Although it features one of the least experienced rosters in the nation, Arizona State has refused to rattle. In fact, don't even try to use the inexperience card when discussing the Sun Devils, who entered the College World Series without a senior starter. They dominated the Pacific-10 Conference and have remained perfect in the NCAA Tournament.Just ask their latest victim, the North Carolina Tar Heels, who just so happen to be making their fourth consecutive CWS appearance and have plenty of postseason stubble.
"I don't know if I buy the inexperience," UNC coach Mike Fox said Sunday after Arizona State beat UNC 5-2 in 10 innings in the pair's opening CWS game at Rosenblatt Stadium. "They've played 60-plus games this year already. They were ready to play. They pitched well and played defense well."
The Sun Devils combined a solid pitching performance from Aussie Josh Spence and a three-run home run from Kole Calhoun in the 10th inning to advance in Tuesday's winner's bracket game against No. 1 national seed Texas.
The Longhorns pushed across a run in the bottom of ninth inning on a two-out, bases loaded walk and nipped Southern Mississippi, 7-6, in Sunday's wild second game.
The two teams combined for nine runs over the final four innings -- a span that also featured four lead changes. Texas won the game after it loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Four USM relievers surrendered six walks over the final two innings, and the Longhorns' final three runs scored on bases-loaded walks. The game ended when USM reliever Jonathan Johnston walked Brandon Loy on four pitches.
"I want to start with the performance of the Golden Eagles," Texas coach Augie Garrido said.
"The ending is not befitting of the performance. Baseball is a cruel game...being in this position for the first time was the demise of an otherwise very good team."
UNC and Southern Miss meet in Tuesday's elimination game. The Tar Heels are CWS veterans, while the Golden Eagles are looking to extend their first-ever trip to Omaha and continue head coach Corky Palmer's retirement tour.
Palmer, who announced his resignation in April, was disappointed by his team's late-game performance against Texas and was surprised by his pitching staff's inability to throw strikes. Five USM pitchers combined to throw 171 pitches - 93 strikes and 71 balls.
"We had an opportunity to win," Palmer said.
"We kept coming back; we just didn't throw strikes at the end of the game. Our players played like I thought they would on a big stage. I thought there were no nerves, we just didn't throw strikes at the end, and we didn't throw strikes all game. We had every opportunity to win and we just didn't get it done."
In games Monday, Cal State Fullerton plays Virginia in an elimination game, while SEC rivals LSU and Arkansas tangle in the winners' bracket. LSU beat Arkansas in two of three games in May.
Arizona State and Texas have plenty of CWS heritage.
For those counting, they have combined for 54 CWS appearances and 11 titles. The Sun Devils last won it all in 1981; the Longhorns in 2005. Texas has held the upper hand against Arizona State in the postseason. The Longhorns won the 2000 Regional in Tempe, Ariz., and they beat the Sun Devils in their last CWS meeting, 8-4 in 1984.
Arizona State, however, hasn't blinked this year and its demeanor didn't change against UNC. The Sun Devils beat the Tar Heels despite striking out 14 times, getting picked off twice and making an error. Only one ASU player -- starting pitcher Mike Leake -- was on the 2007 Sun Devils team that advanced to the CWS.
"We've been saying this all along, it's just our way of playing baseball," Calhoun said of his team's Cool Hand Luke approach.
"We try not to take in the circumstances and the atmosphere and stuff like that. We do have a lot of young guys and the excuse can be made that it's been our crutch all year, but it hasn't."
Spence, a crafty lefty and third-round selection of the Los Angeles Angels in the MLB Draft last Tuesday, allowed eight singles and struck out eight over seven innings before he gave way to reliever Mitchell Lambson. The Heels entered averaging 10 runs in the postseason and had scored 45 in the previous four games.
UNC starter Alex White, who went nine innings in his fourth CWS start and was the Cleveland Indians' first-round draft pick, matched his career-high with 12 strikeouts. The Tar Heels, who have won their CWS opener each of the past three years, must lean on its postseason experience to avoid elimination.
"Hopefully, we can kind of relax now and won't panic," junior Kyle Seager said. "We have a tough road ahead, but if we don't panic, we can do it."
USM senior second baseman James Ewing echoed similar feelings following the Golden Eagles' disappointing finish against the Longhorns. USM had rallied to win its previous five NCAA Tournament games to advance to the CWS.
"We've faced adversity before," Ewing said.
"We've battled back from being down. What's happened to us is we've found a way to close (games) out. This game was sloppy on both sides. It is just the way it goes; we didn't play well enough to win."
