Princeton releases 2008 schedule

The Princeton Tigers have released their 2008 schedule. It begins on March 1st and 2nd when the Tigers head down to Delaware for a pair of doubleheaders. They will also play weekend OOC road series against Richmond, UNC-Greensboro, and Navy before opening up Ivy League play. The Tigers will open Ivy League play on March 29th when they host Dartmouth and March 30th when they host the Crimson of Harvard. The Tigers will also host Ivy League opponents Penn and Cornell. They will head on the road to take on Yale, Brown, and Columbia. The full schedule is available here.

Columbia installing Fieldturf for 2008 season

FROM PRESS RELEASE
NEW YORK – The series of recent upgrades to Columbia’s baseball facilities continues this fall, when Columbia Athletics will install a state-of-the-art artificial surface at Andy Coakley Field. The surface will allow the team to practice at its home venue earlier in the year.

On September 4, installation of the FieldTurf™ infill system will begin. It is the same surface used at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., and Columbia Soccer Stadium. Renovation of the field will be completed in November, allowing the field to set during the winter months.

“We are delighted to embark on this project to support our varsity baseball program,” says Dr. M. Dianne Murphy, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education. “This will be an outstanding field that illustrates our commitment to Columbia Baseball, as we continue to strive for quality and excellence in all that we do. We are dedicated to providing the best experience for our student-athletes, and that commitment includes providing the best possible facilities.”

The surface will be a hybrid fiber, rubber and sand infill blend designed to have a more consistent feel. It will cover both the infield and outfield, with the only dirt covering the mound and home plate. The surface will be more resilient than the current grass field, and will allow the team more practice opportunities.

The resurfacing of the playing surface at Andy Coakley Field has been made possible through a combination of charitable gifts from interested donors, friends and alumni.

"The ‘new’ Andy Coakley Field is going to help take Columbia Baseball to a new level,” says Brett Boretti, head coach of baseball. “It will allow us to practice and play outdoors in February, earlier than ever before.”

These improvements come just months after Andy Coakley Field received major upgrades that included the installation of 250 chairback seats, a press box, an extended major league-style backdrop behind home plate and an improved sound system.

A modern batting cage was installed in left field, bullpens were reconfigured, and a strengthened retaining wall was put in place along the right field line.

"With the installation of the FieldTurf, Andy Coakley Field will also be one of the best baseball facilities in the league,” Boretti states. “We are excited and looking forward to showing our recruits and our team our new facility."

“By installing a state-of-the-art surface at Andy Coakley Field, we are continuing consistent and significant improvement of this facility, which ranks it among the best baseball venues in the Ivy League,” adds Dr. Murphy.

The three FieldTurf facilities at Baker Field Athletics Complex – Columbia Soccer Stadium and Lawrence A. Wien Stadium are the other two – plus the Desso Sportilux SV 37 “water-based” polypropylene turf for field hockey, makes the entire complex versatile and durable for year-round and multiple-team use.

While the FieldTurf is being installed at Andy Coakley Field, the baseball team will use an alternate site for fall practices in preparation for the 2008 season.

The installation follows a season in which Columbia Baseball posted its most wins since 2003.

Newcomer previews

Teams have started fall practices over the last few weeks. We have put together a list of schools that have previewed their incoming classes.

UCLA
Notre Dame
FSU
Southeast Missouri State

Stanford Releases 2008 schedule!

Mark Marquess has put together a very impressive schedule for the 2008 season. It includes home games against big 12 foe Nebraska at the Sunken Diamond as well as CS Fullerton visiting a week later. Then they go on the road to Austin Texas to play against a very talented ball club in University of Texas. Coach Mark Marquess has been at the helm of Stanford Baseball for 32 years. Coach Marquess has always put together a very High Quality product at Stanford and this year will be no different. Look for Stanford to make some noise this year in Pac 10 play as they get closer to Regional tournament time. For the full article click here.

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.

Texas Fall Practice Update!

Texas expects nothing but the best.

So, when the Longhorns failed to reach the College World Series for a second consecutive year in 2007, coaches, players, and supporters alike were severely disappointed.

As the program with six national titles and 32 CWS appearances continues fall workouts, history is on its side.

Even with the psychological edge, they have extra motivation.

"Right now, we're trying to get our feet on the ground. The players are starting to get familiar with their surroundings and the way we practice," Texas coach Augie Garrido said. "I definitely think this team has extra motivation and more focus this fall."

Rivals

Horns baseball slated to play two fall Exhibition games!!

University of Texas baseball head coach Augie Garrido announced the Longhorns will play two fall exhibition games in addition to their annual Fall World Series. The exhibition games and Fall World Series will be played at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

The Longhorns are slated to play Big 12 Conference foe Baylor on Sunday, Oct. 14 and Texas State on Sunday Oct. 21. Texas will play the annual best-of-three Orange-White Fall World Series from Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

All game times have yet to be determined.

Texas Sports Release

I will have a complete update of each games as they happen.

North Florida releases 2008 schedule

The North Florida Ospreys have put out a tentative 2008 schedule. They will host SEC power Mississippi State on opening night February 22nd which starts a three game set. They will open up Atlantic Sun play the next weekend when they head down to Florida Gulf Coast College for a three game set. The rest of the schedule is available here.

Navy releases 2008 Schedule

The Naval Academy and Head Coach Paul Kostacopoulos have released their 2008 schedule. They will open in the Service Academy Spring Classic where they will face Air Force twice and Arkansas State in a single game. They will open the Patriot League portion of the schedule when they head to Lafayette on March 29th and 30th. The Midshipmen will also visit Bucknell and Lehigh (two games) in Patriot League action. They will host Holy Cross, Army, and Lehigh (two games) in Patriot League showdowns. The league has changed the playoff system for 2008 in which four teams will make the postseason. The top seed will host a best of three series against the fourth seed and the second seed will host the third seed in the best of three series. The two winners will match up in the next weekend with the winning deciding the Patriot League championship. The press release is available here and the full schedule is available here.

FSU releases 2008 Schedule

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.

JMU listed among top classes

FROM PRESS RELEASE
HARRISONBURG, Va., Sept. 25, 2007 – For the second straight season, James Madison University was included in Collegiate Baseball newspaper’s list of the top baseball recruiting classes in the nation for the 2008 season.

The newspaper ranked the top 40 classes and then listed 60 other top programs in the nation. It was the second straight season that the Dukes were the only Colonial Athletic Association team to appear in the listing.

With JMU in the midst of fall workouts, head coach Joe “Spanky” McFarland commented, “We feel really good about this class. There are some quality arms out there and we feel good about what this class will bring to the table. We had three hitters win freshman All-American awards last year. This year’s class was a little pitching heavy to try to match up some good arms with the good hitters we added last year.”

Altogether nine freshmen will join the mix in 2008, including six pitchers. The new arms include three right-handed pitchers and three lefties, which should add versatility to both the rotation and the bullpen. Several have displayed the arm strength in workouts to compete on the collegiate level with a few already displaying the power to top 90 miles per hour.

The right-handed pitchers include J.C. Menna (Tinton Falls, N.J./Red Bank Catholic), Kevin Munson (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring), and Turner Phelps (Roanoke, Va./Lord Botetourt). The southpaws consist of John Mincone (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East), Alex Valadja (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic), and James Weiner (Charlottesville, Va./St. Anne’s-Belfield). A seventh pitcher, redshirt freshman Trevor Knight (Charlottesville, Va./St. Anne’s-Belfield) was expected to be JMU’s closer a year ago before missing the season with an injury.

The Dukes have also added three infielders in David Herbek (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield), McKinnon Langston (Tallahassee, Fla./North Florida Christian), and Alex Oliver (Lebanon, N.J./North Hunterdon). In addition, Menna could also factor into the mix in the infield and Munson could see time behind the plate at catcher.

McFarland added, “Last year ended with Kurt Houck, Justin Wood, and Kyle Hoffman in the rotation. Those three have weekend experience, but several of these young guys will compete for those spots. All of the pitchers are pushing each other right now, which makes it fun. This group of freshmen is probably the best stable of arms as far as pure arm strength that we’ve had since the early 2000s when we had guys like Jared Doyle, Dan Meyer, Chris Cochran, Mike Trussell, and Adam Wynegar.”

The 2008 JMU squad will be young with 10 freshmen and 10 sophomores, including players who have redshirted. They will be joined by six juniors and just three seniors. The Dukes went 22-31 last year and finished in ninth place among 11 teams in the CAA with an 11-17 record.

As far as having the top class in the CAA for the second straight season, McFarland said, “Baseball goes in cycles at this level. I think that we’re reaping some benefits of winning the CAA regular season two years ago. I also think the idea that we’re getting a new stadium has added to the interest in our program as well. Coach [Jay] Sullenger heads up our recruiting and he has done a nice job.”

USF Baseball class ranked 43rd

FROM PRESS RELEASE
TAMPA, Fla. – Head Coach Lelo Prado and the University of South Florida baseball coaching staff were honored by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper on Tuesday with the 43rd-best baseball recruiting class in the country.

“This rank is a good start,” said Prado. “I think this recruiting class will lay the foundation for great teams in the future and I think it is going to be one of many great recruiting classes. We have picked up some great freshman and some good junior college kids. I am very pleased with the players we have brought in, and I feel very good about where the program is headed.”

Prado, along with assistants Lazer Collazo and Bryant Ward, added 28 newcomers to the 2008 USF squad, including 17 freshmen and 11 transfers.

“Lazer and Bryant did a great job with this recruiting class - they both worked their tails off,” said Prado. “They wanted their first spring recruiting class to be pretty high in the rankings. I thought we’d be ranked a little higher than that, but it is what happens during the season that really counts. We are working toward our ultimate goal, and that is to win conference championships, get to regionals and be a program that is there every year.”

The staff has recruited what looks to be one of the best-ever for USF, a lineup that includes four players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, two NJCAA National Champions, a pair of players from the California State Championship Final Four team, an FCCAA State Champion, prospects ranked by Baseball America and a high school all-American.

“The key to us is making sure the young guys get the system fast and play at a high level early. If they do, then we are going to be fine,” said Prado. “I think these new guys are going to have great careers.”

The MLB draft included four incoming Bulls in left handed pitcher Stephen Hunt (Tampa, Fla./Jesuit HS), LHP Junior Carlin (Riverview, Fla./Riverview HS), right hander Derrick Stultz (Tampa, Fla./Wharton) and outfielder Brian Hobbs (Marietta, Fla./Chipola JC). Hunt was USF’s highest selection when he was taken by Oakland in the 17th round. The Red Sox picked Carlin in the 29th round, then selected Stultz in the 38th round. In 2006 Hobbs was selected by the Angels in the 41st round.

Hunt, who pitched in the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif., is an honorable mention all-county player for JHS. The LHP and first baseman was the defensive player of the year for JHS and an all-county selection by the St. Pete Times.

Carlin was a 2007 Hillsborough County All-Star game participant and in 2006 led the Riverview team to the 6A District 8 championship game.

At 6-3, 220-pounds, Stultz was an honorable mention all-county player for Wharton High after transferring from Gaither High the previous season. He went 1-0 with a 5.25 ERA for the Cowboys last season, striking out 19 batters in 12 innings. Stultz also pitched in the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif.

Although Hobbs was selected in the 41st round of the 2006 MLB Draft, he opted to return to Chipola Junior College in 2007 for his second season with the Indians. The squad won the NJCAA National Championship, with Hobbs batting .320 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. Hobbs had eight home runs the prior season. At 6-2, 230 pounds, he stole 10 bases with his 6.8 speed. Prior to Chipola, Hobbs was a two-time all-state player for Arundel High in Preston, Md.

Transfers

Catcher Trey Manz joined Brian Hobbs on the 2007 Chipola College NJCAA National Championship team. During the title season, Manz batted .315 with nine home runs and 50 RBI in 55 games. For his performance, he was named to the First Team Panhandle Conference Squad. The left handed hitter was an All-Bi-City player for Shaw High School in Columbus, Ga.

Junior middle infielder Jeremy Malmendier and junior first baseman Brandon Smith helped Sacramento City College to the Final Four of the California State Championships in 2007.

Batting .351, Malamendier earned second team all-conference honors while leading his team to a 19-5 record and a first-place finish in the BIG 7 Conference. Malmendier produced 52 hits, including 10 doubles and one triple while driving in 25 RBI. He posted a .432 slugging percentage and scored 36 runs as a sophomore at Sac City.

Smith helped Sac City to a 35-15 record by batting .299, driving in 25 RBI and collecting 70 total bases in 45 games. Smith had 53 hits, including nine doubles and four triples, while scoring 35 runs in his second season with the Final Four team.

Outfielder Chris Rey batted .403 with two home runs and 36 RBI last season, leading Miami Dade College to the FCCAA State Baseball Championships. A former Gulliver Prep standout, Rey earned first team all-state and all-conference honors while at Miami Dade. As a high school junior, he hit .349 and drove in 18 runs, earning second team All-Dade honors. He also played quarterback on the Gulliver football squad.

Outfielder Ryan Lockwood transferred to USF after taking a red shirt year while at the University of Florida last season. He earned second-team all-state honors as a senior at Jesuit, hitting seven home runs and 30 RBI. He has played in both the Cape Cod and Coastal Plain summer baseball leagues in the past. A four-year letterwinner at Jesuit, Lockwood helped the Tigers to the final four of the state tournament all four years of his prep career. The three-time all-county selection appeared on the Watch List for the Rawlings Defensive Player of the Year. In 2005 he represented the East team at the prestigious Baseball Express Cape Cod High School Classic in Wareham, Mass. While competing for the All-American Prospects, his squad claimed the 17-and-Under World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) Championships at East Cobb in Marietta, Ga. He also participated in the East Coast Professional Showcase.

Eric Baumann was a catcher and designated hitter for Duke during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Baumann, from Armwood High in Seffner, Fla., played in nearly 60 games with the Blue Devils in two seasons. As a freshman he saw action in 28 games, starting nine. He recorded a .510 slugging percentage overall and 1.154 percent in ACC games. He was a designated hitter his sophomore season, making 23 starts. Prior to Duke, Baumann was the runner-up in the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Championship in 2001 with Team Florida USA and won the USA Baseball Junior National Olympic National Championship the same year. In the summer of 2002, he led Team Florida USA in home runs.

Catcher Cory Johnson played in seven games for Liberty University (Va.) last season, recording a .375 batting average. A graduate of The King’s Academy, Johnson was a second-team all-area player twice and honorable mention as a sophomore.

Teddy Kaufman is a walk-on who was used as a situational reliever at Miami last season as he continued his recovery from Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow in fall 2004. Kaufman was a standout pitcher at Miami Killian, with a 1.25 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 73 innings as a junior before his injury. He missed his senior year at Killian and redshirted the 2006 season at Miami as he recovered from his injury. Kaufman helped lead Killian to the state championship game in 2004.

Right handed pitcher Andrew Salgueiro, a transfer from Louisville, made 16 appearances for the Cardinals last season, posting a 4.50 ERA with two wins. Salgueiro struck out 20 opponents in 18 innings for UofL, who played in the 2007 College World Series. In 2006 he made 14 appearances as a true freshman, seven of which were in conference play. While at Gulliver Prep in Miami, Salgueiro was honored as an all-Dade County and all-conference player. He played in the 2004 North/South all-star game and the Perfect Game National Tournament.

Catcher Ryan Garcia batted .349 at Brevard Community College in 2007, collecting 21 RBI from nine doubles and one home run his freshman season. In high school, Garcia batted .360 with six home runs his junior season and tallied 20 RBI while batting .357 as a senior. Garcia, who only played one season at Brevard, will have three years of eligibility with the Bulls.

Freshmen

A top 300 player from Chamberlain High School, Todd Brazeal is a third baseman and outfielder that should make an immediate impact for the Bulls. Ranked 112 by Baseball America, Brazeal was a three-time all-county selection and was selected to the All-Saladino tournament team as an infielder. As a freshman in 2004, Brazeal was selected to the “Tampa Tribune” All-Hillsborough County (second team) baseball squad.

Right handed pitcher Kevin Quackenbusch, who Baseball America touted as a nationally ranked prospect, was a 2006 Baseball Express Cape Cod All-American. A member of the All-American Prospects, Quackenbusch has attended the PG National Showcase, the Florida Diamond Club Showcase and the Tournament of Stars in Joplin, Mo., where USA Junior National Baseball Team tryouts were held. Quackenbusch, who was a 2007 all-state player for Jesuit HS, posted a 9-4 record and a 1.40 ERA with 1-2 strikeouts in 70 innings his senior season. The Hillsborough County All-Star pitched a no-hitter in both his junior and senior years.

Pitcher Zach Pietrzyk, FACA District 13 Class 5A Player of the Year, comes to USF from Bloomingdale High School in Valrico, Fla. Pietrzyk is an honorable mention Louisville Slugger High School All-American, as well as a first team All-Hillsborough County and first team All-Western Conference player. Pietrzyk was selected to the 2005 PG National Underclass Prospect team in 2005 and was on the top 10 prospect list for the 2005 PG Sunshine East Showcase. A member of the 2005 19-and-under national AAU championship team (Brandon Blaze), Pietrzyk pitched for the Central Florida Renegades during the summer of 2006.

Infielder John Koscso batted .525 with five home runs and 41 RBI his senior year for Jesuit High School in Tampa. The Class 4A, District 13 player of the year, Koscso was a first team honoree for the all-state, All-Sun Coast and All-Hillsborough County teams. He played for the 17U All-American Prospects, who won the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association National Championship in East Cobb, Ga.

Kyle Eastham, a freshman pitcher/outfielder from Riverview High in Florida, posted a 7-4 record for the Sharks in 2007, earning all-conference accolades. He held a 2.15 ERA in 52 innings while striking out 75 opponents. At the plate, Eastham batted .441 with 30 hits and 20 RBI, including nine doubles, one triple and three home runs, for a .735 slugging percentage. He attempted and stole three bases his senior season.

Michael Anzivino is a right handed pitcher from Gulliver Prep in Miami, Fla. Anzivino played for the Florida Legends Baseball Club in 2007, where he was 1-1 with two saves and one complete game.

Freshman Randy Fontanez joins the Bulls from Oviedo High School, where he was a second team all-conference pitcher and a first team all-county shortstop. Fontanez recorded a 1.11 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 75.2 innings his senior season. Fontanez also played for the Florida Legends Baseball Club in 2007, making five appearances and picked up one victory in 8.2 innings.

Middle infielder Tommy Bates joins the Bulls from Westminster Academy in Ft. Lauderdale. A varsity team captain, Bates batted .350 with one home run, stole 25 bases and posted a .989 fielding percentage his senior season.

Ian MacGeorge and Doug Wagner are fresh off their 2007 FHSAA 4A State Championship season with Bishop Moore High School. MacGeorge is a 6-foot 4-inch outfielder from Altamonte Springs, Fla., and Wagner is a 6-foot 1-inch right handed pitcher from Maitland, Fla.

Michael Franzese pitched for Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., before heading to Tampa for his freshman season with the Bulls. The right hander was 9-1 with three saves his senior season and as a junior recorded five saves and an 8-2 record.

Prior to USF, freshman Josh Slawson was a left handed pitcher for Miami Killian High School.

A local product from Sickles High School in Tampa, freshman Andrew Longley will add depth to the Bulls’ catchers. Longley, his team’s captain, earned the SHS Golden Glove award in 2007 by fielding .992. He also recorded a .320 batting average as a senior.

Jordan McGillis is one of six newcomers not from the state of Florida. The infielder from Evansville, Ind., batted .393 and posted an on base percentage of .609 his senior season at Memorial High School.

The Bulls officially start the fall season at Red McEwen Field on Monday, Oct. 8.

Yankees to visit Virginia Tech

The New York Yankees will be visiting Virginia Tech next spring on March 18th. The game will probably be a fundraiser for the Virginia Tech shootings that took place this past spring. We don't have many details about this event at this time but will keep the loyal readers aware of any more news coming out of the Yankees or Virginia Tech Media Relations departments.

2007 HS All-American Team

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.

LSU Takes 2008 CB Recruiting Title

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 future is certainly looking bright for LSU, which is seeking to restore its position as one of the top programs in the country.

This was the 25th ranking of recruiting classes by Collegiate Baseball. The full release can be found here.

The list of top classes goes as follows:

Rank Team Recruits

1. Louisiana St. 19

2. Florida St. 20

3. Oregon St. 16

4. Notre Dame 14

5. UCLA 11

6. Cal. St. Fullerton 16

7. North Carolina 12

8. Arizona St. 17

9. San Diego 18

10. Texas 17

11. Washington 16

12. Auburn 14

13. Virginia 16

14. Oklahoma St. 18

15. Vanderbilt 13

16. Georgia 14

17. Rice 12

18. South Carolina 13

19. Missouri 16

20. Miami, Fla. 8

21. Clemson 10

22. Stanford 13

23. Georgia Tech. 11

24. Arizona 9

25. Mississippi 17

2008 Air Force Schedule Released

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.

Air Force to play Navy this weekend

The Air Force Academy will visit the Naval Academy on September 28th and 29th in part with the Navy-Air Force football game on Saturday. The game on September 28th will start at 3 pm and Saturday's game will begin at 9 am. The teams will open each other's season in Millington TN on February 22nd.The full release is available here.

Inside look at Kansas Baseball (Part 2)

Shawn Shroyer of The University Daily Kansan (student paper) completed his second week of walk-on tryouts with the Kansas baseball program. We are sad to report that Shroyer was cut but had a great time getting back on the playing field. The full article is available here.

Cavs hammer Blue Jays 9-1

The Virginia Cavaliers played the Ontario Blue Jays in an exhibition game on Friday which the Cavaliers won 9-1 in a sixteen inning contest. The Cavaliers got a home run from Jeremy Farrell and solid pitching. The pitching staff only gave up three hits in the game with Jacob Thompson not pitching any innings. The Cavaliers are expected to be at the top of the ACC conference again with a strong lineup but need to find a replacement on the mound and in the field for Sean Doolittle who left for professional baseball after being drafted in June.

Game Story
Box Score

Rivals mailbag

Our favorite Rivals writer Kendall Rogers checks in with a mailbag column talking about some of the challenges Vanderbilt is facing with the loss of David Price, a preview of Arizona State, the future of Memphis baseball, and finally Texas AM utility player Blake Stouffer chances of winning National Player of the Year. The article is available here.

Why is NC State losing top players?

I have noticed a recent trend with the NC State baseball program with top players transferring to other schools across the country. After the 2006 season, Matt Mangini transferred for his junior season to Oklahoma State where he ended up getting picked up by the Seattle Mariners with the 52nd overall pick. This past summer Mike Roskopf transferred out of NC State to the University of Southern California for his senior season. Roskopf showed me some major power this past season when the Wolfpack visited Boston College. What is Elliot Avent doing to these kids? Is it just a random occurence that these players have transferred out the last two seasons? I hope someone has some insight into the reasoning these players have left.

Spencer making changes at Texas Tech

Dan Spencer who recently moved to Texas Tech from two-time national champion Oregon State is making drastic changes with the Texas Tech pitching staff. Spencer is trying to get the pitching staff to do three things every time they take the mound: Throw strikes, Be Aggressive, and Compete on every pitch. It sounds simple but will be tough to implement as the Red Raiders have the worst Team ERA since 2003. The goal of the program is to have an ERA of 4.00 or lower which will make the Red Raiders competitors on the national scene. The full article is available here.

Penn State Scrimmage Recap Part 2

The Penn State Baseball Program played three intra-squad scrimmages over the weekend with the Blue team winning on Friday by a score of 3-1 and on Saturday 4-0. The White team prevented the weekend sweep by winning on Sunday 5-0. A recap of the weekend is available here.

FSU recruit fine after a brief scare

Kyle Long who committed this summer to play baseball at Florida State beginning in the 2008-2009 school year received a major scare in a high school football game on September 14th. He laid motionless on the field after being hit in the back of his neck. He was taken off on a stretcher but was back working out within 48 hours after it was only a brief scare. Long is the son of Howie Long who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Long is expected to compete for a spot in the starting lineup in 2009 and might pitch for the Seminoles. The biggest challenge for Mike Martin Sr. with Long is going to be keeping him off of the football field as Long is a big recruit in football with his 6'7 280 pound frame. The full article on Kyle Long's injury is available here.

All American SS Flaherty Suffers Freak Injury

Vandysports.com's Mike Rapp sat down with Commodore Shortstop Ryan Flaherty. "Flash", as the '07 3rd Team All-American (Rivals.com) Shortstop is known, was injured last week when a routine grounder took a freak hop and popped him in the eye.

Flaherty suffered a broken orbital bone, but is expected to return to practice in the next two weeks with the help of a protective facemask.

Flaherty is riding a VU record 35 game hitting streak into 2008. As a Sophomore, Flaherty hit .381, with 23 doubles, 59 runs and 57 RBI. He was named to Team USA and has had a stellar .969 Fielding Percentage each of the past two years. Flaherty led Vanderbilt in hitting (.339) as a true Freshman.

Flash is the son of College Baseball Hall of Famer Ed Flaherty, the head coach at Southern Maine University.

Rivals.com subscribers can read Mike Rapp's article here.

Gillespie to UCI

Kendall Rogers of Rivals.com has confirmed what the College Baseball Blog passed along yesterday, that former Southern Cal coach Mike Gillespie has been hired to take on the UC-Irvine job.

The report breaks the news that Cal State Los Angeles coach Pat Shine will serve as an assistant to Gillespie and run the program. You can read Kendall Roger's article here.

Southern Miss opens fall practice

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss baseball team takes its first step towards earning its sixth-straight postseason appearance, Monday, when the team begins its fall practice schedule.

The Golden Eagles, which finished 39-21 overall last season and were 14-10 in Conference USA play, earning them a third-place finish in league play and a s Southern Miss also played in the Oxford Regional, going 1-2 in that event as the program's win mark reached at least 39 for each of the past five seasons.

Southern Miss baseball coach Corky Palmer welcomes 13 new players, along with 10 position players and eight pitchers who saw action from last year's squad as practice opens at 2:30 p.m. at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.

"We are very interested to see how our new players will do as we feel like we had a good recruiting class coming in this season," said Palmer, who is starting his 11th season at the helm of the program. "There should be a lot of excitement as we get started because we also have a lot of players coming back from a year ago. Hopefully we will have a good fall practice to get us ready for the spring."

The practice schedule for the Golden Eagles typically runs Monday through Friday with 2:30 p.m., start times. Southern Miss will occasionally scrimmage on Sundays. Those start times are 1:30 p.m.

Aggie Baseball Announces 2008 Schedule

The defending Big 12 Champion Texas A&M baseball team will play 39 home games in 2008, including 20 straight to start the year, head coach Rob Childress announced Monday.

Half of the Aggies' games in 2008 will be played against teams who made the NCAA Tournament in 2007, including Ohio State, Arkansas, Rutgers, Oklahoma State, Rice, Baylor, Missouri, TCU, Sam Houston State, Nebraska and Texas. All but seven of A&M's opponents return to the diamond off winning seasons.

Texas A&M Release.

Complete Schedule

Mike Gillespie New Coach at UC-Irvine??

According to sources Coach Gillespie has decided to get back into coaching after 15 months lay off. It has not been made official yet but UC-Irvine will announce the new coach of the Anteaters as Mike Gillespie real soon. Coach Gillespie comes to UC-Irvine after spending 20 years at USC and winning a National Championship back in 1998. This sets up a family rivalry with USC as his son-in-law Chad Kreuter took over the Trojans job in 2007.

More Details to come soon.