It’s So Tough To Get Here

This always seems the main sentiment echoed by coaches as they step off the team bus onto this hallowed ground. Considering that neither the defending national champion nor the tournament’s top seed were able to navigate the difficult waters of the first two post-season rounds, their assessment appears on the mark. Only a trio of teams are back from the 2018 edition of the College World Series. Also worth noting, the top seed has been turned away without winning the title for two solid decades and Omaha will be crowning a different champion again this year, for the eighth straight season.

Power-Filled Power Field

All eight Programs arrived in Omaha by way of Power 5 conferences. The Southeastern Conference leads the way again, boasting half the field this season. The annual “survival of the fittest” in baseball’s premier power conference provided the the national championship tournament with four SEC representatives. These include regular season and tournament champion Vanderbilt, 2018 national runner up Arkansas, familiar face and return participant Mississippi State, alongside a feisty Auburn team having shown a flair for the dramatic throughout this year’s post-season. The ACC sends a pair of battle-tested squads to the Midwest, regular season champion Louisville and perennial power—suddenly turned sentimental favorite, Florida State. Auburn, Florida and Michigan all entered regional play as three seeds, though they’ve proven to be among the most powerful three seeds the tournament has ever seen. Michigan represents the Big Ten. The Road Warriors from Ann Arbor won a pair of titles in the 50’s and 60’s, but are back for the first time since the now distant 1980’s. The Wolverines are nearly single-handedly responsible for preventing the west coast any involvement this time around. Texas Tech completes the field, carrying the flag for all of the southwest. The Big 12 has performed very well in Omaha across recent editions of the tournament, though the conference is still seeking a first tittle since the series moved to TD Ameritrade Park. The Red Raiders won a hard fought head to head super regional battle between conference regular season and tournament champions in Lubbock to punch their ticket for the fourth time in the past six seasons. Think on this, five of the eight participants in this year’s field were also here in either 2017 or 2018. How powerful is the grip these elite conferences currently have on the game? The College World Series has been won by a “Power Five” program nine of the past ten seasons.

One Last(ing?) Ride

Legendary Florida State head coach Mike Martin is attempting to—borrowing a phrase from broadcasting icon Vin Scully’s performance in the quintessential baseball movie For Love Of The Game— “push the sun back up into the sky one final time in an effort to secure just a little more summer.” Will the seventeenth trip for “Eleven,” as he is affectionately known throughout the game, be the charm? There was some question as to whether his young Seminoles would even be able to run the notable streak of NCAA tournament bids to four solid decades under his baseball leadership. They did, also snagging enough victories to cross the 40 win threshold. Along the way, Florida State secured “upset victories” on the road in the Athens Regional and Baton Rouge Super Regional. That’s right, they’ve already had success against the SEC, preventing an additional Southeastern Conference squad from making the trip. The ‘Noles have met the usual expectations in Tallahassee by keeping these streaks alive. Can they now claim what no one else in Garnet and Gold has ever been able to provide, an elusive national championship for their once in a lifetime brand of skipper?

Unique Coaching Connections

Baseball is a relatively small world, providing endless talk of coaching connections. This goes well beyond the obvious storylines that link FSU’s Mike Martin to every head coach in the field. Remember, he has family right there on his staff, with Mike Martin Jr, who at one point played for his father, now coaching third base. The game itself is like a family, with only a few degrees of separation at programs all across the country. For more on the unique ties between this year’s coaches visit the profiles section. It’s nearly everywhere you look. Eleven termed it a “coaching fraternity.” This year these ties are perhaps even stronger than usual. For this elite group of skippers, those ties bind them not only to each other, but to Omaha as well.

Ready Made History

Homeruns are back up all across the game, yet the most historic of moments in the super regional round was provided by a pitcher. Facing elimination, Vanderbilt turned to a freshman starter. Kumar Rocker was equal to the task, striking out nineteen batters en route to a season saving no-hitter. As documented above, Mike Martin’s historic career will fittingly end in Omaha, at some point. His final coaching wins mark, which will undoubtedly never be approached, will be set in stone here. One more piece of history occurs in Omaha even before the first pitch of the CWS is thrown. Major League Baseball is holding a gem event, the inaugural MLB in Omaha game featuring the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals. Fittingly, both rosters are loaded with CWS participants and Omaha heroes. While much big league talent has cut its teeth in Omaha over the years, it marks the first big league game ever played in the state of Nebraska.

Seeding and Records

A pair of 50 win clubs made the journey, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt have already reached that threshold in 2019. Vanderbilt needs just a single win to set its all-time school record at 55. Just five of the sixteen national seeds are here. Each of those schools were slated inside the top eight as part of the premier grouping expected to survive the journey through the first two rounds of the post-season tournament. In a nod to the strength of consistent regular season success, conference champions of that variety are here out of the SEC, ACC and Big 12.

They line up as follows: (2) Vanderbilt (5) Arkansas (6) Mississippi St (7) Louisville (8) Texas Tech

Last Four In…Last One Standing

There is the potential for one of two teams designated “last four in” during the announcement of the NCAA Tournament field last month to actually play for the title. What a run it has been for both. See the major Florida State storylines above, but also understand this, Mike Martin’s team knocked off top five national seed Georgia in Athens then forced the LSU faithful to cancel their seemingly annual Omaha reservations with a super regional triumph in Baton Rouge. They accomplished the latter in walk-off fashion to silence on of the greatest environments in all of college baseball. In fact, Eleven called it the best road environment he’s experienced across his four plus decades in the game. Turning attention to Michigan, the road warriors moniker used in this preview may be an understatement. This team has been on the longest of journeys since the start of the Big Ten tournament, right here in Omaha. Their path included victories in a regional hosted by defending champion Oregon State and a super regional against the tournament’s number one overall seed, UCLA, at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles. These two might just be on a collision course, now occupying the same side of the CWS bracket.

Perhaps A Little More History

Among this year’s World Series teams only Vanderbilt and Michigan have reached college baseball’s pinnacle. The Commodores won the CWS in 2014. Michigan fans have to go back a bit further in the memory bank, winning titles in 1953 and 1962. With six teams seeking a first title, the likelihood of crowning a new champion is high. Arkansas was a single out away from joining this exclusive club last season. Florida State has been knocking on the door for decades. Mississippi State and Auburn are hungry to join the SEC winners club. Upstarts Louisville and Texas Tech have been dominant of late and enter as reigning conference champs. If a brand new champion pieces together enough solid baseball to dog pile at TD Ameritrade next week, college baseball would celebrate the 30th different champion in it’s storied history.

2019 Super Regional Observations

Sixteen Remain

The field was sliced from 64 to 16 in dramatic fashion over the weekend. Shocking comebacks and walk-off winners were the mark of the 2019 NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend. The defending champs were bounced in two at home. The top seed was immediately put to the test, in-state Cinderella style. When the dust settled, ten regionals were completed by Sunday without the “if necessary” contests. Only four schools ultimately emerged from the elimination side of their respective brackets to survive and advance. Those programs: UCLA, Louisville, East Carolina and Stanford.

Another POWER-ful championship field

Only one school remains alive from outside Power 5 conferences. That means 15 of the 16 remaining spots are occupied by the usual suspects. East Carolina is the outlier, carrying the flag for the American Athletic Conference and all the little guys throughout the land. The plain truth, however, is that this purple-clad wrecking crew out of Greenville, NC is in reality a somewhat underrated power program themselves. The Pirates entered the post-season as the #10 National Seed and have made more NCAA Tournament appearances than anyone in history without a trip to Omaha.  Their hope, the 30th time is the charm. The conference breakdown: SEC (6) / ACC (4) / Big 12 & PAC 12 (2) / American & Big 10 (1).

The tourney provided fans mostly cross-conference battles after all

There was some concern that this year’s bracket was set up to deliver a heavy dose of intra-conference super regionals. As it turned out, only two of the five potential head-to-head conference matchups materialized. The Arkansas-Ole Miss (SEC) and Texas Tech-Oklahoma State (Big 12) supers will be the only weekend series marked by conference familiarity. It is worth noting that the potential for these matchups could become the new normal in NCAA baseball, since such pairings exist as the direct result of the sport’s relatively newly adopted approach to seeding. If you haven’t heard, the selection committee is now required (since ‘18) to seed spots one through sixteen on the sole basis of merit without regard for potential super regional showdowns.  

This edition featured a memorable and record breaking opening weekend

The curtain raising round of the 2019 NCAA Baseball Championship proved memorable—and not just for lack of the all too familiar early summer weather issues. Baseball itself was generally the top story this time around as the weekend clicked right along. This year’s crop of #3 seeds put together a record setting 12-3 opening act against the 2’s on the first full day of action.  Hitters set a new high-water mark for regionals with over 230 homers across the weekend. A school named Omaha made the tournament for the very first time, while CWS host school Creighton embarked on an impressive run to the regional finals out west. The Gamecocks of Jacksonville State picked up an initial tournament victory by ending Clemson’s season en route to a regional finals trip of their own down in the land of the Rebels.  Pleasant surprises came from the likes of Loyola, Illinois State and Campbell. They each woke up on the final day of regional play in control of their respective brackets. One more tip of the cap is in order, it goes to Baylor’s Shea Langeliers who set a new NCAA mark for RBI’s in a single tournament game. His 5-for-6 performance was marked by a trio of homeruns and went down in history thanks to the ELEVEN runs he drove home in the contest. 

The last shall be first…shall the last be a first?

Three of the teams listed as a part of the “last four in” grouping on Selection Monday went on to win their regionals this past weekend. Duke, Florida State and Michigan made the best of their bubble fortunes. Speaking of lasts, Mike Martin will not be riding off into the sunset just yet. The legendary FSU skipper saw his team respond in dominant fashion down in Athens to extend his career after making the field for a fortieth time under his leadership— in just that many years. Four decades down the line, ‘Ol Eleven and the ‘Noles remain in search of that elusive first National Title.  

12 of 16 National Seeds remain in the hunt

This truth may seem in conflict with the previous point. Yes, a handful of schools pulled off surprises, but things went mostly according to plan in the opening round—though it may be hard to believe if you’re located in the state of Georgia. Six of the top eight national seeds are hosting supers. Historically just 44% of this group arrives in the Midwest come title time. Regardless of what happens with the top eight, it is reasonable to expect a solid crop of nationally seeded squads to duke it out for the crown beginning next weekend.  

It’s a great game, yet some things run much deeper than the game

The outstanding baseball witnessed this past weekend served as a reminder of the timeless elements which truly set the game apart. There may have been something much bigger than the game of baseball at play down on the Plains, however. Auburn was without longtime broadcaster Rod Bramblett for the first time since the mid-90’s in the Atlanta Regional. The lives of Bramblett and his wife were celebrated by the Auburn community this past week after a tragic auto accident. It seemed the voice of the Tigers was smiling down as War Eagle upended a border rival and the tourney’s #3 overall national seed with a first among improbable flip the script style walk-off winners. 

Familiar faces poised for return to TD Ameritrade Park

Four of last season’s Omaha eight remain alive. National Runner-Up Arkansas, as well as, Mississippi State, UNC and Texas Tech are all in position to make return trips to Omaha. All four schools are seeded nationally and will be hosting their respective super regionals.  While the sport is assured of a different champion for the ninth consecutive year, three schools having won titles in the past decade (LSU, UCLA, Vanderbilt) are in position to have their say.   

16 Storylines for the

2019 Regionals

  • The Field— 31 automatic bids were secured and 33 at-large berths have been extended to complete the field for the 2019 Tourney.  
  • The Sites— It is of note that not a single regional will be held in the state of Florida. West Virginia is hosting a regional for the first time since 1955. UCSB’s bid to host in Vegas was turned away by the awarding of the Corvallis regional to the defending champions.  
  • The Conference— The SEC matches a record by placing ten teams into the field, six of which will serve as regional hosts. This is the third time the conference has filled double-digit slots (2014, 2018).  The SEC also boasts half of the top eight national seeds.           
  • Here’s the conference breakdown: SEC-(10) ACC-(8) Big12/Big10/PAC12-(5)  American/Missouri Valley-(3) C-USA-(2).
  • The First— Omaha is in for the first time since moving to D1 in ‘12.
  • The Last— College Baseball’s all time winningest head coach, Mike Martin makes it into the field with his Seminoles for the 40th consecutive year. He never missed the tourney and Eleven’s farewell tour will fittingly come to a close in the post-season.
  • The Longest— FSU’s streak of 42 consecutive appearances (pre-dating Coach Martin’s time at the helm) is by far the longest active streak of tournament appearances (Vandy is now next with 13).
  • The Missing— Cal State Fullerton missed the field for the first time since 1991. 
  • The Matchups— Due to the relatively new approach to seeding, the potential exists for five intra-conference matchups in Super Regionals if chalk holds. 
  • The Surprise— TCU makes it into the field based on a strong finish and the emerging health of its stars.
  • Welcome Back— Cincinnati ends a 45 year hiatus. Central Michigan has been absent well over two decades (since 1995) and Fordham hasn’t appeared since 1998. Loyola Marymount returns for the first time in 19 years. McNeese is back after 16. Harvard wins the Ivy League to qualify for the first time in just over a decade (12 years).
  • Draft Stock—- One final weekend remains to impress front offices around the big leagues for the likes of Oregon State switch-hitting catcher Adley Rutschman and Vandy slugger JJ Bleday. They will lead a strong crop of college position players into the 2019 MLB Draft.  
  • Solid States— For the first time in history all three baseball playing D1 schools in Nebraska will be in the tournament. Georgia has three teams in the field, including a pair of top five national seeds. Connecticut (3) is also extremely well represented. It’s North Carolina (6) and California (7) leading the way, however, with multiple in-state programs. 
  • Tall Task— No program has repeated as National Champion since South Carolina closed out Rosenblatt and opened the downtown digs in 2010 and 2011.  
  • Tough Sledding— There is a consensus #1 seed. UCLA holds the top spot in all major polls. This may not be the best of news for the Bruins, the last #1 overall seed to win the CWS was Miami in 1999.
  • The “Road to Omaha” via the 2019 NCAA Tournament gets underway this weekend at regional sites around the country. Visit our “Series Watch” and “Road To Omaha” pages to keep up with all the action as it unfolds. 

IMG_1752Photo courtesy: Leah Carmen / Patterson Communications