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NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament: Super Regionals Preview

Ole Miss star Time Elko celebrates a homer en route to their trip to the Super Regionals
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After a tremendous weekend of college baseball last week in the Regional round of the NCAA Tournament, the Super Regionals are now set. Of the 16 teams to advance to the supers, 11 of them are national seeds, with eight of those hosting a Super Regional. The Super Regionals will be a best-of-three round with the eight winners advancing to the coveted College World Series for 2022. The games begin on Friday, June 10, and go through Sunday, June 13, if necessary. Without further ado, let’s take a glance at each matchup in the Super Regionals.

Knoxville Super Regional

Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Tennessee

Tennessee handily took care of their regional, beating Alabama State 10-0, Campbell 12-7, and then Georgia Tech 9-6 in the final. The Vols are 6-0 all-time in the best-of-three Super Regional format with a sweep last year. They are currently riding an 11-game winning streak after going a combined 7-0 in the SEC Tournament and regionals. The Vols got down by as much as four in the regional final and were down 4-3 in the ninth before putting up six runs to take their first lead. They rank first in homers with 150 bombs, first with a 0.98 WHIP, first with a 2.38 ERA, and top ten in a number of statistical categories. Trey Lipscomb leads the team with 21 homers. The top three arms in the Vols’ rotation, Chase Dollander (2.38), Chase Burns (2.69), and Drew Beam (2.72) each have a sub-3.00 ERA on the season.

Notre Dame got by the Statesboro Regionals by beating Texas Tech in the opener and then again in the final with a win over Georgia Southern sandwiched in between. The Irish were eliminated in the Super Regionals by the eventual national champion Mississippi State Bulldogs in three games last season. Notre Dame ranks in the top ten in a few pitching stat categories, 10th with a 1.27 WHIP, seventh with a 3.82 ERA, and fourth with 11 strikeouts per nine. Graduate left-hander John Michael Bertrand is the ace of the team, as he’s gone 9-2 with a 2.27 ERA and 103 strikeouts to 19 walks in 99 innings over 16 starts.

6/10: 6:00 p.m. EDT
6/11:
2:00 p.m. EDT
6/12 (if necessary):
TBD

Super Regional Prediction: Tennessee in 3

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Greenville Super Regional

No. 9 Texas vs. No. 8 East Carolina

Texas took care of their regional by crushing Air Force 11-3 and 10-1, with a 5-2 win over Louisiana Tech in between. The Longhorns are on the road for the Super Regionals for the first time since 2005, led by Golden Spikes frontrunner Ivan Melendez who hit .404 with 30 homers and 90 RBI. They also have a dominant one-two punch in their starting rotation in Pete Hansen (10-1, 3.01 ERA) and Lucas Gordon (7-1, 2.36 ERA). It will be an intriguing matchup against East Carolina’s left-handed heavy lineup, which tips in the Longhorns’ favor.

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East Carolina needed the winner-take-all Game 7 to take down Coastal Carolina in the Greenville Regional final. They took out Coppin State, 17-1, and Virginia, 4-2, before losing to Coastal, 9-1, then beating them 13-4. The Pirates are one of the hottest teams in the country, winning 20 of their last 21 games. ECU took both the American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament title. They are appearing in their fourth Super Regional in five years and look for their first College World Series appearance. If their offense can get to Hansen or Gordon, they have a shot at winning the series as the Pirates have a deeper pitching staff.

6/10: 12:00 p.m. EDT
6/11:
12:00 p.m. EDT
6/12 (if necessary):
TBD

Super Regional Prediction: Texas in 3

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College Station Super Regional

No. 12 Louisville vs. No. 5 Texas A&M

Texas A&M got out of their regional by beating Oral Roberts, 8-2, Louisiana, 9-6, and TCU, 15-9. The Aggies are led by graduate outfielder Dylan Rock who slashed .340/.483/.680 on the season with 18 homers, 59 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. It is their first super regional appearance since 2017 and eighth overall while they look for their sixth trip to Omaha. Jack Moss has had a great postseason, earning all-tournament honors at the SEC Tournament and winning MVP at the College Station Regional after going 9-for-14 (.643) with five runs, one double, five RBI, and one stolen base.

Louisville needed the decisive Game 7 in their regional after losing to Michigan in the second round, before beating them two times in a row, 20-1 and 11-9. The Cardinals rank ninth with a .417 on-base percentage and are going to their ninth super regional in history. They are led by All-American catcher Dalton Rushing who has slashed .310/.476/.685 with 22 homers, 60 RBI, 15 doubles, and 67 runs on the season. The junior is a very offensive-minded catcher and is a top prospect for the 2022 MLB Draft. Playing in a tough environment at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park in College Station, the Cardinals will need to rely on their offense that is averaging 8.7 runs per game. Outfielder Cameron Masterman provided a spark in the regionals, hitting .421 with four homers, nine RBI, and six extra-base hits in five games.

6/10: 8:30 p.m. EDT
6/11:
3:00 p.m. EDT
6/12 (if necessary):
TBD

Super Regionals Prediction: Texas A&M in 3

Blacksburg Super Regional

Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Virginia Tech

Oklahoma has been a surprise team this season that has continued to ride that wave. It took a Game 7, but the Sooners annihilated Liberty, 16-3, in the first round before beating Florida, 9-4, losing to the Gators, 7-2, then beating them again, 5-4, to take the tournament championship. Oklahoma last traveled to Blacksburg in 2013 for the regionals, where they took down the Hokies 10-4 in the final game to advance to the Super Regionals. It is actually the Sooners’ first Super Regionals since that year. The offense is led by outfielder Tanner Tredaway (.367, 57 RBI, 55 R) and infielder Peyton Graham (.339, 19 HR, 68 RBI). Their pitching staff is led by ace southpaw Jake Bennett (8-3, 3.69 ERA, 112 strikeouts).

The Sooners will have a tough order against the Gavin Cross-led Hokies who won three straight games against Wright State and Columbia to make the Super Regionals. It is the first time ever that Virginia Tech is hosting in Blacksburg. Cross went 8-for-13 in the Regionals with two homers and seven RBI after a season in which he hit .335, with 16 homers and 48 RBI. Infielder Tanner Schobel is also a big piece to the offense. He went 5-for-13 with one homer and five RBI in the Regionals. The pitching staff is led by Drue Hackenberg, who has gone 10-2 with a 3.10 and 84 strikeouts.

6/10: 3:00 p.m. EDT
6/11:
12:00 p.m. EDT
Sunday (if necessary): 

Super Regional Prediction: Virginia Tech in 2

Stanford Super Regional

UConn vs. No. 2 Stanford

UConn is one of the remaining non-Power Five teams in the NCAA Tournament and is riding the underdog wave. The Huskies took down Maryland, 11-8, in Game 7 of the College Park Regional after they previously beat them 10-5 and lost 7-6. They came out firing in the decisive game with a six-run first inning, capped by a grand slam by catcher Matt Donlan. It is the first time since 2011 that UConn is playing in the Super Regionals. They set a program record for wins with 49 in the process.

Stanford is the number two national seed and they also needed a decisive Game 7 to take down Texas State after losing to the Bobcats in the first of three tries. Brock Jones comes in as one of the hottest players in college baseball. The junior outfielder comes in slashing .323/.457/.642 with 17 homers, 50 RBI, 72 runs, and 15 stolen bases on the season. It took a stirring comeback in the final game as they came into the bottom of the ninth down 3-1. They rallied for three runs to walk it off, which started with a homer by Drew Bowser. Then Tommy Troy hit the game-tying homer before Trevor Haskins hit the walk-off single.

6/11: 10:30 p.m. EDT
6/12:
7:00 p.m. EDT
6/13 (if necessary):
TBD

Super Regional Prediction: Stanford in 3

Chapel Hill Super Regional

Arkansas vs. No. 10 North Carolina

Arkansas got the best of Oklahoma State in the Stillwater Regional by beating the Cowboys 20-12 and 7-3. Connor Noland pitched a quality start against Grand Canyon in the regional opener after going 6-5 with a 4.13 ERA in 17 appearances. He is likely to start the first game of the series against the Diamond Heels while North Carolina will likely counter with right-hander Max Carlson (4-2 in 17 starts, 3.61 ERA). Both bullpens will be key for this series, with the Razorbacks hoping to rely on setup man Evan Taylor (5-0, 3.38) and closer Brady Tygart (3-4, 3.93, eight saves). Carlson only has six decisions in 17 starts, so North Carolina will really have to rely on their relievers. Closer David Palermo (2-1, 2.62 ERA) is one of the biggest assets that the team will look to count on in the series.

6/11: 10:30 p.m. EDT
6/12:
7:00 p.m. EDT
6/13 (if necessary):
TBD

Super Regional Prediction: Arkansas in 3

Hattiesburg Super Regional

Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Southern Mississippi

Ole Miss has gone from the last team into the 64-team field to the Super Regionals. They have gotten a jolt after starting the season as a top team in the country but not living up to expectations. The Rebels are riding the hot bat of Tim Elko and the bullpen that allowed no runs in the Coral Gables Regional. They took care of business handily, winning all three games, 7-4 and 22-6 against Arizona and 2-1 against Miami. Elko blasted three homers in the 22-6 victory and reached base in all six of his plate appearances. It was a record-breaking performance, as the third homer was his 22nd on the season, a program record.

Southern Miss took seven games to get by their regional, beating Army 2-0, then LSU two games in a row after a previous loss to the Tigers. They erased a 4-1 deficit to win 8-7 in the regional final and now get a comeback with Ole Miss. Just last month, the Rebels defeated the Golden Eagles, 4-1, in Hattiesburg. Tanner Hall and Tyler Stuart are the two best pitchers on the squad with Hall leading the team with a massive 140 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings. Stuart is a swingman as he has 21 appearances including four starts and holds a 2.72 ERA over 39 2/3 innings.

6/11: 4:00 p.m. EDT
6/12:
4:00 p.m. EDT
6/13 (if necessary):
TBD

Super Regional Prediction: Ole Miss in 3

Corvallis Super Regional

No. 12 Auburn vs. No. 3 Oregon State

6/11: 10 p.m. EDT
6/12:
10 p.m. EDT
6/13 (if necessary):
TBD

Super Regional Prediction: Oregon State in 2


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Main Image Credit: From D1 Baseball

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2 Responses

  1. Tyler Stuart is the 2nd best pitcher?? You are discrediting yourself there. He might be in line for the 4th best and even then that’s a competition between him and Dalton Rogers. You need to look up Hurston Waldrep and Hunter Riggins.

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