O’Connor says experience of winning CWS will be a big factor for Virginia this season
By Steven Pivovar / World-Herald staff writer
A sobering thought hit Virginia coach Brian O’Connor when he was putting together the rooming list for the Cavaliers’ season-opening trip to Coastal Carolina.
O’Connor usually likes to pair rookies with veterans, although he said that usually doesn’t work out because there are never enough rookies.
Not this year.
“Half of the team we’re taking to Coastal Carolina didn’t wear a Virginia uniform last year,” O’Connor said. “Even though those guys knew the level of the program they came to, they haven’t done a thing to win a game yet.
“So it’s back to basics for us. We have a lot of work to do.”
It’s unlikely too many people in college baseball will feel too sorry for the Cavaliers. Granted, O’Connor’s program lost some of the key contributors who helped produce Virginia’s first national baseball championship last June at the College World Series.
But the Cavaliers return enough pieces to again stamp them as one of the prime challengers in the chase for the championship. What could make Virginia more dangerous this season is the experience gained in winning the championship.
O’Connor laughed when asked if his players have taken on a championship swagger.
“I don’t think so,” he said.
What the Omaha native and former Creighton pitcher and coach has sensed from his veterans is a deeply rooted source of confidence that they are taking into this season.
“Winning that national championship and the way we did certainly gives them a level of confidence that they know they don’t panic when things aren’t going right,” O’Connor said. “They learned if you play hard and you play the game the right way, good things can happen.
“There’s something that results when you do something like we did. It’s not cockiness, but I think you take on a little bit of an aura after having done it the way we did it.”
Virginia started the 2015 season ranked fourth and ran off 10 straight wins. The Cavaliers then played sub-.500 baseball over a 10-week period, leaving them heading into May wondering if they would even receive a bid to the NCAA tournament.
They finished well enough to make the field of 64, and then caught fire in the tournament. Virginia swept its way through regional and super-regional play to get to Omaha. Once here, the Cavaliers won their bracket 3-1 to earn a return trip to the best-of-three championship final against Vanderbilt.
The Commodores, who had defeated Virginia in the 2014 final series, won the first game before the Cavaliers came back to post 3-0 and 4-2 victories that left them dog-piling on the mound at TD Ameritrade Park.
O’Connor has been coaching for two decades, and last season reinforced to him the value of establishing a solid foundation that players can lean on in difficult times.
“When you go 17-18 over a 10-week stretch, it shakes your confidence,” O’Connor said. “Last year was a good reminder that if the foundation of your program is strong, it gives you a chance to hold things together when things are not going well.
“I also learned the importance of everything you do in the fall and the preseason and the regular season in showing players what it takes to win. At some point, it’s out of your hands. The players do it or they don’t. Last year, they did it.”
The Cavaliers begin their title defense Friday as the college baseball season begins nationwide. Virginia starts the season with the same No. 4 preseason ranking it had in 2015.
Seven of last year’s starting position players return, with the only losses being gritty third baseman Kenny Towns and outfielder Joe McCarthy.
Juniors Matt Thaiss and Daniel Pinero and sophomore Pavin Smith combined for 23 homers last season. Thaiss, the first baseman, drove in 64 runs, while Smith, the starting left fielder, finished with 44 RBIs.
“We’re strong up the middle,” O’Connor said. “We have the majority of our offensive ballclub from last year. We’re really athletic position player-wise, and we have a pretty special No. 1.”
That’s Connor Jones, who moved into the top spot in the rotation when Nathan Kirby got hurt. Jones went 7-3 with a 3.19 ERA.
“You always feel good when you have someone like Connor returning,” O’Connor said. “We need to develop some of our other pitching that hasn’t had much of an opportunity to show what they can do.”
One of those pitchers is Tommy Doyle, who saw limited action as a freshman last season.
“He missed a lot of time because he had mono,” O’Connor said. “He has as electric stuff as anyone we have on our pitching staff. He’s 6-5, 6-6 with a really good arm and good feel for his breaking ball.
“He’s a guy as talented as anyone we have. A guy like that really needs to emerge and take the next step.”
If the pitching comes around, O’Connor figures the Cavaliers will be in the hunt to make it back to Omaha.
“I like the arms that we have,” O’Connor said. “We just don’t have a lot of experience. So I think once they gain some real experience, I think we’ve got a chance to be pretty good.”
http://www.omaha.com/sports/cws/o-c...cle_22509204-69f7-5231-a694-1963e269fe81.html
Five locks, four dark horses for the College World Series
By Steven Pivovar / World-Herald staff writer
World-Herald staff writer Steven Pivovar picks five locks and four dark horses to make it to the College World Series in 2016.
* * *
Five locks for Omaha
FLORIDA
The Gators begin the season ranked No. 1 in most polls, just as they were in 2011 and 2012. They made it to Omaha in each of those seasons, losing in the final series in 2011 and then going 0-2 the next season. Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said he learned some lessons that might help the ultra-talented Gators navigate through this season. The Gators return seven starters in the field and their weekend rotation of Logan Shore (11-6, 2.72 ERA), A.J. Puk (9-4, 3.81) and Alex Faedo (6-1, 3.23). Players from a recruiting class ranked second nationally are expected to fill holes at second and third base, while Brady Singer — the No. 56 pick in last June’s draft — is expected to take over as the closer. This is a Florida team that not only will finish the season in Omaha, but will have a great shot at winning a first national championship.
LOUISVILLE
Dan McDonnell has built Louisville into an elite program in his nine seasons as coach, with the Cardinals winding up in Omaha three times and advancing to super-regional play five times. The next step will be to win it all, and this Louisville team appears capable of putting together that kind of season. Five-tool outfielder Corey Ray (.325. 11 HRs, 56 RBIs) anchors an offense that includes three other starters — second baseman Nick Solak, first baseman Brendan McKay and center fielder Logan Taylor — who hit .300 or better last season. McKay, Baseball’s America national freshman of the year in 2015, is one of college baseball’s best two-way players. He hit .308 and won 11 games on the mound. The unexpected return of Kyle Funkhouser — he is back for his senior year after being selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the No. 35 pick in the draft — gives the Cardinals a potent 1-2 punch at the front end of the rotation, and Zack Burdi is a flame-throwing closer.
TEXAS A&M
The Aggies’ 50 wins were their most since 1999, but they fell one victory shy of making a trip to Omaha. Rob Childress has 18 lettermen back, and expectations are high. The Aggies will have plenty of pop in their lineup, with center fielder Nick Banks (.386, 8 HRs, 48 RBIs) a contender for national player of the year honors. Also back are second baseman Ryne Birk (10 HRs), first baseman Hunter Melton (8 HRs) and designated hitter Ronnie Gideon (7 HRs, 41 RBIs). Catcher Michael Brash is a top-notch defender and handler of pitchers. Childress will need to retool the rotation with the departure of Grayson Long and A.J. Minter and the dismissal of left-hander Tyler Stubblefield. Regardless of who starts, the Aggies will have a couple of the best finishers in Ryan Hendrix and Mark Ecker. Hendrix brings dominant stuff to the mound, having struck out 105 batters in 92 innings last season.
VANDERBILT
Virginia denied the Commodores back-to-back national championships, and many of the key contributors to that run are gone. That includes No. 1 draft pick Dansby Swanson and all of Vanderbilt’s nails-tough weekend rotation. The Commodores’ reloading process gets a boost from coach Tim Corbin landing the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation as well as the return of some key veterans. Outfielders Bryan Reynolds (.318, 5 HRs, 49 RBIs) and Jeren Kendall (.281, 8 HRs, 40 RBIs) are potential first-round draft picks in each of the next two seasons, and third baseman Will Toffey (.294, 49 RBIs) provides experience to a young infield. Corbin’s ability to bring elite mound talent to Nashville should make the transition away from Carson Fulmer, Walker Buehler and Philip Pfeifer a bit easier. Freshman All-American Kyle Wright (6-1, 1.23 ERA) figures to move into the No. 1 spot in the rotation, and there is no shortage of power arms to fill in behind him.
OREGON STATE
The Beavers didn’t buy the notion last season that teams that get crushed by graduation and the draft should take a step backward. Despite relying on a young roster, Oregon State wound up playing in the NCAA tournament. Coach Pat Casey said last season’s team might have overachieved, but it also gained the experience that should make the Beavers ultra-competitive this season. First baseman K.J. Harrison and pitcher Drew Rasmussen bring All-America talent to the table. Harrison hit .309 with 10 homers and 60 RBIs as a freshman. Rasmussen stepped in and took over the No. 2 spot in the weekend rotation. He threw the first perfect game in program history and won seven games. Rasmussen will take over the No. 1 spot this season, and Casey is encouraged by the potential of the rest of the staff. He also is high on freshman shortstops Cadyn Grenier and Nick Madrigal and their ability to play multiple positions.
* * *
Four dark horses for Omaha
OKLAHOMA STATE
Once a CWS staple, the Cowboys haven’t ended a season in Omaha since 1999. Coach Josh Holliday believes this could be the year the drought ends. He has assembled a team that might lack for star power but doesn’t for talent. The decision of All-Big 12 shortstop Donnie Walton to return for his senior year is a huge bonus. Five other starters return, and Holliday is high on three junior-college transfers — J.R. Davis, Garrett Benge and Collin Theroux — who should add pop to the lineup. The Cowboys must replace Big 12 pitcher of the year Michael Freeman, but even without him Oklahoma State will not have a shortage of arms. Michael Mertz is expected to move to the front of the rotation after sitting out most of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
COASTAL CAROLINA
The Chanticleers return eight everyday players from last season, raising hopes that they can get over the hump and make their first CWS appearance. Coastal came close to Omaha in 2010, losing to eventual national champion South Carolina in super-regional play. Center fielder Anthony Marks and shortstop Michael Paez are the team’s top returning hitters and provide plenty of lineup stability. Coastal is banking on a lineup that includes five senior starters to do the heavy lifting early as an inexperienced pitching staff gets its bearings. Right-hander Alex Cunningham and Jason Bilous are power arms, but both have had injury concerns in the past. If Coastal’s pitching rounds into shape, this group could find itself playing in Omaha in June.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
No longer college baseball’s gold standard, the Trojans find themselves trying to once again become relevant on the national scene. USC played in the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade last spring, pressing Virginia to the limit before losing in extra innings in the regional championship game. The Trojans begin this season hungry to take the next step. The lineup returns seven starters, the best of them being center fielder Timmy Robinson and right fielder A.J. Ramirez. USC did suffer a major loss in the departure of All-America catcher Garrett Stubbs. Jeremy Martinez is set to replace Stubbs and will have an experienced pitching staff to work with. Ace Kyle Davis is back, as are potential rotation contributors Mitch Hart, Brent Wheatley and Bernardo Flores. Marc Huberman will close and is surrounded by capable setup men.
MICHIGAN
A late surge carried the Wolverines back to regional play last season for the first time since 2008. Having made the tournament, Michigan is eager to continue showing improvement while establishing itself as one of the Big Ten’s premier programs. Coach Erik Bakich has one of the country’s best two-way players in first baseman-pitcher Carmen Benedetti. A unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten team as a sophomore, Benedetti hit .352 with 71 RBIs and also posted three saves while striking out 23 hitters in 15 innings. Benedetti is penciled in to replace closer Jacob Cronenworth, while the Wolverines return their weekend rotation of Brett Adcock, Evan Hill and Ryan Nutof. On paper, the Wolverines have plenty of the pieces necessary to make a deep NCAA tournament run.
http://www.omaha.com/sports/cws/fiv...cle_8b5ae718-d6bb-11e5-b644-4b8826fa27cb.html
GO Hoosiers!
By Steven Pivovar / World-Herald staff writer
A sobering thought hit Virginia coach Brian O’Connor when he was putting together the rooming list for the Cavaliers’ season-opening trip to Coastal Carolina.
O’Connor usually likes to pair rookies with veterans, although he said that usually doesn’t work out because there are never enough rookies.
Not this year.
“Half of the team we’re taking to Coastal Carolina didn’t wear a Virginia uniform last year,” O’Connor said. “Even though those guys knew the level of the program they came to, they haven’t done a thing to win a game yet.
“So it’s back to basics for us. We have a lot of work to do.”
It’s unlikely too many people in college baseball will feel too sorry for the Cavaliers. Granted, O’Connor’s program lost some of the key contributors who helped produce Virginia’s first national baseball championship last June at the College World Series.
But the Cavaliers return enough pieces to again stamp them as one of the prime challengers in the chase for the championship. What could make Virginia more dangerous this season is the experience gained in winning the championship.
O’Connor laughed when asked if his players have taken on a championship swagger.
“I don’t think so,” he said.
What the Omaha native and former Creighton pitcher and coach has sensed from his veterans is a deeply rooted source of confidence that they are taking into this season.
“Winning that national championship and the way we did certainly gives them a level of confidence that they know they don’t panic when things aren’t going right,” O’Connor said. “They learned if you play hard and you play the game the right way, good things can happen.
“There’s something that results when you do something like we did. It’s not cockiness, but I think you take on a little bit of an aura after having done it the way we did it.”
Virginia started the 2015 season ranked fourth and ran off 10 straight wins. The Cavaliers then played sub-.500 baseball over a 10-week period, leaving them heading into May wondering if they would even receive a bid to the NCAA tournament.
They finished well enough to make the field of 64, and then caught fire in the tournament. Virginia swept its way through regional and super-regional play to get to Omaha. Once here, the Cavaliers won their bracket 3-1 to earn a return trip to the best-of-three championship final against Vanderbilt.
The Commodores, who had defeated Virginia in the 2014 final series, won the first game before the Cavaliers came back to post 3-0 and 4-2 victories that left them dog-piling on the mound at TD Ameritrade Park.
O’Connor has been coaching for two decades, and last season reinforced to him the value of establishing a solid foundation that players can lean on in difficult times.
“When you go 17-18 over a 10-week stretch, it shakes your confidence,” O’Connor said. “Last year was a good reminder that if the foundation of your program is strong, it gives you a chance to hold things together when things are not going well.
“I also learned the importance of everything you do in the fall and the preseason and the regular season in showing players what it takes to win. At some point, it’s out of your hands. The players do it or they don’t. Last year, they did it.”
The Cavaliers begin their title defense Friday as the college baseball season begins nationwide. Virginia starts the season with the same No. 4 preseason ranking it had in 2015.
Seven of last year’s starting position players return, with the only losses being gritty third baseman Kenny Towns and outfielder Joe McCarthy.
Juniors Matt Thaiss and Daniel Pinero and sophomore Pavin Smith combined for 23 homers last season. Thaiss, the first baseman, drove in 64 runs, while Smith, the starting left fielder, finished with 44 RBIs.
“We’re strong up the middle,” O’Connor said. “We have the majority of our offensive ballclub from last year. We’re really athletic position player-wise, and we have a pretty special No. 1.”
That’s Connor Jones, who moved into the top spot in the rotation when Nathan Kirby got hurt. Jones went 7-3 with a 3.19 ERA.
“You always feel good when you have someone like Connor returning,” O’Connor said. “We need to develop some of our other pitching that hasn’t had much of an opportunity to show what they can do.”
One of those pitchers is Tommy Doyle, who saw limited action as a freshman last season.
“He missed a lot of time because he had mono,” O’Connor said. “He has as electric stuff as anyone we have on our pitching staff. He’s 6-5, 6-6 with a really good arm and good feel for his breaking ball.
“He’s a guy as talented as anyone we have. A guy like that really needs to emerge and take the next step.”
If the pitching comes around, O’Connor figures the Cavaliers will be in the hunt to make it back to Omaha.
“I like the arms that we have,” O’Connor said. “We just don’t have a lot of experience. So I think once they gain some real experience, I think we’ve got a chance to be pretty good.”
http://www.omaha.com/sports/cws/o-c...cle_22509204-69f7-5231-a694-1963e269fe81.html
Five locks, four dark horses for the College World Series
By Steven Pivovar / World-Herald staff writer
World-Herald staff writer Steven Pivovar picks five locks and four dark horses to make it to the College World Series in 2016.
* * *
Five locks for Omaha
FLORIDA
The Gators begin the season ranked No. 1 in most polls, just as they were in 2011 and 2012. They made it to Omaha in each of those seasons, losing in the final series in 2011 and then going 0-2 the next season. Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said he learned some lessons that might help the ultra-talented Gators navigate through this season. The Gators return seven starters in the field and their weekend rotation of Logan Shore (11-6, 2.72 ERA), A.J. Puk (9-4, 3.81) and Alex Faedo (6-1, 3.23). Players from a recruiting class ranked second nationally are expected to fill holes at second and third base, while Brady Singer — the No. 56 pick in last June’s draft — is expected to take over as the closer. This is a Florida team that not only will finish the season in Omaha, but will have a great shot at winning a first national championship.
LOUISVILLE
Dan McDonnell has built Louisville into an elite program in his nine seasons as coach, with the Cardinals winding up in Omaha three times and advancing to super-regional play five times. The next step will be to win it all, and this Louisville team appears capable of putting together that kind of season. Five-tool outfielder Corey Ray (.325. 11 HRs, 56 RBIs) anchors an offense that includes three other starters — second baseman Nick Solak, first baseman Brendan McKay and center fielder Logan Taylor — who hit .300 or better last season. McKay, Baseball’s America national freshman of the year in 2015, is one of college baseball’s best two-way players. He hit .308 and won 11 games on the mound. The unexpected return of Kyle Funkhouser — he is back for his senior year after being selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the No. 35 pick in the draft — gives the Cardinals a potent 1-2 punch at the front end of the rotation, and Zack Burdi is a flame-throwing closer.
TEXAS A&M
The Aggies’ 50 wins were their most since 1999, but they fell one victory shy of making a trip to Omaha. Rob Childress has 18 lettermen back, and expectations are high. The Aggies will have plenty of pop in their lineup, with center fielder Nick Banks (.386, 8 HRs, 48 RBIs) a contender for national player of the year honors. Also back are second baseman Ryne Birk (10 HRs), first baseman Hunter Melton (8 HRs) and designated hitter Ronnie Gideon (7 HRs, 41 RBIs). Catcher Michael Brash is a top-notch defender and handler of pitchers. Childress will need to retool the rotation with the departure of Grayson Long and A.J. Minter and the dismissal of left-hander Tyler Stubblefield. Regardless of who starts, the Aggies will have a couple of the best finishers in Ryan Hendrix and Mark Ecker. Hendrix brings dominant stuff to the mound, having struck out 105 batters in 92 innings last season.
VANDERBILT
Virginia denied the Commodores back-to-back national championships, and many of the key contributors to that run are gone. That includes No. 1 draft pick Dansby Swanson and all of Vanderbilt’s nails-tough weekend rotation. The Commodores’ reloading process gets a boost from coach Tim Corbin landing the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation as well as the return of some key veterans. Outfielders Bryan Reynolds (.318, 5 HRs, 49 RBIs) and Jeren Kendall (.281, 8 HRs, 40 RBIs) are potential first-round draft picks in each of the next two seasons, and third baseman Will Toffey (.294, 49 RBIs) provides experience to a young infield. Corbin’s ability to bring elite mound talent to Nashville should make the transition away from Carson Fulmer, Walker Buehler and Philip Pfeifer a bit easier. Freshman All-American Kyle Wright (6-1, 1.23 ERA) figures to move into the No. 1 spot in the rotation, and there is no shortage of power arms to fill in behind him.
OREGON STATE
The Beavers didn’t buy the notion last season that teams that get crushed by graduation and the draft should take a step backward. Despite relying on a young roster, Oregon State wound up playing in the NCAA tournament. Coach Pat Casey said last season’s team might have overachieved, but it also gained the experience that should make the Beavers ultra-competitive this season. First baseman K.J. Harrison and pitcher Drew Rasmussen bring All-America talent to the table. Harrison hit .309 with 10 homers and 60 RBIs as a freshman. Rasmussen stepped in and took over the No. 2 spot in the weekend rotation. He threw the first perfect game in program history and won seven games. Rasmussen will take over the No. 1 spot this season, and Casey is encouraged by the potential of the rest of the staff. He also is high on freshman shortstops Cadyn Grenier and Nick Madrigal and their ability to play multiple positions.
* * *
Four dark horses for Omaha
OKLAHOMA STATE
Once a CWS staple, the Cowboys haven’t ended a season in Omaha since 1999. Coach Josh Holliday believes this could be the year the drought ends. He has assembled a team that might lack for star power but doesn’t for talent. The decision of All-Big 12 shortstop Donnie Walton to return for his senior year is a huge bonus. Five other starters return, and Holliday is high on three junior-college transfers — J.R. Davis, Garrett Benge and Collin Theroux — who should add pop to the lineup. The Cowboys must replace Big 12 pitcher of the year Michael Freeman, but even without him Oklahoma State will not have a shortage of arms. Michael Mertz is expected to move to the front of the rotation after sitting out most of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
COASTAL CAROLINA
The Chanticleers return eight everyday players from last season, raising hopes that they can get over the hump and make their first CWS appearance. Coastal came close to Omaha in 2010, losing to eventual national champion South Carolina in super-regional play. Center fielder Anthony Marks and shortstop Michael Paez are the team’s top returning hitters and provide plenty of lineup stability. Coastal is banking on a lineup that includes five senior starters to do the heavy lifting early as an inexperienced pitching staff gets its bearings. Right-hander Alex Cunningham and Jason Bilous are power arms, but both have had injury concerns in the past. If Coastal’s pitching rounds into shape, this group could find itself playing in Omaha in June.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
No longer college baseball’s gold standard, the Trojans find themselves trying to once again become relevant on the national scene. USC played in the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade last spring, pressing Virginia to the limit before losing in extra innings in the regional championship game. The Trojans begin this season hungry to take the next step. The lineup returns seven starters, the best of them being center fielder Timmy Robinson and right fielder A.J. Ramirez. USC did suffer a major loss in the departure of All-America catcher Garrett Stubbs. Jeremy Martinez is set to replace Stubbs and will have an experienced pitching staff to work with. Ace Kyle Davis is back, as are potential rotation contributors Mitch Hart, Brent Wheatley and Bernardo Flores. Marc Huberman will close and is surrounded by capable setup men.
MICHIGAN
A late surge carried the Wolverines back to regional play last season for the first time since 2008. Having made the tournament, Michigan is eager to continue showing improvement while establishing itself as one of the Big Ten’s premier programs. Coach Erik Bakich has one of the country’s best two-way players in first baseman-pitcher Carmen Benedetti. A unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten team as a sophomore, Benedetti hit .352 with 71 RBIs and also posted three saves while striking out 23 hitters in 15 innings. Benedetti is penciled in to replace closer Jacob Cronenworth, while the Wolverines return their weekend rotation of Brett Adcock, Evan Hill and Ryan Nutof. On paper, the Wolverines have plenty of the pieces necessary to make a deep NCAA tournament run.
http://www.omaha.com/sports/cws/fiv...cle_8b5ae718-d6bb-11e5-b644-4b8826fa27cb.html
GO Hoosiers!
