On Monday, the NCAA announced the 64 collegiate baseball teams to earn the honor to be a part of the Division I national tournament, which will begin Friday at noon when the Missouri Tigers take on the Ole Miss Rebels. In preview of the regional tournaments that will be held this weekend, throughout the week our resident college baseball fanatic Rosenblogger will examine each individual regional:

Stillwater Regional

1. Oklahoma State Cowboys (42-16) vs 4. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (33-25)
2. Wichita State Shockers (44-15) vs 3. TCU Horned Frogs (43-17)

**Winner to take on champion of Tallahassee Regional.**

Oklahoma State earned a host site after an impressive 42-16 season, which saw the Cowboys finish 18-9 in the tough Big 12 Conference. The Cowboys are a very offensive club that has many threats in a lineup that belted 81 home runs, while hitting .330 as a team. Oklahoma State is led on the mound by Andrew Oliver (7-2, 2.20) and Tyler Lyons (11-2, 3.33), both of whom have shown the ability to beat quality teams.

OSU’s opening opponent will be Sun Belt Champion Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers faced many tough non-conference opponents, including a victory over Ole Miss in Oxford. The WKU offense follows the lead of Chad Cregar (.353), who hit 20 home runs and drove in 78 for the Toppers.

Matt Ridings, 10-2 with a 3.63 ERA and 93 K in 91.2 IP, will get the ball in the opener for Western Kentucky. Ridings and the Hilltoppers may stay close, but Oklahoma State will have too much offense for WKU.

The Friday nightcap features a dangerous Wichita State club taking on the Horned Frogs of TCU. TCU earned their regional birth on the strength of their pitching staff, which enters the tournament with a staff ERA of 3.45. Tyler Lockwood (7-1, 2.21 ERA) will likely start on Friday for the Frogs. TCU also features one of the country’s top relievers, Andrew Ceshner. He has compiled an 8-3 record and a 1.80 ERA with 9 saves and 74 K in 50 innings working exclusively out of the bullpen.

The Shockers of Wichita State bring three excellent starting pitchers with them to Stillwater. Rob Musgrave, Anthony Capra, and Aaron Shafer have combined for a 29-4 record and 286 K, and they all sport ERAs below 3.00, with Musgrave entering regional play with a 1.96 ERA.

The Shockers pitching is complimented by a solid offensive attack led by Conor Gillaspie (.421, 10 HR, 77 RBI, 16 SB) and Andy Dirks (.394, 9 HR, 53 RBI, 26 SB). Wichita State is poised to make a deep run in this tournament, and that will start with an opening victory over TCU.

Despite being the number two seed in this regional, Wichita State will be the best team in Stillwater. With 3 quality starting pitchers, they are set up to win a four team regional, and will advance on to the super regional.

Rosenblogger

Also, check out our other regional previews: Ann Arbor, Athens, Baton Rouge, Cary, College Station, Conway, Coral Gables, Fullerton, Houston, Lincoln, Long Beach, Palo Alto, Raleigh, Tallahassee, Tempe

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