College World Series 2016: Bracket, TV Schedule and Favorites Entering Omaha
After two years of seeing the Vanderbilt Commodores and Virginia Cavaliers in the College World Series final, college baseball will have a new king this year in Omaha, Nebraska.
Five teams—the TCU Horned Frogs, Florida Gators, UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, Texas Tech Red Raiders and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers—will be looking for their first NCAA title, lending a relative freshness to this year's event. In addition, the Gauchos and Chanticleers are making their CWS debuts.
The College World Series bracket is available at NCAA.com. Below is the full schedule for the event and the three strongest teams in Omaha.
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College World Series Brackets
| Miami Hurricanes | 50-12 |
| Oklahoma State Cowboys | 41-20 |
| UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 42-18-1 |
| Arizona Wildcats | 44-21 |
| Florida Gators | 52-14 |
| Texas Tech Red Raiders | 46-18 |
| TCU Horned Frogs | 47-16 |
| Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | 49-16 |
College World Series Schedule
| Saturday, June 18 | 3 p.m. | 1 | UC Santa Barbara vs. Oklahoma State | ESPN2 |
| Saturday, June 18 | 8 p.m. | 2 | Miami vs. Arizona | ESPN2 |
| Sunday, June 19 | 3 p.m. | 3 | Texas Tech vs. TCU | ESPNU |
| Sunday, June 19 | 8 p.m. | 4 | Florida vs. Coastal Carolina | ESPN2 |
| Monday, June 20 | 2 p.m. | 5 | Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser | ESPNU |
| Monday, June 20 | 7 p.m. | 6 | Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner | ESPN |
| Tuesday, June 21 | 5 p.m. | 7 | Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser | ESPN2 |
| Tuesday, June 21 | 9 p.m. | 8 | Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner | ESPN |
| Wednesday, June 22 | 7 p.m. | 9 | Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser | ESPN |
| Thursday, June 23 | 8 p.m. | 10 | Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser | ESPN2 |
| Friday, June 24 | 3 p.m. | 11 | Game 6 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner | ESPN2 |
| Friday, June 24 | 8 p.m. | 12 | Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner | ESPN |
| Saturday, June 25 | TBA | 13 | Bracket 1 Final (if necessary) | TBA |
| Saturday, June 25 | TBA | 14 | Bracket 2 Final (if necessary) | TBA |
| Monday, June 27 | 7 p.m. | 15 | CWS Finals (Game 1) | ESPN |
| Tuesday, June 28 | 8 p.m. | 16 | CWS Finals (Game 2) | ESPN |
| Wednesday, June 29 | 8 p.m. | 17 | CWS Finals (Game 3 if necessary) | ESPN |
Top CWS Favorites
Florida Gators
Florida was historically a good baseball school before coach Kevin O'Sullivan arrived in 2008. Under him, the Gators have become one of the top teams in the country. They're making their second straight trip to the College World Series and fifth since 2010.
The Gators' balance makes them difficult to beat. They're batting .280 as a team with a .422 slugging percentage. Their pitching staff also has a combined 2.93 ERA, and opposing batters are hitting just .226 against the rotation.
"We're the No. 1 team in the country for a reason," said center fielder Buddy Reed after Florida dispatched the Florida State Seminoles in the super regionals, per Garry Smits of the St. Augustine Record. "We lose one, so what? We play hard and have fun. When we want to turn it up, we turn it up."
A lot of eyes will be on left-hander A.J. Puk. The Oakland Athletics selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft:
Many believe the junior has the stuff to become a good MLB pitcher, but his performance this year has left a little to be desired. In 16 appearances, Puk is 2-3 with a 3.05 ERA. He has also struggled with his control, walking 37 batters in 73.2 innings.
Puk can answer some of his critics if he helps Florida win its first national championship.
Miami Hurricanes
One way or another, the 2016 men's baseball title may reside in the state of Florida. Should the Gators fall short, their fellow Floridians could be the last team standing in Omaha.
Miami has a strong offense from top to bottom, and no Hurricanes player has been better at the plate than catcher Zack Collins, whom the Chicago White Sox selected 10th overall. He is hitting .357 and slugging .649, racking up 15 home runs and 57 RBI in the process. He's also getting on base in more than half (.538) of his at-bats.
Outfielder Willie Abreu has been another source of power in the middle of the lineup. He has hit 12 homers and has driven in 56 runs.
Pitching is another area of strength for Miami. Jesse Lepore is a bona fide ace at the top of the rotation. He's 9-0 in his 14 appearances with a 2.20 ERA. Meanwhile, Bryan Garcia is lights out in the ninth inning. He has allowed eight earned runs in 37 innings and has 54 strikeouts to 17 walks.
Neutral fans should root for Miami if only to see what Edgar Michelangeli has planned for the College World Series. Using the 20-80 scouting scale, he is an 80 in bat-flipping.
The North Carolina State Wolfpack didn't appreciate the way the junior infielder savored his go-ahead home run in the Hurricanes' 8-7 win in the ACC tournament:
Michelangeli was at it again in the super regionals against the Boston College Eagles, per ESPNU:
If that's how Michelangeli celebrates big home runs, he'll have something special in store for a Miami national title win.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Good pitching can take a team a long way, especially in a postseason series. Oklahoma State is 25th in team ERA (3.27), tied for 11th in shutouts (eight) and 17th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.9). Between the NCAA regionals and super regionals, the Cowboys allowed a total of six runs in five games.
Thomas Hatch is the ace of the staff. He's 8-2 in 17 starts with 105 strikeouts and 30 walks.
"Thomas came in with talent and now he is refined, skilled and mature," said Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday, per Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World. "The development of pitching over the last four years here has been remarkable."
Elliott Jensen is having a strong year as well. He has made 16 starts, going 9-2 with a 3.27 ERA. Opposing hitters are batting just .240 against him. Tyler Buffett has excelled in a relief role, surrendering just 26 earned runs in 74.1 innings.
Oklahoma State's offense is good in its own right, but the Cowboys are one of the weaker hitting teams compared to the rest of the College World Series field. If the NCAA tournament so far is any indicator, though, that won't be much of a problem for Holliday's group in Omaha.
Note: Stats are courtesy of NCAA.org.
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