Rice, Carter, and others hope for high picks in MLB Draft

With the season over, some Hilltoppers now turn their attention to the MLB first-year player draft on June 6^th-8^th. Rye Davis and Matt Rice were two of five Hilltoppers drafted last year, however both elected to return to WKU for another season. Davis was selected in the 36^th round (pick #1080) by the Cleveland Indians, while Rice was the 2010 winner of MLB.com’s “Mr. Don’t Count Him Out” award. This title is given each year to the last player drafted in the MLB draft (50^th round, pick # 1525). Although picked last, his title suits his career at WKU. When Rice was at the plate, you could never count him out. “Mr. Don’t Count Him Out” consistently hit for a high average, never posting below a .337 average. His sophomore year he hit a career high .399 and posted a school-record breaking 31-game hit streak. Matt Rice now holds the record for most hits in school history. However, Rice also possessed power and was an RBI machine. In the just under 210 games he started in his career, Rice recorded a school-record 223 RBI’s. Not only that, but Rice maintained a 4.0 GPA as an mechanical engineer major at WKU. Rightfully so, he was distinguished numerous times over the years for both his academics and on-field performances. His top awards include 2011 Capital One Academic All-American of the Year, 2010 American Baseball Coaches Association third-team All-American, and Collegiate Baseball Insider Southeast Region Player of the Week (2010) among numerous other academic and Sunbelt Conference honors. Matt Rice has been one of the major faces of WKU baseball the last few seasons, and his presence will be missed on the field. Although his and other Hilltopper’s careers ended with their loss on Thursday to Troy, many Hilltoppers have a potential future in baseball. MLB.com’s draft tracker lists six players from WKU as potential draftees in this year’s draft. Kes Carter, Rye Davis, Casey Dykes, Matt Rice, Logan Robbins, and Phil Wetherall could all hear their name called in the annual draft. However, realistically only Carter and Rice have a high potential to go relatively early. Talk around campus says that if Carter is drafted early, he will likely sign and will not return to the hill for his senior year. However, Carter remains the only player with a moderate chance of not returning next year. Dykes (.281 average; 27 RBI’s), Robbins (.286 average; 33 RBI's), and Wetherall (1-3, 4.25 ERA) still need time to develop fully and will likely go in the late rounds. However, all three should return to WKU next season. Senior Rye Davis hurt his draft chances with his performance this year. A 36^th round draft pick last year, his above 6 ERA will likely cause him to go even later this year. It will definitely be interesting to see what happens. Both Carter and Rice boosted their chances with very good seasons this year. Make sure you tune in to see how the Hilltoppers fare in this year’s draft.

WKU Baseball 2011: The Season Review

As #8 seed UALR (23-32) completed the ultimate Cinderella story of the Sunbelt Conference Baseball Tournament with a 7-6 win over FIU (49-17-1), the WKU Hilltoppers saw their season officially come to an end. Although the season came to a disappointing conclusion, the season was full of high points for the Hilltoppers. The Tops started the season strong with a five game win streak before dropping five of their next six, granted four of those loses came against ranked opponents. Despite failing to clinch a win against a top ranked opponent during this stretch, WKU showed they could compete when they fell to #2 Vanderbilt 5-6 in the bottom of the 9^th. The Hilltoppers then bounced back going 19-8 in their next 27 games, including a three game sweep of MTSU and wins over UK and Louisville. However, WKU quickly saw their mid-season surge fade as they finished below .500 in the final stretch of the regular season. WKU secured the #4 seed in the Conference Tournament, but it would not matter as #8 UALR would surprise everyone and take home the automatic bid to the College World Series. WKU finished the season with a respectable 33-24 record, while winning many other honors. The season was capped off on a high note as Matt Rice received the honor of 2011 Capital One Academic All-American of the Year. Check back on Tuesday for a complete review of Rice’s distinguished career at WKU and the chances WKU will see multiple players selected in the 2011 MLB Draft.

WKU falls to UALR 5-9

The Hilltopper baseball team suffered a blow to their NCAA tournament hopes yesterday. WKU lost 5-9 at the hands of UALR at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Starting pitcher Rye Davis took the loss, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 4 innings. The Hiltoppers then threw 5 relievers at the Trojans with little success. Each reliever allowed at least one run with two relievers allowing one run a piece in 1/3 inning’s work. Despite the bullpen’s stuggles, WKU remained in the game late. Down 6-2 in the 8^th, WKU scored 3 runs to make it 6-5, thanks in large part to Ryan Huck who led off the inning with a solo home run. Kes Carter and Scott Wilcox each tallied RBI singles in the inning. UALR then scored 3 runs in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead to 9-5, where it stayed to post as the final.

WKU has virtually eliminated themselves from the tournament. The best case scenario involves a WKU victory and a UALR loss. That would leave both teams atop Pool A with 2-1 records while FAU and Troy would sit at 1-2. The tiebreaker to decide which team advances out of the pool is head-to-head competition among the two tied teams. UALR’s win means they win the tiebreaker against WKU and advance no matter what. If Troy defeats WKU, UALR still advances because they defeated Troy earlier in the week. Point blank, #8 seed UALR has won Pool A and will face the winner of Pool B on Sunday for an NCAA tournament bid. A win against #1 seed Troy would look good on WKU’s resume for an At-Large bid, but bears no weight in the conference tournament outcome.

WKU wins thriller!

The Hilltoppers jumped out to an 2-0 lead in the 2^nd inning with a solo shot by Ivan Hartle and a RBI single by Senior leader Matt Rice. FAU quickly responded to tie the game in the top of the 4^th. The score remained the same until Logan Robbins belted a two-out grand slam. WKU looked to be in control of the game until the 8^th inning. Relief pitcher Brian Edelen gave up 3 ER in the top of the 8^th. Then in the top of the 9^th, Raymond Church launched a solo shot off Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Justin Hageman to tie the game 6-6. WKU’s four run lead had quickly vanished and the Hilltoppers soon found themselves fighting an uphill battle. Twice in extra innings the Hilltoppers faced a two run deficit. In the top of the 11^th, the Tops relief pitchers continued to struggle as FAU SS Nick Delguidice hit a 2 run shot to put the Owls up. WKU responded with two of their own in the bottom half of the inning. However, FAU quickly reclaimed their lead in the next inning with a pair of runs making it 10-8. Down by two again, WKU found one last effort and put the game away for good. After already scoring one in the inning, Jared Andreoli’s two-out walk off double in the bottom of the 12^th knocked in two runs to give WKU the 11-10 victory. With the win, the Hilltoppers sit atop the Pool A standings. WKU will face #8 seed UALR tomorrow at 3pm. Although ranked the eighth seed in the tournament, UALR took 2 of 3 in the only series the teams played this year. No starting pitchers have been announced for the game, but after using five pitchers today, it will be interesting to see whom WKU chooses. Let’s just hope that tomorrow, the pitching staff will be able to hold onto their leads.

Quick Stats

Andreoli: 5-6, 2 RBIs. 5 hits are a career high.

Rice: 3-4, 2 RBIs

Carter: 2-5, 1 RBI

Robbins: 1-5, Grand Slam, 4 RBIs

Hartle 2-6, 2RBIs

Rest of team: 1-16

Rice Wins Prestigious Honor, While Tops Win Many SBC Honors

The WKU Baseball team had a huge day Tuesday, without even stepping foot onto the field. Five Hilltoppers received honors from the 2011 Sunbelt Conference baseball awards, with four of those receiving selection to All-Sunbelt Conference Teams. Matt Rice (.352 BA, 9 HR’s, 56 RBI’’s) and Kes Carter (.341 BA, 7 HR’s, 53 RBI’s) were first-team All-SBC selections, while Tanner Perkins and Jared Andreoli received second-team All-SBC honors. However, the fun didn’t stop there. Justin Hageman earned the title of SBC Freshman of the Year. Hageman pitched a stellar freshman campaign finishing the regular season 8-5 with a 3.22 ERA. He also finished the season 3^rd in the SBC with 81 strikeouts and his 8 wins ranked 4^th in the SBC and was enough to make him the winningest freshman pitcher in WKU history. These awards clearly demonstrate that WKU is an elite team within the Sun Belt Conference and will continue to be for years to come.

However, all of these honors were overshadowed by an even bigger announcement. WKU Catcher Matt Rice was named to the 2011 Capital One First-Team Academic All American. However, the big news did not stop there for Matt Rice. He was named the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year, and his academic achievements definitely qualified him for this highly selective title. In his four years at WKU, Matt Rice demonstrated what it truly means to be a student athlete. Many college athletes lose sight of what it means to be a student athlete, but Rice finished his Bachelorette degree in Mechanical Engineering with a 4.0 GPA, while displaying a just as impressive on-the-field performance. Rice became the all time WKU leader in hits (304) and RBIs (220) and these feats combined with his stellar academic record makes Matt Rice the 2011 Capital One Academic All-American of the Year.

WKU hopes to carry this success into the conference tournament, which begins on Wednesday. WKU, the number 4 seed, will take on the number 5 seed FAU. Florida Atlantic defeated the Hilltoppers in last year’s conference tournament 9-8 and have won 3 of the 5 times the two teams have ever met in the Sun Belt Tournament. However, the Tops will look to change this. The two teams only met once this year, and WKU won the series taking 2 of the 3 games at Nick Denes Field. In the series the pitching staff performed very well with a 3.00 ERA. Pitching looks to be the key in this matchup as well, as WKU will send Sophomore Tanner Perkins (7-4, 2.32 ERA) to the mound while FAU will pitch Ryan Garton (5-4; 4.77 ERA). Matt Rice and the rest of the Hilltopper offense will also need to come alive. A loss tomorrow could be devastating to WKU’s chances to win the tournament. Unlike the double-elimination type tournament of previous years, this year’s tournament is based on pool play. For the first time ever, the tournament is divided into two pools of four teams. Each team in the tournament will play three games. Then the team with the best record in each pool will face off in the championship game. Thus one loss could be very costly. WKU’s pool also features #8 seed UALR (Thursday’s game) and #1 seed Troy (Friday’s game). The Tops first game begins Wednesday at 11 am at Warhawk Field in Monroe, LA.

Matt Rice Breaks 2 WKU Records

Video Courtesy of Hilltopper Video

WKU Basketball Summer Starting Line-Up

Summer is here and classes are finally finished. While most students will be enjoying the sun, the WKU basketball team will be taking classes and getting in some early practice. This year’s squad is already being dubbed as “Team Reset”, and expectations are high all around. Summer practice is a time to build camaraderie with players new and old. It may be early, but with the team assembling in less than a month, I thought it’d be fun to speculate on next year’s starting lineup.

Jamal Crook and Caden Dickerson are the two players that stick out as the only players who will go into the summer with a starting position favoring them. Senior Kahlil McDonald may have a bit of a lead to start at the shooting guard position, but with Derrick “Mr. Hilltopper” Gordon coming in, he can expect some good competition. exceJunior fan favorite Teeng Akol  doesn’t have much competition at the Center position except for, his good friend and fellow 7 footer, Deng Leek. It’ll be nice for Teeng to have someone his height to battle in practice for once in his life. The Power Forward position is the most wide open of any of the position battles. Freshmen George Fant and Vinny Zollo are the two most likely to battle it out, but Sophomores Stephon Drane and Kenny Anyigbo are two adequate forwards that could also step in and start. Drane and Leek could provide height at the forward position while Anyigbo and Zollo can provide physicality and toughness. Fant is the most likely to take the spot due to his offensive post game along with the energy he brings to the floor.

This year’s team provides the most depth of any team in WKU history. Crook will be backed up by Kevin Kaspar and possibly Derrick Gordon at point guard. Shooting Guard could include a rotation of McDonald, Gordon, and Freshman T.J. Price. The Small Forward position could include anyone from a guard to Nigel Snipes or one of the guys slated to compete at Power Forward. Power Forward and Center could include any number of combinations. Foul trouble should be the least of the worries for Coach McDonald and his staff.

Bottom Line, this is my starting lineup for next season’s opener:

PG- Jamal Crook

SG- Derrick Gordon

SF- Caden Dickerson

PF- George Fant

C- Teeng Akol

George Fant shows the engery and athleticism he will bring to WKU next season.



WKU to host Tournament Cinderella

The WKU men’s basketball team added another big home non-conference game. On Friday the team announced that it would host the first game of a home-and-home series with 2011 Final Four VCU. The Rams will come to Diddle Arena on November 23, 2011 and WKU will complete the deal with a trip to Richmond the following season. Although relatively unknown prior to their run in the NCAA tournament last year, VCU emerged the tournament as a respectable opponent. Shaka Smart and his team will be the first Final Four team since the 1986-87 Louisville Cardinals to visit E.A. Diddle Arena the following season. The Cardinals won that game 60-58 after winning the 1986 National Championship the previous year. Coach McDonald and the athletic department have done a good job getting better non-conference foes in their schedule and getting good teams to come to E.A. Diddle Arena. Last year WKU hosted both South Carolina and Louisville. VCU and WKU are no strangers to each other as VCU was a member of the Sun Belt Conference from 1979-91. In the 30 games between the teams, WKU is 15-15 (11-4 at EA Diddle). I am sure this game will be one of the most anticipated games of the season. As history has shown, it has been a long time since a Final Four team has come to Diddle. Fans get ready to come out, pack the house, and remind VCU the full effect of WKU’s home court advantage.

Louisville Highlights Schedule Changes

Both the WKU football and basketball teams have signed deals that will impact the schedule for years to come. WKU seems to have a newfound interest in Southern Mississippi as both the football and basketball teams signed a deal with the Golden Eagles.

The terms of the football deal will bring the Golden Eagles to L.T. Smith stadium in 2012 and send the Hilltoppers to Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 2016 to complete the home and home deal. WKU reached the home and home deal with Southern Miss after proposed plans to travel to the University of Hawaii fell through. While many of the players would have enjoyed a trip to Aloha Stadium, the addition of the Golden Eagles comes with many benefits. First of all, the Hilltoppers added another home game to the schedule, giving WKU 6 home games for the 2012 season. Not only that, but WKU managed to bring a formidable opponent to L.T. Smith stadium. Southern Miss finished its 2010 campaign with its 17^th straight winning season and its 13^th Bowl game during that stretch. Although Southern Miss has had good success, they are definitely an opponent WKU can beat down the road.

The basketball deal is very similar to the football deal, because it is also a home and home deal. WKU will have to travel to Southern Miss for the 2012-2013 season, but will see the Golden Eagles in E.A. Diddle Arena the following season. WKU has had a short history with the Golden Eagles. The two teams have only faced off three times, and WKU won all three of those meetings. In those three contests, WKU outscored the Golden Eagles by an average of 19 points per game, granted WKU hasn’t seen the Golden Eagles since 2002.

In other news, the WKU basketball team also signed another deal with Louisville that will ensure the teams will face off through the 2015-16 season. The current deal will conclude with the upcoming year’s game in the KFC Yum! Center. The new deal will start in the 2012-2013 season and mirrors the current deal. The first game of the four game series will be played in Nashville, and then go back to Louisville for the 2013-2014 season. Louisville will then return to E.A. Diddle Arena the following season, before closing out the deal in Louisville for the 2015-2016 season. Although WKU could not work out a true home and home deal with the Cardinals, the opportunity to bring U of L back to WKU is a huge positive to the deal. While there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding WKU Basketball lately, it is certain that the Hilltoppers will play the Louisville Cardinals for the next five season.

Hopefully WKU can repeat this success from 2008, instead of last years blunder against Louisville.

Video Courtesy of WBKO

T.J. Price Signs with WKU

WKU has added yet another player to its 2011 class, with the signing of Louisiana guard T.J. Price. He is a 6’3”, 210 lbs. guard that averaged 17.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game his senior campaign. He was also named the Louisiana 4A player of the year in the state. He chose WKU over Kansas, Baylor, and LSU. Price is the 8^th signee in the class and is a strong shooter that will spread the defense. He has a strong frame and a winning mentality, coming in with a state championship under his belt. He strengthens the already strong backcourt of Jamal Crook, Khalil McDonald, Caden Dickerson, along with incoming fellow Freshmen Derrick Gordon and Kevin Kaspar. Competition for playing time will be something to really keep in eye on this summer as all of those guards will be battling for starting spots. This deep and talented class may finally be complete, but with the way Coach McDonald and his staff have been working; who knows? One thing is for certain, basketball on the Hill next season should be fun to watch next season.

WKU Wins Weekend Series against FAU

WKU entered this weekend’s series looking to gain ground on 2^nd place FAU. After surrendering 4 runs in the first 4 innings, the Tops pitching staff settled down and limited the Owls offense. However, it was FAU’s pitchers led by starter Ryan Garton that dominated allowing only 2 runs (1 earned). The Hilltoppers went 1-11 with runners in scoring postion and lost the first game 4-2. With WKU’s chances of sweeping the series and overtaking FAU in the standings, the Hilltoppers turned their focus to simply winning the series. In game 2, Justin Hageman (8-4, 3.14 ERA) pitched a gem of his own. Hageman became the winningest freshman in WKU history after his 2 run complete game performance earned him his 8^th victory of the season. He broke Matt Riding’s record of 7 victories in 2007. WKU trailed the game 2-1 heading into the bottom of the 7^th. Hartle’s one out RBI triple tied the game and Kes Carter’s two out single drove in Hartle to give the Hilltoppers their first lead of the night. WKU added 3 more in the frame and sent a total of 10 batters to the plate. WKU won game two, 6-2. In the rubber game of the series it was Hartle again who came up with a clutch hit. With the game tied 3-3, Hartle’s 2 run single put the Toppers on top after 6 innings. Brian Edelen pitched the last 5 innings and was able to hold the lead for the Tops. He improved to 5-1 on the season. WKU looks strong heading into the final stretch of the season. Although they currently sit in 5^th place in the Sun Belt, WKU has only lost 2 conference series this year (Lost series 2-1 at UALR and swept at Troy). Thus, once the conference tournament comes around, WKU will be in great shape to advance far. The tournament is double elimination, and this team has shown that they can win after losing. In their last two series versus ULM and FAU, WKU found themselves down in the series 1-0. However, the Tops showed great composure and were able to come back in both series. WKU is 2^nd in average (.308) and 4^th in earned run average (4.10). If both the offense and pitching staff comes alive, watch out for WKU to be contenders in the Sun Belt tournament.

Speaking of Conference tournaments, the Lady Toppers softball team clinched the 7^th spot in the Sun Belt tournament with their wins against MTSU this past weekend. They begin play against #2 seed FAU on Wednesday.

Spence Sheldon In, Gabbard and “Snap” Peters Out

Former Warren Central guard Spence Sheldon announced Wednesday night that he will come to WKU as a preferred walk-on. In his junior year with Warren Central, Sheldon only averaged 1.7 points per game in 17 games before missing the rest of the season due to a broken ankle. Sheldon then transferred to IMG Academy in Florida in order to improve his game with the intention of returning back to Kentucky to play collegiately. According to ESPN.com, Sheldon is ranked low (1 star recruit and 247^th Shooting Guard in the nation). However, Sheldon will look to redshirt his Freshman year in order to develop further as an athlete and contribute to WKU’s success in the future.

On the same night that Sheldon announced his future plans, WKU’s Mike Gabbard said that he would not be returning to the Hill net year. Gabbard will transfer to Erksine University in Due West, South Carolina on a full scholarship. Losing Gabbard will not have a big impact on WKU next year. Gabbard only played in 12 games and averaged a mere .3 points per game. WKU’s strongest recruiting class in history should have no problem filling this gap.

On the other hand, rumors say that Brandon “Snap” Peters will not return to WKU next year. “Snap” brought high energy to the court when he played, but a series of academic problems kept him ineligible for a majority of the season. Despite missing most of the season, his high energy and flashy dunks will be missed on the hill if the rumors are true.

This is the level of energy and excitement Snap Peters could have brought to WKU. However, ineligibility prevented "Snap" from reaching his full potential at WKU.

video courtesy of hoopmixtape.com

Kaspar commits to WKU

WKU added to its already loaded recruiting class this week, with the commitment of Kevin Kaspar. Kaspar is a 6’1” Point Guard from Findlay Prep in Nevada. He's the sixth recruit in the 2011 class, which is being dubbed one of the best in WKU history. Kaspar is the only true point guard recruit in the entire class and will provide depth at the position. Jamal Crook’s fast paced play, along with his aggressive defense make it necessary for WKU to have a solid back-up. Although he may be coming in as a back-up at the position, he has one thing Crook doesn’t have, range. Kaspar shot 45 percent from 3 this season while running the point for one of the nation’s best teams. He is the lowest rated player in the class according to Rivals.com with a two star rating, (George Fant, Vinny Zollo, Nigel Snipes, and Deng Leek are all 3 stars. Derrick Gordon is the lone 4 star recruit.) but he could definitely make the biggest impact . Kevin Kaspar is a native of Turkey and is a member of the U-18 Turkish National team.  He also received offers from TCU, Utah State, Fresno State, Northern Illinois, and Creighton. In other recruiting news, Kentucky Mr. Basketball Anthony Hickey signed with LSU. Hickey was considering WKU.

Kevin Kaspar knows how to win, and he's got a clutch play or two in him. Here's a game winning 3 at the buzzer by Kaspar.

WKU wins series against ULM

After losing 3 straight, the Hilltoppers looked to get back on track as they traveled to ULM. However, ULM’s catcher Jarrett Hammond had different plans for the Tops with his walk-off homerun as WKU lost the first game of the series 5-4. WKU responded positively from their second 4-game losing streak this year. In game 2, the Tops offense got hot with the game tied 1-1. WKU sent 10 men to the plate in the 7th and scored 7 runs (all with 2 outs). Rice and Hutchison each had 2 hits and combined for 5 RBI’s as the Tops went on to win 8-5. In the rubber game of the series, WKU started Phil Wetherell. After giving up 3 runs- 1 earned- in 3 innings, the Hilltoppers were in danger of losing their second straight Sun Belt series. Down 5-1, the WKU bats came alive and scored 6 unanswered runs and won the final game 7-5. The series victory was a huge one for the Hilltoppers as losing another series this late in the season could have destroyed WKU’s hope of winning the Sun Belt regular season title. Although down to 5^th place after winning only 2 of 3 from 9^th place ULM, the Hilltoppers are not out of the hunt. With three conference series left, WKU sits just 3 games back from 1^st place Troy.

Team	Record	Pct	Streak	Record	Pct	Streak
Troy	15-6	.714	L2	31-13	.705	L2
FIU	13-8	.619	W8	27-16	.628	W8
Florida Atlantic	13-8	.619	W2	26-17	.605	W2
Louisiana-Lafayette	13-8	.619	W5	26-19	.578	W3
Western Kentucky	12-9	.571	W2	27-17	.614	W2
Arkansas State	10-11	.476	W4	22-24	.478	W4
South Alabama	9-12	.429	L5	22-21	.512	L5
Middle Tennessee	7-14	.333	L3	15-29	.341	L3
ULM	7-14	.333	L2	22-21	.512	L2
UALR	6-15	.286	L10	16-26	.382	L6

Other notes: Tuesday’s game at EKU was postponed until 3 pm Wednesday due to inclement weather. WKU’s next test will be this weekend as 2^nd place FAU comes to Bowling Green.