Regional opener lineups
May 30th, 2008, 6:48 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Dan Zeiger
The lineup cards for Game 2 of the Tempe Regional at Packard Stadium on Friday:
STONY BROOK (34-24, No. 4 regional seed): CF Brian Witkowski, 2B Chad Marshall, DH Michael Stephan, 1B Rob Dyer, LF Steven Mazzurco, 3B Stephen Marino, RF Michael Tansey, SS Keith Fier, C Justin Echevarria
Right-hander Tom Koehler (6-4, 3.70 ERA), who boasts a mid-90s fastball, is the starting pitcher.
ARIZONA STATE (45-11, No. 1 regional seed): LF Ryan Sontag, RF Jason Kipnis, 3B Brett Wallace, 1B Ike Davis, C Petey Paramore, DH Kiel Roling, CF Michael Jones, 2B Raoul Torrez, SS Greg Bordes
Left-hander Matt Newman (1-0, 3.29 ERA) makes his third collegiate start.
ANALYSIS: The first six spots in the order could be the way the Sun Devils play it for as long as they are in the NCAA tournament. That is their best lineup.
As he did during last year’s postseason, coach Pat Murphy might start Jones (.196 average) on defense, and pitch-hit when his first turn at bat comes. Right-handed hitter Marcel Champagnie (.374) or left-handed Andy Workman (.259) or Rocky Laguna (.234) figure to be better options against Koehler’s lively pitching.