REGIONAL COULD BECOME ARMS RACE.Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. pitcher Rik Currier is a baseball purist pur·ist n. One who practices or urges strict correctness, especially in the use of words. pu·ris  tic adj. , preferring 1-0 decisions. ``Hopefully I'm (holding the opponent) to the nothing side,'' he said. Nothing ever is certain in the aluminum-bat and 14-13 world of college baseball College baseball is baseball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. Compared to American football and basketball in the United States, college competition plays a less significant contribution to cultivating . But Currier and an esteemed collection of pitchers could dominate in this weekend's NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association Regional at Dedeaux Field Dedeaux Field is a college baseball stadium in Los Angeles, California, and the home field of the University of Southern California Trojans baseball team. The stadium holds 2,500 people and was built in 1974, the year USC won its record fifth consecutive College World Series title. . The top two seeds, USC and Pepperdine, arguably carry the nation's top two starters: the Trojans' Currier and Saturday starter Mark Prior, and the Waves' Dan Haren Daniel John ("Dan") Haren (born September 17, 1980 in Monterey Park, California) is a baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Oakland Athletics. High School and College Career Dan Haren graduated from Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, CA in 1998. and Noah Lowry Noah Ryan Lowry (born October 10 1980 in Ventura, California) is a left-handed starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. With only average velocity on his fastball, Lowry was not widely regarded as a top prospect, and did not make Baseball . Haren starts Pepperdine's 7 p.m. opener tonight against third-seeded Fresno State. The other teams in this regional aren't without some prized arms, as well. Oral Roberts Noun 1. Oral Roberts - United States evangelist (born 1918) Roberts sends 14-0 junior Michael Rogers
Tonight's Fresno State starter, Nick Moran Nicholas James Moran, better known as Nick Moran (born 23 December 1969), is a British actor, writer and producer. He is probably best known for his role in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, in which he played Eddy the card shark. , is 6-5 but went 3-1 in four late-season starts, including a three-hit shutout of Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (commonly referred to as the WAC, pronounced "wack") was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly champion Rice. ``Our motto is to ... throw shutouts every time,'' Rogers said. ``The better pitching does shut down the better hitting. ... But at any time this is college baseball ... there could be 10-run games.'' There are the usual offensive superstars among the participating teams. But the consensus is superior pitching sends the winner into the Super Regionals. ``If any one of those pitchers pitches the way he can, it's going to be a tough game for the other team,'' Fresno State coach Bob Bennett said. ``If two guys pitch like they can, it's going to come down to one play.'' --Viva Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. : Pepperdine assistant Steve Rodriguez has applied for the vacant head-coaching position at Nevada Las Vegas after the Rebels fired Rod Soesbe earlier this week. Rodriguez, a hero on Pepperdine's 1992 national-championship team, loves coaching at his alma mater. But he grew up in Las Vegas, and his parents, brother and sister live there. ``It would definitely be tough to leave this area and these guys that we brought in here. But I don't want to be an assistant coach my whole life,'' Rodriguez said. ``It's a big-time job. (UNLV's) in a situation over there where they have the facilities. ... I think you can win there.'' --Odds and ends: Fresno State junior first baseman Brandon Gemoll will play tonight after suffering a left-wrist injury last weekend. Gemoll's brother Justin played at USC in 1999 and 2000. ... Trojans sophomore second baseman second baseman n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker Anthony Lunetta, whose tender right elbow limited him to designated-hitter duties late in the year, will DH today. Coach Mike Gillespie said Lunetta could return to his second-base spot over the weekend. ... Currier was the Trojans' second starter behind Prior in the regular season. But the spotlight is nothing new for Currier, a four-year veteran. Today marks the third time he starts a regional opener for the Trojans. ... Oral Roberts coach Sunny Golloway, a former Oklahoma assistant, knows about USC's legacy in postseason play. ``The last time I competed against USC, Geoff Jenkins hit a bomb over the center-field wall at the (1995) College World Series,'' Golloway said. ``I still tease the pitcher ... Ryan Minor. He pointed at the ball that Jenkins hit. The ball kept going over the wall like it was an infield pop-up. ``That was when we were defending national champions (the Trojans eliminated the Sooners) ... USC beat us pretty good in a second-round game. They've had such a great tradition.'' TODAY'S REGIONAL SCHEDULE At USC's Dedeaux Field 3 p.m.: Oral Roberts vs. USC 7 p.m.: Fresno State vs. Pepperdine TEAM CAPSULES No. 1 USC TROJANS Head coach: Mike Gillespie (15th season, 602-330-2) 2001 record: 39-17 NCAA bid: Automatic, Pacific-10 Conference champions Key players: Junior P Mark Prior (13-1, 1.49 ERA, 166 K); Senior P Rik Currier (10-2, 2.36); Junior OF Brian Barre (.337 BA, 12 HR, 46 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in , 18 SB); Junior 1B Bill Peavey (.300, 5 HR, 43 RBI); Senior SS Seth Davidson (.312, 14 2B, 39 R) Outlook: The Trojans have the home-field advantage, one starting pitcher (Prior) who many think can throw in the big-leagues now and another (Currier) with four years of regional and College World Series experience. The snag might be their offense in a regional brimming with quality pitchers. Fast fact: The Trojans are 60-13 in postseason competition at Dedeaux Field. No. 2 PEPPERDINE WAVES Head coach: Frank Sanchez (fifth season, 189-102) 2001 record: 41-16 Bid: Automatic, West Coast Conference champions Key players: Junior P/DH Dan Haren (10-3, 2.39; .313, 46 RBI), Junior P Noah Lowry (14-1, 1.51), Senior 1B Jared Pitney (.392, 12 HR, 61 RBI), Junior 2B Danny Garcia (.388, 8 HR, 52 RBI, 27 SB), Junior CF Woody Cliffords (.345, 61 R, 24 SB) Outlook: In almost any other regional, the top two starting pitchers, Haren and Lowry, would be the marquee names. But USC, Oral Roberts and Fresno State rely on pitching for success. The Waves' red-hot offense (.343 team average in last 25 games) could make the difference. Fast fact: The Waves' pregame ritual of watching movies recently included a screening of Pepperdine's 1992 College World Series championship run. No. 3 FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS Head coach: Bob Bennett (33rd season, 1,268-728-4) 2001 record: 39-23 Bid: At-large Key players: Senior SS Josh Labandeira (.366, 14 HR, 67 RBI), Junior 1B Brandon Gemoll (.317, 13 HR, 58 RBI), Junior C Brad Harper (.308, 8 HR 42 RBI), Junior P Bob Runyon (9-1, 3.74), Senior 2B Oscar Lopez (.351, 44 R, 42 RBI) Outlook: With the lowest RPI RPI - Rockwell Protocol Interface of any at-large selection, the Bulldogs squeezed into the field of 64 thanks to an 11-4 finish. Wins over Stanford and Rice give Fresno State reason to be confident. Fast fact: The Bulldogs rank sixth all-time with 28 NCAA Tournament appearances. No. 4 ORAL ROBERTS GOLDEN EAGLES The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles are the 16 intercollegiate teams representing the Oral Roberts University that compete in the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. Oral Roberts competes in The Summit League in all sports. Head coach: Sunny Golloway (sixth season, 246-115) 2001 record: 48-11 Bid: Automatic (Mid-Continent Conference champions) Key players: Junior P Michael Rogers (14-0, 2.05), Freshman P Rene Recio (8-1, 2.76), Senior SS Steve Holm (.303, 44 RBI, 23 SB), Junior OF Chad Stewart (.342, 25 SB) Outlook: With 48 wins and four consecutive regional appearances, Oral Roberts isn't a typical No. 4 seed. The unbeaten Rogers threw well against respected opponents Arizona State, Oklahoma and Southwest Missouri State. He'll challenge USC. Fast fact: Notable ORU ORU Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, Oklahoma) ORU Organized Research Unit(s) ORU Orbital Replacement Unit ORu Old Russian (linguistics) ORU Orbital Replaceable Unit alumni include daytime talk-show host Kathy Lee Gifford. -Chris Cocoles CAPTION(S): photo, 2 boxes Photo: Mark Prior, arguably one of the nation's top starters, will take the mound Saturday for USC. John Kennedy/Special to the Daily News Box: (1) TODAY'S REGIONAL SCHEDULE (see text) (2) TEAM CAPSULES (see text) |
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