ORUTerry Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 WICHITA BASEBALL REGIONAL UA best team here, Shockers coach believes JOHN MOREDICH Published: 05.31.2007 Wichita State coach Gene Stephenson has a No. 1-seeded team, but he says No. 2 Arizona has the most talent of the four teams at the Wichita Regional. "I can only imagine what kind of talent they have at Arizona," Stephenson said. "Based on talent alone, I would say logically that easily they have the best team here." The Shockers are no pushover, with a 49-19 record, but Wichita State has had injuries to key players, including leading hitter Damon Sublett, who has a team-best .360 average. A severe ankle injury has kept him out of action for a week and may prevent him from playing this weekend, Stephenson said. Wichita State opens the double-elimination event at Eck Stadium against New Orleans on Friday, while Arizona plays Oral Roberts. Pitching has been the key component for everybody in this regional except New Orleans, which relies on the long ball. Wichita State has a 2.67 ERA, followed by Oral Roberts (3.33), Arizona (3.87) and New Orleans (5.10). "Our key is to play flawless baseball, because we are not a good offensive team," Stephenson said. "We can't give away a lot of runs with poor defense." Wichita State, which won the Missouri Valley Conference's regular-season title but lost in the conference tournament to Creighton, is still considered the team to beat of the four teams. A look at the competition UA will face in the regional: Wichita State The Shockers pitch first and hit second, and that is the way they prefer it. They have 10 pitchers who boast a sub-3.00 ERA. Aaron Shafer, Rob Musgrave, Travis Banwart and Anthony Capra each give Wichita State confidence when they take the mound. Noah Krol takes care of matters on the back end with 11 saves and a 1.50 ERA. Oral Roberts Don't underestimate the Golden Eagles. Oral Roberts has beaten Wichita State twice this season and knocked off California 2-1 in beating Bears' ace pitcher Tyson Ross. "They owned us," Stephenson said. Mid Continent Conference Pitcher of the Year Chance Chapman has an 8-1 record with a 1.23 ERA. The league's newcomer of the year award went to hurler Jeremy Hefner, who has a 9-1 mark and a 2.53 ERA. Duffy Brendan is the top hitter and stolen base threat with a .362 average and 21 stolen bases. New Orleans Hurricane Katrina forced the Privateers to practice at New Mexico State for a semester in the 2005-06 school year. The team has come back strong from that and posted a 37-24 mark this year. New Orleans has hit 89 homers this year, led by Johnn Giavotella, who has a .373 average with 15 homers and 60 RBIs. Drew Anderson also has 15 homers, while T.J. Baxter, Josh Tarnow and Greg Wolfe all have 11 home runs. Bryan Cryer is the top starter, with an 8-4 record and a 5.28 ERA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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