Stanley’s Stance No. 6

May 20, 2000

Journal Entry No. 6 May 20, 2000 – Charlotte, N.C.

Hey Tiger fans! First of all I would like to thank of all the fans that were able to attend the tournament. I also would like to thank the fans that followed us over radio, as well as the fans that kept up with us through the papers. As most of you know we came up short of our goal of winning the ACC tournament, losing to Georgia Tech in the finals. Ryan Childs gave a great effort, pitching the first six innings. His outing was not quite enough, as Georgia Tech distanced themselves with timely hitting down the stretch. The Tigers gave a tremendous effort, battling back from a loss to Georgia Tech the night before to beat Virginia, and set the stage for a rematch with Tech. The Tigers were led at the plate by Patrick Boyd, who collected three hits in the championship game.

Our first game of the day was against Virginia, who had beaten Wake Forest to fight off elimination the previous day. Kevin Lynn picked up the victory going seven and two thirds innings. The Tigers scored 12 runs on 16 hits. Patrick Boyd added two. Jeff Baker added two big home runs to put the game out of reach.

The Tigers fought hard, as we maintained our never-say-die attitude until the final out against Georgia Tech. Though we fell short in the tournament, the light still shines brightly, as regional time will be upon us very quickly. The great play of a few Tigers landed them spots on the all-tournament team. Patrick Boyd made the team as an outfielder, Khalil Greene as the third baseman, and Jeff Baker as the designated hitter. Ryan Mottl made the all-tournament team thanks to a brilliantly pitched complete game against Florida State.

We will be leaving Charlotte at 8:00 in the morning Sunday, headed back to Tiger Country. Tomorrow will be a rest day, and it will back to the practice field on Monday. We will also find out Monday the three teams headed to Clemson for the regional next weekend. I hope all of you can attend next weekend, as your support will be needed to reach our goal of making it to the College World Series. Thanks for your support, and Go Tigers! Talk to you soon!