Posts by Jon Nyatawa
Two games in and NC State’s Trea Turner finally gets it.
A reporter asked the sophomore shortstop Tuesday about his warning-track shot in the eighth inning of a 2-1 loss to UCLA, what would-have/could-have/should-have been a go-ahead three-run homer but the ballpark held it in.
The question: Did you think it was out?
Turner’s response: “Yeah, I was dumb enough to.”
Two-plus years of College World Series action and TD Ameritrade Park is still fooling hitters. They’ve heard about the spacious outfield, the lower elevation (as compared to Rosenblatt) and the pitcher-friendly wind patterns, yet they’re still surprised when a ball they crush dies at the track.
Of course, the most troubling aspect of all this is what Turner said next.
“That’s about as good …
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From now until the start of fall camp, The World-Herald will be counting down the top 50 players you need to know heading into the 2013 football season.
Meet No. 45 on our list:
Paul Thurston | 6-5 | 280 pounds | Freshman | Offensive lineman
He’s set to compete for playing time among the second-string interior linemen this fall, perhaps setting himself up to be the center of the future on Nebraska’s offensive line.
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| Click here to see previous entries in the Husker Camp Countdown series. |
Thurston worked at center this spring, and after battling through some growing pains, all accounts were that he began to settle in. The adjustment was expected — he was dealing with things like delivering a shotgun snap perfectly …
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As the debate about ballpark dimensions and wind patterns rages on this week after a third near-homer in four days settled into an outfielder’s glove, the Bruins will rest comfortably knowing they’re right where they want to be.
Four runs in two games — that’s all UCLA has needed to move one win away from the national championship series.
The Bruins scored two unearned runs in a 2-1 win over LSU Sunday, jumping in front because of two-out error. They tied Tuesday’s game at 1-1 on a bloop single (their only RBI-hit of the CWS so far) before taking the lead on a wild pitch, holding on for a 2-1 win over NC State.
Here’s how UCLA coach John Savage described it, struggling initially to …
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Well before opening day, three members from the 1968 College World Series team walked into NC State’s locker room to talk to the guys about that milestone season.
The specific details of their speeches aren’t necessarily important (most current players don’t remember anyway). But here’s what mattered: Those old dudes once wore the NC State uniform in Omaha.
“They pretty much described their season to us and how they made it to the College World Series,” sophomore Jake Fincher said. “They told us it could be a reality for us.”
(If you missed it, read this about Francis Combs, an NC State player in 1968 who’s joined by a dozen other teammates in Omaha this week to root for the alma mater.)
Combs was …
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Did you hear that sound a few minutes ago? It was the collective cry of frustration from dozens of local business owners who just realized that LSU’s stay in Omaha is now over.
No baseball fan base travels like Tiger Nation. The Mardi Gras beads. The Cajun food. The southern drawl.
Sure, a few fans in purple-and-gold will hang around (they’re here even when the Tigers don’t make the CWS). But the majority will presumably head back south now, disappointed with LSU’s short appearance in the 2013 event.
The players are bummed, too. They were all on the top step of the dugout in the ninth to watch third baseman Christian Ibarra, representing the potential tying run, strike out to end their season. Nobody moved …
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Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Tuesday’s elimination game between LSU and North Carolina is the fact that neither team is used to losing.
The Tigers’ longest losing streak of the season: two games (and that only happened once). They’ve won 57 of their other 65 contests.
North Carolina hasn’t lost back-to-back games all year — the last two-game losing streak was April 21 and 24 in 2012. In fact, the Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 81-28 in games following a defeat.
That’s why coach Mike Fox is confident in a team full of example-setters who’re confident even in the face of adversity.
“They instill that in themselves. I mean, there’s a trust factor,” he said. “That’s where we’ve gotta rely on your leaders, on your team. …
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All that cliché-laced chatter about fielding with sound fundamentals and remaining consistently sharp on defense sure seems to resonate a little more firmly after every game played at TD Ameritrade Park.
One bad throw or bobbled grounder and suddenly your opponent has a scoring chance in a ballpark that doesn’t often yield many runs (especially in the College World Series, where many of the nation’s best pitchers take the mound).
When you think about it, TD Ameritrade Park is actually quite torturous for fielders. They see this well-manicured, pristine-looking playing surface but are quickly reminded at first pitch that any fielding mistake could lead to a long inning — all while knowing that momentum-shifting rallies don’t seem to be as frequent when there’s no real …
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From now until the start of fall camp, The World-Herald will be counting down the top 50 players you need to know heading into the 2013 football season.
Meet No. 46 on our list:
Taariq Allen | 6-3 | 195 pounds | Sophomore | Wide receiver
Just when it appeared that Allen was set to earn a permanent spot in Nebraska’s rotation last year, he was blocked from behind on a kickoff against Michigan. He blew out his knee on the play.
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| Click here to see previous entries in the Husker Camp Countdown series. |
Allen’s been recovering ever since, and he’ll presumably have a few mental hurdles to clear when he’s back at full strength and in full pads this fall.
Considering his 6-foot-3 frame …
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Trey Porter saw that a left-handed reliever had emerged from Indiana’s bullpen. He turned toward the dugout and expected to hear his coach tell him to sit down.
Porter swings from the left-hand side of the plate. He’s been platooning at designated hitter all year, usually relegated to the bench when a team begins the game with a left-handed starter.
He had four at-bats during the postseason before Monday night. And with runners on second and third in a 3-3 game with two outs in the eighth inning — aka: the biggest moment of the season — Porter figured he was done.
He was wrong.
The senior stayed in and drove a 3-1 fastball off lefty reliever Brian Korte to right-center field, plating two runs …
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The Hoosiers were trailing by three runs in the bottom of the ninth two weeks ago and the eventual hero was yelling at himself in the bathroom.
Chad Clark’s two-out error — a slow-roller skipped off his glove — allowed two insurance runs to score in the top half. Was Indiana seriously about to drop a Regional opener to Valparaiso and fall into the loser’s bracket? The milestone season wasn’t supposed to be over this soon.
Clark couldn’t believe it. So he did the first thing that came to his mind before his team came to bat: Sprint to the bathroom, slam the door and scream.
“I was fortunate enough to block it out,” Clark said. “Had it lingered, there’s no way I would have …
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