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Fighting Erstads at the Frisco Baseball Classic


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Frisco College Baseball Classic
March 1-3, 2019
Dr. Pepper Ballpark • Frisco, Texas

 

Friday, March 1 • 7 p.m. (CT)
#3 Texas Tech (Away) vs. Nebraska (Home)
Video Stream: FloLive TV
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Matt Waldron (1-0) vs. TBA

 

Nebraska leads the all-time series against Texas Tech, 31-21, dating back to the first meeting between the schools in 1990. The teams last met in March 2011. NU holds a 3-2 edge at neutral sites.

 

Players to Watch

  •     » Dylan Neuse (Sophomore INF/OF): Leads the team in batting average (.407), triples (2) and RBIs (13)
  •     » Josh Jung (Junior INF): First-team Preseason All-American batting .333 with three doubles and six RBIs
  •     » Gabe Holt (Sophomore INF/OF): Preseason All-American hitting .333 with one double and one RBI

 

 

Saturday, March 2 • 12 p.m. (CT)
Nebraska (Away) vs. Sam Houston State (Home)
Video Stream: FloLive TV
Radio: Husker Sports Network
Nate Fisher (1-1) vs. Nick Mikolajchak (0-0)

 

Sam Houston State leads the all-time series against Nebraska, 5-1, dating back to the first meeting in 1978. The two teams last met in February 2011. This weekend will be the first meeting at a neutral site, as each of the first six meetings took place at SHSU

 

Players to Watch

  •     » Gavin Johnson (Junior C): Leads the team in batting average (.409) and also has three doubles
  •     » Colton Cowser (Freshman OF): Hitting .357 with three doubles, eight RBIs and one home run
  •     » Clayton Harp (Senior OF): Batting .344 with a team-high 11 hits and 10 RBIs

 

Sunday, March 3 • 11 a.m. (CT)
Nebraska (Away) vs. #12 Mississippi State (Home)
Video Stream: FloLive TV
Radio: Husker Sports Network
TBA vs. TBA

 

Mississippi State leads the all-time series against Nebraska, 2-0, with both games taking place at the 1999 NCAA Columbus Regional. The Bulldogs took the first game, 18-14, and then eliminated the Huskers with a 13-7 win.

 

Players to Watch

  •     » Jordan Westburg (Sophomore INF): Team-high .360 batting average with 10 runs scored, two doubles and one triple
  •     » Tanner Allen (Sophomore INF/OF): Hitting .357 with a team-high four doubles and 17 RBIs
  •     » Jake Mangum (Senior OF): Preseason All-American hitting .310 with three doubles and five RBIs

 

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Mississippi State is selected to finish 4th in SEC West by College Baseball Daily:

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Mississippi State (2018 Record: 39-29, 15-15)

It was truly an unbelievable ride for Mississippi State in 2018 as they were swept by Southern Miss to start the year and lost their head coach. They went on to win the Tallahassee Regional after losing their first game 20-10. They then beat Vanderbilt in the super regionals to advance to Omaha.

Returning Players

Jake Mangum decided to come back for his senior season and will be a leader for this team. Last year he hit .351 with 63 runs scored, 22 doubles, 3 home runs, 33 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. Elijah MacNamee made a name for himself in the postseason and will join Mangum in the outfield. He hit .309 in 2018 with 40 runs scored, 8 home runs, and 42 RBI. Rounding out the outfield is Rowdey Jordan who hit .321 last year with 39 runs scored, 15 doubles, 7 home runs, and 37 RBI. First baseman Tanner Allen hit .287 a season ago with 42 runs scored, 5 home runs, and 45 RBI. Justin Foscue and Jordan Westburg will take on bigger roles in the offense as well this season.

Ethan Small returns to the weekend rotation after posting a 3.20 ERA last year in 101.1 innings pitched with 122 strikeouts. Riley Self had a 3.51 ERA out of the bullpen in 2018 with 20 strikeouts and a save in 25.2 innings pitched. Cole Gordon (4.26) and Keegan James (4.34) will be a big part of the bullpen as well. Spencer Price is expected to be back healthy in the bullpen this year after missing 2018 with an injury.

Newcomers

“Newcomers that could play a prominent role include JT Ginn, a first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers that chose MSU over the MLB. Ginn could factor in at the plate, but will have an almost immediate impact in the rotation. The freshman duo of Christian MacLeod and Eric Cerantola, along with JUCO transfer Tyler Spring, will all look to have an impact out of the bullpen or in the rotation. At the plate, freshmen Landon Jordan and Hayden Jones have an opportunity to see time in the lineup, while JUCO transfer Gunner Halter has the ability to contribute. Freshman Bryce Brock is another two-way standout that could see time on the mound at first, but can work into the lineup.” – quote provided by MSU Athletics Department

Outlook for 2019

“Bringing back so much offensively is a little deceiving, as the Bulldogs carried a .277 batting average for the season in 2018, but the growth of the returners, coupled with some young talent, could prove to be a great thing for Mississippi State. The pitching staff is deep and talented, though it will have some young arms in key spots. The combo of Cole Gordon and Riley Self will be huge in the back-end of the bullpen. In short, growth at the plate and quick maturation of some of the young arms would be two keys to getting off to a quick start and maintaining that through a beast of an SEC slate.” – quote provided by MSU Athletics Department

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Predicted Order to Finish – West:

1. LSU

2. Arkansas

3. Ole Miss

4. Mississippi State

5. Auburn

6. Texas A&M

7. Alabama

 

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Texas Tech has been selected to win the Big XII according to College Baseball Daily:

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Texas Tech (2018 Record: 45-20, 15-9)

The Red Raiders put together a challenging schedule last season and I think it helped them in their run to the College World Series. Their schedule is even more challenging this season.

Returning Players

Josh Jung returns as one of the best players in the country after hitting .392 last season with 69 runs scored, 17 doubles, 6 triples, 12 home runs, and 80 RBI. Outfielder Gabe Holt hit .348 in 2018 with 70 runs scored, 6 home runs, 44 RBI, and 29 stolen bases. Second baseman Brian Klein hit .317 a year ago with 50 runs scored. First baseman Cameron Warren hit .326 last year with 10 home runs and 53 RBI. Catcher Braxton Fulford and outfielder Cody Masters are expected to step up in the lineup.

Caleb Kilian was great last year with a 3.24 ERA in 72.1 innings pitched with 63 strikeouts. John McMillon could be back in the weekend rotation after posting a 4.02 ERA last year in 62.2 innings pitched with 73 strikeouts. Erikson Lanning and Caleb Freeman add depth to the pitching staff.

Newcomers

Hitters: OF Max Marusak, INF Dru Baker, INF Dylan Neuse, C Cole Stilwell

Pitchers: LHP Mason Montgomery, RHP Micah Dallas, RHP Bryce Bonnin

Newcomers

“Lineup has a chance to have some length and athleticism 1-9. Should be able to defend with the best of them. Pitching will have depth with a combination of power and pitchability. Team has potential to be one of our best ones yes.” – Head Coach Tim Tadlock

 

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Predicted Order to Finish:

1. Texas Tech

2. Baylor

3. Texas

4. Oklahoma

5. TCU

6. West Virginia

7. Oklahoma State

8. Kansas

9. Kansas State

 

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Sam Houston State selected to win the Southland Conference according to College Baseball Daily's Preseason Poll:

 

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Sam Houston State (2018 Record: 39-20, 24-6)

Sam Houston State had a great 2018 regular season with some big wins over Vanderbilt, Baylor, and Houston. And despite being ranked most of the year, they were left out of the postseason after going 1-2 in the Southland Tournament.

Returning Players

Outfielder Hunter Hearn hit .294 last year with 39 runs scored, 12 doubles, 9 home runs, and 39 RBI. Clayton Harp will also be back in the outfield after hitting .323 in 2018 with 34 runs scored, 5 home runs, and 29 RBI. Jordan Cannon will take on a bigger role in the offense this season as well after hitting .259 last year.

Hayden Wesneski has a chance to be the Friday night starter after posting a 3.50 ERA in 2018 over 97.2 innings pitched with 67 strikeouts. Seth Ballew became a solid weekend starter for them last year after posting a 3.00 ERA in 81 innings pitched with 57 strikeouts. Nick Mikolajchak posted a 4.19 ERA in 73 innings last year with 54 strikeouts working both as a reliever and as starter. Brad Demco is a two-way player who posted a 3.09 ERA last year in 23.1 innings pitched with 28 strikeouts.

Newcomers

Colton Cowser is a freshman who the coaching staff is very high on. He has a chance to play in the outfield and hit at the top of the lineup. Jackson Loftin has a chance to start at shortstop, while Diego Davila could hit in the middle of the order. Matt Dillard was drafted last season and will be an impact arm to add to the pitching staff.

Outlook for 2019

Sam Houston State is always focused on their execution as they pride themselves on doing the little things well in every game. They lose a couple of key players from 2018 in Andrew Fregia (draft) and Blake Chisolm (graduation/draft), so those will be big holes to fill in the lineup. They will look to some young guys to fill those holes, but they believe they have the talent to continue to score runs.

 

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Predicted Order to Finish:

1. Sam Houston State

2. Northwestern State

3. Southeastern Louisiana

4. New Orleans

5. Lamar

6. Central Arkansas

7. McNeese State

8. Houston Baptist

9. Texas A&M CC

10. Nicholls State

11. Incarnate Word

12. Stephen F. Austin

13. Abilene Christian

 

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