NCAA Super Regionals

Staring new thread for this weekend.

Best interactive bracket is still at:

http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/baseball/d1/2017

Earlier today Louisville got 5-2 win over Kentucky while aggy had to play 15 innings before getting a win over Davidson.

 

The 15 innings for A&M was ridiculous only because the Aggies blew a 6-0 lead in the ninth. The arm and number of pitches by the kid from Davidson was unbelievable. How many pitches did he throw? Not since Philip Hennigan came out of Jasper have I seen a kid throw so many pitches in a game.

 

Long Beach and Oregon State finish the day with wins. Oregon State got rocked by the release of a 5 year old charge/conviction of one of its pitchers of child molestation so it will be interesting to see how that impacts them. 8 games today as all of the super regionals are in action.

 

Sam Houston State Kats making noise

 

SHSU give FSU a scare but Seminoles win 7-6. Louisville is first team to punch its ticket to Omaha.

 

Aggy is the beneficiary of a complete Davidson meltdown in the 8th inning and punch their ticket to Omaha. After the baseball gods ripped aggy's hearts out and stomped on them the last two years, they gift aggy a trip to Omaha.

Oregon State also punches its ticket and is a ridiculous 55-4 on the season now.

The only game three today is out in Long Beach but every game sees a team with a chance to get to Omaha. Lone Big XII team TCU wins game one and can make their fourth straight Omaha appearance.

 

I think without much debate USC has had the most success in college baseball (certainly from CWS titles), with Texas a close second as a program (though not as many CWS titles, most all-time wins (except for Fordham), highest all-time W-L %, most regional appearances, most CWS appearances, most CWS game wins, etc.

USC's title years, that consecutive string of CWS titles from 1970 through 1974 was pretty amazing:

1948 40-12-1
1958 36-8-0
1961 43-9-1
1963 37-16-1
1968 49-14-1
1970 51-13-1
1971 54-13-0
1972 50-13-1
1973 51-11-0
1974 50-21-0
1978 56-10-0
1998 49-17-0

Interestingly, after Texas stopped USC's 1970-74 string of CWS titles by winning the title in 1975, Dedeaux's Trojans won only one more in 1978, and from 1975 to Dedeaux's retirement in 1986 the Trojans were pretty much a 0.500 team (with the exception of 1978). The USC title of 1998 was under Gillespie at 49-17-0.

Texas had an almost as impressive run from 1981 through 1987, never winning less than 50 games (actually 51) each year, winning over 60 games in 5 of those 7 years, finishing 2nd in the CWS twice and winning the title once:

1981 61–11–1 CWS appearance
1982 59–6 CWS appearance
1983 66–14 * CWS Champion
1984 60–14 * CWS Runner up to CSF
1985 64–14 * CWS Runner up to Miami
1986 51–14 SWC champs, no CWS appearance
1987 61–11 CWS appearance


UT's title years, as another comparison

1949 22-4
1950 14-4
1975 56-6
1983 66-14
2002 57-15
2005 56-16

 

Fullerton punches its ticket with a 2-1 win in game three in Long Beach, half of the Omaha field is now set.

 

FSU annihilates SHSU in game two and punches its ticket. The Seminoles are joined by TCU and LSU as 7 of 8 Omaha teams are in. Florida-Wake Forest was delayed because of rain with Wake up 5-4 in the fifth inning of game two. they will finish this afternoon and as necessary play a game three later tonight to decide last Omaha bound team.

Having gotten my first chance to see Oregon State this weekend, they are the real deal and have to be the favorite in Omaha but weird things always seem to happen in the CWS so we shall see.

 

Davidson was plucky but, in the end, their maddening ability to F up routine plays cost them both games.

 

Florida and Wake headed to game three as Demon Deacons take second game.

 

Florida wins game three to round out the CWS field. The SEC makes a powerful statement about the strength of that league this year with three teams in Omaha, that comes after all 8 teams that made the tourny from SEC made their regional final and 6 made it to the super regionals.