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Wednesday (3/11) News Links

LJS: Huskers win home opener

Nobody wanted to wait any longer.

Not the players, not the people standing in line for tickets, not the weatherman.

"It seems like it took forever to get here, but it was worth it," said Nebraska second baseman Jake Schleppenbach. "The crowd behind you. The whole day was awesome."

Nebraska scored seven runs on just three hits in the first two innings and rolled to a 9-3 victory over Northern Colorado on a brilliant Tuesday afternoon before 4,121 fans for the season home opener at Haymarket Park.

Husker third baseman Blake Headley, the team leader in runs batted in, tripled to score Schleppenbach and Ryan Boldt, who had walked, in the first inning. Austin Darby doubled in two more runs in the second after two bases-loaded walks given up by the Bears.

Headley tripled again in the eighth and Ben Miller singled him in during the two-run inning.

"We took advantage of a few walks and, after a lull, we adjusted and played OK," said Schleppenbach, who last played at Haymarket Park as a senior at Lincoln Pius X. "I just had to remember to slow things down and make sure each thing I did was positive."

Nebraska freshman Garrett King said he had to slow the game down as well.

After he gave up a couple of walks in the second inning, he settled in on the mound for the Huskers. He gave up just three hits and a run in four innings, and picked up the win.

"Breathing - deep inhale through the nose, get the sign from the catcher, and a big exhale through the mouth helped me find my zen moment and get pretty comfortable," said King, a California native. "And besides, this weather was just like back home. The difference was having 4,100 people behind every pitch I threw."

NU coach Darin Erstad, whose team is 8-6, was pleased the Huskers jumped on mistakes by Northern Colorado early. The Bears starter, Spencer Applebach, walked four, and reliever Dylan Shiraki walked two and hit one batter. The Bears (2-6) booted a ball in the first inning and two more in the eighth.

"One thing was that we took advantage of their mistakes, and we haven't had teams make a whole lot of mistakes against us so far," Erstad said. "We're fighting, competing, trying. We didn't get a lot of hits today, but we stayed positive. It's going to come.

"When you're not swinging the bat well, you find ways to score, and today we took advantage of mistakes."

Nebraska collected eight hits, including two by Austin Darby, who has raised his average from .154 a week ago to .241 after Tuesday's game.

The Huskers play 15 more home games before hitting the road April 1.

Nebraska and Northern Colorado face off at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Huskers will start freshman Zack Engelken, who threw 22/3 innings of relief against BYU on Feb. 21.

LJS: Huskers win home opener
 
NU: Huskers Post 37th Straight Home Opening Win

Lincoln - The Nebraska baseball team (8-6, 0-0 Big Ten) won its 37th straight home opener on Tuesday afternoon at Hawks Field with a 9-3 win over the Northern Colorado Bears (2-6, 0-0 WAC). The Huskers scored seven of their runs in the first two innings, and senior Blake Headley led the NU offensive attack with a pair of triples.

4,121 fans came out to watch the Huskers on a beautiful afternoon, as temperatures reached the low 70's. It was the largest crowd for a home opener since 2012, when 4,169 fans came out to watch the Huskers beat Kansas State.

After freshman Garett King notched a 1-2-3 first inning in his the start of his NU career, the Husker offense gave King some run support with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Following a pair of walks to Jake Schleppenbach and Ryan Boldt, Headley delivered his first triple of the game to give the Huskers a 2-0 lead. Headley then crossed the plate on an RBI by Ben Miller.

The Huskers loaded the bases with no outs in the second and the Bears forced in a pair of runs when reliever Dylan Shiraki hit Miller and walked Luis Alvarado. Austin Darby then pushed NU's lead to 7-0 with a two-RBI double.

The Bears cut into Nebraska's lead with a run in the fourth and a pair of runs in the eighth to make it a 7-3 game, but another triple by Headley along with Miller's third RBI of the game in the bottom of the eighth pushed NU's lead back to six runs at 9-3.

Colton Howell polished off the win in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts and King earned the win, his first as a Husker.

The Huskers and Bears will be back in action tomorrow afternoon at 1:35 p.m. for the second game of their two-game series. A pair of freshmen right handers are scheduled to start tomorrow, Zack Engelken for the Huskers and Zach Heath for the Bears.

NU: Huskers Post 37th Straight Home Opening Win
 
@NCBearsBaseball Drops Series Opener to Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. - After spotting Nebraska seven runs in the first two innings, UNC's baseball team finally gained some composure, but it was far too late as the Cornhuskers cruised to take the first of this two-game series 9-3 at Haymarket Park.

Northern Colorado's starting pitcher Spencer Applebach was roughed up for five earned runs on two hits and four walks in his inning-plus of work. Dylan Shiraki inherited a jam in the second inning and allowed two more runs but settled down over his next three frames to only allow three total hits with two strikeouts.

UNC got on the board in the fourth inning when catcher Payton Tapia doubled to right-center field to score Jensen Park from second to cut the score to 7-1.

The Bears relief pitching was the star of the show, holding Nebraska to just three baserunners between the third and seventh innings. At the plate, UNC got the leadoff man on in every inning between the third and eighth but came away with just two extra runs, in the eighth off a single from Brandon Vaughn and a sac fly from Tapia.

The Huskers added a pair of runs in the eighth, as well, recording two hits and two stolen bases while taking advantage of two UNC errors to account for the final margin.

"We need to eliminate the free passes, and I've been preaching to our guys we need to start now," head coach Carl Iwasaki said. "We had 10 freebies - six walks and four errors. If we eliminate that, we have a chance to compete."

Alex Werbach pitched a perfect sixth inning for UNC, and Brett Minnick pitched 1.2 innings, giving up two runs on two hits with a strikeout.

Tapia went 1-for-2 at the dish with his pair of RBIs, Park scored two runs and Rob Cashel went 2-for-4 and added a nifty diving grab in the right-field gap at the start of the fifth inning.

UNC outhit Nebraska 11-8, but Nebraska's few hits hurt quite a bit. Blake Headley had two triples for the Huskers, and everybody in the top-four of the order scored at least one run.

"These guys are veterans, and they hunt opportunity," Iwasaki said of Nebraska's lineup. "They timely hit today in the eighth inning and at the start. We can defend against that, but we have to eliminate the costly free passes."

The Bears will have freshman Zach Heath on the mound Wednesday as he makes his second career start. He last pitched Saturday against North Dakota State when he went 4.2 innings and gave up one run on three hits with three strikeouts.

"The reason to come back tomorrow is because we got a bad taste in our mouth," Iwasaki said. "Heath will start for us, and I think he learned from the other guys today, and he's going to come out and give us a chance early on."

The Bears face the Huskers at 12:35 p.m. MT Wednesday at Haymarket Park.

@NCBearsBaseball Drops Series Opener to Nebraska
 
PG - National college notes: March 10

Draft Watch

Here is how the players currently ranked among the top 50 of Perfect Game's top 250 draft-eligible prospects have fared so far this season.

Hitters

Rk. Player Pos. School Stats
6 Dansby Swanson SS Vanderbilt .354/.419/.538, 5 2B, 1 HR, 7 SB
16 Richie Martin SS Florida .283/.429/.415, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 SB
17 Alex Bregman SS Louisiana State .338/.397/.554, 6 2B, 2 HR, 12 SB
20 Ian Happ OF Cincinnati .511/.623/.936, 5 2B, 5 HR, 3 SB
25 Christin Stewart OF Tennessee .316/.460/.605, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR
26 D.J. Stewart OF Florida State .292/.528/.667, 3 2B, 5 HR, 2 SB
34 Chris Shaw OF Boston College .244/.375/.533, 1 2B, 4 HR, 19 RBI
40 Gio Brusa OF Pacific .217/.368/.435, 4 2B, 2 HR
44 Steven Duggar OF Clemson .255/.344/.294, 2 2B, 9 BB, 2 SB
47th-ranked prospect, Joe McCarthy, out with back injury

Pitchers

Rk. Player Pos. School Stats
3 Michael Matuella RHP Duke 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 10 IP, 9:4
4 Kyle Funkhouser RHP Louisville 1-2, 3.38 ERA, 24 IP, 28:10
5 Walker Buehler RHP Vanderbilt 0-0, 1.50 ERA, 6 IP, 7:3
8 Carson Fulmer RHP Vanderbilt 3-0, 0.81 ERA, 22.1 IP, 33:13
11 Cody Ponce RHP Cal Poly Pomona 1-0, 1.08 ERA, 8.1 IP, 11:2
14 Nathan Kirby LHP Virginia 3-1, 0.71 ERA, 25.1 IP, 37:10
18 Kyle Cody RHP Kentucky 2-1, 3.43 ERA, 21 IP, 26:3
19 Jake Lemoine RHP Houston 1-1, 3.63 ERA, 22.1 IP, 14:3
21 Riley Ferrell RHP Texas Christian 0-0, 1.17 ERA, 5 SV, 7.2 IP, 11:5
27 James Kaprelian RHP UCLA 3-1, 3.33 ERA, 24.1 IP, 29:3
29 Dillon Tate RHP UC Santa Barbara 3-1, 0.96 ERA, 28 IP, 35:11
31 Alex Young LHP Texas Christian 3-0, 1.29 ERA, 21 IP, 21:3
36 Brett Lilek LHP Arizona State 1-1, 4.91 ERA, 18.1 IP, 19:11
38 Tyler Ferguson RHP Vanderbilt 0-0, 24.30 ERA, 3.1 IP, 3:14
43 Marc Brakeman RHP Stanford 0-1, 3.71 ERA, 17 IP, 13:7
30th-ranked prospect, Jon Duplantier, out with arm soreness



Freshman/Sophomore Stat Pack

During the course of the season our friends at CollegeSplits.com are going to be providing statistical leaders in the freshmen and sophomore classes in five different offensive categories and four different pitching categories. Each week we will choose one of those categories to share in the weekly PG college baseball national notebook, starting with home runs for the hitters and strikeouts for pitchers.


Home Runs


Freshmen



Sophomores

Rk. Name School HR
Rk. Name School HR
1 K.J. Harrison Oregon State 6
1 Kyle Lewis Mercer 6
2 Kel Johnson Georgia Tech 5
2 Matt Thaiss Virginia 5
3 P.J. Harris Alabama State 3
2 Sheldon Neuse Oklahoma 5
3 Pavin Smith Virginia 3
4 Andrew Martinez UC Irvine 4
3 Keston Hiura UC Irvine 3
4 Will Craig Wake Forest 4
3 Randy Righter Bowling Green 3
4 Weston Wilson Clemson 4
3 J.J. Schwarz Florida 3
4 Chris DeVito New Mexico 4
3 Alex Destino South Carolina 3
4 Nate Palace Valparaiso 4
3 Brett Cumberland California 3





38 tied with two



16 tied with three



Strikeouts


Freshmen



Sophomores

Rk. Name School Ks
Rk. Name School Ks
1 Eddie Macaluso Iona 30
1 Brady Bramlett Mississippi 34
2 Drew Rasmussen Oregon State 27
2 T.J. Zeuch Pittsburgh 32
3 David Peterson Oregon 26
2 Parker Dunshee Wake Forest 32
3 Alex Lange Louisiana State 26
2 Alec Hansen Oklahoma 32
5 J.B. Bukauskas North Carolina 24
5 Anthony Kay Connecticut 31
6 Griffin Canning UCLA 23
5 Wil Crowe South Carolina 31
6 Michael Baumann Jacksonville 23
7 Boomer Biegalski Florida State 30
6 Seth Oliver Texas Southern 23
7 Mike Shawaryn Maryland 30
9 Glenn Otto Rice 22
9 Keegan Akin Western Michigan 29
9 Ryan Wilson Pepperdine 22
9 Daulton Jefferies California 29
9 Will Gaddis Furman 22




9 Tanner Houck Missouri 22







The following reports comes courtesy of Nick Faleris and Baseball Prospectus as part of their weekly Draft 10 Pack feature. To view the full feature please visit Baseball Prospectus and follow Nick on Twitter @NickJFaleris.



Scouting Report: Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt

Swanson entered the season as one of the top position players in this year's draft class and has thus far done little to dissuade evaluators from confidently projecting him as a top half of the first round talent. At present, the Vandy standout projects to have four above average or better tools with an outside shot at pushing his playable power to average as well. The profile is that of an up-the-middle impact talent, and Swanson showed every bit of that upside in last Friday's matchup against UCLA.

In the box, Swanson boasts a contact-friendly swing anchored by terrific balance throughout and a steady head and hands from load through finish. He utilizes a minimalist rock/load and launch with a quick trigger and good barrel acceleration, allowing him to square-up balls across the zone with regularity. The ball jumps and comes with solid carry, though the power and swing project more to fringe average and skewed to the gaps as of today. There is enough natural strength and bat speed for Swanson to tease out more over-the-fence pop in time as he continues to grow as a hitter and more regularly identify situations where he can add some length, leverage and lift. He's quick out of the box, registering home-to-first times of 4.15 and 4.22 on Friday, and regularly clocks in the 55 to 60 range on the 20/80 scouting scale.

Swanson gave evaluators a taste of his talents at shortstop this past summer with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and has continued to prove more than capable of holding down the position after serving as the Vandy second baseman on last year's National Championship squad. His overall athleticism and lower-half feel have made for an easy transition to the six spot, with the potential first-rounder showing clean actions and solid range across his zone. More importantly, his precision in movement, arm strength, and hands allow him to max out on his functional range and give him the ability to finish plays at the margins with regularity.

With only a portion of the season in the books, Swanson has exited the starting gates in midseason form and appears to be laying a solid foundation for early first-round consideration. He represents one of the better potential hit tools in the draft class, above-average speed, and an up-the-middle glove that looks at home on the left side of the keystone. If he can maintain this level of play, it may be difficult for the rest of the collegiate position players to keep up with the pace being set.


James Kaprielian, RHP, UCLA

In a marque matchup against Vanderbilt ace and fellow first round hopeful Carson Fulmer, Kaprielian struggled to find his stride early in the contest, ultimately settling in but falling shy of the forceful statement evaluators were hoping to witness. The righty battled his fastball command in the first, all but abandoning the offering in favor of his curve, slider, and changeup, the latter proving most effective in helping him to work out of his early jams.

Over the course of his start Kaprielian was better able to spot his 89-91 mph heater, which allowed for his curveball and slider to play up substantially. While he was able to register some 92s and 93s early on, the pitch played mostly in the upper-80s through the later innings, showing some occasional natural cut.

The changeup, while at times a little too firm, serves as his best secondary offering at present and likewise projects as his standout offering at the next level. He worked the offering between 83-85 mph throughout the start, showing good arm speed and deception, with solid tumble that drew empty swings and soft contact alike.

The curve is a deep 11-to-5 breaker with solid shape but inconsistent bite, flashing above average but most frequently playing and projecting alike as solid average in the upper-70s to low-80s velo band. The slider is an 83-84 mph offering that can show sharp late action but will also lose depth and hug the swing plane when he isn't able to stay on top of the pitch.

Overall, it was far from Kaprielian's best outing, though his ability to right the ship and battle into the sixth inning after being taxed with 50-plus pitches through his first two frames was a silver lining. From the third inning on the Bruins' ace showed a high level of comfort mixing each of his offerings and varying his sequencing, helping to keep a talented 'Dores lineup at bay before ultimately tiring in the fifth and sixth and succumbing to hard contact.

He'll need to continue to improve his consistency in execution across the board, and tangentially his ability to spot his pitches in and just outside of the zone, and the lack of power stuff will always limit his margin for error as he climbs the pro ranks. There is mid-rotation upside here predicated on the potential for above average command and a plus changeup, backed by three additional average or better major league offerings, with a more likely outcome as a solid back-end option.


Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt

Fulmer is one of the more exciting college arms in the game, coming with a high-effort, high speed motion that screams explosiveness. The diminuitive righty had his power stuff on display Friday against UCLA, hitting a lively 94 mph with the consistency of a pitching machine throughout the early innings, touching some 95s, and ultimately settling around 92 for the latter half of the 6 1/3 inning start.

Fulmer did a solid job early on keeping the heater around the plate and often sprayed the offering throughout the zone. There's plenty of feel to elevate the pitch when called for and a chance for average control, though that may depend on his ultimate role and ability to maintain his stamina and mechanics in that role.

Fulmer's best secondary is a malleable power curve that plays 79-83 mph, with the Vandy righty showing an ability to alter shape and depth. He has a tendency to overthrow the offering, in particular burying the pitch early in the count, which can force him to work from behind more often than one would like. When ahead in the count, the breaker can be a weapon thanks to solid pitch plane deception and good action. His change is a third potential average offering, though on Friday he generally relegated the mid-80s cambio to a change-of-pace pitch to same-side bats.

Fulmer's arsenal and aggressive approach make him an impressive force as a Friday night collegiate arm, though the overall stuff isn't as exciting when projecting to a starter role at the pro ranks. There are the obvious questions as to whether his smaller stature and high effort mechanics will limit his overall effectiveness, both due to his tendency to rack up higher pitch counts and through the day-to-day wear and tear of a pro starter's workload.

It's possible Fulmer proves up to the task, physically, in which case his pure stuff and command/control profile project to a potential solid mid-rotation arm.

In short bursts Fulmer has shown little issue sitting in the 94-97 mph range without much loss of life, and by removing the need to turnover lineups the power righty could focus on fine-tuning his two best offerings rather than further developing the change piece. Perhaps more importantly, the impact of his loose command and average control could be greatly minimized with more limited exposure against advanced pro lineups and his personality and presence on the bump would seem to dovetail with the profile commonly sought after for high-leverage pro relief work.

Fulmer without question looks the part of a first round talent, with his ultimate value likely tied to the balance of his starter portfolio come June. If he can finish the season with the same quality of stuff that has marked his first few outings he could earn a long enough leash to begin his pro career on a starter's trajectory, which could find him in the top 15 picks or so.

National Notes

• Here's a statistic for any remaining doubters of the new flat-seamed college baseball: from the 2005 season to present, only five true freshman hitters have hit 20 or more home runs in their rookie season. K.J. Harrison of Oregon State looks like No. 6 as his six round trippers and 22 RBI put him on pace for 21 home runs and 77 RBI. Here is the list Harrison is chasing:

Year, Player/School, Home Runs

2005, Beau Mills, Fresno State - 22
2006, Pedro Alvarez, Vanderbilt - 22
2009, Troy Channing, St. Mary's - 20
2009, Anthony Rendon, Rice - 20
2010, Jeremy Baltz, St. John's - 24

The draft pedigree of this group is strong to quite strong. Alvarez, Rendon, and Mills were all first rounders going with the second, sixth, and 13th overall picks in their respective drafts. And Baltz went in the second round of the 2012 draft. Harrison was a well-regarded high school prospect coming out of Hawaii, and if this group sets the precedent then his stock is rising.

• Mark Mathias of Cal Poly is back in the Mustang lineup as the designated hitter - he had labrum surgery in December - and the defending Big West Player of the Year is already making a huge impact. Cal Poly started the year 1-6 without Mathias, and they are now 3-2 in his five starts since. Mathias is hitting .391 with nine runs scored through those five games. If the Mustangs pitching staff finds its footing then this is a team that becomes very dangerous late in the year.

• Ironically, the Sunday matchup of the Arizona State/Long Beach State series was the one targeted by scouts last weekend. The Sun Devils' Brett Lilek was moved to the Sunday spot in the rotation and the Dirtbags' freshman sensation Chris Mathewson was coming off of seven innings of no-hit baseball in just his second collegiate start last week against Wichita State.

Lilek earned the win for just his second victory in his last 14 starts. While the win is a debatable statistic, in this instance it reveals Lilek's biggest issue right now: pitch efficiency. Lilek's fastball wasn't as hot as usual, sitting at 88-91 and touching 92 mph, but he once again displayed a loose arm and strong frame. Lilek continues to struggle in finding a consistent second pitch he can rely on and his fastball command comes and goes. However, you can see why he entices scouts as the arm works well and the fastball has almost no effort to it.

Mathewson's velocity fails to impress at 85-88 mph but you can see why he has had early success in his college career. His two gifts are spin and the ability to pitch in. Mathewson relies heavily on his multiple breaking balls and he can manipulate the velocity of those pitches anywhere from the low-70s to the low-80s. At times, Mathewson showcased a true 12-to-6 curveball with sharp downward action, a rare pitch in college baseball. The fastball velocity might be a tick down as Mathewson continues to recover from a preseason knee issue, but the pitch plays up because he pounds righthanded hitters on the inner half. The combination of Mathewson's breaking stuff plus his fearless attacking inside will surely make him a force to reckon with in the Big West.

• Justin Langley could be a significant pop-up player in regards to this year's draft. A draft-eligible sophomore who missed most of the 2014 season due to injury, Langley is a 6-foot-6, 225-pound sophomore lefthander for Wisconsin-Milwaukee that has seen his fastball velocity bump up to the 89-92 range while touching 93 mph regularly. He uses his stature very well to create sharp downhill plane on his pitches, and has proven to be somewhat of a giant killer the past couple of weeks. After pitching six strong innings again Grand Canyon, Langley was inserted into the Friday role against Missouri this past weekend, out-dueling Reggie McClain while punching out 10 Tigers in 5 1/3 innings. The 8-3 Panthers ended up sweeping Mizzou and Langley is currently 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA on the year, allowing only 11 base hits and eight walks in 16 1/3 innings, striking out 25.

• Speaking of big seasons, look no further than the Nintendo-based stats Alabama's Casey Hughston is posting so far this year. His slash line is .500/.515/.833 and 14 of his 30 base hits have gone for extra bases (10 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs). He also has 21 RBI and is a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts. Hughston, a physically built 6-foot-2, 205-pound sophmore, made a strong impression last summer in the Northwoods League and entered the year at PG's 63rd ranked sophomore. He turns 21 on the second day of the draft (June 9), thus making him draft-eligible, and could very well be taken that day should he continue to post big numbers.

PG - National college notes: March 10
 
BA - Tuesday Roundup: Seminoles Hang On To Beat UCF

"I am so proud of how our team battled and continued to fight back," head coach Terry Rooney said. "It is a quality and characteristic that we have shown all year. We have a tremendous offense and a group of kids collectively that continue to fight and believe."

Top 25 Upsets

San Francisco at (8) Oregon: Former Duck Connor Hofmann sparked a first-inning rally and Dominic Miroglio homered as the Dons pinned the first home loss of the season on the Ducks, 4-1. The Ducks managed just four hits and struck out 14 times, a season high. Redshirt junior lefthander Sheldon Lee (5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 7 K) was solid in his longest outing of the season and Brock Larson got his first save.

"I thought we played pretty well the last four games," San Francisco head coach Nino Giarratano told usfdons.com. "We played pretty well early in the season in stretches but we weren't able to put nine innings together. The last few games we've been able to put nine complete innings together."

(9) Southern California at UC Irvine



So much for those good feelings from the Dodgertown Classic. The Trojans, coming off a 3-0 weekend with wins over three top 10 teams in Vanderbilt, TCU and UCLA, fell behind 4-0 in the first and could not rally, falling 6-2 to UC Irvine.

The Anteaters got to starter Brooks Kriske for four runs on four hits. Alonzo Garcia got the win for UC Irvine with Kyle Davis doing the bulk of the work (3.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K) for the save.

(17) North Carolina at Coastal Carolina: The first five batters in Coastal Carolina's lineup each had two hits to back senior lefthander Austin Kerr (4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K) as the Chanticleers cruised to a 13-2 win in UNC's first trip to Conway, S.C., since 2001. Michael Paez homered and drove in three runs as Coastal pulled away with six runs in the eighth. Skye Bolt had two hits for the Tar Heels.

San Diego at (23) Cal State Fullerton

The Toreros played giant-killer again, winning their fifth in a row, all on the road, against a ranked team in the past 10 days a 9-4 win at Cal State Fullerton. The Titans managed just three hits against five San Diego pitchers, with Jacob Hill (3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K) getting the win. Ryan Kirby homered and drove in three for San Diego.

Other Top 25 Results

Fairfield at (2) Florida: Touted freshman J.J. Schwarz-the highest-ranked prep hitter (No. 73 on the BA 500) out of last year's draft to land on a D-I roster-homered, tripled and knocked in three runs and the Gators used seven pitchers to outlast Fairfield 8-7. Sophomore Eric Hanhold (3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K) got his first win in nearly a year. Fairfield scored five in the eighth to get within a run, but Taylor Lewis got the final five outs for his fifth save.

(4) Texas Christian at Loyola Marymount: The Horned Frogs ended their Los Angeles trip at 3-1 by scoring five runs in the fifth inning in a 6-2 win. Keaton Jones and Dane Steinhagen each had two hits and Cody Jones knocked in two to back starter Tyler Alexander (4 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K). Brian Howard struck out five in 2 1/3 innings for the victory.

Quinnipiac at (5) Vanderbilt


Redshirt freshman Jordan Sheffield got his first start and made the most of it, throwing six scoreless innings and allowing only three hits as Vanderbilt rebounded from two losses and a tumble in the rankings with a 9-2 win. Rhett Wiseman hit his third homer and Vandy scored four times in the fifth to break a scoreless tie and cruised from there.

Texas-Pan America at (6) Texas A&M: The Aggies continue to roll, even on a night when they managed only four hits. Some timely hitting, along with five walks and four hit-by-pitches allowed Texas A&M to scratch out four runs in its 17th straight win, 4-1. Nick Banks had an RBI single in the first for the winners. Freshman righthander Turner Larkins (3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K) got the start and Kyle Simonds threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.

Penn State at (7) South Carolina: Sophomore lefthander Josh Reagan gave up only one hit while pitching into the seventh and the Gamecocks made the most of five hits in a 3-0 win. The Gamecocks took advantage of two throwing errors by Penn State catcher Nick Graham in the bottom of the second to take a 1-0 lead. Elliott Caldwell was hit by a pitch, stole second and would advance to third and score on the errors. Back-to-back RBI doubles from Max Schrock and Kyle Martin made it 3-0 in the third. Catch all the highlights here.

(11) UCLA at Pepperdine: Senior Chris Keck hit a three-run homer in the first and impressive freshman Griffin Canning stifled the Waves on two hits over six innings as the Bruins bounced back from a rough weekend in the Dodgertown Classic for a 5-3 win. Keck's homer was his sixth, tying him for the Division I lead with several others and he now has 23 RBIs for the 12-4 Bruins. Canning struck out nine and walked none and improved to 3-1. In 25 2/3 innings, Canning has struck out 32 and walked just four.

Ole Miss at (13) Louisville



The Cardinals rapped out 11 hits, including pinch hitter Blake Tiberi's third home run, in a 5-3 win in a matchup of 2014 College World Series clubs. Ten of the hits came against Ole Miss sophomore lefthander Evan Anderson, who fell to 1-2 after allowing four runs over 4 2/3 innings. Freshman righthander Lincoln Henzman struck out four in 1 2/3 innings for the win. Catch more highlights here.

New Mexico State at (14) Texas Tech


Junior Zach Davis singled with the bases loaded in the 12th as Texas Tech escaped with a 4-3 win over New Mexico State. Four Red Raiders pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts and just one walk, with Ty Damron (6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K) doing well in the start. Junior pinch hitter Quinn Carpenter drove in Tech's first two runs of the game in the ninth inning with two outs, and sophomore infielder Ryan Long tied the game, 3-3, in the 10th inning with an RBI single to center field.

Western Kentucky at (15) Mississippi State



John Holland's RBI single in the 10th helped the Bulldogs-losers of three of four-avoid another loss in a 6-5 win. MSU entered the ninth down a run after the Hilltoppers grabbed the lead on back-to-back homers by Danny Hudzina and Kaleb Duckworth off Daniel Brown. Hudzina homered twice in the game. The Bulldogs tied the game when Seth Heck singled, and following a walk, scored on two wild pitches.

Incarnate Word at (22) Texas: The Longhorns got back-to-back homers from Tres Barrera and Brooks Marlow and six pitchers held Incarnate Word to three hits in a 7-1 win. Freshman righthander Tyler Schimpf (2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K) got his first win as Texas got scoreless relief from four relievers before Ty Marlow allowed a run over his two innings to finish it.

(24) Houston at Sam Houston State: The Cougars, trailing 7-3, exploded for 14 runs in the eighth to stun Sam Houston State 17-7. The last time the Cougars scored 10 runs in an inning was in 2010 in a 15-8 win over Texas Tech. Junior Kyle Dowdy (8 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5K) went a career-long eight innings out of the 'pen in relief of an ineffective Jared Robinson. Freshman Michael Wisz had four hits, and juniors Kyle Survance and Justin Montemayor each drove in four runs.

Chicago State at (25) Illinois



The Illini waited 15 games for their home opener and relished it, piling on 14 hits against Chicago State in a 7-3 win. Redshirt senior Reid Roper and redshirt sophomore Adam Walton each had three hits as Illinois won its first game since entering the rankings. At 12-3-1, the Illini are off to their best 16-game start under coach Dan Hartleb, who's in his 10th season, and their best since going 13-3 in 1989 under Augie Garrido. Redshirt senior Rob McDonnell (6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K) got his first win of the season.

Other Notable Games

Portland at Oregon State: The Beavers got coach Pat Casey his 900th win Tuesday night as Christian Donahue and Trever Morrison each had three hits and Michael Howard drove in three runs in a 12-3 win. The Beavers are now 14-3 and have won 10 in a row. Casey, who's been at Oregon State for 21 seasons, has 729 of his 900 wins for the Beavers, with the remainder coming at George Fox University.

Georgia Southern at Georgia Tech: Freshman sensation Kel Johnson slugged his sixth homer and Blake Jackson hit a grand slam as Georgia Tech piled up 20 hits in a 22-6 rout.

Illinois State at Florida Atlantic: FAU won its ninth in a row as juco transfer Roman Collins homered and drove in three runs in a 6-4 win.

"It was a little bit of a `trap' game," FAU coach John McCormack told fausports.com. "You come off the weekend and now they are back in school, which they hadn't done that and then they have to be out here at 12:30 p.m. … I thought it was a little bit of a `trap' with N.C. State (Wednesday) and our first road trip this weekend. We did enough to win."

Yale at Duke: The Blue Devils scored eight times in the second inning and blew out Yale 13-3. Duke had 16 hits, led by junior Kenny Koplove and freshman Justin Bellinger, who each had three hits. Freshman two-way player Jack Labosky made his first career start on the mound and tossed three scoreless innings. Check the highlights here.

BA - Tuesday Roundup: FSU Hangs On To Beat UCF
 
ESPN: Baseball Power Rankings (Week 4)

Though TCU and Virginia maintain their positions at the top, the rest of the power rankings has more moving and shaking than a Beyonce concert. One of the biggest winners of the past two weeks has to be USC, which skyrocketed onto the national scene with a three-game sweep of perennial powers at the Dodgertown Classic in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, it was a rough two weeks for teams like UCLA, South Carolina, Houston and North Carolina, who all took the plunge.

Here is who's hot and who's not in college baseball for this week.



1. TCU (10-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: 1

Of Note: A good weekend in Tinseltown saw the Horned Frogs beat UCLA and former No. 1 Vanderbilt. Their only stumble was a 12-inning loss at USC. Unfortunately, the Frogs had their entire series versus Cal Poly aced out by Mother Nature the weekend before. They could have used the strength-of-schedule points.



2. Virginia (12-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 2

Of Note: The Cavs hold on the this No. 2 slot very precariously after their bats went mostly silent in a surprisingly tight 2-1 series win over Pitt. They had just seven hits in the first two games and just 20 hits in 27 innings for the weekend.



3. Florida (14-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: 9

Of Note: With a record of 11-1 in weekend games, the Gators are breezing so far. But now the SEC portion of the schedule kicks in and they'll be hosting an angry Tennessee team this weekend. Logan Shore improved to 3-0 with eight innings of five-hit ball in a 5-0 win over Maine on March 6.


4. UCF (14-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: 15

Of Note: Unlike Houston the week before, the Knights had no trouble with pesky Columbia this past weekend, winning three straight without much drama. Right-handed starter Cre Finfrock could be the best freshman pitcher in the country, improving to 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA.



5. Arizona State (9-5)
Trending:
Last ranked: 8

Of Note: Never mind the run-of-the-mill win-loss mark. The Devils have played a top-10 schedule so far, including this past weekend's series win over Long Beach State. In Sunday's finale, the Devils' 7-8-9 hitters combined for six of the nine RBI, led by David Greer's 2-for-3, 3 RBI performance.



6. Rice (11-6)
Trending:
Last ranked: 11

Of Note: In the opening weekend of Conference USA play, the Owls breezed through a three-game weekend at Charlotte. A slight raised eyebrow of concern shows that their three starting pitchers gave up 18 hits and eight walks in the 18.1 innings they worked.



7. USC (15-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR

Of Note: Oh come on, who can't love a story like this? The tradition-rich Trojans haven't been to the NCAA tournament since 2005 and have been stuck in the basement of the Pac10/12 ever since. But this weekend, they pulled stunning wins over top-6 teams Vanderbilt, TCU and UCLA. Yep, they're back.



8. LSU (15-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: 14

Of Note: OK, Tigers, we see you now. Going on the road and beating Houston, Baylor and Nebraska isn't bad. But let's not get too geeked up on it yet; the Bayou Boys have played the 204th-toughest schedule in the country. Never fear: The SEC awaits, beginning with Ole Miss this weekend.



9. Vanderbilt (11-4)
Trending:
Last ranked: 10

Of Note: Ah, you still have to love the Commodores. They showed hints of their massive potential with a 6-0, three-hit blanking of UCLA on Friday. Carson Fulmer threw 6.1 innings with nine K's, and Philip Pfeifer added 2.2 innings of no-hit work. The Dores did suffer a pair of tight losses to USC and TCU in L.A., though.



10. UCLA (11-4)
Trending:
Last ranked: 3

Of Note: Add a few bruises to the Bruins after they went 0-fer in the Dodgertown Classic, mostly because of an offense that hit just .189 on the weekend in losses to Vanderbilt, TCU and USC. Pac-12 play starts up this weekend, and the Bruins will have Washington and Utah at home in consecutive weeks.



11. Oregon (13-2)
Trending:
Last ranked: 19

Of Note: George Horton is stroking his mustache like a villain in a James Bond film. He's got something up his sleeve, as Oregon has won a series at UC Santa Barbara and swept St. John's the last two weeks. A trip to Cal (12-3) to open Pac-12 play this weekend will be an intriguing matchup of teams on hot streaks.



12. South Carolina (12-3)
Trending:
Last ranked: 4

Of Note: The pitching is doing its job, but the bats must heat up. In the last two weeks, the Gamecocks have lost a series to hated rival Clemson after getting blanked 7-0 in Game 3 and collected more walks (18) than hits (14) and runs (14) in a three-game sweep of Miami (Ohio).



13. North Carolina (10-4)
Trending:
Last ranked: 7

Of Note:There are questions about the depth of the pitching staff as the Tar Heels have lost their last three Sunday games to UCLA, Rhode Island and Duke, respectively. To be fair, mound stud Benton Moss had to miss his last start. Also, the defense has committed 26 errors and fields at just a .951 rate.



14. Houston (9-7)
Trending:
Last ranked: 5

Of Note: Hate to use an overused phrase here, but Houston, we do have a problem. The Cougars looked like world-beaters when they took two of three from SEC monster Alabama. Since then they've resembled wilting daisies on the 3-6 stretch that followed. Turn it around, Cougs.



15. Illinois (11-13-1)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR

Of Note: Like Tom Cruise's character said to Val Kilmer's character in "Top Gun," "That's right. I am dangerous!" The suddenly dangerous Illini won 2-of-3 at Oklahoma State, cementing our hunch that these guys are for real. All-America closer Tyler Jay picked up a save and a win from the Pokes.



16. UC Santa Barbara (11-4)
Trending:
Last ranked: 16

Of Note: Going north to take two of three from WAC favorite Sacramento State was good, keeping the Gauchos at their perch at No. 16. Friday ace Dillon Tate improved to 3-1 with a 10-strikeout, five-hit performance in a 2-0 win. The team ERA of 2.25 and .975 defensive mark are pretty stout, too.



17. Texas (10-6)
Trending:
Last ranked: 12

Of Note: Not sure if we should drop the Longhorns for a 2-2 split at Stanford or raise the Cardinal for making it a very even weekend. But give it to the Horns, who showed more depth on the mound by winning the final two games. Big 12 play starts with Kansas State and West Virginia back-to-back.



18. Stanford (9-8)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR

Of Note: As Mark Marquess-coached teams are famous for, the Cardinal are playing tough, gritty, hustle-style baseball against the most rugged schedule possible (fifth toughest in Division I). That's why their near-.500 mark includes wins over Indiana, Fullerton, Nevada, Rice and Texas already.



19. Cal State Fullerton (9-5)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR

Of Note: What was just written about Stanford goes the same for the Titans, who have played the 13th-toughest slate in the land. But last weekend's three-game sweep of Texas Tech was impressive. Friday ace Thomas Eshelman was lights-out again, holding the Red Raiders to five hits and getting 14 K's in a 4-0 win.



20. Texas A&M (16-0)
Trending:
Last ranked: NR

Of Note: Say what you want about whom the Aggies have played, but 16-0 is 16-0. Eight pitchers held Nebraska, Houston and Baylor to 14 combined hits in 27 innings at the Houston College Classic. Suddenly that SEC opener against Auburn (13-3) this weekend looks pretty big.

Dropped out: Texas Tech (10-4), Oklahoma State (8-6), Mississippi State (14-3), Maryland (8-4), College of Charleston (8-4)

Five on deck: Nevada (13-2), Dallas Baptist (10-2), Oregon State (13-3), San Diego (6-7), New Mexico (9-3)

ESPN: Baseball Power Rankings (Week 4)
 
CBT: Lagniappe, March 10th.

Over in Cassius Clay-town, a matchup of College World Series alums took place as Louisville got a big win over Ole Miss on Tuesday to improve to 11-5 and post its sixth win in the last seven games.


Today in history, March 10th.

- In 1963, Pete Rose played in his first game for the Cincinnati Reds. He would go on to win the National League Rookie of the Year award that season and then lead the majors in all-time hits.
- In 1979, James Brown, the hardest working man in show business, plays the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
- In 1991, former Creighton basketball head coach Eddie Sutton, becomes the first coach in NCAA tournament history to lead four different programs to the Big Dance.
- In 1993, Sherry Davis, a legal secretary, becomes the first full-time female public address announcer in the MLB after winning an open audition for the job between 500 contestants for the San Francisco Giants job. In college baseball today, the only PA announcer I know of is C.J. Silas, who announces for Cal Poly.
- In 1993, UT-Arlington beats No. 8 ranked Oklahoma State 23-16 on a day plagued by gale-force winds blowing straight out to center field. In that game, the late Clay Gould became the fourth player in Mavericks history to hit for the cycle. In 1999, at the tender age of 27, Gould succeeded Butch McBroom as head coach at UTA. Gould would succumb to cancer in 2001.
- In 1995, Michael Jordan announces he is leaving baseball to return to professional basketball. In his only season with the Birmingham Barons of AA, M.J. hits .202 with three home runs and 30 stolen bases, while making 11 errors in the outfield.
- In 2010, Nomar Garciaparra signs a one-day deal with the Boston Red Sox and throws out the ceremonial first pitch to former Georgia Tech teammate Jason Varitek before the exhibition game with Tampa Bay, then retires from baseball.

BIG WIN
On a Tuesday full of action, this one jumped off the page at me.

Ole Miss - 3
Louisville - 5
Five pitchers combined on a five-hitter as No. 15 Louisville takes down visiting Ole Miss 5-3. The Cardinals came into the game with an 10-5 record, but only a No. 87 spot in the Warren Nolan Power Index. Their strength of schedule wasn't much to crow about either with a No. 111 rating. So this is a huge boost for the Birds. Granted, they are in the ACC now so they will have better competition as the season goes along and not have the strength of schedule issues they've had in the past as members of the Big East and American Athletic Conference.

Will Smith went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk and a stolen base to lead the offense. From behind the dish, Smith caught 12 strikeouts from the five pitchers, four each by Sean Leland and Lincoln Henzman. Corey Ray, Zach Lucas and Ryan Summers each provided two hits as well to lead the 11-hit attack for the Cardinals.

The two teams will play another mid-week game on Wednesday.



ALL BLACKS

Check out the cool unis Mississippi State was wearing today (as sent to me from MSU's baseball twitter handle @HailStateBSB:

MissStBlackUnis





While wearing these get-ups, the Bulldogs beat Western Kentucky 6-5 in 10 innings on John Holland's RBI single. The Dogs needed this one after a tough weekend vs. San Diego. This win improves MSU to 15-3.

CBT: Lagniappe, March 10th.
 
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