[batted balls]

Oct. 4, 2006

Tempe, Ariz.--A pair of 100-plus victory teams will face one another when the 2006 College World Series opens Tuesday at Packard Stadium.

While one team (Arizona State) ran away with its division title and had the opportunity to rest its starters, the other (Ivy) was forced to hold off a strong challenge from a strong rival (Miami). Whether that favors one club over another remains to be seen.

"To use the old adage, throw out the record books," said Arizona State manager Bobby Winkles. "Tomorrow we start even."

Ivy manager Bob Seddon agreed, "The regular season was great for us and for them. (But) that's all over now. It's best of seven from here on out."

On paper, Arizona State is favored. The Sun Devils (113-49) easily won the All-American Baseball League West. Arizona State wound up 15 games ahead of second-place Southern California.

"We had a great, great season," Winkles said. "But there's work left to be accomplished."

The Sun Devils will start left-hander Floyd Bannister in the CWS opener. Bannister enjoyed an All-Star season in which he posted a 16-7 record with a 2.62 ERA. Bannister struck out 205 batters while issuing just 74 walks in 230 innings of work.

"I'm honored to be starting game one," Bannister said. "Any one of our starters would have been deserving."

As a team, Arizona State posted a 2.92 ERA, sixth best in the AABL.

Ivy, meanwhile, finished four games ahead of Miami in the AABL East. The Eagles (104-58) watched the Hurricanes get to within two games of first place before sewing up the division.

"Hopefully the pressure of the pennant race will pay dividends for us," said Seddon. "We'll soon find out."

Seddon has chosen right-hander Pete Broberg (20-11, 2.60 ERA) to start game one. Statistically, the Eagles had an even better pitching staff than Arizona State. Ivy's team ERA was 2.87, fifth in the AABL. Most impressive, however, was the fact that opponents hit just .226 against Ivy. The Eagles led the AABL in that category. Seddon also noted that pitcher Chris Young has been added to the Series roster. The 6-foot-10 right-hander appeared in 11 games following his September call-up. Young was 1-0 with a save. His ERA was just 1.17.

"Chris will be a key part of our team against Arizona State. We know they can hit the ball out of the park, or they can nickel-and-dime you," said Seddon. "We've got to be ready for the very first pitch."

Game One Probable Lineups
Ivy Eagles
SS Hughie Jennings (.303-6-69-190 hits)
2B Steve Yerkes (.291-3-49)
RF Sam Mele (.322-13-117)
1B Lou Gehrig (.304-21-115-16 stolen bases)
CF Roy Thomas (.318-2-71)
DH Gene Larkin (.287-2-19) or Bill Almon (.258-3-47)
C Brad Ausmus (.259-14-64)
3B Red Rolfe (.264-11-73)
LF Doug Glanville (.259-9-52)

Arizona State Sun Devils
SS Pat Listach (.314-1-54)
DH Hubie Brooks (.299-4-75-25 stolen bases)
3B Bob Horner (.287-36-131)
RF Reggie Jackson (.262-28-86)
2B Bump Wills (.270-6-69)
CF Oddibe McDowell (.259-33-90)
LF Rick Monday (.247-15-57) or Mike Devereaux (.290-6-36)
C Mike Colbern (.272-12-51)
1B Gary Rajsich (.280-11-34) or Luis Medina (.212-5-17)

Tale of the Tape
Team Batting: Ivy .278; ASU .270
Home Runs: ASU 178; Ivy 99
Runs Scored: ASU 832; Ivy 806
Stolen Bases: ASU 43; Ivy 36

Team ERA: Ivy 2.87; ASU 2.92
Opponents Avg: Ivy .226; ASU .235
Runs Allowed: ASU 486; Ivy 526
Walks Allowed: Ivy 485; ASU 486