ASU’s Esmay, Ole Miss’ Bianco and Creighton’s Servais join Schlossnagle’s staff

Press Release USA Baseball

DURHAM, N.C. — USA Baseball announced today it has finalized the 2013 Collegiate National Team coaching staff with the addition of assistant coaches Tim Esmay, Mike Bianco and Ed Servais. Esmay, Bianco and Servais currently serve as head coaches for the Arizona State, Ole Miss and Creighton baseball teams, respectively.

“As we continue preparations for the 2013 Collegiate National Team season we are pleased to have Mike Bianco, Tim Esmay and Ed Servais join the coaching staff,” said Eric Campbell, USA Baseball General Manager, National Teams. “These coaches complete a great staff for the coming summer, and we look forward to having them represent our country in international competition.”

All three coaches will be making their debut on a USA Baseball coaching staff. They round out TCU skipper and 2013 collegiate team manager Jim Schlossnagle’s four-man staff.

Esmay, who will serve as the hitting coach in addition to coaching third base, has a 131-48 record, including 55-29 in conference, through three seasons at the helm of the Sun Devil baseball team. He has one College World Series appearance, one conference title and two NCAA tournament trips, and was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2010. Coach Esmay has mentored eight All-Americans, 25 all-conference honorees and four members of Team USA in Tempe, and 31 Sun Devils have been taken in the MLB Draft in his ASU tenure, which is the most of any Div. I school in that time span. He has guided ASU to the highest regular-season winning percentage in the Pac-12 since 2010, is the second-fastest coach in ASU history to reach 100 wins and recently led the program to its 50th consecutive 30-win season. For his career, he is 344-283-1 in 11 seasons, including eight at the University of Utah.

Serving as the pitching coach in 2013, Bianco is entering his 13th season as the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels and has compiled a career record of 571-349-1 (471-278-1 at Ole Miss). In that time, he has helped the Rebels to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, the 2009 Southeastern Conference Championship, the 2006 SEC Tournament championship and a pair of SEC Western Division titles. Bianco has coached seven Rebels to All-America honors and 31 All-SEC selections. Seven of his Ole Miss players were active in the Major Leagues this past season. Bianco has also coached seven players who have competed internationally with USA Baseball in the past 12 seasons as the Rebel head coach.

Ed Servais, who will coach team defense as well as coaching first base, enters his 10th season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2013. He is the winningest coach in program history with 327 victories. He owns a career coaching record of 327-195. Servais has led the Jays to the NCAA Tournament in three of the past six seasons (2007, 2011 & 2012) and has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year four times in his eight years at Creighton (2004, 2005, 2007 & 2011). Servais has coached 43 players to All-MVC honors, including 19 All-MVC First Team selections. He has coached nine All-Americans and had 15 Bluejays selected in the MLB Draft. Servais’ teams have finished among the nation’s best in fielding percentage and sacrifice bunts every season, including 2012, when the Bluejays finished eighth in fielding percentage (.978).

Also announced today were the remaining members of the 2013 Collegiate National Team’s administrative staff.  TCU’s Danny Wheat will serve as the team’s certified athletic trainer and Brandie Davidson will serve as the team press officer.

Wheat enters his ninth year as an ATC for the Horned Frogs, and 2013 will mark his fifth appearance in the red, white and blue. Davidson is in her 10th year as an assistant media relations director at TCU. It will mark her second appearance with USA Baseball as she served as the press officer for the 2012 USA Baseball Women’s National Team.

The dates for the 2013 schedule and opponents will be announced in the coming weeks on USABaseball.com.

About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the national governing body for amateur baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Baseball Federation (IBAF).  The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, World Cup and Pan American teams (and all other USA Baseball professional teams), and the Collegiate, 18U, 15U, and Women’s National Teams, all of which participate in various domestic and international competitions each year.  USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.  For more information, please visit USABaseball.com and GoldenSpikesAward.com.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper released their preseason poll for Division I baseball recently with Arkansas claiming the #1 spot.

Arkansas finished third in the polls last year after a strong run in the College World Series and are returning a strong lineup. The Razorbacks return five position player starters and quite a few pitchers.

Included in the returnees are three Louisville Slugger pre-season All-Americans in pitchers Ryne Stanek (8-4, 2.82), Colby Suggs (7-1, 1.38), and second baseman Dominic Ficociello (.290, 6 HR, 41 RBI).

Following up Arkansas in the polls are North Carolina, Vanderbuilt, Louisiana State, and UCLA. Last year’s champion Arizona starts the season off ranked at #18 just two spots behind its in state rival Arizona State.

The top 25 is full of powerhouses like South Carolina (#7), Stanford (#9), and Texas (#21).

The top 10 is dominated by two conferences and only has teams from three. The SEC leads the way with half of the top 10 while the Pac-12 has a total of four teams. The only other conference represented is the ACC (North Carolina).

With Christmas just around the corner, there are always some people looking for last minute ideas. Well if your loved one is a collegiate baseball player, then I have the perfect idea, the trip of a lifetime with The International Game.

The International Game is an elite group of collegiate baseball players who travel the world playing in international tournaments. With a trip, your loved one will get the chance to play against international competition and get to travel the world seeing some of the most beautiful places.

There are several trips to choose from as well.

For European Players

The International Game will be making a trip to the USA to play in the RussMatt Invitational. The team will travel to the Tampa, Florida area to compete in the tournament. The tournament includes some of the best American collegiate talent around.

However, there will be more than just great baseball. Along with playing 4+ games, the team will have time to enjoy the beautiful Florida beaches, catch some MLB Spring Training action, and simply enjoy the warm Florida sun.

After the stop in the Tampa area, the tour heads further south to Miami where the Marlins new stadium will host the World Baseball Classic semi-final round. Here you’ll get to see some of the greatest players in the world from countries such as Canada, USA, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, or other top countries).

Additional games will be held against local teams in the Miami area as well as practices on days when games are being played.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for European players to get a chance to play against some of the best US collegiate talent, see some of the most beautiful beaches, and get the chance to see some WBC action in the newest MLB stadium.

The trip will take place from March 9 – March 17, 2013. For more information visit The International Game.

For American Players

If you are an American player looking to travel to Europe, The International Game has something for you as well. Tours to Austria, Switzerland, and more happen each summer. Check the website for more information.

New Player Profile System

Another benefit from The International Game is the new player profile system. Players playing with the team are now able to post a profile for European teams, with which the team has many contacts, to look at when looking for new players to fill out their rosters. This is a chance to gain some exposure to teams in top European leagues who are always looking to import players for the summer season.

About The International Game

The International Game is a growing international travel team. Led by Jon Dobkowski and Ty Eriksen, who have a combined 15 years of experience as players, coaches, and directors in Europe, the team offers some of the best sports tours of Europe and now the USA. The team has made a lot of contacts with tournament directors and team officials all over Europe in order to provide the players with the best tour possible and perhaps land a job playing with one of the European teams.

You can find more information about the team on Facebook or Twitter.

*Full disclosure – Baseball de World does not receive any commission for players signing up through our site nor is this a paid advertisement. We simply believe this is the top notch international tournament team available, and we want to help spread the word. If you know someone who might be interested in playing, send them to The International Game’s website where they can contact Jon or Ty via email at any time.

13TH ANNUAL NCBWA PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM
HIGHLIGHTS TRENDS, BEST OF 2013 DIVISION I DIAMONDMEN

IRVING, Texas – Coming off a year filled with surprises such as Stony Brook’s and Kent State’s first trips to the NCAA World Series and several other national developments, the 13th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association preseason All-America team highlights the always exciting world of the nation’s best baseball student-athletes for 2013.

Next month’s practices signify the 154th season of college baseball with the 2013 All-America squad signify the direction that Division I baseball continues to go – clutch hitting, solid defense and pinpoint control pitching.

With defending NCAA World Series champ Arizona hit heavily by graduation and signings, the upcoming crop of stars hails from the talented Pac-12 diamond tradition as well as 19 conferences and 43 schools nationwide.

Returning first team standouts from the post-2012 NCBWA All-America team embody this DI diversity as New Mexico 3B and 2012 co-Mountain West Conference Player of the Year (with teammate and first team pre-2013 catcher Mitchell Garver) and LSU OF Raph Rhymes, the ’12 SEC Player of the Year, lead the way.

In consultation with individual schools’ media relations offices, the NCBWA All-America committee for pre-2013 had many difficult decisions at defensive positions filled with potential superstars and one of the deepest pools of pitching nominees in the two decades of NCBWA All-America crews chosen prior to playing seasons.

First team hurlers include starters and returning All-America righthander Mark Appel of Stanford, 2012 NCBWA Freshman Pitcher of the Year Carlos Rodon of NC State, Adam Plutko of NCAA World Series entry UCLA, Army’s Chris Rowley, and Missouri State’s Nick Petree. That quintet combined for a 52-10 overall mound record, .839 winning percentage and 568 strikeouts in 570 innings pitched.

Relief standout of NCAA runnerup South Carolina – Tyler Webb – also garnered second team honors with 39 appearances, a 1.56 ERA, 6-1 record, three saves, and 58 whiffs in 57 2/3 innings of work. He was part of a second team pitching group with a 12-game winner, an 11-contest winner and three relief specialists with earned run averages under 2.10.

Notables among the first team hitters are Wichita Satte’s slugging first baseman Johnny Coy, Stephen F. Austin shortstop Hunter Dozier, NCAA regional contenders OF Michael Conforto of Oregon State and Dallas Baptist’s boomin’ Boomer Collins along with West Coast Conference Player of the Year Marco Gonzales. He batted .325 as a regular while posting a 8-2 record and 1.55 ERA in 12 starts as a pitcher. New Mexico’s Peterson paces the first unit in home runs and RBI with 17 and 78, respectively, while LSU’s Rhymes led the nation in batting throughout the season and ended atop the stats with a .431 batting average.

2012 NCBWA Freshman All-America pitcher Mike Compton (12-2) of Florida State also paced the third team with the most wins among that group. Miami (Ohio) OF Matt Honchel topped the second team with a heady .395 batting average.

Last season the scribes’ committee chose Florida All-America catcher Mike Zunino to the preseason A-A team, and he delivered with the 2012 Dick Howser Trophy (first Gator to hold this honor, .322-19 HR-67 RBI for the season), paced the Gators to the CWS and was consensus All-America. There may be a Zunino-like appearance on the horizon for 2013 after last spring’s extraordinary happenings.

Many of these stars will appear on the first ballot for the 27th annual Dick Howser Trophy, presented by Easton Foundations and the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Area Chamber of Commerce and voted upon by the NCBWA membership. The Howser Trophy will be awarded in Omaha, Neb., in June 2013, just before the start of the 66th annual NCAA World Series.

2013 NCBWA Preseason All-America Team
FIRST TEAM
Pos. Name, School, Class Avg. G AB R H 2B-3B-HR RBI BB SO SB/SBA
C Mitchell Garver, New Mexico, Sr. .377 61 268 68 101 27-3-10 57 25 28 6-9
1B Johnny Coy, Wichita State, Sr. .344 59 227 43 78 17-3-9 63 30 53 0-0
2B Michael Felton, Campbell, Sr. .424 59 243 52 103 12-3-1 45 20 23 11-14
3B DJ Peterson, New Mexico, Jr. .419 61 248 57 104 21-3-17 78 33 29 1-2
SS Hunter Dozier, Stephen F. Austin, Jr. .357 59 227 43 81 22-1-10 37 29 42 8-14
OF Raph Rhymes, LSU, Sr. .431 61 232 44 100 11-0-4 53 22 13 2-6
OF Michael Conforto, Oregon State, So. .349 58 218 45 76 14-1-13 76 24 37 1-4
OF Boomer Collins, Dallas Baptist, Sr. .374 60 235 62 88 23-1-13 58 37 46 15-18
DH Nick Backlund, Mercer, Jr. .381 59 223 51 85 16-0-16 58 33 37 3-4
UT Marco Gonzales, Gonzaga, Jr. .325 43 151 23 49 10-0-2 29 11 21 0-0
8-2, 1.55 ERA, 12 App, 12 GS, 3CG, 1/2 SHO, 0 SV, 92.2IP, 63H, 18R, 16ER, 23BB, 92K

Pitchers
Pos. Name School W-L ERA APP GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER BB SO.
SP Carlos Rodon, NC State, So. 9-0 1.57 17 16 2 2 0 114.2 71 29 20 41 135
SP Nick Petree, Missouri State, Jr. 10-4 1.01 16 16 3 6 0 115.1 85 22 13 36 114
SP Mark Appel, Stanford, Sr. 10-2 2.56 16 16 5 1 0 123 97 39 35 30 130
SP Chris Rowley, Army, Sr. 11-1 2.40 15 15 6 0 0 97.1 64 30 26 22 80
SP Adam Plutko, UCLA, Jr. 12-3 2.48 18 18 2 0 0 119.2 91 35 33 47 99
RP Jimmie Sherfy, Oregon, Jr. 5-3 2.20 36 0 0 0 19 61.1 36 18 15 34 93
RP Michael Wagner, San Diego, Jr. 5-2 2.58 31 2 0 1 19 59.1 57 20 17 20 53
RP Jonathan Holder, Mississippi State, So. 2-1 0.32 24 0 0 1 9 28.1 17 2 1 5 30

SECOND TEAM
Pos. Name, School, Class Avg. G AB R H 2B-3B-HR RBI BB SO SB/SBA
C Mark Zagunis, Virginia Tech So. .344 49 189 35 65 13-2-5 34 21 25 17-22
1B Jared Hammer, Hofstra, Sr. .376 55 213 47 80 18-0-4 66 39 20 12-14
2B Christian Stringer, Rice, Sr. .343 59 236 58 81 12-3-3 36 38 28 6-11
3B Trea Turner, NC State, So. .336 63 259 72 87 13-2-5 43 41 38 5-6
SS Adam Frazier, Mississippi State, Jr. .371 64 245 45 91 16-1-0 26 50 4 9-15
OF Bill Cullen, VCU, Jr. .347 59 259 62 90 25-9-5 40 24 47 11-17
OF Matt Honchel, Miami (Ohio) So. .395 59 233 43 92 7-2-0 26 15 13 10-20
OF Aaron Judge, Fresno State, Jr. .308 58 201 47 62 14-2-4 27 48 42 13-15
DH Michael Pritchard, Nebraska, Jr. .387 57 212 51 82 10-0-0 22 21 10 6-9
UT Michael Lorenzen, Cal State Fullerton, Jr. .297 57 232 38 69 20-3-3 43 14 42 14-19
2-0, 1.23 ERA, 20 App, 0GS, 0CG, 0/2SHO, 16SV, 22.0IP, 16H, 3R, 3ER, 5BB, 17K

Pitchers
Pos. Name School W-L ERA APP GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER BB SO.
SP Trevor Williams, Arizona State, Jr. 12-2 2.05 16 15 2 1 0 109.2 90 33 25 13 59
SP Buck Farmer, Georgia Tech, Sr. 8-4 3.54 16 16 1 0 0 106.2 100 48 41 37 115
SP Kent Emanuel, North Carolina, Jr. 8-4 1.96 17 16 0 0 0 110 91 33 24 23 100
SP Tyler Skulina, Kent State, Jr. 11-3 3.77 18 18 0 0 0 107.1 97 52 45 45 106
SP Austin Kubitza, Rice, Jr. 6-5 2.69 16 15 0 0 0 80.1 60 32 24 28 73
RP Tyler Webb, South Carolina, Sr. 6-1 1.56 39 0 0 0 3 57.2 44 12 10 18 58
RP David Berg, UCLA, So. 5-3 1.46 50 0 0 0 1 74 42 14 12 17 63
RP Tyler Burgess, Missouri State, So. 5-2 2.08 26 0 0 0 11 39 21 12 9 17 31

THIRD TEAM (ties in voting)
Pos. Name, School, Class Avg. G AB R H 2B-3B-HR RBI BB SO SB/SBA
C Alex Swim, Elon, Sr. .357 59 241 39 86 11-1-3 45 19 13 7-10
1B Mason Katz, LSU, Sr. .320 64 241 65 77 15-1-13 52 33 52 8-12
2B Jordan Hankins, Austin Peay, Jr. .336 64 250 52 84 16-3-10 66 38 16 3-5
3B Kris Bryant, San Diego, Jr. .366 57 213 59 78 17-3-14 57 39 38 9-12
SS Will Callaway, Appalachian State, Sr. .320 59 241 54 77 12-3-4 53 21 32 23-27
DH Zach Stephens, Tennessee Tech, Jr. .368 53 204 44 75 13-0-18 52 29 52 0-0
OF Austin Cousino, Kentucky, So. .319 62 260 61 83 20-2-9 41 26 39 16-16
OF Jeff Roy, Rhode Island, Jr. .356 59 236 59 84 15-5-2 38 33 35 22-28
OF Brandon Thomas, Georgia Tech, .360 56 211 57 76 15-6-5 44 37 43 12-17
OF Tim Colwell, North Dakota State, Jr. .381 60 244 62 93 11-9-1 35 25 15 12-16
DH Kevin Krause, Stony Brook, So. .330 61 209 38 69 12-0-3 40 26 31 6-8
UT A.J. Reed, Kentucky, So. .300 55 200 29 60 9-0-4 43 24 51 0-1
5-3, 2.52 ERA, 53.2 IP, 16 App, 5 GS, 54 H, 17 R, 15 ER, 9 BB, 51 K Pitchers
Pos. Name School W-L ERA APP GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER BB SO
SP Drew Bowen, Oral Roberts, Sr.. 7-2 1.95 13 4 1 1 0 87.2 78 27 19 21 68
SP Mike Compton, Florida State, So. 12-2 2.87 18 18 0 0 0 91 89 25 35 28 64
SP Corey Littrell, Kentucky, Jr. 9-2 2.74 16 16 0 0 0 98.2 104 32 30 25 87
SP Preston Morrison, TCU, So. 9-2 2.09 11 11 1 1 0 112.2 88 29 26 12 72
SP Matt Pegler, College of Charleston, Sr. 10-2 2.83 15 15 1 0 0 89 73 37 28 20 66
SP Andrew Vasquez, UC Santa Barbara, So. 6-3 1.93 13 12 0 0 0 88.2 58 31 19 63 104
RP A.J. Salcines, Miami (Fla.), Jr. 3-0 1.40 39 0 0 0 7 38.2 26 10 6 11 44
RP Chad Sobotka, USC Upstate, So. 3-0 1,72 25 0 0 0 12 31.1 21 7 6 16 34
RP Colby Suggs, Arkansas, Jr. 7-1 1.38 30 0 0 0 0 39 26 6 6 19 36
RP Kellen Urbon, Cornell, So. 3-1 0.47 22 0 0 0 9 38.1 23 6 2 13 21

Press Release National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association 

Press Release USA Baseball

SECAUCUS, N.J. — USA Baseball announced Friday the selection of Florida’s Mike Zunino as the recipient of the 2012 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award (GSA). The prestigious award, now in its 35th year of recognizing the nation’s top amateur baseball player, was presented live on MLB Network.

In partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) and MLB Network, USA Baseball announced the GSA winner live on “The Rundown,” and the presentation was simulcast on GoldenSpikesAward.com, USABaseball.com, MLB.com, and the Seattle Mariners (Mariners.com) and Pittsburgh Pirates (Pirates.com) club sites.

Mark Appel (RHP, Stanford) and Carlos Rodon (LHP, NC State) were the other finalists for the award. Zunino was selected by the Mariners with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft, and Appel went No. 8 to the Pirates. Rodon recently completed his freshman season for the Wolfpack and is currently a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

“USA Baseball could not be more proud of the three Golden Spikes Award finalists, Mike Zunino, Mark Appel and Carlos Rodon,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball executive director/CEO. “Each athlete authored an incredible season on the diamond this year, and they carried themselves with class off the field as well. Mike’s performance in 2012 stood above the rest, however, and we are honored to present such a deserving player with the award.”

Zunino is the first GSA winner and highest draft pick in Florida’s history, and he marked the first GSA finalist for the Gators since Matt LaPorta in 2007. The Cape Coral, Fla., native was a consensus first-team All-American, the first Dick Howser Trophy recipient from Florida, Baseball America’s 2012 College Player of the Year, and the initial Johnny Bench Award winner from UF. He finished as the Gators’ Triple Crown winner, leading the team in batting average (.322), RBIs (67) and homers (19), and paced the Orange and Blue in total bases (164), doubles (28), sacrifice flies (11) and slugging percentage (.669). He was also 9-for-10 in stolen-base attempts. According to the final NCAA statistics, Zunino was first nationally in sacrifice flies, third in doubles, fourth in round-trippers, fifth in total bases, ninth in doubles per game, 10th in RBIs and 11th in slugging percentage. A two-time, first-team All-SEC recipient and two-time member of the league’s All-Defensive Team, the three-year starter registered a .994 fielding percentage in his final campaign, with three errors in 510 chances, and threw out 20 runners who attempted to steal on him.

Zunino becomes the third catcher in five years to win the GSA, joining Bryce Harper (Southern Nevada, 2010) and Buster Posey (Florida State, 2008). Jason Varitek (Georgia Tech, 1994) is the only other backstop to have won the GSA.

For the fifth year in a row, fans were able to stay up to date on the award by visiting GoldenSpikesAward.com. The website features content devoted exclusively to the GSA, including news, voting history, past-winner photo galleries and photographs and video highlights of the 2012 finalists.

Since 1978, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the GSA. Following the first-ever presentation of the trophy to Bob Horner of Arizona State, the GSA has been awarded each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship.

The 2011 GSA winner was Trevor Bauer of UCLA. Past winners of the award include current Major Leaguers such as Harper (’10), Stephen Strasburg (’09), Posey (’08), David Price (’07), Tim Lincecum (’06), Alex Gordon (’05), Jered Weaver (’04), Rickie Weeks (’03) and Mark Kotsay (’95). Former big league stars that have captured the award include Pat Burrell (’98), Varitek (’94), Robin Ventura (’88), Jim Abbott (’87), Will Clark (’85), Dave Magadan (’83), Terry Francona (’80), Tim Wallach (’79) and Horner (’78).

About the Golden Spikes Award
Since 1978, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. Following the first ever presentation of the Award to Bob Horner of Arizona State, the Golden Spikes Award has been presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2011 Golden Spikes Award winner was Trevor Bauer of UCLA.  Past winners of this prestigious award include current Major League Baseball players such as Bryce Harper (’10), Stephen Strasburg (’09), Buster Posey (’08), David Price (’07), Tim Lincecum (’06), Alex Gordon (’05), Jered Weaver (’04), Rickie Weeks (’03), and Mark Kotsay (’95). Former Major League stars that have captured the award include Pat Burrell (’98), Robin Ventura (’88), Jim Abbott (’87), Will Clark (’85), Dave Magadan (’83), Terry Francona (’80), Tim Wallach (’79), and Horner (’78).  For more information, please visit GoldenSpikesAward.com.

About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Baseball Federation (IBAF).  The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, World Cup and Pan American teams (and all other USA Baseball professional teams); and the Collegiate, 18U, 15U, and Women’s National Teams, all of which participate in various domestic and international competitions each year.  USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.  For more information, please visit USABaseball.com and GoldenSpikesAward.com.

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Press Release USA Baseball

CARY, N.C. — With trips to Cuba and the Netherlands on the horizon, the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team finalized its 22-man roster on Monday.
The 2012 version of Team USA is currently 4-0 with wins over the Fayetteville Swampdogs, Wilmington Sharks and Morehead City Marlins of the Coastal Plain League and Catawba Stars of the Virginia Collegiate League.

The Red, White and Blue will participate in the final two games of the Prospect Classic on Monday and Tuesday before beginning the international portion of its schedule.

Adam Plutko (UCLA) will start Monday’s Prospect Classic contest at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., and Carlos Rodon (North Carolina State) will get the nod on Tuesday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Guided by Tennessee head coach Dave Serrano, the Collegiate National Team will travel to Havana where it will play five games against Cuba at Latin American Stadium, July 5-9.

The first four games against Cuba are tentatively scheduled to start at 8 p.m. before a 5 p.m. first pitch for the final game. The international friendship series will mark the first between the two baseball powers since 1996.

From there, the U.S. will conclude its summer tour by traveling to the Netherlands for Honkbal Week in Haarlem, July 13-22. In addition to Team USA, Cuba, Japan, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico and Chinese Taipei will also participate in the tournament.

Serrano will serve as the manager of Team USA and will be assisted by George Horton (Oregon), Jason Gill (Loyola Marymount) and Andy Stankiewicz (Grand Canyon).

The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team roster is as follows:
David Berg, Fr., RHP, UCLA
Kris Bryant, So., IF, San Diego
Dan Child, So., RHP, Oregon State
Michael Conforto, Fr., IF/OF, Oregon State
Austin Cousino, Fr., OF, Kentucky
Jonathon Crawford, So., RHP, Florida
Kyle Farmer, So., IF, Georgia
Johnny Field, So., IF/OF, Arizona
Adam Frazier, So., IF, Mississippi State
Marco Gonzales, So., LHP/IF, Gonzaga
Brett Hambright, Sr., C, Oregon
Jordan Hankins, So., IF, Austin Peay
Michael Lorenzen, So., OF, Cal State Fullerton
D.J. Peterson, So., IF, New Mexico
Colton Plaia, Jr., C, Loyola Marymount
Adam Plutko, So., RHP, UCLA
Jake Reed, Fr., RHP, Oregon
Carlos Rodon, Fr., LHP/IF, North Carolina State
Ryne Stanek, So., RHP, Arkansas
Trea Turner, Fr., IF, North Carolina State
Bobby Wahl, So., RHP, Mississippi
Trevor Williams, So., RHP, Arizona State

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FLORIDA’S ZUNINO WINS 2012 DICK HOWSER TROPHY

Press Release: National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association

OMAHA, Neb. (NCBWA) – Florida junior catcher Mike Zunino is the 26th recipient of the Dick Howser Trophy, presented by Easton Foundations, as college baseball’s player of the year. The presentation was made Friday morning as part of a news conference at TD Ameritrade Park with several other 2012 national honors being denoted.

Zunino becomes the first Florida alumnus to win the Dick Howser Trophy in a group represented by 20 different schools and 13 conferences since its inception in 1987 with Miami (Fla.) standout Mike Fiore.

The 2012 Howser Trophy recipient also will be honored in the College Baseball Foundation’s Night of Champions along with 2012 College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees and other DI honorees June 30 in Lubbock, Texas.

The consensus All-America and 2012 honoree from Cape Coral, Fla. (Mariner HS) led the Gators to a school-record-tying runner-up finish to South Carolina in the 2012 NCAA World Series and paced UF into a rematch with the two-time defending champion Gamecocks Saturday in Omaha.

Zunino also paced the Gators to a 2-0 sweep of N.C. State in the Gainesville Super Regional last weekend with 4-for-8 hitting, a .500 average, three RBI, two runs scored, and his team-best 19th homer of the 2012 season.

He comes to Omaha as both a 2011 and ’12 All-America as well as All-Southeastern Conference backstopper both years and with Top 10 totals nationally in almost every individual statistical category.

Zunino started all 64 games for coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s Gators, had a team-leading 28 doubles. 19 homers, 64 RBI, and nine sacrifice flies, posted a .678 slugging percentage, had 162 total bases, fielded at a torrid .994 clip (three errors in 493 total chances), and led Florida into the 2012 CWS with a 47-18 overall record.

On June 4 he became the highest draft choice in Gators’ history as the No. 3 selection in the first round to the Seattle Mariners. That also capped a third consecutive season on the All-NCAA Gainesville Regional tournament team and back-to-back Super Regional crowns over Mississippi State and the Wolfpack. He was the first UF standout to be drafted in the first round since Matt LaPorta in 2007.

Zunino

“Mike Zunino epitomizes the true qualities of Dick Howser – ability, leadership, character, and courage,” said Howser Trophy chair David Feaster of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. “He has taken Florida to new heights in the past two years as well as being a tremendous team leader and go-to student-athlete in all areas.”

After passing on a 30th round draft selection by the Oakland A’s when he was a senior at Mariner HS in 2009, he has excelled with the bat and catcher’s mitt while maturing into one of the top players in UF’s illustrious baseball history.

As a sophomore, he became the second Gator in history to be chosen as SEC Player of the Year along with LaPorta in 2005 and ’07. It also marked the first of two consecutive finalists for the Johnny Bench Award as national Division I catcher of the year. He also was a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award.

In 2010 as a freshman Zunino was both a Freshman All-America and SEC All-Freshman squad member. He was both Florida’s starting catcher and designated hitter and earned the first of his three All-Tournament recognitions in the NCAA Gainesville Regional by batting .364 with a 4-for-11 playe showing.

His selection and NCBWA voting in 2012 was some of the closest in years as Zunino edged two other standout finalists senior first baseman Goose Kallunki of Utah Valley State and junior outfielder Raph Rhymes of LSU.

The Dick Howser Trophy, given in memory of the former Florida State University All-America shortstop and major league player and manager who died of brain cancer in 1987, is regarded by many as college baseball’s most prestigious award. Criteria for consideration for the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character, and courage, qualities which were exemplified by Dick Howser’s life.

A Florida native, Howser was twice an All-America shortstop at Florida State (1957-58), then head coach of the Seminoles in 1979 after a career as a Major League player and coach. After one year in the college ranks, he returned to the majors to manage the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals and won the World Series with the Royals in 1985. The baseball stadium on the Florida State campus is named for Howser.

NCBWA membership includes writers, broadcasters and publicists. Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport’s only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.

The College Baseball Foundation was established in 2004 and has inducted 71 greats into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock. The group promotes the highest ideals and recognition of greatness on college baseball diamonds in the 150-plus years since the first intercollegiate contest in 1859 between Amherst and Williams.

The Howser Trophy was created in 1987, shortly after Howser’s death. Previous winners of the Howser Trophy are Mike Fiore, Miami, 1987; Robin Ventura, Oklahoma State, 1988; Scott Bryant, Texas, 1989; Alex Fernandez, Miami-Dade Community College South, 1990; Frank Rodriguez, Howard College (Texas), 1991; Brooks Kieschnick, Texas, 1992 and 1993; Jason Varitek, Georgia Tech, 1994; Todd Helton, Tennessee, 1995; Kris Benson, Clemson, 1996; J. D. Drew, Florida State, 1997; Eddy Furniss, LSU, 1998; Jason Jennings, Baylor, 1999; Mark Teixeira, Georgia Tech, 2000; Mark Prior, P, USC, 2001, Khalil Greene, SS, Clemson, 2002; Rickey Weeks, 2B, Southern U., 2003; Jered Weaver, P, Long Beach State, 2004; Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska, 2005; Brad Lincoln, P/DH, Houston, 2006; David Price, P, Vanderbilt, 2007; Buster Posey, C, Florida State, 2008; Stephen Strasburg, P, San Diego State, 2009; Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice, 2010; and Taylor Jungmann, P, Texas, 2011.

2012 Dick Howser Trophy:
• Fri., May 18: Dick Howser Trophy semifinalists announced
• Thu., June 7: Dick Howser Trophy finalists announced
• Fri., June 15: Dick Howser Trophy winner announced

Related links:
• More on the Dick Howser Trophy

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SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA’S LOPEZ IS 2012 NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR

Press Release: National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association

OMAHA, Neb. (NCBWA) – Southeastern Louisiana relief pitcher Stefan Lopez is the 2012 recipient of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s Stopper of the Year Award, the NCBWA announced Friday in Omaha.

Lopez, a first team NCBWA All-American and a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, has set Southeastern Louisiana’s single-season saves record in 2012 with 20 and holds the school record for career saves with 30. This season, he went 2-1 with an 0.61 ERA in 28 appearances. He pitched 29.1 innings and allowed just two earned runs on 19 hits with five walks and 42 strikeouts. His 20 saves currently leads the nation.

The New Iberia, La., product earned Southland Conference Relief Pitcher of the Year and first team ABCA All-South Central Region team honors and was named a second team All-American by Collegiate Baseball News. The junior was drafted in the 16th round last week by the New York Yankees.

The right-hander helped Southeastern Louisiana post a 39-21 overall record and a 20-13 record in the Southland Conference. The Lions finished second in the Southland this season.

Lopez is the first Lions pitcher to take home the honor and the second player from the Southland Conference, as he joins Luke Prihoda from Sam Houston State who won the award in 2007.

Lopez

This year’s finalists also included Robert Benincasa of Florida State, Michael Morin of North Carolina, Robbie Powell of Stetson and Jimmie Sherfy of Oregon. More than 90 of the nation’s top collegiate relief pitchers were included in the selection process for this year’s NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, beginning with initial preseason nominations by baseball contacts at NCAA Division I schools.

Texas hurler J. Brent Cox won the inaugural Stopper of the Year Award in 2005, with Don Czyz of Kansas claiming the honor in 2006, Luke Prihoda of Sam Houston State winning it in 2007, Georgia’s Joshua Fields topping the field in 2008, San Diego State’s Addison Reed grabbing the honor in 2009, Texas’ Chance Ruffin winning the award in 2010 and Texas’ Corey Knebel claiming the honor in 2011.

The NCBWA, founded in 1962, presents the Dick Howser Trophy to the nation’s top player. It also selects a Division I All-America Team, Division I Coach of the Year, Division I and III Players of the Week, Division I District Players of the Year and Division II and III Players of the Year.

The Stopper of the Year will also be recognized on the College Baseball Foundation Night of Champions June 30 in Lubbock, Texas. This event will feature the presentation of the Dick Howser Trophy to the National Player of the Year. Other awards scheduled to be presented during the show include the Brooks Wallace Award, honoring the nation’s best shortstop; the CBF John Olerud Award for the best dual position player nationally in Division I, and the Pitcher of the Year Award.For more information on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year, contact Tami Cutler at Wichita State at 316-978-5559 or Russ Anderson at Conference USA at 214-774-1351.

2012 NCBWA Stopper of the Year key dates:
• Tues., Jan. 31: Preseason Watch List
• Thurs., April 19: Midseason Watch List
• Tues., June 5: Stopper of the Year finalists announced
• Fri., June 15: NCBWA Stopper of the Year announced (Omaha, Neb.)

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It’s been an exciting run in Omaha so far in the 2012 College World Series. The #1 overall seed Florida was bounced after two games including a loss to Kent State. South Carolina finally lost a game after Arkansas broke their 22-game tournament winning streak. The Gamecocks are trying to become the first team to win 3 titles in a row since USC won five straight from 1970-1974.

Arizona rolled through their side of the bracket 3-0 to reach the finals. The Wildcats defeated the Florida State Seminoles twice and UCLA once to advance.

South Carolina, which is back in the finals for a 3rd straight year, had to come back and defeat Arkansas twice to make it back to the championship round. Last Thursday and Friday the Gamecocks did just that in two close games winning 2-0 and 3-2.

Now with the finals set, South Carolina will have another uphill battle as they dropped Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series 5-1.

Arizona jumped out early and never let up taking a 4-0 lead into the 6th inning before South Carolina got on the board.

Robert Refsnyder got the Wildcats off to a bang with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Refsnyder would finish the game 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Konner Wade went the distance on the hill allowing just 6 hits and 1 run.

The South Carolina Gamecocks will try to battle back in a must win Game 2 on Monday night.

Arizona is looking for its 4th school title with the last coming in 1986.

The regional round of the college playoffs are over and we are heading into the Super Regional round after an exciting weekend of baseball.

Ten of the sixteen #1 seeds in the regionals advance to the super regional round. Of the top eight national seeds, #6 ranked North Carolina was the only one not to make it out of the regional round.

The Super Regional hosts have been announced, and games will kick off on Friday.

Stony Brook (50-12) at No. 7 LSU (46-16)

St. John’s (40-21) at Arizona (41-17)

Stanford (41-16) at No. 3 Florida State (46-15)

TCU (40-20) at No. 2 UCLA (45-14)

GAMES BEGIN SATURDAY, JUNE 9 — ALL TIMES ET

North Carolina State (43-18) at No. 1 Florida (45-18)

Arkansas (42-19) at No. 4 Baylor (48-15)

Oklahoma (42-23) at No. 8 South Carolina (43-17)

Kent State (44-17) at No. 5 Oregon (45-17)
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It’s been an exciting weekend of baseball around the country with one #1 seed already having been sent home, a no-hitter, a team extending its NCAA-best postseason winning streak to 18, and another team busting out scoring 28 runs.

The first #1 seed to be sent packing was the Miami Hurricanes who were outscored 22-4 on their home field over the weekend. Miami suffered losses to Stony Brook and Missouri State.

Of the 16 #1 seeds in the regionals, six of them need to win twice on Sunday to advance. NC State, Purdue, Rice, Baylor, North Carolina, and Texas A&M all sit at 1-1 facing elimination. Two of these teams (Baylor and North Carolina) were in the top 8 seeds heading into the tournament.

Top seed Florida showed why its the team to beat as sophomore right-hander Jonathan Crawford tossed the 7th no-hitter in NCAA tournament history. Florida beat Bethune-Cookman 4-0. Crawford faced the minimum 27 hitters allowing 1 walk. It was his first complete game of the year. His previous long was 6 innings against LSU in early April.

South Carolina needed a walk-off single in the 12th inning to extend its NCAA record postseason winning streak to 18 games. Carolina had to rally in the 8th and 9th to tie the game at 4 against rival Clemson before winning the game in the 12th.

TCU was trailing 9-6 in the fifth inning before breaking loose to score 22 runs over the final four innings to defeat Dayton 28-12. The Horned Frogs pounded out 23 hits scoring 7 runs in the 6th inning, 6 runs in the 7th, and 9 more in the top of the 9th. They were led by Jerrick Suiter who went 5-for-6 scoring 3 runs and driving in 3. Brance Rivera drove in 6 runs and scored 4. Rivera hit a grand slam home run in the 9th inning. He was also hit by a pitch 3 times.

The regionals will wrap up Sunday or Monday with the winners heading into the super regionals. There is still a lot of baseball to be played and it should be an interesting weekend.

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The Road to Omaha begins on Friday as the regional round begins across the county. Florida  (42-18)heads into the tournament as the #1 overall seed followed by, UCLA (42-14), Florida State (43-15), Baylor (44-14), Oregon (42-17), North Carolina (44-14), LSU (43-16) and South Carolina (40-17).

The SEC leads the field placing 8 teams in the tournament followed by the ACC with 7. Making their first appearance are Dayton (Atlantic 10 Conference) and Samford (Southern Conference).

Miami extended its record to 40 straight years in the field. Florida State is making its 35th straight appearance, 2nd all-time. A total of 37 teams of the 64 were in the field last year.

Each of the four team regionals will play a double-elimination tournament with the winner advancing to the super-regional round.

The 66th College World Series begins Friday June 15th in Omaha, Nebraska.

Interactive Bracket

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Press Release Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

LOUISIANA ST. NO. 1 IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NEWSPAPER POLL

TUCSON, Ariz. — Louisiana St. (43-16) has been ranked No. 1 in the latest Collegiate Baseball newspaper NCAA Division I baseball poll.

In one of the craziest weeks in poll history, none of the top six teams from last week escaped with a winning record as each team posted at least two losses.

Oregon, previously ranked No. 1 after winning 14 of its previous 15 games, was swept in a 3-game series at Oregon St. and slipped to 10th this week. The Ducks finished third in the Pac-12 Conference with a 19-11 record after entering last week at the top of the league with a one game lead.

LSU moved up to No. 1 despite posting a 1-2 record in the Southeastern Conference tournament. The Tigers won the regular season SEC title with a 19-11 record.

Poll Notes: Several teams have been red-hot. Kent St. has won 17 in a row, New Mexico nine straight while Oregon St. has captured seven of its last eight. Four teams fell out of the top 30 this week in Texas (0-2 last week), Louisville (1-2), Texas Christian (1-2) and Utah Valley (4-0).

New to the poll this week is New Mexico (captured the Mountain West Tournament with a 4-0 record), Vanderbilt (one of the hottest teams in the nation with nine wins in its last 10 games), St. John’s (won the Big East Tournament with four straight wins) and Georgia Tech. (36-24, won ACC Tournament as the eighth seed).

Three teams barely missed being ranked in Utah Valley (47-12, won 40 of last 41 games), Stony Brook (46-11, won 22 of its last 23), and Pepperdine (34-21, won West Coast Conference title after beating San Diego two of three at home).

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

1B/LHP Jake Davies, Georgia Tech.: Davies had a monster 4-game stretch at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament as he went 7-for-16 with 4 homers, one double, 7 runs scored, 11 RBI (2 shy of the ACC Tournament record), 1.250 slugging percentage and walked four times. In addition to his offensive numbers, he also pitched a career-long six innings as he allowed two hits and one run during a 5-1 win over Clemson that clinched a spot in the ACC Tournament championship game.

RHP Taylor Sewitt, Manhattan: Sewitt pitched 22 scoreless innings over three straight days at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament to guide the Jaspers to the league title. He struck out 20 batters, allowed 10 hits and won three games as he threw 296 total pitches. He began with a nine inning complete game, 1-0 victory over Fairfield on Friday with 12 strikeouts. The next day, he came out of the bullpen and held Canisius scoreless in the final two innings of a 5-4, 10-inning walk-off win. Then on Sunday, he pitched 11 scoreless innings to lead Manhattan to a 3-2 win.

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Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Press Release

OREGON NO. 1 IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NEWSPAPER POLL

TUCSON, Ariz. — Oregon (41-14) has been ranked No. 1 for the second straight week in the latest Collegiate Baseball newspaper NCAA Division I baseball poll.

The Ducks, winners of eight straight and 14 of their last 15 games, sit on top of the Pac-12 Conference with a 19-8 record. Last week, Oregon beat Southern California one game and then swept a 3-game series against Seattle. The 41 wins is the most in school history.

Poll Notes: In key top 30 games over the past week, Mississippi St. swept a 3-game series against Kentucky. The Wildcats have now lost four straight and slipped from second last week to 13th this week. Louisiana St. took two of three at South Carolina, Florida St. won two of three at home against N.C. State, Baylor won two of three against Texas, Rice took two of three against Central Florida and Texas A&M swept a 3-game series against Oklahoma St. Several teams have been hot. North Carolina has won 13 in a row as has Kent St. Stanford has captured seven straight along with Texas A&M while UCLA has won seven of its last eight. Three teams fell out of the top 30 this week in Oklahoma St. (0-4 last week), St. John’s (1-2) and Mississippi (0-4). New to the poll is Mississippi St., Miami (Fla.), and Kent St.

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

RHP Tyler Duffey, Rice: Duffey struck out 13 of the 17 batters he faced in three relief appearances last week. He threw a combined 5 1/3 innings and did not allow a run or a hit. Duffey fanned three batters in 1 2/3 innings against Sam Houston St. Then he turned in a pair of brilliant performances at Central Florida. In his first outing against UCF in game two of the series, he stuck out all five batters he faced. The next day, he struck out the side in the eighth and fanned the first batter in the ninth to give him nine straight strikeouts over a 2-game span.

RF/DH Ryan Mathews, N.C. State: Mathews hit four home runs over four games and went 6-for-14 at the plate with 5 runs scored and 9 RBI. He also upped his hitting streak to 21 games as he had at least one hit in each of the four games.

RHP Mark Appel, Stanford: Appel fired a 9-inning complete game against Utah with 13 strikeouts and one walk during a 6-0 win. He allowed four hits and retired 12 straight batters at one point.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Press Release

TUCSON, Ariz. — Oregon (37-14) has been ranked No. 1 in the latest Collegiate Baseball newspaper NCAA Division I baseball poll.The Ducks, winners of 10 of their last 11 games and ranked sixth last week, vaulted to the top spot after previously No. 1 Florida St. went 1-3 last week as did No. 2 Baylor. None of the top six teams from last week went unbeaten except Oregon.

The Ducks, which lead the Pac-12 Conference with an 18-8 record, have a superb 3.06 ERA and have only allowed opponents 21 stolen bases in 45 attempts this season over 51 games. Last week, Oregon beat Oregon St. and took two from Southern California with game three scheduled for today. The No. 1 ranking for Oregon is believed to be a first in program history, according to Oregon’s sports information office.

Poll Notes: In key top 30 games over the past week, Florida St. was beaten by Maryland once, Stetson once and Clemson once. The final two games of the Clemson series are scheduled today. Baylor was swept in a 3-game series by Oklahoma. Florida won two of three against Mississippi St., Kentucky swept a 3-game series against Alabama, Arizona swept a 3-game series at California and Louisville beat St. John’s two of three. Several teams have been extremely hot. Utah Valley has the longest winning streak in the nation this season at 32 games. North Carolina has strung together a 9-game winning streak. Two teams fell out of the top 30 in Coastal Carolina (2-2 last week) and Mississippi St. (2-2). Two new teams in the poll are Oklahoma (33-19) and Mississippi (34-18).

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

	RHP Ross Stripling, Texas A&M: Stripling threw the 11th no-hitter in Texas A&M history during a 1-0 win over San Diego State. He only allowed one walk while striking out seven during his 106-pitch outing. On the season, Stripling is 9-2 with a 2.36 ERA and has fanned 97 batters over 103 innings.
	RHP Preston Olson, Utah Valley: Olson set a school record with 16 strikeouts over eight innings during a 10-0 win against New York Institute of Technology. Olson only allowed two hits and walked two.
	DH Nick Backlund, Mercer: Backlund belted four home runs over five games last week with eight RBI. He also scored six runs as he went 5-for-16 at the plate. On the season, Backlund is hitting .379 with 16 homers, 16 doubles and 52 RBI.

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Press Release: Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

TUCSON, Ariz. — Baylor (38-8) has been ranked No. 1 for the second straight week in the latest NCAA Division I baseball poll conducted by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

The Bears, which have won 27 of their last 28 games and are 18-0 in the Big 12 Conference, saw their 24-game winning streak snapped early last week during a 4-1 loss at Texas-San Antonio. Baylor then beat Texas-Arlington one game and New Mexico St. twice.

Poll Notes: South Carolina (33-11) has won five consecutive Southeastern Conference weekend series as well as 11 straight conference games. In key top 30 action during the past week, Arkansas beat Florida two of three, Stanford beat UCLA two of three, Texas A&M knocked off Texas two of three, Mississippi St. beat Mississippi two of three and Virginia knocked off Miami, Fla. twice. Five teams fell out of the top 30 this week in Mississippi (lost 4 of last 5), Miami, Fla. (1-2 last week), New Mexico St. (0-2), Oregon St. (2-2), and Clemson (2-2). New to the poll is Virginia (30-14-1), Coastal Carolina (30-13, won six in a row), Oklahoma St. (26-17, won eight straight), Mississippi St. (27-17), and St. John’s (28-16, first in Big East Conference at 14-4).

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

	RHP Pat Light, Monmouth: Light struck out a career-high 15 batters and walked none over eight innings against LIU Brooklyn. He set the Monmouth single-game record for strikeouts in the process.
	LHP Marco Gonzales, Gonzaga: Gonzales struck out 15 batters over 11 innings without walking a batter but did not factor in the decision as Gonzaga beat Loyola Marymount, 1-0 in 12 innings. Gonzales, who threw 139 pitches in the outing, struck out six straight from the end of the eighth through two out in the 10th.
	LHP Brandon Bixler, Florida Gulf Coast: Bixler fanned a career-high 14 batters against Kennesaw St. in seven innings of work. His strikeout total was one away from the single-game program record. He allowed only one hit, one walk and no runs as he tossed 105 pitches.
	1B Saxon Butler, Samford: Butler was 9-for-21 with 3 homers, 2 doubles, a triple and 11 RBI. In a game against Davidson, he was only a single away from hitting for the cycle as he went 3-for-5 with a double, triple, home run and 3 RBI.
	DH Bobby Brown, Arizona: Brown was 9-for-12 over three games against East Tennessee St. with 1 homer, 2 triples, 1 double and 9 RBI. In addition, he swiped 3 bases and scored 6 runs.

Press Release Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Kentucky (27-2) has been ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA Division I baseball poll by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

It marks the first time in the history of the poll, which goes back to 1957, that the Wildcats have been No. 1. In fact, no poll has ever ranked Kentucky as the top team in the nation until now.

Off to the best overall record in school history, the Wildcats are 7-2 in the Southeastern Conference for first place. Over the past weekend, Kentucky claimed its first series at Georgia since the 2000 season, winning two of three.

Florida, ranked No. 1 the previous seven polls, slipped to second after losing two of three at Mississippi. The Gators are 24-4 overall and 6-3 in the SEC (tied for second).

Poll Notes: Major changes took place in the poll this week after key games. Arizona swept a 3-game series at home against Stanford. The Cardinal has now lost four of their last five games. Louisiana St. swept a 3-game series against Arkansas. Oregon swept a 3-game series at home against Arizona St. Texas lost two of three against California. Several teams have been red-hot. UCLA has won 18 of its last 20 games, Central Florida 10 of its last 11, Baylor 11 in a row (leads the Big 12 Conference with a 9-0 record), New Mexico St. 13 in a row, Sam Houston St. 8 straight, LSU 5 consecutive and Arizona 5 in a row. Four teams fell out of the top 30 this week in Arizona St. (1-4 last week), Georgia (1-3), Missouri St. (2-2) and St. Louis (2-2). New to the poll is San Diego (23-7, 5-1 West Coast), New Mexico St. (22-8), U.C. Irvine (17-9, 3-0 Big West), and Florida Atlantic (19-10, 8-1 Sun Belt).
The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

RHP Chris Beck, Georgia Southern: Beck struck out 18 batters last week as he earned a save and a win in two appearances. He struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth inning of a 5-3 victory over Georgia Tech last Tuesday. Then three days later, he fanned 16 batters against College of Charleston over six innings, two short of the school record and four away from the Southern Conference mark of 20, to earn his third win of the season. Sixteen of the 18 outs he recorded were via strikeouts.

LF/DH J.P. Maples, Central Oklahoma: During a 3-game span, Maples hit 5 home runs and went 6-for-12 at the plate. He also delivered 11 RBI and scored 7 runs. Prior to those three games, Maples had hit only five home runs on the season over 24 games. Overall in 2012, he is hitting .442 with 17 doubles, 10 homers and 36 RBI.

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This week we bring you one of, if not the best, website when it comes to covering college baseball in College Baseball 360.

The guys there cover college baseball from the major colleges in Div I to DII and DIII as well. Each week they come out with their own top 50 poll. But there is so much more to the site.

On top of the top 50, they have schedules of all the teams, statistics, news from all the leagues, interviews, podcasts, and so much more.

If you are a fan of college baseball, this is the site you want to follow. Head on over to CollegeBaseball360.com and check out their great work. You can also follow them on Twitter @CB360Updates, or follow them on FaceBook.

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Scott Brosius returns to lead team in 2012

DURHAM, N.C. — USA Baseball announced Friday that Scott Brosius will return in 2012 as manager of the 18U National Team. The former Yankee, and three-time World Series champion, led the 18U Team to a 9-0 record and a gold medal in the 2011 COPABE 18U/AAA Pan American Championships.
The Brosius-led 18U squad outscored opponents 88-8 over nine games, capping off their tournament run with a 12-2 victory over Canada in the gold-medal game.

Following the teams gold medal in Cartagena, Colombia, Brosius was named the 2011 Coach of the Year. The 1998 World Series MVP is entering his fifth season as head baseball coach at Linfield College (McMinnville, Ore.).

A former Linfield Wildcat player, Brosius has led the team to three conference championships, two regional championships and a pair of top-five finishes at the NCAA Division III Finals. As of March 21, the Wildcats were ranked eighth in the country with a record of 12-4, pushing Brosius career record to 145-53.

Brosius will be joined on the coaching staff by familiar faces Jim Lawler (pitching coach) and Brooks Badeaux (assistant coach), who both served on the 2011 18U staff.

Lawler’s pitching staff dominated in 2011, posting a 1.74 ERA over 124 innings. Lawler is entering his fourth season as pitching coach at Midland College in Midland, Texas.

A 1972 draft pick of the New York Yankees, Lawler played one minor league season before embarking on his coaching career. Lawler spent two seasons as the head coach at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. He moved on to the University of Texas El Paso in 1980, and four years later joined the staff at Texas A&M University. Lawler spent 21 years at Texas A&M, culminating in the 2005 National Assistant Baseball Coach of the Year award.

Lawler’s Aggies teams compiled an 876-433-3 record, made 13 NCAA playoffs and appeared in the College World Series twice. He would be named the head coach at the University of Arkansas Little Rock following his time at Texas A&M, and served in that capacity until taking his current position with Midland College in 2008.

Badeaux was a great presence on the 2011 gold-medal winning staff. The 10-year veteran of professional baseball participated as a player with Team USA at the 1995 World University Games and was a member of the 2005 World Cup Team.

The former Florida State Seminole made three trips to the College World Series, and earned All-ACC, Academic All-ACC and All-Atlantic Region honors during his collegiate career.

Badeaux spent nine seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization, broken up by a one year stint in the Baltimore Orioles organization in 2006. He returned to the Rays in 2007 before retiring from professional baseball. He was a career .264 hitter in 10 seasons, playing shortstop, second base, third base and outfield.

He has spent time as an assistant coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Teurlings Catholic High school and Comeaux High School.

The 2012 staff will be rounded out by former major leaguer Travis Chapman, while Josh Therrien and Cody Wilcoxson will serve as the certified athletic trainer and press officer, respectively.

Chapman is entering his fifth year as coach at Nease High School in Ponte Verda, Fla. The 2010 District 4 4A Coach of the Year also serves as a social studies teacher at the high school. His team won the 2011 District championship.

As a star at Mississippi State, Chapman appeared in two College World Series and finished in the top 10 in several major offensive and defensive categories, including second all-time in hits.

He was drafted in the 17th round by the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent four seasons in the Phillies organization, earning all-star honors at four different levels before being called-up to the Major Leagues in 2003. Chapman would spend time in three different organizations before retiring from professional baseball in 2006.

The staff will assemble the team this summer following the 2012 Tournament of Stars presented by Major League Baseball. They will then have two months to prepare for the IBAF 18U World Championships in Seoul, South Korea. The team will compete for a gold medal Aug. 30-Sept. 8.

Press Release USA Baseball

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Five-game set in Cuba to take place July 5-9, 2012

HAVANA — USA Baseball and the Cuban Baseball Federation (CBF) announced Tuesday that their Collegiate National Team programs will resume an international friendship series for the first time since 1996. The U.S. will kick off the renewed series by traveling to Cuba for a five-game set in 2012, scheduled for July 5-9, and Cuba has agreed to bring its National Team to the United States in the summer of 2013.

The two international baseball powers made the announcement at a press conference at the legendary Latin American Stadium in downtown Havana. The Cuban delegation was represented by International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Vice President Antonio Castro and CBF President Higinio Velez. Paul Seiler, executive director/CEO and Eric Campbell, National Teams general manager, were on hand for USA Baseball. Seiler — also a member of the IBAF Executive Committee — and Velez signed a letter of intent immediately preceding the press conference outlining plans for the series.

“We are honored and humbled to represent USA Baseball as part of the renewed friendship series between the United States and Cuba,” said Seiler. “Both countries share a rich history of baseball and competition, and we look forward to continuing this series for the foreseeable future.”

“This is a dream come true,” Castro said. “We have been thinking about this for a long time. It will be positive for the players and fans in Cuba, and we look forward to going to the United States next year.”

While Cuba and the U.S. have long shared a competitive, international rivalry across all of its age groups and tournaments worldwide — the countries are currently Nos. 1 and 2 in the IBAF world rankings, respectively — they have not competed consistently in a home-and-away series at the collegiate level in 16 years. In 1996, Cuba won a five-game series against the United States, 3-2, as part of a tour played in Minor League ballparks across four southern U.S. states. USA Baseball last sent a collegiate team to Cuba as part of the series in 1993, where it won one of three games in Sancti Spiritus.

“I could not be more excited for our players and for our collegiate program as a whole,” said Campbell. “This series will be one of the highlights of our schedule each summer.”

“These games are of great importance to our federation,” Velez said. “It is going to contribute to the development of players in our country, and it will be an opportunity for the athletes and audience to view the development of baseball in Cuba and the United States.”

All five games would tentatively be played in Latin American Stadium, and game times have not yet been determined. Following the series, the U.S. and Cuba will travel to the Netherlands for Honkbal Week in Haarlem, set for July 13-22.

USA Baseball records show that the U.S. and Cuba’s National Teams (U.S. professional teams did not begin competition until 1999) competed consistently each year from 1987-1996, with various friendship games played as early as the late 1970s. The series is among those with the richest history for USA Baseball, with its collegiate All-Star games against Japan serving as the longest-running friendship series, having just completed its 38th installment in 2011.

The 2012 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will be led by Tennessee skipper Dave Serrano. Players will be invited over the course of the college baseball season, and the final 22-man roster will be announced on a rolling basis on USABaseball.com as players accept invitations. The team will first gather in Cary, N.C., for training on June 23.

Courtesy USABaseball.com

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Central Missouri takes over the number 1 spot in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Div. II Poll. Last weeks number 1, Tampa, dropped to 8th overall after losing 2 of 3 to Florida Tech over the weekend. Three teams dropped out of the top 10 with St. Mary’s (TX) dropping from 7th to 11th. Delta St went from 3rd to 14th, and Columbus St. dropped from 9th to 24th.

Also Receiving Votes: Cal Poly Pomona (16), Harding (14), Newman (14), E. Stroudsburg (14), Franklin Pierce (8), Cal. St. Monterey Bay (8), Florida Tech. (8), Montevallo (6), Flagler (4), West Texas A&M (4), Mesa (2), Georgia College (2), Sonoma (2), N.C. Pembroke (1), Belmont Abbey (1), Texas A&M-Kingsville (1), Missouri Southern (1), St. Edwards (1), S.E. Oklahoma (1), Florida Southern (1), Rollins (1), Rockhurst (1), Ashland (1), Wayne St., NE (1), Augustana (1), Concordia (1).

Not Reporting: LeMoyne, West Chester, Kutztown.

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Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Press Release

TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Florida (19-1) has been ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA Division I baseball poll by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

The Gators, ranked No. 1 six consecutive polls, have won a school-record 17 in a row. Over the past weekend, Florida swept a 3-game series against Vanderbilt.

Poll Notes: Several other teams have been impressive. Kentucky (21-0) is still unbeaten after winning three straight games at home against two-time defending national champion South Carolina (previously ranked No. 2) over the past weekend. The Wildcats now own the third longest winning streak in Southeastern Conference history behind only the 23-game streak from 2010 NCAA champion LSU and the 22-game streak from South Carolina’s 2000 team. Kentucky is the only undefeated team in NCAA Division I baseball. After the impressive trio of wins, Kentucky jumped from 16th to second in the poll this week while South Carolina slipped to sixth. Arkansas and Texas Christian have each won 9 in a row while N.C. State has won 10 of its last 11.

Four teams fell out of the poll, including Oklahoma (5 straight losses), Wake Forest (2-3 last week), California (0-4), and Texas Tech. (2-4). New to top 30 this week is Texas Christian, Texas (won 5 in a row), Baylor (swept a 3-game series against Texas Tech.) and Appalachian St. (17-3 overall). In other key series over the past weekend, UCLA beat Arizona St. two of three, N.C. State swept a 3-game series against Wake Forest, Texas swept three from Oklahoma and Oregon St. swept three from California.

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

RHP Chris Stratton, Mississippi St.: Stratton struck out a career-best 17 batters against Louisiana St. over 8 2/3 innings in a no-decision start. He fanned all nine LSU starters in the lineup, struck out two Tiger batters three times and recorded a trio of 3-strikeout innings. His 17 strikeouts is the most by a Bulldog pitcher since 1992.

RHP Ben Bullard, Alabama Birmingham: Bullard tied a school record with 15 strikeouts during 8 2/3 innigs against Michigan. He struck out at least one batter in eight of the nine innings he worked.

RHP Matthew Reckling, Rice: Reckling struck out a career-high 13 batters over 6 innings during a 12-1 win over Grambling.

RHP Marcus Stroman, Duke: Stroman struck out 13 batters over 7 innings during a 5-1 win over Miami, Fla. From the fourth through the seventh innings, he struck out nine of the final 14 batters he faced.

	LF Zach Taylor, Armstrong Atlantic St.: Taylor hit .545 (12-for-22) with 19 RBIs over 5 games for the Pirates. He collected 2 homers, 2 doubles, 2 triples and 24 total bases on the week and scored 11 runs.
	1B Zach Stephens, Tennessee Tech: Stephens hit 4 homers in 4 games last week as he collected 8 RBIs and scored 7 runs. Stephens has now hit a home run in his last five games.

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Award recipient honored for three decades of work

LUBBOCK, Texas — The College Baseball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday this year’s recipient of the National Collegiate Umpire Award — honoring a lifetime of excellence in umpiring. The award — sponsored by Honig’s Whistle Stop, a provider of umpire gear — will be presented as part of the College Baseball Night of Champions on June 30 in Lubbock, Texas.

The recipient of the 2012 award is Rich Fetchiet, who has umpired college baseball for 35 years. He has worked three College World Series at two levels of NCAA baseball. His resumé also includes serving as a coordinator for eight NCAA Division I collegiate conferences, service on numerous NCAA committees and assignment to five major international competitions, culminating in the Olympic Games.

“Knowing who some of the other nominees were made the notification of selection overwhelming to me,” Fetchiet said. “I remain beyond humbled. Perhaps what makes this recognition so special is knowing that it comes from my friends and colleagues in college baseball umpiring. I am deeply grateful and appreciative of this award and look forward to the celebration in Lubbock.”

Fetchiet’s selection was the result of a nomination and screening process by past and current NCAA national coordinators of umpires, NCAA regional advisers, umpire conference coordinators and four collegiate head coaches.

“The final ballot included three names, and the entire vote count was separated by a mere three votes,” said Mike Gustafson, executive director of the College Baseball Hall of Fame. “That Rich won such a close vote speaks to his work on and off the baseball diamond.”

For more information, contact Mike Gustafson, executive director, at gus@collegebaseballfoundation.org.

Courtsey National College Baseball Hall of Fame

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I don’t normally do this, but I feel this is a good cause. So, I am asking the readers of BaseballdeWorld to help out our friends at the Future Stars Baseball School in the Philippines.

Marvin Moore has continued to be a great asset to this site writing articles on European leagues. He is now running a baseball school to benefit the children of Bohol Island in the Philippines. With the help of his wife and others on the island, Marvin has created a school where kids can learn English, get a meal, and learn the great game that we all love. But running a baseball school like this is not easy or cheap.

So that is why I am writing you. I am asking that you do what you can. Every dollar, euro, pound, or won helps and it goes straight to the kids. With the little league season fast approaching (yes Marvin has started a summer league program as well) the kids could use your help.

So go on over to Future Stars Baseball School and click donate. Even if it’s $1 or $5, the kids will benefit.

We here at BaseballdeWorld are donating all of our ad revenues to the school as well.  It’s our little way of saying thanks to Marvin and his crew for doing a great job in bettering the life’s of young children.

So help us out. If you are unable to give at this time, please spread the word. Tweet, re-tweet, email, share this on Face Book, or your own blog and let’s see if we can raise some money for the school.

Our goal is to raise $1,000. If you donate, comment, send us an email, a tweet, or Face Book message and we will include you in our Thank You message when we reach $1,000. When donating if you could please include a small note that you are donating through BaseballdeWorld so we can keep track and hopefully reach our goal.

If you would like to do more, please contact Marvin Moore through the Future Stars Baseball School. I know he will be more than happy to work with anyone who would like to donate equipment or anything that can be used at the school.

You can also keep up with the school on their Face Book page and on Twitter.

Thanks to all our readers for their help and generosity.

Eric Bynum
Managing Editor