CWS Schedule

By John Manuel
June 19, 2002

OMAHA--Before Georgia Tech and Notre Dame fans get too upset over Tuesday's results at the College World Series, they need to step back and realize just what 2002 meant to their programs, and how bright the future looks.

Over the years, fewer programs have been maligned more in the Baseball America email inbox than these two. People just don't seem to like these teams, Notre Dame just for being Notre Dame and Georgia Tech for being perceived as an underachieving program. And in 2001, their naysayers had plenty of ammunition.

Georgia Tech was a preseason No. 1, a slam dunk as the choice with a talent-laden roster led by third baseman Mark Teixeira, a roster motivated by a super-regional sweep at the hands of Mark Prior and Southern California that ended 2000. After getting an early look in a February tournament, Rice coach Wayne Graham called those Yellow Jackets the best college offense he had ever seen, and he's seen plenty.

So when Teixeira got hurt and the season started to collapse, the critics had a field day. Jackets coach Danny Hall watched his team stumble down the stretch, splitting its last 24 games and finishing 41-20, unranked after losing its final four games.

Hall set out to reconstruct his program from the ground up. Tech already was getting a rebuilt Russ Chandler Stadium, a makeover that ended up costing nearly $10 million, and already had planned to bring in a large recruiting class, anticipating the loss of Teixeira and a sizeable junior class.

Hall went a step further, bringing in three new assistant coaches when Mike Trapasso left to become the head coach at Hawaii. Assistants Bobby Moranda, Scott Stricklin and Jon Palmieri came aboard, and Hall started rebuilding.

In a transitional year, with a new staff and 17 new players, Hall fashioned arguably the best year in Tech history. The team won a school-record 52 games and made its second-ever CWS trip. Moreover, four players have been invited to Team USA's trials, as good an indication as any as to the team's young talent. Only shortstop Victor Menocal, first baseman Jason Perry, third baseman Matthew Boggs and catcher Tyler Parker are sure-fire departures from the lineup's core.

"We had a great year," Hall said. "We had great senior leadership from Menocal, (Wes) Rynders and Boggs. It was frustrating not getting here last year and in 2000. We were talented, but we couldn't get through. We had very good upperclassmen and they can't get enough credit.

"Our freshman class gave us a real infusion of youth and talent, and we played hard every single day. Everyone on our team and on our staff gave a lot of heart, and we can hang our hat on our accomplishments. We won more games than any other Georgia Tech team."

Now Hall's team might have to deal with high expectations again next year. Having players like Kyle Bakker, Jeremy Slayden, Eric Patterson, Matt Murton and Jeff Watchko back does that to a team.

Notre Dame loses a bit more than the Jackets. Coach Paul Mainieri had a veteran team in 2001, led by senior pitchers Aaron Heilman and Danny Tamayo, but those Irish lost in a home regional to Florida International. It was a rough end to a season that saw Notre Dame achieve its first No. 1 ranking but also reinforced its image as a Northern team that feasted on lesser competition but couldn't get it done come regional time.

Steve Stanley and seven other starters returned to the lineup this year, though, and the Irish added plenty of power arms from the nation's top recruiting class. Considering that the jewel of that class, Iowa shortstop/righthander Matt Macri, missed most of the season with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, the Irish had an amazing season.

While Stanley, one of the funnest players to watch in college baseball, and most of those regulars will be gone, the Irish will return the right side of the infield in Joe Thaman and Steve Sollmann. More importantly, all those freshmen pitchers will be back--Grant Johnson, Chris Niesel, Martin Vergara, Josh Axford . . . the arms go on and on.

Did you see Axford, the long, lanky Canadian righty, in his inning of work against Stanford? He had some command issues, but he also had the most electric stuff in Omaha this side of Texas closer Huston Street. Axford threw at least 10 pitches over 90 mph on the ESPN2 gun, including some 94s.

Those guys aren't going anywhere. The challenge for Mainieri will be finding someone who can make up for the loss of numbers and passion Stanley has brought for four years. The challenge will be greater is assistant coach Brian O'Connor gets a head coaching job somewhere this offseason.

The same challenge might present itself to Hall in the case of Moranda, who makes a lot of sense for the Vanderbilt opening thanks to his experience at Wake Forest.

It's a small similarity between the two programs, but right now, they seem to have a lot of them.

Another one seems to be more trips to Omaha in the near future.