ORUTerry Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 No. 3-seeded ORU to play in Wichita by JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer 5/29/2007 Tulsa World Link Cowboys, Eagles in NCAA; OU out There was a sudden explosion of emotion Monday as ORU's baseball team learned it would be playing its NCAA Tournament games at Wichita State. And why not? The Golden Eagles won there this year, won there last year and in 2002 took two games from the top-seeded Shockers in a regional tournament. This, it seems, is a winnable regional for the Golden Eagles. Then there's the other side. "Gene has been a good friend to me," ORU coach Rob Walton said of Shockers coach Gene Stephenson. "You wish you could kind of go somewhere else where you're not playing someone you know so well. But it is closer to us, and maybe we'll bring more fan base. But it's fine. It is what it is." And consider this: Third-seeded ORU isn't down to play No. 1-seed Wichita State just yet. ORU (40-15) must first face No. 2-seed Arizona (40-15) at 1 p.m. Friday. Wichita State (49-19) meets 4-seed New Orleans (37-24) at 7 p.m. in the double-elimination tournament. ORU is hot, having won 16 in a row and 24 of 25. On Tuesday, ORU was back in the polls for the first time since February, ranked 24th by Collegiate Baseball and 30th by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. "We probably shouldn't be in the polls until now anyhow," Walton said. "I think it's deserving right now. It just doesn't really mean a whole lot. We've got to go play . . . and find a way to scratch a win." If they do, they'll likely find Wichita State waiting -- and that's OK with the Golden Eagles. ORU beat the Shockers 4-0 in Wichita on April 17, beat them 7-4 in Tulsa on April 3, and have beat them three of their last four times at Eck Stadium. Even going back to 2002, ORU beat Wichita State twice in a regional there before falling to Arkansas. "They've certainly owned us this year, and they owned us most of the last two or three or four years. I'm sure they're very confident coming here to play," Stephenson said. "I'm not sold on the fact that the hex is over, but I'm not sold on the fact that they have a hex on us, either. Every day's a new day." More significant for ORU is the fact that six position players and four pitchers were key contributors during last year's postseason run through the Fayetteville Regional and into the Clemson Super Regional. "Our road schedule, at Baylor, at Texas, at Long Beach, those prepare you for these moments," Walton said. "Those guys that played in that regional a year ago, the butterflies, they're still going to have them. But I think they'll be able to get them flying into formation a little bit sooner than they would if they hadn't played." Because of that success, Arizona and Wichita State can't overlook ORU. "They might be more careful this year," said senior first baseman Chad Rothford, "because of what happened last season in regionals and super regionals and most of our guys coming back." And most significant of all for ORU: Arizona, ranked 11th this week, is a stiff challenge. "They've played really well all year long," Walton said. "They're going to be very difficult." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John E. Hoover 581-8384 john.hoover@tulsaworld.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wichita regional ORU (40-15) vs. Arizona (40-15) 1 p.m., Friday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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