March 31 at Blue Bell Park in College Station, TX
SEC Network
A&M is ranked No. 2 in Baseball America's top 25, so based on Tuesday's bottom of the third inning, I'd have to put Sam Houston State at 4,032.
The Aggies not only scored 13 runs in the frame, but the first 11 batters recorded a hit, tying the Division I record for consecutive hits (Oakland vs. Southern Utah in 2008 and Cal State-Los Angeles vs. UCSB in 1977). In the inning, a program-record four home runs were hit, including two from Ronnie Gideon, whose first blast landed just a few miles from Sam Houston's campus in Huntsville.
The half inning lasted 44 minutes, which includes the three pitching changes made by the visiting Bearkats.
* SHSU right fielder Wyatt Powell slid and caught Ryne Birk's sinking liner in the eighth keeping Birk a single short of the cycle.
* Sam Houston junior outfielder Romeo Cortina? Welcome to the Webb Bobo All Stars.
Game 53 - Indiana at Kentucky
March 31 at Cliff Hagan Stadium in Lexington, KY
SEC Network
It was an ugly mid-week game for Kentucky, which blew a two-run lead in the late innings and lost 11-7.
The Wildcats on Tuesday had:
- Three balks, one of which was part of a two-run rally in the top of the seventh that helped the Hoosiers tie the game at 7-7.
- Three wild pitches, one in that seventh and one in the eighth, just before Brad Hartong got a belt high fastball from Logan Salow and ripped a two-run home run that turned out to be the game-winner.
- Three errors, which contributed to three early unearned runs.
- One hit batsman. It didn't end up hurting the Wildcats, but it did come from Zach Strecker in the eighth, who earlier in the inning had surrendered a two-run home run to Logan Sowers for the final runs of the day. All five UK relievers allowed at least one run.
It was great work by the Indiana bullpen, though, which held Kentucky scoreless over the final four innings. Luke Harrison, a senior right-hander for the Hoosiers, came on in relief with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh and got pinch-hitter Riley Mahan to hit into an inning-ending double play.
* Strecker is one of five Zac(h)(k)s on the Kentucky roster, which includes Webb Bobo All Star Zach Pop. After the game I checked each SEC roster to see if that Zac(h)(k) total leads the conference and the Wildcats have a healthy lead.
Here's how the rest of the SEC fares in the Zac(h)(k) department:
2 - Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama
1 - LSU, Mississippi State, Arkansas
0 - Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Mississippi, Auburn, Florida
Total number in league: 16
Throughout the season we'll be keeping track of each conference's Zac(h)(k) count here.
SEC Network
It was an ugly mid-week game for Kentucky, which blew a two-run lead in the late innings and lost 11-7.
The Wildcats on Tuesday had:
- Three balks, one of which was part of a two-run rally in the top of the seventh that helped the Hoosiers tie the game at 7-7.
- Three wild pitches, one in that seventh and one in the eighth, just before Brad Hartong got a belt high fastball from Logan Salow and ripped a two-run home run that turned out to be the game-winner.
- Three errors, which contributed to three early unearned runs.
- One hit batsman. It didn't end up hurting the Wildcats, but it did come from Zach Strecker in the eighth, who earlier in the inning had surrendered a two-run home run to Logan Sowers for the final runs of the day. All five UK relievers allowed at least one run.
It was great work by the Indiana bullpen, though, which held Kentucky scoreless over the final four innings. Luke Harrison, a senior right-hander for the Hoosiers, came on in relief with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh and got pinch-hitter Riley Mahan to hit into an inning-ending double play.
* Strecker is one of five Zac(h)(k)s on the Kentucky roster, which includes Webb Bobo All Star Zach Pop. After the game I checked each SEC roster to see if that Zac(h)(k) total leads the conference and the Wildcats have a healthy lead.
Here's how the rest of the SEC fares in the Zac(h)(k) department:
2 - Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama
1 - LSU, Mississippi State, Arkansas
0 - Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Mississippi, Auburn, Florida
Total number in league: 16
Throughout the season we'll be keeping track of each conference's Zac(h)(k) count here.
Game 52 - Tennessee at Vanderbilt
March 29 at Hawkins Field in Nashville, TN
SEC Network
It was a forgettable day for Tennessee as the defending national champions opened up a huge early lead and cruised to a 14-3 victory in the series finale.
Hunter Martin retired the first batter he faced, but things quickly fell apart for the sophomore right-hander.
Single, single, double, hit batsman, error, walk. Vandy up 3-0 and Martin's day was complete after just seven batters. Steven Kane barely got a chance to mumble things to himself on the mound when his first pitch was deposited over the center field wall by Karl Ellison for a grand slam and a 7-0 cushion. Kane retired an actual Vanderbilt hitter, then after two more singles, got a break when a 26-minute half-inning finally ended when Ro Coleman was thrown out at home for the third out.
It was Martin's first weekend start of the season, but I don't think we'll be seeing him again when the Vols travel to Oxford to play Mississippi April 3-5.
* SEC Network analyst Chris Burke, give us your top 7.
"Gator armed that ball up the middle"
"Loads up on a heater"
"Big RBI knock"
"That's a nasty change up and he spits on it"
"Sometimes you just gotta body a ball up"
"Love the trajectory of that swing"
"They don't ask you how far they ask you how many"
SEC Network
It was a forgettable day for Tennessee as the defending national champions opened up a huge early lead and cruised to a 14-3 victory in the series finale.
Hunter Martin retired the first batter he faced, but things quickly fell apart for the sophomore right-hander.
Single, single, double, hit batsman, error, walk. Vandy up 3-0 and Martin's day was complete after just seven batters. Steven Kane barely got a chance to mumble things to himself on the mound when his first pitch was deposited over the center field wall by Karl Ellison for a grand slam and a 7-0 cushion. Kane retired an actual Vanderbilt hitter, then after two more singles, got a break when a 26-minute half-inning finally ended when Ro Coleman was thrown out at home for the third out.
It was Martin's first weekend start of the season, but I don't think we'll be seeing him again when the Vols travel to Oxford to play Mississippi April 3-5.
* SEC Network analyst Chris Burke, give us your top 7.
"Gator armed that ball up the middle"
"Loads up on a heater"
"Big RBI knock"
"That's a nasty change up and he spits on it"
"Sometimes you just gotta body a ball up"
"Love the trajectory of that swing"
"They don't ask you how far they ask you how many"
Game 51 - Manhattan at Monmouth
March 29 at MU Baseball Field in Long Branch, NJ
espn3.com
Manhattan starter Scott McClennan allowed three straight base runners in the first for a quick unearned run for Monmouth, then settled in nicely to pitch nine innings of six-hit ball. The right-hander struck out seven and kept it a 2-2 game until Evan Brown, who came on to pinch-run in the ninth, delivered a two-run double in the 11th as the Jaspers salvaged the third game of the MAAC series.
It was an extremely close series with Monmouth winning game one 5-4 in 13 innings on Saturday, then picking up a 3-2 victory in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader. I was certain Monmouth was looking for the series sweep and that Manhattan was trying to avoid being swept because ESPN announcers Eddy Occhipinti and Gary Kowal mentioned it seven times just in the short pre-game and first inning.
* Occhipinti has something to confess: there's no such thing as home plate or "the plate". It's a DISH:
"This one is grounded at the dish"
"Time called at the dish"
"This one fouled at the dish"
"This one bunted right in front of the dish"
"He's pretty stagnant all day behind the dish"
"...while he trots back to the dish"
Some other Occhipintis:
"Striking runners out"
"Manhattan will send the lineup to the field that you will now see on your screen"
"On the recruiting map"
"Here you get a great shot of him there in your screen"
"Have you quite adjusted to the neon bat yet?
"He's ready to rock again"
espn3.com
Manhattan starter Scott McClennan allowed three straight base runners in the first for a quick unearned run for Monmouth, then settled in nicely to pitch nine innings of six-hit ball. The right-hander struck out seven and kept it a 2-2 game until Evan Brown, who came on to pinch-run in the ninth, delivered a two-run double in the 11th as the Jaspers salvaged the third game of the MAAC series.
It was an extremely close series with Monmouth winning game one 5-4 in 13 innings on Saturday, then picking up a 3-2 victory in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader. I was certain Monmouth was looking for the series sweep and that Manhattan was trying to avoid being swept because ESPN announcers Eddy Occhipinti and Gary Kowal mentioned it seven times just in the short pre-game and first inning.
* Occhipinti has something to confess: there's no such thing as home plate or "the plate". It's a DISH:
"This one is grounded at the dish"
"Time called at the dish"
"This one fouled at the dish"
"This one bunted right in front of the dish"
"He's pretty stagnant all day behind the dish"
"...while he trots back to the dish"
Some other Occhipintis:
"Striking runners out"
"Manhattan will send the lineup to the field that you will now see on your screen"
"On the recruiting map"
"Here you get a great shot of him there in your screen"
"Have you quite adjusted to the neon bat yet?
"He's ready to rock again"
Game 50 - Hawaii at Cal Irvine
March 28 at Anteater Ballpark in Irvine, CA
ESPN
Cal Irvine kept rolling along on Saturday, using a five-run sixth - Cameron Bishop had a two-run double to key the rally - to win its seventh consecutive game.
Matt Esparza, a junior in his first season in Irvine after transferring from Cypress College, allowed two earned runs and struck out five in seven strong innings in the 6-4 victory.
* ESPN announcers Sam Farber and Wes Clements had a short conversation in the second inning that was glorious. Here's how it went:
Farber: "He hits the outside paint."
Clements: "You talk about paint, that was paint...as in nail polish."
* Farber had a few great Baseball Phrases on his own:
"The maiden voyage in Big West Conference play"
"Officials dispensing justice today"
"Deuces wild"
Overall a great day for Sam. Not only did he bring his own material, but he set up Wes to finally be able to use his nail polish line.
ESPN
Cal Irvine kept rolling along on Saturday, using a five-run sixth - Cameron Bishop had a two-run double to key the rally - to win its seventh consecutive game.
Matt Esparza, a junior in his first season in Irvine after transferring from Cypress College, allowed two earned runs and struck out five in seven strong innings in the 6-4 victory.
* ESPN announcers Sam Farber and Wes Clements had a short conversation in the second inning that was glorious. Here's how it went:
Farber: "He hits the outside paint."
Clements: "You talk about paint, that was paint...as in nail polish."
* Farber had a few great Baseball Phrases on his own:
"The maiden voyage in Big West Conference play"
"Officials dispensing justice today"
"Deuces wild"
Overall a great day for Sam. Not only did he bring his own material, but he set up Wes to finally be able to use his nail polish line.
Game 49 - Air Force at Jacksonville State
March 27 at Rudy Abbott Field in Jacksonville, AL
The Gamecocks are hoping to repeat as Ohio Valley Conference champions and if Zachary Fowler continues to perform like he did on Friday, they've got a great chance.
The senior tossed seven innings of two-hit ball and struck out a career-high eight in Jacksonville State's 6-0 victory. It was the Gamecocks' sixth straight win, thanks in large part to Fowler, who used a nasty breaking ball to get a majority of his strike outs, and two big innings at the plate. Jacksonville State hit three consecutive doubles in the second - Elliot McCummings and No. 8 hitter Hayden White drove in runs with theirs, then batted around in a three-run fourth (Paul Angel had a his second double in as many at bats to knock home one of the three runs).
In the first-ever meeting between the teams, Air Force's offense continued to scuffle as the Falcons have scored just eight runs during a five-game losing skid.
Napkin Dispenser Photography
I'll be on a season-long search for napkins and their dispensers.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Quite a night of nicknames at Rudy Abbott.
Air Force
Adam Groesbeck - "Gross", "Petey"
Spencer Draws - "Drawsey", "Drawser"
Tyler Jones - "Teej"
Tyler Zabojnik - "Zabbo", "Zab"
Ryan Holloway - "Ry-Ry", "Ry"
Tyler Saleck - "Sal"
Travis Wilkie - "Wilk", "Wilks"
Jacksonville State
Clayton Daniel - "Claytes"
Paschal Petrongolo - "Patty", "Squal"
Ryan Sebra - "Sebby", "Ryno"
White - "Hayder"
Webb Bobo All Stars
The Webb Bobos are delighted to welcome Mr. Petrongolo to the team.
The Gamecocks are hoping to repeat as Ohio Valley Conference champions and if Zachary Fowler continues to perform like he did on Friday, they've got a great chance.
The senior tossed seven innings of two-hit ball and struck out a career-high eight in Jacksonville State's 6-0 victory. It was the Gamecocks' sixth straight win, thanks in large part to Fowler, who used a nasty breaking ball to get a majority of his strike outs, and two big innings at the plate. Jacksonville State hit three consecutive doubles in the second - Elliot McCummings and No. 8 hitter Hayden White drove in runs with theirs, then batted around in a three-run fourth (Paul Angel had a his second double in as many at bats to knock home one of the three runs).
In the first-ever meeting between the teams, Air Force's offense continued to scuffle as the Falcons have scored just eight runs during a five-game losing skid.
Napkin Dispenser Photography
I'll be on a season-long search for napkins and their dispensers.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Quite a night of nicknames at Rudy Abbott.
Air Force
Adam Groesbeck - "Gross", "Petey"
Spencer Draws - "Drawsey", "Drawser"
Tyler Jones - "Teej"
Tyler Zabojnik - "Zabbo", "Zab"
Ryan Holloway - "Ry-Ry", "Ry"
Tyler Saleck - "Sal"
Travis Wilkie - "Wilk", "Wilks"
Jacksonville State
Clayton Daniel - "Claytes"
Paschal Petrongolo - "Patty", "Squal"
Ryan Sebra - "Sebby", "Ryno"
White - "Hayder"
Webb Bobo All Stars
The Webb Bobos are delighted to welcome Mr. Petrongolo to the team.
Game 48 - Rider at St. Johns
March 27 at Jack Kaiser Stadium in Queens, NY
espn3.com
Zach Mawson deserved much better Friday afternoon. The junior southpaw pitched a complete game and allowed five hits for Rider, but the one run he allowed in the bottom of the fourth was enough for St. John's to pick up a 1-0 victory in a chilly matinee.
St. John's righty Cody Stashak also pitched well (6 IP, 2 H, 3 K), though it helps that he faced a Rider team that is one of the worst hitting groups in the country, finishing the day with a .195 team batting average after just four hits against three Red Storm pitchers.
I couldn't find out who was announcing for St. John's and espn3, but there were plenty of fantastic Baseball Phrases from this duo. There was some good old fashioned nonsense, crazy nonsense, made-up theories, made-up words, places no one has ever been to, made-up theory-words. These two gentleman had it all.
"Speed merchant"
"To break the seal on the scoreboard"
"Call that a popcorn RBI"
"I'd say you make 50% of your RBIs on outs"
"Now he's got to throw a stop inning up"
"Deep into the 56 hole"
"That was a rally snuffer"
"Stretch and flex right there"
"In that 43 hole"
"Shallow second base"
"Strano blops the first pitch, 1-0"
espn3.com
Zach Mawson deserved much better Friday afternoon. The junior southpaw pitched a complete game and allowed five hits for Rider, but the one run he allowed in the bottom of the fourth was enough for St. John's to pick up a 1-0 victory in a chilly matinee.
St. John's righty Cody Stashak also pitched well (6 IP, 2 H, 3 K), though it helps that he faced a Rider team that is one of the worst hitting groups in the country, finishing the day with a .195 team batting average after just four hits against three Red Storm pitchers.
I couldn't find out who was announcing for St. John's and espn3, but there were plenty of fantastic Baseball Phrases from this duo. There was some good old fashioned nonsense, crazy nonsense, made-up theories, made-up words, places no one has ever been to, made-up theory-words. These two gentleman had it all.
"Speed merchant"
"To break the seal on the scoreboard"
"Call that a popcorn RBI"
"I'd say you make 50% of your RBIs on outs"
"Now he's got to throw a stop inning up"
"Deep into the 56 hole"
"That was a rally snuffer"
"Stretch and flex right there"
"In that 43 hole"
"Shallow second base"
"Strano blops the first pitch, 1-0"
Game 47 - Mississippi at Arkansas
March 26 at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, AR
ESPNU
I fell in look at that wonderful mustache with Sikes Orvis during Mississippi's run through the College World Series last spring. I decided to commemorate that moment with a photo collection from tonight's game, which Arkansas won 10-3.
The Sikes Orvis Collection
ESPNU
I fell in look at that wonderful mustache with Sikes Orvis during Mississippi's run through the College World Series last spring. I decided to commemorate that moment with a photo collection from tonight's game, which Arkansas won 10-3.
The Sikes Orvis Collection
Game 46 - Loganville HS at Heritage HS
March 25 at Danny Blue Field in Conyers, GA
Over the last half-decade Loganville has had its way with Heritage (eight straight wins in the series coming in), yet trailed 2-0 through the early innings Wednesday evening. But the Red Devils have been a state title contender in Georgia every season for more than a decade and the top of the fifth inning was a perfect example of why. After putting runners at second and third by way of a Heritage error, a bunt single and a sacrifice, pinch-hitter Connor Hughes delivered a tying, two-run single and two batters later, David Chabut laced a single down the left-field line and it was a 3-2 game. On a night where the bats had trouble getting going against the Patriots' ace Matt Studdard, Loganville still pulled out a win on the road against a good Heritage team because it's a program with a really good coach (Jeff Segars) and a never-ending pipeline of excellent high school players who find ways to win.
Of course, the host Patriots still had three more innings to get two runs, but that one-run deficit might as well have been 10 after Lucas Cloud took the ball for Loganville.
The sidearming reliever came on to start the bottom of the fifth and retired all nine batters he faced in dominant fashion (four strike outs, three infield outs and a shallow fly out to right field).
Heritage last win in the series came in April, 2010.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Loganville
Rhett Mixon - "Rhetter"
Morgan Copeland - "Cope", "Mo"
Timothy Elliott - "Timmy", "Timbo"
Carson McCullers - "Cars"
Heritage
Isreal Zackery - "Izz", "Zack"
Justin Roberson - "Robo"
Anthony Williams - "Rabbit"
Kelsey Weems - "Kels"
Studdard - "Big Matt," "Studs"
Over the last half-decade Loganville has had its way with Heritage (eight straight wins in the series coming in), yet trailed 2-0 through the early innings Wednesday evening. But the Red Devils have been a state title contender in Georgia every season for more than a decade and the top of the fifth inning was a perfect example of why. After putting runners at second and third by way of a Heritage error, a bunt single and a sacrifice, pinch-hitter Connor Hughes delivered a tying, two-run single and two batters later, David Chabut laced a single down the left-field line and it was a 3-2 game. On a night where the bats had trouble getting going against the Patriots' ace Matt Studdard, Loganville still pulled out a win on the road against a good Heritage team because it's a program with a really good coach (Jeff Segars) and a never-ending pipeline of excellent high school players who find ways to win.
Of course, the host Patriots still had three more innings to get two runs, but that one-run deficit might as well have been 10 after Lucas Cloud took the ball for Loganville.
The sidearming reliever came on to start the bottom of the fifth and retired all nine batters he faced in dominant fashion (four strike outs, three infield outs and a shallow fly out to right field).
Heritage last win in the series came in April, 2010.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Loganville
Rhett Mixon - "Rhetter"
Morgan Copeland - "Cope", "Mo"
Timothy Elliott - "Timmy", "Timbo"
Carson McCullers - "Cars"
Heritage
Isreal Zackery - "Izz", "Zack"
Justin Roberson - "Robo"
Anthony Williams - "Rabbit"
Kelsey Weems - "Kels"
Studdard - "Big Matt," "Studs"
Game 45 - Virginia at Liberty
March 25 at Liberty Baseball Stadium in Lynchburg, VA
Liberty Flames Sports Network
The visiting Cavaliers built a 9-0 lead, prompting Liberty coach Jim Toman to say his team felt "embarrassed" at the deficit in front of a ballpark-record 2,841 for this matinee. Liberty wouldn't go away, rallying for runs against three different UVA pitchers, but fell short in a 10-7 defeat.
Big day for the top-4 in the UVA order - Adam Haseley, Daniel Pinero, Matt Thaiss and Kenny Towns - which went a combined 10-for-17 with 7 RBIs.
Virginia is ranked No. 20 by Baseball America, but doesn't appear to be at the level of the 2014 team just yet. That club lost a pair of one-run games and the College World Series championship series 2-games-to-1 to Vanderbilt last June. The Cavaliers are pitching well (third in the ACC with a 2.91 ERA), despite allowing 29 runs in last weekend's series against Florida State, but are just 13th of 14 teams in runs scored (110 in 22 games prior to Wednesday's game).
* Nick Pierce and Matt Warner were on the call for the LFSN and they teamed up for a nice collection of Baseball Phrases:
"Pulled the string"
"He got fooled somethin' awful"
"Base running snafu"
"He tried to ambush the first pitch"
"Closer mentality"
"Security blanket"
"Game-changer"
"Plug a gap"
"Frame that up"
"Bunt singles and bleeders"
Liberty Flames Sports Network
The visiting Cavaliers built a 9-0 lead, prompting Liberty coach Jim Toman to say his team felt "embarrassed" at the deficit in front of a ballpark-record 2,841 for this matinee. Liberty wouldn't go away, rallying for runs against three different UVA pitchers, but fell short in a 10-7 defeat.
Big day for the top-4 in the UVA order - Adam Haseley, Daniel Pinero, Matt Thaiss and Kenny Towns - which went a combined 10-for-17 with 7 RBIs.
Virginia is ranked No. 20 by Baseball America, but doesn't appear to be at the level of the 2014 team just yet. That club lost a pair of one-run games and the College World Series championship series 2-games-to-1 to Vanderbilt last June. The Cavaliers are pitching well (third in the ACC with a 2.91 ERA), despite allowing 29 runs in last weekend's series against Florida State, but are just 13th of 14 teams in runs scored (110 in 22 games prior to Wednesday's game).
* Nick Pierce and Matt Warner were on the call for the LFSN and they teamed up for a nice collection of Baseball Phrases:
"Pulled the string"
"He got fooled somethin' awful"
"Base running snafu"
"He tried to ambush the first pitch"
"Closer mentality"
"Security blanket"
"Game-changer"
"Plug a gap"
"Frame that up"
"Bunt singles and bleeders"
Game 44 - Central Florida at Jacksonville
March 24 at John Sessions Stadium in Jacksonville, FL
espn3.com
I want to start with a concern I had throughout this misty, mid-week game, won by Jacksonville 13-9. Color commentator Robbie Smith must've had strep throat or perhaps the mist was getting to him, but he cleared his throat or just went for it with a full cough a total of 44 times during the broadcast. I don't know why he couldn't just get the night off, or at least not cough into the microphone for 3 1/2 hours.
Loved ones of Robbie Smith: please monitor his progress, perhaps fetch his swim trunks and let him take a dip in an orange juice kiddy pool. Things did not sound good.
As for the game, which matched up the high-powered offense of Baseball America No. 6 Central Florida and the host Dolphins, things went about as well as Robbie Smith's next throat culture.
* Five of the six wild pitches were thrown by UCF pitchers, including three tossed by losing pitcher Harrison Hukari.
* Jacksonville made four errors, three of which were just drops of routine pop flies.
* Five home runs were allowed. The three hit by UCF are understandable - the Golden Knights lead the nation in long balls - but the Dolphins hit a quarter of their season total (8) on Tuesday, including Austin Hays' solo shot in the sixth that gave Jacksonville the lead for good. UCF clean up hitter Matt Diorio had two of those home runs - a two-run shot in the sixth that helped the visitors from Orlando briefly get back even at 5-5, and a grand slam in the ninth - and drove in seven runs.
Play-by-play man Scott Manzey's Baseball Phrases bat was corked this evening; a true masterpiece. Let's take a look at his top 7:
"Mashin' the heck out of it"
"That fastball's got some giddy up and go on it"
"They put up a crooked number"
"Add another bruise to the battery"
"It might take a guy kinda' buckin' up"
"Over-anxious in squeezing the horsehide"
"Grand salami!"
espn3.com
I want to start with a concern I had throughout this misty, mid-week game, won by Jacksonville 13-9. Color commentator Robbie Smith must've had strep throat or perhaps the mist was getting to him, but he cleared his throat or just went for it with a full cough a total of 44 times during the broadcast. I don't know why he couldn't just get the night off, or at least not cough into the microphone for 3 1/2 hours.
Loved ones of Robbie Smith: please monitor his progress, perhaps fetch his swim trunks and let him take a dip in an orange juice kiddy pool. Things did not sound good.
As for the game, which matched up the high-powered offense of Baseball America No. 6 Central Florida and the host Dolphins, things went about as well as Robbie Smith's next throat culture.
* Five of the six wild pitches were thrown by UCF pitchers, including three tossed by losing pitcher Harrison Hukari.
* Jacksonville made four errors, three of which were just drops of routine pop flies.
* Five home runs were allowed. The three hit by UCF are understandable - the Golden Knights lead the nation in long balls - but the Dolphins hit a quarter of their season total (8) on Tuesday, including Austin Hays' solo shot in the sixth that gave Jacksonville the lead for good. UCF clean up hitter Matt Diorio had two of those home runs - a two-run shot in the sixth that helped the visitors from Orlando briefly get back even at 5-5, and a grand slam in the ninth - and drove in seven runs.
Play-by-play man Scott Manzey's Baseball Phrases bat was corked this evening; a true masterpiece. Let's take a look at his top 7:
"Mashin' the heck out of it"
"That fastball's got some giddy up and go on it"
"They put up a crooked number"
"Add another bruise to the battery"
"It might take a guy kinda' buckin' up"
"Over-anxious in squeezing the horsehide"
"Grand salami!"
Game 43 - UAB at Mississippi
March 24 at Swayze Field in Oxford, MS
SEC Network
It was Kids Day at Swayze Field, though it seemed more like Almost All Of The Kids In Oxford Day. In the early innings of the broadcast it sounded like a water park, then the cotton candy comas kicked in and things quieted down.
* New Webb Bobo All Star Griffin Gum went 1-for-3 in the No. 2 spot in UAB's 6-1 victory in game one of a doubleheader.
* Back on February 20 we had our first taste of David Dellucci's not-at-all-unique brand of baseball phrases and Dellucci was back in the booth for the SEC Network. Here were Monday's Delluccis:
"They got to get the juices flowing"
"The door cracked open, he jumped in, broke it wide open"
"Eat up as many innings as he can"
"Set the tone defensively"
"Have to get the adrenaline pumping"
"Set the tone offensively"
"Leader in the clubhouse"
"That ball had some hair on it"
"Watch your lips on that hop"
"Swings were getting loose"
"You can't take a pitch off"
"You have to stay locked in on every pitch"
"Licking their chops"
"Eyes get as big as saucers"
"Play small ball"
"Doesn't mean you have to muscle up and overthrow"
SEC Network
It was Kids Day at Swayze Field, though it seemed more like Almost All Of The Kids In Oxford Day. In the early innings of the broadcast it sounded like a water park, then the cotton candy comas kicked in and things quieted down.
* New Webb Bobo All Star Griffin Gum went 1-for-3 in the No. 2 spot in UAB's 6-1 victory in game one of a doubleheader.
* Back on February 20 we had our first taste of David Dellucci's not-at-all-unique brand of baseball phrases and Dellucci was back in the booth for the SEC Network. Here were Monday's Delluccis:
"They got to get the juices flowing"
"The door cracked open, he jumped in, broke it wide open"
"Eat up as many innings as he can"
"Set the tone defensively"
"Have to get the adrenaline pumping"
"Set the tone offensively"
"Leader in the clubhouse"
"That ball had some hair on it"
"Watch your lips on that hop"
"Swings were getting loose"
"You can't take a pitch off"
"You have to stay locked in on every pitch"
"Licking their chops"
"Eyes get as big as saucers"
"Play small ball"
"Doesn't mean you have to muscle up and overthrow"
Game 42 - Apalachee HS vs. Salem HS
March 23 at Henson-Carr Legion Field in Conyers, GA
Salem had to move the Region 8-AAAAA game from its on-campus park to the American Legion field on the other side of town due to unplayable conditions from weekend rain. That was followed closely by unwatchable Salem pitching.
The Seminoles staff allowed two runs on a single wild pitch, and issued 13 walks. Despite the moans and whines, moan-whines and whiny-moaney-whinerings from the home dugout and bleachers, very few pitches that were called balls could've been confused as strikes.
If you saw one of these pitches jogging in a park wearing a neon green track suit, you'd immediately say "that's a ball jogging in a park wearing a green track suit".
Five of the walks came in the top of the seventh when Apalachee, down to its last two outs, tied the game at 3-3.
In the bottom of the seventh, Ndiayemon Harrison walked with two outs and Cary Campbell's fly ball bounced off the glove of right fielder Aaron Carley and out of play. That meant two bases from the field for Harrison, who was rounding second when the ball left the field of play. After some controversy, the Salem second baseman was awarded home and the Seminoles walked awkwardly off with a 4-3 win.
The gate in right field that helped Salem win Monday.
It's the second time in six days 300 Game Season has watched Salem walk off against a league opponent.
* One Apalachee fan was not shy about giving encouragement and she put on a Baseball Phrase Hall of Fame performance.
Here are most-used phrases:
"You don't have to kill it, all you have to do is meet it" - said 15 times
"Tough with two" - 12
"Use the whole field" - 9
"Base hit, ball four" - 7
"Anything close, battle" - 6
"Hard and level somewhere" - 4
"Make him leave swinging" - 3
"Come on blue, it's not about you" - 3
"Make him earn it" - 3
"Deep breath up there" - 2
"See it and drive it" - 2
"That's why you get three babe" - 2
"Let's roll it" - 2
"Knock it down, tag a bag" - 2
"Hit it hard and run for a while" - 1
"Square it, kid" - 1
"Go where it takes ya" - 1
"Find some grass" - 1
"You and the mitt you got this" - 1
"Be a wall back there" - 1
Salem had to move the Region 8-AAAAA game from its on-campus park to the American Legion field on the other side of town due to unplayable conditions from weekend rain. That was followed closely by unwatchable Salem pitching.
The Seminoles staff allowed two runs on a single wild pitch, and issued 13 walks. Despite the moans and whines, moan-whines and whiny-moaney-whinerings from the home dugout and bleachers, very few pitches that were called balls could've been confused as strikes.
If you saw one of these pitches jogging in a park wearing a neon green track suit, you'd immediately say "that's a ball jogging in a park wearing a green track suit".
Five of the walks came in the top of the seventh when Apalachee, down to its last two outs, tied the game at 3-3.
In the bottom of the seventh, Ndiayemon Harrison walked with two outs and Cary Campbell's fly ball bounced off the glove of right fielder Aaron Carley and out of play. That meant two bases from the field for Harrison, who was rounding second when the ball left the field of play. After some controversy, the Salem second baseman was awarded home and the Seminoles walked awkwardly off with a 4-3 win.
The gate in right field that helped Salem win Monday.
It's the second time in six days 300 Game Season has watched Salem walk off against a league opponent.
* One Apalachee fan was not shy about giving encouragement and she put on a Baseball Phrase Hall of Fame performance.
Here are most-used phrases:
"You don't have to kill it, all you have to do is meet it" - said 15 times
"Tough with two" - 12
"Use the whole field" - 9
"Base hit, ball four" - 7
"Anything close, battle" - 6
"Hard and level somewhere" - 4
"Make him leave swinging" - 3
"Come on blue, it's not about you" - 3
"Make him earn it" - 3
"Deep breath up there" - 2
"See it and drive it" - 2
"That's why you get three babe" - 2
"Let's roll it" - 2
"Knock it down, tag a bag" - 2
"Hit it hard and run for a while" - 1
"Square it, kid" - 1
"Go where it takes ya" - 1
"Find some grass" - 1
"You and the mitt you got this" - 1
"Be a wall back there" - 1
Game 41 - Georgia at Tennessee
March 22 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, TN
SEC Network
As mentioned the last time we saw Georgia play on March 10, the Bulldogs hit just 13 home runs all of last year. But UGA has nearly doubled that total (25) in 2015 after hitting three (Stephen Wrenn, Jared Walsh and Daniel Nichols) Sunday in a 10-4 win to sweep the weekend set.
Meanwhile, Tennessee leads the conference in errors with 36, thanks in large part to a horrible final two games in the field. The Vols made seven miscues in a 12-7 loss Saturday, then added three more in the finale.
This Tennessee fan was not amused at any point of the game. Not in the bottom of the first,
top of the fifth,
nor in the bottom of the eighth
SEC Network
As mentioned the last time we saw Georgia play on March 10, the Bulldogs hit just 13 home runs all of last year. But UGA has nearly doubled that total (25) in 2015 after hitting three (Stephen Wrenn, Jared Walsh and Daniel Nichols) Sunday in a 10-4 win to sweep the weekend set.
Meanwhile, Tennessee leads the conference in errors with 36, thanks in large part to a horrible final two games in the field. The Vols made seven miscues in a 12-7 loss Saturday, then added three more in the finale.
This Tennessee fan was not amused at any point of the game. Not in the bottom of the first,
top of the fifth,
nor in the bottom of the eighth
Game 40 - Clemson at Virginia Tech
March 22 at English Field in Blacksburg, VA
espn3.com
Things didn't start well for the Hokies and their shortstop Ricky Surum. The sophomore from Atlanta made a pair of first-inning errors, which helped Clemson score three unearned runs for an early lead. Surum was pulled before the start of the second inning, though it was not clear whether it was because of an injury or because he was on pace for 18 errors.
While Virginia Tech starter Jon Woodcock settled in after the 42-pitch first to throw seven innings of five-hit ball, and reliever Luke Scherzer struck out five in 3 2/3 innings to help hold Clemson scoreless after the first, the hosts chipped away.
Tech scored four runs in a variety of ways:
Bottom of the 1st - Kyle Wernicki's ground out followed Tyler Slaton lead off triple to make it 3-1
3rd - Erik Payne singled in a run
8th - Payne scored on a wild pitch to tie things up at 3-3
12th - After Clemson's Weston Wilson was left at third following a one-out triple in the top half of the inning - the Tigers also left a runner at second in the 9th, runners at second and third in the 10th and the bases loaded in the 11th - Tech loaded the bases in the bottom half. Rahiem Cooper, who pinch-ran in the eighth, hit a hard ground ball to second base, Chase Pinder's throw to the plate was late and the Hokies walked off an avoided the sweep.
* Any time a Virginia Tech pitcher records a strike out, a horrible, turkey-like sound is spewed from the speakers at English Stadium. It basically sounds like someone is rewinding an old tape recorder. Unfortunately, Clemson batters struck out 11 times in 12 innings on Sunday.
* Hokies' freshman left-hander Packy Naughton did not have any of those strike outs, in fact he threw just one strike and walked both batters he faced Sunday, but the Webb Bobo All Stars still need a Packy on the roster.
espn3.com
Things didn't start well for the Hokies and their shortstop Ricky Surum. The sophomore from Atlanta made a pair of first-inning errors, which helped Clemson score three unearned runs for an early lead. Surum was pulled before the start of the second inning, though it was not clear whether it was because of an injury or because he was on pace for 18 errors.
While Virginia Tech starter Jon Woodcock settled in after the 42-pitch first to throw seven innings of five-hit ball, and reliever Luke Scherzer struck out five in 3 2/3 innings to help hold Clemson scoreless after the first, the hosts chipped away.
Tech scored four runs in a variety of ways:
Bottom of the 1st - Kyle Wernicki's ground out followed Tyler Slaton lead off triple to make it 3-1
3rd - Erik Payne singled in a run
8th - Payne scored on a wild pitch to tie things up at 3-3
12th - After Clemson's Weston Wilson was left at third following a one-out triple in the top half of the inning - the Tigers also left a runner at second in the 9th, runners at second and third in the 10th and the bases loaded in the 11th - Tech loaded the bases in the bottom half. Rahiem Cooper, who pinch-ran in the eighth, hit a hard ground ball to second base, Chase Pinder's throw to the plate was late and the Hokies walked off an avoided the sweep.
* Any time a Virginia Tech pitcher records a strike out, a horrible, turkey-like sound is spewed from the speakers at English Stadium. It basically sounds like someone is rewinding an old tape recorder. Unfortunately, Clemson batters struck out 11 times in 12 innings on Sunday.
* Hokies' freshman left-hander Packy Naughton did not have any of those strike outs, in fact he threw just one strike and walked both batters he faced Sunday, but the Webb Bobo All Stars still need a Packy on the roster.
Game 39 - Miami (Fla.) at Wake Forest
March 21 at Wake Forest Baseball Park in Winston Salem, NC
ESPNU
The early innings have not been kind to Wake Forest so far in this series.
In Friday's series opener, Miami scored three runs in the first inning and seven in the second in a 15-2 victory, then the Hurricanes scored eight runs through the first three innings Saturday and won 12-7. Carl Chester led off the game with a home run to set the tone for the Hurricanes. Will Craig had a lot to do with the early-inning struggles in game two as the sophomore right-hander allowed seven runs (five earned) in just 2 1/3 innings.
Craig did hit his eighth home run of the year and reached base three times for the Demon Deacons.
Wake is 1-4 in ACC play since taking 2-of-3 from Virginia Tech in the conference opener March 7-8.
* The Webb Bobo All Stars are happy to welcome to the team Miami junior infielder Edgar Michelangeli.
* Baseball Phrases!
"Very high baseball intellect"
* Not quite a capacity crowd today in Winston Salem
ESPNU
The early innings have not been kind to Wake Forest so far in this series.
In Friday's series opener, Miami scored three runs in the first inning and seven in the second in a 15-2 victory, then the Hurricanes scored eight runs through the first three innings Saturday and won 12-7. Carl Chester led off the game with a home run to set the tone for the Hurricanes. Will Craig had a lot to do with the early-inning struggles in game two as the sophomore right-hander allowed seven runs (five earned) in just 2 1/3 innings.
Craig did hit his eighth home run of the year and reached base three times for the Demon Deacons.
Wake is 1-4 in ACC play since taking 2-of-3 from Virginia Tech in the conference opener March 7-8.
* The Webb Bobo All Stars are happy to welcome to the team Miami junior infielder Edgar Michelangeli.
* Baseball Phrases!
"Very high baseball intellect"
* Not quite a capacity crowd today in Winston Salem
Game 38 - Iowa at Kansas
March 21 at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, KS
espn3.com
Couple quick things from this game, which Iowa won 6-4 to even the weekend series at one game apiece.
* When naming a child, sometimes parents make horrifying choices.
Such was the case with the Parks family out of Boca Raton, Florida. Mrs. Parks birthed a son on February 14, 1995 and decided to name him Fenway, which would make his full name Fenway Parks. 19 years later, he's attending the University of Iowa and playing on its baseball team.
If it was up to me, and I think it should've been, we would've gone with Astrodome Parks.
Also, let's not get into who hates the Redsox, or even which mid-30s editor of this site burned Josh Beckett baseball cards as recently as one year ago. That's not what's important here.
The main problem is: Fenway isn't a first name.
* Blake Hickman, a 6-5, 210-pound junior right-hander and pro prospect wasn't great - 4 2/3 IP, 5 BB, 4 ER - and neither was Connor Grant (three batters faced, two walks and one hit batsman), but Luke Vandermaten and Nick Hibbing were, combining for 4 1/3 innings of hitless relief. Hickman had a 4-1 lead before allowing three runs in the fifth, then Grant couldn't get an out, but excellent work from the final two Iowa pitchers.
* Nice day for Iowa's No. 8 hitter Nick Day, who went 3-for-3, including a sacrifice, and drove in an insurance in the eighth inning with an infield single.
* The top 5 from espn3.com crew Steven Davis and Scott Heitshusen:
5. "Making a plus play in the field"
4. "You're worth your weight in gold"
3. "Line drive through the 6-hole"/"that's through the 4-hole"
2. "Letting the baseball travel"/"let's the baseball get deep"
1. "Some guys are just ballplayers"
espn3.com
Couple quick things from this game, which Iowa won 6-4 to even the weekend series at one game apiece.
* When naming a child, sometimes parents make horrifying choices.
Such was the case with the Parks family out of Boca Raton, Florida. Mrs. Parks birthed a son on February 14, 1995 and decided to name him Fenway, which would make his full name Fenway Parks. 19 years later, he's attending the University of Iowa and playing on its baseball team.
If it was up to me, and I think it should've been, we would've gone with Astrodome Parks.
Also, let's not get into who hates the Redsox, or even which mid-30s editor of this site burned Josh Beckett baseball cards as recently as one year ago. That's not what's important here.
The main problem is: Fenway isn't a first name.
* Blake Hickman, a 6-5, 210-pound junior right-hander and pro prospect wasn't great - 4 2/3 IP, 5 BB, 4 ER - and neither was Connor Grant (three batters faced, two walks and one hit batsman), but Luke Vandermaten and Nick Hibbing were, combining for 4 1/3 innings of hitless relief. Hickman had a 4-1 lead before allowing three runs in the fifth, then Grant couldn't get an out, but excellent work from the final two Iowa pitchers.
* Nice day for Iowa's No. 8 hitter Nick Day, who went 3-for-3, including a sacrifice, and drove in an insurance in the eighth inning with an infield single.
* The top 5 from espn3.com crew Steven Davis and Scott Heitshusen:
5. "Making a plus play in the field"
4. "You're worth your weight in gold"
3. "Line drive through the 6-hole"/"that's through the 4-hole"
2. "Letting the baseball travel"/"let's the baseball get deep"
1. "Some guys are just ballplayers"
Game 37 - Two gems
Milwaukee at Wright State
March 20 at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, OH
espn3.com
This game lasted 1 hour, 44 minutes, which is the exact amount of time it took the Yankees and Redsox to complete the top of the 4th inning of a 2007 game.
Wright State junior Jesse Scholtens tossed a complete game, five-hitter for Wright State, which won 1-0 and moved to 4-0 in Horizon League play. The right-hander continued his phenomenal junior campaign, moving to 4-0 with an 0.89 ERA (four earned runs in 40 2/3 IP) in six starts. Milwaukee's Brian Keller was really good as well, tossing an eight-inning complete game to take the tough-luck loss.
Keller, who fell to 2-3 in five starts, has been great for the Panthers (1.84 ERA - seven earned runs in 34 1/3 IP). Someone had to win and thanks to Sean Murphy's run-scoring single in the second, it was Scholtens. But what a night on the mound for both pitchers, easily the best pitching duel we've since this site began about a month ago.
* I don't know who did the play-by-play for espn3.com and the Horizon League because the espn3 broadcast just began without any mention of who was calling the game. It's probably best that I didn't know who it was, but I'm going to call him Billy because he sounded like a Billy.
Phenomenal performance by Billy:
"A little droobler"
"It's a young season on the year"
"Here comes the sign from catcher, he shakes it off a little bit"
"Welcome back here to this baseball game"
"Hits a ground ball to first place"
"Once again, a first pitch swinging Panthers"
"Nick Unes, now swinging"
"It's gonna be a swing and a mount"
"Zero balls, one strike"
"He's given in two strike outs"
"Two outs in"
"Trying to get his team right back into the bench"
"First pitch of the bat"
"Looked to be a close there call"
"That's an unfortunate event"
"Looks like the catcher is OK here...we'll get right back into action"
[Cough] [Cough] [Cough] "sorry, I had something in my throat"
"Nice job by the catcher to get out of his stance and retrieve that ball"
"Looking for the sign from the coach"
"Looks to be a catcher, number Sean Murphy"
"Murphy will retrieve back to first place"
"The third baseman does a nice job of staying on his feet"
"Ahead in the count zero one"
"Saw the scouts down there with their radar guns.....got a little excited"
"He has now reached the century mark in pitches as he pitches one hundred"
"Tyler Hermann would be the last man chance"
March 20 at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, OH
espn3.com
This game lasted 1 hour, 44 minutes, which is the exact amount of time it took the Yankees and Redsox to complete the top of the 4th inning of a 2007 game.
Wright State junior Jesse Scholtens tossed a complete game, five-hitter for Wright State, which won 1-0 and moved to 4-0 in Horizon League play. The right-hander continued his phenomenal junior campaign, moving to 4-0 with an 0.89 ERA (four earned runs in 40 2/3 IP) in six starts. Milwaukee's Brian Keller was really good as well, tossing an eight-inning complete game to take the tough-luck loss.
Keller, who fell to 2-3 in five starts, has been great for the Panthers (1.84 ERA - seven earned runs in 34 1/3 IP). Someone had to win and thanks to Sean Murphy's run-scoring single in the second, it was Scholtens. But what a night on the mound for both pitchers, easily the best pitching duel we've since this site began about a month ago.
* I don't know who did the play-by-play for espn3.com and the Horizon League because the espn3 broadcast just began without any mention of who was calling the game. It's probably best that I didn't know who it was, but I'm going to call him Billy because he sounded like a Billy.
Phenomenal performance by Billy:
"A little droobler"
"It's a young season on the year"
"Here comes the sign from catcher, he shakes it off a little bit"
"Welcome back here to this baseball game"
"Hits a ground ball to first place"
"Once again, a first pitch swinging Panthers"
"Nick Unes, now swinging"
"It's gonna be a swing and a mount"
"Zero balls, one strike"
"He's given in two strike outs"
"Two outs in"
"Trying to get his team right back into the bench"
"First pitch of the bat"
"Looked to be a close there call"
"That's an unfortunate event"
"Looks like the catcher is OK here...we'll get right back into action"
[Cough] [Cough] [Cough] "sorry, I had something in my throat"
"Nice job by the catcher to get out of his stance and retrieve that ball"
"Looking for the sign from the coach"
"Looks to be a catcher, number Sean Murphy"
"Murphy will retrieve back to first place"
"The third baseman does a nice job of staying on his feet"
"Ahead in the count zero one"
"Saw the scouts down there with their radar guns.....got a little excited"
"He has now reached the century mark in pitches as he pitches one hundred"
"Tyler Hermann would be the last man chance"
Game 36 - North Carolina at Georgia Tech
March 20 at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, GA
What a day for nicknames that aren't really nicknames. We built an entire starting nine plus one bench player this evening at Russ Chandler.
[Courtesy of the players, fans and coaches]
North Carolina
Tyler Ramirez - "Rammy"
Alex Raburn - "Rayber", "Ray"
Landon Lassiter - "Lassie"
Georgia Tech
Thomas Smith - "Smitty"
Wade Bailey - "Wader"
Connor Justus - "C", "CJ", "Jutty"
Daniel Spingola - "Spingy," "Spingo", "Sping"
Matt Gonzalez - "Matty", "Gonz"
Daniel Gooden - "Good"," Goody"
Tanner Shelton - "Shel", "Shelly"
UNC led 3-0 after a three-run third - Rammy had one of the RBIs on a sacrifice fly - and Tech got a run in the fifth on Jutty's run-scoring single and that was about it until the bottom of the eighth.
With a man on and one out, Kel Johnson, who is having an outstanding freshman season, crushed his team-leading seventh home run of the season, an opposite field shot off reliever Trent Thornton that tied things up at 3-3. UNC immediately answered in the top of the ninth with a one-out, two-run home run of its own as No. 9 hitter Korey Dunbar took Matt Phillips deep to give the Tar Heels a 5-3 lead. That was the final as the visitors from Chapel Hill took the first of the three-game weekend series.
Trevor Kelley has been dominant for the Tar Heels out of the bullpen and Friday was no different. The senior right-hander, whose allowed three earned runs in 28 innings pitched, set Tech down in order, including a pair of strike outs.
Few other things...
* Some great Baseball Phrases, courtesy of the North Carolina coaching staff:
"Win the inning"
"Cut the baseball in half"
"Now you gotta battle up there"
"Be on top"
"Win this pitch"
* We're pleased to announce the first captain in Webb Bobo All Stars history: North Carolina center fielder and cleanup hitter Skye Bolt.
Our new captain bats in the eighth inning against Georgia Tech on Friday.
What a day for nicknames that aren't really nicknames. We built an entire starting nine plus one bench player this evening at Russ Chandler.
[Courtesy of the players, fans and coaches]
North Carolina
Tyler Ramirez - "Rammy"
Alex Raburn - "Rayber", "Ray"
Landon Lassiter - "Lassie"
Georgia Tech
Thomas Smith - "Smitty"
Wade Bailey - "Wader"
Connor Justus - "C", "CJ", "Jutty"
Daniel Spingola - "Spingy," "Spingo", "Sping"
Matt Gonzalez - "Matty", "Gonz"
Daniel Gooden - "Good"," Goody"
Tanner Shelton - "Shel", "Shelly"
UNC led 3-0 after a three-run third - Rammy had one of the RBIs on a sacrifice fly - and Tech got a run in the fifth on Jutty's run-scoring single and that was about it until the bottom of the eighth.
With a man on and one out, Kel Johnson, who is having an outstanding freshman season, crushed his team-leading seventh home run of the season, an opposite field shot off reliever Trent Thornton that tied things up at 3-3. UNC immediately answered in the top of the ninth with a one-out, two-run home run of its own as No. 9 hitter Korey Dunbar took Matt Phillips deep to give the Tar Heels a 5-3 lead. That was the final as the visitors from Chapel Hill took the first of the three-game weekend series.
Trevor Kelley has been dominant for the Tar Heels out of the bullpen and Friday was no different. The senior right-hander, whose allowed three earned runs in 28 innings pitched, set Tech down in order, including a pair of strike outs.
Few other things...
* Some great Baseball Phrases, courtesy of the North Carolina coaching staff:
"Win the inning"
"Cut the baseball in half"
"Now you gotta battle up there"
"Be on top"
"Win this pitch"
* We're pleased to announce the first captain in Webb Bobo All Stars history: North Carolina center fielder and cleanup hitter Skye Bolt.
Our new captain bats in the eighth inning against Georgia Tech on Friday.
Game 35 - Lanier HS at Salem HS
March 18 at Salem High School baseball field in Conyers, GA
Kevin Barham provided a perfect example of how cruel and euphoric the sport of baseball can be, all in a matter of one early-spring evening.
The sophomore started on the mound, and though he did fan six batters, he walked five others and lasted just 3 2/3 innings, departing with his team trailing 3-1.
The Seminoles got great relief work from Ndiayemon Harrison (2 1/3 IP, 1 H) and Yorel James (3 IP, 4 H, 4 K) and were able to rally. While Lanier didn't get a runner to second base after the fourth, Salem got a run in the fifth on a hit batsman and two errors - one the physical kind and the other when on a routing grounder to first, Cole Dudley couldn't decide whether to try and nail Harrison, who was about halfway between third and home, at the plate, or get the out at first (he got neither). Down to their last two outs in the seventh, Harrison reached on another error and scored on Jason Howell's sacrifice fly to save the Seminoles and tie the game at 3-3.
I haven't yet gotten to Barham's day at the plate. He struck out in each of his first two plate appearances, then popped up to the catcher on a drag bunt attempt in PA No. 3. Barham did lay down a nice sacrifice in the eighth, but that rally never materialized. The night finally belonged to Barham in the home half of the ninth. After (guess who?) Harrison led off the frame with a single, and a walk to Howell and Akil Baddoo's bunt single loaded the bases, James couldn't come through when his grounder forced Harrison at the plate.
All was forgotten two pitches later when Barham hit a flare over second base that chased home Howell with the winning run. Great ending to a wild night for Barham and the Seminoles.
“We had an opportunity and (Barham) took advantage of it,” Salem coach Bobby Link said afterwards.
The Conyers, Georgia school is trying to turn its program around after missing the state playoffs in each of the last four seasons. Link's in his first year in the Salem dugout and he may be the guy to do it. Not only are the Seminoles 7-2 and 2-0 in Region 8-AAAAA after completing the season sweep of Lanier, but I've watched Salem play games just like Wednesday several times over the past four or five years and they seemed to always find a way to lose them.
Not tonight, and after a tough start, Barham turned out to be a big reason why.
“It’s a team effort," Link said. "The kids right now are working their tails off, they really want to be successful. Everybody’s contributing, everybody’s doing a job.”
Final thoughts...
* I covered Salem back on February 27 and we added just one Webb Bobo All Star (Jonesboro's Thominique Stroy). My apologies to Salem's Akil Baddoo, who is now the newest member of the team.
* The Lanier side of the bleachers was what I like to call not quite a capacity crowd:
Kevin Barham provided a perfect example of how cruel and euphoric the sport of baseball can be, all in a matter of one early-spring evening.
The sophomore started on the mound, and though he did fan six batters, he walked five others and lasted just 3 2/3 innings, departing with his team trailing 3-1.
The Seminoles got great relief work from Ndiayemon Harrison (2 1/3 IP, 1 H) and Yorel James (3 IP, 4 H, 4 K) and were able to rally. While Lanier didn't get a runner to second base after the fourth, Salem got a run in the fifth on a hit batsman and two errors - one the physical kind and the other when on a routing grounder to first, Cole Dudley couldn't decide whether to try and nail Harrison, who was about halfway between third and home, at the plate, or get the out at first (he got neither). Down to their last two outs in the seventh, Harrison reached on another error and scored on Jason Howell's sacrifice fly to save the Seminoles and tie the game at 3-3.
I haven't yet gotten to Barham's day at the plate. He struck out in each of his first two plate appearances, then popped up to the catcher on a drag bunt attempt in PA No. 3. Barham did lay down a nice sacrifice in the eighth, but that rally never materialized. The night finally belonged to Barham in the home half of the ninth. After (guess who?) Harrison led off the frame with a single, and a walk to Howell and Akil Baddoo's bunt single loaded the bases, James couldn't come through when his grounder forced Harrison at the plate.
All was forgotten two pitches later when Barham hit a flare over second base that chased home Howell with the winning run. Great ending to a wild night for Barham and the Seminoles.
“We had an opportunity and (Barham) took advantage of it,” Salem coach Bobby Link said afterwards.
The Conyers, Georgia school is trying to turn its program around after missing the state playoffs in each of the last four seasons. Link's in his first year in the Salem dugout and he may be the guy to do it. Not only are the Seminoles 7-2 and 2-0 in Region 8-AAAAA after completing the season sweep of Lanier, but I've watched Salem play games just like Wednesday several times over the past four or five years and they seemed to always find a way to lose them.
Not tonight, and after a tough start, Barham turned out to be a big reason why.
“It’s a team effort," Link said. "The kids right now are working their tails off, they really want to be successful. Everybody’s contributing, everybody’s doing a job.”
Final thoughts...
* I covered Salem back on February 27 and we added just one Webb Bobo All Star (Jonesboro's Thominique Stroy). My apologies to Salem's Akil Baddoo, who is now the newest member of the team.
* The Lanier side of the bleachers was what I like to call not quite a capacity crowd:
Game 34 - Air Force at Missouri
March 17 at Taylor Stadium in Columbia, MO
SEC Network
Couple quick notes from this game, which Missouri won 6-0 to extend its wining streak to six.
* Big day for Ryan Howard, Missouri's sophomore shortstop, who followed an RBI-single in the first with a two-out, three-run double to the opposite field in the second.
* Missouri must have some sort of pitcher greenhouse on campus. The three Tigers pitchers who took the mound on Tuesday were starter John Miles (six innings, three hits), who is a 6-3, 213-pound senior and Austin Tribby (6-4, 223-pound junior) and Bryce Montes De Oca (6-7, 262-pound freshman), who combined for three innings of hitless relief.
Some other Missouri pitchers on the roster:
* Liam Carter (Fr.) - 6-7, 181
* Lake Dabney (Fr.) - 6-7, 200
* Peter Fairbanks (So.) - 6-6, 225
* Tanner Houck (Fr.) - 6-5, 202
* Alec Rash (Jr.) - 6-5, 204
* Griffin Goodrich (Jr.) - 6-4, 212
The next time I'm in my lab in Columbia, I'm going to kidnap the nine pitchers and create a 58-foot, 1,922-pound graduate assistant named Derwood Morris.
SEC Network
Couple quick notes from this game, which Missouri won 6-0 to extend its wining streak to six.
* Big day for Ryan Howard, Missouri's sophomore shortstop, who followed an RBI-single in the first with a two-out, three-run double to the opposite field in the second.
* Missouri must have some sort of pitcher greenhouse on campus. The three Tigers pitchers who took the mound on Tuesday were starter John Miles (six innings, three hits), who is a 6-3, 213-pound senior and Austin Tribby (6-4, 223-pound junior) and Bryce Montes De Oca (6-7, 262-pound freshman), who combined for three innings of hitless relief.
Some other Missouri pitchers on the roster:
* Liam Carter (Fr.) - 6-7, 181
* Lake Dabney (Fr.) - 6-7, 200
* Peter Fairbanks (So.) - 6-6, 225
* Tanner Houck (Fr.) - 6-5, 202
* Alec Rash (Jr.) - 6-5, 204
* Griffin Goodrich (Jr.) - 6-4, 212
The next time I'm in my lab in Columbia, I'm going to kidnap the nine pitchers and create a 58-foot, 1,922-pound graduate assistant named Derwood Morris.
Game 33 - Winthrop at South Carolina
March 17 at Carolina Stadium in Columbia, SC
SEC Network
It was a big day for Winthrop and it has already been a big season so far for the Eagles against their in-state rivals. After Tuesday's 7-5 win in 11 innings, Winthrop has its first victory over USC since 1996 and victories over the Gamecocks and Clemson in the same season for the first time.
And for the first time at 300 Game Season, we'll play Happys & Sads.
Happys
1. Babe Thomas and Roger Gonzalez, Winthrop No. 2 and No. 5 hitters. Each delivered a two-run single in a four-run top of the 11th.
2. Travis Shelley, Winthrop reliever. The senior right-hander allowed an inherited runner to score, which was the tying run in the bottom of the sixth on Connor Bright's sacrifice fly, but then allowed just two hits in four innings and kept the Gamecocks off the scoreboard until Winthrop could rally.
3. Matthew Vogel and Vince Fiori, USC relievers. The pair combined for seven strike outs in four innings of two-hit relief.
Sads
1. Cody Mincey, South Carolina reliever. The Gamecocks recorded two outs while Mincey was in the game, but neither had anything to do with Mincey (caught stealing to end the 10th, sacrifice bunt in 11th). He threw 26 pitches, none of which were very good, and allowed four earned runs in 2/3 of an inning.
2. The Winthrop infield, which made three errors that led to three unearned runs against starter Josh Strong. Strong, a southpaw, deserved better, but instead settled for 5 1/3 innings of four-hit ball and a no-decision.
3. SEC Network color commentator Trey Dyson said something about USC outfielder Elliott Caldwell that needs its own wing in the Hall of Fame of everything ever said during a baseball game.
"I was talking to a guy who knows Elliott and he said when (Caldwell) rolls out of bed in the morning and he wakes up, he just starts hitting. And he's done that his whole life."
A few great things about this quote.
1. 'A guy who knows Elliott'. A GUY.
2. Caldwell rolls out of his bed, I'm assuming onto the floor, then wakes up. That's fantastic.
3. Caldwell has woken up and immediately started hitting for the entirety of his life. I'd like to think that infant Caldwell did a lot more staring, and four-year old Caldwell did a lot more pinching.
Some other Baseball Phrases from Scott and Dyson:
"Hit the reset button"
"Set the tone"
"Manafactured a run, all by his lonesome"
"Painting the corners"
"He's having a whale of a senior season"
SEC Network
It was a big day for Winthrop and it has already been a big season so far for the Eagles against their in-state rivals. After Tuesday's 7-5 win in 11 innings, Winthrop has its first victory over USC since 1996 and victories over the Gamecocks and Clemson in the same season for the first time.
And for the first time at 300 Game Season, we'll play Happys & Sads.
Happys
1. Babe Thomas and Roger Gonzalez, Winthrop No. 2 and No. 5 hitters. Each delivered a two-run single in a four-run top of the 11th.
2. Travis Shelley, Winthrop reliever. The senior right-hander allowed an inherited runner to score, which was the tying run in the bottom of the sixth on Connor Bright's sacrifice fly, but then allowed just two hits in four innings and kept the Gamecocks off the scoreboard until Winthrop could rally.
3. Matthew Vogel and Vince Fiori, USC relievers. The pair combined for seven strike outs in four innings of two-hit relief.
Sads
1. Cody Mincey, South Carolina reliever. The Gamecocks recorded two outs while Mincey was in the game, but neither had anything to do with Mincey (caught stealing to end the 10th, sacrifice bunt in 11th). He threw 26 pitches, none of which were very good, and allowed four earned runs in 2/3 of an inning.
2. The Winthrop infield, which made three errors that led to three unearned runs against starter Josh Strong. Strong, a southpaw, deserved better, but instead settled for 5 1/3 innings of four-hit ball and a no-decision.
3. SEC Network color commentator Trey Dyson said something about USC outfielder Elliott Caldwell that needs its own wing in the Hall of Fame of everything ever said during a baseball game.
"I was talking to a guy who knows Elliott and he said when (Caldwell) rolls out of bed in the morning and he wakes up, he just starts hitting. And he's done that his whole life."
A few great things about this quote.
1. 'A guy who knows Elliott'. A GUY.
2. Caldwell rolls out of his bed, I'm assuming onto the floor, then wakes up. That's fantastic.
3. Caldwell has woken up and immediately started hitting for the entirety of his life. I'd like to think that infant Caldwell did a lot more staring, and four-year old Caldwell did a lot more pinching.
Some other Baseball Phrases from Scott and Dyson:
"Hit the reset button"
"Set the tone"
"Manafactured a run, all by his lonesome"
"Painting the corners"
"He's having a whale of a senior season"
Games 31 and 32
Game 32 - Boston College at Louisville
March 15 at Jim Patterson Stadium in Louisville, KY
espn3.com
The Webb Bobo All Stars finally have a Carmen on the team in Boston College freshman starter Carmen Giampetruzzi.
Couple quick notes:
* Louisville starter Josh Rogers pitched six shut out innings, and though he tired a bit in allowing two runs in the seventh, still was plenty good enough as the Cardinals won 5-2 and swept the Atlantic Coast Conference series.
* Sutton isn't a first name, but Sutton Whiting, the Louisville lead off hitter, still had three hits and drove in a run.
* The home plate umpire was Rickey Armstrong and I mention this only because growing up in Sparta, New Jersey my little sister had a friend named Rickey Armstrong. I remember Sparta, New Jersey Rickey Armstrong because he always seemed to have grape soda on his face.
Game 31 - Michigan at Kansas
March 15 at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, KS
espn3.com
Drew Morovick had been the Friday starter for Kansas and he struggled (1-2, 5.40 ERA coming into Sunday's game). After some rest, Morovick returned to the rotation for the first time since February 27 and despite allowing 10 base runners (eight hits, two walks), kept the Wolverines to just two runs in five innings as the Jayhawks won the game 8-4 and the weekend series.
Kansas head coach Ritch Price picked up his 400th victory at Kansas, joining Floyd Temple (437 wins) as the only coaches in program history to reach that win mark. He also said this to kuathletics.com:
"As a coach you try to motivate your players and get them to understand there are times in the season that are critical," said Price. "During those times you have to find a way to get a win."
Thanks, coach!
Meanwhile, Michigan starter Keith Lehmann came into the day having tossed 18 consecutive scoreless innings, but the sophomore right-hander was knocked around for six hits and four runs Sunday. In the bottom of the first, Connor McKay lined a solo home run to left. ESPN announcer Scott Heitschund:
"He just possesses pop off the bat"
The rest of Heitschund's top 5:
"It just drops off the table"
"Mr. Do Everything"
"Out-pitch"
"Let the baseball fly"
March 15 at Jim Patterson Stadium in Louisville, KY
espn3.com
The Webb Bobo All Stars finally have a Carmen on the team in Boston College freshman starter Carmen Giampetruzzi.
Couple quick notes:
* Louisville starter Josh Rogers pitched six shut out innings, and though he tired a bit in allowing two runs in the seventh, still was plenty good enough as the Cardinals won 5-2 and swept the Atlantic Coast Conference series.
* Sutton isn't a first name, but Sutton Whiting, the Louisville lead off hitter, still had three hits and drove in a run.
* The home plate umpire was Rickey Armstrong and I mention this only because growing up in Sparta, New Jersey my little sister had a friend named Rickey Armstrong. I remember Sparta, New Jersey Rickey Armstrong because he always seemed to have grape soda on his face.
Game 31 - Michigan at Kansas
March 15 at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, KS
espn3.com
Drew Morovick had been the Friday starter for Kansas and he struggled (1-2, 5.40 ERA coming into Sunday's game). After some rest, Morovick returned to the rotation for the first time since February 27 and despite allowing 10 base runners (eight hits, two walks), kept the Wolverines to just two runs in five innings as the Jayhawks won the game 8-4 and the weekend series.
Kansas head coach Ritch Price picked up his 400th victory at Kansas, joining Floyd Temple (437 wins) as the only coaches in program history to reach that win mark. He also said this to kuathletics.com:
"As a coach you try to motivate your players and get them to understand there are times in the season that are critical," said Price. "During those times you have to find a way to get a win."
Thanks, coach!
Meanwhile, Michigan starter Keith Lehmann came into the day having tossed 18 consecutive scoreless innings, but the sophomore right-hander was knocked around for six hits and four runs Sunday. In the bottom of the first, Connor McKay lined a solo home run to left. ESPN announcer Scott Heitschund:
"He just possesses pop off the bat"
The rest of Heitschund's top 5:
"It just drops off the table"
"Mr. Do Everything"
"Out-pitch"
"Let the baseball fly"
Game 30 - Cal State Bakersfield at New Mexico State
March 14 at Presley Askew Baseball Field in Las Cruces, NM
espn3.com (Aggie Vision)
It's been a difficult 2015 season for New Mexico State, which came into Saturday's game 1-15 overall and having given up an average of nine runs during a six-game losing streak. I watched Matt Loeffler surrender a two-run home run to Mylz Jones in the top of the second and figured the Aggies were headed for loss No. 7. But Loeffler settled in enough, allowing just two more runs in five innings of work, and Daniel Kennon brought the Aggies back to win 6-4.
Kennon, a junior shortstop, snuck a solo home run over the left field wall leading off the seventh to tie the game at 4-4 and an inning later delivered a two-out, two-run single for the winning runs.
Kennon came into the day hitting .116 and without a home run.
* Time to play Is That A Name?
Mylz Jones?
Miles is a name.
Myles, I suppose, is another way to spell the name.
But MYLZ? Come on now.
espn3.com (Aggie Vision)
It's been a difficult 2015 season for New Mexico State, which came into Saturday's game 1-15 overall and having given up an average of nine runs during a six-game losing streak. I watched Matt Loeffler surrender a two-run home run to Mylz Jones in the top of the second and figured the Aggies were headed for loss No. 7. But Loeffler settled in enough, allowing just two more runs in five innings of work, and Daniel Kennon brought the Aggies back to win 6-4.
Kennon, a junior shortstop, snuck a solo home run over the left field wall leading off the seventh to tie the game at 4-4 and an inning later delivered a two-out, two-run single for the winning runs.
Kennon came into the day hitting .116 and without a home run.
* Time to play Is That A Name?
Mylz Jones?
Miles is a name.
Myles, I suppose, is another way to spell the name.
But MYLZ? Come on now.
Game 29 - Woodland HS at Heritage HS
March 12 at Danny Blue Field in Conyers, GA
Matt Studdard is an unsigned junior pitcher, but that will soon change for the Heritage right-hander. Studdard has the stuff - high-70s-to-low-80s fastball and good breaking pitches - to succeed at the next level, though for now he'll have to settle for carving up high school offenses.
He baffled Woodland for five one-hit innings, striking out 10 in the Patriots' 8-0 win on a cool, drizzly evening.
Studdard also added a double, two walks and a squeeze bunt for an RBI in a two-run fourth to help Heritage pull away.
I went down the first-base line to not only watch the Patriots and Wolfpack play the bottom of the fourth, but also to see if this youngster
could turn his night around after a rough start having a football catch with what looked like one of his older brothers. He started slow and unfortunately did not have a good day.
Here are his final numbers for the bottom of the fourth:
Thrown-to: 24 times
Catches: 7
Drops: 14
Pass break-ups by other brothers: 3
Matt Studdard is an unsigned junior pitcher, but that will soon change for the Heritage right-hander. Studdard has the stuff - high-70s-to-low-80s fastball and good breaking pitches - to succeed at the next level, though for now he'll have to settle for carving up high school offenses.
He baffled Woodland for five one-hit innings, striking out 10 in the Patriots' 8-0 win on a cool, drizzly evening.
Studdard also added a double, two walks and a squeeze bunt for an RBI in a two-run fourth to help Heritage pull away.
I went down the first-base line to not only watch the Patriots and Wolfpack play the bottom of the fourth, but also to see if this youngster
could turn his night around after a rough start having a football catch with what looked like one of his older brothers. He started slow and unfortunately did not have a good day.
Here are his final numbers for the bottom of the fourth:
Thrown-to: 24 times
Catches: 7
Drops: 14
Pass break-ups by other brothers: 3
Game 28 - Gonzaga at Arkansas
March 11 at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, AR
SEC Network
I imagine a 27-day, 17-game road trip, like the one Gonzaga just completed, can get quite unpleasant. You don't get to sleep in your own bed, sure, but more importantly:
1. You don't get to air drum in your own shower.
2. Is this always the guy that's going to sit next to me on the bus? He smells like vinegar.
3. Not a QT taquito. Not again.
Gonzaga completed its long road swing to start the season with Wednesday's 15-5 victory over the Razorbacks. That also capped a two-game sweep of the mid-week series as Arkansas pitching was a wonderful host (21 runs allowed in 18 innings), especially in the finale:
Gonzaga drew 13 walks, at least one from each of Arkansas's seven pitchers, and there were also four wild pitches and three hit batsmen. Cannon isn't a first name, but that doesn't mean Mr. Chadwick should get away with throwing less strikes.
Arkansas gets one day off before traveling to Nashville to open up SEC play against defending national champion Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, the Zags (Bulldogs? Bullzags?) finally return to the cozy confines of Washington Trust Field this weekend when they open West Coast Conference play against San Francisco.
Let's wrap up with a Troy Eklund top 5:
5. "He out-ran the baseball"
4. "Change the complexion of the game"
3. "He doesn't have any chinks in his armor"
2. "They'd love to have an easy inning and get back to the bat rack"
1. "I'm going to say something right after this pitch by Chadwick"
SEC Network
I imagine a 27-day, 17-game road trip, like the one Gonzaga just completed, can get quite unpleasant. You don't get to sleep in your own bed, sure, but more importantly:
1. You don't get to air drum in your own shower.
2. Is this always the guy that's going to sit next to me on the bus? He smells like vinegar.
3. Not a QT taquito. Not again.
Gonzaga completed its long road swing to start the season with Wednesday's 15-5 victory over the Razorbacks. That also capped a two-game sweep of the mid-week series as Arkansas pitching was a wonderful host (21 runs allowed in 18 innings), especially in the finale:
Gonzaga drew 13 walks, at least one from each of Arkansas's seven pitchers, and there were also four wild pitches and three hit batsmen. Cannon isn't a first name, but that doesn't mean Mr. Chadwick should get away with throwing less strikes.
Arkansas gets one day off before traveling to Nashville to open up SEC play against defending national champion Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, the Zags (Bulldogs? Bullzags?) finally return to the cozy confines of Washington Trust Field this weekend when they open West Coast Conference play against San Francisco.
Let's wrap up with a Troy Eklund top 5:
5. "He out-ran the baseball"
4. "Change the complexion of the game"
3. "He doesn't have any chinks in his armor"
2. "They'd love to have an easy inning and get back to the bat rack"
1. "I'm going to say something right after this pitch by Chadwick"
Game 27 - Chicago State at Illinois-Chicago
March 11 at Curtis Granderson Stadium in Chicago, IL
espn3.com
The Webb Bobo All Stars had consisted of just players, but that all changed today. Yes, we've added two new members from Chicago State in Mattingly Romanin, a senior infielder and No. 3 hitter and senior outfielder Nathan Parade de la Feraude, but let's also welcome umpire Dominick Longbucco.
* It's been a rough month for Illinois-Chicago, which hasn't won since Valentine's Day. On Wednesday, Chicago State scored three in the sixth - Jared Patterson and Evan Davis drove in runs with singles - to take the lead for good and hand the host Flames their seventh consecutive defeat.
* A couple of Baseball Phrases from espn3.com's Horizon Legaue broadcast:
"High fly ball - that one wouldn't leave a Coke bottle"
"Tall, lanky drink of water"
"They have opportunities to put the screws on some baseballs"
espn3.com
The Webb Bobo All Stars had consisted of just players, but that all changed today. Yes, we've added two new members from Chicago State in Mattingly Romanin, a senior infielder and No. 3 hitter and senior outfielder Nathan Parade de la Feraude, but let's also welcome umpire Dominick Longbucco.
* It's been a rough month for Illinois-Chicago, which hasn't won since Valentine's Day. On Wednesday, Chicago State scored three in the sixth - Jared Patterson and Evan Davis drove in runs with singles - to take the lead for good and hand the host Flames their seventh consecutive defeat.
* A couple of Baseball Phrases from espn3.com's Horizon Legaue broadcast:
"High fly ball - that one wouldn't leave a Coke bottle"
"Tall, lanky drink of water"
"They have opportunities to put the screws on some baseballs"
Game 26 - Athens Christian HS at Rockdale HS
March 10 at Rockdale High School baseball field in Conyers, GA
High school baseball in Georgia during the first week or so of March is often worth the price of admission if the price of admission is 11 peanut shells. The season is only a few weeks old, it's often cold and windy and coaches are still trying to figure out which players they can rely on and which players should join the track and field team.
Tuesday was one such game as the teams combined for nine errors (Athens Christian had seven), eight walks and a hit batsman. Athens Christian southpaw reliever Andrew Hayes had about as rough an inning as I've ever seen in the home half of the fourth as the sophomore made three throwing errors and balked home two runs, allowing Rockdale to pull to within 5-4.
Jelani Clarington, Rockdale's top all-around player, led off the seventh with a triple and scored the tying run two batters later on a sacrifice fly. Athens Christian would take the lead back for good a half-inning later when Clarington struck out the side, but also threw a pair of wild pitches, the last of which scored Chandler Pethel to give the Eagles a 6-5 lead/victory.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Plenty of nicknames for the Athens Christian players. Thanks to the Eagles' fans, players and coaches for this comprehensive list:
* Pethel - "Sixer", "Chan", "P"
* Hayes - "Hayser"
* Dewitt Wood - "Woody", "D-Wood"
* Austin Turgeon - "Turg", "Turgo"
* Darion Barron - "Pap", "Pappy"
* A.J. Rowe - "Junior"
* Terrell Mattox - "T-Money", "Rel", "T"
* Jesse Thomas - "J-T"
* Emory Vaughan - "Emmer", "Em"
* Zach Gamber - "Gamby", "Gammer"
Webb Bobo All Stars
Let's welcome Athens Christian sophomore outfielder Archibald Killian to the team.
High school baseball in Georgia during the first week or so of March is often worth the price of admission if the price of admission is 11 peanut shells. The season is only a few weeks old, it's often cold and windy and coaches are still trying to figure out which players they can rely on and which players should join the track and field team.
Tuesday was one such game as the teams combined for nine errors (Athens Christian had seven), eight walks and a hit batsman. Athens Christian southpaw reliever Andrew Hayes had about as rough an inning as I've ever seen in the home half of the fourth as the sophomore made three throwing errors and balked home two runs, allowing Rockdale to pull to within 5-4.
Jelani Clarington, Rockdale's top all-around player, led off the seventh with a triple and scored the tying run two batters later on a sacrifice fly. Athens Christian would take the lead back for good a half-inning later when Clarington struck out the side, but also threw a pair of wild pitches, the last of which scored Chandler Pethel to give the Eagles a 6-5 lead/victory.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Plenty of nicknames for the Athens Christian players. Thanks to the Eagles' fans, players and coaches for this comprehensive list:
* Pethel - "Sixer", "Chan", "P"
* Hayes - "Hayser"
* Dewitt Wood - "Woody", "D-Wood"
* Austin Turgeon - "Turg", "Turgo"
* Darion Barron - "Pap", "Pappy"
* A.J. Rowe - "Junior"
* Terrell Mattox - "T-Money", "Rel", "T"
* Jesse Thomas - "J-T"
* Emory Vaughan - "Emmer", "Em"
* Zach Gamber - "Gamby", "Gammer"
Webb Bobo All Stars
Let's welcome Athens Christian sophomore outfielder Archibald Killian to the team.
Game 25 - Appalachian State at Georgia
March 10 at Foley Field in Athens, GA
SEC Network
Couple things from this afternoon affair, won by Georgia 6-3.
* Georgia hit 13 home runs in 56 games last season. So far in 2015, the Bulldogs have hit 15 in 16 games, including Keegan McGovern's tying, solo shot in the fifth and another solo home run by Zach Bowers, his sixth of the year, an inning later.
* This was game 15 of a 16-game road swing to start the season for Appalachian State, which wraps up the month-long odyssey with another game in Athens on Wednesday. The Mountaineers (5-10) will finally play their home opener March 13 against Sun Belt Conference rival Texas State.
* That was probably the first time I've ever used the word odyssey, and it showed because it took me four misspellings to get it right. (The others: oddysey, odysee, odisey, odysey).
Coming up with the correct spelling of the word odyssey has been a real odyssey.
* Color commentator Jason Jacobs on the Appalachian State offense:
"They're a good hitting ball club, just not when they strike out."
SEC Network
Couple things from this afternoon affair, won by Georgia 6-3.
* Georgia hit 13 home runs in 56 games last season. So far in 2015, the Bulldogs have hit 15 in 16 games, including Keegan McGovern's tying, solo shot in the fifth and another solo home run by Zach Bowers, his sixth of the year, an inning later.
* This was game 15 of a 16-game road swing to start the season for Appalachian State, which wraps up the month-long odyssey with another game in Athens on Wednesday. The Mountaineers (5-10) will finally play their home opener March 13 against Sun Belt Conference rival Texas State.
* That was probably the first time I've ever used the word odyssey, and it showed because it took me four misspellings to get it right. (The others: oddysey, odysee, odisey, odysey).
Coming up with the correct spelling of the word odyssey has been a real odyssey.
* Color commentator Jason Jacobs on the Appalachian State offense:
"They're a good hitting ball club, just not when they strike out."
Game 24 - Northern Kentucky at Kentucky
March 8 at Cliff Hagan Stadium in Lexington, KY
SEC Network
Northern Kentucky freshman starter Trey Ganns is a 6-2, 200-pound human. It's a good size for a pitcher, but the SEC Network guys sure seemed like they thought he was BIGGER than that and mentioned the BIG pitchers Ganns reminded them of.
Here's the full list:
1. CC Sabathia
2. Bill Gullickson
3. Sparky Lyle
4/5. "The Reuschels"
6. Goose Gossage
7. Joe Cowley
1. BIG
2. 6-3, 200-pounds, or merely Trey Ganns-sized
3. 182 pounds. Not really that big.
4/5. Paul: big. Rick: kind of big
6. Regular size. Did they mean Gossage had a BIG mustache?
7. Tall?
* Baseball Phrases
"Repeatable delivery"
* Zach Pop made the team. The freshman righty for Kentucky is the newest Webb Bobo All Star, though he had a forgettable outing Sunday. Pop recorded one out, but surrendered an unearned run, a walk and a wild pitch, and even threw in a balk for the ladies in attendance (estimated "ladies" in attendance: 17). Fortunately for the Wildcats they were up 9-2 when Pop entered the game and they held on for a 9-4 victory. That's 10 consecutive victories for Kentucky.
SEC Network
Northern Kentucky freshman starter Trey Ganns is a 6-2, 200-pound human. It's a good size for a pitcher, but the SEC Network guys sure seemed like they thought he was BIGGER than that and mentioned the BIG pitchers Ganns reminded them of.
Here's the full list:
1. CC Sabathia
2. Bill Gullickson
3. Sparky Lyle
4/5. "The Reuschels"
6. Goose Gossage
7. Joe Cowley
1. BIG
2. 6-3, 200-pounds, or merely Trey Ganns-sized
3. 182 pounds. Not really that big.
4/5. Paul: big. Rick: kind of big
6. Regular size. Did they mean Gossage had a BIG mustache?
7. Tall?
* Baseball Phrases
"Repeatable delivery"
* Zach Pop made the team. The freshman righty for Kentucky is the newest Webb Bobo All Star, though he had a forgettable outing Sunday. Pop recorded one out, but surrendered an unearned run, a walk and a wild pitch, and even threw in a balk for the ladies in attendance (estimated "ladies" in attendance: 17). Fortunately for the Wildcats they were up 9-2 when Pop entered the game and they held on for a 9-4 victory. That's 10 consecutive victories for Kentucky.
Game 23 - Kent State at Liberty
March 8 at Liberty Baseball Stadium in Lynchburg, VA
Liberty Flames Sports Network
Color commentator Matt Warner provided another extensive list of Baseball Phrases. Let's take a look at his Sunday Masterpiece:
"Cut down at the dish"
"RBI knock"
"Positive vibes"
"Let's see if he can roll one up"
"Filling up the zone"
"Stabbing at the baseball"
"Flag it down"
"He brings an energy level"
"Two schools of thought"
"He did a great job blocking it up"
"He went fishing for it, came up empty"
* Nice day for the Liberty offense, which had six different players drive in at least one run and 14 hits to win the game 8-3 and the series 2-games-to-1.
* I'd call this not quite a capacity crowd
* And finally, let's play Is That A Name?
Kent State junior third baseman Zarley Zalewski.
Liberty Flames Sports Network
Color commentator Matt Warner provided another extensive list of Baseball Phrases. Let's take a look at his Sunday Masterpiece:
"Cut down at the dish"
"RBI knock"
"Positive vibes"
"Let's see if he can roll one up"
"Filling up the zone"
"Stabbing at the baseball"
"Flag it down"
"He brings an energy level"
"Two schools of thought"
"He did a great job blocking it up"
"He went fishing for it, came up empty"
* Nice day for the Liberty offense, which had six different players drive in at least one run and 14 hits to win the game 8-3 and the series 2-games-to-1.
* I'd call this not quite a capacity crowd
* And finally, let's play Is That A Name?
Kent State junior third baseman Zarley Zalewski.
Game 22 - Notre Dame at Georgia Tech
March 8 at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, GA
I was back at Russ Chandler for the finale of this ACC opener and what a performance by Brandon Gold in a 4-1 Tech win. The sophomore right-hander followed a brilliant first career start in which he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and tossed seven innings of one-hit ball against Indiana State on March 1 with eight innings of shut out ball (7 K, 0 BB) on Sunday as the Yellow Jackets took two of three.
Gold is 2-0 with a 0.81 ERA in four appearances (two starts) for Tech, which moved to 11-4.
Nicknames That Aren't Really Nicknames
[Courtesy of the Georgia Tech and Notre Dame fans in attendance]
Georgia Tech
Gold - "Goldy"
Keenan Innis - "Keen"
Matt Gonzalez - "Gonzo"
Arden Pabst - "Ard", "Ardo"
Notre Dame
Lane Richards - "Laner", "Lano"
I was back at Russ Chandler for the finale of this ACC opener and what a performance by Brandon Gold in a 4-1 Tech win. The sophomore right-hander followed a brilliant first career start in which he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and tossed seven innings of one-hit ball against Indiana State on March 1 with eight innings of shut out ball (7 K, 0 BB) on Sunday as the Yellow Jackets took two of three.
Gold is 2-0 with a 0.81 ERA in four appearances (two starts) for Tech, which moved to 11-4.
Nicknames That Aren't Really Nicknames
[Courtesy of the Georgia Tech and Notre Dame fans in attendance]
Georgia Tech
Gold - "Goldy"
Keenan Innis - "Keen"
Matt Gonzalez - "Gonzo"
Arden Pabst - "Ard", "Ardo"
Notre Dame
Lane Richards - "Laner", "Lano"
Game 21 - Utah at Kansas
March 7 at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, KS
espn3.com
Dalton Carroll was outstanding for the Utes, tossing a complete game, six-hitter in beating the Jayhawks 5-1. Carroll, a junior right-hander, came into the day with a 5.40 ERA, but the only run he allowed on Saturday was unearned (fielding error by shortstop Cody Scaggari in the fifth).
Scaggari made up for the miscue in the eighth when he ripped a three-run home run, which turned a one-run lead into a 5-1 cushion.
Can we get ESPN announcers Sean Kellerman and Scott Heitschuen some head sets that fit before the next game?
* Seems like the Webb Bobo All Stars get new teammates every day. This time we add two Utah players in freshman catcher Tag Baxter and freshman infielder Bowen Ogata.
espn3.com
Dalton Carroll was outstanding for the Utes, tossing a complete game, six-hitter in beating the Jayhawks 5-1. Carroll, a junior right-hander, came into the day with a 5.40 ERA, but the only run he allowed on Saturday was unearned (fielding error by shortstop Cody Scaggari in the fifth).
Scaggari made up for the miscue in the eighth when he ripped a three-run home run, which turned a one-run lead into a 5-1 cushion.
Can we get ESPN announcers Sean Kellerman and Scott Heitschuen some head sets that fit before the next game?
* Seems like the Webb Bobo All Stars get new teammates every day. This time we add two Utah players in freshman catcher Tag Baxter and freshman infielder Bowen Ogata.
Game 20 - Notre Dame at Georgia Tech
March 6 at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, GA
The Irish and Yellow Jackets opened up ACC play on a late-Friday afternoon and what started as a pitcher's duel - Tech's Jonathan King tossed seven innings of two-run ball and Notre Dame righty Scott Kerrigan also allowed two runs in 6 1/3 - ended with a Notre Dame run in the 10th and a 3-2 victory.
Kerrigan
Notre Dame got singles from Lane Richards, Jake Johnson and Kyle Fiala, the last of which chased home Richards to make it 3-2. Tech, the defending league champions, lined into a double play (the fourth twin-killing of the day for the visitors from South Bend) to end the day.
* Time to once again play Is That A Name?
Today's contestant is Cavan Biggio, Notre Dame second baseman. Sure, Biggio is the son of Astros' Hall of Famer Craig Biggio and he came into the day leading the club with a .525 batting average and a .950 slugging percentage, but that doesn't mean naming him Cavan was the right thing to do.
The Irish and Yellow Jackets opened up ACC play on a late-Friday afternoon and what started as a pitcher's duel - Tech's Jonathan King tossed seven innings of two-run ball and Notre Dame righty Scott Kerrigan also allowed two runs in 6 1/3 - ended with a Notre Dame run in the 10th and a 3-2 victory.
Kerrigan
Notre Dame got singles from Lane Richards, Jake Johnson and Kyle Fiala, the last of which chased home Richards to make it 3-2. Tech, the defending league champions, lined into a double play (the fourth twin-killing of the day for the visitors from South Bend) to end the day.
* Time to once again play Is That A Name?
Today's contestant is Cavan Biggio, Notre Dame second baseman. Sure, Biggio is the son of Astros' Hall of Famer Craig Biggio and he came into the day leading the club with a .525 batting average and a .950 slugging percentage, but that doesn't mean naming him Cavan was the right thing to do.
Game 19 - Central Florida at Florida
March 4 at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, FL
SEC Network
Couple quick notes from this midweek game between in-state rivals and ranked teams (UCF was ranked No. 13 by Baseball America, Florida No. 4 coming into the week), which the Gators won 10-2.
* Florida evened the season series with the Knights (UCF won 4-3 on Tuesday), thanks to a combined five-hitter from four different hurlers. Brett Morales retired the first nine batters he faced, then got hit hard in the fourth, though the visitors from Orlando only scored once in that frame and Morales was able to escape with a no-decision and one earned run allowed in 3 2/3 innings. Winning pitcher Kirby Snead, Alex Faedo and Taylor Lewis finished up with 5 1/3 innings of two-hit ball to help Florida move to 11-2.
* We've got a new member of the Webb Bobo All Stars in UCF freshman right-hander Cre Finfrock.
SEC Network
Couple quick notes from this midweek game between in-state rivals and ranked teams (UCF was ranked No. 13 by Baseball America, Florida No. 4 coming into the week), which the Gators won 10-2.
* Florida evened the season series with the Knights (UCF won 4-3 on Tuesday), thanks to a combined five-hitter from four different hurlers. Brett Morales retired the first nine batters he faced, then got hit hard in the fourth, though the visitors from Orlando only scored once in that frame and Morales was able to escape with a no-decision and one earned run allowed in 3 2/3 innings. Winning pitcher Kirby Snead, Alex Faedo and Taylor Lewis finished up with 5 1/3 innings of two-hit ball to help Florida move to 11-2.
* We've got a new member of the Webb Bobo All Stars in UCF freshman right-hander Cre Finfrock.
Game 18 - Grambling at LSU
March 4 at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rogue, LA
espn3.com (LSU sports radio 98.1 feed)
Another game, another new member of the Webb Bobo All Stars: Grambling redshirt-sophomore Ike O'Bear, who pitched an inning of scoreless relief Wednesday.
Andre Wilson also pitched well in relief (1 1/3 perfect innings), though in a losing effort as LSU picked up a 7-1 victory. I covered Wilson at Heritage High School in Conyers, GA. He was a solid right-hander during his prep days playing alongside several other college-bound players and current New York Yankees farmhand Tyler Austin, and began his collegiate career at Georgia Perimeter College. Wilson had an unpleasant time on the mound in his last outing, allowing nine earned runs in five innings in Grambling's 25-3 loss to Oregon State on February 28, so a good bounce back appearance for the junior.
LSU freshman Doug Norman pitched pretty well - 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER - to pick up his first win of the season, then the Tigers' bullpen was fantastic as a quintet of hurlers combined to throw five no-hit innings. Since I watched LSU lose to Nicholls State on February 18, the Baton Rogue school has won nine consecutive games.
A list of LSU things that are sponsored on 98.1:
1. Tiger stolen bases: presented by Certified Alarms
2. Tiger walks: presented by Blue Runner Foods
3. WCK Foundation Repair pitching change
espn3.com (LSU sports radio 98.1 feed)
Another game, another new member of the Webb Bobo All Stars: Grambling redshirt-sophomore Ike O'Bear, who pitched an inning of scoreless relief Wednesday.
Andre Wilson also pitched well in relief (1 1/3 perfect innings), though in a losing effort as LSU picked up a 7-1 victory. I covered Wilson at Heritage High School in Conyers, GA. He was a solid right-hander during his prep days playing alongside several other college-bound players and current New York Yankees farmhand Tyler Austin, and began his collegiate career at Georgia Perimeter College. Wilson had an unpleasant time on the mound in his last outing, allowing nine earned runs in five innings in Grambling's 25-3 loss to Oregon State on February 28, so a good bounce back appearance for the junior.
LSU freshman Doug Norman pitched pretty well - 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER - to pick up his first win of the season, then the Tigers' bullpen was fantastic as a quintet of hurlers combined to throw five no-hit innings. Since I watched LSU lose to Nicholls State on February 18, the Baton Rogue school has won nine consecutive games.
A list of LSU things that are sponsored on 98.1:
1. Tiger stolen bases: presented by Certified Alarms
2. Tiger walks: presented by Blue Runner Foods
3. WCK Foundation Repair pitching change
Game 17 - Ohio at Georgia Tech
March 3 at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta GA
Census.gov estimates the population of the state of Ohio is around 11 1/2 million, and I'd say around half of those pitched for the Bobcats on Tuesday.
Ohio used 10 pitchers in its 7-6 loss in 12 innings, the last of which - junior righty Jake Miller - tossed three innings of no-earned run, five-strike out ball, but the one unearned run he allowed came as a result of his own throwing error on a sacrifice attempt in the bottom of the 12th. That chased home Brandon Gold, who had led off the frame with a single and Miller tossed the Wade Bailey bunt into center field and Gold scored to cap a three hour, 42-minute mid-week contest.
For Tech, Zac Ryan faced 13 batters and retired 12 of them in a brilliant, four-inning relief appearance to pick up the win. The Yellow Jackets won their fourth straight and moved to 9-3.
* Nice days for Mitch Longo (5-for-5 with a walk) and Cody Gaertner, who ripped a tying, three-run double in the seventh that tied the game at 6-6 after Ohio trailed 6-2. The rest of the Bobcats' lineup went just 5-for-36.
* I left Russ Chandler Stadium and covered the Georgia Tech-North Carolina basketball game. Arrived in time to watch this Yellow Jackets' fan enjoy a hot dog:
Census.gov estimates the population of the state of Ohio is around 11 1/2 million, and I'd say around half of those pitched for the Bobcats on Tuesday.
Ohio used 10 pitchers in its 7-6 loss in 12 innings, the last of which - junior righty Jake Miller - tossed three innings of no-earned run, five-strike out ball, but the one unearned run he allowed came as a result of his own throwing error on a sacrifice attempt in the bottom of the 12th. That chased home Brandon Gold, who had led off the frame with a single and Miller tossed the Wade Bailey bunt into center field and Gold scored to cap a three hour, 42-minute mid-week contest.
For Tech, Zac Ryan faced 13 batters and retired 12 of them in a brilliant, four-inning relief appearance to pick up the win. The Yellow Jackets won their fourth straight and moved to 9-3.
* Nice days for Mitch Longo (5-for-5 with a walk) and Cody Gaertner, who ripped a tying, three-run double in the seventh that tied the game at 6-6 after Ohio trailed 6-2. The rest of the Bobcats' lineup went just 5-for-36.
* I left Russ Chandler Stadium and covered the Georgia Tech-North Carolina basketball game. Arrived in time to watch this Yellow Jackets' fan enjoy a hot dog:
Game 16 - South Florida at Florida State
March 3 at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, FL
espn3.com
ESPN color commentator Chip Baker's favorite word is "ball". That's what I learned from watching Florida State score its most runs since the 37-run outburst in the 2009 regionals against Ohio State, winning 24-1 on Tuesday afternoon. Whether he's talking about a 'ballgame', 'ballpark', 'ball field', 'ball team', or the actual 'baseball' (or 'ball'), Baker executed what is believed to be the highest M.P.H.I. (mentions per half inning) of the word 'ball' since home plate umpire Bill Phelps during a 1987 youth baseball game between Sparta Township and Newton Township.
Here is Baker's day in line score form:
Baker's M.P.H.I. was a staggering 5.1 with 91 total mentions of the word.
espn3.com
ESPN color commentator Chip Baker's favorite word is "ball". That's what I learned from watching Florida State score its most runs since the 37-run outburst in the 2009 regionals against Ohio State, winning 24-1 on Tuesday afternoon. Whether he's talking about a 'ballgame', 'ballpark', 'ball field', 'ball team', or the actual 'baseball' (or 'ball'), Baker executed what is believed to be the highest M.P.H.I. (mentions per half inning) of the word 'ball' since home plate umpire Bill Phelps during a 1987 youth baseball game between Sparta Township and Newton Township.
Here is Baker's day in line score form:
Baker's M.P.H.I. was a staggering 5.1 with 91 total mentions of the word.
Game 15 - Eastern Illinois at Arkansas
March 2 at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, AR
SEC Network
A couple quick things from this one, which Arkansas won 8-1 to sweep the Monday doubleheader:
* SEC Network play-by-play man Alex Perlman in describing the Arkansas defense: "..and on the leather side".
* It was the second game of a doubleheader, which in itself was a makeup of a pair of rain outs on Saturday and Sunday, so the numbers were a bit thin at Baum Stadium.
The TV cameras caught a few different sections of the stadium, and here's a quick attendance estimate: 11.
* It's been a rough start to the 2015 season for Eastern Illinois (0-5). After being outscored 12-2 in the two games Monday, the Panthers are hitting just .159 and have an 11.31 team ERA.
SEC Network
A couple quick things from this one, which Arkansas won 8-1 to sweep the Monday doubleheader:
* SEC Network play-by-play man Alex Perlman in describing the Arkansas defense: "..and on the leather side".
* It was the second game of a doubleheader, which in itself was a makeup of a pair of rain outs on Saturday and Sunday, so the numbers were a bit thin at Baum Stadium.
The TV cameras caught a few different sections of the stadium, and here's a quick attendance estimate: 11.
* It's been a rough start to the 2015 season for Eastern Illinois (0-5). After being outscored 12-2 in the two games Monday, the Panthers are hitting just .159 and have an 11.31 team ERA.
Game 14 - Special
Dartmouth at Texas A&M
March 1 at Blue Bell Park in College Station, TX
SEC Network
In its season-opening series, Dartmouth led in, but lost each of the three games to the unbeaten Aggies. After Matt Parisi led off the first with a single and scored on a passed ball, the Big Green led 1-0, but southpaw Adam Frank gave it back in a hurry. Frank pitches a lot like Mike Hampton, unfortunately Sunday it was 2002 Rockies Hampton (2 IP, 6 ER, 6 BB).
The afternoon contest, which A&M won 10-4 to improve to 13-0, brought the return of SEC Network color man Mark Johnson. Today's not-so-secret word was "special" as Johnson said the word 14 times in nine innings. For Johnson, it's "been special to watch", or "he's been a special player to watch", or what we all just saw was "special!"
His inning-by-inning Special Count:
March 1 at Blue Bell Park in College Station, TX
SEC Network
In its season-opening series, Dartmouth led in, but lost each of the three games to the unbeaten Aggies. After Matt Parisi led off the first with a single and scored on a passed ball, the Big Green led 1-0, but southpaw Adam Frank gave it back in a hurry. Frank pitches a lot like Mike Hampton, unfortunately Sunday it was 2002 Rockies Hampton (2 IP, 6 ER, 6 BB).
The afternoon contest, which A&M won 10-4 to improve to 13-0, brought the return of SEC Network color man Mark Johnson. Today's not-so-secret word was "special" as Johnson said the word 14 times in nine innings. For Johnson, it's "been special to watch", or "he's been a special player to watch", or what we all just saw was "special!"
His inning-by-inning Special Count:
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