NCAA Regional Preview: Tallahassee

By Will Kimmey
June 2, 2005

1. Florida State 50-18, at-large, fourth in Atlantic Coast, 43rd NCAA tournament, 30th consecutive appearance
2. Auburn 32-24, at-large, tied for eighth in Southeastern Conference, 17th NCAA tournament
3. South Alabama 35-25, automatic, won Sun Belt tournament, 23rd NCAA tournament
4. Army 38-12, automatic, won Patriot regular season and tournament, third NCAA tournament, second consecutive appearance

Player To Watch: Five-foot-9 speedster Shane Robinson ignites the Florida State offense. His preseason goal was to bat .500 with 50 steals. Well, he’s at .439 (fourth in the nation) with 46 bags (the ninth-best per-game total in the country), so call the center fielder soothsayer. His 51 walks and 118 hits have resulted in 91 runs, about a fifth of Florida State’s season total.

The Favorite: In an even battle, Florida State earns the nod for its home-field advantage and the fact that it took two of three from Auburn back in February, even if both teams have grown since then. Florida State has found an ace in sophomore righthander Bryan Henry (8-2, 1.44), who started the year as a third baseman and reliever and finished with the nation’s fourth-best ERA. Third baseman Ryne Malone (.330-7-60) and left fielder Gibbs Chapman (.287-10-63) have shown a knack for driving in Robinson with late runs as relievers Kevin Lynch (10-0, 2.28) and Tyler Chambliss (7-3, 2.31, 14 saves) lock down the late innings.

On The Other Hand: Auburn closely resembles Florida State, with a strong bullpen headed by SEC ERA leader John Madden (6-2, 1.64, seven saves) and junior righthander Michael Nix (5-3, 2.93, 13 saves). Most of the Tigers offense comes from the power bats of first baseman Kurt Amonite, catcher Josh Bell and toolsy outfielder Clete Thomas, who combined for 29 of the club’s 38 homers and own the team’s best three averages, on-base percentages and slugging marks. There’s not a lot of bat potential aside from that trio and senior second baseman Tyler Johnstone (.321, 22 steals), and Auburn averaged 5.8 runs overall and just 4.8 in SEC games.

Bracket Buster: South Alabama might get overlooked at times, but the program has missed regionals just twice since 1989. It lost five of its last six games before an undefeated run through the Sun Belt tournament and also recorded wins at Auburn, Coastal Carolina and Southern Mississippi during the season. Sophomore righthander P.J. Walters is a workhorse; he threw 117 innings and recorded 119 strikeouts and six complete games as a freshman before logging 137 innings and 117 strikeouts along with a 9-6, 4.00 mark this season.

Don't Forget About: Sure, Army doesn't play the same schedule as national ERA leader Long Beach State, but its 2.98 mark ranks seventh in the country, and that's impressive against any group of opponents. Lefthander Nick Hill set school and conference records with 10 wins as a freshman and matched that feat this year as a sophomore while slicing his ERA in half to 1.22 (second nationally behind Massachusetts' Matt Torra). Hill's stuff is legit, with a low-90s fastball and power curveball, and he could give the Seminoles a scare.