Rogers Grades Big Ten

It's report card time. Kendall Rogers of Rivals/Yahoo grades the Big Ten programs.

Putting A Bow On It

I didn't want to leave all of yesterday's negativity atop the blog, so how about we take a couple of minutes and share some of the positives from the 2009 season? Here are just a few highlights.

• Three teams -- Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio State -- make the NCAA Tournament field.
• Indiana's romp through the Big Ten Tournament.
• The entertaining race for the regular season crown that came down to the final day of the season before OSU claimed it.
• Minnesota's road wins at places like TCU and Dallas Baptist.
• Illinois' series win at Louisiana State.
• Ohio State's win at Miami (FL).
• No-hitters from Ohio State's Alex Wimmers and Michigan State's Nolan Moody.
• MSU opening a renovated McLane Stadium.
• Indiana's Eric Arnett amongst the finalists for National Pitcher of the Year.
• Two Big Ten catchers -- Indiana's Josh Phegley and Ohio State's Dan Burkhart -- vying for the Johnny Bench Award.
• Derek McCallum, of Minnesota, in the running for the Dick Howser Trophy.

This season also featured one of the better crop of freshmen I can recall. Alex Dickerson (Indiana), Willie Argo (Illinois), Jordan Steranka (Penn State), AJ Pettersen (Minnesota), Eric Charles (Purdue) and Tony Bucciferro (Michigan State) were just a few of the first-year players making an immediate impact.

Yes, the season came to an abrupt and rather painful conclusion, but the year overall was far from a disappointment. In looking at the success of both teams and individuals, one could argue that it was one of the better baseball seasons around the Big Ten in recent history. Let's not lose sight of that after a weekend of lopsided defeats.

All-Conference Questions

Over the years, I've been asked for my opinion about the selections for the All-Big Ten teams. Invariably, someone feels a player (or players) from their program has been overlooked and is seeking my two cents. These questions usually come from fans or parents. This year, I'm the one with the inquiries.

The longer I read yesterday's press release, the more my head began to tilt like a dog's. You know the look. Where the pooch gives you that strange, almost confused expression while leaning his/her head off to a side.

Nearly a day after the press release was issued, I'm still kind of lost as to the thinking behind some of the selections. Let me start by hitting the highlights (or lowlights, depending on your perspective).

• How is Minnesota's Derek McCallum not the Big Ten's Player of the Year?
• I know Ohio State is very well represented on the teams, but I'm not quite sure I can justify the absence of Drew Rucinski, Matt Streng and most notably, Zach Hurley.
• Just how important is batting average to the coaches? In some ways, it appears to me that the coaches simply honored players based solely on their batting average.
• Isn't it time to release the vote totals?
• How can Chauncy Handran, of Minnesota, get left off?
• And what of Michigan State's weekend starters -- Nolan Moody, A.J. Achter and Tony Bucciferro?
• I think it's cool the coaches opted for twin first-team catchers, as the numbers between Indiana's Josh Phegley and Ohio State's Dan Burkhart were nearly identical. However, instead of leaving Illinois' Aaron Johnson on the third team how about bumping him up to second team and lauding a player like MSU's Eric Roof or Minnesota's Kyle Knudson?

Like I said, I've got questions. And don't fool yourself. My questions don't stop there. I'll come clean and tell you that I feel the coaches didn't exactly get an "A" in the selection of the outfielders. On any team. (Oh, they may have some of the right names, but not in the right places.)

Now, there's a great possibility I'm alone on this island. Perhaps, I'm the only one that thinks this year's voting was a bit more suspect than usual. We all know that I'm wrong as often as I am right. Yet, I am curious if any of you found this year's all-conference selections interesting. Feel free to leave your comments (not that I generally have to encourage any of you to do that).

Big Ten Announces Awards

The Big Ten Conference announced their award winners today. Ohio State's Dan Burkhart captured the Player of the Year Award. Indiana's Eric Arnett and Ohio State's Alex Wimmers were co-Pitchers of the Year. Alex Dickerson, of Indiana, was named as the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year. Ohio State's Bob Todd was tabbed as Coach of the Year.

In addition, the Big Ten released their three all-conference teams and, for the first time, selected an all-freshman side.

Buckeyes Are Champs; Purdue Makes Tourney

(29) Ohio State's 8-6 victory over Iowa combined with Minnesota's 10-8 loss to Penn State gives the Buckeyes the Big Ten's regular season crown and the number one seed in the conference tournament. Minnesota finishes second.

Indiana fell to Michigan State this afternoon, 7-3, and comes in third place. Illinois is fourth. Purdue dropped the Illini this afternoon, 12-8. The win gives the Boilermakers the sixth seed and Michigan State remains in fifth place.

Northwestern bounced Michigan twice today. NU captured the opener, 10-6. The Wildcats took the second game, 6-5.

Here's the final standings:
1. Ohio State 18-6
2. Minnesota 17-6
3. Indiana 16-7
4. Illinois 16-8
5. Michigan State 13-11
6. Purdue 11-12
7. Michigan 9-15
8. Penn State 8-16
9. Northwestern 5-17
10. Iowa 4-19

Here's how the first two days of the conference tournament look.

Wednesday
Game 1: (4) Illinois vs. (5) Michigan State
Game 2: (3) Indiana vs. (6) Purdue

Thursday
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
Game 4: Highest seeded Game 1/2 Winner vs. Minnesota
Game 5: Lowest seeded Game 1/2 Winners vs. Ohio State

Illini, Hoosiers Strike First

Both Illinois and Indiana posted wins this afternoon and kept the pressure on Minnesota. Illinois beat Purdue, 6-3. Freshman Willie Argo's three hits and four RBI led Illinois.

Indiana kept pace by dropping Michigan State, 6-1. The star in Bloomington is Matt Bashore. The IU lefty tossed eight shutout innings allowing just three hits and one walk. Bashore also struck out 10 Spartans.

The game between Michigan and Northwestern has been postponed. That means a doubleheader for the two teams tomorrow. The twinbill in Evanston starts at 11 am. (That's CST. It's noon for those of us on Eastern Standard Time.)

Iowa and Ohio State begin at 6:35 as does the game between Minnesota and Penn State. The Gophers visit to Happy Valley will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

I'll be back with another update later.

Update (8:55pm EST)

Minnesota holds off Penn State, 4-2. I believe this win does more than just keep the Gophers half-game lead alive. Combined with Illinois' loss yesterday, this Minnesota victory eliminates the Illini from the regular season title chase. By my math, Minnesota will finish with no worse than a .739 winning percentage. Illinois can do no better than .708.

The win also means Indiana can do no better than tie for the conference crown. If the Hoosiers sweep MSU tomorrow, OSU loses and Penn State beats Minnesota, both IU and Minnesota will finish with .739 winning percentages. I would presume that the first tie-breaker is head-to-head play which, unfortunately, also ended in a tie. IU and Minnesota each won a game and the third game was canceled due to weather.

Okay, Big Ten fans, what's the second tie-breaker? If we end up tied, someone's going to be the #1 seed in Columbus.

Speaking of C-bus, Ohio State's in a nail-biter with Iowa, 5-4, in the eighth.

Again, a bit more later when the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes have concluded.

Update (9:20pm EST)

Well, that didn't take too long. The Hawks gave Jake Hale and the Bucks a ninth inning scare, but OSU hangs on to a 5-4 triumph. Let's jump to the standings.

1. Minnesota 17-5
2. Ohio State 17-6
3. Indiana 16-6
4. Illinois 16-7
5. Michigan State 12-11
6. Purdue 10-12
7. Michigan 9-13
8. Penn State 7-16
9. Iowa 4-18
10. Northwestern 3-17

Here are some other things to keep in mind. Michigan State, in spite of falling in Bloomington today, locked up the fifth seed with Purdue's loss to Illinois. The Boilermakers' loss has also left the door open for Michigan to claim the sixth spot.

A Purdue win Saturday, or a Michigan loss, still bounces the Wolverines. However, should Illinois down the Boilers and Michigan takes both games from Northwestern, the Wolverines would sneak into the conference tournament field ahead of Purdue.

The forecast is dicey for both Columbus (70% chance of rain) and State College (70% chance of rain). Thunderstorms are predicted in both locales. Evanston, Bloomington and West Lafayette still run the risk of precipitation through about midday. It should start clearing out by afternoon. (And head straight for C-bus and Happy Valley.)

I wonder if the rain interferes, if the schools (or the conference) will opt for a long-delay in hopes of starting late or if they will cancel and just hold out for a Sunday finale?

The schedule calls for all day games across the board on Saturday.

Enjoy the remainder of your Friday evening.

Update (11:00pm EST)

Yes, I know. I called it a night a while back. Well, I received the answer to my earlier question and decided to run with it now. I was dropped a note that states who wins the tiebreakers between Minnesota and Indiana. (This, of course, presumes Ohio State doesn't step in and win, which no one should presume.) If IU and Minnesota finish in a tie for first and Michigan grabs sixth place, IU takes the tiebreaker.

If those two tie for the top spot and Purdue is the sixth seed, the Gophers win the tiebreaker. Minnesota would also win a tiebreaker with IU for the top seed, if the Boilers and Wolverines were to tie for sixth. (Which can't happen, can it?)

So, not only does the battle for the first place come down to the three teams on top of the standings, but it could come down to the battle for sixth place as well. That seems oddly appropriate. Really what we need with just one day and six games left in the regular season is a few more potential post-season scenarios to keep an eye on.

I'm fairly confident that this will be the final update of the evening. Unless, I get something noteworthy in my email before I turn off the PC.

Down The Stretch They Come

Purdue handed Illinois a setback in their chase for the conference title with a 12-5 win at West Lafayette. The Boilermakers victory also brings them a step closer to securing the sixth and final spot in next week's Big Ten Tournament. Purdue is now 10-11 in conference. Illinois falls to 15-7. Dan Black's three-hit, five-RBI performance led the Boilers attack.

At Bloomington, Jerrud Sabourin hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to lift Indiana to a 6-4 triumph over Michigan State. The Hoosiers are now 15-6 in the Big Ten. MSU is 12-10.

Michigan tried to keep the heat on Purdue by downing Northwestern, 16-6. The Wolverines are now 9-13, the Wildcats fall to 3-17. UM's Mike Dufek hit a pair of homers and drove in four.

(29) Ohio State has jumped all over Iowa early. It's 13-0, Buckeyes in the fourth inning.

In Happy Valley, Minnesota has increased their lead over Penn State to 5-0. It's also the fourth inning at State College. By my math, the Nittany Lions' hopes for the Big Ten Tournament ended with Purdue's win.

More later .....

Update (9:15pmEST)

The Gophers score a run in the top of the ninth to slip past PSU, 7-6. That leaves Minnesota (16-5) atop the Big Ten with two games to play. It's only a half-game lead, but it's a big half-game.

(29) Ohio State cruises to a 13-4 triumph in Columbus. Alex Wimmers dazzles again -- six innings of shutout baseball with 12 K's tossed in for good measure. The win pushes OSU to 16-6 and still hot on the heels of those Gophers.

Here's how the standings look as of tonight:

1. Minnesota 16-5
2. Ohio State 16-6
3. Indiana 15-6
4. Illinois 15-7
5. Michigan State 12-10
6. Purdue 10-11
7. Michigan 9-13
8. Penn State 7-15
9. Iowa 4-17
10. Northwestern 3-17

Yes, tomorrow will be interesting.

All-Weekend Team

I've got plenty to do today and, as you know the drill, let's just jump right into this week's All-Weekend Team.

C: Dan Burkhart, Ohio State - Hit a pair of doubles, homered, scored three runs and collected four RBI on three hits.

1B: Jeff Holm, Michigan State - Did most everything in twos. Two walks, two sacrifice flies, two runs scored and two RBI. Broke the twin streak with three hits in eight at-bats (.375).

2B: Cory Kovanda, Ohio State - Hit .500 (7-for-14) versus Illinois. Scored three times and drove in four more runs.

2B: Tyler Rogers, Indiana - Homered, got hit-by-a-pitch, stole two bases, walked twice, scored two runs and had five RBI. Also hit .500 (4-for-8) over the weekend.

2B: Derek McCallum, Minnesota - Just another ho-hum .462 (six-for-thirteen) three-game set. McCallum doubled, walked three times, scored four runs and drove in five against Michigan.

SS: Tyler Engle, Ohio State - Five hits in twelve AB's (.417) in the big series vs. the Illini. Engle drew two free passes, hit a pair of doubles, homered, drove in three runs and scored five.

3B: Justin Miller, Ohio State - The Buckeyes captain hit .667 (8-for-12) this weekend. Miller doubled, walked twice, went yard twice, scored four runs and had five RBI.

OF: Joe Bonadonna, Illinois - Hit .600 (6-for-10) against the Buckeyes' staff. The Illini leadoff man homered, doubled twice, drew five walks, crossed home three times and drove in seven runs.

OF: Ryan LaMarre, Michigan - The sophomore drove in five runs and scored five more vs. Minnesota. LaMarre also collected five hits in twelve at-bats (.417).

OF: Brandon Haveman, Purdue - The Boilermakers' leadoff man hit .462 (6-for-13) against MSU. Haveman walked, homered, stole a base, drove in two runs and scored five more.

OF: Ryan Durant, Iowa - The junior hit .571 (8-for-14) in three games. Durant walked, doubled, stole a base, drove in a run and scored two.

OF: Evan Crawford, Indiana - Hit .600 (6-for-10) vs. Northwestern. Doubled, drove in a run, walked twice, stole three bases and scored four runs.

BN: Kipp Schutz, Indiana - A .444 (4-for-9) weekend average with a double, two walks, two RBI and three runs scored.

BN: Jake McLouth, Michigan - The Wolverines freshman walked, doubled, homered, got hit-by-a-pitch, scored two runs and had five RBI. McLouth also hit .454 (5-for-11).

BN: Eric Decker, Minnesota - Hit .454 (5-for-11) in Ann Arbor. Decker walked, homered, had two doubles, a RBI and scored four runs.

BN: Mike Deese, Penn State - The PSU designated hitter stole a base, doubled, walked twice, homered twice, scored three runs and had four RBI. Deese also had four hits in thirteen at-bats for a .307 average.

BN: Ryan Dew, Ohio State - Doubled, homered, stole a base, had two RBI, four runs scored and five hits in fourteen at-bats (.357). Dew stays amongst the conference leaders in batting average.

SP: Eric Arnett, Indiana - A complete game W. Arnett surrendered two runs on five hits and six walks while striking out eight. Every win just increases his school record.

SP: Alex Wimmers, Ohio State - 7.2 innings of two-run, six-hit baseball. Wimmers walked two and struck out seven, but didn't get a decision.

SP: Eric Jokisch, Northwestern - Three runs on eight hits and three walks over eight innings of work. Jokisch also fanned eight, but took the loss.

SP: Jarred Hippen, Iowa - Allowed only one earned run over 7.1 innings. Hippen did yield three three unearned runs in total on four hits and five walks, but struck out six. The freshman posted his third win.

BP: Ryan Ignas, Penn State - In two appearances, he collected a win and a save. Tossed a total of three innings allowing four hits, one walk and one run.

BP: David Lutz, Penn State - Made two appearances totaling four innings. He gave up no runs on three hits and a walk. Lutz also K'd five. He picked up his second save of the season.

Per standard operating procedure, you are encouraged to drop me a note informing me of mathematic errors and/or making the case for someone I've missed.

OSU Wins, Gophers Hold Top Spot

(25) Ohio State beat Illinois this afternoon, 12-7. Both sides now have 15-6 records. Minnesota, which lost the final game of their weekend set to Michigan, has a 15-5 mark. The Gophers hold a half-game lead over both the Buckeyes and Illini heading into the last three games of the season.

Indiana improved to 14-6 in completing their sweep over Northwestern. The Hoosiers will need some help, but they remain mathematically in the mix, as well.

Michigan State fell to Purdue Sunday and are now 12-8. The Boilers are next at 8-11. Purdue holds onto the last conference tournament slot. The two teams will wrap up their series Monday afternoon.

Michigan's win over the Gophers put the Wolverines at 8-13 and in seventh spot. Penn State is 7-14, Iowa won and improves to 4-16 while Northwestern falls to 3-16.

Looking ahead to the final series of the regular season, Minnesota will travel to Penn State. Illinois visits Purdue, Iowa invades Ohio State, Indiana hosts Michigan State and Michigan calls on Northwestern.

Gophers Move To Top

Minnesota's 12-5 triumph over Michigan has moved the Gophers into first place in the Big Ten. The Gophers win combined with (25) Ohio State's 10-7 win over Illinois allows Minnesota to claim a half game lead in the conference race. Illinois is second and the Buckeyes are in third place.

Indiana swept a Saturday twinbill with Northwestern, 3-2 and 5-2, keeping the Hoosiers in fourth. Fifth place is held by Michigan State. The Spartans secured a Big Ten Tournament berth with their 6-5 win over Purdue.

The final post-season spot currently belongs to Purdue. The Boilers are at 7-11. Michigan and Penn State are next at 7-13. Northwestern follows at 3-15 and Iowa rounds out the field at 3-16.

Illini Rally To Beat Bucks, Gophers Keep Pace

A three-run bottom of the ninth lifted Illinois past Ohio State, 5-4. The win keeps Illinois atop the Big Ten at 15-4. The loss sends OSU's record in conference to 13-6. Dominic Altobelli homered and had two RBI to lead the Illini. The Buckeyes' Michael Stephens and Dan Burkhart also homered and drove in two runs a piece.

Illinois' Phil Haig and OSU's Alex Wimmers were both good, but neither starting pitcher factored in the decision. John Anderson got the win in relief. Jake Hale took the loss.

Minnesota held off Michigan, 9-5, in Ann Arbor. Gophers' SS AJ Petteren had three hits and three RBI. Derek McCallum also had three RBI for Minnesota. Michigan senior 3B Tim Kalczynski had three hits, including a homer, and three RBI.

Minnesota improved to 14-4 in Big Ten play. Michigan fell to 7-12.

Penn State leads Iowa, 8-5, in the ninth inning. The Nittany Lions have hit five homers thus far. Jordan Steranka, Mike Deese, Rick Marlin and Bobby Jacobs (twice) have all gone yard. Heath is 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.

That's Going To Leave A Mark

There are losses and then there are losses. (25) Ohio State traveled down to Louisville today and promptly got hammered by the Cardinals, 21-5. Normally, at this point, you would expect me to rant about how Big Ten teams are perpetually failing in these midweek endeavors.

While the sentiment rings true, especially for those squads vying for NCAA at-large berths, I'm a bit weary of fighting for truth, justice and equity for northern baseball this week. So, no rant is forthcoming. I'll let the 21 runs speak for themselves.

Michigan did about the same amount of damage as Louisville did. The Wolverines thumped Western Michigan, 20-1. Mike Dufek's 6-for-6, 2 homer, six RBI game is the story from Kalamazoo.

Valparaiso is attempting to make a run at the twenty-run club against Northwestern. Valpo leads NU, 13-2. It's only the fourth inning.

Minnesota has their hands full with North Dakota State. It's 6-5, Gophers, in the eighth.

Illinois leads Western Illinois, 6-1. It's the sixth inning. Dominic Altobelli has three hits and three RBI thus far.

Iowa leads Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 7-3, in the eighth inning. Kurtis Muller has two hits, two runs and two RBI for the Hawkeyes.

The All-Weekend Team

Here's the first All-Weekend Team of May. On this week's side, we have plenty of faces from Illinois, Michigan State and Minnesota. All three swept their weekend sets. Of course, we have Mr. No-Hitter, as well.

C: Aaron Johnson, Illinois - The Illini catcher went six-for-fourteen (.429) with three runs scored and seven RBI in the sweep of Northwestern. Johnson also was added to the Johnny Bench Award (National Catcher of the Year) watch list today. It's much deserved.

C: Kyle Knudson, Minnesota - Hit .583 (7-for-12) in the series against Iowa. Walked four times, scored three runs and had seven RBI.

1B: Jeff Holm, Michigan State - Seven hits in twelve at-bats for the Spartans firstbaseman lands him on this week's squad. Holm walked, stole a base, doubled twice, scored three times and drove in four. Did you know this guy's in the top five in the Big Ten in stolen bases?

2B: Derek McCallum, Minnesota - Hit .500 (7-for-14) in the sweep of Iowa. McCallum walked, stole a base, got hit-by-a-pitch, doubled twice, homered twice, scored six runs and had five RBI. Any wonder why he's in the running for player of the year?

SS: Brandon Wikoff, Illinois - Had nine hits in thirteen at-bats (.692) in three games. Wikoff had a sacrifice fly, a pair of doubles, a pair of walks, crossed home plate six times and drove in seven runs. Wikoff was named as the conference's Player of the Week, as well.

SS: Jonathan Roof, Michigan State - Hit .385 (5-for-13) off Penn State pitching. Roof had a sac fly, steal, five RBI and six runs scored.

3B: Dominic Altobelli, Illinois - A double, homer, seven hits (in fifteen at-bats), four runs scored and five RBI.

OF: Willie Argo, Illinois - Hit .400 (4-for-10) against Northwestern pitching this past weekend. Two homers, two walks, four runs scored and five RBI for the Illini frosh. His last two weeks have him back in the discussion for conference freshman of the year.

OF: Michael Kvasnicka, Minnesota - Six-for-fourteen (.429) for the Gophers' sophomore vs. Iowa. A walk, double, homer, two steals, five runs scored and six RBI.

OF: Ryan Dew, Ohio State - Went seven-for-thirteen (.538) against Michigan. Dew homered, drove in six runs and scored three. Dew's quietly making a run at the batting title.

BN: Dallas Burke, Iowa - The Hawkeyes' freshman hit .615 (8-for-13) vs. Gophers' pitching. Burke doubled, homered, stole a base, walked twice, scored a run and drove in six.

BN: Matt Nohelty, Minnesota - The Gophers' leadoff man had just two hits, but walked eight times in the three games vs. Iowa. The senior got plunked by a pitch, tripled, stole two bases, drove in a run and scored seven times.

BN: A.J. Pettersen, Minnesota - Following Nohelty's lead, the Gophers' freshman scored seven runs in three games. Pettersen walked, got hit by a pair of pitches and drove in four. The shortstop had four hits in thirteen at-bats (.308).

BN: Eric Charles, Purdue - Hit an impressive .636 (seven-for-eleven) vs. Indiana. Charles got hit-by-a-pitch, walked, had two RBI and five runs scored.

BN: Chris Roberts, Michigan State - The Spartans' secondbaseman scored five runs and had four RBI in the sweep over Penn State. Roberts walked, stole a base, had an HBP, homered and went 4-for-12 (.333).

BN: Eric Roof, Michigan State - The catcher hit .444 (four-for-nine) in three games. Roof doubled, walked four times, scored three times and drove in two.

SP: Alex Wimmers, Ohio State - You knew this was coming. Wimmers claimed a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honor and the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award by tossing the first nine-inning no-hitter in Ohio State history. Wimmers allowed only four walks and struck out fourteen in beating Michigan.

SP: Nolan Moody, Michigan State - Eight innings of four-hit, one-run baseball for the Spartans' senior. Moody walked three and fanned nine. The Spartans' Friday starter is a big reason why MSU is having such a surprising season.

SP: Bryan Roberts, Illinois - Improved to 5-2 by posting seven shutout innings. Roberts gave up five hits and three walks while striking out five.

SP: A.J. Achter, Michigan State - One run, but it was unearned, over eight innings make Achter the second MSU pitcher on the AWT. Achter K'd five while giving up eight hits and three walks.

SP: Phil Haig, Illinois - The Illini lefty tossed a complete game victory. Haig gave up two runs, one earned, on just six hits. He struck out three Wildcats.

That's right. No bullpen this week. You are welcome to make your case to add additional pitchers or a closer, or any other spot for that matter, but no other arms caught my attention this past weekend. You also are well aware that I question my own math, so the numbers above could be wrong. Very, very wrong. Again, drop me an email, if I've erred.

As it is May, that means the regular season is rapidly winding down. After this week's AWT, only two more remain. You have my permission to reach for a Kleenex.

Illini Sweep And Take First Place

Tonight's chat at the College Baseball Blog ran long, that late discussion over the NCAA's legislation on scheduling didn't help, so I'm running behind. Let's just quickly recap what's most important and what you probably already know -- the standings.

However, let's keep in mind that the caveats about my math remain. In fact, I would say there's even a better chance than normal that I've made an error. The hour and the fact I've been discussing things like the inequity in college baseball and the need for conference tournaments have probably conspired to limit by ability to think properly.

Illinois swept Northwestern and combined with Michigan's win over Ohio State, took over first place in the Big Ten (14-4). Minnesota (13-4) remains hot on the Illini's heels with a sweep of their own over Iowa. The Buckeyes (13-5), who took two of three from Michigan, are in third.

Indiana's (11-6) lost two of three to Purdue and find themselves in fourth place. Fifth belongs to surprising Michigan State (11-7). The Spartans got to use a broom as well as they took three straight from Penn State. The sixth spot, and final conference tournament slot, belongs to Purdue (7-10).

Michigan (7-11) is seventh, Penn State (5-13) eighth, Northwestern (3-13) ninth and Iowa (3-14) tenth. My apologies if I have misplaced your university in the standings.

Wimmers' No-No Highlights Saturday

Ohio State's Alex Wimmers threw a no-hitter versus Michigan in game one of their doubleheader today. Wimmers tossed the first nine-inning no-hitter in OSU history in leading the Buckeyes past the Wolverines, 6-0. The OSU sophomore walked four, but also struck out fourteen.

Dan Burkhart, Wimmers' high school teammate, cut down three of the four Wolverines that reached base trying to steal. Ryan Dew supplied all the offense Wimmers and the Bucks would need. Dew had a pair of hits, including his fifth dinger of the season, and drove in three runs.

Dew continued to pace the Buckeyes offense in the backend of the twinbill. The OSU designated hitter went 5-for-5 with another homer, two runs scored and two RBI in the 9-6 Buckeyes' triumph. Michael Stephens went 3-for-4 and Dan Burkhart had three RBI. Michigan's Nick Urban and Alan Oaks both drove in two runs.

Illinois won a slugfest with Northwestern, 15-12. Illini OF Pete Cappetta went 4-for-6 with a run scored and four RBI. Dominic Altobelli had three hits, three runs and three RBI. Brandon Wikoff had three hits, three RBI and two runs scored. The Wildcats counter-offensive was led by Tony Vercelli. The NU OF hit a pair of bombs and drove in six. Paul Snieder had three hits including a homer. Chris Lashmet drove in three runs.

In another contest filled with runs, Minnesota pummeled Iowa, 26-9. Gopher outfielders Michael Kvasnicka and Justin Gominsky both had three-hit, five-RBI games. Freshman 3B Kyle Geason had four hits, four runs scored and four RBI. Dallas Burke's three hits and six RBI paced the Hawkeyes' attack. Freshman 1B Sean Flanagan went yard and drove in three in the losing effort.

Indiana split their doubleheader with Purdue. The Boilers claimed game one, 15-8. Alex Jaffee's three RBI's paced the Purdue offense. Jaffee and Dan Black both went yard. Black, Jon Cummins, Jonathan Lilly and Eric Charles all drove in two runs a piece. Vince Gonzalez' two hits and three RBI led the way for IU.

IU won the second game, 7-6. Eric Arnett goes the distance for the Hoosiers. The righthander is now 10-1 and is only the third IU player to collect double-digit victories in a season. Arnett is also the first Hoosier to post a 6-0 conference record. IU's Jerrud Sabourin's four hit day was topped by an eighth inning homer that proved to be the game-winner. Chris Hervey and Kipp Schutz also homered for IU. Brandon Haveman had three hits to lead Purdue. Drew Madia's two RBI paced the Boilers in that category.

Michigan State's A.J. Achter goes eight innings and didn't allow an earned run to lead the Spartans past Penn State, 9-1. MSU's Johnathan Roof collected three hits, three RBI and three runs scored. A.J. Shindler also had a three-hit game for the Spartans. Ben Heath and Rick Marlin both had a pair of hits for PSU.

Two Big Wins, Two Rainouts So Far

Michigan State continues their recent strong form by hammering Penn State, 12-1. Spartans' starter Nolan Moody holds the Nittany Lions to one run on four hits and three walks. The MSU righty fanned nine in posting his sixth win of the year. MSU 2B Chris Roberts had a pair of hits, two runs scored and two RBI. Spartans' 1B Jeff Holm had three hits, two RBI and scored twice. Bobby Jacobs homer accounted for the PSU tally.

Illinois beat up Northwestern today, 10-2. Illinois' SP Phil Haig tossed a six-hit complete game. The Illini lefty allow two runs, but only one was earned while striking out three and walking no one. Haig is now 6-2. Aaron Johnson and Willie Argo both had three RBI for Illinois. Kenneth Avila had two of NU's six hits. The Illini win keeps the heat on the other three teams at the top of the standings.

The weather washed away today's game between Indiana and Purdue and tonight's Big Ten Network production of Michigan at Ohio State.

That leaves only one game left on today's docket. Iowa has taken an early lead on Minnesota, 1-0. It's only the second inning in Gopherland.

Buckeyes Win, Spartans Split

(25) Ohio State's Michael Stephens and Dan Burkhart drove in three runs a piece as the Buckeyes triumphed over Akron, 7-3.

Michigan State split a twinbill with Eastern Michigan. The Spartans took the opener, 6-5. The Eagles won the nightcap, 6-1.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee dropped Northwestern, 7-2, while Indiana steamrolled Western Illinois 17-2. IU freshman DH Alex Dickerson drove in five runs. CF Brian Lambert was a perfect 5-for-5.

Iowa was losing to Creighton, 7-2, in the bottom of the fifth. A very tough Indiana State squad is ahead of Illinois, 7-6, in the seventh inning. The Sycamores are not easily dismissed this season.

Penn State was up on LaSalle, 8-0, in the sixth inning. Minnesota's game against South Dakota State was canceled due to impending weather.

Update: Indiana State allowed Illinois to climb back into the lead late, but the Sycamores came back to win, 11-10. Penn State beat LaSalle, 9-3. Creighton dusted off Iowa, 12-3.

Gophers Fall Again In Midweek

I'm sure you recall my disappointment (and subsequent ranting) when Illinois and Ohio State lost ugly midweek games. Well, last night it was Minnesota's turn to pull off a terrible loss. The Gophers fell to St. Thomas, 6-3.

How does a team battling for a conference crown, Big Ten tournament position and a possible at-large NCAA Tournament berth lose a game to a non-Division I program? Just like with the Buckeyes and Illini, if the Gophers don't win the tournament title and find themselves on the NCAA bubble, how can they defend this kind of loss?

From a technical standpoint, I would suggest this loss (like the rest of Minnesota's midweek defeats) has revealed a lack of pitching depth beyond their weekend starters. Not an unusual situation for many teams, especially here in the north.

Thankfully, the Gophers RPI is elevated to a point where this loss won't drop them into the danger zone instantly. Their strong non-conference wins outweigh their midweek blunders. Yet, they can't afford too many more L's, in-conference or out.

There were other midweek mishaps to report, as well. (Aren't there always?) Miami (OH) beat Indiana, 9-6 and Northern Iowa stomped Iowa, 9-3. On the positive side of the ledger, we have Illinois downing Southern Illinois, 5-1 and Purdue thumping Ball State, 14-6.

The All-Weekend Team

Welcome to this Spartans-heavy edition of the All-Weekend Team. En route to sweeping Iowa over the weekend, the Michigan State offense put double digits on the scoreboard each game. That led to some impressive stat lines and, in turn, to what I suspect is a record number of MSU names on the AWT.

C: Eric Roof, Michigan State - The Spartans receiver went 8-for-13 (.615), scored five runs and drove in a conference leading ten runs over the weekend. Roof homered twice, doubled, walked and hit a sac fly.

1B: Jeff Holm, Michigan State - Holm makes his second appearance based on a six-for-fourteen (.429) set at Iowa. Holm scored six runs and drove in six more. Holm homered, hit a sacrifice fly and stole a pair of bases. I'm also going to point out that Holm plays wicked good defense at first.

2B: Chris Roberts, Michigan State - A .438 average (7-for-16) lands Roberts on the AWT. Roberts doubled, tripled, walked, got hit-by-a-pitch, scored five runs and had six RBI in the sweep over Iowa. Those six RBI all came in one game and tied a school record.

SS: AJ Pettersen, Minnesota; Jonathan Roof, Michigan State; Brandon Wikoff, Illinois - Why have I combined all three of these players together? Well, truth be told, it wasn't a great weekend for hitting by shortstops. All three had roughly the same stats (ex: one may have had more RBI, the other more steals or walks), but all three played error-free baseball in their teams respective sweeps. Thus, all three get a single nod.

Cheesy? Lame? Gutless? Perhaps, but you expected nothing less from me, right?

3B: A.J. Shindler, Michigan State - Hit .500 (six-for-twelve) versus the Hawkeyes. Shindler doubled twice, walked three times, stole a base, drove in a run and scored eight times.

3B: Justin Miller, Ohio State - The ever-dependable Buckeye captain went 6-for-13 in three games. He scored three times and drove in nine OSU runs.

3B: Dominic Altobelli, Illinois - Dom hit .600 (6-for-10) at Penn State. He doubled, tripled, hit a sac fly, walked three times, scored five runs and had three RBI.

OF: Willie Argo, Illinois - The Illini freshman tore up Nittany Lions' pitching. Argo went 8-for-12 (.667) with a double, triple, walk, three homers, six runs scored and eight RBI.

OF: Sean Flanagan, Iowa - Yes, a Hawkeye did have a good weekend vs. MSU. The freshman went six-for-eleven (.545) with three runs scored and drove in two. Flanagan homered, doubled twice and walked three times.

OF: Eli Boike, Michigan State - Boike had a typical leadoff hitter weekend. He collected five hits, three walks, got hit-by-a-pitch, stole a base and scored seven times. Boike also drove in four runs as the Spartans might still be scoring runs at Iowa.

BN: Trevor Stevens, Northwestern - The Wildcats secondbaseman hit .500 (7-for-14) against OSU. He doubled, walked, stole a base and scored five NU runs.

BN: Dan Burkhart, Ohio State - Apparently, the NU staff decided to let someone other than Burkhart beat them. (Which, by the way, Miller appears to have done.) Burkhart walked six times in three games. While he collected just four hits in nine at-bats (.444), they were three doubles and a homerun. Burkhart had one RBI and scored four times.

BN: Josh Phegley, Indiana - It was deuces wild for the IU All-American. Phegley homered twice, walked twice, scored two runs and had two RBI. He also hit .545 (six-for-eleven) in three games.

BN: Mike McQuillan, Iowa - I know. The Hawks lose all three and land two faces on the AWT. The frosh infielder (have you noted how often "freshman" and "Iowa" go together?) hit a mere .538 (7-for-13) with three runs scored and three RBI. He also tripled and got plunked by a pitch.

SP: Chris Fetter, Michigan - Yet another complete game victory for the All-American candidate. Fetter yields two runs on eight hits and a single walk. The senior righthander also fans 12.

SP: Tom Buske, Minnesota - The Gophers' righthander goes 8.2 innings allowing just one run on eight hits. Buske didn't surrender a free pass and struck out seven Boilers in posting his sixth win.

SP: Seth Rosin, Minnesota - Allowed one run on on four hits over five innings. The Gophers' starter didn't walk anyone and struck out eight in those five innings. Rosin's now 4-2.

CL: Scott Matyas, Minnesota - Recorded two saves in two appearances. The Gophers' closer worked 1.1 innings of relief not allowing a run, hit or walk. He struck out one.

CL: Chris Squires, Indiana - Another reliever that had two saves in two outings. Squires threw four innings of shutout baseball at Michigan. The IU righty allowed three hits and two walks while striking out four.

BP: Luke Rasmussen, Minnesota - Two appearances totaling 2.1 innings of work. Rasmussen allowed two hits and a walkd, but not runs and won his third game of the season.

BP: Jake Hale, Ohio State - The Buckeyes' closer worked three innings in two appearances vs. NU. He didn't give up a run, hit or walk. He struck out four.

BP: Bryan Roberts, Illinois - Roberts earned victory number four by giving up two runs on five hits and two walks over seven innings. The Illini freshman struck out six Lions.

Do I really need to review the disclaimer? Well, for the sake of newbies, we'll go over the drill again. There's a good chance I've botched some or all the stats above. (Yes, in addition to being a poor writer, my math is terrible, too. Rest easy. I did not attend a Big Ten institution.)

There's an equally good chance I've overlooked a perfectly good candidate. (Let's be honest, after a while, all the boxscores start looking the same.) If you'd like to point out either my poor math skills or a player I've omitted, my email address is in the sidebar.

Three Sweeps & A 'Cats Win

Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan State all had series sweeps this weekend. Illinois took three straight on the road at Penn State. The Gophers broomed Purdue out of the Metrodome. The Spartans went 3-0 at Iowa.

Northwestern avoided the sweep by downing Ohio State today and Indiana stayed amongst the conference leaders by taking two of three at Michigan.

If I have this correct, the standings look like this:

Ohio State 11-4
Illinois 11-4
Minnesota 10-4
Indiana 10-4
Michigan State 8-7
Michigan 6-9
Purdue 5-9
Penn State 5-10
Northwestern 3-10
Iowa 3-11

I'll state the obvious. This is a close race. You need look no further than the loss column where the top four sides have the same number.

A reminder: Barring the unexpected, I'll be at the College Baseball Blog's weekly chat at 9pm this evening. You are welcome to join us and ask your college baseball questions.