BluGrass Baseball Week Five Weekend Preview

Brian Edelen; BluGrass Baseball photo

It’s time for the Week Five weekend preview. Check out storylines to watch in week five games for Kentucky DI colleges and players:

Matchup of the week: University of Kentucky vs. Tennessee

UK opens Southeastern Conference play this weekend with a three-game series versus Tennessee. The Cats were projected to finish two spots ahead of Tennessee by the SEC coaches prior to the season, but the Volunteers have enjoyed a hot start to 2011. Tennessee is 15-2 on the season but has played just one game on the road and no games outside of Tennessee. The Vols are led on the mound by junior left-handed pitcher Steven Gruver, who is 3-0 with a 1.27 ERA in four starts. Senior infielder Khayyan Norfok is batting .492 with two home runs, 19 RBI and 17 runs scored on the season.

Player to watch: RHP Brian Edelen (WKU)

Western Kentucky University will turn to senior right-handed pitcher Brian Edelen for its Sunday start in the Sun Belt Conference opening series versus Middle Tennessee. Edelen takes the place of sophomore right-handed pitcher Taylor Haydel, who has struggled in a weekend starting role. Edelen is 2-0 with a 4.66 ERA in eight games, including two midweek starts, this season. The Fisherville native has struck out 12 batters and walked six in 19 and one-third innings. Haydel is 1-1 with a 7.59 ERA on the season.

Stat of the week: UofL offense vs. defense

The University of Louisville‘s pitching staff has carried the Cards to a 11-5 start to the season but its offense has done it no favors. The Cards boast a 3.33 ERA on the season but are batting just .241. Despite being six games over .500, UofL has scored just 63 runs on the season while surrendering 39. Just one UofL hitter is batting over .300 on the season. The Cards’ weekend starting pitchers are 7-1 with a 1.49 ERA in 12 games.

Out of state Ky. collegians playing Ky. schools: SS Zach Osborne (UT), RHP Nate Mutsch (Xavier), RHP Blake Drake (Indiana St.), INF Jon Hedges (Indiana St.), OF Dalton Henzman (Middle Tenn.)

Five Kentucky high school alumni are playing Kentucky colleges this weekend, headlined by Tennessee junior shortstop and PRP alum Zach Osborne. The Louisville native is batting .340 with one home run, nine RBI and 14 runs scored for the Volunteers this season. UofL will face Bishop Brossart alum Nate Mutsch, who has yet to surrender a run in five relief appearances for Xavier this season. Eastern Kentucky University will face a pair of Kentucky alumni in Indiana St. right-handed pitcher Blake Drake, an Eastern High School alum, and infielder Jon Hedges, an Owensboro High School alum. Drake is 0-2 with a 6.32 ERA in four games this season, and Hedges is batting .260 with two home runs, 10 RBI and six runs scored in 13 games. Finally, WKU will face Middle Tennessee outfielder Dalton Henzman, a LCA alum who is batting .214 in eight games.

More Signing Deadline News

College Baseball, Major League Baseball

UK Coach Gary Henderson; Photo: UK Athletics

The good news keeps coming today for UK head coach Gary Henderson and the Bat Cats. UK Athletics has confirmed that, in addition to the return of rising senior James Paxton (1st Supp., Toronto Blue Jays), five of the seven drafted members of UK’s 2009 recruiting class have chosen to attend college instead of signing a professional contract.

Eric Lindsey at “Cat Scratches” reports that RHP Stephen Inch and RHP Keith Butler were the only UK signees to choose pro ball over the Cats.
Baseball America lists the Toronto Blue Jays as one of its deadline losers for failing to sign Paxton. Also there is bad news for the 2010 Bowling Green Hot Rods as Tampa Bay failed to sign its first two picks in the draft.

Click the jump to see the complete list of drafted players with Kentucky ties that did not sign a professional contract.

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Draft Deadline: Webb Signs

College Baseball, High School Baseball, Major League Baseball

Daniel Webb

We’re just under 12 hours from the midnight deadline for MLB teams to sign their 2009 draft picks, and the first signing-day deal with Kentucky ties has gone down. According to Baseball America, The Toronto Blue Jays have signed 18th round pick Daniel Webb from Northwest Florida State Junior College. Webb was a 2008 graduate of Heath High School in Paducah, Ky., and was originally committed to attend UK in 2009 before enrolling at junior college because of academic and draft issues.

The Jays also have yet to sign first-supplemental round pick James Paxton, the UK pitcher, so this may not be the last we here from Toronto on deadline day. Click the jump to see the full list of draftees with Kentucky ties who have yet to sign their contract.

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Draft Update: Friday Aug. 14

College Baseball, Major League Baseball

: Photo: UK Athletics

So far, so good on the wisdom teeth recovery, so I’m cranking out more posts than I anticipated today. With just three days left until the Aug. 17 deadline for MLB draft picks to sign, I thought we’d check in on the unsigned Kentucky players againg. Baseball America reported today the UK pitcher James Paxton was seeking an over-slot bonus and that Davies County alum Tyler Blandford might receive an over-slot bonus. (Contract status is according to Baseball America’s draft database)

UK Players and Signees

LHP James Paxton — 1st Supp. (37) Toronto Blue Jays
RHP Jordan Cooper — 17th Round Pittsburgh Pirates — Central HS, Shelbyville, Tenn.
LHP Taylor Rogers — 37th Round Baltimore Orioles — Chatfield HS, Littleton, Colo.
RHP Sam Kidd — 39th Round Philadelphia Phillies — Ohio County High School, Hartford, Ky.
C Luke Maile — 43rd Round Boston Red Sox — Covington Catholic HS, Park Hills, Ky.
OF Brian Adams (Football)– 45th Round Cincinnati Reds — South Forysth HS, Cumming, Ga.

UofL Players and Signees

1b Andrew Clark — 31st Round Chicago Cubs
RHP Matt Koch — 37th Round Boston Red Sox — Washington HS, Cherokee, Iowa

WKU Players and Signees

RHP Matt Ridings — 25th Round Washington Nationals

Other Kentucky Natives

RHP Tyler Blandford — Davies County High School; Oklahoma State — 5th round Seattle Mariners
RHP Daniel Webb — Heath High School, Paducah, Ky.; Northwest Florida State JC — 18th round Toronto Blue Jays
RHP Patrick Cooper — Boyle County, Ky.; Des Moines Area CC — 34th round Arizona Diamondbacks
1b Jon Hedges — Owensboro, Ky., Olney Central College — 43rd round Minnesota Twins
RHP James Jones — Ballard County High School, John A Logan College — 45th round Cleveland Indians
RHP Tim Dunn — Carlisle County High School, Tevecca Nazarene University — 46th Round Cincinatti Reds

Draft Update: Aug. 10, 2009

College Baseball, Major League Baseball

Photo: UK Athletics

The deadline for major league teams to sign draft picks is a week away. Kentucky lost one signee last week (RHP Stephen Inch) to the Phillies and Louisville lost one (SS Jason Thompson) to the Red Sox. We also learned that UK football signee Brian Adams will miss the football season after suffering a blod clot this summer. Adams met with the UK baseball staff this week, and UK coach Gary Henderson is excited about Brian possibly playing baseball in the spring. I’ve updated the list of unsigned players with Kentucky ties below. (Contract status is according to Baseball America’s draft database)

Continue reading →

Draft Update

College Baseball, High School Baseball

James Paxton

With the non-waiver trade deadline officially in the past the next important date on the baseball calendar is the Aug. 17 deadline to sign draft picks. 2009 is the second year that teams have faced an August deadline to sign draft picks, but the date was pushed back from Aug. 15 to Aug. 17 because of the 15th falling on a weekend. With that deadline just two weeks from today, I thought we’d look at the remaining unsigned players with Kentucky ties. (Contract status is according to Baseball America’s draft database)

ADDED: JON HEDGES, JAMES JONES, TIM DUNN 8/5/09

UK Players and Signees

LHP James Paxton — 1st Supp. (37) Toronto Blue Jays
RHP Stephen Inch — 6th Round Philadelphia Phillies — Vauxhall Academy, Edmonton
RHP Jordan Cooper — 17th Round Pittsburgh Pirates — Central HS, Shelbyville, Tenn.
LHP Taylor Rogers — 37th Round Baltimore Orioles — Chatfield HS, Littleton, Colo.
RHP Sam Kidd — 39th Round Philadelphia Phillies — Ohio County High School, Hartford, Ky.
C Luke Maile — 43rd Round Boston Red Sox — Covington Catholic HS, Park Hills, Ky.
OF Brian Adams (Football)– 45th Round Cincinnati Reds — South Forysth HS, Cumming, Ga.

UofL Players and Signees

SS Jason Thompson — 11th Round Boston Red Sox — Germantown (Tenn.) HS
1b Andrew Clark — 31st Round Chicago Cubs
RHP Matt Koch — 37th Round Boston Red Sox — Washington HS, Cherokee, Iowa

WKU Players and Signees

RHP Matt Ridings — 25th Round Washington Nationals

Other Kentucky Natives

RHP Tyler Blandford — Davies County High School; Oklahoma State — 5th round Seattle Mariners
RHP Daniel Webb — Heath High School, Paducah, Ky.; Northwest Florida State JC — 18th round Toronto Blue Jays
RHP Patrick Cooper — Boyle County, Ky.; Des Moines Area CC — 34th round Arizona Diamondbacks
1b Jon Hedges — Owensboro, Ky., Olney Central College — 43rd round Minnesota Twins
RHP James Jones — Ballard County High School, John A Logan College — 45th round Cleveland Indians
RHP Tim Dunn — Carlisle County High School, Tevecca Nazarene University — 46th Round Cincinatti Reds

Kentucky pitcher James Paxton is the only one of the listed players who is almost certain to sign, and Davies County product Tyler Blandford was said to have second-round talent so the Mariners might offerr him over slot money to not return to Oklahoma State. The Phillies and Red Sox will likely make a late push to sign UK recruit Stephen Inch and UofL recruit Jason Thompson, their sixth and 11th round picks respectively. You can probably feel safe counting on the rest of these players to end up on campus in the fall, but that won’t make sleeping any easier for the state’s college coaches over the next two weeks.