College World Series 2022: Picks, Prospects to Watch on Wednesday's Schedule

Wednesday's mission at the 2022 College World Series is simple for the Texas A&M Aggies and Arkansas Razorbacks.

The two SEC West programs need to win inside Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska to keep their seasons alive and earn rematches with the Oklahoma Sooners and Ole Miss Rebels, respectively, on Thursday.

Texas A&M and Arkansas emerged from the losers' bracket on each side of the NCAA baseball tournament draw through victories on Tuesday. Oklahoma and Ole Miss had the day off to rest their pitchers.

Oklahoma and Ole Miss need a single victory on Wednesday or Thursday to clinch spots in the best-of-three championship series that is scheduled to begin on Saturday.

The Sooners and Rebels are in their current positions because of their offensive outputs. They scored 37 runs between them in their first two College World Series games.

The Texas A&M and Arkansas pitching staffs need to keep those bats quiet in order to stay alive for another day, but that may be hard with so much talent up and down the Oklahoma and Ole Miss lineups.

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Wednesday's College World Series Schedule

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Arkansas vs. Ole Miss (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Games can be live-streamed on ESPN.com and ESPN app

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Picks

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma

Prospects to Watch: Peyton Graham, SS, Oklahoma; Ryan Targac, 2B, Texas A&M

Oklahoma used eight runs in the first two innings to create separation between itself and Texas A&M in the first game of the College World Series.

Shortstop Peyton Graham has been the catalyst of the Oklahoma offense in Omaha. He went 1-for-4 with two walks, one run and one RBI versus the Aggies, and he was 4-for-4 in a win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The No. 2 hole hitter's ability to get on base has been a massive boost for the power hitters behind him. Blake Robertson, Tanner Treadway and others have been able to hit with runners on base and drive them in. The Sooners received nine RBI from the Nos. 3-5 positions in the order.

Oklahoma needs a similar output on Wednesday to avoid a third clash with Texas A&M that will be winner-take-all to reach the championship series.

The Sooners used six pitchers in two games and could run it back with Jake Bennett, who threw 92 pitches over six innings on Friday. He gave up four earned runs on five hits against the Aggies but was still better than the opposition staff on Friday.

Texas A&M could relish the tough matchup against Bennett since it saw him less than a week ago.

The Aggies need their lineup to match Oklahoma's output in the first few innings in order to avoid the multiple-run hole they experienced in their Omaha opener.

Second baseman Ryan Targac has scored four runs and recorded two hits in the last two games for the Aggies. He has been one of a few players who have picked up the struggles of Dylan Rock, who is 1-for-7 in the last two games.

Rock is the player the Aggies need to get going at the dish. He was fantastic in the regional round, but he has failed to find his form since the opening weekend of the tournament.

The supporting cast around Rock needs to match Oklahoma's bats to give the Aggies pitchers a fighting chance against Bennett. A&M sent Nathan Dettmer back to the mound on Tuesday, and he delivered a masterpiece over seven innings.

Dettmer's gem allowed the Aggies to rest arms and use an all-hands approach on Wednesday and Thursday, if they defeat the Sooners for the first time.

Oklahoma carries the edge in ace pitching and hitting depth going into the matchup, and if Bennett shines again, the Sooners could create more early separation and book a spot in the championship series.

Pick: Oklahoma 7, Texas A&M 3

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Arkansas vs. Ole Miss

Prospects to Watch: Robert Moore, 2B, Arkansas; Dylan DeLucia, SP, Ole Miss

The Arkansas-Ole Miss game will come down to which pitcher toes the rubber for the Rebels.

Ole Miss can call on ace Dylan DeLucia to return to the mound after his start on Friday to shut the door on any possibility for Arkansas to force an extra game on Thursday.

DeLucia gave up one earned run on four hits over 7.2 innings in his first start in Omaha against the Auburn Tigers on Saturday.

He would be working on three days' rest, which is as rested as some pitchers may be in the tournament. Ole Miss may have no problem throwing him for five or six innings to set up the bullpen arms with a chance to close out a victory.

The right-handed hurler lasted 7.2 innings in the April 29 victory over Arkansas. That was the only contest in the three-game regular-season series that was won by Ole Miss. It gave up 10 runs in the other two games and allowed three runs in its sole victory.

The Rebels could ask one of their other pitchers to throw on Wednesday and save DeLucia for Thursday or Game 1 of the championship series, but that may not be a risk worth taking given how well the staff ace has thrown lately.

Arkansas has the benefit of seeing all of Ole Miss' top starters, whether it be in the regular season or in Omaha, and that may help its lineup force an extra game on Thursday.

Second baseman Robert Moore is one of two infield prospects who should have the attention of MLB scouts. Third baseman Cayden Wallace is the other.

Moore went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 11-1 win over Auburn that kept the Razorbacks alive for at least one more day in the tournament.

He scored two of his team's five runs in the first Omaha meeting with Ole Miss that was won 13-5 by the Rebels. He also went 2-for-3 with three runs and three walks in the opening 17-2 rout of Stanford.

Arkansas proved in its win over the Cardinal that it can thrive against an ace, and its experience against DeLucia could help it in the first few innings instead of the right-hander earning the early edge.

Ole Miss still holds the advantage if DeLucia takes the hill, but Arkansas' bats may have a chance to do damage against him and keep the game close because it saw him in the regular season.

Pick: Ole Miss 5, Arkansas 4