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Wake-Up Call: Gators' Tucker keeps up torrid pace

The Associated Press

Plant High graduate Preston Tucker came through again for Florida as the Gators rolled to the super regionals.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 1, 2009

Updated: 06/01/2009 09:01 am

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

To reach the NCAA Super Regional in baseball - and within two more victories of the College World Series - the Florida Gators turned to their Super Freshman.

Gators first baseman Preston Tucker (Plant), the SEC co-freshman of the year, continued his dream season with a 4-for-5 performance in Sunday night's 16-5 elimination of the Miami Hurricanes in Gainesville.

The Gators (42-20) will face either Southern Miss or Georgia Tech in a best-of-three Super Regional, beginning this weekend in Gainesville.

Tucker had his 14th home run and three RBIs, giving him a total of 83 to break UF's single-season record (80 by Ryan Shealy in 2002). He's now batting .357 (just behind team leader Avery Barnes at .359).

Not surprisingly, Tucker was selected Most Outstanding Player of the Gainesville Regional after going 9-for-13 in three games.

Pitcher Stephen Locke (King) and third baseman Brandon McArthur (Armwood) also were selected to the all-tournament team.

When Tucker arrived in Gainesville, Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan knew he had a future offensive force.

But he didn't know things would happen this quickly.

"I don't think anybody expected him [Tucker] to have the year he has," O'Sullivan said.

Tucker downplayed his individual statistics.

"Everyone on this team is swinging the bat," Tucker said. "Every time I came up to the plate, someone was on base. It all goes back to the guys hitting in front of me."

Tucker's offensive prowess means the Tampa Bay area has produced yet another with the single-season RBIs record at a major Division I school in the state.

* Jeff Ledbetter (Clearwater) had 124 RBIs for Florida State University in 1982.

* Chris Heintz (Countryside) had 95 RBIs for the South Florida Bulls in 1996.

* And there's another connection. Miami's record is held by Aubrey Huff (95 in 1998), a Texas native who is well-known as a top offensive performer for the Rays.

Parker still firing blanks

In what may be a footnote - small understatement there, since Florida State set four school records and five NCAA Tournament records in a 37-6 laugher against Ohio State in Sunday's NCAA Regionals - Geoff Parker (Zephyrhills) pitched two shutout innings. That makes 18 straight scoreless innings for Parker when working in relief.

Anston participates in marathon

Boston College junior outfielder Robbie Anston (Sickles) set a school record for hits, finishing with 85 to break the old mark by three. But Anston was undoubtedly frustrated - and exhausted - after the Eagles were eliminated from the NCAA Regionals at Austin, Texas.

The Eagles (34-26), making their first regional appearance since 1967, participated in the longest game in NCAA history on Saturday night/Sunday morning, a 3-2 loss against the home-standing and top-seeded Texas Longhorns in 25 innings. (The NCAA's previous longest baseball game was a 23-inning regular-season contest between Louisiana-Lafayette and McNeese State in 1971).

Anston, who went 1-for-9 in the game, scored the tying run in the sixth inning after hitting a double and eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly, making it 2-2.

Who knew it would require 19 more innings before another run was scored?

Here are a few BC-Texas facts:

It was 96 degrees when the game began at 6:02 p.m., Austin time.

It was 78 degrees at game's end - at 1:05 a.m. (seven hours, three minutes later).

The game featured 42 strikeouts - and only 11 walks.

Closers for the two teams - BC's Mike Belfiore and Texas' Austin Wood - had a memorable duel, combining for 22 2/3 innings pitched and 298 pitches. Belfiore entered in the ninth inning and worked 9 2/3 scoreless innings (allowing three hits). He struck out 11 and had 129 total pitches. Wood entered in the seventh inning and kept BC hitless for 12 1/3 innings. Overall, he allowed two hits, walked four and struck out 14. He threw 169 total pitches.

And in a light-hearted moment for the tireless souls that stayed to the end, Texas officials introduced a first in college baseball - the 21st-inning stretch.

BC had to play again about 11 hours following the end of the marathon. The Eagles were eliminated by Army 4-3 on Sunday afternoon.

Hitting streak ends at 15

The career-high 15-game hitting streak of Los Angeles Angels infielder Chone Figgins (Brandon) ended at 15 games on Friday night when he went 0-for-3 against the Seattle Mariners. During the streak, Figgins lifted his batting average from .255 to .298.

Dopirak stages power surge

Brian Dopirak (Dunedin) of Double-A New Hampshire has hit three home runs in his last two games. He has 11 homers, one off the Eastern League lead, and a league-best 39 RBIs. Dopirak had 27 homers during last year's Florida State League season for the Dunedin Blue Jays.

Gators, Seminoles are moving on

The Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles will be well-represented in the NCAA Track and Field Championships on June 10-13 at Fayetteville, Ark.

The Florida men captured the East Region championship at Greensboro, N.C. Sprinter Calvin Smith (Freedom) was second in the 400-meter dash (45.30) and ran on the second-place 4x100-meter relay team. Kallinka Pitt (Largo) also qualified by placing fifth in the 110-meter hurdles (13.84). Additionally, UF's Natalie Moser (Wharton) won the women's pole vault.

Meanwhile, the FSU women also were East Region champions. Sophomore Teona Rodgers (Wharton), running anchor leg on the 4x100-meter relay team, brought the Seminoles from third to first place (43.64). Rodgers was seventh in the 100-meter hurdles (13.63), while Amanda Quick (Gaither) finished ninth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:33.27, personal best).

Covington qualifies for nationals

Texas Christian University junior Neidra Covington (Boca Ciega), a two-time All-American, also qualified for the NCAA Championships with a personal-best performance in the triple jump (44 feet, 6 inches) on her second attempt at the Midwest Region event in Norman, Okla.

"I almost cried when I saw my jump," Covington said. "I was in total shock."

Her wind-aided jump, which would've beaten her previous school record, is the NCAA's fifth-best jump this season.

Broxton shines in showcase event

Outfielder Keon Broxton (Lakeland) was outstanding in defeat for Gainesville's upstart Santa Fe College Saints, who took powerhouse Howard College to the wire in the National Junior College Athletic Association baseball tournament championship game at Grand Junction, Colo.

Broxton's run-scoring double tied the game in the bottom of the ninth on Friday night (and nearly won it, but another runner was thrown out at the plate). Howard (63-1) pushed across three runs in the 10th inning and won 7-4.

Santa Fe (37-22) qualified for nationals by winning the program's first state title since 1985.

Broxton, 3-for-5 in the title game, made the event's all-tournament team after going 13-for-25 with five home runs, 12 RBIs, 12 runs scored and five doubles.

The Saints are coached by Johnny Wiggs, the former Mulberry High School standout.

Santa Fe's roster includes pitcher Stephen Adkins (Robinson), Bobby Bolling (Armwood) and infielder Trace Venegas (Robinson).

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to former Bucs nose tackle Dave Pear, a defensive cornerstone in the 0-and-26 expansion era and the first player in franchise history to play in the Pro Bowl (following the 1978 season). Today, Pear turns 56.

The Answer Man

Here's the answer to Friday's trivia question:

The Bucs once lost 11 straight games at Green Bay's Lambeau Field. The streak began with a 15-13 defeat in 1991 and continued until 2005, when the Bucs prevailed 17-16. (Note: The Bucs actually lost 12 straight road games against the Packers during that span, but the 1992 game was played at Milwaukee's County Stadium).

Monday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

Bucs wide receiver Brian Clark was one of four players on Chamberlain High School's Class 5A state runner-up team in 2001 to play in the NFL. Can you name the three others?

Check for the answer in Tuesday's Wake-Up Call.

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