May 27, 2016
By Charles Goldberg
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - They raised their kids together, coached them to state baseball titles, went on to win a jillion softball games on the college level, spent long nights shooting the breeze.
And now Auburn's Clint Myers and Arizona's Mike Candrea will meet in a softball Super Regional this weekend with a trip to the College World Series on the line.
After raising their kids together in Casa Grande, Ariz. - "most people don't even know where Casa Grande is," Candrea said - "it's kind of hard to believe we're sitting here at Auburn."
Where a lot of wins will be on the field.
Candrea has won 1,652 games as a college coach. Myers has won 1,466. They've combined to win 19 national titles at various college levels.
And, yeah, they coached their baseball-playing sons to state titles in Arizona, too.
"But we had one of the best coaching staffs in the country," said Corey Myers, son and pitching coach for his dad.
Auburn, sporting a sporty 52-9 record, will meet Arizona, 39-19, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Jane B. Moore Field on ESPN2. The championship could be decided in Sunday's 1 p.m. game on ESPN. If it isn't, Auburn and Arizona will meet in a winner-take-all game at 4 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU.
Candrea appreciates that he and his son, Mike Jr., and the Myers family - Clint and sons Corey and Casey - have a love of softball and baseball.
"It's definitely a mutual admiration for the game, the way we do things," Candrea said. "It's two baseball guys who got into softball. It's fun to be here and compete against Auburn University."
Myers and Candrea have been friends - and friendly rivals. Candera has been at Arizona for 30 years. Myers was at Arizona State for eight. They both coached at Central Arizona before moving up. Their head-to-head meetings, including an Auburn win last year: 11-11. They've been friends a long time.
"Over 30 years," Myers said.
And that's produced a lot of chats about the game.
"You know Clint... He can talk forever," Candrea said.
"As far the friendship goes, we've known each other a long time and competed against each other for even longer. It's going to be interesting on that side of it," Myers said.
They are alike in a lot of ways.
"We have to pitch very well, play good defense, get timely hitting," said Candera. Or was it Myers? Doesn't matter. Both have said it.
They live by that simple mantra.
It began a long time ago when they were coaching their sons.
"We were softball coaches coaching baseball teams," Myers said.
And they were a family, the Myers and the Canderas.
"We grew up basically every day of the summer together, whether it was at our house or at his house," said Corey Myers. "We spent a lot of time in the pool and playing baseball.
"I just remember learning about the history of baseball. Coach and Mike are big baseball guys, and they tell us to play the game the right way, the exact same way. Mike teaches his kids, and we teach our kids, how to play the game."
Charles Goldberg is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @AUGoldMine