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Volume 72, Issue 76,
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Sports Conference's strength lies in baseball By RONNIE TURNER
Conference USA may not be much to look at in football and basketball when compared to power conferences across the nation, but the league's baseball teams are sure to turn some heads this season. C-USA looks to be one of the nation's elite baseball conferences in 2007 with the inclusion of four teams that earned berths to the NCAA Regional last season, including Rice, which advanced to the College World Series, where it fell one victory short of the championship series. In addition to Rice, Tulane, Houston and Southern Miss, squads like East Carolina and Memphis could make a serious run at postseason tournament berths. All eyes will undoubtedly be turned toward Rice, which has been tagged the No. 1 team in the nation in several preseason polls. The Owls, who finished 57-13 and claimed the C-USA regular season and tournament titles last season, have also been picked by the league's coaches to repeat as conference champion. With the return of 18 lettermen, seven position starters and 11 pitchers with experience, the Owls certainly have the firepower to validate the hype. Tulane, which returns 23 lettermen from last season's 43-17 squad, was picked to finish second and should challenge Rice for the top spot. Houston and Southern Miss, picked to finish third and fourth respectively, shouldn't be counted out, either. Don't be surprised if C-USA manages to land two teams in this season's College World Series. Rice has the experience and the pitching needed to weather a long season, as well as the top-notch direction of head coach Wayne Graham, who coached the Owls to the 2003 national title. Tulane has immense talent and the expert coaching of Rick Jones. Could the 2007 national champion hail from C-USA? With this league, that's not out of the question. High expectations If C-USA's nine head coaches are to be believed, not only will Rice field the league's best team in 2007, but also the best player and pitcher. Rice was named the unanimous preseason favorite on Jan. 18. Owls junior pitcher/first baseman Joe Savery and junior pitcher Cole St. Clair were selected as the preseason C-USA Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, respectively. Considering the résumés of these two impressive players, it may not have been a tough decision for the league's coaches to make. Savery and St. Clair were key players during Rice's run to the 2006 College World Series. Savery (.335, 9 home runs, 66 RBIs) gives the Owls a big bat in the middle of their lineup and should also provide a lift to the Owls' heralded pitching staff. Last season, a shoulder injury limited Savery to only 11 starts. He finished 5-1 with a 2.76 ERA. St. Clair was easily one of the top relief pitchers in the nation in 2006, going 7-2 with a 1.82 ERA in 37 appearances. St. Clair is a starter at heart, though, and he will get the chance to fulfill his dreams when he moves from the bullpen to the starting rotation this season. St. Clair has proven in the past that he can be effective in either role. By the numbers Houston is scheduled to play 18 games against eight teams that are ranked in at least one national preseason poll … Rice is ranked No. 1 in four national preseason polls … The Owls have also claimed 11 consecutive conference titles spanning three different leagues … Tulane has earned a trip to the NCAA Regional in each of the last nine years and looks to extend that streak to 10 in 2006 … Tulane pitcher Daniel Latham, a preseason All C-USA selection, is Tulane's and C-USA's all-time saves leader with 33 … Southern Miss is 125-63 over the past three seasons, which have all included berths in the NCAA Regional … Of the nine C-USA teams, Alabama-Birmingham had the misfortune of suffering the longest losing streak in 2006: 19 games. Send comments to dcsports@mail.uh.edu |
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