College Baseball Final Top 25 Poll

By Jorge Bannister
Fan Fanatic Sports

It’s been a week since the final out was registered at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium.

And now, here’s my final Top 25:

Rank	School	Record
1	LSU	56-17
2	Texas	50-16-1
3	Arizona State	51-14
4	Arkansas	41-25
5	North Carolina	48-18
6	Virginia	49-15-1
7	Fullerton	47-16
8	Southern Miss.	40-26
9	UC-Irvine	45-15
10	Florida State	45-18
11	Florida	42-22
12	Rice	43-18
13	Mississippi	44-20
14	Clemson	44-22
15	East Carolina	46-20
16	Louisville	47-18
17	Georgia Tech	38-19-1
18	TCU	40-18
19	Oklahoma	43-20
20	South Carolina	40-23
21	Kansas State	43-18-1
22	Miami (Fla.)	38-22
23	Oregon State	37-19
24	Western Kentucky	42-20
25	Ohio State	42-19

Random Thoughts & Ponderings: Baseball Style

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

And now deep thoughts, by Jack Handy. Just kidding, but I d0 want to touch on a lot of different topics today. The baseball season is now two months old. This is the time for major league team and fantasy owners to take stock of his/her team and plan accordingly for the rest of the season. If you're the Red Sox, you need to get another bat to replace David Ortiz. If you're my last place fantasy team, then you need to try and trade Hanley Ramirez and pick up a good bat and starting pitcher in return. I have 4 fantasy baseball teams this year. I am in 1st, 2nd & 3rd in my other three leagues, but dead last (15th in a 15 team league) in the league that I care the most about.

I would love to see Jake Peavy in a Dodgers uniform, but the odds of that happening are zero. First, the Padres would need to be willing to trade him within the division. Second, Peavy would actually have to agree to the trade. I think the 2nd obstacle would be easier to bypass. Why wouldn't Peavy like to stay in Southern California and play in a pennant race? Could they Dodgers look into Roy Oswalt like the White Sox did? Sure, but from what I've heard on the radio and read in a few articles the Astros want a truck load of prospects. That seems like too steep of a price for me.

Here's one for you Chad. Won't it be nice to see Jonathon Papelbon closing for the Yankees in a few years? Papelbon has pretty much stated he wants to set the new benchmark for highest paid closer when he reaches free agency in a few years. There is now way the Red Sox will pay him that much money to keep him in Fenway. In my opinion, the closer position is the easiest to replace, and Daniel Bard sure looks good already. He's the closer in waiting for the Sox, so you shouldn't fret too much over the imminent departure of Jonathon Papelbon.

Thank god Manny Ramirez has dropped to 5th in voting for the All Star Game in the outfield. If, for some reason, the fans vote him to start in the All Star game it would be the perfect time to remove that right from baseball fans. I have always been against fan voting, even though I vote myself, and think the MLB should adopt a process similar to the NFL. I'd rather see coaches, GM's and players deciding 100% of the players to the game, but I know that would never happen. It would be PR suicide for the MLB. At least if that happened the right players would be voted into the game.

My boss, Barry, brought up an interesting question yesterday. Why does the College Baseball World Series have to be in Omaha every year? Good question. The Final Four, Frozen Four and NCAA College Football Championship change sites each year. I think it would help grow the sport of College Baseball to move it around each year. I know people will let me know about the tradition, but who REALLY cares? Congrats to Boston College for a great baseball season. Winning 34 games and making it to the tournament is an amazing achievement. They've done far better in the ACC than I ever thought they would. Congrats to Texas for most likely ending the career of Austin Woods. No pitcher should throw 169 pitches in one outing. It was an amazing outing though. 12 1/3 of no hit innings.

Well, that's about it for now. I have a million other things I'd like to touch on, but should keep that for the next time.

North Carolina — A True No. 1

By Jorge Bannister
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

With two teams in the top 5, and a total of six in the top 25 (according to my poll), no conference is better than the ACC.

I’ll start at the top of the conference, and when I mean the top, I am referring to North Carolina (32-10, 13-7).

The Tar Heels swept the Miami Hurricanes (26-13, 11-10) this past weekend in convincing fashion. It started Friday night, when junior All-American Alex White threw a complete-game, one-hitter against the Canes. He hurled 121 pitches, 80 of them for strikes — meaning two out of every three pitches were strikes.

White improved to 6-1 with a 3.14 ERA. He has 72 strikeouts and has walked just 23 batters.

The other two weekend starters have been solid, too. Despite struggling early on Saturday against Miami, senior Adam Warren settled down and kept the Heels in the game long enough to be able to tie the game and then win it, 4-3, in the 10th.

Warren is 4-2 with a 3.33 ERA. He has 52 Ks and he too has walked 23 batters.

Though his ERA is 5.86, Sunday starter Matt Harvey improved to 5-1. He has given up the same amount of long balls as White (7), but the homers off of him have come with other runners on. Harvey has allowed a total of 32 runs, 28 of them earned in just 43 innings.

His high ERA may come back to haunt him in the postseason, however. Harvey has been able to regroup after giving up innings of 2-or-more runs to settle into a groove before imploding again, but that is a formula for disaster in the postseason where teams are known to play at their highest level. Keep one thing in mind, though — Harvey is just a sophomore.

North Carolina has never been a pitchers-only program, and it shows with this year’s offensive numbers.

Junior Kyle Seager has been the true leader in the lineup. The Tar Heels second baseman is hitting .404 with 2 homers and 37 RBIs. He’s stolen a team-leading nine bases, and his on-base percentage is second on the team at .487.

At the top of the lineup, center fielder Ben Bunting, just a sophomore, has been phenomenal at setting the table for UNC. He’s hitting .330, and has walked more times than he has struck out, 22-14.

Two major things in this lineup are freshman shortstop Levi Michael and redshirt junior outfielder Mike Cavasinni.

Michael graduated North Davidson High School (Welcome, N.C.) in December, enrolled at UNC in January and has been the starting shortstop for all 42 games. He’s made a seamless transition into the college game, hitting .294 and hitting 10 homers while driving in 38 runs. Michael’s home run and RBI totals are second on the team.

Meanwhile, Cavasinni is just looking to complete a full season. Last season he took a medical red shirt part way through because he bunted a ball off his face which shattered his orbital bone. Coach Mike Fox said just before the Miami series that he’s seeing the ball better and better as the season has progressed so he expects his average (currently at .248) to rise closer to or over .300.

If the season were to end today, UNC would have the No. 3 seed in the ACC. (Georgia Tech, who is also in the Coastal Division, at 27-8-1 and 13-5-1 would be the No. 1 seed and Florida State, atop the Atlantic Division at 26-12 and 12-7, would be the No. 2 seed) and would face sixth-seeded Miami in the first round.

An aside: Because the ACC has two divisions — Atlantic and Coastal — the top teams from each division get the top two seeds and the rest are seeded based on winning percentage with eight teams making the conference tournament.

As of right now, even though they’re a No. 3 seed, UNC is the favorite in this tournament. Of course, the tournament is still a month away and anything can happen.

College Baseball Top 25

By Jorge Bannister
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Looking back through the games this weekend one thing really stuck out — North Carolina is good. They man-handled Miami in the series sweep.

Also, LSU faltered big time against Tennessee. The Tigers won the first game of the three-game set, 18-3, but then fell to the Vols, 7-5 and 9-4, in the last two games.

UC Irvine and Arizona State just keep winning, while Georgia Tech makes a big leap.

The Top 25 (Records through April 19)

	Record	Previous Ranking
1. North Carolina	(31-10)	5
2. UC Irvine	(26-10)	3
3. Arizona State	(28-8)	7
4. Georgia Tech	(26-8-1)	10
5. Texas	(29-8)	9
6. Ole Miss	(28-11)	15
7. Rice	(27-10)	4
8. LSU	(28-12)	1
9. Georgia	(31-8)	2
10. Arkansas	(26-11)	8
11. Fullerton	(24-11)	6
12. Virginia	(30-8-1)	11
13. Oklahoma	(29-11)	12
14. Florida State	(25-12)	17
15. Baylor	(25-12)	13
16. Texas A&M	(25-14)	NR
17. Oregon State	(23-19)	18
18. Alabama	(27-13)	NR
19. Coastal Carolina	(30-9)	20
20. Florida	(26-14)	16
21. Miami, Fla.	(26-13)	14
22. Clemson	(26-14)	21
23. Kent State	(28-8)	25
24. South Florida	(24-14)	NR
25. TCU	(23-11)	22

Dropped out: Cal Poly, Vanderbilt, West Virginia.

College Baseball Top 25

By Jorge Bannister
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

After a semi lackluster weekend, here’s my first Top 25 poll of the season.

I just couldn’t bring myself to put Minnesota in the Top 25. I know that Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America each have them ranked there, but they’re just not legit.

Florida doesn’t crack the top 15, and I debated about whether or not to have Miami on the outside looking in of the top 15 but they have quality series wins. That’s not to say the Hurricanes are playing great baseball, they’re just winning series.

Also, even though I gushed (sort of) about BC baseball, they aren’t ranked either. If they would’ve swept Wake Forest I would’ve had them tied for 25th. However, because they only won 2 of 3, they are the No. 26 team.

Top 25 (Records through April 12)

1. LSU (26-9)
2. Georgia (29-6)
3. UC Irvine (25-8)
4. Rice (25-8)
5. North Carolina (27-9)
6. Fullerton (22-9)
7. Arizona State (25-8)
8. Arkansas (24-8)
9. Texas (24-8)
10. Georgia Tech (21-8-1)
11. Virginia (28-7-1)
12. Oklahoma (28-8)
13. Baylor (23-10)
14. Miami, Fla. (25-10)
15. Ole Miss (25-10)
16. Florida (23-12)
17. Florida State (21-11)
18. Oregon State (20-7)
19. Cal Poly (24-8)
20. Coastal Carolina (29-7)
21. Clemson (23-12)
22. TCU (22-10)
23. West Virginia (25-7)
24. Vanderbilt (21-13)
25. Kent St. (24-7)

Eagles Perched High In ACC Standings

By Jorge Bannister
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Is Boston College legit? That’s the question I cannot believe I am asking myself.

As of April 11, the Eagles are 22-11 overall and sit atop the Atlantic Division of the ACC with a 9-6 record.

Read the latter part of that sentence again.

Earlier this season, BC took 2 of 3 from Florida State in Tallahassee. Those weren’t one-run games, either. The Eagles pounded Seminole pitching to win the last two games of the series, 14-6 and 12-5, respectively.

St. John’s High product Garret Smith (pictured), a sophomore, has been a two-year starter for BC. The 6-foot, 207-pound shortstop went a combined 3 for 9 with two RBIs and two runs scored for the Eagles in the April 11 doubleheader against Wake Forest (a 23-2 and 4-2 BC sweep). Smith’s hitting .298 with a homer and 28 RBIs. He has also scored 24 times. Defensively, he’s just as solid with a .954 fielding percentage (he’s committed seven errors in 33 games).

JB MacDonald has been stellar in the starting rotation. He’s 4-3 with a 2.70 ERA. MacDonald has allowed just 21 runs – 17 of them earned – in 56-2/3 innings. He has 46 strikeouts to just 20 walks.

In Game 1 against Wake Forest on April 11, MacDonald threw a complete game, allowing two runs on just three hits. He struck out four and walked just one.

While it’s still early – conference tournaments don’t start until the end of May for Division 1 – the Eagles have proven that grit and determination can certainly lead to a team hanging tough with the elite of the conference.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the May 1-3 series against Miami (Fla.) when the Hurricanes come to Chestnut Hill. Right now, the Eagles are better on the road (14-6) than they are at home (5-3), however you can chalk that up to the fact that they play many of their early games down south due to the New England weather.

So, to answer my question: Yes. For now, anyway. There's still plenty of baseball to be played, but it's certainly fun to see a team up north sitting atop the standings of the ACC.

Holy Cross baseball pulls off big upset against powerful Boston College

By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
WORCESTER -- I couldn't believe my eyes.
I had just watched the Holy Cross baseball team play sloppy baseball while not getting much pitching or hitting at all in a loss to Yale on Saturday, but the Crusaders looked like a totally different team on Wednesday night in Worcester at Fitton Field.
With powerful Boston College in town, the only people who thought Holy Cross had a chance to win were wearing purple (well, I'm willing to bet many of those fans didn't think they stood a chance, either).
But that's the beauty of sports -- anything can happen on any given day.
Guess what, Holy Cross pulled off an amazing upset win, 8-2.
Holy Cross entered with a 5-14 record, while the Eagles were 14-6 with impressive wins on their resume. Boston College took 2 of 3 from Florida State in Tallahassee and 2 of 3 at Maryland. Needless to say, they're legit.
Boston College has owned Holy Cross over the years -- the Crusaders hadn't won since 1994.
There were several lessons to be learned: never take an opponent lightly, have confidence and always believe you can win even if you don't, and lay it all on the line and play hard each and every inning.
What an upset!

Take that for rooting for Florida State!

What you’re about to read is a true story. Do not adjust your monitors.

There I was. It was Monday night, the Monday before Thursday Madness, and I was filling out my bracket. I came across the East Region portion of the bracket and was staring at the 12-5 matchup between Wisconsin and Florida State

Before I continue, you have to know one thing: I am a Miami Hurricanes freak. Not fan. Not fanatic. Freak. I despise all things related to the Florida Gators, I despise all things related to the Va. Tech Hokies and I definitely despise all things Florida State. Back to the story.

My first instinct, of course, was to pick the Badgers in the typical 12-5 upset that is so commonplace in the field of 65. Instead, for the sake of my bracket – and nothing else, I swear – I picked the Seminoles. Twice. And what do those bums from Tallahassee proceed to do? They blow the game after leading, 31-19, at the half.

I was beside myself.

I drank the Tallahassee Kool-Aid and all it gave me was … well, it starts with an S and ends in hit.

I could never forgive myself. My fellow Hurricanes’ fans shouldn’t forgive me, either.

To this very moment, sitting here writing this, I am still pissed off over this whole thing. Even more pissed off than I am at the fact that Wake Forest got throttled by Cleveland State (I didn’t have Wake advancing past the Sweet 16, so I really don’t care).

The icing on the cake, the lowly Gators – DAMN THAT CHOMP! – slid past Miami in the second round of the NIT.

Wonderful.

Oh, and Virginia defeated the Hurricanes’ baseball team, 9-4.

What a freaking day!

Lesson learned. Never trust those thugs from Tallahassee in any sport.

Hell, they had the best lineup and one of the best No. 1 pitchers in college baseball a couple of years back and still got bounced from the College World Series. I can take solace in the fact that it was the Hurricanes which did so.

But, that’s another sport for another time.

(Special to Fan Fanatic Sports by Jorge Bannister. He can be reached at jbannister11@yahoo.com)