USC-STANFORD TO BE SUPER SERIES PLAYOFF-SAVVY TEAMS WILL SLUG IT OUT FOR CWS BERTH.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer

STANFORD - Super regional swamis, Omaha wise men. Whatever you want to call Stanford coach Mark Marquess and USC's Mike Gillespie, they know how to get to the College World Series.

Since the NCAA baseball field was expanded to 64 teams in 1999 and the postseason format broken into four-team regionals and two-team super regionals, Marquess' Cardinal and Gillespie's Trojans have been difficult to beat.

The Pacific-10 Conference rivals clash at 7 tonight at Sunken Diamond. Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Saturday at 1 p.m. A third game, if necessary, is Sunday at 1. The winner advances to Omaha for the CWS that begins next Friday.

USC (37-22) seeks a third consecutive super-regional victory after sweeping then-No. 1 Georgia Tech in 2000 and Florida International last season. Stanford (43-16) has yet to lose a super-regional series, beating South Carolina in 2001 and Nebraska two years ago in three games apiece.

The only blemish in this format for either team was in 1999, when the teams played each other. Stanford won two tight games at Sunken Diamond, 1-0 and 5-3, to eliminate the defending-national-champion Trojans.

``I think we were the two best teams in the country that year,'' said Trojans senior Brian Barre, a freshman reserve on the '99 team that lost at Stanford. ``That was a bad deal.''

The coaches weren't too happy about getting locked into another Omaha grudge match this time around. But there will be few secrets to stow away from programs that mirror each other's success on a national scale.

``It's no different than a (Pac-10) weekend,'' Marquess said. ``Of course, if you don't win the series, you're done. But you're used to doing that against an SC.''

One reason for USC and Stanford's domination of these best-of-three series is quality pitching. The old six-team regional format made teams dig deep into their bullpens to advance. Now, winning regionals can be had with three good starters.

No programs on the West Coast, if not the nation, has thrown out more quality starters since 1999 than the Trojans (Barry Zito, Mark Prior, Rik Currier, Anthony Reyes) or the Cardinal (Jason Young, Justin Wayne, Mike Gosling, Jeremy Guthrie). The Georgia Techs, Florida Internationals, Nebraskas and South Carolinas have found it's nearly impossible to scratch out two wins in a weekend against such an effective staff.

``We've been very fortunate to (make the CWS for three consecutive years),'' Marquess said. ``And a lot of it is that we've had some very good players. People don't realize how difficult it is to get there.''

That Stanford wins with pitching is hardly a surprise given the Cardinal's history of producing Mike Mussina and Jack McDowell. But it's easy to forget that Trojans (Seth Etherton, Zito, Currier and Prior) have been named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year (Currier shared his award) the past four seasons.

``I think the success of our pitchers in these last six or seven years has surprised people,'' Gillespie said. ``There is this belief out there that Stanford is the school that has dominated the pitching scene. Stanford has had their great pitchers and will continue to. But it's been our task to make people understand that 'Hey, by the way, these guys are Trojans.' ''

USC lost its All-Americans Prior and Currier from last season and has reached this level without having a Zito or Etherton leading the way. Reyes, who will oppose Guthrie in tonight's opening game, is the closest thing to an ace. The Trojans' formula has been to score lots of runs and rely on gutty pitchers such as Cory Campos, Brett Bannister, Jordan Olson and Jon Williams to keep games close.

This is more of a traditional Cardinal team. Its probable rotation of Guthrie, Tim Cunningham and John Hudgins is a combined 29-4 with a 3.53 earned-run average.

Despite winning the Pac-10 title, the Trojans aren't expected to make a return trip to Omaha because they're lacking any Prior or Currier types, are 1-5 against the Cardinal in 2002 and must win two games on the road against a veteran, typically pitching-dominated team.

But USC has been super in the super regionals the past two seasons. The Trojans didn't leave their bravado behind. Confidence followed them to the Bay Area.

``This reminds me of two years ago when we went to Atlanta to Georgia Tech,'' senior Bill Peavey said. ``They were No. 1 and we won two games when people thought that was the biggest shock in the world. I looked at the guys in the dugout and we thought it wasn't a big deal. It's the same type of scenario. We just have to take it to them.''

NO. 14 USC vs. NO. 7 STANFORD

Times: Tonight, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. (if necessary) at Sunken Diamond

At stake: The winner of the best-of-three super regional advances to the College World Series in Omaha (June 14-22).

USC (37-22) outlook: The Trojans' 1-5 record against Stanford this season shouldn't wreck their confidence. USC was in four of the five losses and scored 10 runs in two meetings against tonight's starter Guthrie, a Golden Spikes Award finalist. The top USC lineup is capable of battering any pitcher in the country but must produce when runners are in scoring position against the Cardinal's stingy starters. The Trojans must be solid defensively and Reyes needs to set the tone with a quality start against Guthrie.

Stanford (43-16) outlook: The Cardinal has reached the College World Series championship game the past two years. A veteran team wants desperately to get back to Omaha and avenge losses to Louisiana State and Miami. Guthrie, a first-round pick of the Cleveland Indians, threw all 13 innings of a 3-2 regional victory over Cal State Fullerton, so he's difficult to knock out. Stanford doesn't drop off much with Cunningham, roughed up by USC in the Trojans' only victory against Stanford, and Hudgins.

Keep an eye on: The Trojans' ability to score early and knock out Stanford's starting pitchers. USC's best chance to win twice and advance to the CWS is to get into the Cardinal's suspect bullpen. Otherwise, Stanford has too much starting pitching to lose the series.

- Chris Cocoles

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NO. 14 USC vs. NO. 7 STANFORD (see text)