June 23, 2008

2008 College World Series

Day Nine Notes

Fresno State senior right-hander Clayton Allison pitched for the first time since June 8, when he allowed eight hits and five runs in four innings at Arizona State in the second game of the Tempe Regional. He had not pitched since due to tendonitis in his right shoulder. Against UNC on Sunday, he worked six innings with six hits, one run, three walks and six strikeouts.

In a game of outstanding defense plays, Fresno State had two in the top of the eighth. Kyle Seager hit a ball that looked to be ticketed to right. But second baseman Erik Wetzel ranged out into shallow right and threw a strike to pitcher Brandon Burke covering at first for the first out. After a single by Tim Federowicz, Kyle Shelton hit a grounder that shortstop Danny Muno backhanded deep in the hole and made a quick throw to second to force out Federowicz. Third baseman Tommy Mendonca had several super plays in the field as well and started a double play in the ninth to end the contest.

Fresno State is 11-0 when holding opponents to one run or less.

The Bulldogs are 4-0 in NCAA Tournament elimination games, defeating San Diego in the Long Beach Regional, beating Arizona State twice in the Tempe Super Regional and topping North Carolina in the CWS.

This was just the third time that the Tar Heels were held to one run or less this season.

Dustin Ackley (.417) and Tim Fedroff (.404) became the first UNC teammates to hit over .400 in the same season. Fedroff extended his hit streak to a career-best 16.

Another College World Series record was set on Sunday. There have been 22 wild pitches in the 13 games, a highest total ever.

The ACC continued its 53-year drought without a baseball title. The only ACC team to win the national championship was Wake Forest in 1955.

This will be the first time in CWS history that the teams facing each other for the title share the same nickname.

Fresno State is the first No. 4 regional seed to play for the national championship. The Bulldogs are the first team to play for the crown with 30 losses. The most losses by a national champion is 23 by Stanford in 1998. Georgia currently has 23 losses.

Georgia is the first team to reach the title round after having a losing record the previous season.