The Blue Workhorse

Schedule/Results:

* Game 1: Friday 10:30 PM EST (ESPN2)
* Game 2: Saturday 5 PM EST (ESPN2)
* Game 3: (if necessary) Sunday 10:00 PM EST (ESPN2)

Fullerton Super Regional

Louisville (47-16) vs. Cal State Fullerton (45-14)

Cal State Fullerton Titans -
Road to the Super Regional: The 12-time National Champions from Cal State Fullerton are making their 7th consecutive appearance in the Super Regionals. The Titans entered the tournament as the overall number two seed following another solid season. Fullerton had very little trouble holding serve in the Fullerton Regional last weekend. After breezing past Utah (18-2) in the opener, the Titans downed a tough Gonzaga squad by a score of 7-4. Utah fought through the loser’s bracket to face Fullerton again, but the outcome was the same as the Titans trounced Utah 16-3 thanks to Khris Davis’s two home runs for the Regional crown.

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Schedule/Results:

* Game 1: Friday noon EST (ESPN)
* Game 2: Sunday noon EST (ESPN2)
* Game 3: (if necessary) Sunday noon EST (ESPN)

Tallahassee Super Regional

Arkansas (37-22) vs. Florida State (45-16)

Florida State Seminoles
Road to the Super Regional: It was no surprise that Florida State had another strong regular season, en route to an ACC regular season championship. The biggest surprise came last weekend as FSU dominated the Tallahassee Regional, outscoring its opponents 61-12. It started with a predictably easy 16-4 victory over Marist in the opener. That was followed by an 8-2 win over a dangerous Georgia Bulldog club. The Seminoles then routed Ohio State 37-6, in a game that was 32-0 in the fifth inning to clinch their spot in the Super Regionals. There is no question the Seminoles are playing good baseball heading into Super Regional play.

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College baseball’s Super Regionals start Friday at noon when Arkansas takes on Florida State on ESPN. We give you the info you need to know, including how each team got to the Super Regionals, some keys to success, and our predictions in our Super Regional Previews (Also, know who your team could potentially face by looking at the official NCAA tournament bracket):

Schedule/Results:

* Game 1: Saturday 6 PM EST (ESPNU)
* Game 2: Sunday 3 PM EST (ESPN)
* Game 3: (if necessary) Monday 1 or 7 PM EST (ESPN/ESPN2)

Austin Super Regional

Texas (44-13-1) vs Texas Christian (39-16)

Texas Longhorns -
Road to Super Regional: After starting out 3-5 in conference play, the Longhorns rebounded to win the regular season Big XII conference crown with a 17-9-1 record. Similar to their regular season conference play, the Longhorns lost their first game of the Big XII Conference Tournament but bounced back to win the conference title when they defeated Missouri 12-7 in the championship game earning themselves the #1 overall national seed. Texas played in one of the most memorable regionals ever…especially for closer Austin Wood.

Atlanta Regional

1. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (35-17-1) vs 4. Georgia State Panthers (39-20)
2. Elon Phoenix (40-16) vs 3. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (35-23)

Winner to take on champion of Gainesville Regional.

Head Coach Danny Hall brings another talented Yellow Jacket ball club into postseason play in 2009. The Jackets are led by All-American starting pitcher Deck McGuire.

McGuire (10-1, 3.15 ERA) has been the Tech ace all season, and will likely be a first-round selection in next week’s draft. Past McGuire, the Jackets will look for quality starts from Brandon Cumpton and Zach Von Tersch, who have been steady all season. They also feature a solid bullpen, which includes four pitchers with ERA’s under 4.00. Offensively, Luke Murton (.363, 18 HR, 57 RBI) and Tony Flagman (.357, 16 HR, 67 RBI) lead an offense that has a team average of .318.

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Tempe Regional

1. Arizona State Sun Devils (44-12) vs 4. Kent State Golden Flashes (42-15)
2. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (31-13) vs 3. Cal Poly Mustangs (37-19)

Winner to take on champion of Clemson Regional.

Arizona State rolls into the 2009 tournament with one of the hottest clubs in the country. After capturing the Pac 10 title, the Sun Devils are looking for a return trip to Omaha. Coach Murphy has a very talented club that placed 14 players on the Pac 10 all-conference team.

ASU features as dominant a pair of starting pitchers as any school in the country. Two-time conference Pitcher of the Year Mike Leake (14-1, 1.24 ERA) is the ace of the staff and one of the top pitching prospects in the country. Leake struck out 128 hitters in 115 innings of work, while only walking 18. Josh Spence (8-1, 2.35 97 K’s) is the Sun Devils second stud on the bump and will prove to be a challenge for whoever he faces.

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Gainesville Regional

1. Florida Gators (39-20) vs 4. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (32-26)
2. Miami Hurricanes (36-20) vs 3. Jacksonville Dolphins (36-20)

Winner to take on champion of Atlanta Regional.

The SEC Eastern division champion Florida Gators earned the number 8 national seed following a stellar regular season. The Gators have a solid club, but are certainly vulnerable to an upset this weekend.

The Gators top player is freshman Preston Tucker (.338, 12 HR, 77 RBI). The SEC Co-Freshman of the Year, Tucker will play a key role in the success of the Gators, as will veteran Avery Barnes. Coach Kevin O’Sullivan has had a revolving door for his starting pitchers this season, and nobody has established himself as the clear number one.

Stephen Locke has been the most consistent starter and could get the opening round start. Postseason baseball is often about starting pitching, and Florida will need quality outings from some inconsistent starting pitchers to advance to the super regionals.

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Baton Rouge Regional

1. LSU Tigers (46-16) vs 4. Southern Jaguars (30-15)
2. Minnesota Golden Gophers (38-17) vs 3. Baylor Bears (29-24)

Winner to take on champion of Houston Regional.

The LSU Tigers earned the number 3 national seed following a stellar season, which included capturing the SEC regular season and tournament titles. The Bayou Bengals fought back from an opening round loss to Vanderbilt to win the SEC tourney last weekend in Hoover, Alabama.

The Tigers feature a very balanced offense, which includes eight starters that enter the tournament hitting over .300. The power in the middle of the lineup will be provided by Blake Dean (.327, 14 HR, 62 RBI) and Ryan Schimpf (.324, 17 HR, 56 RBI). Two-sport star Jared Mitchell has emerged as a star for the Tigers, putting together an impressive season with eight home runs and 30 stolen bases.

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The Blue Workhorse 2009 Outlook:
Coming off a tremendously disappointing 2008 campaign, the Tigers are looking to live up to last season’s unmet expectations.

AND…more…including why the Hometown feels…The Detroit Tigers WILL win the World Series…