Texas Tech has scheduled a news conference on Monday at 1 pm local time to make an important announcement about the baseball program. Oregon Live is reporting Dan Spencer who is the top assistant coach of the Oregon State program will make the move back to Lubbock to work with current head coach Larry Hays. This story will be followed closely by The College Baseball Blog as this could be great news for the Red Raiders program.

Oregon Live article
Double T Nation article

The College Baseball Blog has experienced great growth this season with over 15,000 visitors a month. We have added three additional writers with Djbfootball, Southern Miss Alum, and Wahoo Baseball joining the staff. All three writers cover their respective areas but we are always looking for some more writers especially on the West Coast to cover the PAC-10 and Big West conferences. We are also currently looking for someone to work on a new logo for the site which can be used to make some t-shirts and other merchandise for our loyal readers. Finally, We would love to have some more advertisers on the site but don’t want to cover the entire site in ads so we are holding back from some opportunity but advertising the best available products on the Internet. If anyone is interested in anything or want to comment on the site feel free to e-mail us by clicking here.

Team USA picked up a 7-0 victory over Chinese Taipei. The team was led again by Pedro Alvarez who went 3-3 with a walk, three doubles, and an RBI in the victory. The pitching staff for Team USA was outstanding again as Brian Matusz pitched four scoreless innings while allowing two hits and two walks while striking out seven batters.

Team USA Recap

Baseball America published an interesting op-ed piece today, forecasting their predicted field for the 2008 College World Series. Obviously it’s too soon to tell who will be a legitimate contender, with almost 2 months remaining before the August 15 deadline for MLB organizations to sign would-be college prospects, and injuries, weather and dozens of other factors looming on the horizon. But all the same, it’s interesting to start thinking about it already as we watch the summer leagues take shape, and Aaron Fitt provides some interesting food for thought in the off-season. And no, as you near the end of the list, you’ll discover that I am not unbiased in my evaluation of this article…

The lucky 8:

Arizona State
Miami

Baylor

Michigan

Missouri

UCLA

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Full Article

The LaSalle Explorers hired Mike Lake to head their baseball program. Lake is a 1982 graduate of the university and has spent the last four seasons as the top assistant coach to former head coach Lee Saverio who was let go earlier this season after a 17-32 season and an 8-19 record in the Atlantic-10.

LaSalle Release
A-10 Release

FROM USA BASEBALL RELEASE

CARY, NC — USA Baseball announced its 22-man roster for the summer of 2007, featuring the best college freshmen and sophomores in the country. The team, which will play in the Pan American Games in Brazil in July and at the World Port Tournament in August, is highlighted by two-year veterans 3B Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt) and OF Roger Kieschnick, and newcomers 1B Justin Smoak (South Carolina), OF Jordan Danks (Texas), 1B Brett Wallace (Arizona State) and RHP Jacob Thompson (Virginia).

“After a successful first week, the team is really starting to come together. There is still a lot of work to do, but I think this group of guys can do it,” said Manager Mike Weathers (Long Beach State). “I look forward to working with this group this summer.”

Ryan Flaherty is batting a team-best .471 after finishing off his season at Vanderbilt with a 35-game hit streak. Smoak is batting .368 with a team-best three doubles, three homers, a 1.000 slugging percentage and team-leading eight RBIs. Logan Forsythe (Arkansas) leads the team with seven runs, while batting .313.

Team USA finished off its first week of the season in the North England Collegiate Baseball League, going 5-1. Seven pitchers did not allow an earned run, as the staff ERA is 1.62 after two shutouts and two one-run games.

The roster features six All-Americans in: Alvarez (a two-time first team selection), Smoak, Wallace, RHPs Thompson, Ryan Berry (Rice) and Brian Matusz (San Diego), and LHP Josh Romanski (San Diego). Berry was the 2007 National Freshman of the Year, while Wallace was the Pac-10 Player of the Year as a sophomore.

Three additions were also made to fill out the team of 22 in RHP Joe Kelly (UC Riverside), LHP Mike Minor (Vanderbilt) and OF/1B Jeremy Hamilton (Wright State).

Kelly was added to the 20-man roster after it was learned that USA veteran 2B Jemile Weeks (Miami) could not play due to injury. Kelly had a 2.08 ERA in two appearances after serving as the closer for the Big West Champion Highlanders during the season.

Minor and Hamilton were added to the 22-man roster, which will continue to play for the team, except in Brazil, when the roster is reduced to 20 players for the five-game tournament. This summer Minor did not allow a run in 4.0 innings of work, striking out a team-best seven, while Hamilton batted .308.

Roster available here

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Five Cavaliers Named to 2007 VaSID All-State Baseball Team

Jim Wells will return to the Alabama Baseball program as the head coach after about a week long retirement. He has led the Crimson Tide program to two SEC titles, six conference tournament championships, and been to the CWS on three occasions.

AP Article
Alabama Release

WICHITA, KAN. — Edward Easley will fly to Arizona today.

He’ll sign a contract, and when the ink dries, he will be a professional baseball player in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.

In case the former Mississippi State catcher needs any leverage for negotiating a signing bonus, he got it Wednesday when he won the Johnny Bench Award as the top catcher in college baseball.

“It is, for a fact, the most exciting news I’ve ever received in my life,” said Easley, who helped lead MSU to the College World Series earlier this month. “Catching is what I love to do. It’s what I love to do to help my team win. To be a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award is just a great honor, and to finally be picked is just a great honor.”

Complete story

The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper has named Pat Casey as their Coach of the Year for the 2007 season. He led the Beavers to their second consecutive national championship after finishing the season below .500 in the Pac-10 conference.

Full Release from CBN

Dave Serrano of UC-Irvine was named the National Coach of the Year by Baseball America after leading the Anteaters to their first appearance in the College World Series. The Anteaters were the story in the College World Series as they won two extra innings games to advance to the final four before losing to Oregon State.

Baseball America Article

Scheduling big-name opponents has become a yearly struggle for the Southern Miss football program.

Then men’s basketball team is beginning to have the same issues.

While both programs jump through hoops trying to secure home-and-home opportunities, the baseball program has done exactly that.

The Golden Eagles will travel to play a Cal State Fullerton for a three-game series beginning March 7, 2008, and the Titans will come to Pete Taylor Park in 2009.

Cal State Fullerton has 15 College World Series appearances and four national championships, including the 2004 title.

“In the last five years, we’ve enhanced our schedule and hopefully we can keep doing that,” USM coach Corky Palmer said. “I’m just not big on the guarantee of going out somewhere, someone paying us a bunch of money and no return.

“We’re fortunate in baseball, that you can do it. I know in other sports, people don’t do it.”

Complete story

I want to be a Sports Agent has an interview with Daniel Moskos of Clemson who was the number 4 overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft. The College Baseball Blog saw Moskos in 2006 when he was closing for the Tigers and he impressed the staff mightily. The Full interview with Matt Vuckovich is available here.

FROM VALLEY LEAGUE PRESS RELEASE

Players of the Week

Kevin Dietrich (Monroe, N.C.), a senior outfielder for UNC-Pembroke and the New Market Rebels finished in the top-five in batting average (.429) and slugging percentage (.643). Dietrich led all players with 12 hits and six doubles while adding three RBIs and six runs in seven starts last week. This season Dietrich leads New Market with a .392 batting average, six doubles, one home run and has added seven RBIs in thirteen games.

Kurt Davidson (North Canton, Ohio), a junior from Akron, catches and plays the infield for the Waynesboro Generals. Last week, Davidson led the league in slugging (.714), total bases (20) and RBIs (11) while finishing third in doubles (4) and second in hits (11). Davidson helped lead the Generals to a 5-1 record overall as they sit just a game back of Harrisonburg in the Valley League. This season Davidson has started 19 games, hitting .307 with five doubles, one triple, two home runs and 21 RBIs.

Pitchers of the Week

Chad Sherman (Bullard, Texas), a freshman right handed pitcher from Panola J.C. threw a complete game shutout to lead Staunton on the mound. Sherman gave up three hits and struck out eight as the Braves shutout New Market 5-0 on Tuesday. Sherman needed just 90 pitches to get through the game and did not allow a runner to advance past second base. In the game Sherman faced just one batter above the minimum.

Ashur Tolliver (Sherwood, Ark.), a freshman from Arkansas-Little Rock went eight innings allowing just one run, on three hits and struck out 13 as Harrisonburg defeated Luray 6-1 on Friday. Tolliver finished the week with a 1.12 ERA walked just one batter to improve to 2-0 on the season. Overall, Tolliver has posted a 2.00 ERA, striking out 24 and allowing four earned runs in 18 innings pitched.

Full Weekly Release

Thousands of Oregon State University baseball fans — a sea of orange — packed Parker Plaza on campus to welcome home the Beavers on Monday and catch a glimpse of the national championship trophy.

“We’ve got the best baseball team in America right here in Corvallis, Oregon,” said coach Pat Casey, who guided the Beavers to back-to-back titles.

OSU defeated North Carolina on Sunday to clinch the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

Could a three-peat be in the works?

Complete story