We’ve previously previewed each of the NCAA college baseball Regionals and the Super Regionals, and with the College World Series set to begin Saturday, it’s time we preview the teams that will be playing at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha for the chance to be crowned national champions.

Today, we preview Bracket One giving you each teams’ projected starting lineup and projected pitching rotation, “Road to Omaha,” and some keys to success:

UPDATE (Schedule/Results):

  • Game 1: Stanford (1-0) defeats Florida St. (0-1) 16-5
  • Game 2: Georgia (1-0) defeats Miami (0-1) 7-4
  • Game 3: Miami (1-1) eliminates Florida St. (0-2) 7-5
  • Game 4: Georgia (2-0) defeats Stanford (1-1) 4-3
  • Game 5: Stanford (2-1) eliminates Miami (1-2) 8-3
  • Game 6: Georgia (3-0) eliminates Stanford (2-2) 10-8
    • GEORGIA advances to College World Series Championship Finals

Miami Hurricanes (52-9)

Projected Starting Lineup:
1. Blake Tekotte (CF)
2. Jemile Weeks (2B)
3. Yonder Alonso (1B)
4. Mark Sobolewski (3B)
5. Ryan Jackson (SS)
6. Dennis Raben (RF)
7. Dave DiNatale (DH)
8. Adan Severino (LF)
9. Yasmani Grandal (C)

Projected Pitching Rotation:
1 - Chris Hernandez (L)
2 - Erik Erickson (L)
3 - Enrique Garcia (R)
4 - David Gutierrez (R)

CL: Carlos Gutierrez (R)

Miami’s Road to Omaha:
As a result of their outstanding regular season, along with winning the ACC Tournament, the Miami Hurricanes were rewarded with the number one national seed. The Hurricanes survived a pair of tight contests to open regional play, and then breezed past Ole Miss to win the Coral Gables Regional.

Next came a super regional date with the dangerous Arizona Wildcats, who began the season as the top team in the country in some polls. Arizona upset the Canes in the opener 6-3 in a thrilling extra-inning affair. Miami went on to win a 14-10 slugfest in game two to force the pivotal game 3. The Canes got a huge outing from starter Enrique Garcia and closer Carlos Gutierrez was able to close the door on a 4-2 victory and punch Miami’s ticket to Omaha.

The Hurricanes are loaded with talented ball players all over the field. They had 3 players taken in the first round of last weeks draft (1B Yonder Alonso - 7th, 2B Jemile Weeks - 12th, and P Carlos Gutierrez - 27th), with a total of 6 players taken in the first four rounds. Miami will certainly be one of the most talented teams in Omaha, but they will still need to play sound, fundamental baseball to advance deep in the tournament.

The big question mark for the Canes will be starting pitching. Freshman Chris Hernandez has been Miami’s best starter, but there will be a lot of pressure on the young lefty to perform on college baseball’s biggest stage. The rest of the starting staff has been inconsistent, but with the offensive fire power Miami possesses, the Hurricane pitchers won’t have to shut teams out to win. Miami is making its 23rd trip to Omaha, so expect veteran skipper Jim Morris to have his squad ready to go when they open up with Georgia on Saturday.

Georgia Bulldogs (41-23-1)

Projected Starting Lineup:
1. Ryan Peisel (3B)
2. Matt Olson (RF)
3. Gordon Beckham (SS)
4. Rich Poythress (1B)
5. Bryce Massanari (C)
6. Matt Cerione (CF)
7. Robbie O’ Bryan (DH)
8. Lyle Allen (LF)
9. David Thoms (2B)

Projected Pitching Rotation:
1 - Trevor Holder (R)
2 - Nathan Moreau (L)
3 - Nick Montgomery (R)
4 - Stephen Dodson (R)

CL: Joshua Fields (R)

Georgia’s Road to Omaha:
The Bulldogs stumbled into the national tournament losing 4 out of 5 games, including two and out showing in the SEC Tournament, so after they lost their regional opener to Lipscomb, Georgia had many fans shaking their heads thinking the season was all but over.

However, UGA responded by winning 4 consecutive regional games, including the final 2 against hated rival Georgia Tech to advance to the super regionals where they hosted NC State. After splitting the first two games, Georgia jumped out to a huge 9-0 lead in the first inning that saw NC State use three different pitchers. Riding the arm of senior Nick Montgomery (6 IP, 3 ER) and Gordon Beckham’s bat (3-4, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI) in the finale, Georgia advanced to the College World Series with a 17-8 victory.

The ‘Dawgs have been swinging the bats well in the national tournament (11.3 runs per game) and will need to continue to do so in order to compete in Omaha. They have ample starting pitching with a trio of juniors drafted on day two: Trevor Holden (10th round), Stephen Dodson (10th round), and Nathan Moreau (11th round). The real surprise in the postseason has been the performances of Montgomery. The senior, who has battled with injuries, was lights out in the regional throwing a complete game shutout and threw five scoreless innings in the super regional before a pair of home runs ended his scoreless innings streak at 14 1/3.

However, the key to the Bulldogs success in Rosenblatt Stadium could very well be their pitching at the end of the game rather than at the beginning. Joshua Fields HAS to be the All-American closer he was for the entire regular season, minus his final regular season outing, if Georgia wants to advance to the championship series. In his last four appearences: 4 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 8 K. Prior to that: 28.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 51 K.

Stanford Cardinal (39-22-2)

Projected Starting Lineup:
1. Cord Phelps (2B)
2. Joey August (LF)
3. Jason Castro (C)
4. Brent Milleville (1B)
5. Randy Molina (DH)
6. Sean Ratliff (CF)
7. Brendan Domaracki (RF)
8. Zach Jones (3B)
9. Jake Schlander (SS)

Projected Pitching Rotation:
1 - Jeremy Bleich (L)
2 - Erik Davis (R)
3 - Jeffrey Inman (R)
4 - Austin Young (R)

CL: Drew Storen (R)

Stanford’s Road to Omaha:
Stanford seemed to fly under the radar for most of the season. The Cardinal finished the regular season with a 33-21 record and went 14-10 in Pac 10 play. Their difficult schedule earned the Cardinal the opportunity to host a regional, but Stanford was upset 4-2 in the regional opener by UC Davis behind a complete game effort by Davis ace Eddie Gamboa.

The Cardinal rallied back, winning four straight, including two straight over Pepperdine to advance to the super regionals. Stanford drew the difficult task of traveling to Fullerton, California to take on the perennial CWS participant Titans of Cal-State Fullerton. Stanford swept the Titans earlier in the season at home and were able to carry that momentum to defeat the Titans in two closely contested games to become the first team to advance to Omaha.

The Stanford Cardinal bring a very talented ball club into Omaha. Like nearly all Mark Marquess coached teams, the 2008 Cardinal club is led by its strong pitching staff and solid defense. Stanford is very deep on the mound, which helped them overcome an early loss in the regionals, and should work to their advantage if they can advance deep in Omaha.

Playing behind that pitching staff is a very talented group, led by first round pick Jason Castro (#10 overall) and Sean Ratliff. The Cardinal still execute offensively as well as anyone, but they have also slugged 76 home runs this season. This is a very dynamic club that has the pieces in place to make some noise in Omaha. Stanford will open CWS play on Saturday against Florida State.

Florida State Seminoles (54-12)

Projected Starting Lineup:
1. Tyler Holt (CF)
2. Jason Stidham (2B)
3. Buster Posey (C)
4. Jack Rye (RF)
5. Dennis Guinn (1B)
6. Tony Delmonico (SS)
7. Stuart Tapley (3B)
8. Tommy Oravetz (DH)
9. Mike McGee/Ohmed Danesh (LF)

Projected Pitching Rotation:
1 - Matt Fairel (L)
2 - Elih Villanueva (R)
3 - Ryan Strauss (R)
4 - Geoff Parker (R)

CL: Buster Posey (R)

Florida State’s Road to Omaha:
The ‘Noles bashed their way to a 46-9 record during the regular season with a 24-6 ACC record that gave them claim to the ACC Coastal Division title. After going 2-1 in the ACC Tournament, including a victory over national #2 seed North Carolina, Florida State was awarded with the #4 national seed and named a regional host site.

The national tournament shockingly started off with a shutout of the FSU offense, which leads the nation in runs per game, by Bucknell’s Matthew Wilson. With their backs against the wall, a recurring theme for the Seminoles, the host team won four striaght using an offensive blitzkrieg. They scored 74 runs in four routs to advance. But in the first game of the super regional against Wichita State, the offense was somewhat stymied, and FSU was again forced to fight to stave off elimination. With back-to-back games of double digit scoring while holding the Wichita St. Shockers to four runs in each contest, Florida State proceeded to the College World Series.

If the Seminoles are to lay claim to their first ever College World Series title, they will have to receive contributions from the entire pitching staff. Jack Rye, Tony Delmonico, the fifth overall pick, Buster Posey (7 HR in national tournament), and company are going to hit the ball and are going to score runs, but how well the pitching staff performs will be the ultimate deciding factor in Florida State’s championship aspirations.

Matt Fairel is the southpaw ace of the staff while Elih Villanueva is capable of throwing a gem but is usually either really on or really off. The best pitcher on the staff is probably Ryan Strauss (also the first FSU pitcher selected in the MLB Draft - 9th round), and he gives coach Mike Martin the added flexibility of being either a starter or a reliever. Posey is also a viable option if the Seminoles make it deep in the tournament. He has yet to allow a run in and has 6 saves in his 8 appearances this season.

Rosenblogger
Shotgun Spratling

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