News

College baseball is back, and after a wild opening weekend, former Big Train stars are making headlines around the country. Three alumni - Tanner Allen, Ken Waldichuk and Kevin Milam - earned conference or national honors, and Carson Taylor tied a Virginia Tech record in just his second collegiate game. Check it all out here: 

Sophomore 1B Tanner Allen (BT 2017) christened Mississippi State's new stadium by driving in 13 runs as No. 14 Bulldogs swept Youngstown State. Allen went 7-for-13 with three doubles and two homers, and plated at least three runs in every contest. His offensive outburst at the plate earned him Perfect Game/Rawlings Week 1 College Player of the Week Honors.

The St. Mary’s (Calif.) Gaels stormed out of the gate as well, sweeping Washington State at home to open the season, thanks to dominant performances from several Big Train alumni. LHP Ken Waldichuk (BT 2017) earned West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week, tossing seven innings of no-run, one-hit ball in the Gaels’ opening day win over Washington State. The junior southpaw whiffed six and retired the last 16 Cougars he faced, a performance that earned him a spot on Baseball America’s “Friday night ace watch.”

Fellow Gael RHP/DH Kevin Milam (BT 2017) dominated the Cougar pitching staff en route to West Coast Conference Player of the Week honors. He collected three hits in three out of the four weekend contests, including three doubles and a home run. Through four games, he boasts a .643 average, 1.808 OPS and five RBIs. He picked up the win on the mound in Saturday’s contest as well, striking out six over five innings of work. OF Matt Green (BT 2017) tallied six hits in the series as well, picking up a double and an RBI. OF Andrew Shebloski (BT 2018) drove in a run with a single in his only at bat thus far.

RHP Carlos Lomeli (BT 2018) notched his first win of the season over the weekend as well, allowing two runs over six frames in a 6-3 Gaels win. LHP Ty Madrigal (BT 2017) made two relief appearances spanning 2.2 total innings, allowing one run.

Two games into his collegiate career, Virginia Tech C/1B Carson Taylor (BT 2018) tied a Hokies record with four doubles in a game in a 5-for-6 effort Saturday against Manhattan. The freshman is 9-for-16 through four games, with a team-leading 1.463 OPS. Teammate RHP Ryan Metz (BT 2018) has made two scoreless appearances, collecting his first collegiate strikeout along the way.

No. 11 East Carolina picked up a sweep of their own, knocking off Radford three times to kick off the 2019 campaign. LHP/DH Alec Burleson (BT 2018) gave up two runs in five solid innings in his first career Friday night start, and finished the weekend 6-for-10 with three RBIs at the plate. RHP Tyler Smith (BT 2017) surrendered three runs (two earned) over 4.2 innings in Sunday’s victory.

Arizona INF Justin Wylie (BT 2018) doubled for his first hit as a Wildcat in Saturday’s win. Wylie appeared as a pinch hitter in three contests over the weekend as Arizona swept a four-game set against UMass Lowell. RHP Quinn Flanagan (BT 2018) got his first collegiate start in Sunday’s contest and allowed two runs (one earned) over four innings while striking out four.

Florida Atlantic RHP Blake Sanderson (BT 2017) got the Owls on the right track to start the season, tossing six shutout innings with five strikeouts in an opening day victory. DH Gunnar Lambert (BT 2016) (5-for-15, 3B, HR, 4 RBIs) and 1B Udie Summerall (BT 2018) (4-for-12, 2B, 2 RBIs) contributed on the offensive side as the Owls swept Cincinnati.

Cal Baptist swept Northern Illinois in the Lancers’ first action as a Division I program. 1B John Glenn (BT 2018) went deep in one of the contests, and RHP Jacob McCarvel (BT 2018) got two outs without surrendering anything in his lone outing of the series.

In local action, George Mason C Logan Driscoll (BT 2017) homered on opening day against Iowa, and boasts an .837 OPS through three games.

James Madison INF Fox Semones (BT 2016-18) is hitting just .214 in four contests, but two of his three hits have gone for extra bases, including a three-run triple in Friday’s 12-2 win over Norfolk State. RHP Matt Marsili (BT 2016) tossed a scoreless frame in his first outing of the season Tuesday against Longwood.

Maryland RHP John Murphy (BT 2016-17) notched a two-inning save to secure the Terps’ first win of the season Sunday against VCU. LHP Tuck Tucker (BT 2018) came out of the ‘pen against Campbell on Friday to notch his first out as a Terrapin.

RHP Chris Clarke (BT 2018) made two appearances over the weekend for the USC Trojans, tossing three scoreless innings with a hit, a walk and three whiffs. Wayne State RHP Hunter Brown (BT 2018) gave up four runs in five innings over the weekend, but whiffed 10 and picked up the win.

C Ben Martz (BT 2018) is hitting just .231 through seven contests with Santa Barbara City College, but four of his eight hits have gone for extra bases (three doubles, one triple).