Here are a few random items on teams/coaches/players in this year’s College World Series.
- Four players in the 2009 CWS field were taken in the first round of Tuesday’s MLB draft: North Carolina’s Dustin Ackley went #2 overall to Seattle, Cincinnati tabbed Arizona State RHP Mike Leake with the eighth overall pick, Tar Heel pitcher Alex White went with the 15th selection to Cleveland, and LSU outfielder/wide receiver Jared Mitchell was picked 15th by the Chicago White Sox. North Carolina and Arizona State meet in their first game Sunday in Omaha.
- Arkansas and LSU’s entries into the ’09 CWS makes it 17 straight years the SEC has had at least one team in Omaha. The Pac 10 is next with 13 straight years thanks to Arizona State. Southern Mississippi‘s surprising run this year gives C-USA the third longest CWS stretch at five years.
- Mr. Clutch…Arkansas’ Andy Wilkins leads all batters in the NCAA Tournament with 8 of his team’s 23 2-out RBIs.
- Brian O’Connor has now been to the College World Series as a player (Creighton-1991), assistant coach (Notre Dame-1992) and head coach (Virginia-2009).
- Current Chicago Cubs GM, Jim Hendry, was O’Connor’s head coach on that ’91 Creighton team. Hendry also gave LSU’s Paul Mainieri his first coaching job at Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School.
- Brandon Loy of Texas and Cal State Fullerton’s Joe Scott share the NCAA lead with 24 sac bunts in 2009.
- Cal State Fullerton has outscored its opponents 64-11 during the NCAA Tournament, including a 23-2 margin over Louisville in their two-game Super Regional.