College World Series 2015: Finals Dates, Start Times, Live Stream, TV Schedule
All of the schools in the nation and the same two are the last pair standing for a College World Series finals rematch.
For the second year in a row, Vanderbilt and Virginia will clash for the NCAA crown. Earning victories in all three CWS games with several MLB-bound prospects leading the charge, the Commodores will enter as favorites to once again win the best-of-three series.
An underdog heading into the eight-team tournament, the Cavaliers advanced with three close wins, two over a Florida Gators squad that entered as a popular pick to run the table. After rallying from behind in Saturday night's elimination game, they have another chance to knock off a giant.
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Here's a look at the full series schedule, with action resuming Monday night.
| 1 | Monday, June 22 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| 2 | Tuesday, June 23 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| 3* | Wednesday, June 24 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Preview
Vanderbilt waves an eight-game winning streak into the finals, outscoring opponents 65-11 during that stretch. With star power in the batter's box and on the mound, anyone will have a hard time besting the defending champions once, yet alone twice.
Led by shortstop Dansby Swanson, the No. 1 pick in this year's MLB player draft, the Commodores boast significantly more offensive firepower than the Cavaliers, who tallied 16 combined runs through four games at Omaha, Nebraska.
| Vanderbilt | 6.8 | .292 | .382 | .462 | 69 | 106 |
| Virginia | 5.4 | .273 | .359 | .376 | 34 | 44 |
Virginia will have to contain Swanson, who's hitting .337/.427/.633 with 15 home runs and 16 stolen bases this season. Yet a massive showing isn't essential for Vanderbilt to thrive.
Swanson recorded one hit during 12 CWS at-bats, but teammates Jeren Kendall and Zander Wiel each delivered game-winning home runs. Both boast slugging percentages above .550 on the year. There's nowhere to hide in a dangerous batting order from top to bottom.
Yet the Cavaliers know all about facing treacherous lineups. They limited the Gators to 14 runs in three games, a noteworthy feat against a team that generated 7.0 runs per game this year. Virginia coach Brian O'Connor commented on his club's improbable run to MLB.com's Jim Callis.
"This team has, in this postseason run, just been amazing," O'Connor said. "The toughness and resiliency of this group has been really, really impressive, the heart that they've continued to show is a lot of fun to watch. And this game is kind of a small microcosm of what our postseason's been like."
In a relief role, Josh Sborz has proven vital to Virginia's success. Through three Omaha appearances, the junior has tossed nine scoreless innings, four of which came in the team's winner-take-all victory over Florida on Saturday.
| 6/13 | ARK | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 6/15 | FLA | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6/20 | FLA | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Without a dominant rotation anchor, Virginia needs Sborz to keep flourishing as a relief ace. Nathan Kirby made his first start in over two months on Friday, but it didn't end well. He surrendered four runs (three earned) through 2.2 innings against Florida, making it tough for O'Connor to give him another starting nod during the finals.
Unfortunately for Virginia, Vanderbilt has several top arms at its disposal. Carson Fulmer, drafted No. 8 overall by the Chicago White Sox, is the logical choice to start Monday's opening game. The unconventional righty posted a 1.95 ERA and 159 strikeouts through 120 innings. Opponents are hitting .186 against him.
Coming off of seven scoreless innings against TCU, Philip Pfeifer has amassed 112 strikeouts in 90.2 innings. In the event of a Game 3, first-round pick Walker Buehler is waiting. When this series wraps up, Pfeifer and Buehler will join Sborz in the Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system.
For another week, they're adversaries. The pressure is especially on Sborz and Virginia's pitching staff to steal two more victories.
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