CWS Tickets

Finally Vanderbilt's Year?

Looking at an article on CSTV which ranked the top returning third baseman; it got me wondering if their top pick, Pedro Alvarez from Vanderbilt, could take his team to the College World Series.

Alvarez is not only one of the top players at third baseman, he is one of the top overall players as well.  He is an amazingly accurate hitter and can make big plays on defense.

So is it all hype surrounding Alvarez and his Vanderbilt teammates true?  I'm not so sure.  Yes, Vanderbilt has had a steady and successful last couple of years, but they always seem to fall short of winning the big one or even going to Omaha for the CWS.  Last year, the Commodores lost to a Michigan team that was expected to lose both of its games in the first regional round.  That knocked Vanderbilt, the #1 national seed at the time out of the race.  Not even pitcher David Price could save them from that loss.

UC Irvine Comes Up Short In Recruiting

For a team that made it to the College World Series in Omaha last year, the Anteaters of UC Irvine sure did come up a little short on recruiting this post season.  UC Irvine only nabbed four new recruits compared to most teams who sign around eight or nine each year.

Certain factors affected the small recruiting class.  The Anteaters bring back 22 letter winners from last season.  UC Irvine was also not hit too hard by graduation or the draft and kept some key seniors.  On the other hand, when CSTV asked the coaches they said "quality not quantity would be a fitting summation of the 2008 early signing period's recruiting class."

What really affected the Anteater's small recruiting class was the coaching changes that occurred after the CWS.  Dave Serrano, the former three year UC Irvine coach, left after the College World Series after being offered a job at the powerhouse Cal State Fullerton.  Irvine scrambled to find a coach and luckily found Mike Gillespie, the former head coach at USC.  Unfortunately for the Anteaters it was not soon enough and most recruits had looked elsewhere with a stable coaching staff.

Rice Signs 11 for 2009

The Rice Owls hope to return to the College World Series this year with the help from 11 new signees for the 2009 season.

There is really nothing special about this Rice recruiting class that makes it stand out from other recruiting classes.  10 of the 11 recruits are from Texas and 8 are straight out of high school.

But, this is not to say the recruiting class will not pack a punch.  CSTV reports that the Rice Owls concentrated on pitchers and they succeeded in getting some of the best in Texas.  Prep pitchers Anthony Fazio and Trey Haley are ranked in the top 25 of prep stars in Texas.

The lone out of state recruit is Dave Peterson, a catcher out of Anaheim, California.  He was picked for the U.S. Junior Olympic Team in 2006.

Oregon Ducks Sign First Players

The newly formed Oregon Ducks announced their first signed recruits Sunday who new coach George Horton hopes will take them to a College World Series soon.

Coach Horton, formerly of Cal State Fullerton, took on the daunting task of building a new baseball team from scratch.  The Oregon baseball program had sat dormant for 28 years and in 2009 will begin again.

Horton and his coaches have had a relatively easy time recruiting given the circumstances.  According to the Register Guard, the Ducks have focused on the key positions such as pitcher and first baseman.  17 players have committed already to the Ducks program.  Five of those recruits are pitchers, including an unlikely star talent in Justin LaTempa, who you might remember from UC Irvine.  I find it ironic that instead of following his former coach, Dave Serrano, to his new spot at Cal State Fullerton, he decided to go to the former Cal State coach George Horton's new team.  Where exactly do his loyalties lie?

Save Rosenblatt Group Submits Plan

The group Save Rosenblatt, who is fighting to keep the College World Series in Rosenblatt stadium, has submitted plans to renovate the 60 year old stadium.

Save Rosenblatt has been around since the beginning of the stadium debate in Omaha.  The second Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey announced they they were considering a new stadium downtown Save Rosenblatt was on his back about the issue.

In a great Omaha World Herald article, they explain that the plan would cost $60 million and would only have some of the changes that the NCAA wants.  For example, the concourses would not be open like the NCAA wants, but they would be widened.

The plan would do many of the things that Mayor Fahey was originally planning on doing before he got the idea to build a new stadium.  Besides widening the concourses, the plan would add a parking garage, create more grassy areas, build new locker rooms and add 2000 new seats to Rosenblatt.

I find it odd that the Save Rosenblatt group submitted a plan for $60 million given the previous circumstances.  Save Rosenblatt made a big fuss a couple of months ago about Mayor Fahey's $50 million plan to build a new stadium downtown saying it was too much money to spend.

This plan will not have much weight with the NCAA.  Save Rosenblatt is not part of the Mayor's unbiased stadium committee that is reviewing eight proposals (including 3 that would renovate Rosenblatt) that would keep the College World Series in Omaha.  The group only sent it to CWS Inc. in Omaha, which is the "go between" with the NCAA and the city of Omaha.  Unfortunately for Save Rosenblatt, CWS Inc. does not have much pull in the situation either, as they are more of a CWS planning organization that makes sure everything runs smoothly for those two weeks in June.

No Home Opener For Oregon State

It appears as though the defending College World Series champ,s the Oregon State Beavers, will not be able to play their season opener at home.  According to CSTV, construction on the Goss Stadium is behind schedule.  The Beavers will most likely play their home opener at PGE Park in Portland.

The Beavers will take on the Georgia Bulldogs for the opener.  It is unlikely that Portland residents will show up in great numbers for the game.  That is unfortunate, but it will be good for recruiting to give Portland High School players the chance to see the Beavers in action.

This isn't the first time that a college baseball team has had to leave its stadium.  Last season the Texas Longhorns had to play their whole season in Round Rock.

South Carolina's Ray Tanner Gets Healthy Salary Boost

South Carolina coach Ray Tanner has much more incentive to make it to the College World Series after he signed a new five year deal with the Gamecocks.  Tanner's contract terms will make some people sick to their stomach.  According to The Ledger, if Tanner stays with the Gamecocks until 2012 he will get a tax-free retirement plan worth $240,000 a year.

Athletic director Eric Hyman is responsible for the move.  Many criticize Hyman for "buying out" coaches.  He hired Steve Spurrier for football and Dave Odom for basketball.  Tanner is one of the most highly regarded coaches in the league, and put up a 500-220 record in 11 seasons with South Carolina.  Tanner took the Gamecocks to the College World Series each year from 2002-2004.

Yankees Head To Blacksburg

The College World Series is not the only place where baseball memories are formed.  Next year the Virginia Tech Hokie baseball team will get a visit from the New York Yankees, according to CSTV.

Yes, you heard right, the Yankees.  Normally when Major League Baseball teams play college teams the college team visits the summer training site or they play at the Major League Baseball team's home field.

But this is a very special situation.  Shortly after the massacre on Virginia Tech's campus this April the Yankees gave an unprecedented $1 million to the memorial fund set up for the victims families.  They didn't stop there and promised to visit the Hokies to play and exhibition to build moral.

The Yanks kept their promise and will head to Blacksburg on March 18, 2008.

The Yankees are known for being highly respected on the field for their talent and playing skills.  I think now everyone will realize that the Yankees should be respected off, as well as on the field.

North Carolina's Year to Win?

ESPN recently ran an article about the North Carolina Tarheels who have come in second for the last two years at the College World Series.  The Tar Heels have went from a mediocre team through much of the 90's to being a powerhouse in baseball in the last five years.

Much of the change has been due to coach Mike Fox, who is a North Carolina alumni as well.  He joined the team in 1998 and ever since the program has grown to become what some call the "new Texas."

I'm not sure if I would call the Tar Heels the new Texas but I would say that they are not going anywhere soon.  I expect them to be taking regular trips to the College World Series in Omaha for the next four or five years.

Young players like Dustin Ackley, who was named the Freshman of the year last year, will help North Carolina gain respect and recruits for the next couple of years.  The pitching staff is loaded with young powerful pitchers and should be mature enough to make a big impact next year.

Arizona State Tops Early Ranking

The Arizona State Sun Devils have earned the top spot on CSTV's early fall rankings list after coming off an impressive run to the College World Series in Omaha last season.  Arizona State is a modern baseball powerhouse and likely got the ranking because they have a slew of returning players and they kept their prized head coach Pat Murphy.

The rest of the list is comprised of traditional baseball powerhouses.  All of the teams from the College World Series last year made it on the list.  North Carolina took #2 last year at the CWS and is not surprisingly ranked #2 in this poll.  I'm starting to wonder if they will ever pull off the big win!  Oregon State clocks in at #4.  The Beavers won the past two College World Series and have always been criticized.  Last year CSTV dropped them in the rankings last year as well but the Beavers proved them wrong.  You would have thought that the staff at CSTV would have learned their lesson.