This edition of the spotlight shines on the “Omaha 8” from last season
Across the past two college baseball seasons, the last pair standing has been identical. The Virginia Cavaliers out of the ACC and Vanderbilt Commodores of SEC fame swapped roles and results in the most recent championship series. As expected, both clubs remain in the hunt for return trips to Omaha and still possess the tools to end the season in a dog pile celebration at Omaha’s TD Ameritrade Park.
It begs the question, how have each of last year’s College World Series participants fared during the 2016 season? Following naturally, how well are they positioned to return?
Included below are the records and current positioning of each club in their respective conferences heading into tournament season. Let’s begin with a look at the defending National Champions…
Virginia Cavaliers
(36-18, 19-11, 2nd in ACC Coastal)
The Champs have been locked into a late season battle for positioning in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference. After bringing glory to the ACC for the first time in over 50 years, they’ve been greeted with much improved Miami, FSU and Louisville squads each with an eye toward stealing away the Hoos most prized possession. North Carolina, NC State, Clemson and Georgia Tech are also appearing regularly in national rankings down the stretch, proof that some of Virginia’s biggest challenges this season are those closest to home. The unique round robin format of the ACC tournament awaits as a final tune-up for the Cavaliers title defense.
Vanderbilt Commodores
(41-15, 18-12, 3rd in SEC East)
Continuing to hover around the top 10 in all five major national ranking systems, the Commodores remain in the conversation for a national seed. Having been somewhat overshadowed by some of the power located in their own conference (and division for that matter), they’ve quietly collected forty wins again this season. Vandy sits as high as 6th in the major polls and boasts a top 10 RPI. Beyond that, the boys from the Music City are riding the momentum of a series sweep of Auburn to close out the regular season. A solid showing in Hoover could separate the ‘Dores from the pack while providing the necessary spark that lands this experienced group squarely on the road to Omaha yet again.
Arkansas Razorbacks
(26-29, 7-23, 7th in SEC West)
Despite their fast start, a difficult conference slate and a 3-14 record away from the friendly confines of Baum Stadium all but doomed the Hogs. Swept at home by eventual SEC Champion Mississippi State over the weekend, Arkansas failed to qualify for the conference tournament and watched the dream of a return trip to Omaha die in the process. Thirteen consecutive losses to close the 2016 season relegated the Razorbacks to a finish in the cellar of the SEC West.
Cal State Fullerton Titans
(33-19, 15-6, 1st in Big West)
Despite dropping a series to Hawaii for the first time ever this past weekend, the Titans still appear en route to yet another Big West title. With a 13-4 month of April, the club broke back into the national polls at the beginning of May for the first time since early in the season. They have since worked their way into the top-20 in four of the five major polls. With the respect garnered there, alongside a top 60 RPI, they should be solidly in the NCAA tournament field with or without the Big West title. While Fullerton will have a hill to climb, likely on the road somewhere, it’s hard to sleep on a team with their history of success. As the years have proven, when thinking in terms of teams capable of being Omaha bound, you always have to remember the Titans.
Florida Gators
(44-11, 19-10, 2nd in SEC East)
Easily college baseball’s most consistent club in 2016, the Gators regular season closing act was less than dominant. While the team has already set a new school record for wins in a single season with 44, they lost out on the Eastern Division title in the highly competitive SEC on the season’s final day. South Carolina used a sweep of Alabama to jump the Gators and claim the division crown. Florida entered last week in the top slot in every major college baseball poll, yet they woke up following the tough trip to LSU to find themselves remaining atop just one. What may be most impressive, they’ve accomplished all of this without seeming to ever really hit on all cylinders. Consider this, thus far they’ve secured only a handful of wins from pitching ace A.J. Puk, who many believe will be taken first in the upcoming MLB draft. Don’t let the regular season ending cloud reality, this team still has all the pieces in place spend a full week in Hoover and re-establish themselves as the team to beat when it counts.
LSU Tigers
(39-17, 19-11, 3rd in SEC West)
No one is hotter right now than the Bayou Bengals. In the process, they’ve climbed the ladder quickly in the SEC Western Division standings. Always a dangerous team heading into Hoover, they could be carrying the most momentum into SEC Championship Week. LSU deprived Florida of the SEC East crown by taking two of three down on the bayou. While the Tiger’s winning streak was snapped by the Gators in the series finale, the overall result knocked Florida out of the top spot in most collegiate polls for the first time in weeks. The weekend success for LSU served simply as the exclamation point on their solid finish. Just a single victory at the SEC Tournament in Hoover secures another 40 win campaign for one of college baseball’s most successful clubs.
Miami Hurricanes
(43-10, 21-7, ACC Coastal Division Champions)
Miami is ranked as high as 2nd nationally and no lower than 4th in any of the major polls. The 40 plus win Hurricanes finished the regular season as the only team ahead of the defending National Champs (Virginia Cavaliers) in the ACC’s Coastal Division. Miami boasts an RPI currently slated at 3rd best overall (though second among Atlantic Coast Conference clubs, trailing the nation’s top RPI team in Louisville). Though it is hard to predict what will happen once they arrive in Durham for the ACC Tournament, the ‘Canes already seem destined for their normal follow up- a trip back home for a Coral Gables regional and a the awarding of a Top-8 national seed.
TCU Horned Frogs
(38-14, 15-9, 3rd in the Big 12)
Coming off a surprising series loss at the hands of Baylor just over a week ago, TCU may not have looked like a team poised to make a third straight appearance in Omaha. However, the Frogs bounced back with four straight wins including a sweep of Kansas State to close the season strong. This group has already proven they know how to win when it counts. TCU claimed the #3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament with a Baylor rematch on tap as their opening round game. While Texas Tech has been the class of the field throughout the conference season, TCU is battle tested and will rely on that experience to put themselves in a solid position come NCAA Tournament time.
“The Eye” will regularly shine a spotlight on specific players, coaches or teams worthy of attention for their efforts in the past week across the landscape of college baseball. Our spotlight is the place to keep up with the key performers and performances on the journey toward the World Series.