Wednesday, March 30, 2005

National Exposure

The advent of networks like ESPNU and Fox College Sports have given college baseball more opportunity to appear on national television. Along with already established CSTV, college baseball has its largest television schedule in years, maybe ever. Here is a link to Baseball America's story about the increasing chances of watching college baseball on cable television.

Of course, for those of us in Big Ten country, there are two problems. First, I think only the regional Fox stations are available on my cable package and they come as a premium on the digital package. Second, aside from the conference championship tilt, only one Big Ten team appears on the schedule. Iowa's game versus Nebraska made CSTV's coverage.

Michigan Moves Up

The University of Michigan continues to move up in the national polls. The NCBWA version has the Wolverines at number eighteen, while Collegiate Baseball lists coach Rich Maloney's squad at # 19. Michigan remained outside both Baseball America's and the Sports Weekly/ESPN polls, but did gain more votes this week in the latter. Ohio State also got it's first vote from the coaches this season, as well.

Nationally, the polls are split as to whom is the top dog. Depending on which flavor of poll you prefer, you either get Texas or Georgia Tech as the number one team in the country. To see the entire poll dating for the week, click on the links below.

Baseball America Top 25
Sports Weekly/ESPN Top 25
NCBWA Top 35
Collegiate Baseball Top 30

Monday, March 28, 2005

I'm Working On It

The mystery that is my sidebar continues to baffle me. Apparently, something I've typed or linked to is beyond the parameters of the page. The question is which item(s)? I am in the process of editing March posts, as February's archives have the links correctly placed at the top of the page, so don't be shocked if a link in a post that once was there is gone later.

I just wanted everyone to know that I am trying to correct the annoying little problem. If you need to see the links in my sidebar, they remain at the bottom of the page. Once again, I apologize. Hopefully, I can get to the bottom of this before the weekend. Thank you for your patience.

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Weekend Wrap-Up

Today was the beginning of what appears to be a very busy week. Allow me to apologize in advance if the quantity and/or quality of my posts diminishes over the next seven days. I realize it's difficult to imagine things getting worse, but they can. Enough of that, onto scores from the weekend.

Indiana 10 Longwood 4, Game 1 (Box)
Longwood 4 Indiana 1, Game 2 (Box)

Wichita State 17 Iowa 6 (Box-Saturday)
Wichita State 7 Iowa 3 (Box-Sunday)

#22 Michigan 5 Oakland 4, Game 1 (Box-Saturday)
#22 Michigan 8 Oakland 2, Game 2 (Box-Saturday)
#22 Michigan 7 Oakland4 (Box-Sunday)

Michigan State 4 Western Illinois 3 (Box-Saturday)
Western Illinois 3 Michigan State 0 (Box-Sunday)
Michigan State 2 Western Illinois 1 (Box-Sunday)

Butler 2 Minnesota 1 (Box-Saturday)
Minnesota 9 Butler 4 (Box-Sunday)

Ohio State 11 Cornell 2 (Box-Saturday)

Purdue 9 Western Michigan 5, Game 1 (Box-Saturday)
Purdue 4 Western Michigan 0, Game 2 (Box-Saturday)
Purdue 6 Western Michigan 0 (Box-Sunday)

James Madison 12 Penn State 3, Game 1-Saturday
Penn State 3 James Madison 2, Game 2-Saturday
Penn State 1 James Madison 0 Sunday

Once again, my apologies for not providing the usual details. If I get a chance, I may add the notes tomorrow. Just don't hold me to that. Next week should be much less busy. The Big Ten begins conference play next weekend, so things will become even more interesting.

Congratulations to Minnesota's hockey team on advancing to the Frozen Four and to Illinois and Michigan State for make the Final Four in men's hoops. A tip of the cap from BTH.





Friday, March 25, 2005

Friday's Mess

Today was just a mess. First, there is my sidebar's plunge to the bottom of the page. (Scroll down, it's there. Really.) Then there is the weather. Michigan State's Kobs Field is in such bad shape, courtesy of our crummy winter, that the Spartans are playing at Western Illinois this weekend. Indiana's contest against Longwood fell victim to poor weather, too.

Then there is Northwestern's doubleheader with Vermont. Somehow, I didn't find this two game tilt on NU's original schedule. There is probably an 80% chance, I just screwed something up. However, in no other sport do schools have only partial schedules, or incomplete schedules, on Opening Day, the way college baseball does. It makes following the sport a tad frustrating to follow. Again, it could just be me, but I've seen these late additions/subtractions/changes before. (I'll get back to the 'Cats games in a minute.)

I even called this post "Saturday's Mess", as having an extra day off work apparently confuses me. Basically, it was a messed up day on many fronts around BTH this Friday. However, some positive news did emerge, as a number of Big Ten schools came out on the winning end. Here is a review of all of Saturday's action. (Well, all meaning all I am aware of currently.)

Ohio State swept a doubleheader from Dartmouth. The Buckeyes took game one 4-1 behind another strong outing from Cory Luebke. Luebke, one of Baseball America's top freshmen, went eight innings allowing only one unearned run and three hits. Trey Fausnaugh earned his second save.

The Buckeyes took game two, 5-3. 2B Jason Zoeller led the OSU offense with three hits. The win went to Jeffrey Carroll in relief.

#22 Michigan opened its home campaign with a 10-0 triumph over Oakland. Jim Brauer improved to 4-0 with six shutout innings. Clayton Richard came on in relief and combined with Brauer to toss a four hit shutout. Mike Schmidt homered for Michigan.

Jimmy Conroy led Illinios past Cornell 12-0. Conroy threw six innings yielding four hits, no walks and no runs while fanning five. James Morris and Dusty Bensko, who played first and walked four times, completed the shutout. Ryan Rogowski went 3 for 5 scored three times and stole two bases.

Wichita State dropped Iowa, 6-1. Kris Welker got two of Iowa's seven safeties on the day. Shockers' starter Mike Pelfrey struck out 11 Hawkeyes in seven innings and is now 4-2 on the year.

Matt Loberg's eight shutout innings led Minnesota past Butler, 7-0. The Gophers' righthander struck out a career high nine batters. Luke MacLean had three hits, including a triple, and three RBI to lead the Gophers' attack.

As for the NU-Vermont doubleheader, the Catamounts took the opener, 3-1. Mark Ori had two hits for NU. The Wildcats claimed the nightcap, 4-3. NU scored three in the bottom of the seventh inning to win it. Jon Mikrut's single drove in the winning run.

Finally, congratulations to Michigan State and Wisconsin on advancing to the Elite Eight. The Spartans knocked off #1 seed Duke tonight, 78-68. The Badgers dropped NC State, 65-56. Now, it's Illinois' turn.

Hopefully, the weather and this blog will improve tomorrow.

Technical Difficulties

It appears all of my links are now at the bottom of the right hand column. I have no idea how soon I can get this repaired, as I'm not even sure what the problem is, but I apologize for the inconvenience.

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Big Ten OPS

Here is my weekly look at the OPS (on base + slugging percentage) leaders in the Big Ten.

1) Zach Boswell, Indiana 1.325 2) Pat McMahon, Northwestern 1.264 3) Matt Lewis, Penn State 1.234 4)Jay Brant, Indiana 1.210 5) Ryan Parker, Indiana 1.188 6) Joe Kemp, Indiana 1.165 7)Andy Lytle, Iowa 1.164 8) Jason Zoeller, Ohio State 1.128 9) Ryan Basham, Michigan State 1.127 10) Matt Butler, Michigan 1.120

Near as I can tell, seven other Big Ten regulars cracked the 1.000 mark. In order, they are Kyle Bohm, Michigan (1.094), A.J. Scheidt, Michigan (1.084), Neal Gorka, Purdue (1.057), Dusty Bensko, Illinois (1.048), Trevor Huisinga, Illinois (1.017), Jedidiah Stephen, Ohio State (1.014) and Chris Getz, Michigan (1.001)

As usual, these are not official numbers. My math is subject to question. The stats are through March 22 and reflect the OBP and SLG figures I obtain via the Big Ten's official stat page shown here.

Spring Is In The Air

Somewhere spring has sprung. However, in the heart of Big Ten Country, spring is still a rumor. That's not quite right, either. It was spring-like yesterday. Mid-40s and sunny. Then came today. In my little corner of the world, we received about two inches of unnecessary snowfall. Apparently, some other areas got less than ideal baseball weather, as well.

The Ohio State vs. Dartmouth game was cancelled, as was Indiana vs. Ball State. The long winter refuses to give up, but the teams are heading north regardless. Here's hoping the baseball programs bring the sun and warmth with them.

I'm A Bit Confused

The nice folks at the NCBWA have released their poll for the week. Tulane has assumed the number one ranking on the heels of Baylor's sweep of previous #1, Texas. The second place club is Cal State Fullerton. Didn't the defending champs take two of three from the Green Wave, at Tulane, about a week ago? How can you rank the Wave ahead of the Titans? There must be something I am missing.

Then there is the Big 10 snub. Michigan fell a spot to twenty-third in the land. They didn't lose, but dropped a spot. Again, on it's own, I might dismiss it, but combined with the rankings at the top, I am curious as to what the voters were thinking.

Thankfully, in the end, we don't have to worry much about the polls. They just make for interesting discussion for fans and the media during the season (hey, I got an extra post out of it), but the championship is decided on the field.

Monday, March 21, 2005

Monday Scores

Ohio State 4 Illinois-Chicago 2 (Box)
Cody Caughenbaugh's two run double capped a three run eighth inning and led OSU to a comeback win. Trey Fausnaugh got the victory.

Illinois 11 Dartmouth 6 (Box)
Chris Robinson's four RBI led the Illinois offense. J.R. Kyes had three hits and two RBI. Matt Whitmore earned his first win of the year.

Kent State 4 Northwestern 1 (Box)
Jon Mikrut went two for four with a RBI for NU. Andrew Davis had two hits and two RBI for the Golden Flashes.

Myers, Boswell Earn Weekly Awards

Northwestern's Ryan Myers and Indiana's Zach Boswell were named the Big Ten's Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively. Here is the conference's official release. Boswell gets some love from the IU website here and the Wildcats' press release for Myers is here.

Myers' amazing effort also netted him one of Louisville Slugger's National Player of the Week Awards.

The Polls Are Out

As is normal for Monday night, the USA Today Sports Weekly/ESPN poll, the Baseball America poll and the Collegiate Baseball poll are all out. Cal-State Fullerton, the defending national champions, have claimed the top spot overall.

Collegiate Baseball has Michigan ranked twenty-second, up one spot from a week ago. Coach Rich Maloney's squad also earned votes in the coaches' poll, but failed to crack the top 25.

Sunday, March 20, 2005

Weekend Recap

So, are your brackets looking as bad as mine? Yeah, that's what I figured. Although, my final game is still possible-Illinois vs. Kentucky. Nonetheless, it's baseball we are here to discuss.

Pitchers took center stage this weekend. Jim Brauer (Michigan), Derek Feldkamp (Michigan), Brian Blomquist (Illinois) and Josh Lewis (Indiana) all posted their third win of the year. However, it was today's efforts from Ohio State freshman Cory Luebke and Northwestern sophomore Ryan Myers that will catch the most national attention.


Saturday
Indiana 11 Kent State 6
Josh Lewis improves to 3-0. IU's Zach Boswell goes five for five with four RBI.

#22 Michigan 5 Ohio 0
Jim Brauer worked eight innings, fanning nine Bobcats, allowing three hits and no runs. Brauer is now 3-0. A.J. Scheidt led the Wolverines offense going three for three with a RBI.

Penn State 6 Delaware 1
Sean Stidfole pitched a complete game. The junior struck out eleven Blue Hen batters. Aaron Greenfield went yard for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State 12 Delaware 6
PSU's Matt Lewis had four RBI and stole a base. Craig Clark was credited with his first win of 2005.

Bradley 7 Michigan State 3
Tony Clausen and Adam Tripp each went yard for MSU. Bradley's Brandon Magee (3-1) struck out eleven Spartans in eight innings.

Michigan State 5 Bradley 1
Ryan Basham hit a homerun (4) and knocked in four runs for the Spartans. Chris Malec (2-1) got the win. He whiffed eight Braves in eight innings of work.

Illinois 4 Miami (Ohio) 2
Brian Blomquist improved to 3-1. Blomquist went 7.2 IP, allowing one earned run and walking no one. Jake Toohey earned his second save of the year. Dusty Bensko hit his third homer for the Illini.

Rutgers 6 Minnesota 2
Rutgers SS Todd Frazier had three hits including his fifth homerun. The Gophers' Tony Leseman went three for four with a RBI.

Northwestern 18 St. Francis 2
Caleb Fields went three for four and drove in four runs. Max Mann went three for three and scored three times for NU. Andrew Smith (1-2) worked eight innings and yielded one earned run.

Ohio State 14 Bucknell 3
Bucknell basketball success didn't translate onto the diamond. OSU's Adam Schneider had three hits and three RBI. Jedidiah Stephen powered his third homer for the Buckeyes. Rory Meister got the win in relief.

Sunday
Indiana 9 St. Francis 0
Zach Boswell collects two more hits and has two RBI in the Hoosier triumph. Jay Brant and Joe Kemp each homer for IU. Brian Lortz claimed the victory going five innings allowing two hits, no runs and walking zero.

#22 Michigan 10 Ohio 4
SS Leif Mahler had three hits and two RBI for Michigan. Matt Butler hit his third HR and plated three more Wolverine tallies. Michael Penn (2-1) got the win.

#22 Michigan 8 Ohio 2
Mike Schmidt had three doubles and drove home four to lead the Michigan offensive attack. Derek Feldkamp earned the win. He is now 3-0 on the year.

Penn State 7 Delaware 1
Matt Lewis went three for four with two runs scored and two RBI. Lance Thompson hit a two-run homer and scored twice. Alan Stidfole struck out eight in six innings and earned the win.

Bradley 6 Michigan State 5
Four Spartans collected two hits a piece, but it wasn't enough. Michael Christl fanned seven MSU batters in 3.2 innings of relief, although didn't get the win. That went to Peter Elmer (1-0) who worked the last three frames for Bradley.

Kent State 5 Illinois 4
Dusty Bensko hammered his fourth homer for Illinois. Kent State Kurt Eichorn drove in three runs. Chad Wagler (3-1) got the win in relief. Wagler pitched four innings, striking out five.

Illinois-Chicago 5 Iowa 4, 10 innings
Nate Yoho, Kris Welker and L.J. Mims each went two for four. Mims also stole two bases for the Hawkeyes.

Rutgers 7 Minnesota 6
Matt Fornasiere homered and drove in four Gopher runs, however the Scarlet Knights swept the weekend series with Minnesota.

Northwestern 8 Cornell 7
Ryan Myers pitched a legendary relief performance. After starter George Kontos got chased after 1.1 innings, Myers entered the game. In the next 7.2 innings, Myers struck out fifteen batters. He relinquished only four hits, a walk and no runs. Pat McMahon had three NU hits, Anthony Wycklendt homered for the 'Cats.

Ohio State 4 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1
OSU freshman Cory Luebke pitched a complete game. Luebke, a lefty, surrendered only four hits and one run. He struck out nine UWM batters and had a no-hitter through 6.2 innings of work. Cody Caughenbaugh had two RBI for OSU.

Saturday, March 19, 2005

PSU Board Approves Stadium Plan

Penn State's Board of Trustees approved the preliminary plans for a new ballpark. Here is the link to the press release courtesy of gopsusports.com.

Steroids On Campus?

USA Today Sports Weekly columnist Dana Heiss Grodin tries to get some answers about steroid use in college baseball.

PSU-Delaware Preview

Nate Heckenberger of the Daily Collegian gives us this preview of the Nittany Lions weekend against the Blue Hens.

Friday, March 18, 2005

TGIF

It's the weekend. Finally. For some national perspective, Will Kimmey provides his weekend preview here. From a Big Ten angle, let's see who is on the schedule.

Minnesota: Rutgers
Indiana: Vermont, Kent State
Purdue: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Ohio State: Northern Iowa, Bucknell, Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Iowa: Illinois-Chicago
Michigan State: Bradley
Northwestern: St. Francis, Cornell
Penn State: Delaware
#22 Michigan: Ohio
Illinois: Miami (Ohio)

You may note a number of schools that have made some big news in the Big Dance are on the slate. Vermont, Bucknell and Wisconsin-Milwaukee all posted opening round upsets in the hoops tourney. I can only hope that their baseball teams are quite as successful.

As I didn't get around to posting this information until Saturday morning, a quick recap of Friday's action is in order.

Rutgers 13 Minnesota 2 (Box)
Matt Fornasiere led the Gophers with a hit, run and RBI. Steve Hook drove in three for the Scarlet Knights.

Vermont 5 Indiana 3 (Box)
The Catamounts managed to slow down the IU bats. Corby Heckman pushed across two Hoosier runs. Raymond Montanez hit walk-off homer to win it for Vermont.

Texas A &M-Corpus Christi 9 Purdue 2 (Box)
Mitch Hilligoss and John Hunter had four of the Boilers' six hits. Josh Mitchell pitched a complete game of TAMUCC.

Ohio State 11 Northern Iowa 3 (Box)
Paul Farinacci collected four RBI and Jedidiah Stephen drove home two, scored twice and had two hits. Trent Luyster improved to 3-1. The game marked the return of All-America candidate Steve Caravati. The Buckeye outfielder had two hits and two RBI.

Illinois-Chicago 2 Iowa 1, 10 innings (Box)
Ryan Zink pitched a ten inning complete game for UIC. Zink allowed ten hits, but fanned nine Hawkeyes and walked none. Andy Lytle's three hits paced Iowa's offense.

Caravati's return is the news of the day. I expect OSU, who was a pretty good hitting club anyway, to really start to post some big numbers with Caravati back in the lineup.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

NCBWA: Michigan # 22

Michigan moved up eight spots in the NCBWA poll. The Wolverines are now ranked twenty-second in the nation. Both Minnesota and Ohio State continue to garner votes in the weekly poll, as well. For a look at the entire poll, click here.

Online With Stanford's Mayberry

ESPNU, the new college-only network from the media giant, had this interview with Stanford's John Mayberry, Jr. I know Stanford's not in the Big Ten, but I really need to post more about college baseball in general, so you get this.

As an additional note of little interest to you, I know that I am really old as I remember John Mayberry, Sr. as a Kansas City Royal. In the Seventies.

Midweek Meanderings

As I try to decide if I like Vermont over Syracuse and do I have the courage to pick Utah State over Arizona, let's take a peek around the Big Ten to see what I've been missing on the diamond over the last day or two.

The most obvious thing is that Indiana is still white hot. The Hoosiers just pounded on Illinois State Tuesday, 17-7. I'll bet IU supporters wish their football team scored as much as the baseball squad does. Corby Heckman led the way with four hits, three runs scored and two RBI. Zach Boswell plated four runs the old fashioned way. He hit a grandslam. Nearly every Hoosier is raking at the moment and it shows. (Here is the boxscore.)

Purdue's brutal non-conference slate continues in Texas. The Boilermakers lost to Rice, 9-1. Neal Gorka continues to shine through the losses. Gorka had two more hits vs. the Owls. Here is the boxscore. Purdue faces Lamar today. I give the Purdue administration points for courage for scheduling the programs they have this year.

Minnesota returned to the win column with a 10-6 triumph over Minnesota-Duluth. Andy Hunter paced the Gophers attack with three hits. Minnesota plays St. Cloud today. (I thought it was St. Cloud State? Remind me to check on that.)

A quick peek at the upcoming schedule reveals that this weekend doesn't feature quite as many big-time match-ups as previous weekends. Although, as the Big Ten struggles with strength of schedule questions, RPI rankings, national perception and the like, the programs of the conference had best just polish off all opponents regardless of their stature.

Good luck to all the Big Ten schools in the Big Dance.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Number Crunching

The Big Ten has posted its official statistics. Not surprisingly, Indiana has a number of players amongst the conference leaders in a variety of offensive categories. While it's hard to pick just one Hoosier who merits attention over the others, I think Jay Brant's numbers are noteworthy.

Brant is fourth in the conference batting race at .462. He is also fourth in slugging percentage at .712, on-base percentage at .541 (Yeah, his OPS is really good. More on that in a minute.) and tied for fourth in RBI at 12. Brant also leads the Big Ten in runs scored (21), hits (24) and stolen bases (7). Brant, who has junior eligibility, is second in the conference in total bases (37) and doubles (5).

Obviously, a number of Big Ten players deserve some mention. However, Brant's is clearly a player having a dynamic start to the season. To get a look at all the stat leaders click here. On to those OPS figures.

While Brant leads the conference in a number of categories, it is Iowa's Andy Cox who currently paces the Big Ten in OPS. The Hawkeyes' senior has an OPS of 1.389. Northwestern's Pat McMahon is in second place at 1.287. Third is Ohio State's Jason Zoeller at 1.264. Fourth is last week's leader, Penn State's Matt Lewis at 1.256.

Next comes our Indiana contingent. IU's Brant checks in at 1.253. He is followed by teammate Ryan Parker at 1.238. Seventh in the Big Ten is Neal Gorka of Purdue at 1.216. Joe Kemp, another Hoosier hitter, is eighth overall at 1.188. The Hawkeyes' Andy Lytle (1.167) and Michigan's Kyle Bohm (1.161) round out the top ten.

As always, don't hold me to the OPS numbers, as my math skills are questionable. I may review some pitching number next time. Or I may not.

Three Earn Weekly Award

The Big Ten Conference has named Indiana' Jay Brant and Iowa's Andy Cox as co-Players of the Week. Michigan's Jim Brauer was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. Click here for the link to the conference's press release.

The Hawkeyes' press release can be found here. Michigan's official kudos to Brauer can be found here. Nothing on the Hoosiers' site about Brant's honor as of yet.

Monday, March 14, 2005

Monday Games

Indiana 8 Yale 0 (Box)
Another day, another offensive explosion for IU. Jay Brant goes 4 for 5 and Joe Kemp gets two hits, two runs and two RBI. Brad Davidson (2-0) pitches seven innings allowing no runs, five hits and a single walk. The freshman lefhander also struck out six.

Iowa 20 Rider 4 (Box)
The Hawkeyes Hit Machine keeps pouding away, as well. Nate Yoho and Andy Cox each went yard twice. Yoho drove in five, Cox added three RBI. Tim Gudex didn't allow an earned run in six innings. It was Gedux' first win of the year.

The Hawkeyes have one more game today. They finish their doubleheader versus North Florida.

Michigan Moves Up

The University of Michigan moved up to number twenty-three in Collegiate Baseball's poll. The Wolverines (8-3) are not in Baseball America's or the USA Today Sports Weekly/ESPN polls. However, the USA Today Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches poll does have Michigan getting ten votes, one more than last week.

Overall, Texas has become the consensus number one team in the land. To get a look at all the polls, sans the NCBWA model, click on the links below. I'll add the writers' version when it becomes available.

USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll
Baseball America Top 25
Collegiate Baseball

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Sunday Recaps

#29 Michigan 9 Central Connecticut State 0 (Box)
Wolverines' 2B Chris Getz stayed red hot going three for five. Brad Roblin went three for four with two RBI. Mike Schmidt homered and Derek Feldkamp got the win.

Illinois 1 Texas-Arlington 0 (7th inning)
Dusty Bensko homered for the lone tally thus far.

#1 Texas 7 Purdue 0 (7th inning)
Texas DH Calvin Beamon is three for three.

#16 Florida 10 Michigan State 0 (Box)
The Gators sweep MSU. Florida hit three homers and Stephen Locke moved to 3-0 on the year. The Spartans' Adam Tripp went two for four.

Update:
Illinois 3 Texas-Arlington 2, 10 innings (Box)
Bensko ended up 3 for 5 as did Trevor Huisinga. Joel Barickman got the win in relief for Illinois.

Iowa 16 Rider 2 (Box)
Andy Lytle, Skylar Moss and Andy Cox each homered for the Hawkeyes. Nate Yoho went 3 for 4 and Casey O'Rourke improved to 2-0 on the year going seven innings while allowing one walk and six hits.

Indiana 14 Bucknell 4 (Box)
Hoosier 2B Jay Brant led the twenty-one hit IU attack going five for five. Ryan Parker hit his third HR and knocked in four runs. Reggie Watson, Joe Kemp and Zach Boswell each had three hits a piece. Brian Lortz started and earned his first victory of 2005.

#1 Texas 8 Purdue 0 (Box)
Neal Gorka went three for four in a losing effort. P Kyle McCulloch improved to 4-1 for Texas. Beamon and Thomas Incaviglia each had two RBI for the Longhorns.

Harvard 9 Minnesota 1 (Box)
Schuyler Mann went five for five with two RBI and scored three times for Harvard. David Hrncirik's three hits were the highlight of the Gophers' offense.

A quick review of the non-conference standings after weekend play shows Indiana atop the Big Ten at 9-3. The Hoosiers are followed by #29 Michigan at 8-3. Then, it's Illinois (5-3), Penn State (5-5), Ohio State (4-4), Michigan State (5-6), Iowa (3-4), Northwestern (4-6), Minnesota (2-7) and Purdue (1-8).

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Saturday Scores

Illinois 4 Texas-Arlington 2 (Box)
Chad Frk, Dusty Bensko and Mike Rohde each had two hits. Jimmy Conroy yielded seven hits in seven innings. Conroy got the win Jake Toohey the save.

Indiana 12 Bowling Green 2 (Box)
Joe Kemp had three hits and four RBI to pace the Hoosier attack. Josh Lewis won his second game against no losses by allowing five hits and striking out seven in eight innings.

Iowa 13 Toledo 9 (Box)
Andy Lytle hit a walk off grandslam to win it for Iowa.

#16 Florida 13 Michigan State 2 (Box)
Jared Kubin had two hits and three RBI for the Gators. Sean Walker led the Spartans with two hits.

#29 Michigan 6 Lamar 1 (5th inning)
Matt Butler has three hits and Chris Getz has two for Michigan.

#24 Louisiana-Lafayette 2 Minnesota 0 (6th inning)
Gophers have mustered just three hits so far.

Bradley 4 Ohio State 3 (Box)
The Braves scored four unearned runs on three eighth inning Buckeye errors. Cody Caughenbaugh and Jason Zoeller each got a hit, run and RBI for OSU.

#1 Texas 8 Purdue 6 (Box)
The Boilermakers hung tough today, but the 'Horns continue to be just too much. Eric Osborn had three RBI for Purdue and Neal Gorka pounded out two more hits. Texas' Drew Stubbs went yard twice and pushed across three runs.

Penn State vs. Gonzaga
Server problems have foiled my attempts to get a score on this game. I'll try again later.

Update:
Lamar 7 #29 Michigan 6 (Game 1-Box)
All-America candidate Chris Getz went 4 for 4 and Kyle Bohm had three hits and three RBI for Michigan. Michael Ambort hit his fifth homer of the year for Lamar.

#29 Michigan 11 Lamar 1 (Game 2-Box)
The Wolverines get revenge for their Game 1 loss. Jim Brauer (2-0) fanned nine Cardinals in seven innings. 2B Getz and CF Matt Butler ended the game with three hits a piece.

#24 Louisiana-Lafayette 3 Minnesota 2 (10 innings) (Box)
Kevin Ardoin struck out 11 Gopher batters in seven innings, but the win went to Kraig Schambough in relief. Jeremy Chlan went two for four for Minnesota. Phillip Hawke had thee hits for ULL. Dallas Morris drove in the winner in the tenth.

Ohio State 15 Rider 9 (Box)
Well, I messed this one up. The score I posted was, apparently, not a final. My apologies. The Buckeye bats awoke in the second game of the doubleheader. Ohio State 2B Jason Zoeller went five for six with three runs scored and three RBI. 3B Ronnie Bourquin went three for four with two runs and two RBI.

Gonzaga 8 Penn State 6 (Box)
The 'Zags had four hitters with two hits a piece. PSU finished the Johnny Quik Classic Tournament in fourth place. Both P Craig Clark and OF Matt Lewis made the all-tournament team.

Friday, March 11, 2005

National Weekend Preview

Will Kimmey of Baseball America previews this weekend's action around the nation including the big, big series between defending national champion Cal State Fullerton and Tulane. The Titans are currently ranked third in BA's poll, while the Wave are #1 according to the publication.

Live Updates

Ohio State 15 North Florida 9 (Bottom of the seventh inning)
Jason Zoeller and Jedidiah Stephen each have three RBI a piece for OSU.

#29 Michigan 12 New York Tech 4 (Bottom of the fifth inning)
U of M cleanup hitter Kyle Bohm has five RBI thus far.

Update:
OSU's Ronnie Borquin just went deep. OSU 16 UNF 9 (Ninth inning)

Update2:
It appears OSU has held on to win 16-10 over North Florida. It's kind of hard to tell on CSTV's Gametracker, but I count three outs in the bottom of the ninth, which sounds like a Buckeyes win to me.

Update3:
New York Tech posted five runs in the bottom of the ninth, but Michigan held on to win 14-9.

Michigan is also batting in the top of the ninth, with the bases loaded, and leads 13-4 over NYIT. Bohm's five RBI come via two homers.

Update4:
Ohio State 16 North Florida 10 (Box)
As I guessed earlier, the Buckeyes held off UNF. Trent Luyster got the win. Zoeller, Stephen and Borquin all hit big flies for OSU.

#29 Michigan 14 New York Tech 9 (Box)
The Wolverines survived a late scare and beat New York Tech 14-9. NYIT plated five runs in the bottom of the ninth. See

#1 Texas 9 Purdue 1 (Box)
In a game completed just a few minutes ago, the top ranked Longhorns handled Purdue.

Texas-Arlington 5 Illinois 1 (Box)
Apparently, Texas is not the place for the Big Ten to play in today. Chris Robinson and Trevor Huisinga each had two hits for the Illini. UTA's Michael Gardner got the victory. The Mavs Daniel Macha went three for three and scored twice.

#16 Florida 17 Michigan State 1 (Box)
UF's Bryan Ball (4-0) allowed only one run in eight innings. Brian Leclerc hit a grandslam and Gator freshman Jared Kubin collected three hits and three RBI. Ryan Sontag drove home the lone MSU score.

Minnesota 4 St. John's 2 (Box)
A two run first inning and another two runs in the third were all Minnesota needed. Matt Fornasiere had three Gopher hits and scored twice. Mike Mee hit his first HR of the year. Matt Loberg got the win, Joh Gaub was credited with his first save of 2005.

San Francisco 6 Penn State 1 (Box)
The Nittany Lions fall to 4-5. They will play in the third place game of the Johnny Quik Classic tomorrow against an opponent yet to be determined.

Thursday, March 10, 2005

PSU Wins, MSU Losses

Penn State 13 Southern Utah 2 (Box)
The Nittany Lions improved to 4-4 with today's win at the Johnny Quik Tournament. All the PSU starters got a hit. Conference batting leader Matt Lewis homered. Steve Cline picked up the win.

Toledo 8 Michigan State 7 (11 innings) (Box)
Adam Tripp and Troy Krider each had two hits and three RBI in the losing effort. Dan Ruth and Travis Pilewski had two RBi a piece for the Rockets. Toledo's Greg Gomph won in relief.

Weekend Links

A week after dropping a three game set to #17 Mississippi, Purdue's stern pre-conference road trip continues this weekend in Austin, Texas. The Boilermakers get a series with the nation's top ranked Longhorns beginning tomorrow. BTH obviously wishes Purdue all the best as they stare down UT.

Michigan State has a large opportunity, as well, this weekend. The Spartans head to Gainesville to face #16 Florida in a three game set. Penn State's schedule will be determined day-to-day, as the Nittany Lions continue the Johnny Quik Tournament in California.

Here are the links to all the Big Ten opponents this weekend.

FRIDAY
#29 Michigan vs. New York Tech
Penn State vs. TBA
Purdue @ #1 Texas
Ohio State vs. North Florida
St. John's @ Minnesota
Michigan State @ #16 Florida
Illinois vs. Texas-Arlington

SATURDAY
#29 Michigan @ Lamar
Penn State vs. TBA
Purdue @ #1 Texas
Ohio State vs. Bradley
Ohio State vs. Rider
#24 Louisiana-Lafayette @ Minnesota
Michigan State @ #16 Florida
Iowa vs. Toledo
Illinois @ Texas-Arlington
Indiana vs. Bowling Green

SUNDAY
Illinois @ Texas-Arlington
Indiana vs. Bucknell
Iowa vs. Rider
#29 Michigan vs. Central Connecticut State
Michigan State @ #16 Florida
Purdue @ #1 Texas
Harvard @ Minnesota

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Catching Up On Scores

I haven't been quite as diligent about keeping on top of scores the last few days. My apologies to all. Here are the recaps I've missed.

Monday
Penn State 6 Monmouth 3 (Box)
PSU's Joe Blackburn remains hot. The catcher's three run homer powers the Nittany Lions to a win in the Johnny Quik Classic.

Tuesday
Gonzaga 14 Penn State 6 (Box)
The Lewis and Blackburn Road Show continues. Matt Lewis collects three hits and Joe Blackburn hits his third homerun of the year, but PSU falls 14-6 to Gonzaga.

Michigan State 10 Campbell 6 (Box)
Tony Clausen and Ryan Basham each went yard twice as the Spartans downed the Camels. Clausen had five RBI, Basham four.

Indiana vs. Xavier, ppd.
Another game lost to bad weather.

Wednesday
Penn State 7 Dallas Baptist 5 (Box)
The Nittany Lions blow a 4-0 lead, but bounce back to overtake Dallas Baptist. Craig Clark pitches seven scoreless innings for PSU (3-4).

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

NCBWA: Michigan # 29

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 35 Poll has Michigan (5-2) ranked twenty-ninth in the nation. Ohio State (2-3) and Minnesota (1-5) were the only other Big Ten schools receiving votes in this week's survey. Texas maintained the top spot overall with the writers. Click here to get a look at the complete poll.

Monday, March 07, 2005

OPS Leaders

I'm no stat geek. Really. I'm not. However, one of the Bill James-era stats I do like is OPS-on base plus slugging percentage. As the number of games increased, I decided it was time to see how some of the Big Ten hitters' OPS numbers looked like. This is by no means definitive information, as I only reviewed some of the league's other stat leaders, but here is what I found.

Penn State's Matt Lewis, who leads the conference in batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage, has an OPS of 1.478. Which, surprise, surprise, leads the Big Ten. Neal Gorka of Purdue is in second at 1.315. Pat McMahon, Northwestern's catcher, comes in third at 1.287. Ryan Parker of Indiana has an OPS of 1.272, good for fourth in the Big Ten. Joe Blackburn, Lewis' Nittany Lion teammate, comes in fifth at 1.272.

Again, I wouldn't exactly be quoting this data all around town. I didn't run down every single player's numbers and I studied journalism and history, not any form of math, in college. So, there's a decent chance I messed something up. However, I do find this data interesting, so I figured I would share it with the both of you.

Polls Are Out; Michigan Is In

The polls are out. Well, as usual, three of the four polls are available online at this time on Monday. After their tremendous weekend, Michigan has garnered some national attention and claimed a spot in one ranking.

Coach Rich Maloney's squad cracked Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Top 30 by defeating former top ten teams Georgia and North Carolina on successive days. The Wolverines (5-2)check in at number twenty-four.

I have conflicting information on the Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll. The one I've linked to below does not list Michigan under "Others Receiving Votes". However, the poll emailed to me indicates the Wolverines got nine points in this week's survey. While I think they should have mustered more than just nine tallies, which probably puts them around a number forty ranking (give or take a couple of spots), it's a start.

Baseball America doesn't have U of M ranked and doesn't reveal all the schools that get votes. I continue to wait for the NCBWA Poll to pop up at their site.

Here is a look at the three polls. Texas and Tulane continue their battle for the consensus number one ranking.

Baseball America's Top 25
Collegiate Baseball Top 30
Sports Weekly/ESPN Top 25 Coaches'


Both the Wolverines and Ohio State's fine showing at the Keith LeClair Classic were the subject of Baseball America's Will Kimmey's College Weekend Recap. The Buckeyes (2-3) were probably a win away from getting votes in the polls, as well. Regardless, you know the Big Ten had a great weekend when they get this kind of ink at BA.

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Sunday Review

Some details of today's contests remain unavailable, like box scores. I'll add them as I come across them. It's wasn't a great day overall for the conference, but Michigan did post its second straight triumph over a top ten opponent. BTH salutes the Wolverines on their fine weekend performance.

Illinois 1 Sam Houston State 1 (14 innings) (Box)
Jimmy Conroy and Jake Toohey were the stories for Illinois. The pitched 13 2/3 scoreless innings, but Illini could not muster enough offense to capture a win.

Indiana 16 Arkansas-Little Rock 0 (Box)
Jay Brant had four hits and four RBI. Ryan Parker had three hits and three RBI. Brad Davidson earned his first win of the year.

Southwest Missouri State 8 Iowa 7 (12 innings) (Box)
Iowa catcher Kris Welker was two for five.

Michigan 1 #10 North Carolina 0 (Box)
For the second day in a row, OF Matt Butler drove home the winning run. Butler's lone RBI today, was his second straight game winner versus a top ten opponent.

Michigan State 19 Brown 7 (Box)
MSU's Erik Morris had four hits and three RBI. Adam Tripp had three hits and stole two bases. Tony Clausen drove in four Spartan runs on three hits. Craig Brookes went four innings to claim the win.

Pepperdine 15 Minnesota 2 (Box)
The Gophers closed out the Dairy Queen Classic at 1-2. I should have more details on this game later.

Cal State Northridge 11 Northwestern 8 (Box)
Jon Mikrut and Antonio Mule hit homers, but the Wildcats lost a shootout. John Voita hit two homers for the Matadors, driving in three. Jeff Tezak had four hits in five at bats for the winners.

Arizona State 3 Ohio State 0 (Box)
Dan DeLucia allowed only one run in six innings of work, posting the second strong pitching performance in a row for the Bucks, but ASU's pitching was just a bit better. Pat Bresenhan got his first win for the Sun Devils. Cody Caughenbaugh had two OSU hits.

#17 Mississippi 13 Purdue 6 (Box)
Freshman SS Zach Cozart hit a grandslam for Ole Miss. Anthony Cupps (3-1) won the game for the Rebels. Andy Dahl had three hits for the Boilers. A.J. Prickel and Eric Wolfe each had two runs batted in for Purdue.



Saturday, March 05, 2005

Saturday Recap

Southwest Missouri State 8 Iowa 6 (Box)
L.J. Mims had two hits and two of the Hawkeyes RBI. Zach Harris had three hits and Matt Weglarz had three RBI for SWMS. The series concludes with the rubber game on Sunday afternoon.

Michigan 6 #8 Georgia 4 (Box)
Matt Butler hit a walkoff two run homer to lead Michigan over the eighth ranked Bulldogs. Kyle Bohm had three more hits and Chris Getz had two hits, scored a run and drove in another for the Wolverines. Drew Taylor notched the win in relief. Clayton Richard, Michigan's back-up quarterback, made his college debut. Richard pitched a scoreless inning, allowing one hit.

As a bonus, Baseball America's Michael Walby took photos of the game. Mgoblue.com has a photo gallery here.

North Florida 12 Michigan State 4 (Box)
A.J. Tripp went 2 for 4 with a homerun and driving in two of the Spartans four runs. I can't find a boxscore, yet. I'll post it when I do.

Ohio State 2 #10 North Carolina 1 (Box)
The Buckeyes posted the Big Ten's other big upset at the Keith LeClair Classic. The victory over UNC was OSU's first over a top 25 opponent since 2003. In a game dominanted by pitching, Trent Luyster went six innings, allowing only one run and yielding only a single walk, to claim the win. Trey Fausnaugh pitched 2.2 innings to get the save. Buckeye CF Matt Angle was the only player on either squad to get more than one safety. Angle was 2 for 2.

Minnesota 3 #5 South Carolina 0 (Bottom of the first inning)
Jake Elder has a RBI double and Andy Hunter followed him with a two run double and the Gophers have moved out in front of the fifth ranked Gamecocks.

For those wondering, I haven't been able to track down a Northwestern-Cal State Northridge, Indiana-Centenary or Illinois-Texas Pan American update. I'll try again later.

With two huge upsets over nationally ranked opposition, this has been a big day for the Big Ten. BTH congratulates both Michigan and Ohio State on their triumphs today. We also hope the Gophers can make it three-for-three in posting upset wins.

Update:
#5 South Carolina 7 Minnesota 3 (Top of the fifth inning)
The Gamecocks come roaring back with three runs in the second, two each in the third and fourth to pull ahead of the Golden Gophers.

Update2:
Cal State Northridge 16 Northwestern 0 (Box)
Probably the less said about this one, the better. OF Michael Paulk knocked out two homers and drove in five for the winners.

Northwestern 9 Cal State Northridge 5 (Box)
Pat McMahon goes yard twice for the Wildcats. George Kontos moved his record to 2-1 with the win.

Illinois 3 Texas-Pan American 0 (Box)
Brian Blomquist, who was the conference's pitcher of the week, tossed a complete game shutout. Blomquist yielded only one walk and two hits. The righthander is now 2-0. Toby Gardenhire drove in two Illini' runs.

Centenary 11 Indiana 3 (Box)
Corby Heckman had three more hits and two RBI, but IU fell to the Gents. Joe Kemp continued his strong play with two more hits. Justin Darr had three RBI for Centenary.

#5 South Carolina 13 Minnesota 6 (Box)
A disappointing home loss for the Gophers. Steven Tolleson had four hits for the Gamecocks. Zac McCamie overcame the three run first for Minnesota to pitch six innings while striking out eight Gopher batters. McCamie is now 4-0 on the year.

#17 Mississippi 20 Purdue 7 (Box)
Stephen Head, the starter and winner for Ole Miss, went two for four with four RBI and scored three runs. Head and teammate Brian Pettway, who also had four RBI, each hit their fourth homeruns of the year. Mitch Hilligoss went four for five and scored twice in the Purdue loss.

Friday, March 04, 2005

Friday Night Scores

Indiana 9 Arkansas-Little Rock 4 (Box)
IU's Jay Brant homered and drove in two runs helping the Hoosiers to a win against UALR. Joe Kemp, the Big Ten's Player of the Week, collected two hits and two RBI. 3B Corby Heckman was four for five with a run scored and a RBI. Josh Lewis notched the win for IU.

Iowa 11 Southwest Missouri State 1 (Box)
Hawkeye OF Nate Yoho homered, scored three times, drove in two and stole a base in Iowa's first win of 2005. Kris Welker also homered and Jason White drove in three runs on two hits for the Hawkeyes. Starter Casey O'Rourke won and Luke O'Laughlin got the save.

East Carolina 2 Michigan 1 (Box)
Michal Penn went 7.2 innings, but the Wolverines couldn't overcome an eighth inning ECU tie-breaking run. 1B Kyle Bohm had two hits for Michigan.

Northwestern @ Cal State Northridge PPD, rain.
The teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow.

#8 Georgia 4 Ohio State 3 (Box)
The Buckeyes scored first and last, but the eighth ranked Bulldogs won behind homers from Josh Morris and Derek Smith. SS Jedidiah Stephen drove in two OSU runs. Wes Schirtzinger had two hits and the other Buckeye RBI.

Texas-San Antonio 8 Illinois 4 (Box)
Free passes hurt Illinois today. The Illini walked five and hit three USTA batters. Drew Davidson hit his third homerun for Illinois while Dusty Bensko, J.R. Kyes, Chad Frk and Ryan Rogowski each had two hits a piece. No box score of this contest is available yet. Well, I can't find one anyway.

Minnesota 2 New Orleans 0 (Bottom of the fifth inning)
This game is in progress. Click here to follow live action stats. I can't get the audio link to work, though.

Purdue @ #17 Mississippi
I have yet to track down an update score. Hopefully, I'll find something shortly.

Update: Minnesota's Jake Elder just cranked a three run jack and the Gophers now lead UNO 5-0. Elder has four RBI thus far.

Update2:
Michigan State 11 Western Michigan 8 (Box)
Ryan Basham goes 2 for 3 with a homer and two State RBI.

#17 Mississippi 14 Purdue 3 (Box)
Purdue OF Neal Gorka pushed his average to .643 with two more hits, but the Rebels routed the Boilermakers. Chris Coghlan had three hits, scored four times and drove in two runs for Mississippi. Mark Holliman fanned ten Purdue batters in seven innings, allowing only two runs and earning the win.

Minnesota 7 New Orleans 0
I followed this one most of the night. The Gophers were in control throughout.

Indiana 4 Centenary 3 (Box)
Freshman Chris McCombs won in relief for Indiana. Corby Heckman banged out two more hits in the second game of the doubleheader. Heckman had six hits in the twinbill.

Thursday, March 03, 2005

On Deck: Weekend Preview

The Big Ten gets to take on some top 25 programs again this weekend. #5 South Carolina, #8 Georgia, #10 North Carolina and #17 Mississippi all take on Big Ten opposition over the next three days.

Minnesota gets a home date against the fifth ranked Gamecocks (courtesy of the Metrodome and the Dairy Queen Classic), Purdue visits the #17 Rebels for a three game series, while Michigan and Ohio State each get to battle against the eighth ranked Bulldogs and #10 Tar Heels.

Here is a look at the complete weekend schedule. The rankings are from the USA Today Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll.

Friday
Illinois vs. Texas-San Antonio
Indiana @ Centenary
Indiana @ Arkansas-Little Rock
Iowa @ Southwest Missouri State
Michigan @ East Carolina
Michigan State vs. Western Michigan
New Orleans @ Minnesota
Northwestern @ Cal State Northridge
Ohio State vs. (#8) Georgia
Purdue @ (#17) Mississippi

Saturday
Illinois vs. Texas-Pan American
Indiana @ Centenary
Iowa @ Southwest Missouri State
Michigan vs. (#8) Georgia
Michigan State @ North Florida
(#5) South Carolina @ Minnesota
Northwestern @ Cal State Northridge
Ohio State vs. (#10) North Carolina
Purdue @ (#17) Mississippi

Sunday
Illinois vs. Sam Houston State
Indiana vs. Arkansas-Little Rock
Iowa @ Southwest Missouri State
Michigan vs. (#10) North Carolina
Michigan State vs. Brown
Pepperdine @ Minnesota
Northwestern @ Cal State Northridge
Ohio State vs. Arizona State
Purdue @ (#17) Mississippi

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Blomquist, Kemp Named Players of the Week

Illinois pitcher Brian Blomquist and Indiana OF Joe Kemp were named the Big Ten Conference's Players of the Week. Here is the conference's press release. The Illinois press release on Blomquist is here and IU's press release on Kemp's honor can be found by clicking here. BTH tosses in our congratulations to this week's honorees.

IU/Butler Game Postponed

The Indiana vs. Butler game slated for this afternoon was postponed. Bad weather moved this game to Thursday, March 10. Here is the IU press release.

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Michigan Drops Slugfest, 17-12

St. John's University handed Michigan (3-1) their first loss of the year with a 17-12 triumph today. Unfortunately, I have yet to track down a boxscore or game summary yet. I'll post one or both when I uncover them.

Update: Here is a belated box score. The Michigan version of the recap is also available. The Wolverines cranked out three homers and Chris Getz had three hits, but it wasn't enough.