ATHENS - In 2006, when Georgia last went to the College World Series, Ryan Peisel got on the bus leaving the campus as the Bulldogs' starting third baseman with a .310 average.
By the time he got off the bus at Rosenblatt Stadium, he had been reduced to a starry-eyed kid.
Peisel acquitted himself well enough in Omaha, getting three hits in eight at-bats, but Georgia had a short tour, losing two straight to Rice and eventual national champion Oregon State.
This time, the Bulldogs plan to do some damage.
``I got off the bus and wow, there was the statue that I had been seeing on TV, and this was the field the dirt all these guys have been playing on,'' Peisel remembered. ``Just the stadium alone, I was completely awestruck. It was like meeting a celebrity for the first time. I had no clue.
``This year is more like a business trip,'' he said. ``We want to come back as a champion.''
No. 8 seed Georgia (41-23-1) faces top-seeded Miami (52-9) Saturday at 7 p.m. ESPN will televise the game.
Five members of the 2008 Bulldog team played in the 2006 series. They admit to being a little overwhelmed.
Starting pitcher Trevor Holder (8-4, 4.34 ERA) said the crowd attention made him feel like a rock star.
``There is a mass of people who want to meet you. They treat you like celebrities. They want your autograph. I pitched, and I don't even remember it, I was so wound up in the whole atmosphere,'' he said.
``The College World Series is everything it is made out to be,'' said shortstop Gordon Beckham (.401, 26 HR, 72 RBI). ``Everybody in Omaha loves you. They treat you like royalty.''
The Bulldogs, of course, are excited to be playing in Omaha, but they have a sense of purpose too.
``I know this team is not just happy to be there,'' said coach David Perno, who played on Georgia's 1990 national championship squad.
``Whether we are good enough to win, Miami, Florida State and Stanford have a lot to say about it. All we an do is handle what we do and hope it is good enough for us to stay around and advance where pitching depth comes into play.
``This team gains momentum the longer it hangs around,'' he said.
``Coach says you can tell the teams that go out there to win and the ones who want to just be there by the first practice,'' said pitcher Stephen Dodson, who was on the 2006 squad but did not play in Omaha. ``We are going out there to win. We think we have the team to win.''
Perno is not sure that attitude will make as much difference as the physical makeup of the team.
``In 2006, we thought we could hit and score some runs,'' he said. ``But we didn't score a lot. We pitched pretty good.''
Closer Joshua Fields is the one identical ingredient from the 2006 team. He had 15 saves in 2006 compared with 16, earning stopper of the year honors from college baseball writers.
Otherwise, the pitching staff is more mature and deeper, and the hitting has emerged in the post-season.
``This team all year has been focused on one goal, and that is to win a national title,'' said Holder. ``We built little steps into the season, such as winning the Southeastern Conference, the regional and the super regional. We are not going out there just to be happy to be there.''
Peisel (.335, 10, 49) was in the bottom of the order on the 2006 team, but now bats leadoff. Beckham was mired in a slump in 2006, grounding into a season-ending double play in Omaha. Now he is one of the toughest outs in college baseball, a finalist for national player of the year honors.
``The last time I was not hitting well. I had hit a wall,'' Beckham said.
Now he is hitting everything over the wall, hitting his school record 26th in his final at-bat at at Foley Field in the 17-8 Super Regional clincher over North Carolina State.
Georgia faces a formidable opener against Miami freshman Chris Fernandez, who boasts a perfect 11-0 record. But even Fernandez must calm his nerves in that first game.
``You get so excited that it is tough to contain those emotions,'' said Dodson of pitching on such a big stage. ``You have to calm down and not be overcome by your emotions.''
-- COLLEGE WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE:
At Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha, Neb.
Double Elimination
- Saturday, June 14
Bracket 1
Game 1 Stanford (39-22-2) vs. Florida State (54-12), 2 p.m.
Game 2 Georgia (41-23-1) vs. Miami (52-9), 7 p.m.
- Sunday, June 15
Bracket 2
Game 3 Fresno State (42-29) vs. Rice (47-13), 2 p.m.
Game 4 LSU (48-17-1) vs. North Carolina (51-12), 7 p.m.
- Monday, June 16
Game 5 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 2 p.m.
Game 6 Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, June 17
Game 7 Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 2 p.m.
Game 8 Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 18
Game 9 Loser Game 6 vs. Winner Game 5, 7 p.m.
- Thursday, June 19
Game 10 Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 7, 7 p.m.
- Friday, June 20
Game 11 Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 9, 2 p.m.
Game 12 Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, June 21
Game 13 if necessary, 2 p.m.
Game 14 if necessary, 7 p.m.
Note: If there is only one game, it will be played at 7 p.m.
- Championship Series
(Best-of-3)
- Monday, June 23: Bracket One winner vs. Bracket Two winner, 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, June 24: Bracket One winner vs. Bracket Two winner, 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 25: Bracket One winner vs. Bracket Two winner, if necessary, 7 p.m.
Thursday
October 24th, 2024
8:25PM
