Previewing all Eight groups, key gamers and extra
Do you odor that? It is the unmistakable scent of an Omaha steakhouse grill, a cloud that can spend the subsequent two weeks wafting over the nation because it rises alongside the banks of the Missouri River.
It is the annual June smoke sign that informs us that after 4 months and 1000’s of innings of school baseball, the Faculty World Sequence has lastly arrived. As at all times, the sphere is filled with anticipated favorites and traditional powerhouses, plus a few unexpected occasion crashers. So what do you might want to find out about this 12 months’s version of the Omaha Eight, what did they do to earn the invite, and what may they do as soon as they arrive at TD Ameritrade Park?
Slather on some eye black, seize a steak knife, and skim forward.
Bounce to:
Vanderbilt | Arkansas | Mississippi State | Louisville | Texas Tech | Michigan | Florida State | Auburn
Vanderbilt Commodores
Their highway to Omaha: 54-11; No. 2 nationwide seed; SEC regular-season and match champions; received Nashville Regional and Tremendous Regional by defeating Ohio State, Indiana State and Duke
CWS historical past: Fourth CWS look, all since 2011; greatest end: first in 2014
Their key: JJ Bleday, OF
2:25
Sophomore Mason Hickman racks up 9 strikeouts as Vanderbilt takes down Duke 13-2 to make its fourth CWS look in 9 seasons.
Storylines: If you’re sufficiently old to recollect the times when Vandy was a nonfactor in faculty baseball, then you’re … effectively, you are probably not very outdated. The Commodores did not turn out to be NCAA tourney regulars till the mid-2000s. Tim Corbin was employed as head coach in 2003. They made it to an excellent regional the next 12 months and on his watch have made it at the very least that far 9 occasions, with 4 journeys to Omaha since 2011. How? Depth. In a sport through which having a few sluggers and three good pitchers are thought-about luxuries, the Vandy Boys run 10 deep on the mound, they’ve three hitters with double-digit homers, and practically all the beginning 9 is hitting above .300. The one main flaw of their recreation was obvious to anybody who noticed their first recreation in opposition to Duke. After they lose their deal with on the strike zone, they actually lose it. However then, they adopted that with the eighth no-hitter in NCAA postseason historical past.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Their highway to Omaha: 46-18; No. 5 nationwide seed; first (tie) within the SEC West; received Fayetteville Regional and Tremendous Regional by defeating Central Connecticut, TCU and No. 12 nationwide seed Ole Miss
CWS historical past: 10th CWS look; greatest end: second in 1979 and 2018
Their key: Isaiah Campbell, RHP
2:10
The Razorbacks’ offense overpowers the Rebels in Recreation three of the Fayetteville Tremendous Regional, defeating Ole Miss in convincing vogue 14-1.
2 Associated
Storylines: The OmaHogs have been on a revenge tour in 2019, desirous to reclaim the CWS title that was of their grasp one 12 months in the past, after they received the primary recreation of the CWS championship collection and have been a popout away from clinching the title earlier than they misplaced two in a row to Oregon State. If “been there, performed that” is actually a key to successful a nationwide title, the Hogs may need the largest benefit within the 2019 area. An enormous proportion of the 2018 starters are gone, however the ones who’re left have been like a second teaching employees within the clubhouse. “Did you watch the best way our gamers acted after they received right this moment?” head coach Dave Van Horn mentioned after the Razorbacks received their regional title over TCU with no trace of a celebratory dogpile. “It is like simply one other recreation as a result of they know they completed one thing, however they have not completed what we’re actually attempting to do.”
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Their highway to Omaha: 51-13; No. 6 nationwide seed; first (tie) within the SEC West; received Starkville Regional and Tremendous Regional by defeating Southern, Central Michigan, Miami and No. 11 nationwide seed Stanford
CWS historical past: 11th CWS look, third in seven years and a returnee from 2018; greatest end: second in 2013
Their key: Ethan Small, LHP
2:07
With exact hitting and energy, Mississippi State finishes off Stanford Eight-1 and heads again to the Faculty World Sequence.
Storylines: The Bulldogs are nonetheless preventing to be faraway from the “What’s the very best program by no means to win the Faculty World Sequence?” debate. Their possibilities of lastly breaking that Omaha curse acquired a shot within the arm when senior outfielder and all-time SEC hits chief Jake Mangum snapped out of a brutal hunch within the regional and saved it rolling in opposition to Stanford within the supers. It is a roster filled with upperclassmen — together with a graduate scholar nearer — who survived a weird start-of-season teaching change in 2018 and survived this 12 months’s SEC regular-season wars to make it to Omaha for the second straight summer time. In case you do not just like the clang of cowbells, you are gonna want some earplugs at TD Ameritrade Park.
Louisville Cardinals
Their highway to Omaha: 48-16; No. 7 nationwide seed; ACC regular-season champs; received Louisville Regional and Tremendous Regional by defeating Illinois-Chicago, Illinois State, Indiana and No. 10 nationwide seed East Carolina
CWS historical past: Fifth CWS look, all since 2007; greatest end: fifth in 2007 and 2017
Their key: Reid Detmers, LHP
Zero:30
Louisville’s Bobby Miller loses his no-hitter with no outs within the ninth inning en path to a victory over East Carolina.
Storylines: Head coach Dan McDonnell took the reins in 2007 and instantly led the Cardinals to Omaha for the primary time in program historical past. Solely as soon as in his 15 seasons has Louisville did not make the NCAA match, and eight of these dozen seasons have ended with at the very least an excellent regional berth. Pitching depth has at all times been a McDonnell staple, and this staff carries 4 legit starters, led by the lefty Okay machine Detmers, who rallied from a tough begin to turn out to be ACC Pitcher of the 12 months. Likewise, his staff rallied from a surprisingly flat ACC tourney efficiency and early regional loss to Illinois State. The Cardinals made it again to Omaha by steamrolling East Carolina 26-1 in two tremendous regional video games and scoring 9 or extra runs in 4 of 5 straight postseason wins.
Texas Tech Pink Raiders
Their highway to Omaha: 44-18; No. Eight nationwide seed; Huge 12 regular-season champs; received Lubbock Regional and Tremendous Regional by defeating Military, Dallas Baptist and No. 9 nationwide seed Oklahoma State
CWS historical past: Fourth CWS look, all since 2014; greatest end: fifth in 2016 and 2018
Their key: Josh Jung, 3B
2 Associated
Storylines: Tim Tadlock’s staff is all in regards to the fundamentals. They rating quite a lot of runs with no ton of homers, their bullpen is almost bulletproof, and also you’re extra prone to see a UFO in Lubbock than an terrible defensive play. They’re significantly robust at dwelling — simply ask Oklahoma State, which acquired swept at Rip Griffin Park in April and went down within the Lubbock Tremendous Regional, too. However now the Raiders’ problem — it isn’t a brand new one — is to determine easy methods to pack that magic of their baggage and take it to Omaha. The Pink Raiders made it to the CWS for the primary time in 2014 and are going again for the fourth time. However of their three earlier appearances, they’re 2-6.
Michigan Wolverines
Their highway to Omaha: 46-20; Huge Ten regular-season runner-up; received Corvallis Regional and Los Angeles Tremendous Regional by defeating Creighton, Cincinnati and No. 1 nationwide seed UCLA
CWS historical past: Eighth CWS look, first since 1984; greatest end: first in 1953 and 1962
Their key(s): The Jordans: Jordan Nwogu and Jordan Brewer, OFs
Zero:50
Michigan takes down UCLA Four-2 to win the collection and advance to the Faculty World Sequence for the primary time since 1984.
Storylines: If there may be ever going to be a state of affairs through which even probably the most bitter of Huge Ten rivals will root for the Wolverines in something, that is it. Why? As a result of Michigan is not merely making its first journey to Omaha since 1984, when Barry Larkin and Chris Sabo have been within the infield and Jim Abbott was on the mound. Your complete B1G convention has been again to the CWS solely as soon as since, when Indiana crashed the Solar Belt’s summer time occasion in 2013. The final of the league’s six CWS titles got here by way of Ohio State in 1966. And with these guys, you possibly can neglect the “however they’ve by no means been to Omaha!” stuff. They only traveled west twice in two weeks, walked into the houses of the defending nationwide champions and the No. 1 staff within the nation, and did a few dogpiles.
Florida State Seminoles
Their highway to Omaha: 41-21; third place within the ACC Atlantic; received Athens Regional and Baton Rouge Tremendous Regional by defeating Florida Atlantic, No. Four nationwide seed Georgia and No. 13 nationwide seed LSU
CWS historical past: 23rd CWS look, third-most all time, and second journey in three years; greatest end: second, 3 times (1970, ’86, ’99)
Their key: Drew Mendoza, 3B
Zero:34
The Seminoles head to the Faculty World Sequence in Omaha after a walk-off base hit from Drew Mendoza.
Storylines: Irrespective of how one may really feel in regards to the Seminoles, there isn’t any one in faculty baseball who is not becoming a member of in on the sluggish clap for FSU’s unexpected run to Omaha as a result of there’s additionally nobody in faculty baseball who would not have the best respect for retiring head coach Mike Martin. The person they name merely “11” owns a staggering stat sheet. He is the game’s all-time wins chief, final weekend he posted his 40th consecutive 40-win season (yearly he has been on the helm in Tallahassee), and FSU simply made its 17th tremendous regional look … and the Tremendous Regional Period is just 21 years outdated. A program that has produced greater than 200 MLB draft picks on his watch, together with 4 final week, maybe hasn’t produced a extra stunning Omaha run than this one. An unranked staff that was barely on the ACC match received on the highway in opposition to a pair of nationwide seeds. Martin’s most notorious stat? He is Zero-for-life in championships in Omaha, together with his visits as a participant and assistant coach. After so a few years as disappointing CWS favorites, these Seminoles are the underdogs of the 2019 area. It might be the very best walk-off ever if Martin’s staff pulls this off.
Auburn Tigers
Their highway to Omaha: 38-26; sixth place within the SEC West; received Atlanta Regional and Chapel Hill Tremendous Regional by defeating Coastal Carolina, No. three nationwide seed Georgia Tech and No. 14 nationwide seed UNC
CWS historical past: Fifth CWS look, first since 1997; greatest end: fourth in 1967
Their key: Tanner Burns, RHP (if wholesome)
1:41
Auburn opens the essential third recreation of the collection with 13 runs within the first inning of its 14-7 rout of North Carolina.
Storylines: This isn’t the Auburn staff that was going to snap the college’s embarrassing 20-plus-year CWS look drought. That was alleged to be final 12 months’s staff, led by No. 1 MLB draft choose Casey Mize, however these Tigers had their hearts damaged by Florida within the tremendous regional. This 12 months it was Auburn who did the postseason heartbreaking, led by a pitching employees that has been held collectively by Band-Aids all season. They misplaced ace Davis Daniel, then missed alternative ace Tanner Burns and lefty Jack Owen for large chunks of the spring. All of this occurred whereas the bats that have been alleged to be their largest energy went MIA midseason. However bolstered by the feelings of the lack of longtime radio voice Rod Bramblett in the course of the SEC match, the Tigers in some way powered their approach again to Omaha for the primary time because the Clinton administration. The sport that clinched their CWS berth was full of fine indicators that these two points have vanished on the proper time. A 14-7 win at UNC began with two robust innings from Burns, and it was the second-highest scoring inning in NCAA postseason historical past.