BluGrass Baseball Pitching Leaderboard: May 10

College Baseball

In the second weekly leaderboard post we’ll look at the top pitching statistics through 10 weeks of the college baseball season. To be eligible for the ERA and batting average against categories, pitchers must have at least one inning per team game. Eligible players attend a Kentucky college or graduated from a Kentucky high school. Stats are current through Sunday’s games.

ERA

  • Derek Self — UofL — 1.25 (57.2)
  • Justin Amlung — UofL — 1.58 (85.1 IP)
  • Tanner Perkins — WKU — 2.24 (80.1 IP)
  • Alex Meyer — UK — 2.98 (87.2 IP)
  • Chad Martin — Indiana (PLD) — 3.23 (64 IP)

Wins

  • Justin Amlung — UofL — 8-1
  • Jeremy Dobbs — Austin Peay (Daviess Co. HS) — 8-2
  • Justin Hageman — WKU — 8-4
  • Tanner Perkins — WKU — 6-3
  • Jake Donze — Murray St. — 6-4
  • Stephen Hefler — EKU — 6-4

Strikeouts

  • Alex Meyer — UK — 96
  • Damon McCormick — Valpo (St. X) — 75
  • Justin Hageman — WKU — 73
  • Tanner Perkins — WKU — 67
  • Justin Amlung — UofL — 63

Innings Pitched

  • Damon McCormick — Valpo (St. X HS) — 88.0
  • Alex Meyer — UK — 87.2
  • Justin Amlung — UofL — 85.1
  • Tanner Perkins — WKU — 80.1
  • Justin Hageman — WKU — 80.0

Saves

  • Tony Zych — UofL — 11
  • Mike Kaczmarek — UK — 4
  • Cameron Finch — Murray St. — 4
  • Phil Wetherell — WKU — 4
  • Ryne Purcell — EKU — 4

Batting Average Against

  • Derek Self — UofL — .186
  • Justin Amlung — UofL — .187
  • Damon McCormick — Valpo (St. X) — .215
  • Alex Meyer — UK — .220
  • Tanner Perkins — WKU — .232

Appearances

  • Phil Wetherell — WKU — 25
  • Nick Maronde — Florida (Lexington Catholic) — 24
  • Alex Phillips — UK — 23
  • Taylor Haydel — WKU — 22
  • Tony Zych — UofL — 22

Meyer, Deeds and Hageman win week 12 NCAA awards

College Baseball

Alex Meyer pitches versus Vanderbilt; BluGrass Baseball photo

It’s time for the weekly BluGrass Baseball college awards. Check out the best hitting, pitching and freshman performances below:

Hitter of the week: INF/OF Andrew Deeds (Morehead St.)

  • Stats: 8-14 (.571), 3 2Bs, 1 3B, 5 R, 3 RBI, 2 BBs, 1 SB
  • Honorable Mention: Kes Carter (WKU), Jared Andreoli (WKU), Adam Engel (UofL), Thomas McCarthy (UK), Dustin Dunlop (EKU), Taylor Davis (Morehead St.)
Pitcher of the week: RHP Alex Meyer (UK)
  • Stats: 1-0, 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO
  • Honorable Mention: Justin Hageman (WKU), Brian Edelen (WKU), Justin Amlung (UofL), Derek Self (UofL), Chad Green (UofL), Travis Tingle (UofL), Jordan Cooper (UK), Stephen Hefler (EKU), Greg Terry (EKU), Bryan Babin (Murray St.), Matthew Robertson (Morehead St.)
Freshman of the week: RHP Justin Hageman (WKU)
  • Stats: 1-0, 9 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
  • Honorable Mention: Jordan Cessna (WKU), Adam Engel (UofL), Chad Green (UofL), Bryan Soloman (EKU), Tyler Saltsman (Murray St.), Bud Morton (Morehead St.)

NCAA roundup: Meyer, UK take down No. 4 Vanderbilt; WKU loses; UofL shutout in second consecutive game

College Baseball

Alex Meyer; BluGrass Baseball photo

Recaps and highlights from Tuesday Kentucky college baseball action:

  • University of Kentucky junior right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer out dueled fellow first-round draft pick Sonny Gray to lead the Cats to a 2-0 win over No. 4 Vanderbilt. Meyer posted a complete-game shutout, surrendering five hits and striking out five batters while walking one. Junior third baseman Thomas McCarthy put UK on the board with a solo home run to lead off the second inning. The Cats added an insurance run in the seventh inning while junior designated hitter Braden Kapteyn singled to lead off the inning then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from McCarthy, moved to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch. (Box Score)
  • Western Kentucky University suffered a serious setback in its push for a Sun Belt Conference championship with a 4-2 loss to Florida Atlantic in game one of a three-game series. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Tanner Perkins took the loss after surrendering four runs on nine hits in six and one-third innings while striking out four batters and walking two. Senior third baseman Casey Dykes was 3-4 with one run scored. No other WKU batter tallied multiple hits in the game. (Box Score)
  • The University of Louisville offense extended its scoreless innings streak to 33 in a 1-0 loss to Seton Hall. Redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Justin Amlung suffered his first loss of the season after surrendering one run on four hits in eight and two-third innings while striking out three batters and walking four. The UofL offense tallied just two hits in the game. Seton Hall put two runners on base with two outs in the ninth inning against Amlung before UofL head coach Dan McDonnell brought closer Tony Zych in the game. Zych allowed the runners to advance on a wild pitch before giving up the game-winning single. (Box Score)
Hitter of the day: 3B Thomas McCarthy (UK)
  • Stats: 1-2, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB
  • Honorable Mention: Casey Dykes (WKU)
Pitcher of the day: RHP Alex Meyer (UK)
  • Stats: 1-0. 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO
  • Honorable Mention: Tanner Perkins (WKU), Justin Amlung (UofL)

BluGrass Baseball Week 12 Weekend Schedule

College Baseball

Check out the week 12 weekend schedule below with probable pitchers listed when available:

Western Kentucky University (27-18) vs. Florida Atlantic

  • Friday — 6 p.m. (CT) — LHP Tanner Perkins (6-2, 2.07 ERA) — Live Stats
  • Saturday — 12 p.m. (CT) — RHP Justin Hageman (7-4, 3.42 ERA)
  • Sunday — 12 p.m. (CT) — TBA

University of Louisville (25-18) vs. Seton Hall

  • Thursday — 1-0 L (18 inn) — RHP Derek Self (9.1 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO) — Box Score
  • Friday — 4 p.m. — RHP Justin Amlung (8-0, 1.64 ERA) — Gametracker
  • Saturday — 11 a.m. — TBA — Gametracker

University of Kentucky (20-25) vs. No. 4 Vanderbilt

  • Friday — 6 p.m. — RHP Alex Meyer (4-5, 3.32 ERA) — Gametracker
  • Saturday — 7 p.m. — LHP Corey Littrell (5-4, 5.80 ERA) — Gametracker
  • Sunday — TBA — Gametracker

Murray State University (16-26) @ Eastern Kentucky University (16-29)

  • Saturday — 1 p.m. — RHP Tyler Beers (3-6, 5.95 ERA) vs. RHP Stephen Hefler (5-4, 3.74 ERA) — Live Stats
  • Saturday — GM 2 (DH) — LHP Jake Donze (6-3, 4.26 ERA) vs. TBA
  • Sunday — 1 p.m. — LHP Luke Shuemaker (3-4, 6.93 ERA) vs. TBA
Morehead State University (7-33) @ UT Martin

  • Saturday — 2 p.m. — RHP Trey Smith (0-9, 8.10 ERA) — Live Stats
  • Saturday — GM 2 (DH) — LHP Garrick Whittle (2-3, 8.96 ERA)
  • Sunday — 2 p.m. — LHP Noah Smallwood (1-5, 9.23 ERA)

BluGrass Baseball NCAA Week 12 preview

College Baseball

Justin Riddell; BluGrass Baseball photo

Series of the week: Western Kentucky University vs. Florida Atlantic

Western Kentucky University (27-18, 12-9) welcomes Florida Atlantic to Bowling Green this weekend. The Hilltoppers sit in fifth place in the conference but are just three games out of first place. Florida Atlantic and two other teams are tied in second place, one game ahead of WKU. WKU has lost five of its last seven games but still has a chance to play its way into a NCAA tournament at-large bid. The marquee mound matchup of the series will likely come on Saturday when WKU freshman right-handed pitcher Justin Hageman (7-4, 3.42 ERA) takes on Florida Atlantic junior right-handed pitcher Paul Davis (8-1, 2.72 ERA).

Player to watch: RHP Alex Meyer (UK)

The best pitching matchup in the nation this weekend will likely be in Lexington Friday night when University of Kentucky junior right-handed pitch Alex Meyer takes on Vanderbilt junior right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray. Both pitchers are likely to be first-round picks in the June MLB draft. Meyer has been one of the few bright spots for UK this season and is 4-5 with a 3.32 ERA on the year. Meyer and Gray rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the Southeastern Conference in strikeouts with 91 and 86 respectively. Gray leads the league in wins, ranks second in opponents’ batting average and fifth in ERA. Meyer ranks third in the conference in innings pitched.

Stat of the week: Crazy UofL Friday night game

This week’s stat is technically from week 12 baseball, but we couldn’t pass up the chance to note some more odd stats from the University of Louisville‘s 1-0, 18-inning loss to Seton Hall Thursday night. The two teams played the equivalent of just under two complete games of scoreless baseball. UofL junior right-handed pitcher Derek Self and Seton Hall pitcher Joe Dirocco each pitched at least nine scoreless innings but didn’t get a complete game or a win. Cards’ batters not named Adam Engel combined to go 1-47 in the game. Two different UofL pitchers for each team lasted long enough to qualify for a win if they were making a start. Five different batters in the game failed to record a hit in at least six at-bats.

Out-of-state Ky. collegian to watch: OF Justin Riddell (Cincinnati)

Lexington Catholic alum Justin Riddell will attempt to lead Cincinnati to what could amount to a Big East Tournament berth clinching series win versus West Virginia this weekend. Cincinnati is currently seventh in the conference but is 2.5 games up in the race for the eighth and final tournament berth. Riddell has been the best former Kentucky high school batter playing outside the state this season. He is batting .342 with six home runs, 50 RBIs and 20 runs scored on the season. His six home runs, 50 RBIs and .544 slugging percentage lead Bearcats’ hitters.

BluGrass Baseball Pitching Leaderboard: May 4

College Baseball

In the second weekly leaderboard post we’ll look at the top pitching statistics through 10 weeks of the college baseball season. To be eligible for the ERA and batting average against categories, pitchers must have at least one inning per team game. Eligible players attend a Kentucky college or graduated from a Kentucky high school. Stats are current through Tuesday’s games.

ERA

  • Derek Self — UofL — 1.49 (48.1)
  • Justin Amlung — UofL — 1.64 (76.2 IP)
  • Tanner Perkins — WKU — 2.07 (74.0 IP)
  • Alex Meyer — UK — 3.32 (78.2 IP)
  • Justin Hageman — WKU — 3.42 (71.0 IP)

Wins

  • Justin Amlung — UofL — 8-0
  • Jeremy Dobbs — Austin Peay (Daviess Co. HS) — 8-2
  • Justin Hageman — WKU — 7-4
  • Tanner Perkins — WKU — 6-2
  • Jake Donze — Murray St. — 6-3

Strikeouts

  • Alex Meyer — UK — 91
  • Damon McCormick — Valpo (St. X) — 72
  • Justin Hageman — WKU — 69
  • Tanner Perkins — WKU — 63
  • Justin Amlung — UofL — 60

Innings Pitched

  • Damon McCormick — Valpo (St. X HS) — 79.0
  • Alex Meyer — UK — 78.2
  • Justin Amlung — UofL — 76.2
  • Tanner Perkins — WKU — 74.0
  • Justin Hageman — WKU — 71.0

Saves

  • Tony Zych — UofL — 11
  • Mike Kaczmarek — UK — 4
  • Cameron Finch — Murray St. — 4
  • Phil Wetherell — WKU — 4
  • Ryne Purcell — EKU — 4

Batting Average Against

  • Derek Self — UofL — .182
  • Justin Amlung — UofL — .191
  • Damon McCormick — Valpo (St. X) — .211
  • Tanner Perkins — WKU — .221
  • Alex Meyer — UK — .225

Appearances

  • Nick Maronde — Florida (Lexington Catholic) — 23
  • Phil Wetherell — WKU — 22
  • Alex Phillips — UK — 22
  • Taylor Haydel — WKU — 21
  • Matt Harris — EKU — 20
  • Trevor Gott — UK — 20
  • Tony Zych — UofL — 20

Cowgill named PCL player of week; Soloman named OVC player of week; Wellemeyer hopes to contribute with Cubs

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball

Todd Wellemeyer; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

  • Lexington native and former UK outfielder Collin Cowgill was named the player of the week in the Pacific Coast League after batting .640 with 2 HR, 7 RBI and 8 runs last week.
  • Eastern Kentucky University freshman infielder Bryan Soloman was named the co-Ohio Valley Conference player of the week.
  • Madison Central High School dropped its first game of the season last night with a 5-0 loss to Bryan Station High School.
  • Aaron Fitt of Baseball America highlights Western Kentucky University senior catcher Matt Rice in his weekly “Golden Spikes Award” spotlight.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun -Times reports Louisville native and former Bellarmine right-handed pitcher Todd Wellemeyer missed an opportunity to start for the Cubs early this season due to a hip injury, but is close to returning to game action with the Iowa Cubs and still may fill an important role for the MLB team.
  • Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated ranks University of Kentucky junior right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer the No. 20 prospect in the 2011 draft, noting he could go anywhere from a top five pick to the sandwich round.

Bryan Soloman and Brian Edelen win week 11 awards

College Baseball

Bryan Soloman; BluGrass Baseball photo

It’s time for the weekly college baseball awards. Check out the best hitting, pitching and freshman performances from week 11 below:

Hitter of the week: 3B Bryan Soloman (EKU)

  • Stats: 9-17 (.529), 2 HR, 3 2Bs, 6 RBI, 3 R
  • Honorable Mention: Jared Andreoli (WKU), Ryan Huck (WKU), Stewart Ijames (UofL), Ryan Wright (UofL), Chad Wright (UK), Brandon Elliott (Murray St.), Eric Bainer (Morehead St.), Taylor Davis (Morehead St.)
Pitcher of the week: RHP Brian Edelen (WKU)
  • Stats: 1-0, 1 SV, 2 G, 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO
  • Honorable Mention: Tanner Perkins (WKU), Justin Hageman (WKU), Derek Self (UofL), Justin Amlung (UofL), Alex Meyer (UK), Jordan Cooper (UK), Tyler Beers (Murray St.), Stephen Hefler (EKU)
Freshman of the week: 3B Bryan Soloman (EKU)
  • Stats: 9-17 (.529), 2 HR, 3 2Bs, 6 RBI, 3 R
  • Honorable Mention: Chad Green (UofL), Justin Hageman (WKU)

BluGrass Baseball Week 11 Weekend Schedule

College Baseball

Kentucky kicked off the Week 11 weekend schedule with its Thursday game versus LSU. Check out the rest week 11 weekend schedule below with probable starters listed when available.

Western Kentucky University (25-16, 10-8) @ Louisiana-Monroe

  • Friday — 6 p.m. (CT) — LHP Tanner Perkins (6-2, 1.88 ERA) — Live Stats
  • Saturday — 6 p.m. (CT) — RHP Justin Hageman (6-4, 3.23 ERA) — Live Stats
  • Sunday — 1 p.m. (CT) — TBA — Live Stats

University of Louisville (22-18, 8-7) vs. Georgetown

  • Friday — 6 p.m. (CT) — RHP Derek Self (2-1, 1.55 ERA) — Gametracker
  • Saturday — 1 p.m. (CT) — RHP Justin Amlung (7-0, 1.42 ERA) — Gametracker
  • Sunday — 1 p.m. (CT) — RHP Jeff Thompson (1-0, 2.67 ERA) — Gametracker
University of Kentucky (20-23, 4-15) @ LSU
  • Friday — 7:30 p.m. — RHP Alex Meyer (4-5, 3.32 ERA) — 9-5 L — Box Score
  • Saturday — 8 p.m. — LHP Corey Littrell (5-3, 5.64 ERA) — Live Stats
  • Sunday — 2 p.m. — LHP Taylor Rogers (2-5, 5.16 ERA) — Live Stats

Murray State University (14-23, 5-5) vs. Southeast Missouri

  • Saturday — 12 p.m. (CT) — RHP Tyler Beers (3-5, 6.19 ERA)
  • Saturday — GM 2 (DH) — LHP Jake Donze (6-2, 3.69 ERA)
  • Sunday — 1 p.m. (CT) — TBA

Eastern Kentucky University (14-27, 6-9) @ Tennessee Tech

  • Saturday — 1 p.m. — RHP Chris Hord (1-1, 5.40 ERA)
  • Saturday — Gm 2 (DH) — LHP Kyle McGrath (3-3, 6.65 ERA)
  • Sunday — 1 p.m. — RHP Stephen Hefler (4-4, 3.73 ERA)
Morehead State University (7-30, 3-7) vs. Austin Peay
  • Saturday — 1 p.m. — RHP Trey Smith (0-8, 7.62 ERA) vs. LHP Jeremy Dobbs (7-2, 4.05 ERA) — Live Stats
  • Saturday — GM 2 (DH) — LHP Garrick Whittle (2-3, 8.54 ERA) vs. LHP Jack Snodgrass (1-5, 3.57 ERA)
  • Sunday — 1 p.m. — LHP Noah Smallwood (1-4, 8.19 ERA)

UK blows late lead versus LSU; Blanton to the DL with elbow injury; Wellemeyer a week away from game action

College Baseball, Major League Baseball

Braden Kapteyn; UK Athletics photo

Check out the recap from Kentucky’s lone Thursday college baseball game and the latest links from around Kentucky baseball:

  • The University of Kentucky bullpen collapsed once again, this time in an eight-run eighth inning that gave LSU a 9-5 win. UK lead 5-1 entering the eight but junior right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer allowed two runners to reach base before being replaced with freshman right-handed pitcher Trevor Gott. Gott recorded one out but surrendered two runs, and junior right-handed pitcher Braden Kapteyn took the loss after surrendering three runs while recording one out. Meyer was outstanding for the first seven innings of the game and took a no decision after surrendering three runs on four hits in seven-plus innings while striking out 10 batters and walking two. Junior catcher Michael Williams was 3-4 with one home run, three RBI and one run scored. (Box Score)
  • Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports former UK right-handed pitcher Joe Blanton was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a “medial impingement” in his throwing elbow. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said Blanton’s MRI was encouraging because it showed no structural damage.
  • Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel recaps Bowling Green native Corey Hart‘s wild night in his first start on Wednesday since returning from the disabled list.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports Louisville native and former Bellarmine right-handed pitcher Todd Wellemeyer is at least a week away from game action.