OMAHA � When Ray Tanner became head coach at South Carolina in 1997, he took a realistic look around the Southeastern Conference and decided most of the teams were circling the Gamecocks on their schedule as a series they should win handily. Within a few years, Tanner had built his program to the point where he was looking at other schools the same way. Not any longer.
Brace Hemmelgam, U.S. Presswire
Hudson Randall, who started Florida's College World Series opener vs. Texas, will get the call again Monday to open the title series against South Carolina.
Brace Hemmelgam, U.S. Presswire
Hudson Randall, who started Florida's College World Series opener vs. Texas, will get the call again Monday to open the title series against South Carolina.
"There's nobody to play ? everybody's good," he said. "As one of our (SEC) coaches said, our league tremendously exciting but very dangerous. You can go from first to worst. You can be a pretty good team and not feel very well at the end of the year."
When No. 4 seed South Carolina meets second seed Florida in their best-of-three championship series beginning Monday, it will be first time since 1998 that schools from the same conference have played for the title. The Gamecocks are trying to become only the sixth school with back-to-back championships.
Florida is going for its first crown. If the Gators succeed, they will join the Gamecocks and LSU in 2009 to become just the second trio of schools from the same league with consecutive titles.
Seven of the SEC's 12 schools reached the NCAA tournament and three (Vanderbilt was seeded sixth) reached the CWS this year. Their record in Omaha is 8-2 with the only losses coming in Florida's wins against Vandy.
South Carolina, Florida and Vanderbilt all play in the SEC East Division, and their competition was so tight, all three tied for the regular-season title with 22-8 conference marks.
"I think that's what separates this league from most," Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan said of the conference's depth. "The places you have to play, there's no let-up from any weekend to weekend."
There might have been no separation between Florida and South Carolina during the year, but they begin the championship series as virtual strangers. The Gamecocks won two of three games in Gainesville during the regular season, but that came three months ago.
"It's been quite awhile, things change and personnel changes," Tanner said." But one constant is that both of us have remained consistent. We've been in the hunt."
The finals have been evenly divided between two-game sweeps and three-game series since the format was adopted in 2003. South Carolina needed only two games to knock off UCLA for last year's title.
Both teams advanced through bracket play unbeaten. Florida hasn't lost consecutive games since early May, and the Gamecocks have had back-to-back losses only twice all season, suggesting this Series could go the limit. If so, the Gators are set up more advantageously on the mound.
Hudson Randall will start the opener, followed by freshman Karsten Whitson, the ninth overall pick in last year's major league draft. Left-hander Alex Panteliodis would be available for a third game. All three have started games in Omaha and have teamed to allow three earned runs in 161/3 innings.
South Carolina closer Matt Price went a season-high 52/3 innings and threw 95 pitches Friday in the Gamecocks' 13-inning victory against top seed Virginia. He won't be available Monday.
"I wish they'd played a little longer," O'Sullivan said.
Gamecocks ace Michael Roth, 13-3 with a 0.98 ERA, went the first seven innings in that game, throwing 90 pitches. He would have to go on three days' rest if he started Tuesday.
"If it's a situation where we feel like Michael gives us the best opportunity, we'll run him out there," Tanner said. "But we want to make sure we do the right thing physically.
"If you just go on paper, they may be set up a little bit better than us right now. But it's a short series. Anything can happen. It's one play, one pitch, that kind of thing."
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