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News Nuggets, 04.29.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Wainwright promises strict regimen for Blue Demons

CHICAGO — DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright made clear during his first news conference with the Big-East bound Blue Demons that playing for him won't be easy — and sulking won't be tolerated.

``This is an environment of effort,'' Wainwright said Thursday.

Wainwright, the team's 11th head coach, said he expects his players to work hard, avoid turnovers and stay upbeat. ``I don't like moody, sullen players,'' he said.

The former Richmond and UNC-Wilmington coach takes over for Dave Leitao, who left for Virginia earlier this month.

Wainwright went 50-41 in three seasons with Richmond, the job he left to take on the challenge of leading the Blue Demons into a new league.

DePaul, along with Conference USA rivals Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette and South Florida, will move to the Big East this fall.

Freshman guard Marcus Malone said he did a little research after the school announced Wainwright's hiring Wednesday.

``Everything I learned about him was positive,'' Malone said. ``He adapts to his players, he's a great teacher. I like him so far. I'll give all I got.''

Prior to Richmond, Wainwright coached the Seahawks for eight years, leading the team to the NCAA tournament in 2002 and an upset of Southern California in the first round.

During the 2003-2004 season, his Richmond club upset Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse and earned an at-large bid to the tournament.

Miami pitcher closes in on 2nd perfect season

CORAL GABLES — Cesar Carrillo lost his entire first season at Miami. He's lost nothing since.

After being forced to sit out his freshman season by the NCAA, Carrillo has appeared in 31 games over the past two seasons. The Hurricanes have won them all, often on the sole strength of the 95 mph fastballs unleashed from the junior's long, lanky right arm.

Carrillo's 21-0 record has him tied for the sixth-longest consecutive wins streak in NCAA Division I history, five shy of the mark shared by Brigham Young's Scott Nielsen and Wake Forest's Kyle Sleeth.

Carrillo's next scheduled start is Friday, when Miami opens a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series against Maryland.

``His streak is definitely something that motivates us,'' said Hurricanes third baseman Ryan Braun, Carrillo's roommate on road trips. ``And every time he's out there, we know we have a great chance to win.''

Carrillo's 9-0 record this season is the best among Division I starters; Creighton's Scott Reese is 9-0 in 24 relief appearances. Carrillo's 1.44 ERA ranks 12th in the country, opponents are hitting .204 against him and he's struck out 77 while walking only 14 in 75 innings.

Although he is enrolled for classes next fall, Carrillo — widely considered to be a first-round draft pick — already has decided to turn pro after this season, one he hopes to cap at the College World Series by hoisting the Hurricanes' fifth national championship trophy.

``This is it. This is what I've worked for. I think I've proved to my coaches, to scouts, to everybody that I can get it done,'' said the 6-foot-3, 177-pound Carrillo. ``I consider myself one of the best college pitchers in the nation, the most consistent college pitcher in the nation.''

The numbers back up his claim.

Carrillo went 12-0 with a 2.69 ERA last season in 113 2-3 innings, and Miami went 19-0 when he pitched. And in 2005, he's somehow managed to improve upon last year's perfection.

He's allowed one earned run or less in eight of 11 starts this season. He's allowed only 10 extra-base hits and no homers in his last 61 innings. And he's left a game on the losing end only twice this year, getting bailed out by teammates each time — including a five-run, eighth-inning rally last Friday to beat Florida State 5-3.

``You expect Cesar to win every time he goes out there,'' Miami coach Jim Morris said. ``He's got great stuff. He's got the talent. And he's mentally tough. He's a tough kid. He goes right after people. And he just buries the ball right in the strike zone. He can throw any pitch at any time with good movement — and hard.''

Carrillo went 9-1 as a high school senior, was an All-State selection in Illinois, and expected to immediately join the Hurricanes' starting rotation.

Yet once he arrived in Coral Gables, his baseball days seemed numbered.

The NCAA opened an investigation into a score Carrillo got on a high school exam, and kept him off the field until the situation was resolved. Carrillo, who nearly transferred out of Miami at that point, eventually retook the test and passed — but his eligibility for the 2003 season was never restored.

``It made me a better person, a better pitcher,'' said Carrillo, who has a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, changeup and curveball in his repertoire. ``Now I take nothing for granted. And I realized that if it's that easy for somebody to take it all away, I had to be on a mission to prove myself every time I pitch.''

Apparently, he wasn't kidding about that. And now, he could be the first Miami player drafted in the first round since Pat Burrell went No. 1 overall to Philadelphia in 1998, and the first former Hurricane pitcher to go in the opening round since Alex Fernandez went No. 4 overall to the Chicago White Sox in 1990.

``You don't win every game. Nobody wins every game. No team wins every game. Period,'' Morris said. ``But Cesar's different.''

And Carrillo says it's his confidence that sets him apart.

``I never give up. I never get down on myself,'' Carrillo said. ``I always believe I'm getting the next guy out.''

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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