Hey Gonegolfin, BOP, or anyone else who knows college baseball.....

[J-Town Cajun]

Which NCAA baseball teams do ya'll see advancing in the CWS and who do ya'll see make the finals and winning it?

I am in a bracket pool kind of like the NCAA basketball pools that many people are in and I am looking for a little help. Winners with a lower seed (2,3, or 4) are awarded more points along with lower rated regionals who may upset teams in the super regional round also are given bonus points for picking upsets. Any help would be appriciated.

Thanks,
J-Town Cajun

[GoneGolfin]

_ Which NCAA baseball teams do ya'll see advancing in the CWS and who do ya'll see make the finals and winning it?

I am in a bracket pool kind of like the NCAA basketball pools that many people are in and I am looking for a little help. Winners with a lower seed (2,3, or 4) are awarded more points along with lower rated regionals who may upset teams in the super regional round also are given bonus points for picking upsets. Any help would be appriciated.

Thanks,
J-Town Cajun _

Can I get back to you tomorrow?

BTW, Jay and I will discuss the regionals on the show tomorrow at 5.

Brian

[Turbine]

BTW, Jay and I will discuss the regionals on the show tomorrow at 5.

Brian _

I heard him annouce it earlier. Looking forward to it.

[J-Town Cajun]

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[J-Town Cajun]

_ Can I get back to you tomorrow?

BTW, Jay and I will discuss the regionals on the show tomorrow at 5.

Brian _

Yes. I will not be able to listen in to Jay's show, so if you can post your picks here I would appriciate it!

Thanks

[jllanclos]

_ Can I get back to you tomorrow?

BTW, Jay and I will discuss the regionals on the show tomorrow at 5.

Brian _

No. Deadline's tonight

[snote]

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couldn't have said it better myself.. (smiles .. )

[J-Town Cajun]

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[snote]

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[GoneGolfin]

_ Yes. I will not be able to listen in to Jay's show, so if you can post your picks here I would appriciate it!

Thanks _

I have not had time to think about the super-regionals or CWS predictions, I will do that next week. But here are my best guesses (and in college baseball, they are just guesses) of what could happen this weekend. I will also include some higher probability upsets in the opening round. I hope you got to listen to the show where I provided the reasoning behind my selections (I cannot recap all of it since it was over 30 minutes). But in any event, here they are ...

Austin
Winner: Texas (N1)
The opening round between Texas State and Boston College should be interesting. BC easily could have been the #2 seed here. BC has some very high profile wins and series victories (such as @Florida State). If anyone can upset Texas, it is BC. But the Longhorns are built for Disch-Falk and they play so well there.

Forth Worth
Winner: Texas A&M (#2)
Three teams could win this regional. I like A&M's mix of very good front-line pitching and pitching depth. Brooks Raley (two-way player) and Alex Wilson (pitching mostly out of the bullpen now) are outstanding. The Aggies also have the most pop in this regional and play excellent defense. Cajuns fans know Luke Anders and Kyle Colligan well. The risk here is that the Aggies disappear like they have at times this season. Oregon State has a wealth of pitching and always plays solid defense. Jorge Reyes ('07 CWS Most Outstanding Player) is still part of the starting rotation, but has fallen off a bit. TCU is balanced and will have the home field advantage. But I like A&M to be playing Texas in Austin for the supers.

Fullerton
Winner: Cal State-Fullerton (N2)
This is about as close to a lock as you can get. But most thought the same thing about Arizona State against Fresno State in last season's Tempe super-regional. Daniel Renkin and Noe Ramirez are fun to watch. They are pitchers in the true sense of the word.

Louisville
Winner: Vanderbilt (#3)
Any one of four teams can win what I think is the most balanced regional. #4 seed Indiana is hot and has a decent shot at beating Louisville in the opener with All-American Eric Arnett on the mound. The Hoosiers can hit as well. If you are looking for a #4 seed to take a regional, Indiana could do it. But I still like Vanderbilt. Any one of these teams could easily go down in the first round. I will be pulling for Middle. It will be interesting to see how their bats do against Mike Minor in the opener.

Baton Rouge
Winner: LSU (N3)
Don't get cute with this regional. #3 seed Baylor has the best chance and is a long shot. Anyone winning this regional besides LSU would cause mass panic in Red Stick.

Houston
Winner: Kansas State (#2)
This is a bit of a shocker to some. But A.J. Morris is one of the best three college pitchers in the country (Strasburg, Leake, Morris). Morris gave Leake his only loss of the season and also beat Chance Ruffin of Texas in Austin. If Coach Brad Hill has the guts to save Morris for round two against Rice and start Hoge against Xavier, I think the Wildcats will pull the upset in this regional. But even though Xavier is the worst #3 seed in the tournament, the Wildcats will need to be focused in the opening round. Also look for the Wildcats to pressure opponents on the base paths. As for Rice, there is a dropoff in the pitching department after Berry and Ojala (as these two are studs). It is unclear whether Ojala can go more than five innings at this time. Also, Sam Houston State will not be intimidated by the Owls in the opener. Rice has lost to lesser teams in the regional opener in the past.

Chapel Hill
Winner: North Carolina (N4)
The Tar Heels had no trouble with Coastal Carolina in last year's supers. I expect them to take care of the Chanticleers again. I see Coastal as the only team that can string together the wins that could beat the Tar Heels. Kansas is good for an upset, but I think winning this regional is asking a bit much, especially as they have not been playing well recently.

Greenville
Winner: East Carolina (#1)
George Mason is a lot better than most people think. They should push South Carolina hard in the opener. East Carolina can mash the ball, pitch, and play defense. South Carolina has not been impressive on the mound this season, but can mash and play defense. I do think three teams can win this regional, but I have to go with East Carolina.

Tempe
Winner: Arizona State (N5)
Like Fullerton, this is as about as close to a lock as you can get. The Sun Devils lost Brett Wallace, Ike Davis, Kiel Roling, Petey Paramore, and Ryan Sontag from last season ... along with Josh Satow. But the Sun Devils still generate runs and have one of the best pitching staffs in the country (defense is also solid). Mike Leake is plain nasty (low 90's, nice slider, with excellent movement on all pitches). The Sun Devils are suffering from the loss of #2 Josh Spence (8-1, 2.35), but he may be available for some relief innings. #3 seed Cal Poly is the only team that has a realistic chance to pull the upset in this regional.

Clemson
Winner: Clemson (#1)
I liked Alabama when they had 3B Jake Smith. But they do not and the pitching is suspect behind Austin Hyatt (whom they will need against Oklahoma State in the opener) and Adam Morgan. Three teams can win this regional, but I like Clemson's balance.

Irvine
Winner: UC Irvine (N6)
The NCAA screwed UC Irvine, but they screwed Virginia more. Virginia had a chance to win this regional with an average #3 seed opposing them in the opening round. But facing San Diego State with Strasburg on the mound is like playing a national seed. UC Irvine benefits from the matchup, but still has a tough road. I still like UC Irvine as they pitch and play defense.

Oxford
Winner: Mississippi (#1)
This would be a lot more comfortable for Mississippi if Scott Bittle was available. But they should be able to take out Missouri or Western Kentucky after they throw their aces at each other in the opener. Kyle Gibson is one of the best pitchers in the country and will be the second collegiate pitcher to go in the draft behind Strasburg (likely top 10 pick). Hightower is also solid and the Hilltoppers can hit the ball.

Norman
Winner: Oklahoma (N7)
It is strange that the NCAA paired Washington State with Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Cougars played these two teams a total of seven times this season and is traveling across the country for more. Washington State has an excellent #1 in Matt Way that will make for a nice opener against the Hogs. Arkansas swept the Cougars in three close games to begin the season (in Fayetteville). But Washington State split with Oklahoma and Way defeated Sooner ace Andrew Doyle. Wichita State is looking to avenge a 15-0 loss to the Sooners at home. Three teams can with this regional, but the nod goes to Oklahoma.

Tallahassee
Winner: Georgia (#2)
Yes, the Bulldogs no longer have Josh Fields nor Gordon Beckham. But they do have Trevor Holdman, Dean Weaver, Justin Grimm, Rich Poythress, and Bryce Massanari. Florida State is good, but beatable. The problem in going with Georgia here is that Ohio State will throw All-American Alex Wimmers at them in the first round, with All-American closer Jake Hale (started against the Cajuns in the '07 College Station regional opener) available for the late innings. But Georgia has the experience and I have a gut feel they will put it together.

Gainesville
Winner: Miami (#2)
Here we have the potential for another #1 vs. #4 upset. Bethune Cookman's Hiram Burgos has the ability to beat the Gators. He shutout Miami with Hurrican ace Chris Hernandez on the mound (All-American from last season) 1-0. I am picking BCU in the opener with Miami being the beneficiary. Miami also swept three games from Florida in Gainesville this season (in convincing fashion).

Atlanta
Winner: Georgia Tech (#1)
Georgia Tech also has some forgettable history in opening games and has lost some regionals where it was the prohibitive favorite. But I still like Georgia Tech in this one. They can pound the ball and also have the ACC Pitcher of the Year as their ace (Derek McGuire). Georgia State would like nothing more than to pull the upset. But I am going with the Yellow Jackets against a field that really has not pitched all that well. This is the most power rich regional you will see with the top two seeds (Gerogia Tech and Elon) combining for 235 HR.

Besides #4 Indiana over #1 Louisville and #4 Bethune Cookman over #1 Florida, here are some other possible opening round upsets (according to seed):

George Mason over Alabama
Boston College over Texas State (not really an upset, but BC is the #3 seed)
Baylor over Minnesota
San Diego State over Virginia (not an upset with Strasburg on the mound. But Virginia can play ball)
Vanderbilt over Middle Tennessee (this one should be a good one ... I would love to see Middle win)
Cal Poly over Oral Roberts
Ohio State over Georgia (while I picked Georgia to win the regional, this is certainly a possible upset. If you want to play it safe, pick FSU to win the regional)
Oregon State over Texas A&M (The Beavers have the pitching and defense to win the regional. But if the real A&M team shows up, they should take care of business)

And again, if you are looking for a #4 seed with the best chance to win a regional, that would be Indiana. Fresno State has a chance and would be next. But they are not as good as they were last year and are playing in the most difficult regional.

As for winning it all, I give a slight nod to North Carolina over several other very good teams (LSU being one of those in the thick of it).

Brian

[J-Town Cajun]

Thanks Brian, great insight to the regionals! I am sending you one more pm.