Weekly Roundup: March 28, 2017

As I've gotten older, I learned to appreciate different things about baseball. Atop that list is probably just how hard it is to win a low-scoring game. A 1-0 or 2-0 pitchers' duel is the epitome of teams playing at a high level, not willing to bend an inch against one another. Virtually everything from a pitcher's mechanics to a coach's pitch selection to defensive fundamentals has to go right with one thing going more right at one single moment in order to win.

So despite being swept by Clemson this weekend, I couldn't help but be impressed with the performance of the Boston College baseball team. The Tigers traveled north as one of the nation's best programs, a team ranked sixth in the nation, averaging just about a home run per game.

Their offense, vaunted as it was with over 135 runs in their first 21 games, smoked several other opponents. They dropped 13 on Elon, eight on South Carolina and nine on Michigan State. Hosting Virginia, they lost only once, scoring 19 runs in their two wins, including one 12-1 result.

That BC was able to hold the Tigers to no runs in two games' first six innings is an achievement. On Sunday, Brian Rapp, throwing his second start of the year, turned in seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts and no walks, giving up only three hits and facing two over the minimum.

"Coach Trezza really worked with me the last couple of weeks on pounding the zone," said Rapp. "The defense behind me played outstanding; Dante (Baldelli) made a couple of big plays, and Donovan (Casey) made a couple of big plays."

It came a day after Dan Metzdorf turned in six strong on his own. It's true that BC didn't win a game this weekend, but after all of the turnover from last year's Super Regional team, it's a building block for a young team that opened up its ACC schedule with three teams who opened the season with a combined 59-13 record, 22-5 in league play.

"Metzdorf threw the heck out of the ball," Rapp said, "and I just tried to follow it up. That's all we have to keep doing - play tight games and really it's fun baseball. We're going to end up pulling some more games out."

There's no denying the Eagle' record isn't where they want it to be at this point, but in dealing with key injuries to players to Scott Braren and Jake Palomaki, the Eagles are slowly cobbling things together and putting together fine performances. There's a long way to go in the 2017 season, and there's still plenty of baseball left to be played.

"We just couldn't get things going offensively and needed a few more timely hits," Johnny Adams said. "I think we'll have that going forward. These next (midweek)games will be good for us before getting into Virginia Tech this weekend.

***

Follow-Up Appointment!

Last week, you'll recall that we highlighted Renee Bichette and Ethan Grab, both of whom competed this past weekend in the NCAA Fencing Championships in the epee discipline.

Following up on that story, Bichette finished 16th in her third trip to the championships. She won 10 of her 23 bouts, finishing with 83 successful touches. She was one of five competitors who finished with a .435 win percentage.

Grab, meanwhile, won six bouts with 76 successful touches. Playing the role of spoiler, his win over Duke's Bryn Hammarberg helped prevent the Blue Devil from finishing in the top eight.

***

Draft Ready

The NFL Draft is just about a month away, which means draft big boards can really hunker down and start projecting players' landing spots with more seriousness.

ESPN currently has safety John Johnson rated right near its top 100 with an overall grade of 70. That means he could potentially be called on the draft's second day in the third round. With a couple of teams in need of defensive backfield help, it adds a layer of excitement to the annual event.

In a twist of irony, projections probably could have just dusted off Justin Simmons' scouting report. He was picked 98th in last year's draft - in the third round - by the Denver Broncos. Other third round picks in BC history include offensive linemen James Marten (2007) and Doug Brzezinski (1999) and defensive end Stalin Colinet (1997). Some guy named Romanowski was a third-round pick too.

***

The Footnote Of A Lifetime

Devin Booker was just straight up insane on Friday night, scoring 70 points in a 130-120 loss to the Boston Celtics. It was one of the highest point totals ever in an NBA game behind 21 field goals and 24 made free throws. It was the performance of a lifetime, and it left the TD Garden crowd on its feet cheering a road opponent's player in appreciation.

Booker had some help along the way, especially from an old BC friend who played 28 minutes off the bench. Jared Dudley had 10 assists on the night, additionally contributing six points and four rebounds. He was also a +14, a two-way star in a game where the majority of the Suns finished below zero.

It's hard to believe, but this year marks 10 years since Dudley suited up in Maroon and Gold. A first-round pick in the 2007 draft, he's had a fine career playing for a number of different franchises. A consummate professional, he's also beloved in Phoenix, where he played between 2008-2013 before returning in '16.

***

G1000NTA!

Speaking of ex-Eagles, the Buffalo Sabres' Brian Gionta played in his 1,000th game this week. Now 38 and in his third year, he's carved out a career of over 550 points since joining the New Jersey Devils in the wake of BC's 2001 national championship.

One thousand games is an accomplishment of longevity, which is itself an honor. Since 2003, he's played in at least 60 games in all but three seasons. Of those three years, two were NHL Lockout years. In 2004-2005, he played in 15 games with the Albany River Rats while parent clubs were in a labor dispute. Eight years later, he played in all 48 games during the labor-shortened season for Montreal.

Speaking of 48, that's the amount of goals he scored in 2005-2006, a record for the New Jersey Devils franchise, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2001. He's best recognized as a Devil, and I'll stick to that even though he played with Montreal during an intense period with the Boston Bruins. I still have no idea how I was able to root for a guy wearing a Habs jersey, except that he was a hero in Maroon long before he was wearing les blanc, bleu, et rouge.

***

Get Yer ALS Awareness Game Tickets!

We're going to talk about ALS awareness several times over between now and April 22, but this is a reminder to purchase tickets to the Eagles' Sixth Annual ALS Awareness Game if you haven't already done so. Tickets are only $10 with all proceeds going to the Pete Frates #3 Fund. It's a great chance to see high quality baseball at Fenway Park for a reasonable price.

The game is one of two potential opportunities to see the Eagles play at Fenway. They'll play there twice in three games, with the Beanpot on April 19. But a Saturday evening, against a very good NC State team, as the sun sets in spring time in New England is incredible. The Red Sox are playing at Baltimore at 7 p.m., so fans can file out of Fenway and go straight to watching an AL East rivalry. Plus it's right before the Yankees are in town.

Boston College Athletics

Related News

Related Videos