September 15, 2008

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

USC is the nation's most historic program, but has failed to be a national player the past few seasons. That may or may not change in the near future, but it's always a bad sign when the Trojans struggle to be a .500 team.

The Trojans aren't the only disappointing team.

Baylor reached the College World Series in 2005, but has declined each year since, finishing 37-26 in '06, 35-27 in '07 and 32-26 in '08.

Hawai'i, Kansas and Wake Forest are programs that appeared to be turning the corner in recent seasons. However, Hawai'i and Kansas have struggled the past two seasons, while Wake Forest underachieved in '08.

We take an inside look at five declining programs.

When the Bears won the Big 12 title and reached the College World Series in 2005, they appeared to be in cruise control. Unfortunately for coach Steve Smith, that certainly hasn't been the case the past few seasons. Since the magical run to Omaha, the Bears have failed to impress. BU finished the '06 season with a 37-26 overall record and competed in the Houston Regional. The Bears reached the NCAA Tournament once again in '07, but had an overall record of 35-27 and finished sixth in the Big 12. Perhaps most disappointing, the Bears finished the '08 campaign sixth in the Big 12 with an overall record of 32-26. The Bears have a plethora of talent and should be a good team in '09, but recent history suggests they'll underachieve. Still, BU is a team that has a chance to do something special in the spring.

Maybe former coach Mike Gillespie wasn't so bad after all. Gillespie put together an impressive resume at USC and guided the program to a national title in 1998. The Trojans decided to part ways with Gillespie in 2006 and have only gotten worse with good talent. USC finished the '07 season last in the Pac-10 with an overall record of 27-29. The Trojans didn't show much improvement this past season, finishing in a three-way tie for sixth in the Pac-10 with an overall record of 28-28. With USC's finishes the past two seasons, it's hard to say the program is still declining. However, it's certainly possible. The Trojans will once again have plenty of talent in '09. Will they finally decide to turn the corner? If not, I'd look for some major changes to be made throughout the program.

The Warriors appeared to be turning the corner three seasons ago. They had one of the nation's best pitchers in Steven Wright and the team finished the season with an impressive overall record of 45-17. The Warriors also made an appearance in the Corvallis Regional, where they lost to host Oregon State in the title game. After a memorable '06 campaign, I had a feeling Hawai'i would become a perennial postseason team with coach Mike Trapasso in charge. That hasn't happened. The Warriors finished the '07 season fourth in the WAC with an overall record of 34-25. They actually fared worse last season by going 29-31 and finishing in a two-way tie for second in the WAC. With the WAC earning more exposure thanks to Fresno State's magical run, it'll be interesting to see how UH responds.

The Demon Deacons have had an interesting past few seasons. The Deacons finished the '06 season with an overall record of 33-22 and a respectable conference mark of 16-13, but failed to reach the NCAA Tournament. In '07, the Demon Deacons had an overall record of 34-25, but actually made the postseason and appeared in the Austin Regional. The Deacons had hoped to knock down another obstacle in '08, but struggled mightily. Wake Forest finished last season with an overall record of 29-31. The Demon Deacons also ended the year seventh in the ACC. From a talent standpoint, the '08 team might've been Rick Rembielak's best at the school. However, they failed to meet expectations. Though Wake Forest hasn't been a national power, it's certainly declining from where it was two seasons ago.

There was a time when it looked like Kansas coach Ritch Price might turn the Jayhawks into a consistent postseason contender. That time, however, has certainly passed the past two seasons. After finishing the '05 season with an overall record of 36-28, the Jayhawks made an NCAA Regional in '06 after compiling an impressive record of 43-25. After the magical campaign, the Jayhawks had hoped to make another push forward. Instead, they ended the '07 season with an overall record of 28-30 and a ninth place finish in the Big 12. They didn't fare much better last season, going 30-27 with another ninth place finish in conference. Kansas was potentially one of the nation's rising programs, but has recently taken a huge step back.

Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Rivals.com. He can be reached at rogersk@yahoo-inc.com.