The “Second Season” begins this weekend as the field of 64 teams begins the battle for college baseball’s ultimate prize- the College World Series trophy. The pressure and excitement is building as the teams prepare for another exciting tournament season. Several Bombers will have an opportunity to make an impact for their teams as they compete for the championship.
The four day Regional’s begin on May 30, as the teams will engage in a double-elimination pool play to determine which team advances to Super Regional’s, which will begin the following week. After going on a roll to finish out their regular season, Long Beach State was selected to host their Regional games. This bodes well for the Dirtbags, who were 23-7 at home this season, including 9-2 in their last 11 games. They begin Regional action against Fresno State, who they defeated 2-1 on May 6. Bomber players T.J. Mittelstaedt, Kip Masuda, Dustin Rasco, and Brandon Godfrey will all look to make contributions for the Dirtbags, as they try to advance to their first College World Series since 1998.
After their strong finish in the Big 12 Tournament, the Oklahoma Sooners were selected for the third seed in the Tempe Regional. Despite being seeded eighth in the Big 12 Tournament, the “Cinderella Sooners” were unfazed and pulled off huge upsets over Texas A&M and Missouri to land a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners hope to get big numbers from Bomber third baseman Trey Sperring, who batted .290 with 28 RBI on the season.
The Mississippi Runnin’ Rebels will face former Bomber Scooter Hicks and the Missouri Tigers in the Coral Gables Regional in a very evenly matched game. At 37-24, the Rebels feel that they have a legitimate chance at knocking off the top-seeded Miami Hurricanes and advancing to the Super Regional. Bombers Garrett Duff and Cliff Vaughn will look to contribute for the Rebels as they play in the toughest region in the country.
John Touchton and the Conference USA Champion Houston Cougars travel to College Station for their Regional games and a chance to dethrone the top-seeded Aggies. They open play Friday against Dallas Baptist. Touchton will be a vital piece of the Cougar rotation after a 5-3 season in which he led the team with a 3.98 ERA.
Jim McGonigle and the University of New Orleans will travel to Baton Rouge to face Southern Mississippi. The Privateers were 42-19 this season, including a 13 game winning streak that helped them capture second place in the Sun Belt Conference.
Sam Houston State has a tough task ahead of them as they battle Rice in their first game of the Houston Regional. Cod Springer, who has led the Bearcats with a 3.21 ERA will be important in relief situations against a dangerous Rice lineup.
Stay tuned to see how the Bombers perform in college baseball’s NCAA Tournament!