College baseball preview week of 4/4-4/10

[Blazer25]

I just about can't stand not having baseball any longer!!!

 

I'm so desperate that I am planning on listening to FSU-Charleston Southern on Yahoo radio today (it's free!!!)

 

Anyone else whos is interested here is the link:

 

FSU Baseball Online

[colbyjack]

Thanks for the heads up Blazer. College baseball broadcasts are a great way to help bridge the gap until Brewers baseball.

[colbyjack]

Looking for a fun way to spend your Fat Tuesday? Jeff Clement & USC kick off their season tonight vs. Tony Gwynn's San Diego State Aztecs. For a free broadcast, follow this link to SDSU's audio page:

 

goaztecs.collegesports.co...media.html

[madbad2000]

Thanks for the heads up Patrick. Kind of a less than exciting first pa for Clement by being hit in back on first pitch. Hopefully we can see some fireworks as that is why I'm tuning in. That and it's baseball and I'm dying to get a fix.

[colbyjack]

I'm glad you tuned in Michael.

 

FYI for local cable subscribers:

 

A week from this Friday, February 18th, Fox Sports Atlantic will have Miami vs. Florida on at 5:30 CST. Check out 3B Ryan Braun and RHP Cesar Carillo take on RHP Alan Horne & SS Justin Tordi while getting your baseball fix. Hopefully this will be the start of many, many more televised college baseball games this spring.

 

***BTW, a booming RBI double to left-center for Clement in the bottom of the 7th, and ended up scoring on a single later in the inning. As madbad noted, he was HBP in his first AB, in which he eventually scored, and had a productive out in the 3rd grounding out to the 2B moving his teammate on 2B over to 3B with one out (who eventually scored on a balk). Clement flied out to LF in the 5th. So, he's 1 for 3 with a double, a HBP, two runs and an RBI.

[colbyjack]

BA's weekend preview:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...eview.html

 

Some good games to listen to tonight & this entire weekend. The Minute Maid Classic in Houston highlights this weekend's action. Here are some recomended listening suggestions with the audio links:

 

Tennessee vs. Texas A&M: Tennessee RHP Luke Hochevar takes the mound on Friday night at 7:00 pm CST against Cliff Pennington and the Texas A&M Aggies. Click on the link below for Texas A&M's audio feed. The Aggies face Rice on Saturday and Houston on Sunday.

 

wtaw.com/

 

Baylor vs. Houston: Baylor RHP Mark McCormick takes the mound on Friday afternoon at 3:30 CST against Houston. Click on the link below for Baylor's audio feed. Baylor plays Tennessee on Saturday and Rice on Sunday.

 

baylorbears.collegesports...media.html

 

USC vs. Long Beach State: A really good pitching matchup on Friday night, with USC sophomore RHP Ian Kennedy facing the Dirtbags' LHP Cesar Ramos at 8:00 pm CST. SS Troy Tulowitzki is out a few weeks, but USC's Jeff Clement should be behind the plate.

 

www.longbeachstate.com/gen/thisweek.html

 

Wichita State vs. Northwestern State: Not the greatest of matchups, but RHP Mike Pelfrey takes the mound for the Shockers this evening.

 

www.goshockers.com/liveradio.aspx

[colbyjack]

Just a reminder for those of you with cable to check out Florida vs. Miami today at 5:30 pm. The game will be aired on FSN Atlantic, channel 108 for those of you with the extended sports package with Time Warner Cable in Milwaukee. Alan Horne should get the nod against Cesar Carillo.

 

Here's BA's weekend preview:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...eview.html

 

One of the more intriguing matchups is Cal State Fullerton vs. USC, with LHP Ricky Romero, who flirted with a no-no last weekend, vs. RHP Ian Kennedy tonight at 8:00 pm CST. Check out the web-cast via Cal State Fullerton's athletics page:

 

www.titansports.org/audio/ontheair.html

 

As Anders mentioned on a different thread last weekend, Stanford will be facing Texas this weekend.

[batman]

Thanks for the heads-up, Patrick. According to my cable guide, the game will also be broadcast tomorrow at 11AM. I'm not sure if it will be a repeat or if it is tomorrow's game (which is at that time), but I think it's the latter. So we get to see *two* games.

 

Beauty.

 

~Bill

[colbyjack]

I gotta say, the more I watch Miami IF Ryan Braun at the plate, the more I like him. I remember being impressed with him during his freshman year. A few weeks ago, I popped in a tape of Miami vs. Long Beach State to check out Braun and Troy Tulowitzki, a game in which Braun crushed a double to the LCF gap off of Jered Weaver. After the first two games of the UM/UF series, I'm convinced this guy is going to hit at the pro level. The visual comparisons to Nomar Garciaparra are obvious, and it's clear Braun has adopted some of his traits (he takes a foot out of the batter's box and adjusts the velcro on his wristbands-just once though-after each and every pitch).

 

If he keeps hitting this year, he's going to be a legitimate candidate to be taken in the top 5-10 picks, and since he's playing 3B this season (more because of Miami's roster than his inability to play SS from what I can tell), he could be a candidate for the Brewers' pick.

[Anders34]

Not sure if I anyone else got to see the Florida Miami game yesterday but it was interesting. I definately came away impressed with Carrillo. He has 3 good pitches. Fastball (likely low to mid 90's), a 12-6 curve that he can throw for strikes and another offspeed pitch. It could have been a hard changeup or a slider. Anyways, it had a lot of sideways movement. His line doesn't look that great but Florida has some good hitters and the D was questionable at times.

 

Braun had a very rough night on Def. His fielding was slick, but he does not have the throw to first from third mastered yet. He had at least 1 error and could have had more. The Sun Network announcers commented on how he was throwing at a 3/4 angle instead of over the top. Many of his throws were low or in the dirt. As Colby mentioned, he is still learning the position. IMHO, the throwing problems should be correctable.

 

Sadly, it is drizzling here in Austin today. I refused to sit through a rain delay and sit in the drizzle so no UT/Stanford for me.

[batman]

Those were two awesome games between the Canes and Gators. Lots of impressive players, but I agree with Patrick re: Braun. He looked fantastic at the plate... his bat speed is ridiculous. He looked lost at third to me, but I have no doubt that he has the physical tools to succeed at the position given that he was supposed to be a pretty solid shortstop. The announcers were adamant about his speed and basestealing ability, too.

 

Here's a weird question about the Gators: do they teach their relievers to throw submarine, or did they just recruit a pair of submariners in O'Day and Falkenbach and turn them into late relievers/closers? It was weird to see their two best relievers with basically the same submarine throwing motion.

 

Anyway, thanks again to Patrick for the reminder... it was great to see baseball again (even if its going to start snowing outside again).

 

~Bill

[colbyjack]

The rain continues on the West Coast, raining out both Friday's & Saturday's USC vs. Cal State Fullerton contests. They will play a DH today, starting at 3pm CST. Kennedy & Romero should face off in the first game, follow the link provided above to Cal State Fullerton's audio broadcast.

[colbyjack]

So, is it still raining on the West Coast? No college games on TV this weekend. In fact, it could be a while before we see another one.

 

Here's BA's college weekend preview:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...eview.html

 

The biggest matchup over the weekend is Stanford vs. USC. Unfortunately, there is no free broadcast that I could find. If you have a Yahoo A/V subscription you can listen to it. Here's Yahoo's college baseball broadcast page. The ones with the grey icon means they're free to all:

 

sports.yahoo.com/top/coll...sport=base

 

Minnesota and Arkansas actually is an intriguing matchup. Minnesota looks poised to take the Big Ten again, and Arkansas is one of the lesser known formidable teams in the SEC. Texas A&M, Florida State and Florida can all be accessed for free via the Yahoo page this weekend as well, although against inferior opponents.

 

I did find one intriguing matchup in which you can access a free broadcast, Baylor vs. Arizona State:

 

baylorbears.collegesports...media.html

 

Cal State Fullerton's broadcasts are always free. They play UNLV this weekend:

 

www.titansports.org/audio/ontheair.html

 

Long Beach State vs. Tony Gwynn & San Diego State:

 

www.longbeachstate.com/bbo/bbc/

 

There may be no TV this weekend, but Vanderbilt is offering free webcasts of their February home games. Vandy is a team on the rise in college baseball, so if you get the opportunity, check them out. LHP Ryan Mullins is probably the Friday starter:

 

www.commodores.com/subpag...ame=DoreTV

[Blazer25]

Fullerton v UNLV is worth a listen...

 

Former WI prep star Tyler Beranek will most likely DH for the Rebels.

[colbyjack]

BA's college weekend preview:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...eview.html

 

Interesting note, Vanderbilt has suspended LHP Ryan Mullins indefinitely for violating team rules.

 

It's a little early, but today's college baseball chat at BA reminded me of an outstanding matchup coming up this weekend: #3 Cal State Fullerton vs. #1 Tulane. Friday's game should be a classic matchup between lefties Ricky Romero & Brian Bogusevic, who is off to a great start for the Tide: 3-0, 0.90 ERA, 30 IP, 20 H, 31 K, 7 BB. Cal State Fullerton's audio is always available online for free, check it out here:

 

www.titansports.org/audio/ontheair.html

 

http://ftp.baseballamerica.com/images2005/bogurom449350lg2.jpg

 

The entire series should be fun to listen to, as Saturday's matchup could pit LHP Ryan Shreppel against RHP Micah Owings.

 

A few more interesting games have been brought to my attention, as part of a tournament that USC is hosting this weekend, which includes Wichita State, Texas Tech and UC Irvine.

 

On Friday, RHP Mike Pelfrey will take the mound for Wichita State vs. UC Irvine's RHP Chris Nicoll, one of CarolinaTommy's underrated draft eligible players to watch. The game is to be played at 4:00 CST. I did find a radio station that reportedly covers most of UC Irvine's games, I'm sure I or someone else will find out tomorrow if it actually works:

 

http://www.kuci.uci.edu/

[colbyjack]

Baseball America's College weekend preview for the weekend of 3/18-3/20:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...eview.html

 

Some interesting matchups to tune into for the weekend, including a few rare TV games.

 

Ricky Romero and Cal State Fullerton have yet another tough assignment this weekend as they face #9 Arizona. All of Cal State Fullerton's broadcasts are free through their site:

 

www.titansports.org/audio/ontheair.html

 

Long Beach State LHP Cesar Ramos will face off vs. Wichita State RHP Mike Pelfrey. All of the Dirtbags' games can be accessed via their website (click the link on the right-side of the page):

 

www.longbeachstate.com/bbo/bbc/

 

On the TV side of things, #1 Texas faces Baylor this Sunday, a game that will be televised by the College Sports TV network (CSTV). For local (Milwaukee) residents, this station can be found for TW digital cable subscribers on channel 118. The Texas/Baylor game will be played at 1:00 pm central time, and I believe there are several re-broadcasts over the course of next week in case you miss it.

 

This Friday you can watch Florida State kick off their ACC schedule vs. Virginia Tech at 5:00 pm CST on FCSP (Fox College Sports Pacific), which I believe is channel 109 for local digital cable subscribers. Again, more replays of this contest as the weekend continues.

 

More upcoming televised games include:

 

Tuesday, 3/22, Auburn at Georgia Tech, 6:00 pm, FCSA (Fox College Sports Atlantic (channel 107). Georgia Tech has some very good players to watch, and Auburn has a few of their own. I may preview this game in greater detail early next week.

 

Wednesday, 3/23, Central Florida at Florida, 11:00 am, FSCA. Florida is currently ranked #6 by BA, and Central Florida has a few intriguing players to watch, including defensive standout, catcher Drew Butera.

 

Saturday, 3/26, Georgia Tech at Miami, noon, FCSA. Checking the TV schedule online, I can't tell if the rest of the games from this weekend series will be televised. This game as listed must be the Friday night game, as the Saturday game doesn't start until 3:00 pm. There are several replays over the course of the weekend, so the entire series, or at least more than one game from this series, may be televised. GT vs. Miami should provide for a VERY interesting matchup.

[batman]

Sweet picture from BA's home page:

 

http://ftp.baseballamerica.com/images2005/agordon450300.jpg

 

I really wish we could trade up and draft him. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

~Bill

[batman]

Fox Sports Atlantic is showing Virginia Tech and Florida State right now. Barrett Browning is pitching for FSU.

 

Just FYI if anybody's around and didn't notice.

 

EDIT: This is actually last Friday's game, but it's new to me. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

~Bill

[colbyjack]

Interesting matchups for the weekend of 3/25-3/27.

 

I already listed some possible TV games this weekend above. If Georgia Tech and Miami is indeed on TV, be sure to check it out. Georgia Tech has been soaring up the polls lately with an unstoppable offense, while Miami has always been at the top with Ryan Braun and Friday starter Cesar Carillo.

 

#1 Cal State Fullerton and LHP Ricky Romero play Long Beach State this weekend. This should create another exciting matchup on Friday between two exciting college LHPs, which includes the Dirtbags Cesar Ramos. Both Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State offer free audio all season long:

 

www.titansports.org/audio/ontheair.html

 

www.longbeachstate.com/bbo/bbc/

 

Most other broadcasts aren't free. I fear schools like Cal State Fullerton & Long Beach State will be charging for their online broadcasts next year.

[colbyjack]

BA has released ESPN's increased college baseball TV schedule with the addition of ESPN U:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...4espn.html

 

There are a bunch of great games to check out within that schedule, which include games on ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U and CSTV (college sports TV). Not included are all of the games to be shown on FCS (Fox College Sports) Pacific, Central and Atlantic, which will cover a lot of SEC games that ESPN won't be covering (follow the link to read more about that).

 

It's great to see. Not just to be able to watch some of the more intriguing MLB players of tomorrow, but just for baseball in general. With the popularity at the MLB & MiLB levels, it's great to see that popularity carry over to the college side as well. With increased efforts to televise the AFLAC All-American Classic, which is the baseball version of the McDonald's all-star game for HS basketball (and produced by the same people), there aren't too many aspects of baseball that aren't covered anymore.

[brettac1]

That's sweet, I'll be able to see Alex Gordon and Nebraska at least 11 times.

[CarolinaTommy]

I think ESPN's new coverage of college baseball may have an impact on the dynamics of the amateur draft. All of a sudden high school athletes, if recruited by top college programs, have the opportunity to play on nationally television (ESPN) during the regular season. Yes, college baseball games have been covered in the past on Fox Sports (particularly in the south), but we are increasingly seeing more and more college baseball on television the last few years.

 

It makes college baseball more glamorous. The minor league professional life seems to be less desirable when you can go to college and play on ESPN. Although, minor league facilities have become nicer over the past few years.

 

I think it is interesting. Will we see more kids go and play college baseball so they can be on ESPN? Perhaps. From a marketing a promotional viewpoint, baseball fans are going to become more acclimated with college baseball and possibly help the sport grow. I saw highlights of a Miami-Georgia Tech baseball game on SportsCenter this morning. Its interesting.

[colbyjack]

With more and more TV games expected to be on TV in coming weeks, I'll try to provide a listing of those games week to week as my schedule allows.

 

This weekend there are six games to be televised, at least in the Milwaukee area for those that have the Time Warner Cable digital cable sports package.

 

Saturday, April 2nd

 

Noon: FCSA (Fox College Sports Atlantic)

Virginia @ North Carolina

This would be a great opportunity to check out Virginia 3B Ryan Zimmerman. UNC has plenty of interesting draft eligible players for '06, including LHP Andrew Miller and RHP Daniel Bard. If this is indeed a Saturday game, it likely will be Bard on the mound (if it's a replay from Friday night, it could be Miller).

 

3:00 PM: FCSA

Georgia @ South Carolina

Not a ton of draft eligible prospects, at least none of great interest. I covered a lot of South Carolina players in a column I wrote for Perfect Game taking in a SC/Pepperdine game at the Metrodome as part of the DQ Classic a couple of weeks ago. Georgia has sophomore slugging 1B Josh Smith. And maybe we'll see pogokat in the stands.

 

3:00 PM: FCSP (Fox College Sports Pacific)

USC @ Washington

Here's your chance to determine if Jeff Clement is worthy of staying behind the plate, and to see if his bat is legit. Washington has a few interesting draft eligible players, including SS Brent Lillibridge and RHP Tim Linecum.

 

Sunday, April 3rd

 

Noon: FCSA

Clemson @ Florida State

Neither team is loaded with intriguing draft eligible prospects, but FSU's dynamic offense is spark by leadoff man Shane Robinson, who is putting up some insane numbers for the Seminoles this season. Clemson's Andy D'Alessio is a talented hitter and is considered a top prospect for '06.

 

1:00 PM: FCSC (Fox College Sports Central)

Michigan @ Minnesota

Michigan is turning some heads so far this season, and Minnesota has a few interesting guys to watch, including 1B Andy Hunter. Look for Katuluu in the stands. He likes lemurs.

 

4:00 PM: FCSA

Central Florida @ Stetson

Central Florida's Drew Butera is one of the more intriguing draft eligible catchers. He's known as more of a catcher & throw guy at this point in time, but he has some potential in his bat.

 

Looking at the TV schedule for next week, there will be a lot more games to follow on TV, particularly on ESPN and CSTV (College Sports TV).

 

More updates to come later this week, but there doesn't appear to be many intriguing matchups among the top 25 ranked teams.

 

Here's Baseball America's College weekend preview:

 

BA College weekend preview: April 1-3

[colbyjack]

Here are this week's TV games. Get ready for a whole lot of Nebraska games coming up, including everyone's chance to watch Alex Gordon this coming weekend on ESPN.

 

Wednesday, April 6

 

6:00 pm: CSTV

Iowa @ Nebraksa

Check out Alex Gordon, and who knows, maybe we'll get a peek at DFE Dustin Timm.

 

Friday, April 8

 

6:30 pm: ESPNU

Texas @ Nebraska

Don't hold me to this game, since it isn't officially listed within my TV schedule, but then again I don't think ESPNU is offered yet. ESPN listings for this weekend for me include a 11:00 am Saturday game on ESPN and a 8:00 pm Saturday game on ESPN2, with team's listed as TBA.

 

Saturday, April 9

 

Noon: FCSA

NC State @ Virginia

I strongly enourage any college/draft fans to check this game out to see 3B Ryan Zimmerman in action. I was extremely impressed with him last weekend.

 

1:00 pm: ESPN

Texas @ Nebraska

Again, don't hold me to this time. This game is supposed to be aired on ESPN, but my current TV listings don't agree.

 

3:00 pm: FCSA

Auburn @ Mississippi State

DFE Jon Mungle attends Mississippi State, but he hasn't been playing at all this year. Brad Corley highlights the Mississippi State OF, while Josh Bell highlights the Auburn squad behind the dish.

 

4:00 pm: FCSP

UCLA @ USC

Another chance to check out catcher Jeff Clement.

 

Sunday, April 10

 

Noon: FCSC

Auburn @ Mississippi State

 

1:30 pm: ESPN

Texas @ Nebraska

Unsure of game, time, etc. See above.

 

3:00 pm: FCSP

UCLA @ USC

 

Another cool pic of Alex Gordon on BA's website:

 

http://ftp.baseballamerica.com/images2005/agordon450310.jpg

 

BA's college weekend preview 4/8-4/10

[batman]

1:00 pm: ESPN

Texas @ Nebraska

Again, don't hold me to this time. This game is supposed to be aired on ESPN, but my current TV listings don't agree.

 

This one is now on my ESPN TV listings. I'm going to record the Virginia game to watch later and flip back and forth between the Brewers and Texas/Nebraska. What a fantastic baseball lineup... joy, thy name is me.

 

~Bill