NCAA Regional Preview: Austin

By Will Kimmey
June 2, 2005

1. Texas 45-14, at-large, third in Big 12, 49th NCAA tournaments, seventh consecutive appearance
2. Arkansas 37-20, at-large, tied for eighth in Southeastern Conference, 18th NCAA tournament, fourth consecutive appearance
3. Miami (Ohio) 44-16, automatic, won Mid-American regular season and tournament, seventh NCAA tournament
4. Quinnipiac 26-22, automatic, won Northeast regular season and tournament, first NCAA tournament

Player To Watch: Sophomore center fielder Drew Stubbs (team-best 10 homers and 27 steals) possesses the tools to titillate, but senior shortstop Seth Johnston provides the Hook 'Em for these 'Horns with his steady, heady play and leadership. Johnston batted .402 and slugged .602 to lead Texas in each category.

The Favorite: It's always pitching and defense at Texas, and the Longhorns ranked second (2.80) and third (.978) in the nation in those respective categories despite losing projected ace Sam LeCure before the season began. Sophomores Kyle McCulloch, Randy Boone and redshirt freshman Adrian Alaniz have been good enough to hand off to junior righthander J. Brent Cox, whose 7-2, 1.77 record with 14 saves remind plenty of predecessor Huston Street. It's a seven-man pitching staff for the most part, so a slip into the loser's bracket could prove worrisome. Catcher Taylor Teagarden missed the conference tournament with an oblique strain but should be ready to go.

On The Other Hand: Miami (Ohio) owns a pitching staff that Miami (Fla.) might envy. It didn’t lose a series all year behind the power stuff of sophomore lefthander Keith Weiser and freshman righthander John Ely, who combined for a 20-1, 2.57 record and 190-39 strikeout-walk ratio. Six-foot-7 freshman Graham Taylor throws fuel as well. The Red Hawks won a March series at Alabama. Senior outfielder Paul Frietch's 14 homers and .442 on-base percentage lead a steal-happy club that swiped 128 bags, the most of any tournament team.

Bracket Buster: Arkansas enters the tournament on a five-game losing streak. But it has succeeded when others haven't allowed it a chance during coach Dave Van Horn's three-year tenure, so maybe this is another spot for a Razorbacks uprising. They will need strong performances from freshman lefthander Nick Schmidt (7-2, 2.88) and workhorse Charley Boyce, who's 10-8, 3.43 in nine starts and 15 relief appearances. A punchless offense batted .255 and scored 130 runs in 30 conference games.

Don't Forget About: Don't blame Quinnipiac if the scene in Austin becomes overwhelming; this is the first postseason experience for the Braves program. Junior first baseman Bryan Sabatella won the Northeast Conference triple crown (.409-11-39) and player of the year honors. Quinnipiac's 4.65 team ERA led the league, but that's not going to scare the rest of the bracket.