CWS Schedule

By John Manuel
June 20, 2002

OMAHA--It's been a long time since the College World Series has seen a rivalry game like Wednesday's between South Carolina and Clemson.

We've had some in-state rivalries, like last year, with Cal State Fullerton playing Stanford twice (and losing both times). And two recent championship games with rivals included, such as the 1999 matchup between Florida State and champion Miami. The two had played their usual six regular-season games, and had a heated rivalry that helped give us a great title game, a 6-5 Miami victory.

We've had interconference rivals, such as 1998, when Southern California beat Pacific-10 foe Arizona State in the title game. That was the seventh meeting of '98 between the two traditional powers, with USC getting the series win with its fourth victory of the season at a most opportune time.

The '98 series also saw three Southeastern Conference teams in Omaha, with inevitable meetings, and there are other examples. But the last time we had two teams meeting with these stakes that also happen to be each other's biggest rival? You might have to go back to the seminal '91 game between Wichita State and Creighton of the Missouri Valley Conference, the second affair between the clubs being a matchup with a berth in the title game on the line.

And those aren't football schools. For that kind of rivalry in a bracket final, you have to go back to Miami and Florida State again, playing in the '86 semifinal. The Seminoles won that one 4-3 to reach their first championship game.

In other words, it's been a while since Rosenblatt Stadium has seen a blood feud.

Sure, Stanford and Texas will meet for the 11th time in the last two years Thursday, a pretty good chance for the teams to dislike each other, but there's also half a continent between the two.

South Carolina and Clemson are just down Interstate 26 and a couple back roads apart (it's just not easy to get to Clemson), and the teams' fans don't like each other. The clubs play four regular-season games every year now, and they draw sellout crowds to both schools' ballparks.

Frankly, the teams have more similarities than differences. Both clubs have superb coaching staffs. Tanner relies heavily on recruiting coordinator Jim Toman, his assistant back to his days at North Carolina State, and pitching coach Jerry Meyers, who has brought along freshmen Aaron Rawl and Matt Campbell enough to allow them to contribute heavily in Omaha.

Clemson coach Jack Leggett has a high-energy staff, also relying heavily on his recruiting coordinator, associate head coach Tim Corbin. Kevin O'Sullivan runs the pitchers, and this is the guy who coached Mark Mulder in the Cape Cod League, so he knows what he's doing.

More specifically, both teams lack true power pitchers, rely heavily on power at the plate and have star shortstops who drive the offense. The Tigers are 3-2 against South Carolina this year, and have the advantage of having their ace, Matt Henrie, rested and ready to go, as well as top reliever B.J. LaMura available. South Carolina will probably go with lefties Steven Bondurant and/or David Marchbanks, or righthander Chris Spigner. Those are the most experienced pitchers who have some rest.

That's the thing that causes me to think the Tigers, who played poorly Wednesday, will come out ahead Friday. The Gamecocks have proven me wrong all week, which is fine, and nothing would surprise me in the rematch. But Henrie has pitched very well in Omaha so far; he should make the difference.

Speaking of rest, Stanford will go with rightander Jeremy Guthrie tonight against Texas, having him start on four days' rest. He threw 119 pitches Saturday to beat Notre Dame, and while he tired the last couple of innings, he threw all his pitches for strikes and looked very much like a first-round pick.

Guthrie was at the ballpark for Wednesday's game with his wife--head not yet shaved, as Guthrie waits until game day to crop his coif. The couple is celebrating their anniversary Thursday, but Stanford coach Mark Marquess is looking for a gift of his own.

Texas reportedly will go with righthander Ray Clark, a curious decision on the surface that makes sense if you think about it. Friday starter Brad Halsey still is favoring a back injury that forced him out of his super-regional after two innings. If Texas loses, then it still has Justin Simmons for Friday and then Alan Bomer for Saturday.

Clark has made 28 career starts, is 13-9, 3.57 career, and throws strikes--just 15 walks in 68 1/3 innings. He's had mixed results the last two years against the Cardinal, pitching 7 1/3 innings in last year's regional at Stanford and giving up just two earned runs. This year, though, he gave up five runs in four innings and got the loss at Sunken Diamond.

If Guthrie's on his game--and considering he's going to be pitching on two fewer days' rest than usual, that's not a given--Clark will have to do better than that to beat the Cardinal.

It's all looking like a two-game Friday at the 'Blatt, which has happened once before--1988, the first year of the current CWS format.

• No attendance record Wednesday, but the 21,429 crowd (smallest of the '02 CWS) brought the overall total to 166,485. The 1999 overall attendance record will go down, and go down hard.

• The expanded dimensions at Rosenblatt Stadium have helped drop offense at the CWS. The batting average for the tournament is just .289, well below last year's .326 average, and teams are scoring a little less than 12.5 runs per game after averaging 16.4 last year. Wednesday's power display (six homers) brought the tournament total to 29; last year at the same time, the teams had hit 37 homers.

• Eleven times in the past, Clemson has gone 2-0 in a double-elimination tournament, and it has never lost twice to the same team in those situations. South Carolina will try to end that streak Friday.

• South Carolina is also trying to become only the second team since the '88 format change to lose its first game and win the national championships. Those '98 Trojans did it, battling back through the loser's bracket. The '95 Trojans also battled back only to lose to Cal State Fullerton in the championship game.

• The Omaha World-Herald reported Wednesday that Nebraska coach Dave Van Horn did travel to Fayetteville, Ark., and meet with Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles about the coaching vacancy at his alma mater. However, Van Horn didn't sign a contract, and said he needed some time to think about what is a life-altering decision.

• In other coaching news, East Carolina coach Keith LeClair stepped down officially as he continues to battle Lou Gehrig's disease. Also, sources at the CWS said Kansas had narrowed its field to 11 candidates, and a decision on that job is expected within the next two weeks.