June 17, 2008

By Adam Lucas

It's a pivotal game tonight as the Tar Heels meet Fresno State at 7 Eastern. How pivotal? Since 1990, every national champion except two has started College World Series play 2-0. That's what the Tar Heels and Bulldogs will be trying to do. Most people know about Carolina, but Fresno State is still largely a mystery. That's partially because of their depleted pitching situation. With injuries throughout the staff, they'll turn to Justin Miller, a 16th-round pick of the Rangers in the recent draft. That means the extra day of rest that comes with a victory tonight would be especially valuable to the 'Dogs. Of course, as Mike Fox mentions above, it's often the unsung players who shine at this stage of the postseason. So far, in what has been a power-heavy CWS, the Tar Heels have been one of the only teams in Omaha to post big offensive numbers without the benefit of a home run.

Chase Jones says every tiny detail of tonight's game will be scrutinized. The winners will celebrate with a milkshake, where the crush of fans creates some stress at Zesto's.

In the other bracket, Miami ended the fantastic career of Florida State's Buster Posey. The 'Noles got plenty of hits, they just couldn't turn the hits into runs.

By the way, Cubs GM Jim Hendry was in town earlier this week. As long as the Cubs stay in first place, we'll give him a pass on rooting for LSU.