Terps sweep GW

FROM MARYLAND MEDIA RELATIONS

The Maryland baseball team earned its first series sweep of the season Saturday as it defeated George Washington, 11-4 and 6-4, in a non-conference doubleheader at Shipley Field.

Maryland improved to 7-2 with the win, its best start in five seasons. The Colonials fell to 0-6 as they could not withstand two late scoring surges by the Terrapins in each game. Juniors Ryan Moorer (2-0) and Brett Cecil (2-1) earned wins for Maryland, while Brian Frazier (0-2) and Scott Swinson (0-2) took the losses for GW.

In the early game, Maryland broke open a 5-3 contest with a six-run eighth inning, highlighted by sophomore Joe Palumbo's first career grand slam. Palumbo had two of the Terps' 13 hits in the game and also scored a pair of runs in the game.

Sophomore Gerry Spessard and junior Chad Durakis helped the Terps jump out to an early 4-1 lead. Spessard hit an RBI single in the first and a sacrifice fly in the third, while Durakis, who was 3-for-3, notched an RBI single in the first and a run-scoring double two innings later.

The score stayed the same until the seventh inning, as Moorer held the Colonials at bay through six innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out three batters. In the seventh, GW closed the gap to 5-3 as Michael Parker drove in two with a single through the middle.

Maryland responded with a run in the seventh, as Palumbo scored from third on a wild pitch. The Bowie, Md., native crossed the plate again in the eighth inning, but not before clearing the bases with his grand slam to right field, which gave the Terps an 9-3 lead. Maryland added two more in the inning on Durakis' third and fourth RBIs of the game.

Frazier, one of six Colonial pitchers used in the opener, surrendered two earned runs on seven hits, while striking out three.

In the second game of the doubleheader, a contest originally scheduled for Sunday but moved up due to weather, Maryland fought back from an early four-run deficit. The Terps were held hitless through four innings by Colonials starter Derek Haese, but rebounded with six unanswered runs to take the series sweep.

Down 4-0 in the fifth inning, Palumbo and sophomore Wink Nolan each hit RBI singles. Junior Kevin Biringer, who relieved starter Nick Pearce in the fourth, pitched three shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out six, a career high.

Cecil entered the contest in the seventh inning and nearly matched Biringer's feat, as he allowed two hits in three innings of work to earn his second win in as many days. Maryland posted four runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 6-4 lead. Mike Murphy drove in the first run with an RBI single, while senior Dan Melvin's had a two-RBI double. Spessard's second sacrifice fly of the day to put final run on the board.

The Terps hit the road for their first mid-week contest of the season Tuesday as they face James Madison. First pitch from Harrisonburg, Va., is set for 3 p.m.

Day 2 of the Homewood Suites Shootout

On Day 2 of the Homewood Suites Shootout, The Minnesota Gophers behind a 4-4 performance from Second baseman Derek McCallum picked up a 6-3 victory over the Citadel.

Minnesota Recap
The Citadel Recap

Anthony Sosnoskie hit a grand slam in the top of the tenth inning to lead the Va Tech Hokies to a 9-6 victory over UNC-Asheville at the Homewood Suites Shooutout.

Va Tech Recap
UNC-Asheville Recap

Boston College starts season 0-2

The Boston College Eagles continued their quick three game set in the Music City Classic. They lost to Lipscomb by a score of 4-3. The Eagles had another average start on Saturday by Adam Crabtree who gave the Eagles five innings but gave up four runs on eight hits. This was Crabtree's first career appearance for the Eagles as he missed the 2006 season with Tommy John surgery and did not see action in 2005. The Eagles were led on offense by Freshman Tony Sanchez who went 2-2 in his second career game. The Eagles will be back in action Sunday when they visit Number 1 ranked Vanderbilt.

Boston College Recap
Lipscomb Recap

Texas takes Game 2 from Washington State

The University of Texas scored a combined seven runs in the first two innings and coasted to an 11-2 win over Washington State University in collegiate baseball action Saturday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Texas (9-5) pounced on the Cougars early with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Travis Tucker and Jordan Danks were each hit by pitches to lead off the inning. Chance Wheeless laid down a sacrifice bunt to move runners to second and third. Bradley Suttle hit a single to leftfield to drive in a Tucker and Danks. Kyle Russell was issued a walk and Preston Clark plated Suttle and put runners at the corners with a single to left centerfield. Nick Peoples pushed across the final run of the inning with a sacrifice squeeze bunt staking the Longhorns to a 4-0 lead.

Texas added three more runs in the bottom of the second. Chais Fuller led off the inning with a double down the leftfield line, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a single to rightfield by Jordan Danks. Wheeless singled up the middle to put runners at first and second and Suttle drove in two more runs with a single to the right centerfield gap increasing the margin to 7-0.

The Longhorns added two runs each in the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, Tucker singled, stole second base, advanced to third on single by Danks and scored on a single to centerfield by Suttle. A fielding error by WSU's centerfielder put runners at second and third and Russell hit a sacrifice fly to leftfield to plate Danks and inflate the cushion to 9-0. In the fifth inning, Peoples hit a leadoff single, Jeff Boes was hit by a pitch and a fielder's choice grounder by Fuller put runners at the corners. Tucker hit a single, scoring Peoples and a sacrifice fly by Danks drove Fuller home giving Texas an 11-0 advantage.

Adrian Alaniz cruised through the first six innings, allowing just three hits, but was touched for two runs in the seventh. Jim Murphy hit a leadoff single to centerfield. Matt Fanelli pinch ran for Murphy, and scored on a double down the leftfield line by Jeff Miller. Simi Reynolds followed with a single through the right side of the infield to score Miller and trim the lead to 11-2.

Suttle led the Texas offense going 3-for-5 with one double, one runs scored and a career-high five RBI. Danks went 2-for-2 with one walk, one hit by pitch, three runs scored and two RBI. Tucker went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI.

Alaniz (4-1) picked up the win for Texas allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over seven innings. Alex Posey and Hunter Harris combined for two innings of scoreless relief.

Nick Ison (1-1) was saddled with the loss for Washington State. He allowed nine runs, eight earned, on nine hits, two walks and two hit batters over four innings.

Texas and Washington State wrap up the three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Texas Recap

Washington State Recap

Duke stays undefeated with a win over St. John's

The Duke Blue Devils are continuing to win baseball games as they knocked off St. John's 4-2 at the East Carolina Invitational. The Blue Devils were led by a very good pitching performance from Andrew Walcott who threw six innings and only gave up one run. Jonathan Nicolla and Gabriel Saade each had two hits to led the Blue Devils offense. Duke will be back in action on Sunday when they will try to head to 10-0 with a game against East Carolina.

St. John's Recap
Duke Recap

UNC-Wilmington knocks off TCU

UNC-Wilmington picked up a victory on Saturday over 12th ranked TCU by a score of 10-6 in Day 2 of The Baseball at the Beach tourney. Steve Halford had his third four hit game of the young season to lead the offense. Bradley Holt was able to pick up the victory by going five innings but giving up four runs on six hits. Steven Trout led the Horned Frogs offense by going 2-2 with a home run, two runs scored, and two runs driven in. Chance Corgan picked up the loss by going 4.2 innings while giving up five runs (4 earned). This was the Horned Frogs second straight loss of the weekend. The Horned Frogs will return to action on Saturday facing off against Notre Dame at 3 pm. They will also face NC State on Sunday. UNC-Wilmington will face off against West Virginia on Sunday.

UNC-Wilmington Game Recap
TCU Game Recap

Matusz continues to dominate

The San Diego Toreros got a one hit seven inning performance from Brian Matusz in a 2-0 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Matusz struck out 10 batters in the game to continue to show that he is one of the top pitchers in college baseball this season. Matusz was followed by AJ Griffin who pitched two scoreless and hitless innings to pick up the save. San Diego scored runs on singles by Jordan Abruzzo in the first inning and Daniel Magness in the fourth. The teams will be back in action on Saturday at 1 pm Pacific.

San Diego Recap
Wake Forest Recap

Terps knock off GW

FROM MARYLAND PRESS RELEASE

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Sophomore Gerry Spessard’s single in the bottom of the ninth inning scored the winning run as the Maryland baseball team defeated George Washington, 6-5, on Friday in the Terrapins’ 2007 home opener.
Maryland improved to 5-2, while the Colonials dropped to 0-4. Reliever Brett Cecil (1-1) earned the victory after pitching a scoreless ninth, while Scott Swinson (0-1) picked up the loss for GW.

On a cold and blustery afternoon at Shipley Field, both teams overcame early pitching struggles as a see-saw battle ensued. Spessard, who finished the day 2-for-5 with two RBIs, sealed the victory for the Terps in the ninth inning after the Colonials scored in the fifth and sixth innings to tie the game at 5-5. The game-winning run was set up by senior shortstop Dan Melvin who reached base on a throwing error, and then moved all the way to third on a passed ball.

The Colonials opened the game’s scoring with a three-run first inning, as Maryland starter Casey Baron struggled early before settling in for a five-inning no-decision. Maryland cut the deficit to 3-1 in the bottom half of the inning when Spessard singled up the middle to score freshman AJ Casario, who doubled in his first plate appearance.

Maryland took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the third inning, as Casario notched his first career triple to score Mike Murphy. Melvin singled in the next at-bat, scoring Casario. Catcher Chad Durakis’ sacrifice fly scored Melvin to give the Terps a 4-3 lead.

In the fourth, designated hitter Will Greenberg doubled and scored to expand the lead to 5-3. However, the Colonials fought back with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

Cecil entered in the ninth inning in relief of junior Mike Sufczynski, who pitched three innings, allowing one run on two hits. Cecil, a preseason All-American, recorded two strikeouts in the ninth to earn the sixth win in his career.

Maryland will play host to the Colonials on Saturday for a doubleheader, as Sunday’s game was moved up a day due to the threat of inclement weather. The first game will start at 11:30 a.m. from Shipley Field, with the final game of the series to start approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the day’s first game.

George Washington Game Recap

BC drops opener

The Boston College Eagles opened the season on Friday with a visit to Belmont University for their first game of the season. The Eagles got an average outing from Kevin Boggan, who gave the Eagles five innings while giving up four runs (only 2 earned). This was Boggan's first career start as he is making the transition from a closer to a starting pitcher. Boston College right fielder/punter Johnny Ayers led the offense with a 1-3 day with two walks. Jett Ruiz also had a solid day at the plate 2-3 with a homer and two RBI. The Eagles led 6-5 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning when new Head Coach Mikio Aoki decided to bring in closer Dan Houston. He is making the transition from Weekend starter to Closer. Houston struggled mightily by giving up 3 runs on two hits and three walks to give up the led and put the Eagles down by 2 runs. Freshman Mike Belfiore hit a double to led off the ninth and Johnny Ayers ended up driving him in to make it a one run game but the Eagles were not able to get closer.

BC is back in action on Saturday with a visit to Lipscomb and Belmont hosts Ball State.

Boston College Recap
Belmont Recap

Day 1 of The Homewood Suites Shootout

The Citadel Bulldogs suffered a tough 5-4 setback to Virginia Tech in 11 innings on Friday. The Citadel left the bases loaded in five innings and stranded 21 runners on base in the loss. It seems that The Citadel dominated the game but were not able to pull out the victory.

The Citadel Recap
Va Tech Recap

The University of Minnesota pulled out a 7-5 victory over UNC-Asheville. They came from a 4-0 deficit to come out victorious.

Minnesota Recap
UNC-Asheville Recap

Texas tops Washington State, 4-2

Chais Fuller drove in a pair of runs and Randy Boone escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the ninth as No. 13 Texas defeated Washington State, 4-2, in the first of a three-game series Friday at Disch-Falk Field.

With the loss the Cougars see their season record move to 2-2 while the Longhorns improve to 8-5.

The Cougars trailed 4-2 entering the ninth but had runners at first and second with no outs following back-to-back singles by Travis Coulter and Jared Prince. Jim Murphy then lined into a double play as Kyle Russell's throw from right field retired Coulter, who was trying to advance on the play. Boone then retired Jeff Miller on an infield popup to end the game.

Texas never trailed as it scored two runs in the second and another in the third to take a 3-0 lead before the Cougars found the scoreboard. The Longhorns played small ball to get their first run across, using two sacrifice bunts in the second to push across the first run. Russell followed with a two-out, ground-rule double to left-center, driving home Nick Poeples to extend the lead to 2-0 off Cougar starter Matt Way.

In the third Longhorn catcher Preston Clark connected for a two-out home run over the center field wall, his second home run of the season.

In the fourth the Cougars broke through with a pair of solo home runs by Jeff Miller and Greg Lagreid. Miller led off the frame with the first home run by a Cougar this season over the left field wall. One out later, Lagreid followed with a deep blast to left, the second of his WSU career.

Chances were few by both teams from then on as Jayson Miller came on in the fifth in relief of Way and held the Texas bats in check. In the sixth the Longhorns added an insurance run as Peoples led off with a single to right. Peoples looked to be picked off first but advanced with a stolen base when Murphy's relay throw from first was dropped at second base. One out later, Peoples came home on another sacrifice bunt, this one off the bat of Fuller.

Way suffered the loss as he went four innings, allowing three runs on four hits with one strikeout. Jayson Miller also worked four innings, surrendering just three hits, all singles, while striking out five. At the plate Coulter had a pair of hits as the Cougars collected seven on the day.

Texas started James Russell picked up the victory as he allowed two runs on five hits over five innings. Joseph Krebs and Boone each worked two innings with Boone picking up his third save of the season.

Washington recap

Texas recap

Austin-American Statesman

Boston College opens the season

The Boston College Eagles will visit Nashville TN for the Music City Classic. They will play Belmont, Lipscomb, and Vanderbilt. BC is still looking to build into a regional power in the Northeast and make the ACC Tournament. The BC Heights (student paper) wrote a very good article yesterday previewing the upcoming season which can be read here.

Boston College is currently in a battle with the residents of Allston and Brighton over building the new baseball facility. The article from the Allston-Brighton Tab is available here.

The Homewoods Suites Shootout

The Citadel will host The Homewoods Suites Shootout this weekend with Va Tech, Minnesota, and UNC-Asheville. This should be a very good tournament as each team are on the same skill level. Minnesota will be playing their first game of the season on Friday when they face UNC-Asheville. The Citadel will square against VA Tech on Friday.

Saturday's Games
Va Tech vs UNC-Asheville
The Citadel vs Minnesota

Sunday's Games
Minnesota vs Va Tech
The Citadel vs UNC-Asheville

Tournament Notes
The Citadel Tourney Notes
UNC-Asheville Tourney Notes
Va Tech Tourney Notes
Minnesota Tourney Notes

The Wiregrass Classic hosted by Troy

The Troy Trojans will be hosting The Wiregrass Classic this weekend with Southern Miss, Indiana and Georgia Southern participating. This tourney is a good test for the Troy Trojans to see if they are going to be able to compete with some of the stronger teams in the South with the Golden Eagles and Georgia Southern. Indiana will be opening their season so they might be the weakest competition in the tourney. I have put the probable starters below in the games I could find.

Friday Games
Georgia Southern (TBA) vs Southern Mississippi (Ryan Belanger 1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Troy (Joe Hallahan 1-0, 4.50 ERA) vs Indiana (Doug Fleenor, NR)

Saturday Games
Indiana (Danny Rosenbaum, NR) vs Southern Mississippi (Barry Bowden 0-0, 4.50 ERA)
Troy vs Georgia Southern

Sunday Games
Indiana (Tyler Tufts NR) vs Georgia Southern (John Ducey 2-0, 1.50 ERA)
Troy (Jeff Green 0-0, 2.57 ERA) vs Southern Mississippi (David Clark 16.20 ERA)

Southern Miss Tourney Notes
Indiana Tourney Notes

Wake Forest visits San Diego

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will visit the Toreros of San Diego for a weekend set. Wake Forest is coming into the games with a 3-1 record after weekend sweep over Kent State and a mid-week loss to Appalachian State 10-9. San Diego enters with one of the best pitchers in the nation Brian Matusz who will start Friday night. The Toreros enter with a 9-4 record taking three out of four games against Virginia Commonwealth. The pitching match ups for the weekend will be Wake Forest's Brad Kledzik (0-0, 9.00 ERA) facing off against San Diego's Brian Matusz (2-0, 2.19 ERA). Saturday match-up will be Eric Nielsen (1-0, 5.68 ERA) for Wake and San Diego counters with Matt Couch (2-0, 4.12 ERA). The series finale is tentatively scheduled to have Wake send Garrett Bullock (1-0, 1.80 ERA) to face Josh Romanski (1-1, 6.38 ERA).

San Diego Series Notes
Wake Forest Series Notes

Delaware set to open the season at Richmond

The Delaware Blue Hens will open the season this weekend with a visit to Richmond VA to face off against the Spiders. Delaware is coming off a 30-24 record in 2006 and return 10 position players who started at least 24 games last season.

The full release from Delaware is available here.

UNC knocks off Wilmington 6-5

The North Carolina Tar Heels invaded Brooks Field on Wednesday night for a meeting with UNC-Wilmington. The Tar Heels were able to sneak out a 6-5 victory. The Tar Heels were led by a strong pitching performance from Junior pitcher Mike Facchinei who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He only let up one hit and one walk while giving up two runs in his six innings of work. The Tar Heel offense was led by Seth Williams who hit a key two run homer in the fourth inning. The game was 6-2 heading into the ninth inning but veteran closer Andrew Carnigan got roughed up by giving up three runs in the bottom of the ninth to make it interesting. UNC-Wilmington will be back in action this weekend in Myrtle Beach for the Baseball at the Beach Tourney. The Tar Heels will welcome the Seawolves of Stony Brook to Boshamer Stadium for a 3 game set.

UNC Recap
UNC-Wilmington Recap

Southern Miss picks up another Win

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles have continued their strong start to the season with another victory on Wednesday over New Orleans by a score of 4-1. The Eagles had a strong pitching performance from Jared Cavenaugh who lasted 6.1 innings while only giving up one run on six hits. Trey Sutton led the Eagles with three hits. Southern Miss now heads to the Wiregrass Classic for the weekend. They will face Georgia Southern on Friday, Indiana on Saturday, and Troy on Sunday.

Southern Miss Recap
UNO Recap

Southern Miss also picked up a victory over University of South Alabama on Tuesday by a score of 6-1. Sorry for posting this late. I have been extremely busy with my real job lately which should get back to normal after next weekend.

Southern Miss Recap
USA Recap
Hattiesburg American Recap

Duke continues hot start

The Duke Blue Devils have continued their hot start to the season with a 7-1 victory over America East member Albany. Jimmy Gallagher and Nate Freiman hit back to back homers in the sixth inning to provide all the offense needed for the Blue Devils. Alexander Hassan got his first career start tonight and lasted five scoreless innings while only giving up one hit.

Duke Recap
Albany Recap

FSU knocks off Florida

The Florida State Seminoles invaded Gainesville on Tuesday night and picked up a 14-6 victory. FSU starter Bo O'Dell only lasted 1.1 innings while giving up 4 runs (all earned). He was followed by Travis Burge and Brian Chambers. Burge lasted three innings giving up a single hit and one run. Mr. Chambers followed him by pitching 3.2 innings while only giving up one run. Danny Rosen pitched a scoreless ninth to complete the pitching line for the Noles. FSU was led on offense by Tony Thomas Jr. who went 3-5 in the lead off role while scoring three runs. D'Vontrey Richardson and Jason Stidham each had a home run in the game.

FSU Game Recap
Florida Game Recap
Tallahassee Democrat Recap

Texas coasts to 7-1 win over Texas State!

The University of Texas scored a combined seven runs in the first two innings and coasted to a 7-1 victory over Texas State University in its UFCU Disch-Falk Field opener Tuesday afternoon.

Texas (7-5) pounced on the Bobcats for three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Travis Tucker was hit by a pitch to start the frame. Jordan Danks followed with a single through the right side of the infield and Chance Wheeless used a sacrifice bunt to move runners to second and third. Bradley Suttle plated Tucker with a single to leftfield and Kyle Russell drew a walk to load the bases. Preston Clark hit a sacrifice fly to rightfield, scoring Danks and Nick Peoples finished off the rally with an RBI single up the middle, driving in Suttle.

The Longhorns increased the lead to 7-0 with four runs in the second inning. With one out, Danks drew a walk and stole second base. With two outs, Suttle walked and scored on a double to leftfield by Russell. Clark pushed Russell across with a single to leftfield and Peoples finished another rally with a double to leftfield, plating Clark.

Texas State (8-3) scored its lone run in the top of the eighth inning. Gerry Cervantez and Casey Guest drew walks off Josh Prince who was making his first career pitching appearance. Joseph Krebs replaced Prince and induced a 6-4-3 double play, allowing Cervantez to move to third. Adam Witek single to centerfield, driving in Cervantez to cut the margin to 7-1.

Danks and Peoples each logged two hits to lead the Texas offense. Danks went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Peoples was 2-for-3 with one double and two RBI. Tucker logged a single to push UT's season-best hit streak to nine games.

David Wood and Aaron Garza had two hits apiece for Texas State.

Six Texas pitchers combined to allow seven hits and three walks in the win. Hunter Harris (1-0) earned the victory, scattering two hits over two scoreless innings. Alex Posey and Keith Shinaberry each added two scoreless innings of relief. Krebs and James Russell finished off the contest with one shutout inning apiece.

B.J. Boening (0-1) was saddled with the loss for the Bobcats. He allowed seven runs on five hits and three walks in 1.2 innings.

Texas returns to action at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday with the Longhorns hosting Washington State University in the first of a three-game series.

Texas recap

Texas State Recap

NCBWA NAMES PRO-LINE ATHLETIC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

From the NCBWA PRESS RELEASE

DALLAS - The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending Feb. 18, today. Louisiana Tech sophomore outfielder Jericho Jones was named National Hitter of the Week, while UC Riverside junior right-hander James Simmons was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.

Jones, a sophomore from Corinth, Texas, hit .650 (13-20) in five games as Louisiana Tech extended its winning streak to eight in a row.  He had a total of 16 RBIs, three home runs, three doubles, one triple, was walked twice and scored 11 runs during the week.  Jones began the week with a 4-for-5 performance, driving in three and scoring three runs against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.  In Saturday's second game against McNeese State, Tech trailed 10-1 in the seventh inning when Jones hit a three-run homer, his second of the game.  In the eighth, he hit a two-run double as the Bulldogs went on to win 15-13.  For the game, he was 3-for-5 with six RBIs and three runs.  On Sunday, he went 2-for-3 with four more RBIs to help seal the sweep for the Bulldogs.

In his first Friday-night start of the season, Simmons tossed a four-hit complete game and tied the UC Riverside Division I record with 15 strikeouts in the 3-0 win over San Francisco.  His 15 strikeouts top his previous career high of 10, achieved three times last season, and ties Chris Smith's five-year old school record.  In his first complete game, the 6-4 right-hander faced just four batters over the minimum and threw 128 pitches, 95 for strikes.  The Norco, Calif., native, who allowed just one runner to reach second, improved to 3-0 on the season and lowered his ERA to 0.45.

With this week's honor, Simmons automatically is named to the watch list for Roger Clemens Award, given to the national collegiate pitcher of the year, sponsored by the Greater Houston Baseball Organization.

Fort Worth-based Pro-Line Athletic supplies the official cap to more than 100 Division I college teams and official uniforms and team wear to six Division 1 college teams. This is the third season Pro-Line has sponsored the NCBWA's Players of the Week. The sponsorship provides for plaques to be awarded to each of the weekly winners and other promotional consideration. For more information about Pro-Line, visit their Web site at: www.prolineathletic.com.

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's official Web site, www.ncbwa.com.

For more information, contact NCBWA Assistant Executive Director Mike Montoro (601-266-5947, michael.montoro@usm.edu).

Blue Devils starting strong

The Duke Blue Devils host Albany on Tuesday looking to pick up their seventh win on the young season. The Blue Devils have opened the season strong with back to back sweeps of Mount St. Mary's and St. Bonaventure. The Chronicle checks in with Sean McNally's team after the weekend sweep here.

Duke Game Notes for Tuesday's game

FSU visits Florida

The Florida State Seminoles will be playing their first road game of the season with a visit to Gainesville to take on the Gators. FSU is entering the game with a number 2 ranking and a 9-0 record. The Gators are entering the game after taking 2 out of 3 from Miami and they have a 4-3 overall record.

Florida Game Notes
FSU Game Notes
Tallahassee Democrat Article about the Rivalry

NCBWA Feb. 19 Division I poll

DALLAS - The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association continues its tradition of NCAA Division I polls for the 10th year with its 2007 weekly surveys. Weekly polls will be circulated from Feb. 12-June 26 following the NCAA World Series in Omaha, Neb.

The poll voters come from 32 college baseball writers and related media persons from throughout the nation. This week's poll has representation by 11 different conferences among the 293 baseball-playing schools in the '07 NCAA Division I ranks. For more information or to join the NCBWA, please go to www.ncbwa.com.

Rank-School-Conference-Overall Record-Preseason Rank
1 Vanderbilt SEC 6-0 4
2 South Carolina SEC 5-1 1
3 North Carolina ACC 3-0 3
4 Clemson 2-1 ACC 2
5 Cal State Fullerton Big West 7-2 5
6 Florida State ACC 9-0 10
7 Oregon State Pacific-10 9-1 9
8 Rice Conference USA 5-4 6
9 Virginia ACC 4-1 8
10 Arkansas SEC 6-2 11
11 Mississippi SEC 4-1 13
12 Nebraska Big 12 3-1 14
13 Arizona State Pac-10 7-3 12
14 Miami (Fla.) ACC 4-4 7
15 Pepperdine West Coast 7-3 18
16 Oklahoma State Big 12 5-1 16
17 Texas Big 12 6-4 15
18 TCU MWC 6-1 21
19 Alabama SEC 6-1 20
20 Tulane C-USA 4-2 22
21 Georgia Tech ACC 3-3 19
22 Winthrop Big South 7-2 24
23 Arizona Pac-10 9-2 23
24 Wichita State MVC 1-2 17
25 Kentucky SEC 3-0 26
26 Long Beach State Big West 5-4 25
27 UCLA Pac-10 6-4 27
28 Florida Atlantic Atlantic Sun 9-0 NR
29 NC State ACC 5-0 NR
30 Coastal Carolina Big South 7-0 NR

Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Auburn (6-1), Baylor (4-3), Charlotte (5-1), College of Charleston (4-0), Evansville (3-3), Georgia Southern (8-2), Hawaii (9-3), Kansas (7-1), UL Lafayette (4-0), Louisiana State(4-2), Mississippi State (0-0), Ohio State (0-0), Rhode Island (0-0), San Diego (9-4), South Florida (6-0), Southeastern Louisiana (7-5), Southern California (7-5), Southern Miss (3-0), Stanford (3-5), Stetson (5-2), Texas A&M (7-1), Texas Tech (7-3), UC Irvine (6-2-1)

Dropped Out: Stanford (28), Louisiana State (29), Tennessee (30)

By conference: Atlantic Coast 7, Southeastern 6, Pacific-10 4, Big 12 3, Big South 2, Big West 2, Conference USA 2, Atlantic Sun 1, Missouri Valley 1, Mountain West 1, West Coast 1

Thanks to Russ Anderson for forwarding me this release and the NCBWA for doing this poll every week.

ACC Players of the Week

Robert Woodard of UNC and Greg Miclat were named Pitcher and Player of the Week for the ACC for the week ending on February 19th. Robert Woodard had a brilliant performance in his first start of the season lasting 7.2 innings while only giving up one hit. He retired the first 20 batters in the game and also struck out seven hitters. He picked up the victory in the 11-0 victory over Seton Hall on Friday evening. He also picked up a national award when he was named to Collegiate Baseball's Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week.

Greg Miclat of UVA had a solid weekend in which he hit .900 over two victories over George Washington. He also picked up four stolen bases in those games.

ACC Release
UVA Release
UNC Release

Conference USA Notebook

Conference USA has released their weekly notebook about the conference teams. The Memphis Tigers open the season this week with a visit to Mississippi on Tuesday. All other conference teams saw action over the weekend and it can be read about here.

Conference USA Players of the Week

Conference USA has released their Pitcher and Player of the Week for the week ending on February 18th. Brendan Murphy of Marshall was named the Player of the Week after reaching base three times in each of Marshall's three games this weekend and picking up a slugging percentage of 1.100. Sean Morgan picked up the Pitcher of the week award by allowing one unearned run on Friday against North Florida. He also struck out eleven batters while walking none.

Conference USA Release
Marshall Release
Tulane Release

Brown named Southern Conference POW

Zach Brown was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week for the week ending February 19th. He hit .400 during The Crab House Shootout presented by Trademark Properties. He led The Citadel to victories over Richmond and South Carolina.

The Citadel Press Release

Coca-Cola Southern Miss Baseball Classic Day 3

In the final day of action at the Coca-Cola Southern Miss Baseball Classic both Southern Mississippi and Southern Illinois were able to pick up victories. Southern Miss took care of business against Northwestern State by a score of 10-7. They were led by a solid hitting attack from Brian Dozier who went 3-4 at the plate. Southern Illinois won the game in the 13th behind RBI hits by Tyler Choate and Micheal Finigan. Louisville tried to make a comeback in the bottom of the 13th but were unable to produce the two runs needed.

Louisville Recap
Southern Illinois Recap

Southern Miss Recap
Northwestern State Recap
Hattiesburg American Recap of the Tourney
Hattiesburg American Recap of the Brawl Suspensions

The Crab House Shootout Day 3 Recap

The Citadel on Sunday pulled out a dramatic 7-6 victory over the Number 1 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks. The Citadel came back from a 6-1 deficit to pick up the victory. Bryan Altman led the offense with a huge three-run homer in the seventh inning to get the bulldogs within a run. Richard Jones provided a sacrifice fly to drive in the the eventual winning run in the eighth inning. Raymond Copenhaver pitched three innings while only letting up a single hit to pick up his first career victory. Link Saunders pitched a perfect ninth inning to get his first save on the season. Justin Smoak for South Carolina went 2 for 3 with a homer in the losing effort. Wayne Pelser picked up the loss for the Gamecocks.

The Citadel Recap
South Carolina Recap

Tim Nanry hit three home runs on Sunday to led the Liberty Flames to a 28-7 victory over the Richmond Spiders. Liberty collected 28 hits in the game which broke the school record in addition to tying the record for runs scored in a game also with 28.

Liberty Recap
Richmond Recap

Stanford holds off Texas

A late rally came up short for The University of Texas and the Longhorns dropped a 10-8 decision to Stanford University in collegiate baseball action at The Dell Diamond on Sunday afternoon.

Texas (6-5) trailed 10-6 entering the bottom of the ninth inning. Brett Lewis led off the frame with a double off third base and Chance Wheeless followed with a two-run home run to right field. With the lead cut to 10-8, Jeff Boes reached on a fielding error and a single by Nick Peoples put runners at the corners. Jordan Danks hit what appeared to be a game-tying extra-base hit down the rightfield line, but first baseman Brent Milleville made a diving snare of the line drive and touched first base for the unassisted double play. Max Fearnow, who entered the game following Wheeless’ homer, completed his first save of the season, fanning Preston Clark to end the game.

The score was tied 6-6 when Stanford posted four runs in the top of the ninth. Jason Castro drew a walk and moved to third on a double by Cord Phelps. Randy Molina was intentinally walked to load the bases. Brendan Domarcki hit a two-run double to leftfield. Ryan Seawell and Milleville each added RBI singles to inflate the cushion to 10-6.

Texas drew first blood in the first inning when Danks drew a one-out walk, moved to second on a single by Clark and scored on a single to rightfield by Travis Tucker.

Stanford (3-5) took its first lead of the game in the top of the third thanks to four consecutive singles by Seawell, Sean Ratliff, Michael Taylor and Milleville. Milleville’s single drove in two, staking the Cardinal to a
2-1 lead.

Stanford tacked on three more runs in the top of the fourth with RBI singles by Ratliff and Taylor and a sacrifice fly by Milleville, increasing the margin to 5-1.

Texas tied the score with two runs each in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Danks doubled and Clark followed with a two-run home run to leftfield. In the sixth, Peoples reached on a bunt single and scored on a Danks’ home run to rightfield, tying the score at 5-5.

Stanford took a 6-5 lead in the eighth inning with a solo home run from Ratliff, but Texas knotted the game at 6-6 with back-to-back doubles by Danks and Clark.

Danks went 3-for-5 with four runs, two doubles, one home run and two RBI.
Clark went 3-for-6 with one double, one home run and three RBI. Lewis went
3-for-5 with one run and one double

For Stanford, Milleville went 2-for-4 with a career-high four RBI. Ratliff and Taylor each had three hits.

Blake Hancock (1-0) earned the win in relief for Stanford and Fearnow earned the save.

Randy Boone (0-3) was saddled with the loss for Texas. He allowed five runs on four hits and one walk in two innings.

Texas welcomes Texas State University to UFCU Disch-Falk Field for the home opener Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.

Stanford Scout.com Recap

Stanford Recap

Texas Recap

George Mason knocks off Clemson

The George Mason Patriots took out the number 1 ranked Clemson Tigers on Saturday by a score of 5-1. They received a magical pitching performance from Mike Modica who gave up only one hit in six innings of work to pick up the victory. George Mason Head Coach Bill Brown was quoted after the game saying it was the greatest victory in school history. Chris Romanow picked up two hits for the Patriots while driving in a run. Jason Bour hit a three run homer in the sixth to provide all the runs the Patriots would need on the day. David Kopp pitched very well letting up four hits in 5.0 scoreless innings.

George Mason Recap
Clemson Recap

Coca-Cola Southern Miss Baseball Classic Day 2

Southern Mississippi and Louisville played an absolute classic on Saturday which ended up with both benches clearing and punches thrown by some players. Southern Mississippi rallied to score four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the ballgame on a 2 out and two strike single by Micheal Ewing. After the runs scored, A Brawl broke out on the field according to reports but I would like to know if any action will be taken against any players.

Southern Miss Recap
Louisville Recap
Hattiesburg American Recap

The Southern Illinois Salukis took out the Northwestern State Demons on Saturday by a score of 3-2. Cody Adams pitched 7.2 innings while only letting up the two runs to pick up the victory.

Southern Illinois Recap
Northwestern State Recap

Louisville will be back in action on Sunday facing Southern Illinois and Southern Miss will face Northwestern State in the final day of the tourney.

The Crab House Shootout Day 2 Recap

The Liberty Flames took a 2-1 victory over The Citadel on Saturday afternoon. Dustin Umberger of Liberty picked up the win by pitching 7.0 innings while only letting up 2 hits and one run. Matt Crim pitched a career high eight innings in the losing effort for the Bulldogs.

Liberty Recap
The Citadel Recap

The University of South Carolina continued their strong start to the season with a 9-2 victory over the Richmond Spiders on Saturday. Jay Brown started the game and struck out nine batters in his six innings of work to pick up the victory. James Darnell also hit a homer for the second straight day to provide the offense.

South Carolina Recap
Richmond Recap