August 8, 2011
College notebook: Marzilli, South Carolina win it all again
by Ed Flaherty/
Vanderbilt third baseman Jason Esposito (Bethany, Conn.) says he’s proud of his team’s run to the College World Series. (photo: Vanderbilt University)
The 2011 NCAA Division 1 college baseball tournament and the College World Series both had a heavy New England influence.
Three New England teams were among the field of 32 for the playoffs, and two teams in the College World Series had some of the region’s top collegiate players on their rosters.
For the second consecutive year, Evan Marzilli (Cranston, R.I.) will have bragging rights among the region’s top collegiate players.
Marzilli helped lead South Carolina back to Omaha, Neb., and the College World Series, where the Gamecocks won back-to-back titles by dispatching Southeastern Conference rival Florida in two games.
For the 2011 season, Marzilli hit .291 with three home runs and 31 RBI for South Carolina.
South Carolina concluded its season with a 55-14 record and was a perfect 10-0 in the 2011 NCAA tournament, becoming the first team to accomplish that feat.
The Gamecocks have now won 16 consecutive NCAA tournament games and 11 consecutive College World Series games while becoming just the sixth team to win back-to-back national championships.
The 2011 NCAA tournament and College World Series had plenty of other New England connections, including Vanderbilt University’s collection of players from the region along with UConn, Maine and Sacred Heart, who all earned spots in the field.
Vanderbilt
Another Southeastern Conference team advancing to the College World Series was Vanderbilt, which relied heavily on New England players on its way to Omaha for the first time in program history.
The Commodores had four players on their roster from New England, while head coach Tim Corbin is also from the region.
Vanderbilt was a Top 10 team throughout the 2011 season and spent several weeks ranked No. 1 overall.
Corbin, a Wolfeboro, N.H., native, relied heavily on his New England connections in 2011.
Junior third baseman Jason Esposito (Bethany, Conn.), senior catcher Curt Casali (New Canaan, Conn.), sophomore outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (Andover, Mass.) and freshman pitcher Kevin Ziomek (Amherst, Mass.) all played key roles in the Commodores’ trip to the College World Series.
Vanderbilt tied the school record with 54 wins in 2011 on its way to Omaha, where it was among the final four teams remaining before being eliminated by Florida.
“We had aspirations of taking it a step further,” Corbin said. “There’s no complaints with the effort level of the kids. We did everything we possibly could.
“And this particular team will be like no other we’ve had at the university, in my opinion, in terms of their selfless behavior and the way they exhibited themselves in the classroom and on the field. It’s just tough to sum up and look at them right now and explain all of that.”
“It’s tough. Because you know what you go through with these guys, especially for three years, the way you go through with (Coach Corbin), but I’m happy to play for Vanderbilt University,” Esposito said. “Knowing how hard we work and knowing we do the things the right way and we practice hard and we never gave up, and we gave it everything we had this whole year, and I’m proud of our 54 wins, and I’m proud of all the younger guys who stepped up. I’m just proud to play for Vanderbilt.”
UConn
UConn’s NCAA tournament appearance started with a loss in its opening game of the Clemson Regional against Coastal Carolina, but the Huskies rebounded nicely with four consecutive wins, including a pair against Clemson on its home field, to advance to the Super Regionals.
UConn’s run ended there, however, as South Carolina dispatched the Huskies on its way to the national title.
UConn put together perhaps the best season in school history in 2011 as the Huskies were 45-20-1. UConn was led by a pair of consensus All-Americans in outfielder George Springer (New Britain, Conn.) and pitcher Matt Barnes (Bethel, Conn.). Both players were first-round selections in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
After falling in the regional round in 2010, UConn’s trip to the Super Regionals was a step forward, but the Huskies couldn’t reach their goal of a College World Series appearance.
“We want to skip a few rungs in the ladder,” UConn coach Jim Penders said. “It just didn’t work out that way. We got one rung further. We did make progress this year. We’re going to be back. All those guys in the huddle know that. There’s going to be a lot said about what we’re losing, but we’ve got a lot coming in and coming back. We expect to win now and there’s no substitute for that. We expect to win every time out. The culture of the program is in a good place. That’s in large part to the guys who just played their last game in our uniform.”
Maine
The Black Bears captured the America East title and went on to win their first game at an NCAA regional since 2005.
Maine was defeated by regional host North Carolina in its tournament opener before posting a 4-1 win over Florida International. The Black Bears saw their season come to an end with a loss against James Madison.
In its win over Florida International, starting pitcher Jeffrey Gibbs was outstanding, surrendering just two hits over eight innings to earn the win, which was the 1,800th in Maine history.
Maine head coach Steve Trimper said his club had a workmanlike approach in 2011, which bodes well for the future of the program.
“Our guys — not for lack of effort or trying — we went out there and we were grinding,” Trimper said. “It was kind of like the whole season for us. We just never got ourselves too high, never got ourselves too low. We just fell a little bit short … but it doesn’t take anything away from this entire team and what they’ve accomplished this season.”
Sacred Heart
The Pioneers had a short stay in the NCAA tournament, falling to both Clemson and UConn in back-to-back games, but the 2011 season was the best in program history.
Sacred Heart set a school record for victories as it was 34-23 overall, and the Pioneers made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA postseason.
The Pioneers ended their Northeast Conference season with a flourish, winning 11 consecutive league games, including three straight in the conference postseason, where Sacred Heart outscored its opponents, 25-4.
“It was a great year,” Sacred Heart head coach Nick Giaquinto said. “We reached our goal of winning the conference tournament and getting to the regionals. We broke the school record for wins. It was a great bunch of seniors who worked their butts off, and this season is a testament to their hard work and leadership.”
District honors
A pair of New England players earned District Player of the Year honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
UMass third baseman Matt Gedman was named District I honors, while UConn’s Springer was the choice in District II.
Gedman, son of former Boston Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman, was selected by the Red Sox in the 45th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Matt Gedman finished his career with the Minutemen leading the A-10 with a .402 batting average this spring, becoming just the second UMass player to win the league batting title. He paced the Minutemen with 43 runs scored and recorded 32 RBI, 11 doubles, three triples and five home runs.
Springer led UConn with 12 home runs and a .609 slugging percentage in 2011 and also was the Huskies’ leader with 61 runs scored, 77 RBI and 31 stolen bases.
This article originally appeared in the August 2011 issue of New England Baseball Journal.
Ed Flaherty can be reached at feedback@baseballjournal.com
