I thought I would dub this post 'Morning Orange Juice' instead of 'Morning Coffee' because I'm still sitting in the hotel lobby sipping the Orange Juice that came with my continental breakfast. But anyway:
- North Carolina beat Cal State Fullerton by 2 runs in a 13 inning thriller last night. (That, if I remember correctly, went 4 hours and 53 minutes) I think the link in my last post was broken, but here is a link to the game recap.
- The Jay Locey think I mentioned in the last post is true. He will coach running backs and tight ends. Welcome, Jay! Stay tuned for a later post on this acquisition.
- Oregon State takes on Miami at 4pm today PDT. 5pm if you're in Ontario like me. Some game day press coverage:
The Oregonian :: OSU thinks it should go the distance in arms race
OMAHA, Neb. -- It's been a long time since Oregon State had to worry about the depth of its pitching staff.
When you have Dallas Buck, Jonah Nickerson and Mike Stutes as starters, with Eddie Kunz for setup and Kevin Gunderson to close, all you need for most games is a sharp pencil.
But the College World Series presents a unique challenge. It's an 11-day grinder in which the two finalists will have to play at least six and possibly seven games.
So the key question may be: Did the Beavers bring enough pitchers?
"I think so," Beavers coach Pat Casey said after his team took batting practice at Bellevue East High School in suburban Omaha on Friday morning, their last practice before opening the tournament against Miami at 4 p.m. today. "We'll do what we always do. The best thing you can do is not change anything.
"We'll worry about Game 3 after we hopefully win the first two."
The Corvallis Gazette-Times :: Buck named Starter
BELLEVUE, Neb. n Dallas Buck gets the starting call for Oregon State in the first game of the College World Series.
The junior right-hander throws the first pitch against Miami at 4 p.m. today, with the Beavers the designated home team.
And as usual, Buck downplayed the significance of his assignment after OSU's Friday morning practice at Bellevue East High.
"It's just a few more fans in the stands, that's the only difference," Buck said. "This is what we are playing for all year, but it's just the same game."
Coach Pat Casey and pitching coach Dan Spencer debated if No. 3 starter Mike Stutes should go today, but they went with the experience player who started a game here last year.
"Any time you can run a guy out on the mound in the World Series who was there last year, it's definitely helpful," Casey said.
The Hurricanes feature up to seven left-handed batters in the lineup, and Spencer said he feels Buck matches up well in that scenario. Nickerson is scheduled for Sunday and Stutes for Game 3, if there is one.
If the Beavers need to go into the bullpen with their left-handers, including closer Kevin Gunderson, that gives them an advantage against Miami.
"I think Miami is going to be a good test," Spencer said. "Buck has to sink it and throw his change. I think that's a good matchup for Dallas."
Go Beavers!