More 2008 Schedules

The College Baseball Blog has come across some more 2008 Baseball Schedules. The schedules are linked below.

Dayton
East Carolina
Ohio
Columbia
Miami (OH)
Hawaii-Hilo

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.

College Baseball HOF inducts three

FROM COLLEGE BASEBALL FOUNDATION RELEASE

The inaugural Veterans Class of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame was inducted this morning in a ceremony held in Lubbock, Texas. Jack Barry of Holy Cross, Lou Gehrig of Columbia, Christy Mathewson of Bucknell and Joe Sewell of Alabama comprised the class.

Barry, a player and later coach at Holy Cross, coached the Crusaders for 39 seasons, including a College World Series title in 1952. Representing Barry in the ceremony, which was conducted as part of the “Hall of Fame Showcase” at City Bank Texas, was his nephew, Mr. Tom Deedy. A video speech was played from Ron Perry, former Holy Cross athletic director and a player for Barry on the ’52 national champions, in which he spoke of Barry.

“Jack Barry stressed the fundamentals and he demanded that we be mentally alert at all times,” Perry said. “He did not hesitate to replace a player who was not attentive.”

Gehrig, who set several offensive records and also pitched for Columbia, was represented by Barry Neuberger, Associate Athletics Director for Sports Marketing at Columbia University. He detailed a home run hit by Gehrig on campus at Columbia that traveled through a distant classroom window.

“I’ve had this story detailed to me a number of times, and all accounts are consistent,” Neuberger said. “The ball traveled about 450 feet.”

Bucknell baseball coach Gene Depew accepted the induction plaque on behalf of Mathewson. One of the first college men to achieve prominence in professional sports, Mathewson was better known in college as a football star.

“Grantland Rice referred to him as the finest drop-kicker of his time,” Depew said. “He also played a horn in the band and sang in the glee club.”

Joe Sewell played at Alabama from 1918 to 1920, and later coached the Crimson Tide to the SEC title in 1968. His daughter, Mary Sue Sewell Parnell, and son, Dr. James Sewell, described a father who loved to tell stories about his baseball days.

“He loved baseball until his death,” said Dr. Sewell.

“He told us about being roommates with Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, although he said he roomed with the Babe’s suitcase more often than the Babe himself,” Pernell laughed.

Hall of Fame festivities will continue on July 4 with the induction of the 2007 Class of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. The class of 11 includes John Olerud of Washington State, Jim Abbott of Michigan and Fred Lynn of USC.

The Citadel rolls over Columbia

Justin Smith pitched 7.0 innings while letting up one run and three hits to lead the Bulldogs to the 6-1 victory over Columbia in the final game of the 3 game set. Freshman shortstop Kyle Jordan went 4-4 at the plate with two RBI. The Bulldogs will be back in action on Tuesday when Savannah State visits.

The Citadel Recap
Columbia Recap

The Citadel and Columbia split

The Citadel Bulldogs and Columbia Lions played a doubleheader on Saturday with each school picking up a victory. In Game 1, The Lions picked up 14 runs on 20 hits to blow out the Bulldogs by a final score of 14-1. Bill Purdy of Columbia pitched eight innings while giving up the only run on six hits. Ron Williams went 4-5 with 4 RBI to lead the offensive attack for the Lions. Andrew Ward also picked up 3 RBI on his three hits. The Citadel was led by Zach Brown and Kyle Jordan who each got two hits on the afternoon. In Game 2, Chris McGuiness hit a solo home run to break a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning to provide the winning run. The Citadel starter Matt Crim scattered seven hits in seven innings of work while only giving up one run to pick up his first victory of the year. Link Saunders pitched a scoreless ninth to get his third save of the season. Columbia starter Henry Perkins was the hard luck loser by going eight strong innings while giving up five hits and 2 runs (one earned) to bring his record to 1-1 on the season. The teams will play on Sunday at 1 pm in the rubber game.

The Citadel Game 1 Recap
Columbia Game 1 Recap

The Citadel Game 2 Recap
Columbia Game 2 Recap

Citadel hosts Columbia

The Citadel Bulldogs will open a three games set this weekend with a visit from The Columbia Lions. The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 8-4 record. They are led by senior first baseman Zach Brown who is hitting .381 with three homers on the season. The Citadel pitching has been decent this season with Wes Wrenn leading the staff with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 2.62. Columbia enters the series with a 0-3-1 record. They lost three out of the four games last weekend against St. Mary's and the other game they tied.

Expected Pitching Match-up
Friday: Wes Wrenn (2-0, 2.62 ERA) against Bill Purdy (0-0, 2.00 ERA)
Saturday: Matt Crim (0-2, 5.40 ERA) against Henry Perkins (0-1, 1.50 ERA)
Sunday: Justin Smith (3-0, 4.56 ERA) against John Baumann (NR)

The Citadel Game Notes
Columbia Game Notes

Columbia Pitcher faces Tommy John

Columbia starting pitcher Joe Scarleta (Walpole, MA) had Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow during the 2006 season after experiencing pain during the spring trip to Florida. The article is an excellent tool to learn about this particular surgery and can be read here.