CWS roles reversed for Heels, Beavers

Defending champion Oregon State will be well rested when it opens the best-of-three championship series against North Carolina in a College World Series Finals rematch

OMAHA, NEB. -- Thrilled but tired-eyed, North Carolina coach Mike Fox glanced at his Oregon State counterpart Friday morning and noted what might be the biggest difference in this weekend's College World Series rematch:

"He looks a little more refreshed than we do this morning,'' Fox said, grinning.

But will it really matter?

A year ago, it was the Beavers who had to win four elimination games in four days to advance to the best-of three showdown, while the Tar Heels went 3-0 in eight days and had plenty of rest come the second Saturday.

This year, the roles have reversed (with UNC winning three games in successive days), and the third-seeded Tar Heels, who finished as NCAA runners-up, are determined that the championship results will as well.

The Finals begin at 7 tonight at Rosenblatt Stadium, and will continue Sunday and Monday (if necessary.)

"This is a tough bunch,'' UNC closer Andrew Carignan said. "We have all the confidence in the world in ourselves and in each other. We know how much of a challenge this is, but we've come together for it."

The rematch -- which marks the first time the same teams have played for the NCAA baseball title in consecutive years since 1973 -- seemed all too unlikely just six months ago, when Fox and OSU coach Pat Casey met up at a coach's convention and discussed all the players they had lost.

Gone from last year's Tar Heels are starting pitchers Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard (both first-round draft picks), national ERA leader Jonathan Hovis and outfielder Jay Cox.

Meanwhile, OSU had to replace All-America pitchers Dallas Buck and Jonah Nickerson, closer Kevin Gunderson and five other full-time starters, including Pac-10 Player of the Year Cole Gillespie.

And yet, here they are again.

"None of us truly believed both our clubs would be here at the same time again," Beavers shortstop Darwin Barney said following Friday's practice.

"The fact that both teams really made it says a lot about our programs because getting to this point takes a lot of special things."

Indeed, with the likes of Robert Woodard, Josh Horton, Tim Federowicz and Chad Flack back, the Tar Heels appeared to have the talent to return to CWS.

But the unseeded Beavers (47-18) seemed a long shot to defend their title in May, when they were "pinned against the wall" according to Casey, after being swept at home against Arizona State and falling to 8-13 in the Pac-10. It wasn't until OSU won two of three in its next series, against UCLA, that a postseason berth was secured.

"I think the defining moment was we had a little meeting Wednesday before we headed to UCLA, and we said, 'This is what we've got to do,' '' Casey said.

"I think they knew within themselves, they knew we needed to get things turned around, and we got it done."

Both teams boast players with championship experience, but the newcomers will likely have an impact as well.

Both squads will start freshman pitchers tonight -- Alex White for UNC, Jorge Reyes for Oregon State. And three rookies -- Dustin Ackley, Tim Fedroff and Kyle Seager -- combined to drive home five of UNC's seven runs against Rice on Thursday. Which could be a good sign for now and the future.

"When you look at our team and their team, you have to have freshmen to come in and play a very important role on your team, because you're losing talented players to graduation or the draft every year,'' Fox said.

"So I've said that for a number of years, you better have some young guys who can come in and perform at a high level, or your program's going to really slip if you don't. Fortunately, we've had that."

Fox said his team was a bit fatigued after its Thursday night victory over Rice -- but it was a happy fatigue, he said, "because we're obviously thrilled to be sitting here this morning."

Casey said his squad, which hasn't played since it beat UC Irvine on Wednesday, was glad for the extra rest -- but knows it might not make a difference.

All it has to do is remember last June.

Said Fox: "We'll use what they did as an example of what can happen. And I think they'll use what we did as an example of what can happen."

(David Scott and Abe Winter contributed to this report.)