Inside the mind of Jack

As of yesterday afternoon, Jack Leggett had yet to divulge his pitching plans for this week's regional.

Trying to get a read on Leggett's thought process is not easy because a) I'm far from a baseball savant, and b) I'm not a mind-reader.

But it's still interesting to talk about the possibilities.

If you're Leggett and pitching coach Dan Pepicelli, your starting options look like this:

LHP Casey Harman, normal Friday starter
RHP Scott Weismann, normal Saturday starter
LHP Will Lamb, resurgent Sunday starter

I would be a little surprised if Leggett didn't go with Harman simply for the sake of sticking to routine, and sticking with your best guy in the important first game.

But the fact that Leggett still appeared to be weighing his options yesterday indicates some amount of indecision.

Southern Miss' regular lineup features seven right-handed batters. So though my initial reaction to Leggett's indecision was the thought that he might be considering throwing Lamb against Southern Miss, I'm now wondering whether he is (or was) considering biting the bullet and going with Weismann for Friday's game.

Weismann, of course, was awful at last week's ACC Tournament against Virginia Tech. But he looked good against Florida State in the second-to-last game of the regular season.

Looking ahead to the possibility of playing Auburn on Saturday, the top-seeded Tigers figure to have six left-handed bats in their lineup. Among those bats are SEC player of the year Hunter Morris (.392 average), Dan Gamache (.387), Casey McElroy (.323) and Justin Hargett (.317).

Given that Lamb did so well against Georgia Tech's lefty-heavy lineup on Saturday in Greensboro, the safe bet is going with Harman on Friday and Lamb on Saturday (assuming both Clemson and Auburn advance).

But who the heck knows?

Southern Miss and Auburn have announced their starters for Friday.

The Eagles are going with senior Scott Copeland, who's 11-0 this year with a 3.38 ERA.

Clemson figures to have six left-handed bats in the lineup going against this right-hander, so that bodes well.

But Copeland is a confident dude after helping shut down Rice's big bats in the Conference-USA title game. Copeland was named tournament MVP.

“My game plan is to let the defense do their job. I will throw sinkers and let then make the plays behind me. I have been able to do it all year, so why not this weekend?’’

The Golden Eagles, by the way, have won 17 of their last 22. This is their eighth straight NCAA Regional appearance.

This story says Southern Miss rejects the underdog role, and it should after last year's trip to Omaha.

"We don't feel like we're a Cinderella right now," designated hitter Adam Doleac said. "We feel comfortable in the postseason and we continue to be confident. I can't imagine Auburn is too excited to have us in their regional."

Auburn's John Pawlowski sticks with the routine and goes with Cory Luckie for Friday's game against Jacksonville State.

That means lefty Grant Drayton (8-2, 4.33 ERA) is likely the guy for Auburn's game Saturday.

More from Clemson's end: In the Independent-Mail, the Tigers are confident they can reverse their pitching struggles.

“We’ve got a lot more in us. Once we put it all together, we’re going to be fine,” said staff ace Casey Harman (6-2, 4.14 ERA). “We’re capable of playing with any team. It’s just a matter of putting it together. The offensive side of the team is doing real good right now. It’s just a matter of us getting together as a staff and getting rolling.”

No huge news at the SEC spring meetings...

Given the headline on this story, someone working the sports desk at the Tuscaloosa News needs to be reassigned immediately.


Steve Spurrier is still able to come up with some good one-liners, according to ESPN.com's Chris Low.

My favorite:

"Doug (Johnson) tried to replace Danny Wuerffel (in 1997). Doug was out playing baseball and drinking beer all summer," Spurrier said. "Doug's a bright young man, got a good job down there and doing very well ... but that was his summer prior to starting for the Gators."

At the Big 12 meetings, frank discussions about who's in and who's out.

Texas AD DeLoss Dodds says the Longhorns will be a player in the expansion process.

“We did not start this,” Dodds told The Star on Tuesday afternoon in the lobby of the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza. “If we need to finish it, we’ll finish it. We’re going to be a player in whatever happens.”

Asked directly about criticism of Missouri and Nebraska within the Big 12 for an alleged disloyalty to the league, Dodds defended both schools.

“Everybody stays ready,” said Dodds. “Everybody figures out what’s best for them and get options.”

That includes Texas.

“We’re watching what’s happening with the Big Ten, probably to a lesser degree to the Southeastern Conference,” Dodds said. “If the landscape is going to change, we’re going to be a part of it and be a viable part of it. Texas will come out of it in good shape.”

Here's an update from Chattanooga, where Clemson's golf team is tied for fifth with Arizona State in the NCAA championships.

Very cool town, Chattanooga. Has to rank high on a list of America's Most Underrated Cities.


LW