By Dennis Waszak Jr., The Associated Press
A capsule look at the eight teams competing in the College World Series, which starts Saturday at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb. (coaches’ records at current schools through super regionals):
MIAMI (52-9)
CWS Seed: 1.
Coach: Jim Morris (694-254-2, 15th season).
Road To Omaha: Won Coral Gables Regional: beat Bethune-Cookman 7-4; beat Missouri 6-5; beat Mississippi 11-2. Won Coral Gables Super Regional: lost to Arizona 6-3 in 11 innings; beat Arizona 14-10; beat Arizona 4-2.
2008 record vs. CWS teams: 3-3 (1-2 vs. North Carolina; 2-1 vs. Florida State).
Last CWS appearance: 2006.
All-time record in CWS: 46-36 (22 appearances, 4 titles).
Meet The Hurricanes: C Jason Hagerty (.290, 8 home runs, 35 RBIs) or Yasmani Grandal (.235, 6, 27); 1B Yonder Alonso (.367, 23, 71); 2B Jemile Weeks (.367, 11, 59); SS Ryan Jackson (.354, 4, 50); 3B Mark Sobolewski (.322, 8, 61); LF Dave DiNatale (.304, 9, 43) or Adan Severino (.318, 4, 22); CF Blake Tekotte (.357, 11, 47); RF Dennis Raben (.298, 10, 49). Starting Pitchers: LHP Chris Hernandez (11-0, 2.62 ERA), LHP Eric Erickson (8-1, 4.32), RHP Enrique Garcia (7-2, 4.56). Relievers: RHP Carlos Gutierrez (5-3, 3.02, 13 saves), RHP Kyle Bellamy (6-0, 1.97, 3 saves), RHP David Gutierrez (5-0, 4.67, 1 save).
All-Star Alumni: Ryan Braun, Pat Burrell, Alex Cora, Danny Graves, Neal Heaton, Aubrey Huff, Charles Johnson, Mike Pagliarulo, Orlando Palmeiro, Greg Vaughn.
Short Hops: The Hurricanes are trying to become first No. 1 national seed to win CWS since they won it all in 1999. ... Team had a school-record three players selected in first round of draft: Alonso (No. 7, Cincinnati), Weeks (No. 12, Oakland) and Carlos Gutierrez (No. 27, Minnesota). ... With .852 winning percentage, the Hurricanes are in midst of the winningest season by percentage under Morris, and second-winningest season in program history. ... Alonso’s 23 HRs ties him with Pat Burrell for the Hurricanes’ second most in season. ... Have hit 100 HRs, third most in school history, and have at least one in 20 of last 22 games. ... Hernandez is the first freshman finalist for Clemens Award, given to nation’s top pitcher. ... Weeks is the brother of Milwaukee 2B Rickie Weeks.
Quotable: “A lot of work goes through it, like in the fall and the summer, all you think about is Omaha. Once you get there, it’s nice, but now we need to take care of business. It’s not just a vacation to go over there. Now we’ve got to play well and take care of business.” — Alonso, after the Hurricanes clinched a CWS berth.
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NORTH CAROLINA (51-12)
CWS Seed: 2.
Coach: Mike Fox (449-188-1, 10th season).
Road To Omaha: Won Cary Regional: beat Mount St. Mary’s, Md. 16-8; beat North Carolina-Wilmington 5-1; beat North Carolina-Wilmington 7-3. Won Cary Super Regional: beat Coastal Carolina 9-4; beat Coastal Carolina 14-4.
2008 record vs. CWS teams: 4-3 (2-1 vs. Miami; 2-2 vs. Florida State).
Last CWS appearance: 2007.
All-time record in CWS: 15-14 (six appearances).
Meet The Tar Heels: C Tim Federowicz (.313, 4 home runs, 42 RBIs); 1B Dustin Ackley (.408, 7, 50); 2B Kyle Seager (.355, 9, 73); SS Ryan Graepel (.241, 0, 7); 3B Chad Flack (.275, 6, 44); LF Kyle Shelton (.327, 4, 39); CF Seth Williams (.315, 8, 41); RF Tim Fedroff (.398, 12, 69); DH Garrett Gore (.281, 2, 37) or Mark Fleury (.278. 3, 25). Starting Pitchers: RHP Adam Warren (9-1, 4.07 ERA); RHP Alex White (10-3, 2.75); RHP Matt Harvey (7-2, 2.52). Relievers: RHP Rob Wooten (6-2, 1.80, 4 saves); LHP Brian Moran (1-1, 1.99, 2 saves); RHP Nate Striz (1-0, 2.00, 2 saves); RHP Colin Bates (6-1. 2.98).
All-Star Alumni: Russ Adams, Scott Bankhead, Scott Bradley, Archibald “Moonlight” Graham, Andrew Miller, Paul Shuey, George “Snuffy” Stirnweiss, B.J. Surhoff, Walt Weiss.
Short Hops: The Tar Heels join Florida State (1994-96, 1998-2000) as only teams in Atlantic Coast Conference history to make three consecutive trips to the CWS. ... Have made it to the CWS championship series but lost both times to Oregon State. ... Fox is one of 11 to play in and coach in CWS, and one of only seven to coach alma mater. Was 2B on the Tar Heels’ 1978 CWS team. ... Seager set team record with 27 doubles, while Ackley is one run from tying the record of 80 in a season. ... Flack is the career leader in hits, at-bats, games, total bases and is closing in on the marks for runs and RBIs. ... Federowicz, nicknamed “FedEx,” has delivered in the postseason with five HRs and 26 RBIs in 29 career games. ... The Tar Heels rank as national leader in ERA (2.83), Ks per nine innings (10.1), fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.47) and opponent batting average (.227).
Quotable: “It’s getting to the point where we are kind of expected to get there. And that’s where we want to be with this program.” — Federowicz after the Tar Heels clinched their third straight trip to Omaha.
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FRESNO STATE (42-29)
CWS Seed: 3.
Coach: Mike Batesole (214-163, sixth season).
Road To Omaha: Won Long Beach Regional: beat Long Beach State 7-3; beat San Diego 6-0; lost to Fresno State 15-1; beat San Diego 5-1. Won Tempe Super Regional: lost to Arizona State 12-4; beat Arizona State 8-6; beat Arizona State 12-9.
2008 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.
Last CWS appearance: 1991.
All-time record in CWS: 4-6 (three appearances).
Meet The Bulldogs: C Ryan Overland (.291, 3 home runs, 21 RBIs) or Danny Grubb (.185, 0, 11); 1B Alan Ahmady (.384, 12, 84); 2B Erik Wetzel (.361, 6, 36); SS Danny Muno (.327, 2, 22); 3B Tommy Mendonca (.282, 15, 59); LF Steve Susdorf (.345, 11, 81); CF Gavin Hedstrom (.312, 7, 32); RF Steve Detwiler (.259, 9, 48); DH Jake Johnson (.222, 1, 5) or Jordan Ribera (.184, 3, 12). Starting Pitchers: RHP Clayton Allison (3-5, 4.07 ERA), LHP Justin Wilson (7-5, 4.51), RHP Justin Miller (6-3, 4.88). Relievers: RHP Brandon Burke (4-5, 3.15, 12 saves), RHP Holden Sprague (5-2, 3.62, 1 save), RHP Sean Bonesteele (2-2. 6.53), LHP Kris Tomlinson (2-1, 7.13).
All-Star Alumni: Mark Gardner, Dan Gladden, Tom Goodwin, Bobby Jones, Terry Pendleton, Dick Ruthven, Jeff Weaver, Jimy Williams.
Short Hops: The Bulldogs became first No. 4 regional seed to make it to the CWS since NCAA expanded field to 64 teams in 1999. ... Started season 8-12, but have gone 34-17 since and won a third straight WAC title. The Bulldogs have won 11 of last 13 games, and are 9-2 in postseason play, including WAC (4-0) and NCAA tournaments. ... Haven’t been to Omaha since 1991, when future major leaguers Bobby Jones and Jason Wood led coach Bob Bennett’s squad. ... Staff ace and WAC pitcher of year Tanner Scheppers (8-2, 2.93) has been sidelined for several weeks with a stress fracture in his right shoulder, but he was drafted in second round by Pittsburgh. ... Susdorf, WAC player of year, holds the school record for RBIs and is third in HRs. His 29 doubles are tied for second most among Division I hitters. ... Burke is the school’s career leader in saves with 23. ... Wetzel has scored 90 runs, which ranks him near top of the national leaderboard. ... Muno was WAC freshman of year.
Quotable: “I’m happy to be a Bulldog today. I’m very proud of this team and these eight seniors. This was a grind. Our guys were ground down to nothing at the end. They left everything out there on the field. It was a great performance by a great group of guys.” — Batesole, after Fresno State stunned No. 3 national seed Arizona State and advanced to Omaha.
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FLORIDA STATE (54-12)
CWS Seed: 4.
Coach: Mike Martin (1,538-518-4, 29th season).
Road To Omaha: Won Tallahassee Regional: lost to Bucknell 7-0; beat Florida 17-11; beat Bucknell 24-9; beat Tulane 17-8; beat Tulane 16-7. Won Tallahassee Super Regional: lost to Wichita State 10-7; beat Wichita State 14-4; beat Wichita State 11-4.
2008 record vs. CWS teams: 4-5 (1-2 vs. Miami; 2-2 vs. North Carolina; 1-1 vs. Georgia).
Last CWS appearance: 2000.
All-time record in CWS: 25-36 (18 appearances).
Meet The Seminoles: C Buster Posey (.460, 26 home runs, 92 RBIs); 1B Dennis Guinn (.324, 18, 74); 2B Jason Stidham (.317, 10, 59); SS Tony Delmonico (.380, 8, 69) or Stidham; 3B Stuart Tapley (.396, 8, 39); LF-RHP Mike McGee (.348, 6, 36; 7-1, 4.04) or Ohmed Danesh (.290, 3, 29); CF Tyler Holt (.320, 3, 40); RF Jack Rye (.381, 7, 52); DH Tommy Oravetz (.342, 4, 31). Starting Pitchers: LHP Matt Fairel (12-2, 3.74 ERA), RHP Elih Villanueva (7-3, 3.79), RHP Geoff Parker (6-2, 4.42). Relievers: RHP Ryan Strauss (10-1, 4.25, 4 saves), RHP Bo O’Dell (5-1, 3.62), RHP Jimmy Marshall (6-2, 3.74, 2 saves), RHP Tyler Everett (0-0, 5.64, 3 saves).
All-Star Alumni: Luis Alicea, Matt Diaz, J.D. Drew, Stephen Drew, Dick Howser, Terry Kennedy, Marshall McDougall, Doug Mientkiewicz, Eduardo Perez, Larry Rothschild, Deion Sanders, Paul Wilson.
Short Hops: The Seminoles enter CWS as Division I leader in wins. ... Despite ranking in top 10 in CWS appearances and games won, the Seminoles have never won national title. ... The Seminoles lead the nation with .356 team batting average and 402 walks. ... Martin is one of just four Division I coaches with at least 1,500 victories, joining Texas’ Augie Garrido, Wichita State’s Gene Stephenson and Texas Tech’s Larry Hays. ... The Seminoles have scored 99 runs in six elimination games in postseason, eclipsing 10 runs in every contest. ... Posey, No. 5 overall draft pick by San Francisco, leads country in batting average, HRs and RBIs and is attempting to join Indiana’s Mike Smith (1992) as the only Division I players since 1965 to win the Triple Crown. ... Strauss has played in the NCAA tournament four straight years — at four different positions: RF in 2005, LF in 2006, starting pitcher in 2007 and as reliever this year. ... Stidham leads the Seminoles with 17 hits in NCAA tournament.
Quotable: “I will say to all of you, I look forward to seeing you in Omaha, and that is my favorite saying this time of the year.” — Martin, after the Seminoles clinched its first CWS berth in eight years.
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STANFORD (39-22-2)
CWS Seed: 5.
Coach: Mark Marquess (1,324-667-7, 32nd season).
Road To Omaha: Won Stanford Regional: lost to UC Davis 4-2; beat Arkansas 5-1; beat UC Davis 8-4; beat Pepperdine 13-1; beat Pepperdine 9-7. Won Fullerton Super Regional: beat Cal State-Fullerton 4-3; beat Cal State-Fullerton 8-5.
2008 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.
Last CWS appearance: 2003.
All-time record in CWS: 38-27 (15 appearances, 2 titles).
Meet The Cardinal: C Jason Castro (.379, 13 home runs, 69 RBIs); 1B Brent Milleville (.297, 10, 52); 2B Cord Phelps (.349, 13, 53); SS Jake Schlander (.227, 0, 24), 3B Zach Jones (.253, 3, 32); LF Joey August (.316, 1, 21); CF Sean Ratliff (.295, 21, 66); RF Brendan Domaracki (.257, 1, 19); DH Randy Molina (.340, 5, 40). Starting Pitchers: RHP Erik Davis (7-3, 4.67 ERA), RHP Jeffrey Inman (7-2, 4.34), LHP Jeremy Bleich (3-2, 0.92), RHP Austin Yount (6-3, 3.38, 1 save). Relievers: RHP Drew Storen (4-3, 2.79, 8 saves), LHP Blake Hancock (1-3, 4.12, 1 save), RHP David Stringer (3-1, 5.27, 2 saves).
All-Star Alumni: Mike Aldrete, Bob Boone, Steve Buechele, Ryan Garko, Jeremy Guthrie, Jeffrey Hammonds, Rick Helling, Jim Lonborg, Jack McDowell, Mike Mussina, Kyle Peterson, Carlos Quentin, Ed Sprague.
Short Hops: Marquess, like North Carolina’s Fox and Georgia’s David Perno, is one of only seven to both play in and then coach their alma mater in CWS. ... Castro was the 10th overall draft pick by Houston and is a finalist for Johnny Bench Award as country’s best catcher. ... Bleich, team’s active career leader with 30 starts, returned from a four-week layoff with elbow tendinitis to throw six innings, allowing one run, in a super regional win over Cal State-Fullerton. ... Davis is the active career leader in victories, strikeouts, innings pitched, appearances and complete games. ... Ratliff is four HRs from tying Rick Lundblade’s 1985 single-season record of 25 homers. ... Yount is the nephew of Hall of Famer Robin Yount. ... Sophomore OF Toby Gerhart also is running back on the Cardinal football team. Had 140 yards and a TD on 12 carries against San Jose State but suffered season-ending knee injury in the game.
Quotable: “It’s one of those things you dream about. When I was in high school, it seemed like Stanford was there every year. I’m excited to go.” — Yount, after the Cardinal beat Cal State Fullerton to reach the College World Series.
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RICE (47-13)
CWS Seed: 6.
Coach: Wayne Graham (787-297, 17th season).
Road To Omaha: Won Houston Regional: beat Sam Houston State 3-2; beat St. John’s 11-2; beat Texas 7-4. Won Houston Super Regional: beat Texas A&M 9-7; beat Texas A&M 6-5.
2008 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.
Last CWS appearance: 2007.
All-time record in CWS: 10-11 (six appearances, 1 title).
Meet The Owls: C Adam Zornes (.308, 12 home runs, 55 RBIs); 1B J.P. Padron (.362, 5, 41); 2B Jimmy Comerota (.286, 0, 28); SS Rick Hague (.347, 8, 52); 3B Diego Seastrunk (.353, 5, 57); LF Aaron Luna (.316, 9, 52); CF Jared Gayhart (.309, 6, 45); RF Chad Mozingo (.297, 2, 30); DH Jordan Dodson (.188, 0, 18) or Derek Myers (.234, 3, 16). Starting Pitchers: RHP Ryan Berry (8-4, 3.31 ERA), RHP Matt Langwell (5-1, 4.35), RHP Chris Kelley (5-1, 3.28). Relievers: LHP Cole St. Clair (10-2, 2.61, 5 saves), LHP Matt Evers (4-1, 2.57), RHP Bryan Price (4-4, 3.66), RHP Mike Ojala (5-0, 4.97), Bobby Bell (1-0, 0.92, 3 saves).
All-Star Alumni: David Aardsma, Matt Anderson, Lance Berkman, Norm Charlton, Bubba Crosby, Jose Cruz Jr., Philip Humber, Jeff Niemann.
Short Hops: The Owls are back in Omaha for the third straight year and fifth time in seven seasons. ... After having a 10-game winning streak end with two straight losses in the Conference USA tournament, the Owls are 5-0 in the NCAA tourney. ... Graham had two brief stints in the majors: in 1963 for Gene Mauch’s Philadelphia Phillies and for Casey Stengel’s New York Mets the following year. ... St. Clair is one of the nation’s top relievers and holds the school mark with 27 saves. ... Bell returned to action on April 12 after being sidelined for 14 months following Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow. He was injured in first outing of 2007 season. ... The bespectacled Berry is one of the best starters in country, following up a terrific freshman season in which he pitched for Team USA last summer at the Pan Am Games. ... Padron attended LSU as freshman and then helped lead San Jacinto to a third-place finish at 2006 Junior College World Series.
Quotable: “This has been a very good clutch team. They play very well for survival. They’re as good as any team I’ve had like that.” — Graham, after his Owls advanced to CWS for third straight year.
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LSU (48-17-1)
CWS Seed: 7.
Coach: Paul Mainieri (77-43-2, second season).
Road To Omaha: Won Baton Rouge Regional: beat Texas Southern 12-1; beat Southern Mississippi 13-4; beat Southern Mississippi 11-4. Won Baton Rouge Super Regional: lost to UC Irvine 11-5; beat UC Irvine 9-7; beat UC Irvine 21-7.
2008 record vs. CWS teams: 0-2-1 (vs. Georgia).
Last CWS appearance: 2004.
All-time record in CWS: 29-17 (13 appearances, 5 titles).
Meet The Tigers: C Micah Gibbs (.323, 2 home runs, 33 RBIs); 1B Matt Clark (.347, 26, 61); 2B Ryan Schimpf (.321, 12, 54); SS DJ LeMahieu (.340, 6, 42); 3B Michael Hollander (.297, 5, 43); LF Jared Mitchell (.307, 6, 29); CF Leon Landry (.283, 5, 26); RF Derek Helenihi (.296, 3, 43); DH Blake Dean (.359, 20, 70). Starting Pitchers: LHP Ryan Verdugo (9-3, 3.90 ERA), LHP Blake Martin (5-3, 4.83), RHP Jordan Brown (5-0, 5.43), RHP Jared Bradford (10-4, 4.50, 5 saves). Relievers: RHP Louis Coleman (7-0, 1.30, 2 saves), RHP Daniel Bradshaw (4-5, 4.12, 4 saves), RHP Paul Bertuccini (2-0, 2.70, 2 saves), RHP Austin Ross (3-1, 2.58), RHP Nolan Cain (0-0. 2.37).
All-Star Alumni: Joe Adcock, Albert Belle, Paul Byrd, Alvin Dark, Mike Fontenot, Mark Guthrie, Aaron Hill, Ben McDonald, Warren Morris, Russ Springer, Todd Walker.
Short Hops: The Tigers are making their first CWS appearance under Mainieri, who led Notre Dame to Omaha in 2002. ... LSU has been perhaps the country’s best team for the last several weeks. They had 23-game winning streak end in the opening game of super regional vs. UC Irvine. ... Tigers were down to their final three outs and trailed the Anteaters by three runs in Game 2 of their super regional before scoring five runs in the ninth. ... Entered season with 20 newcomers as part of the nation’s top-rated recruiting class. ... The Tigers have three true freshmen in their everyday lineup with Landry, LeMahieu and Gibbs. ... Mitchell, one of the speediest players in country, is a wide receiver for the football team and scored early this season from second base on a sac fly. ... The team’s cumulative GPA for the recently completed spring semester was 2.89, the highest figure in LSU baseball history.
Quotable: “Omaha, here come the Tigers. I’ve been waiting to say that for so long, and I know that the Tiger Nation will follow us up there. Omaha, Nebraska, it just feels great to say.” — Mainieri, after the Tigers earned their first trip to the College World Series since 2004.
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GEORGIA (41-23-1)
CWS Seed: 8.
Coach: David Perno (247-182-1, seventh season).
Road To Omaha: Won Athens Regional: lost to Lipscomb 10-7; beat Louisville 9-8; beat Lipscomb 14-3; beat Georgia Tech 8-0; beat Georgia Tech 18-6. Won Athens Super Regional: beat N.C. State 11-4; lost to N.C. State 10-6; beat N.C. State 17-8.
2008 record vs. CWS teams: 3-1-1 (1-1 vs. Florida State; 2-0-1 vs. Georgia).
Last CWS appearance: 2006.
All-time record in CWS: 6-9 (five appearances, 1 title).
Meet The Bulldogs: C Bryce Massanari (.343, 11 home runs, 65 RBIs); 1B Rich Poythress (.370, 15, 67); 2B David Thoms (.196, 0, 3) or Miles Starr (.179, 0, 5); SS Gordon Beckham (.401, 26, 72); 3B Ryan Peisel (.335, 10, 49); LF Lyle Allen (.280, 2, 29); CF Matt Cerione (.307, 7, 28); RF Matt Olson (.331, 8, 43); DH Robbie O’Bryan (.217, 2, 10) or Joey Lewis (.243, 6, 31). Starting Pitchers: RHP Trevor Holder (8-4, 4,34 ERA), RHP Stephen Dodson (5-4, 4.25), LHP Nathan Moreau (4-3, 5.27). Relievers: RHP Joshua Fields (2-2, 2.76, 16 saves), RHP Dean Weaver (5-1, 3.71, 1 save), LHP Alex McRee (6-1, 3.88), RHP Nick Montgomery (4-2, 4.06), LHP Justin Earls (2-1, 6.14).
All-Star Alumni: Cris Carpenter, Spud Chandler, Glenn Davis, Dave Fleming, Jeff Keppinger, Derek Lilliquist, Jeff Treadway.
Short Hops: The Bulldogs have made the NCAA tournament nine times in program history and advanced to Omaha in six of those years. ... Perno has gone to the CWS with Bulldogs as a player (1990 national champions), assistant coach (2001) and three times as head coach (2004, ’06, ’08). ... Beckham, the No. 8 overall draft pick by White Sox, is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. He is looking to become the first Division I shortstop to lead country in homers since Illinois’ Josh Klimek tied for the top spot in 1996. The SEC player of year has started every game in his three years at Georgia. ... Fields was NCBWA’s Stopper of the Year, the award given to nation’s top reliever, and has a school- and SEC record 39 saves. The SEC pitcher of year was 20th overall pick by Seattle. ... Massanari is married to 2006 Miss Nevada, Lauren Scyphers, and the two became parents April 30. Since birth of their daughter, Marley, Massanari is batting .410 (32-for-78) with six HRs and 29 RBIs. ... Holder was the Cape Cod League playoff MVP for Yarmouth-Dennis last summer.
Quotable: “This team has been around and been through it all. Look at last season when we were 23-33 and we come back and are SEC champions and going back to Omaha. We have great kids here and they are champions.” — Perno after the Bulldogs clinched their third CWS berth in five years.
