Rutgers Picked Sixth in BIG EAST Baseball Preseason Poll
Dec 19 | Baseball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - Rutgers was picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST Baseball Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's head coaches, it was announced today. Sophomore shortstop Todd Frazier (Toms River, NJ) and senior outfielder Jeff Grose (Iselin, NJ) were each named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team.
The Scarlet Knights, who finished 32-21 last season including a 12-12 BIG EAST mark to place fifth in the league, totaled 76 points in the poll, six behind fifth-place St. John's - the reining BIG EAST Champions. Notre Dame was picked to win the regular-season title, accumulating 117 points, including nine first-place votes. Pittsburgh (103) was picked to finish second, followed by South Florida (91) and Louisville (87).
Frazier, the younger brother of former Rutgers All-American Jeff Frazier, earned Freshman All-America honors following last season. He hit .295 from the leadoff spot in 2005 and led the team in runs (61), home runs (9), total bases (111) and steals (19). He also posted a .392 on-base percentage and set a single-season school record for home runs by a lead-off hitter, passing current Kansas City Royals OF David DeJesus, who hit eight in 2000. He also made just seven errors in 11 starts at third base and 42 at shortstop. He hit safely in all but 12 games and reached base safely in 50 of 53 contests. He also had a 14-game hitting streak during the season which raised his average to .305. For his efforts, Frazier earned Third-Team All-BIG EAST honors last season. He was named the 19th-best professional prospect by Baseball America following his summer stint with the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod League.
Grose, who also garnered Third-Team All-BIG EAST honors last season, hit .317 in 2005, but led RU with a .356 average in league play. He hit .439 over his final 20 games, posting a .565 on-base percentage during that stretch of play. He started all 49 games he played in, recording 60 hits, 10 doubles and a pair of triples. Grose finished third on the team in walks with 32 last season. He was a force on the base paths, swiping 10 bases, while getting caught just twice. Grose made just two errors last season, primarily playing left field for the Scarlet Knights. He also appeared in five games as a relief pitcher, recording one win and one save, with six strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work last spring. Grose played for the New Jersey Pilots this past summer, earning a spot in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL) All-Star Game.
The BIG EAST expands to a 12-team league in 2006, with the addition of Louisville, South Florida and Cincinnati.
2006 BIG EAST BASEBALL PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
2006 PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
Place Team (1st Place Votes) Pts. 2005 Record, Finish
1. Notre Dame (9) 117 (38-24-1, 14-9-1, 3rd in BIG EAST)
2. Pittsburgh (2) 103 (33-22-0, 15-10-0, 4th in BIG EAST)
3. USF 91 (33-31-0, 15-14-0, T-6th in C-USA)
4. Louisville 87 (32-24-0, 15-14-0, T-6th in C-USA)
5. St. John's 82 (39-16-0, 19-4-0, 1st in BIG EAST)
6. RUTGERS 76 (32-21-0, 12-12-0, 5th in BIG EAST)
7. Villanova (1) 51 (28-21-2, 8-16-1, 8th in BIG EAST)
West Virginia 51 (25-30-0, 10-15-0, 7th in BIG EAST)
9. Connecticut 48 (34-22-0, 11-12-0, 6th in BIG EAST)
10. Cincinnati 42 (25-30-0, 10-19-0, 10th in C-USA)
11. Seton Hall 26 (17-35-0, 8-17-0, 11th in BIG EAST)
12. Georgetown 18 (25-31-0, 7-18-0, 12th in BIG EAST)
2006 PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jim Negrych, Jr., 2B, 5-10, 180, Buffalo, N.Y./St. Francis High School
2006 PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Bill Muldowney, Jr., RHP, 6-1, 205, West Chester, Pa./West Chester East High School
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team Key 2005 Statistics (All Games Played)
P - Bill Muldowney, Pittsburgh (7-3, 2.47 ERA, 83.2 IP, 78 H, 23 ER, 19 BB, 89 SO)
P - Jeff Samardzija, Notre Dame (8-1, 3.89 ERA, 78.2 IP, 85 H, 34 ER, 30 BB, 56 SO)
P - Rob Brant, Pittsburgh (7-2, 2.07 ERA, 61.0 IP, 47 H, 14 ER, 23 BB, 68 SO)
P - Tim Norton, Connecticut (4-0, 3.07 ERA, 58.2 IP, 46 H, 20 ER, 26 BB, 49 SO)
P - Casey Hudspeth, USF (8-6, 3.97 ERA, 17 GS, 104.1 IP, 104 H, 34 ER, 35 BB, 95 SO)
P - Dan MacDonald, Seton Hall (5-5, 3.89 ERA, 69.1 IP, 67 H, 30 ER, 32 BB, 51 SO)
IF - Jim Negrych, Pittsburgh* (.349 BA, 14 2B, 16 HR, 59 RBI, .694 slg. pct., 11 SB)
IF - TODD FRAZIER, RUTGERS (.295 BA, 13 2B, 9 HR, 36 RBI, 111 TB, 14 SB)
IF - Brett Lilley, Notre Dame (.355 BA, 76 H, 5 2B 28 RBI, 9 SB, 30 HBP, 33 BB)
IF - Doug Nelms, West Virginia (.349 BA, 11 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 28 RBI)
IF - Ryan Craft, Georgetown (.335 BA, 10 2B, 1 3B, 13 HR, 48 RBI)
C - Ryan Carpenter, West Virginia (.282 BA, 38 GP, 8 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 18 RBI)
OF - Stan Posluzny, West Virginia (.286 BA, 53 H, 15 2B, 12 HR, 50 RBI)
OF - Matt Bransfield, Notre Dame (.313 BA, 32 GP, 6 2B, 16 RBI)
OF - JEFF GROSE, RUTGERS (.317 BA, 60 H, 10 2B, 2 3B, 21 RBI, 32 BB)
DH - Ed Schultz, St. John's (.301 BA, 38 GP, 8 2B, 4 HR, 26 RBI)
* - unanimous selection
Ties in voting created two extra pitcher spots and one extra infield spot.
