2012 Men’s Basketball
Championship
| Get to Know These Position Players |
|---|
|
Not only did Zunino’s bat help the Gators to the College World Series Finals as a sophomore, his play behind the plate may have helped even more. Zunino became just the second Gator to be named SEC Player of the Year after leading the league in hitting (.371), home runs (19), total bases (178), hits (98), runs (75) and doubles (23). The Cape Coral, Fla., native was also named to the All-SEC Defensive Team after committing just three errors and helping the pitching staff to a 2.93 ERA in 2011. Named a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, Zunino raised his batting average even higher in the postseason, hitting .395 in the NCAA tournament with four home runs in Florida’s 11 games. |
||||
.jpg) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
LJ Mazzilli
Key Notes: |
Tyler Naquin
Key Notes: |
James Ramsey
Key Notes: |
Victor Roache
Key Notes: |
Adam Brett Walker
Key Notes:
|
Mike Zunino| Keep an Eye on These Pitchers |
|---|
|
In just two years, Roth went from bullpen obscurity to being seen on billboards across Omaha. And that was before the lefthander helped the Gamecocks win their second national title in a row in 2011. Roth turned in an impressive 2011 with a 14-3 record and a 1.06 ERA in 21 games with 112 strikeouts in 145 innings pitched. His final start turned into his 14th win of the season with 7.2 innings and just two runs allowed on five hits as South Carolina beat SEC rival Florida to win the national championship. His ERA was second-lowest in the nation behind Gonzaga reliever Cody Martin. |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Mark Appel
Key Notes: |
Branden Kline
Key Notes: |
Cory Knebel
Key Notes: |
Tyler Ray
Key Notes: |
Marcus Stroman
Key Notes:
|
Michael Roth
| Follow Along with These Programs |
|---|
|
Noting the Gators: For those fans that have missed a truly dominating team in college baseball the last few years, you may have found your squad. Nearly every key contributor from the 2011 team that made it all the way to the CWS Finals is back, including six starters in the field and the entire weekend rotation. Hudson Randall, Karsten Whitson and Brian Johnson create one of the nastiest starting rotations in the country. Preston Tucker and Mike Zunino do the same in the lineup, making it one of the most difficult the nation will see.
Noting the Gamecocks: South Carolina rode the wave of momentum en route to a second consecutive national championship in 2011. If Ray Tanner’s club wants to become the first school to win three in a row since Southern California won five (1970-74), it has a whole lot of holes to fill. Gone are Jackie Bradley Jr., Scott Wingo and Adrian Morales. But the good news if you’re a Gamecocks fan? You still have one of the best starting pitching duos in the nation in Matt Price and Michael Roth. And if South Carolina makes the NCAA tournament, never count them out. The Gamecocks have won an NCAA-record 16 consecutive postseason games, including 11 in Omaha.
Noting the Cardinal: Last year saw Stanford knock off Cal State Fullerton on the road in the Regional round before losing two close contests in Chapel Hill to North Carolina in the Super Regional. That team was full of underclassmen, which has to make head coach Mark Marquess extremely happy. Starting pitcher Mark Appel has been talked about as potentially being a No. 1 overall pick in June’s MLB Draft. Pair him with a lineup that hit .299 last season — with Stephen Piscotty’s .364 average leading the charge — and there is a lot of room for excitement at Sunken Diamond. Other Teams to Watch: Arkansas, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M. |
| Top Contests to Watch in 2012 | |
|---|---|
 |
No. 1 Florida — Feb. 17-19: vs. No. 19 Cal State Fullerton March 2-4: at No. 16 Miami (Fla.) March 13, 27, April 10: vs. No. 10 Florida State March 16-18: vs. No. 11 Vanderbilt March 22-24: at No. 2 South Carolina April 27-29: vs. No. 6 Arkansas |
 |
No. 10 Florida State — Feb. 24-26: vs. Florida International March 6-7: at No. 28 UCF March 13, 27, April 10: vs. No. 1 Florida March 17-19: vs. No. 23 Virginia April 6-8: at No. 9 Georgia Tech April 20-22: vs. No. 16 Miami (Fla.) |
 |
No. 3 North Carolina — Feb. 28: vs. No. 28 St. John’s March 9-11: at No. 17 Clemson March 27-28: vs. No. 35 Coastal Carolina April 6-8: at No. 16 Miami (Fla.) April 20-22: vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech |
 |
No. 8 Rice — Feb. 17-19: vs. Florida International Feb. 24-26: vs. No. 33 Dallas Baptist March 2: vs. No. 7 Texas March 9-11: at No. 4 Stanford March 13-14: vs. No. 18 Arizona May 17-19: at No. 28 UCF |
 |
No. 2 South Carolina — March 2-4: vs. No. 17 Clemson March 9-11: vs. Princeton March 22-24: vs. No. 1 Florida March 30-April 1: at No. 11 Vanderbilt May 4-6: at No. 6 Arkansas May 17-19: vs. No. 12 LSU |
 |
No. 4 Stanford — Feb. 17-19: vs. No. 11 Vanderbilt Feb. 24-26: vs. No. 7 Texas March 9-11: vs. No. 8 Rice March 30-April 1: at No. 18 Arizona April 27-29: at No. 20 UCLA May 4-6: at No. 22 Oregon State |
 |
No. 5 Texas A&M — March 2-4: vs. Michigan State March 9-11: vs. No. 19 Cal State Fullerton April 5-7: vs. No. 14 Oklahoma April 27-29: vs. No. 7 Texas May 11-13: vs. San Diego State |
| School | New Coach (From) | Former Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Akron | Rick Rembielak (Georgia Tech assistant) | Pat Bangston |
| Alabama A&M | Michael Tompkins (Alabama A&M assistant) | Ed McCann |
| Alabama State | Mervyl Melendez (Bethune-Cookman head coach) | Larry Watkins |
| Bethune-Cookman | Jason Beverlin (Tennessee assistant) | Mervyl Melendez |
| Cal State Fullerton | Rick Vanderhook (UCLA assistant) | Dave Serrano |
| Fairfield | Bill Currier (Fairfield assistant) | John Slosar |
| Florida A&M | Willie Brown (Maclay HS head coach) | Brett Richardson (i) |
| Fordham | Kevin Leighton (Manhattan head coach) | Nick Restaino |
| Hartford | Justin Blood (Connecticut assistant) | Jeff Calcaterra |
| Hofstra | John Russo (Hofstra assistant) | Patrick Anderson |
| Manhattan | Jim Duffy (Seton Hall assistant) | Kevin Leighton |
| NYIT | TBA | Bob Hirschfield |
| Nebraska | Darin Erstad (Nebraska assistant) | Mike Anderson |
| North Carolina A&T | Joel Sanchez (Daytona State assistant) | Keith Shumate |
| North Carolina Central | Jim Koerner (Buffalo assistant) | Henry White |
| Old Dominion | Chris Finwood (Western Kentucky head coach) | Nate Goulet (i) |
| Sam Houston State | David Pierce (Rice assistant) | Mark Johnson |
| Santa Clara | Dan O’Brien (UC San Diego head coach) | Mark O’Brien |
| South Alabama | Mark Calvi (South Alabama assistant ) | Steve Kittrell |
| South Dakota State | Dave Schrage (Former Notre Dame head coach) | Ritchie Price |
| Temple | Ryan Wheeler (Richmond assistant) | Rob Valli |
| Tennessee | Dave Serrano (Cal State Fullerton head coach) | Todd Raleigh |
| UC Davis | Matt Vaughn (UC Davis assistant) | Rex Peters |
| UC Santa Barbara | Andrew Checketts (Oregon assistant) | Bob Brontsema |
| UMBC | Bob Mumma (UMBC assistant) | John Jancuska |
| Wagner | Jim Carone (Villanova assistant) | Joe Litterio |
| Western Kentucky | Matt Myers (Western Kentucky assistant) | Chris Finwood |
| (i) — Interim head coach | ||
All photos courtesy of respective school athletic departments.
Advertisement
