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CWS
Schedule
CWS First-time Appearances
CWS Statistical Comparison
NCAA Interactive Bracket
2011 College World Series Capsules
California Golden Bears
Berkeley, California
At-large bid from Pac-10, won Houston Regional,
won Santa Clara Super Regional
2011 record: 13-13,
37-21 (sixth in Pac-10)
Head coach: David
Esquer (Stanford, 1987)
Record at school:
353-311-2, 12 years
Overall record: same
Assistant coaches:
Dan Hubbs, Tony Arnerich, Brad Sanfilippo
Team offense: .288 BA,
324 R, 31 HR, .405 SLG%, .358 OB%, 46-71 SB
Team pitching: 2.82
ERA, 529.2 IP, 451 H, 167 BB, 454 K
Top hitters: Tony Renda
(.335/3/42/14 2B), Austin Booker (.319/1/24), Chadd Krist
(.304/2/43/25 2B), Vince Bruno (.301/0/13), Devon Rodriguez
(.288/5/34/13 2B), Marcus Semien (.277/5/35), Chad Bunting
(.276/7/23), Mitch Delfino (.260/4/20)
Top Pitchers: Kyle
Porter (5-0, 1.59, 2 SV, 51 IP, 42 H, 14 BB, 53 K), Matt Flemer
(4-2, 2.08, 5 SV, 34.2 IP, 28 H, 8 BB, 36 K), Kevin Miller (6-4,
2.59, 80 IP, 71 H, 13 BB, 86 K), Erik Johnson (7-4, 2.91, 102
IP, 66 H, 54 BB, 100 K), Justin Jones (9-6, 2.93, 119.2 IP, 113
H, 31 BB, 81 K)
Last NCAA appearance:
2010 (0-2 at Norman Regional)
Notes: California has
gone from extinction to exultation. After being told the program
would be terminated at the end of this season, money was raised
to reinstate the program. The Golden Bears then earned an
at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, won the Houston Regional
and the Santa Clara Super Regional to advance to the CWS. Cal is
the only squad in Omaha this year that had to win its regional
and super regional both away from home. This is Cal’s sixth trip
to the CWS and first since 1992. Cal won the national
championship in 1947 and 1957. The 1947 title came in the first
CWS as the Bears nipped former President George Bush’s Yale
squad 8-7 in Kalamazoo, Mich. Coach David Esquer, who played on
a CWS championship team at Stanford, not only kept the Golden
Bears together, but also helped keep the program alive. Winning
was the icing on the cake. The Bears pitch and play defense,
with Erik Johnson leading the way. Johnson shaved two runs off
his ERA and held opponents to a .191 average. He was a
second-round pick of the White Sox, one of seven Bears taken in
the draft. Freshman Kyle Porter, who once threw an eight-inning
perfect game with 18 strikeouts, has been amazing out of the
pen. And Kevin Miller's ERA is 2.5 runs less than a year ago,
making eight starts and nine appearances. Defensively, Cal
fields at a .974 clip and only one player has made more than 10
errors. Tony Renda followed his splendid freshman year with
another big year, leading the Bears in hits and being named
Pac-10 Player of the Year. Junior shortstop Marcus Semien was
drafted by the White Sox in the sixth round. His father, Damien,
was a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears in the early 90s.
Austin Booker’s father, Rod, is a former Major Leaguer who
started at shortstop for Cal’s 1980 CWS team. Cal and Virginia
had two common opponents this season. The Bears won 17-0 at
Coastal Carolina, while the Cavs edged the Chanticleers 8-7 at
home. Cal shut out NC State, while UVa took two of three at home
from the Wolfpack.
2. Florida Gators
Gainesville, Florida
At-large bid from SEC, won Gainesville Regional,
won Gainesville Super Regional
2011 record: 22-8,
50-17 (tied for first in SEC East)
Head coach: Kevin
O'Sullivan (Virginia, 1991)
Record at school:
173-80, 4 years
Overall record: same
Assistant coaches: Brad
Weitzel, Craig Bell, Don Norris
Team offense: .311 BA,
435 R, 67 HR, .468 SLG%, .383 OB%, 56-85 SB
Team pitching: 3.01
ERA, 598 IP, 558 H, 121 BB, 504 K
Top hitters: Mike
Zunino (.376/18/66/22 2B), Daniel Pigott (.339/5/39/19 2B/15-19
SB), Josh Adams (.329/6/42), Preston Tucker (.314/14/68/21 2B),
Brian Johnson (.312/5/27), Nolan Fontana (.301/5/47), Austin
Maddox (.280/6/35)
Top pitchers: Austin
Maddox (2-0, 5 SV, 0.74, 24.1 IP, 16 H, 3 BB, 21 K), Nick
Maronde (0-0, 2 SV, 2.03, 40 IP, 26 H, 7 BB, 51 K), Greg Larson
(1-1, 2.19, 37 IP, 37 H, 6 BB, 28 K), Hudson Randall (10-3,
2.29, 110 IP, 96 H, 12 BB, 62 K), Karsten Whitson (8-0, 2.45, 88
IP, 76 H, 25 BB, 83 K), Tommy Toledo (6-3, 1 SV, 3.41, 37 IP, 35
H, 10 BB, 31 K), Brian Johnson (8-3, 3.66, 78.2 IP, 75 H, 15 BB,
70 K)
Last NCAA appearance:
2010 (3-0 at Gainesville Regional, 2-0 at Gainesville Super
Regional, 0-2 at College World Series)
Notes: Florida has
advanced to the College World Series for the second straight
year and the seventh time in program history. The Gators were
0-2 a season ago in Omaha, falling to UCLA and Florida State.
Florida played for the title in 2005, losing to Texas in the
championship game. The Gators reached 50 wins for the third time
in school history (1991, 1996). Preston Tucker had a huge
Regional and was the Regional MOP (7 for 14, 3 HR, 11 RBI). He
added a three-run homer in the seventh against Mississippi State
in the deciding Super Regional game to put the Gators ahead to
stay. Florida hit a season-high five home runs in that contest.
Tucker is now hitting .400 (30 for 75) in 15 career NCAA tourney
games with eight homers and 29 RBI, both school records.
Injuries are still an issue for the Gators. Two-way player Brian
Johnson suffered a concussion when he was pitching in the SEC
tourney and was hit in the back of the head by a Mike Zunino
throw to second on a steal attempt. He missed the Regional and
Super Regional. Austin Maddox injured his foot and did not play
in the Super Regional. SEC Player of the Year Mike Zunino is one
of the best catchers in the country and slugs .686. Hudson
Randall has tossed two complete games and has 12 walks in 110
innings. As a staff, the Gators walk less than two batters a
game. Freshman Karsten Whitson was the ninth overall pick in
last year's Major League Draft but joined the Gators instead,
limiting opponents to a .235 average. Maddox was a catcher in
high school but now plays first and is a relief pitcher (0.74
ERA) – he allowed 16 hits and struck out 21 in 24.1 innings.
Florida won the SEC Tournament for the first time in 20 years.
The Gators are 43-0 when leading after seven. Florida has
outscored its opponents 114-36 in the first two innings. Coach
Kevin O'Sullivan has been Florida coach for four years and the
Gators hosted a Regional for the third straight time, the first
time that's happened in school history. O’Sullivan, a graduate
of Virginia, could see his alma mater in the championship series
if both advance. Eleven Gators were taken in the MLB Draft, led
by Nick Maronde in the third round.
3. North Carolina Tar Heels
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
At-large bid from ACC, won Chapel Hill Regional,
won Chapel Hill Super Regional
2011 record: 20-10,
50-14 (third in Coastal Division)
Head coach: Mike Fox
(North Carolina, 1978)
Record at school:
588-244-1, 13 years
Overall record:
1,128-385-5, 28 years
Assistant coaches:
Scott Forbes, Scott Jackson, Robert Woodard
Team offense: .289 BA,
445 R, 39 HR, .421 SLG%, .395 OB%, 83-104 SB
Team pitching: 3.26
ERA, 572.1 IP, 525 H, 215 BB, 577 K
Top hitters: Colin
Moran (.335/9/69/20 2B), Tommy Coyle (.318/2/36/16 2B/18-24 SB),
Levi Michael (.300/5/48/14 2B/15-16 SB), Jesse Wierzbicki
(.298/7/40), Jacob Stallings (.287/4/41/16 2B), Ben Bunting
(.278/1/38/17-21 SB), Chaz Frank (.278/0/35/10-13 SB), Seth
Baldwin (.248/5/26)
Top pitchers: Patrick
Johnson (13-1, 2.27, 107 IP, 79 H, 30 BB, 120 K), Kent Emanuel
(8-1, 2.55, 95.1 IP, 92 H, 22 BB, 84 K), Chris Munnelly (6-5, 1
SV, 4.11, 70 IP, 69 H, 31 BB, 57 K), Greg Holt (7-1, 2 SV, 3.65,
56.2 IP, 52 H, 31 BB, 64 K), Michael Morin (4-2, 10 SV, 4.71, 63
IP, 63 H, 18 BB, 65 K)
Last NCAA appearance:
2010 (2-2 at Norman Regional)
Notes: North Carolina
is in the College World Series for the ninth time in school
history and the fifth time in the past six seasons. The Tar
Heels reached the CWS for four consecutive years, from 2006 to
2009, becoming the first ACC team to reach Omaha in four
straight seasons. Against teams in its CWS bracket, UNC has
never faced Vanderbilt or Texas and is 16-12 against Florida.
North Carolina is undefeated in NCAA play, going 3-0 in the
regional (outscoring opponents 27-3) and 2-0 in the Super
Regional. The Tar Heels are 15 -0 at home in regional action
since 2006. The Tar Heels have 37 NCAA victories over the past
six seasons, the most in the nation. Oregon State and South
Carolina are second with 28. Mike Fox is the only head coach in
this year’s CWS coaching at his alma mater. He is one of six to
reach the CWS as a player and a head coach at the same school,
joining Mike Gillespie (USC), George Horton (Cal State
Fullerton), Jack Kaiser (St. John’s), Mark Marquess (Stanford)
and Joe Russo (St. John’s). Fox played on the 1978 UNC squad
that reached Omaha. Junior catcher Jacob Stallings is hitting
.400 in the postseason with eight runs and seven RBI. His
father, Kevin, is the head basketball coach at Vanderbilt.
Junior shortstop Levi Michael, from Welcome, N.C., was the
first-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in the MLB Draft. The
Tar Heels have had a first-round pick in four of the past six
years. UNC had five players selected and eight signees taken.
Colin Moran, the ACC Freshman of the Year, is the nephew of
former Tar Heel and major leaguer B.J. Surhoff. Moran’s older
brother, Brian, played at UNC and is in the Seattle Mariners’
organization. Freshman right-hander Michael Morin was taken in
the 40th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals.
He saved both Super Regional games against Stanford.
4. South Carolina Gamecocks
Columbia, South Carolina
At-large bid from SEC, won Columbia Regional, won
Columbia Super Regional
2011 record: 22-8,
50-14 (tied for first in SEC East)
Head coach: Ray Tanner
(North Carolina State, 1980)
Record at school:
684-296, 15 years
Overall record:
1,079-469-3, 24 years
Assistant coaches: Chad
Holbrook, Jerry Meyers, Sammy Esposito
Team offense: .296 BA,
397 R, 45 HR, .433 SLG%, .389 OB%, 39-57 SB
Team pitching: 2.60
ERA, 568.2 IP, 477 H, 206 BB, 499 K
Top hitters: Christian
Walker (.359/10/60/18 2B), Scott Wingo (.338/4/27), Brady Thomas
(.311/4/39), Evan Marzilli (.299/3/30/12 2B), Robert Beary
(.292/3/35/12 2B), Adrian Morales (.286/3/38/15 2B), Jake
Williams (.279/2/38), Peter Mooney (.277/3/34/14 2B), Jackie
Bradley Jr. (.259/6/26)
Top pitchers: Michael
Roth (13-3, 1.02, 123 IP, 95 H, 32 BB, 95 K), John Taylor (6-1,
1.27, 63.2 IP, 40 H, 24 BB, 62 K), Jose Mata (3-0, 1.76, 30.2
IP, 30 H, 13 BB, 16 K), Matt Price (5-3, 18 SV, 2.16, 50 IP, 36
H, 15 BB, 67 K), Steven Neff (3-1, 2.45, 36.2 IP, 29 H, 10 BB,
29 K), Forrest Koumas (6-1, 3.07, 67.1 IP, 56 H, 28 BB, 59 K),
Colby Holmes (7-3, 3.78, 81 IP, 72 H, 20 BB, 70 K)
Last NCAA Appearance:
2010 (3-0 at Columbia Regional, 2-0 at Myrtle Beach Super
Regional, 6-1 at College World Series)
Notes: The defending
national champion, South Carolina is in the College World Series
for the 10th time. The Gamecocks finished second in Omaha three
times before winning it all in 2010. The Gamecocks swept through
their Regional and Super Regional. USC edged Georgia Southern
before beating Stetson twice to claim the regional title, and
topped Connecticut twice to secure a trip to Omaha. The
Gamecocks are one of eight teams to play in the NCAA tournament
each of the past 12 seasons, joining Arizona State, Cal State
Fullerton, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Oral Roberts, Rice and
Texas. South Carolina opens with Texas A&M on Sunday evening and
it will be their first meeting on the diamond. The Gamecocks,
under veteran skipper Ray Tanner, have looked every bit as
dominant as the team that won last year's College World Series,
not necessarily the team that began last year's tourney. Michael
Roth turned his CWS heroics (he was a situational reliever
before lifting the Gamecocks past Clemson with a complete game
in an elimination game in Omaha) into a downright filthy season
- opponents hit .213 off the lefty. The rest of the staff has
been splendid under Jerry Meyers, the former Old Dominion head
coach who returned to Columbia as pitching coach to replace Mark
Calvi. John Taylor, who was expected to close last season, made
45 appearances and held hitters to a .182 average. Matt Price is
5-3 and has 18 saves, helping USC post a 46-0 mark when leading
after eight. Scott Wingo has 55 BB/HBP and only 32 strikeouts.
Sophomore Christian Walker leads the team in runs, hits, homers,
RBI, total bases and slugging. Jackie Bradley Jr. has missed
much of the season with an injured hand, but was the 40th
overall pick in the MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. Assistant
coach Chad Holbrook expects to be a hot commodity for a head
coaching job. The Gamecocks' CWS experience was detailed in
Gamecock Glory by Travis Haney.
7. Texas Longhorns
Austin, Texas
At-large bid from Big 12, won Austin Regional,
won Austin Super Regional
2011 record: 19-8,
49-17 (tied for first in Big 12)
Head coach: Augie
Garrido (Fresno State, 1961)
Record at school:
666-299-2, 15 years
Overall record:
1,817-823-8, 43 years
Assistant coaches:
Tommy Harmon, Skip Johnson, Travis Tucker
Team offense: .272 BA,
345 R, 17 HR, .378 SLG%, .374 OB%, 75-95 SB
Team pitching: 2.27
ERA, 599.2 IP, 420 H, 186 BB, 555 K
Top hitters: Erich
Weiss (.358/4/44/11-13 SB), Brandon Loy (.344/1/30/23 2B/19-23
SB), Tant Shepherd (.305/5/40/20 2B), Paul Montalbano
(.279/0/28), Mark Payton (.269/0/24), Jonathan Walsh
(.253/2/27/16 2B), Jordan Etier (.238/2/26)
Top pitchers: Corey
Knebel (3-2, 19 SV, 1.15, 54.2 IP, 27 H, 12 BB, 60 K), Taylor
Jungmann (13-2, 1.38, 136.2 IP, 78 H, 32 BB, 123 K), Sam
Stafford (6-2, 1.72, 78.1 IP, 53 H, 41 BB, 88 K), Hoby Milner
(7-4, 1 SV, 2.53, 81.2 IP, 57 H, 30 BB, 60 K), Cole Green (8-3,
3.03, 104 IP, 84 H, 19 BB, 103 K)
Last NCAA appearance:
2010 (3-0 in Austin Regional, 1-2 in Austin Super Regional)
Notes: Texas will
compete in the College World Series for the 34th time, the most
in the history of the event. Miami (Fla.) is second in
appearances with 23. The Longhorns have won six national
championships (1949, 1959, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005) and are tied
with LSU for the second-most titles behind USC (12). Head coach
Augie Garrido, the Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year, is bringing a
team to Omaha for the 14th time and in the fifth different
decade. He took Cal State Fullerton to the CWS seven times and
he leads the Longhorns into Omaha for the seventh time. Garrido
has won five national championships, including three with the
Titans (1979, 1984, 1995) and a pair with the Longhorns (2002,
2005). Texas has won five straight elimination games in the NCAA
tourney, including three in the Austin Regional against Texas
State and twice against Kent State, and twice against Arizona
State in the Austin Super Regional. The Longhorns are second in
the nation in ERA at 2.27, just behind Virginia at 2.26. Junior
right-hander Taylor Jungmann was a perfect 13-0 with an ERA of
0.95 before losing to Kent State in a regional contest and to
ASU in the super regionals. He was a unanimous choice for Big 12
Pitcher of the Year. Jungmann was the 12th overall pick in the
MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Texas had six players
selected in the first 24 rounds of the MLB Draft. Erich Weiss
was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year. He leads the team with
seven triples, 44 RBI, 53 walks a slugging percentage of .532
and on-base percentage of .495. His father, Gary, played
collegiate baseball at Houston and played in the Los Angeles
Dodgers’ system. Senior Tant Shepherd leads the Longhorns in
homers with five. His mother, Margaret Brous, ran track at UT.
Junior Brandon Loy tops the team with 23 doubles and 19 stolen
bases. Closer Corey Knebel leads the Big 12 with 19 saves, a
school freshman record. He earned saves in each of the two wins
over the Sun Devils in the super regionals.
Texas A&M Aggies
College Station, Texas
Automatic bid - won Big 12 Tournament, won
College Station Regional, won Tallahassee Super Regional
2011 record: 19-8,
47-20 (tied for first in Big 12)
Head coach: Rob
Childress (Northwood, 1990)
Record at school:
246-133-2, 6 years
Overall record: same
Assistant coaches: Andy
Sawyers, Justin Seely, Mike Clement
Team offense: .293 BA,
398 R, 29 HR, .405 SLG%, .367 OB%, 107-143 SB
Team pitching: 2.88
ERA, 609.2 IP, 545 H, 171 BB, 506 K
Top hitters: Tyler
Naquin (.390/2/44/23 2B), Krey Bratsen (.331/0/36/31-40 SB),
Matt Juengel (.309/7/50/13 2B/14-21 SB), Jacob House
(.307/3/51/16 2B), Kenny Jackson (.283/2/28), Kevin Gonzalez
(.245/5/28), Adam Smith (.244/6/26)
Top pitchers: Nick
Fleece (7-1, 3 SV, 1.44, 43.2 IP, 42 H, 9 BB, 30 K), John
Stilson (5-2, 1 SV, 1.68, 91.1 IP, 75 H, 29 BB, 92 K), Michael
Wacha (9-3, 2.12, 123 IP, 108 H, 28 BB, 118 K), Joaquin Hinojosa
(2-2, 8 SV, 3.31, 35.1 IP, 36 H, 11 BB, 31 K), Ross Stripling
(14-2, 4 SV, 2.29, 117.2 IP, 84 H, 17 BB, 107 K)
Last NCAA appearance:
2010 (3-2 at Coral Gables Regional)
Notes: Texas A&M is in
the College World Series for the fifth time in school history
and the first time since 1999. The Aggies were the only team to
win a Super Regional on the home field of their opponent, taking
two of three at Florida State. The Seminoles scored 23 on
Sunday, the highest total against A&M this season. The previous
mark came in a 14-10 loss in 10 innings to Dallas Baptist. Texas
A&M went 3-1 to win the College Station Regional, defeating
Arizona 3-0 in the deciding game. The Aggies are in the NCAA
tourney for the fifth time in six years under Rob Childress.
Texas A&M won the Big 12 tournament as senior Andrew Collazo
homered in the bottom of the 10th for the win in the title game.
It was the third overall title and second straight for the
Aggies. A&M has all but two on its roster from the state of
Texas. Collazo is from Paterson, N.J., and sophomore Denny
Clement hails from Bartlesville, Okla. Texas A&M is 13th in the
nation in ERA. Junior right-hander John Stilson was expected to
be a high pick in the MLB Draft, but a shoulder injury saw him
fall to the third round to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Aggies had
eight total players picked in the draft. Junior Ross Stripling
has 14 wins and four saves, with 23 appearances and 15 starts.
Opponents are hitting .200 against him. Sophomore righty Kyle
Martin played for former Longhorn hurler Calvin Schiraldi at St.
Michael’s Catholic Academy in Austin. Martin was picked in the
39th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals.
Sophomore outfielder Tyler Naquin leads the nation with 103
hits. He is tops on the team with 23 doubles, seven triples, a
slugging percentage of .553 and on-base percentage of .459.
Naquin was picked in the 33rd round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the
Baltimore Orioles. Freshman Krey Bratsen swiped 31 bases in 40
attempts. He is hitting .331 and leads the Aggies with 18
sacrifice hits. Bratsen was selected in the 45th round of the
2010 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics.
6. Vanderbilt Commodores
Nashville, Tennessee
At-large bid from SEC, won Nashville Regional,
won Nashville Super Regional
2011 record: 22-8,
52-10 (tied for first in SEC East)
Head coach: Tim Corbin
(Ohio Wesleyan, 1984)
Record at school:
374-187, 9 years
Overall record:
480-325, 15 years
Assistant coaches:
Derek Johnson, Josh Holliday, Larry Day
Team offense: .319 BA,
442 R, 47 HR, .456 SLG%, .406 OB%, 78-107 SB
Team pitching: 2.38
ERA, 548 IP, 433 H, 180 BB, 529 K
Top hitters: Jason
Esposito (.357/9/59/15-25 SB), Aaron Westlake (.353/17/54/17
2B), Conrad Gregor (.350/3/30), Riley Reynolds (.346/0/18),
Anthony Gomez (.343/0/45), Tony Kemp (.325/0/32/16-20 SB), Curt
Casali (.306/6/51/20 2B), Mike Yastrzemski (.300/3/42/22-25 SB),
Connor Harrell (.281/7/30)
Top pitchers: Navery
Moore (4-2, 1.21, 11 SV, 29.2 IP, 18 H, 12 BB, 25 K), T.J.
Pecoraro (7-0, 1.59, 39.2 IP, 26 H, 13 BB, 41 K), Kevin Ziomek
(3-0, 1.61, 44.2 IP, 33 H, 15 BB, 46 K), Sonny Gray (12-3, 1.97,
114.1 IP, 77 H, 41 BB, 119 K), Grayson Garvin (13-1, 2.36, 106.2
IP, 93 H, 24 BB, 92 K), Taylor Hill (5-1, 2.84, 92 IP, 85 H, 22
BB, 88 K)
Last NCAA appearance:
2010 (4-1 at Louisville Regional, 1-2 at Tallahassee Super
Regional)
Notes: Vanderbilt is
making its first trip to the College World Series. The
Commodores, in the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year,
won two straight against Oregon State to claim its first Super
Regional title. Vandy yielded three runs in the Regional in two
wins over Belmont and a win over Troy. Opposing teams have
scored more than three runs against the Commodores only 17 times
this season – they allow only 2.81 runs a game. An SEC-record 12
Vandy players were selected in the 2011 MLB Draft, led by first-rounders
Sonny Gray and Grayson Garvin. The Commodores have two big-time
arms in Garvin, who was the SEC's pitcher of the year over Gray
and South Carolina's Michael Roth. Garvin limits hitters to a
.233 average, and Gray, who threw three complete games, holds
batters to a .191 clip. Surrounding them has been a deep and
talented staff - closer Navery Moore has been lights out.
Offensively, Jason Esposito does a little of everything, and
Aaron Westlake can mash (.651 SLG) or take a walk (54 BB/HBP).
Westlake had three two-run homers in the final game against the
Beavers in the Super Regional. Mike Yastrzemski is the grandson
of Red Sox HOFer Carl Yastrzemski. Freshman Tony Kemp had been
on fire entering Regionals He has a brother who played in the
Brewers organization. Jack Armstrong is the son of former major
leaguer Jack Armstrong. Coach Tim Corbin was an assistant at
Clemson before turning Vandy into a national power. He also
spent time as a head coach at Presbyterian, starting that
program from scratch. Assistant Derek Johnson was named the top
pitching coach in the country according to
CollegeBaseballInsider.com's survey of 40 percent of D-I head
baseball coaches. Assistant Josh Holliday is the son of former
Oklahoma State head coach and current NC State pitching coach
Tom Holiday. Josh played for the Cowboys and led them to the CWS
in 1999. His younger brother, Matt, is an outfielder with the
St. Louis Cardinals. His uncle, Dave, is a scout for the
Colorado Rockies.
1. Virginia Cavaliers
Charlottesville, Virginia
Automatic bid – won ACC tournament, won
Charlottesville Regional, won Charlottesville Super Regional
2011 record: 22-8,
54-10 (tied for first in Coastal Division)
Head coach: Brian
O’Connor (Creighton, 1993)
Record at school:
370-128-1, 8 years
Overall record: Same
Assistant coaches:
Kevin McMullan, Karl Kuhn, Eddie Smith
Team offense: .306 BA,
456 R, 24 HR, .419 SLG%, .388 OB%, 87-119 SB
Team pitching: 2.26
ERA, 573 IP, 431 H, 144 BB, 626 K
Top hitters: David
Coleman (.366/2/39), John Hicks (.340/7/57/21 2B), Steven
Proscia (.335/8/58/19 2B/11-16 SB), Kenny Swab (.314/1/29/17
2B/11-12 SB), Chris Taylor (.310/2/48/17 2B), John Barr
(.283/0/33/14 2B)
Top pitchers: Danny
Hultzen (12-3, 1.49, 108.2 IP, 72 H, 20 BB, 151 K), Will Roberts
(11-1, 1.58, 102.1 IP, 72 H, 13 BB, 91 K), Branden Kline (4-1,
17 SV, 2.15, 37.2 IP, 27 H, 18 BB, 49 K), Tyler Wilson (8-0,
2.29, 94.1 IP, 67 H, 22 BB, 117 K), Cody Winiarski (6-3, 3.04,
74 IP, 56 H, 22 BB, 57 K)
Last NCAA appearance:
2010 (3-1 at Charlottesville Regional, 1-2 at Charlottesville
Super Regional)
Notes: Virginia is in
the College World Series for the second time in program history
and the second time in the past three years. The Cavaliers won
their Super Regional in dramatic fashion in the third game
against UC Irvine. Virginia trailed 2-1 with two outs and none
on in the bottom of the ninth before rallying, as Chris Taylor
delivered a two-run single to send the Cavs to Omaha. It was the
54th victory of the season for Virginia, a school record. The
Cavs were the last team in the nation to reach double digits in
losses. Virginia suffered its 10th loss in the second game of
the Super Regional at the hands of the Anteaters. The Cavaliers
swept their regional, defeating Navy, St. John’s and East
Carolina. UVa outscored its opponents 29-3 in its three regional
contests. Virginia reached a regional for the eighth straight
year, the longest streak in school history. It was the fifth
time the Cavaliers hosted since 2004. UVa fell into a
first-place tie in the Coastal Division with Georgia Tech the
final weekend of the regular season when swept at North
Carolina. But the Cavs bounced back and won the ACC tournament,
going 3-0 in pod play before defeating Florida State 7-2 in the
title game. Virginia is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA
tournament and on top of the CBI Composite Poll. Head coach
Brian O’Connor pitched on the 1991 College World Series team at
Creighton. He led the Cavaliers to Omaha in 2009. Junior lefty
Danny Hultzen, a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, was
the second overall pick in the MLB Draft by the Seattle
Mariners. Junior right-hander Will Roberts threw a perfect game
against George Washington on March 29. Roberts was a fifth-round
pick of the Cleveland Indians in the MLB Draft, while catcher
John Hicks was a fourth-round selection of Seattle. A total of
eight Cavaliers were taken in the MLB Draft. In the
CollegeBaseballInsider.com preseason poll of ACC head coach,
Virginia’s Kevin McMullan was voted the assistant coach most
ready for a head-coaching job.
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