2007 College World Series Capsules

No. 5 Arizona State Sun Devils
Tempe, Ariz.
Automatic bid from Pac-10
Won Tempe Regional, won Tempe Super Regional
2007 record - 19-5, 48-13 (first in Pac-10)
Coach: Pat Murphy (Florida Atlantic, 1982)
Record at school: 528-255-1, 13 years
Overall record: 901-426-4, 23 years
Assistant coaches: Tim Esmay, Turtle Thomas, Andy Stankiewicz
Team offense: .351 BA, 570 R, 72 HR, .539 SLG, .439 OBA, 82/108 SB
Team pitching: 4.15 ERA, 525 IP, 519 H, 225 BB, 420 K
Top hitters: Brett Wallace (.423/16/78/12 SB), Eric Sogard (.394/11/58/18 SB), Petey Paramore (.379/5/50), Matt Spencer (.378/8/48), Kiel Roling (.373/15/63), Ike Davis (.346/7/59), Tim Smith (.345/3/27), Matt Hall (.313/4/24), Andrew Romine (.300/0/39/21 SB).
Top pitchers: Josh Satow (13-3, 2.41, 130.2 IP, 111 H, 51 H, 115 K), Mike Leake (13-1, 3.59, 117.2 IP, 114 H, 27 BB, 90 K), Brian Flores (11-1, 3.74, 118 IP, 106 H, 47 BB, 91 K), Jason Jarvis (1-2, 3.67, 11 SV, 27 IP, 29 H, 4 BB, 19 K)
Last NCAA appearance: 2006 (1-2 at Houston Regional)
Notes: The Sun Devils are back in Omaha for the 20th time and third time under Pac-10 Coach of the Year Pat Murphy. ASU has won six national titles but is in search of its first since 1981. Assistant Turtle Thomas was named the head coach at Florida International after coaching with some of the elite programs in the country (Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami, LSU and ASU). Assistant Andy Stankiewicz spent seven years in the major leagues - in addition to playing with the New York Yankees, he was an original member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. ASU is one of the most complete teams in Omaha, batting a nation-leading .350 (tied with FSU and College of Charleston) and fields .978. Josh Satow, Mike Leake and Brian Flores combined for 67 percent of the team’s innings on the mound - they started all but eight games for ASU. Brett Wallace slugs .719 and is one of two Sun Devils to have an OBA of .500, Petey Paramore is the other. Paramore has 50 walks on the year, but has seen his average drop 14 points since NCAA tourney play began. Andrew Romine’s father is Kevin Romine, who starred at ASU before embarking on a successful major league career. Eric Sogard’s younger brother Alex is a freshman pitcher at Oregon State. Matt Spencer spent two seasons at North Carolina and started 2007 as hot as any player in the country with a .619 average, four homers and 18 RBI in his first six games. Utility man Joe Persichina wrote a journal for CollegeBaseballInsider.com in 2006. Brian Flores went 27-3 with 23 complete games, two no-hitters and a perfect game at New Mexico Junior College. Ryan Sontag’s nickname is Tagger.

Cal State Fullerton Titans
Fullerton, Calif.
At-large bid from Big West
Won San Diego Regional, won Fullerton Super Regional
2007 record: 10-11, 38-23 (fifth in Big West)
Coach: George Horton (Cal State Fullerton, 1978)
Record at school: 490-210-1, 11 years
Overall record: same
Assistant coaches: Rick Vanderhook, Jason Gill, Bill Kernen
Team offense: .280 BA, 393 R, 38 HR, .401 SLG, .366 OBA, 52/84 SB
Team pitching: 3.76 ERA, 541.1 IP, 530 H, 169 BB, 442 K
Top hitters: Clark Hardman (.391 BA, 52 R, 5 HR, 47 RBI, 9 SB), Josh Fellhauer (.320 BA, 33 R, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 6 SB), Nick Mahin (.287 BA, 39 R, 9 HR, 45 RBI, 5 SB), John Curtis (.284 BA, 41 R, 6 HR, 45 RBI, 17 2B), Chris Jones (.281, 33 R, 1 HR, 33 RBI, 14 2B), Matt Wallach (.254 BA, 31 R, 4 HR, 26 RBI), Evan McArthur (.253, 30 R, 4 HR, 31 RBI), Joe Scott (.240 BA, 34 R, 0 HR, 24 RBI, 8 SB).
Top pitchers: Jeff Kaplan (11-3, 3.16 BA, 116.2 IP, 105 H, 42 BB, 80 K), Wes Roemer (11-6, 3.24 ERA, 136 IP, 137 H, 22 BB, 143 K), Adam Jorgenson (4-2, 8 saves, 4.40 ERA, 61.1 IP, 63 H, 19 BB, 57 K), Sean Urena (3-3, 4.50 56 IP, 56 H, 21 BB, 35 K).
Last NCAA appearance: 2006 (won Fullerton Regional, won Fullerton Super Regional, 2-2 at College World Series)
Notes: The Titans will play in the CWS for the 15th time and will be looking for title No. 5 - Fullerton has won a title in each of the past four decades (2004, 1995, 1984 and 1979). Coach George Horton joins North Carolina’s Mike Fox this year as coaches who have played and then coached their alma maters in the College World Series - there are two of six all-time. Wes Roemer backed up last season’s 13 wins with 11 more, despite an ERA that was more than a run higher - he has struck out nearly seven times as many batters as he has walked 143-22 (he‘s plunked 20 batters, though). He was supported this season by Jeff Kaplan, who won 11 games after pitching for two seasons at Irvine Valley College. Clark Hardman has had a brilliant season, especially considering he hit .224 last year after shoulder surgery forced him to miss most of 2005. Hardman hit .341 as a freshman. This year, he has 46 more hits than the next closest Titan. Evan McArthur has been hot at the plate of late and is solid at third base. Chris Jones redshirted in 2006 after transferring from Texas A&M. Catcher Matt Wallach’s father is Tim Wallach, the 1979 Golden Spikes Award winner for the Titans and starred for the Montreal Expos. Freshman Josh Fellhauer is second on the team with a .398 OBA.

Louisville Cardinals
Louisville, Ky.

At-large bid from Big East

Won Columbia (Mo.) Regional, won Louisville Super Regional

2007 record – 19-8, 46-22 (second in Big East)

Coach – Dan McDonnell (The Citadel, 1992)

Record at school – 46-22, one year

Overall record - Same

Assistant coaches – Chris Lemonis, Roger Williams, Xan Barksdale

Team offense: .312 BA, 483 R, 70 HR, .472 SLG%, .383 OBA%, 153-198 SB

Team pitching: 3.02 ERA, 610.2 IP, 477 H, 230 BB, 496 K

Top hitters: Isaiah Howes (.392/18/67), Boomer Whiting (.367/1/25/73 SB), Logan Johnson (.364/13/59), Daniel Burton (.309/7/54/21 SB), Jorge Castillo (.307/7/61), Chris Cates (.294/0/21/17 SB), Chris Dominguez (.262/12/55).

Top pitchers: Trystan Magnuson (3-2, 9 SV, 1.09, 58 IP, 38 H, 10 BB, 58 K), Gavin Logsdon (2-0, 1.74, 46.2 IP, 31 H, 14 BB, 32 K), Zach Pitts (10-3, 2.23, 117 IP, 83 H, 24 BB, 88 K), Kyle Hollander (4-1, 2 saves, 2.30, 43 IP, 27 H, 17 BB, 45 K), Justin Marks (8-2, 2.54, 99.1 IP, 67 H, 33 BB, 82 K), Colby Wark (3-3, 3.63, 62 IP, 49 H, 43 BB, 71 K).

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

Notes: The Cardinals have soared in Dan McDonnell’s first season, reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002, winning their first postseason game, winning their first regional and Super Regional and making their first College World Series appearance. Louisville outscored Oklahoma State 31-5 in their three-game Super Regional. The Cards banged five home runs, with Isaiah Howes hammering two. Louisville beat Miami (for the second time) and Missouri twice to capture the Regional. Chris Dominguez was dominant, going 8 for 19 (.421) with two doubles, a triple, four homers and 11 RBI over the weekend - he entered with four homers and 42 RBI. Jorge Castillo hit .409 with two doubles and 11 RBI. McDonnell came to Louisville after assisting Mike Bianco at Ole Miss. The Cardinals feature a little bit of everything, from a pitching staff that limits hitters to a .217 and less than four runs a game, to Boomer Whiting, who leads the nation in stolen bases, to Chris Cates, who at 5-3 is the country’s shortest player but also an important cog in the offense. Whiting received a medical redshirt after having shoulder surgery in March of 2006. His 73 steals matches the 73 bases he stole in four high school seasons. Howes slugs at a .691 clip but has struck out 63 times on the year. Logan Johnson ranks in the top 10 in the country with 27 doubles and has an on-base average of .492. Opponents hit .182 off closer Trystan Magnuson. Zach Pitts came out of nowhere to anchor the staff, throwing only 31 innings last year. He pitches with a 18-inch steel rod in his left femur. Louisville has outscored its opponents 63-26 in the first inning.

Mississippi State Bulldogs
Starkville, Miss.

At-large bid from SEC

Won Tallahassee Regional, won Starkville Super Regional

2007 record: 15-13, 38-20 (second in SEC-West)

Coach: Ron Polk (Grand Canyon, 1965)

Record at school: 1116-555-2, 28 years

Overall record: 1350-667-2, 34 years

Assistant coaches: Russ McNickle, Tommy Raffo, Wade Hedges

Team offense - .316 BA, 410 R, 49 HR, .447 SLG%, .383 OB%, 42/62 SB

Team pitching – 4.76 ERA, 522.1 IP, 607 H, 160 BB, 483 K

Top hitters – Brandon Turner (.397/2/44/12 2B), Edward Easley (.363/12/63/15 2B), Jeffrey Rea (.338/1/22/13 SB), Mitch Moreland (.338/9/60/25 2B), Jeff Flagg (.315/5/23), Joseph McCaskill (.320/1/23/13 2B), Connor Powers (.306/8/36/12 2B), Brian LaNinfa (.300/5/43/14 2B)

Top pitchers – Mitch Moreland (3-0, 2 saves, 3.20, 19.2 IP, 18 H, 3 BB, 28 K), Aaron Weatherford (3-2, 5 saves, 3.20, 64.2 IP, 55 H, 24 BB, 70 K), Ricky Bowen (5-2, 5 saves, 3.21, 33.2 IP, 34 H, 12 BB, 34 K), John Lalor (3-1, 3 saves, 3.83, 49.1 IP, 41 H, 19 BB, 54 K), Chad Crosswhite (8-4, 2 saves, 4.24, 76.1 IP, 99 H, 27 BB, 66 K), Justin Pigott (7-6, 4.40, 108.1 IP, 125 H, 22 BB, 73 K), Josh Johnson (3-3, 6.21, 62.1 IP, 70 H, 20 BB, 59 K)

Last NCAA appearance – 2006 (2-2 at Clemson Regional)

Notes – Mississippi State is heading to the College World Series for the eighth time and its first trip to Omaha since 1998. Paul Gregory took the Bulldogs to Omaha in 1971. Ron Polk took MSU to the College World Series in 1979, 1981, 1985, 1990 and 1997 during his first term as head coach. Pat McMahon guided the Bulldogs to the CWS in 1998. Polk is in the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd time in 34 seasons as a head coach. Polk is the seventh-winningest coach in NCAA Division I. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 96-62 in the seventh and eighth innings. The Bulldogs are 32-0 when leading after eight innings. MSU has won five straight games in the NCAA Tournament after going 0-2 in the SEC Tournament. Five of MSU's eight probable starters in the field are from the state of Mississippi, and 13 of the 25 on the roster are from Mississippi. MSU hosted a Super Regional for the first time. It was the third Super Regional trip for the Bulldogs. MSU played at Clemson in 2000 and at Cal State Fullerton in 2001 in Super Regional action. This was the 23^rd NCAA Regional Tournament appearance for Mississippi State. MSU has gone to a regional in 10 of the past 11 years. Jeffrey Rea is MSU's career hits leader with 331 and is third in SEC history. Eddie Furniss of LSU (1995-98) holds the SEC record with 352. The Bulldogs are 4-10 against the CWS field. MSU is 0-1 vs. Arizona State, 1-4 vs. Cal State Fullerton, 1-0 vs. Louisville, 1-5 vs. North Carolina and 1-0 vs. Rice. The Bulldogs have not met Oregon State or UC Irvine. MSU was picked sixth in the SEC West in the SEC coaches' preseason poll. The MSU baseball team posted a 3.24 GPA during the spring semester, its highest spring semester GPA on record. It was also the highest GPA among MSU men's athletic teams for the spring semester.

No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels

Chapel Hill, N.C.

Automatic bid from ACC

Won Chapel Hill Regional, won Chapel Hill Super Regional

2007 record: 21-9, 53-13 (first in ACC-Coastal)

Coach: Mike Fox (North Carolina, 1978)

Record at school: 394-173-1, 9 years

Overall record: 933-314-5 24 years

Assistant coaches: Chad Holbrook, Scott Forbes, Jason Howell

Team offense: .321 BA, 500 R, 65 HR, .477 SLG, .390 OBA, 46/68 SB

Team pitching: 3.30 ERA, 595 IP, 547 H, 245 BB, 489 K

Top hitters: Dustin Ackley (.416/7/66/11 SB), Tim Federowicz (.357/4/64), Tim Fedroff (.344/4/36), Garrett Gore (.333/2/26), Josh Horton (.331/8/50), Reid Fronk (.327/11/54), Kyle Seager (.311/2/28), Seth Williams (.301/8/40), Chad Flack (.251/7/44)

Top pitchers: Andrew Carignan (2-1, 15 SV, 1.36, 53 IP, 34 H, 24 BB, 60 K), Adam Warren (10-0, 2.09, 60.1 IP, 50 H, 24 BB, 43 K), Rob Wooten (6-1, 2.15, 46 IP, 40 H, 21 BB, 50 K), Matt Danford (5-0, 2.83, 47.2 IP, 40 H, 22 BB, 34 K), Robert Woodard (10-2, 3.01, 104.2 IP, 104 H, 26 BB, 79 K), Alex White (6-5, 4.22, 91.2 IP, 87 H, 45 BB, 80 K), Luke Putkonen (7-1, 4.74, 74 IP, 84 H, 21 BB, 52 K)

Last time in tournament: 2006 (3-0 Chapel Hill Regional, 2-0 Tuscaloosa Super Regional, 4-2 College World Series)

Notes: The national runner-up from 2006 is back to Omaha for the second straight year. UNC survived in three games in the Super Regional against South Carolina. Closer Andrew Carignan earned a win and a save against the Gamecocks, allowing one hit in six innings with four strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .178 against Carignan. Garrett Gore drove in five in three Super Regional games after having 21 RBI in his first 51 games. UNC swept through the Chapel Hill Regional - but it wasn’t without drama. The Tar Heels rallied twice in the ninth inning to beat both East Carolina and Western Carolina, the latter taking a Josh Horton two-run single to win it. In the celebration after the ECU win, Reid Fronk suffered a gash in his head and Rob Wooten broke a tooth (he pitched with a mouthpiece the next day). This was the second straight Super Regional - Chad Flack beat Alabama last year with a two-run homer - and third in the past five years for UNC. ACC Freshman of the Year Dustin Ackley has set school marks for hits and RBI. UNC has won 21 of 25. Carolina is 36-8 at home. Tar Heels hitters have only four more Ks (255) than walks (251) on the season.

Oregon State Beavers

Corvallis, Ore.

At-large bid from Pac-10

Won Charlottesville Regional, won Corvallis Super Regional

2007 record: 10-14, 44-18 (tied for sixth in Pac-10)

Coach: Pat Casey (George Fox, 1990)

Record at school: 427-269-4, 13 years

Overall record: 598-382-5, 20 years

Assistant coaches: Dan Spencer, Marty Lees, David Wong

Team offense: .282 BA, 414 R, 38 HR, .405 SLG, .383 OBA, 64/85 SB

Team pitching: 3.54 ERA, 553.2 IP, 499 H, 176 BB, 434 K

Top hitters: Mike Lissman (.323/8/56), Jordan Lennerton (.320/7/47), Mitch Canham (.317/9/54), Darwin Barney (.292/4/48/12 SB), Jason Ogata (.291/4/40), Joey Wong (.284/0/14), John Wallace (.271/1/23) Chris Hopkins (.260/2/24/14 SB).
Top pitchers: Eddie Kunz (3-1, 10 SV, 3.05, 45.1 IP, 30 H, 18 BB, 37 K), Jorge Reyes (5-3, 3.13, 69 IP, 62 H, 15 BB, 58 K), Daniel Turpen (9-1, 3.65, 88.2 IP, 89 H, 22 BB, 57 K), Joe Paterson (10-6, 3.77, 119.1 IP, 121 H, 25 BB, 75 K), Mike Stutes (10-4, 4.05, 121.1 IP, 101 H, 52 BB, 120 K).
Last NCAA appearance: 2006 (won Corvallis Regional, won Corvallis Super Regional, won College World Series)
Notes: The Beavers are back in Omaha for the third straight year and will attempt to become the first team since LSU (1996-97) to repeat as national champion. In the Super Regional sweep of Michigan, the Beavers allowed eight total hits and two runs. OSU won the first game 1-0 despite being no-hit for 8.2 innings before Joey Wong singled in the game’s only run. Jorge Reyes tossed seven strong innings in Game 1, and ace Mike Stutes, who strikes out nearly one batter per inning, tossed eight brilliant innings in Game 2. To get to Super Regionals, OSU won three straight must-win games, giving them nine straight wins in elimination games over the past two years. You could argue they’ve won more than that as OSU likely needed a series win over UCLA the last weekend of the year to reach the postseason. Joe Paterson, who won two games and saved another in the Charlottesville Regional, threw all of 30 innings last year as a sophomore and has turned into a 10-game winner. Junior Lonnie Lechelt had a big series in the Regional and has continued to play well, another Beaver who barely played last year. Freshman Alex Sogard’s brother Eric plays for Arizona State. Reliever Anton Maxwell won 11 games two years ago and threw a one-hitter against Washington State; he missed the fall season with an illness before returning this spring. John Wallace’s father, Mike Wallace, played baseball for Nevada and the San Francisco Giants; and uncle, Steve Senini, played football for Nevada and the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns. Joey Wong’s father David is a volunteer assistant coach. Assistant coach Dan Spencer contributed a journal to CollegeBaseballInsider.com in 2007. The Beavers' pitching staff allows under 4 runs a game. Coach Pat Casey was named the CollegeBaseballInsider.com Coach of the Year in 2005 after the Regional round and before two straight trips to Omaha. Pitching and defense continue to be huge - OSU fields at a .977 clip, and opponents hit .243.

No. 2 Rice Owls
Houston, Texas
Automatic bid - won Conference USA Tournament

Won Houston Regional, won Houston Super Regional
2007 Record: 22-2, 54-12 (first in C-USA)
Coach: Wayne Graham (Texas, 1970)
Record at school: 738-282, 16 years
Overall record: 1,313-395, 27 years
Assistant coaches: Mike Taylor, Dave Pierce, Patrick Hallmark
Team offense: .310 BA, 477 R, 57 HR, .466 SLG%, .406 OBA%, 51/70 SB
Team pitching: 2.83 ERA, 590.2 IP, 504 H, 217 BB, 529 K
Top hitters: Joe Savery (.360/5/57/18 2B), Brian Friday (.342/3/28/14 SB), Jared Gayheart (.338/4/40), Aaron Luna (.315/11/61/15 2B), Jess Buenger (.307/7/43/12 2B), Diego Seastrunk (.303/1/37/10 2B), Jordan Dodson (.302/8/51/11 2B).
Top pitchers: Matt Langwell (8-1, 1.70, 79.1 IP, 56 H, 29 BB, 57 K), Bobby Bramhall (6-2, 6 SV, 1.85, 58.1 IP, 32 H, 28 BB, 76 K), Ryan Berry (11-2, 2.71, 116.1 IP, 102 H, 32 BB, 119 K), Cole St. Clair (0-0, 8 SV, 2.49, 21.2 IP, 16 H, 7 BB, 22 K), Joe Savery (10-1, 2.78, 87.1 IP, 75 H, 38 BB, 57 K), Ryne Tacker (9-1, 3.01, 71.2 IP, 61 H, 21 BB, 67 K), Chris Kelley (3-3, 3.28, 71.1 IP, 74 H, 27 BB, 56 K).
Last NCAA appearance: 2006 (3-0 at Houston Regional, 2-1 at Houston Super Regional, 2-2 at College World Series).
Notes: The Owls head to Omaha for the second straight year and fourth time in the past six years. Rice won the national championship in 2003. Rice outscored Texas A&M 8-4 in their two Super Regional contests. The Owls didn’t hit a ton in sweeping three games at the Houston Regional but allowed only four runs in three games. Rice has won 35 of 37. When the Owls won the national title in 2003, they used pitching and timely hitting that year, and that was the recipe again in the Houston Regional and Super Regional, as Matt Langwell, Ryan Berry and Joe Savery all threw well, with some brilliant help from Cole St. Clair and Bobby Bramhall, who holds hitters to a .158 average. Entering the C-USA tourney, Rice hadn’t allowed more than four runs in a game for 16 games - the Owls allowed 6, 8 and 9 in three C-USA tourney games before allowing four in the Regional. Coach Wayne Graham, who played 20 games for Casey Stengel and the Mets, simply wins - the Owls have won an average of 49 games in his past 13 seasons, with five seasons of 50 or more wins. His latest edition is balanced top to bottom, with six pitchers seeing significant innings, and ace reliever Cole St. Clair rounding into shape after an injury. Pitching was a bit of a question to start the year, but Ryan Berry has won 11 games as a freshman, and Ryne Tacker came back from missing all of 2006 with a banner year. Rice pitchers have fanned 529 batters, compared to 369 by opponent hurlers. Joe Savery is one of the best two-way players in the country, and thrived again on the mound and at the plate. Aaron Luna put together another big year and also produced 44 walks.

UC Irvine Anteaters

Irvine, Calif.

At-large bid from Big West

Won Round Rock Regional, won Wichita Super Regional

2007 record: 15-6, 45-15-1 (tied for 2^nd in Big West)

Coach: Dave Serrano (Trinity Int’l, 2003)

Record at school: 112-64-1, 3 years

Overall record: same

Assistant coaches: Sergio Brown, Greg Bergeron, Nathan Choate

Team offense: .321 BA, 413 R, 35 HR, .451 SLG, .395 OBA, 137/187 SB

Team pitching: 3.69 ERA, 539.2 IP, 544 H, 174 BB, 462 K

Top hitters: Ollie Linton (.356/0/18/14 SB), Taylor Holiday (.353/4/41/24 2B), Ben Orloff (.341/0/32/20 SB), Cody Cipriano (.338/12/57/13 2B), Matt Morris (.336/6/52/17 SB), Sean Madigan (.333/1/25), Tyler Vaughn (.324/1/36/10 2B), Bryan Peterson (.308/5/35/27 SB), Aaron Lowenstein (.303/0/20/10 SB).

Top pitchers: Wes Etheridge (12-4, 2.49 ERA, 126.1 IP, 118 H, 28 BB, 111 K), Scott Gorgen (12-2, 2.68 ERA, 127.2 IP, 109 H, 37 BB, 106 K), Dylan Axelrod (5-4, 4 saves, 4.13 ERA, 65.1 IP, 62 H, 20 BB, 70 K).

Last NCAA appearance: 2006 (0-2 at Malibu Regional)

Notes: The Anteaters are in the College World Series for the first time after winning its first Regional (Round Rock) and Super Regional (Wichita) – not bad for a program that resumed in 2002 after a 10-year hiatus. UCI was the only road team to win its Super Regional. Coach Dave Serrano, in his third season, was one of five finalists for CollegeBaseballInsider.com’s coach of the year. Senior closer Blair Erickson has 13 saves this season and 53 for his career, which is tops in NCAA history. Opponents hit only .195 off of him. Senior Wes Etheridge has compiled a 20-4 record in his two seasons at Irvine. Fellow ace Scott Gorgen has four straight complete-game victories. Entering this year’s tourney, the Anteaters were 0-4 in the NCAA tournament before this season and are 5-0 in this year’s tourney. In its last 12 games, Irvine has allowed 25 runs, and eight of those came in 16-8 win over UC Riverside in the regular-season finale. Taylor Holiday was named Most Outstanding Player of the Round Rock Regional, going 7 for 16 (.467) with six runs and two steals. The Anteaters field .976 as a team.