Summer League Buckeyes: Burkhart named CCBL All-Star Alternate

Photo is property of the Boston Red Sox

HYANNIS, Mass. – The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox have a league-leading seven All-Stars in the 47th Under Armour Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game to be held on Thursday, July 23 at Boston’s Fenway Park.

Each 21-player team was selected in a meeting of the team’s 10 managers in Hyannis Thursday morning. The rosters are comprised of 10 starters, 11 reserves, and four alternate players.

Cotuit skipper Mike Roberts, coach of the defending West Division regular season champions, will lead the West All-Stars. Hyannis’ Chad Gassman, Wareham’s Cooper Farris, Bourne’s Harvey Shapiro, and Cotuit assistant Noah Scott round out the rest of the West coaching staff. The head coach of the East is Harwich’s Steve Englert after Kelly Nicholson, coach of defending East regular season champion Orleans Firebirds, deferred the head coaching role to Englert, coach of the defending league champion Mariners. Nicholson, Brewster’s Tom Myers, Y-D’s Scott Pickler, and Harwich assistant Peter Pasquarosa fill out the remainder of the East staff.

Y-D, which sits in a tie for second in the East Division, lead the way with seven All-Stars, including three starters: Micky Wiswall (Boston College), who is tied for the league lead with 18 RBI, shortstop Blake Kelso (Houston), and outfielder Austin Wates (Virginia Tech), who leads the league in hitting at .385. Infielder Tyler Hanover (LSU), and pitchers Chris Sale (Florida Gulf Coast), John Leonard (Boston College), and closer Tyler Burgoon (Michigan) are also headed to Fenway Park for Y-D next Thursday.

The other East starters include Orleans speedster Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton), Brewster’s power-hitting third baseman Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia), second basemen Colin Walsh (Stanford), and designated hitter John Barr (Virginia), along with Harwich outfielder Daniel Grovatt (Virginia). Chatham's Mike Murray (Wake Forest) starts behind the plate for the East and is backed up by Dan Butler (Arizona) from Brewster.

The starting pitcher for the East is Orlean’s Rob Rasmussen (UCLA) who comes into Thursday with a 0.96 ERA and 26 strikeouts in just 18.2 innings pitched. Rasmussen is joined by a stellar pitching staff that includes Orleans teammates Casey Gaynor (Rutgers) and Elliot Glynn (Connecticut), Brewster’s Kyle Blair (San Diego), Harwich’s Aaron Meade (Missouri State) and Chatham closer Russell Brewer (Vanderbilt), who is tied with Y-D’s Burgoon for the league lead in saves with seven.

Falmouth and Cotuit lead the way for West All-Stars, each providing five players on the 21-man squad. Falmouth’s outfield duo of Brian Fletcher (Auburn) and Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State), who is second in the league in hitting at .368, get the start in left and center fields. Joining them from Falmouth is shortstop B.A. Vollmuth (Southern Miss) and pitchers Patrick Cooper (Des Moines CC) and Taylor Wall (Rice).

Cotuit, also with five players on the roster, will send three starters: third basemen Zach Cox (Arkansas), outfielder Zach Cone (Georgia), and catcher Cody Stanley (UNC Wilmington). Another Cotuit catcher, Cameron Rupp (Texas), will back up Stanley on the All-Star roster. Pitcher Daniel Tillman (Florida Southern) gets the nod as a reserve.

Joining the Falmouth and Cotuit players in the West starting lineup are Bourne first basemen Kyle Roller (East Carolina), Hyannis second basemen Nick Crawford (UAB), and Hyannis designated hitter Ryan Cuneo (Delaware), who is tied with the aforementioned Mickey Wiswall for the league lead in RBI. Derek Dietrich (Georgia Tech) is the reserve infielder for the West. Starting for the West is Wareham’s Brandon Workman (Texas).

Two more of Workman’s teammates are on the West pitching staff: Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt), son of the former major leaguer of the same name, and Eric Pfisterer (Duke). Hyannis’ Dallas Gallant (Sam Houston), Bourne’s Stephen Harrold (UNC Wilmington) and Kevin Munson (James Madison) are also on the West staff.

Prior to the game, six players will partake in the Home Run Hitting Contest. Starting third basemen Jedd Gyorko (3 HR), Harwich’s Connor Powers (1 HR), and Brewster infielder Harold Martinez (1 HR) will represent the East Division. The West will be represented by Falmouth’s Hunter Morris (4 HR), Wareham’s Brett Eibner (2 HR), and Cotuit’s Kevin Patterson (3 HR).

Fenway Park gates open for the All-Star Game at 3 p.m. on July 23. Batting practice and autograph sessions will take place until the Home Run Hitting Contest at 5:15 p.m. The 47th Under Armour All-Star Game gets underway at 7 p.m.

The New England Sports Network (NESN) will provide a live telecast of the game. Local NPR affiliate WCAI (90.1 fm) will provide radio coverage. NPR’s Neal Conan will do play-by-play and the Cape League’s John Garner will handle the color commentary.

For tickets, visit any one of the 10 league parks, as the teams are competing to see who can sell the most tickets. Or call 617-REDSOX9 to order tickets. There is also a promotion to bid on being the "batboy/girl " for the game on www.capecodbaseball.org through Monday.


Photo Courtesy the-ozone.net

Burkhart who is spending the summer playing for the Hyannis Mets, was named a reserve to the west division all-star team as the roster was announced. The entire roster can be found here.

For the summer Burkhart is hitting .250 with the wooden bat appearing in 15 games. The Big Ten Player of the Year adds another honor to a memorable 2009 year. As were the previous to updates here on the Buckeye Nine, Burkhart is a grad of Cincinnati Moeller and like Wimmers and Oltorik, Burkhart will go a long way in the Buckeyes 2010 title defense.

Interview with pitcher Ross Oltorik

Photo Courtesy Jim Davidson and Dan Harker of the O-Zone.net

Deion Sanders, Michael Jordan, Ross Oltorik? The Buckeye Nine catches up ex-Moeller Crusader and two-sport star Ross Oltorik.


Throughout Ohio kids in every town, city, suburb, and countryside dream of one day playing football inside the Horseshoe, running out of the tunnel in Ohio Stadium, and owning a pair of Gold Pants for beating Michigan. Doing their best Joey Galloway, Eddie George, or Troy Smith impersonation, having the goal of being the second Mr. two-time, and having memories of colored in Scarlet & Gray, to become an Ohio State football is certainly the childhood dream of many.

In other neighborhoods, alleys, barns, and communities, the pastime of America lives on. Kids gathering in a sandlot doing their best Ken Griffey Jr. stance, high schoolers leading off first base with the quiet confidence of Kenny Lofton looking to steal second, and youth being served as kids who couldn't tell the difference of a 4-6-3 and 6-4-3 playing tee-ball with a joy and smile as big as Nick Swisher's custom grin. Hey kids dream of playing baseball too, and the potential chance of dawning the Scarlet & Gray in Bill Davis Stadium is just as big as the like in Ohio Stadium.

Unfortunately in life these dreams are nothing more than dreams. Maybe one kid from a town every three or five years and live the dream of playing a sport for Ohio State. To play both? Unheard of. Sophomore to be Ross Oltorik defines the odds. As a student-athlete at Ohio State, Oltorik can proudly show off the jewlery that comes with being a Big Ten Champion football player and Big Ten Champion baseball player. Now Jordan, and Sanders are world-class athletes in truly a class of their own. But Olrotik as Sanders did can say he played two sports at one of the nations premiere universities and athletic programs.

The Buckeye Nine was able to catch up with Oltorik, he was gracious enough to lend the B9 some time, hopefully providing an insight on being a two-sport athlete, but sense this is a baseball blog, also touching up on the 2009 season of the Buckeyes and what to expect in 2010.

B9: Just briefly the summer so far, how’s it going? Any baseball activity for you?



RO: The summer in terms of baseball activity for me has gone a bit on the slower side. And that is what I wanted. I got hurt towards the end of the year and I do not want to rush anything to set me back even further.

In the past week though I have thrown and I am working with my pitching coach from back home in Cincinnati. I may pitch for the Cincinnati Steam in the Great Lakes League towards the end of July.

Working out on the other hand has gone great. It is really nice to be home and relax. It had been a long year. I am eager to get back on the mound and feel like this coming year should be a great year for Ohio State.


B9: Obviously your summer baseball schedule has to work around or with your summer football schedule, as a two-sport athlete here at OSU, how are you able to handle both sports?


RO: The coaches were great last year with me playing two sports. I thought it may get a little rough with one coach trying to pull you away from the other, but all in all last year I have no complaints with that.

The football team was great with me pursuing what I needed in baseball and the baseball team was great with allowing me to miss the fall. I could not complain with the baseball team’s effort in allowing me to miss the fall other than me coming over a couple times a week to throw. The team when I came to baseball workouts after football was finished was very supportive and held no grudges on me for missing.

B9: Was being able to play both sports a decision that went into your recruitment and choice for school?


RO: Playing two sports here at OSU was huge in my decision to come here. During the recruiting process I was torn whether I should play football at the next level or baseball. I knew that I had to stick with baseball, but also I wanted to play football at the next level if that opportunity arose.

Some other schools were allowing me to play both, but the baseball team here was generous enough to give me what I needed financially as well as give me the opportunity to play football as well. I could not be thankful enough for what Ohio State has done for me thus far.

B9: Coach Tressel is synonymous with Ohio State football, as well as the school. Being able to play under him what is he like that most do not get to see?


RO: Coach Tressel is a class act. If I wanted to I could be here all day discussing how great of not only a coach but how great he is as a person.

Through this process of me maybe one day having to choose one sport he has been completely honest with me and has looked me in the eye and told me what he believes is the correct choice for me. He is a man of his word and that is why I feel he is where he is today.

So far I know if I need to talk to anyone about anything, I know I can always go to him. I know that Ohio State football is where it is today because of him. He is not only a person you can model your program around but you can model your whole university around him.

B9: Moeller has established a nice pipeline with Ohio State; you're a part of a team with 4 ex-Moeller athletes, what does that say about the program and level of baseball in Cincinnati?



RO: I feel that the level of baseball in Cincinnati has helped me become the player I am today. Having 4 kids from the same high school all within a year of each other says a lot. But at the same time I know that for each one of us, just being here at the college level is not enough we want to now make a name for ourselves as players. I feel that the background we have can aid us in doing that, but at the same time it will not just happen we have to put hours and hours in to get what we want.

B9: Does it help when you're on the mound and to already have had years throwing to Burkhart?


RO: Haha Wimmers is going to knock me but I have been throwing to Dan since I was about nine too haha. But the success Alex has had this year was just unbelievable to see and we all have been playing on the same team since we were about 8 or 9.

So, I was not just throwing to Dan in high school. I have been throwing to Dan pretty much my whole baseball career so far. A couple years in there we didn’t play on the same team but I feel like we both know each other pretty well and he makes me feel pretty comfortable out there.

B9: Unfortunately your season came to an end with an injury in early May. Just two weeks prior you had your best outing versus Ball State. Did you start to feel your stuff coming around as the season went on?


RO: Well, yes unfortunately I did end up with some bursitis actually in my shoulder in early May. As any one would be I was pretty devastated about that. I finally felt that I had got my mind right and ready to help the team out as much as I could. But, the injury did not allow that.

B9: Without having the luxury of participating in fall ball, did it take a few appearances for the best to come out?


RO: I felt that missing fall ball may have affected me a bit, but honestly I feel that my first couple outings I just did not have my mind right. I was trying to prove something to the guys and I was not being myself. I finally started settling in. My mechanics were not correct either, making my off-speed pitches not what they should have been. I figured that out against Ball State and started to be myself. As the season went on I felt that I was settling in and started to find my off-speed.

B9: Obviously any and every athlete hates injuries and want to perform at every possibility, though you weren't able to compete, how does the experience of being a part of a Regional and the time spent in Tallahassee play a role in both your personal and the teams progression?


RO: I am going to be honest with you here, not being able to play and compete the last month of the season completely sucked. But I can learn from what it’s like not getting the chance to play and know what it feels like.

Also, I was pretty disappointed but I did not attend Tallahassee. I feel like the coaching staff did not believe I was injured. I don’t know the reasoning on that but it was a choice they made and both parties need to go from here. I just started throwing the baseball off flat ground this past week and if I was not hurt I would have been playing for my summer team already this summer.

B9: Coming off of a Big Ten championship, Ohio State is only losing 3 seniors to graduation, and returning starters in nearly every position, I'm sure the goal is there to repeat, but are you and your teammates expecting a repeat? Is it a "hey the championship comes through Columbus" mindset?


RO: I feel that our team’s expectations are not only a repeat but we expect to get out of the Regionals this year. We know we can do it; it’s just if we are going to stay focused. As a pitcher I know I need to try not to overuse my arm throughout the season as well as everyone else, so at the end of the season we are at our best. We have a humble team but I know in the back of their minds they are thinking the championship comes through Columbus.

B9: Without giving too much away, what are the keys to your success as a pitcher? What types of pitches do you throw and as a result what tells you when you're on your A game?


RO: For me when I am on my game I feel that it’s when I am able to establish my off speed. I throw a 2 and 4 seem fastball, a curveball, and a circle-change. I have been working on slider. But I feel that if I can establish my off speed and make every pitch look the same then I know for me that I am feeling my best on the mound. That goes for any pitcher, but if I can do that every time out no matter the result of what the hitter does I will be happy.

B9: Any personal goals you have for 2010 and thoughts on what the Buckeye faithful should see from Ross Oltorik?



RO: I have some personal goals that I tend to keep in my heart. But I know if I continue over the summer getting better and just being myself then I will help this team out tremendously.

I hope to put my team in position to win each and every time I go out there. And I will do whatever it takes to help the Buckeyes win a 2010 Big Ten championship.

The Buckeye Nine wants to thank Oltorik for taking the time to be able to answer the questions and provide some insight into not only being a two-sport athlete, but being a Buckeye pitcher as the Bucks in 2010 are on the title defense. Oltorik was a highly sought after recruit coming out of Moeller in 2008. The Buckeye Scout had Oltorik the 3rd best player in the state and the top right-handed pitcher in the 2008 class. With a healthy Oltorik the Buckeyes present a danger to many teams across America as they look to build upon their Regional berth, and pitching will be the key to a successful season. Good luck to Oltorik on the gridiron.

Summer League Buckeyes: Wimmers make Cape rotation debut

Photo Courtesy Bourne Braves

Better late than never. Cliche? Yes. story of the summer for Buckeye All-American pitcher Alex Wimmers in his time in the prestigeous Cape Cod Baseball League? Yes.

You can't fault Wimmers for the tardiness in making his first start as a Bourne Brave, he spent two weeks in late June competing for a spot on Team USA's collegiate roster which is an OK excuse. It wasn't in the cards for the ace to be selected as one of the 22 college players to represent the Red, White, and Blue of America, but the Red, White, and Blue of the Bourne Braves will gladly have him on their team.

Wimmers made his CCBL debut July 5th against the Wareham Gateman. Ironically, though it was a game played in the heart of New England, a quick glance at the box score would have made it seem like another day in mid-April as Indiana University's Blake Monar was on the mound for the opposing Gatemen. Wimmers topped Monar and the Hoosiers on their Florida trip, winning 2-0 in a complete game shutout, while Monar gained a bit of revenge defeating the Buckeyes during the Big Ten Tournament. In the rubber match Wimmers would take the upperhand.

Coming in to pitch the 6th and 7th innings was the right-handed flamethrower from Cincinnati Moeller. Wimmers who finished the 2009 season third all-time in single season strikeouts, and in the top 5 nationally, continued a to make opposing hitters look foolish. Wimmers would strike out two batters over the two innings, he would allow a two-out solo home run off the bat of Shea Vucinich in the 6th, but responded with a perfect 7th inning, that included a induced ground out off the bat of Indiana and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alex Dickerson. Wimmers and the Braves would win 8-5.

Wimmers return to the mound for an inning July 8th, as the Braves faced off against the Falmouth Commodores. Alex tossed a one walk, one strike out performance in pitching the 6th inning as the Braves would win 3-1.

After two solid outings in relief pitching, allowing one run in three innings, following a traditional five days length of rest, Wimmers made his debut in the Bourne rotation. The calendar showed July 13th, the opponent was the Orleans Firebirds, and the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year finally show the rest of the collegiate world what those in Columbus and cities across the Midwest knew. The Bucks have one of the nations best.

Wimmers pitched five very solid innings Monday night in a no decision, Braves loss. Wimmers allowed a solo home run to start the 4th, it would be just one of the two hits he allowed on the night. Three Firebirds reached base on walks, but six went down as strike out victims, a situation all too familiar for opposing hitters facing Wimmers. The box score for the night.

Wimmers numbers on the year after his first start are: 8 innings pitched, 3 hits, 2 earn runs, 4 walks, 11 strike outs. Oh and opponents are batting .111 off of the All-American.

After as fine of a season as you'll see out of a sophomore, to receive an invite to the Team USA trials, to come out on fire in the Cape, it appears the sky is the limit for Wimmers. This coming from someone who no-hit Michigan, it appears Wimmers might now just be scratching his potential. The Buckeyes as Big Ten Championships will be getting everyone's best shot, with a bullseye and microscope on Wimmers. With the way he's thrown against the cream of the crop, don't expect Wimmers to lose sleep over it as he anchors the Buckeyes in 2010.

Summer League Buckeyes: Roster changes

Just a few updates on where Buckeyes are spending the summer.

Cape Cod:

After not being name to the Team USA Collegiate Baseball roster, Alex Wimmers has finally arrived in the Cape and has started his summer with the Bourne Braves. Alex has appeared in one game, he threw two innings, allowed a solo home run, but that was the only hit against Wimmers. In those two innings, Wimmers struck out four, continuing the dominance we saw this spring that made him an All American.

Valley Baseball League:

The Valley was the exit of one Buckeye but the entrance of another. Joining Buckeye teammates Jared Strayer and Brian DeLucia this past week was catch Shawn Forsythe as a Rockbridge Rapid. Forsythe has appeared in two games, starting one, and is looking for his first hit of the summer after going hitless in his first five tries.

Great Lakes:

As one came in, one went out. Tyler Engle who was one of a trio of Buckeyes spending the summer as a Luray Wrangler has relocated and playing summer ball closer to home, but as found himself still in the company of a Buckeye. After hitting .313 in the Valley, Tyler Engle has found a spot on the Licking County Settlers roster for the remainder of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League season. Engle made his first appearance in a Settlers game last night as a pinch-hitter. Engle joins Eric Best as the Ohio State student-athletes participating in the GLSCL doubles from one to two.

I will do my best to keep everyone informed as to where the Buckeyes are spending their summers and how they are performing, as well as checking in with a trio of Buckeyes who are not on a wooden bat circuit but are day in and day out trying to improve their game as the Buckeyes in 2010 will look to defend their title.

Summer League Buckeyes: Best becoming one of the GLSCL's best

Photo courtesy Jim Davidson at the-ozone.net

I've been fortunate this season to snag an internship with the Licking County Settlers of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League that has teams here in Ohio and in Indiana. The GLSCL is a summer league that houses most of its players from the MAC, the Horizon Conference, a few DIII and NAIA schools, but sprinkled in will be the occasional Big Ten player from Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, and Indiana.

Most seasons the Buckeyes will have a little more than half a dozen of its players playing in the GLSCL, most notably with the Columbus All Americans who played their games out of Bill Davis Stadium, and the Delaware Cows. For the 2009 season and foreseeable future the All Americans and Cows removed themselves from the summer league eliminating two local havens for Buckeyes to play, and as a result only one Ohio State student-athlete graces a GLSCL roster this summer.

Eric Best the upcoming Senior left-handed pitcher from Olentangy Liberty in Lewis Center, OH, is spending his second summer with the Licking County Settlers. His two stints in the GLSCL is sandwiched around his 2008 summer in the Alaskan League.

The early disappointment in not seeing other Buckeyes this summer as I travel and call games involving the Settlers and the 8 other teams in the league has been washed away by the efforts and performances Best has put on. I've been able to call and provide commentary in two of Eric's three starts this summer and it has been a joy seeing Best take the mound throwing and reaching the potential he flashed at times this past spring.

On the year Best has appeared in three games all being starts, thrown 14 innings, allowing 3 runs all earned, striking out twelve while yet to yield a walk. As a result of his dominance Best is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA, a .241 batting average against a .92 WHIP surrendering just 13 hits in those 14 innings.

Best has thrived under the tutelage of Settlers pitching coach Kory Hartman who from 2005-2009 was the pitching coach at Ohio Dominican University here in Columbus. Hartman resigned from that position to become the first head coach in program history as the University of Northwest Ohio will be fielding its first baseball program starting in 2011. Hartman was able to develop two ODU Panthers into draft picks this past spring, and his knowledge and commitment to the pitching aspect of baseball has undoubtedly progress Best as a pitcher.

Best as the Buckeyes #3 and Sunday starter this past Spring did an admirable job, returning to the rotation after spending the prior season and summer working strictly as a closer. Best with 7-4 with a 5.95 for Bob Todd's Buckeyes during their Big Ten Championship season.

Though he was effective, there were times where Best would struggle to secure a quality start and go a solid 6 or 7 innings. In fact only twice in Big Ten play did Best go 6 innings, coming in the conference opening Penn State series and the Big Ten Championship clinching and season finale Iowa game.

When Eric struggled and conversely when he was on top of his game throwing late into games, Best's walks were the key issue. In 75.2 innings, Best placed 34 base-runners on via the free pass. When Best put a runner on base courtesy of a walk and throwing out of the stretch it appeared he was unable to fully get his breaking ball over and in for strikes and that produced an over-reliance of fastballs and compounding control issues. Also due to the lack of healthy arms, Best was a pitcher Bob Todd at times threw mid-week, following his summer start, not fully giving Eric the time need to rest and really work on finer aspects of his game.

This summer has been a completely different Best. Outside of having a set pitching schedule and numerous days off between starts, when he has started its been good. The excellence of Best goes further than issuing 0 walks in 14 innings. when the count goes 3-2, or 3-1, he is able to locate his off-speed pitches and getting his breaking ball in for strikes. Being able to keep hitters off balance has been a major part of Best's early summer success, in being able to throw three pitches for strikes allows him to really control at-bats and get out of trouble if it comes his way. Best has found the tools and pitching with effectiveness that made him a successful starter in his 2006 freshman season.

With the graduation of All American closer Jake Hale some assume the closer's role might go back to Best, given the way he performed as a closer in both the spring and summer 2008 seasons. Given the way I have seen him pitch this summer, the confidence he has, and the stuff he has shown, if Best does remain a starter, the Buckeyes in 2010 will have an entire weekend rotation that can lead them to a defense of the Big Ten Championship.

The Settlers play their games at Don Edwards Park in Newark, Ohio. Best's next start will probably come Tuesday July 7th, as the Settlers take on the Southern Ohio Copperheads. You can catch Settlers home games online, and listen to me and the voice of the Settlers Ben Bradley by following this link.

Buckeyes in the Minors: Luebke on Baseball America's All-Surprise Team

Baseball America Staff Report
July 3, 2009

The Padres tried to put Luebke on the fast track after drafting him in the supplemental first round in 2007 out of Ohio State. He wasn't ready, and had to go back to the Midwest League last year, but he's returned to form this year, earning his way to Double-A after going 8-2, 2.34 in the Cal League.

Luebke's numbers during the 2009 between the two levels: 9-2, 2.31 ERA, 84 strikeouts in 93 IP, 1.02 WHIP, .226 BAA.

Yahoo Sports/Rivals.com: NCAA draws northern ire with more February baseball

Minneapolis-While most fans equate March and spring with the start of the baseball season, a new NCAA legislative act will make college baseball in February a cold reality.

The NCAA Division I Legislative Council passed a legislative act April 20 adding one week to the college baseball season. As of Monday, 56 teams have petitioned against the new rule, including Minnesota.

The extra week, which will increase the college baseball season from 13 weeks to 14 weeks, will be added to the beginning of the regular season.

While one more week of baseball in February might not be a big deal to southern schools, northern schools such as Minnesota are not welcoming the idea of an extra week of early baseball.

“We are in favor of an extra week at the end of the season — not the beginning,” Gophers assistant coach Rob Fornasiere said. “The extra week goes against what the Big Ten stands for, which is creating parity and equality between teams.”

The legislative move adding one week has been placed in effect immediately, and the extra week of baseball will begin in the 2010 season.

For schools that object to the extra week of early baseball, there is an appeals process. Override requests, which are a formal appeal of the legislative action, can be made by any school. All 11 Big Ten schools have submitted such requests, according to Senior Associate Athletic Director Regina Sullivan . However, just having the Big Ten appeal is not enough.

According to Sullivan, it takes 30 of these override requests for the NCAA committee to reconsider their position. Even at 30 requests, the legislation is still in effect while the committee reconsiders its position. Only at 100 requests is the legislative action suspended pending a formal review.

The deadline to file such requests was Monday, June 29. The NCAA rule committee announced that a total of 56 override requests had been filed by the deadline. This ensures that the rules committee will review the new legislative move, but the extra week will continue to be in effect while the review takes place.

For programs like Minnesota, the short notice of an extra week of baseball leaves them in a precarious position.

“We have no budget for such a last minute thing,” Fornasiere said.

No budget to travel means Minnesota will likely be forced to make up those games by hosting a round-robin tournament. The tournament will be between fellow northern teams, he said.

Where those games will be played also is an issue of concern. The Metrodome — the Gophers’ usual home in the early part of the season — might not be available because of conflicts with already scheduled events.

Pending a successful appeal, northern schools will have to begin planning for an extra week of games to be played in early February.

While Fornasiere said he believes the academic overload of a busy 13-week schedule and the need to provide student-athletes with more of a break was the selling point of the additional week to the committee, it’s reasoning he’s not buying.

The motive of southern teams, who stand to gain three extra home games, as well as allowing their best pitchers to pitch in three more games, is the real motivating factor, Fornasiere said.

“The Big Ten has been doing [the current schedule] for years with academic success,” he said.

Further rule changes

The NCAA Baseball Rules Committee is in an off-year for creating new rules affecting game-play, meaning that no new rules will take effect for next season. However, issues are still discussed with the committee for possible installation in future seasons.

The committee is likely reviewing the issue of bat rolling, or when bats are tampered with illegally to increase performance. The discussion would then lead to looking at a rule change next year, when they convene for a full look at rule-changes.

Buckeyes in the Minors: Courtesy BuckeyeSports.com

The longer I'm in this "blogging business" a few things I have learned. First, if you have an idea, do it. Because second, if you don't someone else will.

Well I've been wanting to update the world on the former Buckeyes in the minor leagues and how they're doing. Unfortunately I've been struggling to find the time to sit down and do it, my apologies, with work, interning, and starting this new Ohio baseball site.

Fortunately, BuckeyeSports.com did took the time to look up and see how former players were doing. Kudos to the Buckeye Sports Bulletin for taking time and effort to follow some of our former Buckeyes, when up to this point, the Department of Athletics has embarrassingly put out little regarding even our current Buckeyes and their summer situations. They even plug the Buckeye Nine.


Talkin' Baseball and the Buckeyes
By Marcus Hartman
BuckeyeSports.com
Posted Jul 1, 2009

First, on Eric Fryer: the Yanks traded the outfielder who can also catch as part of a deal to acquire veteran third baseman Eric Hinske on Tuesday, a move MLB.com seems to think could have been in the works for a while:

The Pirates have had their eye on Fryer for over a year now, with Huntington noting that the Pirates tried to acquire him last year while Fryer was in the Brewers' system. Fryer, 23, has been playing with the Yankees' high Class A Tampa affiliate, where he made 55 appearances in left, five behind the plate and one in right this season. In 59 games, he's hit .250 with 11 doubles, two home runs, 24 RBIs and 34 runs scored. Fryer, a 10th-round Draft selection in 2007, has been assigned to high Class A Lynchburg, and the Pirates plan to develop him as a catcher.

New York originally acquired Fryer this past offseason after he had a huge season in Single-A for the Milwaukee Brewers organization...


Other MiLB performers of note this year (this is not a comprehensive list but rather some highlights):

Outfielder Matt Angle is hitting .282 with 24 stolen bases in 30 tries in 66 games for the Frederick Keys (Baltimore Orioles) in advanced Single-A in the Carolina League.

First baseman Ronnie Bourquin was recently called up to Double-A Erie in the Eastern League after a torrid 62 games with West Michigan in low Single-A. For the Whitecaps, he hit .304 with 21 doubles and 47 RBI. He is off to a slow start with the SeaWolves, however, with seven hits in his first 23 at-bats (.174 average). He did hit a homer and a triple while driving in five runs in his first seven games in Erie.

Also sent to Double-A recently but having a much better go of it (and in the Southern League) is outfielder Doug Deeds, who is hitting .352 with an 1.011 OPS in 16 games with the Tennessee Smokies. The downside for Deeds? His move this season was down rather than up. He began the year with Iowa in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where he batted .264 with 15 extra-base hits in 47 games after being a non-roster invitee to spring training. He drove in 18 and struck out 37 times with 10 walks in Iowa.

A bit further down the line, Jack "J.B." Shuck entered July hitting .314 with 15 stolen bases and a .393 OBP through 70 games for the Lancaster JetHawks in the advanced Single-A California League. Among his 91 hits were 13 doubles and six triples in his first full year as a pro.

Turning to pitchers, we have two notable Buckeyes.

June 29, lefty Cory Luebke made his first appearance of the season in Double-A, and it was winning debut for the Maria Stein Marion Local product. Pitching for San Antonio in the Padres organization, he struck out four while walking one and allowing four hits and one run (earned) in 5.0 innings. That was after going 8-2 with a 2.34 ERA in 14 starts in the California League.

Meanwhile, second-year pro Dan DeLucia made his first appearance of the year with one inning for the Gulf Coach League Blue Jays in rookie ball June 23. He struck out one and walked another while not allowing a hit. (DeLucia, by the way, is a writer for the website ColumbusSports.com, and he chronicles some of his travels there, as you'll see if you follow this link).

As blog The Buckeye Nine pointed out last week, Luebke and Bourquin both took part in midseason all-star games in June.

With all that said, we have to leave you with some bad news: Former Ohio State LHP and the Cleveland Indians' starter in the home opener this season Scott Lewis will see Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion about his ailing pitching arm, says The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer.

Summer League Buckeyes: Armstrong and Rucinski shining in the Valley

Pitcher of the Day

Armstrong threw 7 innings against Front Royal, allowing 2 hits, 4 runs (2 earned), 3 walks, and striking out 9 while earning the win. Andrew's now 1-0, 3.86, with 12 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings so far this year.


Great to see Armstrong throwing well this summer. Armstrong battled injury in the spring and never was 100% and the results showed. In 2010 hopefully a healthy and mature Armstrong can help patch some of the pitching holes and woes the Bucks faced this season. Armstrong is on a Luray team with Buckeye pitcher Drew Rucinski who has seen time in the rotation, and shortstop Tyler Engle.

Rucinski's last start was just as impressive as Armstrong's. The rising Junior from Broken Arrow, OK threw 7 innings, allowed 4 hits, 3 runs (1 earned), 2 walks, 9 strikeouts in his June 27th start.

Rucinski who some say was the team's MVP, bridging the gap nearly by himself from starters to All American closer Jake Hale, was the Valley League's #1 pitching prospect after the summer of 2008. Drew has not slowed down in 2009. For the Luray Wranglers this summer Rucinski is 0-0 with a 2.12 ERA in 3 starts. In 17 innings Rucinski has struck out 16, walked 5, and gave up just 14 hits, limiting hitters to a .209 batting average against.

With the graduation of Hale, a new role might be found as Coach Bob Todd in 2010 shuffles the pitching staff to maximize the Buckeyes success.

Rounding out the trio of Bucks in Luray is Engle. Engle has seen action in 8 games so far, all starts, and is hitting .357 10-for-28 in those games.

Buckeyes in Summer Leagues

A quick rundown for what I've found so far for our Buckeyes playing in summer leagues. Reached out to the Baseball contacts in the Department of Athletics but have not heard back yet.

Cape Cod Baseball League
C Dan Burkhart- Hyannis Mets
P Alex Wimmers- Bourne Braves

Valley Baseball League
3B Brian DeLucia- Rockbridge
P Jared Strayer- Rockbridge
SS Tyler Engle- Luray
P Andrew Armstrong- Luray
P Drew Rucinski- Luray
2B Cory Kocanda Waynesboro

Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League
P Eric Best- Licking County Settlers

Atlantic Baseball Confederation Collegiate League
INF Ryan Cypret- Jersey Tides
INF Zach Nowland- Jersey Tides

I'll touch more of this in a bit. Just a quick rundown for those interested.

Buckeyes in the Minors: Fryer involved in Yankees trade

NEW YORK -- Eric Hinske has been acquired by the New York Yankees from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a pair of minor leaguers.

Pittsburgh will receive right-hander Casey Erickson and outfielder Eric Fryer for the utilityman. In addition, the Pirates will give the Yankees cash.

The 31-year-old Hinske hit .255 in 106 at-bats this season with nine doubles, one homer and 11 RBIs, playing right field, first base and third base.



Well this is interesting. I have a Q&A with Fryer I was going to put out this week as I start to dig into summer ball action with current Buckeyes and MiLB/MLB action with former players. Oh well.

Fryer was acquired by the Yankees this past off-season, coming over from the Brewers organization. Fryer had the 2009 season to this point in High A with the Tampa Yankees. After starting out slow Fryer's bat has started to come around. Would assume Fryer will be sent to the Pirates High A team Lynchburg, in the Carolina League.

Buckeyes in the Minors: Luebke & Bourquin provide All Star highlights

Two former Ohio State Buckeyes were at center stage in minor league baseball All Star games played last night across American. Cory Luebke the 63rd overall pick in the 2007 by the San Deigo Padres, Ron Bourquin the 50th overall pick in the 2006 draft by the Detroit Tigers were at the forefront of their team's ASG victories.

Luebke the 2007 Big Ten pitcher of the Year is currently playing for the High A Lake Elsinore Storm of the California League in the Padres farm system. Luebke leads the California League in wins with 8, ERA at 2.34, innings pitched with 88.1, WHIP at 1.02, and is third in strikeouts with 80. With the Carolina-California League All Star being played at Lake Elsinore's home field, Luebke being the starting pitcher was an obvious choice.

In the All Star game that pits the best from the California League against the best of the Carolina League, Luebke took the mound and was in control. Pitching 2.0 innings, Luebke allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3, pacing the California All Stars as they would win the game 2-1 in extra innings.

Luebke's dominance in 2009 thus far combined with this being Cory's third stint with the High A team will likely make the Padres brass promote Luebke here shortly. The next rung on the ladder would be to see Luebke can do at the AA level playing for the San Antonio Missions of the Texas League.


Going from the California coast to the heart of the country, in Clinton Iowa, the Low A Midwest League All Star game was being played.

The 2006 Big Ten Player of the Year and current West Michigan Whitecap Ronnie Bourquin was equally as impressive as ex-teammate Luebke, this time providing a show with the stick.

Bourquin who was selected a Midwest All Star after hitting .304 in the first half of the season, along with 47 RBI that is 4th best in the league, and 21 doubles ranking 5th best, showed he belonged with the elite of the league. With the East All Stars already up 2-0 in the 4th, Bourquin took a 3-1 pitch and planted over the leftfield wall for a 3-run home run that would prove to be the gamewinning hit and RBI in the East's 6-4 victory.

Bourquin was quoted after the discussing the 3-run bomb...

"I'm not a guy that usually hits a lot of home runs, I'm usually a gap to gap guy and I've come close on a lot of balls that I've hit," he said.

"[I was] just looking for something up there that I could drive to the outfield and get that runner in," he said. "He threw me a changeup and I was able to get a pretty good swing on it."

Given that this is Bourquin's 4th professional season, and it appears he responding well to Low A pitching, the Tigers are probably considring making the move to bump Bourquin up a notch and see if he can compete at High A with the Lakeland Tigers for the Florida State League. Bourquin would then become the 5th Buckeye for the time being if promoted at the High A level, joining 2007 draftee Eric Fryer in the Florida State league with the Tampa Yankees, another '07 draftee Matt Angle in the Carolina League as a Frederick Key, JB Shuck a 2008 selection of the Houston Astros who like Luebke is in the California League.

Midwest League All Star Game

California League All Star Game

Check back on the Buckeye Nine as well discuss former Buckeyes in the Minors and Bigs over the next few days, as well as catching up with current Buckeyes in their respective summer leagues.