June 14, 200817 yr A chance to see Gordon Beckham play in the CWS. Georgia: 41-23-1 Coach: David Perno (247-182,-1, 7th season) How they got here: After winning the SEC regular season crown, the Bulldogs dropped their first game of the Athens Regional to Lipscomb. They've been outstanding since that point. The Bulldogs defeated rival Georgia Tech twice to win the Athens Regional, and took two of three from N.C. State over the weekend to punch their ticket to Omaha. Key Players: The Bulldogs enter the CWS with a .309 team batting average and a 4.82 team ERA. Shortstop Gordon Beckham leads the team with a .401 batting average, 26 homers and 72 RBIs. First baseman Rich Poythress is hitting .370 with 15 homers and 67 RBIs, while veterans Bryce Massanari and Ryan Peisel each have double-digit home run totals. The Georgia pitching staff is led by starting pitcher Trevor Holder and Joshua Fields. Holder is 8-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 87 innings of work, while Fields is one of the nation's premier closers with 16 saves and a 2.76 ERA in 32 2/3 innings of work. CWS Synopsis: The Bulldogs played great baseball throughout the regular season, but failed to impress in the SEC Tournament. Since that point, Georgia has gotten back to business and is once again playing good baseball. Georgia plays with a lot of passion, and is incredibly tough to slow down when the offense is on a roll. Georgia's starting pitching likely will determine its fate in the College World Series. Miami: 52-9 Coach: Jim Morris (694-254-2, 15th season at Miami) How they got here: After winning the ACC regular season and tournament crowns, the Hurricanes entered the NCAA Tournament a confident club. The 'Canes have yet to disappoint. After winning the Coral Gables Regional with ease, the Hurricanes battled back from a Super Regional series opening loss to Arizona to advance to the College World Series. Key Players: Miami heads to Omaha with a .322 team batting average a 3.93 team ERA. The Hurricanes are led at the plate by junior first baseman Yonder Alonso, who's hitting .367 with 23 homers and 71 RBIs. Second baseman Jemile Weeks is hitting .367 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs, while outfielder Blake Tekotte and shortstop Ryan Jackson are each hitting over .350. The Hurricanes also have a very good pitching staff with freshman left-hander Chris Hernandez and relievers Kyle Bellamy and Carlos Gutierrez leading the charge. Hernandez is 11-0 with a 2.62 ERA in 106 1/3 innings, while Bellamy has a 1.97 ERA and Gutierrez has a 3.02 ERA and 13 saves. CWS Synopsis: Miami joins North Carolina as the most balanced teams in the College World Series. The Hurricanes love to put pressure on opposing defenses, while the pitching staff has been vastly underrated for much of the season. Because of their balance and ability to succeed in clutch situations, Miami is our pick to win the national title. Edited June 14, 200817 yr by scenario
June 15, 200817 yr Author Yonder Alonso just hit a home run in the bottom of the 7th to give Miami a 4-3 lead. That guy has a great looking swing. Looks like a pro hitter right now. Didn't realize that he also leads the entire country in walks with 76. Edited June 15, 200817 yr by scenario
June 15, 200817 yr QUOTE (scenario @ Jun 14, 2008 -> 08:39 PM) Yonder Alonso just hit a home run in the bottom of the 7th to give Miami a 4-3 lead. That guy has a great looking swing. Looks like a pro hitter right now. Didn't realize that he also leads the entire country in walks with 76. With him, Votto, and Bruce, the Reds potentially have a great lefty trio. Looks like they are going to move Votto to LF, if everything goes as planned, since Alonso can only play 1B (he is about as slow as you get though).
June 15, 200817 yr Author Georgia started the top of the 9th down 4-2, facing Miami's closer who is one of the best in the country (and who is the Twins first round draft pick). In fact, Miami, coming into this game, was 45-0 when leading entering the 9th inning with a lead. What happens? Georgia scores 5 runs to take a 7-4 lead. Game still in progress. Edited June 15, 200817 yr by scenario
June 15, 200817 yr Author QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 14, 2008 -> 08:08 PM) With him, Votto, and Bruce, the Reds potentially have a great lefty trio. Looks like they are going to move Votto to LF, if everything goes as planned, since Alonso can only play 1B (he is about as slow as you get though). I've heard people say Alonso is slow, so I expected him to be some big body Prince Fielder type. Not at all. He looks pretty athletic to me. I didn't see him run though. But I did see him trot. Edited June 15, 200817 yr by scenario
June 15, 200817 yr Author Also, I heard some people on the board say Beckham is small??? He's not small. He looks like a very muscular athletic type. And he has a very impressive swing. Now I understand where the power numbers come from. His power is no fluke.
June 15, 200817 yr Author Update: Georgia upsets #1 ranked Miami... 7 to 4. Box Score Next, they'll play Stanford who upset Florida State earlier today. Edited June 15, 200817 yr by scenario
June 15, 200817 yr Damn, I'm so pissed. I meant to Tivo this game b/c I had to work... How'd Slayer look?
June 24, 200817 yr QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Jun 24, 2008 -> 02:52 AM) This game has been fantastic. The whole tourney has been
June 24, 200817 yr Author I think Joshua Fields could be pitching for Seattle by this time next year. That combination of heat + curveball is lethal. Edited June 24, 200817 yr by scenario
June 24, 200817 yr I love the new format which has the double throughout and than the best of 3 finale.
June 25, 200817 yr Slayer is 2 for 2 with a walk and a RBI. He just tied the game at 6 with his single.
June 25, 200817 yr QUOTE (chimpy2121 @ Jun 25, 2008 -> 01:23 AM) Slayer is 2 for 2 with a walk and a RBI. He just tied the game at 6 with his single. I'm such a fan of his. Great player, one of the best college SS I've ever seen.
June 25, 200817 yr QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 24, 2008 -> 07:27 PM) I'm such a fan of his. Great player, one of the best college SS I've ever seen. I don't mind the fact that he'll be under the Sox control for the greater portion of the next decade.
June 25, 200817 yr I like the nickname Slayer, but where did it originate? Hopefully he has a big game tomorrow and leads Georgia to the ultimate glory in college baseball. He's a fun player to watch, the limited time I've seen him makes me see why he's compared to Michael Young. Edited June 25, 200817 yr by whitesoxfan101
June 25, 200817 yr QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jun 24, 2008 -> 10:41 PM) I like the nickname Slayer, but where did it originate? Hopefully he has a big game tomorrow and leads Georgia to the ultimate glory in college baseball. He's a fun player to watch, the limited time I've seen him makes me see why he's compared to Michael Young. http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?s=...t&p=1660599
June 25, 200817 yr QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jun 25, 2008 -> 12:07 AM) http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?s=...t&p=1660599 That makes it even better/funnier. Thanks.
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