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That has been one of the USC Beaufort baseball team's favorite sayings throughout the season, but never more than during the past week, as the Sand Sharks tried to shake off a poor showing at the Sun Conference Tournament that left them wondering briefly about their postseason prospects.
"Everything we do is important," USCB coach Rick Sofield said. "But after the fact it's done with. Let it go and try to move on."
And move on, they have, to Cleveland, Tenn., for the opening round of the NAIA National Championships beginning today. The No. 2 seed Sand Sharks open play in a five-team, double-elimination regional at Lee University's Olympic Field with a 3:30 p.m. game againstNo. 3 seed Taylor (Ind.) University.
This is new territory for USCB's second-year program, but the Sand Sharks have become accustomed to charting new courses this season. They finished second in the Sun Conference during the regular season, and they cracked the NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll for the first time last month and have remained there since.
Yet Sofield is eager to see how his team will respond to this newest challenge.
"You're talking about new experiences," Sofield said. "Now we're playing in a regional, national picture, four games away from a World Series. For me, this will be all-or-nothing. It's a hard environment. It's very emotional."
The Sand Sharks did not respond well to the emotion of being considered one of the favorites to win the Sun Conference Tournament. They fell behind early in their opener against No. 5 seed St. Thomas and lost 16-4, and a late rally fell short in a 6-5 loss against No. 6 seed Florida Memorial.
But Sofield said the team has practiced "since the minute we got off the bus," and he expects better this week.
To extend their season past Friday, the Sand Sharks will have to go through host Lee University, the No. 4 team in the country. The Flames are looking to make their fourth consecutive trip to the NAIA World Series, where they finished second in 2008 and third in 2009.
First up, though, USCB will face No. 3 seed Taylor. The Trojans were the regular-season champions in the Mid-Central College Conference, led by two-time conference player of the year Michael Kraynak, who plays shortstop and serves as the team's closer. Kraynak is hitting .401 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs, and he is 1-0 and has seven saves in 17 relief appearances.
The Trojans (38-15) boast a powerful offense. They have hit 49 home runs and average 7.8 runs per game.
Sophomore right-hander Kyle McCullough (3-2, 2.57 ERA) will be the man charged with slowing down that potent lineup. McCullough has made 12 of his 15 appearances this season out of the bullpen, but he will get the start today.
Ace left-hander Adam Miller is recovering from an inner ear infection that sent him to the hospital Friday, and though he is cleared to play, Sofield wanted to give him an extra day of rest. Miller is expected to start Wednesday. Right-hander Spencer Cromer takes over McCullough's spot in the bullpen.
"(McCullough) is stretched out to 100 pitches, and he very well could be our best guy overall," Sofield said. "We're not playing around at this time of year."
The Sand Sharks have been dinged with some injuries to their position players, as well. They had to leave second baseman Gabe Torres off the 24-man roster for the tournament because of an injured left wrist. Torres hurt the wrist in the ninth inning of USCB's final game in the Sun Conference Tournament. With Torres out, David O'Neil will shift from third base back to second, and Zach Rossetti will move back into the lineup at third.
Outfielder Larry Perry is recovering from a hamstring injury, but the Sand Sharks do have Brandon Cooksey back from injury to help provide depth in the outfield.
"This is part of late-season tournaments, and this is part of being a good ballclub," Sofield said. "A lot of guys are going to have to step up. We're very excited. You don't get these opportunities very often. To think that we'll be here every year, I'd like to romantically think we are, but that's not always the case. Dan Marino's still looking for that next Super Bowl after that rookie year, and he never quite got one.
"In this program we talk about winning a national championship, and we're a week away from trying for one. It will be fun, and it will be a big test. I look forward to seeing how we react myself."
THE FIELD
USC Beaufort's baseball team begins play today in the double-elimination, five-team NAIA National Championship Opening Round tournament. Here's a look at the teams vying for one of 10 spots in the NAIA World Series beginning May 28 in Lewiston, Idaho.
No. 1 seed
Lee Flames
Location: Cleveland, Tenn.
Coach: Mark Brew (fifth season)
Record: 46-11
How they got here: At-large No. 1
Offensive glance: Hit .341 as a team with 231 extra-base hits, including 66 home runs. Scored 531 runs (9.3 per game). Stole 138 bases in 167 attempts.
Top hitters: SS Jose Cuevas (.380, 20 doubles, 7 HR, 62 RBIs), 3B Tanner Moore (.379, 11 doubles, 6 triples, 20 HR, 67 RBIs), DH Junior Rodriguez (.372, 22 doubles, 14 HR, 67 RBIs)
Top starting pitchers: LHP Matthew Gilson (9-0, 2.05 ERA, 4 CG, 64 K, 14 BB), RHP Scott Swinson (10-0, 3.20 ERA, 5 CG, 72 K, 12 BB), RHP Jay Bolen (7-1, 4.41 ERA, 3 CG, 54 K, 16 BB)
Top relievers: RHP Aaron Everett (5-6, 2.17 ERA, 7 saves, 20 games, 45 2-3 IP), LHP James Rechenbach (5-0, 3.52 ERA, 16 games, 38 1-3 IP)
Tournament history: Fifth appearance, 11-8 overall
No. 2 seed
USC Beaufort Sand Sharks
Location: Bluffton
Coach: Rick Sofield (second season)
Record: 38-13
How they got here: At-large No. 9
Offensive glance: Hit .348 as a team with 173 extra-base hits, including 24 home runs. Scored 407 runs (8.0 per game). Stole 82 bases in 99 attempts.
Top hitters: OF Spencer Jackson (.422, 21 doubles, 3 HR, 36 RBIs, 6 SB), 1B Brandon Collins (.409, 14 doubles, 6 HR, 52 RBIs), OF R.J. Neal (.362, 10 doubles, 7 triples, 2 HR, 43 RBIs, 11 SB)
Top starting pitchers: LHP Adam Miller (10-1, 3.94 ERA, 66 K, 27 BB), RHP Spencer Cromer (6-4, 3.80 ERA, 4 CG, 56 K, 12 BB), LHP Ryan Philpott (7-0, 4.17 ERA), 21 K, 8 BB)
Top relievers: RHP Kyle McCullough (3-2, 2.57 ERA, 1 save, 15 games, 42 IP), RHP Andres Castro (1-1, 2.63 ERA, 3 saves, 17 games, 24 IP), LHP Colton Rudd (2-1, 3.06 ERA, 2 saves, 13 games, 17 2-3 IP), RHP Andrew Barrineau (2-0, 1.47 ERA), 9 games, 18 1-3 IP)
Tournament history: First appearance
No. 3 seed
Taylor Trojans
Location: Upland, Ind.
Coach: Kyle Gould (sixth season)
Record: 38-15
How they got here: At-large No. 12
Offensive glance: Hit .345 as a team with 154 extra-base hits, including 49 home runs. Scored 412 runs (7.8 per game). Stole 51 bases in 73 attempts.
Top hitters: OF Taylor Luna (.447, 10 HR, 42 RBIs), SS Michael Kraynak (.401, 9 HR, 53 RBIs), 1B Ryne Otis (.394, 12 HR, 62 RBIs, 12 SBs)
Top starting pitchers: RHP Travis Tomaszewski (7-0, 3.23 ERA, 4 CG, 38 K, 6 BB), RHP Travis Carsten (10-1, 3.48 ERA, 41 K, 14 BB), LHP Ryan Baker (6-2, 3.62, 5 CG, 50 K, 14 BB)
Top relievers: RHP Brent Kimbro (1-0, 2.25 ERA, 1 save, 12 games, 16 IP), RHP Michael Kraynak (1-0, 5.68 ERA, 7 saves, 17 games, 19 IP)
Tournament history: Third appearance, 3-4 overall
No. 4 seed
William Jewell Cardinals
Location: Liberty, Mo.
Coach: Mike Stockton (ninth season)
Record: 38-13
How they got here: Heart of America regular-season champion
Offensive glance: Hit .319 as a team with 116 extra-base hits, including 18 home runs. Scored 377 runs (7.4 per game). Stole 76 bases in 104 attempts.
Top hitters: OF Jon Farris (.363, 3 triples, 1 HR, 30 RBIs, 12 SB), 1B Joe Summers (.356, 14 doubles, 3 HR, 44 RBIs), SS Jason Demore (.353, 14 doubles, 3 HR, 41 RBIs)
Top starting pitchers: RHP Steve Johnson (7-2, 3.44 ERA, 4 CG, 61 K, 18 BB), RHP Mo Sckaer (5-0, 3.56 ERA, 30 K, 16 BB), RHP Jamison Miller (8-0, 3.92 ERA, 50 K, 18 BB)
Top relievers: RHP Ben Rister (2-0, 2.55 ERA, 5 saves, 17 games, 17 2-3 IP), RHP Darren O'Brien (5-0, 3.67 ERA, 2 saves, 9 games, 27 IP)
Tournament history: 12th appearance, 10-19 overall, 1968 champion
No. 5 seed
Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars
Location: Mount Vernon, Ohio
Coach: Keith Veale (21st season)
Record: 32-21
How they got here: American Mideast tournament champion
Offensive glance: Hit .328 as a team with 142 extra-base hits, including 34 home runs. Scored 371 runs (7.0 per game). Stole 52 bases in 61 attempts.
Top hitters: 3B Matt Parks (.432, 12 doulbes, 3 HR, 34 RBIs), OF Steve Williams (.373, 11 doubles, 5 HR, 42 RBIs, 7 SB), OF Brian Brockly (.367, 6 triples, 3 HR, 23 RBIs, 7 SB)
Top starting pitchers: RHP Grant Martin (1-4, 3.83 ERA, 24 K, 16 BB), RHP Kyle Barr (7-5, 5.00 ERA, 5 CG, 73 K, 26 BB), RHP Caleb Wright (5-3, 5.26 ERA, 26 K, 16 BB)
Top relievers: RHP Darren Athey (4-1, 4.43 ERA, 10 saves, 20 games, 22 1-3 IP), LHP Justin Brown (2-1, 4.26 ERA, 19 games, 38 IP), LHP Tim Harvey (0-0, 1.93 ERA, 7 games, 9 1-3 IP)
Tournament history: Third appearance, 3-4 overall
