USC Baseball

Went down to Columbia for the series vs. Alabama this weekend. Cocks took 2 of 3.

Outstanding new facility; lots of amenities and very fan-friendly.

Cocks have a typically strong ball club. Lots of HR power; pitching wasn't sharp this weekend but has been strong most of season. HR's were blasting out of the park.

The CF'er Jackie Bradley, Jr. is a real talent with all the tools.

Looks like they will host a regional.

 

I was there as well and Coach Tanner is a class act. On Saturday, we went down as my brother was a member of the 1981 World Series team that never received their rings, so 29 years later, Tanner buys them for them and invites them back to receive them in the new stadium. Hospitality at its best. Go COCKS!!!!!!

 

Coach Tanner

I've known Ray Tanner for about 35 years and yes he is definitely a class act. A true baseball guy in every sense. Always the same demeanor. Great philosophy about the game. Yes a great gesture for the '81 team w/ the rings finally.

Ray was taken sick on Sunday but made it to the dugout just before the first pitch. Diagnosed as vertigo.

I was wondering about something...........I noticed that USC has 8 CWS appearances, I think the first one was in '77. Ray's teams have been to 3. Were the other 5 all coached by June Raines? Could not find that info. thanks.

 

.....I've known RT since the South Jonston days way back in the '70's, then at NCSU. He was one badass infielder.
Back in those days our uniform pants were worn up near the knee and then we stirrups as a little color over our socks, well RT had the extra large stirrups, he had the biggest calves of any person I'd ever seen.
NCSU lost him to USC due to a snagfoo about getting lights erected at Doak field, wow!
Fishfan

 

yes

I played w/ RT at SJ back in the day. Well sort of...........while Ray was starring I spent a lot of time on the bench but (not complaining) still it was good playing for a great coach as well whom I respected and still do, now he's a grand old fellow & community icon Coach Bruce Coats. As for the exodus by Ray from NCSU to USC I have spoken w/ Ray about all that. He scratched and clawed for those lights as a start to getting State into a decent facility to recruit and raise the baseball status. HS's now have better baseball facilities than State had back then. The team locker room was at Reynolds Col. across the campus. And the bathrooms at Doak, well I won't even go there. The bottom line was that the AD Mr. Turner a UNC grad simply did not see baseball as a sport worth the effort. Again, Ray was a baseball guy thru & thru and he just could not deal with that kind of attitude. His wife was from SC, it's SEC baseball, so it all added up to just a great career move. I'm a State guy all the way and yes I wish Ray was still in the red & white and not the garnet & black. However I understand. It only takes a trip to Columbia on a spring weekend. Believe me there's no comparison between the atmosphere there and in the ACC games I've attended in the Triangle. They drew 24,000 fans last weekend vs. 'Bama for 3 games. Tailgating was abundant. The place looks like the DBAP except just fewer seats; they take their baseball very serious down there, which suits Ray just right.

And yes I remember the high stirrups of that era (and Ray's spit-shined black cleats for each game).

 

Now that is cool.....glad to see Ray doing well....
his facility at NCSU was so bad, he did instructions for us at Grand Slam for years..

Glad he is living the high life!

 

USC

I was wondering about something...........I noticed that USC has 8 CWS appearances, I think the first one was in '77. Ray's teams have been to 3. Were the other 5 all coached by June Raines? Could not find that info. thanks. EastOfRaleigh


I checked back through the media guides from the years my brother and I played down there and Raines first year was the 1977 season, so I would say that he coached the other five years Usc has gone to the World Series. I had originally thought that Bobby Richardson had gone one year, but I guess not.

 

correction

LKNbaseballfan: thanks for your comments. I have a correction to make after finding more information. You are correct; USC's first appearance at the CWS was in 1975 w/ Bobby Richardson as the coach. Then under June Raines they went to 4 CWS in '77, '81, '82, & '85. Tanner's CWS appearances were 3 consecutive years in '02, '03, & '04.
Another bit of information I found, ironically the Gamecocks have been to 3 CWS title games, one during each of those 3 coaches's eras.
Great baseball tradition at USC.
Maybe another CWS in 2010.

 

South Carolina @ Kentucky tonight on Fox Sports Carolina (8:00)

 

series tied at 1-1

Ky beats USC tonight, 2-1.