SimmonsField.com

2013 Mizzou Recruit: RHP Devin Williams

2012-01-27T12:34:00.000-06:00

♦ Devin Williams, RHP/OF
6'3", 165 lb, R/R
Hazelwood West HS

@stlpirates (Brian Delunas) on twitter: Devin Williams (2013 RHP), No. 2 player in MO and No. 273 overall by @PerfectGameUSA has verbally committed to the University of Missouri. (1/27/2012)

♦ PerfectGame profile: Best Fastball: 88 MPH

No additional info available at this time

USA Today/ ESPN Pre-Season Top 25 Coaches Poll

2012-01-27T08:28:00.001-06:00

Mizzou is not ranked in the USA Today/ ESPN Pre-Season Top 25 Coaches Poll.

On first glance, I thought I saw Missouri listed in the "also receiving votes" list,but it turned out to be Missouri State. My brain hasn't been functioning well this week.

Four of MU's 2012 opponents made the cut for the top 25:

#5 Texas
#6 Texas A&M
#8 Arkansas
#15 Oklahoma

Simmons Field Photo: 3 Weeks to Opening Day

2012-01-27T03:00:00.004-06:00

Robbyball_Z

FAQ: What to do, where to eat in Columbia

2012-01-27T02:32:00.000-06:00

Where is a Good Place to Eat in Columbia?

A typical college town, Columbia has no shortage of places to eat. I've tried to provide a list of those places that are unique to Columbia. I've also marked (**) those places that I recommend for the ultimate Tiger-town experience.

I have purposely left out the dozens of franchise restaurants and fast-food places, as well as the places I've never been to because they cost more than I want to spend on a plate of food.

If you want a more complete list of places to eat, check out the VisitColumbiaMo.com Restaurant Guide

If you want a more entertaining list of places to eat and drink, check out the RockMNation Guide to Columbia.

On Campus/Downtown

Stadium Grill

A couple of dozen of different kinds of burgers. Very close to the stadiums/arenas

1219 Fellows Place

(573)777-9294

Bambino's Italian Cafe
$$
Good pasta, plus music on some evenings
Bambinos has MOVED to 929 E. Broadway (corner of 10th and Broadway).
(573)443-4473

Booche's
$
Booches is a Columbia tradition going back to the early 20th century; basically a pool hall, but they serve the best cheeseburgers anywhere (listed among the best burgers in America by USA Today). After your lunch, explore the rest of what 9th Street has to offer, including three bookstores, two Mizzou clothing & accessories shops, a baseball card shop, Lakota Coffee, and more.
110 S. 9th

Boone Tavern
$$$
Where the movers and shakers meet to eat and eat to meet
811 E. Walnut

Harpo's
$$
Columbia's most well-known sports bar
29 S. 10th

Broadway Diner
$
Not on Broadway anymore, but still close. An old fashioned greasy spoon -- stop by for "breakfast" any time and order "The Stretch"
22 S. 4th
573-875-1173

Shakespeare's Pizza
$$
If you visit no other Columbia eatery when in town, visit Shakespeare's for their famous pizza pie.
225 S. 9th
Also now at Shakespeare's West, 3304 Broadway Business Park Court

Pasta Factory
$$$
Another great local pasta place. It has moved from its downtown location to 3103 W. Broadway, near the Wal-mart and HyVee in west CoMo
573-449-3948

The Heidelberg
$$
A popular gathering place for MU students and alumni since the early 60's. The 'Berg burned down in August of 2003, but it has been rebuilt and remodeled and is back in business.
410 S. 9th St.
(573)449-6927

Flat Branch Pub & Brewery
$$
Local micro-brewery and pub
115 S. 5th St.
499-0400

Addison's
$$$
Upscale "urban Americana" restaurant.
709 Cherry St.
256-1995

CC's City Broiler
$$$
Reportedly the best steak in town. i wouldn't know, since it's out of my price range.
131 S. 10th St.
875-2282

Ernie's Steak House
$
Long-standing downtown eatery; many locals stop here for breakfast
1005 Walnut St.
874-7804

Lakota Coffee House
$
Great local coffee house with a wide ranging selection
24 S. 9th St.
874-2852

Bangkok Gardens
$$
Thai food, unique restaurant
811 Cherry St (recently moved to this location)
874-3284

Columbia Mall area

G&D Pizza & Steak House
$$
One of several Greek steak & pizza places in Columbia. Best waitresses in Columbia.
Crossroads West Shopping Center
Broadway & Stadium Blvd.

Southern Columbia

Chris McD's
$$$
American cuisine with French and Asian influences
1400 Forum Blvd (Forum Shopping Center)
446-6237

Murry's
$$$
Jazz nightclub
3107 Green Meadows Way
573-442-4969

Sophia's
$$$
Fine Southern European cuisine
3915 S. Providence
874-8009

D. Rowe's
$$
Restaurant and bar owned and operated by a former MU football player. Best waffle fries in town. and I hear they have a great Reuben sandwich as well.
1005 Club Village
Near Forum & Nifong, behind Walgreen's

Cooper's Landing
$$
WAY south of Simmons Field, down on the Missouri River, but worth the trip. check out the website for all the details.
11505 S. Easley River Rd.
657-2544

Rocheport(approx. 10 miles west of Columbia)

Les Bourgeois Vineyard & Bistro
$$$
Bluff-top dining
Rocheport, MO
573-698-2300

More ideas for eating and meeting:

The Skinny on CoMo's Barbecue
Great article on the many great BBQ places in Columbia
Vox Magazine, 10/2/2008

Tailgate food

Friday and Saturday games often draw tailgaters to the parking lots around Simmons Field.

Hoss' Market
1010A Club Village Drive
(Corner of Nifong and Forum Blvd. - west of Walgreen's)
573-815-9711
Hoss's has become the place to go for gourmet carry-out and tail-gate food.

Entertainment
Some downtown venues unique to Columbia

The Blue Note
The best place to find good music.
17 N. 9th St.
874-1944

MoJo's
Another great music venue - blues, jazz, rock, etc.
1013 Park Avenue
875-0588

Rag-Tag Cinemacafe
Order a beer and watch the best of independent film-making and the occasional big hit that the major theaters haven't discovered yet.

Working it off

After you've enjoyed the great dining in Columbia, head down to the MKT Trail and run off those extra pounds.

What's going on?

To find out what bands are in town, and what special events may be taking place, check out VOX
Weekly entertainment magazine of the Columbia Missourian

FAQ: Seating Chart

2012-01-27T02:28:00.001-06:00

Seat Identification:

Each Reserved Seat is identified by the Section, Row, and Seat Number. (General admission areas are not assigned section, row, or seat numbers)

- Sections: A through G

- Rows are numbered beginning with Row 1 closest to the field. Sections B through F have 6 rows. Sections A and G have 4 rows (numbered 3 through 6). Row 6 in each section is above the main Reserved Seating area, at the front of the walkway.

- Seats are numbered beginning with Seat #1 in each section, on the first base end of each section.

The floor plans used for the creation of the Seating Chart were provided by the MU Space Planning and Management office, with special assistance by Mark C. Meade, C.A.,
Engineering Records Coordinator .

FAQ: Going to the Game

2012-01-27T02:28:00.000-06:00

How do I get to Simmons Field?

Three ways to go:

1) Take the Stadium Blvd. Exit off I-70, head south on Stadium Blvd. for about 4 miles to Providence Road. Turn right (south) on Providence. Less than 1 block later, turn right on Carrie Francke Drive (directly across from the football stadium). Simmons Field/Taylor Stadium is at the top of the hill

2) Take the Providence Road Exit off I-70, head south on Providence Road about 3 miles. Less than 1 block past the Stadium Blvd intersection, turn right on Carrie Francke Drive (directly across from the football stadium). Simmons Field/Taylor Stadium is at the top of the hill.

3) Take the Highway 63 Exit off I-70, follow Hwy 63 South (see Hwy 63 directions, next); Take the Stadium Blvd Exit, head west on Stadium Blvd about 2.5 miles. Turn left (south) at Providence Road. Less than 1 block later, turn right on Research Park Drive (directly across from the football stadium). Simmons Field/Taylor Stadium is at the top of the hill.

Where can I park at Simmons Field?

The parking lot closest to the ballpark, at the top of the hill, is NOT OPEN to athletic event parking between 8 AM and 5 PM. Your car will very likely be towed if you do not follow this restriction. After 5:00, fans may use that lot.

The paved lot just to the south of that lot (still at the top of the hill) IS OPEN to athletic event parking at ALL HOURS. However, for many baseball games, that lot is reserved for staff and others with special passes.

A gravel lot running along the south of the Walton Soccer/Track Stadium is also open to baseball parking.

Parking will probably not be allowed on the side of the road leading down the hill.

There are parking lots at the bottom of the hill, south of the ballpark, that are also available for athletic event parking. Occasionally a golf cart, driven by a crazed Event Staff employee, will be available to give weary fans a lift up the Summit.

Also, there is a walkway over Providence Road, connecting the Faurot Field football parking area with Simmons Field. When other events do not conflict, parking may be available there.

Where SHOULD I park?

As any college baseball fan knows, foul balls are drawn by a mysterious scientific force to the windows of cars parked in stadium parking lots. Therefore, if you park in one of the lots at the top of the hill, the safest spot is farthest away from the ballpark, or behind some Jayhawk's van.

Where should I sit at Simmons Field?

Anywhere you want. Seriously, people move all over the place. Even the people with reserved seats sit wherever they feel like. The only exception is on those occasions when there is a packed house, when you might not be able to sit in someone's reserved seat.

The fans of the visiting team generally sit along the 1st base line, above the visitors' dugout. But they are generally free to sit wherever they want. They usually don't stay sitting in front of me for very long, though, unless they wear ear plugs (or ear muffs, given the weather at Simmons Field).

It doesn't take long upon your first to Simmons Field to figure out where the bad sight lines are. Some people choose to sit in the bleachers higher up in the stands, to put some distance between their eyes and the black netting of the backstop. Personally, the netting doesn't bother me. I sit in the fourth row up from the backstop and enjoy the view just find.

There is also a covered pavilion along the third base line, where some people enjoying watching the game from a different perspective. There are only a few benches and picnic tables there, but some people bring in their own seating.

There is no outfield seating at Simmons Field.

Simmons Field Weather

That nice spring-like weather you felt when you walked out of lunch does not mean you should show up in shorts and a T-shirt.

The general wisdom among regular fans of MU Baseball is that it is always 10 degrees colder at Simmons Field than anywhere else in Columbia.

Some days you can literally feel the drop in the temperature as you climb the stairs from the ballpark entrance to the stands.

It's a good idea, therefore, to dress warmer than you think you logically ought to. Think layers. After all, you're going to spend most of the time sitting in one spot, not moving around generating body heat.

What can I take into the ballpark?

I regularly walk into Taylor Stadium with a medium-sized duffel bag or backpack. The Event Staff has gotten more diligent in the past couple of years about searching for food and drink. But there are ways.

If you try to walk into the ballpark with visible food, the Event Staff will almost certainly not let you take it in.

Alcoholic beverages are NOT allowed into Simmons Field.

Is there food available at the ballpark?

Of course there is. The concession stand is operated by campus concessionaires, the same people who manage food sales for all MU athletic events.

The menu is pretty tame, nothing to knock your socks off, but it is typical ballpark food.

SEC Dixie-nary: I is for Index

2012-01-26T20:00:00.000-06:00

is for Atmosphere

is for Ballparks

is for College World Series

is for Outstanding Performances

is for Polk

is for Quick Facts

is for Ruleboook

is also for Recruiting

is for SEC Tournament

is for TV

is for Umpires

is for Versus

is for Weather

is for X-Files

is for YouTube

is for Zero

is for Simmons Field, Edge & Challenge

SEC Dixie-nary: SEC is for ...

2012-01-26T03:00:00.005-06:00

“It’s both an incredible challenge and an incredible opportunity,” Missouri Coach Tim Jamieson said. “I think it’s something, having witnessed what we did when we went from the Big Eight to the Big 12 and the necessity to step up, we did it. I have no doubt that we’ll do it again when we go from the Big 12 to the SEC.” (Columbia Daily Tribune, 11/18/2011)

Coach Jamieson is obviously approaching the move to the SEC with a great attitude. But the question remains: What will it take to successfully "step up" to the SEC?

S is for Simmons Field

3,630 fans at Simmons Field
2007 Regional

We've taken a look at the incredible game day atmosphere at many of the SEC ballparks, and at the huge crowd that come to see college baseball at stadiums that hold 5,000, 6,000, even 10,000 fans.

Surely the fans from those schools will laugh out loud when they see Simmons Field at Taylor Stadium, won't they? A ballpark that holds a mere three thousand fans? That will most likely have somewhere between 600 and 2,000 fans? (MU's largest home crowd in 2011 was 1,176; the average 2011 crowd was 476).

Well, yes they might. I would if I were them.

@Ranger222 on Twitter: #SEC Baseball smack! LSU BASE vs. UF (3/18/11) 12,076; Mizzou Total 2011 Home attendance 13,344”

But we can do better.

The fans of Mizzou Baseball can spread the word and show up for the games. Take as much pride in supporting the team on a brisk day in mid-March as we do in supporting the football team on a chilly Saturday in November. Savor the sunshine on those great spring afternoons.

The promotions staff in the athletic department needs to get serious and get creative about attracting not only the people of Columbia but the MU student body to the games. Football and basketball are marketed like big events and are surrounded with an atmosphere of excitement.

The Athletic Department could learn from some of those SEC ADs, who learned from the Minor Leagues. Going to the ballpark needs to offer more than just good baseball. That's good enough for the hardcore fans like me. But to really attract the attention of the students and to pull in the families from the area, there's got to be a party going on at the ballpark.

People are more than willing to sit in the autumn cold at Faurot Field to watch a football game, because it's an exciting experience, beyond the game itself. A football game offers cheerleaders, Marching Mizzou, a big drum and a cannon, entertainment on the giant screens, and Truman the Tiger. Not all of those will translate to the baseball field, but there are other things that can be offered to the modern baseball fan. People need to be given a reason to endure the cold of March and the dreariness of April for the sake of being a part of the experience that is Mizzou Baseball.

That excitement factor regarding Simmons Field can start with the team. I know the job of the coaches and the players is to put a quality product on the field, to play the game well, to win. But they can also have an effect on the crowd and on the stadium atmosphere, too.

When a team lays claim to a stadium as their home turf, they will fight for it, defend it and be fiercely loyal to it. Their devotion to their "house" will be contagious. The fans in the stands will pick up on it and become fiercely (and noisily) loyal to their home turf as well.

Call it Taylor Stadium or Simmons Field. Or Johnny Hi. But call it home.

There's a huge Under Armour sign on the west face of the Devine Pavilion, visible just past the right field wall of Taylor Stadium. The slogan on that sign should be the pledge and oath and rallying cry of both the Tigers and the Tiger faithful:

Protect This House

Once the fans and the students are showing up in ever-increasing numbers, the pressure will be on to expand and upgrade the capacity and amenities at Taylor Stadium. I don't expect Mizzou will ever need a 10,000 seat baseball stadium. But Taylor Stadium could be increased to five or six thousand. With luxury boxes and expanded concession selections and whatever else it takes to put fans in the seats. Plus whatever facilities are needed to knock the socks off prospective recruits when they come to visit.

There's no place I'd rather be than at Simmons Field. It shouldn't be too difficult to make it the destination of choice for other Tiger fans as well.

E is for Edge

#22 Ian Kinsler has the EDGE

What is it that gives a player or a team an EDGE over the competition?

The eighth week of SEC baseball brought a sole team to the top of the conference standings. Vanderbilt gained a one-game advantage in the rankings thanks to series losses from South Carolina and Florida, giving the 'Dores a slight edge for the regular season crown with just two weeks left to play. All three teams will face struggles this week, as Florida will travel to Nashville to face Vandy in one of the season's most highly anticipated showdowns. The Gamecocks will have their own test, as a surging Arkansas - who just defeated Florida in a series last week - travels to Columbia. (anchorofGold.com, 5/11/11)

Losses by other teams can certainly give a team an EDGE, but you'd better have more going on for yourself than just sitting around hoping someone else loses.

One definition of EDGE is to have a mental EDGE, an unrelenting sharpness of the team's focus and determination to execute and attack. Lose that, and you'll lose games.

LSU coach Paul Mainieri said he called off the dogs a bit when the Tigers were leading 10-1 Friday night, and his squad was never able to turn it back on for the rest of the series.

“Our guys stopped swinging the bats with aggressiveness. They just kind of lost their edge,” said Mainieri. “The guys just kind of lost their intensity, I think, because we weren’t pushing forward, and we just never got it back the whole weekend.” (TigerRag.com, 5/10/11)

Sometimes it doesn't take much of an EDGE. A win by a single run is as good as a blow-out win. A record with one more win than the second place team still means you're in first place. For now.

Last year, the Gators traveled to Columbia, S.C., on the final weekend of the regular season and won two of three to edge the Gamecocks for the SEC title.

"But they got the last laugh," said Florida catcher and SEC player of the year Mike Zunino. "They got to hold the national championship trophy up." (NewsObserver.com, 6/27/11)

Too often, though, baseball coaches, players and fans respond to being on the downside of the EDGE by chalking it up to luck. "That's just baseball."

And that is true. There's always luck. But teams who have a real EDGE find a way to turn the luck in their direction more often than not.

The EDGE doesn't come by accident. You can't just show up at game time and hope your team has the EDGE tonight. You can't just send your pitcher to the mound and hope he has his EDGE.

The EDGE doesn't come from TRYING to gain the EDGE. The EDGE comes through TRAINING for the EDGE.

♦ Train for the EDGE by training to EXECUTE

Skip Bertman, legendary coach at LSU, wrote:

"The System" that we use at LSU focuses on playing high-percentage baseball in the most efficient manner possible. You want your team to have more ways to win a game than your opponent. It's just that simple. Every time we play, I want our players to statistically have a better chance to win. If we do this consistently every pitch, every out, every inning and every game, we'll obviously have a better chance at winning. Assuming both teams have an equal talent, I would still want an "edge" for my team. Our system works to find that statistical edge. (Skip: The Man and the System, Victory Publishing, 1992)

Eric Sorenson, CollegeBaseballToday, wrote this at the end of the 2011 College World Series, which came down to a final series between South Carolina and Florida, a pair of SEC teams:

"I really dig how bunting, defense and execution had such an impact this year. Simplify man. Simplify."

John Cohen, Mississippi State Head Coach, talks about training for precision on findyourbestswing.com:

"There's a lot of hitting philosophy out there. Precision is what gets the job done, though. Let's take a look at the battle between a pitcher and a hitter to illustrate this point. A pitcher is trying to load up his energy and deliver it to a precise target. The hitter is trying to do the same thing - load up his energy and release it right back up the middle. The pitcher's job is to disrupt the hitters flow of energy with either pitch placement or by changing speeds. Take a curve ball - the curve ball reaches its apex and most hitters will follow the pitch up and their flow of energy is up instead of straight back toward the pitcher. Have you ever seen a hitter miss underneath a curve ball? Hardly, they miss above it and the pitcher has accomplished his goal of disrupting the hitters energy. Philosophy says stay back to hit the curve ball. Precision says work beneath the plane of the breaking ball."

♦ Train for the EDGE by training for MENTAL TOUGHNESS

“Get it (the game) down to one inning, pitch by pitch, play by play. A winner or loser on every pitch. Now it’s about who is mentally the toughest.” (Augie Garrido, Head Baseball Coach, Texas)

Is there any team in the country with better leadership or greater mental toughness than the Gamecocks? I doubt it. The team chemistry is off the charts, and veterans like Scott Wingo, Adrian Morales and Michael Roth provide exemplary leadership by keeping everybody loose with their antics. We saw the 'refuse to lose' mentality on several occasions this season, especially when they faced crucial rubber games at Florida and against Vanderbilt. By winning those games, USC delivered a clear message - we're still the defending national champions. (GamecockCentral.com, 5/23/11)

♦ Train for the EDGE by training to FINISH WELL

USC was 6-1 in rubber games this season, including 3-1 on the road. They swept three series (UK, at UT, Aub), but the outcome of seven series boiled down to Game 3 and the Gamecocks usually came through in the clutch. It started in March when USC followed a rubber game win over Georgia at home with a memorable 4-3 victory at Florida the following weekend over the No. 1 ranked Gators. Another celebrated Game 3 occurred April 17 when the Gamecocks beat No. 1 Vanderbilt, 5-3, at Carolina Stadium. One week later, they smashed Miss. State, 13-4, in the rubber game, jumpstarting a five-game conference winning streak. (10 Reasons USC won the SEC Titlte, GamecockCentral.com, 5/23/11)

The Cal Bears 2011 season exemplifies what it means to Never Give Up, as told by Eric Sorenson in From Six-Feet Under to One of Eight Teams Left (collegebaseballtoday.com, 6/12/11):

When I walked into Cal coach Dave Esquer’s office back in October to interview him about the impending demise of his program, he was all dressed out in his usual game-day uniform and immediately talked about never giving up.

His team and his program were staring down at the final season of their existence and worrying about where they were going to play baseball the following season, but there Coach was, in his full game togs, talking about his team never quitting all fall long, not on the practice field, not on their hopes and not on each other.

Cal celebrates making it to Omaha
(CollegeBaseballToday.com)

“I’ve not seen a single hint of them quitting or getting discouraged despite everything that’s going on around them,” coach said at the time. “None.”

Fast forward to the first weekend in June. That same never-quit mantra manifested itself in the ultimate payoff every coach wants to see: Omaha.

Late on Sunday night, the Bears took down Dallas Baptist for the second straight time, by a 6-2 score, holding a potent Pats offense which came in hitting .311 to just four hits in all. That defensive/pitching clampdown led to an improbable celebration that no Cal baseball fan could’ve seen coming for this team this season.

“To take this team this far is so gratifying.” Coach Dave Esquer said. “Before our first practice we learned that our program was being discontinued. So we gave our players the option, if they to skip practice and needed a day or two to collect their thoughts and talk to their parents then they could. But to a man, they all said ‘We’re practicing today.’ So they weren’t going to back away one inch from being with their teammates and doing what they do.”

“I remember as a coaching staff we looked at each other and said, ‘We’ve got a different team here.’”

That no-quit attitude has never subsided. Not through months of anguish, hints of reinstatement and promises of vanquishment again. Finally, in early April, the program got a boost when it was permanently brought back from lame-duck status.

South Carolina Head Coach Ray Tanner sums up what it takes to gain that EDGE:

One word- INVEST. If you want to get better, you have to invest. You have to put in the time that’s necessary to make it to that next level. Is that a guarantee that you will get a good return on your investment? No, but the guarantee is that if you don’t invest it’s not going to happen. That’s almost a definite. You can’t just say, I want to do this or I want to accomplish that. You actually have to live it. You have to show it. And if you do invest, than just maybe it comes to pass, but if it doesn’t work out, at least at the end of the day you can look yourself in the mirror and say, “You know what- I did the best I could.” (nextlevelballplayer.com)

Mizzou Baseball can be that kind of team that gains an EDGE in the SEC. Tim Jamieson can be that kind of coach. Conner Mach and Eric Anderson and Rob Zastryzny and Blake Holovach and every other player on the roster can be that kind of player.

C is for Challenge

All the talk has been about what a challenge Mizzou faces playing against SEC competition.

@KendallRogersPG on Twitter: Joining the #sec gives the baseball program more challenges than it even had before. Not sure coach Jamieson should like this move. #mizzou

@BallPhid on Twitter: Mizzou joins SEC East baseball meat-grinder. Raises recruiting stakes. Jamison's 2 new Assts have big job

And that is no doubt true.

But the true challenge is for Mizzou Baseball to step up to the new level of competition.

Mizzou recruit Griffin Goodrich seems to be eager for the challenge:

"When I got the news Sunday morning, I woke up and right away it was pure excitement," he said. "It was awesome. The Big 12 is a great, prestigious conference, but to move down to the SEC for baseball, that's baseball country down there. You've got the top teams fighting for a trip to Omaha every year out of that conference. It's great competition."

Goodrich also is looking forward to the move as a sports fan.

"Being an athlete, it will be great to play against great competition," he said. "But also being a student, to go watch those games. To come see Kentucky or Florida come to Mizzou for basketball, those are the top teams in the nation. Come see Alabama (football) take a visit to Columbia. That would be awesome to see. You're seeing the top teams in the country. It will be a great experience to watch and be a part of as well." (stltoday.com)

The only way for the Tigers to be a success against the SEC is to Bring the Challenge to our new opponents. Challenge them to play up to Mizzou's level. Challenge them on every pitch, every at-bat, every play.

Tim Jamieson and his team need to put the SEC on notice that the biggest challenge they'll face every season is to do battle with the Tigers of Mizzou.

Just as the Tigers need to make the small step up to compete in the SEC, the converse is also true"

“We've gotten better, but as I reminded the team there is just a few steps between the outhouse and the penthouse. You've got to play with heightened awareness all the time.” (Ray Tanner, Head Coach, CWS Champion South Carolina Gamecocks)

Only a few steps.

Perhaps the question should be this:

Is the rest of the SEC up to the Challenge?

To read the rest of our SEC Dixie-nary posts, click HERE

Simmons Field Photo: A little ballpark graffiti

2012-01-25T09:37:00.002-06:00

Just outside MU Baseball locker room

Photo from @coachpietro

New Taylor Stadium PA Announcer

2012-01-24T11:05:00.000-06:00

♦ Congratulations to Sedalia Bombers announcer James Abey on being named the new voice of Missouri Tiger Baseball. (@SedaliaBombers on Twitter)

James Abey (aka Jim Shorts) on the air

James Abey (@jimshorts923 on twitter) is a radio personality on 92.3 BOB FM in Sedalia, where he uses the on-air name of Jim Shorts. He has a "bio" page on the KSDL website. Unfortunately, there is no live streaming audio for the station.

Baseball America Pre-Season Top 25

2012-01-24T10:59:00.003-06:00

No, Mizzou is not in BA's Preseason College Top 25 (Baseball America)

The Southeastern Conference, which produced three of the final four teams standing in Omaha last year and has won the last three national titles, looks strong again heading into 2012. The SEC accounts for three of the top four teams and six of the top 11 in the 2012 preseason rankings. The SEC leads all conferences with seven teams in the Top 25, followed by the Atlantic Coast and Pacific-12 conferences with five apiece.

Click HERE for the whole list

SEC Dixie-nary: Z is for Zero

2012-01-24T03:00:00.046-06:00

Z is for Zero

Mizzou Baseball's record as an SEC team: 0-0
Mizzou Baseball's all-time losses against 4 of our 6 new SEC East rivals (Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Tennessee): 0
Number of years Mizzou has failed to qualify for the SEC Baseball Tournament: 0
All-Time College World Series Championships by SEC teams other than LSU, USC or UGA: 0
CWS Championships for the SEC prior to 1990: 0

Check back in Thursday for the final installment of the SEC Dixie-nary

The First Boyd of Spring

2012-01-23T07:53:00.000-06:00

College Baseball season is coming soon, as evidenced by the first 2012 season postings at BoydsWorld.com:

♦ Team Schedule Calendars: Download an Outlook-ready Mizzou schedule for 2012

♦ Intended Strength of Schedule Numbers

We've posted Strength of Schedule numbers here in the past few weeks, from our own calculations and then from a discussion on the Rivals.com College Baseball vestigial board.

Boyd Nation has his own numbers up now, which puts MU with the 47th toughest overall schedule and the 104th toughest non-conference schedule.

Tiger Celebrities

2012-01-22T08:43:00.000-06:00

What do Max Scherzer and Larry Wyatt have in common? They're both Tiger celebrities.

♦ Max Scherzer: From Tigers pitcher to game show host? (Detroit Free Press)
Max Scherzer asked the questions as they were handed to him in a trivia contest Friday. Mostly, the event required the power pitcher to lob softballs. But then he broke off a Dick Enberg curve.

♦ Video of Max as game show host at Patch.com

♦ 'Super fan' brought his spirit to Missouri gymnastics meet (Columbia Missourian)

The lighting was dim as "Fight, Tiger" blared over the PA system; the crowd, subdued, but with one loud exception.

Proudly belting the words to Missouri's fight song, Larry Wyatt II was on his feet, clapping in rhythm. As the Tigers walked onto the Hearnes Center floor on Friday night, Wyatt remained standing, enthusiastically trying to pump up the crowd.

"Rip 'em up, tear 'em up, give 'em hell, Tigers!"
. . .

Big 12 Baseball Notes

2012-01-22T03:00:00.000-06:00

♦ Jordan Etier back with UT baseball (kvue.com)

Jordan Etier has been reinstated on the University of Texas Baseball team. He will serve a four-game suspension at the beginning of the 2012 season and will no longer receive an athletic scholarship. He was kicked off the team last fall after being arrested on charges of evading arrest and marijuana possession.

At the time, DPS officers say Jordan Etier relieved himself in public, then ran from officers before disposing of some marijuana.

♦ Aggies looking for their own idol (theeagle.com)

The Texas A&M baseball team is searching for the first ever "Aggieland Idol" who will perform the National Anthem to kick off games at the new Blue Bell Park this season.

Area residents are encouraged to try out for the musical talent contest at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 26 at Burkhart Auditorium in Kyle Field.

Annie Stoltenberg, a spokeswoman for A&M baseball, said contestants will have one minute to showcase their abilities and performances can include instruments and be the song of their choice.

"A live National Anthem is an old-time baseball tradition and we haven't done them at every game in the past," she said. "It was something that Coach [Rob] Childress really wanted this year."

Childress will be part of a three-judge panel that also includes Candy 95.5 hosts Frito and Alli.

Southern Exposure: Dance-Off

2012-01-21T03:00:00.001-06:00

Big 12 Baseball Preview

2012-01-20T12:18:00.000-06:00

♦ One man's Big 12 Baseball Preview and discussion at ShaggyBevo.com

Mizzou4215: Unless Platts or Graves are awesome. Mizzou should suck again. Not listed on your top returning pitchers, but Eric Anderson should be the Friday starter. He was pretty good after he came back from surgery last year. Mizzou won all of his starts until the Big 12 title game, where he was starting on 2-3 days rest.

Simmons Field Photo: 4 Weeks to Opening Day

2012-01-20T03:00:00.007-06:00

Sal Belfonte

2013 Mizzou Recruit: Jack Klages' early commit

2012-01-19T14:30:00.001-06:00

♦ Recruiting notebook: Vianney's Klages picks Mizzou (StLToday.com)

"I was overall pretty familiar with the program," Klages said. "I had been down there a lot to their camps, and I had gone down there on an unofficial visit in October. It was just for me. It was the right fit."
. . .
The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder, who lives in Affton, picked the Tigers over Missouri State, Michigan State and Texas Christian University.

Read more HERE

Read the SimmonsField.com profile of Jack Klages HERE

SEC Dixie-nary: Y is for YouTube

2012-01-19T03:00:00.006-06:00

Current Major Leaguers share SEC Baseball Memories

Vanderbilt Commodore Spelling Bee

Classic fake injury in

Ole Miss - Arkansas baseball: Emmy Nominations

Pretty good 2011 Auburn Baseball Commercial
(Mizzou needs a good commercial like this)

LSU Baseball Historical Video

Season Ticket Renewal

2012-01-18T15:45:00.002-06:00

Season Ticket renewal forms are reportedly going out in the mail this week.

Mizzou Baseball in the Minors: Evan Frey

2012-01-18T15:00:00.000-06:00

♦ Catching up with Evan Frey (mlbogsreno.wordpress.com)

NJBA: We saw you getting to the park early seemingly every day to work on bunting with manager Brett Butler. How did that extra work improve your game?

EF: Bugsy is a great asset for me for the fact that we are very similar players. I went into a funk there for a little while with bunting and after we got out there and started working on some things I became very comfortable. It is at the point now where I look to bunt every time I step to the plate, looking to get on that way to have the big guys behind me drive me in and get some quick runs.

NJBA: You spent about a month in the Mexican League this winter. Tell us a little bit about that experience, and how it compares with playing in the States?

EF: The Mexican League was quite the experience. The fans are very passionate about their teams there and they expect production. That was my first time playing winter ball, and I really enjoyed playing along side those guys in their homeland. I have a new understanding for how the foreign players feel playing in the United States during our season. I would love to get the chance to play somewhere like that again.

More at http://mlblogsreno.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/catching-up-with-evan-frey/

The Draft: College vs. Pro

2012-01-18T12:16:00.000-06:00

Chris Webb has a great story on ESPN about The benefits of choosing college over pros (espn.com)

Adding that college provides a bit of a buffer between developing as a person and being entirely independent, the crosschecker spoke to the social development and interaction that is gained by attending college. It's a setting that the NL scout believes benefits some to experience change in, rather than in the pros with their livelihood on the line.

“There is a lot of natural maturity and changes that takes place when you’re 18, 19, 20 years old,” said the scout. “Growth, where in some cases it is better kids go through that in college instead of with their career at that age.”

Ultimately, the decision to sign or go to college is one that is personal, and the pros and cons differ from individual to individual. In either case, the crosschecker offers the following advice:

“Whichever way they go, they need to make sure they’re committed to their decision 100 percent,” he said.

Read the rest HERE

Word on the Tweet: New Cap

2012-01-18T10:12:00.000-06:00

@CoachPietro on Twitter:

Check out the new alternate cap for the '12 season! #MIZ #MIZ lockerz.com/s/175572462

And I promise the color on the front is not neon yellow as the photo makes it appear.... #OldGold #notglowinthedarktigers

2012 Tickets

2012-01-18T03:00:00.000-06:00

According to the 2012 Baseball Tickets page at mutigers.com, ticket prices remain unchanged from 2011.

Season Ticket renewal forms are usually mailed out toward the end of January, beginning of February.

Also available is the Mizzou Spirit Pass. See below for details

2012 Season ticket costs
(Reserved/assigned seats)

Single Ticket: $60

Youth/Senior Citizen Ticket: $30

Family (2 adults + 2 children): $150

Mizzou Spirit Pass

The Mizzou Spirit Pass is an all-purpose pass to most sporting events at MU (excludes Football and Men's Basketball). It does not include reserved or assigned seating, and does not include post-season events

Individual: $60

Couple: $110

Family Pass:(2 adults, 2 kids) $200

Faculty/Staff Family Pass: (2 adults, 2 kids)$100

Individual Game Tickets will be for sale at the gate on each game day (I've never know there to be a complete sell-out).

The price for 2012 will still be $5 per ticket, with a discount price of $3 for children under 12 and for senior citizens.

Where can I get tickets?

By phone:
1-800-CAT-PAWS (228-7297)
or in Columbia
884-PAWS (884-7297)

Ticket Office:
Mizzou Arena, North Entrance
Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Closed on Saturday and Sunday

By mail:
Missouri Athletic Ticket Office
PO Box 675
Columbia, MO 65205-0675
You may also fax in an order form to 573-884-1677.

E-mail: tickets@missouri.edu

Offical MUTigers.com Tickets Page

Check out our SimmonsField.com GameDay FAQ for details on the seating chart of Taylor Stadium and other facts about Going to the Game (parking, concessions, etc.)

Official MUTigers.com Tickets page

MU in the Majors: Scherzer's Deal

2012-01-17T14:18:00.000-06:00

♦ Tigers agree to 1-year deals with Max Scherzer, Delmon Young, Don Kelly (Detroit Free Press)

Starting pitcher Max Scherzer, leftfielder Delmon Young and utility man Don Kelly -- the final three Tigers slated for arbitration next month -- agreed to one-year contracts with the clubs today.

Jon Heyman of cbssports.com reported the monetary terms for the deals as $6.75 million for Young, $3.75 million for Scherzer and $900,000 for Kelly.

2012 Baseball Roster

2012-01-17T13:00:00.001-06:00

The Baseball Roster at mutigers.com has been updated since last week. It still says 2011 Roster at the top, but the roster has updated to remove players who are gone and add in the new players. Check it out.

I have also updated our running list of MU Baseball Jersey #s. Take a look at who is wearing the number of your past favorite players.

First Pitch 2012 Speaker Announced

2012-01-17T09:43:00.001-06:00

♦ Aaron Crow to speak at First Pitch dinner (mutigers.com)

Join the Mizzou baseball program in kicking off the 2012 season as generations of the Tiger Baseball family will come together to recognize past and present achievements in a fun-filled afternoon on Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Hampton Inn off of Stadium Blvd. The event will run from 4-7 p.m. and doors open at 3:30.

The 8th Annual First Pitch Celebration will include hors d'oeuvres, beverages for young and old, introductions of past and present players, a 2012 season outlook and a silent auction featuring prestigious professional and collegiate items. Make it a weekend by taking in the Tiger basketball game against Kansas at 8 pm on Saturday, Feb. 4th.

This year's guest speaker will be current Kansas City Royals All-Star pitcher Aaron Crow. Crow is one of the most decorated Tiger pitchers of all-time and is enjoying plenty of success at the Major League level as he was the Royals' lone selected to the American League All-Star team last year.

First Pitch Details and Ticket Order

SEC Dixie-nary: X is for X-Files

2012-01-17T03:00:00.092-06:00

X is for X-Files

"Sometimes the only sane answer to an insane world is insanity." (Fox Muldur)

♦ Minor League team lampoons SEC

Fort Myers Miracle to Poke Fun at SEC with Fake Diploma Giveaway (LarryBrownSports.com, 8/24/11)

According to MinorLeagueBaseball.com’s Promo Preview page, the Miracle will be saluting the Southeast Conference on Wednesday night with a series of promotional giveaways. Of course by saluting we mean completely patronizing the conference, but what’s the difference?

The celebration will include pregame tailgating, the Georgia Bulldog throwing out the first pitch, Tennessee whiskey available for purchase, and cowbells in honor of the University of Mississippi. Best of all, fake diplomas will be handed out to mock the notoriously easy educational requirements SEC schools are known for.

♦ Fantasy College Baseball Camp

This past January, LSU hosted an LSU Baseball Fantasy Camp for adults. I'm not sure whether this is incredibly cool or a bit odd. What qualifies it for this X-Files list of SEC insanity is the cost per head: $1,600 for a two-day camp.

The camp will allow adults to experience what it's like to be an LSU baseball player for one weekend. Campers will occupy the Alex Box Stadium locker room, attend team meetings conducted by coach Paul Mainieri, and participate in the same practice and game routines that the current LSU players go through.

Campers will play two games in Alex Box Stadium complete with a fully operational scoreboard, public-address announcing and LSU-issued equipment with personalized uniforms.

Campers will be instructed by the LSU coaching staff the entire weekend. In addition, they will have access to the players' lounge and training room, and they will be fed pregame and postgame meals. All campers will receive an authentic personalized game jersey with their last name and preferred number, a camp T-shirt, batting gloves, wristbands and socks."

The socks alone make it worth the $1,600.

Christian Walker

♦ 2011 SEC All-Swag Team (collegebaseballdaily.com)

The SEC All-Swag Team, a team that consists of players who best exemplify the rare combination of confidence, style, appearance, apparel, and talent.

1B: Christian Walker, South Carolina: Walker’s hitting song is the theme song of The Fresh Prince of Belle Aire, and the Gamecock fans move their arms left and right to the beat of it. That’s swag. Eye black never hurts, either. . .

♦ Mustache May continues at SEC Tournament (ArkansasNews.com, 5/11)

Mustache May. It’s a mantra most members of the Arkansas baseball team have adhered to, doing their best to sport mustaches the entire month.
. . .
The result made Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn admittedly cringe Monday.

“It’s not a pretty sight,” Van Horn said. “It really isn’t. It’s not just the mustaches. It looks like they’re doing a little dying of those things. I could tell you what I thought they looked like, but it might not be appropriate.
. . .
“And when we win a big game we call it the power of the mustache,” McKinney said.

♦ Why is College Baseball so White? Where are Black players in the College World Series? (stuffblackpeopledontlike.blogspot.com)

Only 4.5% of all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) baseball players were African-American during the 2004 season. This includes all divisions, in addition to the historically African-American colleges and universities. On the contrary, 42.0% and 32.3% of NCAA basketball and football players, respectively, were African-American in the 2003-2004 academic year (Bray, 2005).

When specifically examining one of the perennial collegiate conference baseball powers, the Southeastern Conference (SEC), only 4.2% of 2006 roster players were African-American, as noted in Table 1. The twelve universities that make up the SEC represent states with an average African-American population of 20.8%.

♦ Lottery Scholarships

"Since 2000, SEC schools from lottery states have made 22 CWS appearances. SEC schools from non-lottery states have made one CWS appearance."

"You can only have 27 (of 35) players receive a portion of baseball's allotted 11.7 scholarships. (And you have to get a min. of .30 or .33 scholarship if you're getting any for baseball). That means you could give an in-state kid x-amount of the scholarship (or even ZERO) and the state-picks up the rest of his tuition...which means he pays nothing out of pocket, compared to what he'd pay if he took a partial to say, Alabama. Thus, you can theoretically give a player less money, freeing up more of the 11.7 for other players (especially out-of-state guys)."
(both quotes from TiderInsider.com Dugout Forum)

• Arkansas Scholarship Lottery

• Georgia Lottery HOPE Scholarships

• On the other hand: Lottery Scholarships Will Not Make the Tide Roll or the Tigers Roar (Alabama Policy Institute)

College Baseball: Another One Bites the Dust

2012-01-15T08:24:00.000-06:00

♦ Southern Utah plans to drop baseball in 2012 (Salt Lake Tribune)

Southern Utah University will drop its intercollegiate baseball program following the 2012 season, it was announced today.

The University’s Board of Trustees approved the action in its regular meeting following a recommendation by its athletic sub-committee.

According to athletic director Ken Beazer, the school’s pending move to the Big Sky Conference coupled with the need to redirect resources to add men’s tennis led to the elimination of baseball.

The Big Sky does not sponsor baseball, but men’s tennis becomes a core sport in 2012-13.

♦ Southern Utah To Eliminate Baseball Program (collegebaseball360.com)

Southern Utah’s baseball program, which dates back to its junior college days, was cancelled once previously, in 1990, but was brought back for the 1991 season. Since the school moved to the NCAA Division I level in 1988 the team has never advanced beyond its conference tournament to post-season play.

♦ Southern Utah's Bo Cuthbertson was just listed this past week as the 15th best college baseball player in 2012 in CollegeBaseballDaily.com's Top 100 Countdown. SUU was ranked 244th out of 300 D-1 teams in 2011 RPI (BoydsWorld.com)

Book Review: The Art of Fielding

2012-01-15T03:00:00.003-06:00

The Art of Fielding,
by Chad Harbach

The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach, caught my attention because it's been listed on many lists of the Best Novels of 2011, but also because it's about baseball. Sort of.

The novel's plot revolves around a talented shortstop on a small college baseball team. Like many baseball novels, though, The Art of Fielding is less about baseball than it is about the neuroses and hang-ups of the ballplayers. To read the average baseball novel, you'd think all baseball players are mental cases. As one ballplayer in the novel says, "Doubt has always existed. Even for athletes."

It's an enjoyable story, though, with enough actual baseball to please the fan in me. Plus, there are a few good quotes about the game.

The title of the novel is taken from the title of Henry Skrimshander's favorite book, by his favorite ballplayer, the fictional Aparacio Rodriguez. The ballplayer's book is full of tips on fielding, some very technical and practical, some very artsy, such as:

It always saddens me to leave the field. Even fielding the final out to win the World Series, deep in the truest part of me, felt like death.

Many of the "deep thoughts" about the nature of the game come through the voice of Schwartz, the driven leader of the team:

Baseball was an art, but to excel at it you had to become a machine. It didn't matter how beautifully you performed sometimes, what you did on your best day, how many spectacular plays you made. You wren't a painter or a writer - you didn't work in private and discard your mistakes, and it wasn't just your masterpieces that counted. What mattered, as for any machine, was repeatability. Moments of inspiration were nothing compared to elimination of error.

Baseball, in its quiet way, was an extravagantly harrowing game. Football, basketball, hockey, lacrosse - these were melee sports. You could make yourself useful by hustling and scrapping more than the other guy. You could redeem yourself through sheer desire.

But baseball was different. Schwartz thought of it as Homeric - not a scrum but a series of isolated contests. Batter versus pitcher, fielder versus ball. You couldn't storm around, snorting and slapping people, the way Schwartz did when he played football. You stood and waited and tried to still your mind. When your moment came, you had to ready, because if you f***ed up, everyone would know whose fault it was. What other sport not only kept a stat as cruel as the error but posted it on the scoreboard for everyone to see?

Southern Exposure: The cost of an SEC Baseball season ticket

2012-01-14T03:00:00.003-06:00

♦ Limited Number Of Baseball Season Tickets Remaining (gamecocksonline.com)

A limited number of season tickets for the 2012 baseball season are available to the general public. Season tickets for the outfield bleachers are available for $240 per ticket with no seat donation required.
. . .
South Carolina has already exceeded last year's season total with 5,414 season tickets sold this year, surpassing last year's mark of 4,990.

♦ Baseball season tickets on sale now (AuburnTigers.com)

Season tickets for the 2012 Auburn baseball campaign are on sale now at the Auburn Ticket Office. Season tickets cost $170 per seat for the 34 game home schedule, which includes 15 Southeastern Conference games. Auburn faculty and staff may purchase up to two tickets for $85 per seat. All single-game tickets will cost $8 and will go on sale Feb. 13.

♦ LSU Baseball Season Ticket Prices (2011)

Location / Price / Tradition fund Donation
Purple Home Plate / $350 / $2,000
Purple Dugout / $350 / $1,500
Gold Field Box / $315 / $350
Gold Grandstand / $315 / $200
Green Grandstand / $280 / $100
Outfield Prime Bleachers / $210 / $50
Outfield Regular Bleachers / $210 / n/a
Home Run Bleachers / $210 / $50

Intended Strength of Schedule (again)

2012-01-13T15:00:00.003-06:00

SEBaseball.com has posted a more mathematically precise list of Intended Strengths of Schedule for all the D-1 Baseball teams that have published their 2012 schedule. More precise in that it's definitely more accurate than my quick attempt a couple of weeks ago here at SimmonsField.com.

My calculations put Mizzou ranking about 100th or 101st.

This new analysis has several different rankings. Mizzou ranks

49th in Overall Strength of Schedule
94th in Opponents' ISR (this number correlates most closely how I did my own calculations)
110th in Non-Conference Strength of Schedule

At least, I think that's what it says. For a totally inadequate and half-assed explanation of what all the columns and numbers mean, check out this discussion on the orphaned Rivals.com College Baseball Message Board

Simmons Field Photo: 5 Weeks to Opening Day

2012-01-13T03:00:00.002-06:00

Eric Anderson

2013 Early Verbal Commit: Jack Klages, C

2012-01-12T13:00:00.000-06:00

♦ Jack Klages, C
6'0", 175 lb, L/R
Vianney HS (StL)

@MattyDeezy7: Congrats to my boy @jklags29 on committing to Mizzou. #welldeserved (retweeted by @StLPiratesPitch (Brian Delunas) on Twitter, 1/12/12

2011 Stats (sophomore): .389 BA (37-for-95) .463 OB%; .516 SLG; 7 R; 4 2B; 1 3B; 2 HR; 28 RBI; 49 TB; 10BB; 15 K

2011 Metro Catholic All-Conference
Has played with the St. Louis Pirates
PerfectGame Player Profile (subscription)

SEC Dixie-nary: W is for Weather

2012-01-12T03:00:00.015-06:00

W is for Weather

One of the most common comments I've heard about the difficulties Mizzou Baseball will face in the SEC is that they will be the only cold-weather school in a warm-weather conference.

The information below demonstrates that while Columbia, MO is, on average, the coolest SEC location in the SEC during the college baseball season, there are other schools that are not much better off. Then again, the next two coolest SEC towns are the site of perpetual SEC Baseball cellar dwellers Kentucky and Tennessee.

An alternate way of looking at these numbers, though, is that Mizzou recruits can be guaranteed to play a large number of their conference games at warm-weather sites.

Each school is listed with their hometown and the Average HIGH, Average LOW and Average precipitation during the months of the college baseball season. Also I've calculated an average of those Highs and Lows. Obviously this is not a true average temperature during those four months, but serves us as a simple number for comparison. Schools are listed from warmest to coolest. Source: Weather.com (Numbers and locations corrected, 1/12/12, 8:00 AM, after a friend pointed out a couple of errors.)

♦ Florida (Gainesville, FL)

February: 70 HI / 40 LO / 3.32"
March: 75 HI / 50 LO / 4.33"
April: 80 HI / 55 LO / 2.67"
May: 87 HI / 62 LO / 2.48"
Season: 78 HI / 52 LO

♦ Texas A&M (College Station, TX)

February: 65 HI / 45 LO / 2.95"
March: 72 HI / 51 LO / 3.17"
April: 79 HI / 58 LO / 2.66"
May: 86 HI / 67 LO / 4.33"
Season: 75 HI / 55 LO

♦ Louisiana State (Baton Rouge, LA)

February: 65 HI / 43 LO / 5.44"
March: 72 HI / 49 LO / 4.33"
April: 78 HI / 56 LO / 4.26"
May: 85 HI / 65 LO / 4.70"
Season: 75 HI / 53 LO

♦ South Carolina (Columbia, SC)

February: 63 HI / 41 LO / .391"
March: 71 HI / 47 LO / 4.21"
April: 80 HI / 54 LO / 2.66"
May: 87 HI / 63 LO / 3.00"
Season: 75 HI / 51 LO

♦ Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)

February: 59 HI / 36 LO / 5.06"
March: 66 HI / 43 LO / 6.49"
April: 74 HI / 49 LO / 4.96"
May: 81 HI / 58 LO /4.54"
Season: 70 HI / 46 LO

♦ Georgia (Athens, GA)

February: 58 HI / 36 LO / 4.54"
March: 66 HI / 43 LO / 4.43"
April: 74 HI / 49 LO / 3.15"
May: 82 HI / 58 LO / 3.00"
Season: 70 HI / 46 LO

♦ Mississippi State (Starkville, MS)

February: 58 HI / 34 LO / 5.91"
March: 66 HI / 41 LO / 4.85"
April: 74 HI / 50 LO / 4.94"
May: 82 HI / 59 LO / 4.58"
Season: 70 HI / 46 LO

♦ Auburn (Auburn, AL)

February: 59 HI / 35 LO / 5.51"
March: 67 HI / 41 LO / 6.23"
April: 74 HI / 47 LO / 4.30"
May: 81 HI / 57 LO / 3.38"
Season: 70 HI / 45 LO

♦ Ole Miss (Oxford, MS)

February: 56 HI / 33 LO / 5.54"
March: 65 HI / 40 LO / 4.99"
April: 74 HI / 48 LO / 5.40"
May: 81 HI / 59 LO / 6.00"
Season: 69 HI / 45 LO

♦ Vanderbilt (Nashville, TN)

February: 52 HI / 32 LO / 4.08"
March: 61 HI / 39 LO / 4.11"
April: 71 HI / 48 LO / 4.00"
May: 78 HI / 57 LO / 5.50"
Season: 65 HI / 44 LO

♦ Tennessee ( Knoxville, TN)

February: 52 HI / 30 LO / 4.80"
March: 61 HI / 36 LO / 4.54"
April: 70 HI / 44 LO / 4.31"
May: 78 HI / 53 LO / 4.80"
Season : 65 HI / 41 LO

♦ Arkansas (Fayetteville, Arkansas)

February: 51 HI / 30 LO / 2.49"
March: 59 HI / 38 LO / 4.02"
April: 69 HI / 47 LO / 4.30"
May: 76 HI / 56 LO / 5.20"
Season: 64 HI / 43 LO<

♦ Kentucky (Lexington, KY)

February: 46 HI / 28 LO / 3.51"
March: 55 HI / 36 LO / 4.07"
April: 66 HI / 45 LO / 3.60"
May: 74 HI / 54 LO / 5.26"
Season: 60 HI / 41 LO

♦ Mizzou (Columbia, MO)

February: 44 HI / 25 LO / 2.34"
March: 55 HI / 34 LO / 2.91"
April: 66 HI / 44 LO / 4.49"
May: 75 HI / 54 LO / 4.98"
Season: 60 HI / 39 LO

American Baseball Coaches Association News

2012-01-11T14:18:00.000-06:00

The American Baseball Coaches Association Convention was held this past weekend.

♦ Schedule of speakers and Video & Audio DVD Ordering Details

♦ ABCA Notebook: Status Quo Prevails (baseballamerica.com)

Keilitz's biggest concerns seemed to center around a pair of proposals that 50 university presidents discussed at a retreat last summer: a proposal to reduce schedules in all sports by 10 percent, and another to allow schools to give $2,000 stipends to athletes on full scholarships. Poppe said that "saner minds prevailed" and a commission will study the proposal to reduce games, and that the commission is expected to recommend there will be no reduction in games for 10 years.
. . .
Keilitz said he was concerned that if the stipends are approved, schools could feel pressure to give football and basketball players stipends in order to keep up with their competitors on the recruiting trail, and baseball might have to absorb some cuts in order to pay for the stipends in those other sports. . .

SEC Dixie-nary: V is for Versus

2012-01-10T03:00:00.001-06:00

V is for Versus

Mizzou is a perfect 0-0 all time vs. Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, having never played any of those teams.

Mizzou vs. Louisiana State: 0-2

1986, 1-5 and 1987, 5-8

Mizzou vs. Kentucky: 0-1

1984: 4-11. The Wildcats beat MU pitcher Dave Otto, who went on to a Major League career. Nick Rallo provided the bulk of the scoring for the Tigers, with a bases-loaded double in the fifth inning.

Mizzou vs. Mississippi State: 0-1

2003 NCAA Regional: 5-10, the Bulldogs eliminated MU from the Regional with this defeat

Mizzou vs. Florida: 1-5

1981 NCAA Regional: The Gators eliminated the Tigers, 3-7

Mizzou vs. Auburn: 2-0

1996, 5-4 and 2010,11-7

Mizzou vs. Ole Miss: 5-4

1958: Mizzou beat Ole Miss twice. 5-4 and 14-5, to open a season that took the Tigers to the final game of the College World Series
2008 NCAA Regional, MU traded victories with Ole Miss, 7-0 and 6-9. The final meeting was an elimination game.

Mizzou vs. Arkansas: 28-18-1

The Tigers and Razorbacks first met on the diamond in 1904, splitting a pair of games, 0-7 and 9-2. They played between 2 and 4 games most years from '04 to '10, but then slowed down the frequency of their matchups. The MU-AU rivalry was renewed almost annually from 1954 through 1963. This included a pair of early Tiger wins in 1954, the season that saw Mizzou win the College World Series champsionship.
Kammer Stops Razorbacks on One Hit, Tigers Win 18-0 (April 10, 1954)

Tiger baseball fans who showed up at Rollins Field yesterday afternoon didn't get to watch much in the way of a ball game, but for seven and two-thirds innings they had hopes of seeing a no-hitter by Emil Kammer, the Bengals' sophomore right-hander who started the season as a third baseman.

The Tigers gave the University of Arkansas an 18-0 lacing and it was obvious in the first inning that the Razorbacks weren't going to be too much of a stumbling block in Missouri's path. But few people left the premises as Kammer kept mowing down the Arkansas hitters inning after inning and two were out in the eighth when Catcher Preston Carpenter laced a clean single to left for the first and only Razorback hit.

Tigers Sweep Series With Arkansas, 12-6 (April 12, 1954)

The Tigers' four-run outburst in the seventh came as a result of Jerry Schoonmaker's infield hit, Cox's double, a fielder's choice, an error and Dick Dickinson's two-bagger with the bases loaded.

The Razorbacks got two in the eighth on a walk and doubles by Bowden and Thomason, but the Tigers bounced back with a pair when Jerry Schoonmaker homered after Bob Musgrave had walked.

After Norm Stewart retired the first two Arkansas hitters in the ninth, Wilkerson shot a single past third, but was out trying for second to end the game.

In 1959 the Tigers actually defeated Arkansas twice, 11-0 and 13-0. The Tigers were on a roll that season, beginning the year with a perfect 13-0 record. But just before the 14th game, Coach John "Hi" Simmons was informed that NCAA had declared one of his players ineligible to play, and MU was forced to forfeit those 13 wins, including the two drubbings of the Razorbacks.
Since 1964, MU and AU have met during the regular season only seven times, and have also done battle in the NCAA Regionals in 1980, 1988 and 2004 (Arkansas has a 2-1 lead in post season match-ups.)

Mizzou vs. Texas A&M: 40-31

Played 1 to 3 games a year regularly 1966 through 1971 and again in 1974
1976: 5-3 and 3-12 in games 1 and 3 of NCAA Midwest Regional
78: 1-4 in game 2 of Regional

Pair of Tiger Pitchers named to MU Athletics Hall of Fame

2012-01-09T14:19:00.000-06:00

♦ Class of Six Chosen For MU Athletics Hall of Fame (mutigers.com)

Six outstanding former student-athletes have been selected for induction into the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. They will represent the 22nd induction class since the inception of the Hall in 1990.
. . .
Tom Heckman, 1978-1981: A dominant starter who won 10 games three-straight years, and who led MU to a Big Eight title as a junior and who was an honorable-mention All-American as a senior

Max Scherzer, 2004-2006: One of the most dominant pitchers in MU history who was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year in 2005 and twice led the league in ERA before becoming MU's first-ever 1st-round MLB draft pick

The induction dinner will be held Fri., Feb. 10th, 2011, at the Courtyard by Marriott in Columbia.

D-1 Baseball Exits & Arrivals

2012-01-06T03:00:00.012-06:00

There's a great discussion at the vestigial Rivals College Baseball Message Board, about teams that are dropping off the D-1 Baseball list for 2012 and one that is joining. The discussion was begun by Boyd Nation of BoydsWorld.com.

Dropping out of Division 1:

University of New Orleans Privateers: Tim Jamieson's alma mater; they went to the College World Series in 1984; MU is 2-6 all-time vs. UNO. Details about UNO's switch at UNO athletics allowed to become Division II (DailyComet.com)
Lemoyne Dolphins: Mizzou defeated Lemoyne in the 2004 NCAA Regional; MU played LeMoyne at Simmons Field in 2011, winning the series 3-1. Read Le Moyne baseball in season of transition from Division I to D-II (blog.syracuse.com)
Centenary Gentlemen: MU is 3-0 all-time vs. the Gents
Cleveland State Vikings: MU is 3-0 vs. CSU

Climbing up to D-1:

University of Nebraska - Omaha: One UNO replaces another UNO in D-1; The Mavericks are on Mizzou's 2012 schedule. See Nebraska-Omaha Rips Out Hearts (cbssports.com)

I have to agree with the trend of that discussion, that D-1 Baseball would be well-served if there were a lot more schools that would realize they could be successful in D-II or D-III rather than being an also-ran in D-1. For at least half of the D-1 schools, the best they can ever hope for is to win their conference tournament and get an automatic bid to the Regionals, where they'll go 2-and-Q.

But then, who would the Tigers play in early March?

SEC Dixie-nary: U is for Umpires

2012-01-05T03:00:00.002-06:00

U is for Umpires

From the SEC Baseball Bylaws:

Criticism of officials or the officiating program by institutional personnel is prohibited. Comments on officiating are to be directed to the Conference office only. All reports or comments pertaining to officiating or game management responsibilities, or concerning players, coaches or officials, shall be directed to the Conference office only. Public comments by officials, coaches or institutional personnel are prohibited.

Suspension/Ejection Policy. The game officials have the authority to eject a student-athlete, coach or team representative for misconduct or unsportsmanlike conduct. The offending individual must leave the field and dugout area immediately and is allowed no further communication with the teams or umpires. The ejected individual must remain out of sight and sound for the remainder of the contest.

Video Replays. Replays of umpires’ calls are limited to one replay shown in real time (not slow motion).

Arkansas' Dave Van Horn ejected

Auburn's John Pawloski educates an umpire

South Carolina's Ray Tanner makes a pass at an umpire

Your chance to be the PA Voice of the Tigers

2012-01-04T10:55:00.000-06:00

♦ Mizzou Baseball PA Tryouts to be Held Jan. 17th, 19th (mutigers.com)

Those interested in becoming the new voice of Simmons Field at Taylor Stadium, the home of the Mizzou baseball program, are invited to open tryouts on Jan. 17th and 19th at Taylor Stadium beginning at 5:30 p.m. both days. Persons who are interested should contact Derek Doolittle, assistant director of game operations, at doolittled@missouri.edu or at 573-882-5909.

Those who are interested in the position should be available to call all or most of Mizzou's 33 home games this season. The dates and times are listed below. Also, potential candidates should be aware that they will need to be available for potential NCAA Regional and NCAA Super Regional dates in June. The candidate must also have a flexible schedule regarding changes in times due to weather or other issues that may arise with the scheduled time.

2012 Mizzou Recruit: Q&A with Paxton de La Garza

2012-01-04T03:00:00.006-06:00

♦ Draft Prospect Q&A With Paxton De La Garza (mlbdraftguide.com)

I was lucky enough to get in touch with Coronado shortstop Paxton De La Garza recently. A Preseason Parade All-American, he is one of Texas’ prep prospects to keep an eye on this season.
. . .
MG: What aspects of your game do you consider your strengths?

PG: I consider the best part of my game to be in the field. I love taking ground balls and making that web gem play in front of the fans, the sound of the crowd when something like that happens is unforgetable. Over the years, I’ve also gained a ton of power and I hit for not only average but for doubles and home runs as well. I feel it is important to make everyone around me better.

. . .
MG: You committed to Missouri. What put the Tigers over the top in recruiting?

PG: Missouri was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The way the coaches recruited me was awesome. They made me feel apart of something special and it was a great feeling to know that someone out there wanted me as bad as they did and that was what made me realize Missouri was the place for me.

SEC Dixie-nary: T is for TV

2012-01-03T03:00:00.110-06:00

T is for TV

One of biggest reasons for SEC expansion was to expand their footprint into new media markets, and the TV revenue they can get. They've added St. Louis (previously the Big 12's largest media market at 1,253,920homes), Kansas City and the Texas markets with this 2-team expansion.

And one of Mizzou's biggest reasons for joining the SEC was to take advantage of the SEC's current media markets. Atlanta is the largest market in the SEC, at 2,292,640 homes.

Graphical representation of SEC vs. Big 12 media markets on ColumbiaMissourian.com

Check out the 2011 SEC TV schedule. And the Additional TV Schedule.

Now compare the 2011 Big 12 TV schedule. That may be a little deceptive as a predictor of future TV coverage, since the vaunted Longhorn Network will supposedly be showing a lot of UT games in the coming seasons.

The highlight of the SEC TV schedule is a regular Thursday Night SEC Baseball game on ESPNU. The 2012 Thursday Night schedule has been released.

SEC schools are getting a lot of TV exposure, both for fans and recruits. And the SEC is going to be able to sell their package to the networks for a bigger dollar amount with the new 14-team footprint that extends into the Texas market and the Missouri market..

2012 Intended Strength of Schedule

2012-01-02T03:00:00.011-06:00

Here are the final 2011 RPI numbers for the teams on MU's announced 2012 schedule. RPI numbers are from Boyd's World Pseudo-RPI final rankings. MU is also listed with their 2011 RPI, for comparison purposes.

As we do every year, we've adapted a statistic used by Boyd Nation at BoydsWorld.com which he calls the Intended Schedule Strength. We're taking a look at the average final RPI numbers for the teams on the schedule (counting each team's RPI as many times as they will play MU on the schedule), with the goal of seeing what the Tiger coaches are expecting from their assemblage of opponents. Of course, neither they nor we have any way of knowing how well MU's opponents will actually perform in 2012 as compared to 2011, but these most recent statistics are all we have to go on.

Based on that approach, Missouri's intended schedule strength for 2012 comes out to 0.522. In 2011, a team with an RPI of 0.522 would have finished in 101st or 102nd place in the RPI rankings. Basically, this schedule averages out to MU playing a full schedule against North Carolina-Wilmington or Penn State.

On the other hand, a year ago we calculated the Intended Strength of Schedule as a .533 RPI, but by season's end, BoydsWorld.com listed MU as having the 38th toughest Strength of Schedule in Division I.

0.598 Texas A&M
0.598 Texas A&M
0.598 Texas A&M
0.597 Texas
0.597 Texas
0.597 Texas
0.588 Arkansas
0.588 Arkansas
0.570 Oklahoma
0.570 Oklahoma
0.570 Oklahoma
0.568 Baylor
0.568 Baylor
0.568 Baylor
0.560 Auburn
0.560 Auburn
0.560 Auburn
0.556 Oklahoma State
0.556 Oklahoma State
0.556 Oklahoma State
0.552 Texas Tech
0.552 Texas Tech
0.552 Texas Tech
0.551 Kansas State
0.551 Kansas State
0.551 Kansas State
0.543 Missouri State
0.543 Missouri State
0.538 Charlotte
0.538 Charlotte
0.538 Charlotte
0.538 Charlotte
0.537 Missouri
0.528 San Francisco
0.528 San Francisco
0.528 San Francisco
0.520 Kansas
0.520 Kansas
0.520 Kansas
0.514 Memphis
0.514 Memphis
0.514 Memphis
0.513 Illinois
0.495 High Point
0.495 High Point
0.495 High Point
0.495 Indiana State
0.495 Central Arkansas
0.495 Central Arkansas
0.494 Arkansas-Little Rock
0.450 Ball State
0.450 Ball State
0.450 Ball State
0.378 North Dakota
0.378 North Dakota

I have left the single game against Nebraska-Omaha out of the calculations. 2012 will be the UN-O Mavericks' inaugural year in Division I, so there are no D-1 stats or RPIs from 2011.

Previous Years Intended Strength of Schedule for Mizzou:

2011: .533
2010: .540
2009: .541
2008: .537
2007: .534
2006: .532
2005: .528
2004: .528

As I say every year, I won't at all be surprised if someone writes me an e-mail to tell me I've made some colossal error in my calculations. I'm not a statistician by any means.

2012 New Year's 9

2012-01-01T03:00:00.001-06:00

What's to come in 2012?

First Pitch. Plan now to attend the annual First Pitch celebration. this year it's on Saturday, February 4th, at the Hampton Inn on Stadium Blvd in CoMo.
MU Baseball 2012 season begins on February 17th with a 3-game weekend series at Auburn. Fitting that Mizzou opens its season against one of its future SEC rivals. They follow that up with a 3-game weekend at San Francisco against the Dons.
MU Baseball's Home Season begins on March 2nd with a weekend series against Ball State. That series begins a 19-game home stand at Taylor Stadium.
2012 Mizzou Baseball Schedule Highlights:

• A good weekend home series against Charlotte (2011 RPI ranked 73rd) in March

• A great final Big 12 home schedule that includes Oklahoma State, Baylor, Kansas State and Texas

• A Braggin' Rights game vs. Illinois at Busch Stadium (a thriving non-conference rivalry)

• A 2-game series at Arkansas, another SEC opponent (14th in 2011 RPI)
The Tigers' final Big 12 regular season will conclude in perfect fashion, with a 3-game set against the Jayhawks at Lawrence. What could be better? Or more to the point, will this be the last MU-KU series?
The 2012 Post-Season should be exciting. And yes, I am confident there will be life for the 2012 Tigers beyond their final Big 12 Tournament. This 2012 squad is loaded with pitching and punch, and looks ready to begin a new streak of post-season play.
SEC Rivals will be a running feature that introduces MU fans to the teams of our new conference, their coaches, online resources, etc. This series will begin shortly after the Tigers' final game of the 2012 season (sometime around June 26th). If you've missed them, be sure to catch up on our current series, the SEC Baseball Dixie-nary, that's been running at SimmonsField.com for the past couple of months.
The SEC Fan's Guide to Mizzou Baseball will be another series we'll be featuring during the months leading up to the 2012 season.
But before all that, there's the Mid-Winter Baseball Deprivation Blues. This time of year I'm reminded of a scene from Field of Dreams. Ray Kinsella has built the field and then waits for weeks and months while nothing happens. There's a quick scene during the holidays. His relatives are in the background making merry, and he's sitting and looking out the window at the snow-covered field. Waiting. New Year's is the low spot for most baseball fans, the middle of the long off-season wait.

But as a college baseball fan, I know the wait is not as long as it might seem. Opening day is February 17th, less than 7 weeks from now.

Play Ball!!

SEC Dixie-nary: S is for SEC Tournament

2011-12-29T03:00:00.100-06:00

S is for SEC Tournament

The SEC Baseball Tournament takes place at Regions Park in Hoover, Alabama (home of the Double-A Birmingham Barons), each year. (Virtual Tour of Regions Park)

With the expansion of the SEC to 14 teams, a new format for the Tournament was announced on December 19th.

♦ SEC Announces Format Change To Baseball Tournament (secdigitalnetwork.com)

The 2012 SEC Baseball Tournament, which will be held in Hoover, Ala., at Regions Park for the 15th consecutive year, will increase to 10 teams and will begin on Tuesday, May 22nd. The tournament will continue to follow a format that is modeled in a similar fashion to previous SEC Tournament and College World Series brackets. The 10 teams are seeded 1-10 with the two divisional champions guaranteed of the top two seeds and first-round byes. Games played from Tuesday thru Friday are double elimination with single elimination starting on Saturday. The tournament field will include the top teams from the SEC’s Eastern and Western Divisions plus eight at-large bids seeded 3-10 based on conference winning percentage.

The SEC has also announced the beginning of a Baseball Legends Program, modeled similarly after the popular ‘Legend’s and ‘Greats’ programs that surround the SEC Football Championship Game and the SEC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. Four former SEC baseball standouts will be honored on-site as part of the annual baseball tournament each year beginning in May of 2012.

According to an article last month in the Columbia Tribune, expansion of the tournament field was discusses at the SEC Baseball Coaches Meeting in early November:

The league coaches, however, recommended expansion of the SEC Tournament from eight teams to 10 or 12. Jamieson, who lobbied for a 12-team bracket, said that letting more teams play beyond the regular season would bolster the conference’s argument to reach double-digit bids.

“What you want to avoid in future years is having teams that don’t qualify for the conference tournament having to fight that battle to get into the NCAA Tournament,” Jamieson said. “The conference has gotten bigger and it’s gotten stronger. … That deserves serious consideration.”

Former MU Assistant Coach and current Mississippi State Head Coach John Cohencommented on the change:

“When you see a team as good as LSU was last year and still not get into the NCAA Tournament, that’s certainly something we all thought about because LSU was a very, very good team,” Mississippi State coach John Cohen said. “Had LSU gotten into an NCAA regional, they could have gone all the way. The league itself is interested in getting as many teams into the NCAA Tournament and to Omaha as possible. Certainly that’s just one of the benefits to go to a 10-team field.”

The 2010 tournament drew over 126,000 total fans (an average of 10,000 per game).

The entire tournament is broadcast on regional TV, with the championship game on national TV.

Distribution of Revenue Generated by SEC Baseball Tournament

All guaranteed revenues shall be divided as follows:

Each participating institution will be provided a per diem of $75 per day for up to 30 individuals for each day the institution plays a game. The per diem revenue will be paid on a percentage basis of available funds;
Each participating institution shall receive a travel allowance of $30 per mile one-way. The travel allowance will be paid on a percentage basis of available funds; and
Any revenue above full expenses of the participating teams shall be divided into 13 [this quoted rule is from a rule book written prior to the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M] equal shares, with one share to each member institution and one share to the Conference

Regions Park in Hoover, Alabama

50 Days until Opening Day

2011-12-28T16:00:00.006-06:00

College Baseball

2011-12-28T11:30:00.000-06:00

♦ College Baseball Gift Guide (espn.com)

It's the holidays, which means it's the time of year when the spirit of giving is prevalent everywhere you go.

College baseball is no different. If we were to make a list of gifts to be handed out for the coming season, what would it look like? Well, Baseball Santa has made his list and checked it twice. Yes, the "naughty and nice" part comes into play, too.

Here's a list of college baseball gifts for the upcoming season that teams and conferences may find underneath the tree when they wake up Christmas morning. . .

SEC Dixie-nary: R is for Recruiting

2011-12-27T03:00:00.018-06:00

R is for Recruiting

Eight of the Top 25 2011 Recruiting Classes (BaseballAmerica.com) were at SEC schools.

The SEC has a recruiting advantage because it has consistently been the most successful NCAA Baseball conference, leading in conference RPI, teams in the NCAA Regionals, and other measures of success. Plus, the SEC gets more national exposure than most other baseball conferences.

Of course, just being in the SEC is already turning into a plus for Mizzou Baseball recruiting:

♦ Area recruits react to Mizzou's upcoming switch to the SEC (stltoday.com)

But for Griff Goodrich, the developing story hit closer to home. A senior pitcher at Kirkwood, had committed to continue his baseball career at Missouri before the move to the Southeastern Conference was announced.
. . .
"When I got the news Sunday morning, I woke up and right away it was pure excitement," he said. "It was awesome. The Big 12 is a great, prestigious conference, but to move down to the SEC for baseball, that's baseball country down there. You've got the top teams fighting for a trip to Omaha every year out of that conference. It's great competition."

Will a Tier-1 recruit who grew up in the Sun Belt be attracted to leave the South and go to "northern state" Mizzou in order to play in the SEC? Not likely, unless there's some other reason he wants to leave home.

For a top recruit from the Midwest, though, spending three years playing in the South might not be appealing. But three years in the Midwest at Mizzou could be attractive now that MU is now an SEC team. It may be true there's no baseball conference like the SEC. But it can also be true that there's no place like home.

Recruiting Footprint:

The following is a list of where each SEC school tends to get its recruits, based on numbers from their announced 2012 Recruiting Class and their most recently posted roster. The data is not consistent, due to some schools having only last year's roster posted and others not having their recruiting class posted. But this list serves to provide a general idea of the Recruiting Footprint of each school..

Alabama

2012 Recruit Class: 8 AL; 1 FL; 1 NC
2011 Fall Roster: 25 AL; 4 GA; 3 FL; 2 MS; 2 SC; 2 LA; 1 each IL, OK, Ontario

Auburn

2011 Fall Roster: 20 AL; 8 GA; 2 CA; 2 TX

Arkansas

2012 Class: 4 AR; 3 TX; 1 each NC, OK, NM
2011 Fall Roster: 19 AR; 10 TX; 5 CA; 5 OK; 3 LA; 2 KS, 2 MO (St Louis and Columbia); 1 each IN, CO

Florida

2011 Roster: 28 FL; 2 GA; 1 each NJ, PA, KY, NC

Georgia

2012 Recruit Class: 17 GA; 1 PA
2011 Roster: 30 GA; 2 TN; 2 VA; 1 FL; 1 NC

Kentucky

2011 Roster: 15 KY; 4 TN; 3 IL; 2 CA; 2 GA; 2 IN; 1 each SC, OR, WA, OH, UT, CO and Quebec

Louisiana State

2011 Fall Roster: 23 LA; 5 TX; 2 FL; 1 each OK, CA, NC, CO, MS, WA, NV

Mississippi

2012 Recruit Class: 6 LA; 1 ea TX, OK, TN, PA
2011 Fall Roster: 14 MS; 6 FL; 4 CA; 4 TN; 3 GA; 3 LA; 2 VA; 1 each AR, AL, IL, OH, TX

Mississippi State

2011 Roster: 13 MS; 8 AL; 6 TX; 2 FL; 2 GA; 1 each LA, MD, NJ, MO (St. Louis)

Missouri

2012 Recruit Class: 8 MO; 1 IA; 1 TX
2011 Fall Roster (from SimmonsField.com): 15 MO; 6 TX; 4 IL; 3 KS; 3 CO; 1 each AZ, IA, LA

South Carolina

2011 Roster: 16 SC; 5 FL; 4 VA; 2 GA; 2 NC; 1 each NJ, NV, RI, PA

Tennessee (Dave Serrano is the new coach this season, just in from the west coast)

2012 Class: 6 TN; 2 GA; 2 SC; 1 NC, 1 KA, 1 WA
2011 Fall Roster: 14 TN, 5 GA, 2 NC, 1 VA, 2 CA, 1 ea TX, SC, OH, KS, KY, WA, FL

Texas A&M

2012 Recruit Class: 10 TX; 1 MO (Ballwin)
2011 Fall Roster: 32 TX; 1 AZ

Vanderbilt Commodores

2011 Roster: 11 TN; 4 MA; 4 TX; 4 IN; 2 NJ; 1 each LA, FL, PA, NC, IA, NY, AZ, MO (Lee's Summit)

I'll Be Home for Christmas

2011-12-25T03:00:00.008-06:00

I'll be home for Christmas

You can plan on me

Please have snow and mistletoe

And presents on the tree

Christmas Eve will find me

Where the lovelight gleams

I'll be home for Christmas

If only in my dreams

This melancholy song was written in 1943, from the viewpoint of an American soldier, who promises he'll be "home for Christmas", if only in his dreams.

To many people, the idea of being home for Christmas is something only in their dreams. We still have soldiers in faraway lands who would like nothing more than to be with their families. Every week my wife and I work with ladies in a Missouri state prison, and at this time of year they are all depressed, wishing they could be with their families.

Of the family I grew up in, only my mother and I are left. My father and both brothers have passed on in recent years, and my mother is now in a nursing home and eager to follow them. While I'll be with my wife and our boys and their families this Christmas, a part of me dreams of being with the family of my childhood.

Perhaps, though, we've lost sight of the roots of our Christmas traditions.

On the first Christmas, Mary & Joseph were not home with their families. Mary had most likely been shunned by her family and community, who didn't believe her story of Divine conception. In fact, they could have had her stoned to death for what they believed to be her sins.

Joseph chose to turn his back on family and community in favor of believing in Mary and in the angel messenger. And then, to top it off, the two of them had to leave their home in Nazareth and make the long trip to their ancestral home in Bethlehem, where they couldn't even find a comfortable room for the night.

The shepherds of that era mostly lived day and night out on the hillsides with their sheep, away from their families. But on this night, they left even their home in the pastures to go see the newborn king.

The magi were most certainly not at home on that Christmas. They had traveled thousands of miles from their homes in search of a king they had learned about in their studies.

Even Jesus Himself was not at home.

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2)

And yet, in a way, Jesus was at home.

We're told over and over again that for those who choose to love Him, He makes His home in our hearts.

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23

My mother is still struggling with accepting the Home as her new home. She told me this week that anytime I'm there visiting her, it's home.

I agreed with her, then told her what I've just shared with you, about no one being at home for the first Christmas. And that even when I'm not with her, Jesus continues to make His home there in her heart. Whether she's back at her house in Moberly, here in the nursing home in Columbia, or even when she moves on from this world to her eternal home, she is at home with her Lord.

To all of my Tiger Baseball family & friends, I wish and pray that wherever you are, no matter whom you're missing this holiday season, you will know the joy and peace that comes from being at home with Him.

All I Want for Christmas

2011-12-24T03:00:00.000-06:00

Southern Exposure: SEC Baseball chatter

2011-12-23T03:00:00.015-06:00

♦ SEC Baseball Tournament Expansion Just A Shameless Cash Grab (sbnation.com)

We promise no hypocrisy among profiteers - the machinations of the Southeastern Conference's Wall Street mentality (the cool movie from the 1980s, not the failed economic institution of 2011) has in some way benefitted every fan, booster, corporate sponsors and yes, media member over the last two decades of unchecked growth. But at least most of the SEC's manuevers towards national dominance and fat paydays have shown some level of tact.

The shameless expansion of the SEC Baseball Tournament merits absolutely none of the acclaim of the SEC's previous ground breaking expansions - the football division / title game revision of 1992, this surely ain't.
. . .
The SEC wants you to believe that an arbitrary tournament - stuck in dismal Hoover, Alabama forever as a direct result of home office nepotism - has the ability to punch a bubble team's ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The reality is that very little has changed in formatting, regardless of the addition of single elimination play (which in baseball just plain sucks).

♦ Huskers vs Gamecocks: Getting To Know South Carolina Fans (cornnation.com)

How loyal are Gamecock fans to other sports beyond football? (You can go on about your two baseball titles if you like!)

Interesting question. Basketball attendance is at an all-time low right now, and lots of fans are arguing about why that's the case. Of course, it's partially that the basketball team isn't doing well right now, but there seems to be a sentiment among some fans that this is a "football-baseball" school; that seems to be how some want to identify. So, that leads to less support for some of the other sports than might be ideal. Personally, I'd like to see people get behind basketball, as I'd love to see us field a good team.

For baseball, as you might imagine, Gamecocks fans are among the most supportive in the nation. Of course, baseball is by far our most successful sport--we've only just recently won the two national titles, but we've always been good and have come close to winning it all a few times before. So fans have a lot to cheer about with baseball.

Cheers, sayings, things Gamecock fans say to one another or during a game. What can Husker fans expect to hear from your fans?

The best is probably the "Game" "Cocks" cheer. One part of the stadium yells "Game," the other part then yells "Cocks." You can get a sense of this here. It can be pretty impressive if the whole stadium gets going. You of course won't get the full effect at a neutral site, but you'll hear it.

♦ And not baseball, but certainly noteworthy . . . this ad is slated to appear in the Sunday Shreveport Times

Mizzou Baseball in the Minors & Majors

2011-12-22T16:00:00.001-06:00

A couple of quick hits:

♦ Cast your vote for Aaron Crow in the Topkeka Capital-Journal Top Story of 2011 poll

♦ Kyle Gibson was inducted into the Greenfield-Central High School Athletic Hall of Fame according to the Greenfield Reporter

SEC Dixie-nary: R is for Rulebook

2011-12-22T03:00:00.024-06:00

R is for Rulebook

The rules of play in the Southeastern Conference are generally the same as in any other conference, following the NCAA Division 1 Baseball rulebook.

But there are a few add-ons and exceptions outlined in the SEC Baseball Bylaws

A few highlights of the rules, SEC-style:

The 10-Run Rule is not used in the SEC during the regular season, but is in force during the SEC Tournament after 7 innings.
Pace of Play: Beginning with the 2010 SEC postseason tournament, the conference rules award a ball to the batter if the pitcher takes more than 20 seconds to deliver a pitch when the bases are empty. They also award a ball to the batter if the pitcher is not warmed up and ready to go within 108 seconds at the break between innings. The batter must be in the box at least five seconds before the 108 expire or he is given a strike. (http://www.ehow.com/list_6744184_sec-baseball-rules.html)
Roster limit: The home team may dress 30 student-athletes in uniform, but only 27 student-athletes shall be allowed to participate in a series. The 27 participating student-athletes for both the home and visiting team must be declared prior to the first game of a Conference series and may not be changed during the course of the series. (SEC Constitution)
Artificial Noisemakers [SEC Bylaw 30.22.1.5c] : The first time the home plate umpire detects the significant use of artificial noisemakers by those in the crowd, he shall call a timeout and request that the public address (PA) announcer make a verbal warning through the public address system. On the second, and any subsequent incident involving the significant use of artificial noisemakers, a strike or ball shall be assessed against the offending institution, depending upon the team at bat.
Batting Practice [SEC Baseball Bylaws]: No team or any member of a team is permitted to take batting practice in any location while a game is in progress.
Dugouts [SEC Baseball Bylaws]: The visiting team shall have the right to utilize its choice of isotonic beverage (product and equipment) in the dugout area during SEC regular season competition. If the visiting team does not arrange to have its own product and equipment at a contest, the home team shall supply the isotonic beverage (product and equipment) of its choice in the visiting team dugout area.

Equipment utilized in the visiting team dugout area must be standard size
Electronic Equipment [SEC Baseball Bylaws]: The use of telephones, cellular telephones, walkie-talkies, etc., are permitted for two-way communication between a team’s dugout/bench or bullpen. Any other form or communication and any other communication between other areas shall not be allowed
Inclement Weather: There are numerous and complicated rules about the scheduling and total innings of suspended games and postponed games, including the mandate that any suspended or postponed game that is played on Sunday be limited to 7 innings. See the details at SEC Baseball Bylaws
Seating Behind Dugouts [SEC Baseball Bylaws]: The home institution shall not seat its students closer than four rows behind the visiting team’s dugout
Game Clock [SEC Baseball Bylaws]: The SEC follows the NCAA Game Clock protocol, with the exception that the clock will be located on the outfield wall in each SEC stadium. In addition, thirty (30) minutes prior to the start of each game, the individual responsible for the operation of the game clock must meet with the umpiring crew to review the protocol. Emphasis should be placed on in-game communication (signals, etc.) from the field to the individual operating the clock
Game Clock [gamecocksonline.com]

Pitchers will have 20 seconds between pitches when there is no one on base. The pitch time limit is not in effect if there are runners on base. The clock will start when the pitcher receives the ball on the mound and stops when the pitcher begins his pitching motion. If the time limit expires at the same time the pitcher begins his windup, there is no penalty. In certain game situations the clock will be paused, for example when the pitcher is returning to the mound after making or backing up a play or another player is returning to his position (e.g. after attempting to field a foul ball).

Pitchers will get one warning if they violate the rule, after which a ball will be awarded for each violation. A pitcher stepping off the rubber does not stop the clock unless the umpire grants the pitcher time. Batters are also subject to the time limit and will be assigned a strike if they are not in the box ready to take the pitch with five seconds or less showing on the clock and time expires. A penalty is not automatic when the batter is not in the box with five seconds or less showing, as long as play continues without a signal or there is no violation. The clock will be paused if the batter is granted time by the umpire with five or more seconds showing on the clock. Unless unusual circumstances warrant, time will not be granted to the batter with less than five seconds remaining. If neither the pitcher nor batter is ready, the pitcher is responsible.

Teams will have 90 seconds after the final out of each half-inning to take the field ready to pitch and have a batter in the box (extended to 108 seconds for televised games). Unusual circumstances (e.g. ceremonies, field maintenance, an injury) excepted, the clock starts with the last out of the inning and stops when the pitcher begins his windup for the first pitch to the first batter of the inning. If the offensive team isn't ready before the time limit, a strike will be called. If the defense is not ready, a ball will be awarded.

Southern Exposure: Mississipi State Preseason Video

2011-12-21T03:00:00.000-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHU6QJXqFbk

SEC Dixie-nary: Q is for Quick Facts

2011-12-20T03:00:00.050-06:00

Q is for Quick Facts

"Quick Facts" from the SEC schools' Media Notes:

School Enrollment

Florida: 51,474
Texas A&M: 50,054
Georgia: 35,520
Missouri: 33,805
Alabama: 31,747
Louisiana State: 28,810
South Carolina: 28,481
Tennessee: 27,523
Kentucky: 26,054
Auburn:25,078
Arkansas:23,153
Mississippi: 20,822
Mississippi State: 20,424
Vanderbilt: 12,093

School Colors:

Alabama: Crimson & White
Arkansas: Cardinal & White
Auburn: Burnt Orange & Navy Blue
Florida: Blue & Orange
Georgia: Red & Black
Kentucky: Blue & White
Louisiana State: Purple & Gold
Mississippi: Cardinal Red & Navy Blue
Mississippi: Maroon & White
Missouri: Old Gold & Black
South Carolina: Garnet & Black
Tennessee: Orange & White
Texas A&M: Maroon & White
Vanderbilt: Black & Gold

1895 Mississippi A&M Baseball Team
(now Mississippi State)

First Year of Baseball:

Mississippi State: 1885
Georgia: 1886
Vanderbilt: 1886
Missouri: 1891
Alabama: 1892
South Carolina: 1892
Louisiana State: 1893
Mississippi: 1893
Texas A&M: 1894
Kentucky: 1896
Arkansas: 1897
Tennessee: 1897
Florida: 1912
Auburn: 1949

Collegiate Baseball 2012 Top 40 Preseason Poll

2011-12-19T12:29:00.000-06:00

The Collegiate Baseball 2012 Top 40 Preseason Poll has been released.

5 SEC teams (Florida is #1)
4 Big 12 teams
Missouri received votes, coming in at #77 out of 40

You Make the Call: High Impact Newcomers

2011-12-19T09:02:00.000-06:00

In the left nav-bar on your screen is the latest "You Make the Call" poll.

Which of the Tiger newcomers do you think will have the greatest impact on the team over the next 1-4 years?

Vote early. Vote often. May the relative with the most computer savvy to circumvent the multiple-voting restrictions win!

New UM President played high school ball with Tim Jamieson

2011-12-19T03:00:00.002-06:00

♦ Taking the reins comes naturally (columbiatribune.com)

The first political challenge Tim Wolfe encountered in his rise to the top position of the University of Missouri System came not in a boardroom but on a football field.
. . .
For Wolfe, his one season as a starter came with great pressure. The Bruins returned virtually every starter from a team that a year earlier had gone 9-0 but was kept from the playoffs by the state’s convoluted points system.

“It was basically the same team,” said Tim Jamieson, who backed up Wolfe and is now the baseball coach at Missouri. “The one exception was the quarterback spot.”

NCBWA Pre-Season All-Americans

2011-12-16T03:00:00.000-06:00

♦ NCBWA Pre-season All America Teams (collegebaseballtoday.com)

5 Big 12 players
10 SEC players
0 Mizzou players

Conference Hokey-Pokey: Details on SEC move

2011-12-15T19:43:00.000-06:00

♦ Deaton, Alden discuss MU's move to the SEC (columbiatribune.com)

Q: Can you say with certainty you will be in the Big 12 in 2012? There is the situation with West Virginia maybe not being able to get out of the Big East and come to the Big 12 for three years, which could have ramifications for you.Deaton: Our full plans are to go in 2012, and we think West Virginia will be in the Big 12 in 2012. There is the technical possibility — we don’t think it’s very possible at all — and as you can tell by our actions we’re reasonably confident and have some assurances of that.Q: But if West Virginia can’t come to Big 12 next year?Deaton: We’re going to the SEC regardless. We’re on our own pathway here. I’ve had good discussions with the president of West Virginia over time, and I understand where they are and he understands where we are.Alden: I was in Birmingham yesterday, and in a week we’ll be rolling out the 2012 football schedule. So I can assure you that the 14 institutions there working for the last day in a half in Birmingham are all set and everything is set for Mizzou and Texas A&M being part of the SEC in 2012. The SEC will come out with that schedule in the middle of next week.

More HERE♦ VIDEO: MU Chancellor Interview: Brady Deaton talks SEC transition (mutigers.com/allaccess)

SEC Dixie-nary: P is for Polk

2011-12-15T03:00:00.008-06:00

P is for Polk

. . .as in former Mississippi State Baseball Coach Ron Polk, considered the "Father of SEC Baseball".

Polk began as head coach of the Bulldogs in 1976 and went on to win 1,218 games and 5 SEC regular season championships.

But what distinguished him most in the SEC was his endless push to bring not only Mississippi State but all of SEC Baseball into into the modern era and into the forefront of college baseball. He fought to change the SEC's governing by-laws that were more restrictive than the NCAA's, limiting teams to fewer practices and fewer games than their competitors in other conferences. He set fire to a facilities expansion race that is still going on in the SEC (and which Mizzou will find themselves obligated to join - or be left in the dust).

Ron Polk

In 1984, LSU hired Skip Bertman as their head baseball coach, and Bertman joined Polk in the battle to build the SEC into what is now considered one of the top college baseball conferences. (LSU fans will probably think this post should be titled B is for Bertman).

For more details about Ron Polk, read SEC Baseball Needed a Well Placed Polk (SECDigitalNetwork.com)

It was at Mississippi State where he put a saddle on the tired state of SEC baseball and whipped it toward the finish line like a jockey trying to get a thoroughbred to the winners’ circle. Rewind to the 1960s and ’70s, and SEC baseball was the black sheep of each school’s athletic family. Most schools had embarassing playing venues, mostly splintered wooden bleachers with rusted handrails.

When State hired Polk, he was the league’s first full-time baseball coach. Schools like LSU, which had its head equipment manager for the athletic department also moonlighting as head baseball coach, hadn’t seriously committed to building winning programs. “They probably drew straws in the athletic departments to see who was going to coach baseball,” Polk says. (secdigitalnetwork.com)

Polk's published his Baseball Playbook in 1982, which became a standard of baseball coaching and training throughout the NCAA and beyond..

For more on the history of SEC Baseball, check out this video by Eric Sorenson of ESPN and CollegeBaseballToday.com: A Stitch in Time: The Rise of the SEC

Mizzou in the Minors

2011-12-14T10:38:00.000-06:00

♦ Mariners' Organization All-Stars (minorleaguebaseball.com)

Catcher -- Trevor Coleman, High Desert (93 games), Tacoma (three games): Coleman, a ninth-rounder from 2009, led all Mariners backstops with 50 RBIs. He hit just .265 with six homers but had a solid .378 on-base percentage in 312 at-bats.

SEC Dixie-nary: O is for Outstanding Performances

2011-12-13T03:00:00.017-06:00

O is for Outstanding Performances

Long-time Mizzou Baseball fans can tell you that Pete Incaviglia or Robin Ventura are probably the best players ever in the Big 8. And we can quickly come up with a list of other outstanding players, like Phil Bradley of Missouri, Darin Erstad of Nebraska. Bobby Witt of Oklahoma, and others.

The SEC has seen its share of superstars over the decades, as well:

Records:

Single season Batting Average: .525; 1983, David Magadan, Alabama
Career Batting Average: .439; 1981-83, David Magadan, Alabama
Single season Home Runs: 40, 1997, Brandon Larson, LSU
Career Home Runs: 80, 1995-1998, Eddy Furniss, LSU
Single season RBI: 118, 1997, Brandon Larson, LSU
Career RBI: 308, 1995-1998, Eddy Furniss, LSU
Single season Stolen Bases: 67, 1999; Brian Roberts, South Carolina
Single Season Wins: 18, 1985, Jeff Brantley, Mississippi State
Career Wins: 45; 1998-2001, Kip Bouknight, South Carolina AND 1982-1985, Jeff Brantley, Mississippi St.
Single Season ERA: 0.21. 1970, Rick Farizo, LSU
Single Season Strikeouts: 202, 1989, Ben McDonald, LSU
Consecutive Scoreless Innings: 47.2, 1994, Todd Helton, Tennessee
Single Season Saves: 21, 2002, Blake Taylor, South Carolina
Career Saves: 41, 2005-2008, Joshua Field, Georgia

National Player of the Year Awards:

1983, Dave Magadan, Alabama (Golden Spikes)
1985, Will Clark, Mississippi State (Golden Spikes)
1987, Derek Lilliquist, Georgia (Baseball America)
1989, Ben McDonald, LSU (Golden Spikes)
1992, Lloyd Peever, LSU (Collegiate Baseball)
1995, Todd Helton, Tennessee (Collegiate Baseball)
1997, Tim Hudson, Alabama (Smith Award)
1998, Brad Wilkerson, Florida (NCBWA)
1999, Eddy Furniss, LSU (Dick Howser Award)
2000, Kip Bouknight, South Carolina (Smith Award, Collegiate Baseball)
2007, David Price, Vanderbilt (Brooks Wallace)

National Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame

Will Clark, Mississippi State
Ben McDonald, LSU
Rafael Palmiero, Mississippi State
Todd Walker, LSU
Eddy Furniss, LSU
Dave Magadan, Alabama
Skip Bertman, Coach, LSU
Joe Sewell, Alabama

Will Clark & Rafael Palmiero

In addition to the players listed above, the following players are repeatedly mentioned as among the best ever in the SEC:

Joey (Albert) Belle, LSU
Alvin Dark, LSU
Bo Jackson, Auburn
Joe Sewell, Alabama
Frank Thomas, Auburn

Also check out Best All-Time SEC Baseball Player at secsportsfan.com, a passionate argument for Todd Helton as the best ever.

Southern Exposure: Getting to know the SEC

2011-12-12T03:00:00.000-06:00

♦ The point & counterpoint of the Cohen/Forrest Moore civil suit (cddispatch.com)

The representation of Mississippi State University and head baseball coach John Cohen have requested a summary judgment to the civil lawsuit against them by former player Forrest Moore.

In a 22-page legal response filed in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court Monday, Mississippi State's legal counsel has provided evidence to support a counter argument to Moore's suit that alleges Cohen and Associate Athletic Director Mike Nemeth with the breach of contract, intentional/tortious interference with contract and civil conspiracy.
. . .
But .....The Dispatch MSU Sports Blog had to decide on a way to bring you, the loyal reader, a summary of what has happened in this case that the person unfamiliar with complicated legal language can fully understand.

Not to worry - what this post is going to do is go through the charges of Moore's legal team in the the civil suit and then give the counter argument of MSU and Cohen's legal counsel:

Read more at http://www.cdispatch.com/msusports/article.asp?aid=14391

Mizzou in the Minors & Majors: Mathis & Kinsler

2011-12-11T03:00:00.002-06:00

♦ Red Sox sign right-handed pitcher Doug Mathis (soxprospects.com)

As reported by Baseball America, the Red Sox have signed right-handed pitcher Doug Mathis.

Mathis, 28, was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 13th round of the 2005 draft out of the University of Missouri. His six years in the Rangers system included 45 appearances at the major league level between 2008 and 2010, during which he went 3-3 with a 4.84 ERA and 1 save. His best season was 2009, when he had a 3.16 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 42.2 innings pitched. 39 of Mathis' 45 career major league appearances have come out of the bullpen, but he has been used almost exclusively as a starter while in the minor leagues.

After leaving the Rangers organization following the 2010 season, Mathis had quite a journey in 2011. He signed with the Indians in the offseason, but was released at the end of spring training. Over the next three months he split 17 starts between the Triple-A affiliates of the Giants and Athletics, going 0-5 and posting a 4.27 ERA. After being released by Oakland on July 14, Mathis signed with the Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization, where he had a 5-2 record and a 2.52 ERA, helping Samsung win its fourth championship in 10 years. Back stateside, Mathis is likely to begin 2012 at Triple-A Pawtucket.

♦ Ian Kinsler's next big deal (baseballtimeinarlington.com)

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram confirms that the Rangers are talking with Ian Kinsler's agent about a long-term extension that would lock him up beyond the expiration date of his existing deal. Thanks to a fabulous bet by the Rangers back in 2008 that Kinsler -- who was then in the midst of his pre-arbitration window --would evolve into a top-flight second baseman, Texas owes him just $7 million in 2012, and also holds a no-brainer $10 million team option for 2013.

Said Kinsler of his situation: "I want to stay here. I was drafted by the Rangers, and I want to be a Ranger. You never know how long it's going to take. I think the sooner the better for them, and the sooner the better for me."
. . .

SEC Dixie-nary: N is for Numbers

2011-12-08T03:00:00.004-06:00

N is for Numbers

The difference between the level of competition in the SEC vs. the Big 12 can be seen in the official NCAA 2011 year-end (July 6) RPI rankings (SEC in bold, conference-changing in italics):

#2 Florida (CWS runner-up)
#4 Vanderbilt
#5 South Carolina (CWS Champions)
#9 Texas A&M
#11 Texas
#14 Arkansas
#16 Georgia
#18 Mississippi State
#21 TCU
#28 LSU
#30 Oklahoma
#31 Baylor
#33 Alabama
#42 Ole Miss
#43 Auburn
#45 Oklahoma State
#50 Texas Tech
#51 Kansas State
#69 Nebraska
#76 Missouri
#106 Kansas
#107 Kentucky
#116 Tennessee
#151 West Virginia

If you want to wade deeper into the RPI pool, check out the BoydsWorld.com annual Conference RPIs for the past decade and a half.

SEC Dixie-nary: M is for Moneyball

2011-12-06T03:00:00.004-06:00

M is for Moneyball

♦ Moneyball, SEC-style: How the CWS final became the SEC Championship Series (al.com)

Until 1990, the SEC had never won baseball's national title. This is the SEC's ninth in the past 22 years; the next-closest are the Big 8/Big 12 and Pac-10 with three each.

Like most shifts in college sports, money changed baseball. The SEC understood that warm weather coupled with fertile recruiting areas meant money could be made on baseball. So the SEC, never shy to spend, went on a shopping spree for coaches, facilities and recruiting budgets.

In 2009-10, the SEC averaged a nation-best $571,022 in operating expenses per team, according to financial data reported to the U.S. Department of Education. This is a league in which eight of its 12 members have been to Omaha in the past decade. (Only Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Kentucky haven't gone.)

The SEC, Pac-10, Big 12 and ACC have produced 15 of the 18 championship participants since the best-of-three format started in 2003. Average operating expenses for those other leagues: Big 12 ($535,834); Pac-10 ($478,070); and ACC ($388,073).
. . .
Yet nothing's stopping the Big Ten from investing more into baseball. The 10 Big Ten schools playing baseball averaged $288,948 in operating expenses in 2009-10. Ice hockey, a popular Northern sport, averaged $660,903 in operating expenses by the five Big Ten-hockey schools.

You get what you pay for.

♦ 2010 SEC baseball coaches' contracts (al.com). Compare Tim Jamieson's current contract (which extends through 2013).

♦ The Birmingham Press-Register did a 2009 story on the Cost of Recruiting in the SEC.

These figures are a couple of years old, but they offer a glimpse at what the SEC is spending on baseball recruiting (Vanderbilt, as a private institution, was not required to report details):

2005-2006

Kentucky: $80,449
Arkansas: $69,140
Auburn: $65,883
Florida: $62,210
Alabama: $53,703
Tennessee: $50,308
Ole Miss: $43,921
S. Carolina: $42,164
Georgia: $40,868
LSU: $28,150
Miss. State: $23,325
Vanderbilt: N/A

2006-07

Arkansas: $91,756
LSU: $80,348
Kentucky: $72,458
Auburn: $68,500
Alabama: $57,325
Florida: $47,514
Tennessee: $47,440
Georgia: $45,829
Ole Miss: $42,460
S. Carolina: $31,804
Miss. State: $18,342
Vanderbilt: N/A

2007-08

Arkansas: $87,115
Kentucky: $71,849
LSU: $70,493
Auburn: $68,500
S. Carolina: $53,196
Tennessee: $50,282
Georgia: $47,962
Florida: $47,612
Ole Miss: $46,868
Alabama: $38,609
Miss. State: $26,518
Vanderbilt: N/A

3-YEAR AVERAGE

Arkansas: $82,670
Kentucky: $74,918
Auburn: $67,627
LSU: $59,663
Florida: $52,445
Alabama: $49,879
Tennessee: $49,343
Georgia: $44,886
Ole Miss: $44,416
S. Carolina: $42,388
Miss. State: $22,728
Vanderbilt: N/A

2011-12-05T07:48:00.007-06:00

♦ Mizzou already busy in transition to SEC (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

And Mizzou is weeks away from publicly declaring a capital campaign toward a $100 million facilities makeover that it stresses was being crafted long before the SEC move was a gleam in its eye.
"We haven't changed course at all (from eight months ago), nor do we think we need to," said MU associated athletics director Tim Hickman, albeit acknowledging he expects the move to the SEC to further motivate donors.
. . .
Also on the front lines of priorities will be enhancements of the baseball and softball stadiums, as well as golf and tennis, which already has begun.

For now, though, MU perhaps is busier trying to understand all it has to get done to be aligned with SEC style and baselines than anything else.

"There's a million details," Hickman said, "and we're just beginning."

Mizzou in the Minors: Tingler promoted

2011-12-04T08:38:00.000-06:00

The Rangers made some moves in their minor league coaching staff, including promoting Mizzou's Jayce Tingler to Minor League Field Coordinator.

They hired former Houston general manager Tim Purpura to run the player development program and promoted their own internal rising player development star Jayce Tinger to minor league field coordinator. (dallasnews.com)

Tingler, 31, will be in his sixth season in the Texas organization in 2012. He spent last season as Coordinator of Instruction for the club’s Arizona and Dominican Republic operations. He served as the organization’s manager in the Arizona League (2010) and Dominican Summer League (2008-09), leading clubs to first-place finishes in each of those three years. He joined the organization as a coach in the fall of 2006.

Tingler played four minor league seasons from 2003-06 in the Toronto and Texas organizations after being a 10th round selection in the 2003 June draft by the Blue Jays. He has a standout career as a player at the University of Missouri in his native state. (mlb.com)

First Pitch Celebration set for February 4, 2012

2011-12-02T08:26:00.000-06:00

Like the arrival of the robins in advance of Spring, the announcement of the date for the First Pitch Celebration is one of the first signs that the 2012 Baseball season is coming quickly (77 days away). Not many details yet, but the time and place are set.

Last year's First Pitch featured former Cardinal catcher Mike Matheny as the speaker. That speaking engagement must have really kick-started his career, since he's now the manager of the Cardinals.

From mutigers.com:

The Mizzou baseball team has set the time for its eighth annual First Pitch Dinner. The event will be held on Feb. 4 at the Hampton Inn on Stadium Blvd. from 4-7 p.m., prior to the Tigers men's basketball game with Kansas. More details will follow. For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MUTigerBaseball.

Mizzou in the Minors: Senne Mending

2011-12-02T03:00:00.001-06:00

♦ Senne getting ready for spring training (Rochester Post Bulletin)

Professional baseball player Aaron Senne of Rochester is in the city rehabbing his injured throwing arm.
. . .
Senne, who just turned 24, expects to be ready to play when spring training officials starts in February. He said he could start the season in low Class A ball in Greensboro, N.C., or perhaps in the Marlins' high Class A club in Jupiter. . .

SEC Dixie-nary: L is for Longevity

2011-12-01T03:00:00.028-06:00

L is for Longevity

Tim Jamieson has been the coach of the Missouri Tigers since the 1995 season. He was an assistant coach under Gene McArtor for 6 years prior to assuming the Head Coach position.

As Mizzou joins the SEC, Tim Jamieson assumes the role as the coach with the longest tenure. He ranks 2nd in total wins, 8th in winning percentage (records represent success at current job only)..

2012, Dave Serrano, Tennessee (0-0 at UT)
2010, Mitch Gaspard, Alabama (77-53; .592)
2009, John Pawlowski, Auburn (103-75; .579)
2009, Gary Henderson, Kentucky (84-81; .509)
2009, John Cohen, Mississippi State (86-87; .497)
2008, Kevin O'Sullivan, Florida (176-82; .682)
2007, Paul Mainieri, LSU (175-84-2; .674)
2006, Rob Childress, Texas A&M (197-113-2; .631)
2003, Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt (376-189; .665)
2003, Dave Van Horn, Arkansas (359-201; .641)
2002, David Perno, Georgia (338-277-1; .549)
2001, Mike Bianco, Ole Miss (434-252-1; .632)
1997, Ray Tanner, South Carolina (689-296; .699)
1995, Tim Jamieson, Missouri (571-414-2;.597 )

Tim Jamieson, Missouri Tigers

SEC Dixie-nary: H is for Home Games

2011-11-29T03:00:00.038-06:00

H is for Home Games

The SEC is notorious for scheduling a ton of home games each year.

For example, Georgia's 2012 schedule has 37 home games out of 56 (66%), as does LSU. Only three of LSU's road games are out of conference, and all three of those are within the state of Louisiana..

Arkansas' 2012 schedule features "a school record 36 regular season home games, including 20 of the first 23 games at home." Mississippi State also boasts 36 home games.

Florida and South Carolina have 35 home games, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee and Vanderbilt have 34, Ole Miss has 32. (Kentucky has not released their 2012 schedule - they had 33 home games in 2011)

Compare the 2012 schedules of Texas (32 home games), Ohio State (26) and Michigan (21).

Why are SEC schedules so home-heavy? Because they can be. First, their weather in the first few weeks of the season trends warmer than it does in many other parts of the country, so teams from colder climates need to schedule games in SEC-country. Also, those same teams want the experience and RPI boost of playing against the SEC.

On the other hand, the NCAA is making changes to the RPI formula that will put a bit higher premium on results in road games. This might lead to some changes in scheduling philosophy when the SEC sees how this affects their rankings. See also The Proposed New RPI (boydsworld.com) and Alternative Futures (sebaseball.com)

So how does this affect MU? Columbia's early season weather is not as favorable as the rest of the SEC, being the northernmost SEC school. So just moving to the SEC doesn't mean Evan Pratte's going to have any better advantage in trying to pad the Tigers' home schedule.

Then again, he's doing a pretty good job at this in spite of MU's semi-northern location. Mizzou's 2012 Schedule includes 33 home games (60%) - more than Ole Miss.

Border Showdown: Shutdown?

2011-11-27T09:33:00.002-06:00

Tiger fans are celebrating MU's win over KU yesterday in what has been hyped as possibly the final meeting between the two rivals. Whether the football match-ups are history is yet to be seen - I'm thinking money talks and whining Jayhawks will be saying "Show me the money" - there are still several other MU-KU final Big 12 match-ups in store in this 2011-2012 season, including Baseball.

Fittingly, the schedules released by both MU and KU show them meeting on the field for the final weekend series of the 2012 season, May 17, 18 and 19, in Lawrence, KS.

One thing is missing from those schedules, though: the annual MU_KU Border Showdown game at Kauffman Stadium.

As traditions go, that neutral-field game at Kauffman is a fairly short one. 2011 was only the fourth game in the series - all of which were won by the Jayhawks.

The interesting thing about the Kauffman game not being on the 2012 schedule is that it WAS on the 2012 schedule.

KU released their 2012 schedule on October 5th, with a press release that included this:

Kansas will play its annual game at Kauffman Stadium against Border Showdown rival Missouri (April 18) as well as a road game against Creighton at T.D. Ameritrade Stadium (April 3) – the site of the College World Series.

Here at SimmonsField.com we posted a bootleg early copy of the MU schedule on August 27th, based on a tentative schedule being passed around among the Baseball staff and the team. That schedule also showed the annual Kauffman game on April 18th.

But if you look at the the official schedules posted by both MU and KU today, that game has disappeared.

I've not heard any word on who pulled the plug or why, but it's sad that we'll not get that game in this season. And the scheduling of the game would have been special as well. Like last year, the MU-KU game was scheduled on the same day as a Royals' game, presumably to take place after the conclusion of the Royals game. The Royals (Aaron Crow's current team) are scheduled to play the Detroit Tigers (Max Scherzer's current team) on April 18th. that would have been a great day at Kauffman Stadium for Mizzou fans.

But it's not to be. We'll have to settle for laying waste to Lawrence once again on the final weekend of the regular season.

SEC Dixie-nary: G is for Geography

2011-11-24T03:00:00.007-06:00

G is for Geography

The new 14-team Southeastern Conference covers 11 states, spanning distances up to 1,000 miles.

Below is a chart of miles (driving) from Columbia, MO to SEC towns. Schools in BOLD are in Mizzou's Eastern Division of the SEC:

311 to Fayetteville, AR (Arkansas)
433 to Nashville, TN (Vanderbilt)459 to Lexington, KY (Kentucky)
477 to Oxford, MS (Ole Miss)
576 to Starkville, MS (Mississippi State)
609 to Knoxville, TN (Tennessee)620 to Tuscaloosa, AL (Alabama)
733 to Auburn, AL (Auburn)
734 to Athens, GA (Georgia)772 to Baton Rouge, LA (LSU)
779 to College Station, TX (Texas A&M)
871 to Columbia, SC (South Carolina)1,009 to Gainesville, FL (Florida)

That's an average of 645 miles from Columbia to SEC schools. 686 miles average to the SEC East schools; 609 miles average to the SEC West. Let's hope that the next SEC expansion (to 16 schools) results in Mizzou in the mosre geographically logical West Division.

Graphical representation of mileage at ColumbiaMissourian.com

The team itself may not be traveling on the highways much, though.

As for long bus trips to distant SEC schools that could cause more class time to be missed, [MU Softball coach Ehren] Earlywine said that in consideration of all SEC baseball teams using charter aircraft, there has been discussion that Missouri will do the same for both baseball and softball. (kansascity.com, 11/7/11)

Original Southern
Conference logo

Interestingly, the SEC was originally formed because the existing Southern Conference had way too many members, spread across to large a geographical footprint (although no one at the time used footprint to define geography). SEC History: Origin Of The 12 Teams (SaturdayDownSouth.com) provides a good overview of the conference's geography-driven origins and history:

The country’s preeminent modern football conference suddenly came into being on the evening of December 9, 1932, when then-Florida President John J. Tigert announced that his institution and 12 other schools had left the larger Southern Conference, effective immediately, to form the Southeastern Conference. Tigert’s announcement came at the Southern Conference’s annual meeting in Knoxville, Tennessee, the home of one of the breakaway schools. Tom Perrin, who authored a history of college football in 1987, wrote, “The main reasons for the rupture were geographical distance, travel time and expense, a great disparity between the large and small schools in the conference, and the fact that half the schools did not play each other from one year to the next, if at all.”
. . .
The Associated Press reported on December 10, 1932, “The unwieldy Southern Conference has split along geographical lines and out of the break today emerged a new group of thirteen schools, mostly of the deep South, to be known as the Southeastern Conference.” This group included the core of today’s SEC — Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt — along with Georgia Tech, Tulane, and Sewanee (also known as the University of the South). The remaining Southern Conference schools were all located in Maryland, Virginia or the Carolinas: Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia Military Institute, Washington & Lee, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Duke, South Carolina and Clemson; seven of those schools — along with Wake Forest, which joined the Southern Conference in 1936 — left in 1953 to form the Atlantic Coast Conference.

New MLB Draft rules impact College Baseball

2011-11-23T11:38:00.000-06:00

♦ New Labor Deal Features Major Draft Changes (baseballamerica.com)

College baseball looks like it could be a major winner as a result of this agreement. UCLA coach John Savage watched as three of his top recruits—righthander Joe Ross, third baseman Tyler Goeddel and catcher Austin Hedges—signed for a combined $7.25 million within the final hour of the 2011 signing deadline. The new rules could direct more marquee players to college.

"I think the last couple of years, there's been a lot of high school players that get substantial money who normally would have gone to school where they were picked," Savage said. "So I think you'll see a little less of that, because the consequences will be heavy, in terms of loss of draft picks and financial penalty.|

"I think you'd be foolish to think that it's college baseball-driven; we all know it's not. But from a party that's heavily involved in this decision, it looks like it was a good day for college baseball."

♦ MLB changes draft rules (collegebaseballdaily.com)

Draft signing deadline moves from Aug. 15 to between July 12 and 18.

♦ New CBA to impact draft, bonuses (perfectgame.org_)

Going forward, we’ll see the first collectively-bargained drag on signing bonuses—involving both drafted players and those signed on the international market. We’ll also see a welcome change in the signing deadline from Aug. 15 to mid-July, though it’s unclear whether we’ll see a change in the number of rounds from the current 50, a change in draft dates from early June to the end of June, or the introduction of pre-draft combines for the top prospects where physicals will be administered. All those issues were on the table as negotiations regarding the draft reached an 11th hour.

♦ New MLB deal means positive changes for college baseball (cdispatch.com)

November, 22, 2011 could go down as the day college baseball changed drastically for the better.

Why? The entire sport was just guaranteed they're more than likely to get an influx of more quality talent from high school instead of these prospects bypassing NCAA baseball for a signing bonus with a professional franchise.
. . .
The end result: Once the details of this agreement were announced, the general consensus was that not only did the sport of college baseball get a talent boost in the future but professional baseball is likely to get more mature prospects and socially aware people signing into their business. Those two aspects are what professional baseball people think will provide a better overall product for fans at every level of play.

Simmons Field is Field of the Year

2011-11-23T07:43:00.000-06:00

♦ Simmons Field at Taylor Stadium Named Field of the Year (mutigers.com)

Simmons Field at Taylor Stadium, the home of the Mizzou baseball team, has been named 2011 College and University Baseball Field of the Year by the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA), as announced by the STMA on Tuesday (Nov. 22). The field is maintained and cared for by Mizzou Turf Specialist Josh McPherson and his staff.

"Each year, evaluating the applicant pool is very difficult," said Allen Johnson, CSFM, STMA Awards Committee Chairman. "The quality of the applicants continues to improve and this year's winners truly deserved the award."

"The Field of the Year Award validates the intense dedication of our members," said Kim Heck, CEO of the Sports Turf Managers Association. "Each year STMA awards no more than 14 Fields of the Year, so a very small percentage of our members are winners. Josh McPherson and his crew are very deserving of this prestigious award for Simmons Field at Taylor Stadium," says Heck. . .

Aaron Crow, fashion model

2011-11-23T03:00:00.000-06:00

♦ Uniform changes include All-Star Game logo (mlb.com)

Subtle changes in the Royals' uniforms were unveiled on Tuesday, but there's one striking addition that signals a big event for Kansas City -- the 2012 All-Star Game logo.

The logo is affixed to the right sleeve of all four versions of the Royals uniform. The All-Star Game, the first in Kansas City since 1973, will be on July 10 at Kauffman Stadium.

Pitcher Aaron Crow and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer modeled the newest versions of the uniforms at the Diamond Club at the stadium.

SEC Dixie-nary: E is for East

2011-11-22T03:00:00.017-06:00

E is for East

Word is that Missouri will be playing in the East Division of the SEC, mostly because Alabama and Auburn don't want to be separated.

The three schools that were considered the best in the SEC for much of the 70s, 80s and 90s are all in the West Division: Alabama, LSU and Mississippi State. However, the West's dominance appears to be a thing of the past.

In 2011, the West was greatly overshadowed by East. Three SEC East schools finished in the Top 10 of the RPI rankings; 4 SEC East teams and 2 SEC West teams were in the top 20

With the rise to power of South Carolina, Florida and Vanderbilt as dominant players nationally, the West has failed to keep up. See Around the Bases Looks at the Future of SEC Baseball (TeamSpeedKills.com)

SEC Divisions (from Mizzou2SEC.com)

On the other hand, the two schools most often in the SEC cellar are Tennessee and Kentucky, both in the East.

Then again, Tennessee has a hired a new coach beginning this fall: Dave Serrano, who has taken both UC-Irvine and Cal State-Fullerton to the College World Series.

The upshot is that it really doesn't make much difference in the long term which division Mizzou is in, because the entire conference is pretty tough and the winds of fortune will change.

Schedule

I've not heard yet how the SEC Baseball schedule will be set up now that there are 14 teams, but I can make a good guess.

Currently, each team's schedule features 10 weekend conference 3-game series: 5 series against teams within their division, and 5 against teams from the opposite division. Under that system, an SEC team plays every other SEC team except one.

Arkansas, for example, is scheduled to play every team except Vanderbilt in 2012 (which is odd, considering Vandy is one of the closest to Little Rock geographically).

With two new teams in the conference, my guess would be the system will be similar. The goal of the schedule is still a legitimate one - limiting the fixed conference schedule to 10 match-ups, leaving sufficient room in the schedule for out-of-conference weekend series. In 2012, Arkansas has 4 non-conference weekends (Villanova, Valparaiso, the Houston College Classic, and Binghamton) prior to the beginning of the SEC schedule on March 16th, with no bye-weekend in the middle of the SEC schedule.

With 14 teams, that would mean each team would play 6 series versus their divisional rivals and 4 series against the opposite division. Which means there would be 3 teams each season that aren't on your schedule.

For MU, that would mean a weekend 3-game series vs. Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia each season, plus 4 series against an annual rotation of 4 among Arkansas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU, Auburn and Alabama.

According to an article this past week in the Columbia Tribune, "Jamieson said the league is expected to continue playing 30 conference games, with six division series and four rotating interdivision series, though it has not been finalized."

For more on the geographical layout of the new SEC, check back in here Thursday morning: G is for Geography

Tough SEC is opportunity for MU baseball team

2011-11-19T11:57:00.000-06:00

♦ Some great quotes from Tim Jamieson plus informed insight from Baseball America's Aaron Fitt in Tough SEC is opportunity for MU baseball team (ColumbiaTribune.com)

“It’s both an incredible challenge and an incredible opportunity,” Missouri Coach Tim Jamieson said. “I think it’s something, having witnessed what we did when we went from the Big Eight to the Big 12 and the necessity to step up, we did it. I have no doubt that we’ll do it again when we go from the Big 12 to the SEC.”
. . .
“The bottom line is they’ve just got to recruit at a high level and develop those guys,” Fitt said. “When Missouri had its run there of seven straight regionals, they were doing that very well. They were getting high-caliber talent, and I think if they have years like that, they can absolutely compete in the SEC.”

Read the whole article HERE

MU Baseball Announces 2012 Schedule

2011-11-18T13:44:00.001-06:00

The official schedule is nearly identical to the one we published earlier this Fall, EXCEPT for the addition of a Missouri-Illinois game at Busch and the subtraction of the MU-KU game at Kauffman.

♦ Mizzou Baseball Announces 2012 Schedule (mutigers.com Press Release)

The Mizzou baseball program and head coach Tim Jamieson have announced its 2012 competition schedule on Friday (Nov. 18). The Tigers have 55 games scheduled for the 2012 season, including 29 against teams that qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament. Also, of the 55 games, Mizzou will play 33 at Taylor Stadium.

Mizzou will open the season in intriguing fashion as it will play at Auburn in a matchup that will serve as a Southeastern Conference preview. The Tigers will enter their inaugural year as members of the SEC in 2012-13, so there should be plenty of buzz surrounding the Tigers' season-opening series with Auburn. Those games will be held from Feb. 17-19.

Following the season-opening trip to Auburn, the Tigers will then head to the west coast for a three-game set with San Francisco. The Dons we're the West Coast Conference Champions and participated in the UCLA Regional last season. Those games will be held in San Francisco from Feb. 24-26.

After the Tigers' trip out west, they will return home to Taylor Stadium for a 19-game home stand that will last through nearly the entire month of March, beginning with a three-game series against Ball State on March 2-4. The Tigers will also battle Nebraska-Omaha, Charlotte, North Dakota, High Point and Indiana State before playing Oklahoma State, which marks the beginning of Big 12 play. That series with the Cowboys will be played March 23-25. The 19-game homestand will then close with a pair of midweek games against Central Arkansas.

Big 12 play will then hit full-stride for the Tigers as they will play back-to-back series at Texas A&M (March 30-April 1) and at home against Baylor (April 5-7) on Easter weekend. A midweek contest with Illinois will then take center stage following the Baylor series as the Tigers and Illini will battle at Busch Stadium, home of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. That game will be held on April 11 at 6:35 p.m. and fans will be able to purchase tickets online at MUTigers.com or STLCardinals.com when they go on sale.

Following the game at Busch Stadium, the Tigers will then continue Big 12 play with a road trip to Norman, Okla., where they will play three games against OU from April 13-15. A three-game home series against Kansas State will be next up for Mizzou from April 20-22 before they open a six-game road trip at Missouri State, Texas Tech and Arkansas. The series at Arkansas will mark the Tigers' second SEC opponent of the 2012 season and those games will be played on May 1 and 2 in Fayetteville.
The Tigers will then return home to play Texas (May 4-6), Missouri State (May 9) and Memphis (May 11-13) before closing the regular season with a three-game series at archrival Kansas (May 17-19). The Big 12 Tournament will then be contested from May 23-27 with the NCAA Regional Rounds opening on June 1.

For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MUTigerBaseball.

2012 Recruits: Mizzou Baseball Inks 10 to NLIs

2011-11-17T19:26:00.000-06:00

Details on all the Mizzou Recruits!

♦ Mizzou Baseball Inks 10 to NLIs (mutigers.com Press Release)

The Mizzou baseball program and Head Coach Tim Jamieson have signed 10 prospects to National Letters of Intent this fall as all 10 student-athletes will join the Tiger baseball family for the 2012-13 season, which will be the program's inaugural year as members of the Southeastern Conference, one of the premier baseball leagues in the nation. Here's a brief look at the newest Tigers.

Paxton DeLaGarza - 6'1 175, INF, Lubbock, TX, Coronado High School
Coached by Gary Hix ... Played summer baseball for the Dallas Patriots ... As a junior: .418 BA, 18 2Bs, 12 HRs, 62 RBI, .495 OBP ... 2011 Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Third Team All-State ... 2011 All-South Plains Team ... 2011 Texas Sports Writers All-State Honorable Mention.

Peter Fairbanks - 6'6 205, RHP, St. Louis, MO, Webster Groves High School
Coached by Steve Mazzola ... Played summer baseball for the St. Louis Gamers ... As a junior: 2-1, 2.26 ERA, 21.2 IP, 27 Ks, 11 BB, opponent .217 BA.

Griffin Goodrich - 6'4 190, RHP, Kirkwood, MO, Kirkwood High School
Coached by Ken Shaw ... As a junior: 6-3, 2.10 ERA, 50 IP, 69 Ks, 22 BB, opponent .185 BA ... Played summer baseball for the Rawlings Prospects out of St. Louis ... 2011 Suburban South All-Conference First Team as a pitcher and outfielder.

Gerrion Grim - 6'1 185, RHP, O'Fallon, MO, Fort Zumwalt South High School
Coached by Keith Deshurley ... Played summer baseball for the Missouri Elite ... As a junior 6-5: 1 save, 2.13 ERA, 65.2 IP, 72 Ks, 33 BB, opponent .245 BA ... As a sophomore, 5-1 record, 1 save, 1.91 ERA, 40.3 IP, 45 Ks, 27 BB, opponent .188 BA.

Dane Gronewald - 6'6 215, LHP, Winfield, MO, Jefferson College
Coached by Sam Carol, attended Winfield High School and was coached by Trent Crenshaw.... As a freshman at Jefferson College: 6-2, 2.79 ERA, 63 Ks, 15 BB, 68.3 IP ... Helped Jefferson College to the 2011 Junior College World Series ... As a senior year at Winfield High School: 10-2, 1.46 ERA, 94 Ks, 18 BB, 67.1 IP ... 2011 MLB Draft - 43rd Round with the Braves.

Hunter Haynes - 6'0 165, LHP, Mexico, MO, Mexico High School
Coached by Keith Louder ... As a junior: 5-0, 0.89 ERA, 78 Ks, 47 IP ... 2011 All Area Baseball Team ... Played summer baseball for Team Mizuno out of St. Louis.
Bralin Jackson - 6'1 185, OF, Raytown, MO, Raytown South High School
Coached by Steve Peck ... Played summer baseball for the Diamond Masterz ... White Sox Area Code Team.

Ryan Phillips - 5'11 185, RHP/INF, Columbia, MO, Rock Bridge High School
Coached by Justin Towe ... As a junior: .473, 2 HRs, 22 RBIs, 32 Rs, .537 OBP ... School record 43 hits in a season ... On the mound: 7-0, 1.23 ERA, 52 Ks, 40 IP ... Already holds the school record for wins with 21

Alec Rash - 6'5 190, RHP, Adel, IA, ADM High School
Coached by Mitch Krumwiede ... Attended Pelham High School in Alabama his junior year, coached by Jeff Mauldin ... 2010 Iowa HS All-State Team Class 3A First Team.

Sean Ullrich - 6'3 180, OF, Ballwin, MO, Marquette High School
Coached by John Meyer, played summer baseball for the Rawlings Prospects out of St. Louis ... As a junior: .351 BA, 6 2B's, 3 3B's, 18 RBI's, 21 R's, 12 SB's, .419 OBP... As a sophomore, .286, 3 2B's, 13 RBI's, 12 R's, .389 OBP, 2011 2nd All Suburban West Conference, 1st Team All-District.

SEC Dixie-nary: D is for Dixie

2011-11-17T03:00:00.016-06:00

D is for Dixie

Eleven of the 12 long-standing SEC members are located in states that officially seceded and joined the Confederate States of America.

Kentucky and Missouri were both considered border states, with divided loyalties among the populace.

Texas also was of divided loyalty, mostly being loyal to Texas. Nothing much has changed in that regard in the past 150 years.

Is Missouri a "southern" state? (or perhaps I should ask if "Missourah" is a southern state.

Regimental flag of the 8th
Missouri cavalry (Union Army)
(Missouri Civil War Museum)

Some have called Missouri the most northern southern state - and others call it the most southern northern state. Southeast Missouri, in the Cape Girardeau and boot-heel areas, have more in common culturally with their neighbors in Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas than they do with more northern parts of the state. The southern Ozarks (Springfield / Branson) share more in common with Arkansas than they do with Columbia.

The Tiger mascot of the University of Missouri was actually chosen "in honor of a Missouri Union militia unit that guarded the area of Columbia, Missouri (MU’s hometown) as well as the university itself during the American Civil War. The true “Missouri Tigers” were a Union “Home Guard” militia unit made up of local men from the area around Columbia. Their duties were to protect the University of Missouri and the area from approaching Confederate forces, pro-Confederate guerillas, desperadoes and others that may have threatened the area." (mcwm.org)

On the other hand, many SEC fans would probably be surprised to learn that Columbia sits in the middle of a section of Missouri known as "Little Dixie".

The Little Dixie Conference,
comprised of small town schools in
the area surrounding Columbia, MO.

Wikipedia actually has a good description of the historical reasons for that designation:

Little Dixie is a 13- to 17-county region of Missouri found along the Missouri River, settled primarily by migrants from the hemp and tobacco districts of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. Today, the region identifies with the Midwest, but because of Southerners settling there first, the pre-Civil War culture closely paralleled that of the Upper South. When the Southerners resettled in Missouri, they brought their cultural, social, agricultural, political and architectural practices; they also brought enslaved Africans and their descendants, from whom they extracted forced labor and thus accumulated wealth. On average Missouri’s slave population was only 10 percent, but in Little Dixie, county and township slave populations ranged from 20 to 50 percent, corresponding to the concentration of large plantations along the river.

As I've said elsewhere, Mizzou's position as the northernmost SEC school could offer a recruiting advantage for some prospects, if they're attracted to playing in the SEC but would rather spend three years in Little Dixie than BIG Dixie.

2012 Mizzou Recruit: Austin Tribby, LHP

2011-11-15T20:19:00.001-06:00

♦ Austin Tribby, LHP
6'5", 230 lb, L/L
Springfield Catholic HS (MO)

♦ 2011 Pitching: 7-1, 2.02 ERA, 93 K; 152-1/3 IP

♦ Class 3 All-State 1st Team 2011

♦ Catholic pitcher signs with Mizzou (Springfield News-Leader)

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Tribby made his college intentions official Monday, signing a letter of intent with the University of Missouri in the high school library in front of a couple dozen schoolmates.

"It just felt right," Tribby said of playing in Columbia for a showcase this summer. "I just feel really blessed and excited about this opportunity."

♦ Catholic's Tribby comes back stronger (newsleader.com, 6/3/2011)

For Catholic High School pitcher Austin Tribby, his junior season did not start the way he hoped.

With only a few days before the team's first game, Tribby tore his meniscus, an injury that forced him to miss about four weeks of the season.

"He came off of (the mound) wrong and just kind of rolled his ankle and ended up buckling his knee," Irish coach Jason Daughrity said.

Careful rehab has allowed Tribby to return to the mound, and he has made the most of that opportunity. He has struck out 31 batters in only 152/3 innings.

Daughrity said Tribby is a big reason the Irish have reached the Class 3 final four.

♦ Catholic's Austin Tribby Signs with Mizzou Baseball VIDEO

2012 Mizzou Recruits

2011-11-15T20:02:00.002-06:00

The following players have been confirmed as having signed their Letter of Intent to play for Mizzou beginning with the 2011-2012 season.

Paxton De La Garza, SS; Coronado HS, Lubbock, TX
Peter Fairbanks, RHP; Webster Groves, MO
Griffin Goodrich, RHP/OF; Kirkwood, MO
Gerrion Grim, RHP/OF: Zumwalt South HS (StL)
Dane Gronewald, LHP; Jefferson College (StL); Winfield HS
Hunter Haynes, LHP: Mexico, MO
Bralin Jackson, OF: Raytown South HS (KC)
Ryan Phillips, RHP/SS; Rock Bridge HS (Columbia, MO)
Alec Rash, RHP: Adel DSM HS (Adel, IA)
Austin Tribby, LHP; Springfield Catholic HS (MO)
Sean Ullrich, CF; Marquette HS (St. Louis)

There was a report a couple of months ago that Aaron Schnurbusch, LHP/OF, Eureka, MO had verbally committed to Mizzou, but so far I have found no confirmation that he is actually going to sign.

SEC Dixie-nary: C is for College World Series

2011-11-15T03:00:00.001-06:00

C is for College World Series

The SEC has sent 10 of its 12 schools to the College World Series since 1990 - Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Ole Miss has played in four Super Regionals the last seven seasons.

The SEC has sent 46 teams to the College World Series since 1990. That was accomplished despite no SEC teams making the field in 1992. LSU has been to Omaha 12 times, Flordia six times, Georgia and South Carolina five times, Mississippi State four times, while Alabama and Tennessee have been three times each. Auburn has been twice, while Arkansas advanced in 2004 and 2009.

SEC teams have won nine of the last 22 national championships, with LSU winning six (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009), South Carolina winning two (2010, 2011) and Georgia claiming the 1990 title. The SEC has finished runner up four times in that time, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2011.

Southern Exposure: SEC Baseball Links

2011-11-13T03:00:00.001-06:00

♦ Olsen overhaul: Blue Bell funds sweet upgrades for Aggie baseball (thebatt.com)

Preparing for Texas A&M's newest athletic facility — Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park — has been a team effort. "The team took the visiting locker room and made that into a weight room," A&M athletic director Bill Byrne.

"The head coach's wife designed and upgraded the locker room and the kids went in and painted it."

Spearheaded by a $7 million pledge from Blue Bell Creameries in nearby Brenham, Texas, baseball sports information director Adam Quisenberry called the $24 million stadium "one of the sweetest spots in all of college athletics."
. . .
After the renovations, only the stadiums of Louisiana State and Arkansas will offer more seating among schools in the Southeastern Conference.

"We have been gradually catching up," Byrne said. "We put together a master plan with new facilities to upgrade our capabilities as far as facilities in the Big 12, and we will continue to do that as far as updating our facilities for competition in the SEC."

♦ Big 12 versus SEC: total baseball wins (columbiamissourian.com)

MU Chancellor Brady Deaton has announced that Missouri will join the Southeastern Conference for the 2012-2013 school year. Texas A&M has already bolted for the SEC, while TCU and West Virginia are on their way to the Big 12. Here’s a breakdown of how Big 12 and SEC baseball programs stack up on the playing field and in the classroom. SEE CHART

♦ Cal Ripken Jr's son commits to Gamecocks (wistv.com)

South Carolina added a sweet-swinging, slick-fielding first baseman to the class of 2012 on Sunday afternoon. Ryan Ripken (Baltimore, Md./Gilman) is much more than a player with a famous last name.

Ripken, who is ranked as the No. 304 player in the country by Perfect Game, committed to the Gamecocks over Wake Forest, Coastal Carolina, and Maryland. He visited campus last week and took a couple of days to stew over his decision. On Sunday, he called recruiting coordinator Chad Holbrook and gave him the news.
. . .
A 6-foot-5, 195-pounder, Ripken had his best performance of the year in Jupiter, Fla. a couple of weekends ago at the Perfect Game World Championships. He was 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles in a pool-clinching victory over the Diamond Devils, a team that the Gamecocks heavily recruit.

♦ Behind the scenes at Vanderbilt photo shoot

♦ PHOTOS of 2011 South Carolina Baseball Championship Rings (gamecocksonline.com)
The South Carolina Baseball team received their 2011 SEC Champions and National Champions rings tonight at their annual banquet.

Unassisted Trripleplay: Trending Topic

2011-11-11T21:48:00.000-06:00

I always expect Early Signing Week to be one that I spend way too much time online.

Over the past several years, I've used every source possible to search out the names of Mizzou Baseball's signees. E-mail tips from fans and former players and their parents. A long list of bookmarked websites and blogs that cover local prep baseball in the various towns and cities MU recruiters are known to focus on.

One big reason why I dig so hard for these recruits is that I've been told by many followers of Mizzou Baseball that the only way they know anything about the Tigers of the future is by reading what I post about them. Because for several years now, Tim Jamieson and his staff have not released the names of their recruiting class, like a majority of D-1 schools do. They have their reasons for their silence, and fans have their reasons for wanting information.

Which is where I come in. I figure letting people know about prospects, verbal commitments and LOI signings can only be good for the Mizzou baseball program. It builds excitement and anticipation. MU Football and Basketball turn signing time into a major production, because they know it's great for building fan excitement about the team.

Occasionally I repost a story from elsewhere on the web that some player is going to sign, only to have it turn out that he isn't a Mizzou recruit after all. For example, I'd been told by more than one source that Tyler Hunt, from Westran HS in Huntsville, MO, was being recruited by Mizzou Baseball. I said as much her on the blog, more than once. It turned out to not come through - for the baseball team at least.

But I figure reporting on such things is not much different than what other websites and blogs, like PowerMizzou.com, do for MU Football and Basketball recruiting. Except that I don't have the time, the money or the resources to cover recruiting in the depth they do.

I'm not a journalist or even a professional blogger. I'm just a fan who likes MU Baseball and as a writer, I enjoy sharing the things I learn about the team, the players and the sport. And I use whatever means I can to find that information.

In the past year or two, I've discovered that Twitter is a goldmine of information. Turns out your average high school kid who makes a verbal or written commitment to play at a D-1 school wants to tweet about it to his friends and followers. And to anyone who knows how to search for some key phrases.

Twitter has been my first clue to a number of players who are current freshmen on the team. Brandon Platts, from Iowa, went right down to the wire before he decided to come ahead to Mizzou rather than sign with Pittsburgh at the deadline in August. Twitter posts by Platts and by reporters and bloggers in both Iowa and Pittsburgh told a story that wasn't published anywhere in the traditional media. It was great to be able to have a twitter-bird's eye view of the process.

And then came the Early Signing Period this week. The first November signing week since I learned how to search Twitter for bits and pieces of news.

Which resulted in this error, as reported by Pete Bland at the Columbia Daily Tribune:

♦ TAKE TWO: Mysterious player makes his pitch for MU (Columbia Daily Tribune)

Somewhere amid such profound tweets as “I think I’m gonna live in a cool foreign country for a little bit so I can get an accent” and “I hate when I have to poop when I’m in the middle of doing something really important,” it was misconstrued by the caretakers of MU baseball fan blog SimmonsField.com that McSparran (@tmcsparran23) had signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Missouri.

Soon, Twitter blew up with questions, denials, accusations of faking a signing, etc. . .

As Bland goes on to say in the article, McSparran "was just having a little online fun with friends while discussing his transfer to Missouri."

One of Tyler's friends wrote that McSparren "is a huge fan of athletics, so whenever he would talk about the schools he wanted to go to, he would jokingly use the terms 'committed to ____', 'signed with _' to tell people where he was going. It didn’t actually mean that he was literally playing athletics there, it just meant that he wanted to convey these sentiments using athletic terms. . . When one of his friends on Twitter (who was playing along with the joke), asked what sport he was playing, he (jokingly) said baseball, because that’s the sport he played in high school with me." (rockmnation.com)

The night before all the craziness, I searched the internet for background info on a baseball player named Tyler McSparran from San Diego. There was little info to be found, but it turned out he did in fact play baseball in high school.

Then he went to Xavier, where there was no record of him playing ball - which is not unusual.

There have been a number of Mizzou players who went to one school and were either "red-shirted", injured, or just got on the bad side of the coach, and turn out to not have any online record of having been a member of the team. You won't find 2009 recruit Cody King on any roster on mutigers.com. But you will find him on the roster at John Wood Community College.

All in all, the pieces of the puzzle that was Tyler McSparran's past few years were odd, but fit into a possible pattern that I'd seen before. So I posted the bits and pieces I knew and put the story to bed, figuring I'd find more detailed news about him later.

Only to wake up and watch the Twitter-verse spin out of control.

As it turns out, what really fed the fire of Twitter "blowing up" is the not unimportant fact that McSparran's friend who was "playing along with the joke" by asking what sport he was playing, is none other than Hunter Mense, former Tiger player and current MU Baseball radio sidekick to Tex Little.

And then MU Baseball Graduate Assistant Coach Dan Pietroburgo tweeted about a possible "fake" Letter of Intent signing.

From there, all sorts of people- from journalists to bloggers to MU ballplayers to friends of McSparran - chimed in.

Someone sent me this comment:

Tyler started this with his Twitter humor, but you're the one who's a moron and assumed things based on no solid basis of information. Welcome to Mizzou Tyler, hope you're smarter than the rest of the tigers. Rock Chalk :)

Pete Bland says I misconstrued Tyler's tweets. I suppose I did. I misconstrued that his joking and pretending were actually true.

One thing Tyler and I have in common: Neither of us expected this to turn into such a big deal.

As I see it, there were three results from this:

Tyler McSparran got his "15 minutes of fame". In his words (from another tweet to a friend):

" i dare anybody to try to name an individual more legendary than @tmcsparran23
I got a bit of free advertising in the Columbia Tribune, thanks to Mr. Pete Bland, whose tweets I follow and enjoy and recommend: @xblandx.
I'm not going to claim I had any influence on this matter, but I was very pleased to see on Friday afternoon that the MU Baseball program deigned to announce publicly the names of the recruits who have signed to play for the Tigers. And they did it on Twitter: @MUTigerBaseball

2012 Mizzou Recruit: Bralin Jackson, OF

2011-11-11T20:15:00.000-06:00

Bralin Jackson

Bralin Jackson, OF
6'1", 186 lb, R/L
Raytown South HS (KC)

@MUTigerBaseball on Twitter:

Congrats to Bralin Jackson (OF) from Raytown South in KC

♦ 2010 Baseball Factory PVP & Under Armour Baseball Factory Top Prospect

♦ Notes From Area Code Games BP (baeballamerica.com, 8/6/2011)

Outfielder Bralin Jackson comes from Raytown South High in Raytown, Mo. and is one of the rare players that bats righthanded and throws lefthanded. Listed at 6 feet and 178 pounds, Jackson has a wiry build with long legs. He showed a whippy swing with a lot of bat speed that produced lots of hard contact and a big BP home run.

♦ White Sox Team Report (Midwest): Area Code Games (prospectwire.com, 8/12/2011)

In a previous report I mentioned outfielder Bralin Jackson as a player of interest. To me he looked like he could really run with the way he was moving on the bases. Now, his times to 1st base weren't great but I think that is more of a reflection of how he gets out of the box. I really think he is going to hit and hit with impact results. He is not a big kid, listed 6'0" 178 but his hands and his swing are those of a heavy hitter. He made a lot of hard, lively barrel contact and I love how he drives his hands inside and through contact, resulting in the ability to drive the baseball in the middle of the field. He has that backwards R/L profile but it seemed to have worked for Rickey Henderson! Ok, he doesn't compare to Henderson but others in the bigs are Ryan Ludwick and Cody Ross.

♦ Area Code Games presented by New Balance: Report #1 (prospectwire.com, 8/7/2011)

The other player I liked was Bralin Jackson (6'0" 178, R/L, Raytown, MO). Jackson looks like he is a flier and he showed me lively hitting hands too. I am looking forward to bearing down on him some more tomorrow.

Mizzou Recruits signed this week

2011-11-11T14:19:00.001-06:00

A round of applause for the new Tigers.
And for MU Baseball for announcing these signings.

The planets aligned and the fog of mystery dissipated on this auspicious and unprecedented day of 11/11/11, and the wholly unexpected came to pass:

Today on Twitter (a public forum), posted by @MUTigerBaseball:

Still waiting on a couple NLI's but we would like to proudly welcome the 8 newest #Tigers to our family... #MIZ
Congrats to Gerrion Grim(RHP) from Fort Zumwalt South HS in StL & Peter Fairbanks(RHP) from Webster Groves HS in StL (@peterfairbanks)! #MIZ
Congrats to Hunter Haynes (LHP) from Mexico HS in Mexico, MO & Alec Rash (RHP) from ADM HS in Adel, IA! Welcome fellas! #MIZ
Congrats to Paxton De La Garza (@Paxton5) from Coronado HS in Lubbock, TX & Griffin Goodrich (@itsGriff_Good) from Kirkwood HS in StL! #MIZ
Congrats to Bralin Jackson (OF) from Raytown South in KC & Sean Ullrich (OF) from Marquette HS in StL (@sullrich15)! #MIZ
That's all for now #Tiger fans but as mentioned before we are expecting two more NLI's by the end of the day today!

We have information about all but one of those recruits already on SimmonsField.com. We'll have more on Bralin Jackson this weekend.

2012 Mizzou Recruits: Peter Fairbanks signs

2011-11-11T13:53:00.000-06:00

♦ High School Senior Inks Deal to Play Baseball at MIZZOU (webstergroves.patch.com)

Statesmen pitcher Peter Fairbanks has signed a letter of intent to play baseball for the University of Missouri at Columbia. Fairbanks, a senior at Webster Groves High School, plans to major in economics at the university.

Last spring, Webster Groves Coach Steve Mazzola called Fairbanks a great athlete and said a few colleges were looking at him at the time.

11/11/11 @ 11:11:11 AM

2011-11-11T11:11:00.018-06:00

No, the world has not ended.

There are still 98 days until Mizzou baseball begins. . .

. . . and KU still sucks.

SEC Dixie-nary: B is for Ballparks

2011-11-11T03:00:00.001-06:00

B is for Ballparks

There's been much said that Mizzou's Taylor Stadium won't compare well to the other SEC ballparks. While there are some huge and impressive baseball stadiums in the SEC, don't be fooled into thinking that playing in the SEC is like playing at Yankee Stadium every weekend.

East Division

♦ Florida Gators: McKethan Stadium

Opened 1988
Capacity 5,500
In addition to the entertaining brand of college baseball, fans enjoy spacious seating close to the field in the beautiful Florida sun. They are treated to theatre-like field-level seating, quality conÂcession areas, an outstanding scoreboard featuring up-to-date player statistics, clean restrooms and abundant parking, along with a first-class press box for media covering the Gator program.

Always looking to improve its facilities, McKethan Stadium underwent a $350,000 plaza development project in 1996 that produced a new main entrance and created a plaza/courtyard atmosphere for fans surrounding the main grandstand. Construction over the previous summer had added 1,000 seats to the main grandstand to replace seating lost through prior construction and press box expansion. (gatorzone.com)

♦ Georgia Bulldogs: Foley Field

Opened: 1996
Capacity: 3,291
Video tour of Foley Field
The stadium's capacity of 3,291 includes all chairback seating. From 1990-2010, the seating area was a mix of chairback and bleachers, however new green chairbacks were installed throughout the stadium for the 2011 season.

The grandstand area is covered by a partial roof with both concession stands and rest rooms located in the stadium. A new playing surface and drainage system was installed in the summer of 2003. There are indoor and outdoor bullpens and indoor hitting cages. The lower portion of the stadium includes a spacious locker room, players lounge, a coaches office, an equipment room plus exercise and athletic training facilities.

Kentucky Wildcats: Cliff Hagan Stadium

Opened: 1969
Remodeled: 2002
Capacity: 3000
The renovations in 2002 were divided into three categories. The stadium now has 2,000 chair-back seats and a state-of-the-art press box. Featuring radio and television broadcast booths, the new media facility is among the best in the SEC, complete with elevators and restrooms for working press and game management personnel. Able to accommodate a capacity crowd of 3,000, Cliff Hagan Stadium also has two luxury skyboxes that are available for private parties.

Phase two added the construction of traditional, old-style brick walls, reminiscent of classic American ball parks. Extending down both the left and right field lines, the walls meet a freshly painted hunter green outfield fence that replaced the older blue fence. Updated logos and advertisements were also placed on the structure that continues its 340-365-390-350-310 dimensions. (ukathletics.com)

South Carolina Gamecocks: Carolina Stadium

Opened: 2009
Capacity: 8,242 (6,600 seated)
Among the numerous amenities for fans, there are five luxury suites and two club-level seating areas with lounges, a Gamecock store just inside the main entrance in the outfield plaza, along with a picnic terrace that accommodates around 120 people down the left-field line. The scoreboard towers 86 feet (26 m) over the left field wall and features a 28-by-16 foot video screen.

Tennessee Volunteers: Lindsey Nelson Stadium

Opened: 1993
Remodeled: 2009-10
Capacity: 3,712
Phase I was completed in time for the 2009 baseball season. This phase included $400,000 improvements to the field and expanded seating down the first base line.

A new team locker room, club area, weight room, and training room were also constructed to enhance the facilities used by players to prepare for games. Phase I also included new coach and administrative offices and a plaza above the right field line seating to provide an easy gathering space for fans and additional concessions and restrooms.

Phase II renovations were completed for the 2010 season. This phase included the construction of 370 MVP Field Level seats, which are designed to bring fans closer to the game than ever before while also providing a meaningful contribution to the Campaign for Tennessee Baseball.

Located directly behind home plate, these seats feature chairback seating with cup holders and access to an interior club room where fans can enjoy refreshments prior to and during the game. New batting cages will be constructed along the right field line with a playground above the cages for children to enjoy during the game. This phase also includes improvements to the visiting team locker room and a brick facade on the field interior. (utsports.com)

Vanderbilt Commodores: Hawkins Field

Opened: 2002
Renovated: 06,07,09
Capacity: 3,700
Hawkins Field serves as the home of the Vanderbilt Commodores and with recently completed facilities it stands as one of the top college baseball parks in the country. Now in its ninth season of existence, Hawkins Field greets all fans with chairback seats close to the field of play, a 35-foot wall in left field that promises unique opportunities for excitement and a first-rate field that prevents bad hops and promotes dazzling defensive gems from the infielders and outfielders alike.

With a brick and rod-iron fence design, Hawkins Field features a classic baseball park atmosphere coupled with a modern design that includes more than 2,400 chairback seats and a state-of-the-art press box. (vucommodores.com)

West Division

Alabama Crimson Tide: Sewell-Thomas Stadium

Opened: 1948
Renovated: 1996, 2001
Capacity: 6,571
The stadium is commonly referred to as "The Joe".

Currently referred to by many as "The Joe", Sewell-Thomas Stadium has been the home of Alabama's baseball team for 62 years, but has undergone many changes. The complex has undergone two major renovations in 1996 and again in 2001. A video board was added in 2007.

The most recent additions came during the 2010 season as the Crimson Tide clubhouse, meetings rooms, coaches locker rooms and team room were completely renovated, giving Alabama one of the finest clubhouses in college baseball. In addition to the expanded clubhouse, meeting rooms and team rooms, the hallways and walls are lined with murals, depicting the deep history of Crimson Tide baseball.(rolltide.com)

Auburn Tigers: Samford Stadium – Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park

Opened: 1950
Renovated: 1006, 2002
Capacity: 4,096
The park's signature is its 37-foot (11 m) high left field fence, which is 315 feet (96 m) from home plate. The home team bullpen is located behind the left field fence, forcing media in the press box to use monitors to determine who is warming up.

Plainsman Park was first used as a baseball facility in 1950. In 1996, Auburn significantly renovated Plainsman Park, drawing inspiration from ballparks such as Camden Yards in their design for the park. In 1997, it was renamed Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park in honor of brothers Jimmy and Billy Hitchcock. In 2003, the facility was renamed Samford Stadium – Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park in honor of longtime trustee Jimmy Samford.

Arkansas Razorbacks: Baum Stadium at George Cole Field

Opened: 1996
Renovated: 03,04,06,07
Capacity: 10,737
Additional chairback seats were added for the 2003 season and the 2004 season saw 12 new luxury boxes and permanent coaches' offices added to the upper level. Two of the new luxury boxes and coaches' offices were made possible by contributions from the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, Bob and Marilyn Bogle, the Pagnozzi Charities, John Tyson and Stan Ley.

Adding to the character of the park, a new state-of-the-art scoreboard complete with video board, message center and a traditional hand clock was built in right field. The scoreboard stands 39 feet high and is 76 feet wide and features four classic brick pillars.

Perhaps the most treasured addition to the 2004 renovations was the addition of a natural grass field. A rye grass was initially used for the 2004 season, but was replaced by a hybrid bermuda grass in 2005.

Baum Stadium underwent renovations prior to the 2003 season as 2,600 chairback seats were added with 1,300 going down each foul line. In addition, the hitting and pitching cages were enclosed so Razorback players would have access to the facility year-round.

Perhaps the only thing that makes as big an impression on first-time visitors as the facility itself is the game day atmosphere within it. Between innings, fans are treated to the RBI Girls' performances atop the dugouts, interactive contests and prizes from UA baseball sponsors.

Fans can also enjoy a cookout at one of the many permanent barbeque grills provided in the picnic area beyond the left field fence in the Hog Pen. (hogwired.com)

LSU Tigers: Alex Box Stadium

Opened: 2009
Capacity: 10,326
Video: Behind the scenes at Alex Box Stadium
The Alex Box Stadium experience is a unique one, created by the greatest and most loyal fans in all of college baseball, combined with an enduring legacy of championships.

In February 2009, the LSU Baseball program moved into a new home, and all of the traditions, memories and excitement that make Tiger baseball truly special live on in the New Alex Box Stadium.

Now the LSU baseball legacy has moved 200 yards to the south into a state-of-the-art facility, designed to provide the resources necessary to sustain LSU's tradition of excellence while also accommodating in comfort the record-setting crowds that set Tiger Baseball apart from the rest of America

In the New Box, the Tiger baseball team enjoys 6,000 additional square-feet of locker and meeting room space, new batting cages and all the amenities necessary to field a consistent winner. (lsusports.net)

LSU's Alex Box Stadium

Mississippi Rebels: Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field

Opened: 1948
Renovation: 03,09
Capacity: 8,500 (6,100 seats)
Right Field Terrace: The hill beyond the right field wall was equipped with a seating area in 1993 that sits comfortably between the field and eight tennis courts. This has historically been a section for students. Since the 2000 season the area has undergone many improvements. What began as a gathering place for about one hundred students has grown into an area of about 1,000 students per game during conference season, and on big weekends between 3,000 and 4,000 students. Students routinely show up 2 or 3 hours before game time to wait on the first pitch. In the past few years, the students have started making t-shirts including ones that say: "Ole Miss - The best collegiate baseball atmosphere in America." Because of this atmosphere news crews from different college sports channels routinely show up to the right field student section.

Left Field Terrace: For many years there was nothing but trees and a parking lot beyond the left field wall. In 2006, the left field area, known as Oakes Pavilion, was renovated with a new scoreboard equipped with a large video board and the seating areas were upgraded with grills, picnic tables, and a play area for children. The left field area can hold around 2,500 fans and has become one of the more popular areas of the field. It's mainly reserved for the families and non-students. (wikipedia)

Mississippi State: Dudy Noble Field/Polk-Dement Stadium

Opened: 1967
Capacity: 15,000 (7,200 seats)
The aura of Mississippi State baseball at Dudy Noble Field is certainly not confined to the loyal legions in the impressive grandstand, pro-style luxury sky suites and bleachers.

In fact, some of the more highly-prized seats at Bulldog Baseball games are found beyond the outfield fence in the "Left Field Lounge". Waiting lists greet those seeking to purchase one of nearly 75 renewable season parking passes for an assigned position in one of three rows beyond the outfield fence. There, a colorful assortment of pickup trucks, motor homes, and trailers - most equipped with barbecue grills - line the outfield fence, completing a circle of humanity at Dudy Noble Field.

What began in the late 1960s as a popular gathering spot for baseball-loving MSU students now forms college baseball's largest tailgate party. A 10-foot wide boardwalk has since been added to the area between the outfield fence and the first row of outfield terrace parking

♦ Texas AM Aggies: Olsen Field

Opened: 1978
Renovated: 2011-12
Capacity: 7,053
The dimensions of the field are 330 feet down the foul lines, 375 to the power alleys and 400 feet to centerfield. The wooden fences around the outfield measure eight feet in height with the exception of centerfield, where the height is 20 feet. Beneath the grandstands are dressing facilities for both teams, a separate dressing room for the umpires, a modern training room and a groundskeeper's storage room.

A new indoor hitting facility was built down the left-field line that features batting cages and bullpens for the Aggie baseball and softball teams to workout in inclement weather.

A new state-of-the-art scoreboard, featuring a LED video board was unveiled in 2000. The scoreboard was the first on-campus, college-baseball scoreboard of its type in the United States.

To make attending games more convenient for the fans, a trailer park with water, electricity hookups and a dump station has been built. There are 40 hookups for recreational vehicles. The park complex was dedicated on October 3, 1982. The park honors Mr. Olsen's wife, Elsie Duncan Olsen.

2012 Mizzou Non-Recruit Tyler McSparran

2011-11-10T15:46:00.002-06:00

The Rest of the Story:

I received a note from a source close to Tyler McSparran.

He assures me that Tyler never intended to come across as "faking" a National Letter of Intent to Mizzou. He was merely tweeting about his intent to transfer to MU.

"The comment he made about playing baseball was a joke to a friend because he asked if he was playing a sport. Tyler hasn't played baseball since high school, and does not have any desire to do so. He didn't fake anything. Hope this clears things up."

So basically, this seems to have been the result of someone who failed to remember that Twitter is a public forum, and never expected his posts to be discovered by some random Mizozu Baseball-obsessed blogger searching for the terms "officially a Missouri Tiger", in search of recruits.

Tyler started this with his Twitter humor, but I'm the one that turned it into a "story" that caught the attention of other bloggers, newspaper reporters and TV sports reporters.

Welcome to Mizzou, Tyler.

(Confused? Read the previous post on this mystery.)