Play Begins With Suspended Game, Ends With Gamecock Win …

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If you’re going to the College World Series, your one stop for the most officially licensed 2011 College World Series apparel is the all new Dugout, located right across the street from the Road To Omaha statue outside TD Ameritrade Stadium. If you can’t make it to Omaha, simply follow this link to Dugouthats.com. You’ll save 20% on your order when you enter the coupon code CB360!

Game 6: Florida 3-5-1 def. Vanderbilt 1-4-2
Final Stats | FL Recap | Vandy Recap

After a 14-hour delay that started shortly after 8:00 p.m. local time, Florida and Vanderbilt resumed their game minutes after 10:00 a.m. Tuesday morning at TD Ameritrade Park.

Preston Tuckers 4th-inning home run was all the offense Florida needed in the Monday/Tuesday game.

The game picked up with two outs and nobody on, with Vanderbilt batting in the bottom of the sixth and Florida leading 3-1. Steven Rodriguez – who had entered the game in relief of Karsten Whitsen in the fifth inning Monday night – promptely struck out Jason Esposito to end the inning. Rodriguez (4-2) ultimately earned the win, after striking out six of the 10 batters he faced for a new career-high K total.

Reliever Will Clinard opened the seventh inning on the hill for the Commodores in relief of starter Grayson Garvin, who fanned nine batters in six innings but allowed three earned runs on Preston Tucker‘s 4th-inning home run that cleared the rightfield bullpen. Garvin (13-2) suffered the loss. Tucker’s 15th long ball of the season is onlythe second home run through six games of the 2011 CWS (Vanderbilt’s Connor Harrell homered Saturday for the other).

The teams combined to strike out 23 times (12 by Commodore batters and 11 for the Gators).

SEC player of the year Mike Zunino of Florida went 1-for-3 with a run scored, against the SEC pitcher of the year Garvin. Zunino was on base when Tucker homered.

A total of 19 batters came to the plate Tuesday morning to face Clinard, fellow Vanderbilt reliever Corey Williams and Florida’s Rodriguez. Only two of those 19 reached base, on a pair of walks (one for each team).

Attendance for this game was 20,182, for a six-game total of 132,748 (avg, of 22,125). Fans were allowed into the final three innings of the game Tuesday morning without a ticket.

CLICK HERE to read more about this game and the North Carolina-Texas game in our Day-3 Notebook.

– Quotable –

“It was actually a slider that I hung. Good Hitters, that’s what they do. He should have hit that where he hit it. It was kid of a tail of one pitch. I actually thought I pitched better yesterday than I pitched in about a month, but it was one swing.” – Vanderbilt starter Grayson Garvin, talking about the pitch Florida’s Preston Tucker hit for the Gators’ only offense in the game.

“He doesn’t pitch like a freshman. He’s a big, strong kid. He throws a big, heavy ball like he’s throwing bowling balls to the plate and he keeps coming. … You know, he’s a first-rounder [2010 MLB draft]. You’re not supposed to keep kids like that, and they did. That’s why Florida’s pretty good.” – Commodore head coach Tim Corbin on Florida freshman pitcher Karsten Whitson, who turned down first-round draft pick money to attend Florida.

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Game 7: Cal 7-9-1 elim. Texas A&M 3-10-2
Final Stats | Cal Recap | A&M Recap

The team that itself was eliminated for a time last fall staved off elimination at the 2011 College World Series, when Cal beat Texas A&M 7-3 Tuesday afternoon in Omaha.

The Golden Bear program was (infamously) set to be cut due to school budgetary restraints last September, but thanks to fundraising efforts it was spared this past spring. Tough times have brought the team together in its miraculous run to the CWS.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M went 0-2 and was eliminated in its first trip to Omaha since 1999.

Texas A&M scored first on Adam Smith‘s solo home run in the 4th inning over the left field, his seventh homer of the year. Aggies starter Michael Wacha didn’t allow a hit until the top of the 5th, when Darrel Matthews singled following an error that allowed Ben Bunting to reach safely to start the inning. An RBI single by Derek Campbell, a sac bunt by leadoff man Austin Booker and a sac fly by Tony Renda gave Cal a 3-1 lead and their first lead of any kind in two games in Omaha.

Wacha (9-4) surrendered seven runs, four earned, on nine hits in 6.2 innings. He walked two and struck out five in the loss.

The Golden Bears scored three more times in the 6th and added another run in the 7th to take a 7-1 lead before A&M pushed across two runs in the bottom of the frame to make it 7-3. Through seven games, Cal and Florida are the only teams to score runs in three consecutive innings.

Golden Bears starter Kyle Porter (6-0) allowed three earned runs in six innings. He struck out four and walked two.

Six different Cal players had at least one RBI in the game, with second baseman Derek Campbell leading the way with two.

Cal has won five straight NCAA Tournament elimination games this year, including four straight at the Rice Regional.

The win is Cal’s first at the College World Series since 1980. The team is playing in its first CWS since 1992.

The Golden Bears next will face the loser of the Virginia-South Carolina game, on Thursday night.

Cal head coach David Esquer was named the NCBWA’s National Coach of the Year prior to the game today.

– Quotable –

“I’m not disappointed in anybody. I’m disappointed for our guys that they didn’t play hard. There’s not a guy in our dugout that doesn’t wish we hadn’t played better collectively. Dave Esquer‘s done an amzing job this year. He’s talking about his team and the things he’s gone through. He definitely deserves coach-of-the-year nomination for being the rock in the storm.” – Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress

David Esquer

“I’m happy our guys kind of grinded it out, because that’s kind of how we do it. We don’t do it easy. … I thought we were a little too excited trying to make something happen that really wasn’t there and didn’t let the game come to us. … The whole day’s been amazing. You can’t be a good coach without good players – if our players can come out here and perform like they did today under elimination circumstances. Thankfully for us, one of our rallying clauses is to try to be as loose as possible and that serves us well in big moments.” – Cal head coach Dave Esquer

Game 8: South Carolina 7-13-0 def. Virginia 1-5-3
Final Stats | SC Recap | VA Recap

In a matchup of this year’s No. 1 national seed and the defending national champion, it was the champ that reigned supreme as South Carolina rolled past Virginia 7-1 Tuesday night in Omaha.

Star outfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. was in the lineup for only the second time in the past two months. He batted from the cleanup spot, after batting 9th in South Carolina’s win over Texas A&M on Sunday, and got the scoring started with a 1st-inning RBI double. It was the first of three Gamecocks runs in the frame. Bradley finished the game with two hits and an RBI.

Jackie Bradley, Jr.

South Carolina added another run in the 3rd, two more in the 4th  and a run in the 7th on an RBI single by Christian Walker. The first baseman batted 2-for-5 and led his team with two RBIs.

South Carolina’s 3-4-5-6 batters combined to hit above .500 (10-for-19) with four runs scored and five RBIs. The team reached base in every inning but the 6th. Scott Wingo was the only Gamecocks starter without a hit or walk.

Virginia scored its only run when John Hicks hit a solo homer to left field in the bottom of the 4th. It’s the eighth homer of the year for the catcher but only the fourth home run hit through eight games in this CWS.

South Carolina starter Colby Holmes (7-3) struck out seven in 4.1 innings to match his career high. Sidearm reliever John Taylor (7-1) set a career high with his 4.1-inning outing. His previous high was a 4.0-inning effort against Mississippi State on April 24. Holmes (19) and Taylor (13) combined to face only 32 batters – six over the minimum.

Virginia starter Will Roberts (11-2) was touched for all six runs in only 3.1 innings. A pair of Cavaliers errors led to three unearned runs.

South Carolina played stellar defense all night. The Gamecocks have committed only one error in their two CWS games.

Florida State (12) and Georgia Tech (10; 9) are the only teams to score more than seven runs against Virginia this season.

Virginia has a rematch with California in Thursday night’s elimination game. South Carolina faces the winner of that game on Friday.

Tonight’s game marked the first time the two programs have met in the CWS.

South Carolina’s win makes the SEC 5-1 during the 2011 CWS. Florida is 2-0 as well, while Vanderbilt (1-1) suffered its first loss earlier today.

The start of the game was delayed 68 minutes by rain.

The loss is jonly the 11th of the year for Virginia (55-11), which owns an .833 winning percentage. South Carolina (52-14) has won 13 straight NCAA Tournament games (sharing a record with three other programs), dating back to the 2010 College World Series championship run in Omaha.

Attendance for the game was 22,027, for an eight-game total of 172,916 and an average of 21,615 fans per game. Both the average and total attendance are “slightly ahead” of the same point last year, according to the NCAA.

Rain/Heavy Winds Halt Play In Florida/Vandy Game…

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If you’re going to the College World Series, your one stop for the most officially licensed 2011 College World Series apparel is the all new Dugout, located right across the street from the Road To Omaha statue outside TD Ameritrade Stadium.

The Dugout has all the hats, t-shirts, and special CWS memorabilia as well as the same game caps worn by the top college baseball teams.

If you can’t make it to Omaha, simply follow this link to Dugouthats.com. You’ll save 20% on your order when you enter the coupon code CB360!

Game 5: North Carolina 3-9-0 def. Texas 0-4-1
Final Stats | TX Recap | UNC Recap

UNC head coach Mike Fox (right) hits grounders during batting practice on Monday.

North Carolina catcher Jacob Stallings got the scoring started against Texas with his 2-out, 2-run single in the 3rd inning and Ben Bunting drove in UNC’s other run with an RBI double in the top of the 9th.

Stallings is the son of Vanderbilt men’s basketball coach Kevin Stallings. Coincidentally, the elder Stallings once worked for current Tar Heels basketball coach Roy Williams when Stallings was an assistant at Kansas. Williams was in attendance and in the stands for the game.

The game was the first meeting between Texas and North Carolina at the College World Series.

Freshman Kent Emanuel tossed a four-hit shutout for the Tar Heels for the first complete game of the 2011 CWS at TD Ameritrade Park. Emanuel walked only one and struck out five. His shutout is the first at the CWS since former Tar Heel (and current UNC assistant coach) Robert Woodard in 2006. It’s also the first shutout for a freshman in Omaha since LSU’s Brett Laxton beat Wichita State in the 1993 national championship game.

This is the fourth time the Longhorns have gone 0-2 in Omaha. The previous time was in 2000, with losses to Florida State and LSU. Texas had not been shut out at the CWS since a 1992 loss to eventual national champion Pepperdine.

North Carolina centerfielder Ben Bunting hit 4-for-5 in the win. He now is hitting 11-for-22 in six career CWS games.

Texas leadoff man Tant Sheppard had a 10-pitch at-bat before flying out to left field to start the bottom of the 1st against Emanuel. Sheppard later singled on the first pitch with two outs in the 6th inning.

UNC head coach Mike Fox moved shortstop Levi Michael down in the order from the two-hole to seventh. Michael was mired in a 4-for-24 slump. He went 1-for-4 in the game, with a single in his first at-bat.

Texas scored a run in only two of 18 innings during the CWS.

Attendance for the game was 19,630 for a five-game total of 112,566 and an average of 22,513, which is 8,772 ahead of the 2010 total at the same point.

Game 6: Florida 3-5-1 def. Vanderbilt 1-4-2
Final Stats | FL Recap | Vandy Recap

Heavy winds and rain stopped play shortly after 8 p.m. central time in game 6 of the 2011 College World Series, with Florida leading Vanderbilt 3-1 in the bottom of the 6th. The game resumed Tuesday morning at 10:06 a.m.

Before the rains came …

Vanderbilt starter Grayson Garvin cruised through the first three innings, but the Gators took a bite out of the SEC pitcher of the year in the 4th inning. Nolan Fontana started the rally with a walk, followed by an infield single by Mike Zunino. Preston Tucker then connected on his 15th home run of the season, a laser shot over the rightfield bullpen to give Florida a 3-0 lead. Garvin had allowed only one baserunner (on an error) through the first three frames, but four straight Gators reached safely (three on hits) in the 4th.

At that point in the game, all four runs Garvin had allowed to the Gators this year were via home runs.The only run he allowed in a May 14 meeting with Florida was a solo home run by Bryson Smith.

Florida starter Karsten Whitsen left the game with one out in the 5th, after giving up an RBI single to Anthony Gomez. With two on base, Gator lefty Steven Rodriguez came out of the bullpen to strike out first baseman Aaron Westlake to end the inning with Florida leading 3-1.

Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin and Florida skipper Kevin O’Sullivan were assistant coached together at Clemson prior to their current positions. They were on staff together on Jack Leggett‘s 2000 and 2002 CWS teams.

During the rain delay, the stadium grounds crew danced on the warning track to the Village People’s “Y-M-C-A” and then simulated a baseball game on the infield tarp.

CLICK HERE to read more about the conclusion of this game in the Day-4 Notebook.

Talent Heavy Field Ready To Play On Big Stage …

Danny Hultzen

Virginia pitcher Danny Hultzen is more than just your everyday pitcher. He’s also been one of the top two-way players in the country in his three years. This is his second go-round at the CWS, after helping the Cavs advance to Omaha as a freshman. Hulzten is an All-American and the ACC Pitcher of the Year in 2011. The Seattle Mariners made Hultzen (12-3, 1.49 ERA, .320 BA) the second overall pick in last week’s draft. His 151 strikeouts rank second in the nation. He’ll be on the mound when Virginia faces Cal in Sunday’s 2 p.m. ET game.

Hultzen’s teammate, Will Roberts, has emerged as a top pitcher in his own right. Roberts (11-1, 1.58 ERA) started the season pitching in midweek games, but he moved into the weekend rotation not long after firing a perfect game against George Washington on March 29. It’s just the eighth Division I  nine-inning perfect game since 1957. CLICK HERE to listen to a podcast interview CB360 recorded right after that start. Roberts also was named an NCBWA second team All-American this week.

Taylor Jungmann

Like Hultzen, Texas pitcher Taylor Jungmann was pitching on the big stage in Omaha two years ago. Also like Hultzen, Jungmann (13-2, 1.38 ERA) was a high first-round draft pick last week when the Milwaukee Brewers nabbed him with the 12th overall selection. Jungmann made his mark at the CWS in 2009, going 3-0 with a complete game and 15 strikeouts in 15.1 innings to help the Longhorns reach the title series. The 2011 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year will be on the hill Saturday night looking to snap his personal two-game NCAA Tournament losing streak when Texas faces Florida. The three-time All-American lost in this year’s Austin Regional to Kent State and he fell to Arizona State in the Super Regional – for his only setbacks of the year.

While Jungmann and Texas are no strangers to Omaha, two significant Longhorns will make their Omaha debuts this weekend. Big 12 Freshman of the Year Erich Weiss and NCBWA First Team All-American Corey Knebel have figured prominently into their team’s success this season. Weiss leads the Longhorns in batting average (.358), RBIs (44), slugging percentage (.532), and on-base percentage (.495). The lanky 6-foot-3 third baseman is one of three Longhorns to start all 66 games this season. While Weiss is the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Knebel is the NCBWA’s National Freshman of the Year. The closer has 19 saves with a sparkling 1.15 ERA in 37 appearances. He earned his most-recent pair of saves with a total of 3.0 shutout innings in the Super Regional wins over the Sun Devils.

Tyler Naquin

Texas A&M Big 12 Player of the Year Tyler Naquin gives the conference three top award winners at this year’s CWS. His .390 average and .460 OBP fit the bill for a leadoff batter, and the third team NCBWA All-American also leads the Aggies with his .556 slugging percentage, which is helped by 23 doubles and a whopping seven triples. While the big-armed right fielder has only six stolen bases, centerfielder Krey Bratsen has totaled 31 swipes along with a .335 avg. to help him earn Freshman All-America honors. Aggie pitchers Michael Wacha (8-3, 2.10 ERA) and Ross Stripling (14-2, 2.29 ERA, 4 CG, 4 SVs) are the real deal too.

Finding just one or two Vanderbilt players to highlight is hard to do, because the Commodore roster is brimming with top talent. Consider the fact that while Sonny Gray (12-3, 1.97 ERA) was tabbed by the Oakland A’s with the 18th overall pick in the MLB Draft, fellow junior Grayson Garvin (13-1, 2.36 ERA)  was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year and is a second team All-American – not to mention being the 59th overall pick by Tampa Bay. The starting duo has the luxury of turning things over to NCBWA third team All-America closer Navery Moore (1.21 ERA, 11 SVs). Vandy also boasts SEC Freshman of the Year Tony Kemp (.325 BA, 16 SB, 56 Runs). The Commodores set an SEC record with 12 players selected in the 2011 draft. In addition to Gray, Garvin and Moore, Jason Esposito, Jack Armstrong, Aaron Westlake, Corey Williams, Taylor Hill, Mark Lamm, Curt Casali, Will Clinard, and Joe Loftus all had their names called during the three-day draft.

Colin Moran

North Carolina has a top duo that combines youth and veteran presence. ACC Freshman of the Year Colin Moran leads the Tar Heels in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.335), RBIs (69), HR (9), slg.% (.551), and OBP (.443). His RBIs rank 14th in the nation and are the most of any player at the 2011 CWS. Moran’s older brother Brian was an All-American at UNC. Their uncle, B.J. Surhoff, played for 19 years in the Major Leagues after a great career at North Carolina. Like Moran, junior Levi Michael (.300, 5 HR, 48 RBIs) jumped into the middle of the Tar Heel order as a freshman. Michael was selected with the 30th overall pick to the Minnesota Twins last week.

Jackie Bradley, Jr.

South Carolina is back to defend its national championship, but its reigning CWS Most Outstanding Player, Jackie Bradley, Jr., has been out of action since injuring his wrist back on April 23. Despite the injury, Bradley still was tabbed with the 40th overall pick last week by the Boston Red Sox. He said this week that he hopes to contribute in some way for his team in Omaha. Michael Roth made only two 2010 starts for the Gamecocks, but they both were in Omaha. The first was a complete-game win over archrival Clemson to help SC reach the CWS Finals, and the second came four days later against UCLA in the Finals. Roth (13-2, 1.02 ERA) has been South Carolina’s ace this year. He and veteran closer Matt Price (5-3, 2.16 ERA, 18 SVs) recently were named NCBWA second team All-Americans. The Gamecocks return several other everyday players from the 2010 championship team, including team triple-crown leader Christian Walker (.359 BA, 10 HR, 60 RBIs), who is only a sophomore.

Catcher Mike Zunino on a play at the 2010 CWS.

SEC Player of the Year Mike Zunino (.376, 18 HR, 66 RBIs) leads Florida back to Omaha for a second straight year. The iron-man catcher boasts a gaudy .686 slugging percentage that ranks 15th in the nation and is the best of any player in the College World Series field. Zunino is an NCBWS second team All-American who is one of only two Gators (Preston Tucker-.314 BA, 14 HR, 68 RBIs) to play in all 67 of his team’s games in 2011. Sophomore Brian Johnson (.312 BA, 5 HR, 27 RBIs – 8-3, 3.66 ERA) joins Virginia’s Hultzen as another top two-way player – but Johnson has yet to play since May 28, when he was injured at the SEC Tournament after a fluke play saw him hit by a throw from home plate to second base. Freshman pitcher Karsten Whitsen (8-0, 2.45 ERA)  joins the likes of 2010 CWS pitcher Gerrit Cole of UCLA and TCU’s Matt Purke to turn down first-round MLB Draft money in order to play college baseball. Whitsen was the ninth overall pick by San Diego in the 2010 draft. The decision to go to college worked out for Cole, who later became the number-one overall pick in the 2011 draft.

Justin Jones

California doesn’t have one or two players with eye-popping numbers to watch like the rest of the teams in the field. With six straight NCAA Tourney wins, the Golden Bears are the only non No. 1 regional seed that advanced to Omaha this year. What they do have though is “mojo” and a group of players who have refused to see their season, let alone program, end. Tony Renda (.335, 3 HR, 42 RBIs) is the Pac-10 Player of the Year. He is one of four Cal players to start all 58 games this season. Roommate Chadd Krist (.304, 2 HR, 43 RBIs) joins Renda with the superstition of eating an apple before every game. Sophomore pitcher Justin Jones (9-6, 2.93 ERA) could be the Cal player to watch for a multitude of reasons. First, the lefty has a head of shaggy hair that would make Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl jealous. Second, he wore a sling in the dugout in the Super Regional clincher after holding his arm midway through his game-one start. And finally (and probably most importantly), the fact that Jones is even still at Cal is a story in itself. The 2010 Freshman All-American thought about transferring when Cal announced it was eliminating the baseball program on Sept. 28, 2010. However, his decision to stay, along with the performances of fellow starter Erik Johnson (7-4, 2.91 ERA, 100 Ks) and the rest of his teammates, have helped propel the Golden Bears to a place they haven’t been in nearly 20 years (in Omaha for the CWS).

These are just some of the top players we’ll see over the next couple of weeks. One of the best things about the College World Series is the players who will burst out of the shadows to become stars with the flick of a bat, the twirl of a seam and the blink of an eye. Don’t believe me? Just ask Michael Roth!

If you’re going to the College World Series your one stop for the most officially licensed 2011 College World Series apparel is the all new Dugout, located right across the street from the Road To Omaha statue outside TD Ameritrade Stadium.

The Dugout has all the hats, t-shirts, and special CWS memorabilia as well as the same game caps worn by the top college baseball teams.

If you can’t make it to Omaha, just follow this link to Dugouthats.com. You’ll save 20% on your order when you enter the coupon code CB360!

39 Players Invited – 22 Will Make Final Roster…

USA Baseball Collegiate Team 2010 Schedule

Thoughts and Notes From Day One Super Regional Play

Matt Purke struckout 11 in TCU's 3-1 win over Texas. (TCU photo)

(I’m not going to mention the name of my phone provider, because c’mon this isn’t a product placement blimp.)  Anyway, I got to watch most of the last three innings of the Texas-TCU game on my phone while dining…and while my wife was driving.  I say “most”, because my phone ran out of juice with one out to go in the game.  I guess I still need to make the extra investment for a car charger.

Purked: How about the performance by TCU freshman Matt Purke in the 3-1 upset of #2 national seed Texas?  The lefty retired the first eight batters he faced and then 11 of the next 12 after allowing a hit in the third inning.  He struckout 11 and is now 14-0.

Backs To The Wall: Give Vanderbilt credit for rallying from a 6-0 deficit in the first three innings of the game.  The Commodores actually rallied back to tie the game and then take 7-6 and 8-7 leads before McGee’s heroics.  One Vandy loss now sends Florida State to Omaha and the Commodores back to Nashville.  Don’t count Tim Corbin’s guys out though.  They were 3-0 in elimination games to win last week’s Louisville Regional, including two wins over the #7 national seeded Cardinals.

Credit Where It’s Due: I was critical of the newly retired Eric Byrnes when he was making his debut as a college baseball analyst last week for his apparent lack of preparation.  Byrnes noted during Friday’s Florida-Miami telecast that he stayed in Florida all week to do his research rather than return home to the west coast.  Byrnes came with good stuff Friday, including locker room material Miami provided Florida, like Hurricane head coach Jim Morris calling his team the New York Yankees of college baseball.  Byrnes, Kyle Peterson and play-by-play man Clay Matvick seem a lot more comfortable together in the booth this week, and Byrnes’ care free attitude seems to bring out a lot more of Peterson’s personality.  More “Oppo Tacos” please.

Costly Miscue: It wasn’t scored as an error, but a big mistake by Miami shortstop Stephen Perez led to Florida’s first three runs of the Gainesville Super Regional.  With two outs and the bases loaded Perez thought he caught a sinking line drive off the bat of Brian Johnson to apparently end the inning.  However, it was ruled the he took it on a short hop, and since Perez never threw to first base it was ruled a hit and a run scored.  Florida’s next batter, Mike Zunino, then lined a single to left to score two more & make the score 3-0.

Alex Panteliodis (Gatorcountry.com)

Upon Further Review: Instant replay of Perez’s non catch appeared to show he had actually caught the ball.  Byrnes asked about using instant replay in college baseball like it’s used in college football and to some extent in MLB games.  “If you have the technology use it,” Byrnes said.  I agree with that to an extent.  I do think the big leagues need more replay, but I’m not in favor of it in the college game.  The biggest reason is with 301 Division One teams the Super Regionals and the College World Series are the only games guaranteed to be on TV.  Even the Regionals don’t have full television coverage.  The argument can be made that post season games are the most important, so available technology should be used when it’s there.  But what about those last three games of the regular season?  They were just as important to teams like Tennessee and Kentucky and several others who were trying to get into their post season tournaments, but TV isn’t uniformly in play like it is for the MLB.  When every college game’s on TV I’ll go for it (and by the way, that would be a pretty big day if every game is on TV), but until then no replay is the way to go.

Johnny Pants: A big time effort from Florida pitcher Alex Panteliodis.  The sophomore fanned 12 in a career-best nine innings to help the Gators down the Hurricanes 7-2.  It’s not just the first complete game of the season for Florida, it’s the staff’s first since 2008.  Pitching isn’t quite the same precious commodity in Super Regional play as it is in Regionals, but it’s always big to save every arm possible in the first game of a big series.  While Panteliodis went the distance for Florida, David Guiterrez and Jason Santana each worked four innings for Miami.

Miscues II: Miami had two errors which lead to five unearned runs in the five-run loss.  The Hurricanes have now committed 10 errors in their six NCAA Tournament games this year, while Florida is yet to commit an error in its four NCAA games.

Son Of A Robby: Florida’s Tyler Thompson is the son of 11-year MLB veteran Robby Thompson.  He was named to our Regional Prime Time Performer Honor Roll this week for his three home run game in last week’s Regional title game win over FAU.  Thompson homered again in Friday’s win over Miami to give him four HR in his last two games after hitting just two during the regular season.

Special K Day: Friday was a big strikeout day for starting pitchers.  Cal State Fullerton’s Noe Ramirez (12-1) had 13 Ks in 7 IP in a 4-3 win over #6 national seed UCLA.  Bruin starter Gerrit Cole had 7 Ks in 6 2/3 IP in the loss to move his season total to 138, which is the third best in Bruins history.

On The Clock: Don’t be surprised if the subject of the length of games comes up during and after the College World Series.  Last night’s Cal State Fullerton-UCLA game lasted 3:35.  Remember that experimental 20 second clock at the SEC Tournament?  It kept most 9-inning games at around three hours.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s implemented in the NCAA post season soon.

Visit our Super Regional Central Page – with links to all eight Super Regional capsules.