USC66
10-08-2005, 07:10 AM
USC BASEBALL NOTES
Tanner ‘getting anxious’ about stadium
Site up in air, but coach has been told ballpark could be ready by ’07 opener
By KENT BABB
Staff Writer
USC baseball coach Ray Tanner said Friday he is no longer certain that construction on the school’s proposed baseball stadium will be completed in time for the 2007 home opener.
“I don’t know if I’m nervous,” Tanner said. “I am getting a little anxious.”
Tanner told The State in August that if ground had not been broken for the new stadium by late September to early October, he would begin to worry about the project’s timetable.
USC has yet to choose a site for the stadium, much less break ground for it, so Tanner said he thought about postponing the ballpark’s opening until the Gamecocks’ first SEC home game of ’07.
But Tanner said architects have told him the stadium can be built in a year, meaning it could be ready by Feb. 23, 2007, when USC hosts the first of three games against Texas.
USC has identified a construction site “in the vicinity of campus,” Tanner said, but the original location, at the corner of Greene and Wayne Streets in the Vista, remains a possibility.
“There’s another site being looked at, but (the Vista site) hasn’t been taken off the board yet,” he said. “We are looking at another one.”
Tanner would not reveal the alternate location.
“The good news is, we’re getting a brand-new stadium,” he said. “It doesn’t always happen in the time frame you want, but ... it’s going to happen.”
Everett earns Astros a fan. Tanner, a lifelong New York Yankees fan, has been rooting for another team in the first round of the playoffs.
Because former USC infielder Adam Everett is the Houston Astros’ shortstop, Tanner said the Astros are his favorite in this year’s playoffs.
“As big a Yankee fan as I am, I’m all Astros until they’re eliminated,” Tanner said. “Blood is thicker than your favorite team. I’m pulling for the Astros to survive.”
Tanner said he talked to Everett, who played for USC from 1997-98, before the Astros’ first game and told him to “swing at anything close.” Everett, who is 1-for-8 in Houston’s series against the Atlanta Braves, took two strikes Thursday before striking out swinging with the bases loaded to end the first inning.
Short hops. Tanner said heralded freshmen Justin Smoak and Reese Havens have “exceeded my expectations” and are pegged to be in USC’s starting lineup in the spring. ... Tanner said junior pitcher Shawn Valdes-Fauli, who missed the 2005 season after having surgery on his right elbow, is “on track” and will be the Gamecocks’ closer if he is healthy when the season starts. ... Sophomore Trent Kline, a junior-college transfer, and Ian Paxton are the Gamecocks’ top two catchers. ... Tanner said 10 USC players will play in the Cape Cod League next summer, the most the Gamecocks have sent to the prestigious summer league.
Tanner ‘getting anxious’ about stadium
Site up in air, but coach has been told ballpark could be ready by ’07 opener
By KENT BABB
Staff Writer
USC baseball coach Ray Tanner said Friday he is no longer certain that construction on the school’s proposed baseball stadium will be completed in time for the 2007 home opener.
“I don’t know if I’m nervous,” Tanner said. “I am getting a little anxious.”
Tanner told The State in August that if ground had not been broken for the new stadium by late September to early October, he would begin to worry about the project’s timetable.
USC has yet to choose a site for the stadium, much less break ground for it, so Tanner said he thought about postponing the ballpark’s opening until the Gamecocks’ first SEC home game of ’07.
But Tanner said architects have told him the stadium can be built in a year, meaning it could be ready by Feb. 23, 2007, when USC hosts the first of three games against Texas.
USC has identified a construction site “in the vicinity of campus,” Tanner said, but the original location, at the corner of Greene and Wayne Streets in the Vista, remains a possibility.
“There’s another site being looked at, but (the Vista site) hasn’t been taken off the board yet,” he said. “We are looking at another one.”
Tanner would not reveal the alternate location.
“The good news is, we’re getting a brand-new stadium,” he said. “It doesn’t always happen in the time frame you want, but ... it’s going to happen.”
Everett earns Astros a fan. Tanner, a lifelong New York Yankees fan, has been rooting for another team in the first round of the playoffs.
Because former USC infielder Adam Everett is the Houston Astros’ shortstop, Tanner said the Astros are his favorite in this year’s playoffs.
“As big a Yankee fan as I am, I’m all Astros until they’re eliminated,” Tanner said. “Blood is thicker than your favorite team. I’m pulling for the Astros to survive.”
Tanner said he talked to Everett, who played for USC from 1997-98, before the Astros’ first game and told him to “swing at anything close.” Everett, who is 1-for-8 in Houston’s series against the Atlanta Braves, took two strikes Thursday before striking out swinging with the bases loaded to end the first inning.
Short hops. Tanner said heralded freshmen Justin Smoak and Reese Havens have “exceeded my expectations” and are pegged to be in USC’s starting lineup in the spring. ... Tanner said junior pitcher Shawn Valdes-Fauli, who missed the 2005 season after having surgery on his right elbow, is “on track” and will be the Gamecocks’ closer if he is healthy when the season starts. ... Sophomore Trent Kline, a junior-college transfer, and Ian Paxton are the Gamecocks’ top two catchers. ... Tanner said 10 USC players will play in the Cape Cod League next summer, the most the Gamecocks have sent to the prestigious summer league.