CWS Schedule

By John Manuel
June 13, 2002

It has been a long season, and some will say the fun was in the journey.

We say those people have never been to Omaha. The College World Series offers nine days of great baseball, great milkshakes and college atmosphere thicker than the Drover prime rib.

So sink your teeth into our CWS preview, which includes relevant excerpts from the scouting reports we compiled last week for the super-regionals as well as our outlook for each team. Teams are listed in order of their rank in the Baseball America Top 25 heading to Omaha. And just to be prepared, go ahead and print out our CWS schedule.

Coach: Wayne Graham (11th season at Rice; third trip to Omaha).

How The Owls Got Here: Won Rice regional in four games, beating Washington in the finale; swept Louisiana State at home in the super-regional.

CWS History: Keeps growing. Graham led Rice to its first-ever regional appearance in 1995, and now the school is making its third trip to Omaha, joining the 1997 and '99 clubs. The Owls are 1-4 all-time in Omaha.

Key Players: LHP Justin Crowder (10-2, 1.88), RHP Philip Humber (11-1, 2.67, 128 Ks in 108 IP), RHP Steven Herce (13-2, 2.82), 1B Vince Sinisi (.432-11-80, team-best 11 SB), 2B Eric Arnold (.341-8-74), OF Austin Davis (.359-6-32).

Scouting Report: "They have the biggest, best pitching staff we saw this year, just quality arm after quality arm. Everybody came out throwing 90 expect for the lefty (Crowder). Justin Crowder, he's got a great changeup that makes his fastball, which he throws 85-88, look like 90. He's got good command of it. They are just so tough on the mound . . .

"The knock on them is their defense, but we saw them play great defense. (Shortstop) Paul Janish makes all the plays; his technique is just OK, but he gets it done. Arnold looked good at second to me. I was surprised to see how many errors he has . . .

"They're experienced, solid hitters, good senior players, then they all surround (Vince) Sinisi. He's got a sweet lefthanded swing, takes pitches on the outer half and still pulls them; he gets great plate coverage. He's a low-ball hitter. He's a Rafael Palmeiro type, or Mark Grace with power. He's special. (Chris) Kolkhorst really impressed me with his ability in the leadoff hole. He's really a strong lefthanded hitter for his size who can also bunt or run."

Outlook: Going in as the nation's No. 1 team won't help the Owls avoid an opening matchup with No. 2 Texas. It should be a doozy. The Owls lost the two regular season matchups against the Longhorns, both of them low-scoring affairs (3-2 and 4-2). Both were midweek games, though, and neither team used one of its top starters.

Only Rice can match Texas' depth on the mound in the CWS field, and only Stanford can match Rice's offensive depth. Unfortunately, all three teams are on the same side of the bracket. The Owls are the team most likely to battle back from an opening loss and get to the title game. Here, though, the prediction is they will fall just short.

Prediction: 2-2, loss in bracket championship.

Coach: Augie Garrido (sixth season at Texas; ninth trip to Omaha, including seven with Cal State Fullerton).

How The Longhorns Got Here: Won Texas regional in four games, beating Baylor in the finale; came back from opening loss to beat Houston in three games at home in the super-regional.

CWS History: Texas has made more trips to Omaha than any other team: This is the 29th CWS appearance for the Longhorns, and their all-time CWS record is 64-49 with four championships. Garrido also has plenty of Omaha experience. Not only did he take Cal State Fullerton to seven CWS appearances, including three titles, but he also is one of only nine men to play and coach in a College World Series. He made it as a player with Fresno State in 1959.

Key Players: LHP Justin Simmons (14-1, 2.52), RHP Alan Bomer (10-3, 3.72), RHP Huston Street (4-1, 0.89, 10 SV), 1B Jeff Ontiveros (303-18-55), 3B/OF J.D. Reininger (.330-12-47), 2B Tim Moss (.373-1-39, 39 SB, 68 R).

Scouting Report: "They are just so deep. It's what separates them from everybody else . . . Their pitching is very, very good, and Frank (Anderson, the pitching coach) does a great job with it. You have to throw strikes or Frank will go to one of the 10 or 12 other guys they have who can . . .

"Offensively, they've almost totally gone away from the small ball. Only Tim Moss runs anymore. (Omar) Quintanilla's a nice lefthanded bat who will hit and run or hit the gaps. Reininger kind of fell into their lap--they thought he was going to be a pitcher, but he's got a lot of pop, and kills mistakes . . . Majewski has really blossomed, too. Those guys surround Jeff Ontiveros and give them a lot more power than they used to have."

Outlook: The Longhorns could be a force. Their depth is ridiculous. Rice's best player, redshirt freshman Vince Sinisi, couldn't get playing time at Texas last year and had to transfer. The team's improved power bodes well for avoiding the 0-2 finish the 2000 team posted, but Rice and Stanford are better offensively and in the same bracket. It wouldn't be a shock to see the 'Horns hook their fifth national title, but someone has to lose in this bracket.

Prediction: 1-2.

Coach: Ray Tanner (sixth season at South Carolina; first trip to Omaha).

How The Gamecocks Got Here: Won South Carolina regional in four games, winning finale against North Carolina; rallied to beat defending CWS champ Miami in three games at home in super-regional.

CWS History: This is the school's sixth CWS appearance, but the previous five all came from 1975-85. South Carolina was runner-up in its first two trips, 1975 and '77. Tanner makes his long-awaited first trip to Omaha after nine seasons at North Carolina State and six at South Carolina.

Key Players: LHP Gary Bell (10-2, 4.90), RHP Blake Taylor (6-1, 2.03, national-best 21 SV), 1B Yaron Peters (.398-28-92), SS Drew Meyer (.368-6-36, 37 SB), OF Steve Thomas (.358-11-65), C Landon Powell (.286-11-47).

Scouting Report: "Yaron Peters is just on fire . . . You can't get the ball up or over the plate, middle out he just crushes it. You have to come in and cross-pitch him, a little backwards . . . The guys behind him can be pitched to. If you have to, walk him. Landon Powell is much better defensively than he was in high school or as a freshman. He blocks balls OK, but he can really throw . . . We thought Meyer would be the key to their offense, but I don't think so. He can spark them with his defense, not just offense . . .

"Their starting pitching is mediocre. (Gary) Bell has developed a better breaking ball to go with his fastball and changeup, and he's very solid . . . Blake Taylor, though, is special. Seventy-five percent of his success comes from makeup and emotion . . . His stuff--fastball, slider, change--is average. He can locate it all, and again, he's got guts. He's a great college pitcher."

Outlook: The Gamecocks finally get over the hump after back-to-back, heartbreaking super-regional losses. Yet this is probably the weakest of Ray Tanner's last three teams. Don't you think he'd feel better going to Omaha with Kip Bouknight taking the ball at least once? He'd also like to have center fielder/second baseman Justin Harris, but Harris was suspended for the CWS after his arrest Monday on charges of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. (Hello, Texas. Tim Moss has not missed a game after his arrest on charges of misdemeanor assault and resisting arrest. The 'Cocks lead 1-0 in integrity.)

South Carolina will have to avoid the "just happy to be here" feeling. It was a down year in the Southeastern Conference, and South Carolina's starting pitching looks inferior to other CWS clubs.

Prediction: 0-2.

Coach: Jack Leggett (ninth season at Clemson; fourth trip to Omaha).

How The Tigers Got Here: Swept through Clemson regional, beating East Carolina twice); came back from opening loss to beat Arkansas in three games at home in the super-regional.

CWS History: It's the 10th trip in school history for the Tigers, making the program one of just 11 to reach double figures. However, Clemson is just 7-18 all-time in Omaha, with a third-place finish in 1996 the program's best showing. Like Augie Garrido, Leggett has both played and coached in a College World Series. Leggett was captain of the 1976 Maine team that made it to Omaha.

Key Players: RHP Steve Reba (13-3, 4.06), RHP Matt Henrie (12-4, 3.04), B.J. LaMura (6-2, 3.66, 1 SV), SS Khalil Greene (.480-26-86, 41 BB, 16 SB, 30 2B), 3B Jeff Baker (.335-25-82, 16 SB), 1B Michael Johnson (.386-23-76, 46 BB).

Scouting Report: "You're talking Khalil Greene, Jeff Baker, Michael Johnson and Jarrod Schmidt. I love Jarrod--he playes hard, he's a great player, and he had a big regional. But you can't let that 3-4-5 beat you. You just can't give in to them. If you have to walk all three of them, that might be better . . . Khalil Greene is the guy for them. When you hear the way their own players talk about Khalil, it's like they're talking about Ruth or Gehrig . . . He's the most clutch player I've seen. I don't think he made an error in conference play before the tournament. He's just had an amazing year . . .

"B.J. LaMura was a fifth-round pick, so he's got a pretty good arm. He may have their best arm. He was outstanding against us, 88-91, some movement, he can hump up for more. Tyler Lumsden has got a good breaking ball and can get a strikeout when he needs it, and he'll run it up there pretty good, high 80s."

Outlook: No one was happier to see Florida State bounced from the tournament than the Tigers, who went 0-4 against the Seminoles and 52-11 against the rest of the world.

It's good for the college game to have its best player, Greene, on the its biggest stage. Look for Greene to keep on shining. Perhaps with the draft behind him, Baker can stop swinging for the downs and get back to his sophomore form. Clemson's lineup is powerful, but not as deep as some others here, and its lack of an ace to beat Nebraska's Shane Komine looks like the biggest obstacle keeping it from winning the bracket.

Prediction: 3-2, loss in bracket championship.

Coach: Mark Marquess (26th season at Stanford; 12th trip to Omaha).

How The Cardinal Got Here: Unblemished in postseason play; swept through Stanford regional, the nation's toughest, and beat Long Beach State twice; swept Pac-10 rival Southern California in the super-regional at home.

CWS History: Marquess should buy a summer home in Omaha. This is the fourth straight CWS appearance for the Cardinal, the 14th trip in school history and the 12th under Marquess. His resume includes back-to-back titles in 1987 and '88 and back-to-back runner-up showings the last two years. Stanford is 31-22 all-time in Omaha.

Key Players: RHP Jeremy Guthrie (12-1, 2.34, 142 IP, 121 H), LHP Tim Cunningham (10-2, 3.82), LHP Dan Rich (2-2, 2.70, 5 SV, 3 in postseason), OF/DH Jason Cooper (.351-13-52), OF Sam Fuld (.372-6-43, 20 2B), C Ryan Garko (.311-14-53).

Scouting Report: "Jeremy Guthrie is as good as anybody in the country. He's got good stuff and great command of it. All his stuff is average or a tick above on the major league scale. He's not the kind of guy who pitches to his strengths and can't deviate; he goes after guys' weaknesses. He's a smart, good pitcher. Their other two guys, (John) Hudgins and Cunningham are solid. Cunningham has been better than when we saw him, especially as of late . . .

"Their lineup is very good, better than in the past. They're fast and they're dangerous in terms of power . . . Sam Fuld is hot, Jason Cooper can hit for power with anybody and punishes mistakes, but I like Carlos Quentin as much as any of their guys. He hits good pitches. I know (Chris) O'Riordan is a tough out, but he can be pitched to."

Outlook: The Cardinal's six seniors--O'Riordan, Rich, Scott Dragicevich, Andy Topham, Arik VanZandt and J.D. Willcox--have ended every season of their college careers in Omaha. So many players just dream of getting there once. It's a birthright for these guys. Three start in the infield, and once again Stanford is a stout defensive club.

This is almost the same team as last year, except that Cooper is healthy and mashing, sophomores like Fuld and Carlos Quentin are a year better and more experienced, and the team's pitching is a little thinner without Mike Gosling and Omaha ace Jeff Bruksch. If Guthrie, Cunningham and the bullpen get the job done, all the other ingredients are there--talent, experience, and a team on a nine-game winning streak that is peaking at the right time.

Prediction: 4-0, bracket winner, College World Series champion.

Coach: Paul Mainieri (eighth season at Notre Dame; first trip to Omaha).

How The Irish Got Here: Swept Notre Dame regional as a No. 2 seed; shocked the nation by winning the super-regional at No. 1 Florida State in three games, ending the Seminoles' 25-game winning streak.

CWS History: Notre Dame's only other appearance in Omaha came in 1957, when it finished tied for third with a 2-2 mark.

Key Players: RHP J.P. Gagne (8-4, 3.11, 6 SV), RHP Grant Johnson (9-4, 3.29), RHP Chris Niesel (4-0, 3.43, 2 SV), OF Steve Stanley (.442-1-35, 38 BB, 31 SB), OF Brian Stavisky (.406-8-54), 2B Steve Sollmann (.370-2-46).

Scouting Report: "It's a very talented team. They have a lot of experience, especially in their position players . . . Gagne moving to the bullpen really helped get them going; it was a big move for them. He's got an offspeed pitch for an out pitch, I think it's a splitter but it may be a slider. Whatever it is, it's tough. Their freshmen are plenty good. Josh Axford had as good an arm as anyone we saw all year. Grant Johnson has good velocity and great boring life on his fastball. He competes, too. His dad is a Marine, and Grant is just a tough kid . . .

"Steve Stanley is as fun a player to watch as there is in college baseball. He's a great leadoff guy and a great leader. They don't need it because they have veterans like (Andy) Bushey and (Paul) O'Toole and (Brian) Stavisky, but he will let any of their guys know what they aren't doing because all he wants to do is win."

Outlook: In addition to making the school's first appearance in the CWS in nearly half a century, Notre Dame carries the banner for Northern schools, for the Big East, for displaced Louisiana State fans (hey, Louisiana is Catholic country), for Omahans who still don't like Mike Martin . . . It's a lot of baggage. On top of all that, teams in their first trip to Omaha don't usually fare too well.

The Irish's young pitchers, like Johnson and Niesel who won in Tallahassee last weekend, appear unflappable. But Notre Dame's veteran lineup has to keep hitting, and it would help if the team showed a little more power. Pitching and defense get you to Omaha, but power and experience win there. The Irish lack both and are in the tougher bracket to boot.

Prediction: 0-2.

Coach: Danny Hall (ninth season at Georgia Tech; second trip to Omaha).

How The Yellow Jackets Got Here: Another squad unbeaten in the postseason; swept Georgia Tech regional, beating Georgia twice; swept Florida Atlantic in the super-regional at home.

CWS History: In Hall's first season as coach at Tech in 1994, he took the school to its first CWS appearance and the Jackets lost to Oklahoma in the national championship game.

Key Players: LHP Kyle Bakker (12-2, 3.34), RHP Chris Goodman (8-1, 3.71), RHP Jeff Watchko (11-1, 3.84), 2B Eric Patterson (.351-3-39, 36 BB, 39 SB), OF Jeremy Slayden (.344-17-63), SS Victor Menocal (.357-2-47, 20 2B).

Scouting Report: "They're very solid up the middle. (Tyler) Parker and Mike Nikeas are very good behind the plate. (Victor) Menocal is experienced at short, Brandon Boggs will chase things down in center . . . I'll tell you who impresses me is (Jeremy) Slayden. For a freshman, he can really rake, and he gets better every game. He was great in the ACC tournament . . .

"Kyle Bakker's a legit No. 1, but now (Chris) Goodman is a good No. 2 . . . Now they use Watchko the way (pitching coach) Bobby Moranda used to use David Bush up at Wake Forest. They want the game close to get to Watchko . . . You have to give Bobby Moranda some credit. Goodman has become a good pitcher--he's fastball-slider with power and command. Bakker is just dominant. Watchko's solid. They've gotten deeper as the year goes on. The guy just wins wherever he goes. Their talent was better last year, but Menocal has come on and they're a little tougher."

Outlook: The Yellow Jackets got further in the post-Mark Teixeira era than they ever did with Tex. That's just hard to believe. This year's model benefited greatly from the return of Menocal, who's not a Gold Glover at short but who plays hurt, provides stability and can pitch an inning or two in a pinch. Slayden and Patterson have led a banner freshman class, and veterans like Tyler Parker, Matt Murton and Jason Perry lend depth and heft to the lineup.

There's a lot to like about the Yellow Jackets, but they aren't at home, where they went 36-4 this year, and that's a concern. Another is their lack of Omaha experience. A game or two with ACC rival Clemson should be interesting, but more so for Tigers fans.

Prediction: 1-2.

Coach: Dave Van Horn (fifth season at Nebraska; second trip to Omaha).

How The Huskers Got Here: Swept Nebraska regional, the nation's easiest; took two of three from Richmond in the super-regional at home; took the bus down Interstate 80 to Omaha, 58 miles from the Lincoln campus.

CWS History: Nebraska makes its second straight appearance after never having been to the CWS before. In fact, before Van Horn was hired for the 1998 season, the school had earned just four regional berths in its history.

Key Players: RHP Shane Komine (10-0, 1.87, 108 Ks in 91 IP), LHP Aaron Marsden (8-1, 2.34), LHP Jamie Rodrigue (7-3, 4.15), OF Jeff Leise (.378-12-51, 25 SB), C Jed Morris (.380-21-84), 2B/SS Will Bolt (.320-2-27, 8 SB).

Scouting Report: "You have a better chance against them using lefthanded pitchers, because most of their big bats are lefthanded hitters: Jeff Leise and Jed Morris. But they're so disciplined offensively. They dictate what they do depending on the pitcher. They will attack and be aggressive against strike throwers, but they can be patient if the pitcher is wild . . . Right now, Morris is getting more help, because Will Bolt has gotten hot and their other catcher, John Grose, has come on. He gives them some toughness offensively and defensively, he really competes.

"Pitching is their forte, though. Shane Komine is not his old self--he doesn't have the same velocity on his fastball that he used to have. It's still pretty good, 90 instead of 95. But he really knows how to pitch, and that team is so much more confident with him on the mound. He throws more offspeed stuff now--his forkball is still nasty, he's got a good curve, and he's throwing more cutters."

Outlook: When the Huskers got to Omaha last year, everyone expected bedlam, but it didn't happen. Maybe it was President Bush's arrival that kept crowds down. Maybe it was the newness of it all. Maybe the anticipation of huge crowds actually held the crowds back. (As Yogi Berra used to say, "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded.") Who knows? This year, if there aren't Husker fans hanging off the new 13-story Desert Dome at the Doorly Zoo across the street, just hoping to catch a glimpse, we'll be disappointed.

This year's Huskers aren't quite as strong as last year's model, especially with Matt Hopper out with a hand injury. But if Komine is healthy, Nebraska has the best pitching in its bracket, enough power hitting from Morris and Leise, and more experience than Clemson, Tech or South Carolina. The only problem is that the other side of the bracket is better, and Komine might not be available for the final.

Prediction: 3-2, bracket winner, College World Series runner-up.