Point your Internet Google machine to www.twitter.com/pingbaseball for Ping!Baseball tweets.
 


Despite an impressive resume, Dallas Baptist was on the outside looking in when Regional invites were handed out last season. Look for Austin Knight and the Patriots to remove any doubt this year and play late into the spring. You can follow Austin and his teammates' quest throughout the season by checking out his blog here.



Share

There's more than one way to skin a laptop!

ALL PING!BASEBALL FRESHMAN TEAM

The inaugural Ping!Baseball All Ping! Freshmen Team, Ping! Freshman Player of the Year and Ping! Freshman Pitcher of the Year were announced today by the Ping!Baseball. The rosters were selected by the Ping!Baseball staff after countless hours searching rosters for the premier freshmen players in the nation. Each year college baseball teams lose hundreds of quality players when the student-athletes graduate or advance their game to the professional level. However every spring a new crop of future stars arises to replenish the lineups. This year’s group is especially talented, with a number of competitors being good bets to spend their future summers swinging lumber instead of aluminum in the professional leagues.

This year’s offensive team includes the Freshman Player of the Year, North Carolina first baseman Dustin Ackley. Ackley, a Walnut Creek, NC, native, who models his game after another highly lauded first baseman, Pete Rose, has been hitting well over .400 for the entire season with astonishing plate discipline for any player, let alone a freshman. Opposing pitchers have only been able to put Ackley down on strikes sixteen times all season. His ability to put the ball into play has paid off brilliantly for the Heels as they made another run to Omaha. He leads Carolina nearly every major offensive category including stolen bases.

The rest of the infielders are just as impressive. USC second sacker, Grant Green hit .316 for the Trojans with double digit doubles and triples. For the hot corner, Ping! selected Hofstra third baseman Matt Prokopowicz. The Pride slugger had similar number to Ackley, batting .416 with only 15 strikeouts in 197 at bats. The final infielder is Mississippi State shortstop Brandon Turner whose talented play was helped the Bulldogs reach the College World Series for the first time since 1998.

Behind the plate, Ping! chose Santa Clara catcher Tommy Medica who hit .373 his first season with the Broncos. The All Ping! outfield is made up of Anthony Gallas of Kent State, Gabe Cohen of UCLA and Miami Hurricane Mark Sobolewski. The young trio combined to hit .342 with nearly 30 homeruns and each had at least 20 extra base hits. Richard Jones from the Citadel, who mashed 15 homeruns for the Bulldogs, was named the All Ping! designated hitter. Jace Brinkerhoff from Utah Valley State batted .371 when playing third base and also pitched in 12 games, throwing two complete games to help lead the Wolverines to their highest win total since their move to Division I, and was named the First Team utility player.

On the mound, Vanderbilt’s Mike Minor was named the Ping! Freshman Pitcher of the Year by the slightest margin over Rice’s Ryan Berry. Both hurlers were major reasons their teams were consistently at the top of the rankings since the first pitch of the season. The tandem combinded to go 20-3 with more strikeouts (207) and innings pitched (206.2). The Louisville Cardinals may not be headed to Omaha for the first time in school history if it weren’t for their freshman ace Justin Marks who went 8-2 and only allowed 66 hits in 93 innings pitched. Arizona State’s Mike Leake will also be making the trip to the College World Series in his debut season. The Sundevil hurler has gone 13-1 this season and will be looking to get his 14th victory in Rosenblatt Stadium. Other starting pitchers who earned First Team honors include Rex Brothers from Lipscomb who was also named the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year, Brad Boxberger of USC who was the Trojans Friday starter for most of the season, Eric Erickson from Miami of Florida who went 10-4 in his first year with a 2.50 ERA and Jerry Sullivan from Oral Roberts who went a perfect 5-0 with a 2.04 ERA for the Golden Eagles.

First team relievers include Matt Bischoff of Purdue, AJ Griffin of San Diego and Stephen Strasburg who closed games for San Diego State. Bischoff, who was named 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was 3-2 this season with a 2.85 earned-run average and allowed only eight walks in 60 innings pitched. Griffin earned six wins and 11 saves for the Toreros during their breakout season and Strasburg showed a Tony Gwynn coached team can pitch as well as hit, emerging as one of the top closers in the Mountain West Conference, earning co-Freshman of the Year honors and second-team all-MWC accolades.

Catcher AVE G GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB
Medica, Tommy, Santa Clara
0.373
44
41
161
32
60
9
4
1
23
6
15
5
Second Team
Cortez, Cole, Jacksonville State
0.357
42
36
126
27
45
8
4
0
31
15
14
14
Klocke, Jim, Southeast Missouri State
0.324
56
56
179
38
58
10
0
4
38
34
13
3
Third Team
Whitmer, Jace, Kennesaw State
0.293
51
51
191
26
56
13
1
4
43
28
35
1
Lugbauer, Myckie, Maine
0.301
45
41
153
20
46
9
1
5
27
15
31
1
Honorable Mention: Prince, Josh, Texas; Smith, Drew, Saint Josephs; Petro, Danny, Eastern Tennessee; Ochinko, Sean, LSU; Peppenhorst, Kory, Eastern Illinois
 
First Base AVE G GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB
Ackley, Dustin, North Carolina
0.427
63
63
255
63
109
19
3
7
65
24
16
10
Second Team
Bour, Justin, George Mason
0.366
53
51
202
40
74
17
3
13
50
6
24
0
Kort, Shaun, Nevada
0.392
59
57
222
44
87
17
4
6
50
28
31
5
Third Team
Krauss, Marc, Ohio
0.369
52
48
187
41
69
19
1
8
42
35
37
6
Gomes, Yan, Tennessee
0.310
59
59
226
48
70
11
0
8
47
31
46
4
Honorable Mention: Aona, Bucky, Southen Utah; Eward, Chris, George Washington; Clayton Tom, Youngstown State
 
Second Base AVE G GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB
Green, Grant, Southern California
0.316
56
56
228
42
72
14
10
2
24
25
51
6
Second Team
Crawford, Evan, Indiana
0.333
51
50
183
30
61
13
1
1
30
12
35
18
Wells, Randy, Saint Marys
0.354
44
42
178
26
63
11
3
1
37
6
27
5
Thompson, TJ, North Florida
0.326
41
32
132
20
43
10
1
1
23
16
13
1
Third Team
Hood, Jordin, Northern Illinois
0.294
52
49
194
32
57
8
3
6
29
12
24
11
Zebroski, Tom, George Washington
0.314
52
48
169
32
53
4
0
0
23
19
14
11
Honorable Mention: Brooks, Robert, Auburn; Yoder, Ben, Bucknell; Kovanda, Cory, Ohio State; Carden, Mark, IPFW
 
Third Base AVE G GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB
Prokopowicz, Matt, Hofstra
0.416
54
54
197
41
82
11
1
6
52
17
15
8
Second Team
Pollock, AJ, Notre Dame
0.372
54
52
196
39
73
7
2
3
28
32
18
11
Stidham, Jason, Florida State
0.366
61
61
235
59
86
17
3
6
48
30
35
5
Third Team
Powers, Conor, Mississippi State
0.300
54
51
203
37
61
12
2
7
34
14
53
0
Parker, Steve, BYU
0.347
55
55
196
40
68
13
4
6
38
35
52
6
Honorable Mention: Dominguez, Chris, Louisville; Opachich, Chuck, Jacksonville; Campbell, Raynor, Baylor; Belfonte, DJ, Nebraska
 
Shortstop AVE G GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB
Turner, Brandon, Mississippi State
0.402
52
48
194
45
78
12
1
2
44
15
25
4
Second Team
Figueroa, Cole, Florida
0.332
58
58
262
48
87
12
0
11
50
19
29
7
Knight, Austin, Dallas Baptist
0.338
56
56
213
59
72
12
2
1
43
51
33
6
Third Team
Bellows, Kyle, San Jose State
0.343
60
60
236
48
81
14
0
6
47
24
41
3
Javis, Brandon, Savannah State
0.321
53
53
196
42
63
14
2
7
36
23
18
13
Honorable Mention: Abel, Robert, Arizona; Randhawa, KJ, Air Force
 
Outfield AVE G GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB
Gallas, Anthony, Kent State
0.332
57
55
211
44
70
14
1
10
46
32
52
4
Cohen, Gabe, UCLA
0.348
54
49
198
34
69
11
0
10
36
16
46
4
Sobolewski, Mark, Miami FL
0.347
60
60
251
46
87
16
1
7
52
17
56
14
Second Team
Songco, Angelo, Loyola Marymount
0.321
56
54
193
36
62
22
3
4
33
30
37
5
Choy, Ian, Canisius
0.358
51
46
173
15
62
12
1
1
26
22
17
2
Henry, Jordan, Mississippi
0.375
63
62
253
59
95
4
2
1
17
22
20
12
Kemp, Brian, St. Johns
0.348
56
56
230
53
80
10
2
1
33
16
24
25
Fedroff, Tim, North Carolina
0.358
54
47
173
44
62
7
5
4
36
18
16
5
Gonzales, Joey, UC Riverside
0.356
54
41
180
41
64
14
0
2
19
19
31
9
Third Team
Kuzdale, Robby, Hight Point
0.330
57
57
227
51
75
14
3
4
38
22
24
18
Dean, Blake, LSU
0.316
56
56
206
30
65
12
3
7
47
20
25
1
Richard, Myrio, Prarie View A&M
0.329
53
45
155
45
51
10
2
4
35
11
22
23
Foltz, Alex, James Madison
0.309
52
50
175
33
54
9
2
2
15
19
17
20
Roberts, Chris, Michigan State
0.331
44
43
145
23
48
6
1
2
27
19
18
3
Pilkington, Derek, New Mexico
0.342
41
34
120
21
41
9
3
2
16
19
35
3
Roberts, Aaron, Southern Illinois
0.349
56
55
218
52
76
5
1
0
17
19
28
13
Pizzuto, Bobby, Buffalo
0.314
44
41
172
25
54
4
2
1
26
10
27
12
Malloy, John, LaSalle
0.327
48
47
211
28
69
17
2
1
18
14
21
5
Honorable Mention: Smith, Kyle, Texas Southern; Coleman, Trevor, Missouri; Yoder, Luke, Cal Poly; Santomauro, Nick, Dartmouth; Smith, Blake, California; Evans, Darryl, Florida A&M; Wells, Stephen, BYU
 
Designated Hitter AVE G GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB
Jones, Richard, The Citadel
0.335
57
49
200
41
67
11
3
15
61
14
60
2
Second Team
Roller, Kyle, East Carolina
0.306
39
28
111
22
34
2
2
11
30
16
20
1
Schwaner, Nick, New Orleans
0.353
48
52
133
25
47
3
3
4
23
9
26
3
Third Team
Palincsar, Tim, UT San Antonio
0.304
58
54
207
56
63
13
3
6
37
30
48
13
Stephan, Michael, Stonybrook
0.328
48
44
134
36
44
7
0
3
16
26
18
0
Honorable Mention: Catricala, Vinnie, Hawaii; Madigan, Sean, UC Irvine; Anderson, Billy, Central Michigan
 
Utility AVE G GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB
Brinkerhoff, Jace, Utah Valley State
0.371
45
42
167
37
62
12
1
4
26
10
31
2
Second Team
Gilmartin, Mike, Wofford
0.313
57
57
240
51
75
9
0
13
47
18
41
3
Browning, Matt, James Madison
0.393
41
22
107
15
42
10
0
4
31
9
17
1
Third Team
Aliotti, Anthony, Saint Marys
0.320
50
50
172
23
55
2
0
1
37
30
38
2
Kimble, Scott, Longwood
0.336
49
46
149
35
50
9
1
2
29
7
25
9
Honorable Mention: Henderson, Chris, George Mason; Lee, Drew, Morehead State; Derbak, Richie, Eastern Illinois; Dorrell, Wes, Cal Poly; McGrew, Casey, Wright State; Palumbo, Dan, Lockwood, Jeff, Tennessee
Pitchers ERA W L APP GS CG SH SV IP H BB K
Berry, Ryan, Rice 2.71 11 2 21 18 1 0 0 116.1 102 32 119
Brothers, Rex, Lipscomb 3.51 7 4 16 16 1 0 0 95.0 68 57 93
Marks, Justin, Lousiville 2.61 8 2 17 16 0 0 0 93.0 66 29 77
Boxberger, Brad, USC 3.20 3 5 14 14 0 0 0 90.0 78 34 72
Minor, Mike, Vanderbilt 3.09 9 1 19 14 0 0 2 90.1 76 18 88
Erickson, Eric, Miami FL 2.50 10 4 16 13 0 0 1 90.0 84 16 63
Leake, Mike, Arizona State 3.57 13 1 22 11 2 0 1 110.2 101 27 85
Sullivan, Jerry, Oral Roberts 2.04 5 0 12 8 1 1 0 53 44 8 45
Bischoff, Matt, Purdue 2.85 3 2 14 6 1 1 2 60.0 55 8 61
Griffin AJ, San Diego 2.70 6 2 34 0 0 0 11 63.1 49 23 65
Strasburg, Stephen, San Diego State 2.43 1 3 25 0 0 0 7 37.0 18 15 47
 
Second Team ERA W L APP GS CG SH SV IP H BB K
Crnkovich, Steve, UIC 2.39 4 4 18 15 2 0 0 94.0 90 17 54
Musick, Wes, Houston 3.00 6 5 15 15 0 0 0 93.0 87 34 73
Buch, Ryan, Monmouth 2.44 9 2 14 13 1 0 0 81.0 67 37 76
Marciel, Wally, Kansas 3.94 5 3 19 10 0 0 0 59.1 60 18 47
Roth, Todd, Penn 1.98 6 2 13 9 7 2 0 68.1 57 14 62
McCully, Nick, Coastal Carolina 3.48 7 3 23 8 0 0 4 54.1 47 18 43
Claypool, Garrett, UCLA 3.54 3 1 24 7 0 0 4 53.1 44 18 35
Pendergast, Brian, Manhtattan 3.05 8 1 21 2 0 0 5 56.0 49 17 43
Kelly, Joe, UC Riverside 1.32 3 1 22 0 0 0 6 27.1 28 11 19
Matta, Mike, Mount Saint Marys 2.37 4 3 22 0 0 0 8 30.1 33 11 17
Robinson, Dakota, Centenary 3.16 2 4 30 0 0 0 4 57.0 55 7 37
Seander, Michael, Duke 1.61 0 2 28 0 0 0 9 50.1 43 12 46
 
Third Team ERA W L APP GS CG SH SV IP H BB K
Wymer, Josh, UT Pan American 3.74 5 7 16 16 4 0 0 110.2 106 45 65
Cropper, Daniel, UNC Wilmington 3.75 5 5 15 15 1 1 0 84.0 80 22 54
Zielinski, Matt, Richmond 3.30 6 5 15 14 1 0 0 90.0 94 29 70
Carter, Bart, Western Kentucky 4.13 6 5 19 12 2 1 0 85.0 82 37 64
Ridings, Matt, Western Kentucky 4.83 7 3 15 15 3 1 0 91.1 93 38 73
Heckathorn, Kyle, Kennesaw State 3.31 4 2 11 11 0 0 0 68.0 60 24 77
Dechert, Justin, Stetson 4.65 6 3 27 7 0 0 4 69.2 68 28 45
Perlman, Max, Harvard 2.91 5 1 7 6 3 1 0 43.1 40 8 30
Valcarcel, Miguel, St. Johns 3.60 6 2 13 6 0 0 0 40.0 39 10 28
Altbach, Brad, Bradley 2.66 7 2 22 4 0 0 5 61.0 56 22 37
 
Honorable Mention: Tootle, Ben, Jacksonville State; Nathan Baker, Mississippi; Tony Sedlmeyer, Purdue; Dallas Keuchel, Arkansas; Wheeler, Tim, Troy

 

 

Ping!Baseball on Facebook

Tshirtoutlet.com now 50% funnier