Scores From All Super Regional Games Included…
Seven Super Regionals are now over. No. 1 national seed Virginia used a two-out, two-run single from John Taylor off of Big West Pitcher of the Year Matt Summers on Monday to give the Cavs a 3-2 win over UC Irvine and a second trip to Omaha in the last three years.
Cal became the official Cinderella of the 2011 College World Series by finished a two-game sweep of Dallas Baptist on Sunday night. The Golden Bears have gone from a program that was going to be eliminated to college baseball’s promised land in the span of nine months.
North Carolina and Vanderbilt completed two-game sweeps of Stanford and Oregon State, respectively, on Saturday to punch their tickets to Omaha. Florida worked its way past Mississippi State to win the first game three of the weekend. Texas followed Sunday night with a 4-2 win over
Courtesy Gatorzone.com
Arizona State. The Longhorns have now won five straight NCAA elimination games going back to their regional to earn the program’s 34th trip to the College World Series.
South Carolina completed a two-game sweep of UConn on Sunday to punch a second straight trip to Omaha. Ray Tanner’s Gamecocks are the first defending champion to return to the CWS the next year since Oregon State in 2007.
Mike Fox‘s Tar Heels are back at the College World Series for the fifth time in the past six years, while Tim Corbin‘s Commodores are there for the first time in school history.
Two CWS match-ups are now set. Florida will face Texas, while Vanderbilt plays North Carolina in opening round play.
Just two Super Regionals are yet to be decided. Virginia hosts UC Irvine at 4 p.m. and Florida State hosts Texas A&M at 7 p.m. on Monday with the winners of those games punching their CWS tickets. Both of those games will be televised on ESPN2.
All Super Regional capsules, with scores, recaps and more, are listed below!
Following on this page are capsules for each of the eight Super Regionals and the 16 teams that still are alive. Schedules and TV assignments are included as well.
Scores for each of the games along with recaps from each team and box scores are being added throughout the weekend.
The four Friday-Saturday-Sunday Super Regionals are listed first, followed by the four that take place Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
(Super Regionals determined by best two-of-three format)
Gainesville Super Regional – #2 national seed Florida vs. Mississippi State
- Mike Zunino
Florida is looking for a second straight trip to Omaha, while SEC rival Mississippi State last made the trek to college baseball’s promised land in 2007 (also the previous time the Bulldogs even made the NCAA Tournament). Florida took two out of three games from the Bulldogs in their regular season SEC series in Starkville back in April. The Gators also beat MSU 7-5 in their SEC Tournament opener last month.
Florida is led by SEC player of the year Mike Zunino (.371, 16 HR, 62 RBIs), recently named a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award. Mississippi State’s Jarrod Parks (.365, 3 HR, 36 RBIs) ranks 12th in the nation with 20 times hit-by-pitch. His team also ranks 12th nationally in that department with 90 HBP.
The Gators have three starting pitchers who have won at least eight games, while Bulldog reliever Luis Pollorena (7-5) has the most wins on the MSU staff.
| TEAM | RECORD | CONF. | BA | Runs/ Gm. | HR/ Sac Bunts | Slg% | OBP | SB-Att. | Fld% | ERA | CG | SV | K | BB | Opp. BA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | (48-16) | SEC | .311 | 6.4 | 58/58 | .459 | .382 | 56-84 | .974 | 2.97 | 2 | 14 | 486 | 116 | .245 |
| Mississippi State | (37-23) | SEC | .282 | 6.1 | 28/53 | .391 | .384 | 88-118 | .973 | 4.24 | 1 | 16 | 471 | 213 | .267 |
Gainesville Schedule
Game 1 – Florida 11-11-0 def. Miss. State 1-7-2
Final Stats | FL Recap (w/ video) | MSU Recap | AP Recap (w/ video) | Quotes | Photos
Game 2 – Mississippi State 4-7-1 won at Florida 3-11-0 … series tied
Final Stats | MSU Recap | FL Recap | Postgame Video (MS) | AP Recap (w/ video highlights)
Game 3: Florida 8-10-0 def. Mississippi State 6-11-1
Final Stats | MSU Recap | FL Recap | Postgame Video (FL)
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Austin Super Regional – #7 national seed Texas vs. Arizona State
Joey DeMichele
This clash of the titans Super Regional features two programs that have combined for 55 College World Series appearances. The Sun Devils are looking for their third straight CWS appearance and second in a row under head coach Tim Esmay. The Longhorns are looking to get back to Omaha after falling at home to TCU in the 2010 Super Regional. The Longhorns went all the way to the 2009 CWS Finals, with a win over ASU to get there in what was Pat Murphy’s last game as head coach.
Joey DeMichele (.368, 9 HR, 48 RBIs) leads an ASU offense that includes eight players hitting .301 or better. Sun Devils shortstop Deven Marerro was named the 2011 Pac-10 defensive player of the year. None of ASU’s weekend starters this season were in the rotation last year.
Taylor Jungmann
Taylor Jungmann (13-1, 1.39 ERA) fronts a Texas team that, as usual, relies on pitching, defense and small ball. Jungmann was selected with the 12th overall pick of this week’s MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. The 2011 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year suffered his first loss of the season in the week’s regional opener against Kent State. Freshman closer Cory Knebel (3-2, 1.29 ERA, 17 SVs) slams the door at the end. His save total is tied for fourth nationally.
The Longhorns’ 16 home runs are the second-fewest of any Super Regional team (UC Irvine-13) but they lead the nation with 103 sacrifice bunts.
CLICK HERE to listen to an exclusive CB360 podcast interview with Texas head coach Augie Garrido.
| TEAM | RECORD | CONF. | BA | Runs/ Gm. | HR/ Sac Bunts | Slg% | OBP | SB-Att. | Fld% | ERA | CG | SV | K | BB | Opp. BA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | (47-16) | Big 12 | .273 | 5.3 | 16/103 | .378 | .375 | 74-94 | .982 | 2.31 | 6 | 21 | 539 | 180 | .196 |
| Arizona State | (42-16) | Pac-10 | .306 | 6.4 | 36/22 | .453 | .378 | 98-143 | .971 | 3.22 | 5 | 11 | 476 | 141 | .240 |
Austin Schedule
Game 1: Arizona State 3-5-1 def. Texas 1-8-2
Final Stats | ASU Recap | TX Recap | AP Recap (w/ video highlights) | Photos | Quotes
Game 2 – at Texas 5-8-0 def. Arizona State 1-8-1
Final Stats | TX Recap | ASU Recap | Photos | Quotes | Notes | AP Recap (w/ video highlights)
Game 3: Texas 4-9-1 def. Arizona State 2-6-0
Final Stats | TX Recap | ASU Recap | Quotes | Photos | Notes
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Chapel Hill Super Regional – #3 national seed North Carolina vs. Stanford
The red-hot Tar Heels have won 17 of their past 21 games heading into Super Regional play. A series sweep of Virginia to close the regular season is the high-water mark in that stretch. It was the Cavs’ only series loss all year. UNC is looking to get back to the CWS after getting bounced at the Norman Regional in 2010. Prior to that, the Tar Heels made four straight trips to Omaha from 2006-2009.
Levi Michael
Freshman Colin Moran (.335, 9 HR, 69 RBIs) is the team triple crown leader. His RBI total ranks 14th nationally. Moran comes from good lineage. His older brother, Brian, was an All-American an UNC, while his uncle B.J. Surhoff was the national player of the year in Chapel Hill prior to a 19-year Major League career. Moran is joined in the lineup by shortstop Levi Michael (.297, 5 HR, 48 RBIs), a first round MLB Draft pick by the Minnesota Twins earlier this week. Michael enrolled at North Carolina and became a starter for UNC’s 2009 College World Series team, in what would have been his senior semester in high school.
Stanford has a young and battle-tested team whose ability belies its overall record. Mark Marquess‘ squad features eight freshmen or sophomores in the everyday lineup. They played a brutal early-season schedule, with road trisps to three teams (Vanderbilt, Rice and Texas) that were eventual national seeds. Stanford went 13-12 against top-25 teams this season, but experience against some of the top pitchers in the country has made them better. How about this list: #1 overall MLB Draft pick Gerrit Cole (UCLA), #3 overall pick Trevor Bauer (UCLA), #12 overall pick Taylor Jungmann (Texas), #18 overall pick Sonny Gray (Vandebilt), #20 overall pick Tyler Anderson (Oregon), Oregon State ace Sam Gaviglio, Arizona’s #1 Kurt Heyer, and Vandy’s talented #2 Grayson Garvin
Chris Reed.
The Cardinal doesn’t have eye-popping offensive numbers, but Stephen Piscotty (.370, 3 HR, 40 RBIs) leads an offense that gets the job done. As usual, Stanford is built on pitching, including first-round MLB Draft pick Chris Reed (6-2, 2.54 ERA, 9 SVs), who went with the 16th overall pick to the L.A. Dodgers.
| TEAM | RECORD | CONF. | BA | Runs/ Gm. | HR/ Sac Bunts | Slg% | OBP | SB-Att. | Fld% | ERA | CG | SV | K | BB | Opp. BA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | (48-14) | ACC | .286 | 6.9 | 38/31 | .420 | .394 | 81-102 | .979 | 3.25 | 2 | 16 | 562 | 211 | .247 |
| Stanford | (35-20) | Pac-10 | .302 | 5.5 | 27/27 | .415 | .361 | 33-49 | .969 | 3.40 | 3 | 12 | 387 | 172 | .251 |
Chapel Hill Schedule
Game 1: North Carolina 5-10-1 def. Stanford 2-7-2
Final Stats | UNC Recap | STAN Recap | AP Recap (w/ video)
Game 2 – at North Carolina 7-14-1 def. Stanford 5-9-1 … UNC adv. to CWS
Final Stats | UNC Recap | STAN Recap | AP Recap (w/ video) | Photos-1 | Photos-2 | Quotes | Notes
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Nashville Super Regional – #6 national seed Vanderbilt vs. Oregon State
Vanderbilt has, arguably, the most balanced overall team in the Super Regionals. The Commodores rank third in the nation with a 2.41 ERA and sixth in the country with their .319 batting average. Vandy made a bit of a Cinderella run to the 2010 Super Regionals by knocking off national seed Louisville in the regional round. Tim Corbin‘s program still is in search of its first College World Series berth – and this could be his best chance. His team set an SEC record this week by having 11 players selected in the MLB Draft.
Grayson Garvin
Sonny Gray (11-3, 2.01 ERA) and Grayson Garvin (13-1, 2.37 ERA) are the two-headed monster at the front of the weekend rotation, while Navery Moore (4-2, 1.21 ERA, 11 SVs) has dominated in the closer’s role. Gray was drafted by the Oakland A’s with the 18th overall pick this week. Game-3 starter Taylor Hill (5-1, 2.84 ERA), Garvin and Moore also were among the VU draftees. Jason Esposito (.362, 8 HR, 55 RBIs) and Aaron Westlake (.349, 14 HR, 48 RBIs) lead the offense and a slew of position players who were among the team’s recent draftees.
Andrew Susac
Oregon State is looking to get back to the College World Series for the first time since winning back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007. In fact, this is the first Super Regional for Pat Casey‘s club since the ’07 trip to Omaha. A five-game losing streak to USC and Oregon to close the regular season cost OSU a likely national seed, but the Beavers won all three games at their regional last week.
OSU has relied heavily on pitching in its success this year. Starters Sam Gaviglio (12-2, 1.87 ERA) and Josh Osich (6-4, 3.64 ERA) both were drafted this week. Osich – who fired a no-hitter against UCLA on April 30 – will miss the Super Regional due to tendinitis in his arm. Catcher Andrew Susac (.313, 5 HR, 32 RBIs) was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the second round. Susac had surgery on April 11 for a broken bone in his hand and returned to action on May 11. Oregon State’s bullpen, led by Tony Bryant (3-2, 1.52 ERA, 12 SVs), has been lights-out this year. The team is 36-0 when taking a lead into the 9th inning.
| TEAM | RECORD | CONF. | BA | Runs/ Gm. | HR/ Sac Bunts | Slg% | OBP | SB-Att. | Fld% | ERA | CG | SV | K | BB | Opp. BA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt | (50-10) | SEC | .319 | 7.0 | 42/58 | .452 | .405 | 77-106 | .974 | 2.41 | 3 | 18 | 511 | 174 | .217 |
| Oregon State | (41-17) | Pac-10 | .270 | 5.7 | 30/59 | .391 | .369 | 51-68 | .972 | 2.93 | 6 | 19 | 431 | 154 | .241 |
Nashville Schedule
Game 1 – Vanderbilt 11-11-1 def. Oregon State 1-4-0
Final Stats | VU Recap | OSU Recap | AP Recap (w/ video)
Game 2 – Vanderbilt 9-12-2 def. Oregon State 3-8-2 … VAN adv. to CWS
Final Stats | VAN Recap | OS Recap | AP Recap (w/ video) | VAN Notes | OS Notes
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Charlottesville Super Regional – #1 national seed Virginia vs. UC Irvine
If there’s a window of opportunity that could be closing, this could be it for Virginia. The past three seasons have been the most successful in the history of the program. Brian O’Connor took a young program to its first College World Series two years ago, and now that group – led by Danny Hultzen (11-3, 1.57 ERA ) – is playing in its third straight Super Regional. The Cavs made it to Omaha two years ago by winning their Super Regional at Ole Miss, but they saw Oklahoma take two of three in the first Super Regional hosted by UVA (in 2010).
Danny Hultzen
Virginia isn’t flashy offensively, but they grind and find a way to get on base and they don’t strike out. Their 95 times hit-by-pitch rank sixth in the nation and is the most of any of the 16 remaining teams. Add the 95 HBP to their 214 walks and then look at their paltry 306 strikeouts – that’s plate discipline that a big-boned family at a buffet wishes they had. UVA’s top three batters – David Coleman (.369, 2 HR, 39 RBIs), Steven Proscia (.341, 8 HR, 58 RBIs) and John Hicks (.339, 7 HR, 54 RBIs) – have combined to strike out only 68 times in 657 total at-bats.
Hultzen was selected with the second overall pick in the draft this week by Seattle. He’s joined in the rotation by Will Roberts (11-1, 1.61 ERA), who fired a perfect game earlier this season. Closer Branden Kline (3-0, 1.78 ERA, 17 SVs) is tied for fourth nationally in saves.
Brian Hernandez
The Los Angeles Regional had the look of one that would be hard to navigate, with teams like pitching-heavy UCLA and Fresno State and even San Francisco in the field. UC Ivine cam -out of L.A. unscathed, though, by going 3-0 to reach the program’s third Super Regional in the past five years.
Like Virginia, Mike Gillespie‘s Anteaters rely on their pitching to compensate for a lack of offensive power. Irvine’s 13 home runs are the fewest of any team in this weekend’s Super Regionals. Big West pitcher of the year Matt Summers (11-2, 1.72 ERA) was drafted by Minnesota this week with the 148th overall pick, but Brian Hernandez (.351, 31 RBIs) is the team’s top overall player. Hernandez is the Big West defensive player of the year and he leads his team not only in batting average but also with 12 saves. He was drafted this week by the L.A. Dodgers, while team home run and RBI leader Drew Hillman (.336, 5 HR, 50 RBIs) was selected by the Phillies.
| TEAM | RECORD | CONF. | BA | Runs/ Gm. | HR/ Sac Bunts | Slg% | OBP | SB-Att. | Fld% | ERA | CG | SV | K | BB | Opp. BA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | (52-9) | ACC | .307 | 7.2 | 22/46 | .421 | .390 | 83-114 | .980 | 2.27 | 3 | 19 | 613 | 137 | .211 |
| UC Irvine | (42-16) | Big West | .299 | 6.0 | 13/53 | .388 | .384 | 46-80 | .979 | 2.90 | 2 | 17 | 428 | 155 | .237 |
Charlottesville Schedule
Game 1 – at Virginia 6-12-0 def. UC Irvine 0-4-1
Final Stats | VA Recap | UCI Recap | Photos
Game 2: UC Irvine 6-10-2 def. Virginia 4-7-1
Final Stats | UCI Recap | VA Recap
Game 3: Virginia 3-10-2 def. UC Irvine 2-6-0
Final Stats | VA Recap | UCI Recap
Video of John Taylor‘s game-winning hit.
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Santa Clara Super Regional – California vs. Dallas Baptist
How “Cinderella” is this Super Regional? When Cal and Dallas Baptist won regionals in Houston and Ft. Worth last week, they didn’t even know where their Super Regional would be played, because their home facilities didn’t meet NCAA specifications.
Cal had its program cut last fall, then had it reinstated during the season thanks the the efforts of the Save Cal Baseball group, and then went to No. 8 national seed Rice and won the Houston Regional. They did it by winning four straight games after falling to Baylor in their opener. The win that sent the Golden Bears to the Super Regional came thanks to a 4-run rally against Baylor in the bottom of the 9th inning. When you’ve been fighting for your lives for eight months, what’s four runs in one elimnation inning?
Jason Krizan
Dallas Baptist has only been a Division One program since 2006. It took the Patriots only two years to qualify for an NCAA Regional, as an independent, after moving from the NAIA ranks … and now they’re in their first Super Regional, after helping send TCU and Oklahoma (both 2010 CWS teams) packing at the Ft. Worth Regional.
The bottom line with both of these teams is that they can play. Dallas Baptist has been led by senior Jason Krizan all season. The outfielder ranks among the nation’s leaders in virtually every offensive category. Here’s his line: .419 batting, 101 hits, 10 HR, 81 RBIs, 39 doubles, .714 slg%, .502 OBP, 13 SB, 23 K, 40 BB. He’s not alone though. Krizan is one of six Patriots to start at least 59 games who are batting .292 or better. Dan Heefner‘s teams also did it with games against the likes of TCU, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Rice, and A-10 champion Charlotte during the regular season. Krizan and staff ace Brandon Williamson (10-3, 3.98 ERA) were among DBU’s top draftees this week. CLICK HERE to listen to a CB360 exclusive interview with Jason Krizan.
Erik Johnson
Dave Esquer‘s Cal Bears didn’t have to search for tough competition the way Dallas Baptist does, because they see it every week in the Pac-10 (see the list of pitchers Stanford has faced this year and apply the conference hurlers to Cal). The Bears have a stellar pitching staff of their own, led by Erik Johnson (6-4, 2.91 ERA) and lefty Justin Jones (8-6, 3.09 ERA). After the announcement to eliminate the program, it looked for a time like Jones might transfer to another school after the fall semester, but he opted to stay and the decision has paid off for him and his team. Tony Renda (.335, 3 HR, 41 RBIs), Chadd Krist (.306 25 doubles, 40 RBIs) and Regional MVP Devon Rodriguez (.292, 5 HR, 33 RBIs) lead a balanced Bears offense. Johnson was the highest-drafted player (2nd round, White Sox) this week among seven Golden Bears selected.
Cal won the first College World Series in 1947. Its most-recent trip to Omaha was in 1992.
CLICK HERE to read more about this Cinderella Super Regional.
| TEAM | RECORD | CONF. | BA | Runs/ Gm. | HR/ Sac Bunts | Slg% | OBP | SB-Att. | Fld% | ERA | CG | SV | K | BB | Opp. BA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal | (35-21) | Pac-10 | .286 | 5.5 | 28/62 | .400 | .356 | 46-70 | .974 | 2.88 | 4 | 9 | 443 | 162 | .240 |
| Dallas Baptist | (42-18) | Independent | .311 | 8.4 | 60/34 | .483 | .415 | 62-76 | .974 | 4.68 | 4 | 16 | 361 | 254 | .273 |
Santa Clara Schedule
Game 1 – California 7-11-0 def. Dallas Baptist 0-3-0
Final Stats | Cal Recap | DB Recap | Photos | Quotes | Notes
Post Game Video – Including Cal’s David Esquer & Justin Jones and DBU’s Dan Heefner & Brandon Williamson
Game 2: Cal 6-13-1 def. Dallas Baptist 2-4-1
Final Stats | Cal Recap | DBU Recap | Quotes | Photos | Notes
Post Game Video – David Esquer, Chadd Krist & Tony Renda
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Tallahassee Super Regional – #5 national seed Florida State vs. Texas A&M
Ho hum, Florida State is hosting another Super Regional. Mike Martin‘s Seminoles are looking for a 21st trip to the College World Series, including a third trip in the past four years. Texas A&M is looking for just its fourth CWS berth and its first since 1999.
Ross Stripling
Big 12 coach of the year Rob Childress is looking to take his A&M team to Omaha for the first time, but he was an assistant at Nebraska when the Cornhuskers made CWS appearances in 2001, ’02 and ’05. The Aggies won their second straight Big 12 Tournament this year but probably missed the chance to be a national seed due to the labrum injury suffered by ace John Stilson (5-2, 1.68 ERA). Ross Stripling (13-2, 2.30 ERA) and Michael Wacha (8-3, 2.24) still combine for a more than formidable 1-2 punch in the rotation. Stripling fired a complete game in the Aggies’ regional opening win and then earned his third save of the season when he closed the regional clincher against Arizona. Big 12 player of the year Tyler Naquin (.389, 21 doubles, 7 triples, 43 RBIs) leads the Aggies offensive attack.
Mike McGee
While Florida State is a regular at hosting Super Regionals, that hasn’t always translated into automatic success. The Seminoles have dropped Super Regional series at Dick Howser Stadium in 2002, ’03 and ’09, with wins in ’08 and 2010. They also fell on the road in Super Regional action in 2001, ’04 and ’05. Two-way player Mike McGee (.332, 10 HR, 56 RBIs, 5 SVs) had the chance to go pro when he was drafted in 2010, but he returned and improved his draft slot by 26 rounds when he was tabbed by Seattle this week in the 15th round. The centerfielder had 13 saves last year but returned for the chance to show his offensive prowess. Staff ace Sean Gilmartin (12-1, 1.83 ERA) was selected 28th overall by Atlanta. Senior Daniel Bennett (2.10 ERA, 15 SVs) has taken over the main closer’s role.
| TEAM | RECORD | CONF. | BA | Runs/ Gm. | HR/ Sac Bunts | Slg% | OBP | SB-Att. | Fld% | ERA | CG | SV | K | BB | Opp. BA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | (45-17) | ACC | .294 | 7.2 | 55/23 | .448 | .409 | 74-94 | .972 | 3.58 | 1 | 23 | 469 | 225 | .244 |
| Texas A&M | (44-19) | Big 12 | .294 | 5.9 | 27/70 | .406 | .366 | 103-138 | .976 | 2.68 | 7 | 16 | 479 | 152 | .241 |
Tallahassee Schedule
Game 1 – Texas A&M 6-7-1 win at Florida State 2-9-2
Final Stats | A&M Recap | FSU Recap | Photos | Quotes | Notes | Postgame Video | Video Highlights
Game 2: Florida State 23-16-1 def. Texas A&M 9-12-4
Final Stats | FSU Recap| A&M Recap | Notes | Quotes | Photos
Game 3: Texas A&M 11-11-0 def. Florida State 2-4-1
Final Stats | A&M Recap | FSU Recap
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Columbia Super Regional – #4 national seed South Carolina vs. Connecticut
George Springer
Monday was quite a day for both UConn and the Big East Conference. While the Huskies were in the process of beating Clemson 14-1 in the Clemson Regional final, their two best players, George Springer (.350, 12 HR, 76 RBIs) and Matt Barnes (11-4, 1.62 ERA), were selected with the 11th and 19th overall picks in this week’s MLB Draft. Springer and Barnes combined with Joe Panik of St. John’s to give the Big East three first-round picks in the same draft for the first time in the history of the conference. The Huskies had to win four straight after Barnes was pounded by Coastal Carolina (7 ER in 4.1 IP) in the Regional opener. They outscored the host Tigers (a ’10 CWS team) 21-7 in their last two wins. Jim Penders‘ squad is the third Big East team (along with Notre Dame and Louisville) to advance to a Super Regional. Penders’ father, Jim Penders, and uncle, Tom Penders, both played for UConn’s 1965 College World Series team.
Michael Roth
South Carolina has the same kind of team it had a year ago at this time. The defending national champs aren’t eye-popping anywhere, but they are good everywhere. Sophomore Christian Walker (.361, 9 HR, 58 RBIs) leads the Gamecocks in the triple crown categories. He is the only USC player to start all 62 games. Fellow sophomore Evan Marzilli and seniors Brady Thomas, Adrian Morales and Scott Wingo – who scored the winning run in the 2010 national championship game – are among the regulars back from the national-title squad. Michael Roth (12-3, 1.10 ERA) came out of the bullpen to make his only starts of the season in 2010 CWS wins over Clemson and UCLA. Roth used that as a springboard to being South Carolina’s ace this year. Ray Tanner‘s squad again has quality arms everywhere in the bullpen, including closer Matt Price (5-3, 2.25 ERA, 17 SVs) and setup man John Taylor (5-1, 1.32 ERA). Those two and Jose Mata (3-0, 1.82 ERA) have combined for 95 appearances.
CLICK HERE for pre-Super Regional interviews with South Carolina players.
| TEAM | RECORD | CONF. | BA | Runs/ Gm. | HR/ Sac Bunts | Slg% | OBP | SB-Att. | Fld% | ERA | CG | SV | K | BB | Opp. BA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | (48-14) | SEC | .296 | 6.1 | 44/59 | .432 | .388 | 37-54 | .974 | 2.65 | 1 | 20 | 490 | 201 | .229 |
| UConn | (45-18-1) | Big East | .311 | 6.5 | 34/47 | .431 | .386 | 127-170 | .962 | 3.03 | 3 | 17 | 446 | 237 | .229 |
Columbia Schedule
Game 1 – South Carolina 5-10-3 def. Connecticut 1-6-2
Final Stats | SC Recap (w/ video) | UConn Recap | Photos (SC) | Photos (UConn)
Photos (AP) | Quotes | Notes
Game 2: South Carolina 8-12-1 def. UConn 2-10-2
Final Stats | SC Recap | UConn Recap
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