JMU bats carry the day over Longwood
James Madison hitters piled up 14 hits and sophomore right-hander Trent Cundiff (Roanoke, Va./Northside) tossed two innings of shutout relief to lead the JMU baseball team to a 13-7 win over Longwood at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park on Wednesday.
The Dukes won their home opener for the fourth consecutive year to improve to 1-2-1 on the season. Longwood dropped to 2-2 overall. Continue reading “JMU bats carry the day over Longwood” »
JMU lefty named preseason All-America
James Madison senior left-handed pitcher Sean Tierney (Midlothian, Va./Clover Hill) was named to the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-America second team as announced on Wednesday.
Tierney, a six foot-five inch lefthanded pitcher from Midlothian, Va., earned the top spot in JMU’s starting rotation midway through last season after sitting out the previous two seasons due to a transfer from Virginia and an injury. From the time he became the ace, he posted a 5-0 record with a 1.99 ERA and .251 opponent average in 45 1/3 innings.
Overall, Tierney finished the season 10-1 with a 3.43 ERA in 63 innings. He was named third-team All-CAA, second-team All-East Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association and claimed CAA All-Tournament honors after pitching the first nine-inning shutout for JMU since 2006, allowing just five hits while striking out six in the CAA opening round against Georgia State. Continue reading “JMU lefty named preseason All-America” »
JMU’s Lowery college baseball’s top catcher
James Madison junior catcher Jake Lowery (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) was selected as the recipient of the 2011 Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award delivered by Papa John’s Pizza on Thursday night at a banquet hosted by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.
The award is handed out annually to the top catcher in all of college baseball and is named in honor of former Major League All-Star, MVP, World Series champion and Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, who was on hand to present the award.
“I got a lot of other great honors but this is the biggest one,” stated Lowery following the awards banquet. “Just being with the other guys as the three best catchers in the nation was great but to win the award is a great feeling. Just to cap off a great season like this is pretty special and I’m very thankful for it.”
“He’s very deserving of the honor,” added JMU head coach Spanky McFarland from Wichita. “I’m glad that the voters didn’t just casually vote for a big name school but actually looked at his body of work and his value to our team. We’re very proud of him and I know his parents and teammates are all proud of him. It’s an award shared by everyone involved with the program.”
Lowery was joined at the banquet by fellow finalists Mike Zunino of national runner-up Florida as well as Chris O’Brien of Wichita State. After spending the afternoon hosting a catching clinic for local youth, the three finalists attended the banquet along with their head coaches and family members.
The entire time in Wichita left a lasting impact on Lowery. He commented, “It’s been a rush. Getting here was crazy with airport connections. I got to see my parents for the first time in a few weeks. Coach Mac and even [assistant] coach [Jason] Middleton came to the banquet. Then of course getting to meet Johnny Bench, a Hall of Famer and the best catcher in baseball history, that was a great experience. The clinic with the kids was great; there aren’t a lot of catching clinics out there. Then being in the hospital and visiting kids and signing autographs, the whole experience was neat and it’s been awesome.”
Previous winners of the award include TCU’s Bryan Holaday (2010), Oklahoma’s J.T. Wise (2009), Florida State’s Buster Posey (2008), Mississippi State’s Edward Easley (2007), East Carolina’s Jake Smith (2006), Southern Cal’s Jeff Clement (2005), Cal State Fullerton’s Kurt Suzuki (2004), Stanford’s Ryan Garko (2003), Alabama’s Jeremy Brown (2002), Baylor’s Kelly Shoppach (2001) and LSU’s Brad Cresse (2000). Lowery is the first Colonial Athletic Association player to win the award and just the second to be named a finalist (Chris Henderson, George Mason 2009).
Lowery orchestrated one of the most offensively dominant seasons in school history in 2011 and added solid defensive marks as well. In addition to the Bench honor, he has been rewarded with six different All-America honors, including First Team by Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America, Second Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Perfect Game along with being a national all-star selection by College Baseball Lineup.
A fourth-round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Lowery took a brief leave from the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the New York-Penn League in order to attend the banquet. The nation’s collegiate RBI and total bases leader is picking up where he left off, leading the New York-Penn league with 27 total bases and ranking third with 10 RBIs and first with six doubles while hitting .313 for the Scrappers, who sit in first place in the Pinckney Division at 9-4.
In his junior campaign at JMU, Lowery batted .359 with 22 doubles, eight triples, 24 home runs, 91 RBIs, 80 runs scored, 200 total bases and a .797 slugging percentage. He set or matched JMU and CAA records for RBIs, home runs, extra-base hits (54) and total bases in a season. He also finished fourth in CAA history with 80 runs and seventh for slugging percentage.
Lowery finished as the nation’s leader in runs (80), RBIs (91) and total bases (200). In fact, his 91 RBIs are the most by a college player since 2008 Bench Award winner Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants catcher) had 93. Lowery also finished second nationally in slugging percentage (.797), fourth in on-base plus slugging (1.239), second in home runs (24) and fourth in triples (8). Not to be overlooked defensively, Lowery ranked second in the nation prior to regionals for runners caught stealing with 34 and threw out 43% of runners for the season while posting a .994 fielding percentage.
In addition to the Bench Award, Lowery was one of 30 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award and one of 36 on the watch list for the Dick Howser Trophy, both given to the nation’s top player. Collegiate Baseball newspaper bestowed upon Lowery the fourth First Team All-America honor in JMU history. He was the CAA Player of the Year, First Team All-CAA, selected to the CAA All-Tournament Team, honored on the NCAA All-Regional Team and named First Team All-East Region by the ABCA.
As a team, JMU went 42-19 overall in 2011 while winning the regular season in the CAA at 21-9 and claiming the program’s second CAA Championship with a 3-0 run in the league tournament. The Dukes won multiple games in a regional and finished as the runner-up in a regional for the first time since 1983. They established season records for games (61), runs (541), RBIs (486), triples (27), hit batters (85), sacrifice flies (47) and innings pitched (550 1/3).
McFarland reflected on the significance of the award in relation to other accomplishments in program history. He added, “Obviously when Kellen Kulbacki won his award in 2006, that was huge. We’ve had two-time Players of the Year and a Pitcher of the Year. But the fact that this was voted on by other college coaches means a lot to me. It’s not just one media outlet or a few select coaches but he was picked by a large group of coaches from across the nation. It was a special night and neat experience.”
Lowery will now return to Mahoning Valley for games Friday and Saturday before then traveling to Lubbock, Texas for the 2011 College Baseball Hall of Fame annual awards banquet. There he will join other national award winners for one combined college baseball banquet. The college baseball awards show can be viewed Tuesday evening, July 5, at MLB.com.
Three 'Hoos, two Dukes pick up All-America honors
Virginia’s Danny Hultzen (Jr., Bethesda, Md.), Branden Kline (So., Frederick, Md.) and Will Roberts (Jr., Richmond, Va.) each were named All-Americans Wednesday. Hultzen was named a first-team All-American at the utility position on the Baseball America and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-America teams. Kline was selected as a First-Team NCBWA All-American as a relief pitcher, while Roberts was named a Second-Team NCBWA All-American as a starting pitcher.
The first three-time All-American in Virginia history, Hultzen is 12-3 this year with a 1.49 ERA, which is sixth lowest in Division I. He also has struck out 151 batters, which ranks second among all Division I pitchers. He has become Virginia’s all-time career leader in wins (32) and strikeouts (381) this season and also is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. Hultzen was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year for the second year in a row and was the second pick in the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners this year.
In 108.2 innings this season, Hultzen has allowed 26 runs (18 earned), 72 hits and 20 walks. Batters are hitting just .189 against him. He also has been a force at the plate and has seen more at bats this season. He is batting .335 with 35 runs batted in. He owns 10 doubles, two triples and a home run in 2011.
Kline is 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA and 17 saves this year. He ranks sixth nationally in saves and is one shy of the UVa and ACC records in that category. In 37.2 innings, he has allowed nine earned runs, 27 hits and 18 walks while striking out 49. Batters are hitting .213 against him. He also is a finalist for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award.
Roberts is 11-1 with a 1.57 ERA this year. He ranks 11th nationally in ERA and 14th in wins. In 102.1 innings, he has allowed 18 earned runs, 72 hits and just 13 walks while striking out 91 as batters are hitting .204 against him. He was a fifth-round draft choice of the Cleveland Indians last week. He also is a semifinalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award, which is presented by the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Virginia opens play in the College World Series at 2 p.m. Sunday (ET) against California.
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James Madison teammates Jake Lowery (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) and David Herbek (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) were already All-Americans and recent pro draft picks, but the pair recent added several more All-America honors to their portfolios.
Lowery collected First Team All-America honors from Baseball America along with Second Team from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. He was also one of 40 players in the nation chosen to College Baseball Lineup’s Division I All-Star Team.
Herbek was named a First Team All-American by the NCBWA, making him just the fifth First Team All-American in program history (Lowery, Kellen Kulbacki 2006 & 2007, Billy Sample 1976). The honor gave JMU two First Team All-Americans in the same season for the first time.
Announced June 6 as one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award, Lowery was then drafted Tuesday, June 7 in the fourth round (No. 128 overall) by the Cleveland Indians in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. He anticipates signing his professional contract Wednesday evening, June 15, and will report to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in Niles, Ohio. The Scrappers are the Indians’ Class A Short Season affiliate in the New York-Penn League and open the season Friday, June 17 at home against the Jamestown Jammers.
Meanwhile Herbek was announced June 10 as one of 10 finalists for the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation’s top shortstop. He was also drafted on June 7, taken in the 15th round by the Chicago White Sox. Herbek signed his pro contract on Sunday, June 12 and reports this week to the Great Falls (Mont.) Voyagers, the Rookie League affiliate of the White Sox in the Pioneer league. The Voyagers begin their season on the road on Monday, June 20 at the Billings Mustangs.
Lowery finished one of the most dominant offensive seasons in JMU history batting .359 with 22 doubles, eight triples, 24 home runs, 91 RBIs, 80 runs scored, 200 total bases and a .797 slugging percentage. He set or matched JMU and CAA records for RBIs, home runs, extra-base hits (54) and total bases in a season. He also finished fourth in CAA history with 80 runs and seventh for slugging percentage.
Through the completion of the NCAA super regional round, Lowery leads the nation in runs (80), RBIs (91) and total bases (200). In fact, his 91 RBIs are the most by a college player since Florida State’s Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants catcher) had 93 in 2008. Lowery is second in slugging percentage (.797), fourth in on-base plus slugging (1.239), second in home runs (24) and fourth in triples (8). Not to be overlooked defensively, Lowery ranked second in the nation prior to regionals for runners caught stealing and threw out 43% of runners for the season.
In addition to being a Johnny Bench finalist, Lowery was one of 30 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award and one of 36 on the watch list for the Dick Howser Trophy, both given to the nation’s top player. Collegiate Baseball newspaper bestowed upon Lowery the fourth First Team All-America honor in JMU history. He was the CAA Player of the Year, First Team All-CAA and selected to the CAA All-Tournament Team.
Herbek previously was selected as a Second Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. He was named with Lowery to the 36-player watch list for the Dick Howser Trophy awarded to the nation’s best player. He was also among 25 semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award for the nation’s best shortstop.
In his senior season, Herbek led JMU with a .362 batting average. He posted 83 hits, including 20 doubles and 15 home runs. He scored 56 runs and drove in 76 while posting a .672 slugging percentage and .443 on-base percentage. His RBI total is second in JMU history behind only the 91 posted by Lowery this season and ranked sixth in the nation heading into the NCAA super regional round. He also ranks eighth for season doubles, seventh for season total bases (154), fourth for hit by pitches (17), first for season sacrifice flies (10) and 10th for assists (158).
For his four-year career, Herbek started 191 games and hit .341 with a .589 slugging percentage and a .952 fielding percentage, all at shortstop. He holds the JMU career records for hit by pitches (55, also CAA record) and sacrifice flies (25). He also ranks seventh in career at bats (745), sixth in games played (210), 10th in hits (254), sixth in runs (189), fourth in RBIs (195), second in doubles (62), sixth in home runs (35), fourth in total bases (439) and sixth in assists (506).
Draft Roundup: Five ‘Hoos, two Dukes, lead local MLB Draft selections
Five Virginia baseball players were selected Tuesday in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Rounds two through 30 were conducted Tuesday; Virginia’s Danny Hultzen (Jr., Bethesda, Md.) was selected in the first round Monday.
Virginia had three of its starting pitchers selected in the first 10 rounds, as Will Roberts (Jr., Richmond, Va.) and Tyler Wilson (Sr., Midlothian, Va.) joined Hultzen. Roberts was a fifth-round selection (158th overall) of the Cleveland Indians, while Tyler Wilson was a 10th-round pick (305th overall) by the Baltimore Orioles. Continue reading “Draft Roundup: Five ‘Hoos, two Dukes, lead local MLB Draft selections” »
JMU falls to UNC, ousted from NCAAs
North Carolina pulled away from a tie game after five innings to defeat James Madison 9-3 to win the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional and advance to the super regional round on Sunday night at Boshamer Stadium.
UNC, the overall No. 3 seed nationally and ranked 10th, swept through the regional by a three-game combined score of 27-3 to reach its fifth super regional in the last six years. The Tar Heels improved to 48-14 and will host the winner of the Fullerton Regional next weekend. Continue reading “JMU falls to UNC, ousted from NCAAs” »
JMU earns rematch with UNC
Junior right-hander Evan Scott (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) worked 7 1/3 innings and James Madison used a four-run second inning to defeat Maine 5-2 and advance to the championship round of the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional on Sunday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium.
JMU (42-18), ranked 28th by Collegiate Baseball, bounced back from its first loss in 11 games on Saturday night to eliminate Maine (32-23). The Dukes advance in the regional to face 10th-ranked and national No. 3 seed North Carolina at 6 p.m. Sunday night. The Tar Heels shut out the Dukes 14-0 Saturday. Continue reading “JMU earns rematch with UNC” »
JMU falls at #3 UNC
Senior right-hander Patrick Johnson struck out 11 over eight innings and North Carolina blew open a 4-0 game with a seven-run seventh en route to a 14-0 shutout victory in game four of the NCAA Regional in Chapel Hill on Saturday night at Boshamer Stadium.
UNC, ranked 10th nationally by Collegiate Baseball and the overall No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, improved to 47-14 and advanced to Sunday’s 6 p.m. regional championship game. Meanwhile, 28th-ranked JMU saw the nation’s longest winning streak come to an end at 10 games while falling to 41-18. The Dukes will battle Maine in a 1 p.m. elimination game on Sunday after the Black Bears beat FIU 4-1 to open the day. Continue reading “JMU falls at #3 UNC” »
JMU rallies for win in NCAA opener
James Madison charged ahead with a six-run seventh inning and sophomore D.J. Brown (Locust Grove, Va./Orange County) allowed three hits in 7 1/3 innings of relief in an 11-7 victory over FIU on Friday afternoon at North Carolina’s Boshamer Stadium.
JMU, ranked 28th nationally by Collegiate Baseball, ran the nation’s longest winning streak to 10 games to improve to 41-17. The Dukes, the regional’s No. 3 seed, advance to face the winner of Friday night’s game between No. 1 UNC and No. 4 Maine. No. 2 FIU, ranked 20th by Baseball America, fell to 40-19-1 and meets the losing team at 1 p.m. Saturday. Continue reading “JMU rallies for win in NCAA opener” »
JMU’s Lowery, Herbek earn All-American honors
James Madison junior catcher Jake Lowery (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) and senior shortstop David Herbek (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) have formed a formidable combination during the season and were rewarded Thursday being named to the 2011 Louisville Slugger All-America squads as chosen by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
Lowery was selected as the top catcher in the country with his First Team honor while Herbek was named to the Second Team. Together they are the 16th and 17th players in program history to be honored as a First Team, Second Team or Third Team All-American. They are the fourth set of teammates honored in the same season at JMU, the first to have both players listed as high as either First or Second Team. Continue reading “JMU’s Lowery, Herbek earn All-American honors” »
JMU lands in Chapel Hill Regional
Winners of an automatic bid out of the Colonial Athletic Association, James Madison baseball was given a No. 3 seed to the 2011 NCAA Championship and will face No. 2 Florida International on Friday at 1 p.m. at UNC’s Boshamer Stadium in the opening game of the Chapel Hill Regional.
In addition to JMU (40-17) and FIU (40-18-1), the Chapel Hill Regional also includes the tournament’s overall third seed in No. 1 seed North Carolina (45-14), which will square off with No. 4 Maine on Friday at 6 p.m. The losing teams meet at 1 p.m. Saturday and the winning teams at 6 p.m. The remaining one-loss squads play at 1 p.m. Sunday with the winner meeting the undefeated team at 6 p.m. If necessary, a final game will be played at 6 p.m. on Monday. Continue reading “JMU lands in Chapel Hill Regional” »
Dukes win CAA Tournament, clinch NCAA berth
James Madison plated six runs in the second inning and senior Alex Valadja (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic) limited Old Dominion to four hits over six innings to record a 10-1 win and capture the 2011 Colonial Athletic Association baseball championship on Saturday afternoon at Brooks Field.
JMU (40-17), ranked 30th nationally by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, improved the nation’s longest winning streak to nine games and won for the 13th straight time against CAA teams. The Dukes captured the CAA’s automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Championship and will learn their destination during Monday’s 12:30 p.m. selection show on ESPN. Continue reading “Dukes win CAA Tournament, clinch NCAA berth” »
