Road to Omaha (Parts 3 and 4 of 4)

Many apologies, but problems at the office meant no time to finish the last two segments of the first Road to Omaha Series. As a recap, PnR's first 4 picks for Super Regionals were Texas/Oral Roberts and Virginia/Vanderbilt. The first 2 picks for Omaha were Texas and Vandy.

Now that we're caught up, here are the last 12 and 6 Super Regional and World Series picks, respectively:
Regional/Regional - Regional Winner/Regional Winner - Super Regional Winner


1. San Diego/Long Beach - San Diego/Long Beach State - San Diego
Comments: Brian Matusz (10-3, 2.73) ranks second in the nation with 156 strikeouts. He and Josh Romanski make up the best 1-2 punch in the Region. LB State is not the most talented team on paper, but battled through a brutal schedule to host a Regional. The battle-tested squad will have enough to escape a Regional that contains a slightly down Pepperdine and frightfully inconsistent UCLA, but not to get past the stacked Toreros.

Don't Forget About: UCLA and Pepperdine, who each are probably more talented than LBS on paper, and certainly capable of knocking off the Dirt Bags. Give the slight nod to UCLA and a hot/cold tandem in Tim Murphy and Gavin Brooks.

2. Chapel Hill/Columbia - UNC/South Carolina - UNC
Comments: The days of South Carolina pounding UNC out of the Super Regionals are far gone. The Tar Heels are in great shape to make another run in Omaha, backed by Friday/Saturday tandem of Alex White and Luke Putkonen and a stable of solid arms in the pen. The Gamecocks have a potent offense (2nd in nation in HRs), but have been inconsistent on the mound. Give the Super Regional nod to the better staff.

Don't Forget About: Charlotte. If the offense pulls its weight (and Adam Mills takes care of the Brackman-less Wolfpack on Friday), Spencer Steedley and Zach Rosenbaum could give South Carolina all it can handle on Saturday and Sunday.

3. Tempe/Oxford - Arizona State/Mississippi - Arizona State
Comments: Ole Miss should not have trouble with its Regional, lining up against three teams with serious question marks (So. Miss - health of Trey Sutton, 1b/Troy and Sam Houston St. - starting pitching). ASUs offense lead the nation in scoring (9.6 runs/game), but might lack the pitching depth required for the 8-team double elimination format of the World Series. Fortunately for the Sun Devils, the Regional is only a 4-team tournament, and the Supers are just a best of 3.

Don't Forget About: UC Riverside. Baseball America describes Riverside as the "deepest collection of quality pitching on the West Coast." They'll certainly be tested in Tempe. If the Highlanders can steal one on Saturday or Sunday, their depth may be the difference on Monday's playoff.

4. Houston/College Station - Rice/Texas A&M - Rice
Comments: Rice began the season as the number one team in the nation, and are poised to make amends for last years meltdown against Oregon State in Omaha. While Baylor, TCU and Prarie View A&M are each strong squads, Rice is the most complete team and a heavy favorite. Texas A&M will look to play an up-tempo style offensively -- stealing, bunting and hitting-and-running. Aggies could make the Supers fun, but Rice's blend of power arms and power bats should take care of business in two.

Don't Forget About: Le Moyne. The Dolphins pulled the biggest upset of the 2006 tournament last year, knocking off #1 Nebraska. Bobby Blevins and Eric Beaulac will look to provide a 1-2 punch on the mound; SS Andy Parrino will need to come up big for the offense.


5. Fayetteville/Columbia - Oklahoma State/Louisville - Louisville
Comments: Oklahoma State has been a bit of a disappointment this season. Still, the offense is one of the most talented in all of college baseball, and more than capable of slugging the Cowboys into the Supers. Louisville ranks 4th in the nation with a 2.89 team ERA. The Cardinals are my pick to be this year's surprise team in Omaha, relying on a talented and deep pitching staff to get them through to (and win a couple in) the World Series.

Don't Forget About: Arkansas and Missouri. Both #1 seeds are more than capable of winning their respective Regionals. Arkansas's biggest question question is pitching depth. If they are forced to a Monday game, they may have trouble keeping the opposition offense under 7 runs, regardless of who that opponent is. Missouri has an unproven, sophomore staff and benefited from a slightly down Big 12. Still, the Tigers have shown a knack for pulling out the close ones (8-0 in one run games), and shouldn't be counted out.

6. Tallahassee/Myrtle Beach - Florida State/Clemson - Florida State
Comments: FSU will throw Bryan Henry (14-1, 2.54), a veteran staff and a .355 team BA (best in the nation) at Miss St, Stetson and Bethune-Cookman. The Seminoles will be heavy favorites to be a three and done Regional winner. Clemson drew a great bracket, matching up one of the best staffs in the nation with a pitcher-friendly field at Coastal Carolina. Clemson was the only team to beat the Seminoles in a series during the regular season, and Saturday starter David Kopp dominated FSU in the ACC tourney, allowing 0 ER over 9 IP. It will be tough for the Tigers to get the best of the 'Noles for a third time this season.

Don't Forget About: Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers flat out mash, boasting four players with 9 or more homeruns. The pitching is solid, with Friday starter Bobby Gagg (11-2, 2.75) leading the charge. Given the stadium, it may be tough for an offense that relies on the long ball to get past the pitching of Clemson. If they do, however, we could see some serious fireworks in an FSU/Coastal series.

Who gets to pile-up this year?

Summary:
Projected Regional Winners - Texas, Oral Roberts, Vandy, UVA, San Diego, Long Beach St, UNC, South Carolina, Arizona State, Ole Miss, Rice, Texas A&M, Oklahoma St, Louisville, FSU and Clemson

Projected World Series - Rice, Vandy, UNC, Texas, San Diego, Arizona State, Florida State and Louisville

Projected Champion - Rice