July 1998 Unofficial MSU Baseball News

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07/31/98 - Thanks to Joe Dier for this latest and probably last Team USA update:

The USA Baseball team rallied in the ninth inning to down Canada 3-2 Wednesday night in the International Baseball Association's 33rd World Championships, but came up short in its bid to advance to the tournament's quarterfinals.

A two-out solo home run in the bottom of the ninth gave the Americans the win and a 4-3 tournament record. But the Netherlands topped Canada 11-9 to slip past the US for the final berth in the quarterfinals.

The USA Baseball team, skippered by former MSU head baseball coach Ron Polk, finished summer play with a 30-12 mark. Mississippi State pitcher Matt Ginter was 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA and a team-leading five saves. He totaled 25 strikeouts and allowed 24 hits over 20-2/3 innings in his 12 relief appearances.

07/30/98 - Here are the latest Diamond Dawg summer stats:

Player	Class	Team	League (Wood or Aluminum)	BA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB - ATP
Jason Burkley	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	.179	67	17	12	2	0	1	7	19	17	3-4
Chad Case	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	.256	82	18	21	5	2	1	13	18	25	4-6
Travis Chapman	JR	Orleans	Cape Cod (W)	.238	126	18	30	6	0	4	17	21	20	9-17
Chris Curry	JR	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	.270	115	14	31	4	0	3	14	15	23	1-2
Burney Hutchinson	RS FR	Rochester	Northwoods League (A)	.326	178	39	58	---	---	5	36	---	---	---
Chris Lotterhos	SR	Waterloo	Northwoods League (A)	.401	152	37	61	9	3	0	29	17	14	19-28
Ryan McGrath	SR	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	.246	122	22	30	4	0	1	17	28	19	5-7
Josh West	SO	Harrisonburg	Valley Baseball League (W)	.277	83	13	23	4	0	2	13	12	32	4-6
Phil Willingham	SO	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	.311	135	21	42	3	1	1	20	22	25	5-7

Pitcher	Class	Team	League (Wood or Aluminum)	APP	W-L	IP	H	SO	BB	ERA
Tanner Brock	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	13	5-1	47.0	36	56	20	1.15
Justin Estel	SO	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	6	1-1	14	8	16	5	2.52
Mark Freed	SO	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	9	0-4	25	34	12	20	8.64
Hank Thoms	SO	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	10	3-5	52	32	57	21	2.94

07/30/98 - Here's another Team USA update from Joe Dier:

PALERMO, Sicily --- MSU right-hander Matt Ginter struck out four of the seven batters he faced in two innings and picked up his team-leading fifth save Tuesday night as the United States turned back previously unbeaten Australia 8-5 in the International Baseball Association's 33rd World Championships.

The win evened the USA team's record at 3-3 heading into tonight's preliminary round-ending matchup with Canada. A win over Canada coupled with a win by Australia over the Netherlands would vault the USA team into the tournament's semifinal round, competition including the top four teams from each of two tournament brackets.

In 12 relief appearances this summer, Ginter, from Winchester, Ky., has posted a 1-0 record with five saves and a 4.35 ERA. He's fanned 25 batters in 20-2/3 innings, allowed 24 hits and walked four.

07/29/98 - I will have the weekly MSU player stats tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.

07/29/98 - Don't forget the Lauderdale County Alumni Association Summer Regional Meeting which is tonight at 6:30 at the Briarwood Country Club. Although it may be too late to order tickets ($10 each), you can contact the following Bulldog fans and see if they are still selling them:
Alan Lamar (601) 483-8115, Lee Gallion (601) 693-6776, Sidney Joblin (601) 482-6816, Robert Sanford (601) 693-1344.
The speakers are Dr. Portera, Joe Lee Dunn and David Wilson

07/28/98 - A couple of MSU players made the Northwoods All-Star team. Here is part of the article from the Waterloo * Cedar Falls Courier:

BRAINERD, Minn. -- Waterloo's Eric Snider will manage the South Division team and St. Cloud's Eric Page will guide the North in Saturday's Northwoods League All-Star Game here.

Snider will serve as skipper to a squad of 22 players, nine of which are his own Bucks members. Rochester, with six, landed the second-most players on the South honorary squad.

Bucks who made the all-star roster are: Pitchers Tim Lavery, Bryan Buschhorn and Josh Novotney; John Massey at catcher; Seth Von Behren at first base; Chris Lotterhos at second; Dan Dement at third; and outfielders Jeff Duncan and Dan O'Neill.

St. Cloud led all teams with 10 all-star members, thereby accounting for nearly half of the North team's 22-man roster.

(One other MSU player made the North roster: Burney Hutchinson of Tupelo - Gene.)

Go here to read the complete article.

07/28/98 - Here's the latest Team USA update from Joe Dier:

Team USA has its back to the wall in the International Baseball Assocation's 33rd World Championships underway in Italy.

The USA rebounded from an 0-2 tournament start to blank Russia 10-0 and top Chinese Taipei 13-6. But in their most recent outing, the US dropped a 9-2 decision to Nicaragua.

MSU's Matt Ginter, making his second relief appearance of the tournament, saw ninth inning duty against Nicaragua. He allowed a pair of runs on three singles and a wild pitch. For the summer, Ginter is 1-0 with four saves and a 4.82 ERA.

The Americans are 2-3 with two games remaining in the seven-game round-robin competition in Bracket B of the World Championships. The US will likely need to win both of its remaining games to qualifiy for the tournament semifinals, featuring the top four teams from both brackets.

The USA was scheduled to meet Australia Tuesday night in Palermo, Sicily.

07/25/98 - Thanks to MSU Media Relations Joe Dier for this USA Baseball update:

Korea topped the United States 3-1 in Thursday's second round competition of the International Baseball Association's 33rd World Championship in Palermo, Sicily. The US team is 0-2 and meets Chinese Taipei Friday evening in Italy. Houston lefty Shane Lance went the distance for the US, taking the loss despite a solid 12-strikeout, five-hit performance.

07/23/98 - Click here to read a nice Washington Post article about former Diamond Dawg Rafael Palmeiro.

07/23/98 - Thanks to MSU Media Relations Joe Dier for this USA Baseball update:

Not a good start for the US of A. The Netherlands' starting pitcher threw a complete-game four-hitter Wednesday in a 3-1 win. MSU's Matt Ginter (1-0, 4.08, 4 saves) pitched 1/3 of an inning in the ninth, his 10th appearance of the summer.

The USA meets Korea Thursday night in Italy. The top four teams in the bracket advance in the tournament.

07/23/98 - Visit my new sponsor Mountain Air Products to discover the best air purifiers on the market today. Fellow Bulldog fan Jack D'Arcy is waiting to hear from you.

07/21/98 - Here are the latest summer stats for several of our Diamond Dawgs (I don't have the complete stats but I have been told that Chris Lotterhos was batting .407, which was leading the summer league he is playing in):

Player	Class	Team	League (Wood or Aluminum)	BA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB - ATT
Jason Burkley	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	.164	61	14	10	2	0	1	6	14	15	3-4
Chad Case	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	.232	69	14	16	4	2	0	10	17	20	4-6
Travis Chapman	JR	Orleans	Cape Cod (W)	.204	98	11	20	3	0	1	9	17	15	6-13
Chris Curry	JR	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	.278	90	10	25	4	0	2	10	12	20	1-2
Ryan McGrath	SR	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	.200	95	16	19	2	0	0	9	21	15	4-4
Josh West	SO	Harrisonburg	Valley Baseball League (W)	.267	75	12	20	3	0	2	12	11	29	2-3
Jim Abraham	RS FR	Clinton Captains	Semi-Pro League (A)	.436	55	17	24	6	0	0	6	6	4	---
Brent Walker	RS FR	Clinton Captains	Semi-Pro League (A)	.422	45	15	19	6	0	3	14	11	7	---
Phil Willingham	SO	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	.306	108	14	33	2	0	0	12	20	21	4-5

Pitcher	Class	Team	League (Wood or Aluminum)	APP	W-L	IP	H	SO	BB	ERA
Tanner Brock	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	11	4-1	36.0	30	40	14	1.50
Justin Estel	SO	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	6	1-1	14.0	8	16	5	2.57
Mark Freed	SO	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	6	0-4	21.2	27	11	19	8.72
Hank Thoms	SO	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	9	3-5	50.0	28	54	17	2.34

According to Brooks Taylor, the manager for the Clinton Captains, three Diamond Dawgs were named to the 1998 Mississippi Semi-Pro All-State Tournament Team: Brent Walker, Jim Abraham and Brian Compton. Brian earned the "Best Pitching Performance Award" for the tournament. Brent received the "Batting Champion Award" and Jim received the "Robert Cooter Berry Courage Award." All three of these players along with Diamond Dawg Scott Polk will be playing for the Clinton Captains in the Semi-Pro World Series in Wichita, Kansas.

07/21/98 - Here's the latest USA Baseball / Matt Ginter update from Joe Dier of MSU Media Relations (let Joe know you appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to keep us internet folks up to date):

The USA posted its eighth consecutive win (10-4) and completed a three-game series sweep of Canada July 17 in New Haven, Conn. The USA is 26-9 on its pre-World Championship schedule, and flew to Italy Sunday to prepare for the International Baseball Association's 33rd World Championship.

The USA will open competition Wednesday in Palermo, Sicily against the Netherlands.

State junior-to-be Matt Ginter is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA and a team-leading four saves. He's made nine relief appearances (17.1 innings) this summer.

Former MSU head coach Ron Polk is the head coach of the USA team and is assisted by a former Bulldog assistant Steve Smith (now head coach at Baylor). MSU trainer Jay Logan is serving as the USA Team trainer.

The US is bracketed with Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Korea, the Netherlands and Nicaragua. Defending world champ Cuba is bracketed with Chinca, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, South Africa and Spain. After a seven-game round-robin schedule, the top four teams in each bracket will advance to the quarterfinals, with the semis and medal games to follow.

07/17/98 - Confirmed: Ty Martin, formerly of the University of Florida, will be a Diamond Dawg this coming season. Ty will be a junior.

07/17/98 - The latest word on Diamond Dawg Chris Lotterhos is he is batting above .400 and leading his league in hitting. I am trying to find out what league he is playing in. Hopefully, I will be able to update his stats weekly very soon once I find that info.

07/15/98 - Miss State outfielder Brooks Bryan signed a pro contract with the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League late last week. He was with the Evansville team Saturday night after an exhausting trip and played the next night. His first night he went 2-for-4 with 2 walks, 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base. A minor groin pull kept him out of the starting lineup the next night but he pinch-hit and went 1-for-1 with a double and a run scored.

BTW, there was a nice article about his signing on the Evansville Otters website. Click here to go to it.

Good luck, Brooks. You have thousands of Bulldog fans behind you 100% percent.

07/14/98 - Miss State signed San Joaquin Delta JUCO infielder Daron Wright (6-3, 165-lb, LH), of Stockton, California to a national letter of intent. Daron, who played ss/3b/2b, batted .396 with 4 home runs, 32 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He was selected to the All-Bay Valley Conference team, All North State and team MVP this past season.

Look for additional news on the official MSU baseball site.

07/14/98 - Our very own Matt Ginter made the final USA Baseball team roster. Congrats to Matt.

07/14/98 - Here are the latest summer stats for several of our Diamond Dawgs:

Player	Class	Team	League (Wood or Aluminum)	BA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB - ATT
Jason Burkley	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	.164	55	14	9	2	0	1	14	14	13	3-4
Chad Case	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	.242	66	14	16	4	2	0	10	17	19	4-6
Travis Chapman	JR	Orleans	Cape Cod (W)	.198	81	9	16	2	0	0	7	16	13	6-11
Chris Curry	JR	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	.268	71	5	19	3	0	1	7	9	14	1-1
Ryan McGrath	SR	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	.168	71	12	12	1	0	0	6	18	12	3-3
Josh West	SO	Harrisonburg	Valley Baseball League (W)	.267	60	10	16	3	0	2	11	9	22	2-3
Jim Abraham	RS FR	Clinton Captains	Semi-Pro League (A)	.463	41	13	19	6	0	0	5	4	2	---
Brent Walker	RS FR	Clinton Captains	Semi-Pro League (A)	.438	32	12	14	4	0	2	10	9	6	---
Phil Willingham	SO	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	.333	78	9	26	2	0	0	9	17	16	4-5

Pitcher	Class	Team	League (Wood or Aluminum)	APP	W-L	IP	H	SO	BB	ERA
Tanner Brock	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	11	4-1	36.0	30	40	14	1.50
Justin Estel	SO	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	6	1-1	14.0	8	16	5	2.57
Mark Freed	SO	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	5	0-4	19.1	25	6	18	9.31
Hank Thoms	SO	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	7	3-3	37.1	16	42	10	0.72

07/14/98 - According to a Melbourne, Florida newspaper, University of Florida infielder Ty Martin (Sophomore, 6-2, 180) will be transferring to Miss State this year. I have also heard this from a couple of other solid sources. This is only a rumor until confirmed by a newspaper in Mississippi. Here is some 1998 info I found on the official UF site:

#5 TY MARTIN 2B/SS
1998 - CoSIDA Academic District III honors...SEC Academic Honor Roll selection...Seen action in 59 games...Started 22 games at shortstop, 29 at 2B and eight at third...Took over starting job at short for Mark Ellis due to Ellis? injury but is back at second now...Hitting .296 with seven HR and 39 RBI...Four GWRBI...Batting .333 with 33 RBI with runners in scoring position...Posted season-best nine-game hitting streak at one point...Seven HRs more than triples output from freshman season (213 AB both years)...Started season errorless in first 12 games, running errorless string to 23 games (94 chances) dating to 1997season...Made first error in FSU game (2/28)...Only 13 errors in 235 chances on the season...Highlights - Hit first career grand slam against MSU (3/13)...Tied career high twice, including three hits against Miss. State (3/14) and St. Bonaventure (3/4)...Missed FSU game (3/1) with torn ligaments on middle finger of throwing hand...NCAA Regional Play - Hit .316 (6-for-19) with one HR and one RBI in South I Regional...Lately - Hit safely in eight of last 11 games...Broke string without a HR dating April 5 (25 games, 84 AB) with HR against Wake Forest...Hit .125 (1-for-8) in the SEC Tournament...Only hit was run-scoring double against Alabama.

07/12/98 - Matt Ginter isn't the only present Bulldog pitcher who is having an outstanding summer season. Read what Hank Thoms is up to this summer by clicking here to go to a Cape Cod Times article about Hank.

07/10/98 - MSU signee Lance Lamberth was selected the 1998 Gatorade Circle of Champions Arkansas High School Boys Baseball Play of the Year. Congrats go out to future Diamond Dawg Lance Lamberth from Bulldog fans everywhere.

I'm sure you guys would like to know what Lance (a catcher) is doing this summer. Can you say tearing the cover off the ball? Lance is hitting .577 for the Batesville, Arkansas American Legion Team. The next highest average is .343, a difference of .234. Lance, in 78 at bats, has scored 36 runs, hit 13 doubles, 3 triples, 8 home runs and knocked in 28. His on-base percentage is .645.

07/10/98 - Former Bulldog football player George Malouf's construction company Malouf Construction (Jackson, Miss.) was awarded the bid to expand Polk-DeMent Stadium. He should start in approximately 2 to 3 weeks. Remember, I will have weekly pictorial updates.

07/08/98 - Here is a senior-to-be baseball player that State is showing interest in. Brad Hutto, a 2-year starter for Madison Central HS, is a 5-9, 155-lb shortstop who is also being recruited "hard" by Ole Miss as well as Southern Miss and New Orleans.

Brad, who has MSU family ties, bats left and throws right. He batted .366 last season with 8 doubles, 2 home runs, 34 runs scored, 22 RBIs, 17 of 19 in the stolen base department, and 13 walks.

Plus, he received several honors during and after the season:

There's more: He runs a 6.7 60-yard dash and a 3.9-4.0 from home to first. I'm not through. He also is an A+ student who is in the top 5% of his class. Doesn't this young man sound like a Diamond Dawg in the making?

07/08/98 - Have you purchased your 18" dish from Dish Lease, Inc? Remember, football season is right around the corner. Visit Scott's site on the internet by clicking here.

07/07/98 - I saw this in the latest issue of Baseball America and thought you guys would be interested in it. I am only going to quote that part of the article that mentions MSU Diamond Dawg Matt Ginter:

"Team USA's pitchers had a 3.92 ERA in Nicaragua, led by sophomore righthander Matt Ginter (Mississippi State). He recorded two saves, stuck out 11 and walked only one in eight scoreless innings. Ginter set the tone in the tournament opener, fanning five and allowing two hits in 3.1 innings to get the save against Venzuela."

In case you are wondering, Matt (including games prior to the Nicaraqua tournament) pitched 11 innings, allowed 7 hits, walked 1 and struck out 13. He allowed (or should I say didn't allow) zero runs in those 11 innings.

Looks like ole Matt is geared for an outstanding junior season at MSU.

BTW, if you are interested in subscribing to Baseball America, click here. I have been a subscriber for years.

07/07/98 - Thanks to MSU's Joe Dier for this info.

DENVER - Relief pitcher Jay Powell, one of the Marlins' last links to the team that won the 1997 World Series, has been traded from Florida to the Houston Astros in a three-player deal. The trade was completed late Sunday night, after the teams played their final game before the All-Star break. Houston also acquired minor league catcher Scott Makarewicz and Florida got minor league catcher Ramon Castro. Powell was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series, working a scoreless 11th inning against Cleveland. The Marlins won 3-2 in the bottom half on Edgar Renteria's single.

Here's some additional info on Jay Powell:

Jay Powell played at Mississippi State from 1991 to 1993, was a first-round draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 1993, and launched his major league career with the Florida Marlins in 1995. Powell owns a career record of 14-9 with seven saves over four seasons, all with Florida. The right-handed relief pitcher is from Collinsville, Miss.

07/07/98 - Thanks to TopDog for this info:

Rafael Palmeiro was named the American League Player of the Month in June. Palmeiro led the league in hits (41) and slugging percentage (.739), tied for the league lead in RBI (29), finished second in home runs (12), fourth in batting average (.357) and seventh in on-base percentage (.413). In 28 games, Palmeiro had 115 at-bats, scored 21 runs, and had six doubles and one triple. For the season he is hitting .294 with 24 home runs and 68 RBI. This marks the third time in Palmeiro's 10-year career he has won the award.

You can see Raffy, one of MSU's favorite sons, in the All-Star game tomorrow night.

07/07/98 - Don't forget, if you are looking for insurance and you live in the Jackson, Mississippi area, Mark Doiron (Allstate Insurance) is the man you need to call. His website is located at http://agent.allstate.com/88634. You can also telephone him at 601-856-2777 or email him at Jaxbulldog@aol.com if you have any questions about your insurance needs. Mark knows insurance.

07/06/98 - Here are the latest summer stats for eleven of our Diamond Dawgs:

Player	Class	Team	League (Wood or Aluminum)	BA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB - ATT
Jason Burkley	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	.136	44	10	6	2	0	1	3	13	11	2-2
Chad Case	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	.226	53	9	12	4	1	0	8	14	17	4-6
Travis Chapman	JR	Orleans	Cape Cod (W)	.232	56	5	13	1	0	0	4	11	11	6-10
Chris Curry	JR	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	.214	42	2	9	2	0	0	2	6	9	1-2
Ryan McGrath	SR	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	.217	46	7	10	1	0	0	6	13	7	2-2
Josh West	SO	Harrisonburg	Valley Baseball League (W)	.293	41	9	12	2	0	1	6	9	14	2-3
Phil Willingham	SO	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	.302	56	5	17	1	0	0	6	7	12	3-3

Pitcher	Class	Team	League (Wood or Aluminum)	APP	W-L	IP	H	SO	BB	ERA
Tanner Brock	RS FR	Arlington	Clark Griffith (W)	9	4-1	29.0	22	36	11	0.93
Justin Estel	SO	Danville	Central Illinois Collegiate League (W)	4	1-1	8.2	5	7	3	3.12
Mark Freed	SO	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	3	0-2	10.0	13	3	9	10.80
Hank Thoms	SO	Yarmouth - Dennis	Cape Cod (W)	6	3-2	28.1	12	34	6	0.61

07/03/98 - Has anybody heard about MSU signing a shortstop from San Joaquin Delta Junior College in Stockton, California? I have heard this but haven't been able to confirm it.

07/02/98 - MSU has another outstanding player at their camp that I was just informed about. Josh Todd is a 6-3, 170-lb. senior-to-be from Evansville, Indiana, who plays SS/P pitcher for the Evansville Memorial HS team. Josh, who is considered one of the top ten players in southern Indiana and has received letters from about 60 colleges, batted .392 last season with 4 homers and 28 RBIs. He runs the 60 in 6.7 seconds. He also is a straight A student. There is more. He was 8-1 with a 2.00 ERA this past season. Plus, he can throw in the mid-80's, which is an increase of about 5 mph since his sophomore season.

The word is Josh is having a great time at the MSU camp. According to my source, Josh and his family are well aware of the MSU baseball tradition.

07/01/98 - Here are the latest (June 28th) summer league stats for MSU Diamond Dawgs Jim Abraham and Brent Walker thanks to semi-pro Clinton Captains manager Brooks Taylor:

Player	Class	Team	League (Wood or Aluminum)	BA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO
Jim Abraham	Redshirt Freshman	Clinton Captains	Semi-Pro (A)	.432	32	9	14	3	0	0	4	3	1
Brent Walker	Redshirt Freshman	Clinton Captains	Semi-Pro (A)	.400	25	8	10	4	0	2	7	6	6

07/01/98 - The word I am hearing is there is an outstanding baseball player at MSU's baseball camp whose name is Brandon Pipen. Brandon, who lives in Louisiana, hit over .650 this past season and is interested in MSU and LSU. This is a kid to keep an eye on next season.

Another young man to keep an eye on who is also at MSU's baseball camp is senior-to-be Matthew Brinson from Northwest Rankin. Matthew is a 6-5 power hitter who has strong MSU family connections. Look for Matthew to be one of the best Mississippi high school players next season.

This document was created using FlexED