College World Series 2016: Bracket Dates, TV Schedule and Format
Eight of the best teams in college baseball are making a big trip to America's heartland, as strong regular seasons and key postseason triumphs have sent them to Omaha, Nebraska, to compete in the 2016 College World Series.
While the MLB World Series consists of only the final championship series, the College World Series includes the winner of each Super Regional tournament.
Four times the teams, so four times the fun, right? The format certainly allows for it.
The eight teams are divided into two four-team brackets. It's double elimination, so there will be plenty of opportunities for comebacks and heroics. The winner of each bracket will then face off in a best-of-three championship series, much like the Super Regional format.
Below are the brackets, dates and TV coverage for every game. The live stream can be found at WatchESPN.
| Miami (Fla.) | Florida |
| Arizona | Coastal Carolina |
| UC Santa Barbara | TCU |
| Oklahoma State | Texas Tech |
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| 1 | June 18 | UC Santa Barbara vs. Oklahoma State | 3 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| 2 | June 18 | Miami (Fla.) vs. Arizona | 8 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| 3 | June 19 | Texas Tech vs. TCU | 3 p.m. | ESPNU |
| 4 | June 19 | Florida vs. Coastal Carolina | 8 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| 5 | June 20 | Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 | 2 p.m. | ESPNU |
| 6 | June 20 | Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| 7 | June 21 | Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 | 5 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| 8 | June 21 | Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| 9 | June 22 | Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| 10 | June 23 | Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 | 8 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| 11 | June 24 | Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 9 | 3 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| 12 | June 24 | Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| 13* | June 25 | Loser of Game 11 (if first loss) vs. Winner of Game 11 | TBD | TBD |
| 14* | June 25 | Loser of Game 12 (if first loss) vs. Winner of Game 12 | TBD | TBD |
| 15 | June 27 | Finals Game 1 | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| 16 | June 28 | Finals Game 2 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| 17* | June 29 | Finals Game 3 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
Of the eight teams to host Super Regionals, only three remain: Florida, Texas Tech and Miami. The two Florida teams are the highest-ranked teams remaining, per the NCBWA (via NCAA.com), with the Texas two-step of the Red Raiders and TCU not far behind.
In six postseason games, the Gators have outscored their opponents 37-12. SB Nation's Jeff Gray believes Florida boasts the deepest pitching squad of the eight remaining teams:
"No one is deeper or more talented on the mound than the No. 1 overall seed Gators. A.J. Puk, the No. 6 overall pick in the MLB Draft, is the third starter in the rotation behind Logan Shore and Alex Faedo. I'd like to say Florida needs Puk to be more consistent to make a title run, but the staff is so loaded that it may not matter. When Puk faltered in the fourth inning of the deciding game against Florida State in the Gainesville super, the Gators just swapped him out with another first-rounder, shutdown reliever Dane Dunning.
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The Hurricanes are no stranger to these high stakes. They are postseason mainstays and know how to grind teams down for wins. They are led on the mound by Jesse Lepore (9-0, 2.20 ERA) and at the plate by catcher Zack Collins (.357 average, 15 home runs, 57 RBI). Collins was the No. 10 overall pick in this year's MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox.
TCU really knows how to swing the bats. The Horned Frogs rank 24th in the country in batting average (.304) and 18th in runs (450), just one run behind Texas Tech. The key to TCU's overall success is the leadership and knowledge of head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
Horned Frogs pitching coach Kirk Saarloos had kind things to say about the man who has led TCU to four College World Series appearances since taking over in 2004, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Carlos Mendez.
"I call him the CEO of TCU baseball," Saarloos said. "I’ve never been around someone who has more of an idea of how to run a program. I’ve learned more in my four years here of how to be a head coach from him than I probably could have anywhere in 20 years."
Arizona is another program with a fine college baseball pedigree. The Wildcats won the national championship in 2012, the fourth in school history. This year, they have overcome adversity, battling through a tough Lafayette Regional by beating UL-Lafayette twice after facing elimination early and then dispatching Mississippi State in the second game of their Super Regional series with an 11th-inning, come-from-behind win.
Oklahoma State might be the hottest team in the competition. It is 5-0 in postseason play, outscoring opponents 35-6. That's some truly stingy work by the Cowboys.
Staff ace Thomas Hatch is key to their championship hopes. The sophomore hurler has a 2.04 ERA and has struck out nearly one batter per inning on the year (105 Ks, 119 IP).
The two upstarts in this field are UC Santa Barbara and Coastal Carolina. Both teams are smaller schools making their first appearances in the College World Series. Both teams booked their trips to Omaha via walk-off hits, although UC Santa Barbara did it in a much more dramatic fashion.
Down 3-0 to powerhouse Louisville, freshman backup catcher Sam Cohen got to live out a classic childhood fantasy by hitting a ninth-inning grand slam to win the game and dash the Cardinals' dreams. Here it is in case you wanted to see it again, per NCAA Baseball:
The Gauchos weren't really supposed to make it this far after losing plenty of talent to the MLB draft and graduation last year, but they are making it work.
It's perhaps fitting that UC Santa Barbara takes on Oklahoma State in the opening game. Fans should be eager to see whether the upstart Gauchos can continue their brilliant, unexpected run or if the power pitching and strong hitting of the Cowboys will halt their momentum.
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