Fences Moving Out and Up At Rosenblatt Stadium
June 12, 2001 | Baseball
June 12, 2001
By DOUG ALDEN
AP Sports Writer
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Those home runs that have been sneaking over the short fences at Rosenblatt Stadium are about to become outs.
The home run derby days at the home of the College World Series could end next year when Rosenblatt's outfield is expanded and the fences are raised. Through nine CWS games this year, 35 balls were hit out of the park and several didn't make it by much.
"What we're trying to do is get rid of the cheapies," stadium superintendent Jesse Cuevas said.
The field's current dimensions are 332 feet down both lines, 360 feet in the power alleys and 408 to straightaway center. The fences are about 7 feet high in right and left and 10 feet in center.
The distance down the line will remain the same, but the alleys are getting pushed back 10 feet and the wall will be 8-feet tall all the way around the outfield.
It's a popular idea with coaches at this year's CWS.
"I think they need to move the fences back and raise them," Miami's Jim Morris said. "Anybody can hit the ball out of this park if the wind is blowing out."
Morris saw that first hand in the Hurricanes' 21-13 win over Tennessee on Saturday, when seven balls left the park.
The record for homers in a CWS is the 62 hit in 1998, including nine in the championship game between Southern California and Arizona State.
"I think the genesis of it (the expansion) was that 21-14 Rose Bowl game we played a few years ago," said Cuevas, referring to USC's championship victory.
The expansion will add about 5,000 square feet to the outfield and is part of a larger project that will bring in new lights and bleachers. The new bleacher sections will hold about 500 more people, increasing Rosenblatt's general admission seating to around 5,000.
SMART STARTER: Cal State Fullerton pitcher Jon Smith's GPA is higher than his ERA.
The Titans' left-hander carried a 4.0 grade-point average through the first 3{ years of college. Smith hasn't checked his spring grades yet, but isn't too worried about it.
"Hopefully it stays that way," Smith said. "I'll check when I get back. It isn't a real high priority right now."
Smith is a senior as far as eligibility, but is taking his time with school because of baseball and will graduate next spring.
Smith has been nearly as successful on the field as he has in the classroom. He improved to 11-2 when Fullerton beat Nebraska last Friday and has a 3.65 ERA.
Smith will start for Fullerton against Stanford on Wednesday night.
REMEMBERED: Tulane's hats are full of tributes.
The Green Wave played the College World Series with the name "Grace" written the back of their hats. It's for strength and conditioning coach Mike Iosia and his wife Kim, whose daughter, Grace, died last month, a week after she was born prematurely.
On the front of hats is the number 5, the uniform number of injured first baseman Steve Shirley, who broke his ankle April 27 sliding into second while breaking up a double play against Alabama-Birmingham.
Shirley, who was hitting .320 with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs when his season ended, is still on crutches but made the trip to Omaha and was in the dugout for Tulane's three CWS games.
Tulane was knocked out by Cal State Fullerton 11-2 Tuesday.
RUNNING AWAY: Southern California coach Mike Gillespie isn't shy about sending runners and doesn't plan to change.
The Trojans were taken out of a potential rally in their 4-3 loss to Miami on Monday night. Seth Davidson was on third and Brian Barre at second with nobody out. Davidson was thrown out at the plate while trying to score on a fielder's choice and Barre was later caught trying to steal third.
Gillespie had Davidson running on any grounder and sent Barre, saying he expected a curveball and Miami reliever Luke DeBold threw a fastball high and outside.
"If there's one out there we're going to be aggressive. It's our history," he said.
Gillespie initially joked that it was Barre's decision.
"I would never put on the steal sign and have it result in a guy getting thrown out. If they get thrown out they did it on their own," Gillespie said.
EXTRA BASES: Cal State Fullerton lost a shutout in the eighth inning on Jake Gautreau's grounder to first with the bases loaded Tuesday. The Titans are still the last team with a shutout in the CWS, beating Tennessee 11-0 in a 1995 semifinal. ... Tulane's Michael Aubrey became the first starting pitcher to hit for himself at this year's CWS. Aubrey pitched 6 1-3 innings, allowing six runs and eight hits. At the plate he went 1-for-4 with an RBI. ... With Tulane's exit, Minnesota remains the last team to win its first CWS. Tulane and Nebraska were the newcomers this year. The Cornhuskers were knocked out in two games.
