2006 Oxford Super Regional

(special thanks to Steve Jones for his assistance in compiling information for these capsules)

Ole Miss Rebels
Oxford, Miss.

Automatic bid from the SEC

Won Oxford Regional (3-0)

2006 record: 17-13, 43-20 (third in SEC-West)

Coach: Mike Bianco (LSU, 1989)

Record at school: 241-130-1, 5 years

Overall record: 341-201-1, 8 years

Assistant coaches: Dan McDonnell, Stuart Lake, Kyle Bunn

Team offense: .311 BA, 463 R, 55 HR, .468 SLG, .381 OBA, 93/114 SB

Team pitching: 4.51 ERA, 555.1 IP, 592 H, 219 BB, 471 K

Top hitters: Chris Coghlan (.349/4/48/24 SB), Alex Presley (.343/6/60/20 SB), C.J. Ketchum (.340/2/32), Justin Henry (.335/1/28/18 SB), Zack Cozart (.333/9/61/14 SB), Logan Power (.333/2/23), Mark Wright (.301/14/72), Jon-Jon Hancock (.281/2/33), Evan Button (.274/0/19), Justin Brashear (.255/12/41)

Top pitchers: Garrett White (3-0, 2.68, 10 SV, 53.2 IP, 44 H, 17 BB, 64 K), Will Kline (5-2, 3.02, 3 SV, 62.2 IP, 55 H, 21 BB, 71 K), Brett Bukvich (6-5, 4.08, 88.1 IP, 107 H, 22 BB, 70 K), Lance Lynn (7-3, 4.57, 1 SV, 82.2 IP, 83 H, 48 BB, 74 K), Cody Satterwhite (11-2, 5.22, 2 SV, 58.2 IP, 65 H, 32 BB, 42 K), Craig Rodriguez (4-3, 5.61, 77 IP, 85 H, 20 BB, 55 K)

Last time in tournament: 2005 (3-0 at Oxford Regional, 1-2 Oxford Super Regional)

Notes: Mississippi is hosting a Super Regional for the second straight season. The Rebels have won 12 of their past 13 contests. Justin Brashear was the Most Outstanding Player in the Oxford Regional. Mark Wright set an SEC tourney record with 13 RBI and knocked in seven in three regional games to give him 72 for the spring, a single-season record for Ole Miss. The Rebels claimed the SEC Tournament Championship by defeating Vanderbilt 9-3 in the final game. Ole Miss outscored its opponents 39-10 on its way to posting four straight tournament victories to claim the title. Shortstop Zack Cozart, who earned first-team All-SEC honors after batting .347 and picking up nine home runs and 61 RBI, leads a potent offensive attack that boasts five hitters who finished in the top 20 in the SEC in batting average. Once runners are on base, head coach Mike Bianco is not afraid to put them in motion. Ole Miss leads the SEC with 93 stolen bases and 114 attempts. Four Rebels finished in the top ten in the league in stolen bases with second-team all-conference selection Chris Coghlan combining with Alex Presley to pick up 44 of the team’s steals.

Miami Hurricanes

Coral Gables, Fla.

At-large bid from the ACC

Won Lincoln Regional (3-0)

2006 record: 17-13, 39-21 (fourth in ACC-Coastal)

Coach: Jim Morris (Elon, 1973)

Record at school: 602-218-3, 13 years

Overall record: 1237-503-4, 29 years

Assistant coaches: J.D. Arteaga, Gino DiMare, Joe Mercadante

Team offense: .310 BA, 421 R, 57 HR, .469 SLG, .391 OBA, 85-118 SB

Team pitching: 4.27 ERA, 535 IP, 473 H, 242 BB, 422 K

Top hitters: Jon Jay (.361/6/41/28 SB), Jemile Weeks (.346/3/32), Tommy Giles (.343/9/40), Danny Valencia (.327/7/51), Eddy Rodriguez (.326/9/34), Roger Tomas (.293/0/14), Dennis Raben (.293/5/26), Yonder Alonso (.291/8/64).

Top pitchers: Chris Perez (5-1, 1.74, 12 SV, 46.1 IP, 27 H, 28 BB, 56 K), Danny Gil (3-2, 3.11, 55 IP, 40 H, 31 BB, 50 K), Manny Miguelez (8-4, 4.01, 101 IP, 86 H, 34 BB, 36 K), Carlos Gutierrez (9-6, 86 IP, 77 H, 32 BB, 59 K), Scott Maine (11-3, 4.57, 94.2, 84 H, 36 BB, 69 K).

Last time in tournament: 2005 (3-0 at Coral Gables Regional, 0-2 at Lincoln Super Regional)

Notes: The Hurricanes reached the Super Regional round for the eighth straight year - a NCAA record. They have won a record 13 straight Regionals. Despite limping out of the ACC tourney, Miami won the Lincoln Regional possesses a potent offensive attack led by first-team All-ACC outfielder Jon Jay who led the conference in on-base percentage (.488), was sixth in runs scored (66), and 12^th in batting average (.351). He’s driven in 149 runs in three years for Miami. In all, there were four Hurricanes that received all-conference honors including relief pitcher Chris Perez who earned second-team honors after posting a 3-1 record with an ERA of 1.77 and 12 saves. Miami’s longest win streak of 2006 was 13 games which included a nine-game home stand. Jemile Weeks, the Lincoln Regional MVP, is the brother of Milwaukee Brewers star Rickie Weeks, who starred at Southern. Hurricane pitching isn’t dominant, but opponents hit only .227 off Manny Miguelez, and Scott Maine has been a very steady starter. Miami has played Ole Miss once, beating the Rebels 5-2 in the NCAA Tournament in 1977.