Johnson Named CB360 Primetime Pitcher of the Week
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 | Baseball
University of Florida freshman Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) was chosen as the Primetime Pitcher of the Week produced by CollegeBaseball360.com on Wednesday. This marks the first time in school history that a Gator has received the award.
Johnson delivered on the mound and at the plate, logging seven shutout innings and providing the pinch-hit single that sparked a ninth-inning rally to beat No. 4 Arkansas in the 2-1 series-clinching finale (the only weekend series between top-10 teams in the CB360 Composite National Rankings).
The rookie rose to the occasion while facing a Razorbacks' offense that owned the best conference batting average (.338) in the elite Southeastern Conference. The 6-3, 225-pound lefthander racked up a season-high nine strikeouts and faced only 25 batters over the seven shutout innings, scattering three hits (.130 team batting average) and one walk with only three base-runners reaching second base (each occupied that position for only a few moments).
The impressive outing saw Johnson post four 1-2-3 innings (1st-2nd-4th-7th) and allow multiple base-runners during only the third, when James McCann was hit by a one-out pitch and Matt Vinson followed with a single into left. Johnson executed a pickoff play to erase McCann and Collin Kuhn's single put another runner on second, but Johnson forced Bo Bigham into a 4-3 groundout to end the pitcher's busiest inning.
Andy Wilkins walked to open the fifth, but Johnson quickly recorded three-straight outs (KS-F8-KS) to maintain the 1-0 thriller. One inning later, Zack Cox sent a two-out double into the right-field corner – but Johnson induced cleanup batter Brett Eibner to fly out to center field.
An Arkansas home run tied the game in the eighth and Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan elected to move Johnson into the designated hitter spot in the bottom of the ninth. The freshman responded by working ahead in the count versus bullpen ace Mike Bolsinger before poking a 2-0 pitch up the middle for a one-out single. Moments later, Johnson's pinch-runner, freshman Cody Dent (Boynton Beach, Fla.), came home with the series-winning run, leaving Florida (28-11/12-6 SEC) two games behind South Carolina in the race for the SEC title.
Johnson, who located 70 of his 99 pitches for strikes in the pressure-packed outing, now owns a 2.91 ERA this season. He is now batting .375 (9-for-24) following the single that sparked the game-winning rally.
Johnson was part of CollegeBaseball360.com's 10th group of Primetime Performers for action from April 19-25. Texas junior catcher Cameron Rupp was named the Primetime Player of the Week after helping vault his club atop many of the national polls. The cleanup batter smacked a pair of first-inning home runs and nearly did the same in the series finale, leading the way for a Longhorns' squad that swept Oklahoma State while extending its winning streak to 16 games.
The other 17 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll included: Boston College senior outfielder Robbie Anston, Washington State senior right-hander Chad Arnold, UC Irvine senior right-hander Christian Bergman, Oklahoma junior second baseman Danny Black, Stanford freshman third baseman Kenny Diekroeger, Seton Hall fifth-year senior second baseman Chris Fontanelli, Tennessee junior catcher Blake Forsythe, North Carolina junior right-hander Matt Harvey, Texas State senior first baseman Kyle Livingstone, Florida State junior left fielder/right-hander Mike McGee, Texas Tech freshman second baseman Jamodrick McGruder, Coastal Carolina sophomore shortstop Taylor Motter, Connecticut junior third baseman Mike Olt, Virginia Tech sophomore first baseman Ronnie Shaban, Ole Miss sophomore designated hitter Matt Snyder, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi junior outfielder Chris Vergne and Arizona senior right-hander Daniel Workman.
The 19 honorees include a pair of two-way talents (LHP/DH and LF/RHP), along with four other right-handed pitchers, three second basemen, two catchers, a pair of first basemen, two third basemen, a shortstop, left-fielder, center-fielder and DH. The selections feature a fifth-year senior, five seniors, seven juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen. The honorees hail from 10 different home states/foreign countries, led by four from Florida and three each from California and Texas, plus two each from Connecticut and Virginia, along with one from Arizona, New Jersey, Puerto Rice, Tennessee and Washington.
The CB360 Primetime Performer honors various players based on any/all of the following “primetime” criteria (i.e. not solely based on raw stats):
• Must have been playing for a CB360 top-50 team (in the Composite National Rankings) or against such a top-level opponent, or performed a high level in a game that could be key to a team's conference/NCAA postseason qualification.
• Involved in clutch performances, such as late game-winning hits, noteworthy comebacks, game-changing plays, team leadership, etc.
• Performing at a top level against a team rated highly nationally (or within its conference), with bonus consideration given for key performances away from home field.
• Overcoming adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).
CollegeBaseball360.com Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll (April 19-25)
Player (Pos.) … School … Yr. … Hometown … Stats & Notes
Robbie Anston (CF) - Boston College … Sr. - Odessa, FL
Leadoff hitter who paced sweep at #50 North Carolina State (9-5/10-8/11-10), lifting Eagles to second-place in ACC Atlantic Division … had 3 hits in each game while batting 9-for-17 (.529) with 7 RBI, 8 runs, 19 total bases (2 HR, 3B, 2 2B) and pair of stolen bases … hit 9th-inning, 2-run single for go-ahead runs in game-2 … his leadoff home run tied series finale in the 8th.
Chad Arnold (RHP) - Washington State … Sr./Jr. - Kennewick, WA
Logged complete-game victory to knock off #24 Oregon State in Pacific-10 Conference series opener (5-1), limiting the Beavers to 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 11 (35 batters faced) … rolled up 10 groundouts during his 125-pitch outing … dropped his season ERA to 3.03 and now is allowing opposing batters a .227 combined batting average.
Christian Bergman (RHP) - UC Irvine … Sr. - Altadena, CA
Allowed leadoff single vs. UC Davis (runner was caught stealing) but went on to record 27 straight outs and face the minimum 27 batters, in a one-hit victory over UC Davis (13-0) to help keep UC Irvine in the Big West Conference title hunt (no conf. tournament) … 19 of his outs came via strikeouts (6) or groundouts (13) … located 71% 0f his pitches for strikes (63 of 89).
Danny Black (2B) - Oklahoma … Jr. - Roseville, CA
Sooners' 2-hole hitter who racked up 10 RBI in three big wins (8-3 vs. #14 TCU; 6-5 in 13/10-2 at #37 Texas A&M), helping solidify OU's postseason positioning … his other stats in the three big wins included 2 home runs, 3 runs scored, 2 doubles and a pair of walks.
Kenny Diekroeger (3B) - Stanford … Fr. - Woodside, CA
Lower-third hitter (7-hole) who had a pair of game-winning RBI in the Pacific-10 Conference series sweep of Bay-area rival #18 California (3-2/15-12/11-10) … hit 6-for-12 and factored into 8 runs (5RBI-3R, 2B-BB) during series; executed sac-fly to win pitchers' duel in opener … added 3-5/2RBI-2R effort in game-2 before his RBI double capped 3-run rally that won finale – pushing Cardinal (10-5) to within one game of Pac-10 leader Arizona State.
Chris Fontanelli (2B) - Seton Hall … 5th-Yr.-Sr. - Toms River, NJ
Helped hand #10 Louisville only its third home loss of the 2010 season (8-6; as one of the BIG EAST lower-ranked teams upset a league leader; SHU also suffered narrow losses in the series, 4-2/3-1) … had early 2-out RBI single and 2 runs in win over Cards; scored tying run in 5th inning of opener (2-2); executed 11 fielding chances as part of SHU's error-free series.
Blake Forsythe (C) - Tennessee … Jr. - Memphis, TN
Helped post three wins over CB360 top-50 teams (18-8 vs. #46 Western Carolina; doubleheader sweep of #17 Vanderbilt, 4-2 in 11 & 4-3 in 7, to complete that Southeastern Conference series) … hit 5-13 with 6 RBI and pair of home runs in those three big wins (3 runs, double, 2 walks, hit-by-pitch) … his 2-run blast ended 11-inning game vs. Vandy … a couple hours later, his walk was part of 2-run, game-ending rally that gave Vols the series.
Matt Harvey (RHP) - North Carolina … Jr. - Mystic, CT
Struck out 15 batters (nine “looking) from #19 Clemson, in complete-game win (5-3) as UNC went on to win key road series … held Tigers to 6 hits (.167 batting) and a single walk … posted 6 straight Ks in 6th and 7th innings.
*BRIAN JOHNSON (LHP/DH) - FLORIDA … Fr. - Cocoa Beach, FL
Delivered on the mound and at the plate, as Gators edged #4 Arkansas (2-1) to win that top-10 series matchup between two of top teams in the Southeastern Conference … pitched 7.0 scoreless innings and allowed only 3 hits (.130 team batting avg.) by SEC's top offense (the Razorbacks entered the game with a .338 team batting avg. in league play) … had 9 Ks and only 1 walk … his 1-out single sparked 9th-inning rally (his pinch-runner scored winning run).
Kyle Livingstone (1B) - Texas State … Sr. - Ft. Worth, TX
Hit 5-for-11 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored in three big wins for Texas State (9-3 vs. #49 Baylor; 5-3 and 7-3 vs. Southland Conference contender Northwestern (La.) State), as the Bobcats cracked the national rankings for the first time during the 2010 season … serves primarily as team's 5-hole hitter … played lead role in the win over Baylor (3RBI-2R).
Mike McGee (LF/RHP) - Florida State … Jr. - Port St. Lucie, FL
Two-way talent (5-6/8-7/7-6) who helped Florida State edge its in-state rival and #11 Miami, in hard-fought series with three 1-run games … hit 5-for-9 in the series with 3 HR, 5 RBI and 5 walks (also 4 runs, 2 doubles and a sac-fly) … his 9th-inning, 2-out, 2-run homer won the series (also was the pitcher of record, with 1.2IP-2K-5BF) … earlier walked and scored in 3-run bottom of 8th, as FSU similarly rallied to win game-2 (2 runs in 9th).
Jamodrick McGruder (2B) - Texas Tech … Fr. - Mesquite, TX
Texas Tech leadoff batter who hit 9-for-14 while factoring into 13 runs (7 RBI, 6 runs, 5 stolen bases, 2 doubles, 3 walks, sacrifice fly), as the Red Raiders won a key Big 12 Conference series at #41 Kansas (2-10/11-8/21-10) … closed the series at Kansas with an impressive all-around game, batting 4-for-5 with 6 RBI, 4 runs scored, a pair of doubles, 2 stolen bases, a walk and a sacrifice fly … did not make an error in the three-game series (12 fielding chances).
Taylor Motter (SS) - Coastal Carolina … So. - Palm Beach Gardens, FL
The Chanticleers' 9-hole hitter who helped extend team's win streak to 17 games with sweep of Big South contender VMI (7-0/3-2/6-2) … hit 5-for-10 with a pair of home runs in the road series (4 RBI, 4 runs, 2 doubles, 2 walks; also made no errors on 13 fielding chances) … launched a key home run in the 3-2 series clincher, with Coastal Carolina going on to sweep the Keydets and gain firm control of the Big South race.
Mike Olt (3B) – Connecticut … Jr. - Branford, CT
5-hole batter who led sweep of Rutgers in BIG EAST Conference showdown series (7-2/6-3/8-7 in 12) … hit 11-for-14 (.786) with 5 RBI and 2 home runs in the three games (5R-SF) … delivered quantity (5-for-6) and quality (9th-inning, tying HR) during the series finale versus the Scarlet Knights.
*Cameron Rupp (C) - Texas … Jr. - Plano, TX
Cleanup batter who hit pair of 1st-inning, 3-run home runs and nearly added another 1st-run HR (RBI 2B high off wall) in Big 12 Conference series sweep of Oklahoma State (14-1/5-0/9-3), as Longhorns pushed their win streak to 16 … amassed 11 RBI & 12 total bases (2 HR-2 2B; 4R-B) in series, also 2-run HR in midweek win over Arlington … called pitches for a Longhorns' staff that posted a 1.25 ERA over the course of the four-game week.
Ronnie Shaban (1B) - Virginia Tech … So. - Moseley, VA
Supplied several key hits from the 5-hole in Virginia Tech's ACC series win over #5 Georgia Tech (3-1 in 11/10-3/12-14), batting 6-for-12 in the series with 5 RBI and 3 runs score (also had a home run, triple, 2 walks and a stolen base3) … hit the go-ahead single in 11th inning of the series opener … his 2-run home run in game-2 helped the Hokies race out to 6-0 lead, en route to the series-clinching win over the highly-ranked Yellow Jackets.
Matt Synder (DH) – Ole Miss … So. - Centreville, VA
Delivered from cleanup spot in Ole Miss' sweep of #7 LSU (11-9/9-8 in 11/7-6), batting at a .500 clip (6-12) with 7 RBI, 3 home runs and 5 runs scored (also reached on a BB & HBP) … delivered in opener vs. ace Anthony Ranaudo, with 1st-inning solo shot and 2-inning grand slam (8-2 lead) … closed series in similar fashion, with tying 2-run home run in the 8th.
Chris Vergne (LF) - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi … Jr. - San Juan, Puerto Rico
2-hole batter who helped the Islanders win series from #31 Southeastern Louisiana (the Southland Conference leader) … hit 2-run double for early 4-2 lead in game-2 and added clinching grand slam (10-5 final) … went on to score 3 runs in series finale (11-5).
Daniel Workman (RHP) - Arizona … Sr./Jr. - Sierra Vista , AZ
Beat in-state rival #1 Arizona State (4-2; 6.1 innings, 2 runs, 5 hits, 4 strikeouts, 23 batters faced) and closed week with solid short start in team's 6-4 win over #6 UCLA (3.1IP-R-3H-2BB-5K) … his combined stats in the pair of starts: 9.2 IP, 3R, 8H, 2BB, 9 Ks (.216 opp. batting avg.).
* – Cameron Rupp was the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week and Brian Johnson was the Primetime Pitcher of the Week … note that rankings above refer to the CB360 top-50 … class years are based on academic standing (some players may have an extra year of eligibility)
-UF-
