Meyer, Deeds and Hageman win week 12 NCAA awards

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: WKU evens series with win; EKU sweeps DH from Murray St.; UofL, UK lose; Morehead St. splits DH

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Taylor Davis; Morehead St. photo

Recaps and highlights from Saturday Kentucky college baseball action:

Freshman right-handed pitcher Justin Hageman posted a complete game to lead Western Kentucky University to a 6-2 win over Florida Atlantic. Hageman improved to 8-4 on the season after surrendering two runs on nine hits in nine innings while striking out four batters and walking one. Junior left fielder Jared Andreoli was 4-5 with two runs scored and one stolen base. Junior second baseman Ivan Hartle was 2-5 with one triple, one RBI and one run scored, and junior shortstop Logan Robbins was 2-4 with two RBI and one run scored. (Box Score)
Vanderbilt scored six runs in the first inning to put the game out of reach early and send the University of Kentucky to a 10-3 loss. Freshman left-handed pitcher Corey Littrell took the loss after surrendering seven runs on nine hits in five innings while striking out three batters and walking three. Junior left fielder Chad Wright was 3-5 with two RBI and one run scored. UK loaded the bases on three walks in the ninth inning and plated two runs before senior shortstop Taylor Black flew out to center field to end the game. (Box Score)
The University of Louisville finally scored in its series versus Seton Hall but still could not avoid the series sweep after a 4-3 loss in game three. Freshman right-handed pitcher Cole Sturgeon took the loss after surrendering three runs on three hits in two innings. Senior catcher J. J. Ethel was 3-4 with one RBI, and junior shortstop Ryan Wright was 2-5 with one triple, one home run, two RBI and one run scored. Junior right-handed pitcher Travis Tingle pitched five scoreless innings in a start. (Box Score)
You can read the BluGrass Baseball recap of the doubleheader split between Eastern Kentucky University and Murray State University here.
Despite trailing 8-1 after three innings, Morehead State University rallied for a 10-9 win in game one of a doubleheader versus UT Martin. Junior right-handed pitcher Matthew Robertson earned the win after surrendering two runs on four hits in five innings of relief while striking out four batters and walking one. Junior catcher Taylor Davis was 3-4 with one home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Freshman third baseman Bud Morton was 2-4 with his first home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Josh Schneider pitched two scoreless innings for his first save. (Box Score)
In game two of its double-header Morehead St. suffered a 7-6 loss after UT Martin scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to end the game, which was scheduled to last seven innings. Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Schneider took the loss after surrendering two runs on four hits in two innings while striking out three batters and walking none. Junior center fielder Andrew Deeds was 3-5 with two doubles, three RBI and one run scored, and junior right fielder Luke Bainer was 2-3 with one solo home run. (Box Score)

Hitter of the day: C Taylor Davis (Morehead St.)

Stats: 4-8, 1 HR, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB
Honorable Mention: Jared Andreoli (WKU), Logan Robbins (WKU), Ryan Wright (UofL), J. J. Ethel (UofL), Chad Wright (UofL), Dustin Dunlop (EKU), A. J. Jamison (EKU), Cody Larson (Murray St.), Bud Morton (Morehead St.), Andrew Deeds (Morehead St.), Luke Bainer (Morehead St.)

Pitcher of the day: RHP Justin Hageman (WKU)

Stats: 1-0, 9 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
Honorable Mention: Travis Tingle (UofL), Braden Kapteyn (UK), Stephen Hefler (EKU), Tyler Beers (Murray St.), Matthew Robertson (Morehead St.)

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

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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.)

BluGrass Baseball preseason all-newcomer team

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Over the past few weeks BluGrass Baseball has been counting down the top 2011 returning Kentucky collegians. Freshmen and junior-college transfers were excluded from that list, but don’t worry the newcomers are about to get their due. Check out the preseason all-newcomer team below. The team is focused on players who are projected to receive major playing time for their respective schools.

Catcher — Sean Hagen — Eastern Kentucky University

Hagen is projected to start at catcher for the Colonels. After Hagen signed with EKU out of high school, Colonels head coach Jason Stein said, “Sean will fill an immediate need at catcher following the graduation of 2010. He is a complete catcher who can catch, throw and block. But he is also a very offensive-minded player, as well.”

Honorable mention: Murray St. junior-college transfer Jacob Rhodes figures to be a mainstay in the Breds’ lineup at either catcher or designated hitter.

First Base — Tyler Beers — Murray State University

There is no clear first base candidate among the 2011 Kentucky newcomers, Beers may start for the Breds so he takes this spot almost by default. Beers batted .300 with five home runs and 25 RBI as a sophomore at Mineral Area College.

Honorable mention: UK head coach Gary Henderson said freshman infielder J. T. Riddle could see time at first base if carries his strong spring offensive performance over to the season.

Second Base — Matt Reida — University of Kentucky

Henderson hasn’t officially named a starter at second base for the Cats, but all signs point to Reida as the likely winner of that position battle. Reida may struggle with the bat early on, but as a plus defender he figures to get plenty of playing time at the position.

Honorable mention: Murray St. junior-college transfer Travis Isaak batted .420 with eight home runs and 19 doubles as a sophomore at Lincoln Trail Community College.

Shortstop — Alex Chittenden — University of Louisville

On Monday UofL head coach Dan McDonnell announced Chittenden would start at shortstop for the Cards. Chittenden batted .588 with eight home runs and 19 stolen bases as a senior in high school.

Honorable mention: Morehead St. freshman infielder Bud Morton may not start for the Eagles to begin the season, but he adds an excitement factor to the lineup the Eagles could use.

Third base — Thomas McCarthy — University of Kentucky

McCarthy comes to UK after batting over .400 for two seasons in junior-college baseball. UK head coach Gary Henderson doesn’t predict that for his third baseman this season, but Henderson said “he’s going to be able to get a hit.”

Honorable mention: EKU freshman infielder Bryan Soloman, who head coach Jason Stein called “a complete third baseman,” is projected to start for the Colonels.

Outfield — Ryan Hutchinson — Western Kentucky University

Baseball America recently ranked Hutchinson, who was an all-American at 2010 NJCAA World Series champion Iowa Western Community College, the No. 3 newcomer in the Sun Belt Conference. WKU head coach Chris Finwood expects Hutchinson to provide a middle-of-the-order power presence for the Hilltoppers this season.

Outfield — Lucas Witt — University of Kentucky

In an interview with College Baseball Daily, UK head coach Gary Henderson singled Witt out as a the freshmen outfielder who was making the best case to start in right field. Witt may not be the full-time starter to begin the season, but he figures to see plenty of playing time in 2010.

Outfield — Paul Ritzheimer — Murray State University

Ritzheimer batted .405 with three home runs and 20 RBI as a freshman at Kaskaskia College in 2010, and he should push for playing time in the Murray State outfield this season.

Honorable Mention — UK freshman infielder and outfielder Dallen Reber probably has the most power on the UK roster and will likely push for playing time in right field for the Cats.

Designated hitter — Ivan Hartle — Western Kentucky Unviersity

Junior-college trasnfer Ivan Hartle will start at second base for WKU this season and only is included at DH here to get him into the starting lineup. Hartle was named the NJCAA Division I defensive player of the year in 2010 while playing for the NJCAA World Series champion, Iowa Western Community College.

Honorable mention — UofL freshmen infielder Adam Engel will start for the Cards at designated hitter to begin the season.

Starting pitcher — Corey Littrell — University of Kentucky

Freshman left-handed pitcher Corey Littrell will be UK’s primary midweek starting pitcher to begin the season and stands to be the first option on the weekend in the event of injury or poor performance by one of UK’s top three starters. Littrell was all-state as a senior at Trinity High School and was the 43rd-round pick of the Nationals in 2010.

Starting pitcher — Justin Hageman — Western Kentucky University

WKU head coach Chris Finwood says freshman right-handed pitcher Justin Hageman, the 2010 32nd round pick of the Royals, has as much talent as any pitcher he saw on a Friday night during his time in the Southeastern Conference, but it remains to be seen what Hageman’s role will be with the Hilltoppers. He figures to begin the season as a midweek starting pitcher, but will move to the weekend rotation if he proves himself in that role.

Starting pitcher — Kyle McGrath — Eastern Kentucky University

Freshman left-handed pitcher Kyle McGrath figures to begin the season as a midweek starting pitcher for the Colonels, but you have to figure he will be given every shot to carve out a more substantial role with the team considering the Colonels’ poor pitching performance in 2010. McGrath was all-state at Butler High School.

Honorable mention — Due to the overall depth of UofL’s pitching staff, freshman right-handed pitcher Dace Kime may not start for the Cards this season but as the highest-drafted player attending a Kentucky college this season he figures to push for playing time in some role.

2011 lineup projections: Morehead State University

College Baseball

Following the completion of the “offseason position battle” series we will post a lineup project for each of the five division one schools this week. The lineups are based on the position battle posts and are only a guess and what each Opening Day lineup might look like. We will also include weekend rotations, midweek starters and closers for good measure. We are working in reverse order of the 2010 records, begining the series with Morehead State University.

Lineup

C — Taylor Davis
1B — Michael Fear
2B — Travis Redmon
3B — Andrew Deeds
SS — Austin Haney
LF — Daniel Pugh
CF — Luke Bainer
RF — Ryan Conner
DH — Bud Morton

Weekend rotation

RHP — Trey Smith
RHP — Josh Schneider
RHP — Cody Gibson

Midweek starters

LHP — Garrick Whittle
RHP — Matthew Robertson

Closer

LHP Matt Cartwright

*A previous version of this post incorrectly to identified Ryan Conner as Eric Sanders. This post has also been amended to include information learned after its original publishing.

Lexington Hustlers unveil 2011 roster

College Baseball

Earlier this week we posted the list of Kentucky college baseball players who would participate in the 2011 Cape Cod League, but now we have some summer college baseball news from a little closer to home. The Lexington Hustlers of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League have unveiled its 2011 roster will a plethora of Kentucky natives making the cut. You can see the roster on the Hustler’s website here and check out the list with position, college and hometown below.

Pitchers

RHP Conner Asay — Fr. — Vicennes — Lexington, Ky. (Lafayette HS)
RHP Brandon Boling — S0. — Gardner-Webb — Lexington, Ky. (Bryan Station HS)
RHP Wade Bush — So. — Indiana St. — Terre Haute, Ind.
RHP Brent Cobb — Fr. — Eastern Kentucky University — Lexington, Ky. (Lafayette HS)
RHP Chase Greene — So. — EKU — Nicholasville, Ky. (West Jessamine HS)
RHP Matt Harris — Jr. — EKU — Lexington, Ky. (Henry Clay HS)
RHP Chad Martin — Jr. — Indiana — Lexington, Ky. (Paul Laurence Dunbar HS)
RHP Jason McGinnis — Jr. — Georgetown College — Barboursville, W. V.
RHP/OF Sam Kidd — So. — University of Kentucky — Hartford, Ky. (Ohio Co. HS)
LHP Nolan Fernandez — Fr. — Wabash Valley JC — Lexington, Ky.
LHP Tanner Perkins — So. — Western Kentucky University — Brodhead, Ky. (Rockcastle Co. HS)
LHP Noah Smallwood — Fr. — Morehead State University — Nicholasville, Ky. (West Jessamine HS)
LHP Phil Trowbridge — St. Joe’s (Ind.) — Mokena, Il..
LHP Josh Jillson — SO. — St. Catherine’s College — Wales Maine

Catchers

C Shane Crain — So. — Wabash Valley JC (UofL signee) — Lexington, Ky.
C Kyle Gibson — Fr. — University of Louisville — Henderson, Ky. (Henderson Co. HS)
C/OF Brandon Brian — So. — WKU — Louisville, Ky. (Trinity HS)

Infielders

SS Quintin Alexander — Fr. — St. Joe’s (Ind.) — Chicago, Ill.
SS Bud Morton — Fr. — Morehead St. — Nicholasville, Ky. (West Jessamine HS)
INF Colt Cattani — Jr. — Northern Kentucky University — West Chester, Ohio
INF Jonathan Craycraft — Jr. — Lipscomb — Lexington, Ky. (Henry Clay HS)
INF Luke Hawkins — So. — Campbellsville University — Lawrenceburg, Ky. (Anderson Co. HS)
INF Robert Lawrence — So. — Middle Tenn. — Madison, Tenn.
INF/RHP J. T. Riddle — Fr. — UK — Frankfort, Ky. (Western Hills HS)

Outfield

OF Ronald Cotton — Fr. — Cincinnati — Florence, Ky. (Boone Co. HS)
OF Dalton Henzman — So. — Middle Tenn. — Lexington, Ky. (LCA)
OF/INF Jordan Rorex — So. — Middle Tenn. — Clinton, Tenn.
OF Taylor Russell — Jr. — NKU — Loveland, Ohio
OF Tanner Smith — Fr. — WKU — London, Ky. (North Laurel HS)

Outfielder Ronald Cotton and infielder/right-handed pitcher J. T. Riddle were both 2010 draft picks.

BluGrass Baseball 2011 predictions

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

Predictions, based on pure speculation, for 2011 Kentucky baseball that are sure to go wrong:

University of Kentucky junior right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer finally cashes in on the promise that had him ranked among the top prospects to attend college in 2008 with an All-SEC season. Meyer’s performance secures his status as a first-round pick this June.
Ashland native and 2006 Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb rebounds after missing most of two seasons with a shoulder injury to win 15 games for the reigning American League champion Texas Rangers.
University of Louisville junior infielder Ryan Wright is named a postseason first-team All-American after leading the Cards to their third consecutive Big East Conference championship.
The Lexington Legends unveil the new “Ale-8-One Ballpark.”
The National League all-star team features three players born in Kentucky: Corey Hart, Dan Uggla and Jonny Venters.
Western Kentucky University wins the Sun Belt Conference and enters the NCAA tournament as a two seed.
UofL (Stewart Ijames, Tony Zych, Derek Self, Ryan Wright, Drew Haynes and Gabriel Shaw) and WKU (Jared Andreoli, Kes Carter, Ivan Hartle, Matt Rice, Rye Davis and Brian Edelen) both have six players drafted in June.
Four members of UK’s vaunted junior class are selected in the draft: Meyer, Cory Farris, Chad Wright and Braden Kapteyn. Senior Taylor Black is also selected.
Kentucky’s three Ohio Valley Conference schools each see one player drafted: Eastern Kentucky University junior shortstop Richie Rodriguez, Murray State University junior catcher Jacob Rhodes and Morehead State University senior infielder Travis Redmon.
Morehead St. infielder Bud Morton wins the 2011 BluGrass Baseball freshman of the year award, Meyer wins pitcher of the year and Wright wins player of the year.
PRP alum Zack Cox wins BluGrass Baseball MiLB player of the year and former UK left-handed pitcher Chris Rusin wins MiLB pitcher of the year.
Nine Kentucky minor leaguers make their MLB debuts in 2011: Matt Klinker, Josh Lueke, Trystan Magnuson, Collin Cowgill, Christian Friedrich, Jason Kipnis, Nathan Adcock, Chaz Roe and Ryan Strieby.
Harrison County High School repeats as KHSAA state baseball champions.
Tates Creek High School outfielder and WKU signee Ryan Fucci wins Mr. Kentucky Baseball.
After losing much of its recent talent to the majors the Louisville Bats run of playoff appearances ends.
Boosted by the Tampa Bay Rays signing six players from the first three rounds of the 2010 draft, the Bowling Green Hot Rods finish 2011 as the state’s best minor league team.

Offseason position battle: Morehead St. shortstop

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Drew Lee; Morehead St. photo

In the next offseason position battle post we’ll look at the vacant Morehead State University shortstop position:

The departed: Senior shortstop Drew Lee left Morehead with one of the most prolific careers in Eagles’ history after being selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 12th round of the 2010 MLB draft. Lee batted .412 with 17 home runs, 66 RBI, 60 runs scored and 156 total bases in 2011. The 2010 All-American batted over .400 for two straight seasons for Morehead and finished his collegiate career with several school records, including the career hits and RBI records. The Mount Sterling native was named an Appalachian League all-star during his first professional season in 2010.

Returning candidates: Lee started 47 of Morehead St.’s 50 games at shortstop in 2010 with the other three starts going to rising sophomore Austin Haney. Haney was just 2-22 (.091) in 15 games for the Eagles last season but is the only shortstop listed on Morehead St.’s 2011 roster. Rising senior utility man Casey Branham recorded one start at second base in 2010, but could conceivably move over to shortstop if head coach Jay Sorg is confident in his defense. Branham slugged two home runs in game three of the Eagles’ fall blood bowl series.

Newcomers to watch: Freshman infielder Bud Morton batted .395 with a .487 on-base percentage as a junior at West Jessamine High School while primarily playing shortstop. Morton excelled during the fall blood bowl series, highlighted by a three-hit game in game three. Morton stole 36 bases as a senior in high school.

Wildcard: Rising senior Travis Redmon had a strong summer for the Lexington Hustlers after making 46 starts at second base for Morehead St. in 2010. Head coach Jay Sorg could conceivably move Redmon to shortstop if he feels the standout of the Haney, Branham, Morton trio would be better suited defensively at second base.