Wisconsin-La Crosse Fights To Save Baseball

2009-07-02T17:43:29Z

In a year that has seen the baseball programs at Vermont and Northern Iowa cut and the program at Massachusetts narrowly avoid the same fate, another program is trying to escape the chopping block. Fundraising efforts are underway to save the baseball program at Division III Wisconsin-La Crosse, but there’s still a long way to go. Spearheading [...]

Checking In With Maryland’s Erik Bakich

2009-07-01T23:44:01Z

It hasn’t taken Erik Bakich long to settle into his new gig as Maryland’s head baseball coach. In fact, when we spoke with Bakich on Tuesday (a day after he was formally introduced at Maryland), he was already in his comfort zone: on the recruiting trail. Bakich made his reputation at Vanderbilt as one of the [...]

CWS Ratings Soar

2009-07-01T18:19:07Z

The NCAA has released television ratings for the 2009 College World Series, and the news is good for broadcasts on both ESPN and ESPN2. Overall, the 2009 CWS (the 30th straight Series broadcast by ESPN) was the most-viewed and highest-rated in the history of both ESPN and ESPN2. Having marquee names like Louisiana State and Texas go deep [...]

Maryland Hires Vandy’s Bakich

2009-06-30T22:33:34Z

Maryland has hired Vanderbilt assistant coach Erik Bakich as its new head baseball coach, a source close to the situation confirmed Saturday. The hire will be announced officially on Monday. Bakich replaces Terry Rupp, who resigned in late May. Bakich is a rising star in college coaching circles, known for his exceptional talent as a recruiter, his sharp baseball [...]

USA College National Team Announced

2009-06-25T21:36:58Z

USA Baseball announced its 22-player roster for the college national team, with Cal State Fullerton shortstop Christian Colon highlighting the team as the lone returnee from last year’s club. Coach Rick Jones (Tulane) kept a bit of an unusual roster in that there is no true third baseman or second baseman on the team. Colon is [...]

CWS Notebook: Longhorns Look To 2010

2009-06-25T07:51:29Z

OMAHA—Augie Garrido finished second at the 1992 College World Series with a Cal State Fullerton team led by future big leaguer Phil Nevin. "I know this: That 1992 team with Nevin and those guys that finished second, more of them have gone on to different professions—real estate, banking, dentistry," Garrido said. "They have a higher level [...]

There’s Nothing Like A Good Dogpile

2009-06-25T05:53:36Z

OMAHA—Louis Coleman’s strikeout of Texas’ Connor Rowe delivered LSU its sixth national championship, setting off a celebration that began with the requisite dogpile on the pitcher’s mound. Amid the jubilation, the Tigers players literally planted their flag in center field at Roseblatt Stadium before making a beeline to the left-field bleachers to high-five fans. LSU head coach [...]

One Final Wrapup

2009-06-25T05:50:52Z

OMAHA—After watching Louisiana State win its sixth national championship with an 11-4 win against Texas, Kirk Kenney and I offered our parting thoughts from Rosenblatt Stadium.

LSU Gets Another Trophy For Den: Tigers Tower Over Omaha

2009-06-25T02:54:20Z

  The Mutual of Omaha building downtown had it right all along. OMAHA—Louisiana State has beaten Texas 11-4 to claim its sixth national championship. The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Jared Mitchell’s first-inning, three-run homer, then stretched the lead to 4-0 with a run in the second. Texas stormed back against LSU righthander Anthony Ranaudo to tie [...]

LSU Answers Emphatically

2009-06-25T01:56:42Z

OMAHA—After Texas tied the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth, Louisiana State responded in a big way, exploding for five runs on two hits in the top of the sixth. This rally felt a lot like Texas’ ninth-inning rally against Southern Miss on Sunday, when the Longhorns scored the winning run in [...]