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OWH: Husker pitching staff buys into coach's program, and it's paying off
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OWH: Husker pitching staff buys into program
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OWH: Husker pitching staff buys into program
LJS: Nebraska success starts on the mound
Nebraska's pitching has been better than expected all season long.
During NU's recent streak of winning 16 of 17 games, Husker pitchers have allowed fewer than two runs per game. During the stretch, they've struck out 138 and walked 36.
This weekend, No. 18 Nebraska faces one of its toughest challenges when it takes on preseason Big Ten favorite and No. 17 Maryland in College Park, Maryland, in a three-game series that starts Friday at 1:05 p.m. The start of the game was moved up because of rain in the forecast. It will be shown on tape delay on the Big Ten Network at 6 p.m.
"We are having a lot of fun right now, but we play the next game, try our best and move on to the next game," NU coach Darin Erstad said Wednesday. "They are all tough games to me.
"But we're throwing strikes, playing some good defense and getting some clutch hits, and that has added up to wins."
Pitching appears to be the key.
NU (23-7) is eighth in the country in earned-run average, has allowed three or fewer runs in each of its last 17 games, and is 13th in walks allowed.
Erstad said all the credit is due the pitchers and pitching coach Ted Silva.
"We stress pitch to contact and no more than three passes per game, which we're kind of rewriting right now," Erstad said. "Every guy we put out there has three pitches, sometimes four, and can throw for a strike anytime in any count."
NU weekend starters Chance Sinclair, Kyle Kubat and Derek Burkamper, who have led Nebraska to sweeps of Texas, Michigan and Florida Gulf Coast, have a combined 1.84 ERA in their last four starts. They have combined for a 12-4 record this season. They've walked just 15 and struck out 54 in their combined 83-plus innings over their last four starts.
Nebraska piles on with a mesmerizing bullpen that has inherited 42 runners and allowed just six to score.
"Ted (Silva) is a couple of steps ahead of the game right now," Erstad said. "He's really good at calling a game. I sometimes become a fan - just sit and listen to him. I look over my shoulder and ask 'What are you doing right there?' It's fun to see.
"He's got that kind of talent to work with, see guys' swings and figures out what to do. It's fun to watch."
LJS: Nebraska success starts on the mound
Nebraska's pitching has been better than expected all season long.
During NU's recent streak of winning 16 of 17 games, Husker pitchers have allowed fewer than two runs per game. During the stretch, they've struck out 138 and walked 36.
This weekend, No. 18 Nebraska faces one of its toughest challenges when it takes on preseason Big Ten favorite and No. 17 Maryland in College Park, Maryland, in a three-game series that starts Friday at 1:05 p.m. The start of the game was moved up because of rain in the forecast. It will be shown on tape delay on the Big Ten Network at 6 p.m.
"We are having a lot of fun right now, but we play the next game, try our best and move on to the next game," NU coach Darin Erstad said Wednesday. "They are all tough games to me.
"But we're throwing strikes, playing some good defense and getting some clutch hits, and that has added up to wins."
Pitching appears to be the key.
NU (23-7) is eighth in the country in earned-run average, has allowed three or fewer runs in each of its last 17 games, and is 13th in walks allowed.
Erstad said all the credit is due the pitchers and pitching coach Ted Silva.
"We stress pitch to contact and no more than three passes per game, which we're kind of rewriting right now," Erstad said. "Every guy we put out there has three pitches, sometimes four, and can throw for a strike anytime in any count."
NU weekend starters Chance Sinclair, Kyle Kubat and Derek Burkamper, who have led Nebraska to sweeps of Texas, Michigan and Florida Gulf Coast, have a combined 1.84 ERA in their last four starts. They have combined for a 12-4 record this season. They've walked just 15 and struck out 54 in their combined 83-plus innings over their last four starts.
Nebraska piles on with a mesmerizing bullpen that has inherited 42 runners and allowed just six to score.
"Ted (Silva) is a couple of steps ahead of the game right now," Erstad said. "He's really good at calling a game. I sometimes become a fan - just sit and listen to him. I look over my shoulder and ask 'What are you doing right there?' It's fun to see.
"He's got that kind of talent to work with, see guys' swings and figures out what to do. It's fun to watch."
LJS: Nebraska success starts on the mound
NU: No. 18 Nebraska Visits No. 17 Maryland
Friday, April 3 (1:05 p.m. CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (4-3) vs. RHP Shawaryn (6-0)
TV: TBA
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN2Go
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Saturday, April 4 (1:05 p.m. CT)
Probable Starters: LHP Kubat (4-0) vs. LHP Stiles (2-2)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Sunday, April 5 (11:05 a.m. CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Burkamper (4-1) vs. RHP Ruse (4-1)
TV: BTN (Tape Delay at 2 p.m. CT)
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN2Go
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Lincoln - The No. 18 Nebraska baseball team (23-7, 3-0 Big Ten) will play its first Big Ten road series of the season this weekend three-games against the No. 17 Maryland Terrapins (19-7, 4-2 Big Ten) in College Park, Md. Friday night's series opener will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.
The series opens at 6:05 p.m. (CT) on Friday night and will be carried nationally on the Big Ten Network. The teams are then scheduled to play at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday before wrapping on the series on Sunday at 11:05 a.m. Sunday's finale will also be show on BTN, but will be broadcast on tape delay at 2 p.m. Fans can watch Sunday's game live on BTN2Go.
The Terrapins were the preseason favorite to win the conference by the league's coaches, while the Huskers were picked second. The Huskers enter the weekend atop the conference standings with a 3-0 conference record, while Maryland is in a four-way tie for third place with a 4-2 league record.
Nebraska is 9-1 over its last 10 games and has posted a 18-3 record since the start of March. Maryland enters the weekend a perfect 7-0 at Bob Smith Stadium this season, including a series sweep of Minnesota in its first ever Big Ten series two weeks ago. The former ACC member was on the road in Ann Arbor, Mich., last weekend and dropped a series against Michigan, 2-1.
Friday night will see a showdown between two of the league's top pitchers in Nebraska senior Chance Sinclair and Maryland sophomore Mike Shawaryn. Sinclair is 7-0 all-time in nine Big Ten starts and has won each of his last three starts entering Friday. A freshman All-American by multiple publications last season, Shawaryn is 6-0 this season in seven starts with a 2.11 ERA. The Carneys Point, N.J., product has struck out 54 and walked just seven over 47.0 innings of work.
Saturday's 1:05 p.m. meeting with be between a pair of lefties, with senior Kyle Kubat scheduled to start for Nebraska against Maryland sophomore Tayler Stiles. Kubat will be in search of his 20th career win and is coming off of consecutive starts where he totaled nine strikeouts. Stiles is a 6-2 native of Bowie, Md., and is 2-2 on the year with a 3.81 ERA. In 26.0 innings he has allowed 26 hits, walked five and struck out 25.
After starting sophomores in the first two games, the Terrapins are scheduled to throw senior right hander Bobby Ruse on Sunday against Nebraska sophomore Derek Burkamper. Burkamper is 4-1 on the season and has won each of his past three starts. The Muscatine, Iowa, native is coming off a career-long 8.1 innings outing against Texas, where he also struck out a career-high six batters. Ruse set a Maryland single-season record last year with 31 appearances, including four starts. This year he has made three starts in eight appearances and has a 4-1 record with a 5.19 ERA. In 26.0 innings he has struck out 25, while walking eight.
On the Radio
Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Greg Sharpe 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
Friday's series opener will be shown live on the Big Ten Network and on BTN2Go. Sunday's game will also be on BTN, but will be shown on tape delay at 2 p.m. (CT). Sunday's game can be seen live on BTN2Go.
Web Streams
Both Friday's and Sunday's games can be streamed live on BTN2Go.com and the BTN2Go App.
Rest the Pen
Nebraska's weekend rotation of Chance Sinclair, Kyle Kubat and Derek Burkamper have done their jobs this year by pitching late into games and have posted a 12-4 record.
In 20 combined starts, the trio has only one outing off less than 5.0 innings, while they have combined to go at least 6.0 innings 15 times. On average, the trio is throwing just over 6.2 innings per start.
Like Your Chances with Sinclair
Even though Chance Sinclair has taken three losses this season, after losing just one game last season, fans should feel confident with him on the mound Friday night.
A third-team All-American and unanimous first-team All-Big Ten performer last season, Sinclair has a career record of 13-4, including a perfect 7-0 record during Big Ten play following a win over Michigan this season.
During his career, the right-hander has gone 6.0 or more innings in 17 of his 23 starts, including 12 outings of at least 7.0 innings or more. He has gone 8.0 innings or more twice, including a 9.0-inning complete game against Ohio State in 2014.
Last season in eight starts during league play, Sinclair went less than 6.0 innings just once, while going at least 7.0 innings six times.
Going for 20
Senior Kyle Kubat improved to 19-3 during his career in 5-1 victory over Michigan on March 21.
Kubat is now trying to become just the 11th player in program history to notch 20 wins during their career.
If Kubat reaches 20 wins, he would tie Zach Kroenke (2003-05) and Jim Sandstedt (1946-49) for ninth place in the NU's career record book.
Shane Komine holds the school record for wins with 41 during his career from 1999 to 2002.
Experienced Lefty
Senior Kyle Kubat has seven starts under his belt in 2015 and enters his start on Saturday against Maryland with 35 career starts on the mound, which ties him for 9th all time at NU with Tony Watson (2005-07) and Cliff Faust (1977-80).
His 36th career start will him into a tied for 8th on the career list with Phil Shirek (2002-05).
After staring 28 games during this first three season, Kubat needs 12 starts in 2015 to 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).
Feeling 22
The Huskers ended the month of March with a 22-7 record, the most wins by a Husker team before the month of April since 2005 when NU started the season 22-3.
Cruise with Chesnut
Not only does Omaha native Jeff Chesnut have one of the best mustaches in college baseball, but he has also been nearly flawless out of the bullpen in 2015.
Chesnut is 4-0 on the year and holds a 0.83 ERA over 21.2 innings in a team-high 15 appearances. He has allowed two runs on the year, with 14 strikeouts to two walks.
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 97-11 since 2012 when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 100-6 when leading after seven innings and nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 109-4 record.
Year Lead after 6 After 7 After 8
2012 31-5 29-3 31-2
2013 20-3 25-2 28-1
2014 28-3 27-1 31-1
2015 18-0 19-0 19-0
Three or Less
In 25 of Nebraska's 30 games this season the Husker pitching staff has allowed three runs or less.
The Huskers are 23-2 when holding the opposition to three runs or less, but are 0-5 on the year when teams score four or more runs.
Keep Them on Base
The Husker bullpen has inherited 42 runners this season and only six have scored.
Junior Jeff Chesnut leads the way with 17 runners inherited, and only one has scored. Fellow junior Colton Howell has inherited seven runners and none have scored.
Start with Boldt
Since moving Ryan Boldt back to the leadoff spot, the Huskers are 10-1 on the season. Boldt hit third in 15 of NU's first 19 games and the Huskers were 9-6.
A Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American last season, Boldt leads the Huskers with a .339 batting average, leads the team with 28 runs scored and is tied with fellow sophomore Ben Miller for the team lead in hits with 37.
Last season with Boldt in the leadoff spot the Huskers were 22-7.
Early Leads
After scoring just 38 first-inning runs last season in 62 games, the Huskers have gotten their starting pitchers leads early and often in 2015.
Through 30 games, the Huskers are outscoring the opposition 29-9 in the first inning of games this season.
Last season the Huskers outscored their opponents 123-95 in the first three innings of games, while this year NU holds a commanding 64-19 advantage.
Topping 100
Senior Austin Darby is two RBIs away from becoming the 44th Husker since 1986 to notch 100 RBIs for their career.
With a team-high 25 RBIs so far in 2015, Blake Headley (83 career RBIs) also has a chance to join the club this year, needing 17 more RBIs in 2015. Headley produced a career-high 27 RBIs last season.
Pat Kelly joined the club last year and ended his three-year career with 125 RBIs, while Michael Pritchard fell four RBIs short of 100 career RBIs.
Matt Hopper is the only Husker to ever top the 200-RBI mark, with a school-record 271 career RBIs.
198 and Counting
After Michael Pritchard and Pat Kelly each joined Nebraska's 200-hit club last season, senior Austin Darby is two 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 2011-14
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
Tanner Heating Up
Tanner Lubach didn't get off to the start he wanted in his senior year, going 0-for-18 to start the season. Lubach broke the dry spell with a double that nearly left the park against BYU on Saturday, Feb. 21.
In his 20 games since, Lubach is hitting .355 (22-for-62) with three doubles, two home runs and eight multi-hit performances.
More importantly, Lubach has struck out eight times over his past 20 games, after notching nine strikeouts through his first six games of the season.
Close the Door
After playing his freshman season at Louisburg College in North Carolina, Josh Roeder joined the Huskers in 2013 and helped solidify the back end of NU's bullpen.
During the 2013 season, Roeder saw most of his action in a setup role to Dylan Vogt, but did collect six saves. Roeder took over the closer role in 2014 and saved 12 games.
With nine saves in nine chances this season, Roeder enters Friday ranked second in NU history with 27 career saves and needs five more saves in 2015 to break Brett Jensen's school record of 31 saves.
Howell Dialed in
After struggling with control in his first two seasons, Colton Howell has found the zone in 2015 and has been a terror to opposing batters late in games. The junior right hander has notched 21 strikeouts in 17.0 innings over 13 appearances, while walking only six batters.
Last season, Howell struck out 19, but walked 10 over 19.2 innings after recording 12 walks to nine strikeouts as a freshman in 2013.
Miller's Time
Sophomore Ben Miller has been a key cog in NU's offense this season. A left-handed hitter from Clive, Iowa, Miller is tied for the team lead in hits with 37 and ranks second on the team with 23 RBIs.
Husker Nation Packs the Park
During NU's 16-game homestand, Husker Nation once showed why they are best fans in the country. Fans set two of the top three marks for attendance during a non-conference series at Hawks Field and on Tuesday produced the largest crowd since the 2008 NCAA Lincoln Regional with 7,319 fans coming out for NU's 5-1 win over Creighton.
Fans posted a three-day attendance of 17,083 during NU's series with Florida Gulf Coast, which easily broke the previous facility record of 14,885 for a non-conference series at Hawks Field. Then last weekend 14,866 fans came out over three days during NU's series with Texas, setting the third-largest non-conference attendance mark in facility history.
During the 16-game homestand the Huskers posted an attendance mark of 66,641 (avg. 4,135). Last season over 25 dates the Huskers posted a home attendance of 81,044 (avg. 3,241).
Of the top 15 single game home crowds in the Big Ten this year, the Huskers represent the top 12 spots, while Indiana holds the other three spots in the top 15.
Top-15 Single Game Home Crowds in the Big Ten this Season
Rank Date Teams Location Attendance
1 March 31 Nebraska vs. Creighton Lincoln, Neb. 7,319
2 March 14 Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb. 6,223
3 March 31 Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb. 6,062
4 March 28 Nebraska vs. Texas Lincoln, Neb. 5,852
5 March 29 Nebraska vs. Texas Lincoln, Neb. 5,793
6 March 15 Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb. 4,798
7 March 21 Nebraska vs. Michigan Lincoln, Neb. 4,551
8 March 10 Nebraska vs. Northern Colorado Lincoln, Neb. 4,121
9 March 22 Nebraska vs. Michigan Lincoln, Neb. 3,918
10 March 20 Nebraska vs. Michigan Lincoln, Neb. 3,809
11 March 27 Nebraska vs. Texas Lincoln, Neb. 3,221
12 March 11 Nebraska vs. Northern Colorado Lincoln, Neb. 3,067
13 March 15 Indiana vs. Cal State Fullerton Bloomington, Ind. 2,911
14 March 24 Indiana vs. Louisville Bloomington, Ind. 2,456
15 March 11 Indiana vs. Eastern Michigan Bloomington, Ind. 2,243
Get the Hits
Through 30 games this season, the Huskers have notched double-digit hits 11 times and are a perfect 11-0 in those games.
NU: No. 18 Nebraska Visits No. 17 Maryland
Friday, April 3 (1:05 p.m. CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (4-3) vs. RHP Shawaryn (6-0)
TV: TBA
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN2Go
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Saturday, April 4 (1:05 p.m. CT)
Probable Starters: LHP Kubat (4-0) vs. LHP Stiles (2-2)
TV: None
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Sunday, April 5 (11:05 a.m. CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Burkamper (4-1) vs. RHP Ruse (4-1)
TV: BTN (Tape Delay at 2 p.m. CT)
Audio Stream: Huskers.com | Video Stream: BTN2Go
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Lincoln - The No. 18 Nebraska baseball team (23-7, 3-0 Big Ten) will play its first Big Ten road series of the season this weekend three-games against the No. 17 Maryland Terrapins (19-7, 4-2 Big Ten) in College Park, Md. Friday night's series opener will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.
The series opens at 6:05 p.m. (CT) on Friday night and will be carried nationally on the Big Ten Network. The teams are then scheduled to play at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday before wrapping on the series on Sunday at 11:05 a.m. Sunday's finale will also be show on BTN, but will be broadcast on tape delay at 2 p.m. Fans can watch Sunday's game live on BTN2Go.
The Terrapins were the preseason favorite to win the conference by the league's coaches, while the Huskers were picked second. The Huskers enter the weekend atop the conference standings with a 3-0 conference record, while Maryland is in a four-way tie for third place with a 4-2 league record.
Nebraska is 9-1 over its last 10 games and has posted a 18-3 record since the start of March. Maryland enters the weekend a perfect 7-0 at Bob Smith Stadium this season, including a series sweep of Minnesota in its first ever Big Ten series two weeks ago. The former ACC member was on the road in Ann Arbor, Mich., last weekend and dropped a series against Michigan, 2-1.
Friday night will see a showdown between two of the league's top pitchers in Nebraska senior Chance Sinclair and Maryland sophomore Mike Shawaryn. Sinclair is 7-0 all-time in nine Big Ten starts and has won each of his last three starts entering Friday. A freshman All-American by multiple publications last season, Shawaryn is 6-0 this season in seven starts with a 2.11 ERA. The Carneys Point, N.J., product has struck out 54 and walked just seven over 47.0 innings of work.
Saturday's 1:05 p.m. meeting with be between a pair of lefties, with senior Kyle Kubat scheduled to start for Nebraska against Maryland sophomore Tayler Stiles. Kubat will be in search of his 20th career win and is coming off of consecutive starts where he totaled nine strikeouts. Stiles is a 6-2 native of Bowie, Md., and is 2-2 on the year with a 3.81 ERA. In 26.0 innings he has allowed 26 hits, walked five and struck out 25.
After starting sophomores in the first two games, the Terrapins are scheduled to throw senior right hander Bobby Ruse on Sunday against Nebraska sophomore Derek Burkamper. Burkamper is 4-1 on the season and has won each of his past three starts. The Muscatine, Iowa, native is coming off a career-long 8.1 innings outing against Texas, where he also struck out a career-high six batters. Ruse set a Maryland single-season record last year with 31 appearances, including four starts. This year he has made three starts in eight appearances and has a 4-1 record with a 5.19 ERA. In 26.0 innings he has struck out 25, while walking eight.
On the Radio
Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen to Greg Sharpe 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
Friday's series opener will be shown live on the Big Ten Network and on BTN2Go. Sunday's game will also be on BTN, but will be shown on tape delay at 2 p.m. (CT). Sunday's game can be seen live on BTN2Go.
Web Streams
Both Friday's and Sunday's games can be streamed live on BTN2Go.com and the BTN2Go App.
Rest the Pen
Nebraska's weekend rotation of Chance Sinclair, Kyle Kubat and Derek Burkamper have done their jobs this year by pitching late into games and have posted a 12-4 record.
In 20 combined starts, the trio has only one outing off less than 5.0 innings, while they have combined to go at least 6.0 innings 15 times. On average, the trio is throwing just over 6.2 innings per start.
Like Your Chances with Sinclair
Even though Chance Sinclair has taken three losses this season, after losing just one game last season, fans should feel confident with him on the mound Friday night.
A third-team All-American and unanimous first-team All-Big Ten performer last season, Sinclair has a career record of 13-4, including a perfect 7-0 record during Big Ten play following a win over Michigan this season.
During his career, the right-hander has gone 6.0 or more innings in 17 of his 23 starts, including 12 outings of at least 7.0 innings or more. He has gone 8.0 innings or more twice, including a 9.0-inning complete game against Ohio State in 2014.
Last season in eight starts during league play, Sinclair went less than 6.0 innings just once, while going at least 7.0 innings six times.
Going for 20
Senior Kyle Kubat improved to 19-3 during his career in 5-1 victory over Michigan on March 21.
Kubat is now trying to become just the 11th player in program history to notch 20 wins during their career.
If Kubat reaches 20 wins, he would tie Zach Kroenke (2003-05) and Jim Sandstedt (1946-49) for ninth place in the NU's career record book.
Shane Komine holds the school record for wins with 41 during his career from 1999 to 2002.
Experienced Lefty
Senior Kyle Kubat has seven starts under his belt in 2015 and enters his start on Saturday against Maryland with 35 career starts on the mound, which ties him for 9th all time at NU with Tony Watson (2005-07) and Cliff Faust (1977-80).
His 36th career start will him into a tied for 8th on the career list with Phil Shirek (2002-05).
After staring 28 games during this first three season, Kubat needs 12 starts in 2015 to 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).
Feeling 22
The Huskers ended the month of March with a 22-7 record, the most wins by a Husker team before the month of April since 2005 when NU started the season 22-3.
Cruise with Chesnut
Not only does Omaha native Jeff Chesnut have one of the best mustaches in college baseball, but he has also been nearly flawless out of the bullpen in 2015.
Chesnut is 4-0 on the year and holds a 0.83 ERA over 21.2 innings in a team-high 15 appearances. He has allowed two runs on the year, with 14 strikeouts to two walks.
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 97-11 since 2012 when they lead after the sixth inning. The Huskers are 100-6 when leading after seven innings and nearly perfect when leading after eight innings with a 109-4 record.
Year Lead after 6 After 7 After 8
2012 31-5 29-3 31-2
2013 20-3 25-2 28-1
2014 28-3 27-1 31-1
2015 18-0 19-0 19-0
Three or Less
In 25 of Nebraska's 30 games this season the Husker pitching staff has allowed three runs or less.
The Huskers are 23-2 when holding the opposition to three runs or less, but are 0-5 on the year when teams score four or more runs.
Keep Them on Base
The Husker bullpen has inherited 42 runners this season and only six have scored.
Junior Jeff Chesnut leads the way with 17 runners inherited, and only one has scored. Fellow junior Colton Howell has inherited seven runners and none have scored.
Start with Boldt
Since moving Ryan Boldt back to the leadoff spot, the Huskers are 10-1 on the season. Boldt hit third in 15 of NU's first 19 games and the Huskers were 9-6.
A Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American last season, Boldt leads the Huskers with a .339 batting average, leads the team with 28 runs scored and is tied with fellow sophomore Ben Miller for the team lead in hits with 37.
Last season with Boldt in the leadoff spot the Huskers were 22-7.
Early Leads
After scoring just 38 first-inning runs last season in 62 games, the Huskers have gotten their starting pitchers leads early and often in 2015.
Through 30 games, the Huskers are outscoring the opposition 29-9 in the first inning of games this season.
Last season the Huskers outscored their opponents 123-95 in the first three innings of games, while this year NU holds a commanding 64-19 advantage.
Topping 100
Senior Austin Darby is two RBIs away from becoming the 44th Husker since 1986 to notch 100 RBIs for their career.
With a team-high 25 RBIs so far in 2015, Blake Headley (83 career RBIs) also has a chance to join the club this year, needing 17 more RBIs in 2015. Headley produced a career-high 27 RBIs last season.
Pat Kelly joined the club last year and ended his three-year career with 125 RBIs, while Michael Pritchard fell four RBIs short of 100 career RBIs.
Matt Hopper is the only Husker to ever top the 200-RBI mark, with a school-record 271 career RBIs.
198 and Counting
After Michael Pritchard and Pat Kelly each joined Nebraska's 200-hit club last season, senior Austin Darby is two 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 2011-14
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
Tanner Heating Up
Tanner Lubach didn't get off to the start he wanted in his senior year, going 0-for-18 to start the season. Lubach broke the dry spell with a double that nearly left the park against BYU on Saturday, Feb. 21.
In his 20 games since, Lubach is hitting .355 (22-for-62) with three doubles, two home runs and eight multi-hit performances.
More importantly, Lubach has struck out eight times over his past 20 games, after notching nine strikeouts through his first six games of the season.
Close the Door
After playing his freshman season at Louisburg College in North Carolina, Josh Roeder joined the Huskers in 2013 and helped solidify the back end of NU's bullpen.
During the 2013 season, Roeder saw most of his action in a setup role to Dylan Vogt, but did collect six saves. Roeder took over the closer role in 2014 and saved 12 games.
With nine saves in nine chances this season, Roeder enters Friday ranked second in NU history with 27 career saves and needs five more saves in 2015 to break Brett Jensen's school record of 31 saves.
Howell Dialed in
After struggling with control in his first two seasons, Colton Howell has found the zone in 2015 and has been a terror to opposing batters late in games. The junior right hander has notched 21 strikeouts in 17.0 innings over 13 appearances, while walking only six batters.
Last season, Howell struck out 19, but walked 10 over 19.2 innings after recording 12 walks to nine strikeouts as a freshman in 2013.
Miller's Time
Sophomore Ben Miller has been a key cog in NU's offense this season. A left-handed hitter from Clive, Iowa, Miller is tied for the team lead in hits with 37 and ranks second on the team with 23 RBIs.
Husker Nation Packs the Park
During NU's 16-game homestand, Husker Nation once showed why they are best fans in the country. Fans set two of the top three marks for attendance during a non-conference series at Hawks Field and on Tuesday produced the largest crowd since the 2008 NCAA Lincoln Regional with 7,319 fans coming out for NU's 5-1 win over Creighton.
Fans posted a three-day attendance of 17,083 during NU's series with Florida Gulf Coast, which easily broke the previous facility record of 14,885 for a non-conference series at Hawks Field. Then last weekend 14,866 fans came out over three days during NU's series with Texas, setting the third-largest non-conference attendance mark in facility history.
During the 16-game homestand the Huskers posted an attendance mark of 66,641 (avg. 4,135). Last season over 25 dates the Huskers posted a home attendance of 81,044 (avg. 3,241).
Of the top 15 single game home crowds in the Big Ten this year, the Huskers represent the top 12 spots, while Indiana holds the other three spots in the top 15.
Top-15 Single Game Home Crowds in the Big Ten this Season
Rank Date Teams Location Attendance
1 March 31 Nebraska vs. Creighton Lincoln, Neb. 7,319
2 March 14 Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb. 6,223
3 March 31 Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb. 6,062
4 March 28 Nebraska vs. Texas Lincoln, Neb. 5,852
5 March 29 Nebraska vs. Texas Lincoln, Neb. 5,793
6 March 15 Nebraska vs. Florida Gulf Coast Lincoln, Neb. 4,798
7 March 21 Nebraska vs. Michigan Lincoln, Neb. 4,551
8 March 10 Nebraska vs. Northern Colorado Lincoln, Neb. 4,121
9 March 22 Nebraska vs. Michigan Lincoln, Neb. 3,918
10 March 20 Nebraska vs. Michigan Lincoln, Neb. 3,809
11 March 27 Nebraska vs. Texas Lincoln, Neb. 3,221
12 March 11 Nebraska vs. Northern Colorado Lincoln, Neb. 3,067
13 March 15 Indiana vs. Cal State Fullerton Bloomington, Ind. 2,911
14 March 24 Indiana vs. Louisville Bloomington, Ind. 2,456
15 March 11 Indiana vs. Eastern Michigan Bloomington, Ind. 2,243
Get the Hits
Through 30 games this season, the Huskers have notched double-digit hits 11 times and are a perfect 11-0 in those games.
NU: No. 18 Nebraska Visits No. 17 Maryland
UM: #17 Terps Set for Showdown with #18 Nebraska
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 17 Maryland baseball team will host No. 18 Nebraska in its second Big Ten home series of the season this weekend at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium.
Friday's contest will be streamed live on BTN2Go and aired on tape delay on BTN. Sunday's game will be shown live on BTN.
LEADING IT OFF
No. 18 Nebraska
Fri., April 3
2:00 p.m. RHP Mike Shawaryn (6-0, 2.11 ERA) vs. RHP Chance Sinclair (4-3, 3.45 ERA)
Sat., March 28
2:00 p.m. LHP Tayler Stiles (2-2, 3.81 ERA) vs. LHP Kyle Kubot (1-1, 1.33 ERA)
Sun., March 29
12:00 p.m. TBA vs. RHP Derek Burkamper (4-1, 2.87 ERA)
Location: College Park, Md.
Stadium: Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium
Television: BTN (Friday; 7 p.m., Sunday)
Live Streaming: BTN2Go (Friday, Sunday)
Live Audio: Maryland Baseball Network
Live Stats: umterps.com
Twitter: @TerpsBaseball
*Parking Information: Parking in Union Lane Garage is $3 per hour from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily. Admitted Student Open House is expected to bring up 4,000 to campus and will be using lot 1. Arrive early.
• With a 3-1 win over Michigan Saturday, Maryland head coach John Szefc picked up his 300th career win as a head coach. Szefc has 88 at Maryland after winnings 212 as the skipper at Marist.
• The contest will mark Maryland's first all-time meeting with Nebraska.
• Sophomore second baseman Brandon Lowe captured Big Ten Player of the Week honors on March 23 after a spectacular performance at the plate. Lowe batted .522 (12-for-23) with eight runs scored and seven RBIs. He recorded two home runs, two triples and two doubles along with the game tying RBI against Elon.
• Lowe hit his sixth home run Wednesday against James Madison. His total ranks second in the conference.
• In its first year in the Big Ten, Maryland has put together an offensive performance that paces the conference. The Terrapins lead the league in slugging percentage (.446), on-base percentage (.395), runs scored (193), triples (10) home runs (23) and walks (128). Maryland ranks third in average at .285.
• Maryland's pitching staff has been mowing opposing batters down all season. The Terps lead the Big Ten with 226 strikeouts on the season, including 79 struck out looking, also a conference high.
• Third baseman Jose Cuas is second in the Big Ten in RBIs with 27 and ranks t-3 in the conference with five home runs. Cuas is fourth in the Big Ten in runs scored (24).
• Alex Robinson has been untouchable this season in relief. The junior has not given up an earned run over 11.0 innings of work and has 16 strikeouts to just two walks.
• Kevin Mooney earned his second save of the season in the win over Minnesota set a new Maryland career saves record (24). The record was previously held by Brett Cecil. Mooney recorded his third save against Michigan.
LOWE SETS THE TABLE
• With the departure of Charlie White, second baseman Brandon Lowe has been thrust into the leadoff spot.
• He is seventh in the country in runs per game with 1.31.
• He leads the Big Ten in hits (38), slugging (.60), runs scored (34), total bases (69) and is second in OBP (.492) and home runs (6).
• Lowe captured Big Ten Player of the Week honors on March 23. Lowe batted .522 (12-for-23) with eight runs scored and seven RBIs. He recorded two home runs, two triples and two doubles along with the game tying RBI against Elon.
• Lowe earned freshman All-American honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and Perfect Game last season. He paced the Terps in average (.348), slugging (.464), on-base percentage (.464) and triples (3).
SUPER SHAWARYN
• Sophomore Mike Shawaryn captured Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors on March 16 after a spectacular performance in a 15-0 win over Princeton. He struck out 11 over seven strong innings of work, gave up no runs and walked just two.
• Shawaryn previously won the award on Feb. 23 after a dominant performance in his second outing against South Alabama. The New Jersey native pitched seven scoreless innings in an ultra-efficient 72 pitches, allowing just three hits and striking out six. He did not give up a walk.
• Shawaryn has been a victory machine so far, racking up six wins. His mark is tied for tops in the country.
• Shawaryn's 17 career wins are the most for any sophomore in the country.
• He has eaten up the innings for the Terps so far with his 47.0 IP good enough for fourth in the Big Ten.
• Shawaryn leads the Big Ten in strikeouts with 54. That total sits as the 20th most in the nation.
MARYLAND BY THE NUMBERS
.395...Maryland's on-base percentage, good enough for 25th in the country.
1...Maryland won its first regional title in 2014
1.31...Brandon Lowe's runs per game, which is the seventh best mark in the country.
7.4...Maryland's runs per game, good enough for 15th in the country.
8.9...The number for strikeouts per nine innings for the Terps so far this year, good enough for 25th in the nation.
34...Brandon Lowe's number of runs, the most in the B1G and 11th in the nation.
54...Mike Shawaryn's season strikeout total, the most in the B1G and 20th in the country.
POWER SURGE
• Maryland is 15th in the country and first in the conference with 7.4 runs per game.
• The Terrapins are at the top of the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.446) and home runs (23).
• Maryland has already topped its home run output of 19 dingers from last season.
• Brandon Lowe is second in the conference with two home runs. Jose Cuas is third with five homers.
HIGHLY RATED
Terps in the Polls
D1Baseball Baseball America USA Today/ESPN NCBWA
Team 17 NR 15 28
• After a historic 2014, Maryland has received its highest preseason ranking in history from multiple polls. D1Baseball.com had the Terrapins the highest at No. 14.
• Maryland is the highest ranked Big Ten team in most major polls.
PRESEASON HONORS
INF Jose Cuas
• Perfect Game Preseason All-Conference Team.
INF Brandon Lowe
• D1Baseball Preseason All-American (3rd Team)
• Big Ten Player to Watch
RHP Kevin Mooney
• Big Ten Player to Watch
• 2015 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
RHP Mike Shawaryn
• D1Baseball Preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.
• Big Ten Player to Watch
B1G FAVORITE
• The Terps have been picked to top the Big Ten in its inaugural season in the conference. The conference's coaches voted on the top six teams.
1. Maryland
2. Nebraska
3. Illinois
4. Indiana
5. Michigan
6. Ohio State
• Maryland is also the consensus selection to win the conference among national publications.
SUPER 2014
• Following a 43-year absence, Maryland advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and then swept the Columbia Regional, beating Old Dominion and South Carolina, to make their first trip to a Super Regional in team history. The squad's first victory in that regional over the Gamecocks snapped the home team's 28-game postseason winning streak. Maryland fell one game short of a trip to Omaha, falling to Virginia in the Super Regional.
• Maryland set a school record for wins in a season with 40. The Terps notched its third straight winning season, a streak not seen since 1976-78.
• The Terrapins left the ACC with a bang, notching its first winning season in the conference since 1981 and appearing in the ACC title game for the first time since 1976
• The Terps' success did not fly under the radar. Maryland finished the season with its highest ever ranking, rising to as high as No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Terps finished the season ranked 14th by Baseball American, Collegiate Baseball News and Perfect Game. The NCBWA ranked the Terps No. 16 in its final poll.
POSTSEASON PLAUDITS
• The Terps had five players named to the Columbia All-Regional Team led by centerfielder Charlie White (graduated), who was named the regional's most outstanding player. Jose Cuas (third base), Kevin Martir (catcher) Mike Shawaryn (pitcher) and LaMonte Wade (first base) joined White on the squad.
• Shawaryn and Brandon Lowe earned Freshman All-American honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and Perfect Game. Shawaryn recorded a Maryland single-season record 11 victories while Lowe paced the Terps in average (.348), slugging (.464), on-base percentage (.464) and triples (3).
• Lowe, White and Jake Stinnett all earned All-ACC honors. Stinnett and White were named to the second team while Lowe was a third-team selection.
• Maryland had three players placed on the ACC All-Tournament Team. Martir batted .462 in the tournament and added two home runs, three runs scored and four RBIs. Wade and Blake Schmit were also named to the team.
STELLAR SZEFC
• Head coach John Szefc is 70-48 at Maryland entering his third year in College Park. No Maryland skipper has ever won that many games in a two-year span.
• Szefc picked up his 300th career victory against Michigan on March 28.
• The native of Middletown, N.Y., has coached 80 players that have been drafted or signed professional contracts since 1997.
• Szefc earned 30 victories in his first season, the most ever by a Maryland first-year head coach. He was most previously the associate head coach at Kansas State.
PRO TERPS
• Four Terrapins were selected in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft, led by Jake Stinnett who was taken 45th overall by the Chicago Cubs. Left-handed pitcher Ben Brewster was chosed in the 15th round by the Chicago White Sox while Charlie White was picked in the 21st round by the Cubs. Blake Schmitt rounded out the selections, drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 26th rounds.
• The four join former Maryland players Brett Cecil (Toronto Blue Jays), Justin Maxwell (San Francisco Giants)*, Alfredo Rodriguez (Milwaukee Brewers), Adam Kolarek (New York Mets), Jimmy Reed (St. Louis Cardinals) and Jack Cleary (Milwaukee Brewers) as members of MLB organizations.
UM: #17 Terps Set for Showdown with #18 Nebraska
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 17 Maryland baseball team will host No. 18 Nebraska in its second Big Ten home series of the season this weekend at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium.
Friday's contest will be streamed live on BTN2Go and aired on tape delay on BTN. Sunday's game will be shown live on BTN.
LEADING IT OFF
No. 18 Nebraska
Fri., April 3
2:00 p.m. RHP Mike Shawaryn (6-0, 2.11 ERA) vs. RHP Chance Sinclair (4-3, 3.45 ERA)
Sat., March 28
2:00 p.m. LHP Tayler Stiles (2-2, 3.81 ERA) vs. LHP Kyle Kubot (1-1, 1.33 ERA)
Sun., March 29
12:00 p.m. TBA vs. RHP Derek Burkamper (4-1, 2.87 ERA)
Location: College Park, Md.
Stadium: Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium
Television: BTN (Friday; 7 p.m., Sunday)
Live Streaming: BTN2Go (Friday, Sunday)
Live Audio: Maryland Baseball Network
Live Stats: umterps.com
Twitter: @TerpsBaseball
*Parking Information: Parking in Union Lane Garage is $3 per hour from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily. Admitted Student Open House is expected to bring up 4,000 to campus and will be using lot 1. Arrive early.
• With a 3-1 win over Michigan Saturday, Maryland head coach John Szefc picked up his 300th career win as a head coach. Szefc has 88 at Maryland after winnings 212 as the skipper at Marist.
• The contest will mark Maryland's first all-time meeting with Nebraska.
• Sophomore second baseman Brandon Lowe captured Big Ten Player of the Week honors on March 23 after a spectacular performance at the plate. Lowe batted .522 (12-for-23) with eight runs scored and seven RBIs. He recorded two home runs, two triples and two doubles along with the game tying RBI against Elon.
• Lowe hit his sixth home run Wednesday against James Madison. His total ranks second in the conference.
• In its first year in the Big Ten, Maryland has put together an offensive performance that paces the conference. The Terrapins lead the league in slugging percentage (.446), on-base percentage (.395), runs scored (193), triples (10) home runs (23) and walks (128). Maryland ranks third in average at .285.
• Maryland's pitching staff has been mowing opposing batters down all season. The Terps lead the Big Ten with 226 strikeouts on the season, including 79 struck out looking, also a conference high.
• Third baseman Jose Cuas is second in the Big Ten in RBIs with 27 and ranks t-3 in the conference with five home runs. Cuas is fourth in the Big Ten in runs scored (24).
• Alex Robinson has been untouchable this season in relief. The junior has not given up an earned run over 11.0 innings of work and has 16 strikeouts to just two walks.
• Kevin Mooney earned his second save of the season in the win over Minnesota set a new Maryland career saves record (24). The record was previously held by Brett Cecil. Mooney recorded his third save against Michigan.
LOWE SETS THE TABLE
• With the departure of Charlie White, second baseman Brandon Lowe has been thrust into the leadoff spot.
• He is seventh in the country in runs per game with 1.31.
• He leads the Big Ten in hits (38), slugging (.60), runs scored (34), total bases (69) and is second in OBP (.492) and home runs (6).
• Lowe captured Big Ten Player of the Week honors on March 23. Lowe batted .522 (12-for-23) with eight runs scored and seven RBIs. He recorded two home runs, two triples and two doubles along with the game tying RBI against Elon.
• Lowe earned freshman All-American honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and Perfect Game last season. He paced the Terps in average (.348), slugging (.464), on-base percentage (.464) and triples (3).
SUPER SHAWARYN
• Sophomore Mike Shawaryn captured Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors on March 16 after a spectacular performance in a 15-0 win over Princeton. He struck out 11 over seven strong innings of work, gave up no runs and walked just two.
• Shawaryn previously won the award on Feb. 23 after a dominant performance in his second outing against South Alabama. The New Jersey native pitched seven scoreless innings in an ultra-efficient 72 pitches, allowing just three hits and striking out six. He did not give up a walk.
• Shawaryn has been a victory machine so far, racking up six wins. His mark is tied for tops in the country.
• Shawaryn's 17 career wins are the most for any sophomore in the country.
• He has eaten up the innings for the Terps so far with his 47.0 IP good enough for fourth in the Big Ten.
• Shawaryn leads the Big Ten in strikeouts with 54. That total sits as the 20th most in the nation.
MARYLAND BY THE NUMBERS
.395...Maryland's on-base percentage, good enough for 25th in the country.
1...Maryland won its first regional title in 2014
1.31...Brandon Lowe's runs per game, which is the seventh best mark in the country.
7.4...Maryland's runs per game, good enough for 15th in the country.
8.9...The number for strikeouts per nine innings for the Terps so far this year, good enough for 25th in the nation.
34...Brandon Lowe's number of runs, the most in the B1G and 11th in the nation.
54...Mike Shawaryn's season strikeout total, the most in the B1G and 20th in the country.
POWER SURGE
• Maryland is 15th in the country and first in the conference with 7.4 runs per game.
• The Terrapins are at the top of the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.446) and home runs (23).
• Maryland has already topped its home run output of 19 dingers from last season.
• Brandon Lowe is second in the conference with two home runs. Jose Cuas is third with five homers.
HIGHLY RATED
Terps in the Polls
D1Baseball Baseball America USA Today/ESPN NCBWA
Team 17 NR 15 28
• After a historic 2014, Maryland has received its highest preseason ranking in history from multiple polls. D1Baseball.com had the Terrapins the highest at No. 14.
• Maryland is the highest ranked Big Ten team in most major polls.
PRESEASON HONORS
INF Jose Cuas
• Perfect Game Preseason All-Conference Team.
INF Brandon Lowe
• D1Baseball Preseason All-American (3rd Team)
• Big Ten Player to Watch
RHP Kevin Mooney
• Big Ten Player to Watch
• 2015 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
RHP Mike Shawaryn
• D1Baseball Preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.
• Big Ten Player to Watch
B1G FAVORITE
• The Terps have been picked to top the Big Ten in its inaugural season in the conference. The conference's coaches voted on the top six teams.
1. Maryland
2. Nebraska
3. Illinois
4. Indiana
5. Michigan
6. Ohio State
• Maryland is also the consensus selection to win the conference among national publications.
SUPER 2014
• Following a 43-year absence, Maryland advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and then swept the Columbia Regional, beating Old Dominion and South Carolina, to make their first trip to a Super Regional in team history. The squad's first victory in that regional over the Gamecocks snapped the home team's 28-game postseason winning streak. Maryland fell one game short of a trip to Omaha, falling to Virginia in the Super Regional.
• Maryland set a school record for wins in a season with 40. The Terps notched its third straight winning season, a streak not seen since 1976-78.
• The Terrapins left the ACC with a bang, notching its first winning season in the conference since 1981 and appearing in the ACC title game for the first time since 1976
• The Terps' success did not fly under the radar. Maryland finished the season with its highest ever ranking, rising to as high as No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Terps finished the season ranked 14th by Baseball American, Collegiate Baseball News and Perfect Game. The NCBWA ranked the Terps No. 16 in its final poll.
POSTSEASON PLAUDITS
• The Terps had five players named to the Columbia All-Regional Team led by centerfielder Charlie White (graduated), who was named the regional's most outstanding player. Jose Cuas (third base), Kevin Martir (catcher) Mike Shawaryn (pitcher) and LaMonte Wade (first base) joined White on the squad.
• Shawaryn and Brandon Lowe earned Freshman All-American honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and Perfect Game. Shawaryn recorded a Maryland single-season record 11 victories while Lowe paced the Terps in average (.348), slugging (.464), on-base percentage (.464) and triples (3).
• Lowe, White and Jake Stinnett all earned All-ACC honors. Stinnett and White were named to the second team while Lowe was a third-team selection.
• Maryland had three players placed on the ACC All-Tournament Team. Martir batted .462 in the tournament and added two home runs, three runs scored and four RBIs. Wade and Blake Schmit were also named to the team.
STELLAR SZEFC
• Head coach John Szefc is 70-48 at Maryland entering his third year in College Park. No Maryland skipper has ever won that many games in a two-year span.
• Szefc picked up his 300th career victory against Michigan on March 28.
• The native of Middletown, N.Y., has coached 80 players that have been drafted or signed professional contracts since 1997.
• Szefc earned 30 victories in his first season, the most ever by a Maryland first-year head coach. He was most previously the associate head coach at Kansas State.
PRO TERPS
• Four Terrapins were selected in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft, led by Jake Stinnett who was taken 45th overall by the Chicago Cubs. Left-handed pitcher Ben Brewster was chosed in the 15th round by the Chicago White Sox while Charlie White was picked in the 21st round by the Cubs. Blake Schmitt rounded out the selections, drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 26th rounds.
• The four join former Maryland players Brett Cecil (Toronto Blue Jays), Justin Maxwell (San Francisco Giants)*, Alfredo Rodriguez (Milwaukee Brewers), Adam Kolarek (New York Mets), Jimmy Reed (St. Louis Cardinals) and Jack Cleary (Milwaukee Brewers) as members of MLB organizations.
UM: #17 Terps Set for Showdown with #18 Nebraska
D1 - Sorenson: Off The Top Of My Head
Hey there, StitchHeads, if you can rip yourself away from the Final Four madness on your television long enough, you'll notice that we have a pretty good weekend of baseball games on the docket. Before we get to that, let's look back at some of the things that happened in the month of March.
What We Learned In March
1- Road games are hard
It's become a consistent theme year after year, teams play home-heavy slates and cater to their fans' carnivorous appetites for easy wins. Then they go on the road for a weekend for the first time in March and stark reality hits the loss column. Teams like Vanderbilt, Florida, South Carolina and Georgia Tech have followed that formula through March.
2- Mother Nature is even more of a wicked witch.
After calling last season "one of the worst winters ever for college baseball" we have apparently found another that was even meaner: 2015's. According to Cynthia Mills of D1baseball.com, the weather has actually been much worse this year than it was a year ago. Through the games of March 31st, here are the stats on weather-affected games this season:
- Games Canceled: 425
- Game postponed: 314
- Date change: 177
- Location change: 221
For 2014:
- Games cancelled: 293
- Games postponed: 314
- Date change: 166
- Venue change: 124
3- Oh mercy, Cal State Fullerton is back in the danger zone again.
The Titans started March by sweeping then-No. 5 Texas Tech. But then the Titans went 5-8 the remainder of the month. Now, because of this latest skein, the Titans are in danger of missing out on the postseason for the first time in 27 years. Yes, this time last year, coach Vanderhook was bemoaning that his team was soft and in danger of missing out on the postseason for the first time in 26 years. But could it be even more serious this time? The offense is anemic, as the Titans hit just .253 as a team, eight points less than their opponents do. There is one encouraging note in that the Titans are still at No. 35 in the RPI, well within striking distance of an at-large bid, as long as they can stay above water here and put together a win streak or two.
4- Eastern Illinois is looking East for a sunset.
Poor Panthers, they just can't seem to get things right. They sailed through March with another months-worth of a perfect record. But that's a perfect 0-18 through the third month. The most maddening loss of all? Tuesday's 18-14 loss to Illinois State saw the Panthers take a 13-12 lead into the ninth inning, only to surrender six runs to the Redbirds in the final frame and lose, again.
5- Stanford is the most unlucky team in the country.
I blame myself on this one. Last I saw of the Cardinal - in person that is - they had just beaten Texas for the second time and sat at 9-6. Those nine wins included wins over Rice, Cal State Fullerton, Indiana and Nevada. Since that Saturday win, the Cardinal has gone 1-8, despite having leads in five of them and losing their first six Pac 12 games. The injury bug has also hit as they lost their All-American ace Cal Quantrill. More about that right now
6- Three dreaded words: Tommy. John. Surgery.
In the month of March, we had two more elite-level pitchers get shelved for the season in the above-mentioned Stanford ace Cal Quantrill and also Duke fireballer Michael Matuella. This is very similar to last season where a pair of big-time, first-round arms fell victim to surgery in Josh Hoffman at East Carolina and Erick Fedde at UNLV. Ugh.
7- No team has been harder to explain than Clemson
The Tigers started the month by completing a weekend series vs. South Carolina. But then everything went haywire. They lost two of three to N.C. State, then lost two of three to Notre Dame, then won a series at Virginia Tech and finally lost two of three to Wake Forest. In the next five days they'll take on North Carolina and Georgia. Let's see what happens next.
8- Inconsistency reigns in the SEC
Speaking of roller coaster seasons, the SEC is hoarding those right now. Here are some of the wildest rides of college baseball with some goods and bads thrown in.
- Georgia, 18-12.
The Good Side: Won two of three vs. Florida State.
The Bad Side: Swept at Georgia Southern and at home by Missouri
- Alabama, 15-12
The Good Side: Mississippi State two of three in Starkville
The Bad Side: Lost series at home vs. Texas A&M and at Florida
- Tennessee, 12-13
The Good Side: Beat Florida and Vanderbilt in games on the road.
The Bad Side: Only series win in March was vs. Grand Canyon, was swept at Georgia.
- Kentucky, 18-11
The Good Side: Made headlines by winning two of three at LSU.
The Bad Side: Swept at South Carolina in three straight by a combined 20-8
- Missouri, 20-10
The Good Side: Swept Georgia in Athens, then won two of three vs. South Carolina.
The Bad Side: Lost all three at home vs. someone named "Milwaukee."
- Auburn, 18-11
The Good Side: Beat Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State in February.
The Bad Side: Beaten in three games by combined 22-7 at Texas A&M.
- Mississippi State, 19-12
The Good Side: Swept what looks to be a pretty good Arizona team in two games.
The Bad Side: Lost every other series in March vs. San Diego, Alabama, Kentucky and Auburn.
9- Up until Tuesday, the Missouri Valley was the best conference
At the beginning of the week - if you believe the RPI - the MVC was the best top-heavy conference in the country. You had Dallas Baptist at No. 1, where it still is. Then, you had No. 13 Missouri State, which it still is. But at No. 14 was Bradley. Yes, wipe your eyes if you must, but that's three of the top 14 in the RPI. Only the SEC could also have made that claim. But lo and behold a midweek loss to St. Louis made the Braves' RPI plummet down to No. 28. Gah, a double-dip drop.
10- The Oregon schools might be in trouble
Everyone knew the Oregon State Beavers were going to be in a little bit of a "rebuilding" mode this season. But they've still managed to race out to a 21-7 record. Not bad, right? Well it's also not so good either since their RPI is way down at No. 72 entering this weekend. Oregon is in even worse shape. Despite challenging themselves with road trips to Hawaii, UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside, they are now 18-12 overall and sit at No. 93 in the RPI, thanks to a 1-5 record in games vs. Arizona and Arizona State. Oregon State showed hope for regrouping by taking the series opener at UCLA.
11- Home runs are up. Scoring and ERA? Notsomuch
Just as we suspected back at the end of February, March proved further that the home run is back in college baseball. According to their midseason stats, the NCAA figures show that the home runs per game has gone from 0.36 in 2014 to 0.50 in 2015, an increase of 39 percent from last year. But oddly, scoring in college baseball is not up significantly, showing an increase of just about 5 percent from this time last year. And even more curious, the number of strikeouts has jumped up significantly from a year ago, moving up 10.5%.
Here is a fancy-smancy graphic that displays it all:
midseason-bsb-trends
12- March added these coaches to the Most Wanted list:
Sorry fans of the mid-major teams having solid seasons so far, if this month proved anything it is that your coach is going to be hot property on the shopping block at the end of the season. Here are those who could be on their way:
- Dan Heefner, Dallas Baptist.
Hard to believe he hasn't been snapped up already with all his success at the small religious school in southwest Dallas.
- John McCormack, Florida Atlantic
The Owls have never been bad under Big John, but this guy has to strike while the iron is hot. Right now, FAU is 23-5 and No. 7 in the RPI. If this keeps up, some big-money program will come calling.
- Darin Erstad, Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers have made a steady climb under their former All-American outfielder and punter. Last week's suffocating sweep of Texas means this year appears to be a breakthrough season. Wonder if he'd ever leave his alma mater though?
- Terry Rooney, UCF.
I love Roons. I love him at the helm of the Knights. But this is the state of Florida we're talking about, so somebody will come calling for this guy soon, especially given the type of month they've had here in March, which included last weekend's series win over Houston.
- Andrew Checketts, UC Santa Barbara
He hasn't been to the NCAA tournament yet, but this past month proved that this snub is about to end. The Gauchos are 20-7 and No. 12 in the D1 rankings. This is his breakthrough performance, people.
- Jim Penders, Connecticut
Talk about a team that has heated up - literally. The Huskies went 14-5 in the month of March, including series wins at Florida International, Seton Hall and Tulane. And to think, they just recently cleared the snow off their field in Storrs. Yay, the Huskies finally get to practice!
- Monte Lee, College of Charleston
Oh come on, this is no big surprise. This guy has been on the rolling rumor log for a long time now. After a 10-5 start, the Cougars have now won eight of nine, scoring 87 runs in those eight wins.
Five Places To Be This Weekend
Lots of good candidates for the top fives slots this weekend, but we can't take everyone. So here are the best of the best. The sure bets you won't be disappointed. Couple of notes here first, these records and rankings were taken before any Thursday games were played. And secondly, even though I hate the RPI, I have to use their numbers below because that's what the selection committee uses. So here we go
5- No. 9 Southern California at No. 25 Arizona
Hi Corbett Stadium, Tuscon
By the Numbers:
USC: 22-6, 4-2 Pac 12, No. 33 RPI, No. 143 SOS
UofA: 22-6, 7-2 Pac 12, No. 96 RPI, No. 224 SOS
It's weird to see Arizona come off of a pair of sweeps vs. Stanford and Oregon, but its RPI is still way down in the 90s. Here's a chance to make up some ground, while both teams are hoping to keep pace with first place UCLA, who is 8-1.
4- No. 19 Dallas Baptist at Missouri State
Hammond Field, Springfield
By the Numbers:
DBU: 23-3, 5-1 MVC. No. 1 RPI, No. 19 SOS
MSU: 18-7, 2-1 MVC, No. 13 RPI, No. 50 SOS
Yeah, I know, what the devil are we doing with a Missouri Valley Conference series in the top five. But take one glance at the two RPI's here and you see how important this weekend is for both. Patriot relievers Brandon Koch and Gavin Fritz have yet to give up an earned run in 26.1 combined innings.
3- No. 24 Texas at No. 20 Oklahoma State
Allie Reynolds Stadium, Stillwater
By the Numbers:
UT: 17-12, 5-1 Big 12, No. 58 RPI, No. 44 SOS
OSU: 19-9, 4-2 Big 12, No. 11 RPI, No. 14 SOS
Despite their occasional foibles and that awful performance at Nebraska last weekend, you've gotta give it to the Longhorns, they lead the Big 12. Okie State comes in with a 2.61 team ERA, so the Horns bats will have another huge challenge ahead of them.
2- No. 18 Nebraska at No. 17 Maryland
Shipley Field, College Park
By the Numbers:
UNL: 23-7, 3-0 Big 10, No. 14 RPI, No. 57 SOS
UMd: 19-7, 4-2 Big 10, No. 49 RPI, No. 163 SOS
As Aaron Fitt pointed out earlier this week, this one could have huge home regional hosting ramifications. Yes, it's a little early to think about that right now, but you have to wonder if that will have an impact come late May.
1- No. 7 Louisville at No. 12 Virginia
Davenport Field, Charlottesville
By the Numbers:
UofL: 22-7, 11-1 ACC, No. 21 RPI, No. 59 SOS
UVa: 19-9, 6-6 ACC, No. 47 RPI, No. 105 SOS
Great matchup of razor sharp pitching as the Cards come in with a 2.61 team ERA with 299 strikeouts, both ACC-bests. The Cavs arms are never anything to sneeze at with a 3.10 ERA, led by Nathan Kirby's 4-1, 1.01, which also leads the loop.
If you want to see the video version of my Top Five Places to Be, here you go Click your mouse here.
FIVE OTHERS WORTH KEEPING AN EYE ON:
If you've got the company LearJet at your disposal, visit these sites too. It'll be totally worth your while:
- No. 2 Texas A&M at Kentucky.
Will the Aggies play like a top five team or will the Wildcats continue their won't-be-denied streak of late? This will be fun.
- Oregon State at No. 7 UCLA.
The Bruins are No. 5 in the RPI and OSU is No. 74. Plus the Beavers have a strength of schedule that is No. 182, so you know this will help OSU if they win.
- No. 4 TCU at Texas Tech.
There may not be a tougher venue in the country than Dan Law Field. This is also Tech's chance to get back into the rankings after their recent 2-5 skid.
- No. 21 South Carolina at Mississippi State.
Alright, one of these teams has to hit the alarm clock this weekend in StarkVegas. They are both too talented to have their RPIs wallowing in the low-50s for the Cocks and in the triple digits for the Dogs in the RPI respectively.
- No. 11 Florida State at North Carolina State
Okay Seminoles, here is your chance to prove once again that you can win some tough road games. The Wolfpack are quietly sneaking up the rankings, sitting at No. 68 in the RPI coming into this vital weekend.
Tweet Of The Week
How cool is this? I saw this from UCF's series-deciding win over Houston back on Sunday. This brings me back to old school Nintendo All Stars Baseball back in the late-80s when video games were still in their infancy. Using the Baseball Stars-like graphic to describe the action in the real-life game is cunning, funny and nostalgic at the same time. This. Is. A. Beauty.
The best graphic I've ever seen to display an HBP. Well done UCF.
The best graphic I've ever seen to display an HBP. Well done UCF.
.
AND NOW, THE KEITH LAW QUESTION.
As you guys might've seen on my College Baseball Today website, I went to a "Pitching and Performance" symposium on Tuesday night out at USC. Dr. Tom House, the former USC pitching coach and major league pitcher led a group of four experts in the field of pitching and pitching analysis in an open discussion on the goods and bads of pitching on young arms from little league up to the college ranks.
After the symposium was over, I cornered Dr. Seth Gamradt, an orthopedic surgeon and expert in the field of pitching and Tommy John surgeries. I asked him to give his opinion on all the brush-up we always hear come regionals and super regionals time: Does using a college pitcher on short rest twice in a weekend jeopardize his future pitching career in any way?
Dr. Gamradt's answer:
"I doubt it. I strongly doubt it. I don't think one episode where a pitcher comes back on short rest to pitch again in a championship is a deal-breaker for any career hopes. But the coaches have to be smart. They have to know the background and have the recovery methods for each player. And you also have to have realistic expectations, these kids are elite athletes and get proper training and as long as they're not doing it all the time it's no problem. Obviously, if there is a history of arm trouble or if the kid is dealing with pain then you don't do that. But a healthy, well-conditioned college pitcher should have no long term problems involved in a situation like that."
Where I'll Be This Weekend
My plans are to fly into Oklahoma City, get a rent-a-lemon and hit the road for:
- Thursday, Kansas at Oklahoma
- Friday, Dallas Baptist at Missouri State
- Saturday, Texas at Oklahoma State
And if my flight plans and extended "layover" plan works out
- Sunday, Middle Tennessee State at Rice
Then I'll fly home to Smogland.
One Quick Story: Missouri State and Virginia's Brian O'Connor
Back in the 90s, I was living in Dallas. A friend of mine was headed to Springfield, Mo., for a buddy of his who was getting married. I didn't know the groom all that well, but I did notice that the wedding weekend was in conjunction with Creighton playing a three-game set at Southwest Missouri State - as it was known back then. Me being the unapologetic Bluejay fan that I am, I asked if it'd be cool if I hitched a ride along with him to the wedding.
Well, we got there Saturday afternoon just in time to for the first pitch at Meador Park, a public park where the Bears used to play before Hammond Field came around. Creighton's starting pitcher that day was future Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor. He pitched well and went seven innings before being pulled with the Bluejays leading 8-2.
So me and my buddies are standing along the fence line right next to the CU dugout and we can see into the dugout and hear all the things the players are saying. There was a lot of jawing between the Jays and Bears that day. The Creighton players were saying "listen to those hicks yell at us."
Well, when O'Connor got off the mound, he immediately took his jersey off, showing a Harley Davidson t-shirt he was wearing underneath. O'Connor then grabbed a bat and held it like a guitar, sat down by himself on the bench and started emulating the "Dueling Banjos" song from the movie Deliverance, apparently in a prodding manner toward the SMSU players. We snickered like school boys in church at this vagabond behavior from the starting pitcher. And of course, this was in the day and age before cell phones and picture-taking gone amuck, so there remains no visual proof of what we saw that day.
But years later, I get an Email from that same buddy of mine saying, "Hey, I just saw that a former Creighton pitcher got the head coaching job at Virginia. Isn't that the guy who played 'Dueling Banjos' on the bench while wearing a Harley shirt?"
Yep. Yep it was.
Just for the hell of it I may have to make a quick trip by Meador Park and see the scene of the crime while I'm there in Springfield.
D1 - Sorenson: Off The Top Of My Head
Hey there, StitchHeads, if you can rip yourself away from the Final Four madness on your television long enough, you'll notice that we have a pretty good weekend of baseball games on the docket. Before we get to that, let's look back at some of the things that happened in the month of March.
What We Learned In March
1- Road games are hard
It's become a consistent theme year after year, teams play home-heavy slates and cater to their fans' carnivorous appetites for easy wins. Then they go on the road for a weekend for the first time in March and stark reality hits the loss column. Teams like Vanderbilt, Florida, South Carolina and Georgia Tech have followed that formula through March.
2- Mother Nature is even more of a wicked witch.
After calling last season "one of the worst winters ever for college baseball" we have apparently found another that was even meaner: 2015's. According to Cynthia Mills of D1baseball.com, the weather has actually been much worse this year than it was a year ago. Through the games of March 31st, here are the stats on weather-affected games this season:
- Games Canceled: 425
- Game postponed: 314
- Date change: 177
- Location change: 221
For 2014:
- Games cancelled: 293
- Games postponed: 314
- Date change: 166
- Venue change: 124
3- Oh mercy, Cal State Fullerton is back in the danger zone again.
The Titans started March by sweeping then-No. 5 Texas Tech. But then the Titans went 5-8 the remainder of the month. Now, because of this latest skein, the Titans are in danger of missing out on the postseason for the first time in 27 years. Yes, this time last year, coach Vanderhook was bemoaning that his team was soft and in danger of missing out on the postseason for the first time in 26 years. But could it be even more serious this time? The offense is anemic, as the Titans hit just .253 as a team, eight points less than their opponents do. There is one encouraging note in that the Titans are still at No. 35 in the RPI, well within striking distance of an at-large bid, as long as they can stay above water here and put together a win streak or two.
4- Eastern Illinois is looking East for a sunset.
Poor Panthers, they just can't seem to get things right. They sailed through March with another months-worth of a perfect record. But that's a perfect 0-18 through the third month. The most maddening loss of all? Tuesday's 18-14 loss to Illinois State saw the Panthers take a 13-12 lead into the ninth inning, only to surrender six runs to the Redbirds in the final frame and lose, again.
5- Stanford is the most unlucky team in the country.
I blame myself on this one. Last I saw of the Cardinal - in person that is - they had just beaten Texas for the second time and sat at 9-6. Those nine wins included wins over Rice, Cal State Fullerton, Indiana and Nevada. Since that Saturday win, the Cardinal has gone 1-8, despite having leads in five of them and losing their first six Pac 12 games. The injury bug has also hit as they lost their All-American ace Cal Quantrill. More about that right now
6- Three dreaded words: Tommy. John. Surgery.
In the month of March, we had two more elite-level pitchers get shelved for the season in the above-mentioned Stanford ace Cal Quantrill and also Duke fireballer Michael Matuella. This is very similar to last season where a pair of big-time, first-round arms fell victim to surgery in Josh Hoffman at East Carolina and Erick Fedde at UNLV. Ugh.
7- No team has been harder to explain than Clemson
The Tigers started the month by completing a weekend series vs. South Carolina. But then everything went haywire. They lost two of three to N.C. State, then lost two of three to Notre Dame, then won a series at Virginia Tech and finally lost two of three to Wake Forest. In the next five days they'll take on North Carolina and Georgia. Let's see what happens next.
8- Inconsistency reigns in the SEC
Speaking of roller coaster seasons, the SEC is hoarding those right now. Here are some of the wildest rides of college baseball with some goods and bads thrown in.
- Georgia, 18-12.
The Good Side: Won two of three vs. Florida State.
The Bad Side: Swept at Georgia Southern and at home by Missouri
- Alabama, 15-12
The Good Side: Mississippi State two of three in Starkville
The Bad Side: Lost series at home vs. Texas A&M and at Florida
- Tennessee, 12-13
The Good Side: Beat Florida and Vanderbilt in games on the road.
The Bad Side: Only series win in March was vs. Grand Canyon, was swept at Georgia.
- Kentucky, 18-11
The Good Side: Made headlines by winning two of three at LSU.
The Bad Side: Swept at South Carolina in three straight by a combined 20-8
- Missouri, 20-10
The Good Side: Swept Georgia in Athens, then won two of three vs. South Carolina.
The Bad Side: Lost all three at home vs. someone named "Milwaukee."
- Auburn, 18-11
The Good Side: Beat Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State in February.
The Bad Side: Beaten in three games by combined 22-7 at Texas A&M.
- Mississippi State, 19-12
The Good Side: Swept what looks to be a pretty good Arizona team in two games.
The Bad Side: Lost every other series in March vs. San Diego, Alabama, Kentucky and Auburn.
9- Up until Tuesday, the Missouri Valley was the best conference
At the beginning of the week - if you believe the RPI - the MVC was the best top-heavy conference in the country. You had Dallas Baptist at No. 1, where it still is. Then, you had No. 13 Missouri State, which it still is. But at No. 14 was Bradley. Yes, wipe your eyes if you must, but that's three of the top 14 in the RPI. Only the SEC could also have made that claim. But lo and behold a midweek loss to St. Louis made the Braves' RPI plummet down to No. 28. Gah, a double-dip drop.
10- The Oregon schools might be in trouble
Everyone knew the Oregon State Beavers were going to be in a little bit of a "rebuilding" mode this season. But they've still managed to race out to a 21-7 record. Not bad, right? Well it's also not so good either since their RPI is way down at No. 72 entering this weekend. Oregon is in even worse shape. Despite challenging themselves with road trips to Hawaii, UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside, they are now 18-12 overall and sit at No. 93 in the RPI, thanks to a 1-5 record in games vs. Arizona and Arizona State. Oregon State showed hope for regrouping by taking the series opener at UCLA.
11- Home runs are up. Scoring and ERA? Notsomuch
Just as we suspected back at the end of February, March proved further that the home run is back in college baseball. According to their midseason stats, the NCAA figures show that the home runs per game has gone from 0.36 in 2014 to 0.50 in 2015, an increase of 39 percent from last year. But oddly, scoring in college baseball is not up significantly, showing an increase of just about 5 percent from this time last year. And even more curious, the number of strikeouts has jumped up significantly from a year ago, moving up 10.5%.
Here is a fancy-smancy graphic that displays it all:
midseason-bsb-trends
12- March added these coaches to the Most Wanted list:
Sorry fans of the mid-major teams having solid seasons so far, if this month proved anything it is that your coach is going to be hot property on the shopping block at the end of the season. Here are those who could be on their way:
- Dan Heefner, Dallas Baptist.
Hard to believe he hasn't been snapped up already with all his success at the small religious school in southwest Dallas.
- John McCormack, Florida Atlantic
The Owls have never been bad under Big John, but this guy has to strike while the iron is hot. Right now, FAU is 23-5 and No. 7 in the RPI. If this keeps up, some big-money program will come calling.
- Darin Erstad, Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers have made a steady climb under their former All-American outfielder and punter. Last week's suffocating sweep of Texas means this year appears to be a breakthrough season. Wonder if he'd ever leave his alma mater though?
- Terry Rooney, UCF.
I love Roons. I love him at the helm of the Knights. But this is the state of Florida we're talking about, so somebody will come calling for this guy soon, especially given the type of month they've had here in March, which included last weekend's series win over Houston.
- Andrew Checketts, UC Santa Barbara
He hasn't been to the NCAA tournament yet, but this past month proved that this snub is about to end. The Gauchos are 20-7 and No. 12 in the D1 rankings. This is his breakthrough performance, people.
- Jim Penders, Connecticut
Talk about a team that has heated up - literally. The Huskies went 14-5 in the month of March, including series wins at Florida International, Seton Hall and Tulane. And to think, they just recently cleared the snow off their field in Storrs. Yay, the Huskies finally get to practice!
- Monte Lee, College of Charleston
Oh come on, this is no big surprise. This guy has been on the rolling rumor log for a long time now. After a 10-5 start, the Cougars have now won eight of nine, scoring 87 runs in those eight wins.
Five Places To Be This Weekend
Lots of good candidates for the top fives slots this weekend, but we can't take everyone. So here are the best of the best. The sure bets you won't be disappointed. Couple of notes here first, these records and rankings were taken before any Thursday games were played. And secondly, even though I hate the RPI, I have to use their numbers below because that's what the selection committee uses. So here we go
5- No. 9 Southern California at No. 25 Arizona
Hi Corbett Stadium, Tuscon
By the Numbers:
USC: 22-6, 4-2 Pac 12, No. 33 RPI, No. 143 SOS
UofA: 22-6, 7-2 Pac 12, No. 96 RPI, No. 224 SOS
It's weird to see Arizona come off of a pair of sweeps vs. Stanford and Oregon, but its RPI is still way down in the 90s. Here's a chance to make up some ground, while both teams are hoping to keep pace with first place UCLA, who is 8-1.
4- No. 19 Dallas Baptist at Missouri State
Hammond Field, Springfield
By the Numbers:
DBU: 23-3, 5-1 MVC. No. 1 RPI, No. 19 SOS
MSU: 18-7, 2-1 MVC, No. 13 RPI, No. 50 SOS
Yeah, I know, what the devil are we doing with a Missouri Valley Conference series in the top five. But take one glance at the two RPI's here and you see how important this weekend is for both. Patriot relievers Brandon Koch and Gavin Fritz have yet to give up an earned run in 26.1 combined innings.
3- No. 24 Texas at No. 20 Oklahoma State
Allie Reynolds Stadium, Stillwater
By the Numbers:
UT: 17-12, 5-1 Big 12, No. 58 RPI, No. 44 SOS
OSU: 19-9, 4-2 Big 12, No. 11 RPI, No. 14 SOS
Despite their occasional foibles and that awful performance at Nebraska last weekend, you've gotta give it to the Longhorns, they lead the Big 12. Okie State comes in with a 2.61 team ERA, so the Horns bats will have another huge challenge ahead of them.
2- No. 18 Nebraska at No. 17 Maryland
Shipley Field, College Park
By the Numbers:
UNL: 23-7, 3-0 Big 10, No. 14 RPI, No. 57 SOS
UMd: 19-7, 4-2 Big 10, No. 49 RPI, No. 163 SOS
As Aaron Fitt pointed out earlier this week, this one could have huge home regional hosting ramifications. Yes, it's a little early to think about that right now, but you have to wonder if that will have an impact come late May.
1- No. 7 Louisville at No. 12 Virginia
Davenport Field, Charlottesville
By the Numbers:
UofL: 22-7, 11-1 ACC, No. 21 RPI, No. 59 SOS
UVa: 19-9, 6-6 ACC, No. 47 RPI, No. 105 SOS
Great matchup of razor sharp pitching as the Cards come in with a 2.61 team ERA with 299 strikeouts, both ACC-bests. The Cavs arms are never anything to sneeze at with a 3.10 ERA, led by Nathan Kirby's 4-1, 1.01, which also leads the loop.
If you want to see the video version of my Top Five Places to Be, here you go Click your mouse here.
FIVE OTHERS WORTH KEEPING AN EYE ON:
If you've got the company LearJet at your disposal, visit these sites too. It'll be totally worth your while:
- No. 2 Texas A&M at Kentucky.
Will the Aggies play like a top five team or will the Wildcats continue their won't-be-denied streak of late? This will be fun.
- Oregon State at No. 7 UCLA.
The Bruins are No. 5 in the RPI and OSU is No. 74. Plus the Beavers have a strength of schedule that is No. 182, so you know this will help OSU if they win.
- No. 4 TCU at Texas Tech.
There may not be a tougher venue in the country than Dan Law Field. This is also Tech's chance to get back into the rankings after their recent 2-5 skid.
- No. 21 South Carolina at Mississippi State.
Alright, one of these teams has to hit the alarm clock this weekend in StarkVegas. They are both too talented to have their RPIs wallowing in the low-50s for the Cocks and in the triple digits for the Dogs in the RPI respectively.
- No. 11 Florida State at North Carolina State
Okay Seminoles, here is your chance to prove once again that you can win some tough road games. The Wolfpack are quietly sneaking up the rankings, sitting at No. 68 in the RPI coming into this vital weekend.
Tweet Of The Week
How cool is this? I saw this from UCF's series-deciding win over Houston back on Sunday. This brings me back to old school Nintendo All Stars Baseball back in the late-80s when video games were still in their infancy. Using the Baseball Stars-like graphic to describe the action in the real-life game is cunning, funny and nostalgic at the same time. This. Is. A. Beauty.
The best graphic I've ever seen to display an HBP. Well done UCF.
The best graphic I've ever seen to display an HBP. Well done UCF.
.
AND NOW, THE KEITH LAW QUESTION.
As you guys might've seen on my College Baseball Today website, I went to a "Pitching and Performance" symposium on Tuesday night out at USC. Dr. Tom House, the former USC pitching coach and major league pitcher led a group of four experts in the field of pitching and pitching analysis in an open discussion on the goods and bads of pitching on young arms from little league up to the college ranks.
After the symposium was over, I cornered Dr. Seth Gamradt, an orthopedic surgeon and expert in the field of pitching and Tommy John surgeries. I asked him to give his opinion on all the brush-up we always hear come regionals and super regionals time: Does using a college pitcher on short rest twice in a weekend jeopardize his future pitching career in any way?
Dr. Gamradt's answer:
"I doubt it. I strongly doubt it. I don't think one episode where a pitcher comes back on short rest to pitch again in a championship is a deal-breaker for any career hopes. But the coaches have to be smart. They have to know the background and have the recovery methods for each player. And you also have to have realistic expectations, these kids are elite athletes and get proper training and as long as they're not doing it all the time it's no problem. Obviously, if there is a history of arm trouble or if the kid is dealing with pain then you don't do that. But a healthy, well-conditioned college pitcher should have no long term problems involved in a situation like that."
Where I'll Be This Weekend
My plans are to fly into Oklahoma City, get a rent-a-lemon and hit the road for:
- Thursday, Kansas at Oklahoma
- Friday, Dallas Baptist at Missouri State
- Saturday, Texas at Oklahoma State
And if my flight plans and extended "layover" plan works out
- Sunday, Middle Tennessee State at Rice
Then I'll fly home to Smogland.
One Quick Story: Missouri State and Virginia's Brian O'Connor
Back in the 90s, I was living in Dallas. A friend of mine was headed to Springfield, Mo., for a buddy of his who was getting married. I didn't know the groom all that well, but I did notice that the wedding weekend was in conjunction with Creighton playing a three-game set at Southwest Missouri State - as it was known back then. Me being the unapologetic Bluejay fan that I am, I asked if it'd be cool if I hitched a ride along with him to the wedding.
Well, we got there Saturday afternoon just in time to for the first pitch at Meador Park, a public park where the Bears used to play before Hammond Field came around. Creighton's starting pitcher that day was future Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor. He pitched well and went seven innings before being pulled with the Bluejays leading 8-2.
So me and my buddies are standing along the fence line right next to the CU dugout and we can see into the dugout and hear all the things the players are saying. There was a lot of jawing between the Jays and Bears that day. The Creighton players were saying "listen to those hicks yell at us."
Well, when O'Connor got off the mound, he immediately took his jersey off, showing a Harley Davidson t-shirt he was wearing underneath. O'Connor then grabbed a bat and held it like a guitar, sat down by himself on the bench and started emulating the "Dueling Banjos" song from the movie Deliverance, apparently in a prodding manner toward the SMSU players. We snickered like school boys in church at this vagabond behavior from the starting pitcher. And of course, this was in the day and age before cell phones and picture-taking gone amuck, so there remains no visual proof of what we saw that day.
But years later, I get an Email from that same buddy of mine saying, "Hey, I just saw that a former Creighton pitcher got the head coaching job at Virginia. Isn't that the guy who played 'Dueling Banjos' on the bench while wearing a Harley shirt?"
Yep. Yep it was.
Just for the hell of it I may have to make a quick trip by Meador Park and see the scene of the crime while I'm there in Springfield.
D1 - Sorenson: Off The Top Of My Head
D1 - Ten Thoughts: Thursday, April 2
1. The Citadel's Reeves No-Hits Mercer
The Citadel logoAce lefthander James Reeves threw the first no-hitter for The Citadel in 13 years, tying his season high with 14 strikeouts in a 4-0 win against Mercer. The fourth-year junior allowed just three Bears to reach scoring position in the game and issued five walks during his 146-pitch effort. That's a lot of pitches for a prospect like Reeves - and he is a prospect. Earlier this season, Citadel pitching coach Britt Reames said Reeves' velocity has jumped into the 88-92 range this year, and he features advanced feel for his slider and an occasional changeup. He has a deceptive low three-quarters delivery and good run on his four-seam fastball.
Mercer's offense is no pushover, either; the Bears entered the game ranked second in the SoCon in scoring and third in the nation in home runs. Reeves improved to 5-1, 2.83 with 62 strikeouts in 47.2 innings on the season, and now his collegiate career has an unforgettable signature moment.
2. NC State gives it away
NC State righthander Cory Wilder (Aaron Fitt)
NC State righthander Cory Wilder (Aaron Fitt)
I was in Raleigh on Thursday night for the first game of the Florida State-NC State series, which the Seminoles somehow won 3-2. The Wolfpack outplayed FSU, out-hitting the Seminoles 10-4. NC State sophomore righty Cory Wilder (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K) was outstanding, and he exited with a 2-1 lead after seven innings. Wilder's inconsistent control has been an issue for him, but it much better on Thursday, and his stuff was excellent. He attacked the Seminoles with a fastball that sat in the 90-93 range and touched 94-95, and in his seventh and final inning of work he sat 93-95. His 82-83 slider and mid-80s changeup were both effective. He pitched well enough to win.
Florida State had more errors (five) than hits (four) - and still found a way to win. Put another way, NC State found a way to lose. Usually reliable righthander Joe O'Donnell took over in the eighth inning and was all over the place, hitting three FSU batters to load the bases with one out. NC State called upon electric freshman righty Tommy DeJuneas, who pumped 93-96 mph heat and struck out Chris Marconcini to record the second out. But FSU freshman Darren Miller - who had committed two errors at third base after taking over when Dylan Busby left with a minor injury - redeemed himself with a go-ahead two-run single to right-center.
"It was maybe one that we just so-called backed into, but it's called baseball. You just don't know," FSU coach Mike Martin said. "But it was a great win. It truly was a great win It's what this ballclub possesses, there's no doubt. They're going to fight you for 27 outs."
Florida State has all kinds of character and grit, so give the Seminoles credit. But NC State was rightfully frustrated that it snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
"We came out today and we played pretty well," said NC State's senior leader, Logan Ratledge, who had three hits to lead the offense. "All the guys - young guys, old guys, everyone knows we were better than that team today. We had a couple breaks that didn't go our way, and we didn't step up in a couple situations. But up and down the line, we feel we played a lot better and we definitely deserved that game."
3. Belmont goes bonkers again
OK, class, get your calculators out. Pop quiz: How many runs has Belmont scored over the last three games?
Answer: 34 plus 17 plus 21 equals 72. How's that for some offensive fireworks?
Belmont Bruins logoThe Bruins bludgeoned Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 21-10 on Thursday, led by DH Nick Egli's five hits and 11 RBIs, one shy of the Ohio Valley Conference record for RBIs in a game. Egli finished with three doubles and a grand slam. Overall, Belmont pounded out 20 hits and three homers in the game, giving them 68 hits and 20 home runs in the last three games, against Tennessee-Martin, Lipscomb and SIUE. Standard caveats apply about the level of competition (though Lipscomb is 17-9 overall) and the hitter-friendly conditions at Belmont, but this is still an incredible offensive barrage.
For context, 170 Division I programs hit 20 or fewer home runs all of last season. And Belmont has 20 in three games.
4. Are the Mustangs making their move?
Cal Poly Mustangs logoCal Poly's season got off to a nightmarish 7-14 start, but the Mustangs are showing signs of life over the last two weeks. Poly won a big series against a hot Oregon State team last weekend in Corvallis, as Casey Bloomquist threw a complete-game four-hitter in the series opener. Bloomquist followed up that outing with another gem on Thursday in the series opener at Cal State Fullerton, allowing six hits over 7.2 shutout frames to lead the Mustangs to a 5-0 win against Thomas Eshelman (6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER) and the Titans. Brian Mundell homered twice for the Mustangs, who are still just 10-16 overall but 1-0 in the Big West. Realistically, Cal Poly is very unlikely to put itself in at-large position after that brutal start, but that doesn't matter if the Mustangs can win the Big West's regular-season title and claim its automatic berth. For that goal, those first 25 games are irrelevant; 1-0 is all that matters. And there is reason to believe the Mustangs are trending in the right direction heading into conference play.
5. LSU finds a way in 16 innings
After eight innings in Hoover on Thursday night, Alabama led LSU 1-0. Then the real game started.
LSUInterlockingThe Tigers scored twice in the top of the ninth to take the lead - and Alabama answered back with a run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. LSU regained the lead with two in the 11th - and again, Bama answered with two of its own to prolong the game, with the tying run coming on a balk, of all things. LSU scored a run in the top of the 13th - and the Tide answered a third time. But Alabama had a golden opportunity to win the game after tying it, as it had the bases loaded with one out, and failed to push across the winning run.
Finally, LSU took the lead for good on Conner Hale's two-run triple in the 16th inning and went on to win a wild one, 8-5. Lost in all the late-inning insanity, LSU got a great start from Jared Poche' (8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER), and Alabama got strong work from Taylor Guilbeau (8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER). At the end of the game, LSU freshman Doug Norman was the pitching hero, worked three scoreless innings to earn the win. For the Tigers, it was about as hard-fought as victories get, and both teams showed plenty of heart. But the Tigers need to do a better job protecting leads than they have over the last two weeks, because they also struggled in the bullpen in last Sunday's 12-10 loss to Kentucky.
6. Mississippi State crushes South Carolina
Mississippi StateIn a matchup between two SEC teams with high hopes coming off serious struggles over the past couple of weeks, Mississippi State earned a much-needed 13-2 win. The Bulldogs hammered South Carolina ace Wil Crowe (2.2 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 6 ER), getting two runs in the first and chasing him in a six-run third inning, highlighted by John Holland's three-run double. For MSU, Lucas Laster (9 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) went the distance to earn the win and keep the bullpen fresh for the rest of the series. Another win this weekend would be huge for an MSU team that entered the series with a 3-6 conference record and nine losses in their last 13 games. Meanwhile, South Carolina fans should keep their hands away from the panic button. But it is reasonable to ask what is going on with the Gamecocks over the last three weeks. Their margin for error is gradually evaporating.
7. Road teams thrive in Pac-12 showdowns
Andrew Moore (Oregon State)
Andrew Moore (Oregon State)
Visiting teams went 5-0 in Pac-12 action Thursday, highlighted by big wins for Oregon State (at No. 7 UCLA) and No. 9 Southern California (at No. 25 Arizona). Andrew Moore (7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K) was outstanding for the Beavers in a 3-2 win against James Kaprielian and the Bruins. Kaprielian was cruising along with a 1-0 lead until the sixth, when UCLA shortstop Kevin Kramer failed to catch a foul pop-up with two outs, and Oregon State capitalized by scoring two runs in the frame to take the lead for good. But the story was Moore, whose stuff has been better this spring than it was a year ago, and he showed it Thursday. Moore improved to 3-1, 1.45 on the season.
In Tucson, Brent Wheatley (5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 8 BB, 2 K) and Brooks Kriske (3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K) managed to hold Arizona's high-powered offense to one run despite Wheatley's eight walks, and USC broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the seventh to win 4-1. Elsewhere, Arizona State beat Utah 5-3 on Andrew Snow's two-run homer in the 12th; Washington State upset Cal 4-2 in Berkeley; and Washington won at Stanford, 4-2.
8. Missouri State strikes first in Valley showdown
Missouri State outfielder Tate Matheny
Missouri State outfielder Tate Matheny
Dallas Baptist has gotten more attention thanks to its perch atop the RPI rankings, but Missouri State has gotten off to a strong start as well, and the Bears are a legitimate contender for the MVC title, along with league favorite DBU. The Bears won the first game of a big Valley series against the Patriots 5-4 behind lefty Matt Hall (7 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K), who improved to 5-1 on the season. Missouri State's stars came up big in this one, as Tate Matheny led the offense with three hits and an RBI. The Bears have now won seven straight games, and they'll go for the series clincher Friday with marquee talent Jon Harris on the mound. Harris is coming off eight shutout innings in his last start a week ago, and he gives Missouri State the edge in most games he pitches.
9. Upset of the day: Cincinnati over UCF
Cincinnati Bearcats logoWhen No. 10 UCF traveled to 6-20 Cincinnati this weekend, a sweep for the Knights seemed like a very strong possible outcome. It was more than a little surprising when the Bearcats pulled off the 4-1 upset Thursday, handing UCF freshman ace Cre Finfrock (6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 10 K) his first career loss. Preseason All-American didn't do any damage, going 1-for-1 with three walks, but Cincinnati leadoff man R.J. Thompson had two hits and two RBIs to lead the offense. And Ryan Atkinson (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K) and Andrew Zellner (3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K) quieted the explosive UCF offense. That's why they play the games - there are no foregone conclusions in baseball.
10. Traver and the Frogs blank Texas Tech
This is a big weekend for Texas Tech, a team that had designs on competing for the Big 12 title and making a second straight run to Omaha this year. The Red Raiders have been up and down, but they have a chance to make a real splash if they can win a home series against TCU this weekend.
TCU logoThe only problem with that plan is that TCU is just very difficult to beat. The Frogs got a very strong start from Mitchell Traver (6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K) for the second straight week, and relievers Trey Teakell and Brian Howard followed with three combined innings of hitless relief in TCU's 8-0 win. Ryan Moseley (8 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) was strong in a losing cause for Texas Tech, but the Frogs broke open a close game with six runs in the ninth against the Tech bullpen. The Frogs had been at home for the last three weeks, but they have proven to be road warriors already this season, winning a series at Arizona State and going 2-1 in the Dodgertown Classic. Friday was another nice win for their impressive resume.
D1 - Ten Thoughts: Thursday, April 2
1. The Citadel's Reeves No-Hits Mercer
The Citadel logoAce lefthander James Reeves threw the first no-hitter for The Citadel in 13 years, tying his season high with 14 strikeouts in a 4-0 win against Mercer. The fourth-year junior allowed just three Bears to reach scoring position in the game and issued five walks during his 146-pitch effort. That's a lot of pitches for a prospect like Reeves - and he is a prospect. Earlier this season, Citadel pitching coach Britt Reames said Reeves' velocity has jumped into the 88-92 range this year, and he features advanced feel for his slider and an occasional changeup. He has a deceptive low three-quarters delivery and good run on his four-seam fastball.
Mercer's offense is no pushover, either; the Bears entered the game ranked second in the SoCon in scoring and third in the nation in home runs. Reeves improved to 5-1, 2.83 with 62 strikeouts in 47.2 innings on the season, and now his collegiate career has an unforgettable signature moment.
2. NC State gives it away
NC State righthander Cory Wilder (Aaron Fitt)
NC State righthander Cory Wilder (Aaron Fitt)
I was in Raleigh on Thursday night for the first game of the Florida State-NC State series, which the Seminoles somehow won 3-2. The Wolfpack outplayed FSU, out-hitting the Seminoles 10-4. NC State sophomore righty Cory Wilder (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K) was outstanding, and he exited with a 2-1 lead after seven innings. Wilder's inconsistent control has been an issue for him, but it much better on Thursday, and his stuff was excellent. He attacked the Seminoles with a fastball that sat in the 90-93 range and touched 94-95, and in his seventh and final inning of work he sat 93-95. His 82-83 slider and mid-80s changeup were both effective. He pitched well enough to win.
Florida State had more errors (five) than hits (four) - and still found a way to win. Put another way, NC State found a way to lose. Usually reliable righthander Joe O'Donnell took over in the eighth inning and was all over the place, hitting three FSU batters to load the bases with one out. NC State called upon electric freshman righty Tommy DeJuneas, who pumped 93-96 mph heat and struck out Chris Marconcini to record the second out. But FSU freshman Darren Miller - who had committed two errors at third base after taking over when Dylan Busby left with a minor injury - redeemed himself with a go-ahead two-run single to right-center.
"It was maybe one that we just so-called backed into, but it's called baseball. You just don't know," FSU coach Mike Martin said. "But it was a great win. It truly was a great win It's what this ballclub possesses, there's no doubt. They're going to fight you for 27 outs."
Florida State has all kinds of character and grit, so give the Seminoles credit. But NC State was rightfully frustrated that it snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
"We came out today and we played pretty well," said NC State's senior leader, Logan Ratledge, who had three hits to lead the offense. "All the guys - young guys, old guys, everyone knows we were better than that team today. We had a couple breaks that didn't go our way, and we didn't step up in a couple situations. But up and down the line, we feel we played a lot better and we definitely deserved that game."
3. Belmont goes bonkers again
OK, class, get your calculators out. Pop quiz: How many runs has Belmont scored over the last three games?
Answer: 34 plus 17 plus 21 equals 72. How's that for some offensive fireworks?
Belmont Bruins logoThe Bruins bludgeoned Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 21-10 on Thursday, led by DH Nick Egli's five hits and 11 RBIs, one shy of the Ohio Valley Conference record for RBIs in a game. Egli finished with three doubles and a grand slam. Overall, Belmont pounded out 20 hits and three homers in the game, giving them 68 hits and 20 home runs in the last three games, against Tennessee-Martin, Lipscomb and SIUE. Standard caveats apply about the level of competition (though Lipscomb is 17-9 overall) and the hitter-friendly conditions at Belmont, but this is still an incredible offensive barrage.
For context, 170 Division I programs hit 20 or fewer home runs all of last season. And Belmont has 20 in three games.
4. Are the Mustangs making their move?
Cal Poly Mustangs logoCal Poly's season got off to a nightmarish 7-14 start, but the Mustangs are showing signs of life over the last two weeks. Poly won a big series against a hot Oregon State team last weekend in Corvallis, as Casey Bloomquist threw a complete-game four-hitter in the series opener. Bloomquist followed up that outing with another gem on Thursday in the series opener at Cal State Fullerton, allowing six hits over 7.2 shutout frames to lead the Mustangs to a 5-0 win against Thomas Eshelman (6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER) and the Titans. Brian Mundell homered twice for the Mustangs, who are still just 10-16 overall but 1-0 in the Big West. Realistically, Cal Poly is very unlikely to put itself in at-large position after that brutal start, but that doesn't matter if the Mustangs can win the Big West's regular-season title and claim its automatic berth. For that goal, those first 25 games are irrelevant; 1-0 is all that matters. And there is reason to believe the Mustangs are trending in the right direction heading into conference play.
5. LSU finds a way in 16 innings
After eight innings in Hoover on Thursday night, Alabama led LSU 1-0. Then the real game started.
LSUInterlockingThe Tigers scored twice in the top of the ninth to take the lead - and Alabama answered back with a run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. LSU regained the lead with two in the 11th - and again, Bama answered with two of its own to prolong the game, with the tying run coming on a balk, of all things. LSU scored a run in the top of the 13th - and the Tide answered a third time. But Alabama had a golden opportunity to win the game after tying it, as it had the bases loaded with one out, and failed to push across the winning run.
Finally, LSU took the lead for good on Conner Hale's two-run triple in the 16th inning and went on to win a wild one, 8-5. Lost in all the late-inning insanity, LSU got a great start from Jared Poche' (8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER), and Alabama got strong work from Taylor Guilbeau (8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER). At the end of the game, LSU freshman Doug Norman was the pitching hero, worked three scoreless innings to earn the win. For the Tigers, it was about as hard-fought as victories get, and both teams showed plenty of heart. But the Tigers need to do a better job protecting leads than they have over the last two weeks, because they also struggled in the bullpen in last Sunday's 12-10 loss to Kentucky.
6. Mississippi State crushes South Carolina
Mississippi StateIn a matchup between two SEC teams with high hopes coming off serious struggles over the past couple of weeks, Mississippi State earned a much-needed 13-2 win. The Bulldogs hammered South Carolina ace Wil Crowe (2.2 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 6 ER), getting two runs in the first and chasing him in a six-run third inning, highlighted by John Holland's three-run double. For MSU, Lucas Laster (9 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) went the distance to earn the win and keep the bullpen fresh for the rest of the series. Another win this weekend would be huge for an MSU team that entered the series with a 3-6 conference record and nine losses in their last 13 games. Meanwhile, South Carolina fans should keep their hands away from the panic button. But it is reasonable to ask what is going on with the Gamecocks over the last three weeks. Their margin for error is gradually evaporating.
7. Road teams thrive in Pac-12 showdowns
Andrew Moore (Oregon State)
Andrew Moore (Oregon State)
Visiting teams went 5-0 in Pac-12 action Thursday, highlighted by big wins for Oregon State (at No. 7 UCLA) and No. 9 Southern California (at No. 25 Arizona). Andrew Moore (7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K) was outstanding for the Beavers in a 3-2 win against James Kaprielian and the Bruins. Kaprielian was cruising along with a 1-0 lead until the sixth, when UCLA shortstop Kevin Kramer failed to catch a foul pop-up with two outs, and Oregon State capitalized by scoring two runs in the frame to take the lead for good. But the story was Moore, whose stuff has been better this spring than it was a year ago, and he showed it Thursday. Moore improved to 3-1, 1.45 on the season.
In Tucson, Brent Wheatley (5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 8 BB, 2 K) and Brooks Kriske (3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K) managed to hold Arizona's high-powered offense to one run despite Wheatley's eight walks, and USC broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the seventh to win 4-1. Elsewhere, Arizona State beat Utah 5-3 on Andrew Snow's two-run homer in the 12th; Washington State upset Cal 4-2 in Berkeley; and Washington won at Stanford, 4-2.
8. Missouri State strikes first in Valley showdown
Missouri State outfielder Tate Matheny
Missouri State outfielder Tate Matheny
Dallas Baptist has gotten more attention thanks to its perch atop the RPI rankings, but Missouri State has gotten off to a strong start as well, and the Bears are a legitimate contender for the MVC title, along with league favorite DBU. The Bears won the first game of a big Valley series against the Patriots 5-4 behind lefty Matt Hall (7 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K), who improved to 5-1 on the season. Missouri State's stars came up big in this one, as Tate Matheny led the offense with three hits and an RBI. The Bears have now won seven straight games, and they'll go for the series clincher Friday with marquee talent Jon Harris on the mound. Harris is coming off eight shutout innings in his last start a week ago, and he gives Missouri State the edge in most games he pitches.
9. Upset of the day: Cincinnati over UCF
Cincinnati Bearcats logoWhen No. 10 UCF traveled to 6-20 Cincinnati this weekend, a sweep for the Knights seemed like a very strong possible outcome. It was more than a little surprising when the Bearcats pulled off the 4-1 upset Thursday, handing UCF freshman ace Cre Finfrock (6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 10 K) his first career loss. Preseason All-American didn't do any damage, going 1-for-1 with three walks, but Cincinnati leadoff man R.J. Thompson had two hits and two RBIs to lead the offense. And Ryan Atkinson (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K) and Andrew Zellner (3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K) quieted the explosive UCF offense. That's why they play the games - there are no foregone conclusions in baseball.
10. Traver and the Frogs blank Texas Tech
This is a big weekend for Texas Tech, a team that had designs on competing for the Big 12 title and making a second straight run to Omaha this year. The Red Raiders have been up and down, but they have a chance to make a real splash if they can win a home series against TCU this weekend.
TCU logoThe only problem with that plan is that TCU is just very difficult to beat. The Frogs got a very strong start from Mitchell Traver (6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K) for the second straight week, and relievers Trey Teakell and Brian Howard followed with three combined innings of hitless relief in TCU's 8-0 win. Ryan Moseley (8 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) was strong in a losing cause for Texas Tech, but the Frogs broke open a close game with six runs in the ninth against the Tech bullpen. The Frogs had been at home for the last three weeks, but they have proven to be road warriors already this season, winning a series at Arizona State and going 2-1 in the Dodgertown Classic. Friday was another nice win for their impressive resume.
D1 - Ten Thoughts: Thursday, April 2
BA - Weekend Preview: April 2-5
One team will get off the schneid. The other will stay on.
That's the reality of this weekend's South Carolina-Mississippi State series, which begins tonight in Starkville, Miss.
The two Southeastern Conference schools come into the weekend having lost more games than they've won in the last couple of weeks. The No. 18 Gamecocks (20-9, 5-4 SEC) have won just three of their past 9 games, while the Bulldogs (19-12, 3-6 SEC) have gone 6-12 after a 13-0 start to the season, falling out of the Top 25.
With the college season at its midpoint, both teams are looking to reverse course.
"I don't think there's a game you play in a 56-game schedule that's not of critical importance, especially when you play in the Southeastern Conference," said Mississippi State head coach John Cohen. "So, yeah, (this series) is important. Our kids are aware of it. We haven't gotten off to a great start in the league, and they're aware of the urgency."
The Bulldogs have yet to win a conventional three-game series this season, dropping their past four series to Auburn, Kentucky, Alabama and San Diego. Cohen points to inexperience up the middle and in the bullpen as the main cause for their recent slide.
Freshman Ryan Gridley (.282/.386/.388) has gotten the bulk of the starts at shortstop, while juco transfer John Holland (.253/.323/.313) plays second. Cohen said he expects both players to be very good players in the program but that they aren't quite there yet.
The bullpen, meanwhile, misses strikeout artists Jacob Lindgren and Jonathan Holder, both now in the Yankees organization. This year's staff hasn't yet found its strikeout component, Cohen said, with the staff as a whole ranking eighth in the SEC with 241 strikeouts in 278 innings.
"In our league, if you can't make people swing and miss, you have to be perfect," Cohen said. "You have to be perfect defensively. You have to score a ton of runs. And this is where we've been really efficient, in terms of striking people out, over the last four years . . . but that's not something we've had (this year)."
Senior righthander Trevor Fitts (2-2, 1.10, four saves) has made a smooth transition to the closer's role but was also sidelined for a time with injury. Another senior, Ross Mitchell, (3-2, 3.35, 40. 1 innings) has thrown more innings than anyone else in the Bulldogs' bullpen, but Cohen said he's also put too much pressure on himself, trying to carry the staff on his shoulders.
There are a few pieces in the bullpen the Bulldogs do like: Sophomore lefthander Daniel Brown has shown swing-and-miss potential, sophomore righthander Dakota Hudson is up to 95 mph, and sophomore righthander Zac Houston seems on the verge of making a jump. But they're all still searching for consistency.
"Even though we think these kids are going to be really good players, we're kind of waiting for them to figure things out," Cohen said. "The future looks bright, but it's still pretty frustrating that we're getting beaten up with kids who haven't done it in our league before. (It's) great experience for them, but growing pains at the same time."
South Carolina has experienced similar growing pains in the past couple of weekends, dropping series to Missouri and Georgia. Head coach Chad Holbrook said he was pleased with the way his Gamecocks played against a tough Missouri team, but he thought his team's confidence seemed a bit shaken last weekend against Georgia.
"We've struggled. There's been no doubt about it," Holbrook said. "We did salvage a game in that series, and we won a midweek game this week, so hopefully we'll start feeling a little bit better about ourselves.
"We're a little bit of a work in progress. Offensively, we haven't swung the bats the way I thought we would or the way I hoped we would. I hope how we've performed offensively is not ultimately who we are this year. If so, it's going to put a lot of pressure on our pitching staff."
The Gamecocks' .257/.359/.370 team slash line ranks them 11th in batting average, 10th in on-base percentage and 12th in slugging percentage in the SEC.
After a scorching start to his career, freshman Alex Destino is hitting .087/.120/.217 in 23 at-bats in conference play as he faces tougher arms on a nightly basis, dropping his overall line to .261/.283/.432.
And then there's junior second baseman Max Schrock, a career .288/.376/.438 hitter who is batting .248/.383/.406 in 101 at-bats this season. Holbrook said he hasn't considered dropping Schrock in the lineup, saying his average isn't indicative of how hard he's hit the ball.
As of late, Schrock has started in left field in a lineup that is constantly evolving for the Gamecocks. Only seniors Kyle Martin (.377/.457/.632, six home runs) and Elliott Caldwell (.365/.456/.510) have proven steady.
"I don't think we could be the offensive team we want to be without Max and Kyle Martin and Elliott Caldwell swinging the bat the way they're capable of," Holbrook said. "They make us formidable. And we haven't to this point in this year had those guys going at the same time on a consistent basis."
On the bright side for the Gamecocks, ace righthander Wil Crowe (3-2, 2.84, 54 strikeouts in 44.1 innings) and lefthander Jack Wynkoop (4-2, 2.30, 41 strikeouts and only six walks in 47 innings) have been rocks in the rotation. And though closer Taylor Widener (1-2, 3.45, seven saves) hit a rough patch at the start of conference play, he threw a clean, two-strikeout inning at The Citadel and looks to be over his struggles.
"They've pitched extremely well," Holbrook said. "We just need to do a better job of supporting them offensively."
The Gamecocks, like the Bulldogs, come into the weekend trying to put aside their growing pains and get back to their winning ways.
"It's a great challenge coming on the road," Holbrook said. "Where we are, a lot of teams are kind of bundled up in the middle of the pack. And this is the time of year where you start to see some separation maybe."
- Michael Lananna
East Carolina, AAC Looking For Respect
Luke Lowery (Photo by Carl Kline)
Luke Lowery (Photo by Carl Kline)
Cliff Godwin had several reasons to take the East Carolina job when the Pirates decided not to bring back the unrelated Billy Godwin.
One of the reasons was his tie to the program-Godwin was the catcher at ECU from 1998-2001, helping the Pirates reach super regionals in 2001 under legendary coach Keith LeClair.
But another reason was the challenge Godwin saw with ECU entering a new league with the American Athletic Conference, which inherited the guts of the old Big East.
"I think a lot of people who don't know college baseball don't think of the American Athletic Conference as being a strong conference, probably because they don't know who's in it," said Godwin, who spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Mississippi and prior to that coached at Central Florida, UNC Wilmington, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and Louisiana State.
"UCF and Houston are as good as anybody in the country," he said. "UConn has a guy (6-foot-6 redshirt senior righthander Carson Cross) who strikes out double-digits every Friday, Tulane has played well, and then there's us and Memphis, Cincinnati and South Florida has a great Friday guy (Jimmy Herget).
"It's at least a three-bid league and maybe four."
Godwin's club, which left Conference USA to join the AAC, is hoping to be one of those four bids, but realizes it's a difficult task with seven of the eight teams in the league over .500.
But Godwin knew when he took the job that he was coming into a strong league.
"I was excited because I knew a lot of the coaches. I knew David Pierce when he was at Rice and I was at LSU, and (USF coach Mark) Kingston's had a great run, Todd Whitting at Houston's done a great job. I knew with the coaches in the league, this league is going to be great. In a few years, it'll be one of the best conferences in the country."
Longtime Memphis coach Daron Schoenrock agreed.
"(The AAC) is the best-kept secret in college baseball. We're not a big league," he said. "The schools that are in it all have a commitment to baseball. You're going to get a pretty good product and the RPIs will all be enhanced from playing each other. I fully expect that to happen."
Godwin, meanwhile, says his first year as coach at his alma mater has been spent in part on establishing a culture, something he learned from LeClair.
"It's more about getting the culture, the lifestyle, the core values on and off the field," he said. "In this day and age, it's more about developing young men. It's the me generation and it's about getting them to buy into the concept, the culture of winning in the classroom and on the ballfield."
ECU is 17-12 and 1-2 in conference and heads into a weekend series with Tulane, which has flashed some dominant pitching this season.
"We've lost some close games in a lot of different ways," Godwin said. "We didn't score enough runs, or we hit a guy, we've kind of done it all. They have to learn to win those close games. They've got to actually win those close games first.
"It's a 56-game marathon, as Coach LeClair used to tell me. (His philosophy was) toughness, blue-collar work ethic. Those teams, we were not necessarily the best, but we were daggum tough."
The Pirates won 10 of 11 at one point, but have dropped six of the past eight. Godwin knows those streaks come with having a team dominated by underclassmen.
Junior Luke Lowery (.390/.505/.732) is having a monster season but sophomores Bryce Harman (.330/.445/.489), Eric Tyler (.323/.409/.438), Kirk Morgan (.302/.333/.333) and Jacob Wolfe (1-1, 2.61 in seven starts) are having a great impact and freshman Ross Gardner has held opponents to a .107 average in six appearances.
Another freshman, righthander Joe Ingle, is "probably our go-to guy in the bullpen," Godwin said. "Joe stands out among the freshman; he's 6-foot-5, throwing in the 90s, with a good breaking ball. In a few years he's going to be throwing 94-95 with that hammer."
And sophomore lefthander Evan Kruczynski has matured from someone who threw one inning last year into a Friday starter "dripping with confidence," Godwin said.
"For whatever reason, he lost a lot of confidence (last year). Maybe it was mechanical issues, but he found himself in the Northwoods League. He had the lowest ERA in the league (in the second half) and he's just as eager to learn and get better and has totally transformed himself as a confident human being.
"He said, 'Coach, I've been at the bottom,' " Godwin said. "He wasn't hurt. He got awry with his mechanics and it was almost like he was doubtful of his ability. Now, to see the transformation, he wants the ball on Friday and wants to go out there."
Players with attitudes like that make the AAC a league to watch, Schoenrock said.
"Top to bottom, I'll put our league against any," he said. "In other leagues, you get past six or seven (teams) and you have a big dropoff. One through eight, it's a very balanced league. All these schools have a commitment to baseball. It's going to be fun to see how that shakes out."
- Vince Lara-Cinisomo
Toreros Heat Up Behind Star Trio
San Diego has emerged as a legitimate top-flight team over the past few weeks, jumping into the Top 25 on Monday. The Toreros opened the season by losing three of four at home to Morehead State. The next weekend, they lost two out of three to Dallas Baptist. Then, San Diego turned around quickly, winning series against Texas and Mississippi State and picking up a midweek victory over Cal State Fullerton.
Three Toreros have come on strong, with David Hill and P.J. Conlon dominating in the rotation, and shortstop Kyle Holder turning heads with dazzling defense and a surprising boost in offense as he rises up draft boards.
David Hill and his twin brother Jacob transferred to San Diego this year after seeing success at juco powerhouse Orange Coast (Calif.) CC. In just under 50 innings, David has a 1.64 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings. His fastball is consistently reaching 94 mph, and he can mix four pitches effectively, making him one of the toughest hurlers in college baseball.
"You mix that power, with the secondary stuff he's a big league guy," San Diego head coach Rich Hill said of David's emergence. "You could put him on a Major League mound right now in spring training and he could get guys out and nobody would blink. People would think he's a rotation guy. He's been that impressive."
Paralleling Hill's emergence, Conlon's progress has given San Diego one of the better one-two rotation punches in the country. Conlon pitches in the upper 80s and buries his arsenal down in the zone, not allowing hitters to square him up. The southpaw was in San Diego's rotation last season, but posted an uninspiring 4.35 ERA. This season, Conlon has a 1.73 ERA through seven starts, and he's striking out nearly one batter per inning.
While the dominance of Hill and Conlon make San Diego an immediate contender, it's Holder's rise that's generating the most buzz. A premium athlete, Holder is arguably the best defensive player in college baseball. He's also shown a knack for making contact; Holder has struck out only six times in 98 at-bats.
Holder began his collegiate athletic career at Grossmont (Calif.) JC as a member of the school's basketball team, with his sights set on eventually being able to play Division I hoops. But during his freshman year, Holder realized that his future was on the diamond. Holder played shortstop for Grossmont that year, and as soon as Rich Hill's staff laid eyes on him, they knew Holder was their shortstop of the future.
Last summer, Holder worked closely with Mike Roberts, the head coach of the Cape Cod League's Cotuit Kettleers. Holder has since emerged as a force for the Toreros, hitting .378 entering this weekend's series against Gonzaga.
The back of San Diego's rotation is still coming along, though C.J. Burdick, Gary Cornish and Jonathan Teaney have shown flashes. Going forward, however, the Toreros duo of Hill and Conlon will make it extremely difficult for teams to take a weekend series against San Diego.
- Hudson Belinsky
#Inevitaball Update: Home Runs On The Rise
On Wednesday, the NCAA released a report on statistical trends comparing 2014 to 2015, illustrating the impact of the new low-seamed baseballs. The biggest takeaway, as expected, is that home runs have risen significantly. Despite so many games being played in cold weather, home runs have increased by 39 percent. Teams were hitting 0.36 homers per game at the same point last season and are now hitting 0.50 per game this season. That figure should continue to rise as the weather warms up, although it has a long way to go to catch up to the 0.94 figure from the 2010 season, the final year before the BBCOR bats came along.
The fact that the ball is livelier in general helps hitters do more than just hit home runs. Groundballs are hotter and more likely to get through an infield, and fly balls that used to hold up for an outfielder to catch are more likely to get down and possibly go for extra bases.
"Confidence is a lot of it, to me," Rice pitching coach Patrick Hallmark said. "You get a group of hitters that think they're going to hit, that makes a big difference. I think that's part of it. The hitters just believe the ball's better, and it is a little better ball. So that all kind of builds on itself."
Despite the increase in power-slugging percentage has climbed from .360 to .377-the news isn't all bad for pitchers. Overall scoring has increased by just 5.25 percent, from 5.14 runs per game at this point last year to 5.40 this year, and batting average has stayed essentially flat-.268 in 2014 and .269 in 2015. This can be traced to the fact that hitters are putting fewer balls in play, as strikeouts per nine innings have increased by 10.5 percent to 7.34, which would be D-I's highest mark on record going back to 1970.
"(Pitchers) seem to like it," Hallmark said. "They're not complaining at all. There's definitely less blisters. We haven't had anybody complain of blisters. It seems like every other year, there's always at least one guy that's developing a blister. I think the lower seam might help some with the movement on the ball. We've got some guys throwing a little better two-seam."
For an additional point of reference, BA's Matt Eddy assembled charts comparing NCAA Division I to the short-season minor leagues-New York-Penn, Northwest, Appalachian and Pioneer-leagues whose players are mostly the same age as college players or are just out of college. The comparison points are 1998 (the zenith of Gorilla Ball), 2010 (final year before BBCOR) and 2014.
Home runs per game (Source: NCAA)
Runs-Per-Game
Despite college players having the advantages of using metal bats against inferior pitching compared to what their peers in the minors faced, fewer home runs were hit per game in D-I last year than in any of the short-season minor leagues, and overall scoring had fallen behind the Pioneer League. This is a stark contrast to 1998 and 2010, when the college game was decidedly more offensive than what you'd see in the minors. It's also another illustration the impact equipment has on college baseball, contrary to the pro game.
- Jim Shonerd
Around The Nation
• It's easy to forget that Texas is actually in first place in the Big 12 at 5-1, but their two series wins have both come at home against lesser lights Kansas State and West Virginia. The Longhorns have yet to win a series against a likely regional team, their four-game split at Rice to start the season being the best thing they've accomplished. Texas' offense dried up last weekend at Nebraska, as it scored just three runs in three games and got swept, but the task doesn't get any easier this weekend as the 'Horns travel to face an Oklahoma State squad that's been rounding into the form that made it a preseason top 10 team. The Cowboys boast the Big 12's highest scoring offense at 6.6 runs per game, while Texas has struggled to get production form anyone other than Ben Johnson (.379/.426/.605) and Tres Barrera (.295/.417/.505). No other Longhorns regular is hitting higher than .270, and Texas is dead last in the Big 12 in team average at .250.
• Maryland has gotten off to a 19-7 start, but the Terps are still looking for a breakthrough series win. They lost two out of three at Michigan last weekend and also lost a series at UNC Wilmington-the best team they've faced in a series so far-back in early March. They'll have their chances over the next three weeks though, with consecutive series against Nebraska, Iowa and Cal State Fullerton, all of them in College Park. The Terps have been firing on all cylinders offensively, led by Brandon Lowe (.380/.492/.690, 6 HR) and Kevin Martir (.337/.464/.517). Maryland leads the Big Ten in scoring by a wide margin, putting up 7.6 runs per game, compared to 5.8 for second-best Penn State. It should make for a fun matchup with Nebraska's red-hot pitching staff. Of note, Maryland leads the Big Ten in walks drawn (122), while Nebraska's pitchers are 13th in the country in fewest walks per nine (2.28).
• Notre Dame heads to Pittsburgh licking its wounds after getting swept in back-to-back weekends at home against Louisville and Virginia. The Irish still have a strong RPI (No. 39 on WarrenNolan.com), propped up by a 14-4 record in road/neutral games. But the Irish are just 3-9 in the ACC and still have series remaining with Florida State and North Carolina, so a series win-preferably a sweep-is badly needed this weekend to get their regional hopes back on track.
• Dallas Baptist faces its stiffest test in Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend as it goes on the road to play Missouri State. The Patriots have been led by senior outfielder Tagg Duce, who comes into the weekend hitting .379 and has put up three straight multi-hit games, but he's far from alone. Six DBU regulars are hitting over .300, while athletic center fielder David Martinelli has found his power stroke with seven home runs in 26 games. The teams rank one-two in the MVC in both scoring and ERA, with the Bears benefitting from the return of ace Jon Harris from an ankle injury. He's slotted into the Saturday role and comes into the weekend 3-0, 1.33 with 46 strikeouts in 41 innings.
BA - Weekend Preview: April 2-5
One team will get off the schneid. The other will stay on.
That's the reality of this weekend's South Carolina-Mississippi State series, which begins tonight in Starkville, Miss.
The two Southeastern Conference schools come into the weekend having lost more games than they've won in the last couple of weeks. The No. 18 Gamecocks (20-9, 5-4 SEC) have won just three of their past 9 games, while the Bulldogs (19-12, 3-6 SEC) have gone 6-12 after a 13-0 start to the season, falling out of the Top 25.
With the college season at its midpoint, both teams are looking to reverse course.
"I don't think there's a game you play in a 56-game schedule that's not of critical importance, especially when you play in the Southeastern Conference," said Mississippi State head coach John Cohen. "So, yeah, (this series) is important. Our kids are aware of it. We haven't gotten off to a great start in the league, and they're aware of the urgency."
The Bulldogs have yet to win a conventional three-game series this season, dropping their past four series to Auburn, Kentucky, Alabama and San Diego. Cohen points to inexperience up the middle and in the bullpen as the main cause for their recent slide.
Freshman Ryan Gridley (.282/.386/.388) has gotten the bulk of the starts at shortstop, while juco transfer John Holland (.253/.323/.313) plays second. Cohen said he expects both players to be very good players in the program but that they aren't quite there yet.
The bullpen, meanwhile, misses strikeout artists Jacob Lindgren and Jonathan Holder, both now in the Yankees organization. This year's staff hasn't yet found its strikeout component, Cohen said, with the staff as a whole ranking eighth in the SEC with 241 strikeouts in 278 innings.
"In our league, if you can't make people swing and miss, you have to be perfect," Cohen said. "You have to be perfect defensively. You have to score a ton of runs. And this is where we've been really efficient, in terms of striking people out, over the last four years . . . but that's not something we've had (this year)."
Senior righthander Trevor Fitts (2-2, 1.10, four saves) has made a smooth transition to the closer's role but was also sidelined for a time with injury. Another senior, Ross Mitchell, (3-2, 3.35, 40. 1 innings) has thrown more innings than anyone else in the Bulldogs' bullpen, but Cohen said he's also put too much pressure on himself, trying to carry the staff on his shoulders.
There are a few pieces in the bullpen the Bulldogs do like: Sophomore lefthander Daniel Brown has shown swing-and-miss potential, sophomore righthander Dakota Hudson is up to 95 mph, and sophomore righthander Zac Houston seems on the verge of making a jump. But they're all still searching for consistency.
"Even though we think these kids are going to be really good players, we're kind of waiting for them to figure things out," Cohen said. "The future looks bright, but it's still pretty frustrating that we're getting beaten up with kids who haven't done it in our league before. (It's) great experience for them, but growing pains at the same time."
South Carolina has experienced similar growing pains in the past couple of weekends, dropping series to Missouri and Georgia. Head coach Chad Holbrook said he was pleased with the way his Gamecocks played against a tough Missouri team, but he thought his team's confidence seemed a bit shaken last weekend against Georgia.
"We've struggled. There's been no doubt about it," Holbrook said. "We did salvage a game in that series, and we won a midweek game this week, so hopefully we'll start feeling a little bit better about ourselves.
"We're a little bit of a work in progress. Offensively, we haven't swung the bats the way I thought we would or the way I hoped we would. I hope how we've performed offensively is not ultimately who we are this year. If so, it's going to put a lot of pressure on our pitching staff."
The Gamecocks' .257/.359/.370 team slash line ranks them 11th in batting average, 10th in on-base percentage and 12th in slugging percentage in the SEC.
After a scorching start to his career, freshman Alex Destino is hitting .087/.120/.217 in 23 at-bats in conference play as he faces tougher arms on a nightly basis, dropping his overall line to .261/.283/.432.
And then there's junior second baseman Max Schrock, a career .288/.376/.438 hitter who is batting .248/.383/.406 in 101 at-bats this season. Holbrook said he hasn't considered dropping Schrock in the lineup, saying his average isn't indicative of how hard he's hit the ball.
As of late, Schrock has started in left field in a lineup that is constantly evolving for the Gamecocks. Only seniors Kyle Martin (.377/.457/.632, six home runs) and Elliott Caldwell (.365/.456/.510) have proven steady.
"I don't think we could be the offensive team we want to be without Max and Kyle Martin and Elliott Caldwell swinging the bat the way they're capable of," Holbrook said. "They make us formidable. And we haven't to this point in this year had those guys going at the same time on a consistent basis."
On the bright side for the Gamecocks, ace righthander Wil Crowe (3-2, 2.84, 54 strikeouts in 44.1 innings) and lefthander Jack Wynkoop (4-2, 2.30, 41 strikeouts and only six walks in 47 innings) have been rocks in the rotation. And though closer Taylor Widener (1-2, 3.45, seven saves) hit a rough patch at the start of conference play, he threw a clean, two-strikeout inning at The Citadel and looks to be over his struggles.
"They've pitched extremely well," Holbrook said. "We just need to do a better job of supporting them offensively."
The Gamecocks, like the Bulldogs, come into the weekend trying to put aside their growing pains and get back to their winning ways.
"It's a great challenge coming on the road," Holbrook said. "Where we are, a lot of teams are kind of bundled up in the middle of the pack. And this is the time of year where you start to see some separation maybe."
- Michael Lananna
East Carolina, AAC Looking For Respect
Luke Lowery (Photo by Carl Kline)
Luke Lowery (Photo by Carl Kline)
Cliff Godwin had several reasons to take the East Carolina job when the Pirates decided not to bring back the unrelated Billy Godwin.
One of the reasons was his tie to the program-Godwin was the catcher at ECU from 1998-2001, helping the Pirates reach super regionals in 2001 under legendary coach Keith LeClair.
But another reason was the challenge Godwin saw with ECU entering a new league with the American Athletic Conference, which inherited the guts of the old Big East.
"I think a lot of people who don't know college baseball don't think of the American Athletic Conference as being a strong conference, probably because they don't know who's in it," said Godwin, who spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Mississippi and prior to that coached at Central Florida, UNC Wilmington, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and Louisiana State.
"UCF and Houston are as good as anybody in the country," he said. "UConn has a guy (6-foot-6 redshirt senior righthander Carson Cross) who strikes out double-digits every Friday, Tulane has played well, and then there's us and Memphis, Cincinnati and South Florida has a great Friday guy (Jimmy Herget).
"It's at least a three-bid league and maybe four."
Godwin's club, which left Conference USA to join the AAC, is hoping to be one of those four bids, but realizes it's a difficult task with seven of the eight teams in the league over .500.
But Godwin knew when he took the job that he was coming into a strong league.
"I was excited because I knew a lot of the coaches. I knew David Pierce when he was at Rice and I was at LSU, and (USF coach Mark) Kingston's had a great run, Todd Whitting at Houston's done a great job. I knew with the coaches in the league, this league is going to be great. In a few years, it'll be one of the best conferences in the country."
Longtime Memphis coach Daron Schoenrock agreed.
"(The AAC) is the best-kept secret in college baseball. We're not a big league," he said. "The schools that are in it all have a commitment to baseball. You're going to get a pretty good product and the RPIs will all be enhanced from playing each other. I fully expect that to happen."
Godwin, meanwhile, says his first year as coach at his alma mater has been spent in part on establishing a culture, something he learned from LeClair.
"It's more about getting the culture, the lifestyle, the core values on and off the field," he said. "In this day and age, it's more about developing young men. It's the me generation and it's about getting them to buy into the concept, the culture of winning in the classroom and on the ballfield."
ECU is 17-12 and 1-2 in conference and heads into a weekend series with Tulane, which has flashed some dominant pitching this season.
"We've lost some close games in a lot of different ways," Godwin said. "We didn't score enough runs, or we hit a guy, we've kind of done it all. They have to learn to win those close games. They've got to actually win those close games first.
"It's a 56-game marathon, as Coach LeClair used to tell me. (His philosophy was) toughness, blue-collar work ethic. Those teams, we were not necessarily the best, but we were daggum tough."
The Pirates won 10 of 11 at one point, but have dropped six of the past eight. Godwin knows those streaks come with having a team dominated by underclassmen.
Junior Luke Lowery (.390/.505/.732) is having a monster season but sophomores Bryce Harman (.330/.445/.489), Eric Tyler (.323/.409/.438), Kirk Morgan (.302/.333/.333) and Jacob Wolfe (1-1, 2.61 in seven starts) are having a great impact and freshman Ross Gardner has held opponents to a .107 average in six appearances.
Another freshman, righthander Joe Ingle, is "probably our go-to guy in the bullpen," Godwin said. "Joe stands out among the freshman; he's 6-foot-5, throwing in the 90s, with a good breaking ball. In a few years he's going to be throwing 94-95 with that hammer."
And sophomore lefthander Evan Kruczynski has matured from someone who threw one inning last year into a Friday starter "dripping with confidence," Godwin said.
"For whatever reason, he lost a lot of confidence (last year). Maybe it was mechanical issues, but he found himself in the Northwoods League. He had the lowest ERA in the league (in the second half) and he's just as eager to learn and get better and has totally transformed himself as a confident human being.
"He said, 'Coach, I've been at the bottom,' " Godwin said. "He wasn't hurt. He got awry with his mechanics and it was almost like he was doubtful of his ability. Now, to see the transformation, he wants the ball on Friday and wants to go out there."
Players with attitudes like that make the AAC a league to watch, Schoenrock said.
"Top to bottom, I'll put our league against any," he said. "In other leagues, you get past six or seven (teams) and you have a big dropoff. One through eight, it's a very balanced league. All these schools have a commitment to baseball. It's going to be fun to see how that shakes out."
- Vince Lara-Cinisomo
Toreros Heat Up Behind Star Trio
San Diego has emerged as a legitimate top-flight team over the past few weeks, jumping into the Top 25 on Monday. The Toreros opened the season by losing three of four at home to Morehead State. The next weekend, they lost two out of three to Dallas Baptist. Then, San Diego turned around quickly, winning series against Texas and Mississippi State and picking up a midweek victory over Cal State Fullerton.
Three Toreros have come on strong, with David Hill and P.J. Conlon dominating in the rotation, and shortstop Kyle Holder turning heads with dazzling defense and a surprising boost in offense as he rises up draft boards.
David Hill and his twin brother Jacob transferred to San Diego this year after seeing success at juco powerhouse Orange Coast (Calif.) CC. In just under 50 innings, David has a 1.64 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings. His fastball is consistently reaching 94 mph, and he can mix four pitches effectively, making him one of the toughest hurlers in college baseball.
"You mix that power, with the secondary stuff he's a big league guy," San Diego head coach Rich Hill said of David's emergence. "You could put him on a Major League mound right now in spring training and he could get guys out and nobody would blink. People would think he's a rotation guy. He's been that impressive."
Paralleling Hill's emergence, Conlon's progress has given San Diego one of the better one-two rotation punches in the country. Conlon pitches in the upper 80s and buries his arsenal down in the zone, not allowing hitters to square him up. The southpaw was in San Diego's rotation last season, but posted an uninspiring 4.35 ERA. This season, Conlon has a 1.73 ERA through seven starts, and he's striking out nearly one batter per inning.
While the dominance of Hill and Conlon make San Diego an immediate contender, it's Holder's rise that's generating the most buzz. A premium athlete, Holder is arguably the best defensive player in college baseball. He's also shown a knack for making contact; Holder has struck out only six times in 98 at-bats.
Holder began his collegiate athletic career at Grossmont (Calif.) JC as a member of the school's basketball team, with his sights set on eventually being able to play Division I hoops. But during his freshman year, Holder realized that his future was on the diamond. Holder played shortstop for Grossmont that year, and as soon as Rich Hill's staff laid eyes on him, they knew Holder was their shortstop of the future.
Last summer, Holder worked closely with Mike Roberts, the head coach of the Cape Cod League's Cotuit Kettleers. Holder has since emerged as a force for the Toreros, hitting .378 entering this weekend's series against Gonzaga.
The back of San Diego's rotation is still coming along, though C.J. Burdick, Gary Cornish and Jonathan Teaney have shown flashes. Going forward, however, the Toreros duo of Hill and Conlon will make it extremely difficult for teams to take a weekend series against San Diego.
- Hudson Belinsky
#Inevitaball Update: Home Runs On The Rise
On Wednesday, the NCAA released a report on statistical trends comparing 2014 to 2015, illustrating the impact of the new low-seamed baseballs. The biggest takeaway, as expected, is that home runs have risen significantly. Despite so many games being played in cold weather, home runs have increased by 39 percent. Teams were hitting 0.36 homers per game at the same point last season and are now hitting 0.50 per game this season. That figure should continue to rise as the weather warms up, although it has a long way to go to catch up to the 0.94 figure from the 2010 season, the final year before the BBCOR bats came along.
The fact that the ball is livelier in general helps hitters do more than just hit home runs. Groundballs are hotter and more likely to get through an infield, and fly balls that used to hold up for an outfielder to catch are more likely to get down and possibly go for extra bases.
"Confidence is a lot of it, to me," Rice pitching coach Patrick Hallmark said. "You get a group of hitters that think they're going to hit, that makes a big difference. I think that's part of it. The hitters just believe the ball's better, and it is a little better ball. So that all kind of builds on itself."
Despite the increase in power-slugging percentage has climbed from .360 to .377-the news isn't all bad for pitchers. Overall scoring has increased by just 5.25 percent, from 5.14 runs per game at this point last year to 5.40 this year, and batting average has stayed essentially flat-.268 in 2014 and .269 in 2015. This can be traced to the fact that hitters are putting fewer balls in play, as strikeouts per nine innings have increased by 10.5 percent to 7.34, which would be D-I's highest mark on record going back to 1970.
"(Pitchers) seem to like it," Hallmark said. "They're not complaining at all. There's definitely less blisters. We haven't had anybody complain of blisters. It seems like every other year, there's always at least one guy that's developing a blister. I think the lower seam might help some with the movement on the ball. We've got some guys throwing a little better two-seam."
For an additional point of reference, BA's Matt Eddy assembled charts comparing NCAA Division I to the short-season minor leagues-New York-Penn, Northwest, Appalachian and Pioneer-leagues whose players are mostly the same age as college players or are just out of college. The comparison points are 1998 (the zenith of Gorilla Ball), 2010 (final year before BBCOR) and 2014.
Home runs per game (Source: NCAA)
Runs-Per-Game
Despite college players having the advantages of using metal bats against inferior pitching compared to what their peers in the minors faced, fewer home runs were hit per game in D-I last year than in any of the short-season minor leagues, and overall scoring had fallen behind the Pioneer League. This is a stark contrast to 1998 and 2010, when the college game was decidedly more offensive than what you'd see in the minors. It's also another illustration the impact equipment has on college baseball, contrary to the pro game.
- Jim Shonerd
Around The Nation
• It's easy to forget that Texas is actually in first place in the Big 12 at 5-1, but their two series wins have both come at home against lesser lights Kansas State and West Virginia. The Longhorns have yet to win a series against a likely regional team, their four-game split at Rice to start the season being the best thing they've accomplished. Texas' offense dried up last weekend at Nebraska, as it scored just three runs in three games and got swept, but the task doesn't get any easier this weekend as the 'Horns travel to face an Oklahoma State squad that's been rounding into the form that made it a preseason top 10 team. The Cowboys boast the Big 12's highest scoring offense at 6.6 runs per game, while Texas has struggled to get production form anyone other than Ben Johnson (.379/.426/.605) and Tres Barrera (.295/.417/.505). No other Longhorns regular is hitting higher than .270, and Texas is dead last in the Big 12 in team average at .250.
• Maryland has gotten off to a 19-7 start, but the Terps are still looking for a breakthrough series win. They lost two out of three at Michigan last weekend and also lost a series at UNC Wilmington-the best team they've faced in a series so far-back in early March. They'll have their chances over the next three weeks though, with consecutive series against Nebraska, Iowa and Cal State Fullerton, all of them in College Park. The Terps have been firing on all cylinders offensively, led by Brandon Lowe (.380/.492/.690, 6 HR) and Kevin Martir (.337/.464/.517). Maryland leads the Big Ten in scoring by a wide margin, putting up 7.6 runs per game, compared to 5.8 for second-best Penn State. It should make for a fun matchup with Nebraska's red-hot pitching staff. Of note, Maryland leads the Big Ten in walks drawn (122), while Nebraska's pitchers are 13th in the country in fewest walks per nine (2.28).
• Notre Dame heads to Pittsburgh licking its wounds after getting swept in back-to-back weekends at home against Louisville and Virginia. The Irish still have a strong RPI (No. 39 on WarrenNolan.com), propped up by a 14-4 record in road/neutral games. But the Irish are just 3-9 in the ACC and still have series remaining with Florida State and North Carolina, so a series win-preferably a sweep-is badly needed this weekend to get their regional hopes back on track.
• Dallas Baptist faces its stiffest test in Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend as it goes on the road to play Missouri State. The Patriots have been led by senior outfielder Tagg Duce, who comes into the weekend hitting .379 and has put up three straight multi-hit games, but he's far from alone. Six DBU regulars are hitting over .300, while athletic center fielder David Martinelli has found his power stroke with seven home runs in 26 games. The teams rank one-two in the MVC in both scoring and ERA, with the Bears benefitting from the return of ace Jon Harris from an ankle injury. He's slotted into the Saturday role and comes into the weekend 3-0, 1.33 with 46 strikeouts in 41 innings.
BA - Weekend Preview: April 2-5
PG - Weekend Preview: Week 8
With the Easter holiday on Sunday, most series across the nation will kick off on Thursday with the weekend slate effectively being bumped up a day. The marquee matchups for this weekend have a built-in marquee mound matchup including, with four of the better arms in two of the biggest national conferences taking the big stage.
The first will occur in Charlottesville when Nathan Kirby and No. 11 Virginia hosts Kyle Funkhouser and No. 7 Louisville. Their showdown may provide the heaviest group of scouts in any college baseball game this season. No. 6 UCLA hosts No. 14 Oregon State, with Friday starters James Kaprielian and Andrew Moore set to face one another on Thursday night in Los Angeles.
Both of these series, among others, are previewed in greater detail below.
Also, Perfect Game would like to thank Frankie Piliere for his passion for the game of baseball and hard work for over two years as he moves on to pursue another baseball opportunity at D1Baseball.com. When double checking the date in which we announced Frankie would be joining Perfect Game it stood out that it occurred on 12-12-12, so it's fitting that he began his new opportunity on April Fools' Day. While we look forward to the next calendar-based statistical oddity that occurs in Frankie's professional career path, here's a PG staff-wide tip of the cap to him as he begins his next chapter in baseball.
Top 25 in Action
Rk. Team Opponent Location
1 Texas Christian at Texas Tech Lubbock, TX
2 Louisiana State at Alabama Hoover, AL
3 Florida at Missouri Columbia, MO
4 Vanderbilt at Georgia Athens, GA
5 Texas A&M at Kentucky Lexington, KY
6 UCLA home vs. No. 14 Oregon State Los Angeles, CA
7 Louisville at No. 11 Virginia Charlottesville, VA
8 Florida State at N.C. State Raleigh, N.C.
9 Arizona State at Utah Salt Lake City, UT
10 Miami home vs. Duke Coral Gables, FL
11 Virginia home vs. No. 7 Louisville Charlottesville, VA
12 UCF at Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH
13 UC Santa Barbara home vs. Fresno State Santa Barbara, CA
14 Oregon State at No. 6 UCLA Los Angeles, CA
15 South Carolina at Mississippi State Starkville, MS
16 Southern California at No. 24 Arizona Tucson, AZ
17 Dallas Baptist at Missouri State Springfield, MO
18 North Carolina at Clemson Clemson, SC
19 Houston at Memphis Memphis, TN
20 Illinois home vs. Northwestern Champaign, IL
21 Nebraska at Maryland College Park, MD
22 California home vs. Washington State Berkeley, CA
23 Florida Atlantic home vs. Marshall Boca Raton, FL
24 Arizona home vs. No. 16 Southern California Tucson, AZ
25 Texas at Oklahoma State Stillwater, OK
Marquee Matchup #1:
No. 14 Oregon State at No. 6 UCLA
Like in all the big conferences, there's no such thing as an "off weekend" where a team can jump on the field and expect an easy three-game set. Look no further than the weekend matchup between the Oregon State Beavers and the UCLA Bruins at Jackie Robinson Stadium as it's sure to live up to, and possibly exceed expectations, given the overall depth of talent. Take a look at the current Pac-12 standings and the series has some implications at the top, granted we are still just halfway through the season. UCLA enters the weekend atop the Pac-12 standings with an 8-1 record while the Beavers aren't too far behind at 4-2.
Take a quick look at the Oregon State roster and you'll see that it's littered with freshmen and sophomores. While most knew that the Beavers were going to be competitive even with a young roster, several players have stepped up and have continued to play like seasoned veterans since day one. Of course the two names that have been making the most noise are freshmen K.J. Harrison with the bat and Drew Rasmussen on the mound.
Recently named to the designated hitter position on the Perfect Game Midseason All-American Team, Harrison has continued to hit all season long and has done so with authority. Heading into the weekend the Hawaii native is leading the team in nearly every offensive category: average (.389), triples (3), home runs (7), RBI (32) and slugging percentage (.722). Not bad for his first year. Rasmussen has been equally as impressive on the mound, and since he's made the transition into a weekend role from the backend of the bullpen he hasn't looked back. Armed with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s throughout a game and has peaked as high as 97 mph in front of the Perfect Game staff, Rasmussen shows two above average off-speed pitches helping him to record 42 strikeouts in 47 innings while walking just nine.
Andrew Moore (Photo: Oregon State)
And by no means are these two youngsters carrying the team as the offense has six players who have started at least 14 games and are hitting over .300. Fleet footed center fielder Jeff Hendrix has been an extra-base machine this spring while the slick-fielding defensive wizard sophomore Trever Morrison shows strong barrels skills from the left side.
Freshman righthander Mitch Hickey is one of several power arms in the Beavers' arsenal as he and his mid-90s heater and vicious 12-to-6 breaker have slid right into the closer's role without much debate. Righthander Travis Eckert has done nothing but win on Sundays, currently sitting with a 3-0 record and a 2.85 ERA.
If you're keeping track of the players mentioned above you'll notice only two of the three weekend starters for Oregon State were brought up. That's because the Friday night matchup between junior aces Andrew Moore and the Bruins James Kaprielian deserved its own section. While the two may be friendly off the field after competing on the USA Collegiate National Team last summer together, both are fierce competitors and once the ump says "play ball" it's time to go to work.
Moore might not show the same raw stuff on the mound as Kaprielian, but he's a proven winner and has done nothing but solidify that notion in 2015. The same way that Harrison leads the offense in almost every offensive category, Moore does the same in terms of pitching. With a 2-1 record, Moore sports a 1.87 ERA with advance pitchability and command of a full arsenal, painting both corners of the plate with any pitch in any count. Over 53 innings Moore has walked just seven while striking out 47 batters, nearly a 7-to-1 ratio.
What was said about Moore being a proven winner also applies to the Bruins' ace as Kaprielian continues to win throughout the 2015 campaign and is currently tied for the national lead with six victories. With a fastball that sits in the low-90s, touching higher in brief appearances, and a sharp, above average curveball, the strongly built 6-foot-4, 200-pound righthander absolutely pounds the strike zone. With an ERA of 2.35, Kaprielian has punched out more than a batter an inning while walking just nine in 46 innings pitched.
The similarities between the two clubs continue, as Kaprielian isn't a one-man show on the mound during the weekend. Senior lefthander Grant Watson takes the ball on Saturdays and has been superb, leading the starters with a 1.76 over 41 innings, and as you might have guessed, he fills up the strike zone. The weekend rotation is rounded out by a stellar freshman of their own, righthander Griffin Canning, who made the jump from mid-week starter last weekend and has backed up the hype by striking out 45 and walking just four on his way to a 4-1 record.
It also doesn't hurt to have one of the best collegiate closers of all time at the end of games in senior sidewinder David Berg. Just as he has done the first three years of his career, Berg is dominating once again already picking up six saves over 26 2/3 innings with a 1.35 ERA. Grant Dyer and Tucker Forbes have been just as effective out of the bullpen, making a combined 31 appearances while building a nice bridge to get to Berg.
The Bruins top four bats in terms of average have also been their top bats in terms of run production. Kevin Kramer has continued his torrid start, still hitting over .400 with a .410 average 26 games into the season and is second on the team with four home runs. Leading the long ball club is Chris Keck with six and he also leads the team with eight doubles and a .333 average. Junior outfielder Ty Moore is coming off a Pac-12 Player of the Week type performance after going 5-for-13 with nine RBI, raising his average up to a robust .384. Luke Persico rounds out the foursome, a sophomore infielder who is hitting .320 and has consistently reached base while putting out three balls out of his own.
Despite the amount of firepower on each offense, this series is going to come down to pitching, something both teams have plenty of, both in quantity and quality.
Marquee Matchup #2:
No. 7 Louisville at No. 11 Virginia
As noted above, this marquee matchup between two of the most talented teams in the ACC will be highlighted by the Friday night showdown between righthander Kyle Funkhouser and lefthander Nathan Kirby. The two of them have been written about frequently among the weekly and national notes, as they offer premier stuff with an competitive, aggressive approach.
Kyle Funkhouser (Photo: University of Louisville Sports Information)
Funkhouser has sat in the low-90s peaking at 95 mph in almost every start this season, and is coming off of particularly impressive back-to-back performances against Notre Dame and Georgia Tech.
Kirby has been nearly untouchable this season, and was recently named to Perfect Game's Midseason All-American Team for his early season dominance. Kirby, similar to Funkhouser, typically peaks at 94 mph and sits in low-90s with a nice overall repertoire that he commands extremely well. His presence, and performance, may personify the college baseball Friday ace more so than any other pitcher in the country.
Looking past the impact matchup in the first game of the series, there are several parallels to be drawn between the two coaches as well. Louisville skipper Dan McDonnell has made his impression from the moment he stepped on campus, guiding the Cardinals to Omaha three times, including his first year with the program in 2007.
Virginia Head Coach Brian O'Connor has also led his team to Omaha three times, finishing last year as the national runnner-up. His club has been bit hard by the injury bug this season, as Joe McCarthy has yet to play this year due to an ailing back, while John LaPrise was lost for the year after undergoing hip surgery.
Sophomore catcher Matt Thaiss is the name to watch on offense for the Cavaliers, who is hitting a team-high .347 with seven home runs and 27 RBI. To continue the theme of parallels between these two clubs, sophomore outfielder Corey Rays has also enjoyed a breakout season (.314-4-27) and has helped pace the offense in recent weeks.
Freshman two-way sensation Brendan McKay has buckled down the Saturday starter job for Louisville, and sophomore lefthander Josh Rogers has been sharp over the last month of the season. Those two will face live-armed sophomore Connor Jones and crafty lefty Brandon Waddell in what looks to be a very evenly matched series.
National Notes:
• As reported on Wednesday Duke righthander Michael Matuella will miss the remainder of the season and will undergo Tommy John surgery. Matuella entered the season as a candidate to go with the first overall pick in this year's draft, but this development continues to cloud what is already a mirky 2015 MLB Draft class.
• There are three series this weekend in which we could see the two teams playing each other flip-flop in the rankings come Monday. The first of which is the most obvious, with No. 25 Texas travelling to Oklahoma State to take on the 19-9 Cowboys. Oklahoma State has won 11 of their last 14 games, including taking a pair from now No. 1 TCU two weekends ago.
Maryland, who have been pushed into PG's Top 25 rankings twice this year, only to be quickly removed twice this year, will look to prove they belong to stay as they host No. 21 Nebraska. The Huskers and their deep stable of arms will look to slow a fast-paced offense, while Mike Shawaryn facing Chance Sinclair provide one of the better Friday night matchups in the Big Ten this season.
Last but not least No. 24 Arizona hosts No. 16 Southern California in what likely will provide a good lithmus test for just how good these two teams are. The Wildcats are all about offense, with two regulars hitting over .400 (Scott Kingery and Kevin Newman) and four others hitting above .300. Power isn't a big part of their offense, but speed is, with 40 stolen bases. While USC can swing the bats as well, they'll stack their big three weekend arms - Brent Wheatley, Kyle Twomey and Mitch Hart - against Arizona's offense in a classic Pac-12 battle.
• Arizona State has been firing on all cylinders throughout the 2015 season and it looked like they took the next step forward last weekend, sweeping Pac-12 foe Stanford in a three-game set. Well, last night against New Mexico State Coach Tracy Smith's Sun Devils received another shot in the arm, getting several strong performances from arms who have seen limited innings to this point in the year.
Starting the game was junior right-hander David Graybill, who before Tuesday night had thrown just 1/3 of an inning this spring due to recovering from an injury. The 6-foot-5 Graybill faced the minimum last night, allowing just a walk in the first inning who was quickly thrown out by catcher Brian Serven to end the frame. Graybill struck out four of the nine batters he faced, three of which went down swinging due to his high-octane stuff. His fastball sat in the 93-95 mph range and was sharp with his command while showing a tight slider, giving him two advanced offerings.
The emergence of Graybill is yet another weapon in the ASU pitching staff, although he wasn't the only one to perform well last night. Before last night freshman lefthander Andrew Shaps had thrown just a single inning and he performed well, striking out all three batters that he faced. Last night was more of the same for the Arizona native as he threw 1 1/3 innings, and sticking to suit, recorded all four outs via a strikeout.
• After getting off to a surprisingly slow start, the Bryant Bulldogs are starting to play the way we thought they would when they were picked as the preseason champions of the Northeast Conference (NEC). Not coincidently sophomore outfielder Matt Albanese has begun to heat up, especially over his last three games, all of which were won by Bryant. A long and athletic 6-foot-2, 200-pound center fielder, Albanese went on a tear during that three-game stretch, hitting four home runs with eight RBI while raising his season batting average up to a team-high .354.
• Sticking with the non big-five conference theme, Kennesaw State junior shortstop Kal Simmons has put together a very strong season that hasn't seemed to receive as much attention as it should warrant. Always known as a silky smooth, above average defender with a strong arm and a more than likely chance of sticking up the middle, the switch-hitting Simmons has been just as loud, if not louder with the bat this spring. Currently hitting .310, Simmons is the only Owl to start all 28 games this year and understandably leads Kennesaw State in nearly every offensive category.
The 2015 season has allowed Simmons to showcase his strength from both sides, combining for eight home runs already (tied for third most in the country) with six coming from the left side and the other two from the right. While it may be more of a contact and barrel oriented swing from the right side, it's important to keep in mind that he's faced many more righthanders than he has lefties so far. He isn't getting cheated either with his contact, as when he barrels the ball up and drives it, it's going to get out in a hurry.
As expected this preseason, juniors Travis Bergen and Jordan Hillyer have been a consistent force on the mound for Kennesaw State and are a big reason for their recent surge. The righthanded Hillyer continues to rack up the punchouts collecting 13 of them two weeks ago, and he followed that performance up with 11 more in his most recent start. How does he do it? The strongly built 6-foot-1, 205-pound Hillyer works consistently in the 88-93 mph range while still showing a sharp slider that has served as his put-away pitch.
Always known for his pitchability, the lefthanded Bergen shows very similar velocity to Hillyer and has touched 94 mph on occasion making it a true swing-and-miss pitch. He shows a full array of off-speed pitches as well, all of which will show above average while showing the ability to harness the life on each as evidenced by just 12 walks over 46 2/3 innings as compared to 49 strikeouts.
• Don't look now, but Boston College's Chris Shaw is heating up. He went 9-for-20 (.450 average) with seven runs scored, 11 driven in, three walks, two doubles and three home runs. He drove in the game-winning run in three of the Eagles' five wins. The wins help pick up a Boston College Squad that opened ACC play with back-to-back sweeps at the hands of Florida State and Louisville. They were also swept earlier this season by LSU giving them one of the more stout early season schedules. In mid-May Shaw was hitting only .211, although he did have four home runs at that point in the season. Now he's up to .274 with eight home runs and 34 RBI, both among the national leaders.
• One of the better, if not overlooked series across the country this weekend will occur with Missouri State hosting No. 17 Dallas Baptist in a key Missouri Valley Conference showdown. Dallas Baptist is 23-3 thanks to a well-balanced team that is collecitvely hitting .305 with a staff ERA of 2.66. Missouri State will provide a tough test, with a 18-7 record and a little bit of college baseball star power in the form of outfielder Tate Matheny and righthanded pitcher (and Saturday starter) Jon Harris.
PG - Weekend Preview: Week 8
With the Easter holiday on Sunday, most series across the nation will kick off on Thursday with the weekend slate effectively being bumped up a day. The marquee matchups for this weekend have a built-in marquee mound matchup including, with four of the better arms in two of the biggest national conferences taking the big stage.
The first will occur in Charlottesville when Nathan Kirby and No. 11 Virginia hosts Kyle Funkhouser and No. 7 Louisville. Their showdown may provide the heaviest group of scouts in any college baseball game this season. No. 6 UCLA hosts No. 14 Oregon State, with Friday starters James Kaprielian and Andrew Moore set to face one another on Thursday night in Los Angeles.
Both of these series, among others, are previewed in greater detail below.
Also, Perfect Game would like to thank Frankie Piliere for his passion for the game of baseball and hard work for over two years as he moves on to pursue another baseball opportunity at D1Baseball.com. When double checking the date in which we announced Frankie would be joining Perfect Game it stood out that it occurred on 12-12-12, so it's fitting that he began his new opportunity on April Fools' Day. While we look forward to the next calendar-based statistical oddity that occurs in Frankie's professional career path, here's a PG staff-wide tip of the cap to him as he begins his next chapter in baseball.
Top 25 in Action
Rk. Team Opponent Location
1 Texas Christian at Texas Tech Lubbock, TX
2 Louisiana State at Alabama Hoover, AL
3 Florida at Missouri Columbia, MO
4 Vanderbilt at Georgia Athens, GA
5 Texas A&M at Kentucky Lexington, KY
6 UCLA home vs. No. 14 Oregon State Los Angeles, CA
7 Louisville at No. 11 Virginia Charlottesville, VA
8 Florida State at N.C. State Raleigh, N.C.
9 Arizona State at Utah Salt Lake City, UT
10 Miami home vs. Duke Coral Gables, FL
11 Virginia home vs. No. 7 Louisville Charlottesville, VA
12 UCF at Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH
13 UC Santa Barbara home vs. Fresno State Santa Barbara, CA
14 Oregon State at No. 6 UCLA Los Angeles, CA
15 South Carolina at Mississippi State Starkville, MS
16 Southern California at No. 24 Arizona Tucson, AZ
17 Dallas Baptist at Missouri State Springfield, MO
18 North Carolina at Clemson Clemson, SC
19 Houston at Memphis Memphis, TN
20 Illinois home vs. Northwestern Champaign, IL
21 Nebraska at Maryland College Park, MD
22 California home vs. Washington State Berkeley, CA
23 Florida Atlantic home vs. Marshall Boca Raton, FL
24 Arizona home vs. No. 16 Southern California Tucson, AZ
25 Texas at Oklahoma State Stillwater, OK
Marquee Matchup #1:
No. 14 Oregon State at No. 6 UCLA
Like in all the big conferences, there's no such thing as an "off weekend" where a team can jump on the field and expect an easy three-game set. Look no further than the weekend matchup between the Oregon State Beavers and the UCLA Bruins at Jackie Robinson Stadium as it's sure to live up to, and possibly exceed expectations, given the overall depth of talent. Take a look at the current Pac-12 standings and the series has some implications at the top, granted we are still just halfway through the season. UCLA enters the weekend atop the Pac-12 standings with an 8-1 record while the Beavers aren't too far behind at 4-2.
Take a quick look at the Oregon State roster and you'll see that it's littered with freshmen and sophomores. While most knew that the Beavers were going to be competitive even with a young roster, several players have stepped up and have continued to play like seasoned veterans since day one. Of course the two names that have been making the most noise are freshmen K.J. Harrison with the bat and Drew Rasmussen on the mound.
Recently named to the designated hitter position on the Perfect Game Midseason All-American Team, Harrison has continued to hit all season long and has done so with authority. Heading into the weekend the Hawaii native is leading the team in nearly every offensive category: average (.389), triples (3), home runs (7), RBI (32) and slugging percentage (.722). Not bad for his first year. Rasmussen has been equally as impressive on the mound, and since he's made the transition into a weekend role from the backend of the bullpen he hasn't looked back. Armed with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s throughout a game and has peaked as high as 97 mph in front of the Perfect Game staff, Rasmussen shows two above average off-speed pitches helping him to record 42 strikeouts in 47 innings while walking just nine.
Andrew Moore (Photo: Oregon State)
And by no means are these two youngsters carrying the team as the offense has six players who have started at least 14 games and are hitting over .300. Fleet footed center fielder Jeff Hendrix has been an extra-base machine this spring while the slick-fielding defensive wizard sophomore Trever Morrison shows strong barrels skills from the left side.
Freshman righthander Mitch Hickey is one of several power arms in the Beavers' arsenal as he and his mid-90s heater and vicious 12-to-6 breaker have slid right into the closer's role without much debate. Righthander Travis Eckert has done nothing but win on Sundays, currently sitting with a 3-0 record and a 2.85 ERA.
If you're keeping track of the players mentioned above you'll notice only two of the three weekend starters for Oregon State were brought up. That's because the Friday night matchup between junior aces Andrew Moore and the Bruins James Kaprielian deserved its own section. While the two may be friendly off the field after competing on the USA Collegiate National Team last summer together, both are fierce competitors and once the ump says "play ball" it's time to go to work.
Moore might not show the same raw stuff on the mound as Kaprielian, but he's a proven winner and has done nothing but solidify that notion in 2015. The same way that Harrison leads the offense in almost every offensive category, Moore does the same in terms of pitching. With a 2-1 record, Moore sports a 1.87 ERA with advance pitchability and command of a full arsenal, painting both corners of the plate with any pitch in any count. Over 53 innings Moore has walked just seven while striking out 47 batters, nearly a 7-to-1 ratio.
What was said about Moore being a proven winner also applies to the Bruins' ace as Kaprielian continues to win throughout the 2015 campaign and is currently tied for the national lead with six victories. With a fastball that sits in the low-90s, touching higher in brief appearances, and a sharp, above average curveball, the strongly built 6-foot-4, 200-pound righthander absolutely pounds the strike zone. With an ERA of 2.35, Kaprielian has punched out more than a batter an inning while walking just nine in 46 innings pitched.
The similarities between the two clubs continue, as Kaprielian isn't a one-man show on the mound during the weekend. Senior lefthander Grant Watson takes the ball on Saturdays and has been superb, leading the starters with a 1.76 over 41 innings, and as you might have guessed, he fills up the strike zone. The weekend rotation is rounded out by a stellar freshman of their own, righthander Griffin Canning, who made the jump from mid-week starter last weekend and has backed up the hype by striking out 45 and walking just four on his way to a 4-1 record.
It also doesn't hurt to have one of the best collegiate closers of all time at the end of games in senior sidewinder David Berg. Just as he has done the first three years of his career, Berg is dominating once again already picking up six saves over 26 2/3 innings with a 1.35 ERA. Grant Dyer and Tucker Forbes have been just as effective out of the bullpen, making a combined 31 appearances while building a nice bridge to get to Berg.
The Bruins top four bats in terms of average have also been their top bats in terms of run production. Kevin Kramer has continued his torrid start, still hitting over .400 with a .410 average 26 games into the season and is second on the team with four home runs. Leading the long ball club is Chris Keck with six and he also leads the team with eight doubles and a .333 average. Junior outfielder Ty Moore is coming off a Pac-12 Player of the Week type performance after going 5-for-13 with nine RBI, raising his average up to a robust .384. Luke Persico rounds out the foursome, a sophomore infielder who is hitting .320 and has consistently reached base while putting out three balls out of his own.
Despite the amount of firepower on each offense, this series is going to come down to pitching, something both teams have plenty of, both in quantity and quality.
Marquee Matchup #2:
No. 7 Louisville at No. 11 Virginia
As noted above, this marquee matchup between two of the most talented teams in the ACC will be highlighted by the Friday night showdown between righthander Kyle Funkhouser and lefthander Nathan Kirby. The two of them have been written about frequently among the weekly and national notes, as they offer premier stuff with an competitive, aggressive approach.
Kyle Funkhouser (Photo: University of Louisville Sports Information)
Funkhouser has sat in the low-90s peaking at 95 mph in almost every start this season, and is coming off of particularly impressive back-to-back performances against Notre Dame and Georgia Tech.
Kirby has been nearly untouchable this season, and was recently named to Perfect Game's Midseason All-American Team for his early season dominance. Kirby, similar to Funkhouser, typically peaks at 94 mph and sits in low-90s with a nice overall repertoire that he commands extremely well. His presence, and performance, may personify the college baseball Friday ace more so than any other pitcher in the country.
Looking past the impact matchup in the first game of the series, there are several parallels to be drawn between the two coaches as well. Louisville skipper Dan McDonnell has made his impression from the moment he stepped on campus, guiding the Cardinals to Omaha three times, including his first year with the program in 2007.
Virginia Head Coach Brian O'Connor has also led his team to Omaha three times, finishing last year as the national runnner-up. His club has been bit hard by the injury bug this season, as Joe McCarthy has yet to play this year due to an ailing back, while John LaPrise was lost for the year after undergoing hip surgery.
Sophomore catcher Matt Thaiss is the name to watch on offense for the Cavaliers, who is hitting a team-high .347 with seven home runs and 27 RBI. To continue the theme of parallels between these two clubs, sophomore outfielder Corey Rays has also enjoyed a breakout season (.314-4-27) and has helped pace the offense in recent weeks.
Freshman two-way sensation Brendan McKay has buckled down the Saturday starter job for Louisville, and sophomore lefthander Josh Rogers has been sharp over the last month of the season. Those two will face live-armed sophomore Connor Jones and crafty lefty Brandon Waddell in what looks to be a very evenly matched series.
National Notes:
• As reported on Wednesday Duke righthander Michael Matuella will miss the remainder of the season and will undergo Tommy John surgery. Matuella entered the season as a candidate to go with the first overall pick in this year's draft, but this development continues to cloud what is already a mirky 2015 MLB Draft class.
• There are three series this weekend in which we could see the two teams playing each other flip-flop in the rankings come Monday. The first of which is the most obvious, with No. 25 Texas travelling to Oklahoma State to take on the 19-9 Cowboys. Oklahoma State has won 11 of their last 14 games, including taking a pair from now No. 1 TCU two weekends ago.
Maryland, who have been pushed into PG's Top 25 rankings twice this year, only to be quickly removed twice this year, will look to prove they belong to stay as they host No. 21 Nebraska. The Huskers and their deep stable of arms will look to slow a fast-paced offense, while Mike Shawaryn facing Chance Sinclair provide one of the better Friday night matchups in the Big Ten this season.
Last but not least No. 24 Arizona hosts No. 16 Southern California in what likely will provide a good lithmus test for just how good these two teams are. The Wildcats are all about offense, with two regulars hitting over .400 (Scott Kingery and Kevin Newman) and four others hitting above .300. Power isn't a big part of their offense, but speed is, with 40 stolen bases. While USC can swing the bats as well, they'll stack their big three weekend arms - Brent Wheatley, Kyle Twomey and Mitch Hart - against Arizona's offense in a classic Pac-12 battle.
• Arizona State has been firing on all cylinders throughout the 2015 season and it looked like they took the next step forward last weekend, sweeping Pac-12 foe Stanford in a three-game set. Well, last night against New Mexico State Coach Tracy Smith's Sun Devils received another shot in the arm, getting several strong performances from arms who have seen limited innings to this point in the year.
Starting the game was junior right-hander David Graybill, who before Tuesday night had thrown just 1/3 of an inning this spring due to recovering from an injury. The 6-foot-5 Graybill faced the minimum last night, allowing just a walk in the first inning who was quickly thrown out by catcher Brian Serven to end the frame. Graybill struck out four of the nine batters he faced, three of which went down swinging due to his high-octane stuff. His fastball sat in the 93-95 mph range and was sharp with his command while showing a tight slider, giving him two advanced offerings.
The emergence of Graybill is yet another weapon in the ASU pitching staff, although he wasn't the only one to perform well last night. Before last night freshman lefthander Andrew Shaps had thrown just a single inning and he performed well, striking out all three batters that he faced. Last night was more of the same for the Arizona native as he threw 1 1/3 innings, and sticking to suit, recorded all four outs via a strikeout.
• After getting off to a surprisingly slow start, the Bryant Bulldogs are starting to play the way we thought they would when they were picked as the preseason champions of the Northeast Conference (NEC). Not coincidently sophomore outfielder Matt Albanese has begun to heat up, especially over his last three games, all of which were won by Bryant. A long and athletic 6-foot-2, 200-pound center fielder, Albanese went on a tear during that three-game stretch, hitting four home runs with eight RBI while raising his season batting average up to a team-high .354.
• Sticking with the non big-five conference theme, Kennesaw State junior shortstop Kal Simmons has put together a very strong season that hasn't seemed to receive as much attention as it should warrant. Always known as a silky smooth, above average defender with a strong arm and a more than likely chance of sticking up the middle, the switch-hitting Simmons has been just as loud, if not louder with the bat this spring. Currently hitting .310, Simmons is the only Owl to start all 28 games this year and understandably leads Kennesaw State in nearly every offensive category.
The 2015 season has allowed Simmons to showcase his strength from both sides, combining for eight home runs already (tied for third most in the country) with six coming from the left side and the other two from the right. While it may be more of a contact and barrel oriented swing from the right side, it's important to keep in mind that he's faced many more righthanders than he has lefties so far. He isn't getting cheated either with his contact, as when he barrels the ball up and drives it, it's going to get out in a hurry.
As expected this preseason, juniors Travis Bergen and Jordan Hillyer have been a consistent force on the mound for Kennesaw State and are a big reason for their recent surge. The righthanded Hillyer continues to rack up the punchouts collecting 13 of them two weeks ago, and he followed that performance up with 11 more in his most recent start. How does he do it? The strongly built 6-foot-1, 205-pound Hillyer works consistently in the 88-93 mph range while still showing a sharp slider that has served as his put-away pitch.
Always known for his pitchability, the lefthanded Bergen shows very similar velocity to Hillyer and has touched 94 mph on occasion making it a true swing-and-miss pitch. He shows a full array of off-speed pitches as well, all of which will show above average while showing the ability to harness the life on each as evidenced by just 12 walks over 46 2/3 innings as compared to 49 strikeouts.
• Don't look now, but Boston College's Chris Shaw is heating up. He went 9-for-20 (.450 average) with seven runs scored, 11 driven in, three walks, two doubles and three home runs. He drove in the game-winning run in three of the Eagles' five wins. The wins help pick up a Boston College Squad that opened ACC play with back-to-back sweeps at the hands of Florida State and Louisville. They were also swept earlier this season by LSU giving them one of the more stout early season schedules. In mid-May Shaw was hitting only .211, although he did have four home runs at that point in the season. Now he's up to .274 with eight home runs and 34 RBI, both among the national leaders.
• One of the better, if not overlooked series across the country this weekend will occur with Missouri State hosting No. 17 Dallas Baptist in a key Missouri Valley Conference showdown. Dallas Baptist is 23-3 thanks to a well-balanced team that is collecitvely hitting .305 with a staff ERA of 2.66. Missouri State will provide a tough test, with a 18-7 record and a little bit of college baseball star power in the form of outfielder Tate Matheny and righthanded pitcher (and Saturday starter) Jon Harris.
PG - Weekend Preview: Week 8
