Due to the NCAA’s common start date rule, the baseball season is getting underway a couple of weeks later this year, but opening day has nearly arrived. All nine C-USA baseball teams will be in action this Friday. Tulane will play its first games on campus since the 2006 NCAA Super Regional when it opens the brand-new Greer Field at Turchin Stadium against Illinois-Chicago. Two of C-USA’s nationally-ranked teams open with three-game series’ at ranked opponents, as No. 24 East Carolina visits No. 2 South Carolina and No. 3 Rice travels to No. 13 Long Beach State. Houston, Southern Miss, UAB and UCF each host weekend series.

Team-by-team thumbnails

We have three schedules to post on this cold Thursday afternoon. We found Fordham’s 2008 schedule where they are coming off a 36-21 regular season with a 19-8 record in the Atlantic 10. They lost in the A-10 Championship game to Charlotte which ended the season. Fordham will open the season at Wichita State and host Charlotte in a key A-10 series. The full schedule is available at the link below.

Fordham

The Marshall Thundering Herd will open the 2008 season at Western Carolina for a three game set from February 22nd-24th. The next weekend they will head down to Conway, SC to take part in the Bash at the Beach but before the first game in the tournament Marshall will play Western Carolina for the fourth straight time. The Bash at the Beach will have Marshall facing off against Coastal Carolina, West Virginia, and George Mason. The highlight on the Marshall home schedule is a visit from Rice on March 21st-23rd. The full schedule is available by clicking the link below.

Marshall

The Furman Paladins will head down to Knoxville on February 25th for a single game to open the season. They will play at Charleston Southern on February 27th. The first home series for the Paladins is March 1st and 2nd when NJIT comes to town to play two doubleheaders. The two marquee home games are on April 22nd when South Carolina visits and Tennessee on May 13th. Both of these games will take place at the Greenville Drive’s stadium. The full schedule is available at the link below.

Furman

Many schools are finishing up their fall seasons with intra-squad scrimmages. We have linked to all the weekend recaps below.

Wake Forest (Game 2)
Wake Forest (Game 1)
Indiana Fall Recap
Southeast Missouri State (Game 2)
Southeast Missouri State (Game 1)
Marshall Fall Series Recap
Villanova Fall Series Recap
UNC Fall Series Recap
Illinois State Fall Series Recap
Michigan State Fall Series Recap

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University and CSX are currently working together to make an on-campus baseball field more than just talk at the office water cooler.

CSX, a railroad company based along 5th Avenue, wants to donate a seven-acre tract of land to Marshall in order to move the baseball field closer to campus, according to Head Baseball Coach Jeff Waggoner.

The seven acres to be donated, adjacent to Village Apartments on 22nd Street, have been toxically contaminated over an extended period of time, Menis Ketchum, chair of Marshall’s board of governors, said.

Marshall University must first remediate the land before it can be donated, Ketchum said.

Complete story

Memphis 19, SE MO State 8

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The University of Memphis record books were rewritten on Wednesday afternoon as the Tigers (27-16) exploded for a school-record 12 runs in the fifth inning to take command of the ballgame en route to a 19-8 thrashing of Southeast Missouri (25-17) in the series finale at Capaha Field. Adam Amar went 3-for-4 on the day to claim Memphis’ all-time hits mark, surpassing former Tiger standout Steve Moss’ 240 career hits.

The Tiger offense reset a total of four single-inning marks with the 12-run outburst. Among those new records are the 15 plate appearances, 14 at-bats and the 18 total bases. The former mark for runs scored in a single frame was 11, set by the 1978 Tigers in a 39-run route of Delta State.

Memphis recap
Southeast Missouri State recap

Tulane 11, Nicholls State 5
METAIRIE, La. - The top six hitters in the Green Wave lineup combined to go 11-for-23 at the plate and the Green Wave used a nine-run fifth inning to erase a 5-0 deficit as the Tulane University baseball team defeated Nicholls State, 11-5, Wednesday evening at Zephyr Field.

Trailing 5-0 after four and a half innings, the team held a players-only meeting in the dugout and came out with a purpose as the Green Wave pounded out seven of their 13 hits in the stanza to snap a three-game losing streak. With the victory, Tulane improves to 29-14 on the year. Nicholls State, meanwhile, falls to 5-27.

Nicholls State recap
Tulane recap

No. 19 Mississippi State 7, Southern Miss 4
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Edward Easley finished with a walk, a double, two home runs and four RBIs to lead Mississippi State to a 7-4 win over Southern Miss, tonight, in the second midweek game, completing the two-game sweep.

The home team has swept the series for the past two years. Southern Miss won both games in 2006 in Hattiesburg, winning 13-6 and 6-3.

Mississippi State (27-10) scored seven runs on 11 hits and committed one error, while Southern Miss (25-18) scored four runs on eight hits and committed one error. Each team turned two double plays. The Golden Eagles left seven runners on base, while the Bulldogs stranded only four runners.

Southern Miss recap
Mississippi State recap

Ohio 7, Marshall 6
ATHENS, Ohio - For the second time this season Ohio used a come-from-behind effort at Bob Wren Stadium to upend the Marshall baseball team, this instance thanks to a game-tying, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth followed by the winning run in the 11th for a 7-6 Bobcat victory on Wednesday.

Marshall led 6-4 heading into Ohio’s final at bat when freshman first baseman Marc Krauss hit a Nick Wolle (Coatesville, Pa.) offering over the left centerfield wall, his second home run of the game, to tie the contest and send it into extra innings. In the 11th inning, right fielder Matt Stiffler doubled and scored on a single by Jared Willis that was aided by a Herd error in left field.

Marshall (17-22) out-hit the Bobcats (15-23) 13-11 and stole two bases to Ohio’s zero.

Marshall recap
Ohio recap

The city of Houston broke out the brooms this weekend, as Rice and Houston both swept Conference USA series. The two schools are now 1-2 in the C-USA standings. Marshall also broke into the league win column in convincing fashion over the weekend.

Rain was the big winner this past weekend, as several series had to work its way around the wet stuff. Highlighting the on-the-field action was Rice’s victory in the Silver Glove series.

No. 5 Rice at Houston
Houston posted three runs in the sixth inning against NCBWA Pitcher of the Week Ryan Berry on its way to a 5-2 victory in the Silver Glove series-opener Friday. Joe Savery went 4-for-4 from the plate on Saturday to highlight Rice’s 15-hit performance and Ryne Tracker scattered three hits from the mound as the Owls evened the series with a 12-0 shellacking. Jess Buenger went 4-for-5 to lead the Owls to an 11-6 decision on Sunday.

With consecutive wins over UH on Saturday and Sunday, Rice (29-11, 10-2) claimed the weekend series two-games-to-one and retained possession of the Silver Glove Trophy as the city’s collegiate champion for a seventh-straight year. The Owls have won the annual trophy in nine of the 10 years it has been awarded dating back to 1998. Houston fell to 19-6 overall, 6-3 in C-USA play.

Rice recaps
Houston recaps

No. 28 Tulane at Southern Miss
Southern Miss scored in the bottom of the first, then saw Tulane plate five unanswered runs as the Green Wave claimed a 7-5 decision in the Friday contest. Torrential rains and tornado warnings cancelled all of Saturday’s EagleFest activities, leading to a pair of seven-inning games on Sunday.

Barry Bowden tossed a complete game as Southern Miss took a 5-2 win in the first game of the Sunday doubleheader. The Green Wave scored seven runs in the top of the first and cruised to a 7-1 series-clinching win in the second game. Tulane moved to 27-11 overall, 8-4 in C-USA; Southern Miss is now 22-15, 4-8 in C-USA.

Tulane recaps
Southern Miss recaps

Memphis at UAB
Visiting Memphis held off a late UAB rally to take a 7-6 win on Friday. Blazer officials set Saturday’s first pitch for 10:30 a.m. in an effort to beat the incoming storms. It didn’t work; the game was suspended after five innings with Memphis holding an 8-4 lead, thanks to an eight-run fourth inning by the Tigers.

The Blazers scored three runs on Sunday in the resumption of Saturday’s game, but Memphis’ eight-run fourth inning on the previous day held up, as the Tigers claimed an 8-7 decision. A 9-4 final in the third game gave the Tigers a sweep of the weekend series. Memphis has won eight of its last nine conference games and stands at 22-14 overall, 8-4 in C-USA. UAB fell to 16-21 overall, 4-5 in league play.

Memphis recaps
UAB recaps

East Carolina at Marshall
In an effort to beat the incoming weather, the ECU-MU schedule was altered; the two teams played a Friday doubleheader. Freshman Kyle Roller hit his first career home run in the eighth inning of the opener to lift ECU past Marshall 7-4. The Pirates scored seven runs in the third of the nightcap to cruise to a 13-3 sweep of the doubleheader.

The doubleheader sweep turned into a series sweep, as the rains came in and forced the cancellation of the third game. East Carolina moved to 24-12 overall, 6-5 in C-USA. Marshall fell to 14-19 overall, 0-8 in league play.

East Carolina recaps
Marshall recaps

CINCINNATI, Ohio—Tony Campana had a career-high four RBI and Cincinnati held off a late Marshall charge, leading the Bearcats to a 12-10 win over the Thundering Herd on Monday night at Marge Schott Stadium. With the win, the Bearcats improve to 18-14, while Marshall falls to 14-17. The Herd has now dropped 12 consecutive games, its longest losing streak since 1999. Cincinnati has won five of its last seven games.

Campana was the leader of a Bearcat offensive attack that totaled 12 hits with two hits and his 40th stolen base of the year. Josh Harrison and Jamel Scott each added two to the cause. John Baird carried the bulk of the load on the mound, grabbing his first career victory with a career-best 6.1 innings of work.

Herd starter Ryan Kiel took the loss for the Herd, which drops his record to 3-3. Chapman and Vincent had three hits apiece to lead Marshall. Cassamassima and Lape also added two hits for the Thundering Herd.

Marshall returns home to play Morehead State Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. at University Heights. Cincinnati is back in action on Wednesday, hosting crosstown rival Xavier at 6:30 p.m.

Marshall recap
Cincinnati recap

Tulane 16, LSU 9

All nine Green Wave hitters tallied at least two hits, including a 4-for-6 showing by sophomore right fielder Warren McFadden, as the Tulane University baseball team defeated arch-rival LSU, 16-9, Tuesday evening at Zephyr Field.

Tulane (23-8) jumped out to a 10-0 lead after three innings, and held a comfortable 13-3 advantage going into the top of the seventh. In that stanza, however, the Tigers (17-13-1) clawed their way back into the ballgame as left fielder Ryan Schimpf capped a six-run stanza with a three-run homer to right. Rookie right-hander Preston Claiborne came out of the pen to put the fire out and the Green Wave held on to complete the regular-season sweep of LSU for the third time since 2001.

Tulane Recap

Southern Miss 13, Nicholls State 5

Southern Miss’ Trey Cuevas and Michael Ewing each finished with three hits and four RBIs to lead the Golden Eagles to a 13-5 victory over Nicholls State, tonight, at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field in front of 2,467 in attendance.

Cuevas finished with a single in the first inning, a grand slam in the second inning and a single in the fourth inning. Michael Ewing had a triple to center field in the second inning, a walk in the third inning, a sacrifice fly to center in the fourth inning, a three-run homer to right field in the sixth inning and a single through the right side in the seventh inning.

Jared Cavenaugh (2-0) earned his second win of the season, pitching six innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on six hits, walking two and striking out seven batters. JR Ballinger pitched two innings, giving up one hit and striking out one, and Ben Wade pitched the ninth inning and had a strikeout.

Southern Miss Recap

Baylor 12, Houston 6

Baylor scored nine runs over the final four innings on the way to a 12-6 win against the University of Houston baseball team Tuesday during a non-conference game at Baylor Ballpark.

The Bears took advantage of a hit and error to score two runs in the sixth inning and grab the lead for good and then broke the game open with four runs off three hits and another Cougar miscue one inning later to split the regular-season series against the Cougars. UH enjoyed a 4-2 win over the Bears on Feb. 9 during the first day of the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park.

Baylor added three more run in the eighth inning during its final at bat for the final margin of victory.

Houston Recap

Rice 5, Prairie View A&M 4

Junior left fielder Jordan Dodson delivered the game-winning hit with one out in the bottom of the ninth-inning to cap a late two-run rally and propel the eighth-ranked Rice baseball team to a 5-4 victory over upset-minded Prairie View Tuesday evening at Reckling Park in Houston.

Dodson’s ninth inning game-winner was on the heals of an emotional boost in the top of the eighth inning when junior reliever Cole St.Clair made his long-awaited debut for the 2007 season. The left-hander fired a solid shutout inning that halted the first Prairie View rally after the Panthers cut the Rice lead to a single run, 3-2. St.Clair entered the game with one run already in, a man in scoring position and nobody out. The consensus preseason all-America selection got a fly out, which was enough to advance the runner to third, and he hit the next batter. With men on the corners, St.Clair quickly made up for the hit batsman by picking the runner off first base. He then batted down a line-shot back to the mound, which he managed to corral and flip to first to end the inning.

Rice Recap

Louisville 17, Marshall 1

The Marshall University baseball team suffered a 17-1 setback to Louisville at Jim Patterson Stadium on Tuesday on the strength of eight Cardinal home runs, three of which came in a 10-run third inning. The game was called in the top of the sixth inning due to thunderstorms.

Louisville fell behind 1-0 on a Brendan Murphy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) RBI groundout in the first inning that scored Thundering Herd leadoff man Mason Chapman (Barboursville, W.Va.). The Cardinals then wasted no time getting their offense going, hitting two home runs in the bottom of the first to take a 3-1 lead. Justin McClanahan hit a two-run shot off starter Ryan Kiel (Los Gatos, Calif.), then two batters later Chris Dominguez hit a solo homer.

Marshall Recap

Thanks to Raymond Reeves for forwarding me all this information. He is much help with Conference USA coverage.

Southern Miss 9 Louisiana-Monroe 5

The Eagles got their fourth straight victory with a 9-5 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday evening. Michael Ewing got three hits to lead the offense while Todd McInnis got the victory by going 3.0 innings on a staff night.

Southern Miss Recap
Louisiana-Monroe Recap
Hattiesburg American Recap

New Orleans 14 Tulane 2

The Privateers used a thirteen hit attack to hammer the Tulane Green Wave 14-2 in non-conference action on Tuesday. T.J. Baxter went 3-4 with four runs scored and four driven to lead the offensive charge.

UNO Recap
Tulane Recap

Texas A&M 10 Rice 9 (11 innings)

The Aggies picked up a very tough 10-9 victory over the Rice Owls on Tuesday. The Owls will be back in action on Friday when they visit Southern Miss for a weekend series.

Rice Recap
Texas A&M Recap

Memphis 17 Middle Tennessee State 3

The Memphis Tigers blew out Middle Tennessee State 17-3 on Tuesday. Bill Moss went 3-3 with four RBI and three runs scored to lead the Tigers to the victory.

Memphis Recap
Middle Tennessee State Recap

James Madison 12 Marshall 4

Matt Townsend hit two homers and drove in five runs to lead the Dukes to the 12-4 victory. The teams will face off on Wednesday.

JMU Recap
Marshall Recap

UAB 7 Troy 6

The UAB Blazers used a great relief appearance from James Oliver who entered with the tying run on second and the winning run on first with one out in the eighth but was able to get out of the jam and pick up his first save of the season.

UAB Recap
Troy Recap

Conference USA has released their recap of the weekend where the conference teams went 11-2 in one run games. Memphis continues their strong start to the season with a three game sweep at the Autozone Classic in Memphis this past weekend. Marshall also picked up a four game sweep over University at Buffalo. Southern Miss also took 2 out of three games from the Ragin Cajuns in one of the better series of the weekend. The full release from C-USA is available here.

Conference USA has released their Pitcher and Player of the Week for the week ending on February 18th. Brendan Murphy of Marshall was named the Player of the Week after reaching base three times in each of Marshall’s three games this weekend and picking up a slugging percentage of 1.100. Sean Morgan picked up the Pitcher of the week award by allowing one unearned run on Friday against North Florida. He also struck out eleven batters while walking none.

Conference USA Release
Marshall Release
Tulane Release

Conference USA has posted their preview of the Marshall Thundering Herd. The team will be under the direction of new head coach Jeff Waggoner. He comes from NC State where he was an assistant coach for two seasons under Elliot Avent. He inherits a team which returns only two starting position players and lost six pitchers from last years team. The full article is available here.

This is some more added to list of recruits for the 2007-2008 season.

Texas Tech
Fresno State
UIC Flames
Marshall
Lafayette
St. Mary’s of CA
ASU Sun Devils
UCLA Bruins
Tulane