ESPN College World Series analysts Kyle Peterson and Aaron Boone participated in a media conference call today to discuss this week’s event in Omaha. ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the entire NCAA College World Series Presented by Capital One will include up to 17 telecasts, including the best-of-three College World Series Finals, on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU from Saturday, June 14, to Wednesday, June 25. Every game will also be available on WatchESPN.
A transcript of the conference call follows and a media file can be found HERE:
Peterson on the College World Series participants and teams that didn’t reach Omaha:
At the end of the day I think it’s a really good field. It might not look exactly the way we thought it would in the beginning but the way the game is right now, that’s probably not that big of a surprise.
I thought more than two national seeds would make it but obviously I didn’t think all of them were going to make it. Oregon State was a surprise maybe because I thought that was a club that would be here and quite honestly, LSU.
It’s a nice mix. You get the big‑name power, you get some big name that either hasn’t been there or hasn’t been there in a while. Or a team like an Irvine that maybe might not have the name, but yet there’s really good history there from a coaching standpoint and from a recent history standpoint.
Boone on college baseball and his professional career:
It was a huge stepping stone for me, who dreamt of playing Major League Baseball out of high school and wasn’t really ready.
Growing up in southern California, I always wanted to be and go to USC and got to live out that dream, play for a great coach in Mike Gillespie who now, coincidentally, has gotten in and taken UC Irvine to the College World Series. So I’m excited from that angle just to see him and to see this team that he’s brought.
Texas Christian, their associate head coach, Bill Mosiello, was also a coach of mine in summer league in the Alaskan summer league so there’s a tie there. And then as a player, at SC, especially my junior year, when there were times in 1994 when we were No. 1 in the nation, with the frustration of losing the final game at LSU to having a chance to go to the College World Series, I never got to live out my dream as a player to go to Omaha and see what this event is all about.
Q. Your thoughts on Texas Tech and the job Tim Tadlock has done there, taking over a program that has not been in the NCAA Tournament since 2004 and making the World Series in the second year. And I don’t know how much you’ve seen of him, but Mark Payton of Texas, who in addition to being the key senior leader for them, just has this remarkable knack for getting on base and putting up this huge streak. Wondering what stands out about him if you’ve had a chance to see him this year.
Peterson: I’ll jump to your Texas Tech question first. I think it’s pretty incredible. You know, it’s interesting, the route. Tim comes in as the associate head coach and then obviously they part ways with head coach and he comes in right away. It’s pretty incredible how fast they did it.
I guess to me what’s interesting is the way they have won in the post‑season. It was a very good offense throughout the course of the year. I think it was statistically the best offense in the Big 12. But yet, the way they pitched in the post‑season has been ‑‑ I mean, you win back‑to‑back 1‑0 games and then really the way that they pitched in Coral Gables; I think that is probably what makes you look at it and say, you know, it really gives them a realistic chance when they show up in this ballpark because you can’t rely on your offense just to come through.
Briefly on Payton, I’ve seen him on TV a few different times. Him popping a home run against Houston obviously gave them a big shot in the arm to start that one. His walk total is so high and he’s such an interesting combination of a guy that can hit, but yet incredibly patient. And you throw those two things together, and obviously it stands to reason he’s going to be on base a lot.
But still to be on base for a hundred straight games or whatever it is, now that he’s over a hundred is a pretty incredible run but it also speaks to the way that Augie [Garrido] played, which is patience at the pitch, wait for the pitch you can drive, and I think Payton is a great example.
Boone: Yeah, I think patience at the plate, when you go to the pro game, it’s become such a premium over the last 10, 15 years; the on‑base percentage, almost trumping batting average that we used to just look at. It’s a skill that I think is really coveted and for them to have a player like that is huge.
As far as Texas Tech, it just goes to show you that you get the right coach in there and you hit on a couple of the right players, you know, you can make things happen pretty quickly. And in baseball, with the Regional and now a Super Regional, man, in those couple‑day tournaments, anything can happen.
I’m never surprised any more when anyone really comes out of it, especially if a team gets it together, is playing well, and has a couple of guys that can really pitch on the mound. Anything is possible in these short series.
Q. Aaron, I wonder if you can talk a little about playing for Mike Gillespie. I’m wondering in terms of his style, how you guys played back then to compare ‑‑ I know he’s Mr. Little Ball now, but I’m just wondering what it was like playing for him and getting to the World Series again.
Boone: I love Mike Gillespie. He was such a great coach, but just someone I looked up to, someone I admired. As a matter of fact, he wears No. 19. When I got drafted and signed, I wore No. 19 all throughout my minor league career. And then when I eventually got traded to the Yankees, I took 19, and a lot of that had to do with Mike Gillespie and his influence on my life and my career.
When he left USC, it was a little bit bittersweet. I didn’t like how he was, you know, in a lot of ways shown the door. But to see him later in his career go take a program like UCI, where they have had sustained success under his watch now, and now getting the opportunity to go back to the College World Series, I’m so excited.
As far as the little ball, I don’t ‑‑ we definitely did a lot of that and he was a very hands‑on coach as far as he was a micro manager and he controlled the pitch calling and we had ‑‑ I used to make fun of them because we had 30 different offensive signs. But, that said, I don’t remember us little‑balling so much, because, my sophomore, junior year, we had four or five guys that played in the big leagues. We had pretty strong teams. The bat situation isn’t what it is now, where I think little ball is a little more prevalent with each and every team. But he’s a guy that’s had a tremendous influence on my life.
Q. Sounds like he’s meant a lot. Getting to the little ball think again, also with the new stadium there, it seems that his style is conducive to what the World Series has become.
Boone: No question. And I actually ‑‑ and having a good conversation with Kyle a month ago about the stadium and about the bats, because he’s so much more versed on the college game than I am. Just understanding that, you know, if you have decent pitching, you can really pitch to a lot of different places knowing that it’s very difficult to give up that big hit or obviously a home run. So pitching, defense, execution, all these things are heightened, because the big inning and the big blow is so less likely in today’s game.
Q. Are you guys surprised that the Big 12 has sent three teams to the championships? And also, is there any team that stands out as a definite favorite?
Peterson: I can’t say I’m shocked that they sent that many. I think the route that they did it is maybe the surprise, just because only one was guaranteed to host all the way through and that was TCU. But Texas going into the Regionals and obviously playing on the road in Rice’s ballpark; and the way that Texas Tech went down to Coral Gables and beat a Miami club that’s pretty darned good.
And then obviously you have to win the Super Regional. An advantage that both of them got to go home for the Super. I think they left home to go to Regional, the chances of that happening in both their minds probably wasn’t great.
The league, from an RPI standpoint, it was just a few percentage points behind the SEC. I don’t know that it’s that big of a shock that they played well, but I think just given that the routes tougher and everybody but one was going to have to potentially go on the road at some point; although Oklahoma State in the end didn’t have to. But I think it does ‑‑ come as a surprise because of the way they did.
Boone: Nothing surprises me anymore. It’s about getting hot into the playoffs, and baseball is such a game of, talking about it from a Major League standpoint, and even college, the integrity of the long season weeds out a lot of things. That’s why typically in our sport, as opposed to others, there’s less teams that get into the post‑season, because in those series, anything’s possible.
Q. Of the teams, does anyone stand out as a favorite?
Boone: I like Virginia.
Peterson: I would agree with Aaron. I think Virginia is the most complete. But I think few that are really interesting: Like the style of the ballpark plays pretty well for Texas, just because in the past, not all the time I guess ‑‑ I mean, UCLA was that way last year, but the year before Arizona was a pretty offensive team and South Carolina was a fairly offensive team. But I think at the end of the day, you have to be good about five or six deep on a pitching staff. You don’t need the depth that you need for a regional, because it’s so much more spread out in Omaha than it is when you get in a regional. Especially for the first few games, you’re not playing back‑to‑back days, so your bullpen can respond a little bit. But I guess overall package, I agree with Aaron. I think that Virginia is really good.
Q. To expand on that, about UVA, John Szefc, the coach of Maryland last night, was incredibly laudatory of UVA after the game. I don’t know if you heard that, but he specifically compared them to the 2001 Stanford team, which had a bunch of talent, and he said this is the best team he’s seen since then. Do either of you guys know enough about UVA or seen them enough to confirm that, or just what is your overall opinion of the overall power that they might bring into the World Series?
Peterson: I think it’s tough to compare, but I would say this. I think that when you’re preseason No. 1 in a lot of polls, and you then go all the way through the season with a target on your back and end up in Omaha; and do it in a way where you lose the opener to a Maryland club that went down and did what nobody had done since the 70s, and that’s win a regional in Columbia, that’s pretty good in and of itself.
I think the other thing is they are so balanced. That’s what makes it tough. I mean, from the left side, from the right side, power from different guys. Guys that have been around a while and a guy like [Daniel] Pinero who hasn’t, but yet you don’t see a lot of 6‑5 shortstops that can play the game, and he really can play the game.
Arms‑wise, you just kind of assume that [Head Coach] Brian [O’Connor] is going to have arms all the time, but I think what separates this team is that offensively there’s some thump, and they can run around a little bit and they are very, very athletic. And it was funny, that’s what everybody was talking about at the beginning of the year is how great Virginia’s offense was going to be. But then you look up at the end of the year, and it’s one of the best pitching staffs in the country. Offense is still there. But the pitching staff has just been that good and obviously you get a guy like [Nathan] Kirby to come in that quick and do what he did, it’s a huge reason why.
Boone: Virginia’s talent to me stands out, and obviously, that doesn’t necessarily always mean that’s the team that wins or that’s the team that’s going to get rolling and do this thing. But when I look at the teams, the little I’ve seen of each team, Virginia physically jumps out to me more than any other team.
Q. Are there any sleeper teams that any of you have your eye on, kind of the mold of Mississippi State last year? And is there a team that you guys feel that the ballpark is tailored to with it being so big more than the others?
Peterson: The tough thing this year is ‑‑ I mean, I think that Virginia has to be looked at as probably, if you want to name a favorite, maybe Virginia just because of the consistency and what they have done front to back. I think it’s tough to look at it and say, who is really a sleeper given what everybody has gone through.
Maybe you’ve got to look at an Irvine, just because the committee came out after the selection show and said that Irvine was one of the last five teams in the tournament. We were not even talking about Irvine two weeks ago, let alone now. So I think that’s one you probably look at.
And as to who fits the ballpark, they and Texas, from a style standpoint, definitely fit the ballpark.
I think it’s interesting, and it was really cool to hear what Aaron had to say about Mike Gillespie, because I was on the other side of Mike Gillespie. I had to look across the field at Mike when I was at Stanford, and he was such a guy that was a competitor; it was always a blast to play SC. But you have got Gillespie and Augie going at it day one and I think a game to where the styles are real similar; and because those styles are really similar, I think both of them really fit the ballpark.
Boone: Irvine certainly seems like that sleeper team to me, because, like Kyle said, they were one of the last teams to get into a Regional, and in a way, were not playing their best baseball as they were heading into the Regional. And then you go to Oregon State, one of the premiere programs right now, come out of that and then go to Oklahoma State and really handle them; you know, they would be as a sleeper, but like to Kyle’s point, the road they have gone through now this last couple of weeks, they are playing a high‑caliber game. So it’s tough to say on that.
As for the park, I don’t know. I am looking forward to our first game of Texas and U.C. Irvine, and seeing Augie and Gillespie. You know from a personal standpoint, 20 years after I was there, we were playing Fullerton and Augie. So I know these guys and I know who they are. It will be fun to see them match up in Game 1.
Q. You’ve been mentioning about the ballpark and the pitching. I was just curious what your assessment was of maybe a little more in depth of the TCU staff. They didn’t have to throw [Jordan] Kipper until yesterday, Game 3 of the Super Regional in relief. He had pitched in the Big 12 tournament and been on the sideline since then because they had three other guys in front of him. Curious what your thoughts were of TCU and can that starting pitching and the bullpen, how far can that take them?
Peterson: It was crazy ‑‑ hit on it just a minute ago – but one of the keys of winning the way the tournament is set up right now is depth just isn’t as important any more. And what you get with TCU, especially when you get a day off, I mean, you’ve got back‑to‑back in starters, and different guys. That’s what I think is interesting, [Brandon] Finnegan is kind of more of the power left‑hander and then [Preston] Morrison will show you something totally different.
But to me the key is the back end with Riley Ferrell because if you have a guy that can go more than three outs; so if he can come in and give you a six‑out save or a little bit more with true power in his stuff, which obviously he does, you might be able to get through the first two games using three guys and I think that’s where TCU matches up really well. Because you go starter, starter, that will match up with anybody, and power closer that’s really, really good, in a set up that you might not need more than those two in the first two games.
Boone: That was good from our expert pitcher.
Q. In terms of covering the College World Series, seems like it’s gaining more popularity every year. Is this one of your highlights of your broadcast year?
Peterson: I’m biased because I grew up here and I had a chance to play in it and then now have a chance to talk about it for a while. Just because I spend so much of my year on the college side, you know, it’s the pinnacle on the college side. So it’s a blast to see the way the city turns out and it’s a blast the way ‑‑ especially when you get teams that haven’t been here for a while. When you get Texas Tech and Ole Miss, obviously Texas Tech has not been here before, but Ole Miss, how long it’s been and to see those fan bases come in that haven’t been here.
And then kind of the stalwarts, those that have been here a lot, you get Texas or LSU rolling up, they kind of know their way around town already. And then the actual tournament itself when it gets going, now we’ve got as good a competition as you’re possibly going to get. So, yeah, it’s two weeks that I look forward to. It’s two weeks that I’ve looked forward to every year since I was five, and now I get a chance to talk about it.
Boone: My junior year, as I said, at USC, we had a great team and were No. 1 a lot of the year and didn’t realize our dream of getting to Omaha. In college, that’s all we thought about.
I remember our team, we wrote a song about Omaha. You wanted to get there so bad and it seemed too big and this big dream. And to not be able to realize that, as great as my college experience was, that was one thing that was frustrating.
Now, getting the opportunity when ESPN came to me, as someone who covers MLB all time and said, hey, there’s an opportunity, would you like to be part of the broadcast for College World Series, I jumped at the opportunity. It made me so excited to get to go there to see what I hear the event has really continued to become and develop into. And now everyone that I’ve spoken to that I’ve picked their brain, whether it be Kyle, Karl Ravech, Jon Sciambi, Dave O’Brien, Sean McDonough, all these guys that had experience covering the College World Series, to a man, all the advice was: Absolutely, go do it, you’ll love it.
And it’s something now that I’ve circled on my calendar for the last few months as a time that I’ve really been looking forward to and excited to go have a small part in.
Peterson: Just as an aside to that, it’s cool, Aaron reached out to me a month and a half to go to start talking about the event but also to start talking about the teams and some of the things that were going on.
It’s neat. I’m biased to this thing is because I grew up around it. What’s cool is to hear Aaron’s reaction to it and his excitement level to come in and do it. And what we find, I think every year, is those ‑‑ whether you’ve got an extensive college history and background like Aaron did because he played at the absolute highest level for one of the best teams in the country; or whether you don’t, the guys that come in and cover it, when they get done, it’s something that they have an absolute blast doing. It speaks a lot to the event and what it’s grown into over time.
Boone: I had a conversation last night. I was in Cincinnati, the Reds and Dodgers last night for a Monday night game and got to see Orel Hershiser who is covering the Dodgers now and has obviously done the College World Series the last several seasons. And again, talking to him about it, he was one of the guys I consulted initially back in the spring when ESPN came to me and he said, “You are going to love this event”; the excitement of the fan bases, the access to the coaches and players and what they are ‑‑ how much they want to help you, and the SIDs.
I’m looking forward to just rolling in there and learning about each and every team and their fan bases and like I said, being a part of this event. It’s really exciting for me.
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