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Seminoles' Oravetz Will Have Bay Area Cheering Section

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By SCOTT CARTER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 6, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - At around 2 o'clock this afternoon, the Oravetz clan spread throughout Tampa Bay will settle in front of various TVs to watch Florida State play in an NCAA Super Regional.

Each time FSU junior Tommy Oravetz steps to the plate, they'll pay extra close attention, first, to see what Tommy does, and second, to see how his parents, Randy and Linda, react in their seats down the third-base line.

The same scenario played out several times last weekend when the Seminoles, after losing their NCAA Tournament opener to Bucknell, won four consecutive games to advance to a best-of-three series against Wichita State. If the host Seminoles defeat the Shockers, they will clinch their first trip to the College World Series in eight years, in part thanks to hot hitters like Oravetz, who hit .421 (8-for-19) with six RBIs in the Tallahassee Regional.

"Those last two games were out of this world," said Tampa resident Rose Marie Oravetz, Tommy's grandmother. "I stayed up until 12:15 in the morning to make sure it was guaranteed."

As she watched FSU hammer out 74 runs and 82 hits in victories over Florida, Bucknell, and two wins against Tulane, Rose Marie often saw Randy, the oldest of her seven kids and FSU's director of sports medicine, cheering in the stands next to Linda.

For Randy Oravetz, a Robinson High graduate and former teammate of Hulk Hogan's on the Little Generals of the Interbay Little League, these are memories to cherish.

"He's getting his at-bats," Randy said. "People make fun of me for being on TV. I say that's a good thing, because it means he is on base.

"I hope they show me a lot."

Watching his son play reminds Randy of all those days watching his father, Ernie, play when he was growing up in South Tampa.

Ernie Oravetz, who passed away in December 2006, played two seasons in the majors with the Washington Senators, sharing a duplex with a young Harmon Killebrew. At 5-foot-4, 145 pounds, Oravetz was among the smallest big-leaguers in history, but that didn't prevent him from hitting a respectable .263 in two seasons (1955-56) with the Senators.

He later moved his family to Tampa, where he and Rose Marie raised seven children, four boys and three girls. Randy and his oldest brother, Patrick, watched their father play semi-pro games after his big-league career ended.

"I traveled all the state of Florida before interstates," Randy said. "I did a lot of batboy work. We used to get 10 cents a foul ball, so we made some money on the side."

Randy moved to Tallahassee in 1976 - the same year FSU football coach Bobby Bowden arrived - to become a student trainer. He never left, and now Tommy is carrying on the family's baseball tradition.

One of Tommy's favorite memories of his FSU career came his freshman season when his grandfather, ill with cancer, stayed with him for a week while his parents were on a cruise. Ernie came to Dick Howser Stadium to watch Tommy and the Noles face rival Miami.

"He loved it," Tommy said Thursday. "There was a very close relationship between us."

His grandfather is gone, but Tommy, an infielder/designated hitter, is hoping he can give his family in Tampa and Tallahassee more memories to add to the family's scrapbook.

"It really is awesome, having my mom and dad watching me play," said Tommy, who played at Tallahassee Chiles. "When FSU called to say they were interested, I really didn't look at anybody else. It really is like a lifelong dream."

And the whole Oravetz clan is watching.

NCAA Super Regional

WHO: Florida State (52-11) vs. Wichita State (47-15)

WHERE: Dick Howser Stadium, Tallahassee

FORMAT: Best-of-three series

AT STAKE: Berth in College World Series

SCHEDULE/TV: Today - Game 1, 2 p.m. (ESPN2); Saturday - Game 2, noon (ESPN2); Sunday - Game 3, 1 p.m., if necessary (ESPN)

NOTABLE: This is FSU's eighth trip to a Super Regional since the format was introduced in 1999. … FSU will start, in order, RHP Elih Villanueva (7-2, 3.61 ERA), LHP Matt Fairel (11-2, 3.67) and RHP Ryan Strauss (9-1, 4.58); Wichita State will start, in order, LHP Rob Musgrave (11-1, 2.21), RHP Aaron Shafer (11-3, 2.67) and LHP Anthony Capra (9-0, 2.87).

FSU is 2-2 all-time vs. Wichita State in the postseason. … Wichita State coach Gene Stephenson's 1,652 career wins are second on the NCAA's all-time career list; FSU coach Mike Martin is third with 1,536.

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