College Baseball Now

Dave Schrage, who has led six baseball programs to success, was hired as head coach of the Butler Bulldogs prior to the 2017 season. He arrived on campus with 28 seasons of collegiate head coaching experience, having spent the previous five seasons at South Dakota State.

The Butler Bulldogs went 31-20 in 2017, which was Schrage’s first season as the team’s head coach. He inherited a team that won only 14 games in 2016. The Butler Bulldogs have maintained their momentum in 2018 by winning their first eight games. That marks the first time Butler has started a college baseball season with an 8-0 record since at least 1979.

Schrage has won 732 career games during head coaching stops at SDSU, Notre Dame, Evansville, Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa, and Waldorf (Iowa). In 28 seasons as a collegiate head coach, he has coached players who have earned all-conference honors 75 times and 47 of his former student-athletes have gone on to play professionally. Ten of his players have earned Freshman All-American accolades.

“After a thorough search of an impressive applicant field, we are very pleased to welcome Dave Schrage as Butler’s new head baseball coach,” said Collier. “Throughout the interview process and in conversations with those who have known him over the years, we learned that Dave embodies the ideals found in The Butler Way, and will be a great ambassador for Butler and mentor to our student-athletes. Dave brings experience as the head coach at five Midwest Division I programs, and he has the enthusiasm and vision to build a winning program at Butler.”

Schrage was hired to take over the reins of the Jackrabbit baseball program prior to the 2012 season. After posting an 18-33-1 record in his first season at South Dakota State, Schrage directed a big turnaround in 2013, leading SDSU its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament at the Division I level. The Jackrabbits, who ended the season with a 35-24 overall record, won their inaugural Summit League postseason tournament title and advanced to the Eugene Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

The Jackrabbits again contended for a Summit League title during the 2015 season, posting an overall record of 33-23 and a second-place mark of 18-11 in league play. Schrage led SDSU to Summit League Tournament appearances in four of his five seasons.

Prior to South Dakota State, Schrage was head coach at Notre Dame for four seasons, leading the Fighting Irish to a 119-104-1 record from 2007-10. After posting a .

Dick Cooke is in his 28th year as head coach of the Davidson Wildcats baseball program for the 2018 season and has also served as the Senior Men’s Administrator for the past 12 years. Cooke led the charge as the Wildcats shifted from the Southern Conference to the Atlantic 10, where the program has seen rapidly improving success each season.

Cooke, the winningest coach in Davidson Wildcats baseball history, is the only skipper to win 20 or more games in four consecutive seasons, which he has done on two separate occasions (1991-1994) (2014-2017). He also served a three-year stint as chair of the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee.

Twelve of Cooke’s players have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft during his tenure, with another four by way of free agent contracts.

Atlantic 10 Success

The Davidson Wildcats have participated in the Atlantic 10 Tournament every season since joining the league in 2015, and have recorded four consecutive seasons of 28 wins or better. In the inaugural season, the squad earned the No. 4 seed after a 28-22 (14-10 A-10) record, where the team fell in the semifinals.

The Davidson Wildcats had their most successful season in program history in 2017, capped off by Cooke earning Regional Coach of the Year honors. The team won their first conference title in the program’s 115-year existence with a school record 35 wins, and went on to become just the second number four seed to ever sweep a NCAA Regional. Cooke’s tutelage helped lead outfielder Will Robertson to become the most decorated player in school  history, earning four All-America honors, being named a NCAA Breakout Player of the Year finalist, and being taken by the Baltimore Orioles in the 30th round of the MLB Draft. Cooke’s pitching expertise also helped senior hurler Durin O’Linger rise to fame, who threw over 500 pitches in the postseason in his determination to help his team succeed and became a legend amongst Davidson faithful. O’Linger signed a free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox and was promoted to High-A just a few weeks into his professional debut.

The 2016 campaign marked a historic season for the ‘Cats, where the team became the first No. 6 seed to ever compete for the A-10 title. Friday night ace Clark Beeker was selected in the 33rd round of the MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins after earning All-Conference honors and finishing his career ranked third all-time with 21 wins.

SoCon Era

Cooke’s most successful season in the Southern Conference came during his final year, when the ‘Cats set a then-program record for 29 wins ...

Todd Interdonato, Wofford Terriers head coach, is in his 11th season as the leader of the Southern Conference member. He was named head coach of the Terriers on June 26, 2007 after previously serving for two seasons as an assistant coach at Wofford. With 251 career wins, he is first all-time among Wofford baseball coaches in that category.

Over the past four seasons, Interdonato has led the program to unprecedented success. In 2014, the overall record of 32-28 was the first winning record since 1992 and the first in the Division I era at Wofford. That was followed by a 39-22 record in 2015, the most wins in school history, and a 30-28 mark in 2016. It also marked the first back-to-back-to-back winning seasons in school history. The team posted a 13-10 mark in Southern Conference play in 2015 and a 13-11 mark in 2017, the first winning records ever in league play. In both 2014 and 2015, the Terriers reached the SoCon Tournament semifinals. Wofford led the nation in total stolen bases in both 2014 and 2015.

Last season the Terriers won 28 games, the seventh straight season with 20 or more wins. In the Southern Conference, the 13-11 mark was just the second winning season in league play. The team picked up series wins over Furman, UNCG, Samford, East Tennessee State, and The Citadel, while avoiding being swept in a league series. Six players earned All-Southern Conference recognition following the season, with first baseman Brett Hash on the first team. Catcher Carson Waln, outfielder McClain Bradley, and designated hitter Cody Miller picked up second team honors, while Brett Rodriguez and Matt Ellmyer earned spots on the All-Freshman Team. The team finished in the top five in eleven categories in the Wofford single season records, including strikeouts per nine innings (first) and RBIs (second). Pitcher Spencer Kulman signed a free agent contract with the San Diego Padres following the season. Twenty players were named to the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and McClain Bradley was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team.

During the 2016 season, Wofford won 30 games, marking the third straight year with 30 or more wins. The team was 12-12 in the Southern Conference, just the second .500 or better mark in league play for the Terriers. The Terriers had series wins over The Citadel, VMI and ETSU. Pitchers Matthew Milburn and Will Stillman, along with shortstop Derek Hirsch, earned second team All-Southern Conference honors.

The Kentucky Wildcats won their first regional in school history last year and the program possesses as much momentum as any in the country. Optimism is at its zenith in Lexington, thanks in large part to the enthusiasm generated by second-year head coach Nick Mingione, who guided the Wildcats to 43 wins in his first season at the Kentucky dugout helm while being named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year as well as National Coach of the Year. A new $49 million ballpark that is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2019 campaign is being built, serving as another indication of how dedicated the program is to baseball.

The Kentucky Wildcats entered the 2018 season ranked eighth in each of the six national polls. One of the reasons Kentucky will be strong once again is the presence of junior starting pitcher Sean Hjelle. The 6-foot-11 native of Minnesota is the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year (the first in Kentucky history) after going 11-4 with a 3.89 ERA in 2017. More impressively, he went 7-1 with a miniscule 1.90 ERA in 10 SEC starts. Opponents hit just .186 against him and struck out 61 times in 66 1/3 innings during league play. Joining Hjelle on the mound are returners Justin Lewis, Zach Thompson and Brad Schanzer and newcomer Zack Haake.

Offensively, the Wildcats lost five key players from last year’s lineup but return junior Tristan Pompey (.361/.464/.541), who had 18 doubles, 10 home runs and 45 RBIs during his breakout sophomore season. Pompey is considered to be one of the top 10 college players available in this year’s draft. The younger brother of Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey, Tristan is a switch-hitter with above-average power who was a Third Team All-American last year.

The Wildcats lost five key players from last year’s lineup but have a strong class of newcomers that are helping fill the voids. Junior college transfer Kaden Polcovich, who played at LSU as a freshman, should be a significant contributor as the season progresses. Freshman Trey Dawson is a talented defender at shortstop, while Troy Black’s bat should garner activity in the infield. Outfielder Ben Aklinski received raves for his glove work during fall practice and should hit enough to earn a starting job.

Over the past several years, Mike Rooney has become the face of college baseball and without question one of the sport’s biggest and most enthusiastic supporters as an analyst for ESPN’s coverage of college baseball.

His foray into college baseball began as a player at the University of Notre Dame, where Rooney earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1992. While at Notre Dame, he played for head coach Pat Murphy from 1988 to 1992 on the Irish baseball team. Rooney played six different positions during that time (every position except first, pitcher and catcher). He was a member of the 1992 squad that was one win away from a trip to the College World Series. While Rooney was with the Irish, the teams averaged 47 wins per year.

Mike Rooney also spent nine seasons at Arizona State University, including six as an assistant coach under Pat Murphy from 1998 to 2004. During his coaching career at ASU, Rooney helped turn the ASU defense into one of the best in the nation. He helped mentor Dustin Pedroia, who twice was named the National Defensive Player of the Year before going on to success at the Major League level.

Rooney later served as the Sun Devils’ director of baseball operations for three years. During that time, in addition to his duties in the office, Rooney served as the color commentator on all Sun Devil Baseball radio broadcasts. He also began working in television in 2007, when he served as the color analyst for both ASU baseball and softball for FSN Arizona.

Rooney was the head baseball coach at Phoenix College from 2005 to 2008, twice being named the school’s Male Sport Coach of the Year (2006 and 2008). In 2008, Rooney helped lead Phoenix College to their first winning season since 1993, winning the Arizona Region I Championship and overseeing a 14-game turnaround from the previous season.

While at Phoenix College, Mike Rooney ran all aspects of the baseball program in one of the top junior college baseball conferences in the country. He helped 14 student-athletes move on to Division I programs during his four seasons, as well as had one of the highest team GPAs in junior college baseball during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

Rooney began his coaching career by spending five years at Malvern Prep in Malvern, Pennsylvania prior to arriving at ASU. While at Malvern Prep,

The USC Upstate Spartans have yet to earn a spot in an NCAA Regional since joining the Division 1 ranks 11 years ago but have challenged at times for the ASUN title over the past decade. The program’s best season took place in 2012 when USC Upstate went 33-20 and 16-10 in the ASUN, with head coach Matt Fincher being named the ASUN Coach of the Year. After a difficult season in 2017, during which the team went 24-31 overall and 7-14 in the ASUN, Fincher is confident that his veteran returning lineup can make this season one to remember in Spartanburg.

The USC Upstate Spartans will be led by senior catcher Charlie Carpenter (.357/.441/.592). Drafted by the Atlanta Braves last year before deciding to return to school, Carpenter emerged as an intriguing hitting prospect while swatting 11 of the Spartans’ 21 home runs and leading the team in most hitting categories, including 46 RBIs. A trio of seniors also return in the outfield in JJ Shimko (.300/.417/.435), Russell Schwertfeger (.278/.322/.366), and Pat Raiff (.323./.447/.438). Shimko contributed 16 doubles and 35 RBIs to the USC Upstate cause, and Schwerfeger led the team with 12 steals and was third with 28 RBIs. Versatile junior Devon Ortiz (.291/.360/.362) will play in a variety of positions, including center field, while sophomore shortstop Jake Bourke (.287/.361/.333) will anchor the infield defense. Andres Kim is projected to start at second base after earning All-America honors at Pasadena Community College. Freshman Kyle Gensler impressed in fall practice and should see activity on the infield.

In order for the USC Upstate Spartans to challenge for the ASUN crown, the team will need more consistency from its pitching staff. Senior righthander Kevin Hickey (4-7, 4.73 ERA) is the team’s top returner on the mound. Hickey started 13 games last year, as did senior righthander Blake Whitney (5-6, 5.50 ERA), who struck out 82 batters in 73.2 innings. Sophomore lefthander Trey Van Der Weide (2-2, 6.06 ERA) started three of his 23 appearances in 2017. A pair of transfers, righthander Jacob Thiessen (Indian Hills Community College) and lefty Caleb Matthews (Kankakee Community College), and freshman righthander Jordan Marks from Bright’s Grove, Ontario, could have an immediate impact on the Spartans’ staff.

Chris Lemonis enters his fourth season in 2018 leading the Indiana Hoosiers baseball program and his 24th overall year in coaching. Indiana University Vice President and Director of Athletics Fred Glass announced the hiring of the former Louisville assistant coach as the 24th head coach of the program on July 2, 2014.

Lemonis took over an Indiana Hoosiers program in 2015 that had gone 93-31 the previous two seasons, including its first-ever College World Series appearance in 2013 and the No. 4 overall seed in the 2014 NCAA Baseball Championship. With a new look roster, his program immediately lived up to the expectations, posting a 35-24 overall record and earning a berth into a third-straight NCAA Regional.

With a 34-24-2 overall record and a 14-9-1 mark in Big Ten play, Indiana was selected to the 2017 NCAA Baseball Tournament field. Lemonis and the No. 2-seeded Hoosiers earned a berth into the Lexington Regional. With the NCAA appearance, Lemonis became the first coach in program history to make two regionals in his first three seasons as IU’s skipper.

The Hoosiers finished the regular season just one game out of third place in the Big Ten and only two games out of first place in the conference. IU played 18 games against Big Ten teams that qualified for the conference tournament, more than any other team participating in the field. Indiana finished as the highest rated RPI team in the league (34th) and ranked 16 nationally in strongest non-conference strength of schedule (33rd overall).

A total of seven Indiana players garnered All-Big Ten honors during the 2017 campaign, the most for a Lemonis coached team at IU. Sophomore Matt Lloyd (utility) and junior Logan Sowers (outfield) each earned second team honors, while senior Craig Dedelow (outfield) and sophomore Pauly Milto (starting pitcher) picked up third team recognition. Additionally, freshmen Matt Gorski (first base), Jeremy Houston (shortstop) and Cal Krueger (starting pitcher) earned freshman team honors. Lloyd additionally picked up ABCA All-Region honors.

An advocate of playing the game the right way, Lemonis’ squad additionally posted a school record fielding percentage of .979 in 2017. In three seasons at IU, Lemonis coached teams own three of the top four fielding percentages ever in the history of the program.

In year two at the helm in 2016, Lemonis’ club posted a 32-24 overall record and a 15-9 mark in Big Ten play, which was good for a third place finish in the conference’s regular season st...

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have enjoyed tremendous success over the past two seasons. In 2016 Wake Forest earned its first regional appearance in eight years and then posted a 43-20 mark in 2017 to reach a super regional for the first time since 1999 before falling to eventual national champion Florida in a hard-fought series. Head coach Tom Walter has done an amazing job of building a winner in his nine years in Winston-Salem. That includes last year’s opening of the new $14 million player development facility at David F. Couch Ballpark, which has received constant improvements since Walter’s arrival.

Walter’s teams have a reputation for being able to hit the ball with authority. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons posted a team batting average of .308 last year while stroking 129 doubles and 106 home runs. Several of the big bashers, such as Gavin Sheets, Stuart Fairchild, and Ben Breazeale, have advanced to the next level but there should be plenty of firepower in the lineup. Wake will be counting on a pair of returning All-ACC players–junior third baseman Johnny Aiello (.328/.417/.643) and junior second baseman Jake Mueller (.345/.413/.430)–to lead the charge. Aiello is coming off a 2017 performance in which he had 17 doubles and 20 home runs with 53 RBIs despite striking out 76 times. Mueller contributed 16 doubles and 34 RBIs. Three other starters also return. Redshirt junior shortstop Bruce Steel (.264/.383/.533) went deep 13 times with 38 RBIs, senior right fielder Keegan Maronpot (.214/.318/.409) hit a dozen round-trippers, and junior catcher Logan Harvey (.263/.386/.362) is another multi-year starter who scored 43 runs in 2017. The strong freshman class will also contribute, including infielders Bobby Seymour and DJ Poteet, outfielders Michael Ludowig and Chris Lanzilli, and catcher Shane Muntz.

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons pitching staff could be better than last year’s corps, thanks in part to the return of four of the team’s top eight hurlers from a season ago. Junior righthander Griffin Roberts (2-5, 2.19 ERA) had 80 strikeouts in 53.1 innings and eight saves in 2017 but is projected to make the move to the weekend rotation.

The time has come and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers baseball. Like everyone else across the country this weekend, head coach Gary Gilmore’s team is ready to officially start the 2018 season. The Chanticleers will open the campaign Feb. 16-19 by hosting Indiana, Oklahoma, South Alabama, Kansas State and Virginia Tech in the 18th annual Brittain Resorts Baseball at the Beach.

Coastal’s preseason All-American Kevin Woodall Jr., headlines a veteran group of returning starters. The senior first baseman was a first team All-Sun Belt pick last season after leading the league in both home runs and RBIs. Also back are infielders Cory Wood (the 2017 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year who moves from left field to second base), Matt Beaird (catcher) and Seth Lancaster (third base) along with outfielders Kieton Rivers (.291 in 31 starts last season) and Cameron Pearcey (makes the move to center field after missing all but 13 games in 2017 due to injury). The pitching rotation returns starters Zack Hopeck, Jason Bilous and Anthony Veneziano.

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However, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers will be without its top two returning pitchers. Senior Bobby Holmes will sit out the 2018 season after having Tommy John surgery in June 2017. Also, junior relief pitcher Austin Kitchen, a lefthander who led the team in appearances last season, suffered a season-ending knee injury during a pre-season workout.

“Obviously, we are all excited to get back on the field as an entire unit,” said head coach Gary Gilmore. “There has been a lot of positive things to this point. In particular, it’s been enjoyable to watch some of our key returners, specifically Woodall, Beaird, Rivers and Wood, embrace the role as leaders on this club. Also, even though Holmes is out, he is showing great leadership as well. There are a lot of new faces and how they progress will be instrumental in our success.

“Like every season, we still have to figure out where all the parts will fit to give ourselves the best chance to succeed,” Gilmore continued. “We are very excited about the talented group of young arms, who will get thrown in the fire immediately (against) one of the best schedules in the country.”

Andy Stankiewicz begins his seventh season at the helm of the Grand Canyon Antelopes baseball team for the 2018 season after becoming the fourth head coach in the history of the program prior to the 2012 campaign.

After a pair of successful seasons at the Division II level in 2012 and 2013, Stankiewicz successfully guided the Grand Canyon Antelopes baseball program through a transition to the Division I level. The transition brought with it unprecedented success, as the Lopes claimed the Western Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship in the 2015 and 2017 campaigns. Amid the transition, GCU posted an impressive 71-33 (.683) mark in conference play despite being the conference’s only transitioning school. Amid the transition, Stankiewicz’s program has recorded marquee wins over the likes of Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Arizona, Tennessee, UC Irvine and Kansas.

Stankiewicz is one of the more respected coaches in the collegiate baseball landscape, evidenced by multiple selections to lead USA Baseball national teams into international competition. Most recently, Stankiewicz guided the U18 national team to an undefeated run at the World Baseball Cup in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada in September 2017. He helped mold the team by narrowing 100 players down to a 20-team roster before leading USA to a 9-0 mark and a 61-5 margin of victory.

Grand Canyon posted a 20-4 record during conference play in 2017, the best mark the WAC has seen since Rice claimed the NCAA championship in 2003. The Lopes won their final nine weekend series of the season. GCU’s season started with a series victory over No. 22 Oklahoma State and concluded with edging out New Mexico State for the outright regular season title. Unsurprisingly, Stankiewicz was voted by his peers as the WAC Coach of the Year.

The development provided by Stankiewicz and his staff was never more prominent than in the case of Garrison Schwartz. The Phoenix native entered the GCU program as an unheralded walk-on before transforming into the 2017 WAC Player of the Year. His three-year Lopes career led to a 16th Round selection by the Atlanta Braves in the 2017 MLB Draft.

In 2015 – just the second year of GCU’s transition, Stankiewicz and the Lopes won their first WAC Regular Season title. In that championship season, Grand Canyon posted a .308 team batting average, a mark that ranked seventh in the country.