Thursday, June 10, 1999 | 10:38 a.m.
Opening round
Here are the first-round games for the eight-team, double-elimination College World Series in Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.:
Friday: Oklahoma St. (46-19) vs. Alabama (51-14), 12:30 p.m. (ESPN) Rice (58-13) vs. Miami (46-13), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday: Texas A&M (52-16) vs. Florida St. (53-12), 10:30 a.m. (CBS) Cal State-Fullerton (49-12) vs. Stanford (48-13), 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
As Matt Smith and Jason Van Meetren headed off to college last fall, the two Bishop Gorman grads and best friends made a vow to meet up in Omaha, site of the College World Series.
Nine months later, Smith's Oklahoma State Cowboys and Van Meetren's Stanford Cardinal will indeed be among the field of eight when this year's CWS opens Friday.
But regardless of how the brackets work out in the double-elimination tournament, the two former Gaels won't be facing off during the next 10 days.
Though Smith is expected to be on the mound when Oklahoma State faces Alabama Friday at 12:30 p.m., Van Meetren will not be in the lineup when Stanford takes on Cal State-Fullerton Saturday at 5 p.m.
An early-season arm injury cost Van Meetren his starting outfield position, and the freshman never worked his way back into the lineup. Though Van Meetren will be in attendance this week in Omaha, his name isn't on the Cardinal's postseason roster.
"We said we'd see each other in Omaha, but he was injured and had a tough season," Smith said. "It's too bad because Jason's my best friend."
While Smith certainly can sympathize with Van Meetren, the Oklahoma State sophomore can't empathize with his situation. Smith's college career has been wildly successful by anyone's standards from the get-go, starting with a freshman year that put him squarely in the national spotlight.
Smith broke in quickly with the Cowboys in 1998, starting 15 games and going 6-3 with a 3.61 ERA. The Big 12 conference's Freshman of the Year, he also earned Freshman All-America honors from both Collegiate Baseball and The Sporting News.
That instant success created high expectations for Smith's sophomore campaign, as coach Tom Holliday penciled the Henderson native in as his No. 1 starter.
"I knew what I did last year, but I told myself that's last year," Smith said. "I knew I was slated as the No. 1 pitcher and that wouldn't be an easy task. But I was excited, and I was definitely prepared."
So far, Smith hasn't disappointed his coaches or teammates. In 19 appearances this year, the big 6-4, 218-pounder has a 9-5 record and a sparkling 2.93 ERA with three complete games -- remarkable numbers in a college game that often features final scores in the teens.
Smith has been both dominant (striking out 134 batters in 107.2 innings) and accurate (walking only 43 all year).
Yet as his team prepares for college baseball's biggest stage, the Gorman grad finds himself in the midst of a personal slide. He's winless since a 4-1 victory over North Carolina State back on April 21.
While his team played its way into the World Series with stunning wins over top-ranked foes Wichita State and Baylor, Smith has been the victim of bad breaks and bad luck, including six unearned runs (to go with just one earned run) in a two-inning start against Baylor last Friday.
But Smith refuses to look anywhere but in the mirror for the source of his recent skid.
"Unfortunately, I've been getting some bad breaks the last couple of months, but I don't blame anyone but myself," he said. "I keep telling myself that next week it's going to turn around, and I figure there's no better time than in the College World Series.
"And I think it will make me a stronger person in the long run."
Smith's Cowboys enter the tournament seeded fourth, above such traditional powers as Alabama (fifth) and Stanford (sixth). That's a far cry from the beginning of the season, when Smith says most national publications overlooked Oklahoma State.
"I don't think a lot of people expected us to go," Smith said. "We've been through adversity all year, and that makes it more special. When I step out on (Omaha's) Rosenblatt (Stadium) it will all hit me."
As for missing out on the opportunity to face Van Meetren, Smith can take heart knowing that if his club and Stanford do meet, he still could find himself pitching against another local product.
Green Valley graduate Nick Day has been one of the Cardinal's most consistent players this season, batting .314 with four homers and 38 RBIs from his starting left field position.
And Smith would like nothing more than to renew a rivalry that ended when Day graduated in 1997, one year before Smith.
"Hopefully I can play against Stanford and pitch against Nick," Smith said. "I'm happy for him. He deserves it. And it would be great to have two guys from Henderson facing each other in the World Series."
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