Well, the UNO baseball trip to Wichita is ending like it started. The Privateers arrived at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport thinking it was going home following a strong run at the NCAA Wichita Regional.
Mother Nature forced a cancellation of the Privateers' flight to Dallas, though, so UNO is stuck in Wichita for one more night. On the bright side, the NCAA is chartering a plane for UNO to return home on Tuesday morning.
We'll try it again tomorrow!!!
SUNDAY, June 3, 2007
3:30 p.m.: Not looking too good for the Privateers' season to continue, but with this team, can you really ever close the book? Wichita State has managed 14 hits and has a 7-2 lead. It could be much worse, but the UNO bullpen has been able to strand 14 Shockers on base.
UNO has only tallied six hits on the day. It is getting late here in Wichita.
1:10 p.m.: It didn't take long for a little drama to kick in. With WSU up 1-0 in the bottom of the first, UNO's Brandon Bowser was on third base with one out. T.J. Baxter hit a line drive that was ruled to be caught by left fielder Tyler Hill.
Bowser went back to third to tag up and scored on the play. The umpire clearly ruled that he felt Hill caught the ball, but WSU played the ball like he did not -- gunning Baxter out at second base.
WSU appealed the play at third that Bowser left the bag early, and third base umpire Rich Padilla agreed and ruled Bowser out. The UNO dugout obviously erupted.
Padilla, who was the home plate umpire in Saturday's Oral Roberts-WSU game, was not a very popular man on Saturday afternoon. He's not making many friends on Sunday at the moment.
12:45 p.m.: We are 10 minutes away from the start of what will hopefully be two games for the Privateers. UNO will face regional-host Wichita State for the second time in three days.
In a late change, Tom Walter has decided to start senior left-hander Matt McKissick against WSU All-American Aaron Shafer. For the second straight day, UNO will be the home team as the Privateers are sporting the white pinstripe uniforms.
Though WSU is the visiting team in its own stadium, the Shockers will be in their customary first-base dugout. NCAA Tournament rules say the home team occupies the third-base dugout.
SATURDAY, June 2, 2007
10:35 p.m.: The Privateers ended up falling by a 9-8 count to No. 2 seed Arizona. Arizona's Bill Rhinehart hit for the cycle, and the Wildcats got some strong relief from Jason Stoffel. Hopefully those who could not come to Kansas caught the game on the radio, because it was a great one.
UNO will now face regional-host Wichita State in a 1 p.m. elimination game. Should the Privateers win, they will play Arizona at 7 p.m. Whoever wins will need to beat Arizona twice. Tough night for the Privateers, but they are playing their best baseball at the right time.
9:55 p.m.: UNO up 8-7 going to the eighth. Whoever's in charge of the music here in Wichita is obviously losing control of the wheel. Between innings, the music of choice at Eck Stadium was the "Cookie Monster Song." Someone needs a nap.
9:20 p.m.: UNO was down 5-3 in the fifth but took the lead thanks to its second three-run inning of the game. Ryan O'Shea relieved Justin Garcia in the sixth but gave up a two-run home run to Arizona's top hitter -- Bill Rhinehart -- to put the Wildcats back in front. UNO has given up four home runs tonight (UNO has none) but is only down a run.
8:10 p.m.: Like Friday, UNO jumps ahead quickly on the favored opponent -- plating three runs in the first. Unfortunately, like Friday, the ranked opponent -- this time Arizona -- has clawed its way back to tie it. Looks like another crazy night in Wichita!!
6 p.m.: UNO gets another crack at a nationally-ranked team tonight as the Privateers face No. 11 Arizona. The Privateers have won two straight games against nationally-ranked squads following yesterday's 7-6 win over Wichita State.
UNO fans would have enjoyed reading the Wichita Eagle today. The Shocker media, just like its fans, were literally shocked about the Privateers' comeback. The only group that seemed to think Friday's win was possible were the 25 players in the dugout (along with a few parents in the stands).
WSU did bounce back to pound Oral Roberts 11-4 earlier today. The Shockers will play the loser of tonight's UA-UNO game at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The Privateers will have a different look tonight compared to Friday. With Arizona starting left-hander Brad Mills, UNO will start freshman Jerad Comarda at first base while freshman Ryan Eden will be the DH. Listen to tonight's game live on 990 AM or UNOPrivateers.com
FRIDAY, June 1, 2007
10:20 p.m.: UNO continued its improbable postseason run on Friday night, scoring three runs in the ninth inning to defeat No. 1 seed Wichita State 7-6. As Brandon Bowser squeezed the final out in the bottom of the ninth, the UNO dugout erupted -- celebrating at the mound to for the second time in six days after defeating a nationally-ranked team.
Following the game, the Privateers sat on the team bus for an hour waiting on a handful of UNO players to undergo random drug testing called for by the NCAA. It's a good thing adrenaline is not a banned substance!!
UNO will face No. 2 seed Arizona at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
8:20 p.m.: Something you don't see everyday -- an 8-3 double play. Wichita State put a rally together in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs and getting two more runners on the bases. Matt Brown then sent a deep fly ball into center field, but the wind held it up enough for center fielder Brandon Bowser to chase it down.
WSU's Derek Schermerhorn was on second base and was crossing home when Bowser caught the ball. The senior tossed the ball to first baseman Greg Wolfe, who touched second base to double off Schermerhorn and end the threat.
Privateers up 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth.
7:50 p.m.: With what appears to be a near-capacity crowd in Wichita, the Privateers put up a three-spot in the top of the second to grab an early 3-0 lead. UNO chased WSU starter Travis Banwart with two outs in the second inning.
Prior to the game, the WSU fans cheered UNO as its lineup was introduced. There has been a lot of talk in the local media of the obstacles UNO has faced in the last two years -- making the Privateers the "feel-good" story of the regional.
6 p.m.: We are an hour away from first-pitch in UNO's NCAA Regional opener against top-seeded Wichita State. Earlier in the day, Arizona scored the go-ahead run with two outs in the seventh inning to lead the Wildcats to a 4-3 win over Oral Roberts.
The two teams had to wait out a 77-minute rain delay with the score tied in the seventh. Should UNO win tonight, the Privateers will play No. 2 seed Arizona at 7 p.m. on Saturday. A Privateer loss will send UNO to a 1 p.m. elimination game against Oral Roberts.
Note that due to NCAA rules, UNO cannot provide live stats for the regional. However, fans can go to Wichita State's athletics website (goshockers.com) and click on its link to the Wichita Regional. There will be a link to the regional's live stats there.
Also, contrary to reports, no Wichita Regional game will be televised, so fans who could not make the journey to Kansas will need to listen to the game on 990 AM or UNOPrivateers.com.
Check back here during the game for updates and more info on the Privateers' NCAA Regional experience in Wichita.
THURSDAY, May 31, 2007
For most on the UNO travel roster, Thursday got off to a later start than normal. After not hitting the pillow until around 3 a.m. on Thursday (see below), the Privateers got a little rest and prepared for a busy afternoon in Wichita, Kan.
The team had a 2:30 p.m. practice at Eck Stadium ? Home of Tyler Field. After $7.8 million was put into revamping the tradition-rich park, Eck Stadium opened its new doors in 2000 and ? like most facilities at Wichita State ? looks brand new.
Part of a huge facilities facelift at WSU, the stadium can seat nearly 8,000. Almost as noticeable as the spacious luxury suites, new-age press box and the rubberized warning track, is the number of sponsors it took to make it happen. And Wichita State acknowledges every one of them. If there was an ant hill in the outfield, Raid probably has the naming rights to it.
The Privateers took batting practice and took grounders on the artificial turf infield (as opposed to the grass outfield). This is the second time this season that UNO will play on turf/grass (Arkansas-Little Rock's Gary Hogan Field is the same way).
The entertainment was provided by the UNO pitching staff, which got to take some BP when everyone was done. While some of the pitchers should certainly stick to their day jobs, closer Adam Campbell did send one off the “Fill in the Sponsor” scoreboard in left field.
A barrage of interviews with the local Wichita media followed, and the team returned to the hotel before coming back for a banquet in the Charles Koch Arena.
The team then had a brief scouting report meeting at the hotel, in preparation for Friday's 7 p.m. matchup with host-Wichita State. Privateer fans can listen to all the action on 990 AM or UNOPrivateers.com.
WEDNESDAY, May 30, 2007
It has been an interesting 16 hours for the Privateer baseball team. On Wednesday, the Privateers boarded the bus for Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport at 10:30 a.m. At 11 a.m., the team learned that their scheduled flight to Dallas had been canceled.
Head coach Tom Walter got to enjoy his next few hours rebooking 25 players, four coaches and eight staff members for a flight to Wichita. After Walter and a few administrators boarded an earlier flight, the team finally got out of New Orleans at 7:30.
Unfortunately, upon arrival in Dallas, the team found out its scheduled flight to Wichita was delayed. And delayed. And delayed some more. Finally, at 12:15 a.m. on Thursday, the wheels left the ground in Dallas and it was off to Wichita.
The team finally arrived at their hotel around 2 a.m.
Anyone who has dealt with air travel knows exactly what this team went through on Wednesday. As frustrating as it seemed to be, though, not a negative word was said by a UNO player.
It was pretty obvious the UNO Privateers would have walked to Wichita if it meant a chance to continue its season. And resiliency is one of the traits that has clearly defined this program.
