May 30, 2003

Auburn Regional Capsules

1. Auburn Tigers

Auburn, Alabama

At-large bid from Southeastern Conference

2003 record – 18-12, 40-19 (second in SEC West)

Coach:  Steve Renfroe (Auburn, ’82)

Record at school: 111-66, three years

Overall record: Same

Assistant coaches: Chris Finwood, Mark Fuller

Team offense: .304 BA, 370 R, 45 HR, .448 SLG%, .372 OB%, 46/62 SB

Team pitching: 4.27 ERA, 525 IP, 536 H, 167 BB, 411 K

Top hitters: Tug Hulett (.373/2/34/23 2B), Javon Moran (.329/4/37/23 SB), Bobby Huddleston (.327/12/61), Karl Amonite (.326/10/51), Sean Gamble (.302/3/32), Scott Schade (.304/0/28), Josh Bell (.295/8/35), Clete Thomas (.287/2/25)

Top pitchers: Levale Speigner (9-0, 1 save, 2.72, 59.2 IP, 52 H, 19 BB, 45 K), Cory Dueitt (7-2, 2.92, 64.2 IP, 62 H, 10 BB, 55 K), Steven Register (3-2, 15 saves, 3.00, 48 IP, 39 H, 6 BB, 53 K), Chris Dennis (3-2, 3.27, 41.1 IP, 32 H, 20 BB, 38 K), Colby Paxton (6-3, 3.99, 76.2 IP, 86 H, 20 BB, 26 K).

Last NCAA appearance: 2002 (0-2 at Tuscaloosa Regional)

Notes: Auburn will host a regional for the third time and the first since 1999. The Tigers also hosted in 1978. Auburn has advanced to the College World Series four times, with the most-recent trip in 1997.

2. Clemson Tigers
Clemson, S.C.
At-large bid from the ACC
2003 record -  15-8, 38-20 (fourth in ACC)
Coach - Jack Leggett (Maine, 1976)
Record at school - 472-192, 10 years
Overall record - 849-479, 24 years
Assistant coaches - Kevin O'Sullivan, Tom Riggins, Bradley LeCroy, Seth Miller
Batting - .311 BA, 393 R, 53 HR, .449 SLG%, .388 OBA%, 33-64 SB
Pitching - 4.02 ERA, 515 IP, 525 H, 202 BB, 393 K
Top players - Brad McCann (.351/9/66), Michael Johnson (.346/12/49), Herman Demmink (.337/0/14), Russell Triplett (.336/7/32), David Slevin (.333/5/27), Garrick Evans (.325/2/14), Kyle Frank (.323/8/46), Zane Green (.314/0/12), Jeff Hourigan (.271/2/25).
Top pitchers - Jason Berken (4-2, 3.09, 58.1 IP, 55 H, 25 BB, 40 K), Tyler Lumsden (8-2, 3.62, 79.2 IP, 74 H, 31 BB, 69 K), Steven Jackson (7-3, 4.27, 78 IP, 81 H, 32 BB, 38 K), Paul Harrelson (5-1, 3.38, 6 saves, 32 IP, 36 H, 3 BB, 28 K), Jeff Hahn (5-6, 3.46, 54.2 IP, 55 H, 18 BB, 37 K), Patrick Hogan (3-2, 3.90, 55.1 IP, 51 H, 22 BB, 47 K).
Last NCAA appearance - 2002 (3-2 at Clemson Regional, 2-1 at Clemson Super Regional, 2-2 at College World Series)
Notes - The Tigers won 54 games a year ago and followed it up with another solid year. Clemson, however, enters the tourney after losing two straight in the ACC Tournament, the second loss coming to Duke. Clemson is 7-7 in May and had a 14-game winning streak in March. Tyler Lumsden, who took the loss against Duke, is the ace of the staff and was a second-team all-conference player. He was invited to try out for Team USA. True freshman entered the ACC tourney having thrown 178.2 of the Tigers' 498 innings (36 percent). David Slevin took an 18-game hitting streak into the ACC tourney and hit .392 in conference play this year. Jeff Hahn has a 5.04 ERA as a starter and a 1.80 ERA as a reliever, where he has made 11 appearances. Michael Johnson has 57 career homers, good for a tie for sixth in ACC history. The Tigers need two wins to reach 40 wins, a mark that coach Jack Leggett's teams have reached in each of his previous nine seasons.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

Columbus, Ohio

Automatic bid from Big Ten Conference

2003 Record: 20-12, 41-19 (second in Big Ten)

Coach: Bob Todd (Missouri, 1971)

Record at school: 648-317-2, 16 years

Overall record: 772-399-2, 20 years

Assistant coaches: Greg Cypret, Pat Bangtson, Erik Hagen

Team offense: .294 BA, 335 R, 56 HR, .447 SLG%, .367 OB%, 68/89 SB

Team pitching: 3.84 ERA, 489.2 IP, 469 H, 135 BB, 434 SO

Top hitters: Christian Snavely (.344/15/51), Steve Caravati (.330/4/42/11 SB), Derek Kinnear (.307/5/38), Drew Anderson (.307/7/26/17 SB), Mike Rabin (.300/2/17/15 SB), Paul Farinacci (.295/7/33), Brett Garrard (.295/7/25)

Top pitchers: Scott Lewis (9-1, 1.61, 83.2 IP, 48 H, 24 BB, 127 K), Josh Newman (7-5, 3.78, 85.2 IP, 84 H, 17 BB, 61 K), Greg Prenger (3-1, 4.81, 39.1 IP, 55 H, 6 BB, 24 K), Matt Davis (3-1, 11 saves, 5.66, 35 IP, 38 H, 5 BB, 34 K), Nate Smith (2-6, 5.80, 54.1 IP, 67 H, 16 BB, 43 K)

Last NCAA appearance: 2002 (2-2 at South Bend Regional)

Notes: The Buckeyes are in the NCAA postseason for the fourth time in the past five years. OSU has 16 NCAA appearances, 10 under Bob Todd. Every player that Todd has recruited to play at Ohio State has left with a Big Ten championship ring. The Buckeyes have won 28 of their past 37. Christian Snavely was a first-team all-Big Ten selection. Big Ten pitcher of the year Scott Lewis will miss the NCAAs as he missed the conference tournament. Lewis tore his ulnar collateral ligament on May 16 at Minnesota and will undergo surgery in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday. Ohio State is the only Division I program to have won a national championship in baseball, football and basketball.

4. Princeton Tigers

Princeton, N.J.

Automatic bid - won Ivy League Tournament

2003 record - 15-5, 27-21 (first in Lou Gehrig Division)

Coach: Scott Bradley (North Carolina, 1982)

Record at school: 146-123, six years

Overall record: Same

Assistant coaches: Lloyd Brewer, Pete Silletti, Jonathan Stern

Team offense: .266 BA, 258 R, 28 HR, .381 SLG%, .338 OBA%, 52-64 SB

Team pitching: 4.94 ERA, 397 IP, 439 H, 169 BB, 339 K

Top hitters: Jon Miller (.346/2/32/13 2B), B.J. Szymanski (.329/2/30/13 SB), Ryan Eldridge (.316/2/20), Steve Young (.288/0/18/11 SB), Eric Fitzgerald (.284/3/18), Andy Salini (.281/2/26), Andy Balkan (.262/3/13), Tim Lahey (.236/11/25).

Top pitchers: Thomas Pauly (6-1, 6 saves, 1.25, 50.1 IP, 30 H, 23 BB, 73 K), Ryan Quillian (6-4, 3.06, 64.2 IP, 60 H, 15 BB, 49 K), David Boehle (4-2, 3.74, 55.1 IP, 67 H, 13 BB, 43 K), Mark Siano (4-2, 1 save, 7.15, 45.1 IP, 60 H, 14 BB, 25 K).

Last NCAA appearance: 2001 (1-2 at Columbia Regional)

Notes: The Tigers have won the Ivy League title in three of the past four years. Princeton took two of three from Harvard for the Ivy championship. Thomas Pauly pitched 2.1 innings in the first game of the title series to earn a save, then tossed a nine-inning complete game the following day to secure the title for the Tigers. Senior catcher Jon Miller, the leading hitter for Princeton, earned two letters in football in high school at Sidwell Friends in Washington, D.C. He had 31 receptions and 10 touchdowns as a junior. Princeton has won 20 of its past 26 since April 5. The Tigers started 1-9, with four losses at Richmond, two to N.C. State and one to UNC Wilmington, Oklahoma State and Campbell. Princeton did split two games at North Carolina. Coach Scott Bradley was a catcher at North Carolina and was the Yankees’ second pick in the 1981 draft. John Elway was New York’s first pick. Bradley spent nine years in the major leagues with the Yankees, White Sox, Mariners and Reds. He came to Princeton after a year as an assistant at Rutgers. Sports runs through the Bradley family. Bradley’s older brother, Bob, is the head coach of the New York/New Jersey Metrostars. He coached soccer at Princeton for 12 years and won a pair of Ivy League titles. He also led the Chicago Fire to the 1998 MLS championship. Bradley’s younger brother, Jeff, is an editor and staff writer for ESPN The Magazine.