OMAHA, Neb. -- Ben King is one of the best hitters ever against Stanford. So it likely pleases the Cardinal to see him in the first base coaching box for Texas instead of the batter's box at the College World Series.

The Longhorns outfielder has been sidelined this season with an elbow injury that required "Tommy John'' reconstructive surgery.

While playing last year in the NCAA regionals at Stanford, King hit .412 to earn co-MVP honors. Three of the games were against Stanford, who beat the Longhorns and went on to finish second in the 2001 College World Series.

King, out of Grapeville, Texas, started his college career at Alabama. As a freshman for the Crimson Tide he hit .364 with two homers and 10 RBI when Alabama played at the Stanford regional in 2000. He transferred to Texas for his sophomore season but his ownership of Stanford pitching continued.

"It seems whenever I went out to Sunken Diamond I did real well,'' King said. "I don't know why, other than Stanford is a highly talented team and if you're competitive, you always want to bring your 'A' game against a big team. I always felt they were one of the best teams in the country and I wanted to play 100 percent. Luckily, I've done well against them.''

Helping Texas at the CWS from the coaching box is hard on King. His desire to be playing, he said, has made him almost ill.

"It's one of the hardest things I've ever experienced in my life,'' he said. "But it's also one of the greatest experiences in my life. I get to be out here with a bunch of guys I love, at the College World Series and not many players get to do that.''

King keeps in the game with his coaching duties, however.

"I'm not playing but I'm still a part of it. This wasn't my year,'' he said. "Maybe next year is my year.''

Know the foe
In a pre-College World Series questionnaire, Clemson pitcher Steve Reba listed Steve Thomas of South Carolina as the opposing hitter he least likes to face.

Reba apparently knows how tough an out Thomas has been for him. On Wednesday night, Thomas led off the second inning with a single and led off the sixth inning with his 13th home run. Both hits came off Reba, who was chased from the game by the homer and fell to 13-4.

Lucky charms
South Carolina has plenty of lucky charms helping it stay alive in the College World Series, including Scott Eddins of Chesterfield, S.C., who showed up at Rosenblatt Stadium with a hat that said it all.

The straw hat was adorned with a foot-tall stuffed rooster. To its mouth he attached a Tigger doll representing the Clemson Tigers. Eddins' Gamecocks did indeed feast on Tiger pitching Wednesday night in a 12-4 victory that forced the two rivals to play again Friday in a second CWS semifinal.

In the South Carolina dugout are still more lucky charms. Taped to the dugout wall are Hulk Hogan and Blond Bomber dolls. The two were won last month at an arcade in Georgia and have graced the Gamecocks dugout for the last 19 games.

Fired up
Clemson has its own special feature to fire up the Tigers. Alum Jim Carling brought his 1964 Chevrolet fire truck to Omaha.

The truck is painted Tiger orange with team tiger paws and Clemson Tigers written all over it.

Carling parked the vehicle across from Rosenblatt Stadium. It has been a point for Tiger fans to congregate before and after games.

Carling graduated from Clemson in 1994. He says it took him 18½ hours to drive to Omaha. At 7½ miles per gallon, he figures it cost him about $200 for gas.

Special fans
About 300 special fans are getting a chance to see the College World Series this year, thanks to the YMCA, IBM and MSI Systems Integrators.

The corporate sponsors kicked in about $10,000 for tickets, T-shirts, food and special prizes for the 300 adolescents from Omaha area YMCA branches and Girls and Boys Town to watch the games.

IBM started the practice 16 years ago through five junior high schools. The YMCA and MSI joined the effort later.

In most cases, the children selected to attend the games are being rewarded for participation in various YMCA programs.