By Dave Miller, College Baseball
The road to Omaha is set to begin as 64 teams will compete in the 2018 Division I baseball championship starting on Friday, June 1.
The regional portion of the event is a double-elimination format with the winning 16 teams advancing to the Super Regionals, which will be held from June 8-11. The top eight teams remaining will host games on campus in a best-of-three series with the eight winners advancing to the 72nd Men’s College World Series, which begins play on Saturday, June 16, at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.
Let’s take a look at the biggest storylines surrounding this event.
Can Mike Martin finally win a national title?
The Florida State coach, who is in his 40th season in Tallahassee, holds the record for the most wins in Division I baseball history. Under his leadership, the Seminoles have been regional hosts 35 times and will play Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Samford at Dick Howser Stadium in regional play this year. FSU has yet to win a national championship under his guidance, but the Seminoles are one of the hottest teams in the country after winning five straight games and another ACC crown.
PSA for anyone jonesing for 64 team NCAA tournaments: The 64 team college baseball tournament starts tomorrow, all over ESPN's networks. The elite 8, so to speak, advance to the College World Series.
— Sports Central (@sportcentral) May 31, 2018
The Seminoles are the No. 7 national seed—the first time since 2014 they have been a Top 8 seed—and will host a Super Regional if they win this weekend’s Tallahassee section. FSU has dealt with injuries throughout the season, losing relief pitchers Chase Haney, Will Zirzow and Ed Voyles before it even started (Zirzow has returned but made just one appearance), potential starting infielder Tyler Daughtry, as well as first-team All-American Tyler Holton, who tore the UCL in his elbow on Opening Day and had to undergo Tommy John surgery. Starting pitcher Cole Sands and centerfielder J.C. Flowers also have missed time.
But FSU battled through adversity and won 11 of its last 12 and 17 of its last 22 games to set itself up for a run toward Omaha. Can the ‘Noles finally deliver Martin an NCAA crown? FSU will have the luxury of home-field advantage ahead of the College World Series and will play in a ballpark in which it is 30-7 this season.
Can a Big Ten team reach the Super Regionals?
The last time a team from the Midwest league advanced past the regional round was 2014 when Illinois did it. Four Big Ten schools will look to accomplish the feat this time around: No. 1 seed Minnesota (41-13), No. 2 seeds Purdue (37-19) and Indiana (38-17), and No. 3 seed Ohio State (36-22).
The Gophers claimed the conference’s automatic bid after winning the league tournament title and will battle fourth-seeded Canisius in the Minneapolis Regional. The winner will advance to play either Gonzaga or UCLA. Minnesota became the first Big Ten team since 2014 (Indiana) to win both the regular season and tournament titles in the same season. It was its first conference tournament title since 2010 and 10th overall, breaking a tie with Michigan and Ohio State for most in conference history. This will be the Gophers’ 32nd NCAA appearance—a Big Ten best—and they have won 27 of their last 30 games.
Checking in on @KentStBaseball as they prepare for College Baseball Regional in Texas on Friday night. 3 seed Golden Flashes play 2 seed Louisville. Kent State trying to get to College World Series for the 1st time since 2012. @wkyc @WKYCSports @KentStAthletics pic.twitter.com/D4TmFpUReA
— Dave Chudowsky (@DaveChudowsky) May 29, 2018
Minnesota fields a well-balanced, experienced lineup, as Terrin Vavra led the team with a .385 average. He was one of five regular starters to hit over .300, and it’s a group that knows how to manufacture runs. On the mound, meanwhile, the Gophers have exceeded expectations behind the arm of true freshman Patrick Fredrickson, who went 9-0 with a 1.78 ERA and earned the Big Ten’s Pitcher of the Year award. He joins Reggie Meyer to give the squad a pair of aces in front of true freshman closer Max Meyer.
The deepest region
Ole Miss heads up the Oxford region, which features the Rebels, Tennessee Tech, Missouri State and Saint Louis. This is the strongest top foursome in the tournament, so the SEC champions may have a tough time advancing despite being the No. 4 overall seed and winning 46 games, including a 9-1 victory over LSU in the conference tournament final.
Once again the SEC was the deepest conference in the country in 2018 as 10 teams were selected to compete in this tournament, with Ole Miss, Arkansas, Florida and Georgia being selected as regional hosts. The lowest seed is Texas A&M (39-20), which was slotted as a No. 3—evidence of just how strong the league proved to be this season. The Aggies have the goods to advance to a Super Regional as they very well could be the best team in Austin.
The 2018 @NCAACWS College Baseball World Series field is set! #Congrats to all the teams. Who will you be rooting for? #CollegeBaseball #BASEBALL #AreYouAFan!? #CSP #CollegeSportsPage @NCAA #Playoffs #Championship pic.twitter.com/u0HP469PtT
— College Sports Page (@CollegePage) May 28, 2018
We had an all-SEC final in the CWS last season. Can it happen again? Perhaps future 2018 first-round MLB draft pick Brady Singer and UF will repeat as national champs. After all, the Gators may have the softest regional as far as No. 1 seeds go. UF did finish the regular season by losing six of seven games, and it needs JJ Schwarz to be healthy after he missed the SEC tournament (knuckle). Ole Miss, though, may be the team that captures the attention of the nation as it looks to get out of the strongest region and represent the deep conference.
However, the hot-hitting Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech won 48 games, including going on a 28-game win streak at one point. Missouri State has plenty of power, and the Billikens have a balanced lineup and a strong starting rotation. So the Rebels will be challenged in this region. However, Ole Miss has played very well at Swayze Field, where the team is 28-4 this season. The Rebels have also won 11 of their last 13 games.
Do not sleep on…
There are a few dangerous teams lurking that have a chance to make a run at the Super Regionals.
*West Coast conference representative Gonzaga outscored its opponents 34-5 in three games of its conference tournament, including a 17-2 thumping of No. 1 seed Pepperdine in the final.
*San Diego State out of the Mountain West won 39 games this season, and the Aztecs can rack up hits with just about any team in the country.
*LSU very recently was on the NCAA bubble, needing to perform well in the SEC tournament to assure itself of a selection. But the veteran Tigers won four games in six days, including a shutout of Florida, to earn a No. 2 seed and become a threat to make it to Omaha after putting their injuries behind.
