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Sun Devil Suspension Tops Recent News…

The big news of the week is the NCAA’s decision to uphold penalties against the Arizona State baseball program. The long and short of it is, the Division I Infractions Appeals Committee has upheld a one year NCAA postseason ban for the Sun Devils, meaning ASU will not be allowed to participate in the 2012 NCAA Baseball Tournament.

The decision stems from violations of “lack of institutional control” when Pat Murphy was still the head coach in Tempe.

The NCAA handed down its initial decision earlier this year and before the 2011 NCAA Tournament. A lot of college baseball fans were miffed that ASU was still allowed to participate in this year’s tournament. However, the Sun Devils were allowed to do so, because they appealed the NCAA’s ruling.

That appeals process that allowed them to participate in this year’s tournament is really no different than the appeals process for professional sports. If an MLB player receives a 10-game suspension for a fight he is allowed to appeal that suspension and he is still allowed to play during the appeals process. If he loses he sits. If he wins he plays.

ASU lost, and now Tim Esmay’s Sun Devils must sit during the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

No Holding The Tigers…

Missouri baseball coach Tim Jamieson

The SEC and Missouri formally announced one of the worst kept secrets in college sports over the weekend. The Tigers are leaving the Big 12 after a 104 year affiliation with the conference (most of it as the Big 8).

Mizzou baseball coach, Tim Jamieson, has led the Tigers to great success during his 17 seasons in Columbia, with eight NCAA Regional berths in that span. He has also sent players like Detroit Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer and Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler to the big leagues.

Things will get tougher for the Tigers in the SEC though. Missouri will compete in the SEC’s Eastern division, along with two-time defending national champion South Carolina (which calls the “other” Columbia home). Other schools in the division are Florida (two straight CWS appearances), Vanderbilt (2011 CWS), Georgia (national runner-up in ’09), Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Texas A&M is joining the SEC along with Missouri for the 2012-2013 academic year. The Aggies will be in the SEC West with LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss.

The Will of A Bulldog…

Former Fresno State baseball player, Dan Gladden, was recently inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame. Gladden was undrafted by any Major League team after his last year at FSU in 1979, but he convinced the San Francisco Giants to give him a tryout and went on to an 11-year MLB career with the Giants, Twins and Tigers. He helped Minnesota win the World Series in 1987 and 1991 and is currently a Twins broadcaster.

Sunny Shines On Giese…

It didn’t take Oklahoma long to fill the vacancy filled by the departure of Tim Tadlock. Sunny Golloway has hired Jack Giese as pitching coach to fill the void that was created when Tadlock left recently to become the Associate Head Coach at his alma mater, Texas Tech.

Giese has been a pitching coach for the last two years in the Tampa Bay Rays minor league organization. His previous collegiate coaching experience was at Howard College in Big Spring, Texas, which won the 2009 NJCAA national championship. He recruited six Sooners who played for Howard.

Brian Wilson in LSU gear before going on the Gameday set Saturday. He tweeted this pic @BrianWilson38

The Beard Lives On…

Did you catch San Francisco Giants closer, Brian Wilson, Saturday on ESPN’s College Gameday in Tuscaloosa? Wilson made a guest appearance on the set to make predictions for Saturday’s game. No surprise, the former LSU pitcher picked his team to beat Alabama. Taking a page from Lee Corso, Wilson donned a tiger head with a beard to make his pick known.

Holland Going Bluegrass…

Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland will hit the banquet circuit this winter. The quirky left, who did Harry Caray and Arnold Schwarzenager impersonations for FOX during the World Series, will be the keynote speaker at the Eastern Kentucky University Diamond dinner on Jan. 29. Holland played junior college ball at Wallace State in Alabama.

Swishalicious…

Ohio State alum, Nick Swisher, just donated $500,000 to his alma mater to help the school install field turf at Bill Davis Stadium. The New York Yankee outfielder was recognized over the weekend at halftime of the Ohio State-Indiana football game.

Swisher was the 2000 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He was the 16th overall pick in the 2002 MLB Draft and was featured prominently in the book Moneyball, which spawned the current Brad Pitt movie.

Speaking of Stadiums…

We mentioned in our last Notebook installment that UC Irvine head coach, Mike Gillespie, has a cameo as an Oakland A’s coach in Moneyball. Long Beach State’s Blair Field had a cameo as well. The field was used to double as Oakland’s spring training facility in the movie.

Speaking of Stadiums II…

Texas A&M – Corpus Christi is getting a face lift to both its baseball and softball facilities. Chapman Field will have the surfaces of both the softball and baseball fields will be completely rebuilt, with new dirt and sod being brought in to replace the current surface along with new irrigation systems. The bullpens for softball and baseball will also be rebuilt, with baseball’s to be enclosed within the field. Both fields will also get new windscreens around the perimeter of the fence.

The baseball facility will also add an eight-pole lighting system to allow the Islanders to play home night games on campus. In conjunction with this, new seating will be brought in to expand baseball’s bleacher seating capacity to nearly 700 at Chapman Field (not including available berm seating), with the existing baseball bleacher seating being moved over to softball.

 

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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.

We recently posted three different polls here on Collegebaseball360.com to get your feedback on a handful of questions. Here’s a look at how they came out with some thoughts on each:

One format recently discussed by the NCAA would flip-flop those formats, starting with a two-team best-two-of-three Regional followed by a four-team double-elimination Super Regional. That format is favored by 21% of those who voted.

The greatest benefit to this format would be the fact that 32 different schools would get the chance to host Regionals rather than the current 16. Eight teams would then host Super Regionals, with the winners qualifying for Omaha. That means there is a potential for 40 different host sites in the first two rounds.

The other format calls for three best-two-of-three series, which is favored by 39% of those who cast their votes. This format would allow 32 teams to host a first-round Regional, 16 teams would host in the second round and eight teams would host third round series, with the winners advancing to the College World Series. There are potentially 56 host sites under this format.

Like those who voted, we favor the third option. It would add an extra week to the postseason, but it does a couple other things that would be good for college baseball.

First, it gives more teams the chance to host postseason games.  One seeds would host four seeds and two seeds would host three seeds.  It would be pretty exciting to have college baseball in 32 locations around the country to open the postseason.

Second, it’s a format that better duplicates the way the game is played during the regular season when teams play weekend three-game series (as pointed out by the NCAA in its proposal). With the exception of the final “if necessary” games, the format is also more television friendly, because game times are all predetermined. In a double-elimination format the time a team plays on day two and day three is determined by a win or a loss on day one.

Multiple games every day would be eliminated, which makes dealing with weather a lot easier too. As we saw last year in the Coral Gables Regional, weather is a TV nightmare. (Click here to see more details on this subject).

Regular Season Poll

The second poll question is an idea floated by Oklahoma head coach Sunny Golloway. The Sooner skipper would like to see the college baseball season shift so that it is played more in the summer than late winter and spring.

“I think in the fall…should be like our summer. That’s where our athletes should take three or six (credit) hours, be able to relax more and have some down time. And then let’s start in the spring, getting going,” Golloway recently told us.

Golloway argues that college baseball currently gets lost in the large shadow of the popularity of college basketball and “March Madness“. He also thinks that college baseball stadiums around the country would have a better chance to be filled by starting later in the spring when temperatures are warmer.

Sunny Golloway

Golloway says the shift in the season would also allow for a better opportunity at a national television contract that would give fans the chance to “fall in love” with college baseball the way they have with college hoops and college football.

All the points Golloway makes are valid. However, it would be a pretty radical shift for college presidents around the country to shift their academic calenders to accommodate college baseball (even if student-athletes in other sports were still in school during the traditional academic calender). There would likely have to be a large  TV revenue guarantee to give it a chance to happen.

golloway-tv

Press “Play” above to listen to Golloway’s comments.

A shift to a summer slate would do a few other things as well:

1. It would shift the way college coaches recruit and actually see recruits. A good chunk of this is currently done in the summer months when the college season is over. If the start of the college season was pushed to even April (when high school seasons are starting) instead of late February it would make it tougher for many college coaches to ever see a recruit play in a real game setting.

2. It would virtually eliminate the college summer leagues. Cape Cod, Alaska and other points around the country might no longer be destinations of college players once their college regular seasons end. There might be a way to make it happen in August and September, but it would be tougher. The summer leagues are important not only to the highly touted college prospects, but probably even more to players lower on college depth charts who need summer leagues for the chance to get real playing experience.

3. It would tax support staffs. Even at bigger schools like Oklahoma, people who work in media relations/sports information departments and on athletic training staffs work more than just one sport. At smaller schools these behind the scenes, but very important, staffers are working two, three and even four sports. Unlike the baseball players themselves, most of these staffers would not have the luxury of time off in the fall, because they would be busy working another sport.

One thing is for sure though, there’s a new flexible landing spot in Omaha if the college schedule were to go to a summer schedule. Unlike Rosenblatt Stadium, the new TD Ameritrade Park doesn’t have to share its field with a minor league baseball team, so the CWS could take place there anytime from virtually May through October. Which takes us to…

The Stadium Poll

The sun has set on Rosenblatt Stadium

College Baseball 360 blogger (and Omaha native) Paul Fiarkoski recently answered the question “What happened to Rosenblatt Stadium?”. He also asked the question “Do you agree with the decision to replace Rosenblatt?”.  The answer is a resounding “No”.

A whopping 83% of those who voted say they do not agree with the decision to replace the historic facility. Only 15% say they do agree, while 2% say they are not sure.

It is an understandable response, especially for those like Paul who grew-up in the shadow of Rosenblatt. Nostalgia is a big part of the American psyche and change can be hard to accept. While I agree with Paul and the 83%, the question is now moot.

TD Ameritrade Park is just three months away from hosting its first game when Creighton and Nebraska break-in the new facility on April 19. The Blue Jays will play their remaining 11 home contests at TDAP after that first game and then the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament gets the final tune-up from May 24-29 before the first College World Series first pitch in downtown Omaha on June 18.

Time marches on.

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

Sunny Golloway

Golloway’s idea would move the college baseball schedule to the summer, which would also mean changing the way college baseball players attend classes. “I think baseball players should go to school in the summer full-time. I think baseball players should go to school in the spring full-time,” he recently told CB360 contributor Chris Webb. “I think in the fall…should be like our summer. That’s where our athletes should take three or six (credit) hours, be able to relax more and have some down time. And then let’s start in the spring, getting going.”

Golloway argues that college baseball currently gets lost in the large shadow of the popularity of college basketball and “March Madness”. He also thinks that college baseball stadiums around the country would have a better chance to be filled by starting later in the spring when temperatures are warmer. Golloway says the shift in the season would also allow for a better opportunity at a national television contract that would give fans the chance to “fall in love” with college baseball they way they have with college hoops and college football.

golloway-tv Click the “Play” button to listen to more of Golloway’s comments.

What do you think about the idea of a summer college baseball schedule?  Cast your vote now!!

View This Poll

Save Cal Baseball Drive Continues…

Cal Baseball continues to get closer to its goal of being reinstated. A recent message via Facebook from the “Save Cal Baseball” group says they are “VERY close” to their goal of $10 million raised to reinstate baseball and the other four sports that got the ax at Cal back in September. Those other sports are men’s and women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse and rugby. The group’s goal has been to have that $10 by January 1, 2011 and then raise another $2.5 by next year to keep those sports running for the next four years. The immediate problem specific to the baseball program is continued uncertainty. Two current Cal players plan to transfer after the current fall semester. Prized freshman pitcher Eric Jaffe will go to UCLA, where he will apply for an NCAA waiver to play in 2011. Infielder Brett Bishop plans to go to Fresno Community College. Sophomore ace Justin Jones (10-6, 4.22 ERA) could also transfer to Oregon, although he will stay at Cal for the upcoming season.

Todd Walker

The Hall On The Bayou…

Former LSU and MLB baseball player Todd Walker was recently inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Walker was a first-team All-American in 1993 and ’94. He was named the College World Series MVP while helping the Bayou Bengals to the ’93 national title. Walker set the SEC’s all-time records for hits, runs, RBIs, and total bases in his three season at LSU. He went on to a 12-year Major League career after being taken with the 8th overall pick in the first round of the 1994 draft. He was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame last year and was also named to CWS Legends Team earlier this year.

Dinner With A Side Of Murphy…

Former Arizona State baseball coach Pay Murphy is no longer working in college baseball, but he’s still around the game. Murphy is on the lecture circuit giving seminars to high school players who aspire to play at the next level. A release for an upcoming event in the Chicago suburbs says Murphy will “explain how the college recruiting process really works and will inform you on what college coaches look for in players. Also discussed will be work ethic, desire, intangibles and the importance of academic success which starts in high school.” Murphy is also currently employed by the San Diego Padres.

Villanova football/baseball star Matt Szczur

Hail Szczur…

Two-sport star Matt Szczur (pronounced SEE-zur) and the Villanova football team are at it again. Szczur scored four touchdowns and threw for another to lead the Wildcats to a 42-24 win over Appalachian State to advance to the FCS football playoff semi-finals over the weekend. Villanova is the reigning FCS national champion. Szczur played baseball at Villanova last season and signed with the Chicago Cubs after being taken in the 5th round of this year’s MLB Draft. He also took time off from Villanova’s baseball season in 2010 to donate bone marrow to 19-month-old girl with leukemia. VU baseball teammates Christian Culicerto and Marlon Calbi both play for the football team as well. CLICK HERE to read more about Villanova’s playoff win.

The Schedules Continue To Roll In…

As of our latest tally, only roughly 40 of 300 Division One 2011 college baseball schedules are yet to be released. We have done our best to post them on our Schedule Page as they have been announced throughout the fall. We have also made some new additions to the Schedule Page this year. You will now be able to access 2011 schedules, 2011 rosters, 2010 team statistics, and 2011 team statistics (as they all become available). Be sure to bookmark the Schedule Page for easy access to all this information throughout the 2011 college baseball season!

Oklahoma coach Sunny Galloway‘s emotional reflection on the Sooners’ Rosenblatt moments … Tyler Ogle discusses his home run … South Carolina coach Ray Tanner commends both teams … Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Brady Thomas comment on their hard-earned hits.

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.

Oklahoma Next Faces South Carolina At CWS

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Best two of three series (All times Eastern)

Gm 1 – Saturday - FINAL: Virginia 3, Oklahoma 2 |  Final Stats

UVA Recap | OU Recap *Virginia leads series 1-0

Gm 2 – Sunday – FINAL: Oklahoma 10, Virginia 7 | Final Stats
OU Recap | UVA Recap * Series tied (1-1)
* Highlight: OU’s Cody Reine 2 HR & 5 RBIs

Gm 3 – Monday FINAL: Oklahoma 11, Virginia 0 | Live Stats
OU Recap | UVA Recap

* Oklahoma wins series (2-1)

The Skinny

Virginia:  (#5 National Seed) This is head coach Brian O’Connor’s seventh season at Virginia, and the Cavaliers have been to the NCAA Tournament in each of those seven seasons.  The team is in its second straight and overall Super Regional, but this is the first time it has hosted a Super.  They advanced to last year’s College World Series by winning the last two games of their Super Regional at Mississippi.

Danny Hultzen (10-1, 2.83) is the ACC Pitcher of the Year.  He had a 2.05 ERA during last year’s NCAA Tournament, but he had a rough Regional outing last week when he gave-up six runs in six innings in a 13-7 win over Ole Miss. Hultzen hit  last year, but he’s focused more on pitching this year with a .281 average and just 15 starts.

Kevin Arico has been one of the nation’s top closers all year.  He is tied for the NCAA lead with 17 saves, a 2.59 ERA and 40 strikeouts with just seven walks in 31 1/3 IP.

Keith Werman leads the Cavs with a .430 average, Steven Procsia tops the team with 10 HR and 64 RBIs (he’s tied with Jarrett Parker for the HR lead), while Phil Gosselin stuffs all the stats with a .378 avg., 9 HR, 57 RBIs, 18 SB, and a 1.066 OPS.

Oklahoma:  Sunny Golloway has the Sooners in the Super Regionals for just the second time since the format began in 1999.  OU saw Arkansas advance to the College World Series last year out of the Norman Regional, but the Sooners were 3-0 in Regional play this year, including the championship game win over four-time CWS participant North Carolina.

The Sooners don’t have the vaunted starting pitching that Big 12 rival Texas has, but they have big arms in the bullpen.  Jeremy Erben (7-1, 3.90, 4 SVs) has the second most wins on the staff, but he’s made just two starts while coming out of the pen 27 times.  Ryan Duke slams the door at the end with a 3-1 record and 11 saves.

The OU line-up has both power and pedigree.  Cameron Seitzer (14 HR) and Garrett Buechele (16 HR) have helped Oklahoma top the Big 12 with 93 home runs.  Seitzer is the son of former Kansas City Royals Rookie of the Year Kevin Seitzer, while Buechele’s dad is former Texas Ranger Steve Buechele.

Charlottesville Super Regional