Would you say that they are the kind of lunch pail team that RC is working to build? I mean besides the fact that they won back-to-back titles.

I would agree. Also, they don't seem to lolly gag as some have suggested happens at times with our younger players. I still think Jackie Bradley, Jr needs to use two hands!

COMPLACENCY KILLS!

Don't fool yourself, that team has talent. They have pitching that is deep, a great bullpen, and they have hitting and speed all over their lineup. Call it lunch pail blue collar type team if you will but you still have to have the horses in the stable and they do.

For all of my love of the Big 12 as a baseball conference, I don't think that anyone we played this season prepared us for South Carolina. It was the only time all year that I feel we were outmatched.

We got a great start out of Stripling. He was every bit the equal of Roth (that night). However, we had no one in our bullpen to match Taylor and Price... not statistically and certainly not that night.

It was a game that we could have won because of the four run first inning, but don't forget that all of our runs were unearned. Both teams had first inning of the CWS jitters.

We should have made some noise in Omaha. I regret that the team that lost to SHSU, two of three at Mizzou, and at UTSA showed up rather than the one we had seen all post-season. We were clearly, to me at least, a better team than Cal.

South Carolina, however, was at another level than anyone in the Big 12 or Florida State.

[This message has been edited by dabo man (edited 6/29/2011 9:21a).]

That Tanner guy is not chopped liver either.

Hey - that was my 1,001 post!!!

I think that overall you guys were our biggest challenge of the CWS. Yes others had better pitching and others had better hitting statistically but you all gave us the best game and challenge as it played out on the field or at least a very close second to the 13 inning UVA game.

Not to beat a dead horse but I hope that one day we can play each other regularly in the same conference!

a few thoughts...

perhaps stating the obvious, but South Carolina simply did not make as many mistakes as their opponents. They played solid consistent baseball and waited for their opponents to make blunders/fail to execute

Carolina induced a lot of double play balls by having pitchers that sink the baseball. Forced the other team to hit it on the ground. That is arguably better that having a great strikeout staff

If it wasn't for the ump giving the outside strikes to Roth the outcome would have been different.

I don't think we were outmatched at all. We are very close to greatness as a program all of a sudden.

Errors and our pitching woes are what held us back. I also felt our bats were not as hot as they had been in the season. That could be the level of pitching though.

Regardless, you can't make mistakes in the CWS and expect to win it all.