After Minnesota took care of Ohio State earlier in the day, they had to face #3 Indiana, who won their first three games of the tournament, and needed just one more win to take home the Big Ten hardware.
Indiana came into the game with an earlier 9-1 victory over Minnesota under their belt, and the confidence gained from that game definitley shined through as the Hoosiers dominated the Gophers 13-2. Indiana starter Matt Igel picked up just his 2nd victory of the year and gave up just 2 runs on 4 hits in 5 complete innings of work. Gopher starter Austin Lubinsky recieved his first loss of the year after giving up 7 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits in 3.1 innings pitched. Offensively, the Hoosier's hitters exploded once again for 18 hits, led by RF Chris Hervey who finished 3-4 with a run and 3 RBI. Alex Dickerson and Jake Dunning each added 3 hits a piece for Indiana and 1B Jerrud Sabourin went yard and collected two hits. The Gophers were held to just 6 hits, 2 from freshmen SS A.J. Pettersen who finished 2-4 with an RBI. 2B Derek McCallum crushed his 16th HR of the season over the CF fence, but finished 1-3 on the night.
With the win, Indiana wins the Big Ten Tournament and earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament beginning late next week. The Hoosiers played nearly perfect baseball in Columbus throughout this week, and it will be interesting to see if they carry the momentum of this big achievement to the next level and make some noise in the NCAA tourney.
Both Minnesota and Ohio State appear to be locks for the NCAA tournament because of their overall records and strengths of schedules, although you never know, I've seen stranger things happen. Illinois' 4th place finish in the tournament certainly did not help their case, now most would consider the Illini a "longshot" to make the tournament.
With Indiana earning the automatic bid, and Minnesota and Ohio State appearing to be locks, this season could mark the first time in quite a while (I will try and research the specific year) that 3 or more Big Ten teams earn spots in the NCAA tournament. The regional pairings will be announced on Monday evening, stay tuned as I will provide coverage of this event and fill everyone in.
Overall it was an exciting weekend in Columbus and a great display of what Big Ten Baseball is all about. Congratulations not only to the Indiana Hoosiers, but all of the Big Ten teams for an outstanding and entertaining season of Big Ten Baseball.
---To all of you who have followed my blog throughout the season, thank you! I encourage you all to continue to follow the blog as I will update it with regional pairings, and results from the Big Ten teams who do qualify for the tournament. During the off-season I will continue to update the blog with news on Big Ten players taken in the MLB draft, recruiting, 2010 season previews, etc. Thanks for your support!
Indiana Wins 2009 Big Ten Tournament
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Day 4 Results- Game 1
Today marks Day 4 of the Big Ten Tournament. The first game of the day featured #1 Ohio State and #2 Minnesota battling in a consolation championship game, each team facing elimination. Minnesota took care of the Buckeyes 9-6, and had the lead from the 3rd inning on. Minnesota southpaw reliever Luke Rasmussen improved to 4-0 on the season after giving up 2 runs on 5 hits in 2.2 innings of work. Minnesota closer Scott Matyas picked up his 14th save on the year after pitching 2 scoreless innings and striking out 3 Buckeye hitters along the way. Buckeye starter Eric Best dropped to 7-4 on the year after giving up 5 runs on 9 hits in 3.2 innings pitched. Offensively, the game featured 32 hits, 17 by way of the maroon and gold, and 15 courtesy of the red and grey. The Gophers were led by CF Eric Decker who finished 4-4 with a HR, 2 runs, and 4 RBI. 2B Derek McCallum continued to impress, finishing 2-4 with 2 RBI. DH Matt Nohelty also collected 3 hits, and finished 3-6 with 2 runs in the game. Kyle Knudson, Nick O'Shea, and Justin Gominsky each added a pair of hits for Gophers. The Buckeyes were led by CF Michael Stephens who finished 3-5 with a run and 2 RBI. 2B Cory Kovanda also collected 3 hits, and finished 3-5 with 2 runs and 1 RBI. Dan Burkhart, Tyler Engle, and Ryan Dew each added two hits of their own for the Buckeyes, but it was not enough to keep their Big Ten Tournament Championship hopes alive. With the win, the Gophers move on to play in the first game of the Championship against #3 Indiana. The game is scheduled to start at 7:35 pm ET. With the loss, the Buckeyes are eliminated from the tournament.
Stay tuned for results of the championship game between #2 Minnesota and #3 Indiana. Remember, Minnesota needs to win 2 straight games against the Hoosiers to win the championship, Indiana needs just one of the next two.
Stay tuned for results of the championship game between #2 Minnesota and #3 Indiana. Remember, Minnesota needs to win 2 straight games against the Hoosiers to win the championship, Indiana needs just one of the next two.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Day 3 Results - Games 2 & 3
After Minnesota's 12-3 victory over Purdue, they moved on to face #4 Illinois in the third round of the consolation bracket. Minnesota took care of business easily once again, pounding the Illini 13-3. Minnesota starter Seth Rosin improved to 7-1 on the year after giving up 4 runs on 6 hits in 8 innings of work. Illini starter Ben Reeser recieved the loss after giving up 3 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits in just 1 inning of work. Offensively, the Gophers' bats exploded for 12 hits, 3 of them longballs courtesy of RF Michael Kvasnicka and 1B Nick O'Shea. Kvasnicka finished 3-5 with 1 HR, 3 runs, and 3 RBI. O'Shea finished 2-4 with 2 HR, 2 runs, and 2 RBI. DH Matt Nohelty also collected 2 hits, and finished 2-4 with 3 runs. The Fighting Illini were held to just 6 hits, 2 of which came from DH Willie Argo, who finished 2-4 with 1 run, 1 HR, and 1 RBI. SS Brandon Wikoff also added two hits, and finished 2-4 with a run and an RBI. With the win, Minnesota moves on to the consolation championship game, and will face #1 Ohio State at 3:05 pm ET tomorrow (Saturday). The winner will face #3 Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament Championship at 7:05 pm ET. If Indiana loses the game at 7:05 pm ET, another game will be played on Sunday at 12:05 pm ET to determine the Big Ten Tournament champion.
The third and final game of the day featured #1 Ohio State and #3 Indiana. Indiana pounded their third straight opponent, cleaning up Ohio State 13-3 tonight. Indiana starter Blake Monar picked up his fifth win on the season after giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits and striking out 4 in 6.2 innings pitched. Ohio State's Dean Wolosianski recieved just his second loss of the season after giving up 8 runs on 12 hits in 4 innings of work. Offensively the Hoosiers were led by 2B Tyler Rogers who finished 3-5 with a run and 4 RBI. LF Kipp Schutz also collected 2 hits, 3 runs, and 2 RBI and finished 2-5 in the game. Sabourin, Phegley, and Dunning each also added two hits of their own for the red and white. The Buckeyes were held to just 6 hits, 2 coming from 2B Cory Kovanda, who finished 2-5. Hurley, Burkhart, and Streng added one hit a piece for the Buckeyes as well, but it was not even close to enough to put away the Hoosiers tonight. With the win, Indiana moves to the championship game and will face the winner of #1 Ohio State vs. #2 Minnesota at 7:05 pm ET tomorrow. If Indiana does lose the game at 7:05 pm ET tomorrow, they will play the same team again on Sunday at 12:05 pm ET to determine the Big Ten tournament champion. With the loss, Ohio State drops to the consolation bracket and will face #2 Minnesota at 3:05 pm ET tomorrow. The winner of this game will advance to play the Hoosiers in the championship game.
In summary, day 3 saw the following results:
#2 Minnesota 12
#6 Purdue 3
#2 Minnesota 13
#4 Illinois 3
#1 Ohio State 3
#3 Indiana 13
Tomorrow's action will be as follows:
#2 Minnesota
vs. 3:05 pm ET
#1 Ohio State
#3 Indiana
vs. 7:05 pm ET
Winner of Minnesota/Ohio State
Another exciting day of the tournament in the books, just 2 (possibly) 3 games left to go to determine the champion. Illinois' loss today was a tough one which had many NCAA tournament implications for them. Coming into today, Illinois was rated at #63 for estimated RPI rankings according to Boyd's World, which puts them right on the bubble of earning an NCAA tournament berth. A win against Minnesota today would have helped case tremendously, but the loss today makes the Illini's case a longshot. It seems as though Indiana's only shot to make the NCAA tournament is a Big Ten tournament championship, so you can expect them to put everything on the line to get the automatic bid and a tournament championship. Minnesota and Ohio State are both sitting very well, having been very successful in not only conference play, but also with tough non-conference schedules. NCAA selection day is this coming Monday, so stay tuned to hear what Big Ten teams make the cut.
The third and final game of the day featured #1 Ohio State and #3 Indiana. Indiana pounded their third straight opponent, cleaning up Ohio State 13-3 tonight. Indiana starter Blake Monar picked up his fifth win on the season after giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits and striking out 4 in 6.2 innings pitched. Ohio State's Dean Wolosianski recieved just his second loss of the season after giving up 8 runs on 12 hits in 4 innings of work. Offensively the Hoosiers were led by 2B Tyler Rogers who finished 3-5 with a run and 4 RBI. LF Kipp Schutz also collected 2 hits, 3 runs, and 2 RBI and finished 2-5 in the game. Sabourin, Phegley, and Dunning each also added two hits of their own for the red and white. The Buckeyes were held to just 6 hits, 2 coming from 2B Cory Kovanda, who finished 2-5. Hurley, Burkhart, and Streng added one hit a piece for the Buckeyes as well, but it was not even close to enough to put away the Hoosiers tonight. With the win, Indiana moves to the championship game and will face the winner of #1 Ohio State vs. #2 Minnesota at 7:05 pm ET tomorrow. If Indiana does lose the game at 7:05 pm ET tomorrow, they will play the same team again on Sunday at 12:05 pm ET to determine the Big Ten tournament champion. With the loss, Ohio State drops to the consolation bracket and will face #2 Minnesota at 3:05 pm ET tomorrow. The winner of this game will advance to play the Hoosiers in the championship game.
In summary, day 3 saw the following results:
#2 Minnesota 12
#6 Purdue 3
#2 Minnesota 13
#4 Illinois 3
#1 Ohio State 3
#3 Indiana 13
Tomorrow's action will be as follows:
#2 Minnesota
vs. 3:05 pm ET
#1 Ohio State
#3 Indiana
vs. 7:05 pm ET
Winner of Minnesota/Ohio State
Another exciting day of the tournament in the books, just 2 (possibly) 3 games left to go to determine the champion. Illinois' loss today was a tough one which had many NCAA tournament implications for them. Coming into today, Illinois was rated at #63 for estimated RPI rankings according to Boyd's World, which puts them right on the bubble of earning an NCAA tournament berth. A win against Minnesota today would have helped case tremendously, but the loss today makes the Illini's case a longshot. It seems as though Indiana's only shot to make the NCAA tournament is a Big Ten tournament championship, so you can expect them to put everything on the line to get the automatic bid and a tournament championship. Minnesota and Ohio State are both sitting very well, having been very successful in not only conference play, but also with tough non-conference schedules. NCAA selection day is this coming Monday, so stay tuned to hear what Big Ten teams make the cut.
Day 3 Results - Game 1 (Minnesota vs. Purdue)
The first game of Day 3 of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament in Columbus, OH featured #2 Minnesota taking on #6 Purdue in the second game of the consolation bracket. The Gophers easily took care of the Boilers by a score of 12-3. Minnesota's senior chucker Tom Buske set the tone for the Gophers, throwing a complete game and allowing just 3 runs on 7 hits, and striking out 4 Purdue hitters along the way. For the Boilermakers, Matt Morgan took the loss after giving up 6 runs on 8 hits in just 4.2 innings pitched. Offensively the Gophers were led by the bats of CF Eric Decker and 2B Derek McCallum. Decker collected 4 hits, and finished the day 4-5 with 2 runs and 1 RBI. McCallum finished 3-5 with 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 runs, and 4 RBI. 1B Nick O'Shea also collected three hits and finished 3-6 with 1 run and 1 RBI. RF Michael Kvasnicka added a monster homerun that hit off of the top of the scoreboard in right-center field to put the Boilers away for good. Purdue was led as usual by CF Brandon Haveman, who finished 3-5 with a run. 1B John Cummins provided 2 of the the 3 Boilermaker runs courtesy of a homerun to left field. Cummins finished 1-4 oin the game. With the win, Minnesota moves on to play #4 Illinois at 3:45 PM et today. The winner of this game will move on to face the loser of #1 Ohio State vs. #3 Indiana. With the loss, Purdue is eliminated from the tournament, and their season is pretty much over, barring a miracle berth in the NCAA tournament.
Stay tuned for results of #2 Minnesota vs. #4 Illinois and #1 Ohio State vs. #3 Indiana, which are scheduled to take place at 3:35 PM et and 7:05 PM et respectively. Also, remember that the games can be seen live on the Big Ten Network.
Stay tuned for results of #2 Minnesota vs. #4 Illinois and #1 Ohio State vs. #3 Indiana, which are scheduled to take place at 3:35 PM et and 7:05 PM et respectively. Also, remember that the games can be seen live on the Big Ten Network.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Day 2 Results...Continued
Indiana 12
Minnesota 3
Indiana hurler Matt Bashore improved to 7-4 on the year after pitching 7 scoreless innings and giving up just 2 hits, and striking out 9 Gopher hitters. Minnesota starter Chauncy Handran drops to 7-3 after giving up 7 runs on 11 hits in 5.1 innings of work. Offensively the Hoosiers exploded for 18 hits, and were led by SS Jake Dunning who finished 3-5 with 2 RBI. RF Brian Lambert was also 3-6 with 3 runs and 2 RBI. 2B Tyler Rogers also collected 3 hits, and finished 3-4 with 2 runs. Minnesota was held to just 5 hits, and were led by C Kyle Knudson who finished 1-4 with a double and 2 RBI. With the win, Indiana moves on to face #1 Ohio State in the semi-finals at 7:05 pm ET tomorrow. The loss puts the Gophers in the consolation bracket, and facing elimination. They will face #6 Purdue at 12:05 pm ET tomorrow.
Illinois 4
Ohio St. 7
Ohio State reliever Drew Rucinski improves to 10-2 on the season after pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. Jake Hale pitched a perfect ninth, and earned his 16th save on the season. For the Illini, reliever Lee Zerussen recieved the loss after giving up 2 runs on 2 hits in 2 innings pitched. Offensively the Buckeyes were led by LF Zach Hurley who finished 2-4 with a run and 1 RBI. Kovanda, Dew, and Streng each added two hits of their own for the Bucks. Illinois was led by C Aaron Johnson who finished 3-4 with 2 runs and 3 RBI. RF Pete Capetta was also 2-4 with an RBI. With the win, Ohio St. moves on to face #3 Indiana in the semi-finals at 7:05 pm ET tomorrow. Illinois drops to the consolation bracket, and will face elimination when they take on the winner of #6 Purdue vs. #2 Minnesota at 3:35 pm ET.
Minnesota 3
Indiana hurler Matt Bashore improved to 7-4 on the year after pitching 7 scoreless innings and giving up just 2 hits, and striking out 9 Gopher hitters. Minnesota starter Chauncy Handran drops to 7-3 after giving up 7 runs on 11 hits in 5.1 innings of work. Offensively the Hoosiers exploded for 18 hits, and were led by SS Jake Dunning who finished 3-5 with 2 RBI. RF Brian Lambert was also 3-6 with 3 runs and 2 RBI. 2B Tyler Rogers also collected 3 hits, and finished 3-4 with 2 runs. Minnesota was held to just 5 hits, and were led by C Kyle Knudson who finished 1-4 with a double and 2 RBI. With the win, Indiana moves on to face #1 Ohio State in the semi-finals at 7:05 pm ET tomorrow. The loss puts the Gophers in the consolation bracket, and facing elimination. They will face #6 Purdue at 12:05 pm ET tomorrow.
Illinois 4
Ohio St. 7
Ohio State reliever Drew Rucinski improves to 10-2 on the season after pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. Jake Hale pitched a perfect ninth, and earned his 16th save on the season. For the Illini, reliever Lee Zerussen recieved the loss after giving up 2 runs on 2 hits in 2 innings pitched. Offensively the Buckeyes were led by LF Zach Hurley who finished 2-4 with a run and 1 RBI. Kovanda, Dew, and Streng each added two hits of their own for the Bucks. Illinois was led by C Aaron Johnson who finished 3-4 with 2 runs and 3 RBI. RF Pete Capetta was also 2-4 with an RBI. With the win, Ohio St. moves on to face #3 Indiana in the semi-finals at 7:05 pm ET tomorrow. Illinois drops to the consolation bracket, and will face elimination when they take on the winner of #6 Purdue vs. #2 Minnesota at 3:35 pm ET.
First Two Games of Day 2 - Results
In Day 2 of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament, #5 Purdue took on #6 Michigan State in the first game of the consolation bracket. The Boilermakers edged out the Spartans 12-9. Boilers reliever Drew Wurdack picked up his 4th win of the year after pitching 4.0 innings, giving up 5 runs. Spartan's starter A.J. Achter recieved the loss and dropped to 3-6 on the year after giving up 5 runs on 7 hits in 3.2 innings of work. Offensively, there were 29 hits in the game, 15 from Purdue and 14 from Michigan State. The Boilers were led by CF Brandon Haveman, who finished 4-6 with a run and 3 RBI. 3B Dan Black homered and was 2-3 with 2 runs and 2 RBI. 1B John Cummins collected 3 hits, and finished 3-5 on the day. The Spartans had success today with the longball, getting HR's from 2B AJ Shindler, RF Eli Boike, and C Seth Williams. SS Jonathan Roof was 3-4 with 3 runs and 1 RBI. With the win, Purdue will face Minnesota at 12:05 pm ET tomorrow in the second round of the consolation bracket. The loss eliminates the Spartans from the tournament.
The second game featured #2 Minnesota and #3 Indiana. Indiana pounded Minnesota by a score of 12-3, led by lefty hurler Matt Bashore. More to come on this game when the box score is released.
The last game of the night features #1 Ohio State and #4 Illinois. Stay tuned for results of this game.
The second game featured #2 Minnesota and #3 Indiana. Indiana pounded Minnesota by a score of 12-3, led by lefty hurler Matt Bashore. More to come on this game when the box score is released.
The last game of the night features #1 Ohio State and #4 Illinois. Stay tuned for results of this game.
Big Ten Tournament - Day 2 Schedule
In the second day of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament, we will be seeing three games. The first game, scheduled to start at 12:05 ET, features the losers of yesterday's games, #5 Michigan State vs. #6 Purdue. Immediately following at 3:05 ET will be #3 Indiana, fresh off of a 9-1 win over Purdue, squaring off against #2 Minnesota. The final game today will feature #4 Illinois, who pounded Michigan St. 16-5 yesterday, taking on #1 Ohio State at 7:05 ET.
#5 Michigan State vs.
#6 Purdue 12:05 ET
#2 Minnesota vs.
#3 Indiana 3:05 ET
#1 Ohio State vs.
#4 Illinois 7:05 ET
The winner of the Michigan State/Purdue game will go on to face the lowest seeded loser between the Minnesota/Indiana and Ohio State/Illinois games. The winners of Minnesota/Indiana and Ohio State/Illinois will square off in the semi-finals.
Stay tuned for updates and results of today's action in Columbus.
#5 Michigan State vs.
#6 Purdue 12:05 ET
#2 Minnesota vs.
#3 Indiana 3:05 ET
#1 Ohio State vs.
#4 Illinois 7:05 ET
The winner of the Michigan State/Purdue game will go on to face the lowest seeded loser between the Minnesota/Indiana and Ohio State/Illinois games. The winners of Minnesota/Indiana and Ohio State/Illinois will square off in the semi-finals.
Stay tuned for updates and results of today's action in Columbus.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Yahoo Sport's Kendall Roger's Latest NCAA Regional Predictions Include Ohio State and Minnesota
Kendall Rogers of Yahoo! Sports released a prediction of the NCAA regional placings, which included two Big Ten schools. Rogers predicts that Ohio State will win the Big Ten tournament, earning an automatic bid, and will be placed as a #2 seed in the UC-Irvine regional with UC-Irvine as #1, Oregon State as #3, and San Jose State as #4. Rogers also predicts that Minnesota will recieve an at-large bid after fairing very well with a top 25 RPI. Minnesota is predicted to be a #1 seed, but will not host because Siebert Field would not be able to accommodate a crowd larger than 1,500. Instead, Rogers predicts that Louisville will host the regional as a #2 seed and the #3 and #4 seeds will be Western Kentucky and Missouri State, respectively. Remember, these are just predictions, so don't look into this too much, I just thought I would share it with everyone.
Big Ten Tournament Winner Poll Results
The results are in! Minnesota was picked to take the tournament with 60% of the vote, while Purdue and Ohio State recieved 13% each, Michigan State and Illinois took 6% each, and Indiana didn't recieve a vote. Thanks to everyone who participated in the poll and remember that you can follow the tournament games live on the Big Ten Network.
Big Ten Tournament Day 1 Results
Today the Big Ten Tournament began at Huntington Park in Columbus, OH with #4 Illinois downing # 5 Michigan State 16-5. Illinois starter Phil Haig gave up a grand slam to MSU's Eric Roof in the top of the 3rd inning, but then settled in nicely and pitched a total of 7 innings with just those 4 runs given up from Roof's grand slam. For Michigan State, Nolan Moody started strong giving up 0 runs in the first three innings, but then after a 5 run 4th and a 2 run 5th by the Illini, he was pulled. Moody finished the night giving up 7 runs on 10 hits in 4.1 innings. Michigan State's bullpen did not fare any better than Moody, giving up 9 runs throughout the last 5 innings of the game. Offensively, the Illini exploded for 18 hits and were surprisingly powered by the bottom half of their order. The ninth hitter, 2B Josh Parr, led the time in hitting and finished 4-5 with a 2B and 4 RBI. The eighth hitter, RF Pete Cappetta also collected 4 hits, and finished 4-5 with 4 runs and 3 RBI. The sixth hitter and DH Willie Argo also finished 3-4 with 3 runs and 1 RBI. C Aaron Johnson and LF Casey McMurray also each added two hits of their own for the Fighting Illini. Michigan State was held to just 7 hits, and was led by C Eric Roof, who finished 2-3 with a grandslam, a run, and 4 RBI. 3B A.J. Shindler was 1-3 with 2 runs. With the win, the Fighting Illini will face #1 Ohio State tomorrow at 7:05 ET. The Spartans drop to the consolation bracket, and will face elimination as they take on #6 Purdue tomorrow at 12:05 ET.
The second game of the day saw #3 Indiana easily handle #6 Purdue 9-1. Hoosier starter Eric Arnett pitched 7 shutout innings, striking out 10, walking just 1, and giving only 4 hits. Purdue's Matt Bischoff gave up 5 runs on 7 hits in 4 innings pitched. The Hoosiers collected 15 hits on the day,and were led by LF Kipp Schutz, who finished 3-4 with 2 runs. RF Chris Hervey provided the only HR on the day, and finished 2-4 with 2 runs and 1 RBI. CF Brian Lambert was also 2-4 with 2 RBI, and Rogers, Gonzalez, and Sabourin all added two hits of their own. A pretty balanced distribution of hits throughout the order for the red and white. The Boilermakers were held to just 7 hits and were led by their big man, 3B Dan Black, who finished 2-4 with a 3B. 1B John Cummins provided Purdue's lone RBI, but finished 0-2 on the night. With the win, Indiana will face #2 Minnesota at 3:35 ET tomorrow. With the loss, the Boilermakers drop to the consolation bracket and face elimination when they take on #5 Michigan State at 12:05 ET tomorrow.
As you can see, no big surprises today as the #3 and #4 seeds defeated the #6 and #5 seeds respectively. It will be interesting to see if Ohio State's and Minnesota's pitching can slow down the hot bats of the Fighting Illini and Hoosiers tomorrow. Here is my prediction of how the rest of the tournament will shake out:
Thursday
#2 Minnesota defeats #3 Indiana
#4 Illinois defeats #1 Ohio State
#6 Purdue defeats # 5 Michigan State (Michigan State is eliminated)
Friday
#4 Illinois defeats #2 Minnesota
#3 Indiana defeats #6 Purdue (Purdue is eliminated)
#1 Ohio State defeats #3 Indiana (Indiana is eliminated)
Saturday
#2 Minnesota defeats #1 Ohio State (Ohio State is eliminated)
#2 Minnesota defeats #4 Illinois
Sunday
#4 Illinois defeats #2 Minnesota (Minnesota is elimated)
Big Ten Tournament Champions: Illinois
I challenge everyone to post their predictions and we will see how the tournament actually shakes up and how everyone's predictions turned out. Stay tuned for tomorrow's tournament results and updates.
The second game of the day saw #3 Indiana easily handle #6 Purdue 9-1. Hoosier starter Eric Arnett pitched 7 shutout innings, striking out 10, walking just 1, and giving only 4 hits. Purdue's Matt Bischoff gave up 5 runs on 7 hits in 4 innings pitched. The Hoosiers collected 15 hits on the day,and were led by LF Kipp Schutz, who finished 3-4 with 2 runs. RF Chris Hervey provided the only HR on the day, and finished 2-4 with 2 runs and 1 RBI. CF Brian Lambert was also 2-4 with 2 RBI, and Rogers, Gonzalez, and Sabourin all added two hits of their own. A pretty balanced distribution of hits throughout the order for the red and white. The Boilermakers were held to just 7 hits and were led by their big man, 3B Dan Black, who finished 2-4 with a 3B. 1B John Cummins provided Purdue's lone RBI, but finished 0-2 on the night. With the win, Indiana will face #2 Minnesota at 3:35 ET tomorrow. With the loss, the Boilermakers drop to the consolation bracket and face elimination when they take on #5 Michigan State at 12:05 ET tomorrow.
As you can see, no big surprises today as the #3 and #4 seeds defeated the #6 and #5 seeds respectively. It will be interesting to see if Ohio State's and Minnesota's pitching can slow down the hot bats of the Fighting Illini and Hoosiers tomorrow. Here is my prediction of how the rest of the tournament will shake out:
Thursday
#2 Minnesota defeats #3 Indiana
#4 Illinois defeats #1 Ohio State
#6 Purdue defeats # 5 Michigan State (Michigan State is eliminated)
Friday
#4 Illinois defeats #2 Minnesota
#3 Indiana defeats #6 Purdue (Purdue is eliminated)
#1 Ohio State defeats #3 Indiana (Indiana is eliminated)
Saturday
#2 Minnesota defeats #1 Ohio State (Ohio State is eliminated)
#2 Minnesota defeats #4 Illinois
Sunday
#4 Illinois defeats #2 Minnesota (Minnesota is elimated)
Big Ten Tournament Champions: Illinois
I challenge everyone to post their predictions and we will see how the tournament actually shakes up and how everyone's predictions turned out. Stay tuned for tomorrow's tournament results and updates.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Big Ten Post-Season Awards
Today, the Big Ten released the 2009 post-season awards:
All Big Ten Teams:
# denotes a unanimous selection, * denotes a tie
1st Team:
1B- Mike Dufek, MICH
2B- Derek McCallum, MINN #
SS- Brandon Wikoff, ILL
3B- Dominic Altobelli, ILL
OF-Kipp Schutz, IND
OF-Ryan Durant, IOWA
OF- Brandon Haveman, PUR #
C- Josh Phegley, IND*
C- Dan Burkhart, OSU*
DH- Ryan Dew, OSU
SP- Eric Arnett, IND #
SP- Chris Fetter, MICH
SP- Alex Wimmers, OSU #
RP- Jake Hale, OSU
2nd Team:
1B- Jerrud Sabourin, IND
2B- Cory Kovanda, OSU
SS-A.J. Pettersen, MINN
3B-Justin Miller, OSU
OF-Pete Cappetta, ILL
OF- Ryan LaMarre, MICH
OF- Michael Stephens, OSU
DH- Alex Dickerson, IND
SP- Matt Bashore, IND
SP- Seth Rosin, MINN
SP- Dean Wolosiansky, OSU
RP- Scott Matyas, MINN
3rd Team:
1B- John Cummins, PUR
2B- Eric Charles, PUR
SS- Justin Toole, IOWA
3B- Jordan Steranka, PSU
OF- Willie Argo, ILL
OF- Mike Kvasnicka, MINN
OF- Alex Jaffee, PUR
C- Aaron Johnson, ILL
DH- Matt Nohelty, MINN
SP- Will Strack, ILL
SP- Tom Buske, MINN
SP- Matt Bischoff, PUR
RP- Chris Squires, IND*
RP- Ryan Ignas, PSU*
All-Freshmen Team
1B- Nick O'Shea, MINN
2B- Eric Charles, PUR
SS- A.J. Pettersen, MINN #
3B- Jordan Steranka, PSU #
OF- Willie Argo, ILL #
OF- Justin Gominsky, MINN #
OF- Tyler Spillner, PUR
C- Dallas Burke, IOWA #
DH- Alex Dickerson, IND #
SP- Will Strack, ILL
SP- Blake Monar, IND #
SP- Tony Bucciferro, MSU
RP- Austin Lubinsky, MINN
Big Ten Individual Awards:
Player of the Year: Dan Burkhart, OSU
Co-Pitchers of the Year: Eric Arnett, IND and Alex Wimmers, OSU
Freshman of the Year: Alex Dickerson, IND
Coach of the Year: Bob Todd, OSU #
Team Totals (# of All-Conference Players)
Ohio State: 8
Minnesota: 7
Indiana: 7
Illinois: 6
Michigan St: 1
Purdue: 5
Michigan: 3
Penn St: 2
Northwestern: 0
Iowa: 2
All Big Ten Teams:
# denotes a unanimous selection, * denotes a tie
1st Team:
1B- Mike Dufek, MICH
2B- Derek McCallum, MINN #
SS- Brandon Wikoff, ILL
3B- Dominic Altobelli, ILL
OF-Kipp Schutz, IND
OF-Ryan Durant, IOWA
OF- Brandon Haveman, PUR #
C- Josh Phegley, IND*
C- Dan Burkhart, OSU*
DH- Ryan Dew, OSU
SP- Eric Arnett, IND #
SP- Chris Fetter, MICH
SP- Alex Wimmers, OSU #
RP- Jake Hale, OSU
2nd Team:
1B- Jerrud Sabourin, IND
2B- Cory Kovanda, OSU
SS-A.J. Pettersen, MINN
3B-Justin Miller, OSU
OF-Pete Cappetta, ILL
OF- Ryan LaMarre, MICH
OF- Michael Stephens, OSU
DH- Alex Dickerson, IND
SP- Matt Bashore, IND
SP- Seth Rosin, MINN
SP- Dean Wolosiansky, OSU
RP- Scott Matyas, MINN
3rd Team:
1B- John Cummins, PUR
2B- Eric Charles, PUR
SS- Justin Toole, IOWA
3B- Jordan Steranka, PSU
OF- Willie Argo, ILL
OF- Mike Kvasnicka, MINN
OF- Alex Jaffee, PUR
C- Aaron Johnson, ILL
DH- Matt Nohelty, MINN
SP- Will Strack, ILL
SP- Tom Buske, MINN
SP- Matt Bischoff, PUR
RP- Chris Squires, IND*
RP- Ryan Ignas, PSU*
All-Freshmen Team
1B- Nick O'Shea, MINN
2B- Eric Charles, PUR
SS- A.J. Pettersen, MINN #
3B- Jordan Steranka, PSU #
OF- Willie Argo, ILL #
OF- Justin Gominsky, MINN #
OF- Tyler Spillner, PUR
C- Dallas Burke, IOWA #
DH- Alex Dickerson, IND #
SP- Will Strack, ILL
SP- Blake Monar, IND #
SP- Tony Bucciferro, MSU
RP- Austin Lubinsky, MINN
Big Ten Individual Awards:
Player of the Year: Dan Burkhart, OSU
Co-Pitchers of the Year: Eric Arnett, IND and Alex Wimmers, OSU
Freshman of the Year: Alex Dickerson, IND
Coach of the Year: Bob Todd, OSU #
Team Totals (# of All-Conference Players)
Ohio State: 8
Minnesota: 7
Indiana: 7
Illinois: 6
Michigan St: 1
Purdue: 5
Michigan: 3
Penn St: 2
Northwestern: 0
Iowa: 2
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Final Big Ten Standings
With all conference games done, here are the final standings:
OHIO STATE 18-6
MINNESOTA 17-6
INDIANA 16-7
ILLINOIS 16-8
MICHIGAN ST. 13-11
PURDUE 11-12
MICHIGAN 9-15
PENN ST. 9-16
NORTHWESTERN 5-17
IOWA 4-19
With Minnesota and Ohio State both taking the first two games against their opponents, the Gophers came into Saturday's final conference game with a 1/2 game lead over the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes took care of business against Iowa, and waited for the results of the rain delayed Minnesota vs. Penn State game. The Gophers couldn't quite pull it off, and the Buckeyes prevailed as Big Ten regular season champions.
The Big Ten Tournament field is now set, and the seeding is as follows:
(1) Ohio State
(2) Minnesota
(3) Indiana
(4) Illinois
(5) Michigan State
(6) Purdue
The bracket for the Tournament has been released, and can be found on the Big Ten website through the following link:
http://www.bigten.org/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/big10/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/bsb-51609
The tournament will begin on Wednesday, May 20th, with (4) Illinois taking on (5) Michigan State at 12:05 pm (ET). At 3:35 pm, (3) Indiana will battle (6) Purdue. The lowest seeded winner will take on Ohio State at 7:05 pm Thursday, May 20th, while the highest seeded winner will take on Minnesota at 3:35 pm on Thursday. The losers of the first round games will drop down to the consolation bracket, and can earn a way back to the championship if they keep winning. The tournament is a double elimination format.
Stay tuned for this weekend's All-Weekend Performers team and more info regarding the upcoming conference tournament.
OHIO STATE 18-6
MINNESOTA 17-6
INDIANA 16-7
ILLINOIS 16-8
MICHIGAN ST. 13-11
PURDUE 11-12
MICHIGAN 9-15
PENN ST. 9-16
NORTHWESTERN 5-17
IOWA 4-19
With Minnesota and Ohio State both taking the first two games against their opponents, the Gophers came into Saturday's final conference game with a 1/2 game lead over the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes took care of business against Iowa, and waited for the results of the rain delayed Minnesota vs. Penn State game. The Gophers couldn't quite pull it off, and the Buckeyes prevailed as Big Ten regular season champions.
The Big Ten Tournament field is now set, and the seeding is as follows:
(1) Ohio State
(2) Minnesota
(3) Indiana
(4) Illinois
(5) Michigan State
(6) Purdue
The bracket for the Tournament has been released, and can be found on the Big Ten website through the following link:
http://www.bigten.org/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/big10/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/bsb-51609
The tournament will begin on Wednesday, May 20th, with (4) Illinois taking on (5) Michigan State at 12:05 pm (ET). At 3:35 pm, (3) Indiana will battle (6) Purdue. The lowest seeded winner will take on Ohio State at 7:05 pm Thursday, May 20th, while the highest seeded winner will take on Minnesota at 3:35 pm on Thursday. The losers of the first round games will drop down to the consolation bracket, and can earn a way back to the championship if they keep winning. The tournament is a double elimination format.
Stay tuned for this weekend's All-Weekend Performers team and more info regarding the upcoming conference tournament.
Minnesota @ Penn State Results (Saturday)
MINNESOTA 8
PENN ST. 10
Nittany Lion reliever Ryan Ignas picked up the win and moved to 5-1 on the season after pitching 2.1 scoreless innings. Gopher reliever Tim Ryan recieved the loss and moved to 1-2 on the season after giving up 2 runs without recording an out. The game featured two rain delays of about an hour a piece, before the game was finally finished out. Offensively, the Nittany Lions were led by C Bobby Jacobs, who finished 3-4 with 3 RBI. C Ben Heath was also 2-3 with 3 RBI. The Gophers were led by DH Matt Nohelty, who finished 3-5 with 2 RBI. 2B Derek McCallum was hot as usual, finishing 2-4 with 3 RBI, but it was not quite enough for the Gophers. With the win, Penn State finishes the season 25-26 (8-16). With the loss, the Gophers finish in second place in the Big Ten behind Ohio State at 35-15 (17-6).
PENN ST. 10
Nittany Lion reliever Ryan Ignas picked up the win and moved to 5-1 on the season after pitching 2.1 scoreless innings. Gopher reliever Tim Ryan recieved the loss and moved to 1-2 on the season after giving up 2 runs without recording an out. The game featured two rain delays of about an hour a piece, before the game was finally finished out. Offensively, the Nittany Lions were led by C Bobby Jacobs, who finished 3-4 with 3 RBI. C Ben Heath was also 2-3 with 3 RBI. The Gophers were led by DH Matt Nohelty, who finished 3-5 with 2 RBI. 2B Derek McCallum was hot as usual, finishing 2-4 with 3 RBI, but it was not quite enough for the Gophers. With the win, Penn State finishes the season 25-26 (8-16). With the loss, the Gophers finish in second place in the Big Ten behind Ohio State at 35-15 (17-6).
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