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More on the 1970 Noles CWS title game shot with Bob from Nolefan.org

This team was something special. In an era with wooden bats, four of the regulars hit over .300 and another was at .292.

But the real pride of this team was the pitching staff; they had a team ERA of 1.49 and nine of 11 on the staff were under 3.00. All of the pitchers were good, but three of them were outstanding. Mac Scarce was the closer. For the season, he appeared in 16 games and saved 12 of them; he had an ERA of 1.62 and struck out 49 batters in 33.1 innings.

The team had two aces: Pat Osburn started 17 games, had a 12-2 record, six complete games, three shutouts and an ERA of 0.92. He struck out 154 batters in 126.2 innings. The other ace was Gene Ammann. He also started 17 games and his record was 15-0, had 10 complete games, eight shutouts and an ERA of 0.66 with 150 strikeouts in 137.1 innings.

The first game FSU played at this CWS was against Arizona. Ammann pitched and threw a complete game shutout. The second game was against Dartmouth; Osburn threw a complete game shutout of his own. The next game we lost to Texas. Our fourth game Tom Henson started and Mac Scarce closed and we shut out Ohio – Scarce threw two innings and picked up the save. Ammann came back and threw another complete game and this time we beat Texas; he gave up two runs.

That got us to the championship game, where two unusual things happened:



1. Osburn was knocked out of the game because of a freak accident. In the top of the fifth with two outs and one on Osburn hit a chopper back to the mound. The Southern Cal pitcher fielded it and threw it into right field. We scored a run but Osburn was lost when he stepped awkwardly running out the play and his right knee buckled. Osburn was shutting out USC up to this point.



2. Mac Scarce entered the game with two outs in the seventh with the score tied. He normally pitched an inning or two at the most. He struck out the first batter he faced to end the seventh and then retired the next 12 batters in a row, but because he wasn't used to pitching that many innings he developed the blister. He pitched 7 1/3 innings, struck out nine and only gave up one hit but he still took the loss.



By the way, Ammann didn’t make All-American that year. What a joke. Ammerman actually appeared in 18 games and started 17, based on the box scores. He won 15 games and did not lose. I’m including an article about it (after the jump) by FSU's SID in 1970.

FSU comes within a whisker of winning the College World Series -- 40 years ago

Friday is the 40th anniversary of Florida State's close-but-no-cigar CWS trophy.

The year was 1970 and the Noles had breezed through the regional tournament, winning three out of three.

Then when it was on to Omaha, where they blanked both Arizona (4-0) and Dartmouth (6-0) before losing to Texas, 5-1. But the Longhorns would get their comeuppance two nights later as FSU wore out Texas pitchers, 11-2, and earned a spot in the championship game.

It was David and Goliath, college baseball style. The Noles were up against Southern Cal, winners of five CWS trophies and loaded with future major leaguers, including Dave Kingman, Jim Barr and Steve Busby.

FSU struck first with a run in the fifth, but it would be a long night against the Trojans.

"It was a heartbreaker," said Johnny Grubb, an honorable mention All-American for the Noles who went on to play 15 years in the majors. "We were leading 1 - 0 and had Pat Osburn pitching for us, a real good lefthanded pitcher. We just battled all the way through, and they happened to tie the game up and brought in Jim Barr, and we had our relief pitcher, Mac Scarce -- both of whom went on to pitch in the majors. And we hooked up 1 - 1 until the 15th inning."

The Noles might have pulled off a shocker had Scarce not been knocked out of the game in the 15th inning -- not by USC bats, but by a blister on the index finger of his throwing hand. 

Scarce was relieved by Carl Gromek and more bad mojo struck. With the bases loaded, Gromek fielded a chopper to the right of the mound, but slipped and fell, allowing the winning run home.

"They made a lot of good plays and we made a lot of good plays, but they ended up beating us 2 - 1," recalls Grubb. "I remember standing on the first base line receiving the awards for second place and none of us were very happy about it. I think we should have won it, but we gave it a good battle.

"We got a fantastic reception when we came back, with a police escort and everything. As a young kid it was quite impressive."

Whatever Florida State's 2010 baseball team does from here is gravy

Shaky pitching. Unsettled lineup. Inability to win a Super-Regional.

FSU fans were resigned to a quick end to the season as they withdrew into a pessimistic shell three weeks ago. The Noles had just been swept in a crucial weekend series at Clemson, and prospects for tournament success looked as flat as roadkill after rush hour.

Two regionals and a conference tournament later, the team most of us (let's admit) had written off after the Clemson train wreck is now packing for Rosenblatt.

Don't be surprised if the Noles arrive with the tag of tourney underdogs -- perhaps tabbed by the media as most likely to go two-and-out. But as far as we're concerned, if they don't win a single game at Omaha, this is a season we'll long remember. 

When has an FSU baseball team been more fun to watch -- and generated more genuine Seminole pride -- than the last three entertaining weekends? From Greensboro to Norwich and back to Howser Stadium, the timely hits just kept on coming. And the pitching staff refused to be the Achilles heel that would end things on a sour note.

Perhaps most of all we'll remember the overachievers. Guys like Sherman Johnson, who went from walk-on to "Wow, did he do that!?" Like Devon Travis, who surprised Mike Martin as much as he did everybody else. And, of course, Mike McGee, the underachiever in Monday's MLB draft (when he was taken in the 41st round), who outstripped all expectations at the plate and on the mound.

So while no. 11 has taken more talented and ballyhooed teams to Omaha  -- teams given a greater chance of bringing home that elusive trophy -- this group of overachieving underdogs just might have the stars aligned to claw their way further than any FSU team in 40 years.

Seminole Pitchers Mind Their “P’s” and Answer the “Q’s”

by Mike Hyde

We welcome back Mike Hyde, former FSU Pitcher and Public Relations Director of Next Level Baseball, for his take on the Seminole staff in the Super Regional tourney.

FSU Pitching Has Been a Strong Point this Post Season

Post season play has opened the door for Florida State’s pitching staff to prove their talent and compete at the level that Seminole fans have come to expect through the years. With impressive outings by all three weekend starters and solid innings from the bullpen in the Norwich Regional, the Seminole arms are now faced with a much larger task in this weekend’s home Super Regional where they will host the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vandy travels to Tallahassee on a three game winning streak after eliminating host Louisville during Regional play on a squeeze bunt in the bottom of the ninth inning on Monday. In order for the Noles’ to advance to this year’s College World Series the pitching staff must continue to mind the “P’s” and answer the “Q’s” that landed them in a Super Regional.

Preparation. Head Coach Mike Martin and Pitching Coach Jamey Shouppe will certainly have the Seminole staff prepared for the Vandy lineup. I can remember sitting in the film room at Dick Howser Stadium analyzing each opposing hitter’s strengths and weaknesses on video with Coach Shouppe prior to each home series. I also recall getting a detailed scouting report before each game from the coaching staff. This report consists of each opposing hitter’s statistics, handedness, and place in that day’s hitting order. Every pitcher that toes the rubber this weekend for FSU will know what to expect from the Commodore bats. So far this post season, the Seminole pitchers have been well prepared and conquered every task placed in front of them, and my guess is that this weekend will hold much of the same.

Production. It is one thing to be well prepared for what lies ahead. It is a much different thing to go out and execute the game plan. Thus far this post season Seminole pitchers have executed the game plan to perfection leaving many “experts” backtracking on their predictions of failure. Post season success in college baseball goes to the team who pitches with consistency and gives their offense a chance to win ball games. The best offensive clubs will hit cold spells and some mediocre ones will light up the scoreboard. The Seminoles must continue to weather the storm on the mound and give their offense a chance to win baseball games. I believe that Florida State’s preparation, especially on the mound, coupled with the confidence built during the ACC Tournament and the Norwich Regional will allow the Noles’ to remain victorious this weekend against a tough Vanderbilt squad.

Pride. Take pride in playing at Dick Howser Stadium. Take pride in donning the Garnet and Gold in front of six thousand plus faithful fans. Take pride in being a Florida State Seminole. The 2010 Seminole pitching appears to have finally started taking some pride in who they are and where they play. As I watched the Regional last weekend, I saw a staff that showed fire and intensity each inning. That same fire and intensity is going to be what it takes to send their team to the promise land.

Questions. The questions that have surrounded the Florida State pitching staff this season have ranged from the volatility of the starting rotation to the search for a legitimate closer and everything that lies in between. This post season, the FSU pitching staff has been doing a lot of answering. If the Florida State Seminoles continue to place emphasis on their “P’s”, I feel that they will answer these questions all the way to Omaha. Only time will tell.

The 10th inning squeeze bunt that put Vandy in the Super Regional against FSU

Watch out, you high-riding Seminoles. Your opponent in this weekend's Super Regional has luck and timing on its side. Check how Vandy clinches the regional title over Louisville in a 10th inning cliffhanger -- and on the Cardinals' home diamond. That was after the Commodores survived a ninth inning scare, when Louisville's Andrew Clark lined to the shortstop with the bases full of Cards.

One more thing Vanderbilt has going for it is a stingy pitching staff. Vandy is 11th in the nation in team ERA, allowing only 3.64 runs per game (214 total) before the regionals. Florida State, by comparison, had a 4.45 ERA and gave up 257 runs pre-tourney.

D'Vontrey's Lament: "I didn't really get a true shot" at QB while at Florida State

Maybe someday we'll know more about why the multi-talented D'Vontrey Richardson never got it together as a Nole. For now, we'll settle for some clues from this interview with a Milwaukee Brewers blog. D'vo is currently with the Brewers Class A farm team, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. And not exactly setting the Midwest League on fire with his .247 batting average, three HR’s and 22 RBI’s.

Here are the Seminole-centric highlights of that interview:

"I just felt like my time was up (in football). Once I got (to Florida State), people were telling me to choose, and I didn’t want to choose. I just wanted to give it three years and see what opportunities I had. The Brewers liked me, so I had the opportunity to take it, and I took it. Now, I’m trying to take advantage of it."

Q: Low grades prevented you from playing baseball your sophomore season with the Seminoles. What did you do to get back on the field?

A: I just studied more. I just had to put grades first. Had to make close to a 3.0, worked hard that semester and made a 2.8. And then I took summer classes. It was hard work. I just wish I could have been smarter and got the grades early instead of starting my first semester of my sophomore year before the baseball season slacking off a little bit. But you learn from it, from the experiences.

Q: Did you learn anything from playing football for Bobby Bowden?

A: He’s a good guy. He was teaching us football things, but he also tried to teach us about the Bible Christian ways. We had two pastors there, so he always made sure we were doing the right thing on the field and off the field.

Q: You set a Florida State record for the longest TD run by a quarterback, with a 55-yard dash against Chattanooga in 2008. That’s kind of cool, huh? Especially considering you were a backup.

A: Yeah, it’s all right. I was mad at the time because I was supposed to get in a little bit earlier. And when it was my time to go in, I wasn’t really ready because I was a little frustrated. But (then-assistant) coach (Jimbo) Fisher pulled me out to the side, started getting in my face and telling me to snap out of it. So he called a play for me, and I took off. It was fun. No offense, but I wish it had been a bigger situation for that game, a clutch situation.

Q: Did you ever have any shot at being the ‘Noles’ starting quarterback?

Former FSU Pitcher Michael Hyde takes you inside the Noles shift to post-season play

Season One and Season Two

by Mike Hyde

Public Relations Director Next Level Baseball, LLC

Each year Coach Mike Martin routinely explains to his team that there are two seasons to be played. I recall how he would tell his Noles’ that they are now part of a tradition that has been built by the players before them. How he would illustrate with great detail how special it is to sink your cleats into the sod at Dick Howser Stadium and wear the Garnet and Gold. He would tell each and every player how fortunate he has been to be the Seminole skipper for more than thirty years. Without saying a word, he would point his finger to the east wall of the clubhouse where a mural of Florida State University is painted. Then to the west wall where Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium is depicted over the entrance to the showers. He explained that the mural of the University represents season one, or the regular season. Season two represented the post season and the road to Omaha. As a Florida State Seminole baseball player you are reminded everyday when you hit the showers of season two. For coach Martin’s 2010 club, season two is just beginning....

For this year’s Florida State Seminoles, season one was capped off by winning an ACC title. A championship that has eluded Coach Martin’s club for the past five seasons. However, many fans and alumni were not expecting the Noles’ to bring the title back to Tallahassee after being swept on the road by the Clemson Tigers in their final series.  After staying away from home for more than a week and facing a more than capable Miami team in game one, I even felt that the odds were against them heading into the tournament.  That doesn’t mean that I didn’t think they still had a legitimate chance. Every season Coach Martin prepares his team for every situation that could possibly arise throughout the course of the year and this season was no exception. In my opinion, this year's team has endured more ups and downs than many Seminole clubs from the past. Some of last years biggest offensive contributors have been all but absent in 2010, they have dropped more games this season to less than worthy opponents than I can remember in ten years, and the pitching staff has continued to be a roller coaster ride. All of that said, the 2010 Seminoles have proven that they are battle-tested and ready to take on anything put in front of them...including a trip to Norwich as the country’s only traveling #1 seed.

As the Noles’ head into season two I cannot help but think of the changes that occur with the transition from the regular season to the post season. During the regular season, the coaching staff is experimenting with the lineup and the pitching rotation in an attempt to find the players who are going to compete and leave it all out on the field. The freshmen are working to earn a position and the veterans are working to keep one.  Meanwhile games are being played and Seminoles inevitably end up putting together their usual 40+ win season at the end of the day.

When the post season rolls around the coaching staff seems to have a better grip of which guys they like and do not like for certain situations and each player is aware of their role on the team. In the post season rolls, the slate is wiped clean and every opponent the Noles’ face will be playing their best baseball. However, the preparation and experience from the regular season cannot be forgotten in post season play. The team that takes the field today in Norwich is the same team that won 42 regular season games and the ACC Championship. If the Noles’ go out and play (in the words of Coach Martin) “Seminole Baseball,” they will find themselves in a Super Regional come next week and in line to make “season two” a championship season just as they did “season one.”

Getting to know Florida State's off-the-radar opponent for game one

Getting the 4-1-1 on Central Connecticut State University of New Britain, Connecticut, is a bit like trying to find info on Latvia or Madagascar (though they don't have college baseball teams yet). We hope to chat with a coach from CCSU today. But until then, here's a quick backgrounder on the team the Noles will face, and the field where they'll play, at 2pm on Friday.

Venue:  Dodd Stadium, capacity 6,270. A minor league stadium built in 1995 and currently home to the Connecticut Tigers who begin their season on June 26.

Location: Norwich, CT. About 33 miles from Hartford and 80 miles from Boston.

CCSU Mascot: The Blue Devils

Conference: Northeast

How Central got to the Regionals: Won three consecutive elimination games last weekend to earn the Northeast Conference (NEC) crown.

History in the Regionals: Fourth appearance since 2002, overall 0-6 record.

Season Record: 33 - 21

Coach: Charlie Hickey, 11th season

Leading Hitters: 

Sean Allaire (SS) -  Named the 2010 NEC Player of the Year. Team leading .432 B.A., 98 hits, 22 doubles, six triples, 13 home runs and 72 RBIs. Had three hits and an RBI in the championship game victory over Sacred Heart on Sunday. 

Pat Epps (OF) - Named the 2010 NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player after batting .556 with 10 hits in 18 at-bats during the tourney. Batted 425 for the season with 91 hits, 14 doubles, 73 RBIs, and a school-record 18 home runs.

Both were named to the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-New England baseball team this week.

Team Batting Avg.: .345

Runs Scored (season): 464

Home Runs (season): 70

Leading Pitchers and potential starters on Friday:

Jack Greenhouse (Lefty) - 4-2, 3.86 ERA

Dave Krasnowiecki - 7-2, 4.38 ERA

Staff ERA: 6.23

Intangible/Potential Edge: The Blue Devils have never played a regional in their home state. Coach Charlie Hickey says that when Central played regionals in places like Texas and Arizona they had "maybe 20 of our fans there. Now, our players will be able to play in front of 5,000 or 6,000 people and all their family and friends. It will be an experience they'll take with them the rest of their baseball lives."

Florida State Wins ACC, Earns Right To Win On The Road

By Ryan for Chant Rant

In the middle of watching FSUs 8-3 win over NC State to clinch the ACC Championship, I flipped my laptop on and went to ESPN. There, the 16 host sites for the regional were announced, and of those 16 sites, Tallahassee was not one of them.

So, for winning the ACC, FSU did earn themselves a number one seed, but now must travel on the road, thereby losing any type of home-field advantage in the Norwich Regional, to be played in Connecticut. The Huskies, the number two seed in the regional, instead get the right to stay at home, not live out of a hotel, and relax.

Despite the NCAAs attempt to give FSU a pat on the back for winning the ACC, this is a pure slap in the face. While number one seeds have traveled before (most recently 2008 when Arizona traveled to Michigan, and even in 1996, when FSU went to Stanford), 15 of the 16 number one seeds are playing out of their own backyard.

Now, NCAA Committee Chairman Tim Weiser said its about not sacrificing the competitive integrity, and the ability to put a regional site at a location that hasn’t historically had one is good for college baseball.

Well, Tim, you did sacrifice the competitive integrity. However, there are two ways you can bring back that integrity:

1. Wait until the bracket is announced and let that be the time you are announcing the site locations.

Be honest, you’re discussing the locations anyways, but why announce it the day before, when teams are still playing for something? Granted, FSU was not in the top 16 in RPI (which the NCAA uses to determine seeding) during the week of the ACC Championships, and the sweep at Clemson did hurt. However, FSU turned it around, and in the most recent RPI, are ranked number 14.

Of the 16 hosts, three are not in the top 16 of the RPI. South Carolina (17), Oklahoma (18) and UConn (23). Oklahoma and UConn weren’t even in the Top 16 the week prior, and neither of them won their conference tournaments. Therefore, what I am reading is that the Selection Committee decided on their sites before the conference championships even began. Way to dilute your own championships, gentlemen and ladies.  The conference championships give teams a second chance, much like in basketball, but they don’t announce at-large teams that earn bids. Give those playing the conference tournaments a second chance at a host bid.

2. Move around the eight other hosts that are not national seeds.

Want to move FSU? Great, wonderful! What about the 7 other teams not given national seeds? The eight teams given national seeds are given home field throughout the Regionals and Super Regionals, meaning if Louisville loses their Regional, and FSU wins theirs, yes, FSU could host the Super Regionals.  Getting away from that though, if the Selection Committee wants to bring baseball to other areas, then take the eight teams that are hosting, and lump them in with the rest of the field, and make it as neutral as possible. So now, eight locations get baseball games for a weekend, and competitive integrity is maintained, just like the NCAA wants.

FSU is a number one seed for this weekend, but if the chips fall and they’re playing number two Connecticut in Norwich, CT, for the Regional Championship, well, who really is the one seed, and who really is getting the advantage?

NCAA selection committee admits debate and discussion about UCONN decision

Norwich, Connecticut? Central Connecticut State!?

Is the NCAA still punishing FSU for that little on-line music course mess?

Not according to Tim Weiser, the guy who chairs the D-1 selection committee. Asked why the Noles, with a strong RPI and ACC championship trophy, are getting scre...er, going to New England, Weiser said:

“Having Connecticut host took up the bulk of our discussion; I'm not sure there was nearly as much debate about the Arkansas discussion as there was for the Connecticut/Florida State question...In determining host sites, the committee attempts to place Regional tournaments in different regions around the country while also rewarding teams for competitive success throughout the season. This year, the committee felt that UConn's season and location merited a host site. Florida State, while having a tremendous season, was not one of the top 8 national seeds and is in an area - the Southeast - where several other Regional sites are located.”

So, Tim, being banished to Norwich had nothing to do with the NCAA losing the records case and having to pay legal fees? Tim? Oh, Tim? (Hmm, seems like the line just went dead.)