UNC releases 2008 Schedule

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.

Doyle leads YD to Game 1 victory over Falmouth

FROM CCBL RELEASE
SOUTH YARMOUTH, Mass.- The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox were in control of game one of the Cape Cod Baseball League Championship Series from the first batter all the way to the end. After both teams swept their divisional series, the Red Sox kept their momentum going while taking the wind out of Falmouth’s sails winning 8-2.

Game two of the Championship series will be played at Guv. Fuller Field in Falmouth at 7 PM August 13 as the Red Sox will be looking to win their third title in four years. Tonight’s crowd of 4.335 is expected to matched tomorrow in what could be the last game of the 2007 season.

Falmouth starter Shooter Hunt (Tulane) was chased from the game after pitching just 2 1/3 innings giving up four runs on four hits. Hunt started the game by relinquishing a homer to the first batter he faced, Grant Green (Southern California) who also blasted a solo shot in the fifth inning off of reliever Preston Claiborne (Tulane).

The second year starter for Falmouth, who also allowed Buster Posey (Florida State) to score on a sacrifice fly by Gordon Beckham (Georgia) in the first, left the game in the third after giving up a single to Jason Castro (Stanford) and a walk to leftfielder Aaron Luna (Rice) to start the inning. Preston Claiborne, Hunt’s college teammate, came in and gave up a walk to load the bases, but the Red Sox could not cash in on the opportunity as Claiborne struck out Collin Cowgill (Kentucky) and induced a ground ball out from Joey Railley (University of San Francisco) to end the threat.

The Red Sox scored twice in the second off of Hunt thanks to an RBI double by second baseman Railley that drove in Cowgill and a ground ball by the tall middle infielder turned first baseman Green that plated Railley to go up 4-0. Green moved to first base for the postseason after an elbow injury to Sean Ochinko (LSU) in the last game of the regular season left a hole in the lineup for Y-D.

For Yarmouth-Dennis Terry Doyle (Boston College), the 2006 Co-Outstanding Pitcher of the Year, collected the win giving up just two runs on four hits. He struck out seven Commodores, walking three and racking up four wild pitches in his last Cape League start in 6 1/3 innings of work.

Two of those wild pitches led to a Falmouth run as second baseman David Adams (Virginia) took both third and home on pitches that hit the dirt in front of the plate and got by Buster Posey (Florida State). The 6 foot 2 inch 205 pound power hitter, who led the Commodores with 51 hits on the season, reached second base on a double that just missed leaving the park bouncing off the left field fence in front of the score board at Red Wilson Field.

Adam’s scored the second Falmouth run in the sixth inning after reaching on a single, stealing second base, advancing to third on another Doyle wild pitch and coming home on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Phil Carey (Winthrop).

The Red Sox collected three insurance runs in the eighth of off reliever Erik Bird (Nebraska). Green collected his fourth RBI of the night, and Posey and right fielder Matt Long (Santa Clara) each drove in one run putting the final tally at eight for the Red Sox.

DJ Mauldin (Cal Poly State) shut down the Falmouth Commodores to close out the game, pitching 2 2/3 shutout innings to keep Doyle’s seventh win of the season in tact.
For Doyle, there couldn’t be a better way to finish his Cape League career than with back-to-back championships.

“It would be great (to win again), last year was a lot of fun but to be able to go back to back, which nobody’s done in a while, would be great. I mean, everybody likes winning,” said Doyle.

Photo is courtesy of Codball

ACC Recap for May 15th

UNC 8 Winthrop 7

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

UNC Recap
Winthrop Recap

North Carolina AT 13 Duke 9

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

NC AT Recap
Duke Recap

Coastal Carolina 11 Virginia 7

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

Coastal Carolina Recap
UVA Recap

Clemson 19 College of Charleston 7

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

Clemson Recap
College of Charleston Recap

Charlotte 9 Virginia Tech 3

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

Charlotte Recap
VT Recap

NC State 7 UNC-Asheville 4

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

NC State Recap
UNC-Asheville Recap

The Citadel heads to the road

The Citadel Bulldogs will head on a four game road trip this week which starts on Wednesday at Winthrop then they head to Appalachian State for a weekend series. The Bulldogs enter the four game stretch with a record of 20-12 (4-5 SoCon). Winthrop have a solid record of 22-15 record but lost to The Citadel 8-3 on March 20th. Appalachian State has a record of 20-14 (7-5 SoCon) after knocking off Gardner-Webb on Tuesday 6-1.

Probable Pitchers
Wednesday: Matt Reifsnider (1-1, 4.09 ERA) vs Ryan Schwartz (2-2, 4.50 ERA)
Friday: Wes Wrenn (3-3, 5.69 ERA) vs Matt Andress (3-3, 7.00 ERA)
Saturday: Matt Crim (3-2, 4.80 ERA) vs Jason Rook (4-4, 4.47 ERA)
Sunday: Chris McGuiness (2-0, 5.76 ERA) vs TBA

ACC Recap for 3/28

UNC 28 Davidson 3

North Carolina hit six homers including two from Benji Johnson to give the Tar Heels the 28-3 victory over Davidson. UNC scored eleven runs in the second inning and then twelve in the third to take full control of the game. UNC will be back in action on Friday when they host Wake Forest.

UNC Recap
Davidson Recap

Maryland 12 Coppin State 0

The Maryland Terrapins held Coppin State hitless and used a balanced attack by scoring in seven out of their eight at bats to continue the Coppin State losing streak to 20 games. Mike Murphy went 2-4 with 3 RBIs to lead the Maryland offensive attack. Brett Curll, Tim Kearney, Brett Jones, and Nick Pearce all went two innings without allowing a hit while Brian Shellhamer pitched a perfect ninth to complete the no-hitter. Maryland will visit Georgia Tech this weekend for a big ACC series.

Maryland Recap
Coppin State Recap

Virginia 4 Longwood 3

Brandon Marsh hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Cavaliers to a 4-3 come from behind victory over Longwood. Casey Lambert struck out 2 batters in the top of the ninth to pick up the victory for the Cavs. Virginia will travel across the state to Virginia Tech for a weekend series.

UVA Recap
Longwood Recap

Clemson 15 Western Carolina 6

The Clemson Tigers blew out Western Carolina 15-6 in non-conference action on Wednesday in Clemson SC. Taylor Harbin and Doug Hogan led the offense with three hits a piece. Clemson will return to action on Friday when they host the Hurricanes.

Clemson Recap
Western Carolina Recap

NC State 6 UNC-Greensboro 0

The NC State Wolfpack received a stellar pitching performance from Nate Karns, Jeff Stallings, and Sam Brown who combined on a three hit shutout. Caleb Mangum and Pat Ferguson each picked up two RBIs to lead the offense. NC State heads to Chestnut Hill to open the BC home schedule this weekend and The College Baseball Blog should be there on Saturday and Sunday.

NC State Recap
UNC-Greensboro Recap

Georgia Tech 6 Georgia Southern 2

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets used nine pitchers and were able to limit the Georgia Southern Eagles to two runs. Danny Payne and Michael Fisher were the only two Yellow Jackets with two hits on the day. Georgia Tech will host Maryland this weekend for a big ACC series.

GA Tech Recap
Georgia Southern Recap

Winthrop 15 Wake Forest 9

The Winthrop Eagles used a ten run fifth inning to pick up a 15-9 slugfest victory over Wake Forest on Wednesday. Winthrop will visit UNC-Asheville while Wake Forest heads to UNC for a big ACC weekend series.

Winthrop Recap
Wake Forest Recap

Boston College and Holy Cross were postponed until Thursday when they will try again to play their big non-conference game in a battle of Massachusetts.

BC Release
HC Release

The Citadel handles Winthrop

The Citadel Bulldogs picked up a 8-3 victory over Winthrop on Tuesday evening. Matt Reifsnider picked up his first collegiate victory by going 5.0 innings while giving up three runs. He combined with Raymond Copenhaver and Link Saunders to pitch the final 6.0 innings without allowing a run. The Citadel offense was led by Zach Brown who went 2-4 with a homer. Winthrop was led on offense by Billy Froehlich who had a perfect night in getting a hit in each of his three official plate appearances while walking in his other at-bat. The Citadel will host Elon for a weekend set starting Friday while Winthrop faces Wake Forest on Wednesday in Rock Hill.

The Citadel Recap
Winthrop Recap

The Citadel prepares for Winthrop

The Citadel Bulldogs will welcome Winthrop to Riley Park on Tuesday. The Bulldogs enter with a six game winning streak while Winthrop is coming off a series victory over Wagner and have an overall record of 13-11. The Bulldogs are scheduled to send Matt Reifsnider (0-0, 3.18 ERA) to face Matt Honce (0-0, 2.25 ERA). The Game Notes are linked below.

The Citadel Game Notes
Winthrop Stats

Texas pitching, defense strong in 7-1 Victory!

Hello pitching. Hello defense.

You're exactly what Texas wanted to see in its final tuneup before Big 12 play opens Friday against Baylor.

Like Kyle Walker coming back after a month-plus layoff to pitch three innings of one-run baseball. Or Pat McCrory needing just 10 pitches to get through two innings. Or left-handed reliever Keith Shinaberry completing another successful outing from the bullpen.

Texas pitchers showed during Wednesday night's 7-1 win over Winthrop that Augie Garrido has options in the bullpen.

"Our pitching is really starting to find its way into a pitching staff," Garrido said after watching five pitchers combine on the three-hitter.

It helps that McCrory and Shinaberry have each had two straight successful outings.

"They're certainly going to be used on the weekends," Garrido said after each pitched two scoreless innings.

But seeing Walker on the mound was Wednesday's biggest bonus.

Walker, who experienced control problems early in the season and hadn't pitched since Feb. 10, switched to pitching from the stretch and slowed down his motion.

He gave up one run, two hits and two walks in 42 pitches.

"I'm feeling good about it," Walker said. "I'm just trying to do what I can for the team. I'm going to pitch my butt off if I'm out there. If I'm not out there I'm going to cheer my butt off."

Garrido said Walker (1-0) is going to get a couple more weekday starts before putting him back in the weekend rotation.

No matter who was on the mound for the Longhorns (16-7), they had good defense behind them.

Nick Peoples made a key play in the third inning when Winthrop had the bases loaded and one out. Peoples slipped and fell while Bryn Henderson's deep fly ball was in the air. He then got up and made the catch, preventing what could have turned into a three-run double.

"I wanted to get behind the ball, because I didn't want the guy to get from second base to third," Peoples said. "I guess I just took a drop step and slipped because it was wet. But I knew where the ball was going, so I knew if I got up in time I'd have a chance to catch it."

The Horns also got nice defensive plays from right fielder Kyle Russell, who made an over-the-head catch at the wall, and shortstop Josh Prince, who scooped up a ball over second base and made a nice throw.

"We've played pretty good defense from the beginning," Garrido said. "From day one we've been able to walk on the field and pick the ball up and throw it. (Josh) Prince makes us even better when he's at shortstop."

UT took control with three runs in the first inning — two on Russell Moldenhauer's bases-loaded single — and three in the fifth, with two coming on Bradley Suttle's home run.

Texas Recap

Winthrop Recap

Winthrop drops Maryland

The Winthrop Eagles dropped Maryland on Friday afternoon by a score of 7-5. The Winthrop Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning off of All-American Closer Brett Cecil. The teams will be back at it on Saturday with Game 2 of their series.

Maryland Release
Winthrop Release

Winthrop Tourney News

The Maryland Terps will open the season this weekend at the Winthrop Challenge. They will take on Winthrop on Friday, followed on Saturday by a game against Gardner-Webb, and on Sunday they will face off against the Creighton Blue Jays.

Maryland Game Notes
Winthrop Press Release
Creighton Game Notes
Gardner-Webb Game Notes

Winthrop takes game 2

The Winthrop Eagles beat the UCLA Bruins tonight 6-4 to even up the series at one game a piece. Winthrop took advantage of a six run third inning where they were given five walks by Bruin pitchers Paul Schmidt and Kevin Brophy. They also sent twelve batters to the plate in that inning. Winthrop starter Ryan Schwartz was average tonight by going 6.2 innings and giving up four runs (2 earned). Jonathan Settle picked up the save by going the last 1.1 innings without surrendering a run. The teams will face off tomorrow back at Jackie Robinson Stadium at 1:00 pm local time.

UCLA Recap
Winthrop Recap

UCLA knocks off Winthrop

UCLA knocked off the Winthrop Eagles tonight by a score of 2-1. UCLA scored the second run of the game on an error in the bottom of the eighth inning to get to the deciding score. Tyson Brummett started for the Bruins and went a masterful eight innings while only giving up a run on six hits and six strikeouts. Brant Rustich pitched the ninth where he allowed the tying run to get to third base with 2 outs but finished off the game. Alex Wilson started for the Eagles and lasted 5.2 innings and only giving up one run which was unearned. Ryan Mullins pitched the rest of the game and ended up giving up the winning run on a dropped ball. There was not much hitting in the game for either team but UCLA was led by two hits by both Tim Stewart and Mickey Weissner. Phil Carey went 2-4 for the Eagles.

UCLA Recap
Winthrop Recap

Eagles and Bruins to battle

The Winthrop Eagles are making the trip across the country to visit the UCLA Bruins. This is an interesting match-up since Winthrop has an attitude that they will play anyone anywhere. They have scheduled Rice in 2008 and USC in 2009 already. The Eagles finished second in the Big South Conference in 2006 with a 46-18 record. They received an at-large berth to the Chapel Hill Regional where they were eliminated. Winthrop returns one of the top pitchers in the country in Alex Wilson who compiled a record of 13-3 with a 3.78 ERA.

UCLA is coming off an NCAA appearance in the Malibu Regional in which they ended their season. The Bruins returning pitching is suspect as they start Tyson Brummett on Friday who went 6-7 with a 4.52 ERA. They follow that up with Paul Schmidt who had no record but a 2.25 ERA and they start freshman Gavin Brooks on Sunday.

Rivals.com Preview
UCLA Game Notes
Winthrop Game Notes

SEBaseball previews Big South

SeBaseball has posted a preview on the Big South Conference. The Eagles of Winthrop are picked to win the conference for the second consecutive season with Coastal Carolina and Liberty trying to knock off the Eagles from their perch atop the standings. The full preview is available here.