College World Series 2011: South Carolina Defeats Florida; Wins Repeat National Title

by Gamecock Man on Jun 29, 2011 12:37 AM EDT in South Carolina Gamecocks Baseball

Last night after South Carolina's nailbiter win over the Florida Gators in Game One of the Championship Series, I predicted that Carolina would again prevail in Game Two to bring home the hardware. Many members of the commentariat agreed. tryptic67 had the following to say in a popular post:

Today we took their best shot from their best pitcher and their best closers. Took their best shot from their best hitters. Survived. Won.

Tomorrow they get Roth.

The implication was clear: this time around, it would be Carolina going into battle with the heavy artillery, and there would be a good chance that the Gamecocks would win big.

Carolina didn't disappoint. Not only did it win, it did so with style. Roth delivered another great game--don't let the backhanded compliments from ESPN's crew of "announcers" detract from his fine performance. Moreover, the Carolina offense woke up with Gators ace Hudson Randall off the mound. The result was a performance that left little doubt as to who was the better team. I say this with all due respect for the Gators, who have a fine baseball team and a program that will be in the thick of things for many years to come. The Gators' search for their first national title won't take much longer. That said, and again don't let the narrative provided by the media make you believe anything otherwise, it can't be emphasized enough that we went 4-1 against the Gators this year, and that includes a series in the unfriendly confines of Gainesville. Florida had a great baseball team this year, but we had the best.

The victory and title put Ray Tanner's program in rarefied company. As you undoubtedly heard many times during the telecast, Carolina now owns the record for most consecutive games won in both the NCAA Tournament as a whole as well as the College World Series itself. The victory also makes us one of what is now only 14 teams with multiple CWS championships, as well as one of four programs to accomplish this feat in the new millennium. We're now up there with the sport's very best.

As GABA founder cocknfire wrote in the comments section of the game thread, now "we might have to learn...how to spell dynasty" here at South Carolina. I'm sure many of you are like me and thought this day might never come. Well, it's here. South Carolina, in one sport at least, is now certifiably elite. Hats off to Tanner and his fantastic baseball team for making it happen.

Go 'Cocks!

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Comments

U-S-C Goooooooooooooooooooooooo COCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Cocky1366 on Jun 29, 2011 12:47 AM EDT reply actions

Carolina on the front page of ESPN for the second straight night...

here. I feel that in the past year, since the first national title, we’ve been featured by ESPN and the national sports media more than we had in the past 20 combined. These are heady days for Carolina athletics.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Jun 29, 2011 1:39 AM EDT reply actions

we are on the rise

and its thanks to the most dynamic team in our athletics department.

We are now right where we deserve to be in college baseball, like you said, a nationally elite powerhouse… maybe now that we have back2back, the top tier talent on the diamond will start coming here from all over the nation (but of course if we could fill teams up with Wingo’s and Roth’s of the world, I dont want talent, b/c them guys will beat out the top talent everyday)

by Gamecockrock on Jun 29, 2011 1:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Here is the picture for the ESPN front page.

And here you can read the ESPN article on our win last night to secure the second consecutive National Title.

- FOW

by skandrewj62j on Jun 29, 2011 9:03 AM EDT up reply actions

Congrats fellas

Way to rep the SEC!

Dayman, Fighter of the Nightman, Champion of the Sun

@btcoop71

by btcoop71 on Jun 29, 2011 8:08 AM EDT reply actions

It is pretty filthy to think....

that the SEC has the last 5 BCS championships.

AND

the last THREE College World Series Titles.

and… Kentucky basketball might be making a comeback to become a powerhouse again.

- FOW

by skandrewj62j on Jun 29, 2011 9:55 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, the SEC is def. doing quite well right now.

Don’t look now, though. The B10 is about to create a rival baseball tournament in order to protest our success.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Jun 29, 2011 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm not a very good poker player,

but even I would call that bluff ten times out of ten.

Dum spiro spero - "While I breathe, I hope"
State motto of South Carolina

by The Feathered Warrior on Jun 29, 2011 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions

Aww, fiddlesticks!

So we’ll have to share the crown with Vanderbilt and Michigan State? I wonder when they’re having that parade in Nashville anyway?

"Lattimore, as the kids can say, can ball, and sometimes does it to the extent one might say [he] is out of control in his balling." - Spencer Hall

by GwinnettGamecock on Jun 29, 2011 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions

lmao

the B10 will never be able to compete against us in baseball… maybe one day in football, but they are wasting their time with baseball

by Gamecockrock on Jun 29, 2011 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Congratulations, y'all!

Your win streaks will probably stand for a quite a while.

Hey Oliver Luck, I'm tired of being the winningest football program to have never won a National Championship. Thank you for doing something about that.

by MtnEer_in_SC on Jun 29, 2011 8:13 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks!

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Jun 29, 2011 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions

Hey, I know you!

Thanks. I figure we should be good for at least one more on the overall steak as a 1 v 4 or Roth v 3 next season. Didn’t know you visited anywhere other than EDSBS and Smoking Musket, but nice of you to stop in. Now that baseball is over, all I need is to take care of this grad portfolio presentation, and I can be back over there making snarky comments about the Big Ten and 19th century literary figures. Or both.

"Lattimore, as the kids can say, can ball, and sometimes does it to the extent one might say [he] is out of control in his balling." - Spencer Hall

by GwinnettGamecock on Jun 29, 2011 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions

BACK TO BACK!

Anyone know when the parade will be held? Going to caravan up from Charleston.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Champagne for my real friends and real pain for my sham friends." - Tom Waits

twitter

by Gamecock'n'Balls on Jun 29, 2011 10:24 AM EDT reply actions

Update: It's at 12 on Friday.

See you then!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Champagne for my real friends and real pain for my sham friends." - Tom Waits

twitter

by Gamecock'n'Balls on Jun 29, 2011 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions

Yup. This doesn't get Old....

USC Gamecocks Flag on top of the State House.

- FOW

by skandrewj62j on Jul 1, 2011 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions

That is...awesome.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Jul 1, 2011 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Congrats

USC was certainly a team of destiny this season. We gave you all we had and the Cocks simply refused to lose. Congratulations on another championship….the second championship defeat of the Gators this season (after the SEC East clincher in football). Let’s not make a habit of this!

by skigator93 on Jun 29, 2011 11:22 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks man. I really feel like these were the two best teams.

Thanks for the kind words — see you in the fall!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Champagne for my real friends and real pain for my sham friends." - Tom Waits

twitter

by Gamecock'n'Balls on Jun 29, 2011 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, thanks skigator. The Gators partisans have certainly represented themselves well when they've visited here the past few days.

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Jun 29, 2011 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions

oh lets :)

its nice to know that were putting ourselves up their to compete with the UF’s of the world.

by Gamecockrock on Jun 29, 2011 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks, I have to second several others

and say that our Gator guests have collectively represented their university better than any group I have ever seen in a high profile event. Sadly, that includes Gamecocks – half our fans on the rivals baseball board are truly cringe-inducing.

Florida should be the national team to beat next year. See you in the fall.

"Lattimore, as the kids can say, can ball, and sometimes does it to the extent one might say [he] is out of control in his balling." - Spencer Hall

by GwinnettGamecock on Jun 29, 2011 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions

UF will certainly be a favorite to win it next year.

Anyone know how much talent they have coming back?

by stapleears on Jun 29, 2011 12:31 PM EDT reply actions

Three weekend starters,

the SEC POY, and five or six other position starters. Their biggest losses are in the pen. They lose four relievers, but most of those are prospect arms, or they wouldn’t be relievers. Their closer has one more year. This was a SO dominated team, and will be everybody’s pick to win it all next year. If everything falls into place for them, they could put up a year like our 2000 squad that dominated the regular season.

Honestly, we likely will not be able to match their 60-70 game pace, but we will have enough pitching that we could take them in a three game set, especially if Price comes back for his RS JR year. Unfortunately for us and fortunately for Price, he probably made himself a lot of money with his CWS performance, especially the starter like outing against UVa. I think we went from a decent shot to get him back to a longshot.

"Lattimore, as the kids can say, can ball, and sometimes does it to the extent one might say [he] is out of control in his balling." - Spencer Hall

by GwinnettGamecock on Jun 29, 2011 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Congratulations! loved the series, great athletes and wonderful pitching. Go SEC!!

by aubgrad on Jun 29, 2011 5:00 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks--and see you in the fall. :-)

Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.

by Gamecock Man on Jun 29, 2011 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Congrats, Gamecocks!

Congrats on your back to back titles (and maybe now BSPN can quit showing your CWS winning hit against us last year – that got old really fast).

Your team just played great solid baseball all the way through. Mike Patrick actually got one thing right when he said that your opponents just can never seem to get their own game going. That’s a product of your smart pitching, timely hitting, intelligent managing, great execution, and a relentless will to win. You guys just play great baseball, and it was a pleasure to watch.

And, it’s always nice to see the good USC on the front pages. But now we gotta talk about breaking up that dynasty there.

greg in denver, UCLA guy for life - BruinsNation.com

by gbruin on Jun 29, 2011 9:35 PM EDT reply actions