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Some Questions, Anxiety Raised…

By CB360’s Paul Fiarkoski

Along with the move to the new TD Ameritrade Park for the 2011 College World Series, the NCAA has implemented a few changes as to how fans will get tickets. Changes that are raising questions for some, anxiety for others.

TD Ameritrade Park, Omaha. Photo courtesy baseballparks.com

The most noticeable change is that reserved tickets for individual games were not made available for purchase online as in past years. Instead, ticket pre-sales were limited to the purchase of “season” tickets. Previous season ticket holders had dibs on seats at the new stadium. A season ticket holder owns rights to their reserved seat(s) for all games of the College World Series only.

Some long-time season ticket holders were miffed with the process early on since they were asked to pay upfront for tickets without knowing exactly where their seats would be. They received letters in early spring detailing the location of their seats.

Other fans are asking how they can get tickets since there was no online presale of reserved seats as in years past. Currently, the only legitimate online ticket sales are through a site called Flash Seats, the only outlet endorsed by the NCAA, operated by a company called Veritix that specializes in paperless event tickets.

“The NCAA’s agreement with Veritix provides our fans with a legitimate and safe means to purchase tickets on the secondary market,”  said Dennis Poppe, NCAA VP of football and baseball.

Ways to buy tickets
Aside from the presale of season tickets, there are other means by which non-season ticket holders can obtain tickets according to the NCAA website:

1. General admission ticket books. By purchasing books of general admission (GA) tickets at various outlets in the Omaha area or by mail, phone or web. General admission tickets entitle the bearer to an unreserved seat in the bleachers beyond left or right field. Admission is on a first come, first served basis for about 5,500 people. Since GA tickets are good for any game during the series, a long wait in line before the game is generally the only sure way to gain admission.
2. From ticket holders. Prior to and throughout the series, season-ticket holders are able to sell or transfer their reserved seats to friends, family or buyers through Flash Seats – a new website endorsed by the NCAA. (As of May 31, when the 64 tournament teams were announced, tickets were selling for over 300% of face value.)
3. At the box office. Fans can purchase tickets in person at the box office during the tournament. Once the Series is underway, a limited number of individual reserved seat tickets, will go on sale through the TD Ameritrade Park box office starting at 10 a.m. on game days. At 9:30 a.m., a random drawing will be held every day that games are played to determine the order in which fans may line up to purchase reserved seat tickets. Each person in line may purchase up to four tickets. No telephone or internet orders will be accepted for reserved seats from the box office.

Upgrading general admission tickets
Todd Kindvall will be returning to Omaha from Eaton, CO for his second College World Series. His first was in 2010.

“My buddy who lives north of Omaha bought a couple books of general admission tickets,” said Kindvall. “We’re going to sit in the GA seats for the weekend games and upgrade to reserved seats during the week.”

Buying tickets from resellers
Curt Stimpson is a retired baseball coach in Redmond, WA. He first came to the College World Series in 2002 as a birthday gift from his wife and has been back several times since.

“I know the $28 face-value reserved tickets being offered right now by the NCAA approved vendors are selling from between $80 & $120 per ticket,” Stimpson said. “Not many average Nebraska fathers and sons are going to be taking advantage of that. I’m thinking that attendance might be affected.”

Another option is to purchase tickets from private sellers in front of the stadium. “In my experience private party sellers around the stadium have only sold their tickets at face value,” Stimpson said.

Of course, traditional websites such as Ebay and Craigslist remain options for purchasing tickets too.

Watch out for scammers
Where there is money to be made, you always need to be careful of scams. In May, Omaha TV station WOWT featured the  story of an Omaha doctor who paid $29 each for what he thought was reserved tickets. What he received in the mail was a book of general admission tickets that he could have bought locally for $8 per ticket.

“I’m certainly not going to take my wife and two little kids to wait in line all day for a chance at a seat,” Dr. Foix told WOWT. “I needed reserved seats and that’s what I thought I was getting.”

Tips for buying College World Series tickets:

• The more flexible your schedule is, the more likely you are to get tickets at face value. Fans can typically walk up and purchase tickets at the box office an hour before afternoon games during the week. Tickets to the championship games, as well as evening or weekend games, will be much harder to obtain.
• Bad weather means good seats. If the forecast calls for a high probabability of rain or extreme heat, you can count on plenty of tickets being available at the ticket office or from resellers outside the stadium.
• General admission tickets may be upgraded to reserved tickets for the price of the reserved ticket minus the face value of the general admission ticket ($8).
• Due to a new queueing process the NCAA implemented in 2010, there is no advantage to arriving at the ticket box office earlier than 9 a.m. That’s because people in line will be given a ticket with a number on it. One of those tickets will be designated by random selection as the first person to purchase tickets, and anyone ahead of that person must move to the back of the line.
• New this year: tickets purchased at the box office may be paid for with a credit or debit card. Cash is an acceptable form of payment too, but checks will no longer be accepted.
• Another twist for 2011: each person in line is limited to four tickets per game. The limit was six in past years.

Related Resources:
NCAA Ticket Information Page>>
Tailgating Guidelines>>
New: CWS Circulator Shuttle>>

If you can’t make it to Omaha, be sure to visit Dugouthats.com to find the biggest selection of 2011 CWS apparel. Enter the coupon code CB360 to save 20% on your order! If you are going to the CWS, the new Dugout is easy to find – it’s right across the street from TD Ameritrade Park’s home plate entrance!!

The Dugout‘s new store in Omaha is located right across from the Road To Omaha statue at TD Ameritrade Stadium!

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Scores From All Super Regional Games Included…

Courtesy Gatorzone.com

Arizona State. The Longhorns have now won five straight NCAA elimination games going back to their regional to earn the program’s 34th trip to the College World Series.

South Carolina completed a two-game sweep of UConn on Sunday to punch a second straight trip to Omaha. Ray Tanner’s Gamecocks are the first defending champion to return to the CWS the next year since Oregon State in 2007.

Mike Fox‘s Tar Heels are back at the College World Series for the fifth time in the past six years, while Tim Corbin‘s Commodores are there for the first time in school history.

Two CWS match-ups are now set. Florida will face Texas, while Vanderbilt plays North Carolina in opening round play.

Just two Super Regionals are yet to be decided. Virginia hosts UC Irvine at 4 p.m. and Florida State hosts Texas A&M at 7 p.m. on Monday with the winners of those games punching their CWS tickets. Both of those games will be televised on ESPN2.

All Super Regional capsules, with scores, recaps and more, are listed below!

Following on this page are capsules for each of the eight Super Regionals and the 16 teams that still are alive. Schedules and TV assignments are included as well.

Scores for each of the games along with recaps from each team and box scores are being added throughout the weekend.

The four Friday-Saturday-Sunday Super Regionals are listed first, followed by the four that take place Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

(Super Regionals determined by best two-of-three format)

Gainesville Super Regional – #2 national seed Florida vs. Mississippi State

Florida is looking for a second straight trip to Omaha, while SEC rival Mississippi State last made the trek to college baseball’s promised land in 2007 (also the previous time the Bulldogs even made the NCAA Tournament). Florida took two out of three games from the Bulldogs in their regular season SEC series in Starkville back in April. The Gators also beat MSU 7-5 in their SEC Tournament opener last month.

Florida is led by SEC player of the year Mike Zunino (.371, 16 HR, 62 RBIs), recently named a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award. Mississippi State’s Jarrod Parks (.365, 3 HR, 36 RBIs) ranks 12th in the nation with 20 times hit-by-pitch. His team also ranks 12th nationally in that department with 90 HBP.

The Gators have three starting pitchers who have won at least eight games, while Bulldog reliever Luis Pollorena (7-5) has the most wins on the MSU staff.

Gainesville Schedule

Game 1 – Florida 11-11-0 def. Miss. State 1-7-2
Final Stats | FL Recap (w/ video) | MSU Recap |  AP Recap (w/ video)  |  Quotes |  Photos

Game 2 – Mississippi State 4-7-1 won at Florida 3-11-0 … series tied
Final Stats |  MSU Recap |  FL Recap |  Postgame Video (MS)  |  AP Recap (w/ video highlights)

Game 3: Florida 8-10-0 def. Mississippi State 6-11-1
Final Stats | MSU Recap | FL Recap | Postgame Video (FL)

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Austin Super Regional – #7 national seed Texas vs. Arizona State

Joey DeMichele

This clash of the titans Super Regional features two programs that have combined for 55 College World Series appearances. The Sun Devils are looking for their third straight CWS appearance and second in a row under head coach Tim Esmay. The Longhorns are looking to get back to Omaha after falling at home to TCU in the 2010 Super Regional. The Longhorns went all the way to the 2009 CWS Finals, with a win over ASU to get there in what was Pat Murphy’s last game as head coach.

Joey DeMichele (.368, 9 HR, 48 RBIs) leads an ASU offense that includes eight players hitting .301 or better. Sun Devils shortstop Deven Marerro was named the 2011 Pac-10 defensive player of the year. None of ASU’s weekend starters this season were in the rotation last year.

Taylor Jungmann

Taylor Jungmann (13-1, 1.39 ERA) fronts a Texas team that, as usual, relies on pitching, defense and small ball. Jungmann was selected with the 12th overall pick of this week’s MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. The 2011 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year suffered his first loss of the season in the week’s regional opener against Kent State. Freshman closer Cory Knebel (3-2, 1.29 ERA, 17 SVs) slams the door at the end. His save total is tied for fourth nationally.

The Longhorns’ 16 home runs are the second-fewest of any Super Regional team (UC Irvine-13) but they lead the nation with 103 sacrifice bunts.

CLICK HERE to listen to an exclusive CB360 podcast interview with Texas head coach Augie Garrido.

Austin Schedule

Game 1: Arizona State 3-5-1 def. Texas 1-8-2
Final Stats | ASU Recap | TX Recap |  AP Recap (w/ video highlights)  |  Photos |  Quotes

Game 2 – at Texas 5-8-0 def. Arizona State 1-8-1
Final Stats |  TX Recap |  ASU Recap |  Photos |  Quotes |  Notes | AP Recap (w/ video highlights)

Game 3: Texas 4-9-1 def. Arizona State 2-6-0
Final Stats | TX Recap | ASU Recap | Quotes | Photos | Notes

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapel Hill Super Regional – #3 national seed North Carolina vs. Stanford

The red-hot Tar Heels have won 17 of their past 21 games heading into Super Regional play. A series sweep of Virginia to close the regular season is the high-water mark in that stretch. It was the Cavs’ only series loss all year. UNC is looking to get back to the CWS after getting bounced at the Norman Regional in 2010. Prior to that, the Tar Heels made four straight trips to Omaha from 2006-2009.

Levi Michael

Freshman Colin Moran (.335, 9 HR, 69 RBIs) is the team triple crown leader. His RBI total ranks 14th nationally. Moran comes from good lineage. His older brother, Brian, was an All-American an UNC, while his uncle B.J. Surhoff was the national player of the year in Chapel Hill prior to a 19-year Major League career. Moran is joined in the lineup by shortstop Levi Michael (.297, 5 HR, 48 RBIs), a first round MLB Draft pick by the Minnesota Twins earlier this week. Michael enrolled at North Carolina and became a starter for UNC’s 2009 College World Series team, in what would have been his senior semester in high school.

Stanford has a young and battle-tested team whose ability belies its overall record. Mark Marquess‘ squad features eight freshmen or sophomores in the everyday lineup. They played a brutal early-season schedule, with road trisps to three teams (Vanderbilt, Rice and Texas) that were eventual national seeds. Stanford went 13-12 against top-25 teams this season, but experience against some of the top pitchers in the country has made them better. How about this list: #1 overall MLB Draft pick Gerrit Cole (UCLA), #3 overall pick Trevor Bauer (UCLA), #12 overall pick Taylor Jungmann (Texas), #18 overall pick Sonny Gray (Vandebilt), #20 overall pick Tyler Anderson (Oregon), Oregon State ace Sam Gaviglio, Arizona’s #1 Kurt Heyer, and Vandy’s talented #2 Grayson Garvin

Chris Reed.

The Cardinal doesn’t have eye-popping offensive numbers, but Stephen Piscotty (.370, 3 HR, 40 RBIs) leads an offense that gets the job done. As usual, Stanford is built on pitching, including first-round MLB Draft pick Chris Reed (6-2, 2.54 ERA, 9 SVs), who went with the 16th overall pick to the L.A. Dodgers.

Chapel Hill Schedule

Game 1: North Carolina 5-10-1 def. Stanford 2-7-2
Final Stats | UNC Recap | STAN Recap |  AP Recap (w/ video)

Game 2 – at North Carolina 7-14-1 def. Stanford 5-9-1 … UNC adv. to CWS
Final Stats |  UNC Recap |  STAN Recap |  AP Recap (w/ video)   |  Photos-1 |  Photos-2 |  Quotes |  Notes

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Nashville Super Regional – #6 national seed Vanderbilt vs. Oregon State

Vanderbilt has, arguably, the most balanced overall team in the Super Regionals. The Commodores rank third in the nation with a 2.41 ERA and sixth in the country with their .319 batting average. Vandy made a bit of a Cinderella run to the 2010 Super Regionals by knocking off national seed Louisville in the regional round. Tim Corbin‘s program still is in search of its first College World Series berth – and this could be his best chance. His team set an SEC record this week by having 11 players selected in the MLB Draft.

Grayson Garvin

Sonny Gray (11-3, 2.01 ERA) and Grayson Garvin (13-1, 2.37 ERA) are the two-headed monster at the front of the weekend rotation, while Navery Moore (4-2, 1.21 ERA, 11 SVs) has dominated in the closer’s role. Gray was drafted by the Oakland A’s with the 18th overall pick this week. Game-3 starter Taylor Hill (5-1, 2.84 ERA), Garvin and Moore also were among the VU draftees. Jason Esposito (.362, 8 HR, 55 RBIs) and Aaron Westlake (.349, 14 HR, 48 RBIs) lead the offense and a slew of position players who were among the team’s recent draftees.

Andrew Susac

Oregon State is looking to get back to the College World Series for the first time since winning back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007. In fact, this is the first Super Regional for Pat Casey‘s club since the ’07 trip to Omaha. A five-game losing streak to USC and Oregon to close the regular season cost OSU a likely national seed, but the Beavers won all three games at their regional last week.

OSU has relied heavily on pitching in its success this year. Starters Sam Gaviglio (12-2, 1.87 ERA) and Josh Osich (6-4, 3.64 ERA) both were drafted this week. Osich – who fired a no-hitter against UCLA on April 30 – will miss the Super Regional due to tendinitis in his arm. Catcher Andrew Susac (.313, 5 HR, 32 RBIs) was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the second round. Susac had surgery on April 11 for a broken bone in his hand and returned to action on May 11. Oregon State’s bullpen, led by Tony Bryant (3-2, 1.52 ERA, 12 SVs), has been lights-out this year. The team is 36-0 when taking a lead into the 9th inning.

Nashville Schedule

Game 1 – Vanderbilt 11-11-1 def. Oregon State 1-4-0
Final Stats | VU Recap | OSU Recap |  AP Recap (w/ video)

Game 2 – Vanderbilt 9-12-2 def. Oregon State 3-8-2 … VAN adv. to CWS
Final Stats |  VAN Recap |  OS Recap |  AP Recap (w/ video)  |  VAN Notes |  OS Notes

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Charlottesville Super Regional – #1 national seed Virginia vs. UC Irvine

If there’s a window of opportunity that could be closing, this could be it for Virginia. The past three seasons have been the most successful in the history of the program. Brian O’Connor took a young program to its first College World Series two years ago, and now that group – led by Danny Hultzen (11-3, 1.57 ERA ) – is playing in its third straight Super Regional. The Cavs made it to Omaha two years ago by winning their Super Regional at Ole Miss, but they saw Oklahoma take two of three in the first Super Regional hosted by UVA (in 2010).

Danny Hultzen

Virginia isn’t flashy offensively, but they grind and find a way to get on base and they don’t strike out. Their 95 times hit-by-pitch rank sixth in the nation and is the most of any of the 16 remaining teams. Add the 95 HBP to their 214 walks and then look at their paltry 306 strikeouts – that’s plate discipline that a big-boned family at a buffet wishes they had. UVA’s top three batters – David Coleman (.369, 2 HR, 39 RBIs), Steven Proscia (.341, 8 HR, 58 RBIs) and John Hicks (.339, 7 HR, 54 RBIs) – have combined to strike out only 68 times in 657 total at-bats.

Hultzen was selected with the second overall pick in the draft this week by Seattle. He’s joined in the rotation by Will Roberts (11-1, 1.61 ERA), who fired a perfect game earlier this season. Closer Branden Kline (3-0, 1.78 ERA, 17 SVs) is tied for fourth nationally in saves.

Brian Hernandez

The Los Angeles Regional had the look of one that would be hard to navigate, with teams like pitching-heavy UCLA and Fresno State and even San Francisco in the field. UC Ivine cam -out of L.A. unscathed, though, by going 3-0 to reach the program’s third Super Regional in the past five years.

Like Virginia, Mike Gillespie‘s Anteaters rely on their pitching to compensate for a lack of offensive power. Irvine’s 13 home runs are the fewest of any team in this weekend’s Super Regionals. Big West pitcher of the year Matt Summers (11-2, 1.72 ERA) was drafted by Minnesota this week with the 148th overall pick, but Brian Hernandez (.351, 31 RBIs) is the team’s top overall player. Hernandez is the Big West defensive player of the year and he leads his team not only in batting average but also with 12 saves. He was drafted this week by the L.A. Dodgers, while team home run and RBI leader Drew Hillman (.336, 5 HR, 50 RBIs) was selected by the Phillies.

Charlottesville Schedule

Game 1 – at Virginia 6-12-0 def. UC Irvine 0-4-1
Final Stats |  VA Recap |  UCI Recap |  Photos

Game 2: UC Irvine 6-10-2 def. Virginia 4-7-1
Final Stats | UCI Recap | VA Recap

Game 3: Virginia 3-10-2 def. UC Irvine 2-6-0
Final Stats | VA Recap | UCI Recap

Video of John Taylor‘s game-winning hit.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Santa Clara Super Regional – California vs. Dallas Baptist

How “Cinderella” is this Super Regional? When Cal and Dallas Baptist won regionals in Houston and Ft. Worth last week, they didn’t even know where their Super Regional would be played, because their home facilities didn’t meet NCAA specifications.

Cal had its program cut last fall, then had it reinstated during the season thanks the the efforts of the Save Cal Baseball group, and then went to No. 8 national seed Rice and won the Houston Regional. They did it by winning four straight games after falling to Baylor in their opener. The win that sent the Golden Bears to the Super Regional came thanks to a 4-run rally against Baylor in the bottom of the 9th inning. When you’ve been fighting for your lives for eight months, what’s four runs in one elimnation inning?

Jason Krizan

Dallas Baptist has only been a Division One program since 2006. It took the Patriots only two years to qualify for an NCAA Regional, as an independent, after moving from the NAIA ranks … and now they’re in their first Super Regional, after helping send TCU and Oklahoma (both 2010 CWS teams) packing at the Ft. Worth Regional.

The bottom line with both of these teams is that they can play. Dallas Baptist has been led by senior Jason Krizan all season. The outfielder ranks among the nation’s leaders in virtually every offensive category. Here’s his line: .419 batting, 101 hits, 10 HR, 81 RBIs, 39 doubles, .714 slg%, .502 OBP, 13 SB, 23 K, 40 BB. He’s not alone though. Krizan is one of six Patriots to start at least 59 games who are batting .292 or better.  Dan Heefner‘s teams also did it with games against the likes of TCU, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Rice, and A-10 champion Charlotte during the regular season. Krizan and staff ace Brandon Williamson (10-3, 3.98 ERA) were among DBU’s top draftees this week. CLICK HERE to listen to a CB360 exclusive interview with Jason Krizan.

Erik Johnson

Dave Esquer‘s Cal Bears didn’t have to search for tough competition the way Dallas Baptist does, because they see it every week in the Pac-10 (see the list of pitchers Stanford has faced this year and apply the conference hurlers to Cal). The Bears have a stellar pitching staff of their own, led by Erik Johnson (6-4, 2.91 ERA) and lefty Justin Jones (8-6, 3.09 ERA). After the announcement to eliminate the program, it looked for a time like Jones might transfer to another school after the fall semester, but he opted to stay and the decision has paid off for him and his team. Tony Renda (.335, 3 HR, 41 RBIs), Chadd Krist (.306 25 doubles, 40 RBIs) and Regional MVP Devon Rodriguez (.292, 5 HR, 33 RBIs) lead a balanced Bears offense. Johnson was the highest-drafted player (2nd round, White Sox) this week among seven Golden Bears selected.

Cal won the first College World Series in 1947. Its most-recent trip to Omaha was in 1992.

CLICK HERE to read more about this Cinderella Super Regional.

Santa Clara Schedule

Game 1 – California 7-11-0 def. Dallas Baptist 0-3-0
Final Stats |  Cal Recap |  DB Recap |  Photos |  Quotes |  Notes

Post Game Video – Including Cal’s David Esquer & Justin Jones and DBU’s Dan Heefner & Brandon Williamson

Game 2: Cal 6-13-1 def. Dallas Baptist 2-4-1
Final Stats | Cal Recap | DBU Recap | Quotes | Photos | Notes

Post Game Video – David Esquer, Chadd Krist & Tony Renda

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Tallahassee Super Regional – #5 national seed Florida State vs. Texas A&M

Ho hum, Florida State is hosting another Super Regional. Mike Martin‘s Seminoles are looking for a 21st trip to the College World Series, including a third trip in the past four years. Texas A&M is looking for just its fourth CWS berth and its first since 1999.

Ross Stripling

Big 12 coach of the year Rob Childress is looking to take his A&M team to Omaha for the first time, but he was an assistant at Nebraska when the Cornhuskers made CWS appearances in 2001, ’02 and ’05. The Aggies won their second straight Big 12 Tournament this year but probably missed the chance to be a national seed due to the labrum injury suffered by ace John Stilson (5-2, 1.68 ERA). Ross Stripling (13-2, 2.30 ERA) and Michael Wacha (8-3, 2.24) still combine for a more than formidable 1-2 punch in the rotation. Stripling fired a complete game in the Aggies’ regional opening win and then earned his third save of the season when he closed the regional clincher against Arizona. Big 12 player of the year Tyler Naquin (.389, 21 doubles, 7 triples, 43 RBIs) leads the Aggies offensive attack.

Mike McGee

While Florida State is a regular at hosting Super Regionals, that hasn’t always translated into automatic success. The Seminoles have dropped Super Regional series at Dick Howser Stadium in 2002, ’03 and ’09, with wins in ’08 and 2010. They also fell on the road in Super Regional action in 2001, ’04 and ’05. Two-way player Mike McGee (.332, 10 HR, 56 RBIs, 5 SVs) had the chance to go pro when he was drafted in 2010, but he returned and improved his draft slot by 26 rounds when he was tabbed by Seattle this week in the 15th round. The centerfielder had 13 saves last year but returned for the chance to show his offensive prowess. Staff ace Sean Gilmartin (12-1, 1.83 ERA) was selected 28th overall by Atlanta. Senior Daniel Bennett (2.10 ERA, 15 SVs) has taken over the main closer’s role.

Tallahassee Schedule

Game 1 – Texas A&M 6-7-1 win at Florida State 2-9-2
Final Stats |  A&M Recap |  FSU Recap |  Photos |  Quotes |  Notes |  Postgame Video |  Video Highlights

Game 2: Florida State 23-16-1 def. Texas A&M 9-12-4
Final Stats | FSU Recap| A&M Recap | Notes | Quotes | Photos

Game 3: Texas A&M 11-11-0 def. Florida State 2-4-1
Final Stats | A&M Recap | FSU Recap

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Columbia Super Regional – #4 national seed South Carolina vs. Connecticut

George Springer

Monday was quite a day for both UConn and the Big East Conference. While the Huskies were in the process of beating Clemson 14-1 in the Clemson Regional final, their two best players, George Springer (.350, 12 HR, 76 RBIs) and Matt Barnes (11-4, 1.62 ERA), were selected with the 11th and 19th overall picks in this week’s MLB Draft. Springer and Barnes combined with Joe Panik of St. John’s to give the Big East three first-round picks in the same draft for the first time in the history of the conference. The Huskies had to win four straight after Barnes was pounded by Coastal Carolina (7 ER in 4.1 IP) in the Regional opener. They outscored the host Tigers (a ’10 CWS team) 21-7 in their last two wins. Jim Penders‘ squad is the third Big East team (along with Notre Dame and Louisville) to advance to a Super Regional. Penders’ father, Jim Penders, and uncle, Tom Penders, both played for UConn’s 1965 College World Series team.

Michael Roth

South Carolina has the same kind of team it had a year ago at this time. The defending national champs aren’t eye-popping anywhere, but they are good everywhere. Sophomore Christian Walker (.361, 9 HR, 58 RBIs) leads the Gamecocks in the triple crown categories. He is the only USC player to start all 62 games. Fellow sophomore Evan Marzilli and seniors Brady Thomas, Adrian Morales and Scott Wingo – who scored the winning run in the 2010 national championship game – are among the regulars back from the national-title squad. Michael Roth (12-3, 1.10 ERA) came out of the bullpen to make his only starts of the season in 2010 CWS wins over Clemson and UCLA. Roth used that as a springboard to being South Carolina’s ace this year. Ray Tanner‘s squad again has quality arms everywhere in the bullpen, including closer Matt Price (5-3, 2.25 ERA, 17 SVs) and setup man John Taylor (5-1, 1.32 ERA). Those two and Jose Mata (3-0, 1.82 ERA) have combined for 95 appearances.

CLICK HERE for pre-Super Regional interviews with South Carolina players.

Columbia Schedule

Game 1 – South Carolina 5-10-3 def. Connecticut 1-6-2
Final Stats |  SC Recap (w/ video)  |  UConn Recap |  Photos (SC)  |  Photos (UConn)
Photos (AP)  |  Quotes |  Notes

Game 2: South Carolina 8-12-1 def. UConn 2-10-2
Final Stats | SC Recap | UConn Recap

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