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NCAA baseball super regionals teams ranked as 16 teams fight for College World Series

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7 months ago

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NCAA baseball super regionals teams ranked as 16 teams fight for College World Series

The field of 64 in the NCAA baseball tournament is down to 16, and by the time this long weekend is over, the eight winners of the best-of-three super regional matchups will be off to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

So how do the 16 remaining teams stack up? If you’re a close follower of the sport, you likely have a pretty good idea already. But if you’re like most of us, a casual fan who understandably pays more attention as the season winds down, you’re probably in need of a primer. We’re here to help.

Observant readers will not take long to note that the field is heavily slanted toward the SEC and ACC. Members of those two conferences, in fact, will be hosting all eight super regionals. Of course, that does not guarantee a monopoly for that pair of leagues in Omaha, but the odds are good they’ll both be well represented. Curiously, while the SEC has claimed the last four titles, the quartet of programs responsible for them are not in this super regional field. We’re therefore likely to see a first-time champion, or at least one that hasn’t lifted the trophy for quite some time.

Here’s a quick power ranking of the field from 1 to 16. Again, this is not a predictor of outcomes, but it should provide a guideline in determining which teams are expected to prevail and which results would be considered upsets.

1. Tennessee

The Volunteers, seeking their third trip to Omaha in four years, have to be considered the team to beat. Not only are they the top-ranked squad in the polls as well as the No. 1 overall seed, they have the best team ERA of the remaining 16 and lead the nation in home runs with 159. Christian Moore leads the powerful lineup with 29 round-trippers, while A.J. Causey tops the pitching rotation with a 12-3 record and 109 strikeouts in 81 1/3 innings.

2. Texas A&M

The Aggies reached the CWS two seasons ago and appear well-positioned to return. The fact that they advanced through their own regional in part at the expense of Texas makes this year’s run all the more sweet for their vocal fans and they’ll be at home again against Oregon. Mashers Jace LaViolette (28 homers) and Braden Montgomery (27) lead the offense, while Evan Aschenbeck (1.64 ERA) is a valuable bullpen weapon.

3. North Carolina

UNC is the bunch responsible for officially dethroning defending champ LSU, though it was anything but easy as the ‘Diamond Heels’ needed extra innings in a decisive final game in their regional. The Heels boast one of the game’s top defensive outfields, featuring Vance Honeycutt and Casey Cook, a big help for a youthful pitching staff that features ACC all-freshman team selection Jason DeCaro.

4. Kentucky

One might argue that the No. 2 overall seed should be higher on this list. But the Wildcats are going against a bit of history as they seek their first ever CWS appearance. They also got arguably the toughest draw of any of the eight super hosts in Oregon State, a program with a championship pedigree with a team that spent much of this season ranked in the top 10. What UK does have is depth, with four plus-.300 hitters leading an offense putting up eight runs a game.

5. Clemson

The Tigers are NCAA regional regulars but haven’t made it to Omaha since 2010. The group looking to change that this year is led by freshman pitching standout Aidan Knaak and all-ACC second teamer Blake Wright, the team’s most productive bat who is also steady with the glove manning second base.

6. Georgia

It’s been a while, but Georgia is one of the few schools left in contention with a national title to its credit in 1990. The Bulldogs haven’t been back to Omaha since 2008, and this year’s squad will likely have to slug its way there. They have a good chance to do just that thanks to Charlie Condon, who leads the country in batting average (.445) and homers (36).

7. Florida State

The Seminoles, perennial CWS bridesmaids still in search of that elusive initial championship, seek their first trip to Omaha since 2019 and first under second-year coach Link Jarrett. The retooled FSU squad is led by Jamie Arnold (11-3, 2.45 ERA) and outfielder James Tibbs III (25 HR, 84 RBI).

8. Virginia

The Cavaliers are the highest scoring team among the remaining 16, putting up a hefty 9.5 runs a game. Leading the hit parade are shortstop Griff O’Ferrall (.331) and outfielder Harrison Didawick (23 HR). Pitching depth is a concern, as it is for everyone at this point in the season, but the starting rotation delivered in the regional.

9. Oregon State

The state of California was shut out of the round of 16, but its neighbor to the north still has two teams representing the Pac-12’s last hurrah. The Beavers, perhaps underseeded at No. 15 despite a 42-14 record before the postseason, could be the most dangerous of the road teams thanks to a team ERA of 3.98, third best of the surviving 16. Aiden May (7-0, 2.88 ERA) anchors the starting rotation, and closer Bridger Holmes has 13 saves. The Beavers can swing it a bit as well, led by Travis Bazzana (28 HR, 66 RBI).

10. North Carolina State

Wolfpack faithful are still a tad irked at how their team’s 2021 CWS run was cut short due to COVID-19 protocols. This year’s group will have to win a pair on the road to get back there, and they have just a 7-12 record in true road games on the season. But if N.C. State can make it a slugfest, Alec Makarewicz (.379, 20 HR, 76 RBI) and Garrett Pennington (.347, 16 HR, 62 RBI) could help.

11. Florida

It took a late push for last year’s national runners-up just to make the field of 64 before knocking out Oklahoma State last week. Now that the Gators appear to have found a groove, host Clemson can’t be all that thrilled about seeing them come to town. Two-way star Jac Caglianone has been more effective with the bat this year with 31 homers, but the lefty still has strikeout stuff when he takes the mound.

12. Oregon

The Ducks are in the super regional round for a second consecutive season, and this time they had to go on the road to get there. Overcoming UC-Santa Barbara was no small accomplishment, but quieting the big Texas A&M bats in their home venue could be a taller order. Contributions will again be needed from starters Kevin Seitter and Grayson Grinsell.

13. West Virginia

After venturing all the way to Arizona for their regional, the Mountaineers are happy to be much closer to home for the program’s first-ever super regional appearance. Though taming North Carolina in Chapel Hill won’t be easy, staff ace Derek Clark, a rare workhorse in this day and age with four complete games, could be WVU’s great equalizer.

14. Connecticut

Uconn is one of five teams seeded third in its regional to advance. But postseason success isn’t unprecedented for the Huskies, who also reached the supers two years ago. Some unexpected strong pitching performances and great defense got the Huskies through a loaded foursome in Norman that included host Oklahoma and ACC tournament champ Duke. UConn will need more of the same to overcome Florida State in Tallahassee.

15. Kansas State

Two Big 12 squads managed to make the supers, though probably not the two most observers were expecting – sorry, Sooner State fans. While most teams reach this juncture with some combination of power pitching and big bats, the Wildcats win with small ball, leading the field with 135 stolen bases. They’ll nevertheless have to pitch carefully to keep Virginia’s slew of home-run threats at bay.

16. Evansville

The lone No. 4 regional seed to advance and just the ninth to do so since the tournament’s current format was adopted in 1999, the Purple Aces are the longest of long shots to reach Omaha. One thing they do well, however, is hit a lot of doubles – 154 in all entering the weekend good for second in the country. And after they knocked off East Carolina twice last week, anything is possible against Tennessee.

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