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Hall of Fame Ceremony Next January In Dallas…

Paul Mainieri

Paul Mainieri and Jack Leggett lead the American Baseball Coaches Association’s (ABCA) list of 2014 Hall of Fame Inductees. The respective LSU and Clemson head coaches will be joined by Stetson’s Pete Dunn as active inductees at the ceremony next January in Dallas.

Mainieri has a 1,122-614-7 record in 30 seasons of college baseball. He is one of six active coaches to win 1,000 games and an NCAA national championship. He will join his father, Demie Mainieri, as the only father-son combination in the ABCA Hall of Fame. Demie won 1,012 games and a junior college national championship at Miami-Dade North Community College.

“It was never my goal to be selected for this wonderful honor, being inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame,” Mainieri said. “When I decided to go into coaching as a young man, it was simply with the purpose of helping young people develop their God-given talents to the fullest, and teaching them how to succeed in baseball and in life.”

“My father taught me this lesson and it has been my guiding light throughout my career. I never thought that 30 years later I would have had the opportunities I have had to coach at four amazing institutions – St. Thomas University, the United State Air Force Academy, Notre Dame and LSU.”

In six seasons at LSU, Mainieri has guided the Tigers to two College World Series appearances, winning the national championship in 2009. He has also directed LSU to three NCAA Regional titles, two Southeastern Conference championships, three SEC Tournament titles and three SEC Western Division crowns.

Mainieri has a 258-122-2 mark at LSU, and he is the second-winningest coach in Fighting Tiger annals, trailing only Skip Bertman, who was 870-330-3 in 18 seasons (1984-2001).

Prior to becoming LSU’s coach in June 2006, Mainieri directed the Notre Dame program in 12 seasons (1995-2006) to 533 wins, nine conference titles, nine NCAA tournament berths and a College World Series appearance in 2002. He also coached at St. Thomas University in Miami from 1984-88, and at the Air Force Academy from 1989-94.

Jack Leggett

Leggett has 1,224 career wins in 33 seasons as a head coach. The 1,224 victories are 14th-most in NCAA history among Division I coaches and sixth-most among active coaches. He recorded his 1,000th career victory in Clemson’s 5-0 win at Maryland on March 25, 2007 to become just the 29th coach in Division I history to reach 1,000 career victories. At the age of 53, he became the second-youngest coach to reach that mark.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized in this way,” said Leggett. “It’s a great compliment to all the players and coaches who I’ve worked with in the past. It’s a culmination of a lot of hard work, both on and off the field. I want to thank everyone who has been involved along the way. I would like to accept this honor on behalf of The University of Vermont, Western Carolina University, and Clemson University.”

As head coach of the Tiger baseball program for 19 seasons (1994-12), Leggett has directed Clemson to 847 wins, seventh-most in the nation during that time span. He has also taken the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament 18 times, made six College World Series appearances, and had a final top-10 ranking seven times. Leggett, who has been named ACC Coach-of-the-Year three times, served two seasons (1992,93) at Clemson as an assistant coach under legendary Head Coach Bill Wilhelm (1958-93), whom he credits with much of his success.

As head coach of the Tiger baseball program for 19 seasons (1994-12), Leggett has directed Clemson to 847 wins, seventh-most in the nation during that time span. He has also taken the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament 18 times, made six College World Series appearances, and had a final top-10 ranking seven times. Leggett, who has been named ACC Coach-of-the-Year three times, served two seasons (1992,93) at Clemson as an assistant coach under legendary Head Coach Bill Wilhelm (1958-93), whom he credits with much of his success.

Prior to Clemson, Leggett led Western Carolina to five NCAA Tournaments (1985-89), five SoCon titles, and a top-30 ranking during his nine seasons (1983-91) as head coach of the Catamounts. They averaged 33 wins per season during his time in Cullowhee, NC, and his teams played in the conference title game in eight of the nine seasons.

Before going to Western Carolina for the 1983 season, Leggett spent five seasons (1978-82) at Vermont, where he turned the program into a consistent winner. He coached the Vermont club team in 1977, then he organized and coached the school’s first intercollegiate team in 1978. At age 23, Leggett was the youngest coach in the country. He had a winning season in his first year and had a 75-61 overall record at Vermont.

There are 19 voting members on the ABCA Hall of Fame Committee and a candidate must be named on 75% of the ballots to gain induction.

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Clemson head coach Jack Leggett and players Will Lamb, Jeff Schaus, Brad Miller, and Jonathon Meyer discuss the regional the team will be hosting in 2011.

News & Notes From Around College Baseball…

Matt Deggs

Deggs Steps Down In Aggie Land…

Texas A&M has announced that associate head coach Matt Deggs has stepped down to focus on “personal health and family matters”. “I’ll miss the players. I still have the burning desire for this game and to coach it, but right now I need to focus on my family and my health,” said Deggs in a statement. Deggs has coached Texas A&M’s offense and infielders for the last five years. The Aggies hit .306 with 299 home runs and 400 stolen bases over the last four seasons. A search for his replacement is underway.

Keep It Coming…

The Save Cal Baseball effort is “absolutely moving in the right direction” according to organizer Doug Nickle from the group’s Facebook message. Nickle says the Cal administration says that $25 million will be needed to save baseball and the other four sports that were cut back in September. Approximately $15 million in pledges has been raised toward the effort, and Nickle says the San Francisco Giants are “on our side” as they work to save baseball at Cal. They also ask that supporters continue to write Cal Chancellor Birgeneau to voice support.

Mike Sheppard

Calls To The Hall…

Former Seton Hall head coach Mike Sheppard, Sr. and New Mexico State assistant Gary Ward were among recent inductees into the ABCA Hall of Fame. Ward is in his seventh season as an assistant coach for his son, Rocky Ward, at New Mexico State. He led Oklahoma State to the College World Series 10 times as head coach from 1978-1996. Sheppard was head coach at Seton Hall for 31 years. He led the Pirates to the College World Series in 1974 and ’75, and also coached future Major Leaguers like Mo Vaughn and Craig Biggio. Harry Tholen (Sante Fe College) and  Lou Yacinich (Grand View) were other college inductees.

Jack Leggett

Palmetto Power…

South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer recently presented Clemson baseball coach Jack Leggett with the Palmetto Patriot Award. The award is the highest honor the state’s Lieutenant Governor can bestow. It recognizes public service and outstanding contributions to citizens of the state of South Carolina. Bauer said Leggett “Is a man all South Carolinans should be proud to call one of our own.” Leggett has 769 wins and six trips to Omaha in 17 seasons as Clemson’s head coach.

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

UCSD head coach Dan O'Brien (jacket) and his Tritons could be headed to the Big West.

A Big West Boom?

We started last week’s Notebook with the news that TCU was headed to the Big East Conference. This week we start with news that Hawaii, Cal State Bakersfield and UC San Diego have each applied for membership in the Big West Conference. Hawaii plans to join the Mountain West Conference for football, but the rest of its sports would join the Big West if membership goes through. The Big West would make travel much easier for Hawaii’s non-revenue sports since all nine current Big West teams are located in California.

Keep in mind, it’s UC San Diego – as in the Tritons –  not the University of San Diego – as in the Toreros – that wants to join the Big West. Dan O’Brien’s Tritons were the Division II national runner-ups this past season after advancing to the D II national semifinals in 2009. This year’s team won a school record 54 games with a record low eight losses. They would obviously have to make the move to Division One though to join the Big West.

CS Bakersfield, coached by Bill Kernen, just began playing college baseball in 2009 as part of the school’s transition to Division One. The Roadrunners won 13 games in 2009 and doubled that to 26 victories last season.

The Big West had put a moratorium on conference expansion back in 2005, but it just ended that ban last month.

The Call Of The Hall…

1988 NCAA Player of the Year John Olerud (courtesy Washington State)

He’s a long shot for induction, but former Washington State star John Olerud is on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. The 17-year MLB vet was the 1988 college baseball Player of the Year. He was 15-0 with a 2.49 ERA on the mound that year, while also batting .464 with 23 home runs and 81 RBIs. Olerud was an integral member of the Toronto Blue Jays‘ World Series winning teams in 1992 and ’93, but his 2,239 career hits and 255 home runs are far from HOF benchmark numbers.

Other former college players in this year’s Hall of Fame ballot are: Mark McGwire (USC), Bret Boone (USC), Barry Larkin (Michigan), Bobby Higginson (Temple), Rafael Palmeiro (Mississippi State), Charles Johnson (Miami), Tino Martinez (Tampa), Kirk Rueter (Murray State), John Franco (St. John’s), and B.J. Surhoff (North Carolina). Franco tossed a pair of no-hitters during his freshman year at St. John’s. Surhoff was the National Player of the Year in 1985. He was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this year.

The results of HOF voting will be announced on January 11, 2011. The induction ceremony is July 24 in Cooperstown, NY.

Tigers Get Their Rings…

The Clemson baseball team recently received its 2010 College World Series rings. Jack Leggett’s squad received its hardware before last week’s Clemson-Michigan basketball game at Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson finished 2010 with a 45-25 record after making its 12th trip to Omaha. CLICK HERE to see the video.

The Scouts Like Nino…

Nino Girratano

The Northern California Scouts Association has named University of San Francisco head coach Nino Giarratano its four-year college baseball Coach of the Year. The NCSA is comprised of at least 70 scouts who work for the 30 MLB clubs. Of Giarratano, Florida Marlins scout John Hughes said “He does such a great job at USF and his coaching staff does a great job overall. They do more than coach baseball at USF — they develop kids into great people. Nino is cooperative and communicates well with Major League Baseball scouts so that he can do what’s best for his players.” Giarratano was the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team head coach this past summer.

Two-Sport Playoff Push…

If you saw our latest Two-Sport Report last week, you know that several college baseball players who also play football were involved in the FCS (formerly I-AA) playoffs last week. In a head to head match-up, Landon Bennett (punter) and Wofford knocked Jacksonville State and freshman QB Coty Blanchard out of the playoffs with a 17-14 win. Wofford now takes on Georgia Southern.

Defending FCS national champion Villanova beat Stephen F. Austin 54-24 to advance to the FCS quarterfinals and the Wildcats have three baseball/football players. Matt Szczur (signed with the Chicago Cubs last summer) scored a touchdown, while Marlon Calbi threw a TD pass. Villanova next faces Appalachian State.

Clemson, SC — Clemson Head Coach Jack Leggett announced the addition of Bradley LeCroy to the baseball coaching staff.   LeCroy replaces Tom Riginos, who accepted the head-coaching job at Winthrop in early August. LeCroy will assume the role of recruiting coordinator along with hitters and outfielders coach.

Bradley LeCroy

LeCroy (pronounced luh-CROY) spent the past three seasons (2008-10) as Tennessee’s infielders coach and recruiting coordinator under Head Coach Todd Raleigh. Prior to his stint in Knoxville, LeCroy served under Raleigh at Western Carolina in 2006 and 2007. LeCroy was also a volunteer assistant at Clemson for three seasons from 2003-05 and was an assistant coach at Anderson College during the 2001 and 2002 seasons. In his 10 years as a coach, LeCroy has coached 37 players who went on to be drafted and 40 players who have signed professional baseball contracts.

“We are very excited to have Coach LeCroy return to Clemson,” said Leggett. “He has a long history of playing and coaching on very successful Clemson teams. He will be a great addition to our staff and will be valuable in many ways. His recruiting efforts and work ethic have been outstanding at each school he has been at as a coach. Success seems to follow him and I know our players will respond to his personality and knowledge of the game. He is one of the top recruiters in the country and he is very excited about his opportunity here at Clemson.”

During his tenure at Tennessee, LeCroy put together a pair of signing classes that ranked among the best in the nation. In 2008, his signing class was rated #28 in the country by Collegiate Baseball, then his 2009 signing class was ranked #14 in the nation by Baseball America.

Tennessee posted 67 home runs in 56 games in 2008, at the time the fifth-best mark in school history. A year later, he was a big reason the Volunteers slugged 87 long balls in just 55 games, good for the second-highest total in Tenneseee history. LeCroy also coached one of Tennessee’s best offensive players in history in Cody Hawn, who hit for the team Triple Crown in 2009 by totaling a .364 batting average, 22 home runs, and 81 RBIs.

LeCroy led Western Carolina’s offense to heights not seen in recent history. In 2007, the Catamounts were in the top 11 in the nation in runs per game, homers per game, slugging percentage, doubles per game, and batting average. Western Carolina had a 7-2 combined record against the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC in 2007 and had a school-record five players selected in the Major League draft. He also recruited, signed, and coached 2007 Southern Conference Player-of-the-Year Kenny Smith, who hit 20 homers with a .759 slugging percentage.

During the 2005 season, the last of his three years as the volunteer assistant at Clemson, LeCroy contributed to the Tigers’ third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and a trip to the Waco (TX) Super Regional. He was a big reason Taylor Harbin had a stellar .974 fielding percentage along with 28 doubles, 10 homers, and 63 RBIs in earning second-team All-America honors as a freshman.

In 2004, the Tigers hit 73 home runs and 149 doubles. He coached Brad McCann to an All-America season, as the third-baseman hit .379 with 16 homers and 65 RBIs. The 2003 season was his first coaching at Clemson, his alma mater. The Tigers had a .326 batting average in ACC regular-season games, the best mark in the ACC by 19 points. LeCroy coached four all-conference players in 2003, all of which comprised the Tigers’ starting infield. Included in that list were underclassmen Brad McCann (3B) and Russell Triplett (SS). Seniors Michael Johnson (1B) and David Slevin (2B) also earned All-ACC honors as infielders in 2003.

LeCroy coached in the Valley League in 2003 as an assistant coach for the New Market Rebels in Virginia. The Rebels were the Valley League runnerup after compiling a 31-18 record. The 31 wins were a franchise record, while he coached eight all-stars on the Rebels’ squad. Included among those all-stars was Most Valuable Pitcher Phil Bartleski. LeCroy also worked closely with Kevin White, who was the league homer and RBI champion.

LeCroy was an assistant coach at nearby Anderson College in 2001 and 2002. In 2001, he coached David Mattox, who was drafted in the 11th round by the New York Mets and was named Minor League Pitcher-of-the-Year in the Mets’ organization in 2002. In 2002, the Trojans led the Division II ranks with 41 triples. LeCroy coached three all-conference players during his time at Anderson College.

During both summers of 2001 and 2002, he was the head coach of the Williamston (SC) American Legion team. Both teams played in the state legion playoffs.

LeCroy earned four letters at Clemson from 1997-00. He was a valuable utility player who hit .266 in 173 career games and 395 at-bats. He was the everyday starting shortstop on the 1999 team that came one inning from making it to the College World Series. LeCroy was the starting shortstop alongside Khalil Greene, who was the starting third-baseman on that 1999 squad. LeCroy was also a member of Clemson’s 2000 College World Series team and a member of four NCAA Tournament teams as a Tiger.

LeCroy, 32, earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Clemson in May of 2001. LeCroy was a three-sport star at nearby Walhalla (SC) High School, earning all-state honors in baseball, basketball, and football.

He was born Bradley James LeCroy on February 1, 1978 in Anderson, SC. He married the former Meredith Chandler on January 8, 2005. Meredith was a four-time letterwinner in tennis at Clemson from 1996-99.

(Clemson Release)

Leaves Clemson After Trip To CWS…

Tom Riginos

Riginos (pronounced rih-JEEN-uhs) will be introduced to the media and Winthrop supporters during a press conference scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 4, at 2:00 p.m. in the Winthrop Coliseum’s Eagle Room.

He is taking over as a college head coach for the first time after serving on Tiger Head Coach Jack Leggett’s staff for the past eight years as the team’s hitting and outfielders coach.  Before going to Clemson, Riginos served for nine years (1994-2002) at his alma mater, Stetson University as the recruiting coordinator and hitting and outfielders coach.

Success has followed the 42-year-old Clearwater, FL native throughout his 17-year career.  While at Stetson, Riginos helped guided the Hatters to five NCAA Regional appearances.  During his Clemson tenure, the Tigers advanced to two NCAA Regional tournaments, three NCAA Super Regional appearances, and made two trips to the College World Series in 2006 and again this past season.  The combined record of Stetson and Clemson during Riginos’ 17-year career stands at 671-393-3 (.630).  While serving at Stetson and Clemson, those two schools averaged 39 wins per season and compiled a combined nine years with 40 or more victories.

In his two years as Clemson’s recruiting coordinator (2008-10), Riginos brought in top-20 recruiting classes both years.  The 2009 class was ranked #9 by Collegiate Baseball while the 2010 class was ranked #29 by Baseball America.  At Stetson he recruited eight classes that gained national recognition and he also recruited six All-Americans and 10 freshman All-Americans while with the Hatters.

“We had a very strong pool of candidates for our head baseball coaching position, and in Tom Riginos we believe we have hired one of the top coaches on the collegiate level,” said Hickman.  “Coach Riginos has had tremendous success in attracting talented players to both Stetson and Clemson and then developing those players into championship caliber student-athletes.  We believe he will continue to bring that success to Winthrop.”

Not only has Riginos been successful in the coaching profession, he also had an outstanding playing career at Stetson where he was a four-year letterman (1987-90) and served as captain of the 1990 squad.  During his Hatters career, he helped lead that school to three NCAA Regional appearances and three consecutive conference championships.  He finished his 225-game career as one of Stetson’s all-time stolen base leaders with 61.

After earning a bachelor of arts degree in sports administration from Stetson in 1990, Riginos spent one year on the coaching staff of his alma mater, Countryside High School in Clearwater before enrolling in graduate school at Eastern Kentucky University.  He served as the top assistant and graduate assistant coach for the Colonels who were coached by former Stetson head coach Jim Ward.  Riginos received a master of science degree in physical education/sports administration from EKU in 1993.

Riginos is married to the former Shalleen Kelly.  The couple has twin girls, Alexandra and Grace, age 9, and a son, Chatham, 14-months.  Riginos also has a son, Ben, 22.

(Winthrop Release)

Coaches Jack Leggett and Ray Tanner share postgame thoughts. … Clemson players Mike Freeman and Casey Harman discuss their performances … South Carolina players Christian Walker and Whit Merrifield discuss their big game.

The continued game between Clemson and Oklahoma was an appropriate 3-inning appetizer on Wednesday for the main course thriller that was TCU’s dramatic 11-7 win over Florida State.

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!

Click For Great College World Series Specials This Week!

FINAL: Continuation of Clemson 6,  Oklahoma 4

FINAL: TCU  11, Florida State 7 (Elimination Game)

(Blog entry by Chase Titleman)

What a difference a day makes here in Omaha … or does it?

For the third consecutive day here in Omaha, wewere awakened by an earsplitting thunderstorm that rocked the windows of our hotel. I wasn’t sure if it was a freight train, tornado or just another of my wild and willy dreams, but when the lightning flashed and the thunder instantly cracked at 5:25 a.m. this morning it was quite a way to wake up.

Oklahoma looks to benefit most from Wednesday evening’s sudden thunderstorm that cropped up with the high humidity and the stifling temperatures, spawning a tornado alert that never materialized. As of 10:00 this morning, a tornado watch box was up on the weather channel for the eastern half of Iowa, but sunny skies are predicted for today at the “Blatt.”

The heat index was 102 when I was sitting in the photo box along the first-base line. ESPN analyst Kyle Peterson (an Omaha native) looked like a camel jockey with towels draped all over his body trying to shade himself from the scorching sun.

With Clemson leading Oklahoma 6-1 going into the top of the 6th, the Sooners will need to get on it in a hurry if they expect to get back into the ballgame and avoid the losers bracket. At the start of yesterday’s game, the wind was howling out to left-center, but today the wind has switched directions and is blowing quite briskly to right-center – so look for some home runs coming in that direction.

If you are coming to the ballpark and have general-admission tickets, that would be the place to sit!

Yesterday’s first game between Arizona State and South Carolina was an example of what a team can accomplish when it plays the wind properly, for it is no secret that the ball will sail out of the “Blatt” with ease if aided by a driving wind (especially when the heat index is cranking as well).

Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a monster, wind-aided bomb to left-center yesterday to kick start an eight-run 2nd inning that sent the Sun Devils packing.

Rosenblatt Surprises: The weather hasn’t been the only surprise here in Omaha …

Coming into the CWS, Arizona State looked to be the premier team, leading the KSI Index that I have put together here over at Road2Rosenblatt.com!

Florida State and Clemson were 7th and 8th in the KSI Index and I boldly predicted that “if I were a betting man (which I am not), I wouldn’t bet that Clemson student-athletes would be roaming around in Omaha towards the end of the week. I ran into some Clemson players, parents and alumni over at The Union Pizzeria and Bar over near where the new TD Ameritrade Ball Park is going up in the old downtown area near Quest Arena, and boy did they let me hear about it!

Humbled but unfeathered, I promptly told them that the Tigers in my opinion are the most impressive team in Omaha thus far. I really like the way Jack Leggett has this team playing at present. They are peaking at the right time, playing fast and loose while brimming with confidence – all things needed to quiet the nerves of playing in front of 22,000 on a nightly basis.

Clemson won its game despite its 1-2-3 batters (Chris Epps, Mike Freeman and Jeff Schaus) combining to go 0-for-11.

The two teams that have been eliminated, Florida and Arizona State, both had that “deer in the headlights” look and used the same excuse of not playing like the team that got them to Omaha.

How about TCU? Or, more appropriately, how about Matt Curry’s grand slam! Curry had the biggest blast of the series so far with his 8th-inning slam to help the Horned Frogs to a stunning 8-run inning in their 11-7 win over Florida State. Just as clutch was TCU catcher Bryan Holaday’s double, which also came with two outs (two batters before Curry). I’d take eight guys like Holaday on my team any day.

Closing Comments:

In the postgame press conference yesterday after being eliminated, ASU Coach Tim Esmay had this to say:

“Well, obviously very disappointed in the outcome today. You can’t have a start like we did against a quality team of South Carolina. I thought they did a heck of a job of putting us on our heels, and I think you have to do that in a game like this where you lose and you go home.

“And I think the team that kind of takes control of that and is the aggressor and puts you on your heels, it really makes it tough for you to battle up climb.

“I’ll say this. I haven’t been any prouder in my years of being a Sun Devil than this team right here. It’s an amazing team. They were fighting until the end. They didn’t give up. They played hard and that’s what they did all year long.

“And I’m just very proud and very blessed that they gave me this opportunity to coach them this year, because this is a heck of a team. And having to deal with expectations, and expectations of Arizona State is to play deep in this tournament. And they know that. They battled that day-in, day-out, and they answered the bell all year long.

“Obviously we did not want to end this tournament the way it ended, but I’ll tell you this, there’s nobody that feels as bad or as upset than those 35 guys in that clubhouse, and I’m extremely proud of this ball club.”

Q: Could you talk a little bit about Sam Dyson and how he pitched today?
COACH ESMAY: “Man, boy, talk about grinding one out. I felt like we had opportunities every inning. I didn’t feel like he really breezed through any inning. But you look up and 100‑and‑some pitches later and he’s battling and making pitches when he needed to, and that’s a performance that I’m sure they’re proud of, because he was a warrior out there today.:

Q: You guys came in as the No. 1 seed. … I talked to a lot of Arizona State media that says it doesn’t even look like it’s the same team, like it’s imposters in the uniforms. Could you address what went wrong here over the last two games?

COACH ESMAY: “You’re playing good talent. I wouldn’t necessarily call them imposters. They are 18‑, 19‑, 20‑year‑old kids, that had a heck of a year and were playing very good baseball. But being in the College World Series enough to see that sometimes when balls aren’t hit or situations don’t come your way, it just happens.

“I’m not going to say that this is not the Sun Devil team that I saw all year long because it was. It was a team that showed up to play, they were ready to play, and they were confident enough to play. But when you have eight teams at the end, everybody’s had a sense of how to win and how to play and take advantage of things, and that’s what I saw happen. The other teams took advantage.

“We did a great job all year of not letting the crack, the door open, and these last couple of games, a crack opened and the other teams took advantage of it. And that’s what happens in a national championship type tournament.

* * * * *

First of all, that question that was posed to coach Esmay is a solid question, although I cringed myself when I heard the word imposters. Arizona State does have a recent history and questions to answer for – they typically are the top-ranked program every year that they have come to the CWS since the turn of the century, yet they have come up empty handed.

It was their tournament to lose. There are questions to answer, especially since they came off perhaps the toughest Super Regional as Arkansas took them to task in back-to-back, 12-inning grinders that smelled of national championship destiny.

But like coach Kevin O’Sullivan over at Florida, this was the first time in Omaha for the Esmay staff, and you could sense a little apprehension in the body language of the assistants and the players.

Esmay had made six trips to Omaha, as both a player and coach for the Sun Devils, but pitching coach Ken Knutson (former head coach at Washington) and Travis Jewett (former assistant at Washington State) were making their first visits. Although 15 members of the Sun Devil squad were returning to Omaha, led by Raoul Torrez who made his third appearance in the CWS, there also were 11 members of the squad that were first-timers and played as if they may have been a little overwhelmed by the environment (a fate that hits many CWS participants).

The other aspect that is important to consider in the Sun Devils’ demise is the fact that they played only 21 games away from Steven Packard Stadium in Tempe. Playing most of their career at home, as well as both the Regional and Super Regional, certainly doesn’t get a team battle-tested for a hostile environment on the road.

In my opinion, it is something to point a finger at, for the key to beating ASU this year was jumping out of the gate early with big innings. The old axiom in baseball is that the majority of the time, the winning team has scored more in one inning than the opposing team has scored the entire game.

In the elite field of Omaha, it is hard to overcome an 8-spot in the second inning. Although the Devils battled hard, they just didn’t peak at the right time. It reminds me of a conversation that Sean Stires and I had when I first arrived in Omaha near midnight on Friday evening. The Sun Devils were the only team that hadn’t really had any type of hiccup the entire year, as they hadn’t lost back-to-back games in 2010 … that is until they got to Omaha.

That will be hard to reflect on during the offseason.