Here is your News and Notes for College Baseball News from July 23rd.

UCF Leads All Conference USA Baseball Programs in Team GPA

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – Already having set two program academic records in 2008-09, UCF baseball learned that its efforts in the classroom are standing out in Conference USA as well. The Knights ranked first of all C-USA baseball teams with an annual grade-point average of 3.174 to receive the league’s Sports Academic Award.

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Digger Towe

After helping lead UAB to a series victory over No. 4 Rice, the highest-ranked team that the Blazers have ever won a series against, junior DH Digger Towe has been named the Conference USA Hitter of the Week. The Pitcher of the Week honor went to East Carolina sophomore right-hander Seth Maness, who improved to 9-0 with an impressive outing against Memphis on Friday night. Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Fuda

Crosstown rivals Houston and Rice met with first place on the line and the series did not disappoint with Rice winning two of three in a series that was decided by a total of six runs. Houston took the series opener on Friday night, 7-4 as Jared Ray earned his fourth straight win. On Saturday, Michael Fuda hit a two-out RBI single to break a 5-5 tie and give Rice a 7-5 victory. That win earned the Owls the Silver Glove Trophy, which goes to the winner of the annual five-game series between the teams. Rice made it a 2-1 weekend win and a 4-1 Silver Glove series triumph by holding off a late UH rally to win on Sunday, 6-5. Read the rest of this entry »

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

Mike Ojala

The showdown series of the weekend occurred in Greenville, where No. 3 Rice visited No. 15 East Carolina. After Rice won a wild offensive show on Friday night, 15-11, Seth Maness pitched a gem for ECU on Saturday, firing a complete-game, three-hitter to lead the Pirates to a 4-1 win. That set the stage for Sunday’s showdown for the series victory and first place in the conference standings. Mike Ojala returned to the mound after missing his previous two starts and led the Owls to a 5-4 victory with 10 strikeouts in five innings pitched. Read the rest of this entry »

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

Luke Stewart

East Carolina’s Brad Mincey is the Conference USA Pitcher of the Week after he picked up two victories for the first place Pirates during last week’s action. The Hitter of the Week honor is being shared by Southern Miss SS Brian Dozier and UAB 1B Luke Stewart after both players registered big weekends at the plate in leading their teams to series sweeps. Read the rest of this entry »

James Ewing

Southern Miss was the only team to post a series sweep in Conference USA play this weekend as the Golden Eagles took three in a row at UCF. After posting a 6-2 win in the opener on Friday, the Golden Eagles broke out the bats in a big way during a Saturday doubleheader, scoring 45 total runs. The 26 runs scored in game one established a new USM school record. Senior SS Brian Dozier led the way in the twin-bill, combining to go six-for-nine with two home runs, seven runs, nine RBI, 12 total bases, two walks and a sacrifice fly. Read the rest of this entry »

Gibson shut out Texas on six hits while Towe drove in 16 runs during the week.

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

NCBWA NAMES PRO-LINE ATHLETIC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK;

UAB’s DIGGER TOWE NAMED NATIONAL HITTER OF THE WEEK;

MISSOURI’S KYLE GIBSON EARNS PITCHING ACCOLADE

MORGANTOWN, W.Va – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA)­ released the Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week awards for the period ending March 15, today. UAB junior catcher Digger Towe was named National Hitter of the Week, while Missouri junior right-handed pitcher Kyle Gibson was named National Pitcher of the Week. The NCBWA Board reviews candidates from each Division I Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.

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Ryan Berry

Rice junior RHP Ryan Berry becomes the first player in Conference USA history to earn Pitcher of the Week honors in three consecutive weeks after he shut down No. 20 San Diego last Friday for this third straight nearly flawless outing. The Hitter of the Week honor went to UAB junior C Digger Towe, who piled up huge numbers while leading UAB to a 6-0 record last week. Read the rest of this entry »

Digger Towe

UAB had to battle rain all weekend, playing its series against Harvard in two different states, but in the end the Blazers had a four-game sweep of the Crimson and a six-game winning streak. The two clubs played a single game on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday in Pensacola, Fla., while Sunday’s series finale was played in Vestavia, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham. When it was over, the UAB bats had a big weekend, out-scoring Harvard, 53-14 and posting at least 11 runs in all four outings. Read the rest of this entry »

Sam Honeck

The third full week of non-conference play is on tap this week in Conference USA Baseball. Rice has a four-game series against No. 20 San Diego from Thursday-Sunday in Houston. Tulane visits No. 10 UC Irvine for a three-game set next weekend and Marshall hosts No. 21 Kent State in a mid-week matchup as C-USA teams try to prove themselves against top-notch competition. Read the rest of this entry »

Brett Bowen

Memphis posted its first three-game sweep since March 21-23, 2008 as it took three in a row over Valparaiso. On Saturday, Ryan Fraser struck out seven and scattered five hits in seven innings as the Tigers posted their first shutout since blanking Southeast Missouri on March 16, 2008. Brett Bowen hit .556 in the series with a home run and five RBI to lead Memphis at the plate. Read the rest of this entry »

Brian Dozier

After winning four more games last week, Southern Miss has moved into the national rankings. The addition of the Golden Eagles gives C-USA three ranked teams. East Carolina and Rice are the other two ranked C-USA squads and both defeated nationally-ranked non-conference foes last week. Southern Miss will be tested this coming weekend as No. 7 Cal State Fullerton makes its first-ever visit to Hattiesburg to highlight the upcoming week’s docket. Read the rest of this entry »