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‘A FUN TEAM’
CWS hero Michael Roth relives memories of 2010 national championship
By Jeff Owens | Executive Editor • Photos by Allen Sharpe
It’s been 10 years since the greatest season in Gamecock Baseball history, since Ray Tanner’s 2010 team delivered South Carolina’s first major national championship by winning the first of two straight College World Series titles.
The 2010 team started a stretch of unprecedented success for South Carolina, which not only won two straight national championships but set an NCAA record with 22 consecutive postseason wins, including 12 in the College World Series. The Gamecocks’ 30-4 postseason record from 2010-2012 is the fifth-best three-year mark in NCAA history.
No one epitomizes that streak of excellence more than star pitcher Michael Roth, who, like his teammates, had one of the best three-year runs in South Carolina history.
Roth is best known for writing one of the best underdog stories in College World Series history in 2010, when he came out of the bullpen to start an elimination game against rival Clemson and threw a complete game to eliminate the Tigers and help South Carolina advance to the finals. He then produced another magnificent start in the championship game against UCLA to lead the Gamecocks to their first national title.
A year later, Roth emerged as one of the best pitchers in the country, going 14-3 with a 1.06 ERA in 2011 to earn consensus All-American honors and lead South Carolina to a second straight national championship. After another stellar season in 2012 — including another run to the CWS finals — Roth finished his career with a 26-6 record and 1.91 ERA in 354 innings.
Roth was at his best in the postseason, compiling an 8-0 record and 1.33 ERA in 95 innings in the NCAA Tournament. He made eight starts in the College World Series, throwing a record 60.1 innings from 2010-12. His four CWS wins are one shy of teammate Matt Price’s record and his 1.49 ERA is the fifth-lowest in College World Series history.
As Gamecock Baseball celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the 2010 national championship, Spurs & Feathers Editor Jeff Owens sat down with Roth to relive the 2010 season and his postseason magic.
Looking back on that season, do you have a favorite memory or moment that stands out from that College World Series?
“I wouldn’t say there was one moment that stands out, there were a lot of moments in that entire run that were just a ton of fun. The game at Coastal Carolina and how hot it was and the comeback that we had and then celebrating by jumping in the ocean. Just all the travel and stuff like that, that was just so much fun and that team was so close. It was such a strong group, it’s hard to point to just one game or one moment that sticks out.”
What was it about that team that made it so special?
“The team was tough. It was a group of guys that had a lot of new faces. We had a freshman class coming in that was highly ranked, it was supposed to be pretty good. And the group I came in with as freshmen, we had a year under our belt and we felt like we had underachieved by not advancing out of the Region at ECU. I think there were a lot of guys on that team and even the older guys that just had a chip on their shoulders that knew that we had the chance to be really good. Early in the year, we went back to Greenville and got our butts whooped and we had a team meeting that really made us think about what we were going to be doing. We got beat by Clemson pretty handedly at home, I think it was 19-6 on a Sunday, and we faced some adversity as a team but felt like that was the best thing for us. It made us really come together as a group. We had to focus on the things that were going on in the clubhouse and the dugout and not hear about how good we were and not hear about what we could do, and essentially we were able to come together in those moments and force a toughness that would propel us on to a national championship.”
To beat Clemson in the College World Series in an elimination game, does it get much better than that?
“Looking back on that, that’s got to be one of the turning points of my career. I was a lefty specialist that sophomore year, pretty much for the whole time up until I threw three innings in the playoff at the Regional. That was my longest outing before that. The opportunity that I got against Clemson really changed the path of my career. It’s something I am incredibly grateful for.”
How exciting was it for you to throw out the first pitch at Founders Park before the Clemson series last month?
“When they told me that that’s how they would be celebrating, I kinda had an idea that would be the game I would get to throw the first pitch out at. I think it’s timely, it’s humorous with how my career kinda changed against Clemson in 2010. It’s really cool. It’s cool to be able to come back to Founders Park with the celebration and 10 years since the first national championship.”
What was your reaction when Ray told you you were going to start and what were your emotions like taking the mound that night against Clemson?
“I thought there must be some miscommunication when they said I was starting … but at that point when you are in the loser’s bracket and you are playing an elimination game, it’s all hands on deck. When you are playing to potentially play the last game of your season and you step out on the field, you know that everybody on the squad has to be ready to play. When it was apparent that I was starting, I didn’t think about really trying to go out there and throw a complete game or even throw a certain number of innings. I just went out there to do my job, like I had been doing all year. It just so happened I was able to put together nine innings. Part of me being able to do that was just the great team we had, the defense we had behind me and the fact that we went out there and scored some runs. If it’s not 5-1, if there’s not a little bit of a lead, I doubt I am going back out there in the eighth or ninth inning.”
The opportunity that I got against Clemson really changed the path of my career. It’s something I am incredibly grateful for.
How cool was that to start the national championship game and arguably the biggest game in school history?
“It was awesome. Just the opportunity to go out there and throw again, I was throwing on short rest having just started on Friday, and so throwing on three days rest, but with some of the things we were doing to recover and all the hard work we put in during the offseason, and I think me being a reliever helps me be able to come back quicker. So I was able to be effective in that start. It was a ton of fun, tension was high. I remember a play where Bobby Haney kinda sat back on a ground ball that allowed them to score the first run and we were all kinda amped up about it, but it was a lot of fun. For me, it almost felt like it was two separate games, just in the fact I threw the first five innings and we end up walking off in the 12th.”
UCLA had pitchers Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer, who are both now in the big leagues and Cole is the $324 million man for the Yankees. Do you ever look back and say, ‘Wow, we beat those two guys?’
“That was a pretty good team for UCLA. They had a lot of guys on that team, but at the time we felt like on paper we didn’t add up and I think a lot of people would have argued that as well. But if you look back on our team, we had some pretty good guys as well with Whit [Merrifield] and Jackie [Bradley Jr.] and Christian Walker in the big leagues, Tyler Webb. There are a number of guys that were on that team who had pretty solid careers.”
How much did those two starts in the College World Series set the tone for your phenomenal 2011 season?
“The outings and the success I had in the College World Series definitely gave me a ton of confidence going into 2011. I didn’t know I would open up as the Friday night starter that year. I had a feeling I would be in the mix for starting, but you never know. Each year is different and sometimes what worked the year before doesn’t always work the next year. I had to go out there and earn my spot just like anyone else. But being able to draw on those moments and have that success to look back on and know that you had been in some tough moments gives you the ability to go out in more tough moments and just have fun.”
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How often are you asked about that 2010 world series?
“I think Gamecock fans will always remember and recognize that 2010 team just from that accomplishment, from being one of the first major-sport national championships that South Carolina has ever won. Just the atmosphere that surrounded that team, the guys that were on that team, the characters that were on that team, I think Gamecock fans will always look back on that team as just a fun team and really a tough team that went out there and played and really played for the Gamecocks as a whole.”
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You won a national player of the year award that year. Is that one of the biggest individual honors you’ve had?
“I would say so. 2011 was definitely a really good year for me individually and the national of player of the year by one of the publications, I missed out on the Golden Spikes … but it was just a very good year for me individually, and obviously the team winning another national championship was awesome as well.”
What was different about the 2011 team and winning it a second straight time?
“2010 just felt like sort of a surprise. We felt like we were thrilled to be there and we felt like we had the ability to be there, but having never been there before it was just a whole new experience for us. In 2011 I think we were a little more savvy. We knew how good we were but we knew we couldn’t just throw our gloves out on the field and play. But we also knew the ability we had to always come back and win and the toughness that the group of guys had. 2011 was more about protecting our turf. Even still, there were a lot of teams that on paper that the writers and others were saying were better than us and I feel like we still had something to go out there and prove.”
You played professionally and made it to the majors with the Angels and Rangers. What was your pro experience like?
“I was very fortunate to get called up to the big leagues early and realize a dream. The dream of playing professional baseball was something I wanted to do ever since I was a kid, so it was a ton of fun and something I had always looked forward to doing. But it’s also tough. As you get older and that travel hits you harder and harder, it becomes more of a business rather just playing baseball and having fun. But I was super fortunate to play those seven years that I played and had a lot of cool guys and had a lot of fun and was on some really good teams as well.”
You have done some broadcasting for South Carolina games on TV. How much do you enjoy that?
“I think last year I did about five games and I think I’m scheduled for that same amount this year. They asked me to join in on some games that Kip [Bouknight] couldn’t do, so I just kinda signed on and was really excited about doing it. I didn’t know how much I would like it at first and last year was a big learning experience, because you can’t ramble on, you have to get to the point and you have to make your point and make it clear and concise. I reached out to a few people in the industry I know just to get some advice and some feedback. It’s a lot of fun, I enjoy it. It’s a cool way to experience baseball and be on the other side of the game.”
What do you think about the program now and the direction under Coach Kingston?
“I think we have a lot of promise. I think this year is a big year for them. They’ve brought in some older guys because at South Carolina there really is no rebuilding year, you just have to reload and play with the guys you have and Gamecock fans expect you to be successful. That’s just the way the program was built and designed and that’s the expectation of Gamecock fans. They have a lot of guys that have a lot of talent and ability. Really, it’s up to those guys to come together and make themselves a strong and capable team.”
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2010 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Carolina became the first team in CWS history to win six straight games to win the national championship.
South Carolina won the 2010 College World Series in the bottom of the 11th inning against UCLA. Scott Wingo scored the winning run on a base hit by Whit Merrifield for a 2-1 victory.
Blake Cooper was one of the top starting pitchers in the country, winning 13 games with a 2.76 ERA. His biggest win came in the semifinal game against UCLA, when he held the Bruins to just one run on three hits in eight innings to beat future major leaguer Gerrit Cole. SC went 54-16 on the season, the fourth-most wins in school history. They were 21-9 in the SEC, 30-6 at home and 20-10 vs. Top-25 teams.
2010 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Photos by Allen Sharpe
SC beat UCLA in Game 1 of the championship series to come within one game of the national title. The Gamecocks had 14 hits with Evan Marzilli, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Christian Walker collecting two each.
South Carolina has made 11 College World Series appearances.
.368 Jackie Bradley Jr. led the Gamecocks with a .368 average with 13 home runs and 60 RBI. Bradley had 10 hits, including two home runs, and nine RBI in Omaha to win the CWS Most Outstanding Player award.
SC beat Coastal Carolina in the Super Regionals when Christian Walker hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to send the Gamecocks to Omaha.
10 Matt Price was one of the most dominant closers in the country, collecting 10 saves. Price was 5-1 with a 2.26 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched. He won two games in the CWS, including the national championship game.
