BIG EAST Baseball Craig Coun se Notre Dam ll e
The BIG EAST and its 12 member baseball schools have created quite a reputation as one of the nation’s top baseball conferences – recently rising to a rating as the nation’s fifth-best conference. Whether it is NCAA appearances, All-Americans, coaching legends, Major League draftees and players, or NCAA stat leaders, the BIG EAST consistently is represented at the highest level. For example, catch these facts about BIG EAST baseball:
CWS and NCAA Berths Notre Dame made its second College World Series appearance in 2002, with the current BIG EAST membership combining for 19 all-time CWS appearances (also six by St. John’s, five by Connecticut, four by Seton Hall and one each by Rutgers and Louisville). The BIG EAST has sent 10 different teams to the NCAAs since 1990: Connecticut, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova, West Virginia and Louisville. BIG EAST institutions have qualified 173 teams for the NCAAs, led by St. John’s (32), Notre Dame (21) and Connecticut (16). Providence, Notre Dame and Rutgers earned bids to the 1999 NCAAs – the first time three BIG EAST teams went to the NCAAs in the same season. Notre Dame, Rutgers and Seton Hall then qualified for the NCAAs in 2000 and again in 2001, while St. John’s, Rutgers and Louisville all made the NCAAs in 2007. Louisville, Connecticut and St. John's are reached the NCAA tournament in 2010 as well (one of 11 times since ’91 that the BIG EAST has sent multiple teams to the NCAAs). y Charles Nag UConn
Frank Viola St. John’s
All-Americans Over 150 players from BIG EAST schools have received AllAmerica honors, led by St. John’s (28), Seton Hall (19), Rutgers (19), Notre Dame (18) and Connecticut (16). The BIG EAST topped all conferences in 1999 American Baseball Coaches Association All-Americans, with eight (four were honored in 2000). Five different BIG EAST teams had players earn ABCA All-America honors in 1999, tying the Big 12 and Pacific-10 for the widest team representation within any conference.
The Major League Draft Nearly 1,000 players from BIG EAST institutions have been selected in the Major League Baseball draft. The BIG EAST has had at least one player picked in the first round in 13 of the last 17 MLB drafts (span dates back to 1994). The BIG EAST also saw 233 of its players drafted in the decade of 2000-09, with eight going in the first 10 rounds of the ’02 and ‘09 drafts, seven in ‘06, six in ‘00, ‘04 and ’07 and four in ‘01. Five BIG EAST baseball players were chosen in the first five rounds of the 2010 MLB draft. Connecticut 3B Mike Olt was the first BIG EAST player chosen as he went to the Texas Rangers with the 49th pick in Compensation Round A. West Virginia SS Jedd Gyorko went in the second round, going to the San Diego Padres with the 59th overall pick. BIG EAST Lou Merloni Player of the Year Joe Leonard was chosen in the third Providence round, going to the Atlanta Braves with the 101st pick. Louisville's Thomas Royse, the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, led a run of nine Cardinal players chosen when he went to the Chicago White Sox in Compensation Round B with the 114th pick. Villanova outfielder Matt Szczur was the first of four Wildcat players taken when he was snagged by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round. During the past 14 seasons, 14 BIG EAST players have been drafted before the second round (18 since ’90): Olt (#49 overall) in 2010; Notre Dame OF A.J. Pollock (#17 overall) in 2009; Rutgers SS Todd Frazier (#34 overall) and Louisville RHP Trystan Magnuson (56th) both in 2007; St. John’s RHP Craig Hansen (26th overall in ’05; Boston Red Sox); Boston College RHP Chris Lambert (19th in ’04, St. Louis Cardinals); the 2002 duo of Virginia Tech LHP Joe Saunders (12th, Anaheim Angels) and Rutgers RHP Bobby Brownlie (21st, Chicago Cubs); Notre Dame RHP Aaron Heilman as 2000 compensatory-round pick (31st overall, Minnesota Twins) and then 18th overall in ’01 (N.Y. Mets); Providence OF Keith Reed (23rd, Baltimore Orioles in ’99); Irish RHP Brad Lidge Eric Young Rutgers (17th, Houston Astros in ’98); and the 1997 pair of Seton Hall LHP Jason Grilli (4th, San Francisco Giants) and West Virginia RHP Chris Enochs (11th, Oakland A’s). Providence 1B/OF Pete Tucci (Blue Jays, ’96), Seton Hall RHP Matt Morris (Cardinals, ’95) and 3B Mike Gruppuso (Astros, ’91), and St. John’s pitcher C.J. Nitkowski (Reds, ’94) also were first rounders. Mo Vaughnl Seton Hal
In the ’02 draft, the BIG EAST produced three outfielders – Notre Dame’s Steve Stanley and Brian Stavisky (A’s 2nd and 6th-round picks) and Rutgers’ Val Majewski (3rd round, Orioles) – who were selected in at least the first six rounds (no other conference could match that), while Saunders, Brownlie and Villanova’s Brian Slocum (2nd round, Cleveland) gave the BIG EAST an unmatched trio of highly-drafted pitchers (the BIG EAST’s total of four picks in the first two rounds of ’02 was second only to the ACC’s five). At least one Notre Dame player has been drafted in the first 10 rounds in 13 of the past 17 Major League drafts (with 22 total top-10-round picks in that 17-year stretch). Coaches The BIG EAST employs some of the nation’s best coaches, including one who registered his 1,000th career win (Fred Hill of Rutgers) in 2010 and another who enters 2011 with more than 700 career wins (Lelo Prado of South Florida). Two former BIG EAST coaches – Seton Hall’s Mike Sheppard (998) and Virginia Tech’s Chuck Hartman (1,401) – rank among the winningest coaches in college baseball history. Major Leaguers Many major leaguers from yesterday and today have played at BIG EAST institutions, with those players including: Cincinnati: Ethan Alen, Mike Hershberger, Miller Huggins, Sandy Koufax, Kevin Youkilis Connecticut: Walt Dropo, Rollie Sheldon, Moe Morhardt, Gary Waslewski, Charles Nagy, Roberto Hernandez, Pete Walker, Jason Grabowski, Jeff Fulchino, Brian Esposito, Jesse Carlson. Georgetown: Tom McCreery, Mike Mahoney, Dick Harley, Doc White, Lew Drill, Charles Moran, Art Devlin, Kid O'Hara, Hub Hart, Red Morgan, Cotton Minahan, Sam Edmonston, Tom Cantwell, Doc Martel, Red Downey, Charlie Bold, Billy Martin, Tom Connolly, John Gallagher, Art Corcoran, Mike Cantwell, Bob McGraw, Tom Whelan, Ken Jones, Paul Florence, Clyde Sukeforth, Lefty Taber, Del Bissonette, Johnny Scalzi, Don Brennan, Jim Castiglia, Al Naples, Art Schult, Sean Maloney. Louisville: Doc Powers, Hod Kibbie, Fred Koster, Sean Green. Notre Dame: Willie McGill, Cap Anson, Joe Blong, Bill Krieg, Count Campau, Bert Inks, Louis Sockalexis, Doc Powers, Henry Thielman, Norwood Gibson, John Walsh, Peaches O'Neill, Shag Shaughnessy, Ed Reulbach, Red Murray, Red Morgan, Joe Birmingham, Harry Curtis, Burt Keeley, Jean Dubuc, Tillie Shafer, Ed McDonough, Frank Scanlan, Billy Burke, Red Kelly, Bert Daniels, Earle Mack, Alex McCarthy, George Cutshaw, Cy Williams, Lou Nagelsen, Bill Lathrop, Clem Clemens, Herb Kelly, Rupert Mills, Al Bergman, Pat Murray, Adrian Lynch, Tom Whelan, John Mohardt, Paul Castner, Red Smith, Ed Walsh, Billy Sullivan, Ed Lagger, Andy Pilney, Yank Terry, Ed Hanyzewski, Lou Bevil, John McHale, Jackie Mayo, Billy Reed, Paul Schramka, Duke Simpson, Bill Froats, Tom Carroll, Jim Brady, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Hannan, Frank Carpin, Dick Rusteck, Shaun Fitzmaurice, Ron Reed, Dick Thoenen, Dan McGinn, Dan Peltier, Tommy Shields, Craig Counsell, Chris Michalak, Christian Parker, Brad Lidge, Aaron Heilman, Bobby Keppel, Matt Macri, Jeff Samardzija, Jeff Manship, John Axford. Pittsburgh: George “Doc” Medich, Ken Macha Providence: Ed Wineapple, Al Blanche, Birdie Tebbetts, Lou Merloni, John McDonald, Keith Reed. Rutgers: John Harkins, Sandy Piez, Walter French, Hilly Flitcraft, Hardy Peterson, Don Taussig, Jeff Torborg, Paul Boris, Bud Anderson, Bob Tewksbury, Rob MacDonald, Eric Young, Joe Borowski, Angel Echevarria, Darrin Winston, David DeJesus, Pete Zoccolillo, Val Majewski, Jason Bergmann, Jack Egbert, Jeff Frazier. St. John’s: Mickey Rutner, Ted Schreiber, Larry Bearnarth, Mike Proly, Steve Ratzer, Frank Viola, Scott Ullger, John Franco, Wayne Rosenthal, Terry Bross, C.J. Nitkowski, Rich Aurilia, Craig Hansen, Rob Delaney, Anthony Varvaro. Seton Hall: Jack Ferry, Pepper Peploski, Joe Shannon, Red Shannon, Frank Bruggy, Otto Rettig, Ed Madjeski, Gene Hermanski, Steve Nagy, Chuck Connors, Ted Lepcio, Hank Fischer, Danny Coombs, Johnny Briggs, Bill Henry, Rick Cerone, Charlie Puleo, Dan Morogiello, John Morris, Pat Pacillo, Craig Biggio, Mo Vaughn, Kevin Morton, John Valentin, Rich Scheid, Matt Morris, Jason Grilli, Mike Moriarty. South Florida: Tony La Russa, Eric Soderholm, Chris Welsh, Ben Hayes, Tim Hulett, Tony Fossas, Dave Eiland, Scott Hemond, Derek Lee, Fred Rath, Jr., Jason Dellaero, Ross Gload, Chris Heintz, Jeff Baisley. Villanova: Red Donahue, Barney McFadden, Jack Hayden, Mike O'Neill, Paddy Greene, Matt Broderick, Joe Cassidy, Mickey Doolan, Snake Deal, Jim Stephens, Tom Catterson, Bunny Madden, Bert Daniels, Ernie Lush, Joe Walsh, Fred Sherry, Mike Murphy, Eddie Murphy, Jimmie Savage, Mike Loan, Pat Kilhullen, Fred Lear, Vince Molyneaux, Mike Pasquella, Nelson Greene, Ed Cotter, Joe Connell, Al Smith, Bill Dietrich, Frank Skaff, Ben Geraghty, Swede Larsen, Ray Stoviak, Nick Etten, Mickey Vernon, Jim Schelle, Art Mahan, Lennie Merullo, Mike Garbark, Frank Kreutzer, Bruce Howard, Steve Huntz, Rafael Novoa, Gary Scott, Gene Schall, Mike Neill, Mike Porzio, Kevin Mulvey. West Virginia: Scoops Carey, Jake Hewitt, Charlie Hickman, Ed Kenna, Gene Curtis, Bull Smith, Buck Washer, Larry McClure, Frank Barron, Skeeter Shelton, John Woods, Herman Layne, Babe Barna, Johnny Gorsica, Jim Fridley, George Freese, Jim Heise, Paul Popovich, Bucky Guth, Darrell Whitmore, Joe Hudson, Steve Kline, Scott Seabol, Dustin Nippert.
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