Wednesday (3/4) News Links
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B1G: Indiana and Michigan Earn Weekly Honors
Player of the Week
Jackson Glines, Michigan
OF - Sr. - Coarsegold, Calif. - Yosemite
• Guided the Wolverines to a 4-0 series win against Siena, going 8-for-13 at the plate, scoring seven runs and batting in five
• Opened the first two games of the series with two hits in each, and posted three hits in the closing game
• Led the Wolverines with a .615 batting average, tallied a .692 slugging percentage and recorded a .688 on-base percentage
• Wins his second career Big Ten Player of the Week award
• Last Michigan Big Ten Player of the Week: Brett Adcock (May 13, 2014)
Pitcher of the Week
Brett Adcock, Michigan
P - So. - Kawkawlin, Mich. - Bay City Western
• Pitched seven innings, picking up the win against Siena
• Did not allow a single earned run, striking out 11 batters
• Allowed only two hits in a complete game
• Records his second career Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor
• Last Michigan Big Ten Pitcher of the Week: Evan Hill (May 13, 2014)
Freshman of the Week
Logan Sowers, Indiana
OF - Fr. - Lafayette, Ind. - McCutcheon
• Batted .500, recorded a .500 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging percentage in a pair of games against College of Charleston
• Totaled two doubles, two runs and an RBI for the Hoosiers on four hits
• Wins his first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award
• Last Indiana Big Ten Freshman of the Week: Evan Bell (Feb. 18, 2013)
2015 Big Ten Baseball Players of the Week
Feb. 16
PL: Nick Ramos, Jr., IND
P: Rob McDonnell, Sr., ILL
F: Austin Guzzo, IOWA
Feb. 23
PL: Ryan Boldt, So., NEB
P: Mike Shawaryn, So., MD
F: Kevin Smith, MD
March 3
PL: Jackson Glines, MICH
P: Brett Adcock, MICH
F: Logan Sowers, IND
PL: Player of the Week
P: Pitcher of the Week
F: Freshman of the Week
B1G: Indiana and Michigan Earn Weekly Honors
Player of the Week
Jackson Glines, Michigan
OF - Sr. - Coarsegold, Calif. - Yosemite
• Guided the Wolverines to a 4-0 series win against Siena, going 8-for-13 at the plate, scoring seven runs and batting in five
• Opened the first two games of the series with two hits in each, and posted three hits in the closing game
• Led the Wolverines with a .615 batting average, tallied a .692 slugging percentage and recorded a .688 on-base percentage
• Wins his second career Big Ten Player of the Week award
• Last Michigan Big Ten Player of the Week: Brett Adcock (May 13, 2014)
Pitcher of the Week
Brett Adcock, Michigan
P - So. - Kawkawlin, Mich. - Bay City Western
• Pitched seven innings, picking up the win against Siena
• Did not allow a single earned run, striking out 11 batters
• Allowed only two hits in a complete game
• Records his second career Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor
• Last Michigan Big Ten Pitcher of the Week: Evan Hill (May 13, 2014)
Freshman of the Week
Logan Sowers, Indiana
OF - Fr. - Lafayette, Ind. - McCutcheon
• Batted .500, recorded a .500 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging percentage in a pair of games against College of Charleston
• Totaled two doubles, two runs and an RBI for the Hoosiers on four hits
• Wins his first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award
• Last Indiana Big Ten Freshman of the Week: Evan Bell (Feb. 18, 2013)
2015 Big Ten Baseball Players of the Week
Feb. 16
PL: Nick Ramos, Jr., IND
P: Rob McDonnell, Sr., ILL
F: Austin Guzzo, IOWA
Feb. 23
PL: Ryan Boldt, So., NEB
P: Mike Shawaryn, So., MD
F: Kevin Smith, MD
March 3
PL: Jackson Glines, MICH
P: Brett Adcock, MICH
F: Logan Sowers, IND
PL: Player of the Week
P: Pitcher of the Week
F: Freshman of the Week
B1G: Indiana and Michigan Earn Weekly Honors
ESPN: Home runs on rise with new ball
OMAHA, Neb. -- The new flat-seam ball in college baseball is having the desired effect, with teams hitting 40 percent more home runs so far this season.
The NCAA announced Wednesday that teams are hitting a home run about every other game. Last year, teams homered about once every three games through the first three weeks of the season.
The actual average is 0.47 home runs per team compared with 0.33 at this point in 2014. Last season's final average of 0.39 per team was a record low.
The NCAA approved the use of the flat-seam ball in an attempt to punch up a game that has seen steep declines in offense since new bat standards took effect in 2011. Studies show the flat-seam ball travels 20 feet farther than the old raised-seam ball.
ESPN: Home runs on rise with new ball
OMAHA, Neb. -- The new flat-seam ball in college baseball is having the desired effect, with teams hitting 40 percent more home runs so far this season.
The NCAA announced Wednesday that teams are hitting a home run about every other game. Last year, teams homered about once every three games through the first three weeks of the season.
The actual average is 0.47 home runs per team compared with 0.33 at this point in 2014. Last season's final average of 0.39 per team was a record low.
The NCAA approved the use of the flat-seam ball in an attempt to punch up a game that has seen steep declines in offense since new bat standards took effect in 2011. Studies show the flat-seam ball travels 20 feet farther than the old raised-seam ball.
ESPN: Home runs on rise with new ball
BA - Tuesday Roundup: UCF Packs The House
Central Florida had a record crowd on hand and the Knights didn't let their fans down.
Before 4,319 fans at the UCF Baseball Complex, the No. 13 Knights beat No. 4 Florida 4-3 as senior Tommy Williams knocked in three runs and senior Derrick Salberg helped secure the win with diving catch in center field. When Trent Thompson induced the game-ending fly out, there was a raucous celebration.
"It was crazy, especially there at the end with everyone chanting UCF," Williams told UCFKnights.com "It was nuts. It was awesome."
Central Florida moved to 11-1 and has now beaten three SEC teams (Florida, Arkansas and Ole Miss) in the same season for the first time since 1987. They'll face Florida again Wednesday night in Gainesville.
"It was a tremendous team win," coach Terry Rooney said. "We talk about it all the time that it takes 35 guys. Tonight, it took every single player on the bench, on the field, to get this done. I want to thank everybody that came out. It was a record crowd. I really appreciate all the support of Knight Nation. It was an awesome environment."
In his first start, freshman two-way player Kyle Marsh (4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K) was solid and junior lefthander Harrison Hukari got the win despite allowing two runs in 2 2/3 innings.
Top 25 Showdowns
(15) Rice at (7) Texas Christian
TCU had almost a week off after its series with Cal Poly was wiped out by a blizzard, so coach Jim Schlossnagle knew his pitchers needed work and a game against Rice seemed like the perfect time.
Six-foot-7 redshirt sophomore Mitchell Traver started and pitched an inning and was followed by Alex Young, Preston Morrison and Ryan Burnett before the bullpen duo of Trey Teakell and Riley Ferrell closed out a 3-1 win over Rice.
"We were at a decided advantage all night. We hadn't played since last (Wednesday), and they've played four games since then," Schlossnagle told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "We had to get guys on the mound. We can't have guys go two weeks without pitching."
With the save, Ferrell set a school record with 21 for his career. Garrett Crain and Evan Skoug knocked in runs for TCU, which now faces USC, UCLA and Vanderbilt in the Dodgertown Classic, starting Friday.
(25) Southern California at (24) UC Santa Barbara
Pinch-hitter Dalton Kelly ripped a single over the head of Southern California right fielder A.J. Ramirez with two outs in the ninth to give the Gauchos a 3-2 win, pinning USC with its first loss after a 12-0 start. Freshman closer James Carter, who pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, got his first win after piling up four saves. Junior lefthander Domenic Mazza struck out eight over 7 2/3 innings for the Gauchos, matching USC lefthander Tyler Gilbert, who struck out 11 in six innings. Junior Robby Nesovic had three hits for the Gauchos.
(23) Dallas Baptist at (22) Texas A&M
The Aggies head into the Houston Classic undefeated after rallying to beat DBU 7-5 Tuesday. Logan Taylor homered for A&M, but Dallas Baptist rallied to tie the game at 5-5. Texas A&M regained the lead for good in the seventh on three walks and two hits.
"We knew we were going to get it from Dallas Baptist," A&M head coach Rob Childress told theeagle.com. "They have a great team. They have an offense just like ours, don't quit one through nine. You can't come up for air, and we saw about as good of pitching as we have all year and may see for some time. There were a lot of punches thrown by both teams, and we were fortunate to come out on top."
David Martinelli homered for Dallas Baptist.
Top 25 Upsets
Houston Baptist at (8) Houston
Houston Baptist got its first win over a ranked opponent since March 2011 with a 2-1 upset of Houston at Cougar Field. Seniors Curtis Jones (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K)-who also doubled home the go-ahead run-and Chris Garza combined to hold the Cougars to five hits, shutting down juco transfers Chris Iriart and Ian Rice.
"I thought the guys did a great job," Houston Baptist coach Jared Moon said. "We talked before the game about getting bunts down, moving guys over and being able to hit with guys in scoring position, and we were able to do that tonight in the third inning. Fortunately for us, that's all it took."
The Cougars suffered another blow when coach Todd Whitting announced closer Bubba Maxwell will need Tommy John surgery. The junior righthander had been experiencing discomfort in his elbow since the fall.
Patrick Weigel, Jared Robinson and Seth Romero are among the candidates to replace Maxwell.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at (9) Mississippi State
The Bulldogs saw their season-opening 13-game win streak end in a rain-soaked 3-2 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The decisive run scored when Andre Davis-who also pitched four scoreless innings for the win-drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the eighth inning. Arkansas-Pine Bluff scored twice against Jesse McCord in the first as Vladimir Gomez singled home two. Seth Heck and Jake Vickerson had RBIs for Mississippi State.
Other Top 25 Results
Evansville at (1) Vanderbilt
The top-ranked Commodores blew a ninth-inning lead, rallied to tie and ultimately walked away with a wild 9-8 victory against Evansville Tuesday night. Vanderbilt led 7-5 entering the ninth when defensive replacement Jonathan Ramon smacked a three-run homer off Jordan Sheffield-who walked two batters-to put Evansville ahead. In the bottom of the inning, Nashville native Penn Murfee, the redshirt freshman, picked a good time for his first career homer, tying the game 8-8 with a shot that cleared the fence in left center.
Given the chance, the freshman Sheffield locked down the game in extras, as the homer was the only hit he allowed in five innings. In the 12th, Ro Coleman singled and went to second on a balk. He moved to third on a groundout and Evansville then decided to walk Rhett Wiseman-who reached base all seven times with four hits and three walks-and Dansby Swanson. With Zander Wiel-who has hit two grand slams in the past week-at the plate, Evansville catcher Travis Tokarek could not handle a pitch from Alex Gould, allowing Coleman to score the winner.
While the win was uplifting, so was the return to action of Walker Buehler, a projected top-10 pick who had not pitched this season after experiencing elbow soreness. Buehler struck out two in two hitless innings.
Stephen F. Austin at (2) LSU
LSU won its eighth in a row, battering Stephen F. Austin 8-1. Mark Laird had three hits and Danny Zardon homered to lead the Tigers, who got four effective innings from senior lefthander Kyle Bouman.
"We pitched very well tonight; all five guys that got into the game were effective," LSU coach Paul Mainieri told lsusportsnet.com. "We didn't hit great, but we did have a lot of hard-hit balls for outs, and we did have some timely hits. We played another errorless game on defense, so overall I thought it was a solid win for us."
Abilene Christian at (5) Texas Tech
In the longest home game in school history in terms of innings, pinch hitter Ryan Long doubled home Hunter Hargrove as Texas Tech fended off Abilene Christian 6-5 in 16 innings. The Red Raiders had trailed 3-0 and 5-4 before rallying in a game that lasted four hours and 42 minutes.
Trailing by a run in the 16th, Quinn Carpenter was hit by a pitch. Senior shortstop Tim Proudfoot bunted Carpenter to second and Hargrove singled to tie it before Long doubled to left to win it.
Cal State Northridge at (6) UCLA
After hitting eight home runs all of last season, the bombing Bruins continued to use the long ball, smacking two more Tuesday-including Chris Keck's fifth of the season-in a 5-1 win over CSUN. Through 12 games, UCLA (11-1) has hit 13 homers. The homers backed freshman Griffin Canning, who struck out eight over six innings and allowed just three hits to improve to 2-1.
Charleston Southern at (12) South Carolina
The Gamecocks shrugged off a series loss to Clemson, rallying for six runs in the seventh to overcome a deficit and pull away for a 10-4 win. Freshman Alex Destino, slugging .575, continued his impressive start, punctuating the six-run outburst with a grand slam. You can find the highlights here.
"It was a fastball that I hit out," Destino told gamecocksonline.com. "I went in knowing that he was trying to mix in a really good down hill playing slider; having that in the back of my mind and with the way he was approaching me, throwing more of a fast ball/changeup mix, I was expecting him to keep hounding the zone low with that. He did make a mistake and left it pretty high up and I put a pretty good swing on it for where it was."
Eastern Kentucky at (17) Louisville
Redshirt freshman Blake Tiberi was 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs as Louisville overcame an early 3-0 deficit in 7-6 win. Sophomore catcher Will Smith and freshman first baseman Brendan McKay each had two hits and two runs scored. Freshman Lincoln Henzman (1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K) got the win in relief of touted freshman Kade McClure (2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K), who struggled a week after blanking Butler over five innings.
South Florida at (21) Florida State
The Seminoles scored 24 runs-their highest output since a 2009 regional game against Ohio State-as D.J. Stewart homered twice and drove in three in a 24-1 win. "I did not see that coming but it was a ball game that we played extremely well," Florida State coach Mike Martin told seminoles.com. "I can't tell you what it means to see a zero in that last column, that's the one that I look at first and we did a good job. Our young men played the game right, they played the game hard; maybe we deserved a game like this, we've played close games all year long. But we have to be ready to go tomorrow."
John Sansone also homered, while Hank Truluck (four RBIs) and Gage West (three RBIs) made significant contributions. Freshman righthander Drew Carlton (5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 5 K) got the win in his first career start.
Other Notable Games
Liberty at Duke
Heading into a series against rival North Carolina, the Blue Devils won their ninth in a row, limiting Liberty to three hits in a 3-2 win at a frozen Coombs Field. Freshman Mitch Stallings (2-1)-the fourth of eight pitchers-struck out five of the seven batters he faced to earn his second win in as many outings. Stallings allowed one hit and did not walk a batter.
"Mitch threw the ball well," coach Chris Pollard told goduke.com. "(He) came in and really did a good job of minimizing the inning. I thought a lot of guys threw the ball well today."
Freshmen Ryan Day and Luke Whitten combined for three scoreless innings.
"I thought it was a great day by Ryan Day and Luke Whitten early," Pollard said. "Guys we hadn't asked to pitch in high pressure situations yet and they stepped in and did a tremendous job to give us three clean innings to start the ballgame.
East Carolina at North Carolina State
Six Wolfpack pitchers combined to blank the Pirates on five hits while striking out 10, and Logan Ratledge homered in a 7-0 win at chilly Doak Field. Curt Britt (1-0), who worked out of a bases-loaded jam, got the win, while Johnny Piedmonte (3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K) was solid in the start.
Arkansas-Little Rock at Oklahoma
Junior center fielder Craig Aikin had a school-record six hits and the Sooners scored their most runs since 2011 in a 22-0 rout.
"The good teams know how to play one way on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday through Sunday," coach Pete Hughes told soonersports.com. "We had all the built in excuses. Most of us rolled in at like 3:30 Monday morning; it was not a rival opponent, midweek, game time is changed from 6 p.m. to 2 p.m., there is hardly anyone here; they had a million excuses not to come out and play. Except that they came out wanting to get a hit off this guy, wanting to get this guy out and were going to beat somebody."
Aikin was 6-for-7 with six RBIs, three on his first college homer, to back junior righthander Corey Copping (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 7 K), who improved to 2-0.
Ohio at Georgia Tech
Brandon Gold scored from first on an error in the bottom of the 12th inning as Georgia Tech edged Ohio 7-6 for its fourth straight win. Zac Ryan got the win in relief, allowing only one hit in four scoreless innings.
"We let them back in the game, but Zac Ryan gave us a chance to win," coach Danny Hall told ramblinwreck.com "We played well defensively all night and CJ (Connor Justus) made a phenomenal play in the 12th inning to basically take a hit away. It was an ugly way to win for sure, but we'll take it. Our guys hung in there, we kept getting chances, but we just couldn't cash in."
Gold opened the 12th with a single. Wade Bailey then attempted to move Gold over with a bunt but Ohio pitcher Jake Miller threw the ball into center field and Gold came all the way around to score. Sophomore Mitch Longo was 5-for-5 for the Bobcats.
Winthrop at Clemson
You could expect a bit of a letdown for Clemson following a series win against the rival Gamecocks and facing Winthrop, the Tigers had just that. Roger Gonzalez hit a three-run homer and Winthrop pounded out 13 hits at rainy Doug Kingsmore Stadium to slow Clemson 5-4. Eagles closer Joey Strain preserved the win by striking out Tyler Krieger with the tying run on third. Tyler Asbill and Brad Kaczka each had three hits for Winthrop as they touched up Clemson freshman southpaw Charlie Barnes. Chris Okey, ranked 14th in the Sophomore Top 50, homered for the Tigers.
Murray State at Kentucky
Freshman Zach Logue (6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K) was outstanding in his first start and freshman Evan White hit in his 11th straight game to begin his college career as Kentucky swept a doubleheader, 4-1 and 4-3. In the first game, Logue retired 14 consecutive hitters from the third inning to the sixth and did not allow a hit after a one-out triple in the third inning. In the second game, Zach Arnold came off the bench to deliver a pinch-hit, go-ahead RBI double in the seventh.
BA - Tuesday Roundup: UCF Packs The House
Central Florida had a record crowd on hand and the Knights didn't let their fans down.
Before 4,319 fans at the UCF Baseball Complex, the No. 13 Knights beat No. 4 Florida 4-3 as senior Tommy Williams knocked in three runs and senior Derrick Salberg helped secure the win with diving catch in center field. When Trent Thompson induced the game-ending fly out, there was a raucous celebration.
"It was crazy, especially there at the end with everyone chanting UCF," Williams told UCFKnights.com "It was nuts. It was awesome."
Central Florida moved to 11-1 and has now beaten three SEC teams (Florida, Arkansas and Ole Miss) in the same season for the first time since 1987. They'll face Florida again Wednesday night in Gainesville.
"It was a tremendous team win," coach Terry Rooney said. "We talk about it all the time that it takes 35 guys. Tonight, it took every single player on the bench, on the field, to get this done. I want to thank everybody that came out. It was a record crowd. I really appreciate all the support of Knight Nation. It was an awesome environment."
In his first start, freshman two-way player Kyle Marsh (4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K) was solid and junior lefthander Harrison Hukari got the win despite allowing two runs in 2 2/3 innings.
Top 25 Showdowns
(15) Rice at (7) Texas Christian
TCU had almost a week off after its series with Cal Poly was wiped out by a blizzard, so coach Jim Schlossnagle knew his pitchers needed work and a game against Rice seemed like the perfect time.
Six-foot-7 redshirt sophomore Mitchell Traver started and pitched an inning and was followed by Alex Young, Preston Morrison and Ryan Burnett before the bullpen duo of Trey Teakell and Riley Ferrell closed out a 3-1 win over Rice.
"We were at a decided advantage all night. We hadn't played since last (Wednesday), and they've played four games since then," Schlossnagle told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "We had to get guys on the mound. We can't have guys go two weeks without pitching."
With the save, Ferrell set a school record with 21 for his career. Garrett Crain and Evan Skoug knocked in runs for TCU, which now faces USC, UCLA and Vanderbilt in the Dodgertown Classic, starting Friday.
(25) Southern California at (24) UC Santa Barbara
Pinch-hitter Dalton Kelly ripped a single over the head of Southern California right fielder A.J. Ramirez with two outs in the ninth to give the Gauchos a 3-2 win, pinning USC with its first loss after a 12-0 start. Freshman closer James Carter, who pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, got his first win after piling up four saves. Junior lefthander Domenic Mazza struck out eight over 7 2/3 innings for the Gauchos, matching USC lefthander Tyler Gilbert, who struck out 11 in six innings. Junior Robby Nesovic had three hits for the Gauchos.
(23) Dallas Baptist at (22) Texas A&M
The Aggies head into the Houston Classic undefeated after rallying to beat DBU 7-5 Tuesday. Logan Taylor homered for A&M, but Dallas Baptist rallied to tie the game at 5-5. Texas A&M regained the lead for good in the seventh on three walks and two hits.
"We knew we were going to get it from Dallas Baptist," A&M head coach Rob Childress told theeagle.com. "They have a great team. They have an offense just like ours, don't quit one through nine. You can't come up for air, and we saw about as good of pitching as we have all year and may see for some time. There were a lot of punches thrown by both teams, and we were fortunate to come out on top."
David Martinelli homered for Dallas Baptist.
Top 25 Upsets
Houston Baptist at (8) Houston
Houston Baptist got its first win over a ranked opponent since March 2011 with a 2-1 upset of Houston at Cougar Field. Seniors Curtis Jones (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K)-who also doubled home the go-ahead run-and Chris Garza combined to hold the Cougars to five hits, shutting down juco transfers Chris Iriart and Ian Rice.
"I thought the guys did a great job," Houston Baptist coach Jared Moon said. "We talked before the game about getting bunts down, moving guys over and being able to hit with guys in scoring position, and we were able to do that tonight in the third inning. Fortunately for us, that's all it took."
The Cougars suffered another blow when coach Todd Whitting announced closer Bubba Maxwell will need Tommy John surgery. The junior righthander had been experiencing discomfort in his elbow since the fall.
Patrick Weigel, Jared Robinson and Seth Romero are among the candidates to replace Maxwell.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at (9) Mississippi State
The Bulldogs saw their season-opening 13-game win streak end in a rain-soaked 3-2 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The decisive run scored when Andre Davis-who also pitched four scoreless innings for the win-drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the eighth inning. Arkansas-Pine Bluff scored twice against Jesse McCord in the first as Vladimir Gomez singled home two. Seth Heck and Jake Vickerson had RBIs for Mississippi State.
Other Top 25 Results
Evansville at (1) Vanderbilt
The top-ranked Commodores blew a ninth-inning lead, rallied to tie and ultimately walked away with a wild 9-8 victory against Evansville Tuesday night. Vanderbilt led 7-5 entering the ninth when defensive replacement Jonathan Ramon smacked a three-run homer off Jordan Sheffield-who walked two batters-to put Evansville ahead. In the bottom of the inning, Nashville native Penn Murfee, the redshirt freshman, picked a good time for his first career homer, tying the game 8-8 with a shot that cleared the fence in left center.
Given the chance, the freshman Sheffield locked down the game in extras, as the homer was the only hit he allowed in five innings. In the 12th, Ro Coleman singled and went to second on a balk. He moved to third on a groundout and Evansville then decided to walk Rhett Wiseman-who reached base all seven times with four hits and three walks-and Dansby Swanson. With Zander Wiel-who has hit two grand slams in the past week-at the plate, Evansville catcher Travis Tokarek could not handle a pitch from Alex Gould, allowing Coleman to score the winner.
While the win was uplifting, so was the return to action of Walker Buehler, a projected top-10 pick who had not pitched this season after experiencing elbow soreness. Buehler struck out two in two hitless innings.
Stephen F. Austin at (2) LSU
LSU won its eighth in a row, battering Stephen F. Austin 8-1. Mark Laird had three hits and Danny Zardon homered to lead the Tigers, who got four effective innings from senior lefthander Kyle Bouman.
"We pitched very well tonight; all five guys that got into the game were effective," LSU coach Paul Mainieri told lsusportsnet.com. "We didn't hit great, but we did have a lot of hard-hit balls for outs, and we did have some timely hits. We played another errorless game on defense, so overall I thought it was a solid win for us."
Abilene Christian at (5) Texas Tech
In the longest home game in school history in terms of innings, pinch hitter Ryan Long doubled home Hunter Hargrove as Texas Tech fended off Abilene Christian 6-5 in 16 innings. The Red Raiders had trailed 3-0 and 5-4 before rallying in a game that lasted four hours and 42 minutes.
Trailing by a run in the 16th, Quinn Carpenter was hit by a pitch. Senior shortstop Tim Proudfoot bunted Carpenter to second and Hargrove singled to tie it before Long doubled to left to win it.
Cal State Northridge at (6) UCLA
After hitting eight home runs all of last season, the bombing Bruins continued to use the long ball, smacking two more Tuesday-including Chris Keck's fifth of the season-in a 5-1 win over CSUN. Through 12 games, UCLA (11-1) has hit 13 homers. The homers backed freshman Griffin Canning, who struck out eight over six innings and allowed just three hits to improve to 2-1.
Charleston Southern at (12) South Carolina
The Gamecocks shrugged off a series loss to Clemson, rallying for six runs in the seventh to overcome a deficit and pull away for a 10-4 win. Freshman Alex Destino, slugging .575, continued his impressive start, punctuating the six-run outburst with a grand slam. You can find the highlights here.
"It was a fastball that I hit out," Destino told gamecocksonline.com. "I went in knowing that he was trying to mix in a really good down hill playing slider; having that in the back of my mind and with the way he was approaching me, throwing more of a fast ball/changeup mix, I was expecting him to keep hounding the zone low with that. He did make a mistake and left it pretty high up and I put a pretty good swing on it for where it was."
Eastern Kentucky at (17) Louisville
Redshirt freshman Blake Tiberi was 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs as Louisville overcame an early 3-0 deficit in 7-6 win. Sophomore catcher Will Smith and freshman first baseman Brendan McKay each had two hits and two runs scored. Freshman Lincoln Henzman (1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K) got the win in relief of touted freshman Kade McClure (2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K), who struggled a week after blanking Butler over five innings.
South Florida at (21) Florida State
The Seminoles scored 24 runs-their highest output since a 2009 regional game against Ohio State-as D.J. Stewart homered twice and drove in three in a 24-1 win. "I did not see that coming but it was a ball game that we played extremely well," Florida State coach Mike Martin told seminoles.com. "I can't tell you what it means to see a zero in that last column, that's the one that I look at first and we did a good job. Our young men played the game right, they played the game hard; maybe we deserved a game like this, we've played close games all year long. But we have to be ready to go tomorrow."
John Sansone also homered, while Hank Truluck (four RBIs) and Gage West (three RBIs) made significant contributions. Freshman righthander Drew Carlton (5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 5 K) got the win in his first career start.
Other Notable Games
Liberty at Duke
Heading into a series against rival North Carolina, the Blue Devils won their ninth in a row, limiting Liberty to three hits in a 3-2 win at a frozen Coombs Field. Freshman Mitch Stallings (2-1)-the fourth of eight pitchers-struck out five of the seven batters he faced to earn his second win in as many outings. Stallings allowed one hit and did not walk a batter.
"Mitch threw the ball well," coach Chris Pollard told goduke.com. "(He) came in and really did a good job of minimizing the inning. I thought a lot of guys threw the ball well today."
Freshmen Ryan Day and Luke Whitten combined for three scoreless innings.
"I thought it was a great day by Ryan Day and Luke Whitten early," Pollard said. "Guys we hadn't asked to pitch in high pressure situations yet and they stepped in and did a tremendous job to give us three clean innings to start the ballgame.
East Carolina at North Carolina State
Six Wolfpack pitchers combined to blank the Pirates on five hits while striking out 10, and Logan Ratledge homered in a 7-0 win at chilly Doak Field. Curt Britt (1-0), who worked out of a bases-loaded jam, got the win, while Johnny Piedmonte (3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K) was solid in the start.
Arkansas-Little Rock at Oklahoma
Junior center fielder Craig Aikin had a school-record six hits and the Sooners scored their most runs since 2011 in a 22-0 rout.
"The good teams know how to play one way on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday through Sunday," coach Pete Hughes told soonersports.com. "We had all the built in excuses. Most of us rolled in at like 3:30 Monday morning; it was not a rival opponent, midweek, game time is changed from 6 p.m. to 2 p.m., there is hardly anyone here; they had a million excuses not to come out and play. Except that they came out wanting to get a hit off this guy, wanting to get this guy out and were going to beat somebody."
Aikin was 6-for-7 with six RBIs, three on his first college homer, to back junior righthander Corey Copping (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 7 K), who improved to 2-0.
Ohio at Georgia Tech
Brandon Gold scored from first on an error in the bottom of the 12th inning as Georgia Tech edged Ohio 7-6 for its fourth straight win. Zac Ryan got the win in relief, allowing only one hit in four scoreless innings.
"We let them back in the game, but Zac Ryan gave us a chance to win," coach Danny Hall told ramblinwreck.com "We played well defensively all night and CJ (Connor Justus) made a phenomenal play in the 12th inning to basically take a hit away. It was an ugly way to win for sure, but we'll take it. Our guys hung in there, we kept getting chances, but we just couldn't cash in."
Gold opened the 12th with a single. Wade Bailey then attempted to move Gold over with a bunt but Ohio pitcher Jake Miller threw the ball into center field and Gold came all the way around to score. Sophomore Mitch Longo was 5-for-5 for the Bobcats.
Winthrop at Clemson
You could expect a bit of a letdown for Clemson following a series win against the rival Gamecocks and facing Winthrop, the Tigers had just that. Roger Gonzalez hit a three-run homer and Winthrop pounded out 13 hits at rainy Doug Kingsmore Stadium to slow Clemson 5-4. Eagles closer Joey Strain preserved the win by striking out Tyler Krieger with the tying run on third. Tyler Asbill and Brad Kaczka each had three hits for Winthrop as they touched up Clemson freshman southpaw Charlie Barnes. Chris Okey, ranked 14th in the Sophomore Top 50, homered for the Tigers.
Murray State at Kentucky
Freshman Zach Logue (6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K) was outstanding in his first start and freshman Evan White hit in his 11th straight game to begin his college career as Kentucky swept a doubleheader, 4-1 and 4-3. In the first game, Logue retired 14 consecutive hitters from the third inning to the sixth and did not allow a hit after a one-out triple in the third inning. In the second game, Zach Arnold came off the bench to deliver a pinch-hit, go-ahead RBI double in the seventh.
BA - Tuesday Roundup: UCF Packs The House
CBI: Around the Bases (3/3)
Williams knocks in three to lead UCF past Florida
TCU edges Rice, Vanderbilt edges Evansville in 12, UCLA tops Northridge
No. 12 UCF 4, No. 3 Florida 3
In Orlando, Tommy Williams drove in three, and Trent Thompson closed with two scoreless innings - thanks in part to a terrific diving catch from centerfielder Derrick Salberg in the ninth - as UCF edged Florida. The Knights (11-1) scored two runs apiece in the fourth and sixth innings, with Williams' two-run double in the sixth being the big blow. Five UCF pitchers limited the Gators (10-2) to five hits - Dalton Guthrie drove in a pair for Florida. The Knights boast a series win over Ole Miss and single SEC wins over Arkansas and Florida. Each of the past four games against Ole Miss and Florida has been decided by a run, and UCF has gone 3-1.
No. 4 TCU 3, No. 13 Rice 1
In Fort Worth, six TCU pitchers limited Rice to one run, and Cody Jones had two hits and two runs as the Horned Frogs slipped past the Owls. Alex Young (2-0) was credited with the win after throwing a scoreless second and third inning, and Horned Frogs ace Preston Morrison added two scoreless innings. Riley Ferrell struck out two in picking up his third save of the season and 21st of his career, setting the school record. Evan Skoug added two hits and an RBI for TCU (8-1). Connor Teykl had two hits and an RBI for the Owls (8-6).
No. 2 Vanderbilt 9, Evansville 8 (12 innings)
In Nashville, Penn Murfee hit a game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth, and Ro Coleman scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the 12th as Vanderbilt edged Evansville. Joanthan Ramon ripped a three-run homer in the eighth to give the Aces (4-3) an 8-7 lead. But Murfee (3 for 5) tied it with a one-out homer to left-center. In the 12th, Coleman singled and moved to third on a balk and groundout. After intentional passes to Rhett Wiseman (4 for 4, R, RBI) and Dansby Swanson (HR, 3 RBI), Coleman scored on a wild pitch for the Commodores (10-2).
No. 6 UCLA 5, Cal State Northridge 1
In Los Angeles, Griffin Canning struck out eight and allowed one run over six innings, and Luke Persico homered and drove in two as UCLA improved to 11-1. Chris Keck also homered for the Bruins, who finished with five hits. Justin Toerner had two of the four hits for the Matadors (11-4).
No. 9 South Carolina 10, Charleston Southern 4
In Columbia, S.C., Alex Destino had a grand slam to cap a six-run seventh as South Carolina rallied past Charleston Southern. Kyle Martin went 2 for 4 with two runs and three RBI, while Gene Cone had three hits and scored three times for the Gamecocks (8-3). Andrew Widell homered and drove in a pair for the Buccaneers (5-4).
Houston Baptist 2, No. 11 Houston 1
In Houston, Curtis Jones and Chris Garza combined on a five-hitter as Houston Baptist edged Houston at Cougar Field. Jones (1-1) allowed four hits and a run in seven innings with no walks and one strikeout to earn the victory. Garza gave up one hit and fanned two over the final two frames to record his first save. Zach Nehrir (2 for 4) and Jones both drove in runs in the top of the third for the Huskies (6-6). Josh Vidales had two hits for the Cougars (8-5).
No. 14 Texas A&M 7, Dallas Baptist 5
In College Station, Texas, Ryne Birk had an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to snap a 5-5 tie and lift Texas A&M over Dallas Baptist. Logan Taylor had a two-run homer to cap a four-run fourth for the Aggies (13-0). Andrew Vinson (1-0, 1 IP, 2 H) earned the victory, while Ryan Hendrix (1.2 IP, H, BB, K) recorded his second save. David Martinelli (3 for 4, 2 RBI) homered for the Patriots (6-2).
CBI: Around the Bases (3/3)
Williams knocks in three to lead UCF past Florida
TCU edges Rice, Vanderbilt edges Evansville in 12, UCLA tops Northridge
No. 12 UCF 4, No. 3 Florida 3
In Orlando, Tommy Williams drove in three, and Trent Thompson closed with two scoreless innings - thanks in part to a terrific diving catch from centerfielder Derrick Salberg in the ninth - as UCF edged Florida. The Knights (11-1) scored two runs apiece in the fourth and sixth innings, with Williams' two-run double in the sixth being the big blow. Five UCF pitchers limited the Gators (10-2) to five hits - Dalton Guthrie drove in a pair for Florida. The Knights boast a series win over Ole Miss and single SEC wins over Arkansas and Florida. Each of the past four games against Ole Miss and Florida has been decided by a run, and UCF has gone 3-1.
No. 4 TCU 3, No. 13 Rice 1
In Fort Worth, six TCU pitchers limited Rice to one run, and Cody Jones had two hits and two runs as the Horned Frogs slipped past the Owls. Alex Young (2-0) was credited with the win after throwing a scoreless second and third inning, and Horned Frogs ace Preston Morrison added two scoreless innings. Riley Ferrell struck out two in picking up his third save of the season and 21st of his career, setting the school record. Evan Skoug added two hits and an RBI for TCU (8-1). Connor Teykl had two hits and an RBI for the Owls (8-6).
No. 2 Vanderbilt 9, Evansville 8 (12 innings)
In Nashville, Penn Murfee hit a game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth, and Ro Coleman scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the 12th as Vanderbilt edged Evansville. Joanthan Ramon ripped a three-run homer in the eighth to give the Aces (4-3) an 8-7 lead. But Murfee (3 for 5) tied it with a one-out homer to left-center. In the 12th, Coleman singled and moved to third on a balk and groundout. After intentional passes to Rhett Wiseman (4 for 4, R, RBI) and Dansby Swanson (HR, 3 RBI), Coleman scored on a wild pitch for the Commodores (10-2).
No. 6 UCLA 5, Cal State Northridge 1
In Los Angeles, Griffin Canning struck out eight and allowed one run over six innings, and Luke Persico homered and drove in two as UCLA improved to 11-1. Chris Keck also homered for the Bruins, who finished with five hits. Justin Toerner had two of the four hits for the Matadors (11-4).
No. 9 South Carolina 10, Charleston Southern 4
In Columbia, S.C., Alex Destino had a grand slam to cap a six-run seventh as South Carolina rallied past Charleston Southern. Kyle Martin went 2 for 4 with two runs and three RBI, while Gene Cone had three hits and scored three times for the Gamecocks (8-3). Andrew Widell homered and drove in a pair for the Buccaneers (5-4).
Houston Baptist 2, No. 11 Houston 1
In Houston, Curtis Jones and Chris Garza combined on a five-hitter as Houston Baptist edged Houston at Cougar Field. Jones (1-1) allowed four hits and a run in seven innings with no walks and one strikeout to earn the victory. Garza gave up one hit and fanned two over the final two frames to record his first save. Zach Nehrir (2 for 4) and Jones both drove in runs in the top of the third for the Huskies (6-6). Josh Vidales had two hits for the Cougars (8-5).
No. 14 Texas A&M 7, Dallas Baptist 5
In College Station, Texas, Ryne Birk had an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to snap a 5-5 tie and lift Texas A&M over Dallas Baptist. Logan Taylor had a two-run homer to cap a four-run fourth for the Aggies (13-0). Andrew Vinson (1-0, 1 IP, 2 H) earned the victory, while Ryan Hendrix (1.2 IP, H, BB, K) recorded his second save. David Martinelli (3 for 4, 2 RBI) homered for the Patriots (6-2).
CBI: Around the Bases (3/3)
CBT: Lagniappe, March 3rd
Hawaii's Les Murakami Stadium still gets good crowds, but nothing like it did back in the mid-90s.
Oh how the attendance has changed. Once the king of baseball attendance was Texas and the ruling court was other far flung places like Fresno, Hawaii and Miami. Now, it's all in the SEC.
This day in history, March 3rd
- In 1931, "The Star Spangled Banner" was officially adopted as the American national anthem. The song was originally known as "Defense of Fort McHenry." Now, the song is heard before every college baseball game . unless it is the second game of a double-header.
- In 1947, Austrian race car driver Otto Stuppacher was born. Ya' know, you just don't see kids getting named "Otto" anymore.
- In 1951, Bill Mikvy of Temple sets a then-record of 73 points in a single basketball game against Wilkes University. Sixty-three years later the Owls would no longer have a baseball team and its most famous alum, Bill Cosby, would be accused of inappropriate sexual advances on dozens of women.
- In 1959, San Francisco's Bay View Park is renamed "Candlestick Park" after a winning entry in a Name-the-Park contest. To my knowledge, no collegiate baseball games were ever played there.
- In 1973, Helen Reddy accepts the Grammy Award for "I am Woman" and in her acceptance speech says, "I thank God for this. She makes everything possible."
- In 1981, the documentary "This is Elvis" debuted in Memphis.
- In 1988, Kirk Gibson walks out of the L.A. Dodgers spring training camp after a practical joke was played on him by Jesse Orosco, who had put eye-black on Gibson's hat. Twenty-seven years later, Gibson's son Cam would be the centerfielder for Michigan State.
Cam Gibson, the son of former MLBer Kirk Gibson, is caught stealing in last Friday's game at UCLA.
Cam Gibson, the son of former MLBer Kirk Gibson, is caught stealing in last Friday's game at UCLA.
.
ATTENDANCE, 20 YEARS AGO
If I said to you, name the biggest home crowds in college baseball. You guys know the names would come from places like LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Well I stumbled upon an old issue of Collegiate Baseball the other day and Lou Pavlovich had the top 20 attendance figures for Division I college baseball for the 1995 season. Yes, 20 years ago.
Here is how it looked:
1- Texas, 173,372
2- Hawaii, 155,801
3- LSU, 148,995
4- Mississippi State, 132,105
5- Fresno State, 130,329
6- Wichita State, 89,701
7- Clemson, 88,994
8- Miami, 82,129
9- Tennessee, 81,801
10- Texas A&M, 79,815
11- Florida State, 78,695
12- Arizona State, 73,379
13- Southern Miss, 69,764
14- Ole Miss, 65,398
15- Florida, 57,151
16- Tulane, 47,899
17- North Carolina State, 41,846
18- Oklahoma State, 39,911
19- New Orleans, 38,003
20- Minnesota, 37,716
Yes, those last two were actually UNO and Minnesota. Also, the figures for LSU, Fresno, Wichita, Clemson, Miami, Tennessee and Florida State were augmented to include the NCAA Regionals they hosted. By the way, in 1995, Texas was on a three-year run of being the attendance leaders in college baseball.
Here is the top 20 for 2014:
1- LSU, 204,327
2- Mississippi State, 154,011
3- Arkansas, 106,708
4- South Carolina, 162,983
5- Ole Miss, 116,211
6- Texas, 85,195
7- Florida State, 73,913
8- Clemson, 68,468
9- Texas A&M, 80,703
10- Louisiana, 62,416
11- Alabama, 59,196
12- Florida, 67,303
13- TCU, 51,858
14- Auburn, 63,003
15- Virginia, 53,205
16- Hawaii, 62,315
17- Southern Miss, 37,184
18- Miami, 51,454
19- Arizona State, 39,212
20- Wichita State, 37,355
Obviously, the geographic shift is to the Southeast, but a number of surprising things jump out. In 1995, Hawaii's attendance was 155,801? Damn, those people knew how to support a baseball team back then. Of course, it didn't hurt that the Warriors were a great team year-in, year-out back then too. But even still, that 155,801 would rank second nationally in today's numbers, just behind only LSU. And with LSU being famous for posting attendance and then "actual attendance" being thousands of people less, I'd venture to say that Hawaii drew better actual numbers in 1995 than LSU did in 2014.
.
UPDATE:
In case you didn't see this before, in regards to yesterday's Lagniappe about the UCI-Fullerton Superfan Keith Franklin, click here to read his side of what happened at UC Irvine.
CBT: Lagniappe, March 3rd
Hawaii's Les Murakami Stadium still gets good crowds, but nothing like it did back in the mid-90s.
Oh how the attendance has changed. Once the king of baseball attendance was Texas and the ruling court was other far flung places like Fresno, Hawaii and Miami. Now, it's all in the SEC.
This day in history, March 3rd
- In 1931, "The Star Spangled Banner" was officially adopted as the American national anthem. The song was originally known as "Defense of Fort McHenry." Now, the song is heard before every college baseball game . unless it is the second game of a double-header.
- In 1947, Austrian race car driver Otto Stuppacher was born. Ya' know, you just don't see kids getting named "Otto" anymore.
- In 1951, Bill Mikvy of Temple sets a then-record of 73 points in a single basketball game against Wilkes University. Sixty-three years later the Owls would no longer have a baseball team and its most famous alum, Bill Cosby, would be accused of inappropriate sexual advances on dozens of women.
- In 1959, San Francisco's Bay View Park is renamed "Candlestick Park" after a winning entry in a Name-the-Park contest. To my knowledge, no collegiate baseball games were ever played there.
- In 1973, Helen Reddy accepts the Grammy Award for "I am Woman" and in her acceptance speech says, "I thank God for this. She makes everything possible."
- In 1981, the documentary "This is Elvis" debuted in Memphis.
- In 1988, Kirk Gibson walks out of the L.A. Dodgers spring training camp after a practical joke was played on him by Jesse Orosco, who had put eye-black on Gibson's hat. Twenty-seven years later, Gibson's son Cam would be the centerfielder for Michigan State.
Cam Gibson, the son of former MLBer Kirk Gibson, is caught stealing in last Friday's game at UCLA.
Cam Gibson, the son of former MLBer Kirk Gibson, is caught stealing in last Friday's game at UCLA.
.
ATTENDANCE, 20 YEARS AGO
If I said to you, name the biggest home crowds in college baseball. You guys know the names would come from places like LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Well I stumbled upon an old issue of Collegiate Baseball the other day and Lou Pavlovich had the top 20 attendance figures for Division I college baseball for the 1995 season. Yes, 20 years ago.
Here is how it looked:
1- Texas, 173,372
2- Hawaii, 155,801
3- LSU, 148,995
4- Mississippi State, 132,105
5- Fresno State, 130,329
6- Wichita State, 89,701
7- Clemson, 88,994
8- Miami, 82,129
9- Tennessee, 81,801
10- Texas A&M, 79,815
11- Florida State, 78,695
12- Arizona State, 73,379
13- Southern Miss, 69,764
14- Ole Miss, 65,398
15- Florida, 57,151
16- Tulane, 47,899
17- North Carolina State, 41,846
18- Oklahoma State, 39,911
19- New Orleans, 38,003
20- Minnesota, 37,716
Yes, those last two were actually UNO and Minnesota. Also, the figures for LSU, Fresno, Wichita, Clemson, Miami, Tennessee and Florida State were augmented to include the NCAA Regionals they hosted. By the way, in 1995, Texas was on a three-year run of being the attendance leaders in college baseball.
Here is the top 20 for 2014:
1- LSU, 204,327
2- Mississippi State, 154,011
3- Arkansas, 106,708
4- South Carolina, 162,983
5- Ole Miss, 116,211
6- Texas, 85,195
7- Florida State, 73,913
8- Clemson, 68,468
9- Texas A&M, 80,703
10- Louisiana, 62,416
11- Alabama, 59,196
12- Florida, 67,303
13- TCU, 51,858
14- Auburn, 63,003
15- Virginia, 53,205
16- Hawaii, 62,315
17- Southern Miss, 37,184
18- Miami, 51,454
19- Arizona State, 39,212
20- Wichita State, 37,355
Obviously, the geographic shift is to the Southeast, but a number of surprising things jump out. In 1995, Hawaii's attendance was 155,801? Damn, those people knew how to support a baseball team back then. Of course, it didn't hurt that the Warriors were a great team year-in, year-out back then too. But even still, that 155,801 would rank second nationally in today's numbers, just behind only LSU. And with LSU being famous for posting attendance and then "actual attendance" being thousands of people less, I'd venture to say that Hawaii drew better actual numbers in 1995 than LSU did in 2014.
.
UPDATE:
In case you didn't see this before, in regards to yesterday's Lagniappe about the UCI-Fullerton Superfan Keith Franklin, click here to read his side of what happened at UC Irvine.
CBT: Lagniappe, March 3rd
