ACC Tournament Day 4 Recap

NC State 8 Georgia Tech 7 (Final)

In the opening game on Saturday, The NC State Wolfpack picked up an 8-7 victory over Georgia Tech. Both teams were eliminated before the game from making the championship game on Saturday so the game could only change the seedings for the upcoming NCAA Tournament as both teams are expected to receive at large berths. NC State started Jimmy Gillheeney who has been struggling recently and it continued on Saturday as he let up five runs in five innings. He ended up with a no-decision as Eryk McConnell picked up the victory by working the final 3.1 innings without allowing a run. His record goes to 3-2. Georgia Tech used this game to get some work for the pitching staff as they used six different pitchers. Matt Wieters (1-4) ended up getting the loss as he gave up a Caleb Mangum infield RBI single in the ninth. Marcus Jones went 4-5 and Dallas Poulk went 3-4 to lead the Pack offensive attack while Patrick Long led the Jackets by going 3-5 with three runs scored.

NC State Recap
GT Recap

North Carolina 5 Virginia 0 (Final)

Alex White (6-4) pitched seven shutout innings against the high powered offense of Virginia to give the Tar Heels a 5-0 victory and advance to the ACC Championship game on Sunday. White only gave up two hits and four walks over those seven innings. Andrew Carignan pitched two scoreless innings to get his 12th save. Casey Lambert (2-2) got the start for UVA and was effective but gave up two runs over seven innings as he was tagged with the loss. Reid Fronk led the Tar Heels with two RBI and two hits. John Scaglione was the only Cavalier with two hits in the game. UNC will take on Wake Forest for the ACC title at 1 pm on Sunday.

UNC Recap
UVA Recap
Daily Progress Recap

Clemson 5 FSU 1 (Final)

The Clemson Tigers kept their hopes alive of an ACC Championship game appearance as they defeated the Florida State Seminoles 5-1 in Day 4 of the ACC Tournament. Bryan Henry (14-1) picked up his first loss of the season by giving up four runs in 5.1 innings. David Kopp (6-2) pitched a complete game and gave up an unearned run in the top of the ninth while striking out seven strikeouts. Addison Johnson, J.D. Burgess, Taylor Harbin, and Marquez Smith each had two hits to lead the Tigers offense. Jack Rye went 3-4 to lead the Seminoles in the losing effort.

Clemson Recap
FSU Recap

Wake Forest 7 Miami 3 (Final)

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons picked up a big victory and got the help they needed to advance to the ACC Championship game as they defeated the Miami Hurricanes 7-3 in the final game of the round robin round of the ACC Tournament. Allan Dykstra finally did some damage tonight when I was watching as he hit a home run to tied the game at 2 in the third inning as he went 2-4 with 3 RBI including the homer. Ben Hunter (7-6) gave the Deacons six innings while giving up two runs to get the win. Enrique Garcia (7-4) got the loss for the Canes as he only lasted 4.1 innings while giving up five runs. Jemile Weeks went 2-4 in the losing effort. Wake Forest will play North Carolina at 1 pm for the ACC title and have likely clinched an at-large berth for the NCAA Tournament. Miami will wait until the brackets come out to find out where they will be heading.

Wake Forest Recap
Miami Recap

The CBB takes in Northeast Conference Championsips

The College Baseball Blog made the trip down to New Britain Connecticut to see the championship games of the Northeast Conference on Saturday afternoon. Monmouth entered the championship round without a loss in the tournament while Central Connecticut State had one loss.

In Game 1, The Blue Devils got 8.2 innings of great pitching from Adam Piechowski as they took care of the Monmouth Hawks 4-2. The Blue Devils offense was led by Adam Taha who went 2-3 at the plate and provided a solid game behind the plate as he blocked several pitches in the dirt to hold runners on their respective bases. Andy Meyers led the Hawks offense by going 3-4 with a double. The win by CCSU forced a deciding game later in the day.

CCSU Recap
Monmouth Recap

In Game 2, Monmouth starting pitcher Matt Coulson (4-3) pitched 7.2 innings while letting up only one run on five hits. He was effective at getting the Blue Devils to hit the ball at his fielders as he only had two strikeouts on the day. Both of them came with runners on second and third with one out in the fifth inning with a 2-0 Hawks lead. Justin Esposito pitched a perfect 1.2 innings to get his tenth save. CCSU starter John Tesseyman lasted only two innings as he gave up two runs on four hits. His record for the season drops down to 6-4. John Dennis went 2-2 with 3 RBI and a sacrifice bunt to lead the Monmouth offense.

Monmouth Recap
CCSU Recap

The College Baseball Blog would like to give thanks to the great community of New Britain for putting on a fine event. This was one of the better experiences on the season as the College Baseball Blog might not see anymore College Baseball live this season due to logistics. The CBB will likely be heading to the Cape Cod League throughout the summer to check in on some college players.

New Orleans wins Sunbelt Title

New Orleans took the Sun Belt title by knocking off Louisiana 8-2. Stephen Whalen (7-5) pitched three shutout innings in relief to pick up the victory for the Privateers while Ragin' Cajuns starter Buddy Glass lasted only 4.1 innings while giving up four runs to drop his record to 7-4. Johnny Giavotella went 2-3 with a homer and two runs scored to lead the Privateers offense. Josh Logan went 3-4 in the losing effort for Louisiana. Both teams will await the NCAA seedings which are released on Monday.

UNO Recap
Louisiana Recap
Daily Advertiser Recap

Wofford wins 6-2 over The Citadel

FROM THE CITADEL PRESS RELEASE

Charleston, S.C. – No. 9 Wofford defeated seventh-seeded The Citadel, 6-2, in their very first meeting in tournament history Friday afternoon in the third round of the Southern Conference Tournament at Riley Park. Eric Sturkie’s solo home run in the second proved to be the game-winner as he paced the Terriers with two RBI on the day. The Bulldogs will play the winner of the Elon-UNC Greensboro game Friday night to figure out who they will face Saturday, May 26 at noon at Riley Park.

The Bulldogs’ only runs were scored by two homers as junior left fielder Chris Swauger and freshman catcher Richard Jones each belted a round-tripper in the contest. Unfortunately it was not enough for the Dogs even though they matched Wofford’s 11 hits.

Swauger, Jones and senior first baseman Zach Brown each collected two hits on the day. Brown ripped his 21^st double of the season, tying him for fifth place in single-season two-baggers, along with Swauger who hit that mark in 2006. Brown is also tied for fifth in all-time doubles with 52.

Freshman lefty Nick Sprowls (0-2) suffered the loss in only his second career start as the went 1.2 frames, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out and walking one. Terrier starter Ben Austin (11-5) earned his second win of the tourney after taking a 5-3 victory over Furman in the first game of the single-elimination round. Austin tossed 5.2 innings as he was responsible for both homers and surrendered eight hits while fanning two and walking one.

The Citadel jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first with Swauger’s solo shot over the right field wall. Wofford did not stay behind long as the Terriers answered back with two of their own. Michael Gilmartin punched a single through the left side to start things off and moved to second on a sac bunt. Shane Kirkley then tripled to the gap in right center to plate Gilmartin. Brandon Waring followed that up with a base hit to left to drive in Kirkley and give Wofford a 2-1 advantage.

Sturkie added to the Terrier lead in the second as he registered a solo job just inside the right field foul pole. Freshman catcher Richard Jones pulled the Bulldogs back within one in the fourth as he went deep for the third time in four games to make it 3-2. Jones now has 15 round-trippers on the season to lead the club.

A Bulldog error in the fifth led to three unearned runs to put Wofford up by four. Adam Wood notched an infield single with one out before Sterling Dye bunted one back to the mound that was mishandled, allowing Dye to reach safely while putting Wood on second. Keith Munns drew a walk to load the bases for Sturkie who lifted a sac fly to right to drive in Wood. Gilmartin notched a double to push Dye across the dish. Munns then raced home on a wild pitch before Bulldog hurler Link Saunders forced a groundout to get out of the inning.

The Citadel put three runners in scoring position over the final four frames, but was unable to push any across. The Dogs even threatened in the ninth with two outs as they put runners on first and second, but Terrier closer Charles Vartanian caught the final batter looking to preserve the 6-2 win and pick up the save. Vartanian closed out the final 3.1 frames and held the Dogs to only three hits while not giving up any runs and striking out five.

Saunders posted another solid outing after recording a save in each of the last two Citadel victories. The right-hander relieved Justin Smith in the fifth and held the Terriers scoreless and only allowed one hit while fanning three and walking one. Smith registered four strikeouts of his own, also in three innings of work.

No. 7 The Citadel will return to tournament action on Saturday, May 26 at noon and will either have a rematch with No. 3 Elon or will face No. 5 UNC Greensboro.

Northeast Conference Tournament Day 2 Recap

Monmouth 7 Central Connecticut State 1

Monmouth advance to the Northeast Conference Championship game with a 7-1 victory over Central Connecticut State in a winner bracket game on Friday afternoon. Monmouth got six innings from Ryan Buch as he let up one run on five hits to up his record to 9-2. Kyle Breese pitched three scoreless innings while giving up only one hit to pick up his first save of the season. The offense leader for the Hawks was Kyle Messineo who went 4-4. CCSU starter Ken Kerski only lasted 3.1 innings while giving up five runs to drop his record to 7-2.

Monmouth Recap
CCSU Recap

Quinnipiac 4 Mount St. Mary's 1

The Bobcats kept their hopes alive of a NEC Conference Championship by knocking off Mount St. Mary's in an elimination game 4-1. Quinnipiac starter Pat Egan pitched a complete game three hitter as he kept the Mount St. Mary's offense off balance throughout the game and send the Bobcats to another elimination game to follow later in the evening. Egan's record on the season goes to 4-3 while Mount St. Mary's starter Andrew Germuth gets the loss to drop to 8-5. The Bobcat offense was led by Tim Binkoski who went 3-4 with two RBI and a run scored.

Quinnipiac Recap
Mount St. Mary's Recap

Central Connecticut State 5 Quinnipiac 0

The Central Connecticut State Blue Devils ended intrastate rival Quinnipiac's season with a 5-0 shutout victory in the last game on Friday evening which was an elimination game for each squad. Pat Scribner was masterful as he pitched a complete game shutout while striking out twelve batters and walking none. His record goes to 6-6 while Quinnipiac starter Chris Gloor gets the loss to drop his record to 4-2. The Blue Devils advance to the Championship game on Saturday against Monmouth where they have to defeat the Hawks twice to win the NEC Championship and get a spot in the NCAA Regionals.

CCSU Recap
Quinnipiac Recap

The NEC has recaps of every game available by clicking here.

The CBB is expected to be in attendance for the Championship game(s) on Saturday and will provide a full report from New Britain Stadium.

C-USA Game 10: Tulane 6, Southern Miss 2

Tulane broke open a one-run game in the sixth inning by adding three to its tally and tacked on another in the seventh to pull away from Southern Miss and grab a 6-2 victory in game ten of the 2007 C-USA Baseball Championship at Clark-LeClair Stadium on the campus of East Carolina University. The victory was Tulane head coach Rick Jones' 600th at the helm of the Green Wave and propelled his team into a Saturday semifinal game against No. 2 East Carolina at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Tulane (34-25) grabbed the early lead on an Anthony Scelfo solo home run to right field in the bottom of the first. The Wave then went up 2-0 when Aja Barto hit his sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth.

Southern Miss (38-21) cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the sixth inning after Michael Ewing crushed his seventh home run over the right field fence. The ball not only cleared the outfield wall, but the fence separating the baseball stadium from the football practice fields.

In the sixth, Tulane used two hits to score three runs and pull away from the Golden Eagles.

Game story

ACC Tournament Day 3 Recap

Wake Forest 3 Clemson 2 (Final)

Brett Linenkohl scored the tying run in the eighth inning and then in the bottom of the ninth drove home the winning run to lead Wake Forest to the 3-2 victory over Clemson. Brad Kledzik started for Wake Forest and gave them 7.1 innings while giving up six hits and two runs. Eric Nielsen picked up the victory by pitching the final 1.2 innings while giving up only one walk. Clemson starter Ryan Hinson 6.1 innings while giving up only one run but got a no-decision. Stephen Clyne pitched the ninth inning for the Tigers and gave up the winning run which was unearned in 0.2 innings. Wake Forest will take on Miami at 7 pm Saturday.

Wake Forest Recap
Clemson Recap

Miami 9 Florida State 3

Eric Erickson picked up his tenth victory of the season by giving up three runs in eight innings as the Hurricanes defeated Florida State 9-3 in Day 3 of the ACC Tournament. Ryan Strauss got the loss for the Seminoles as he gave up five runs in 4.2 innings. His record drops to 9-3. The Hurricanes were led on offense by Jemile Weeks who went 3-5 with 3 RBI and two runs scored. Tony Thomas Jr. led the Noles offense with a homer and a double while going 2-4. Florida State needs some help to get to the ACC Championship game as they need to defeat Clemson tomorrow at 4 pm and have Wake Forest defeat Miami in the nightcap.

Miami Recap
FSU Recap

C-USA Game 9: Memphis 12, UCF 6

In the first game of "Elimination Friday" in the Conference USA baseball tournament, Memphis left no doubt as to who would be moving on and who would be heading home. The Tigers scored five runs in the first and four in the second and cruised to a 12-6 victory over Central Florida. Ben Grisham went the distance for Memphis, allowing only four earned runs and striking out five.

Joey Lieberman highlighted the first-inning UM attack, smacking a three-run shot over left field that crossed the street behind the stadium before stopping. Three Golden Knight errors aided Memphis' efforts in the second inning. A pair of Tiger errors and a Dwayne Bailey triple helped UCF get on the board in the fourth, cutting the Memphis lead to 9-3.

Memphis will face Rice in a 9 a.m. EDT contest on Saturday. Central Florida finishes its season at 27-32.

Sunbelt Tourney Day 2 Recap

Game 5: No. 6 Florida Atlantic 7, No. 7 Western Kentucky 6 (WKU Eliminated)

FAU Recap

Western Kentucky Recap

Game 6: No. 8 South Alabama 5, No. 5 Louisiana-Monroe 3 (ULM Eliminated)

USA Recap

ULM Recap

Game 7: No. 2 New Orleans 7, No. 3 Middle Tennessee 5

UNO Recap

Middle Tennessee State Recap

Game 8: No. 1 Louisiana 9, No. 4 Troy 7

Louisiana Recap

Troy Recap

The Daily Advertiser Recap

C-USA Game 8: ECU 2, Southern Miss 1 (10)

Harrison Eldridge stole home (video link) in the bottom of the 10th inning to give East Carolina another dramatic victory in game eight of the 2007 C-USA Baseball Championship at Clark-LeClair Stadium on the campus of East Carolina University. After the Pirates loaded the bases in the 10th, Eldridge broke for home on 1-0 pitch from Tyler Conn. Stephen Batts squared to bunt, but the pitch got away from the catcher and Eldridge crossed home plate for the deciding score.

Starting pitchers Barry Bowden and Dustin Sasser were both impressive though the first five scoreless innings. Sasser gave up the game's first run in the bottom of the sixth inning on a lead-off solo home run by Jody Blount.

Sasser was then pulled from the game and finished with four strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work.

Bailey Daniels entered the game for Sasser and kept the game close with 1.2 scoreless innings on one hit to keep the Pirates within striking distance.

Complete story here.

C-USA Game 7: Rice 7, Memphis 5

Fueled by an outstanding relief performance from Matt Langwell, Rice defeated Memphis, 7-5, in game seven of the 2007 C-USA Baseball Championship at Clark-LeClair Stadium on the campus of East Carolina University. The win moves the Owls into Saturday's semifinals, while the Tigers move to Friday afternoon's 3 p.m. game to face UCF. The victory was the 20th in a row for Rice, which sets a new Conference USA record.

Conference USA Pitcher of the Year Ryne Tacker had his roughest outing of the season, allowing five earned runs and four hits before being pulled in the first inning. Matt Langwell stepped in to shut the door on Memphis, throwing 7.1 innings of shutout ball. He struck out nine and walked just one to improve to 6-1 on the season.

Cole St.Clair secured the victory with a one-two-three ninth inning to pick up his sixth save in 11 appearances.

Complete story here.

Big East Tournament Recap for May 24th

UConn 8 St. John's 7 (Final)

UConn senior first baseman Matt Untiet hit a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the ninth to give the Huskies an 8-7 walkoff victory over St. John's in an elimination game. Matt Karl (2-2) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to get the victory. Colin Lynch (1-1) got the loss for the Red Storm by giving up two runs in 2.2 innings. St. John's is eliminated from the tournament and will await a possible NCAA tourney berth while UConn will play USF on Friday at 1 pm. The Huskies have to knock off USF twice tomorrow to advance to the Big East Championship game.

UConn Recap
St. John's Recap

Rutgers 11 Villanova 0

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights got a fabulous start from Matt Giannini who pitched a complete game while scattering eleven hits as they cruised to an 11-0 victory over Villanova in an elimination game. Todd Frazier went 4-6 with two RBI and three runs scored. Villanova ends their season with a 29-25 record while Rutgers takes on Louisville at 10 am and need to beat the Cardinals twice to advance to the championship game on Saturday.

Rutgers Recap
Villanova Recap

Remember, The Big East is providing free webcasts which can be accessed by clicking here.

The Citadel gets by Elon

Bryan Altman hit a grand slam to lead The Citadel to a 6-5 victory over Elon on Thursday evening. Bulldog Justin Smith (7-4) picked up the victory for The Citadel by pitching two innings while allowing only one run. Link Saunders picked up his seventh save by going two scoreless innings. Elon starter Jesse Lewter (4-4) got the loss as he gave up six runs in seven innings. The Citadel will face Wofford at 4:30 pm on Friday while Elon will play Appalachian State at 1 pm.

ACC Tournament Day 2 Recap

Virginia 4 Georgia Tech 1 Final

Sean Doolittle gave the Cavaliers 5.1 innings while allowing only 1 run but picked up a no decision. Georgia Tech starter Eddie Burns gave up 1 run in six innings and also picked up the no decision. The Cavaliers got to Georgia Tech reliever Jared Hyatt (8-1) for three runs in two innings of work to get his first loss of the season. Jake Rule picked up the victory for the Cavs to put his record at 6-4. Michael Schwimer picked up his second save of the season as he didn't allow a run in the final 1.1 innings. Brandon Guyer and Brandon Marsh each went 2-4 to lead the Cavs offense. Tony Plagman drove in the only run for the Yellow Jackets.

GT Recap
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Recap
UVA Recap
Daily Progress Recap

North Carolina 14 NC State 5 (Final)

The UNC Tar Heels picked up a big 14-5 victory over the NC State Wolfpack as they keep their hopes alive of making the ACC Championship game on Sunday. Robert Woodard worked through 7.2 innings while giving up all five Wolfpack runs to up his record to 9-2. The North Carolina offense was led by Tim Fedroff who went 4-5 with three runs scored and two RBI while Dustin Ackley went 3-6 with two runs scored and also drove in two runs. Eric Surkamp (4-4) started for the Wolfpack but was ineffective as he gave up seven runs (four earned) in five innings.

UNC Recap
NC State Recap
News and Observer Recap

C-USA Game 6: Tulane 13, UAB 5

On Thursday night, Tulane found itself caught in a pitcher's battle. The Green Wave scattered eight hits and managed only two runs in their loss to East Carolina.

Things didn't stay that way during their second-round game in the Conference USA Tournament. Tulane smacked 21 hits and topped its Wednesday total in three different innings as the Green Wave eliminated UAB 13-5.

Anthony Scelfo led the way for Tulane, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored and one RBI. Four other Green Wave players had three hits on the day and four had multiple RBIs.

Tulane advances to a 6:30 p.m. EDT game on Friday against the loser of the East Carolina-Southern Miss game. UAB finished its season with a 25-34 mark under first-year coach Brian Shoop.

C-USA Game 5: UCF 1, Houston 0

Central Florida and Houston opened Day Two of the Conference USA Baseball Tournament with a game for the ages - at least for those who love dominating pitching.

Wes Musick went the distance for the Cougars in this elimination game, allowing only one run, six hits and striking out five. Unfortunately for him, UCF's Jaager Good was better, allowing only four hits and no runs while striking out nine in his seven innings of work before turning it over to his bullpen. The Golden Knights sent the Cougars home in the elimination contest with a 1-0 decision.

Matt Horwath opened the home part of the sixth inning for UCF with a bunt for a single, and advanced to third thanks to the work of the next two Golden Knight batters. Kiko Vazquez brought Horwath home with a ground ball, and UCF had all the runs it would need to advance in the tournament.

UCF advances to a 3 p.m. Friday game against the loser of the Rice-Memphis contest later today. Houston ends its season with a 28-29 record.

Game story

Sunbelt Tourney Day 1 Recap

The Sunbelt tournament started yesterday with the following games at South Alabama. A recap of the full game is available at The Daily Advertiser. Click here for a full day recap.

Middle Tennessee 6 Florida Atlantic 1

Recap

New Orleans 11 Western Kentucky 6

Recap

Troy 7 Louisiana-Monroe 0

Recap

Louisiana 3 South Alabama 2
(10 innings)

Recap
The Daily Advertiser Game Article

There has also been some talk about the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns hosting a NCAA Regional in the first round of the upcoming tournament. The full article can be found here. My projections have Louisiana going to Arkansas for the NCAA Regionals. The projections are available here.

Citadel Downs Western Carolina in SoCon First Round

FROM THE CITADEL PRESS RELEASE

Charleston, S.C. – Seventh-seeded The Citadel knocked off No. 2 Western Carolina, 7-2, in the first round of double-elimination play in the Southern Conference Tournament Tuesday night at Riley Park. Sophomore hurler Matt Crim tossed seven innings of shutout ball and tied a career-best eight strikeouts while freshman catcher Richard Jones belted his third home run in as many games.

The Bulldogs held the Catamounts scoreless all the way until two outs in the bottom of the ninth when Blake Murphy drew a bases loaded walk. Senior hurler Link Saunders came in to record the final out and pick up his sixth save of the year as he caught Kenny Smith looking to end the game.

Jones put the Bulldogs on the board first for the second consecutive night with a solo shot to right in the second inning. Jones has homered in the last three games, belting a round-tripper in his first at bat in the last two. Junior third baseman Matt Arnold was able to race home from third on a passed ball to give the Dogs a 2-0 advantage.

The Citadel struck again in the fourth as senior center fielder Chance Smith ripped a run-scoring double to the gap in left center. Junior left fielder Chris Swauger followed that up with a base hit up the middle to make it 4-0 Bulldogs.

Swauger earned his second RBI of the evening with a solo bomb off the batter’s eye in the ninth before sophomore Sonny Meade was awarded a free pass. Brown followed that up with a two-bagger off the top of the wall in right to plate freshman Matt Simonelli, who entered the game as a pinch-runner for Meade. Jones then sent Brown across the dish with a single to right, extending The Citadel lead to seven.

After holding opponents to 22 consecutive scoreless innings, the Bulldogs surrendered two bases-loaded walks with two outs in the ninth.

Crim (7-3) earned the victory for the Dogs as he tossed 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while fanning eight and walking four. Western starter Tyler Sexton (8-3) suffered the loss as he lasted 3.2 frames, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits while striking out two and walking one.

Swauger, Jones and Arnold each collected three-hits on the night as Arnold extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games. Nick Liles lead the Catamount offense with three hits of his own, including a triple.

No. 7 The Citadel will now face No. 3 Elon in game 10 of the SoCon Tournament on Thursday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Riley Park. The Bulldogs were 1-2 versus the Phoenix during the regular season when they visited Riley Park. The Dogs are 2-1 when facing Elon in the SoCon Tournament. The last time the two met in the tourney was in 2006 when The Citadel eliminated top-ranked Elon with a 14-11 victory.

Day 2 Recap of Big East Tourney

Villanova 3 Notre Dame 2

Jim Gillin hit a solo homer in the fourth inning which proved to be the winning run as the Villanova Wildcats eliminated Notre Dame from the Big East Tournament. Villanova got a solid pitching performance from Jordan Ellis as he allowed both runs in his seven innings of work. Josh Eidell picked up the save by pitching two perfect innings including a save.

Villanova Recap
Notre Dame Recap

UConn 5 Pittsburgh 2

The UConn Huskies got eight strong innings from Matt Tarsi as they knocked the Pittsburgh Panthers out of the Big East Tournament. The Huskies were led on offense by Dennis Donavan who hit a two run homer in the third inning. The Panthers top offensive threat on the day was Dan Lopez who went 3-4.

UConn Recap
Pittsburgh Recap

USF 2 St. John's 0

Chris Delaney held the Red Storm to only two hits in 6.1 innings as his USF Bulls picked up a 2-0 victory over St. John's in the Big East Tournament. Dexter Butler and Addison Maruszak each got an RBI to account for all the runs in the game. Brendan Monaghan got two hits for St. John's as he was the only player in the game to have multiple hits.

USF Recap
St. John's Recap

Louisville 8 Rutgers 1

Louisville starter Justin Marks gave up only 1 run in six innings to lead his Cardinals to an 8-1 victory over Rutgers. Kyle Hollander and Trystan Magnuson combined to pitch three scoreless innings of relief. Louisville was led on offense by Chris Dominguez who went 3-5 with 2 RBI.

Louisville Recap
Rutgers Recap

The Big East is continuing their free webcast of the championships which can be viewed by clicking here.

ACC Tournament Day 1 Recap

Virginia 6 NC State 1 Final

Jacob Thompson pitched eight innings without allowing an earned run to up his record to 11-0 on the season. David Adams and Tyler Cannon each picked up two hits and drove in two runs to lead the Cavaliers offense. NC State starter Clayton Shunick went 5.2 innings while giving up nine hits and those six runs. He ended up tiring in the sixth as he held the Cavs scoreless in the first five innings but they finally got to him for all their runs in that inning. Virginia will

UVA Recap
The Daily Progress Game Article
NC State Recap
The Technician Game Article
News and Observer Game Recap

Georgia Tech 8 UNC 4 Final

Georgia Tech picked up an 8-4 victory over the second seeded North Carolina Tar Heels. David Duncan did a solid job on the mound as he scattered five hits over eight innings while giving up only three runs. The Tar Heels went unconventional by using mid-week starter Adam Warren on the mound. He gave up two runs on four hits in 4.1 innings of work. The Yellow Jackets did most of their damage in the seventh inning against Tar Heel reliever Rob Wooten who gave up three runs without getting a single out. Matt Wieters got two hits and drove in two runs to lead the Yellow Jackets offense while the Tar Heels were led by Time Fedroff who went 2-3.

GT Recap
Macon (GA) Game Recap
AJC Game Recap
UNC Recap
News and Observer Game Recap


Clemson 5 Miami 4 Final/13 innings

The Clemson Tigers got a suicide squeeze from Alex Lee to score the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Tigers a dramatic 5-4 victory over Miami. The Hurricanes had taken a 4-3 lead in the top of the 13th on a Yonder Alonso sacrifice fly that brought home Roger Tomas with the lead run. The Tigers then came up with the two runs in the bottom of the 13th off of John Housey and Dennis Raben. JD Burgess hit an RBI single through the right side of the infield to tie up the game. The Hurricanes then loaded the bases on an intentional and unintentional walks. Alex Lee then put down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to win the game for the Tigers.

Clemson Recap
The State Game Recap
Miami Recap
Miami Herald Game Recap

Florida State 7 Wake Forest 2 (Final)

Florida State jumped on Wake Forest starting pitcher Garrett Bullock for seven runs in 5.2 innings. The Demon Deacons made three errors in the game and failed to turn a routine double play in a five run fourth inning for the Seminoles. Michael Hyde went six innings while giving up both Deacon runs to up his record to 10-2 on the season. FSU was led on offense by Tony Thomas Jr. who went 2-4 with three runs scored to continue his All-American caliber season.

FSU Recap
Tallahassee Democrat Game Recap
Wake Forest Game Recap
Winston-Salem Journal Game Recap

Tourney a boon for local economy

The ping of aluminum bats, the whack of a well-struck golf ball and the purring of cash registers — that's a winning combination for Pitt County this week and through the Memorial Day weekend, said Debbie Vargas, executive director of the Greenville-Pitt County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Conference USA baseball tournament hosted by East Carolina University and the NGA Hooters Pro Golf Tour's Touchstone Energy Open at Brook Valley Country Club are expected to generate about $600,000 for the local economy, Vargas said. That's a significant jolt during the lull following ECU and Pitt Community College graduation and with locals traditionally leaving town for Memorial Day.

Tonyia Fulghum, general manager City Hotel & Bistro, hasn't seen a slowdown this month. Four teams competing in the C-USA tournament at Clark-LeClair Stadium — Houston, Memphis, Rice and Southern Miss — are staying at City Hotel, occupying 100 of the facility's 192 rooms. Tulane and Central Florida are booked at Holiday Inn Express. Alabama-Birmingham's team is at the Hilton Greenville.

"May is my busiest month every year anyway, but this is huge for us," Fulghum said. "I would say that it's definitely going to be our best May that I've ever had since I've been here, and I've been here for seven years. ... It's great. We're happy, that's for sure."

Complete story here.

Texas 19 KSU 10!

Texas scored 10 runs in the third inning and went on to post a 19-10 win
over Kansas State Wednesday afternoon in game two of the 2007 Phillips 66 Big 12
Championship.

Trailing 4-1, Texas (43-14) 10 runs in the bottom of the third inning. Jordan Danks and Kyle
Russell led off the rally with back-to-back triples. Chance Wheeless plated Russell with a bunt
single down the third-base line, trimming the Wildcats lead to 4-3. Wheeless stole second base
and moved to third on a groundout by Russell Moldenhauer. Preston Clark plated the equalizer
on a single to rightfield driving in Wheeless.

The Longhorns went ahead when Travis Tucker drew a bases-loaded walk. Texas scored runs on
a two-run single by Danks, a balk, an RBI single by Wheeless and a two-run single by
Moldenhauer to take an 11-4 lead.

Kansas State (33-23) scored first in the top of the fourth inning. Rob Vaughn walked, Brett Scott
singled and Nate Tenbrink walked to load the bases. Eli Rumler singled to leftfield, to plate Scott
and Vaughn and the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead. After Joseph Krebs entered the game to replace
UT starter Kyle Walker, Adam Muenster hit an infield single to plate Tenbrink, and Rumler
scored as Tucker made an error on the play, inflating the cushion to 4-0.

Texas broke its scoring seal in the bottom of the second inning. Moldenhauer hit a lead-off
single, moved to second on a groundout and scored on a single to centerfield by Nick Peoples, to
cut the lead to 4-1.

Up 11-4, Texas tacked on two more in the seventh inning. Tucker walked and Danks singled to
put runners at the corners. Russell hit an infield single, plating Tucker. Danks eventually scored
on a sacrifice fly by Josh Prince, staking Texas to a 13-4 lead.

Kansas State drew within three runs with a six-run eighth inning. Jordan Cruz drew a pinch-hit
walk, Tenbrink singled through the right side of the infield and Tyler Ruch singled to rightfield
to load the bases. Derek Bunker singled to the gap in right centerfield, plating Cruz and
Tenbrink. The rally continued with an RBI single by Eddie Vasquez and Muenster capped it off
by crushing a three-run home run to leftfield, cutting the lead to 13-10.

Texas responded with six runs in the bottom half of the frame. The inning included a solo home
run by Peoples, a two-run single by Wheeless and a three-run home run by Bradley Suttle.

The 19 runs were the most ever scored by Texas in a Big 12 Championship game.

Texas returns to action Thursday with a 4:30 p.m. contest against Texas A&M. Kansas State
battles Nebraska at 7:30 p.m.

TexasRecap

Texas.scout.com

KSU Recap

C-USA Game 4: East Carolina 4, Tulane 2

After a day filled with high-scoring games, host East Carolina and Tulane ended the first day of the 2007 Conference USA Baseball Tournament with a pitcher's duel.

The game was still scoreless after five innings. A pair of singles opened the top of the sixth for the Green Wave, and the runners advanced thanks to a sacrifice bunt. Ty Wallace slapped a single into left field, pushing both runners across and giving Tulane a 2-0 lead. With the efforts of Tulane's Shooter Hunt and ECU's T.J. Hose on the mound, it appeared that the two-run lead could be enough to clinch the game for the Green Wave.

ECU's bats awoke in the seventh. Held to just one hit up to that time, the Pirates collected and single and a walk to set the stage for leadoff hitter Harrison Eldridge. He cleared the fence in right field for a three-run shot, giving East Carolina the lead for good. A Jamie Ray single in the eighth scored Stephen Batts from second, giving the Pirates their final 4-2 advantage.

The Pirates will face Southern Miss at 7:30 p.m. EDT Thursday. Tulane will take on UAB at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in an elimination contest.

Game story

NCAA releases RPI rankings

The NCAA has now released its first official RPI rankings. The list includes games through May 21.

The complete rankings can be found here.

C-USA Game 3: Southern Miss 9, UAB 5

Sometimes, it only takes one good inning. Southern Miss had that in the seventh, plating six runs to take a 9-5 victory over UAB in the third game of the Conference USA Baseball Tournament.

UAB appeared ready to cruise to a first-day victory. The Blazers chased Ryan Belanger - who had been named the NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week earlier in the day - with a four-run fifth inning to take a 5-1 lead over the third-seeded Golden Eagles. A passed ball and a double by Ryan Keedy highlighted the inning for UAB.

With two on in the seventh, a throwing error by UAB advanced the runners and scored Trey Sutton. A bases-loaded walk was followed by a double by James Ewing that scored three for Southern Miss, who later scored on another throwing error. The win extended Southern Miss' win streak to 11 games. Reliever Tyler Conn earned his first win of the season.

The Golden Eagles advance to a 7:30 p.m. EDT game Thursday against the winner of the East Carolina-Tulane game. UAB will face the loser of that contest in an elimination game at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Game story

Jason Stidham, Ryan Belanger Earn Player of the Week Honors

Courtesy of the NCBWA

DALLAS - The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA)­ released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending May 23, today. Florida State freshman infielder Jason Stidham was named National Hitter of the Week, while Southern Miss senior RHP Ryan Belanger 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.

Stidham put together a spectacular three-game series as the freshman third baseman hit .571 (8-for-14) in leading Florida State to its first three-game series sweep of Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The Palm Bay, Fla., native registered multiple hits in all three games as he posted his second four-hit game of his career in game one. He collected a home run and three doubles en route to posting a 1.000 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .588. Stidham led the team in hits (8), doubles (3), RBI's (10), total bases (14) and batting average on the week. He opened the series, with four hits including a home run and a double as he registered his first four-RBI game of his collegiate career. He hit what would be the eventual game-winner in the top of the third as he hit a two-out, 2-RBI single. On Friday, he had two doubles and two RBI's as well as a stolen base.

In the series finale, Stidham tied his career-high in RBI's with four, matched just two days prior. In a nine-run third, Stidham made two plate appearances and was the only Seminole to collect two hits in the inning. He hit a two-run single in his first at-bat and then an RBI infield single in his second at-bat. He hit a sacrifice fly RBI in the ninth to cap off his 10 RBI performance.

Belanger pitched the first complete-game of his two-year Southern Miss career and limited Houston to four hits, one walk and struck out eight batters to lead Southern Miss to a 6-0 victory over the Cougars in game one of the series at Cougar Field on Thursday night.

Belanger finished with 120 pitches, gave up one walk in the first inning, two hits in the third inning, one in the fourth inning and one in the eighth inning. Only one runner advanced to second base in the game and he retired the side in six of the nine innings. His eight strikeouts matched his season high that he collected against Kent State on March 16.

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.

C-USA Game 2: Rice 16, UCF 6

Central Florida held a 3-2 lead in the middle of the fourth inning of its Conference USA Baseball Tournament game before top-seeded Rice came alive. The second-ranked Owls scored five in the bottom of the fourth and went on to claim a 16-6 decision in a game ended by the league's 10-run rule. C-USA Freshman of the Year Ryan Berry improved to 10-2 on the mound with the win.

UCF appeared to be on its way out of the fourth without any damage; the Owls scored all five of their runs with two outs in the frame. Rice added four in the fifth and three in the sixth to claim its 19th straight victory.

The Golden Knights will face Houston in a 9 a.m. elimination contest that will begin Thursday's action in the tournament. Rice will take on Memphis at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Game story

C-USA Game 1: Memphis 12, Houston 4

Brennon Martin threw his first career complete game to lead Memphis to a 12-4 victory in the opening game of the 2007 Conference USA Baseball Tournament.

In addition to Martin's efforts on the mound, the long ball played a major factor in the game. Memphis hit four home runs in the game and Houston had two - and would have had three had K.K. Chalmers not snagged a ball in center field that was headed over the fence. The four homers set a new single-game record for Memphis. Michael Murray also extended his hitting streak for the Tigers to 16 games.

The Tigers advance to face the winner of the Rice-UCF game, which will begin at 12:30 p.m. EDT. The next Memphis game is slated for 4 p.m. on Thursday. The Cougars fall to the losers bracket and will face the loser of the upcoming game in an elimination contest Thursday at 9 a.m.

Game story

Conference USA Tournament Home

The Conference USA Web site has established Championship Central, with scores, Gametracker, blogs and other links and information for the C-USA baseball tournament.

It can be found here.

2007 Big 12 Baseball Postseason Awards Announced!

Kyle Russell (Texas) has been named Big 12 Player of the Year, while the Pitcher of the Year accolade went to teammate, Adrian Alaniz (Texas), highlighting the 2007 All-Big 12 Baseball Postseason Awards. Trevor Coleman (Missouri) earned Freshman of the Year, and teammates David Newman and Brandon Hicks (Texas A&M) share the honor for Newcomer of the year. Tim Jamieson (Missouri) and Augie Garrido (Texas) were named Co-Coach of the Year.

The All-Big 12 honors are selected by the league's head coaches. No. 5 Texas placed a conference-leading seven players on the all-conference squads, while No. 18 Oklahoma State placed six -- UT has five on the first team and two on the second team while Oklahoma State has three on the first and three on the second.

Russell becomes the second Longhorn to earn the Player of the Year award. The Tomball, Texas native leads the nation and Big 12 in home runs this year with 27 entering the Big 12 Championship. His 33 RBI places him first in conference play and he is hitting .358. Russell is tied for third in conference play with runs scored (26), has 69 hits and 19 runs scored during the `07 league season. The sophomore was selected as one of 16 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy Award by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Alaniz holds a 2.75 ERA in Big 12 games and is a two-time honoree of Big 12 Pitcher of the Week this season. He has thrown 49 strikeouts during conference play and has pitched three complete games this season. The junior was selected as one of 10 semifinalists for the Roger Clemens Award, honoring the top pitcher in college baseball by the Greater Houston Baseball Association.

Coleman has tallied eight home runs this year, 39 RBI and has started 41 our of 42 games for the Tigers. Current teammates and juniors, David Newmann and Brandon Hicks (Texas A&M) joined the Aggies from San Jacinto JC. Newmann holds a 3.75 ERA and has recorded 45 strikeouts during conference play this season. Hicks is hitting .344 with 83 hits and 54 RBI as he enters tournament play.

This marks Jamieson's first Coach of the Year honor and Garrido's third (2002, 04,06). Jamieson led the Tigers to a 39- 14 season finish and a 19-8 conference finish. Garrido's Longhorns ended their season 42-14 and 21-6 to claim Big 12 regular season title. This marks the second consecutive year UT has won the regular season title under Garrido.

ALL-BIG 12 FIRST TEAM

Name, School	Pos.	Cl.	Hometown/Previous School
Chance Wheeless, Texas	1B	Jr.	Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock
Tyler Mach, Oklahoma State	2B	Sr.	Kent, Wash./Edmonds CC
Beamer Weems, Baylor	SS	So.	Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne
Bradley Suttle, Texas	3B	So.	Boerne, Texas/Boerne
Preston Clark, Texas	C	So.	Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall
Corey Brown, Oklahoma State	OF	Jr.	Tampa, Fla./H.B. Plant
Ty Wright, Oklahoma State	OF	Sr.	Tyler, Texas/Willis Point
Kyle Russell, Texas	OF	So.	Tomball, Texas/Tomball
Jacob Priday, Missouri	DH	Jr.	Sikeston, Mo./Sikeston
Luke Anders, Texas A&M	DH	So.	College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated
Blake Stouffer, Texas A&M	UTL	Jr.	San Antonio, Texas/Alamo Heights
Aaron Crow, Missouri	RHP	So.	Wakarusa, Kan./Washburn Rural
Adrian Alaniz, Texas	RHP	Jr.	Sinton, Texas/Sinton
Kyle Nicholson, Texas A&M	RHP	Sr.	College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated
Daniel Edwards, Kansas State	RP	Jr.	Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood

BIG12SPORTS.COM

TexasSports.com

2007 ACC Tournament Preview

Division 'A' Bracket

Florida State enters the ACC Tournament with a 46-9 overall record and 24-6 in the ACC. They won the Atlantic Division title for the first time in their history. They are led by ACC Pitcher of the Year Bryan Henry who is the ace of the pitching staff with a 14-0 record and an ERA of 2.50. Tony Thomas Jr. who recently was named the ACC Player of the Year leads the team in hitting with a .439 average from his leadoff spot. He has also stolen 28 bases in 33 attempts. Both players were recently named as Semi-Finalists for the Dick Howser Award. The Seminoles will take on Wake Forest on Wednesday at 7:00 pm, Miami at 7:00 pm on Friday, and Clemson at 4:00 pm on Saturday.

FSU Tourney Notes
Tallahassee Democrat article about new format

Wake Forest heads down to Jacksonville after taking two out of three games from Virginia Tech to get the eighth seed in the tournament. The Deacons have an overall record of 31-25 and went 14-16 in the conference. They are squarely on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament bid as many projections across the country have the Deacons in the tournament but CBB does not believe they should be in the tournament without a good weekend. The top hitters on the team are Willy Fox and Allan Dykstra. Fox only played in 41 games this season as he got injured in an encounter with an intruder at his apartment. Fox was able to lead the team in hitting with a .359 average. Dykstra was named to the Second team in the ACC as he hit .325 with 17 homers and 55 RBI in 56 games this season. The Wake pitching staff has been a question mark all season as the team's top weekend starter is Garrett Bullock who is only 4-1 with a 4.40 ERA. Josh Ellis has struggled recently also as he let up four runs in the ninth inning on Sunday against Virginia Tech. He enters the weekend with a 5-2 record and a 2.79 ERA with eight saves on the year. They will play FSU on Wednesday at 7 pm, Clemson at 4 pm on Friday, and Miami at 7 pm on Saturday.

Wake Forest Tourney Notes

Clemson enters the weekend with a 36-20 overall record and a conference record of 18-12. Clemson has been having problems all year with their starting pitchers. David Kopp has been the most consistent starter as he has made fifteen starts recording a 5-2 record and a 3.86 ERA. Jack Leggett has also moved Daniel Moskos to the rotation from a closing role and he now has a 3-5 record overall with an ERA of 3.07. D.J. Johnson has started in the back end of the rotation and has a perfect 4-0 record and 3.42 ERA. Doug Hogan who is in his junior season but his first year getting regular playing time is one of the top hitters on the team with a batting average of .333. Brad Chaulk will be returning to the lineup this weekend after recovering from a stress fracture in his back. He is still the leading hitter with a .407 average. Andy D'Alessio leads the team with 14 homers on the season. The Tigers will take on Miami on Wednesday at 4:00 pm, Wake Forest at 4 pm on Friday and Florida State at 4:00 pm on Saturday.

Clemson Tourney Notes
The State article about Chaulk
The State article about D'Alessio
Anderson Independent Mail preview of Clemson

Miami is entering the weekend with a 34-20 record and 16-13 record in the ACC. Miami swept the lowly Duke Blue Devils in Coral Gables to head into Jacksonville on a high note. Miami is led by Yonder Alonso who has hit 17 homers and batted at a .364 clip. The Hurricane starting pitchers are solid with Eric Erickson leading the team with a 9-3 overall record and an ERA of 1.85. Enrique Garcia (6-3, 2.87 ERA) and Scott Maine (5-5, 3.06 ERA) round out the rotation. The Hurricanes have been having problems throughout the year in the bullpen. Danny Gil leads the bullpen with five aves and a 4.05 ERA. Miami opens up against Clemson on Wednesday at 4 pm, Florida State at 7 pm, and Wake Forest at 7 pm in the final game of the round robin phase of the tournament.

Miami Tourney Notes
Palm Beach Post preview of the Hurricanes

The College Baseball Blog predicts that Clemson will win Division A and advance to the ACC Championship game.

Division 'B' Bracket

UNC (45-11) enters the weekend coming off a sweep over Maryland. UNC is led by Freshman sensation Dustin Ackley who is tied with Tony Thomas Jr. for the NCAA lead in hits with 101. He hit a solid .443 for the season with seven homers and 60 RBIs. The Carolina pitching staff is led by Robert Woodard who leads the starters with a 3.05 ERA and a solid record of 8-2. His stats have tailed off over his last five starts but he is still one of the top pitchers in the ACC. UNC opens on Wednesday against Georgia Tech at 1 pm. They will also play NC State on Thursday at 7 pm and Virginia on Saturday at 1 pm.

UNC Tourney Notes
Q & A with Mike Fox from Inside Carolina

Virginia (41-13) enters the weekend on a brief two game winning streak as they defeated Boston College twice in a rain-shortened series. The Cavaliers are led by Jacob Thompson who has a perfect record of 10-0 and an ERA of 1.46 ERA. He has tremendous control as the CBB witnessed last weekend when they attended one of the games versus Boston College. He never misses his spots and has a plus curveball. The Cavaliers also have one of the best lineups in the nation as there are no easy outs in the lineup. They are lead by First baseman/Pitcher Sean Doolittle who is hitting .318 at the plate with seven homers. Brandon Guyer is tied for the team lead in hitting with Greg Miclat at .376 but Miclat is out for the season with surgery on his torn labrum. Virginia opens the tournament on Wednesday at 10 am when they face NC State. They will take on Georgia Tech on Thursday at 4 pm and close out the round robin portion at 1 pm Saturday when they play North Carolina.

Virginia Tourney Notes
Daily Progress article about NC State/UVA matchup
Daily Progress article about the middle of UVA's lineup

Georgia Tech (31-23) heads down to the ACC tournament on a three game losing streak thanks to a weekend sweep by the hands of Florida State in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets are led by All-American candidates Matt Wieters and Danny Payne. Both players have seen time on the mound in addition to their regular fielding roles. Wieters has hit .366 this season with 10 homers and 56 RBI. Danny Payne leads the team in hitting with a solid .382 average with twenty stolen bases. The Georgia Tech pitching staff was lit up by the Florida State Seminoles for 44 runs in the weekend sweep. David Duncan has been the staff ace this season with a 6-4 record and a 3.84 ERA. GT will open the tourney at 1 pm on Wednesday against North Carolina. They will play Virginia on Thursday at 4 pm and close out the tourney on Saturday when they face NC State at 10 am.

GT Tourney Notes
Atlanta Journal-Constitution preview of GT

NC State (36-19) heads to the Conference tournament coming off a weekend series victory over Clemson when they won two out of three games. NC State is led by Ryan Pond at the plate as he is leading the team in hitting with a .339 average. Eric Surkamp is the ace of the starting pitchers but has not gotten the results this season as he only has a record of 4-3 and a 2.94 ERA. Eryk McConnell leads the team with eleven saves and a 1.29 ERA.

NC State Tourney Notes
NC State Scout.com Preview

The CBB predicts that Virginia wins Division 'B' and advance to the Championship Game.

The CBB also predicts that UVA will get the automatic bid for the conference.

Other previews of the tournament:
Rivals.com