May 31, 2002

By Robert Cohn
SPORTS EDITOR
Boca Raton News

FAU sophomore pitcher Travis NeSmith got the call in practice Tuesday afternoon.

Owls coach Kevin Cooney called the 6-foot-3,sophomore into his office to let NeSmith know he would be starting against Auburn in the opening game of the Tuscaloosa Regional in Alabama. FAU (43-18), which earned the No. 3 seed, will play the second-seeded Tigers (34-24) at 1:30 p.m. CDT today in the Owls third trip to the regional tournament in the last four years. The other match-up today pits the Nation's No. 3 seed and regional No. 1 Alabama (48-13) against Ohio Valley Conference champion Southeast Missouri State (36-18) at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

"I didn't think he was going to tell me that," NeSmith said. "He told me, 'I'm going privileged to get that opportunity. I'm looking forward to it."

Sophomore pitcher Chris Pillsbury, who leads then Owls with a 9-2 record, or junior Danny Core, who is 8-4 this season, could have been the likely starters in the rotation at the Nos. 1-2 spots, respectively. Core opened up the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament in a 4-2 first-round win over Jacksonville. Pillsbury started Game 2 of the A-Sun tournament, which the Owls lost 9-2 to host Stetson. NeSmith, the No. 3 starter in the rotation, pitched 6.2 innings against Jacksonville, in an elimination game. He did not pick up the win, however, he put the team in position to win by allowing just two earned runs. FAU was upended by Central Florida (8-6) in the conference championship last Saturday.

"But I thought (about the regional), 'If this was war and we were undermanned, like we are, what should I do?" Cooney said. "I though this gives us the best chance to win the regional. If we throw our No. 3 pitcher and pick up a big win that way, then that leaves our No. 1 and No. 2 guys fresh for a championship run.

"We won't be content if we just go in and make a statement. We are going in thinking that we can win the regional."

NeSmith is 7-2 in 17 appearances this season with a 4.17 ERA and 53 strikeouts.

"I'm not feeling the pressure," NeSmith said. "I don't get like that for games. "I'm pumped."

And so are the rest of the Owls.

Despite being surprised they are the only Florida team playing a regional tournament out of the state, the Owls say they feel comfortable in the surrounding the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee has given them.

"We are positive right now," junior infielder Matt Pali said. "I think the difference for us is going to be pitching. I think that is going to determine a lot for us. I think the plan to start Travis is a good plan. I looked at it from all angles, and if it works, coach will look like a genius."

Pitching will be key, but run support is "definitely going to be the difference maker," Cooney said.

The Owls have proven this season they have hitting strength posting 83 home runs as a team.

Junior infielder Mike Cox leads the long-ball contingent with 17 home runs. Senior pitcher L.J. Biernbaum is second on the team with 12 home runs and Pali and freshman outfielder Jeff Fiorentino each have 10 home runs.

"We feel real good right now, everybody is excited," Cox said. "We need toplay our game. We need to have the pitching, play defense and hit the ball good.

"I think what coach is going to is a smart thing to do. Travis throws a good game. Chris will be there."

The hitting prowess to back up the pitching plan extends when considering the Owls have eight players - senior outfielder Gabe Somarriba (.350), Pali (.347), Cox (.344),sophomore infielder Rusty Brown (.340), Biernbaum (.336), senior outfieder Mike Valdes (.326), sophomore catcher Robert Orton (.317) Fiorentino (.306) - batting better than .300 with at least 45 appearance.

"Our emotions are to the roof," Fiorentino said. "Th whole team is ready. We are so happy to be playing in the regionals. This is further than we thought we were going. We know we have what it takes to win as long as we play our game."

Which raises the question, will the Owls team that set the nation's longest winning streak this season - 27 - games show up? Or will the FAU squad that lost 10 of its last 16 contests only to lose the regular season conference tittle on the last day of the 2002 campaign make its way onto the diamond?

"Yeah, we struggled there toward the end, but the conference tournament helped with our focus," Cooney said. "If you've seen (the movie) 'Tin Cup,' you know you just have to keep going at it, even if it doesn't end up how you want it. And that's us. We want it."

Then there is the rivalry factor.

Not between FAU and the remaining three teams, but between long time athletic rivals Alabama and Auburn.

The Owls faced Alabama once this season, an 8-3 loss in the championship game of the Hormel Classic in Minneapolis, Minn. On March 3 that sparked FAU's 27-game win streak. The Owls haven't faced Auburn since 1998. The Tigers swept the only two meetings between the two schools in the all-time history. Southeast Missouri State, "I don't think half our team could locate Missouri on the map.

"Anybody who knows about sports knows about the heated rivalry Alabama and Auburn have," Cooney said. "But I see that working in our favor. Everybody there, except for the maybe 40 FAU fans making the trip, will be expecting those two schools to play for the championship. Alabama and Auburn are probably thinking the same thing themselves. So I see us playing the spoiler role.

"We know it is going to be a backyard brawl between them. There will be about 6,000 fans there to watch their games and see what happens. We have played in front of 1,000 or so. But that doesn't matter. This is special for these kids. I see that fact energizing us ... I'm just hopng my (pitching) plan works out."

The winner of the Tuscaloosa Regional plays the winner of the Atlanta Regional (Georgia Tech, Georgia, Louisville and Coastal Carolina) beginning June 7 in the Super Regional. The College World series in Omaha Neb., begins June 14.