Throughout Carolina’s time in Omaha, each day’s post will be part of the Road to a Repeat series, as the Gamecocks look to win back-to-back national championships.

Wondering what song could be Gamecock Baseball’s anthem?  I was thinking DJ Khaled’s, “All I Do Is Win,” but there are plenty of options.  For singer-songwriter and USC fan Patrick Davis, the Cocks provided an inspiration – to write a song about his beloved team during last night’s game.  He shared his ditty with the world via YouTube.

The song, an ode to “our boys of summer, Wingo and his Yard Cocks,” name checks players and Coach Tanner and tells the story of Carolina’s incredible run over the past year or so, starting with last year’s miraculous win over Oklahoma in Omaha.

I’m already obsessed with this song.  It’s clever, it’s catchy, and it’s even better because the Gamecocks won last night.  I guarantee you’ll be singing along by the time you’ve heard the chorus once or twice.

Throughout Carolina’s time in Omaha, each day’s post will be part of the Road to a Repeat series, as the Gamecocks look to win back-to-back national championships.

OHMYGODWEWONBACKTOBACKCHAMPSWOOHOOOOOOOGOCOCKS!!!!!!!

Before I recap the game, I’d just like to say that I’m not a superstitious person, but I wore the same shirt and shorts for every single game the team played in the NCAA Tournament and in Omaha. They went undefeated. Is there a correlation? Probably not. But I did it anyway.

Gamecocks celebrate with their 2011 CWS trophy and "Back2Back Champs" championship belt. (Photo courtesy of GoGamecocks)

Now for the important stuff…

The South Carolina Gamecocks are your 2011 College World Series Champions, taking the title for a second straight year. They closed down Rosenblatt, and they got the first championship title at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha. That’s history, and it’s pretty darn special.

They didn’t have to be the comeback kids or take it past nine innings tonight as they beat the Florida Gators 5-2, going undefeated in Omaha (the last team to do that was Miami in 2001), and setting records for most consecutive NCAA Tournament wins with 16 and for most consecutive CWS wins with 11. The last team to win back-to-back titles was Oregon State in 2006 and 2007.

Carolina got on the board early, taking a 3-0 lead in the third, thanks to a Scott Wingo sacrifice, a Christian Walker single/Nolan Fontana error, and a Brady Thomas single. The Gators responded in the fourth with a home run from SEC Player of the Year Mike Zunino, who managed to break out of his slump tonight. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for Zunino and the Gators.

The Gamecocks had a chance to break the game open in the fifth with the bases loaded and two outs, but Jake Williams struck out to end the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, though, Peter Mooney went yard, putting the Gamecocks up 4-1 and giving them their first homer in Omaha.

The Gators tacked on another run in the top of the eighth on an RBI from Josh Adams, but the Cocks had a little left in them, and put one more on the board in the bottom of the inning, thanks to an RBI off the bat of who else but Captain Clutch himself, Wingo (who has also been dubbed “OchoWingo” on twitter). Matt Price closed the game out, and Carolina dogpiled on the field as champions for the second year in a row.

» Continue reading “Road to a Repeat: GAMECOCKS ARE BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS!”

Throughout Carolina’s time in Omaha, each day’s post will be part of the Road to a Repeat series, as the Gamecocks look to win back-to-back national championships.

This could be the final game of the 2011 CWS. I kind of hope it is. If USC wins, they’ll set a new NCAA record for consecutive wins in tournament games. Right now, they’re tied with Texas at 15.

Here’s what you need to know before the game:

The Gamecocks and the Gators will face off at 8 ET again tonight. Michael Roth will start for South Carolina, and Karston Whitson will go for Florida.

Christian Walker will play, because the doctors have told him he’s doing no further damage to his injury by doing so.

He’s just playing through pain, at this point, so if it got bad enough, I guess it’s conceivable that he’d come out of the game. Something tells me it’d have to get really bad for him to let that happen.

The faces of the Gators were shocked last night, and I’m sure they were stunned for a long while after the game ended. Will they be able to rebound from that? Last night’s game was theirs to lose and they lost it – have they defeated themselves?

Who will be the hero for Carolina tonight (if they need one)? Will Matt Price pitch again? Will this one go to extras? I have a feeling the Cardiac Cocks might not be through yet, but I also think not having to be the comeback kids for one night might be a bit of a relief (let’s get a bunch of runs early!).

» Continue reading “Road to a Repeat: USC vs. UF Preview – Game 2″

Throughout Carolina’s time in Omaha, each day’s post will be part of the Road to a Repeat series, as the Gamecocks look to win back-to-back national championships.

OH. MY. WORD.

They did it again.

The comeback kids took fans (and themselves) through 11 innings of sometimes frustrating, sometimes thrilling, and always riveting baseball.

I’m still too excited to make this entirely coherent, so I’m just going to list what pops into my head. I think y’all will understand.

• Christian Walker, he who was all but ruled out for tonight’s game thanks to the fractured hamate bone in his left wrist, somehow was not only well enough to play, but well enough to play well.
• Forrest Koumas gave his team all they could have asked for, pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up only one run.
• Jake Williams got his first assist of the year at the best time, rocketing a ball from the outfield to home plate, robbing Cody Dent of scoring a run.
• Matt Price is still a beast.
• Scott Wingo was unreal today, and should probably be the MOP of the CWS (sidenote: he’s also adorable).
• Robert Beary made some excellent plays at the plate.
• Tyler Webb was impressive.
• Intentional walks will never not make me nervous.
• Hudson Randall is really, really, good.
• Florida used a lot of relief pitchers.
• I’m really glad Mike Zunino didn’t break out of his slump.
• That was Florida’s game to lose, especially when they were up 1-0 late in the game.
• Question: How could you have the bases loaded with no outs and not score? Answer: You were Wingo’d.
• Another question: Who scores on errors to win the game, two games in a row? Answer: The Gamecocks do.
• If this team doesn’t have a destiny to fulfill, then there is no other explanation for this.
• The SEC is the most dominant conference in baseball (and in general, really), and this game was the epitome of what a championship game should be.
• #GatorsWearJorts was a hashtag being used on twitter tonight (and it will probably be used tomorrow), and it was a beautiful thing.
• I think these games really are aging me, raising my blood pressure, and giving me gray hairs.
• I love hearing the GAME-COCKS cheer on TV (and my roommate and I were partaking from our apartment).
• And in case you, like I, were wondering if the Head Ball Coach is in the house at TD Ameritrade:

Throughout Carolina’s time in Omaha, each day’s post will be part of the Road to a Repeat series, as the Gamecocks look to win back-to-back national championships.

Here are the facts, y’all:

The Gamecocks and the Gators will face off in the first game of the title series tonight at 8 ET. UF will be the home team, and Carolina will be the home team tomorrow night (and Wednesday, if the game is necessary).

USC will start freshman Forrest Koumas on the mound tonight, and Florida will start freshman Hudson Randall. Randall shut out the Gamecocks way back in March, but that was then and this is now.

Christian Walker has not yet been ruled out, which means he could still play tonight. He had an X-ray and CT scan this morning which verified that he has a fractured hamate bone, so there’s a slim probability that he’ll be able to play. Walker tweeted that he’s doing everything he can and it’s now in God’s hands, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

He’ll be a game-time decision, and if he can’t go, it’s likely that Robert Beary will move to first, and Brady Thomas will catch. Michael Roth is the other (but far less likely) option at first for Carolina. Steven Neff will probably be the DH.

Walker’s absence would certainly be a blow to the team, but the Cocks have battled (there’s that word again) through injuries and adversity all year, so it’s not like they’ve never seen this movie. They were already considered the underdogs by some, because Florida is, at least on paper, a stronger team in many ways.

Having watched the Gators through the entire post season, I can definitely see that. They’ve also got team chemistry, seemingly. They happen to be really good ballplayers, too.

That being said, I don’t know that anything can touch the bond that the guys in garnet and black have. Last year’s championship run was unreal, and this year’s has had its own moments of magic, luck, or whatever you want to call it.

» Continue reading “Road to a Repeat: USC vs. UF Preview – Game 1″

Throughout Carolina’s time in Omaha, each day’s post will be part of the Road to a Repeat series, as the Gamecocks look to win back-to-back national championships.

I’m doing something a little different for this preview.  Usually I give y’all a collection of pertinent information, offer up a “go get ‘em, boys!” type statement, and call it good.

This time, though, Brian Foley, editor of CollegeBaseballDaily.com was nice enough to do an interview and share his opinions on the strengths of each team, his feelings about the two teams, and who he thinks will come out on top.

This is part one of the preview; tomorrow I’ll post the less subjective, but still important, relevant info (starting pitchers, Christian Walker’s status, Omaha’s weather forecast, etc).

Are you surprised that these two teams are competing for the national title?

Absolutely not, Florida, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt have been my three top teams in the entire country throughout the season.

USC is trying to win back to back championships; Florida has never won the CWS.  Does one of them have more motivation? How about more pressure?

There’s more pressure on Florida as they’ve had one of the top recruiting classes in the entire nation for the last three straight years.  They have a ton of talent but just haven’t been able to come home with the big prize in Omaha yet.

Florida (53-17) and USC (53-14) were co-champions (along with Vandy) of the regular season in the SEC.  What sets the teams apart from each other?

There is not much that separates these two teams at all. They both have outstanding bullpens, while I would give the edge for pro prospects in the lineup and in the starting rotation to the Gators. Michael Roth has had one of the best seasons in recent memory (13-3, an ERA of .98) but doesn’t have that pro-type stuff like Florida’s Hudson Randall and Brian Johnson.

Both schools have great pitching staffs and quality bullpens who keep their team in the game.  Who has the advantage?

See above

» Continue reading “Road to a Repeat: USC vs. UF Series Preview – Chatting With CollegeBaseballDaily.com”

Throughout Carolina’s time in Omaha, each day’s post will be part of the Road to a Repeat series, as the Gamecocks look to win back-to-back national championships.

Uh oh.  First baseman Christian Walker is injured and questionable for the final series of the CWS.

Photo courtesy of the USC Athl. Dept.

According to Coach Tanner, Walker tweaked his wrist during his final at-bat in the UVA game Friday night.  According to numerous reports on twitter, Walker was in immense pain at Carolina’s practice today, and could only swing the bat once before having to stop.  His left wrist is in a brace and he was apparently visibly upset when talking to trainers.

In the likely event that Walker cannot go tomorrow night, the Gamecocks have two options at first – catcher Robert Beary and pitcher Michael Roth.  If Beary plays first, Brady Thomas will catch.

This team has been plagued by the injury bug all season, so a problem like this isn’t exactly new to them.  This is a horribly unfortunate time for an injury to a key player, though.  The team will certainly have to employ their “battle” mantra if they want to come out on top, but this shouldn’t be a problem, as they don’t back down from challenges and tough situations.

Walker has started every game this season, and leads the Cocks in batting average, home runs, and RBIs.  Tanner had this to say to the media following today’s practice:

“The fact we’ve had some adversity and been able to survive, and if Christian’s not able to play, we’ll feel bad for him.  He’s real upset right now.  He was hoping that he would feel a little bit better today when he jumped in the cage and it just wasn’t there for him.”

Not exactly encouraging, and it’ll certainly be a blow to the team, but don’t freak out just yet, Gamecocks fans.  Remember, this team makes magic happen, and you know Bayler’s been on our side before (see: 2010 CWS games, Friday’s game against UVA).  If these guys believe they can win, no matter who’s out there (and I think they do), then there’s no reason to panic.

And if you don’t believe me, believe Assistant Coach Holbrook, who just tweeted this:

Throughout Carolina’s time in Omaha, each day’s post will be part of the Road to a Repeat series, as the Gamecocks look to win back-to-back national championships.

Hopefully we’ve all caught our breath after last night’s wonderful victory.  Knowing how excited I was, I can only imagine what it would be like to be a player.  Luckily for us, Gamecock baseball loves twitter, so we don’t have to wonder how the guys felt.  Enjoy!

Throughout Carolina’s time in Omaha, each day’s post will be part of the Road to a Repeat series, as the Gamecocks look to win back-to-back national championships.

JSAKLADFKSALDKSALFJDSKFHDJKFJSAKLDKSLDFNDSMVNCDFJSDFJDSKFDJDKSF WE WON!!!!!!! SO PROUD TO BE A GAMECOCK!!!!! SASFJFKSLFJDKFJDSKFJDSKFJSDKFJKFDJ WE’RE GOING TO THE ‘SHIP, Y’ALL!!!!!!!!!

OK, now that that’s out of the way…

Carolina will face off against Florida for the chance to bring another CWS trophy home to Carolina Stadium

Holy cow that was a long game.  13 innings, almost four hours, and I think  I aged about 38.4 years.

UVA got on the board early, and their starter, Danny Hultzen, struck out eight of nine Gamecocks his first time through the order.

Hultzen also was suffering from the flu, though, and may or may not have been ill between innings.  He only lasted three innings before having to be replaced.

Carolina’s starter, Michael Roth, was great as well, and settled down as the game went on.  He only surrendered one run, his first earned run given up in over 38 innings.  The Gamecocks trailed 1-0 until they got on the board in the fourth, thanks to an RBI double from Brady Thomas when the bases were loaded.

Carolina led 2-1 until the top of the eighth, when the Hoos tied it up.  John Taylor had a short stint on the mound today, before closer Matt Price came in.

I’m pretty sure he had no idea he’d be pitching in innings 8-13 and throwing near the century mark in pitches, but he was definitely a warrior.  Price did give up the second run of the game for the Cavaliers, but luckily that was the last run they’d get.

13 innings later, with Price having thrown about 100 pitches and being in a bases-loaded jam, the Cocks got an incredible double play – UVA’s John Barr lined out to Scott Wingo, who flipped the ball to Peter Mooney.  Barr had not hit into a DP in 235 at bats, but hit into three against SC this week.

» Continue reading “Road to a Repeat: LONGEST. GAME. EVER. BUT WE WON!”

Throughout Carolina’s time in Omaha, each day’s post will be part of the Road to a Repeat series, as the Gamecocks look to win back-to-back national championships.

South Carolina will take on UVA in a rematch game tomorrow night.  If South Carolina wins, they will advance to the championship series.  If Virginia wins, it will force an elimination game between the two teams.

Virginia is the top-seeded team in the tournament, but they’ve struggled already, and were facing elimination tonight.  They rebounded nicely, though, and soundly defeated the Golden Bears 8-1, ending the Cal team’s Cinderella season.

Neither team has announced their starting pitcher yet, and likely won’t until tomorrow morning.  USC will start either freshman Forrest Koumas or junior Michael Roth on the mound.  UVA will start Danny Hultzen or Whit Mayberry, although Hultzen seems like the more likely choice.

Image courtesy of the UVA Atheltic Dept.

The Cocks had their offense and defense clicking on all cylinders, plus quality pitching, last time they faced the Cavaliers, but Virginia was also not having their best night.  I hope there’s a repeat performance from both teams, but that certainly can’t be counted on.

Virginia played tonight like South Carolina did in their first match-up, so it’ll be interesting to see which UVA team shows up tomorrow night.

The Hoos have a lot to live up to as the No. 1 seed, but South Carolina has a lot to live up to as well, being the defending champions.  I’d say it’d be good for the Gamecocks to jump out early, like they did last time against Virginia, but they’re also strong when they have to come from behind.  Regardless, they need to bring their best to the field.