Auburn Baseball Begins Fall Practice Tuesday

AUBURN, Ala. - A new era in Auburn baseball gets underway on Tuesday as the team begins fall team practices under the direction of new head coach John Pawlowski. The team will go through a two-hour practice beginning at 3pm today, leading up to three scrimmages this weekend, including a Saturday scrimmage at 11am that fans in town for the Auburn-LSU football game are encouraged to attend.

Practices for this week will be held at 3pm on Tuesday, 2:30pm on Wednesday and 3:30pm on Thursday. The team will then play three scrimmages this weekend, beginning at 3pm on Friday, 11am on Saturday and noon on Sunday.

"Saturday's scrimmage is a great opportunity for fans to get a sneak preview of Auburn baseball," Pawlowski said. "If you are in the area and want to stop by for an inning or two, come on in."

Team practices will run until the end of October.

Three Beavers Named to Baseball America's Summer Prospects List

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State pitchers Josh Osich, Taylor Starr and Kraig Sitton have been named to the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League’s top 10 prospects list by the publication Baseball America.

Osich was named the second-best prospect in the league, while Starr, his teammate with the Corvallis Knights, was third. Sitton, a lefty who played for Spokane, was named the fifth-best prospect for his work done during the summer.

Osich finished the 2008 summer ball season with a 5-0 record in 13 appearances, seven of which were starts. He struck out 52 in 46 innings of work and posted a 1.96 earned run average. He was named the final WCCBL Player of the Week after striking out six in eight innings in the league’s championship game.

Said Baseball America about Osich’s summer: “Osich is big and physical at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, and he's a power pitcher, befitting his size. His fastball reached as high as 98 mph this summer and sat at 92-96 mph, even as a starter. Osich doesn't command his fastball yet but he's not a one-pitch guy, either, as his curveball is a power pitch at its best. His stats bear out his dominance; he was 4-0, 1.54 with 41 strikeouts in 35 innings, ranking third in the league in ERA and ninth in strikeouts.”

Starr, meanwhile, moved into the closer’s role for the Knights and had an outstanding summer, finishing with 10 saves and a 2.49 ERA in 21 appearances. He was named the top prospect at the WCCBL All-Star game. He struck out 28 in 25 1/3 innings over the summer.

Said BA of Starr’s summer: “Another Beaver with a big-time arm, Starr wound up with 10 saves on the summer after picking up a pair in helping Corvallis win the WCCBL championship. Like Osich, Starr had some impressive radar-gun readings, hitting 94 mph in the league all-star game and sitting in the 92-94 range this summer. His fastball also has above-average movement, as his two-seamer showed arm-side run in to right-handed hitters as well as some sink.”

Sitton, meanwhile, also impressed for Spokane over the summer, finishing with a 1-3 record and 4.41 ERA. He made eight appearances, starting seven, and struck out 32 in 32 2/3 innings.

Bulldogs Excited About Their Draft Results

ATHENS, Ga. ---The University of Georgia baseball program received excellent news Saturday when All-Southeastern Conference pitcher Trevor Holder and five members of its recruiting class officially became Bulldogs for the 2009 season after they did not sign professional contracts. Two of the five Georgia recruits heading to campus were third round draft picks.

The deadline for players selected in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft to sign with their respective clubs was midnight Friday. Holder, a 10th-round pick of the Florida Marlins, returns for his senior season after serving as the ace for the College World Series finalists and SEC champion Bulldogs last year. A 6-3, 195-pound native of Birmingham, Ala., Holder is is a three-time Academic All-SEC selection majoring in finance. He went 8-4 with a 4.41 ERA as a junior.

“We’ve got a good nucleus for the 2009 season and certainly having Trevor come back to anchor our rotation is a big plus,” said Georgia coach David Perno. “He was our SEC Friday night starter last year, and we look for him to be our big game pitcher again. It’s exciting to see several of our recruits honor their commitment to Georgia. They are coming here for the right reasons. They are going to get a great education, and they are going to develop in our program.”

For the second consecutive year, Georgia tied a school record when eight members of its incoming recruiting class were drafted. However this time, Georgia will welcome five members to campus after last year only three made it. A pair of third round picks highlights this year’s freshmen class in outfielder/first baseman Chase Davidson (Milton HS, Alpharetta, Ga.) and outfielder/pitcher Zach Cone (Parkview HS, Lilburn, Ga.). Davidson and Cone favored the Bulldogs over offers by the Astros and Angels respectively. Davidson, a 6-5, 220-pounder, was the 88th overall pick in the draft. The left-handed hitting slugger batted .429 with 11 home runs and a .538 on base percentage as a senior for the Eagles. Cone, a 6-2, 200-pounder, was the 112th overall pick in the draft. He batted .424-6-23 with a .510 on base percentage and was 6-0 on the mound for the Panthers.

Davidson becomes the highest drafted freshman Bulldog to enroll since 1993 when pitcher Brian Powell did not sign after being selected in the third round (74th overall) by the California Angels. Last year, Georgia All-America pitcher Joshua Fields returned for his senior season after declining a second round offer from the Atlanta Braves.

Also, the 2009 Bulldogs will have a trio of right-handers to add to their staff in Michael Palazzone (Lassiter HS, Marietta, Ga.), Jeffrey Walters (St. Petersburg Fla. JC) and Cecil Tanner (Ware County HS, Waycross, Ga.). Palazzone was an 18th round pick of Atlanta, Walters went in the 30th round to Cleveland, and the Braves tabbed Tanner in the 36th round. Tanner pitched for the USA Baseball 18U National Team this past summer, earning a silver medal at the IBF World Junior Championships in Alberta.