http://collegebaseball360.com/should-college-baseball-change-its-schedule/ http://collegebaseball360.com/should-college-baseball-change-its-schedule/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:21:21 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=22726

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Switch Could Mean More Northern Exposure…

OpEd By College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires

(July 19, 2011)

We could be playing college baseball right now.

If the college baseball season started in late March instead of February the College World Series would have started this past Saturday  instead of its traditional Father’s Day weekend.

If Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney had his way that’s exactly how things would go. Delaney has been joined by others to push back the start of the college baseball season by at least a month to help level the playing field for northern teams, and it’s actually one of the best ideas he has had.

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney

Delaney wants to see more northern representation at the College World Series. His other ideas to help that cause include placing less emphasis on RPI when it comes to NCAA Tournament selections and expanding the CWS field from eight to 10 teams, with the additional two teams being from the northern part of the country.

If my support for his ideas was measured in fastballs, Delaney would get a 95 (mph) for the schedule, an 88 for the RPI and a crafty lefty’s 67 for his plan to rubber stamp two teams from the north for the College World Series.

Let’s take them one at a time.

A Summer Schedule

Roughly half of the 300 Division One college baseball teams come from the northern part of the country, yet college baseball began its season on February 18 in 2011.

Who plays baseball in February?

Major League Baseball pitchers and catchers are just beginning to report when college baseball is cranking-up its schedule in late February. Where are the MLB guys reporting? Florida and Arizona. You know, where it’s actually warm in February!

That’s exactly where northern teams have to go, again and again, until the snow and ice thaws at the start of the season. It doesn’t take much to figure out that Michigan State, Ohio State, Connecticut, et. al have to go on the road more than their counterparts at places like Florida State, Arizona State and UCLA if they want to play in late February and early March.

Do you think folks in  Tallahassee and Tempe could even identify a snow blower if I walked down the street with one (maybe the retirees who’ve transplanted themselves, but that’s another story)? I’m not talking about the snow plows that clear the streets, I’m talking about the ones my neighbors use to clear their driveways in February and March after that white stuff hits the ground…again and again.

There are plenty of schools in smaller conferences like the Ivy League and America East Conference (to name just a couple) that have foregone even playing the first couple weeks of the season, because it just doesn’t fit into the budget.

Delaney’s idea to push back the start of the college baseball season by at least a month just makes sense, and he’s not the only one who’s floated the idea.

Sunny Golloway

Oklahoma head coach, Sunny Golloway, has vocally floated the idea of shifting the season into the summer as well. Golloway, who is one year removed from taking the Sooners to Omaha, thinks college baseball currently gets lost in the shadow of March Madness with its current start date. He also thinks there would be a better chance to get college baseball more TV exposure by pushing the season further into the summer months.

There are a few obstacles to this idea. The increased cost to schools to house and feed their student athletes while most other students are gone for the summer is one reason.

Another obstacle would be the actual scheduling of games. It’s easy for the Big Ten and other northern conferences to say they want to push back the start of the season to ease their travel woes, but starting the season in late March doesn’t give SEC and ACC schools any incentive to actually go to Columbus or Ann Arbor.  Delaney could get his wish for warmer weather in Ann Arbor to start the season, but that won’t make Texas or Florida want to go there to play.

Probably the biggest obstacle to the schedule shift though is…drum roll…TELEVISION. Nobody wants to hear it, but ESPN and Omaha both want the College World Series exactly where it is- in mid June.

Think about it, as it is the CWS fits perfectly into an open window for programming on ESPN, and more and more television drives the bus when it comes to sports (how about that 8:40 p.m. ET first pitch for last week’s All-Star game).

Less RPI Emphasis At Selection Time

Delaney’s biggest argument here is that because of their location, northern teams don’t have the inherent advantage that teams in the south have to play strong competition and build RPI during conference play. Northern schools aren’t the only ones who say the RPI formula favors southern schools though. Schools on the west coast, which obviously have the advantage of warmer weather, say the current system puts them at a disadvantage as well.

The NCAA did seem to make a step toward placing less importance on RPI this year though with the at-large selection of St. John’s rather than LSU, despite an RPI gap of about 30 spots.

It’s hard to have sympathy for Big Ten schools though who don’t even try to build early season RPI by playing a challenging early season schedule.

Michigan State and Illinois tied for the Big Ten regular season crown, while Purdue finished third in the regular season standings. Michigan State’s games against Clemson and Boston College and Purdue’s game at Vanderbilt were the only regular season games among those three teams in 2011 against schools from conferences that sent teams to Omaha (in fairness to Illinois, they did play three games at LSU two years ago).

Contrast that to Stanford, which went into the season knowing it would have to play conference series vs. UCLA and Arizona State (both 2010 CWS teams). The Cardinal started its 2011 season with three game series at Rice, at Vanderbilt and at Texas.

Or how about New Mexico? The Lobos played a total of 12 road games this past season at Arizona State, Arizona, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma. Big Ten schools could make those same trips (and get paid in the process) if they wanted to.

Those Lobos come from the same Mountain West Conference that Delaney has continually stiff-armed when the conversation of a Division One college football playoff comes up.

That’s right, while Delaney has pounded the pulpit to get more exposure (and the TV money that comes with it) for his Big Ten brethren, he has also stood in the way as the biggest road block to breaking-up the BCS football system (and the money that it funnels into his conference).

Add Two Northern Teams To The CWS

This is the absolute worst idea of the bunch. Prior to the 1980s, NCAA Tournament Regionals were exactly that-“regional”. That’s why teams like Minnesota, Michigan and Maine were regulars in Omaha, because they were playing other northern teams, so they were guaranteed that one of them would make it. That’s what Delaney wants to go back to.

Four Regionals and two Super Regionals would be dedicated to northern schools under Delaney’s proposal, thus guaranteeing two teams from the upper part of the country a clear road to Omaha.

Delaney’s north-south line would be drawn between Oklahoma and Kansas, though I’m not really sure how teams on the west coast would fit into the equation. But that’s part of the problem.

Under the Delaney plan, a school like Virginia would be a “northern” team even though they play in what’s considered a “southern conference” (the ACC). Seems like the Cavaliers have done alright over the last three years with two trips to Omaha and another Super Regional under their belt.

Oregon State, Wichita State, Nebraska, and Notre Dame are other schools north of that line that have all been welcomed to Omaha. Connecticut came within spitting distance of the CWS this year as well by winning the Clemson Regional before falling to eventual national champion South Carolina in Super Regional play.

Maybe pitting UConn against Virginia would have been the more “fair” thing to do (for the Huskies anyway), but that’s still a net of one northern team at the CWS.

Solutions

Hey, we’re equal opportunity here, we don’t just rip apart ideas without having other options. We have beaten this drum in different ways over the last couple of years, but we’ll keep beating it anyway. For change to happen guys like Delaney have to think outside the box in other ways. Rather than asking college baseball to drastically change its landscape, Delaney must first be willing to till his own immediate terrain.

If You Build It…

Assuming the college baseball calender/schedule is going to stay the same (which it is for the foreseeable future) then Delaney and the Big Ten (and possibly his counterparts in the Big East) have to step up to the plate in a big way to make something happen.

Build a domed stadium.

That’s right, build a 15-20,000 seat retractable roof stadium near Chicago and play college baseball in it from mid-February right on through the month of March (and for as long as the thermometer dictates).

Chicago could be the backdrop if the Big Ten shelled out the money for a retractable roof stadium.

The Big Ten could take that BCS money that Delaney doesn’t want to relinquish and sink it right into the college baseball programs he wants to help. He would have the most unique structure in college baseball.

The conference could host multiple Big Ten series in the same weekend in the building. Minnesota vs. Northwestern at Noon Friday-Sunday and Michigan-Illinois at 7 p.m. those same days. The Big Ten could lease the place to Horizon League, Summit League and MAC teams for mid-week and conference series as well. Even schools like St. Louis (Atlantic 10) and Eastern Illinois (Ohio Valley) could get in on the action.

The one of a kind building could also be used for conference post season tournaments (to include the Big Ten as well as potentially the other aforementioned leagues) as well as a potential Regional or Super Regional host site.

Delaney has also floated the idea of a northern answer to the College World Series, and the new building could host the event if it ever comes to fruition.

While we’re at it…

Challenge Yourself…

The Big Ten (which of course is now really 12) has taken part in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge for the last three seasons in Florida. It was a good idea, because teams from both northern conferences got to start the season on equal footing (and in the sunshine to boot) against each other. It was also great for pro scouts, because they could see nearly every big prospect from those conferences by making just one trip.

But maybe it’s time to take it up a notch. If a retractable roof stadium is in play, then think big. Ditch the games against Big East schools and crank-up the Big Ten/Pac-12, ACC, Big 12, and SEC Challenges (not all at the same time, but in varying seasons).

The season could start with Arizona State, Stanford and Oregon making the trip to Chicago to play three games in three days against Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. At the same time, Illinois, Purdue and Ohio State would be in the San Francisco Bay or Los Angeles area playing games against Cal, UCLA and Oregon State. The rest of the teams from the two conferences could play their “Challenge” games the following weekend.

Such an event reduces travel, keeps scouts interested, creates early season college baseball publicity, and builds RPI.

The draw wouldn’t be exclusive to Big Ten teams though. How about an event similar to the Houston College Classic, which is held annually at Minute Maid Park? Invite teams from all corners of the country to take part in the domed event. Considering it would be in Chicago, it would be easily accessible for most schools.

But don’t stop there…

Lights, Camera…

In case you hadn’t heard, the Big Ten has this thing called…(wait for it)…The Big Ten Network. On this network they televise Big Ten sporting events, including…(wait)…Big Ten baseball games!

The Big Ten could televise all of the previously mentioned games on its own TV network-further promoting its own product.

Cha-ching!

A New Format

The idea to add two more teams to the College World Series is just too drastic. If we’re going to guarantee two northern teams (regardless of merit) two slots at college baseball’s biggest event we might as well just have Michael Roth and Preston Tucker go hand out ribbons at youth soccer games and call it a day.

Rather than reworking the entire NCAA Tournament format to meet the needs of a few, there is a better compromise.

Augie Garrido

A plan to rework the NCAA Baseball Tournament’s format has been floated recently, and it’s gaining traction. Texas head coach Augie Garrido is among those who favor the change, which would keep the tournament field at 64 teams, while giving more people in different parts of the country the chance to go to the games.

It goes something like this:

Round One: The 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament would play at 32 different locations. Two teams at each site would play a best-two-of-three series (like the current Super Regional format). The winners would move on to the second round.

Round Two: The remaining 32 teams would again play a best-two-of-three series in 16 different locales. The winners would move to round three.

Round Three: The remaining 16 teams would play a best-two-of-three series. The eight winners would advance to the College World Series.

Under this format 32 different teams would have the chance to host a first round series, compared to the current 16 teams that get to host. Second and third round match-ups would be predetermined by seeding, so first round upsets would give more teams the opportunity to host in the next two rounds-meaning northern teams would have a much greater chance to host an NCAA event than they presently do.

Connecticut, Ohio State, Michigan, and Notre Dame (northern schools who also play in “northern conferences”) are among the select truly “northern” teams that have hosted even a Regional over the last decade.

The landscape of college baseball has changed drastically since Michigan last represented the Big Ten in Omaha in 1984. If Delaney and the Big Ten want to think big, it’s time to think big and step-up to actually make things happen.

 

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Texas baseball coach Augie Garrido discusses his team’s 0-2 performance at the 2011 College World Series.

Texas Skipper Talks Tourney & Writing A Book…

There’s not much Texas head coach Augie Garrido hasn’t done in his 43 years as a college baseball coach, so he managed to find a new challenge off the field – writing a book. The winningest coach coach in NCAA Division One history is the author the the recently released book Life Is Yours To Win – Lessons Forged from the Purpose, Passion, and Magic of Baseball.

In this exclusive interview with Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires, the coach of six national championship teams discusses why he decided to write a book, as well as contents like “Buddah at Bat” and “The Fearless Field”.

Garrido also covers this year’s team, which is the #7 national seed in this year’s tournament, as well as changes that could be coming to the tournament format.

Interview Part 1

Garrido1

Interview Part 2

Garrido2

Click the image to enlarge!

Right now, you can save 20% on everything – even sale items –  in stock at Dugouthats.com when you enter the coupon code CB360.

Save on 2011 College World Series apparel as well as authentic college baseball caps from teams like LSU, Texas, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, UCLA, South Carolina, Miami and more at Dugouthats.com!

Texas is the latest Big 12 school to post its 2011 college baseball schedule. The Longhorns have played three 2010 fall games, so their 2011 spring late consists of 53 rather than 56 games.

CLICK HERE to see the complete 2011 Texas schedule.

Texas then returns home to begin a 14-game homestand which starts with a single game vs. UT-Arlington on March 1. A marquee three-game set with Stanford follows March 4-6. Texas head coach Augie Garrido is 2nd on college baseball’s all-time wins list with 1,768, while Cardinal skipper Mark Marquess is 10th win 1,387 victories.

The Longhorns open Big 12 play March 15-18 when they host Kansas State. Other home Big 12 series are against Missouri, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. They go on the road to face Oklahoma State, Kansas and Nebraska. Texas also has split conference series vs. in-state rivals Baylor and Texas A&M. They’re in Waco for the first two games of the Baylor series and then host the Bears in the April 10 series finale. Game one of the Texas A&M series is in College Station, while the last two games are at Disch-Falk Field.

The place to find authentic Texas Lonhorn baseball caps as well as officially licensed College World Series apparel is Dugouthats.com. The Dugout has been selling officially licensed gear during the College World Series in Omaha for 15 years, and now you can find all the same great gear online at Dugouthats.com.

On The Ground In Omaha The Day Before The Series

Our coverage of the 2010 College World Series is brought to you by The Dugout in Omaha, with everything you’re looking for when it comes to officially licensed CWS hats and shirts.  If you can’t make it to Rosenblatt make sure to follow the link for all of your CWS gear!

Groundskeepers prepare Rosenblatt Stadium for the College World Series. (AP photo)

6:45 am – I live in the Eastern Time zone and I usually get up at around 7:30, so it’s no surprise that my internal clock is still set even though my body now a time zone to the west.  I’m wide awake even though I had no intention to be.  Time to make the coffee…good thing I brought my own coffee maker (the perks of driving rather than flying), even though my wife gave me that look when I packed it!

7:30 am – I’ve been watching Mike and Mike on TV.  All the talk is, of course, about Kobe and the Lakers.  Puke.  Local TV had some CWS driving tips last night, like avoiding the 13th street exit off I-80 as much as possible.  I found that out the hard way last year.  It gets backed-up pretty quickly.

7:45 am – I was just going to head outside the hotel to stretch the legs with a stroll for a bit, but then I heard this rush of wind.  I hadn’t pulled back the blackout curtains yet.  When I did I saw big black storm clouds…not good for practice day for the eight teams at Rosenblatt.  Most of last year’s practice day was scrapped by rain, although teams still signed autographs inside the packed stadium walkways.  Storms never shock in Omaha during the CWS, but there were more than 30 tornadoes a couple states north of here in Minnesota last night.  Hopefully this doesn’t get too serious.  TCU has the first scheduled practice of the day in a little bit more than an hour.

8:05 am - One of the local TV stations just showed some shots from Rosenblatt from about an hour ago.  They said it went from a beautiful sunny morning to black in just a matter of minutes.  The satellite TV here at the hotel keeps cutting in and out.  Bad looking stuff on the radar.  Not looking good at all for practices, autographs and Fan Fest…at least for the next few hours.

8:40 am – Great news!  It’s clearing-up outside and the local weather guys are saying most of the storms are heading south of Omaha.  Supposed to be…wait for it…hot and humid this afternoon with a chance for some showers this evening during opening ceremonies and fireworks.  Getting ready to venture out soon.

10:30 am – After picking-up my media credential downtown I’m at the stadium and caught the end of Florida State’s batting practice.  Didn’t see anyone hit any out, but there was a bit of a breeze blowing in.  It’s a beautiful morning right now after what was looking like the start of a nasty day.  Nomar Garciaparra, who’ll be working the CWS for ESPN, was chatting-up FSU head coach Mike Martin behind the batting cage.

11 am – At the first press conference of the day, featuring Tim Esmay of Arizona

Tim Esmay

State, Jack Leggett of Clemson, Sunny Golloway of Oklahoma, and South Carolina’s Ray Tanner.  This is the group of coaches from teams that will play Sunday’s first round games.

Some of the highlights…

Leggett talked about playing at the CWS against an Arizona State team that included future Major Leaguers like Hubie Brooks, Bob Horner, Floyd Bannister, and Bob Welch.  He says yellow school buses picked-up players at their hotels to take them to Rosenblatt Stadium.

Esmay talked about his ASU team playing against Robin Ventura and Oklahoma State in 1987 when Ventura was in the midst of what would end-up his NCAA record 58-game hitting streak.

Leggett/Esmay Video

Tanner/Golloway Video

Tanner talked about something that happened at last week’s Super Regionals.  South Carolina ace Blake Cooper had just finished his start against Coastal Carolina and was icing his shoulder in the dugout.  A hard hit foul ball was headed right at Cooper’s head, so he instinctively put his hand up to protect his head.  It was his pitching hand, and it was sore and swollen for a few days, but after some ice Tanner says it’s now better.  He will start Sunday vs. Oklahoma.

The other three coaches announced their starters as well:  South Carolina-Blake Cooper (12-1, 2.81) vs. Oklahoma- Michael Rocha (7-2, 3.57), Clemson-Casey Harman (7-3, 3.73) vs. Arizona State-Seth Blair (12-0, 3.35).

12:05 – I caught part of UCLA’s on-field practice.  Tyler Rahmatulla, who broke his right wrist in the Bruin’s Super Regional dog pile celebration, has a cast on his wrist.  No surprise, he wasn’t looking very happy.

I talked to UCLA SID Alex Timiraos and he filled me in on the story of Bruin pitcher Trevor Bauer’s hat, which is as faded looking as an old worn-out pair of denim jeans.  Bauer is a sophomore who enrolled at UCLA in what would have been his senior year in high school.  He got the hat right after getting to Westwood and it’s the only game cap he’s worn since he started playing.  Bauer (10-3, 3.02) will start Saturday vs. Florida.  It’s his first game one start of the season.  Gerrit Cole (10-3, 3.25) has been UCLA’s game one guy to this point so far.

1 pm – Writing in the Rosenblatt press box right now while Oklahoma is on the field taking batting practice.

2 pm – At the press conference with Florida’s Kevin O’Sullivan, Florida State’s

Mike Martin

Mike Martin, TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle, and UCLA’s John Savage.  It’s always interesting and fun to see how different coaches react and interact when they’re around each other.  I was right behind Savage when we were walking into the press conference room and O’Sullivan was talking to someone in the entryway.  They shook hands and after Savage moved along O’Sullivan had a youth-like nervous kind of innocent look as if to say “That’s the guy we’re going up against.”

Martin/Schlossnagle Video

O’Sullivan/Savage Video

The four coaches officially announced Saturday’s starting pitchers:  UCLA-Trevor Bauer (10-3, 3.02) vs. Florida- Alex Panteliodis (11-2, 3.26), Florida State-Sean Gilmartin (9-7, 4.89) vs. TCU-Matt Purke (14-0, 3.23)

Noteable quotes…

Martin on FSU outfielder Tyler Holt “He’s a dirt bag, fireball redneck…take your pick”.  And on TCU being in its first College World Series “They belong here.  To do what they did in Austin (beating Texas in the Super Regionals) is an unbelievable accomplishment”.

“I fell off my chair.” – Savage on his reaction when he learned that sophomore pitcher Gerrit Cole would attend UCLA instead of signing pro after being drafted in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft by the New York Yankees.

“We’ll find a spot.” – Schlossnagle on what he said to Matt Purke last fall when he asked him if he had a spot on the roster for him at TCU.  The freshman was drafted in the first round out of high school a year ago by the Texas Rangers.

“He’s the coach of all coaches.” – Savage talking about the late great former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who died earlier this month.

2:45 pm – Eating lunch in the press box while watching South Carolina finish its batting practice.  A cheeseburger from Omaha Steaks…that’s a pretty solid lunch!

3:30 pm – Arizona State has been taking batting practice while I’ve been writing and editing video.  It’s strange to look down at the field and not see Pat Murphy with the Sun Devils.

4:30 pm - Stepped outside the stadium to get an ice cream cone at Zestos.  It’s a College World Series tradition, but like a lot of other traditions it doesn’t sound like it’s one that will continue once things move downtown next year.  Let’s hope they at least have a Zestos tent or stand next to the new stadium next year.

After grabbing my cone I headed across the street to check out the shirts and hats and everything else at the tents, including The Dugout on the corner right across from Zestos.  A lot of great stuff!  I don’t know which ones to choose…and I have a lot of people to bring stuff home for!

7:15 pm – I’m back at my hotel after leaving the Rosenblatt neighborhood for the day.  I’ve been posting video from earlier today as well as updating this blog.  I’ve also been watching The Long Home Run on one of the local stations.  It’s the documentary about the College World Series and Rosenblatt.  It’s definitely worth a watch.

TCU Next Faces Florida State At CWS

Kyle Winkler fanned 6 in 7 1/3 IP Sunday to help TCU upend Texas.

2-1 to make the first trip to the College World Series in program history.  The Longhorns entered the nation with the best ERA in the nation, but TCU managed to win games one and three of the series by giving-up just a run in each game.  Texas notched its only win by a 14-1 margin on Saturday.

While TCU is making its first CWS appearance, Texas has the most trips to Omaha of any other program with 33.

By clicking the “Austin Super Regional” link above this page will expand to fully support the table below.

CLICK HERE for our Super Regional Central page where you will find links to other Super Regionals.

Best two of three series (All Times Eastern)

Gm 1 – Friday - FINAL: TCU 3, Texas 1 | Final Stats
TCU Recap | UT Recap * TCU leads series 1-0
* HIGHLIGHT:  Fr. Matt Purke 11 Ks, improves to 14-0

Gm 2 – Saturday – FINAL: Texas 14, TCU 1 |  Final Stats
TCU Recap | TX Recap Series Tied (1-1)  Series Notes
* HIGHLIGHTS: Taylor Jungmann 9 K in 8 1/3 IP
Tant Shepherd (4-5) HR, 3 RBIs

EXCLUSIVE postgame video interviews.

Gm 3 -Sunday FINAL: TCU 4, Texas 1 |  Final Stats
TCU Recap | TX Recap
Series Notes
* TCU wins series (2-1)

CB360 Podcast with TCU catcher Bryan Holaday

The Skinny

Texas: (#2 National Seed) A year after finishing as the runner-up at Omaha not much has changed for Augie Garrido’s Longhorns.  There was no signature 25-inning Regional game this year, but Texas still swept through the Austin Regional with wins over Rider, Louisiana-Lafayette and Rice by outscoring those three 19-3.  That 3-0 stretch followed three losses at the Big 12 Tournament, which was the team’s only 3-game losing streak this year.

The Longhorns lead the nation in both ERA (2.44) and fielding percentage (.980).  Closer Chance Ruffin leads the nation with a 0.73 ERA.  He has 14 saves and a 6-1 record in 36 appearances.  Taylor Jungmann (7-3, 2.10), Cole Green (11-1, 2.63) and Brandon Workman (12-1, 3.43) are nearly unrivaled as a weekend rotation, but the rotation they’ll see this weekend will give them a run for their money.

Texas is batting just .289 heading into the weekend, but Russell Moldenhauer’s .341 average leads six regulars who are hitting .305 or better.  The home run total (79) is up from a year ago, but small ball is still in play.  Texas ranks 4th in the nation with 72 sac bunts, with Brandon Loy’s 16 sac bunts tied for 6th nationally.  The Longhorns set an NCAA single game record with seven sac bunts in a Super Regional game vs. TCU last year.

TCU: TCU has hosted Regionals the last two years going a combined 6-0 in the process.  This is the second straight and overall Super Regional appearance for Jim Schlossnagle and the Horned Frogs.  TCU was in the conversation for one of the top eight national seeds, but finds itself at #2 national seed Texas for Super Regional play for a second straight year.

While pitching is the biggest strength of the Longhorns, TCU’s staff gives them a run for their money.  Starters Matt Purke (Louisville Slugger National Freshman of the Year), Kyle Winkler and Steven Maxwell are a combined 35-2 with 293 strikeouts and just 88 walks.  Meanwhile, Kaleb Merck (2-1, 1.08) and Tyler Lockwood (6-2, 2.06) have combined for eight save in 43 relief outings.

Jason Coats leads the TCU offense with a .377 avg. and 65 RBIs, Matt Curry has 17 HR and a team-best 12 SB and catcher Bryan Holaday (podcast above)  provides the leadership to go along with his 12 HR.

The Question:  Will anyone score any runs?

Austin Super Regional

28 CWS Stars Honored

INDIANAPOLIS - As part of the commemoration of the final Series in Omaha’s Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, the NCAA and College World Series, Inc., have announced the official College World Series Legends Team.

The 28 members of the Legends Team, pared down from an original list of 95 nominees, were selected after more than 100,000 votes were cast by college baseball fans, college baseball writers and Division I head baseball coaches. The members of the Legends Team are former student-athletes and coaches who had the best CWS performances throughout the 60 years the event has been played at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Voting for the team was based solely on the former student-athletes’ performance when they were competing in the NCAA College World Series, and not for any regular season or post-collegiate performances.

The 28 members by name, school, position and year are:

*Utility Players

“With the history of the College World Series and all the great players to have been involved in the event, it’s an honor to be named to the Legends Team,” said Robin Ventura, who led his Oklahoma State team to consecutive College World Series appearances in 1986 and 1987.

Will Clark was the leading vote getter with more than 3,000 votes. Dave Winfield was the second leading vote getter with just under 3,000 votes.

The 28 CWS Legends Team members will be invited to attend the final College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium as guests of the NCAA. The members will be formally honored on-field during the CWS Opening Ceremonies on June 18, and invited to attend the first day of CWS competition on June 19. Mock baseball cards of each member featuring their collegiate photos will be posted on NCAA.com/cws.

“It’s a great honor,” said former Georgia Tech shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. “I’ve always believed that one of my favorite experiences in baseball was the College World Series. And now I look forward to working the games as a commentator for ESPN in June.”

A committee of select individuals from the National Baseball Writers Association, the Omaha World-Herald and NCAA staff was created to compose the original list of 95 nominees. This list included every former student-athlete who was voted onto a previous CWS anniversary team (25th, 50th and all-decade teams), as well as individuals who played in CWS in the last 14 years.

The utility players were determined by the oversight committee after the fan voting was completed. They represent those student-athletes who deserved recognition but did not garner enough votes at a particular position.

Tickets for the 2010 NCAA Men’s College World Series can be purchased by calling or logging on to www.ticketmaster.com. For more information on the Legends Team and the 2010 Men’s College World Series, log on NCAA.com/cws.

(Courtesy NCAA Release)

Passion Buckets Full Of Baseball And Final Four

April is here, and my Passion Bucket is overflowing.  For those who’ve never heard of a Passion Bucket, it’s a term that was coined by UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel and made popular on the Dan Patrick Radio Show.  It’s also a term that was used by Cornell basketball player Ryan Wittman prior to last week’s Sweet 16 basketball match-up with Kentucky.

Wittman’s use of the term stirred-up some unwarranted controversy when John Feinstein took it to mean “we’re the smart kids”.   Turned out Wittman’s coach, Steve Donohue,  had just told him to drop the “Passion Bucket” during the presser at Patrick’s request.  Turns out Passion Bucket just stands for how much enthusiasm or excitement you have for something, and mine is overflowing with thoughts of college baseball and the Final Four…and even how they run together…

Brad Stevens

Butler’s in the Final Four.  How cool is that?  Their home floor, Hinkle Fieldhouse, is where the movie Hoosiers was filmed.  The college baseball equal would be Creighton making it to the College World Series.  Wait…that happened in 1991.  Butler’s coach, Brad Stevens, is home grown, just like Brian O’Connor, who pitched at the Series for the Blue Jays in ’91 and who took Virginia to Omaha last year.  Stevens looks so young he gets mistaken for the water boy, but he’s worked his way up the ladder since starting as Butler’s Coordinator of Basketball Operations ten years ago.  By the way, Minnesota Twins reliever Pat Neshek played college ball at Butler.

Tom Izzo is a guy you just have to respect.  He’s taken Michigan State to six Final Fours in 12 years.  His teams grind out possessions and games like a Polish lady with big forearms grinds out Kielbasa.  It got me thinking…what’s Michigan State’s college baseball counterpart?  I’m going with Texas:  Walk, sac bunt, infield hit, 4-3 RBI…Augie Garrido’s great pitching and small ball approach is college baseball’s answer to Izzo’s Spartans.  Augie’s obviously had some success at it too.  And how about Jake Boss, Jr.’s MSU baseball team?  At 16-4,  his Spartans open Big Ten play vs. Iowa this weekend with the best record in the conference.

Speaking of Texas, the Longhorns (18-7) leave their home state for the first time this season when they visit Oklahoma this weekend.  Texas has played road games at Rice and Texas Tech with three neutral site games at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Arizona State (23-0) and UCLA (21-0) are the only two remaining unbeaten Division One teams in college baseball.

Merrill Kelly

The Sun Devils visit Oregon this weekend in their second Pac 10 series, while UCLA hosts Stanford in it conference opener.  The most amazing thing to me about ASU’s unblemished record is the fact they’ve done it without Josh Spence (10-1, 2.37 ERA in ’09) throwing one pitch so far this year.  The Aussie has been out all year with an arm injury, but his teammates have more than picked-up the slack.  Sophomore Jake Borup pitched all of 8.0 innings last year, but he’s 5-0, while juco transfer Merrill Kelly is tied for the national lead at 6-0.  Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole (6-0, 2.63 ERA) and Trevor Bauer (5-0, 2.33 ERA) have lived-up to their expectations at UCLA.  Both teams have off the charts talent and numbers in the line-up.  Too bad they don’t meet until the end of the month.  Oh, if you want to read a good rant on these teams and the national rankings check out what Chase Titleman has to say at Road2rosenblatt.com!

Who’s been impersonating as the three Conference USA teams that went to at least a Super Regional last year?  Last year’s CWS Cinderella, Southern Mississippi (14-9) , has lost five of its last seven games, including losing two of three last week to UAB.  East Carolina (17-9) just bludgeoned North Carolina Central by a combined 65-12 last weekend, but they just lost a 15-13 slug fest to UNC Wilmington and had losses to Monmouth and High Point.  ECU opens C-USA play this weekend vs. Tulane and then heads to Memphis next week.  Speaking of Memphis, the Tigers took two of three from Rice (14-12) last week for their first ever series win over the Owls, which are falling out of the polls with losses in five of their last eight games.  All three C-USA teams have played tough opponents, all three have hit in spots and consistent pitching has eluded all three as well.

Joe Godri

Villanova (17-4) is off to its best start since head coach Joe Godri arrived in 2002.  The Wildcats have a tough task ahead of them this weekend if they want to keep it going.  Godri’s ‘Cats will be “big game hunting” when they travel to Louisville (21-3) for their second Big East series of the season.  Godri has a tradition of plastering the logo of top-caliber teams his team has beaten on his office wall, and just one win at Louisville this weekend would go a long way.  Wildcats Justin Bencsko (.485) and Matt Szczur (.500) have names that are hard to pronounce, but they’re among the nation’s hitting leaders.  Louisville’s Thomas Royse (5-0, 1.42 ERA) and Neil Holland (4-0, 0.42 ERA, 6 SVs) might be the best pitchers they’ll face this season.

That series and many others start on Thursday this weekend due to Easter coming this Sunday.  Here’s hoping your Easter Baskets and Passion Buckets are full!

A Look At Some Movement From Opening Weekend Action

Ten Questions On The Eve Of The College Baseball Season

A new college baseball season is about to begin.  It’s a season that is started a week earlier than it was originally slated to begin, and one school (James Madison) has already canceled its season opener, because (spoiler) it snows in roughly two-thirds of the country in mid-February.

Anyway, from time to time different thoughts pop into my head and I have managed to corral a few of them here.  So, here are Ten College Baseball Questions For 2010… (in no particular order)…

1.  Can LSU Repeat? The odds say it’s not going to happen.  Oregon State (2006-2007), LSU (1996-1997) and Stanford (1987-1988) are the only teams to win back-to-back crowns since Rod Dedeaux’s USC Trojans ended a streak of five straight titles from 1970-1974.  Paul Mainieri’s Tigers have a lot of key elements returning, like Blake Dean’s bat and Anthony Ranaudo & Matty Ott’s arms, but the odds just aren’t in their favor.  On the other hand…

Russell Moldenhauer (Texas Photo)

2.  Can Texas Be Stopped? The odds (along with a sick pitching staff and a lot of returning everyday players) would seem to be in Augie Garrido’s favor.  The Longhorns return three starters, Taylor Jungmann, Cole Green and Chance Ruffin who could all be just about anyone’s number one starter.  The trio combined to win 26 games last year.  Cameron Rupp, Kevin Keyes and Omaha long ball ace Russell Moldenhauer are also back to lead the offense.  With all that back the biggest question right now seem to be can they stay number one from now until season’s end?

3.  Would An LSU vs. Texas Championship Re-Match Be Good For College Baseball? It would be good for TV ratings, but I don’t know that it would actually be good for the game as a whole.  Does anyone who’s not a Yankees fan think that the cash cow’s 27th title is good for any other MLB team other than the one in the Bronx with the new stadium and overpriced (and often empty) seats?  Texas and LSU at the College World Series is good for college baseball, because it gets casual fans a little more interested.  But when it comes time for all the marbles David vs. Goliath  is just more fun.

4.  Speaking Of David…Who Will Be This Year’s Cinderella? Fresno State was the ultimate Cinderella two years ago, but Mike Batesole’s great-great-great grand children will be playing before we see that kind of run again.  But that doesn’t mean there won’t be more Cinderellas.  They’re quite common when it comes to the CWS.  Fresno State, Southern Mississippi, Louisville, Southwest Missouri State, Notre Dame, and San Jose State all made it to Omaha in the last decade in what was either their first appearance or their first trip after a long CWS drought.  The odds say there’ll be a Cinderella, but the waiting is the hardest (and most fun) part.

Bryce Brentz (MTSU photo)

5.  Will Bryce Brentz Win the NCAA’s Triple Crown? The Middle Tennessee State slugger just about did it last year.  He led the nation with his .465 batting average, and he tied Alabama’s Kent Matthes for the home run title with 28.  Brentz also topped the charts with his .930 slugging percentage, but he missed the Triple Crown with “just” 73 RBIs.  That technically tied for 31st nationally, but Brentz was just 14 RBIs behind NCAA leader Paul Goldschmidt of Texas State.  Logical thinking would say Brentz, now a junior, doesn’t have a chance, but logic never pitched to Brentz.

6.  Can Arizona State Overcome The Loss Of Pat Murphy? Love him or hate him, it’s hard to argue with the success that Murphy had in his 15 years in the ASU dugout.   But it’s not like ASU had never won prior to Murph’s arrival.  He led his team to Omaha four times, but the program has 21 CWS appearances since 1964 thanks to Bob Winkles and Jim Brock.  Now it’s Tim Esmay’s turn to guide the cruise ship Sun Devil.  Esmay, a former Utah head coach, himself played for Brock in Omaha twice, and he was also on Murphy’s staff for the last five seasons.  He also has a lot of experience sitting with him in the dugout.  Ken Knutson is in his first year as an assistant on the ASU staff after 17 seasons as the Washington Huskies’ head coach.  ASU’s line-up is loaded again, and there’s plenty of pitching too.  For now anyway the good ship ASU doesn’t show any signs of running aground.

Jarrett Parker (UVA photo)

7.  Is Virginia The Next National Power Or A One-Hit Wonder? The Cavaliers can hardly be considered a Cinderella.  Yes, last year was their first-ever College World Series trip, but they are from the ACC and they won their conference tournament last year.  Glass slippers aside, it would be easy to write-off UVA as a team that got hot and made a big run.  However, last year’s CWS squad included 23 underclassmen and set 11 school records…and the most prominent components-like Danny Hultzen, Jarrett Parker and Kevin Arico to name a few-are all back this year.  Who saw North Carolina coming prior four years ago?  Mike Fox’s Tar Heels hadn’t been to Omaha since 1989 prior to 2006 & now they’ve gone four straight times.  Cavalier head coach Brian O’Connor has now guided the Cavs to six straight NCAA berths, and he has been a guy whose destiny has always seemed to be Omaha.  He grew-up in the shadow of Rosenblatt Stadium in Council Bluffs, NE, pitched in the ’91 CWS for Creighton, helped Notre Dame get to Omaha in 2002 as the Irish pitching coach, and finally took his own team to the promised land last year…not to mention the fact that his mug is one of the players on the famed “Road To Omaha” statue outside Rosenblatt.  So, if you’re asked what lies in the shadow of the statue the safe answer might be “O’Connor’s Cavaliers”.

8.  Is A Northern Team Ready To Make A Real National Statement? Michigan and Notre Dame flirted with it last decade.  St. John’s has had its moments, and Ohio State and Minnesota have each had some success, but it all comes down to pitching.  Or more specifically, pitching depth.  The biggest difference in teams in the good southern teams and the good northern teams is pitching depth.  There are guys coming out of the bullpen in the ACC and SEC who could be starters on most Big Ten and Big East teams.  Just look at last year’s save numbers in those conferences:  157 in the SEC & 160 saves in the ACC compared to 110 and 121 in the Big Ten and Big East, respectively.  But save totals don’t even tell half the story.

When it comes to playing in an NCAA Regional winning the first game is important, but for a northern team winning the first two games of a regional is critical.  The team that starts 2-0 at a regional is at least one starting pitcher ahead of each opponent it plays the rest of the weekend.  Look at Minnesota last year:  They lost their regional opener to Baylor, then out-slugged Southern 11-8 and Baylor 15-12 atfter that before falling 10-3 to LSU.  They played respectably, but they gave-up 10 runs a game over their last three contests, while LSU gave-up 3 runs with its third starter on the mound.   Ohio State lost 24-8 to Georgia to its regional opener last year, then won 6-4 and 13-6 in elimination games before getting trounced 37-6 by Florida State in game four (game 3 for FSU).  OSU’s starting pitcher gave-up 7 runs without getting an out in that game.  But what about Michigan in 2007?  The Wolverines won the first two games of their regional, lost game three, but then beat Vanderbilt in the deciding game four to advance to a Super Regional.  In 2002 Notre Dame used just five pitchers while going 3-0 at their Regional en-route to being the only northern team to advance to Omaha since the ’80s.  The Irish also used just two pitchers in their two Super Regional wins over Florida State the following week.   It’s no coincidence that in recent years only teams from the south have come back  to win a Regional after losing one of their first two games.

ECU's Kyle Roller (ECU photo)

9.  Is Conference USA The Most Underrated Baseball Conference In The Country? Quick question…what three conferences have sent at least one team to the College World Series in each of the last five seasons?  If you said the SEC, Pac 10 and Conference USA you get the gold star for the day (but remember to raise your hand before blurting out the answer next time).  Rice, Tulane and last year’s darling Southern Mississippi have all gone to Omaha in that stretch.  Terry Rooney left LSU after a trip to the 2008 CWS in part because C-USA had earned a reputation as a three bid league.  But Conference USA didn’t just get three bids last year.  Rice, Southern Miss. and East Carolina all advanced to Super Regionals, and ECU and USM did it by beating South Carolina and Georgia Tech, respectively, in Regional action.  USM then beat Florida on the road to advance to Omaha, Rice lost to eventual National Champ LSU in its Regional while ECU fell to a North Carolina team that made a fourth straight CWS appearance.  C-USA has arrived, and based on the talent the aforementioned ’09 Super Regional teams have back, the conference doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

10.  Will The Season Just Start Already? Really, aren’t you tired of waiting?  Oops, that’s another question, we don’t have room for eleven.  Is it here yet?  That’s another questions too…