Cuba ends Team USA's summer

Courtesy of USA Baseball
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS— Cuba (8-0 WPT) ran the table on the rest of the World Port Tournament, eliminating Team USA (25-12, 4-4 WPT) from the finals and ending their summer, following a 5-1 victory. The Cubans will take on Chinese Taipei, who also beat the USA twice over the last 10 days, in the finals starting at 7 a.m. Eastern.

The Americans sent the go-ahead run to the plate in the eighth against reliever Yulieski Gonzalez with two outs, after putting two runners on with no outs against starter Arley Sanchez. Gonzalez got a hard lineout, followed by a strikeout and then walked Jordy Mercer (Oklahoma State) to load the bases. Gonzalez though got Roger Kieschnick (Texas Tech) to strikeout, part of a nine-pitch at-bat, to keep Cuba in front 4-1.

Gonzalez then pitched a scoreless ninth, after Cuba added a run in the top of the inning, for the two inning save.

Three Cuban home runs were more than enough for Sanchez, who tired after seven-plus innings. Sanchez allowed a single unearned run on seven hits, while striking out six and walking one. Sanchez allowed a walk and a single in the eighth, before being relieved by Gonzalez.

Mike Minor (5-2, Vanderbilt), took the loss, going the first four innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits, two of which that left the ballpark. Cody Satterwhite (Ole Miss) and Brett Hunter (Pepperdine) each gave up single runs in their relief appearances.

A one-out error by Danny Espinosa (Long Beach State) at short came back to haunt the Americans as Tournament RBI leader, Yosvani Peraza, hit a two-run homer to give Cuba a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Minor had a 33-pitch first inning.

A solo home run by Jose Julio Ruiz gave Cuba a 3-0 lead in the fourth. Hector Olivera’s solo home run off of Satterwhite in the seventh made it 4-0.

TEAM NOTES
Josh Romanski (San Diego) made a nice diving catch in the fourth, towards the line, to rob Alexei Bell of a hit... Cleanup hitter LF Logan Forsythe (Arkansas) missed the last five games, minus a pinch-hit performance yesterday, with a sore foot... 3B Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt) was the designated hitter the last four days due to a sore arm... Danny Espinosa (Long Beach State) ended the summer on an eight-game hit streak, while Jordan Danks (Texas) ended it on a seven-game streak.

WORLD PORT NOTES
Japan (0-7) and the Netherlands (3-4) close out the regularly scheduled tournament games tonight... Chinese Taipei (4-4), who finished yesterday, gained the tiebreaker with the USA yesterday, forcing the USA to win today to advance, based on number of wins against (2-0), if the USA and Taipei were tied and in runs allowed between the three tied teams, if the Netherlands were to finish in a three-way tie with the USA and Taipei (12 runs for Taipei to 13 runs for the USA to 21 runs for the Netherlands)... Games can be followed live on the internet at http://www.worldporttournament.nl/... Stats are available at: http://utopia.ision.nl/users/hwede/stats07/wpt07/ and under live scoring.

FINAL TEAM LEADERS FOR THE SUMMER
Hitting--Average (Alvarez-.315), Home Runs (Alvarez/Kieschnick-7), RBIs (Alvarez-30), Runs (Danks-37) Hits (Alvarez-40), Walks (Danks-25), Doubles (Smoak-10), Triples (Danks-2), Multi-Hit Games (Alvarez-12); Pitching---Wins (Minor-5-2), ERA-Reliever (Hunter-0.66), Saves (Satterwhite-4), ERA-Starter (Ross-0.82), Strikeouts (Ross-39), Appearances (Hunter-14)

CCBL Playoffs Postponed until Saturday

The Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs have been pushed back to Saturday after rain washed out both games on Friday evening. The new schedule is posted below

West Division:
Saturday, August 11th - Falmouth @ Bourne at 3:00pm
Sunday, August 12th - Bourne @ Falmouth at 7:00pm
Monday, August 13th - Falmouth @ Bourne at 3:00pm, if necessary.

East Division:
Saturday, August 11th - Chatham @ Y-Dennis at 3:00pm
Sunday, August 12th - Y-Dennis @ Chatham at 7:00pm
Monday, August 13th - Chatham @ Y-Dennis at 3:00pm, if necessary.

MTSU to build new stadium

Adam Sparks of Gannett Tennessee is reporting that an agreement in principle has been reached for the construction of a $6.6 million on-campus baseball stadium. Construction could begin within the month, with fundraising a prime goal in moving forward. Athletic Director Chris Massaro points to the project as a prime focus of the Blue Raiders commitment to baseball. The full article can be read here

Commodores Baseball Update

This is my inaugural post on the CBB and I’ll be helping Brian and the team cover Vanderbilt, SEC and Southeastern College Baseball. Up first are three recent developments with Commodore baseball: Ryan Davis’ transfer, David Price’s negotiations with Tampa Bay and a first commitment for the Class of 2009.

Mike Rapp of VandySports.com (Rivals) caught up with Coach Tim Corbin and discussed Davis’ transfer. Corbin wishes Davis well and thanks Ryan for his contributions to the program. Davis should be a key contributor to San Diego next year in the Outfield or at DH. Mike’s article can be read here.

Meanwhile, Chris Lee of VandySports.com landed the first public interview in some time with the #1 overall pick of the 2007 Draft. Negotiations appear to be heating up with Tampa in this final week of signing eligibility. Rivals subscribers can read Price’s thoughts and the potential for returning at Vandy for a swan song here (Rivals subscription required).

On the recruiting trail, Commodores recruiting coordinator Erik Bakich picked up his first verbal commitment for the class of 2009. Dough Fritz at the Johnson City Press is reporting that Catcher/Firstbaseman Dylan Pratt will enter the program as a Sophomore in the 2008-09 school year. Pratt was on the Commodores’ radar as a HS Junior; however, an injury led to a loss in interest. Recent strong performances changed Bakich and Corbin’s mind and Pratt will come on board after spending a year at Walters State Community College, where he will play alongside former Vandy target Adam Milligan. The full article can be read here. Perfect Game rated Pratt 8.5 out of 10 in the summer between his Sophomore and Junior years of High School.

In other Commodore news, it's expected that both All-American RF Dom De la Osa and reserve OF Jonathan White will be returning for their Senior seasons with the 'Dores, providing strong outfield depth for the '08 campaign.

Photo courtesy of Mike Rapp of VandySports.com

USA drops critical game to Chinese Taipei

FROM USA BASEBALL
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS— Team USA (25-11, 4-3 WPT) was beat for the second time by Chinese Taipei (4-4 WPT) at the World Port Tournament, 1-0, forcing the Americans to have to beat first place Cuba on Saturday to advance to Sunday’s finals. If they lose on Saturday, their summer is over.

The Americans forced one last rally in the ninth inning off of Wei-Hua Lee, who finished with a complete game four-hitter. Tommy Medica (Santa Clara) had a one-out pinch-hit single, before a two-out bunt base hit by Danny Espinosa (Long Beach State) in front of the plate, followed by a walk, loaded the bases. But Petey Paramore (Arizona State) struck out on a 2-2 pitch to give the Taiwanese the victory.

Lee worked his magic all day long, retiring 10 in a row early, and then another nine in a row into the eighth inning.

Tyson Ross (4-1, California) lost for the first time this summer, pitching seven-plus innings, giving up one run on six hits. He put runners on base in seven of the eight innings, but got 13 groundball outs. With a runner on base in the eighth, Brett Hunter (Pepperdine) came on and struck out the side.

Ryan Flaherty’s (Vanderbilt) hit in the fifth, the 3500th hit in the tournament’s history, broke a string of 10 in a row retired by Lee, and loaded the bases for the first of two times. Two walks followed Flaherty, before Jordy Mercer (Oklahoma State) struck out to end the threat and keep Taipei up 1-0.

A one-out triple by Chien-Yu Kuo came around to score on a groundout to give Taipei a 1-0 lead in the first.

TEAM NOTES
Ryan Flaherty’s single in the fifth inning was the 3500th hit in the tournament’s 22-year, 11-time history... Standings heading into tonight’s game between Cuba and the Netherlands are the Cubans are 6-0, Japan is 0-7 and the Netherlands is 3-3... Netherlands will need to win twice and have Team USA lose to Cuba in order to get into the Finals... The Americans won four of five from Chinese Taipei in the States and lost the first game at the World Port Tournament, 10-5... Jordan Danks has hit safely in the last six World Port Games... games can be followed live on the internet at http://www.worldporttournament.nl/... Stats are available at: http://utopia.ision.nl/users/hwede/stats07/wpt07/ and under live scoring.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Americans will close out the summer with a game against Cuba (8 a.m. Eastern). The Finals between the first place team, currently Cuba (6-0) and the second place team are on August 12 at 7 a.m, Eastern, finishing the summer for the Americans.

2008 Top Power Hitters

Doug Kroll of CSTV checks in with an article about the top power hitters for the 2008 season. He discusses Pedro Alvarez, Justin Smoak, Kyle Russell to just name a few. It is an excellent read and can be found here.

CCBL Series Preview: Falmouth vs Bourne

The Bourne Braves and Falmouth Commodores are set to do battle in the Western Division playoffs in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

The Falmouth Commodores head over to Bourne to take on the Braves. Falmouth is led by Conor Gillaspie (Wichita State) who led the league in hitting at a .345 clip. He also has seven homers with 22 RBI on the year. David Adams (UVA) hit a solid .302 while Matthew Hague (Clemson) hit .299. Falmouth has the best two pitchers in the league based on ERA with Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson who both play with the Missouri Tigers. Crow has a 0.67 ERA in 40 innings and a 3-1 record. (Video of Crow is available here) Gibson has a 2-0 record with a 1.17 ERA.

The Bourne Braves have fought through the 2007 season by overcoming losses of players during the season and before the season for various reasons to have the second best record in the league after Yarmouth-Dennis. Bourne is led by Kevin Hoef (Iowa) at the plate with his .317 average. T.J. Hose (East Carolina) is the top pitcher on the team with a 4-3 record with a 2.58 ERA.

Friday: Falmouth at Bourne 3 pm
Saturday: Bourne at Falmouth 8 pm
Sunday (if necessary): Falmouth at Bourne 3 pm

The College Baseball Blog predicts that Falmouth wins the series in three games in a mild upset.

The entire playoffs will be webcasted for free through Leaguestream. The games can be accessed by clicking here.

CCBL Series Preview: Chatham vs Yarmouth-Dennis

The Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs start on Friday when Chatham visits Yarmouth-Dennis in the Eastern Division playoff series.

The Chatham A's are led by Allan Dykstra (Wake Forest) who hit .308 this summer with five homers and 31 RBI in 40 games. Tom Milone (Southern Cal) leads the team with a 6-1 record on the mound with a 2.92 ERA. Milone is also tied with Terry Doyle of YD for the league lead in wins. Bryan Shaw (Long Beach State) has seven saves which leads the team.

The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox enter the playoffs with the best regular season record after winning the 2006 title. They went 31-12-1 in 2007 and according to Perfect Game are one of the top Summer League teams in the nation. are led by one of the top prospects in the CCBL in Gordon Beckham (Georgia). He hit .284 on the year with nine homers and 35 RBI in 42 games. Jason Castro (Stanford) finished second in the league in hitting with a .341 average. Terry Doyle (Boston College) is tied for the league lead with six victories and a 2.35 ERA. Eddie Burns (Georgia Tech) has also had a strong summer with a 5-1 mark with a 2.86 ERA. Nick Cassavechia (Baylor) has 11 saves which is top in the league.

Friday: Chatham at Yarmouth Dennis at 3 pm
Saturday: Yarmouth-Dennis at Chatham at 7 pm
Sunday (if necessary): Chatham at Yarmouth-Dennis at 3 pm

The College Baseball Blog predicts that Yarmouth-Dennis wins the series in two games.

The entire playoffs will be webcasted for free through Leaguestream. The games can be accessed by clicking here.

Duo Pushes Team USA into Second

-Courtesy of USA Baseball-

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS— Team USA (25-10, 4-2 WPT) moved into sole possession of second place with two days to play at the World Port Tournament following a 10-2 win over host Netherlands (3-3 WPT) on a cool and windy Thursday evening.

Jordan Danks (Texas) fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a solo home run and RBI double, while Tommy Medica (Santa Clara) drove in two runs with two hits. Justin Smoak (South Carolina) walked twice and got two hits.

Team USA pushed across three runs in the first and fourth innings to give Ryan Berry (2-1, Rice) a 7-1 lead. Berry rebounded to go seven innings, giving up a run on five hits.

After walking three and scattering four hits over the first two innings, Berry pitched to the minimum over the final five innings. He got out of the first two innings with just one run, thanks to two double plays, and after a second inning walk, retired seven and then a final eight in a row. He used just three pitches to retire the side in the seventh. The Dutch had just one hit from the third until a three-hit ninth inning, finishing with eight hits.

Back-to-back doubles by Danny Espinosa (Long Beach State) and Danks made it 5-1 in the fourth as part of a three-run inning, chasing starter and loser Diegomar Markwell from the game. Medica's second RBI single then made it 6-1 off of reliever Kenny Berkenbosch, before a sacrifice fly pushed it 7-1.

The Americans took an early 3-0 lead in the first. Danks took the second pitch of the bottom of the first to right field for his second home run of the summer. Team USA then doubled the score on a play at the plate on a slow groundball to short that was dropped by catcher Sidney de Jong. A Josh Romanksi (San Diego) sacrifice fly then made it 3-0, the second unearned run of the inning.


TEAM NOTES
The Americans are 4-1 against Netherlands this summer, winning two of three in the States, prior to the tournament... standings heading into the final two scheduled days are Cuba at 6-0, Chinese Taipei at 3-4 and Japan at 0-7... Danks has hit safely in the last five World Port contests... the third double play of the night by the Americans came on a play in which Espinosa when behind the back at second, flipped to a bare-handed second baseman Ryan Flaherty and then over to first for the out in the fifth... the Toronto Blue Jay mascot was in attendance for the later game between the U.S. and the Netherlands... games can be followed live on the internet at http://www.worldporttournament.nl/ ... Stats are available at: http://utopia.ision.nl/users/hwede/stats07/wpt07/ and under live scoring.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Americans will play twice more to close out the summer with consecutive games against Chinese Taipei (8 a.m. Eastern) and Cuba (8 a.m.). The Finals between the top two teams are on August 12 at 7 a.m, Eastern, finishing the summer.

Adrian Alaniz tabbed to play in New York-Penn League All-Star Game

Former Texas Baseball standout Adrian Alaniz was one of five members of the Vermont Lake Monsters named to the National League roster for the 2007 New York-Penn League All-Star game, the league announced on Wednesday. Alaniz was one of 11 pitchers included on the 27-man roster for the game to be played Tuesday, August 14 at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, N.Y., home of the Hudson Valley Renegades.

TexasSports.com

TCL CHAMPIONSHIP: HIGHWAY 121 SERIES!

The 2007 Texas Collegiate League Championship series will be an all too familiar match-up. Tris Speaker division champion Coppell Copperheads will face off against the Rogers Hornsby division champion McKinney Marshals beginning on Friday for a three game series in the Highway 121 series for the TCL title.

Texas Collegiate League Release

Live Stats for Team USA-Holland

The College Baseball Blog would like to remind fans that the USA National Team will be taking on The Netherlands on Thursday at 1 pm Eastern time. The World Port Tournament has live stats for all games which are available by clicking here.

Temple mourns the loss of Richie Gargel

Temple University is mourning the loss of sophomore pitcher Richie Gargel who passed away on Wednesday from injuries sustained in a swimming accident. He appeared in 20 games in 2007 while striking out 27 batters in 30 innings. Gargel was playing this summer for the St. Cloud (MN) River Bats where he was sporting a 1-0 record in 8.1 innings of work. The College Baseball Blog would like to send their condolences to the Temple community and to the Gargel family.

Temple Release

Ryan Davis and Mike Roskopf set to transfer

Ryan Davis of Vanderbilt is set to transfer to San Diego according to a few sources including Kendall Rogers of Rivals.com. Davis had become a role player in the 2007 season, splitting time with Parker Hanks and Matt Meingasner in left and at DH, after nearly capturing a batting crown by hitting .340 in SEC play in 2006. Due to the Senior year return of All-American RF Dom De la Osa, Vandy has four capable bodies competing for time in left field (Hanks, Jonathan White, red-shirt freshman Steven Liddle and highly touted freshman Joey Manning). With the opportunity to prove himself ahead of the 2008 draft, Davis stands to be a potential middle of the order bat for the Torreros and will have the opportunity to help contribute to the Toreros run to Omaha in 2008, while playing closer to his Arizona home. Thanks to NY Dore for providing the information used in this report.

Rivals.com is reporting that NC State first baseman/designated hitter Mike Roskopf is transferring to Southern California to play under Chad Kreuter. Roskopf hit .316 with 13 homers with 42 RBI. He will be an instant addition to the Trojans squad hopefully leading them to the Pac-10 Championship in 2008.

LSU breaks ground on new baseball stadium

The LSU baseball program moved one step closer Monday toward entering a new era as ground was officially broken at the construction site of the New Alex Box Stadium.

The new stadium will be located at the corner of Nicholson Drive and Gourrier Lane -- about 200 yards south of the current site of Alex Box Stadium -- and will seat 8,700 fans. The stadium is expected to be completed by the fall of 2008, and LSU is scheduled to play its first game in the new facility in February 2009.

LSU officials were joined at Monday’s groundbreaking by representatives of the stadium architects and contractor. The stadium was designed through a combined effort of Grace & Hebert Architects of Baton Rouge and DLR Group of Omaha, Neb. The contractor for the project is Buquet & LeBlanc of Baton Rouge.

“The construction of a new stadium demonstrates LSU’s commitment to our mission of returning the baseball program to a position of prominence,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “This facility will be one of the finest in the country, and it will enhance our players’ ability to compete at the highest level. I also believe our fans will be thrilled with the amenities the new stadium will offer.”

Complete story

Greinke and Nesselrodt headline 2007 Valley League Awards

Courtesy of Valley League
Winchester utility player Luke Greinke (Orlando, Fla./Auburn) was named Most Valuable Player and Waynesboro skipper Lawrence Nesselrodt was selected as Coach of the Year as the Valley Baseball League announced its 2007 All-League awards on Wednesday, August 8.

Greinke, a rising senior at Auburn, filled several roles for the Winchester Royals and was a true utility player with solid play in the field, at the plate, and on the mound. Offensively, he battered the baseball while playing first base, outfield, and designated hitter. He led the league with a .417 batting average to claim the league's batting title. He also led the VBL with a .642 slugging percentage and .517 on-base percentage while collecting 12 doubles, five homers, and 32 RBIs for a potent Winchester offense that led the league hitting .275 as a team. Greinke was equally as impressive on the mound, going 3-1 with a 2.66 ERA in eight appearances covering 50 2/3 innings.

Nesselrodt was named the league's top coach for the second consecutive season. The Generals finished with the league's top record in the regular season at 30-13-1 and also have the league's best mark over the last two years combined at 57-28-1. Waynesboro has held true to its top seed by advancing to the VBL championship series.

Greinke was one of 16 players selected to the 2007 Valley League All-League squad. Waynesboro and its championship opponent Luray, the defending league champion, each placed three players on the All-League squad to lead the way. Front Royal, Harrisonburg, New Market, and Winchester each placed two players on the team with Covington and Staunton adding the last two picks.

Three players were repeat selections to the squad, led by Luray short stop Tyler Kuhn (Louisville, Ky./West Virginia), who was the 2006 VBL MVP. Entering the championship series, Kuhn was hitting .314 with seven doubles, two triples, three homers, 21 RBIs, 20 walks, and seven steals.

The other repeat picks both came from Waynesboro. Kurt Davidson (North Canton, Ohio/Akron) was the selection at first base after being honored at third base in 2006. He leads the league by a wide margin with 51 RBIs and 61 hits. Davidson is also second with 90 total bases while hitting .305 with 12 doubles and five homers. A clutch hitter all season, Davidson had the game-winning RBI in the Generals' semifinal game three win over Covington and in the championship series opener in the 14th inning against Luray.

The other repeat honoree was Generals ace Jon Dages (Indianapolis, Ind./Butler), who went 7-2 with a 2.62 ERA. Entering the championship, he ranks second in the league with 68 2/3 innings pitched and seven wins.

Waynesboro's other all-league winner was second baseman Brandon Sizemore (Bryceville, Fla./Tallahassee C.C.). He sits third in the league with 53 hits and leads the Generals with 13 doubles. Sizemore is hitting .277 with a triple, three homers, 27 RBIs, and 13 steals.

Luray's other selections came from their dynamic duo of starting pitchers, Robert Gilliam (Chapel Hill, N.C./UNC-Greensboro) and Dustin Umberger (Hummelstown, Pa./Liberty). Gilliam won the honor of the league's ERA leader for the regular season and carries a 1.26 mark and a 7-1 record into the final series. He also has a save and has struck out 81 batters in 57 innings. Umberger ranks second in the league with a 1.45 ERA and led the league with eight wins on a perfect 8-0 record. He ranks third with 76 strikeouts in 56 innings.

Greinke, the all-league pick at the utility spot, was joined by teammate Jose Cueto (Miami, Fla./Virginia Tech). The outfielder ranks fourth in the league with a .328 batting average and fifth with a .537 on-base percentage. He led the Royals with six home runs while adding eight doubles, 24 RBIs, 20 walks, and 11 steals.

Front Royal's two picks include third baseman Bennett Davis (Katy, Texas/Manatee C.C.) and closer Joel Brookens (Fayetteville, Pa./North Carolina St.). Davis sits second in the league with 14 doubles. He hit .280 with three home runs, 36 runs scored, 30 RBIs, and 14 steals. Brookens leads the league with 13 saves and ranks second with 19 games finished. He had a 1.35 ERA in 20 innings and held opponents to a .129 batting average.

Harrisonburg placed two players on the all-league squad after finishing second in the regular season. Outfielder Robert Taylor (Ingram, Texas/Arkansas-Little Rock) and relief pitcher Garrett Parker (Duncanville, Texas/Howard-Payne) represented the Turks. Taylor ranks third in the league with a .352 batting average. He scored 22 runs, had six doubles, four homers, 14 walks, and a .420 on-base percentage. Parker finished 2-1 with a 0.84 ERA and eight saves in 21 1/3 innings. He did not allow a run until the postseason and ranks fifth in the league in saves.

New Market had two all-league selections with catcher Nick Stanley (Largo, Fla./South Florida C.C.) and designated hitter Nolan Brannon (St. Petersburg, Fla./Tampa). Stanley ranks fifth in the VBL with a .325 batting average and leads the league with 15 doubles. He had 50 hits, 23 runs, two homers, 20 RBIs, and 16 walks. Brannon hit .323 with 41 hits, six doubles, 17 RBIs, and 15 walks.

The final two selections were Covington outfielder Jason Kipnis (Northbrook, Ill./Kentucky) and Staunton closer Bobby Hernandez (Key West, Fla./Barry). Kipnis shares the league lead with nine home runs and won the home run derby during the 2007 all-star game in Front Royal. He ranks second with a .591 slugging percentage, second with a .498 on-base percentage, first with 46 runs scored, second with 41 RBIs, first with 91 total bases, first with 49 walks, and second with 24 stolen bases. Hernandez was second in the league with 12 saves and second with 21 appearances. He had a 1.78 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings while holding opponents to a .143 batting average.

The awards were voted upon by the league's 11 head coaches, broadcasters, and select media members who covered the league.

2007 Valley League MVP - Luke Grineke, Winchester

2007 Valley League Coach of the Year - Lawrence Nesselrodt, Waynesboro

2007 Valley League Batting Champion - Luke Greinke, Winchester

2007 Valley League Pitching ERA Leader - Robert Gilliam, Luray

2007 Valley League All-League Team

1B - Kurt Davidson, Waynesboro (Akron)

2B - Brandon Sizemore, Waynesboro (Tallahassee C.C.)

3B - Bennett Davis, Front Royal (Manatee C.C.)

SS - Tyler Kuhn, Luray (West Virginia)

OF - Jose Cueto, Winchester (Virginia Tech)

OF - Jason Kipnis, Covington (Kentucky)

OF - Robert Taylor, Harrisonburg (Arkansas-Little Rock)

C - Nick Stanley, New Market (South Florida C.C.)

DH - Nolan Brannon, New Market (Tampa)

UT - Luke Greinke, Winchester (Auburn)

SP - Jon Dages, Waynesboro (Butler)

SP - Robert Gilliam, Luray (UNC-Greensboro)

SP - Dustin Umberger, Luray (Liberty)

RP - Joel Brookens, Front Royal (North Carolina St.)

RP - Bobby Hernandez, Staunton (Barry)

RP - Garrett Parker, Harrisonburg (Howard-Payne)

Note: Due to a tie, three relief pitchers were selected

Alexandria Aces Promote New Campaign

Courtesy of the Alexandria Aces
The Alexandria Aces Collegiate Summer Baseball Club, the eighth and newest member of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, is proud to kick off its newest theme to attract top quality ball players to play for the team next summer.

"We are building an outstanding baseball organization, something the city of Alexandria and local fans can be very proud of," said Aces chairman and CEO, Don Dinan. "Part of our process in building the Aces is promoting the idea that Alexandria is the perfect place for collegiate ball players to play wooden bat baseball here next summer and for many years to come," Dinan added. "The players that we will recruit to play for the Aces all have exceptional baseball talent and want to show their skills to major league scouts. They want to be drafted. Our ball club will provide them a fantastic opportunity to be in the spotlight. We want those players to know that the road to Major League Baseball runs through Alexandria."

The Alexandria Aces Collegiate Summer Baseball Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and will play its inaugural season in 2008 as a part of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, based primarily in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The Aces will compete against the Bethesda Big Train, Herndon Braves, Rockville Express, Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts, Maryland Redbirds, College Park Bombers and Youse's Maryland Orioles.

www.AlexandriaAces.org

http://www.ripkensrcollegebaseball.org

Marshals, Copperheads Sweep into the TCL Championship

Coppell and McKinney swept through their respective TCL Divisional series and head into the Championship series which begins on Friday. The night was filled with critical home runs hit by Coppell's Brandon Belt and McKinney 's Derek Wiley (Belmont) and Dustin Hood (Wake Forest). McKinney won their sixth straight playoff game including the undefeated run during the 2006 playoffs. The Copperheads will own home field advantage during the Championship series due having a better regular season record than the Marshals.

Texas Collegiate League

The Eagle Recap

News and Notes from Around the Country

The Pacific University Tigers coaching staff will be making an appearance on the Discovery channel show Mythbusters which is set to air on Wednesday August 8th at 9:00 pm (PST). Tiger Head Coach Ed Sprague and Undergraduate assistant coach John Devaney were invited to be involved in the shooting at Klein Family Field. The full release is available here

The Miami (FL) Media Relations Department has released a feature on Kyle Bellamy who played this summer in the NYCBL with the Geneva Red Wings. He recorded 16 saves in 26 innings while recording a perfect ERA of 0.00. The full article is available here with updates on other Hurricanes players progress throughout the summer.

The Daily Utah Chronicle checks in with an article previewing the Utah Utes 2008 team. The article discusses some of the disappointments of the 2007 season and the future of the program. The full article is available here.

The UCLA Bruins have released their 2008 schedule which includes a game in Compton CA against USC. They also have a visits from the Oklahoma Sooners and UC-Riverside as the highlights of their OOC schedule. The full schedule is available here.

Stay tuned to The College Baseball Blog for the most up to date news from around the country. If anyone has any comments or ideas feel free to e-mail me by clicking here.

Team USA Routs Japan 10-0

-Courtesy of USA Baseball-

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS— Team USA (24-10, 3-2 WPT) made sure Japan (0-5 WPT) remained winless at the World Port Tournament, crushing the Japanese 10-0 in seven innings behind a 13-hit attack to snap a two-game losing streak.

Eric Surkamp (1-0, North Carolina State) pitched six scoreless innings, striking out four, while walking two. Surkamp and Cody Satterwhite (Ole Miss) combined on a four-hitter, as Satterwhite did not allow a hit in the seventh. Surkamp also rolled three double play balls and struck out the side in the second in the midst of eight in a row retired.

Brett Wallace (Arizona State) had three hits, while Jordy Mercer (Oklahoma State), Josh Romanski (San Diego), Jordan Danks (Texas) and each had two hits. Ryan Flaherty (Vanderbilt) had his second multi-hit game of the tournament. Roger Kieschnick (Texas Tech) hit the team's first grand slam of the summer, part of a seven-run sixth inning.

The Americans pushed across two runs in the first to lead 2-0. An RBI groundout by Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt), his seventh RBI of the tournament, made it 1-0, before an RBI single by Wallace doubled the score. A Danny Espinosa (Long Beach State) sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 3-0 as Japanese starter and loser, Robert Booth, left after four innings, giving up three runs on seven hits.

Mercer's RBI double in the sixth made it 4-0, before Kieschnick's grand slam doubled the score to 8-0. Wallace's second hit in the inning, an RBI single, made it 9-0.

TEAM NOTES
The Americans finished 4-3 against two Japanese teams this summer, winning the last three games in the series... Team USA beat Japan 1-0 with their only hit, a Logan Forsythe base hit in the ninth in the earlier meeting in the tournament and also won on the last day of the series in Durham... Cuba beat Chinese Taipei 6-5 in 14 innings, tying the game in the ninth inning on their final strike after Taipei took the lead in the bottom of the eighth.... Cuba is now 5-0, Chinese Taipei is 2-3, and the Netherlands, who were off today and won last night over Taipei, 4-3, are 2-2... Logan Forsythe (foot) missed his second straight game... games can be followed live on the internet at http://www.worldporttournament.nl/... Stats are available at: http://utopia.ision.nl/users/hwede/stats07/wpt07/ and under live scoring.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Americans will play have an off day on Wednesday and then close out the summer with consecutive games against the Netherlands (1 p.m. Eastern), Chinese Taipei (8 a.m.) and Cuba (8 a.m.). The Finals are on August 12 at 7 a.m, Eastern, finishing the summer.

Texas Collegiate League Playoffs!!

There was nothing but exciting baseball during the first day of playoffs in the Texas Collegiate League. Brazos Valley was stumped by early control problems, giving up three runs in the first inning (which were players that were walked or HBP). Coppell ended up taking advantage and that is all they would need to defeat the Bombers in game one. In Wichita Falls, it came down to the ninth inning as Brandon Glover's game-winning sacrifice fly spoiled the Roughnecks home playoff opener.
To read the rest of the story follow the link!

TexasCollegiateLeague!

Waynesboro and Luray to battle for Valley League Title

FROM PRESS RELEASE

WAYNESBORO, Va., August 6, 2007 - On the heels of a 3-2 win over Covington in the semifinals, the top-seeded Waynesboro Generals have advanced to the Valley Baseball League championship series where they will meet the third-seeded Luray Wranglers in a battle for the Jim Lineweaver Cup.

Luray, which wrapped up its series over Staunton on Saturday, will enter the series as the defending Valley League champions. Waynesboro, meanwhile, enters the series with the best regular season record over the last two seasons combined, including the best mark in the league in 2007 at 30-13-1.

Waynesboro is led offensively by VBL MVP candidate Kurt Davidson who entered Monday hitting .306 with 12 doubles, five home runs, and 50 RBIs in 48 games. He added one of two RBIs for the Generals in the clinching win over Covington. On the mound, Jon Dages leads the pitching staff with a 7-2 overall record. The 2006 VBL ERA leader has a 2.74 mark in 2007 with 45 strikeouts in 62 innings. Adam Liberatore is close behind with a 6-1 record, 3.42 ERA, and 40 strikeouts. Jimmy Stanley has been stingy late in contests, picking up his 12^th save in Monday's game.

Luray boasts the top one-two punch in the league when it comes to starting pitchers. Robert Gilliam, the 2007 ERA leader, is 7-1 with a 1.26 ERA and 81 strikeouts. Dustin Umberger has been equally as impressive with an 8-0 record, 1.45 ERA, and 76 strikeouts. Offensively, the Wranglers are led by reigning league MVP Tyler Kuhn, who is hitting .314 in 41 games with seven doubles, two triples, three homers, and 21 RBIs.

The best-of-five series begins Tuesday in Waynesboro and will alternate sites until the champion is crowned. All five games will have live audio available at www.valleyleaguebaseball.com.

Cuba handles USA 8-2

Cuba took advantage of some sloppy Team USA defense to pull out an 8-2 victory in the final game of the first round of the World Port Tournament. Alfredo Despaigne went 2-3 with two homers and five RBI. His second homer came in the seventh inning when Cuba scored five runs to make a 3-2 game in a 8-2 advantage. Scott Gorgen (UC-Irvine) started for Team USA and gave them six solid innings while giving up three runs (one earned) but struck out ten batters without allowing a walk. Cuba ended up getting to reliever Josh Romanski (San Diego) for five runs in two innings of work. Yulieski Gonzalez started for the Cuban team and gave them 7.1 innings while giving up both runs. Arley Sanchez relieved Gonzalez while going 1.1 perfect innings before being lifted for Vicyohandri Odelin who got the final out of the game. Team USA was led on offense by Pedro Alvarez who homered for the third straight game while going 2-4 with 2 RBI. Team USA is back in action on Tuesday when they start the second round of the round robin tournament with Japan at 1 p.m. Eastern. Team USA is currently in a tie for second place with Chinese Taipei. The College Baseball Blog has found out that they are providing live scoring from the games which is available by clicking here.

Team USA Recap
Box Score

Chinese Taipei defeats Team USA 10-5

The Chinese Taipei National Team defeated Team USA 10-5 in the first round of the World Port Tournament on Sunday. The Taiwan team was led by Yi-Chuan Lin who went 3-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Pedro Alvarez went 1-4 with 3 RBI to lead Team USA offense. Mike Minor (Vanderbilt) started for Team USA and went four solid innings while giving up two runs on five hits. Seth Frankoff relieved Minor but lasted only 0.2 innings while giving up five runs on three hits and two walks. Team USA will be back in action on Monday when they take on Cuba at 8 am eastern time.

USA Recap
World Port Tournament Official Site

Moreland signs with Rangers

Mitch Moreland of Mississippi State has decided to sign with the Texas Rangers according to a report in The Clarion-Ledger. Moreland hit .343 with 10 homers and 62 RBI for the Bulldogs in 2007. The full article is available by clicking here.