Big Ten Baseball Blog

Opening Weekend Preview

2010-02-18T11:00:00.002-06:00

With a little more than 24 hours to go until the kick off of the 2010 college baseball season, let's take a look at this weekend's action involving our beloved Big Ten squads:

Friday 2/19

OHIO STATE vs. North Florida 7PM (Jacksonville, FL)
MINNESOTA vs. Akron 2:05PM (Ft. Myers, FL)
INDIANA @ San Diego 5PM
MICHIGAN ST. vs. Furman 4PM (Greenville, SC)
MICHIGAN vs. Jacksonville St. 1PM (Lubbock, TX)
NORTHWESTERN vs. George Mason 11AM (Rock Hill, SC)
NORTHWESTERN vs. Winthrop 3PM (Rock Hill, SC)

Saturday 2/20

OHIO STATE vs. Florida A&M 5PM (Jacksonville, FL)
MINNESOTA vs. Akron 1:05PM (Ft. Myers, FL)
INDIANA @ San Diego 1/5PM (Doubleheader)
MICHIGAN STATE vs. Clemson 1PM (Greenville, SC)
MICHIGAN vs. Jacksonville St. 1PM (Lubbock, TX)
MICHIGAN vs. Texas Tech 4PM (Lubbock, TX)
IOWA vs. Illinois State 11AM (Clarksville, TN)
IOWA vs. Austin Peay 3PM (Clarksville, TN)
NORTHWESTERN vs. Marist 4 PM (Rock Hill, SC)

Sunday 2/21

OHIO STATE vs. Richmond 11AM (Jacksonville, FL)
MINNESOTA vs. Akron 12:05PM (Ft. Myers, FL)
INDIANA @ San Diego 1PM
MICHIGAN STATE vs. Miami OH 12PM (Greenville, SC)
MICHIGAN vs. Texas Tech 11AM (Lubbock, TX)
NORTHWESTERN vs. George Mason 10AM (Rock Hill, SC)

Notes

ILLINOIS two-game home series against Bradley has been cancelled due to weather
PURDUE does not play this weekend
PENN STATE vs. Coppin State and Longwood in Farmville, VA have been cancelled

Big Ten Baseball 2010 Preview

2010-01-02T17:06:00.002-06:00

With the season kicking off in a little less than 2 months, it's time for the 2010 Big Ten Baseball Preview.

Yahoo!/Rivals' college baseball analyst Kendall Rogers tabbed the Big Ten as a baseball conference "on the rise" after they sent 3 teams to the NCAA tournament last season (Ohio State, Minnesota and Indiana). With some big faces returning and new players arriving, the 2010 edition of Big Ten baseball will most definitely provide some excitement again in 2010.

First, let's take a look at last year:

Ohio State 18-6
Minnesota 17-6
Indiana 16-7
Illinois 16-8
Mich. St. 13-11
Purdue 11-12
Michigan 9-15
Penn St. 8-16
N'western 5-17
Iowa 4-19

Ohio State claimed the 2009 Big Ten regular season championship, while Indiana made a perfect run in the Big Ten tournament in Columbus, OH to earn an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament. Minnesota also earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and advanced to the regional final against LSU in Baton Rouge, LA.

2010 Conference Predictions

1.) Ohio State
2.) Minnesota
3.) Michigan
4.) Illinois
5.) Michigan St.
6.) Indiana
7.) Purdue
8.) Penn State
9.) Northwestern
10.) Iowa

2010 Hitters to Watch

Ryan Dew, OHIO ST
Dan Burkhardt, OHIO ST
Zach Hurley, OHIO ST
Michael Kvasnicka, MINN
AJ Pettersen, MINN
Justin Gominsky, MINN
Ryan LaMarre, MICH
Mike Dufek, MICH
Pete Cappetta, ILL
Aaron Johnson, ILL
Willie Argo, ILL
Alex Dickerson, IND
Jerrud Sabourin, IND
Eli Boike, MICH ST
Jonathan Roof, MICH ST
Eric Charles, PUR
Drew Madia, PUR
Jordan Steranka, PENN ST
Blake Lynd, PENN ST
Kenneth Avila, NW
Chris Lashmet, NW
Ryan Durant, IOWA
Kurtis Muller, IOWA

2010 Pitchers to Watch

Alex Wimmers, OHIO ST
Dean Wolosiansky, OHIO ST
Drew Rucinski, OHIO ST
Seth Rosin, MINN
Scott Matyas, MINN
Eric Katzman, MICH
Tyler Burgoon, MICH
Tony Bucciferro, MICH ST
AJ Achter, MICH ST
Matt Morgan, PUR
Matt Bischoff, PUR
Matt Jansen, PUR
David Lutz, PENN ST
Ryan Ignas, PENN ST
Eric Jockisch, NW
Phil Schreiber, IOWA

Big Ten Players in 2009 MLB Draft - Update

2009-06-10T12:34:00.003-05:00

As of 12:35 pm ET, the 2009 MLB draft has completed its first 9 rounds, and the following Big Ten players have been selected:

Eric Arnett, RHP, Indiana (#25 overall, Milwaukee Brewers)
Josh Phegley, C, Indiana (#38 overall, Chicago White Sox)
Matt Bashore, LHP, Indiana (#46 overall, Minnesota Twins)
Derek McCallum, 2B, Minnesota (#132 overall, Minnesota Twins)
Brandon Wikoff, SS, Illinois (#161 overall, Houston Astros)
Chris Fetter, RHP, Michigan (#264 overall, San Diego Padres)
Evan Crawford, OF, Indiana (#267 overall, San Francisco Giants)

Stay tuned as the MLB draft continues and more Big Ten players are selected.

Indiana's Phegley and Bashore Drafted on Day 1

2009-06-09T22:30:00.002-05:00

After the Milwaukee Brewers selected the first Big Ten player in the 2009 MLB draft in Indiana hurler Eric Arnett (#25 overall), the Chicago White Sox picked the second Big Ten player, Josh Phegley, also from Indiana, as the #38 overall pick. Later, yet another Hoosier was selected, and the third from the Big Ten in LHP Matt Bashore, who was selected by the Minnesota Twins as the #46 overall selection. The first day is done and three Big Ten baseball familiars were taken, but stay tuned as the draft resumes tomorrow and there are plenty of other Big Ten players waiting to be selected, highlighted by Minnesota 2B Derek McCallum, who was most recently projected to fall in the 4th-5th round.

Indiana P Eric Arnett Selected in the First Rd. of 2009 MLB Draft

2009-06-09T19:14:00.003-05:00

Just a few moments ago, Indiana pitcher Eric Arnett was selected in the first round (25th overall pick) of the 2009 MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Arnett is the first Big Ten player selected in the 2009 draft so far. Congratulations to Arnett and Hoosier nation, the Brewers are getting a real good one. Stay tuned for more updates on Big Ten players in the 2009 draft.

College World Series Field is Set

2009-06-08T21:39:00.002-05:00

After today's game, the field of 8 teams for the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska is set. The games will begin on June 13th and the final game will be on the 23rd or 24th. The field consists of:

Texas (#1 seed, defeated TCU in super regional)
Southern Mississippi (#3 seed, defeated Florida in super regional)
Arizona State (#1 seed, defeated Clemson in super regional)
North Carolina (#1 seed, defeated East Carolina in super regional)
Cal State Fullerton (#1 seed, defeated Louisville in super regional)
Arkansas (#2 seed, defeated Florida State in super regional)
Virginia (#2 seed, defeated Mississippi in super regional)
Louisiana State (#1 seed, defeated Rice in super regional)

These 8 teams will now be separated into two separate, double elimination brackets. The winners of each bracket will play each other in a best-of-three series to determine the NCAA champion. Stay tuned for updates as the CWS begins.

NCAA Tournament Update

2009-06-06T16:46:00.005-05:00

I know this is not Big Ten related since all Big Ten teams were knocked out of the tournament, but I thought I would give everyone an update on the NCAA tournament in case they are interested. The following teams won their regional and advanced to Super Regionals:

Texas
TCU
Southern Miss
Florida
Clemson
Arizona State
East Carolina
North Carolina
CS Fullerton
Louisville
Florida State
Arkansas
Ole Miss
Virginia
LSU
Rice

The Super Regionals began yesterday, and the each regional winner was paired with another regional winner to compete in a best of three series, the winner earning a berth in the College World Series in Omaha which begins June 13th. Here are the Super Regional pairings and results so far:

TCU vs. Texas (1st game today)

Florida vs. Southern Mississippi (1st game today)

Clemson vs. Arizona State (1st game today)

North Carolina vs. East Carolina (North Carolina leads series 1-0)

Cal State Fullerton vs. Louisville (CS Fullerton leads the series 1-0)

Florida State vs. Arkansas (Arkansas wins series 2-0, earns berth to College World Seires)

Ole Miss vs. Virginia (Series tied 1-1)

LSU vs. Rice (LSU leads series 1-0)

So far, Arkansas is the only team that has earned a spot in the College World Series, but both Cal State Fullerton and LSU can earn a berth if they win today. Stay tuned for more results as the College World Series field of 8 starts filling up!

NCAA Tournament - Day 3 Results

2009-05-31T23:02:00.003-05:00

After Day 2 which saw the Hoosiers eliminated and the Gophers and Buckeyes hold onto their tournament lives, Day 3 began well for the Big Ten. The Buckeyes beat Georgia 13-6 this afternoon, advancing to a regional championship matchup with Florida State, in which they needed to win 2 straight games to advance to the Super Regionals. Tonight, the Buckeyes faced the Seminoles and got absolutley klobbered, 37-6. That's right, it's not a typo, THIRTY-SEVEN RUNS were put up by the Seminoles. Tough way for Ohio State to end their season, not much else to say about that.

The Gophers of Minnesota also won their first game of the day, beating Baylor 15-12. They then faced LSU tonight in the regional championship in which they needed to win two straight games to move to Super Regional play. LSU dominated the Gophers in all facets of the game, winning easily 10-3. Tough for the Gophers to go out this way, but at least it was at a great college atmosphere such as Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge.

So now it's official, Big Ten Baseball in 2009 is over! It's been a great year filled with an exciting conference and post season. Thanks to everyone who has followed my blog, and make sure to stay tuned for updates on post-season news, Big Ten players in the MLB draft, recruiting, and more!

NCAA Tournament - Day 2 Results

2009-05-30T17:25:00.002-05:00

After an opening day which saw the Big Ten go 0-3 yesterday, the Big Ten bounced back today going 2-1. Here are the results:

OHIO STATE 6
Marist 4

Buckeye starter Dean Wolosiansky gave up 4 runs on 10 hits in 5.1 innings of work to recieve the no decision. Reliever Drew Rucinski pitched 1.2 scoreless innings and struck out two to improve to 11-2 on the season. Jake Hale pitched 2 scoreless innings as well, and picked up his 17th save of the year. Offensively the Bucks only compiled 7 hits, but managed to squeak out the win anyways. Ohio State was led by DH Ryan Dew who hit a 3 run bases clearing triple and finished 1-4, with 1 run and 3 RBI. CF Michael Stephens also collected two hits, and finished 2-2 with a run and 2 BB. With the win, the Buckeyes stay alive and will face the loser of #2 Georgia and #1 Florida State. Currently Florida State is ahead 4-2 in the bottom half of the 8th inning.

MINNESOTA 11
Southern 8

The box score has not yet been released for this game, but I will fill you in with what I know. Minnesota starter Seth Rosin pitched into the 6th or 7th inning, giving up 3 runs. Reliever Scott Fern earned the victory, and Scott Matyas picked up another save for the maroon and gold. The Gophers were led offensively by LF Justin Gominsky, who finished 4-4, just a HR short of the cycle. With the win, the Gophers stay alive and will face the loser of #1 LSU vs. #3 Baylor.

INDIANA 0
Vanderbilt 10

The box score has not yet been released for this game either. Another tough loss for the Hoosiers, and this one even tougher as it eliminates them from the tournament. Great season for the red and white, too bad it had to end this way.

NCAA Tournament - Day 1 Results

2009-05-29T21:34:00.004-05:00

Rough day for the Big Ten today on Day 1 of the NCAA Tournament:

OHIO STATE 8
Georgia 24

Ohio State sent one of the Big Ten's top pitchers in Alex Wimmers to the mound today, but surprisingly he was shelled by Louisville. Wimmers pitched just 4 innings, gave up 8 runs on 8 hits and walked 7 batters. The Buckeye's bullpen struggled as well, giving up 14 runs throughout the course of the last 5 innings. The Buckeyes collected 10 hits and were led by C Dan Burkhart who finished 3-3 with an RBI. LF Zach Hurley finished 2-4 with 2 runs and an RBI as well, but it was not even close to enough for the Bucks tonight. Ohio State will face the loser of #1 Florida State and #4 Marist tomorrow. Currently, the Seminoles lead 1-0 in the bottom of the 4th inning.

MINNESOTA 0
Baylor 5

Depressing loss for the Gophers tonight. Senior pitcher Tom Buske gave up a 2-run HR in the top of the first inning, but did eventually settle in nicely and left the game in the 7th inning after giving up just one more run. The normally stellar Golden Gopher offense was held to just 5 hits on the night, led by 3B Kyle Geason who collected 2 hits and finished 2-3 on the night. The Gophers will face the 4th seeded Southern Jaguars tomorrow at 1 pm, facing elimination.

INDIANA 2
Louisville 8

Tough one for Hoosiers fans to swallow tonight. The Hoosiers sent dominant starter Eric Arnett to the mound, and he gave up 5 runs (just 1 earned) on 5 hits in 7 innings of work. As you can tell, Arnett wasn't necessarily the issue for the Hoosiers as he only gave up one earned run. The Hoosiers committed 3 errors, and posted just 6 hits offensively, two coming from LF Kipp Schutz, who finished 2-4 on the night. Indiana will now play #3 Vanderbilt tomorrow, facing elimination.

In summary, three Big Ten teams played in today's opening day of the NCAA tournament, and all three did not fare well. Granted they all played tough teams, I don't think anyone expected it to be as rough as it ended up to be. We will see if the Hoosiers, Buckeyes, and Gophers can rebound tomorrow. Stay tuned for updates and results.

NCAA Regionals Preview

2009-05-28T20:55:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow marks the opening day of the 2009 NCAA Baseball Tournament. As you know, three teams from the Big Ten Conference earned spots in the tournament (Ohio State, Minnesota, Indiana). Here is a quick preview of tomorrow's action:

#2 Georgia (37-22)
#3 Ohio St. (40-17)

Ohio State's Alex Wimmers looks to boost the Buckeyes past the Bulldogs tomorrow. Georgia was the #1 nationally ranked team in a few polls earlier in the season and competed very well in a tough college baseball conference, so this looks like a tough matchup for the red and gray of Columbus. Wimmers has been solid all year in the Big Ten, but we will see how he fares against arguably tougher southern hitters. Should Ohio State win, they will play the winner of #1 Florida State and #4 Marist. If they lose, they will play the loser of FSU/Marist.

#1 Louisville (44-15)
#4 Indiana (32-25)

Indiana sends Eric Arnett to the mound tomorrow to face the top ranked Cardinals of Louisville. The Hoosiers have faced Louisville twice already this season, dropping both games 15-1 and 10-8. Although Louisville may have Indiana's number so far this season, I think that Indiana has a strong shot at pulling off the upset tomorrow. The Hoosiers played excellent baseball down the stretch in conference play, and played nearly perfect baseball during the entire Big Ten Tournament. If Indiana's pitching staff continues to dominate and the their starting lineup's bats stay hot, don't be surprised to see the red and white of Bloomington steal a huge win tomorrow.

#2 Minnesota (38-17)
#3 Baylor (29-24)

Minnesota will start fifth-year senior Tom Buske on the mound to take on the Bears of Baylor. Buske has pitched tremendously this season, earning Third-team All-Big Ten honors. The question is whether or not he will be able to fool Baylor's hitters like he has consistently done in the Big Ten this season. I personally feel that Buske matches up well against southern teams because of his arsenal of pitches. A majority of southern teams such as Baylor face hard-throwing fastball pitchers more often than soft-throwing locating pitchers such as Buske. I wouldn't be surprised if Buske's tricky changeup, sneaky slider, and well-located fastball can keep the Bear's hitters at bay. The question that remains is which Gopher team will show up? Will it be the Gopher team from the first and last games of the Big Ten tourney who looked flat, played poor defense, and struggled offensively? Or will it be the team from the middle games of the tournament who pitched well, hit well, and fielded like a typical Minnesota coached team? I guess we will see tomorrow.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's results and analysis of the opening regional games.

Random Fact

2009-05-25T19:26:00.002-05:00

I have been trying to find out when the last time the Big Ten had three teams in the NCAA tournament, and I have found that information. Contrary to my belief, it hasn't been that long since the conference sent three teams away to the tourney. In 2007, the Big Ten sent Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio State to the tournament. The Big Ten has never had more than 3 teams in the tournament. Ahh... I feel much better now that I know the exact year!

2009 NCAA Tournament Bracket Released

2009-05-25T12:04:00.003-05:00

This morning, the 2009 NCAA Tournament bracket was released. 3 Big Ten schools made the field. Indiana recieved a #4 seed after earning an automatic bid for winning the Big Ten tournament, and will play against Louisville in the Lousiville regional. Ohio State earned a #3 seed after recieving an at-large bid and will play Georgia State in the Talahassee, FL regional. Minnesota earned an at-large bid as well, and is a #2 seed and will play Baylor in the Louisiana State regional. Here is the complete field:

Austin, TX Regional:
#1 Texas
#4 Army
#3 Boston College
#2 Texas State

Forth Worth, TX Regional:
#1 Texas Christian
#4 Wright State
#3 Oregon State
#2 Texas A&M

Atlanta, GA Regional:
#1 Georgia Tech
#4 Georgia State
#3 Southern Mississippi
#2 Elon

Gainesville, FL Regional:
#1 Florida
#4 Bethune-Cookman
#3 Jacksonville
#2 Miami (FL)

Tempe, AZ Regional:
#1 Arizona State
#4 Kent State
#3 Cal-Poly
#2 Oral Roberts

Clemson, SC Regional:
#1 Clemson
#4 Tennessee Tech
#3 Oklahoma State
#2 Alabama

Greenville, NC Regional:
#1 East Carolina
#4 Binghamton
#3 George Mason
#2 South Carolina

Chapel Hill, NC Regional:
#1 North Carolina
#4 Dartmouth
#3 Kansas
#2 Coastal Carolina

Fullerton, CA Regional:
#1 California State-Fullerton
#4 Utah
#3 Gonzaga
#2 Georgia Southern

Louisville, KY Regional:
#1 Louisville
#4 INDIANA
#3 Vanderbilt
#2 Middle Tennessee State

Talahassee, FL Regional
#1 Florida State
#4 Marist
#3 OHIO STATE
#2 Georgia State

Norman, OK Regional:
#1 Oklahoma
#4 Wichita State
#3 Washington State
#2 Arkansas

Irvine, CA Regional:
#1 California-Irvine
#4 Fresno State
#3 San Diego State
#2 Virginia

Oxford, MS Regional:
#1 Mississippi
#4 Monmouth
#3 Western Kentucky
#2 Missouri

Houston, TX Regional:
#1 Rice
#4 Sam Houston St.
#3 Xaiver
#2 Kansas State

Baton Rouge, LA Regional:
#1 Louisiana State
#4 Southern University
#3 Baylor
#2 MINNESOTA

As you can see, there are 16 regionals with four teams in each. The four teams in each regional will play a double elimination format tournament, and the winners of the regionals will advance to the Super Regionals. Super Regional matchups:

Winner of Austin Regional vs. Winner of Fort Worth Regional

Winner of Atlanta Regional vs. Winner of Gainesville Regional

Winner of Tempe Regional vs. Winner of Clemson Regional

Winner of Greenville Regional vs. Winner of Chapel Hill Regional

Winner of Fullerton Regional vs. Winner of Louisville Regional

Winner of Talahassee Regional vs. Winner of Norman Regional

Winner of Irvine Regional vs. Winner of Oxford Regional

Winner of Houston Regional vs. Winner of Baton Rouge Regional

The super regionals will consist of a head-to-head, best of three series between the two specified regional winners. The winners of the super regionals will advance to the College World Series (8 teams.)

Overall, today is a good day to be a Big Ten baseball fan. For the first time in quite a while (I'm still searching for a specific year, let me know if you can find it), the Big Ten has sent 3 teams to the NCAA tournament.

If Indiana can play the way they played in the Big Ten tournament, don't be surprised if they win the Louisville regional. Ohio State's regional is tough, and I do not see them surviving, but who knows. Minnesota has a shot at winning their regional, but it depends which Gopher team shows up to play. If the Gopher team that won three straight games in the Big Ten tournament shows up, it's going to be tough for anyone to touch them. We will see what happens.

Regional play begins this Friday, May 29th. Stay tuned for results and updates.

NCAA Releases 2009 Regional Hosts

2009-05-24T21:38:00.002-05:00

Today the NCAA released the 2009 baseball regional host schools:

Clemson
Florida State
Georgia Tech
North Carolina
Florida
LSU
Mississippi
Oklahoma
Texas
UC-Irvine
California State-Fullerton
East Carolina
Rice
Arizona State
Louisville
TCU

Tomorrow at 11:30 AM central time the teams that qualify for the tournament will be announced and which regional they are placed into. Stay tuned for the placings.

2009 All-Big Ten Tournament Team

2009-05-24T08:46:00.004-05:00

Here is the 2009 All-Big Ten Tournament team, released by the Big Ten last night:

C: Dan Burkhart, OSU
1B: Nick O'Shea, MINN
2B: Derek McCallum, MINN
SS: Jake Dunning, IND
3B: Vince Gonzalez, IND
OF: Pete Cappetta, ILL
OF: Kipp Schutz, IND
OF: Eric Decker, MINN
DH: Alex Dickerson, OSU
P: Eric Arnett, IND
P: Tom Buske, MINN
P: Matt Bashore, IND

Most Oustanding Player: Matt Bashore, IND

Indiana Wins Big Ten Tournament

2009-05-23T22:33:00.003-05:00

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!

Day 4 Results- Game 1

2009-05-23T18:18:00.003-05:00

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.

Day 3 Results - Games 2 & 3

2009-05-22T21:47:00.003-05:00

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.

Day 3 Results - Game 1 (Minnesota vs. Purdue)

2009-05-22T15:44:00.005-05:00

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.

Day 2 Results...Continued

2009-05-21T22:16:00.004-05:00

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.

First Two Games of Day 2 - Results

2009-05-21T19:10:00.003-05:00

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.

Big Ten Tournament - Day 2 Schedule

2009-05-21T10:24:00.003-05:00

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.

Yahoo Sport's Kendall Roger's Latest NCAA Regional Predictions Include Ohio State and Minnesota

2009-05-20T20:29:00.002-05:00

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

2009-05-20T20:15:00.003-05:00

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

2009-05-20T19:31:00.003-05:00

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.

Big Ten Post-Season Awards

2009-05-19T18:27:00.004-05:00

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

Final Big Ten Standings

2009-05-17T12:00:00.003-05:00

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.

Minnesota @ Penn State Results (Saturday)

2009-05-17T11:53:00.002-05:00

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).

Saturday Conference Results (So Far)

2009-05-16T15:16:00.002-05:00

IOWA 6
OHIO ST. 8

Buckeye reliever Drew Rucinski improves to 9-2 after giving up 2 runs on 2 hits in 2 innings of work. Closer Jake Hale also picked up his 15th save of the season after pitching a scoreless 9th inning and striking out one batter. Hawkeye reliever Mike Schurz drops to 1-2 after giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits in just one inning of work. Offensively the Buckeyes were led by 3B Justin Miller who finished 3-3 with 1 HR, 2 runs, and 2 RBI. The black and yellow were led by 1B Sean Flanagan who finished 2-4 with 2 runs, 1 HR, and 2 RBI. With the win, the Buckeye's title hopes are still alive (will clinch with a Minnesota loss). They improve to 39-15 (18-6) on the season. With the loss, the Hawkeyes finish the season with a record of 16-35 (4-19).

MICHIGAN 6
NORHTWESTERN 10 (Game 1)

Northwestern hurler Eric Jokisch gave up 6 runs on 9 hits and struckout 4 Wolverines in his 8-inning winning performance which moved him to 4-7 on the season. Wolverine reliever Tyler Burgoon drops to 4-2 after giving up 4 runs on 4 hits in just 0.2 innings of work. Offensively the Wildcats were led by 3B Chris Lashmet who finished 2-4 with 2 RBI. 1B Tony Vercelli also added a HR, and finished the day 1-5 with 3 runs and 3 RBI. The Wolverines were led by LF Kenny Fellows who finished the day 3-5 with a run and 2 RBI. Ryan LaMarre and Mike Dufek each added a HR for the blue and maize. With the win, Northwestern improved to 13-35 (4-17), while Michigan dropped to 30-24 (9-14), which eliminates them from the Big Ten Tournament.

ILLINOIS 8
PURDUE 12

Purdue starter Matt Morgan improves to 6-4 on the season after giving up 3 earned runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings of work. Illini starter Bryan Roberts drops to 5-4 on the year after giving up 4 runs on 7 hits in just 2.1 innings pitched. Offensively, the Boilermakers were led by LF Alex Jaffee, who finished a perfect 4-4 with 1 HR, 2 runs, and 3 RBI. 2B Eric Charles also finished an impressive 4-5 with 4 runs, and Cummins and Haveman each added 3 hits of their own. Illinois was led by RF Pete Cappetta who finished 4-5 with 1 HR, 2 runs, and 2 RBI. SS Brandon Wikoff also collected three hits, and finished 3-5 with a run. With the win, Purdue secures the sixth and final spot in the Big Ten Tournament, and improves to 24-24 (11-12). The loss drops the Illini to 33-18 (16-8).

MICHIGAN ST. 7
INDIANA 3

Spartan starter Tony Bucciferro imrpoves to 5-2 on the year after giving up 3 runs on 7 hits and striking out 9 Hoosier hitters in 7.1 innings. Spartan reliver Max Miller picked up his first save of the season after pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. Hoosier reliever Igel recieves the loss and drops to 1-1 after giving up 3 runs on 6 hits in 4 innings of work. Offensively the Spartans were led by DH Eric Roof, who finished 2-4 with a homerun, 2 runs, and 2 RBI. LF Johnny Lee and 1B Jeff Holm also finished with two hits a piece for the green and white. Indiana was led offensively by SS Jake Dunning who finished 1-3 with a HR and 1 RBI. With the win, Michigan State improves to 23-29 (13-11), while the Hoosiers drop to 28-25 (16-7).

MINNESOTA 8
PENN ST. 5 bottom of 4, rain delay

With Minnesota and Penn State in a rain delay, the Big Ten crown has not yet been decided. With Illinois and Indiana losses, they are eliminated from 1st place contention. Ohio State's win keeps them alive, but they need a loss from Minnesota to be named conference champions. Minnesota, on the other hand, will win the conference if they win, or the game gets rained out. If Minnesota loses, the crown goes to the Buckeyes.

Stay tuned for the results of the Minnesota vs. Penn State game..... it can also be seen on the Big Ten Network if you have that channel in your cable package.

Minnesota's McCallum Named Semi-Finalist for Dick Howser Trophy

2009-05-15T23:32:00.002-05:00

Minnesota Golden Gopher second baseman Derek McCallum was named as one of the sixteen semifinalists for the Dick Howser trophy, which is given to the top collegiate baseball player each season. Coming into this weekend, McCallum led the Big Ten in batting average, RBI, and HR. Congratulations to McCallum, it is a great recognition for him, the University of Minnesota, and Big Ten baseball.

Friday's Conference Results

2009-05-15T22:40:00.002-05:00

ILLINOIS 6
PURDUE 3

Illinois' Will Strack improves to 6-0 after giving up 3 runs and striking out 4 in 6.1 innings of work. Lee Zerusen picks up his second save of the season for the Fighting Illini. Purdue's Matt Jansen drops to 4-6 after giving up 3 runs on 6 hits in 2.1 innings pitched. Offensively the Illini were led by 3B Dominic Altobelli who finished 4-5 with 2 R and 1 RBI. DH Willie Argo was also 3-4 with 4 RBI. Wikoff and Bonadonna also each added a pair of hits. The Boilers were led by CF Brandon Haveman, who finished 3-5 with a run. Cummins and Overmeyer each added a pair of hits as well. With the win Illinois improves to 33-17 (16-7), while the Boilermakers drop to 23-24 (10-12).

MICHIGAN
NORTHWESTERN postponed to Saturday

MICHIGAN ST. 1
INDIANA 6

Indiana's Matt Bashore improves to 6-4 after pitching 8 scoreless innings, giving up just three hits, walking just one batter, and striking out 10 Spartans along the way. Michigan State's A.J. Achter drops to 3-5 after giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and walking 4 in 6 innings pitched. Offensively the Hoosiers were led by SS Jake Dunning who finished 2-2 with 2 runs, 2 RBI, and 2 BB. Dickerson and Sabourin also collected two hits each for Indiana. The Spartans were held to just 5 hits on the game, 2 of which came from LF Bo Felt. With the win, Indiana improves to 28-24 (18-6) while Michigan State drops to 22-29 (12-11).

IOWA 4
OHIO ST. 5

Ohio State's Dean Wolosiansky improves to 11-1 after giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and striking out 5 in 7 innings of work. Iowa's Steve Turnbull drops to 1-3 after giving up 2 runs on 3 hits in 2 innings pitched. Offensively the Buckeyes were led by DH Ryan Dew who finished 2-5 with 2 runs, and 1 RBI. Hurley, Burkhart, and Miller each collected 2 hits of their own as well. Iowa was led by 2B Mike McQuilan, who finished 3-5 with 1 run and 1 RBI. 3B Wes Freie was also 1-3 with 1 HR and an RBI. With the win, the Buckeyes improve to 38-16 (17-6), while the Hawkeyes drop to 16-34 (4-18).

MINNESOTA 4
PENN ST. 2

Minnesota starter Seth Rosin picks up the win and moves to 6-1 after giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and striking out 7 in 7 innings of work. Rosin also made a terrific defensive play which was featured on ESPN Sportscenter's "Top Ten Plays". Good to see the Big Ten getting some national media attention. Penn State's Mike Lorenston drops to 1-7 after giving up 3 runs on 7 hits in 7.2 innings of work. Minnesota's Scott Matyas pitched 2 perfect innings to pick up his second save in as many days, and his 13th on the season. Offensively the Golden Gophers were led by 2B Derek McCallum, who finished 2-4 with 2 RBI. CF Eric Decker also collected two hits, one of which was a HR and finished 2-3 with 1 RBI. Penn State was led offensively by RF Rick Marlin, who finished 2-3 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. With the win, Minnesota improves to 35-14 (17-5), while Penn State drops to 24-26 (7-16).

With Minnesota, Ohio State, Illinois, and Indiana wins, the race for first place is still undecided with one game left to play. Should be an interesting and exciting finish! Stay posted for tomorrow's results and weekend wrap-up.

Thursday's Conference Results

2009-05-15T00:01:00.002-05:00

MICHIGAN ST. 4
INDIANA 6

Hoosier reliever Chris Squires picked up the win and improved to 2-2 on the year after pitching 2 scoreless innings and striking out 3 Spartan hitters. Squires combined with Matt Carr to pitch the last 6 innings without a run, lifting Indiana to victory. Michigan St. reliever AJ Dunn recieves the loss and drops to 2-3 on the year after giving up 3 runs on 2 hits in 2 innings pitched. Spartan starter Nolan Moody gave up 3 runs on 7 hits in 6.2 innings of work. Offensively the Hoosiers were led by C Josh Phegley who finished 2-3 with 1 R, 1 HR, and 2 RBI. 3B Vince Gonzalez also added 2 hits of his own, finishing 2-4 with 1 run, 1 HR, and 1 RBI. 1B Jerrud Sabourin also went yard and finished 1-4 on the night. The green and whtie were led by C Eric Roof who finished 2-4 with a run. 3B AJ Shindler collected a HR and 2 RBI and finished 1-5 on the evening. With the win, the Hoosiers improved to 27-24 overall, and 15 -6 in conference play, while the Spartans dropped to 22-28 (12-10).

ILLINOIS 5
PURDUE 12

Boilermaker starter Matt Bischoff improves to 4-4 after giving up 3 runs on 7 hits and striking out 3 in 6 innings of work. Illinois starter Phil Haig drops to 6-3 after giving up 6 runs on 11 hits in 5 innings pitched. Purdue reliever Drew Wurdack recieved his 2nd save on the season after pitching 3 innings and giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. Offensively the Boilermakers were led by 3B Dan Black who finished 3-4 on the night with 1 HR, 2 runs, and 5 RBI. DH Drew Madia hit a grand slam and finished 1-2 with 1 run and 4 RBI. RF Alex Jaffee and SS Nick Overmeyer also went yard for the Boilermakers. For the Illini, 2B Josh Parr led the way going 3-4 with 1 run. DH Willie Argo also went 2-2 with 2 runs and 2 BB. With the win, the Boilermakers improve to 23-23 (10-11) while Illinois drops to 32-17 (15-7).

MICHIGAN 16
NORTHWESTERN 6

Wolverine starter Chris Fetter improves to 7-3 after giving up 6 runs on 10 hits and striking out nine Wildcats in 6.2 innings pitched. Northwestern reliever David Jensen falls to 2-4 after giving up 5 runs on 1 hit and 4 walks in just 0.1 innings of work. Offensively the Wolverines were led by 1B Mike Dufek who finished 2-4 with 2 HR, 3 R, and 4 RBI. DH Jake McClouth also had a HR, and finished 2-4 with 3 R and 1 RBI. Fellows, Toth, LaMarre, and Oaks all added a pair of hits for the blue and maize. The Wildcats were led by DH Jake Wilson, who finished 2-4 with a run and 2 RBI. CF Kenneth Avilla also finished 1-3 with 2 RBI. With the win, the Wolverines improve to 30-23 (9-13) while the Wildcats drop to 12-35-1 (3-17).

MINNESOTA 7
PENN ST. 6

Gopher reliever Austin Lubinsky improves to 3-0 on the season after pitching 3 innings and giving up just 1 run on 1 hit. Minnesota closer Scott Matyas picked up his 12th save after pitching a perfect ninth inning and striking out two hitters. Penn St. reliever David Lutz gave up 1 run on 1 hit and took the loss to drop to 4-2 after his 1 inning appearance. Offensively the maroon and gold were led by C Kyle Knudson who finished 2-4 with 1 R and 2 RBI. RF Michael Kvasnicka and 3B Kyle Geason also each added a pair of hits. The Nittany Lions were led by CF Blake Lynd, who finished 2-5. 3B Jordan Steranka added a solo HR and finished 1-4 on the night. With the win, the Gophers improve to 34-14 (16-5) while Penn St. drops to 24-25 (7-15).

IOWA 4
OHIO ST. 13

Buckeyes starter Alex Wimmers continues his impressive pitching and improves to 9-1 after pitching 6 scoreless innings and striking out 12 Hawkeye hitters. Hawkeyes starter Nick Brown drops to 2-4 after giving up 5 runs on 5 hits in just one inning of work. Offensively Ohio St. was led by CF Michael Stephens who went 2-4 with 2 runs, 1 HR, and 3 RBI. LF Zach Hurley collected three hits, and finished 3-4 with 2 RBI. The Hawkeyes were led by CF Kurtis Muller who hit a grandslam and finished 1-4 with 4 RBI. With the win, the Buckeyes improve to 37-15 (16-6), while the Hawkeyes drop to 16-33 (4-17).

With Minnesota's win, they remain in sole possession of first place. Ohio State's win over the Hawkeyes keeps them right in the mix just 1/2 game back. Illinois' loss and Indiana's win puts them a bit behind, but they are not out of the race yet. Stay tuned for tomorrow's action!

Final Big Ten Weekend Preview

2009-05-14T11:46:00.002-05:00

As we enter the final weekend of conference play, the Big Ten Standings are real tight, with Minnesota leading the way with a record of 15-5, and Ohio State and Illinois trailing the Gophers by just 1/2 game, and the Hoosiers of Indiana trailing the Gophers by just 1 full game.

Not only is there a tight race for first place, but also for the last spot in the Big Ten Tournament. Right now, Purdue is sitting pretty at 6th place with a record of 9-11, with Michigan trailing behind them at 8-13, and Penn St. still in the hunt at 7-14.

This being said, here is a quick overview of this weekend's matchups:

MICHIGAN ST. @
INDIANA

Michigan State enters this weekend sitting comfortably in 5th place at 12-8, while the Hoosiers are sitting at 4th place at 14-6 just 1 game back of first place. Look for the Hoosiers to make a strong push for a Big Ten Title at home this weekend, but that is no easy task against the Spartans, who have been the Big Ten's hottest team in the second half of the conference schedule.

ILLINOIS @
PURDUE

Illinois enters the weekend in a 2nd place tie with the Buckeyes at 15-6, just 1/2 of a game back of the league leading Golden Gophers. Purdue sits in the driver's seat of the sixth and last spot in the Big Ten Tournament at 9-11, but they must be careful as the Wolverines and Nittany Lions are nipping at their heals to get into that coveted final post-season spot.

MICHIGAN @
NORTHWESTERN

Michigan enters the weekend at 8-13 and in 7th place in the conference, looking to make a surge into the sixth and final Big Ten Tournament spot. Northwestern enters the weekend at 3-16, with nothing to play for this weekend except pride.

MINNESOTA @
PENN ST.

Minnesota enters this weekend at 15-5, and leading the Big Ten by just 1/2 game. The Nittany Lions enter the weekend at 7-14, and are looking to snag the final spot in the Big Ten tournament from Purdue or Michigan.

IOWA @
OHIO ST.

Iowa enters the weekend at 3-16 and similar to Northwestern, has nothing to play for except pride. The Buckeyes, on the other hand, come into this weekend sitting in a tie for 2nd place at 15-6, trailing the Golden Gophers by just 1/2 game.

More updates and results to come as the games take course.

Tuesday's Big Ten Non-Conference Results

2009-05-12T22:40:00.002-05:00

Here are the scores from the Big Ten non-conference action tonight:

MICHIGAN ST. 8
C. Michigan 9 (10 innings)

Ball State 5
MICHIGAN 8

Ball State 2
MICHIGAN 5

PENN ST. 5
Villanova 10

INDIANA 10
Evansville 8 (10 innings)

All-Weekend Performers Team

2009-05-11T14:52:00.003-05:00

Here is my all-weekend performers team for this past weekend in the Big Ten:

C: Dan Burkhart, OSU
1B: Corey Wine, PSU
2B: Derek McCallum, MINN and Trevor Stevens, NW
SS: Jonathan Roof, MSU
3B: Wes Freie, IOWA
OF: Evan Crawford, IND
OF: Michael Kvasnicka, MINN
OF: Joe Bonnadonna, ILL
DH: Ryan Dew, OSU

P: Eric Arnett, IND
P: Matt Bashore, IND
P: Alex Wimmers, OSU

Big Ten Top Weekend Performer: Indiana pitcher ERIC ARNETT earns the honors this week after improving to an impressive 11-1 on the season after giving up just 2 runs and striking out 8 batters in a complete game effort against Northwestern this weekend.

Sunday's Conference Results

2009-05-11T02:09:00.003-05:00

Long story short, I had a delayed flight and just got back, so I will skip the summaries and just provide you with the nitty gritty details of Sunday's Big Ten action.

NORTHWESTERN 2
INDIANA 10

PURDUE 9
MICHIGAN ST. 8

MINNESOTA 4
MICHIGAN 10

PENN ST. 3
IOWA 5

OHIO STATE 12
ILLINOIS 7

After this weekend's games, the Big Ten standings are as follows:

MINNESOTA 15-5
OHIO STATE 15-6
ILLINOIS 15-6
INDIANA 14-6
MICHIGAN ST. 12-8
PURDUE 8-11
MICHIGAN 8-13
PENN STATE 7-14
IOWA 4-16
NORTHWESTERN 3-16

After Minnesota took 2 of 3 at Ann Arbor, they claimed sole possession of first place by 1/2 game. The Buckeyes took 2 of 3 from Illinois and moved into a second place tie with the Illini, who are just 1/2 game back of the Gophers. Indiana took all 3 games against Northwestern, and currently sit at 4th place just 1 game out of first place. Michigan State split with Purdue in two games, which puts them in fifth place and mathematically in the Big Ten tournament. The sixth and final spot for the tournament will be a battle between Purdue, Michigan, and Penn State. Iowa and Northwestern are mathematically eliminated from conference post-season play. It should be an interesting race for the Big Ten regular season crown as Minnesota travels to Penn State next weekend, while Ohio State squares off with Iowa, Illinois travels to Purdue, and Indiana hosts Michigan State.

Stay tuned for this weekend's All-Weekend Performers and the Top Big Ten Performer, as well as midweek action and a preview of the final conference weekend.

Additional Saturday Conference Results

2009-05-09T21:04:00.003-05:00

NORTHWESTERN 2
INDIANA 5 (Game 2)

Hoosier's hurler Matt Bashore gets the win and improves to 5-4 on the year after giving up 2 runs on 11 hits and 10 strikeouts after a 8 inning performance. Wildcat reliever David Jensen drops to 2-3 after giving up 3 runs in just one inning of work. Offensively Indiana SS Jake Dunning led the way going 2-4 with 2 RBI. CF Evan Crawford, and DH Alex Dickerson also collected two hits on the night. C Josh Phegley also collected his 14th HR of the year, and finished 1-3 with 2 RBI. Northwestern was led offensively by 2B Trevor Stevens who went 3-5 on the night. LF Tony Vercelli was also 2-4 with 1 2B and a run scored. With the win the Hoosiers improve to 24-24 overall and 13-6 in conference. With the loss Northwestern drops to 12-33 and 3-15 in the Big Ten.

OHIO STATE 10
ILLINOIS 7

Buckeye reliever Drew Rucinsky recieves the win in relief and moves to 3-2 on the year after giving up 3 runs in 3.1 innings pitched. Illinois reliever Lee Zerrusen drops to 2-1 on the year after giving up 4 runs on 7 hits in 3 innings pitched. Offensively the Buckeyes were led by 3B Justin Miller who was 4-5 with 1 HR and 3 RBI. SS Tyler Engle was also 3-4 with 1 RBI, and DH Ryan Dew was 3-5 with 3 runs scored. Illinois was led by LF Casey McMurray who was 3-5 with 1 HR and 3 RBI. CF Joe Bonnadonna also went 2-2 with 1 run and 1 RBI. With the win, the Buckeyes improve to 35-14 overall, and 14-6 in the Big Ten, while Illinois falls to second place in the Big Ten at 15-5, and 32-15 overall.

Saturday's Conference Results

2009-05-09T17:01:00.002-05:00

PURDUE 5
MICHIGAN ST. 6

Michigan State's Nolan Moody went 7 innings and gave up 5 runs on 7 hits while striking out 5 Boilermaker batters in a no decision. Spartan reliever A.J. Dunn moved to 2-2 after pitching two scoreless innings to recieve the win. Purdue's Matt Bischoff also recieved a no decision, giving up 5 runs on 10 hits in 7 innings worked. Boilermaker reliever Connor Cestak drops to 0-2 on the year after giving up a run on no hits. Cestak did not record an out in his appearance. Offensively the green and white were led by SS Jonathan Roof who finished 3-3 with a run and 2 RBI. C Eric Roof also finished 2-3 with 2 runs and 1 RBI. Purdue was led by LF Ben Wolgamot, who went 1-4 with a homer and 3 RBI. RF Alex Jaffee and CF Brandon Haveman also collected HR's in the game. With the win, the Spartans move to 22-24 overall and 12-7 in conference play. The loss drops the black and gold to 20-23 (7-11).

NORTHWESTERN 2
INDIANA 3

Hoosier hurler Eric Arnett improves to 11-1 on the season after giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits and striking out 8 Wildcat hitters in a complete game effort. Northwestern's Eric Jokisch drops to 3-7 on the year after allowing 3 runs on 8 hits in 8 innings of work. Offensively Indiana was led by CF Evan Crawford who was 2-4 with 1 RBI. 2B Tyler Rogers also added two hits of his own, finishing 2-3 on the day. Northwestern's leading hitter was 2B Trevor Stevens, who went 2-4 with 1 RBI. With the win, the Hoosiers improve to 23-24 overall, and 12-6 in Big Ten play. The loss puts the Wildcats at 12-32 (3-14).

PENN ST. 5
IOWA 4 (11 innings)

Penn State reliever Jesse Alfreno picks up the win and moves to 1-0 on the season after pitching 0.1 scoreless innings of relief. Iowa reliever Mike Schurz drops to 0-1 after giving up 2 runs on 6 hits in 5 innings of work out of the bullpen. Offensively the Nittany Lions were led by 1B Corey Wine, who collected three hits, one of which was a homerun, and finished 3-5 with 2 RBI. 3B Jordan Steranka also collected three hits and 2 runs, and finished 3-6 on the day. LF Mike Deese also sent a ball over the fence, collecting 2 RBI. The Hawkeyes were led by 3B Wes Freie who finished 2-3 with 2 HR, 2 runs, and 2 RBI. RF Ryan Durant also collected 3 hits and finished 3-5. The win bumps the Nittany Lions up to 24-22 overall, and 7-13 in conference play. The loss drops Iowa to 15-32 (3-16).

MINNESOTA 12
MICHIGAN 5

Minnesota's Tom Buske improves to 8-3 on the year after giving up 5 runs on 7 hits, and striking out 7 in 6 innings of work. Michigan's Matt Miller drops to 0-2 after giving up 4 runs on 2 hits in just over an inning of work in relief for the Wolverines. Offensively the Golden Gophers were led by RF Michael Kvasnicka, who finished 2-5 with two doubles and 4 RBI. 1B Nick O'Shea also added 3 hits and 2 RBI, finishing 3-5 on the day. Minnesota speedsters Eric Decker and Matt Nohelty also added 2 hits of their own. The blue and maize were led by DH Jake McClouth who finished 2-4 with 1 HR and 3 RBI. C Chris Berset also finished 2-4 with a run and 1 RBI. With the win, the maroon and gold improve to 33-13 overall and 15-4 in conference play, while the Wolverines drop to 26-23 (7-13). The Gopher win also puts Minnesota head coach John Anderson at 999 career victories, needing to win just 1 of 4 remaining games this season to reach the 1000 win milestone.

OHIO STATE
ILLINOIS 4:30 PM

Stay tuned for updates and results of the Fighting Illini and Buckeyes matchup in Champaign tonight.

Friday Night Big Ten Results

2009-05-08T23:31:00.002-05:00

PENN ST. 8
IOWA 6

Penn St. reliever Ryan Ignas moves to 4-1 after giving up just 1 run on 3 hits in 2 innings of work. Hawkeye reliever Patrick Schatz drops to 1-2 after giving up 3 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings pitched. Offensively the Nittany Lions were led by C Ben Heath who finished 3-4 with 2 HR, and 3 RBI. RF Rick Marlin also went 2-3 with an RBI. Iowa was led by 1B Sean Flanagan, who was 3-5 with 2 RBI. CF Kurtis Muller, who finished 3-4 with a run and an RBI, continues to swing a hot bat for the Hawkeyes. With the win, Penn State improves to 23-22 overall, and 6-13 in the Big Ten. The loss drops the Hawkeyes to 15-31 overall, and 3-15 in the Big Ten.

OHIO ST. 4
ILLINOIS 5

Illinois starter Phil Haig gave up 4 runs on 8 hits in 8 innings of work, but left the game in danger of recieving the loss. With the Illini's late rally, reliever John Anderson picked up the win and moves to 1-2 on the year after pitching a scoreless ninth inning. Buckeyes starter Alex Wimmers gave up just 2 runs and struck out 7 in 7.2 innings of work, but handed off the ball to reliever Jake Hale who recieved the loss and moved to 0-1 on the year after giving up 3 runs, none of which were earned, on 2 hits in 0.2 innings pitched. Offensively the Fighting Illini were led by 3B Dominic Altobelli, who finished 2-4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. CF Joe Bonnadonna also finished 2-5 with 2 RBI for the blue and orange. The Buckeyes were led by CF Michael Stephens who finished 2-3 with a HR, 2 runs, and 2 RBI. C Dan Burkhardt also finished 1-4 with a HR and an RBI. Ohio State led 4-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, but Illinois rallied to win the game 5-4, and stay atop the Big Ten at 32-14 overall, and 15-4 in conference. The loss drops Ohio State to 34-14 overall, and 13-6 in conference.

NORTHWESTERN
INDIANA postponed due to weather

PURDUE
MICHIGAN ST. series starts Saturday

MINNESOTA 9
MICHIGAN 5

Gopher senior starter Chauncy Handran improves to 7-2 on the year after giving up 5 runs on 11 hits in 7.1 innings pitched. Michigan hurler and Big Ten ERA leader Chris Fetter drops to 6-3 on the season after giving up 6 runs on 9 hits in 6.1 innings pitched. Offensively the maroon and gold were led by SS AJ Petterson who finished 3-5 with a run and 3 RBI. CF Eric Decker also collected 3 hits, 3 runs, and RBI, and a HR, and finished 3-4 on the night. The Wolverines were led by 3B Tim Kalczynski who was 3-4 with a HR and 3 RBI. C Chris Berset also finished 2-4 with 1 RBI. With the win, Minnesota improves to 32-13 overall, and 14-4 in the Big Ten, just 1/2 game back of Illinois. The loss drops Michigan to 26-22 (7-12).

Big Ten Weekend Preview

2009-05-06T22:44:00.002-05:00

With two conference weekends to go, the 1st place and 3rd place teams are separated by a mere 2 games, making these last 6 games crucial to each team in the conference championship race. Here is a preview of what's to come this weekend around the Big Ten.

NORTHWESTERN travels to Bloomington to take on INDIANA. The Hoosiers come into this weekend in 4th place in the Big Ten with a record of 11-6. The Wildcats are 3-13, in second to last in the Big Ten. With Michigan St. nipping at their heels, this weekend is crucial for the Hoosiers to secure a top 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament, and possibly gain some ground in the running for the regular season crown. On paper, this is a clear mismatch, given the high caliber Hoosier's pitching staff lead by Eric Arnett, facing the struggling Wildcat's hitters, but let's not jump ahead of ourselves, this is Big Ten baseball, you just never know.

MICHIGAN hosts MINNESOTA this weekend in Ann Arbor. Minnesota comes into the weekend 2nd in the Big Ten, just 1/2 game back of the league leading Fighting Illini. Michigan currently sits at 7th in the Big Ten standings, just 1/2 game back of Purdue. The Gophers have won 7 straight conference games and 9 of their last 10, and they appear to be a lock for the Big Ten tournament bearing a major meltdown. This being said, Michigan is fighting for the final spot in the tournament, and will come into this weekend hungry to gain some ground and solidify a post-season spot. Historically the Gophers have had troubles with the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, and with the Wolverines' urgency to get some victories, don't be surprised if they steal a few games from Minnesota this weekend.

PENN STATE travels to IOWA this weekend to take on the Hawkeyes. This matchup features 2 of the three bottom Big Ten teams, but let's not get ahead of ourselves and say it's not meaningful. Mathematically, no one is out of the Big Ten tournament yet, so both teams should be coming into this series ready to make a late season run and possibly squeak into the post-season.

OHIO STATE travels to Champaign to take on ILLINOIS. This matchup features the 1st placed Fighting Illini and 3rd placed Buckeyes, each fighting for the Big Ten crown. Both teams have been hot as of late, and the winner of this series will gain a huge leg up in the conference standings and gain some strong momentum going into the Big Ten tournament.

Wednesday's Big Ten Results

2009-05-06T22:40:00.002-05:00

Here are the scores and results from Wednesday's Big Ten non-conference action:

OHIO STATE 7
Louisville 12

Illinois-Chicago 0
NORTHWESTERN 0 (5th innings, called due to weather)

Western Michigan 0
MICHIGAN 6

Evansville 4
ILLINOIS 3 (10 innings)

Western Illinois
IOWA (cancelled)

Western Illinois vs. Illinois

2009-05-06T00:23:00.003-05:00

Western Illinois 1
Illinois 7

Illinois' Will Strack earned the win out of the bullpen pitching two innings in relief and improving to 5-0 on the season. Offensively, the Fighting Illini were led by 3B Dominic Altobelli who belted a pair of homeruns and drove in three. Illinois is currently ranked #25 in the nation.

Tuesday's Big Ten Non-Conference Results

2009-05-05T21:25:00.002-05:00

Here are some results from non-conference action tonight:

Western Michigan 1
Michigan 20

Michigan's Travis Smith gets the win and evens up his season record to 5-5 on the year after giving up just 4 hits in 6 innings of work. The Wolverine's bats exploded tonight, led by 1B Mike Dufek, who finished a perfect 6-6 on the day with 2 HR and 5 RBI. Dufek also pitched the ninth inning for the blue and yellow, recording 3 strikouts. Bursett, Oaks, LaMarr, Urban and McClouth also posted multi-hit games for Michigan.

North Dakota St. 5
Minnesota 6

The Gophers won their 9th game out of their last 10 tonight, beating the Bison of North Dakota St. 6-5 in Minneapolis. Gopher reliever Tim Ryan pitched 1.1 shutout innings in relief to pickup the win and move to 1-1 on the season. Offensively the Gophers were led by CF Eric Decker, who finished the night 3-4 with 1 run and 1 RBI. 2B Derek McCallum continues to swing a hot bat as he delivered his 14th HR of the season in the bottom of the 7th to give the Gophers the lead for good. RF Michael Kvasnicka also finished the game 2-4 with a HR, a run, and an RBI.

Louisville 21
Ohio St. 5

The Buckeye's Andrew Armstrong takes the loss and drops to 2-2 on the year after pitching 3.1 innings in which he gave up 12 runs on 10 hits. Ohio State was led offensively by 2B Cory Kovanda, who finished the night 2-5 with 1 RBI. CF Chris Griffin also collected two hits as a substitute, finishing the night 2-3.

UW-Milwaukee 4
Iowa 11

Iowa's Zach Kenyon moves to 1-3 after giving up just 1 earned run on four hits in 6.2 innings of work. Offensively the Hawkeyes were led by DH Phil Keppler who went 2-4 with 3 RBI. CF Kurt Muller also finished 2-4 with 1 HR, 2 runs, and 2 RBI.

Valparaiso 14
Northwestern 2

Wildcat's starter Matt Diedrich dropped to 0-2 on the year after giving up 8 runs in just 1.1 innings pitched. Northwestern's measly 5 hits came courtesy of Stevens, Lashmet, Snieder, Williams, and Wilson.

I'm still awaiting the score of the Western Illinois vs. Illinois matchup in Champaign tonight. Stay tuned for updates.

Midweek Big Ten Games

2009-05-04T19:53:00.003-05:00

Here is what will be happening around the Big Ten during the week:

Tuesday, May 5

Western Illinois at ILLINOIS

UW-Milwaukee at IOWA

North Dakota St. at MINNESOTA

NORTHWESTERN at #24 Valparaiso

OHIO STATE at Louisville

Wednesday, May 6

Evansville at ILLINOIS

Western Illinois at IOWA

Western Michigan at MICHIGAN

Chicago at NORTHWESTERN

OHIO STATE at Louisville

Wikoff and Wimmers Named Big Ten Players of the Week

2009-05-04T19:48:00.003-05:00

Illinois SS Brandon Wikoff was named the Big Ten's player of the week for the second consecutive time after hitting .692 in the Fighting Illini's series against Northwestern. Over the Illini's five games this past week, Wikoff racked up 10 runs and 10 RBIs on 7 extra base hits. This is the second time Wikoff has won the award and the fifth time this season a member of the orange and blue offense has claimed the honors.

Ohio State's hurler Alex Wimmers earned Big Ten pitcher of the week honors after throwing the Big Ten's second no-hitter of the season. Wimmers' no-hitter was the first in Buckeyes baseball history. Wimmers recorded 14 strikeouts in his no-hit performance against the Wolverines. This is the fourth time Wimmers has recieved the honors this season, and the Buckeyes pitching staff as a whole has recieved the award 6 times this season.

Big Ten Weekend Top Performers

2009-05-03T17:38:00.002-05:00

Here are my top performers by position in this weekend's Big Ten games:

C: Kyle Knudson, MINN
1B: Nick O'Shea, MINN
2B: Eric Charles, PUR
SS: Brandon Wikoff, ILL
3B: Jordan Steranka, PSU
OF: Brandon Haveman, PUR
OF: Pete Capetta, ILL
OF: Kurtis Muller, IOWA
DH: Ryan Dew, OSU

P: Alex Wimmers, OSU
P: Bryan Roberts, ILL
P: A.J. Achter, MSU

Since this is the first weekend that I have done the Top Weekend performers, therefore it is the first time each player on the list has recieved the award. I will keep track of how many times the players win throughout the season and upcoming seasons. Also, each week I will pick the Performer of the weekend, which is given to one pitcher or position player in the Big Ten who excelled in their performance. This week, the award goes to Ohio State's Alex Wimmers, who threw a complete game shutout this weekend against Michigan. Not only was it a shutout, it was a no-hit shutout, making him the first Ohio State pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the school's history. With the win, Wimmers improved to 10-1 on the year, and his Buckeyes find themselves comfortably in 3rd place in the conference standings.

Sunday's Conference Results

2009-05-03T16:55:00.002-05:00

INDIANA 2
PURDUE 5

Purdue hurler Matt Morgan improved to 4-4 after giving up 1 earned run on 5 hits and striking out 5 Hoosiers in 7.1 innings of work. Indiana starter Matt Bashore falls to 4-4 after giving up 4 runs on 8 hits, although he struck out 9 Boilermaker hitters. Offensively the Boilermakers were led once again by CF Brandon Haveman, who finished 2-5 with 1 2B and 2 RBI. 2B Eric Charles also collected two hits and finished 2-4 on the day. Hoosiers DH Alex Dickerson led the way going 2-4 with a run, while CF Evan Crawford was 1-4 with 1 R and 1 RBI. With the win, the gold and black move to 20-22 overall and 7-10 in conference. The loss drops the Hoosiers to 22-24 overall, and 11-6 in conference.

MICHIGAN 9
OHIO ST. 2

Michigan's Eric Katzman picked up the win and moves to 7-4 on the season after giving up 1 run on 4 hits in 5 innings pitched. Ohio State's Eric Best gets the loss and drops to 6-3 on the year after giving up 5 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits in 4.1 innings of work. The Wolverines were led by 1B Mike Dufek who finished 3-5 with 3 RBI. CF Jake LaMarre and DH Jake McClouth also each added two hits of their own. Offensively the Buckeyes were led by LF Zach Hurley who finished 2-4 with a run and one RBI. CF Michael Stevens also collected two hits, finishing 2-4 on the day. With the win, the Wolverines improve to 24-21 (7-11), while the Buckeyes drop to 34-11 (13-5).

PENN ST. 5
MICHIGAN ST. 6

Spartan reliever A.J. Dunn picked up the win and moved to 1-2 on the year after allowing just one run in 2.1 innings pitched. Nittany Lions' reliever Ryan Ignes gets the loss and drops to 3-1 after giving up 3 runs in 2 innings. Offensively Michigan St. was led by C Eric Roof, who finished 2-4 with 2 RBI. Johnny Lee, Jeff Holm, and Brandon Eckerle also collected two hits each in the contest. The Nittany Lions were led by SS Louie Picconi who went 2-4 with a run and an RBI. With the win, the Spartans complete the series sweep of Penn St. and move to 21-24 (11-7). The loss drops the Nittany Lions to 22-25 (5-13).

ILLINOIS 9
NORTHWESTERN 0

Fighting Illini starter Bryan Roberts pitched 7 shutout innings, giving up just 5 hits and striking out 7 Wildcat hitters to improve to 5-2 on the season. Morton falls to 1-6 for Northwestern after giving up 5 runs on 9 hits in 4.1 innings of work. Offensively Illinois was led by SS Brandon Wikoff, who finished 4-5 with a run and 3 RBI. Bonadonna, McMurray, Altobelli, and Johnson also each collected two hits in the contest. The Wildcats were led by Finn who collected two hits and finished 2-5. With the win, the Illini claim sole possession of first place in the Big Ten with a record of 14-4, and an overall record of 30-13. The loss drops Northwestern to 12-30 (3-13).

IOWA 3
MINNESOTA 12

Golden Gopher sophomore Seth Rosin pitched 6.2 scoreless innings, striking out 7 Hawkeye hitters along the way and improving to 5-1 on the season. Hawkeye's starter Jarred Hippen dropped to 2-4 on the year after giving up 7 runs and 8 hits. Offensively Minnesota was led by 1B Nick O'Shea, who finished 3-5 with a homer and 4 RBI. 2B Derek McCallum continues to swing a hot bat, finishing 3-4 with 3 runs and 1 RBI in today's contest. C Kyle Knudson also finished 2-3 with 3 RBI and 2 BB. The Hawkeyes were led by CF Kurtis Muller, who finished 2-3 with an RBI and 2 BB. C Dallas Burke also added two hits, finishing 2-5 on the day. The win puts the Gophers in sole possession of 2nd place in the Big Ten at 13-4, with a record of 30-13 overall. The loss drops the Hawkeyes to 14-30 (3-14).

WEEKEND REVIEW:

-Purdue takes 2 of 3 games at home vs. Indiana
-Ohio St. takes 2 of 3 games at home vs. Michigan
-Michigan St. completes a clean sweep of Penn St. at home
-Illinois takes all 3 games on the road against Northwestern
-Minnesota sweeps Iowa at home

CURRENT BIG TEN STANDINGS:

Illinois 14-4
Minnesota 13-4
Ohio St. 13-5
Indiana 11-6
Michigan St. 11-7
Purdue 7-10
Michigan 7-11
Penn St. 5-13
Northwestern 3-13
Iowa 3-14

With two weekends to go, the Fighting Illini lead the pack by 1 game with the Golden Gophers and Buckeyes nipping at their heels. Michigan State continues to play well, completing their second straight series sweep, and sitting comfortably in the fifth spot in the Big Ten, just 1/2 game back of the Hoosiers. It looks as though the battle for the final spot in the Big Ten tournament will come down to who plays better down the stretch between Purdue and Michigan, although mathematically no one is out of it yet. With the treacherous seasons that Northwestern and Iowa are putting on, it seems as though they are going to be packing it up soon and trying again next season.

Saturday's Conference Results

2009-05-02T18:22:00.003-05:00

INDIANA 8
PURDUE 15

INDIANA 7
PURDUE 6

MICHIGAN 0
OHIO ST. 6

Because of the cancellation of Friday's game, the Buckeyes and Wolverines played two today. By glancing at the score, it may seem as though there wasn't that much excitement, but don't be fooled. Ohio St. starter Alex Wimmers pitched a complete game no-hitter, striking out 14 Wolverines in the process. Wimmers walked four, but Ohio St. catcher Dan Burkhardt threw three of the four runners out trying to steal. With the win, Wimmers moved to 8-1 on the season. Wolverines starter Chris Fetter had a rare mediocre performance, giving up 4 ER on 9 hits. With the loss, Fetter dropped to 6-2 on the season. Ryan Dew led the way for the red and gray with a homerun and 3 RBI. With the win, the Buckeyes improved to 33-12 overall, and 12-4 in conference. The Wolverines fell to 23-20 overall, and 6-10 in the Big Ten.

MICHIGAN 6
OHIO ST. 9 in progress

MICHIGAN ST. 9
PENN ST. 1

Spartan's hurler A.J. Achter went 8 innings, giving up only one unearned run on 9 hits to improve to 3-3 on the season. Penn St. starter Mike Lorentson gave up two runs on three hits in 2.1 innings, taking the loss and dropping to 1-7 on the year. Offensively, the green and white were led by SS Jonathan Roof, who finished 3-4 with 3 runs and 3 RBI. Penn St. C Ben Heath led the way for the Nittany Lions, finishing 2-4 with 1 RBI. With the win, the Spartans continue their impressive play and move to 20-24 overall, and 10-7 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions' loss drops them to 22-21 overall, and 5-10 in conference.

ILLINOIS 15
NORTHWESTERN 12

Fighting Illini starter Ben Reeser recieved a no decision after throwing 4 innings, and giving up 2 ER on 6 hits. Illinois reliever Mike Stankiewicz picked up the win to move to 1-1 after a 2.2 inning performance in which he gave up 5 runs on 3 hits. For the Wildcats, Jokisch dropped to 3-6 on the season after giving up 10 runs on 10 hits with 5 walks. Offensively, the blue and orange were led by RF Pete Capetta, who finsihed the game 4-6 with 1 HR and 4 RBI. Parr, Johnson, Altobelli, and Wikoff also added three hits each to propel the Illini. The Wildcats' Sneider led the way going 3-5 with a HR and an RBI. With the win, Illinois improves to 29-13 on the year, and 13-4 in conference. The loss drops the Wildcats to 12-29 overall, and 3-12 in Big Ten play.

IOWA 9
MINNESOTA 26

Lots to be said about this one, but I'll keep it short. Gophers starter Tom Buske continues to pitch well, and gets the win. In fact, he pretty much had the win in the bag after the first inning, when the Gophers found themselves up 9-0. Lots of walks, longballs, and errors contributed to a game which featured 35 runs in Gopherland. Minnesota 2B Derek McCallum hit his 13th HR and second of the weekend. With the win, the Gophers move to 29-13 overall, and 12-4 in conference. The loss drops the Hawkeyes to 14-29 (3-13).

More to come regarding the Indiana/Purdue doubleheader, and game two of Ohio St./Michigan. Stay tuned!

Tonight's Big Ten Results

2009-05-01T22:22:00.002-05:00

PENN STATE 1
MICHIGAN ST. 12

The Spartan's Nolan Moody only gave up one run on 4 hits in 8 innings worked, and collected 9 K's to improve to 6-4 on the season. Penn State's T.J. Macy pitched 4.2 innings, gave up 5 runs, walked 4, and struckout 4. Macy recieved the loss and went to 3-4 on the year. Offensively the Spartans collected 13 hits, and were led by 2B Chris Roberts who went 3-4 with 3 runs, 3 RBI, and a HR. 1B Jeff Holm also went a perfect 3-3 with 2 runs and 2 RBI. The Nittany Lions managed only 5 hits on the day, 2 coming from cleanup-hitting 3B Jordan Steranka who finished 2-4 on the night. C Bobby Jacobs provided the only run for Penn St., going 1-3 with a solo HR in the top of the third. With the win, the Spartans move to 19-24 on the season, and 9-7 in Big Ten play. The loss puts the Nittany Lions at 22-20 overall, and 5-11 in the Big Ten.

ILLINOIS 10
NORTHWESTERN 2

The Fighting Illini's ace Phil Haig went the distance, giving up only 1 ER on 6 hits, with 3 K's. With the win, Haig moves to 6-2 on the year. Northwestern's starter Joe Muraski falls to 3-5 on the year after giving up 6 ER on 9 hits in 5.2 innings of work. The orange and blue were powered offensively by homeruns from C Aaron Johnson, and DH Willie Argo. SS Brandon Wikoff also was 2-3, with 2 runs, 2 RBI, and 1 BB. Northwestern collected 6 hits, two of which came from CF Kenneth Avila, who finished 2-3 on the night. 3B Chris Lashmet hit a solo HR and finsihed 1-4 on the night. With the win, the Fighting Illini improve to 28-13 overall, and 12-4 in conference. The loss puts the Wildcats at 12-28 overall, and 3-11 in the Big Ten.

IOWA 3
MINNESOTA 4

Golden Gopher starter Chauncy Handran gave up three runs on nine hits, and struck out four in a no decision. Freshmen Austin Lubinsky pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen for Minnesota to pick up the win. With the win, Lubinsky moved to 2-0 on the season. Scott Matyas continues pitching well, and earned another save tonight. Iowa's Phil Schreiber gave up 2 runs on 7 hits in 5.1 innings pitched to get the no decision. Iowa reliever Steve Turnbull gave up 3 hits and 2 runs in 2.1 innings to take the loss, dropping to 1-2 on the season. Offensively, Minnesota was led by C Kyle Knudson who finsihed 2-4 with 2 RBI, and CF Eric Decker, who reached base 3 times, and finished 2-3 with an RBI. 2B Derek McCallum continues to swing a hot bat as he finished tonight 2-5 with his 12th HR of the season. Iowa was led by CF Kurt Muller, who reached base four times and finished 2-3 with a run and two stolen bases. Trevor Willis finished the game 1-4 with a two-run HR, but it was not enough for the Wildcats tonight.

INDIANA
PURDUE postponed

MICHIGAN
OHIO STATE postponed

No big surprises in Big Ten play tonight. Michigan State's consistent performances over the past few weeks has put them comfortably in a position for a Big Ten tournament berth, and they are arguably the hottest team in the conference at the moment. Illinois and Minnesota continue to play well, and find themselves atop the conference standings.

Stay tuned for updates and results of tomorrow's Big Ten action.

Michigan's Chris Fetter Named to CBF National All-Star Lineup

2009-04-30T11:38:00.002-05:00

The Big Ten's leading pitcher in ERA, Michigan's Chris Fetter, was named to the College Baseball Foundation's National All-Star Lineup on April 28, 2009. In Fetter's impressive complete game this weekend he recorded 12 K's while only giving up two runs. After this performance, Fetter moved to third on Michigan's all-time strikout list with 260 K's in his career.

Illinois' Wikoff Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List

2009-04-30T11:32:00.003-05:00

Illinois Fighting Illini shortstop Brandon Wikoff has been named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list. Previously, this award is given to the best college baseball player in the nation, but this year it has changed to the top college shortstop. Wikoff has proven to be one of the toughest hitters to get out in the nation, striking out only 6 times the entire season.

Vote for Minnesota Senior OF Matt Nohelty for the Most Prestigous Senior Award!

2009-04-30T00:52:00.001-05:00

Hello all,

Minnesota Golden Gopher senior outfielder Matt Nohelty has been nominated as a finalist for the Lowe's Senior Class Award. The award honors seniors who have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: Classroom, Character, Community and Competition. This is not only a great honor for Mr. Nohelty, but a great honor for the Big Ten conference, which is known for consistently producing top notch student athletes. Please take the time to recognize Matt and the Big Ten Conference by going to the following link and voting for him.

http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/baseball_2009/?SPSID=38638&SPID=3298&DB_OEM_ID=8400

Players to Watch

2009-04-29T23:25:00.000-05:00

Just a few players to watch as you follow this weekend's games:

C: Josh Phegley, Indiana. The Hoosier's big man behind the plate has been quiet as of late, but I think we'll see a big weekend out of him against a struggling Boilermakers pitching staff.

1B: Nick O'Shea, Minnesota. Although this redshirt freshmen is only hitting .251 on the season, he is a consistent power threat in the heart of the Gophers lineup. As Minnesota plays its' first home series outdoors in a smaller ballpark, look for O'Shea to deposit a couple of baseballs over the fence against the league worst Hawkeyes pitching staff this weekend.

2B: Derek McCallum, Minnesota. How can't you pick this guy? He's leading the Big Ten in hitting with a batting average of .394, 55 RBI, and 11 HR. I don't see the Big Ten's hottest hitter slowing down much this weekend against the gold and black.

SS: Brandon Wikoff, Illinois. Wikoff might easily be the smallest player in the Big Ten, but don't let that mislead you. Wikoff is one of the toughest players in the nation to strikeout, an event that he's only experienced 6 times the entire year. Wikoff has become a consistent contributor to the Fighting Illini offense, and should contribute largely again this weekend against Northwestern.

3B: Dan Black, Purdue. Black is coming off of a tough weekend in Minneapolis against the Gophers. Not only did he struggle, his team struggled, dropping their fourth, fifth, and sixth straight conference game. Look for the Big Ten HR leader to bounce back and have a strong weekend to hopefully get his Boilers out of this funk they're in.

OF: Brandon Haveman, Purdue. The Big Ten's second best hitter, sitting at an impressive .392 should also continue to swing a hot bat along with his teammate Dan Black this weekend. Something's got to go right for the Boilers this weekend doesn't it?

OF: Justin Gominsky, Minnesota. This true freshman has done nothing but impress since he became an everyday outfielder for the Gophers mid-season. In his 25 starts for Minnesota thus far, he is hitting .371 and has provided great speed and a dangerous arm in the field for the Gophers. After a strong midweek contest in which he gathered three hits, including a HR, I see Gominsky being a determining factor for the Gophers in their weekend series against the Hawkeyes.

OF: Dan Burkhardt, Ohio St. Not much to say about this guy. He flat out can hit. He's quietly rose to the top of the Big Ten in hitting with a batting average of .384 for a red-hot Buckeyes team.

P: Eric Arnett, Indiana. Arnett has been phenomenal in his past few starts, compiling a season ERA of 2.49 and a record of 9-1 this season. Arnett's professional stock is rising quickly as scouts are impressed with his ability to throw hard, even in late innings. Arnett's fastball was clocked at 94 mph in the 10th inning of an extra innings game a few weekends ago. He also was recently placed on the National Pitcher of the Year watch list.

P: Chris Fetter, Michigan. The Big Ten's leader in ERA (2.18) comes into this weekend with a 6-1 record, and has no signs of slowing down.

P: Tom Buske, Minnesota. The Gophers fifth year senior has quietly compiled the Big Ten's second best ERA (2.34) and a 6-3 record. Buske doesn't throw hard, but uses his changeup and slider to keep hitters guessing, and so far, it has worked flawlessly. I don't see this changing this weekend as the Gophers try to swallow the sub-par Hawkeyes hitters.

Preview of this Weekend's Big Ten Matchups

2009-04-29T22:36:00.000-05:00

As promised, here is a list of this weekend's Big Ten matchups.

-Penn St. (5-10) travels to East Lansing to take on Michigan St. (8-7). The Spartans will come into this 3 game series confidently as they made a clean sweep of the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City last weekend. The Spartans began the Big Ten season a little rough, but now things seem to be clicking and they are looking to solidify a spot and make a run in the Big Ten tournament. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, are looking to rebound after dropping three games at home against the Fighting Illini of Illinois. Granted Illinois is a tough opponent, it never feels good to drop 3 games at home, especially against a conference opponent. Although the Spartans are hitting a mere .277 as a team, there pitching has been phenomenal as of late, currently sitting at 4th in the Big Ten with a 5.01 ERA. Penn St. is hitting a bit better at .300, but their pitching is a little weaker with a team ERA of 5.73. On paper, this looks like a pretty even matchup of Big Ten teams, but I see this one boiling down to how Penn St. responds to a tough past weekend. If they come ready to play and hungry for some victories, they could easily take the series against the red-hot Spartans.

-Illinois (11-4) goes on the road to face Northwestern (3-10) in a three game series. The Fighting Illini are coming off of an impressive three-game road sweep of Penn St., which put them in a first place tie with Ohio St. Northwestern is coming off of a weekend which saw them go 1-2 vs. the Buckeyes in Colombus, OH. The Fighting Illini currently are hitting .317, which ranks third among Big Ten teams. They also have had tremendous pitching to date, posting a 2nd best conference ERA of 4.84. The Wildcats come into this weekend's series as the league's worst hitting team, at .265. Their pitching is not much better with an ERA of 5.82. Unless the Wildcats can figure out a way to slow down the Blue and Orange's speedy and powerful lineup, I see this one going to the Illini easily.

-Indiana (10-4) travels to West Lafayette, IN to take on the Boilermakers of Purdue (5-9). The Hoosiers are coming off of a 2-1 weekend against the always tough Wolverines of Michigan. Purdue is looking to rebound after dropping 6 straight conference games to Ohio St. and Minnesota. The Hoosiers are 2nd in the Big Ten in hitting at .325, and sixth in pitching with an ERA of 5.68. Conversely, Purdue is fifth in hitting at .312, and ninth in pitching with an ERA of 5.93. With the recent success of Hoosiers starting pitcher Jake Arnett, and Indiana's talented arsenal of hitters facing a sub-par Purdue pitching staff, it seems hard to believe that the Boilermakers will fare any better than they have in the past two weekends, although I've been known to be wrong. Sometimes losing 6 straight conference games brings out the best in a team, right? We will see.

-The so far "under achieving) Michigan Wolverines (6-9) travel to Colombus, OH to face the Buckeyes of Ohio St. (11-4). The Wolverines are coming off of a 1-2 weekend against Indiana, while the Buckeyes are coming off of a 2-1 weekend at home against Northwestern. Michigan has been quite a surprise this season thus far. Even though they lost a lot of talented players due to graduation and the MLB draft, a team coached by Rich Maloney has and will continue to be picked to finish near the top of the Big Ten each year. The Buckeyes, on the other hand, are not much of a surprise; they are a top threat for the Big Ten crown as predicted. The Buckeyes come into this weekend hitting .330, which is the best team batting average in the Big Ten. They also have a strong pitching staff, which has posted an ERA of 5.45 this year. The Wolverines are hitting a mere .290 on the season. On the bright side, Michigan's pitching staff has been stellar as usual, compiling the Big Ten's third best ERA at 4.86. This series has huge implications of what is to come in the end of the Big Ten season. Ohio St. looks to be a lock into the Big Ten tournament, but more interestingly, Michigan has their work cut out for them if they want to keep their post-season dreams alive. For Michigan, it's crunch time. In my opinion, they need to win at least 2 out of 3 against the Buckeyes this weekend in order to stay afloat in the Big Ten. Knowing Michigan head coach Rich Maloney, the Wolverines will come into this weekend ready to play knowing their urgency, and will win the series this weekend.

-Iowa (3-11) travels to Minneapolis to take on the Golden Gophers of Minnesota (10-4). The Hawkeyes are coming off of a tough 3 game skid against Michigan St. at home. Minnesota comes into this weekend confidently after sweeping the Boilermakers in all three games at the Metrodome. The Hawkeyes are hitting .291 on the year, which is obviously below average, but not terrible. The problem lies in their pitching, which is last in the Big Ten with an ERA of 6.07. Conversely of this, the Gophers pitching staff continues to impress and sits atop of the Big Ten with an ERA of 4.42, led by their dominant duo of senior starters Chauncy Handran and Tom Buske. Offensively, the Gophers are fourth in the Big Ten, hitting .313 on the season. On paper, this one looks a bit one-sided, but let's not be fooled. The Hawkeyes hate losing, especially to the Gophers. This being said, I still think Minnesota will manage to take the series as their powerful lineup and consistent pitching will be too much for the Hawkeyes to swallow.

Wednesday's Big Ten Scores

2009-04-29T22:25:00.000-05:00

Scores from tonight's non-conference Big Ten action:

Michigan St. 6 Game 1
E. Michigan 5

E. Michigan 6 Game 2
Michigan St. 1

Indiana 17
W. Illinois 2

Wisconsin-Milwaukee 7
Northwestern 2

Minnesota
South Dakota St. cancelled

Ohio St. 7
Akron 3

Penn St. 9
LaSalle 3

Creighton 12
Iowa 3

Indiana St. 11
Illinois 10

Overall the Big Ten went 4-4 tonight, with Minnesota's game vs. SDSU being cancelled due to potential inclement weather. Not very surprising that the Big Ten went below .500 during Tuesday and Wednesday's non-conference games against generally weaker opponents. It has been the trend this season for Big Ten teams to pitch and play a lot of younger players during the midweek games to gain valuable experience and keep arms fresh which didn't have a chance to toe the mound during the previous Big Ten weekend. This quite clearly could be the reason of the so-so performances of the Big Ten during the midweek this year. Another factor could be the transition from 4-game conference series to 3-game conference series this year. As a result of this switch, now Big Ten teams must schedule more midweek games in order to fulfill a full schedule. The players could be still adjusting to having to play 2 games during the week, while other teams are used to this because they have and still play the traditional 3-game conference series.

Stay tuned for a preview of this weekend's conference matchups.

Tonight's Big Ten Scores

2009-04-28T23:27:00.001-05:00

Hello,

Here are a few scores from the non-conference games involving Big Ten schools.

Miami (OH) 9
Indiana 6

Illinois 5
Southern Illinois 1

Northern Iowa 9
Iowa 3

St. Thomas (Division 3) 6
Minnesota 3

Eastern Michigan
Michigan postponed

North Central
Northwestern cancelled

Penn St.
Pittsburgh cancelled

In tonight's action we saw the Big Ten go 1-3, with three games cancelled or postponed. Most notably, Minnesota took a tough loss to St. Thomas, a Division-3 school, 6-3. From what it sounds like, St. Thomas' bats were red hot, and Minnesota was playing a few backups and throwing a few of their less competitive pitchers, so this isn't quite what you would call a "huge upset". Stay tuned for coverage of this weekend's Big Ten action.

Big Ten Standings

2009-04-28T22:45:00.000-05:00

Here are the Big Ten Standings as of 04/28/09:

Ohio State 11-4
Illinois 11-4
Minnesota 10-4
Indiana 10-4
Michigan St. 8-7
Michigan 6-9
Purdue 5-9
Penn St. 5-10
Northwestern 3-10
Iowa 3-11

With 3 weekends left to go, it looks like we are going to be treated to a close finish for the 2009 Big Ten title. In case you didn't already know, the top 6 teams in the Big Ten recieve a spot in the Big Ten tournament which will be held at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio on May 20-23. Check in this weekend for updated scores and standings!

Big Ten Baseball Blog

Opening Weekend Preview

Big Ten Baseball 2010 Preview

Big Ten Players in 2009 MLB Draft - Update

Indiana's Phegley and Bashore Drafted on Day 1

Indiana P Eric Arnett Selected in the First Rd. of 2009 MLB Draft

College World Series Field is Set

NCAA Tournament Update

NCAA Tournament - Day 3 Results

NCAA Tournament - Day 2 Results

NCAA Tournament - Day 1 Results

NCAA Regionals Preview

Random Fact

2009 NCAA Tournament Bracket Released

NCAA Releases 2009 Regional Hosts

2009 All-Big Ten Tournament Team

Indiana Wins Big Ten Tournament

Day 4 Results- Game 1

Day 3 Results - Games 2 & 3

Day 3 Results - Game 1 (Minnesota vs. Purdue)

Day 2 Results...Continued

First Two Games of Day 2 - Results

Big Ten Tournament - Day 2 Schedule

Yahoo Sport's Kendall Roger's Latest NCAA Regional Predictions Include Ohio State and Minnesota

Big Ten Tournament Winner Poll Results

Big Ten Tournament Day 1 Results

Big Ten Post-Season Awards

Final Big Ten Standings

Minnesota @ Penn State Results (Saturday)

Saturday Conference Results (So Far)

Minnesota's McCallum Named Semi-Finalist for Dick Howser Trophy

Friday's Conference Results

Thursday's Conference Results

Final Big Ten Weekend Preview

Tuesday's Big Ten Non-Conference Results

All-Weekend Performers Team

Sunday's Conference Results

Additional Saturday Conference Results

Saturday's Conference Results

Friday Night Big Ten Results

Big Ten Weekend Preview

Wednesday's Big Ten Results

Western Illinois vs. Illinois

Tuesday's Big Ten Non-Conference Results

Midweek Big Ten Games

Wikoff and Wimmers Named Big Ten Players of the Week

Big Ten Weekend Top Performers

Sunday's Conference Results

More Saturday Stories and Results...

Saturday's Conference Results

Tonight's Big Ten Results

Michigan's Chris Fetter Named to CBF National All-Star Lineup

Illinois' Wikoff Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List

Vote for Minnesota Senior OF Matt Nohelty for the Most Prestigous Senior Award!

Players to Watch

Preview of this Weekend's Big Ten Matchups

Wednesday's Big Ten Scores

Tonight's Big Ten Scores

Big Ten Standings