College World Series 2015: Dates, Schedule and Top Contenders
The 2015 NCAA baseball tournament starts with a full field of 64 before getting whittled down to eight. Those teams will comprise the group going to Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series to fight for a national championship.
This has been an unusual tournament up to this point—or at least predictable. With the exception of VCU and Louisiana-Lafayette during regional play, there wasn't one team advancing that could be considered a surprise.
Once the Super Regionals started, the national powers exerted their will. Virginia, Miami and Florida breezed through their matchups, setting things up for a potentially intense College World Series.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| Saturday, June 13 | Game 1 | 3 p.m. | ESPN |
| Saturday, June 13 | Game 2 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sunday, June 14 | Game 3 | 3 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Sunday, June 14 | Game 4 | 8 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Monday, June 15 | Game 5 | 3 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Monday, June 15 | Game 6 | 8 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Tuesday, June 16 | Game 7 | 3 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Tuesday, June 16 | Game 8 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wednesday, June 17 | Game 9 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Thursday, June 18 | Game 10 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Friday, June 19 | Game 11 | 3 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Friday, June 19 | Game 12 | 8 p.m. | ESPN3 |
| Saturday, June 20 | Bracket 1 Game (If Necessary) | TBD | ESPN |
| Saturday, June 20 | Bracket 2 Game (If Necessary) | TBD | ESPN |
| Monday, June 22 | Finals Game 1 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Tuesday, June 23 | Finals Game 2 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wednesday, June 24 | Finals Game 3 (If Necessary) | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
Top Championship Contenders
Miami Hurricanes (2015 Record: 49-15)
The Miami Hurricanes are an anomaly in this era of college baseball. While they have a strong pitching staff with three starters having an ERA of 3.25 or better, this team is carried by an offense that can score runs in bunches.
The Hurricanes lead the nation with 538 runs scored and are one of only two teams (Morehead State) to break the 500-run threshold. There is balance throughout the lineup with eight regulars who hit at least .300, with seven of those players boasting an on-base percentage over .400.
Yet the Super Regional against VCU proved Jim Morris' team was more than just a one-trick pony. Miami won the first game 3-2 on the strength of Andrew Suarez's five shutout innings before it had to take him out because of a lengthy weather delay.
The Hurricanes would get back to their old tricks in the second game against VCU, dropping the Rams by a final score of 10-3. Yet even in that blowout, reliever Sam Abrams was masterful with four shutout innings after starter Thomas Woodrey gave up three runs in two innings.
In many ways, Abrams captures the spirit of this Miami team working itself into the College World Series for the first time since 2008. Here's a brief synopsis of his story, per Christy Chirinos of the Miami Sun Sentinel:
The pressure is now on for the Hurricanes, something that Morris acknowledged in his emotional postgame press conference after his team clinched a berth in Omaha, per Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post.
“Wow," Morris said. “Players don’t know what’s getting ready to hit them. It’s something they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”
Morris has been the one constant for this program over the last 22 years, so he will make sure they are prepared for the stage that awaits them. The Hurricanes are built to win by scoring runs, but don't underestimate what the pitching staff can do in a short series.
Florida Gators (2015 Record: 49-16)
Of the teams that have clinched a berth to Omaha thus far, the Florida Gators have every right to be the most confident. They won the SEC tournament, swept their regional with three straight wins and followed that up by scoring 24 runs in two games against Florida State in the Super Regionals.
Florida State head coach Mike Martin found out the hard way that the Gators are a championship-caliber team and said as much after the series ended to Scott Carter of GatorZone.com.
“We ran into a buzzsaw,” Martin said. “I’m very impressed with the way Florida played. They are certainly a team that can take this momentum to Omaha and come back with a championship. They showed me a lot this weekend. I think they could very well be the team to beat in Omaha."
Even though the Gators offense doesn't match up to Miami's in terms of overall production, their 450 runs scored in 65 games might be more impressive simply because it did that in the nation's best conference.
There's also the presence of JJ Schwarz in that lineup. The freshman star has made his presence felt in a major way all year but especially in the NCAA tournament, as these stats from Gator Zone Baseball show:
One player alone doesn't make a great team, but Schwarz has been so difficult for opposing pitchers this postseason that he's changing games. Harrison Bader, who is second on the team with 15 home runs, is leading off for head coach Kevin O'Sullivan.
No team has been able to slow down the Gators since postseason play started going back to the conference tournament. They are hungry after missing out on the College World Series each of the previous two years, and this is the team to bring home the program's first national title.
Vanderbilt Commodores (2015 Record: 47-19)
It's hard to go wrong with the defending national champions in any list of top contenders, especially since Vanderbilt is playing great baseball at the perfect time.
The Commodores have been an NCAA tournament staple every year since 2006, but last year was the first time they made it to the College World Series finals. It just so happens they managed to win by defeating Virginia, yet this year's club looks stronger overall.
It starts with the three-headed monster whose names non-college baseball fans will know better after Monday's MLB draft. Shortstop Dansby Swanson and starting pitchers Walker Buehler and Carson Fulmer are going to be high draft picks.
Swanson has become the breakout star for Vanderbilt after being named Most Outstanding Player during last year's College World Series. He's followed that up with a brilliant junior season, hitting .348/.441/.648 with 14 home runs.
But Swanson's impact is felt even more when you go over all the numbers, as Adam Sparks of the Tennessean wrote:
"Swanson leads Vanderbilt's loaded lineup in batting average (.348), hits (86), doubles (22), triples (6) and home runs (14). His SEC-high 71 runs scored trails current Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez by five for Vanderbilt's single-season record, and his 14 homers are the most for a Commodores shortstop since current Baltimore Orioles infielder Ryan Flaherty hit 14 in 2008.
"
Even though Florida's offense was praised earlier for its proficiency in the SEC, Vandy's was slightly better with 453 runs scored, and the pitching staff has a better ERA (2.97) compared to its conference rivals (3.22).
Both of those elements were on display in Vanderbilt's first Super Regional game against Illinois. The offense pounded out 13 runs on 15 hits, while Fulmer and two other pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout. They did that in hostile territory, having traveled to Champaign for the series.
It's not an out-of-the-box selection to say Vanderbilt will be a major threat in Omaha, but there's a reason the Commodores are in position to win another national championship.
Stats courtesy NCAA.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
