SEC Media Days

The SEC Media Days line up has been announced for next week’s festivities and yours truly beloved Arkansas Razorbacks kicks off the event. If you like reading into things, the lineup is proves to be somewhat interesting. The SEC Media Days is starting off with the Razorbacks, a dark horse team to win the national championship and lock to be a top 15 team in the nation when the AP and ESPN/Coaches polls are released, followed by one of the more popular teams in the SEC, University of Florida. South Carolina kicks off the afternoon portions of Wednesday’s meetings; members of the media can wrap up the 2011 SEC Conference Championship questions before Wednesday is over!

Curious that reigning national champs, for now, University of Auburn is buried in the middle of the meetings. LSU, a potential top ranked team when the polls are released later this summer, finishes the SEC Media Days schedule.

The list of players attending is a bit unusual as well. Typically seniors are invited to SEC Media Days. This year 22 seniors have been invited while 15 underclassmen will be in attendance. Arkansas, Alabama, and Auburn are bringing two juniors each to speak on behalf of their teammates; notably absent from Auburn’s lineup is much hyped running back Michael Dyer. Georgia, Auburn, and South Carolina are bringing one super sophomore each.

Why Spurrier is not bringing Stephen Garcia, their senior starting quarterback and the key to Spurrier’s best Gamecocks squad since becoming their head coach six years ago, is amusing. Other great players not in attendance include: Georgia’s all everything junior TE Orson Charles, University of Arkansas’ WR Joe Adams and Greg Childs, Alabama’s DT Josh Chapman and LB Courtney Upshaw, and South Carolina DE Devin Taylor.

Several potential Heisman Trophy candidates will be on-hand for the meetings:

Marcus Lattimore – RB – University of South Carolina

Knile Davis – RB – University of Arkansas

Trent Richardson – RB – University of Alabama

Alshon Jeffery – WR – University of South Carolina

Other Potential Award Winning Players Scheduled to Appear

Don’t’a Hightower – LB – University of Alabama

Danny Trevathan – LB – University of Kentucky

Chris Marve – LB – University of Vanderbilt

The dates, teams, coaches, and players are listed in order of appearance:

Wednesday, July 20^th

1:00 – 3:50 p.m. ET

Arkansas – Bobby Petrino, Knile Davis, Jarius Wright, and Tenarius Wright

Florida – Will Muschamp, John Brantley, William Green, and Deonte Thompson

3:20 – 6:00 p.m. ET

South Carolina – Steve Spurrier, Alshon Jeffrey, Marcus Lattimore, and Travian Robertson

Mississippi State – Dan Mullen, Vick Ballard, Fletcher Cox, and Chris Relf.

Thursday, July 21^st

8:30 – 11:20 a.m. ET

Kentucky – Joker Phillips, Stuart Hines, Danny Trevathan, and Morgan Newton

Georgia – Mark Richt, Brandon Boykin, Ben Jones, and Aaron Murray

10:50 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET

Auburn – Gene Chizik, Emory Blake, Nosa Equae, and Phillip Lutzenkirchen

Tennessee – Derek Dooley, Malik Jackson, Tauren Poole, and Dallas Thomas

Friday, July 22^nd

8:30 – 11:20 a.m. ET

Alabama – Nick Saban, Mark Barron, Dont’a Hightower, and Trent Richardson

Vanderbilt – James Franklin, Casey Hayward, Chris Marve, and Larry Smith

10:50 – 1:30 p.m. ET

Ole Miss – Houston Nutt, Brandon Bolden, Kentrell Lockett, and Bradley Sowell

LSU – Les Miles, Ryan Baker, Jordan Jefferson, and Russell Shepard

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

South Carolina Wins Their Second Straight National Championship

South Carolina is the sixth school to win back to back NCAA National Baseball Championships Tuesday night defeating the Florida Gators 5-2. South Carolina won their 16^th straight game breaking the previous CWS record set by the University of Texas in 1983 and 1984.

South Carolina’s head coach, Ray Turner, turned to Michael Roth (14-3) again to bring home a national championship. Roth started last years championship clinching game for South Carolina and started Tuesday night’s game going 7.2 innings giving up 5 hits and 2 ER for the win. Matt Price threw 1.1 innings for another CWS save; his 20^th on the season.

Karsten Whitson threw 4.2 innings for the Gators but gave up 3 runs, 1 ER, on 4 hits to take the loss. Florida brought everything they had to they mound, having 6 different pitchers make an appearance but they were not able to stop the Gamecocks offensive attack yielding 10 total hits, 5 runs, 3 ER.

The Gamecocks had 7 different batters register a hit and three of those batters with two hits each; 1B Christian Walker 2-4, DH Brady Thomas, SS Peter Mooney 2-3. Monday night’s hero for the Gamecock’s, 2B Scott Wingo, went 1-3 with 2 RBIs to pace the Gamecock attack. Catcher Mike Zunino tried to keep Florida in the game going 3-3 with a solo home run in the 4^th.

South Carolina jumped on Whitson in the 3^rd inning getting a sacrifice fly from Scott Wingo to score SS Peter Mooney. Christian Walker then reached on a fielding error by SS Nolan Fontana scoring Evan Marzilli, and Brady Thomas hit an infield single to 2B scoring Jackie Bradley Jr. Mooney hit a solo home run in the 6^th to add to the Gamecocks lead. Wingo added a RBI single in the 8^th for the games final score.

The SEC has won the last three CWS; LSU 2009, South Carolina 2010 and 2011. The PAC-10 was the last conference to accomplish the same feat winning Arizona 1986 and Stanford in 1987 and 1988. Southern California has won the most consecutive CWS winning 5 straight times from 1970-1974. 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

College World Series Championship Round Updates

The South Carolina Gamecocks have found an exciting but dangerous blueprint for winning in the College World Series. With a flair for the dramatic the Gamecocks went extra innings on Monday night to defeat the Florida Gators 2-1 to win game 1 of the College World Series.

Just like in the Gamecocks’ CWS Championship berth clinching game versus the Virginia Cavaliers, the Gamecocks took advantage of two throwing errors to score the winning run. With one out in the top of the 11^th inning 1B Christian Walker hit a single up the middle to start the inning. Walker, cleared to play with a broken wrist just before game time, attempted to steal second base when Gators’ catcher Mike Zunino, a Johnny Bench Award finalist, overthrew second allowing Walker to advance to third. Gators’ CF Bryson Smith then overthrew third trying to get Walker out at third allowing the winning run to score. Walker and his broken wrist went 2-5 for the Gamecocks.

Florida had their chances to score in the 9^th and 10^th inning. Two Gator runners were thrown out at home in the 9^th and one in the 10^th. In the 9^th inning 2B Scott Wingo, an 11^th round draft pick by the Dodgers, threw home twice to get Gator runners Zunino and DH Brian Johnson out. 3B Cody Dent was thrown out by LF Jake Williams in the 10^th.

Offensively the Gators had great nights from Johnson 3-5 and Smith 2-4 with a walk but only managed 8 hits in total. The Gamecocks faired no better at the plate only getting 7 hits, with 2 hits coming from Walker.

The Gamecocks threw four pitchers Monday night with starter Forrest Koumas going 5.2 innings giving up 3 hits and 1 ER. Matt Price was a hero again for the Gamecocks earning the save closing out the 11^th inning. John Taylor, a Seattle Mariners’ draft pick, pitched the 9^th and 10^th innings for South Carolina to earn the win. Taylor walked 3 and gave up 3 hits while shutting down the Gators.

The Gators countered the Gamecocks with Hudson Randall who threw 7.2 innings of 3 hit ball giving up 1 ER. Nick Maronde, a third round draft pick of the Angels, took the loss throwing 1 inning of relief.

Cody Dent put the Gators on the board in the 3^rd scoring LF Tyler Thompson, a National’s draft pick, on a scarf ice fly. The Gamecocks scored in the 8^th to tie the game on 2B Scott Wingo’s single up the middle scoring SS Peter Mooney. 

Game 2 is Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. EST. The College World Series Championship Round is a best of 3 series.

 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

College World Series Updates

Finally the game college baseball fans had been waiting to see. The defending College World Series Champions South Carolina Gamecocks versus the 2011 top seeded Virginia Cavaliers. Sure both teams played each other on Tuesday but that game was a runaway by the Gamecocks 7-1, not what fans had been hoping to see. College baseball fans got their fill and then some in an extra inning pitchers duel that sent the Gamecocks to the CWS Championship round for the second straight year as they defeated UV 3-2 in 13 innings. Looking back, both teams will see multiple chances missed and wasted opportunities but neither team gave up.

Virginia jumped out in the second inning on a RBI fielder’s choice hit by CF Kenny Swab to score 3B Steven Proscia. The Gamecocks would answer in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two run double by DH Brady Thomas scoring 1B Christian Walker and CF Jackie Bradley Jr.

In the eighth inning Virginia benefited from 2 South Carolina errors, 3B Adrian Morales allowed Virginia SS Chris Taylor to reach base on a throwing error and SS Peter Mooney committed a fielding error off a John Hicks hit pitch to score the game tying run.

Gamecocks junior LHP Michael Roth, a 2011 Cleveland Indians draft pick, pitched 7 strong innings giving up 1 ER on 4-hits and striking out 3. John Taylor gave up one unearned run in .1 innings of work for South Carolina. The Cavaliers got 3 innings of 1-hit ball from Danny Hultzen, the second pick of the 2011 MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners, before being relieved by Kyle Crockett. Crockett gave up 2 ER in 4 innings of work.

Both teams turned to their closers earlier than they had hoped and relied on them for a starter’s type outing in innings worked and pitches thrown. Matt Price threw for 5.2 innings giving up 0 runs on 95 pitches for the Gamecocks while Branden Kline threw 5 innings of shutout ball throwing 107 pitches for the Cavaliers. South Carolina gambled heavily on Matt Price in the 13^th inning which almost cost them the game. Price loaded the bases with no outs then struck out SS Taylor and LF John Barr lined into a double play to get out of the jam.

Cody Winiarski came in to relieve Kline in the bottom of the 13^th inning. Winiarski gave up a leadoff single to DH Brady Thomas (2-6) then the wheels came off for Winiarski. On back to back plays he committed throwing errors, the last allowing pitch runner Adam Matthews to score the winning run on C Robert Beary’s sacrifice bunt. Winiarski faced three batters but did not retire any Gamecock hitters.

South Carolina (53-14) will face the Florida Gators (53-17) in the Championship Round of the College World Series Monday night at 8:00 p.m. EST.

CWS Facts

This will be the first all-SEC Championship Game since the 1997 CWS between LSU and Alabama.

Only the PAC 10, 1998 Southern California vs. Arizona State, has had an all conference championship game since 1997.

South Carolina beat the Florida Gators 2 out of 3 times in conference play. They did not play each other during the SEC Tournament.

This is Florida’s second appearance in the NCAA Championship Game.

Florida’s last appearance in the Championship game was in 2005 vs. University of Texas which they lost 4-2 and 6-2.

This is also South Carolina’s second appearance in the Championship Game. South Carolina won the 2010 NCAA College World Series. 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

College World Series Updates

The Florida Gators continued the dominance over the Vanderbilt Commodores to earn a berth in the College World Series Friday night in Omaha, Nebraska, winning 6-4. Both teams played hard in a wild offensive game.

Tampa Bay 1^st round draft pick Sonny Gray was roughed up for the second time in the CWS by the Florida Gators for 6 earned runs in 7 innings of work. The Gators collected hits from every starting position player tallying 13 total hits. 4 Gator players had multiple hits; Leadoff hitter SS Nolan Fontana went 2-3 with 2 RBIs, 2B Josh Adams 2-3 with a run scored, RF Daniel Pigott went 2-4 with 2 runs, and 3B Cody Dent 2-2 with 2 runs. The bottom of the Gators order was getting on base and the top of the order was driving them in all night.

Commodores 1B Aaron Westlake jumped on Junior LHP Alex Panteliodis, a 9^th round pick by the New York Mets, for a solo homerun in the 1^st inning. Panteliodis would settle down as he threw 6 strong innings allowing 1 ER and 3 hits for the Gators.

Vanderbilt mounted a comeback in the 7^th inning off Tommy Toledo, 2 ER on 3-hits in .2 innings pitched. At the end of 7 the score was 4-3 Florida. In the top of the 8^th Vanderbilt tied the game at 4 all. Vandy DH Conrad Connor was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score the last run of the game for the Commodores.

In the bottom of the 8^th inning Grayson started the inning but Will Clinard came in for relief with the bases loaded. Clinard gave up a Preston Tucker singled, which would prove to be the game winning run, scoring Daniel Pigott. Clinard then threw a wild pitch allowing Cody Dent to score.

Austin Maddox closed out the game for the Gators throwing 1.2 innings of shutout ball to earn the victory.

The Gators (53-17) await the winner of the South Carolina vs. Virginia Cavaliers game in the CWS Championship round. The Championship round begins Monday night at 8:00 p.m. EST. 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa