Sept. 18, 2011

Lineup Card

Lineup Card is a feature highlighting notes from around college baseball.

Sept. 12-18, 2011

Team USA U18 defeated UNC Wilmington 9-2 Saturday in exhibition action at Brooks Field. Drew Farber homered and drove in both runs for the Seahawks. Jesse Winker and Joey Gallo went deep for Team USA. Mat Batts pitched three perfect innings in relief for UNCW.

Danny Ricabal has been hired as pitching coach at Loyola Marymount. Ricabal, a teammate of head coach Jason Gill at Cal State Fullerton in 1994, has been a pitching coach at various levels in the Los Angeles Angels organization over the past six years. He spent three seasons as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at UC Santa Barbara before entering pro baseball.

Notre Dame will host Michigan State in an exhibition game on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 10:30 a.m. prior to the football game against the two institutions. The exhibition is open to the public with no admission charge. The annual Blue-Gold Fall World Series will be held Oct. 7-9 for the Fighting Irish.

Oklahoma State will hold its Alumni Day on Oct. 29. There will be a meal either before or after the football game against Baylor, depending on the start time. The Alumni Game will be on Feb. 11.

Georgia Tech will begin fall workouts on Monday, Sept. 19. The White and Gold World Series will be held at the end of October.

Georgia will start fall practice on Monday, Sept. 19. The annual Dogs vs. Pups game is scheduled for Oct. 4. The seven-game Red-Black series is planned for Oct. 15-25.

Jason Brown returns to his alma mater as volunteer assistant at USC. He played for the Trojans from 1994-97 with a career average of .311 with 14 home runs and 77 RBI. Brown played professionally for 10 years with the Dodgers, Rays, Marlins, Pirates, Expos and Yankees organizations. He was a varsity assistant coach at his alma mater, Palos Verdes High School.

John O’Neil joins the coaching staff at Maryland-Eastern Shore. He has coached at the University of the Sciences and at his alma mater, Colby-Sawyer College. Luis Mena will return to serve as a student assistant for the Hawks. He played for two years at UMES, appearing in all 50 games this past year. Mena batted .283 with four homers and 31 RBI.

Arkansas will hold three open scrimmages this weekend at Baum Stadium: Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Fall practice will conclude with the Cardinal-White series, beginning on Oct. 15.

Eastern Michigan will host Pulitzer Prize-winning sportswriter Ira Berkow on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. at the Student Center Auditorium. The topic will be “Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story”. Berkow wrote the script for the award-winning documentary of the same name. Berkow was a sports reporter and columnist for The New York Times from 1981 to 2007 and has authored 18 books.

Cincinnati will start Homecoming weekend with its annual Diamond Club/Alumni Home Run Derby on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. at Marge Schott Stadium. BBQ and beverages will precede the competition.

James Madison head coach Spanky McFarland has received a contract extension through the 2015 season. McFarland has led the Dukes for 14 seasons. This past year, JMU posted a 42-19 overall record and a 21-9 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dukes won the CAA regular-season and tournament titles and reached the championship game of the Chapel Hill Regional.

Former Alabama head coach Jim Wells (left) has been hired as an assistant coach at East Mississippi Community College. He led the Crimson Tide for 15 seasons, retiring in 2009. Wells led Alabama to 12 NCAA tourney appearances and three trips to the College World Series.

Justin Ramsey was promoted from director of operations to volunteer assistant coach at Long Beach State, while David Yamane will take over as director of operations. Ramsey will serve as a base coach while working with the pitchers and catchers. He was preciously the pitching coach at Sacramento City College. Yamane was program coordinator for the Dirtbags a season ago, developing and coordinating all of LBSU’s youth and showcase camps. He will handle to day-to-day logistics for the Dirtbags, organize team travel and oversee game-day activities. Yamane previously was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Long Beach City College.

LSU is adding eight suites and 48 terrace seats to Alex Box Stadium. Construction should be completed prior to the 2012 season opener against Air Force on Feb. 17. The seating capacity will increase from 10,150 to 10,326.

Louisville will hold a pair of open scrimmages this weekend at Jim Patterson Stadium: Friday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. The annual Pizza Bowl series is scheduled to start on Oct. 12.

Nicholls will begin fall practice on Thursday, Sept. 15. The Colonels will face Millsaps in an exhibition game on Oct. 22 and will hold their Fall World Series beginning on Oct. 26.

Former LSU outfielder Terry Belle (left) died in an automobile accident in Paradise Valley, Ariz., on Saturday, Sept. 10. The funeral will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17, in Shreveport, La. He batted .276 in his career with the Tigers with 11 home runs and 65 RBI. He helped LSU reach the College World Series in 1986 and 1987. Belle, 45, was the twin brother of former LSU and major league star Albert Belle.

UCF will partner with Skanska USA Building, Inc. and DLR Group for its baseball stadium expansion. The initial phase will begin this fall with the addition of 1,100 bench-back bleacher seats on the first base line and expansion to the restroom buildings. Phase II will start after the 2012 season as an elevated deck will be added above the existing concourse with a new press box, a 150-seat club, four suites and an outdoor covered terrace. New restrooms, 1,200 additional bench-back seats, concession booths and a children’s activity area are planed.

Two-time defending national champion South Carolina will begin fall practice this weekend with three scrimmages at Carolina Stadium which are open to the public: Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Eastern Michigan will begin its fall schedule with an exhibition game against the Ontario Nationals on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. The Eagles will hold Scout Day on Sept. 26. EMU will hold its “Under the Lights” Alumni Game on Sept. 30. A pregame tailgate will precede the EMU football game with Akron on Oct. 1. The annual golf outing will be on Oct. 2. The Green and White Series will be played Oct. 7-10.

Texas Tech assistant coach Trent Petrie has been relieved of his duties, effective immediately. Petrie has been an assistant from 2008-11, working with the infielders and base runners. He was the recruiting coordinator for the past three years.

Ken Brown has been hired as director of baseball operations at Alabama. Brown played for the Crimson Tide in 2005 and 2006. For the past three years, he has worked in scouting and player development in Major League Baseball. Brown has been an area scout for the LA Angels since November of 2010. Brown replaces Drew French, who became pitching coach at FIU.

South Alabama will hold walk-on tryouts on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 4:30 p.m. at Stanky Field. Participants must complete the walk-on tryout form available on the Jaguars’ baseball Web page.

(photos courtesy of Alabama & LSU Media Relations Offices)