By Wendell Barnhouse | wendell@big12sports.com
Big12Sports.com Correspondent
The five Big 12 Conference teams in the 2010 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship start play Friday at five regional sites stretching from South Florida to Fayetteville, Ark., to Austin to Norman, Okla., and to Fort Worth. Here’s a breakdown of those five regionals that start play Friday.
Austin Regional
Texas: At-large from Big 12 Conference.The Longhorns are 46-11 and the No. 1 seed in this four-team region. Texas leads the nation in earned run average and is second in fielding percentage. Brandon Workman (11-1, 3.77 ERA) will start the opener against Rider. The Longhorns went 0-3 in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship after setting a Conference record with 24 victories in winning the regular-season title. Texas has won six national titles and finished runner up to LSU last season. Junior shortstop Brandon Loy is expected to return to action after missing the last five games.
Rice: The Owls are 38-21 and are the No. 2 seed. Rice is an at-large team from Conference USA; the Owls won the C-USA regular-season title. Rice is making its 16th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Of the Owls’ 21 losses, 13 have been by two or fewer runs. Sophomore third baseman Anthony Rendon is one of the nation’s top players. He’s hitting .393 ith 23 homers, 78 RBI, 79 runs and 14 stolen bases.
Louisiana-Lafayette: The Ragin’ Cajuns are an at-large team from the Sun Belt Conference and have a 37-20 record. They’re the third-seeded team. Louisiana-Lafayette won the Sun Belt regular-season title with a strong finish; the Ragin’ Cajuns have won 23 of their last 27 games. Senior catcher Chad Keefer (.333 batting average, 15 homers, 56 RBI) and junior second baseman Jordan Porrier (.330, 12 homers, 56 RB) are the team’s top players.
Rider: Won automatic bid from Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Broncs have a 36-21 record and is the No. 4 seed. Rider has qualified for its 10th NCAA tournament over the last 27 years. Junior second baseman A.J. Albee set school records for runs (60) and RBI (62). Junior left hander Mike Thomas is 9-2 with a 3.59 ERA. Senior outfielder Nick Wojnowski leads Rider with a .396 batting average.
RPI FYI: Texas 5, Rice 30, Louisiana-Lafayette 43, Rider 139.
What’s next: The winner of this regional will face the winner of the Fort Worth Regional in a two-out-of-three super regional.
Fort Worth Regional
TCU: The Horned Frogs, the host team, are 46-11 and are the No. 1 seed. TCU won the Mountain West Conference automatic bid. Last year, the Frogs won the regional in Fort Worth and advanced to the super regional in Austin where they lost to Texas in three games. TCU has set a school record with its seventh consecutive NCAA appearance. Senior Bryan Holday (.357, 12 homers, 46 RBI) is one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award that goes to college baseball’s top catcher. The Frogs are hitting .343 as a team with 86 homers.
Baylor: The Bears are 34-22 and the No. 2 seed. Baylor closed with a rush to assure an at-large NCAA tournament bid from the Big 12 Conference. Baylor has won nine of its last 11 games. Senior second baseman Raynor Campbell (.350 batting average, 11 stolen bases), freshman first baseman Max Muncy (.301, 11 home runs, 49 RBI), freshman Logan Vick (.338, 10 homers) and freshman outfielder Brooks Pinckard (.316, 18 steals) lead the offense while the pitching staff is led by seniors Willie Kempf, junior Shawn Tolleson and sophomore Logan Verrett. Pinckard is the top reliever with 10 saves.
Arizona: The Wildcats are 33-22 and the No. 3 seed. They’re an at-large team from the Pacific-10 Conference. Arizona has two seniors and 17 freshmen on its roster and often has five freshmen in its starting lineup. The Wildcats often rely on their speed; they’ve stolen 87 bases in 121 attempts. Coach Andy Lopez this season became the 16th active coach to reach the 1,000 victory plateau.
Lamar: The Cardinals are 35-24 and earned the automatic bid from the Southland Conference. They’re the No. 4 seed. Lamar is making its 13th NCAA tournament appearance and first since 2004. Senior center fielder Anthony Moore (.332, 10 homers, 33 RBI) and senior right fielder Quentin Luquette (.317, 5 homers, 52 RBI) are the team’s top hitters. Jim Gilligan is in his 34th season as a coach and his 1,177 victories are sixth among active coaches.
RPI FYI: TCU 15, Arizona 24, Baylor 35, Lamar 115.
What’s next: The winner of this regional will face the winner of the Austin Regional in a two-out-of-three super regional.
Coral Gables Regional
Miami (Fla.): The Hurricanes, the host team, are 40-17 and the No. 1 seed in this four-team regional. The Hurricanes are an at-large team from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Hurricanes have won four national championships, the last coming in 2001. Junior Yasmani Grandal is one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award that goes to the top catcher in college baseball. Grandal is hitting .422 with 14 homers, 56 RBI and 22 doubles. Miami’s string of 38 consecutive NCAA tournaments is the best in the nation.
Texas A&M: The Aggies are 40-19-1 and earned the Big 12 Conference’s automatic bid by winning the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship Sunday. Texas A&M is the No. 2 seed. The Aggies have been on a serious roll, winning 17 of their last 20. Senior shortstop Brodie Greene, freshman DH Matt Juengel and senior first baseman Joe Patterson are the top hittes. A strong pitching staff is anchored by starters Barrett Loux, Ross Stripling and Michael Wacha. Reliever John Stilson was named the Big 12’s newcomer of the year.
Florida International: The Golden Panthers are 36-23 and the No. 3 seed. Florida International gained the Sun Belt Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. In winning the Sun Belt tournament, FIU hit .385 as a team and scored 59 runs in six games. Shortstop Garrett Wittels has a 54-game hitting streak. The NCAA record is 58 games set by Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura in 1987. The Golden Panthers will face Texas A&M in the regional opener. The teams met in the 1995 Coral Gables Regional with FIU winning, 9-5.
Dartmouth: The Big Green has a 26-17 record and is the No. 4 seed. Dartmouth won the Ivy League and the automatic bid from that conference. Dartmouth is making its second consecutive NCAA appearance and seventh overall. Freshman catcher Chris O’Dowd is hitting .382 and has a .489 on-base percentage. The Big Green’s pitching staff leads the nation in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (1.89).
RPI FYI: Maimi (Fla.) 8, Texas A&M 20, Florida International 50, Dartmouth 145.
What’s next: The winner of this regional will face winner of the Gainesville Regional in a two-out-of-three super regional.
Norman Regional
Oklahoma: The Sooners are 44-15 and are the No. 1 seed in this four-team regional. Oklahoma is an at-large team from the Big 12 Conference. The Sooners have won 17 of their last 21. OU is making its 33rd NCAA tournament appearance and will be attempting to make its 10th trip to the College World Series. The Sooners’ offense is anchored by sophomore third baseman Garrett Buechele and sophomore first baseman Cameron Seitzer. OU’s 90 home runs are tops in the Big 12.
California: The Golden Bears are 29-23 and the No. 2 seed. Cal is an at-large team from the Pacific-10 Conference. The Golden Bears have made 11 NCAA appearances and has won two national titles. Cal has lost eight of its last 10 games but is one of eight Pac-10 teams in the 64-team bracket. Junior first baseman Mark Canha leads the team with 60 RBI. Freshman left hander Erik Johnson is 9-5 with a 3.96 ERA.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels are 36-20 and the No. 3 seed. They’re an at-large team from the Atlantic Coast Conference. North Carolina is making its nith consecutive NCAA appearance and 25th overall. The Tar Heels have won 12 of their last 15 games. Third baseman Levi Michael is hitting .355 with eight homers and 50 RBI. Right hander Matt Harvey is 7-3 with a 3.10 ERA and is projected to be a first-round draft pick.
Oral Roberts: The Golden Eagles 35-25 and are the No. 4 seed. The won the Summit League tournament for the 13th consecutive season to capture that league’s automatic bid. Oral Roberts is making its 13th consecutive NCAA appearance and has 21 overall tourney bids. The school is based in Tulsa so the Golden Eagles figure to have a good fan base at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Oral Roberts reached the College World Series in 1978. Junior shortstop Tyler Saladino is hitting .388 overall with 17 home runs, 71 RBI and 14 stolen bases.
RPI FYI: Oklahoma 18, North Carolina 21, California 37, Oral Roberts 123.
What’s next: The winner of this regional will face the winner of the Charlottesville Regional in a two-out-of-three super regional.
Fayetteville Regional
Arkansas: The Razorbacks are 40-18 and are the top seed in this four-team regional. Arkansas is an at-large team from the Southeastern Conference. The Razorbacks lost their first two games in the SEC tournament last week. Sophomore Zack Cox is a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. He’s hitting .432 and has hit safely in 49 of the 53 games in which he has played. Sophomore left hander Drew Smyly is one of the best pitchers in the SEC, and is 8-1 this season with a 2.54 ERA.
Washington State: The Cougars are 34-20 and the No. 2 seed. They’re an at-large team from the Pacific-10 Conference. Washington State is in the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year – the first time the school has made back-to-back appearances since 1987-88. The Washington State bullpen has 17 wins, 18 saves and a 4.13 ERA. The Cougars’ 74 double plays are second in the nation. Sophomore outfielder Derek Jones, with 11, is the only Washington State player in double figures in home runs.
Kansas State: The Wildcats are 36-20 and the No. 3 seed. Kansas State, an at-large team from the Big 12 Conference, made its first NCAA tournament appearance last year. Kansas State has lost seven of its last 11 games. Sophomore outfielder Nick Martini (.416, 53 RBI), junior shortstop Carter Jurica (.386, 11 homers, 65 RBI) and senior third baseman Adam Muenster (.386, 53 RBI) are the key cogs in a lineup that specializes in on-base percentage and steady run production.
Grambling: The Tigers are 22-30 and the fourth seed. Grambling earned the automatic bid from the Southwestern Athletic Conference – the school’s first conference title in baseball since 1985. Grambling is hitting .302 as a team and has stolen 138 bases in 165 attempts. The pitching staff as an 8.51 ERA and has allowed 609 hits in 438 innings.
RPI FYI: Arkansas 9, Washington State 28, Kansas State 39, Grambling 272.
What’s next: The winner of this regional will face the winner of the Tempe Regional in a two-out-of-three super regional.