Tom’s Top 25 College Softball week 11

Tom Knuppel College Softball 2024

This is my second week of following along with the college softball teams and the Top 25. Here is my lists after Week 11 of the schedule.

My Top 25 College Baseball

 

Collegiate Softball

#1- Texas- The Longhorns are 35-6 for the season and face Iowa State for a series next.

#2- Oklahoma 42-4 will travel to Orlando and face UCF.

#3- Stanford 34-7  face a Top ten team in Washington.

#4- Duke 32-4 The Blue Devils will face NC State

#5- Tennessee 32-7  The Vols face a Top 25 teams in Alabama

#6- Washington 28-7 They take on 33 Stanford in a huge three game series.

#7- Oklahoma State 35-8 will be at home facing Kansas.

#8- LSU 36-8 Gets a challenge by playing Arkansas.

#9- Florida 35-9 The Gators play another ranked squad in Georgia.

#10- UCLA 29-9 has a regional match-up facing Arizona.

#11- Texas A&M 33-9 faces SamHouston.

#12- Missouri 33-11 and Mississippi State have a three game series this weekend.

#13- Arkansas 30-11 The Razorback

#14- Georgia 33-13

#15- Virginia Tech 31-9=1

#16- Florida State 31-10

#17- Miss State 29-12

#18- alabama-30-10

#19- Arizona 28-13-1

#20- Louisiana 29-14

#21- Northwestern 26-8

#22- Clemson 28-14

#23- Boston University  35-11

#24- Kentucky 36-15

#25- Oregon 26-15

 

another top  game this week include a Pac-12 contest between Arizona and UCLA. Also,here is last weeks Top 20 in college softball.

Please send me a note if you read or enjoy this segment on women’s softball.

Baseball History-Teams That are Defunct

Tom Knuppel Baseball History

by Tom Knuppel

 

Teams That are Now Defunct

 

Throughout baseball history, teams have come and gone. We know of the recent ones in our lifetime. However, long before that there were hundreds of teams that played and disbanded in the early days of professional baseball. Let’s take a look at many of those but not all of those played and became defunct by 1950.

If you are interested in others,let me know at tknuppel@gmail.com

 

Wilmington Quicksteps

  This club began in 1883 when the Inter-State Association was founded and a charter was made in Wilmington Delaware to put together a team to be known as the Wilmington Quicksteps or also known by many as the Quickstep Club of Wilmington. They began play in 1884 in the Eastern League. 

   By August, they were 50-12 and very good with 400 average attendance daily.  In fact, they have sewn up their league easily. Many top professional traveling teams would stop in Wilmington to play the Quicksteps.Two of the pro teams were defeated. The manager of the team was Joe Simmons. After easily winning the Eastern League, they were persuaded to leave and join the Union Association to replace a folded team.

   Success wasn’t as easy in this league and the players thought more highly of themselves. After winning their first game 4-3 over Washington on August 18, it was all downhill for the Quicksteps, as many players no longer felt bound by their contracts and signed for more money with other teams in their new league. Shortstop and team captain Oyster Burns jumped to the Baltimore Monumentals for $900 a month, followed by outfielder Dennis Casey for $700 a month, while Catcher Andy Cusick jumped to the Philadelphia Phillies for $375 a month; each had been making about $150 a month in Wilmington.

   On September 21, 1884, Joe Simmons pulled his team off the field when he realized he didn’t have the gate fee of $60 to pay the Kansas City Cowboys as the attendance at the game was zero. 

Th team played their home games in Union Street Park in Wilmington, Delaware.

The ballpark was located on the southwest corner of Union Street and Front Street (now Lancaster Avenue), which at the time was just outside the city limits.The ballpark’s life extended well beyond 1884, hosting minor league games until the 1910s.

 

2. Altoona Mountain Citys

 

   They played baseball in the Union association for about six weeks in Altoona, Pennsylvania. They started with a 6-25 record. The team had several alternate name such as The Ottawas. The Altoona Pride,The Famous Altoonas and by the end of the season they became the Altoona Unfortunates.  

   The manager of the team was Ed Curtis and their home was in Columbia Park which was also sometimes called Fourth Avenue Grounds, was located at Lower Sixth Street, Fourth Avenue, and Mill Run Road.The co-owners of the team wee Arthur Dively and william Ritz. 

   The team began the season playing the top two teams in the league which were the St Louis Maroons and the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds. They began the season with no wins in eleven games. They gave up 92 runs and made 53 errors in those games. After winning their first game on May 10, the team went 5-8 before folding on May 31, 1884. Attendance ranged from 200 to 1000 on weekends. 

 

3. Kansas City Cowboys

 

    The Cowboys were only a team for one season. They took over for Altoona when they folded. They began by acquiring the same schedule and just played the games in their place. This team had no official nickname but the local press called them the Unions, since they were in the Union Association and the press of other cities referred to them as the Kaycees. Since took over for the Altoona team they got their win-loss record and finished last in an eight team league.

     Only the St Louis Maroons and Kansas City team made a profit that season. All the rest lost money. That caused the Union Association to dissolve. 

    Matthew Porter was the manager in Kansas City and played their games at Athletic Park which is located in the vicinity of Southwest Boulevard and Summit Street. The site today is occupied by various commercial businesses.

 

4. Baltimore Monumentals

 

This team finished in fourth place in the one year of the Union Association. Their record was 58-47 and they were managed by Bill Henderson, The Monumentals had some very good player in the league which included Emmett Seery, the left fielder that hit .311 for the season and pitcher Bill Sweeney who  was 40-21 on the year with a 2.54 ERA and 58 complete games. 

   The home games were played at the BelAir Lot. It was across Forrest Street from the Belair Market, and another of its boundaries was Low Street. Baltimore had more statues and monuments per capita than any other city in the United States in 1884.Therefore, they were named the Monumentals.

 

5. Providence Grays

 

     This team played in Providence, Rhode Island from 1878- until 1885 in the National League,\. They won in 1879 and 1884 and then went on to win the first ever World Series in 1884 by defeating the New York Metropolitans. 

   They played there home games at Messer Street Grounds and the park opened to the public on May 1, 1878. The following account from the Providence Morning Star provides a very detailed description of the park:

 

“The large grandstand held twelve hundred people, among them hundreds of ladies. The long semi-circular tiers of seats were black with men and boys, and hundreds were standing, unable to get seats. The commodious space for carriages was completely filled, and one or two May Day riding parties also graced that part of the grounds…Two registering turnstiles gates admit the patrons to the grounds, and as each ticket holder passes through the gate he steps on a raised platform, and by a mechanical arrangement is registered, and only one person can pass through the gate at a time. Near the gate are two ticket offices, and a large entrance through which the crowd can pass at the end of the game. At the southeast corner there is a large gate to admit carriages to the park. The ground, which contains nearly six acres of land, is enclosed by a fence twelve feet high. The diamond is as level as constant rolling by heavy stone and iron rollers can make it. Inside of the base lines is turfed, except a space nine feet in width, reaching from the pitcher’s position to the home plate. Twenty-two feet are sodded outside of the diamond. Paths leading to and from the bases have been rolled hard, and the out-field is sown with grass seed. The grand stand which will seat nearly 1200 people, is 151 x 40 feet (12 m), and in the rear is raised 34 feet (10 m). The stand is reached by steps at both ends. It will be covered by canvass, requiring nearly 7,000 feet (2,100 m). Seats are arranged in a circle at the eastern and western sides of the field. A platform 60 x 8 feet (2.4 m) has been erected for the reporters, scorers and invited guests, seating nearly 60 persons. Under the grand stand for the visiting and local clubs are rooms 20 feet (6.1 m) square and fitted up with wardrobes, dressing rooms 20 feet (6.1 m) square, a wash room supplied with Pawtucket water, closet, etc. The Western Union Telegraph Company have a room 8 x 10 feet (3.0 m). There is a stockholders’ room 20 feet (6.1 m) square, and a refreshment saloon 40 x 20 to be managed by caterer Ardoene. A fence with gateways has been erected in front of the club rooms, thereby preventing the crowd from having any talk with the players. The grounds are without doubt as fine as any in the country, and Harry Wright said yesterday, ‘They are beautiful.”

 

Benjamin Douglas became the general manager when the team was formed on January 16,1878. The president was  Henry Root and on January 18th they applied to enter the National League. They were accepted on February 6th.

   On April 10, Root took over ownership of the team, fired Douglas for incompetence and insubordination, and hired Tom York to replace Carey as captain. On May 30, the Providence Base Ball Association was incorporated by the Rhode Island General Assembly.

   The star pitcher for the Grays was “Old Hoss” Radbourn as he went on to win 60 games in 1884 and succeeded in winning the newly minted World Series over the New York Metropolitans. After the conclusion of the season in 1884, The Grays disbanded due to financial constraints. 

 

6. Chicago Whales

 

   This team has one of the more interesting stories of any defunct team. They began play in Chicag0 in 1913  in the Federal League. In 1915, they won their division by decimal points over the St Louis Maroons.

     They began without a nickname but when Burt Keeley became manager, they were given the name as Chicago Keeleys. They finished in fourth place 17.5 games behind the leader. After that season, the Federal League had visions of grandeur and wanted to be part of the major league. Chicago already had the Cubs and White Sox in the city.

    Chicago businessman James Gilmore became president of the Federal league and he sought investment owners of stature for many of the other teams in the league. It was in 1914 that the team became the Chicago Federals to keep them separate of the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox.Majority owner Charles Weegham in 1914 decided to build a new stadium for his team. Weegham failed to purchase the St Louis Cardinals in 1911 and turned his money towards Chicago. It was name Weegham Park. 

     At the start of the 1915 season, The renamed themselves the Chicago Whales. The hat was a large C with a whale in the middle of it. The team disbanded in 1915 and Weegham became a part owner of the Chicago Cubs. He moved his team into his park and they played there until  1920. Weegham was forced out as a Cubs owner due to financial issues and in 1920 the steel and concrete stadium was known as Wrigley Field. It is the only Federal League ballpark still being used today. Many Whales players had American and National League experience, including manager Joe Tinker, Dutch Willing, Mordecai Brown, and Rollie Zeider.

As the Federals, they played the first game at Wrigley Field on April 23, 1914.

 

7. Brooklyn Bridegrooms

   On October 29,1887, the Brooklyn Grays became the Brooklyn Bridegrooms when Jim Donahue purchased the team for $25,000 from the New York Metropolitans to play in the American Association.. On the same day, Donahue also purchased players : Bill Fagan, Frank Hankinson, Bill Holbert, Al Mays, Darby O’Brien and Paul Radford were purchased by the Bridegrooms from the New York Metropolitans. Then in November he bought more players from the St Louis Band in 1888, he purchased a plethora of players from the newly defunct Kansas City Cowboys.

In 1888, the Bridegrooms finished in second place 6.5 games behind the first place St. Louis Browns. The name Bridegrooms was given because at the time of formation, many of the players were getting married.  The Bridegrooms played in the 1889 World Series representing the American Association against the New York Giants, champions of the National League. The Giants won the series, 6 games to 3. This series would be the first meeting between the two teams. It was after the 1899 season they became the Brookly Suprbas. 

 

8. Philadelphia Keystones

 

   The team was also known as the Keystone Club of Philadelphia. Tom Pratt, a former player, was the owner. The team began play in 1884 in the Union Association. In their first year, they finished eighth in a twelve team league with a paltry 21-46 record under the management of catcher Fergy Malone.

    The organization ceased operations on August 7,1884 like most of the other teams in the Union Association. The team became defunct.   

 

9 All Cubans

 

The All Cubans team was organized by Abel Linares and managed by Tinti Molina. The players were all Cuban born players and toured the
United States in 1899 and again from 1902 to 1905. In the tour, they primarily played against semi pro teams and Negro league teams. Linares tells the story of arriving in the USA with 12 players and $25. They had so little money when the tour ended in New York that they couldn’t pay to send them all home. Two players had to stay and wait for money to be sent from Cuba for them to get home. 

 

On July 28,1899 the All Cubans got their first win. It was against a semi pro team from Weehawken, NJ. by the score of 12-4. On July 31, they followed that up with a loss to the West New York Field Club 8-5 with 1900 people in the stands. Another win came at the hands of the Mountain AC team 9-3.

Perhaps the most famous game in the history of the All Cubans was against the Cuban X-Giants (they had no Cubans on the squad), a top Negro League team with a 7-3 victory. 

The tour of 1902-05 was different for the first time they allowed black Cubans to play. 

. In 1903, there were reports the team had run into trouble in Florida because it was carrying three black players.These teams continued to play successfully against independent white semi-pro teams and Negro League teams, such as the Cuban X-Giants and the Philadelphia Giants.

 

10. Pittsburgh Crawfords

 

The Crawfords played in Pittsburgh from 1932-1938. They were a professional team that played in the Negro league in Pittsburgh, PA. Originally, they were first known as the Crawford colored Giants. They were named after the Crawford Bath House, which was a recreation center in the Crawford Neighborhood in the Hill District within the city.

Their games were played at Greenlee Field which was located at the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Junilla Street in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Greenlee Field was 375 in right field. 345 feet in left field and 500 feet in straight away center. The backstop is 60 feet from the plate and the foul territory off the sides from first and third were 25 feet. It was a big ballpark. 

In 1933, Gus Greenlee bought the team and had the stadium built and named after himself and they became one of the strongest teams around. as the major African-American leagues of the 1920s, the Negro National League and the Eastern Colored League, had fallen apart under pressures of the Great Depression. By late that year, Greenlee signed many of the top African-American stars to his team, most notably Satchel Paige. The next year, in 1932, Greenlee hired Hall of Fame player Oscar Charleston as playing manager, and added Hall of Famers Josh Gibson, Judy Johnson, and Cool Papa Bell, along with other notable players such as William Bell, Jimmie Crutchfield, Rap Dixon, Sam Bankhead, and Ted Radcliffe. Playing as an independent club, the Crawfords immediately established themselves as perhaps the best black team in the United States.

In 1938, white members of the board forced Greenlee to not hire blacks for jobs as ticket takers and ushers. He sold the team in 1938. They demolished the stadium and moved for one year to Toledo and the next season to Indianapolis before shutting down forever. 

 

11. Covington Blue Sox

 

   This team originated in Covington, Kentucky. They played in the short lived Federal League and were also known as the Covington Federal or Covington Colonels in the newspaper clippings. Baseball of the amateur variety had been around Covington for quite some time.

   The amateur team hosted a professional exhibition contest between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Hartford Dark Blues on September 21, 1875. It was a popular and successful venture with 800 in attendance. 

   It was in late 1912 or early 1913, that the Covington city leaders attempted to garner a team in the Class D Blue Grass League. They were blocked by the Cincinnati Reds that were a mere five miles away across the river. However, they were accepted into the maverick Federal League instead. 

   The next step involved the city raising money. They got $13,500 and they used $6000 to build a new ballpark and was built to hold 6,000 fans. The ballpark was bounded by East 2nd Street, East 3rd Street, Madison Avenue and Scott Boulevard.the park was built with small dimensions, possibly the smallest ever built for any pro baseball It had a distance of just 194 feet down the right-field line, 267 feet to dead center, and 218 feet down the left-field line.Pro ballparks had a required minimum of 325 feet down the foul lines. Construction did not begin until a month before opening day.

 

The home opener was a sellout and many were turned away on May 9. The mayor proclaimed ita half-holiday and all the city offices were closed. The Blue Sox pitcher Walt Justis  shut out the St. Louis Terriers for the win.However, the city wasn’t large enough to sustain the attendance and average plateaued to 650 per game.The league voted to move the team to Kansas City, where it was renamed the Packers. The owners of the Covington team yielded their rights to their creditors.

 

12. Cincinnati Outlaw Reds

 

      This team began in 1886 in the Union Association and finished in second place with 69 wins. They were only one of a few that played a full schedule and didn’t quit before the year was over. 

    They only had two pitchers on the rosters and they were George Bradley and Jim Mc Cormick. The best player on the squad and the one that had the best career was infielder Jack Glasscock. The team cease to exist more than one season due to the Union Association folding. 

13. Pittsburgh Rebels

   This team joined the Union Association in 1913 and played their games at Exposition Park, which was on the north side of  the Allegheny River.  Later after many decades, this became the spot where they built Three Rivers Stadium. The Union League folded after one season and they joined the Federal league. The Pittsburgh team had some good players that eventually became players in the National and American League. 

   The 1914 version had more issues in the Federal League and couldn’t sustain revenue and the team had to cease to exist after the 1914 season.

 

14. Atlanta Black Crackers 

     This team began as a collection of black college students that were named the Atlanta Cubs in 1919. They changed their name due to many of the fans referring to them as Black Crackers. There was already a team in Atlanta known as the Crackers and it was an all white squad. 

    The Black Crackers joined the Negro Southern League in 1920. The league was more popular in the north than the south, therefore, attendance wasn’t particularly good. They hung around until the mid 1920’s but due to the popularity of the Birmingham Barons  and the Memphis Red Sox in the Negro National League, the Black Crackers began to cease operations in 1936,

 

15. Troy Trojans

     For four years the Trojans were a major league team and that was from 1879-1882. They played their home contests at Putnam Grounds and Haymaker Grounds in the city of Troy in the state of New York. 

    Roger Connor is credited with hitting the very first grand slam ever in major league history. The Trojans and the Worcester National League team were expelled from the league before the completion of the season in 1882. The team had won 131 games and lost 194. They were just a bad baseball team. They were kicked out for being too small and too few attendance for the ambitious league. 

They had six in attendance on September 28, 1883 when they played Worcester and the following game saw them have one paid attendee. On their team were three future Hall of Famers in Mickey Welch, Buck Ewing and Roger Connor.  

 

17. Minneapolis Millers

In 1864, the Northwestern League was formed and the Minneapolis Millers was one od the first teams to join it. That league failed and it was replaced by the Western League and the Millers were part of it. That league had financial issues and folded. In 1884, a new western League was formed by Ban Johnson and Charles Comiskey. Minneapolis continued to play in 1900 but the league changed their name and approach to the American League and looked to boot out the smaller markets in favor of the larger cities.  

   A different version of the Millers took part around 1902 in the American Association. This franchise seemed to go in and out for years but the Millers are not around anymore. It is unsure if the present day Minnesota Twins have any connection to the old Minneapolis Millers roots. 

18. Louisville Black Caps

This team was in existence from 1930-1932 in the Negro National Laegue. They were based in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1931 they were known as the Louisville white Sox and in 1932, they Were part of the Southern League where they played for five months as the Black Caps and folded due to low attendance with about six weeks left in the season. 

19. Dayton Marcos

      This team began as an independent before the Negro Leagues really were in existence.The team was young black men that played in the Ohio-Indiana League in the early 1900’s. The team was formed by real estate agent Moses Moore. He was owner of the Marcos Hotel and apparently named the team after his business venture. The team was originally formed to provide entertainment at  Dahomey Park. This was the first black owned and operated amusement park in the United States.

    They began play at West Side Park and then moved to Westwood Park to make it closer to the amusement area.  The local newspaper referred to them as Moses Morre’s Marcos. 

   In 1913, there was a catastrophic flood and star pitcher ill Sloan took over a boat and saved as many as 300 Daytonians. 

20. St Louis Terriers

    This team played in 1914 and 1915 in the Federal League.  Phil Ball owned the team . He was an ice magnate and later owned the st. Louis Browns. The team played their games at Hanlan’s Park It was surrounded by Grand Avenue on the west and Laclede Avenue on the north in St, Louis Missouri. 

   In 1914, they finished in last place and then the following year they finished one game out of first place. It was then the Federal League folded after pressure from the American and National leagues. 

21. Buffalo Blues

This team played in the Federal League in 1913 and the newspapers referred to this team as BufFeds. They played in the major leagues in 1913 and 1914 and then discontinued operations. 

   They played their home contests at Internationals Fair Association Grounds. The fairgrounds property was originally a large block bounded by Northland Avenue (north); Humboldt Parkway (east); Ferry Street (south); Dupont Street, and Jefferson Avenue (west). The grounds included a horse race track and grandstand, and a bicycle track within the horserace rack.     William E Robertson was President of the league and manager of concessions at Griffith Stadium. 

     

22. Brooklyn Tip Tops

This team in Brooklyn, New York was in the short lived Federal League in 1914 and 1915. They were owned by Robert Ward, owner of Ward Baking company that made Tip Top bread.. Had this team succeeded, it is likely they would have played the first night games as they had made plans a year in advance of introducing the games. 

23. St Louis Maroons

  Henry Lucas formed the Maroons in 1884 and they played in the Union Association. They were as near a major league team as any for the time period. One year was it for the Union Association and the Maroons became part of the Nationals League.

   The Maroons debuted on April 20,1884 at the Union base Ball Park and later became known as Lucas Park. The ballpark was bounded by Jefferson Avenue (west, first base); Howard Street (north, third base); 25th Street (east, left field); and Cass Avenue (south, right field). Mullanphy Street now cuts through what was once right and center field.

 

There are many more teams that have gone defunct over the previous seasons. Most of them came during the Union Association era and the Federal league time. The Federal League is an interesting case to read as they were successful but got pressured by the National and American Leagues to have their teams joined them. This was necessary because top players were jumping around from team to team looking for more money.Hope you enjoyed the defunct article. There are likely another 60-80 teams that could be included at KnupSports. 

 

26. Cleveland Spiders

27. Homestead Grays

28. Jacksonville Red Caps

29. Bachrach Giants

30. Washington Potomacs

Tom’s Top 25 – College Baseball 2024

Tom Knuppel College Baseball 2024

One more week left in April as the season is grinding down to a halt. These are my opinions on college baseball. Also, check in at tomknuppel.com for other college sports such as, volleyball, football(on Fridays) and college basketball will be back. Let’s take a look at the Top 25 according to Tom and how they fared this week.

 

#1 Texas A&M – The Aggies are 35-5 overall and went 3-1 this  week as they beat Air Force in a mid week contest and defeated Alabama 10-5, 18-9 and lost the final contest on Sunday 10-9.

#2- Arkansas – We find the Razorbacks are 34-6 and was 4-1 on the week. They defeated Texas Tech 9-8 and 5-4 in midweek games and won  2-1 on Friday against South Carolina and lost Saturday  6-3 but took the rubber game of the series 9-6.

#3- Tennessee –  is 33-7 on the year. They were 3-1 this week after destroying Bellarmine 20-5 then won two of three against a good Kentucky team with a loss on Friday 5-3 but wins over the Saturday/Sunday contests with 9-4 and 13-11 wins.

#4- Clemson- the Tigers are 32-7 overall and 13-5 in the ACC conference. They defeated Pittsburgh two of three this weekend with a loss on Saturday. They are on the road at Georgia on Tueday and again on the road for the weekend series at Louisville.

#5- Florida State is 31-8 and lost two of three to a former #1 team in Wake Forest this weekend with all three contests decided in the final inning.  They will next face Duke next weekend.

#6 – Duke – The Blue Devils are 29-11 on the year and won all three in close affairs over Virginia Tech. They face Florida State in an important weekend series.

#7- Kentucky – The Wildcats are 32-7 and 2-2 on the week. They opened up with a midweek win 17-13 over in-state rival Louisville but then won on Friday and lost twice to Tennessee. It doesn’t get any easier as they face the South Carolina Gamecocks for three next weekend.

#8-  East Carolina- The Pirates are impressive with an overall record at 32-7. They were dominant with three wins over Wichita State and now look ahead to play North Carolina in a midweek game and then host Memphis.

#9- Wake Forest – The former #1 team is back to playing stellar baseball as their overall record is now 26-13. They were productive with a 2 of 3 wins over the weekend against Florida State. They next will travel to Notre Dame for a weekend series.

#10- Vanderbilt – The Commodores are 29-11 and had a successful weekend by winning 2 of 3 games against the Florida Gators. They next play at home at Hawkins Filed to take on Mississippi State next weekend.

#11- North Carolina- The tar Heels are 30-10 on the season and finished a tough week after losing midweek at home to Coastal Carolina. This snapped a 27 game home streak. Then they lost 2 of 3 to NC State in a pair of one run games but came back on Sunday to salvage the series with a 14-3 win. They will face Virginia Tech at home for a three game series.

#12- Virginia- is 29-11 on the year with a 12-9 ACC record. They had a bad midweek loss to Old Dominion and they dropped two of three against Georgia Tech over the weekend. The Cavaliers travel to Boston College for a weekend series.

#13- UC Irvine – They are 28-8 overall and lost in a midweek game to USC 12-4 but came back to sweep a series against San Diego State. Next up is a week day game at UCLA followed by traveling to UC Riverside for the weekend series.

#14- Oregon State – They are 30-9 on the season and 10-7 in the Pac 12. They were swept three games over the weekend by Cal. Next up they host the Oregon Ducks for a weekend series.

#15- Coastal Carolina jumped up in the polls after a 3-1 week. The Chants are currently 27-12 overall and beat two ranked opponents in North Carolina and 2 of 3 from Louisiana. They travel to Creighton for a midweek game and host Troy for a series n the weekend.

#16-  Oklahoma- The Sooners are 24-14 overall and 14-7 in the Big-12 conference. They swept BYU and now take on Wichita State and Texas.

#17- NC State is 22-15 overall but lost two of three to UNC. This coming midweek, they face a ranked East Carolina team and then host Ball State for the weekend series.

#18-  Oregon is 27-12 and won 2 of 3 at Stanford after defeating Gonzaga in a midweek contest. Now the Ducks will travel to Oregon State for a weekend series.

#19 – Oklahoma State dropped two of three to Kansas State to drop their overall record to 26-4. A crucial weekend series is looming this week as they host BYU.

#20- Alabama- the Tide are 25-15 over but a poor  7-11 in the SEC.  They took one of three from the top team in the nation in Texas A&M and now they get to face Mississippi on the road.

#21- South Carolina- The Gamecocks are currently 27-13 overall and 9-9 in the SEC..They lost a pair to Arkansas over the weekend. Next up is the Kentucky Wildcats.

#22- West Virginia finished the weekend with a 23-26 overall record after getting swept by Texas Tech. Going forward, the Mountaineers will have Penn State for one game and Baylor for a weekend series.

#23- Arizona enters the rankings after sweeping Washington State even though they lost a week day game to Grand Canyon. Their next weekend event will be traveling to face the Washington Huskies. for three games.

#24- Indiana Tate enters the Top 25 with an overall record of 12-3 in the Missouri  Valley and 29-8 overall. They travel to Carbondale to face Southern Illinois in the weekend series.

#25- Louisiana- the Ragin’ Cajun are 31-11 and 15=3 in the Sun Belt conference. They lost two of three against Coastal Carolina over the weekend series. Now, they host Houston Christian midweek and Southern Miss in the weekend bout.

 

— I recommend you get a subscription to Hulu and bundle it with ESPN+  for the best price to watch many good college baseball contests every day.

 

College Football Friday – Big Ten Wins and Losses 2024

Tom Knuppel College Football 2024

I know. There is still over three months until the first kickoff. Here at tomknuppel.com I am going to segment this into once a week college football posts. I will start this off with the Big Ten.

Feel free to comment with  your thoughts.

Illinois –

Not much news coming from Champaign and that is likely good. The Memorial Stadium will be celebrating its 100th year. Oh if those walls could talk! If you are a fan, check out IlliniBricks.com to purchase a  brick with your name on it for the celebration.

Archie McDaniel is the new linebackers coach for Illinois.  after spending three seasons with the Houston Cougars as their linebackers coach. Prior to Houston, he spent a lot of time in Texas and surrounding states, with stops at Texas State, New Mexico and SMU, among others. Head coach Bret Bielema has said he wants more quality players from Texas. The Illini have gotten two player from Texas since 2020.

What about wins and losses? Here is  my college football guesses for the Fighting Illini in 2024

Predicted Record: 7-5
Aug 24 Eastern Illinois W
Aug 31 OPEN DATE
Sept 7 Kansas W
Sept 14 Central Michigan W
Sept 21 at Nebraska L
Sept 28 at Penn State L
Oct 5 OPEN DATE
Oct 12 Purdue W
Oct 19 Michigan L
Oct 26 at Oregon L
Nov 2 Minnesota W
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 Michigan State W
Nov 23 at Rutgers W
Nov 30 at Northwestern L

Thoughts: The Rutgers game I went back and forth, I could see  loss there.

 

INDIANA

Bad news came out of Bloomington on Tuesday as it was announced QB Broc Lowry, WR Derrick Bohler transferring from IU football.

From Canfield, Ohio, Lowry was a consensus three-star recruit in the 2023 class. He was rated the No. 25 pocket passer nationally by ESPN, and the top quarterback in Ohio.

 

Predicted Record 5-7
Aug 31 FIU W
Sept 7 Western Illinois W
Sept 14 at UCLA L
Sept 21 Charlotte W
Sept 28 Maryland L
Oct 5 at Northwestern L
Oct 12 OPEN DATE
Oct 19 Nebraska W
Oct 26 Washington L
Nov 2 at Michigan State L
Nov 9 Michigan L
Nov 16 OPEN DATE
Nov 23 at Ohio State L
Nov 30 Purdue W

 

IOWA

Wide Receiver Jacob Bostock has entered the transfer portal.

Bostick, a 6’3″, 182 lb sophomore wide receiver out of Palatine, Illinois, was a member of Iowa’s 2022 recruiting class. A high three-star prospect, Bostick chose Iowa over several other offers, including Illinois, Kansas State, Cincinnati, Louisville, Pitt, Army, Navy, Air Force,

Predicted Record: 8-4
Aug 31 Illinois State W
Sept 7 Iowa State W
Sept 14 Troy W
Sept 21 at Minnesota L
Sept 28 OPEN DATE
Oct 5 at Ohio State L
Oct 12 Washington W
Oct 19 at Michigan State L
Oct 26 Northwestern W
Nov 2 Wisconsin W
Nov 9 at UCLA L
Nov 16 OPEN DATE
Nov 23 at Maryland W
Nov 29 Nebraska W

 

MARYLAND

Predicted Record: 7-5
Aug 31 UConn W
Sept 7 Michigan State W
Sept 14 at Virginia W
Sept 21 Villanova W
Sept 28 at Indiana W
Oct 5 OPEN DATE
Oct 12 Northwestern W
Oct 19 USC L
Oct 26 at Minnesota L
Nov 2 OPEN DATE
Nov 9 at Oregon L
Nov 16 Rutgers W
Nov 23 Iowa L
Nov 30 at Penn State L

 Michigan

Predicted Record: 9-3
Aug 31 Fresno State W
Sept 7 Texas L
Sept 14 Arkansas State W
Sept 21 USC W
Sept 28 Minnesota W
Oct 5 at Washington W
Oct 12 OPEN DATE
Oct 19 at Illinois W
Oct 26 Michigan State W
Nov 2 Oregon L
Nov 9 at Indiana W
Nov 16 OPEN DATE
Nov 23 Northwestern W
Nov 30 at Ohio State L

 Michigan State 

This squad is likely to show improvement after the hiring of former Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith. He brought in his former quarterback Aidan Chiles an all Pac-12 offensive lineman Tanner Miller. A third member from the OSU team is AP all-conference tight end Jack Velling, who set an Oregon State single-season record for tight ends with eight touchdown receptions.

Spring Predicted Record: 7-5
Aug 31 Florida Atlantic W
Sept 7 at Maryland L
Sept 14 Prairie View A&M W
Sept 21 at Boston College W
Sept 28 Ohio State L
Oct 5 at Oregon L
Oct 12 OPEN DATE
Oct 19 Iowa W
Oct 26 at Michigan L
Nov 2 Indiana W
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 at Illinois L
Nov 23 Purdue W
Nov 30 Rutgers W

 Minnesota

Predicted Record: 6-6
Aug 29 North Carolina W
Sept 7 Rhode Island W
Sept 14 Nevada W
Sept 21 Iowa W
Sept 28 at Michigan L
Oct 5 USC L
Oct 12 at UCLA L
Oct 19 OPEN DATE
Oct 26 Maryland W
Nov 2 at Illinois L
Nov 9 at Rutgers W
Nov 16 OPEN DATE
Nov 23 Penn State L
Nov 30 at Wisconsin L

 Nebraska 
Predicted Record: 7-5
Aug 31 UTEP W
Sept 7 Colorado W
Sept 14 Northern Iowa W
Sept 21 Illinois W
Sept 28 at Purdue W
Oct 5 Rutgers W
Oct 12 OPEN DATE
Oct 19 at Indiana L
Oct 26 at Ohio State L
Nov 2 UCLA L
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 at USC L
Nov 23 Wisconsin W
Nov 29 at Iowa L

Northwestern
Predicted Record: 5-7
Aug 31 Miami University W
Sept 7 Duke W
Sept 14 OPEN DATE
Sept 21 at Washington L
Sept 28 OPEN DATE
Oct 5 Indiana W
Oct 12 at Maryland L
Oct 19 Wisconsin L
Oct 26 at Iowa L
Nov 2 at Purdue L
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 Ohio State L
Nov 23 at Michigan L
Nov 30 Illinois W
TBD Eastern Illinois W

  Ohio State
Spring Predicted Record: 12-0
Aug 31 Akron W
Sept 7 Western Michigan W
Sept 14 OPEN DATE
Sept 21 Marshall W
Sept 28 at Michigan State W
Oct 5 Iowa W
Oct 12 at Oregon W
Oct 19 OPEN DATE
Oct 26 Nebraska W
Nov 2 at Penn State W
Nov 9 Purdue W
Nov 16 at Northwestern W
Nov 23 Indiana W
Nov 30 Michigan W

Oregon

Predicted Record: 11-1
Aug 31 Idaho W
Sept 7 Boise State W
Sept 14 at Oregon State W
Sept 21 OPEN DATE
Sept 28 at UCLA W
Oct 5 Michigan State W
Oct 12 Ohio State L
Oct 19 at Purdue W
Oct 26 Illinois W
Nov 2 at Michigan W
Nov 9 Maryland W
Nov 16 at Wisconsin W
Nov 23 OPEN DATE
Nov 30 Washington W

Penn State 

Predicted Record: 10-2
Aug 31 at West Virginia W
Sept 7 Bowling Green W
Sept 14 OPEN DATE
Sept 21 Kent State W
Sept 28 Illinois W
Oct 5 UCLA W
Oct 12 at USC L
Oct 19 OPEN DATE
Oct 26 at Wisconsin W
Nov 2 Ohio State L
Nov 9 Washington W
Nov 16 at Purdue W
Nov 23 at Minnesota W
Nov 30 Maryland W

Purdue Football
Predicted Record: 3-9
Aug 31 OPEN DATE
Sept 7 Indiana State W
Sept 14 Notre Dame L
Sept 21 at Oregon State L
Sept 28 Nebraska W
Oct 5 at Wisconsin L
Oct 12 at Illinois L
Oct 19 Oregon L
Oct 26 OPEN DATE
Nov 2 Northwestern W
Nov 9 at Ohio State L
Nov 16 Penn State L
Nov 23 at Michigan State L
Nov 30 at Indiana L

 Rutgers 
Predicted Record: 2-10
Aug 31 Howard W
Sept 7 Akron W
Sept 14 OPEN DATE
Sept 21 at Virginia Tech L
Sept 28 Washington L
Oct 5 at Nebraska L
Oct 12 Wisconsin L
Oct 19 UCLA L
Oct 26 at USC L
Nov 2 OPEN DATE
Nov 9 Minnesota L
Nov 16 at Maryland L
Nov 23 Illinois L
Nov 30 at Michigan State L

UCLA 
Predicted Record: 7-5
Aug 31 at Hawaii W
Sept 7 OPEN DATE
Sept 14 Indiana W
Sept 21 at LSU L
Sept 28 Oregon L
Oct 5 at Penn State L
Oct 12 Minnesota W
Oct 19 at Rutgers W
Oct 26 OPEN DATE
Nov 2 Nebraska W
Nov 9 Iowa W
Nov 16 at Washington L
Nov 23 USC L
Nov 30 Fresno State W

 USC 
Predicted Record: 10-2
Sept 1 vs LSU (in Las Vegas) L
Sept 7 Utah State W
Sept 14 OPEN DATE
Sept 21 at Michigan L
Sept 28 Wisconsin W
Oct 5 at Minnesota W
Oct 12 Penn State W
Oct 19 at Maryland W
Oct 26 Rutgers W
Nov 2 at Washington W
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 Nebraska W
Nov 23 at UCLA W
Nov 30 Notre Dame W

Washington 
Predicted Record: 7-5
Aug 31 Weber State W
Sept 7 Eastern Michigan W
Sept 14 Washington State W
Sept 21 Northwestern W
Sept 28 at Rutgers W
Oct 5 Michigan L
Oct 12 at Iowa L
Oct 19 OPEN DATE
Oct 26 at Indiana W
Nov 2 USC L
Nov 9 at Penn State L
Nov 16 UCLA W
Nov 23 OPEN DATE
Nov 30 at Oregon L

Wisconsin
Predicted Record: 6-6
Aug 31 Western Michigan W
Sept 7 South Dakota W
Sept 14 Alabama L
Sept 21 OPEN DATE
Sept 28 at USC L
Oct 5 Purdue W
Oct 12 at Rutgers W
Oct 19 at Northwestern W
Oct 26 Penn State L
Nov 2 at Iowa L
Nov 9 OPEN DATE
Nov 16 Oregon L
Nov 23 at Nebraska L
Nov 30 Minnesota W

 

College Softball 2024 Top 20

Tom Knuppel College Softball 2024

I have been delving into the Collegiate baseball scene for quite some time and have made the decision to give the women’s softball some of my time. As I am not an expert, I am a strong follower of the game. Let’s jump in with the inaugural edition of College Softball Top 20. (4-15-24)

 

 

#1- Texas– The Longhorns out of the Big 12 conference are 35-6 and look to be the best team in college softball right now. They are second in NCAA softball batting average at .362. They are 19-2 at home in Easton Stadium. The team is led in batting by Ashton Maloney  and hitting .453 in 39 games played. the home run leader is  Reese Atwood with 13 bombs on the year. Teagan Kavan leads the Lady Longhorns in pitching with a 12-2 record along with a 1.81 ERA. Next up on the schedule is Kansas.

#2- Oklahoma- The Sooners are out of the Big 12 Conference and are 38- 4 on the season. They have two hurlers that are doing outstanding work as Karlie Keeney sports a 1.03 ERA and Kiersten Deal is at 1.02. The Sooners lost a game to BYU this past weekend and it was the only time they the Sooners had been outhit for the season.

#3- Stanford – The Cardinals are in the Pac-12 conference and are currently 34-7. They are lead in the pitching department by Nijaare Candady with a 0.48 ERA and Emily Jones is the top hitter with a .378 batting average. Ava Gall leads the Lady Cardinals in home runs and RBI’s. The next contest is a doubleheader  with UC Davis on the road.

#4- Duke – The Blue Devils are 37- 4 on the season and 20-1 at home.   They take on UNC Greensboro for a doubleheader on Wednesday and then face a Top 20 team in Virginia, all at Duke Softball Stadium. The  Blue Devils are led by senior pitcher/outfielder Claire Davidson in batting with a .458 average. The pitching finds Jala Wright at 13-1 and a 1.27 ERA.

#5 – LSU– The Tigers are 33-8 on the year and the top team in the SEC. Pitcher Kelley Lynch pitched a no-hitter on Friday while also fanning eight batters in the Auburn line-up. They are 24-4 at home in Tiger Park.  They face #11 Arkansas at home for a three game series this next weekend.

 

#6 – Georgia  -Another team from the SEC, they are 33-10 on the year. Their defense is stable as they have the 14th fewest errors on the season  with 25. Jayda Kearney leads the offense in several categories. She lead in batting average at .366 and 15 home runs with 36 RBI’s. Pitcher Madison Kerpics is the winningest pitcher on the roster at 11-2 with a  2.72 earned run average. They face Missouri at Turner Softball Field for a three game weekend series.

#7 – Alabama – At 30-9, they are the 3rd SEC in the Top 20. They face Arkansas in a three game series this weekend. Abby Duchscherer leads the Crimson Tide with 29 RBI’s and Lauren Johnson is the team leader in batting average at .329.

#8 – Missouri – The Tigers are another SEC team and are 33-11 overall this season but only 7-8 in the conference. Jenna Laird has the top batting average at ,371 with Alex Honnold right behind her at .355. She is also the home run and RBI leader for the Tigers. Cierra Harrison has a 2.02 ERA and a 12-2 record. She also has garnered 73 strikeouts. They play SIUE midweek and then travel to play the Georgia Bulldogs for three.

#9 – Tennessee– The Vols are now currently 32-7 overall. McKenna Gibson is batting .367 with 7 homers and 36 RBI’s. Kiki Milley is at ,353 on the year. Payton Gottshall is 15-3  as a starter with a  1.19 ERA along with Karlyn Pickens at 15-3 and a 1.19 ERA.

#10 – Texas A&M –  They are 32-9. Head Coach Trisha Ford puts a formidable nine on the field and the Aggies are led by Jazmine Hill batting .389 and  24 runs batted in. Trinity Cannon leads the team with 10 home runs. Emily Kennedy has a 1.58 ERA and a 15-7 record. The Aggies face Ole Miss at home on Davis Diamond.

#11 – Arkansas – The Razorbacks are currently 30-11 on the season. They are in the SEC  in the middle of the pack. They will face Alabama for three games at Bogie Park this weekend.

#12- Oklahoma State – The Cowgirls record is at 35-8 and they are in the Big 12 conference. The pitching staff is anchored by Lexi Kilfoyl with her 0.87 ERA. They take on Texas Tech for three at Cowgirl Stadium this coming weekend.

#13- Florida State –Their record sits at 31-10, This past weekend, they 10 run ruled the Notre Dame Irish for a win. They will face Boston College for three on the road this weekend. The Lady Seminoles have the 9th best team batting average at .342

#14- Auburn- This team has a 23-23 record and will face Kentucky at Jane B Moore Field for three game series. The Tigers are led in batting average by Anna Wohlers at ,333. Amelia Lech leads in RBI’s for the team with 30.

#15 – Louisiana- Out of the Sun Belt conference, the Ragin’ Cajun team are 29-14. They take on LSU in a midweek contest and then play Southern Miss for a series this coming weekend. Mihyla Davis is batting .409 to lead the team in average and Alexa Langeliers has 30 runs batted in.

#16 – UCLA – The Bruins are 24-9 on the year and will face #3 Stanford for a series this weekend. Maya Brady is leading the team with a  .398 batting average. She also has ten home runs and 38 runs batted in. The pitching staff is anchored by Kaitlyn Terry with a 11-0 record in 12 games along with 7 complete games.

#17– Mississippi State – The Bulldogs are 29-12 on the year and are scheduled to face Southern Miss this weekend. Madisyn Kennedy leads the Bulldogs with a .380 batting average, home runs and RBI’s. Aspen Wesley has 11 wins and 2 saves as their leading hurler.

#18 – Florida – The Gators are 35-9 and from the SEC. They will host the South Carolina team for a three game series this weekend.

#19– Texas State -the Thundering Herd from the Sunbelt conference are 33-12. They just lost 2 of 3 from #14 Louisiana and now travel to ULM to take them on for three games.

#20 – Clemson -The Tigers are 28-24 and from the ACC. McKenzie Clark is batting .371 with 9 homers and 32 runs batted in. The team ERA is 2.26. Next up for Clemson is Notre Dame for three games on the road.

 

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

  • Duke leads the nation with a 1.25 ERA and Tennessee is 2nd at 1,26
  • Virginia Tech is 12-0 at home
  • Jessica Clements from Cal Poly is leading the nation with a .510 batting average
  • Alex Coleman from UNC is 2nd in batting average at .504
  • Bradley University Sydney Kennedy leads the nation with 14 complete games

 

College Men’s Volleyball- Upcoming National Tourney

Tom Knuppel Other

The NCAA Men’s Volleyball tournament is coming soon. The Selection Show is on Sunday, April 21 at 1pm ET and can only be viewed on NCAA.com.  The actual tournament is being held in Long Beach, California from April 30-May 4th.

In 2023, the UCLA Bruins defeated Hawai’i to win the program’s 20th national title.ed  The win secures as head coach at UC Irvine.John Speraw his fourth national title as a head coach but his first national title at UCLA. He previously won

With the win, the Bruins have 121 NCAA National Championships, second only to Stanford.

Let’s take a quick look at the Top Ten in Men’s Volleyball for 2024.

#1- UCLA again is again at the top spot with a  22-4 overall record. They program averages between 3000 and 4000 fans per home contest. Ethan Champlin leads the Bruins with 209 kills , followed by 200 from Cooper Robinson.

#2-Grand Canyon has a 22-4 record on the season. Camden Gianni has 290 kills and Jackson Hickman follows with 274. These two are also team leaders in blocks. The head Coach is Matt Werle. He was selected to become an assistant coach for this year’s U.S. Men’s Junior National Training Team.

#3- Long Beach State have a 22-3 record and get the luxury of playing the national tourney at home.

#4- UC Irvine- The Anteaters are 18-9 on the year. hey are coached by Michael Brinkley.The libero was member of UCI’s national championship teams in 2012 and 2013, earning NCAA All-Tournament honors in 2013.

#5- Penn State enters with a 21-6 record and the highest seed est of the Mississippi River.The Nittany Lions are undefeated at home.  John Kerr leads the squad with 356 kills on the season.

#6- Ohio State – is 20-8 on the year. They have lost to many very good teams such as Penn State, Loyola Chicago, Penn State and Stanford.

#7- BYU- with a 15-8 record they have had the least contests. Earlier in the season at home they split with UCLA. They have good wins over a Top team in Pepperdine. Luke Benson is leader with 308 points.

#8- Hawaii – The Rainbows have a 22-6 record and may have had the toughest schedule by playing the West Coast teams continually. They were second in the national tourney last year.

#9- Pepperdine – is 17-9 on the year and may be the first team left out on selection Sunday and only eight advance.

#10 Stanford- at 19-9 the same can be said for the Cardinals not getting proper due and being left out.

Next; Chicago Loyola, Ball State, George Mason

 

The Origins of Baseball

Tom Knuppel Baseball History
The Origins of Baseball

The origins of baseball are somewhat fuzzy and surrounded by plenty of controversy in the early years. Many games like baseball had the tools of the trade involved in them. the bat, ball and running were all staples of games found in Great Britain and other parts of Europe. Contests like rounders, cricket, stoolball all were first developed in England. As settlers from Europe left and came to the United States, they brought what they could remember and a hybrid game was started called base ball, goal ball, round ball,sometimes it was just called base. In early days ,they ran around the base in the opposite direction than the current game. like the game of brannboll from the Nordc countries. A player could be out if they were hit by the ball when not on the base and a few version allowed for a strikeout of the batter

In the southern part of England in the mod 18th century there appear to have been a children’s game where a striking of  ball and running a circuit of bases was being played. This was later identified as rounders. This is known as English colonists took the book A Little Pretty Pocket book of Base-Ball was discovered. Now that those traveling to the United States had a rule book, the games began. The game was definitely changed when adults began playing the game. after time, they were always attempting to find a loophole in the rules. So, it was constantly being updated to keep up with the game. The hotbed in the mid 19th century appears to have been around New York City.  These games were being discouraged and sometimes forbidden by the religious sects of the United States as sinful in nature.

Aside from obvious differences in terminology, the games differed in the equipment used (ball, bat, club, target, etc., which were usually just whatever was available), the way in which the ball was thrown, the method of scoring, the method of making outs, the layout of the field and the number of players involved. Very broadly speaking, these games can be roughly divided into forms of longball, where the batter ran out to a single point or line and back, as in cricket, and roundball, where there was a circuit of multiple bases. There were also games (e.g. stool-ball, trap-ball) which involved no running at all.

There were many differences in the new game and the old games of Europe. They included the ball (today’s is much harder than the earlier ones), the bat(today’s are refined pieces of wood where they used wht they could fine), the way the ball was thrown(earlier was underhand and you old them where to place it),the scoring, the ways to make outs(earlier if you caught it in the air or on one bounce you were out), the layout of the field (the first field had 126 feet between bases) and the number of players involved. Of course, they had no professionals players. It was the local barber, attorneys, longshoremen, businessmen, police and firemen among others.

 

 

NEXT UP- The Early Years

 

 

College Baseball Top 25 -April 11,2024

Tom Knuppel College Baseball 2024

Each week I bring the Top 25 to you in College Baseball. There is always change and sometimes even big name, such as LSU, that drop out. Let’s get started!

#1- Arkansas – The Razorbacks are still going well with 27-3 record and 4-0 in conference play. They won four games this week with a midweek win 13-0 over Arkansas State . The weekend saw them sweep Ole Miss 5-2, 8-3 and 7-4. They have a weekend series with Alabama next.

#2- Clemson – They are 28-3 and 10-2 in conference play. They beat Upstate SC in the week day contest and swept Notre Dame with the Sunday game being an 11 inning win 13-12. they play North Carolina for three games over the weekend.

#3- Texas A&M – The Aggies are 28-4 overall and 8-4 in their conference. They won 2 of 3 over South Carolina in the weekend series with the Sunday contest going to the Gamecocks 6-5. Next up for them will be an important series against  a top ten team at home with Vanderbilt.

#4- Tennessee – The Volunteers are 28-6 overall and 6-4 in SEC play. They won 2 0f 3 against Auburn . Losing the first game, they roared back with 12-2 and 19-5 wins. This weekend they play the reigning national champions in the LSU Tigers.

#5- Oregon State – Overall, they are 26-4 and 8-3 in the PAC-12 conference. They won five games this week with two over Gonzaga and swept three from Arizona State. They host the Stanford Cardinals for three this weekend.

#6- Vanderbilt – The Commodores are 25-7 overall and 6-4 in the SEC. They had a good weekend as they swept three from LSU. It doesn’t get any easier as the play #3 Texas A&M for a weekend series.

#7- Kentucky – The Wildcats are currently 27-4 with a conference leading 11-1 in the SEC. They defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide in three contests and now will face Auburn for three.

#8- Duke- the Blue Devils enter this week with a 24-8 overall record and are 6-4  in the ACC. the swept Miami over the past weekend and now will face Pittsburgh for three contests.

#9 – Florida State- Overall, the Seminoles are 26-5 and 7-3 in conference play. They took two of three from Boston College and now play Florida midweek and face Miami for three over the weekend.

#10 – East Carolina – The Pirates are 24-6 and  3-1 in the American Conference. Last week they took two of three from FAU and now will square off against Charlotte.

#11 – UC Irvine- The first West Coast team in the rankings finds them overall with a 24-4 overall record and they are currently 2-1 in the Big West. They took two of three from a strong UC Santa Barbara team and now move forward to take on UC San Diego on the road.

#12 – Virginia – The Cavaliers are 24-7 0verall, but the strongest completion has come in conference as they are 7-4 in the ACC. They defeated North Carolina twice over the weekend and now travel to face Louisville

#13 – North Carolina – is 24-6 overall and in the ACC they are 11-4. The Tar Heels lost 2 of 3 last week against Virginia. This weekend they have a series at home against Notre Dame.

#14- UCF- I should have had them in my Top 25 last week. This week they took 2 of 3 from Kansas State and sport a record of  21-8 with 7 of the losses in the Big 12. This weekend they have a series at West Virginia.

#15 – Wake Forest – The former top team of the polls is currently with a  21-10 record and struggling in the ACC with a 7-8 record. Last weekend they swept Virginia Tech in three games and now face Boston College on the road for three contests.

#16- Virginia Tech – is 21-8 overall and 10-6 in he Atlantic Coast Conference. Last weekend they were swept in three games by Wake Forest and now they head to Georgia Tech for three.

#17- Oregon – they have a 22-8 overall record and are 8-4 in conference play. They won 2 of 4 from UCLA last weekend and  take on USC at home this weekend.

#18 – Dallas Baptist- I might have this team higher except their schedule is weaker than the others. Their record is 25-6 and 2-2 in conference play. They lost 2 of 3 from Western Kentucky over the previous weekend and now travel for a weekend series at Air Force.

#19 – Oklahoma State – at 21-11 and 7-5 in the Big 12, I almost didn’t include them but they are 3-3 against Top 25 teams. They took 2 of 3 from in-state rival Oklahoma the previous weekend and now they face Cincinnati at home.

#20 – Nebraska – The lone Big Ten team left in the polls, the Huskers are 22-7 overall an 0-1 in conference play plus they are 0-1 facing Top 25 teams. They took two of three from Ohio State and now travel to Rutgers for a three game series.

#21 – Louisiana – This team is 24-8 and 11-1 in the Sun Belt conference. They swept Louisiana-Monroe and are riding a 15 game winning streak. They face Marshall at home.

22- Coastal Carolina- The Chanticleers have been hanging around the is area of the Top 25 most of the season. They are 22-9 along with a 7-5 record in the Sun Belt conference. They travel to Georgia Southern for a three game series this weekend.

#23- Mississippi State – With a 21-12 overall record along with a 6-6 record in the SEC, I couldn’t put them as high as the national polls. They lost 2 of 3 to Georgia last weekend and now face in-state rival Mississippi for a series.

#24- Alabama – The Tide come onto this week with a 21-10 record and a poor 4-8 in the conference. They were swept by Kentucky this past weekend and now face the top in the country Arkansas coming up.

#25- South Carolina – The Gamecocks are 22-8 overall with a 11-1 in the Sun Belt. However, they are 0-1 against Top 25 teams. They will take on Marshall for a weekend series.

 

Dropped out- Florida Gators. LSU Tigers

College Baseball Week 7 Top 25

Tom Knuppel College Baseball 2024

COLLEGE BASEBALL Top 25 WEEK 7
1. Arkansas- The Razorbacks highlighted a series win over reigning national champions LSU with a 10th inning double by Hudson White to lift Arkansas to a 20-3 overall record and 7-1 in the SEC. Starter Mason Molina was firing on all cylinders to keep them in the game for the win.

2.Clemson– the Tigers are 24-3 on the season. They took 2 of 3 from the Miami Hurricanes The Tigers pitchers allowed five runs and 18 hits along with three walks in the entire series.

3.Tennessee – The Volunteers are 25-4 overall and 5-4 in the tough SEC. They won 2 of 3 from Georgia this weekend and have a few days off before traveling to face Auburn. The offense is lead by Kavares Kears hitting .417 and Blake Burke at .400 for the season. There are four players each with ten homers (Dreiling, Moore, Amick, Burke).

4.Texas A&M The Aggies are riding high after taking all 3 from the weekend over Auburn. They are now 25-3 on the year and 6-3 on the SEC. A&M scored 22 runs in the final two contests over the Auburn Tigers to move up in the polls.

5.Oregon State– The Beavers lost against USC on Friday and Saturday and to Mother Nature with a rain out on Sunday. With Gonzaga and Arizona State looming on the schedule this week, it is an important series for Oregon State. Their schedule has not been particularly tough but they have won lost of games.

6.Vanderbilt – The Vandy Boys only allowed three runs in two games against Missouri in a two game series. Vanderbilt is currently 23-6 on the season and 6-3 in the SEC. They have won four straight games. An important series with LSU is coming up this weekend.

7.Duke– They may not fit the profile of a team that is #6, but the way they are playing is certainly indicative towards that. They are 20-8 on the season and 6-6 in conference play. The Blue Devils have beaten or split against most of the top dogs. They took two of three from Virginia over the Easter weekend and now host the Miami Hurricanes.

8. Florida– If you judged them on their losses theyn they wouldn’t be in the top 25 but it is their wins and schedule that keep them in the Top Ten.They won two of three over the reigning national champion LSU team. That’s a big deal. This past series saw them win two of three from Mississippi State. Now they face Florida A&M for one game and host Missouri next weekend. Jac Caglione is one of the top three players in the country and being a dual player, he can hit and pitch.

9.Dallas Baptist – I had them unranked at the beginning of the season but they are a good team and are 23-4 on the season and -1 in their conference. They swept New Mexico State and now travel rto Bowling Green to face Western Kentucky in a three game series.Their schedule is very good but they continue to win.

10.Virginia Tech- The Hokies are 21-5 and 10-2 in the conference. They took 2 of 3 from Pitt this previous weekend and will get a tough challenge next weekend as they entertain a tough Wake Forest squad.

11.North Carolina – The Tar Heels are 25-4 and 10-2 in the ACC conference. It was a fantastic series as they swept a former #! Team in Wake Forest. Now they face a very good Virginia team.

12.East Carolina – The Pirates finished the weekend with a sweep of UAB and are 20-6 on the season. The Pirates could very easily be moved up a spot but the schedule got weaker for a few weeks into the season. Now they travel to Florida to take on Florida Atlantic.

13.Alabama – The Crimson Tide is 21-7 overall but a weak 4-5 in conference play. They swept the Bulldogs of Georgia over the weekend and wait for the next series with Auburn.

14.Florida State – It wasn’t long ago the Seminoles were undefeated but now they have been swept by Clemson and had a loss to Louisville,The record stands at 22-4 with all four losses coming in conference play.

15.Virginia – The Cavaliers are 22-6 overall and just finished the weekend by losing to Tennessee Tech and Georgia. They are trending downward in most polls.

16.Kentucky – With a 24-4 start along with a 8-1 conference play. Over the Easter weekend. Jeu swept Ole Miss and travels to in-state foe Louisville. Nick Lopez leads the offense with a .412 average. Pitcher Mason Moore is 6-0 from the mound with 35 strikeouts and Dominic Niman is 5-2 on the season and has fanned 36 batters.

17.UC Irvine – This the first West Coast team in the ranking as they are 22-3 and 8-1 in conference games. They swept Hawaii in Oahu and now face another ranked team next weekend with a series at home with UC Santa Barbara.

18.LSU – What a huge drop for the reigning national champions. They are 20-9 and a disappointing 2-7 in conference play. They were swept by the top team in the Arkansas Razorbacks and now host Vanderbilt for three. A top ten pick in the draft, Tommy White leads the team with a .319 average and nine home runs.

19.NC State– They are 18-7 along with a 8-4 conference record. They had a fie game losing streak at one time.Now they face East Carolina on Tuesday and then have a series in Kentucky facing Louisville.

20.Wake Forest – The one time number one team in the nation has fallen on hard times. The Deacons are 17-10 overall and sport a 4-8 record in conference play. North Carolina swept them this past weekend and now they wait for a weekend series facing Virginia Tech.Their two aces on the mound Chase Burns is 5-0 on the year while Josh Hartle is 4-1 so far. The rest of the staff has been somewhat dismal. Prospect Nick Kurtz is down to hitting .236 this year.

21.Coastal Carolina – The Chanticleers are 20-7 overall on the season and 5-4 in conference play. They won 2 of 3 from ULM this weekend and now wait for the Old Dominion series next weekend but then travel to David F Couch Ballpark for a huge series with Wake Forest. They are led by Sam Antonacchi with a .374 batting average with Derek Bender and Jake Books each at .370 for the team. Oliver Ellison lead the hurler with a 3-0 record.

22.South Carolina– The Gamecocks have some good wins for a team at #22. They have 21 wins and 7 losses this year . They lost 2 or 3 from Alabama this past weekend and now entertain a tough Texas A&M team at home next weekend.

23.Mississippi State – They are 19-10 overall and 4-5 in conference play. They lost 2 of 3 with Florida over the Easter weekend and now they face Georgia over the weekend in Starkville.

24.UC Santa Barbara – They are 15-8 for the year and 4-2 in the conference. The Gauchos won 2 games from San Jose State and now wait for a big series against in-state UC Irvine.

25.Nebraska – The Huskers are 20-5 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten conference. They won two game over Northwestern and now face conference foe Ohio State at home in a three game series.

Tom Knuppel Family Find
Marmaduke's burial

This was one of my genealogy finds in the digging of the past two years.

Sir Marmaduke Constable-My 15th Great Grandfather ( on my mothers side)

One of my  descendants  fought the Battle of Bosworth were set to meet in Leicester as part of the commemoration of Richard III’s reinterment. This is now, however, surely overshadowed by the fact that one of the ancestors who fought at Bosworth was a man called Sir Marmaduke Constable, about whom you need to know three things: firstly, his name was Sir Marmaduke Constable; secondly, he had a long and interesting career in a turbulent period of English history; thirdly, he was eventually brought to mortal conclusion by a frog.

Backgroundy Stuff

First of all, let’s take a moment to reflect on what a magnificent name is Marmaduke Constable! It’s the kind of name that simply demands to have the word “Sir” placed in front of it, and for the bearer of that name to also bear a suit of armour. I would like to think that, had a king encountered an ordinary man with no noble heritage, he would nevertheless have knighted him the instant that he learned the man’s name was Marmaduke Constable simply because “Sir Marmaduke Constable” just sounds right!

 

In fact, Sir Marmaduke did not require such an idiosyncratic response from a monarch tickled by his name. The Constable family had Norman origins and were based in Flamborough (Yorkshire), notable in their region but not major players on the national scene. The first Constable of any note was Sir Robert Constable, allied with Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, in the reign of Edward II, who was pardoned for his role in the death of Edward’s favourite, Piers Gaveston. For the next few generations, the Constables alternated names between Robert and Marmaduke while at the same time growing in prominence (both in terms of politics and land).

The father of our Marmaduke was the fourth Sir Robert Constable (1423-88). He married Agnes Wentworth and their eldest son, Marmaduke, was born in c. 1456/57. Sir Robert was in his prime during the Wars of the Roses and the Constables served with the Lancastrians (specifically the Percy family of Northumberland). Despite the victory of Edward IV (a Yorkist) in 1461, Sir Robert seems to have made the transition to the new regime without too much difficulty.

Marmaduke joined his father in the service of Henry Percy, whose father (the 3rd Earl of Northumberland) had been killed fighting Edward IV at Towton. Percy lost his earldom and was imprisoned but was released in 1469 and won Edward’s support in having his earldom restored (thus becoming the 4th Earl). The Percy family played a vital role in the north of England, so despite the recent Lancastrian allegiance, Percy was a good sponsor for the Constables.

Marmaduke and Robert (almost certainly in Percy’s service) accompanied Edward IV on his aborted campaign into France in 1475. While this would have been a rather disappointing campaign for a young soldier hoping to make his name, more opportunities were soon to come in border campaigns against Scotland in the early 1480s. Marmaduke seems to have served with some distinction as he was knighted by Percy at Berwick in 1481 (or maybe, as previously discussed, Percy just couldn’t resist the name!)

Sir Marmaduke was moving up in the world and following the death of Edward IV (and the disappearance of his son, Edward V, of “The Princes in the Tower” fame) in 1483, he entered the service of Richard III. Following the Buckingham Rebellion (a failed uprising by Richard’s former ally Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham), Marmaduke was granted all the major Duchy of Lancaster offices in the north midlands, including his new base at Tutbury Castle where he was made constable and thus, presumably, becoming Constable Sir Marmaduke Constable, well on his way to being the 15th century equivalent of Major Major Major Major.

Despite his prominent position, it is not clear whether Sir Marmaduke was particularly close to Richard III. His predecessor as constable at Tutbury was William Hastings, the closest ally of Edward IV who had enjoyed much independence in his position (until being executed by Richard in 1483). In contrast, Sir Marmaduke was forbidden to retain the local gentry and was under much stricter royal control. As such, when Richard fought Henry Tudor (later Henry VII) at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, it is possible that Sir Marmaduke (although present) did not fight for Richard but, like Percy, was notable by his abstention. That he received a pardon and continued to enjoy high office under Henry VII suggests that he had given little cause to be suspected of having a strong allegiance to the previous regime.

Under Henry VII, Sir Marmaduke continued to rise in prominence. He succeeded his father in 1488 and was named Sheriff of Yorkshire. This proved to be an important position as he was charged with quelling the unrest of 1489 in which a rebellion against taxation led to Percy being killed by rioters. With his erstwhile sponsor now dead, Marmaduke seems to have fallen in with Thomas Howard – an appropriate replacement as, like Percy, Howard’s father (the 1st Duke of Norfolk) had been killed (and his title removed) in the crucial battle of the generation (in this case, fighting for Richard III at Bosworth). Like Percy, Howard had been imprisoned but was now seeking to prove his loyalty and win back his title. This had begun with quelling the Yorkshire Rebellion of 1489, where he and Marmaduke would have come into close contact, and Howard evidently thought highly of Marmaduke, nominating him (unsuccessfully, unfortunately) as a Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1509.

For both Sir Marmaduke and Howard, the chance for glory came in 1513 during the reign of Henry VIII. Henry was in France when James IV of Scotland (honouring the Auld Alliance with France) invaded England with 30,000 men. Howard led the English army at the Battle of Flodden and won a decisive victory against the Scots, with James IV himself being killed (the last British monarch to die in battle). As a result of this, Howard’s dukedom was restored and he became the 2nd Duke of Norfolk in 1514. Also to enjoy praise was Sir Marmaduke, who had an important role in the battle commanding the left wing of the English army. In recognition of this, Henry VIII wrote him a letter of thanks, from which we are told that Sir Marmaduke was apparently a short man because Henry VIII’s letter states that he is “called the little”, thus giving us Little Sir Marmaduke Constable!

The Ultimate Case of a Frog in Your Throat

By this point, Sir Marmaduke Constable has lived through the reigns of six kings, of whom four were (at least temporarily) usurped, and been present at two of the most significant battles of the age. He had been a Lancastrian who found favour with Edward IV and then a Ricardian who found favour with Henry VII – despite being sponsored by successive young nobles whose fathers had been killed by the incoming monarch and their titles removed. Nothing, it would seem, could stop Sir Marmaduke Constable. However, on 20 November 1518, Sir Marmaduke was finally laid low by an enemy too powerful even for him – a frog.

Apparently, Sir Marmaduke Constable, a hardened veteran at c. 60 years old, was sat in his garden overlooking the sea when he picked up a glass of water and drank from it. Unbeknownst to Sir Marmaduke, the glass of water contained a frog, which he “inadvertently swallowed”. According to legend, the frog ate away at his heart until he (Sir Marmaduke) eventually died. If he did swallow a frog, I suspect a more likely cause of death would have been Sir Marmaduke choking on said frog but either way, the swallowing of the frog ultimately proved one battle too many! Sadly, the fate of the frog has not been recorded by history.

Of course, this incident raises some inevitable questions. Were Sir Marmaduke to have enjoyed the opportunity of a post-mortem interview, he would no doubt have asked why on earth there was a frog in his glass of water. On the other hand, given a similar opportunity, the frog would no doubt have asked why on earth Sir Marmaduke failed to notice that there was a frog in his water. Given the amphibious nature of the frog, its motivation for taking refuge in water does not really require further explanation. As for Sir Marmaduke, perhaps it was a dark glass, dirty water, or he simply did not think to check before taking a swig that a (presumably small) frog was inside.

Legacy and Descendants

One of the reasons that Sir Marmaduke Constable’s career is known to history is that he tell us about it! He is buried in St Oswald’s Church in Flamborough, which features the Constable Tomb. Of particular note is a brass plaque above the tomb, featuring a poem about his impressive career (though not all entirely accurate – it claims he was 70 at Flodden).

Interestingly, the tomb itself features a stone carving said to be depicting Marmaduke’s heart, which features a representation of the frog that proved his undoing! What Marmaduke would have thought of this is hard to tell (unsurprisingly he does not seem to have foreseen the requirement to predict his thoughts on being dispatched by a small amphibian) but apparently he would not have wanted too much of a fuss, writing in his will a year earlier that he should be buried as soon as possible, “without calling of friends or any other solemnity”.

Impressively, Sir Marmaduke sired six children by his second wife, Joyce Stafford (whose father was killed in 1450 by Jack Cade of “Cade’s Rebellion” fame), who enjoyed varying fortunes. His eldest son (Robert) was knighted by Henry VII for his role at the Battle of Blackheath in 1497 and later fought at Flodden, but was executed by Henry VIII in 1537 as one of the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace. His second and third sons (Marmaduke and William) were both knighted at Flodden, the younger Marmaduke remaining loyal to Henry VIII and accompanying him to the Field of Cloth of Gold. His grandson was Henry Constable, an Elizabethan poet whose 1592 work Diana was an early example of a sonnet sequence. As part of the Earl of Essex’s close circle, he was a minor favourite of Elizabeth I but his conversion to Catholicism and attempts to influence James I towards greater toleration led to his imprisonment and later exile. Another descendant was Sir William Constable (1590-1655) who became one of the regicides, signing the death warrant for Charles I!

An impressive family, then, but clearly you can’t top a man who is, let’s not forget, called Sir Marmaduke Constable, AND who fought (or watched) at Bosworth and Flodden AND who died by accidentally swallowing a frog. However, is this a warning from history – could the frogs strike again? I’m not aware of whether accidentally swallowing frogs was a common method of misfortune in Tudor England but it is apparently not a hazard which should concern us today. An FOI request to the Office for National Statistics asked how many people in the UK (if any) have been killed by frogs. The ONS response (the official response rather than the initial “Why on earth has somebody just asked that?!”) was that from 2001 to 2011, no one in England and Wales had been killed by a frog but they could not comment on frog-related deaths prior to 2001: “We do not know whether anyone has ever died from this particular cause in England and Wales as we do not hold that level of detail for earlier mortality data.”