BC baseball's future with Brian Foley

As you know by now, Mike Gambino will be officially named as Boston College's baseball coach today, replacing Mik Aoki. I'm honored to have Brian Foley, editor of The College Baseball Blog, here as a guest-blogger to discuss the new era of Boston College baseball being ushered in.  Brian gives his views on the state of the program and even breaks some transfer news.


STG: Mik Aoki has recently left Boston College and gone to our Catholic enemies, Notre Dame. Though he was only around the Heights for four years, he was able to boast several accomplishments. What will Aoki's legacy at BC be?

Brian: Aoki's legacy will be that loss to Texas in the Regional round and how he brought that team to the NCAA tourney for the first time since 1967. Tony Sanchez and Mike Belfiore were recruited under the previous head coach Pete Hughes so he was living off of his predecessors recruits as the current BC team is fully Mik's recruits and they aren't that strong anymore.

You really have to question whether the BC team that made the NCAA Tourney in 2009 was Mik or Pete getting the kids into the program as Virginia Tech is on the rise right now.


STG: Boston College was fairly quick to hire former Eagle player, assistant coach, and current Hokie assistant coach Mike Gambino. What can you tell us about him?

Brian: Gambino is a very young individual to lead an ACC program as he is only 32 years old which makes him the second youngest coach in the conference after Erik Bakich at Maryland. Gambino has many connections to pro baseball as he has worked in the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers systems while working for the last four years with Pete Hughes at Virginia Tech.


STG: Boston College interviewed several candidates for the vacancy, including current assistant Steve Englert and Gino DiMare, a former assistant at Miami. Some of the names being floated were impressive; was Gambino the best fit for the job BC could have achieved?

Brian: If we look at this objectively, this is an interesting hire as Gambino has never been the top assistant coach in charge of recruiting in his career yet. It is very big jump from being the second assistant at an ACC program to being the guy that is running the program. BC is not a job coaches covet as they only have one full-time assistant coach which is pathetic for an ACC program. The only coach that was up for other jobs that interviewed at BC is Wright State's Rob Cooper who is highly regarded including a stint with Team USA as an assistant coach.


STG: The Eagles have lost arguably their three best players, Pat Dean, John Spatola, and Mickey Wiswall, going forward. Even with Aoki, I thought the Eagles would take a hit next year; in the short-term, what does 2011 hold in store for Gambino and his team?

Brian: Gambino will need to rebuild the pitching staff as Dean leaves the program as the number 1 guy. Mike Dennhardt will have to step into the number 1 starter role but he has been up and down this summer down the Cape where he is 1-3 with a 2.18 ERA in six starts. John Leonard has been about the same with a 3-2 record and an ERA of 1.76 in five starts. According to a source, Andrew Del Colle has decided to transfer out of the program as he was expected to contribute more during his sophomore year but had a terrible freshman campaign.

The hitters are not that great with Brad Zapenas and Anthony Melchoinda being the top two returning hitters. Neither of them are elite pro prospects and I don't see many pro prospects on the BC team besides Matt Watson who will be selected in the 2012 draft.


STG: Mik Aoki was able to bring in some good talent and compete in the stacked ACC despite poor facilities (though supposedly we're working on it), a smaller fan base, and a colder climate. Thinking long-term now, what's the prognosis for the Eagles program with Gambino at the helm, and what does BC have to do to stay relevant?

Brian: Gambino needs to get out there and protect his area. I was watching a Team USA game the other day and John Manuel of Baseball America stated that "Clemson represents New England in the College World Series." This has to be an embarrassment to BC baseball that a national writer would say this about the New England area. We also see Vanderbilt continuing to come to New England to get kids like Jason Esposito and Kevin Ziomek to name two players.

UConn is far ahead of the BC program in terms of talent on the team and they are developing the best program in New England right now.


Once again, thanks very much to Brian for joining me today. You may check out his work at The College Baseball Blog and follow his blog on Twitter @TheCBB or him personally @BFoley82.

Aoki defects to the dark side

The College Baseball Blog is reporting that BC baseball head coach Mik Aoki is ditching Massachusetts for the smug confines of South Bend.

What will be Aoki's legacy at BC?  He got us to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in my lifetime and has at least established a baseline of winning with consecutive winning seasons.  When we officially have a new head coach, who has been rumored to be VT assistant/BC alum Mike Gambino, I will profile him for all of you to see.

2009-2010 Best Moments of the Year

Expansion looks like it's fizzling out. School has been out for a month. Football is still a good two and a half months away. What the hell else is there to do?

In my largely futile quest for some new material, I remembered a segment I did on my old radio show at BC: at the end of the year, my co-host and I gave our five big sports moments of the season. Granted, that was college AND pro, but I can make a slight modification for this article. This is kind of like a BCDraft article, except there's only one of me.

I'll give you my top five Boston College best moments of the year. You may feel free to disagree.

5. Co-ed sailing wins national championship

I can't do all revenue sports, you know. In fact, the two big money sports provided several of the items for the next article (and you can guess what that is). Anyway, you can't watch this team, you can't follow this team, and you don't even really know how this sport works, but dammit, when a BC team wins a national championship, they should be recognized. Aside from hockey, this doesn't happen around here very often, so it's surely one of the best things that happened in BC sports this season.


4. BC's come-from-behind win over Miami in the ACC Baseball Tournament

BC baseball had an average season. Sure, they won their Baseball Beanpot, but these young men ended up providing us with one exciting moment last month. As usual, the Eagles' bullpen imploded late in the ballgame, eventually putting BC behind 10-5 going into the bottom of the 9th.

Boston College got a few hits and closed to within 10-7. There were two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and John Spatola was the tying run. Spatola hit a game-tying three-run home run to center field and sent the game to extras, where Andrew Lawrence hit a two-run walk-off bomb to give BC their only ACC Tournament win of the season.

Why did I pick this moment, you ask? For one thing, having watched this team since I was a student at Chestnut Hill, I'll submit that that was the most dramatic finish to a BC baseball game I've seen. More importantly, however, was the fact that this game showed the character we want BC teams to have: they didn't quit despite long odds. This is the same team that went toe-to-toe with the #2 team in the country in the NCAA Tournament for 25 innings last year, and this year, they kept fighting, even though the results weren't as good. This moment in BC sports was the last bit of excitement we had this season.

3. Hockey wins Beanpot

Any day BU hockey loses is a good day. Any day BC hockey beats BU hockey is a better day. Any day BC hockey beats BU hockey to win the Beanpot is even better than that. That's precisely what happened in early February: the Eagles took back the Beanpot trophy for the 2nd time in three years after winning a close game at the TD Garden.

And Chris Kreider, the freshman sensation, did this:

2. Herzlich declared cancer-free

I tried thinking of great football moments this season to put on this list. Lord knows there weren't any great basketball moments aside from the occasional Reggie Jackson posterizing dunk. What could that moment be? BC's win against Wake Forest? No; they should have won in regulation, and if it weren't for Riley Skinner's turnover, they would have lost. How about Montel Harris lighting NC State up for five touchdowns? Nice, but not as nice as what I picked.

It dawned on me that the best football moment of the season came in October when Mark Herzlich announced he was cancer-free and finished chemo. He is a remarkable young man with a remarkable story, and like the baseball team, he exemplifies the BC spirit. He was faced with long odds as well, but he did not give up. Unlike the ballclub, however, he was fighting for his life and not some game. Herzlich fought the fight of his life and won that battle. His victory was also ours; one that all Superfans, college fans, and ordinary people can respect.

1. Hockey wins national championship

What else can we say about this hockey team that hasn't already been said? Not much, so watch the video:

The next article will be the not so good.

2010 BC baseball stat review: Oh my

Well, no real breaking news here: Boston College was not selected this afternoon to go to the 2010 NCAA Tournament, breaking BC's tournament streak at a whopping 1 year in a row.  As you will see in a few moments, there are some specific reasons for that (coughpitchingcough).  It's disappointing for our seniors and likely draftees and it is quite likely the Eagles will take a hit next year as a result of the losses they will sustain, but we'll talk about that in 2011.

Now that Boston College baseball's season is officially over, it's time to break down their stats.  For purposes of comparison, I will stack them up against 2009 when, of course, they made the NCAA Tournament.  The only response I have to these stats is "Oh my," but not in a good context like George Takei said.

Overall Performance
The 2010 Eagles played in 58 games, going 30-28.  The 2009 Eagles played in 60 games, going 34-26.


Offense

Boston College's 2010 offense was similar in production to the 2009 version, despite losing several key bats.  Batting average (8th in the ACC) was lower, as were runs per game, but team OPS was up (though still nowhere near the conference leaders).  In virtually every major statistic, Boston College was about the 8th-best offense in the conference, but we all saw the way in which this team could put up runs most of the time.  That, I believe, is a testament to how good the rest of the ACC is at scoring runs.

Anthony Melchionda led the Eagles in 2010 with a .358 batting average, which was 12th-best in the conference.  The Eagles had five everyday players hitting over .300 this year: Melchionda, Robbie Anston, Brad Zapenas, John Spatola, and Mickey Wiswall.  Wiswall hit 19 home runs, tied for tops in the ACC with 4 other players; Spatola was right behind him with 17.

The offense bailed this team out several times this year; most recently on Thursday against Miami.  There were other games, however, where the Eagles had built up a big cushion only to see the pitching give most of it back.  If it weren't for the bats, Boston College likely would have been a sub-.500 team and almost certainly would not have qualified for the ACC Tournament.

Defense
The 2010 Boston College Eagles had a .979 fielding percentage this year, which was the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference (Virginia is in 2nd at .977, so it is possible that they may overtake BC before the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament).  Last year, Boston College fielded .972.

Pitching

If you still somehow didn't know what the main problem with the 2010 Eagles was, here it is.  You can see it for yourself on the stat sheet, or you can watch a repeat of Friday's ACC Tournament game: Boston College's pitching declined significantly from last season to this one.  Team ERA was over two runs higher than last year, opposing batting average went up over .300, and opposing OPS went up by over 100 points.  In other words, our guys were basically pitching batting practice this season.

Here's some more of the awful truth: BC's team ERA was 11th in the ACC, second only to a particularly bad Maryland club.  Opposing batting average was the same deal, with only the Terps keeping BC out of the basement.  The Eagles were dead last by a good-sized margin in strikeouts, having K'd 340 batters.  The 11th place team, Wake Forest, fanned 378.  For laughs, the top team in the conference, Miami, struck out 507.

Boston College's battery only picked off five runners all year, 11th in the conference.  Eagles pitching allowed 611 hits, only 9 shy of tying Maryland for last place in the ACC.  BC's 410 runs allowed was 10th in the conference.  BC's 254 walks allowed was second-worst.  BC's 64 home runs allowed was third-worst.  The Eagles led the conference with 10 balks and plunked 57 batters.  Any way you slice it, the pitching was terrible this year.  In fact, in all but a few categories, Boston College was in the bottom-third of the ACC in the vast majority of pitching statistics.  Did I mention that BC ace Pat Dean is probably going to be drafted into the pros?  That'll make things look a whole lot better I'm sure (denote extreme sarcasm).

A season-in-review article for BC baseball moving away from some of the statistical particulars will be forthcoming in June.  I plan on doing this in three parts: a football and basketball year in review, hockey year in review (they win the title, they get their own article), and non-revenue year in review, in that order.

FSU puts BC out of their misery 2 innings early

The day began with much promise for the Boston College Eagles on their heels of one of their most dramatic victories in the last several years.  It ended with a disgraceful defeat that saw Boston College eliminated from the ACC Tournament.

Not only did Boston College lose 12-2, but this was a "mercy rule" game -- Florida State took a 10-run lead in the bottom of the 7th, and per ACC rules, the remainder of the game was canceled.  Being honest, BC wasn't coming back, anyway, and the pitching probably would have given up a few more before all was said and done.

Starter John Leonard was not good at all, having given up 6 runs in 2.1 innings, done on nine hits and a hit batter.  Not to be outdone, the BC bullpen also gave up 6 runs, including the "mercy rule walkoff."  The BC offense apparently didn't save enough runs for today, either, and the combination of all of these three things make for a disaster.

This was an embarrassing loss for the Eagles; embarrassing enough that it could knock BC out of the NCAA Tournament.  On Wednesday I thought we were out, yesterday I thought we were in, and today I don't know.  These are the troubles with not only being on the bubble, but literally sitting right on the border.  We will find out BC's fate in a few days and neither outcome would surprise me.

BC beats Miami, or How I learned to stop worrying and love the walk-off bomb

It took a lot of home runs, but Boston College slugged their way to an ACC Tournament victory in Greensboro on Thursday.

Behind Mike Dennhardt, Boston College climbed out to a 4-0 lead, which evaporated in the 6th inning following a Miami home run and a bullpen fold.  BC got the lead back in the 7th on a home run, but gave it back in the top of the 8th.  The score was 5-5.

In the 9th, Miami spanked BC's bullpen for 5 runs, taking a 10-5 lead into the bottom of the 9th.  After a few timely hits, John Spatola hit a 3-run, 2-out home run to tie the game, eventually forcing extra innings.  The two teams would remain 10-10 in the 10th and 11th.

In the top of the 12th, Andrew Lawrence (remember that name for a moment) gunned down a Miami baserunner at home plate trying to score from second on a base hit.  This play ended the inning.  Andrew Lawrence's next big play would end the game, as he hit a two-run no-doubt home run in the bottom of the 12th to seal Boston College's 30th victory of the season.

The implications of this win are monstrous.  Having just beaten a Top 15 team (with a chance to beat another ranked team tomorrow), the Eagles may have just sealed their bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.  All will be revealed in a few days, but this was a crucial win and one hell of a ball game if I do say so myself.

Boston College may not be the best team out there, but they do not quit.  They went down to the wire with the #1 team in the nation yesterday and fought from 5 runs down to beat another very good team in Miami.  Their play in this ACC Tournament so far will be a big benefit to their tournament chances.

Eagles fall to Cavaliers in tourney's first game

Like so many other teams in so many other seasons, Boston College baseball made us believe that yes, they had a chance. Of course, it was not to be.

The Eagles lost to the #1 Virginia Cavaliers in the first game of the 2010 ACC Baseball Tournament by a 6-4 score in Greensboro on Wednesday.  Virginia struck for early 2-0 and 3-1 leads, but in the 7th, the Eagles came roaring back.  John Spatola hit a game-tying home run to center and Mike Sudol hit a go-ahead double a few batters later.  Unfortunately, that would be the last of BC's scoring.

Pat Dean started the 8th but walked the leadoff batter.  Mik Aoki went to Taylor Lasko who allowed the game-tying hit and loaded the bases, leaving Matt Brazis to clean up the mess, which he could not.  Virginia got two runs on a two-out single in the 8th and despite a BC threat in the 9th, that was the game.

This could have been BC baseball's biggest win in years, but instead, it's just another loss.  It seems unlikely that BC will do any damage in this tournament and furthermore BC's chances of making the NCAA Tournament have become even more remote.  The Eagles went for it all today and still came up short, and now, having burned their ace, things don't look particularly rosy.

In case you're interested, BC's 2nd game is tomorrow at the same time and on the same channel against Miami, another very good team.

BC in the 2010 ACC Baseball Tournament

As the 8th and final seed in the tournament, I can assure you that this will not be an easy ride. The 2009 Eagles came into this tournament as the very same seed and were a tiebreaker away from advancing to the championship game.

These are not your 2009 Eagles, however.

Boston College won their way into the field with a win on the final day of the regular season over Georgia Tech, but this team's pitching is, was, and will remain highly suspect. Furthermore, only half of BC's 14 ACC wins were against teams in this tournament, illustrating how BC fattened up on the bad teams.

Remember, this is not a tournament with a bracket. The 8 teams are divided into two divisions - A and B - where each team will play each other team once in a three-game round robin. The team with the best record in each pool at the end of the round robin plays for the ACC championship. Boston College sits in Division A and it looks like this:

BC will play each of those three teams. Here is a primer on those games:

Boston College vs. #1 Virginia
Initial reaction: Oh shit

Have we met?: Yes, and BC would probably rather they hadn't. Virginia swept the 3-game set in Charlottesville and outscored BC 22-5.

Offensive comparison: UVA .335 - 8.27 runs per game; BC .295 - 6.60 runs per game

Pitching comparison: UVA 3.48 ERA; BC 6.56 ERA

Analysis: Virginia is the best team in the country. Boston College is most assuredly not.

Chances of a BC win?: Virtually non-existent.

Boston College vs. #14 Miami
Initial reaction: Sigh

Have we met?: Yes, Miami won two of three games.

Offensive comparison: Miami .295 - 7.46 runs per game; BC .295 - 6.60 runs per game

Pitching comparison: Miami 3.58 ERA; BC 6.56 ERA

Analysis: The offenses are not far apart at all. The pitching is.

Chances of a BC win?: Minimal, though Pat Dean (if he pitches this particular game) has a tendency to shut this team down.

Boston College vs. #7 Florida State
Initial reaction: Please make it stop

Have we met?: Yes, Florida State won two of three games.

Offensive comparison: FSU .296 - 8.24 runs per game; BC .295 - 6.60 runs per game

Pitching comparison: FSU 4.46 ERA; BC 6.56 ERA

Analysis: Florida State looked kind-of beatable when they were in Boston not too long ago. Still, they'd be favored here.

Chances of a BC win?: Decent but less than 50-50.

Bottom line: This was a pretty bad draw for BC. The other division wouldn't have been too much better. All of the super-crappy ACC teams have been weeded out, and those were the teams which supplied many of BC's conference wins this year. The outlook is not very good. If BC is lucky, they'll steal one game out of three and go home.

Boston College in the ACC Tournament for the second straight year

With their mildly surprising 6-3 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon, salvaging one game of three in the series, Boston College (29-26, 14-16) has qualified for the 2010 ACC Baseball Tournament.  It took some timely execution and a great deal of luck, but BC will be the #8 team in the field of 8.  I know, it's not that glamorous, but at least they're in.

In last year's ACC Tournament, Boston College was the 8 seed and managed to win two games, but Florida State advanced to the championship game on the tiebreaker.  In a few days, I will take the liberty of reminding all of you about the tournament format and BC's place in it, breaking down all of the games the Eagles will play.  It begins with a round-robin, so BC will face three teams in their pool.  BC will play in the 1-4-5-8 seed pool, which means a game against Virginia (groan).  The ACC Tournament begins on Wednesday in Greensboro, NC.

The regular season finale victory meant BC's 14th ACC win, which is the most they have had in this conference.

ACC Tournament scenarios

Boston College is DOA in the ACC Baseball Tournament anyway, but this is how the last day of the regular season looks.  If my tiebreaker math is incorrect, forgive me:

Scenario 1: Boston College beats Georgia Tech
Result: Boston College qualifies for ACC Tournament

The Eagles own the tiebreakers over both UNC (common opponents record) and NC State (head-to-head sweep) and would clinch at least the 8th spot.

Scenario 2: Boston College loses to Georgia Tech, North Carolina beats Virginia Tech
Result: Boston College does not qualify for ACC Tournament

The Eagles would be 13-17 and Tar Heels 14-16.  NC State can finish no worse than 14-16 so it does not matter what they do in this case.

Scenario 3: Boston College loses to Georgia Tech, North Carolina loses to Virginia Tech
Result: Boston College qualifies for ACC Tournament

BC 13-17, UNC 13-17 (BC tiebreaker).

BC-Georgia Tech Baseball Preview

I did a little bit of guest blogging over for the good folks at From the Rumble Seat, a Georgia Tech blog.  Go check it out.

The week ahead

I'll be out of here for a few days, which means no time to blog (I know you're all crushed).  In any case, here's a quick overview of what is to come this week in BC sports, and it will be quick because there's only one thing:

*Baseball will host St. John's and Georgia Tech.  The Eagles beat Dartmouth on Sunday to get to 28-23 on the season, but that series against Georgia Tech is the only one that matters.  More to come on that later in the week, as it is against a high-ranked team (#6) and is their last regular-season series.  They're looking OK for the ACC Tournament but as far as anything else...well, let's just say BC has to seriously impress in the next week or so.

Literally no other BC sport is active on this senior week, at least according to BC's schedule.  On Wednesday, I'll take the opportunity to post some particular Boston College memories of mine which are relevant to this time of year.

BC baseball: Where are they now?

We're clearly a little thin on live Boston College sports, though the Eagles baseball team plays Dartmouth at home tomorrow. I decided I would take a closer look at guys who have left the program and gone on to play professional ball. If you have been a fan of BC baseball for a while, you may recognize most or all of these names. If you've looked at BC's "Eagles in the Pros" page, well, it's not quite as they have it, because that list is from last season. I can assure you that things have changed. This may be a little long but I feel it's worth it.

Marco Albano (2002-5) is pitching for the Salt Lake Bees in the Pacific Coast League, triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim of California of North America). It does not look good for him, however, as he's 0-5 with a 6.89 ERA in six starts.

Nick Asselin (2004-7) signed with the New York Yankees coming out of Boston College, but he is no longer in their system. He is playing for the New Jersey Jackals in the Can-Am League.

Mike Belfiore (2007-9), one of the Eagles' best players in their 2009 NCAA Tournament season, plays for the South Bend Silver Hawks, a class-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has a 3.38 ERA in seven starts.

Kevin Boggan (2004-7) was most recently in high-A ball, playing for the Tampa Bay Rays affiliate Charlotte Stone Crabs. Apparently this is not the case now and his baseball whereabouts are unknown.

Barry Butera (2007-9), another fine 2009 Eagle, plays for the high-A Lancaster Jethawks, an Astros affiliate in southern California. He is hitting a solid .289 in the 2010 campaign so far, but has only played in a fraction of the team's games.

Eric Campbell (2006-8) is in the New York Mets organization, playing for the high-A St. Lucie Mets in Florida. He's owning this level of play so far, hitting .347 in 31 games with 4 homers and 15 RBI. His OPS is a very nice .969 and I think we can hope to see a promotion to AA in his future.

Jason Delaney (2002-5) is in double-A, playing for the Florida Marlins affiliate Jacksonville Suns. He has had a few stints in triple-A but has fallen backwards, and his .239 average in limited play this season would not bode well for his advancement.

Terry Doyle (2005-8) plays for the Kannapolis Intimidators of the South Atlantic League, a Chicago White Sox class-A team. He is 4-2 with a microscopic 0.96 ERA, striking out 58 in 47 innings. Doyle leads his team in strikeouts and his numbers are quite impressive, so I would hope to hear he has been promoted this year.

Dan Houston (2006-8), the starting pitcher for the first BC baseball game I ever called with WZBC, is in high-A ball with the Modesto Nuts, a Colorado Rockies affiliate. Unfortunately, he has a 6.44 ERA so far this season.

Chris Lambert (2002-4) has gotten his so-called "cup of coffee" in the Major Leagues. In 2009, he pitched briefly for both the Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles, but accumulated a 7.36 career ERA. Following that, like Boggan, his baseball whereabouts are currently unknown. He is no longer in the majors but not in Baltimore's system, either.

Drew Locke (2002-5) has made it all the way up to triple-A, now playing for the Houston Astros' Round Rock Express. Locke is only hitting .196, however, so short of a total turnaround he may have peaked out.

JB MacDonald (2006-9) played for the Tri-City Valley Cats in Troy, New York last season, which is a class-A Houston Astros affiliate. That season does not begin for another month, so for the moment, his status is still unknown.

Joe Martinez (2002-5), like his teammate Chris Lambert, has also had his chance to play in Major League Baseball. He was with San Francisco last season where he pitched to a 7.50 ERA. This season, he is back at AAA Fresno where has a 3.92 ERA. He looks like he could be a "quadruple-A" player in his career, or the kind that ends up in Japan.

Matt Meyer (2004-6) is now in the St. Louis Cardinals system (as my own grandfather was many years ago), playing for the double-A Springfield Cardinals. He has pitched to a 2.08 ERA this season in relief. He had made it as high as triple-A in 2009 but was demoted.

Ryne Reynoso (2004-6) has also made it to triple-A for the Gwinnett Braves, obviously an Atlanta Braves farm team. He has a 5.09 ERA in seven starts with a WHIP that does not inspire.

Tony Sanchez (2007-9), whom we all remember as one of the leaders of this Boston College team, is in high-A Bradenton playing for the Marauders, a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate. Sanchez is hitting .309 this season with a .914 OPS. He's another guy who could get promoted this year.

Finally, Michael Wlodarczyk (2002-5) made it as high as triple-A in 2009, playing for the Tampa Bay Rays affiliate Durham Bulls. As of December, he was selected by the Washington Nationals in the Rule 5 draft. At last update, he was to start the year in class-A.

OK, here's some BC material

Thank you for indulging me in my anti-GPS rant.  There are now a few BC items showing up on the ticker today which require comment.

First, as you know, Boston College has drawn Indiana University in the 2010 ACC-Big Ten Challenge game, a game the Eagles will host at Conte Forum.  I have no strong feelings about it either way -- BC will be bringing a (formerly) big name to the Heights, and assuming we have any players left on the team when the season begins, we'll have a shot of beating the Hoosiers.

While we're on topic: have you wondered, though, how conference expansion might change this Challenge?  What will the Big Ten look like in a few years, and what will the ACC look like?  It's pretty crazy to think about but I'm far too exhausted to start delving into possibilities.

Next, BC baseball has rescheduled its game with Dartmouth after all.  It was canceled due to weather up in Hanover, but the game will be played in Boston.  A win or a loss probably won't make much of a difference either way at this point.

Finally, bceagles.com has made it very apparent that football season tickets are now on sale.  The video they have on the website is the same one you saw if you watched the grainy video feed of the spring game.

Eagles swept away in FSU doubleheader

At least they didn't get swept the whole weekend?

Boston College played two against the Seminoles on Sunday at Shea Field, coming off of BC's first ever defeat of FSU in Boston on Friday.  The Eagles led in the first game of the twinbill but let it slip away at the end, with the bullpen giving up the winning runs in the 9th.  I saw none of the second game but it was a 9-1 Florida State lead at one point, meaning the Eagles were never really in the game.  These losses move BC down to 27-22 (13-14).

1 out of 3 is more or less in line with what I expected out of this series.  It's not the worst possible outcome, though it's not great.  Boston College is very much in limbo with regards to the NCAA Tournament, and have not yet even sealed a berth in the ACC Tournament.  North Carolina and NC State could both still mathematically pass BC, which would put BC at 9th place (and I can assure you that the Eagles would be out of the NCAA Tournament if they didn't even make the ACC Tournament).  It's very much a crapshoot right now, so I would say that if they can get to 30 wins before (hopefully) an ACC Tournament bid, they'll at least be alive.  Things don't look very good right now but they still at least have a little bit to play for this season.

BC gets a big win over FSU

It did not take Boston College long to achieve their primary objective for the weekend, as they beat #5 Florida State 10-7 on Friday afternoon.  That goal, of course, was to avoid getting swept.  Mike Dennhardt gutted his way through to a win and Robbie Anston hit two home runs for the Eagles.  BC is now 27-20 (13-12) and are successfully keeping themselves within sight of the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Having viewed some of the Florida State blogs and message boards these last few days, I can tell you that despite believing that the team is good, many Seminoles fans believe their team is still vastly overrated.  Overrated or not, they're ranked #5 in the country, so this is a very important win for BC -- probably their best-quality win of the season so far aside from taking out #13 Miami earlier in the year.

The dynamics of this series totally changed with today's victory.  We've gone from saying "oh crap, I hope they don't get swept" to "hey, they might just win the series."  Pat Dean, BC's ace, goes on Saturday to do just that.  A series win would be very important in terms of tournament positioning, and could wash away some of the sting of getting smacked around by Virginia Tech.

The FSU series: BC's last stand?

The academic year at Boston College is winding down, and so too is college baseball's regular season.  This weekend, the 26-20 Eagles will host a series against #5 Florida State, who sit in first place in the ACC Atlantic division.

The goal here is not to win the division, as there is absolutely no realistic chance at that happening, now or in the near future.  What BC needs is not to get swept.

At 12-12 in the conference right now, they're still in the ACC Tournament field, but their margin for error is smaller than it was prior to getting their asses kicked by Virginia Tech.  It is still likely that they will qualify for the eight-team field unless they lose 5 of 6 or all 6 of their remaining ACC games (which, actually, is possible).  That isn't the tournament we're worrying about: it's the NCAA Tournament.

By getting swept at Virginia Tech last weekend, BC came very close to completely wiping out their chances of getting there for the second straight year.  If they are to have any chance, they will have to build their resume through beating some of these exceptional teams they have left to play, and claiming some wins in the ACC Tournament.  Taking even one game against a team like Florida State would be helpful -- it might not be enough, but it would at least count for something.  Should the Eagles get swept, forget it.  26-23 (12-15) with a few tough games to go won't cut it. 

This is BC's last stand right here, and they've put themselves in a position where they'll have to put up or shut up.  Remember, however, that Florida State is #5 in the country.  They are a legitimate contender to win all the marbles this year.  BC will have to struggle mightily just to salvage one of the three games.

The series will be played Friday through Saturday, with the first game tomorrow afternoon at 1:30pm. 

The week ahead

Since baseball got jumped this past weekend at Blacksburg, there's not a whole lot left to which to look forward in the 2009-2010 Boston College sports season.  That very same baseball team will, however, play Northeastern, Harvard, and a three-game series against Florida State this week.  Keep in mind that the Seminoles are a top 5 team and would have to be strong favorites to win the series over BC.  Harvard and Northeastern are the two teams BC beat to win the Baseball Beanpot last month.

Our top-ranked sailing team is competing in Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association races right now, looking to continue their winning ways.  This weekend, they will be participating in New England team races.  Men's and women's track will be participating in New England championships as well.

Softball plays three against Maryland, preceded by a game against UMass.  The ladies have had a dismal campaign, sitting at 15-30 overall, and 1-17 in the conference (last place). 

Women's lacrosse will wrap up its regular season against Harvard on Wednesday night, having already lost their ACC Tournament match against Duke.  Of course, ACC women's lacrosse is having a tough week already, mourning the loss of UVA player Yeardley Love.  I'm sure the entire Boston College community would join me in offering condolences to the family and the University of Virginia.

Enjoy the week.

BC baseball: Living on the edge (again)

This weekend, riding all the momentum they could possibly have had, Boston College went down to Virginia Tech and got swept away rather unceremoniously.  The Eagles got outscored by a margin of 22-10 in the series by the #18 Hokies.  Their record has fallen to 24-20 (12-12) and their status in both the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament are in question (the latter far more).  BC has fallen back into the ACC's 7th position from 5th -- exactly where they were before they swept NC State a week ago.

Now here's the worse news: BC's last ACC series of the year are against #4 Florida State and #8 Georgia Tech.  Those series are at home for the Eagles, but I don't think that will make much of a difference.  Both teams are even better than Virginia Tech and good on the road, so winning two games total out of six would probably be an achievement.

As it stands right now, I would peg them at a regular season record of 28-26 with only 14 ACC wins.  That is about half a dozen fewer wins than they had last season, but one more in the conference.  This year, BC ended up sustaining a few too many non-conference losses and their failure to even win one game in Blacksburg will hurt them.  Looking at that upcoming schedule, it is difficult to imagine BC stealing series from either the Seminoles and/or Yellow Jackets.  In fact, getting swept is a much more realistic possibility than taking one or both series.

The bottom line is this: this was a critical series for BC's resume to prove that they could hang in and prop themselves up in the ACC, but instead the Hokies dealt them a brutal blow.  I would not be surprised if, on the new bracketology, BC is back out of the NCAA Tournament.  Make no mistake about it, the Eagles are once again in trouble, and it would take some miracles against FSU and GT to get them on the right side of the bubble once again.

A big baseball weekend in Blacksburg

Boston College (24-17, 12-9) is making its move. Winners of nine straight games, the Eagles head down to Blacksburg, Virginia to play Baseball America's #18 Virginia Tech Hokies in their final road trip of the season before the ACC Tournament. VT is 29-14 (11-10) and holding in 7th place overall in the ACC Tournament race, and fourth in the highly competitive ACC Coastal. Boston College shot up to fifth with their sweep of NC State last weekend -- second in the ACC Atlantic -- and are comfortably in the field as of right now.

While they're not on a lengthy streak like BC, Virginia Tech has played well recently, taking five of their last six. While the Eagles were stunning the Wolfpack last weekend, the Hokies were busy winning two out of three at Georgia Tech, arguably one of the nation's best teams.

Statistically, the Hokies hit .322 as a team while BC, though on the rise lately, hits 25 points less at .297. Virginia Tech's team OPS sits at .909 while the Eagles have an OPS of .863. In pitching, BC's team ERA has been dropping on this hot streak, now at a mediocre 6.13. Virginia Tech's is predictably much better at 4.40. 

The series will be a challenge for both teams. Virginia Tech must deal with an opponent playing with a great deal of confidence, having won their last six conference games, while the Eagles get to face a deservedly ranked team that is looking to climb back up the ACC ladder. Furthermore, Virginia Tech is 17-5 at home while BC is only 11-13 on the road.

The projected pitching matchups have been revealed as follows:
Friday: RHP Mike Dennhardt (3-5, 6.57) vs. LHP Justin Wright (4-3, 3.52)
Saturday: LHP Pat Dean (5-0, 3.50) vs. RHP Mathew Price (5-3, 5.50)
Sunday: RHP John Leonard (2-0, 2.45) vs. RHP Jesse Hahn (5-2, 2.81)

Dennhardt has been pitching better as of late, and Price recently got a win for the Hokies against #3 Georgia Tech, so I wouldn't let either of those ERAs scare you.  What we have lined up are three tremendous pitching matchups, and unlike in the NC State series, no team has a matchup advantage.

With two more conference wins, the Eagles will get to 14, which would be the most they have had since joining the ACC.  They are also looking to make both the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament for consecutive seasons, BC's cases for which were dramatically improved last weekend in Raleigh.  In fact, they are also looking to make one final push at the ACC Atlantic title, though a Top 10 team in Florida State stands in their way.  A series victory in Blacksburg would be tremendously helpful in all of those departments.  

The Hokies have had a consistency in their play all year long that the Eagles did not find until recently.  From all appearances, Virginia Tech is still a better team overall, but games are not played on paper.  Taking a look at the remaining schedule, the last ACC games to come (FSU and GT 3x a piece) will be exceedingly difficult, despite being in Boston.  This may be their last realistic opportunity to win an ACC series this year, so perhaps they will take advantage of it, but Virginia Tech will make it anything but easy.