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CBT: The Top 301 Teams of 2015
15- NEBRASKA (41-21, 18-6)
Projected Big 10 Finish: 1st
2014 ISR: 35
Starters Returning: 7
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 0
Key Relievers (15+inns.): 5
Nothing makes a coach smile like having a truckload of experience on the roster. And Darin Erstad has a senior-heavy team for 2015, including returning pitchers like All Big 10er Chance Sinclair (9-1, 2.15), LHP Kyle Kubat (5-2, 4.55) and saves expert Josh Roeder (12 saves). 1B/3B Blake Headley (.323), OF Austin Darby (.290-3-31) and C Tanner Lubach (.282) are names that have been around a while and will lead the O. Also watch for a pair of highly-regarded dynamos in OF Ryan Boldt (.311) and SS Wes Edrington, who missed 2014 with an injury.
CBT: The Top 301 Teams of 2015
15- NEBRASKA (41-21, 18-6)
Projected Big 10 Finish: 1st
2014 ISR: 35
Starters Returning: 7
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 0
Key Relievers (15+inns.): 5
Nothing makes a coach smile like having a truckload of experience on the roster. And Darin Erstad has a senior-heavy team for 2015, including returning pitchers like All Big 10er Chance Sinclair (9-1, 2.15), LHP Kyle Kubat (5-2, 4.55) and saves expert Josh Roeder (12 saves). 1B/3B Blake Headley (.323), OF Austin Darby (.290-3-31) and C Tanner Lubach (.282) are names that have been around a while and will lead the O. Also watch for a pair of highly-regarded dynamos in OF Ryan Boldt (.311) and SS Wes Edrington, who missed 2014 with an injury.
CBT: The Top 301 Teams of 2015
PG - Conference Preview: Big Ten
Predicted Order of Finish
Overall/conference win-loss records from 2014 indicated | * Denotes projected conference automatic bid
No. Team W L W L
1 Maryland* 40 23 15 14
2 Illinois 32 21 17 7
3 Indiana 44 15 21 3
4 Nebraska 41 21 18 6
5 Michigan 30 29 13 11
6 Ohio State 30 28 10 14
7 Michigan State 31 26 11 13
8 Iowa 30 23 10 14
9 Minnesota 27 24 13 11
10 Rutgers 30 25 14 9
11 Penn State 18 32 5 18
12 Purdue 13 37 6 18
13 Northwestern 19 33 7 16
Preseason All-Conference Team
Pos. Name Class School Stats/Notes
C Jason Goldstein Jr. Illinois .316-4-28; plus catch and throw with righty power
1B Tyler Peyton Jr. Iowa .331-2-28; gap power, consistent hitter
MIF Adam Walton So. Illinois .329-1-19; athletic, plus speed
MIF Travis Maezes Jr. Michigan .302-3-21; easy power, good athleticism
3B Jose Cuas Jr. Maryland .279-5-42; huge potential, power and speed
OF Scott Donley Jr. Indiana .324-5-47; power to all fields
OF Ronnie Dawson So. Ohio State .337-4-25; power hitting athlete
OF Ryan Boldt So. Nebraska .337-0-11; sparkplug with speed (22 SB's)
DH Blaise Salter Sr. Michigan State .317-5-50; run producer, power to all fields
UT Jacob Cronenworth Jr. Michigan 1.75, 25.2 IP, 27:13; 90-94 FB, swings the bat
SP Scott Effross Jr. Indiana 1.98, 54.2 IP, 40:11; 90-94 FB, three pitch mix
SP Kevin Duchene Jr. Illinois 1.80, 55 IP, 35:11; 87-93 FB, plus command
SP Christian Morris Jr. Indiana 2.04, 83.2 IP, 47:21; good CH, good command
SP Chance Sinclair Sr. Nebraska 2.15, 100.2 IP, 52:26; plus command
RP Tyler Jay Jr. Illinois 1.94, 41.2 IP, 47:13; 94-96 FB, easy arm
Player of the Year: Ronnie Dawson, OF, Ohio State
Pitcher of the Year: Kevin Duchene, LHP, Illinois
Freshman of the Year: Drew Lugbauer, C/3B, Michigan
PG - Conference Preview: Big Ten
Predicted Order of Finish
Overall/conference win-loss records from 2014 indicated | * Denotes projected conference automatic bid
No. Team W L W L
1 Maryland* 40 23 15 14
2 Illinois 32 21 17 7
3 Indiana 44 15 21 3
4 Nebraska 41 21 18 6
5 Michigan 30 29 13 11
6 Ohio State 30 28 10 14
7 Michigan State 31 26 11 13
8 Iowa 30 23 10 14
9 Minnesota 27 24 13 11
10 Rutgers 30 25 14 9
11 Penn State 18 32 5 18
12 Purdue 13 37 6 18
13 Northwestern 19 33 7 16
Preseason All-Conference Team
Pos. Name Class School Stats/Notes
C Jason Goldstein Jr. Illinois .316-4-28; plus catch and throw with righty power
1B Tyler Peyton Jr. Iowa .331-2-28; gap power, consistent hitter
MIF Adam Walton So. Illinois .329-1-19; athletic, plus speed
MIF Travis Maezes Jr. Michigan .302-3-21; easy power, good athleticism
3B Jose Cuas Jr. Maryland .279-5-42; huge potential, power and speed
OF Scott Donley Jr. Indiana .324-5-47; power to all fields
OF Ronnie Dawson So. Ohio State .337-4-25; power hitting athlete
OF Ryan Boldt So. Nebraska .337-0-11; sparkplug with speed (22 SB's)
DH Blaise Salter Sr. Michigan State .317-5-50; run producer, power to all fields
UT Jacob Cronenworth Jr. Michigan 1.75, 25.2 IP, 27:13; 90-94 FB, swings the bat
SP Scott Effross Jr. Indiana 1.98, 54.2 IP, 40:11; 90-94 FB, three pitch mix
SP Kevin Duchene Jr. Illinois 1.80, 55 IP, 35:11; 87-93 FB, plus command
SP Christian Morris Jr. Indiana 2.04, 83.2 IP, 47:21; good CH, good command
SP Chance Sinclair Sr. Nebraska 2.15, 100.2 IP, 52:26; plus command
RP Tyler Jay Jr. Illinois 1.94, 41.2 IP, 47:13; 94-96 FB, easy arm
Player of the Year: Ronnie Dawson, OF, Ohio State
Pitcher of the Year: Kevin Duchene, LHP, Illinois
Freshman of the Year: Drew Lugbauer, C/3B, Michigan
PG - Conference Preview: Big Ten
PG: Hawkeyes on the rise
Baseball has never been the main attraction at the University of Iowa. Football and wrestling put Iowa City on the map in the 1970s and '80s, led by Hayden Fry on the gridiron and Dan Gable in the gym. More recently, the Hawkeyes have been to 12 bowl games in the last 14 years, and the wresting program is currently ranked No. 1 in the country, having won 23 of the last 39 national championships.
A school that counts former Houston Astros manager Bo Porter as one of its very few contributions to professional baseball, Iowa ended the 2013 season with just two winning campaigns in its last 17 seasons. So when Jack Dahm's contract as head coach was not renewed after the 2013 season, Rick Heller was named as his replacement. With little fanfare and low expectations, Heller guided the 2014 Hawkeyes to a surprising eight-win improvement over 2013. All of a sudden, the Hawkeyes are on the rise.
A native of Eldon, Iowa, Coach Heller started his coaching career at Upper Iowa - a Division III school - in 1987. He was 23 years old, the youngest head coach in the country. In 12 seasons with his alma mater, Heller was named the Iowa Conference Coach of the Year four times, won three regular season titles and one conference tournament championship.
In 2000, he was hired by Northern Iowa and delivered back-to-back 30-win seasons in 2001 and 2002 for the first time in school history. He also led his team to four Missouri Valley Conference tournament births and a conference championship in 2001. After 10 seasons with the Panthers, Coach Heller coached Indiana State for four years (2010-13), leading the Sycamores to their first outright Missouri Valley Conference championship in school history.
Given his past success, it should've come as no surprise when, in his first year at Iowa, Coach Heller guided the Hawkeyes to a 9-1 start (the program's best start since 1940), a Big Ten tournament berth, and a conference tournament win.
"When Coach Heller came in, his expectation was to win," Iowa junior righthander Blake Hickman told Perfect Game over the phone last week. "It's been unbelievable to see how fast the program has progressed since my freshman year. We have more of a fan base and the players want to be here now."
Since taking over the program, Coach Heller challenged his players not to win games, but to help change the culture of Iowa baseball.
"I told the players on day one that we would love them and care for them like we recruited them," he said. "We just asked them to buy into a philosophy, a plan and a system that we wanted to put into place that would change the face of Iowa baseball. And they did an unbelievable job of that. Usually when you do things that way, the wins follow. And that's exactly what happened."
A team comprised of a whopping 18 juniors and just a handful of seniors, sophomores and freshman, the pitchers blossomed and the offense soared in Coach Heller's first season. After fielding one of the worst offenses in the Big Ten a year before, Coach Heller's 2014 lineup ranked first in the conference in batting average, hits, runs and on-base percentage.
But he's quick to defer praise for the offensive turnaround.
"The kids are the ones who should take credit," he said. "We just changed the system, and the kids bought in. If you can't get the kids to buy in and listen, nothing else really matters. But because they bought in and showed signs of life, we've been able to progress the program much faster than I expected."
Iowa Head Coach Rick Heller has made an immediate impact in guiding the Hawkeyes (Photo: Brian Ray / hawkeyessports.com).
Thanks to the efforts of Athletic Director Gary Barta, Associate Athletic Directory Fred Mims and generous donations from a few boosters, the Iowa baseball program has received a complete overhaul that includes new astroturf in the infield, padded walls in the outfield, a new video scoreboard, a batter's eye, plus renovated batting cages and locker rooms for the players. The next phase will include new stadium seating, a project Coach Heller hopes to see completed in the next few years.
The Hawkeyes enter the 2015 season returning seven position players, their designated hitter and nine pitchers from last season.
A multi-year All-Conference Big Ten center fielder, Eric Toole returns for his senior season as "one of the best leadoff hitters in the conference," according to Coach Heller.
All-Big Ten players Jake Mangler and Nick Day return to play second and third base, respectively. Mangle, according to Coach Heller, is the team leader, while Day flashes arguably the best defense at the hot corner in the entire conference. Senior Dan Potempa, a lefthanded designated hitter who was Iowa's top bat in conference play last season, returns to lead the Hawkeyes' offense. And backstop Jimmy Frankos, who emerged as the everyday catcher midway through 2014, returns to lead Iowa's pitching staff from behind the plate.
Iowa's starting rotation boasts some power arms, including Friday night starter Tyler Peyton - who also hit .331 as a first baseman last season. On the mound, Peyton flashes a 90s heater and what Coach Heller calls "a tremendous slider."
Calvin Mathews - Iowa's top starter last year - will start 2015 as the team's Sunday starter after missing time last season with a shoulder injury. In 11 starts as a sophomore, Mathews posted a team-best 2.72 ERA in 72 2/3 innings.
Blake Hickman - who throws 93-95 mph - gives Iowa a trio of electric arms at the top of its rotation.
Although Hickman is now known for what he can do on the mound, his baseball career started behind the plate.
The Midwest's top catching prospect out of high school, Hickman - a native of Chicago - was selected in the 20th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft by the Cubs. But he turned down their offer for a chance to play at Iowa.
"It was nice to be drafted by the Cubs," he said. "I just wasn't ready for professional baseball at the time."
Hickman spent his freshman year behind the plate for the Hawkeyes, hitting .220 in 91 at-bats. When Coach Heller took over in July of 2013, he presented Hickman with a new idea.
"A lot of the scouts I knew asked me if I was going to talk to Blake about pitching," Coach Heller said. "It just so happened that he was playing in the Northwoods League for the Waterloo Bucks at the time. He was catching and started to pitch for them in the summer to try it out. So when I called Blake, he wasn't against it."
Hickman was slowly eased into pitching. By April, he gave up his catcher's mitt to focus on pitching full time. Iowa sent him to the Cape Cod League last summer to gain more experience on the mound.
"Playing in the Cape was an unbelievable experience," Hickman said. "Playing against those guys - the top hitters in college baseball - that boosted my confidence a lot coming into this year, just by throwing against them.
"I'm able to locate my fastball now," he continued. "And I'm confident on the mound and confident in myself. Now, if things go wrong, I can just take a step back, take a deep breath and just go after the hitters and not think about the negatives."
Coach Heller is extremely pleased with Hickman's progress over the summer.
"Like any converted position player, he was more of a thrower than a pitcher at first," he said. "Blake just relied on his arm strength, which is pretty good. But now I consider him more of a pitcher. He didn't have a changeup before. But now he possesses a really good changeup that he can use consistently to go along with his mid-90s fastball. He had a knack for his breaking ball from the beginning, and now he throws it consistently with similar arm action to his fastball."
With three anchors at the top of the rotation - plus a closer in Tyler Radtke who walked-on last season with a mid-90s fastball - the Hawkeyes have a formidable staff to complement an offense that figures to be one of the best in the Big Ten.
And after a Big Ten conference tournament win last season, the Hawkeyes are poised for an even deeper run in 2015. But Coach Heller warns that it won't be easy.
"To win at a high level, you have to believe that you're going to," he said. "And getting a group of guys who hadn't won a lot to believe that it was possible was one of the big challenges last year. There are going to be some really good teams that don't get into our conference tournament this season. So we have to make sure that we fight through the adversities throughout the season and fight through the injuries that you know will happen. And hopefully we'll be there at the end."
Despite the challenges ahead, Hickman has big expectations for himself and his teammates.
"We want to get back to the Big Ten tournament and win the whole thing," he said. "That's all we talk about now. We have the personal goals, but the ultimate team goal is to get to the College World Series. But we have steps to take first. It's not going to be easy because the Big Ten has a lot of good teams and good players. But we want to get back and put Iowa on the map.
"Indiana has destroyed this conference for the last few years, and we've had enough of that. It's our turn."
PG: Hawkeyes on the rise
Baseball has never been the main attraction at the University of Iowa. Football and wrestling put Iowa City on the map in the 1970s and '80s, led by Hayden Fry on the gridiron and Dan Gable in the gym. More recently, the Hawkeyes have been to 12 bowl games in the last 14 years, and the wresting program is currently ranked No. 1 in the country, having won 23 of the last 39 national championships.
A school that counts former Houston Astros manager Bo Porter as one of its very few contributions to professional baseball, Iowa ended the 2013 season with just two winning campaigns in its last 17 seasons. So when Jack Dahm's contract as head coach was not renewed after the 2013 season, Rick Heller was named as his replacement. With little fanfare and low expectations, Heller guided the 2014 Hawkeyes to a surprising eight-win improvement over 2013. All of a sudden, the Hawkeyes are on the rise.
A native of Eldon, Iowa, Coach Heller started his coaching career at Upper Iowa - a Division III school - in 1987. He was 23 years old, the youngest head coach in the country. In 12 seasons with his alma mater, Heller was named the Iowa Conference Coach of the Year four times, won three regular season titles and one conference tournament championship.
In 2000, he was hired by Northern Iowa and delivered back-to-back 30-win seasons in 2001 and 2002 for the first time in school history. He also led his team to four Missouri Valley Conference tournament births and a conference championship in 2001. After 10 seasons with the Panthers, Coach Heller coached Indiana State for four years (2010-13), leading the Sycamores to their first outright Missouri Valley Conference championship in school history.
Given his past success, it should've come as no surprise when, in his first year at Iowa, Coach Heller guided the Hawkeyes to a 9-1 start (the program's best start since 1940), a Big Ten tournament berth, and a conference tournament win.
"When Coach Heller came in, his expectation was to win," Iowa junior righthander Blake Hickman told Perfect Game over the phone last week. "It's been unbelievable to see how fast the program has progressed since my freshman year. We have more of a fan base and the players want to be here now."
Since taking over the program, Coach Heller challenged his players not to win games, but to help change the culture of Iowa baseball.
"I told the players on day one that we would love them and care for them like we recruited them," he said. "We just asked them to buy into a philosophy, a plan and a system that we wanted to put into place that would change the face of Iowa baseball. And they did an unbelievable job of that. Usually when you do things that way, the wins follow. And that's exactly what happened."
A team comprised of a whopping 18 juniors and just a handful of seniors, sophomores and freshman, the pitchers blossomed and the offense soared in Coach Heller's first season. After fielding one of the worst offenses in the Big Ten a year before, Coach Heller's 2014 lineup ranked first in the conference in batting average, hits, runs and on-base percentage.
But he's quick to defer praise for the offensive turnaround.
"The kids are the ones who should take credit," he said. "We just changed the system, and the kids bought in. If you can't get the kids to buy in and listen, nothing else really matters. But because they bought in and showed signs of life, we've been able to progress the program much faster than I expected."
Iowa Head Coach Rick Heller has made an immediate impact in guiding the Hawkeyes (Photo: Brian Ray / hawkeyessports.com).
Thanks to the efforts of Athletic Director Gary Barta, Associate Athletic Directory Fred Mims and generous donations from a few boosters, the Iowa baseball program has received a complete overhaul that includes new astroturf in the infield, padded walls in the outfield, a new video scoreboard, a batter's eye, plus renovated batting cages and locker rooms for the players. The next phase will include new stadium seating, a project Coach Heller hopes to see completed in the next few years.
The Hawkeyes enter the 2015 season returning seven position players, their designated hitter and nine pitchers from last season.
A multi-year All-Conference Big Ten center fielder, Eric Toole returns for his senior season as "one of the best leadoff hitters in the conference," according to Coach Heller.
All-Big Ten players Jake Mangler and Nick Day return to play second and third base, respectively. Mangle, according to Coach Heller, is the team leader, while Day flashes arguably the best defense at the hot corner in the entire conference. Senior Dan Potempa, a lefthanded designated hitter who was Iowa's top bat in conference play last season, returns to lead the Hawkeyes' offense. And backstop Jimmy Frankos, who emerged as the everyday catcher midway through 2014, returns to lead Iowa's pitching staff from behind the plate.
Iowa's starting rotation boasts some power arms, including Friday night starter Tyler Peyton - who also hit .331 as a first baseman last season. On the mound, Peyton flashes a 90s heater and what Coach Heller calls "a tremendous slider."
Calvin Mathews - Iowa's top starter last year - will start 2015 as the team's Sunday starter after missing time last season with a shoulder injury. In 11 starts as a sophomore, Mathews posted a team-best 2.72 ERA in 72 2/3 innings.
Blake Hickman - who throws 93-95 mph - gives Iowa a trio of electric arms at the top of its rotation.
Although Hickman is now known for what he can do on the mound, his baseball career started behind the plate.
The Midwest's top catching prospect out of high school, Hickman - a native of Chicago - was selected in the 20th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft by the Cubs. But he turned down their offer for a chance to play at Iowa.
"It was nice to be drafted by the Cubs," he said. "I just wasn't ready for professional baseball at the time."
Hickman spent his freshman year behind the plate for the Hawkeyes, hitting .220 in 91 at-bats. When Coach Heller took over in July of 2013, he presented Hickman with a new idea.
"A lot of the scouts I knew asked me if I was going to talk to Blake about pitching," Coach Heller said. "It just so happened that he was playing in the Northwoods League for the Waterloo Bucks at the time. He was catching and started to pitch for them in the summer to try it out. So when I called Blake, he wasn't against it."
Hickman was slowly eased into pitching. By April, he gave up his catcher's mitt to focus on pitching full time. Iowa sent him to the Cape Cod League last summer to gain more experience on the mound.
"Playing in the Cape was an unbelievable experience," Hickman said. "Playing against those guys - the top hitters in college baseball - that boosted my confidence a lot coming into this year, just by throwing against them.
"I'm able to locate my fastball now," he continued. "And I'm confident on the mound and confident in myself. Now, if things go wrong, I can just take a step back, take a deep breath and just go after the hitters and not think about the negatives."
Coach Heller is extremely pleased with Hickman's progress over the summer.
"Like any converted position player, he was more of a thrower than a pitcher at first," he said. "Blake just relied on his arm strength, which is pretty good. But now I consider him more of a pitcher. He didn't have a changeup before. But now he possesses a really good changeup that he can use consistently to go along with his mid-90s fastball. He had a knack for his breaking ball from the beginning, and now he throws it consistently with similar arm action to his fastball."
With three anchors at the top of the rotation - plus a closer in Tyler Radtke who walked-on last season with a mid-90s fastball - the Hawkeyes have a formidable staff to complement an offense that figures to be one of the best in the Big Ten.
And after a Big Ten conference tournament win last season, the Hawkeyes are poised for an even deeper run in 2015. But Coach Heller warns that it won't be easy.
"To win at a high level, you have to believe that you're going to," he said. "And getting a group of guys who hadn't won a lot to believe that it was possible was one of the big challenges last year. There are going to be some really good teams that don't get into our conference tournament this season. So we have to make sure that we fight through the adversities throughout the season and fight through the injuries that you know will happen. And hopefully we'll be there at the end."
Despite the challenges ahead, Hickman has big expectations for himself and his teammates.
"We want to get back to the Big Ten tournament and win the whole thing," he said. "That's all we talk about now. We have the personal goals, but the ultimate team goal is to get to the College World Series. But we have steps to take first. It's not going to be easy because the Big Ten has a lot of good teams and good players. But we want to get back and put Iowa on the map.
"Indiana has destroyed this conference for the last few years, and we've had enough of that. It's our turn."
PG: Hawkeyes on the rise
CBI: Maryland is Favorite in First Year in Big Ten
Maryland is Favorite in First Year in Big Ten
CollegeBaseballInsider.com surveyed college coaches around the country to preview the 2015 college baseball season by sharing their thoughts on the teams and players to watch in their conferences. CBI compiled their answers to provide insight on the upcoming season.
Click here for CBI Conference Previews
Today, we take a look at the Big Ten (nine of 13 coaches responded).
Conference Additions: Maryland, Rutgers
Conference Departures: None
The team to beat: Maryland
The top starting pitchers: Chance Sinclair (Nebraska); Kevin Duchene (Illinois); Tanner Tully (Ohio State)
The top closer: Tyler Jay (Illinois)
The pitcher you least want to face: Tyler Jay (Illinois)
The most underrated pitcher: Ben Meyer (Minnesota)
The best defensive catcher: Jason Goldstein (Illinois); Tanner Lubach (Nebraska)
The best catcher arm: Jason Goldstein (Illinois)
The best defensive infielder: Travis Maezes (Michigan); Casey Rodrigue (Indiana)
The best infield arm: Travis Maezes (Michigan)
The best defensive outfielder: Ryan Boldt (Nebraska)
The best outfield arm: Ryan Boldt (Nebraska)
The best pure hitters: Scott Donley (Indiana); Ryan Boldt (Nebraska); Travis Maezes (Michigan)
The biggest power threats: Ronnie Dawson (Ohio State); Blaise Salter (Michigan State); Jose Cuas (Maryland)
The hitter you least want to face: Scott Donley (Indiana)
The toughest hitter to strike out: Scott Donley (Indiana); Brad Hartong (Indiana)
The most underrated hitter: No player received more than one vote
The best baserunner: Will Krug (Illinois)
The best game coach: John Anderson (Minnesota)
The assistant coach most ready for a head-coaching job: Rob Fornasiere (Minnesota)
*unanimous selection
CBI: Maryland is Favorite in First Year in Big Ten
Maryland is Favorite in First Year in Big Ten
CollegeBaseballInsider.com surveyed college coaches around the country to preview the 2015 college baseball season by sharing their thoughts on the teams and players to watch in their conferences. CBI compiled their answers to provide insight on the upcoming season.
Click here for CBI Conference Previews
Today, we take a look at the Big Ten (nine of 13 coaches responded).
Conference Additions: Maryland, Rutgers
Conference Departures: None
The team to beat: Maryland
The top starting pitchers: Chance Sinclair (Nebraska); Kevin Duchene (Illinois); Tanner Tully (Ohio State)
The top closer: Tyler Jay (Illinois)
The pitcher you least want to face: Tyler Jay (Illinois)
The most underrated pitcher: Ben Meyer (Minnesota)
The best defensive catcher: Jason Goldstein (Illinois); Tanner Lubach (Nebraska)
The best catcher arm: Jason Goldstein (Illinois)
The best defensive infielder: Travis Maezes (Michigan); Casey Rodrigue (Indiana)
The best infield arm: Travis Maezes (Michigan)
The best defensive outfielder: Ryan Boldt (Nebraska)
The best outfield arm: Ryan Boldt (Nebraska)
The best pure hitters: Scott Donley (Indiana); Ryan Boldt (Nebraska); Travis Maezes (Michigan)
The biggest power threats: Ronnie Dawson (Ohio State); Blaise Salter (Michigan State); Jose Cuas (Maryland)
The hitter you least want to face: Scott Donley (Indiana)
The toughest hitter to strike out: Scott Donley (Indiana); Brad Hartong (Indiana)
The most underrated hitter: No player received more than one vote
The best baserunner: Will Krug (Illinois)
The best game coach: John Anderson (Minnesota)
The assistant coach most ready for a head-coaching job: Rob Fornasiere (Minnesota)
*unanimous selection
CBI: Maryland is Favorite in First Year in Big Ten
BA: Preseason Golden Spikes Watch List Unveiled
The 50 players on USA Baseball's preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list were unveiled Tuesday, with six of them previously semifinalists for the award for the nation's top amateur player.
The list will be fluid-meaning players can play their way on or off the list-until May 22, when semifinalists are announced.
USA Baseball formed a 13-person committee that selects the watch list and semifinalists and that panel includes Baseball America editor-in-chief John Manuel.
"It is hard to believe that we will be presenting the Golden Spikes Award for the 38th time this June," USA Baseball's executive director/CEO Paul Seiler said in a news release. "2015 looks to be another outstanding year for amateur baseball and we can't wait to follow the competition across all levels of the game this season."
Six players on the watch list have previously been named semifinalists, including Virginia junior lefthander Nathan Kirby, Florida Gulf Coast junior righthander Michael Murray and Florida State junior outfielder D.J. Stewart, who were semifinalists last year, while UCLA senior righthander David Berg, LSU junior shortstop Alex Bregman and Cal State Fullerton junior righthander Thomas Eshelman reached the semis in 2013.
Also appearing on the list are three non-NCAA Division I players, including Phil Bickford, the righthander who left Cal State Fullerton for JC of Southern Nevada in order to have 2015 draft eligibility; Two-time Division III national player and pitcher of the year Chris Haddeland, a senior righthander at Linfield, and Lake Mary (Fla.) High shortstop Brendan Rodgers, the top high school draft prospect.
Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2015. On May 22, fans will be able to vote on the semifinalists at GoldenSpikesAward.com, and on June 3, USA Baseball will announce the finalists and fan voting will start that day.
The 2015 Golden Spikes Award winner will be named on June 23 at a presentation in Los Angeles.
Last year, University of Kentucky's two-way star, A.J. Reed, took home the award, joining a group of recent winners that includes Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Trevor Bauer (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Buster Posey (2008).
The anticipated timeline for the 2015 Golden Spikes Award announcements is:
• April 9: 60-man midseason watch list
• May 7: 30-man preliminary list
• May 22: Semifinalists, voting begins
• May 29: Semifinalists voting ends
• June 3: Finalists, voting begins
• June 12: Finalists voting ends
• June 23: Trophy presentation
PRESEASON GOLDEN SPIKES WATCH LIST
Name Position Class School
David Berg RHP Senior UCLA
Phil Bickford RHP Sophomore JC of Southern Nevada
Alex Bregman SS Junior LSU
Walker Buehler RHP Junior Vanderbilt
Austin Byler 3B Senior Nevada
Shaun Chase C Senior Oregon
Zack Collins C Sophomore Miami
Wil Crowe RHP Sophomore South Carolina
Tyler Davis RHP Senior Washington
Steven Duggar OF Junior Clemson
Thomas Eshelman RHP Junior Cal State Fullerton
Riley Ferrell RHP Junior TCU
Blake Fox LHP Junior Rice
Carson Fulmer RHP Junior Vanderbilt
Kyle Funkhouser RHP Junior Louisville
Justin Garza RHP Junior Cal State Fullerton
Eric Gutierrez 1B Junior Texas Tech
Chris Haddeland RHP Senior Linfield
Ian Happ OF Junior Cincinnati
Tyler Jay LHP Junior Illinois
Casey Jones OF Senior Elon
James Kaprielian RHP Junior UCLA
Nathan Kirby LHP Junior Virginia
Jake Lemoine RHP Junior Houston
Brett Lilek LHP Junior Arizona State
Richie Martin SS Junior Florida
Tate Matheny OF Junior Missouri State
Michael Matuella RHP Junior Duke
Andrew Moore RHP Junior Oregon State
Preston Morrison RHP Senior TCU
Michael Murray RHP Junior Florida Gulf Coast
Sheldon Neuse 3B Sophomore Oklahoma
Kevin Newman SS Junior Arizona
Connor Panas 3B Senior Canisius
Cal Quantrill RHP Sophomore Stanford
Brendan Rodgers SS High School Lake Mary (Fla.) HS
Chris Shaw OF Junior Boston College
Logan Shore RHP Sophomore Florida
DJ Stewart OF Junior Florida State
Christin Stewart OF Junior Tennessee
Andrew Suarez LHP RS-Junior Miami
Dansby Swanson SS Junior Vanderbilt
Keegan Thompson RHP Sophomore Auburn
Trent Thornton RHP Junior North Carolina
Blake Trahan SS Junior Louisiana-Lafayette
Christian Trent LHP Junior Mississippi
Robert Tyler RHP Sophomore Georgia
Brandon Waddell LHP Junior Virginia
Colin Welmon RHP Senior Loyola Marymount
Mikey White SS Junior Alabama
BA: Preseason Golden Spikes Watch List Unveiled
The 50 players on USA Baseball's preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list were unveiled Tuesday, with six of them previously semifinalists for the award for the nation's top amateur player.
The list will be fluid-meaning players can play their way on or off the list-until May 22, when semifinalists are announced.
USA Baseball formed a 13-person committee that selects the watch list and semifinalists and that panel includes Baseball America editor-in-chief John Manuel.
"It is hard to believe that we will be presenting the Golden Spikes Award for the 38th time this June," USA Baseball's executive director/CEO Paul Seiler said in a news release. "2015 looks to be another outstanding year for amateur baseball and we can't wait to follow the competition across all levels of the game this season."
Six players on the watch list have previously been named semifinalists, including Virginia junior lefthander Nathan Kirby, Florida Gulf Coast junior righthander Michael Murray and Florida State junior outfielder D.J. Stewart, who were semifinalists last year, while UCLA senior righthander David Berg, LSU junior shortstop Alex Bregman and Cal State Fullerton junior righthander Thomas Eshelman reached the semis in 2013.
Also appearing on the list are three non-NCAA Division I players, including Phil Bickford, the righthander who left Cal State Fullerton for JC of Southern Nevada in order to have 2015 draft eligibility; Two-time Division III national player and pitcher of the year Chris Haddeland, a senior righthander at Linfield, and Lake Mary (Fla.) High shortstop Brendan Rodgers, the top high school draft prospect.
Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2015. On May 22, fans will be able to vote on the semifinalists at GoldenSpikesAward.com, and on June 3, USA Baseball will announce the finalists and fan voting will start that day.
The 2015 Golden Spikes Award winner will be named on June 23 at a presentation in Los Angeles.
Last year, University of Kentucky's two-way star, A.J. Reed, took home the award, joining a group of recent winners that includes Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Trevor Bauer (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Buster Posey (2008).
The anticipated timeline for the 2015 Golden Spikes Award announcements is:
• April 9: 60-man midseason watch list
• May 7: 30-man preliminary list
• May 22: Semifinalists, voting begins
• May 29: Semifinalists voting ends
• June 3: Finalists, voting begins
• June 12: Finalists voting ends
• June 23: Trophy presentation
PRESEASON GOLDEN SPIKES WATCH LIST
Name Position Class School
David Berg RHP Senior UCLA
Phil Bickford RHP Sophomore JC of Southern Nevada
Alex Bregman SS Junior LSU
Walker Buehler RHP Junior Vanderbilt
Austin Byler 3B Senior Nevada
Shaun Chase C Senior Oregon
Zack Collins C Sophomore Miami
Wil Crowe RHP Sophomore South Carolina
Tyler Davis RHP Senior Washington
Steven Duggar OF Junior Clemson
Thomas Eshelman RHP Junior Cal State Fullerton
Riley Ferrell RHP Junior TCU
Blake Fox LHP Junior Rice
Carson Fulmer RHP Junior Vanderbilt
Kyle Funkhouser RHP Junior Louisville
Justin Garza RHP Junior Cal State Fullerton
Eric Gutierrez 1B Junior Texas Tech
Chris Haddeland RHP Senior Linfield
Ian Happ OF Junior Cincinnati
Tyler Jay LHP Junior Illinois
Casey Jones OF Senior Elon
James Kaprielian RHP Junior UCLA
Nathan Kirby LHP Junior Virginia
Jake Lemoine RHP Junior Houston
Brett Lilek LHP Junior Arizona State
Richie Martin SS Junior Florida
Tate Matheny OF Junior Missouri State
Michael Matuella RHP Junior Duke
Andrew Moore RHP Junior Oregon State
Preston Morrison RHP Senior TCU
Michael Murray RHP Junior Florida Gulf Coast
Sheldon Neuse 3B Sophomore Oklahoma
Kevin Newman SS Junior Arizona
Connor Panas 3B Senior Canisius
Cal Quantrill RHP Sophomore Stanford
Brendan Rodgers SS High School Lake Mary (Fla.) HS
Chris Shaw OF Junior Boston College
Logan Shore RHP Sophomore Florida
DJ Stewart OF Junior Florida State
Christin Stewart OF Junior Tennessee
Andrew Suarez LHP RS-Junior Miami
Dansby Swanson SS Junior Vanderbilt
Keegan Thompson RHP Sophomore Auburn
Trent Thornton RHP Junior North Carolina
Blake Trahan SS Junior Louisiana-Lafayette
Christian Trent LHP Junior Mississippi
Robert Tyler RHP Sophomore Georgia
Brandon Waddell LHP Junior Virginia
Colin Welmon RHP Senior Loyola Marymount
Mikey White SS Junior Alabama
BA: Preseason Golden Spikes Watch List Unveiled
CBD: NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (NCBWA) - Thirty-seven players have been named to the initial watch list for the 11th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball, the association announced Tuesday.
UC Irvine senior Sam Moore and UCLA senior David Berg - the national leaders in saves in 2014 and 2013, respectively - headline this year's list of preseason nominees. Moore was a 2014 NCBWA first-team All-American and finalist for the 2014 Stopper of the Year Award after posting nation-best 23 saves and a 1.90 ERA in 42.2 innings, while Berg led the country with 24 saves en route to being named the 2013 Stopper of the Year and leading the Bruins to their first College World Series title.
Twenty-five of the 37 players on the watch list notched double-digit saves last season, including All-Americans Riley Ferrell (TCU) and Bryan Garcia (Miami). Thirteen players on the watch list also earned NCBWA preseason All-America honors: Ferrell, Garcia, Berg, Moore, Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan), Matt Ditman (Rice), Andres Gracia (Samford), Reilly Hovis (North Carolina), Skylar Hunter (The Citadel), Tyler Jay (Illinois), Brandon Koch (Dallas Baptist), Hayden Stone (Vanderbilt) and Travis Stout (Jacksonville State).
The Pac-12 and Big Ten Conferences led the way with five players each on this year's watch list, while the Atlantic Coast, Big West and Southern Conferences each had three. Four conferences have two players apiece on the list: the Southeastern, Mountain West, Missouri Valley and Mid-American Conferences.
The 2015 Stopper of the Year watch list will be updated with a midseason release the week of April 20, including the national saves leaders. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released Wednesday, June 3, prior to start of NCAA Super Regional competition.
The NCBWA's All-America Committee will select the winner, with this year's recipient to be announced during the 2015 College World Series.
Texas hurler J. Brent Cox won the inaugural Stopper of the Year Award in 2005, with Don Czyz of Kansas claiming the honor in 2006 and Luke Prihoda of Sam Houston State winning it in 2007. Georgia's Joshua Fields topped the field in 2008, San Diego State's Addison Reed grabbed the honor in 2009 and Texas' Chance Ruffin earned the honor in 2010. The Longhorns' Corey Knebel won in 2011 with Southeastern Louisiana's Stefan Lopez picking up the honor in 2012. UCLA's Berg was crowned the winner in 2013, while Louisville's Nick Burdi took home the 2014 honor.
The NCBWA, founded in 1962, presents the Dick Howser Trophy to the nation's top player. It also selects All-America Teams for all Divisions, a Division I Freshman All-American team, Division I and III Players of the Week, Division I District Players of the Year and Division III Players of the Year.
2015 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
Pitcher School Class
David Berg UCLA Sr.
Gabe Berman Western Michigan Jr.
Tim Black Central Michigan Sr.
Ryan Burr Arizona State Jr.
Thomas Burrows Alabama So.
Jacob Cronenworth Michigan Jr.
Kyle Davis Southern Cal Jr.
Matt Ditman Rice Jr.
Matt Eckelman Saint Louis Jr.
Andrew Elliott Wright State Sr.
Riley Ferrell TCU Jr.
Aaron Fossas Wake Forest Jr.
Bryan Garcia Miami So.
Andres Gracia Samford Sr.
Ian Hamilton Washington State So.
Reilly Hovis North Carolina Jr.
Skylar Hunter The Citadel Jr.
Tyler Jay Illinois Jr.
Reece Karalus Santa Clara So.
Ryan Keaffaber Indiana State So.
Brandon Koch Dallas Baptist Jr.
Joe Kuzia St. John's Sr.
Sutter McLoughlin Sacramento State Jr.
Kevin Mooney Maryland Jr.
Sam Moore UC Irvine Sr.
Ashton Perritt Liberty Sr.
Tyler Powell Western Carolina Sr.
Troy Rallings Washington Jr.
Josh Roeder Nebraska Sr.
Victor Sanchez New Mexico Jr.
Hayden Stone Vanderbilt So.
Zach Stone UC Davis So.
Travis Stout Jacksonville State Sr.
Dillon Tate UCSB Jr.
Brayden Torres UNLV Jr.
Tyler Warmoth Stetson r-Jr.
Jon Young Rutgers Sr.
CBD: NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (NCBWA) - Thirty-seven players have been named to the initial watch list for the 11th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball, the association announced Tuesday.
UC Irvine senior Sam Moore and UCLA senior David Berg - the national leaders in saves in 2014 and 2013, respectively - headline this year's list of preseason nominees. Moore was a 2014 NCBWA first-team All-American and finalist for the 2014 Stopper of the Year Award after posting nation-best 23 saves and a 1.90 ERA in 42.2 innings, while Berg led the country with 24 saves en route to being named the 2013 Stopper of the Year and leading the Bruins to their first College World Series title.
Twenty-five of the 37 players on the watch list notched double-digit saves last season, including All-Americans Riley Ferrell (TCU) and Bryan Garcia (Miami). Thirteen players on the watch list also earned NCBWA preseason All-America honors: Ferrell, Garcia, Berg, Moore, Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan), Matt Ditman (Rice), Andres Gracia (Samford), Reilly Hovis (North Carolina), Skylar Hunter (The Citadel), Tyler Jay (Illinois), Brandon Koch (Dallas Baptist), Hayden Stone (Vanderbilt) and Travis Stout (Jacksonville State).
The Pac-12 and Big Ten Conferences led the way with five players each on this year's watch list, while the Atlantic Coast, Big West and Southern Conferences each had three. Four conferences have two players apiece on the list: the Southeastern, Mountain West, Missouri Valley and Mid-American Conferences.
The 2015 Stopper of the Year watch list will be updated with a midseason release the week of April 20, including the national saves leaders. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released Wednesday, June 3, prior to start of NCAA Super Regional competition.
The NCBWA's All-America Committee will select the winner, with this year's recipient to be announced during the 2015 College World Series.
Texas hurler J. Brent Cox won the inaugural Stopper of the Year Award in 2005, with Don Czyz of Kansas claiming the honor in 2006 and Luke Prihoda of Sam Houston State winning it in 2007. Georgia's Joshua Fields topped the field in 2008, San Diego State's Addison Reed grabbed the honor in 2009 and Texas' Chance Ruffin earned the honor in 2010. The Longhorns' Corey Knebel won in 2011 with Southeastern Louisiana's Stefan Lopez picking up the honor in 2012. UCLA's Berg was crowned the winner in 2013, while Louisville's Nick Burdi took home the 2014 honor.
The NCBWA, founded in 1962, presents the Dick Howser Trophy to the nation's top player. It also selects All-America Teams for all Divisions, a Division I Freshman All-American team, Division I and III Players of the Week, Division I District Players of the Year and Division III Players of the Year.
2015 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
Pitcher School Class
David Berg UCLA Sr.
Gabe Berman Western Michigan Jr.
Tim Black Central Michigan Sr.
Ryan Burr Arizona State Jr.
Thomas Burrows Alabama So.
Jacob Cronenworth Michigan Jr.
Kyle Davis Southern Cal Jr.
Matt Ditman Rice Jr.
Matt Eckelman Saint Louis Jr.
Andrew Elliott Wright State Sr.
Riley Ferrell TCU Jr.
Aaron Fossas Wake Forest Jr.
Bryan Garcia Miami So.
Andres Gracia Samford Sr.
Ian Hamilton Washington State So.
Reilly Hovis North Carolina Jr.
Skylar Hunter The Citadel Jr.
Tyler Jay Illinois Jr.
Reece Karalus Santa Clara So.
Ryan Keaffaber Indiana State So.
Brandon Koch Dallas Baptist Jr.
Joe Kuzia St. John's Sr.
Sutter McLoughlin Sacramento State Jr.
Kevin Mooney Maryland Jr.
Sam Moore UC Irvine Sr.
Ashton Perritt Liberty Sr.
Tyler Powell Western Carolina Sr.
Troy Rallings Washington Jr.
Josh Roeder Nebraska Sr.
Victor Sanchez New Mexico Jr.
Hayden Stone Vanderbilt So.
Zach Stone UC Davis So.
Travis Stout Jacksonville State Sr.
Dillon Tate UCSB Jr.
Brayden Torres UNLV Jr.
Tyler Warmoth Stetson r-Jr.
Jon Young Rutgers Sr.
CBD: NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
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