Baseball's bubble burst

After making an impressive run in the ACC Tournament, the Baseball team's season came to an end when they didn't make the field of 64 for the College World Series. They've been playing some of their best baseball the last month of the season, but the slow start to the year and some tough early losses hurt their resume. The ACC is well represented with seven teams. Hopefully one of them wins it all.

Big weekend for BC Baseball and Softball

Brian Rapp and Thomas Lane combined for a one-hitter as BC beat Pitt on Sunday. Rapp started and didn't allow his first hit until the seventh. Lane closed it out. It was BC's second shutout of the season.

The Softball team remains hot as they won their 10th straight. It is Softball's longest winning streak since 1995.

Baseball drops ACC Tourney opener to NC State

BC left too many on base in a critical ACC Tournament loss to NC State. Jacob Stevens gave BC a solid start but BC failed to capitalize early and the Wolfpack padded their lead in the later innings. Now BC as they face UNC next in pool play. That game becomes a must win to keep any hopes alive. The good news is that this team has responded repeatedly when it seemed like they were in a hole. EDITED: My mistake. As Brian pointed out in comments, this eliminates BC. I thought they could still have a chance depending on how the pool played out, but even if UNC loses twice, BC is out.

Baseball closes Shea with big wins, headed to ACCs

Some run down facilities grow in charm as they age. Sometimes when we look back at something terrible, the memories become more found than they were in reality. I don't know if one day BC Baseball fans will look back at the time on Shea Field as the "good ol' days," but at least they will remember the final weekend as a good time. BC swept Notre Dame to secure a spot in the ACC Tournament. Considering how the regular season and ACC season started, this is a great way to finish. The team is playing much better. Although they will be a long shot to advance beyond pool play in the ACC, there is more hope now than there was four weeks ago. Congrats to the guys. I hope BC's new baseball complex let's them take the program to the next level.

Arthur Bailin did a great job capturing the last out.

Last out at Shea. It sends @BCBirdBall to the ACC tournament. pic.twitter.com/uLwZFu2oQK

— Arthur Bailin (@arthurbailin) May 20, 2017

Baseball wins their first ACC series of the season

After a rough start to ACC play, the Baseball team finally won a weekend series. They won two out of three against Duke. Unfortunately Sunday's loss meant that it wasn't a sweep. While the little momentum is nice, BC has just three ACC wins so far this year.

The team takes on Dartmouth next and then resumes ACC play next weekend against NC State.

More on Milano and other links

I don't know where Matt Milano will go in the Draft, but he is getting plenty of attention. This Steelers' blog breaks down his strengths and weaknesses. This write up thinks he is a top 10 Linebacker.

The Baseball team got its second ACC win of the season.

Softball lost both ends of a double header to UNC.

Baseball loses series opener to VT

It wasn't close Friday as Virginia Tech really took it to BC Baseball. It is the Hokies' tenth straight win over BC Baseball. With the loss, BC is now 1-9 in ACC play. As the season moves on, last year seems more like a fluke and not a step forward. Let's hope they start to turn things around the rest of the weekend.

Baseball's rough weekend; Women's Hockey to Frozen Four and other links

After starting ACC play with a win over FSU, the Baseball team fell back down to Earth. They lost both games of a double header Saturday.

The BC Women's Hockey team is headed back to the Frozen Four.

Softball improved to 2-1 in ACC play after beating Virginia.

Finally, BC Basketball was terrible this year. It was totally forgettable, except for one issue: playing spoiler. It turns out beating Syracuse was an issue come selection time. So we can revel in that...

Glad Boston College made an impact this year. #badlosses pic.twitter.com/XQY0RYlz7x

— Mike Giblin (@HoyaEagle) March 12, 2017

Confusion at Bosco and other links

One of the most important pipelines for BC Football is in a bit of a shakeup. Last week it was announced that long-time Don Bosco Head Coach Greg Toal Sr was out at the New Jersey power. The initial announcement framed it as voluntary and a retirement. Based on this article and Toal's continued and purposeful silence, it seems like there is more to the story. Toal is promising his former players he will speak this week. Future Eagle Marcus Valdez was one of the players rallying around Toal. As for why this matters to BC...Toal is the father of two former players and has sent dozens of players from the school to BC. Having him serve as an advocate for BC has always been an asset to our New Jersey efforts.

Former WZBC guy Mike Gualtieri has a podcast and has interviewed a few BC-related people like Meter and Luke Russert.

BC Baseball is off to a bit of a rough start. Bethune-Cookman swept them this weekend. Softball lost to Drake Sunday but is off to a much better start.

The Women's Ice Hockey team finished their regular season with a win over Providence.

Army hires Foster away from BC Baseball

BC Baseball looked hapless as recently as two years ago. The turnaround began last year. In part due to improved and maturing talent, but also due to pitching coach Jim Foster. That success gained notice as Army hired Foster to be their next head coach.

If you listened to the player interviews during BC's run, they gave a lot of credit to Foster. He called very solid games and provided great scouting reports on the other team's hitters. Beyond the NCAA tourney success, Foster also served as a trusted adviser to Gambino. When he joined the staff, Foster brought much needed experience as a head coach from his days at URI. Hopefully Gambino appreciated what Foster brought to the team and finds another great assistant who can handle the pitching staff as well as fill in for some of Gambino's short comings.

Best of luck to Foster at West Point. Coaching and winning there is always a challenge. If he struggles, I would love to see him return to BC as an assistant. If he wins big, maybe he'll be the head man here one day.

Baseball's run comes to an end

Very few (with me at the front of the line) would have predicted that BC Baseball would come within one game of the College World Series. While being firmly on the bubble, they spent the past four weeks winning more than expected, got into the ACC Tourney, the NCAA Tournament and then won their bracket. It came to an end Sunday in Miami. After chipping away at Miami's lead, the game got away on a Canes grand slam. The final score was 9-4.

Both benches emptied after the grand slam, as our guys took exception to the bat flips and taunting from the Hurricanes. Based on social media, many BC fans were angered by Miami's display and proud of the boys for standing up. I am more of the opinion that if you don't want someone showboating or taunting, don't let them score. The whole thing was unfortunate, because it was a great series.

Let's hope BC rides this momentum. This should only help recruiting, fundraising and fan support. If we get the new stadium in a reasonable time, BC Baseball could be a real force. I also hope Gambino has officially turned the corner. There were many times over the past few years where the results on the field raised numerous questions. This year was a breakthrough. Now, let's not fall back.

Congrats to the whole team and organization on a great season. They ended a rough year for BC Sports on a high note. 

Mets take Dunn in 1st Round

The good news continues for BC Baseball as the New York Mets selected Pitcher Justin Dunn with the 19th overall pick. This season saw a major jump in performance from Dunn as he moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation to the key player in a Super Regional team.

There were many reasons why BC Baseball struggled for a few years and why the rebound finally came and the biggest issue was talent. This year saw talented players like Dunn make the leap. As long as BC keeps doing that, BC Baseball should be fun to watch.

As for Dunn's future, I think the Mets know what they are doing. They wouldn't select him this high if they didn't think they could sign him. Dunn did bypass MLB when the Dodgers drafted him out of high school. Given how the MLB and college rules go, this probably means he's headed to the pros. 

BC to face Miami in Super Regionals

BC's next step in the NCAA Baseball Tournament is against an old foe. BC will face fellow ACC member Miami in a best-of-three game Super Regional.

Due to the ACC's expansion, Miami and BC have not played since 2014. The Hurricanes won the College World Series four times, but have not had the same level of championship success since moving to the ACC. Like BC, they were a three seed in their bracket and advanced.

Baseball headed to NCAA Tournament

For the first time since 2009, BC Baseball is headed to the NCAA Tournament. They will play Tulane in the Oxford regional. We are in a bracket with Ole Miss and Utah. The four teams play a round robin double elimination. It will be tough to advance, but this whole season has been about exceeding expectations. Making the tournament is a good accomplishment and a long time coming. You can see from the clip below, the guys were excited. Let's hope the passion and success carries over to the games.

The Birds are dancing! This is the reaction when you hear your name called for the NCAA Tournament! #RoadToOmahahttps://t.co/roYRhG57It

— BC Baseball (@BCBirdBall) May 30, 2016

Baseball faces waiting game

As the various Conference Tournaments play out, BC Baseball is left to wait. Many projections still have them in the NCAAs, but upsets and the ever-changing RPIs make things unpredictable. I don't know if other ACC "bubble" teams like Clemson and Wake had good ACC Tournies, while BC fell out after one game. BC's resume is strong enough, but nothing is guaranteed.

Once things wrap up, newer projections will roll out and then the real invites. And unfortunately an NCAA invitation will influence how this season is viewed.

BC Baseball makes the ACC Tournament

Congrats the Boston College Baseball team. By beating Georgia Tech twice on Saturday, the team earned a spot in the ACC Tournament. This is the first time the team qualified for the ACC Tourney since 2010. The teams will play again for the ACC Tourney Opener on Tuesday.

Baseball, Softball both win weekend series

After a rough start, Baseball rallied this weekend won their series with Virginia Tech. It improved their ACC record to 9-13. There next game is against URI on Tuesday.

Softball swept Syracuse and improved to 10-8 in ACC play. They host Pittsburgh next.

Baseball loses opener to VT

The BC Baseball team is at the point in the season where every ACC game has tons of conference implications. With a struggling Virginia Tech in town, BC needs a big weekend. Things did not star well as the Eagles lost to the Hokies on Friday. The two teams play again Saturday. That game will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.

Baseball beats Louisville

BC Baseball earned the school's first ever win over Louisville Friday. The win helped BC improve to 6-11 in ACC play. It was BC's 20th win overall and the team remains on pace for its most successful season yet under Gambino.

The series continues Saturday afternoon.

Men's Hockey earns 2 seed and other links

Even with their loss in the Hockey East Semis, the Men's Hockey team earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They will play Harvard in Worcester.

The Saints have interest in Justin Simmons.

The BC Women's Hockey team lost the National Championship to Minnesota. It is hard to end such an incredible season with such a tough game.

Clemson swept baseball as the team fell to 2-4 in ACC play.