News Nuggets, 06.27.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Longhorns back on top of college baseball world

OMAHA — J. Brent Cox went to his knees in jubilation and soon he was covered by joyous Texas teammates who raced to the mound.

The pile of players grew high as the Longhorns celebrated their return to the top of college baseball.

Blending power pitching from Cox and starter Kyle McCulloch with an unlikely spark from No. 8 hitter David Maroul, Texas beat Florida 6-2 Sunday for its sixth College World Series title.

The Longhorns entered the NCAA tournament unseeded and went on to go unbeaten in five CWS games.

``We got hot at the right time. It was hard to stop us. It all came together at the end for us,'' Cox said. ``It definitely wasn't easy. It was tough.''

Maroul homered and drove in four runs for the Longhorns, who were swept in the 2004 championship series by Cal State-Fullerton.

``It's a lot better than last year's outcome, of course. A great way to end a season,'' Maroul said after being named the series' outstanding player.

``To come out and help your team out as much as you can feels good. I just didn't think as much. I relaxed more.''

Maroul, who was 3-for-4 Sunday, hit his second homer in as many games and finished the CWS 8-for-16 with a series-best eight RBI's in the Longhorns' five games.

Not bad for a guy who was batting .241 for the season before Sunday's game.

``This is a guy that struggled all season and now is the MVP of the College World Series on a national championship team,'' veteran Texas coach Augie Garrido said.

``Now here is a defining moment for him. It's wonderful.''

Strengthened by a gutsy run through the regional and super regional rounds, when they had to win five elimination games just to get to Omaha, the Longhorns (56-16) completed the sweep of the Gators in the best-of-three championship series. They won the first game 4-2 on Saturday.

Florida (48-23) was making its first appearance in the championship round and the Gators couldn't get their offense going until they were behind 6-0 Sunday.

Florida coach Pat McMahon acknowledged that Texas' experience was a plus.

``When your players have been here it is a help, an asset, because you know the expectations,'' McMahon said. ``I do think it was a factor, but we were ready to play.''

The Gators batted just .212 during their six games at Rosenblatt Stadium.

``I was disgusted with myself for not showing up these last two games,'' said Gators' star center fielder Jeff Corsaletti, who was 0-for-8 in the championship round.

``I thought we were a better club than we showed and we got away from our usual approach. We didn't take advantage of the very few chances we did have.''

Texas' six College World Series titles are second only to Southern California (12). The Longhorns' run of success is extensive and impressive: they have made more CWS appearances (32) and won more games there (78) than any other school.

The Longhorns last won the championship in 2002 and finished second a year ago to Cal State Fullerton.

As Garrido said before the 2005 event began, the Longhorns are expected to play in Omaha every year. It's a given. This year's appearance was their fourth straight at Rosenblatt Stadium.

``It's mandatory for us to be here and it is a relief,'' Garrido said.

``If we fall short of being here, we've fallen short of our first level of expectations. ...We all knew coming in this team was one with experience. But it's one thing to have experience and another thing to be able to use it.''

McCulloch (12-4), a 6-foot-3 sophomore right-hander, threw seven shutout innings in the Longhorns' 5-0 win over Tulane six days ago.

He struck out eight Sunday, walking one and giving up five hits, including a two-run homer to Brian Leclerc in the seventh.

``Once we got ahead and put up an early lead, the hitters tend to press and then I tried to extend the strike zone,'' he said.

Florida put runners at first and third in the eighth off Randy Boone before heavily used closer Cox — who appeared in all five of the Longhorns' games — got out of the jam.

Cox issued a walk in the ninth but after a double play, he struck out Stephen Barton to clinch it for the Longhorns.

McCulloch held the Gators hitless the first four innings until Brandon McArthur beat out a hopper to deep short to start the fifth.

Chance Wheeless, who'd hit a game-winning homer against Baylor earlier in the series, connected on a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth to put the Longhorns ahead 3-0 and drive out Florida starter Bryan Ball.

Taylor Teagarden doubled off reliever Connor Falkenbach and after a walk, Maroul delivered a three-run homer to left-center to put the Longhorns ahead 6-0.

Ball (7-6), pitching on three days rest, escaped a first-and-third jam with a double-play grounder in the first, but Texas used its ``small ball'' approach to manufacture a run in the second with Maroul delivering a clutch two-out single for a 1-0 lead.

Wheeless singled, moved to second on a sacrifice, to third on a grounder and scored when Maroul bounced a single to left.

Texas got a break in the fourth when Gators left fielder Gavin Dickey, a backup quarterback on Florida's football team, missed Maroul's two-out liner for a two-base error. That allowed Teagarden, who had singled, to score all the way from the first and put the Longhorns ahead 2-0.

Historical list: College World Series title games

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