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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:

Tempe Regional

1. Arizona State Sun Devils (45-11) vs 4. Stony Brook Seawolves (34-24)
2. Vanderbilt Commodores (40-20) vs 3. Oklahoma Sooners (34-24)

**Winner to take on champion of Long Beach Regional.**

Pac 10 champion Arizona State enters the NCAA Tournament as the number 3 national seed. The Sun Devils have put together an impressive season, led by their offensive juggernaut. ASU’s offense is anchored by two-time Pac 10 Player of the Year Brett Wallace (.412, 20 HR, 78 RBI). Wallace receives plenty of help from sluggers Ike Davis (.378, 16 HR, 68 RBI) and Jason Kipnis (.367, 13 HR, 67 RBI), who combine to form one of the nation’s top offensive trios.

Sophomore pitcher Mike Leake has been a workhorse for the Devils, throwing over 100 innings, while amassing a 9-2 record (3.18 ERA). Reliever Tommy Rafferty (3.66 ERA) has an unblemished mark of 11-0 despite not having started a single game.

The Seawolves of Stony Brook will be the first to challenge the Sun Devils. The America East champions lack star power in the lineup, but the Seawolves offense features several solid hitters including Steven Mazzurco (.368, 33 RBI) and Brian Witkowski (.348, 9 HR, 30 RBI, 12 SB). Stony Brook will need big outings from its starting pitchers, especially staff ace Tom Koehler (6-4, 3.70 ERA, 107 K in 90 IP) or it might be a short visit to Tempe.

Last year’s number one national seed, Vanderbilt, will look to rebound from last year’s disappointing early exit in the regionals. Vandy has a very dangerous lineup, led by future first-round pick Pedro Alvarez (.312, 9 HR, 28 RBI). The junior third baseman has struggled since returning from an early season hand injury, but if he heats up, he is one of the top hitters in the tournament.

The Commodores have a veteran squad that should not be overwhelmed by the Tempe atmosphere. If the young Commodore pitching staff performs up to its abilities, Vandy will be a very dangerous team.

The third seeded Sooners from Oklahoma have experienced an up and down season, which included a porous 9-17-1 record in Big 12 play. Mike Goose (.359, 7 HR, 48 RBI) is the leading hitter on a Sooner team that looks to put a lot of pressure on its opponents. Without a lot of power bats in the lineup, expect OU to be aggressive on offense.

The Sooner pitching staff is deep, but not overly talented. Don’t expect OU pitchers to be able to shutdown the offenses of Vanderbilt or Arizona State, which will put more pressure on the light-hitting Sooner offense to score more runs.

Vanderbilt is the only threat to Arizona State in this regional, and if the Commodores continue to play well they will challenge ASU to the wire. The Sun Devils easily handled the ‘Dores in an early season matchup, and it will be tough for Vandy to beat ASU twice in Tempe. Arizona State will advance into the Super Regionals.

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, Stillwater, Tallahassee, Tempe

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