Army makes rare appearance in postseason play

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Posted 5:46AM on Friday, June 3, 2005

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Nine Army baseball players head into this weekend's NCAA Regional Tournament play with their commissions and orders in hand, but for the time being they're still college athletes. Playing in their second straight regional and only third in school history, the Black Knights (38-12) head South to face top seeded Florida State (50-16) on the Seminoles home diamond. And while the newly minted Army second lieutenants will soon be off to six more months of officer basic before joining their units around the world, they'll be focused on the task at hand Friday. ``Their orders right now are to play baseball,'' Army coach Joe Sottolano said Thursday. A year ago, Army was two-and-out at a regional in Baton Rouge, La. This year, the Black Knights hope for a longer stay. ``Coming out of last year's regional, I think our players felt comfortable that they can compete at this level,'' Sottolano said. ``It's close to home for some of our players so that should give them an added level of comfort.'' A handful of the cadets are from Florida, including two-year co-captain Schuyler Williamson, a senior catcher from Pensacola. Another, sophomore outfielder/closer Milan Dinga of Tampa, was a high school teammate of Florida State star Shane Robinson. ``Probably everybody that knows me will be there,'' Williamson said. ``I'm trying to get my high school coaches out there and definitely all of my family, including both my brothers. It will be the first time both of them get to see me play at the same time since I've been in college.'' Williamson is among nine Black Knights who were commissioned Saturday. Army will send ace lefty Nick Hill (10-1) against Florida State's Michael Hyde (7-2) in Friday's second game. Hill is 20-4 in two seasons at West Point where he has a 1.93 earned run average and averages better than a strikeout an inning. The winner will meet either Auburn (32-24) or South Alabama (35-25), who face off in the regional opener. Tournaments also get underway Friday in Gainesville and Coral Gables, where the host Miami Hurricanes (38-17-1) and Florida Gators (40-20) have the top seeds. The winners of the Gainesville and Tallahassee regionals will meet in the super regionals while the winner of Miami's regional will face the champ of the regional in Lincoln, Neb., where top-seeded Nebraska is the host. The Hurricanes open against Colonial Athletic Association champ Virginia Commonwealth (33-20) while Florida Atlantic (36-22) will face SEC Tournament champion Mississippi State (40-20). The Hurricanes stumble into this year's regional in Coral Gables where they haven't lost a regional since 1990 having lost six in a row, their worst losing streak since 1966. ``When you've lost six in a row, you've got out how to figure out how to turn it around,'' Miami coach Jim Morris said. ``But at Miami, we're very spoiled and we're used to being on top.'' In Gainesville, the Gators open against Atlantic Sun champion Stetson (35-26) while Notre Dame (36-22-1) meets North Carolina (40-17-1) in the regional's other matchup. Named the nation's No. 7 seed, the Gators will likely host next week's super regional if they can win this weekend. The Gators are looking for their first trip to Omaha since 1998. ``We definitely have what it takes to go to Omaha,'' Gators first baseman Matt LaPorta said. ``I thought we had what it took last year, but the breaks didn't go our way.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)