Omaha Training and Tournament Day 2 Recap
Day 2
The Baseball Factory teams continued their training today in preparation for the start of the Triple Crown World Series Tournament on Saturday. Steve Bernhardt organized two sets of practice today: Phase 1 included offensive rotations with live batting practice, cage work, and small group hitting talks emphasizing proper mechanics and plate discipline. The Factory hitters took advantage of the short outfield porches and repeatedly peppered home run balls well over the fence during BP. Phase 2 of practice included defensive rotations with specialized instruction for each position and speed/agility work. The boys are starting to get comfortable and loosing up with each other as team camaraderie is beginning to mesh. Green Team head coach, Mike Zolecki (current head coach at Cardinal Stritch University and former AA player with the Colorado Rockies) is a favorite of the players, keeping them loose, relaxed, and having fun.
The highlight of the day was the first trip to the Mecca of college baseball, Rosenblatt Stadium. Any baseball fan would marvel over the purity of the baseball that is played on the field. The college players give 150% on each play, with no exceptions. The Seniors know that this might be their last taste of organized baseball while facing the reality of entering into the real world. Watching a game at Rosenblatt during the College World Series is truly a priceless experience. Even the MLB World Series is a distant second to this event, in my opinion.
Tonight’s game featured Rice vs. North Carolina, with the winner squaring off against Oregon State in a best of 3 series for the National Championship. The Rice and North Carolina rosters featured 10 former Baseball Factory and Team One players including: from UNC: Michael Facchinei, Mark Fleury, Brian Moran, Joe Pietropaoli, Kyle Shelton, and Robert Woodard. The Rice roster includes: Daniel Cooper, Jordon Dodson, Joe Savery, and Diego Seastrunk. These players participated in various events including the Exclusive College Recruiting Program, The BATS Program (now renamed Signature College Recruiting Program), Baseball Factory National Tournaments (similar to the current program in Omaha), and Team One Regional and National Showcases.
After falling behind early, the Rice Owls regained the lead thanks to the help of two alumni listed above. Jordon Dodson (2003 Team One Central participant) had a key sacrifice bunt and Diego Seastrunk (2004 Team One Texas participant) singled in two runs. The lead was short lived as the strength on the Tar Heels offense was too much for the Owls to stage off. After 4 home runs and some dominant pitching performances, the Rice Owls fell to the UNC Tar Heels 7-4. As a result, for the first time since 1973, the CWS final will feature a rematch of the 2006 final teams: UNC and Oregon State. It should make for a very exciting final as UNC tries to revenge a bitter loss last year to the Oregon State Beavers.
A special congratulations goes out to Joe Savery (2003 Team One Central participant) from the Rice Owls on an unbelievable season. The 2007 first round draft pick excelled on the mound going 11-1 with a 2.99 ERA while also batting .360 with 60 RBIs. What a season as a 2-way player.
Check back tomorrow for more updates as the players continue to train prior to the start of Saturday’s games. Last year, one of the Baseball Factory teams finished 5th overall in the Triple Crown Tournament and we are optimistic that this year’s group will challenge that performance.
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