Rogers Grades Big Ten

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

NU's Avila Wins Ashe Award

Northwestern's Kenneth Avila has won the 2009 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar Award. Avila beat out ten other male finalists, including Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford of Oklahoma. Avila reached the final ten candidates by triumphing over a field that originally included 600 athletes.

Avila captured the award not only based on his academic and athletic success, but his committment to the community. Here's a link highlighting some of Mr. Avila's off-the-field service.

The Wildcats double major will spend his summer working on Wall Street as an intern with JPMorgan. (Where we presume he will straighten out the economy before he has to return to Evanston for fall classes.) We congratulate Kenneth Avila on winning this prestigous award.

Putting A Bow On It

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

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

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

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

All-Conference Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

Big Ten Announces Awards

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

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

NU's Avila Is Ashe Award Finalist

It's award season. It seems like everyday I'm either providing a link to an award watch list or voting for various post-season honors. However, one Big Ten baseball player has been nominated for a rather special honor that I overlooked.

Northwestern's Kenneth Avila is one of ten male finalists for the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar Award. I'll let the press release explain the award:

Established in 1992 by the publication Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, the Sports Scholars Awards honor undergraduate students of color who exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr.

On-the-field, Avila paced the Wildcats in batting average this season while playing a super-utility role. In-the-classroom, Avila is a double major in economic and legal studies. Avila also had to meet the award's minimum requirements for things such as community service and GPA.

Last season, Avila was one of the ten college baseball players selected for the honor. This year, the Northwestern junior is the lone college baseball representative still eligible to claim the top award. Amongst those Avila will be competing against are Ohio State football star Brian Robiskie and Oklahoma's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Sam Bradford.

I think I can go out on a limb here and speak for the entire Big Ten baseball community and congratulate Kenneth on this honor. Obviously, I'm pulling for him to bring home the top prize. (Hey, we all better be nice to him. The young man could be President someday.)

The All-Weekend Team

This is it. The final All-Weekend Team of 2009. It's hard to believe the regular season is already over. Yet, it is and we must press on. Grab a tissue and review this final installment of the AWT.

C: Bobby Jacobs, Penn State - Only seven AB's for the Nittany Lions' catcher, but he had four hits including two doubles. Jacobs also scored a run and drove in five.

C: Dan Burkhart, Ohio State - A .400 average with a double, two walks, two RBI and three runs scored in the sweep over Iowa.

1B: Paul Snieder, Northwestern - The freshman hit .333 (4-for-12) against Michigan. Snieder hit a pair of homers, including a game-winner. He also scored three runs and had four RBI.

1B: Mike Dufek, Michigan - Cranked out three homers over the weekend. Dufek had four hits in thirteen at-bats (.307) with two walks, four runs scored and five RBI vs. Northwestern.

2B: Derek McCallum, Minnesota - Seriously, did you think it was going to be anyone else? All McCallum managed was four hits in eleven at-bats (.363), a double, a sacrifice fly, two walks, two runs scored and six RBI.

SS: Jake Dunning, Indiana - He did things in fours. Four hits (in nine at-bats, .444), four runs scored and four RBI. He aslo homered, doubled, walked twice and stole a pair of bases.

3B: Justin Miller, Ohio State - The Buckeyes' captain hit .583 (7-for-12) with a walk, homer and pair of doubles. Miller scored four runs and drove in six runs as OSU swept Iowa for the Big Ten title.

OF: Willie Argo, Illinois - The freshman hit .555 (five-for-nine) versus Purdue. Argo walked, stole a base, got hit-by-a-pitch, hit a sac fly and a pair of doubles. He also scored three runs and had five RBI.

OF: Brandon Haveman, Purdue - The senior had eight hits in sixteen at-bats (.500). Haveman tripled, doubled twice, stole two bases, scored five runs and had a RBI.

OF: Kenny Fellows, Michigan - Six hits in fourteen AB's (.429) for the Michigan senior. Fellows also collected a walk, two steals, three doubles, four runs and five RBI.

OF: Alex Jaffee, Purdue - Hit .545 (six-for-eleven) against Illinois. Jaffee had a double, steal, two walks, two homers, three runs scored and five RBI.

BN: Ryan Dew, Ohio State - Five hits in thirteen at-bats (.385) vs. Iowa. Dew stole a base, had three doubles, three runs scored and drove in two.

BN: Zach Hurley, Ohio State - You sweep, you tend to get lots of players on the AWT. Hurley did more than his share of creating havoc. Six hits in eleven AB's, two runs, two RBI, a stolen base, three doubles and four walks.

BN: Ryan LaMarre, Michigan - The Michigan sophomore drove in five runs and scored three more. LaMarre got hit-by-a-pitch, homered and hit a sacrifice fly. He collected five hits in fourteen at-bats (.357).

SP: Matt Bashore, Indiana - Eight innings of shutout baseball. The IU lefty allowed only three hits and one walk. Bashore fanned 10.

SP: Alex Wimmers, Ohio State - Six shutout innings for the OSU star. Wimmers surrendered five hits and two walks, but struck out 12 Hawkeyes.

SP: Dean Wolosiansky, Ohio State - "Wolo" gave up three runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings. Wolosiansky K'd five. He also won his 11 game of the year.

SP: Seth Rosin, Minnesota - Won his sixth game by going seven innings and yielding two runs on four hits. Rosin fanned seven.

BP: Tony Bucciferro, Michigan State - The MSU frosh went 7.1 innings giving up three runs on six hits. Bucciferro didn't surrender a walk and struck out nine Hoosiers. He posted fifth win of the season.

You know the caveats about my math and where to lodge your protests, objections and praise. I thank all of you for following the All-Weekend Team with such enthusiasm.

Illini, Hoosiers Strike First

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

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

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

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

I'll be back with another update later.

Update (8:55pm EST)

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

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

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

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

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

Update (9:20pm EST)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy the remainder of your Friday evening.

Update (11:00pm EST)

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

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

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

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

Down The Stretch They Come

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

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

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

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

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

More later .....

Update (9:15pmEST)

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

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

Here's how the standings look as of tonight:

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

Yes, tomorrow will be interesting.

OSU Wins, Gophers Hold Top Spot

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

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

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

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

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

Gophers Move To Top

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

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

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

IU/NU Washed Out

Today's game between Indiana and Northwestern has been postponed due to weather in Bloomington. They will (hopefully) play two tomorrow.

For Your Reading Pleasure

Here are some Big Ten college baseball links that I submit for your review.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune's Roman Augustoviz does a piece on the rebound at Minnesota. Honest-to-goodness media coverage of college baseball in the north. Shocking.

Behind The Plate previews the Indiana/Northwestern series.

Tom at the Illinois Baseball Report does a Q & A with an Ohio State fan about this weekend's honkin' huge series. (Hey, is that the OSU Drew that comments here?) Illini and Bucks making friendly before a big game? I suppose this is my fault?

Chris Webb, of Buckeye Nine fame, chats up College Baseball Today's Eric Sorenson about the Bucks, the RPI, the regional hosting process and other topics.

Speaking of Big E, Sorenson goes listapalooza in his weekend preview. A number of Big Ten references are included.

That's Going To Leave A Mark

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Illini Sweep And Take First Place

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

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

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

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

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

Wimmers' No-No Highlights Saturday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two Big Wins, Two Rainouts So Far

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

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

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

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

Buckeyes Win, Spartans Split

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

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

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

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

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

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

Three Sweeps & A 'Cats Win

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gophers, Bucks Rally; Fetter K's 12

Ohio State scored two in the bottom of the ninth to upend Northwestern, 5-4. Justin Miller had two hits and two RBI. Dan Burkhart also drove in a pair for OSU. Drew Rucinski won his seventh game of the year in relief. Alex Wimmers started and stuck out 10, but did allow all four Wildcat tallies. Tommy Finn and Trevor Stevens had two hits a piece for NU.

Minnesota scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Purdue, 4-3. Justin Gominsky's sac fly capped the rally for the Gophers. Matt Bischoff was terrific for the Boilers, but took the loss. Luke Rasmussen won the game by pitching two innings of shutout relief.

Chris Fetter fanned twelve Indiana batters in leading Michigan past the Hoosiers, 6-2. Fetter tossed a complete game victory yielding eight hits and just one walk. Ryan LaMarre drove in two of the Wolverines' runs. IU's Jerrud Sabourin, Josh Phegley and Evan Crawford each had two hits.

Illinois prevailed over Penn State, 7-3. Illini frosh OF Wille Argo had three hits, including a homer, three runs scored and three RBI. Aaron Johnson also went yard and had two hits. Phil Haig posted the win. Sophomore DH Ben Heath drove in two of the three Nittany Lions runs.

Michigan State outslugged Iowa, 15-10. Jeff Holm led the Spartans attack with a 4-for-5 game. Holm homered, drove in four and scored four. Eric Roof had three hits, three RBI and two runs scored. Roof also homered. Nolan Moody earned the win. Kody McManis had three hits and four RBI for Iowa. Hawkeyes' CF Kurtis Muller had three hits, two runs and two RBI.