Louisville Baseball Picked Third in 2011 BIG EAST Race
January 04, 2011 | Baseball
Jan. 4, 2011
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Junior second baseman Ryan Wright and junior outfielder Stewart Ijames of the Louisville baseball team were named to the 2011 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team on Tuesday, while the reigning back-to-back champion Cardinals were picked to finish third in the league standings.
Connecticut, which won a school-record 48 games and finished second to the Cardinals in the BIG EAST last season, was selected as the favorite to win the 2011 BIG EAST baseball championship by the league's 12 head coaches. The Huskies received nine of a possible 11 first-place votes in the preseason poll. The coaches also chose Connecticut outfielder George Springer as the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and named Huskies' right-handed pitcher Matt Barnes the BIG EAST Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
St. John's, which went 43-20 overall and 16-11 in BIG EAST play, was picked second in the preseason poll with 107 points, just ahead of Louisville's 105 points. The Cardinals, who received one first-place vote in the league's preseason poll, won their second straight BIG EAST regular season championship last season with a 21-6 record, finished with a school record 50 wins overall and earned the program's first ever selection as a national seed for the NCAA Championship. Louisville also hosted an NCAA Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium for the second straight season and closed last season ranked as high at No. 16 overall.
USF was picked to finish fourth with 87 points, while Pittsburgh was fifth with 82 points and Rutgers was sixth with 75 points. Cincinnati and Notre Dame were tied for seventh with 56 points each, while West Virginia was ninth with 38 points. Villanova was picked 10th with 31 points and was followed by Seton Hall in 11th with 25 points and Georgetown in 12th with 13 points.
Wright (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead HS) was unanimously chosen to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team after hitting .366 with 16 home runs and 80 RBI to earn Second Team All-America (Baseball America) and First Team All-BIG EAST honors last season. In two seasons as a Cardinal, Wright has a .350 career batting average with 21 home runs and 146 RBI in 126 games.
Ijames (Owensboro, Ky./Owensboro Catholic HS) was one of three outfielders named to the preseason team after hitting .324 with 14 home runs and 63 RBI to earn Second Team All-BIG EAST honors last season. A two-time All-BIG EAST selection, Ijames also earned All-BIG EAST Tournament recognition in 2010.
Despite the departure of six seniors to graduation and six juniors to the Major League Baseball Draft, expectations remain high for the Louisville baseball program in 2011. Along with Ijames and Wright, the Cardinals also return experienced position players in senior catcher J.J. Ethel and senior outfielder Drew Haynes. On the mound, Louisville is led by preseason All-American righty Tony Zych. Other returnees for the Cardinals' pitching staff include senior righty Gabriel Shaw, junior righty Derek Self, sophomore righties Justin Amlung, Matt Koch, Mike Nastold, Andy Flett and Curtis McCombs and sophomore lefty Keith Landers. Louisville also welcomes a talented group of 14 newcomers, which includes a balanced mix of pitching, fielding and offense.
In his four seasons as the Cardinals' head coach, Dan McDonnell has led Louisville to impressive heights, including its first ever College World Series appearance in 2007, four consecutive 40-win seasons, 185 wins overall and a school record four straight NCAA Championship appearances. Louisville has also hosted NCAA post-season games in three of the last four seasons.
Louisville will open the 2011 season at the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Feb. 18-20. The Cardinals' home schedule will begin with a three-game series against Toledo on Feb. 25-27 at Jim Patterson Stadium.
2011 Preseason BIG EAST Baseball Coaches' Poll
1. Connecticut (9 1st-place votes) - 117 points
2. St. John's (2) - 107
3. Louisville (1) - 105
4. USF - 87
5. Pittsburgh - 82
6. Rutgers - 75
7. Cincinnati - 56
7. Notre Dame - 56
9. West Virginia - 38
10. Villanova - 31
11. Seton Hall - 25
12. Georgetown - 13
Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year: George Springer, OF, Connecticut
Preseason BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year: Matt Barnes, RHP, Connecticut
2011 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Pos. - Name, Class, School (Key 2010 Stats)
P - Matt Barnes, Sr., Connecticut * (8-3, 3.92 ERA, 82.2 IP, 75K, 25 BB, .257 OBA)
P - Matt Iannazzo, Jr., Pittsburgh (11-2, 3.76 ERA, 93.1 IP, 58 K, 22 BB, .289 OBA)
P - Kyle Hansen, So., St. John's (8-3, 3.71 ERA, 94.2 IP, 85 K, 38 BB, .227 OBA)
P - Randy Fontanez, Sr., USF (5-7, 3.59 ERA, 110.1 IP, 105 K, 28 BB, .241 OBA)
P - Andrew Barbosa, Sr., USF (8-2, 2.40 ERA, 86.1 IP, 95 K, 22 BB, .228 OBA)
C - Erick Fernandez, Sr., Georgetown (.315, 5 HR, 29 RBI)
C - Kevan Smith, Sr., Pittsburgh (.361, 5 HR, 46 RBI)
1B - Mike Nemeth, Sr., Connecticut * (.386, 15 HR, 84 RBI)
2B - Ryan Wright, Jr., Louisville * (.366, 16 HR, 80 RBI, 10 SB)
SS - Steve Nyisztor, So., Rutgers (.410, 4 HR, 51 RBI, 11 SB)
3B - Grant Buckner, Sr., West Virginia (.363, 8 HR, 50 RBI)
OF - George Springer, Jr., Connecticut * (.337, 18 HR, 62 RBI, 33 SB)
OF - Stewart Ijames, Jr., Louisville (.324, 14 HR, 63 RBI)
OF - Jeremy Baltz, So., St. John's * (.396, 24 HR, 85 RBI)
DH - Kevin Vance, Jr., Connecticut (.322, 7 HR, 36 RBI)
DH - Ryan Kapp, Jr., Rutgers (.318, 9 HR, 39 RBI)
* - unanimous selection
