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Picking the teams that will make the CWS gets tougher every year. This is going to sound odd from an ASU guy, but UofA got screwed. The Kitties can't pitch, but they can hit, and they would have been a tough out.
Anyway ...
UCLA
Oklahoma State
Texas
Florida
LSU
Texas A&M
Vandy
Fullerton
Texas is a true dark horse. They probably don't get invited if they don't win the Big 12 tournament, but they're pitching well, and any team that pitches well has a shot to go a long way.
Lot of SEC this year. The epicenter of college baseball clearly continues to shift east, and the SEC has surpassed the Pac 12 as the most dominant conference. UCLA is the top seed, but I'm not sure they have enough hitting to win it all.
As for my beloved Sun Devils, they got a tough draw anyway, but they just don't have the pitching depth to win in a double elimination format. Even if they beat Clemson and then likely Fullerton, they don't have a quality third starter who can nail it down.
Missouri State is a great story, and because of that, they were overseeded. I don't think they get by Oregon, but Oklahoma State remains the class of the Super Regional group anyway
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Had me confused a bit. I didn't realize you were making a prediction at first, just telling me who made the CWS.
I was like ?? Dont the winners of the Super Regionals get there?
My Picks, homer time!
UCLA
Oregon
Oregon St
Florida State
LSU
TCU
Vandy
CS Fullerton
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Good call on the Beavs,
Gillies made it interesting at the end, but ASU got it done,
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Vanderbilt's uniforms are ridiculous.
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Mike Matheny is a genius compared to Tracy Smith.
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I hope the NCAA notices that two teams today scored 21 runs, which is astonishing in this era with the bat restrictions. College baseball in the regular season is about 3-game series. Then they get to the first round of the tournament, and it becomes all about attrition. Rosters aren't built for playing as many as five games in as few as three days. Then they go back to the 3-game series in the next round, and then back to double elim in the CWS. Pick a format, and stick with it. Of course, when has the NCAA ever been decisive?
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What do you think of Tate Matheny?
There's a kid I've covered who is going to pitch at Missouri State next season. Seems like a pretty good program.
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tkihshbt wrote:
What do you think of Tate Matheny?
There's a kid I've covered who is going to pitch at Missouri State next season. Seems like a pretty good program.
Not what I expected. He's smaller than his dad, but he looks more like a natural hitter than Mike ever did. I didn't know until Fors told me a couple of days ago Missouri State used to be SW Mo. State.
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Would anyone have ever guessed that Mike Matheny would sire three D1 collegiate baseball players -- one who's about to go pro -- and a D1 women's soccer player?
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So I got four right - Vandy, Fullerton, LSU and Florida, and Texas A&M was the last team eliminated.
UCLA got bounced by a schitzophrenic Maryland team that then lost to Virginia, Oklahoma State lost to an Arkansas team that has gotten hot, and Texas never really got going. VCU won the regional as a fourth seed and then got knocked out by Miami, which had an incredibly easy road to Omaha.
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Best 4 teams are still in it