100 Days until 2012 Opening Day

♦ 2012 Tentative Schedule

♦ 2011 Fall Roster (unofficial)

National Letter of Intent Early Signing Period: 11/9 - 11/16

Brannon Champagne signs
Letter of Intent

Believe it or not, there is news this week that rivals the MIZ-SEC move in terms of importance to Missouri Baseball.  In fact, that official SEC announcement couldn't have come at a better time for MU's recruits that are still on the fence.

Today is the opening day for the Early Signing Period for National Letter of Intent.

We'll be tracking and report signings as the next week progresses.  Take a look at the verbal commitments we've already reported on.

If you have knowledge of a signee that we miss, please drop us a line at simmonsfield@hotmail.com.

♦ National Letter of Intent (ncaa.org)

NLI Signing Dates for Prospective Student-Athletes Enrolling 2012-2013:  Baseball, November 9-16

♦ National Letter of Intent reminders (InformedAthlete.com)

Coaches are not permitted to deliver the National Letter of Intent in person. Also, coaches are not permitted to be present when the prospect signs the NLI. The family of a prospect will sometimes ask if the coach can be present so they can get a picture together when their son or daughter signs the NLI. This is ok for Junior Colleges or NAIA schools, but not for NCAA coaches.

Read more at http://www.informedathlete.com/national-letter-of-intent-reminders

♦ History of the National Letter of Intent (ncaa.org)

The program was created in 1964 by a group of seven conferences, chaired by J. William Davis, a retired professor and faculty athletics representative at Texas Tech. The original intention was to curb recruiting excesses that began when college sports became a national endeavor with the increased television exposure of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Stories of schools luring away a football player even after he was enrolled on another campus paint a picture of the intensity of recruiting in this period.

To stop such behavior, some conferences formed a plan to issue “letters of intent,” documents recognized only within a conference that would keep other conference coaches from recruiting a student-athlete once he declared his intent to participate at a specific school. The plan worked well within the conferences that adopted the policy, but the effect was limited because it was not national in scope. Several attempts to codify the letter of intent nationally through the NCAA failed.

The Collegiate Commissioners Association developed a voluntary inter-conference letter of intent program, operated through conference offices. The “National Letter of Intent” certified that a student-athlete would attend an institution for one academic year. The form was signed by the prospect and his parent or guardian. The institution was required to offer an award of athletics financial aid to make the letter of intent valid. Recruits were informed of the recruiting rules from that point on and told that if they didn’t hold up their end of the deal, their athletics eligibility would be limited.

Read more at http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/2011-02-02/history-national-letter-intent

SEC Baseball Meetings

Annual Southeastern Conference Baseball Coaches Meetings are taking place this week at the SEC offices in Birmingham, AL.  Meetings take place Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, so coaches can maximize their time away from their home campuses, with just one night away.

MU's Tim Jamieson is participating via teleconference.  Texas A&M's Rob Childress is in attendance.


 

2012 Mizzou Recruit: Dane Gronewald, LHP

Dane Gronewald, LHP
6'6", 215 lb, L/L
Jefferson College (StL)
Winfield HS

♦ Dane Gronewald, a LHP origionally from Winfield HS, will be transferring to University of Missouri. (prepbaseballreport.com 11/7/11)

♦ 2011 stats (Jefferson College): 6-2; 2.79 ERA; 63 K; 15 BB; 68 2/3 IP

♦ 2010 stats (Winfield HS):  10-2; 1 Sv; 1.46 ERA; 94 K; 18 BB; . 67 1/3 IP;

♦ Threw back-to-back no-hitters against Elsberry and Bowling Green in April, 2010

♦ Drafted in the June 2011 draft by the Atlanta Braves (1,436th pick, 43rd round)

♦ Has played for Rawlings Prospects

♦ Led Jefferson College to the NJCAA World Series in 2011

♦ The most successful team in Missouri this spring was Jefferson College, which earned a berth in the Junior College World Series. The Vikings (43-20) may also have the best arm in the state, college or high school, in 6-foot-6, 215-pound freshman lefthander Dane Gronewald, who contributed a 6-2, 2.79 record to Jefferson’s drive to a national-tournament berth.

At athletic southpaw with a loose, deceptive arm, Gronewald can flash above-average velocity to righthanded hitters while neutralizing lefthanders with his off-speed stuff. (perfectgame.org, 5/27/11)

♦ Played for the Duluth Huskies in the Northwest League this past summer

♦ Gronewald pitches Winfield to semi-final win (St. Louis Post Dispatch, 6/4/2010)

Dane Gronewald dominated the Pembroke Hill bats in their Class 3 semifinal on Friday afternoon at Meador Park in Springfield. 

Gronewald allowed just two hits and struck out seven in a complete-game shutout as the Warriors defeated Pembroke Hill to clinch a spot in Saturday’s championship game. 

“Dane woke up ready to pitch today,” coach Trent Crenshaw said. “He knew that we were going to ride him. He’s given it to us all year. He’s definitely one of those kids you hate to lose. This was his last high school start. I’m proud of him for what he did.”

SEC Dixie-nary: A is for Atmosphere

A is for Atmosphere

The atmosphere at many SEC stadiums is unlike anything you've experienced at Taylor Stadium. Large crowds, including rowdy college students, consider SEC Baseball a participation sport. Mizzou fans have seen some of this kind of enthusiasm at some of the Big 12's Texas ballparks, but the SEC tops them all.  

Read, for example, Top 25 NCAA Division I Ultimate College Baseball Experiences and Take Me Out to the Ballpark.

In a CollegeBaseballInsider poll of 111 D-I coaches on the "best atmosphere in college baseball", 6 of the top 8 were SEC schools (LSU got 56% of the vote).  The other two of the top 8 were Texas and Texas A&M, one of which is soon going to be in the SEC.

Several of the SEC ballparks have special sections or areas for students and other rowdy fans.  These areas can foster a frenzied fan base (and can also foster some less desirable activities from over-lubricated fans - see Classic move by Van Horn at 5NewsOnline.com about Baum Stadium's Hog Pen.)

Part of the SEC atmosphere is SEC attendance. For the first time, the SEC drew over 2 million in total attendance in 2011. See the 2011 D-I Attendance details and rankings HERE

The best thing the MU Athletic Department could do is to offer some big promotions for the students to make some road trips to some early MU away games in the SEC. Get the student body excited about what a crazy college baseball atmosphere can be like.

Southern Exposure: Getting to know the SEC

♦ University of Missouri to join Southeastern Conference (mutigers.com)

The Southeastern Conference Presidents and Chancellors, acting unanimously, announced today that the University of Missouri will join the Southeastern Conference effective July 1, 2012, with competition to begin in all sports for the 2012-13 academic year.

And so it's official:  Mizzou will be switching from the Big 12 to the SEC on July 1st 2012.

Whether you think this is a good thing, a bad thing, or a questionable thing, Mizzou to the SEC is now a true thing.

There's going to be a steep learning curve to get to know our new conference and our new rivals.  Many of us have spent years - even decades - learning all about Big 12 Baseball and the intricate details of each of our Big 12 rival schools.  

I can tell you which Big 12 coach was shorter than Tim Jamieson.  I can tell you which Big 12 star player - now major leaguer - got so mad about a Friday night at Simmons Field that he got belligerently drunk at Columbia's Holiday Inn later that night.  I can tell you how well the fans of each Big 12 team travel to games in Columbia, and how they act when they get here.  I can tell you the strike zones and odd behaviors of Big 12 umpires.

I don't know hardly anything about SEC Baseball or the SEC teams, other than the general info most people know.

Between now and the beginning of the 2013 season, our goal at SimmonsField.com is to help with the learning curve.

•  We've already begun a series titled Southern Exposure, featuring links to articles about the various SEC teams, following what they're doing, who they've signed, what the coaches are saying.  We hope to learn as we go, picking up small pieces of information along the way, fitting them into the puzzle that is SEC Baseball.
  
  
• Over the next couple of months we're going to run a series titled Dixie-nary:  The ABCs of SEC Baseball.  We hope to highlight some of the key things we need to know about life in the SEC.
  
  
• During the 2012 season, we'll shift our focus back to the Big 12, since we still have one more season to play against our historic rivals.  We'll take a look back at Mizzou's history with each of the Big 12 teams.  We'll continue the Southern Exposure link posts, but otherwise we'll focus on the season at hand.
  
  
• Beginning in July, after the change officially takes place, our plan is to work our way through two series of posts:    

• The SEC Fan's Guide to Mizzou Baseball:  They need to get to know us just as much as we need to get to know them.  

• A series of Southern Exposure posts with details about each of our new SEC rivals, including traditions, oddities, and links to websites, blogs, forums and local media

The learning curve is going to be steep, but we have 15 months before Mizzou actually begins playing in the SEC.

If any SimmonsField.com followers have information or suggestions about details to include in our SEC curriculum, drop me a line at simmonsfield@hotmail.com

Southern Exposure: SEC Baseball in the News

♦ Tanner wraps fall practice (southcarolina.rivals.com)

Of course the question had to be asked.

"Do you see a national championship team from what you saw in fall practice?"

"I don't know about all that, but I never felt like in the other two years, it was that case either," South Carolina coach Ray Tanner said on Tuesday. "College baseball is very, very good. The SEC is the best. There are so many teams that could be national champions at the end.

"I know how difficult it is. You have to be very special as a team to have a chance, and that's all we're trying to do."

♦ No. 1 LSU receiver Randle likely a difference maker in matchup at No. 2 Alabama (sportsnola.com)

Following a stellar prep career at Bastrop High School that included three years as a starter, the Rams posted a 41-2 overall record while Rueben earned first-team Parade All-American accolades. Rueben had some tough decisions to make concerning his future. That future could have meant a college career in Tuscaloosa.

Randle excelled in both football and baseball and modeled his diamond skills after New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter. The Rockies, Angels and Phillies all showed interest in selecting him in the Major League Baseball Draft. He was also rated as the number two prep receiver in the nation, drawing attention from every major football power in the land.

♦ Ryan Theriot Adds to LSU World Series Legacy (sportsnola.com)

Former LSU star Ryan Theriot earned a World Series ring Friday night when the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers, 6-2, in Game 7 at Busch Stadium.

Theriot, a second baseman with the World Champions who played at LSU from 1999-2001, batted .271 in 132 games for the Cardinals during the regular season with 26 doubles, one triple, one homer, 47 RBI and 46 runs scored.

The Baton Rouge native appeared in 12 postseason games, including five in the World Series. He delivered a crucial RBI Thursday night during the Cardinals’ dramatic 10th-inning rally in Game 6.

LSU has had former players win World Series titles in each of the past two seasons. Relief ace Brian Wilson and infielder Mike Fontenot helped lead the San Francisco Giants to the 2010 championship in five games over the Rangers.

Seven other former LSU Tigers have played for World Series championship teams, beginning in 1954 when infielder Alvin Dark helped lead the New York Giants to the title. Twenty years later, Dark managed the Oakland Athletics to the ’74 World Series championship. . .

WVU to Big 12

This quote from a West Virginia sportswriter tells you a lot about the respect WVU baseball gets:

♦ What Excites Fans the Most About the Big 12 (wvmetronews.com)

9. TEXAS BASEBALL---Can't wait for Texas baseball coaching legend Augie Garrido to bring his Longhorns baseball team to Morgantown to play. I can hear the snickers from Longhorn players now when they walk into Hawley Field for the first time. Someone, no doubt, will say "okay this is a good place for batting practice but where do we actually play the game?'

Mizzou Baseball in the Majors: Kinsler All Post-Season

♦ All Post-Season Performers Team (mlb.com)

The 2011 MLB.com All-Postseason Performers presented by Intel were announced after the Cardinals outlasted the Rangers in a thrilling seven-game World Series, and not surprisingly the list is dominated by players from a Series that will go down in history as one of the best.

Albert Pujols of the Cardinals is at first base; Texas' Ian Kinsler is at second, and his double-play partner, Elvis Andrus, is at shortstop; World Series MVP David Freese of the Cardinals is at third; Mike Napoli of the Rangers is behind the plate; Michael Young of the Rangers is designated hitter; and the outfield is comprised of Ryan Braun of the Brewers in left, Chris Young of the D-backs in center and Nelson Cruz of the Rangers in right.
. . .
Second base: Kinsler. Chase Utley batted .438 in the shocking NLDS for the Phillies, and finished with the fourth-best postseason-combined OPS (1.259). Robinson Cano drove in nine runs for the Yankees with a pair of homers in their early exit. But Kinsler carried over the magic of his 30-30 season, batting .308 (20-for-65) with 10 runs, 14 walks and 11 RBIs, one of the easiest picks on this team.