Saturday - January 7, 2012

Texas/Cal games to be played at Dell Diamond

So, this news is a bit aggravating. Texas will be playing their series against Cal at the Dell Diamond instead of at Disch-Falk (single games on March 30th and April 1st sandwiched around a double header on March 31st). That's an extra $30 per person for season ticket holders if you want to take in all the games. Bah.

PS: Yes, I know. It's bad form to not post anything for months and then come back with a complaint. Sigh...sorry about that.

Posted by Joanna at 11:22 AM | Permalink

Tuesday - August 16, 2011

Final 2011 draft news

Last night at midnight (east coast time). That was the signing deadline. We were all waiting, in particular, for news on 5 players drafted in the first two rounds (including 3 signees): Dylan Bundy, Taylor Jungmann, Blake Swihart, Josh Bell, and Sam Stafford. Four of the five signed. Stafford did not sign with the Yankees and will be back in a Texas uniform this year. Looking forward to watching Sam in the 2012 season. Congratulations to the other four players. I wish them all the best.

Stafford's not the only Texas player returning to campus this year. Austin Dicharry and Kevin Lusson also chose not to sign and will come back to UT for their Senior seasons. Of our drafted signees, three did not sign and will be coming to school: Dillon Peters (lhp, Cathedral HS, Indianapolis, IN), John Curtiss (rhp, Carroll HS, Southlake, TX), and Ricky Jacquez (rhp, Franklin HS, El Paso, TX).

I've made my (hopefully) final update to my 2011 MLB Draft Summary page. Check it out for news on other players that might be of interest to Texas and Big 12 fans.

Looking forward to Fall Ball and the 2012 season. Hook 'em, Horns!

UPDATE. A few story links...

• Brewers happy to add Jungmann, Bradley by Tom Haudricourt
• Top 10 players teams will regret not inking to deals - Sam Stafford by Zachary Ball
• Dylan Bundy is an Oriole by Jeff Zrebiec
• Red Sox sign first-round catcher Blake Swihart for $2.5 million by Alex Speier
• Pirates sign top two draft picks (Josh Bell story) by Michael Sanserino

Posted by Joanna at 7:39 AM | Permalink

Saturday - July 9, 2011

Summer news

The Texas Baseball twitter feed (http://twitter.com/Texas_Baseball) posted a bunch of updates on how current players and alumni are doing away from campus this summer. In summary:

• Current players participating in summer ball:
• Erich Weiss ended his summer with the USA Baseball College National Team with two doubles and five RBI in 12 games (10 starts)
• Corey Knebel went 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 5.0 IP over five appearances with USA Baseball.
• Hoby Milner went 1-0 with a1.35 ERA in 6.2 IP over six appearances with USA Baseball.
• The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team finished 11-2-1, including a 3-1-1 mark in a five-game series against Japan.
• Christian Summers is hitting .294 with two doubles, one triple, one home run and seven RBI in 10 games with the Santa Barbara Foresters.
• Austin Dicharry is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in two appearances (one start) with the Santa Barbara Foresters... He has 10 strikeouts in 7.0 IP.
• Trevor Teykl is 0-2 with two saves and a 3.52 ERA over 23.0 IP in 12 appearances for the La Crosse Loggers.
• Alumni:
• Brandon Belt, who started the season with S.F. Giants, is hitting .316 with 7 2B, 5 HR, 23 RBI in 36 gms with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies.
• Randy Boone is currently on the DL with the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s... He was 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA in two starts before going on the DL.
• Jordan Danks is hitting .258 with 16 2B, 4 3B, 10 HR, 40 RBI and 11 SB in 80 games with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights.
• David Hernandez is hitting .345 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI and 3 SB in 17 games with the Single-A Short-Season Tri-City Dust Devils.
• Kenn Kasparek was 4-2 with 3.45 ERA in 6 starts with Double-A Jackson Generals before injury... Now rehabbing w/ Mariners rookie league team
• Kevin Keyes is hitting .232 with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 24 RBI in 35 games with the Single-A Hagerstown Suns.
• Kyle McCulloch, who appeared in 8 games with Triple-A Louisville Bats, is 2-4 with a 5.63 ERA with Double-A Carolina Mudcats.
• Russell Moldenhauer was hitting .272 with 6 2B, 2 HR and 14 RBI in 20 games with Auburn Doubledays, just got called up to Hagerstown Suns.
• Connor Rowe has seven runs, four doubles, five RBI and two stolen bases in 15 games with the Class A Short-Season Auburn Doubledays.
• Cameron Rupp is hitting .238 with 12 doubles, one triple, two HR and 13 RBI in 59 games with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws.
• Omar Quintanilla was just recalled to the Texas Rangers with Andres Blanco going to the DL. [Note: I'm pretty sure this should say "called up"...not "recalled"...since I think this is Omar's first call up since joining the Rangers' organization.]
• Omar Quintanilla [was] hitting .298 with nine doubles, four triples, five home runs and 25 RBI with the Triple A Round Rock Express.
• James Russell is 1-5 with a 4.60 ERA in 47.0 IP over 34 appearances for the Chicago Cubs.
• Kyle Russell is hitting .264 with 24 doubles, two triples, 16 HR, 50 RBI in 82 games with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts.
• Sam Lecure is with the Cincinnati Reds (pitched vs. Brewers last night)... 0-1 with a 2.72 ERA in 43.0 IP over 19 games, including 4 starts.
• Huston Street is 0-2 with 25 saves and a 3.38 ERA in 40.0 IP over 41 games for the Colorado Rockies.
• Drew Stubbs is hitting .256 with 13 doubles, two triples, 11 HR, 32 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 89 games with the Cincinnati Reds.
• Tant Shepherd is hitting .250 with one RBI in four games with the Rookie Appalachian League Kingsport Mets.
• Bradley Suttle is hitting .217 with 17 doubles, six triples, eight home runs and 43 RBI with the Double-A Trenton Thunder.
• Chance Ruffin is 0-0 with 3 saves and 3.86 ERA in 4.2 IP over 4 gms with Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens... Went 3-3 with 10 saves at Double-A Erie
• Austin Wood is 4-3 with three saves and 2.38 ERA in 41.2 IP over 32 games with Double-A Erie SeaWolves.
• Taylor Teagarden is back with Triple A Round Rock after appearing in nine games with the Rangers... Hitting .323 with 9 HR in 26 games at RR
• Brandon Workman is 2-4 with a 3.82 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 73.0 IP over 16 starts for the Class A Greenville Drive.
• J.P. Howell has appeared in 18 games with the Rays since late May... 2-1 with one save in 13.2 IP.

Posted by Joanna at 6:32 PM | Permalink

Thursday - June 30, 2011

Alumni news: Stayton Thomas

I just noticed that Stayton Thomas had signed with the Rays and has already played in 3 games! He's playing with the GCL Rays (Rookie league). He's sporting a 0.00 ERA to date. Cool! Here's a link to his player page. Good for Stayton!

Posted by Joanna at 1:01 PM | Permalink

Monday - June 20, 2011

Game 68: North Carolina at Texas (College World Series)

Game 5 of the 2011 College World Series. First elimination game of the 2011 CWS. Texas played home to North Carolina. Took the afternoon off from work and did my usual. And, so...

The lineups:

North Carolina		Texas
Chaz Frank (lf) Ben Bunting (cf) Colin Moran (3b) Jesse Wierzbicki (1b) Tommy Coyle (2b) Jacob Stallings (c) Levi Michael (ss) Brian Holberton (dh) Seth Baldwin (rf)		Tant Shepherd (1b) Mark Payton (rf) Brandon Loy (ss) Erich Weiss (3b) Jonathan Walsh (lf) Paul Montalbano (cf) Jacob Felts (c) Kevin Lusson (dh) Jordan Etier (2b)

Play by play:

• 1st inning, North Carolina
• Cole Green (rhp) on the mound for Texas.
• Frank flew out to lf.
• Bunting lined a single (1st pitch) over the ss into lf.
• Moran flew out to cf.
• Wierzbicki singled into rf, moving Bunting (hit & run) to 3b.
• Coyle struck out looking.
• 16 pitches (10 for strikes).
• 1st inning, Texas
• Kent Emanuel (lhp) on the mound for North Carolina.
• Shepherd fouled off a ton of pitches before he finally lined out to lf at the warning track. Nice job by the UNC left fielder to chase the ball down. 10-pitch at-bat.
• Payton also lined out to lf. Just a couple of pitches this time, though.
• Loy struck out looking (2-2 count).
• 2nd inning, North Carolina
• Stallings drew a full-count walk.
• Michael lined a single into rf, moving Stallings to 2b. Damn. Nice at-bat.
• Holberton grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Stallings moved up to 3b. Close play at 1b. In super slow-mo, it looked like Holberton was safe at 1b.
• Baldwin flew out to rf at the warning track.
• 21 pitches (13 for strikes).
• 2nd inning, Texas
• Weiss struck out swinging (2-2 count).
• Walsh lined a single into cf. First pitch!
• Montalbano lined into a 7-3 double play. Oh my. Texas actually had a hit & run on? Walsh was at 2b when the left fielder made the catch down the line. The throw beat him back to 1b by a mile. Wow.
• 3rd inning, North Carolina
• Frank lined a single down the lf line and moved up to 2b on a fielding error by lf as Walsh had trouble fielding the ball.
• After the 1st pitch to Bunting (called a ball), the ump gave a warning to Coach Harmon ("That's enough, Tommy!") who was apparently complaining about his strike zone. Heh.
• Bunting lined a single into rf, moving Frank to 3b.
• Texas sent Hoby Milner (lhp) to the mound, replacing Green. So sorry Cole didn't have a better start today.
• Moran struck out swinging.
• Wierzbicki also struck out swinging!
• Coyle drew a 5-pitch walk to load the bases. Ouch.
• Stallings singled into shallow right-center, scoring Frank and Bunting. Coyle moved up to 3b.
• Michael flew out to lf at the warning track.
• Green's final numbers: 2+ innings, 11 batters, 2 runs (2 earned), 5 hits (all singles), 1 strikeout, 1 walk, 45 pitches (25 for strikes).
• 22 pitches (12 for strikes) for Milner.
• Texas down 0-2.
• 3rd inning, Texas
• Felts reached on a soft liner into shallow rf. The right fielder came close to catching the ball. Whew.
• Lusson reached on a failed sac bunt attempt. The ball went up the middle toward the pitcher who made a great job to field, turn, and throw to the ss covering 2b. 1-6 fielder's choice.
• Etier popped out to 2b.
• Shepherd flew out to shallow rf.
• Texas down 0-2.
• 4th inning, North Carolina
• Holberton grounded out to the pitcher.
• Baldwin drew a full-count walk.
• After the first pitch to Frank (a ball), Coach Johnson made a visit to the mound.
• Frank hit into a 4-6-3 double play. Sweet.
• 17 pitches (8 for strikes).
• Texas down 0-2.
• 4th inning, Texas
• Payton drew a 7-pitch full-count walk.
• Loy moved Payton to 2b on a 1-3 sac bunt down the 1b line.
• Weiss lined out to shallow rf. Payton was about half-way to 3b and thrown out (9-6) for another outfield double play. Unbelievable. 11-pitch at-bat, by the way. Sigh...
• Texas down 0-2.
• 5th inning, North Carolina
• Bunting singled into rf. Three plate appearances, three hits.
• Moran flew out to deep lf down the line. Bunting tagged and moved up to 2b on the play.
• Texas sent Kendal Carrillo (rhp) to the mound, replacing Milner.
• Wierzbicki drew a 5-pitch walk.
• Coyle grounded out to 2b, moving Bunting to 3b and Wierzbicki to 2b.
• Stallings drew another 5-pitch walk.
• Scary: Carrillo started the first 3 batters off with 3 balls and then a called strike. Fourth batter started with one ball before the called strike.
• Michael flew out to lf. Whew.
• Milner's final numbers: 2.1 innings, 10 batters, no runs, 1 hit (single), 2 strikeouts, 2 walks, 43 pitches (23 for strikes).
• 19 pitches (7 for stirkes) for Carrillo.
• Texas down 0-2.
• 5th inning, Texas
• Walsh worked the count full (which included 5 foul balls) and then popped out to the pitcher. So sad.
• Montalbano struck out swinging (2-2 count).
• Felts flew out to cf (1st pitch).
• Texas down 0-2.
• 6th inning, North Carolina
• Texas sent Sam Stafford (lhp) to the mound, replacing Carrillo.
• Holberton grounded out to the pitcher.
• Baldwin struck out looking.
• Frank flew out to cf.
• 1-2-3. Nice.
• Carrillo's final numbers: 0.2 innings, 4 batters, no runs, no hits, 2 walks, 19 pitches (7 for strikes).
• 11 pitches (8 for strikes) for Stafford.
• Texas down 0-2.
• 6th inning, Texas
• Lusson struck out looking (full count).
• Etier popped out to the catcher behind the plate.
• Shepherd singled through the left side.
• Payton flew out to lf.
• Texas down 0-2.
• 7th inning, North Carolina
• Bunting grounded out to 1b (p covered bag).
• Moran singled up the middle (past a diving second baseman).
• Wierzbicki ground into a 4-6-3 double play. First pitch. Nice.
• 9 pitches (6 for strikes).
• Texas down 0-2.
• 7th inning, Texas
• Loy popped out to 2b.
• Weiss grounded out to 2b.
• Walsh lined a single over 2b into right center.
• Cohl Walla (pinch-hitting for Montalbano) popped out to 2b in shallow right field.
• Texas down 0-2.
• 8th inning, North Carolina
• Walla stayed in the game in cf.
• Coyle struck out looking.
• Stallings flew out to rf.
• Michael struck out swinging!
• 15 pitches (8 for strikes).
• Texas down 0-2.
• 8th inning, Texas
• Felts struck out swinging.
• Lusson flew out to lf.
• Etier popped out to 2b down the rf line and foul.
• By the way: 114 pitches (77 for strikes) for Emanuel through 8 innings.
• Texas down 0-2.
• 9th inning, North Carolina
• Greg Holt (pinch-hitting for Holberton) drew a 5-pitch walk.
• North Carolina sent Jeff Bouton in to pinch-run for Holt.
• After the first pitch to Baldwin (a ball), Texas sent Andrew McKirahan (lhp) to mound, replacing Stafford.
• Baldwin moved Bouton to 2b on a 1-3 sac bunt.
• Frank flew out to lf.
• Bunting lined a double over the right fielder and off the base of the bullpen wall, scoring Bouton.
• Moran flew out to lf.
• Stafford's final numbers: 3+ innings, 10 batters, 1 run (earned), 1 hit (single), 3 strikeouts, 1 walk, 41 pitches (23 for strikes).
• 13 pitches (12 for strikes) for McKirahan.
• Texas down 0-3.
• 9th inning, Texas
• Emanuel still on the mound for North Carolina, going for the complete game shut-out.
• Shepherd popped out to 1b (foul).
• Payton grounded out to 2b.
• Loy flew out to rf down the line.
• Texas loses 0-3.

Have to give credit to Kent Emanuel who pitched a great game. By my count, he threw 126 pitches (84 for strikes) and only gave up 4 singles. But, sadly, the Horns just did not seem to have much fire today. So very sorry to see them go out in 2. I was sure they'd win and was already trying to figure out how to change my dinner plans for Wednesday so I'd be able to watch the next game. Oh well...not meant to be, I guess.

The line:

Paraphrased comments from the post-game news conference:

• Coach Garrido's opening remarks: It was a brilliantly pitched game by their pitcher. He had command throughout the game from beginning to end. Texas had four hits and had opportunities. The coaches talked to the players about being aggressive and they were. Texas battled hard at the plate and competed in the game. It wasn't that he (Emanuel) was so overpowering or overwhelming that the Texas batters were doubting themselves. But they did get outplayed and that is the bottom line. He's proud of the leadership on this team. They took a team that was pretty scattered at the beginning of the year and got them together to get the team here in the first place. Texas brought 11 freshmen on this trip...5 of whom contributed a lot. Having 11 freshmen coming back next year who have had experience here will be good for Texas.
• Loy (on Emanuel): He mixed pitches early in counts and had us on our heels the entire game. He could throw 3 pitches for strikes where he wanted to throw them. Texas fought throughout the game...he just made it tough on the batters.
• Green (asked about his performance): Felt like he was leaving the ball up a little bit early in the game. They're a good team. Whenever he made a mistake they took advantage.
• Garrido (asked about the bats): The bats have made a dramatic difference offensively...and defensively too. The good thing about it is that it's balance for both teams. It wasn't about the bat in the two Texas games...it was about their teams, and their teamwork, and their ability to play. The game of baseball is alive and well with the new bats.
• Green (re. the bats): The bat brings the game back around to fundamentals, rather than just relying on homeruns.
• Loy (re. the bats): The bats didn't make much difference for Texas batters. It might have made more of a difference for last year's team which had a lot more power.
• Garrido (asked about the base-running decisions and error in the outfield): The players made a mistake in their estimate on the athleticism of the other team; both times the runners thought the fielders would not get to the ball. It could look bad in hindsight but that's what the coaches asked the players to do (be aggressive). What he's proud about was how many times Texas pitchers battled their way out of trouble. He concluded by saying that Texas never got the momentum in today's game.
• Loy (asked about their emotions): Obviously they're disappointed. They did not come here to be the first team to leave. They fought through so much stuff these past couple of weeks. It's tough to leave now. They obviously wanted the National Championship. But, they did some great things this year. It is tough that they did not get a Championship.

Sigh...more thoughts on the season in a separate post in the next day or two.

Hook 'em, Horns!

Posted by Joanna at 4:40 PM | Permalink

Saturday - June 18, 2011

Game 67: Texas at Florida (College World Series)

Game 2 of the 2011 College World Series. Texas played visitor to Florida. I watched on TV and here's how things played out. And, yes...I know, most of you watched the game. Not sure what's up here...other than just to have it all documented.

The lineups:

Texas		Florida
Tant Shepherd (1b) Mark Payton (rf) Brandon Loy (ss) Erich Weiss (3b) Paul Montalbano (cf) Jonathan Walsh (lf) Kevin Lusson (dh) Jacob Felts (c) Jordan Etier (2b)		Nolan Fontana (ss) Bryson Smith (cf) Preson Tucker (1b) Mike Zunino (c) Brian Johnson (dh) Josh Adams (2b) Tyler Thompson (lf) Daniel Pigott (rf) Cody Dent (3b)

Play by play:

• 1st inning, Texas
• Hudson Randall (rhp) on the mound for Florida.
• Shepherd struck out swinging.
• Payton popped out to lf.
• Loy grounded a single past the ss into cf.
• Weiss lined out to rf.
• 1st inning, Florida
• Taylor Jungmann (rhp) on the mound for Texas.
• Fontana flew out to lf.
• Smith drew a 5-pitch walk.
• Tucker lined out to cf. Montalbano made a nice sliding catch as he charged in on the ball.
• Zunino struck out swinging.
• 16 pitches (9 for strikes).
• 2nd inning, Texas
• Montalbano lined out to rf.
• Walsh popped out to 3b in foul territory. Damn.
• Lusson grounded out to 1b (p covered bag).
• 2nd inning, Florida
• Johnson grounded out to 2b.
• Adams grounded out to 1b (unassisted).
• Thompson grounded out to the pitcher.
• 8 pitches (6 for strikes).
• 3rd inning, Texas
• Felts reached on an error by the ss. The ball went through his legs. Huh.
• Etier reached on an error by 1b. Sac bunt attempt. The first baseman bobbled the ball as he fielded and then threw high to 2b covering the bag. Felts moved up to 2b on the sac.
• Shepherd lined a single into right center, scoring Felts and moving Etier to 3b!
• Payton hit a sac fly to lf, scoring Etier.
• With Loy at the plate, Shepherd stole 2b. He looked safe but on the super slow-mo replay, it turned out he was actually out by about 2 inches. Yikes!
• Loy singled through the right side, moving Shepherd to 3b.
• Insert visit to the mound.
• Weiss hit a sac fly to lf, scoring Shepherd. Loy remained at 1b.
• Montalbano grounded out to ss.
• Texas up 3-0!
• 3rd inning, Florida
• Pigott drew a 4-pitch walk. Yeah, really.
• After the 1st-pitch ball to Dent, Coach Johnson made a visit to the mound.
• Dent drew a 5-pitch walk. Wow.
• Fontana tried to bunt down the 3b line but Jungmann made a great defensive play to barehand the ball and throw to 3b to get the lead runner! Really nice play by Jungmann. Dent moved up to 2b.
• Smith singled through the right side, scoring Dent and moving Fontana to 3b.
• Smith moved up to 2b on a wild pitch (?) when the ball got away from Felts with Tucker at the plate.
• Fontana scored and Smith moved to 3b on a passed ball with Tucker at the plate. Wow. The ball was inside and went off Felts' glove to the wall on the 1b side of the diamond.
• Tucker struck out swinging. Whew.
• Zunino also struck out swinging. Double whew.
• 23 pitches (12 for strikes).
• Texas up 3-2.
• 4th inning, Texas
• Walsh struck out swinging.
• Lusson flew out on a soft liner to ss. Nicely timed leap by the ss to rob Walsh of a bloop single.
• Felts popped out to shallow cf.
• Texas up 3-2.
• 4th inning, Florida
• Johnson grounded out to ss. Nice range by Loy to field behind 2b and throw to 1b with lots of time to spare.
• Adams grounded out to ss. Another nice play by loy...showing even further range...to snag the ball on the 1b side of 2b and throw in stride. Really nice!
• Thompson drew a 5-pitch walk. Wow. Four walks for Jungmann in 4 innings.
• With Pigott at the plate, Thompson moved up to 2b on a wild pitch.
• Pigott lined a double over the right fielder, scoring Thompson.
• Dent doubled down the lf line, scoring Pigott. Get this: his first extra-base hit of the year. Of course it was.
• After first 2 pitches to Fontana (2 balls), Coach Johnson made another visit to the mound.
• Dent was caught stealing (2-5) as he tried to take 3b on a ball that got away from Felts with Fontana at the plate. Yes!
• 19 pitches (8 for strikes).
• Texas down 3-4.
• 5th inning, Texas
• Etier lined out to right center. Nice run by cf to make the play.
• Shepherd grounded out to ss.
• Payton struck out swinging.
• Texas down 3-4.
• 5th inning, Florida
• Fontana grounded out to 1b (unassisted).
• Smith was hit by a pitch (off his sleeve...would've been ball 4).
• Texas sent Hoby Milner (lhp) to the mound, replacing Jungmann. So sad. Jungmann just did not have it going on today. I sure hope the offense rebounds and wins this thing!
• Tucker doubled to right-center, scoring Smith.
• Zunino was intentionally walked. Sigh. I hate intentional walks.
• Johnson flew out to cf. Tucker tagged and moved up to 3b. Zunino stayed at 1b.
• Texas sent Kendal Carrillo (rhp) to the mound, replacing Milner.
• Adams flew out to lf.
• Final numbers for Jungmann (by my count): 4.1 innings, 20 batters, 5 runs (4 earned), 3 hits (2 doubles, 1 single), 3 strikeouts, 4 walks, 1 hit batter, 2 wild pitches, 75 pitches (39 for strikes). Sad.
• Milner's final numbers: 0.1 innings, no runs, 1 hit (double), 1 walk (intentional), 10 pitches (3 for strikes).
• 2 pitches (2 for strikes) for Carrillo.
• Texas down 3-5.
• 6th inning, Texas
• Loy flew out to cf.
• Weiss struck out swinging.
• Montalbano grounded out to ss.
• Texas down 3-5.
• 6th inning, Florida
• Thompson grounded out to 1b (p covered the bag). Nice diving stop by Shepherd to his right.
• Pigott grounded out to 2b.
• Dent struck out swinging. Felts could not hold onto the ball so had to throw down to 1b to complete the out.
• 6 pitches (5 for strikes).
• Texas down 3-5.
• 7th inning, Texas
• Walsh struck out looking.
• Lusson grounded out to 2b.
• Felts singled up the middle.
• Etier fouled a ball of his foot that then glanced off his helmet and hit him in his right eye. Yikes! He went on to double into the lf corner (!) to score Felts! Nice.
• Florida sent Greg Larson (rhp) to the mound, replacing Randall.
• Shepherd struck out looking.
• Texas down 4-5.
• 7th inning, Florida
• Texas sent Andrew McKirahan (lhp) to the mound, replacing Carrillo.
• Fontana lined out to lf.
• Smith drew a 5-pitch walk.
• After a 1st-pitch ball to Tucker, Coach Johnson made a visit to the mound.
• Tucker reached on a weird play. He hit a ball to 1b on a pitch that was called a balk. Shepherd fielded the ball, was about to throw to 2b, heard the balk call, and "ate" the ball. Tucker ran to 1b. The batter was awarded 2b on the balk. Since the ball was hit into play, it was "live" and Tucker was awarded 1b on the fielder's choice. Bizarro.
• Texas sent Nathan Thornhill (rhp) to the mound, replacing McKirahan.
• Zunino lined out to cf.
• Johnson doubled off the top of the wall, scoring Smith and Tucker. In the replay it looked like the ball actually hit off the top of the wall in right-center for a homerun.
• Adams struck out swinging.
• Carrillo's final numbers: 1.1 innings, 4 batters, no runs, no hits, 1 strikeout, 8 pitches (7 for strikes).
• McKirahan's final numbers: 0.1 innings, 3 batters, 2 runs (both earned), 1 walk, 1 balk, 13 pitches (5 for strikes)...(or 12 pitches (4 for strikes) if the balk pitch is not counted...not sure since the ball went live).
• 10 pitches (7 for strikes) for Thornhill.
• Texas down 4-7. Ugh.
• 8th inning, Texas
• Florida sent Nick Maronde (lhp) to the mound, replacing Larson.
• Payton struck out looking.
• Loy struck out swinging.
• Weiss grounded out to 1b unassisted. Close play at the bag.
• Texas down 4-7.
• 8th inning, Florida
• Thompson singled through the right side.
• Pigott singled over 3b down the lf line, moving Thompson to 2b.
• Texas sent Corey Knebel (rhp) to the mound, replacing Thornhill.
• Dent bunted a 3rd strike foul for a strikeout. Huh.
• Fontana flew out to cf.
• Smith lined a single into cf, scoring Thompson. Pigott moved up to 3b on the throw home.
• Tucker grounded out to 1b (unassisted).
• Thornhill's final numbers: 0.2 innings, 5 batters, 1 run (earned), 3 hits (1 double, 2 singles), 1 strikeout, 14 pitches (10 for strikes).
• 9 pitches (7 for strikes) for Knebel.
• Texas down 4-8.
• 9th inning, Texas
• Montalbano struck out swinging (full count).
• Walsh grounded out to 3b.
• Lusson flew out to lf.
• Texas loses 4-8.

Final numbers for Knebel: 1 inning, 4 batters, no runs, 1 hit (single), 1 strikeout, 9 pitches (7 for strikes).

Taylor Jungmann took his 3rd loss of the post-season in as many chances. Along with his 3rd loss of the year. So hard to believe. And, very sad.

Here's the line (from GameTracker):

Some of the post-game conference comments (please note these are very paraphrased):

• Coach Garrido's opening statement: Texas played a below-average game against a very good team who took advantage of all the things Texas did wrong.
• Jungmann: Felt he got out of rhythm in the 3rd but felt he had decent command until then.
• Coach Garrido: Texas has been pretty good in elimination games and here they are again. The players are very intelligent. They all know they played a below-average game. They know it's been done before (coming out of the loser's bracket to win the CWS) and they have that hope so they're still in it and can fight their way back.
• Loy: The team has a lot of fight and will to win. Obviously it's tough to fight from behind and they have to make the best of it. They have an opportunity in front of them and are not going to back down.
• Etier: They need to stay together as a team and pick each other up and good things will happen.
• Jungmann (asked if his struggles are physical or mechanical): Thinks maybe mechanically things are going wrong down the stretch. Things have been looking good in the bullpen but aren't translating to the field. If you fall behind in counts like he did today, good teams are going to take advantage of it.
• Coach Garrido (asked what Randall did to beat Texas): Once Randall got the lead back, he settled down and became more competitive and found his rhythm. They had him off-balance but his team got him back within one and then when they got a lead, he got momentum and confidence and took charge of the game.
• Loy: took the blame for not being on the bag at the balk call...thus not giving Shepherd someone to throw the ball to.

That last comment from Loy is interesting. I think the result still would've been balk plus fielder's choice if Shepherd had thrown to 2b. He needed to get the batter out to make him go back to the plate. I don't think he really had a chance to make the out at 1b once he made the initial move to try for the out at 2b...he was pretty far off the bag by then.

Texas will now play North Carolina in an elimination game on Monday at 1 o'clock. (Florida and Vanderbilt play at 6 o'clock that evening.)

Hook 'em, Horns!

Posted by Joanna at 10:26 PM | Permalink

Tuesday - June 14, 2011

The batter's interference thing

I know...I owe y'all a game report. But...if you'll indulge me...that batter's interference thing has been weighing on my mind.

Let me be clear: I have not seen a replay of the batter's interference call in the final game of the Austin Super Regional between Texas and Arizona State. I was in the stands and was just as confused as everyone else. I knew that if the umpire called offensive interference, the batter was out and the runner would have to go back to 1b. What I wasn't sure about was whether or not you could call interference if it was Ball 4.

So, I went looking for some clarification.

The rules are available for download from the NCAA publications web site so check them out for yourself. Here's the definition of interference:

The act of an offensive player, umpire or nongame person who interferes with; physically or verbally hinders; confuses; or impedes any fielder attempting to make a play.

Two more points:

If the umpire declares the batter, batter-runner or a runner out for interference, all other runners shall return to the last base that was touched legally at the time of the interference, unless otherwise provided by these rules. The ball is dead.

If the batter-runner has not touched first base at the time of interference, all runners shall return to the base last occupied at the time of the pitch. If there was an intervening play made on another runner, all runners shall return to the base last touched at the time of interference.

More specifically (Rule 7, Section 11.f), a batter is out when:

The batter intentionally or unintentionally interferes with the catcher's fielding or throwing by stepping out of the batter's box or making any other movement that hinders a defensive player's action at home plate.

The penalty:

The runner(s) return to the base occupied at the time of interference.

Please note that the rule does not say anything about whether or not the pitch is a ball or a strike...leading to a walk or strikeout. And, it specifically says that the action need not be intentional. It does not say that there has to be contact. Merely stepping out of the batter's box and across the plate while the catcher is trying to throw to 2b can constitute hindrance.

The count was full at the time of the call...with a right-handed batter standing on the left side of the plate. The runner was off with the pitch. In the catcher's mind, he had a shot at a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play. In that instance, he cannot wait to hear whether or not the umpire calls the pitch a ball or a strike; he has to throw to 2b to try and catch the runner from 1b. If he waits on the call, he's got no shot at making the out at 2b. The batter did step out of the batter's box toward 1b. The umpire had every reason to call interference. And, as soon as the umpire called interference, the play was dead, the batter was out, and any runners on the base paths had to return to their original positions. That's the rule. It was, interestingly, interpreted correctly.

At the time, in the heat of the moment, it would seem that the "fair" result would have been to return the runner from 3b to 2b and have runners at 1b and 2b. After all, it was Ball 4. But, that's not the rule. Whether or not you agree with the home plate umpire's assessment of interference can also be debated. But, once he calls it, the play is over. We've got no replay review in baseball. And, frankly, I doubt very seriously that this sort of call would be eligible for review even if we did.

UPDATE. Craig Amick (Twitter handle: craigamick_co) argues that Rule 8, Section 3 would allow for a different interpretation: that the base runner from 1b would actually be entitled to advance to 2b due to the base-on-balls awarded to the batter. The batter would still be out due to the interference call but the moment the ball was called, the runner from 1b automatically gets 2b. Obviously the runner wasn't physically at 2b at the time of the interference call but he was entitled to the base because Ball 4 had been called against the batter.

Rule 8, Sections 3a and 3b state that a runner is entitled to the next base:

(a) If forced to vacate the base because of a following runner.

(b) If forced to vacate the base because the batter was awarded that base.

Was the batter awarded 1b on the base-on-balls call? Or does the interference override the walk? If it does, the runner at 1b is not forced to vacate. It's not at all clear.

Hmmm...

Posted by Joanna at 12:56 PM | Permalink

Monday - June 13, 2011

Game 66: Arizona State at Texas (Austin Super Regional)

Texas won the Austin Super Regional! And, my game report is late! It'll come, though. Patience. It will be rewarded. Well, if you consider my game reports a reward. Hook 'em.

Posted by Joanna at 8:05 AM | Permalink

Sunday - June 12, 2011

Game 65: Texas at Arizona State (Austin Super Regional)

Texas bounced back in a big way to beat Arizona State 5-1 in the 2nd game of the Austin Super Regional. The line...

Note how the Horns scored 5 runs on 8 hits in Game 2 of the Super Regional verses 1 run on 8 hits in Game 1. How does that happen? Gotta love baseball. Right????

It was a hot (98 °F at the start of the game) but gorgeous day at Disch-Falk Field.

It did drop down to 91 by the end of the game. And, we had a bit of a breeze most of the day. But, with the stands packed, there's not much relief to be had. Not that I'm complaining. Nosireebob. I'd much rather be out in that than at home watching someone else play on TV! And, so...

The lineups:

Texas		Arizona State
Tant Shepherd (1b) Mark Payton (rf) Brandon Loy (ss) Erich Weiss (3b) Jonathan Walsh (lf) Kevin Lusson (dh) Paul Montalbano (cf) Jacob Felts (c) Jordan Etier (2b)		Johnny Ruettiger (lf) Deven Marrero (ss) Riccio Torrez (3b) Joey DeMichele (dh) Zach Wilson (1b) Matt Newman (rf) Xorge Carrillo (c) Zack MacPhee (2b) Andrew Aplin (cf)

Yep...Texas played visitor. Cole Green started for Texas and, with a bit of help from his bullpen, moved his record to 8-3. And, Corey Knebel earned his 18th save of the year...1 shy of the Texas single-season record. The Horns need to move on to the CWS so they can improve those numbers, don't you think?

The story of the game, though, was Jordan Etier. He struggled in Game 1. But, he found something in himself overnight and turned things around in a big way for Game 2. He went 3-for-4 with 2 singles and a 3-run homerun (!) to pace the offense. And, he was smooth as can be on defense all day (he even had an unassisted double play). It's a good story. I'm happy for him.

And, so...the play by play:

• 1st inning, Texas
• Kramer Champlin (xx) on the mound for Arizona State.
• Shepherd struck out swinging.
• Payton grounded out to the pitcher. Soft come-backer right to the pitcher.
• Loy popped out to 1b...foul, about 10 feet from the bag.
• 1st inning, Arizona State
• Cole Green on the mound for Texas.
• Ruettiger reached on an infield single (high bouncer) to 1b. It was a close play at 1b. Green was a little slow getting to the bag to cover and the runner dove for the bag. Weird play.
• With Marrero at the plate, Ruettiger stole 2b. The ball got away from Felts a bit but the runner had a good jump on the pitch. No throw to 2b.
• Marrero struck out swinging.
• Torrez grounded out to 3b. Ruettiger waited for Weiss to throw the ball and then moved up to 3b.
• DeMichele grounded out to ss.
• 11 pitches (8 for strikes).
• 2nd inning, Texas
• Weiss flew out to cf.
• Walsh popped out to shallow lf.
• Lusson grounded out to 1b (unassisted).
• 2nd inning, Arizona State
• Wilson grounded out to ss.
• Newman grounded out to 2b.
• Carrillo reached on an infield single to ss. It was a slow bouncer and Loy tried to barehand and throw in one motion (his only chance at the out) but he missed the ball.
• MacPhee lined a single into rf, moving Carrillo to 2b.
• Insert full infield meeting on the mound with Coach Johnson.
• Aplin drew a 4-pitch walk to load the bases. Yikes.
• Ruettiger grounded into a 5-unassisted fielder's choice. Weiss bobbled the ball but stepped on 3b with plenty of time to spare.
• 23 pitches (10 for strikes)
• 3rd inning, Texas
• Montalbano drew a 4-pitch walk.
• Felts moved Montalbano to 2b on a 1-3 sac bunt down the 1b line.
• Etier reached on a throwing error by ss. High...pulled the first baseman off the bag. Etier dove at the bag and under the tag. ASU argued the call (saying the first baseman tagged the batter) to no avail. Montalbano had no chance to advance.
• Insert visit to the mound.
• Shepherd drew a full-count 6-pitch walk to load the bases.
• Payton hit a sac fly to lf about 15 feet shy of the warning track, scoring Montalbano...and advancing the other two runners. That's unusual for all the runners to advance.
• Loy struck out looking. 3 pitches. Ouch.
• Nice to see Texas respond with a run after almost coming so close to giving up a run in the bottom of the 2nd.
• Texas up 1-0.
• 3rd inning, Arizona State
• Marrero grounded out to 3b.
• Torrez struck out swinging.
• DeMichele grounded out to 2b.
• 9 pitches (6 for strikes).
• Texas up 1-0.
• 4th inning, Texas
• Weiss drew a 4-pitch walk.
• Walsh singled through the right side, moving Weiss to 2b.
• Lusson squared to bunt then pulled the bat back and popped out to 3b (soft liner).
• Montalbano grounded into a 3-6-1 double play. He did that yesterday, too! You just don't see that double play a lot. And, you certainly don't see the same player hit into it two days in a row. How bizarre. It was a close play at 1b and I actually think Montalbano may well have been safe. But...what can you do?
• Texas up 1-0.
• 4th inning, Arizona State
• Wilson struck out swinging.
• Newman also struck out swinging.
• Carrillo grounded out to ss.
• 10 pitches (7 for strikes).
• Texas up 1-0.
• 5th inning, Texas
• Felts struck out looking.
• Etier lined a single into lf!
• Shepherd hit into a 5-4-3 double play. Damn.
• Texas up 1-0.
• 5th inning, Arizona State
• MacPhee singled through the right side.
Aplin moved MacPhee to 2b on a 5-3 sac bunt down the 3b line.
• Ruettiger lined into a 4-unassisted double play. On the hit & run, MacPhee was nearly to 3b when Etier caught the line drive. Etier then jogged to the 2b bag to complete the double play. Nice.
• 8 pitches (5 for strikes).
• Texas up 1-0.
• 6th inning, Texas
• Payton drew a full-count 6-pitch walk.
• Loy moved Payton to 2b on a 1-3 sac bunt down the 1b line.
• Weiss lined a double into left-center, scoring Payton.
• Walsh struck out looking.
• Lusson drew a full-count 6-pitch walk.
• Insert visit to the mound.
• Montalbano grounded out to 1b (unassisted).
• Texas up 2-0.
• 6th inning, Arizona State
• Marrero lined a single into cf.
• Torrez singled through the right side, moving Marrero to 3b.
• Texas sent Hoby Milner (lhp) to the mound, replacing Green. Standing ovation for Green. Thank you, Cole Green!
• DeMichele scored Marrero on a sac fly to cf.
• Torrez moved up to 2b on a wild pitch with Wilson at the plate. The ball didn't get very far away from Felts but he could not find it and Torrez was very quick to take advantage.
• Wilson went on to draw a full-count 6-pitch walk.
• With Newman at the plate, Torrez tried to move up to 3b on another pitch that got away from Felts momentarily. This time, though, Felts picked the ball up quickly and gunned Torrez down at 3b. Sweet! Wilson stayed at 1b.
• Newman grounded out to 2b.
• So glad the Horns scored that run in the top of the inning.
• Final numbers for Green: 5+ innings, 21 batters, 1 run (earned), 6 hits (all singles), 4 strikeouts, 1 walk, 68 pitches (40 for strikes).
• 11 pitches (6 for strikes) for Milner.
• Texas up 2-1.
• 7th inning, Texas
• Felts popped out to 2b.
• Etier singled up the middle off the mound.
• With Shepherd at the plate, Etier was almost caught stealing. He took off for 2b, saw the catcher throw to 2b, and headed back to 1b. Luckily, the second baseman dropped the throw from the catcher. Whew.
• Shepherd lined a single into cf, moving Etier to 2b.
• Arizona State sent Trevor Williams (rhp) to the mound, replacing Champlin.
• Payton flew out to cf. Etier tied to tag up and advance to 3b but he was thrown out at 3b (8-5) for a double play. Ouch. It was a close play at 3b but still...ouch.
• Texas up 2-1.
• 7th inning, Arizona State
• Carrillo singled up the middle.
• MacPhee moved Carrillo to 2b on a 1-3 sac bunt.
• Arizona State sent Michael Benjamin in to pinch run for Carrillo at 2b.
• Texas sent Kendal Carrillo (rhp) to the mound, replacing Milner.
• Andy Workman (pinch-hitting for Aplin) struck out swinging.
• Texas sent Andrew McKirahan (lhp) to the mound, replacing Carrillo.
• Ruettiger reached on an infield single to 2b, moving Benjamin to 3b. The throw from 2b was just barely late. Benjamin tried to score on the throw to 1b but Shepherd gunned the throw home. Felts fielded and held onto the ball as Benjamin bowled him over. Benjamin out on the play!!! (It took a while for both guys to get up off the turf after the collision. Wow.) Tommy Harmon was out quickly to give huge props to Felts after the play (after he made sure he was okay, first). Heh.
• Final numbers for Milner: 1.1 innings, 5 batters, no runs, 1 hit (single), 1 walk, 1 wild pitch, 15 pitches (9 for strikes).
• Final numbers for Carrillo: 0.1 innings, 1 batter, no runs, no hits, 1 strikeout, 5 pitches (4 for strikes).
• Texas up 2-1.
• 8th inning, Texas
• Austin Barnes went in behind the plate for ASU. Workman stayed in at cf.
• Loy grounded out to the pitcher (bunt attempt).
• Weiss grounded out to 2b.
• Walsh also grounded out to 2b.
• Texas up 2-1.
• 8th inning, Arizona State
• Texas sent Tim Maitland into cf, replacing Walsh. And, they sent Corey Knebel (rhp) to the mound, replacing McKirahan.
• Final numbers for McKirahan: 0.1 innings, 1 batter, 1 hit, 1 pitch (1 strike). Heh.
• Marrero grounded out to 2b.
• Torrez struck out looking.
• DeMichele grounded out to 1b (unassisted).
• 13 pitches (8 for strikes).
• Texas up 2-1.
• 9th inning, Texas
• Lusson singled through the right side.
• Texas sent Sam Stafford to pinch run for Lusson.
• Montalbano moved Stafford to 2b on a 1-3 sac bunt.
• With Felts at the plate, Stafford moved up to 3b on a wild pitch.
• Felts went on do drew a 5-pitch walk.
• Visit to the mound...full infield involved. Coach Garrido took the opportunity to have a chat with Etier.
• Etier hit a 3-run homerun (2nd pitch) into the Texas bullpen!!!!!
• In a post-game interview, Coach Garrido said they had a bunt play on but he saw that ASU was set to play it perfectly so he let Etier loose.
• Shepherd lined a triple into cf. The ball went just off the center fielder's outstretched glove. Nice.
• Payton drew a 4-pitch walk.
• Arizona State sent Alex Blackford (rhp) to the mound, replacing Williams.
• Loy popped out to shallow rf. Shepherd tried to tag up and score on the play but he was thrown out (9-2) on the play. Another collision at the plate but not as melodramatic as the previous inning. Nice play by the right fielder who had to make a last-second adjustment to even catch the ball.
• Texas up 5-1.
• 9th inning, Arizona State
• Texas moved Montalbano to rf and sent Cohl Walla in at cf (taking Payton's spot in the lineup).
• Wilson struck out swinging.
• Newman also struck out swinging. Felts couldn't hold onto the ball so had to throw down to 1b to complete the out.
• Barnes grounded out to 2b.
• Final numbers for Knebel: 2 innings, 6 batters, no runs, no hits, 3 strikeouts, 25 pitches (17 for strikes).
• Texas wins 5-1!

Really nice win for the Horns. Texas will now play home team in the final game of the Super Regional. That was determined by a coin flip before the tournament started. Stafford will be on the mound for Texas. ASU has not announced a starter. Hook 'em, Horns!

Posted by Joanna at 3:25 PM | Permalink

Saturday - June 11, 2011

Senior Day Photos

Senior Day took place on May 21st...the last regular-season game against the Aggies. Texas honored the six Seniors on the squad before the game. I took some photos and I've finally gotten around to sharing them. Sadly, I did not manage to get great photos of all of them. Sorry about that. I tried.

Kendal Carrillo:

Cole Green:

Ben Kaplan:

Paul Montalbano:

Tant Shepherd:

Stayton Thomas:

Thanks to all the Seniors. I wish them nothing but the best as the move on in life. Hook 'em!

Posted by Joanna at 12:35 PM | Permalink