WE HAVE DISCONTINUED THE USE OF THIS BLOG

Hello college baseball fans. Collegebaseball360.com is no longer using this blog. We have reconfigured, retooled and redesigned our web site, so now you will find all of our blog thoughts, facts and other college baseball content at www.collegebaseball360.com.

We have a lot of new content there, like our Two-Sport Report which follows college baseball players who are starring on their school's football, soccer and even swimming teams in addition to baseball. We also have new podcast interviews on the way this fall.

We'll see you on the new site!

www.collegebaseball360.com

From Little League World Series To College Baseball

With the Little League World Series in full swing in Williamsport, Pa, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some players who graduated from the LLWS to play in college baseball and even beyond.

Any list of players who've played at the LLWS has to start at the top. There are just two, count 'em two, players who have played in the Little League World Series, College World Series and MLB's World Series: Jason Varitek and Ed Vosberg. It's amazing that with all the LLWS, CWS and Fall Classics that have been played only two have managed to achieve the career trifecta.

Varitek played in Williamsnport in 1984 for the Florida Springs team that fell to Seoul, South Korea in the championship game. Ten years later he and former Red Sox teammate, Nomar Garciaparra, were on the Georgia Tech team that lost to Oklahoma in the 1994 College World Series title game. Varitek won the big prize though as the captain of the Boston teams that won the World Series in 2004 & 2007. Varitek was also a member of the 1992 USA Olympic baseball team in Barcelona, Spain.

Vosberg is probably less known than Varitek, but his path is filled with titles as well. He first played for the Tucson, Az squad that fell to Taiwan in the 1973 LLWS title game, but seven years later he starred for his hometown Arizona Wildcats that won the 1980 College World Series. Then, in 1997 Vosburg helped the Florida Marlins win it all in their first World Series appearance.

There have been plenty of players to go from the Little League World Series, including the likes of Gary Sheffield and Derek Bell, who were Tampa, Fl teammates in 1980, and even hockey stars like Chris Drury and Pierre Turgeon. However, none of them achieved "legendary" status, like Lloyd McClendon.

McClendon played at Valparaiso University in Northwestern Indiana from 1978-1980, and went on to play in the big leagues from 1987-1994, but before that he was known as "Legendary Lloyd" at the Little League World Series. McClendon earned the moniker when he belted five consecutive home runs for his Gary, In Little League team in Williamsport in 1971.

Former Rutgers standouts Jeff Frazier and Casey Gaynor helped the Toms River, NJ squad win the 1998 LLWS Championship prior to their time in the college ranks. They helped the Scarlet Knights win the 2007 Big East Championship, while Frazier was named conference player of the year. He smacked 14 home runs this season for the AA Carolina Mudcats. Gaynor's father, Mike Gaynor, managed the '98 championship team as well as the 1995 Toms River LLWS team that included another future Scarlet Knight, Colin Gaynor.

We have also come across an interesting list of players who cut their teeth in Williamsport prior to entering the collegiate ranks. At least three current college players suited-up at the 2001 Little League World Series that featured possibly the most infamous Little League player ever-Bronx, NY pitcher Danny Almonte, who was later discovered to be too old for the team he was on.

Oregon State's Adalberto Santos was a teammate of Almonte on that Bronx team. Santos was a junior college All-American at New Mexico JC when he led the nation with a .520 batting average. He hit .320 and led the Beavers with 15 stolen bases this past season to help OSU to an NCAA Regional berth.

Stuart Tapley was the winning pitcher vs. Santos' Bronx team at Williamsport in the US Championship game. He helped Florida State to the 2008 College World Series when he hit .383 with 8 home runs en-route to earning Freshman All-American honors. Tapley batted .316 with 13 HR and 60 RBIs this past season.

Current Illinois sophomore to be, Willie Argo, faced that Bronx team as well in the LLWS. As a member of the Davenport, Ia team, Argo hit a home run vs. the Bronx that bounced off the Lamade Stadium statue in center field. He carried his home run mogo to college as well. Argo homered in his first three college at-bats in Baton Rouge against eventual national champion, LSU. He finished his freshman season with 12 home runs and 47 RBIs to go with a .355 batting average and 1.072 OPS.

Some other current college players who roamed the bases at the Little League World Series include:

Walker Kelly, who as a freshman helped TCU to the program's first Super Regional appearance as a relief pitcher. (2002 LLWS)

South Carolina native, Robb Scott, is an incoming freshman at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. Bucknell is located just 30 miles from Williamsport. (2002 LLWS)

UNC Willimington freshman, Tom Timoney, played for the Dhahran, Saudi Arabian All-Stars at the LLWS in both 2002 & 2003. His brother, Matt Timoney, holds the distinction of the being the only player to participate in the LLWS three times when he did it in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Their father, Tom Timoney, was their coach.

There are three players at the University of Rhode Island with Little League World Series experience. Tom Coulumbe, Chris Pickering and Kyle Borden will all be juniors at URI this season. They helped the Lincoln, RI team get to Williamsport in 2001. Coulumbe and Pickering helped the Rams win 37 games in 2009, while Borden joins them this season after two years at a junior college.

Another college player, Josh Keener at Coastal Carolina, didn't play at the LLWS, but his father, Steve Keener, is the President of Little League Baseball.

I can't say how many Little League World Series games I have sat and watched on TV over the years. The grand stage and the bright lights of the television cameras take a little away from the purity we attribute to baseball played by (mostly) 12 year olds, but it's still fun to watch. Part of the fun is, you just never know who you are watching will turn out to be.

While We're Young...

It's been a while since my last post, so I thought I would share a few thoughts while I'm watching the Cubs vs. Astros on WGN.

Speaking of baseball on TV, the length of the games on ESPN was one of the hottest topics to come out of the College World Series. The average CWS game time was 3 hours and 40 minutes. That is a bit long, but more commercials are a fact of life when it comes to postseason sports on television. Networks are paying big money for the rights to the games, and packing each break is a necessary evil if they're going to make money.

An average big league ball game is just under three hours, while a commercial break typically lasts between 90 seconds and two minutes. Compare that to the aforementioned 3:40 game time that is due in part to the three and a half minute breaks ESPN takes every half inning.

Here are some ideas to speed things up next year (and beyond) on ESPN in Omaha:

1. Do away with the mid-game interview with each team's head coach. I watch Major League Baseball all the time, and it's never done in the regular season, and yet I still enjoy the game. The mid-game interview is the single most useless interview in TV sports, and ESPN isn't the only guilty party. Fox does it too during the MLB postseason. They don't do it during a football game, they wait until halftime (and it's still mostly useless). It's not like the interviews are sponsored, so put us all out of our misery and get back to the game quicker rather than make us sit through an extra 30 seconds of dugout banter. However, if ESPN wants to keep the interviews how about a compromise...

2. Inset the interview in a small picture-in-picture type box at the bottom of the screen. This way viewers and ESPN all get to eat their cake and eat it too. The interview goes on at the bottom of the screen while we watch the start of play begin that inning. ESPN holds-up play to get the interviews in, but they could be easily recorded (which I know FOX has done in the past and may still do). I'm sure it won't kill Orel Hershiser and Mike Patrick if they get 30 seconds less air time. Speaking of which...

3. Do away from the in-game instructional demonstrations in the press box. Bob Brenly's doing a pretty good job of analyzing the game I'm watching right now, and he hasn't done one on-camera bit between innings to show me how Kevin Hart grips the ball when he throws his off-speed pitch. I know it's college baseball, but it's still baseball. We don't need the game explained to us like we're ten years old just because we're watching college players instead of big leaguers. However, if ESPN really thinks it needs the demonstrations see suggestion #2. Do them at the bottom corner of the screen in a small box while the game is going on. Better yet, ESPN could promote its web site by posting the demonstrations there. IE- Mike Patrick: "To see Orel show you how to throw a curveball go to espn.com, to hear him mispronounce another college player's name keep it tuned here."

4. Start the games when they're supposed to start. If the ticket says game time is 1pm start the game at 1pm and not 1:08pm. This is another network TV commercial related thing, but come on would it really be so hard to at least shoot for an :04 start time? All the chatter before the game is just lettuce on a steak sandwhich.

CWS- Before And After

We took a little time off after the end of the College World Series, but Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires is back with a few final thoughts on the 2009 event.

To start with, we have complete statistics from both the College World Series as well as the NCAA Tournament. Kudos to our resident stat guru, Pete LaFleur, who compiled this information since the start of the conference tournaments. This is data that can only be found at collegebaseball360.com...seriously.

Even the NCAA did not distribute an all-encompassing statistical data base for every NCAA Tournament game. They did update the national stat leaders, but those statistics cover the entire season, our stats tell you what teams did during the tournament itself, including the CWS.

We also have an exclusive podcast interview with LSU head coach Paul Mainieri. The Word Association segment alone is worth listening to. You don't have to be an LSU fan to appreciate the things he talked about.

Alright, enough plugging ourselves. On to some thoughts on what we saw from teams and players before and during their time in Omaha.

• Fullerton Flop...What happened to Cal State Fullerton? The Titans hit .447 (to lead all NCAA teams) and averaged nearly 13 runs a game in their five Regional and Super Regional games (all wins) prior to the CWS. Their pitching staff also turned-in a stellar 1.80 ERA in those games (9 earned runs allowed). The wheels came off in Omaha though, where Fullerton was two and out. The staff ERA was 9.00 (17 ER allowed), while the offense scored a total of 11 runs in losses to Arkansas and Virginia.

• Wither Wood...Texas closer Austin Wood received a lot of well deserved national attention for his 13 inning effort in the Longhorn's 25-inning win over Boston College in the Austin Regional. However, Wood was not the same after that outing that saw him throw nearly 140 pitches. In his two combined Regional outings Wood totaled 15.0 IP with 2 hits, 4 BB, 17 strikeouts and no runs allowed. However, in his six appearances after the famed 13-inning outing here are the lefty's numbers: 11 IP, 16 hits, 10 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, with a 6.54 ERA. Wood made his nation-leading 41st appearance of the season when he toed the rubber for the last time in the final game of the CWS vs. LSU.
  

• Slightly Saved... Wood had 15 saves during the season, and CWS teams combined for 131 saves going into Omaha. However, Arkansas' Mike Bolsinger had the only save at the College World Series. It's the lowest save total at the CWS since 1993 when no saves were recorded. Part of the lack of saves is partially due to the fact that just six of the 15 games at the CWS were decided by three or fewer runs. Because of the best of three championship format games are also now more spaced out so that teams play only every other day, which gives coaches the chance to use starting pitchers out of the bullpen more often. Speaking of which...
  

• Nice Arm Young Mann...Texas freshman Taylor Jungmann was 3-0 on the mound in Omaha, with three relief appearances and one start to his credit. Jungmann made 12 relief appearances during the season, but the right hander had also made six straight starts going into the CWS. Jungmann totaled 15.1 IP with a 0.59 ERA, allowing just two runs on 8 hits with 15 Ks and 5 BB in Omaha. After making three relief appearances (including his third in game one of the championship series), Jungmann tossed the only complete game of the CWS in the Longhorn's 5-1 win over LSU in game two of the championship series. It was also his only CG in 2009. (North Carolina's Alex White did pitch 9 innings in the Tar Heel's 10-inning loss to Arizona State in game 3.)
  
  

• Molden-Power...How about another Longhorn who waited for the right time to get hot: Russell Moldenhauer. The Longhorn DH was batting just .250 with 4 doubles as the only extra base hits to his credit in 2009 entering the CWS. However, in six games in Omaha Moldenhauer hit .350 with four solo home runs and a double for a slugging percentage of 1.000. Moldenhauer's injury-riddled junior season saw him total just 15 hits prior to the CWS, but he had seven knocks in Omaha, and tied Arizona State's Kole Calhoun for the CWS lead with 20 total bases.

• Longhorn Longball...Texas hit 14 home runs (12 solo) in six games at the CWS for an average of 2.3 per game. That after hitting just 39 in 61 games prior to Omaha for a .63 a game average. All told, Texas scored 17 of its 36 runs at the CWS courtesy of home runs. The Longhorns had just a .413 slg% going into Omaha, but slugged at a .537 clip during the CWS.

• No Small Ball...Texas averaged 1.5 sac bunts a game (96 in 61 games) prior to the College World Series, but ended-up with just 8 in their six CWS contests. The Longhorns had just a .373 success rate advancing runners (8th of the 8 teams in Omaha), while flying-out a series high 57 times.

• Clutch When It Counts...LSU collected 23 2-out RBIs en-route to winning its championship. The Tigers plated 26 of their 51 CWS runs in 2-out situations. While LSU outfielder Mikie Mahtook struggled at times (8 strikeouts in 6 games) the freshman also had four 2-out RBIs in Omaha, including the game-winner in the 11th inning in game one of the Championship Series.

• Theft Control...LSU stole 111 bases (on 151 attempts) in 67 games prior to the CWS, but the Tigers stole just two bags on four tries in six games in Omaha. D.J. LeMahieu had both of the thefts (he was also caught once).

It's been a great first season for us at Collegebaseball360.com. We've enjoyed being involved with you, and we hope to bring you even more unique coverage in 2010 and beyond!

Texas Forces Deciding Game 3 At CWS

The Texas Longhorns beat LSU 5-1 Tuesday night to force a third and deciding game in the College World Series Championship Series. Collegebaseball360.com's Sean Stires has some notes from Omaha...

• The last two teams to force game three in a CWS Championship Series have gone on to win the National Title. Fresno State did it last year, while Oregon State pulled it off in 2006.

• The winner of bracket two at the CWS has won every championship since 2000. Texas is the bracket two representative this year.

• Wednesday's probable starting pitchers are Anthony Ranaudo for LSU and Cole Green for Texas.

• Russell Moldenhauer hit his fourth CWS home run Tuesday to tie the College World Series record.

• Nine of the last 15 runs Texas has scored have come via solo home runs.
  

• Coming into the College World Series, the Longhorns had 39 home runs and 96 sac bunts this season. In their five Omaha games they have 11 long balls and just eight sac bunts.

• Texas has commited more errors than any other team at the CWS with eleven in five games (3 Tuesday). LSU committed its first two errors in Omaha Tuesday night.

• Texas position players and pitchers have a ritual before they take the field each inning. The eight players gather in foul territory by either first or third base (depending on which dugout they're in) and then they wait for their catcher, Cameron Rupp, to get to home plate to scatter out to their positions on the diamond.

• Speaking of Rupp, he's put together. The Plano, TX native is 6'2-235 lbs and chiseled. Think "Bull" from the '80s sitcom "Night Court".

LSU Takes Game One Of CWS Championship Series

Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires notes LSU's 7-6 comeback win over Texas to start the CWS Championship Series...

• Mikie Mahtook drove-in DJ LeMahieu with two outs and two strikes in the top of the 11th inning to give LSU the win. Mahtook started the game 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a 4-6-3 doubleplay.

• Texas hit five solo home runs in the game, all of them came off LSU starter Louis Coleman.
  

• The Longhorns have scored ten runs in their last two games (LSU & ASU), and eight of the runs have scored via solo homers.

• Russell Moldenhauer has three home runs this season, and all of them have come in the Longhorn's four CWS games. He hit just one home run last year after belting six as a freshman.

• Three of the Texas home runs came in the 4th inning. It's the first 3-homer inning at the CWS since LSU did it vs. Mississippi State on June 1, 1998.

• Texas hit 39 home runs with 96 sacrifice bunts in 61 games coming into the CWS, but the Longhorns now have ten home runs in their four games in Omaha.

• Coming into the CWS Texas scored roughly 18% of its runs due to home runs, but they've scored about 48% of their runs in Omaha courtesy of the long ball.

• Texas starter Chance Ruffin had 10 strikeouts tonight, and he's rung-up 114 this season. He writes a "K" for each one on the bottom of the bill of his cap.

• Since the College World Series switched to a best 2 of 3 format for the National Championship the game one winner has won four of six titles. Georgia won game one last year, but Fresno State went on to win the last two games to claim the crown.

• How did Mike Patrick, Orel Hersheiser and Robin Ventura all end-up wearing some form of purple during tonight's telecast? Will the ESPN crew all wear orange tomorrow night?

• Mainieri's dad, Demi "Doc" Mainieri was in the press box tonight. He's a juco baseball Hall of Fame coach who won a national championship in 1964.

• It was Africa hot in Omaha tonight. It was sunny and 94 degrees at game time with a heat index of 107. Fans exiting the stadium after the game looked like they had either just stepped out of a sauna or just finished swimming in the Missouri River. It's supposed to be hotter Tuesday.

• My drive to Omaha from Indiana today took a bit over eight hours. When I called home after my arrival my daughter didn't even realize I was gone.

• Speaking of my trip across Illinois and Iowa...the Bob Feller Museum is in Van Meter Iowa (exit 113 on I-80).
  

• "Radar's home town rocks! Ottumwa, IA, the home of the ficticious "MASH" character has a booming classic rock station, 101.5 FM, that booms up to Des Moines.

• For the most part, Iowa drivers get out of the left hand lane to let you pass them on the interstate (unlike most drivers in Indiana and Illinois).

• The John Wayne birthplace and the covered bridges of Madison County are at exit 110 on I-80.

• Ever feel like you could be about to jump into a Bruce Willis explosion scene when you pull into a gas station behind a guy who's hanging a cigarette out the window?

More from Omaha coming-up tomorrow!

Another Day, Another CWS Blog!

Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires with some thoughts on Friday's LSU-Arkansas and Texas-Arizona State games...

• So much for Cinderella this year. LSU beats Arkansas 14-5 while Texas edges Arizona State 4-3 to each advance to this year's CWS Chamionship Series. That means teams with five and six national championships, respectively, will play for the title.

• LSU's thumping of the Razorbacks not only keeps it as the only team not to lose during the NCAA Tournament (8-0), but the Tigers have also outscored opponents 72-31 in those games. They've won their three CWS games by a combined 32-11 margin.
  

• Back to the jungle...the days of "Gorilla Ball" aren't done for LSU. Seven different Tigers have hit nine home runs in their three College World Series games in the last week.

• The Road to Omaha less traveled...Arkansas pitcher T.J. Forrest actually started his college career at LSU, but transferred to Bossier Parish Community College. He's now a junior and pitched for the Razorbacks against LSU Friday. There's no mention of his time at LSU in his bio on the Arkanas web site.

• Good career choice...LSU pitching coach Dave "Red" Grewe left his head coaching position at Michigan State after last season to rejoin Paul Mainieri's staff. Grewe led the Spartans for three seasons after working for Mainieri for three years at Notre Dame from 2003-2005.

• LSU pitchers did not allow a run in their first 15 innings vs. Arkansas in two College World Series games prior to Brett Eibner's seventh inning home run Friday.

• Mainieri has a handful of former players and assistants who are now head coaches, including UCF skipper, Terry Rooney, who was his pitching coach last year in Omaha. Don't be surprised if LSU assistant Javi Sanchez leads a team to Omaha himself one day. Sanchez is a natural leader who takes leadership seriously, but at the same time he has an easy way about him that draws players to him. He also knows the game and teaches it well.

• Ever heard the saying "he's talking about how the sausage is made"? Orel Hersheiser did a bit of that during the LSU-Arkansas game when he bored viewers with the "difficulty" of his job, because of all the producers and directors talking into his earpiece during a game. Some of it was tongue and cheek, but Orel should stick to the game, because when he talks it he shows he talks it well.

• A tip of the hat to the Hogs...Arkansas had 17 comeback wins this season, including Wednesday's dramtice elimination game victory over Virgininia. The Razorback's magic ran out though with Friday's loss to LSU. You gotta give it though for a team that brought a .272 team batting average and 4.50 ERA to Omaha. Like Virginia, Arkansas had to first win a Regional on the road against a top eight national seed and then go on the road again to win a Super Regional just to get to Omaha.

• Murph's Milestone...I forgot to mention this in yesterday's blog. Arizona State head coach Pat Murphy picked-up his 1,000th career win when the Sun Devils beat North Carolina in Thursday's elimination game. North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams was there to see it.

• Great to hear Sean McDonough has his voice back. The ESPN play-by-play man labored earlier this week when his normally dulcet tones were strained by what he said were allergies, but he had the cords back for Friday's ASU-Texas game. McDonough kind of gets lost in the shuffle in the myriad of TV sportscasters these days, but I've heard he's one of the nicest guys in the business. I'll always remember him for his "Bream to the plate" call as Sid Bream chugged home when Altanta beat Pittsburgh in game seven of the 1992 NLCS. My college roomate, Randy Rosetta, and I were watching that game together in a Lawrence, KS sports bar. Last week Randy and I sat together covering the College World Series (he covers LSU for the Baton Rouge Advocate) while McDonough sat about 60 feet away in the Rosenblatt press box calling the action for viewers on ESPN.

• Arizona State pitcher Mike Leake gave-up two home runs in 132 IP during the regular season, but the Pac 10 Pitcher of the Year surrendered two long balls in two starts vs. Texas this week in Omaha.

• Rudy, really...Have you heard!?! Arizona State freshman Johnny Ruettiger is the nephew of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger. Oh, of course you have, because ESPN only mentioned the connection every time he stepped to the plate in Omaha. So, here are a few things they could have mentioned, but didn't so they could mention "Rudy" one more time, during any of his 17 trips to the plate during his first CWS: Johnny was Joliet Catholic Acadamey's starting quarterback on the team's 2007 Illinois State Championship team, he was the captain of both his baseball and football teams during his junior and senior seasons, as a senior in high school Johnny hit .450 and went 11-2 on the mound, he was picked by the Texas Rangers in the 35th round of last year's MLB draft and his father, John, was a pretty good athlete himself-he wrestled at Nebraska in 1977-'78.
  

• I've got a feeling those Jaguars are going to beat Visigoth State sometime soon!
  

Friday CWS Thoughts And Notes

Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires shares some thoughts from another day at the College World Series...

• Does Arizona State's Kole Calhoun remind anyone else of the character 'Ham" Porter from the movie Sandlot? Calhoun (pictured right) and his teammate, Carlos Ramirez, are built more like beer league softball players than college baseball players, but they play the part well. Neither strikes out a lot for power guys, and they both know how to work a count. Calhoun's OPS is .981, while Ramirez's is 1.126. After Thursday's win over North Carolina, Calhoun now has 3 home runs and 10 RBIs in Omaha, including a grand slam vs. the Tar Heels. Meanwhile, Ramirez has caught all 64 of the Sun Devils' games this season. Like Oakland's Billy Beane has said "We're not selling blue jeans".
  

• Speaking of movie characters...ASU's Pat Murphy reminds me of Mickey Rourke's "Marv" in Sin City. Murph was born in New York, and he brings that east coast toughness to the desert & the Pac 10. The confidence his players exhude often borders on, if not crosses into, cockiness, but given the results (3 CWS in the last five years) that's not a bad thing.

• The ebb and the flow...Arizona State jumped-out to a 6-0 lead in Tuesday's game vs. Texas, only to see the Longhorns score the last ten runs of the game. North Carolina opened Thursday's game with the first four runs of the game, to bring ASU's total to 14 straight combined unanswered runs. The Sun Devils then used an 8-run seventh inning en-route to 12 unanswered runs of their own before UNC finally got a run in the 9th in ASU's 12-5 win.

• North Carolina's Garrett Gore played in the 21st and final College World Series game of his career Thursday night. He's played in more CWS games than anyone in the history of the event.

• Gore's teammate, Dustin Ackley, collected a ninth inning double Thursday to extend his record NCAA Tournament hitting streak to 21 games. It was his 28th career CWS base hit, a CWS record.

• Robin Ventura is just a dude who knows baseball. When he talks baseball during a game as an ESPN analyst he makes me listen intently to what he has to say. Ventura speaks and explains the mechanics of the game, both pitching and hitting, in a manner that's easily understood. His breakdown of Ackley's swing during Thursday night was eye opening.

• Is it just a coincidence? Since 2000 the winner of bracket 2 has gone on to win the College World Series. Texas and Arizona State are the remaining teams from bracket 2 this year, while LSU and Arkansas reside in bracket 1.
  

Thursday Thoughts & Notes On The CWS

Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires with his thoughts from Wednesday's CWS action...

• Arkansas' Mr. Clutch is at it again...Andrew Darr's 12th inning RBI double ended-up being the game-winner in the Razorbacks' 4-3 win over Virginia in Wednesday's CWS elimination game. Darr entered the game in the 9th inning as a defensive replacement after Virginia loaded the bases. Darr's walk-off double vs. Florida State ended the Super Regional nearly two weeks ago & sent Arkansas to the College World Series. (Podcast with Darr is available by clicking HERE.)
  

• Brett Eibner more than atoned for his short start on the mound vs. LSU Monday when his 2-out 9th inning home run tied the game 3-3 to send it to extra innings.

• ESPN's Mike Patrick was half correct when he talked about the importance of Zach Cox's 2-out, 2-strike single that came just before Eibner's HR. However, Patrick said it was important, because if Cox hadn't singled Eibner's HR would have just been a solo shot. It was more important than that though, because if Cox hadn't reached base the game would have been over, and Eibner wouldn't have even come to the plate again until 2010.

• Speaking of TV...wouldn't it be nice to make as much money as ESPN analyst Orel Hersheiser makes to butcher players' names? In his time in Omaha he has incorrectly pronounced: Arkansas pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Brett Eibner, Virginia pitcher/DH Danny Hultzen, Arizona State SS Drew Maggi, and MLB's #1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg. His analysis is usually spot-on, but c'mon Orel is it too hard to just write the names pho-net-i-cal-ly? Is it a wonder Howard Cosell used to opine about the "jockocrasy" in TV sports?
  

• Speaking of TV II...it was pretty touching to see and hear business owners from the Rosenblatt area getting choked-up while trying to talk about the CWS moving to downtown Omaha after next year.

• Speaking of TV III...Pretty cool North Carolina's Garrett Gore got to man one of ESPN's TV cameras for a spell during the game. Gore said afterward "That was it, took control, my show". I'm sure Cosell would have been appalled though!

• Good job by the umpires in the Arkansas-UVA game to make sure they got John Hicks' fifth inning home run call correct. They conferred after it was originally not called a home run, but Hicks got credit for the round-tripper after they correctly decided the ball hit a fan's hat and then another fan's glove and not Arkansas left fielder Chase Leavitt's glove before it caromed back onto the field.

• Great piece of bunting by Virginia's Keith Werman. The pinch-hitter entered the game in a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the 9th with runners at first and second and no outs. Werman bunted the first two pitches of the at-bat foul and then took two balls from fellow lefty Dallas Keuchel before he finally dropped down a two-strike bunt to move the runners to second and third.

• How about Keuchel's relief appearance just two days after starting against Cal State Fullerton? The southpaw tossed four shutout innings, while fanning five and giving-up just three hits to improve to 9-3 this season. It was the junior's first relief outing this season.

• Speaking of pitching...a tip of the hat to starters Drew Smyly of Arkanas and fellow freshman left Danny Hultzen of Virginia. The two combined to pitch 11.0 innings with 14 strikeouts and no walks on 13 hits. Smyly's string of 19 straight shutout innings in the NCAA Tournament ended on the previously mentioned fifth inning HR by Hicks. He was starting for the first time since losing a no-hitter in the ninth inning of the Razorbacks' Regional Championship game vs. Oklahoma. (Podast with Smyly is available by clicking HERE.)
  

• It's been great having Green Day's musice playing into breaks during Super Regional and now College World Series games on ESPN>
  

Wednesday CWS Note And Thoughts

A few notes and thoughts from Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires while waiting for the Virginia-Arkansas game to start...

• Tonight's game between Arkansas and Virginia is the first ever on the baseball diamond between the two schools.

• Last night's game between Texas and Arizona State marked the 44th time those two teams have played. Texas owns a 26-18 series advantage.

• Virginia has broken ten school records this year. They are: wins (49), runs (504), doubles (134), at-bats (2,295), hits (571), runs (504), triples (28), RBIs (465), total bases (1,112), and innings pitched (571.0).

• The Texas-Arizona State game marked the first time that three sons of three former College World Series players were on the field at the same time. The current players are Chance Ruffin (Bruce 1985) and Brandon Loy (Darren 1983-'84) of Texas, and Matt Newman (Randy 1981).
  

• Speaking of that game. Did you see ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews' interview with ASU freshman Johnny Ruettiger's parents during Tuesday's game? Ok, so Johnny is the nephew of Notre Dame's "Rudy", but do his parents really want to answer questions like "Where's Rudy", "When will Rudy be here", and "Johnny talks to Rudy all the time, what are those conversations like"? You know, because they've never heard a question about Rudy since the movie came out 16 years ago. That's what they want to talk about while their son is playing at his first College World Series.

• ASU's loss to Texas last night snapped their 7-game winning streak, and it leaves LSU as the only team without a loss in this year's NCAA Tournament (7-0).

• Arkansas starting pitcher Brett Eibner had a tough time in his last start Monday vs. LSU when he allowed four runs in just 1 1/3 IP. That's nothing compared to what happened to an Omaha motorist at Tuesday's Arkansas practice when Eibner hit a home run during batting practice that smashed the window of a van parked on the street outside the park.

Tuesday CWS Thoughts

Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires shares some College World Series thoughts...

• How important is it to win your first round game in Omaha? Since the CWS began in 1947 just ten teams have lost their first game and gone on to capture the national championship.
  
• Since 1980 just Oregon St. in 2006, USC in 1998 and the 1980 Arizona teams lost their first round game in Omaha and then claimed national titles.
• Could Southern Mississippi head coach Corky Palmer have picked a better time to retire? USM can never match what Palmer's team did with its run to Omaha over the last three weeks, and Palmer would only be chasing a golden carrott if he weren't retiring. Just like George Costanza...Corky's leaving on a high note.
• If you don't believe how tough it is for a Cinderella to return to Omaha see: Fresno State which went 0-2 in the Irvine Regional this year after winning last year's title. There are others: Louisville-2007, Arizona-2004, Southwest Mo. State-2003, Notre Dame-2002, San Jose St.-2000. Getting to Omaha raises the expectation level of a program, but those expections are seldom met in most cases.
• Speaking of Southern Mississippi, great shot by ESPN of USM players scooping dirt from behind home plate to take home some Omaha dirt in paper cups and Gatorade bottles after Tuesday's 11-4 loss (and elimination) to North Carolina.
• When the new CWS stadium is built downtown in two years will Zesto's bring its ice cream along?
• Also, when the stadium's downtown will outfield tickets still be sold as general admission seating? If so, where will fans stand in line to get in? Fans currently stand in lone serpentine lines that go down the hill beyond the Rosenblatt outfield area. The new stadium will have just a small parking lot and a sidewalk in those same locations. Will they close off the street beyond right field?
• LSU scored eight of its nine runs in Monday's win over Arkansas with two outs. Coming into the CWS, the Tigers had just ten 2-out RBIs in five previous NCAA Tournament games.
  
• After Monday's win over Arkansas, LSU is now 35-3 this season when a right-hand pitcher starts.
  
• With its 2-0 start, LSU now waits until Friday afternoonto play either Virginia or LSU. I know the steaks in Omaha are good, and the pitching will be rested, but three days in between games at the most important time of the year is just too much.
  

Sunday College World Series Thoughts

Collegebaseball360.com Editor, Sean Stires, shares some thoughts from a day of baseball at Rosenblatt Stadium...

Quite a Sunday afternoon game between North Carolina and Arizona St. UNC’s Alex White: 9 IP-7H-1 ER- 3 BB – 12 K & ASU’s Josh Spence & Mitchell Lambson combine for 10 IP-11H- 2 R – 1 ER – 3 BB – 13 K.

There were still a lot of people outside the stadium today, but it wasn’t nearly the mad house it was all day yesterday before the Arkansas-Cal State Fullerton & LSU-Virginia games. Probably a lot of LSU fans sleeping-off yesterday’s tailgating.

One of the coolest shirts I’ve seen…burnt orange Longhorn Texas logo with simply the word “OMAHA” above it. No other school has a shirt like it in any of the vendor shirts outside Rosenblatt Stadium (and there are dozens of tents and hundreds of shirt styles). The shirt vendor says it’s because Texas considers Omaha their destiny…even though they haven’t been here for four years.

This is the 50th anniversary of ASU baseball. Members of the Sun Devil’s 1969 National Championship team are in Omaha for a reunion.

Don't call it a "Jeter" play, ASU 1B Riccio Torrez with great effort crashing into the wall going for foul ball. Didn’t make the catch, but took a big tumble into the photo pit next to the ASU dugout in the 3rd inning.

Another Sportscenter Web Gem…Texas shortstop Brandon Loy with a lazar beam thrown to first after a diving stop in the hole to throw out Southern Mississippi’s Taylor Walker.

Is there no green paint left in Omaha? The CWS logo on the Astroturf semi-circle behind the plate this year looks as bad as I’ve ever seen it. You can still read “Omaha Royals” underneath the "College World Series 2009" logo that's painted over it.

If the lines for the restrooms inside Rosenblatt are any indication, maybe they DO need a new CWS stadium in Omaha.

Saw this sign by a Southern Mississippi fan today: O-M-A-H-A = Ole Miss At Home Again

Southern Mississippi’s last two coaches have been Corky Palmer and before that Hill Densen. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I have never known a Corky and I have never known a Hill.

My daughter, Baylee, was in the stands again for tonight’s game. She has a mascot phobia. The USM Mascot had her frozen stiff and crying after Golden Eagle Michael Ewing hit his 5th HR of the season against Texas.

My son, Jesse, wanted to come to the Texas-Southern Miss. Game to see the Longhorns in person, but in the 6th inning he was singing the Golden Eagle’s fight song along with their fans in section “R”.

M & M’s and fresh popcorn are two of the more popular snacks among the media in the Rosenblatt press box. They give us paper boats that are about the size of your hand to put them in. The boats are too small for me to get enough popcorn, but big enough that I always fill them with way more M & M’s than even my sweet tooth needs. (Why do I always eat them ALL though)?

Texas LHP Austin Wood gained fame for his 12 1/3 no-hit innings & 13 total innings two weeks ago in the 3-2 25 inning win over Boston College. However, since his 169 pitch effort his command has been erratic, and his fastball has dropped from the high 80s to the mid to low 80s. Wood threw a wild pitch and issued a bases loaded walk Sunday vs. USM to contribute to the Golden Eagle's 3-run inning.

May 30th, 1981 was the last catcher's interference at the College World Series prior to the 8th inning interference by Texas backstop Cameron Rupp that gave Southern Mississippi's Brian Dozier first base.

Dozier was pinch-hitting in that at-bat. He had missed 29 games since fracturing his collarbone on April 14th.

The total attendance for this weekend’s four games was 96,868 for an average of 24,217 per game. The new CWS stadium that will open in two years will seat 24,000.

Texas-Southern Mississippi Starting Line-Ups

Here are the line-ups for the Texas-So. Miss Game...

Southern Miss

1. CF Bo Davis .371
2. 2B James Ewing .314
3. LF Kameron Brunty .342
4. RF Corey Stevens .330
5. 1B Joey Archer
6. DH Michael Ewing .231
7. SS BA Vollmuth .236
8. C Travis Graves .246
9. 3B Taylor Walker .305

RHP-Todd McInnis (9-4, 3.61 ERA)

Head Coach Corky Palmer

Texas

1. 3B Michael Torres .304
2. 2B Travis Tucker .286
3. 1B Brandon Belt .336
4. DH Russell Moldenhauer .234
5. RF Kevin Keyes .305
6. SS Brandon Loy .294
7. C Cameron Rupp .287
8. LF Preston Clark .264
9. CF Connor Rowe .275

RHP Cole Green (5-3, 3.02)

Head Coach Augie Garrido

Umpires

HP Chuck Lyon
1B Mark Chapman
2B Tony Maners
3B Perry Costello

ASU-UNC Starting Line-Ups

Here are the starting line-ups for today's North Carolina-Arizona State game...

ASU

1. SS Drew Magi .319
2. CF Jason Kipnis .385
3. C Carlos Ramirez .349
4. LF Kole Calhoun .292
5. 1B Riccio Torrez .298
6. RF Matt Newman .315
7. DH Johnny Reuttiger .356
8. 3B Raoul Torrez .250
9. 2B Zack MacPhee .266

LHP Josh Spence (9-1, 2.33 ERA)

Head Coach Pat Murphy decides not to start Pac 10 Pitcher of the Year Mike Leake. I may be sunning myself with Sparky yet! Will Leake pitch in relief today?

North Carolina

1. LF Ben Bunting .333
2. 1B Dustin Ackley
3. 3B Kyle Seager .386
4. SS Ryan Graepel .279
5. 2B Levi Michael .298
6. C Mark Fleury .315
7. RF Garrett Gore .307
8. CF Mike Cavasini .260
9. DH Jacob Stallings .216

RHP-Alex White (8-4, 4.13 ERA)

Head Coach Mike Fox

Umpires

HP Jeff Henrichs
1B Joe Burleson
2B Darrin Sealey
3B Steve Manders

Pre-Day Two CWS Thoughts

Yesterday was a day for mostly "big boys" with LSU, Fullerton, Arkansas, and Virginia all in action. Arkansas and Virginia have just three trips to the CWS between them in the last ten years (and obviously this is UVA's first trip), but they're still from power conferences.

Three more "big boy" teams are in action today, but Cinderella makes steps up to center stage tonight when Southern Mississippi plays #1 Texas. (North Carolina and Arizona State play the matinee). Some thoughts on today's action...

• As of last night, we still had not heard who Texas will start tonight. Fullerton went with Noe Ramirez over Daniel Renken, and now Dave Serrano's team is in a Monday elimination game vs. Virginia. Will that decision make it that much easier for Augie Garrido to go with Chance Ruffin if he was even thinking about anyone else?
• Southern Mississippi starting pitchers have made it past the fifth inning just once in their six NCAA Tournament games, but the Golden Eagles are still 5-1 and in Omaha. Their offense has scored 8.8 runs a game to counter the lack of pitching longevity. (Remind you of a team from California last year?)
• Seriously, isn't it cool to have a head coach named Corky Palmer in the CWS?
  
• Speaking of starting pitching, as of last night ASU's Pat Murphy still hadn't announced his starter for today's game vs. North Carolina. If it's not Pac 10 Pitcher of the Year Mike Leake (16-1, 1.36 ERA, 150 K), I'll go sun bathe with Sparky in the left field bleachers (trust me, you don't want to see that).
• The last time Mike Fox and North Carolina failed to make it to the College World Series was 2005 when his Tar Heels were eliminated by Paul Mainieri's Notre Dame team at the Gainesville, FL Regional. The Florida team that won that regional went on to finish as the national runner-up with a loss to Texas in the CWS Championship Series.
• As noted last night, LSU used all three of its weekend starter in its opening win over Virginia. SEC Pitcher of the Year Louis Coleman pitched just an inning, and with a day off Sunday, it was essentially a bullpen workout on a big stage. Mainieri says he and Austin Ross will still make their next scheduled starts.
• The crowds inside and outstide Rosenblatt Stadium as well as on the streets and in the press box itself were enormous yesterday. I don't think I've seen as many people here. I wonder how much that fact that Rosenblatt's days are numbered (along with LSU and Texas as well as homeboy Brian O'Connor being here) have to do with it?

You ready for day two?

Arkansas Player Makes ESPN's Top 10 Plays

OMAHA, Neb. – Arkansas freshman Bo Bigham’s diving stop and throw from his knees cracked ESPN SportsCenter’s top 10 plays, ranking No. 4 on the list Saturday night.

Bigham made the diving stop in the third inning and limited what may have been a big Cal St. Fullerton inning to just a pair of runs. With a runner on first base and no one out, Bigham made a diving stop to his left, turned and threw a strike to Ben Tschepikow from his knees to get the lead runner on the play. The Titans would eventually score two runs in the inning on a hit and one Razorback error, but the two runs only cut into Arkansas’ lead and kept the Razorbacks on top.

Bigham’s play is the third Razorback play to get recognition on ESPN’s top 10 plays this season and fourth in the last two seasons. Last weekend, Andrew Darr cracked the daily and weekly top 10 for his one-out game-winning double against Florida State in the Super Regional and Brett Eibner was featured the day before for a leaping catch while crashing into the center field wall in Tallahassee. Chase Leavitt was the story in 2008 when he made a diving catch in right field.

Bigham's play helped Arkansas down Cal State Fullerton 10-6 in their 2009 CWS opener. The Razorbacks must now take on the LSU Tigers who defeated the Virginia Cavaliers on Monday night in the second round of the College World Series. Game time is set for 6 p.m. Central. Virginia plays Fullerton at 1p.m. that same day.

College World Series Day One Thoughts

Two well played games on day one of the 2009 College World Series. Arkansas downed Cal State Fullerton 10-6 in the opener, while LSU downed Virginia 9-5. A few thoughts/facts on the action from Rosenblatt Stadium.

• The four teams that were playing today's games (Arkansas, Fullerton, LSU, & Virginia) had a combined 20-1 record in the NCAA Tournament coming into today's action. Virginia's game one Super Regional loss to Ole Miss was the lone blemish.
• As I speak, LSU head coach Paul Mainieri is getting post-game hugs on the field from his daughters Sam and Alex.
• The result of Arkansas' win over Fullerton isn't necessarily shocking, but the way they did it is. The Razorbacks put ten runs on the board against a Titans team that had given-up a total of just 11 runs in their five previous NCAA Tourney games this year.
• Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn finally has his first CWS win. He was 0-4 in 2001-02 trips with Nebraska, and 0-2 in 2004 with the Razorbacks.
• LSU's win gives the Tigers their first victory in a CWS opener since 2000.
• LSU used asll three weekend starters in tonight's game. Anthony Ranaudo pitched just 3.1 innings in his 17th start of the year, Austin Ross had 2 IP in relief, and SEC pitcher of the Year Louis Coleman pitched the 8th inning.
• Coleman pitched in relief on Friday in SEC play vs. Georgia and Kentucky during the regular season and then made Sunday starts to end those series.
• Virginia plays Cal State Fullerton Monday at 1pm Central. The Cavs are the home team.
• LSU plays Arkansas Monday at 6pm Central. The Razorbacks will be the home team.
• Virginia freshman Steven Proscia hit his 10th HR of the year. It's the most for a Cavs freshman since 2005 when Sean Doolittle hit 15.
• Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry was in the press box and in the stands for a while tonight. Hendry was Brian O'Connor's head coach on the 1991 Creighton CWS team. He also gave Paul Mainieri his first coaching job at Miami's Christopher Columbus High School.
• I sat in the press box between two really nice guys tonight. Marc Davis, the Sports Director at WCDV Channel 19 from Charlottesville, VA and Jason Cole from Burntorangebeat.com. Had a lot of good baseball conversation.
• I know it's been overstated all week, but Mainieri and O'Connor are two of the best class acts in the game. They are both great guys, and their staffs and teams embody how the game should be: play hard with no excuses.
• My dad, son, daughter, and wife were all in the stands tonight. My son was with a few of his Scrappers baseball teammates. It was their first CWS experience. I hope they had a good time.
• Sat for part of the game with my great friend, Randy Rosetta, from the Baton Rouge Advocate....he's still Randy.

We'll have more tomorrow.

Good Times Before The Rain

College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires is in Omaha preparing for the start of the 2009 College World Series.

Friday wasn't necessarily an overly eventful day in Omaha, but it had its share of events. It was practice day at Rosenblatt Stadium the day before the College World Series, but only a few of the teams actually got on the field to take batting practice and shag balls.

Three of the four teams that are set to play today took their hacks on the Rosenblatt turf, but Virginia didn't. Neither did Texas, North Carolina, Southern Mississippi, or Arizona State. Just as LSU was winding-down the third practice session of the morning, and just after Tiger skipper Paul Mainieri exchanged jokes on the field with Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor (Mainieri's former Notre Dame assistant) rain started pelting the field, and they pulled the tarp at Rosenblatt.

That was a little before noon Central Time, and it rained for most of the afternoon after that. It rained pretty hard as well. Not Noah's Ark hard, but it rained enough that games scheduled for the Omaha Slumpbuster Tournament (Thursday's blog) had to be scrapped.

Fortunately, the rain did hold long enough for CWS Opening Ceremonies and fireworks Friday night at Rosenblatt.

Probably the biggest highlight of the day for everyone is when the different teams arrive for practice. LSU and Virginia both took teams pictures with the "Road To Omaha" statue in front of the stadium, and afterward they signed autographs and took pictures with kids of all ages.

My son's team got to mingle with LSU players for quite some time, and Mainieri even said a few words to them later on inside the stadium. Welcome to Omaha!

We did manage to talk to a few of the LSU, Virginia and Arkansas players and coaches Friday, and some of that is now posted on our new "CWS Video" page at www.collegebaseball360.com.

Well, it's Saturday...let the games begin!

Things Are Getting Started Today At The CWS

College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires is in Omaha preparing for the start of the 2009 College World Series.

It's Friday, and we're still a day away from the start of games at the College World Series, but the activity at Rosenblatt kicks-up a few ticks today. If you saw the video on the front page of our web site yesterday, you know the vendors were setting-up their tents yesterday, and some of them had already begun slinging T-shirts, hats and other items to paying customers. Most of the rest of them will be open for business at some point today.

All eight teams will be on the field at Rosenblatt for quick practices throughout the day, and each team's practice will be followed by an autograph session. The best part is: It's all Free to the public.

There's an all day fan fast outside the stadium with interactive games for kids as well as face painting (yes, my dauther Baylee plans to be there) and the like. Opening ceremonies with the parade of teams and then capped-off by fireworks (one of the best fireworks displays I've ever seen) is inside the stadium later tonight. Fanfest runs from 10am-9pm, and the ceremonies is from 9-10pm.

Here's a quick rundown of today's practice schedule inside Rosenblatt Stadium:

Cal State Fullerton 9-10 am, autographs 10:30-11 am.
Arkansas 10-11 am, autographs 11:30 am-12 pm.
LSU 11 am- Noon, autographs 12:30 pm.
Virginia Noon-1 pm, autographs 1:30 pm.
North Carolina 1pm-2pm, autographs 2:30pm.
Arizona St. 2pm-3pm, autographs 3:30pm.
Texas 3pm-4pm, autographs, 4:30pm.
Southern Mississippi 4pm-5pm, autographs 5:30pm.

Baseball's Back In Omaha

College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires is in Omaha preparing for the start of the 2009 College World Series.

We're less than two days away from the start of this year's College World Series, but I saw two games in Omaha today. I mentioned yesterday that my son's 13U team, the Michiana Scrappers, is in a big tournament here in Omaha.

Before I go further, I should explain the name "Michiana". As many of you know, I live in South Bend, IN, which sits right on the Indiana/Michigan state line. Michiana is a combination of those names, kind of like "Texarkana". I've never favored the name Michiana, but that's another story.

Anyway, turns out this isn't just a "big" tournament his team is playing in. It's a REALLY big tournament. 2009 is the seventh year of what's known as the "Omaha Slumpbuster". Last year 462 teams competed in the Slumpbuster, with kids ranging in age from 8 to 18.

Ft. Collins, CO based Triple Crown Sports runs the event, which draws teams from across the country for games that are played on more than 40 complexes in the greater Omaha and Lincoln areas. My son's team played one from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and another from Illinois today. Tomorrow they'll play a team from Colorado.

They held what they called a "bonfire" tonight, but it was really a fire that set off a cluster of explosions and fireworks in the middle of a baseball diamond. I think my eyebrows were singed from my face.

The cool thing from the kids' perspective is, the tournament organizers aren't just using the College World Series to get teams here, and then leave them on the outside looking in. The people who run the Slumpbuster actually include CWS tickets in the packages for teams that participate (I should also say, the entry fee ain't cheap).

They schedule games in the morning and early afternoon though, so kids and parents have a chance to see CWS games while they're in town. Another perk is the fact that there are open practices and by the eight participating CWS teams Friday (the day before the first games) at Rosenblatt Stadium. Each practice is followed by a 30 minute autograph session with each team.

Can you imagine being 10, 11...12 or 13 years old and being up close and personall with some of the best college players in the country? Five of the players who are here this week were taken in the first round of this week's MLB draft, and a barrel-full more were taken in later rounds.

Our Indiana team alone has fans of Cal State Fullerton, LSU and Texas. I'm guessing that after the kids watch some of the Friday practices each team will have more young fans in its base. (My son, Jesse, might have to actually choose between burnt orange and purple tomorrow.)

Call me a kid at heart, but I am like a kid in a candy store right now as we get set to count down the hours to Saturday's 1pm (Central) game.

Check back in Friday for video and more blogging from Omaha at the College World Series!

Rosen-what? Where's Did Johnny's "Ts" Go?

College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires is now in his second day in Omaha, NE in preparation for the 2009 College World Series.

I talked a little food yesterday after my family and got to town, so I'll get to a little more baseball today. First, let me say this is my third CWS, and the people of Omaha are always great. "Welcome to Omaha" is the phrase both players and fans alike love to hear. This is just a great event, and I'm glad the CWS is in Omaha for decades to come.

That said, the hotel I'm staying in has one of those little local event magazines in each room. This one, fittingly, is called "Omaha Magazine", which is published in conjunction with the Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau (I know so, because it says so right on the cover).

There's a picture of a Fresno State pitcher on the cover of the mag, and the headline reads:
"2009 NCAA College World SERIES Rosenblass Stadium".

You read that correctly- Rosenbla "ss". Oops. Make that double oopss!

I know there's only one for year for Rosenblatt Stadium, but c'mon. Can I get a copy editor please!?! Johnny's rolling over in his grave right now.

I'll tell you what though, in the interest of journalistic integrity I'm going to head to the stadium right now to make sure there are still two "Ts" at the end of the name on that stadium.

Stand by...

On The Ground In Omaha

College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires is on Omaha checking in. Here are a few thoughts...

Got to Omaha this afternoon. Not many of the eight teams are in town right now. Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor is from this area, and he's bringing his team in tonight. Most of the rest of the teams will get here tomorrow.

In addition to the College World Series, I'll be watching some other baseball here in town for the next few days as well. My 13-year-old son's team is in a tournament here that starts Thursday morning, so we have two games that day as well as a Friday game. We don't know the rest of the schedule for the weekend yet.

There are at least two other teenage baseball teams staying in our hotel, so it should be really quiet here for the next few days. (Hope you noted the sarcasm.)

The first thing we did after checking in to the hotel was head for California Tacos. My daughter, Baylee, is a devoted Food Network watcher, and we watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives regularly. The show was here in Omaha during last year's CWS shooting episodes, and the taco joint was featured on the show.

My wife and I had the signature item: The California Taco. I had one beef and one grilled fish taco. The beef was really solid, but the fish taco was...well, a little fishy. Now, before you land-locked types turn your pallets at the very thought of a fish taco, let me just say if you have never had a Wahoo fish taco in California (the state, not the street in Omaha) you're missing out.

Anyway, the California Taco comes in a big puffed & fried flour shell, and the beef was very good. Salsa was good, and so was the cold brews my friend Rob and I sampled. His kids got big nacho platters, but they didn't care too much for them, because they came with flour rather than corn chips (you can order either kind). They ended-up going with the California Taco as well.

If you're coming to Omaha, a trip to California is worth the trip for the signature dish, but I guess I just should have remembered we're in the beef capital of the midwest, so I'll save the fish for my next So Cal trip.

I'm heading over to the stadium tomorrow to see how things are shaping-up outside. Open practices are all day Friday at Rosenblatt Stadium. I'll be there as well, so be sure to check-in the rest of the week as we lead-up to Saturday's opening of the 2009 CWS.

College World Series Items

We talked stats earlier, and now here are a few random items on teams/coaches/players in this year's College World Series.

• Four players in the 2009 CWS field were taken in the first round of Tuesday's MLB draft: North Carolina's Dustin Ackley went #2 overall to Seattle, Cincinnati tabbed Arizona State RHP Mike Leake with the eighth overall pick, Tar Heel pitcher Alex White went with the 15th selection to Cleveland, and LSU outfielder/wide receiver Jared Mitchell was picked 15th by the Chicago White Sox. North Carolina and Arizona State meet in their first game Sunday in Omaha.

• Arkansas and LSU's entries into the '09 CWS makes it 17 straight years the SEC has had at least one team in Omaha. The Pac 10 is next with 13 straight years thanks to Arizona State. Southern Mississippi's surprising run this year gives C-USA the third longest CWS stretch at five years.

• Mr. Clutch...Arkansas' Andy Wilkins leads all batters in the NCAA Tournament with 8 of his team's 23 2-out RBIs.

• Brian O'Connor has now been to the College World Series as a player (Creighton-1991), assistant coach (Notre Dame-1992) and head coach (Virginia-2009).

• Current Chicago Cubs GM, Jim Hendry, was O'Connor's head coach on that '91 Creighton team. Hendry also gave LSU's Paul Mainieri his first coaching job at Miami's Christopher Columbus High School.

• Brandon Loy of Texas and Cal State Fullerton's Joe Scott share the NCAA lead with 24 sac bunts in 2009.

• Cal State Fullerton has outscored its opponents 64-11 during the NCAA Tournament, including a 23-2 margin over Louisville in their two-game Super Regional.

To read more about the 2009 College World Series field CLICK HERE.

Pre-College World Series Statistics

We're just four days away from the start of the 2009 College World Series. CB360 Co-Editor, Pete LaFleur, and I have been working feverishly to uncover information for college baseball starved fans that's hard to find most anywhere else.

Pete has been working in conjunction with college baseball sports information directors around the nation to provide updated statistics during this year's NCAA Tournament. It's not an easy task when you start a tournament with 64 teams. We do wish to thank every team and conference SID who has contributed to the effort. (Pete has had to hand enter some stats, because a handful of conferences respectfully declined from providing the PAK files Pete needed for the stat program.)

In any case, after 120 tournament games in the last two weeks, what we now have on our web site is the most comprehensive 2009 NCAA Tournament statistics you will find anywhere. You can see the full report HERE.

We (and by we I mostly mean Pete) will continue to update these statistics throughout the College World Series. (Ok, he'll do the stats part, but I'll add the links on the web site.)

I'm getting to Omaha Wednesday afternoon, so be watching our Twitter feed for things going on in the next few days leading-up to Saturday's opening day. I'll be at Rosenblatt for most of Friday's open practices, and we'll have video from the day's events on the site after that.

I hope I don't run into any Visigoths...

Game Times And First Round CWS Pairings Set

Here's a look at the game times and first round pairing for the 2009 College World Series. The rest of the CWS bracket follows.

ALL TIMES CENTRAL

Saturday, June 13

Game 1 – 1 p.m. (ESPN HD) (V) Arkansas (39-22) vs. (H) No. 2 Cal St. Fullerton (47-14)

Game 2 – 6 p.m. (ESPN HD) (V) Virginia (48-13-1) vs. (H) No. 3 LSU (51-16)

Sunday, June 14

Game 3 – 1 p.m. (ESPN HD) (V) No. 5 Arizona St. (49-12) vs. (H) No. 4 North Carolina (47-16)

Game 4 – 6 p.m. (ESPN2 HD) (V) Southern Miss. (40-24) vs. (H) No. 1 Texas (46-14-1)

Monday, June 15

Game 5 – 1 p.m. (ESPN2 HD) Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

Game 6 – 6 p.m. (ESPN2 HD) Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

Tuesday, June 16

Game 7 – 1 p.m. (ESPN2 HD) Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4

Game 8 – 6 p.m. (ESPN2 HD) Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Wednesday, June 17

Game 9 – 6 p.m. (ESPN2 HD) Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6

Thursday, June 18

Game 10 – 6 p.m. (ESPN2 HD) Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8

Friday, June 19

Game 11 – 1 p.m. (ESPN2 HD) Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 6

Game 12 – 6 p.m. (ESPN2 HD) Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8

Saturday, June 20

Game 13 – 1 p.m. (ESPN HD) or 6 p.m. (ESPN)

Game 13 will be necessary if the winner of Game 9 also wins Game 11. If it is the only game scheduled for that day, the game will start at 6 p.m.

Game 14 – 6 p.m. (ESPN HD)

Game 14 will be necessary if the winner of Game 10 also wins Game 12. If it is the only game scheduled for that day, the game will start at 6 p.m.

Sunday, June 21

No games scheduled

MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES FINALS

Monday, June 22

Game 1 – 6 p.m. (ESPN HD) Bracket One Winner vs. Bracket Two Winner

Tuesday, June 23

Game 2 – 6 p.m. (ESPN HD) Bracket One Winner vs. Bracket Two Winner

Wednesday, June 24

Game 3 – 6 p.m. (ESPN HD) Bracket One Winner vs. Bracket Two Winner

(if necessary)

Some Texas Factoids

With its Super Regional win over TCU, #1 national seed Texas is the final team to qualify for the 2009 College World Series. It's not like Augie Garrido and the Longhorns haven't been to Omaha before. Here are some Texas CWS facts:

• Texas is making its 33rd overall College World Series appearance.

• The Longhorns haven't been to Omaha since 2005, but it's still their sixth trip to college baseball promised land in the last ten years.
  

• Texas has won six national championships. Augie Garrido was the head coach for the 2002 and 2005 title teams.

• Garrido also won national championships at Cal State Fullerton in 1979, 1984 and 1995, giving him five titles overall.

• His five championships are second only to former USC head coach Rod Dedeaux's 10.
  

• Garrido is the first coach to win national championships at two different schools.

• 2009 marks Garrido's 13th CWS berth.

• Garrido played collegiately at Fresno State (winner of last year's championship) and started his coaching career at Cal Poly (which made the tourney for the first time ever this season).

• Garrideo, LSU's Paul Mainieri (then at Notre Dame) and Arkansas' Dave Van Horn (then with Nebraska) all coached teams at the 2002 CWS.

• Texas was one of three Big 12 teams (along with Baylor and Nebraska) to go to the 2005 CWS, but this year's Longhorn squad is the first Big 12 team to make it to Omaha since then.
  

Monday Thoughts On CWS/Supers

The TCU-Texas game is just starting. It's the only Super Regional game remaining. Who would have thought that just two of the eight series would go the distance? Here are a few random thoughts on some of what we saw this weekend...

• Maybe Southern Mississippi's Corky Palmer has the key to career success figured out: Announce your retirement. Palmer made the announcement in April that his 12th season as head coach would be his last. Instead of a gift certificate for an early bird special, Palmer's team's retirement present is a trip to Omaha.

• I've always said that in sports (and really life in general) you always get a chance, and then it's up to you to make the most of it.

Exhibit A-Palmer's clean-up batter, Corey Stevens (.329, 8 HR, 58 RBIs) was tossed from Sunday's decisive Super Regional game vs. Florida with his team trailing 6-4. Stevens' replacement in the clean-up spot, Adam Doleac (.286, 0HR, 7 RBIs) lined a ball through the right side to load the bases. It set-up Joey Archer's 2-run, 2-out hit to tie the score 6-6.

Exhibit B-Arkansas' Adrew Darr hadn't started a game for the Razorbacks since March, but head coach Dave Van Horn had him in the line-up Saturday in the Hogs' Super Regional clincher vs. Florida State. Darr responded by going 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and 3 RBIs, including a walk-off 2-run double to send the Razorbacks to Omaha for the first time since 2004.

• Not So Super...After losing that game to Arkansas, Florida State is now just 3-3 in Super Regional Series played in Tallahassee. The Seminoles are now just 3-6 all-time in Super Regionals.

• The Real Rudy...You're going to hear more about Arizona State freshman Johnny Ruettiger during the College World Series. He's the nephew of Dan "Rudy" Ruettiger, the former Notre Dame football walk-on that prompts every opposing fan of any ND athletic team (from football to fencing) to derisively chant Rudy at every Irish player. Like "Rudy", Johnny is from Joliet, and his intensity reminds me more of another former Irish football player, linebacker Mike Goolsby, who also hailed from Jake and Elwood's home town. Johnny is faster than either his uncle or Goolsby, and he's hitting .356 in 87 at-bats with 12 stolen bases.
  

• Speaking of Arizona State, do you think head coach Pat Murphy has ever actually called his Australian pitcher, Josh Spence, a "beautiful kid" to his face the way he did multiple times during his mid-game dugout interview during Sunday night's telecast?

• Speaking of the mid-game dugout interview with a team's head coach/manager (depending on whether it's a college or pro game), hasn't it jumped the shark? I like the one during the WCWS when the Washington softball coach responded "Score runs, win the game", when asked what her team needed to do to win.

• Speaking of broadcasts, this gem by Keith Moreland at the end of a North Carolina-East Carolina game on the ESPN family might be my all-time favorite bit of wisdom from a color analyst: "Good pitching always beats good hitting...most of the time." That's rates right up there with "Ninety-percent of the time it works every time."-Paul Rudd as Brian Fantana in Anchorman-The Legend of Ron Burgandy.

• Speaking of broadcasts pt. 2...I think Dave Ryan, who's doing the Texas-TCU game tonight is becoming my favorite college baseball TV play-by-play guy. Good blend of enthusiasm & facts. He used to do too much reciting of the media guide & random "nuggets" early on. However, his partner tonight, Eric Young, is not on my short list of favorite analysts. He has good information, but he's tough to listen to. Young is far from dulcet, the Rutgers alum and former major leaguer is somewhere closer to Stephen A. Smith (in tone, not content).

• Visigoths...really? Is that the best campaign Capital One can come-up with? Go Jaguars!

That's it for now. I'll have more later in the week when I'm in Omaha. My daughter's been trying to fall asleep next to me for the last 45 minutes, and her elbow keeps jerking and hitting me in the arm while I'm trying to type.

Some "Nuggets" On Sunday's CWS Qualifiers

Southern Mississippi, North Carolina, Arizona State and Virginia became the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh teams to advance to the 2009 College World Series when they won their Super Regionals Sunday. Here are a few tid-bits about those schools and their head coaches:

Virginia

• The Cavaliers are in the College World Series for the first time in program history.

• This season also marked the first Super Regional appearance for Virginia, as well as its first ACC Tournament title since 1996.

• Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor is a native of Council Bluffs, IA, which sits just to the east of the Missouri river from Omaha, NE.

• While Virginia is in the CWS for the first time, this is O'Connor's third Omaha experience.

• O'Connor was a pitcher on Creighton's 1991 CWS team, and he was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for Notre Dame's 2002 CWS squad.

• Current Chicago Cubs GM, Jim Hendry, was the Creighton head coach in 1991.

• Current LSU head coach, Paul Mainieri, was Notre Dame's head coach in 2002.

• Virginia is 9-1 during the 2009 postseason (including ACC Tournament).

• A friend of O'Connor's father crafted the famed "Road To Omaha" statue that sits outside Rosenblatt Stadium. O'Connor is said to be the face of the player being hoisted by his teammates.

North Carolina

• The Tar Heels are in the College World Series for a program record fourth straight year.

• 2009 also marks the 8th overall CWS appearance for UNC, with at least one trip to Omaha in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and now the 21st century.

• UNC head coach, Mike Fox, is one of just six men to play in and then coach his alma mater to the College World Series.

• North Carolina has 13 all-time wins at the CWS, and Fox has played in (2) or coached in (11) all of them.

• UNC lost in the championship series in 2006 and 2007 (Oregon State both times). They were eliminated by eventual National Champion Fresno State last year.
  

Southern Mississippi

• The Golden Eagles are in the College World Series for the first time in program history.

• Southern Miss. had never reached a Super Regional prior to this season.

• They were the only #3 seed to reach a Super Regional this season.

• Southern Miss. head coach, Corky Palmer, announced his retirement in April.

• The team's 80th double play of the season ended the clincher of their Super Regional win over #8 national seed Florida.

Arizona State

• The Sun Devils are in the College World Series for the 21st time in program history.

• Only Texas (32) and Miami (23) have been more times. USC has also gone 21 times.

• ASU has advanced to Omaha in every odd year since 2005.

• Head Coach Pat Murphy is taking his team to the CWS for the fourth time since 1998.

• With Murphy, there are now three former Notre Dame coaches who will coach at this year's CWS. Murphy was head coach at ND from 1988-1994. LSU skipper Paul Mainieri was the Irish head coach from 1995-2006, and Virginia head coach was Mainieri's pitching coach from 1995-2003.

• Another former Notre Dame head coach will likely be in attendance in Omaha as well. Larry Gallo coached ND from 1981-'87. He is currently the Senior Associate Athletic Director at North Carolina, and he attended the CWS with UNC last year.
  

Sunday Super Regional Schedule

Here's the rundown of Sunday's Super Regional Games:

(All times Eastern)

East Carolina @ North Carolina Noon ESPN or ESPN 2 (UNC leads 1-0)

Virginia @ Ole Miss 3pm ESPN (Series tied 1-1)

TCU @ Texas 3pm ESPN (Texas leads 1-0)

Southern Miss @ Florida 7pm ESPN2 (So. Miss leads 1-0)

Clemson @ Arizona State 10pm ESPN2

Some LSU, Arkansas & Fulleton CWS Factoids

Arkansas, LSU and then Cal State Fullerton all locked-up spots in the College World Series by sweeping Florida State, Rice and Louisville, respectively, Saturday. Here are a few CWS facts about those three teams and their head coaches:

Arkansas

• The Razorbacks are Omaha bound for the first time since 2004.
• This is their 6th CWS overall.
• Head coach Dave Van Horn will coach at the CWS for the fourth time. He took his alma mater in 2004, and he guided Nebraska to the program's first Omaha berths in 2001 & 2002.

LSU

• The Tigers are in their second straight College World Series.
• This is the 6th time overall and the first time since 2003-'04 that the Tigers have gone to the CWS in back-to-back seasons.
• It's LSU's 15th overall CWS.
• Paul Mainieri is coaching at the CWS for the third time. Prior to leading LSU to Omaha last year, he coached Notre Dame to its first CWS since 1957 when the Irish qualified in 2002.

Cal State Fullerton

• The Titans are in the College World Series for the 16th time overall.
• Fullerton has qualified for Omaha in 3 of the last 4 and 5 of the last 8 seasons.
• Fullerton head coach Dave Serrano will coach in his 2nd CWS in the last 3 years. He took UC Irvine to Omaha in 2007 (the Anteaters beat the Titans in an elimination game that year.)

As noted in the bullet points above, Dave Van Horn, Paul Mainieri and Dave Serrano have now all coached two different schools to the College World Series in this decade.

Saturday's Full Super Regional Schedule

(All Times Eastern)

Arkansas @ Florida St. Noon- ESPN2 (Regional) (Ark. leads 1-0)

East Carolina @ North Carolina Noon-ESPNU Game 1

Virginia @ Ole Miss Noon-ESPN2 (Regional) (Ole Miss leads 1-0)

Southern Miss. @ Florida 3pm-ESPNU Game 1

Louisville @ Cal State Fullerton 5pm-ESPN2 Game 2 (Game 1 10:30 pm ET Friday)

Rice @ LSU 5pm-ESPN (LSU leads 1-0)

TCU @ Texas 6pm-ESPNU Game 1

Clemson @ Arizona State 9pm-ESPNU Game 1

Saturday Super Regional Snapshots

Four Super Regionals are underway today. As I write this Ole Miss and Virginia are going to the 11th inning tied 3-3, while Arkansas and Florida State are still sitting during their third rain delay in Tallahassee.

East Carolina @ North Carolina Noon ESPNU

ECU is in its first Super Regional since 2004, and it took some dramtics to get the Pirates to Chapel Hill. ECU trailed South Carolina 6-0 going into the 5th inning in Monday's Greenville Regional title game. They chipped away, and then Devin Harris belted a 3-run homer to tie the game 10-10. Harris came through again with the game-winning single in the 10th. Harris calls his head coach, Billy Godwin, "intense". The Pirates have hit 105 home runs this season, and they carry a .341 average into the series.

The Tar Heels are looking for their fourth straight trip to Omaha, and they'll look to match the Pirates power with a pitching staff that has 613 Ks and just 241 BBs this season. Brian Moran and Colin Bates form a nasty bullpen duo that has combined for 64 appearances, 10 saves and 11 wins this season. And, of course, there's first round draft pick in waiting, Dustin Ackley( .417-21 HR- 66 RBIs), at the plate.

Clemson @ Arizona State 9 PM ESPNU

Clemson missed the NCAA Tournament last year, and Jack Leggett's Tigers are looking for their first trip to the CWS since going two and out in 2006. Prior to last year, 1987 was the last time Clemson missed the NCAAs, but it's now playing in its 8th Super Regional (of 11 years under the current format.) They will be the home team in the first game of the series.

Clemson and ASU are nearly identical offensively, but this could be the best starting rotation Pat Murphy has had as Sun Devil head coach. The staff leads the national with a 2.79 ERA, and Mike Leake is 15-1 with a 1.23 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 124.2 IP. Get ready for the "Rudy" references. Sun Devil Johhny Reuttiger is the nephew of the famed Daniel "Rudy" Reuttiger (.350-HR-15 RBIs)-(the one the movie is named after). Murphy was the head coach at Notre Dame prior to taking the helm in Tempe. ASU lost to eventual national champ, Fresno State, in last year's Super Regional.

Southern Mississippi @ Florida 3 pm ESPNU

Southern Miss. has the chance to be this year's Cinderella. Corky Palmer's Golden Eagles give Conference USA three teams in the Super Regionals - one more than the Big 12 and Pac 10 combined. They knocked-off Georgia Tech in the Atlanta Regional by scoring 42 runs in their four games, including 24 runs in their two wins over the Yellow Jackets.

Florida hasn't been this far in the NCAA Tournament since losing to Texas in the 2005 championship series in Omaha. The Gators missed the tournament the following year, and now under Kevin O'Sullivan they earned the # 8 national seed. Florida's pitching staff doesn't have a complete game this season, but a talented bullpen is the reason why. Billy Bullock is 3-2 with 11 SVs while Tony Davis is 5-0 in 30 app.

TCU @ Texas 6pm ESPNU

It's the first Super Regional ever for Jim Schlossnagle's TCU Horned Frogs. After watching Utah win the MWC tournament on their home field, TCU swept through a Ft. Worth Regional that included Texas A & M and Oregon State. The Frogs don't have a lot of players who jump off the stat sheet, but they have a lot of players who do the little things well.

After winning Saturday/Sunday's 25-inning game over Boston College, Texas may have been sleep walking through the first eight innings of Sunday night's game with Army. It looked like the Black Knights would force a Monday winner take all title game, but Texas scored eight runs in the 9th inning, capped by a walk-off grand slam by Preston Clark. It's been a week, but the biggest question is how UT closer Austin Wood's arm will respond to his 13 inning, 169 pitch relief outing vs. BC. FACT: Since sending three teams to the 2005 College World Series (Texas, Baylor & Nebraska) when Texas won it all, the Big 12 has not had a team qualify for the CWS for the last three seasons. Texas is the only Big 12 team in this year's Super Regionals.

To see Super Regional capsules & for other information and exclusive national statistics and podcasts visit www.collegebaseball360.com.