June 28, 2011
OMAHA, Neb. -- Monday morning, the chances of either Christian Walker or Matt Price appearing in Game 1 of the National Championship Series appeared slim.
Walker had just been diagnosed with a broken hamate bone in his left wrist, while Price had to battle through a tired arm after one of the longest stints of his career, a 5.2 inning, 95-pitch outing against Virginia that helped lead the Gamecocks into the finals for the second straight years.
It's safe to say neither was 100 percent healthy when the Gamecocks took the field to face Florida in a showdown between SEC East rivals for ultimate bragging rights.
But not only did both players play, they sparkled in making significant contributions towards USC's thrilling 2-1 victory in 11 innings.
Walker had two hits and, of course, scored the eventual game-winning run in the top of the 11th inning when his steal of second turned into multiple throwing errors by the Florida defense.
But, before reaching that magical moment, playing through the pain wasn't easy. Team doctors and athletic trainers constantly evaluated his situation throughout the game.
"He scuffled some in the middle of the game and had to get some treatment to get him going again a little bit," USC head coach Ray Tanner said. "They tried to get him through the thing. But a hamate is very painful. You have to ice it and do a lot of things to keep him from feeling it. When you do those things, it's numb a lot. It was great to see him out there. It was fantastic."
Price, meanwhile, was summoned after Walker's run to close it out and that's what he did despite surrendering a leadoff walk in the bottom half of the inning. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runner into scoring position, Price reared back and fanned the next batter before a groundout to short ended it.
Between the two, Walker was the more unlikely to step onto the field considering the severity of his injury. But a pair of Columbia, SC-based doctors that work with the baseball team flew to Omaha on Monday morning and examined Walker's hand. Hours of treatment allowed him to first take batting practice and then play.
"It just came down to dealing with the pain," Walker said. "I can't say enough about the whole staff."
Tanner added: "The doctors got a chance to get with him this (Monday) afternoon. They told him that he could play because he wasn't going to hurt himself any more. But they told him that he was going to be in tremendous pain and they had to figure out how to alleviate the pain."
Walker will likely have to undergo surgery when USC returns to Columbia, Tanner said, unfortunately halting his chances of playing this summer for the USA Baseball National Collegiate Team.
Even Tanner wasn't optimistic Walker would be able to play, but became convinced after watching him belt several homers during BP, including his very first swing in the cage.
"I didn't think he was going to be able to play. He ran out there and said 'I think I can do it,'" Tanner said. "He jumped in there with the last group and hits a ball into the bullpen. I was just amazed. When he jumped in there, I just figured he was trying to fight through it and that it would be tough. Then he uncorked a couple of balls and I said, 'Really,'? He told me that 'I'm not all there but I can get it through the zone.'
"I've had many players over the years that have had hamate injuries. It's extremely painful. I'm sure it's going to be another struggle (Tuesday night). It's not going to go away. We'll try to repeat the procedure and hopefully get him back out there tomorrow (Tuesday)."
Following last Friday's marathon win that eliminated Virginia, Tanner also questioned if Price would be available for Game 1. But there he was, pitching the 11th inning to register his 19th save of the season, tying him for the national lead.
"I was surprised that he was able to be out there, quite honestly," Tanner said. "I talked to him a little bit and I just really didn't anticipate him pitching. But I have a number of guys on the team that lay it out there for me all the time. Sometimes I get concerned if they're ready to go.
"I tell them to be honest with their bodies and don't try to do much. Matt Price has done that. He's been very honest. I told him we would rest him on Monday and gear him up for Tuesday, but he said OK but let's talk about it later. He wanted to see how he felt and go through the day."
Tonight, No. 1 starter Michael Roth will have to duplicate Price's tenacity and toughness when he takes the mound on just three days rest to face the potent Florida lineup.
Tanner left the decision to Roth by trusting the junior's keen ability to interpret what his left arm was telling him. Clearly, he believes he's ready to pitch.
Against Virginia, Roth hurled 7.0 innings and threw 90 pitches, exiting the contest with a 0.98 ERA in 137.1 IP. USC announced Tuesday morning Roth would make his 20th start of the season against the Gators with USC needing just one more win for back-to-back national championships.
Overall, the USC pitching staff has compiled an impressive 0.64 ERA in four CWS games, allowing just eight total runs, three earned, on 28 hits. Roth has a 0.63 ERA in his first two CWS starts covering 14.1 innings. He has yielded five runs (one earned) and eight hits with 11 strikeouts.
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Walker had just been diagnosed with a broken hamate bone in his left wrist, while Price had to battle through a tired arm after one of the longest stints of his career, a 5.2 inning, 95-pitch outing against Virginia that helped lead the Gamecocks into the finals for the second straight years.
It's safe to say neither was 100 percent healthy when the Gamecocks took the field to face Florida in a showdown between SEC East rivals for ultimate bragging rights.
But not only did both players play, they sparkled in making significant contributions towards USC's thrilling 2-1 victory in 11 innings.
Walker had two hits and, of course, scored the eventual game-winning run in the top of the 11th inning when his steal of second turned into multiple throwing errors by the Florida defense.
But, before reaching that magical moment, playing through the pain wasn't easy. Team doctors and athletic trainers constantly evaluated his situation throughout the game.
"He scuffled some in the middle of the game and had to get some treatment to get him going again a little bit," USC head coach Ray Tanner said. "They tried to get him through the thing. But a hamate is very painful. You have to ice it and do a lot of things to keep him from feeling it. When you do those things, it's numb a lot. It was great to see him out there. It was fantastic."
Price, meanwhile, was summoned after Walker's run to close it out and that's what he did despite surrendering a leadoff walk in the bottom half of the inning. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runner into scoring position, Price reared back and fanned the next batter before a groundout to short ended it.
Between the two, Walker was the more unlikely to step onto the field considering the severity of his injury. But a pair of Columbia, SC-based doctors that work with the baseball team flew to Omaha on Monday morning and examined Walker's hand. Hours of treatment allowed him to first take batting practice and then play.
"It just came down to dealing with the pain," Walker said. "I can't say enough about the whole staff."
 |  |
| Chris Gillespie | |
| |
| Matt Price closed out Monday night's win over Florida. Will he do the same thing on Tuesday? |
Walker will likely have to undergo surgery when USC returns to Columbia, Tanner said, unfortunately halting his chances of playing this summer for the USA Baseball National Collegiate Team.
Even Tanner wasn't optimistic Walker would be able to play, but became convinced after watching him belt several homers during BP, including his very first swing in the cage.
"I didn't think he was going to be able to play. He ran out there and said 'I think I can do it,'" Tanner said. "He jumped in there with the last group and hits a ball into the bullpen. I was just amazed. When he jumped in there, I just figured he was trying to fight through it and that it would be tough. Then he uncorked a couple of balls and I said, 'Really,'? He told me that 'I'm not all there but I can get it through the zone.'
"I've had many players over the years that have had hamate injuries. It's extremely painful. I'm sure it's going to be another struggle (Tuesday night). It's not going to go away. We'll try to repeat the procedure and hopefully get him back out there tomorrow (Tuesday)."
Following last Friday's marathon win that eliminated Virginia, Tanner also questioned if Price would be available for Game 1. But there he was, pitching the 11th inning to register his 19th save of the season, tying him for the national lead.
"I was surprised that he was able to be out there, quite honestly," Tanner said. "I talked to him a little bit and I just really didn't anticipate him pitching. But I have a number of guys on the team that lay it out there for me all the time. Sometimes I get concerned if they're ready to go.
"I tell them to be honest with their bodies and don't try to do much. Matt Price has done that. He's been very honest. I told him we would rest him on Monday and gear him up for Tuesday, but he said OK but let's talk about it later. He wanted to see how he felt and go through the day."
Tonight, No. 1 starter Michael Roth will have to duplicate Price's tenacity and toughness when he takes the mound on just three days rest to face the potent Florida lineup.
Tanner left the decision to Roth by trusting the junior's keen ability to interpret what his left arm was telling him. Clearly, he believes he's ready to pitch.
Against Virginia, Roth hurled 7.0 innings and threw 90 pitches, exiting the contest with a 0.98 ERA in 137.1 IP. USC announced Tuesday morning Roth would make his 20th start of the season against the Gators with USC needing just one more win for back-to-back national championships.
Overall, the USC pitching staff has compiled an impressive 0.64 ERA in four CWS games, allowing just eight total runs, three earned, on 28 hits. Roth has a 0.63 ERA in his first two CWS starts covering 14.1 innings. He has yielded five runs (one earned) and eight hits with 11 strikeouts.
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