2009 Preview: Purdue

Purdue Boilermakers
Head Coach: Doug Schreiber
2008 Record: 30-24 (21-10, second in the Big Ten)

At The Plate: Last year, the Boilers came out of the gate 0-9. The Purdue offense made a dramatic change when Coach Schreiber batted 2B Ben Wolgamot behind leadoff man Brandon Haveman. The Boilers offense, and the team, never looked back. Wolgamot earned first-team All-Big Ten honors by hitting .368 and finishing third in the conference in on-base percentage at .479. Leadoff man Haveman also earned all-conference attention. He was tenth in batting average (.379), fifth in runs scored (60), sixth in hits (83), tied for fifth in doubles (16) and tied for fourth in triples (5). The Boilers’ senior table-setters return to the fold in ‘09.

The thunder in the Purdue lineup is provided by 3B Dan Black. The junior was second in the conference in homers (18) and RBI (70), third in total bases (131) and slugging percentage (.675). Black also hit a Big Ten record five homeruns in the conference tournament. He’s on the Wallace Award watch list and is on everybody’s preseason All-Big Ten team.

The remainder of the Boilers’ lineup is veteran laden, as well. Senior Eric Nielsen (.288, 3 HR, 26 RBI in 45 starts) returns behind the plate. Senior Jon Cummins (.279 in 86 AB) takes over at first base. Senior Jonathan Moore (.321, 31 RBI and 11 steals in 56 starts) and junior Jonathan Lilly (.425, 21 RBI in 87 at bats) will hold the final two outfield spots. Senior Alex Jaffee is also expected to see action in the Boilers’ outfield.

Junior Nick Overmyer (.280, 22 RBI in 52 starts) returns to shorstop. However, Overmyer is being pushed by freshman sensation Barrett Serrato. The high school standout from West Chicago is considered one of the top five newcomers in the Big Ten by Baseball America.

On The Mound: Friday starter Matt Bischoff returns to anchor the Boilers’ rotation. Bischoff went 6-3 with a 3.96 ERA in ‘08. The righthander also held opposing batters to a .247 average (5th in the Big Ten), worked 77.1 innings (5th) and started 14 games (tied 1st).

Junior Matt Jansen was a third -team All-Big Ten choice last season going 4-3 with a 5.44 ERA. The lefty looks to be the number two starter in ‘09. Sophomore Kyle Cook (5-3, 4.65), junior Connor Sestak (1-3 with 20 K’s in 22.2 IP) and sophomore Matt Morgan (1-0 with 19 K’s in 23.1 IP) are in line to complete Purdue’s rotation.

The Boilers' set-up man should be Drew Wurdack. Wurdack, a junior righthander, went 2-0 with a save and struck out 15 in 20.1 IP. Another junior righthander looks to become Purdue's closer. Kevin Cahill was 3-0 with a 4.28 ERA in 2008. He also fanned 22 in 27.1 IP.

The Schedule: Apparently, just playing Cincinnati, South Florida and Notre Dame wasn‘t quite good enough, the Boilers get a non-conference look at Michigan during the Big East/Big Ten Challenge, as well. Amongst others on the non-conference slate are nationally ranked Louisville, two at Illinois-Chicago , a UIC visit to West Lafayette, four games at both SE Missouri State and Texas State.

The Boilermakers open the Big Ten campaign at Northwestern and will travel to Penn State, Minnesota and Michigan State. Purdue’s home series are Iowa, Ohio State, Indiana and Illinois.

Bottom Line: Is anyone in the Big Ten better on paper than Purdue? They return almost their entire lineup and two all-conference starters from a team that finished second in the Big Ten in both the regular season and conference tournament. The pitchers lost are being replaced by guys with very good K/IP marks, albeit in limited duty.

Of course, looking good on paper in February counts for very little. And, as we know, the Boilers have a habit of making my predictions look bad. (Although, I think they did live up to my expectations in ‘08.) Nonetheless, Purdue has to be considered amongst the favorites to win the Big Ten in 2009.

2009 Preview: Penn State

Penn State Nittany Lions
Head Coach: Robbie Wine
2008 Record: 26-29 (17-15, third in the Big Ten)

At The Plate: The 2009 edition of the Nittany Lions have number of senior leaders in the lineup. Firstbaseman Cory Wine, second baseman Landon Nakata, shortstop Wes Borden, utility man Mike Deese, outfielders Ryan Boonie and Rick Marlin all return for their final seasons in Happy Valley.

Wine (.278, 6 HR, 39 RBI) started in 58 games last year. Nakata hit .277 with three homers and 25 RBI in ‘08. Borden (.313 and 13 steals) will probably open the year at shortstop, but could find himself at a number of other spots before the season’s over. Deese missed the majority of last season with an injury, but will play a large role on this year’s squad. Marlin, like Wine, started in all 58 games and hit .278. Boonie hit .295 in only 34 starts (122 AB’s).

Freshman Jordan Steranka has been penciled in at third base. Fellow frosh Ryan Clark and sophomore Ben Heath are in a battle to assume the catching job. JUCO transfer Michael Glantz could take over at short, pushing Borden to 3B, OF or DH. Glantz is listed as one of the top five newcomers in the Big Ten by Baseball America. There are also high hopes for freshman infielder Joey DeBernardis, who was drafted by the Florida Marlins last year.

Another junior college addition, Blake Lynd, should round out the PSU outfield. Lynd hit .421 and stole 31 bases at Alvin CC last season.

On The Mound: Before the season even gets underway, Penn State has a pitching dilemma. Number one starter Mike Wanamaker (6-5, 3.41 ERA in 87 IP) is out for the year. Senior Scott Kelley appears to have the inside track to claim the Friday starter‘s role. Kelley‘s been used as both a pitcher and an outfielder during his tenure at State College. While only tossing eight innings last year, rumor has it Kelley might be elevated to the top spot in the rotation.

Others looking to take the hill for PSU on the weekend include seniors Scott Lorenston and T.J. Macy. Lorenston, a lefthander, went 4-5 with a 5.48 ERA in 2008, while Macy, a righthander, posted a 4-2 mark with a 5.35 ERA.

The remaining starting spots and the bullpen roles are going to come down to battles in practice and performances once the season begins. David Lutz, Kayle Sickler, John Karr, Calvin Grumley all saw action in ‘08 and are looking for more innings pitched this campaign. The hope was transfer Drew Palen might emerge as the Lions’ closer, but he’s still struggling a bit. The lack of clear cut answers leaves the door wide open for this year’s freshmen class to take a more prominent role.

The Schedule: Well, those four game at Texas loom large on the Lions‘ slate, don‘t they? Amongst the other non-conference high points are four games at Rutgers and a home-and-home (although over a week apart) against nationally ranked Kent State plus St. John‘s in the Big East/Big Ten Challenge. Have to give Coach Wine credit, he doesn’t duck anybody.

The ‘09 conference season begins at home versus Ohio State. Later on, Purdue, Illinois and Minnesota (to close the season) visit Happy Valley. The road schedule open at Michigan before going to Indiana, Michigan State and Iowa.

Bottom Line: Penn State looks to have enough offense to compete in ’09. Between a deep senior class that’s won their share of games and an interesting group of new faces (has anyone done a better job of getting immediate help from transfers than Coach Wine?), they should score enough runs to be in the top six teams. Unfortunately, the question at State College is the pitching.

It would be very difficult for any program to make up for losing their number one starter. It’s even more challenging at a northern school where pitching depth is often thin to begin with. One can’t expect Penn State to easily brush aside the loss of Wanamaker. Having so many pitching questions -- both in the rotation and the ‘pen -- makes it easy to dismiss PSU. Yet, Wine seems to find a way to get his team to outperform expectations. (At least, expectations outside Happy Valley.) If PSU can land in the Big Ten Tournament, this season should be considered a success regardless of the record.

Rivals' Power Rankings

The first edition of this year's Rivals Power Rankings are out. There is only a single Big Ten player (or coach) listed amongst the top ten at his position. Yes, it's Indiana's Josh Phegley at catcher. Phegley is the top ranked backstop in the land entering the season.

2009 Preview: Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes
Head Coach: Bob Todd
2008 Record: 30-24 (15-15, fifth in the Big Ten)

At The Plate: Coach Todd returns a veteran lineup in 2009. The group is led by senior captain 1B Justin Miller. Miller, who may well be the most overlooked player in the Big Ten, finished sixth in the conference in batting average (.395), tied for fifth in RBI (61), tied for fifth in doubles (16) and tied for ninth in hits (79). While Miller couldn’t garner any all-conference recognition in ‘08, he begins this season amongst those considered for Big Ten Player of the Year honors.

All of Miller’s infield mates return, as well. Sophomore catcher Dan Burkhart looks to improve on his solid freshman performance. Burkhart posted a.308 average and 29 RBIs in his first season in Columbus. 2B Cory Kovanda, a junior, hit .324 and scored 45 times a season ago. Kovanda’s middle infield partner is sophomore SS Tyler Engle. Engle hit .252 in his freshman campaign. Thirdbase belongs to junior Cory Rupert (.313 with 39 RBI). Brian DeLucia also saw time in the OSU infield and should fill a utility role again in ‘09.

Juniors Ryan Dew (.261, 27 RBI) and Zach Hurley (.302, 18 RBI) return to corner outfield spots. They will be joined by newcomer Michael Stephens. Stephens, a JUCO transfer, is rated as one of the top five newcomers in the Big Ten by Baseball America. He will be the Bucks’ centerfielder. Senior Michael Arp (.367 in 22 starts) will continue to see action in the outfield, designated hitter and in a pinch-hitting role.

On The Mound: OSU has a bevy of returning arms to rely upon in ‘09. The pitching rotation should be led by sophomore Dean Wolosiansky. Last year, “Wolo” went 7-4 with a 4.22 ERA and claimed freshman All-America and second team All-Big Ten honors. He should be the Buckeyes’ Friday starter.

The battle for the remaining starting spots begins with lefthanded sophomore Andrew Armstrong. Armstrong was 4-3 with a 4.42 ERA in 38.2 IP in 2008. Fellow lefty Eric Best, who spent last season as the Buckeyes’ closer, might move into Coach Todd’s weekend rotation in 2009. Best collected eight saves while going 4-2 with a 4.29 ERA in ‘08.

Alex Wimmers, who was Best’s set-up man last season, and fellow sophomore Drew Rucinski are also in the mix to claim a starting role. A new face, freshman Russ Oltorik could push his way past the veterans and find himself in the OSU rotation.

While a number of Ohio State’s bullpen arms are looking to make the jump to starting, last year’s Friday starter, Jake Hale appears headed to the back-end of the Buckeyes bullpen. It won’t be an unfamiliar role for the senior righthander. Hale (5-3, 4.50) was the Bucks’ closer two seasons ago and has ten career saves. Hale is the lone Big Ten representative on the NCBWA’s Stopper of the Year preseason watch list.

The Schedule: The most daunting non-conference games for Ohio State are a date at Miami, FL right before the Big Ten season opens and two midweek games late in the year at Louisville. However, Notre Dame and Cincinnati are amongst the Big East/Big Ten Challenge opponents and there are two games at North Florida that shouldn’t be ignored. (Not that any games should be ignored.)

The conference schedule opens for OSU on the road at Penn State. Other trips include visits to Minnesota (in week two), Purdue and Illinois. Those with Columbus on their travel schedule include Michigan State, Northwestern, Michigan and Iowa.

Bottom Line: The 2009 Buckeyes are, perhaps, the most experienced team in the Big Ten. Their entire infield returns intact. The outfield returns two starters and adds a junior college All-American. The pitching staff has a senior closer and a rotation that, while young, saw plenty of action in 2008. Yet, not everything is perfect in Columbus.

Ohio State doesn’t hit many homers. They might not have the best defensive side in the conference, either. They are also coming off a disappointing season. Yet, it’s difficult to imagine OSU not finishing better than a year ago when they came in fifth place. The 2009 Buckeyes should take a run at the conference title. At worst, another top six finish is in order. As the Big Ten Tournament will be in their backyard, OSU should be a threat to claim the post-season crown, as well.

2009 Preview: Northwestern

Northwestern Wildcats
Head Coach: Paul Stevens
2008 Record: 21-28 (14-18, seventh in the Big Ten)

At The Plate: Second team All-Big Ten member Jake Goebbert is the engine of the Wildcats’ offensive attack. Goebbert, who started in all 49 NU games, hit .353 with a school record 22 doubles in 2008. Goebbert also had a .665 slugging percentage (4th best in the Big Ten), .458 on-base percentage (8th) and belted ten homers (T-6). The junior is expected to make the move from first base to centerfield this season.

Sophomore Chris Lashmet started in 47 games last year and hit .299 with four homers and 38 RBI. Lashmet will hold down third base again in 2009. Senior Tommy Finn (.250) returns at shortstop. Chad Noble started 39 games and will be the Wildcats’ catcher. Tony Vercelli (.256) finds himself moving from behind the plate to right field this season. A pair of freshmen complete NU’s infield.

Paul Snider (1B) and Trevor Stevens (2B) appear to have secured starting roles in their initial season in Evanston. Leftfield also belongs to a first-year player. Freshman Quentin Williams, who is also on scholarship to play football at NU, will begin the year in the starting lineup.

Look for another frosh, Zach Morton, to open the year at designated hitter. He might also get see some time in the Wildcats’ outfield. Jim Grieco and Brant Cavagnaro will also hope to get into the NU outfield.

On The Mound: Lefty Eric Jokisch claimed the Big Ten Freshman Pitcher of the Year in 2008. Jokisch won eight games (a school record for a first-year player) and was 7-1 versus Big Ten opposition. His 4.30 ERA was tenth best in the conference. He steps into the Friday starter’s role.

RHP Cole Livermore returns after missing all of 2008 with an injury. Livermore had a solid freshman season of his own two years ago and will be counted on as the Wildcats‘ number two starter. Freshman Morton looks to have the inside track to land the final weekend spot in the rotation. Two more lefthanders are vying for starting roles, juniors Joe Muraski (4-6) and David Jensen (1-6).

Freshman Francis Brooke and Williams, who like Morton will be called up to do double-duty, look to be important arms out of the ’Cats bullpen. The closer will be senior Matt Havey. Havey posted a 3-2 mark with six saves in ‘08.

The Schedule: Three at Kansas. Three at Illinois-Chicago. Four at New Mexico. Two at Kansas State. Consecutively. Not a neutral site game in the bunch. It’s not like playing in the SEC, but that’s not a cakewalk. Oh, they've got the Big East/Big Ten Challenge thing, too. The non-conference slate is going to be a challenge.

The conference season opens at home against Purdue. Iowa, Illinois and Michigan follow the Boilermakers into Evanston. The ‘Cats travel to MSU, Minnesota, Ohio State and Indiana.

Bottom Line: This could be a fun group of ‘Cats to watch. Jokisch looks to build on a good freshman campaign and Livermore’s return could really help the rotation. Goebbert can swing the bat with anyone in the conference. Lashmet looked like a hitter in his first season. Then, there are all those freshmen. Williams and Morton could pop-up anywhere on the field -- including the mound -- or the lineup. (Which is part of the charm of college baseball, isn’t it?) Who knows what to expect from the first-year rightside of the infield?

Will the potential for entertainment translate into wins? It always difficult to pencil a team into the conference tournament when they have such a heavy reliance on freshmen and/or untested players. NU is no different. In the perfect storm scenario, the ‘Cats do get into the top six. Anything less and NU may be interesting to follow, but not poised for the post-season until 2010.

Golden Spikes: Phegley, Fetter

The 2009 Golden Spikes Award Watchlist has been released. Two Big Ten players have been recognized. Indiana's Josh Phegley and Michigan's Chris Fetter are both on this year's preseason list. The Golden Spikes is given annually by USA Baseball to the best amateur player in the game.

Note: You'll have to click on the link (on the left) of the Golden Spikes website to see the list.

College Newspaper Reports

There are a couple of college newspaper reports to pass along this afternoon. First, Iowa's Justin Toole downplays all the preseason accolades being tossed his way. Ryan Young, of The Daily Iowan, also suggests that Toole cited:

"... a significant lack of leadership last year when the Hawkeyes finished the regular season dead last in the Big Ten standings ...."

That's to the point. And speaking of being direct, Tim Rohan of the Michigan Daily, recaps the tone from last night's "Meet The Wolverines" event. Seems a number of players are none too happy about being dismissed as the favorites in the conference. When asked about Baseball America having Indiana above Michigan in the standings Alan Oaks said

"Guys see that and are really kinda pissed off about it, actually,"

Tri-captain Tim Kalcynski called it "a slap in the face". I can also attest that Mike Dufek had similar comments on WTKA radio last night and tri-captain Kevin Cislo was pretty fired up about those writing off the 2009 Wolverines.

Hale Is On Stopper Watchlist

Ohio State senior Jake Hale has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year watchlist. Hale, a righthander, is moving back to the Buckeyes bullpen this year after spending 2008 in the OSU starting rotation. He is the lone Big Ten representative on the initial watchlist.

2009 Preview: Minnesota

Minnesota Golden Gophers
Head Coach: John Anderson
2008 Record: 20-35 (10-21, ninth in the Big Ten)

At The Plate: The lightning in the Gophers’ offense comes from Matt Nohelty and Eric Decker. In 2008, Nohelty was third in the Big Ten in batting average (.397), second in hits (94), sixth in triples (t-4), fifth in steals (t-24) and eighth in runs (53). Nohelty was named to the first-team All-Big Ten squad and starts this year looking for All-America attention.

Decker, who made Baseball America’s preseason all-conference squad, hit .329 with three homers and 28 RBI last season. He also scored 42 runs in 42 starts. Nohelty and Decker are two-thirds of the Minnesota outfield. The last member of the trio is sophomore Mike Kvasnicka. In his freshmen season, Kvansicka showed flashes of power with ten doubles and four homeruns. Senior Jon Hummel and redshirt freshman Trip Schultz could also see playing time in the outfield or at DH.

Returning behind the plate is junior Kyle Knudson. Knudson (.238) made 35 starts last season. Junior shortstop Derek McCallum (.291, 3 HR, 32 RBI) started in all 54 games last season and is considered by Baseball America to be one of the top five, draft eligible prospects in the Big Ten in 2009. The remainder of the infield slots could end up in the hands of three redshirt freshmen.

The Gophers are excited about A.J. Pettersen (2B), Kyle Gleason (3B) and Nick O’Shea (1B). The three first-year guys might round out the Gophers infield. Sophomore middle infielder Drew Hanish saw a few AB’s last season and might contend for more this year. Regardless of who claims the open jobs, the Minnesota infield should be very young in 2009.

On The Mound: Senior Tom Buske (4-6, 4.92) would appear to be the Gophers number one starter. Dustin Klabunde is amongst a group of sophomores that might grab hold of a weekend spot in the rotation. Fellow sophs Luke Rasmussen, Scott Fern, Phil Isaksson, Seth Rosin or Cullen Sexton are potential starters, as well. Veterans Chanucy Handran, Tyler Oakes and and Allen Bechstein could also see plenty of innings, although not necessarily in the rotation.

Minnesota’s bullpen is headlined by Scott Matyas. Matyas, another sophomore, posted a 3-4 mark with two saves last year. He also fanned 33 in 32 innings pitched and garnered Baseball America’s all-conference closer spot this preseason.

The Schedule: If you trust Boyd’s World’s Strength of Schedule breakdown, Minnesota had the toughest slate of games amongst Big Ten teams. The highlight of their non-conference slate is a three-game series at veteran NCAA tournament side, TCU. Yet, there’s more than just the Horned Frogs on the horizon.

Hawaii, Washington and UC-Santa Barbara all visit the Metrodome for this year’s Dairy Queen Classic. (Not quite as appealing a slate as normal, but still a bumpy slate for the Gophers -- or anybody else in the north, for that matter.) And, as an added bonus, there are two midweek games at Missouri during Big Ten play.

In conference action, it’s Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Penn State on the road. Ohio State, Northwestern, Purdue and Iowa land in Minneapolis.

Bottom Line: Last year was a nightmare for Minnesota. It was Coach Anderson’s first losing season in twenty-seven years. With a painfully young team and a difficult schedule, 2009 might yield another season with more L’s than W’s. While the Gophers might not be poised for a regular season championship this year, they still have the opportunity to improve on last season‘s finish.

Only five wins separated Minnesota from sixth place and a spot in the Big Ten tournament in ‘08. The question is can Coach Anderson get a lineup with up to four redshirt freshmen (and three returning all-conference caliber players -- Nohelty, McCallum and Decker) and a pitching staff with plenty of underclassmen to win another five games (or more)? History favors Minnesota.

College Baseball Today Opens Shop

Stitched Ball Nation, rejoice!

Yes, boys and girls, your friend and mine, Eric Sorenson, is back. Big E is cranking out fresh college baseball opinions at the shiny new site called collegebaseballtoday.com. Let's try that name over one more time, but this time do it in your best in-studio host voice. (I'm leaning towards Brent Musburger, circa 1978, but that just reveals my age. You choose whatever voice works for you.)

"Welcome to College.........Baseball........TODAY!".

That makes it more impressive, doesn't it?

Eric may not have been in his new home long, but the lad's been busy. The item that might intrigue most of you is his Big Ten Preview. Sorenson provides some opinions that I might not concur with, so it's a good idea to check out his take on the conference. (The odds are he's right and I'm wrong. After all, he's a professional. I'm just a guy with internet access.)

Needless to say, college baseball gets a boost with Sorenson's new website. Of course, I'll be providing a sidebar link to his new digs, as well.

Welcome back, Eric.

Phegley Is Rivals All-America

Rivals has issued their preseason All-America Team. The lone Big Ten player on the list is Indiana's Josh Phegley. Kendall Rogers' write-up included this line:

Phegley will become a household name this season.

New Illini Blog

I'm happy to report the addition of a new college baseball blog. The Illinois Baseball Report is the name of the blog run by our friend Tom, The Baseball Zealot. As the name implies, Tom's moving all his Blue and Orange baseball thoughts to the new site. Obviously, I encourage everyone to stop in at IBR.

2009 Preview: Michigan State

Michigan State Spartans
Head Coach: Jake Boss
2008 Record: 24-29 (12-18, eighth in Big Ten)

At The Plate: Leading the Spartans’ bats is junior Chris Roberts. Roberts, a second team All-Big Ten selection last year, hit .363 with 32 RBI and seven triples. The expectation is that Roberts will move onto the list of the conference’s elite hitters in 2009. The Wisconsin native will be moving from the OF to 3B this season.

Roberts does have some help returning. Senior catcher Eric Roof is coming off a season where he hit .308 with three homers and thirty-three RBI. Eric’s brother, Jonathan, is the Spartans’ shortstop. In his freshman season, Roof hit .299 with two dingers and 25 RBI while starting in 53 games.

Sophomore Jeff Holm looks to have claimed the first base job. Holm saw limited action last season (14 starts in 16 appearances), but show some promise hitting .385. Junior college transfer Ben Vrobel could also see time at first and might end up pushing Holm into the outfield. Rounding out the infield is senior 2B A.J. Shindler. There’s also a chance freshman Jared Hook could see at bats at second, as well.

Defensive stalwart Brandon Eckerle mans centerfield for MSU. In 2008, Eckerle (.278) did not commit an error. JUCO transfer Bo Felt looks like the choice in leftfield. Felt hit .430 last season. Junior Eli Boike looks to be the starter in right field. Although, as mentioned earlier, Holm could also get at bats in RF.

On The Mound: Senior Nolan Moody is the most likely number one starter. Moody was 2-4 a season ago, but has not been a starter in his MSU career. The number two guy is sophomore A.J. Achter. Achter (1-3, 5.88) made eight starts last year. Junior Kyle Corcoran and freshman Tony Bucciferro are both vying for the final weekend spot in the rotation.

Bucciferro was an Illinois prep standout. He went 21-1 in his two years on the varsity squad. Corcoran, a 6’ 6” lefty, tossed just 24.1 innings in ‘08. If not in the rotation, Corcoran could be the Spartans’ closer. JUCO transfer Kyle Frymier is also looking to claim the stopper’s role.

Regardless of their roles, expect sophomores Kurt Wunderlich and Seth Williams to also see plenty of time on the mound in 2009.

The Schedule: A two game series at nationally ranked Clemson highlights the non-conference portion of MSU‘s schedule. There’s also four games in three days at UNC-Wilmington., a trip to Daytona Beach and an extended stay in Greenville, SC in addition to the Big East/Big Ten Challenge. Of course, like much of the Big Ten, MSU will have a number of MAC schools as midweek opposition.

In Big Ten play, the Spartans will travel to Illinois, Ohio State, Iowa and Indiana, in addition to visiting Ann Arbor for the Friday and Sunday games of their series. The Green and White will host Michigan on the Saturday of their series, plus have Northwestern, Penn State and Purdue come calling.

Bottom Line: While a new coach and a newly renovated ballpark (which is supposed to be ready for the home opener) should help generate some enthusiasm for Spartans baseball in 2009, the MSU faithful shouldn’t expect miracles from Coach Boss.

While he did manage to guide Eastern Michigan into the NCAA Tournament a year ago, his first season in Ypsilanti, it’s difficult to envision a repeat performance in East Lansing this year. With so many untested arms in the rotation, just a trip to the Big Ten Tournament should be warmly embraced.

2009 Preview: Michigan

Michigan Wolverines
Head Coach: Rich Maloney
2008 Record: 42-12 (26-5, first in the Big Ten; won conference tournament.)

At The Plate: Much of the lineup that powered Michigan to three successive Big Ten regular seasons titles is now applying their craft at the next level. While this will be a new look offense, not all of the faces are unfamiliar.

Returning to the fold are senior Kevin Cislo, juniors Chris Berset, Mike Dufek and Alan Oaks and sophomore Ryan LaMarre. Cislo (.348 with 18 steals) is moving from the outfield back to second base where he was a first-team All-Big Ten performer two years ago. Baseball America has Cislo tabbed as the preseason all-conference choice at second. (Although, don’t be surprised if Cislo ends up at short.)

Berset (.244) started 37 games in ‘08 and returns behind the plate. Dufek (.321, 3 HR, 24 RBI) started 25 games a season ago and will hold down first base. Oaks, who started 39 games and hit .250 with six dingers, is Michigan’s right fielder. LaMarre will be the everyday centerfielder in ‘09 after starting in 40 games last year. In his freshman campaign, LaMarre hit .305 with three homers and 23 RBI.

Kenny Fellows (LF) and Nick Urban (DH) both saw very limited action last year, but have been given the chance to start this season. Anthony Toth, a redshirt sophomore, will take over at shortstop after sitting out all of last year. (As implied earlier, Cislo could end up at SS, Toth would then move to 2B.) A freshman, John Lorenz, has been handed the keys at third base.

Two other freshmen, Coley Crank and Jake McLouth (redshirt), may get into the lineup, as well. Both are listed as catchers, but could get at bats elsewhere.

On The Mound: All-Big Ten hurler Chris Fetter returns and assumes the Friday starter’s role. Fetter, a senior, led the Big Ten in ERA (2.47), opponents batting average (.209), innings pitched (94.2), wins (10) and starts (14) last season. He was also second in strikeouts with 82. He’s on everyone’s preseason All-America list this year.

Sophomore Travis Smith (5-1, 4.40), junior Eric Katzman (2-1, 3.52) junior Jeff DeCarlo (2-1, 4.80) and freshman Brandon Sinnery are expected to round out Michigan’s rotation. Fellow freshmen Tyler Mills and Kevin Vangheluwe might also make an impact on the pitching staff.

Dufek (1-0, 5.84, 1 save) and sophomore Tyler Burgoon (2-0, 4.86, 5 saves) are going to be Michigan’s closers.

The Schedule: Michigan’s schedule doesn’t initially dazzle. The highlights of the non-conference portion are a three game set at Arizona and a home-and-home against Notre Dame. There are, of course, games ‘o plenty versus MAC competition dotting the landscape, as well.

In conference play, Michigan opens at Iowa and has road dates at Michigan State (Friday and Sunday), Ohio State and Northwestern. Penn State, Illinois, MSU (the Saturday game), Indiana and Minnesota visit Ann Arbor.

Bottom Line: It’s a transition year in Ann Arbor. The core of the team that won three consecutive Big Ten titles, two conference tournament crowns and a NCAA Regional has departed. The nucleus of Coach Maloney’s side in 2009 is comprised primarily of players who had limited roles in previous campaigns. As such, for the first time in years, Michigan isn’t the prohibitive favorite to capture the Big Ten.

In fact, expectations for this team should be held in check. There are simply too many new faces at too many positions to anticipate another Big Ten title. It’s difficult to imagine Maloney (or any other coach) replacing the conference’s Pitcher and Player of the Year, the entire left side of his infield, his leadoff, three, four, five and six hitters, not to mention his Friday starter and some arms out of the ‘pen and still contend in ‘09. A more realistic expectation, in light of the roster turnover, would be a top six finish and a conference tournament berth.

Schedule Revision: Big East/Big 10 Challenge

There has been a change in the schedule for the Big East/Big Ten Challenge. One field apparently was not going to be playable and, as a result, the locations for many of the games have been altered. Here's the revised list of locations:

Friday, February 20

10 a.m. Connecticut at Michigan St. Jack Russell Stadium

1 p.m. South Florida at Michigan Jack Russell Stadium

Cincinnati at Purdue Naimoli Complex

4 p.m. St. John’s at Penn State Dunedin Stadium

West Virginia at Indiana McKechnie Field

Seton Hall at Minnesota Jack Russell Stadium

7:30 p.m. Notre Dame at Ohio State Dunedin Stadium

Georgetown at Northwestern McKechnie Field

Illinois at Iowa Jack Russell Stadium

Saturday, February 21

10 a.m. Minnesota at West Virginia Jack Russell Stadium

1 p.m. Indiana at Georgetown Red McEwen Field

Iowa at St. John’s Jack Russell Stadium

Penn State at Northwestern Naimoli Complex

4 p.m. Michigan at Cincinnati Bright House Field

Michigan State at Seton Hall McKechnie Field

Ohio State at Connecticut Jack Russell Stadium

7:30 p.m. Purdue at South Florida Bright House Field

Illinois at Notre Dame McKechnie Field

Sunday, February 22

10 a.m. Ohio State at Cincinnati Red McEwen Field

Penn State at Seton Hall Jack Russell Stadium

Minnesota at Michigan State Naimoli Complex

Georgetown at Iowa Naimoli Complex

11 a.m. Northwestern at Connecticut Naimoli Complex

1 p.m. Michigan at St. John’s Red McEwen Field

Notre Dame at Purdue Jack Russell Stadium

Indiana at South Florida Naimoli Complex

West Virginia at Illinois Naimoli Complex

BA Features Phegley

Indiana's Josh Phegley continues to receive plenty of preseason recognition. Today's comes in the form of an article on the IU catcher by Baseball America.

BTN Announces Schedule

The Big Ten Network has announced their baseball television schedule for 2009. In addition to the games listed below, the network will also broadcast the conference tournament from Columbus.

3/27 Michigan State @ Illinois 7pm
3/28 Michigan State @ Illinois 4pm
4/3 Penn State @ Michigan 4pm
4/10 Illinois @ Michigan 7pm
4/11 Indiana @ Iowa 2:30pm
4/12 Indiana @ Iowa 2:30pm
4/17 Iowa @ Northwestern 4pm
4/18 Ohio State @ Purdue Noon
4/19 Ohio State @ Purdue Noon
4/24 Purdue @ Minnesota 7:30pm
4/25 Michigan State @ Iowa 3:30pm
4/26 Michigan State @ Iowa 2:30pm
5/01 Michigan @ Ohio State 7pm
5/02 Michigan @ Ohio State 1pm
5/03 Michigan @ Ohio State 1pm
5/09 Northwestern @ Indiana 3pm
5/10 Northwestern @ Indiana 1pm
5/15 Minnesota @ Penn State 6:30pm
5/16 Minnesota @ Penn State 2pm

Abbott's Number To Be Retired

Former University of Michigan star Jim Abbott will have his number retired in a ceremony on April 18. A two-time All-America, Abbott was the winner of the Golden Spikes Award in 1987 and is a member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Abbott's #31 will join the numbers of Bill Freehan, Don Lund, Moby Benedict and Ray Fisher as the only ones retired in Michigan history.

Michigan Captain's Blog

Seniors Kevin Cislo, Chris Fetter and Tim Kalczynski are taking turns posting at the new University of Michigan Captain's Blog. As the name implies, the three are the Wolverines' baseball captains for 2009.

2009 Preview: Iowa

Iowa Hawkeyes
Head Coach: Jack Dahm
2008 Record: 22-33 (10-22, tenth in the Big Ten)

At The Plate: The strength of the ‘09 Hawkeyes will be the left side of their infield -- SS Justin Toole and 3B Kevin Hoef. Toole started and played in 55 games last season while hitting .395. Along the way, he collected a hit in a school-record 27 straight games. Toole also had a .500 slugging percentage and a .458 on-base percentage while driving in 49 runs and stealing 24 bases. Needless to say, Toole is claiming his fair share of preseason accolades.

Much was expected of Hoef last year coming off an impressive summer in the Cape Cod League. A series of nagging injuries slowed him down in ‘08. Still he managed to hit .357 with three homers and 31 RBI while starting in 50 games. Hoef also totaled 17 steals. Both Hoef and Toole will be strong contenders for first-team all-Big Ten honors this year.

Junior Tyson Blaser will be the Hawkeyes’ catcher. Blaser, who also spent time in the outfield last year due to injuries, hit .323 in 96 at bats last season. A pair of seniors are vying for time at first base. T.J. Cataldo (.270) and Wes Freie (.324 with four homers) will also be in line for starts at designated hitter.

The remainder of the ‘09 Hawkeyes are very young. Sophomore Zach McCool will handle second base. McCool hit .321 in only 46 at bats in his freshman season. The outfield is entirely new. Trevor Willis, a sophomore with just 38 career at bats, is being given the CF job. Rightfield duties should come down to a battle between red shirt freshman Phil Keppler and JUCO transfer Ryan Durant. Freshman Chet Zeise, a high school infielder, looks to be Iowa‘s opening day leftfielder.

On The Mound: The Hawks have a number of returning arms, but in what role will they find themselves? Lefthander Michael Jacobs (3-5, 6.63) returns and could be Coach Dahm’s Friday starter. Senior Steve Turnbull (3-5, 7.30) is also back, but he could be either in the rotation or the bullpen. Sophomores Zach Kenyon (1-3, 7.52 in 40.2 IP) and Tony Manville (1-1, 6.63 in 38 IP) are also looking to become weekend starters. JUCO transfer Zach Robertson might make an impact in the rotation, as well.

Former closer Mike Schurz returns from Tommy John surgery. Word has it that his velocity has returned, but he was struggling to find the strike zone. If questions about Schurz persist, then expect Turnbull to close games.

The Schedule: According to Boyd’s World’s strength of schedule, Iowa has the third most difficult path in the Big Ten. The highlights include three games at nationally ranked Louisville, four against Austin Peay and single games against Nebraska, Stetson, St. John’s and South Alabama. It’s a good slate of non-conference foes.

The Big Ten schedule sees Iowa opening at Michigan and traveling to Indiana, Michigan State and Penn State. The Hawks get to host Purdue, Northwestern, Minnesota and Ohio State.

Bottom Line: We know what we are going to get from Toole and Hoef, right? They should be among the better players in the Big Ten. Blaser, if healthy, looks like a pretty solid backstop, too. After those three, however, it’s anybody’s guess.

Certainly the Hawkeyes have some promising underclassmen and the pair of JC transfers could provide some immediate help, but counting on so many inexperienced players at so many spots is rarely the recipe for success. It’s difficult at this point to envision Iowa making into the conference tournament field, as that would take big years from so many new faces, but if even a few of the youngsters can be effective, Iowa can look to improve on last year’s finish.

2009 Preview: Illinois

Illinois Fighting Illini
Head Coach: Dan Hartleb
2008 Record: 30-23 (16-15, 4th in the Big Ten)

At The Plate: The Illini open practice with a number of positional battles underway. While we won’t know exactly who will begin the year at every spot, there are some names we can confidently pencil into the lineup now. The first is Brandon Wikoff at shorstop. Wikoff hit .369 with 79 hits (T-9 in Big Ten) and 61 RBI (T-5) a year ago.




Wikoff has garnered some preseason all-Big Ten selections already. Ok, we can use a pen with Wikoff.

Aaron Johnson (.306, 5 HR, 29 RBI), a junior, returns behind the dish and senior Dominic Altobelli (.329, 4 HR, 38 RBI) will hold down the hot corner. You can use ink with both of them, as well. 2008 Freshmen All-America Casey McMurray will be in the lineup everyday, as well. You’ve got to use a pencil for his position, though. McMurray (.331) will be in either LF or at DH.

Like McMurray, you can write Joe Bonadonna’s name in pen, too. Just keep the pencil handy, as he will be playing either at 2B or CF. Bonadonna who, like Wikoff, started and played in 56 games last year, hit .356, stole 25 bases (4th in the Big Ten) and drove in 34 runs in ’08. Veteran Craig Lutes (.245) also looks to be in line for a starting role. He will hold down either CF or RF.

The position battles are at first base (Mike Giller and Matt Dittman), second base (where Josh Parr, a freshman, and Pete Cappetta are trying to push Bonadonna to the OF) and in the outfield (where freshman Willie Argo, a draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, and Nick Stockwell could end up seeing playing time).

On The Mound: Things are clearer in the Illinois’ rotation, although it begins with a surprise. Freshman Bryan Roberts appears to be the Illini’s Friday starter. A strong fall performance has the Coach Hartleb leaning towards making the first year player his number one starter. Returnees Kevin Manson (8-2, 5.42), Aaron Martin (4-7, 7.09) and Phil Haig (2-3, 6.19) will follow Roberts in the rotation.

The closer role is being given to sophomore Nick Chmielwski (3-2, 7.39 in 31.2 IP).

The Schedule: When reviewing Illinois’ schedule, one series jumps right off the page. Coach Hartleb’s side is heading down to Baton Rouge for a three game set against Louisiana State. The Tigers are in nearly everyone’s top five and some have LSU ranked as the top team in the land heading into Opening Day. That should be an interesting weekend for the Illini.

The remainder of their non-conference slate, both before and during the Big 10 season, is fairly standard fare. There are trips to Edinburg, Texas and Winter Haven, Florida dotting the pre-conference schedule and all the DI in-state programs (Western Illinois, Eastern Illinois, ISU, etc…) for midweek opposition during the Big Ten campaign.

The conference schedule has Michigan State opening the year in Champaign-Urbana, followed by visits from Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio State. The blue and orange will travel to Michigan, Penn State, Northwestern and Purdue.

Bottom Line: Illinois will go as far as their pitching lets them. This team, like many of the recent Illini squads, should swing the bats well enough, steal a few bases and play tough day-in and day-out. The question will be how their arms, especially the unproven ones, hold up.

The thought here is that the Illini should secure another top six Big Ten finish and a trip to Huntington Park and the conference tournament

2009 Preview: Indiana

Indiana Hoosiers
Head Coach: Tracy Smith
2008 Record: 28-28 (15-17, sixth in Big Ten)

At The Plate: The Hoosiers may have the most potent offense in the Big Ten. IU’s bats are led by C Josh Phegley. Last year, Phegley paced the conference in batting average (.438), hits (98), on base percentage (.507), runs batted in (80), total bases (167) and sacrifice flies (9). He was also second in runs scored and slugging percentage.




The junior backstop enters ‘09 as the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten Player of the Year award and first-team All-America selection. As good as Phegley is, he’s not a one-man wrecking crew.

In his freshman campaign, 1B Jerrud Sabourin walked right into the middle of IU’s lineup and didn’t disappoint. Sabourin hit .383 and finished in the top ten in batting average, hits, runs batted in and total bases. Sabourin’s fine first year garnered him some freshman All-America attention and he should contend for all-conference honors in '09.

3B Ethan Wilson hit .292 in only 106 at bats last year. 2B Tyler Rogers hit .316. The outfield features Kipp Schutz (.317 and 5th in the conference in doubles with 16), Evan Crawford (.335 with 18 steals; spent his summer in the Cape Cod League) and Chris Hervey (.373 with a .463 OBP, 18 steals and 20 HBP that led the Big 10).

The new additions are JUCO transfer Jake Dunning at shortstop and freshman DH Alex Dickerson.

On The Mound: While the Hoosiers’ bats are deserving of all the praise thrown their way, IU’s rotation could be very good as well. The group is led by junior LHP Matt Bashore. Bashore, like Crawford, spent his summer in the Cape Cod League after going 7-3 and leading the Big Ten in strikeouts (86). Like Phegley, Bashore was a first team All-Big Ten selection in 2008.

Eric Arnett will hold down one of the weekend spots, as well. Arnett went 4-5 last season with a 5.45 ERA. The final weekend slot will belong to freshman sensation Blake Monar. The lefty was drafted by the New York Yankees last year, but opted to pitch college ball.

The closer spot remains a bit up-in-the-air. Junior Chris Squires is in the mix, so, too, is Dunning. Finding a reliable finisher will be a priority for Coach Smith.

The Schedule: The 2009 slate could be a barrier for IU. There are some good opponents, but not enough opportunities against the kind of programs that will elevate their RPI (or impress the tournament committee). In the non-conference portion of their ’09 schedule, IU will see the likes of East Carolina, Georgia Southern, Kentucky and a home-and-home (albeit the games are weeks apart) against nationally ranked Louisville. Like much of the Big Ten, Indiana’s midweek opposition will feature a number of MAC programs.

In conference, the Hoosiers will have to travel to Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Purdue. Visiting Bloomington are Minnesota, Penn State, Northwestern and Michigan State.

Bottom Line: Like everyone else, IU has some concerns. The Hoosiers need to shore up an erratic defense. Indiana needs to find a reliable closer. There’s a schedule that isn’t going to impress the NCAA tournament committee. Finally, this team has precious little experience in playing (and winning) big games. In spite of this, expectations in Bloomington are high and they should be.

Featuring an array of quality hitters and a potentially solid weekend rotation, IU looks poised to contend for the Big Ten’s regular season and conference tournament titles and a NCAA Tournament spot. The job for Coach Smith is to turn all his squad's potential into production.

Boyd's World SOS 2009

Boyd Nation has released his 2009 Strength of Schedule numbers. Here's how the Big Ten breaks down.

85) Minnesota
108) Northwestern
123) Iowa
124) Penn State
130) Michigan State
146) Ohio State
150) Illinois
152) Michigan
168) Indiana
188) Purdue

My one word summary: Yikes. I realize SOS is a fluid situation, as teams thought to be strong in the preseason falter and programs written off are better than anticipated. Nonetheless, to have the best SOS figure in the conference to be at eighty-fifth in the nation isn't good.

If these figures stay even remotely close to their current levels as the season progresses, the Big Ten is going to have a difficult time landing an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.

February House Cleaning

I've got some odds and ends that might merit individual posts, but I'm cramming them altogether. Perhaps, they can use each other for warmth. Hopefully, you'll find something interesting amongst the group.

The Previews
Yes, the BTH team previews are coming. I'm writing a few and waiting for some more details on a few others, but they are in-process. You could see the first one as early as tonight, but don't wait up for it. I could easily get busy doing something else.

The Sincerest Form
It appears that one of my college baseball blogging allies is trying to start up a new blog. The focus is the Big XII Conference. The name of the blog has a certain ring to it.

If you follow the Big XII, the new site is looking for writers. Drop them a email, if you are interested.

CBB Interviews Hoosiers' Smith
Tracy Smith, head baseball coach at Indiana, recently did an interview with Brian Foley of the College Baseball Blog. I encourage you to read Brian's Q&A with Coach Smith.

More Coverage
I've spent a good deal of time this winter deleting dead links to former sources of college baseball information. Honestly, I've been quietly lamenting their demise. However, a bit of good news has emerged.

I was thumbing through The Sporting News baseball annual at my local mega-chain bookseller. Inside was not only a look at college baseball's top twenty-five teams (it could have been twenty or thirty, don't hold me to the number), but a look at All-America Teams. In addition, Lindy's MLB annual had a Top College Prospects section.

In the TSN magazine both Michigan's Chris Fetter and Indiana's Josh Phegley were named All-Americans. Lindy's had Phegley listed amongst their top twenty college prospects.

While it's not in-depth coverage, it's more coverage than college baseball received even ten years ago. Hopefully, the inclusion of Big Ten players will spur a few more fans in the north to watch their school's baseball program.

Big East/Big Ten Challenge
I'm sure by now most of you have stumbled upon the website for the Big East/Big Ten Challenge. Having it's own website gives the event some sense of credibility. It also indicates a willingness to market the series.

Also adding credibility, in listening to Baseball America's podcast, I learned that BA's Aaron Fitt will be covering the Challenge. That's the kind of coverage neither conference would have received without this event. Again, more ink is good for all the programs. Now, if the Big Ten would just win the series.

OSU's Todd Talks '09 Buckeyes
Ohio State head coach, and ABCA Hall of Famer, Bob Todd talks about his team and the upcoming campaign. (Audio link.)

Fitt Projects NCAA Field

In a daring move, Aaron Fitt of Baseball America takes an educated guess at this year's NCAA Tournament field. Yep, he predicts all 64 teams and regional sites almost a month before the first pitch of the season.

Here's the question I presume you are pondering "Who makes the field from the Big Ten?". Well, I'm happy to report that Mr. Fitt predicts two teams from the conference making The Dance. Indiana, who is tabbed as the automatic berth from the Big Ten, and Michigan, as an at-large team, are in.

If the Big Ten can land two teams into this year's tournament, it will be a banner season. I'm leery about the RPI-quality of Indiana's schedule and Michigan has plenty of holes to fill. Nonetheless, I think we should all embrace Mr. Fitt's optimism.

Hervey Blogs For Ping!

Indiana's Chris Hervey is blogging for Ping! Baseball. Go check out Chris' posts.

Rogers Previews Big 10

Rivals/Yahoo college baseball editor Kendall Rogers offers up his preview of the 2009 Big Ten baseball campaign.

Midnight Madness: Baseball Style

Central Michigan head coach Steve Jaska decided to use a basketball marketing idea in baseball. CMU and Florida Gulf Coast will begin the new baseball season at 12:01 a.m., yes, one minute past midnight, on February 20. According to the blog post from Aaron Fitt at Baseball America,

"... Jaska hatched the midnight madness idea as a way to build excitement for the start of the season."

Technically, the two programs will play a split doubleheader on that day as both sides meet again at 8:00 p.m.

It's a bit crazy, but I kind of like it. A tip of the cap to Coach Jaska, the Chips and FGC for giving it a shot.

Captains Announced

Indiana has named three captains for the 2009 season. Chris Hervey, Joe Vicini and Matt Bashore are the Hoosiers' tri-captains.

Back in the fall, Michigan announced they would have tri-captains this season. Kevin Cislo, Chris Fetter and Tim Kalczynski were selected by their teammates as '09 captains.

Michigan State maintained the trio of captains pattern. The three Spartans selected were Eric Roof, AJ Dunn and Nolan Moody.

Justin Miller, perhaps the most underrated player in the conference, is Ohio State's lone captain in 2009. Miller was a co-captain last year.

The Dinner (Or Lunch) Circuit

Another sure sign that Opening Day is right around corner is the announcement of various team meet-and-greets. The names and formats of these events vary between each program, but they are all just a warm-up for the new season. (And, often, a helpful fundraiser.)

Illinois has a Hot Stove Banquet scheduled for February 6. The special guest is former big leaguer Andy Benes.

MLB umpire Tim McClelland headlines Iowa's Lead-Off Dinner. The date is February 17.

Former Spartan Steve Garvey will be the keynote speaker at MSU's First Pitch Dinner on February 8. The former Los Angeles Dodgers star will receive the 2009 MSU Baseball Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Ohio State's annual Meet The Team Luncheon is scheduled for February 14.

I believe Northwestern usually has an annual event, although I haven't found any details for such an occurrence this year. I know Michigan does have a casual gathering shortly before each season begins, but, here again, no details have been posted. Keep your eye on each university's website or even this space for updates.

All-Ping! Picks

The gang over at Ping! Baseball have submitted their annual All-Ping! Pre-season Teams. Four Big Ten players made their way onto one of Ping's list. Indiana's Josh Phegley is the first team catcher. Michigan's Chris Fetter was a second team All-Ping nominee. Iowa's Justin Toole made the third team at shortstop and Dan Black, of Purdue, was a "For Your Consideration" choice at thirdbase.

Michigan # 30 In Writers' Poll

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has released their pre-season poll. While the University of North Carolina claimed the top spot, one Big Ten program did make the Top 35. The University of Michigan begins the year number thirty in the writers poll.

Rich Maloney's team continues to garner an unusual amount of respect from the national media this pre-season. Historically, the voters ignore northern programs (Notre Dame being the lone exception). To see Michigan still slide into the polls, albeit barely, after losing a significant portion of their team to the pros, is a refreshing change.

The only other Big Ten program that got a sniff from the voters was Ohio State. The Buckeyes fell into the "others receiving votes" bundle.

Rounding out the NCBWA Top 10 are LSU, Rice, Texas A&M, Georgia, Florida State, Arizona State, Texas, Stanford and Cal St. Fullerton.

Lists And More Lists

The pre-season lists continue to fill-up the internet and my inbox. Today, I share Rivals rankings of the top seniors and juniors in the land. For those just wanting the Big 10 perspective, Michigan's Chris Fetter was named as one of the top seniors while Minnesota's Matt Nohlety showed up on "The Next Five" heading. Indiana's Josh Phegley was chosen as one of the nation's top juniors.

In addition to Kendall Rogers' lists, Brian Foley at the College Baseball Blog recently cranked out CBB's Top 50 players. Brian doesn't have any Big 10ers amongst his top fifty.

Gophers' Fornasiere Is Lauded

Rob Fornasiere, of the University of Minnesota, won the 2008 Assistant Coach of the Year Award. The honor is given annually by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America. BA's Aaron Fitt submitted this piece highlighting Fornasiere's dedication.

Rogers' Ranks Each State

Kendall Rogers, the big cheese at Rivals/Yahoo! college baseball, is in the process of evaluating each state's college baseball programs. This is admittedly an unscientific endeavor. As such, his rankings aren't exactly going to warm the hearts of the stat geek community -- not lots of numbers and equations to back up his opinions.

And, as they are merely Rogers' two-cents on this issue, they will no doubt generate some level of debate. We all know I don't much trust the perspective of college baseball's media elite, as their vision seems to extend no further west than Austin, Texas and no further north than about Knoxville, Tennessee. However, that doesn't mean the evaluations are void of merit.

Rogers has been watching this game longer than most sitting in front of a computer and knows lots of people in college baseball. I'd hesitate to toss his opinions aside out-of-hand. At minimum, his rankings should provide us with some indication as to the perception each Big Ten program has nation-wide. (Which both you and I realize isn't very good.)

I'm not going to provide links to every single state, just those in the Big Ten footprint. As of December 22, neither Minnesota or Wisconsin were included. I'm presuming that's forthcoming.

Read and discuss at your leisure.

Illinois/Indiana
Michigan/Ohio
Iowa/Missouri/Kansas/Nebraska/Oklahoma
Pennsylvania/Virginia/Maryland/Delaware

More All-America Attention

'Tis the season for pre-season All-America Teams. This one is courtesy of Collegiate Baseball and Louisville Slugger. The Big Ten names remain the same. Indiana's Josh Phegley and Michigan's Chris Fetter have both claimed All-America status. Once again, Phegley, IU's catcher, is a member of the first team and Fetter has grabbed a second team pitching honor.

CB Has Michigan At # 29

Earlier today, Collegiate Baseball released its pre-season poll. One Big Ten side did manage to slide into CB's rankings. Michigan finds itself starting the season at number twenty-nine in the nation.

I'll admit that I'm surprised that Michigan made the Top 30. I thought many would take one look at the talent that left Ann Arbor this summer and dismiss them as just another northern school. Yet, it would appear that several at CB like Rich Maloney's side again in '09.

Two other Big Ten programs found themselves amongst the ever-popular "Others Getting Votes" category. Ohio State and Purdue both caught the attention of the CB pollsters.

At this point, I would be remiss in my self-appointed duties (not to mention bypass a shameless opportunity to appear to be an "insider"), if I didn't offer a word of advice to the poll voters. Take note of Indiana. That's all. Take note of the Hoosiers. The rest is up to you. (And, yes, them.)

Nonetheless, for the Big Ten to have one Top 30 program and two others garnering votes is a small victory in my book. Even if it is only the pre-season poll.

(While I'm sure all of you will click on the link provided above and review the entire poll, as a customer service, I'll let you know that Louisiana State claimed the top spot overall. LSU was followed by North Carolina, Rice, Georgia and Stanford.)

Columbus To Host '09 Conference Tourney

I didn't see this one coming. Yesterday, the Big Ten Conference announced it's going to hold the 2009 conference baseball tournament at a neutral site. Huntington Park, the home of the Columbus Clippers, will host next year's conference tournament. I'm pleasantly surprised.

Regular readers of BTH will confirm that I've lobbied for a neutral site conference tournament for about as long as I've run this blog. The reasons for my desire for a neutral site venue are numerous, but let me allow Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany's comments from the press release highlight a few of them.

“Moving the baseball tournament to a neutral site will allow the conference office and the local organizing committee to promote this event throughout the season. In addition, playing at an outstanding facility like Huntington Park will enhance the experience for our student-athletes, coaches and fans. We’re looking forward to the first pitch of the tournament in May.”

I couldn't agree more. I can't believe I just agreed with Jim Delany. I must have spent too much time out plowing snow today. Regardless, having the conference's regular season champion host the tournament was a logistics nightmare for all the programs. Knowing where the tournament will be and not placing such a large burden on the host school's athletic department should be warmly greeted by everyone across the Big Ten.

While this seemed like an obvious move to me, and quite a few others, I was told routinely that such a transition wasn't on the horizon. What changed the thinking around Chicago? Here's my guess.

This move was motivated by the conference's new baby -- the Big Ten Network. As the conference now operates a television network, they need live programming. Let me re-phrase that just a bit. They desperately need programming. The conference baseball tournament could be one of those live events, but the conference simply cannot afford to have a university host the tournament when their ballpark doesn't have lights. No lights = no television. That's not an equation the Big Ten Network embraces.

In addition, I can't imagine the conference would want to broadcast their premier baseball event from a glorified junior high school ball field -- with or without lights. It is kind of quaint to see such simple surroundings for college baseball, but as we heard in the marketing days of old, image is everything. I doubt anyone in the Big Ten office really wants the rest of the nation to see just how limited some of the program's baseball facilities really are. (Yes, most are improving, but not all are up to par quite yet.)

The bottom line appears to be this. In order to maximize their product's (both BTN and baseball) visibility and reputation, the conference office conceded to common sense and moved the baseball tournament to a neutral site. Whatever the rationale, it's still a good, long overdue move and one I whole-heartedly applaud.

Now, before the comments and email starting popping up, let me say that this plan isn't perfect. Many will rightly argue that having the tournament in Columbus is a home game for Ohio State regardless of what field in the city they play upon. I can't disagree.

Would I have preferred -- strictly from a perception standpoint -- the tournament being held in Toledo, Dayton, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids or some other slightly more truly neutral location? Yes. However, I'm thinking the Columbus folks might have made a bigger, better pitch for the event than anyone else. Quite possibly, they made the only pitch for the event.

Let's not toss the baby out with the bathwater here. There's no mention of anything beyond 2009, so I'm going with the notion that another host city can be found in the future. Yes, it's in OSU's backyard next year, but that doesn't mean a neutral site championship isn't a good idea.

I also do have concerns about attendance if Ohio State gets eliminated from the tournament early or if, cover your eyes my Buckeye friends, they don't make the field at all. However, that's the case even if the regular season champion hosts the tournament. If the home team is out, attendance drops dramatically. Columbus is centrally located in the conference's geographic footprint, so I'm hoping that will make travel more appealing to fans across the region, thus minimizing some of that affect.

First, the conference disposed of those seven-inning Saturday doubleheaders I disliked in favor of a single nine inning game. Now, after years of my complaining about it, they've opted for a neutral site conference tournament host. The Big Ten has eliminated two of my biggest pet peeves about the way it runs it's baseball schedule. I wonder what should I campaign for next?

Phegley, Fetter Get NCBWA Nod

Indiana catcher Josh Phegley and Michigan pitcher Chris Fetter have been named National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's pre-season All-Americans. Phegley grabbed a first team selection and Fetter was tabbed as a member of the second team.

Ebert Talks Big Ten

Patrick Ebert, of PG Crosschecker.com, talks about Indiana's dynamic battery mates -- Josh Phegley and Matt Bashore -- and wonders if the door to the Big Ten title has opened with Michigan losing so many impact players in his most recent column.

Wallace Award Watch List '09

The 2009 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List has been released. The College Baseball Foundation's pre-season list of nominees for their annual Player of the Year Award has been released. This year's crop is littered with names familiar to readers of this space.

Indiana tops the list with two players -- Matt Bashore and Josh Phegley. The Hoosiers' duo is joined by Illinois' Brandon Wikoff, Iowa's Justin Toole, Michigan's Chris Fetter, Minnesota's Matt Nohelty, Northwestern's Jake Goebbert, Ohio State's Justin Miller and Purdue's Dan Black.

I'm pleased to see so many representatives from the Big Ten dotting the initial list. Yet, and you knew there was going to be a "yet" tossed in, I'm immediately struck by the omission of Michigan State's Chris Roberts. That's just a gut reaction, however. There could be others that merit the honor, but as you know, I've been away from BTH and I could be forgetting someone.

Roberts' omission doesn't diminish the fact that there are nine players from the conference on the list. That's a strong showing from a conference routinely ignored.

Early Scheduling Update

Three Big Ten programs have released their 2009 baseball schedule. Indiana, Iowa and Michigan have announced their '09 opponents (the inevitable alterations notwithstanding, of course). Kudos to all three for getting this information out so early. I'll probably be reviewing these in greater depth at some point down the road, so click on the links and get a look at what the Hoosiers, Hawkeyes and Wolverines face in the coming year.

I should also note that the long-awaited Big Ten/Big East baseball challenge has been finalized and will begin play next year. While this will never be as big as the ACC/Big Ten basketball challenge, I love the concept of this baseball tournament.

The reason for my interest is that I believe that the Big East gets the traditional "east coast media bias" even in college baseball. This format provides the Big Ten with the opportunity to display how they stack up against their fellow (mostly) northern foes. (With or without global warming, USF isn't going to be in the snowbelt anytime soon.)

Yet, this series probably could not come at a worse time for the Big Ten, as one would expect the conference to take another step backwards this year. I'm not sure how the Big East stacks up in '09, but I'm not expecting the Big Ten to provide more than one NCAA tournament team next year. (The good news is that I'm often wrong. The other piece of good news is that it's only September. I've got plenty of time to retract my prediction.)

I haven't heard if there will be any television coverage, but it would seem like an ideal situation for the Big Ten Network. Although, that would require the conference to commit money to baseball, which they are generally opposed to.

Here's the tournament schedule:

BIG EAST/BIG TEN CHALLENGE MATCHUPS
February 20-22, 2009

Day 1 - Friday, February 20
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
Penn State vs. St. John's
Illinois vs. Iowa
Michigan State vs. Connecticut
Michigan vs. South Florida
Northwestern vs. Georgetown
Minnesota vs. Seton Hall
Indiana vs. West Virginia
Purdue vs. Cincinnati

Day 2 - Saturday, February 21
Michigan vs. Cincinnati
Purdue vs. South Florida
Penn State vs. Northwestern
Ohio State vs. Connecticut
Indiana vs. Georgetown
Illinois vs. Notre Dame
Minnesota vs. West Virginia
Michigan State vs. Seton Hall
Iowa vs. St. John's

Day 3 - Sunday, February 22
Michigan vs. St. John's
Ohio State vs. Cincinnati
Minnesota vs. Michigan State
Northwestern vs. Connecticut
Indiana vs. South Florida
Iowa vs. Georgetown
Purdue vs. Notre Dame
Penn State vs. Seton Hall
Illinois vs. West Virginia

Summer Notes

Here's a brief list of just some this summer news courtesy of each university's website. At some point, I might attempt to do a bit more research on summer league action, but for now I'll use this as a review for both of us.

I'll work in reverse alphabetical order, giving Purdue the the leadoff spot.

Coach Schreiber has two new coaches. Ryan Sowers joins the Boilers staff as pitching coach and ex-Boilers star Chadd Blasko returns in the role of volunteer assistant.

Ohio State hurler Eric Best had a strong summer in Alaska. Best was named as his team's pitcher of the year. Fellow Buckeyes Drew Rucinski and Zach Hurley both grabbed some recognition this summer.

Kenneth Avila, of Northwestern, was named the starting secondbaseman for the Hawaii Summer League All-Star Game. NU's Eric Jokisch blogged for the university's official website from his summer league stint in New England.

Minnesota's Derek McCallum and Nick O'Shea both made the Northwoods League All-Star Game. Kyle Knudson and AJ Pettersen were also having good years in the Northwoods.

The Gophers also added Sam Ryan to their list of recruits eligible in 2009.

Michigan State's AJ Shindler also made the Northwoods League All-Star team. New Spartans' head coach Jake Boss, Jr. named Mark Van Ameyde and Billy Gernon to his staff.

Rich Maloney, of Michigan, claimed his second straight ABCA Division I Mideast regional coach of the year.

Iowa named Chris Maliszewski as their new pitching coach. Maliszewski is an Iowa alum.

A number of Indiana players had strong summers. Evan Crawford, Matt Bashore and Kipp Schutz all played in the high profile Cape Cod League. In addition, Matt Carr was named an All-Star in the Great Lakes League and Joey O'Gara went 5-0 in the GLL. Jerrud Sabourin hit well in San Diego.

IU also announced three late signings. JUCO SS Jake Dunning may move into the starting lineup. Righty Wyatt Hoff and left-hander Matt Igel join a recruiting class that included five signings in November.

Illinois' website chronicles nearly all their players summer league seasons. The university's sports information department also has blog-like posts from several Illini players. Former Illinois catcher Chris Robinson represented Canada in the Summer Olympics.

A September Post

For the first time in years, I actually went an entire month without posting something here. I believe the last time that happened was the autumn of 2005. It wasn't, however, from a lack of material. I just chose to take a break.

After this self-imposed layoff, I'm back today and I'll start by sharing a couple of items out of my email inbox. First, Tom at The Baseball Zealot attended Illinois' first practice of the new school year. He took a few photos, as well.

When you are attending fall practice, it's official -- you've got college baseball fever. That's some diehard dedication. (Not that I'm above that, mind you.) Tom, if I'm partly to blame for your zeal, I apologize.

Patrick Ebert, of Perfect Game, drops me a note about this year's Dairy Queen Classic field. The 2009 DQ Classic will feature Notre Dame, Washington and Hawaii in addition to the host, Minnesota.

Let's be honest. This isn't the strongest field in DQ history. All three programs the Gophers have invited can play, but they lack the marquee appeal of some previous DQ opponents. I'm also not sure how much any of the four programs will be helped, RPI wise.

Thanks to both Tom and Patrick for dropping me a line.

Not Breaking News

As you all know by now, Michigan State named Jake Boss as their new head coach. I'm sure you've tracked down all the pertinent information by this point, as my absence has provided you with plenty of time to research all the stories, so I'll just offer up one blogger's perspective on the hire.

I like the hire for MSU. After a rough (some might say brutal) start to last season, Boss was able to guide Eastern Michigan to the Mid-American Conference Tournament title and the automatic NCAA berth in his first season. His Eagles played rather well in the Ann Arbor Regional, although dispatched after two close games -- one versus Arizona, the second against Kentucky.

Something else Boss brings, that a majority of assistants at a southern/western program can't, is an understanding of the challenges facing college baseball in the north. If the Spartans had opted to pursue a candidate from a warm-weather program, he might quickly become discouraged at the obstacles facing teams in the snowbelt.

After a year at EMU and several seasons working for Rich Maloney at Michigan, Boss should be well aware of the landscape in the Big Ten and throughout the midwest. Thus, he shouldn't be daunted at the pitfalls of coaching baseball in the north.

Glad to see the Spartans get this situation resolved quickly and hope Boss can help the program get to the next level. I also hope EMU can find a quality candidate to fill Boss' shoes.

Grewe Departure Official

Yep, it's finally official. MSU's David Grewe has jumped off the Green and White train and headed south to join LSU. While my initial post on the subject proved to be 100% accurate (not that I doubted the credibility of my source), I don't retract my apology, either. I still feel I made a mistake in the way I framed that first post on the situation.

Hopefully, the Spartans can land a solid replacement in the days to come. With a new financial commitment from the adminstration, a renovated ballpark to open in 2009 and a few solid returning players, one would like to think that the Michigan State gig might be appealing to a number of candidates.

An Open Apology

In my last post, I reported that Michigan State's David Grewe was signed, sealed and delivered to Louisiana State to become the Tigers' top assistant. The same source that assured me that Grewe was on the way out a few days ago, informs me that a "final" decision is expected tomorrow. As such, I owe you an apology.

While only a blog, I attempt to run this with a degree of journalistic integrity. Not that I'm above passing along a good rumor, but I try to present it as such. In this instance, I failed. I offered up a rumor as fact based on two things: 1) my source was reliable and 2) I was lazy. I should have followed up on the lead. I didn't.

Even if Coach Grewe does indeed leave for Baton Rouge, I should have presented the information as a rumor or avoided it altogether. As I did neither, I apologize first and foremost to Coach Grewe, his staff, the MSU players, their families and the Spartans fanbase. Of course, I owe each of my readers an apology as well.

I believe the majority of you realize that the last thing I would try and do is toss a college baseball program under-the-bus, especially one in the Big Ten. Regardless of whether or not my last post becomes fact or fiction, I made an error and I'm willing to take responsibility for it. My sincere hope is that I'm wrong and Coach Grewe stays on in East Lansing. Let's hope we learn something soon. I have already.

Grewe Leaves MSU

Hot on the heels of Michigan State's stadium expansion news comes word that head coach David Grewe is leaving East Lansing to join Louisiana State's coaching staff. Grewe is slated to become Paul Mainieri's recruiting coordinator and pitching coach. Grewe was part of Mainieri's staff at Notre Dame before both moved on.

The whispers around the program indicate that MSU's administration is looking outside the program for a replacement.

How this can be viewed as anything other than bad for the Spartans' program is beyond me. Grewe had built bridges with former Spartans that felt alienated prior to his arrival and was the central figure behind the program's renovation. While this does give MSU a chance to have the new guy in before fall, one wonders what affect it will have on recruiting commitments.

To have him bolt now -- with the stadium improvements planned and the better recruiting classes on the way -- is a disappointing turn for the Green and White.

Honestly, it doesn't help the Big Ten's reputation much, either. When one of your program's head coaches bolts to become an assistant, even a SEC assistant, it's not a ringing endorsement on the state of your conference.

MSU To Renovate Stadium

Remember during the conference tournament when I mentioned that we might be hearing something from East Lansing in regards to the baseball program? Well, the announcement has indeed arrived. As I speculated then, Michigan State has received a donation to renovate their on-campus ballpark.

An anonymous donor has not only coughed up four million to fund the 2,500 seat grandstand and new pressbox, but the project is tentatively slated for completion by the start of next season. A fairly lofty objective.

Old College Field will still be lacking lights in '09, but MSU appears to be committed to raising the remaining revenue to complete the entire project (which includes the softball facility, soccer stadium, baseball park and the adjoining plaza.

MLB Draft Day Two

All fifty rounds are finally over. Quite a few familiar faces were selected on day two of the Major League draft. A couple of patterns jumped out at me today, as well.

You have to think the Indians have a scout nearby Ann Arbor, as Zach Putnam, Adam Abraham and Nate Recknagel were all tabbed by the Tribe, as was Doug Pickens a year ago.

While the Twins seem to like Coach Anderson's squad. The Twinkies selected Gophers Kyle Carr, Matt Nohelty and Nate Hanson.

Here's the complete rundown of Big 10ers from day two:

# 329 - Andrew Means (Indiana), Cincinnati
# 359 - Kyle Day (Michigan State), Cincinnati
# 366 - Kyle Carr (Minnesota), Minnesota
# 404 - Scott Shaw (Illinois), New York Mets
# 411 - Adam Abraham (Michigan), Cleveland
# 417 - Caleb Curry (Iowa), San Francisco
# 478 - Andy Loomis (Purdue), Florida
# 546 - Matt Nohelty (Minnesota), Minnesota
# 591 - Nate Recknagel (Michigan), Cleveland
# 846 - Nate Hanson (Minnesota), Minnesota
# 944 - Mike Powers (Michigan), New York Mets
# 963 - Tyler Tufts (Indiana), Texas
# 973 - Mark Sorenson (Michigan State), Detroit
# 1047 - Dan Black (Purdue), San Francisco
# 1063 - Dan DeLucia (Ohio State), Detroit
# 1178 - Eric Decker (Minnesota), Milwaukee
# 1388 - Eric Roof (Michigan State), Detroit
# 1416 - Matt Bischoff (Purdue), New York Mets
# 1450 - Kevin Hoef (Iowa), Boston

One extra selection of note. Former Illini Friday starter, Tanner Roark was taken with the 753rd pick. The righthander went to Texas.

Just as yesterday, if I happened to miss someone, please let me know.

MLB Draft Day One

Here are the Big Ten players that were drafted on day one of the Major League Baseball Draft.

# 61 - Josh Lindblom (Purdue), Los Angeles Dodgers
# 116 - Kyle Hudson (Illinois), Baltimore
# 120 - Drew O'Neil (Penn State), Chicago White Sox
# 138 - Ryne White (Purdue), Arizona
# 154 - Jason Christian (Michigan), Oakland
# 171 - Zach Putnam (Michigan), Cleveland
# 182 - J.B. Shuck (Ohio State), Houston

If I missed someone, I'm sure one of you will let me know.

Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-America Team

The 2008 Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-America Team has been announced by Collegiate Baseball. Three members of the Big Ten Conference have managed to make the team. Northwestern's Eric Jokisch, Ohio State's Dean Wolosiansky and Illinois' Casey McMurray all garnered recognition.

Ann Arbor Regional: Day Three

Arizona Wins Regional Title

The University of Arizona won the All-Wildcat Regional Final in Ann Arbor. U of A claimed the crown by beating Kentucky, 5-3. The number one seed in the region won all three of the contests they played, one each against the rest of the field -- Eastern Michigan, Michigan and Kentucky.

Tonight, the desert Wildcats got a strong start from lefty Eric Berger who worked 7.1 innings giving up five hits, two walks and the three UK runs. Berger also fanned 11 UK batters. After Berger's evening was completed, UA turned to their (insert your adjective here) bullpen.

Just as they had done in the previous two regional games, the UA bullpen of Ryan Perry, Daniel Schlereth and Jason Stoffel shutdown the opposition. Arizona's bullpen is one of the best I've ever seen on the collegiate level.

Bobby Coyle had a pinch-hit, two-run homer to lead UA's offense. T.J. Steele had a pair of hits and scored twice. Brad Glenn, Bryce Ortega and Dwight Childs drove in the other Arizona runs.

UK answered with a pair of homers. One each from Collin Cowgill and Brian Spear. Spear drove in the other Kentucky tally with a double.

The win now advances UA to the Super Regional, most likely against Miami (FL). Kentucky's season was concluded with the loss.

Earlier in the day, UK eliminated Michigan from regional play with a 12-6 triumph. Kentucky jumped on the Wolverines early posting seven runs in the first inning and two more in the second. Cowgill led the way with three hits, two runs scored and two RBI. Spear had three RBI. Troy Frazier, Chris Wade and Sawyer Carroll all had two RBI each. Frazier and Carroll both homered.

Zach Putnam launched a three-run homer for Michigan. Adam Abraham had a four-hit game. Mike Dufek and Leif Mahler both knocked in two runs.