Opening Weekend Preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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.