NCAA enters professional ranks

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Georgia Fired up over Signing of SS Pesky:

The Bulldogs today announced that they have come to terms with Johnny Pesky, a 27-year-old shortstop they've been scouting for a while.

Pesky will earn $34,062,500 a year over 8 years and is expected to play a key role with the club.

In his career Pesky has played in 935 games, batted .312 with 30 home runs and 1180 base hits.

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It's Official: SP Bender Signs with Vikings:

Charles Bender finds himself at the epicenter of a baseball-crazed universe by signing with Portland State. The 23-year-old inked a $314,500,000, 7-year deal today.

Many baseball executives see nothing but upside, and there will be heavy expectation on him to perform.

Since he joined the league, Bender has collected 102 victories and 50 defeats with a 2.57 ERA.

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Michigan State Makes Big Splash in Free Agency: Signs SP:

The Spartans and Johan Santana appeared before the Michigan State media today as the two sides emerged from marathon contract talks.

Santana, a starting pitcher, is poised to make $149,400,000 over 5 years.

Santana has a career won-loss record of 84 wins and 28 losses with 1409 strikeouts in 1022.1 innings and a 3.27 ERA.

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East Carolina Fired up over Signing of RF Barfield:

Jesse Barfield finds himself at the epicenter of a baseball-crazed universe by signing with East Carolina. The 26-year-old inked a $287,000,000, 8-year deal today.

Many baseball executives see nothing but upside, and there will be heavy expectation on him to perform.

Barfield has played in 929 games and posted a lifetime .232 average. He has 814 hits, 107 doubles, 9 triples and 289 homers. In addition he has driven in 659 runs and scored 550 times.

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Georgia Tech Inks Star 3B to $289,500,000 Deal:

Though he's only a boy in the minds of fans, David Wright caused a flurry of activity by hooking up with the Yellow Jackets earlier today. The press could barely contain itself as team officials paraded the 25-year-old before the public this afternoon.

Terms of the deal were not officially divulged, though the rumor mill puts the deal at an estimated $289,500,000 over 8 years.

Lifetime in 934 games Wright is batting .300 with 261 home runs and 650 RBIs.

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It's Official:

SP Harden Signs with Fighting Irish: Talk of a deal between Notre Dame and Rich Harden came together today as the two sides inked a deal worth $79,800,000 over 3 years.

Harden is highly regarded around NCAA for his talents and is expected to add that extra spark to the Fighting Irish roster.

Thus far in his career, Harden has worked 1217.2 innings with 1456 strikeouts en route to a 80-48 record. The 26-year-old also has a 2.62 ERA.

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Big Swap Announced in NCAA:

General managers have a very difficult job and it never gets more difficult than when they pull off a huge trade. Today, the Colorado Buffaloes and Clemson Tigers did just that. 28-year-old RF Sam Thompson will be going to Clemson and 25-year-old CF Bernie F Williams and 23-year-old RHP Jerry Villalba going to Colorado.

"Whenever you make a big trade like this, you worry a little bit about the affect it will have on your team," Buffaloes GM Hyun-jun Shin admitted. "Will the chemistry still be there? Will the fans approve the trade? There's always a risk, but you have to do whatever you can to improve your team. I think we've done that today."


In his career Thompson is batting .333 with a total of 182 home runs.

Lifetime Williams is batting .289 with 155 doubles, 13 triples, 108 home runs and 366 RBIs in 620 games.

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3-Homer Hat Trick for Pujols:

Fans seated in the bleacher section at Siebert Field were taking cover all day long as Albert Pujols zeroed in on them, rattling three long blasts off the seats in a display of Herculean power.

The big game from the Minnesota left fielder helped the Golden Gophers take the victory, 11-5, over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

"I told myself not to press on the last one," he told reporters in the postgame press conference. "I knew I couldn't force it -- it has to be a nice easy swing."

For the game, he collected 3 hits in 4 at-bats, drove in 7 and scored 3 runs.

Albert Pujols grounded out in the 1st, hit a solo-shot off Al Orth in the 4th, hit a three-run home run off Al Orth in the 5th, walked in the 7th and hit a three-run home run off Marty Powers in the 8th.

In 10 games this season Pujols has batted at a .395 pace with 15 hits and 5 home runs.3-Homer Hat Trick for Pujols: Fans seated in the bleacher section at Siebert Field were taking cover all day long as Albert Pujols zeroed in on them, rattling three long blasts off the seats in a display of Herculean power.

The big game from the Minnesota left fielder helped the Golden Gophers take the victory, 11-5, over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

"I told myself not to press on the last one," he told reporters in the postgame press conference. "I knew I couldn't force it -- it has to be a nice easy swing."

For the game, he collected 3 hits in 4 at-bats, drove in 7 and scored 3 runs.

Albert Pujols grounded out in the 1st, hit a solo-shot off Al Orth in the 4th, hit a three-run home run off Al Orth in the 5th, walked in the 7th and hit a three-run home run off Marty Powers in the 8th.

In 10 games this season Pujols has batted at a .395 pace with 15 hits and 5 home runs.

[4maddux_cy's]

400 Home Runs for Bryant:

He has done it!

Tony Bryant has reached the 400 home run mark. He did it today, but the Northern Iowa Panthers still dropped the game to the Gonzaga Bulldogs by the score of 4-3.

"Number 400 was hard to come by. I think the pressure was getting to me a little bit. I got a call a few days ago from a couple of guys that have been through this and they just said, 'Keep going, have some fun. Just be you.' I think that helped me a little bit, having those guys make a call to me and try to settle some of the nerves down."

On his historic day Bryant was 1-for-4 with 3 RBI and 1 run scored.

A check of his lifetime stats shows Bryant has played in 1365 games with a .247 batting average. Among his 1225 hits are 400 home runs. He also has scored 852 runs and driven in 957 runs.

[4maddux_cy's]

Aaron Jacks 3 into the Stands:

Southern Miss second baseman Hank Aaron saw a fantastic day go to waste at Reese Smith Jr. Field today as the Golden Eagles dropped a 11-5 decision despite a trio of home runs from the youngster.

"It seems kinda odd, you know?" a somewhat dejected Aaron said after his club's defeat. "I mean, hitting three home runs in one game should be enough to win a game, right? I guess that's why they call it a team sport. Tomorrow I might strike out four times and other guys pick me up and we win. It takes more than one guy to get a win."

The 20-year-old tallied three homers in a 3-for-3 day, and added 4 RBIs and 3 scored.

"That guy really had a game, didn't he?" said Middle Tennessee State manager Jason Cummins. "Luckily we were able to shut down the rest of the team. We are feeling good about getting out of here with the win."

Hank Aaron hit a solo-shot off Cesar Garcia in the 2nd, hit a two-run home run off Cesar Garcia in the 4th, walked in the 6th and hit a solo-shot off Dave Righetti in the 9th.

Aaron is hitting .327 this year with 8 home runs and 13 RBIs. He also has an OBP of .389, 3 walks and scored 10 times.

[4maddux_cy's]

Wiles Perfect Against NC State:

The fans at FedExPark marveled today as 35-year-old Andy Wiles of the Memphis Tigers mowed through the NC State lineup, retiring all 27 batters he faced -- a perfect game.

Wiles went without surrendering a hit or walk in his historic 1-0 victory.

"I didn't really think about it until the seventh inning," Wiles confessed in a postgame interview. "Then all at once, it hit me. From that point on, the pressure was on. When you're conscious of every pitch, every call, every out, just trying to relax is almost impossible. I tried to throw the ball as naturally as I could without thinking a lot. I didn't want to aim the ball. That's when you get in trouble and lose control."

This year Wiles has compiled a 2-2 record with a 3.98 ERA.

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6-Hit Blitz by Runnels:

It was high-fives all around for Pete Runnels at Friar Field today.

He got them from his teammates and he got them at the plate during an outstanding hitting performance against the Providence Friars. Runnels smashed 6 hits in 7 at-bats on his monster day, leading his club to a 13-6 win.

"Pete was hitting everything," said Seminoles manager Mike McGill. "It really was a special game for him."

In the opposing dugout, Friars manager Chris Conklin told BNN beat writers that Runnels "ambushed" the club.

"Obviously we didn't have much success against him, but we'll have another chance," he said. "Hopefully, Runnels oversleeps next time."

Pete Runnels singled in the 1st, hit an RBI single in the 2nd, grounded out in the 4th, hit an RBI single in the 6th, hit an RBI triple in the 8th, singled in the 10th and hit a two-run double in the 10th.

This season Runnels has hit at a .374 clip with 9 RBIs, 0 home runs and 19 runs scored. He has played in 21 games.

[4maddux_cy's]

Wilson Smashes 300th Homer:

The Cal State Fullerton Titans had something to celebrate today even though they dropped a 10-8 decision to Santa Clara. The reason -- the splendid slugger Hack Wilson hit his 300th career homer in today's contest at Goodwin Field.

"I'm fortunate to be here," Wilson told the media after the game. "The Titans have a classy organization and some great fans. Homer #300 was for them."

In 951 career games Wilson is hitting at a .269 pace with 959 hits with 156 doubles, 20 triples and 300 homers while scoring 642 runs and racking up 673 RBIs. He logged 446 walks and owns a .355 on-base percentage.

[4maddux_cy's]

Votto Pounds HR #300:

Joey Votto hit a historic home run today -- career blast number 300. "I am happy to be in such elite company. It has been quite a ride so far," Votto said after the game.

The Tigers first baseman went 3 for 4 with 1 home run and 4 RBI as the Memphis Tigers won 10-5 over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

During his 856-game career Votto has batted .326 and collected 1053 hits, 300 home runs and 756 RBIs.

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Crawford Joins Kings of Clout with #300:

Back-back-back-gone! Sam Crawford hit his 300th home run tonight against the UConn Huskies.

Crawford, of the Colorado Buffaloes, smiled as he rounded all the bases and got mobbed by his teammates at home plate.

The game did stop momentarily as the Buffaloes celebrated this accomplishment.

"I was swinging for the fences and the pitch looked like a giant grape fruit," Crawford said. "This is another check off my bucket list. I'll now be setting my sights the next milestone."

The Buffaloes left fielder went 2 for 5 with 1 home run and 1 run batted in as the Colorado Buffaloes won 9-2 over the UConn Huskies.

Crawford boasts a lifetime batting average of .309 with 1097 hits, 300 homers, 736 runs scored and 665 RBIs.

[4maddux_cy's]

Barfield Wallops #300:

Back-back-back-gone! Jesse Barfield hit his 300th home run tonight against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Barfield, of the East Carolina Pirates, smiled as he rounded all the bases and got mobbed by his teammates at home plate.

The game did stop momentarily as the Pirates celebrated this accomplishment.

"I was swinging for the fences and the pitch looked like a giant grape fruit," Barfield said. "This is another check off my bucket list. I'll now be setting my sights the next milestone."

The Pirates right fielder went 2 for 5 with 1 home run and 2 RBI as the East Carolina Pirates won 12-2 over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Barfield has played in 973 games and posted a lifetime .232 average. He has 851 hits, 114 doubles, 9 triples and 300 homers. In addition he has driven in 684 runs and scored 572 times.

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Koufax Sensational, 19 Ks:

Sandy Koufax of the Louisville Cardinals put on a pitching clinic today at Jim Patterson Stadium as he struck out 19 St. John's Red Storm in a 8-3 victory. Koufax, who is tied for 3rd in the NL with a 17.2 K/9 rate, was simply magnificent as he held the Red Storm to 3 hits. He walked 2.

"I felt okay at the beginning," Koufax said, "but eventually my fastball really started working. I also have to thank my catcher for calling a great game."

When asked about Koufax's performance, Cardinals manager Ashley Finn shook his head and said, "Yeah, he was good out there today. He was dominating."

For the year Koufax has a 5-3 record with a 4.04 ERA in 10 starts.

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Hit Streak Now at 25 for Staub:

Old Dominion first baseman Rusty Staub keeps on racking up hits every time he plays.

His hitting streak now stands at 25 games after collecting 1 hit at Bud Metheny Baseball Complex today. The Monarchs took the 4-0 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers.

"I have been seeing the ball really good the last few weeks, but I am a bit surprised how things are working out," Staub said. "I've gotten a couple flares to drop in, so I've also been a little lucky."
Rusty Staub flied out in the 1st, was hit by a pitch in the 4th, hit a two-run double in the 5th and flied out in the 7th.

During the current season Staub is batting at a .348 clip with 9 home runs and 48 RBIs. He has played in 48 games and scored 32 times.

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Lumley Gets 300th Home Run:

It was a historic day for SMU's fine right fielder Harry Lumley. He slammed home run number 300 in the Mustangs 2-1 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes at Boulder Ballpark.

He told reporters after the game that he was disappointed in losing the game. "It's great to get that many homers, but I don't play for homers -- I play to win. That's the name of the game."

In his milestone-making game Lumley went 1 for 4, scored 1 run and collected 1 RBI. That home run put him in a select group of ballplayers.

In his 654-game career Lumley is batting .311 with 99 doubles, 14 triples, 300 home runs and 607 RBIs. He has stolen 78 bases and scored 519 times.

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Kirkland Gets #300:

It was a historic day in the life of Willie Kirkland. The 29-year-old Pittsburgh right fielder recorded the 300th homer of his career in the Panthers 10-4 triumph over the Clemson Tigers.

In the clubhouse after the game, Kirkland told BNN, "I was just looking for a ball to drive, and I got one."

His lifetime stats show that Kirkland has hit .252 and connected for 300 home runs.