College Series Capsules

Here is a look at the teams battling Cal State Fullerton and USC at the College World Series, which begins Friday in Omaha, Neb.:

CLEMSON

* Record: 54-12

* Series opener: Saturday against Tennessee

* Noteworthy: School makes seventh trip to Omaha, last in 1991. Best finish was tied for fifth (four times). Shane Monahan leads offense with .396 average, 12 homers and 52 RBIs. Rusty Rhodes hit .390 and David Miller .383. Miller also has team-leading 78 RBIs. Jason Dawsey is the only pitcher with more than 10 victories (11-3). He has 2.78 ERA in 18 games and 131 strikeouts in 123 innings. Kris Benson, Billy Koch and Mark Watson also have seven victories. Scott Winchester has 0.60 ERA with 14 saves and 4-2 record. Team batting average is .320. Team ERA is 3.14.

FLORIDA STATE

* Record: 52-14

* Series opener: Friday against Oklahoma

* Noteworthy: Coach Mike Martin brings an eighth team to the College World Series but still seeks first title. First baseman-catcher Doug Mientkiewicz leads hitters with .362 average, 17 homers and 73 RBIs. Outfielder J.D. Drew has 13 homers and third baseman Adam Faurot, also the designated hitter, has .338 average. Pitching is strong with left-hander David Yocum (12-2) and right-hander Jonathan Johnson (11-3. Both have 125 strikeouts or more. Team ERA is 2.52, team batting average is .293.

MIAMI

* Record 46-15

* Series opener: Friday against USC

* Noteworthy: Coach Jim Morris is back with his second team. Miami has some familiar faces in Omaha, including relief ace Jay Tessmer, who picked up his 19th save in the regional final. Also back is starter J.D. Arteaga (10-2), who started Miami’s only CWS victory last June. Third baseman Rudy Gomez leads hitters with .372 average, including eight home runs; first baseman Danny Buxbaum has 13 homers and a .327 average. Hurricanes have been to Omaha 12 times with championships in 1982 and 1985. Team batting average is .305. Team ERA is 3.37.

OKLAHOMA

* Record: 42-14

* Series opener: Friday against Florida State

* Noteworthy: Defending national champion Sooners are back with former Fullerton coach Larry Cochell, the only man to bring three schools to the CWS (Oral Roberts, 1978; Fullerton, ‘88, ‘90; Oklahoma, ‘92, ‘94-95). Oklahoma also won title in 1951. Bobby Brown leads with .373 average. Javier Flores is hitting .365, Aric Thomas .357. Seven starters are back from last year. Top pitcher is Mark Redman (15-2, 2.16 ERA). Four pitchers have ERAs under 3.00. Defense and balance are keys. Fielding average is .966, just shy of that for national champions. Team hits for .314 average. Team ERA is 3.93.

STANFORD

* Record: 39-23

* Series opener: Saturday against Cal State Fullerton

* Noteworthy: Coach Mark Marquess brings his seventh team to Omaha. Stanford won the tournament in 1987 and ’88. Last at Omaha in 1990. A pair of Omaha-area pitchers have been important--freshman Kyle Peterson (13-1) and junior Todd Bartels (4-4). Offense is led by catcher A.J. Hinch who bats .371 and has 56 RBIs. Third baseman Steve Carver hit .332 this season, including 12 homers and 74 RBIs. Team batting average is .298. Team ERA is 4.07.

TENNESSEE

* Record: 52-14

* Series opener: Saturday against Clemson

* Noteworthy: Collegiate Baseball’s co-player of the year Todd Helton leads SEC tournament winner in Omaha for the first time since the school’s only other appearance in 1951. Helton hit .413 with 19 homers and 89 RBIs. He also has 1.75 ERA and 7-2 record as a pitcher. Scott Vieira hit .352 and Ed Lewis .340. Both also have 50-plus RBIs. R.A. Dickey came back from a 15-2 All-American freshman season to go 14-3 to lead the pitchers in victories. He has 120 strikeouts in 153 innings and an ERA of 3.88. Team hitting average is .312. Team ERA is 3.68.

Source: Associated Press