College Baseball Super Regionals 2013: Underdogs That Will Be Heading to Omaha
The NCAA Baseball Super Regionals will determine who heads to the 2013 College World Series. There are currently 16 teams that will be playing for eight spots, with just two wins between them and a trip to Omaha.
There are a number of big programs getting ready to coast through the super regionals, but there are a few underdogs that are looking to make their own stories. Let’s take a look at a few of these teams.
Indiana Hoosiers (46-14, 17-7 Big Ten)
Bloomington may be a basketball town, but the baseball team is beginning to make its own reputation in southern Indiana. The Hoosiers were able to win their first-ever NCAA regional baseball title by defeating Austin Peay twice in two days.
This is a strong team in the Hoosiers. They have a solid pitching staff that has a combined ERA of 2.56, while their team is batting .305. The big name for the Hoosiers has been Kyle Schwarber. He’s batting .372 with an impressive 17 home runs and 50 runs batted in on the year.
The Hoosiers are coming into their super regional with a lot of confidence. They will be looking to shock the Florida State Seminoles and make their way to Omaha to become a true Cinderella story.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (46-18, 16-14 SEC)
The Bulldogs will be going up against the Virginia Cavaliers, but they will be looking to get past them in the Charlottesville Super Regional.
The key for the Bulldogs will be to get a lead early and keep it. Hunter Renfroe provides plenty of pop, batting .352 with 15 homers and 58 runs batted in. Once the Bulldogs get into late innings, they have an excellent group of relievers including Ross Mitchell (1.41 ERA) and Chad Girodo (1.10 ERA).
The Bulldogs also have an excellent closer in Jonathan Holder. He has 17 saves on the year with a 1.17 ERA and 81 strikeouts in only 46 innings.
Relief pitching will help the Bulldogs make a name for themselves. They have the talent on offense and the support in the bullpen to make any series interesting.
Kansas State Wildcats (44-17, 16-8 Big 12)
The Wildcats will have the toughest matchup of the three teams we’ve talked about, but they have something that a lot of teams wish they had.
A balanced offensive attack.
Looking down the lineup, it seems that everyone has produced. Seven players have at least 30 runs batted in on the team, while Shane Conlon and R.J. Santigate have 28 and 29 respectively.
The team as a whole is batting .324 with 28 home runs, 399 runs and a slugging percentage of .443. The bats are hot down the entire lineup, and that makes it seriously difficult to pitch around this team.
Regardless of whether or not they advance, you will have a lot of fun watching the Wildcats score runs in bunches.
