Miami (FL) outfielder Nathan Melendres recently caught up with the HurricanesSports.com to discuss fall practice, how he spent the summer, and his expectations for the 2011 season. Nathan hit ,301 last season playing in 61 games while hitting nine homers and driving in 35 runs. You can check out the full video interview with him below.
The CBB continues our countdown to the start of the 2011 College Baseball season by checking in on the Top 100 Players in the country. We will be providing one player per day until we reach number 1.
We continue the countdown today at number 85 with sophomore infielder Nolan Fontana from Florida. He is from Winter Garden Florida and attended West Orange High School where he played for head coach Jesse Marlo. As a senior, he earned third-team all-state in Class 6A after batting .507 and leading the Warriors to a 22-3 mark and a Regional Final appearance. He was also named All-Area Central Florida by ESPN Rise Magazine, first-team all-district, first-team Central Florida Metro Conference and was named West Orange’s Most Valuable Player.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland baseball team released its 2011 schedule and it includes a typically difficult conference slate in addition to an opening weekend against annual powerhouse Texas.
The Terps, whose class of 22 newcomers was ranked in the top 25 by Baseball America, open the season with a four-game set at Texas. The Longhorns played host to a Super Regional last season and finished runner-up at the 2009 College World Series.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The schedule has been finalized for the 2011 BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, as announced by the BIG EAST and Big Ten conference offices Tuesday. Triple-headers on Friday and Saturday highlight a slate that features 24 games over three days, Feb. 18-20, 2011, at current and former major league facilities in the St. Petersburg and Clearwater, Fla., area.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team will host eight weekend series at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field and play 30 games at the facility during the 2011 season. The home schedule is highlighted by a Sun Belt showdown with Florida Atlantic (April 1-3) and a visit from Rice on May 10.
The defending Sun Belt Conference champions begin the season playing four of the first five weekend series at “The Tigue”. Tony Robichaux’s squad visits Southern Miss (March 4-6) for a weekend series and has mid-week trips to LSU (March 22) and Rice (April 5) and hosts Florida Atlantic, South Alabama and Middle Tennessee in Sun Belt play.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG will play 54 regular season games in 2011, including 19 of its first 20 at home and five midweek games against ACC foes, coach Mike Gaski announced on Tuesday afternoon.
The Spartans will begin the season at home with a three-game series against Delaware on Feb. 19-21 before hosting UNC Asheville on Feb. 22 in the first midweek game of the season. It will be the first time since 2005 that the Spartans have played Delaware.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
BATON ROUGE – The Gerry Lane Championship Plaza, which commemorates LSU’s six NCAA baseball titles, was officially dedicated Monday evening at Alex Box Stadium.
The plaza, located at the front entrance of the stadium, features plaques honoring the Tigers’ six national championship teams (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009) and LSU’s four members of the College Baseball Hall of Fame – legendary coach Skip Bertman, pitcher Ben McDonald, second baseman Todd Walker and first baseman Eddy Furniss.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Highlighted by 34 home games and home-and-home series with five teams that played in the NCAA tournament, UNCW has released its baseball schedule for the 2011 season.
“We’re looking forward to a very challenging schedule in 2011,” said UNCW Head Coach Mark Scalf. “Our opening weekends will provide us with solid opposition and help us prepare for conference play. In the Hughes Bros. Challenge, we have three quality opponents that give us an early opportunity to play in a similar format as our conference tournament.”
The CBB continues our countdown to the start of the 2011 College Baseball season by checking in on the Top 100 Players in the country. We will be providing one player per day until we reach number 1.
We continue the countdown today at number 86 with Tyler Pill of Cal-State Fullerton. He is from Covina High School in Covina, California where he played three years under Head Coach Ryan Merrill. As a senior, he went 7-4 with a 2.01 ERA on the mound, striking out 103 in 76.2 innings pitched, while hitting .463 with four home runs and 32 RBI at the plate. He was named a first-team All-CIF player and was a two-time all-area player in addition to being named All-Valle Vista League first-teamer in all three seasons of varsity action. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 38th round of the 2008 MLB Draft.
Freshman LHP Kevin Ziomek of Vanderbilt impressed over the weekend against the Texas Longhorns as the two programs got together for a couple of scrimmages. On Friday, Ziomek tossed three innings giving up five hits. In his outing, he was in the low 90’s which he featured at Amherst (MA) high school as he brought them to the state title game.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech head baseball coach Dan Spencer announced the Red Raiders 56-game schedule for the 2011 season Tuesday afternoon. Texas Tech’s schedule is highlighted by 22 games against seven opponents that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season and with 33 games at Dan Law Field in Lubbock.
The Red Raiders will also host three weekend tournaments before Big 12 Conference competition starts March 18 at Baylor.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
BUIES CREEK, N.C.-Campbell’s new baseball stadium at Taylor Field began phase one of construction this week, beginning the overhaul project that will give the Camels a new and improved home. Construction of the facility, which will be carried out in two phases wrapped around the 2011 season, will be completed prior to opening day, 2012.
2012 CBD All-American Teams Announced
Top 100 Countdown: 1. Mark Appel (Stanford)
Top 100 Countdown: 2. Mike Zunino (Florida)
Top 100 Countdown: 3. Deven Marrero (Arizona State)
Top 100 Countdown: 4. Michael Roth (South Carolina)
