My Top Ten College World Series Games: Prologue

As you’ve probably realized by now, I am a big fan of college baseball. I was fortunate enough to spend the early part of my life in Omaha, Nebraska, which has been home of the Men’s NCAA College World Series since 1950, and I was even more fortunate to have two parents who are baseball fans. With that combination, the College World Series became a yearly event for me. I remember in the late 1980’s, when my parents would pull me out of school a few minutes early, and we would grab sandwiches from Little King and head down to Rosenblatt Stadium for a double-header. I attended every CWS from 1983-1991, and I have seen at least one game at every series since 1995. I have seen at least 100 CWS games in person, although that number could be closer to 125.

With that in mind, and with the series set to get underway in a few weeks, I thought I would look back and present a list of my top ten College World Series games. This list is made up entirely of games I witnessed in person, so you will not find the Arizona State-Nebraska classic from 2005, which I contend is one of the best games I have ever seen (any sport, in person or on television). You will also not find the 13-inning affair between North Carolina and Cal State Fullerton from 2006 or LSU‘s dramatic walk-off, come-from-behind win over Stanford in the 2000 championship game. It is not because I do not deem these games worthy of making the list, but it is because I watched them on tv. (Perhaps if this goes well, later on I will put together a list of my all-time top CWS games, regardless of whether I watched from Rosenblatt or on television).

What you will find, are names such as Warren Morris, Carl Jernigan, Chris Kolkhorst and Brian Stavisky. None of these gentlemen have had a tremendous amount of success in the majors, but they all stepped onto the national stage in Omaha. You will also find names that are more familiar, such as Khalil Greene, Andrew Miller and Pat Burrell. After I selected the ten games for this list, I went about putting them in some sort of order. I based my decisions based on the quality of the game, the importance of the game, and the drama of the ending, as well as an assorted number of other factors (whether the team I was rooting for won had very little bearing). Beyond the top three, on which there is no debating (in my mind) of the order, the final seven are very interchangeable.

Here are a couple of games that just missed making the list:
Alabama 6, Rice 5 (1999): Rice's Damon Thames hit two home runs in the game, the second of which was a three-run blast that tied the game at 5-5 in the eighth inning. The Tide won the game an inning later on a single by Sam Bozanich.

Clemson 11, Nebraska 10 (2002): Jeff Baker's single in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Tigers to the win. Nebraska jumped out to a 7-2 lead after four innings, but Clemson took a 10-8 lead in the seventh on a three-run homer by Khalil Greene. The Cornhuskers tied the game with two runs in the eighth, which set the stage for Baker's heroics. Greene had 5 RBI, while Jed Morris drove in four for Nebraska.

Texas 2, Rice 1 (2002): The Longhorns had a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth, when Eric Arnold hit a solo home run to get the Owls within one. Later in the inning, Rice had runners on first and second with two outs, when Texas third baseman Omar Quintanilla bobbled a ground ball. Vincent Sinisi tried to score on the error, but Quintanilla recovered to make a good throw and nail Sinisi at home to preserve the lead and the win.

Baylor 8, Tulane 7 (2005): The Bears trailed 7-0 after six innings, but scored all their runs in the final three innings to rally for the win. Baylor scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth, with the tying and winning runs scoring on a throwing error by Tulane second baseman Joe Holland. Holland was trying to turn a game-ending double-play, but his throw to first was wide and allowed both runs to score.

You Can Go Home Again

I have to respectfully disagree with the great author Thomas Wolfe, who claimed that you can’t go home again. For 36 hours during the first weekend of May (sorry this is so late), I was able to return to my days at Valpo, hanging out with Anna and the Boys. The “Boys” consisted of myself, Steve Moss, James Chang (my roommate for four years--what a saint) and Baron Brendel, and the role of Anna was played by none other than Anna Bickel (rhymes with pickle). We had known each other for varying lengths of time (Steve, James and I had been friends since move-in day freshman year), but for our final two years of college, we were always together. The most impressive thing about us hanging out together (or least impressive depending on your point of view) was that we managed to do a lot without ever doing very much. We spent a vast majority of our time together watching movies or just sitting around and talking because no one was decisive enough to come up with something better to do.

After graduation, we all went our separate ways and spread out across the Midwest. Anna and Baron got married (not to each other, that would have been a little strange), and Baron moved to Lafayette, Indiana with his wife Abby, while Anna and her husband Shawn lived first in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and have since moved to Saint Louis. James works for an engineering company just outside Chicago, and Steve returned to his hometown of Highland, Indiana, while I am splitting my time between Saint Joseph and Ann Arbor. Before last weekend, all five of us had been together twice since graduation. Once was at Baron and Abby’s wedding, while the other was at homecoming in October 2005. We had made various attempts to get everyone together since then, but life (work, school, et cetera) always managed to get in the way. In March, Anna decided that 2.5 years was long enough without a complete powwow, and she began the process of making sure everyone cleared their schedules to make some time to get together. After a consensus about a time was reached, we settled on Baron and Abby’s house in Lafayette (it’s still weird for me to think that some friends of mine own a house, but I digress), as it was a central location between Chicago/Northwest Indiana/The Joe and Saint Louis.

When we all finally arrived at Baron’s on Saturday, we had a fair amount of catching up to do. Since the last time we were all together: Anna was married, moved to Saint Louis and began doing more work teaching; Steve earned a much-deserved promotion at his bank and had purchased a new truck; James traveled across the country for his company and nearly took a job at the Baltimore branch; Baron bought a house and a new car, and he also began doing some radio work, in addition to his efforts at Lafayette’s CBS affiliate WLFI; and I had completed 18 months at the Herald-Palladium and had decided to go back to school. I think most of us had heard about the changes in each other’s lives since late 2005, but it was good to hear everything again and even to pick up on some of the details that had been missed the first time.

After the reminiscing, we resorted to doing what we did best…nothing. I won’t bore you with all the details (and if you’ve read this far, I commend you), but Baron grilled out, we spent a lot of time talking, and then we bowled, played cards and video games. In 24 hours (although it seemed much shorter than that, Anna and Shawn had to get back on the road to get to Saint Louis. Farewells were exchanged and promises were made to keep in touch. We even said we might try to get down to Saint Louis, and Anna promised to see if she could bribe us with baseball tickets. Everyone came away feeling that it had been far too long since we had been together, and we even began the initial phases of planning our next adventure. The shortness of the gathering was both a curse and a blessing. We discovered (although we already knew) that we could spend a week (or more) together and things would not get awkward. There’s always the possibility that when spouses are added, things could get strange, but that never happened. Perhaps next time, it will feel like “Anna and Abby and the Boys.” The brevity turned out to be a blessing because it reinforced the idea that we need to get together more. It is certainly not easy to arrange the schedules of seven people so that they all can get together, but I am certain that the next time one of the e-mails about getting together goes out, we will work a little harder to make sure we can get together.

You would have to ask everyone else if they agree (although I have a suspicion they will), but I certainly felt like we were back at Valpo for the weekend. Yes, the local had changed, and we were all a little older and the group now numbered seven instead of five, but the people were still the same. Anna and James still bickered, Baron was still the Big Fat Guy (although slimmer than the last time I had seen him), Steve was exactly the same, and I would like to think that I am the same guy I was three years ago. As long as the people don’t change, every get together will feel like going back to that familiar place where we first met. And in those times, we can go home again.

Eight for Omaha: May 1 Edition

To give you a better idea of what the eight-team field in Omaha might look like, I will again use Rivals.com's NCAA Baseball Tournament projections as a guide for determining the field of eight. To get the complete list of Rivals' projections, click here.

Coral Gables Regional vs. Myrtle Beach Regional
Projected match-up: Miami (FL) vs. Missouri
Projected winner: Miami (FL)
Why the Canes will win: Miami continues to look like the team to beat in the 2008 season. A week after taking two of three on the road at No. 2 Florida State, the Canes (36-5, 20-2 ACC) swept a Virginia team, who earlier this season was considered a sleeper to reach the College World Series. Miami wins with a balanced offense (five players hit .360 or better and eight players have at least 27 RBI) and solid pitching. Chris Hernandez has become one of the top Friday starters in the ACC (if not the country) with a 7-0 mark, a 2.77 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 65 innings. This formula has lifted Miami to the top of the ACC standings, and I see no reason why it wouldn't get Jim Morris' squad to Omaha.
Why Missouri could win: Aaron Crow. Despite the fact that the Tigers have lost six of their last seven games, Missouri still has one of the top five pitchers in the country in Crow. Crow boasts a 9-0 mark with a 2.80 ERA and 84 strikeouts (compared to 20 walks) in 70.2 innings. In addition to Crow, Ian Berger and Kyle Gibson (Missouri's other two super-regional starters) both boast ERA's under 4.00. Miami has struggled (slightly) against really good pitching, and Missouri certainly has plenty of that. The first game pairing of Hernandez and Crow would be well worth the price of admission.

Tallahassee Regional vs. Columbia Regional
Projected match-up: Florida State vs. South Carolina
Projected winner: Florida State
Why the Seminoles will win: The Seminoles (37-7, 19-5 ACC) have lost back-to-back ACC series (to No. 1 Miami and No. 3 North Carolina), but FSU's body of work still suggests that Mike Martin's club should make it back to Omaha for the first time since 2000. FSU wins with offense. All nine Seminole starters have a batting average of at least .300, and FSU has outscored its opponents 408-203. Buster Posey (whom I have raved about in previous posts) continues to lead the way and make a strong case for player of the year honors. Posey (.470/.573/.848) has 13 home runs and 52 RBI. James Guinn is right behind with 12 home runs and 51 RBI. The Seminoles have a remarkable ability to get on base, with a team on-base percentage of .454. FSU has drawn 291 walks, while the pitching staff has allowed 170 free passes.
Why South Carolina could win: Justin Smoak and James Darnell. Smoak (.395/.512/.802), who is challenging Posey for player of the year, and Darnell (13 home runs and 58 RBI) have carried the USC offense. Smoak has 18 home runs (good enough for second in Division I) and 51 RBI. As these two go, so goes the South Carolina offense. The Gamecocks will be tested coming out of the SEC, but USC is just 9-8 on the road, and they more than likely will have to win a super-regional on the road.

Cary Regional vs. Lincoln Regional
Projected match-up: North Carolina vs. Nebraska
Projected winner: North Carolina
Why the Tar Heels will win: UNC enters this weekend having won 13 of their past 14 contests, including taking two of three from Florida State. Mike Fox's Tar Heels (38-8, 18-5 ACC) are an impressive 13-2 on the road, and even though they will serve as hosts for both the regional and super-regional rounds, the ability to win games on the road will serve them well throughout the tournament. Kyle Seager (.387/.460/.641) is the straw that stirs the drink of the UNC offense with eight home runs and 63 RBI. Tim Fedroff and Dustin Ackley, who are hitting .395 and .387 respectively, provide additional run support. The Tar Heels have 181 extra-base hits on the year, and only 44 of those are home runs. UNC can win without the home run, which is good because those cannot be counted on in the postseason.
Why Nebraska could win: The Cornhuskers have a couple of big road series wins, having taken two of three at Texas and at Baylor. Nebraska (33-8-1, 15-5-1 Big 12) has two stud pitchers (much like Missouri) in Johnny Dorn (5-, 2.60 ERA, 73 K) and Thad Weber (8-2, 3.75 ERA, 58 K). These two could give UNC (or anyone) fits.

Tempe Regional vs. Fullerton Regional
Projected match-up: UC Irvine vs. Cal State Fullerton
Projected winner: Cal State Fullerton
Why the Titans will win: Cal State Fullerton, winners of eight of its last 10 games, is playing as well as any team in the country right now. Dave Serrano's club struggled early on, but have now righted the ship. Cal State Fullerton (27-15, 11-4 Big West) doesn't have any numbers that suggest this team is one of the top in the country, as the Titans his just .303 as a team, have a team ERA of 4.31 and have clubbed eight fewer home runs than their opponents, but the Titans have experience. CSUF will be looking to make its third-straight trip to the CWS. Players like Josh Fellhauer and Jeff Kaplan know what it takes to get to Omaha. Also, the Titans won two of three games against UCI earlier this year, so that gives them the edge over the Anteaters. That series was on the road, and this series would probably take place at Fullerton.
Why UC Irvine could win: Pitching. Scott Gorgen (8-2, 2.07 ERA, 82 K), Bryce Stowell (5-2, 2.39 ERA, 62 K) and Daniel Bibona (6-1, 3.49 ERA, 58 K) comprise one of the best weekend rotations in college baseball. These three are capable of getting two wins from any team in the nation. Gorgen was shelled in the earlier match-up, and I suspect he would dearly like a chance at redemption.

Houston Regional vs. Tuscon Regional
Projected match-up: Rice vs. Wichita State
Projected winner: Rice
Why the Owls will win: Rice (34-11, 15-3 C-USA) is peaking at the right time. Wayne Graham's Owls have won 14 of their last 15 games. Much like Cal State Fullerton, Rice doesn't have a team offensive statistic that is particularly impressive, although the Owls do have six players with at least 30 RBI, but the Owls know how to win. The Owls are looking to make their third-straight CWS. Rice also has a pitching staff that has a team ERA of 3.83, and has recorded more than a strikeout per inning (415 K in 406.1 innings). Defense and experience should be enough for this club.
Why Wichita State could win: Just like UCI, the Shockers have pitching. Wichita state boasts a team ERA of 3.49, with Anthony Capra (7-0, 1.85 ERA, 60 K) leading the way and Rob Musgrave (6-1, 2.69 ERA, 63 K) and Aaron Shafer (7-2, 2.96 ERA, 65 K) not far behind. These three would give any team fits.

College Station Regional vs. Stanford Regional
Projected match-up: Texas A&M vs. Long Beach State
Projected winner: Texas A&M
Why the Aggies will win: Texas A&M (38-8, 18-3 Big 12) has not lost back-to-back games in six weeks. The Aggies hit well with runners in scoring position, as four players have 40 or more RBI, led by Darby Brown's 51). Dan Carter is batting .413 with 50 driven in, and Luke Anders has 11 home runs and 40 RBI. Travis Starling is one of the premiere closers in the college game, with eight saves, a 2.30 ERA and 33 strikeouts and 10 walks in 31.1 innings. Texas A&M has a team ERA of 3.67.
Why Long Beach State could win: After struggling in the early part of Big West play, the Dirtbags have righted the ship with back-to-back conference sweeps. LBSU has an impressive collection of wins, having taken series from Rice, Wichita State, USC and UCLA. This team will be tested come tournament-time.

Stillwater Regional vs. Corvallis Regional
Projected match-up: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon State
Projected winner: Oklahoma State
Why the Cowboys will win: Oklahoma State is playing as well as any team in the Big 12 right now, having gone 14-3 in April. The Cowboys (32-11, 14-7 Big 12) have tremendous balance on offense, as nine players have at least 19 RBI. Jordy Mercer is one of three Cowboys with at least 40 RBI. Mercer leads the team with 45 runs driven in. Mercer also has seven saves and a 3.38 ERA as OSU's closer. Andrew Oliver leads the starters with a 4-2 mark and a 2.19 ERA. He has 67 strikeouts in 70 innings of work. OSU has a team ERA of 3.79 and a team batting average of .323, and an on-base percentage of .403.
Why Oregon State could win: If any team knows what it takes to have post-season success, it is the two-time defending national champions. The Beavers are just 20-16 overall and 8-7 in the Pac-10, but back-to-back series wins over Arizona and Arizona State have given Pat casey's club the confidence it needs to make another run at a national title. Mike Stutes and Jorge Reyes, who pitched the team to the national championship last year, have struggled so far this year. Stutes is 2-5 with a 5.49 ERA, while Reyes is 3-2 with a 6.60 ERA. They were lights out in last year's run, and they will have to be awesome for the Beavers to get back to Omaha for the fourth-straight year.

Athens Regional vs. Raleigh Regional
Projected match-up: Georgia vs. East Carolina
Projected winner: Georgia
Why the Bulldogs will win: Before dropping two of three to Florida last weekend, the Bulldogs had not lost a three-game series since dropping two of three to Oregon State in the first weekend of March. Georgia (29-14, 15-5 SEC) hits just .297 as a team, but Gordon Beckham leads the way. Beckham (.427/.538/.883) has an NCAA-best 20 home runs and has driven in 48. Joshua Fields is the top closer in the country. He has a 0.00 ERA and has recorded 12 saves. Fields has 42 strikeouts and 11 walks in 22.1 innings. If he comes in with a lead, the game is over.
Why East Carolina could win: Aside from Beckham, Georgia's offensive statistics aren't overly impressive, and ECU has two fine starters in Justin Bristow (6-2, 2.74 ERA) and Seth Maness (7-0, 2.84 ERA). If those two can be strong and limit Beckham's effectiveness, the Pirates could pull the upset.

Here are the CWS match-ups from this projection: Bracket A--Miami (FL) vs. Georgia and Cal State Fullerton vs. Rice; Bracket B--Florida State vs. Oklahoma State and North Carolina vs. Texas A&M.

Image from cwsomaha.com