2011 College World Series

[dukebsbll14]

It's time for my second favorite time of the year in college sports-the Road to Omaha! The field of 64 has been set. Here's the bracket:
http://espn.go.com/ncaa/bracket?id=6607258

Any other college baseball fans out there? I'm actually going to the Columbia regional this year; it'll be my first time going. My sister is in the Gamecock Club so is able to get tickets for USC games. If they advance to the Super Regionals and to Omaha we may be able to get to go to those too...so I guess I'm a Gamecock fan for the weekend.

Thoughts on the field? Favorites to win the tournament?

[burns15]

If Virginia hits like they can and have most of the year (barring the mini-slump at the end of the regular season), I think they are the significant favorite because of their pitching staff. I mean their staff is absolutely insane, with at least 5 guys on it that could start for any team in the ACC (hulzten, Wilson, Robertsm, Winiarski, & Kline), and Silverstein, Mayberry, Crockett, and Thompson coming out of the pen ain't too shabby. Add to that the fact that UVA was ranked number 1 for a majority of the year and was clearly the best team in the best conference throughout the whole year ( 5 teams in the RPI top 9, and 7 in the top 30). They are battle tested, have the best pitching staff in the nation by a wide margin, and have an offensive team that is built perfectly for the new bats (speed, good contact wi/ gap to gap power)

[shoutingncu]

Any other college baseball fans out there?

My brother and I will be going to the Championship Series in Omaha, no matter who advances (though I admit, neither of us are particularly informed). Here's hoping for some ACC representation.


If Virginia hits like they can and have most of the year (barring the mini-slump at the end of the regular season), I think they are the significant favorite...

I assume that slump coincided with their trip to Chapel Hill, the only conference series they lost? Granted, they made up for it the next weekend.

[gw67]

I like Virginia. I’ve seen them play one home game each of the last two seasons. They have pitching and defense and Hultzen is expected to be a top 3 pick in the MLB draft. They don’t have much power and play small ball but they do it well. Personally, I think their 2010 team was superior to this year’s team but they weren’t able to get out of the Super Regionals. South Carolina and UCLA may be popular choices as well. The Bruins have two pitchers whose stuff just outmatches college hitters- Cole with a fastball and Bauer with a fast ball/curve. Bauer hasn’t got the acclaim that Cole has gotten but his strikeout totals remind one of Strasberg.

If you haven’t kept track, they changed the specs for bats this year (probably for the safety of pitchers and 3rd base coaches). As a result, the number of home runs is down dramatically.

The link for the 2011 tournament is below:
http://www.ncaa.com/championships/baseball/d1

gw67

[Bob Green]

Here is a link to a tournament preview authored by Jim Sumner:

http://www.accsports.com/articles/2011053110479/2011-ncaa-baseball-tourney-preview--part-1-.php

It is the typical outstanding article we all have come to love and expect from Jim. I recommend everyone take a few minutes and give it a read. This sentence from the introduction grabbed my attention:


The nation’s self-proclaimed best conference has not won a College World Series since Eisenhower’s first term, since Elvis Presley was a young pup, since Mickey Mantle’s first great year.

Wow! I was born during Eisenhower's second term, so that puts the drought in perspective for me.

[Bob Green]

Here is a link to Part II of Jim Sumner's preview:

http://www.accsports.com/articles/2011060110483/2011-ncaa-baseball-tournament-preview-part-2.php

[gw67]

This morning's Post has a nice article on Danny Hultzen, Virginia's top pitcher and a local DC youngster. I've never seen him in person but I've seen him pitch on TV and he reminds me of the O's Brian Matusz. He is a lefty with good stuff and he keeps it around the plate. He is expected to be one of the first picks in the MLB first round draft next Monday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/virginia-cavaliers-pitcher-danny-hultzen-expected-to-be-taken-near-top-of-mlb-draft/2011/06/01/AGl53iHH_story.html

The tournament starts today and the first weekend is double elimination played in groups of four. I would expect four of the ACC teams to move on to the super regionals next week.

gw67

[gw67]

Five of the seven ACC teams won their first game in the regional matchups last night. NC State lost as expected but Ga Tech lost at home. I expect Virginia, UNC, Clemson and Fla State to make it through to the Super Regionals next week.

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/060411aaa.html

UCLA lost unexpectedly to SF 0-3. Their pitcher, Gerrit Cole, struck out 11 but got no support. The major league scouts love Cole because his fastball is typically 95-100 mph but he has been outpitched the whole year by his teammate Bauer.

gw67

[burnspbesq]

Not a lot of carnage on day one. Two regional hosts lost: UCLA got shut out by San Francisco, and GaTech's offense stalled in a 2-1 loss to Austin Peay.

Three seeds went 9-7 against two seeds. Biggest surprise to me was Dallas Baptist beating Oklahoma.

The impact of the new bats is reflected in the small number of scores that look more like lacrosse than baseball. Only eight teams out of 64 scored ten or more runs, and there were only four games in which both teams scored more than five.

[dukebsbll14]

Just got back from Columbia. Heading back tomorrow morning so I'll make this quick.

I haven't had a chance to look at all of the teams, obviously UVA is a likely favorite, but I think USC has a really good chance to reach Omaha again and possibly to repeat. Granted I've only seen two games, but they are a really good team. Stetson used a ton of pitching tonight. Despite the fact they can hit the ball really well (overcame a 5 run deficit against NCSU in Game 1), they just don't have enough to beat USC if they can win tomorrow afternoon. As for NC State, not sure how to judge them yet. No one is gonna beat USC in this regional. I like their chances.

By the by, the USC fans we so nice to us! I was wearing my Duke hat and shirt and got nothing but compliments ha! One of them way saying how he went to a game in Cameron this past year and how much he loved it. It's easy to root for them after that :)

[gw67]

Saturday was a good day for the ACC as 6 of the 7 teams won and all seven are still alive. Virginia, UNC, Clemson and Fla State remain unbeaten and only need one victory to reach the Super Regionals next weekend. Miami, NC State and Georgia Tech each have one loss and they must win three straight over the next two days to advance. As a coach and father of a player, I have seen teams try to come back in the loser's bracket and it is very difficult because it imposes a strain on your pitching staff. By the time you reach your 5th game in 4 days your kids don't have much left in the tank.

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/060411aae.html

Hultzen pitched very well yesterday and likely cemented his position as a top 5 player. Bauer of UCLA also pitched well and kept UCLA alive. Five of the sixteen Region #1 seeds have a loss, including nationally ranked Texas and Rice, and appear to be in trouble.

gw67

[gw67]

Virginia and UNC swept the competition and advanced to the Super Regionals this coming weekend. Fla State has a big lead in a suspended game and should join then while Clemson plays UConn for the right to advance. NC State, Miami and Georgia Tech came up short in their regionals.

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/060511aaf.html

The current state of the brackets is shown in the link below (several games need to be finished or played today). Virginia hosts UC Irvine while UNC hosts Stanford.

http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/baseball/d1/2011

gw67

[gw67]

Virginia, UNC and Florida State made it out of the regionals and each hosts a Super Regional this coming weekend. I expect Hultzen to be a marked man much like Strasberg was against Virginia a couple of years ago. The UC-Irvine players will want to show that they can hit the 2nd choice in the draft.

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/060711aaa.html

This link also links the brackets and the times for the games. Most of the games will be shown on one of the ESPN networks now that women's softball is over.

I expect Virginia and UNC to make the College World Series but the southern teams, Florida and South Carolina, will be tough to beat.

gw67

[gw67]

The link below provides some bits and pieces about the ACC participation in the Super Regionals and provides a very short summary of the past season for all ACC teams. Encouraging words for Duke in 2012 (26 of 27 may return next year) and team scored 1000 on APR. CONGRATS to the team for a solid academic performance!

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/060811aaa.html

Half of the Super Regionals begin tomorrow while the remainder start Saturday. I won't be able to follow Sat-Mon games because I will be on an annual golf outing with long-time friends. Here's hoping that all three ACC teams make it to Omaha and that I, by some miracle, can keep it in the short grass.

gw67

[shoutingncu]

Here's hoping that all three ACC teams make it to Omaha and that I, by some miracle, can keep it in the short grass.

That is an admirable wish, and one which I openly admit I would not share were the shades of blue reversed. I can, however, hope you personally keep it in the short grass.

[gw67]

Thanks. Unfortunately, the impact on my swing by advancing age seems to be overtaking the technological advances in golf equipment of the last thirty years. It was suggested by one of my buddies that our group play from the "senior" tees at the toughest of the courses we are going to play. If so, it will be my first time.

I've been a poster since the beginning of the site and, although I am not a Duke alum, I am a long-time fan and I appreciate and respect the strong competitive feelings between Duke and UNC fans. No harm was intended by my comment. ACC college basketball is Duke/UNC with an occasional visit from Maryland, State, Virginia and Wake. The rest of the sports don't have the same emotion, at least, in my eyes.

The following link is a nice summary of the Super Regionals getting started tomorrow.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/2011-06-08/super-regionals-preview-part-i

gw67

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

I'm very high on Vandy's chances to make it to their first CWS, the team has excellent pitching in Sonny Gray, Grayson Garvin, and Taylor Hill and has good hitters. Tim Corbin has created a powerhouse (12 players drafted this week, yes 12) in Nashville where one didn't exist before.

Go Dores.

[gw67]

Vandy has a good team and should be well placed to move on to the CWS.

The following link summarizes the eight teams that start their series on Saturday. As the link suggests, you want to root for both Dallas Baptist and Cal. The Patriots have been a Div-! school in baseball for just five years while fans saved the Bears baseball program. Their fields don't have lights so they are playing at Santa Clara (I originally read that they were going to play at Stanford). The Series that I think will be interesting will be UConn vs. South Carolina. The Gamecocks are one of the overall favorites and normally you would expect them to destroy a team from the North. Connecticut has some players and may put up a battle.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/2011-06-09/super-regionals-preview-part-ii

gw67

[devildeac]

Thanks. Unfortunately, the impact on my swing by advancing age seems to be overtaking the technological advances in golf equipment of the last thirty years. It was suggested by one of my buddies that our group play from the "senior" tees at the toughest of the courses we are going to play. If so, it will be my first time.

I've been a poster since the beginning of the site and, although I am not a Duke alum, I am a long-time fan and I appreciate and respect the strong competitive feelings between Duke and UNC fans. No harm was intended by my comment. ACC college basketball is Duke/UNC with an occasional visit from Maryland, State, Virginia and Wake. The rest of the sports don't have the same emotion, at least, in my eyes.

The following link is a nice summary of the Super Regionals getting started tomorrow.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/2011-06-08/super-regionals-preview-part-i

gw67

Yes, even in baseball gw, carolina can GTH.;)

[gw67]

Florida continues to impress. The No.2 ranked Gators hammered Mississippi State 11-1 to lead off Super Regional Play. The Heels' game with Stanford starts in a short while.

gw67

[weezie]

Anybody else ready to jump on the uva bandwagon?
For once, I'm ready to cheer for the cav.

[dukebsbll14]

Anybody else ready to jump on the uva bandwagon?
For once, I'm ready to cheer for the cav.

I'm still riding the USC train. Can't go wrong with the defending champs. I'd really like to see Dallas Baptist comeback and make their way to Omaha.

ABC, though. ABC.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Anybody else ready to jump on the uva bandwagon?
For once, I'm ready to cheer for the cav.

I'll invite others to join me in rooting for the Commies since they're playing UNC on the 18th.

[House G]

Texas would be hard to beat if they could play in Austin again. Hopefully the homeplate ump won't be on the team bus to Omaha. Is there a Playcaller ump on DBR to explain the call (travesty for ASU) in that game. I'm guessing the umps blew it but would like to hear from someone with more expertise.

[burnspbesq]

I will be rooting for my homies, the Anteaters, against the Hoos in game three later today.

[A-Tex Devil]

Texas would be hard to beat if they could play in Austin again. Hopefully the homeplate ump won't be on the team bus to Omaha. Is there a Playcaller ump on DBR to explain the call (travesty for ASU) in that game. I'm guessing the umps blew it but would like to hear from someone with more expertise.

So my initial reaction was that the umps got it right, then screwed up after they conferenced. But I think they got the call right on the letter of the law, but it's not a very equitable solution.

Augie Garrido went out there thinking that the guy on third ought to go back to second, and admitted he didn't know the umps would call the batter out. But let's think about this for a second.

1. If you set aside the fact that it was ball 4, it was clearly interference as the batter stepped across the batter's box as the catcher was making the throw.

2. But it WAS ball four. However, the Catcher has a right to make the throw without being interfered with, regardless as to WHY he is making the throw. If there was a runner on second instead of first, and he was trying to catch the runner napping, and the player that walked walks across hope plate as the throw is being made, isn't that interference? Or more extreme, what if the the batter stands on home plate doing jumping jacks, allowing the runner on first to go all the way to third? There aren't varying degrees of interference in baseball, which leads to...

3. Unless I'm wrong, interference always equals "out." The home plate ump immediately called interference, backtracked once he realized it was ball four, conferred with the other umps, who apparently said that IF it's interference, the batter is out. And I think that's the correct interpretation even if, as mentioned, it's not entirely fair.

An easy rule change would be to not allow anyone to advance any bases in the event of batter interference on ball 4. But I don't think that's the rule right now.

[sagegrouse]

Trailing 2-1 with two out and no on in the bottom of the ninth, UVa got a single, a single off the pitcher, a walk, and another single up the middle for two runs. Pulled out the victory and a trip to Omaha.

I thought the Hoos were toast.

sagegrouse

[House G]

So my initial reaction was that the umps got it right, then screwed up after they conferenced. But I think they got the call right on the letter of the law, but it's not a very equitable solution.

Augie Garrido went out there thinking that the guy on third ought to go back to second, and admitted he didn't know the umps would call the batter out. But let's think about this for a second.

1. If you set aside the fact that it was ball 4, it was clearly interference as the batter stepped across the batter's box as the catcher was making the throw.

2. But it WAS ball four. However, the Catcher has a right to make the throw without being interfered with, regardless as to WHY he is making the throw. If there was a runner on second instead of first, and he was trying to catch the runner napping, and the player that walked walks across hope plate as the throw is being made, isn't that interference? Or more extreme, what if the the batter stands on home plate doing jumping jacks, allowing the runner on first to go all the way to third? There aren't varying degrees of interference in baseball, which leads to...

3. Unless I'm wrong, interference always equals "out." The home plate ump immediately called interference, backtracked once he realized it was ball four, conferred with the other umps, who apparently said that IF it's interference, the batter is out. And I think that's the correct interpretation even if, as mentioned, it's not entirely fair.

An easy rule change would be to not allow anyone to advance any bases in the event of batter interference on ball 4. But I don't think that's the rule right now.

Just to so show how confusing this play was, here is a lot of discussion on almost the exact same play:
http://www.baseball-fever.com/archive/index.php/t-27009-p-8.html
You have to scroll down to the post on 4-29-10 by SavoyBG

[gw67]

Virginia and UNC made this year’s world series. I got back from Pennsylvania in time to watch the last three innings of the Virginia vs. Cal-Irvine game yesterday. A poor throw from the catcher put Cal-Irvine in position to get the go ahead run in the top of the 9th and the Cavs made two quick outs against Cal-Irvine’s top pitcher. Then Virginia amazingly combined 3 singles and a walk to score 2 runs to win the game.

The CWS brackets are shown in the link below. The games start Saturday in the new stadium in Omaha.

http://www.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/files/MCWSBracket2011.pdf

IMO, the Heels have the tougher draw by far. Vandy, Florida and Texas are all capable of winning the title. Virginia’s draw of California, Texas A&M and South Carolina isn’t nearly as tough although South Carolina, along with Florida, are the favorites IMO. Virginia’s second-line pitching needs to come through to keep their games close since the Hoos can be shut down by decent pitching.

gw67

[burns15]

Virginia and UNC made this year’s world series. I got back from Pennsylvania in time to watch the last three innings of the Virginia vs. Cal-Irvine game yesterday. A poor throw from the catcher put Cal-Irvine in position to get the go ahead run in the top of the 9th and the Cavs made two quick outs against Cal-Irvine’s top pitcher. Then Virginia amazingly combined 3 singles and a walk to score 2 runs to win the game.

The CWS brackets are shown in the link below. The games start Saturday in the new stadium in Omaha.

http://www.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/files/MCWSBracket2011.pdf

IMO, the Heels have the tougher draw by far. Vandy, Florida and Texas are all capable of winning the title. Virginia’s draw of California, Texas A&M and South Carolina isn’t nearly as tough although South Carolina, along with Florida, are the favorites IMO. Virginia’s second-line pitching needs to come through to keep their games close since the Hoos can be shut down by decent pitching.

gw67

I think you would have to say that UVA is the favorite because they were basically wire-to-wire the number 1 team in the nation this year. They also have the best combination of pitching and hitting in the draft, with 4 excellent starters (1 who is just phenomenal), the best closer in the country, and 3 or 4 stoppers in the pen. Also 8 of their 10 regulars hit over .300, with Barr close to it (around .285).

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

I think you would have to say that UVA is the favorite because they were basically wire-to-wire the number 1 team in the nation this year. They also have the best combination of pitching and hitting in the draft, with 4 excellent starters (1 who is just phenomenal), the best closer in the country, and 3 or 4 stoppers in the pen. Also 8 of their 10 regulars hit over .300, with Barr close to it (around .285).

It depends on which poll you're looking at, but UF and Vandy have both been up there as well. I won't argue that UVa is excellent this year, but I wouldn't say that there is an overwhelming favorite in the CWS right now.

[gw67]

Virginia has been the top ranked team for much of the season and is the team that I would like to see win it all. They are very experienced and have a terrific coaching staff. Their four top starters are seniors and juniors and, if I recall, all but one of their eight starters are upperclassmen. This may be their last chance to get to the CWS for a couple of years.

I saw one of their home weekend games in person earlier this year. While they have a number of youngsters batting over .300, they don't have much power and they have to work hard to score runs. Late in the season, the Heels swept them and held them to a total of 3 runs for the three games. IMO, the 2009 and 2010 Virginia teams were superior to this one because they also had good pitching and defense but were better all around hitting teams.

Luckily, they are in the weaker side of the bracket. They will need good games from Hultzen and the three other starters to keep them in all the games and hope to manufacture enough runs to get to the finals. Florida and South Carolina also have good pitching and defense, and they have more power.

gw67

[gw67]

The link below provides a thumbnail sketch of each of the eight teams in the CWS which begins tomorrow.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/2011-06-11/breaking-down-cws-field

gw67

[jimsumner]

My thoughts.

http://www.accsports.com/articles/2011061610567/2011-college-world-series-preview.php

[shoutingncu]

I thought Carolina was only supposed to lose to Vandy in secret. :(

[gw67]

Post has nice article on Virginia coaching staff. They didn't come as close as Cal to losing the program but they didn't start turning it around until they built their new stadium (author John Grisham is a Charlottsville resident and has long been suspected of being the anonymous Davenport Field donor) and then hire O'Connor and staff.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/college-world-series-brian-oconnor-and-his-coaches-have-turned-virginia-baseball-into-a-powerhouse/2011/06/17/AGw4IdaH_story.html

I didn't watch the games yesterday (I was trudging around a soft and hilly Congressional watching some terrific golf by a variety of players.) but to no one's surprise, the two SEC teams won. I expect the third SEC team, South Carolina, to win today and hope that Virginia gets off to a good start.

gw67

[burns15]

I have watched UVA close to ten times this season, including at the ACC tournament against UNC. IMO, especially with Jungman's struggles recently for Texas, UVA has the best pitching staff in the CWS by a significant margin. UVA also has not had much trouble scoring runs for most of the season. Yes, they struggled in one series against UNC and in one game against Irvine, but every team will struggle at some point.

UVA finished second in the ACC in average this year at .306, scored the second most runs at 456 and second in doubles. Now, UVA may not hit with the home run power of other teams, but they certainly can hit and score runs effectively. Furthermore, the new ballpark in Omaha is not conducive to hitting home runs anyways... it plays much bigger than its size.

I believe that UVA, Vandy, and Florida are head and shoulders above the rest of the field talent wise. Now anything can hapen on any one day in baseball, but I think these three teams have the most talent. USC will likely have issues re-integrating Jackie Bradley Jr.

[dukebsbll14]

Bradley Jr. might have some issues with getting back into the flow of the game, but I'm more concerned about the injury to Marzilli:
http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/06/18/3156618/uscs-marzilli-hurt-may-not-play.html

I'm not quite ready to jump on the UVA ship yet. I'm liking Florida out of bracket 1 and USC out of Bracket 2. UVA definitely has the talent, but I'm always a bit shady on the ACC in the CWS, and USC has CWS experience.

But I repeat myself: ABC. ABC.

[gw67]

Virginia won yesterday and joined the three SEC teams in the winners side of the two brackets. They play South Carolina Tuesday night. UNC plays Texas today. The loser goes home.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/hicks-single-ends-long-scoring-drought-virginia-beats-cal-4-1-at-college-world-series/2011/06/19/AGVF0wbH_story.html

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/062011aaa.html

The combination of the new bats and the expanse of the new stadium in Omaha may take away from some of the excitement of the past in Rosenblatt.

gw67

[weezie]

The combination of the new bats and the expanse of the new stadium in Omaha may take away from some of the excitement of the past in Rosenblatt.
gw67

I find I really like the new bats. Hated the sound of the old ones and the whack-a-mole flavor they gave to the game.

Go 'hoos Go!

But 'holes just go home.

[devildeac]

I find I really like the new bats. Hated the sound of the old ones and the whack-a-mole flavor they gave to the game.

Go 'hoos Go!

But 'holes just go home.

Ahh, Texas ads streaming now on DBR. Must be a good omen. Wonder who their next foes is in the CWS...:rolleyes:

Hook 'em 'Horns!

[gw67]

So far there have been six games, four won by SEC teams and two by ACC teams. After today's games, there will be six remaining teams and five of them will be from these two leagues. The Virginia - South Carolina game tonight is important. The loser will need to win three straight games to win their side of the bracket and it puts some stress on the pitching staff. The winning team only needs to win one of two to make the championship. I coached a team of 15 year olds several years ago. We lost our first game and we then advanced through the loser's bracket to the championship, won the first game and then lost the second because our youngsters had nothing left in the tank.

gw67

[gw67]

Virginia depends on pitching and defense to win games against top opposition. Last night, the Virginia defense faltered and South Carolina hit the ball early and often as they won the important contest. Further, the Gamecocks defense was outstanding and their pitching was solid as they completely outplayed Virginia. Florida and South Carolina are in the driver's seat as they only need to win one of two games to reach the CWS Championship. UNC/Vandy and UVA/Cal each need to win three straight to get to the CWS Championship.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/college-world-series-2011-virginia-falls-to-defending-champion-south-carolina/2011/06/21/AGfnTGfH_story.html

gw67

[dukebsbll14]

Vandy eliminates UNC:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/baseball/cws/boxscore?gameId=310622220&league=CWS

3 of the 4 remaining teams are from the SEC.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Vandy eliminates UNC:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/baseball/cws/boxscore?gameId=310622220&league=CWS

3 of the 4 remaining teams are from the SEC.

...and the SEC East at that.

Vandy has to beat UF twice to advance which is a tall order. Thus far this season, we're 1-4 against the Gators.

[gw67]

Virginia's pitching and defense need to get back to normal and the hitting needs to really improve for Virginia to get past Cal tonight. O'Connor is starting Wilson hoping that he can hold Cal and keeping Hultzen for the first game against South Carolina.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/virginia-baseball-hopes-its-bats-wake-up-at-college-world-series/2011/06/22/AG5gnWgH_story.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/cavaliers-journal/post/virginia-to-start-tyler-wilson-in-college-world-series-elimination-game-thursday-against-california/2011/06/22/AG92hGgH_blog.html

gw67

[gw67]

Virginia got past Cal last night and must beat South Carolina twice to reach the championship series. They are set up with their best pitching (Hultzen and Roberts) but so are the Gamecocks. A case can be made that the best four teams in the country are still playing but, IMO, Florida and South Carolina have a real advantage and Vandy/UVA will need to play well and have a little luck to get past them.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/college-world-series-virginia-beats-california-to-avoid-elimination/2011/06/23/AGIi4IiH_story.html

gw67

[laxbluedevil]

Has it really been fifty years since Duke was in an NCAA tournament of 64? And never made a CWS or top 8? Rice, Vandy, Wake, Stanford, Notre Dame, and Northwestern are fantastic at baseball and/or softball, as are UNC, Georgia Tech, and UVA. Duke just finished a losing season, its worst in 5+ years because easy out of conference scheduling often evens out consistently bad ACC records. Why can't Duke compete in baseball which seems to be dominated by Duke's peers? Checked the NCAA baseball rankings, Duke is 117th while 5 of the top 8 are ACC schools. Also, checked baseball recruiting, not surprisingly Duke isn't mentioned among the many ACC schools. Duke's current 6th year coach is a Duke alum but doesn't seem to have had any head coaching or college coaching experience when hired. Looking at the NCAA rankings, even though Duke should be a step up from Vandy or Rice or many others for a coach, I just looked at non-BCS conference young coaches and noticed UCF's coach is a fantastic recruiter. Terry Rooney, Radford '96, should know Duke's area. He brought in the nation's #4 class last year (to UCF!), and highly ranked classes at 6 different schools including Notre Dame, and helped lead 5 different schools to NCAA regionals. Duke's fairly new AD comes from Notre Dame which seems to be pretty good at every sport including baseball, and has already made a coaching change recently replacing a field hockey coach that was ranked every single week at Duke and made 4 straight final fours because she had a losing season and couldn't beat ACC foes. I wouldn't be surprised if White makes a change to get Duke to a top 64 postseason, he and Rooney worked together at ND for 3 years when Rooney was one of the best pitching coaches in the nation.

[Duvall]

Rice, Vandy, Wake, Stanford, Notre Dame, and Northwestern are fantastic at baseball and/or softball, as are UNC, Georgia Tech, and UVA. Duke just finished a losing season, its worst in 5+ years because easy out of conference scheduling often evens out consistently bad ACC records. Why can't Duke compete in baseball which seems to be dominated by Duke's peers?

I think you may have answered your own question.

[laxbluedevil]

Duke hasn't finished top 64 for fifty years though, and ACC hasn't always been good. It's a question of commitment. How much do ACC and other peer institutions pay baseball coaches, compared to Duke? Vandy, Rice, Stanford baseball dominates their leagues for good reasons. Great baseball players are drawn to great academics. Duke needs to get serious, fifty years! Duke's former field hockey coach was in the best field hockey conference, top 20 or top 10 or 4 every year, every week, but she had to go according to Duke's AD. Baseball can actually make money and has tons of exposure so that's even more important.

[jimsumner]

Has it really been fifty years since Duke was in an NCAA tournament of 64? And never made a CWS or top 8? Rice, Vandy, Wake, Stanford, Notre Dame, and Northwestern are fantastic at baseball and/or softball, as are UNC, Georgia Tech, and UVA. Duke just finished a losing season, its worst in 5+ years because easy out of conference scheduling often evens out consistently bad ACC records. Why can't Duke compete in baseball which seems to be dominated by Duke's peers? Checked the NCAA baseball rankings, Duke is 117th while 5 of the top 8 are ACC schools. Also, checked baseball recruiting, not surprisingly Duke isn't mentioned among the many ACC schools. Duke's current 6th year coach is a Duke alum but doesn't seem to have had any head coaching or college coaching experience when hired. Looking at the NCAA rankings, even though Duke should be a step up from Vandy or Rice or many others for a coach, I just looked at non-BCS conference young coaches and noticed UCF's coach is a fantastic recruiter. Terry Rooney, Radford '96, should know Duke's area. He brought in the nation's #4 class last year (to UCF!), and highly ranked classes at 6 different schools including Notre Dame, and helped lead 5 different schools to NCAA regionals. Duke's fairly new AD comes from Notre Dame which seems to be pretty good at every sport including baseball, and has already made a coaching change recently replacing a field hockey coach that was ranked every single week at Duke and made 4 straight final fours because she had a losing season and couldn't beat ACC foes. I wouldn't be surprised if White makes a change to get Duke to a top 64 postseason, he and Rooney worked together at ND for 3 years when Rooney was one of the best pitching coaches in the nation.

Duke has made the CWS several times. They finished as high as third, when Dick Groat was playing.

Duke has tried to run an ACC baseball program on the cheap for years. Plus Joe Alleva made a terrible hire in Bill Hillier. The infrastructure lags well behind the competition.

This year's Duke team was incredibly young and there were some talented freshmen on the team. First baseman Chris Marconcini made at least one freshman A-A team. Rising junior pitcher/infielder Marcus Stroman is a stud.

Duke has started to sink some money into Coombs. It's still a long way from being an ACC-caliber stadium but Kevin White understands that Duke needs to spend some big bucks there. Duke can't expect to play in the Bulls Stadium indefinitely. But Wade takes priority over Coombs, for obvious reasons.

Duke is at the NCAA maximum of 11.7 scholarships for baseball. Obviously, you have more than 11.7 players on a team. Which means most players have partial scholarships. Which means their families pay the rest. Which is a lot more at Duke then at a state-supported school. Which makes it tough.

Depth is a big issue.

And Duke won't take jucos.

It can be done at private schools. Vanderbilt, Stanford, Rice, even Baylor have demonstrated that. But it's going to require a sustained financial committment, one that has been missing for decades.

Duke coach Sean McNally has produced teams that play smart, fundamentally sound baseball. Player development has been good and McNally-an academic All-America at Duke--knows how to use Duke's academics as an asset on the recruiting trail. But, just like football, Duke needs to show top recruits that it is willing to field a championship caliber team.

Perceived similarites between Duke baseball and Duke football are not imagined.

I expect Duke to take a big leap forward next year. They lost pitcher/fielder Dennis O'Grady and reliver Ben Grisz to graduation but none of the juniors seem likely to sign and the growth potential of the youngsters is high.

[laxbluedevil]

I'm glad Duke has great baseball history around the time it was good in football. Duke football tripled its HC salary with Cutcliffe and he's made progress, baseball can look to that example. I think it's a big mistake to hire unproven coaches. Duke's coach may be an alum but had no head or college coaching experience when hired. What kind of message does that send to all those Vandy, Rice, Stanford recruits? Duke mens soccer hired an alum Kerr to take over after 9 mediocre years at Harvard. Rennie was a national champ legend who had Duke ranked #1-2 each of his last 3 seasons at least which is as far back as goduke goes. Kerr after his 3rd season at Duke isn't in the top 25. Duke alum Carl Franks was a disaster for football, another with no HC experience, but still had support because he's an alum. Look at Doherty and Gaudet for UNC. Hope Duke hires the best proven coaches regardless of connections.

I'm glad White knows Duke needs to spend big bucks on Wade and Coombs, but any college always needs to spend big bucks on proven top head coaches FIRST. Facilities second. Endowing all scholarships third or fourth. That just proves Duke has the big money for great coaches. All the best facilities in the world won't make a coach or program great, and would never be adequately funded anyway without wins. Endowing scholarships has zero impact on recruiting or wins, and plenty of impact on not having money for good coaches. Any great college program in NCAA history was built on the foundation of a great coach. That coach then wins and recruits or recruits then wins, and then raises money for facilities, which then brings in money for endowing scholarships, not the other way around.

[jimsumner]

I'm glad Duke has great baseball history around the time it was good in football. Duke football tripled its HC salary with Cutcliffe and he's made progress, baseball can look to that example. I think it's a big mistake to hire unproven coaches. Duke's coach may be an alum but had no head or college coaching experience when hired. What kind of message does that send to all those Vandy, Rice, Stanford recruits? Duke mens soccer hired an alum Kerr to take over after 9 mediocre years at Harvard. Rennie was a national champ legend who had Duke ranked #1-2 each of his last 3 seasons at least which is as far back as goduke goes. Kerr after his 3rd season at Duke isn't in the top 25. Duke alum Carl Franks was a disaster for football, another with no HC experience, but still had support because he's an alum. Look at Doherty and Gaudet for UNC. Hope Duke hires the best proven coaches regardless of connections.

I'm glad White knows Duke needs to spend big bucks on Wade and Coombs, but any college always needs to spend big bucks on proven top head coaches FIRST. Facilities second. Endowing all scholarships third or fourth. That just proves Duke has the big money for great coaches. All the best facilities in the world won't make a coach or program great, and would never be adequately funded anyway without wins. Endowing scholarships has zero impact on recruiting or wins, and plenty of impact on not having money for good coaches. Any great college program in NCAA history was built on the foundation of a great coach. That coach then wins and recruits or recruits then wins, and then raises money for facilities, which then brings in money for endowing scholarships, not the other way around.

Exactly what kind of head coach do you think Duke could have gotten after the Hillier fiasco? Successful head coaches don't exactly jump at the opportunity to leave for an underfunded program, with lousy facilities and no recent history of success.

And McNally very much now qualifies as a head coach with experience. Believe me or not, but he is quite highly regarded amongst his peers and has the program headed in the right direction.

[sagegrouse]

I'm glad Duke has great baseball history around the time it was good in football. Duke football tripled its HC salary with Cutcliffe and he's made progress, baseball can look to that example. I think it's a big mistake to hire unproven coaches. Duke's coach may be an alum but had no head or college coaching experience when hired.
......

What kind of message does that send to all those Vandy, Rice, Stanford recruits?....

I think you're right about baseball thriving off of Duke's football rep back in the '40s and '50s. Way back then, there were basically two sports -- baseball and college football. From 1933 to 1941, Duke won 85% of its games and played in two Rose Bowls. It was a major football power, and guys like Ace Parker were famous. Surely that helped baseball.

Did anyone else read the GoDuke article on Dave Sime? He was an incredible HS multi-sport star, focusing on football and baseball, but highly successful in speed skating and the little track experience he had. He was being recruited by the likes of Army (a big deal in the 1950s) and Notre Dame, but wasn't that eager to play football. His dad, who was a minor league baseball player, knew Ace Parker (who also was a major leaguer as well as a HOF star in the early days of the NFL). He called Ace, who allowed as how there would be a space for Dave Sime at Duke. He did play baseball and was all-conference his sophomore year. Of course, his sophomore year he also set six world track records in three weeks. If Duke hadn't been a major football power, Dave Sime would never have come to Duke.

Rice University? I attended grad school there after Duke and keep on eye on Owl matters. Two things: Wayne Graham, its coach for the last 19 years, has made a huge difference, including seven trips to the CWS plus one NC. Before, Rice was good, but not a perennial champion. Second, the Texas Gulf Coast is an incredible hotbed of baseball talent. Rice is the only local option of any consequence along that stretch of Texas. Players that want to play in front of family and friends go to Rice. It ain't NCAA hoops, and few games are telecast. I won't disparage NC schoolboy baseball, but the population is much smaller and there are a lot of colleges fishing in the same lake of talent.

sagegrouse

[laxbluedevil]

McNally certainly seems better than Hillier but who wouldn't be? Are Duke's unranked mens or womens soccer coaches better than their final four predecessors? Coaches are compared to their predecessors but also to their current peers. Duke is 117th after McNally's 6th season. I'm just making an obvious observation that hasn't been made. Duke hasn't been a contender in baseball for as long as anyone can remember so most people don't care. I wonder if White does. Many remember being great in mens and womens soccer though. All 3 were Alleva hires, and White just replaced a field hockey coach who was top 20 every week for several years with 4 straight final fours because she couldn't beat ACC teams and had a losing season. I'm just saying White might be making a few lists is all. Or looking at the one's he's already been working on for every sport like every AD probably does. Maryland's new AD just fired the ACC football coach of the year who was a beloved alum and longtime HC just so he could bring in his guy. It's not like it's up to us.

[sagegrouse]

. Maryland's new AD just fired the ACC football coach of the year who was a beloved alum and longtime HC just so he could bring in his guy. It's not like it's up to us.

I know this is a throw-away line, but that's not why Friedgen was let go. There was a long-term plan at Maryland, put in place under Debbie, to replace Friedgen after last season with top assistant Ron Franklin. The powers-that-be (others plus the AD) decided that Franklin was not the answer, and he decamped to Vanderbilt. So there they were. Maryland had a good season but it made no season to give Ralph another year or two: he couldn't rebuild his staff or recruit under the circumstances. And it made even less sense to give Friedgen a long-term contract. So Maryland went elsewhere.

The really untold story at Maryland (or at least, I haven't seen it), was what derailed Mike Leach, who was mightily successful at Texas Tech but let go because he sued his employer. He had the inside track but someone high up at Maryland got cold feet.

Anyway, wa-a-a-a-y off topic, for which I apologize.

sagegrouse

[jimsumner]

McNally certainly seems better than Hillier but who wouldn't be? Are Duke's unranked mens or womens soccer coaches better than their final four predecessors? Coaches are compared to their predecessors but also to their current peers. Duke is 117th after McNally's 6th season. I'm just making an obvious observation that hasn't been made. Duke hasn't been a contender in baseball for as long as anyone can remember so most people don't care. I wonder if White does. Many remember being great in mens and womens soccer though. All 3 were Alleva hires, and White just replaced a field hockey coach who was top 20 every week for several years with 4 straight final fours because she couldn't beat ACC teams and had a losing season. I'm just saying White might be making a few lists is all. Or looking at the one's he's already been working on for every sport like every AD probably does. Maryland's new AD just fired the ACC football coach of the year who was a beloved alum and longtime HC just so he could bring in his guy. It's not like it's up to us.

I'm reasonably certain that McNally's job is in no danger. White realizes McNally doesn't have the resources to compete. When the playing field is level, we'll see. But it's nowhere near level.

The Maryland football situation is a curious analogy. Fridge was canned because Maryland was playing in front of many empty seats that shouldn't be empty. Big loss of revenue. Duke has never generated signficant revenue from baseball ticket sales, so they aren't losing any.

Remember that Ray Tanner used to be head coach at NCSU. He grew up near Raleigh, attended State and loved coaching there. But he constantly fought with the higher-ups over baseball spending, salaries, stadium enhancements, recruiting budgets, weightrooms, video rooms, etc. and so forth.

Tanner got tired of it and got a better offer from South Carolina. You see what he's done there. So, spending money doesn't guarantee success. But not spending money darn near guarantees a lack of success.

[laxbluedevil]

I assume Tanner was already a great coach who won and then wanted facilities improvements, he wouldn't have been in a position to demand anything if he wasn't. That's the order it should be done, hire a great proven coach who wins, then keep him happy and hopefully go to the next level with better facilities. If you start with an unproven coach who's 117th after 6 seasons, then spend tens of millions on the best facilities in the world to improve recruiting, even if that worked isn't that just going to maybe keep him around longer without actually winning any titles? Recruits care way more about academics and proven winning coaches anyway. Seriously doubt Vandy or Rice spends a lot of money on great facilities, and they almost certainly didn't before hiring their great winning coaches. Facilities cost tens of millions, endowing all scholarships hundreds of millions, nonrevenue coaches hundreds of thousands. And great coaches are far more important, and the FIRST step foundation, they're the ones who raise those millions later.

Anyway, a lot of Duke people must have noticed that Vandy, Rice, Stanford, Wake, keep showing up in top 8 CWS while Duke hasn't made top 64 in 50 years. And noticed unranked mens and womens soccer used to go to final fours with previous coaches. I'm sure White's always weighing his options like any AD. Just think Central Florida's Terry Rooney is a good name for the list. Duke fans talk about basketball successors all the time.

[-jk]

I assume Tanner was already a great coach who won and then wanted facilities improvements, he wouldn't have been in a position to demand anything if he wasn't. That's the order it should be done, hire a great proven coach who wins, then keep him happy and hopefully go to the next level with better facilities. If you start with an unproven coach who's 117th after 6 seasons, then spend tens of millions on the best facilities in the world to improve recruiting, even if that worked isn't that just going to maybe keep him around longer without actually winning any titles? Recruits care way more about academics and proven winning coaches anyway. Seriously doubt Vandy or Rice spends a lot of money on great facilities, and they almost certainly didn't before hiring their great winning coaches. Facilities cost tens of millions, endowing all scholarships hundreds of millions, nonrevenue coaches hundreds of thousands. And great coaches are far more important, and the FIRST step foundation, they're the ones who raise those millions later.

Anyway, a lot of Duke people must have noticed that Vandy, Rice, Stanford, Wake, keep showing up in top 8 CWS while Duke hasn't made top 64 in 50 years. And noticed unranked mens and womens soccer used to go to final fours with previous coaches. I'm sure White's always weighing his options like any AD. Just think Central Florida's Terry Rooney is a good name for the list. Duke fans talk about basketball successors all the time.

"That's the order it should
be done, hire a great proven
coach who wins, then keep him
happy and hopefully go to the
next level with better facilities."

And just how do you hire a "great proven" coach when you have no recent success? What "great proven" coach walks into that when there are proven programs hiring, too?

-jk

[laxbluedevil]

Featherston wrote a long article in 2005 about Duke football which is relevant to paying for coaches vs facilities. In the middle he talks about Coaches K, Dean, Guthridge, Doherty, Bobby Bowden, Mack Brown, Bunting, Torbush, Amato, and their success with mediocre facilities or failure with great facilities:


http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=20472


"I’ve always been skeptical of such terms as “university commitment” and
“facilities” – reasons that coaches like to toss around as excuses for
their failures....

My conclusion: facilities reflect success … they don’t cause it.

So what does?

I would suggest that it’s simple: coaches create success. The right coach at
the right time."

[laxbluedevil]

I would think Terry Rooney, Radford '96, would leave 18th ranked UCF after like 3 years for Duke for more money and a long term contract, less expectations or pressure, and more prestige and potential. jimsumner says Duke has good young baseball talent. Duke should be an upgrade over Vandy or Rice but I'm guessing Duke wouldn't pay for a top 10 coach. TCU is 19th, and they have a good young coach too. Southern Miss is 20th, Fresno State 21st, East Carolina 26th. I just looked at the NCAA rankings to find the top teams with young coaches in non-BCS conferences. There are plenty of coaches out there, just move on down the rankings. These are just some possibilities if Duke decides to make a change.

[dukebsbll14]

Man, I had a big long post about Duke baseball that I was meaning to finish now, but I must have deleted the page. Meh. I'll post it tomorrow. I'm sleepy.

Anyways,
USC beats UVA. The ACC fails to win a CWS since 1955.
UF beats Vandy
UF vs USC in the Championship Series.

I'm very excited to see this match-up. I've said from the beginning, USC has a ton of momentum and I don't see anyone stopping them. On the other hand, when I watched Florida I thought they were head and shoulders above any other team in the tournament. South Carolina won two out of three against the Gators in the teams' only season series.

[sagegrouse]

Virginia had chances to win the game in the top of the 13th with the bases loaded and no one out, after a bunt turned into a single when no one covered first base. A strike out and then a liner to the second baseman, which mysteriously doubled up the runner.

In the bottom of the 13th, the Gamecocks led off with a single. The Hoos reliever, Cody Winiarski, then made two poor throws off of bunts to give South Carolina the victory. On the first he threw wild to second base, on a play where a good throw would have gotten the baserunner. Then on the next bunt (why would you do anything but bunt against UVa?), Cody threw wild to third, where the runner was clearly safe, even with a good throw. Adam Matthews trotted home with the winning run.

The College World Series produces some strange plays, as the intensity and stakes seem to get to the players.

sagegrouse

[jimsumner]

I assume Tanner was already a great coach who won and then wanted facilities improvements, he wouldn't have been in a position to demand anything if he wasn't. That's the order it should be done, hire a great proven coach who wins, then keep him happy and hopefully go to the next level with better facilities. If you start with an unproven coach who's 117th after 6 seasons, then spend tens of millions on the best facilities in the world to improve recruiting, even if that worked isn't that just going to maybe keep him around longer without actually winning any titles? Recruits care way more about academics and proven winning coaches anyway. Seriously doubt Vandy or Rice spends a lot of money on great facilities, and they almost certainly didn't before hiring their great winning coaches. Facilities cost tens of millions, endowing all scholarships hundreds of millions, nonrevenue coaches hundreds of thousands. And great coaches are far more important, and the FIRST step foundation, they're the ones who raise those millions later.

Anyway, a lot of Duke people must have noticed that Vandy, Rice, Stanford, Wake, keep showing up in top 8 CWS while Duke hasn't made top 64 in 50 years. And noticed unranked mens and womens soccer used to go to final fours with previous coaches. I'm sure White's always weighing his options like any AD. Just think Central Florida's Terry Rooney is a good name for the list. Duke fans talk about basketball successors all the time.

Vanderbilt made the CWS this year for the first time. And I'm pretty sure the Duke folks have noticed that Wake hasn't been showing up in Omaha since the 1950s.

Duke is not looking for a new baseball coach. Not should they be. What they need is a committment to the sport.

[dukebsbll14]

Anyone watching the USC/UF game right now? Its currently tied 1-1 in the top of the 10th. USC just got out of an inning where Florida had the bases loaded and no outs. A brilliant play by USC second baseman Scott Wingo saved a run and a double play started by Wingo ended the inning. Great game so far.

[dukebsbll14]

USC forces an 11th inning as the winning run is thrown out at the plate by Jake Williams in the 10th.

USC just took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 11th inning. Christian Walker stole second, a throwing error by the catcher let Walker go to third, but a throwing error by the center fielder lets Walker score.

We move to the bottom of the 11th. 2-1, USC.

[dukebsbll14]

USC wins the first game, plays for the national championship tomorrow night.

I tell you what, the baseball gods are on USC's side right now. Florida needs to go home and sacrifice some sort of animal tonight to have any chance at winning this series.

[micah75]

Clutch defense by USC. Excellent pitching as well.

[dukebsbll14]

USC wins back-to-back College World Series. USC first baseman Christian Walker played this final series with a broken wrist.

[roywhite]

Congrats to Coach Ray Tanner and the South Carolina Gamecocks on going back-to-back, and with a great NCAA winning streak.

Some years back, I got to know a few people who were involved with NC State baseball and they always spoke well of Tanner; the Pack was sorry to lose him to South Carolina, where he's done a terrific job. Hired at South Carolina by our old friend Mike McGee, if I remember correctly.

[gw67]

Congrats to Gamecocks for a terrific season. They went through the top two teams in the country during the regular season to get the championship. Just got back from five days with four generations of family out west and I did not take a computer so I need to catch up with DBR.

gw67