Todd Wellemeyer considering retirement in wake of injury; Cory Wade appears odd-man out in Rays’ bullpen battle

Todd Wellemeyer; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports Louisville native and former Bellarmine right-handed pitcher Todd Wellemeyer is unsure about his future after re-aggravating his hip injury. The Cubs assigned Wellemeyer to minor league camp on Tuesday, but Levine reports Wellemeyer may ask for his release and retire if the hip doesn’t improve.
Marc Tompkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports former Kentucky Wesleyan right-handed pitcher Cory Wade appears to have come up short in his quest to make the Tampa Bay Rays’ bullpen out of Spring Training.
Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports Louisville native and former Morehead St. right-handed pitcher Jon Rauch will start the season as the Blue Jays closer but will likely relinquish that role to Frank Francisco when he is healthy.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports Ashland native and former UK right-handed pitcher Brandon Webb canceled his live batting practice throwing session on Wednesday because he could not get loose and will see the Rangers’ team doctor before deciding the next step in his rehab.
Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com ranks former Bowling Green Hot Rods pitchers Matt Moore and Alex Colome among the top 10 prospects in the Tampa Bay Rays system.

Mid-Continent University earns 5-1 win over Murray State

Mid-Continent Univeristy became the second Kentucky NAIA school to defeat a Kentucky Ohio Valley Conference team in a week with a 5-1 win over Murray State University. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Allen Haase earned the win after surrendering one run on eight hits in nine innings while striking out three batters and walking three. Murray St.’s lone run came in the ninth inning. Four different Mid-Continent batters tallied at least two hits in the game. Senior first baseman William Ruthven led the attack with a 2-3, one-RBI, two-run-scored performance. Junior third baseman Daniel Edwards was 2-4 with two RBI and one run scored.

Murray St. freshman left-handed pitcher Kyle Cornett took the loss after surrendering three runs, two of which were earned, on seven hits in five innings while striking out four batters and walking none. Freshman third baseman Wes Warren was 3-4 with one RBI to lead the Breds. Sophomore shortstop Brandon Elliott was the only other Murray St. batter with multiple hits and finished the game 2-5. (Box Score)

Jared Andreoli, Tanner Perkins, J T Riddle win week 5 awards

Uncategorized

Jared Andreoli bats against UK: BluGrass Baseball photo

It’s time for the weekly BluGrass Baseball awards. Check out the best of Kentucky Division one college baseball hitting, pitching and freshmen performances below:

Hitter of the week: OF Jared Andreoli (WKU)

Stats: 8-15 (.533), 2 HR, 7 R, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 1 SB
Honorable Mention: J. T. Riddle (UK), Alex Chittenden (UofL), Cody Larson (Murray St.), Richie Rodriguez (EKU), Ivan Hartle (WKU), Logan Robbins (WKU), Daniel Pugh (Morehead St.)

Pitcher of the week: LHP Tanner Perkins (WKU)

Stats: 1-0, 8 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO
Honorable Mention: Alex Meyer (UK), Justin Amlung (UofL), Derek Self (UofL), Kyle McGrath (EKU), Brian Edelen (WKU)

Freshman of the week: OF J. T. Riddle (UK)

Stats: 7-13 (.538), 1 HR, 8 RBI, 3 R, 2 SB
Honorable Mention: Alex Chittenden (UofL), Jeff Thompson (UofL), Wes Warren (Murray St.), Sean Hagen (EKU), Kyle McGrath (EKU), Justin Hageman (WKU), Ryan Conner (Morehead St.)

Spring roundup: Jon Rauch, Trever Miller, Josh Lueke and Trystan Magnuson post scoreless innings

Uncategorized

Jon Rauch; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Stats and highlights from Sunday Kentucky Spring Training action:

Louisville native and former Morehead St. right-handed pitcher Jon Rauch was credited with his first save of the spring after pitching a scoreless inning for the Blue Jays.
Louisville native Trever Miller pitched a scoreless inning for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Highland Heights native and former NKU right-handed pitcher Josh Lueke was credited with a hold after pitching a scoreless inning for the Seattle Mariners.
Former UofL right-handed pitcher Trystan Magnuson was credited with a save after pitching a scoreless inning for the Oakland Athletics.
Former UK right-handed pitcher Joe Blanton was charged with a loss after surrendering four runs on eight hits in six and one-third innings for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds, who was born in Pikeville, was 2-4 with one strikeout versus the Rays.
Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Tyler Clippard, who was born in Lexington, surrendered two hits and a walk in a scoreless inning versus the Tigers.
Atlanta Braves second baseman Dan Uggla, who was born in Louisville, was 0-3 versus the Astros.

Spring Roundup: Wade, Green highlight abbreviated schedule

Uncategorized

Stats and recaps from a short schedule of Wednesday Kentucky Spring Training action:

Former Kentucky Wesleyan right-handed pitcher Cory Wade surrendered one run on two hits in two and two-third innings while striking out four batters and walking none for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Louisville native and former UofL right-handed pitcher Sean Green earned a win and struck out two batters in a scoreless inning.
Lexington Catholic alum Ben Revere was 0-1 for the Minnesota Twins.
Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Tyler Clippard, who was born in Lexington, took a loss after surrendering five runs on four hits in one inning.
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds, who was born in Pikeville, was 0-2 with one walk.

Spring roundup: Blanton gets a win; Cowgill launches grand slam; Magnuson and Wade post scoreless outings

Uncategorized

Collin Cowgill; Photo: UK Athletics

Stats and highlights from Wednesday Kentucky Spring Training action:

Lexington native and former UK outfielder Collin Cowgill was 1-5 with a grand slam for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Former UK right-handed pitcher Joe Blanton picked up his first win of the spring after surrendering two runs on five hits in five innings while striking out three batters and walking two for the Philadelphia Phillies.
In that same game former UK first baseman Ryan Strieby struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance.
Former UofL right-handed pitcher Trystan Magnuson struck out one batter in a scoreless inning for the Oakland Athletics.
Former Kentucky Wesleyan right-handed pitcher Cory Wade surrendered one hit and struck out two batters in two scoreless innings for the Tampa Bay Rays in an exhibition game versus the Netherlands.
PLD alum A. J. Ellis was hitless in two at-bats for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds, who was born in Pikeville, was 1-4 with one double, two RBI and one run scored versus the Twins.
Atlanta Braves left-handed pitcher Jonny Venters, who was born in Pikeville, struck out one batter in a scoreless inning of relief.
In that same game Braves second baseman Dan Uggla, who was born in Louisville, was 0-3 versus the St. Louis Cardinals.

James Paxton signs for just under $1 million; Trever Miller turns to marathons; Aaron Cook denies he was out of shape

Uncategorized

Trever Miller; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

Jim Callis of Baseball America reports former UK left-handed pitcher James Paxton‘s signing bonus with the Seattle Mariners is worth $942,000. Since the Blue Jays reportedly offered Paxton $1 million as the team’s first-supplemental round pick in 2010, he almost broke even despite not pitching in college in 2010.
Jeff Pearlman of Sports Illustrated profiles Louisville native Trever Miller and his new role as a marathon runner, which he found while dealing with his daughter’s debilitating illness.
Jon Heyman of SI reports one-time UK outfielder turned second baseman Jason Kipnis has impressed scouts during Cleveland Indians Spring Training and should reach the MLB roster by June.
Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports Colorado Rockies right-handed pitcher Aaron Cook, who was born in Fort Campbell, denied a SI report, which we linked yesterday, that he showed up to camp out of shape.
In a separate story Renck reports Cook has no pain in his shoulder after receiving medical treatment and feels he still has time to make the Rockies’ starting rotation. Cook will throw a bullpen session this week.

Zach Noonan, Jordan Cooper and Dace Kime named BluGrass Baseball week three award winners

Uncategorized

Jordan Cooper; UK Athletics photo

It’s time for the BluGrass Baseball Week Three awards. Check out the best hitting, pitching and freshmen performances of the week:

Hitter of the week: OF Zach Noonan (Murray St.)

Stats: 9-16 (.563), 1 HR, 5 R, 9 RBI, 3 2Bs, 1 3B
Honorable Mention: Braden Kapteyn (UK), Kes Carter (WKU), Jared Andreoli (WKU), Jacob Rhodes (Murray St.), Elliot Frey (Murray St.), Andrew Deeds (Morehead St.), Stewart Ijames (UofL)

Pitcher of the week: RHP Jordan Cooper (UK)

Stats: 1-0, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 SO
Honorable Mention: Justin Amlung (UofL), Matt Koch (UofL), Mike Nastold (UofL), Dace Kime (UofL), Alex Meyer (UK), Justin Hageman (WKU), Jake Donze (Murray St.), Tyler Beers (Murray St.), Bryan Babin (Murray St.), Stephen Hefler (EKU), Josh Schneider (Morehead St.)

Freshman of the week: RHP Dace Kime (UofL)

Stats: 1-0, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 SO
Honorable Mention: Ty Young (UofL), Justin Hageman (WKU), Scott Wilcox (WKU), Trevor Gott (UK), Brandon Eggenschwiler (Murray St.), Bud Morton (Morehead St.)

Spring roundup: Revere has big day for Twins; Austin Kearns, Ryan Strieby, Collin Cowgill, Jason Kipnis tally hits

Uncategorized

Ben Revere; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Highlights and stats from Saturday Kentucky Spring Training action:

Lexington Catholic alum Ben Revere was 2-2 with one double, two stolen bases, one RBI, one walk and one run scored for the Minnesota Twins.
Lexington native Austin Kearns was 1-2 with one RBI and two walks for the Cleveland Indians.
Former UK first baseman Ryan Strieby was 1-4 with one walk and one run scored for the Detroit Tigers.
Former UK outfielder Collin Cowgill had a single in one at-bat for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
One-time UK outfielder turned second baseman Jason Kipnis was 1-4 with one walk, one RBI and one run scored for the Cleveland Indians.
Atlanta Braves second baseman Dan Uggla, who was born in Louisville, was 0-1 with two walks.
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds, who was born in Pikeville, was 0-4 with two strikeouts.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2011_03_05_detmlb_houmlb_1

Spring Training roundup: Nathan Adcock, Cory Wade, Sean Green and Jonny Venters post scoreless appearances

Uncategorized

Nathan Adcock; Photo by mwlguide via Flickr

Highlights and stats from Thursday Kentucky Spring Training action:

PRP alum Zack Cox was 2-4 with one double and one run scored for the St. Louis Cardinals.
North Hardin alum Nathan Adcock struck out one batter in a scoreless inning and recorded a hold for the Kansas City Royals.
Kentucky Wesleyan alum Cory Wade struck out one batter in two scoreless innings for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Louisville native and former UofL right-handed pitcher Sean Green struck out one batter in a scoreless inning for the Milwaukee Brewers.
In that same game former UofL right-handed pitcher Trystan Magnuson surrendered one run on two hits in one inning for the Oakland Athletics.
Offseason Louisville resident Matt Maloney surrendered one run on three hits in three innings for the Cincinnati Reds. Maloney struck out three batters and walked none.
PLD alum A. J. Ellis was 1-2 for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lexington native Austin Kearns was 0-2 with two walks for the Cleveland Indians.
In that same game one-time UK outfielder turned second baseman Jason Kipnis was 0-3 with one strikeout.
Batting leadoff, former UK outfielder Collin Cowgill was 0-5 with one strikeout for the Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves left-handed reliever Jonny Venters, who was born in Pikeville, struck out one batter in a scoreless inning.