USC has new shortstop, but history is surprisingly on Gamecocks' side
For second baseman Scott Wingo, the feeling of scoring the run that won the College World Series is not one he’ll ever forget.
“When I ran out to jump on Whit [Merrifield] and all them, that’s when it really started kind of hitting me that it’s over,” Wingo said. “We just won the whole thing. It was awesome.”
Nor is it one he goes a day without thinking about.
“If I told you I didn’t [think about it daily], I’d probably be lying. I’ll never forget that,” Wingo said.
Now, Wingo and the rest of the Gamecock infield have to go out and try to help get back to Omaha, Neb., and win the College World Series again. USC returns most of its infield and got a big boost when catcher Brady Thomas was given a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA several weeks ago. But after losing shortstop Bobby Haney, the task of repeating would appear to be difficult. However, the Gamecocks can take comfort in the fact that several champions have been able to repeat after losing key position players. In 1996, LSU won the College World Series with shortstop Jason Williams. When the Bayou Bengals repeated in 1997, they did it with a new shortstop, Brandon Larson. Larson, who was a junior college transfer, went on to set the SEC single-season record for home runs that year with 40.
Stanford repeated in 1988 after winning in 1987. Each championship came with a different shortstop as well. David Esquer was the shortstop for the Cardinals in 1987, hitting .350 with six RBI in Omaha. In 1988, Troy Paulsen became Stanford’s starting shortstop, notching two hits and driving in a run to help push Stanford to a title game win over Arizona State.
Peter Mooney, a junior college transfer like Larson, will replace Haney for the Gamecocks. While Mooney may be looking forward to stepping in for Haney, it certainly won’t be easy.
“Bobby Haney made six errors last year,” coach Ray Tanner said. “I don’t know that any shortstop in college baseball did that or can do that. That’s a tremendous statistic.”
Mooney isn’t so concerned about duplicating Haney’s performance, however.
“I just try to be myself,” Mooney said. “Play the game like I know how it’s played and typically how I play the game.”
Mooney hopes to follow in a long line of exceptional shortstops who have played for Tanner, including Haney, Baltimore Oriole Brian Roberts, former Houston Astro Adam Everett, and Oakland Athletic Steven Tolleson.
“Ray Tanner’s been an infield guy,” Mooney said. “He likes to get the best gloves out there. If you can hit, it’s a bonus.”
While Tanner praised his arm and range at shortstop, he naturally already had some critique for Mooney, who’s already been selected in two Major League Baseball drafts.
“I said,‘Peter, you’ve got to slow down. You just got to be a little bit more composed as a defender,’” Tanner said. “He tends to try to make the dramatic great play too much, and the deal is you try to get outs.”
Despite the early criticism, he has already earned the approval of the infield’s senior leader.
“He’s good,” Wingo said. “Just come watch him play, you’ll see. I like playing with him. He’s going to be good. He’s got some flair. He’s solid. Really not much for us to say, but he’s a good player.”
For Wingo, the focus is not about the players lost but rather the players returning from last season’s championship squad.
“I feel like the core group is still here,” Wingo said, “We’ve got guys same as last year — Jackie [Bradley Jr.] and Adrian [Morales]. We’re ready to go. I like the team this year, too.”
Wingo earned some high praise of his own as Jackie Bradley Jr., the star of the outfield and Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series, referred to him as the best infielder he has ever played with.
“I appreciate that, but I go out there and try to work hard every day and don’t take any days off,” Wingo said. “I just try to get better when I’m out there.”