Dec. 18, 2001
By Bo Carter, Director of Media Relations, Big 12 Conference
DALLAS, Texas - Many milestones for Big 12 baseball from 2001 will be difficult to duplicate in 2002, but interest in most programs remains at an all-time high.
Five conference teams (second to the Southeastern Conference with eight entries) advanced to the '01 NCAA Regionals, and Nebraska made a historic first trip to the NCAA World Series in Omaha, Neb. Baylor was one victory away from advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals while both Texas and Texas Tech advanced to the finals of rugged first round tournaments in California.
Five league schools were among the Top 15 in NCAA home attendance figures for last campaign. Big 12 schools appeared on 46 regional or national telecasts over a two-year span in 2000 and '01, and a current member of this conference advanced to the NCAA World Series for the 47th time in the last 53 years. NU became the 10th team from the Big 12 ranks to earn a trip to Omaha.
Individually, Baylor catcher Kelly Shoppach won the coveted Johnny Bench Award as the nation's top collegiate catcher and earned the Easton National Defensive Player of the Year Award with a 28-game hitting streak to highlight his efforts. NU's ace righthanded pitcher Shane Komine, who returns for 2002, joined teammate 1B Dan Johnson as consensus All-America selections along with Shoppach. The Huskers' Dave Van Horn also nabbed BASEBALL AMERICA National Coach of the Year kudos.
With achievements such as the ones mentioned above, the upcoming season, laced with one of the loop's toughest non-conference schedules, looks like a major mountain on paper. One of the nation's top coaching aggregations, coupled with a stellar recruiting year, makes that task a little less daunting.
Three of the all-time leaders in total baseball coaching wins (Texas' Augie Garrido in second place among active Division I coaches with 1,320 victories, Texas Tech's Larry Hays in fourth with 1,278 triumphs and Oklahoma's Larry Cochell in sixth place with 1,211 wins) lead a group with a composite 192 years (including 2002) in the head coaching ranks and 102 seasons at their current assignments.
This longevity has led to stability at all 10 current baseball-playing schools (Colorado dropped baseball after the 1980 campaign while Iowa State ended varsity baseball after 2001) in the Big 12 and some solid opportunities for postseason play in the coming spring.
Baylor has reloaded with 2000 Freshman All-America relief ace (now junior) righty Zane Carlson (23 career saves, including a school-record 15 as a yearling), sterling starter Steven White (10-3) and junior OF Chris Durbin (.358 average, 14 home runs, 57 RBI), among others. Coach Steve Smith looks to one of his top recruiting classes in his eighth year at the helm as unsigned third round draft choice in 2001 freshman lefthander Trey Taylor heads a solid group. The Bears look for their school-record fifth consecutive trek to the NCAA tourney behind line-drive hitting OF-2B Tim Hartshorn (.322-4-32) and 1B-OF Mike Huggins (.307-1-36). Improved team speed is another premium for Smith's forces, which stole 50 bases in 61 games last year.
Kansas always has expert tutelage under 18-year head coaching veteran and former Minnesota Twins' defensive specialist Bobby Randall. Randall returns 15 letterwinners (including six pitchers) from a squad which captured seven of its last eight games a year ago. 3B Ryan Klocksien (.321-4-37) garnered some All-Region recognition from the American Baseball Coaches Association and is joined by 1B Kevin Wheeler (.295-2-25), who made the most of a starting berth some 14 games into the 2001 season. Senior 6-foot-7 lefty Pete Smart (9-4, 3.20 ERA, 92 strikeouts-all team bests) will be hard to replace after he had a hand in over 33 percent of the team's wins in '01. Returnee Justin Wilcher (3-9, 4.87 ERA) is the most experienced returning hurler.
Kansas State hopes to utilize some its more fruitful recruiting at refurbished Frank Myers Field to make another run at qualification for postseason play. All-time KSU coaching victories' leader (390) Mike Clark is back for his 16th season with renewed optimism. Two years ago, the Wildcats were one win away from making the Phillips 66 Big 12 tourney, and a 2002 trip to The Ballpark in Arlington looms as a primary goal. RF Pat Maloney (.355-11-44) is a mainstay among returnees while CF Nick Sorensen (.295-5-24) packs some power up the middle. K-State returns six pitchers with a combined 15 of the teams' 24 victories last season, and righty Kevin Melcher (3-3, 5.02, 26 SO) joins relief man James Brazeal (1-5, 4.85, 3 saves) as two of the most promising veterans.
Missouri continues to be one of the most consistent teams in the Big 12 and nationally with an average of over 30 wins a year in the first seven years of the coach Tim Jamieson era. MU's 2001 victories over Loyola Marymount, Baylor, Nebraska (twice), Texas Tech (twice), and Texas again demonstrated the stability and competitive nature of the program. Hoping to offset the loss of do-it-all SS-P Ryan Stegall (.299-15-46, 4-0, 6 saves, 3.56 ERA) are 1B Mick Weiss (.302-9-41), OF Jayce Tingler (.304-0-32, 20 SB), OF Lee Laskowski (.304-2-18), and OF W.T. Hoover (.303-2-29)-four of eight position starters returning. Lefty pitcher Matt Hobbs (8-5, 4.06, 55 SO) heads a youthful pitching staff.
Nebraska has been one of the nation's most successful programs (18-5 in postseason play since 2000) and dominant in the Phillips 66 Big 12 meet (three-time defending victor) and may be dominant again with the return of Komine, who turned down a 19th-round offer from the St. Louis Cardinals. He's already the Huskers' career pacesetter in wins (31), strikeouts (395) and innings pitched (334 1/3) after going 14-2 with a 3.35 ERA and 157 whiffs last spring. There's no lack of support for the gritty righthander with All-America 1B-DH Matt Hopper (.358-12-85), CF Jeff Leise (.380-7-61, 17-for-17 SB) and standout southpaw Jamie Rodrigue (6-3, 6.03, 66 SO) back in the fold. Van Horn's squad led the Big 12 in team batting average (.334) by 16 points over runnerup Texas Tech and had 123 SBs last year.
Oklahoma's Cochell has a revamped crew after helping the Sooners continue a tradition of 33 winning seasons in the last 34 years. Twenty-four newcomers underwent evaluation in 2001 autumn practice as the 11 returning regulars had a chance to mix and mingle with the talented group. Pitcher Rocky Cherry (8-8, 4.88, 63 SO) is a 2002 workhouse with 13 starts and just 33 walks issued in 94 innings pitched in 2001. Second team All-America 1B Greg Dobbs (.428-10-62) led the Big 12 in overall hitting last year and is one standout who must be replaced immediately. SS Jason Bartlett (.288-6-31) also signed a contract after his senior season. Almost every starting position is up for grabs as 2002 commences.
Oklahoma State returned to its usual spot in the NCAA Regionals for the 20th time in 21 seasons and finished one homer behind Nebraska (81-80) in the 2001 Big 12 team power derby. Coach Tom Holliday relies on a revamped coaching staff, including new fulltime assistants Josh Holliday and Jason Bell (both star players as Cowboys' undergraduates) for continued improvement. Tom Holliday liked the 47 double plays turned by the '01 OSU edition but hopes for improvement in the team's .956 fielding percentage. All-America candidate 2B Nebassett Brown (.381-6-57) joins RHP Nick McCurdy (7-5, 3.61, 72 SO) as critical team building blocks. Shane Hawk (2-4, 3.88, 4 saves) and Daniel Rew (0-1, 3.50, 20 SO) are being shifted into key starting pitching roles.
Texas' returnees have "been there, done that" with several members of UT's 28th NCAA World Series aggregation in 2000 under future college Hall of Fame coach Augie Garrido (1979, '84 and '95 Cal State Fullerton NCAA titles' mentor). SS Omar Quintanilla, still just a soph, does not have CWS experience, but his credentials (.367-2-37, Freshman All-America) and 2001 Team USA know-how make the Longhorns a formidable force. Fellow Team USA participant C Ryan Hubele (.333-7-37) returns solid defense and plenty of batting punch. Soph lefthander Justin Simmons (7-3, 3.39, 40 SO) also notched 2001 Freshman All-America laurels for the 36-26 NCAA entry. OF-P Ben King (.312-5-49) missed his turns on the mound in '01 with a sore arm but can contribute greatly this season.
1999 USA BASEBALL Coach of the Year Mark Johnson (726 victories in 17 years at Texas A&M) is another seasoned winner with a shot at taking his 13th Aggies' squad since 1986 to NCAA activity. The Ags raced through three straight wins in the 2001 Phillips 66 Big 12 tourney into a showdown with eventual CWS participant Nebraska (7-4 winner over A&M) and won five of their last six games against Big 12 opponents. A&M used its traditionally strong pitching staff to make the late run at additional postseason play and relies on standout sophs Justin Moore (7-3, 3.51, 49 SO) and lefthander Matt Farnum (4-5, 3.63, 70 SO) to provide the moundwork in front of senior 2B Ty Garner (.313-2-25), the son of Major League manager and former Tennessee All-America Phil Garner.
Texas Tech just keeps on winning under 32-year head coaching legend Larry Hays (16th season at Tech) and needs just a little bit of luck to advance to its eighth consecutive NCAA tournament. Standout hitters 3B Nick Blankenship (.353-10-61) and OF Austin Cranford (.387-7-36) return from the league's second-most-potent (.318 average, 8.1 runs per game) offense last season Pitching ace Chris Phillips (11-5, 4.13, 89 SO) was third in the conference in total victories in 2001 while toiling a league-most 137 1/3 innings. Someone must step in for courageous Brandon Roberson (13-3, 4.18, 106 SO) who made a miraculous comeback after 2000 arm surgery. SS Gera Alvarez (.338-8-51) was a fixture in the '01 infield and is counted on for a powerful stroke and defense on the current group.
