College World Series 2015: First-Round Tournament Schedule and Title Predictions
Eight teams are left standing in pursuit of a national championship as the College World Series gets set to begin in Omaha this weekend. LSU leads the pack with six titles while half of the remaining field will be seeking their first CWS crown.
What makes the tournament entertaining every year is the atmosphere. Baseball is typically a slow, laid-back sport, but that changes when you inject the college energy. It creates a different vibe, especially in the pressure-packed late innings.
With that in mind, let's check out the complete slate for the opening round of play. That's followed by picks for which teams will survive each side of the bracket along with a championship selection.
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First-Round Schedule
| June 13 | 3 p.m. | Arkansas | Virginia |
| June 13 | 8 p.m. | Florida | Miami (Fla.) |
| June 14 | 3 p.m. | LSU | TCU |
| June 14 | 8 p.m. | CSU Fullerton | Vanderbilt |
Tournament Predictions
Top Half: Florida
Florida has cruised through the tournament so far. The Gators won their first five games by a combined score of 53-12, with the only close call being a 2-1 win over Florida Atlantic in the Regional final. They then went on to crush rival Florida State in the Super Regional.
It's not hard to see why. The Gators have an extremely well-rounded roster, with JJ Schwarz (who's been on fire as of late) and Harrison Bader to provide the power, Richie Martin and Buddy Reed to provide the speed and a starting staff that goes four deep if necessary.
Florida does have a tough matchup right out of the gate in Miami. The Hurricanes were similarly dominant, though they did lose one game, in the prior rounds. Jordan McPherson of the Orlando Sentinel notes Gators reliever Bobby Poyner remains confident with the team peaking at a perfect time.
"I didn't realize how difficult it was to actually win an SEC championship and then make it on to Omaha," Poyner said. "We've gotten hot at the right time, and I think that's what we can credit our success to."
If they do edge Miami, they should be sizable favorites against either Virginia or Arkansas. Getting through to the semifinals without having to enter the loser's bracket, where an extra game is necessary, can pay dividends in the late rounds.
Bottom Half: Vanderbilt
The defending champions went through some rough patches, especially during the conference slate, but they appear to have found their tournament mojo again. The Commodores swept through the Regional and Super Regional rounds undefeated (53-7 combined score).
Dansby Swanson, the top overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft, leads the charge. He's hitting .350 with 16 stolen bases and 15 home runs. But he's joined by a solid supporting cast that includes four other players with double-digit steals, which puts a lot of pressure on the opposing staff.
Vandy will first battle a CSU Fullerton group that's coming off an upset of Louisville with a pair of extra-inning wins. David Boclair of the Nashville Post passed along comments from Commodores coach Tim Corbin, who thinks his battle-tested team is prepared after having a target on its back all year.
"So very difficult to do coming off a situation like last year," Corbin said. "It's difficult. That target is very big and there's a lot of shots that you take. So we're just very thankful that we can get to the point. Storybook ending."
The journey to another title won't be easy. If they can knock off Fullerton, either LSU or TCU will be waiting in the next round. But based on their experience on this stage and their recent uptick in play, it's hard to pick against them at this stage.
Champion: Florida
If it does come down to Florida against Vanderbilt, there's every reason to believe it would be a great battle. Two SEC teams riding hot streaks and playing their best baseball of the season clashing for the title, with Vandy also looking to repeat.
Though both sides had some brief dips in play during the season, an appearance for either in the championship series wouldn't qualify as a surprise. Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com states they were the top two teams in the outlet's preseason rankings:
In the end, there's very little to separate the two sides, which finished just one game apart in the SEC standings. While the Commodores have the dynamic pitching duo of Carson Fulmer and Walker Buehler, the Gators' roster is a little more well-rounded, so they hold the slight edge.
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