Do you want to watch some real baseball? Do you want see the game played the way it should be? Do you want to see future MLB stars and brilliant coaching? The NCAA Baseball Tournament starts on Friday. The field of 64 was announced on Sunday; and, as usual, the Road to Omaha will provide fertile ground for fascinating stories. Here are ten things to appreciate and watch for in the next three weeks.
1. Sectarian Cinderellas – Canisius College, Oral Roberts, Dallas Baptist, Houston Baptist, Sacred Heart, and Lipscomb round out an impressive group of religious institutions with undergraduate populations of 5,000 or less. Leo Durocher once said, “Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.” Watch the NCAA Baseball Tournament and you get a little closer to understanding – baseball. Dallas Baptist is in the hunt with a number three ranking in RPI.
2. Radford’s First NCAA Berth – Who? Radford is a public university in Radford, VA with a student population of about 9,000. They also bring a winning streak of 15 games, and a record of 35-4 in their last 39. Anyone remember Fresno St. from 2008?
3. The Big 10 Represents – The three I’s, Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana, are taking their shot at California and the South. Michigan is making its perennial push; and Big 10 newcomer Maryland stretches the conference’s reach to the Mid-Atlantic. Illinois brings along a Big 10 title, a #9 RPI, a .246 team ERA, and .294 team batting average. Out of the cold and into the heat.
4. California Dreaming – California sends UCLA, Cal State Bakersfield, UC Santa Barbara, San Diego St., USC, Cal, Cal State Fullerton, and Pepperdine. An eighth of the tournament is comprised of teams from the Golden State.
5. The SEC is not just football – Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Clemson bring an impressive arsenal to the tournament. Another eighth of the field is hails from the SEC. Look out for LSU, A&M and Florida, who have RPI rankings of 4, 5, and 6 respectively.
6. Big in Texas – The Lone Star State sends eight teams to the field of 64. Texas, Texas A&M, Houston, Dallas Baptist, Houston Baptist, Rice, Texas Southern, and TCU all represent.
7. The #1s – The top eight seeds hosting regionals, in order, are UCLA, LSU, Louisville, Florida, Miami, Illinois, TCU and Missouri State. UCLA is seeking its second title in the past three years. LSU is looking its seventh CWS title. Louisville continues its push into national power recognition. Florida is after its first title after eight Finals appearances. Miami brings its #1 RPI ranking and four national titles. TCU makes its pitch for a title. Missouri State has an outstanding baseball tradition, and Illinois will host its first regional ever.
8. The Prospects – The tournament features 5 out of the Top 10 of Baseball America’s Top 200 Prospects. Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson is #2. Dillon Tate, RHP from from UC Santa Barbara, ranks #3. Alex Bregman from LSU shows off SEC SS brilliance at #4. Carson Fulmer, RHP from Vanderbilt, is #6. And outfielder Andrew Benintendi from Arkansas is rated #9.
9. The Coaches – Venerable Texas Head Coach Augie Garrido brings his 1,917 wins and five championships to the party. He is a CWS pillar of class and excellence. Pat Casey leads the Oregon State Beavers back to the NCAA tournament with his pedigree of back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. John Savage seeks to make history with back-to-backs for #1 seed UCLA. Florida State Head Coach Mike Martin brings 1,813 wins and 15 CWS appearances to the party. He seeks his first brass ring.
10. The Coverage – Say what you will about the Four-Letter Network, the Mothership, or whatever you want to call it – ESPN serves the baseball world with distinction in its coverage of the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Kyle Peterson is superb in his color analysis, and the overall emphasis is on the finer aspects of the game. Most importantly, ESPN provides exposure for the finest exhibition of baseball that a fan will find in the world. The combination of talent, effort, and coaching is unmatched – even when the stakes are for billions of dollars.
If you are a baseball lover on any level, watch the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The College World Series finale in Omaha is absolutely a celebration of the game. As you channel surf over the next few weekends, take some time to check out a tournament of baseball brilliance. There will be plenty of distractions with the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals, and Major League Baseball is heating up, but do not sleep on one of the most underrated events on the sports calendar.
Photo Credit: Brandon Rush/Wikimedia Commons
