College Baseball - Page 17

batted balls · 01-03-2007, 03:14 PM

May 16, 2008

Los Angeles--With three likely All-Stars in its infield, UCLA fans sometimes overlook short stop Mike Edwards. That won't happen this time around as Edwards was named All-American Baseball League West Player of the Week.

"It's great news," said UCLA third baseman Troy Glaus. "Mike deserves some attention."

Second baseman Jackie Robinson added, "Mike has had as much of a hand in our success this season as anyone on the team."

First baseman Bob Hamelin agreed, "Mike sets the table for guys like me. He's also played a solid short for us."

Edwards hit a robust .565 with a home run and three RBIs en route to the weekly honor. Edwards (shown below) is batting .294 with one homer and 19 RBIs out of the No. 2 slot in the Bruin order.

Moreover, Edwards has handled 202 chances thus far this season without committing an error.

"He often gets overlooked by flashier fielders," said UCLA manager Art Reichle. "But I'll take my chances any day of the week with a ball hit to Mike Edwards."

For Edwards, a career .267 hitter, it's just a matter of finally being adjusted.

"This is my third season," said Edwards. "But, it's the first I've played short stop on a regular basis. In the past, it was a little time at short, a little time at second and an occasional game at third. It's good to be settled in one spot."

For Edwards, that spot is short. For UCLA, that spot continues to be first place.

Diamond Notes: Arizona center fielder Kenny Lofton is enjoying his finest season yet. The Wildcat speedster leads the West in batting with a .355 average . . . Texas second baseman Billy Bates is batting just .142 for the Longhorns. Yet when he has reached base Bates has run wild, stealing 19 times in 20 attempts. "We just need to get Billy on base more often," said Texas manager Cliff Gustafson. Bates seems very likely to shatter the AABL single-season record of 33 stolen bases by Louis Sockalexis of Notre Dame . . . UCLA slugger Bob Hamelin has gone nine games without a home run. That's his longest homerless stretch this season.

Stat of the Week: UCLA's starting rotation of Dave Schmidt, Matt Young, Bill Bonham, Jim Parque and Glenn Mickens is an incredible 25-4 with a 2.94 ERA this season.

West Standings

Team W L PCT GB
UCLA 31 11 .738 --
Arizona State 27 15 .643 4.0
Southern California 24 18 .571 7.0
Arizona 22 20 .524 9.0
Oklahoma State 21 21 .500 10.0
Stanford 19 23 .452 12.0
Texas 19 23 .452 12.0
California 17 25 .405 14.0
Cal State Fullerton 16 26 .381 15.0
San Diego State 14 28 .333 17.0

batted balls · 01-25-2007, 06:02 PM

South Bend, Ind.--Jeff Samardzija hasn't been to too many places where baseball is the main attraction.

That may change soon if Notre Dame decides to promote the minor leaguer to bolster its last-place club.

"Some people might say we're rushing him," said Irish manager Pat Murphy. "But if you look where we're at, he sure can't make things any worse."

Notre Dame is mired in the All-American Baseball League East cellar with a dismal 16-26 record. The Fighting Irish are 12 games out of first place.

"If we're going to continue to lose at this pace we may as well get our kids some experience and see what they're made of," said Murphy.

Samardzija, a right-handed pitcher, said, "It was something you don't really think about until it actually happens."

Samardzija grew up in Valparaiso, Ind., and is also a wide receiver for the Fighting Irish football team.

"I grew up in a football town and we were always playing," Samardzija said. "But [I think I'm more seasoned in football] because of a lack of [baseball] surroundings."

Samardzija has caught scouts' eyes with a fastball clocked as high as 99 mph in recent outings. The 21-year-old said if that's true, he probably wasn't pitching well.

"To tell you the truth, if I'm throwing 99 out there, I'm probably not pitching my best game," Samardzija said. "I'm probably just throwing hard and it's going off the backstop or off the batter. When I'm throwing low-90s and everything's working, that's probably when I'm pitching my best game."

Samardzija said he will continue to play both sports the only way he knows how.

"If you go into anything you do worrying about getting injured, then you're probably going to get injured," Samardzija said. "The only thing you can do is go out there and play head-over-heels, going crazy to win whatever it is."

batted balls · 02-10-2007, 10:28 AM

Max Mercy, Jr. here again, folks . . .

Ole Max has turned his attention to another underdog here on the baseball beat. All of you loyal readers know Ole Max championed San Diego State southpaw Don Shaw in a recent column. (Ole Max refuses to address those rumors that he also tinkered with the kid's mechanics and sat him down for a heart-to-heart talk). Well, Donnie went out and won his first ballgame after 20 straight career losses. Then the lanky lefty won yet another game. He's on a roll; we'll call him Butter!

Now that Donnie Shaw is straightened out, it's time to turn Ole Max's attention to South Bend. Notre Dame is limping along in the All-American Baseball League East cellar. Rumors are flying that manager Pat Murphy's days are numbered. To this, Ole Max says hogwash.

Should the powers that be at Old Notre Dame fire Murphy, they'd be making a monumental mistake. Murphy ain't the problem. It's the Irish roster. Southern Cal's Rod Dedeaux or Ivy's Bob Seddon couldn't win with that crew. Sure, there's some potential there. Third sacker Cap Anson is as fine a hitter as you'll see. Outfielder Carl Yastrzemski is finally turning the corner and is developing into the slugger ND thought he'd be. The pitching staff shows flashes of brilliance and could develop. Now, Ole Max hears rumors ND is about to rush hard-throwing, football-catching Jeff Samardzija to the big league club.

Which brings us back to Ole Max's original point. Firing Pat Murphy won't help the Irish hit their stride. Sure, this team is 10 games under .500 and 12 games out of first. Sure, it has trouble hitting, pitching, fielding and running on a daily basis. But canning Murphy won't stop that overnight. In fact, who are you going to hand the reigns to . . . Anson, as a player/manager? That didn't work out so well with Tony Gwynn at San Diego State. How about Knute Rockne? Frank Leahy? Touchdown Jesus? No, no, no!

So if you're a fat cat in the Notre Dame administration, wake up and listen to Ole Max. Firing Pat Murphy will only make things worse. Start beating the bushes and find some ballplayers--real ballplayers. You'll be amazed just how much your opinion of Pat Murphy as manager improves when that happens.

This is Max Mercy, Jr. running the bases . . .

StLee · 03-10-2009, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batted balls

Louisiana State Tigers
Manager: Skip Bertram
Starting Rotation: Eric Hetzel, Mark Guthrie, Mike Sirotka, Ben McDonald, Brian Tallet
Closer: Curtis Leskanic
Probably Lineup: Keith Osik, Todd Walker, Warren Morris, Buddy Blair, Joe Adcock, Lyle Mouton, Jeff Roublet, Jim Bowie, Armando Rios
Top Prospects: Paul Byrd, Albert Belle
Did You Know? Warren Morris won the 1996 NCAA title game with a grand slam against Miami.

I just got around looking at this thread while searching for a quick start file for NCAA baseball so that I don't have to put it together myself. Anyway, I am a big LSU fan, so a couple of things stood out to me.

Skip Bertman should be the manager (though we Tiger fans are loving us some Manieri these days!). Also, Warren Morris hit a two-run, walk-off homer to beat Miami in '96, not a grand slam. The great thing was that it was his first HR of the season.

Now to get away from criticism. I may design an NCAA league similar to yours where I will limit the number of teams to make it much easier, less time-consuming, and save more HD space. Good job!

batted balls · 03-11-2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StLee

I just got around looking at this thread while searching for a quick start file for NCAA baseball so that I don't have to put it together myself. Anyway, I am a big LSU fan, so a couple of things stood out to me.

Skip Bertman should be the manager (though we Tiger fans are loving us some Manieri these days!). Also, Warren Morris hit a two-run, walk-off homer to beat Miami in '96, not a grand slam. The great thing was that it was his first HR of the season.

Now to get away from criticism. I may design an NCAA league similar to yours where I will limit the number of teams to make it much easier, less time-consuming, and save more HD space. Good job!

Thanks for your comments and corrections. Both are appreciated. The College Baseball League was my all-time favorite. I'm still bummed that I lost it.

Should you develop a similiar project, let me know, I'd love to follow it as a fan.

01-03-2007, 03:14 PM	#321 (permalink)
batted balls All Star Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: White Sox Country Posts: 1,319 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0x in 0 posts	Edwards Adds to Already Potent UCLA Attack May 16, 2008 Los Angeles--With three likely All-Stars in its infield, UCLA fans sometimes overlook short stop Mike Edwards. That won't happen this time around as Edwards was named All-American Baseball League West Player of the Week. "It's great news," said UCLA third baseman Troy Glaus. "Mike deserves some attention." Second baseman Jackie Robinson added, "Mike has had as much of a hand in our success this season as anyone on the team." First baseman Bob Hamelin agreed, "Mike sets the table for guys like me. He's also played a solid short for us." Edwards hit a robust .565 with a home run and three RBIs en route to the weekly honor. Edwards (shown below) is batting .294 with one homer and 19 RBIs out of the No. 2 slot in the Bruin order. Moreover, Edwards has handled 202 chances thus far this season without committing an error. "He often gets overlooked by flashier fielders," said UCLA manager Art Reichle. "But I'll take my chances any day of the week with a ball hit to Mike Edwards." For Edwards, a career .267 hitter, it's just a matter of finally being adjusted. "This is my third season," said Edwards. "But, it's the first I've played short stop on a regular basis. In the past, it was a little time at short, a little time at second and an occasional game at third. It's good to be settled in one spot." For Edwards, that spot is short. For UCLA, that spot continues to be first place. Diamond Notes: Arizona center fielder Kenny Lofton is enjoying his finest season yet. The Wildcat speedster leads the West in batting with a .355 average . . . Texas second baseman Billy Bates is batting just .142 for the Longhorns. Yet when he has reached base Bates has run wild, stealing 19 times in 20 attempts. "We just need to get Billy on base more often," said Texas manager Cliff Gustafson. Bates seems very likely to shatter the AABL single-season record of 33 stolen bases by Louis Sockalexis of Notre Dame . . . UCLA slugger Bob Hamelin has gone nine games without a home run. That's his longest homerless stretch this season. Stat of the Week: UCLA's starting rotation of Dave Schmidt, Matt Young, Bill Bonham, Jim Parque and Glenn Mickens is an incredible 25-4 with a 2.94 ERA this season. West Standings Team W L PCT GB UCLA 31 11 .738 -- Arizona State 27 15 .643 4.0 Southern California 24 18 .571 7.0 Arizona 22 20 .524 9.0 Oklahoma State 21 21 .500 10.0 Stanford 19 23 .452 12.0 Texas 19 23 .452 12.0 California 17 25 .405 14.0 Cal State Fullerton 16 26 .381 15.0 San Diego State 14 28 .333 17.0 Attached Images __________________ White Sox fan since 1972 Last edited by batted balls; 01-03-2007 at 03:20 PM.

01-25-2007, 06:02 PM	#322 (permalink)
batted balls All Star Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: White Sox Country Posts: 1,319 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0x in 0 posts	Last-Place Fighting Irish May Promote Samardzija South Bend, Ind.--Jeff Samardzija hasn't been to too many places where baseball is the main attraction. That may change soon if Notre Dame decides to promote the minor leaguer to bolster its last-place club. "Some people might say we're rushing him," said Irish manager Pat Murphy. "But if you look where we're at, he sure can't make things any worse." Notre Dame is mired in the All-American Baseball League East cellar with a dismal 16-26 record. The Fighting Irish are 12 games out of first place. "If we're going to continue to lose at this pace we may as well get our kids some experience and see what they're made of," said Murphy. Samardzija, a right-handed pitcher, said, "It was something you don't really think about until it actually happens." Samardzija grew up in Valparaiso, Ind., and is also a wide receiver for the Fighting Irish football team. "I grew up in a football town and we were always playing," Samardzija said. "But [I think I'm more seasoned in football] because of a lack of [baseball] surroundings." Samardzija has caught scouts' eyes with a fastball clocked as high as 99 mph in recent outings. The 21-year-old said if that's true, he probably wasn't pitching well. "To tell you the truth, if I'm throwing 99 out there, I'm probably not pitching my best game," Samardzija said. "I'm probably just throwing hard and it's going off the backstop or off the batter. When I'm throwing low-90s and everything's working, that's probably when I'm pitching my best game." Samardzija said he will continue to play both sports the only way he knows how. "If you go into anything you do worrying about getting injured, then you're probably going to get injured," Samardzija said. "The only thing you can do is go out there and play head-over-heels, going crazy to win whatever it is." Attached Images __________________ White Sox fan since 1972 Last edited by batted balls; 02-09-2007 at 12:24 PM.

02-10-2007, 10:28 AM	#323 (permalink)
batted balls All Star Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: White Sox Country Posts: 1,319 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0x in 0 posts	Firing Murphy Not the ND Answer--Max Mercy, Jr. Max Mercy, Jr. here again, folks . . . Ole Max has turned his attention to another underdog here on the baseball beat. All of you loyal readers know Ole Max championed San Diego State southpaw Don Shaw in a recent column. (Ole Max refuses to address those rumors that he also tinkered with the kid's mechanics and sat him down for a heart-to-heart talk). Well, Donnie went out and won his first ballgame after 20 straight career losses. Then the lanky lefty won yet another game. He's on a roll; we'll call him Butter! Now that Donnie Shaw is straightened out, it's time to turn Ole Max's attention to South Bend. Notre Dame is limping along in the All-American Baseball League East cellar. Rumors are flying that manager Pat Murphy's days are numbered. To this, Ole Max says hogwash. Should the powers that be at Old Notre Dame fire Murphy, they'd be making a monumental mistake. Murphy ain't the problem. It's the Irish roster. Southern Cal's Rod Dedeaux or Ivy's Bob Seddon couldn't win with that crew. Sure, there's some potential there. Third sacker Cap Anson is as fine a hitter as you'll see. Outfielder Carl Yastrzemski is finally turning the corner and is developing into the slugger ND thought he'd be. The pitching staff shows flashes of brilliance and could develop. Now, Ole Max hears rumors ND is about to rush hard-throwing, football-catching Jeff Samardzija to the big league club. Which brings us back to Ole Max's original point. Firing Pat Murphy won't help the Irish hit their stride. Sure, this team is 10 games under .500 and 12 games out of first. Sure, it has trouble hitting, pitching, fielding and running on a daily basis. But canning Murphy won't stop that overnight. In fact, who are you going to hand the reigns to . . . Anson, as a player/manager? That didn't work out so well with Tony Gwynn at San Diego State. How about Knute Rockne? Frank Leahy? Touchdown Jesus? No, no, no! So if you're a fat cat in the Notre Dame administration, wake up and listen to Ole Max. Firing Pat Murphy will only make things worse. Start beating the bushes and find some ballplayers--real ballplayers. You'll be amazed just how much your opinion of Pat Murphy as manager improves when that happens. This is Max Mercy, Jr. running the bases . . . __________________ White Sox fan since 1972 Last edited by batted balls; 02-10-2007 at 10:31 AM.

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