Titans Hold Off Bruins in Opener

As reported by NCAA.com

By Jonathan Raber
Special to NCAA.com

LOS ANGELES - His two most reliable pitchers have gotten him this far, so Cal State Fullerton coach Dave Serrano was either going to sink or swim with sophomores Noe Ramirez and Nick Ramirez.

The Titans stayed afloat.

Noe Ramirez worked out of a crucial jam in the seventh inning and Nick Ramirez did the same in the ninth as Fullerton fended off a late rally to hold on for a 4-3 victory over sixth-seeded UCLA in the opener of the NCAA Division I baseball Super Regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday night.

"My heart was pumping through my jacket, I think," said Serrano of the tense moments.

There won't be much time for the feeling of relief to settle in with Game 2 of the best-of-three series slated for Saturday at 4 p.m. PDT, to be aired on ESPN. Game 3, if necessary, will be played at 7 p.m. PDT Sunday (ESPN).

When Noe Ramirez (12-1) ran into some trouble in the seventh, loading the bases with no outs, Serrano didn't even consider pulling him in that spot. ...

(Continued)

Diamond Club Newsletter (June 13, 2010)

CSF Baseball will continue to host and archive the Diamond Club newsletters throughout the 2010 season. Click on each page to enlarge:

Diamond Club Newsletter (June 6, 2010)

CSF Baseball will continue to host and archive the Diamond Club newsletters throughout the 2010 season. Click on each page to enlarge:

Fullerton Regional Preview (Stanford)

By FullertonBaseballFan

No. 2 Seed – Stanford Cardinal

Overall Record – 31-23
Conference Record – 14-13 (4th place)
How they qualified for a regional – At large
Last Regional Appearance – 2008 (Tied for 3rd, College World Series)
RPI/ISR – 36/18
SOS – 20 (RPI)/2 (ISR)
Record vs. tournament field – 16-13
Record vs. top 50/top 100 RPI – 15-13/18-17

Season Summary

Stanford went 30-25, tied for 5th at 13-14 in the Pac 10 and missed qualifying for a regional in 2009 for the second time in three years after playing in the post-season every year from 1994-2006. The Cardinal had issues both offensively with a .279 team average and on the mound with a 5.12 team ERA that they needed to address if they were going to be better this season in what ended up being a much improved Pac 10 conference that went from having three teams play in regionals last season to having eight teams qualify for the post-season this year. Stanford lost several regular position players but brought in a strong recruiting class and they will often have four FR in their starting lineup. The Cardinal lost two SP’s and a closer that was a 1st round draft pick but their pitching has improved due to the development of some of their Sophs in a recruiting class last year that was pitching heavy last year. Stanford’s offense was slightly improved this year with a .288 team average with slightly more scoring and their pitching was slightly improved with a 4.77 team ERA. As to be expected with such a young team, Stanford has had their ups and downs with playing up to their ability level due to their inexperience. The Cardinal started the season by sweeping perennial national title contender Rice at home and followed that up by getting swept at Texas, one of the top teams in the country. Stanford won their next three series against sub .500 teams UCSB, Pepperdine and USC before their schedule toughened up and they lost series at UCLA and home to Oregon. When it looked like Stanford was in trouble the Cardinal turned around and swept both Oregon State on the road and California at home. Stanford lost three of their last five series against Washington (swept on the road), Long Beach (2-1 on the road), Washington State (1-2 at home), Arizona (2-1 on the road) and ASU, the top seed in the tournament (1-2 at home).

Offense

Park Factor according to Boyd’s World – 88 (decreases offense by 12%).
Batting Average – .288 (NCAA ranking – 225, Conf ranking 8)
Runs Per Game – 6.0 (225, 8)
Home Runs – 34 (226, 8)
Stolen Bases – 37 (250, 9)
Slugging Percentage – .409 (245, 8)
On Base Percentage – .367 (DNR, 10)
Walks – 202 (167, 6)
Strikeouts – 347 (DNR, 6)
HBP’s – 46 (220, 8)
Sac Bunts – 17 (258, 10)

Stanford is pretty much a station to station offense that looks to put together rallies by stringing together several hits and doesn’t rely too much on hitting HR’s or small ball with either bunting or the running game. The Cardinal has had some issues offensively and over the course of their last ten weekend series have been held to four runs or less nine times and scored five runs six on six other occasions.

Batting Order

RF #7 FR Tyler Gaffney (RH – .319/.402/.436, 1-22-2). Gaffney is similar to the previous OF who played RB on the football team (Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart) but is known more for his speed while Gerhart was known for his power. He is a good athlete who can also play CF. Gaffney leads the team with 10 HBP.

2B #13 JR Colin Walsh (Both – .321/.432/.505, 7-41-2). Walsh has some interesting stats and leads the team and is 2nd in the Pac 10 with 40 BB’s and 51 K’s. He also led the team in HR, RBI and SLG and tied for 2nd in R. Walsh hit .320 in 2009 with no HR’s. He is 2-11 in his career against Fullerton.

1B/LF #25 FR Stephen Piscotty (RH – .321/.382/.440, 3-32-5). Piscotty is one of several good athletes in the FR class. He is 2nd on the team in H and leads the team with 17 doubles (6th in the Pac 10). Piscotty only had 17 K’s in 218 AB’s.

3B #3 FR Kenny Diekroger (RH – .351/.384/.486, 5-39-1). Diekroger was a 2nd round draft pick out of HS but decided to go to school. He leads the team in BA (10th in the Pac 10) and H (8th in the Pac 10) and is 2nd on the team in HR and RBI. Diekroger needs to work on his plate discipline with a 12/44 BB/K ratio.

C #29 JR Ben Clowe (RH – .351/.413/.436, 1-13-5 in 94 AB’s). Clowe has started only 21 games this year, mostly at 1B/DH but has played C the last two weekends due to Stanford losing starting C Zach Jones to a broken finger. Clowe hit .274 in part-time duty as a DH/backup C in 2009 and went 2-6 last year at Fullerton.

DH #4 FR Eric Smith (LH – .286/.333/.371, 0-12-0). Smith moved into the lineup the last two weekends to give the lineup another LH bat. JR #20 Jonathon Kaskow (Both – .344/.469/.453, 1-28-0) was in the 1B/DH mix with Clowe but has only started once in the past two weeks. He is a very patient hitter and is 9th in the Pac 10 with 31 BB. Kaskow went 2-9 last season at Fullerton.

LF #11 JR Dave Giuliani (Both –.265 in 83 AB’s). Giuliani was a part-time player most of the season but has been in the lineup the last two weekends and gives the lineup another LH bat. He has good speed and can play all 3 OF positions.

SS #6 JR Jake Schlander (RH – .256/.355/.366, 3-37-1). Schlander is primarily in the lineup for his defense but has improved offensively from 2009 (.232-1-22) and is 3rd on the team in RBI. He is 3-28 in his career against Fullerton.

CF #24 FR Jake Stewart (RH – .211/.269/.304, 2-16-5). Stewart is a very good athlete with good speed but has struggled offensively.

Defense

Fielding .971 (54, 3) – 61 errors. Good fielding team around the infield, especially up the middle with Schlander and Walsh, although Walsh has gone from making 5 E’s in 2009 to 12 this season. Diekroger will end up at SS in the future but has struggled some at 3B (14 E’s). All of their OF’s have very good range, especially Stewart, Giuliani and Gaffney.
Double Plays – 59 (29, 3)
Stolen Base Attempts – Baserunners are 23-32 against Clowe over the last two seasons. Runners were 36-44 against Jones.
WP’s/PB’s Allowed – 34, mostly against Jones who is a good athlete behind the plate and does a good job of blocking pitches.

Pitching

ERA – 4.77 (51, 8)
BA – .266 (DNR, 5)
HR – 47 (DNR, 9)
BB’s/9 IP – 4.79 (248, 10)
K’s/9 IP – 6.9 (135, 7)

Stanford has gotten pretty consistent efforts from their first two SP’s during the course of the Pac 10 season but have had issues in trying to find a consistent third SP. The bullpen has been pretty solid with several RHP and LHP options.

Starting Pitchers

#34 Soph Brett Mooneyham (LHP – 3-6, 4.74 ERA, 16 starts, 1 CG, 82 IP, 71 H, 60 BB, 94 K, .243 BA, 6 HR, 4 HBP, 5 WP). He is a hard thrower who will be an early draft pick in 2011. Mooneyham has struggled with his control his first two years (114 BB in 149 IP) but has also been very tough to hit in that time (.225 opps BA). Over his last six starts he has averaged 7 IP and has a 2.95 ERA. Mooneyham has had better control in his last three starts with only 8 BB allowed in 20 IP. He has had trouble with holding runners (12-14 SB’s). Mooneyham allowed 3 R on 4 H and 6 BB in 5 IP in his start at Fullerton in 2009 and was 6-3, 4.14 in 67 IP with 72 K last season.

#16 Soph Jordan Pries (RHP – 4-3, 3.86 ERA, 14 starts, 91 IP, 90 H, 41 BB, 61 K, .264 BA, 12 HR, 9 HBP, 2 WP). Pries has been the most consistent SP and has allowed 3 ER or less in 12 of his 14 starts. He isn’t a hard thrower but relies on spotting his fastball and gets in trouble when he gets his pitches up (most HR’s allowed on the staff). Pries beat ASU last week when he held the Sun Devils to 2 R on 6 H in 8 IP. He has allowed 7-11 on SB attempts. Pries allowed 4 R in 4 IP in his relief appearance at Fullerton in 2009 and was 4-4, 4.62 ERA in 76 IP with 50 K last season.

Stanford has had all sorts of issues finding a 3rd SP behind Mooneyham and Pries. #19 FR Dean McArdle (RHP – 5-0, 5.25 ERA, 2 saves, 21 apps, 4 starts, 48 IP, 43 H, 18 BB, 33 K, .251 BA, 9 HR, 5 HBP, 1 WP) is similar to Pries because he’s not a big guy but he’s a battler on the mound. He has started the last three weekends and allowed 9 R on 14 H and only 1 BB in 15 2/3 IP against WSU, Arizona and ASU. McArdle is 2nd on the team with 9 HR’s allowed.

The most likely other option if Stanford had to come out of the losers bracket would be #23 Soph Brian Busick (RHP – 5-2, 3.67 ERA, 1 save, 21 apps, 6 starts, 54 IP, 58 H, 17 BB, 31 K, .282 BA, 5 HR, 5 HBP, 2 WP) was the other weekend SP but was replaced by McArdle after going only 18 IP in 4 starts.

Relief Pitchers

Closer – #39 JR Alex Pracher (RHP – 6-4, 3.15 ERA, 25 apps, 4 saves, 46 IP, 42 H, 21 BB, 28 K, .255 BA, 1 HR, 2 HBP, 3 WP). Pracher is able to go several innings and went a season high 7 2/3 IP in a 15 inning game at Washington.

#28 JR Danny Sandbrink (RHP – 2-2, 4.79 ERA, 16 apps, 3 starts, 41 IP, 47 H, 14 BB, 23 K, .292 BA, 6 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP).
#26 FR Mark Appel (RHP – 2-1, 5.92 ERA, 2 saves, 24 apps, 3 starts, 38 IP, 44 H, 19 BB, 26 K, .295 BA, 3 HR, 2 HBP, 4 WP).
#36 Soph Scott Snodgress (LHP – 1-2, 5.59 ERA, 1 save, 21 apps, 4 starts, 37 IP, 33 H, 28 BB, 38 K, .248 BA, 2 HR, 5 HBP, 3 WP).
#33 Chris Reed (LHP – 2-0, 5.23 ERA, 18 apps, 21 IP, 23 H, 13 BB, 14 K, .295 BA, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 3 WP).

Fullerton Regional Preview (New Mexico)

By FullertonBaseballFan

No. 3 Seed – New Mexico Lobos

Overall Record – 37-20
Conference Record – 14-8 (2nd place)
How they qualified for a regional – At large
Last Regional Appearance – 1962
RPI/ISR – 46/43
SOS – 102 (RPI)/88 (ISR)
Record vs. tournament field – 3-8
Record vs. top 50/top 100 RPI – 3-8/6-9

Season Summary

New Mexico had a very similar season in 2009 to the one that they have had this season, going 37-20 overall and 15-8 in conf games to finish in 2nd place. But, the Lobos only had an 88 RPI on selection day due to a poor non-conference schedule and as a result they were left at home while three other Mountain West Conference teams were playing in regionals. New Mexico improved their non-conference schedule with series at national seed Texas and USC (both of which the Lobos won 2-1) and two game midweek series at Arkansas and Arizona (which the Lobos went 0-4 in) which helped boost the strength of New Mexico’s non-conference schedule and RPI enough to get into a regional. Besides those ten games and going 1-3 against TCU, the rest of the Lobos schedule wasn’t much to write home about with only one other game against a team in the top 100 in the RPI (a midweek win vs. Texas Tech). New Mexico once again has one of the best offenses in the country playing in one of the best hitters ballparks as well as playing several conference series in hitters parks that also help offenses put big numbers up on the board. The Lobos have gotten effective front end pitching that has helped them win every three game weekend series they played except for two.

Offense

Park Factor according to Boyd’s World – 118 (increases offense by 18%).
Batting Average – .350 (NCAA ranking – 4, Conf ranking 1)
Runs Per Game – 8.4 (30, 2)
Home Runs – 38 (212, 7)
Stolen Bases – 48 (214, 6)
Slugging Percentage – .502 (47, 3)
On Base Percentage – .420 (DNR, 1)
Walks – 233 (87, 2)
Strikeouts – 292 (DNR, 7)
HBP’s – 36 (269, 7)
Sac Bunts – 53 (25, 1)

The approach that the New Mexico hitters take to the plate is that they are a line drive hitting machine. Their ballpark has a huge right-center gap where it is 404’ to the wall and that is where many of the 2B’s and 3B’s end up landing (the Lobos had 181 2B’s and 3B’s). New Mexico is patient at the plate and have a very good BB/K ratio because they focus on taking pitches and putting the ball in play on a line when they get the pitch they want. The Lobos do not run much with one player accounting for nearly 1/3 of their SB’s but they will put runners in motion on hit and run plays and bunt runners over with three hitters having at least nine SAC’s. One thing to note is New Mexico has been held to four runs or less in 10 of 17 games that they didn’t play at elevation either at home or in one of the other MWC launching pads.

Batting Order

2B #1 SR Adam Courcha (RH – .313/.418/.447, 1-27-4) was a starter in the OF in 2009 (.313-2-22-5) but moved to 2B when last year’s starter MWC MVP Mike Brownstein moved on. Courcha does a good job of setting the table for the heart of the lineup.

1B #11 SR Justin Howard (LH – .455/.505/.712, 10-72-5) isn’t built like and definitely doesn’t hit like the prototypical top of the lineup hitter. Howard is 2nd in the country in AVG, H (117) and 2B (32), 10th in TB and is in the top 50 in OBP, SLG and RBI. What might be one of the most impressive numbers for Howard is his 29/18 BB/K ratio.

C #12 JR Rafael Neda (RH – .369/.438/.604, 10-63-1) provides the power to the New Mexico offense along with Howard. Neda has been 1st or 2nd team all MWC each of the last two seasons (’09 – .415-7-49-0). He is in the top ten in the conf in AVG, OBP, SLG, H, 2B, HR and RBI.

DH #33 JR Ryan Honeycutt (LH – .358/.418/.509, 6-53-2) has had a similar season to last year except with a lower average (’09 – .406-6-53-0) as a solid run producer in the middle of the lineup.

RF #19 SR Chris Juarez (RH – .406/.449/.490, 2-30-9) doesn’t hit like the usual middle of the order hitter because he only has 12 extra base hits but he has a very good 18/21 BB/K ratio as a line drive hitter. He is 3rd in the MWC with 12 SAC’s and 2nd on the team with 9 SB’s.

CF #18 SR Max Willett (RH – .324/.414/.445, 3-35-15) has skills that look more like a leadoff hitter because he has 15 extra base hits, he is 3rd in the MWC with 15 SB’s, he has 9 SAC’s and he has an outstanding 27/20 BB/K ratio.

LF #13 SR Cameron Smith (LH –.323/.413/.470, 3-33-1) gives the Lobos another LH bat in the lineup to take advantage of the RF gap at home and he has 15 doubles in only 164 AB’s and a solid 22/28 BB/K ratio.

3B #4 FR Alex Albritton (RH – .308/.384/.413, 0-30-3) stepped right into the lineup and has been solid both offensively and defensively. Very good 20/26 BB/K ratio for a FR. 7 SAC bunts.

SS #10 SR Daniel Gonzalez (RH – .337/.402/.431, 0-40-3) is the glue of the infield defense and has been a very good run producer for a 9 hitter. 2nd in the MWC with 13 SAC bunts.

Defense

Fielding .972 (40, 2) – 62 errors. Good fielding team at all four infield positions. Good speed in the outfield to get to the gaps in their home ballpark.
Double Plays – 50 (101, 3)
Stolen Base Attempts – Baserunners are 23-32 against Neda.
WP’s/PB’s Allowed – 45. Neda does a solid job of blocking pitches.

Pitching

ERA – 5.36 (94, 2)
BA – .306 (DNR, 3)
HR – 56 (DNR, 4)
BB’s/9 IP – 3.51 (86, 2)
K’s/9 IP – 7.0 (125, 3)

New Mexico had the second best pitching staff in the MWC behind TCU, who had the advantage of not playing in a hitters paradise. They have gotten solid work out of their weekend starters and have used quite a few arms out of the bullpen although they don’t have a shut down closer.

Starting Pitchers

#14 SR Willy Kesler (RHP – 6-3, 3.78 ERA, 15 starts, 3 CG, 95 IP, 87 H, 24 BB, 92 K, .242 BA, 8 HR, 5 HBP, 5 WP) was the only pitcher not from TCU to be voted first team all MWC. Kesler isn’t a big guy but he has a solid fastball that sits around 90 and has late movement on his pitches. He got off to a slow start and didn’t throw well against either Texas or USC (6 1/3 IP, 10 R) but he threw well for the rest of the season, going 5-1 with a 2.72 ERA in MWC games including a 3-2 CG win vs. TCU, before losing his last two starts. Kesler does not do a good job of holding runners (8-8 SB’s) and he has also committed 8 balks.

#17 JR Kenny Toves (LHP – 5-2, 4.55 ERA, 20 apps, 11 starts, 65 IP, 80 H, 31 BB, 43 K, .307 BA, 8 HR, 6 HBP, 5 WP) is a crafty lefty who tries to minimize damage and keep his team in the game by keeping hitters off balance. He started out the season in the bullpen and threw the ball very well in relief outings against Texas and USC (8 2/3 IP, 1 R) before being moved into the rotation. He threw the ball well at Arizona (6 IP, 2 R) but struggled at Arkansas and was decent in conf starts before allowing 5 R in 1/3 IP to TCU and ending up with a 5.16 ERA in conf games. Baserunners are 5-7 on SB attempts against Toves and he has two pickoffs.

#27 Soph Rudy Jaramillo (LHP – 4-2, 5.92 ERA, 15 apps, 10 starts, 59 IP, 74 H, 14 BB, 27 K, .306 BA, 8 HR, 6 HBP, 4 WP) has been in and out of the rotation during the conference season, starting only twice in MWC games although one of them was a good outing against TCU when he allowed 3 R (2 ER) in 8 IP. He also had a good start against UNLV in the conf tournament (7 1/3 IP, 3 R, 7 H). Jaramillo is a finesse pitcher who has to keep the ball down to have any success. He does a very good of holding baserunners (1-3 SB’s).

The most likely other option if New Mexico has to come out of the losers bracket would be #16 JC transfer Richard Olson (RHP – 4-3, 4.19 ERA, 1 save, 18 apps, 7 starts, 54 IP, 68 H, 29 BB, 48 K, .316 BA, 3 HR, 5 HBP, 8 WP), who traded off with Jaramillo in the weekend rotation during conf games when he was 2-0 with a 4.81 ERA in 7 apps (3 starts).

Relief Pitchers

Closer – #24 JC transfer Gera Sanchez (RHP – 2-2, 5.32 ERA, 20 apps, 5 saves, 22 IP, 31 H, 9 BB, 16 K, .341 BA, 1 HR, 3 HBP, 1 WP).

#21 JC transfer Mike LaChapelle (LHP – 5-2, 6.41 ERA, 16 apps, 6 starts, 53 IP, 72 H, 16 BB, 31 K, .317 BA, 10 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP). Has alternated between very good (6 IP, 1 R at Texas) and very bad (2 IP, 8 R vs. TCU).

#23 SR Edwin Carl (RHP – 5-2, 5.57 ERA, 1 save, 25 apps, 42 IP, 59 H, 23 BB, 46 K, .353 BA, 3 HR, 4 HBP, 8 WP).

#20 FR Bobby Mares (RHP – 3-1, 4.46 ERA, 12 apps, 5 starts, 34 IP, 36 H, 17 BB, 24 K, .275 BA, 3 HR, 4 HBP, 0 WP).

#26 SR Jason Oatman (LHP – 0-2, 5.19 ERA, 1 save, 17 apps, 1 start, 35 IP, 39 H, 1 BB, 26 K, .281 BA, 3 HR, 1 HBP, 1 WP). Outstanding BB/K ratio.

#15 FR Austin House (RHP – 1-1, 8.71 ERA, 17 apps, 1 start, 21 IP, 38 H, 12 BB, 16 K, .400 BA, 6 HR, 2 HBP, 3 WP).

Fullerton Regional Preview (Minnesota)

By FullertonBaseballFan

No. 4 Seed – Minnesota Golden Gophers

Overall Record – 27-28
Conference Record – 15-9 (1st place)
How they qualified for a regional – Won the Big Ten Conference Tournament (Indiana 10-8, Michigan 4-3 (11), Iowa 15-5)
Last Regional Appearance – 2009 (Runner-up, Baton Rouge Regional)
RPI/ISR – 113/128
SOS – 92 (RPI)/114 (ISR)
Record vs. tournament field – 1-7
Record vs. top 50/top 100 RPI – 1-5/8-13

Season Summary

Minnesota went 40-19 in 2009 and finished 2nd in the Big Ten at 17-6, qualifying as an at-large for a regional where they played well in finishing as the runner-up to eventual national champion LSU. The Golden Gophers lost most of the heart of their lineup and two of their SP’s so they expected to get off to a slow start with seven FR/Sophs in the starting lineup and it would be an understatement to say they played poorly for most of the first two months of the season. Despite not playing a difficult schedule, Minnesota went 2-1 only twice in their first nine weekends, was swept in the Big East challenge (by the three Big East teams that are playing in regionals) and at one point were sitting at 14-24. But, as the weather warmed up so did the Golden Gophers and they went 13-4 in May, won their last five weekend series to finish with a 15-9 Big Ten record to win the regular season title and won all three games in the Big Ten tournament to clinch the conference’s automatic bid.

Offense

Batting Average – .306 (NCAA ranking – 133, Conf ranking 6)
Runs Per Game – 6.1 (220, 5)
Home Runs – 38 (209, 4)
Stolen Bases – 37 (250, 9)
Slugging Percentage – .432 (194, 6)
On Base Percentage – .380 (DNR, 6)
Walks – 217 (123, 3)
Strikeouts – 390 (DNR, 4)
HBP’s – 45 (229, 8)
Sac Bunts – 22 (215, 7)

Minnesota had a much more potent offense in 2009 with a .314 AVG, 55 HR’s and 78 SB’s but lost several of the main players responsible for those numbers. The Golden Gophers have relied more on stringing hits together and working opposing pitchers for walks to produce rallies. Minnesota got off to a slow start at the plate but hit much better over the last month with a .321 team average. The Golden Gophers have been held to four runs or less 27 times.

Batting Order

SS #1 Soph AJ Pettersen (RH – .298/.380/.395, 2-36-5) was 2nd team all Big Ten as a FR when he hit .353 but hasn’t hit as well this season. 2nd on the team with 48 R. Leads the team with 10 HBP. Went 6-14 with 5 RBI in the Big Ten tournament.

LF #13 FR Andy Heckenmeyer (RH – .307/.381/.409, 1-16-5) has been playing most of the time with #15 Soph Kurt Schlangen (.278/.371/.311, 0-15-4) usually starting once a weekend. Heckenmeyer went 5-11 in the Big Ten tournament. Schlangen is also one of the backup C’s.

RF #9 JR Michael Kvasnicka (Both – .350/.462/.562, 7-46-4) is projected to be drafted in the first couple of rounds next week and be moved to C in the minors (he is one of the backup C’s). He was 3rd team all Big Ten in 2009 (.341-10-65-5) and 2nd team all-conf this season. Kvasnicka led the Big Ten with 46 BB and was in the top ten in the conf in H, 2B, TB and OBP.

C #6 SR Kyle Knudson (RH – .333/.396/.491, 5-45-1) was 3rd on the team in HR and RBI. Knudson went 6-17 with 6 RBI in the Big Ten tournament.

1B #23 Soph Nick O’Shea (LH – .339/.386/.577, 13-59-0) had a solid FR season (.287-11-44-0), was even better this year and was 1st team all Big Ten. He was 3rd in the conf in HR, RBI, TB and also in the top ten in the Big Ten in H, 2B and SLG.

2B #16 FR Matt Puhl (RH – .327/.397/.436, 1-19-1) has stepped into the lineup right away and done a good job at the plate and defensively. One issue that he has is making contact because he is 2nd on the team with 43 K’s.

3B #4 Soph Kyle Geason (RH –.281/.328/.385, 3-36-4) only hit .229 in 2009 but has improved quite a bit this year.

DH #22 Soph Trip Schultz (LH – .336/.430/.458, 2-19-1) and #19 FR Ryan Abrahamson (RH – .278 in 36 AB’s) have been platooning at DH vs. RHP and LHP. Schultz went 4-7 in the Big Ten tournament.

CF #3 FR Troy Larson (RH – .279/.350/.333, 1-17-8) is one of the fastest players on the team and leads them in SB’s. He leads the team with 7 SAC’s. Larson has had trouble at the plate and leads the Big Ten with 62 K’s.

Defense

Fielding .973 (36, 2) – 62 errors. Solid up the middle with Pettersen (4th in the Big Ten in assists) and Puhl (committed only five errors). O’Shea and Geason have had issues on the corners and have combined to make 21 errors. Good athletes in the OF with good arms in CF and RF.
Double Plays – 53 (73, 7)
Stolen Base Attempts – 46-77. 19-32 against Knudson.
WP’s/PB’s Allowed – 54

Pitching

ERA – 4.62 (43, 1)
BA – .282 (DNR, 2)
HR – 47 (DNR, 4)
BB’s/9 IP – 3.2 (41, 3)
K’s/9 IP – 6.8 (151, 3)

Minnesota has been able to rely on the same three SP’s for most of the season and that consistency paid off down the stretch when they started playing better during the Big Ten schedule. The Golden Gophers have a pretty deep bullpen and a closer that has usually been very tough to beat.

Starting Pitchers

#29 JR Seth Rosin (RHP – 8-4, 5.02 ERA, 15 starts, 95 IP, 97 H, 12 BB, 88 K, .263 BA, 13 HR, 11 HBP, 8 WP) is a big, intimidating presence on the mound who is projected to go in the first ten rounds in the draft next week. He has been 2nd team all-conf each of the last two seasons (2009 – 7-1, 4.21 ERA, 15 GS, 77 IP, 82 H, 16 BB, 65 K, .274 BA, 6 HR). Rosin has a decent changeup and curveball and a fastball that sits in the low 90’s and can touch the mid 90’s but the problem has been that it often straightens out, resulting in hitters being able to get the bat around on it and he leads the staff in HR’s allowed. He has very good control for a big pitcher and will work inside and he leads the team in HBP. Rosin has been a work horse who is 2nd in the Big Ten in K’s and 5th in IP and AVG. He went 5-2 in conf games but only had a 5.13 ERA and struggled last weekend when he allowed 7 R on 10 H in 7 2/3 IP against Indiana. Rosin does a good job of holding runners (7-14 SB).

#39 FR TJ Oakes (RHP – 4-3, 3.71 ERA, 15 apps, 13 starts, 80 IP, 86 H, 21 BB, 51 K, .275 BA, 7 HR, 7 HBP, 1 WP) stepped right into the rotation and has been the Sat SP most of the season. Oakes relies on spotting his fastball and changing speeds and is 9th in the Big Ten in AVG. His #’s went up a little in Big Ten games (4.43 ERA, .291 BA, 5 HR) but he threw well last week when he held Michigan to 3 R on 8 H in 7 IP. Oakes has done a solid job of holding runners (6-10 SB).

#10 JR Phil Isaksson (LHP – 6-1, 3.29 ERA, 17 apps, 11 starts, 82 IP, 70 H, 26 BB, 57 K, .236 BA, 8 HR, 8 HBP, 2 WP) only threw nine innings in 2009 and started the year in the bullpen but once he got his chance in the weekend rotation he was the most effective SP on the team. Isaksson led the team in wins and ERA and was 2nd in the Big Ten in AVG and 5th in ERA. He is a crafty lefty who relies on changing speeds to keep hitters off balance. He was consistent throughout the season and had a 3.28 in Big Ten games and held Iowa to 1 R on 5 H in 7 2/3 IP in the tournament clinching win against Iowa. Isaksson also does a solid job of holding runners (6-11 SB).

Relief Pitchers

Closer – #42 JR Scott Matyas (RHP – 4-1, 2.59 ERA, 24 apps, 7 saves, 31 IP, 27 H, 13 BB, 48 K, .235 BA, 3HR, 4 HBP, 1 WP) was 3rd team all Big Ten this season and was 2nd team all-conf in 2009 when he had 15 saves (0-1, 2.22 ERA, 28 IP, 21 H, 7 BB, 45 K, .202 BA). He is a hard thrower with a low 90’s fastball and a curveball and is tough to beat when Minnesota has the lead. He usually doesn’t go more than one inning but he did go 2 2/3 IP in the key game of the Big Ten tournament, an extra inning win against Michigan.

#35 FR Billy Soule (RHP – 1-4, 3.20 ERA, 20 apps, 1 save, 45 IP, 44 H, 20 BB, 33 K, .262 BA, 1 HR, 4 HBP, 1 WP).
#28 JR Luke Rasmussen (LHP – 1-4, 5.53 ERA, 19 apps, 4 starts, 42 IP, 55 H, 10 BB, 25 K, .316 BA, 2 HR, 8 HBP, 2 WP).
#38 SR Allen Bechstein (RHP – 1-2, 8.22 ERA, 13 apps, 5 starts, 31 IP, 49 H, 15 BB, 16 K, .380 BA, 4 HR, 7 HBP, 2 WP).
#40 Soph Austin Lubinsky (RHP – 1-2, 4.85 ERA, 9 apps, 6 starts, 26 IP, 34 H, 10 BB, 18 K, .330 BA, 6 HR, 1 HBP, 4 WP).
#21 JR Cullen Sexton (RHP – 0-1, 6.65 ERA, 18 apps, 23 IP, 7 BB, 17 K, .318 BA, 1 HR, 8 HBP, 4 WP).
#27 JR Tim Ryan (RHP – 0-2, 6.00 ERA, 1 save, 16 apps, 18 IP, 22 H, 14 BB, 6 K, .324 BA, 0 HR, 3 HBP, 7 WP).