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Rob Rochholz
is a former sports writer for
The Fresno Bee, where he covered several different sports involving Fresno State and Western Athletic Conference teams. A self-described college sports
nut,
he would love to hear
your thoughts on college athletics. Rob currently lives in San Francisco.
Post your thoughts: Discussion
Board.
E-mail us at mail@outsports.com
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Miami
Seals It With a Kiss
By Rob
Rochholz
Special to Outsports
It was a day full of storylines Saturday at the College World Series:
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The number 13 was actually lucky.
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Youth didn't prevail.
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We now know there are at least two Kevin Browns who can dominate a game.
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History can repeat itself.
But even though each of these storylines is intriguing, perhaps none provided the flair of the kiss. Yes, the kiss.
While a pat on the butt has become commonplace in college sports, how many times do you see a male coach
actually lay a kiss on his star male player following a fine performance? Answer: Not enough!
 It was Miami (Fla.) assistant coach
Lazaro Collazo providing the excitement Saturday when he gave pitcher
Tom Farmer (left) a firm peck on the right cheek as he exited the game in the sixth inning. While it wasn't as stunning as a
full-on lip-lock might have been, it was still a remarkable sight. Farmer departed with the game firmly in hand, holding
Stanford to just four hits in Miami's 12-1 rout of the Cardinal for the NCAA championship.
Though the kiss looked natural for many of us, it appeared to catch the CBS television announcing
team of Greg Gumbel and former major-leaguer Ray Knight by surprise. After a few awkward comments by Knight,
CBS quickly went to a commercial.
The title game itself lacked the same drama. Miami first baseman
Kevin Brown--not to be confused with the Dodger pitcher--proved to be the difference early. Brown blasted a three-run homer in the 5th inning to give the 'Canes a 9-0
lead and they never looked back in winning for a 17th straight time. Brown finished with five RBI in the game and 10
in the Series.
Experience proved to be the difference. Brown is one of 13 current Miami players who played on the Hurricanes' 1999
NCAA championship team. The Cardinal, one of the youngest teams to ever reach the national championship game,
finished runner-up for a second straight year. Stanford did not have a senior on its roster.
The lopsided contest tied the 1956 championship for largest victory margin. That year, Minnesota blasted Arizona
by an identical score to win the NCAA title. With Stanford's lackluster play Saturday, you've got to believe this
weekend will be remembered at the school more for Chelsea
Clinton's graduation than its baseball effort.
Rob's
Pre-Tournament Outlook:
| 1.
Cal State Fullerton (49-16) |
|
 The
Big West Conference champion and top-seeded Titans have sailed
through the NCAA Tournament, outscoring opponents by an
average of seven runs a game.
So much for the perk of being the #1 national seed.
The Titans will be playing what amounts to a road game
when they meet 8th-seeded Nebraska in front of 25,000 fans in
Round One of the CWS Friday in Omaha.
A
strong pitching staff and several big bats paved the way this
year for Fullerton. Pitcher
Kirk Saarloos has won 15 consecutive decisions and has 150
strikeouts, enough to earn first-team All-America honors from ``Collegiate
Baseball.''
Sophomore shortstop Mike Rouse belted three home runs
in a 13-2 rout of Mississippi State in Game 1 of the Super
Regionals and teammate Aaron Rifkin pulled an identical
trifecta in Game 2. Rifkin's
third blast put the game out of reach as Fullerton advanced to
its 11th CWS appearance.
It's
almost been a tale of three seasons for the Titans, who were
struggling with an 8-8 record in mid-March.
At that point, Fullerton went on an incredible run,
winning 30 of its next 33, including a three-game road sweep
against fellow CWS participant Miami.
The Titans are a mortal 8-5 in their last 13 games.
How
they got here: beat
Temple 17-3, beat Arizona State 13-3, lost to Texas Tech 11-5,
beat Texas Tech 9-2, beat Mississippi State 13-2 and 9-3.
Will
win the CWS if: the
Titan bats continue to produce big innings.
Fullerton has scored nine or more runs in its last
seven victories.
Will
be in trouble if: Rouse
and Rifkin can't come through in the clutch.
Player
to watch
(above):
Mike
Rouse (soph., shortstop, 6-0, 185 lbs.).
Perhaps no other hitter in the country is as hot at the
plate right now. Not
only did Rouse blast those three homers to beat Mississippi
State in Game 1 of the Super Regionals, he followed it up with
a 3-for-3 performance, including another homer, the following
day.
Outlook:
The
Titans are battle-tested thanks to a difficult schedule and
may have the most balanced blend of good pitching and hitting
in the CWS. Getting
past Nebraska in Omaha will be no easy task, but Fullerton has
been one of the country's best road teams, going 19-6 away
from home. The Titans must guard against having their bats go inexplicably
silent (as in a 15-1 loss to unranked Cal State Northridge
earlier this year). Still,
Fullerton always seems to be at its best in the CWS and this
year should be no different.
Look for the Titans to be around at the end but perhaps
falling short of a fourth NCAA crown. |
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2.
MIAMI, FLORIDA (49-12) |
|
 The
Hurricanes advanced to the CWS in dominating fashion and enter
with the nation's longest winning streak at 13 games.
Miami caught a break, however, when the NCAA selection
committee paired the 'Canes with lightweight Bucknell, Stetson
and overrated Florida in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Super Regional best-of-three series with Clemson
was also a case of who cares?
Clemson had to beat only Seton Hall and William &
Mary to reach that round.
One
has to wonder how Miami will fare on the road.
The 'Canes played 58 of their 61 games in the state of
Florida and will likely find the going difficult without the
home crowd. On
the mound, the key will be right-hander Tom Farmer, whose 13-2
mark leads the pitching staff. His last outing was one to forget though.
Farmer gave up nine hits and six runs before leaving
with no decision in only 4 2/3 innings against Clemson.
Ironically, both of Miami's winning pitchers in Super
Regional play came to school on football
scholarships.
How
they got here: beat
Bucknell 14-6, beat Florida 6-2, beat Stetson 16-8, beat
Clemson 10-8 and 14-6.
Will
win the CWS if: they
continue to take leads into the ninth inning.
The Hurricane bullpen doesn't collapse.
Miami is 47-0 when leading after eight.
Will
be in trouble if: they
face an opposing catcher with the ability to gun down runners.
Miami uses team speed like few others in college
baseball. The
'Canes set an NCAA postseason record with 10 stolen bases in
their last game.
Player
to watch
(above):
Javy
Rodriguez (jr., shortstop, 5-11, 188 lbs.).
The second-team All-America pick not only leads the
country in stolen bases with 66 but leads his team in
virtually every offensive category, including a .388 batting
average.
Outlook:
Miami
had better hope the winds are blowing out at Rosenblatt
Stadium because hitting -- not pitching -- is its best hope
for a run at the title. With
Southern California looming in Round 2 of the CWS, the
Hurricanes will find it difficult to recapture the magic of
their NCAA championships season two years ago. |
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3.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (44-17) |
|
 Pitching,
pitching, pitching! No
team in the country can match the Trojans' remarkable pitching
staff. Mark Prior
has impressed scouts so much that some have predicted he will
be starting in the major leagues this
season. Though a move directly from college to the majors is rare,
Prior (14-1) has the skills to accomplish it.
The Pac-10 and national Player of the Year has 189
strikeouts in only 131 innings pitched and owns numerous
records at a school rich in baseball tradition.
USC is making its 21st appearance in Omaha.
Prior
isn't the only Trojan who's had success on the hill. Teammates Rik Currier (12-2) and Anthony Reyes (5-3) both
threw complete-game shutouts in the championship games of the
Super Regionals and regionals, respectively.
Currier gave up just five hits against Florida
International, and Reyes limited Fresno State to just three.
How
they got here: beat
Oral Roberts 12-4, beat Pepperdine 4-3, beat Fresno State 8-0,
beat Florida International 5-1 and 6-0.
Will
win the CWS if: they
get the same kind of starting pitching they've had all season.
Will
be in trouble if: Prior
or Currier has a shaky outing.
USC doesn't have as much offensive firepower as some of
the other CWS teams but with pitching this good, the Trojans
don't often need many runs to win.
Player
to watch
(above):
Chad
Clark (soph., pitcher, 6-6, 220 lbs.).
For pure talent, there are other Trojans to keep an eye
on. But when the
game is out of reach, all eyes should turn to this
jock-next-door.
Outlook:
Quality
pitching makes the Trojans one of the favorites in Omaha.
A key will be staying in the winner's bracket.
If Prior and Currier can lead USC to a pair of wins
early in the week, the rest of the field should be worried. |
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4.
STANFORD (48-16) |
|
 The
Cardinal advanced to a third consecutive CWS -- barely.
Stanford was forced to sweep a doubleheader from Texas
just to advance to the Super Regionals, where it was forced
into a winner-take-all contest against South Carolina. This is clearly not the best team Stanford has sent to Omaha,
in part because it is so young.
In the final game against the Gamecocks, Coach Mark
Marquess started a lineup consisting of three freshmen, two
sophomores and four juniors.
Hard-throwing
right hander Jeremy Guthrie leads the Stanford pitching staff
with a 12-4 mark punctuated by a 2.58 ERA.
While the staff lacks its usual overpowering ace, there
is considerable depth with a team ERA of 3.34.
Junior second baseman Chris O'Riordan leads the team at
the plate with 12 homers and 66 RBI.
How
they got here: beat
Marist 4-3, lost to Texas 4-3, beat Marist 6-0, beat Texas
10-9 and 4-3, beat South Carolina 11-1, lost to South Carolina
4-3, beat South Carolina 3-2.
Will
win the CWS if: they
play more like seniors and not like the freshmen and
sophomores they really are.
Stanford is, by far, the youngest team in the CWS
field.
Will
be in trouble if: the
score is close late in the game.
Despite Stanford's 48-16 overall record, the Cardinal
is only 9-11 in one-run games.
Both losses in NCAA Tournament play have been by a
single run.
Player
to watch
(above):
Ryan
Garko (soph., catcher, 6-2, 215 lbs.).
Talk about improvement.
Garko started only nine games a year ago and finished
with a .143 batting average.
This season, the catcher from Walnut, Calif., is an
everyday starter and second on the team with a .354 average.
Outlook:
Stanford
has been somewhat of a mystery this season, looking great at
times but also suffering some stunning setbacks.
A blowout loss to Sacramento State?
Losing to Cal Poly and San Francisco?
The Cardinal is very young but very talented as well.
They took two of three from Cal State Fullerton earlier
this season and a rematch in round two of the CWS appears
likely. We'll go
with Fullerton this time around. |
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5.
TULANE (55-11) |
|
 Tulane
advanced to its first CWS by eliminating defending national
champion LSU 7-1 in the Super Regional championship June 2.
The loss also ended the career of legendary LSU coach
Skip Bertman, who retired following the game.
The
Conference USA champs are powered by third baseman Jake
Gautreau, twice selected the C-USA Player of the Year.
Gautreau led the league in home runs, RBI and slugging
percentage. Freshman
Michael Aubrey is a double threat, batting over .350 during
the regular season and going 3-0 on the mound.
How
they got here: beat
Southern 22-9, beat Oklahoma State 13-10 and 9-8, lost to LSU
4-3, beat LSU 9-4 and 7-1.
Will
win the CWS if: they
can get over the Omaha jitters.
This CWS newbie will have a difficult time winning even
one game in a deep bracket with Fullerton, Stanford and
hometown favorite Nebraska.
Will
be in trouble if: they
get behind early. Tulane's regular-season schedule was filled with cupcakes
like Sam Houston State, Georgia State, Siena and Nicholls
State. It's one
thing to come from behind against those teams.
It's a whole different ballgame against the true powers
of college baseball like Stanford and Cal State
Fullerton.
Player
to watch
(above):
Jake
Gautreau (jr., third baseman, 6-0, 190 lbs.).
Gautreau is at his best with runners in scoring
position and had 30 multiple-hit games on the season.
Outlook:
Tulane
is likely to have that just-happy-to-be-here feeling that many
first time CWS teams encounter.
Like fellow southerners Georgia and Tennessee, the
Green Wave built a glossy record without facing many quality
teams along the way. All
good things must come to an end and Tulane's first CWS
appearance will likely be a downer. |
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6. GEORGIA
(47-20) |
|
 The
Bulldogs denied Florida State a fourth straight trip to Omaha
with a Super Regional win June 4.
Georgia, the SEC champ, is returning to the CWS for the
first time since 1990, when it won its only national title.
In
the deciding Super Regional game against the Seminoles, the
Dawgs received power from an unlikely source.
Jody Pollock, batting ninth in the order, drove in
three runs with a bases-loaded double to put the game out of
reach in the fifth inning.
Pollock drove in six runs in the three-game series.
Jeff Keppinger is Georgia's biggest threat at the
plate. He batted
.652 (15 for 23) with four homers and eight RBI in regional
play.
How
they got here: lost
to Georgia Southern 4-3, beat Georgia Tech 13-5, beat Georgia
Southern 10-9, beat Coastal Carolina 9-3 and 8-7, beat Florida
State 8-7, lost to Florida State 11-6, beat Florida State
8-3.
Will
win the CWS if: Miami
and USC fail to show up.
The Hurricanes and Trojans are clearly the class of
their four-team bracket, which includes Georgia and Tennessee.
Will
be in trouble if: Miami
and USC do show up.
The Georgia pitching staff is weak when compared to the
rest of this field. Only
junior reliever Jeff Carswell has been dominant on the mound
and that doesn't bode well for a possible national title.
Player
to watch
(above):
Jody
Pollock (sr., second baseman, 5-8, 174 lbs.).
Pollock needs to continue the run he had in the Super
Regionals if the Bulldogs are to advance.
Outlook:
Do
any SEC teams play challenging non-conference schedules?
Georgia built its resume this season facing the
murderer's row of Belmont, Georgia College, Winthrop,
Birmingham Southern, Georgia Southern, Wofford and East
Tennessee State to name a few.
Worse, the Dawgs played only three non-conference road
games in a 67-game schedule.
That's hardly the way to prepare for a CWS appearance. |
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7.
TENNESSEE (46-18) |
|
 The
Volunteers will only go as far as Chris Burke's bat can take
them. The junior
second baseman earned first team All-America honors, hitting
.439 with 19 homers and 11 triples.
Burke scored 98 runs, nearly twice as many as any other
UT player. Tennessee
must rely on Burke because the pitching isn't there. The top starter is Wyatt Allen, who leads the team with a 9-2
record but woeful 5.99 ERA.
Allen's also given up a team-high 12 home runs.
Blowouts
have been common for the Vols with more than half of their 64
games decided by five or more runs.
Tennessee is a CWS-best 14-0 in games decided by two
runs or less. The lesson? Score
on the Vols early if you want to win.
How
they got here: beat
Middle Tennessee 2-1, beat Tennessee Tech 11-0, lost to Wake
Forest 10-3, beat Wake Forest 6-3, beat East Carolina 13-10
and 6-3.
Will
win the CWS if: flukes
are the norm. Without much pitching, don't look for Tennessee to be
celebrating.
Will
be in trouble if: Burke's
bat goes silent. Without him having a memorable run, the Vols will find it
difficult to win even one game.
Player
to watch
(above): Stevie
Daniel (jr., shortstop, 5-10, 170 lbs.).
Daniel is second on the team in hits (84) and there's
just something about those side burns!
Outlook:
Tennessee
is the least likely of all CWS participants.
In fact, the team should send a giant Thank You note to
the NCAA selection committee for giving them the easiest path
to the Series. A
number of teams across the country would be in the Vols'
position right now if they'd faced the same inferior teams to
reach Omaha. |
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8.
NEBRASKA (51-14) |
|
 The
long-awaited trip from Lincoln to Omaha is finally here!
The Huskers swept Rice in the Super Regionals to reach
the CWS for the first time.
While Nebraska baseball fans aren't as rabid as their
football counterparts, the atmosphere in Omaha promises to
give the Huskers a distinct home-field advantage.
The
Big 12 champs should not be taken lightly.
Junior right-hander Shane Komine (14-1, 3.32 ERA, 148
strikeouts) is one of the nation's top pitchers.
The Huskers also pack a one-two punch with first
baseman Dan Johnson and designated hitter Matt Hopper.
Johnson led the Big 12 with 24 homers and 85 RBI, while
Hopper is close behind with 84 RBI.
How
they got here: beat
Northern Iowa 16-6, beat Rutgers 5-4 and 14-10, beat Rice 7-0
and 9-6.
Will
win the CWS if: the
home crowd gets involved.
Nebraska will have a huge advantage with thousands of
red-clad supporters each game.
The Huskers were 24-4 at home this season, and
Rosenblatt Stadium is as close to a home field as you can get.
Will
be in trouble if: they
fail to beat Fullerton on Friday.
Coming through the loser's bracket is never easy, but
the toughness of their bracket (Fullerton, Stanford, Tulane)
will make it next-to-impossible to win five straight games.
Player
to watch
(above): Brandon
Penas (sr., pitcher, 5-8, 180 lbs.).
Penas stands proudly with a 0.73 ERA in 11 relief
appearances.
Outlook:
Nebraska
has two very big pluses on its side -- Komine and the
home-field advantage. The
Huskers must get the crowd into the game early against
Fullerton by scoring a few runs.
History isn't on Nebraska's side.
It's been 10 years since a #8 seed (Fresno State) beat
a #1 seed (Florida State) in Omaha. |
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National
championship game prediction:
Cal
State Fullerton vs. Southern California.
Our
national champion: Southern
California.
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