Pardon a brief non-Big Ten aside. On March 14, Justin Wilson became Oakland University's all-time hit leader. The Golden Grizzlies senior toppled the old mark in style by going 4 for 4 versus Dayton.
Most here know I spent a few semesters at OU, as such, their baseball program gets the occasional plug here. This is one of them.
They also beat Notre Dame in South Bend today, 6-5. I guess that's two plugs.
Showing posts with label Oakland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oakland. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Playing Catch-Up
I've been rather busy today and I've still got things let to accomplish before the day is done, so here's a brief (and late) recap of today's action.
(30) Ohio State 9 Hartford 8
Justin Miller leads the Buckeyes hit parade with four and three RBI. Zach Hurley, Cory Kovanda, Michael Stephens, Ryan Dew and Michael Arp all had two hits a piece. Russ Oltorik earns his first collegiate win. It was save number four for Jake Hale.
Central Connecticut State 6 Illinois 4
Three hits a piece from Casey McMurray and Brandon Wikoff weren't enough. Pete Cappetta, Craig Lutes, Willie Argo and Josh Parr all had two hits.
Iowa 11 Western Illinois 1
Justin Toole and Kurtis Muller both had two hits and two RBI to pace the Hawkeyes. T.J. Cataldo, Tyson Blaser and Ryan Durant also had two hits. I can't tell by the funky link I found if Wes Freie got credit for the win or not.
Michigan 9 IPFW 2
Kenny Fellows drives in four. John Lorenz and Alan Oaks each have three hits. Lorenz and Mike Dufek both go yard. Your winner is Travis Smith.
Penn State 9 NY Tech 2
NYIT walked 11 Nittany Lions including issuing three free passes each to the top two in PSU's lineup. Mike Deese and Ben Heath were both a perfect 3 for 3. Landon Nakata's two RBI led PSU in that category. Calvin Grumley's six shutout innings garner him the victory.
New Mexico 13 Northwestern 4
Chad Noble's three hits led NU. Tony Vercelli and Chris Lashmet both had two hits. The Wildcats went through seven pitchers, the Lobos six.
Michigan State 7 Oakland 5
Chris Roberts and Brandon Eckerle both collect three hits, Eric Roof and Bo Felt led the RBI charge with two each. Your winner is Kurtis Frymier in relief. It's his first win of the year.
I did say this was going to be brief, right? I'm off to address other issues. (Again, why do I need Twitter?) The All-Weekend Team may, or may not, be delayed a day due to my schedule. I just want to cushion the blow should I not get around to posting it until Tuesday. Even with that looming over your head, I hope you enjoy the remainder of your Sunday evening.
(30) Ohio State 9 Hartford 8
Justin Miller leads the Buckeyes hit parade with four and three RBI. Zach Hurley, Cory Kovanda, Michael Stephens, Ryan Dew and Michael Arp all had two hits a piece. Russ Oltorik earns his first collegiate win. It was save number four for Jake Hale.
Central Connecticut State 6 Illinois 4
Three hits a piece from Casey McMurray and Brandon Wikoff weren't enough. Pete Cappetta, Craig Lutes, Willie Argo and Josh Parr all had two hits.
Iowa 11 Western Illinois 1
Justin Toole and Kurtis Muller both had two hits and two RBI to pace the Hawkeyes. T.J. Cataldo, Tyson Blaser and Ryan Durant also had two hits. I can't tell by the funky link I found if Wes Freie got credit for the win or not.
Michigan 9 IPFW 2
Kenny Fellows drives in four. John Lorenz and Alan Oaks each have three hits. Lorenz and Mike Dufek both go yard. Your winner is Travis Smith.
Penn State 9 NY Tech 2
NYIT walked 11 Nittany Lions including issuing three free passes each to the top two in PSU's lineup. Mike Deese and Ben Heath were both a perfect 3 for 3. Landon Nakata's two RBI led PSU in that category. Calvin Grumley's six shutout innings garner him the victory.
New Mexico 13 Northwestern 4
Chad Noble's three hits led NU. Tony Vercelli and Chris Lashmet both had two hits. The Wildcats went through seven pitchers, the Lobos six.
Michigan State 7 Oakland 5
Chris Roberts and Brandon Eckerle both collect three hits, Eric Roof and Bo Felt led the RBI charge with two each. Your winner is Kurtis Frymier in relief. It's his first win of the year.
I did say this was going to be brief, right? I'm off to address other issues. (Again, why do I need Twitter?) The All-Weekend Team may, or may not, be delayed a day due to my schedule. I just want to cushion the blow should I not get around to posting it until Tuesday. Even with that looming over your head, I hope you enjoy the remainder of your Sunday evening.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A Late Saturday Thread
Yes, the games are already underway and some have been completed. (Thank you, Mr. Formerly, for the updates.) I'm busy with other things, so I'll leave this post here for the rest of your Saturday comments.
8:00pm Update
Almost everyone is done. Only Northwestern's second contest of the day at New Mexico is going to go on for a while. Here's what we've got so far.
(30) Ohio State 8 Army 4 (Game 1 - Seven Innings)
(30) Ohio State 3 Army 1 (Game 2 - Seven Innings)
Matt Streng had two hits, two runs and three RBI in the opener for the Buckeyes. Zach Hurley (two RBI) and Ryan Dew both had a pair of hits. Eric Best improved to 3-0.
In the second affair, Dean Wolosiansky got the win going 4.1 innings and giving up one run on one hit and three walks. Middle reliever extraordinaire Drew Ruckinski picked up his second save. Justin Miller, Dan Burkhart and Cory Rupert drove in the OSU runs. Rupert and Michael Stephens both had two hits. (For the record, I still dislike seven inning games, doubleheaders or not.)
Minnesota 11 Dallas Baptist 9
The Gophers' Matt Nohelty collects four hits, two runs and two walks. Derek McCallum had five RBI. McCallum and Michael Kvasnicka went yard. Cullen Sexton came out of the bullpen to earn the win. He's now 4-0. Scott Matyas worked the ninth to get the save.
Illinois 7 Hartford 3
Dominic Altobelli's two hits, two runs and three RBI lead the Illini. Ben Reeser moves to 3-0 by going six innings and giving up three runs, but none earned. Reeser allowed just three hits and a walk. He also fanned six.
Michigan 4 IPFW 1
Eric Katzman's the story in Ann Arbor. The lefty works six full innings allowing four hits, two walks and one unearned run. Katzman also K'd 10 Mastadons. Matt Miller came on to pitch the final three stanzas and surrendered a hit, a walk and no runs. Miller struck out five. Mike Dufek's homer and two RBI were the offensive highlight for the Wolverines.
Central Connecticut State 12 Indiana 9
IU's Tyler Rogers had three hits, four runs scored and two RBI to pace the offense. Kipp Schutz had three hits, T.C. Knipp had three RBI. Vince Gonzalez continues his strong run with another two hits today. The Hoosiers bullpen gave up seven runs over the last two innings.
Penn State 13 NY Tech 2
Scott Kelley tosses seven innings of shutout baseball to help lift PSU to the win. Kelley gave up three hits and two walks while striking out five Bears. Jordan Steranka had three hits, two RBI and a run scored. Cory Wine had two hits, three runs scored and a RBI.
Michigan State 9 Oakland 6
The Spartans' Jeff Holm drove in five on two hits. Chris Roberts had three hits. Jonathan Roof had two hits, two runs scored and two RBI. OU's D.J. Jarrad also had the two-hit, two-run, two-RBI trifecta. MSU's Kurt Wunderlich gets the win in relief.
Purdue 10 SIU-Edwardsville 3
Dan Black homers again. Black also had two hits, two runs scored and three RBI. Jonathan Moore had three hits and two RBI. Eric Charles had two hits and three RBI. Matt Morgan posts the win going six innings and allowing two earned runs.
Iowa 9 Western Illinois 4 (Game One)
Western Illinois 7 Iowa 3 (Game Two)
In the opener, T.J. Cataldo drove in three runs to lead Iowa. Wes Freie had a three-hit game. Kurtis Muller had a pair of hits and RBI. Chet Zeise, Ryan Durant and Tyson Blaser all had two hits a piece. Nick Brown's your winner. Steve Turnbull earns the save.
Phil Keppler had three hits, including a homer, and two RBI for Iowa in the nightcap. Zach McCool also homered amongst his two hits. Justin Toole also had a two-hit game.
New Mexico 16 Northwestern 12 (Game One)
New Mexico 6 Northwestern 4 (Game Two, in-progress, fourth inning)
NU's Paul Snieder had two hits, including a homer, and four RBI. Jake Goebbert had two hits, three runs and three RBI. UNM banged out 22 hits. Not a good afternoon for the NU staff.
Chad Noble's two RBI are leading the way for the 'Cats in game two.
8:00pm Update
Almost everyone is done. Only Northwestern's second contest of the day at New Mexico is going to go on for a while. Here's what we've got so far.
(30) Ohio State 8 Army 4 (Game 1 - Seven Innings)
(30) Ohio State 3 Army 1 (Game 2 - Seven Innings)
Matt Streng had two hits, two runs and three RBI in the opener for the Buckeyes. Zach Hurley (two RBI) and Ryan Dew both had a pair of hits. Eric Best improved to 3-0.
In the second affair, Dean Wolosiansky got the win going 4.1 innings and giving up one run on one hit and three walks. Middle reliever extraordinaire Drew Ruckinski picked up his second save. Justin Miller, Dan Burkhart and Cory Rupert drove in the OSU runs. Rupert and Michael Stephens both had two hits. (For the record, I still dislike seven inning games, doubleheaders or not.)
Minnesota 11 Dallas Baptist 9
The Gophers' Matt Nohelty collects four hits, two runs and two walks. Derek McCallum had five RBI. McCallum and Michael Kvasnicka went yard. Cullen Sexton came out of the bullpen to earn the win. He's now 4-0. Scott Matyas worked the ninth to get the save.
Illinois 7 Hartford 3
Dominic Altobelli's two hits, two runs and three RBI lead the Illini. Ben Reeser moves to 3-0 by going six innings and giving up three runs, but none earned. Reeser allowed just three hits and a walk. He also fanned six.
Michigan 4 IPFW 1
Eric Katzman's the story in Ann Arbor. The lefty works six full innings allowing four hits, two walks and one unearned run. Katzman also K'd 10 Mastadons. Matt Miller came on to pitch the final three stanzas and surrendered a hit, a walk and no runs. Miller struck out five. Mike Dufek's homer and two RBI were the offensive highlight for the Wolverines.
Central Connecticut State 12 Indiana 9
IU's Tyler Rogers had three hits, four runs scored and two RBI to pace the offense. Kipp Schutz had three hits, T.C. Knipp had three RBI. Vince Gonzalez continues his strong run with another two hits today. The Hoosiers bullpen gave up seven runs over the last two innings.
Penn State 13 NY Tech 2
Scott Kelley tosses seven innings of shutout baseball to help lift PSU to the win. Kelley gave up three hits and two walks while striking out five Bears. Jordan Steranka had three hits, two RBI and a run scored. Cory Wine had two hits, three runs scored and a RBI.
Michigan State 9 Oakland 6
The Spartans' Jeff Holm drove in five on two hits. Chris Roberts had three hits. Jonathan Roof had two hits, two runs scored and two RBI. OU's D.J. Jarrad also had the two-hit, two-run, two-RBI trifecta. MSU's Kurt Wunderlich gets the win in relief.
Purdue 10 SIU-Edwardsville 3
Dan Black homers again. Black also had two hits, two runs scored and three RBI. Jonathan Moore had three hits and two RBI. Eric Charles had two hits and three RBI. Matt Morgan posts the win going six innings and allowing two earned runs.
Iowa 9 Western Illinois 4 (Game One)
Western Illinois 7 Iowa 3 (Game Two)
In the opener, T.J. Cataldo drove in three runs to lead Iowa. Wes Freie had a three-hit game. Kurtis Muller had a pair of hits and RBI. Chet Zeise, Ryan Durant and Tyson Blaser all had two hits a piece. Nick Brown's your winner. Steve Turnbull earns the save.
Phil Keppler had three hits, including a homer, and two RBI for Iowa in the nightcap. Zach McCool also homered amongst his two hits. Justin Toole also had a two-hit game.
New Mexico 16 Northwestern 12 (Game One)
New Mexico 6 Northwestern 4 (Game Two, in-progress, fourth inning)
NU's Paul Snieder had two hits, including a homer, and four RBI. Jake Goebbert had two hits, three runs and three RBI. UNM banged out 22 hits. Not a good afternoon for the NU staff.
Chad Noble's two RBI are leading the way for the 'Cats in game two.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Caution: Losses And Falling RPI's
Since I last typed, we've had a fair amount of midweek games take place. Unfortunately, the results for Big Ten programs were mixed at best. Oh, forget that. Let's be honest. This batch of results was awful. I'll comment some more at the end, but you can review for yourself.
Dan Black goes yard twice for Purdue, but the Boilermakers fall to Miami, 5-3. While this performance elevates Black's Player of the Year candidacy, it's not a good loss for the program. Miami's now 10-23, while Purdue is at 17-16.
Another MAC program, Akron, jumped up and bit Penn State, 5-3. Wes Borden went 3 for 4 for your Nittany Lions. Seven errors in this one, PSU kicked four of them.
Louisville outlasted Ohio State, 13-12. OSU's Justin Miller went 5 for 5 with five RBI. Miller also slugged his first homer of the season. Brian DeLucia had three RBI for the Bucks. John Dao, Justin McClanahan and Andrew Clark all collected four hits for the Cardinals. Clark drove in four, as well.
Minnesota let a five run lead disappear and eventually lost to Northern Iowa, 9-8. Eric Decker, Nate Hanson and Jeff DeSmidt, the Gophers' 2-3-4 hitters, all went yard. Decker and DeSmidt had three RBI, Hanson had three hits. Chris Lopez and Brett Featherston both homered for UNI. Northern Iowa is now 21-10. Minnesota's 15-18.
More MAC damage: Central Michigan got past Michigan State, 10-7. Kyle Day paced the Spartans with three hits and two walks. Justin Potes hit homer number four. The Spartans are 13-17, CMU is 16-18.
(As an aside, in recent weeks CMU has toppled Michigan, Ohio State and MSU in midweek games. The Chippewas, however, fell to Oakland University, 13-7, on Tuesday. Five Golden Grizzlies went yard vs. CMU. Just thought I'd point that out.)
Michigan was not very neighborly in taking two from Eastern Michigan this week. Nate Recknagel hit a game winning homer in the ninth to lift the Wolverines past the Eagles, 5-3, Tuesday night. Jason Christian homered earlier in the inning and ended with three hits. Mike Wilson (2-3) claimed a relief win.
The next afternoon, Michigan overpowered EMU, 20-5. Recknagel hit homerun number 13 amongst his three hits. Adam Abraham had a three hit, two run, four RBI performance. Zach Putnam drove in three. Christian went 3 for 3, scoring twice and driving in two runs. Mike Dufek posted the win.
Iowa beat Creighton, 8-3, at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha. Caleb Curry homered and drove in four to lead the Hawkeyes. Zach Kenyon gave up one hit and one walk over the first four innings to post the win. Jack Dahm's side is now 13-18. The BlueJays are 24-11.
As if Louisville didn't do cause enough problems in Columbus, the Cards beat Indiana, 5-4, this week. Jerrud Sabourin's three hits led IU. Andrew Means stole his twentieth base of the year.
A different set of Cardinals handed IU another midweek setback. Ball State, these MAC programs gave the Big Ten all kinds of problems this week, slipped past IU, 3-2. Once again, IU's Sabourin led the charge with two hits. IU fell to 15-18. Ball State is 21-11.
Eastern Illinois spanked Illinois, 13-3. Zach Skidmore led EIU with four RBI. Three EIU pitcherd combined to hold the Illini to just three hits. Illinois is now 18-13. EIU is 17-15.
What is that? Three wins? Two of them by Michigan and a nice road W for Iowa. 3-8 in midweek contests isn't good. If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times, these midweek games just crush the Big Ten. They, generally, expose the conference's lack of depth, especially on the mound, and devastate everyone's RPI. Not to mention their street cred.
I understand the reality of this situation -- coaches trot out freshmen, try nudging players out of slumps by giving them more PT, sit some of their regulars and often don't travel with a full roster. Yet, these games do as much to hurt the programs as winning on the weekend helps.
Seriously, if you combine this batch of midweek action with the previous results from this year, can you argue that anyone in the Big Ten is truly deserving of an at-large bid? I'm willing to spot you Michigan. (Although, I think they are in a precarious spot, RPI-wise. More on that in a bit.) Other than Rich Maloney's squad, can anyone make a case for their program getting into the field of 64 without winning the conference tournament? I may be the leading advocate of baseball in this conference and even I can't say with any conviction that the Big Ten merits an at-large bid.
In reviewing both Boyd Nation's and Warren Nolan's calculations, Michigan's RPI is currently around 47. However, Illinois has the second highest RPI in the Big Ten at around 120. That's a mighty big gap and well beyond the bounds of at-large consideration.
Purdue's RPI is an underwhelming 152 (WN) and Ohio State is at 137 (WN). Even if third place OSU sweeps the second-place Boilers this weekend in Columbus, how much are they going to move up beating a 152nd ranked side? Conversely, if Purdue were to sweep, they would end up where? 120's? 100's? Is that going to land you an at-large berth in a field of sixty-four?
This is why Michigan's RPI number is so precarious. With the Big Ten's RPI in the toilet overall (16th as a conference, to be exact), it's going to be difficult to move up the RPI ladder, but painfully easy to slide down. As an example, when Michigan took three of four at Penn State a few weeks back, their RPI dropped ten slots. The Wolverines next two conference opponents are Michigan State and Indiana. The Spartans' RPI sits at 179 and Indiana is at 192 (BN). Losing to either is not the recipe for RPI success.
In what's been one of the strangest years I can recall, the Big Ten may have already positioned themselves as a one-bid league.
Dan Black goes yard twice for Purdue, but the Boilermakers fall to Miami, 5-3. While this performance elevates Black's Player of the Year candidacy, it's not a good loss for the program. Miami's now 10-23, while Purdue is at 17-16.
Another MAC program, Akron, jumped up and bit Penn State, 5-3. Wes Borden went 3 for 4 for your Nittany Lions. Seven errors in this one, PSU kicked four of them.
Louisville outlasted Ohio State, 13-12. OSU's Justin Miller went 5 for 5 with five RBI. Miller also slugged his first homer of the season. Brian DeLucia had three RBI for the Bucks. John Dao, Justin McClanahan and Andrew Clark all collected four hits for the Cardinals. Clark drove in four, as well.
Minnesota let a five run lead disappear and eventually lost to Northern Iowa, 9-8. Eric Decker, Nate Hanson and Jeff DeSmidt, the Gophers' 2-3-4 hitters, all went yard. Decker and DeSmidt had three RBI, Hanson had three hits. Chris Lopez and Brett Featherston both homered for UNI. Northern Iowa is now 21-10. Minnesota's 15-18.
More MAC damage: Central Michigan got past Michigan State, 10-7. Kyle Day paced the Spartans with three hits and two walks. Justin Potes hit homer number four. The Spartans are 13-17, CMU is 16-18.
(As an aside, in recent weeks CMU has toppled Michigan, Ohio State and MSU in midweek games. The Chippewas, however, fell to Oakland University, 13-7, on Tuesday. Five Golden Grizzlies went yard vs. CMU. Just thought I'd point that out.)
Michigan was not very neighborly in taking two from Eastern Michigan this week. Nate Recknagel hit a game winning homer in the ninth to lift the Wolverines past the Eagles, 5-3, Tuesday night. Jason Christian homered earlier in the inning and ended with three hits. Mike Wilson (2-3) claimed a relief win.
The next afternoon, Michigan overpowered EMU, 20-5. Recknagel hit homerun number 13 amongst his three hits. Adam Abraham had a three hit, two run, four RBI performance. Zach Putnam drove in three. Christian went 3 for 3, scoring twice and driving in two runs. Mike Dufek posted the win.
Iowa beat Creighton, 8-3, at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha. Caleb Curry homered and drove in four to lead the Hawkeyes. Zach Kenyon gave up one hit and one walk over the first four innings to post the win. Jack Dahm's side is now 13-18. The BlueJays are 24-11.
As if Louisville didn't do cause enough problems in Columbus, the Cards beat Indiana, 5-4, this week. Jerrud Sabourin's three hits led IU. Andrew Means stole his twentieth base of the year.
A different set of Cardinals handed IU another midweek setback. Ball State, these MAC programs gave the Big Ten all kinds of problems this week, slipped past IU, 3-2. Once again, IU's Sabourin led the charge with two hits. IU fell to 15-18. Ball State is 21-11.
Eastern Illinois spanked Illinois, 13-3. Zach Skidmore led EIU with four RBI. Three EIU pitcherd combined to hold the Illini to just three hits. Illinois is now 18-13. EIU is 17-15.
What is that? Three wins? Two of them by Michigan and a nice road W for Iowa. 3-8 in midweek contests isn't good. If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times, these midweek games just crush the Big Ten. They, generally, expose the conference's lack of depth, especially on the mound, and devastate everyone's RPI. Not to mention their street cred.
I understand the reality of this situation -- coaches trot out freshmen, try nudging players out of slumps by giving them more PT, sit some of their regulars and often don't travel with a full roster. Yet, these games do as much to hurt the programs as winning on the weekend helps.
Seriously, if you combine this batch of midweek action with the previous results from this year, can you argue that anyone in the Big Ten is truly deserving of an at-large bid? I'm willing to spot you Michigan. (Although, I think they are in a precarious spot, RPI-wise. More on that in a bit.) Other than Rich Maloney's squad, can anyone make a case for their program getting into the field of 64 without winning the conference tournament? I may be the leading advocate of baseball in this conference and even I can't say with any conviction that the Big Ten merits an at-large bid.
In reviewing both Boyd Nation's and Warren Nolan's calculations, Michigan's RPI is currently around 47. However, Illinois has the second highest RPI in the Big Ten at around 120. That's a mighty big gap and well beyond the bounds of at-large consideration.
Purdue's RPI is an underwhelming 152 (WN) and Ohio State is at 137 (WN). Even if third place OSU sweeps the second-place Boilers this weekend in Columbus, how much are they going to move up beating a 152nd ranked side? Conversely, if Purdue were to sweep, they would end up where? 120's? 100's? Is that going to land you an at-large berth in a field of sixty-four?
This is why Michigan's RPI number is so precarious. With the Big Ten's RPI in the toilet overall (16th as a conference, to be exact), it's going to be difficult to move up the RPI ladder, but painfully easy to slide down. As an example, when Michigan took three of four at Penn State a few weeks back, their RPI dropped ten slots. The Wolverines next two conference opponents are Michigan State and Indiana. The Spartans' RPI sits at 179 and Indiana is at 192 (BN). Losing to either is not the recipe for RPI success.
In what's been one of the strangest years I can recall, the Big Ten may have already positioned themselves as a one-bid league.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Odds, Ends and OPS
I know most of you raced home this evening to see if I did my math homework (i.e., Wednesday's OPS numbers). Well, I have, but I'll save those for the end. Let's look at some other news around the Big Ten first.
Before I get too far along, I had best post the boxscore from the Illinois at Indiana game I couldn't find a link to on Sunday. Both IU and Illini folks have been kindly dropping me the updated links. My thanks to all. Here's the box from a game in which Matt Bashore fanned eight over seven innings while allowing four hits, three walks and one run.
Michigan beat Toledo, 12-4. Want to guess who homered? Yep, Nate Recknagel went deep for the tenth time this season. The senior firstbaseman had three hits, three runs scored and two RBI. Zach Putnam also left the building amongst his three hits. Putnam also had two runs scored and four RBI. Kevin Cislo had three hits (didn't everybody?), three runs scored and three RBI. Derek VanBuskirk joined Recknagel and Putnam in the three-hit and homer club. Leif Mahler was the final Wolverine with three hits. Mike Wilson posted the win in relief.
In addition to winning games, Coach Hartleb at Illinois has been recruiting some, too. Here's a list of four more added to the Illini's incoming class.
The Illini's contest against versus Bradley was canceled as was Iowa's game against Nebraska.
Northwestern pounded Chicago State, 13-0. Jake Goebbert went yard twice. Nate Roberts and Jake Owens also homered. Owens, who had four RBI and scored three times, and Kenneth Avila both had three hit games. Goebbert, Roberts and Rob Campbell all had two RBI. Joe Muraski posted the win giving up five hits and no walks. This game only went six innings due to rain and lightning in the Chicago area.
Drew O'Neil grabbed another save in Penn State's 6-5 win over Pittsburgh. Read the PSU recap here. Scott Kelley, Ryan Boonie and Joe Blackburn all homered for the Nittany Lions. No box, yet. Kelley had three RBI, Blackburn had three hits.
There are some games in action this afternoon/evening and I may update those scores later. Or I may not. Maybe some of my OSU contingent will update the comments section with breaking scores.
Ben Walgamot of Purdue and Chris Fetter of Michigan were named the Big Ten hitter and pitcher of the week, respectively. Both are having first team all-conference caliber seasons.
I thinking you already read this, but Uncle Lar at Happy Valley Hardball points out that even though Michigan took three of four from PSU this past weekend, the Wolverines' RPI dropped ten spots. Their RPI is now in the 70s. That mark doesn't bode well for an at-large berth coming out of the Big Ten.
I attempted to watch some college baseball this afternoon, but, alas, the upper respiratory illness that has been plaguing the BTH household appears to have caught up with me. I saw about two innings of Oakland University's home opener against Eastern Michigan before admitting that my coughing might be louder than the ping of the bats and left the for home. My Grizzlies lost to EMU, 10-7. A six run ninth inning did in the boys in black and gold. (That hurts and I didn't even see it.)
Aaron Powell hit two homers and drove in four for EMU. It was a breezy afternoon and I'm a bit surprised that more balls didn't vacate the premises. OU's Andrew Stafford had a pair of hits and three RBI.
I know, I know. Enough with your OU talk, Brian, give us the Big Ten OPS leaders already. Alright, let's see who made this week's list.
Number one is Michigan's Nate Recknagel at 1.202. In second place is Northwestern's Jake Goebbert at 1.193. Josh Phegley of IU, who leads the conference in batting average, is third in OPS at 1.136. Fourth is Minnesota catcher Jeff DeSmidt at 1.090. Kipp Schutz of Indiana is next at 1.040. The sixth spot belongs to Eric Decker of Minnesota at 1.017.
Now, let me add two more names. Mike Kalina at Northwestern has missed action recently, so he doesn't have the at bats necessary to qualify him for the batting title. However, his OPS remains at 1.175. Purdue's Ben Walgamot finds his OPS at 1.071. Walgamot doesn't have enough official ABs to qualify yet, either. However, Walgamot has only five at bats less than Minnesota's Decker, so he does merit some mention here.
That's it for tonight. Thanks for stopping in and please pass the cough syrup.
Before I get too far along, I had best post the boxscore from the Illinois at Indiana game I couldn't find a link to on Sunday. Both IU and Illini folks have been kindly dropping me the updated links. My thanks to all. Here's the box from a game in which Matt Bashore fanned eight over seven innings while allowing four hits, three walks and one run.
Michigan beat Toledo, 12-4. Want to guess who homered? Yep, Nate Recknagel went deep for the tenth time this season. The senior firstbaseman had three hits, three runs scored and two RBI. Zach Putnam also left the building amongst his three hits. Putnam also had two runs scored and four RBI. Kevin Cislo had three hits (didn't everybody?), three runs scored and three RBI. Derek VanBuskirk joined Recknagel and Putnam in the three-hit and homer club. Leif Mahler was the final Wolverine with three hits. Mike Wilson posted the win in relief.
In addition to winning games, Coach Hartleb at Illinois has been recruiting some, too. Here's a list of four more added to the Illini's incoming class.
The Illini's contest against versus Bradley was canceled as was Iowa's game against Nebraska.
Northwestern pounded Chicago State, 13-0. Jake Goebbert went yard twice. Nate Roberts and Jake Owens also homered. Owens, who had four RBI and scored three times, and Kenneth Avila both had three hit games. Goebbert, Roberts and Rob Campbell all had two RBI. Joe Muraski posted the win giving up five hits and no walks. This game only went six innings due to rain and lightning in the Chicago area.
Drew O'Neil grabbed another save in Penn State's 6-5 win over Pittsburgh. Read the PSU recap here. Scott Kelley, Ryan Boonie and Joe Blackburn all homered for the Nittany Lions. No box, yet. Kelley had three RBI, Blackburn had three hits.
There are some games in action this afternoon/evening and I may update those scores later. Or I may not. Maybe some of my OSU contingent will update the comments section with breaking scores.
Ben Walgamot of Purdue and Chris Fetter of Michigan were named the Big Ten hitter and pitcher of the week, respectively. Both are having first team all-conference caliber seasons.
I thinking you already read this, but Uncle Lar at Happy Valley Hardball points out that even though Michigan took three of four from PSU this past weekend, the Wolverines' RPI dropped ten spots. Their RPI is now in the 70s. That mark doesn't bode well for an at-large berth coming out of the Big Ten.
I attempted to watch some college baseball this afternoon, but, alas, the upper respiratory illness that has been plaguing the BTH household appears to have caught up with me. I saw about two innings of Oakland University's home opener against Eastern Michigan before admitting that my coughing might be louder than the ping of the bats and left the for home. My Grizzlies lost to EMU, 10-7. A six run ninth inning did in the boys in black and gold. (That hurts and I didn't even see it.)
Aaron Powell hit two homers and drove in four for EMU. It was a breezy afternoon and I'm a bit surprised that more balls didn't vacate the premises. OU's Andrew Stafford had a pair of hits and three RBI.
I know, I know. Enough with your OU talk, Brian, give us the Big Ten OPS leaders already. Alright, let's see who made this week's list.
Number one is Michigan's Nate Recknagel at 1.202. In second place is Northwestern's Jake Goebbert at 1.193. Josh Phegley of IU, who leads the conference in batting average, is third in OPS at 1.136. Fourth is Minnesota catcher Jeff DeSmidt at 1.090. Kipp Schutz of Indiana is next at 1.040. The sixth spot belongs to Eric Decker of Minnesota at 1.017.
Now, let me add two more names. Mike Kalina at Northwestern has missed action recently, so he doesn't have the at bats necessary to qualify him for the batting title. However, his OPS remains at 1.175. Purdue's Ben Walgamot finds his OPS at 1.071. Walgamot doesn't have enough official ABs to qualify yet, either. However, Walgamot has only five at bats less than Minnesota's Decker, so he does merit some mention here.
That's it for tonight. Thanks for stopping in and please pass the cough syrup.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Sunday: IU, Purdue Win
We don't have all the finals, but here's what's happened thus far this Easter Sunday.
Indiana's good season continues as the Hoosiers bounce IPFW, 4-2. Kipp Schutz homered and drove in two. Chris Hervey had two hits and two steals. Tyler Tufts (2-2) went seven innings to post the victory. Tufts gave up five hits, two walks and no earned runs. Tufts struck out five, as well. Chris Squires came on to earn his second save.
Purdue won the first of two against Western Illinois, 11-2. Drew Madia homered and drove in three. Ryne White homered, scored twice and had two RBI. Ben Wolgamot had three hits. Jon Moore also collected three hits. Connor Sestak went five innings to get his first win of 2008. Sestak allowed only two hits and three walks that resulted in a single earned run. Sestak fanned five.
The Boilers have just exploded for 12 runs in the fourth to lead WIU, 14-4, in game two.
Northwestern dropped both ends of a split doubleheader. Kansas outslugged the Wildcats, 12-11. KU catcher Buck Afenir drove in five on three hits including his third homer. NU's Jake Goebbert did one better, as he had four hits (and, yes, his third homer) and drove in six. Freshman 3B Chris Lashmet also went yard and had two RBI.
Dartmouth was one better than NU in game two, 6-5. Alas, I've got nothing to report on this game as of yet.
Lehigh dropped Penn State, 3-1. Lehigh broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the ninth. Joe Ercolano had three hits and two RBI to lead Lehigh. Greg Angelo went eight innings holding the Nittany Lions to four hits and a run. Jordan Warncke got the final two outs for Lehigh. The Nittany Lions wasted another good outing from Mike Wanamaker. Wanamker went seven giving up five hits, three walks and a run. Ryan Boonie drove in the lone PSU run.
PSU is up in the second game, 2-0, in the second inning.
There's nothing to report from the Minnesota vs. South Dakota State contest as of yet.
The proposed twinbill between Oakland and Michigan State was postponed. Again. I'm not surprised as the snow remains on my lawn in spite of the sunshine. This game won't be played tomorrow, either, as OU returns to Ann Arbor to make up for last Wednesday postponement versus Michigan.
Indiana's good season continues as the Hoosiers bounce IPFW, 4-2. Kipp Schutz homered and drove in two. Chris Hervey had two hits and two steals. Tyler Tufts (2-2) went seven innings to post the victory. Tufts gave up five hits, two walks and no earned runs. Tufts struck out five, as well. Chris Squires came on to earn his second save.
Purdue won the first of two against Western Illinois, 11-2. Drew Madia homered and drove in three. Ryne White homered, scored twice and had two RBI. Ben Wolgamot had three hits. Jon Moore also collected three hits. Connor Sestak went five innings to get his first win of 2008. Sestak allowed only two hits and three walks that resulted in a single earned run. Sestak fanned five.
The Boilers have just exploded for 12 runs in the fourth to lead WIU, 14-4, in game two.
Northwestern dropped both ends of a split doubleheader. Kansas outslugged the Wildcats, 12-11. KU catcher Buck Afenir drove in five on three hits including his third homer. NU's Jake Goebbert did one better, as he had four hits (and, yes, his third homer) and drove in six. Freshman 3B Chris Lashmet also went yard and had two RBI.
Dartmouth was one better than NU in game two, 6-5. Alas, I've got nothing to report on this game as of yet.
Lehigh dropped Penn State, 3-1. Lehigh broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the ninth. Joe Ercolano had three hits and two RBI to lead Lehigh. Greg Angelo went eight innings holding the Nittany Lions to four hits and a run. Jordan Warncke got the final two outs for Lehigh. The Nittany Lions wasted another good outing from Mike Wanamaker. Wanamker went seven giving up five hits, three walks and a run. Ryan Boonie drove in the lone PSU run.
PSU is up in the second game, 2-0, in the second inning.
There's nothing to report from the Minnesota vs. South Dakota State contest as of yet.
The proposed twinbill between Oakland and Michigan State was postponed. Again. I'm not surprised as the snow remains on my lawn in spite of the sunshine. This game won't be played tomorrow, either, as OU returns to Ann Arbor to make up for last Wednesday postponement versus Michigan.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Purdue, Minnesota & Iowa Win
Purdue swept a doubleheader today. Isn't that how they got their first two wins of the year, as well? Perhaps, the Boilers just need to play more twinbills. Regardless, the good news is that Purdue took two from Western Illinois today. The better news is that both were shutout wins.
In game one, Allen Donato's seven innings of four-hit shutout baseball earned him his first win. Donato combined with Josh Lindblom to lead Purdue to a 6-0 shutout over WIU. Donato K'd five and didn't allow a free pass. Lindblom fanned two in his two innings of scoreless baseball. Dan Black had a pair of Boilermaker hits and RBI. Brandon Haveman also had two hits including a homer. Jon Moore and Jordan Comadena had two hits a piece for Purdue.
Game two saw Kyle Cook (2-0) and Chris Ivanic combine to shutout WIU, 8-0. Cook gave up two hits and three walks in five innings. Ivanic went four innings also allowing two hits, but only one base on balls. Ivanic was credited with his first save of '08. Ben Wolgamot led the Boilers' bats with three hits and two RBI. Dan Black and Ryne White each had two RBI, as well.
It took the Gophers ten innings, but Minnesota prevailed over South Dakota State, 5-4. Jeff DeSmidt had a pair of RBI, while Nate Hanson, Derek McCallum and Eric Decker each had two hits for the Golden Gophers. Kyle Carr had a strong outing for Minnesota. The lefthander went 6.2 innings giving up five hits, two walks, one earned run and striking out ten. (Yep, ten K's in 6.2 IP.) In spite of those numbers, the win went to Cullen Sexton in relief. Sexton struck out the only two batters he faced to close out the game.
Andrew Means' ninth inning single scored Chris Hervey to lift Indiana over IPFW, 3-2. Matt Bashore had another good start for IU. The sophomore lefty worked eight innings and yielded two earned runs in the Hoosiers triumph. Bashore gave up five hits, four walks and struck out nine. However, just like Minnesota's Carr, Bashore didn't factor into the decision. The win went to Eric Arnett. Arnett (2-0) pitched a scoreless ninth. IU backstop Josh Phegley had a three hit performance and had the only other Indiana RBI.
The rest of the Saturday slate got snowed or rained out. Doubleheaders between Northwestern and Kansas and Oakland at Michigan State went bye-bye. Grand View's game at Iowa and Lehigh at Penn State also fell victim to the elements.
In game one, Allen Donato's seven innings of four-hit shutout baseball earned him his first win. Donato combined with Josh Lindblom to lead Purdue to a 6-0 shutout over WIU. Donato K'd five and didn't allow a free pass. Lindblom fanned two in his two innings of scoreless baseball. Dan Black had a pair of Boilermaker hits and RBI. Brandon Haveman also had two hits including a homer. Jon Moore and Jordan Comadena had two hits a piece for Purdue.
Game two saw Kyle Cook (2-0) and Chris Ivanic combine to shutout WIU, 8-0. Cook gave up two hits and three walks in five innings. Ivanic went four innings also allowing two hits, but only one base on balls. Ivanic was credited with his first save of '08. Ben Wolgamot led the Boilers' bats with three hits and two RBI. Dan Black and Ryne White each had two RBI, as well.
It took the Gophers ten innings, but Minnesota prevailed over South Dakota State, 5-4. Jeff DeSmidt had a pair of RBI, while Nate Hanson, Derek McCallum and Eric Decker each had two hits for the Golden Gophers. Kyle Carr had a strong outing for Minnesota. The lefthander went 6.2 innings giving up five hits, two walks, one earned run and striking out ten. (Yep, ten K's in 6.2 IP.) In spite of those numbers, the win went to Cullen Sexton in relief. Sexton struck out the only two batters he faced to close out the game.
Andrew Means' ninth inning single scored Chris Hervey to lift Indiana over IPFW, 3-2. Matt Bashore had another good start for IU. The sophomore lefty worked eight innings and yielded two earned runs in the Hoosiers triumph. Bashore gave up five hits, four walks and struck out nine. However, just like Minnesota's Carr, Bashore didn't factor into the decision. The win went to Eric Arnett. Arnett (2-0) pitched a scoreless ninth. IU backstop Josh Phegley had a three hit performance and had the only other Indiana RBI.
The rest of the Saturday slate got snowed or rained out. Doubleheaders between Northwestern and Kansas and Oakland at Michigan State went bye-bye. Grand View's game at Iowa and Lehigh at Penn State also fell victim to the elements.
Friday's Finals
It was a mixed bag of results on Friday.
Ohio State thumped Kansas, 16-5. Buckeyes' DH Chris Macke hit a grandslam and drove in six on the day. OSU's Cory Kovanda had four hits, scored three times and had two RBI. Dan Burkhart had three hits (and scored twice with one RBI) as did J.B. Shuck (who scored three times and drove in one). Cory Rupert had a pair of hits, RBI and runs. Jake Hale posted his first victory working five innings.
Penn State got a much needed W as they beat up Lehigh, 18-9. Wes Borden, Scott Kelley and Rob Yodice each had three RBI for the Nittany Lions. In addition to his three runs batted in, Kelley had three hits and scored four times. PSU 1B Cory Wine had three hits including a homer. Wine also scored three times and had two RBI. Seth Whitehill improved to 2-1.
Minnesota beat South Dakota State, 3-1. Gophers CF Matt Nohelty had three hits and stole his ninth base. Jeff DeSmidt, Mike Kvasnicka and Jeff Engel had the Minnesota RBI's. Tom Buske fanned ten in 7.1 innings of work and moved to 2-2 on the season. Buske allowed just five hits, a walk and the lone SDSU run. Scott Matyas struck out all three batters he faced (on 14 pitches) to earn his second save.
Illinois and Central Connecticut State split a twinbill of seven inning affairs. CCSU took the opener, 8-7. Sean Miller-Jones and Tommy Meade each had three hits for CCSU. Kyle Hudson had a pair of hits and three RBI to lead the Illini. Dominic Altobelli also went yard for Illinois. Taylor Kosakowski posted the win.
The Illini rebounded to take the nightcap (daycap?), 5-4. Kyle Hudson had three more hits, scored twice, drove in one and stole a base. Brandon Wikoff had a pair of hits and two RBI. CCSU's Sean Miller-Jones had three more hits in the finale, as well. The win went to Scott Shaw (1-1) and the save went to Wes Braun (1).
Northern Iowa swept two seven inning games from Northwestern. NIU won game one, 6-0. Nick Kirk (2-3) held NU to just two hits over seven innings. Kirk walked two and whiffed seven. Cory Ege had three RBI for NIU. Jake Owens and Jake Goebbert had the only hits for the Wildcats.
NIU took the final game, 2-1. Guido Fonseca went the full seven innings, yielding five hits, no walks and the single NU tally. Fonseca, who is now 4-0, struck out eight Wildcats. Eric Jokisch (1-1) went six innings for NU giving up two hits and five walks plus the two NIU runs. Aaron Newman paced the Wildcats with a pair of hits.
Both the IUPUI-Ft. Wayne vs. Michigan and Oakland vs. Michigan State games were postponed due to snow. As I arise this morning, I find several new inches of the frozen stuff on the ground. That means it's safe to assume that today's OU vs. MSU game is probably a no-go, but check both programs websites to verify my hunch.
Ohio State thumped Kansas, 16-5. Buckeyes' DH Chris Macke hit a grandslam and drove in six on the day. OSU's Cory Kovanda had four hits, scored three times and had two RBI. Dan Burkhart had three hits (and scored twice with one RBI) as did J.B. Shuck (who scored three times and drove in one). Cory Rupert had a pair of hits, RBI and runs. Jake Hale posted his first victory working five innings.
Penn State got a much needed W as they beat up Lehigh, 18-9. Wes Borden, Scott Kelley and Rob Yodice each had three RBI for the Nittany Lions. In addition to his three runs batted in, Kelley had three hits and scored four times. PSU 1B Cory Wine had three hits including a homer. Wine also scored three times and had two RBI. Seth Whitehill improved to 2-1.
Minnesota beat South Dakota State, 3-1. Gophers CF Matt Nohelty had three hits and stole his ninth base. Jeff DeSmidt, Mike Kvasnicka and Jeff Engel had the Minnesota RBI's. Tom Buske fanned ten in 7.1 innings of work and moved to 2-2 on the season. Buske allowed just five hits, a walk and the lone SDSU run. Scott Matyas struck out all three batters he faced (on 14 pitches) to earn his second save.
Illinois and Central Connecticut State split a twinbill of seven inning affairs. CCSU took the opener, 8-7. Sean Miller-Jones and Tommy Meade each had three hits for CCSU. Kyle Hudson had a pair of hits and three RBI to lead the Illini. Dominic Altobelli also went yard for Illinois. Taylor Kosakowski posted the win.
The Illini rebounded to take the nightcap (daycap?), 5-4. Kyle Hudson had three more hits, scored twice, drove in one and stole a base. Brandon Wikoff had a pair of hits and two RBI. CCSU's Sean Miller-Jones had three more hits in the finale, as well. The win went to Scott Shaw (1-1) and the save went to Wes Braun (1).
Northern Iowa swept two seven inning games from Northwestern. NIU won game one, 6-0. Nick Kirk (2-3) held NU to just two hits over seven innings. Kirk walked two and whiffed seven. Cory Ege had three RBI for NIU. Jake Owens and Jake Goebbert had the only hits for the Wildcats.
NIU took the final game, 2-1. Guido Fonseca went the full seven innings, yielding five hits, no walks and the single NU tally. Fonseca, who is now 4-0, struck out eight Wildcats. Eric Jokisch (1-1) went six innings for NU giving up two hits and five walks plus the two NIU runs. Aaron Newman paced the Wildcats with a pair of hits.
Both the IUPUI-Ft. Wayne vs. Michigan and Oakland vs. Michigan State games were postponed due to snow. As I arise this morning, I find several new inches of the frozen stuff on the ground. That means it's safe to assume that today's OU vs. MSU game is probably a no-go, but check both programs websites to verify my hunch.
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Opener: Michigan, Oakland And The New Fish
Yesterday, I took in my first game of the year. Michigan opened the renovated Ray Fisher Stadium at the Wilpon Baseball Complex. (Yeah, it's a mouthful.) It was a pleasant enough afternoon for Ann Arbor in March -- mostly sunny, breezy with temperatures in the 40's. Of course, when the clouds covered the sun, the temperature dropped dramatically. The opposition was Oakland University. Yes, "my" Golden Grizzlies.
As for the game itself, the final was 7-4, Michigan. Nate Recknagel hit a homer to what is now the deepest part of the ballpark -- left-center field. It was the seventh time Recknagel has gone yard this season. It's time to start considering Recknagel for All-America status. (Hello, national media. I'm talking to you.)
Travis Smith, Michigan's freshman starter, improved to 2-0. Smith struck out six over five innings of work. He looks like UM's Sunday starter to me, but we will know for sure in a week when Iowa comes calling.
Mike Dufek and Adam Abraham each had two hits for Michigan. Dan Ryan had a pair of hits for OU. D.J. Jarrad had two RBI for the Grizzlies.
While Michigan managed to prevail, Oakland did have opportunities to win. OU outhit the Wolverines, 7-6. The Grizzlies were hurt, in large part, by five errors. Yep, five E's. In spite of the miscues, the Grizzlies plated three runs in the eighth to make it a bit more interesting for the home side.
Friend of BTH, Sam, was also in attendance and managed to snap a few pictures while keeping score and talking to me. I encourage all Wolverine and Grizzly fans to check out her Flickr site. Michigan fans will find plenty to like as Sam has Maize and Blue photos aplenty. However, the Black and Gold supporters will also find photos from some of OU's previous encounters with Rich Maloney's side.
The question you may still be asking is "What about the new ballpark, Brian?". Well, it's open, but it's not quite finished yet. There is still work being done all around the yard. The guys with safety helmets on were a clue. As such, it's somewhat difficult to offer up a critique. However, like any new facility, it appears to have things I like, things I don't like and a few things I'm not sure about.
I'm going to hold off a complete review until I get at least one more look at the place. Hopefully, that will come next week when the Hawkeyes begin the Big Ten season in Ann Arbor.
As for the game itself, the final was 7-4, Michigan. Nate Recknagel hit a homer to what is now the deepest part of the ballpark -- left-center field. It was the seventh time Recknagel has gone yard this season. It's time to start considering Recknagel for All-America status. (Hello, national media. I'm talking to you.)
Travis Smith, Michigan's freshman starter, improved to 2-0. Smith struck out six over five innings of work. He looks like UM's Sunday starter to me, but we will know for sure in a week when Iowa comes calling.
Mike Dufek and Adam Abraham each had two hits for Michigan. Dan Ryan had a pair of hits for OU. D.J. Jarrad had two RBI for the Grizzlies.
While Michigan managed to prevail, Oakland did have opportunities to win. OU outhit the Wolverines, 7-6. The Grizzlies were hurt, in large part, by five errors. Yep, five E's. In spite of the miscues, the Grizzlies plated three runs in the eighth to make it a bit more interesting for the home side.
Friend of BTH, Sam, was also in attendance and managed to snap a few pictures while keeping score and talking to me. I encourage all Wolverine and Grizzly fans to check out her Flickr site. Michigan fans will find plenty to like as Sam has Maize and Blue photos aplenty. However, the Black and Gold supporters will also find photos from some of OU's previous encounters with Rich Maloney's side.
The question you may still be asking is "What about the new ballpark, Brian?". Well, it's open, but it's not quite finished yet. There is still work being done all around the yard. The guys with safety helmets on were a clue. As such, it's somewhat difficult to offer up a critique. However, like any new facility, it appears to have things I like, things I don't like and a few things I'm not sure about.
I'm going to hold off a complete review until I get at least one more look at the place. Hopefully, that will come next week when the Hawkeyes begin the Big Ten season in Ann Arbor.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Michigan's Home Opener Postponed
Michigan's home opener versus Oakland has been postponed due to weather. (The rain and cold that began yesterday persists as I type.) The game, which was to have been the first in the renovated Ray Fisher Stadium, has been moved to Monday, March 24. Here's the university's official press release.
That makes tomorrow afternoon's 3:05pm affair against the Golden Grizzlies, the new home opener. The current forecast for Thursday is for dry and, yes, even sunny conditions. Alas, it's still March, so warmth is not in the forecast. The high is anticipated to be in the low 40s.
That makes tomorrow afternoon's 3:05pm affair against the Golden Grizzlies, the new home opener. The current forecast for Thursday is for dry and, yes, even sunny conditions. Alas, it's still March, so warmth is not in the forecast. The high is anticipated to be in the low 40s.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Winter Links
A day after our first significant snowfall of the winter, I'm providing a few baseball links to help keep our minds on warmer thoughts. I toss in a ongoing rant to help melt the ice, as well.
First, there's Rivals.com top Midwest programs. The Big Ten manages to land three of the top five places. (Yes, I'm going to make you click on the link to see which three and in what order. Sorry.)
Rivals also mentions the Michigan/Ohio State baseball rivalry.
Michigan's Jason Christian is "On The Radar" of Doug Kroll's list of top returning shortstops.
I can't recall if I posted this one before, but Rivals Baseball Editor Kendall Rogers also offered up this piece on Michigan's success.
MORE WALLACE AWARD RANTING
In keeping with BTH unwritten policy, here is the link to CSTV's Kroll's blog about the Wallace Award Watchlist. (The unwritten BTH policy states that if you mention this blog, and I know about it, you get a link here. Oh, and it helps if you say something positive. Negative comments are generally just emailed to me.) As Doug points out, a number of lesser known baseball programs landed multiple award nominees.
Here, again, is my problem. No, not being obsessive-compulsive. That's a different problem. The issue I'm typing of is one where Southern Illinois lands three Wallace Award nominations and Michigan gets only two. Ohio State has only one. So, SIU has three players as good as Nate Recknagel, Jason Christian, J.B. Shuck and Jake Hale, all of whom got overlooked. It's lunacy.
Not only do noted baseball programs like Brown and Delaware land two players -- just as many as the Wolverines and one more than Ohio State, "my" Oakland University can't get a single nod? Seriously, are any of the three, yes, three Appalachian State players selected mathematically more likely to win the Wallace Award than Golden Grizzlies Andrew Stafford or Justin Wilson? The simple answer is no. So why not honor the kids and help the program by including them?
Don't get me wrong, I say let the Salukis have three nominees. Give Brown and Delaware as many spots as seem deserving, but don't leave out the other players that warrant a pre-season nomination. If you are worried about the list being too big, then, perhaps, you pass out the honor a bit too loosely. As it stands now, over 200 names make the watchlist. What's a few more going to hurt? Your reputation?
The College Baseball Foundation -- overseers of the Wallace Award -- either needs to modify their standards to keep the list smaller or expand the list to include everyone worthy of the recognition.
First, there's Rivals.com top Midwest programs. The Big Ten manages to land three of the top five places. (Yes, I'm going to make you click on the link to see which three and in what order. Sorry.)
Rivals also mentions the Michigan/Ohio State baseball rivalry.
Michigan's Jason Christian is "On The Radar" of Doug Kroll's list of top returning shortstops.
I can't recall if I posted this one before, but Rivals Baseball Editor Kendall Rogers also offered up this piece on Michigan's success.
MORE WALLACE AWARD RANTING
In keeping with BTH unwritten policy, here is the link to CSTV's Kroll's blog about the Wallace Award Watchlist. (The unwritten BTH policy states that if you mention this blog, and I know about it, you get a link here. Oh, and it helps if you say something positive. Negative comments are generally just emailed to me.) As Doug points out, a number of lesser known baseball programs landed multiple award nominees.
Here, again, is my problem. No, not being obsessive-compulsive. That's a different problem. The issue I'm typing of is one where Southern Illinois lands three Wallace Award nominations and Michigan gets only two. Ohio State has only one. So, SIU has three players as good as Nate Recknagel, Jason Christian, J.B. Shuck and Jake Hale, all of whom got overlooked. It's lunacy.
Not only do noted baseball programs like Brown and Delaware land two players -- just as many as the Wolverines and one more than Ohio State, "my" Oakland University can't get a single nod? Seriously, are any of the three, yes, three Appalachian State players selected mathematically more likely to win the Wallace Award than Golden Grizzlies Andrew Stafford or Justin Wilson? The simple answer is no. So why not honor the kids and help the program by including them?
Don't get me wrong, I say let the Salukis have three nominees. Give Brown and Delaware as many spots as seem deserving, but don't leave out the other players that warrant a pre-season nomination. If you are worried about the list being too big, then, perhaps, you pass out the honor a bit too loosely. As it stands now, over 200 names make the watchlist. What's a few more going to hurt? Your reputation?
The College Baseball Foundation -- overseers of the Wallace Award -- either needs to modify their standards to keep the list smaller or expand the list to include everyone worthy of the recognition.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Oakland Lands Coach, Media Attention
(Editor's Note: Most of you know that I had the academic equivalent of a cup of coffee at Oakland University. As such, I follow their athletic program. This habit occasionally leads to me posting something about OU baseball here at Big Ten Hardball. This is another one of those moments.)
Oakland has hired a new head baseball coach, John Musachio. Musachio was elevated to the head coaching gig after being the program's hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. He replaces Dylan Putnam who resigned.
If the stats are any indication, Musachio did an excellent job with the hitters. OU batters appeared amongst the conference leaders in nearly every major offensive category this past season. Often times, more than one Golden Grizzly was in the top ten in a category. (You are going to have to take my word for that as the new Summit League website didn't cough up any stats when I clicked on the link. Let's be honest, though. Who else would know that much about OU's hitters?)
On the heels of Musachio's promotion comes a column from Pat Caputo of The Oakland Press. The veteran journalist, and BBWAA, member suggests that OU's baseball program has big-time potential. Not surprisingly, I concur with Mr. Caputo's thesis.
It's not often I get to talk about OU baseball, let alone something positive, so please indulge me this blatantly partisan post.
Oakland has hired a new head baseball coach, John Musachio. Musachio was elevated to the head coaching gig after being the program's hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. He replaces Dylan Putnam who resigned.
If the stats are any indication, Musachio did an excellent job with the hitters. OU batters appeared amongst the conference leaders in nearly every major offensive category this past season. Often times, more than one Golden Grizzly was in the top ten in a category. (You are going to have to take my word for that as the new Summit League website didn't cough up any stats when I clicked on the link. Let's be honest, though. Who else would know that much about OU's hitters?)
On the heels of Musachio's promotion comes a column from Pat Caputo of The Oakland Press. The veteran journalist, and BBWAA, member suggests that OU's baseball program has big-time potential. Not surprisingly, I concur with Mr. Caputo's thesis.
It's not often I get to talk about OU baseball, let alone something positive, so please indulge me this blatantly partisan post.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
A Little Home Cookin'
I've mentioned here once or twice (or forty times) before, but many years ago Oakland University cashed some checks I wrote in return of a few semesters of higher education. As such, I have a soft spot for the Golden Grizzlies. Now, OU is primarily a basketball school (with apologies to the fine soccer and swimming programs), so when a baseball Grizzly nabs some national attention, it bears repeating. (No pun intended.)
OU senior firsbaseman Ryan Heath cranked out three, count 'em, three, grand slams in a Sunday doubleheader. Heath also added another homer for good measure, giving him four homers, a double, five runs scored and an incredible fourteen RBI. In two games! That amazing performance led to Heath being named the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week. Heath's once in a lifetime twinbill also garnered him the Hitter of the Week Award from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
I don't care what level of baseball you are at, when you go 5 for 7 in a doubleheader with four homers, including three grand slams, and drive in fourteen runs, that's a mighty fine outing. One that deserves mentioning even if this is a Big Ten baseball weblog.
OU senior firsbaseman Ryan Heath cranked out three, count 'em, three, grand slams in a Sunday doubleheader. Heath also added another homer for good measure, giving him four homers, a double, five runs scored and an incredible fourteen RBI. In two games! That amazing performance led to Heath being named the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week. Heath's once in a lifetime twinbill also garnered him the Hitter of the Week Award from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
I don't care what level of baseball you are at, when you go 5 for 7 in a doubleheader with four homers, including three grand slams, and drive in fourteen runs, that's a mighty fine outing. One that deserves mentioning even if this is a Big Ten baseball weblog.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Wrapping Up Sunday
Central Connecticut State 2 Penn State 0 (box)
Scott Gaffney and Scott Kelley each had two hits for Penn State. I don't think we should dwell on this one.
Northwestern 11 Dartmouth 4 (box)
Jake Goebbert went 4 for 4 with two RBI. Jake Owens continued his great weekend with two more hits, two runs and two RBI. Freshman starter Cole Livermore picked up his first collegiate win and fellow first year player Joe Muraski earned his first save.
Minnesota 6 Hartford 2 (box)
Marcus McKenzie improved to 3-0. McKenzie worked five innings and gave up only one run. Matt Nohelty had two hits, two steals and a RBI. The Gophers continued to roll.
Indiana 4 IPFW 0 (box)
Five innings of work gave lefty Matt Bashore his third win. The freshman didn't yield a run, allowed only three hits and a walk. Sterling Mack and Evan Crawford each had two hits and a RBI.
Iowa 9 South Dakota State 7 (box)
Ryan Gryzwa had two hits, two runs and two RBI. David Conroy got the win, Mike Schurz the save.
Michigan 17 Oakland 0 (box)
Mike Wilson (3-0) went seven innings and allowed only one hit. The lefty struck out nine. Zach Putnam and Doug Pickens each drove in three runs. Jason Christian and Alan Oaks had three hits and two RBI each. Chris Besert went yard for the first time.
Purdue 5 Western Illinois 3 (box)
Dan Sattler gave up two hits, three walks and struck out four over seven innings to post his first win. Matt Jensen faced one batter and was credited for the win. Eric Osborn drove in three runs. Andy Preston got a pinch hit homerun, his third of the year.
Michigan State's home game against Concordia was canceled.
Scott Gaffney and Scott Kelley each had two hits for Penn State. I don't think we should dwell on this one.
Northwestern 11 Dartmouth 4 (box)
Jake Goebbert went 4 for 4 with two RBI. Jake Owens continued his great weekend with two more hits, two runs and two RBI. Freshman starter Cole Livermore picked up his first collegiate win and fellow first year player Joe Muraski earned his first save.
Minnesota 6 Hartford 2 (box)
Marcus McKenzie improved to 3-0. McKenzie worked five innings and gave up only one run. Matt Nohelty had two hits, two steals and a RBI. The Gophers continued to roll.
Indiana 4 IPFW 0 (box)
Five innings of work gave lefty Matt Bashore his third win. The freshman didn't yield a run, allowed only three hits and a walk. Sterling Mack and Evan Crawford each had two hits and a RBI.
Iowa 9 South Dakota State 7 (box)
Ryan Gryzwa had two hits, two runs and two RBI. David Conroy got the win, Mike Schurz the save.
Michigan 17 Oakland 0 (box)
Mike Wilson (3-0) went seven innings and allowed only one hit. The lefty struck out nine. Zach Putnam and Doug Pickens each drove in three runs. Jason Christian and Alan Oaks had three hits and two RBI each. Chris Besert went yard for the first time.
Purdue 5 Western Illinois 3 (box)
Dan Sattler gave up two hits, three walks and struck out four over seven innings to post his first win. Matt Jensen faced one batter and was credited for the win. Eric Osborn drove in three runs. Andy Preston got a pinch hit homerun, his third of the year.
Michigan State's home game against Concordia was canceled.
More Photos
Saturday, March 24, 2007
A Day At The Fish
I did make it out to Ray Fisher Stadium for today's doubleheader between Oakland University and the University of Michigan. It was a great day at the yard. Of course, nearly any time spent at the ballpark is quality time. Today's doubleheader began under clouds and a breeze that made it feel colder than the scoreboard's suggested temperature of sixty-two. However, by the finale of the twinbill, the clouds departed and we had a near perfect March day for baseball.
Now, I mentioned the scoreboard. Last year, the scoreboard at The Fish became a joke to the Fisher Stadium regulars. It didn't exactly work properly and there were whispers that they didn't even make replacement parts for the old board any longer. I have no idea if that was true, but for 2007, Michigan baseball has a new scoreboard.
There will be plenty of other new things at Ray Fisher Stadium over the next year or two. Construction is most definitely underway. I do wonder why the work didn't begin sooner, like at the close of last season, but improvements are improvements. It may just be nit-picking on my part to complain about the start date.
Onto the action. In the first game, Oakland probably deserved to win. Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm the OU slappy in the crowd. Well, forgive me for showing them love because they had the audacity (misfortune?) to admit me. However, the Grizzlies left ten runners on base and hung with the Wolverines for five innings mostly due to the pitching of Matt Trausch.
Michigan opened it up some in the bottom of the sixth, and forced Trausch to the bench, but both team's offense reflected the weather -- cloudy and colder than it looked. Oakland couldn't take advantage of their opportunities and Michigan won a the kind of game good teams win even when they aren't playing well. (More on that in a minute.)
Oh, I should pass along a warning to fans, writers and announcers alike. The fake-to-first, throw-to-third pick-off move worked in Game One. I kid you not. It worked. Hess faked a pick off toss to first, wheeled and threw a strike to third to nail the runner. This will only confirm it's potential for success and guarantee it's continued use. The next time you wonder when that move actually worked, you can remember this post.
In addition to Trausch, the players that caught my eye in the first game were Andrew Hess, Michigan's starter, and Justin Wilson, OU's centerfielder. I don't know what Hess topped his fastball out at, but he seemed to throw harder today then I remember him throwing before. In spite of not getting much run support until late, Hess was tough.
Wilson looked like the prototype leadoff hitter. He saw a ton of pitches and displayed great wheels. I can see why he's at the top of Coach Putnam's lineup.
In between games, I bumped into Sam who was busy taking photos. (You can get a look at her work from Friday's game here. Expect pictures from today to be uploaded soon. If she gets any coffee tonight, there's a good chance they'll be up before I finish this entry.) Sam quized me as to my rooting interest. The "Whoever wins" answer was appropriately labeled a cop-out.
Game Two saw Michigan win a one run game, 4-3. It was Michigan that wasted a number of scoring chances in the second game. The Wolverines left eight runners on base. Although, OU did play hard after the difficult opening loss. The Golden Grizzlies scored one in the first, another in the fourth and held a 2-0 lead.
U of M answered with a three run bottom of the fourth, started by Adam Abraham's first homer of '07, and you figured the game was over. Yet, Oakland managed another run, an Andrew Stafford homer, to tie the score at 3-3 in the sixth. Back-to-back doubles by Eric Rose and Jason Christian won it for Michigan.
Chris Fetter showed flashes of his first team All-Big Ten form in posting his first win of the year. Ben Jenzen came in to close out Michigan's sweep of Oakland.
After the finale Saturday, several of the Michigan players began doing grounds crew work. There are a handful of the Maize and Blue players raking the infield grass, while others are piling in a some kind of John Deere utility vehicle and moving stuff around. I've seen the players have to move the batting cage after BP. They often act as their own batpeople (boys or girls), as they don't have one. Now, after playing twelve innings they have to clean up the infield themselves? Priceless. It's no wonder I love college baseball.
Back to the team on the field. I just don't get the feeling that Michigan is running on all cylinders. Maybe it's just the slightly better than .500 mark brought on by a tough non-conference slate. Perhaps, it's knowing that they are about three outs and three runs away from being a Top 25 team instead of one not even getting votes in the polls. Did I have too great an expectation before the season started? Honestly, I think Coach Maloney expected more than I did.
Whatever the reason, Michigan has a full Big Ten schedule ahead of them, so there's plenty of time to right the ship. (Assuming one believes the ship is in need of righting.) I may head back out to Ann Arbor for the last game of the series tomorrow. Perhaps, I just need to see more of them in person. Following games on GameTracker isn't the same as being there. If I do head back to The Fish Sunday, I should look to see if I have any OU apparel I can wear should I run across Samara.
Next weekend, the plan is to be in Columbus for the Saturday's encounter between Iowa and Ohio State. Weather permitting, of course.
Now, I mentioned the scoreboard. Last year, the scoreboard at The Fish became a joke to the Fisher Stadium regulars. It didn't exactly work properly and there were whispers that they didn't even make replacement parts for the old board any longer. I have no idea if that was true, but for 2007, Michigan baseball has a new scoreboard.
There will be plenty of other new things at Ray Fisher Stadium over the next year or two. Construction is most definitely underway. I do wonder why the work didn't begin sooner, like at the close of last season, but improvements are improvements. It may just be nit-picking on my part to complain about the start date.
Onto the action. In the first game, Oakland probably deserved to win. Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm the OU slappy in the crowd. Well, forgive me for showing them love because they had the audacity (misfortune?) to admit me. However, the Grizzlies left ten runners on base and hung with the Wolverines for five innings mostly due to the pitching of Matt Trausch.
Michigan opened it up some in the bottom of the sixth, and forced Trausch to the bench, but both team's offense reflected the weather -- cloudy and colder than it looked. Oakland couldn't take advantage of their opportunities and Michigan won a the kind of game good teams win even when they aren't playing well. (More on that in a minute.)
Oh, I should pass along a warning to fans, writers and announcers alike. The fake-to-first, throw-to-third pick-off move worked in Game One. I kid you not. It worked. Hess faked a pick off toss to first, wheeled and threw a strike to third to nail the runner. This will only confirm it's potential for success and guarantee it's continued use. The next time you wonder when that move actually worked, you can remember this post.
In addition to Trausch, the players that caught my eye in the first game were Andrew Hess, Michigan's starter, and Justin Wilson, OU's centerfielder. I don't know what Hess topped his fastball out at, but he seemed to throw harder today then I remember him throwing before. In spite of not getting much run support until late, Hess was tough.
Wilson looked like the prototype leadoff hitter. He saw a ton of pitches and displayed great wheels. I can see why he's at the top of Coach Putnam's lineup.
In between games, I bumped into Sam who was busy taking photos. (You can get a look at her work from Friday's game here. Expect pictures from today to be uploaded soon. If she gets any coffee tonight, there's a good chance they'll be up before I finish this entry.) Sam quized me as to my rooting interest. The "Whoever wins" answer was appropriately labeled a cop-out.
Game Two saw Michigan win a one run game, 4-3. It was Michigan that wasted a number of scoring chances in the second game. The Wolverines left eight runners on base. Although, OU did play hard after the difficult opening loss. The Golden Grizzlies scored one in the first, another in the fourth and held a 2-0 lead.
U of M answered with a three run bottom of the fourth, started by Adam Abraham's first homer of '07, and you figured the game was over. Yet, Oakland managed another run, an Andrew Stafford homer, to tie the score at 3-3 in the sixth. Back-to-back doubles by Eric Rose and Jason Christian won it for Michigan.
Chris Fetter showed flashes of his first team All-Big Ten form in posting his first win of the year. Ben Jenzen came in to close out Michigan's sweep of Oakland.
After the finale Saturday, several of the Michigan players began doing grounds crew work. There are a handful of the Maize and Blue players raking the infield grass, while others are piling in a some kind of John Deere utility vehicle and moving stuff around. I've seen the players have to move the batting cage after BP. They often act as their own batpeople (boys or girls), as they don't have one. Now, after playing twelve innings they have to clean up the infield themselves? Priceless. It's no wonder I love college baseball.
Back to the team on the field. I just don't get the feeling that Michigan is running on all cylinders. Maybe it's just the slightly better than .500 mark brought on by a tough non-conference slate. Perhaps, it's knowing that they are about three outs and three runs away from being a Top 25 team instead of one not even getting votes in the polls. Did I have too great an expectation before the season started? Honestly, I think Coach Maloney expected more than I did.
Whatever the reason, Michigan has a full Big Ten schedule ahead of them, so there's plenty of time to right the ship. (Assuming one believes the ship is in need of righting.) I may head back out to Ann Arbor for the last game of the series tomorrow. Perhaps, I just need to see more of them in person. Following games on GameTracker isn't the same as being there. If I do head back to The Fish Sunday, I should look to see if I have any OU apparel I can wear should I run across Samara.
Next weekend, the plan is to be in Columbus for the Saturday's encounter between Iowa and Ohio State. Weather permitting, of course.
Lots Of Saturday Wins
I admit it wasn't against the highest caliber of competition, but the baseball programs of the Big Ten won far more than they lost Saturday.
Penn State 9 Central Connecticut State 0 (box)
DH Rob Yodice had two hits and three RBI. Three PSU hurlers combined on the shutout. Seth Whitehill, the Nittany Lions' starter, got the win.
Michigan State 6 Concordia 3 (box)
Spartans CF Dennis Jones had two hits, two runs, two RBI and four stolen bases. Peter Wolff's one inning of relief garnered him a victory. Mike Monterey notched save number two.
Minnesota 8 Hartford 2 (box)
Gophers 3B Nate Hanson was the hitting star with three hits, two runs and two RBI. Mike Mee also had a three hit game. Kyle Carr (3-0) earned the win pitching the last three frames.
Northwestern 10 Harvard 9 (Game 1 box)
3B Jake Owens went 4 for 4 with three RBI, a run scored and three stolen bases. Tommy Finn also went yard for NU. David Jensen won the game for the Wildcats.
Northwestern 12 Dartmouth 2 (Game 2 box)
Owens followed his four hit game with a three hit finale. He also had three RBI, two runs and a stolen base. (Methinks he will be on the All-Weekend Team.) Geoff Deitz had two hits, two runs and two RBI. Dan Schwartz earned the win.
Iowa 5 North Dakota State 3 (box)
Mike Jacobs got the win in relief. Mike Schurz picked up the save. Justin Toole had two hits and two RBI. Dusty Napoleon had a hit, run and RBI.
Michigan 4 Oakland 1 (Game 1 box)
Andrew Hess tosses a seven inning complete game. Hess allowed five hits and three walks. (I'll be providing some general observations on this doubleheader in a separate post.)
Michigan 4 Oakland 3 (Game 2 box)
Chris Fetter worked six innings and posted his first win of the year. He allowed all three OU runs and five hits, but walked no one. Ben Jenzen worked the seventh to earn his third save. Adam Abraham hit his first homer.
Western Illinois 5 Purdue 2 (Game 1 box)
Eric Osborn had both Boilermakers RBI. Josh Lindblom (2-2) gave up only four hits and struck out seven, but yielded four runs and took the loss.
Purdue 7 Western Illinois 0 (Game 2 box)
Ricky Heines (3-2) twirled a four hit, eight strikeout, complete game shutout. John Cummins had three hits and two RBI. Jordan Comadena scored three times.
Penn State 9 Central Connecticut State 0 (box)
DH Rob Yodice had two hits and three RBI. Three PSU hurlers combined on the shutout. Seth Whitehill, the Nittany Lions' starter, got the win.
Michigan State 6 Concordia 3 (box)
Spartans CF Dennis Jones had two hits, two runs, two RBI and four stolen bases. Peter Wolff's one inning of relief garnered him a victory. Mike Monterey notched save number two.
Minnesota 8 Hartford 2 (box)
Gophers 3B Nate Hanson was the hitting star with three hits, two runs and two RBI. Mike Mee also had a three hit game. Kyle Carr (3-0) earned the win pitching the last three frames.
Northwestern 10 Harvard 9 (Game 1 box)
3B Jake Owens went 4 for 4 with three RBI, a run scored and three stolen bases. Tommy Finn also went yard for NU. David Jensen won the game for the Wildcats.
Northwestern 12 Dartmouth 2 (Game 2 box)
Owens followed his four hit game with a three hit finale. He also had three RBI, two runs and a stolen base. (Methinks he will be on the All-Weekend Team.) Geoff Deitz had two hits, two runs and two RBI. Dan Schwartz earned the win.
Iowa 5 North Dakota State 3 (box)
Mike Jacobs got the win in relief. Mike Schurz picked up the save. Justin Toole had two hits and two RBI. Dusty Napoleon had a hit, run and RBI.
Michigan 4 Oakland 1 (Game 1 box)
Andrew Hess tosses a seven inning complete game. Hess allowed five hits and three walks. (I'll be providing some general observations on this doubleheader in a separate post.)
Michigan 4 Oakland 3 (Game 2 box)
Chris Fetter worked six innings and posted his first win of the year. He allowed all three OU runs and five hits, but walked no one. Ben Jenzen worked the seventh to earn his third save. Adam Abraham hit his first homer.
Western Illinois 5 Purdue 2 (Game 1 box)
Eric Osborn had both Boilermakers RBI. Josh Lindblom (2-2) gave up only four hits and struck out seven, but yielded four runs and took the loss.
Purdue 7 Western Illinois 0 (Game 2 box)
Ricky Heines (3-2) twirled a four hit, eight strikeout, complete game shutout. John Cummins had three hits and two RBI. Jordan Comadena scored three times.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Previews, Scores And A Bit Of Venting
I didn't make it out to the Oakland at Michigan game today. Oh, I got out of work a bit early with the intention to visit Ray Fisher Stadium, but let's just say things didn't progress as well as I would like. Most of the problems centered on the Michigan Department of Transportation's efforts to congest all traffic in metro Detroit. By the time I got from one side of town to the other and was still a good half an hour away from Ann Arbor, I wrote off the remainder of my plan.
I hope to make it out to The Fish tomorrow, but that's going to depend on the weather. Perhaps, a good night's sleep will renew my enthusiasm to fight traffic and orange barrels. Anybody seen my rain gear?
Now, I realize you care squat about my frustration with Detroit's ongoing road construction, but I had to vent. (Although, I clearly edited my thoughts.) I appreciate your patience with me, but I'll get on to what you presumably do care about -- Big Ten baseball.
Let's begin at The Exponent where Brian Petraits previews Purdue's weekend versus Western Illinois.
Paul Cordes of The Minnesota Daily looks at the Gophers three game set with Hartford.
Indiana Daily Student writer Lee Hurwitz discuss the Hoosiers meeting with IPFW.
Penn State opens its new ballpark this weekend and Chris Agostini of The Daily Collegian sets the scene.
College baseball's chief number cruncher, Boyd Nation, provides his current ISR numbers and his updated pseudo-RPI figures.
All of the Big Ten game scheduled for today are complete. I'll start with the one I didn't get to today.
Michigan 9 Oakland 3 (box)
Zach Putnam picked up win number three and drove in four runs. Jason Christian, Eric Rose and Doug Pickens each had three hits.
Ohio State 5 Harvard 3 (box)
Cory Luebke improved to 4-0. The OSU lefty came out of the bullpen to pitch six innings and fanned eight. Jacob Howell had three hits and three RBI for the Buckeyes who have won twelve straight.
Iowa 6 North Dakota State 5 (box)
SS Jason White stole home with two outs in the 11th inning to win the game. Iowa's LF Caleb Curry had two hits and three RBI. Mike Schurz pitched two innings and is now 3-0.
Iowa 8 North Dakota State 0 (box)
Steve Turnbull pitched a seven inning complete game shutout to help the Hawkeyes sweep the doubleheader. Iowa's starter allowed only two hits and struck out seven. Dusty Napoleon had three hits and five RBI. Travis Sweet had three hits and stole two bases.
Illinois 7 Dartmouth 4 (box)
Lars Davis goes 4 for 4 with two solo homers. Ryan Hastings had three hits and two RBI. Scott Shaw worked six innings gaining his second win of the season.
Minnesota 10 Hartford 0 (box)
Ethan Vogt twirled a complete game shutout. Super sophomore Matt Nohelty had three hits, scored twice, drove in a pair of runs and stole two bases. Kyle Baran and Dan Lyons each went yard.
Penn State 8 Central Connecticut State 1 (box)
PSU opened their new yard, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, in grand fashion. Craig Clark worked eight innings to get a much overdue first win. C Rob Yodice had two hits, two runs and drove in two. Joe Blackburn also had a pair of hits and two RBI. Brian Ernst had a three hit game.
Two games were lost to the weather. Purdue at Western Illinois and IPFW at Indiana both got washed out. No other games involving Big Ten programs were on the docket.
I did get to watch two college games via television. I saw South Carolina demolish Mississippi State, 20-3. Yeah, it got ugly. The Bulldogs get two more shots at USC. I'm currently watching Arizona State beat up the "other" USC, 8-0 in the fourth inning. The Trojans have no answers for the Sun Devils at the moment. I'm a tad surprised that ASU is running and bunting with an eight run lead. Anyone think 'SC Head Coach Chad Krueter is happy?
It hasn't been the best of afternoons, but I'm thankful for what college baseball I do get to see. Here's hoping the rain holds off tomorrow.
I hope to make it out to The Fish tomorrow, but that's going to depend on the weather. Perhaps, a good night's sleep will renew my enthusiasm to fight traffic and orange barrels. Anybody seen my rain gear?
Now, I realize you care squat about my frustration with Detroit's ongoing road construction, but I had to vent. (Although, I clearly edited my thoughts.) I appreciate your patience with me, but I'll get on to what you presumably do care about -- Big Ten baseball.
Let's begin at The Exponent where Brian Petraits previews Purdue's weekend versus Western Illinois.
Paul Cordes of The Minnesota Daily looks at the Gophers three game set with Hartford.
Indiana Daily Student writer Lee Hurwitz discuss the Hoosiers meeting with IPFW.
Penn State opens its new ballpark this weekend and Chris Agostini of The Daily Collegian sets the scene.
College baseball's chief number cruncher, Boyd Nation, provides his current ISR numbers and his updated pseudo-RPI figures.
All of the Big Ten game scheduled for today are complete. I'll start with the one I didn't get to today.
Michigan 9 Oakland 3 (box)
Zach Putnam picked up win number three and drove in four runs. Jason Christian, Eric Rose and Doug Pickens each had three hits.
Ohio State 5 Harvard 3 (box)
Cory Luebke improved to 4-0. The OSU lefty came out of the bullpen to pitch six innings and fanned eight. Jacob Howell had three hits and three RBI for the Buckeyes who have won twelve straight.
Iowa 6 North Dakota State 5 (box)
SS Jason White stole home with two outs in the 11th inning to win the game. Iowa's LF Caleb Curry had two hits and three RBI. Mike Schurz pitched two innings and is now 3-0.
Iowa 8 North Dakota State 0 (box)
Steve Turnbull pitched a seven inning complete game shutout to help the Hawkeyes sweep the doubleheader. Iowa's starter allowed only two hits and struck out seven. Dusty Napoleon had three hits and five RBI. Travis Sweet had three hits and stole two bases.
Illinois 7 Dartmouth 4 (box)
Lars Davis goes 4 for 4 with two solo homers. Ryan Hastings had three hits and two RBI. Scott Shaw worked six innings gaining his second win of the season.
Minnesota 10 Hartford 0 (box)
Ethan Vogt twirled a complete game shutout. Super sophomore Matt Nohelty had three hits, scored twice, drove in a pair of runs and stole two bases. Kyle Baran and Dan Lyons each went yard.
Penn State 8 Central Connecticut State 1 (box)
PSU opened their new yard, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, in grand fashion. Craig Clark worked eight innings to get a much overdue first win. C Rob Yodice had two hits, two runs and drove in two. Joe Blackburn also had a pair of hits and two RBI. Brian Ernst had a three hit game.
Two games were lost to the weather. Purdue at Western Illinois and IPFW at Indiana both got washed out. No other games involving Big Ten programs were on the docket.
I did get to watch two college games via television. I saw South Carolina demolish Mississippi State, 20-3. Yeah, it got ugly. The Bulldogs get two more shots at USC. I'm currently watching Arizona State beat up the "other" USC, 8-0 in the fourth inning. The Trojans have no answers for the Sun Devils at the moment. I'm a tad surprised that ASU is running and bunting with an eight run lead. Anyone think 'SC Head Coach Chad Krueter is happy?
It hasn't been the best of afternoons, but I'm thankful for what college baseball I do get to see. Here's hoping the rain holds off tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Midweek Meanderings
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Thoughts From The Weekend went on hiatus this week. As my early week ramblings have been set aside, I'll try and focus on volume this Wednesday night.
* The Big Ten named Indiana's Andrew Means and Purdue's Matt Bischoff as Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
* Iowa shortstop Jason White was tabbed as the Best Defensive Player of the Pepsi Johnny Quick Classic.
* AM 920 WMNI radio in Columbus has signed on to broadcast Ohio State baseball for the next two seasons.
* Justin Weyman, the voice of Penn State baseball, began hosting Coach Robbie Wine's weekly radio show Tuesday night.
* Wednesday scores:
Illinois 4 UMass 0 (box)
The Illini's Aaron Martin tosses eight innings of shutout baseball. Lars Davis goes 4 for 5, Ryan Hastings gets three hits in four at bats and Ryan Snowden drives in two.
Ohio State 16 Yale 10 (box)
The Buckeyes win streak runs to 10. All-Big Ten 2B Jason Zoeller goes yard and drives in four OSU runs. Fellow all-conference performer Matt Angle has three hits and steals two bases in this offense dominated affair. J.B. Shuck has a ten game hitting streak.
Penn State's opener in their new ballpark was postponed due to poor weather.
* The lone Tuesday contest:
Northwestern 4 UMass 2 (box)
Freshman Joe Muraski's first collegiate start was a complete game victory. The first year lefty allowed six hits and two walks in nine innings. CF Caleb Fields had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run. RF Max Mann had two hits and two RBI.
* For those interested in summer leagues, I have found this new website courtesy of a link provided by The Baseball Zealot.
* I'm still about a week away from looking at OPS numbers for 2007. However, Purdue's Jordan Comadena is probably the leader heading into the last weekend of non-conference action. The Boilermakers' outfielder has an OPS of 1.413. That's real good in any league.
* For those still waiting for the All-Weekend Team, I think you'll have to wait one more day. Yes, it will almost be the next weekend, but I do have to sleep in between work and other responsibilities. Unless, of course, you want to start subsidizing my lame blog, then I can type all day long.
* I mentioned that this is the last weekend of non-c0nference play. Amongst the weekend series, Michigan hosts Oakland University. Veteran readers (reader?) of BTH will know that OU was kind enough to accept my tuition several years ago, thus I root for the Golden Grizzlies. (Although, if you think about it, I paid them. Maybe they should be rooting for me?) Anyway, these match-ups with Big Ten baseball programs do pose a bit of a dilemma for me.
* For those unaware, OU head coach Dylan Putnam is the brother of Michigan sophomore sensation Zach Putnam. Dylan spent his college career pitching for Michigan State.
* Finally, a heartfelt farewell Todd Lamb, Assistant Athletics Communications Director for The Ohio State University. Todd, a friend of BTH, has landed a job with the Texas Rangers. In addition to being the baseball SID for the Buckeyes, Todd is a past president of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. His support of college baseball, especially those programs in the north, will be missed. On a personal note, I'll miss his insights on the inner workings of college baseball. Thanks, Todd and good luck in The Show.
* The Big Ten named Indiana's Andrew Means and Purdue's Matt Bischoff as Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
* Iowa shortstop Jason White was tabbed as the Best Defensive Player of the Pepsi Johnny Quick Classic.
* AM 920 WMNI radio in Columbus has signed on to broadcast Ohio State baseball for the next two seasons.
* Justin Weyman, the voice of Penn State baseball, began hosting Coach Robbie Wine's weekly radio show Tuesday night.
* Wednesday scores:
Illinois 4 UMass 0 (box)
The Illini's Aaron Martin tosses eight innings of shutout baseball. Lars Davis goes 4 for 5, Ryan Hastings gets three hits in four at bats and Ryan Snowden drives in two.
Ohio State 16 Yale 10 (box)
The Buckeyes win streak runs to 10. All-Big Ten 2B Jason Zoeller goes yard and drives in four OSU runs. Fellow all-conference performer Matt Angle has three hits and steals two bases in this offense dominated affair. J.B. Shuck has a ten game hitting streak.
Penn State's opener in their new ballpark was postponed due to poor weather.
* The lone Tuesday contest:
Northwestern 4 UMass 2 (box)
Freshman Joe Muraski's first collegiate start was a complete game victory. The first year lefty allowed six hits and two walks in nine innings. CF Caleb Fields had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run. RF Max Mann had two hits and two RBI.
* For those interested in summer leagues, I have found this new website courtesy of a link provided by The Baseball Zealot.
* I'm still about a week away from looking at OPS numbers for 2007. However, Purdue's Jordan Comadena is probably the leader heading into the last weekend of non-conference action. The Boilermakers' outfielder has an OPS of 1.413. That's real good in any league.
* For those still waiting for the All-Weekend Team, I think you'll have to wait one more day. Yes, it will almost be the next weekend, but I do have to sleep in between work and other responsibilities. Unless, of course, you want to start subsidizing my lame blog, then I can type all day long.
* I mentioned that this is the last weekend of non-c0nference play. Amongst the weekend series, Michigan hosts Oakland University. Veteran readers (reader?) of BTH will know that OU was kind enough to accept my tuition several years ago, thus I root for the Golden Grizzlies. (Although, if you think about it, I paid them. Maybe they should be rooting for me?) Anyway, these match-ups with Big Ten baseball programs do pose a bit of a dilemma for me.
* For those unaware, OU head coach Dylan Putnam is the brother of Michigan sophomore sensation Zach Putnam. Dylan spent his college career pitching for Michigan State.
* Finally, a heartfelt farewell Todd Lamb, Assistant Athletics Communications Director for The Ohio State University. Todd, a friend of BTH, has landed a job with the Texas Rangers. In addition to being the baseball SID for the Buckeyes, Todd is a past president of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. His support of college baseball, especially those programs in the north, will be missed. On a personal note, I'll miss his insights on the inner workings of college baseball. Thanks, Todd and good luck in The Show.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Oakland University Releases Schedule
Why on Earth would I mention Oakland University's baseball schedule? OU is in the Mid-Continent Conference for crying out loud. Why bother with them? Well, in the interest of full disclosure, your local blogger attended the Rochester, Michigan university. (What? I can't watch more than ten schools at once?)
Besides, there is a Big Ten connection. OU will make what is becoming an annual trek to Ann Arbor to face Rich Maloney's defending Big Ten championship team. It will also mark the latest meeting between Michigan pitcher Zach Putnam and his brother Dylan, who is Oakland's head coach.
There is also a tie between the two programs as Michigan firstbaseman Nate Recknagel transferred to U of M from Oakland. See, there's plenty of viable Big Ten related information to be had by sharing Oakland's 2007 schedule.
I am a bit surprised that OU isn't taking on Ohio State in '07. Seems like the two schools have run into each other in the past, but the Golden Grizzlies don't have OSU, or Michigan State, for that matter, on this year's docket.
The Golden Grizzlies also have a few interesting non-Big Ten games. I kid you not. OU will be in Lexington to face the defending regular season SEC champ, Kentucky on February 27. On April 3rd, Dylan Putnam's side will be in South Bend to take on Notre Dame. Finally, Oral Roberts, who is probably the conference's baseball power, will make the voyage to Rochester to visit OU in May.
Besides, there is a Big Ten connection. OU will make what is becoming an annual trek to Ann Arbor to face Rich Maloney's defending Big Ten championship team. It will also mark the latest meeting between Michigan pitcher Zach Putnam and his brother Dylan, who is Oakland's head coach.
There is also a tie between the two programs as Michigan firstbaseman Nate Recknagel transferred to U of M from Oakland. See, there's plenty of viable Big Ten related information to be had by sharing Oakland's 2007 schedule.
I am a bit surprised that OU isn't taking on Ohio State in '07. Seems like the two schools have run into each other in the past, but the Golden Grizzlies don't have OSU, or Michigan State, for that matter, on this year's docket.
The Golden Grizzlies also have a few interesting non-Big Ten games. I kid you not. OU will be in Lexington to face the defending regular season SEC champ, Kentucky on February 27. On April 3rd, Dylan Putnam's side will be in South Bend to take on Notre Dame. Finally, Oral Roberts, who is probably the conference's baseball power, will make the voyage to Rochester to visit OU in May.
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