It's the final Big Ten Hardball All-Weekend Team for 2007. Brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it? As you reach for a Kleenex, let me proceed with this week's edition.
Catcher - Kyle Day, Michigan State (7/16, 4 R, 9 RBI, 3 2B, HR, 2 BB)
Firstbase - Jake Goebbert, Northwestern (12/16, 6 R, 8 RBI, 3 2B, 3B, BB)
Secondbase - Steve Gerstenberger, Michigan State (10/18, 6 R, 5 RBI, 3 2B, HR, BB)
Shortstop - Brandon Doherty, Michigan State (10/16, 6 R, 6 RBI, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB)
Thirdbase - Jake Owens, Northwestern (12/19, 7 R, 4 RBI, BB, 2 SB)
Outfield - Matt Nohelty, Minnesota (8/16, 5 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB)
Outfield - Mike Kalina, Northwestern (7/17, 7 R, 7 RBI)
Outfield - Zach Putnam, Michigan (5/15, 4 R, 7 RBI, 2 HR, BB)
Designated Hitter - Nate Recknagel, Michigan (8/16, 6 R, 6 RBI, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, SB)
Bench - Nate Hanson, Minnesota (8/17, 5 R, 7 RBI, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB)
Bench - Evan Crawford, Indiana (9/15, 2 R, 6 RBI, 2B, 2 BB)
Bench - Sean Walker, Michigan State (8/17, 4 R, 6 RBI, 2B, 3 HR, BB)
Bench - Mike Rohde, Illinois (5/10, 4 R, 7 RBI, 2B, HR)
Bench - Lars Davis, Illinois (4/11, 6 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR, 3 BB)
Bench - Scott Gaffney, Penn State (6/14, 5 R, 2 RBI, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, BB, SB; 1 APP, 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 Er, 0 BB, 2 K, no decision)
Starter - John Dwan, Michigan State (7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's in win)
Starter - Zach Putnam, Michigan (7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K's in no decision)
Starter - Andrew Smith, Northwestern (9.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's in win)
Starter - Dan Schwartz, Northwestern (7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K's in win)
Starter - Cory Luebke, Ohio State (7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K's in no decision)
Starter - Josh Edgin, Ohio State (6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's in no decision)
Starter - Paul Hawkins, Penn State (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K's in win)
Starter - Seth Whitehill, Penn State (7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K's in no decision)
Relief - Jake Toohey, Illinois (2 APP, 5.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K's in win and save)
Relief - Drew O'Neil, Penn State (2 APP, 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K's in two saves)
Relief - Trey Fausnaugh, Ohio State (1 APP, 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's in win)
I'll bypass elaborating on this week's side other than to offer the standard request. If I missed someone, made an error in math, please drop me an email. I'll gladly consider your nominee or change whatever mistake I managed this week.
On that thought, I should thank all those who took the time to write me with their suggestions and corrections during the season. It was greatly appreciated.
I hope you enjoyed the All-Weekend Team feature this season. It was entertaining for me, albeit time consuming. My tentative plan is to bring it back again in 2008.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Buckeyes, Illini Advance
Ohio State and Illinois are the final two teams in the 2007 Big Ten Baseball Tournament. OSU qualified after beating Penn State, 3-2. An eighth inning sac fly by Tony Kennedy elevated the Buckeyes to victory. Trey Fausnaugh posted the win going the last 2.2 innings. Josh Edgin had worked the previous 6.1 giving up only six hits, two earned runs and no walks in a must-win game for the Buckeyes. Eric Fryer's two hits were the most by a Buckeye. Rick Marlin's two hit, one run and RBI were the highlight of PSU day.
Illinois captured the fifth seed in the conference tournament by dropping Michigan State, 8-7. Unbelievably, the Illini came back from a 7-0 deficit before their at bat in the fifth inning. Lars Davis led the charge by hitting a pair of homeruns. Davis drove in three as did Nick Stockwell who also went yard. Jake Toohey, the Illinois closer, came on to pitch the last 4.1 innings. Toohey allowed five hits and three walks, but no runs. Brandon Doherty, Kyle Day and Sean Walker all left the yard for MSU, who couldn't muster a run after the fifth inning.
The wins by Ohio State and Illinois eliminated Michigan State from the Big Ten tournament (.pdf file). The field looks like this. Michigan and Minnesota are the top two seeds and earn a first round bye. Iowa, the fourth seed, will take on Illinois, the fifth seed in game one on Wednesday. Game two will feature the third seed, Penn State, taking on the sixth seed, Ohio State, in a rematch of this weekend's encounter. I'm sure I'll be talking, er, typing more tournament talk in the days ahead.
In other Sunday action, Michigan took the series from Iowa, 7-2. Zach Putnam hit a grandslam to help power the Wolverines to victory. Doug Pickens had two hits, a run scored and a RBI. Andrew Hess returned to the rotation and worked five innings of five hit baseball to post his seventh win. Kevin Hoef had a pair of hits, Caleb Curry and Justin Toole both drove in runs for Iowa.
Indiana slipped past Minnesota, 10-9. Josh Phelgey was today's hero hitting a walkoff single to win it. Freshman shortstop Evan Crawford had a four hit, three RBI performance in the finale of the season for IU. Doug Fleenor's 5.1 innings of hitless relief earned him his second triumph of the season. Minnesota's Nate Hanson almost single-handedly kept the Gophers in it. Hanson had three hits, including two homers, and drove in seven runs. The Hoosiers showed quite a bit of heart this weekend by taking two from the Gophers.
Speaking of heart, Northwestern swept Purdue by winning today's finale, 11-5. Jake Owens had four hits and became the Wildcats single season hit leader with 85. Mike Kalina had three hits and four RBI, Jake Goebbert had three hits and three RBI. Dan Schwartz gave up eight hits, four walks and two earned runs while fanning seven en route to his fourth win. Alex Jaffee, Ryne White, John Cummins and Dan Black all had two hits a piece for Purdue. The NU sweep moved the Wildcats out of the cellar and into ninth place in the standings.
It's hard to believe the regular season is already over. I keep repeating this, but the college baseball season is just way too short. Although, I'm looking forward to the conference tournament and to see how the NCAA field shakes out a week from tomorrow. I thank the fans of Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern and Indiana for checking in this season. I hope you'll hang around for the tournament, but I figure most of you will rest up and get ready for 2008.
As for those headed to Ann Arbor, I congratulate you on making the tournament and wish you luck this week.
Illinois captured the fifth seed in the conference tournament by dropping Michigan State, 8-7. Unbelievably, the Illini came back from a 7-0 deficit before their at bat in the fifth inning. Lars Davis led the charge by hitting a pair of homeruns. Davis drove in three as did Nick Stockwell who also went yard. Jake Toohey, the Illinois closer, came on to pitch the last 4.1 innings. Toohey allowed five hits and three walks, but no runs. Brandon Doherty, Kyle Day and Sean Walker all left the yard for MSU, who couldn't muster a run after the fifth inning.
The wins by Ohio State and Illinois eliminated Michigan State from the Big Ten tournament (.pdf file). The field looks like this. Michigan and Minnesota are the top two seeds and earn a first round bye. Iowa, the fourth seed, will take on Illinois, the fifth seed in game one on Wednesday. Game two will feature the third seed, Penn State, taking on the sixth seed, Ohio State, in a rematch of this weekend's encounter. I'm sure I'll be talking, er, typing more tournament talk in the days ahead.
In other Sunday action, Michigan took the series from Iowa, 7-2. Zach Putnam hit a grandslam to help power the Wolverines to victory. Doug Pickens had two hits, a run scored and a RBI. Andrew Hess returned to the rotation and worked five innings of five hit baseball to post his seventh win. Kevin Hoef had a pair of hits, Caleb Curry and Justin Toole both drove in runs for Iowa.
Indiana slipped past Minnesota, 10-9. Josh Phelgey was today's hero hitting a walkoff single to win it. Freshman shortstop Evan Crawford had a four hit, three RBI performance in the finale of the season for IU. Doug Fleenor's 5.1 innings of hitless relief earned him his second triumph of the season. Minnesota's Nate Hanson almost single-handedly kept the Gophers in it. Hanson had three hits, including two homers, and drove in seven runs. The Hoosiers showed quite a bit of heart this weekend by taking two from the Gophers.
Speaking of heart, Northwestern swept Purdue by winning today's finale, 11-5. Jake Owens had four hits and became the Wildcats single season hit leader with 85. Mike Kalina had three hits and four RBI, Jake Goebbert had three hits and three RBI. Dan Schwartz gave up eight hits, four walks and two earned runs while fanning seven en route to his fourth win. Alex Jaffee, Ryne White, John Cummins and Dan Black all had two hits a piece for Purdue. The NU sweep moved the Wildcats out of the cellar and into ninth place in the standings.
It's hard to believe the regular season is already over. I keep repeating this, but the college baseball season is just way too short. Although, I'm looking forward to the conference tournament and to see how the NCAA field shakes out a week from tomorrow. I thank the fans of Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern and Indiana for checking in this season. I hope you'll hang around for the tournament, but I figure most of you will rest up and get ready for 2008.
As for those headed to Ann Arbor, I congratulate you on making the tournament and wish you luck this week.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Michigan Wins Big Ten
The University of Michigan captured their second straight regular season Big Ten title by splitting a doubleheader with Iowa and having Indiana drop second place Minnesota in the finale of their twinbill.
Michigan beat the Hawkeyes in game one, 11-5. The Wolverines went yard four times -- Kevin Cislo (1), Nate Recknagel (10), Zach Putnam (7) and Jason Christian (7). Recknagel had three hits, three RBI and scored three times. Cislo and Eric Rose each had two hits, two RBI and scored twice. Iowa's Travis Sweet countered with a perfect 4 for 4 game. The Hawkeyes' CF also scored twice and drove in one. 3B Kevin Hoef collected two hits and two RBI. Michael Powers came out of the Wolverines' bullpen to post his second triumph of 2007.
Game two saw the Hawkeyes prevail, 8-6. Nick Erdman improved to 7-2 by going 6.1 innings and allowing four earned runs. Mike Jacobs recorded the final two out to post the save. Caleb Curry had two hits, scored once and drove in one. Dusty Napoleon scored three times. Jason White scored twice and swiped three bases. Matt Wooldrik drove in two runs. Michigan's Recknagel had three hits, scored once and drove in one, while Putnam had two hits, two RBI and scored twice for the Wolverines.
Even though Michigan lost the second game, they claimed the Big Ten regular season crown as Indiana beat Minnesota in their second game of the day, 10-7. Hoosiers OF Andrew Means had two hits (a double and a triple) and four RBI to lead IU. 1B Michael Nilles had two RBI as did 2B Evan Crawford. SS Keith Haas scored three times. The win went to Chris Squires in relief. Derek McCallum had two hits and two RBI for the Gophers. Dan Lyons scored three times, but the loss eliminated any chance the Gophers had of catching Michigan.
The Minnesota loss hands Michigan not only the regular season championship, but the right to host the Big Ten Conference Tournament. I believe the action will start on Wednesday in Ann Arbor. (Yes, I hope to be there.) More on that as the week progresses.
As for the last two tournament spots, they remain up in the air. Michigan State swept today's doubleheader from Illinois by scores of 7-3 and 16-4. In game one, John Dwan pitched a seven inning complete game to earn his fourth win of the year. The Spartans lefty allowed eight hits, three earned runs and no walks. He also struck out five. MSU catcher Kyle Day had a four RBI game. Day, Sean Walker and Eric Roof all homered for the Spartans. (Eric is Illini SS Shawn Roof's brother.) Illinois played some long ball, too, as Lars Davis and Mike Rohde went yard, but it wasn't enough.
In the nightcap, the Spartans put three on the board in the first inning, three more in the second and had a six run third inning that all but finished the Illini chances for the game. A number of MSU players posted crooked numbers in the boxscore. SS Brandon Doherty was 4 for 4 including his first homer of the season with four runs scored and three RBI. Sean Walker had a 4 for 5 game -- including two homers -- with four RBI and two runs scored. 2B Steve Gerstenberger had three hits (and, yes a homer), three runs and three RBI. Kyle Corcoran gave up seven hits and four earned runs over five innings to get his second win. Illini DH Daniel Webb had two hits and two RBI.
In the last series with a bearing on the post-season, Penn State swept Ohio State Saturday. Game one went to the Nittany Lions, 4-2. Craig Clark allowed only two earned runs over six innings to get the win. Drew O'Neil came in and shut the door in the seventh to post his ninth save. Scott Gaffney and Cory Wine both went yard and Brian Ernst had two hits. All three -- Gaffney, Wine and Ernst -- scored once and drove in one. OSU starter J.B. Shuck lost a pitchers duel with Clark, although he went the full six innings giving up eight hits, four earned runs and no walks while striking out five.
PSU took game two, 3-2. Paul Hawkins improved to 4-0 and combined with Michael Lorenston and O'Neil to hold the Bucks to seven hits, three walks and one earned run. O'Neil claimed his tenth save. Penn State SS Gaffney homered for the second straight game and tripled to pace the offense. Like Shuck in the opener, Jake Hale was the hard luck loser for OSU in the nightcap. Hale pitched all six innings allowing just four hits and three earned runs, but couldn't claim a victory. (I'll get to all of the post-season possibilities in a moment.)
Finally, Northwestern swept their last doubleheader of the year taking Purdue by scores of 9-6 and 11-6. Jake Goebbert and Jake Owens each had three hits for NU in game one. Goebbert scored twice and drove in one, Owens scored and had one RBI. Max Mann had two RBI. Joe Muraski improved to 4-4 and Bo Schultz earned his first save. Purdue 3B Dan Black went 3 for 4 with a homer, four RBI and scored a run.
Owens, Goebbert, Mann, Mike Kalina and Antonio Mule each had two hits to lead NU. Owens, Mule and Kalina all had two RBI, as well. Randy Myers worked 6.2 innings to post his fourth win. Ryne White and Jeff Mojzik each had three hits for Purdue. Mojzik and Spencer Ingaldson both had two RBI.
Back to the post-season possibilities. It all begins and ends with Ohio State. If the Buckeyes win tomorrow, they are in the conference tournament. If they lose, they are out. It's that simple. (I think.) As for Illinois and MSU, well if OSU loses, they are off the hook -- they both get in. Now, if OSU wins, the winner of the MSU at Illinois game advances and the loser goes home.
Again, if I have this right (and that's questionable), Ohio State holds the tiebreakers over both schools. So, if OSU wins and MSU wins, Illinois is done for the year. If the Buckeyes win and Illinois beats the Spartans, then David Grewe's side goes home.
While Michigan has won the regular season crown, there is plenty of drama left, as Ohio State, Illinois and Michigan State play for the last two post-season berths. It should be a great final day of the regular season.
Michigan beat the Hawkeyes in game one, 11-5. The Wolverines went yard four times -- Kevin Cislo (1), Nate Recknagel (10), Zach Putnam (7) and Jason Christian (7). Recknagel had three hits, three RBI and scored three times. Cislo and Eric Rose each had two hits, two RBI and scored twice. Iowa's Travis Sweet countered with a perfect 4 for 4 game. The Hawkeyes' CF also scored twice and drove in one. 3B Kevin Hoef collected two hits and two RBI. Michael Powers came out of the Wolverines' bullpen to post his second triumph of 2007.
Game two saw the Hawkeyes prevail, 8-6. Nick Erdman improved to 7-2 by going 6.1 innings and allowing four earned runs. Mike Jacobs recorded the final two out to post the save. Caleb Curry had two hits, scored once and drove in one. Dusty Napoleon scored three times. Jason White scored twice and swiped three bases. Matt Wooldrik drove in two runs. Michigan's Recknagel had three hits, scored once and drove in one, while Putnam had two hits, two RBI and scored twice for the Wolverines.
Even though Michigan lost the second game, they claimed the Big Ten regular season crown as Indiana beat Minnesota in their second game of the day, 10-7. Hoosiers OF Andrew Means had two hits (a double and a triple) and four RBI to lead IU. 1B Michael Nilles had two RBI as did 2B Evan Crawford. SS Keith Haas scored three times. The win went to Chris Squires in relief. Derek McCallum had two hits and two RBI for the Gophers. Dan Lyons scored three times, but the loss eliminated any chance the Gophers had of catching Michigan.
The Minnesota loss hands Michigan not only the regular season championship, but the right to host the Big Ten Conference Tournament. I believe the action will start on Wednesday in Ann Arbor. (Yes, I hope to be there.) More on that as the week progresses.
As for the last two tournament spots, they remain up in the air. Michigan State swept today's doubleheader from Illinois by scores of 7-3 and 16-4. In game one, John Dwan pitched a seven inning complete game to earn his fourth win of the year. The Spartans lefty allowed eight hits, three earned runs and no walks. He also struck out five. MSU catcher Kyle Day had a four RBI game. Day, Sean Walker and Eric Roof all homered for the Spartans. (Eric is Illini SS Shawn Roof's brother.) Illinois played some long ball, too, as Lars Davis and Mike Rohde went yard, but it wasn't enough.
In the nightcap, the Spartans put three on the board in the first inning, three more in the second and had a six run third inning that all but finished the Illini chances for the game. A number of MSU players posted crooked numbers in the boxscore. SS Brandon Doherty was 4 for 4 including his first homer of the season with four runs scored and three RBI. Sean Walker had a 4 for 5 game -- including two homers -- with four RBI and two runs scored. 2B Steve Gerstenberger had three hits (and, yes a homer), three runs and three RBI. Kyle Corcoran gave up seven hits and four earned runs over five innings to get his second win. Illini DH Daniel Webb had two hits and two RBI.
In the last series with a bearing on the post-season, Penn State swept Ohio State Saturday. Game one went to the Nittany Lions, 4-2. Craig Clark allowed only two earned runs over six innings to get the win. Drew O'Neil came in and shut the door in the seventh to post his ninth save. Scott Gaffney and Cory Wine both went yard and Brian Ernst had two hits. All three -- Gaffney, Wine and Ernst -- scored once and drove in one. OSU starter J.B. Shuck lost a pitchers duel with Clark, although he went the full six innings giving up eight hits, four earned runs and no walks while striking out five.
PSU took game two, 3-2. Paul Hawkins improved to 4-0 and combined with Michael Lorenston and O'Neil to hold the Bucks to seven hits, three walks and one earned run. O'Neil claimed his tenth save. Penn State SS Gaffney homered for the second straight game and tripled to pace the offense. Like Shuck in the opener, Jake Hale was the hard luck loser for OSU in the nightcap. Hale pitched all six innings allowing just four hits and three earned runs, but couldn't claim a victory. (I'll get to all of the post-season possibilities in a moment.)
Finally, Northwestern swept their last doubleheader of the year taking Purdue by scores of 9-6 and 11-6. Jake Goebbert and Jake Owens each had three hits for NU in game one. Goebbert scored twice and drove in one, Owens scored and had one RBI. Max Mann had two RBI. Joe Muraski improved to 4-4 and Bo Schultz earned his first save. Purdue 3B Dan Black went 3 for 4 with a homer, four RBI and scored a run.
Owens, Goebbert, Mann, Mike Kalina and Antonio Mule each had two hits to lead NU. Owens, Mule and Kalina all had two RBI, as well. Randy Myers worked 6.2 innings to post his fourth win. Ryne White and Jeff Mojzik each had three hits for Purdue. Mojzik and Spencer Ingaldson both had two RBI.
Back to the post-season possibilities. It all begins and ends with Ohio State. If the Buckeyes win tomorrow, they are in the conference tournament. If they lose, they are out. It's that simple. (I think.) As for Illinois and MSU, well if OSU loses, they are off the hook -- they both get in. Now, if OSU wins, the winner of the MSU at Illinois game advances and the loser goes home.
Again, if I have this right (and that's questionable), Ohio State holds the tiebreakers over both schools. So, if OSU wins and MSU wins, Illinois is done for the year. If the Buckeyes win and Illinois beats the Spartans, then David Grewe's side goes home.
While Michigan has won the regular season crown, there is plenty of drama left, as Ohio State, Illinois and Michigan State play for the last two post-season berths. It should be a great final day of the regular season.
Minnesota Wins
The Golden Gophers beat Indiana, 3-2, in the first game of their doubleheader today. Dan Lyons drove home all three runs for Minnesota. Matt Nohelty had two hits, two walks and scored for the Gophers. Gary Perniar (4-4) got the win, Kyle Carr worked the last three frames to post the save (8). IU's Evan Crawford had a pair of hits in the losing cause.
The Magic Number Is Now Two
Michigan 4 Iowa 3, 11 innings (box)
The Wolverines magic number to win the regular season title is now two. Nate Recknagel scored on an 11th inning error to put Michigan up for good. Recknagel finished with two hits and a pair of RBI. Kevin Cislo had three hits. Adam Abraham came in to pitch four innings of two hit, one walk relief and posted his fourth win. Dusty Napoleon had two hits while Matt Wooldrik drove in two for Iowa.
Minnesota 8 Indiana 6 (box)
The Gophers kept the heat on Michigan by winning their afternoon contest with IU. Cleanup hitter Kyle Baran drove in three runs to pace Minnesota's offense. Baran had two hits and scored once. Matt Nohelty led the hit parade with three while scoring once and driving in another. Tom Buske improved to 4-1 working six innings. Josh Oslin recorded his eleventh save of the year. IU had five players with two hits each and Michael Nilles bashed a pinch hit homerun.
Illinois 6 Michigan State 5 (box)
Illinois moved a game closer to a conference tournament berth by beating the Spartans. Mike Rohde and Kyle Hudson combined to drive in all six Illini runs. Rohde homered and drove in four. Hudson tripled and drove in the other two Illinois tallies. Tanner Roark is now 7-2. Jake Toohey came on to claim his seventh save. Brandon Doherty and Kyle Day each had a pair of hits and two RBI for MSU.
Penn State 3 Ohio State 2, 10 innings (box)
Joe Blackburn's RBI double in the tenth plated Scott Gaffney to win it for Penn State. John Ogrodnik worked three hitless innings of relief to get the win. Seth Whitehill went the first seven allowing just four hits, three walks and two earned runs, but got a no decision. OSU's Cory Luebke also went seven allowing seven hits and a walk, but fanning nine. Luebke also got no decision. Gaffney had three hits on the day and scored twice. PSU remains in the hunt for the Big Ten crown and OSU is still looking for a win to claim a post-season berth.
Northwestern 12 Purdue 3 (box)
The Wildcats cranked out 21 hits to pound the Boilermakers. Aaron Newman and Jake Goebbert led NU with four hits a piece. Goebbert also paced the team with three RBI. Andrew Smith (1-3) pitched a complete game for the Wildcats. Smith gave up three earned runs on nine hits and two walks. Purdue countered with a 3 for 3 game from Alex Jaffee and Ryne White's eighth homer of the season. I believe this loss eliminates Purdue from post-season play.
Today, as it's really early Saturday morning as I type, is doubleheader day. As usual, I encourage one and all to get out to the ballpark near you. The race for the Big Ten regular season title is still wide open.
The Wolverines magic number to win the regular season title is now two. Nate Recknagel scored on an 11th inning error to put Michigan up for good. Recknagel finished with two hits and a pair of RBI. Kevin Cislo had three hits. Adam Abraham came in to pitch four innings of two hit, one walk relief and posted his fourth win. Dusty Napoleon had two hits while Matt Wooldrik drove in two for Iowa.
Minnesota 8 Indiana 6 (box)
The Gophers kept the heat on Michigan by winning their afternoon contest with IU. Cleanup hitter Kyle Baran drove in three runs to pace Minnesota's offense. Baran had two hits and scored once. Matt Nohelty led the hit parade with three while scoring once and driving in another. Tom Buske improved to 4-1 working six innings. Josh Oslin recorded his eleventh save of the year. IU had five players with two hits each and Michael Nilles bashed a pinch hit homerun.
Illinois 6 Michigan State 5 (box)
Illinois moved a game closer to a conference tournament berth by beating the Spartans. Mike Rohde and Kyle Hudson combined to drive in all six Illini runs. Rohde homered and drove in four. Hudson tripled and drove in the other two Illinois tallies. Tanner Roark is now 7-2. Jake Toohey came on to claim his seventh save. Brandon Doherty and Kyle Day each had a pair of hits and two RBI for MSU.
Penn State 3 Ohio State 2, 10 innings (box)
Joe Blackburn's RBI double in the tenth plated Scott Gaffney to win it for Penn State. John Ogrodnik worked three hitless innings of relief to get the win. Seth Whitehill went the first seven allowing just four hits, three walks and two earned runs, but got a no decision. OSU's Cory Luebke also went seven allowing seven hits and a walk, but fanning nine. Luebke also got no decision. Gaffney had three hits on the day and scored twice. PSU remains in the hunt for the Big Ten crown and OSU is still looking for a win to claim a post-season berth.
Northwestern 12 Purdue 3 (box)
The Wildcats cranked out 21 hits to pound the Boilermakers. Aaron Newman and Jake Goebbert led NU with four hits a piece. Goebbert also paced the team with three RBI. Andrew Smith (1-3) pitched a complete game for the Wildcats. Smith gave up three earned runs on nine hits and two walks. Purdue countered with a 3 for 3 game from Alex Jaffee and Ryne White's eighth homer of the season. I believe this loss eliminates Purdue from post-season play.
Today, as it's really early Saturday morning as I type, is doubleheader day. As usual, I encourage one and all to get out to the ballpark near you. The race for the Big Ten regular season title is still wide open.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The Tournament Chase
The late Pete Rozelle would be proud. Rozelle, the former NFL commissioner, loved parity. The equality between teams allowed fans in every city to harbor championship dreams. Heading into the last weekend of play in the Big Ten, it appears eight of the ten schools are still eligible for post-season action. It's Rozelle's dream in action.
I believe four teams are in -- Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Penn State. That leaves four more programs -- Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue -- vying for the last two Big Ten Tournament spots. Unfortunately, the post-season is not an option for Indiana and Northwestern. I hope to have more on the Hoosiers and Wildcats down the road. For now, let's see if I can understand all the post-season possibilities.
Friend of BTH, Frank Fraas, of WMNI in Columbus, sent along the following information about all the possibilities. I owe Frank a beverage because we know my math skills weren't up to the task. Now, in his defense, Frank does provide the data with one stipulation. There could be an oversight. Well, if you can't count on a blogger to spread inaccurate information, then who in the world can you count on for that? (Oops, forgot about news people. Ok, bloggers and news people can be counted on to spread bad information. As news people don't care about Big Ten baseball, it's back on me.) On to the race.
The top four teams all have a chance to capture the Big Ten's regular season championship. Michigan, of course, holds everyone else's fate in their hands. The Wolverines magic number to clinch a back-to-back regular season title appears to be three. Here are the scenarios for Michigan to claim the crown:
- Michigan wins three (or four) in Iowa City.
- Michigan wins two and Minnesota loses one.
- Michigan can win only one and still claim the title , but Minnesota would have to lose two to Indiana and Penn State would need to lose a single game as well.
The Gophers can host the Big Ten Tournament if:
- Minnesota sweeps IU and Michigan and Iowa split.
- Minnesota wins three and Michigan loses three of four at Iowa.
(Note: Minnesota holds the tiebreaker over Penn State and Iowa.)
Penn State wins by:
- PSU sweeping Ohio State, Iowa takes three from Michigan and Indiana takes three from Minnesota.
(Note: If Iowa were to sweep Michigan, the Hawkeyes would be tied with PSU, but Iowa holds the tiebreaker.)
Iowa wins, if:
- The Hawkeyes sweep Michigan, PSU loses two and Minnesota loses three.
There is a way for a three way tie. Iowa sweeps Michigan, Penn State takes three from OSU and Minnesota and IU split. Iowa, PSU and Minnesota would tie. The Gophers have the best record against the tied teams, thus gains the crown.
See, that was simple, wasn't it? Now, let's see if I can figure out the bottom of the race. Ohio State and Illinois are in the driver's seat(s).
Ohio State gets in, if:
- The Buckeyes win two (or more) over Penn State.
- OSU wins only one and Michigan State wins three over Illinois. OSU and MSU get in as the Bucks hold the tiebreaker over the Illini in this scenario.
- OSU wins one and MSU and Illinois split. OSU's has the tiebreaker edge over MSU on winning percentage.
- OSU gets swept at Penn State, but Illinois takes three from MSU and Purdue loses one.
Illinois gets in, if:
- Illinois wins two (or more) from Michigan State.
- Illinois wins one and Penn State sweeps Ohio State.
Michigan State is in the tourney, if:
- MSU takes three (or more) from Illinois.
- The Spartans win two and Penn State sweeps OSU.
Purdue gets in, if:
- The Boilers sweep Northwestern, Michigan State sweeps Illinois and Penn State sweeps Ohio State. That would make Purdue 15-16. OSU and Illinois would be 14-16. Thus, the Boilers get in.
(If you note any errors, please let me know and I'll revise this list. Thanks to Frank Fraas, the voice of OSU baseball for sending along the information I've provided. Hopefully, I've done a good job of presenting the work.)
If you've never attended a Big Ten game before, this is the weekend to head out an catch some college baseball action. Nearly every venue will have a degree of intrigue this weekend. Michigan is at Iowa with both hoping for a championship. Minnesota is at Indiana trying to beat the Hoosiers and watching the scoreboard for results from Iowa City. (Of course, the Gophers at-large NCAA Tournament hopes may be riding on this series, too.)
Ohio State travels to Penn State with the Buckeyes two wins away from a tournament spot and PSU looking to sneak in the backdoor and grab the conference crown. Michigan State is in Champaign battling Illinois for one of the last two Big Ten Tournament openings. Finally, Purdue and Northwestern collide with the Boilers oh-so-faint hopes of a miracle finish landing them in the tournament field.
Go out and get a look at a terrific race for the Big Ten regular season championship.
I believe four teams are in -- Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Penn State. That leaves four more programs -- Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue -- vying for the last two Big Ten Tournament spots. Unfortunately, the post-season is not an option for Indiana and Northwestern. I hope to have more on the Hoosiers and Wildcats down the road. For now, let's see if I can understand all the post-season possibilities.
Friend of BTH, Frank Fraas, of WMNI in Columbus, sent along the following information about all the possibilities. I owe Frank a beverage because we know my math skills weren't up to the task. Now, in his defense, Frank does provide the data with one stipulation. There could be an oversight. Well, if you can't count on a blogger to spread inaccurate information, then who in the world can you count on for that? (Oops, forgot about news people. Ok, bloggers and news people can be counted on to spread bad information. As news people don't care about Big Ten baseball, it's back on me.) On to the race.
The top four teams all have a chance to capture the Big Ten's regular season championship. Michigan, of course, holds everyone else's fate in their hands. The Wolverines magic number to clinch a back-to-back regular season title appears to be three. Here are the scenarios for Michigan to claim the crown:
- Michigan wins three (or four) in Iowa City.
- Michigan wins two and Minnesota loses one.
- Michigan can win only one and still claim the title , but Minnesota would have to lose two to Indiana and Penn State would need to lose a single game as well.
The Gophers can host the Big Ten Tournament if:
- Minnesota sweeps IU and Michigan and Iowa split.
- Minnesota wins three and Michigan loses three of four at Iowa.
(Note: Minnesota holds the tiebreaker over Penn State and Iowa.)
Penn State wins by:
- PSU sweeping Ohio State, Iowa takes three from Michigan and Indiana takes three from Minnesota.
(Note: If Iowa were to sweep Michigan, the Hawkeyes would be tied with PSU, but Iowa holds the tiebreaker.)
Iowa wins, if:
- The Hawkeyes sweep Michigan, PSU loses two and Minnesota loses three.
There is a way for a three way tie. Iowa sweeps Michigan, Penn State takes three from OSU and Minnesota and IU split. Iowa, PSU and Minnesota would tie. The Gophers have the best record against the tied teams, thus gains the crown.
See, that was simple, wasn't it? Now, let's see if I can figure out the bottom of the race. Ohio State and Illinois are in the driver's seat(s).
Ohio State gets in, if:
- The Buckeyes win two (or more) over Penn State.
- OSU wins only one and Michigan State wins three over Illinois. OSU and MSU get in as the Bucks hold the tiebreaker over the Illini in this scenario.
- OSU wins one and MSU and Illinois split. OSU's has the tiebreaker edge over MSU on winning percentage.
- OSU gets swept at Penn State, but Illinois takes three from MSU and Purdue loses one.
Illinois gets in, if:
- Illinois wins two (or more) from Michigan State.
- Illinois wins one and Penn State sweeps Ohio State.
Michigan State is in the tourney, if:
- MSU takes three (or more) from Illinois.
- The Spartans win two and Penn State sweeps OSU.
Purdue gets in, if:
- The Boilers sweep Northwestern, Michigan State sweeps Illinois and Penn State sweeps Ohio State. That would make Purdue 15-16. OSU and Illinois would be 14-16. Thus, the Boilers get in.
(If you note any errors, please let me know and I'll revise this list. Thanks to Frank Fraas, the voice of OSU baseball for sending along the information I've provided. Hopefully, I've done a good job of presenting the work.)
If you've never attended a Big Ten game before, this is the weekend to head out an catch some college baseball action. Nearly every venue will have a degree of intrigue this weekend. Michigan is at Iowa with both hoping for a championship. Minnesota is at Indiana trying to beat the Hoosiers and watching the scoreboard for results from Iowa City. (Of course, the Gophers at-large NCAA Tournament hopes may be riding on this series, too.)
Ohio State travels to Penn State with the Buckeyes two wins away from a tournament spot and PSU looking to sneak in the backdoor and grab the conference crown. Michigan State is in Champaign battling Illinois for one of the last two Big Ten Tournament openings. Finally, Purdue and Northwestern collide with the Boilers oh-so-faint hopes of a miracle finish landing them in the tournament field.
Go out and get a look at a terrific race for the Big Ten regular season championship.
Midweek Scores And Ramblings
Western Illinois 9 Iowa 2 (box)
Minnesota 11 North Dakota State 10 (box)
Ohio State 8 North Florida 7 (Tuesday box)
Ohio State 9 North Florida 3 (Wednesday box)
Purdue 7 Valparaisio 2 (box)
Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and Northwestern all had midweekers washed out. At least it didn't snow, right? (Although, it darn near could have today. Stinkin' weather.) I'm going to let you check the box scores on these.
Perhaps nothing more accurately displays the Big Ten's weakness as a baseball conference as these midweek games do. The lack of pitching depth allows nearly every program in the Big Ten, regardless of school or year, to consistently lose (or look very poor) in these midweek games.
What makes matters worse is that the competition is usually inferior which means these losses pose a triple threat. 1) They are losses. Last I checked, losses were bad. 2) By losing to a program much further down the RPI food chain, the losing Big Ten side watches its RPI and national perception go in the toilet as well. 3) The rest of the Big Ten programs get hurt because of the trickle down effect.
Not to hammer Iowa, as every school in the conference has these kinds of losses each year, but look at the Hawkeyes loss to WIU. Western Illinios has an RPI of 244. For reference, there are only 293 programs. When Iowa, who is having a fine season, falls to a program with an RPI closer to the bottom than the middle, the Hawkeyes' RPI goes south. It also makes the folks around the land pause and go "Hmmmm. Is Iowa good or is it just another bad year for baseball in the Big Ten?"
Now, if the Hawkeyes turn around and thump Michigan this weekend, what do you think is going to happen? People, like the NCAA Tournament Committee, are going to think of this equation: WIU > Iowa + Iowa > Michigan = WIU > Michigan. That's overly simplistic, but we are talking about the selection committee here. They are looking for a reason to include every program south of the Mason-Dixon line in The Dance. This provides them with an excuse to do just that.
If the Hawkeyes were battling for a potential at-large berth, the WIU loss would probably all but eliminate them from that opportunity. Midweek losses to those in the RPI basement are suicide to at-large berths and poisonous to the rest of the Big Ten.
I do wonder with the advent of the universal start date, if the power conferences will have to schedule more of these oh-so-dangerous midweek games? If so, will these schools find their pitching staffs as taxed as those in the Big Ten? I guess we'll have a better idea in about 365 days.
Minnesota 11 North Dakota State 10 (box)
Ohio State 8 North Florida 7 (Tuesday box)
Ohio State 9 North Florida 3 (Wednesday box)
Purdue 7 Valparaisio 2 (box)
Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and Northwestern all had midweekers washed out. At least it didn't snow, right? (Although, it darn near could have today. Stinkin' weather.) I'm going to let you check the box scores on these.
Perhaps nothing more accurately displays the Big Ten's weakness as a baseball conference as these midweek games do. The lack of pitching depth allows nearly every program in the Big Ten, regardless of school or year, to consistently lose (or look very poor) in these midweek games.
What makes matters worse is that the competition is usually inferior which means these losses pose a triple threat. 1) They are losses. Last I checked, losses were bad. 2) By losing to a program much further down the RPI food chain, the losing Big Ten side watches its RPI and national perception go in the toilet as well. 3) The rest of the Big Ten programs get hurt because of the trickle down effect.
Not to hammer Iowa, as every school in the conference has these kinds of losses each year, but look at the Hawkeyes loss to WIU. Western Illinios has an RPI of 244. For reference, there are only 293 programs. When Iowa, who is having a fine season, falls to a program with an RPI closer to the bottom than the middle, the Hawkeyes' RPI goes south. It also makes the folks around the land pause and go "Hmmmm. Is Iowa good or is it just another bad year for baseball in the Big Ten?"
Now, if the Hawkeyes turn around and thump Michigan this weekend, what do you think is going to happen? People, like the NCAA Tournament Committee, are going to think of this equation: WIU > Iowa + Iowa > Michigan = WIU > Michigan. That's overly simplistic, but we are talking about the selection committee here. They are looking for a reason to include every program south of the Mason-Dixon line in The Dance. This provides them with an excuse to do just that.
If the Hawkeyes were battling for a potential at-large berth, the WIU loss would probably all but eliminate them from that opportunity. Midweek losses to those in the RPI basement are suicide to at-large berths and poisonous to the rest of the Big Ten.
I do wonder with the advent of the universal start date, if the power conferences will have to schedule more of these oh-so-dangerous midweek games? If so, will these schools find their pitching staffs as taxed as those in the Big Ten? I guess we'll have a better idea in about 365 days.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
CSTV Links
I'd like to talk about the conference race, but time doesn't permit that this evening. I hope to get to it tomorrow. Until then, I'll leave you with some links to three items at CSTV worth checking out. (And, no, I'm not getting a dime from the network.)
Both Michigan and Minnesota remain in CSTV's NCAA Tournament projections.
Alas, both Mike Mee (Minnesota) and Lars Davis (Illinois) are no longer garnering votes in CSTV's Player of the Year race.
Eric Sorenson talks with Minnesota Head Coach John Anderson. It's a must read.
Both Michigan and Minnesota remain in CSTV's NCAA Tournament projections.
Alas, both Mike Mee (Minnesota) and Lars Davis (Illinois) are no longer garnering votes in CSTV's Player of the Year race.
Eric Sorenson talks with Minnesota Head Coach John Anderson. It's a must read.
Error On The Blogger
I received an email from Jeff Wuerth, the SID at The Ohio State University. Jeff points out that I made two mistakes. First, Buckeyes pitcher Jake Hale did not allow an earned run during his complete game start over on Saturday. On the All-Weekend Team, I indicate Jake yielded one earned run. Not so.
My second kicked ball of inning was saying that Hale " has spent most of the season as the Buckeyes closer ". Apparently, Mr. Hale never started a game this season. That was his role in 2006, but in '07 its been nothing but the bullpen prior to Saturday.
I made the changes to both posts, although I'm leaving my mistake regarding Hale's move from the 'pen in place with a note at the bottom of last Saturday's post referencing my mistake. For those scoring at home, that's two errors on the play. Charge them both to me. (And to think I was an all-glove, no-hit kind of player. Shameful.)
I make a slightly bigger stink about this in the hope that it will accomplish a number of things. First, I hope everyone in Columbus forgives me, particularly Jake Hale. Second, I want you to know when I'm flat wrong. I have no qualms about sharing my mistakes. It probably helps keep my ego in check. Third, I want you to know that you can contact me if you note an error. I've had to correct three or four things over the course of the season all of which came about as a result of reader email.
In all honesty, I never thought the mistakes would be quite so fruitful. Because of my errors, I realize that people actually read this weblog, which has been heartwarming. It has also been rewarding to interact with those of you who take time to read Big Ten Hardball. Of course, it's also added a degree of stress, as there is a bit more pressure in writing when you know others are checking your work. Nonetheless, I appreciate every correction sent my way.
My second kicked ball of inning was saying that Hale " has spent most of the season as the Buckeyes closer ". Apparently, Mr. Hale never started a game this season. That was his role in 2006, but in '07 its been nothing but the bullpen prior to Saturday.
I made the changes to both posts, although I'm leaving my mistake regarding Hale's move from the 'pen in place with a note at the bottom of last Saturday's post referencing my mistake. For those scoring at home, that's two errors on the play. Charge them both to me. (And to think I was an all-glove, no-hit kind of player. Shameful.)
I make a slightly bigger stink about this in the hope that it will accomplish a number of things. First, I hope everyone in Columbus forgives me, particularly Jake Hale. Second, I want you to know when I'm flat wrong. I have no qualms about sharing my mistakes. It probably helps keep my ego in check. Third, I want you to know that you can contact me if you note an error. I've had to correct three or four things over the course of the season all of which came about as a result of reader email.
In all honesty, I never thought the mistakes would be quite so fruitful. Because of my errors, I realize that people actually read this weblog, which has been heartwarming. It has also been rewarding to interact with those of you who take time to read Big Ten Hardball. Of course, it's also added a degree of stress, as there is a bit more pressure in writing when you know others are checking your work. Nonetheless, I appreciate every correction sent my way.
OPS Time
It's the last Wednesday of the regular season. That makes this the next to last installment of our weekly look at on base plus slugging percentage leaders. Which leads me to one conclusion -- the college baseball season is far too short. This season has disappeared quickly, hasn't it?
As for the numbers, we've got a new OPS leader in the Big Ten this week. It's Ryne White of Purdue. White, who continues the lead the conference in batting average as well, paces the field with an OPS of 1.176. Iowa's Travis Sweet checks in at number two with an OPS of 1.120. In third place, we find Lars Davis of Illinois at 1.097. Jason White, Iowa's shortstop, is next at 1.077.
Nate Recknagel of Michigan is fifth at 1.061. Recknagel is followed by Mike Mee of Minnesota. The Gophers' outfielder is at 1.054. In seventh is Justin Toole of Iowa at 1.020. The eighth and final spot this week belongs to Northwestern's Antonio Mule. Mule, a regular member of the list last season, has an OPS of 1.017.
I should point out that there is a 100 at bat minimum to qualify for this list. Why 100? Why not, 100, I say. It's completely arbitrary, like everything else here. It just seemed like a good representative number of AB's for this time of the year.
(My usual caveat: If I've done some poor math or screwed something else up, please drop me a note. My email address is in the right sidebar.)
As for the numbers, we've got a new OPS leader in the Big Ten this week. It's Ryne White of Purdue. White, who continues the lead the conference in batting average as well, paces the field with an OPS of 1.176. Iowa's Travis Sweet checks in at number two with an OPS of 1.120. In third place, we find Lars Davis of Illinois at 1.097. Jason White, Iowa's shortstop, is next at 1.077.
Nate Recknagel of Michigan is fifth at 1.061. Recknagel is followed by Mike Mee of Minnesota. The Gophers' outfielder is at 1.054. In seventh is Justin Toole of Iowa at 1.020. The eighth and final spot this week belongs to Northwestern's Antonio Mule. Mule, a regular member of the list last season, has an OPS of 1.017.
I should point out that there is a 100 at bat minimum to qualify for this list. Why 100? Why not, 100, I say. It's completely arbitrary, like everything else here. It just seemed like a good representative number of AB's for this time of the year.
(My usual caveat: If I've done some poor math or screwed something else up, please drop me a note. My email address is in the right sidebar.)
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The All-Weekend Team
I could have made this a bit easier and just declared Penn State's offense, Illinois' starters and Michigan State's bullpen the All-Weekend Team and been done with it. However, I chose to stick to the more traditional selection process (whatever in the world that is). Those three programs are going to be well represented nonetheless.
Catcher - Eric Fryer, Ohio State (7/16, 5 R, 6 RBI, 2B, 2 BB)
Firstbase - Ryne White, Purdue (9/16, 7 R, 9 RBI, 3 2B, 2 HR, 2 SB, 2 BB)
Secondbase - Steve Gerstenberger, Michigan State (9/19, 5 R, 3 RBI, 3 2B, 2 SB)
Secondbase - Matt Cavagnaro, Penn State (7/20, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2B, HR)
Shortstop - Scott Gaffney, Penn State (6/17, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB)
Shortstop - Jason Christian, Michigan (4/15, 7 R, 5 RBI, 2 2B, 2 HR, SB)
Thirdbase - Mike Deese, Penn State (7/15, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2B, 3B)
Outfield - Rick Marlin, Penn State (7/18, 4 R, 3 RBI, HR)
Outfield - Brian Ernst, Penn State (8/15, 6 R, 3 RBI, 2B)
Outfield - Travis Sweet, Iowa (4/13, 5 R, 5 RBI, 3 2B, 3 BB, SB)
Designated Hitter - Sean Walker, Michigan State (6/14, 5 R, 7 RBI, HR, 2 BB)
Bench - Cory Wine, Penn State (6/17, 4 R, 3 RBI, 2B, 3B, BB)
Bench - Antonio Mule, Northwestern (6/13, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 2B, 2 3B, 4 BB)
Bench - Nate Recknagel, Michigan (5/16, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2B, 3B, HR, BB)
Bench - Justin Miller, Ohio State (7/14, 3 R, 4 RBI)
Starter - Jake Hale, Ohio State (7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's in CG win.)
Starter - J.B. Shuck, Ohio State (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K's in win.)
Starter - Zach Putnam, Michigan (6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K's in win.)
Starter - Matt Bischoff, Purdue (7.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's in win.)
Starter - Mike Stankiewicz, Illinois (7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K's in win.)
Starter - Scott Shaw, Illinois (6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's in win.)
Relief - Jake Toohey, Illinois (2 APP, 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's in two saves.)
Relief - Drew O'Neil, Penn State (2 APP, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's in win and save.)
Relief - Mike Monterey, Michigan State (2 APP, 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's in two saves.)
Alright, I did take two middle infielders. I just couldn't leave off Penn State's Cavagnaro and Gaffney. The Nittany Lions tablesetters were in the middle of nearly everything this weekend in Ann Arbor. They probably merited a bit of favor as I saw them in person, but nobody claimed this was unbiased.
Purdue's White is moving up the Player of the Year charts. It's time to start the campaign to get Michigan's Christian some All-America honors. (I guess your leaving that to me, huh?)
I haven't seen every closer in the Big Ten this year, but if anyone of them is better than O'Neil of Penn State I'd be shocked. O'Neil was filthy in Ann Arbor. Christian was about the only guy to make solid contact off O'Neil. The rest of a potent Michigan lineup didn't just swing and miss, they missed badly.
Here's where I turn it over to you. If I missed someone or made an error in addition (something I've grown rather good at), please drop me a line and tell me what I did wrong.
Catcher - Eric Fryer, Ohio State (7/16, 5 R, 6 RBI, 2B, 2 BB)
Firstbase - Ryne White, Purdue (9/16, 7 R, 9 RBI, 3 2B, 2 HR, 2 SB, 2 BB)
Secondbase - Steve Gerstenberger, Michigan State (9/19, 5 R, 3 RBI, 3 2B, 2 SB)
Secondbase - Matt Cavagnaro, Penn State (7/20, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2B, HR)
Shortstop - Scott Gaffney, Penn State (6/17, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB)
Shortstop - Jason Christian, Michigan (4/15, 7 R, 5 RBI, 2 2B, 2 HR, SB)
Thirdbase - Mike Deese, Penn State (7/15, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2B, 3B)
Outfield - Rick Marlin, Penn State (7/18, 4 R, 3 RBI, HR)
Outfield - Brian Ernst, Penn State (8/15, 6 R, 3 RBI, 2B)
Outfield - Travis Sweet, Iowa (4/13, 5 R, 5 RBI, 3 2B, 3 BB, SB)
Designated Hitter - Sean Walker, Michigan State (6/14, 5 R, 7 RBI, HR, 2 BB)
Bench - Cory Wine, Penn State (6/17, 4 R, 3 RBI, 2B, 3B, BB)
Bench - Antonio Mule, Northwestern (6/13, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 2B, 2 3B, 4 BB)
Bench - Nate Recknagel, Michigan (5/16, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2B, 3B, HR, BB)
Bench - Justin Miller, Ohio State (7/14, 3 R, 4 RBI)
Starter - Jake Hale, Ohio State (7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's in CG win.)
Starter - J.B. Shuck, Ohio State (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K's in win.)
Starter - Zach Putnam, Michigan (6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K's in win.)
Starter - Matt Bischoff, Purdue (7.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K's in win.)
Starter - Mike Stankiewicz, Illinois (7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K's in win.)
Starter - Scott Shaw, Illinois (6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's in win.)
Relief - Jake Toohey, Illinois (2 APP, 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's in two saves.)
Relief - Drew O'Neil, Penn State (2 APP, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's in win and save.)
Relief - Mike Monterey, Michigan State (2 APP, 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's in two saves.)
Alright, I did take two middle infielders. I just couldn't leave off Penn State's Cavagnaro and Gaffney. The Nittany Lions tablesetters were in the middle of nearly everything this weekend in Ann Arbor. They probably merited a bit of favor as I saw them in person, but nobody claimed this was unbiased.
Purdue's White is moving up the Player of the Year charts. It's time to start the campaign to get Michigan's Christian some All-America honors. (I guess your leaving that to me, huh?)
I haven't seen every closer in the Big Ten this year, but if anyone of them is better than O'Neil of Penn State I'd be shocked. O'Neil was filthy in Ann Arbor. Christian was about the only guy to make solid contact off O'Neil. The rest of a potent Michigan lineup didn't just swing and miss, they missed badly.
Here's where I turn it over to you. If I missed someone or made an error in addition (something I've grown rather good at), please drop me a line and tell me what I did wrong.
Monday, May 14, 2007
A Little Monday Post
Yes, I'm still working on the All-Weekend Team. It's a bit like pulling teeth this week. Lots of players with extremely similar stats. (Who deserves it more -- the guy with 5 runs and 3 RBI or the guy with 3 runs and 5 RBI?) Rest assured, I am going to provide the AWT at some point. Tuesday being my first choice.
Until then, might I suggest reading Eric Sorenson's Sunday Summations? Eric was in Minneapolis last weekend as the Gophers hosted Ohio State. E's got lots to say about just about everything -- the city, the ballpark, the players, the ump. Although, I don't think he said anything about the food. What's up with that?
Until then, might I suggest reading Eric Sorenson's Sunday Summations? Eric was in Minneapolis last weekend as the Gophers hosted Ohio State. E's got lots to say about just about everything -- the city, the ballpark, the players, the ump. Although, I don't think he said anything about the food. What's up with that?
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Things Are Getting Tight
As Michigan and Minnesota continue to give ground to the rest of the field, the Big Ten standings tighten. Here's a look at Sunday's scores minus Penn State's first win over Michigan which received its own post earlier. (Scroll down, you'll find it.)
Penn State 15 # 26 Michigan 5 (game two box)
The Nittany Lions continued to pound Michigan pitching. Penn State had 21 hits in the second game of their twinbill. Five PSU players -- Matt Cavagnaro, Cory Wine, Joe Blackburn, Rick Marlin and Scott Kelley -- had three hits a piece. Cavagnaro and Wine both had three RBI, as well. Michael Lorenston (3-1) picked up the win. Lorenston allowed only one hit and one walk in four innings of relief.
Jason Christian led the Michigan response with a homer (6), two runs, two RBI and a stolen base (13). Coach Robbie Wine's side took three of four and are in play for a conference title.
Illinois 7 Indiana 2 (box)
Lars Davis had a pair of hits and scored twice to pace Illinois. Shawn Roof and Ryan Hastings each drove in two runs and Roof stole in 38th base. Brian Long pitched five innings of long relief yielding only a hit and walk to post his first win of the year. IU's Keith Haas had two hits and Jon Fixler had two RBI.
Iowa 10 Purdue 9 (box)
The Hawkeyes posted ten runs in the first four innings only to see the Boilers charge back with nine over the last four frames. Iowa's Jason White had three hits and scored twice. Dusty Napoleon had two hits, scored twice and drove in one. Travis Sweet, T.J. Cataldo and Kevin Hoef each had two RBI. Hawkeye starter Brock Alberts got his second win.
Andy Preston had two hits and two RBI for Purdue. Kyle Lauderdale also had two RBI in the loss.
Michigan State 4 Northwestern 3 (box)
Freshman Chris Roberts had a game winning single in the ninth to win it for MSU. Roberts, the defending conference Player of the Week, had two RBI on the day. Steve Gerstenberger had three hits. E.J. Daws scored twice including the winning run. Mike Monterey (2-2) won tossing the last inning.
Aaron Newman and Antonio Mule each had three hits for NU. Mule also led the Wildcats with two RBI.
Minnesota 5 Ohio State 3 (box)
The Gophers salvaged the split with OSU. Jeremy Chlan had three hits, one run scored and two RBI for Minnesota. Matt Nohelty and Kyle Baran each had two hits and a RBI. Kyle Carr (5-2) came in to pitch the last 3.1 innings and posted the win.
OSU designated hitter Jason Zoeller had two hits, scored once and had a RBI to pace the Buckeyes.
Here are the standings.
1. Michigan 18-6 (36-13)
2. Minnesota 16-7 (35-12)
3. Penn State 17-9 (25-23)
4. Iowa 16-10 (29-17)
T5. Ohio State 14-12 (30-19)
T5. Illinois 14-12 (28-22)
7. Michigan State 13-14 (23-24)
8. Purdue 11-16 (21-27)
9. Indiana 6-21 (17-33)
10. Northwestern 5-23 (14-36)
Penn State 15 # 26 Michigan 5 (game two box)
The Nittany Lions continued to pound Michigan pitching. Penn State had 21 hits in the second game of their twinbill. Five PSU players -- Matt Cavagnaro, Cory Wine, Joe Blackburn, Rick Marlin and Scott Kelley -- had three hits a piece. Cavagnaro and Wine both had three RBI, as well. Michael Lorenston (3-1) picked up the win. Lorenston allowed only one hit and one walk in four innings of relief.
Jason Christian led the Michigan response with a homer (6), two runs, two RBI and a stolen base (13). Coach Robbie Wine's side took three of four and are in play for a conference title.
Illinois 7 Indiana 2 (box)
Lars Davis had a pair of hits and scored twice to pace Illinois. Shawn Roof and Ryan Hastings each drove in two runs and Roof stole in 38th base. Brian Long pitched five innings of long relief yielding only a hit and walk to post his first win of the year. IU's Keith Haas had two hits and Jon Fixler had two RBI.
Iowa 10 Purdue 9 (box)
The Hawkeyes posted ten runs in the first four innings only to see the Boilers charge back with nine over the last four frames. Iowa's Jason White had three hits and scored twice. Dusty Napoleon had two hits, scored twice and drove in one. Travis Sweet, T.J. Cataldo and Kevin Hoef each had two RBI. Hawkeye starter Brock Alberts got his second win.
Andy Preston had two hits and two RBI for Purdue. Kyle Lauderdale also had two RBI in the loss.
Michigan State 4 Northwestern 3 (box)
Freshman Chris Roberts had a game winning single in the ninth to win it for MSU. Roberts, the defending conference Player of the Week, had two RBI on the day. Steve Gerstenberger had three hits. E.J. Daws scored twice including the winning run. Mike Monterey (2-2) won tossing the last inning.
Aaron Newman and Antonio Mule each had three hits for NU. Mule also led the Wildcats with two RBI.
Minnesota 5 Ohio State 3 (box)
The Gophers salvaged the split with OSU. Jeremy Chlan had three hits, one run scored and two RBI for Minnesota. Matt Nohelty and Kyle Baran each had two hits and a RBI. Kyle Carr (5-2) came in to pitch the last 3.1 innings and posted the win.
OSU designated hitter Jason Zoeller had two hits, scored once and had a RBI to pace the Buckeyes.
Here are the standings.
1. Michigan 18-6 (36-13)
2. Minnesota 16-7 (35-12)
3. Penn State 17-9 (25-23)
4. Iowa 16-10 (29-17)
T5. Ohio State 14-12 (30-19)
T5. Illinois 14-12 (28-22)
7. Michigan State 13-14 (23-24)
8. Purdue 11-16 (21-27)
9. Indiana 6-21 (17-33)
10. Northwestern 5-23 (14-36)
Penn State Drops Michigan, Again
The Nittany Lions began Sunday as they closed Saturday -- with another triumph over #26 Michigan. PSU beat up the Wolverines, 9-3. Penn State knocked out sixteen hits over seven innings. Seven different Lions had two hits a piece. CF Garrett Field had four RBI. Mike Deese drove in two more. The win went to Paul Hawkins (3-0) and the save went to Drew O'Neil (8).
Coach Wine's squad looks for the series win in Ann Arbor in the second game of today's doubleheader, while Rich Maloney's side home to salvage a split for the second straight weekend.
Coach Wine's squad looks for the series win in Ann Arbor in the second game of today's doubleheader, while Rich Maloney's side home to salvage a split for the second straight weekend.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Saturday's Sweeps and Splits
Ohio State swept their doubleheader from Minnesota, 8-1 and 13-1. Jake Hale returned to the starting rotation in the opener and pitched a seven inning complete game. The righthander, who has spent most of the season as the Buckeyes closer*, gave the Gophers only six hits and two walks. Hale fanned six en route to his second win of the year.
Eric Fryer had three hits, including a pair of doubles, drove in two and scored twice. Justin Miller also had a three hit game. The Bucks firstbaseman added a RBI and scored a run. Matt Nohelty's three hits led the Gophers offense.
Fryer and Miller both had three hits a piece in the nightcap. They were joined in the three hit club by freshmen Cory Kovanda and Brian DeLucia. Fryer led the group with a four RBI game. Jason Zoeller, who was moved to the cleanup spot, homered and drove in three. Kovanda and Matt Angle each touched home plate three times.
J.B. Shuck (4-2) tossed six innings of three hit baseball. The OSU sophomore did yield five walks, but held Minnesota to only a single run. Tijl Vanderweghe's two hits were half of Minnesota's output in the second game.
#26 Michigan and Penn State split their twinbill. Zach Putnam led the Wolverines to an 11-5 win in game one. Putnam (7-3) allowed eight hits, two walks and three runs over his six innings of work. The sophomore righthander struck out eight Nittany Lions.
Adam Abraham led the Michigan offense by belting a three run homer. Jason Christian also went yard and had two hits, two RBI and scored four times. Nate Recknagel also drove in two runs. Brian Ernst had three hits, scored twice and drove in run.
The Nittany Lions posted a come-from-behind win in the finale. Penn State won 5-4. Michigan jumped out to a 4-0 lead only to see PSU tie it with a four run sixth inning. Scott Gaffney's homer put PSU on the board and Rick Marlin's three run jack tied it at 4-4. Matt Cavagnaro scored the winning run in the ninth on Gaffney's RBI single. Gaffney had three hits, two RBI and scored a run. Marlin had a pair of hits, drove in three and also scored once.
Drew O'Neil picked up the win. O'Neil (3-1) pitched three innings of relief giving up a lone hit while striking out three. Nate Reckangel had two hits and two RBI in the loss.
Purdue took the first game from Iowa, 11-6. Iowa prevailed in the nightcap by a score of 6-5. The Boilers' Dan Black homered twice, scored twice and drove in three. RF Carlos Pupo also homered, scored three times and drove in two. Ryne White stayed redhot. Purdue's 1B was 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored and two RBI. Iowa countered with Jason White's homer and Travis Sweet's 2 for 2 game. Kevin Hoef also had a pair of hits and a RBI.
Andrew Groves got the win in relief. Josh Lindblom posted his first save tossing the last two frames for Purdue.
A balanced Iowa offense and three Purdue errors led the Hawkeyes to a game two triumph. 2B Justin Toole had two hits, scored once and drove in one to pace the Iowa bats. Nick Erdman improved to 6-2 twirling 5.1 innings. Erdman allowed six hits and a walk, but only one earned run. Mike Schurz had a bit of a struggle, but held on to post his eighth save.
For Purdue, Ryne White's hit parade continued marching on. White went yard amongst his two hits. He also had two RBI and scored once.
Illinois swept Indiana. The Illini won game one, 3-0. Game two saw Illinois win, 5-2. Mike Stankiewicz was the story in the first affair. Stankiewicz tossed a seven inning complete game shutout. The righty allowed six hits and a walk to improve to 4-4. Lars Davis went 2 for 2, Mike Rohde and Kyle Hudson each drove in a run. IU's Tyler Tufts went all six frames, but took the loss.
Illinois pitching continued to dominate in game two. Scott Shaw gave up five hits and no walks over six innings to earn the win. Jake Toohey came in to pitch the seventh and recorded his sixth save. Joe Bonadonna went 3 for 3 for the Illini. Ryan Snowden, Daniel Webb, Ryan Hastings and Shawn Roof each had a RBI. Evan Crawford's three hit game was the highlight for the Hoosiers.
Michigan State stayed in the battle for the post-season by sweeping two from Northwestern. MSU won by scores of 7-4 and 6-4. In the opener, MSU's Sean Walker had two hits, scored twice and drove in a run. Kyle Day also had a pair of hits. Steve Gerstenberger and Evan Friedland both had two RBI. NU fought back with two hit games from Aaron Newman, Jake Owens and Jake Goebbert. Caleb Fields had two RBI.
Jon Kibler won the first game improving to 5-5. Tony Clausen posted his first save.
Spartans' SS Brandon Doherty was 3 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI to pace the MSU offense in the second game. MSU OF Chris Roberts drove in two and scored once. Nolan Moody (1-0) pitched a perfect sixth inning and got the win. Mike Monterey pitched the following inning and earned save number eight.
* Editor's Note: OSU's Jake Hale has apparently not made a start in 2007. He has been the closer since the season began. I was called out by Jeff Wuerth, the SID at Ohio State, and stand corrected. My apologies to any offended parties.
Eric Fryer had three hits, including a pair of doubles, drove in two and scored twice. Justin Miller also had a three hit game. The Bucks firstbaseman added a RBI and scored a run. Matt Nohelty's three hits led the Gophers offense.
Fryer and Miller both had three hits a piece in the nightcap. They were joined in the three hit club by freshmen Cory Kovanda and Brian DeLucia. Fryer led the group with a four RBI game. Jason Zoeller, who was moved to the cleanup spot, homered and drove in three. Kovanda and Matt Angle each touched home plate three times.
J.B. Shuck (4-2) tossed six innings of three hit baseball. The OSU sophomore did yield five walks, but held Minnesota to only a single run. Tijl Vanderweghe's two hits were half of Minnesota's output in the second game.
#26 Michigan and Penn State split their twinbill. Zach Putnam led the Wolverines to an 11-5 win in game one. Putnam (7-3) allowed eight hits, two walks and three runs over his six innings of work. The sophomore righthander struck out eight Nittany Lions.
Adam Abraham led the Michigan offense by belting a three run homer. Jason Christian also went yard and had two hits, two RBI and scored four times. Nate Recknagel also drove in two runs. Brian Ernst had three hits, scored twice and drove in run.
The Nittany Lions posted a come-from-behind win in the finale. Penn State won 5-4. Michigan jumped out to a 4-0 lead only to see PSU tie it with a four run sixth inning. Scott Gaffney's homer put PSU on the board and Rick Marlin's three run jack tied it at 4-4. Matt Cavagnaro scored the winning run in the ninth on Gaffney's RBI single. Gaffney had three hits, two RBI and scored a run. Marlin had a pair of hits, drove in three and also scored once.
Drew O'Neil picked up the win. O'Neil (3-1) pitched three innings of relief giving up a lone hit while striking out three. Nate Reckangel had two hits and two RBI in the loss.
Purdue took the first game from Iowa, 11-6. Iowa prevailed in the nightcap by a score of 6-5. The Boilers' Dan Black homered twice, scored twice and drove in three. RF Carlos Pupo also homered, scored three times and drove in two. Ryne White stayed redhot. Purdue's 1B was 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored and two RBI. Iowa countered with Jason White's homer and Travis Sweet's 2 for 2 game. Kevin Hoef also had a pair of hits and a RBI.
Andrew Groves got the win in relief. Josh Lindblom posted his first save tossing the last two frames for Purdue.
A balanced Iowa offense and three Purdue errors led the Hawkeyes to a game two triumph. 2B Justin Toole had two hits, scored once and drove in one to pace the Iowa bats. Nick Erdman improved to 6-2 twirling 5.1 innings. Erdman allowed six hits and a walk, but only one earned run. Mike Schurz had a bit of a struggle, but held on to post his eighth save.
For Purdue, Ryne White's hit parade continued marching on. White went yard amongst his two hits. He also had two RBI and scored once.
Illinois swept Indiana. The Illini won game one, 3-0. Game two saw Illinois win, 5-2. Mike Stankiewicz was the story in the first affair. Stankiewicz tossed a seven inning complete game shutout. The righty allowed six hits and a walk to improve to 4-4. Lars Davis went 2 for 2, Mike Rohde and Kyle Hudson each drove in a run. IU's Tyler Tufts went all six frames, but took the loss.
Illinois pitching continued to dominate in game two. Scott Shaw gave up five hits and no walks over six innings to earn the win. Jake Toohey came in to pitch the seventh and recorded his sixth save. Joe Bonadonna went 3 for 3 for the Illini. Ryan Snowden, Daniel Webb, Ryan Hastings and Shawn Roof each had a RBI. Evan Crawford's three hit game was the highlight for the Hoosiers.
Michigan State stayed in the battle for the post-season by sweeping two from Northwestern. MSU won by scores of 7-4 and 6-4. In the opener, MSU's Sean Walker had two hits, scored twice and drove in a run. Kyle Day also had a pair of hits. Steve Gerstenberger and Evan Friedland both had two RBI. NU fought back with two hit games from Aaron Newman, Jake Owens and Jake Goebbert. Caleb Fields had two RBI.
Jon Kibler won the first game improving to 5-5. Tony Clausen posted his first save.
Spartans' SS Brandon Doherty was 3 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI to pace the MSU offense in the second game. MSU OF Chris Roberts drove in two and scored once. Nolan Moody (1-0) pitched a perfect sixth inning and got the win. Mike Monterey pitched the following inning and earned save number eight.
* Editor's Note: OSU's Jake Hale has apparently not made a start in 2007. He has been the closer since the season began. I was called out by Jeff Wuerth, the SID at Ohio State, and stand corrected. My apologies to any offended parties.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Friday Finals
Minnesota downed Ohio State, 6-4. I can't find any stats as of yet, but the Gophers site indicates Minnesota went yard twice. More to come. (I hope.)
Michigan State thumped Northwestern, 11-6. NU put one on the board in the first. The Spartans answered with three in their half of the opening frame. MSU put another three on the board in the second. The Wildcats went on top with a five run fifth inning. However, the Spartans concluded the scoring by putting six up in the bottom of the fifth to take the win.
MSU's Sean Walker hit a grand slam and drove in six runs. Evan Friedland drove in three. Dennis Jones was a perfect 5 for 5. Northwestern's Jake Goebbert and Caleb Fields each had a pair of hits and RBI.
Purdue put a hurt on Iowa, 13-4. Ryne White and Jeff Mojzik each had four hit games. White, who took over the Big Ten batting race last weekend, also had four RBI. Boilers' freshman Matt Bischoff (3-1) worked seven innings giving up seven hits, a walk and four runs to post the win. Bischoff also fanned six Hawkeyes. Travis Sweet led Iowa's offense with three RBI.
Illinois sneaked past Indiana, 6-5. The Illini won in spite of committing six errors. Tanner Roark started and worked 7.2 innings to post his sixth win. Roark allowed nine hits, three walks and five runs only two of which were earned. Jake Toohey came in and got his fifth save. Daniel Webb was the hitting star with three hits and two RBI. CF Andrew Means paced IU with three hits and two RBI.
Michigan State thumped Northwestern, 11-6. NU put one on the board in the first. The Spartans answered with three in their half of the opening frame. MSU put another three on the board in the second. The Wildcats went on top with a five run fifth inning. However, the Spartans concluded the scoring by putting six up in the bottom of the fifth to take the win.
MSU's Sean Walker hit a grand slam and drove in six runs. Evan Friedland drove in three. Dennis Jones was a perfect 5 for 5. Northwestern's Jake Goebbert and Caleb Fields each had a pair of hits and RBI.
Purdue put a hurt on Iowa, 13-4. Ryne White and Jeff Mojzik each had four hit games. White, who took over the Big Ten batting race last weekend, also had four RBI. Boilers' freshman Matt Bischoff (3-1) worked seven innings giving up seven hits, a walk and four runs to post the win. Bischoff also fanned six Hawkeyes. Travis Sweet led Iowa's offense with three RBI.
Illinois sneaked past Indiana, 6-5. The Illini won in spite of committing six errors. Tanner Roark started and worked 7.2 innings to post his sixth win. Roark allowed nine hits, three walks and five runs only two of which were earned. Jake Toohey came in and got his fifth save. Daniel Webb was the hitting star with three hits and two RBI. CF Andrew Means paced IU with three hits and two RBI.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Coach Anderson Interviewed
The Star-Tribune did an interview with Minnesota head coach John Anderson. Michael Rand asks Coach Anderson about this year's team, the universal start date and the tribute to the 1977 Gophers squad.
Hat tip: Thanks to Tom, whom I believe runs Gopher Nation, for the heads-up on the interview.
Hat tip: Thanks to Tom, whom I believe runs Gopher Nation, for the heads-up on the interview.
More Midweek Results
Western Carolina swept their midweek series versus Ohio State. The Buckeyes dropped Tuesday's affair, 7-3. Jason Zoeller's homer and two hits were the highlight for OSU. WCU went yard three times. The Catamounts hit parade kicked into high gear Wednesday as Western Carolina beat OSU, 12-2. Zoeller and Matt Angle each had three hits for the Buckeyes, but the results were the same. WCU hit three more homers. 2B Kenny Smith had three hits, three runs scored and drove in four runs.
Western Carolina improved to 34-15. Ohio State concluded the series at 28-17.
Northwestern beat UIC, 6-2. Jake Owens, Jake Goebbert, Antonio Mule and Max Mann each had two hits a piece for NU. Mike Kalina drove in two Wildcat runs. Joe Muraski won his third game of the year. NU is now 14-32. UIC left Evanston at 26-17.
I'm currently watching Michigan beat Eastern Michigan, 8-0, on Comcast Local. It's the sixth inning in Ypsilanti. EMU does have the bases loaded against the Wolverines' Eric Katzman. The MAC leaders and Big Ten leaders were supposed to play two, but there was a two hour rain delay. It sounds like they are only going to play one.
UPDATE: Mike Boyd just hit a grandslam for EMU. It's 8-4, Michigan. Boyd has eight RBI off Katzman this season.
Western Carolina improved to 34-15. Ohio State concluded the series at 28-17.
Northwestern beat UIC, 6-2. Jake Owens, Jake Goebbert, Antonio Mule and Max Mann each had two hits a piece for NU. Mike Kalina drove in two Wildcat runs. Joe Muraski won his third game of the year. NU is now 14-32. UIC left Evanston at 26-17.
I'm currently watching Michigan beat Eastern Michigan, 8-0, on Comcast Local. It's the sixth inning in Ypsilanti. EMU does have the bases loaded against the Wolverines' Eric Katzman. The MAC leaders and Big Ten leaders were supposed to play two, but there was a two hour rain delay. It sounds like they are only going to play one.
UPDATE: Mike Boyd just hit a grandslam for EMU. It's 8-4, Michigan. Boyd has eight RBI off Katzman this season.
Sweet Tops OPS
Last week I posted that there was a new OPS leader only to learn I was wrong. Not afraid to make the same mistake again, it appears to me that Iowa's Travis Sweet has climbed to the top of the Big Ten's OPS race.
The Hawkeyes' centerfielder has an on base plus slugging percentage of 1.132. Ryne White, Purdue's firstbaseman, is now in second at 1.126. Jason White, Sweet's teammate at Iowa, is in third place at 1..104. Fourth spot belongs to the previous leader, Lars Davis of Illinois. The potential conference Player of the Year has an OPS of 1.042.
Michigan's Nate Recknagel follows Davis at 1.094. Mike Mee, of Minnesota, is in sixth place at 1.075. Justin Toole, yet another Iowa hitter, is next at 1.046. The eighth and final Big Ten player with an OPS above 1.000 is our final Hawkeye. Iowa catcher Dusty Napoleon has an OPS of 1.042.
The Hawkeyes' centerfielder has an on base plus slugging percentage of 1.132. Ryne White, Purdue's firstbaseman, is now in second at 1.126. Jason White, Sweet's teammate at Iowa, is in third place at 1..104. Fourth spot belongs to the previous leader, Lars Davis of Illinois. The potential conference Player of the Year has an OPS of 1.042.
Michigan's Nate Recknagel follows Davis at 1.094. Mike Mee, of Minnesota, is in sixth place at 1.075. Justin Toole, yet another Iowa hitter, is next at 1.046. The eighth and final Big Ten player with an OPS above 1.000 is our final Hawkeye. Iowa catcher Dusty Napoleon has an OPS of 1.042.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Midweek Scores
Louisville beat up Indiana at Sembower Field today, 16-3. The Cardinals are now 33-15 and one of the hottest team's in the nation. UL certainly played the part of redhot team well in belting out 20 hits including three homers.
A bit surprising to me was that Indiana trotted out freshman hurler Matt Bashore, arguably their most impressive arm, for this early week match-up. Of course, he did miss his turn due to the rain in Iowa on Sunday. (At least, that's the thinking I'm going with.) The first year Hoosier didn't last long against the potent UL offense. Fellow freshmen Evan Crawford (two hits including his first homer) and Josh Phegley (two hits, two RBI) led the IU bats.
UL thirdbaseman Justin McClanahan was 4 for 5 with a run scored and five RBI. Daniel Burton had three hits, three runs and two RBI.
Michigan State beat Western Michigan, 10-6. Ryan McFarlane posted his first win going seven innings and allowing only three hits. 1B Evan Friedland had three hits and three RBI for the Spartans. Steve Gerstenberger also had three hits. Dennis Jones and E.J. Daws both drove in a pair of runs. Eli Boike, Sean Walker and Justin Potes all had two hits. Western's Matt Abro had three RBI.
Miami (Ohio) took out Purdue, 9-4. It's a tough midweek loss for the Boilers. Purdue sent a number of their better arms to the hill -- Ricky Heines, Andew Groves, Josh Lindblom, Chris Ivanic and Dan Sattler -- but, still couldn't prevent a Miami triumph. The Boilermakers' Ryne White, who has taken over the conference batting race, had two more hits against the RedHawks. One of Jon Moore's two hits was his first homer of 2007. Miami catcher Eric Darlage had three hits and three RBI. Darlage went yard for the fourth time this season.
A bit surprising to me was that Indiana trotted out freshman hurler Matt Bashore, arguably their most impressive arm, for this early week match-up. Of course, he did miss his turn due to the rain in Iowa on Sunday. (At least, that's the thinking I'm going with.) The first year Hoosier didn't last long against the potent UL offense. Fellow freshmen Evan Crawford (two hits including his first homer) and Josh Phegley (two hits, two RBI) led the IU bats.
UL thirdbaseman Justin McClanahan was 4 for 5 with a run scored and five RBI. Daniel Burton had three hits, three runs and two RBI.
Michigan State beat Western Michigan, 10-6. Ryan McFarlane posted his first win going seven innings and allowing only three hits. 1B Evan Friedland had three hits and three RBI for the Spartans. Steve Gerstenberger also had three hits. Dennis Jones and E.J. Daws both drove in a pair of runs. Eli Boike, Sean Walker and Justin Potes all had two hits. Western's Matt Abro had three RBI.
Miami (Ohio) took out Purdue, 9-4. It's a tough midweek loss for the Boilers. Purdue sent a number of their better arms to the hill -- Ricky Heines, Andew Groves, Josh Lindblom, Chris Ivanic and Dan Sattler -- but, still couldn't prevent a Miami triumph. The Boilermakers' Ryne White, who has taken over the conference batting race, had two more hits against the RedHawks. One of Jon Moore's two hits was his first homer of 2007. Miami catcher Eric Darlage had three hits and three RBI. Darlage went yard for the fourth time this season.
Regional Predictions And Other Links
CSTV's Mark Etheridge offers up his weekly projection of the 64 team field. Michigan and Minnesota both make Mr. Etheridge's cut.
Minnesota's Mike Mee and Illinois' Lars Davis continue to receive votes in CSTV's weekly Player of the Year poll.
Here's Jason Grodsky's recap of the Illinois series at Michigan for the Daily Illini.
Indiana Daily Student's John Wustrow looks back at IU's three defeats at the hands of Iowa.
The Wolverine perspective of the Illinois series is provided by Andy Reid of The Michigan Daily.
Penn State thirdbaseman Mike Deese has an interesting ride. The Daily Collegian's Jon Blau gives the details.
Mark Znidar, The Columbus Disptach, talks about Ohio State's Sunday loss to Michigan State.
Minnesota's Mike Mee and Illinois' Lars Davis continue to receive votes in CSTV's weekly Player of the Year poll.
Here's Jason Grodsky's recap of the Illinois series at Michigan for the Daily Illini.
Indiana Daily Student's John Wustrow looks back at IU's three defeats at the hands of Iowa.
The Wolverine perspective of the Illinois series is provided by Andy Reid of The Michigan Daily.
Penn State thirdbaseman Mike Deese has an interesting ride. The Daily Collegian's Jon Blau gives the details.
Mark Znidar, The Columbus Disptach, talks about Ohio State's Sunday loss to Michigan State.
The All-Weekend Team
This edition of the Big Ten Hardball All-Weekend Team is more pitching heavy than normal. It was actually a bit of a struggle to pick hitters, as the pitchers clearly dominated the bats this past weekend.
As usual, I encourage you to check my numbers. I am apt to missing something periodically. I also would request that you drop me a line if you feel I missed someone.
Catcher - Joe Blackburn, Penn State (7/13, 5 R, 4 RBI, 2 3B, BB)
Firstbase - Justin Miller, Ohio State (8/14, 2 R, 7 RBI, HR, 2B, BB)
Secondbase - Caleb Fields, Northwestern (7/16, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 2B, BB)
Shortstop - Jason White, Iowa (5/13, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2B, HR, SB)
Thirdbase - Nate Hanson, Minnesota (6/15, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR)
Outfield - Dennis Jones, Michigan State (5/14, 3 R, 7 RBI, 2 2B, 3B, BB)
Outfield - Chris Roberts, Michigan State (9/16, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2B)
Outfield - Travis Sweet, Iowa (5/11, 2 R, 7 RBI, HR, SB, BB)
Designated Hitter - Zach Putnam, Michigan (7/13, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR, BB)
Bench - Ryan Hastings, Illinois (4/11, 5 R, 4 RBI, HR, 2 BB, 2 SB)
Bench - Matt Cavagnaro, Penn State (7/17, 3 R, 2 RBI)
Bench - Justin Toole, Iowa (5/9, 5 R, 2 RBI)
Bench - Ryan White, Purdue (6/14, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2B, BB)
Bench - J.B. Shuck, Ohio State (5/9, R, 4 RBI, BB)
Bench - Mike Mee, Minnesota (4/14, 4 R, 6 RBI, HR, 3 BB, SB)
Bench - Mike Rohde, Illinois (4/13, 5 R, 4 RBI, HR 2 BB, 2 SB)
Starter - Seth Whitehill, Penn State (7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K's in win over Purdue)
Starter - Nick Erdman, Iowa (7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's in win over IU)
Starter - Jon Kibler, Michigan State (7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's in win over OSU)
Starter - Scott Shaw, Illinois (7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's in win over Michigan)
Starter - Zach Putnam, Michigan (9.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's in win over Illinois)
Starter - Cory Luebke, Ohio State (6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K's in win over MSU)
Starter - Matt Bischoff, Purdue (7.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's in loss to PSU)
Starter - Tony Sedlmeyer, Purdue (5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's in win over PSU)
Starter - Craig Clark, Penn State (5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's in win over Purdue)
Relief - Jake Toohey, Illinois (2 APP, 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K in win and ND vs. Michigan)
Relief - Mike Monterey, Michigan State (2 APP, 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K in two saves over OSU)
As usual, I encourage you to check my numbers. I am apt to missing something periodically. I also would request that you drop me a line if you feel I missed someone.
Catcher - Joe Blackburn, Penn State (7/13, 5 R, 4 RBI, 2 3B, BB)
Firstbase - Justin Miller, Ohio State (8/14, 2 R, 7 RBI, HR, 2B, BB)
Secondbase - Caleb Fields, Northwestern (7/16, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 2B, BB)
Shortstop - Jason White, Iowa (5/13, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2B, HR, SB)
Thirdbase - Nate Hanson, Minnesota (6/15, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR)
Outfield - Dennis Jones, Michigan State (5/14, 3 R, 7 RBI, 2 2B, 3B, BB)
Outfield - Chris Roberts, Michigan State (9/16, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2B)
Outfield - Travis Sweet, Iowa (5/11, 2 R, 7 RBI, HR, SB, BB)
Designated Hitter - Zach Putnam, Michigan (7/13, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR, BB)
Bench - Ryan Hastings, Illinois (4/11, 5 R, 4 RBI, HR, 2 BB, 2 SB)
Bench - Matt Cavagnaro, Penn State (7/17, 3 R, 2 RBI)
Bench - Justin Toole, Iowa (5/9, 5 R, 2 RBI)
Bench - Ryan White, Purdue (6/14, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2B, BB)
Bench - J.B. Shuck, Ohio State (5/9, R, 4 RBI, BB)
Bench - Mike Mee, Minnesota (4/14, 4 R, 6 RBI, HR, 3 BB, SB)
Bench - Mike Rohde, Illinois (4/13, 5 R, 4 RBI, HR 2 BB, 2 SB)
Starter - Seth Whitehill, Penn State (7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K's in win over Purdue)
Starter - Nick Erdman, Iowa (7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's in win over IU)
Starter - Jon Kibler, Michigan State (7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's in win over OSU)
Starter - Scott Shaw, Illinois (7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's in win over Michigan)
Starter - Zach Putnam, Michigan (9.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's in win over Illinois)
Starter - Cory Luebke, Ohio State (6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K's in win over MSU)
Starter - Matt Bischoff, Purdue (7.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's in loss to PSU)
Starter - Tony Sedlmeyer, Purdue (5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's in win over PSU)
Starter - Craig Clark, Penn State (5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's in win over Purdue)
Relief - Jake Toohey, Illinois (2 APP, 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K in win and ND vs. Michigan)
Relief - Mike Monterey, Michigan State (2 APP, 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K in two saves over OSU)
Sunday, May 06, 2007
The Weekend In Review
It was a kind of a wacky weekend in the Big Ten. Illinois took two at Michigan, Northwestern dropped Minnesota twice and Michigan State went to Columbus and grabbed three of four from Ohio State. In spite of the upsets, the standings didn't change much.
Time doesn't allow me to give the usual game recaps, but the boxscores are linked after each result.
Illinois @ #26 Michigan
UM 4 ILL 3 (Friday)
ILL 7 UM 4 (Sat #1)
ILL 6 UM 3 (Sat #2)
UM 10 ILL 5 (Sunday)
Illinois walked into The Fish and took two from the nationally ranked Wolverines. The split in Ann Arbor helps Illinois maintain the last conference tournament spot. However, Illinois' B10 tourney slot isn't secure. The losses will drop Michigan's RPI. I also suspect this may drop Michigan out of a few national rankings (think, NCBWA).
Northwestern @ #30 Minnesota
NU 9 MIN 7 (Friday)
MIN 5 NU 4 (Sat #1)
MIN 5 NU 4 (Sat #2)
NU 6 MIN 5 (Sunday)
Props to the Wildcats for taking two from the Gophers. NU didn't have much to play for, other than pride, and the 'Cats hung with Minnesota all weekend. With Michigan dropping two over the weekend, Minnesota could have climbed closer to first place. After dropping two to the RPI challenged Wildcats, I have doubts the voters will look favorably on the Gophers. Obviously, Minnesota's RPI is going to take a hit, as well.
Purdue @ Penn State
PSU 4 PUR 1 (Sat #1)
PSU 11 PUR 2 (Sat #2)
PUR 6 PSU 1 (Sun #1)
PSU 7 PUR 3 (Sun #2)
The Nittany Lions take three of four and stay in a tie for third. PSU gets it's chance to make a statement next weekend with a trip to Ann Arbor. (Another pair of Saturday/Sunday doubleheaders are on the docket.) Purdue is still in the chase for a Big Ten Tournament berth, but lost a chance to move into top six.
Michigan State @ Ohio State
OSU 8 MSU 4 (Friday)
MSU 5 OSU 1 (Sat #1)
MSU 6 OSU 4 (Sat #2)
MSU 7 OSU 5 (Sunday)
Three big wins on the road for David Grewe's squad. Like Purdue, the Spartans are only one game behind in the win column from sixth place and a tournament invitation. (Of course, all of the cancellations have made the conference race a mess. We will need to keep winning percentage in mind as no two teams may play the same number of games this year.) The Buckeyes are now in fifth and facing a trip to second place Minnesota next weekend.
Indiana @ Iowa
UI 3 IU 2 (Friday)
UI 10 IU 2 (Sat #1)
UI 9 IU 0 (Sat #2)
IU @ UI (Canceled - rain)
Iowa takes the three games played. I wouldn't want to play the Hawkeyes right now. They are just crushing the baseball and added some strong pitching this weekend for good measure. Iowa is now in a tie for third place. IU might have eliminated itself from the B10 tournament field.
Here are the conference standings. The record in parenthesis is the overall record. The BW figure indicates Boyd's World pseudo-RPI mark as of Sunday night.
1. Michigan 17-3 (34-10) BW #41
2. Minnesota 14-5 (32-10) BW #34
T3. Iowa 14-8 (26-15) BW #80
T3. Penn State 14-8 (22-22) BW #110
5. Ohio State 12-10 (28-15) BW #85
6. Illinois 10-12 (22-22) BW #130
T7. Michigan State 9-14 (18-23) BW #118
T7. Purdue 9-14 (19-23) BW #157
9. Indiana 6-17 (16-28) BW #211
10. Northwestern 5-19 (13-32) BW #228
Time doesn't allow me to give the usual game recaps, but the boxscores are linked after each result.
Illinois @ #26 Michigan
UM 4 ILL 3 (Friday)
ILL 7 UM 4 (Sat #1)
ILL 6 UM 3 (Sat #2)
UM 10 ILL 5 (Sunday)
Illinois walked into The Fish and took two from the nationally ranked Wolverines. The split in Ann Arbor helps Illinois maintain the last conference tournament spot. However, Illinois' B10 tourney slot isn't secure. The losses will drop Michigan's RPI. I also suspect this may drop Michigan out of a few national rankings (think, NCBWA).
Northwestern @ #30 Minnesota
NU 9 MIN 7 (Friday)
MIN 5 NU 4 (Sat #1)
MIN 5 NU 4 (Sat #2)
NU 6 MIN 5 (Sunday)
Props to the Wildcats for taking two from the Gophers. NU didn't have much to play for, other than pride, and the 'Cats hung with Minnesota all weekend. With Michigan dropping two over the weekend, Minnesota could have climbed closer to first place. After dropping two to the RPI challenged Wildcats, I have doubts the voters will look favorably on the Gophers. Obviously, Minnesota's RPI is going to take a hit, as well.
Purdue @ Penn State
PSU 4 PUR 1 (Sat #1)
PSU 11 PUR 2 (Sat #2)
PUR 6 PSU 1 (Sun #1)
PSU 7 PUR 3 (Sun #2)
The Nittany Lions take three of four and stay in a tie for third. PSU gets it's chance to make a statement next weekend with a trip to Ann Arbor. (Another pair of Saturday/Sunday doubleheaders are on the docket.) Purdue is still in the chase for a Big Ten Tournament berth, but lost a chance to move into top six.
Michigan State @ Ohio State
OSU 8 MSU 4 (Friday)
MSU 5 OSU 1 (Sat #1)
MSU 6 OSU 4 (Sat #2)
MSU 7 OSU 5 (Sunday)
Three big wins on the road for David Grewe's squad. Like Purdue, the Spartans are only one game behind in the win column from sixth place and a tournament invitation. (Of course, all of the cancellations have made the conference race a mess. We will need to keep winning percentage in mind as no two teams may play the same number of games this year.) The Buckeyes are now in fifth and facing a trip to second place Minnesota next weekend.
Indiana @ Iowa
UI 3 IU 2 (Friday)
UI 10 IU 2 (Sat #1)
UI 9 IU 0 (Sat #2)
IU @ UI (Canceled - rain)
Iowa takes the three games played. I wouldn't want to play the Hawkeyes right now. They are just crushing the baseball and added some strong pitching this weekend for good measure. Iowa is now in a tie for third place. IU might have eliminated itself from the B10 tournament field.
Here are the conference standings. The record in parenthesis is the overall record. The BW figure indicates Boyd's World pseudo-RPI mark as of Sunday night.
1. Michigan 17-3 (34-10) BW #41
2. Minnesota 14-5 (32-10) BW #34
T3. Iowa 14-8 (26-15) BW #80
T3. Penn State 14-8 (22-22) BW #110
5. Ohio State 12-10 (28-15) BW #85
6. Illinois 10-12 (22-22) BW #130
T7. Michigan State 9-14 (18-23) BW #118
T7. Purdue 9-14 (19-23) BW #157
9. Indiana 6-17 (16-28) BW #211
10. Northwestern 5-19 (13-32) BW #228
Friday, May 04, 2007
Welcome, Stitch Heads
I should take a moment to welcome those of you who have been led here by CSTV's Eric Sorenson. Eric, the Grand Poobah of Stitched-Ball Nation, has been sending props this way for a couple of days. First, in an interview with Corn Nation, then in his weekly Thursday Thoughts column.
I thank Eric for his praise of Big Ten Hardball and welcome all of his readers to college baseball in the north. Don't worry, though. It's May. We haven't seen snow in weeks.
(By the way, E, my mother wants to have a word with you about this "pimping" nonsense.)
I thank Eric for his praise of Big Ten Hardball and welcome all of his readers to college baseball in the north. Don't worry, though. It's May. We haven't seen snow in weeks.
(By the way, E, my mother wants to have a word with you about this "pimping" nonsense.)
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Polls, Midweek Recaps And Other Links
This is a mess of links to any number of things Big Ten related. All are baseball themed, of course, but there really isn't any order. I'm hoping everyone can find something they like.
CSTV's weekly Player of the Year rankings are avaiable. While no one from the Big Ten is in the Top 10, thus landing them a color photo, both Minnesota's Mike Mee and Illinois' Lars Davis have garnered votes. I kid you not. Go look. I figure Eric Sorenson slid someone from the Big 10 a vote, but I can't believe he's got two in his top ten. I'd love to know who voted for whom.
Mark Etheridge has issued his weekly guess as to the make-up of the NCAA Tournament field. Both Minnesota and Michigan are in.
The Wolverines are moving up in all the polls after their sweep of Michigan State. Ping! has Michigan at # 17. Collegiate Baseball has them at # 13. The NCBWA has Rich Maloney's troops at # 26. USA Today/Coaches Poll has Michigan at # 22. Baseball America has the Maize and Blue up to # 16.
Minnesota has also made the polls. Finally. Ping! has the Gophers ranked # 29. The NCBWA has John Anderson's side at # 30.
Illinois won it's midweek encounter with Southern Illinois, 6-2. Jason Grodsky of The Daily Illini reports. Ryan Snowden had a four hit, four RBI game.
Dustin Ensinger of The Lantern catches up with Ohio State heading into their weekend battle with Michigan State.
The Daily Northwestern's Chris Gentilviso gives a recap of NU's midweek loss to Northern Illinois.
Paul Cordes of the Minnesota Daily writes about those red hot Gopher bats.
Iowa's 9-3 triumph over Western Illinois is the subject matter for Eric Mandel of The Daily Iowan. Jason White and Travis Sweet were in the middle of Iowa's offense, again. (No surprise there.)
Lars Davis of Illinois is the only member of the Big Ten to be named as one of fifty semi-finalists for USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award. Davis was also named to the Brooks Wallace and Johnny Bench Award lists, as well. All deserving, I might add. The Illini catcher was also the subject of a Spotlight feature at Ping! Baseball. (Yeah, I'm tardy on this one, but it reveals the kind of season Davis is having.)
Courtney Ratkowiak of the Michigan Daily reviews the Wolverines mashing of MSU. Ms. Ratkowiak also writes on Eric Rose's stolen base record.
Northwestern beat Illinois Tech today, 13-7. Antonio Mule went yard twice.
Ping! interviews Spartans Craig Brookes and Steve Gerstenberger. MSU head coach David Grewe gets a Ping! Spotlight feature, as well.
Michigan swept a doubleheader from Western Michigan. Game one was a 4-1 triumph. Game two went Michigan's way, 9-4. Derek Van Buskirk had two hits and two RBI in the first game. Van Buskirk collected two more hits and two more RBI in the nightcap. Adam Abraham got the win and drove in two runs.
Indiana has added a midweek game against Louisville to help make up for all those rain/snow/cold outs.
The University of Illinois did a feature on outfielder Ryan Snowden.
CSTV's weekly Player of the Year rankings are avaiable. While no one from the Big Ten is in the Top 10, thus landing them a color photo, both Minnesota's Mike Mee and Illinois' Lars Davis have garnered votes. I kid you not. Go look. I figure Eric Sorenson slid someone from the Big 10 a vote, but I can't believe he's got two in his top ten. I'd love to know who voted for whom.
Mark Etheridge has issued his weekly guess as to the make-up of the NCAA Tournament field. Both Minnesota and Michigan are in.
The Wolverines are moving up in all the polls after their sweep of Michigan State. Ping! has Michigan at # 17. Collegiate Baseball has them at # 13. The NCBWA has Rich Maloney's troops at # 26. USA Today/Coaches Poll has Michigan at # 22. Baseball America has the Maize and Blue up to # 16.
Minnesota has also made the polls. Finally. Ping! has the Gophers ranked # 29. The NCBWA has John Anderson's side at # 30.
Illinois won it's midweek encounter with Southern Illinois, 6-2. Jason Grodsky of The Daily Illini reports. Ryan Snowden had a four hit, four RBI game.
Dustin Ensinger of The Lantern catches up with Ohio State heading into their weekend battle with Michigan State.
The Daily Northwestern's Chris Gentilviso gives a recap of NU's midweek loss to Northern Illinois.
Paul Cordes of the Minnesota Daily writes about those red hot Gopher bats.
Iowa's 9-3 triumph over Western Illinois is the subject matter for Eric Mandel of The Daily Iowan. Jason White and Travis Sweet were in the middle of Iowa's offense, again. (No surprise there.)
Lars Davis of Illinois is the only member of the Big Ten to be named as one of fifty semi-finalists for USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award. Davis was also named to the Brooks Wallace and Johnny Bench Award lists, as well. All deserving, I might add. The Illini catcher was also the subject of a Spotlight feature at Ping! Baseball. (Yeah, I'm tardy on this one, but it reveals the kind of season Davis is having.)
Courtney Ratkowiak of the Michigan Daily reviews the Wolverines mashing of MSU. Ms. Ratkowiak also writes on Eric Rose's stolen base record.
Northwestern beat Illinois Tech today, 13-7. Antonio Mule went yard twice.
Ping! interviews Spartans Craig Brookes and Steve Gerstenberger. MSU head coach David Grewe gets a Ping! Spotlight feature, as well.
Michigan swept a doubleheader from Western Michigan. Game one was a 4-1 triumph. Game two went Michigan's way, 9-4. Derek Van Buskirk had two hits and two RBI in the first game. Van Buskirk collected two more hits and two more RBI in the nightcap. Adam Abraham got the win and drove in two runs.
Indiana has added a midweek game against Louisville to help make up for all those rain/snow/cold outs.
The University of Illinois did a feature on outfielder Ryan Snowden.
The Remaining Schedule
There are only three weekends left of conference play. With that in mind, I pondered what the schedules looked like for each team coming down the stretch. Here's what I found (non-conference games are not listed).
MICHIGAN
Illinois
Penn State
@ Iowa
MINNESOTA
Northwestern
Ohio State
@ Indiana
PENN STATE
Purdue
@ Michigan
Ohio State
OHIO STATE
Michigan State
@ Minnesota
@ Penn State
IOWA
Indiana
@ Purdue
Michigan
ILLINOIS
@ Michigan
Indiana
Michigan State
PURDUE
@ Penn State
Iowa
@ Northwestern
MICHIGAN STATE
@ Ohio State
Northwestern
@ Illinois
INDIANA
@ Iowa
@ Illinois
Minnesota
NORTHWESTERN
@ Minnesota
@ Michigan State
Purdue
On paper, it appears Minnesota has the easiest schedule amongst the conference leaders. Ohio State and Penn State would be the two programs with the most difficult slates left. The two teams are currently tied for third place in the Big Ten and conclude the season against each other at State College. Of the top six teams in the conference, only OSU finishes the season with two road series. Thus, I would give the nod to the Buckeyes as having the most difficult stretch run.
The Big Ten leaders, Michigan, don't have anything close to a cakewalk to repeating as regular season champions, either. All three of their remaining opponents would be in the conference tournament today.
The bottom four programs get no help for the schedule makers. All four -- Purdue, Michigan State, Indiana and Northwestern -- play two of their remaining three conference series in enemy territory.
I don't believe I'm breaking any news to suggest that Michigan and Minnesota are the only two programs with a chance of landing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Oh, I suppose OSU or PSU could win out and cause an eyebrow to be raised by the tournament committee, but I think everyone outside the Wolverines and Gophers are going to have to win the Big Ten tourney to go dancing.
MICHIGAN
Illinois
Penn State
@ Iowa
MINNESOTA
Northwestern
Ohio State
@ Indiana
PENN STATE
Purdue
@ Michigan
Ohio State
OHIO STATE
Michigan State
@ Minnesota
@ Penn State
IOWA
Indiana
@ Purdue
Michigan
ILLINOIS
@ Michigan
Indiana
Michigan State
PURDUE
@ Penn State
Iowa
@ Northwestern
MICHIGAN STATE
@ Ohio State
Northwestern
@ Illinois
INDIANA
@ Iowa
@ Illinois
Minnesota
NORTHWESTERN
@ Minnesota
@ Michigan State
Purdue
On paper, it appears Minnesota has the easiest schedule amongst the conference leaders. Ohio State and Penn State would be the two programs with the most difficult slates left. The two teams are currently tied for third place in the Big Ten and conclude the season against each other at State College. Of the top six teams in the conference, only OSU finishes the season with two road series. Thus, I would give the nod to the Buckeyes as having the most difficult stretch run.
The Big Ten leaders, Michigan, don't have anything close to a cakewalk to repeating as regular season champions, either. All three of their remaining opponents would be in the conference tournament today.
The bottom four programs get no help for the schedule makers. All four -- Purdue, Michigan State, Indiana and Northwestern -- play two of their remaining three conference series in enemy territory.
I don't believe I'm breaking any news to suggest that Michigan and Minnesota are the only two programs with a chance of landing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Oh, I suppose OSU or PSU could win out and cause an eyebrow to be raised by the tournament committee, but I think everyone outside the Wolverines and Gophers are going to have to win the Big Ten tourney to go dancing.
A Not-So-New OPS Leader
Originally, I had posted here that Michigan firstbaseman Nate Recknagel had grabbed the top spot in our weekly OPS review. Recknagel's on base plus slugging percentage is 1.153. However, a diligent reader pointed out that Illinois' Lars Davis had an OPS of 1.155, not the 1.115 I had listed. I checked my math and sure enough, Davis has a better OPS than Recknagel. My bad.
So, I owe apologies all over the place. To Lars Davis, Nate Recknagel, all of my readers and to my elementary school teachers, I'm sincerely sorry. Clearly, I failed all these groups on differing levels. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my reader that caught my mistake. (Yep, people actual read what I write. It surprises me, too.)
The revised OPS standings have Davis at 1.155. Then, Recknagel at 1.153. Purdue's Ryne White holds onto third at 1.121. The fourth spot is now held by Iowa's Travis Sweet. The Hawkeyes' centerfielder is at 1.118.
Mike Mee of Minnesota, who sits atop the league batting race, is in fifth at 1.110. Iowa's Jason White is next at 1.105. Purdue outfielder Jordan Comadena is in seventh place at 1.084. The eighth slot is owned by Dusty Napoleon 1.078. Michigan's Jason Christian rounds out the field at 1.013.
This, of course, assumes I have the remainder of the list correct. A mighty big assumption on my part, I admit. If I transposed another number or generally botched some basic math, drop me a line.
So, I owe apologies all over the place. To Lars Davis, Nate Recknagel, all of my readers and to my elementary school teachers, I'm sincerely sorry. Clearly, I failed all these groups on differing levels. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my reader that caught my mistake. (Yep, people actual read what I write. It surprises me, too.)
The revised OPS standings have Davis at 1.155. Then, Recknagel at 1.153. Purdue's Ryne White holds onto third at 1.121. The fourth spot is now held by Iowa's Travis Sweet. The Hawkeyes' centerfielder is at 1.118.
Mike Mee of Minnesota, who sits atop the league batting race, is in fifth at 1.110. Iowa's Jason White is next at 1.105. Purdue outfielder Jordan Comadena is in seventh place at 1.084. The eighth slot is owned by Dusty Napoleon 1.078. Michigan's Jason Christian rounds out the field at 1.013.
This, of course, assumes I have the remainder of the list correct. A mighty big assumption on my part, I admit. If I transposed another number or generally botched some basic math, drop me a line.
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