CBB Top Pitchers to Watch in 2008

We are starting up with our previews of the 2008 season. We have broken down the top five pitchers in the country. Stay tuned for more previews of the upcoming season as the season gets closer.

Aaron Crow, Jr. Missouri



Crow was named the top pitching prospect in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League this summer. Crow has a mid-90's fastball with a plus slider and a solid cutter. Crow went 9-4 with a 3.59 last season but got bombed in the NCAA Tournament by Louisville as he let up seven runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Jacob Thompson, Jr. Virginia

Thompson had a breakout season in 2007 where he led the Virginia Cavaliers to the NCAA Tournament. He had a perfect 11-0 record with a 1.50 ERA. Thompson has a low 90's fastball with downward action on it with a solid curveball. Thompson pitched over the summer for the USA National Team where he got a chance to pitch in the Pan Am Games. He went 1-2 with a 1.27 ERA in 21.1 innings. He was shutdown after the Pan-Am Games to rest his arm for the 2008 season.

Brian Matusz, Jr. San Diego

Matusz is a 6'4 left handed power pitcher for the University of San Diego baseball program. In 2007, He led the Toreros to the number 1 seed in the San Diego regional with a 10-3 record with a 2.85 ERA. He also struck out 163 strikeouts in 123 innings. He pitched for the USA National Team this summer where he compiled a 3-1 record with a 1.33 ERA in four starts. He was also shut down for the summer after the Pan-Am Games to rest his arm.

Kyle Gibson, So. Missouri



Gibson is a 6'5 right handed sinker ball pitcher who was named the number 3 overall prospect in the Cape Cod League by Baseball America and number 9 by Perfect Game. He lead the Missouri Tigers with help from Aaron Crow to the NCAA Tournament as he had a 8-3 record with a 4.12 ERA as he served as the closer with seven saves. He is expected to make the move to the rotation in 2008 and give the Tigers two legitimate aces on the staff.

Ryan Perry, Jr. Arizona



Perry dazzled scouts in the Cape Cod League with a mid-90's fastball which hit 97 on some guns over the summer. He struggled in 2007 with the Arizona Wildcats as he went 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA. Perry was recovering from a January 2007 accident when he crashed his motorcycle going over 80 MPH without a helmet on which he walked away with a broken non-throwing arm. Perry pitched in 18 games coming out of the bullpen while picking up four saves. His record for the CCBL season was only 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA. He is expected to become an impact player in the Pac-10 for the 2008 season.

The College Baseball Blog would like to thank Cape Prospects for providing the videos for some of the pitchers.

Field Set for 2008 Pepsi Johnny Quik Tournament

According to a press release from Fresno State, the field for the 2008 Pepsi Johnny Quik Tournament has been set. The Fresno State Bulldogs will act as host of the tournament with Utah, New Mexico State, Portland, Gonzaga, and Indiana all taking part in the week long tournament from March 10th-15th. The full press release from Fresno State is available here.

Jett Ruiz turns up at San Diego

Jett Ruiz formerly a catcher with the Boston College Eagles has turned up with the San Diego Toreros. He left the Boston College program last season late in the year over the emergence of freshman catcher Tony Sanchez Jr. Ruiz will enter San Diego as a junior but will likely not see much time behind the plate with Logan Gelbrich expected to handle the pitching staff in 2008. Ruiz struggled mightily in the ACC the last two seasons. He showed a few glimpses of talent but could not become a consistent hitter.

San Diego releases Fall Schedule

The San Diego baseball program has released their fall schedule for 2007. They will play 13 intrasquad scrimmages with three games against Long Beach State scheduled from October 26th-28th with the first two games at Long Beach State and the final game hosted by the Toreros. They will finish the fall with a Fall World Series on November 16th and 17th. The full schedule is available here.

San Diego releases 2008 Schedule

The University of San Diego and head coach Rich Hill have released their 2008 schedule which is highlighted by visits from Cal-State Fullerton, Missouri, and UC-Irvine. They will open the season on February 22nd when they play a four game three day home and home series with cross-town rival San Diego State. Some other highlights from the schedule are when the Toreros head to Hawaii-Hilo for a three game series from March 15th-17th before returning home to take on Ivy League power Harvard for a three game set. The press release is available here.

San Diego Regional

The San Diego Toreros will host the NCAA Regional at their crosstown rival San Diego State's Tony Gwynn Stadium. They will be joined by Minnesota, Cal-State Fullerton, and Fresno State.

San Diego

The Toreros are led by All-American candidate Brian Matusz who leads the team with a 10-3 record and a 2.73 ERA. He has also struck out 156 batters in 115 innings this season. The offense is led by Shane Buschini who has a .356 average and 14 homers on the season. They will open up against Fresno State at 8pm PDT.

San Diego Tourney Notes

Cal-State Fullerton

The Titans enter the weekend with a 33-23 record. Wes Roemer came into the season as the expected ace of the pitching staff but has been up and down through the year. He has a 9-6 record with a 3.51 ERA. Clark Hardman is the leading hitter on the team with a .378 average. They open the tournament against Minnesota at 4 pm PDT.

Cal-State Fullerton Tourney Notes

Minnesota

The Gophers (40-16) received an at-large berth after advancing to the Big Ten Championship game but lost to Ohio State 4-2. They are led on offense by Mike Mee who is hitting .397. The top pitcher for Minnesota is Dustin Brabender who has a 5-1 record. They open against Fullerton at 4 pm PDT.

Minnesota Tourney Notes

Fresno State

The Bulldogs enter the weekend as the champions of the WAC after knocking off Nevada 17-4. They have five hitters who are batting over .304 on the season which is led by Erik Wetzel (.348 BA). The top pitcher for Fresno State is Justin Wilson who is 8-5 with a 3.19 ERA. They open the tournament at 8 pm PDT on Friday.

Fresno State Tourney Notes

The CBB predicts San Diego to come through the Regional with their strong pitchers but watch out for Fullerton to make a run with their strong coaching staff.

SouthernCollegeSports.com Previews

SouthernCollegeSports.com has posted a series of previews on different conferences recently which are very knowledgeable for a quick synopsis of each conference. Each preview that has been released is listed below.

Southern Conference and Sun Belt
Conference USA and Big Ten
West Coast and Big West
Other Schools to Watch
Pac 10
ACC

Zags former coach passes away

The Gonzaga Baseball program has lost former head coach Dick Busch who coached the Zags from 1949 through the 1967 season. He also taught civil engineering at the school from 1949-1982. He was responsible for building four baseball fields during his tenure at the university. Current Zags head coach Stave Hertz said "Dick Busch was a friend and a colleague, "He loved baseball and was a true Zag. Although I never played for him, it was a pleasure to be both a player and a coach and wear the uniform for the program he helped shape. We shared many good conversations about Gonzaga baseball and he was a frequent visitor to the field. He not only loved Bulldog baseball, he loved Gonzaga University." He was 86 years old. The full release from the Gonzaga athletic department is available here.