Harman excited about opportunity to start for Tigers in College World Series

Casey Harman works out with the rest of the Clemson baseball team at Creighton University on Saturday.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Jun 19 17:23:49 GMT-04:00 2010

OMAHA, NE – Clemson starting pitcher Casey Harman said he watched batting practice at Rosenblatt Stadium on Friday, and despite the number of baseballs flying out of the park, he doesn’t believe the stadium itself is the cause of all of the home runs, and that he won’t be intimidated Sunday evening.

The Tigers play Arizona St., the No. 1 overall seed, on Sunday at 7 p.m., and Harman will toe the rubber for Clemson, hoping to continue a recent trend that has seen the lefty pitch some of his best baseball of the season, a stretch that includes a 129-pitch complete game at Auburn in the NCAA regional.

Harman worked out with the rest of the Clemson baseball team at Creighton University on Saturday, and he said the hitters’ park reputation of Rosenblatt doesn’t worry him in the least.

“I did, I watched a lot of batting practice yesterday,” Harman said with a rueful smile. “I watched ours, and I watched some of Arizona St. But after watching, I think it’s more about the kinds of hitters that are playing here rather than the stadium. There are a lot of fields like that, that play like that. South Carolina is like that. You just put that out of your head and go pitch.”

Harman said that he has been excited about this start since the Tigers clinched a World Series berth over Alabama last Monday, and relishes the opportunity to play here in Rosenblatt’s last season.

“Since we won out against Alabama I have been excited,” he said. “I wish the game was tonight, but I am excited about tomorrow night. This has been a humbling experience for me. It’s just an amazing opportunity to be here, and it’s going to be a lot of fun. Tomorrow, I am just going to hang out in the hotel room, get a couple of good meals in me, and just hang out with the guys til time to play.”

His recent hot streak can be accredited to just executing the game plan that he and pitching coach Dan Pepicelli put in place, according to Harman.

“It’s just been a matter of being aggressive and being consistent,” he said. “It also hasn’t hurt that our bats are heating up. We are playing with confidence as a team, and we are all playing together, and that is a big thing for us.

“I really haven’t changed much personally, just attacking the hitters and going after them and staying aggressive. We have just had a better game plan, and been attacking the hitters. It’s all in putting the plan in place and going out and doing it. That’s what we’ve been able to do and it’s been working.”

The junior was asked if he was starting to wear down, considering he is pitching deeper than he ever has as a Tiger, and he said his workout regimen has kept him strong throughout.

“I feel great,” he said. “I have a good routine, and it’s gotten me into good shape. Once my starting dates come up, I just out there and pitch because I’m ready for it.”