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MWC Baseball Weekly Press Release No. 14
No. 18 TCU to compete in 2008 NCAA Baseball Championship Stillwater Regional.
May 29, 2008
MWC Baseball Weekly Press Release No. 14
TCU MOVES ON TO 2008 NCAA BASEBALL REGIONALS A No. 3 seed in the Stillwater Regional, the Horned Frogs (47-13) will play No. 2 seed and Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament champion Wichita State (44-15) at 1 p.m. CT on Friday, May 30, at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in Stillwater, Okla. The Shockers are making their sixth-straight and 25th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Stillwater Regional host Oklahoma State (42-16) takes on No. 4 seed and Sun Belt Tournament champion Western Kentucky (33-25) at 7 p.m. CT Friday to round out the regional. The Horned Frogs captured the Mountain West Conference championship last week with a 15-2 win over New Mexico to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. A QUICK LOOK AT THE NCAA TOURNAMENT The 16 regional sites, with host institutions, are as follows: Tempe, Ariz. (Arizona State); Fullerton, Calif. (Cal State Fullerton); Conway, S.C. (Coastal Carolina); Tallahassee, Fla. (Florida State); Athens, Ga. (Georgia); Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach State); Baton Rouge, La. (LSU); Coral Gables, Fla. (Miami, Fla.); Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan); Lincoln, Neb. (Nebraska); Cary, N.C. (North Carolina)*; Raleigh, N.C. (North Carolina State); Stillwater, Okla. (Oklahoma State); Houston, Texas (Rice); Stanford, Calif. (Stanford); College Station, Texas (Texas A&M). *The regional hosted by North Carolina will be played at USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. Each of the 16 NCAA regionals features four teams, playing a double-elimination format. The regionals are scheduled to be conducted from Friday, May 30, to Monday, June 2. Selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced on www.ncaa.com, Monday, June 2, at approximately 11 p.m. ET. The 62nd Men's College World Series begins play Saturday, June 14, at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb. MWC TOURNAMENT RECAP THREE MWC STUDENT-ATHLETES NAMED LOUISVILLE SLUGGER ALL-AMERICAN Strasburg, a San Diego, Calif., native, finished the season with an 8-3 record and MWC-best rankings in earned run average (1.57), strikeouts (133) and opposing batting average (.181). His strikeout total currently leads the nation. The 2008 MWC Pitcher of the Year also finished conference play undefeated (6-0), while setting new conference game records for strikeouts (92) and ERA (0.63). On the season, Strasburg was named Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week three times and National Baseball Writers Association Pro-Line Athletic National Pitcher of the Week on April 15. He was also named MWC Pitcher of the Week a record seven times in 2008. Scruggs, the 2008 MWC Player of the Year, became the second league player to win the MWC Triple Crown, as he led the league in batting average, home runs and RBI heading into the 2008 Phillips 66 MWC Baseball Tournament. The San Diego, Calif., native, also led the MWC in slugging percentage (.778), on-base percentage (.489) and total bases (168). In addition, Scruggs ranked in the top-five in runs scored (60), doubles (20), hits (84) and walks (38). Cashner, a junior from Montgomery, Texas, is currently tied for the league-lead in wins (8) and saves (9), while posting an earned run average of 1.80 in 28 appearances on the season. In 50.0 innings of work, he has 74 strikeouts and has given up just 19 hits. SCRUGGS AND STRASBURG SEMIFINALISTS FOR USA BASEBALL GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD UNLV's Xavier Scruggs and San Diego State's Stephen Strasburg are two of 50 semifinalists for the 2008 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award (GSA) it was announced on May 20 by USA Baseball. This year will mark the 31st consecutive year the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award has been presented to the nation's premier amateur baseball player. Scruggs, the 2008 MWC Player of the Year, became the second league player to win the MWC Triple Crown, as he led the league in batting average (.389), home runs (20) and RBI (65). He also led the MWC in slugging percentage (.778), on-base percentage (.489) and total bases (168). In addition, Scruggs ranked in the top-five in runs scored (60), doubles (20), hits (84) and walks (38). Strasburg posted a 6-0 record in MWC games with an earned run average of 0.63 and 92 strikeouts. His ERA and strikeout totals are MWC all-time records in league play. The 2008 MWC Pitcher of the Year posted an 8-3 record and set new MWC records in ERA (1.57) and opposing batting average (.181), while striking out 133 batters. His strikeout total currently leads the nation. SDSU'S STRASBURG ALSO NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR ADDITIONAL NATIONAL AWARDS Strasburg is one of 10 semifinalists for the fifth annual Roger Clemens Award, which is given to the best college pitcher in America. The Clemens Award is named after pitching legend Roger Clemens. Voting to determine the three finalists for the 2008 award will begin on May 26. Strasburg is one of 16 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, which is given to the top player in collegiate baseball. The membership of the NCBWA will choose the Dick Howser Trophy recipient based on three rounds of voting. Criteria for consideration for the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage, qualities based on Dick Howser's life. The Dick Howser Trophy winner will be announced June 14. THREE MWC STUDENT-ATHLETES NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
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