Tim Balut out as Hampshire baseball coach

After leading the Hampshire Regional baseball team to the postseason this
year for the first time since 2008, Tim Balut is no longer its coach.

Balut was informed of the decision by athletic director Ann Trytko on
Tuesday.

"I think that myself and large number of players were really surprised,"
Balut said in a phone interview Thursday. "It's been nice the last few days.
I've had a lot of phone calls and text messages from players and former players
expressing their disapproval."

In a phone interview Friday, Trytko said the decision resulted at least in
part from season-ending surveys by the players.

You can read the entire story here.

Amherst softball wins title; Easthampton baseball falls short

The Amherst softball team defeated Agawam 2-0 at UMass on Monday to earn its second straight WMass Division 1 Tournament title and third in four years. The Hurricanes get a rematch Thursday in the state semifinals against Milford, which won last year's state semis 1-0 in eight innings. The game is set for 4 p.m. back at UMass.

In baseball, Easthampton battled back from an early 6-0 deficit to even the score with Pioneer Regional, but the Panthers won it 8-6 with a two-run homer in the seventh at Bullens Field in Westfield.

We'll have much more on both games posted later.

Saturday's Softball/Baseball title games PPD

Championship Saturday won't feature as many teams raising trophies as usual, as the constant rain has postponed both the baseball and softball title games.

Baseball games have been postponed to Monday, but times and locations are still TBA at this point.

Softball, meanwhile, is currently set for Sunday. The times and place (UMass) remain the same. D2 will start at 11 a.m., D3 at 1 p.m. and D1 at 3 p.m.

Of course, the forecast for Sunday isn't much better than Saturday...

Girls D1 tennis is now at 2 p.m. at the Ludlow Athletic Club, while lacrosse remains set for 11 a.m. (girls) and 1 p.m. (Boys) Saturday at AIC.

Keep an eye on MIAA.net for updates throughout the weekend.

Ziomek may get start today

Vanderbilt's showdown with No. 5 Florida Friday night was suspended due to weather with the No. 2 Commodores leading 4-2 in the sixth. Vandy coach Tim Corbin said Amherst native Kevin Ziomek could relieve ace Sonny Gray when the game resumes at 1 p.m.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110514/SPORTS0602/305140032/Rain-stalls-Vandy-Florida-showdown

Ziomek to pitch in Cape Cod Baseball League

Kevin Ziomek’s summer is booked.
The Amherst native will pitch for the Cotuit Kettleers in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League this summer.
Ziomek’s name is listed on the 2011 Cotuit roster. His father, Peter, confirmed that his son will pitch for the Kettleers.
Kevin Ziomek currently plays for Vanderbilt University.
“He’s the only freshman (from Vanderbilt) who’s going to the Cape and it was pretty much a foregone conclusion,” Peter Ziomek said. “He found out after Christmas.”
According to Ziomek, the coaching staff at Vanderbilt worked with organizers of the Cape Cod League to find a team for the 6-foot-3 lefty.
Kevin Ziomek will join Vandy teammate and sophomore outfielder Michael Yastrzemski on the Kettleerws. Yastrzemski, the grandson of Red Sox legend and Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, was a member of the Kettleers last season when they beat Yarmouth-Dennis for their 14th league championship.
Cotuit plays at Elizabeth Lowell Park. Its season begins June 10.
Ziomek, a reliever for the Commodores, is 1-0 with a 2.32 ERA. He has struck out 40 and walked nine over 31 innings this season.
Vanderbilt is ranked No. 3 in the Collegiate Baseball Poll and No. 4 in the Baseball America Top 25.
Should Vandy reach its first-ever College World Series, its season could extend to June 29.

Garrison Banas fans 300th hitter (updated)

Staff Writer Mike Wilkinson reports that Hopkins Academy senior left-hander Garrison Banas struck out the side in the first inning against Athol to record career-strikeout No. 300 in Hadley Tuesday.

Hopkins won 5-0 as Banas struck out 13 and allowed one hit, which came in the sixth.

Vandy baseball on national TV Sunday

The No. 1 Vanderbilt baseball team's game against South Carolina will be televised live on ESPN2 Sunday. Taylor Hill (2-0, 3.19 ERA) will start for the Commodores, but there's a chance Amherst native Kevin Ziomek will pitch out of the bullpen.

Coverage begins at 1 p.m.

Vandy baseball preview; Kevin Ziomek top pitching recruit

Whenitstrikesme.com has a preview on the upcoming Vanderbilt baseball season with a quick mention of Kevin Ziomek. More to come Wednesday when the site breaks down the pitching staff.

ESPN's Keith Law on Arizona's signings

This is from Keith Law yesterday on ESPN. 

Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks lost their first-round pick when Barret Loux
failed his physical; they'll get a compensatory pick next year, but it
put a dent in their 2010 draft class. They did spend to sign their
14th-rounder, UNC-bound outfielder Ty Linton, and seventh-rounder Tyler Green (a right-hander with a chance for two plus pitches but a high-effort delivery), but couldn't land Massachusetts lefty Kevin Ziomek (headed for Vanderbilt) or North Carolina catcher Matt Roberts (headed for UNC). I like fourth-rounder Kevin Munson's
chances to be one of the first big leaguers from the class. Arizona
will almost certainly have two picks in the top seven next year in what
looks like the best first-round crop since 2005, which will give them a
chance to make a quick recovery from the Loux imbroglio.

Amherst lefty Kevin Ziomek still unsigned

According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic Amherst lefty Kevin Ziomek, who is attending summer classes at Vanderbilt, has not signed. The following is from Piecoro's blog on azcentral.com.

"So assuming they save the $2 million they were
planning to spend, will they reallocate that toward some of their other
picks from this year or will they work it into next year’s draft budget
to pay for that extra pick? That’s a question I haven’t been able to
get answered.

From what I can tell, two of those high-ceiling,
hard-to-sign high schoolers they took later in the draft -- LHP Kevin
Ziomek and (13th round) and OF Ty Linton (14th round) -- still look
like extreme long shots to get signed.

The club is still working on signing RHP Blake
Perry (sixth round) and RHP Tyler Green (eighth round), and another
name to keep in mind is LHP Roberto Padilla (23rd round), whom the club
has been monitoring this summer.

I’ve heard Ziomek has a price tag well over $2
million. If the Diamondbacks or any other team in the draft felt he was
worth that kind of money, he wouldn’t have slipped to the 13th round,
right? But, given the Loux situation, should they overpay for him?

Or should they take that money and pour it into Latin America?"

Ziomek named all-American

Amherst Regional senior Kevin Ziomek was named a 2010 Louisville Slugger High School All-American. Ziomek was one of 29 pitchers selected for the team.The 6-foot-3 left-hander previously was named the Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year. He finished 9-1 with three saves and a 0.91 earned run average. He struck out 134, walked 20 and allowed 29 hits over 69-1/3 innings.

Amherst baseball wins state title

Kevin Ziomek tossed a complete-game gem in the nine-inning title game in Lowell, while Sean Cunningham came through with the big hit and Steffen Herter brought a tremendous emotional lift. Stay tuned for complete coverage.

South Hadley baseball, Amherst softball win titles

The Tigers beat Palmer, 4-2 behind a one-hitter from Ryan Horstman. First WMass baseball title in South Hadley history.State semis are Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Tivnan Field.

Amherst continued its perfect season with a 1-0 win over West Springfield.

The Hurricanes will play Milford at 7 p.m. at Worcester State College.

Baseball postponed

Both the Division 1 and 2 championship games at Szot Park in Chicopee were postponed Saturday due to rain. The Division 2 final will resume Sunday at noon with South Hadley leading Palmer 3-1. The Tigers will bat in the bottom of the third. Ryan Horstman of South Hadley has a no-hitter through three. He also has a two-run triple to highlight the offense.The Division 1 final between Amherst and East Longmeadow will start at 3 p.m. at Szot Sunday.

ESPN's Keith Law breaks down Arizona's draft

Click here for the complete NL breakdown.Arizona Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks took mostly slot (or below-slot, I suppose) guys, including their Day 1 selection of Barrett Loux. Second-rounder J.R. Bradley is a prep righty with a solid to average fastball and perhaps the best control of any high school pitcher in the draft. Kevin Munson has a chance to be a good late-game reliever -- maybe more setup man than closer -- and isn't too far from the big leagues. The Diamondbacks rolled the dice on three tough signs, Vandy commit Kevin Ziomek, TCU commit Tyler Green (93 to 96 mph and a good athlete), and UNC commit Ty Linton.

Ziomek drafted by Arizona Diamondbacks

Kevin Ziomek was drafted Tuesday by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 391st pick of the 13th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.Ziomek, a senior lefty from Amherst Regional, went 6-1 during the regular season, struck out 91, walked 15 and held a 1.21 ERA. He is coming off a 4-0 victory in which he struck out 13 and allowed two hits against Chicopee in the quarterfinal round of the Western Massachusetts Division 1 Tournament. Ziomek has signed to play at Vanderbilt University.Ziomek was the 12th high school lefty taken in the draft.

Ziomek named Mass. Gatorade Player of the Year

Amherst Regional lefty was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year.

Baseball seeds

Baseball
(All dates and times subject to change)
Division 1
1. Cathedral (18-2)
2. East Longmeadow (17-3)
3. Westfield (13-7)
4. Amherst (13-7)
5. Chicopee (13-7)
6. Agawam (12-8)
7. Longmeadow (12-8)
8. Taconic (12-8)
9. Northampton (10-10)
First round
Thursday, June 3
Game 1: Northampton at Taconic, 4
Quarterfinals
Monday, June 7
Game 2: Game 1 winner at Cathedral, 4
Game 3: Chicopee at Amherst, 4
Game 4: Longmeadow at East Longmeadow, 4
Game 5: Agawam at Westfield, 4
Semifinals
Date, time, place TBA
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 4 winner
Finals
Date, time, place TBA
Game 8: Game 7 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Division 2
1. Monument Mountain (16-4)
2. Greenfield (16-4)
3. Hoosac Valley (12-8)
4. South Hadley (10-10)
5. Mohawk (12-8)
6. Southwick (12-8)
7. Palmer (12-8)
8. Mt. Greylock (11-9)
9. Wahconah (10-10)
10. Drury (10-10)
11. Belchertown (6-14)
First round
Thursday, June 3
Game 1: Wahconah at My. Greylock, 4
Game 2: Drury at Palmer, 4
Game 3: Belchertown at Southwick, 4
Quarterfinals
Monday, June 7
Game 4: Game 1 winner at Monument, 4
Game 5: Game 2 winner at Greenfield, 4
Game 6: Game 3 winner at Hoosac, 4
Game 7: Mohawk at South Hadley, 4
Semifinals
Date, time, place TBA
Game 8: Game 7 winner at Game 4 winner
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Finals
Date, time, place TBA
Game 10: Game 9 winner vs. Game 8 winner
Division 3
1. St. Mary’s (18-2)\
2. Ware (17-3)
3. Hopkins Academy (15-3)
4. Sabis (16-4)
5. Mahar (14-5)
6. Granby (15-5)
7. Westfield Voke (14-5)
8. Smith Voke (13-6)
9. Gateway Regional (10-7)
10. Pioneer Regional (12-8)
11. Monson (11-9)
12. Commerce 912-8)
13. Mt. Everett (12-8)
14. Smith Academy (11-9)
15. St. Joseph (10-10)
16. Lenox (9-11)
First round
Thursday, June 3
Game 1: Lenox at St. Joe’s, 4
Game 2: Gateway at Smith Voke, 4
Game 3: Mt. Everett at Sabis, 4
Game 4: Commerce at Mahar, 4
Game 5: St. Joe’s at Ware, 4
Game 6: Pioneer Valley at Westfield Voke, 4
Game 7: Smith Academy at Hopkins Academy, 4
Game 8: Monson at Granby, 4
Quarterfinals
Monday, June 7
At higher seed, time TBA
Game 9: Game 2 winner vs. Game 1 winner
Game 10: Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 11: Game 6 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner
Semifinals
Date, time, place TBA
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 9 winner
Game 14: Game 12 winner vs. Game 11 winner
Finals
Date, time, place TBA
Game 15: Game 14 winner vs. Game 13 winner

Gammons on Ziomek

NESN Red Sox insider Peter Gammons talks about Amherst Regional ace Kevin Ziomek. It's short and at the end of this clip but nonetheless Gammons says there's a chance the Red Sox, who have had scouts at most of Ziomek's starts this spring, could take the lefty.

Ziomek ranked 90th by ESPN's Keith Law

Keith Law released his first list of 2010 draft-eligible players. Amherst Regional ace lefty Kevin Ziomek is ranked 90th.