Ahhh, the best weekend of the entire college baseball season has now come and gone. Sad, I know.
But with the field of 64 whittled down to the lucky 16, let's go ahead and put our mortar boards on and get the red pen out to grade the performances for each team.
Starting from the upper left side of the bracket.
Austin Regional
Champion: Texas
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| The Longhorns will need a lot more celebrating at home plate to get to Omaha. (AP) |
Sorry, I have to throw the minus in there with the Longhorns. They are held to a higher standard than the other teams here and didn't live up to snuff, if you think about it. Other than the 9th inning vs. Army, the offense has been anemic of late. And that's a big red flag too, because they will have to find some sticks to escape the supers vs. TCU.
2. Texas State (0-2): D+
This team imploded in the 9th inning against BC, allowing six runs in an 8-7 loss. The Bobcats didn't recover from that, dropping a bad loss to disciplined Army. Not good for a team that was committed to proving its wares here as a 2-seed.
3. Boston College (1-2): A
I know they only went 1-2, but there is no way I can sit here with a clean conscience and give this team anything other than an A after that legendary 25-inning knock-down, drag-out affair with Texas. Huge ups to coach Mikio Aoki as well, he did yeoman's work on this program this year.
4. Army (2-2): A
The Knights will walk away from this regional with a bitter taste in their mouths, after going into the 9th inning with a four-run lead and losing the title game against Texas. But like BC, hard to fault the Cadets here. What a great effort they gave, nearly pushing this to a fourth day. This team set more than 40 records in their impressive 36-20 season.
Fort Worth Regional
Champion: TCU
1. TCU (3-0): A
First-time hosts, in-state big brother and a two-time national champ in the field of four and the Horned Frogs come out of this without a hitch. Strong work. That three-hitter from Kyle Winkler and Kaleb Merck in the 13-1 blasting of OSU was particularly impressive. If these guys pitch this coming weekend like they did here, we could see purple in Omaha. Nope, I didn't stutter.
2. Texas A&M (1-2): D
Just like a microcosm of their season, it's hard to figure out the wildly-talented Aggies this weekend/this year. The only win was an extra-inning shading of 4-seed Wright State. And even that was pretty lucky. The two losses to OSU were doubly troubling, especially since they gave up runs by the bushel-full.
3. Oregon State (2-2): C+
A pair of wins over the higher-seeded Aggies was the good. A blowout loss and allowing a 9th-inning jog-off win against TCU were the bad. This regional should've gone to a fourth day, but giving up 26 hits and 12 walks in the two losses to the Frogs burned those chances. The Beaver magic ended here.
4. Wright State (0-2): C
Played pretty good ball against teams with much more talent, obviously. They had leads in both losses to TCU and A&M, but dropped both games in 6-3 and 6-4 fashion. Still 33 wins on the season is a point of pride.
Atlanta Regional
Champion: Southern Mississippi
1. Georgia Tech (3-2): C-
This one has to be particularly painful for Ramblin' Wreck fans. I mean, sure, they lost on Saturday, but you had a feeling the Jackets had the offense to recover and make a run at this thing. But Deck McGuire, in his second start of the weekend, got battered in short order by the suddenly hot-hitting Eagles of USM. And I mean early and often. Thus, Tech is now the upset victims.
2. Elon (1-2): D+
The Phoenix had major starting pitching issues this weekend. In the two losses to USM and Tech, they allowed 15 runs in the 2nd inning combined. Those big deficits were way too much for Elon to come back from, even with its long-ball offense. Credit to Jimmy Reyes for his 14-K performance against GSU, however.
3. Southern Mississippi (3-1): A+
Gotta take my hat off and expose my bald pate to coach Corky Palmer, who despite the criticism for getting an at-large bid here (yes, from me included), had his team playing at a high level this weekend, his last as a head coach. This stunning regional win in Atlanta has people talking about USM as being this year's Fresno State. Can't wait to find out.
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| Not a bad weekend for freshman Preston Tucker, who goes 9-for-13 and sets the Gators single-season RBI record. (AP) |
They actually held an early lead on Deck McGuire and Tech, but couldn't hold it. Then got tying runs in scoring position twice in the late innings in the one-run loss vs. Elon. Great season though, with a school-best 39 wins.
Gainesville Regional
Champion: Florida
1. Florida (3-0): B+
That 9th-inning comeback vs. B-CU woke this team up big time! After that, the Gators looked Urban Meyer-dominant this weekend, easily blasting their way past rival Miami. Freshman Preston Tucker is playing like anything BUT a freshman, going 9-for-13, including two home runs. Gators are on a tear.
2. Miami (2-2): D+
After sweeping Florida on this same field earlier this season, we kind of expected more out of the 'Canes here. I was thinking a back-and-forth, all-the-way-to-Monday regional would be in store. But the Hurricanes wilted when facing the Gators, losing by a combined 24-7. A 7-7 finish showed how The U limped down the stretch with fatigue and injuries.
3. Jacksonville (1-2): C
Spirited effort by the Dolphins, especially the comeback 8-7 win over B-CU, which was their first regional win since 2006. But the 'Canes proved too much and they ran into a buzzsaw with David Gutierrez on the mound on Sunday. Still, to "big picture" things, three straight years of postseason play is pretty impressive.
4. Bethune-Cookman (0-2): C+
A pair of one-run losses. Arrrrgh! If B-CU had a clamp-down closer, we might be looking at a team that grabs a couple of wins here. That last-inning loss to Florida could've been the biggest upset of the tournament too. Damn bad luck.
Tempe Regional
Champion: Arizona State
1. Arizona State (3-0): B
The Sun Devils were very workman-like here, easing past the field and into their third straight Super Regional appearance. Once again it was the pitching-heavy emphasis that helped ASU get by, particularly Mike Leake's 15-K, complete-game five-hitter over ORU on Saturday night. That win was ASU's 21st one-run or shutout win on the season.
2. Oral Roberts (2-2): B
Tough luck for the Eagles, but still they had a good showing in Tempe. In their two wins, ORU had 28 runs, 33 hits and the staff issued just three walks. Ho hum, another season, another regular season and conference tournament title for the Eagles, to go with another good NCAA regional showing.
3. Cal Poly (0-2): D
Larry Lee's program has been champing at the bit to get its chance at the NCAAs. Well, color this a learning experience, as the Mustangs just didn't show up for 17 of the 18 innings they played here. In the 9th inning vs. Kent State, they erupted for seven runs, but couldn't push that last tying run across in a 10-9 season-ending loss.
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| It was a wild regional in Clemson, where the Tigers held on tight to beat Oklahoma State. (AP) |
Well when the Flashes lost, they lost pretty badly, giving up 32 runs to ASU and ORU on Friday and Sunday. The offense was there for KSU, getting them 26 runs, including 10 in each of their last two games. Just not enough quality pitches here. KSU ends the season 43-17, their third-highest win total in school history.
Clemson Regional
Champion: Clemson
1. Clemson (4-1): B-
You know how they say parenting a child is like trying to nail jello to a tree? Well figuring out the Tigers this weekend was the same way. Had to have a huge comeback just to beat 4-seed Tennessee Tech, hit like sick kittens in a 3-2 loss to OSU, then went on a monster tear with 25 runs in the next two games. What gives? The Tigers pull back from behind to take down the Cowboys on Monday with Kyle Parker's two-run double in the 8th.
2. Alabama (0-2): F
Maybe we should've been up in arms over the Tide getting a bid, not the Cowboys. This team had a rough go of it here and just didn't appear ready to play, with the blowout loss to OSU and the embarrassing loss to the Eagles on Saturday. Now ... will Coach Wells announce his retirement again? Hmmmm.
3. Oklahoma State (2-2): B+
I thought this team was finally ready to live up to its potential. But once again, the Pokes came up a day late and a dollar short, despite having the best talent in the field. They couldn't hold that Tiger, so to speak, giving up five runs in the 7th and 8th innings, blowing a 5-1 lead in Game 7.
4. Tennessee Tech (1-2): B+
I had the Eagles pegged for an A, especially after the near-upset of Clemson and then beating nationally-ranked Alabama, but a 10-0 squashing at the hands of the host Tigers took the steam out of their momentum. Good, good showing for Tech though.
Greenville Regional
Champion: East Carolina
1. East Carolina (4-1): A
Wow! Just ... wow! The way this crowd pushed this team from a 9-6 9th-inning deficit to victory here on Monday, it was almost, Alex Box-like, I tell you. A Devin Harris three-run blast in the bottom of the 9th sent this game to extras and then he turned the trick again in the 10th, hitting the game-winning RBI single. What energy this team has now. With the way UNC has been a little shaky on the mound, look out for the Pirates. And by the way, Devin Harris might want to go ahead and run for mayor of Greenville now too.
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| The Pirates are riding high after their regional: Watch out UNC. (AP) |
Not a bad run here, but after blowing the Pirates out by double digits on Saturday, the 'Cocks just never found the right amount of pitching to make the Pirates walk the plank. They got behind too early in an 8-6 loss on Sunday and couldn't ebb the tide in a late 10-9 loss on Monday. There was fox in the chicken house this weekend.
3. George Mason (0-2): F
Wow. This was a great come-from-nowhere season for the Patriots, who won 42 games this year. That's tough to do no matter who you play. But they lost two games here by a combined 13 runs. This will burn for a while.
4. Binghamton (1-2): A-
Strong work by the Bearcats, especially that blowout win over CAA champion GMU. But they also played competitive ball all weekend, putting some major dents in ECU's pitching staff along the way, with 16 runs in two losses. With 30 wins on the year, BU increases its win total for the sixth straight year, tops in the nation.
Chapel Hill Regional
Champion: North Carolina
1. North Carolina (3-0): B
Pedestrian outing for the Tar Heels as they did what they were expected to do. The offense ramped things up and stopped relying so much on Ackley and Seager, but I'm still a little concerned with the UNC pitching of late. It was good, but not like we've seen the last few postseasons.
2. Coastal Carolina (1-2): C-
Good opening-round rout of KU by an 11-3 count, but the Chants fell flat from there, losing badly to UNC and getting constricted vs. KU's pitching on Sunday. Coastal still won 47 games and won the regular season and tournament crowns in Big South play. It probably sounds pretty hollow right now, but another good season for coach Gilmore.
3. Kansas (2-2): C+
The Jayhawks got two dominating pitching performances from Shaeffer Hall (5-hitter vs. Dartmouth) and the combination of Cameron Selik and Brett Bochy (4-hitter vs. potent CCU team). But the two losses were pretty brutal, 11-3 and 12-1.
4. Dartmouth (0-2): C-
The Big Green got off to a good start, playing toe-to-toe with the Tar Heels, but ran into a buzzsaw against Schaffer Hall of KU, losing 16-0. Good season for Coach Whalen and Co., dominating the Ivy League and making the NCAAs for the first time since '86.
Fullerton Regional
Champion: Cal State Fullerton
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| What?! Incomplete?!? Well, the Titans will surely take it if it means not getting tested. (AP) |
Can't really give a grade to the Titans yet as they haven't found themselves with their backs against the wall yet in the Big Dance (and I'm sure the Titan fans would be perfectly fine with it staying an "incomplete" grade then). But you can say this, they didn't get complacent. They still dominated as expected, so hang a gold star on that. We'll see if things get interesting at all when Louisville visits next.
2. Georgia Southern (0-2): D-
The offense showed up (and put on a hell of a show for me on Friday) but that pitching staff, whew! It got ugly, giving up 30 runs in all. Worst of all, the Eagle bullpenners gave up seven runs in the 8th and 9th innings to lose to Utah in the elimination game.
3. Gonzaga (1-2): C-
Probably not the way coach Machtolf would've liked to see his team's good season end, with a loss to the 4-seed. But they did have a good back-and-forth battle going for the first half of the Fullerton game. But let's not lose sight of the solid season for the 'Zags, culminating in their first trip to the NCAAs since '81.
4. Utah (2-2): B
The Utes continued their confident play from the MWC tourney, making a great run here in Fullerton. Sure, the two losses to the host Titans were pretty much like running barefoot on a gravel road, but that big comeback vs. GSU was one for the ages and you've gotta like their fight through the loser's bracket to make the title round.
Louisville Regional
Champion: Louisville
1. Louisville (3-1): B+
Good resiliency by the Cardinals pitching staff as they were the main reason the red and black were able to scratch through this regional. In the three wins, Louisville only issued three walks and committed just two Es. The offense has to get out of the doldrums, especially the big sticks of Chris Dominguez and Jeff Arnold, who both only had two hits the entire weekend.
2. Middle Tennessee State (1-2): D
After scoring four runs in the 1st inning of the opening-day win over Vanderbilt, the Raiders' reliable bats went silent the remainder of the weekend, scoring just three more runs in 26 innings. I'm sure they were giddy over beating their neighboring big brother Commodores on Friday, but it was TAPS city after that.
3. Vanderbilt (3-2): B+
Great recovery in coming back from the opening-round loss to push this baby all the way to Monday. That touted pitching staff put together a pair of great wins over IU and MTSU back-to-back to get them to the title round. Lots of young talent on this team, so don't expect to see a drop off the radar anytime soon.
4. Indiana (0-2): D-
This team made me look pretty silly. Everybody at the Big 10 tournament last week was abuzz about how good this team was playing and was a dangerous 4-seed. Eric Arnett and Matt Bashore weren't close to the top of their games here.
Tallahassee Regional
Champion: Florida State
1. Florida State (3-0): B+
Nothing wrong with the Seminoles here, obviously, outscoring the three other teams in the field by a 61-12 count. Now Arkansas comes in and Coach Martin has another great chance to advance to Omaha. But I can't quite issue an A here because, what happens when the 'Noles finally leave Dick Howser Stadium, with its catapult conditions and asinine short porch in right field? Maybe I should've given them an "incomplete" score instead.
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| Ohio State did win two games in Tallahassee, but their two losses were UGLY. (AP) |
We'll give the Bulldogs credit here for the football score they put up in game one vs. OSU. But that last loss to the Buckeyes was pretty woeful. Even ESPN's Kyle Peterson remarked, "Too many mental mistakes and just a poor effort all around." But Coach Perno will have them back again soon.
3. Ohio State (2-2): F
I feel like a professor who KNOWS that if he gives a failing grade to this star athlete, then that athlete won't be able to stay on the team. But as much as I would like to point out OSU's recovery and run to the title round here, they also provided us college baseball addicts with two of the ugliest losses in tournament history, by 24-8 and 37-6 scores. God help us all.
4. Marist (0-2): C+
The Red Foxes hung tough all weekend, taking Florida State late into Game 1 before imploding and pushing Big 10 champion Ohio State all the way. Not bad, all things considered.
Norman Regional
Champion: Arkansas
1. Oklahoma (2-2): C
We'll give the Sooners credit for making the title round, but that's it. We all knew the Sooners could put some dings in the scoreboard, but what they needed were some zeroes on the other side of the ledger. Their pitching just abandoned them as Arkansas went hog wild at the dish, to the tune of 28 runs in the two losses.
2. Arkansas (3-0): A
Damn! The young Razorback arms came up big when Coach Van Horn needed them most. Bravo man! Drew Smyly's 8.1-inning, one-hit gem on Sunday night could very well be the best mound work all weekend, anywhere. The Hogs now face Florida State, who they beat in the Super Regionals in 2004, their last trip to The O.
3. Washington State (1-2): C- The Cougs really didn't do much they could stick in their trophy case this weekend, losing by good sized margins to the Razorbacks (10-3) and Sooners (7-2). But they are newbies to this Big Dance thing -- well, at least newbies long since the Bobo Brayton times -- and considering the Cougs finished last in the Pac 10 in '08, this was a great leap forward.
4. Wichita State (0-2): B-
As you know, this wasn't vintage Shockers baseball this year, but like B-CU, a pair of tough one-run losses shows they had some heart. What they needed was more offense, since Jordan Cooper threw a complete-game, 3-hitter with 10 Ks vs. Wazzu, but still lost.
Irvine Regional
Champion: Virginia
1. UC Irvine (2-2): C
One of the things that UCI was able to disguise most of the last half of the season was their relatively thin pitching staff and hither-and-yon hitting. They've been making a living with just enough timely hitting and solid defense ... it all came to fruition here this weekend when UVA got on top of them and kept the pressure on with great play. The 'Eaters ran into a hot team for the second year in a row.
2. Virginia (3-0): A
Okay, this is awesome. The Cavs are ready to make a major step in their inner growth as a program and its all laid out for us to see. The Wahoos played like a team beyond its years -- the kind of play that UCI had used the last two years to make it to Omaha and the Supers. Pitchers Robert Morey, Danny Hultzen and Andrew Carraway are as hot as any set of arms in the country. Let's see how they do going from 3,000+ fans to 10,000+ rabid fans this week.
3. San Diego State (1-2): C
Strasburg did his part, giving up eight hits and striking out 15 Cavs on Friday, but there wasn't enough offense to get the W, saddling Strasburg with his only loss of the year. The Aztecs didn't crumble though, coming back to beat Fresno before succumbing to UCI.
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| The Rebels will have to amp up the energy if they want to get by a very good Virginia team. (AP) |
Newsflash! The Bulldogs finally lose an elimination game. The 'Dogs fought the good fight this weekend, not playing too poorly. They gave UCI a tough game in Round 1 and came up just short vs. SDSU. The careers of Tom Mendonca, Steve Detweiler and Holden Sprague come to an end here.
Oxford Regional
Champion: Mississippi
1. Mississippi (3-1): C+
The Rebels did well enough this weekend, beating Western Kentucky two-of-three, but you get the feeling they should have been much more dominant in a regional where they didn't even have to face Mizzou and their ace Kyle Gibson. If they play with the same energy this week against UVA? They'll fall in the supers again. Then again, if Drew Pomeranz throws like he did this weekend (26 Ks in 17 innings), he could will them to Omaha.
2. Missouri (1-2): D
Save for the appearance of Kyle Gibson against Monmouth, the Tigers had a huge face-plant this weekend. Losing twice to Western Kentucky, the Tigers found themselves down by 7-2 and 8-0 after three innings in both games. Not the way that UM wanted to end the season.
3. Western Kentucky (3-2): A-
The 'Toppers came into the regionals on a 2-6 spiral, but turned everything around here in Oxford. But coming out of the loser's bracket against Missouri and Ole Miss was a lot to ask of a team without as deep a staff. Still, Coach Finwood and Co. should be wildly commended on their 43-win season.
4. Monmouth (0-2): D-
Not much to write home about for the Hawks. Two things: 1) They scored only one run in their two losses to the UM's. 2) They had the misfortune of having to face Mizzou ace Kyle Gibson, who was originally being saved for a winner's bracket game.
Houston Regional
Champion: Rice
1. Rice (4-1): A-
The Owls are gearing up for yet another run to Omaha. The staff has gotten deeper and deeper as the year has gone on. Proof is in their back-to-back complete games from Taylor Wall (a 3-hitter vs. KSU) and Jared Rogers (7-hitter vs. XU) to advance to Monday. One huge concern, a not-so-sharp Ryan Berry, who gave up 11 hits and picked up his first loss of the season in the showdown with A.J. Morris. The "magic" of Alex Box awaits.
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| The Owls will need their pitching to continue the impressive showing to go win in Alex Box Stadium. (AP) |
The 'Cats nearly pulled off the trick in their first year as NCAA tournament participants, playing on the road in a hostile environment against a wildly talented Rice team. That's a LOT of thumbs up there. But eventually, the quality of pitching depth couldn't keep up with the Owl bats. Still, nothing to hang your heads about here.
3. Xavier (1-2): C+
Not a horrible showing, especially offensively. The Musketeers couldn't contain the offenses of KSU and host Rice, but just as I discovered when I saw them at the A-10 tournament last week, they never quit battling. Still, a school-record 39 wins and first ever Big Dance appearance is an impressive season.
4. Sam Houston State (0-2): C-
I think we've all gotten so used to Mark Johnson pulling miracles out of his teams over the years that the one time his boys DO play to their seeding, we're a little disappointed. But the Bearkats are still to be commended, sitting at 15-11 at the end of March, nobody could've expected them to go this far.
Baton Rouge Reional
Champion: LSU
1. LSU (3-0): C+
I'm not sure if anyone would've thought they would need it but the Tigers had to rely on some Alex Box magic after all in late-inning wins over SU and Baylor. The offense was curiously missing at times this weekend, finally awakening against a thinning Gophers staff on Sunday. But the good news? ... Anthony Ranaudo and Louis Coleman appear capable of leading LSU to the second weekend in Omaha.
2. Baylor (1-2): C-
Just like they have been all season, the Bears show promise one minute (nearly beating LSU), then show disappointment the next (dropping a bad loss to a Big 10 team). Coach Steve Smith might be feeling some pressure this off-season after his team underachieved again.
3. Minnesota (2-2): B-
The Gophers just didn't have enough hot bats carry over to beat the host Tigers. But coach Anderson said he was proud of their effort all weekend long. Nice way to rebound after being stymied so bad in the opening-game loss to BU. They were just another arm or two short of being able to pull it off.
4. Southern (0-2): C+
Just like fellow HBCU school Bethune-Cookman, if the Jags had a lock-down closer, they could've pulled out a couple wins here and really made some waves. Nice start though, taking a lead into the late innings against LSU. They also helped the rest of the country realize that a lefty can shut down that awesome Tigers attack.
