Former area prep sluggers take crack at upending FSU

Two years ago, they were three of the area's top high school baseball players.

But starting today in Tallahassee, Dee Brown, Chris Cole and Jeff Baisley will be trying to help their teams sneak past the top-ranked Seminoles in the NCAA tournament.

The young sluggers -- from Central Florida, South Florida and Stetson, respectively -- are major reasons their squads were among the 64 selected for the NCAA field.

Brown, the former Hernando standout who last week became the first UCF player to be named the Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year, isn't sure what to make of his first foray into the college postseason. "They say it's a whole different game once you get there," said Brown, who leads the Knights in hits (81) and RBIs (55).

"I guess I don't know what I'm in for, but if we play like we've been playing, we have a pretty good chance," he said.

Cole, another Hernando graduate who played a year at Florida State before transferring to Stetson, will return to Dick Howser Stadium for his first taste of the visiting dugout.

The Hatters (42-17) face the Seminoles (56-12) tonight at 7, armed with a 13-8 record against NCAA tourney opponents and a powerful lineup five home runs shy of the school single-season record.

Eight of Stetson's homers have come from Cole, who's batting .327 with 41 RBIs in his first season as the Hatters' catcher. The new environment has helped him improve the offensive numbers he produced as an FSU freshman in 13 less games -- .211 average and 11 RBIs. While UCF and Stetson were easy picks to reach the NCAA tournament a third straight year, South Florida (33-27) wasn't as sure of making the field a second time since it was expanded to 64 teams in 1999. The real surprise for the Bulls has been freshman third baseman Jeff Baisley, a Land O'Lakes graduate.

USF coach Eddie Cardieri didn't realize how much Baisley meant to the Bulls until they went two games without the injured player last week.

"He is absolutely vital," said Cardieri, whose club battles UCF today at 3 p.m. "We really hope to get him back." Baisley, who had started in South Florida's first 58 games this season, was sidelined after a baserunner slid into his ankle and bruised his Achilles' tendon in the Conference USA Tournament in Kinston, N.C. "It's getting there, but (today) will be my first game back and I'm looking forward to it," said Baisley, who watched from the dugout as the Bulls were eliminated in the C-USA semifinals by East Carolina.

USF was among only a few schools to recruit Baisley, who has emerged as the Bulls' top hitter. He leads them in average (.362) and RBIs (62), ranking seventh and fourth, respectively, in the conference. "Purely stated, he's been huge," Cardieri said. "He's been outstanding, as a four-hole hitter, an RBI man and a tremendous third baseman. He's a ballplayer."

Baisley said his first-year success caught him by surprise.

"It was shocking at first because I thought it would be a lot harder than it was," he said. "It's settling in now, and I think it's just a matter of working hard. It's a lot more work than it was to play in high school because you really have to know the pitchers."

Brown, Cole and Baisley are representing three of the state's nine NCAA teams. Look for a fourth next year, as former Zephyrhills star Danny Wardell will transfer from Pasco-Hernando Community College to Florida State.

As far as this week's friendly rivalry, Baisley said he remembered Brown not only from playing him in high school but also from showcase tournaments and all-star games they were in together after their senior year.

"We definitely have a little competition going," Baisley said.

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