SeBaseball Article

Mark Etheridge of SEBaseball.com checks in with an article about many different topics. The first topic which is discussed is the whole Oregon/UC-Irvine/Fullerton musical chair act that has been going on all summer including Rod Delmonico (former head coach at Tennessee) throwing his name in the hat at UC-Irvine. The next topic discussed is how Dave Perno of UGA has had to change up his staff for the 2008 season with an assistant coach moving on to a different school. He finishes up the article by talking about some of winners and losers in the summer in getting transfers. The full article is available here.

Arizona State opens fall practice with 29 scrimmages

The Arizona State Sun Devils have released their fall baseball schedule with 29 intra-squad scrimmages scheduled. The full release is available here. This is not the typical fall schedule as teams usually use this time to develop their players skills in practice and have a five game series at the end of the fall. I wonder why ASU has decided to play so many games this fall? Is there that much competition for spots on the team? Does Pat Murphy just want to take a look at his players in a game situation? I am just wondering. Thanks to Mark over at Pitch Fork Nation for bringing this interesting development to my attention.

Who else is bringing baseball back?

Doug Kroll of CSTV has recently checked in with an article about the prospects of bringing baseball back at some of the other BCS schools without the sport. He spoke with Wisconsin's AD Barry Alvarez and other administrators around the nation about the challenges they are facing in bringing back the sport. His full article is available here.

Schools opening up Fall season

Many schools have started Fall practice with classes starting back up recently. We have found six teams that have put out releases recently.

TCU
Vanderbilt
Penn State
Utah
Brown
Virginia Tech

Richmond annouces 2008 Schedule

The Richmond Spiders have released their 2008 schedule which is highlighted by 28 home games. The Spiders open the 2008 season on February 22nd when they take part in a tournament hosted by Jacksonville which also includes UNC-Wilmington, UW-Milwaukee, and the host Dolphins. They will play 13 games against seven 2007 NCAA participants. The full schedule is available here.

Southern Miss expanding stadium

The Southern Miss Department of Athletics has announced plans to give fans the opportunity to purchase chairback seating in an expansion plan that calls for the construction of a 580-seat grandstand down the third-base line at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.

Sales of the seats will begin on Sept. 17.

"We felt that with our demand increasing each season for seats that this project allows more fans an opportunity to see Golden Eagle baseball," Southern Miss coach Corky Palmer said.

With a purchase, that person will have their name placed on the seat for a minimum of 10 years or as long as that person is a season ticket holder, whichever is longer. The cost of the seat is $400, which is a one-time fee.

Complete story

USF Baseball Begins Fall Workouts

FROM PRESS RELEASE
TAMPA, Fla. – The official start date for fall practices isn’t until October, but the University of South Florida baseball team opened season No. 2 under head coach Lelo Prado on Sept. 4, beginning fall 4-on-1 workouts with the coaching staff.

During the sessions, four players at a time are allowed to practice on the field with a coach.

“Our 4-on-1s have been outstanding defensively, offensively and pitching-wise,” said assistant coach Lazer Collazo. “These kids want to work. These kids are coming in on their own, getting here early in the afternoon and leaving late in the evening. They want to learn the system quickly, and as coaches, we are seeing that they want to grasp everything they can as early as they can.

The Bulls, who were 34-26 overall and 23-15 in the BIG EAST last season, are a mixed team of 11 returning players and 29 newcomers, including 16 freshmen.

“Everyone knows we have a young team,” said Collazo. “It is a team that has to gel little-by-little and get the chemistry going. We especially need to gel now in the fall because the quicker we can blend a young team like this, the better it is going to be for us on opening day in the spring.”

USF returns Third Team BIG EAST second baseman Dexter Butler and 2006 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year third baseman Addison Maruszak. The pitching staff looks forward to the return of junior right handed pitcher Daniel Thomas, who took a red-shirt year last season. Sophomores Shawn Sanford (3.10 ERA, 11 saves) and Matt Quevedo (4-3, 4.01 ERA) also return to the mound for the Bulls this year.

The Bulls welcome four newcomers who were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, three in 2007 and one in 2006. Left handed pitcher Stephen Hunt (Tampa, Fla./Jesuit HS) was selected by Oakland in the 17th round and the Red Sox picked LHP Juan Carlin (Riverview, Fla./Riverview HS) in the 29th round. The Red Sox also selected right hander Derrick Stultz (Tampa, Fla./Wharton). In 2006 Brian Hobbs (Marietta, Fla./Chipola JC) was selected by the Angels in the 41st round.

The Bulls begin official fall full-team practice on Oct. 8.

Thanks to USF Media Relations for the press release and photo.

UNC announces Fall World Series

The North Carolina Tar Heels have released their fall schedule for 2007. They will play five game from October 9th-October 15th at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary NC. The full fall schedule is available here. The Tar Heels will play the entire 2008 season in Cary NC with Boshamer Stadium being renovated for the 2009 season. The full release on the ground breaking of Boshamer Stadium is available here.

Rivals checks in on the Big East

Kendall Rogers of Rivals.com has released an article about fall story lines around the Big East conference. The article discusses how Louisville's run to the CWS will impact the conference. Some people around the country forget that Louisville finished in third place in 2007 behind Rutgers and St. John's. It also discusses how the uniform start date will impact the conference but all schools need to put some money into their respective program. It also mentions how South Florida is one of the programs to watch in the Big East in 2008 and beyond. The full article is available here.

Marist welcomes eight players

The Marist baseball program will welcome eight new players for the 2008 season including three transfers. Chris Wojick from Maine, B.J. Martin from St. John's, and Zach Starkey from Wabash Valley College will join five freshman in the Red Fox program. The full release is available here.

Fullerton and UC-Irvine News

The Daily Pilot wrote an article this weekend on Dave Serrano leaving UC-Irvine for Fullerton. The article discusses some of the reasons Serrano left Irvine for Fullerton which is led by the fact that the Irvine athletic department is currently operating without an athletic director. Serrano also states that Cal-State Fullerton athletic director Brian Quinn spoke with him in 2004 when Serrano left for Irvine and told him that he would be the next coach at Fullerton if Horton ever left. Quinn also reiterated this at Rosenblatt Stadium when the Anteaters were making their magical run. The article also discusses that former Tennessee coach Rod Delmonico has already been in contact with Serrano about taking over the Irvine job. The full article is available here.

C of C Fall Baseball World Series

FROM PRESS RELEASE
The College of Charleston baseball team's annual Fall World Series will begin September 26th at Patriots Point Stadium in Mount Pleasant. Charleston will play a seven-game series between the Maroon and Gold squads. The Cougars won their fourth straight Southern Conference title in the spring after posting a 39-19 overall record and a 20-7 Southern Conference mark. It was Charleston's third regular-season crown in the past four seasons. The Cougars won the 2006 SoCon Tournament title.

Fall Schedule
Game 1 -- Wednesday, Sept. 26th, 5:00
Game 2 -- Friday, Sept. 28th, 6:00
Game 3 -- Saturday, Sept. 29th, 1:00 (Parents Day Cookout following game)
Game 4 -- Sunday, Sept. 30th, 1:00
Game 5 -- Thursday, Oct. 4th, 5:00
Game 6 -- Friday, Oct. 5th, 5:00
Game 7 -- Saturday, Oct. 6th, 11:00

Presbyterian College releases 2008 schedule

Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC has released their 2008 schedule. The 2008 season will be the first year that the College has competed in Division 1 and will join the Big South Conference in 2009. They will open the season at UNC Asheville on February 22nd for a three game set. Some of the other highlights on the schedule is a visit from Yale for two games and heading to Tennessee, taking on Clemson in Greenville SC, and taking part in the Coastal Carolina Tournament where they will take on Michigan, Ball State, and the hosts Coastal Carolina. The full schedule is available here.

Louisville opens up fall practice

Dan McDonnell and the Louisville Cardinals have opened up fall practice this week after being a surprise participant in the College World Series. The Cardinals return 17 players from the CWS team including Big East Pitcher of the Year Zack Pitts and Freshman of the Year Justin Marks. They will bring in 20 new players as they look to make it back to Omaha. The Louisville Media Relations department has release a breakdown of all 20 new players on the squad which is available by clicking here.

Alexandria Aces Officially Debut 'Where Legends Begin' Campaign

FROM PRESS RELEASE
Alexandria, VA - Saturday, September 8, 2007 - The Alexandria Aces Collegiate Summer Baseball Club, the eighth and newest franchise of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, officially debut their 'Where Legends Begin' campaign as a part of the team's ramp up to their 2008 inaugural season.

"Alexandria, Virginia will be a place 'where legends begin' for collegiate baseball players,' said Alexandria Aces chairman and CEO Don Dinan. "We want players to know that the Aces will provide them with an excellent opportunity to showcase their skills to major league scouts. Alexandria will become a launching point for careers where players can shine in the summer spotlight. The Aces will diligently work hard to build a solid reputation throughout collegiate summer baseball so that Alexandria is known as a place ' where legends begin.'

The Alexandria Aces Collegiate Summer Baseball Club will play their 2008 inaugural season in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. Other teams in the league are the Bethesda Big Train, College Park Bombers, Herndon Braves, Maryland Redbirds, Rockville Express, Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts and Youse's Maryland Orioles.

Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League website: http://www.ripkensrcollegebaseball.org

Alexandria Aces Release New 'A' Logo

FROM PRESS RELEASE
Alexandria, VA - Friday, September 7, 2007 - The Alexandria Aces Collegiate Summer Baseball Club, the eighth and newest franchise of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, today officially releases its new 'A' logo for the team's upcoming 2008 inaugural season.

The 'A', representing the city of Alexandria, Virginia, will be worn on the team's home pinstripe uniforms, ball caps, as well as batting practice tee shirts and shorts. 'ALEXANDRIA' will be worn on Aces road gray uniforms. The Aces team colors are midnight blue, gray/silver and white.

Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League website: http://www.ripkensrcollegebaseball.org

More on Serrano going to Fullerton!!

As Brian reported earlier Dave Serrano has agreed to terms with Fullerton. Dave has signed a 4 year contract to be the new coach at Fullerton. Dave will bring over Sergio Brown from Irvine as an assistant.

For more on the story follow the link.

OCRegister.com


With Dave going to Fullerton where will Irvine start looking. Dave did not leave the cupboard empty with a team expected to compete for a conference and national championship in 2008.

Serrano said it remained up in the air who his assistants would be, but that his first obligation is to his two assistants at UC Irvine, Sergio Brown and Greg Bergeron. He said he was informed that Irvine is going to conduct a national coaching search, but he hopes Brown or Bergeron is a candidate for the job. If both assistants decide they want to follow Serrano to Fullerton, and Vanderhook decides he wants to remain as well, Serrano will have to choose between the three coaches for two spots.

Serrano also confirmed that uncertainty surrounding UC Irvine’s commitment to athletics played a significant role in his decision to leave. UC Irvine’s previous athletics director, Bob Chichester, cited budget cuts and a lack of commitment to athletics by Chancellor Michael V. Drake as reasons for resigning in August. UCI is in the midst of a search for Chichester’s replacement, but no hire is expected for at least another month, according to Serrano.

Baseball America

BREAKING NEWS: Serrano to Fullerton

Baseball America is reporting that Dave Serrano will accept the head coaching position with Cal-State Fullerton after saying last week that he was going to stay at UC-Irvine. The article from Baseball America is available here. The College Baseball Blog will have more information as it becomes available.

Washington State releases 2008 schedule

The Washington State Cougars have released their 2008 schedule which is highlighted by 13 games against 2007 NCAA Tournament participants. They will open the season on February 22nd when the Creighton Blue Jays visit for a three game set. They will also host Kent State on March 7th-9th in a four game series and Arizona State on April 11th-13th. The full release is available here.

Baseball America checks in with George Horton

Aaron Fitt of Baseball America recently had a chance to sit down with George Horton to discuss his move to Oregon. A major change in the Oregon situation is that Horton will have the full 11.7 scholarships in his first season and the school is looking to build about a 10-15 million dollar baseball stadium. Horton also believes that Rick Vanderhook should be named the next head coach at Fullerton. The full article is available here.