2008 Top Power Hitters
Doug Kroll of CSTV checks in with an article about the top power hitters for the 2008 season. He discusses Pedro Alvarez, Justin Smoak, Kyle Russell to just name a few. It is an excellent read and can be found here.
Friday, August 10, 2007
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CCBL Series Preview: Falmouth vs Bourne
The Falmouth Commodores head over to Bourne to take on the Braves. Falmouth is led by Conor Gillaspie (Wichita State) who led the league in hitting at a .345 clip. He also has seven homers with 22 RBI on the year. David Adams (UVA) hit a solid .302 while Matthew Hague (Clemson) hit .299. Falmouth has the best two pitchers in the league based on ERA with Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson who both play with the Missouri Tigers. Crow has a 0.67 ERA in 40 innings and a 3-1 record. (Video of Crow is available here) Gibson has a 2-0 record with a 1.17 ERA.
The Bourne Braves have fought through the 2007 season by overcoming losses of players during the season and before the season for various reasons to have the second best record in the league after Yarmouth-Dennis. Bourne is led by Kevin Hoef (Iowa) at the plate with his .317 average. T.J. Hose (East Carolina) is the top pitcher on the team with a 4-3 record with a 2.58 ERA.
Friday: Falmouth at Bourne 3 pm
Saturday: Bourne at Falmouth 8 pm
Sunday (if necessary): Falmouth at Bourne 3 pm
The College Baseball Blog predicts that Falmouth wins the series in three games in a mild upset.
The entire playoffs will be webcasted for free through Leaguestream. The games can be accessed by clicking here.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
CCBL Series Preview: Chatham vs Yarmouth-Dennis
The Chatham A's are led by Allan Dykstra (Wake Forest) who hit .308 this summer with five homers and 31 RBI in 40 games. Tom Milone (Southern Cal) leads the team with a 6-1 record on the mound with a 2.92 ERA. Milone is also tied with Terry Doyle of YD for the league lead in wins. Bryan Shaw (Long Beach State) has seven saves which leads the team.
The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox enter the playoffs with the best regular season record after winning the 2006 title. They went 31-12-1 in 2007 and according to Perfect Game are one of the top Summer League teams in the nation. are led by one of the top prospects in the CCBL in Gordon Beckham (Georgia). He hit .284 on the year with nine homers and 35 RBI in 42 games. Jason Castro (Stanford) finished second in the league in hitting with a .341 average. Terry Doyle (Boston College) is tied for the league lead with six victories and a 2.35 ERA. Eddie Burns (Georgia Tech) has also had a strong summer with a 5-1 mark with a 2.86 ERA. Nick Cassavechia (Baylor) has 11 saves which is top in the league.
Friday: Chatham at Yarmouth Dennis at 3 pm
Saturday: Yarmouth-Dennis at Chatham at 7 pm
Sunday (if necessary): Chatham at Yarmouth-Dennis at 3 pm
The College Baseball Blog predicts that Yarmouth-Dennis wins the series in two games.
The entire playoffs will be webcasted for free through Leaguestream. The games can be accessed by clicking here.
Duo Pushes Team USA into Second
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS— Team USA (25-10, 4-2 WPT) moved into sole possession of second place with two days to play at the World Port Tournament following a 10-2 win over host Netherlands (3-3 WPT) on a cool and windy Thursday evening.
Jordan Danks (Texas) fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a solo home run and RBI double, while Tommy Medica (Santa Clara) drove in two runs with two hits. Justin Smoak (South Carolina) walked twice and got two hits.
Team USA pushed across three runs in the first and fourth innings to give Ryan Berry (2-1, Rice) a 7-1 lead. Berry rebounded to go seven innings, giving up a run on five hits.
After walking three and scattering four hits over the first two innings, Berry pitched to the minimum over the final five innings. He got out of the first two innings with just one run, thanks to two double plays, and after a second inning walk, retired seven and then a final eight in a row. He used just three pitches to retire the side in the seventh. The Dutch had just one hit from the third until a three-hit ninth inning, finishing with eight hits.
Back-to-back doubles by Danny Espinosa (Long Beach State) and Danks made it 5-1 in the fourth as part of a three-run inning, chasing starter and loser Diegomar Markwell from the game. Medica's second RBI single then made it 6-1 off of reliever Kenny Berkenbosch, before a sacrifice fly pushed it 7-1.
The Americans took an early 3-0 lead in the first. Danks took the second pitch of the bottom of the first to right field for his second home run of the summer. Team USA then doubled the score on a play at the plate on a slow groundball to short that was dropped by catcher Sidney de Jong. A Josh Romanksi (San Diego) sacrifice fly then made it 3-0, the second unearned run of the inning.
TEAM NOTES
The Americans are 4-1 against Netherlands this summer, winning two of three in the States, prior to the tournament... standings heading into the final two scheduled days are Cuba at 6-0, Chinese Taipei at 3-4 and Japan at 0-7... Danks has hit safely in the last five World Port contests... the third double play of the night by the Americans came on a play in which Espinosa when behind the back at second, flipped to a bare-handed second baseman Ryan Flaherty and then over to first for the out in the fifth... the Toronto Blue Jay mascot was in attendance for the later game between the U.S. and the Netherlands... games can be followed live on the internet at http://www.worldporttournament.nl/ ... Stats are available at: http://utopia.ision.nl/users/hwede/stats07/wpt07/ and under live scoring.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Americans will play twice more to close out the summer with consecutive games against Chinese Taipei (8 a.m. Eastern) and Cuba (8 a.m.). The Finals between the top two teams are on August 12 at 7 a.m, Eastern, finishing the summer.
Adrian Alaniz tabbed to play in New York-Penn League All-Star Game
TexasSports.com
TCL CHAMPIONSHIP: HIGHWAY 121 SERIES!
The 2007 Texas Collegiate League Championship series will be an all too familiar match-up. Tris Speaker division champion Coppell Copperheads will face off against the Rogers Hornsby division champion McKinney Marshals beginning on Friday for a three game series in the Highway 121 series for the TCL title.
Texas Collegiate League Release
Live Stats for Team USA-Holland
The College Baseball Blog would like to remind fans that the USA National Team will be taking on The Netherlands on Thursday at 1 pm Eastern time. The World Port Tournament has live stats for all games which are available by clicking here.
Temple mourns the loss of Richie Gargel
Temple University is mourning the loss of sophomore pitcher Richie Gargel who passed away on Wednesday from injuries sustained in a swimming accident. He appeared in 20 games in 2007 while striking out 27 batters in 30 innings. Gargel was playing this summer for the St. Cloud (MN) River Bats where he was sporting a 1-0 record in 8.1 innings of work. The College Baseball Blog would like to send their condolences to the Temple community and to the Gargel family.
Temple Release
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Ryan Davis and Mike Roskopf set to transfer
Rivals.com is reporting that NC State first baseman/designated hitter Mike Roskopf is transferring to Southern California to play under Chad Kreuter. Roskopf hit .316 with 13 homers with 42 RBI. He will be an instant addition to the Trojans squad hopefully leading them to the Pac-10 Championship in 2008.
LSU breaks ground on new baseball stadium
The new stadium will be located at the corner of Nicholson Drive and Gourrier Lane -- about 200 yards south of the current site of Alex Box Stadium -- and will seat 8,700 fans. The stadium is expected to be completed by the fall of 2008, and LSU is scheduled to play its first game in the new facility in February 2009.
LSU officials were joined at Monday’s groundbreaking by representatives of the stadium architects and contractor. The stadium was designed through a combined effort of Grace & Hebert Architects of Baton Rouge and DLR Group of Omaha, Neb. The contractor for the project is Buquet & LeBlanc of Baton Rouge.
“The construction of a new stadium demonstrates LSU’s commitment to our mission of returning the baseball program to a position of prominence,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “This facility will be one of the finest in the country, and it will enhance our players’ ability to compete at the highest level. I also believe our fans will be thrilled with the amenities the new stadium will offer.”
Complete story
Greinke and Nesselrodt headline 2007 Valley League Awards
Winchester utility player Luke Greinke (Orlando, Fla./Auburn) was named Most Valuable Player and Waynesboro skipper Lawrence Nesselrodt was selected as Coach of the Year as the Valley Baseball League announced its 2007 All-League awards on Wednesday, August 8.
Greinke, a rising senior at Auburn, filled several roles for the Winchester Royals and was a true utility player with solid play in the field, at the plate, and on the mound. Offensively, he battered the baseball while playing first base, outfield, and designated hitter. He led the league with a .417 batting average to claim the league's batting title. He also led the VBL with a .642 slugging percentage and .517 on-base percentage while collecting 12 doubles, five homers, and 32 RBIs for a potent Winchester offense that led the league hitting .275 as a team. Greinke was equally as impressive on the mound, going 3-1 with a 2.66 ERA in eight appearances covering 50 2/3 innings.
Nesselrodt was named the league's top coach for the second consecutive season. The Generals finished with the league's top record in the regular season at 30-13-1 and also have the league's best mark over the last two years combined at 57-28-1. Waynesboro has held true to its top seed by advancing to the VBL championship series.
Greinke was one of 16 players selected to the 2007 Valley League All-League squad. Waynesboro and its championship opponent Luray, the defending league champion, each placed three players on the All-League squad to lead the way. Front Royal, Harrisonburg, New Market, and Winchester each placed two players on the team with Covington and Staunton adding the last two picks.
Three players were repeat selections to the squad, led by Luray short stop Tyler Kuhn (Louisville, Ky./West Virginia), who was the 2006 VBL MVP. Entering the championship series, Kuhn was hitting .314 with seven doubles, two triples, three homers, 21 RBIs, 20 walks, and seven steals.
The other repeat picks both came from Waynesboro. Kurt Davidson (North Canton, Ohio/Akron) was the selection at first base after being honored at third base in 2006. He leads the league by a wide margin with 51 RBIs and 61 hits. Davidson is also second with 90 total bases while hitting .305 with 12 doubles and five homers. A clutch hitter all season, Davidson had the game-winning RBI in the Generals' semifinal game three win over Covington and in the championship series opener in the 14th inning against Luray.
The other repeat honoree was Generals ace Jon Dages (Indianapolis, Ind./Butler), who went 7-2 with a 2.62 ERA. Entering the championship, he ranks second in the league with 68 2/3 innings pitched and seven wins.
Waynesboro's other all-league winner was second baseman Brandon Sizemore (Bryceville, Fla./Tallahassee C.C.). He sits third in the league with 53 hits and leads the Generals with 13 doubles. Sizemore is hitting .277 with a triple, three homers, 27 RBIs, and 13 steals.
Luray's other selections came from their dynamic duo of starting pitchers, Robert Gilliam (Chapel Hill, N.C./UNC-Greensboro) and Dustin Umberger (Hummelstown, Pa./Liberty). Gilliam won the honor of the league's ERA leader for the regular season and carries a 1.26 mark and a 7-1 record into the final series. He also has a save and has struck out 81 batters in 57 innings. Umberger ranks second in the league with a 1.45 ERA and led the league with eight wins on a perfect 8-0 record. He ranks third with 76 strikeouts in 56 innings.
Greinke, the all-league pick at the utility spot, was joined by teammate Jose Cueto (Miami, Fla./Virginia Tech). The outfielder ranks fourth in the league with a .328 batting average and fifth with a .537 on-base percentage. He led the Royals with six home runs while adding eight doubles, 24 RBIs, 20 walks, and 11 steals.
Front Royal's two picks include third baseman Bennett Davis (Katy, Texas/Manatee C.C.) and closer Joel Brookens (Fayetteville, Pa./North Carolina St.). Davis sits second in the league with 14 doubles. He hit .280 with three home runs, 36 runs scored, 30 RBIs, and 14 steals. Brookens leads the league with 13 saves and ranks second with 19 games finished. He had a 1.35 ERA in 20 innings and held opponents to a .129 batting average.
Harrisonburg placed two players on the all-league squad after finishing second in the regular season. Outfielder Robert Taylor (Ingram, Texas/Arkansas-Little Rock) and relief pitcher Garrett Parker (Duncanville, Texas/Howard-Payne) represented the Turks. Taylor ranks third in the league with a .352 batting average. He scored 22 runs, had six doubles, four homers, 14 walks, and a .420 on-base percentage. Parker finished 2-1 with a 0.84 ERA and eight saves in 21 1/3 innings. He did not allow a run until the postseason and ranks fifth in the league in saves.
New Market had two all-league selections with catcher Nick Stanley (Largo, Fla./South Florida C.C.) and designated hitter Nolan Brannon (St. Petersburg, Fla./Tampa). Stanley ranks fifth in the VBL with a .325 batting average and leads the league with 15 doubles. He had 50 hits, 23 runs, two homers, 20 RBIs, and 16 walks. Brannon hit .323 with 41 hits, six doubles, 17 RBIs, and 15 walks.
The final two selections were Covington outfielder Jason Kipnis (Northbrook, Ill./Kentucky) and Staunton closer Bobby Hernandez (Key West, Fla./Barry). Kipnis shares the league lead with nine home runs and won the home run derby during the 2007 all-star game in Front Royal. He ranks second with a .591 slugging percentage, second with a .498 on-base percentage, first with 46 runs scored, second with 41 RBIs, first with 91 total bases, first with 49 walks, and second with 24 stolen bases. Hernandez was second in the league with 12 saves and second with 21 appearances. He had a 1.78 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings while holding opponents to a .143 batting average.
The awards were voted upon by the league's 11 head coaches, broadcasters, and select media members who covered the league.
2007 Valley League MVP - Luke Grineke, Winchester
2007 Valley League Coach of the Year - Lawrence Nesselrodt, Waynesboro
2007 Valley League Batting Champion - Luke Greinke, Winchester
2007 Valley League Pitching ERA Leader - Robert Gilliam, Luray
2007 Valley League All-League Team
1B - Kurt Davidson, Waynesboro (Akron)
2B - Brandon Sizemore, Waynesboro (Tallahassee C.C.)
3B - Bennett Davis, Front Royal (Manatee C.C.)
SS - Tyler Kuhn, Luray (West Virginia)
OF - Jose Cueto, Winchester (Virginia Tech)
OF - Jason Kipnis, Covington (Kentucky)
OF - Robert Taylor, Harrisonburg (Arkansas-Little Rock)
C - Nick Stanley, New Market (South Florida C.C.)
DH - Nolan Brannon, New Market (Tampa)
UT - Luke Greinke, Winchester (Auburn)
SP - Jon Dages, Waynesboro (Butler)
SP - Robert Gilliam, Luray (UNC-Greensboro)
SP - Dustin Umberger, Luray (Liberty)
RP - Joel Brookens, Front Royal (North Carolina St.)
RP - Bobby Hernandez, Staunton (Barry)
RP - Garrett Parker, Harrisonburg (Howard-Payne)
Note: Due to a tie, three relief pitchers were selected
Alexandria Aces Promote New Campaign
The Alexandria Aces Collegiate Summer Baseball Club, the eighth and newest member of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, is proud to kick off its newest theme to attract top quality ball players to play for the team next summer.
"We are building an outstanding baseball organization, something the city of Alexandria and local fans can be very proud of," said Aces chairman and CEO, Don Dinan. "Part of our process in building the Aces is promoting the idea that Alexandria is the perfect place for collegiate ball players to play wooden bat baseball here next summer and for many years to come," Dinan added. "The players that we will recruit to play for the Aces all have exceptional baseball talent and want to show their skills to major league scouts. They want to be drafted. Our ball club will provide them a fantastic opportunity to be in the spotlight. We want those players to know that the road to Major League Baseball runs through Alexandria."
The Alexandria Aces Collegiate Summer Baseball Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and will play its inaugural season in 2008 as a part of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, based primarily in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The Aces will compete against the Bethesda Big Train, Herndon Braves, Rockville Express, Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts, Maryland Redbirds, College Park Bombers and Youse's Maryland Orioles.
www.AlexandriaAces.org
http://www.ripkensrcollegebaseball.org
Marshals, Copperheads Sweep into the TCL Championship
Texas Collegiate League
The Eagle Recap
News and Notes from Around the Country
The Miami (FL) Media Relations Department has released a feature on Kyle Bellamy who played this summer in the NYCBL with the Geneva Red Wings. He recorded 16 saves in 26 innings while recording a perfect ERA of 0.00. The full article is available here with updates on other Hurricanes players progress throughout the summer.
The Daily Utah Chronicle checks in with an article previewing the Utah Utes 2008 team. The article discusses some of the disappointments of the 2007 season and the future of the program. The full article is available here.
The UCLA Bruins have released their 2008 schedule which includes a game in Compton CA against USC. They also have a visits from the Oklahoma Sooners and UC-Riverside as the highlights of their OOC schedule. The full schedule is available here.
Stay tuned to The College Baseball Blog for the most up to date news from around the country. If anyone has any comments or ideas feel free to e-mail me by clicking here.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Team USA Routs Japan 10-0
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS— Team USA (24-10, 3-2 WPT) made sure Japan (0-5 WPT) remained winless at the World Port Tournament, crushing the Japanese 10-0 in seven innings behind a 13-hit attack to snap a two-game losing streak.
Eric Surkamp (1-0, North Carolina State) pitched six scoreless innings, striking out four, while walking two. Surkamp and Cody Satterwhite (Ole Miss) combined on a four-hitter, as Satterwhite did not allow a hit in the seventh. Surkamp also rolled three double play balls and struck out the side in the second in the midst of eight in a row retired.
Brett Wallace (Arizona State) had three hits, while Jordy Mercer (Oklahoma State), Josh Romanski (San Diego), Jordan Danks (Texas) and each had two hits. Ryan Flaherty (Vanderbilt) had his second multi-hit game of the tournament. Roger Kieschnick (Texas Tech) hit the team's first grand slam of the summer, part of a seven-run sixth inning.
The Americans pushed across two runs in the first to lead 2-0. An RBI groundout by Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt), his seventh RBI of the tournament, made it 1-0, before an RBI single by Wallace doubled the score. A Danny Espinosa (Long Beach State) sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 3-0 as Japanese starter and loser, Robert Booth, left after four innings, giving up three runs on seven hits.
Mercer's RBI double in the sixth made it 4-0, before Kieschnick's grand slam doubled the score to 8-0. Wallace's second hit in the inning, an RBI single, made it 9-0.
TEAM NOTES
The Americans finished 4-3 against two Japanese teams this summer, winning the last three games in the series... Team USA beat Japan 1-0 with their only hit, a Logan Forsythe base hit in the ninth in the earlier meeting in the tournament and also won on the last day of the series in Durham... Cuba beat Chinese Taipei 6-5 in 14 innings, tying the game in the ninth inning on their final strike after Taipei took the lead in the bottom of the eighth.... Cuba is now 5-0, Chinese Taipei is 2-3, and the Netherlands, who were off today and won last night over Taipei, 4-3, are 2-2... Logan Forsythe (foot) missed his second straight game... games can be followed live on the internet at http://www.worldporttournament.nl/... Stats are available at: http://utopia.ision.nl/users/hwede/stats07/wpt07/ and under live scoring.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Americans will play have an off day on Wednesday and then close out the summer with consecutive games against the Netherlands (1 p.m. Eastern), Chinese Taipei (8 a.m.) and Cuba (8 a.m.). The Finals are on August 12 at 7 a.m, Eastern, finishing the summer.
Texas Collegiate League Playoffs!!
There was nothing but exciting baseball during the first day of playoffs in the Texas Collegiate League. Brazos Valley was stumped by early control problems, giving up three runs in the first inning (which were players that were walked or HBP). Coppell ended up taking advantage and that is all they would need to defeat the Bombers in game one. In Wichita Falls, it came down to the ninth inning as Brandon Glover's game-winning sacrifice fly spoiled the Roughnecks home playoff opener.
To read the rest of the story follow the link!
TexasCollegiateLeague!
Monday, August 06, 2007
Waynesboro and Luray to battle for Valley League Title
WAYNESBORO, Va., August 6, 2007 - On the heels of a 3-2 win over Covington in the semifinals, the top-seeded Waynesboro Generals have advanced to the Valley Baseball League championship series where they will meet the third-seeded Luray Wranglers in a battle for the Jim Lineweaver Cup.
Luray, which wrapped up its series over Staunton on Saturday, will enter the series as the defending Valley League champions. Waynesboro, meanwhile, enters the series with the best regular season record over the last two seasons combined, including the best mark in the league in 2007 at 30-13-1.
Waynesboro is led offensively by VBL MVP candidate Kurt Davidson who entered Monday hitting .306 with 12 doubles, five home runs, and 50 RBIs in 48 games. He added one of two RBIs for the Generals in the clinching win over Covington. On the mound, Jon Dages leads the pitching staff with a 7-2 overall record. The 2006 VBL ERA leader has a 2.74 mark in 2007 with 45 strikeouts in 62 innings. Adam Liberatore is close behind with a 6-1 record, 3.42 ERA, and 40 strikeouts. Jimmy Stanley has been stingy late in contests, picking up his 12th save in Monday's game.
Luray boasts the top one-two punch in the league when it comes to starting pitchers. Robert Gilliam, the 2007 ERA leader, is 7-1 with a 1.26 ERA and 81 strikeouts. Dustin Umberger has been equally as impressive with an 8-0 record, 1.45 ERA, and 76 strikeouts. Offensively, the Wranglers are led by reigning league MVP Tyler Kuhn, who is hitting .314 in 41 games with seven doubles, two triples, three homers, and 21 RBIs.
The best-of-five series begins Tuesday in Waynesboro and will alternate sites until the champion is crowned. All five games will have live audio available at www.valleyleaguebaseball.com.
Cuba handles USA 8-2
Team USA Recap
Box Score
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Chinese Taipei defeats Team USA 10-5
The Chinese Taipei National Team defeated Team USA 10-5 in the first round of the World Port Tournament on Sunday. The Taiwan team was led by Yi-Chuan Lin who went 3-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Pedro Alvarez went 1-4 with 3 RBI to lead Team USA offense. Mike Minor (Vanderbilt) started for Team USA and went four solid innings while giving up two runs on five hits. Seth Frankoff relieved Minor but lasted only 0.2 innings while giving up five runs on three hits and two walks. Team USA will be back in action on Monday when they take on Cuba at 8 am eastern time.
USA Recap
World Port Tournament Official Site
Moreland signs with Rangers
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Team USA crushes Holland 11-0
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS— Team USA (23-8, 2-0 at World Port Tournament) posted their third-straight shutout of the summer, defeating host Netherlands (1-1 at World Port) 11-0 on Saturday evening behind Tyson Ross (4-0, California) and a sellout crowd of 3,000 at Neptunus Stadium.
Ross, who has yet to allow a run in two starts and 14 innings against the Dutch, went seven scoreless innings, giving up eight hits, while striking out four. Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt) homered and went 2-for-3, while Jordan Danks (Texas) was 3-for-4 in the eight-inning, run shorted game.
Team USA scored three runs early, as a first inning, bases loaded single by Logan Forsythe (Arkansas), followed by a double play ball gave Team USA a 2-0 lead before Ross even took the mound. Danny Espinosa’s (Long Beach State) single in the second inning upped the lead 3-0.
Team USA then broke the game open in the fifth, scoring three times to lead 6-0. A home run by Alvarez (5) started the inning, before a misplayed Justin Smoak (South Carolina) double over the head of centerfielder Dirk van’t Klooster scored two and gave the Americans a 6-0 lead.
Diegomar Markwell gave up six runs on nine hits over five and one-third innings for the loss, as the Americans added four runs in the seventh to lead 9-0.
TEAM NOTES
It was Ross’ second start against the Netherlands, pitching seven shutout innings of two-hit, eight-strikeout baseball on July 28 in Durham, NC... The game was called after eight innings after the Americans scored two runs in the top of the inning, based on the international mercy rule (10-run lead after seven innings)... Dutch starter, Diegomar Markwell, is the cousin of Atlanta Brave centerfielder Andruw Jones, another member of the national team... The Americans had more hits in their first two at-bats, then in all of their opening game against Japan (1)... Team USA is 22-4 all-time against the Netherlands... with Japan’s 3-1 loss to Chinese Taipei earlier today, the Japanese fell to 0-3 in the tournament... games can be followed live on the internet by clicking here... Stats are available here.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Americans will play Chinese Taipei on Sunday (1 p.m. Eastern), and Cuba on Monday (8 a.m.) to finish off the first round of competition... another set of four games starts on August 7, before the Finals on August 12.
Friday, August 03, 2007
FedEx donates 3 million to Memphis
The FedEx Corporation donated three million dollars to the Memphis Baseball Program for the renovation of Nat Buring Stadium. The plans for the new stadium call for a new locker room, dugouts, grandstands, concession stands, press boxes, and new private boxes. The full release is available here.
Tom House named Assitant Coach at USC
USC Release
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Perfect Game Ratings on Vandy 08 Recruits
We have recently compiled a list of rankings from Perfect Game on Vanderbilt's 2008-2009 Verbal commitments. A 10 rating means that the player will be a very high draft pick and Top D-1 in the nation prospect. A 9 rating means Top 10 round pick and a Top D-1 prospect.
OF Matt Marquis: 10
LHP Grayson Garvin: 10
RHP Will Clinard: 10
RHP Sonny Gray: 10
LHP Corey Williams: 9.5
LHP Ryan Westmoreland: 9
RHP Navery Moore: Did not attend showcases due to Tommy John surgery.
If the Vanderbilt coaching staff can get some of these players into college in the fall of 2008 they will continue to be at the top of the SEC conference for years to come.
Thanks to NYDore of VandySports for compiling this information on the Vanderbilt recruits.
Team USA gets one hit but picks up a win over Japan
Team USA Recap
World Port Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
2008 Arkansas Schedule
Full Schedule
National Baseball Congress World Series !
The National Baseball Congress World Series is held annually at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita, KS. It was first held in 1935 with Satchel Paige's Bismarck Churchills becoming the first champions.
Originally intended as a tournament for semi-professional clubs or town teams sponsored by local businesses the typical makeup of a team changed in the 1970s as most semi-professional teams folded. The teams were replaced with mainly amateur college players looking to impress Major League scouts.
The Alaska Goldpanners of the Alaska Baseball League have won the tournament the most times with six championships.
Format
The tournament currently features 42 teams in a double-elimination bracket, resulting in 83 games over 16 days. There are 21 leagues and 17 tournaments that are affiliated with the NBC and whose champion receives a berth in the World Series. The tournament organizers occasionally invite teams to play in the tournament (such as the 1995 champion Team USA or the 2003 champion Chinese Taipei national team). A tradition at the tournament is "Baseball Around-The-Clock" where 17 games are played over a span of just over two days, from Friday Evening to Sunday evening.
Team USA assistant talks about World Port Tourney
The World Port Tournament is set to begin on August 2nd against Japan in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The Official Site of the Utah Utes recently sat down with Team USA assistant coach and current Utah Utes head coach Bill Kinneberg. He discusses some of the issues that the team will face in the tournament and how the schedule will effect the team. Article available here.
USA Baseball has posted an article about how Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt) and Roger Kieschnick (Texas Tech) have become the go-to guys for the team this summer. The full article is available by clicking here.
I have been in contact with the tournament hosts about possible webcasting of the World Port Tournament which they told me that all of the games involving The Netherlands will be broadcasted live on the Internet for free. I will be posting the link when I receive the information but I am looking forward to watching some good baseball. UPDATE: I was just notified that NONE of the games will be webcasted.
You can check out the World Port Tournament site in Dutch by clicking here. You can translate the site by using Altavista which is available here.
Dennis Raben Video
Dennis Raben (Miami, FL) of the Orleans Cardinals won the MVP Award for the East squad in the Cape Cod All-Star Game this past Saturday. CapeProspects.com has provided the College Baseball Blog with this excellent video of Dennis Raben during batting practice.
Cape Cod Baseball League Awards for Week 7
The Cape Cod Baseball League has announced their players of the week for July 29th. Matt Daly (Hawaii) of Hyannis grabbed the Pitcher of the Week award after throwing a no-hitter on Wednesday night against Wareham. Conor Gillaspie (Wichita State) of Falmouth picked up the Player of the Week after hitting .500 last week.
CCBL Weekly Release
Valley League Weekly Honors – July 30, 2007
Players of the Week
Jose Cueto (Miami, Fla.), a junior outfielder from Virginia Tech hit .455 last week for Winchester, going 10-for-22 on the week. Cueto added seven runs, 10 hits, three doubles, two home runs and five RBIs for the Royals. Cueto slugged .864, while walking three times on his was to compiling a .520 on base percentage.
Jason Kipnis (Northbrook, Ill.), a sophomore outfielder out of Kentucky (according to some readers transferring to Arizona State) hit two more home runs last weeks to up his league-leading total to nine. Kipnis also added a .333 batting average with five runs, two doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs. Kipnis went 6-for-18 with six walks to finish with a .480 on base percentage.
Pitchers of the Week
Russ Brewer (Norwood, N.C.), a freshman righthander out of Vanderbilt went 1-0 on the week with a complete-game shutout for Waynesboro. Brewer allowed seven hits, walked none and struck out nine in the win. He faced just six batters above the minimum and held opponents to a .212 batting average against.
Ross Fetterly (Norfolk, Va.), a sophomore righthander from Old Dominion went 1-1 on the week. Fetterly pitched 16.1 innings and posted an ERA of 1.65, including pitching a complete game. He gave up 10 hits, 3 earned runs, three walks, lead the league with 16 strikeouts and held opponents to just a .179 batting average against.
Weekly Valley League Notes
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Team USA quiets Russia 6-0
Team USA Release
Aaron Crow Video
Aaron Crow won the Western Division MVP award this Saturday at the Cape Cod League All-Star game after striking out the side in the first inning. He plays for the Missouri Tigers and CapeProspects.com has provided us with the video above and they provide a full scouting report which can be read by clicking here.
Vandy Adds 6th ’08 Verbal
Following in line with recruiting coordinator Erik Bakich’s recent success, Vanderbilt is continuing to load up on young talent. Following a 10-man ’07 class that will all be reporting to campus, Vandy is signing blue chip pitchers at a rapid rate for next year’s class. The latest addition is Portsmouth, Rhode Island lefty Ryan Westmoreland. EastBayRI.com reported that the crafty lefty committed last Friday at a New England Collegiate Baseball League game in Newport RI. The full article is available by clicking here.
Perfect Game ranks Westmoreland as a top 2008 prospect with a 9 out of 10 rating (2006 showcase). Westmoreland was throwing between 85-87 during the 2006 PG Showcases, exhibiting solid downward movement on a sinking fastball and change, to complement a solid slider.
He joins lefties Grayson Garvin (Suwanee GA; 2007 PG rating pending, 8 in 2005) and Corey Williams (Huntsville AL; 2007 PG rating pending, 8.5 in 2005). Garvin and Williams topped out at 89 and 91, respectively. The heat comes from the right side of the mound, and Tennessee, where Vandy has inked Smyrna two-sport legend Sonny Gray and Battle Ground Academy’s Navery Moore. Both Gray and Moore have hit 96 on the gun, though Moore has undergone Tommy John surgery. Moore has not attended a PG Showcase, while Gray’s 2007 rating is pending.
The five pitchers will join Corbin’s first recruit of the class, Annandale, New Jersey outfielder Matt Marquis. Perfect Game gave Marquis a 9 rating and noted his frame, agility and line drive power.
Bakich and Head Coach Tim Corbin will be graduating or losing to the draft a large portion of the position players next spring, including 2007 All-American 3B Pedro Alvarez, RF Dominic De la Osa and SS Ryan Flaherty. Look for the Commodores to add to the ’08 crop with a third baseman, middle infielder and a catcher. Targeted for catcher are Tennessee standouts Casey Dykes and Jacob Stallings (son of VU hoops coach Kevin). Both Dykes and Stallings received 8.5 ratings from Perfect Game in 2006.
VandySports.com (Rivals) editor Mike Rapp recently caught up with five of Vanderbilt’s 2007 blue chippers. Florida OF Joey Manning, Texas RHP Chase Reid, US Virgin Islands LHP Kellen St. Luce, Panamanian (by way of Maryland) SS Gabe Ortiz and Connecticut Catcher Curt Casali all have foregone professional opportunities by enrolling in summer school. Rivals subscribers can read Mike’s 5-part interview series with the newest Commodores by clicking here.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Team USA drops second game of doubleheader 9-3
Team USA Release
Team USA rallies for 2-1 victory
Team USA Story
UPDATE: You can watch tonight's game which started at 5 pm by clicking here.
Checking in with Tony Thomas Jr.
The Idaho Statesman has checked in with an article about Tony Thomas Jr. and how he is adjusting to playing with the short season Boise Hawks who are affiliated with the Chicago Cubs. Thomas dominated the ACC in 2007 with a .430 average and was named the Player of the Year in the ACC while playing for Florida State. The Chicago Cubs picked him in the third round with the 97th overall pick. Thomas started the summer with the Mesa (AZ) rookie ball team but was quickly promoted to Boise. The full article is available here.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
East defeats West in 2007 CCBL All-Star Game
Dennis Raben was named the MVP for the East squad for hitting that homer and Aaron Crow (Missouri) of the West squad was named that team MVP for striking out all three batters in the first inning.
Remember that the Game will be shown on Monday, July 30th on NESN if you want to watch the premier college baseball players.
CCBL Recap
Box Score
CodBall Recap
Team USA hammers Holland 14-0
DURHAM, NC— Tyson Ross (3-0, California) took a no-hitter into the sixth, striking out eight over seven innings in leading Team USA (19-7) to a 14-0 victory over the Netherlands in the first of a three-game, two-day series. Ross allowed just two hits while walking none, in his first appearance since the Gold Medal Game eight days ago.
Brett Wallace (Arizona State) drove in five with a three-run home run and a two-run double, while Ryan Flaherty (Vanderbilt) went 3-for-5 with four RBIs a day after turning 21 years old. Roger Kieschnick (Texas Tech) went 3-for-4, as the trio all hit home runs.
Flaherty, Kieschnick and Jordan Danks (Texas) all hit home runs as part of an eight-run eighth inning.
Ross was perfect through the first 14 batters, before an error by second baseman Ryan Flaherty allowed the first Dutch base runner to reach base in the fifth. Ross finished off the inning by striking out the side. Ross’ no-hit bid was broken up an inning later, by Danny Rombley, with a one-out base hit to center field.
Five of the Americans first six runs came with two outs to give them a 6-0 lead after three.
The Americans tallied back-to-back, two-out RBI singles from Logan Forsythe (Arkansas) and Kieschnick to take a 2-0 lead in the first. Wallace’s two-out, two-run single in the second then made it 4-0.
A Kieshnick homer in the third gave the Americans a 5-0 lead in the third, before a two-out, RBI double from Josh Romanski (San Diego) made it 6-0. Dutch righthander Rob Cordemans gave up six runs on seven hits over the first two and two-third innings.
Wallace’s homer in the eighth made it 9-0, after reliever Diegomar Markwell pitched four and one-third scoreless innings. Wallace’s blast was one of three homers and eight runs in the inning, as Flaherty added a three-run shot and Danks followed with a solo shot.
TEAM NOTES
It was second baseman Ryan Flaherty’s 21st birthday last night... shortstop Danny Espinosa made a nice play off the glove of Ross in the first inning to rob Dirk van’t Klooster of a base hit... these same two teams will play in Holland in Rotterdam starting next week at the World Port Tournament... the four home runs was a summer-high... high school senior Tyler Stovall, a Team USA junior team invitee, pitched the ninth inning.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The nine-game American trip will continue with the Netherlands on Sunday in Cary (morning game at 11 a.m.), and Durham (afternoon game at 5 p.m.), before closing out with and Russia on Monday (one night game) in Cary, NC at 7 p.m... the team closes out their schedule at the World Port Tournament in the Netherlands starting on August 2.
CSTV checks in on Cape Cod League
Eric Sorensen of CSTV recently made a trip down to the Cape Cod Baseball League and filed a report on the league. The article is very good in terms of getting looks at a bunch of players including Wake Forest's Allan Dykstra. The one problem with the article is that Sorensen did very little research for some of the background information on the league. He states that all the games he attended (only 3) that admission was never charged and he was not sure if any of the other teams in the league charge for games. He only needed to go over to the Cape Cod Baseball League's website and it is clearly stated that no admission is charged for games. Sorensen also takes the chance to complain about the umpiring in the league saying that they must be high school or small college umpires. Actually, The umpires are members of the CBUAO which just started up this past college season and sent many umpires to NCAA Regionals and World Series at different levels. They also provide most assignments in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. They have a full website available here.
Eric Sorenson Article
Doug Kroll who also works with CSTV checks in with an article previewing the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game which will take place tonight at 6 pm (weather permitting). He breaks down the All-Star game by each school and their representation in the league.
Doug Kroll Article
As always for the best Cape Cod League coverage head over to CodBall and for the best coverage of prospects head to Cape Prospects.
Final Game in China Series Cancelled
Team USA jumped out to a 6-0 lead against China after two innings but the game would be called in the fourth inning as rain started to fall. The game will not be made up and Team USA will play the Netherlands on Saturday and a doubleheader on Sunday.
Team USA Release
Friday, July 27, 2007
Team USA adds four players
Team USA announced today that UC-Irvine pitcher Scott Gorgen, NC State pitcher Eric Surkamp, UNC-Wilmington pitcher Seth Frankoff, and Tyler Stovall from Hokes Bluff (HS) have joined the team starting on Friday when the team completes their series against China. They replace Brian Matusz, Jacob Thompson, and Lance Lynn who have all left the team to rest their arms until the next college season.
UC-Irvine Release
NC State Release
UNC-Wilmington Release
Team USA wins 16-0 over China
Team USA won 16-0 over China on Thursday evening behind seven strong innings from starter Ryan Berry who only gave up four hits and walked no batters. Team USA was led on offense by Tommy Medica who went 3-5 with three RBI. Pedro Alvarez, Roger Kieschnick, and Jordy Mercer each added a home run.
Team USA Recap
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Daly throws No-Hitter
Matt Daly of Hawaii threw a no-hitter on Wednesday in a 4-1 victory for the Hyannis Mets over the Wareham Gatemen. Daly gave up four walks and his team made one error to allow the Gatemen to score a run. He had been struggling throughout the summer accumlating a 0-4 record with a 5.46 ERA entering the game. The victory gave him his first win of the season and lowered his ERA to 4.14.
South Coast Today
Cape Cod Times
China drops Team USA 2-1
BIRMINGHAM, AL— China’s Kun Chen, Youhua Guo and Quansheng Zhao out dueled Team USA’s Lance Lynn (2-1) and Jordy Mercer as the Chinese (1-2) won the third game of the five-game series over the Americans (17-7), 2-1, on Wednesday evening. Team USA had won the first two games of the series.
Chen went the first six and two-thirds, giving up one run on seven hits, before yielding to Guo. Guo went an inning and one-third before yielding to Zhao in the ninth, who posted the save, despite putting the tying run on second base.
Brett Wallace (Arizona State) and Danny Espinosa (Long Beach State) each had three of the Americans nine hits, who rested starting outfielders Jordan Danks (Texas) and Logan Forsythe (Arkansas) to begin the night.
Espinosa’s bunt base hit in the ninth sent the winning run to the plate against Zhao with one out. Espinosa was then balked to second. Zhao though got a flyout and strikeout to end the game.
An RBI single followed by a groundout gave China a 2-1 lead in the second, the second time in two nights the Chinese led early.
Lynn went the first four innings, giving up two runs on two hits. Mercer went the final six innings, not allowing a hit the rest of the way. He struck out eight on the night and did not walk a batter.
Wallace gave the Americans a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single.
TEAM NOTES
The game was delayed by over an hour due to a rain storm which started around 90 minutes prior to first pitch... Manager Mike Weathers played in the Oakland A’s minor league system in Birmingham, AL in the mid-1970’s for three years... RHPs Jacob Thompson (Virginia) and Brian Matusz (San Diego), neither of which are injured, left the team for precautionary reasons due to a high number of innings pitched over the previous eight months... Thompson finished the summer 1-2 with a 1.27 ERA, Matusz was 3-1 with a 1.33 ERA... junior national team invitee, Tyler Stovall, a lefthander/outfielder from Hokes Bluff (AL) High School joined the team on Wednesday and will be with the team through the end of the week... Team USA is now 2-2 against Communist-led governments over the last four games (China and Cuba).
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The five-game series with China continues in Rome, GA on Thursday and Ft. Mill, SC on Friday, finishing off the nine-game (two-day) American trip with the Netherlands and Russia in North Carolina... the team closes out their schedule at the World Port Tournament in the Netherlands starting on August 2.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
O Canada??
We recently came across some information that Illinois has added another player from Canada for next season in catcher Aaron Johnson from Sussex, New Brunswick. He is now the fourth player in the last seven years from Canada to join the Illinois program. He is following in the footsteps of Lars Davis who was a third round pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2007. Johnson is currently playing for the Lethbridge Bulls in the Western Major Baseball League in Canada which is a summer league which is comparable to many of the top summer leagues in the United States. He is hitting .341 with the team this summer. The full press release is available here.
Team USA picks up second win over China
Team USA got four runs in the middle innings to knock off China 4-1 in the second game of their five game series. Team USA was led on the mound by Josh Romanski (San Diego), Brett Hunter (Pepperdine), and Cody Satterwhite (Ole Miss). Romanski started for Team USA and went four innings while giving up one run on six hits with six strikeouts. He ended up getting a no decision as Brett Hunter (1-0) picked up the win by going the middle four innings without allowing a run on one hit and two walks. Cody Satterwhite pitched a perfect ninth inning to get his fourth save. Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt) went 2-4 with a run scored to lead the offensive attack for the national team. Brett Wallace (Arizona State) got a run-scoring double to help the offensive attack. Team USA and China will play on Wednesday at 7 pm in Birmingham (AL).
Team USA Recap
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Valley League Players of the Week-July 23
Valley League Release
Team USA Articles
Kendall Rogers of Rivals.com checks in with an article about Team USA and how successful the team has been this summer. They are currently in the midst of a five-game set against China coming off a silver medal finish in the Pan-Am Games. Before the Pan-Am Games, Team USA dropped a five game series to Japan which is the first time the National team had dropped a series to Japan. They will head to the World Port Tournament in Holland after finishing their series with China, Netherlands, and Russia over the next three weeks.
Team USA Article
Starting Pitcher Tyson Ross (Cal-Berkeley) of Team USA is having a solid summer with a 2-0 record and a 1.19 ERA. The Cal Sports Quarterly has written an excellent article about how Ross came through the Cal Baseball Camps as a youngster and is now pitching for his favorite team.
Cal Sports Quarterly Article
Monday, July 23, 2007
Maine picks up four transfers
According to multiple sources, The University of Maine has picked up four transfers for the 2008 season. Joe Mercurio is coming from Illinois where he was the backup to All-American catcher Lars Davis. Mercurio was only able to get into eleven games while only starting three games. (The Baseball Zealot has more on Mercurio.) The Black Bears also picked up High Point University right-hander Joe Miller. he pitched in only six games in 2007 while making one start with no record and a 8.31 ERA. The other two players are Greg Doogan and Tony Patane who played with UConn-Avery Point in 2007. Doogan is a 6'5 230 pound right-hander while Patane is a 6'0 shortstop from New Milford CT. It should be interesting to see how this Maine program does under second year head coach Steve Trimper who led the program to a disappointing 22-31 record in his first year.
Cape Cod Baseball League Awards for Week 6
The Cape Cod Baseball League has released their weekly Player of the Week awards for the week ending on July 20th. Chatham starting pitcher Tom Milone (USC) picked up the Coca-Cola Pitcher of the Week award after pitching 15 innings over two games while only giving up two hits and one earned run. The Coca-Cola Player of the Week was Falmouth's David Adams (UVA) who hit .524 with six RBI last week. The Cape Cod League All-Star game will take place on Saturday and I hope everyone in the New England area make the trip down to Wareham to see some great baseball.
Cape Cod Baseball League Week 6 Report
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Minor leads Team USA to 10-0 victory
Mike Minor (Vanderbilt) pitched six strong innings while striking out twelve batters to lead Team USA to a 10-0 victory in seven innings over China in Mobile AL. The offense was led by Jordan Danks (Texas) who went 2-3 with two runs scored. Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt) and Roger Kieschnick (Texas Tech) each homered in the game also. Team USA will be back in action on Tuesday when they face off against China again in Mobile AL.
Team USA Recap
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