Charlotte 2008 Schedule

We were forwarded a tentative 2008 schedule for the Charlotte 49ers which can be found below.

Date	Team	H/A
2/22/08	Manhatten	H
2/23/08	Manhatten	H
2/24/08	Manhatten	H
2/26/08	Presbyterian	A
2/27/08	USC Upstate	A
2/29/08	Cleveland State	H
3/1/08	Cleveland State	H
3/2/08	Cleveland State	H
3/5/08	South Carolina	A
3/7/08	High Point	H
3/8/08	High Point	H
3/9/08	High Point	H
3/11/08	Furman	H
3/12/08	Wake Forest	A
3/15/08	Stony Brook	H
3/16/08	Stony Brook	H
3/19/08	North Carolina A&T	A
3/21/08	Saint Louis	H
3/22/08	Saint Louis	H
3/23/08	Saint Louis	H
3/25/08	Radford	H
3/26/08	Wake Forest	H
3/28/08	LaSalle	A
3/29/08	LaSalle	A
3/30/08	LaSalle	A
4/2/08	Tennessee	A
4/4/08	Temple	A
4/5/08	Temple	A
4/6/08	Temple	A
4/8/08	North Carolina A&T	H
4/9/08	Furman	A
4/11/08	Xavier	H
4/12/08	Xavier	H
4/13/08	Xavier	H
4/16/08	North Carolina	A
4/18/08	U Mass	A
4/19/08	U Mass	A
4/20/08	U Mass	A
4/22/08	North Carolina	H
4/23/08	USC Upstate	H
4/25/08	Duquesne	H
4/26/08	Duquesne	H
4/27/08	Duquesne	H
4/29/08	Winthrop	A
5/2/08	Fordham	A
5/3/08	Fordham	A
5/4/08	Fordham	A
5/8/08	Richmond	H
5/9/08	Richmond	H
5/10/08	Richmond	H
5/12/08	Presbyterian	H
5/15/08	Rhode Island	H
5/16/08	Rhode Island	H
5/17/08	Rhode Island	H
5/21/08	A 10 Tournament

Trouble brewing in Gainesville?

It is in the media. New scholarship and roster-size limits will likely lead to some uncomfortable situations this fall, particularly with respect to the new transfer restrictions. That said, new Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan seems to be spitting mad about a one-sided article in the Gainesville Sun that paints him in less than positive light.

The article involves allegations regarding a meeting with a local high school coach, who's son is on the Gators squad. The high school coach alleges that O'Sullivan took away the scholarship of his son, Bo Smith, at the 11th hour before classes and that O'Sullivan has only a passing familiarity with his own roster.

The Florida Athletics department hit back this morning, citing massive inaccuracies in the article and defending Coach O'Sullivan. The real story is likely somewhere in the middle, as always, but look for roster issues to come up at numerous schools this fall, particularly those with large recruiting classes and with new coaches. One thing is for certain, though: this was not how O'Sullivan wanted to start out with the local media.

Read the Gainesville Sun article here.

Read the UF Press Release response here.

Oregon baseball thoughts

The University of Oregon announced on July 13th that they were bringing back baseball to the Eugene school after a 26 year absence. The school ended up dropping the wrestling program and adding competitive cheerleading to the athletic program. The reason that was quoted by the Oregon athletic department to add baseball was that the sport is seeing increased growth across the country.

I believe that this is true in the suburbs but Baseball has seen a major decrease in urban areas. The main reason is the increasing cost in competing on select teams which in some communities start before the age of 12 when a kid in the city of Miami can go play a game of basketball for weeks on end at the playground for 20 bucks with a decent basketball. I would like my readers to drive by a baseball field this weekend and see how many kids are playing on their local Little League field. Also, look at the Little League World Series and see how many African-American kids participated in the final eight. There was a report on Say Hey which is one of the top sports blogs on the internet that only two out of the eight US teams had any African American kids. (Click here for article). The other experiment is to look at a MLB baseball game and see how many players are minorities from United States. You will be surprised with how low it actually is.

The other problem I see with Oregon adding baseball is that the wrestlers at the school now will have to transfer to continue their athletic careers and possibly make the Olympic team. Baseball has been removed from the Olympics starting in 2012 due to the lack of interest in the sport around the world. We did see a very well attended World Port Tournament in Holland this summer with over 3,000 people attending some of Team USA games but we also saw the debacle which was the Pan-American games. During that tournament, we saw multiple delays with the field due to poor drainage and even had the tournament readjusted a day before it started due to insufficient lighting.

The final problem I have with Oregon is that they couldn't support baseball 26 years ago. What has changed in Eugene to say they can support a Pac-10 team? They currently have no stadium and need to build a brand new facility.

I also think that the Oregon Athletic Department is aiming way too high with the help of Phil Knight for a new head coach. The Oregon Athletic Department has already interviewed Tim Corbin and planned on bringing in Dave Serrano before he backed out. There was some reports on the Internet that Phil Knight had earmarked so much money that whoever took the job would be one of the top five coaches in the nation in terms of salary. Why has Oregon not looked at some of the top assistants on the West Coast instead of a current head coach? How many top head coaches are going to leave a successful place to restart a program which will not have the full usage of scholarships until 2011-2012 season?

I just felt like sharing my thoughts on the situation in Eugene and hope that the Oregon program will be a success but they need to overcome the obstacles I have outlined above.

2007 Cape Cod League Award winners

The Cape Cod Baseball League has announced their award winners for the 2007 season which is listed below. We have attached links to the official CCBL press releases where possible.

Arnold Mycock Championship Trophy- Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox

Pat Sorenti Award MVP- Conor Gillaspie (Wichita State)

Thurman Munson Award Batting Champ- Conor Gillaspie (Wichita State)

BFC Whitehouse Award Outstanding Pitcher- Tom Milone (Southern Cal)

Russ Ford Award Relief Pitcher- Nick Cassavechia (Baylor)

Manny Robello Award 10th Player- Nate Freiman (Duke)

Daniel J.Silva Award Sportsmanship- Shea Robin (Vanderbilt)

Robert A McNeece Award Pro Prospect- Aaron Crow (Missouri)

Mike Curran Award Manager of the Year- Scott Pickler (Cypress Community College)

PA SportsTicker Playoff MVP- Trevor Holder (Georgia)

John Claffey New England Top Prospect Award- Bill Perry (Hartford)

Curley Clement Umpire Award- Tim Carey (CBUAO)

Commissioner’s Cup Team of the Year- Wareham

Who Oregon Should be Looking at

Kendall Rogers of Rivals.com offered up his suggestion of five coaches Pat Kilkenny should target for the opening at Oregon. You can read the article here.

His list:

Mike Trapasso of Hawaii

Ritch Price of Kansas

Mark Machtolf of Gonzaga

Rich Hill of San Diego

Nino Giarratano of San Francisco

Florida releases 2008 Schedule

New Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan and The University of Florida athletic department has released the 2008 baseball schedule on Wednesday. The Gators will open the season on February 22nd when they take on Siena for a three game set. The Gators will make the trip down to the University of Miami the next weekend before coming back home to take on defending Ivy League Champs Brown. The Gators will play Florida State three times this season with a game in each teams respective ballpark and a neutral site game in Jacksonville. In addition to the strong OOC schedule, Florida will play a full 30 games in the SEC which is highlighted by a visit from SEC power Vanderbilt to end the season. The full schedule is available here.

Rivals.com Rates Top Returning Draftees

Kendall Rogers, Rivals.com's baseball guru, broke down his top 10 players to return to school despite being drafted.

1. Texas OF Kyle Russell

2. Texas A&M Utility Guy Blake Stouffer

3. Vanderbilt OF Dominic De la Osa

4. Rice Closer Cole St. Clair

5. Creighton switch-pitcher Pat Venditte

6. UGA Closer Josh Fields

7. ASU Starter Josh Satow

8. USC Catcher Phil Disher

9. OKState 3B Matt Hague

10. Auburn OF Mike Bianucci

This writer would probably have flipped a couple of these guys around. It's hard to argue with Russell Stouffer and De la Osa; however, a healthy Cole St. Clair could be the difference between Rice swapping a C-USA ring for a College World Series ring.

And I'm happy to see Venditte return. I've not seen him pitch yet, but he's the guy who will throw lefty to one batter and righty to the next.

Read Kendall's breakdown here.

More on Stallings' Commitment to UNC

As the College Baseball Blog suspected, elite '08 Catcher Jacob Stallings commitment to North Carolina came after sitting down with Vandy coach Tim Corbin, UNC coach Mike Fox and Vandy Basketball Coach Kevin Stallings and coming to the decision that Chapel Hill provided the best opportunity for the defensive standout to become an elite player.

Mo Patton of the Tennessean spoke with Jacob about the decision and the difficulty in playing for someone other than Coach Corbin. With Curt Casali and Andrew Giobbi in the fold, Stallings was unlikely to see playing time until the 2010-11 season. While cracking the elite UNC lineup might not be that much easier, the Tarheels feature the combination of elite program, great coaches and top notch academics that were likely on the mind of this college-bound HS Senior. The biggest barrier to immediate playing time will be rising Sophomore recruit Mark Fleury, who played in 10 games as a true freshman and was a highly regarded recruit. Look for Stallings to challenge for playing time for the Heels in the 2009-10 season.

Stallings might not be an All-American at UNC, but his impeccable defensive skills will certainly blend well with UNC's elite stable of arms. This writer apologizes for mistakenly stating that Stallings plays for the elite Brentwood A's summer team. He actually donned the garb for the Nashville Red Dogs.

Update on Dave Serrano!

Dave Serrano said Wednesday he has withdrawn as a candidate for the Oregon job, choosing to stay at UC Irvine and continue to build the Anteaters into a perennial national contender.

In his third season at Irvine, Serrano took the Anteaters to the College World Series and garnered National Coach of the Year honors. Along with the recognition came interest from Oregon, which is looking to resurrect its baseball program after 26 years.

"I want to thank the University of Oregon for their interest," Serrano said. "And I apologize to both universities for any distraction this has caused.

"I am excited to move on and continue to be the coach of the players who are in our program now."

Serrano said the decision, reached after long discussions with his wife, came down to family. He said the time and effort to start up a new program would cost him too much time away from his wife, Tracy, and his three young sons.

Orange County Register

UC Irvine coach Dave Serrano has taken his name out of the running for Oregon’s vacant head coaching job.

Baseball America’s 2007 Coach of the Year had delayed his scheduled visit to Eugene so he and his wife and staff could make a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate and relive the Anteaters’ College World Series run, and the Ducks allowed him a few more days to think about it before his visit, which he never wound up making. Serrano said he woke up this morning with a decision to remain at Irvine.

“As intriguing and as challenging as the Oregon job would have been–and we would have been up to the task–I hope this shows my commitment to UC Irvine and our team,” Serrano said. “We still have lofty goals here at Irvine. I think this is a good program that can continue to grow and grow as long as I can keep my coaching staff intact, and we can take it to the highest level."

Baseball America

Dave Serrano postpones interview

Dave Serrano, the leading candidate to become the coach of Oregon's reborn baseball program, will delay his visit to Eugene to interview for the Head Coach job due to scheduling issues with Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny. Kilkenny is currently dealing with the announcement of a $100 million dollar donation from Phil Knight of Nike and Coach Serrano is scheduled for a family vacation the rest of the week which has rescheduled his interview until August 27th according to The Register-Guard.

Serrano postpones interview
Knight donates $100 million to Oregon

UNC picks up elite '09 Catcher

Coach Mike Fox of North Carolina picked up one of the fastest rising stars on the High School circuit when Nashville Catcher/Pitcher Jacob Stallings verbally committed to the Tarheel baseball program. Stallings is an athletic, if lanky 6'4" bodied Junior who Perfect Game gave a 9.5 ranking. Mike Rapp of Vandysports.com first reported the news in the premium content War Room, quickly followed by Mo Patton of the Tennessean.

Stallings is the son of Vanderbilt Basketball Coach Kevin Stallings and former basketball teammate of former UNC standout Brandan Wright, a lottery pick this past year in the NBA draft. The younger Stallings has been a fixture at Vanderbilt baseball games, while the senior Stallings is a sometimes-color commentator for Commodores baseball broadcasts and is a close friend of Coach Tim Corbin. This led many to believe Jacob Stallings would don the Black and Gold on West End. Furthermore, as the son of an employee, Stallings would have been entitled to free tuition at Vanderbilt. So why is Stallings headed to UNC? The College Baseball Blog has this insight and opinion as to the surprise commitment:

1) Money doesn't always talk. Kevin Stallings is one of the highest paid coaches in the SEC, so scholarship funds likely aren't particularly important.
2) In addition to the Brandan Wright connection, UNC's Roy Williams is among Kevin Stallings' closest friends in the coaching fraternity, establishing solid ties to UNC.
3) The catching and pitching competition at Vanderbilt will be tight for the next three years. At Catcher, Vanderbilt will feature two established players in ('08-'09 year) Sophomore Curt Casali (rated the #60 prospect for the '07 class and rated 10 by Perfect Game) and Red Shirt Sophomore Andrew Giobbi (rated 10 by Perfect Game in '05). Casali is expected to win the starting job behind the plate by '08-09, if not by supplanting incumbent starter Shea Robin this year. Giobbi has seen action at Catcher, Firstbase and DH for the Dores and figures to continue to do so for the next two years. In addition, Jesse Johnson of Vandysports.com reports that Corbin has a pair of solid Catcher walk-ons. Stallings could have faced stiff competition as a pitcher, with Corbin and recruiting coordinator Erik Bakich having assembled a star studded pitching class for '08-09 featuring AFLAC All American Sonny Gray (PG rating 10), Will Clinard (PG 10), Grayson Garvin (PG 10), Corey Williams (PG 9.5), Ryan Westmoreland (PG 9) and Navery Moore, who was not given a number rating by PG despite being listed as the 18th best prospect in the '08 class in November 2006. Also returning in '08-09 will be standout pitchers including Mikie Minor, Drew Hayes, Chase Reid, Mark Lamm, Richie Goodenow and Caleb Cotham. Stallings had been recruited to Vanderbilt and UNC as a Catcher and by Auburn as a pitcher. The CBB believes, without any real basis, that playing time figured into the equation.
4) UNC has somehow managed to become one of the uber elite baseball programs in the country while flying a bit under the radar. They have appeared in the last two CWS finals and have always been a solid program, despite not getting some of the same athletic-academic regard that Stanford, Rice, Tulane and Vandy have received in conversations about "signability". The "somehow" is not a reflection of UNC not having earned elite status or been excellent on the field, just that, for some reason, their recruiting, on the field and academic excellence don't get seem to get enough praise in the media.
5) Finally, it provides Stallings the opportunity to have a college experience away from home. A factor for many students.

This writer thinks a combination of 3 and 4 led to the commitment, and that Mike Fox is getting one of the finest players in the nation. Stallings has starred in the Nashville area and on former Commodore Hunter Bledsoe's Brentwood A's summer team. He throws in the low 90s off the hill and has impressive defensive skills despite his lanky nature. It's a pretty safe bet that Fox will get Stallings to campus and, as he grows into his body, Jacob could develop into one of the finest Catchers in the NCAA. Congratulations to Jacob, Coach Stallings and the family.

With one of his perceived top catching targets now in the Tarheel fold, attention will likely look to fellow Nashville Catcher Casey Dykes. Like Stallings, the Franklin based Dykes was rated 9.5 by Perfect Game. Unlike Stallings, Dykes' secondary position is 3B, a need area for the 'Dores. Vanderbilt will likely lose Rivals All-Americans Pedro Alvarez (3B) and Ryan Flaherty (SS) to the next MLB draft. Dykes could compete for playing time at third, though '07 signee Gabe Ortiz is expected to step into one of those slots, and though Chris Lee of Vandysports has confirmed the commitment of another '08 elite prospect on the left side of the infield. The information is still not public on the new commitment, so I cannot comment further on the identity of the player pursuant to the College Baseball Blog's policy on Use and Attribution.

2008 Recruiting Classes finalized

The MLB Draft deadline was last week so many NCAA teams are releasing their recruits for the 2008 season. We have compiled a list below of press releases from Monday.

Arizona State
Oklahoma
Richmond
Mercyhurst
Texas A&M (Thanks to Aggiebaseball.net)

Summer League Recaps

The North Carolina and Florida State Media Relations Department have each released their respective summer league recaps. The biggest award recieved from a Tar Heel player was Drew Poulk who picked up the Rookie of the Year award in the NECBL after hitting .354. The full release from UNC is available here. Buster Posey had the strongest summer with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox as he led them to their second straight CCBL title. He hit .281 for the summer but was solid behind the plate. The full release from FSU 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.

Texas brings in 16 for 2008

This is the list and below I added some info on some of them.
Name, Pos.; Hometown (School)
Brandon Belt, LHP/OF; Lufkin, Texas (San Jacinto College)
Bobby Buckner, 2B/SS; Boise, Idaho (Boise)
Garrett Clyde, RHP/IF; Humble, Texas (San Jacinto College)
Runey Davis, OF; Georgetown, Texas (Georgetown)
Kawika Emsley-Pai, C; Bothell, Wash. (Jackson)
Cole Green, RHP; Coppell, Texas (Coppell)
Kevin Keyes, OF; Pflugerville, Texas (Connally)
Lee Johnson, LHP; Round Rock, Texas (Round Rock)
Connor Rowe, OF; Georgetown, Texas (Georgetown)
Chance Ruffin, RHP; Austin, Texas (Lake Travis)
Cameron Rupp, C; Plano, Texas (Prestonwood Christian)
Tant Shepherd, 3B/OF; Flower Mound, Texas (Flower Mound)
Marcus Tackett, RHP/IF; Tulsa, Okla. (Oral Roberts University)
Stayton Thomas, RHP; Corsicana, Texas (Corsicana)
Casey Whitmer, RHP; Kilgore, Texas (Florida State University)
Brandon Workman, RHP; Bowie, Texas (Bowie)


Runey Davis (OF, 6-0, 178)

-Ranked No. 11 on Inside Prep Baseball Texas Top 25 list
-Clocked at 6.67 in the 60 at the Texas Rangers Area Code Games tryout.

Cole Green (RHP, 6-1, 195)

-Ranked No. 1 on Inside Prep Baseball Texas Top 25 list
-Second-team THSCA Class 5A All-State selection as a pitcher in 2006
-Selected District 6-5A Most Valuable Player in 2006.

Kevin Keyes (OF, 6-3, 205)

-Ranked No. 7 on Inside Prep Baseball Texas Top 25 list
-Selected second-team Class 4A All-State
-Texas Rangers Area Code Team member each of the last two years
-Played in 2006 AFLAC All-American Game.

Connor Rowe (OF, 6-0, 170)

-All-District 15-5A selection as an outfielder in 2006
-All-Centex honorable mention as a junior.

Chance Ruffin (RHP, 6-1, 175)

-Went 5-3 with four complete games, one save, 84 strikeouts and a 1.27 ERA in 49.2 innings in district play in 2006
-Earned second-team all-district and Lake Travis HS Big Play Award as a junior
-Garnered all-district honorable mention and LTHS Big Play Award as a sophomore

Tant Shepherd (3B/OF, 6-0, 195)

-Ranked No. 16 on Inside Prep Baseball Texas Top 25 list
-Class 5A All-State honorable mention as a third baseman in 2006
-First-team All-District 8-5A choice as an infielder in 2006
-Hit .454 with 11 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 28 RBI and 22 stolen bases as a junior
-Texas Rangers Area Code Team member in 2006
-Won 2006 AABC-Mickey Mantle World Series title as a member of the Dallas Tigers
-Hit .437 with 14 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 47 RBI and 18 stolen bases for the Dallas Tigers in 2006.

Stayton Thomas (RHP, 6-0, 165)

-Ranked No. 18 on Inside Prep Baseball Texas Top 25 list
-First-team All-District 14-4A selection as a pitcher in 2006
-Class 4A All-State honorable mention in 2006.

Brandon Workman (RHP, 6-4, 215)

-Ranked No. 24 on Inside Prep Baseball Texas Top 25 list
-Named a Louisville Slugger All-America honorable mention as a pitcher in 2006
-A Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association first-team Class 3A All-State choice as a pitcher in 2006
-Second-team Class 3A All-State selection as a designated hitter in 2006
-Tabbed District 6-3A Most Valuable Player as a junior
-Logged an 8-1 record with a 0.94 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 67.1 innings as a junior
-Selected as a first-team District 6-3A pitcher in 2005
-Named a Class 3A All-State honorable mention by the Texas Sports Writers Association
-Posted a 9-4 record with a 1.39 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 80.2 innings as a sophomore.

Bobby Buckner (2B/SS, 6-1, 175)

-Son of former major leaguer Bill Buckner
-Selected to play in 2006 Mariners Cup
-Washington Nationals Northwest Area Code Team participant in 2006
-Rated the No. 3 Class of 2007 prospect at Perfect Game USA Sunshine West Showcase

Cameron Rupp, Prestonwood. Sr., C

-Rupp hit .654 with five home runs and 53 RBIs for Prestonwood, which finished the regular season undefeated but lost to Dallas Christian in the TAPPS 5A state championship.
-Rupp won the home run derby at the High School All-American Baseball Game in Albuquerque, N.M., this month. Rupp then doubled and had an RBI batting cleanup in the West's 12-1 win.

Lee Johnson, pitcher, Round Rock

-Johnson, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who has signed with Texas, saw only marginal action last year as a spot hitter as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. But opponents saw for the first time this season what he can do on a mound: throw a 93-mph fastball.

-Johnson starred this year as the Dragons' closer — went 2-1, notching five saves, posting a 0.32 ERA and striking out 32 in 212/3 innings. He allowed just one earned run during the regular season.

Georgia picks up early verbal

Boston.com is reporting that Blaine O'Brien of Scituate MA has verbally committed to playing for the Georgia Bulldogs during the 2008-2009 school year. O'Brien is a 6'7 185 pound right hander who also drew interest from Florida and Vanderbilt before settling on the Bulldogs. The full article is available here.

BYU releases 2008 Schedule

The BYU baseball program has released their 2008 schedule whihc is highlighted with visits from Oregon State and Kansas State. They will take part in two tournaments this year with the Banana Belt Tournament in Idaho on Feb. 28th-March 1st and the Sacramento State Tournament where they will battle UC-Davis, San Jose State, and Sacramento State from March 6th-8th. They will also play a full Mountain West schedule including a visit from conference power TCU. The full schedule is available here.

Auburn welcomes incoming class!

Thursday was a banner day for the Auburn baseball team as the Tigers welcomed 13 freshmen and a transfer to the squad for the 2008 season. The freshman class includes three players that were drafted in this past summer's Major League Baseball Draft while 23rd-round pick junior Mike Bianucci also chose to return to The Plains for the upcoming season.

PGcrosschecker.com had this to say about Auburn's recruiting class. "Big, Deep and Talented (Brian Fletcher, Wes Gilmer, Hunter Morris, Kevin Patterson). If these hitters show up for class at Auburn, the Tigers might have the best offensive team in college baseball in a couple of years. They all hit and can hit right now without needing much projection. Morris and Patterson are left-handed hitters with middle-of-the-order potential; it's a scary thought where they might be in three years with metal bats."

Press Release from Auburn

Is the Texas Collegiate League in Trouble??

There is already rumblings from the teams that 7 teams will not return next year unless changes are made. The 7 teams that have said that they will not return are Denton Outlaws, Duncanville Deputies, Coppell Copperheads, Colleyville LoneStars, Wichita Falls Roughnecks, Mineral Wells Steam and Weatherford Wranglers. The two that have said that they will return are Brazos Valley Bombers and the Mckinney Marshals. That is a shame as the state of Texas needs a Summer Collegiate League to continue promoting high quality College baseball. I have personally attended games in the DFW area and it has always been a blast. It is a more intimate settings and the Boys of Summer are always more than receptive in talking to the younger fans. Click here for the Star-Telegram article

Iowa releases 2008 Schedule

The Iowa Baseball Program has released their 2008 baseball schedule. They will take part in two tournaments this year. The first tournament will be hosted by Notre Dame in Clearwater, Fla and the other tournament will be hosted by Vanderbilt. The teams in each tournament are unannounced. The top OOC game for the Hawkeyes will be when perennial power Nebraska visits them on April 8th. The full schedule is available here. Big Ten Hardball had this schedule posted a few weeks ago and I forgot to add the link.

More Oregon Coaching Rumors

Following up a story by djbfootball, Ritch Price of Kansas has been linked to the job opening with the Oregon Ducks. Price has lead the Kansas program for five seasons with an overall record of 173-142 including getting to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 after winning the Big 12 Tournament. Price has connections with Kansas currently as two of his sons play for him. Ryne being a senior and his youngest Robby being a sophomore. Price is a native of Sweet Home, Oregon and went to college at Williamette University in Salem Oregon. The full article from The Lawrence Journal-World News is available by clicking here.

Any news??

The College Baseball Blog has seen unprecedented growth over the last year and it could not have happened without our great readers and contributors. We are currently on the hunt for College Baseball news around the nation. We are in the dead period between the end of the summer leagues and the beginning of the school year. We have found some 2008 schedules but are on the hunt for more. If you have any news feel free to email us by clicking here.

Dave Serrano Interested in the Oregon job??

Coach Dave Serrano will be visiting University of Oregon and the facilities on Monday and Tuesday. When they approached him two weeks ago to see if he was interested he told them thanks but no thanks. He felt he was not ready for to make this move. Well he had second thoughts about this job and it is a good move on his part to at least go and see what they are willing to provide for a program. This may not be the right job for Serrano but, for the long term he needs to know what is out there. Coach Dave Serrano is a coach that will make a name for himself rather it be at UC Irvine or at another University. Coach Dave is capable of turning UC Irvine into a Cal State Fullerton. Fullerton was not on the baseball map until Augie Garrido came in and turn that program into a Baseball powerhouse which Coach Horton as continue that with Great success. Both Horton and Serrano has played and or coach under Garrido. So, Serrano will be successful wherever he goes.

Some other articles in regard to the coaching job.

The Register Guard
Daily Pilot

NC State 2008 Schedule

Pack Baseball, the unofficial home of NC State Baseball has released the 2008 schedule. The Wolfpack will open the season on Feb. 22nd when they host Appalachian State for a three game series. The next weekend they take part in The Citadel Tournament on Feb. 29th-March 2nd. The Wolfpack will play a full ACC schedule missing Georgia Tech this season. The full schedule is available here.