about 30 games under .500 because we know we're better than what we've shown. But it's still early. We still have 12 weeks left, and I really do think this is a team that's capable of playing better and getting on a roll. Hopefully that'll start this weekend, but if not, I really do believe it'll start sometime." - Rainbow Warriors head coach Mike Trapasso
What To Watch For: Hawaii faces an uphill battle to compete in the Big West, having gone just 6-18 in the conference a season ago. Injuries and the draft have hit the program hard-their recruiting class two years ago lost six signees-but Trapasso does believe in the team's young talent.
The Rainbows were finally able to get some of their key signees through the draft last year, foremost among them first baseman Eric Ramirez. Ramirez passed on signing as a Brewers' 37th rounder last June and has carried the Hawaii offense thus far, along with senior outfielder Kaeo Aliviado. Trapasso opened the year with Ramirez hitting sixth but quickly bumped him up to the cleanup spot and may hit him third this weekend-with Aliviado moving to leadoff-which says a lot about what the freshman means. Ramirez hasn't hit any home runs yet, but Trapasso expects his power potential to play eventually, while his swing allows him to hit to all fields.
The reason Aliviado, a high-energy player who has three of their six home runs so far this year, is moving to the top of the order is that Hawaii just lost its primary leadoff man, second baseman Stephen Ventimilia, in the Pepperdine series. The senior was off to a .286 start before catching a cleat on home plate and slightly tearing his PCL in his knee, knocking him out of action for two or three weeks. Hawaii will also be without the player Trapasso feels is its best offensive threat, outfielder Marcus Doi, who's been battling a sports hernia on and off since the second half of last season.
Hawaii will have to piece together a small-ball offense until its back to full strength. Pitching is generally the Rainbows' forte-their home park suppresses offense-which left Trapasso frustrated with their performance at Pepperdine, where two of their losses were by scores of 16-1 and 10-5. Junior righthander L.J. Brewster slides into the Friday role this weekend. A converted third baseman, Brewster showed 94 mph velocity last summer but has been mostly 88-91 this spring, to go with a feel for four pitches. Righthander Tyler Brashears shows electric stuff at times, throwing 92 mph with sink at his best, but he's struggled to locate consistently and got hit hard (5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 HR) last week. One potentially big boost could come from senior righty Jarrett Arakawa, the team's No. 1 starter two years ago who's fought back from labrum surgery and could get on the mound in a limited role this weekend.
nebraska
Nebraska
Record: 6-4
Head Coach: Darin Erstad
Top Performers
Ryan Boldt, cf: .459/.512/.568 (17-for-37), 0 HR, 10 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB
Kyle Kubat, lhp: 1-0, 1.93, 18.2 IP, 16 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
The Season So Far: The Huskers stumbled out of the gates, scoring just five runs in three games in an opening-series loss to Nevada-Las Vegas. They've gotten on track the last two weekends though, taking three of four from Brigham Young and two of three against a quality Loyola Marymount team.
Coach's View: "(It's been) some good, some bad. For the most part, we've been pitching pretty well. Playing very good defense. Bats just hadn't unthawed yet that first weekend, and we've just progressively started swinging better. Played pretty sound baseball last weekend at Loyola Marymount. We have quite a few new guys on the team, and just kind of building our identity one game at a time. But I like the direction we're headed." - Huskers head coach Darin Erstad
What To Watch For: Nebraska was one of the Big Ten's top offensive teams a season ago, ranking third in the conference and 47th in the nation in scoring at 5.9 runs/game, but putting runs on the board hasn't come as easily in 2015. The Huskers have reached that six-run mark in just three of their first 10 games and have scored at a 4.0 runs/game clip. Just four Husker regulars are hitting over .250.
There's at least one Husker who has been on a tear though-star center fielder Ryan Boldt. A second-team Freshman All-American last year, Boldt hasn't shown much power yet in game action, but it's in there, and he has a very well-round skill set overall. Erstad can see Boldt continuing to mature as a hitter, and his breaks on balls in center field have gotten sharper as well. Aside from Boldt though, the Huskers are a team of grinders that should be, in their coach's words, "annoying to face."
Nebraska's pitching has kept it afloat through the first three weeks, posting a 2.63 ERA as a group. None of the Huskers' starters has overwhelming stuff, but all three are competitors that know how to pitch. Sunday starter righthander Derek Burkamper, an unsigned 20th-round pick in 2013, shows the most intriguing arsenal, with a fastball that touches 93 mph with good downhill angle and a quality changeup. The Huskers roll out a pair of seniors on Friday and Saturday, righthander Chance Sinclair and lefty Kyle Kubat, both of whom thrive on locating and mixing up their pitches.
Kubat (7 IP, 3 H, 1 R) and Burkamper (7 IP, 2 H, 1 R) were both outstanding in road wins last week at Loyola Marymount. Sinclair (1-2, 5.74) has struggled early on but was an all-Big Ten pick last year. The Huskers can also rely on a veteran closer in senior righthander Josh Roeder, and Erstad has been encouraged by how some of his other bullpen arms like righthanders Colton Howell and Jeff Chesnut have stepped into larger roles, making up for the loss of one of last year's mainstays in lefthander Zach Hirsh.
BA - Weekend Preview, Part I: March 6-8
BA - Weekend Preview, Part II: March 6-8
On Thursday, John Manuel and Jim Shonerd previewed the Houston College Classic and other series in Part I of our Weekend Preview. Below, Mike Lananna previews the Dodgertown Classic.
DODGERTOWN CLASSIC
vanderbilt
No. 1 Vanderbilt
Record: 10-2
Head Coach: Tim Corbin
Top Performers
Rhett Wiseman, of: .408/.500/.633 (20-for-49), 1 HR, 10 RBI, 3 SB
Dansby Swanson, ss: .346/.417/.577 (18-for-52), 1 HR, 15 RBI, 4 SB
The Season So Far: The reigning champions faced an early test against a feisty Santa Clara squad on opening weekend, then failed to sweep against Indiana State in a series moved to Port Charlotte, Fla. But since then, the Commodores haven't lost, taking down Tennessee-Martin, Western Kentucky and then sweeping Illinois State-despite trailing 10-0 in the final game of the series. Vanderbilt comes into the Dodgertown Classic on a seven-game winning streak.
Coach's View: "It's tough to (assess the team) at this point. We've played 12 games. We've played in conditions that probably aren't representative of clean baseball. Because of that, we've played OK. We've hit the ball reasonably well. We've pitched in some spots . . . We haven't seen enough consistency, but I think that's to be expected, really, knowing where we've been and what we've played in and who we've played. I just don't think we've been entirely consistent yet." - Commodores head coach Tim Corbin.
What To Watch For: The Commodores have been comeback kids in 2015, with three of their 10 wins ending in walk-offs-two in extra innings. Perhaps Vanderbilt's greatest showing of tenacity came March 1 against Illinois State, when the Commodores scored 16 runs to overcome a 10-run deficit. Corbin said those sorts of experiences should serve his Vanderbilt club well, as the Commodores are a younger group than last year's title-winning iteration.
Youth has played a key factor for Vanderbilt so far, with redshirt freshman Penn Mufree (.364/.417/.606), true freshman Will Toffey (.297/.378/.378) and sophomore Bryan Reynolds (.320/.375/.480)-coming off a strong summer with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team-occupying key spots in the lineup. The same holds true for the pitching staff. With junior righthander Walker Buehler unavailable early in the season due to elbow soreness, sophomore lefthander John Kilichowski stepped in and chewed up quality innings as a Saturday starter. Corbin said he always envisioned Kilichowski as a future starter-just maybe not this soon. But the coach said he's been impressed by the lefthander and his ability to throw strikes. Redshirt freshman righthander Jordan Sheffield and sophomore lefty Ben Bowden have been similar pleasant surprises out of the bullpen, Corbin said, with both possessing mid-to-upper 90s fastballs.
Those young pieces complement what remains a strong veteran core for the Commodores. Junior shortstop Dansby Swanson is a top position player draft prospect and has played like it; redshirt junior first baseman Zander Wiel hit two grand slams last week; and junior outfielder Rhett Wiseman leads the team in hitting through 12 games. On the mound, ace righthander Carson Fulmer (2-0, 1.12) has thus far lived up to the draft buzz surrounding him, and junior lefthander Philip Pfeifer has yet to allow a run in 13 innings. Buehler has only pitched two innings due to elbow concerns, but Corbin said he expects the righthander to pitch this weekend, more than likely on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, and Vanderbilt will slowly but surely stretch him out in the coming weeks.
The Commodores will welcome the warm temperatures in L.A., as wintry weather delayed their departure for California until Thursday evening at 6 p.m. ET.
texaschristian
No. 7 Texas Christian
Record: 8-1
Head Coach: Jim Schlossnagle
Top Performers
Preston Morrison, rhp: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 18 IP, 3 BB, 11 SO
Mitchell Traver, rhp: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 16 IP, 1 BB, 18 SO
The Season So Far: After a strong finish to last season, the Horned Frogs came into the 2015 season with high expectations, and so far, they've lived up to them. They started the season on a five-game winning streak and took two out of three against a tough Arizona State team and defeated Rice in a midweek tilt. But, like many other teams around the country, winter weather has hampered TCU, forcing the Frogs to cancel a weekend series against Cal Poly.
Coach's View: "I'm pleased with the way we've played to this point. Pitching and defense, I've been really pleased with the way we've caught the baseball. We caught the ball well last year, and we feel like we upgraded athletically in the outfield . . . We're still a work in progress offensively. I think we have a lot of improving to do there. But I think there is some upside. We do run the bases pretty well, and we're aggressive that way." - Horned Frogs head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
What To Watch For: The blueprint for TCU is a simple-but effective-one: Score four or five runs, then let the man on the mound take care of the rest.
Schlossnagle knew coming into the season that his offense wouldn't win many slugfests, but he also knew his pitchers were a special group. At the forefront has been senior ace righthander Preston Morrison, who has yet to allow a run in 18 innings. He threw an absolute gem against Arizona State on the road-shutting out the Sun Devils in an 88-pitch complete game. Schlossnagle said that he's never seen Morrison pitch better than he has this year and that he's the most intelligent pitcher he's seen in the college game. Never a hard thrower, Morrison has added a couple of ticks to his fastball, which now sits in the mid-to-high 80's and has touched 89 mph. He also relieved Tuesday against Rice, his first relief appearance since his freshman season in 2012.
Joining him in a strong start is redshirt sophomore righthander Mitchell Traver, who also hasn't allowed a run through 16 innings. Highly lauded out of high school, Traver had thoracic outlet surgery, then Tommy John surgery, then suffered a stress fracture in his back. But he's fully healthy this season, and Schlossnagle said he's proud of the way Traver has taken care of his body, trimming his body fat. Traver has shown no lingering effects from those injuries, sitting 91-94 mph with his heater and touching as high as 95. He'll start Friday for TCU and is in the mix for the weekend rotation along with Morrison and lefties Alex Young and Tyler Alexander, who won 10 games a season ago. Of course, TCU's strongest asset may very well be hard-throwing junior closer Riley Ferrell, who holds the school record for saves. Ferrell continues to draw buzz from scouts whenever he takes the mound.
One of Schlossnagle's worries coming into the year was youth behind the plate. Freshman catchers Evan Skoug and Zack Plunkett have been charged with leading a veteran pitching staff, and Schlossnagle said he's been impressed with the way they've handled that role. Skoug, in particular, has also come through with big hits for the Horned Frogs, swatting two home runs on the year. He's one of the most potent threats in a lineup that returns only one .300 hitter from last year.
That hitter, senior second baseman Garrett Crain (.323/.400/.484), has been an early offensive leader for TCU, along with senior outfielder Cody Jones (.343/.395/.400, 4 SB), who is an igniter at the top of the order with his speed.
It isn't a powerful lineup, but it's been productive enough for a pitching staff that's posted a 1.24 ERA through nine games.
UCLA
No. 6 UCLA
Record: 11-1
Head Coach: John Savage
Top Performers
Ty Moore, of: .511/.589/.600 (23-for-45), 0 HR, 9 RBI, 3 SB
Chris Keck, 3b: .350/.462/.850 (14-for-40), 5 HR, 20 RBI, 0 SB
The Season So Far: The Bruins got off to a soaring start with three gaudy scores in their opening weekend series with Hofstra. UCLA continued to hit, taking two out of three from a ranked North Carolina team, picking up wins against Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State and sweeping Michigan State last weekend.
Coach's View: "I think we feel pretty good about how we've played. I think we've played sound baseball. You pitch, you catch, you hit. A lot of times it's not about who you play but how you play. I think for the most part, through the first 12 games, I think we've played pretty good baseball. We can get a lot better. I do know that. But if you look at our offense, you look at our defense, you look at our pitching, I think all three phases have been pretty good. I think everybody's still trying to form an identity, and that's what we're trying to do." - Bruins head coach John Savage.
What To Watch For: In past years, UCLA has been a pitching-first, scrappy offensive team. Even in 2013-when the Bruins won the College World Series-the team batted just .250 collectively.
It's been an entirely different story so far this season for the Bruins, who have already exceeded their team home run total from last season-by five. The top of the UCLA lineup has proven fearsome, particularly the first four batters. Kevin Kramer, Luke Persico, Chris Keck and Ty Moore have combined to go 75-for-182 (.412) this season with 11 home runs and 56 RBI.
The top of the order was even more threatening with Brett Stephens heading it. He batted .471/.654/.529 in his first 17 at-bats of the season before breaking his middle finger against North Carolina. Coach Savage said he expects Stephens to return perhaps as soon as next weekend against Washington.
Savage also said he's looking for more balance and production in the bottom half of the lineup, which has trailed off of late. Freshman third baseman Sean Bouchard (the only freshman who regularly starts) and catcher Darrell Miller have both cooled after hot starts, which Savage said could be a product of opposing pitchers' scouting reports. Still, the top of the order has carried the load and been more than enough support for a deep UCLA pitching staff.
The Bruins boast a prospect-laden weekend rotation with James Kaprielian, Grant Watson and Cody Poteet and a promising freshman starting midweek games in Griffin Canning. Scouts should flock to Friday's matchup with Vanderbilt matching Kaprielian and his Team USA teammate Fulmer. Even still, Savage said he only looks for six innings out of his starters-and for good reason. The bullpen, led by veteran closer David Berg, has a strong bridge in the form of Grant Dyer, Tucker Forbes and Hunter Virant.
southerncalifornia
No. 25 Southern California
Record: 12-1
Head Coach: Dan Hubbs
Top Performers
Garrett Stubbs, c: .471/.526/.490 (24-for-51), 0 HR, 7 RBI, 10 SB
Kyle Twomey, lhp: 3-0, 1.33 ERA, 20.1 IP, 6 BB, 19 SO
The Season So Far: The Trojans rolled off 12 straight wins to start the season-though most of those victories haven't come against premium competition, with weekend series against Towson, Oakland and Fordham. However, the Trojans do have wins against Cal State Fullerton and Kentucky. A couple of misplays in the field cost them in Tuesday's loss to UC Santa Barbara-their first matchup against a top 25 team.
Coach's View: "I thought we've played well. I think we've pitched pretty well . . . I thought the kids have been throwing really well. What it's done is given us flexibility, where we've gotten starts from two lefthanders and two righthanders . . . I think offensively we've found a bunch of different ways to score runs, and we've played solid defense." - Trojans head coach Dan Hubbs.
What To Watch For: After opening the season with a fairly light non-conference slate, the Trojans will have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves this weekend against some of the country's best. Coach Hubbs said he's confident his team can hold its own-as long as it plays to its best ability.
USC boasts a veteran lineup fronted by senior catcher Garrett Stubbs (.471/.526/.490, 10 SB) and redshirt junior outfielder Bobby Stahel (.386/.440/.477), both of whom have produced at the top of the order, setting the table for the likes of junior outfielder Timmy Robinson, senior infielder Dante Flores and junior infielder Blake Lacey. Hubbs said Robinson (.267/.375/.378, 7 SB) and Flores (.286/.415/.452) have both shown growth this season as they've taken on middle-of-the-order responsibilities. Hubbs said Flores might have let expectations for the draft get to him last year. He's become less pull-happy this season and is instead focused on hitting the ball to all fields.
On the mound, junior Kyle Davis (2.84 ERA, 10 SO in 6.1 IP) was supposed to be USC's Friday starter-and still might be-but he moved to the back end of the bullpen after rolling his ankle before opening day. He's already racked up five saves and has opened the door for the emergence of starters righthander Mitch Hart (2-0, 2.25) and lefty Tyler Gilbert (1-0, 3.52, 21 SO/15 IP).
Hart, a freshman, has shown the ability to pound the zone with 90-92 mph fastball, mixing in three offspeed pitches. He needs to work on finishing off hitters, Hubbs said, but overall, the coach has been pleased with his start to the season. Gilbert, meanwhile, is coming off a career-high 11 strikeouts against the Gauchos.
Those arms join established juniors Brent Wheatley (1-0, 2.12, 25 SO/17 IP) and Kyle Twomey (3-0, 1.33, 19 SO/20 IP) in the rotation, both of whom have pitched to the back of their baseball cards so far this season. Wheatley's strikeouts have been up-something Hubbs attributes to the emergence of a cutter. Another junior, lefthander Marc Huberman, has been a revelation in the bullpen along with Davis, allowing no earned runs and striking out 10 in eight innings.
The Trojans have more history than any program in college baseball, with 12 national championships as well as Hall of Fame alumni such as Tom Seaver and Randy Johnson. But they have not earned a regional trip since 2005 and have less of a resume than the three top-10 teams they'll face this weekend. The Commodores and Bruins have won the last two College World Series, while TCU went to Omaha last year, while the Trojans haven't been since 2001.
BA - Weekend Preview, Part II: March 6-8
On Thursday, John Manuel and Jim Shonerd previewed the Houston College Classic and other series in Part I of our Weekend Preview. Below, Mike Lananna previews the Dodgertown Classic.
DODGERTOWN CLASSIC
vanderbilt
No. 1 Vanderbilt
Record: 10-2
Head Coach: Tim Corbin
Top Performers
Rhett Wiseman, of: .408/.500/.633 (20-for-49), 1 HR, 10 RBI, 3 SB
Dansby Swanson, ss: .346/.417/.577 (18-for-52), 1 HR, 15 RBI, 4 SB
The Season So Far: The reigning champions faced an early test against a feisty Santa Clara squad on opening weekend, then failed to sweep against Indiana State in a series moved to Port Charlotte, Fla. But since then, the Commodores haven't lost, taking down Tennessee-Martin, Western Kentucky and then sweeping Illinois State-despite trailing 10-0 in the final game of the series. Vanderbilt comes into the Dodgertown Classic on a seven-game winning streak.
Coach's View: "It's tough to (assess the team) at this point. We've played 12 games. We've played in conditions that probably aren't representative of clean baseball. Because of that, we've played OK. We've hit the ball reasonably well. We've pitched in some spots . . . We haven't seen enough consistency, but I think that's to be expected, really, knowing where we've been and what we've played in and who we've played. I just don't think we've been entirely consistent yet." - Commodores head coach Tim Corbin.
What To Watch For: The Commodores have been comeback kids in 2015, with three of their 10 wins ending in walk-offs-two in extra innings. Perhaps Vanderbilt's greatest showing of tenacity came March 1 against Illinois State, when the Commodores scored 16 runs to overcome a 10-run deficit. Corbin said those sorts of experiences should serve his Vanderbilt club well, as the Commodores are a younger group than last year's title-winning iteration.
Youth has played a key factor for Vanderbilt so far, with redshirt freshman Penn Mufree (.364/.417/.606), true freshman Will Toffey (.297/.378/.378) and sophomore Bryan Reynolds (.320/.375/.480)-coming off a strong summer with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team-occupying key spots in the lineup. The same holds true for the pitching staff. With junior righthander Walker Buehler unavailable early in the season due to elbow soreness, sophomore lefthander John Kilichowski stepped in and chewed up quality innings as a Saturday starter. Corbin said he always envisioned Kilichowski as a future starter-just maybe not this soon. But the coach said he's been impressed by the lefthander and his ability to throw strikes. Redshirt freshman righthander Jordan Sheffield and sophomore lefty Ben Bowden have been similar pleasant surprises out of the bullpen, Corbin said, with both possessing mid-to-upper 90s fastballs.
Those young pieces complement what remains a strong veteran core for the Commodores. Junior shortstop Dansby Swanson is a top position player draft prospect and has played like it; redshirt junior first baseman Zander Wiel hit two grand slams last week; and junior outfielder Rhett Wiseman leads the team in hitting through 12 games. On the mound, ace righthander Carson Fulmer (2-0, 1.12) has thus far lived up to the draft buzz surrounding him, and junior lefthander Philip Pfeifer has yet to allow a run in 13 innings. Buehler has only pitched two innings due to elbow concerns, but Corbin said he expects the righthander to pitch this weekend, more than likely on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, and Vanderbilt will slowly but surely stretch him out in the coming weeks.
The Commodores will welcome the warm temperatures in L.A., as wintry weather delayed their departure for California until Thursday evening at 6 p.m. ET.
texaschristian
No. 7 Texas Christian
Record: 8-1
Head Coach: Jim Schlossnagle
Top Performers
Preston Morrison, rhp: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 18 IP, 3 BB, 11 SO
Mitchell Traver, rhp: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 16 IP, 1 BB, 18 SO
The Season So Far: After a strong finish to last season, the Horned Frogs came into the 2015 season with high expectations, and so far, they've lived up to them. They started the season on a five-game winning streak and took two out of three against a tough Arizona State team and defeated Rice in a midweek tilt. But, like many other teams around the country, winter weather has hampered TCU, forcing the Frogs to cancel a weekend series against Cal Poly.
Coach's View: "I'm pleased with the way we've played to this point. Pitching and defense, I've been really pleased with the way we've caught the baseball. We caught the ball well last year, and we feel like we upgraded athletically in the outfield . . . We're still a work in progress offensively. I think we have a lot of improving to do there. But I think there is some upside. We do run the bases pretty well, and we're aggressive that way." - Horned Frogs head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
What To Watch For: The blueprint for TCU is a simple-but effective-one: Score four or five runs, then let the man on the mound take care of the rest.
Schlossnagle knew coming into the season that his offense wouldn't win many slugfests, but he also knew his pitchers were a special group. At the forefront has been senior ace righthander Preston Morrison, who has yet to allow a run in 18 innings. He threw an absolute gem against Arizona State on the road-shutting out the Sun Devils in an 88-pitch complete game. Schlossnagle said that he's never seen Morrison pitch better than he has this year and that he's the most intelligent pitcher he's seen in the college game. Never a hard thrower, Morrison has added a couple of ticks to his fastball, which now sits in the mid-to-high 80's and has touched 89 mph. He also relieved Tuesday against Rice, his first relief appearance since his freshman season in 2012.
Joining him in a strong start is redshirt sophomore righthander Mitchell Traver, who also hasn't allowed a run through 16 innings. Highly lauded out of high school, Traver had thoracic outlet surgery, then Tommy John surgery, then suffered a stress fracture in his back. But he's fully healthy this season, and Schlossnagle said he's proud of the way Traver has taken care of his body, trimming his body fat. Traver has shown no lingering effects from those injuries, sitting 91-94 mph with his heater and touching as high as 95. He'll start Friday for TCU and is in the mix for the weekend rotation along with Morrison and lefties Alex Young and Tyler Alexander, who won 10 games a season ago. Of course, TCU's strongest asset may very well be hard-throwing junior closer Riley Ferrell, who holds the school record for saves. Ferrell continues to draw buzz from scouts whenever he takes the mound.
One of Schlossnagle's worries coming into the year was youth behind the plate. Freshman catchers Evan Skoug and Zack Plunkett have been charged with leading a veteran pitching staff, and Schlossnagle said he's been impressed with the way they've handled that role. Skoug, in particular, has also come through with big hits for the Horned Frogs, swatting two home runs on the year. He's one of the most potent threats in a lineup that returns only one .300 hitter from last year.
That hitter, senior second baseman Garrett Crain (.323/.400/.484), has been an early offensive leader for TCU, along with senior outfielder Cody Jones (.343/.395/.400, 4 SB), who is an igniter at the top of the order with his speed.
It isn't a powerful lineup, but it's been productive enough for a pitching staff that's posted a 1.24 ERA through nine games.
UCLA
No. 6 UCLA
Record: 11-1
Head Coach: John Savage
Top Performers
Ty Moore, of: .511/.589/.600 (23-for-45), 0 HR, 9 RBI, 3 SB
Chris Keck, 3b: .350/.462/.850 (14-for-40), 5 HR, 20 RBI, 0 SB
The Season So Far: The Bruins got off to a soaring start with three gaudy scores in their opening weekend series with Hofstra. UCLA continued to hit, taking two out of three from a ranked North Carolina team, picking up wins against Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State and sweeping Michigan State last weekend.
Coach's View: "I think we feel pretty good about how we've played. I think we've played sound baseball. You pitch, you catch, you hit. A lot of times it's not about who you play but how you play. I think for the most part, through the first 12 games, I think we've played pretty good baseball. We can get a lot better. I do know that. But if you look at our offense, you look at our defense, you look at our pitching, I think all three phases have been pretty good. I think everybody's still trying to form an identity, and that's what we're trying to do." - Bruins head coach John Savage.
What To Watch For: In past years, UCLA has been a pitching-first, scrappy offensive team. Even in 2013-when the Bruins won the College World Series-the team batted just .250 collectively.
It's been an entirely different story so far this season for the Bruins, who have already exceeded their team home run total from last season-by five. The top of the UCLA lineup has proven fearsome, particularly the first four batters. Kevin Kramer, Luke Persico, Chris Keck and Ty Moore have combined to go 75-for-182 (.412) this season with 11 home runs and 56 RBI.
The top of the order was even more threatening with Brett Stephens heading it. He batted .471/.654/.529 in his first 17 at-bats of the season before breaking his middle finger against North Carolina. Coach Savage said he expects Stephens to return perhaps as soon as next weekend against Washington.
Savage also said he's looking for more balance and production in the bottom half of the lineup, which has trailed off of late. Freshman third baseman Sean Bouchard (the only freshman who regularly starts) and catcher Darrell Miller have both cooled after hot starts, which Savage said could be a product of opposing pitchers' scouting reports. Still, the top of the order has carried the load and been more than enough support for a deep UCLA pitching staff.
The Bruins boast a prospect-laden weekend rotation with James Kaprielian, Grant Watson and Cody Poteet and a promising freshman starting midweek games in Griffin Canning. Scouts should flock to Friday's matchup with Vanderbilt matching Kaprielian and his Team USA teammate Fulmer. Even still, Savage said he only looks for six innings out of his starters-and for good reason. The bullpen, led by veteran closer David Berg, has a strong bridge in the form of Grant Dyer, Tucker Forbes and Hunter Virant.
southerncalifornia
No. 25 Southern California
Record: 12-1
Head Coach: Dan Hubbs
Top Performers
Garrett Stubbs, c: .471/.526/.490 (24-for-51), 0 HR, 7 RBI, 10 SB
Kyle Twomey, lhp: 3-0, 1.33 ERA, 20.1 IP, 6 BB, 19 SO
The Season So Far: The Trojans rolled off 12 straight wins to start the season-though most of those victories haven't come against premium competition, with weekend series against Towson, Oakland and Fordham. However, the Trojans do have wins against Cal State Fullerton and Kentucky. A couple of misplays in the field cost them in Tuesday's loss to UC Santa Barbara-their first matchup against a top 25 team.
Coach's View: "I thought we've played well. I think we've pitched pretty well . . . I thought the kids have been throwing really well. What it's done is given us flexibility, where we've gotten starts from two lefthanders and two righthanders . . . I think offensively we've found a bunch of different ways to score runs, and we've played solid defense." - Trojans head coach Dan Hubbs.
What To Watch For: After opening the season with a fairly light non-conference slate, the Trojans will have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves this weekend against some of the country's best. Coach Hubbs said he's confident his team can hold its own-as long as it plays to its best ability.
USC boasts a veteran lineup fronted by senior catcher Garrett Stubbs (.471/.526/.490, 10 SB) and redshirt junior outfielder Bobby Stahel (.386/.440/.477), both of whom have produced at the top of the order, setting the table for the likes of junior outfielder Timmy Robinson, senior infielder Dante Flores and junior infielder Blake Lacey. Hubbs said Robinson (.267/.375/.378, 7 SB) and Flores (.286/.415/.452) have both shown growth this season as they've taken on middle-of-the-order responsibilities. Hubbs said Flores might have let expectations for the draft get to him last year. He's become less pull-happy this season and is instead focused on hitting the ball to all fields.
On the mound, junior Kyle Davis (2.84 ERA, 10 SO in 6.1 IP) was supposed to be USC's Friday starter-and still might be-but he moved to the back end of the bullpen after rolling his ankle before opening day. He's already racked up five saves and has opened the door for the emergence of starters righthander Mitch Hart (2-0, 2.25) and lefty Tyler Gilbert (1-0, 3.52, 21 SO/15 IP).
Hart, a freshman, has shown the ability to pound the zone with 90-92 mph fastball, mixing in three offspeed pitches. He needs to work on finishing off hitters, Hubbs said, but overall, the coach has been pleased with his start to the season. Gilbert, meanwhile, is coming off a career-high 11 strikeouts against the Gauchos.
Those arms join established juniors Brent Wheatley (1-0, 2.12, 25 SO/17 IP) and Kyle Twomey (3-0, 1.33, 19 SO/20 IP) in the rotation, both of whom have pitched to the back of their baseball cards so far this season. Wheatley's strikeouts have been up-something Hubbs attributes to the emergence of a cutter. Another junior, lefthander Marc Huberman, has been a revelation in the bullpen along with Davis, allowing no earned runs and striking out 10 in eight innings.
The Trojans have more history than any program in college baseball, with 12 national championships as well as Hall of Fame alumni such as Tom Seaver and Randy Johnson. But they have not earned a regional trip since 2005 and have less of a resume than the three top-10 teams they'll face this weekend. The Commodores and Bruins have won the last two College World Series, while TCU went to Omaha last year, while the Trojans haven't been since 2001.
BA - Weekend Preview, Part II: March 6-8
PG - Weekend Preview: Clash of Titans
The college baseball top 25 rankings could look significantly different by Monday with several of the top teams in the country playing against one another with two huge tournaments taking place this weekend.
The first is the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, which will feature three of the top five teams in No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 Texas Christian. Southern California is also participating in this event, who have opened the year 12-1 and just suffered their first loss of the season to No. 18 UC Santa Barbara in a mid-week matchup. This tournament is profiled in greater detail just below.
Pretty much since the event's inception the Houston College Classic has been the marquee college baseball tournament event, but this year is overshadowed by the Dodger Stadium tournament. That isn't to take anything away from the teams that will be playing in Houston, led by No. 6 Louisiana State, No. 12 Houston and No. 15 Texas A&M. LSU and Houston square off on Friday, while Houston also faces the Aggies on Saturday. Read more about the matchups from this event in the tournament spotlight writeup below.
And although weather has been an issue this week even as far south as Texas, at least Minute Maid Park, for those that are able to make it, has a retractable roof. As for Southern California, it will be 80 degrees and perfect, per usual.
Unfortunately, it won't be perfect in Louisville, Ky., as another band of snow blew through the area in the past 24 hours. As long as the fields are playable, the No. 11 Cardinals will host the No. 10 Hurricanes as ACC Conference play gets underway, another series detailed below.
Stay tuned to Perfect Game over the weekend for first-hand reports from Frankie Piliere at the Houston College Classic and Mike Rooney at the Arizona State/Long Beach State series in Phoenix.
Top 25 in Action
Rk. Team Opponent Location
1 Vanderbilt at Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic Los Angeles, CA
2 Virginia home vs. Pittsburgh Charlottesville, VA
3 Florida home vs. Maine Gainesville, FL
4 UCLA home for Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic Los Angeles, CA
5 Texas Christian at Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic Los Angeles, CA
6 Louisiana State at Houston College Classic Houston, TX
7 Texas Tech at Cal State Fullerton Fullerton, CA
8 South Carolina home vs. Miami (Ohio) Columbia, SC
9 Oregon home vs. St. John's Eugene, OR
10 Miami at No. 11 Louisville Louisville, KY
11 Louisville home vs. No. 10 Miami Louisville, KY
12 Houston at Houston College Classic Houston, TX
13 Texas at Stanford Palo Alto, CA
14 Mississippi State home vs. San Diego Starkville, MS
15 Texas A&M at Houston College Classic Houston, TX
16 Florida State home vs. Boston College Tallahassee, FL
17 North Carolina home vs. Duke Chapel Hill, NC
18 UC Santa Barbara at Sacramento State Sacramento, CA
19 UCF home vs. Columbia Orlando, FL
20 Arkansas home vs. Loyola Marymount Fayetteville, AR
21 Rice at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
22 Arizona State home vs. Long Beach State Phoenix, AZ
23 Oregon State home vs. Fresno State Corvallis, OR
24 Maryland at UNC Wilmington Wilmington, NC
25 Florida Atlantic home vs. Rutgers Boca Raton, FL
• Vanderbilt plays No. 4 UCLA (Fri.), USC (Sat.) and No. 5 TCU (Sun.)
• UCLA plays No. 1 Vanderbilt (Fri.), No. 5 TCU (Sat.) and USC (Sun.)
• TCU plays USC (Fri.), No. 5 UCLA (Sat.) and No. 1 Vanderbilt (Sun.)
• LSU plays No. 12 Houston (Fri.), Baylor (Sat.) and Nebraska (Sun.)
• Houston plays No. 6 LSU (Fri.), No. 15 Texas A&M (Sat.) and Hawaii
• Texas A&M plays Nebraska (Fri.), No. 12 Houston (Sat.) and Baylor
Tournament Spotlight:
Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic
The 2015 Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic this weekend may be the best non-conference tournament in the history of college baseball. This event features an unbelievable three Perfect Game top 5 teams - No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 4 UCLA, and No. 5 Texas Christian - and also 12-1 Southern California. In fact, this may be a preview of what we'll see in Omaha in June.
Professional scouts must be licking their chops as there is an obvious plethora of Perfect Game top 100 college prospects who will take the field this weekend. Here is a list of those players:
3. Walker Buehler, rhp, Vanderbilt
4. Dansby Swanson, ss, Vanderbilt
5. Carson Fulmer, rhp, Vanderbilt
14. Riley Ferrell, rhp, Texas Christian
17. James Kaprielian, rhp, UCLA
20. Alex Young, lhp, Texas Christian
24. Tyler Ferguson, rhp, Vanderbilt
42. Cody Poteet, rhp, UCLA
58. Rhett Wiseman, of, Vanderbilt
66. Kyle Twomey, lhp, Southern California
Vanderbilt comes to Los Angeles as the top ranked team in the country at 10-2 but the Commodores have been anything but dominant thus far. The most glaring issue for Vandy has been strike throwing. The 'Dores come into this weekend ranked 269th nationally in walks allowed per nine innings at 6.39.
Two things to watch out for are the return of Walker Buehler and the Commodores' acclimation to a natural grass surface. Buehler pitched for the first time this year on Tuesday as he battled arm soreness early in the season. He should pitch this weekend and his premium talent and pitchability provide a boost to a pitching staff that has been inconsistent so far this season.
Nine of Vanderbilt's 12 games have been played on the artificial turf at Hawkins Field in Nashville. Even though Dodger Stadium will surely be an outstanding playing surface, there is always an adjustment for infielders when transitioning between a natural grass surface and turf. Additionally, third baseman Will Toffey is a freshman and shortstop Dansby Swanson is making the switch back to the left side of the diamond this year. These are outstanding athletes more than capable of handling a grass surface but grass is typically more challenging than turf for infielders.
UCLA enters this weekend owning the most impressive resume in the country thus far in 2015. Winning two or more games this weekend would punctuate the Bruins' significant road series win over No. 17 North Carolina two weeks ago. They are led by Luke Persico and Chris Keck, two physical corner players having breakout seasons. Kevin Kramer's steady play at shortstop might be the most critical upgrade from last season.
Riley Ferrell (Photo: Texas Christian)
There is no weakness in the UCLA pitching staff and the rotation of James Kaprielian, Grant Watson, and Cody Poteet offers big-time talent and experience. If that doesn't discourage the Bruins' opponents then First Team Perfect Game All-American closer David Berg should do the trick. Berg's submarine arm slot makes him available for all three games on the weekend and he is a nine-out reliever when needed. This is a club with all of the components needed to contend for a national title.
Texas Christian also boasts of an elite pitching staff and the Horned Frogs are currently ranked third in the nation in ERA. Closer Riley Ferrell brings a mid- to upper-90s fastball with devastating secondary stuff while ace Preston Morrison is on the short list of pitchers you'd chose to win one big game. Morrison's uncanny command of his sinker-slider mix is a virtual pitching clinic. Meanwhile, 6-foot-7 Mitchell Traver has pitched his way into the weekend rotation with 18 strikeouts versus one walk over 16 innings of work.
As was the case for last year's College World Series team, the TCU offense is efficient but lacks explosiveness. Freshman catcher Evan Skoug is the exception to that and they will need his light-tower power to add a dimension to their lineup. Skoug will see the best pitching college baseball has to offer this weekend so it will serve as an excellent barometer as to his development as a hitter thus far.
Southern California is a program on the "rise back," for lack of a better phrase. This is an older team that was on the bubble for an at-large bid to last year's NCAA tournament and the Trojans are off to a 12-1 start, albeit against mostly inferior competition. Sophomore Jeremy Martinez is their most talented hitter while catcher Garrett Stubbs leads the club with 24 hits.
Lefthander Kyle Twomey has thrived in his return to the rotation, pitching to a 1.33 ERA through three starts. Kyle Davis remains the Trojans' main bullpen option and he leads them in appearances with five. Davis has swing-and-miss stuff and skipper Dan Hubbs will use him in any high-leverage situation.
Tournament Spotlight:
Houston College Classic
In what has become a tradition of high quality college baseball in the first weekend of March, the Houston College Classic has emerged as a weekend in which most in the sport circle in red on their calendars. Attracting scouts and fans alike with a plethora of talented teams on display at Minute Maid Park, the tournament will showcase not only elite level prospects but some of the most fascinating head-to-head matchups between highly ranked teams that we will see all spring.
The Houston College Classic has gained notoriety as a must-see event on the scouting calendar, and the list of elite prospects on the field for talent evaluators to see will be as long as ever in 2015. For instance, Friday will give us a showdown between arguably the two best pure hitters in the 2016 college draft class, Texas A&M's Nick Banks and Nebraska's Ryan Boldt. Later that night, in a matchup between No. 12 ranked Houston and No. 6 ranked LSU, there will be a barrage of prospects to feast their eyes on from the 2015, 2016, and 2017 draft classes.
Kade Scivicque (Photo: LSU)
Beginning with a marquee matchup between two standout sophomores in Houston's Andrew Lantrip and LSU's Jared Poche, these two two teams could give us the tournament's most fascinating overall ballgame. Both pitchers have started the season on a 3-0 tear, with Lantrip posting a 0.46 ERA along the way. These are two young arms that succeed on the strength of exceptional command and feel for their off-speed pitches. And, both LSU and Houston also spring potent offenses to the table to challenge these elite level arms. Eyes will be squarely on hot-hitting Houston outfielder, Kyle Survance, who has paced the Cougar offense and is hitting .333 through his first 13 games.
No offense has looked more dynamic early in the season than LSU's, making their matchup with the Cougar pitching staff all the more intriguing. Led by Kade Scivicque and his white hot .448, three home run start, the Tigers have received major contributions from just about everywhere in their lineup. They have nine different .300 hitters entering the weekend, including likely first rounder Alex Bregman, who will arguably be the most watched and scrutinized player of the tournament.
Houston's junior righty, Jake Lemoine, will be another one of those closely watched 2015 first round hopefuls, and although he will not have to face the potent LSU lineup, he will be taking on another dynamic lineup in 15th ranked Texas A&M. Lemoine's low- to mid-90s fastball and plus slider will have a lot to deal with as he tries to slow down a slew of Aggies off to hot starts. The aforementioned sophomore outfielder, Nick Banks, is as talented as any hitter in the nation and is hitting .444 entering the weekend. Logan Taylor comes in hitting .405 with five home runs. The Aggies are 12-0 entering the weekend, but this will be a major step up in competition for them. How their bats respond will be one of the event's most interesting storylines.
Also on the stage will be Hawaii, who enters the weekend 5-8, but did grab an opening week win against Oregon, and has the pitching to make things difficult on some of these loud offenses. The Baylor Bears are coming off a tough weekend at Cal State Fullerton, where they were swept by the Titans, but are 6-5 entering the Houston College Classic.
The wildcard of the event will clearly be the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who enter the weekend at 6-4, and have the potent offense, led by the sweet-swinging Ryan Boldt, to come out of this weekend potentially with some high profile notches on their belt.
Marquee Matchup:
No. 10 Miami at No. 11 Louisville
This weekend marks the first series for the Louisville Cardinals in ACC play as they host the Miami Hurricanes in a three-game set. The Cardinals are on a three-game winning streak and look to build off a strong performance last weekend from ace righthander Kyle Funkhouser and the rest of the pitching staff.
Corey Ray (Photo: University of Louisville Sports Information)
The Cardinals are going to need Funkhouser to replicate the performance they know he can, especially when facing a formidable lineup such as Miami. The Hurricanes speed combo at the top of freshman Carl Chester and junior Ricky Eusebio have set the tempo of the offense as both are hitting north of .300 and have a combined nine stolen bases. Sophomore Zack Collins hit a mammoth home run during their mid-week game against Florida Gulf Coast and the Canes will be looking for him to carry that momentum into the weekend. Another bat heating up for Miami is left-handed swining Willie Abreu, who is hitting .381 over the last five games.
Miami has been without senior ace Andrew Suarez since the first week of the season but both Thomas Woodrey and Enrique Sosa have stepped up in a big way on the mound as both. Woodrey will start Friday opposite of Funkhouser and is coming off a big start last weekend and both he and Sosa hover around a 2.00 ERA while showing exceptional command of the strike zone.
Even though Louisville may have a lineup on the younger side, their players have proved they are ready to jump right in and contribute. Sophomore outfielder Corey Ray has been a catalyst of the offense with a .306 average while swatting two home runs from the left side with 10 RBI. Infielder Sutton Whiting, one of four seniors on the roster, is to the Cards what Chester and Eusebio have been to Miami. Hitting a team-high .390, Whiting has walked more than twice the amount of times he as struck out and leads the team with 11 stolen bases. Freshman Devin Hairston has hit his way into the starting lineup and is now hitting .333 with a team-high 11 RBI, providing some pop from the second base position.
Joining Funkhouser and his mid-90s fastball on the mound are Josh Rogers and Anthony Kidston, both of whom are coming off strong outings last weekend against Xavier. The bullpen has been a big strength for Coach Dan McDonnell and are led by sophomore lefthander Drew Harrington (0.66 ERA, 13 2/3 IP, 20:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio) and freshman closer Brendan McKay, who has already closed out three games with 17 strikeouts in nine innings. Coming into the season McKay was seen as a two-way threat, and he has been just that, hitting .529 with an incredible .652 on-base percentage.
Whatever it is you're looking for as a fan, this opening weekend series in the ACC will check all the boxes; high-octane arms, power bats, big-time matchups, and intriguing freshmen.
National Notes:
• After playing only one game the previous week due to poor weather, No. 5 Texas Christian squared off against No. 21 Rice on Tuesday in a mid-week matchup between two highly ranked teams. Mitchell Traver received the start, but only went one inning as Coach Schlossnagle decided to give his top arms some much-needed time on the mound heading into their difficult weekend tournament series against No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 4 UCLA and 12-1 Southern California.
Traver sat in the low- to mid-90s with his fastball and made quick work of a dynamic Owls' offense, needing only nine pitches to get out of the frame. Usual Sunday starter Alex Young worked the next two innings, following by staff ace Preston Morrison, who also tossed two frames. Lefthander Ryan Burnett got an inning of work in, and Trey Teakell worked both the seventh and eighth inninngs before handing the ball over to closer Riley Ferrell.
All Ferrell did was use seven pitches to quickly record two strikeouts and a weak tapper back to the mound to record his 21st save of his career at TCU, moving ahead of Sam Demel for the all-time mark for the Horned Frogs.
The TCU offense scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning of this game, which proved to be all they would need in a 3-1 win over Rice.
• No. 20 Arkansas will host Loyola Marymount this weekend in a matchup of two projected Regional teams. Colin Welmon of LMU and Trey Killian of Arkansas will square off in the Friday game in what will most likely be a low scoring affair. Lions shortstop David Fletcher is among the nation's best defensive shortstops while center fielder Austin Miller is a dynamic leadoff hitter.
Righthanders Dominic Taccolini and Keaton McKinney will follow Killian in the weekend rotation for the Razorbacks.
• This weekend features a handful of other series that if nothing else will provide good test for the ranked teams involved, since few of them have faced formidable opponents up to this point in the season.
Although San Diego currently sits at 4-6, they are coming off of a pair of wins over Texas, at the Longhorns' home park, and have played some tough series against Dallas Baptist and Morehead State. No. 14 Mississippi State just suffered their first loss of the season in a mid-week contest against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, as they host the Toreros for a three-game set in Starkville.
No. 7 Texas Tech travels to Cal State Fullerton this weekend in what would otherwise be a primetime matchup between two solid ballclubs if it weren't for all of the other attention the bigger tournaments and series will receive this weekend. Although the Titans, who opened the season in the top 25, are 7-5, they have won their last five games, including a sweep of Baylor last weekend, and a mid-week win over Pepperdine. The high-powered Red Raiders are hitting .321 as a team, pitting their strength, offense, against Cal State Fullerton's, pitching.
Long Beach State, fresh off of their sweep of Wichita State that included the program's first no hitter by freshmen righthanders Chris Mathewson and Darren McCaughan, travel to Phoenix to take on No. 22 Arizona State. All three games of this series likely will be close contest, as the Dirtbags pitching staff (2.00 ERA) faces the Sun Devils lineup (.307 combined average).
PG - Weekend Preview: Clash of Titans
The college baseball top 25 rankings could look significantly different by Monday with several of the top teams in the country playing against one another with two huge tournaments taking place this weekend.
The first is the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, which will feature three of the top five teams in No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 Texas Christian. Southern California is also participating in this event, who have opened the year 12-1 and just suffered their first loss of the season to No. 18 UC Santa Barbara in a mid-week matchup. This tournament is profiled in greater detail just below.
Pretty much since the event's inception the Houston College Classic has been the marquee college baseball tournament event, but this year is overshadowed by the Dodger Stadium tournament. That isn't to take anything away from the teams that will be playing in Houston, led by No. 6 Louisiana State, No. 12 Houston and No. 15 Texas A&M. LSU and Houston square off on Friday, while Houston also faces the Aggies on Saturday. Read more about the matchups from this event in the tournament spotlight writeup below.
And although weather has been an issue this week even as far south as Texas, at least Minute Maid Park, for those that are able to make it, has a retractable roof. As for Southern California, it will be 80 degrees and perfect, per usual.
Unfortunately, it won't be perfect in Louisville, Ky., as another band of snow blew through the area in the past 24 hours. As long as the fields are playable, the No. 11 Cardinals will host the No. 10 Hurricanes as ACC Conference play gets underway, another series detailed below.
Stay tuned to Perfect Game over the weekend for first-hand reports from Frankie Piliere at the Houston College Classic and Mike Rooney at the Arizona State/Long Beach State series in Phoenix.
Top 25 in Action
Rk. Team Opponent Location
1 Vanderbilt at Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic Los Angeles, CA
2 Virginia home vs. Pittsburgh Charlottesville, VA
3 Florida home vs. Maine Gainesville, FL
4 UCLA home for Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic Los Angeles, CA
5 Texas Christian at Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic Los Angeles, CA
6 Louisiana State at Houston College Classic Houston, TX
7 Texas Tech at Cal State Fullerton Fullerton, CA
8 South Carolina home vs. Miami (Ohio) Columbia, SC
9 Oregon home vs. St. John's Eugene, OR
10 Miami at No. 11 Louisville Louisville, KY
11 Louisville home vs. No. 10 Miami Louisville, KY
12 Houston at Houston College Classic Houston, TX
13 Texas at Stanford Palo Alto, CA
14 Mississippi State home vs. San Diego Starkville, MS
15 Texas A&M at Houston College Classic Houston, TX
16 Florida State home vs. Boston College Tallahassee, FL
17 North Carolina home vs. Duke Chapel Hill, NC
18 UC Santa Barbara at Sacramento State Sacramento, CA
19 UCF home vs. Columbia Orlando, FL
20 Arkansas home vs. Loyola Marymount Fayetteville, AR
21 Rice at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
22 Arizona State home vs. Long Beach State Phoenix, AZ
23 Oregon State home vs. Fresno State Corvallis, OR
24 Maryland at UNC Wilmington Wilmington, NC
25 Florida Atlantic home vs. Rutgers Boca Raton, FL
• Vanderbilt plays No. 4 UCLA (Fri.), USC (Sat.) and No. 5 TCU (Sun.)
• UCLA plays No. 1 Vanderbilt (Fri.), No. 5 TCU (Sat.) and USC (Sun.)
• TCU plays USC (Fri.), No. 5 UCLA (Sat.) and No. 1 Vanderbilt (Sun.)
• LSU plays No. 12 Houston (Fri.), Baylor (Sat.) and Nebraska (Sun.)
• Houston plays No. 6 LSU (Fri.), No. 15 Texas A&M (Sat.) and Hawaii
• Texas A&M plays Nebraska (Fri.), No. 12 Houston (Sat.) and Baylor
Tournament Spotlight:
Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic
The 2015 Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic this weekend may be the best non-conference tournament in the history of college baseball. This event features an unbelievable three Perfect Game top 5 teams - No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 4 UCLA, and No. 5 Texas Christian - and also 12-1 Southern California. In fact, this may be a preview of what we'll see in Omaha in June.
Professional scouts must be licking their chops as there is an obvious plethora of Perfect Game top 100 college prospects who will take the field this weekend. Here is a list of those players:
3. Walker Buehler, rhp, Vanderbilt
4. Dansby Swanson, ss, Vanderbilt
5. Carson Fulmer, rhp, Vanderbilt
14. Riley Ferrell, rhp, Texas Christian
17. James Kaprielian, rhp, UCLA
20. Alex Young, lhp, Texas Christian
24. Tyler Ferguson, rhp, Vanderbilt
42. Cody Poteet, rhp, UCLA
58. Rhett Wiseman, of, Vanderbilt
66. Kyle Twomey, lhp, Southern California
Vanderbilt comes to Los Angeles as the top ranked team in the country at 10-2 but the Commodores have been anything but dominant thus far. The most glaring issue for Vandy has been strike throwing. The 'Dores come into this weekend ranked 269th nationally in walks allowed per nine innings at 6.39.
Two things to watch out for are the return of Walker Buehler and the Commodores' acclimation to a natural grass surface. Buehler pitched for the first time this year on Tuesday as he battled arm soreness early in the season. He should pitch this weekend and his premium talent and pitchability provide a boost to a pitching staff that has been inconsistent so far this season.
Nine of Vanderbilt's 12 games have been played on the artificial turf at Hawkins Field in Nashville. Even though Dodger Stadium will surely be an outstanding playing surface, there is always an adjustment for infielders when transitioning between a natural grass surface and turf. Additionally, third baseman Will Toffey is a freshman and shortstop Dansby Swanson is making the switch back to the left side of the diamond this year. These are outstanding athletes more than capable of handling a grass surface but grass is typically more challenging than turf for infielders.
UCLA enters this weekend owning the most impressive resume in the country thus far in 2015. Winning two or more games this weekend would punctuate the Bruins' significant road series win over No. 17 North Carolina two weeks ago. They are led by Luke Persico and Chris Keck, two physical corner players having breakout seasons. Kevin Kramer's steady play at shortstop might be the most critical upgrade from last season.
Riley Ferrell (Photo: Texas Christian)
There is no weakness in the UCLA pitching staff and the rotation of James Kaprielian, Grant Watson, and Cody Poteet offers big-time talent and experience. If that doesn't discourage the Bruins' opponents then First Team Perfect Game All-American closer David Berg should do the trick. Berg's submarine arm slot makes him available for all three games on the weekend and he is a nine-out reliever when needed. This is a club with all of the components needed to contend for a national title.
Texas Christian also boasts of an elite pitching staff and the Horned Frogs are currently ranked third in the nation in ERA. Closer Riley Ferrell brings a mid- to upper-90s fastball with devastating secondary stuff while ace Preston Morrison is on the short list of pitchers you'd chose to win one big game. Morrison's uncanny command of his sinker-slider mix is a virtual pitching clinic. Meanwhile, 6-foot-7 Mitchell Traver has pitched his way into the weekend rotation with 18 strikeouts versus one walk over 16 innings of work.
As was the case for last year's College World Series team, the TCU offense is efficient but lacks explosiveness. Freshman catcher Evan Skoug is the exception to that and they will need his light-tower power to add a dimension to their lineup. Skoug will see the best pitching college baseball has to offer this weekend so it will serve as an excellent barometer as to his development as a hitter thus far.
Southern California is a program on the "rise back," for lack of a better phrase. This is an older team that was on the bubble for an at-large bid to last year's NCAA tournament and the Trojans are off to a 12-1 start, albeit against mostly inferior competition. Sophomore Jeremy Martinez is their most talented hitter while catcher Garrett Stubbs leads the club with 24 hits.
Lefthander Kyle Twomey has thrived in his return to the rotation, pitching to a 1.33 ERA through three starts. Kyle Davis remains the Trojans' main bullpen option and he leads them in appearances with five. Davis has swing-and-miss stuff and skipper Dan Hubbs will use him in any high-leverage situation.
Tournament Spotlight:
Houston College Classic
In what has become a tradition of high quality college baseball in the first weekend of March, the Houston College Classic has emerged as a weekend in which most in the sport circle in red on their calendars. Attracting scouts and fans alike with a plethora of talented teams on display at Minute Maid Park, the tournament will showcase not only elite level prospects but some of the most fascinating head-to-head matchups between highly ranked teams that we will see all spring.
The Houston College Classic has gained notoriety as a must-see event on the scouting calendar, and the list of elite prospects on the field for talent evaluators to see will be as long as ever in 2015. For instance, Friday will give us a showdown between arguably the two best pure hitters in the 2016 college draft class, Texas A&M's Nick Banks and Nebraska's Ryan Boldt. Later that night, in a matchup between No. 12 ranked Houston and No. 6 ranked LSU, there will be a barrage of prospects to feast their eyes on from the 2015, 2016, and 2017 draft classes.
Kade Scivicque (Photo: LSU)
Beginning with a marquee matchup between two standout sophomores in Houston's Andrew Lantrip and LSU's Jared Poche, these two two teams could give us the tournament's most fascinating overall ballgame. Both pitchers have started the season on a 3-0 tear, with Lantrip posting a 0.46 ERA along the way. These are two young arms that succeed on the strength of exceptional command and feel for their off-speed pitches. And, both LSU and Houston also spring potent offenses to the table to challenge these elite level arms. Eyes will be squarely on hot-hitting Houston outfielder, Kyle Survance, who has paced the Cougar offense and is hitting .333 through his first 13 games.
No offense has looked more dynamic early in the season than LSU's, making their matchup with the Cougar pitching staff all the more intriguing. Led by Kade Scivicque and his white hot .448, three home run start, the Tigers have received major contributions from just about everywhere in their lineup. They have nine different .300 hitters entering the weekend, including likely first rounder Alex Bregman, who will arguably be the most watched and scrutinized player of the tournament.
Houston's junior righty, Jake Lemoine, will be another one of those closely watched 2015 first round hopefuls, and although he will not have to face the potent LSU lineup, he will be taking on another dynamic lineup in 15th ranked Texas A&M. Lemoine's low- to mid-90s fastball and plus slider will have a lot to deal with as he tries to slow down a slew of Aggies off to hot starts. The aforementioned sophomore outfielder, Nick Banks, is as talented as any hitter in the nation and is hitting .444 entering the weekend. Logan Taylor comes in hitting .405 with five home runs. The Aggies are 12-0 entering the weekend, but this will be a major step up in competition for them. How their bats respond will be one of the event's most interesting storylines.
Also on the stage will be Hawaii, who enters the weekend 5-8, but did grab an opening week win against Oregon, and has the pitching to make things difficult on some of these loud offenses. The Baylor Bears are coming off a tough weekend at Cal State Fullerton, where they were swept by the Titans, but are 6-5 entering the Houston College Classic.
The wildcard of the event will clearly be the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who enter the weekend at 6-4, and have the potent offense, led by the sweet-swinging Ryan Boldt, to come out of this weekend potentially with some high profile notches on their belt.
Marquee Matchup:
No. 10 Miami at No. 11 Louisville
This weekend marks the first series for the Louisville Cardinals in ACC play as they host the Miami Hurricanes in a three-game set. The Cardinals are on a three-game winning streak and look to build off a strong performance last weekend from ace righthander Kyle Funkhouser and the rest of the pitching staff.
Corey Ray (Photo: University of Louisville Sports Information)
The Cardinals are going to need Funkhouser to replicate the performance they know he can, especially when facing a formidable lineup such as Miami. The Hurricanes speed combo at the top of freshman Carl Chester and junior Ricky Eusebio have set the tempo of the offense as both are hitting north of .300 and have a combined nine stolen bases. Sophomore Zack Collins hit a mammoth home run during their mid-week game against Florida Gulf Coast and the Canes will be looking for him to carry that momentum into the weekend. Another bat heating up for Miami is left-handed swining Willie Abreu, who is hitting .381 over the last five games.
Miami has been without senior ace Andrew Suarez since the first week of the season but both Thomas Woodrey and Enrique Sosa have stepped up in a big way on the mound as both. Woodrey will start Friday opposite of Funkhouser and is coming off a big start last weekend and both he and Sosa hover around a 2.00 ERA while showing exceptional command of the strike zone.
Even though Louisville may have a lineup on the younger side, their players have proved they are ready to jump right in and contribute. Sophomore outfielder Corey Ray has been a catalyst of the offense with a .306 average while swatting two home runs from the left side with 10 RBI. Infielder Sutton Whiting, one of four seniors on the roster, is to the Cards what Chester and Eusebio have been to Miami. Hitting a team-high .390, Whiting has walked more than twice the amount of times he as struck out and leads the team with 11 stolen bases. Freshman Devin Hairston has hit his way into the starting lineup and is now hitting .333 with a team-high 11 RBI, providing some pop from the second base position.
Joining Funkhouser and his mid-90s fastball on the mound are Josh Rogers and Anthony Kidston, both of whom are coming off strong outings last weekend against Xavier. The bullpen has been a big strength for Coach Dan McDonnell and are led by sophomore lefthander Drew Harrington (0.66 ERA, 13 2/3 IP, 20:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio) and freshman closer Brendan McKay, who has already closed out three games with 17 strikeouts in nine innings. Coming into the season McKay was seen as a two-way threat, and he has been just that, hitting .529 with an incredible .652 on-base percentage.
Whatever it is you're looking for as a fan, this opening weekend series in the ACC will check all the boxes; high-octane arms, power bats, big-time matchups, and intriguing freshmen.
National Notes:
• After playing only one game the previous week due to poor weather, No. 5 Texas Christian squared off against No. 21 Rice on Tuesday in a mid-week matchup between two highly ranked teams. Mitchell Traver received the start, but only went one inning as Coach Schlossnagle decided to give his top arms some much-needed time on the mound heading into their difficult weekend tournament series against No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 4 UCLA and 12-1 Southern California.
Traver sat in the low- to mid-90s with his fastball and made quick work of a dynamic Owls' offense, needing only nine pitches to get out of the frame. Usual Sunday starter Alex Young worked the next two innings, following by staff ace Preston Morrison, who also tossed two frames. Lefthander Ryan Burnett got an inning of work in, and Trey Teakell worked both the seventh and eighth inninngs before handing the ball over to closer Riley Ferrell.
All Ferrell did was use seven pitches to quickly record two strikeouts and a weak tapper back to the mound to record his 21st save of his career at TCU, moving ahead of Sam Demel for the all-time mark for the Horned Frogs.
The TCU offense scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning of this game, which proved to be all they would need in a 3-1 win over Rice.
• No. 20 Arkansas will host Loyola Marymount this weekend in a matchup of two projected Regional teams. Colin Welmon of LMU and Trey Killian of Arkansas will square off in the Friday game in what will most likely be a low scoring affair. Lions shortstop David Fletcher is among the nation's best defensive shortstops while center fielder Austin Miller is a dynamic leadoff hitter.
Righthanders Dominic Taccolini and Keaton McKinney will follow Killian in the weekend rotation for the Razorbacks.
• This weekend features a handful of other series that if nothing else will provide good test for the ranked teams involved, since few of them have faced formidable opponents up to this point in the season.
Although San Diego currently sits at 4-6, they are coming off of a pair of wins over Texas, at the Longhorns' home park, and have played some tough series against Dallas Baptist and Morehead State. No. 14 Mississippi State just suffered their first loss of the season in a mid-week contest against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, as they host the Toreros for a three-game set in Starkville.
No. 7 Texas Tech travels to Cal State Fullerton this weekend in what would otherwise be a primetime matchup between two solid ballclubs if it weren't for all of the other attention the bigger tournaments and series will receive this weekend. Although the Titans, who opened the season in the top 25, are 7-5, they have won their last five games, including a sweep of Baylor last weekend, and a mid-week win over Pepperdine. The high-powered Red Raiders are hitting .321 as a team, pitting their strength, offense, against Cal State Fullerton's, pitching.
Long Beach State, fresh off of their sweep of Wichita State that included the program's first no hitter by freshmen righthanders Chris Mathewson and Darren McCaughan, travel to Phoenix to take on No. 22 Arizona State. All three games of this series likely will be close contest, as the Dirtbags pitching staff (2.00 ERA) faces the Sun Devils lineup (.307 combined average).
PG - Weekend Preview: Clash of Titans
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