2013 Baseball World Series Breakdown
Seven of the eight national seeds advanced past the Regional round to Super Regionals. However, those seven didn't have as much success in this round, as only three of the teams (LSU, Oregon State and UNC) moved on to the College World Series. Let's take a look at the eight remaining teams, some of which are surprises to be here.
Indiana - Indiana is headed to the College World Series after completing a Super Regional sweep over #7-seed Florida State. The Hoosiers become the first Big Ten school to advance to Omaha since Michigan in 1984. This is the first trip to the College World Series for the Hoosiers. Indiana has played just one of the eight teams in the World Series this year, going 2-1 against Louisville. Ironically, the Hoosiers will be playing the Cardinals in their first game. In nine 2013 postseason games, Sam Travis has clobbered four home runs and driven in 16 runs. Will Coursen-Carr is 5-0 but has been the winning pitcher in the clinching games of the Big Ten tournament, NCAA Regionals and NCAA Super Regionals.
Louisville - In a matchup of two of the nation's best pitching squads, the eighth-ranked Louisville baseball team outdueled No. 2 national seed Vanderbilt 2-1 on Sunday night at Hawkins Field to win the Nashville Super Regional and advance to the College World Series for the second time in school history. With their school record setting 51st win of the season against 12 loses, the Cardinals return to Omaha for first time since the 2007 run to the CWS in Head Coach Dan McDonnell's first season in Louisville. In its five NCAA Tournament games in 2013, Coco Johnson leads the Cardinals at the plate hitting .438 (7-for-16) with two home runs, six RBI, two stolen bases, a .550 on-base percentage and a .813 slugging percentage. Jeff Gardner has also been red-hot at the plate in Louisville's five NCAA games hitting .389 with three RBI, three doubles, a triple, six runs scored, a .476 on-base percentage and a .667 slugging percentage. The University of Louisville is the only athletic program in history to win a BCS bowl, advance to the men's basketball and women's basketball Final Fours and advance to the College World Series in the same academic season.
#3 Oregon State - Oregon State earned its fifth-ever visit to the College World Series in Omaha and the fourth trip in the last nine years - all under head coach Pat Casey. Andrew Moore won his 14th game of the season on Sunday, tying Scott Christman (1993) for the most in a single-season at Oregon State. Moore has tied the record in style, posting a 1.36 ERA, up from 1.22 before Sunday’s game, as he has thrown 10 consecutive quality starts. His win on Sunday was his ninth straight. Dylan Davis still leads the squad in hits (83), doubles (22) and RBI (58).
Mississippi State - Mississippi State sealed its ninth appearance in the College World Series with a dramatic 6-5 win over No. 6 national seed Virginia Monday afternoon at Davenport Field to clinch the Charlottesville Super Regional. With the victory, the Bulldogs swept the Super Regional best-of-three series and won its second-ever Super Regional in five tries. MSU advances to the College World Series for the first time since 2007. Adam Frazier had two hits Monday and finished the Super Regional hitting at an 8-for-11 clip. Frazier is now second on the all-time single season hits list at MSU with 102 hits, one shy of the school record by Brian Wiese.
#1 North Carolina - This will be the Tar Heels' sixth trip to Omaha in eight seasons. And UNC knocked out South Carolina, who had won the title in 2010 and 2011 and finished second last year. North Carolina will see a familiar opponent in Omaha; the Tar Heels will open CWS play Sunday against in-state and Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina State. The last time the teams met, UNC won an 18-inning marathon on the way to the ACC tournament title over Memorial Day weekend. Kent Emanuel, the team's ace, has thrown 240 pitches in four NCAA Tournament appearances, including two starts. Colin Moran continues to lead the squad with 13 home runs and 88 RBI.
North Carolina State - NC State advanced to its first College World Series since 1968 by winning the longest Super Regional game in history, 5-4, in 17 innings over Rice on Sunday at Doak Field at Dail Park. The Wolfpack (49-14) tied the school record for most wins in a season, but they had to do it with a riveting three-run ninth to force extra innings. Just like it did in Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Owls (44-20), NC State needed another ninth inning rally. The Wolfpack scored two runs in the ninth inning in Saturday’s 4-3 walk-off win. On Sunday, it needed three runs in the ninth, and then took eight more innings. Carlos Rodon continues his impressive season, as he now has 170 strikeouts in 118 innings, all while walking only 48.
#4 LSU - The LSU baseball team punched their 16th ticket to the College World Series by dominating Oklahoma, 11-1, on Saturday. In the process, LSU (57-9) tied the school record for victories in a season and won its sixth NCAA Super Regional title in 10 appearances. All six have come at Alex Box Stadium, which found room for a record 11,401 fans to watch the Tigers win at the new stadium for the first time since its inaugural season in 2009. Using a core of upper-class leaders, mixed with key newcomers, Mainieri earned his third trip to Omaha in his seven seasons at LSU. Aaron Nola is still undefeated, carrying a 12-0 record and 1.68 ERA, 117 strikeouts and 17 walks in 16 starts. Alex Bregman was just named National Freshman of the Year after leading the team in average (.380), hits (104), runs (59), doubles (18) and triples (seven).
UCLA - The UCLA baseball team scored three runs in the bottom of the first and got a terrific outing on the mound from junior Nick Vander Tuig as it defeated the Cal State Fullerton Titans, 3-0, to advance to its third College World Series in four years. John Savage became UCLA's all-time winningest postseason manager with the victory, earning his 27th postseason win as the UCLA head coach. This is the second year in a row that the Bruins have gone 5-0 in the Regional and Super Regional rounds en route to the College World Series. The Bruins join Florida and South Carolina as the only teams in the country to reach the College World Series three times in the last four years. UCLA has earned back-to-back College World Series appearances for the first time in program history. David Berg became UCLA's all-time career saves leader with his 22nd career save, passing Gabe Sollecito's 21 career saves from 1992-93.
