Clemson shortstop Khalil Greene achieved and passed the career 400-hit
barrier Friday night, the second NCAA Division I player to reach the
milestone.
Greene hit a two-run double in the third inning of the
Tigers' opening-round game against Nebraska in the College World
Series to reach 400. He blasted a three-run homer in the seventh and
Clemson rallied from behind to defeat the Huskers 11-10.
Greene, who earlier Friday won the Dick Howser player
of the year trophy from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association, also singled in the first off Nebraska starter Shane
Komine.
Only Wichita State's Phil Stephenson, who had 418 hits
from 1979-82, had more career hits.
Greene was selected by the San Diego Padres with the
13th overall pick in the recent amateur draft.
Town putting best
foot forward
Over the last 10 years, Omaha has strived to put its
best face on the national image fans get from the College World
Series.
Rosenblatt Stadium has been home to the Division I
baseball championships since 1950, the fourth year of the tournament's
history.
Dennis Poppe, NCAA senior director of football and
baseball, said work to rebuild the stadium began in 1993 with a
renewed commitment from the city and College World Series Inc., the
host organization.
Stadium seating was expanded down the left field line,
then the right. A new playing surface was put in, new turf with
drainage that can divert up to 6 inches of water in an hour.
A stadium club with enclosed seating and a restaurant
was added. Parking has expanded on an almost annual basis. In 1994, a
state-of-the-art press box replaced an old wooden structure on the
roof, and a new face was put on the stadium itself.
Larry Foster, city acting parks and recreation
director, said $35 million has been spent since the start of the
renovation.
This year, Foster said, more than $7 million was spent
to replace wooden bleachers in the outfield with high-quality plastic
ones with backs. It added about 500 more seats, putting the capacity
at 24,700. Fences were moved back in the power alleys in the outfield
to 375 feet and fences were raised 2 feet to 8 feet.
The tournament also will welcome its 5 millionth fan
this year.
"Every wise marketer realizes you want to put the best
face on a product," Poppe said. "Omaha does that with this stadium. It
speaks volumes for the city when fans see this on national
television."
Friendly but
reluctant advice
Nebraska coach Dave Van Horn was asked if he had any
advice for Notre Dame's Paul Mainieri about getting a school to the
College World Series for the first time in decades.
Nebraska qualified for the first time in school
history a year ago, but went home early with two losses. Notre Dame
qualified this year for only the second time in school history. The
first was in 1957.
Van Horn joked that he was planning to tell Mainieri
his tips for a first CWS showing after the tournament. Then he said he
would recommend trying to keep his team a little more grounded.
Van Horn admitted his team had been bouncing with so
much enthusiasm about qualifying a year ago that they were tired when
it came to playing. He said the bats were slow and legs were tired.
Mainieri said he appreciated the advice but he was
"not going to discourage our kids from being too hyped up."
Tech hurlers honed in
How good has Georgia Tech pitching been in the
postseason? Awfully good, according to the statistics.
With Kyle Bakker and Brian Burks combining Friday for
the first College World Series shutout since 1995, an 11-0 skunking of
South Carolina, the Yellow Jackets have allowed just three earned runs
since the regionals began.
Bakker has allowed two earned runs in his 24 innings,
an ERA of 0.75. The team has an ERA of 0.61 in those games. Opponents
are hitting just .174 against Bakker and .179 against all Tech
pitchers.
Copyright 2002
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bonesville.net
contributed to this report.
