It was a day that held true to form. The higher seeds prevailed and with each side sending it's traditional Friday starter to the mound, pitching was the story of the day.
Behind a strong performance from Cole DeVries, Minnesota beat Illinois, 8-1. (Note: The Gophers have a new website or, at least, a new design. I wasn't crazy about the old one, so I embrace the change.) DeVries (7-3) and reliever Andy Cole combined on a one hitter. Mike Mee and Chris Herbert each drove in a pair of runs to power the offense.
The nightcap went twelve innings before Jedidiah Stephen drove home the winner leading Ohio State to a 2-1 triumph over Purdue. Big Ten Freshman of the Year, J.B. Shuck earned the win in two innings of relief. Starter Dan DeLucia worked the first ten innings allowing seven hits, two walks and the lone Boilermaker tally.
Purdue could not help starter Dan Sattler who worked nine solid innings of his own. The righthander yielded six hits, three walks and one run.
Tomorrow's action looks like this. At noon, Illinois and Purdue will play an elimination game. At 3:30pm, Ohio State will take on Northwestern. The tripleheader concludes with Minnesota taking on #23 Michigan.
For those of you not in Ann Arbor, and much to my pleasant surprise, the Big Ten has set-up a special Tournament Central webpage. It claims to provide live streaming video of the games. I cannot attest to that, as I was at the games, so proceed with that caveat in mind.
(As an aside, here's a question for the Big Ten. How about a Conference Tournament T-Shirt? I got one about ten years ago, but I can't get one now? Are we regressing or do the shirts arrive tomorrow? Look, I'm not only offering you advertising space for free, but I'm willing to pay for the ad. Work with me here.)
All and all it was a very good day of baseball. Tomorrow, we get an additional game plus the top two seeds, Michigan and Northwestern, take to the field for the first time in this tournament. The weather forecast, however, isn't as promising. Let's hope they are wrong.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Thoughts Before The Big Ten Tournament
I'm heading out to Ann Arbor tomorrow to catch the opening games of the Big Ten Tournament. I'm hoping to be at a majority of the games over the next four days, so posts may be less frequent or arrive at even stranger hours than they do now.
If things go even close to my plan, this may be the most live baseball I've seen back-to-back ever. At minimum, nine games in four days. That's a fan's dream come true. With a NCAA Tournament spot at stake, there's also more than a bit of tension built in. It should be very entertaining baseball. Hope all of you can make it out to Ray Fisher Stadium.
Here are just some of my thoughts before the conference tournament opens.
The Favorite: #23 Michigan
Now nationally ranked, the Wolverines are hosts and have to be the front-runners. Coming into the tournament on a roll--including a sweep of Iowa and a triumph over Notre Dame. Pitching (Paul Hammond and Chris Fetter were first team All-Big Ten choices, Zach Putnam landed on the second team) and defense have gotten them to this point. Toss in timely hitting and you have the recipe for success in the post-season, as well.
The Next Most Likely To Win: Ohio State
This team is loaded offensively (first in team batting average, obp, slugging) and have more than enough pitching (first in team ERA) to win this tournament. Whether their bats can overcome what will be everyone's best pitching is the question. A potential second round encounter with NU's Dan Brauer would be very, very interesting.
The Darkhorse: Purdue
Early this year, Purdue looked like the team to beat in the Big Ten. Then, the bottom fell out. They still have some of the best hitters in the league--Mitch Hilligoss, Ryne White, Spencer Ingaldson, Eric Wolfe--and some better than average arms. Can the Boilermakers make up for a disappointing regular season in Ann Arbor?
My Crazy Pick: Minnesota
No, they don't hit much, but they pitch pretty well (Cole DeVries and Brian Bull are a solid 1-2 combo) and John Anderson's teams play well in this tournament. They took two of three from Ohio State in Columbus two weeks ago and I've just got a feeling about the Gophers. Go ahead, call me crazy.
RPI Numbers:
Michigan-53
Ohio State-91
Minnesota-105
Purdue-115
Illinois-128
Northwestern- 142
Some Of The Players I'm Looking Forward To Watching (that I haven't seen already):
Dan Brauer, Northwestern
Antonio Mule, Northwestern
Mitch Hilligoss, Purdue
Ryne White, Purdue
Kyle Baran, Minnesota
Cole DeVries, Minnesota
Jacob Howell, Ohio State
Ryan Snowden, Illinois
Shawn Roof, Illinois
Forecast (from the BTH Weather Center):
Wednesday- It's supposed to be very nice for both games. May need a light weight coat early, but if it was like today, it will be almost perfect by the first pitch. Storms may arrive at night. Thankfully, only day games tomorrow.
Thursday- Here's where things get iffy. I've seen forecasts with more sun than rain and vice versa. It's supposed to be warm, though. Maybe into the 80's. Let's hope the rain stays scattered.
Friday- Again, storms are in the forecast. Of course, so is sunshine. When either arrive and for how long they stay are the questions. Back to the 70's.
Saturday- Sunny. Warmer. Mid-80's forecasted. No talk of rain. Yet.
Sunday- Partly Sunny. There was even talk of 90 degrees. Come on, they aren't even sure about Thursday, can they really know much about Sunday now?
Summary- It's Michigan. It's Spring. Pack one of everything--shorts, sweats, t-shirts, umbrella.
If things go even close to my plan, this may be the most live baseball I've seen back-to-back ever. At minimum, nine games in four days. That's a fan's dream come true. With a NCAA Tournament spot at stake, there's also more than a bit of tension built in. It should be very entertaining baseball. Hope all of you can make it out to Ray Fisher Stadium.
Here are just some of my thoughts before the conference tournament opens.
The Favorite: #23 Michigan
Now nationally ranked, the Wolverines are hosts and have to be the front-runners. Coming into the tournament on a roll--including a sweep of Iowa and a triumph over Notre Dame. Pitching (Paul Hammond and Chris Fetter were first team All-Big Ten choices, Zach Putnam landed on the second team) and defense have gotten them to this point. Toss in timely hitting and you have the recipe for success in the post-season, as well.
The Next Most Likely To Win: Ohio State
This team is loaded offensively (first in team batting average, obp, slugging) and have more than enough pitching (first in team ERA) to win this tournament. Whether their bats can overcome what will be everyone's best pitching is the question. A potential second round encounter with NU's Dan Brauer would be very, very interesting.
The Darkhorse: Purdue
Early this year, Purdue looked like the team to beat in the Big Ten. Then, the bottom fell out. They still have some of the best hitters in the league--Mitch Hilligoss, Ryne White, Spencer Ingaldson, Eric Wolfe--and some better than average arms. Can the Boilermakers make up for a disappointing regular season in Ann Arbor?
My Crazy Pick: Minnesota
No, they don't hit much, but they pitch pretty well (Cole DeVries and Brian Bull are a solid 1-2 combo) and John Anderson's teams play well in this tournament. They took two of three from Ohio State in Columbus two weeks ago and I've just got a feeling about the Gophers. Go ahead, call me crazy.
RPI Numbers:
Michigan-53
Ohio State-91
Minnesota-105
Purdue-115
Illinois-128
Northwestern- 142
Some Of The Players I'm Looking Forward To Watching (that I haven't seen already):
Dan Brauer, Northwestern
Antonio Mule, Northwestern
Mitch Hilligoss, Purdue
Ryne White, Purdue
Kyle Baran, Minnesota
Cole DeVries, Minnesota
Jacob Howell, Ohio State
Ryan Snowden, Illinois
Shawn Roof, Illinois
Forecast (from the BTH Weather Center):
Wednesday- It's supposed to be very nice for both games. May need a light weight coat early, but if it was like today, it will be almost perfect by the first pitch. Storms may arrive at night. Thankfully, only day games tomorrow.
Thursday- Here's where things get iffy. I've seen forecasts with more sun than rain and vice versa. It's supposed to be warm, though. Maybe into the 80's. Let's hope the rain stays scattered.
Friday- Again, storms are in the forecast. Of course, so is sunshine. When either arrive and for how long they stay are the questions. Back to the 70's.
Saturday- Sunny. Warmer. Mid-80's forecasted. No talk of rain. Yet.
Sunday- Partly Sunny. There was even talk of 90 degrees. Come on, they aren't even sure about Thursday, can they really know much about Sunday now?
Summary- It's Michigan. It's Spring. Pack one of everything--shorts, sweats, t-shirts, umbrella.
All-Conference Honors
The Big Ten Conference announced it's award winners today. At some point, I hope to name an All-BTH Team for 2006. Until then, review the conference's official selections. I have to say, however, that I concur with the majority of them.
Monday, May 22, 2006
A Classic Pitcher's Duel
I've logged out of Blogger about three times now, only to find another reason to sign back in and type. It's no wonder I don't get near enough sleep. Regardless, my latest sign in is due to the fact I want to mention the game I went to Saturday before all the tournament action consumes me.
I saw game one of the doubleheader between Iowa and Michigan. It was simply the best pitched Big Ten game I've ever seen.
Jeff Maitland (pictured at right), who has been great for Iowa all year long, took the mound for the visitors. Freshman Chris Fetter, who has been very solid, as well, countered for the home side. Both got into a bit of trouble early, but neither yielded a run. Each time it appeared a rally might be starting, it was ended in short order.
Both were throwing strikes, keeping hitters off balance and just generally pitching beautifully. Both hurlers worked seven very strong innings. Maitland scattered six hits, Fetter allowed only four. Iowa's lefty walked two batters, Michigan's righthander yielded only one free pass. Neither, unfortunately, were around in the end.
Fetter was replaced by Ben Jenzen in the top of the eighth. Tim Gudex, the Hawkeyes' star closer, came on in relief of Maitland in the bottom of that inning. Michigan had moved runners to second and third with two outs in the 8th when freshman Adam Abraham stepped to the plate.
Gudex went 2-2 on the Michigan leftfielder when his next pitch was called a ball, the controversy began. The Iowa faithful and the Hawkeyes' bench thought the pitch was a strike, thus ending the frame. The umpire disagreed. The man in blue went on to warn Jack Dahm about arguing balls and strikes.
With the count now 3-2, Abraham reached out and poked a single into right scoring the winning run and bringing Michigan within a half game of the conference crown. It also brought a steady stream of profanity from those in Black and Gold, both on and off the field, upon the homeplate ump.
Maitland was charged with the run, but although he took the loss, his effort was outstanding. Fetter was just a little bit better and the final outcome reflected that. It was the best combined pitching performance I've seen at a college game.
A NCAA Regional Host, Too?
Will Kimmey of Baseball America suggests Michigan still has an outside chance of being host of a NCAA Regional.
Official Press Release
For those of you curious about the Big Ten Tournament's history, the conference gives some background amongst it's seven page tournament press release. (Note: it's a .pdf file.)
Bourquin Has Top OPS
Ronnie Bourquin, Ohio State, finished the regular season with an on base plus slugging percentage of 1.131, tops in the Big Ten Conference. Bourquin's teammate, Eric Fryer, finished the season in second at 1.016. The last member of the 1.000 plus OPS club is Purdue shortstop Mitch Hilligoss at 1.011.
That probably completes my Tuesday look at OPS numbers for the year. I may get brave and review the Mid-American Conference figures or even the Mid-Continent numbers, but that will be sometime after the post-season concludes.
Alright, I admit it. There is a possibility that I might add in the Big Ten Tourney figures, but I'm not planning on it as of today.
That probably completes my Tuesday look at OPS numbers for the year. I may get brave and review the Mid-American Conference figures or even the Mid-Continent numbers, but that will be sometime after the post-season concludes.
Alright, I admit it. There is a possibility that I might add in the Big Ten Tourney figures, but I'm not planning on it as of today.
New College Baseball Site
Rivals.com has launched a sparkling new college baseball site. It's another good sign for college baseball that Rivals.com, arguably the premier source of college sports information on the web, decides to give baseball it's own home.
Obviously, I encourage you to check it out and you can look for it to be added to my links section shortly.
Obviously, I encourage you to check it out and you can look for it to be added to my links section shortly.
This Week's NCAA Tournament Predictions
I know some of you stop here just for my weekly links to those guessing the tournament field, so here they are.
Mark Etheridge, SEBaseball.com
Kendall Rogers, Rosenblatt Report.com
Mark Etheridge, SEBaseball.com
Kendall Rogers, Rosenblatt Report.com
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Records Against Each Other
Here is how the six teams in the Big Ten Tournament faired against each other this year.
Michigan
1-3 vs. Northwestern
2-2 @ Illinois
4-0 vs. Ohio State
3-1 @ Purdue
3-1 @ Minnesota
Northwestern
3-1 @ Michigan
Did not play Ohio State
3-1 vs. Illinois
2-2 @ Purdue
2-2 vs. Minnesota
Ohio State
0-4 @ Michigan
Did not play Northwestern
3-1 vs. Illinois
3-1 vs. Purdue
1-2 vs. Minnesota
Illinois
2-2 vs. Michigan
1-3 @ Northwestern
1-3 @ Ohio State
2-2 vs. Purdue
3-1 @ Minnesota
Purdue
1-3 vs. Michigan
2-2 vs. Northwestern
1-3 @ Ohio State
2-2 @ Illinois
Did not play Minnesota
Minnesota
1-3 vs. Michigan
2-2 @ Northwestern
2-1 @ Ohio State
1-3 vs. Illinois
1-3 vs. Purdue
I'm not sure what we gain from this data. (Other than I can change font colors.) We do learn that Minnesota is looking for revenge against opening round opponent, Illinois. So, too, is Purdue. The Boilermakers got handed the same 1-3 record in Columbus versus Ohio State that the Gophers left Champaign with.
However, this is a double elimination tournament--you can toss out records and cliches at random.
There is much more to type, but it's late and we know I have to get up early and tell my manager I need a few days off. More to come tomorrow. Maybe I'll even get to telling you just how great the first game of Saturday's doubleheader between Iowa and Michigan was. Certainly, I hope to provide even more meaningless information about the tournament, as well.
Michigan
1-3 vs. Northwestern
2-2 @ Illinois
4-0 vs. Ohio State
3-1 @ Purdue
3-1 @ Minnesota
Northwestern
3-1 @ Michigan
Did not play Ohio State
3-1 vs. Illinois
2-2 @ Purdue
2-2 vs. Minnesota
Ohio State
0-4 @ Michigan
Did not play Northwestern
3-1 vs. Illinois
3-1 vs. Purdue
1-2 vs. Minnesota
Illinois
2-2 vs. Michigan
1-3 @ Northwestern
1-3 @ Ohio State
2-2 vs. Purdue
3-1 @ Minnesota
Purdue
1-3 vs. Michigan
2-2 vs. Northwestern
1-3 @ Ohio State
2-2 @ Illinois
Did not play Minnesota
Minnesota
1-3 vs. Michigan
2-2 @ Northwestern
2-1 @ Ohio State
1-3 vs. Illinois
1-3 vs. Purdue
I'm not sure what we gain from this data. (Other than I can change font colors.) We do learn that Minnesota is looking for revenge against opening round opponent, Illinois. So, too, is Purdue. The Boilermakers got handed the same 1-3 record in Columbus versus Ohio State that the Gophers left Champaign with.
However, this is a double elimination tournament--you can toss out records and cliches at random.
There is much more to type, but it's late and we know I have to get up early and tell my manager I need a few days off. More to come tomorrow. Maybe I'll even get to telling you just how great the first game of Saturday's doubleheader between Iowa and Michigan was. Certainly, I hope to provide even more meaningless information about the tournament, as well.
Big Ten Tournament Field
Here is how the Big Ten Baseball Tournament shapes up. On Wednesday, Minnesota (fourth seed) will play Illinois (fifth seed) at noon. In the second game, Ohio State (third seed) will take on Purdue (sixth seed) at 3:30pm.
On Thursday, the lowest seeded winner of those two contests takes on host Michigan (first seed) at 7pm. The winner with the highest seed will play Northwestern (second seed) at 3:30pm. The opening game of the day, at noon, will be the elimination game between the losers of Wednesday's games.
After that, and, perhaps, before my attempt at an explanation, it's best to refer to the bracket. There will be another tripleheader on Friday and a doubleheader Saturday that may determine the tournament champion. There is a chance that a single Sunday game may be necessary.
As of this moment, I'm hoping to be at most of these games. My boss doesn't know this yet, so don't ruin my little surprise for him. For those in search of tickets to the Big Ten Tournament, I'm afraid I don't have an ounce of information.
On Thursday, the lowest seeded winner of those two contests takes on host Michigan (first seed) at 7pm. The winner with the highest seed will play Northwestern (second seed) at 3:30pm. The opening game of the day, at noon, will be the elimination game between the losers of Wednesday's games.
After that, and, perhaps, before my attempt at an explanation, it's best to refer to the bracket. There will be another tripleheader on Friday and a doubleheader Saturday that may determine the tournament champion. There is a chance that a single Sunday game may be necessary.
As of this moment, I'm hoping to be at most of these games. My boss doesn't know this yet, so don't ruin my little surprise for him. For those in search of tickets to the Big Ten Tournament, I'm afraid I don't have an ounce of information.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Michigan Wins Big Ten Title
Michigan swept a doubleheader from Iowa today to win the Big Ten regular season championship. The Wolverines (22-9, 37-18) won the right to host the Big Ten Tournament after Northwestern dropped the second game of its doubleheader with Purdue this afternoon.
Ohio State split their twinbill with Penn State today. Ohio State clinched third place with the single victory.
Minnesota swept Indiana moving the Gophers into the tournament field.
Purdue's game two win over NU secured a Big Ten tournament spot for the Boilermakers.
Michigan State and Illinois split their Saturday doubleheader. The Illini are one game ahead of PSU for the final post-season spot.
I'll have more on these games either later tonight or tomorrow. I attended game one of the Iowa at Michigan game, so I'll share my thoughts on that game in particular. Hopefully, I'll post a link to some photos as well.
Plans To Renovate Fisher Stadium Announced
A week or so ago, Comcast Local's broadcast team was discussing the plans to renovate Michigan's home field, Ray Fisher Stadium. The boys went on and on about all the things that were planned, but I couldn't find anything to confirm all their talk. Well, yesterday, the university shared their plans to renovated Ray Fisher Stadium.
In addition to updating the home of their baseball squad, Michigan is also planning to revitalize the women's softball facility as well. The artist rendering of the new Fish, which I'll remove the picture of if someone at the university asks me to, looks rather impressive.
Veteran stadium builders, HOK Sport+Venue+Event, are on board as the design team. A solid selection, in my opinion. A look at their list of projects reveals why I embrace their selection.
With Penn State's new ballpark ready for next year, Purdue and Michigan State raising money to renovate their facilities and Michigan's plans on the drawing board, it appears that a number of Big Ten programs are starting to make a larger commitment to their baseball (and softball) programs.
Michigan Wins, NU Loses
Michigan's 2-1 triumph over Iowa combined with Northwestern's 11-3 at Purdue has the Wolverines in sole possession of first place this morning.
In Ann Arbor, Michigan's Paul Hammond (7-3) fanned twelve Hawkeye batters en route to tossing a complete game victory. The lefty allowed only three hits, three walks and one run in nine innings. 2B/RF Doug Pickens paced the offense with three hits and a RBI.
The win moved Michigan (20-9, 35-18) into first place in the Big Ten. Iowa's (12-17, 23-30)post-season hopes are injured, but not dead, as they are a full game out of the sixth and final conference tournament slot.
At West Lafayette, Purdue (14-15, 29-23) plated seven runs in the seventh temporarily pushing Northwestern (19-10, 23-30) into second place in the conference. 3B John Hunter led Purdue's offensive attack with three hits, including his fourth homer, two RBI and two runs scored. 2B Ryne White had two hits and two RBI, while 1B Eric Wolfe went 4 for 5. Hitting wasn't the only thing the Boilermakers did well yesterday.
Starter Dan Sattler tossed eight strong innings. Sattler struck out twelve NU batters and didn't allow a single run. Pat McMahon's three hits and two RBI led NU's offense.
Dan DeLucia won his tenth game of the year leading Ohio State past Penn State, 4-3. DeLucia worked 7.2 innings allowing ten hits, three walks and all three PSU runs. SS Jedidiah Stephen cranked out his eighth homerun of the year and scored two runs to lead OSU's offense. OF Jacob Howell, who has battled a hamstring problem most of the year, was back in the Buckeye lineup and also had a pair of hits.
Rick Marlin, Cory Wine and Lance Thompson all had two hits for PSU. Wine also drove in two runs.
The Ohio State (17-11, 33-18) win moves them to within two games of second place in the Big Ten. Penn State (12-17, 23-20), like Iowa, finds themselves a game out of the final post-season opening.
Minnesota (14-14, 28-24) got closer to the Big Ten Tournament by beating Indiana (11-18, 22-31) Friday, 6-1. Cole DeVries (6-3) pitched a complete game eight hitter to lead the Gophers. DeVries allowed eight hits, a walk and struck out eight in nine innings. Kyle Baran, Luke McLean and Nate Hanson all had three hits for Minnesota.
IU's Keith Haas, Jon Fixler and Andrew Means all had a pair of hits.
Michigan State (12-17, 25-28) kept its post-season dreams alive with a 13-2 pasting of Illinois. MSU's Ryan Basham and Sean Walker went yard, Alan Cattrysse had three hits and three RBI. Ryan Snowden had three safties for the Illini (13-16, 27-26). The win moved MSU to within a game of Illinois for the sixth and final Big Ten Tournament position.
In Ann Arbor, Michigan's Paul Hammond (7-3) fanned twelve Hawkeye batters en route to tossing a complete game victory. The lefty allowed only three hits, three walks and one run in nine innings. 2B/RF Doug Pickens paced the offense with three hits and a RBI.
The win moved Michigan (20-9, 35-18) into first place in the Big Ten. Iowa's (12-17, 23-30)post-season hopes are injured, but not dead, as they are a full game out of the sixth and final conference tournament slot.
At West Lafayette, Purdue (14-15, 29-23) plated seven runs in the seventh temporarily pushing Northwestern (19-10, 23-30) into second place in the conference. 3B John Hunter led Purdue's offensive attack with three hits, including his fourth homer, two RBI and two runs scored. 2B Ryne White had two hits and two RBI, while 1B Eric Wolfe went 4 for 5. Hitting wasn't the only thing the Boilermakers did well yesterday.
Starter Dan Sattler tossed eight strong innings. Sattler struck out twelve NU batters and didn't allow a single run. Pat McMahon's three hits and two RBI led NU's offense.
Dan DeLucia won his tenth game of the year leading Ohio State past Penn State, 4-3. DeLucia worked 7.2 innings allowing ten hits, three walks and all three PSU runs. SS Jedidiah Stephen cranked out his eighth homerun of the year and scored two runs to lead OSU's offense. OF Jacob Howell, who has battled a hamstring problem most of the year, was back in the Buckeye lineup and also had a pair of hits.
Rick Marlin, Cory Wine and Lance Thompson all had two hits for PSU. Wine also drove in two runs.
The Ohio State (17-11, 33-18) win moves them to within two games of second place in the Big Ten. Penn State (12-17, 23-20), like Iowa, finds themselves a game out of the final post-season opening.
Minnesota (14-14, 28-24) got closer to the Big Ten Tournament by beating Indiana (11-18, 22-31) Friday, 6-1. Cole DeVries (6-3) pitched a complete game eight hitter to lead the Gophers. DeVries allowed eight hits, a walk and struck out eight in nine innings. Kyle Baran, Luke McLean and Nate Hanson all had three hits for Minnesota.
IU's Keith Haas, Jon Fixler and Andrew Means all had a pair of hits.
Michigan State (12-17, 25-28) kept its post-season dreams alive with a 13-2 pasting of Illinois. MSU's Ryan Basham and Sean Walker went yard, Alan Cattrysse had three hits and three RBI. Ryan Snowden had three safties for the Illini (13-16, 27-26). The win moved MSU to within a game of Illinois for the sixth and final Big Ten Tournament position.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Here We Go
It's the last weekend of regular season play. Northwestern is at Purdue. Michigan hosts Iowa. Ohio State gets a visit from Penn State. Illinois is at Michigan State. Indiana travels to Minnesota.
NU, Michigan and Ohio State are in the conference tournament, so everyone else gets to jockey for the remaining three spots. I'm not about to attempt to figure out all the possibilities and, honestly, I'm probably not smart enough for the task.
For the top spot, NU just needs to stay even with Michigan, whom they hold the tiebreaker over. Michigan needs to finish one game ahead of the 'Cats to claim the regular season title. Ohio State needs a tiny math miracle to host the conference tournament next week.
It should be fun. I hope you get out to the ballpark this weekend.
NU, Michigan and Ohio State are in the conference tournament, so everyone else gets to jockey for the remaining three spots. I'm not about to attempt to figure out all the possibilities and, honestly, I'm probably not smart enough for the task.
For the top spot, NU just needs to stay even with Michigan, whom they hold the tiebreaker over. Michigan needs to finish one game ahead of the 'Cats to claim the regular season title. Ohio State needs a tiny math miracle to host the conference tournament next week.
It should be fun. I hope you get out to the ballpark this weekend.
OSU's Bourquin Is Howser Semi-Finalist
Ohio State thirdbaseman Ronnie Bourquin was named as one of sixteen semi-finalists for the Dick Howser Award. The award is given annually by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association to the College Player of the Year.
Championship Coverage
CSTV is doing college baseball up right. They've updated their baseball page calling it Championship Central. It's complete with podcasts, blogs and live scoring. Go check it out.
Please Come To Boston
This isn't Big Ten related, but it's very interesting. The ACC will play it's 2009 conference tournament at Fenway Park with Boston College as host.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Tournament Predictions
No, I'm not quite brave enough to venture into guessing the tournament field, but, thankfully, other are. Kendall Rogers, of the outstanding Rosenblatt Report, registers his weekly predicition here.
SEBaseball.com publisher Mark Etheridge, whose work I also highly recommend, checks in with his predictions for the field of 64.
Southern College Sports has yet to post their weekly offering, but when they do, I'll add it to this post.
Editor's Note: As promised above, here is the tournament field as selected by Ben at Southern College Sports.com. I wonder if I can get the weekend off of work so I can go to the Lexington, KY Regional?
SEBaseball.com publisher Mark Etheridge, whose work I also highly recommend, checks in with his predictions for the field of 64.
Southern College Sports has yet to post their weekly offering, but when they do, I'll add it to this post.
Editor's Note: As promised above, here is the tournament field as selected by Ben at Southern College Sports.com. I wonder if I can get the weekend off of work so I can go to the Lexington, KY Regional?
NU Beat ISU And Other Midweek Scores
Northwestern did go on to beat Illinois State last night, 11-5. Antonio Mule, who has been a standout much of the season, paced the Wildcats offense by hitting two homers and driving in four. The win improves NU's overall mark to 23-29.
As expected, NU starter Dan Brauer was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. Reggie Watson of Indiana claimed the Player of the Week honors.
Illinois is playing Missouri tonight, but with an interesting old school twist. The teams will be using wood bats.
Ball State downed Indiana, 5-3. IU's Billy O'Connor had two RBI, Jay Brant two stolen bases and Tyler Cox had two hits and scored twice. SS Eric Earnhart homered for Ball State.
Northern Iowa beat Iowa, 6-5. I'm not sure I need to say much more.
Central Michigan beat Michigan State, 6-4. Ben Humphrey, one of the better hitters in the midwest (check out the OPS post), homered and drove in four for the Chippewas.
Minnesota defeated Augsburg, 12-5. I can honestly say I no absolutely nothing about the Golden Gophers opponent.
Ohio State plays their final non-conference midweek affair tonight against Pittsburgh.
Western Michigan did a number on Purdue, 13-6. Nathan Marquardt homered and drove in three for the Broncos. Teammate Mark Abro did one better as he also went yard and drove in four. Boilermaker pitcher Chris Toneguzzi's first college hit was a three-run blast.
Villanova dispatched Penn State, 8-5. Scott Gummo and Lance Thompson did hit back-to-back HR's for PSU.
As expected, NU starter Dan Brauer was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. Reggie Watson of Indiana claimed the Player of the Week honors.
Illinois is playing Missouri tonight, but with an interesting old school twist. The teams will be using wood bats.
Ball State downed Indiana, 5-3. IU's Billy O'Connor had two RBI, Jay Brant two stolen bases and Tyler Cox had two hits and scored twice. SS Eric Earnhart homered for Ball State.
Northern Iowa beat Iowa, 6-5. I'm not sure I need to say much more.
Central Michigan beat Michigan State, 6-4. Ben Humphrey, one of the better hitters in the midwest (check out the OPS post), homered and drove in four for the Chippewas.
Minnesota defeated Augsburg, 12-5. I can honestly say I no absolutely nothing about the Golden Gophers opponent.
Ohio State plays their final non-conference midweek affair tonight against Pittsburgh.
Western Michigan did a number on Purdue, 13-6. Nathan Marquardt homered and drove in three for the Broncos. Teammate Mark Abro did one better as he also went yard and drove in four. Boilermaker pitcher Chris Toneguzzi's first college hit was a three-run blast.
Villanova dispatched Penn State, 8-5. Scott Gummo and Lance Thompson did hit back-to-back HR's for PSU.
The 1.000 OPS Club
The number of Big Ten regulars with an OPS mark above 1.000 dwindles with each passing week. Heading into the last weekend of conference play, only three players remain. Ohio State 3B Ronnie Bourquin is in at 1.082. Mitch Hilligoss, Purdue's shortstop, is second at 1.051. Buckeye catcher Eric Fryer completes our trio at 1.033.
As I've done in some recent weeks, I've taken the time to review the Mid-American Conference for those over the magical 1.000 mark. Seven MAC players still have the ultra-high OPS figure. The list begins with Drew Saylor of Kent State at 1.100. Ben Humphrey, Central Michigan, is next at 1.090. Third is Ball State's Brad Miller at 1.084. Kurt Eichorn, another Kent State player, checks in at 1.073. Kurt Davidson of Akron is fifth at 1.031. Willie Walker, Ohio, is at 1.013. Finally, at 1.009, Todd Balduf, the third KSU student, rounds out the group.
As a double bonus, and because I am plain nuts, I did Mid-Continent Conference numbers. Yes, Mid-Con baseball. I can hear the cost of my therapy increasing as I type the words. Regardless, Ryan Manthei of Valpo is first at 1.062. Second, at 1.043, is Oral Roberts' Chad Rothford. Tim Ryan, Centenary, in third with a 1.039 figure. John Torres of Chicago State makes the list at 1.015. Right behind Torres, is Andy Bouchie of Oral Roberts at 1.013. The last Mid-Con regular above 1.000 is Justin Sotelo of Southern Utah at 1.005.
As I've done in some recent weeks, I've taken the time to review the Mid-American Conference for those over the magical 1.000 mark. Seven MAC players still have the ultra-high OPS figure. The list begins with Drew Saylor of Kent State at 1.100. Ben Humphrey, Central Michigan, is next at 1.090. Third is Ball State's Brad Miller at 1.084. Kurt Eichorn, another Kent State player, checks in at 1.073. Kurt Davidson of Akron is fifth at 1.031. Willie Walker, Ohio, is at 1.013. Finally, at 1.009, Todd Balduf, the third KSU student, rounds out the group.
As a double bonus, and because I am plain nuts, I did Mid-Continent Conference numbers. Yes, Mid-Con baseball. I can hear the cost of my therapy increasing as I type the words. Regardless, Ryan Manthei of Valpo is first at 1.062. Second, at 1.043, is Oral Roberts' Chad Rothford. Tim Ryan, Centenary, in third with a 1.039 figure. John Torres of Chicago State makes the list at 1.015. Right behind Torres, is Andy Bouchie of Oral Roberts at 1.013. The last Mid-Con regular above 1.000 is Justin Sotelo of Southern Utah at 1.005.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Michigan 3 Notre Dame 1
Behind a strong pitching performance from freshman Michael Powers and the bat of Nate Recknagel, Michigan beat #21 Notre Dame, 3-1. Michigan scored twice in the first behind a RBI double from Recknagel and a single by Doug Pickens that plated the Michigan firstbaseman. ND starter Wade Korpi settled down after that and neither team mustered much offense again until the sixth inning.
Recknagel would extend Michigan's lead to 3-0 by opening the sixth with long homerun. Korpi would finish out the inning, but pitch no more. The lefthander allowed all three Michigan runs, but walked only one Wolverine batter and struck out seven.
Notre Dame answered with it's first tally in the top of the seventh. Craig Cooper tripled down the rightfield line and scored on freshman DH Jeremy Barnes single. However, in spite of having a single, double and triple in the 7th, the Irish could not scratch out another run. The seventh was Powers' last inning of work. Unofficially, he gave up five hits, a walk and one earned run. The right hander also fanned four and picked an Irish baserunner off first.
Adam Abraham worked a flawless eighth getting all three ND hitters to fly out to CF Eric Rose. Ben Jenzen came on in the ninth and after recording an out allowed a walk and a single, but got the final two hitters to fly out to Rose.
Michigan catcher Jeff Kunkel displayed why he's amongst the Johnny Bench Award semi-finalists. He threw out a runner attempting to steal in the first and caught Barnes straying too far from firstbase in the seventh with a quick throw helping to slow down a would-be Irish rally. It was a fine defensive performance for the senior backstop.
In terms of RPI value, this was a rather significant victory for Michigan. If they are going to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team, and they are clearly on the bubble right now, this game may be the reason they get in the field. The Irish were ranked higher than Michigan and inside the top 50. It might not get them in the tournament, but it has to help quite a bit.
As for the RPI, Notre Dame coach Paul Mainieri voiced his displeasure over it during the game. (It was literally during the contest as Comcast did in-game interviews with both coaches--twice!!--and talked with a player from each side, as well.) Both the ND skipper and Geoff Zahn, who worked the game for Comcast Local and is a former Michigan head coach, feel the RPI punishes the snowbelt schools for all the usual reasons--inability to improve their RPI marks during the conference schedule as no quality opponents will travel north, the teams develop slower due to the weather restraints on practice, etc......
Mainieri believes that both his program and Rich Maloney's are much better than their RPI indicates. I don't necessarily disagree. However, losing two of three to last place Seton Hall as the Irish did last weekend and dropping midweek games to MAC schools, as Michigan did over the last month, provides critics plenty of ammunition to the contrary.
Overall, it was an entertaining game to watch. Comcast's production crew did a solid job, so a tip of the cap to them.
The last I saw, Northwestern was beating Illinois State, 9-5, in the fifth inning. I'm hoping to review that game and probably take my weekly look at OPS numbers tomorrow. I couldn't get to the on base plus slugging percentage figures tonight due to the ND/Michigan game.
Recknagel would extend Michigan's lead to 3-0 by opening the sixth with long homerun. Korpi would finish out the inning, but pitch no more. The lefthander allowed all three Michigan runs, but walked only one Wolverine batter and struck out seven.
Notre Dame answered with it's first tally in the top of the seventh. Craig Cooper tripled down the rightfield line and scored on freshman DH Jeremy Barnes single. However, in spite of having a single, double and triple in the 7th, the Irish could not scratch out another run. The seventh was Powers' last inning of work. Unofficially, he gave up five hits, a walk and one earned run. The right hander also fanned four and picked an Irish baserunner off first.
Adam Abraham worked a flawless eighth getting all three ND hitters to fly out to CF Eric Rose. Ben Jenzen came on in the ninth and after recording an out allowed a walk and a single, but got the final two hitters to fly out to Rose.
Michigan catcher Jeff Kunkel displayed why he's amongst the Johnny Bench Award semi-finalists. He threw out a runner attempting to steal in the first and caught Barnes straying too far from firstbase in the seventh with a quick throw helping to slow down a would-be Irish rally. It was a fine defensive performance for the senior backstop.
In terms of RPI value, this was a rather significant victory for Michigan. If they are going to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team, and they are clearly on the bubble right now, this game may be the reason they get in the field. The Irish were ranked higher than Michigan and inside the top 50. It might not get them in the tournament, but it has to help quite a bit.
As for the RPI, Notre Dame coach Paul Mainieri voiced his displeasure over it during the game. (It was literally during the contest as Comcast did in-game interviews with both coaches--twice!!--and talked with a player from each side, as well.) Both the ND skipper and Geoff Zahn, who worked the game for Comcast Local and is a former Michigan head coach, feel the RPI punishes the snowbelt schools for all the usual reasons--inability to improve their RPI marks during the conference schedule as no quality opponents will travel north, the teams develop slower due to the weather restraints on practice, etc......
Mainieri believes that both his program and Rich Maloney's are much better than their RPI indicates. I don't necessarily disagree. However, losing two of three to last place Seton Hall as the Irish did last weekend and dropping midweek games to MAC schools, as Michigan did over the last month, provides critics plenty of ammunition to the contrary.
Overall, it was an entertaining game to watch. Comcast's production crew did a solid job, so a tip of the cap to them.
The last I saw, Northwestern was beating Illinois State, 9-5, in the fifth inning. I'm hoping to review that game and probably take my weekly look at OPS numbers tomorrow. I couldn't get to the on base plus slugging percentage figures tonight due to the ND/Michigan game.
Monday, May 15, 2006
NU Wins, Stays Tied With Michigan
Northwestern crushed Michigan State this afternoon, 12-2. Pat McMahon had three hits and three RBI to lead the 'Cats offense. Anthony Wycklendt and Geoff Dietz each homered for NU. Julio Siberio (4-2) picked up the win. The win means NU and Michigan remain tied for first place in the Big Ten.
This week, the Wildcats will take on Illinois State on Tuesday before facing Purdue in their last Big Ten regular season series. In Ann Arbor, Jack Dahm's Iowa squad will look to derail Michigan's title hopes this weekend. However, the Wolverines have an interesting midweek affair against # 21 Notre Dame tomorrow night.
I'm confident that Rich Maloney will trot out an array of arms in this midweek game, but let's not kid ourselves--this game is more than a bit important. Notre Dame remains ranked in the Top 25 and has an RPI of 49. If the Wolverines cannot capture the Big Ten Conference tournament title, they will be left hoping for an at-large NCAA tourney berth. Their case for one of those coveted openings can be strengthened by dropping the Fighting Irish Tuesday night.
I have time to mention some additional random things, so here goes.
* Remember when I suggested that NU's Dan Brauer would probably merit his second straight Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor in light of his no-hitter? Well, Brauer did one better, he claimed National Player of the Week recognition, too.
* More quality pitching came from Doug Fleenor of Indiana. Fleenor pitched a nine inning complete game 2-0 shutout vs. Illinois today. He allowed only five hits and a walk while striking out seven.
*IU and Illini fans might like to know that the Hoosiers swept today's twinbill. Tracy Smith's nine beat Dan Hartleb's side by scores of 5-4 and Fleenor's 2-0 gem.
* Purdue's RHP Ricky Heines went the distance in beating Iowa, 4-2 yesterday. The Boilermaker righthander gave up three walks but only four hits in nine innings.
* Purdue's Trae Dauby outdueled Iowa's Jeff Maitland to post a 1-0 victory Saturday. Each pitched a seven inning complete game with Dauby allowing no runs on six hits and a single walk while Maitland countered by yielding seven hits and three walks, but the lone run of the game. Dauby K'd eight, Maitland five.
* Am I reading this correctly? Minnesota scored 12 runs on 17 hits, but did not record a solitary extra base hit? Not one?
* I've yet to learn what happened to Indiana freshman Cameron Satterwhite. It appears he has been dismissed from the squad, as he hasn't appeared in a game in quite a while and his name is no longer on IU's roster.
* Michigan catcher Jeff Kunkel is a semi-finalist for the 2006 Johnny Bench Award. The Bench Award is given out annually by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission to the nation's best catcher.
* I was whining (yes, again) not long ago about a lack of college baseball coverage on XM Radio. Specifically, I was lamenting the Big Ten not using the opportunity to broadcast their games on a satellite radio feed that was, basically, doing nothing. Well, two things have come to my attention since.
First, Michigan and Ohio State, to name just two, have a separate satellite deal with Sirius radio. I sort of knew that. (How you have broadcast rights to the Big Ten without Michigan and Ohio State seems kind of odd, but okay.) What I was totally clueless about (in addition to college baseball) was that Sirius does broadcast Big XII and SEC baseball games. Imagine my surprise and disappointment.
Sure, now, CSTV.com's Eric Sorenson points this out. Where was this information when I was reviewing satellite options, Eric? Even though I am Sirius-free, it's still good news for college baseball. Okay, college baseball's big boys, but I'm all in favor of more college baseball coverage.
Note to the other satellite radio provider and the conference I tend to cover here: I still think the Big Ten should at least put together a Game of the Week for XM. Hey, XM has the Pac-10, as well. Why not a Pac-10 tilt?
* Jim Carty of The Ann Arbor News wrote this story on Michigan reliever Ali Husain and his life after the death of his father, Faz, earlier this year. I met Ali a year at a Michigan baseball meet-and-greet and came away very impressed.
* Ohio State's diminished title hopes are outlined by Mark Znidar of The Columbus Dispatch.
This week, the Wildcats will take on Illinois State on Tuesday before facing Purdue in their last Big Ten regular season series. In Ann Arbor, Jack Dahm's Iowa squad will look to derail Michigan's title hopes this weekend. However, the Wolverines have an interesting midweek affair against # 21 Notre Dame tomorrow night.
I'm confident that Rich Maloney will trot out an array of arms in this midweek game, but let's not kid ourselves--this game is more than a bit important. Notre Dame remains ranked in the Top 25 and has an RPI of 49. If the Wolverines cannot capture the Big Ten Conference tournament title, they will be left hoping for an at-large NCAA tourney berth. Their case for one of those coveted openings can be strengthened by dropping the Fighting Irish Tuesday night.
I have time to mention some additional random things, so here goes.
* Remember when I suggested that NU's Dan Brauer would probably merit his second straight Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor in light of his no-hitter? Well, Brauer did one better, he claimed National Player of the Week recognition, too.
* More quality pitching came from Doug Fleenor of Indiana. Fleenor pitched a nine inning complete game 2-0 shutout vs. Illinois today. He allowed only five hits and a walk while striking out seven.
*IU and Illini fans might like to know that the Hoosiers swept today's twinbill. Tracy Smith's nine beat Dan Hartleb's side by scores of 5-4 and Fleenor's 2-0 gem.
* Purdue's RHP Ricky Heines went the distance in beating Iowa, 4-2 yesterday. The Boilermaker righthander gave up three walks but only four hits in nine innings.
* Purdue's Trae Dauby outdueled Iowa's Jeff Maitland to post a 1-0 victory Saturday. Each pitched a seven inning complete game with Dauby allowing no runs on six hits and a single walk while Maitland countered by yielding seven hits and three walks, but the lone run of the game. Dauby K'd eight, Maitland five.
* Am I reading this correctly? Minnesota scored 12 runs on 17 hits, but did not record a solitary extra base hit? Not one?
* I've yet to learn what happened to Indiana freshman Cameron Satterwhite. It appears he has been dismissed from the squad, as he hasn't appeared in a game in quite a while and his name is no longer on IU's roster.
* Michigan catcher Jeff Kunkel is a semi-finalist for the 2006 Johnny Bench Award. The Bench Award is given out annually by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission to the nation's best catcher.
* I was whining (yes, again) not long ago about a lack of college baseball coverage on XM Radio. Specifically, I was lamenting the Big Ten not using the opportunity to broadcast their games on a satellite radio feed that was, basically, doing nothing. Well, two things have come to my attention since.
First, Michigan and Ohio State, to name just two, have a separate satellite deal with Sirius radio. I sort of knew that. (How you have broadcast rights to the Big Ten without Michigan and Ohio State seems kind of odd, but okay.) What I was totally clueless about (in addition to college baseball) was that Sirius does broadcast Big XII and SEC baseball games. Imagine my surprise and disappointment.
Sure, now, CSTV.com's Eric Sorenson points this out. Where was this information when I was reviewing satellite options, Eric? Even though I am Sirius-free, it's still good news for college baseball. Okay, college baseball's big boys, but I'm all in favor of more college baseball coverage.
Note to the other satellite radio provider and the conference I tend to cover here: I still think the Big Ten should at least put together a Game of the Week for XM. Hey, XM has the Pac-10, as well. Why not a Pac-10 tilt?
* Jim Carty of The Ann Arbor News wrote this story on Michigan reliever Ali Husain and his life after the death of his father, Faz, earlier this year. I met Ali a year at a Michigan baseball meet-and-greet and came away very impressed.
* Ohio State's diminished title hopes are outlined by Mark Znidar of The Columbus Dispatch.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
NU's Brauer Tosses No-No, Michigan Grabs First
I'll begin the weekend review at the top where Northwestern has taken two of the three games played with Michigan State. The highlight of the first three games for NU has clearly been Dan Brauer's (6-1) no hitter vs. the Spartans today. The Wildcats won the opening game of today's twinbill, 7-0, behind the junior lefty's no hit, one walk, eight strikeout seven innings of work. I think there's a pretty good chance Brauer will repeat as Big Ten pitcher of the week.
The Wildcats other win came in the lone Saturday affair, 6-3. Caleb Fields, NU's 3B, hit his fourth homer, drove in two, scored twice and stole a base. MSU's Kyle Day went 3 for 5, stole a base and also went yard to lead the Spartans offense. MSU starter Craig Brookes (1-4) fanned 12 'Cats in seven innings, but suffered the loss. NU starter Ryan Myers (3-4) also worked seven innings to post the win.
The Spartans win came in the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader. After getting no-hit by Brauer in the opener, MSU prevailed in game two over Northwestern, 6-2. The game was quite a pitcher's duel. Both MSU's John Dwan and NU's George Kontos pitched seven inning complete games. Dwan tossed 130 pitches fanning 10 Wildcat batters and improved to 2-5 on the year. Kontos (2-9) countered by throwing 122 times, striking out 11 Spartans, but taking the defeat.
Sean Walker went 3 for 3 for the Spartans and teammate Ryan Basham drove in a pair of runs. NU 2B Jake Owens went 3 for 4. Northwestern's loss allowed Michigan to claim first place in the Big Ten.
The Wolverines took three of four games from Penn State this weekend. Michigan took Friday's game (see previous post) and then split Saturday's doubleheader with the Nittany Lions. Game one went to Michigan, 2-0. Michigan's Chris Fetter (4-1) allowed no runs, no walks, four hits and struck out three in 6.2 innings. PSU's Mark Wyner (2-8) was the hardluck loser tossing a complete game six hitter. Michigan's Ben Jenzen earned his third save facing only two batters.
The Nittany Lions roared back in game two, winning 13-2. Matt Cavagnaro went 3 for 4 (a double, triple and homerun) and had six RBI for PSU. Lions' starter Seth Whitehill (2-2) pitched six innings and fanned eight.
Michigan took the Big Ten lead by beating PSU today, 4-0. Drew Taylor (5-4) tossed a complete game nine inning shutout. The Wolverines' starter allowed only seven hits and walked only a single batter. Freshman outfielder Adam Abraham went 3 for 5 for Michigan. PSU's Aaron Greenfield had three hits on the day.
The win placed Michigan one half game ahead of Northwestern heading into Monday. The Wildcats hope to play the finale of the their set with Michigan State at 3pm central time. Another NU win would put the Wildcats back into a first place tie with the Wolverines. A loss would give Michigan a full game lead heading into the final weekend of Big Ten play.
Ohio State remains in third place, but the Buckeyes have dropped two of three from Minnesota this weekend. The Gophers have 2-1 and 12-3 wins after a Friday night OSU triumph, 10-2. Purdue and Iowa split their weekend encouter. Illinois and Indiana split the only two games they've been able to squeeze in between the raindrops.
As it's late, I'm going to stop here. My apologies to those I have not provided links to. I'll attempt to address that matter and give some credit to those who performed well in the games I've glossed over Monday night. Hopefully, I'll also have a Northwestern/Michigan State result to share. And, yes, an Illinois/IU game (or two) result, as well.
Editor's note (5/15/06): I believe I've linked all the players I've referenced. Again, my apologies if I missed someone.
The Wildcats other win came in the lone Saturday affair, 6-3. Caleb Fields, NU's 3B, hit his fourth homer, drove in two, scored twice and stole a base. MSU's Kyle Day went 3 for 5, stole a base and also went yard to lead the Spartans offense. MSU starter Craig Brookes (1-4) fanned 12 'Cats in seven innings, but suffered the loss. NU starter Ryan Myers (3-4) also worked seven innings to post the win.
The Spartans win came in the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader. After getting no-hit by Brauer in the opener, MSU prevailed in game two over Northwestern, 6-2. The game was quite a pitcher's duel. Both MSU's John Dwan and NU's George Kontos pitched seven inning complete games. Dwan tossed 130 pitches fanning 10 Wildcat batters and improved to 2-5 on the year. Kontos (2-9) countered by throwing 122 times, striking out 11 Spartans, but taking the defeat.
Sean Walker went 3 for 3 for the Spartans and teammate Ryan Basham drove in a pair of runs. NU 2B Jake Owens went 3 for 4. Northwestern's loss allowed Michigan to claim first place in the Big Ten.
The Wolverines took three of four games from Penn State this weekend. Michigan took Friday's game (see previous post) and then split Saturday's doubleheader with the Nittany Lions. Game one went to Michigan, 2-0. Michigan's Chris Fetter (4-1) allowed no runs, no walks, four hits and struck out three in 6.2 innings. PSU's Mark Wyner (2-8) was the hardluck loser tossing a complete game six hitter. Michigan's Ben Jenzen earned his third save facing only two batters.
The Nittany Lions roared back in game two, winning 13-2. Matt Cavagnaro went 3 for 4 (a double, triple and homerun) and had six RBI for PSU. Lions' starter Seth Whitehill (2-2) pitched six innings and fanned eight.
Michigan took the Big Ten lead by beating PSU today, 4-0. Drew Taylor (5-4) tossed a complete game nine inning shutout. The Wolverines' starter allowed only seven hits and walked only a single batter. Freshman outfielder Adam Abraham went 3 for 5 for Michigan. PSU's Aaron Greenfield had three hits on the day.
The win placed Michigan one half game ahead of Northwestern heading into Monday. The Wildcats hope to play the finale of the their set with Michigan State at 3pm central time. Another NU win would put the Wildcats back into a first place tie with the Wolverines. A loss would give Michigan a full game lead heading into the final weekend of Big Ten play.
Ohio State remains in third place, but the Buckeyes have dropped two of three from Minnesota this weekend. The Gophers have 2-1 and 12-3 wins after a Friday night OSU triumph, 10-2. Purdue and Iowa split their weekend encouter. Illinois and Indiana split the only two games they've been able to squeeze in between the raindrops.
As it's late, I'm going to stop here. My apologies to those I have not provided links to. I'll attempt to address that matter and give some credit to those who performed well in the games I've glossed over Monday night. Hopefully, I'll also have a Northwestern/Michigan State result to share. And, yes, an Illinois/IU game (or two) result, as well.
Editor's note (5/15/06): I believe I've linked all the players I've referenced. Again, my apologies if I missed someone.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Friday Night Scores
Michigan moved a half game ahead of idle Northwestern today by beating Penn State, 7-0. Paul Hammond started for the Wolverines and posted his sixth win of the year. Zach Putnam, who has been Michigan's Friday starter for about a month, became the Friday DH and promptly collected two hits and drove in three runs.
Ohio State is currently beating the you-know-what out of Minnesota. The score in the seventh inning is 10-1, OSU. Freshman J.B. Shuck is 4 for 4 with a pair of RBI and Ronnie Bourquin, the Big Ten's leading hitter, has three hits and three RBI.
Iowa is beating Purdue, 4-2, but that game is still early. Illinois and Indiana got washed out. Michigan State and Northwestern won't begin until tomorrow, weather permitting.
Ohio State is currently beating the you-know-what out of Minnesota. The score in the seventh inning is 10-1, OSU. Freshman J.B. Shuck is 4 for 4 with a pair of RBI and Ronnie Bourquin, the Big Ten's leading hitter, has three hits and three RBI.
Iowa is beating Purdue, 4-2, but that game is still early. Illinois and Indiana got washed out. Michigan State and Northwestern won't begin until tomorrow, weather permitting.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Rain, Rain Go Away (Or At Least Let Us Play)
Stinking spring showers. I thought they were supposed to arrive in April, not May. For those unaware, we in the upper Midwest appear to be stuck beneath a swirling low pressure center that is dumping rain from the Wisconsin/Minnesota border to about Maryland. Basically, the majority of Big Ten baseball fields are getting damp and it isn't going to end anytime soon. And, as we all know, baseball and rain aren't the best of pals.
A quick look at this weekend baseball schedule reveals that our hosts are Indiana, Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State and Northwestern. Only the Hawkeyes seem to be outside the rain zone. Of course, a subtle move west by this baseball nightmare and Iowa City gets wet, too. This protracted precipitation means that the weekend slate of contests could be in danger. (Northwestern is already anticipating weather trouble and has moved some game times around.) I'm guessing right now somebody is playing on Monday, as there are only eight games remaining to determine a regular season champion.
It's bad enough the Big Ten plays a month of road games because it snows up here until, well, June (sarcasm, only sarcasm), but now the rain threatens the next-to-last weekend series of the year. Wonderful. Here's hoping the majority of games get played.
As for the battles on the field, co-leaders Northwestern (16-8/19-28) get a visit from Michigan State (10-14/23-24). The Wildcats are coming off a split of last weekend's meeting with the Gophers and a midweek pasting at the hands of Illinois-Chicago, 23-5. Those results might lead one to believe the 'Cats are ready to take a fall, but they've rebounded so many times this season I just can't write them off.
The Spartans dropped three of four to Ohio State last weekend, but did win their midweek match-up against Western Michigan, 10-6. The Green and White enter the NU series on a two game winning streak.
State College is the where the Big Ten's other front runner, Michigan, finds itself this weekend. Penn State (11-13/18-29) is battling for a spot in the conference tournament, while the Wolverines (16-8/30-17) are looking to gain sole possession of the top spot overall and host the post-season event.
The Nittany Lions enter this meeting having won the final two contests against Purdue last weekend. PSU had no midweek game. Michigan also split their weekend series vs. Illinois, but prevailed in a midweek game versus Eastern Michigan, 11-6.
Ohio State (15-9/31-15), only a game behind Northwestern and Michigan, plays host to Minnesota (11-13/24-23). The Buckeyes took three of four from MSU last week and are 7-2 in their last nine games. The Gophers did split their face-off with NU, but have a 3-6 record in their last nine games.
In the one place not getting rain currently, Iowa (10-14/21-26) hosts Purdue (11-13/25-20). Jack Dahm's squad took three of four from IU last weekend and didn't face a midweek opponent. Purdue enters the Hawkeye series having split their last Big Ten encounter with Penn State. The Boilermakers' midweek affair against Indiana State got washed out in the first wave of this week's rainfall.
Fourth place Illinois (12-12/26-21) travels to Bloomington to take on Indiana (8-16/19-28). The Illini are 5-2 in their last seven games having split with Michigan a week ago. In the other dugout, Tracy Smith's side has won their last two games, including a 13-11 midweek triumph over Valpo. It's interesting to note that the last place Hoosiers have exactly the same overall record as the first place Wildcats, 19-28.
I see that the folks at IU are keeping an eye on the old Doppler radar, as well. Indiana has joined NU in changing the start times for their weekend games.
Oh, I hope the majority of these game get played. I have no idea what the conference would do if rain cost any of the front runners multiple games. It will no doubt be interesting. And soggy.
A quick look at this weekend baseball schedule reveals that our hosts are Indiana, Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State and Northwestern. Only the Hawkeyes seem to be outside the rain zone. Of course, a subtle move west by this baseball nightmare and Iowa City gets wet, too. This protracted precipitation means that the weekend slate of contests could be in danger. (Northwestern is already anticipating weather trouble and has moved some game times around.) I'm guessing right now somebody is playing on Monday, as there are only eight games remaining to determine a regular season champion.
It's bad enough the Big Ten plays a month of road games because it snows up here until, well, June (sarcasm, only sarcasm), but now the rain threatens the next-to-last weekend series of the year. Wonderful. Here's hoping the majority of games get played.
As for the battles on the field, co-leaders Northwestern (16-8/19-28) get a visit from Michigan State (10-14/23-24). The Wildcats are coming off a split of last weekend's meeting with the Gophers and a midweek pasting at the hands of Illinois-Chicago, 23-5. Those results might lead one to believe the 'Cats are ready to take a fall, but they've rebounded so many times this season I just can't write them off.
The Spartans dropped three of four to Ohio State last weekend, but did win their midweek match-up against Western Michigan, 10-6. The Green and White enter the NU series on a two game winning streak.
State College is the where the Big Ten's other front runner, Michigan, finds itself this weekend. Penn State (11-13/18-29) is battling for a spot in the conference tournament, while the Wolverines (16-8/30-17) are looking to gain sole possession of the top spot overall and host the post-season event.
The Nittany Lions enter this meeting having won the final two contests against Purdue last weekend. PSU had no midweek game. Michigan also split their weekend series vs. Illinois, but prevailed in a midweek game versus Eastern Michigan, 11-6.
Ohio State (15-9/31-15), only a game behind Northwestern and Michigan, plays host to Minnesota (11-13/24-23). The Buckeyes took three of four from MSU last week and are 7-2 in their last nine games. The Gophers did split their face-off with NU, but have a 3-6 record in their last nine games.
In the one place not getting rain currently, Iowa (10-14/21-26) hosts Purdue (11-13/25-20). Jack Dahm's squad took three of four from IU last weekend and didn't face a midweek opponent. Purdue enters the Hawkeye series having split their last Big Ten encounter with Penn State. The Boilermakers' midweek affair against Indiana State got washed out in the first wave of this week's rainfall.
Fourth place Illinois (12-12/26-21) travels to Bloomington to take on Indiana (8-16/19-28). The Illini are 5-2 in their last seven games having split with Michigan a week ago. In the other dugout, Tracy Smith's side has won their last two games, including a 13-11 midweek triumph over Valpo. It's interesting to note that the last place Hoosiers have exactly the same overall record as the first place Wildcats, 19-28.
I see that the folks at IU are keeping an eye on the old Doppler radar, as well. Indiana has joined NU in changing the start times for their weekend games.
Oh, I hope the majority of these game get played. I have no idea what the conference would do if rain cost any of the front runners multiple games. It will no doubt be interesting. And soggy.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Mattingly Going To UT
Preston Mattingly, son of ex-New York Yankee star, Don, has committed to attend Tennessee. He will play baseball for the Volunteers next season. This is bad on two accounts.
First, Mattingly attends high school in Indiana. It's disappointing to see another youngster in Big Ten country jump ship and head off to a "southern school". I don't blame the younger Mattingly for choosing a more baseball friendly institution, but a player of his pedigree would have helped the Big Ten's image and quality of play.
The second bad thing about this is that elder Mattingly isn't even a star from my childhood. He's in the group that immediately followed that. Basically, this means a guy who played pro ball when I was a very young adult now has a son in college baseball. What I am trying to say is that I am really, really getting old.
First, Mattingly attends high school in Indiana. It's disappointing to see another youngster in Big Ten country jump ship and head off to a "southern school". I don't blame the younger Mattingly for choosing a more baseball friendly institution, but a player of his pedigree would have helped the Big Ten's image and quality of play.
The second bad thing about this is that elder Mattingly isn't even a star from my childhood. He's in the group that immediately followed that. Basically, this means a guy who played pro ball when I was a very young adult now has a son in college baseball. What I am trying to say is that I am really, really getting old.
Maiking A List, Checking It Twice, Or Maybe Three Times
This week's NCAA tournament predictions begin with The Rosenblatt Report's Kendall Rogers. For my Big Ten centric readers, Mr. Rogers envisions Northwestern in the Big Baseball Dance. He's got the Wildcats out in Corvallis facing host Oregon State.
SEBaseball.com's Mark Etheridge takes his weekly shot at the field, too. Mr. Etheridge forsees Michigan in the tournament. (I like Mr. Etheridge's predictions a bit better as he feels both Notre Dame and Kentucky could host opening round series. In addition, check out one of the Irish opponents in the bracket. That might convince me to be in South Bend that weekend.)
Before this past weekend's action, Boyd Nation offered his weekly views on the tournament make-up. When it comes to our conference of focus here, Mr. Nation smartly avoids trying to guess which one of the clubs is going to emerge victorious. He's just slotted a "Big Ten" spot. As always, smart decision from college baseball's premier number cruncher. (Hope you don't mind that label, Mr. Nation.)
Last, but certainly not least, Ben at Southern College Sports.com makes his predicitions for the field of 64. Ben takes Michigan as the Big Ten representative. From a purely selfish standpoint, I like his notion of the Wolverines opening NCAA tournament play at Kentucky. Lexington is a distance I can handle. Plus, my wife--a horse lover, thus a Kentucky lover--endorses your opinion, Ben.
SEBaseball.com's Mark Etheridge takes his weekly shot at the field, too. Mr. Etheridge forsees Michigan in the tournament. (I like Mr. Etheridge's predictions a bit better as he feels both Notre Dame and Kentucky could host opening round series. In addition, check out one of the Irish opponents in the bracket. That might convince me to be in South Bend that weekend.)
Before this past weekend's action, Boyd Nation offered his weekly views on the tournament make-up. When it comes to our conference of focus here, Mr. Nation smartly avoids trying to guess which one of the clubs is going to emerge victorious. He's just slotted a "Big Ten" spot. As always, smart decision from college baseball's premier number cruncher. (Hope you don't mind that label, Mr. Nation.)
Last, but certainly not least, Ben at Southern College Sports.com makes his predicitions for the field of 64. Ben takes Michigan as the Big Ten representative. From a purely selfish standpoint, I like his notion of the Wolverines opening NCAA tournament play at Kentucky. Lexington is a distance I can handle. Plus, my wife--a horse lover, thus a Kentucky lover--endorses your opinion, Ben.
Hilligoss Tops In OPS
Purdue's Mitch Hilligoss continues to lead the Big Ten Conference in on base plus slugging percentage. The All-America shortstop has a 1.086 OPS figure as of Monday. Second in OPS is Ohio State 3B Ronnie Bourquin. Hilligoss and Bourquin are probably the leading contenders for Big Ten Player of the Year.
Third is Ryan Basham of Michigan State at 1.067. In strictly conference games, Basham has the highest batting average (.425) and slugging percentage (an impressive .701) and is third in on base percentage (.475). Eric Fryer, Ohio State, is next on the list at 1.066. Fryer's teammate, Jedidiah Stephen, is the last player in the Big Ten above the magical 1.000 mark. The Buckeyes' SS has an OPS of 1.010.
Third is Ryan Basham of Michigan State at 1.067. In strictly conference games, Basham has the highest batting average (.425) and slugging percentage (an impressive .701) and is third in on base percentage (.475). Eric Fryer, Ohio State, is next on the list at 1.066. Fryer's teammate, Jedidiah Stephen, is the last player in the Big Ten above the magical 1.000 mark. The Buckeyes' SS has an OPS of 1.010.
Monday, May 08, 2006
OSU @ MSU Photo Link
As promised, here is the link to the photos Mrs. BTH took of Friday's game between the Buckeyes and Spartans at Oldsmobile Park in Lansing.
You'll note there are plenty of shots of starting pitchers Dan DeLucia (OSU) and John Dwan (MSU, at right). Both lefties threw their fastball in the low 80's/high 90's. I'd call 89 mph the average speed for both. Their off-speed stuff clocked in at something closer to mid to low 70's. Sure, there was an occasional 60-something, but that was the exception. This assumes, of course, that the Olds Park radar gun was accurate.
Right now, I have hopes of attending one more Big Ten series--Iowa at Michigan--before the season closes. I also harbor ideas of making it to the Big Ten Tournament and/or the first round of the NCAA's, if Notre Dame, Kentucky or a Big Ten school can host (which seems very unlikely).
Monday Standings
The top of the Big Ten standings on Monday look surprisingly similar to the standings prior to the weekend. Well, at least the top four didn't move any. Michigan (16-8) and Northwestern (16-8) both won on Sunday keeping their dual hold of the conference lead. Ohio State (15-9), after ripping off three straight in Lansing, lost to Michigan State yesterday dropping the Buckeyes back into their pre-weekend spot in third place. Illinois (12-12), which split their weekend encounter with the Wolverines, is still in fourth spot.
Purdue (11-12) split their weekend four game set with Penn State moving the Boilermakers into fifth place. Minnesota (11-13), which went toe-to-toe with the front-running Wildcats this past weekend, has hold of the final spot in the Big Ten Conference tournament picture at sixth.
The Nittany Lions (10-13), Spartans (10-14), Iowa (10-14) and Indiana (8-16) round out the field.
Purdue (11-12) split their weekend four game set with Penn State moving the Boilermakers into fifth place. Minnesota (11-13), which went toe-to-toe with the front-running Wildcats this past weekend, has hold of the final spot in the Big Ten Conference tournament picture at sixth.
The Nittany Lions (10-13), Spartans (10-14), Iowa (10-14) and Indiana (8-16) round out the field.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Catching Up On The Weekend
As I mentioned in my previous post, I've had no time over the last couple of days to log into Blogger. While I was away from the keyboard, I didn't entirely ignore the Big Ten baseball race. Part of the time away was spent watching college baseball. On Friday, I made the trek up to Lansing to watch Michigan State host Ohio State. (Expect a picture link to be provided later. Hopefully, later today, but I make no promises.)
As for the game between the Spartans and Buckeyes, well, it wasn't very competitive. Dan DeLucia, OSU's Friday starter, kept MSU hitters off balance and got plenty of offensive support in a 16-2 Buckeye triumph. It was the type of dominant performance I expected from Ohio State in Ann Arbor a few weeks back.
As I've learned since, things haven't gotten much better for the host Spartans as OSU also took both halves of yesterday's doubleheader. Ohio State took game one, 12-3, and the second affair by a 6-4 count. The three consecutive OSU's wins combined with Northwestern and Michigan dropping two of their three games thus far, has led to a three way tie atop the Big Ten standings.
Minnesota beat Northwestern up on Friday, 15-3. The bats for both sides went silent Saturday as both teams claimed 1-0 victories. Dan Brauer led NU to the triumph in the first game. The nightcap went to Gophers courtesy of starter Brian Bull.
While in Champaign, Michigan lost Friday's game, 3-1 and split the Saturday twinbill with the Illini. Dan Hartleb's side won the second game, 7-4, but Rich Maloney's nine took the opener, 1-0.
Purdue and Penn State have only played a single game so far this weekend. Saturday's solo contest went to the Boilermakers, 6-5. A doubleheader is on tap for today. In Iowa City, the Hawkeyes have taken three in a row from Indiana. Friday was 3-2, Iowa. Saturday's doubledip went the Hawkeyes' way by scores of 4-3 and 6-0.
All this leaves Ohio State, Northwestern and Michigan tied atop the Big Ten at 15-8. Illinois if fourth at 12-11. Minnesota is fifth, Purdue sixth. If the regular season ended today, those outside the conference tournament would be Iowa, Penn State, Michigan State and Indiana.
As for the game between the Spartans and Buckeyes, well, it wasn't very competitive. Dan DeLucia, OSU's Friday starter, kept MSU hitters off balance and got plenty of offensive support in a 16-2 Buckeye triumph. It was the type of dominant performance I expected from Ohio State in Ann Arbor a few weeks back.
As I've learned since, things haven't gotten much better for the host Spartans as OSU also took both halves of yesterday's doubleheader. Ohio State took game one, 12-3, and the second affair by a 6-4 count. The three consecutive OSU's wins combined with Northwestern and Michigan dropping two of their three games thus far, has led to a three way tie atop the Big Ten standings.
Minnesota beat Northwestern up on Friday, 15-3. The bats for both sides went silent Saturday as both teams claimed 1-0 victories. Dan Brauer led NU to the triumph in the first game. The nightcap went to Gophers courtesy of starter Brian Bull.
While in Champaign, Michigan lost Friday's game, 3-1 and split the Saturday twinbill with the Illini. Dan Hartleb's side won the second game, 7-4, but Rich Maloney's nine took the opener, 1-0.
Purdue and Penn State have only played a single game so far this weekend. Saturday's solo contest went to the Boilermakers, 6-5. A doubleheader is on tap for today. In Iowa City, the Hawkeyes have taken three in a row from Indiana. Friday was 3-2, Iowa. Saturday's doubledip went the Hawkeyes' way by scores of 4-3 and 6-0.
All this leaves Ohio State, Northwestern and Michigan tied atop the Big Ten at 15-8. Illinois if fourth at 12-11. Minnesota is fifth, Purdue sixth. If the regular season ended today, those outside the conference tournament would be Iowa, Penn State, Michigan State and Indiana.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
So Much To Type, So Little Time
There is a great chance that I won't be checking in here again until Sunday, yet I have so much I want to address. There is simply no way I can get to everything I would like to. However, let's see how much I can review before other responsibilities call me away from my computer.
I guess I can begin with midweek games. I saw Michigan beat Western Michigan courtesy of Comcast Local, 10-5. The contest was pretty typical of midweek fare. The Wolverines jumped out to a big lead and held on to win. The television coverage, always a popular subject here, wasn't as good as the last CL game I watched, but it was acceptable.
Of course, the broadcast was hindered greatly by the fact the audio was running behind the video. The guy would be standing on first after a single when you heard the "ping" of his bat and the announcer make the call. Annoying. It was a problem on the channel after the game as well, so the production crew doesn't lose any points from me for the audio difficulities. I did learn something during the game, too.
Apparently, Ray Fisher Stadium is about to undergo a major renovation. I believe ex-coach Geoff Zahn mentioned a $9 million figure. I can't say I completely understood the specifics of the upgrades but it sounds like they are going to build an indoor hitting facility, rebuild the dugout and the pressbox. They also made mention of the seating changes. It sounded like they might be adding either box seats, a second deck or both.
This was the first thing I've heard about updating Michigan's baseball structure. There have been rumors about an entirely new ballpark, but I had not heard anything this concrete about pouring new concrete at the old yard. While I won't have time to Google this tonight, I have yet to see anything this definitive about Fisher Stadium from any other source. (More work I don't have time for right now.)
I have to admit that I am surprised that the university opted not to tear down the current diamond, thus creating space for either parking for football and hockey or building a practice facility for the basketball team. However, I am happy to hear that yet another baseball program is getting some revenue towards facilities.
On that note, Penn State announced the their new yard, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park is nearly complete.
As for other midweek games, Lars Davis hit a walk-off homer powering Illinois over St. Xavier, 6-4. Iowa's game with Western Illinois got cancelled. (Rain? Nope. Snow?! Nope. Scheduling conflict? Yes. Does this happen in college football?) North Dakota State thumped Minnesota, 7-3. Apparently, John Anderson's side didn't exactly bring along the entire team. Northern Illinois beat Northwestern, 8-6. (That sound you hear is NU's and the conference's RPI falling.) Ohio State beat Eastern Michigan, 5-2.
This weekend's Big Ten action looks like this: Ohio State travels to Michigan State in a battle of the top two offensive teams in the conference. Purdue hosts Penn State. Iowa is at Indiana. Minnesota visits league leading Northwestern and co-conference leader Michigan is in Champaign to take on Illinois.
Michigan State's Ryan Basham got some ink from Green and White.com.
Ohio State got some love from CSTV. Here is a video look at the Buckeyes. (Assuming I did the video link correctly. My apologies, if I didn't.)
Speaking of CSTV, Kellen Kulbacki of James Madison is this week's leader in CSTV.com's Player of the Year balloting.
Iowa released information about pitcher Casey O'Rourke, his ongoing battle with cancer and his effect on his teammates. While it's clear the struggle continues, I was glad to hear that the Hawkeye pitcher is cancer free. The Hawkeyes season has been bumpy, to put it mildly. Here is Ryan Long, of the Daily Iowan, explaining all the difficulities Jack Dahm's squad has had to endure in 2006.
I think that's it for now. And probably tomorrow, as well. I might try to sneak back in here Saturday night, time permitting. Enjoy the weekend action.
I guess I can begin with midweek games. I saw Michigan beat Western Michigan courtesy of Comcast Local, 10-5. The contest was pretty typical of midweek fare. The Wolverines jumped out to a big lead and held on to win. The television coverage, always a popular subject here, wasn't as good as the last CL game I watched, but it was acceptable.
Of course, the broadcast was hindered greatly by the fact the audio was running behind the video. The guy would be standing on first after a single when you heard the "ping" of his bat and the announcer make the call. Annoying. It was a problem on the channel after the game as well, so the production crew doesn't lose any points from me for the audio difficulities. I did learn something during the game, too.
Apparently, Ray Fisher Stadium is about to undergo a major renovation. I believe ex-coach Geoff Zahn mentioned a $9 million figure. I can't say I completely understood the specifics of the upgrades but it sounds like they are going to build an indoor hitting facility, rebuild the dugout and the pressbox. They also made mention of the seating changes. It sounded like they might be adding either box seats, a second deck or both.
This was the first thing I've heard about updating Michigan's baseball structure. There have been rumors about an entirely new ballpark, but I had not heard anything this concrete about pouring new concrete at the old yard. While I won't have time to Google this tonight, I have yet to see anything this definitive about Fisher Stadium from any other source. (More work I don't have time for right now.)
I have to admit that I am surprised that the university opted not to tear down the current diamond, thus creating space for either parking for football and hockey or building a practice facility for the basketball team. However, I am happy to hear that yet another baseball program is getting some revenue towards facilities.
On that note, Penn State announced the their new yard, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park is nearly complete.
As for other midweek games, Lars Davis hit a walk-off homer powering Illinois over St. Xavier, 6-4. Iowa's game with Western Illinois got cancelled. (Rain? Nope. Snow?! Nope. Scheduling conflict? Yes. Does this happen in college football?) North Dakota State thumped Minnesota, 7-3. Apparently, John Anderson's side didn't exactly bring along the entire team. Northern Illinois beat Northwestern, 8-6. (That sound you hear is NU's and the conference's RPI falling.) Ohio State beat Eastern Michigan, 5-2.
This weekend's Big Ten action looks like this: Ohio State travels to Michigan State in a battle of the top two offensive teams in the conference. Purdue hosts Penn State. Iowa is at Indiana. Minnesota visits league leading Northwestern and co-conference leader Michigan is in Champaign to take on Illinois.
Michigan State's Ryan Basham got some ink from Green and White.com.
Ohio State got some love from CSTV. Here is a video look at the Buckeyes. (Assuming I did the video link correctly. My apologies, if I didn't.)
Speaking of CSTV, Kellen Kulbacki of James Madison is this week's leader in CSTV.com's Player of the Year balloting.
Iowa released information about pitcher Casey O'Rourke, his ongoing battle with cancer and his effect on his teammates. While it's clear the struggle continues, I was glad to hear that the Hawkeye pitcher is cancer free. The Hawkeyes season has been bumpy, to put it mildly. Here is Ryan Long, of the Daily Iowan, explaining all the difficulities Jack Dahm's squad has had to endure in 2006.
I think that's it for now. And probably tomorrow, as well. I might try to sneak back in here Saturday night, time permitting. Enjoy the weekend action.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Regional Predictions And More
Mark Etheridge, Publisher of SEBaseball.com, takes his weekly stab at guessing the field of 64.
Not to be outdone, Kendall Rogers of the Rosenblatt Report (I love that name), also predicts the make-up of the NCAA Tournament.
SEBaseball.com also released it's weekly radio show, SEBaseball Review. It almost goes without saying that I encourage you to check all of these links out.
Not to be outdone, Kendall Rogers of the Rosenblatt Report (I love that name), also predicts the make-up of the NCAA Tournament.
SEBaseball.com also released it's weekly radio show, SEBaseball Review. It almost goes without saying that I encourage you to check all of these links out.
Tuesday Is OPS Day
And then there were six. The list of Big Ten regulars maintaining an OPS mark above 1.000 is down to a half dozen. Five of whom will be facing off against each other this weekend as Ohio State travels to Oldsmobile Park to take on Michigan State. Here are this week's on base + slugging percentage leaders.
Mitch Hilligoss, Purdue 1.124
Ronnie Bourquin, Ohio State 1.091
Eric Fryer, Ohio State 1.051
Jedidiah Stephen, Ohio State 1.044
Ryan Basham, Michigan State 1.026
Steve Gerstenberger, Michigan State 1.000
Then there are our friends in the Mid-American Conference. Yes, for the second week in a row, you get MAC OPS numbers. Please restrain your excitement.
Ben Humphrey, Central Michigan 1.144
Drew Saylor, Kent State 1.056
Brian Toner, Northern Illinois 1.044
Kurt Eichorn, Kent State 1.034
Willie Walker, Ohio 1.033
Bryan Mitzel, Central Michigan 1.029
Brad Miller, Ball State 1.014
Mitch Hilligoss, Purdue 1.124
Ronnie Bourquin, Ohio State 1.091
Eric Fryer, Ohio State 1.051
Jedidiah Stephen, Ohio State 1.044
Ryan Basham, Michigan State 1.026
Steve Gerstenberger, Michigan State 1.000
Then there are our friends in the Mid-American Conference. Yes, for the second week in a row, you get MAC OPS numbers. Please restrain your excitement.
Ben Humphrey, Central Michigan 1.144
Drew Saylor, Kent State 1.056
Brian Toner, Northern Illinois 1.044
Kurt Eichorn, Kent State 1.034
Willie Walker, Ohio 1.033
Bryan Mitzel, Central Michigan 1.029
Brad Miller, Ball State 1.014
Monday, May 01, 2006
The Final Three Weeks
The race for the Big Ten Conference title is down to its final three weekends. With that in mind, I decided to take a look at the remaining schedules for the conference leaders. I realize that there is a possibility that one of the programs I don't have listed below could still claim the crown. However, I'm going to assume that one of the top four teams right now is going to hold on to win the regular season championship.
Northwestern
Minnesota
Michigan State
@ Purdue
Michigan
@ Illinois
@ Penn State
Iowa
Ohio State
@ Michigan State
Minnesota
Penn State
Illinois
Michigan
@ Indiana
@ Michigan State
If you just review the home/road series, you have to like NU and Ohio State. Both play host twice in the final three weeks, while Michigan and the Illini are going to have to play two of their final three series on the road.
Northwestern
Minnesota
Michigan State
@ Purdue
Michigan
@ Illinois
@ Penn State
Iowa
Ohio State
@ Michigan State
Minnesota
Penn State
Illinois
Michigan
@ Indiana
@ Michigan State
If you just review the home/road series, you have to like NU and Ohio State. Both play host twice in the final three weeks, while Michigan and the Illini are going to have to play two of their final three series on the road.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
NU Keeps Winning And Other Sunday Action
Northwestern's surprising run through the Big Ten continued Sunday. The Wildcats split a doubleheader with Iowa and maintained their share of first place in the conference. While the Hawkeyes pounded the 'Cats in the opener, 16-2, NU (14-5/17-23) took the finale of the weekend series, 7-6.
Iowa CF Nate Price went 4 for5 with a homer and five RBI in game one. Austin Seward (4-4) pitched a complete game for Iowa. Seward allowed eight hits, two runs and fanned six in his seven innings. In game two, Tommy Finn and Jake Owens each drove in a pair of run to help lead NU to victory.
Michigan stayed level with the Wildcats by beating Michigan State, 11-5. Leif Mahler, Doug Pickens, Nate Recknagel and Jeff Kunkel, the Wolverines' 2-5 hitters, each drove in a pair of runs. MSU's Oliver Wolcott and Sean Walker each homered and drove in two.
Purdue avoided a sweep in Columbus by beating the Ohio State, 7-6. Ryne White and John Hunter each had two hits and two RBI for the Boilermakers. Purdue's Jordan Comadena went yard, as well. OSU's Ronnie Bourquin went 4 for 5 and Jedidiah Stephen went 3 for 4 with his sixth homerun.
Illinois brought out the lumber (or heavy metal) today and beat Minnesota, 16-8. The Illini's twenty-four hit attack was led by Dave Schultz who was 5 for 5 and Ryan Snowden who went 5 for 6. Both scored twice and had two RBI. Joe Bonadonna had four RBI and Ryan Hastings had four hits and scored three times. Illini righthander Brian Blomquist won his third game pitching in relief.
On a happier note in Gopherland, head coach John Anderson was given a contract extension. Anderson is now signed through the 2010 season.
Penn State beat up (and down) Indiana, 11-0. PSU's Craig Clark pitched a complete game shutout. Clark allowed only six hits, walked no one and struck out seven Hoosiers. 3B Matt Cavagnaro led the way with three hits and also scored three times. Lance Thompson and Aaron Greenfield each had a pair of RBI.
Iowa CF Nate Price went 4 for5 with a homer and five RBI in game one. Austin Seward (4-4) pitched a complete game for Iowa. Seward allowed eight hits, two runs and fanned six in his seven innings. In game two, Tommy Finn and Jake Owens each drove in a pair of run to help lead NU to victory.
Michigan stayed level with the Wildcats by beating Michigan State, 11-5. Leif Mahler, Doug Pickens, Nate Recknagel and Jeff Kunkel, the Wolverines' 2-5 hitters, each drove in a pair of runs. MSU's Oliver Wolcott and Sean Walker each homered and drove in two.
Purdue avoided a sweep in Columbus by beating the Ohio State, 7-6. Ryne White and John Hunter each had two hits and two RBI for the Boilermakers. Purdue's Jordan Comadena went yard, as well. OSU's Ronnie Bourquin went 4 for 5 and Jedidiah Stephen went 3 for 4 with his sixth homerun.
Illinois brought out the lumber (or heavy metal) today and beat Minnesota, 16-8. The Illini's twenty-four hit attack was led by Dave Schultz who was 5 for 5 and Ryan Snowden who went 5 for 6. Both scored twice and had two RBI. Joe Bonadonna had four RBI and Ryan Hastings had four hits and scored three times. Illini righthander Brian Blomquist won his third game pitching in relief.
On a happier note in Gopherland, head coach John Anderson was given a contract extension. Anderson is now signed through the 2010 season.
Penn State beat up (and down) Indiana, 11-0. PSU's Craig Clark pitched a complete game shutout. Clark allowed only six hits, walked no one and struck out seven Hoosiers. 3B Matt Cavagnaro led the way with three hits and also scored three times. Lance Thompson and Aaron Greenfield each had a pair of RBI.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Gudex, Whitmore Garner Acclaim
Two Big Ten closers are on the NCBWA's Stopper of the Year watchlist. Relievers Tim Gudex of Iowa and Matt Whitmore of Illinois each made the thirty man mid-season watchlist. The ironic part is that both Gudex and Whitmore have recently been moved out of the bullpen and into their team's starting rotation.
However, it is still an honor to be named amongst the best closers in the nation. BTH congratulates both men on their mid-season recognition.
However, it is still an honor to be named amongst the best closers in the nation. BTH congratulates both men on their mid-season recognition.
Bourquin, Shuck On Howser List
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has released its watch list for the Dick Howser Award. The Howser Award is given annually to the top player in college baseball. Two members of the Ohio State Buckeyes are on the list. Thirdbaseman Ronnie Bourquin and pitcher/firstbaseman/outfielder J.B. Shuck have garnered the honor.
Obviously, I'm happy for both Buckeye stars and both are worthy nominees. However, leaving off Purdue shortstop Mitch Hilligoss is an oversight. I can't honestly say who I would remove from the NCBWA's watchlist, but it's difficult to imagine that the player who might be the Big Ten's player of the year isn't being considered.
Bourquin and Shuck are, however, fine representatives of the conference. Congratulations to both.
Obviously, I'm happy for both Buckeye stars and both are worthy nominees. However, leaving off Purdue shortstop Mitch Hilligoss is an oversight. I can't honestly say who I would remove from the NCBWA's watchlist, but it's difficult to imagine that the player who might be the Big Ten's player of the year isn't being considered.
Bourquin and Shuck are, however, fine representatives of the conference. Congratulations to both.
Up To This Moment
Sorry, boys and girls, but I've been away from the PC. I really do have a little bit of a personal life. Shocking, I know. Regardless, let's start reviewing the Big Ten weekend with last night's results.
Northwestern maintained first place by downing Iowa, 9-5. Pat McMahon, Anthony Wycklendt, Antonio Mule and Geoff Dietz each drove in two runs for NU. McMahon paced the hit parade by collecting three hits. Hawkeye DH Brian Burmester had two hits and two RBI.
Zach Putnam kept Michigan tied with the Wildcats for first place by leading Michigan past Michigan State, 7-1. The freshman righthander (4-0) did yield ten hits and five walks, but posted his third straight conference win. Michigan SS Leif Mahler went 4 for 4 LF Mike Schmidt was 3 for 4. MSU's Ryan Basham and Alan Cattrysse each had three hits, as well.
Ohio State beat Purdue Friday night, 10-5. OSU starter Dan DeLucia improved to 7-2 by tossing seven innings of eight hit, five run baseball. Jacob Howell had a pair of hits including a bases loaded triple. Matt Angle went 4 for 5, scoring twice and stealing three bases (21). Eric Fryer and Ronnie Bourquin each had three hits. Purdue SS Mitch Hilligoss had two hits and two stolen bases.
At the Metrodome, Illinois beat Minnesota, 4-3. Mike Rohde went yard for the third time in '06, Dave Schultz drove in a pair of runs and Joe Bonadonna scored the winning run on a wild pitch. Brian Long posted the win in relief of Matt Whitmore. Jake Toohey notched his second save. Minnesota DH Kyle Baran drove in two of the Gophers three runs.
Penn State dropped Indiana, 5-4. PSU starter Alan Stidfole collected his third win going eight innings. 3B Scott Gummo had two hits and two RBI. IU 2B Keith Haas had three hits and stole base number nineteen.
For some national perspective on Friday, here's CSTV.com's Eric Sorenson.
Today's doubleheaders in the Big Ten played out this way.
Bad weather in Iowa City has forced the doubleheader between NU and Iowa to become a single, seven inning contest. I haven't found a result of the game yet.
IU swept PSU by scores of 3-2 (in 10 innings) and 3-0. In the opener, Hoosier freshman Joe Vicini pitched four innings in relief of Josh Lewis to improve to 4-2. IU SS Josh Richardson had a pair of hits, a stolen base and a RBI. PSU SS Scott Gaffney knocked out three hits, including a double and a triple.
Another IU freshman hurler, Tyler Tufts, was the story of game two. Making his Big Ten debut, Tufts hurled a complete game seven inning shutout. The righthander allowed only eight hits and one walk in his seven frames. Jay Brant went 3 for 4 scoring twice and driving home two more IU tallies.
Michigan and Michigan State split their twinbill. Michigan grabbed the opener, 6-2. State scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to prevail, 7-6, in the nightcap. In game one, Michigan's Doug Pickens went 3 for 4, scored twice and drove in a run to lead the Wolverine offense. Schmidt added his eighth homer and drove in two for Michigan. Michigan's Paul Hammond (4-3) outdueled MSU's Jeff Gerbe (4-4), each pitching complete games, to earn the win.
MSU SS Troy Krider went 4 for 4 and hit his first homer of the year leading MSU to victory in the second game. State CF Adam Tripp had a pair of hits and two RBI. The Spartan's Mike Monterey (6-5) pitched only one third of an inning to claim the win. Michigan CF Eric Rose had two hits, three RBI and stole his 23rd base.
Ohio State swept Purdue on Saturday. The Buckeyes took game one from the Boilermakers, 4-0. Sophomore Cory Luebke pitched a complete game seven inning shutout. The lefty allowed no runs, no walks and only five hits in the opener. OSU CF Angle had two more RBI.
The second affair saw OSU win, 4-1. Buckeye freshman Jake Hale pitched seven innings for his own complete game in the nightcap. The righthander (3-3) gave up only three hits, one run and three walks. Jedidiah Stephen, Wes Schirtzinger and Bourquin all had RBI.
Minnesota and Iowa split their Saturday twinbill. The Golden Gophers took the initial game from the Hawkeyes, 9-5. Illinois emerged with a 5-4 win over Minnesota in game two.
Northwestern maintained first place by downing Iowa, 9-5. Pat McMahon, Anthony Wycklendt, Antonio Mule and Geoff Dietz each drove in two runs for NU. McMahon paced the hit parade by collecting three hits. Hawkeye DH Brian Burmester had two hits and two RBI.
Zach Putnam kept Michigan tied with the Wildcats for first place by leading Michigan past Michigan State, 7-1. The freshman righthander (4-0) did yield ten hits and five walks, but posted his third straight conference win. Michigan SS Leif Mahler went 4 for 4 LF Mike Schmidt was 3 for 4. MSU's Ryan Basham and Alan Cattrysse each had three hits, as well.
Ohio State beat Purdue Friday night, 10-5. OSU starter Dan DeLucia improved to 7-2 by tossing seven innings of eight hit, five run baseball. Jacob Howell had a pair of hits including a bases loaded triple. Matt Angle went 4 for 5, scoring twice and stealing three bases (21). Eric Fryer and Ronnie Bourquin each had three hits. Purdue SS Mitch Hilligoss had two hits and two stolen bases.
At the Metrodome, Illinois beat Minnesota, 4-3. Mike Rohde went yard for the third time in '06, Dave Schultz drove in a pair of runs and Joe Bonadonna scored the winning run on a wild pitch. Brian Long posted the win in relief of Matt Whitmore. Jake Toohey notched his second save. Minnesota DH Kyle Baran drove in two of the Gophers three runs.
Penn State dropped Indiana, 5-4. PSU starter Alan Stidfole collected his third win going eight innings. 3B Scott Gummo had two hits and two RBI. IU 2B Keith Haas had three hits and stole base number nineteen.
For some national perspective on Friday, here's CSTV.com's Eric Sorenson.
Today's doubleheaders in the Big Ten played out this way.
Bad weather in Iowa City has forced the doubleheader between NU and Iowa to become a single, seven inning contest. I haven't found a result of the game yet.
IU swept PSU by scores of 3-2 (in 10 innings) and 3-0. In the opener, Hoosier freshman Joe Vicini pitched four innings in relief of Josh Lewis to improve to 4-2. IU SS Josh Richardson had a pair of hits, a stolen base and a RBI. PSU SS Scott Gaffney knocked out three hits, including a double and a triple.
Another IU freshman hurler, Tyler Tufts, was the story of game two. Making his Big Ten debut, Tufts hurled a complete game seven inning shutout. The righthander allowed only eight hits and one walk in his seven frames. Jay Brant went 3 for 4 scoring twice and driving home two more IU tallies.
Michigan and Michigan State split their twinbill. Michigan grabbed the opener, 6-2. State scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to prevail, 7-6, in the nightcap. In game one, Michigan's Doug Pickens went 3 for 4, scored twice and drove in a run to lead the Wolverine offense. Schmidt added his eighth homer and drove in two for Michigan. Michigan's Paul Hammond (4-3) outdueled MSU's Jeff Gerbe (4-4), each pitching complete games, to earn the win.
MSU SS Troy Krider went 4 for 4 and hit his first homer of the year leading MSU to victory in the second game. State CF Adam Tripp had a pair of hits and two RBI. The Spartan's Mike Monterey (6-5) pitched only one third of an inning to claim the win. Michigan CF Eric Rose had two hits, three RBI and stole his 23rd base.
Ohio State swept Purdue on Saturday. The Buckeyes took game one from the Boilermakers, 4-0. Sophomore Cory Luebke pitched a complete game seven inning shutout. The lefty allowed no runs, no walks and only five hits in the opener. OSU CF Angle had two more RBI.
The second affair saw OSU win, 4-1. Buckeye freshman Jake Hale pitched seven innings for his own complete game in the nightcap. The righthander (3-3) gave up only three hits, one run and three walks. Jedidiah Stephen, Wes Schirtzinger and Bourquin all had RBI.
Minnesota and Iowa split their Saturday twinbill. The Golden Gophers took the initial game from the Hawkeyes, 9-5. Illinois emerged with a 5-4 win over Minnesota in game two.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Back To Conference Play
After a less than stellar midweek (I know, I know. You wonder just how long am I going to lament that?), Big Ten sides return to conference action this weekend. Here's is what is on tap.
Indiana is heading to face a Penn State club close to conference tournament eligible. First place Northwestern travels to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes. Ohio State is hosting Purdue in a critical match-up of teams still hoping to claim first place in the regular season. Illinois looks to get back into the conference tournament race at Minnesota. Michigan and Michigan State split hosting their important four game series. Friday and Sunday are in Ann Arbor. Saturday's doubleheader is at Oldsmobile Park in East Lansing.
For those in Michigan and, perhaps, elsewhere, that get Comcast Local, the Michigan/MSU games on Saturday and Sunday will be televised. Antoine Pitts of The Ann Arbor News previews the Blue vs. Green baseball clash. Did I note that Michigan State beat the you-know-what out of Toledo, 23-4?
Sunday's Illinois at Minnesota game gets TV time, too. Fox Sports North is picking up the contest.
Indiana is heading to face a Penn State club close to conference tournament eligible. First place Northwestern travels to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes. Ohio State is hosting Purdue in a critical match-up of teams still hoping to claim first place in the regular season. Illinois looks to get back into the conference tournament race at Minnesota. Michigan and Michigan State split hosting their important four game series. Friday and Sunday are in Ann Arbor. Saturday's doubleheader is at Oldsmobile Park in East Lansing.
For those in Michigan and, perhaps, elsewhere, that get Comcast Local, the Michigan/MSU games on Saturday and Sunday will be televised. Antoine Pitts of The Ann Arbor News previews the Blue vs. Green baseball clash. Did I note that Michigan State beat the you-know-what out of Toledo, 23-4?
Sunday's Illinois at Minnesota game gets TV time, too. Fox Sports North is picking up the contest.
Big Ten OPS Numbers
Here's this week's Big Ten 1000 OPS club. Mitch Hilligoss, Purdue, leads at 1.177. Michigan State's Ryan Basham is second at 1.085. Third belongs to Eric Fryer of Ohio State at 1.059. Fellow Buckeye Ronnie Bourquin is next at 1.058. A third OSU standout, SS Jedidiah Stephen is fifth at 1.016. There is a tie for the final spot. Michigan State's Steve Gerstenberger and Northwestern's Antonio Mule are both at 1.004.
At no additional cost to you, I also provide a look at those players in the Mid-American Conference who are holding an OPS figure above 1000. (Yes, the MAC, boys and girls. And, yes, it's confirmed. I've gone off the deep end.) Ben Humphrey of Central Michigan sits atop the MAC OPS field at 1.127. Drew Saylor of Kent State checks in at 1.033. Bryan Mitchell, another CMU player, is third at 1.028. Kent State's Emmanuel Burriss and Ohio's Willie Walker are tied for fourth place at 1.020. The final MAC regular over 1000 is Brian Toner of Northern Illinois at 1.004.
At no additional cost to you, I also provide a look at those players in the Mid-American Conference who are holding an OPS figure above 1000. (Yes, the MAC, boys and girls. And, yes, it's confirmed. I've gone off the deep end.) Ben Humphrey of Central Michigan sits atop the MAC OPS field at 1.127. Drew Saylor of Kent State checks in at 1.033. Bryan Mitchell, another CMU player, is third at 1.028. Kent State's Emmanuel Burriss and Ohio's Willie Walker are tied for fourth place at 1.020. The final MAC regular over 1000 is Brian Toner of Northern Illinois at 1.004.
This Week's Links
Ok, my links post is a few days behind. I'll toss in a few national perspectives to make up for my tardiness.
Boyd Nation's Breadcrumbs Back To Omaha column gets serious about looking at the NCAA Tournament field. Mr. Nation concurs with what I suggested in an earlier post. The Big Ten will probably have one representative in the field--the conference tournament winner.
Ben at Southern College Sports.com tries his hand at predicting the field of 64, as well.
SCS.com also ran this interview with Purdue's Mitch Hilligoss. It's an old feature, but as I just stumbled upon it, I'm sharing anyway.
Here is something you just don't see very often. The AP provides the full story.
The initial class for College Baseball's Hall of Fame was announced this week. Minnesota's Dave Winfield is amongst the honorees.
A not-so-little tidbit I missed from Sunday's play. Iowa closer Tim Gudex started against Illinois. The Illini have employed the same tactic, as well. Their closer, Matt Whitmore, has also made a start recently.
David Morrison of the Daily Northwestern reports on OF Anthony Wycklendt's struggles at the plate.
Mark Zdinar of The Columbus Dispatch provides details on Ohio State's midweek fall to Cleveland State.
Des Moines Register's Dan McCool recaps Iowa's triumph over Northern Iowa.
Jon Malavolti of Green and White.com looks at Michigan State after their weekend series with Minnesota.
Boyd Nation's Breadcrumbs Back To Omaha column gets serious about looking at the NCAA Tournament field. Mr. Nation concurs with what I suggested in an earlier post. The Big Ten will probably have one representative in the field--the conference tournament winner.
Ben at Southern College Sports.com tries his hand at predicting the field of 64, as well.
SCS.com also ran this interview with Purdue's Mitch Hilligoss. It's an old feature, but as I just stumbled upon it, I'm sharing anyway.
Here is something you just don't see very often. The AP provides the full story.
The initial class for College Baseball's Hall of Fame was announced this week. Minnesota's Dave Winfield is amongst the honorees.
A not-so-little tidbit I missed from Sunday's play. Iowa closer Tim Gudex started against Illinois. The Illini have employed the same tactic, as well. Their closer, Matt Whitmore, has also made a start recently.
David Morrison of the Daily Northwestern reports on OF Anthony Wycklendt's struggles at the plate.
Mark Zdinar of The Columbus Dispatch provides details on Ohio State's midweek fall to Cleveland State.
Des Moines Register's Dan McCool recaps Iowa's triumph over Northern Iowa.
Jon Malavolti of Green and White.com looks at Michigan State after their weekend series with Minnesota.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Yes, More Midweek Disasters
Cleveland State 7 Ohio State 5
Eastern Illinois 10 Illinois 6
UW-Milwaukee 5 Northwestern 4, 10 innings
#8 Notre Dame 2 Purdue 1
Only the Boilermakers can offer up a legitimate reason for dropping one of their two midweek games. The Irish have long since passed red hot and moved into white hot or whatever other color indicates that they haven't lost a game in about a month. Hanging that tough with a team zooming up the rankings speaks well of Purdue.
However, the remaining losses were just painful. It absolutely crushes the conference's RPI numbers and leaves me with little doubt that the only team advancing to the NCAA Tournament from the Big Ten will be the automatic berth given to the conference tourney winner.
On a positive note, there have been three midweek conference successes. None as noteworthy as the defeats, unfortunately, but these squads did what they should in the time between conference affairs. (Note: There are two or three more games left, I don't recall exactly how many but I'm certain that MSU and Minnesota both have contests to play.)
Purdue 13 Valparaiso 4
Indiana 5 Miami (OH) 0
Penn State 14 Bucknell 6
Eastern Illinois 10 Illinois 6
UW-Milwaukee 5 Northwestern 4, 10 innings
#8 Notre Dame 2 Purdue 1
Only the Boilermakers can offer up a legitimate reason for dropping one of their two midweek games. The Irish have long since passed red hot and moved into white hot or whatever other color indicates that they haven't lost a game in about a month. Hanging that tough with a team zooming up the rankings speaks well of Purdue.
However, the remaining losses were just painful. It absolutely crushes the conference's RPI numbers and leaves me with little doubt that the only team advancing to the NCAA Tournament from the Big Ten will be the automatic berth given to the conference tourney winner.
On a positive note, there have been three midweek conference successes. None as noteworthy as the defeats, unfortunately, but these squads did what they should in the time between conference affairs. (Note: There are two or three more games left, I don't recall exactly how many but I'm certain that MSU and Minnesota both have contests to play.)
Purdue 13 Valparaiso 4
Indiana 5 Miami (OH) 0
Penn State 14 Bucknell 6
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Multi-Media Observations
I failed to mention that I saw another Comcast Local college baseball production last week. It was Notre Dame hosting IPFW. The coverage was significantly better than their previous effort. Everyone involved in the production had a better game than the IU @ MSU affair I witnessed prior. If I'm going to hammer them when they do poorly, I should offer praise when they improve. Nice job, CL.
I remain confused about the programming choices at the three Fox College Networks, though. I'm still seeing games repeated countless times. We are getting high school coverage far too often and just plenty of non-baseball coverage all the way around. I even think the softball ladies are getting overlooked. (Although, I'm going to pull a Keith Hernandez here and say I think there have been more live softball games on FCS stations then baseball.)
One other media thought. XM Radio has about six stations dedicated to either Big Ten or Pac 10 coverage. Instead of broadcasting commercials or telling me that nothing is on these stations currently, why not pick up some live baseball audio? If I can get college radio feeds online, why don't the conferences take advantage and broadcast the signal worldwide on XM? Does it cost that much?
I remain confused about the programming choices at the three Fox College Networks, though. I'm still seeing games repeated countless times. We are getting high school coverage far too often and just plenty of non-baseball coverage all the way around. I even think the softball ladies are getting overlooked. (Although, I'm going to pull a Keith Hernandez here and say I think there have been more live softball games on FCS stations then baseball.)
One other media thought. XM Radio has about six stations dedicated to either Big Ten or Pac 10 coverage. Instead of broadcasting commercials or telling me that nothing is on these stations currently, why not pick up some live baseball audio? If I can get college radio feeds online, why don't the conferences take advantage and broadcast the signal worldwide on XM? Does it cost that much?
Monday, April 24, 2006
Sunday, April 23, 2006
A Quick Sunday Recap
I'm a bit pressed for time, so my apologies for not getting more in depth into the stats and for not providing links to both schools, but here's what happened Sunday.
Iowa pounded Illinois, 17-3. Ohio State beat Indiana, 8-6. Purdue avoided a sweep by beating up Michigan, 10-5. Minnesota took the series finale from Michigan State, 6-3. Penn State crushed Northwestern, 15-5.
Northwestern and Michigan remain in a first place tie at 11-5 in the Big Ten. Ohio State is third at 9-7. The three way tie for fourth is between Purdue, Minnesota and Michigan State. All three are 8-8 in conference.
Penn State is next at 7-9 followed by Illinois at 6-9. Iowa is 6-10 in league play while Indiana is 5-11.
Iowa pounded Illinois, 17-3. Ohio State beat Indiana, 8-6. Purdue avoided a sweep by beating up Michigan, 10-5. Minnesota took the series finale from Michigan State, 6-3. Penn State crushed Northwestern, 15-5.
Northwestern and Michigan remain in a first place tie at 11-5 in the Big Ten. Ohio State is third at 9-7. The three way tie for fourth is between Purdue, Minnesota and Michigan State. All three are 8-8 in conference.
Penn State is next at 7-9 followed by Illinois at 6-9. Iowa is 6-10 in league play while Indiana is 5-11.
Texas Photos
As Joanna was kind enough to link Sam's photos, I think it's only appropriate to link her handiwork, as well. Our favorite Texas fan took some photos of the Nebraska/Texas game. Good stuff. (Sorry, about the result, though, J.)
I've really got to get to work on finding a home for some of BTH's (and my old site's) photos.
I've really got to get to work on finding a home for some of BTH's (and my old site's) photos.
Double Dip Saturday
Instead of plopping myself on my couch and watching this morning's F1 race, I'm going to provide both of my readers (who actually subscribe to a feed of BTH) with a recap of yesterday's Big Ten play. I realize you are impressed with my dedication.
Northwestern and Michigan maintained their tie atop the conference standings as both swept their doubleheaders yesterday. NU took game one from Penn State, 3-2. Tommy Finn's single in the bottom of the seventh won it for the 'Cats. Antonio Mule and Anthony Wycklendt each went yard for NU. PSU's Scott Gummo and Aaron Greenfield each homered, as well. Widcat Dan Brauer fanned eight in seven innings to improve to 4-1.
The second affair went to Northwestern in come from behind fashion. NU scored four times in the seventh to beat PSU, 5-4. Mule hit a three run double to tie the game and Caleb Fields brought Mule home to win it. Lance Thompson homered and drove in three for the Nittany Lions. NU's George Kontos notched his second win of the year.
The Wolverines kept pace with the 'Cats by beating Purdue twice. Michigan claimed the first game, 6-2. Michigan 3B A.J. Scheidt homered and had two RBI. Senior Paul Hammond pitched six innings giving up ten hits, but walking no one to post his third win. DH John Cummins went 3 for 3 for the Boilermakers.
7-2 was the final in the nightcap. Michigan's Eric Rose and Adam Abraham each homered and collected three hits. Abraham also drove in three. Chris Fetter (3-0) pitched five innings of two hit baseball and earned the win. Purdue's Mitch Hilligoss and Alex Jaffee each had a hit, run and RBI.
Michigan State moved up to third in the Big Ten standings with a split of their Saturday twinbill with Minnesota. The Spartans grabbed the opener from the Golden Gophers, 9-8. MSU came from two runs down in their final at bat to win. Adam Tripp's two-run single won it. Ryan Basham went yard twice for the Spartans. Mike Monterey posted the win in relief.
Apparently, the Gophers weren't too happy about coughing up a lead in the first game and pounded MSU in the second game, 20-6. Andy Hunter hit a pair of homers and drove in five for Minnesota. Gopher OF Mike Mee hit a grandslam. It was head coach John Anderson's 399th Big Ten triumph. His next win will make him the only coach in conference history with 400. MSU Kyle Day homered and drove in two.
Ohio State split it's pair of games with Indiana Saturday. IU won the opener over the Buckeyes, 5-3. IU 1B Ben Greenspan hit his first career homerun and had three RBI. Josh Lewis pitched six innings of six hit ball to move to 4-5. IU freshman Joe Vicini posted his third save. Ronnie Bourquin and Jason Zoeller each went yard for OSU.
The Buckeyes rebounded in game two, beating up the Hoosiers, 11-4. Jedidiah Stephen hit two homeruns and Bourquin hit another to pace OSU's offense. Stephen finished the day with four RBI. IU's Greenspan also drove in two more runs in the nightcap. OSU's Jake Hale (2-3) went six inning for the win.
Illinois swept Iowa and put itself back into the running for a Big Ten tournament slot. The Illini downed the Hawkeyes, 4-3, in the opener. Freshman Ben Reeser pitched six innings allowing five hits and three runs to improve to 3-1. Illini SS Shawn Roof was 2 for 2 with a RBI.
Another freshman arm led Illinois to a 10-2 triumph over Iowa in the nightcap. Tanner Roark pitched five innings yielding four hits, one walk and two earned runs to claim his second win against no defeats. Chase Kliment and Dave Schultz each homered for Illinois. Schultz drove in five runs in the game. Hawkeye SS Jason White had a hit, run and RBI.
Northwestern and Michigan maintained their tie atop the conference standings as both swept their doubleheaders yesterday. NU took game one from Penn State, 3-2. Tommy Finn's single in the bottom of the seventh won it for the 'Cats. Antonio Mule and Anthony Wycklendt each went yard for NU. PSU's Scott Gummo and Aaron Greenfield each homered, as well. Widcat Dan Brauer fanned eight in seven innings to improve to 4-1.
The second affair went to Northwestern in come from behind fashion. NU scored four times in the seventh to beat PSU, 5-4. Mule hit a three run double to tie the game and Caleb Fields brought Mule home to win it. Lance Thompson homered and drove in three for the Nittany Lions. NU's George Kontos notched his second win of the year.
The Wolverines kept pace with the 'Cats by beating Purdue twice. Michigan claimed the first game, 6-2. Michigan 3B A.J. Scheidt homered and had two RBI. Senior Paul Hammond pitched six innings giving up ten hits, but walking no one to post his third win. DH John Cummins went 3 for 3 for the Boilermakers.
7-2 was the final in the nightcap. Michigan's Eric Rose and Adam Abraham each homered and collected three hits. Abraham also drove in three. Chris Fetter (3-0) pitched five innings of two hit baseball and earned the win. Purdue's Mitch Hilligoss and Alex Jaffee each had a hit, run and RBI.
Michigan State moved up to third in the Big Ten standings with a split of their Saturday twinbill with Minnesota. The Spartans grabbed the opener from the Golden Gophers, 9-8. MSU came from two runs down in their final at bat to win. Adam Tripp's two-run single won it. Ryan Basham went yard twice for the Spartans. Mike Monterey posted the win in relief.
Apparently, the Gophers weren't too happy about coughing up a lead in the first game and pounded MSU in the second game, 20-6. Andy Hunter hit a pair of homers and drove in five for Minnesota. Gopher OF Mike Mee hit a grandslam. It was head coach John Anderson's 399th Big Ten triumph. His next win will make him the only coach in conference history with 400. MSU Kyle Day homered and drove in two.
Ohio State split it's pair of games with Indiana Saturday. IU won the opener over the Buckeyes, 5-3. IU 1B Ben Greenspan hit his first career homerun and had three RBI. Josh Lewis pitched six innings of six hit ball to move to 4-5. IU freshman Joe Vicini posted his third save. Ronnie Bourquin and Jason Zoeller each went yard for OSU.
The Buckeyes rebounded in game two, beating up the Hoosiers, 11-4. Jedidiah Stephen hit two homeruns and Bourquin hit another to pace OSU's offense. Stephen finished the day with four RBI. IU's Greenspan also drove in two more runs in the nightcap. OSU's Jake Hale (2-3) went six inning for the win.
Illinois swept Iowa and put itself back into the running for a Big Ten tournament slot. The Illini downed the Hawkeyes, 4-3, in the opener. Freshman Ben Reeser pitched six innings allowing five hits and three runs to improve to 3-1. Illini SS Shawn Roof was 2 for 2 with a RBI.
Another freshman arm led Illinois to a 10-2 triumph over Iowa in the nightcap. Tanner Roark pitched five innings yielding four hits, one walk and two earned runs to claim his second win against no defeats. Chase Kliment and Dave Schultz each homered for Illinois. Schultz drove in five runs in the game. Hawkeye SS Jason White had a hit, run and RBI.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
