Many schools are finishing up their fall seasons with intra-squad scrimmages. We have linked to all the weekend recaps below.
Wake Forest (Game 2)
Wake Forest (Game 1)
Indiana Fall Recap
Southeast Missouri State (Game 2)
Southeast Missouri State (Game 1)
Marshall Fall Series Recap
Villanova Fall Series Recap
UNC Fall Series Recap
Illinois State Fall Series Recap
Michigan State Fall Series Recap
Many different college baseball teams are in the midst of their fall ball schedule. We have provided links to each school's recap for games that took place on October 10th.
East Carolina
Devin Harris hit two homers and went 3-3 while pitcher Seth Maness pitched five shutout innings to lead the Purple team to an 8-0 victory in Game 1 of the Fall World Series.
North Carolina
Dustin Ackley drove in two runs and Garrett Davis pitched five innings while allowing only three hits as the Sox Slayers knocked off the Carolina Blue Sox to even the intrasquad scrimmage at a game a piece.
Michigan State
Kyle Hortt scored on a suicide squeeze bunt by Justin Potes to lead the White team to a 1-0 victory in Game 1 of the Fall World Series.
The North Carolina Tar Heels have released their 2008 schedule. They will be playing all home games in Cary NC as Boshamer Stadium is being renovated for the 2009 season. The Tar Heels open the season at Florida Atlantic for a three game set from February 22nd-24th. The next weekend they head to Rock Hill SC to take part in the Winthrop Tournament where they will face the hosts, Kent State, and a team to be determined. North Carolina will play a full 30 game ACC schedule which has Virginia Tech, NC State, Georgia Tech, Boston College, and Florida State all heading to Cary in conference series. UNC will visit Virginia, Clemson, Maryland, Duke, and Miami. The full schedule is available here.
The Florida State Seminoles have released their 2008 schedule. They will play a 56 game schedule in 2008 which opens up on February 22nd when Duquesne University visits for a four game series over three days. They will follow that up with an exhibition game against the Philadelphia Phillies. They will then travel to Auburn to take on the Tigers for two games before coming back to Tallahassee to host the Tigers for two games. The Seminoles will open ACC play on March 7th when Maryland visits Tallahassee. The Seminoles will also host ACC series against Georgia Tech, Virginia, Miami, and NC State. They will head on the road this season to face Virginia Tech, Boston College, Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Clemson. They will not play Duke in 2008 or 2009 due to the rotating ACC schedule. The 2008 ACC Baseball Championship will take place in Jacksonville Florida again. The full schedule is available in HTML and PDF formats.
The College Baseball Blog recently came across the 2007 National High School Baseball Coaches Association All-American teams. The two teams are filled by tons of 2007 draft picks but two names stick out in Ben Klafczynski and Matt Harvey. Ben Klafczynski did not sign a pro contract out of high school and opted to attend Kent State University to play under Scott Stricklin. He is expected to make an immediate impact with the Flashers and should compete for Conference Rookie of the Year. Harvey will be attend the University of North Carolina in the fall after being drafted in the third round but could not come to terms with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is expected to compete for a starting spot in the weekend rotation in 2008. The full list of All-Americans is available here.
Coach Paul Mainieri and Recruiting Coordinator Terry Rooney took home the title of #1 Recruiting Class of 2008. The Collegiate Baseball title was unsurprising as Coach M (in his first year at Baton Rouge after a successful stint in South Bend) and Coach Rooney had assembled a massive class including 12 Freshman and 7 JuCos, including several All-Americans.
The Air Force Academy has posted the 2008 schedule on their website. The Academy will open the season in the Service Academies Spring Classic with Navy and Memphis joining them from February 22nd-24th. They will be making a trip to Mississippi State for a three game set at the end of February. The Falcons will also take part in the Palm Beach Papa John's Challenge in Palm Beach, FL but the participants are not listed yet. The most interesting thing on the schedule is on April 18th-20th when they have games listed against UNC or UVSC in Colorado Springs. I wonder if this means that North Carolina is planning on heading to Air Force this year or is this a different UNC as in Northern Colorado. I suspect that it is Northern Colorado but the Falcons fans can hope that it is the two time CWS finalist North Carolina. The full schedule is available here.
The North Carolina Tar Heels have released their fall schedule for 2007. They will play five game from October 9th-October 15th at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary NC. The full fall schedule is available here. The Tar Heels will play the entire 2008 season in Cary NC with Boshamer Stadium being renovated for the 2009 season. The full release on the ground breaking of Boshamer Stadium is available here.
The Tulane Baseball team picked up three transfers this summer to hopefully lead the Green Wave back to the upper echelon of college baseball. The first transfer is shortstop Josh Prince (Texas) who hit .371 in 35 games for the Longhorns in 2007. Left-handed pitcher Matt Petition (UNC) heads to New Orleans after appearing in only two games in his freshman season. The final transfer is Josh Zeid from Vanderbilt which the College Baseball Blog reported earlier this summer. Zeid pitched in 18 games in 2007 and 13 games as a freshman. The full release is available here.
As the College Baseball Blog suspected, elite '08 Catcher Jacob Stallings commitment to North Carolina came after sitting down with Vandy coach Tim Corbin, UNC coach Mike Fox and Vandy Basketball Coach Kevin Stallings and coming to the decision that Chapel Hill provided the best opportunity for the defensive standout to become an elite player.
Coach Mike Fox of North Carolina picked up one of the fastest rising stars on the High School circuit when Nashville Catcher/Pitcher Jacob Stallings verbally committed to the Tarheel baseball program. Stallings is an athletic, if lanky 6'4" bodied Junior who Perfect Game gave a 9.5 ranking. Mike Rapp of Vandysports.com first reported the news in the premium content War Room, quickly followed by Mo Patton of the Tennessean.
Stallings is the son of Vanderbilt Basketball Coach Kevin Stallings and former basketball teammate of former UNC standout Brandan Wright, a lottery pick this past year in the NBA draft. The younger Stallings has been a fixture at Vanderbilt baseball games, while the senior Stallings is a sometimes-color commentator for Commodores baseball broadcasts and is a close friend of Coach Tim Corbin. This led many to believe Jacob Stallings would don the Black and Gold on West End. Furthermore, as the son of an employee, Stallings would have been entitled to free tuition at Vanderbilt. So why is Stallings headed to UNC? The College Baseball Blog has this insight and opinion as to the surprise commitment:
1) Money doesn't always talk. Kevin Stallings is one of the highest paid coaches in the SEC, so scholarship funds likely aren't particularly important.
2) In addition to the Brandan Wright connection, UNC's Roy Williams is among Kevin Stallings' closest friends in the coaching fraternity, establishing solid ties to UNC.
3) The catching and pitching competition at Vanderbilt will be tight for the next three years. At Catcher, Vanderbilt will feature two established players in ('08-'09 year) Sophomore Curt Casali (rated the #60 prospect for the '07 class and rated 10 by Perfect Game) and Red Shirt Sophomore Andrew Giobbi (rated 10 by Perfect Game in '05). Casali is expected to win the starting job behind the plate by '08-09, if not by supplanting incumbent starter Shea Robin this year. Giobbi has seen action at Catcher, Firstbase and DH for the Dores and figures to continue to do so for the next two years. In addition, Jesse Johnson of Vandysports.com reports that Corbin has a pair of solid Catcher walk-ons. Stallings could have faced stiff competition as a pitcher, with Corbin and recruiting coordinator Erik Bakich having assembled a star studded pitching class for '08-09 featuring AFLAC All American Sonny Gray (PG rating 10), Will Clinard (PG 10), Grayson Garvin (PG 10), Corey Williams (PG 9.5), Ryan Westmoreland (PG 9) and Navery Moore, who was not given a number rating by PG despite being listed as the 18th best prospect in the '08 class in November 2006. Also returning in '08-09 will be standout pitchers including Mikie Minor, Drew Hayes, Chase Reid, Mark Lamm, Richie Goodenow and Caleb Cotham. Stallings had been recruited to Vanderbilt and UNC as a Catcher and by Auburn as a pitcher. The CBB believes, without any real basis, that playing time figured into the equation.
4) UNC has somehow managed to become one of the uber elite baseball programs in the country while flying a bit under the radar. They have appeared in the last two CWS finals and have always been a solid program, despite not getting some of the same athletic-academic regard that Stanford, Rice, Tulane and Vandy have received in conversations about "signability". The "somehow" is not a reflection of UNC not having earned elite status or been excellent on the field, just that, for some reason, their recruiting, on the field and academic excellence don't get seem to get enough praise in the media.
5) Finally, it provides Stallings the opportunity to have a college experience away from home. A factor for many students.
This writer thinks a combination of 3 and 4 led to the commitment, and that Mike Fox is getting one of the finest players in the nation. Stallings has starred in the Nashville area and on former Commodore Hunter Bledsoe's Brentwood A's summer team. He throws in the low 90s off the hill and has impressive defensive skills despite his lanky nature. It's a pretty safe bet that Fox will get Stallings to campus and, as he grows into his body, Jacob could develop into one of the finest Catchers in the NCAA. Congratulations to Jacob, Coach Stallings and the family.
With one of his perceived top catching targets now in the Tarheel fold, attention will likely look to fellow Nashville Catcher Casey Dykes. Like Stallings, the Franklin based Dykes was rated 9.5 by Perfect Game. Unlike Stallings, Dykes' secondary position is 3B, a need area for the 'Dores. Vanderbilt will likely lose Rivals All-Americans Pedro Alvarez (3B) and Ryan Flaherty (SS) to the next MLB draft. Dykes could compete for playing time at third, though '07 signee Gabe Ortiz is expected to step into one of those slots, and though Chris Lee of Vandysports has confirmed the commitment of another '08 elite prospect on the left side of the infield. The information is still not public on the new commitment, so I cannot comment further on the identity of the player pursuant to the College Baseball Blog's policy on Use and Attribution.
The North Carolina and Florida State Media Relations Department have each released their respective summer league recaps. The biggest award recieved from a Tar Heel player was Drew Poulk who picked up the Rookie of the Year award in the NECBL after hitting .354. The full release from UNC is available here. Buster Posey had the strongest summer with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox as he led them to their second straight CCBL title. He hit .281 for the summer but was solid behind the plate. The full release from FSU is available here.
Matt Harvey of Fitch High School (CT) and Nate Striz of Sante Fe Catholic (FL) both will be heading to North Carolina after failing to sign professional contracts by the deadline on August 15th. Matt Harvey was expected to be a first round pick but slid to the third round (118th overall) where he was picked by the Los Anglos Angels of Anaheim. Teams were scarred away from drafting him with the association with Scott Boras. He was rated by Baseball America as the number 1 prospect in the senior class in February. He ended up being named the Louisville Slugger Connecticut Player of the Year. Nate Striz was a fifth round pick (182nd overall) by the Minnesota Twins. He was rated as the 95th best prospect by Baseball America before the high school season.
Both players are excellent additions to the North Carolina pitching staff. These players should be top of the line starters for the Tar Heels in the coming years while they try to make it to their third straight CWS Championship series.
UNC Release
LA Times Article on Harvey
The Tigers are on the brink of announcing they have signed No. 1 draft pick Rick Porcello to a four-year major league contract with a guaranteed value of $7.285 million, according to multiple officials with knowledge of the negotiations.
The deal is the richest given to a high school player by the team that drafted him, and could increase in value if he attains certain roster bonuses.Porcello, a 6-foot-5 18-year-old right-hander from New Jersey, was considered one of the most talented players in the June draft, but slid to the Tigers at No. 27 overall because teams were concerned about his high price tag. He was expected to ask for a guarantee between $6.5 million and $8 million, and, it appears, that is exactly what happened. This signing hurts the North Carolina program as he was one of their top recruits for the 2008 season.
Detroit Free Press
SeBaseball has released a list of the top five coaching jobs of 2007. The list is led by Louisville Head Coach Dan McDonnell to their first trip to the CWS in the team's history. They also name UC-Irvine's Dave Serrano, Mississippi State's Ron Polk, North Carolina's Mike Fox, and Missouri's Tim Jamieson. The full article is available here.
Oregon State defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 9-3 in Game 2 of the CWS Championship Series to clinch their second championship in as many years. The Oregon State offense jumped on Tar Heel starter Luke Putkonen for three runs in the second inning which knocked him out after only 1.2 innings. Mike Fox, head coach of North Carolina replaced him with Andrew Carignan who acts as the team closer. Carignan ended up going 3.2 innings while giving up two runs. The Oregon State offense was led by many players but Darwin Barney went 2-5 with a homer and Jordan Lennerton hit a two run homer. Oregon State pitcher Mike Stutes struggled through 5.1 innings while giving up three runs on seven hits but picked up the win to give himself a 2-0 record in the CWS. The North Carolina offense was led by Dustin Ackley who went 2-4 with a homer and two RBI in the loss.
The Oregon State Beavers overcame many different obstacles this season who were on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament when the selections were announced. They also had some major distractions this season with Mike Lissman's legal trouble. I would like to congratulate the team that started the entire College Baseball season with a trip to Hawaii-Hilo and ended it as the National Champions for the second straight season which is the first time it has happened in College Baseball since LSU won the championship in 1996-1997.
Oregon State Recap
UNC Recap
SeBaseball Recap
Baseball Daily Digest Recap
The Oregon State Beavers took Game 1 of the College World Series Championship Series by a score of 11-4. Jorge Reyes pitched 6.1 innings while allowing only three runs to the North Carolina offense. Joe Patterson relieved Reyes by giving up only 1 run over the final 2.2 innings. North Carolina starter Alex White was lit up for five runs in 5.1 innings of work. Jordan Lennerton did most of the damage to the North Carolina offense by going 2-4 with a homer and two RBI. Mitch Canham also had a strong day as he went 1-2 with two RBI. The Tar Heels offense was led by Reid Fronk who had a two run double in the 5th inning.
Oregon State Recap
UNC Recap
Doug Kroll (CSTV) Recap
Rivals.com Recap
The teams will play Game 2 on Sunday at 7 pm eastern time. If Oregon State wins the game they will be the national champions for the second straight year while North Carolina will try to force a deciding game on Monday. The Beavers will send Mike Stutes (11-4, 4.03 ERA) to the mound while UNC sends Luke Putkonen (8-1, 4.44 ERA) to the mound.
Oregon State looked like a much more polished team on Saturday evening while North Carolina looked a little tired from the long week in Omaha. We will see tomorrow if the Tar Heels can get a big start from Putkonen as their bullpen has been extremely busy this past week.
The Gametracker for Game 1 of the College World Series Championship series is available here for anyone not able to watch the game on TV.
North Carolina (57-14)
The North Carolina Tar Heels head back to the CWS Championship Series to face Oregon State for the second straight year. UNC has compiled a 4-1 record in Omaha as they fought through the loser's bracket. The Tar Heels are led on the mound by Robert Woodard who has struggled in the College World Series but has a 11-2 overall record with a 3.19 ERA. Rob Wooten has appeared in every single game in the NCAA. He has pitched 15.1 innings in the tournament compiling a 1.17 ERA. The Tar Heel offense woke up in the final elimination game against Rice on Thursday when four different hitters went deep. Josh Horton, who was a second round pick by the Oakland Athletics leads the CWS with a .389 average.
North Carolina is expected to start Alex White (6-6 4.74 ERA) in Game 1.
UNC CWS Game Notes
CBB report on UNC-BC
Oregon State (47-18)
The Oregon State Beavers enter the College World Series Championship Series seeking their second straight national championship. This is also their second straight year facing the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Championship series. The Beavers lost a ton of talent from last year's team but have been able to get hot at the right time of the year as they have compiled a 3-0 record in the CWS. The Beavers are led by catcher Mitch Canham who was the 57th overall pick by the San Diego Padres. Canham is hitting .321 with ten homers on the season. Daniel Turpen is the top starting pitcher for the Beavers. He was drafted in the eighth round by the San Francisco Giants. He has accumulated a 10-1 record with a 3.44 ERA.
Pat Casey will send Jorge Reyes (6-3, 3.00 ERA) to the mound for Game 1.
Oregon State CWS Game Notes
The College Baseball Blog predicts that Oregon State wins the championship in two games as UNC's starting pitching has been suspect all post season. North Carolina has a stronger bullpen so they need to have a solid five-six inning start in every game of the series to have a chance.
CWS Championship Series Previews from the Internet
Salem News (OR paper)
Corvallis (OR) Gazette Times
News and Observer (NC paper)
River Ave. Blues
Arizona Daily Star
Rivals.com
Doug Kroll of CSTV Preview (Great article)
North Carolina hit four homers in a 7-4 victory over Rice to advance to the CWS Championship Series where they will take on Oregon State. The Tar Heels got a solid start from Adam Warren who gave up three runs in six innings as his record goes to a perfect 12-0 on the year. Rob Wotten came in to the game to relieve Warren but gave up a run on three hits in 0.2 innings. Andrew Carignan pitched a perfect 2.1 innings to get his 18th save of the year. The Tar Heels were led on offense by Dustin Ackley who went 2-3 with a homer and two runs scored. Tim Fedroff, Josh Horton, and Seth Williams also hit homers in the victory. The Owls were led by Diego Seastrunk who had two RBI in the loss.
This is the second straight year that the Rice Owls were denied a spot in the CWS Championship series with two consecutive losses. The Owls end the season with a 56-14 record while UNC will play Oregon State for the national championship.
UNC Recap
Rice Recap
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