2018 College World Series

>The field is set

This year’s grouping features half of the top eight seeds selected prior to the NCAA Tournament. Six of the eight schools were #1 seeds, hosting regionals as one of sixteen squads seeded nationally. Just one #2 seed and one #3 seed made it through the regional and super regional rounds on the road to reach the College World Series.

Remaining national seeds: (1) Florida (3) Oregon State (5) Arkansas (6) UNC (9) Texas Tech (13) Texas

>The teams are high-profile

All eight schools come from Power 5 conferences. The fact that Washington and Mississippi State are considered this season’s Cinderella clubs speaks to the major programs on hand in Omaha.

The conference breakdown: SEC (3) Big 12 (2) Pac 12 (2) ACC (1)

>The champs are back

Florida earned the right to defend its title. The Gators are hoping to become the first team since South Carolina in 2010-2011 to repeat. (Ironically, it was the Gators who the Gamecocks defeated in ’11 for the second title in the first season the series was played at TD Ameritrade Park). Accomplishing the feat would make Florida just the eighth team all-time to go back to back.

>The ‘Horns have returned

What a season it has been in Austin. Texas’ return to glory saw to it that every recruiting class signed by their legendary late head coach, Augie Garrido, made the journey to baseball’s promised land. This marks the thirty-sixth trip for the Longhorns, by far the most for any school in the country. A familiar name in the Lone Star State, Clemens, in this case Kody, has been the major catalyst. The irony,  it is the offense of this particular Clemens which has led the way.

>The field is short on prior winners

Only Texas (six time champs), Oregon State (two time champs) and Florida (last year’s champs) have won a CWS. While teams like Arkansas, Missisiippi State and North Carolina are perennial contenders, they all fall into the “close but no cigar” category to this point. Texas Tech may be an upstart, but Tim Tadlock’s team has been a consistent arrival across the last several seasons. This leaves Washington as the lone team experiencing Omaha for the very first time.

>The weather could be a major factor

As if the new downtown ballpark doesn’t already place a premium on power, historically hot temperatures and high winds from the south are expected for the start of the championship tournament. How this affects the uptick in homers across the last couple of seasons since the NCAA’s movement to a tighter seemed baseball is a storyline everyone is watching. This will be especially impactful when considering the offensive prowess of the teams on hand for 2018.

>The first round matchups are full of engaging storylines

Whether you prefer championship series rematches,  historic old conference rivals, or teams that have squared off in Omaha in recent editions of the tournament; the opening weekend is right up your alley. It’s always hard to know what further storylines will develop, yet just a glance at the first four games on the bracket reveals more than enough to whet the appetite of any college baseball fan.

>The trip itself is the prize

Yes, everyone is focused on winning a championship, as they should be, yet every year baseball fans are reminded how difficult it has become just to survive the early rounds of the tournament and advance to Omaha. It is “lifetime special.” So if your team made the trip, enjoy what his already been accomplished and brace yourself for the ride that follows. As one coach put it in the pre-series press conferences, “Once you get here, anything can happen.”

Photo courtesy: Leah Carmen / Patterson Communications