12/20/04 1:00 p.m.CT

Aggies Ranked #10 by Collegiate Baseball... 

Five Big 12 Teams were ranked in the top 40 with #1 Texas, # 10 Texas A&M, #23 Oklahoma State, #25 Baylor and #31 Nebraska representing the Big 12 conference teams in the poll.  Rice comes in at #15 and the Tennessee Volunteers, the Aggies' first opponent in the Astos Classic is #40.  Rice was the pick to win it all in 2004 by the publication and the Aggies started the year at #32 last season.  This is the highest preseason ranking by Collegiate Baseball since starting the 1999 season at #17.  

Jason Meyer was named Second Team All-American by the magazine as well.. The pre-season pick as National Player of The Year was 3B Alex Gordon of Nebraska. Last season Gordon hit .365 with 18 homers, 18 doubles and knocked in 75 runs as the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder was named Big 12 Conference Player of The Year. He spent the past summer playing for Team USA as he hit .388 with four homers and 12 RBIs. He was the top offensive player in the World University Games as he hit .523 with two homers and knocked in five runs. Gordon may be the first college player taken in the June Draft. Other Big 12 players named to the list were: Texas Tech SS Cameron Blair, Texas pitchers Sam LeCure and J. Brent Cox, Texas catcher Taylor Teagarden, Texas OF Drew Stubbs, and Baylor 2B Michael Griffin.

The complete All-American list is at: http://www.baseball-news.com/allamericans/currentallamericans.htm

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Div. I Pre-Season Ranking
(As of Dec. 22, 2004)
Rank School ('04 Final Record) Points Final '04 Rank
1. Texas (58-15) 497 2
2. Miami, Fla. (50-13) 496 5
3. Cal. St. Fullerton (47-22) 495 1
4. Tulane (42-21) 493 15
5. Louisiana St. (46-19) 486 8
6. Stanford (46-14) 484 9
7. North Carolina (43-21) 480 27
8. South Carolina (53-17) 477 3
9. Georgia (45-23) 475 4
10. Texas A&M (42-22) 472 16

11. Arizona St. (41-18) 468 23
12. Arizona (36-27-1) 466 6
13. Georgia Tech. (44-21) 462 11
14. Long Beach St. (40-21) 459 12
15. Rice (46-14) 458 10
16. Mississippi (39-21) 456 24
17. Washington (39-20-1) 453 21
18. Florida St. (45-23) 451 14
19. Mississippi St. (35-24) 447 NR
20. Notre Dame (51-12) 445 19

21. Clemson (39-26) 442 26
22. Florida (43-22) 441 18
23. Oklahoma St. (38-24) 437 NR
24. Central Florida (48-17) 433 25
25. Baylor (29-31) 430 NR
26. Wichita St. (49-16) 425 28
27. Virginia (44-15) 423 20
28. Winthrop (37-23) 420 NR
29. Pepperdine (30-32) 416 NR
30. Florida Atlantic (47-17) 413 30

31. Nebraska (36-23) 409 NR
32. East Carolina (51-13) 407 13
33. Arkansas (45-24) 403 7
34. Coastal Carolina (40-23) 399 NR
35. Michigan (34-26) 395 NR
36. U.C. Irvine (34-21-1) 394 NR
37. Texas Christian (39-26) 390 NR
38. Vanderbilt (45-19) 387 17
39. Stetson (36-23) 383 NR
40. Tennessee (38-24) 382 NR

12/20/04 2:30 p.m.CT

Great Gift Idea for the Aggie Baseball fan...

USA Baseball, Upper Deck Compile 25th Anniversary Card Set Following two successful fundraising card set releases, Upper Deck and USA Baseball announced they have teamed to compile a 204-card 25th Anniversary USA Baseball Box Set featuring 180 of the organization's most distinguished alumni.

Celebrating USA Baseball's quarter-century existence as the national governing body for amateur baseball, the set will provide collectors with the opportunity to collect authentic signature and game-used jersey cards in addition to the regular issue cards. The signatures, which are inserted at a three-per-boxed set ratio, were signed in black, blue, and red ink. Collectors will find generally the red signatures are the most difficult to find, followed by the blue and then black signatures.

Highlighting the list of autograph signers are former Texas A&M All-American's and Team USA stars Casey Fossum and Jason Tyner.

More information can be found at http://www.usabaseballfundraiser.com/cardset/

2005 MINUTE MAID COLLEGE CLASSIC

 2005 MINUTE MAID COLLEGE CLASSIC presented by the Houston Chronicle ~in conjunction with~ ASTROS FANFEST

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Friday, February 11 Oklahoma State vs. Rice, noon Baylor vs. Houston, 3:30 p.m. Tennessee vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m. GATES OPEN 11 a.m.

Saturday, February 12 Houston vs. Oklahoma State, noon Baylor vs. Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. Rice vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m. GATES OPEN 10 a.m. Fanfest runs from 10-6

Sunday, February 13 Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee, 11 a.m. Baylor vs. Rice, 2:30 p.m. Houston vs. Texas A&M, 6 p.m. GATES OPEN 9 a.m. Fanfest runs from 9-5

INFORMATION: 1-800-ASTROS-2 or (713) 259-8500

TICKETS: 2005 Classic tickets (Saturday and Sunday tickets are also good for admission to Fanfest) go on sale Thursday, Jan. 6 at the Minute Maid Park Box Office. Hours from Jan. 6 until the Classic will be 9-5 weekdays.

TICKETS: Beginning on the 6th, tickets may also be purchased by calling 1-877-9ASTROS, on line at astros.com or at any of the Astros’ regular Houston-area outlets.

PRICING:

ADULT GENERAL ADMISSION (15 & up) Friday $12 Saturday $12 Sunday $12 Adult Classic Advance Package $30

YOUTH GENERAL ADMISSION (4-14) Friday $6 Saturday $6 Sunday $6 Youth Classic Advance Package $15 *Students (with valid school ID) daily $6 Youth 3 and under FREE

*available only at the Minute Maid Park Box Office

12/10/04 2:30 p.m.CT 

Tickets, Tickets, Tickets...

Even with all the excitement about the Cotton Bowl, the ticket office is sending out renewals for Aggie Baseball very soon.  They should be out by early next week so keep looking for them at the mailbox. Here is the link to the 12th Man's Baseball Ticket site.

http://www.12thmanfoundation.com/tickets/baseball.htm

12/8/04 3:00 p.m.CT 

Fall Baseball Roundup 2004...

The fall practice for the Aggie baseball team is always about finding the players that will fill holes left by the draft and graduation and finding out which players are ready to step up as the Aggies not only look to duplicate their run to super regional play in 2004, but also on making the next step and ending up in Omaha at the College World Series.

The Aggies may not have the power of teams in the past but in the new era of college baseball, you can get there if you can score runs, play defense and pitch well on the weekends. A&M should have all three areas covered since they are only replacing two players in the field, and the strength of the team will be up the middle. The old adage in baseball is strength up the middle will win you ballgames, and the Aggies' shortstop, center fielder, second baseman and catchers all had great fall seasons.

Craig Stinson, the Aggies returning catcher, nearly made Team USA this summer, and even though he did not tear the cover off the ball during his time in the Cape Cod League, he is still one of the top junior catchers in the country. He had to catch too many ballgames for the Aggies down the stretch last year, so the return of former starter Justin Pouk has the coaches excited. They know that having two players to man the position will keep them both fresh and they will not have a drop off with either player behind the plate. Pouk caught every inning of the Fall World Series and showed he is ready to play. Lee Harughty had a solid summer campaign and followed that up with an improved fall. He should be able to spell either Stinson or Pouk but he still needs to improve to make the travel roster.

Returning shortstop Cliff Pennington has continued to improve, and after his summer All-American performance at the Cape Cod league, many expect him to be drafted very high by professional baseball next season. He is a natural four-tool player, above average in speed, range, arm and hitting ability. Even in the day of the power hitting shortstop, Pennington is as good as any in college baseball, and he might have the strongest arm of any position player in the college game.

Even though he spent much of his time at shortstop this fall, Parker Dalton won the second base job vacated by the graduation of Eric Schindewolf. Dalton followed an all-star summer in the Texas Collegiate League with nearly as impressive a fall. Coach Johnson was quick to anoint him as the team's second best player this fall behind only CF John Infante. Dalton's defense has never been in question, showing soft hands and a strong arm since his high school days, but if you think he can't hit the ball you are in for a surprise.

Strength up the middle should not overshadow other fine players that return for the Aggies, and 3B Austin Boggs and 1B Coby Mavroulis are two of the main reasons why the Aggie defense will be among the best in the country. Boggs is a natural third baseman, and even though his bat overshadowed his fielding last year, he made play after play at the hot corner. Mavroulis did not have an error until May while fielding tough plays off the bat and sometimes off Pennington's arm. Healthy for the first time since arriving in Aggieland, Mavroulis is a natural hitter and he could be a big source of power after a solid fall season.

Backups will be a key this season after several outstanding fall practices. Ryan Hill and Jess Buenger were two key players this fall in the middle of the infield. Hill worked at shortstop, his position for two seasons at St. Mary's College in San Antonio, and second base and pushed Dalton for the starting job. Buenger, with a tremendous performance at the plate in game five of the Fall World Series, showed the ability to hit from both sides of the plate and his continued improvement at second base has the position full of talent for the future. Will Carpenter moved to third base this fall and even though he is behind Boggs, he is a talented player that will have a chance to start for the Aggies in the future. Blake Stouffer missed valuable time after a broken leg, but the backup shortstop did practice well before the injury. With Boggs and Pennington locked in on the right side of the diamond, and with Dalton and Hill available to play any of the other positions, it might be a redshirt season for any or all of these three players. Redshirting would not indicate they were unable to play as freshman, just that the talent, depth, and experience above them is tremendous.

Hill could also play first base or outfield, he is a talented player with pop in his bat so the Aggie coaches will find a way to put him out on the diamond. Pouk is another player who might see time at first base since the Aggie coaches will likely shy away from him being the designated hitter when Stinson is catching. Any injury would force the Aggies to lose the DH if Pouk had to go behind the play to replace Stinson during a ballgame.

Infante had a tremendous fall and has the Aggies strong up the middle. He continues to mature as a hitter and his ability to drive the ball to the opposite field gave him a much-needed jolt offensively. He can cover the ground in center better than any Aggie outfielder, and his confidence at the plate seemed to rub off in the field as well. Infante's progression is a big key for the spring as the Aggie coaches look for offense as well as defense from the outfield.

After starting in a deep slump at the plate, outfielder Travis Bartek hit over .300 for the last two months of the season and is another solid player in the outfield. Bartek struggled some again this fall, but when the lights were on last spring he turned out to be a player, so there is little concern about his ability.

The big question of who will replace the offensive output and defensive ability of All-American right fielder Cory Patton will have to wait until the spring. Returning lettermen, like Andrew Baldwin, transfers, like Ryan Hill, and freshmen, like Chris Jones, Chance Corgan, Keith Stein and Brandon Glover, all had chances to shine in the fall, and the coaches will have tough choices on finding their right fielder for next season. Each player had more good moments than bad during the fall and this position is likely unsettled until the spring. Baldwin might have the edge but with Hill needing a spot in the order and Mavroulis' ability to play in the outfield, it could change at any time.

The Aggie offense will run and run and run some more this spring. College coaches know that with arrival of the slide step, most pitchers can get the ball to the plate in a hurry, so if you are going to steal, you need to be good at it. Pennington stole bases during the summer and in the fall as well and his speed on the basepath is going to be a big distraction for opposing pitchers. Other players need to run smart but the lineup will feature more runners than plodders and the Aggies will force teams to make plays to get them out.

On the mound, replacing Zach Jackson will be a tall order, but Jason Meyer gives the Aggies a front line starter. Meyer took the summer off, but he worked hard on his conditioning and two years removed from "Tommy John" surgery should have him even better than last season. He is one of the top two returning pitchers in the Big 12 this season and the Aggies #1 pitcher right out of the box. Robert Ray and Kyle Marlatt both started for the Aggies last spring, and after finding success in the Cape Cod league, both can dominate during Big 12 play this spring. Ray needs to work on his consistency but when he is on, no one in the Big 12 has better ammunition. The Aggie coaches thought he improved during the fall despite a rocky performance in the FWS. Ray has the stuff to dominate the Big 12, and just as many players have shined during their junior seasons before the MLB draft, expect Ray to do the same. Marlatt may run hot and cold as well, but when he is on the Aggie coaches know he can get the job done.

The other returning pitchers have a chance to make this a special Aggie team, the coaches expect them to step up and pitch like upperclassmen in the spring. Dan Donaldson and Doug Frame have shown the ability to get hitters out and one or both of them could step up and be a starter next year. Frame's performance in the FWS was very encouraging since it was a great job without his best ammunition. Donaldson needs to get ahead of hitters to highlight his offspeed arsenal and as junior he needs to step up like Ray and Marlatt.

On the right side, Austin Creps, Blake Rampy and Kyle Nicholson have the same chance to shine as Donaldson and Frame. Each needs to be more consistent because when they are on, they are very tough. They need to pick their performances up from last year when youth led to inconsistency. They have all had success against big-time college hitters but they need to do it all the time next spring and shoot up the pitching ladder.

Kevin Whelan, with the return of Pouk behind the plate, is now a full time pitcher and was un-hittable during the fall for the Aggies. He looked as good as any closer the Aggies have had under Mark Johnson and with additional depth in the bullpen, this team just needs to get a lead in their hands after the sixth inning and they can count on the bullpen to shut teams down. College baseball doesn't have the scouting that you see at the next level and with most teams seeing Whelan only once or twice during the season, he should have even more success against those players than he had against his Aggie teammates, who watched him pitch every day and have a much better idea of his pitch assortment.

Clayton Turner's arrival from Northwest State added to the staff's depth. He pitches with the confidence of a ten game winner last year. He has the bulldog mentality that you want to see rub off on the younger players. He can challenge for a weekend starting role as well as pitching against many of his old conference foes in mid-week action. Hart Herring sidewinder motion is much more effective, like Whelan, against teams that will see him for the first time this spring. He is very effective against right-hand batters and should provide important depth in the bullpen. Chance Corgan and Chris Jones might be better pitchers than position players right now but two-way players are more and more valuable in college baseball because of the conference roster limits. They both had success pitching and hitting this fall and with the addition of football's Jordan Chambless, the Aggies could have three freshman that can play multiple positions while being very good pitchers.

With Boggs, Mavroulis and Pennington leading the offense and Meyer, Ray and Whelan staring on the mound, the Aggie coaches have more answers than questions after the fall. It might be small ball in the spring, but this team has a chance to be special and the players and coaches will need to be with a very tough, tournament-heavy schedule to prepare for Big 12 play and the NCAA playoffs. As with all teams across the country, returning players that grow in their roles can have a tremendous impact and the benefit of pitching so many freshman last year for the Aggies should pay big dividends this spring with expected improvement.

11/29/04 3:00 p.m.CT 

Interesting Note...

In the current issue of Baseball America.  

"To put this year's top 100 commitments in perspective in terms of what to expect in the draft, 56 of 100 players on the list last year ended up attending school, including 22 of the top 50.  Georgia Tech signed seven of last year's top 100, with six of them ending up in Atlanta."

RHP/OF Chris Jones, the only Aggie signee on the list, ended up in Aggieland. Three of the six players that Texas signed last year ended up in Austin and the state of Texas seemed to be a tougher sign than the rest of the nation last year with only five of the 14 players on the top 100 list going pro.

11/25/04 11:00 a.m.CT 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Recruiting Rankings...

Student Sports baseball has ranked the top 25 recruiting classes in the country and Texas A&M came in at #12.  The Aggies were the second highest rated program in Texas behind the 'Horns and both Kansas and Houston were on the list from the Big 12 Region.  You can find the complete story at the link below.

http://ssbaseball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=355537

 1. Arizona State 2. Texas 3. UCLA 4. Stanford 5. Miami 6. LSU 7. San Diego State 8. California 9. Vanderbilt 10. Cal-State Fullerton 11. Arizona 12. Texas A&M 13. Clemson 14. Arkansas 15. Long Beach State 16. Nevada 17. Kansas 18. South Carolina 19. Houston 20. Georgia 21. Notre Dame 22. Ole Miss 23. Hawaii 24. Tulane 25. UC Santa Barbara

Meyer honored again...

Freshman All-American and Big 12 Freshman Pitcher of the year Jason Meyer was one of 58 baseball student-athletes on the 2005 Wallace Watch released Tuesday by the College Baseball Foundation in Lubbock, TX. The Brooks Wallace Award is presented annually to the national college baseball player of the year. Kurt Suzuki of Cal State Fullerton was the winner of the 2004 Brooks Wallace Award.  Also nominated from the Big 12 were Texas Tech's SS Cameron Blair, Nebraska's 3B Alex Gordon, Texas' RHP Sam LeCure, OU's DH Eric Thorton, and OSU's OF Ty Wright.

The Wallace Watch will be trimmed to 12 semi-finalists by Tuesday, May 24, 2005. Then the selection committee will narrow the list to three finalists following the NCAA Super Regionals at a press conference in Omaha on Thursday, June 16, 2005. The finalists, their head coaches, and their parents will be invited to Lubbock, TX, for a golf tournament, a welcome dinner and the award banquet. 

11/24/04 11:00 a.m.CT 

Aaron Thompson, the #1 Player in the State of Texas, Signs with the Aggies

A Little More on Aaron Thompson...

Here is one scouts view on the talented left-hander from Houston Second Baptist.  It goes with the same post I did last week, that the talented pitcher's destination could be Aggieland just as much as the professional ranks.  

http://teamonebaseball.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=48&mid=42499800&sid=&tid=42361295&style=1

"I agree with you, I think it's a little down for high school lefties. The 2002 (Scott Kazmir, Adam Loewen) and 2003 drafts (John Danks, James Houser, Andrew Miller who didn't sign) in particular had much more depth and early-round talent. Last year's draft wasn't any better, though, in my opinion. It had one first-rounder (Scott Elbert) and one sandwich pick (Gio Gonzalez). Chuck Lofgren was a 4th-rounder who got 2nd-round money. This year's crop is comparable to last year's, at least. What this draft definitely won't have is as many college lefties going early as they did in 2004. Someone like a Mark Pawelek has a lot of upside and he might turn into a very early pick by next June. Aaron Thompson and Tim Murphy I've both seen; they have early-round potential, but something would have to really come on to make them 1st-rounders."  Anup Sinah from Team One Baseball

Keep in mind that every high school player drafted in the first three round still went into professional baseball and only four U.S. high school players taken before Aggie recruit Jordan Chambless in the 12th round did not sign a pro contract.  The majority of top prospects that told professional baseball that they were going to college were drafted after the 11th round.

11/19/04 1:00 p.m.CT

Two Aggies named All-American

Texas A&M sophomore pitcher Jason Meyer and transfer pitcher Clayton Turner were named a third-team preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Meyer began the season as the Aggies short reliever, earning three saves, before moving to the starting rotation in the beginning of league play. Turner was named All-Southland Conference and was drafted by the Oakland Athletics following his junior season.

Meyer a left-hander from Abilene, Texas, earned first-team All-Big 12 and Freshman All-American honors after posting an 8-2 record with an ERA of 2.89 in 106 innings of work. He struck out 111 batters, while allowing just 41 walks and 88 hits for the Aggies in 2004. Turner was 10-3 with a 3.50 ERA for Northwestern State, LA. last year as a junior. He worked 100.1 innings, giving up 87 hits while striking out 103 and walking 42.

The duo was among the seven players from the Big 12 to receive recognition from the NCBWA.

2004 Fall Recruiting Analysis

For the third straight year the Aggies have not only attracted talent but also filled future needs in their fall signing period. Coming off three sub-par seasons, many outsiders and those looking for change in the Aggie program and beat the pots about the Aggie coaches and their recruiting acumen. The didn't know what they were talking about then and eight All-American performances and two top 15 finishes later, the Aggies are back and moving up the ranks as they try to reach Omaha.

The Aggie coaches moved back into the top of the Big12 and the ranking with a tried and true formula of high school talent supplemented by major and junior college transfer. There is no doubt that the success that the Aggies have had under Mark Johnson and they way he treats his athletes are a major selling point to kids that are looking to go to the next level. A&M attracts players (Zach Jackson, Chris French, Shawn Schumacher and Clayton Turner) with the integrity and honesty that if the Aggie coaches say you have a spot on the roster, you are not just hearing lip service. Getting players to transfer for more exposure, to play a natural position or to get away from a bad situation is vital and few coaches around the country have as sterling a reputation as the Aggies in not only shooting straight but improving your stock and giving you a chance to win. The Aggie coaches know that the high school talent in Texas is a skilled as any in the nation and they butter their bread on attracting players that not only want to attend Texas A&M but have the skill to play at the highest level. The Aggie coaches know that their signees will be evaluated for the upcoming MLB draft and they will likely lose a player to the money that professional baseball throws at top prospects. They also know that the changing dynamic of college players going higher in the draft is sending more higher profile high school players to college ball than years past.

This year's class has a star at the top with LHP Aaron Thompson rated among the top left-handed pitchers in the nation. Now many will tell you that he is hands down a pro player and will never step foot on campus but same was said about Drew Stubbs two years ago and he is patrolling the outfield in Austin right now. Thompson fits the same profile, ties to the university, fan of the program and an academic track record that shows how important school is to his future. Thompson will face the same kind of scrutiny that last years LHP phenom Troy Patton did and if Thompson tells professional baseball that he plans to attend Texas A&M then he could fall through the draft just like Patton did, now Patton ended up an Astro but you never know what might happen. Joe Savery is another example of a player who's talent said high pick but his desire to attend Rice dropped him to the 15th round, Savery was the player of the year in the state and rated by Baseball America is a second to fifth round talent but he was one of seven players (four others signed pro contracts) who so were rated that ended up in college out of Texas last year. Savery was also an accomplished hitter and his ability to be a two-way player is something that Thompson can show in Aggieland and not in professional baseball, where they pigeon hole you on one side of the ball and that's it. Thompson's destination is not clear right now and anyone who says he is a lock for college or for pro baseball doesn't have a clue.

Aaron Thompson hits one deep...

But on to the class in total, junior college players are expected to have an immediate impact and Josh Stinson, Jacob Vasquez and Mike Dunn have the potential to be in the starting lineup shortly after arriving in Aggieland. Stinson knows the Big 12, starting as true freshman for Oklahoma and improving as the season progressed. He was rated as the #1 high school catcher in Texas two years ago and playing this year at San Jacinto, he will handle as talented a group of JUCO pitchers as any backstop in the country. With Justin Pouk's eligibility expiring and Craig Stinson's draft prospects climbing, Josh Stinson will likely be the starter next year with Richard O'Brien and Vasquez also seeing time behind the plate. Vasquez, by all accounts, can flat out hit the baseball. Yesterday when I posted information on his signing I left out that he was the top freshman hitter in the Orange Empire league and might have contended for player of the years honors if not for his teammate hitting .500 on the season. Vasquez ability to play catcher and first base make him attractive to the program as well since Coby Mavroulis could also be leaving after his junior season. Mike Dunn, not to put any pressure on the young player, is a talented pitcher as well as outfielder. The Aggies saw two years ago how Scott Beerer changed the fortunes of the pitching staff as well as the outfield with the ability to hit and pitch. Dunn plays in a wooden bat JUCO league so his hitting numbers might not jump out but watch what happens when former teammates Tyler Coon and Calvin Beamon are on the field in Austin. Dunn was the team's leading hitter last year and since Coon has departed, he will see more time on the mound in 2005. All three of these Aggie signees will balance out the Aggie lineup since they hit from the left side. Another lefty, David Newmann, will help the Aggies on the mound. He was primarily a reliever for the Gators last season but a tremendous start in the JUCO World Series has him primed for a big year on the mound. The San Jacinto program is always loaded but he will be one to watch when he pitches to Stinson all spring in a preview of their time in Aggieland. Richard O'Brien is the only transfer not to pitch or hit from the left side but the shouldn't overshadow a talented young player who split time behind the plate on a Connors State team that was the talk of junior college baseball scene last year as the were #1 most of the season. He will be the primary catcher this spring so his numbers will be even better next season at Connors.

The high school prospects that were brought in with Thompson are found either on the mound on in the outfield. The Aggies attracted a great group of infielders last year and their progress during fall practice showed the coaches that the player that will fill Cliff Pennington's position, likely the only infielder to depart, is already in the Aggie uniform. Outfield is a different story though as John Infante, Andrew Baldwin and Tavis Bartek could be moving on after next year. Now Chance Corgan, Todd Sebek, Keith Stein, Brandon Glover and Chris Jones all showed outfield skills during their freshman fall. Corgan and Jones might both end up on the mound as they progress and the Aggies do not want to have depth problems that could cripple a team in the future, so outfield was an emphasis of the class this fall. Kyle Colligan is underrated, playing in as tough a district as any in the state against the other Fort Bend schools. He is pitched around every game in high school since he has little talent around him but he still was first team all-district. During the summer, when the talent behind him, forced pitchers to come into the strikezone he took it up a level. Jon Kutscherousky is in the same position as Colligan playing at Lake Travis but he shows the power and hitting ability to play in the Big 12 when he does see pitches. He was another player who's summer stats are greater than his high school numbers because he does see better pitches even though the pitcher delivering them is also a higher quality. Anthony Vazquez is a lot like Mike Davis, a left hand pitcher as well as an accomplished outfield. Along with Beorne's Longhorn signee Brad Suttle, these two juniors dominated the San Antonio region as two-way players. Vazquez showed the same kind of results that two major college pitchers, brothers Matt (Stanford) and Jeff (Notre Dame) Manship, showed the previous three seasons for Reagan High. Reagan battles the best team from Corpus every year for a trip to state and many expect another showdown between Vazquez and Reagan against Moody and Louis Flores to advance to state. He will be given a chance to find success either on the mound or in the outfield, like the Corgan and Jones from this year's class. Steven Farris has always looked the part of a thrower, big and strong and able to blow the ball past hitters but this summer the pitching elements finally came together for the young pitcher. He made the Area Code games when many doubted if he would even be a starting pitcher for his high school next spring. I am sure the Aggie coaches hope he did not blossom too soon as the big right-hander could pitch quickly in college if he continues to mature and refine his craft. Every big time program in the country chased Kyle Thebeau commitment. He was second team all-district but his ability outshines his numbers with Stanford, Texas, LSU and Texas A&M are your primary suitors. He still went 4-3 with a 2.06 ERA while striking out 76 in 51 innings pitched. He allowed only 13 walks but in a season where Moody was unbeatable, Caroll took losses against the eventual state champion and missed the playoff for the second straight year. This summer was different for Thebeau as he teamed with Vazquez and Suttle and the South Texas Sliders were one of the top summer teams in the country, losing to Thompson, Colligan and their Houston Kyle Chapman teammates in the finals of the prestigious World Wooden Bat Championship.

This class is another great mix of junior college players and high school talent. Tie to the program, trips to Olsen and the Aggies improving post season results each of the past two years have these players excited about not only playing in Aggieland but being the best the Big 12 has to offer. A&M did miss on prospects but when decisions are made between LSU, Rice, Texas and Texas A&M, factors of playing time, depth chart, scholarship percentage make baseball recruiting as tough as any in college athletics. A&M has players that these other powers wanted in this recruiting class, just as they have player the Aggie coaches offered but as a whole the Aggie Fall Class of 2005 is another talented group that is full of character, not personalities.

11/18/04 11:00 a.m.CT 

Aggies Sign 11 Recruits

Texas A&M baseball signed 11 players in the November early signing period, head coach Mark Johnson announced Thursday. "We are very pleased and excited with this recruiting class," Johnson said. "We recruited for some very specific needs, and we feel this class will meet those needs. We anticipate that a number of these players will be contributors in their initial year at Texas A&M." Of the 11 signees, six are current high school seniors and five will be playing their sophomore year in the junior college ranks this spring. 

Three of the six high school signees are listed on Jason Becker's Texas Baseball News Texas Top 25, including the No. 1 player in the state, left-handed pitcher Aaron Thompson.

2004 Aggie Baseball Signees

OF Kyle Colligan 6-1, 180, R-R, Fr-HS Houston, TX (Fort Bend Dulles)

Kyle picked A&M over Notre Dame, Duke and Louisiana-Lafayette. First team all-district in the same loop at Elkins and Clements is quite an accomplishment. He really picked up his game this summer with the Kyle Chapman All-Stars. He batted leadoff in the World Wooden Bat Championships and went 9-for-21 with 8 run scored and six RBI. No. 24 prospect in Jason Becker¹s Texas Baseball News Texas Top 25. Selected to play in the Texas Scouts Association All-Star game and the Area Code Games.

LHP/OF Mike Dunn 6-1, 185, L-L , Jr-TR Farmington, NM (Cimarron-Memorial High/Community College of Southern Nevada)

He hit .306 last season and received first-team All-Region 18 honors. Led the league with 17 doubles and stole a league high 14 bases. 2003 draft Preview: Large, athletic frame. Excellent strength potential. Very athletic outfielder. Long, easy strides. Glides to ball. Hard contact. Mature, athletic HS outfielder with potential to hit at ML level. Also LHP. Taken in the 33rd round by New York Yankees in 2004 and 14th round by Houston Astros in 2003 Dunn, a pitcher/outfielder who moved to Las Vegas with his family from Farmington, N.M., before his senior year at Cimarron-Memorial High, chose Texas A&M, where longtime friend Kyle Nicholson pitches. Played summer baseball with Elkhart Dusters of the Jayhawk League Earned All-Conference and All-State awards after his senior year in high school. Named the Nevada Player of the Year in 2003.

RHP Steven Farris Houston 6-5, 190, R-R, Fr-HS Houston, TX (Langham Creek)

Turned the corner this summer and his pitching approach is catching up to his physical tools. High eighties fastball is complemented by developing pitches. Recorded a 6-4 record with 66 strikeouts and 26 walks as a junior at Langham Creek High School. Played summer ball for the Langham Creek Red team in the Kyle Chapman League and had a record of 6-1. Earned a spot on the Kyle Chapman All-Star Team Selected to represent the Texas Rangers¹ team in the 2004 Area Code games, held this past July.

OF Jonathan Kutscherousky 6-1, 200, R-R, Fr-HS Austin, TX (Lake Travis)

Kutscherousky features a big time bat with outstanding power potential and a very strong arm from the outfield. Choose A&M over Baylor and TCU. Perfect Games says… Jonathan Kutscherousky is a 2005 OF/P from Austin, TX. Very strong athletic body, Excellent runner, with MLB RF arm strength, Outstanding tools, Big bat, Big power potential, Big time prospect, Very good student. Jonathan Kutscherousky -- Kutscherousky is a strongly built and physically mature junior outfielder from Texas. He not only is strong, but his speed/arm strength tool combination is very good as well and plays at all levels. Kutscherousky took a very good batting practice for us, showing above average loft power potential with good extension and bat speed. He turned on some balls and really crushed them. He's got to be scary with a metal bat in his hands and the pro scouts are going to notice his bat speed and approach, too. We did note that Kutscherousky's game approach was a little more tentative, as if he were overanxious or trying to avoid a strikeout. We'll hope this was a short aberration. Kutscherousky's also a strong student as well. Big time bat with outstanding power potential. Named all-district after his sophomore and junior seasons at Lake Travis High School. Played summer ball for the Austin Grays where he hit .385 with five homeruns, four triples, 14 doubles and stole 12 bases.

LHP David Newmann 6-0, 180, L-L, Jr-TR Houston, TX (Clear Creek/San Jacinto)

The 6-0, 180-pound sophomore was overpowering for the Gators last season, and his complete game win over the eventual national champions Dixie State at the JUCO World Series forced another championship game and earned him all-tournament honors. He allowed only one hit and run while striking out eight and walking nine in the 9-1 victory. Newmann went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA with a save, while striking out 18 in 12 innings while making three appearances at the World Series. He went 6-3 with a 2.58 ERA and three saves last season as a freshman at San Jacinto Junior College. The Cleveland Indians drafted Newmann this year in the 25th round. He spent most of his freshman year as a reliever but he should be a starter on a very talented San Jacinto pitching staff this year. He was injured his junior season in high school, but he went 9-2 and was one of the Houston-area's strikeout leaders his senior season at Clear Creek after replacing Baylor's Mark McCormick as the Wildcat's ace. Newmann pitched this summer for the Liberal Beejays and went 2-2 with a 3.59 ERA with 34 K's in 27 innings. Was named All-County by the Galveston Daily News after his senior season.

C Richard O'Brien 5-11, 199, R-R, Jr-TR Little Rock, AR (Catholic/Connors State)

Played for the Central Illinois Collegiate League champion Buff City Bombers, a top wood bat summer league. He batted .250-3-12 during the summer while starting 25 times behind the plate. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 47th round in each of the last two drafts. Was the starting catcher for Conners State College, which was ranked No.1 in the country in NJCAA Division I all but one week of the 2004 season. Hit .307 with four homers and 24 RBI as a freshman at Conners. Started all four years at Catholic High School, earning all-state honors twice and all-conference honors three times. Hit .400 (108-for-270) with 24 homeruns inn his high school career. Was 6-0 with a 0.45 ERA during his senior year.

Josh Stinson 6-1, 200, L-R, Jr-TR Beaumont, Texas (Port Neches-Groves/Oklahoma/San Jacinto JC)

The transfer catcher started at Oklahoma last year but left for San Jacinto JC after the season. He will fill a huge need for the Aggies since they will lose Justin Pouk and Craig Stinson (no relation) after this season. Stinson was on campus and watching the Aggies the same day as my last update and his commitment should allow the coaches to focus on finding a high school senior to be his backup next year. Stinson hit .248-3-17 while starting 37 games as a true freshman but he really came on in conference play where he hit .314-3-9. Hyaniss Mets: Josh batted .248 in 52 games, including 37 starts, in his freshman season for the Sooners. He hit three home runs, drove in 17 runs, and scored 18 runs while making only one error in 357 chances. Josh played his high school ball at Port Neches-Groves (TX) High, where he was twice an all-district catcher and an All-State honoree after his junior year. In that season he batted .451 with eight homers 47 RBI. He was also named the Most Valuable Player in his district. OU Bio: Highly-touted freshman prospect ... Will have the opportunity for considerable playing time in his first year ... Understands the catching position well ... Possesses some power at the plate. High School: Lettered three years for head coach Jay Stone ... Played behind the plate throughout his prep career ... Hit at a .337 clip in his final two seasons ... Launched eight home runs and recorded 63 RBI, while striking out only 26 times, during that span ... Batted .213 and drove in 16 runs in 2003 ... Earned all-district accolades for the second consecutive year ... Garnered All-State and all-district Most Valuable Player honors as a junior ... Batted .451, scored 31 runs and collected 47 RBI ... Recorded an .835 slugging percentage and a .591 on-base percentage ... Produced 17 extra-base hits including eight home runs, seven doubles and two triples ... Excellent defensive player who posted a .927 fielding percentage ... Led team to a 22-8 record. Personal: Josh David Stinson was born Nov. 17, 1984, in Nederland, Texas ... Parents are James and Libbie Stinson ... Has four older sisters (Michelle, Kristina, Kara and Korinne) ... Father played football at Lamar University ... Sister, Kristina, swam for the University of Texas ... Enrolled in university studies.

RHP/OF Kyle Thebeau 6-0, 180, R-R, Fr-HS Corpus Christi, TX (Carroll)

Thebeau is a former teammate of Aggie SS Cliff Pennington, picked A&M over Rice, Stanford, LSU and Texas. He has long been a star during the summer season and his South Texas Slider's lost the World Wooden Bat Championship to Colligan's Karl Chapman team. In the tournament he was 1-0 with a save as well as going 5-for-18 with a championship game performance that was above average. In the final, he went 2 for 3 with a double and a two run homerun of UH Commit Louis Flores. He is rated among the top 15 players in the state by Jason Becker from www.texasbaseballnews.com and subscribers can read a great interview with Thebeau on that site. Before his junior year he pitched on the Team USA Youth National Teams. This comes from Baseball America: Justin Bristow (Richmond, Va.), Sean O'Sullivan (El Cajon, Calif.) and Lammar Guy (Sanford, Fla.) each homered and Kyle Thebeau (Corpus Christi, Texas) and Ike Davis (Scottsdale) combined on a one-hitter to lead the US Youth National Team to a 16-0 victory over South Africa. The blowout pushed Team USA's record to 4-0 in the IBAF XI "AA" World Youth Championships in Kaohsiung, Taiwan Named the Bay-Area Newcomer of the Year after his freshman season in 2002. Second-team All-District selection in 2004. Selected to attend the Under-18 USA Junior National Team Trials last summer.

LHP Aaron Thompson 6-3, 190, L-L, Fr-HS Houston, TX (Second Baptist)

Thompson is the top lefty in Texas going into this season. TeamOne baseball has him rated as the top lefthander in the country and Baseball America has him listed as the #30 prospect in the nation. He led the Houston Heat team to a summer championship at Perfect Game/World Wood Bat Association Summer Championship. Choose A&M over Texas, LSU and TCU. 2004 Stats: Pitching ---- W/L 9-1 ERA 0.52 146 K's in 80 innings Hitting ---- AB 132 / HITS 46 / AVG. .348 / HR 7 / RBI 47 / SLG. .621

Baseball America had this to say about Thompson: http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/leagues/HS_amateur/040712wwba.html Lefthander Aaron Thompson, a rising senior from Second Baptist High in Houston, picked up a pair of wins on his way to tourney most valuable pitcher honors. Thompson, 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, touched 92 mph in two outings, tossing nine innings without allowing an earned run. He has a smooth, effortless delivery with good extension, allowing for good, late break on a slider and two-seam fastball. 

He led Second Baptist High School to the 2004 5A TAPPS State Championship. Earned spots in the Area Code Games and the Texas Scouts Association All-Star Game. His stepfather¹s father, Charlie Milstead, was the No. 1 recruited quarterback in the state, and played at A&M from 1957-59 before going on to a professional career with the Houston Oilers.

LHP/OF Anthony Vaquez 6-0, 170, L-L, Fr-HS San Antonio, TX (Reagan High)

photo courtesy of http://eteamz.active.com/SA5ABASEBALL/index.cfm?

One of the top two juniors in San Antonio this season, he was All-Greater San Antonio as well as All-District 26-5A as both a pitcher and outfielder. On the mound he was 14-1 with 0.94 ERA, 111 strikeouts while batting .413 with 32 RBIs. Named Class 5A All-State team as selected by the directors of the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association. Only loss was 4-1 in the Region 4 championship series to eventual state champion Corpus Christi Moody and UH signee Louis Flores. Member of the South Texas Sliders this past summer, where he was named to the Connie Mack South Regional All-Tournament Team.

C/1B Jacob Vasquez 6-0, 225, L-R, Jr-TR Diamond Bar, CA (High/Santa Ana JC)

Freshman catcher/first baseman Jacob Vasquez was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 1197th overall pick in the 40th round. The first team all-OEC selection played in all of Santa Ana's 38 games and led the team in RBI (58) and walks (19); and was second in batting average (.396), hits (59), doubles (13), home runs (8), slugging percentage (.644) and on-base percentage (.483); third in at bats (149); and fourth in runs scored (43). Vasquez was also named to the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association (CCCBCA) 2004 All-America Team as a designated hitter. His numbers are more impressive when you consider that sophomore OF Trevor Mortensen, the OEC Player of the Year, was his teammate and overshadowed his offensive numbers. Mortenson was drafter three rounds behind Vasquez and is expected to start for defending national champions Cal-State Fullerton this year. High School: Lettered in baseball as a junior and senior at Diamond Bar H.S…Earned First Team all-Sierra League honors both years…Was a Scholar-Athlete recipient…Majoring in education

10/18/04 8:45 a.m.CT 

Slugfest Caps Fall World Series 

The final game of the 2004 Fall World Series turned out like many Big 12 Sunday ballgames, lost of hitting and not nearly enough pitching.  With the series already decided, the Sunday game was more for pride than any thing else.

The Pelicans, watching the flags fly straight out at centerfield, jumped on top in the first inning.  Cliff Pennington stroked a one-out double to right-center, and stole third before John Infante walked to put runners at the corners against freshman Erik Paulson.  Pennington came home on a wild pitch and Infante moved to third before Coby Mavroulis launched his second homerun of the series over the right field wall. 

The Virus struck back in the top of the third with a two-out rally.  Todd Sebek singled to center and came all the way around to score on a double to right-center by Kyle Nicholson.  He moved to third on the throw home and scored when a ball tossed back to the mound got away from the pitcher, Brian Steinoucher.  The Virus went back on top in the next inning, Parker Dalton led off the inning with a single to right before Austin Boggs homered to right to make the score 4-3 for the visitors. 

That lead would be short lived, as the Pelicans would take out their frustrations on Virus reliever Austin Creps.  He allowed seven runs, six earned, and six hits in two innings.  An error by Dalton on a tailor made double play ball up the middle opened the door for five runs after the misplay.  Infante took advantage with a RBI double down the right field line and Mavroulis drove home two with a single into right to make the score 8-4.  The Pelicans scored two more in the fifth, Chris Jones singled before a Bartek walk and Will Carpenter moved both up with a sacrifice bunt.  Lance Harvell's ground ball to second scored Jones and Bartek later scored on a wild pitch.  Infante continued to pound the ball, homering to left of Evan Gerald to start the sixth.  Mavroulis singled to left and went all the way to third on another single to left by Pouk.  Jones then drove home Mavroulis with a sacrifice fly to center to make the score 12-4.

Cliff Pennington came into pitch for the Pelicans in the top of the seventh but Parker Dalton found a hole for his fourth hit of the day.  Boggs drew a full-count walk to put runners at first and second before both moved up on a wild pitch by Pennington.  After two outs, Keith Stein singled to left, scoring Dalton. In a throw that just beat him to the plate, Boggs was cut down at the plate on a fine throw by Bartek.    The Virus infected Pennington again in the eighth, Nicholson's second hit of the game, a one-out double to the wall into deep left-center got the ball rolling and he moved to third on a single up the middle by Corgan.  Lee Harughty grounded out to second to score 12 to 7. 

The Pelicans responded in the bottom of the eighth.  Pouk started the inning with single up the middle before Jones and Carpenter walked to load the bases.  Pitcher turned right fielder Kyle Marlatt, entering the game when Pennington went to the mound, singled Pouk home with a hard hit ball to center.  Jess Buenger picked up his fourth hit of the game, a solid double to the gap, that scored Jones and Carpenter and Pennington ended the scoring with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Marlatt for the 16-7 final. 

Coby Mavroulis did pitch the ninth inning for the Pelicans and he retired the side in order, striking out Andy Howes to end the ballgame.

Hitter of the game:

When you have 23 runs score, there are plenty of candidates.  Parker Dalton went 4-of-5 with three runs scored, a great stat line for a lead off hitter, but his counterpart Jess Buenger was just as impressive with his 4-of-6 performance with three RBI.  That being said, the hitter of the game is going to go to Coby Mavroulis, 3-of-5 with two run scored and four RBI.  His two run homerun in the first set the tone for the Pelicans and they carried that hot start through eight solid innings at the plate.

Pitcher of the game:

Tyler Soeder was awarded the win after pitching 1.2 scoreless innings, quite a feat on a windy afternoon when seven other pitchers allowed 27 runs and 27 hits in the other 15.1 innings.  Honorable mention goes to Coby Mavroulis, working one inning with one strikeout while facing the heart of the Virus lineup.

Game Five Box Score

10/15/04 10:30 p.m.CT

Virus Split to Take Title

 The Virus rallied once again for another late inning victory and took the night cap of a double header for a 3-2 series clinching victory.  Game five will be for pride as the virus have already won the fall world series with their three wins.

Game Three:

The Virus jumped out on top but they were unable to keep the Pelicans from scooping up a victory with a mid-inning rally.  The Virus scored two runs in the first inning, freshman Keith Stein and Todd Sebek both singled to start the game and Stein scored on a third straight hit, off the bat of Austin Boggs.  Craig Stinson grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to score Sebek but starting pitcher Clayton Turner would settle down and keep his team in the game.  He would work out of a two-out jam in the third before his team rallied in the fourth. 

His counterpart, Chance Corgan, had silenced the Pelican bats for the first three innings, allowing only a double in the first and back-to-back singles in the second before cruising through the third.  John Infante jumped on the first pitch of the fourth for a single into centerfield and Coby Mavroulis tied the game at two with a majestic homerun to right that easily crossed the fence.  Justin Pouk made it back-to-back jacks with his homerun to left to give the Pelicans the lead.  Andrew Baldwin then drew a full count walk before Corgan was relieved by Blake Rampy.  Chris Jones nearly cleared the bases with a run scoring triple to center and he came home on a grounder by Jess Buenger to make the score 5-2. 

Back to back walks caused Turner some problems in the top of the fifth but after working out of that jam, he wasn’t really challenged before giving way to Tyler Seoder in the seventh.  Soeder allowed a one-out single by Stein before ending the game on a double play by Sebek.  The Pelicans scored an insurance run earlier in the sixth after a Will Carpenter double and an error by Ryan Hill with two outs for an unearned run.  The final was 6-2 with Turner getting the win after throwing six innings with the two runs while walking four and allowing five hits and striking out two.  Hart Hering and Evan Gerald also pitched for the Virus.

Game Four:

Another pitchers duel but neither starter would figure in the decision.  An unearned run was the only score allowed by Dan Donaldson during his stint on the mound.  A bases loaded infield single had scored Andy Howes in the second for a 1-0 lead.  Howes had reached on an error by Pennington in front of a double by Corgan and Kyle Nicholson walked to load the bases.  Lee Harughty grounder was stopped in the outfield grass by Pennington but he had no chance retire a runner on the play.

Jon Micheal Cline threw three 3.1 innings allowing two runs in the fourth inning before being relieved by Austin Creps.  Cline allowed John Infante a single to start the frame before a fielder’s choice grounder by Mavroulis erased Infante.  Mavroulis moved the third on a double by Pouk to left-center field.  Baldwin drove home both runners with a single to right to score two.  Creps struck out Jones and Buenger to end the fourth and after a hard hit line drive to right by Carpenter, he struck out Pennington and Bartek to finish the fifth.  He allowed two hits in the sixth but work out of trouble with a fielder’s choice grounder by Jones to end the inning. 

Justin Sokol had relieved Donaldson and fielded a groundout to end the fourth with men at the corners and he worked the fifth inning 1-2-3.  Sokol hit Hill to lead off the sixth and after a hard liner to left by Stein, Andy Howes socked a two-run homer near the old scoreboard in left-centerfield.  It made the score 3-2 and brought Aggie closer Kevin Whelan to the mound in the seventh.  He struck out Buenger and Carpenter before Pennington singled to left.  He stole second but was stranded when Whelan struck out Bartek looking to end the game.  Creps picked up the win and Sokol took the loss while Whelan earned his second save.

Batter of the night:

Justin Pouk is back and the Aggie offense sure missed him last season.  He went 3-for-6 with a homerun and a double in the two games while scoring twice.   Pouk’s ability to get on base is a key for the Aggies but his ability to hit for extra bases is a key as well.  He can play catcher, third and first, giving the coaches a talented, experienced player for next season.

Pitcher of the night:

Kevin Whelan showed why he is a likely high round pick in both of his saves but striking out the side tonight was a big key for the Virus.  He is pitching with command and now that he has an off-speed pitch, his mid-nineties fastball looks even faster to the batters.  It is amazing to watch him dominate teammates that have seen him pitch all fall, that bodes well for the spring where opponents have little scouting and will likely see him for the first time since, he did not pitch much during his sophomore season.

Game Three Box Score

Game Four Box Score

10/15/04 10:30 a.m.CT

Fall World Series Games One and Two Recap (LINK: Game 1 and Game 2 Photos)

The Virus won both games of the Thursday doubleheader to take the lead in the series 2-0.

The Virus scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a Cliff Pennington throwing error to rally from two down for a 6-5 victory. Blake Rampy picked up the win and Chris Jones was saddled with the hard luck loss.

The seventh inning started with a walk to Chance Corgan before a bloop single to right by Tyler Hohman. Parker Dalton laced a first pitch single to centerfield to score Corgan but John Infante's throwing error allowed both runners to move up a base. That error would prove costly as following a strikeout, Pennington was forced to throw off-balance across the infield instead of retiring Dalton at second base.

It spoiled a solid pitching performance from the Pelican's Jason Meyer, he threw 5.1 innings of two hit baseball but his five walks caused him problems. He allowed three earned runs. Clayton Turner threw two thirds of an inning in relief of Meyer. Pennington and Infante and each had two hits for the Pelicans. Infante scored three times and one of those runs came on an opposite field homerun leading off the third.

The Pelicans scored single runs in the first and second innings as well. Pouk drove home Infante with a two out single to right field and Pennington drove home Jones, the designated hitter, in the second. Jones had stolen second and moved to third on a groundball for first before a tremendous catch in centerfield by Corgan kept Jones from coming home. That catch put the pressure on the Aggie junior shortstop and Pennington delivered a shot up the middle to plate Jones.

Meyer got himself into trouble in the fourth, walking Austin Boggs and compounding the problem with two wild pitches to move him to third. He scored on a passed ball to make it 3-1. Stinson then drew a one out walk and he went to third on a double to right by Andy Howes. Todd Sebek drove home Stinson with a sacrifice fly to right and Keith Stein drove home Howes with a single up the middle to knot the score at three. The Pelicans regained the lead with two runs in the fifth. Infante and Mavroulis drew one out walks off Robert Ray and reliever Hart Hering hit Justin Pouk to load the bases. Andrew Baldwin single to left to score Infante and Mavroulis before Hering coaxed a double play ground ball off the bat of Jones to end the inning.

Game two saw the Virus rally again, this time in the third and once again a Pennington error opened the door for the Virus. Craig Stinson drove home Parker Dalton and Ryan Hill with a single to right field to cap the scoring. Dalton had single to right with one out in the inning and Marlatt retired Boggs with a fly ball to left before Hill's grounder to Pennington. Pouk threw out Stinson trying to steal to end the inning.

Pennington had given the Pelicans a 1-0 lead in the top of the first in game two when he singled, stole second and third before coming home on a single by Travis Bartek. Doug Frame allowed another single to Infante to put runners at the corners before striking out Mavroulis and getting a lineout double play of the bat of Justin Pouk to retire Infante and end inning. Frame allowed another single to start the second by Andrew Baldwin but that was it as the Pelicans were held without a hit the final six innings. Kevin Whelan pitched the seventh and picked up the save. Marlatt was the hard luck loser, the two unearned runs did him in. He allowed only five hits while striking out three and walking two in his six innings pitched. Brian Steinocher struck out one in the seventh to close out the Pelican's pitching line.

Whelan once again dominated and looks to be as tough a closer as there will be in the Big 12 this spring. He struck out Mavroulis and Baldwin, working his two-seam fastball as well the four-seam pitch. He also retired Pouk on a foul-out to first, a staple of the hard throwing right hander this fall as batters are unable to get around on his fastball.

Doug Frame might not have had the speed that he showed last spring but he was more importantly a pitcher in game two. He worked his off-speed pitch for strikes and two of his three strikeouts were looking. Marlatt was nearly as effective but his defense did not make the plays behind him to pull in the victory.

Pitcher of the Night: It would be hard to go against Frame, allowing only one run and no hits after the second pitch of the second inning. It was easily his most impressive performance that I have seen. As he returns to full strength between now and the spring, he could have shown the ammunition to be a starting pitcher for the Ags next year.

Doug Frame Pitched an Excellent Ballgame

Hitter of the Night: John Infante went 3-for-6 with three runs scored and his opposite field shot was the only homerun of the night into a breeze that started strong into the hitter's faces before dropping to nearly nothing as the night went on. It was the third opposite field homerun I have seen from the junior this fall and it shows that he will take the ball the opposite way instead of trying to pull the ball out of the park, a sure sign of maturity from the junior.

John Infante celebrates after hitting his homerun

Box Scores

Fall World Series Game One      Fall World Series Game Two

10/14/04 9:30 a.m.CT

Fall World Series Tonight....

Game 1 and 2 of the Fall World Series start tonight and we will have wall to wall coverage here online.  We will have box scores from each and every game as well as a quick recap.  We will also bring you pictures of all the new players, wearing their Aggie uniforms for the first time ever!!  Check back for those updates and links to the new features as the FWS is played tonight through Sunday.

Here are my projected lineups for each team. 

Virus C- Craig Stinson 1B- Andy Howes 2B-Ryan Hill SS-Parker Dalton 3B-Austin Boggs LF-Todd Sebek CF-Chance Corgan RF Keith Stein DH-Tyler Hohman When Corgan pitches I think we will see Ryan Hill in Right and Stein in center with Hohman moving to second. 

Pelicans C- Justin Pouk 1B- Coby Mavroulis 2B-Jess Beunger SS-Cliff Pennington 3B-Will Carpenter LF-Travis Bartek CF-John Infante RF-Andrew Baldwin DH-Chris Jones

http://sports.tamu.edu/index_full.php?pageID=1170&SID=MBA has the complete roster for both teams.

10/6/04 9:30 a.m.CT

At Practice again...

I was finally able to see another group of pitcher perform and I was certainly happy that I did. I watched an assortment of veterans, transfers and freshman take the mound with varied success but encouragement for the most part.  Eric Paulson, Austin Creps, Chance Corgan, Justin Sokol, Tyler Soeder, Kevin Whelan, Blake Rampy and Coby Mavroulis all hit the hill and made it tough at times for the Aggie bats to get it going.  I know the first reaction is to asking about a first baseman/outfielder on the mound but we will get to him in just a second or two. 

Paulson worked three innings and allowed three runs, a big double by Andrew Baldwin started a two run frame in the second and Keith Stein delivered a homerun in the third against his freshman teammate.  Stein has been solid in his batting each and every time I have ventured to Olsen and he has a bright future.  Paulson does as well; he only walked on batter and made the away team put the ball in play.  Creps did the same thing for home squad and allowed only one run.  The run came in the first inning and illustrated what will be a key for the Aggie offense in the spring.  SS Cliff Pennington reached on a single, disrupted Creps while at first base and helped cause a wild pitch.  He then stole third and scored on what would have likely been a double play ball to short off the bat of freshman Chris Jones.  Pennington did the same thing this summer at the Cape and that ability will cause plenty of headaches for opponents this next season.  Creps did settle down and pitched much better after the first inning.  He set his opponents down 1-2-3 in the second and after allowing two singles to start the third he worked out of the jam, getting a caught stealing by catcher Justin Pouk to Tyler Hohman at third for the first out, a strikeout Todd Sebek before exacting a little revenge by retiring Pennington on a ground ball to second. 

Corgan and Sokol went at each other for the next three innings.  Transfer Ryan Hill, playing right field for the away team, reached on a single to greet Corgan but the freshman showed why he has such a bright future in Aggieland.  He pitched well and got a foul out and a double play grounder to erase Hill to end the third inning, and then he retired the next six batters in order with two called strikeouts.  Corgan, with only 25 players on a weekend roster, has already shown the ability to play multiple positions and he will likely make a big contribution in the spring if he continues to impress like he has so far.  Sokol did not fare as well but he still battled and showed good ammunition in his three innings.  Jones and Craig Stinson greeted him with singles to start the fourth inning before Travis Bartek plated Jones with sacrifice fly.  Sokol retired four more in a row after that but ran into trouble with two outs in the fifth.  Todd Sebek and Pennington each reached on singles and a walk by Jones loaded the bases for Stinson.  He hit a ball on the ground and Hohman made a tremendous play to glove the ball, but he was unable to beat Pennington to the bag so the bases remained loaded.  Sokol battled back and retired Bartek on a pop up to second to end that frame.  Mavroulis made a tremendous catch in foul territory to retire his counterpart Andy Howes starting the sixth and Sokol coaxed ground balls from two of the next three batters to end his outing.

Soeder had the roughest performance on the day, and since I am watching the Aggies play the Aggies, it is alright for someone to get hit around a bit.  Paker Dalton would have reached but he hit the ball into the glove of Pennington and his tremendous throw from deep in the hole (or left field if you want to call it that) nipped him in a bang-bang play at first.  Hill had the first of four straight hard hit balls, in his case a double, for the away team, and he scored on a hard hit single by Pouk.  Sebek’s accurate throw to second retired the sliding Pouk at second but Baldwin legged out another double and scored on Mavroulis’ single to really produce at the plate.  After getting a fly ball to end the inning, Soeder’s second trip to the mound was only a little better.  A one out error by Pennington put a runner at first but Soeder promptly picked them off, it was a good move and it had better timing as a single and another error put two runners on before he retired the side.  It didn’t help that Whelan dominated while facing him either.  Perception was the Soeder really struggled because you saw the Aggies closer blowing gas in the other half innings.  Whelan worked between 90-94 on his fastball and his breaking pitch was between 80-85 in both innings.  Stein grounded out to second and Dalton had one of the two well struck balls I had seen off Whelan this fall when he flew out to center.  He struck out Jones looking to end the seventh and he struck out Stinson, Bartek and Howes in the eighth and the radar guns showed the ability as much as the strikeouts did. 

Rampy reminded me of what Rampy did last year.  When under control his pitches are as tough as any but if he gets a little off in his form he struggles with walks.  Singles with one out in the ninth inning by Pouk and Baldwin were followed by a Will Carpenter strikeout and a walk to Hohman to fill the bases.  John Infante drew a bases loaded walk to drive in a run before Rampy rebounded with a strike out to end the inning. He was better in the tenth, a leadoff walk was erased on a fielder’s choice ground ball and a fly-out to center and a line drive to short ended his appearance.  Now to Coby Mavroulis the pitcher.  First off he is a pitcher when he is on the mound, not just a thrower. He had a leadoff walk against him but he retired three straight, including a strikeout, to end his first inning.  As telling as his zero on the scoreboard that inning was the reaction by Austin Boggs when he had to foul pitch after pitch off to keep his at bat alive.  Mavroulis worked mostly in the mid eighties but he did throw a bit harder at times.  Just like Corgan, having players with the ability to help at another position, even if just in a pinch, gives your college baseball teams a decided advantage when the roster sizes are reduced on the weekend and in the playoffs.  Now Pennington did him in again, starting his second inning with a double, stealing third and coming home on another ground ball to short by Jones. Mavroulis struck out Stinson (shaking his head as he went back to the dugout) and he retired Bartek on a grounder back to the mound and it looked to me if the Aggies have another left hander that could help on the mound this spring.

Here are the Aggies that can play multiple positions and give the team help in a variety of ways this spring:  Justin Pouk-catcher and first base, Coby Mavroulis-first base; outfield and pitcher; Kyle Nicholson-infield and pitcher; Ryan Hill-infield and outfield; Chris Jones-pitcher, outfield and first base; Chance Corgan-pitcher and outfield; Jordan Chambless-pitcher and outfield; and Cliff Pennington-infield and pitcher.  Could one of these players be an all-star utility man like former star Scott Beerer?  Time will tell…

A bit of recruiting housekeeping, I haven’t mentioned that the Aggies have had a commitment from San Jacinto LHP David Newmann for a few weeks now. The 6-0, 180-pound sophomore was overpowering for the Gators last season, and his complete game win over the eventual national champions Dixie State at the JUCO World Series forced another championship game and earned him all-tournament honors. He allowed only one hit and run while striking out eight and walking nine in the 9-1 victory. Newmann went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA with a save, while striking out 18 in 12 innings while making three appearances at the World Series. The Cleveland Indians drafted Newmann this year in the 25^th round.  He spent most of his freshman year as a reliever but he should be a starter on a very talented San Jacinto pitching staff this year. He was injured his junior season in high school, but he went 9-2 and was one of the Houston-area's strikeout leaders his senior season at Clear Creek after replacing Baylor’s Mark McCormick as the Wildcat’s ace. Newmann pitched this summer for the Liberal Beejays and went 2-2 with a 3.59 ERA with 34 K’s in 27 innings.

10/1/04 3:30 p.m.CT

A Little Recruiting Rant...

Not that it matters that much but Collegiate Baseball released their rankings yesterday.  The Aggies were among the five Big 12 teams listed among the top 16 recruiting classes.  The only problem is looking deeper at the numbers and they had the Aggies with 12 recruits in the enrolling class.  Well the Aggies actually had 17 recruits come to campus and only feeds a perception that has grown the past couple of years that not only have the Aggies not recruited as well as Texas but now Rice, Baylor and Houston have passed the Aggies by as well.  These rankings factor into that discussion and when Rice is rated one spot in front of the Aggies but they have everyone in their class included in the rankings and the Aggie’s only have two thirds evaluated, it chaps my hide.  Two years ago at the height of the criticism of Mark Johnson and his coaching staff, they went out and recruited four All-Americans (including freshman All-Americans), but you would never have known it looking at the recruiting rankings.  Cliff Pennington, Cory Patton, Scott Beerer, Jason Meyer and after their performances this summer, both Kevin Whelan and Robert Ray will be pre-season All-Americans as well.  Last year Austin Boggs and Zach Jackson added to the All-American hardware but the negative ninnies out there will never give these coaches the pat on the back they deserve after scouring the country months at a time to evaluate not only a player that will turn into an All-American but also a player that will show up on campus. 

This is not the first year that Collegiate Baseball snubbed the Aggies in the ranking, last year they had that class not among the nation’s top 30 but they were behind five teams in the Big 12. Texas topped the list of conference teams as they were ranked No. 5 and OSU was ranked No. 7. Other conference teams ranked were Oklahoma (No. 9), Baylor (No. 19) and Nebraska (No. 30). Now in 2002 the rankings were just as bad.  Defending national champion Texas came in at No. 6 and Baylor at No. 13. Oklahoma State was ranked No. 22 and Nebraska was just below the Pokes at No. 23 to close out the conference schools in the poll.  Two years later and Texas has had five All-Americans from the two classes (Transfer  J. P. Howell and freshman Taylor Teagarden, Kyle McCullough, Drew Stubbs and Carson Kainer), Nebraska two (freshman Alex Gordon and Tim Schoeninger), Baylor two (Freshman Abe Woody and Ryan LaMotta), Texas Tech two (JUCO Transfers Josh Brady and Cameron Blair) and OSU one (JUCO transfer Spencer Grogan).  So even though they were nowhere in the rankings, the Aggie eclipsed everyone in the league in producing All Americans on the field.  Before the Orangebloods get in an uproar, it is no slight on them that several top players redshirted last season and they could be named freshman All-American this year (like a Jason Meyer) and boost the ‘Horn numbers.  Rice has pitchers that could burst onto the scene this year since many were stuck behind the big four the past two years but I don’t think anyone from Houston will explode onto the scene.  There isn’t any team in the Big12 region, outside of Austin, that wouldn’t have killed to put these talented players on the field.

You can look at the rankings yourself at http://www.baseball-news.com/recruiting/recruiting_results.htm

9/29/04 2:30 p.m.CT

Out at Olsen...

It seems like I have the rotation of the pitching staff down pretty good if I want to see Jason Meyer, Robert Ray, Kyle Marlatt, and Dan Donaldson on the hill.  All three trips out to Olsen have had those pitchers on the mound.  Meyer threw pretty well, allowing only two runs, but those were hard earned runs and he is showing the form that earned him All-America honors last year.  Donaldson ran into some trouble with his control as he allowed five in his four innings.  The first two runs scored against him without a hit.  Robert Ray was the most impressive of the bunch, working out of a tight jam in his first inning and then dominating with an ASSORTMENT of pitches.  That was very encouraging since he did not depend on his fastball and it was almost unfair to watch him throw a breaking pitch behind in the count for strikes.  If he continues to throw this same assortment of pitches in the spring, it will be a big year for the junior as well as the team.  Marlatt was better than I had seen him the first two times out, only allowing two runs but he did have some highlights.  I did not get to see both innings that Kevin Whelan and Hart Herring were scheduled but Whelan was throwing hard and Herring’s side-winding style gave the couple of right-handers I saw him work against trouble.  Pouk and Stinson caught the majority of the game and even though Stinson is a better defensive player, Pouk can still get the ball to second in less than 1.9 seconds. 

It was great to Cliff Pennington back at shortstop and his return to full speed has to be encouraging to the coaches, teammates and the scouts in the stands.  He is the captain of this team, pumping up his teammates and really blossoming into a leader on the diamond and in the dugout.  No one is harder on themselves after an error or when making an out in the batter’s box.  

The hitting star of the day had to be John Infante, who played on the home team.  He stroked two opposite field homeruns and really showed a good eye with another single and a walk for a perfect day at the plate.  Hard luck batter, had to go to Pouk, he hit into an 8-4-3 triple play in the first inning and a double play his second time up.  2B Ryan Hill went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Pennington had a walk and a double that would have been a triple if not for the coaches holding him cautiously at second.  Freshman Chance Corgan had a walk and a single and his classmate Brandon Glover delivered a big, two-out double into right field and he continues to impress.  He used his speed to drive home a run in his first at bat when he beat out a double play ground ball. The designated away team also had to key hits.  Coby Mavroulis played left this afternoon and had a triple and a single and scored a run.  Andy Howes went the other way with a pitch for a double and later scored on a grounder by Austin Boggs.  He had already scored after singling in the second.  Keith Stein drove home Mavroulis with a single and had another hit in his last at-bat of the day.  Andrew Baldwin drove home Boggs in the second on an RBI single.

9/24/04 10:30 a.m.CT

Another Day at Olsen...

Another beautiful day out at Olsen Field as the Aggies went at each other in another inter-squad scrimmage.  The best news was that Cliff Pennington was able to hit, and hopefully he will be back on the diamond at shortstop sooner, rather than later.

The scouts were out in full force as well with both Robert Ray and Kevin Whelan spending time on the mound.  I did not see Ray but Whelan’s power stuff was evident early.  He started his first inning with two straight strikeouts before a foul pop to Coby Mavroulis at first ended the frame.  His next inning started the same way before the first Aggie batter was able to catch up to his speed and ground out to the left side of the infield.  He ended his stint on the mound with a can of corn to right.  Five of six batters striking out or hitting the ball to the right side is just what the Aggies want to see from next year’s closer.  The Aggies also sent Jason Meyer, Kyle Marlatt, Dan Donaldson, Clayton Tuner, and freshman Erik Paulson to the mound.  The pitchers are still ahead of the hitters and limited pitch counts mean batters face a new pitcher nearly every time the come to the plate so it is a positive when they do get a hold of one.

This freshman class is full of talent and seeing them on the field shows not much drop off in the future.  With Ryan Hill taking second base this day, he switches out between second and short with Parker Dalton on a daily basis, Blake Stouffer showed good hands and quickness at shortstop.  Anyone who thinks that A&M did not get a player because “Texas didn’t offer him”, needs to see his skills and think about Austin Boggs last season.  Stouffer also hit the ball hard and looks good as another switch hitter.  Jess Buenger played second with Dalton for the opposing team and his athletic ability has to have the coaches excited about his progress on the right side of the second base bag.  He is still learning the pivot and taking some of his arm action out of the throw but he looks like a natural. At the plate he had a two run single of Turner while batting from the left side, he is also a switch hitter, funny thing is I haven’t seen him bat from the right side as the high school game I went to faced him against right-handers the whole game.  Also on the infield at third base is Elkin’s Will Carpenter.  While Boggs has the job locked up for the next two years, Carpenter is already a good-looking athlete and you can tell he has played at the highest level with his smooth transition to third base.   He made the routine play and showed a good arm.  Keith Stein played in the outfield and had an RBI at the plate, continuing to show his natural swing from the left side of the batters box.  Now to Brandon Glover, he has to be the fastest Aggie since Jayson Tyner and if he is able to put the ball in play like the former All-American, the coaches will have to find a place to play him.  He might not be as quick out of the box as Tyner but he already has shown the ability to get the ball down on the ground and force the defense to get him out without any problems or watch him beat a throw.  He can also cover the ground in the outfield and is a very exciting prospect for the future.

Another new name on the roster is a walk-on catcher from A&M Consolidated that has spent the last three years at Richland JC.  Lance Harvell redshirted his first season for the Thunderducks but helped them win there second and third straight national championships on the field.  Here is a good article about him from the B/CS Eagle.

http://www.brazossports.com/columnists/052904cessna.htm

Justin Fiske, who played for A&M Consolidated last year, pitched the Richland College Thunderducks junior college baseball team to an 11-1 victory over Montgomery College of Germantown, Pa., on Thursday in Batavia, N.Y.. That gave the Dallas’ school its third straight NJCAA Division III World Series title.

Fiske tossed a seven-hitter, striking out 10 and walking four. He was named to the 12-player all-tournament team.

Fiske’s batterymate was Lance Harvell, who also played at A&M Consolidated. Harvell, a sophomore, played on last year’s championship team.

Richland, 49-16, won four straight games at the tournament.

Fiske was 10-2 heading to New York with a 2.36 earned run average. He had three complete games, two of them shutouts. He struck out 77 in his first 91.2 innings. Harvell was batting .325 in 54 games with 13 doubles, a triple, two home runs and 27 runs batted in. He had an on-base percentage of .433 and slugging percentage of .459.

9/21/04 8:30 a.m.CT

First day of Practice...

The Aggies opened up baseball practice yesterday and it was great to see the Maroon and White back on the diamond.  With Cliff Pennington still working through his injury, Paker Dalton and newcomer Ryan Hill manned the shortstop position on the first day of practice.  Pennington did throw on the side but he did not participate in the scrimmage. 

The pitchers were ahead of the hitters for most of the simulated game but it was good to see Coby Mavroulis, Justin Pouk and Craig Stinson hit the ball hard.  The Aggies ran several pitchers out for a limited amount of work on the first day (around 20 pitches).  I saw Robert Ray, Dan Donaldson, Clayton Turner, Chris Jones and Kevin Whelan all take a turn on the mound.  Clayton Turner is a transfer from Northwestern State in Louisiana and here is his bio:

RHP Clayton Turner, 6-0, 190, R/R, Sr-TR, Taylor, TX (Taylor High School)

Northwestern State starting pitcher Clayton Turner was selected in the 27th round from the Oakland Athletics in the second day of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. The junior from Taylor, Texas, was the 817th player taken in the second day of the draft.

An All-Southland Conference first team selection, Turner led the team in 2004 with a 10-3 record and a 3.50 earned run average while the Demons posted a 33-23 overall record and a second place finish in the league standings. He also became just the fourth player in school history to record over 100 strikeouts in a season when he fanned 103 in 100.1 innings pitched. At one point during the season, Turner won nine consecutive decisions.

He was named to the 2004 LSWA All-Louisiana baseball team First Team along with other pitchers Thomas Diamond from UNO, J.R. Crowel from Tulane, and Nate Bumstead from LSU.

As a sophomore in the 2003 Season: Appeared in 11 games compiling a 3-0 record and a 4.81 earned run average... Started five games tossing 33.2 innings while striking out 30... Opponents batted just .228 against him last year. Prior to NSU: Played at McClennan Community College in Waco, Texas… Went 7-2 with a 2.19 ERA as a freshman… Played in the Texas/New Mexico All-Star game… Team finished second in regionals. Turner in High School: Lettered two seasons in baseball and two in football at Taylor High School… Two-time all-district outfielder… All-state performer as a senior… Team advanced to the regional finals in junior and senior seasons.

9/13/04 2:15 p.m.CT

Coming up this week...

At look at the rest of the position players for the Aggies and a look at the pitching staff as well heading into next weeks start of practice.  We will give you updates leading up to the Fall World Series that has the following schedule (moved back one week):

Speaking of schedules, the  2005 Schedule was released by the Athletic Department and you can find it here....

9/3/04 1:30 p.m.CT

Aggies pick up two more Baseball Commitments.

RHP/OF Kyle Thebeau from Corpus Christi Carroll, former teammate of Aggie SS Cliff Pennington,  picked A&M over Rice, Stanford, LSU and Texas. He has long been a star during the summer season and his South Texas Slider’s lost the World Wooden Bat Championship to Colligan’s Karl Chapman team.  In the tournament he was 1-0 with a save as well as going 5-for-18 with a championship game performance that was above average.   In the final, he went 2 for 3 with a double and a two run homerun of UH Commit Louis Flores.  He is rated among the top 15 players in the state by Jason Becker from www.texasbaseballnews.com and subscribers can read a great interview with Thebeau on that site.

Before his junior year he pitched on the Team USA Youth National Teams.  This comes from Baseball America:  Justin Bristow (Richmond, Va.), Sean O'Sullivan (El Cajon, Calif.) and Lammar Guy (Sanford, Fla.) each homered and Kyle Thebeau (Corpus Christi, Texas) and Ike Davis (Scottsdale) combined on a one-hitter to lead the US Youth National Team to a 16-0 victory over South Africa. The blowout pushed Team USA's record to 4-0 in the IBAF XI "AA" World Youth Championships in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.  

He allowed only one hit while walking one and striking out four in that appearance. Like future teammate LHP Aaron Thompson, Thebeau has family already attending Texas A&M and even though he throws in the mid-nineties, he to will be considered a tough sign for major league baseball.

8/31/04 10:30 a.m.CT

First Base Preview 2004-05

Not since John Scheschuk fielded and hit at the position to a near All-American level in 1999, until last year’s emergence of Coby Mavroulis, had the Aggie fans seen the combination of defensive excellence and steady bat work by an Aggie first baseman.  Travis Wong was on his way to a break out season before failing to follow team rules and it cost him and the team, Neal Stephenson did yeoman’s work out of position as did Scott Beerer in 2003.  Mavroulis was the compete package and if he boost his power numbers this year, he will be remembered like Scheschuk.  The Aggies will look for depth this year and brought in transfers and freshman to compete for at bats behind the junior Mavroulis.  Looking at the roster, any of the new freshman infielders could also play first but it might turn out that a current player could also see time at the first sack.  Last year might have been the first time for Mavroulis to play the position in the Maroon and White but it was not his first time to play first base.  Mavroulis spent almost all summer in 2001 playing first base for a Dallas Mustang team the advanced to the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, New Mexico.  The Aggie coaches moved Mavroulis to first in order to decrease his chances of re-injuring his back, a problem that had cost him nearly 60 games in his first two seasons in Aggieland.  The Aggie coaches thought he would be a star as a freshman, just like Cliff Pennington and Austin Boggs the following two seasons, as he jumped out of the box with a .356 batting average in his first 18 games.  Before injuring his back before conference play, that stretch included a nine game hitting streak and he was well on his way to freshman All-American honors.  Injuring himself again early in the 2003 campaign led to a medical red-shirt but Mavroulis hit the ground running in the fall of 2003 and showed the same hitting prowess that he has his whole career and the ability to play nearly flawless defense at first base.  In fact he had only one error in 522 chances and scooped many a hard throw from the strong-armed Pennington during the season.  Mavroulis did “tweak” his back in the Rice Super Regional while falling into the Aggie dugout chasing a foul ball so the Aggies will need to establish a backup in the fall.  Andy Howes played first base in wood bat leagues in JC ball and in the Texas Collegiate League so he could be a better hitter than his numbers indicate from both leagues.  He is a big body but has played the position long enough to show some good defensive instincts at the position.  He was a team captain at Chandler-Gilbert and was the Coyote Award winner this past season when he hit around .380, the high batting average on a team that had 12 players sign with Division one schools or go right into pro baseball.  Howes will be a sophomore in eligibility and he just reminds me of Jeff Freeman, a good fielder with gap power and a good eye at the plate.  Justin Pouk has played and practiced at first base during his career and if the Aggie coaches need to get his bat in the lineup against a left-handed pitcher that could give Mavroulis problems, Pouk might be the answer.  The Aggies could also play transfer Ryan Hill at first base but his future is likely in the middle of the diamond if not in the outfield.  We will take a look at Hill at another position, second base, and any of the other freshmen might move to first if more depth is needed.

Keys to the Fall: Establish depth at the position.  Who knows, Mavroulis may be in the outfield next year if he can keep from crashing into the wall at Olsen, but more than likely he is the full-time first baseman.  He has been brittle in the past so it is important to have a competent backup at the position, so look for fall practice to weed out the contenders from the pretenders at first. 

Coby Mavroulis (2004 Returning Starter), L-L, 6-2, 200, Jr-2L, Abilene, TX (Cooper)

2004: Played in 63 games with 59 starts…he was second on the team with 15 doubles…third on the team with 47 RBI…average and on-base percentage were the fourth highest among the regulars at .321 and .397 respectively…third on the team with 51 runs scored…only had one error in 522 chances for a .998 fielding percentage…biggest hit of the season came again Nebraska on 5-2-04 when he hit a three-run homerun in the ninth inning to beat the Huskers 7-6, that homerun followed an RBI double in the second, to account for his four RBI… he had 21 games with more than one hit and had a season high 4-of-5 showing against Oklahoma on 4-17-04…had two doubles in a 3-for-5 day against Kansas State on 5-15-04…ended the season on an 0-for-15 slide against Rice and LSU…after recovering from the injury against Rice, he played in the Cape Cod League for the Harwich Mariners…hit .159 after the late start in 22 games…made 17 starts at first base and two in the outfield…even saw one inning on the mound, he is the left-handed batting practice pitcher for the Aggies…had two doubles and three RBI for Harwich…if he stays the next two seasons he could be the only Aggie ever to start in the field in five season openers

2003:

Saw action in just 10 games, six starts including the season opener and was granted a red-shirt after hitting .231-0-1.

2002:

Played in 45 games and started 40 ... started 31 games in left field, eight in right field and one as the team's designated hitter ... burst into the collegiate ranks with an unbelievable start to his true freshman year ... hit safely in 16 of his first 18 games and was hitting .356 at that point in the year ... that stretch included a nine-game hitting streak ... tallied a season-high three hits against Arizona (2/16) ... scored three runs in his collegiate debut against Rice (2/8) ... after a substantial slump in the middle of the season, finished the year collecting six hits in his last 15 at bats ... recorded eight doubles and a triple against Sam Houston (2/20).

Andy Howes (Transfer) R-R, 6-5, 230, So-TR, Phoenix, Ariz. (Chaparral/Chandler-Gilbert Community College)

2004:  Was the leading hitter for Chandler-Gilbert CC before and injury sidelined him…hit .380 on the season…played in the Texas Collegiate League during the summer of 2004…split time with Texas starter Will Crouch at first base…teammate of St. Mary’s transfer Ryan Hill with the Blue Sox…hit .232-6-21, playing in 38 games…made only one error in 277 chances for a .996 fielding percentage…tied for third on the Blue Sox, with Ryan Hill, with 19 walks during the summer season…

In the release announcing last season’s fall signings, the staff said, “Andy Howes is a solid contact hitter that has a big power potential. Howes redshirted his first year at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Phoenix, Ariz., after being struck in the hand and suffering a season-ending injury in the fourth game of the season. Howes hit .386 with six doubles, two triples, four homeruns and 18 RBI this past summer.”

8/30/04 3:00 p.m.CT

Updated the 2005 Schedule to include non-conference opponents as well as the Tennessee game at the Astros Classic.

2005 Tentative Schedule Link

Tuesday will preview First Basemen...

8/26/04 3:20 p.m.CT

SS Cliff Pennington and RHP Kevin Whelan named summer All-American by Baseball America

Pennington was named first team shortstop while Whelan was second team relief pitcher.  It is very ironic that Penny was chosen over Baseball America's #1 pro prospect in the Cape Cod League (Tyler Green, second team on this list) and Whelan was placed behind the #3 Cape prospect Craig Hansen (who went 1-1 with an 0.00 ERA and 10 saves, 41 K's and 2 BB's).  

Also I have been under the weather and will hopefully preview first basemen tomorrow.

Head to www.texasbaseballnews.com for information from Jason Becker on the Aggies SIXTH baseball commitment.

8/23/04 9:10 a.m.CT

Here is the link to Aggie Baseball Players in the Minors: LINK

Update minor league stats with LHP Zach Jackson added to the list.

Wednesday we will preview First Base for the fall and upcoming season.

Head to www.texasbaseballnews.com for information from Jason Becker on the Aggies FIFTH baseball commitment.

8/18/04 9:10 a.m.CT

Updated Aggie 2005 Recruiting (Four Commitments): LINK

Now that the summer season is over, Aggiebaseball.net will look at each position, the growing recruiting class and some interesting facts and stories surrounding the baseball team before practice starts in September.  Stay tuned…

Catcher Preview 2004-05 

The Aggies under Coach Mark Johnson have normally used two catchers during the season but in 2004 injuries knocked a two-year starter from the field. That cost the Aggies in the batter's box, behind the plate and even in the bullpen. Returning starter Justin Pouk missed the entire 2004 season after injuries early in the spring put him behind the other players and by the time he was healthy, the decision had already been made to skip the season and come back in 2005. Losing Pouk also limited the development of Kevin Whelan on the mound as he was forced to be the second team catcher last season, but this year's depth will allow him to pitch full time. One positive did emerge, since the injury allowed Craig Stinson to blossom. He was literally a wall behind the plate, not making a single error in over 400 chances behind the dish. The only drawback was that Stinson started to tire as the season drug on and his batting average fell from .340 at the midway point to his final average of .287. With Pouk returning, a career .330 hitter, the Aggies will once again have two experienced catchers that can be a big boost to the lineup. Keeping their legs fresh will pay dividends and the Aggies will have the strongest catching position in the Big 12 should both stay healthy. Redshirt freshman Lee Harughty walked on last fall and earned a spot on the squad. He followed that up this summer by playing good baseball in the Texas Collegiate League and might be a player that contributes down the road more than most walk-ons. During the playoff's last year, OF Todd Stroud was also in the bullpen to warm up pitchers. He caught his freshman season at New Mexico but is really only an emergency catcher at this time. Freshman recruit Evan Gattis is the biggest Aggie catcher in recent memory. Measuring at least 6-2 and 230 pounds, he has always been called a big hitter by scouts but his ability to take a former pitcher's arm behind the plate gives him a very good defensive background. Many I have talked to compare him to Baylor's Josh Ford but fortunately for the Aggies, Gattis doesn't have the injuries that have plagued Ford since his senior season in high school. He will no doubt have an adjustment to make coming from private school ball to the Division 1 ranks but summer experience as well as the time playing for Team USA should keep the learning curve as short as any freshman. With the Aggies having both Stinson, a likely high draft pick, and Pouk leaving the program after this year, the Aggies will look for sign another top prospect or two to compete with Gattis and Harughty for the job in 2006. 

Keys to the fall: Pouk shows a healthy recovery from injuries, Stinson continues to improve at throwing out base runners, Harughty shows the confidence gained over the summer in the TCL at Olsen, and Gattis makes a quick adjustment to major college baseball. 

Craig Stinson ('04 Returning Starter) R-R, 6.02, 195, Jr-2L Cranston, RI (Bishop Hendricken) 

2004 (SOPHOMORE): Hit .287-3-37 as the Aggies full time catcher in 2004. Played in 56 games and made 55 starts, with all but one behind the plate…he had 15 multi-hit games and on four occasions he had three hits, including the season opener…had 420 defensive plays on the season without an error…was the first Aggie catcher since Scott Sandusky to call his own game behind the plate and his first game calling pitches was the near no-hitter by Zach Jackson against Nebraska…he had a season high six RBI against A&M-Corpus Christi in the season opener…tried out for the U.S. National Team and caught the first no-hitter in USA Baseball recorded history (since 1984) as the 2004 USA Baseball National Team defeated Canada 9-0 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on June 24, 2004… gave USA the lead for good with a solo home run with one out in the top of the fifth inning…Stinson was regarded as the best defensive catcher at the trials but his roster spot went to Texas' Taylor Teagarden, who missed the trials while in Omaha…threw out 16 of 45 runners attempting to steal…caught 19 games, hitting .177-1-5 for Bourne in the Cape Cod League. 

2003 (FRESHMAN): Played in 21 games and started 18 … all 18 starts were behind the plate … had two hits against Arizona (3/1), UT-San Antonio (3/18), Sam Houston (4/1) and Oklahoma (4/6) … drove in three runs in the Sam Houston game … belted a two-run homerun against Nebraska (3/5) … had a seven-game hitting streak … threw out three runners who tried to steal off of him in 25 attempts ... played summer ball for the Harrisburg Turks in the Valley League. 

Justin Pouk ('02-03 Starter, '04 Redshirt) R-R, 6.01, 200, Sr-2L Streator, IL (High/Wabash Valley JC) 

2003 (JUNIOR): Hit .325-5-27 and was second on the team with a .439 on base average…played in 49 games and started 47 … 43 of his starts were behind the plate and two were at first base … hit anywhere from the five-hole to the eight-hole in the lineup … had 13 multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI games … tallied four hits against Texas (5/24) and three hits in back-to-back games against Kansas State (4/12 and 4/13) … had three RBI in the Texas game … threw out 16 runners who were trying to steal in 62 attempts. 

2002 (SOPHOMORE): Led the Aggies with a .335 batting average ... played in 47 games and started 46 ... started 26 games behind the plate, 12 as the team's designated hitter and eight at first base ... collected three hits in five games, the last coming against Missouri (4/27) ... had 13 multiple-hit games ... had two RBI five times ... finished the season with nine doubles and 24 RBI ... only homer of the year came against Kansas State (4/13) ... threw out nine of 31 runners that tried to steal off him ... earned honorable mention honors from the coaches of the Big 12 Conference and first team utility by the Dallas Morning News. 

Lee Harughty ('04 Redshirt) R-R, 6.00, 180, Fr-RS Spring, TX (High) 

2004 (REDSHIRTED): Served as the primary bullpen catcher…played summer ball in the Texas Collegiate League…hit .242-2-11 for Mineral Wells…threw out 11 of 53 runners attempting to steal. 

HIGH SCHOOL: Lettered two years for Coach Jason Washburn at Spring HS in Spring, Texas, as a center fielder and catcher ... all-district in 2003 ... hit three homeruns as a senior helping lead the team to the state playoffs ... was nominated for the Laway Christian Athlete of the Year and Wendy's High School Heisman ... also earned two letters as a wide receiver on the football team ... named an all-state wide receiver after his senior year and helped lead the team to the area championship ... caught two touchdown passes against The Woodlands ... played summer ball for the Houston Wildcats . 

Evan Gattis ('05 Newcomer) R-R, 6.02, 235, Fr-HS Dallas, TX (Bishop Lynch) 

HIGH SCHOOL: Choose Texas A&M over Texas Tech ... lettered two years at Bishop Lynch and was name All-State both seasons as well… the Friars finished with a 25 -12 record and won their 3rd straight District Championship, the first time in school history to win 3 in a row and they made their second trip to the Final Four at State… hit .412-5-34 as a senior with a school record 17 doubles, a .546 OB% and a .712 SLUG%…he led his team to a 23-8 record during his junior season while hitting a team record (for batting average and homeruns) .465-5-26 with 11 doubles and school records for .617 OB% and .767 SLUG%… was on the 2002 USA Youth National Team…pitched at Forney High as a sophomore but was not a teammate of Aggie signee and Forney pitcher Chance Corgan. 

Baseball America Draft Preview: Gattis was rated the #69 player in the state of Texas and BA said, "the most physical of the group (of Texas high school catchers) at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, was primarily a pitcher as a sophomore at Forney High. Though he played mostly behind the plate at Bishop Lynch, he was clocked at 90-92 mph on the mound." 

MLB.com Draft Preview: "Tall thick strong body, Rounded shoulders, Thick Legs, Very Large, strong hands and forearms. Slightly open upright stance, uses hands well to start bat. Hits to right CF gap. Sets up well behind plate, loose flexible actions, receives ball w/soft hands, Little effort in throws. Strong runner, good strength to play game. Power potential and receiving ability. Team Leader."

8/16/04 9:10 a.m.CT

Updated Aggie 2004 Recruiting with Photos: LINK

Here is the link to Aggie Baseball Players in the Minors: LINK

In the TCL:

The inaugural season ended with Coppell winning the first league championship two game to one.  John Infante went 1-for-4 with a run scored during Coppell’s 5-4 victory.  Aggie sophomore to be LHP Tyler Soeder entered the game for Graham down 3-2 and threw 6.1 innings of superb relief.  He allowed only four hits and one of the two runs was unearned.  He struck out five and did not walk a single Copperhead. 

The futures game took play Sunday after the Ranger’s game at the Ballpark in Arlington.  Five Aggies were chosen by the league and scouts to play in the game.  Austin Boggs started at third base and went 0-for-2.  Transfer to be Ryan Hill split time between first and shortstop and went 1-for-2 at the plate.  Three Aggie hurlers pitched in relief.  RHP Hart Herring, the leagues’ save leader and future member of the Aggies bullpen, threw one inning while allowing two hits, one earned run and he issued a walk.  RHP Blake Rampy threw a good inning, striking out two in the fourth.  RHP Austin Creps worked the ninth and was the hardest thrower in the game for either team.  He struck out one and did not allow a base runner. 

The replay of the game will be Thursday night at 7 p. m. so you may want to check it out at that time.

In Cape Cod news:

There is no news about Cliff Pennington as the media blackout concerning injuries has now arrived in baseball.  I understand it because Pennington is likely to be a first round pick next spring and injuries are analyzed again and again when you are talking about taking a player in the first round.  Hopefully we will see Penny healthy during fall practice, which begins the second week in September.  Having Pennington out of the Falmouth lineup was too much to overcome as they lost to Y-Dennis Red Sox in two games, the second game  8-4 in eleven innings after Pennington’s replacement struggled at shortstop.

8/14/04 4:10 p.m.CT

At the Cape:

SS Cliff Pennington is done for the summer season with his ankle injury.  No word yet on the severity and it may take until the players get back to Texas to find out exactly what has happened.  On the positive front, Baseball America has released their top 30 players from the Cape Cod League and Pennington, RHP Kevin Whelan and RHP Robert Ray are #9, #10, and #11 in the rankings. 

The full ranking can be found at http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/040813cape.html

In the TCL Playoffs:

8/13/04 8:10 a.m.CT

Cliff Pennington Injured in Falmouth Win

     Pitcher Phil Bartleski (William and Mary) tossed 5 2/3 solid innings and right fielder Daniel Carte hit a three-run home run in the third inning to propel Falmouth to a 5-2 victory at Guv Fuller Field on Thursday.

     One day removed from an excruciating extra-innings loss to Hyannis, the Commodores had to overcome a severe injury to Cliff Pennington and a late surge by Mets hitters to secure a berth in the Cape Cod Baseball League championship series.

     “Yesterday was an emotional game,” said Falmouth coach Jeff Trundy. “Both teams went back and forth, and I think it’s a very, very tough thing to come back from. But I’ve had so much faith and confidence in this group of kids.”

     The Commodores broke through in the bottom of the third inning. With Jacoby Ellsbury (Oregon State) at third and Matt Antonelli (Wake Forest) at second after a wild pitch, shortstop Cliff Pennington (Texas A&M) reached first base on an error. But when he hit the bag, his leg slipped awkwardly to the side and he immediately left the game with an ankle injury.

     His status for the league championship series is uncertain. 

     “From a coach’s perspective, you know you lost a great player, at least for the time being,” Trundy said. “But more than that, Cliff loves to play the game, and there’s nobody who wants to be out there in this situation more than Cliff Pennington.”

Pennington was 2-for-2 with an RBI with the injury occurred and we will update you as soon as we find out more about the injury.

In the TCL:

CF John Infante went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Coppell's 4-3 victory over Graham.  The championship series between Coppell and Graham continues today with Game two.

8/12/04 8:10 a.m.CT

In the TCL:

The season ended for Weatherford and slugging outfielder Todd Stroud.  Graham rallied for an 4-2 victory in the bottom of the seventh inning. Stroud went 0-for-2 but walked twice.  The last Aggie in the TCL playoffs is CF John Infante and his Coppell Copperheads will host Graham tonight in the first game of their best of three championship series.  

SS Cliff Pennington had a day to forget, going 0-for-6 in a 6-5 loss that took 11 innings between Falmouth and Hyannis.  The deciding game three of the series will be tonight at 7 on the Arnie Allen diamond at Guv Fuller Field in Falmouth.

8/11/04 9:00 a.m.CT

In the TCL:

The playoff’s end for the McKinney Mavericks as Coppell advances to the championship series of the inaugural Texas Collegiate League season with a 7-3 victory.  CF John Infante went 3-for-4 with a solo homerun in the win while 3B Austin Boggs ended the summer going 0-for-4 with a run scored.  RHP Austin Creps worked one inning, allowing two hits and one unearned run.  Aggie recruit RHP Hart Hering, a reliever for most of the season, started in a must win game for Weatherford and responded with a 4-2 victory over Graham.  Hering threw 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on a second inning homer, while giving up only three hits.  He walked one and struck out four.  RF Todd Stroud was 0-for-3.  The third and deciding game of the series is tonight.

At the Cape:

Falmouth beat Hyannis 8-6 in the first game of the playoffs.  SS Cliff Pennington went 1-for-5 with an RBI in the victory.  The Y-Dennis Red Sox won the first game of their series with Brewster by the score of  9-1.

8/10/04 10:30 a.m.CT

Here are PHOTOS from the Texas Collegiate League featuring: Austin Boggs, Austin Creps, John Infante and recruits INF Ryan Hill and 1B Andy Howes

The playoffs have started in the Texas Collegiate League, the Cape will start on Tuesday, with several Aggies still on the field.  CF John Infante and the Coppell Copperheads defeated the McKinney Marshals 5-0.  Infante was 1-for-4 at the plate but 3B Austin Boggs went 0-for-3 for McKinney.  RHP Austin Creps relieved former Aggie LHP Brian Shallock and pitched 1.1 innings, allowing only one hit while striking out three.  Catch the next game online at http://www.sportsjuice.com/ for audio from the McKinney broadcast team.  Graham starter and Aggie LHP Tyler Soeder was the winning pitcher in an 11-6 victory over Weatherford.  He threw six innings, allowing seven hits, four runs (only three earned), walking three and striking out one. RF Todd Stroud touched up his teammate, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for Weatherford.

OF Todd Stroud Named TCL Player of the Week

http://www.texascollegiateleague.com/story_details.asp?id=334&cid=5

Weatherford outfielder Todd Stroud and Highland Park right-hander Nate Melek have been selected Texas Collegiate League D-Bat Player and Pitcher of the Week respectively for games played Aug. 2-8, the final week of the regular season.  The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Stroud hit four home runs and drove in 16 runs in only 24 at bats for the week. Stroud, who will be a senior at Texas A&M, hit .375 (9x24) with eight runs scored and two doubles. He had three RBIs in two games, four in another and five in another. He had a .958 slugging percentage for the week.  The Weatherford native finished the regular season with a .256 average with 11 home runs (second in the league) and 39 runs batted in (also second in the TCL).

Aggie Final Summer Regular Season Stats

8/9/04 2:30 p.m.CT

The last three days were filled with tight finishes and end to good seasons for Aggie recruits and returnees alike.  I spent the past two days in McKinney and was able to talk with SS Ryan Hill, 1B Andy Howes, CF John Infante, 3B Austin Boggs, RHP Austin Creps and RHP Kyle Nicholson about their summers.  Interviews with Boggs, Creps and Infante will play tonight on KZNE 1150 between 5 and 7 tonight.  I will also do some analysis of the new players and post some photographs from the games in the next couple of days.  Thanks to the McKinney Mavericks for great hospitality and next year Aggie Baseball fans would do a lot worse than to take a weekend and go to DFW and support their Aggies in the Texas Collegiate League.

In Texas Collegiate League Action:

Sunday August 8th:  McKinney set up their playoff showdown with a 10-2 victory over Coppell with Aggies dotting the lineup.  3B Austin Boggs went 1-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.  RHP Kyle Nicholson, battling an arm injury this summer, went 1-for-1 with an RBI at the plate.  CF John Infante went 0-for-2 and despite finishing the year under .200 at the plate he enjoyed his summer playing at home for Coppell.  2B Parker Dalton's summer ended with a loss but the summer was a success after missing most of the season due to injury.  He went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in a 3-2 loss to Weatherford.  C Lee Harughty went 0-for-2 as well.  In the other dugout, RF Todd Stroud's hot streak was cooled off with a 0-for-3 night.

Saturday August 7th:  Colleyville and Coppell played late into the night before the Lonestar's won 3-2 in the 14th inning.  Blake Rampy pitched 1.1 innings allowing only one hit but three walks cut his time on the mound short.  He did not allow a run.  The Highland Park Blue Sox won their last game of the season behind a two hit shutout by future OSU Cowboy RHP Nate Melek.  He stymied Aggie 3B Austin Boggs, who was 0-for-3 but RHP Austin Creps returned the favor with a perfect inning for the Marshals.  Future Aggies, INF Ryan Hill and 1B Andy Howes went 1-for-4 and 0-for-1 for Highland Park.  Parker Dalton moved over to shortstop and went 1-for-5 for Mineral Wells in a 4-1 victory over Granbury.  Weatherford rode the hot bat of DH Todd Stroud to a 11-6 victory over Graham.  Stroud hit his 12th homerun of the summer, a three run shot in the sixth.  RHP Hart Hering threw one inning and recorded one strikeout for the side-winding reliever.  

Friday August 6th:  Jon-Michael Cline fell to 1-5 this summer for Mineral Wells in a 7-1 loss but once again it was a loss with some hard luck as well.  He worked three innings but his defense failed him, as three of the four runs he allowed were unearned.  He gave up six hits and struck out two on the mound.  Unfortunately for Cline, Parker Dalton played left field for MW and made one of those errors as well as going 0-for-4 at the plate.  CF John Infante went 1-for-4 with an RBI as Coppell topped Highland Park 5-3.  2B Ryan Hill went 1-for-4 with an RBI for the Blue Sox.  McKinney was on the losing end of a 6-3 game with Colleyville but the Austin's (Boggs and Creps) both had good games.  Boggs went 2-for-4 with one RBI and Creps threw two innings, gave up two hits and walk while striking out three.  DH Todd Stroud did not homer but he did double as he went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.  In that game, Weatherford was on the short end of the scoreboard 9-2 at Granbury.

At the Cape: 

SS Cliff Pennington was selected as the league's Manny Robello 10th Player Award winner. He was one of the top fielders in the league and also hit .277 with 21 stolen bases.  Some thought he might earn the Robert A. McNeese Pro Prospect Award, as voted on by the Major League scouts who cover the league all summer. Orleans SS Tyler Greene of Georgia Tech was presented that award.  He joined Orleans late after being a surprise cut by Team USA, hit .296 going into last night's regular-season finale with seven doubles, three triples, one homer and 13 stolen bases.  Pennington ended up at .277-3-20 with 21 stolen bases, comparable by all accounts to the season Greene produced.  .

This was in the Cape Cod paper on Sunday: 

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/sports/russ.htm

Falmouth observers say it's been years since they've seen a player like slick shortstop Cliff Pennington (Texas A&M), a strong candidate for Top Pro Prospect. They can't believe how quickly he gets rid of the ball.

On Friday, August 6^th, Pennington went 1-for-4 and scored the winning run in Falmouth’s 2-1 victory over Brewster.  He reached on a bunt single and later scored on a wild pitch.  1B Coby Mavroulis went 1-for-4 but Harwich lost 6-4 to Chatham.  Orleans beat Wareham 3-2 in 14 innings and eliminated Wareham from playoff contention; Kevin Whelan went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter.  Aggie signee OF Mike Hernandez, who I must apologize to for not mentioning in the summer updates, went 3-for-6 and scored one of Wareham’s runs. 

On Saturday, August 7^th, the league played spit double-headers all across the cape.  Unfortunately for Robert Ray, it marked the end to a tremendous summer with a loss.  He started and lasted only three innings, allowing four earned runs while walking five and striking out three in the 5-3 defeat at the hands of Hyannis.  Hernandez went 0-for-3 in that game.  They also lost to Cotuit with RHP Kevin Whelan on the mound.  Whelan entered the game after a bases loaded hit made the score 4-3, but his second pitch to Bobby Felmy was wild, allowing Brad Boyer to come home from third to tie the game at four.  Felmy then produced a game-winning RBI single, giving the Kettleers a 5-4 edge.  LHP Dan Donaldson earned his second save of the summer with three innings of relief work in a 6-3 victory over Brewster.  He allowed only four hits but struck out two.  1B Coby Mavroulis went 0-for-3 in an 11-1 loss by Harwich to Bourne but he did pitch the ninth inning, striking out two.  Aggie fans saw Mavroulis pitch batting practice to his teammates all spring but he has never pitched in a game for the Ags.  Harwich did top Falmouth 5-4 with SS Cliff Pennington going 1-for-4 and Mavroulis did not bat, entering at first at the end of the game.  Pennington did it all later in the day with a three run homer and one inning on the mound for a save in Falmouth’s 4-1 victory over Hyannis.  It was Pennington’s only appearance during the regular summer season and his only hit in four at bats during the game. 

On Sunday, August 8^th, Pennington killed his regular season average with a 0-for-5 day at the plate in a 9-5 loss to YD.  Kyle Marlatt gave up a two-run homerun in his only inning of a 5-4 loss by Cotuit to Hyannis.  Kevin Whelan ended a summer that should set the table for a fine junior year as the Aggies closer with one last scoreless inning, that after catching the first eight innings and going 1-for-4 at the plate with two RBI.  Those came on an RBI double that scored future teammate Hernandez, who went 1-for-4 as well. 

8/6/04 10:00 a.m.CT

Updated the Baseball Photos page with Action Shots from Jordan Chambless at the THSCA All-Star Game

In the TCL:

Alert, Alert, there was an offensive explosion between Highland Park and Colleyville.  Ryan Hill was 4-for-6, scoring twice and driving in three.  He drove in the second run during a five run ninth that won the game and scored on the walkoff homerun later in the inning.  1B Andy Howes hit his sixth homerun of the summer and it was a two run shot as HP won 16-13.  Weatherford shut down Mineral Wells again but the big story was OF Todd Stroud going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and five RBI.  That included his third homerun in as many games and he is now second in homeruns (10) and RBI (35) in the league.  2B Parker Dalton was 0-for-3 in the game.  RHP Hart Hering threw one inning to stay sharp, allowing a hit and striking out one in the ninth.  3B Austin Boggs went 2-for-4 with an RBI in McKinney’s 5-0 win over Coppell.  CF John Infante was 0-for-2.

At the Cape:

It was a quiet day in the Cape Cod League with only two games.  LHP Dan Donaldson pitched one-third of an inning but a ground ball out with two on kept Bourne in the game 1-0.  Chatham kept it 1-0 for the victory.  1B Coby Mavroulis went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI but Cotuit topped his Harwich team 8-4.

2004 Texas Collegiate League Futures Game Roster (As of August 6)

http://www.texascollegiateleague.com/story_details.asp?id=308&cid=5

GRAY TEAM PITCHERS RHP-Bryce Cox, McKinney (Paris Junior College/Rice University) RHP-Austin Creps, McKinney (Texas A&M) RHP-Jesse Estrada, McKinney (Grayson C.C./Oklahoma State University) RHP-Hart Hering, Weatherford (Weatherford College/Texas A&M) RHP-Drew Johnson, Coppell (University of Texas) RHP-Garrett Pennington, Coppell (Rice University) RHP-Blake Pierson, Colleyville-Grapevine (UT-Arlington) RHP-Eric Schaler, Highland Park (University of Utah) RHP-Ryne Tacker, Coppell (Navarro J.C./Rice University) LHP-Matt Ueckert, Coppell (Rice University) 

CATCHERS C-Al Quintana, McKinney (Cal State-Northridge) C-Gerardo Verastegui, Colleyville-Grapevine (St. Mary’s-Texas) 

INFIELDERS 1B-Will Crouch, Highland Park (University of Texas) 1B-John Curtis, McKinney (Cal State-Fullerton) 1B-Eric Lis, Colleyville-Grapevine (University of Evansville) 2B-Adam Morris, McKinney (Rice University) 2B-Gibbs Chapman, Highland Park (Florida State University) 3B-Austin Boggs, McKinney (Texas A&M) 3B-Jesse Kovacs, Colleyville-Grapevine (University of Pacific) SS-German Duran, Coppell (TCU/Weatherford College) SS-Jose Salazar, McKinney (Navarro J.C./Sam Houston St.) 

OUTFIELDERS OF-Louie Alamia, McKinney (UT-Pan American) OF-Bobby Andrews, Highland Park (Cal State-Fullerton) OF-Charlie Kingery, Highland Park (McNeese State) OF-Trey Rachal, McKinney (North Central College/Oklahoma St. University) OF-Josh Rodriguez, Graham (Rice University)

WHITE TEAM PITCHERS RHP-Lauren Gagnier, Weatherford (Cal State-Fullerton) RHP-Josh Geer, McKinney (Navarro J.C./Rice University) LHP-Cameron Johnson, Weatherford (University of California-Berkeley) LHP-Brandon Knapp, Granbury (North Carolina State University) RHP-Jacob Marceaux, McKinney (McNeese State) RHP-Nate Melek, Highland Park (Clarendon College/Oklahoma State University) LHP-Jacob Ramos, Coppell (Grayson C.C./Lubbock Christian University) RHP-Blake Rampy, Colleyville-Grapevine (Texas A&M) RHP-Eric Stolp, Graham (University of Pacific) RHP-Stuart Sutherland, Mineral Wells (Dallas Baptist University) 

CATCHERS C-Blake Parker, Coppell (University of Arkansas) C-Travis Reagan, Weatherford (Rice University) 

INFIELDERS 1B-Brett Pill, Coppell (Cal State-Fullerton) 1B-Kyle Thomason, McKinney (Vernon College) 2B-Ryan Hill, Highland Park (St. Mary’s-Texas/Texas A&M) 2B-Russell Raley, Graham (University of Oklahoma) 3B-Braedyn Pruitt, Weatherford (Stetson University) 3B-Clay Reichenbach, Highland Park (Rice University) SS-Michael Hollimon, Colleyville-Grapevine (University of Texas) SS-John Henry Marquardt, Granbury (New Mexico Junior College/University of Arkansas) SS-Neil Walton, Highland Park (Cal State-Fullerton) 

OUTFIELDERS OF-Casey Bond, Highland Park (Birmingham-Southern) OF-J.J. Estrada, Granbury (TCU) OF-Matt Spencer, Colleyville-Grapevine (University of Texas) OF-Matt Young, Coppell (University of New Mexico) OF-Brandon Tripp, Weatherford (Cal State-Fullerton)

NOTE: Where two colleges are listed, first is 2003-04 school and second is 2004-05 college

8/5/04 10:20 a.m.CT

At the Cape: 

SS Cliff Pennington went 1-for-4 and scored the only run for Falmouth in a 2-1 loss.  He also stole is league leading twentieth base of the season and had a double that lead to the one run scored.  RHP Kyle Marlatt was on the short side of the scoreboard again in a 9-4 loss.  The defense behind him was once again shaky at best but he still had chances to work out of trouble and failed to do so.  He pitched four innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs while striking out two and walking two as he record fell to 2-3 on the season.  1B Coby Mavroulis went 0-for-3 as his Harwich Mariners were shutout on five hits by the Y-D Red Sox.

In the TCL: 

Mineral Wells won a slugfest 10-9 over Granbury with 2B Parker Dalton going 2-for-6 with an RBI and C Lee Harughty going 2-for-5 with two RBI, a double, a run scored. Graham beat Weatherford 11-7 overcoming a tremendous effort by RF Todd Stroud.  He was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and his four RBI came on a grand slam homerun in the eighth. It was his second homerun in as many days and has him second in the league.  He also doubled and scored in the ninth.  McKinney eliminated Colleyville from the playoff hunt in the first game of a doubleheader sweep (9-1 and 2-1).  Former Aggie pitcher RHP B. J. Beoning took the loss and RHP Blake Rampy followed him to the mound giving up one run on one hit in his two innings of work.  He walked three and struck out two on the day.  3B Austin Boggs went 0-for-3 in the second victory for McKinney.  OF John Infante went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base in a 6-1 victory by Coppell over Highland Park.  SS Ryan Hill was 1-for-4.

Also from the TCL:

http://www.texascollegiateleague.com/story_details.asp?id=297&cid=5

The Dr Pepper Texas Collegiate League Futures Game will be held on Sunday, August 15 at Ameriquest Field in Arlington. The game follows the Texas Rangers-Tampa Bay Devil Rays contest, which is a 1:05 p.m. start. It was also announced that Fox Sports Net Southwest will televise the TCL Futures Game on a tape-delayed basis on Thursday, August 19 at 7:00 p.m.  The Dr Pepper Futures Game will feature 52 of the Texas Collegiate League’s top prospects as selected by major league scouts and league officials. The White and Gray teams will consist of 26 players each: 10 pitchers, 2 catchers, 8 infielders, and 6 outfielders. Both rosters will contain players from each of the TCL’s two divisions, Rogers Hornsby and Tris Speaker.  The Futures Game rosters are being finalized and will be announced in a few days. The teams will be managed by the TCL head coaches and their staffs.

Northwoods League News:

OF Andrew Baldwin is once again health and heating up as the season winds down, going 2-for-3 against La Crosse to raise his average to .269.

8/4/04 8:55 a.m.CT

At the Cape:

LHP Dan Donaldson pitched four innings during a 4-4 tie between Hyannis and Bourne.  He allowed four hits, one earned run while striking out two.  Bourne rallied from down three in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings.  The game was called due to darkness.  1B Coby Mavroulis ended a hitting slump, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double and an RBI.  He plated the last run during a four run first that set the stage for Harwich’s 8-2 victory.  SS Cliff Pennington went 0-for-2 in a 12-3 blowout by Falmouth over Wareham but he drove in a run while being hit by a pitch.  Wareham pitching struck out 10 batters, but also issued 10 walks, 10 hits and 12 runs in the Commodores' rout.

In the TCL:

SS Ryan Hill was 1-for-5 with a run scored in Highland Park’s 6-3 victory over McKinney.  No Aggies played for McKinney in the ballgame.  The good news for 2B Parker Dalton was going 2-for-4 in a game for Mineral Wells against Graham, the bad news was Aggie teammate LHP Tyler Soeder came out the winner, pitching 6.1 innings while only allowing five hits.  He allowed two runs to score while walking two and striking out two to make his record  3-2 on the season.  RF Todd Stroud hit his eighth homerun of the summer in the first inning and the three run shot would be more than enough runs during the 8-0 victory. It was Stroud’s only hit during three at-bats.  Both teams finished a game that had been earlier suspended before the regularly scheduled contest and it turned into a marathon with Weatherford topping Granbury 6-5 in 13 innings.  RHP Hart Hering pitched two scoreless frames, retiring six straight batters, three of them by strikeout.  Stroud was 1-for-5 in that ballgame.  CF John Infante went 1-for-4 in Coppell’s 15-8 victory over Colleyville.

Elsewhere:

LF Andrew Baldwin went 1-for-3 for the Wisconsin Woodchucks in a 2-1 victory over La Crosse.

8/3/04 8:55 a.m.CT

In Texas Collegiate League Action:

Boggs' grand slam caps McKinney's comeback win

http://www.texascollegiateleague.com/story_details.asp?id=287&cid=4

McKINNEY -- Austin Boggs (Texas A&M) hit a grand slam to cap a six-run eighth inning as McKinney overtook Granbury, 7-2, Monday at the Gabe.

The Marshals (29-14) all but wrapped up a playoffs berth. McKinney, which leads second-place Coppell by three games in the Tris Speaker Division, has a 7 1/2-game lead over third-place Colleyville-Grapevine. The top two teams in each division make the playoffs. It was McKinney's fourth straight win, the last three against Granbury (15-30). It recorded two shutouts in a Sunday double-header sweep. Trailing 2-1 entering the eighth, McKinney tied it on back-to-back doubles by John Curtis (Cal State Fullerton) and C.J. Ebarb (UNLV). Trey Rachal (Oklahoma State) put down a suicide squeeze bunt to score pinch-runner Blake Hurlbutt (Oklahoma) with the go-ahead run. After a single by Adam Morris (Rice), Boggs hit his slam, his fifth home run of the summer.  Boggs also doubled and scored in the second.  Austin Creps threw one inning, striking out two while allowing one hit, he did not figure in the decision.

Elsewhere, Ryan Hill went 1-for-3 with a two run scored, a double and an RBI in Highland Park’s 13-1 victory over Colleyville.  The double was his eleventh of the summer.

At the Cape:

Cliff Pennington went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice in the bottom of the seventh that set up a big inning for his victorious Falmouth team.  Robert Ray struck out three in 1.1 innings but the game ended as ‘Horn outfielder Carson Kainer was gunned down at the plate 7-6-2, trying to score from first on a double to left.

8/2/04 9:30 a.m.CT

It was a long weekend with no updates but here they come:

First off, apologizes to OF Andrew Baldwin on being omitted from last week's stats. Coming of an injury, Baldwin has not been an every day player for the Wisconsin Woodchucks but yesterday saw him go 1-for-5 with an RBI in their 5-4 win. He is batting .220-1-6 in only 19 games this summer. All the summer stats will be updated and posted next Monday.

On the Cape:

Friday saw RHP's Robert Ray and Kevin Whelan team up again to keep a victory on tap for Wareham. Ray threw two innings, striking out three, and Whelan earned his tenth save while walking one and striking out one in the ninth inning of the 2-0 victory. SS Cliff Pennington continued to stay hot as he went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Falmouth's 6-1 victory. It was not as good a day for RHP Kyle Marlatt, giving up seven runs on seven hits but his defense let him down as only two runs were earned. It's still a loss, as Marlatt's record fell to 2-2 in the 7-3 defeat.

On Saturday, Whelan picked up save #11 as he worked for the first time in back-to-back games this summer. He ended the game on his only strikeout in 4-3 victory over Hyannis. Pennington went 1-for-4, with a double, as Falmouth continued a run to the top of the league standings. He also stole his nineteenth base and, oops, committed his eighth error. 1B Coby Mavroulis was 0-for-4 in Harwich 7-2 loss to Orleans.

Sunday: Falmouth moved into first place with a 9-4 win at Yarmouth-Dennis and even though Pennington was hitless, 0-for-3, he scored a run and drove in one with a sacrifice fly to score the first run of the game. Mavroulis went 0-for-3 but he was not alone as his teammates could only muster three hits in a 2-0 loss to Chatham.

In the TCL:

Friday, saw the return of Austin Boggs to the McKinney lineup and even though he went 0-for-4 it was good to see him return from the tendonitis that had him on the shelf since the TCL All-Star game.

Aggie transfer to be, Ryan Hill, had a good weekend and it started with a 2-for-5 game, with a run scored, on Friday against Mineral Wells. His likely competition at second base next year for the Ags, sophomore Parker Dalton, was 0-for-4 but C Lee Harughty went 1-for-3 and his single ended the Mineral Wells scoring in the seventh. DH Todd Stroud doubled, driving in a run and later scored while going 1-for-4 in a 7-7 tie between Colleyville and Weatherford.

On Saturday, Ryan Hill went 2-for-4 with another run scored and both hits were doubles as Highland Park jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first three innings of an eventual 9-4 victory. As Aggie fans saw during the season, you cannot keep Austin Boggs down long has he went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two driven in during McKinney's 9-5 stomping of Weatherford. John Infante, 1-for-4, tripled home the fourth run in a 5-4 loss by Coppell to Mineral Wells but he was stranded at third in the top of the seventh. Parker Dalton went 1-for-4 with a run scored for the home team.

Sunday was a day full of double headers to make up games lost to weather during the past week. Parker Dalton went 1-or-3 in the first game of the double header between Mineral Wells and Colleyville. His team suffered the short end of an 8-0 shutout in game 1. RHP Blake Rampy pitched the final inning for Colleyville, striking out two. LHP Jon Michael Cline threw three innings in relief, allowing only one run while striking out four in a 6-5 loss by Mineral Wells in game two. His team rallied in the middle innings but it wasn't enough for a victory and Cline was saddled with a no-decision. McKinney had back-to-back shutouts, 8-0 and 5-0 over Granbury. Boggs went 0-for-2 with a run scored in game one and his first inning 2 RBI double scored the winning runs in game two. He later scored in the first inning as well. RHP Austin Creps worked the seventh for McKinney allowing only a single while striking out one. Game one of the double header between Highland Park and Weatherford saw Todd Stroud, 1-for-3, single home the games only run in the third inning. Ryan Hill went 2-for-3 in the loss and Andy Howes was 0-for-3. In the second game, Todd Stroud hit his seventh homerun of the summer, a three run shot in the first, while going 2-for-4 with two runs scored. His homerun gave Weatherford's normal closer, and Aggie signee, RHP Hart Hering the lead, but the big right hander only pitched two innings, allowing one run while striking out three. Hill went 2-for-3 again in the nightcap, but the 8-2 victory by Weatherford saw him only score one run. Coppell and Graham were the only two teams not playing a double header and the Copperheads came out on top 9-2 despite OF John Infante's 0-for-4 effort at the plate.

Todd Stroud is now tied for second in homeruns, with seven, in the league and Ryan Hill is currently eleventh in batting average at .313. Hart Hering fell to #4 in ERA at 1.48.

7/30/04 2:00 p.m.CT

Recruiting Update:

Here are the four recruits that Jason Becker at www.texasbaseballnews.com has identified as committing to the Aggie program. You can get the best high school baseball coverage in the state at his site and his hard work tracking down college commitments is worthy of a subscription to his service.

LHP Aaron Thompson Houston Second Baptist, 6-3, 190

Thompson is the top lefty  in Texas going into this season. Led the Houston Heat team to a summer championship at Perfect Game/World Wood Bat Association Summer Championship. Choose A&M over Texas, LSU and TCU. Becker has a great interview with Thompson about coming to Aggieland on his site so check it out!

Baseball America had this to say about Thompson:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/leagues/HS_amateur/040712wwba.html

Lefthander Aaron Thompson, a rising senior from Second Baptist High in Houston, picked up a pair of wins on his way to tourney most valuable pitcher honors. Thompson, 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, touched 92 mph in two outings, tossing nine innings without allowing an earned run. He has a smooth, effortless delivery with good extension, allowing for good, late break on a slider and two-seam fastball.

OF Jonathan Kutscherousky Austin Lake Travis, 6-1, 200

Kutscherousky features a big time bat with outstanding power potential and a very strong arm from the outfield. Choose A&M over Baylor and TCU.

RHP Steven Farris Houston Langham Creek, 6-5, 190

Turned the corner this summer and his pitching approach is catching up to his physical tools. High eighties fastball is complemented by developing pitches.

LHP/OF Anthony Vasquez San Antonio Reagan, 6-0, 170

One of the top two juniors in San Antonio this season, he was All-Greater San Antonio as well as All-District 26-5A as both a pitcher and outfielder. On the mound he was 14-1 with 0.94 ERA, 111 strikeouts while batting .413 with 32 RBIs.

7/30/04 8:30 a.m.CT

Can the weather get any weirder?

It continued to rain in the DFW area and once again all Texas Collegiate League games were rained out.  So in the Cape Cod League, yesterday’s Bourne at Chatham game and the Falmouth at Harwich contest were both postponed because of fog. The Braves will play at the Athletics next Thursday while no makeup date has been set for Falmouth-Harwich.

7/29/04 8:15 a.m.CT

Rain, Rain, Go away...

Rain washes out play in the Texas Collegiate League and the Cape Cod League had a scheduled day off so no new news today on the field.  RHP Kyle Marlatt is the scheduled starter for Cotuit against Wareham in today's game so look for an update on him tomorrow.

7/28/04 9:15 a.m.CT

Chambless focus now on Football…

Two-sport standout Jordan Chambless struggled throwing the ball for the South in the THSCA All-Star football game in a 51-25 loss to the North squad. Chambless, who directed the South on a long scoring drive to open the second half, finished 3 of 7 passing for 53 yards with one interception. He led the South with eight rushes for 66 yards and turned in the longest run of the game with a 32-yard scramble. After the game he told me that he will not work with the baseball team until the end of football season and with only three scholarship quarterbacks on campus, he must be prepared to play this season. When asked about Cleveland making a last ditch effort to sign with them, he said "that door is closed" and he will play both sports at A&M.

Up North in the Cape Code League:

LHP Dan Donaldson pitched three solid innings for Bourne in an 8-2 loss to Harwich. He allowed only one hit and one run (earned) while walking two and striking out three. 1B Coby Mavroulis went 0-for-4 with an RBI for Harwich. SS Cliff Pennington went 1-for-4 and scored two runs for the Falmouth Commodores as they topped the Hyannis Mets 10-6.

While back in Texas at the TCL:

McKinney 3B Austin Boggs has been sidelined for the last 10 days with a sore knee but expects to return to the Marshals this week.

Weatherford OF Todd Stroud went 0-for-2 in the first game of a double header, a 2-1 loss, against McKinney and he went 1-for-5 in the second game, a 4-3 win in ten innings. Granbury and Highland Park split a doubleheader as well with Granbury winning the first game 5-2 before falling in the nightcap 4-3 in eight innings. Highland Park teammates INF Ryan Hill and 1B Andy Howes went 0-for-2 and 1-for-1 respectively in the first game. Hill hit his fifth homerun of the summer as he went 2-for-4 in the second game. Mineral Wells swept a doubleheader from Coppell 4-3 and 1-0. 2B Parker Dalton went 0-for-3 in the first game and C Lee Harughty drove home the winning run in the top of the seventh with a walk (his only plate appearance of the game.) Both players went 1-for-3 in the second game with Dalton driving home the winning run in the sixth with a no-out single. OF John Infante went 0-for-1 in the second game for Coppell. LHP Tyler Soeder threw a complete game for Graham and evened his record at 2-2 with the win. He allowed only six hit and two runs (one earned) in the 4-2 victory. He only allowed one walk while striking out three. RHP Blake Rampy finished the game for Collyeville, walking two and striking out two.

7/27/04 9:30 a.m.CT

Jordan Chambless suits up for All-Star Game

Dual sport athlete and All-Stater Jordan Chambless, who was a three-year starter at quarterback for the Calallen Wildcats and ended his career at the school ranked second in all-purpose yards with 7,576, will play tonight in the THSCA All-Star Football game. Last month he also pitched and hit in the THSBCA baseball game, hitting the only homerun against the north squad. Last season, he passed for 2,485 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushed for 1,027 yards and 23 more scores to help the Wildcats to their 19th straight playoff appearance.

At the Cape:

Future Aggie closer Kevin Whelan pitched 1.1 innings while earning his ninth save of the summer. He struck out two and allowing only one walk as his Wareham team won 5-1 over Bourne. Cliff Pennington's 18th stolen base of the summer led to an insurance run for Falmouth during a 2-0 victory over Harwich. Pennington started the eighth with a walk, stole second and scored on a single to the outfield. He went 1-for-3 in the game. Coby Mavroulis played left field for Harwich and went 0-for-2.

In the TCL:

The Highland Park Blue Sox, led by Aggie transfers Ryan Hill and Andy Howes, hammered Weatherford 8-6. Hill went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a RBI while Howes was 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI. Most of the damage was done against future teammate LHP William Blackmon, who was saddled with his first loss of the summer. Blackmon lasted four innings while giving up seven earned runs on seven hits and five walks.. Todd Stroud was 2-for-5 with a double and a RBI for Weatherford.

7/26/04 9:00 a.m.CT

Summer Aggie Stats:

In the Cape Cod League:

The day after the All-Star game, only SS Cliff Pennington and C Craig Stinson saw the field.  Pennington went 1-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI.  Stinson had a day to forget, going 0-for-5 and leaving five on base in a 3-1 loss by Bourne against Hyanis.

In the TCL:

Hot hitting 2B Parker Dalton moved down to the three hole in the lineup and went 1-for-4, with a run scored, in a 7-2 loss by Mineral Well to Highland Park. OF John Infante went 1-for-1 Coppell in a 5-0 win over Grandbury.  Rice pitcher Matt Ueckert threw a complete game two-hitter.  McKinney saw former Aggie pitcher Brian Shallock shutout Graham 5-0 for his fourth victory of the summer.  San Jacinto’s Brett Lawler went 2-for-4 with two run scored for McKinney.  Todd Stroud went 1-for-4 with the only run scored in an 8-1 loss by Weatherford at Colleyville. 

7/25/04 9:00 a.m.CT

At the Cape Cod All-Star game:

RHP Robert Ray did not pitch during the 13-0 blowout by the East against his West squad.  SS Cliff Pennington did not get a hit in either of his at-bats and was replaced in the field by Oklahoma State SS Chris Gutierrez in the fifth inning.  RHP Kevin Whelan entered the game in the seventh but Gutierrez started the inning with a throwing error.  Whelan struck out the next two batters before allowing a homerun to make the score 13-0.  The two unearned runs did not faze Whelan as he struck out the following batter to end his inning on the mound.

In the TCL:

Despite allowing two runs to score, Hart Hering picked up his sixth save of the season in a 6-5 win by Weatherford over Coppell.

7/24/04 9:00 a.m.CT

In the Cape Cod League:

The Aggies were all on the field against each other when Wareham topped Falmouth 5-3. Robert Ray pitched 2.1 innings of two-hit relief and fanned six. Kevin Whelan pitched the final 1.2 innings to notch his eighth save. Ray ran into trouble in the bottom of the eighth allowing a single, a walk to Pennington, a hit batsman and another single before Whelan (Texas A&M) entered with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the eighth with Wareham leading 4-3. He fanned both Chris Lewis and pinch-hitter Barry Gunther to end the threat. In the ninth, he struck out Pennington to end the game.

RHP Kyle Marlatt was roughed up for the first time this summer with Cotuit. He lasted only two innings, giving up six hits and five earned runs while walking two and striking out two and earning a no-decision as his team rallied to tie the score in the fifth inning.

Craig Stinson went 1-for-4 in a 3-1 loss by Bourne to Yarmouth-Dennis.

In the Texas Collegiate League:

Hart Hering picked up save number five in a 2-1 victory over Mineral Wells. Aggie outfielder Todd Stroud hit his sixth homerun of the summer (tied for second in the league) to tie the game in the seventh inning. Parker Dalton and Lee Harughty both went 1-for-4 in the loss.

Austin Creps picked up his third win of the year with one inning of relief work in McKinney's 3-2 victory over Coppell.

Here's a link to a story about a new Aggie recruit: http://www.texascollegiateleague.com/story_details.asp?id=235&cid=5

Infielder Ryan Hill, one of the top Division II players in the country from St. Mary's (San Antonio), has drawn a lot of Division I attention this summer. He recently committed to Texas A&M and plans to sign with the Aggies early next week.

"Playing in this league has gotten me more exposure, but I've been thinking about transferring to a Division I team for a while," Hill said. "I've received a lot more offers than I expected. The league has helped me in that respect.

"Coming from a Division II program, everything is better here," Hill said. "It's been a good, positive experience for me to play against bigger names and better players."

Hill led St. Mary's with a .372 average with nine home runs and 50 RBIs with the medal bat in the spring. He is hitting .289 with 3 HRs and a team-high 21 RBIs for the Blue Sox.

Coleman says that Hill deserves to promotion from DII to DI. "It will be great to see him play in the Big 12 next year," Coleman said. "He's definitely a Big 12 quality player and deserves to play with the big boys."

Paul Rogers, managing partner for the Blue Sox, said he enjoyed watching Hill being wooed by the Division I programs. But he says that his team has had a lot of other success stories that can't be measured by wins and losses.

Even with the troubles Highland Park has experienced this year, Hill was named to the All-Star Team. At St. Mary's, Hill was named All-conference after both seasons. At school, hitting .372-9-50 would be quite an accomplishment but putting it in perspective, he was avoided by pitchers most of the season. The reason, he was named Heartland Conference freshman of the year while batting .439-15-90. Despite the avoidance by conference pitchers, he was named second team All-South Central Region this year. Hill is 6-2, 205 pounds and bats from the right side.

7/23/04 9:00 a.m.CT

Summer Baseball Biggest Week So Far.  

It has been a big week around Aggie baseball for the summer months.  Three Aggies have been named to the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star game to be played Saturday.  SS Cliff Pennington, among the top five in batting and leading the league in steals will start.  Pitcher Kevin Whelan and Robert Ray will also play in the game with both players strikeout totals per nine inning among league leaders.  Whelan has seven saves this year and that is tied for the league lead.

In the Summer Leagues:

Cape Cod Action on Thursday night, Dan Donaldson picked up his for win of the season, throwing 2.1 innings allowing only one hit and walk while striking out one.  Donaldson came into the game trailing 1-0 with runners at first and second in the eighth, he worked out of the jam and threw the last two innings.  C Craig Stinson went 0-for-2 in the game but walked twice. Cliff Pennington went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and he stole his 16th base.

The Texas Collegiate League saw Highland Park's 1B Andy Howes, a transfer from Arizona, go 3-for-3 with one run scored, and Mineral wells had 2B Parker Dalton continue his offensive tear.  He hit three homeruns in one game earlier in the week and he went 3-of-5 with another run scored on Thursday.  C Lee Harughty, a redshirt from Spring, hit his second homerun while going 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI.

Earlier in the week, Pennington and Ray were named player and pitcher of the week in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the week of July 8.   

Each week, the Coca Cola Bottling Company of Cape Cod singles out one player and pitcher from the Cape Cod Baseball League who has performed above and beyond the call of duty. Selections are made by SportsTicker, a division of ESPN.   

The Texas Collegiate league also named an Aggie to be as pitcher of the week.  RHP Hart Hering, a 6-4, 230-pound junior college transfer, had three saves and a victory in four appearances for the Wranglers.   

Hering, a Waco High graduate who pitched at Weatherford last spring, threw six innings in those four appearances, allowing five hits and one run (1.50 ERA) while striking out seven. He shut out hot-hitting Granbury for three innings after the Generals scored eight runs in the first five innings on Sunday. Two of the three saves came in Wrangler wins against division-leading Graham.   

For the season, Hering is 1-1 with a 1.27 ERA in 12 appearances. He has pitched 21.1 innings, allowing 14 hits and striking out 26.   

Onto the players that will not be back next season, Zach Jackson signed his pro contract this week and is joining the Blue Jays organization for a little over one million dollars in bonus money.  The Blue Jays have now signed 32 of the 52 players selected in 2004 draft, including eight of their first 10 picks overall.   

Jackson was selected by the Blue Jays 32nd overall and was a sandwich pick at the end of the first round as compensation for losing Kelvim Escobar to free agency.  The 6'5", 225 lbs., left-hander was drafted out of Texas A & M University, where he was 10-7 with a 3.58 ERA in 18 starts for the Aggies this season.   

The, 21 year-old native of Cranberry Township, PA, is expected to join the Auburn Doubledays of the New York-Penn League (Short-Season Class A) on Wednesday, July 21, where he will begin his professional career.   

Four players will not return from last year’s team, IF Jarrett Turner, RHP B. J. Beoning, LHP Brent Jackson and OF Steven Holdren.  Turner red-shirted last season as a backup third baseman, and will be going to junior college as Austin Boggs has the third base position tied up for the next two years.  Beoning is transferring to McClennan CC in Waco to get time on the mound as he is behind several right hand pitchers on the staff.  Jackson is giving up baseball as he is looking forward to medical/dental opportunities in the future for the fine scholar-athlete.  Holdren's destination is unknown as he tries to attract attention in the Texas Collegiate league.  

Saturday we will update the performance of the three Cape Cod All-Stars, and Monday we will feature the complete stats for all Aggies in the summer leagues and former players playing minor league baseball.  

On KZNE Radio in Bryan College Station, their will be a replay of a recent interview with Aggie head coach Mark Johnson about the summer of his staff and players.  

The Aggies also have commitments from three prospects for the class of 2004-05 and you can subscribe and read about these prospects at texasbaseballnews.com, the authority in college baseball recruiting in the state of Texas.  His exclusive look at these commitments points to his hard work scouting the high school and JUCO players across the state.

7/9/04 9:00 a.m.CT

Cape Cod News:  

Robert Ray and Kevin Whelan combined to finish the last three innings of the Wareham Gateman’s 3-2 victory over the Brewster Whitecaps.  Ray threw two innings and struck out three.  Whelan threw the ninth and collected his fourth save of the year while striking out two.  Ray is 1-0 on the year with a 0.00 ERA and has 18 strikeouts in 12 innings.  Whelan is 1-2 on the year with a 1.00 ERA. He also has 16 strikeouts in nine innings.  He has four saves and would at least be tied for the lead in saves in the league except for two of the strangest innings to finish two games the Cape has seen this year.   Leading 2-1 against the Bourne Braves on the Fourth of July, Whelan took the mound in the ninth. After a pinch hit double to start the inning, Whelan struck out the next batter, then allowed a single to right, but when the throw back into the infield overthrew the cutoff man, the batter ended up at second base.  Now with runners at second and third, Joseph Hunter tied the game with a sacrifice fly into foul territory. Instead of allowing a foul ball to hit the ground, first baseman Whit Robbins made a basket catch with his back turned to the infield, then attempted to throw to third to get the runner who had tagged up from second on the play as well.  The ball went off of Baylor’s third baseman Kyle Reynolds' glove and out of play, allowing Mangum home for the winning run.  

Add that inning to what happened on June 27th against the Orleans Cardinals and you get two very strange losses.  Whelan hit a batter to start the inning but he came back to strike out the next hitter while attempting to sacrifice the tying run to second.  The inning came apart when the next hitter reached on a throwing error by Baylor’s Reynolds at third that moved the runners to second and third.  Whelan sawed off another batter and the weak grounder to first allowed Wareham’s first baseman to throw the runner coming down the line from third out at the plate.  In a ballgame that should have already been complete, Whelan allows the first ball to the next batter to be hit out of the infield, as a single to right brings the tying run home from third.  With the winning run now at third base, Whelan strikes out Orleans’ three hole hitter (3-of-4 at the time), but Rice’s catcher Adam Rogers allows a passed ball on the pitch and the runner from third scampers home to win the game.   So in Whelan’s two losses, he has worked 1.1 innings, allowed four runs, only one of those earned.  Each game has ended with the ball going off a teammates’ glove for an error that allows the winning run to score.  Talk about your bad breaks…  

In the Texas Collegiate League:  

McKinney third baseman Austin Boggs goes 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double and seven RBI in a 14-10 victory over Granbury.  1B Brett Lawler (playing at San Jacinto) went 2-of-4 as well.  RHP Kyle Nicholson pitched three innings, allowing five hits and only one run while striking out five.  

RF Todd Stroud, Weatherford: The right fielder supplies all the offense with a two-run homer (his third of the summer) in the first inning of a 2-0 victory over Highland Park.  Recruit Andy Howes played left field late in the game and was 0-1.  

CF John Infante grounded out three times in a 4-1 Coppell win over Graham, but the first ground out scored the first run of the game for the Copperheads.