Conference USA Tournament Preview

After winning the regular season Conference USA championship for the second straight season, top-ranked Rice will be the No.1 seed at the 2007 Conference USA Championship, which begins Wednesday at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville, N.C. The Owls finished with a 22-2 record in C-USA play, matching the best winning percentage (.917) in league history, which Rice established last season. At 45-11 overall, Rice owns one of the best records in Division I baseball and will enter the tournament on an 18-game winning streak. The Owls have won 12 consecutive regular season conference championships, dating back to the final year of the Southwest Conference.

The Owls will face UCF (26-30) in the second game of the tournament on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. EDT. The Knights (7-17 in C-USA) punched their ticket to the tournament with a dramatic comeback victory on Friday night over Marshall. Rice is once again armed with one of the top pitching staffs in the country. Junior LHP Joe Savery, Freshman RHP Ryan Berry and Senior RHP Ryne Tacker lead a strong starting rotation, while closer Cole St.Clair is rounding back into form after missing the first two months of the season with an injury. Junior IF Kiko Vazquez is UCF's top hitter, pacing the club in average (.311), doubles (16) and RBI (43), while freshman 3B Chris Duffy enters the tournament having hit a home run in four of his last six games. Rice swept the three-game series between the teams in Orlando in April.

The championship will get underway at 9:00 a.m. EDT on Wednesday when No. 5 seed Memphis (33-23, 12-12) takes on No. 4 seed Houston (28-26, 12-12). The Tigers and Cougars met two weekends ago in Memphis, with visiting Houston taking two-of-three in a wild offensive series. The Tigers feature eight senior starters, led by 1B Adam Amar, the school's all-time leader in hits and RBI, and 2B Bill Moss (.333, 12 HR, 49 RBI). The Cougars feature sophomore OF Jimmy Cesario (.358, 13 2B), sophomore C Luis Flores (team-leading 9 HR) and freshman P Wes Musick (6-4, 3.18 ERA, 68 K's). Memphis and Houston will be meeting in the Conference USA Championship for the first time since 1998.

Red-hot Southern Miss, winners of 10 in a row, earned the No. 3 seed and opens its tourney play against No. 6 seed UAB at 4 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles (37-19, 14-10) have a trio of starting pitchers (Ryan Belanger, Barry Bowden and David Clark) that have each won eight games while junior 1B Trey Sutton (.370, 18 2B, 6 HR, 36 RBI) leads the offense.

UAB, which posted its best conference record since 1998 under first-year head coach Brian Shoop, are one of the top-hitting teams in C-USA. The Blazers have seven starters batting better than .300, paced by OF J.R. Bond at .354. Southern Miss won two-of-three games when the teams met in Hattiesburg in late April.

Tulane (32-24, 9-15) earned the No. 7 seed and will face No. 2 seed and tournament host East Carolina (36-20, 14-9) in the final game of the first day at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. Tulane's pitching staff leads Conference USA in strikeouts, led by junior RHP Sean Morgan (116) and sophomore RHP Shooter Hunt (95). ECU has one of the top closers in C-USA in Shane Mathews (league-leading 12 saves) and sophomore 1B Stephen Batts enters the tournament with a 21-game hitting streak, the longest in the league this season. This will be the third straight year that these teams will meet in the Conference USA Championship. Tulane won the regular season series, 2 games to 1, when the squads faced off in New Orleans during the second weekend of league play.

The championship game of the tournament on Sunday, May 27 will be televised on a same-day tape delay basis by CSTV: College Sports Television. The title game will air on CSTV at 9:30 p.m. EDT. The tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

Conference USA weekend recap for May 17-19

The C-USA regular season schedule wrapped up Saturday, with Rice and Southern Miss completing sweeps - both in the city of Houston - UAB collecting a historic victory and Central Florida clinching a spot in the conference tournament, which will be held at East Carolina.

Memphis at No. 2 Rice
Rice broke open a tie in the bottom of the fifth with four runs and held on to fight off a Memphis rally to clinch a 6-4 win in the Thursday series-opener. The Tigers left two men on base in both the eighth and the ninth and Ryan Berry took the win.

Memphis led game two going into the bottom of the sixth, when the Owls struck for three runs and a 4-2 lead. The effort gave Rice starter Ryne Tacker the win and Cole St. Clair came in and earned the save, giving him 18 for his career and breaking the school record in the process.

Brian Friday went 3-for-5 with a home run and a pair of doubles to lead Rice to a 7-4 win and the series sweep on Saturday. Memphis cut the deficit from six runs to three but could get no closer.

Memphis recaps
Rice recaps

Southern Miss at Houston
The visiting Golden Eagles gave their bullpen the weekend off, as Ryan Belanger, Barry Bowden and David Clark each threw complete games in the Southern Miss sweep of the homestanding Cougars.

Belanger allowed only four hits and struck out eight in the Thursday series-opener, which was televised nationally on CSTV. The Golden Eagles struck for two runs in the sixth and four in the seventh innings to take a 6-0 decision.

Clark allowed six hits and struck out seven in a 4-0 win in Friday's contest, marking the first time in school history Southern Miss had tossed back-to-back shutouts in conference games. Trey Sutton and Brian Dozier each collected three hits.

Clark allowed eight hits and struck out four as the Golden Eagles completed the sweep with a 7-2 victory in the Saturday contest. Southern Miss has now won 10 games in a row and 14 of its last 16 outings.

Southern Miss recaps
Houston recaps

No. 29 East Carolina at UAB
The Pirates headed to Birmingham looking to lock down the No. 2 seed in the league, but had to claim a Saturday victory to avoid being swept by the Blazers and dropping in the C-USA standings.

Mitch Kloskowski pitched a complete game and Ryne Lovedahl and Jonathan Merritt each went 4-for-5 from the plate to lift UAB to an 11-2 thrashing of the 29th-ranked Pirates. The win marked the 800th victory in the UAB baseball program's history.

The Saturday contest held a fan promotion of "Reliever Night," but Grant Addison didn't cooperate, as he tossed his second straight complete game, leading UAB to a series-clinching victory with a 3-2 decision. ECU left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth.

David Forbes drove in three runs as the Pirates avoided the broom with a 10-2 victory in Saturday's final game. The victory clinched the No. 2 see for ECU. The Pirates plated three runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to clinch the win.

East Carolina recaps
UAB recaps

Marshall at UCF
The Thundering Herd and the Golden Knights faced off in the final weekend of the regular season with a season extension on the line; whomever won the series would clinch the eighth and final seed in the C-USA Tournament and the other team would see its season come to a close.

Chris Duffy hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to give UCF an 8-6 victory in the Thursday series-opener. He finished the night going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Duffy homered in the eighth inning - his third straight game with a home run - and the Golden Knights scored three in the bottom of the ninth to claim an 8-7 victory, clinching both the series and a spot in the league tournament.

Six Marshall pitchers combined to hold UCF to seven hits as the Thundering Herd claimed a 6-3 decision in their final game of the season.

Marshall recaps
UCF recaps

Chicago State at Tulane
Chicago State claimed a 2-1 victory in the Thursday series-opener, but Tulane rebounded to take a 4-2 win on Friday and a 7-0 win on Saturday to clinch the regular season-ending series.

Chicago State recap
Tulane recap

ACC Recap for May 19th

North Carolina 12 Maryland 4
North Carolina 6 Maryland 3

The North Carolina Tar Heels swept a doubleheader from Maryland to clinch the number 2 overall seed in the upcoming ACC Tourney in Jacksonville. In Game 1, Reid Fronk went 3-4 with three runs scored and two driven in while starting pitcher Alex White gave them seven innings while only giving up three earned runs. Ryan Moorer started for the Terps and gave up five runs on eleven hits in only 4.2 innings. AJ Casario picked up three hits for Maryland in the game. In Game 2, Tim Federowicz went 3-5 with two runs and two RBI. Luke Putkonen pitched five innings while giving up one run. His record goes to 7-1. Brett Cecil got the start on senior day and gave them six innings while giving up six runs (five earned) as he ends the season at 5-6.

UNC Game 1 Recap
UNC Game 2 Recap
Maryland Recap

Florida State 17 Georgia Tech 11

FSU and Georgia Tech played the final game of their regular season and the Seminoles were able to complete a series sweep by winning 17-11. Omhed Danesh had a perfect night at the plate by going 3-3 with 2 RBI. Wally Crancer went 2-4 with an RBI. The Seminoles jumped on Yellow Jackets starter Eddie Burns for seven runs in the first two innings as his record ends the regular season 3-3. Ryan Strauss gave up one run in four innings as he picked up the win 9-2.

FSU Recap
GT Recap

Virginia 11 Boston College 3

The Virginia Cavaliers put the end to the Boston College season with an 11-3 victory. The Cavaliers knocked around BC starter Terry Doyle for six runs in 2+ innings of work. Doyle gave up home runs to Brandon Guyer in the first inning and David Adams in the third inning before being lifted for Nate Jeanes. Doyle's record finishes at 4-5. The Cavaliers sent All-American closer Casey Lambert to the mound as he allowed only one run in four innings to put his record at 2-1.

UVA Recap
BC Recap

Clemson 6 NC State 3

Ryan Hinson pitched two scoreless innings to get the victory as the Tigers picked up the 6-3 victory over NC State in the season finale. Doug Hogan led the offensive attack by going 3-5. Both schools used a bunch of pitchers as they were trying to set up their rotations for the ACC Tourney.

Clemson Recap
NC State Recap

Miami 14 Duke 5

Yonder Alonso and Roger Tomas each got four hits as the Hurricanes rolled over the Blue Devils in the regular season finale 14-5. Enrique Garcia (7-3) picked up the win by going five innings while giving up all five runs. Alexander Hassan (2-6) picked up the loss by giving up eight runs in 2.1 innings.

Miami Recap
Duke Recap

Wake Forest 9 Virginia Tech 8

The Demon Deacons survived a late ninth inning rally from the Virginia Tech Hokies but held on for the 9-8 victory. The victory clinches the eighth seed for Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament as they will play their first game on Wednesday.

Wake Forest Recap
VT Recap

No. 7 Texas rallies late to top Texas A&M, 6-4!!

Nick Peoples had to stop himself from going.

After all, Texas already had made one out at home plate earlier in the game, and lost a game earlier in the year by making that mistake.

Texas' Chais Fuller makes a play at second base during the first inning on Friday night.

Standing on third with the game tied and no outs in the ninth, Peoples almost went home on Chais Fuller's ground ball to Texas A&M shortstop Brandon Hicks. Instead, Peoples waited.

It paid off when Aggies pitcher Kyle Thebeau threw a wild pitch to the next batter, allowing Peoples to score the winning run on Friday night as Texas won 6-4 at Olsen Field to claim a share of the Big 12 title for the second consecutive year.

Texas can clinch an outright title with a victory over the Aggies at 6 p.m. today at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. If Texas loses its final two games and Missouri wins its final two against Oklahoma State, the Tigers, who won 2 of 3 against the Longhorns, will claim the No. 1 seed at the Big 12 tournament. Missouri beat OSU 9-6 on Friday.

"I said we were going to win the title," Texas coach Augie Garrido said. "Now, I've proven in the past that I can be wrong."

Peoples, who went 3 for 4 and scored two runs on Friday, made sure Garrido wasn't wrong this time.

"I was looking for (a wild pitch)," Peoples said. "I wanted to get a good enough lead, but I didn't want to get picked off third base. I didn't think I was going to be able to go when it went off the catcher's glove. But I was able to get there."

Texas (40-14 overall, 19-6 Big 12) added a run later in the ninth inning when Chance Wheeless hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Travis Tucker, completing the Longhorns' first comeback victory of the season. Texas A&M (41-13, 13-11) took an early 4-1 lead but made three errors to help the Longhorns.

After scoring two runs in the first inning, the Aggies grabbed a 4-1 lead in the third when Luke Anders hit a two-run home run.

Texas added one run in the sixth but could have had more. With one out, Jordan Danks on third and Wheeless on first, Bradley Suttle doubled to the left-field wall. Danks scored and Wheeless tried to do the same but was gunned out at the plate.

Texas A&M left fielder Ben Feltner made a perfect throw to shortstop Brandon Hicks, who fired a strike to catcher Craig Stinson in time to get Wheeless.

It didn't matter. The Horns tied it with a two-run seventh. Chais Fuller had a nine-pitch at-bat that ended with an RBI double, scoring Peoples.

"I was just trying to stay alive, mentally and physically," Fuller said.

Danks, who has been in a slump lately, followed with a two-out single to center field, plating Fuller to tie the game at 4-4.

"We're taught not to think at all at the plate, and today I was a little more confident up there," Danks said. "This was a big win, to come in here, a tough place to play, and come back like that."

Texas A&M left runners on second and third in the bottom of the eighth inning when Texas reliever Randy Boone got Parker Dalton to strike out. That set the stage for Peoples, who led off the top of the ninth with an infield single, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Josh Stinson.

Texas.scout.com

Texas Recap

Texas A&M Recap

ACC Recap for May 18th

Florida State 10 GT 2

Florida State continued their strong hitting from the next before as they jumped on the Yellow Jackets for six runs in the first inning as they cruised to a 10-2 victory in Atlanta GA. Every Seminole starter got on base at least once with four different players getting at least two hits in the game. Matt Fairel pitched 4.1 scoreless innings in relief to pick up his first collegiate victory to put his record at 1-0 on the year. David Duncan was rocked for eight runs in 4.1 innings and got the loss to put his record at 6-4.

FSU Recap
GT Recap

North Carolina 6 Maryland 3

UNC scored three runs over the final two innings to break a 3-3 tie and pick up a 6-3 victory over the Maryland Terrapins. Rob Wooten and Andrew Carnignan held Maryland to one base runner over the final 3.2 innings. Wooten picked up the win to put his record at 3-0 while Carnignan picked up his 11th save of the season. Dustin Ackley, Garrett Gore, and Tim Federowicz all had three hits in the game for the Tar Heels. Maryland starter Casey Baron was a tough luck loser as he gave up four runs in 7.1 innings. He picks up the loss in his last appearance at Shipley Field put his record at 4-5.

UNC Recap
UMD Recap

NC State 6 Clemson 5

The NC State Wolfpack got a walkoff homer from Dallas Poulk in the bottom of the ninth off of Clemson reliever Alan Farina to win 6-5. NC State reliever Sam Brown got the win as he got the final out of the ninth to put his record at 2-1 while Farina's record drops to 4-3.

NC State Recap
Clemson Recap

Miami 5 Duke 1

Eric Erickson pitched 7.2 innings while only allowing one run while Mark Sobolewski went 3-4 at the plate to lead the Canes to the 5-1 victory over Duke. Erickson's record goes to 9-3 while Duke ace Tony Bajoczky picked up his third loss of the season as he let up all five runs.

Miami Recap
Duke Recap

Virginia Tech 8 Wake Forest 2

The Virginia Tech Hokies picked up a key 8-2 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons which kept Boston College's chances of making the ACC Tournament alive. Andrew Wells pitched 7.2 strong innings while only giving up both runs to up his record to 4-4. Wake starter Brad Kledzik was lit up for eight runs in six innings to drop his record to 4-4. Wake Forest is now 1/2 game up on Boston College in the standings heading into tomorrow. BC is scheduled to play UVA in a doubleheader but it might be canceled so Wake Forest might in for a do or die game on Sunday.

Wake Forest Recap
VT Recap

Virginia and Boston College was postponed and a doubleheader will be played on Saturday weather permitting.

D-2 Northeast Regional Day 1 Recap

Franklin Pierce 4 Wilmington College 1

Kevin Renaud went 3-4 with two doubles and a homer while driving in three runs as he lead the Ravens to the 4-1 victory over Wilmington College in the opening game of the Northeast Regional in Rindge NH. Mike Adams pitched eight strong innings while only letting up one run on six hits to keep his record perfect at 6-0. Wilmington College starter Kenny McGrady pitched a complete game while only allowing two earned runs. His record drops to 4-5. FPC will play Umass Lowell on Friday at 2:30 pm while Wilmington College will take on Bryant at 11 am.

FPC Recap

Adelphi 5 Bryant 4

Adelphi scored a single run in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie and pick up a victory over the Bryant Bulldogs 5-4. Adelphi was led by Ralph Tropiano who went 2-4. Adelphi starter Bobby Lanignan picked up the win by pitching seven innings while giving up four runs (three earned) to put his record at 7-2 while Bryant reliever Eric Polvani got the loss by giving up one run in 1.1 innings to put his record at 4-3. Adelphi's Mike McLasky pitched two scoreless innings while giving up only one hit. Bryant was led by Dyaln Stone who went 2-3 on the day. Adelphi will play Caldwell College at 6:00 pm.

Adelphi Recap
Bryant Recap
NCAA Recap

Caldwell College 9 UMass-Lowell 4

The Caldwell College Cougars jumped on UMass-Lowell early with two runs in the first inning as they cruised to a 9-4 victory. The Cougars were led by Omar Velazquez who had three hits while Robert Casal pitched 8.1 innings while letting four runs to put his record at 10-1. UMass-Lowell starter Joe Malzone got the loss by giving up four runs in three innings of work. Brendan Fullerton was the only Riverhawk hitter with more then one hit on the day as he recorded two hits and an RBI. Caldwell will be back in action at 6 pm on Friday when they face Adelphi while UMass-Lowell takes on host Franklin Pierce at 2:30 pm.

Caldwell College Recap
NCAA Recap

HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED ON FRIDAY SO IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT GAMES WILL BE PLAYED ON FRIDAY. CHECK FPC'S WEBSITE BY CLICKING HERE.

Price dominates again as Vandy win SEC title

David Price continued his strong season as he pitched 8.2 innings of one run baseball while striking out 15 LSU hitters as he led the Vanderbilt Commodores to a 4-1 victory over LSU to clinch the SEC Regular Season Title which is the first in the school's history. Price broke his own school record for strikeouts in a season in the third inning with his 155th of the season and ended the game with 164. His record goes to 10-0 on the season as he continues to prepare for the upcoming SEC and NCAA Tournaments. Charlie Furbush took the loss for the Tigers as he only gave up one earned run in seven innings his record drops to 3-9.

The College Baseball Blog had the chance to watch tonight's game through a live webcast and was impressed with the control of David Price. He seemed to be in total control throughout the game and was basically unhittable. Charlie Furbush has really dropped off this season after dominating the Cape Cod League last summer. The Blog took in one of his starts last year against Cotuit and he had one of the better curveballs in the league and could really locate his fastball. The Blog doesn't know what happened to him this season which is his first in Division 1.

Vanderbilt Recap
Vanderbilt Quotes
Vanderbilt Rivals Recap
LSU Recap

Furman hits a walkoff to defeat The Citadel

Furman received a walk-off two run homer from Chris Bailes as they got a 4-2 victory over The Citadel on Thursday evening. Bailes hit the homer off of Bulldogs reliever Justin Smith who struggled by giving up three runs in 2.2 innings of work to drop his record to 6-4. Furman starter Matt Klinker only let up 3 hits and 2 runs in a complete game effort to get the victory and up his record to 6-4.

Furman Recap
The Citadel Recap

ACC Recap for May 17th

Florida State 17 GT 2

The Florida State Seminoles pounded out 15 hits and were able to put across 17 runs against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a 17-2 blowout victory over Georgia Tech. Bryan Henry started for the Seminoles and gave up only two runs on six hits in six innings to up his record to a perfect 14-0. Jason Stidham led the Seminoles attack by going 4-5 with four RBI while Tony Thomas Jr. went 2-6 with two runs scored and two driven in also. Georgia Tech starter Ryan Turner only lasted four innings and gave up seven runs to drop his record to 5-4. Wally Crancer picked up two hits including a homer as he was the only Yellow Jacket with multiple hits in the game.

FSU Recap
GT Recap

UVA 5 BC 4

The CBB attended this game and it can be read here.

NC State 11 Clemson 4

The NC State Wolfpack welcomed Clemson to Raliegh NC for an ACC showdown. The Wolfpack were able to pick up the 11-4 victory. NC State starter Clayton Shunick made the spot start which was only his second of his career. He was able to deliver on the mound as he only gave up two hits in five innings to get the win. His record is now 5-2. Eryk McConnell pitched two perfect innings to close out the game and pick up his 11th save. Caleb Mangum went 2-4 with four RBIs to lead the offensive attack for the Wolfpack. Daniel Moskos started for the Tigers and gave up four runs in four innings. His record drops to 3-5 on the season. Addison Johnson got two hits in four at bats as he was the only Tiger with more then one hit on the day.

NC State Recap
Clemson Recap

Miami 9 Duke 3

The Miami Hurricanes exploded for five runs in the bottom of the seventh to blow a tight 4-3 game into a comfortable 9-3 victory for the Hurricanes over Duke. The Canes got six innings from Scott Maine while giving up only three runs to even his record at 5-5. Roger Tomas, Yonder Alonso, Dennis Raben, and Gus Menendez all had two hits to lead the Hurricanes offense. Duke starter Jonathan Anderson gave up four runs in 5.2 innings and got the loss to put his record at 3-4. Nate Freiman went 4-4 with 2 RBI in the losing effort.

Miami Recap
Duke Recap

Wake Forest 5 VT 2

Wake Forest defeated Virginia Tech 5-2 in the first game of their series with Virginia Tech on Thursday evening. Willy Fox went 3-4 with an RBI as his Wake Forest Demon Deacons moved into sole possession of eighth place in the ACC after a Boston College loss earlier in the day. Garrett Bullock gave the Deacons a strong start by giving up two runs in eight innings. His record is now 4-1. Josh Ellis picked up the save as he struck out all three batters in the bottom of the ninth. Virginia Tech starter Greg Fryman pitched a complete game while allowing all five runs earned and drops his record to 2-10 on the season. The Hokie offensive star was Warren Schaeffer as he picked up two hits.

Wake Forest Recap
Virginia Tech Recap

The CBB checks out BC-UVA Game 1

The College Baseball Blog took advantage of an opportunity to take a look at Jacob Thompson who entered the day with a 10-0 record. The Eagles countered with senior pitcher Kevin Boggan who was making his last appearance at Shea Field. The Cavaliers came out and took it to Boggan by getting three hits and bringing across two runs to jump out to a 2-0 lead. The Eagles then came out in the bottom of the first and were able to scratch across two runs on one hit, one error, one walk, and a hit by batter to tie the score at 2. The game became a classic pitching duel between Boggan and Thompson until the sixth inning when Brandon Guyer lead off with a high fly ball to right field which was dropped by Johnny Ayers allowing Guyer to get on second base with no outs. David Adams followed the lead-off error with a single up the middle to drive Guyer in to make the score 3-2. BC was held in check by Thompson until the eighth inning when Ryan Hutchinson led off the inning with a single through the infield. He stayed on first after Johnny Ayers flew out to left field. Jared McGuire then hit a double down the left field line to put runners on second and first with only one out. The Cavaliers finally made a move to the bullpen as they brought in Jake Rule to face the hot-hitting Eric Campbell. He proceeded to hit a sacrifice fly to right field which brought home the tying run in Hutchinson. The teams stayed tied until the top of the tenth inning when the Cavaliers struck for two runs on a David Adams single to take a 5-3 lead. Boston College was able to work around the single and get out of the inning while only allowing those two runs. Virginia brought in closer Casey Lambert who got into some trouble as he allowed a run and needed a double play off the bat of Eric Campbell to get the final two outs and pick up his 11th save of the season.

Jacob Thompson was extraordinarily in his 7.1 innings on the mound. He was able to locate all his pitchers including a strong fastball and a solid curveball. Sean Doolittle went 3-4 on the day with an RBI as he has a good solid bat and should be a drafted this upcoming spring.

Boston College's starter Kevin Boggan started out rusty but was able to get in a groove as he went seven strong innings while only allowing two earned runs. He has become a tough luck loser or no-decision guy as he is still 5-5 on the season. Eric Campbell and Jared McGuire both have come alive recently at the plate. If the Eagles are able to get into the ACC Tourney, both players could cause some trouble for their opponents.

BC Recap
UVA Recap

USA Baseball Names 11 Players to National Team

USA Baseball has announced the first eleven players for the USA National team which will play in the Pan-American Games in Brazil, World Port Tourney in Holland, and a domestic tour of the USA. The team will be coached by Mike Weathers of Long Beach State University. He will be assisted by Rob Cooper of Wright State, Bill Kinneberg of Utah, and Mark Scalf of UNC-Wilmington.

2007 National Team Roster

Pedro Alvarez IF So. Vanderbilt
Brett Hunter RHP So. Pepperdine
Lance Lynn RHP So. Ole Miss
Brian Matusz LHP So. University of San Diego
Josh Romanski OF/LHP So. University of San Diego
Tyson Ross RHP So. California
Cody Satterwhite RHP So. Ole Miss
Justin Smoak IF So. South Carolina
Jacob Thompson RHP So. Virginia
Brett Wallace IF So. Arizona State
Jemile Weeks IF So. Miami FL

Full Press Release available here

D-2 Northeast Regional Preview

The Northeast Regional for Division 2 starts up on Thursday in a six team double elimination tournament at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge NH. The winner heads to the Division 2 College World Series in Montgomery, Alabama.

Number 1 seed: Franklin Pierce College

FPC enters this weekend with a 45-9 overall record after winning the Northeast-10 conference tournament after coming through the losers bracket. They are led by Keith Renaud who is hitting .374 on the season and has a 5-2 mark on the mound with a 3.38 ERA. Arric Mather is the team's ace on the mound with a solid 6-1 record and an ERA of 1.56.

Number 2 seed: Adelphi University

Adelphi enters this weekend as the East Coast Conference Champion. They have an overall record of 33-15. They are led by Mike Myers who was named the Northeast Pitcher of the Year on Wednesday. He has a 9-0 record with a 3.28 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 68.2 innings. The leading hitter for the Panthers is Ryan Boelsen who is hitting at a .412 clip.

Number 3 seed: UMass Lowell

UMass Lowell enters the weekend coming off a disappointing appearance in the Northeast 10 tournament last weekend at their home ballpark. They lost to Bryant in 14 innings and then got shutout by Pace University for an 0-2 record in the tournament. They are led by Peter Nickerson who is 6-2 with a 2.35 ERA. Steve Paddock is the leading hitter with a .367 average.

Number 4 seed: Caldwell College

Caldwell College lost the championship game in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference to Wilmington College 10-7 but were able to get an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. They are led by Robert Casal who is 9-1 and has a 3.66 ERA with two complete games on the season. The leading hitter is Raymond Keelan who is batting .389.

Number 5 seed: Bryant University

The Bryant University Bulldogs got an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament after making an impressive run in the Northeast-10 tournament. They ended up losing a doubleheader this past Sunday to Franklin Pierce. The Bulldogs are led by a strong pitching staff which is headlined by Eric Loh (7-3, 2.09 ERA). The hitting for the Bulldogs has been their weak spot this year as the leading hitter on the team is Pat McKenna who has a .329 average.

Bryant Game Notes

Number 6 seed: Wilmington College

Wilmington College comes in as the champions of the CACC after knocking off Caldwell 10-7 in the championship game. They have a record of 29-18 and went 10-6 in the CACC. Information is very scarce on the team but Joe Matterer was named the MVP of the CACC Tournament and has a 12-1 record with a 3.12 ERA. Jason Rust is the team's top hitter as he is hitting .369 and has 21 homers on the year.

The whole tournament can be heard through the Internet by clicking here.

The College Baseball Blog will be in attendance at the Regional on Sunday but if things change with the BC-UVA series, then we might attend also on Saturday.

Special Thanks goes out to Doug Monson of Franklin Pierce and Brad Davis of Bryant University for helping the Blog out with information and press passes for the weekend.

ACC Weekend Preview for May 17th-May 19th

Florida State at Georgia Tech

The Florida State Seminoles head to Atlanta GA for a weekend series with the Yellow Jackets. Florida State has already wrapped up the Atlantic Division title and at worst will be the number 2 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament. The Seminoles offense is still led by All-American candidate Tony Thomas Jr who is hitting .449 in the first 52 games of the season. Bryan Henry has continued his role of being the number 1 starter as he leads the team in wins with 13 and has the lowest ERA among the Seminoles starting pitchers at 2.47. Florida State has been having troubles with their third weekend starter role which has become unsettled recently. The Seminoles have the spot listed as TBA right now and they could go with anyone from Danny Rosen to Ryan Strauss.

Georgia Tech enters the weekend as the fourth seed for the upcoming ACC Tournament but could miss the tourney if some crazy scenarios come true. Georgia Tech is led by Matt Wieters (.376 BA, 10 home runs) and Danny Payne (.393 BA) who have been thorns in the side of every team that faces the Jackets. David Duncan has become the ace of the squad as he has a 6-3 record and a respectable ERA of 3.34.

The CBB predicts that GT takes two out of three games.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Thursday: David Duncan (6-3, 3.34 ERA) vs Bryan Henry (13-0, 2.47 ERA)
Friday: Eddie Burns (3-2, 2.89 ERA) vs Michael Hyde (9-2, 3.37 ERA)
Saturday: Ryan Turner (5-3, 4.65 ERA) vs TBA

FSU Game Notes
GT Game Notes

Virginia at Boston College

The Virginia Cavaliers enter the weekend series in Chestnut Hill looking to break a short three game losing streak as they lost the final two games of last weekend's series with NC State and lost a mid-week game to Coastal Carolina. UVA also is only a half-game back of North Carolina for the Atlantic Division title. The Cavaliers are dealing with the loss of their top hitter Greg Miclat who leads the team in hitting at .376. He will be visiting Dr. James Andrews this weekend and will likely miss the rest of the season with arm surgery. The Cavs are led by Jacob Thompson who has a perfect 10-0 record and a microscopic 1.48 ERA. Sean Doolittle is also a player that should be watched as he is hitting at .311 and is 7-3 on the mound.

Boston College enters this weekend in a tie with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons for the final spot in the ACC Tournament. BC holds the tiebreaker over the Deacons by way of the three game sweep by the Eagles earlier in the year. BC is led by Eric Campbell who has come around recently to get his average up to .356 as he leads the team in hitting. Johnny Ayers has also recently returned to the lineup after some shoulder issues and he is hitting .345 on the year. Kevin Boggan has been the Eagles top starter throughout the year as he made the transition to the starting rotation where he has a 5-5 record and a 3.84 ERA.

The CBB predicts that UVA takes all three games from the Eagles. The College Baseball Blog will be in attendance on Thursday and potentially Saturday if the game has any impact on the ACC race.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Thursday: Kevin Boggan (5-5, 3.84 ERA) vs Jacob Thompson (10-0, 1.48 ERA)
Friday: Terry Doyle (4-4, 5.24 ERA) vs Matt Packer (3-3, 3.75 ERA)
Saturday: Nate Jeanes (2-4, 4.61 ERA) vs Sean Doolittle (7-3, 2.67 ERA)

UVA Game Notes
Richmond Times-Dispatch Article on Brian O'Connor
Charlottesville Daily Progress Preview of BC series
BC Season Stats

Clemson at NC State

Clemson enters the weekend series with an overall record of 35-18 and 17-10 in the ACC. The Tigers are entering the series coming off a 19-7 victory over the College of Charleston on Tuesday. The Tigers have been led on offense recently by Doug Hogan who leads the starters with a .328 average. He also has ten homers on the season. The Tiger pitching staff has been up and down throughout the year as they have moved All-American closer Daniel Moskos to the starting rotation. He currently has a record of 3-4 with an ERA of 2.63. D.J. Mitchell has taken over the final spot in the rotation he picked up a big 11-6 victory on Sunday over FSU.

NC State still has not clinched a spot in the ACC Tournament but is likely going to get into the tournament barring a disastrous weekend. NC State took two out of three games over last weekend from Virginia and picked up a 7-4 victory over UNC-Asheville this week in non-conference action. The Wolfpack have been led by Eric Surkamp who has been having tough luck picking up wins as he is only 4-3 with a 2.73 ERA. Andrew Brackman is a potential first round pick but is very raw in his pitching as he only has a 6-4 record with a 3.81 ERA. He is not listed to pitch this weekend though as two out of the three games NC State has listed as TBA.

The College Baseball Blog predicts that NC State takes two out of the three games.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Thursday: Daniel Moskos (3-4, 2.63 ERA) vs TBA
Friday: David Kopp (5-2, 3.69 ERA) vs Eric Surkamp (4-3, 2.71 ERA)
Saturday: D.J. Mitchell (4-0, 3.16 ERA) vs TBA

Clemson Game Notes
Clemson Series Preview from Scout.com
NC State Game Notes
Brackman talks about the Draft

Duke at Miami

The Duke Blue Devils are heading down to Coral Gables to end their season as they no chance of making the ACC Tournament or get an NCAA berth this season. They have a respectable 29-22 overall record but have struggled in the ACC all year as they are only 8-19. The leading hitter for the Blue Devils has been Jimmy Gallagher who is hitting .369 on the year. Tony Bajoczky is the leading pitcher for the Devils as he has an impressive 9-2 record with a 2.92 ERA.

The Miami Hurricanes come into the series in a tie with NC State for the sixth spot in the upcoming ACC Tournament. The Canes picked up a series victory over Wake Forest last weekend by taking two out of three games. The biggest issue that came out of that series was the lack of a bullpen the Hurricanes have. They blew two leads of over five runs in two separate games but were able to win the series. Yonder Alonso (.360 BA, 17 home runs) and Mark Sobolewski (.344 BA, 6 home runs) are the main catalysts of the offensive attack. Eric Erickson is the ace of the pitching staff with a 8-3 record and a 1.93 ERA.

The College Baseball Blog predicts that Miami takes two out of three. Tony Bajoczky will win the only game for the Devils with a strong pitching performance.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday: Jonathan Anderson (3-3, 2.49 ERA) vs. Scott Maine (4-5, 2.95 ERA)
Saturday: Tony Bajoczky (9-2, 2.92 ERA) vs. Eric Erickson (8-3, 1.93 ERA)
Sunday: Alexander Hassan (2-5, 5.19 ERA) vs Enrique Garcia (6-3, 2.87 ERA)

Duke Game Notes
Miami Game Notes

Wake Forest at Virginia Tech

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons head to Blacksburg VA to take on the Virgina Tech Hokies. The Deacons are in a battle with Boston College for the final spot in the ACC Tournament. Both teams are tied with a conference record of 12-15 but BC holds the tiebreaker with a sweep of the Deacons earlier this season. Wake Forest is led by Allan Dykstra who is hitting .333 with 16 home runs. Willy Fox has also returned to the lineup after a leg injury which was caused by an intruder in his apartment. He is hitting .348 on the season in 38 games. Wake Forest top starting pitcher is Garrett Bullock who is 3-1 with a 4.62 ERA.

The Virginia Tech Hokies will close out the season under first-year head coach Peter Hughes as they try to spoil the Deacons ACC Tournament hopes. The Hokies have struggled throughout the year as they have a 22-29 overall record and 6-21 in the ACC. The Hokies top offensive player throughout the season has been Sean O'Brien who has a batting average of .327 BA. The Hokie pitching staff has been horrible all year with former closer Adam Redd leading the team with a 3-5 record and 3.84 ERA.

The College Baseball Blog believes that the Hokies will take two out of three games from the Deacons as the Hokies will play hard under Peter Hughes.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Thursday: Garrett Bullock (3-1, 4.62 ERA) vs. Greg Fryman (2-9, 8.05 ERA)
Friday: Brad Kledzik (4-3, 5.09 ERA) vs. Andrew Wells (3-4, 4.82 ERA)
Saturday: Ben Hunter (5-6, 4.76 ERA) vs. Adam Redd (3-5, 3.84 ERA)

Wake Forest Game Notes
Virginia Tech Game Notes

North Carolina at Maryland

The North Carolina Tar Heels enter their final series of the year at Maryland with slight half game lead over the Virginia Cavaliers. North Carolina has been led all year by strong pitching from Robert Woodard who has an 8-2 record and a 2.91 ERA. The offensive star throughout the year has been freshman sensation Dustin Ackley who is hitting an outstanding batting average of .441.

Maryland enters their final series of the year with no hopes of making the ACC or NCAA Tournaments. The best they can do is to ruin North Carolina's chances of winning the Atlantic Division. The Terps have been led by All-American closer Brett Cecil (5-5, 2.88 ERA) who made a start last weekend against Florida State. The leading hitter is Mike Murphy who is hitting .317 on the season.

The College Baseball Blog predicts that UNC sweeps the Terps.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday: Robert Woodard (8-2, 2.91 ERA) vs TBA
Saturday Game 1: Alex White (4-4, 3.63 ERA) vs TBA
Saturday Game 2: Luke Putkonen (6-1, 4.80 ERA) vs TBA

North Carolina Game Notes
Maryland Game Notes

Big weekend ahead for SEC, C-USA

Last weekend was a big one in the Southeastern Conference and Conference USA baseball races.

This weekend will be just as big.

As 11 teams jockeyed for eight spots in the SEC tournament next week in Hoover, Ala., some teams had a rough weekend.

Mississippi State (32-16, 14-11) traveled to Georgia, the last place team in the SEC East, with a chance to make up ground on Arkansas for the SEC West crown.

State opened the series with a win over Georgia, but lost a pair of seven inning contests on Sunday to finish the weekend with a 1-2 mark. Rain forced the Bulldog teams to play a seven inning doubleheader Sunday, and MSU dropped a pair of one-run contests.

In C-USA, Southern Miss (33-19, 11-10) is coming off a three-game sweep of Marshall and a three-game sweep of Dallas Baptist in non-conference play.

USM has won six straight and hits the road for the final weekend traveling to Houston.

Entire article

Greg Miclat injury

Greg Miclat of Virginia will be out for the rest of the season as he is visiting Dr. James Andrews this weekend in preparation for arm surgery. Miclat leads the Cavs with 32 stolen bases and is hitting at a .386 clip. This injury could impact Virginia's chances of getting into the College World Series this season as Miclat is one of the team's leaders.

Charlottesville Daily Progress Article

Conference USA recap for May 15

No. 2 RICE 13, BAYLOR 0
HOUSTON -- Having sewn up the top seed for the upcoming Conference USA tournament, Rice coach Wayne Graham has begun mapping out his postseason roster.

The task of shrinking the bench and bullpen would be more challenging if the Owls weren't tearing the cover off the ball, a trend that continued Tuesday at Reckling Park. No. 2 Rice blasted Baylor 13-0 to stretch its winning streak to 15 games.

Rice improved to 42-11 while Baylor fell to 28-24.

The Owls have just three more games to close out the regular season and all are at home starting Thursday through Saturday. Rice hosts Memphis in a three-game C-USA series at Reckling Park. Thursday's first pitch is slated for 7 pm. Baylor concludes its regular season schedule with a three-game Big 12 Conference series against Kansas State at Baylor Ballpark.

Houston Chronicle story
Baylor recap
Rice recap

SOUTHERN MISS 9, NEW ORLEANS 4
NEW ORLEANS - UNO's struggles continued Tuesday as Southern Mississippi capitalized on shaky pitching by the Privateers to win 9-4 at Maestri Field. With Tuesday night's win, the Golden Eagles have won seven in a row, nine of 10 and finished with double-figure hits in six of the last seven games.

Southern Miss (34-19) scored five runs in the fourth inning, including a leadoff home run by catcher Trey Cuevas, to go ahead 6-2. The Privateers (32-21) couldn't get it going offensively, stranding 10 batters.

Southern Miss wraps up its regular season schedule with a three-game C-USA series at Houston. The first game of the series, on Thursday, will be broadcast nationally on CSTV at 7 p.m. CDT. The Privateers will conclude their regular season schedule this weekend, when they host Louisiana in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series starting Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The Thursday contest will be televised by Cox Sports Television.

Times-Picayune story
Hattiesburg American story
Southern Miss recap
UNO recap

HOUSTON 6, SAM HOUSTON STATE 4
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Senior first baseman Josh Stirneman went 2-for-5 with a double and solo home run to help lead the University of Houston baseball team to a 6-4 win over area-rival Sam Houston State on Tuesday at Don Sanders Stadium.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Cougars scored six unanswered runs and appeared to have the game well in hand heading into the final frame. But the Bearkats pushed three runs across in the ninth inning and continued to threaten with the bases loaded, but reliever Aaron Brown hurled a strikeout to end the threat and the game.

With the win, the Cougars improved to 28-23 overall while Sam Houston State fell to 33-20. The Cougars swept the regular-season series against the Bearkats after taking a 16-9 win on Feb. 13 at Cougar Field. UH, which won its 11th straight game against the Bearkats, also evened the all-time series against SHSU at 71-71. The Cougars had not been even with the Bearkats in the all-time series since standing at 10-10 in 1956.

The Cougars wrap up their 2007 regular season later this week as they play host to Conference USA rival Southern Miss in a three-game series from the friendly confines of Cougar Field. That series begins with 7 p.m., games on both Thursday and Friday before wrapping up at 1 p.m., Saturday. The Thursday game will be televised nationally on CSTV. Sam Houston wraps up the regular season schedule with a Southland Conference series at Stephen F. Austin.

Houston recap
Sam Houston recap

MEMPHIS 5, TENNESSEE-MARTIN 3
UNION CITY, Tenn. - Senior Kyle Norrid went 3-for-4 four and drove in four runs to lead Memphis to a 5-3 win over UT-Martin Tuesday night at Elam Stadium. The win was the 33rd of the year for the Tigers--the most regular season wins for a Memphis team since 1994. The win also eclipses the Tigers 2006 win total.

After waiting through a two hour, 23-minute rain delay, Memphis (33-20) got off to a fast start with a pair of scores in the opening frame. Michael Murray extended his hit streak to 12 games with a single to centerfield and moved to third when Skyhawks leftfielder Kevin Holt was unable to handle a single by Adam Amar. Amar advanced to second. Norrid then lined the first pitch he saw up the middle for a 2-0 Memphis lead.

Memphis will now prepare for its final Conference USA regular season series. The Tigers will travel to Houston to take on the second-ranked Rice Owls on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. UT-Martin (19-33) completes the regular season with by hosting Samford in an OVC series. The teams will play a double-header on Friday and a single game on Saturday.

Memphis recap
UT-Martin recap

ELON 4, No. 29 EAST CAROLINA 2
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Kyle Roller's two home runs were not enough for No. 29 East Carolina as it fell to in-state foe Elon 4-2 Tuesday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium in the final regular season home game for the Pirates.

Jesse Lewter improved to 4-3 on the year after tossing his first career complete game with a career-high six strikeouts for Elon (28-24). On the night he allowed just six hits and walked one, making two pitching mistakes, both home runs to Roller.

The Pirates (35-18) will hit the road for the final three games of the regular season this weekend when they travel to UAB for a C-USA series. Junior T.J. Hose will take the mound for ECU on Thursday night with the first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. (EDT). Elon returns to action on Wednesday, May 16 in a 7 p.m. game with High Point at Latham Park.

Elon recap
East Carolina recap

The Citadel knocks off Charleston Southern

The Citadel picked up an 8-2 victory over the Charleston Southern Bucs on Tuesday night. They received a strong pitching effort from Chris McGuinness (3-2) who pitched five innings while giving up only two unearned runs to grab the win. The Citadel offensive star was Chris Swauger who had three hits including a home run and drove in three runs. Ryan Rowland (3-7) took the loss for Charleston Southern as he gave up five runs in three innings. Chris Krogmeier and Wes Brundridge each picked up two hits in the losing effort. The Citadel will be back in action this weekend when they head to Furman for a Thursday-Saturday while Charleston Southern hosts Radford.

The Citadel Recap
Charleston Southern Recap

ACC Recap for May 15th

UNC 8 Winthrop 7

Tim Fedroff went 3-4 with four RBIs as the North Carolina Tar Heels held on for a 8-7 victory over Winthrop. Winthrop scored three runs in the top of the ninth but UNC was able to get the final out without letting the tying run score. Adam Warren pitched 4.2 innings while giving up three runs to up his record to 10-0. Winthrop reliever Ryan Mullins get the loss as he gave up three runs in 2/3 of an inning. His record drops to 4-5 on the season. North Carolina will be back in action on Friday when they head to Maryland to finish off the regular season while Winthrop hosts Coastal Carolina for a three game set also on Friday.

UNC Recap
Winthrop Recap

North Carolina AT 13 Duke 9

North Carolina AT picked up a 13-9 extra innings victory over the Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday evening. NC AT picked up four hits and a walk in the top of the eleventh to put across four runs and get the win over the Blue Devils in Durham. NC AT reliever Ron Phelps picked up the win by pitching 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. The Aggie offense was led by Joe McIntyre who went 5-6 with four runs scored and drove in four runs. Duke reliever Ryan Perry got the loss to put his record at 0-1. Duke will be back in action this weekend when they head to Miami while NC AT will play in the MEAC Baseball Tourney.

NC AT Recap
Duke Recap

Coastal Carolina 11 Virginia 7

Coastal Carolina continued their strong season with a solid 11-7 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers. The Chanticleers got 20 hits in the game with every starter getting at least a hit while they knocked out UVA starter Jeff Lorick out of the game after only 2/3 of an inning while giving up five runs (four earned). Lorick's record drops his first game of the year to put his record at 2-1. Coastal Carolina starter David Anderson only lasted five innings but only gave up three runs in the game. His record goes to 5-3. Anderson also had a strong game at the plate as he went 4-6. Sean Doolittle and David Adams each had three hits to lead the Cavaliers offense. Coastal Carolina will end the regular season this weekend when they visit Winthrop while Virginia heads to Boston College.

Coastal Carolina Recap
UVA Recap

Clemson 19 College of Charleston 7

The Clemson Tigers took care of College of Charleston by a score of 19-7 in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday. Taylor Harbin led the tigers by going 3-4 with 6 RBI while Clemson starter P. J. Zocchi gave up five runs in five innings but got the win to up his record to 4-2. COC starter Michael Bunton (4-1) was lit up for nine runs in 3.2 innings to get the loss. Clemson will head to NC State while College of Charleston will host Davidson.

Clemson Recap
College of Charleston Recap

Charlotte 9 Virginia Tech 3

The Charlotte 49ers got 13 hits and took advantage of three VT errors as they cruised over Virginia Tech 9-3. Charlotte was led on offense by Chris Taylor who went 2-5 with two RBI. Charlotte starting pitcher Luke Stahl (2-0) went five innings while giving up three unearned runs to get the victory. Rob Whitley (2-2) gave up six runs in four innings for the Hokies and picked up the loss. Charlotte will head to Richmond while Virginia Tech hosts Wake Forest.

Charlotte Recap
VT Recap

NC State 7 UNC-Asheville 4

Caleb Mangum hit a three run homer in the seventh inning which brought home the game winning RBI in a 7-4 victory over UNC-Asheville. Mangum led the Wolfpack by going 2-3 with 3 RBI while Pack reliever Joey Cutler (3-0) got the win while giving up two runs in three innings of work. Dan Weller (1-1) gave up four runs in 1/3 of an inning to get the loss. Kevin Mattison led the offensive attack for UNCA by going 2-4 with a homer and three RBI. NC State will host Clemson while UNC-Asheville heads to UNC-Greensboro on Wednesday to close out the regular season.

NC State Recap
UNC-Asheville Recap

NCBWA NAMES PRO-LINE ATHLETIC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

DALLAS - The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending May 15, today. Arizona State junior outfielder Matt Spencer was named National Hitter of the Week, while Central Connecticut State junior left-hand pitcher Matt Gianini was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I conferences each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.

Spencer helped lead Arizona State to a huge weekend sweep of conference-rival UCLA. The Morristown, Tenn., native was 9-12 (.750) on the weekend, with a double, a triple, two home runs, seven RBIs, six runs scored and two hit by pitches. He also made two pitching appearances and played stellar defense all weekend, making several highlight reel catches and throwing a runner out at home.

Spencer started the weekend going 4-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored as the Devils erased a 14-7 deficit to claim a 16-14 victory on Friday night. He came up huge on Saturday, homering twice and recording the game-winning hit, a bases loaded walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth that completed another ASU comeback. Sunday his two hits helped ASU once again rally from behind, as he knocked in the tying run in the seventh inning, completing a seven run comeback that ended with an 11-10 Sun Devil victory and the three-game sweep.

Gianini had a dominant effort in CCSU's 13-0 win over Wagner in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday. In tossing his second consecutive shutout, the West Haven, Conn., native allowed just three hits and struck out 11 to pick up his third victory of the season. He fanned eight straight Seahawk batters at one point, all swinging, including striking out the side in the fifth and sixth innings. Gianini permitted just one runner to reach second base in the contest. He has not allowed an earned run in his last 15 innings and has struck out 20 while walking just four in his last two starts. In the two shutouts, no opposing runner has reached third base and only two have occupied second base.

With this week's honor, Gianini automatically is named to the watch list for the 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 Website 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 Website, www.ncbwa.com.

Conference USA baseball notebook

There is still much to be determined as the regular season enters its final week and the Conference USA Baseball Championship in Greenville, N.C. is right around the corner. Regular season champion Rice will be the No. 1 seed in the championship. Tulane is locked into the No. 7 seed. Southern Miss, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Southern Miss and UAB have all clinched berths in the championship and will be seeded 2-6, based on results during the upcoming final weekend of league play. UCF and Marshall will enter the final week of conference play battling for the final spot in the tournament with the winner of that series earning a trip to the tournament.

Read entire notebook here.

NCAA Regional Projections

I was asked by The College Endzone to write up a Regional Projection article. I put Vanderbilt as the number 1 seed in the entire tournament behind the tandem of Pedro Alvarez and David Price. The full article is available here. Feel free to post your feedback in the comments section or on the message board at The College Endzone.

Lafayette wins Patriot League Title

The Lafayette Leopards picked up the Patriot League title over the weekend when they took their first two games of the Patriot League Championship series over Army by scores of 8-3 on Saturday and 7-3 on Sunday. In Game 1, Mike Raible led the Leopards with four RBI on a homer and a triple. Lafayette starting pitcher Matt Kamine (7-3) got the victory by giving up three runs in 6.0 innings of work. In Game 2, Tom Hayes went 4-5 while Leopards starter Kevin Reese (7-1) went 8.1 strong innings as he held the Cadets to three runs on nine hits.

Lafayette Game 2 Recap
Lafayette Game 1 Recap
Army Game 2 Recap
Army Game 1 Recap
Patriot League Series Recap

NCBWA May 14 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 12
conferences among the 293 baseball-playing schools in the '07 NCAA Division I
ranks, and 17 circuits have had teams in the polls in '07. For more information
or to join the NCBWA, please go to www.ncbwa.com.

Rank-School-Conference-Overall Record-Previous Rank
1 Vanderbilt Southeastern 43-10 1
2 Rice Conference USA 41-11 3
3 North Carolina Atlantic Coast 41-11 4
4 Florida State ACC 43-9 2
5 Texas Big 12 39-14 6
6 Arizona State Pacific-10 37-12 8
7 South Carolina SEC 38-15 7
8 Virginia ACC 39-12 5
9 Texas A&M Big 12 40-12 10
10 Oklahoma State Big 12 37-13 15
11 Arkansas SEC 37-16 9
12 San Diego West Coast 41-15 14
13 Arizona Pac-10 36-12 13
14 Wichita State Missouri Valley 43-16 11
15 Clemson ACC 34-18 16
16 Coastal Carolina Big South 41-10 17
17 Long Beach State Big West 34-14 20
18 Oregon State Pac-10 36-13 12
19 UC Irvine Big West 34-14-1 22
20 Missouri Big 12 35-14 24
21 Mississippi SEC 33-20 19
22 Charlotte Atlantic 10 40-10 23
23 Cal State Fullerton Big West 31-19 25
24 Mississippi State SEC 32-16 18
25 TCU Mountain West 40-11 29
26 Pepperdine West Coast 32-19 21
27 Creighton MVC 37-12 NR
28 Louisiana-Lafayette Sun Belt 38-13 NR
29 East Carolina C-USA 35-17 30
30 NC State ACC 33-18 28

Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): College of Charleston (37-15), Georgia Tech (31-20), Kentucky (33-17-1), Miami (Fla.) (32-20), Michigan (36-13), Minnesota (35-12), Oral Roberts (33-15), Southern Miss (33-19), St. John's (36-14), Stetson (38-14), UC Riverside (33-17), UCLA (28-22), Western Carolina (37-15).

Dropped Out: Michigan (26), College of Charleston (27)

By conference: Atlantic Coast 5, Southeastern 5, Big 12 4, Big West 3, Pacific-10 3, Conference USA 2, Missouri Valley 2, West Coast 2, Atlantic 10 1, Big South 1, Mountain West 1, Sun Belt 1.
-www.NCBWA.com-