UofL Baseball

Afternoon Links: UofL/UK recaps, Littrell and Chapman rolling, Blanton nears return

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

Joe Blanton; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Assortment of links from around the Kentucky baseball world:

  • Michael Grant of the Courier-Journal recaps No. 12 University of Louisville‘s thrilling back-and-forth win over the University of Kentucky.
  • UofL also has a recap of the game.
  • UK has a recap of the game.
  • Mike Fields of the Herald-Leader profiles Trinity High School ace and UK signee Corey Littrell.
  • UK alum Joe Blanton says he’s ready to return to the Phillies after his rehab assignment.
  • In his latest start Louisville Bats ace and top Reds prospect Aroldis Chapman surrendered three runs, two of which were earned, on five hits in six innings. He struck out 4 and walked two in the Bats’ 5-4 loss to Scranton. (Box Score)

UofL strikes last in thrilling 10-9 win over UK

College Baseball

No. 12 University of Louisville withstood a late University of Kentucky rally and scored four runs of its own in the bottom of the ninth to record a 10-9 walkoff win over the Cats. The Cards jumped out to a 5-3 lead after six innings and led 6-4 entering the ninth inning, but closer Neil Holland suffered a rare blown save after giving up five runs in the ninth. The Cats couldn’t hold the lead as freshman Zak Wasserman singled home sophomore Ryan Wright in the bottom of the ninth to cap the UofL rally.

Senior first baseman Phil Wunderlich was 4-4 with a home run, two runs scored and one RBI. Senior catcher Jeff Arnold and Wright both tallied three hits in the game for the Cards. Wright drove in two runs and scored twice. Holland recorded his seventh win of the season despite surrendering five runs in just one inning of work.

UK junior second baseman Chris Bisson was 2-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored, and the first four hitters in UK’s lineup were 9-20 in the game. Junior closer Matt Little took the loss after allowing four runs in one-third of an inning. Freshman right-handed pitcher Jordan Cooper held the Cards scoreless over the first three frames. (Box Score)

BluGrass Baseball POG: 3B Phil Wunderlich (UofL) — In a game that seemed at times like no one wanted to win, Wunderlich’s performance stood above the rest. The senior third baseman was 4-4 with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored. His ninth-inning single moved the eventual winning run into scoring position and all but put the Cats away with just one out in the inning.

BluGrass Baseball Pitching Leaderboard: April 27

College Baseball

In the second weekly statistics leaderboard update, we’ll look at the pitching categories. To qualify for the ERA and batting average against, pitchers must have a minimum of 1.0 IP per team game, which just makes Murray St. reliever Matt McGaha eligible, but excludes new UofL weekend starting pitcher Gabriel Shaw and Cards closer Neil Holland. Stats are current through Sunday. The college leaderboard is now permanently accessible on its own page on the left sidebar here.

ERA

  • Thomas Royse — UofL — 2.56
  • Matt Ridings — WKU — 3.51
  • Matt McGaha — Murray St. — 3.76
  • Derek Self — UofL — 3.95
  • Dean Kiekhefer — UofL — 4.15

Wins

  • Matt Ridings — WKU — 7-1
  • Thomas Royse — UofL — 7-1
  • Neil Holland — UofL — 6-0
  • Derek Self — UofL — 6-0
  • Josh Schneider — Morehead St. — 6-3

Strikeouts

  • Matt Ridings — WKU — 61
  • Thomas Royse — UofL — 62
  • Shane Cameron — WKU — 59
  • Jake Donze — Murray St. — 54
  • Rye Davis — WKU — 53

Innings Pitched

  • Matt Ridings — WKU — 66.2
  • Thomas Royse — UofL — 63.1
  • Chris Craycraft — Murray St. — 63.1
  • Taylor Rogers — UK — 63.1
  • Logan Darnell — UK — 61.0

Saves

  • Neil Holland — UofL — 10
  • Ryne Purcell — EKU — 8
  • Rye Davis — WKU — 7
  • Matt Little — UK — 6
  • Cody Gibson — Morehead St. — 3
  • Dan Huff — Murray St. — 3
  • Matt McGaha — Murray St. — 3

Batting Average Against

  • Matt Ridings — WKU — .245
  • Thomas Royse — UofL — .254
  • Derek Self — UofL — .259
  • Dean Kiekhefer — UofL — .272
  • Jake Donze — Murray St. — .274

Appearances

  • Rye Davis — WKU — 25
  • Matt Harris — EKU — 21
  • Ryne Purcell — EKU — 21
  • Neill Holland — UofL — 19
  • Josh Schneider — Morehead St. — 19
  • Greg Terry — EKU — 19

Week 11 Midweek Schedule

College Baseball

The midweek schedule lost two teams Monday when Western Kentucky University canceled its in-state rivalry game with Eastern Kentucky University. While the Hilltoppers and Colonels won’t be squaring off this week, there is one other in-state matchup, and one of the OVC squads will visit a top-15 foe.

Tuesday

Wednesday

  • University of Kentucky @ University of Louisville — Gametracker — RHP Jordan Cooper (2-3, 6.49) vs. TBA

BluGrass Baseball Hitting Leaderboard: April 27

College Baseball

Check out the hitting BluGrass Baseball leaderboard updated through Sunday’s games. To be eligible for the percentage categories (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage) a player must have at least 2.5 at-bats per team game, which means UofL senior first baseman Andrew Clark is still not eligible in those categories after missing three weeks due to injury. The college leaderboard is now permanently accessible on its own page on the left sidebar here.

Batting Average

  • J. D. Ashbrook — Morehead St. — .446
  • Zack Cox — Arkansas (PRP) — .446
  • Wes Cunningham — Murray St. — .426
  • Drew Lee — Morehead St. — .410
  • Jayson Langfels — EKU — .409

Home Runs

  • J. D. Ashbrook — Morehead St. — 17
  • Drew Lee — Morehead St. — 15
  • Wes Cunningham — Murray St. — 14
  • Jayson Langfels — EKU — 14
  • Phil Wunderlich — UofL — 13
  • Cameron Flynn — Morehead St. — 13

RBI

  • Drew Lee — Morehead St. — 62
  • Anthony Ottrando — EKU — 58
  • Matt Rice — WKU — 53
  • Wes Cunningham — Murray St. — 51
  • Taylor Davis — Morehead St. — 49

Runs

  • J. D. Ashbrook — Morehead St. — 62
  • Wes Cunningham — Murray St. — 57
  • Jared Andreoli — WKU — 56
  • Jayson Langfels — EKU — 55
  • Matt Payton — WKU — 53

Stolen Bases

  • Chris Bisson — UK — 21/25
  • Neiko Johnson — UK — 19/20
  • Logan Robbins — WKU — 14/16
  • Drew Lee — Morehead St. — 13/16
  • Richie Rodriguez — EKU — 13/20

On-Base Percentage

  • J. D. Ashbrook — Morehead St. — .548
  • Zack  Cox — Arkansas (PRP) — .525
  • Jayson Langfels — EKU — .513
  • Wes Cunningham — Murray St. — .497
  • Anthony Ottrando — EKU — .484

Slugging Percentage

  • J. D. Ashbrook — Morehead St. — .834
  • Wes Cunningham — Murray St. — .827
  • Jayson Langfels — EKU — .818
  • Drew Lee — Morehead St. — .757
  • Anthony Ottrando — EKU — .735

BluGrass Baseball Week 10 Awards

College Baseball

Awards from a weather-shortened week of Kentucky baseball: (Morehead State only played two games and lost both with no standout performances worthy of nomination)

BluGrass Baseball Player of the Week: OF Lance Ray (UK)

  • Stats: 9-16 (.563), 2 HR, 5 2Bs, 8 RBI, 3 R
  • Honorable Mention: Jayson Langfels (EKU), Anthony Ottrando (EKU), Jared Andreoli (WKU), Matt Rice (WKU), Jake Wells (WKU), Stewart Ijames (UofL), Brandon Elliott (Murray St.)

BluGrass Baseball Pitcher of the Week: RHP Brian Edelen (WKU)

  • Stats: 1-0, 2 GS, 10.1 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO
  • Honorable Mention: Tony Zych (UofL), Justin Amlung (UofL), Thomas Royse (UofL), Matt Ridings (WKU), Paul Duncan (EKU), Anthony Bazzani (EKU)

BluGrass Baseball Freshman of the Week: RHP Justin Amlung (UofL)

  • Stats: 1-0, 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO
  • Honorable Mention: Matt Koch (UofL), Brandon Elliott (Murray St.), Anthony Bazzani (EKU), Austin Grisham (EKU), Kyle Grieshaber (UofL)

BluGrass Baseball Sunday Review: Week Ten

College Baseball

After Saturday’s rain-shortened schedule the Sunday slate of Kentucky baseball was jam packed with five of six teams playing in doubleheaders. Check out recaps and awards from those games below:

  • No. 13 University of Louisville dropped its series finale 8-6 to Seton Hall. Senior shortstop Adam Duvall, redshirt sophomore right fielder Stewart Ijames and freshmen third basemen Kyle Grieshaber and Cade Stallings each homered in the game for the Cards. Duvall led UofL with three hits. Junior right-handed pitcher Gabriel Shaw suffered his first loss of the season after allowing four runs in four innings. (Box Score)
  • Western Kentucky University swept a doubleheader from Florida International with a walk-off 8-4 win in game one and an 8-4 win in game two. Sophomore center fielder Kes Carter was 6-9 with three runs scored and one RBI. Junior outfielder Monte Ketchum gave WKU the win in game one with a pinch-hit, walkoff grand slam. Relievers Rye Davis and Bart Carter were credit with the two wins. (Box Score GM 1) (Box Score GM 2)
  • The University of Kentucky rallied for an 8-7 win in game one of a double-header with Auburn, but dropped game two 6-5 to lose a pivotal conference series. Senior first baseman Gunner Glad was 4-7 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI. Junior right fielder Lance Ray homered in game two. Junior right-handed reliever Matt Little picked up the win in game one after allowing two unearned runs in four innings. (Box Score GM 1) (Box Score GM 2)
  • Morehead State University‘s recent offensive outburst was slowed Sunday as the Eagles were swept in a doubleheader by Tennessee Tech with a 5-3 loss in game one and a 12-4 defeat in game two. Sophomore outfielder Cameron Flynn homered and drove in three runs in game one. Senior right-handed pitcher Michael Bottoms and junior right-handed pitcher Matthew Robertson were handed the two losses. (Box Score GM 1) (Box Score GM 2)
  • Eastern Kentucky University swept its Sunday doubleheader against UT Martin with a 7-3 win in game one and a 7-4 victory in game two. Senior first baseman Anthony Ottrando drove in four in the doubleheader, and freshman designated hitter Austin Grisham tallied three hits in game one. Junior left-handed pitcher Paul Duncan allowed three runs in six innings for the game one win, and sophomore left-handed pitcher Greg Terry was credited with the game two win. (Box Score GM 1) (Box Score GM 2)
  • Murray State University was swept in its Sunday doubleheader by Eastern Illinois after a 8-6 loss in game one and a 7-4 defeat in game two. Senior first baseman Wes Cunningham and freshman shortstop Brandon Elliott each tallied four hits on the afternoon. Senior right-handed pitcher Chris Craycraft and redshirt junior left-handed pitcher Jake Donze were credited with the two losses. (Box Score GM 1) (Box Score GM 2)

Hitter of the Day: OF Jared Andreoli (WKU)

  • Stats: 5-10, 1 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI
  • Honorable Mention: Kes Carter (WKU), Kyle Grieshaber (UofL), Adam Duvall (UofL), Keenan Wiley (UK), Gunner Glad (UK), Taylor Davis (Morehead), Anthony Ottrando (EKU), Wes Cunningham (Murray St.)

Pitcher of the Day: LHP Paul Duncan (EKU)

  • Stats: 1-0, 7 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO
  • Matt Little (UK), Brian Edelen (WKU), Shane Cameron (WKU), Tony Zych (UofL), Anthony Bazzani (EKU)

UofL wins, EKU falls on weather-shortened Saturday

College Baseball
Saturday was a raining day on the diamond for Kentucky teams. UK, WKU, Morehead State and Murray State were all rained out, and EKU lost one game of its doubleheader to weather. The Colonels and Cards did manage to get in one game each, so check out recaps and awards from those contests below:
  • Freshman right-handed reliever Matt Koch earned his first career victory with three scoreless innings of relief in No. 13 University of Louisville‘s 3-1 victory over Seton Hall. Junior right-handed closer Neil Holland recorded his tenth save of the season after recording the last five outs of the game. Senior shortstop Adam Duvall was 2-3 with a run scored, and senior third baseman Phil Wunderlich and redshirt sophomore outfielder Stewart Ijames both homered. (Box Score)
  • Eastern Kentucky University wasted a 7-1 lead in an 18-9 loss to UT Martin. Junior third baseman Jayson Langfels was 3-5 with two home runs, five RBI and three runs scored. Senior first baseman Anthony Ottrando tallied three hits and two RBI. Freshman right-handed reliever Chris Barte was the only Colonel pitcher to hold UT Martin scoreless in his appearance. Barte recorded the final two outs of the game. (Box Score)

Hitter of the Day: 3B Jayson Langfels (EKU)

  • Stats: 3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R
  • Honorable Mention: Adam Duvall (UofL), Anthony Ottrando (EKU), Joey Stevens (EKU), Phil Wunderlich (UofL), Stewart Ijames (UofL)

Pitcher of the Day: RHP Matt Koch (UofL)

  • Stats: 1-0, 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO
  • Honorable Mention: Neil Holland (UofL), Dean Kiekhefer (UofL)

BluGrass Baseball Friday Review: Week 10

College Baseball

Recaps from Friday baseball:

  • No. 13 University of Louisville scored twice in the eighth inning to secure a series-opening 4-2 win over Seton Hall. Sophomore right-handed reliever Derek Self moved to 6-0 on the season and 13-0 in his career with three and one-third scoreless innings out of the Cards’ bullpen. Junior right-handed closer Neil Holland saved his ninth game of the year. Sophomore second baseman Ryan Wright drove in two and scored twice in the game. (Box Sc0re)
  • Western Kentucky University dropped its series opener at Florida International in a 7-6, extra-inning decision. Redshirt sophomore closer Rye Davis took the loss after blowing the save in the ninth and giving up two more runs in the top of the tenth inning. Junior right-handed pitcher Matt Ridings surrendered four unearned runs in eight innings. Senior first baseman Jake Wells homered and drove in three runs. (Box Score)
  • The University of Kentucky looked overmatched in game one of its crucial series with Auburn in a 13-6 loss. The two teams are competing for the final berth in the Southeastern Conference tournament. Junior right fielder Lance Ray slugged three doubles in the game, and sophomore designated hitter Braden Kapteyn homered in the game. Junior left-handed pitcher Logan Darnell took the loss after allowing nine runs in six and one-third innings. (Box Score)

Hitter of the Day: 1B Jake Wells (WKU)

  • Stats: 2-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R
  • Honorable Mention: Casey Dykes (WKU), Lance Ray (UK), Braden Kapteyn (UK), Ryan Wright (UofL), Andrew Clark (UofL)

Pitcher of the Day: RHP Matt Ridings (WKU)

  • Stats: 8 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO
  • Honorable Mention: Derek Self (UofL), Thomas Royse (UofL), Neil Holland (UofL)

BluGrass Baseball Weekend Schedule: Week 10

College Baseball

The midpoint of the college season has passed so the postseason watch is officially on. Each of the three Ohio Valley Conference teams will have a chance to make the NCAA tournament as the conference automatic qualifier, and the other three Kentucky colleges are still in the running for an at-large bid. UK’s chances will likely hinge on this weekend’s series with Auburn, who the Cats are competing with for the final spot in the Southeastern Conference tournament.

University of Louisville (13) vs. Seton Hall

  • Friday — 5 p.m. — RHP Thomas Royse (7-1, 2.45) — Gametracker
  • Saturday — 4 p.m. — LHP Dean Kiekhefer (3-2, 4.34) — Gametracker
  • Sunday — 1 p.m. — RHP Gabriel Shaw (4-0, 2.40) — Gametracker

Western Kentucky University vs. Florida International

  • Friday — 6 p.m. (CT) — RHP Matt Ridings (7-1, 3.99) — Live Stats
  • Saturday — 3 p.m. (CT) — RHP Shane Cameron (4-1, 4.73) — Live Stats
  • Sunday — 12 p.m. (CT) — TBA — Live Stats

University of Kentucky @ Auburn

  • Friday — 7:30 p.m. — LHP Logan Darnell (3-2, 4.77) — Gametracker
  • Saturday — 12 p.m. — LHP Taylor Rogers (4-4, 4.92) — Gametracker
  • Sunday — 2 p.m. — TBA — Gametracker

Morehead State University @ Tennessee Tech.

  • Friday — 2 p.m. — RHP Michael Bottoms (4-2, 6.66) — Live Stats
  • Saturday — GM 2 (DH) — RHP Matthew Robertson (1-2, 9.19)
  • Sunday — 2 p.m.  — LHP Tyler Hieneman (1-2, 8.53)

Murray State University vs. Eastern Illinois

  • Saturday — 1 p.m. — RHP Chris Craycraft (5-2, 4.34)
  • Saturday — 4 p.m. — RHP Jake Donze (5-4, 5.89)
  • Sunday — 1 p.m. — TBA

Eastern Kentucky University @ UT Martin

  • Saturday — 1 p.m. — RHP Stephen Hefler (3-3, 7.09) — Live Stats
  • Saturday — GM 2 (DH) — LHP Paul Duncan (3-2, 7.33)
  • Sunday — 1 p.m. — LHP Greg Terry (2-2, 5.53) — Live Stats