ALL POST GAME INTERVIEWS COMING SOON

All post-game interviews will be posted this week. Stay tuned to hear what the guys said in victory and in defeat.

CWS: THIS WAS A TOUGH LOSS

Cole St. Clair does not like losing--look in those eyes and you can see his competitive nature spilling out.
Coach Graham fights tears as he listens to Savery talk about his last at-bat as an Owl.
Savery reflects on the situation at hand and his Rice career.

"That pitch was at least six inches outside," Joe told the media afterwards. "And then they played it on the scoreboard for God and everyone to see."

CWS GAME FOUR VS.NC: JUST OUT OF REACH

This pick-off was called a balk.
He's begging for some help--otherwise he was OUT.
Savery hit the ball hard but with no results. Thanks, Joe, for the great memories!
Ackley's home run was a moon shot, as Tyler Henley will attest.
"That was six inches outside. And then they put it up on the scoreboard for God and everyone to see." Joe steps out of the batter's box for Rice for the final time.

CWS GAME FOUR VS.NC: JUST OUT OF REACH

Jess Buenger watches Jordan Dodson sky in an attempt to make a miracle catch and save a home run.








That's an 8 foot wall out there--look where Jordan is (he's already on the way down) as he leans in vain for this homer.
This two run single was just out of Brian Friday's reach.
The ball is just beyond his grasp--and so was a national title.

JUST OUT OF REACH

National Title Hopes Dashed

By Mark Anderson

Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha--In the end, it brought Wayne Graham to tears. Forget the saying, “There’s no crying in baseball.” When you get this close, there is.

Thursday’s game was the end of the line for several members of the freshman class of 2005. For Joe Savery and Brian Friday, it would be the last time to wear a Rice uniform in a game that mattered (hopefully, we’ll see them at the alumni game in January). It may be the end of the line for Cole St. Clair, Bobby Bramhall, Danny Lehmann, Tyler Henley, and a few others as well.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

What had been Rice’s trademark all season—outstanding pitching—betrayed them when it counted the most. But to be fair, things weren’t the same here in Omaha as they had been the entire year.

Take for example, the batter’s box. According to Danny Lehmann, “It was two inches from home plate.” Lehmann complained about it to home plate umpire David Buck, who acknowledged Danny was right, but “”We’ll fix it in the next set of games.”

That didn’t help Rice pitching at all. It enabled North Carolina hitters to hang out over the home plate like vultures. That’s why Rice pitching gave up four home runs in the final game of the season. Rice had not given up three home runs in any game until they reached Omaha. If you’re wondering how they suddenly became batting practice pitchers with all the home runs, look no further than what Danny Lehmann had to say (by the way--they didn't fix it--and Wayne Graham thought North Carolina had the best pitching next to Rice--but look st Saturday's results--not any different than what we endured).

One thing that didn’t help matters was Matt Langwell tweaked his back before the game. He thought he could pitch through it. It was only when Coach Graham was alerted to the situation that a change was made. But that was two home runs after the fact, and the tone of the game had been set by then. Ackley absolutely parked Langwell's homer over the batter's backdrop in centerfield--and that takes a shot of monster proportions to hit something that far.

Yes, Rice scored to bring the game back to 3-2. But once Langwell was pulled in favor of Bobby Bramhall, things went downhill in a hurry. Bobby had a phenomenal year for Rice, but gave up the same number of home runs in the game (2) as he had all season. And this isn't blaming Bramhall--he simply could not adjust to the new conditions of a closer batter's box. In Bramhall's defense, there weren't many in this series that could or did.

But perhaps the cruelest fate of all fell on Joe Savery in the seventh inning. Joe took what was a pitch six inches off the plate for a called third strike, and you could see by Joe's reaction--during the game and afterwards--that he felt robbed.

"That pitch was six inches outside,"Joe said afterwards, "and then they showed it up on the scoreboard for God and everyone to see."

Now it's time for one question.

Did the Owls choke?

No.

Go back and look at games three and four. The Owls were hitting the ball hard in both games. A line drive by Lehmann in game three was an atom ball at the third baseman. Another line drive was speared for a double play. The Owls were not striking out--they had only a handful in game four, including two at critical points.

This team played with heart.

There was no quit on this team or on the bench.

It simply wasn't meant to be this year.

That's the hard facts that are tough to swallow.

A SEASON TO BE PROUD OF

2007 should go down in history as one of the finest in Owl history for several reasons. Let's look at a few.

First--they finally overcame the stigma of not being able to beat Texas. Joe Savery believed this was the turning point of the season. Before that, they were only 19-10. Look at their record today. They lost only one game in April. They lost one in May. They lost only two in June. That says a lot about this team right there.

I was told after the Texas game--and it's here on the blog--that the goal was not to lose another game this year. That sounded like a bold statement then. But they actually came close to pulling that off.

Second--they overcame injuries. Cole St. Clair, Bobby Bell, and others were injured during the year. At the end of the season, they lost their number two starter in Ryne Tacker. Others like Aaron Luna played hurt virtually the entire season. It was a far more difficult road to Omaha than last year because of those injuries.

Third--this team was a true team. They were like the Three Musketeers--all for one and one for all. There was no selfishness on this team as others got more playing time. Role players like Jess Buenger, Jared Gayhart, and others began emerging out of the shadows and played important roles in how well Rice played. Did you expect Gayhart to hit around the .350 mark this year for the most part? Enough said.

Fourth--this team should be nicknamed "The Die-Hards." Who can ever forget that win against the Aggies in the tenth inning? I don't think Joe Savery, Danny Lehmann, or Jordan Dodson will. They played hard to the last out. Every game.

Every pitch.

That's what Rice baseball was in 2007. I know that I'm supposed to be unbiased. I can't be when it comes to this team. To all the Rice players, coaches, and Coach Graham--thanks for a wonderful 2007 season. It won't be forgotten here--I hope that you won't forget it anytime soon either. Also--thanks to all the parents who have shown their support in this venture. It's been great to get to know many of you.

To the players not returning and going pro--I wish you all nothing but the very best (yes, even when you come and play the Astros).

To the returning players and staff--looking forward to 2008 and seeing what unfolds in that new season.

A GREAT LINK FOR CWS PHOTO COVERAGE

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=3939

I've been very impressed with the Omaha paper. Sat right next to the photographer that took these pics yesterday (you'll notice we have some of the same).

Great Article on Wayne Graham

If you haven't seen or read this, it's worth a click.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1200&u_sid=10056838

CWS: MORE PICS FROM OMAHA AGAINST N.C.

Jordan Dodson nailed this pitch, but pulled it foul.
Talk about a close play at first. . . this was it.
Savery hit this one a long way, but not far enough.

Coach Graham has some words for his players after the top of the second.
Ry-an Ber-ry delivers his knuckle curve.
Chris Kelley pitched well in relief.
Scott Longeran releases a pitch.
Henley put the screws to this one.

CWS: GREAT PLAY BY SEASTRUNK

Diego reacts to the crack of the bat.
He snags it in his glove.
Diego gets up and transfers the ball.
He reaches back to put some zip on it to first.
Seastrunk fires to first to get the runner.

CWS: GREAT PLAY BY LUNA

Luna ranges far, going behind the bag to make the snag.
Luna sets himself for the throw.
Luna cocks to fire to Savery at first.
Luna fires to first for the out.

CWS: FRIDAY BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

Friday starts back in the second inning for what seems to be a routine pop-up.
You can see he has it in range--it looks like he will make the play.
Suddenly, that seems a little less likely.
As the ball drops, look at Brian's reaction--he is most likely seeing spots and can't see the ball.
Henley rushes in to keep the damage to a minimum, and Friday is still struggling to see the ball.

ANY DOUBTS FRIDAY WASN'T TAGGED?

http://riceowls.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/rice-07-ncaa-cws-central.html

This settles it once and for all--he was not tagged and was in the baseline.

CWS: FRUSTRATION

Brian Friday appeared to have not been tagged and is in the baseline.
He slides for second.
Friday looks for the safe sign.
"Whaddya mean?"
"I was SAFE!"

NORTH CAROLINA TURNS UP HEAT
Owls Offense Cooked by North Carolina Pitching, Mistakes

by Mark Anderson

Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha—As if it wasn’t already hot enough on the field, Robert Woodward turned it up a notch with his great pitching, leading the Tar Heels to victory over Rice by a score of 6-1.

Ryan Berry started in a similar fashion as he did the previous start—by hitting the first batter. But while Whiting stuck his elbow out to get on, Fronk got drilled in the knee. Fronk shook off the effects as Federoff singled to left and advanced to third. Horton followed with a single that brought across the Heel’s first run. But with runners on first and second and no outs, Berry struck out Federowicz, and induced Seager to line into a double play at first to end the inning with the Heels up, 1-0.

The bottom of the first started off promising when Brian Friday opened with a single to left. After Gayhart popped out, Woodward caught Friday off first. Depending on whom you listen to, Friday may well have been safe at second, but was called out. That play would define the day for the Owls, and be just the beginning of a nightmare for Friday. Henley grounded out to end the inning, and Rice was still down, 1-0.

In the second, Berry got Flack to pop up to Brian Friday. But the usually sure-handed shortstop dropped it, and that opened the door for the Tar Heels. The next batter grounded to what looked lie a sure double play, but another error—this time by Luna—left two on and no out. Williams struck out swinging for the first out, but Gore singled to center, but Fox held Flack at third. Berry then walked Fronk to force across the second Tar Heel run. Fedroff hit a sacrifice fly tobring across the third run and Gore took third on a good throw from Gayhart. Berry then hit Horton to load the bases again. But Berry struck out Federowicz again, and the nightmare seemed to be over. The third inning started off well for Berry as he got the side in order. But that would be his last hurrah in this game.

In the fourth, Berry walked Williams to open the frame, and Gore moved him to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a grounder to Savery sent Fronk to third, Berry went wild, in a manner of speaking, hitting Fedroff and Horton in consecutive at-bats. That was all Coach Graham’s blood pressure could take, as he lifted Berry in favor of Chris Kelley. Federowicz flied out to end the inning, but the damage was done, and the Heels were up by a count of 3-0. The next three innings were uneventful, unfortunately, for both sides.

While it may have seemed the offense had gone to sleep, that really wasn’t the case. Balls were hit hard by Rice, but simply didn’t fall in. Rice just couldn’t find the holes. And the defense was playing well. While Woodward was making great pitches along the way, the Owls didn’t give in a single inch. IN the seventh, however, it began to slip away for the Owls. With two outs, Seager walked, and Flack singled up the middle, with Seager moving to third. Ackley hit a home run just out of the reach of right fielder Jared Gayhart, and suddenly, the Heels had a bigger lead and scored more runs than they had in the previous meeting with Rice on Sunday.

In each of the last three innings, Rice tried to mount a comeback. In the seventh, Gayhart opened the inning by singling up the middle, and Henley singled to right to put runners on first and second with no outs. Savery grounded into a double play, but Gahart moved to third. Luna walked, and Danny Lehmann doubled down the leftfield line to put Rice on the board. But Seastrunk grounded out to first to end the inning.

In the eighth, Dodson walked with one out, and Friday singled to right to put runners on first and third with one out. At that point, North Carolina brought in their third pitcher of the day—Andrew Carrigan, the closer who was throwing bullets. Gayhart and Henley flied out, and that opportunity went by the boards.

Savery opened the ninth for the Owls with a single to right off the flame-throwing closer. Luna walked again, and Danny Lehmann came to the plate and ripped a hard line drive down the left field line—but the third baseman snagged it for the first out. Seastrunk hit into the second one on a fielder’s choice, and Savery advanced to third. But Buenger grounded out to second, and that was it for the Owls today. Matt Langwell will face North Carolina in a winner goes to the finals, loser goes home game. No word yet on North carolina’s starter.

CWS: MYSTERY IN CONGRATS

Ryan Berry looks like an innocent bystander just watching the game in this picture, doesn't he?

The mystery begins as Friday doubles. . . .
The double scores both Buenger and Seastrunk. . . . Buenger is welcomed home. . . .

A closer look, however, reveals something mysterious in Buenger's hair.

CWS PICS: "If the ump is grinning, you ain't winning"

St. Clair hadthe runner picked off, but was called for a balk on this.

Brian Friday obviously disagreed with the call.
Coach Graham isn't winning this argument--look at the grin on the ump's face. If they grink, you don't win the argument!

CWS PICS AGAINST NC SUNDAY

Joe Savery throws an "UNcle Charlie" to the first hitter.
Savery delivers. . .

. . . and follows through.
Mike Fox obviously disagrees with first base ump on the balk call.
Seastrunk singles after Savery was intentionally walked. Think he wasn't focused? Look at his eyes!