College World Series 2016: Latest Results and Updated Picks for Monday
When it comes to the College World Series, life moves fast in Omaha, Nebraska. Day 3 of the tournament will see one team become the first eliminated, as the four teams from bracket No. 1 will be in action once again.
Sunday's results underscored the unpredictable nature of the tournament. Both national seeds who were in action lost to their unranked foes. TCU pulled out a ninth-inning win over No. 5 seed Texas Tech, and Coastal Carolina upended top-seeded Florida.
Now, the drama of elimination will be added to the mix, as Miami and UC Santa Barbara will kick off Monday's action in a game that will make one of those teams the first to leave Omaha.
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Here's a look at Sunday's results as well as the schedule for Monday.
| TCU vs. Texas Tech | TCU 5-3 | |
| Coastal Carolina vs. Florida | Coastal Carolina 2-1 | |
| Miami vs. UC Santa Barbara | 2 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Oklahoma State vs. Arizona | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
Miami vs. UC Santa Barbara
No one wants to be the first team sent packing, so the day should start off with the kind of pressure-filled baseball that makes Omaha fun.
Neither team could have imagined a worse start at the plate in its opening game. The Gauchos—who made the field of eight on the strength of a walk-off grand slam against the Louisville Cardinals—were the only team to be shut out in the opening round.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes didn't have much luck at the dish, either. Arizona's Nathan Bannister and Cameron Ming combined for 14 strikeouts, and Miami was able to produce just one run.
The good news for Miami is that UCSB can't send out a pitcher who's more talented than Bannister to start the game. With Shane Bieber pitching on Saturday, the Gauchos could send Noah Davis to the mound. He started the game that clinched the Gauchos' appearance here, but he only went 5.1 innings and has an ERA of 4.70 this season.
There were some positives to be taken from the Arizona game for the Canes. They did outhit the Wildcats 9-7; they just weren't able to string those hits together in a way that created runs. Now against a presumably less dominant pitcher than Bannister, those hits might just turn into runs.
This is where Miami's pitching depth should come into play. The Canes are 43rd in the nation in team ERA at 3.62, while UCSB isn't ranked in the top 50.
Miami can't expect for things to be easy, though. The Gauchos have shown a lot of heart this season, and it's been quantified by just how many times they've won despite not scoring first, as noted by NCAA Baseball:
This should be a good game as both teams play for their tournament lives. The pitching advantage should be the ultimate difference as Miami avoids elimination by the narrowest of margins.
Prediction: Miami 3-2
Arizona vs. Oklahoma State
The winner of Oklahoma State vs. Arizona will have a huge advantage, as everyone else in Bracket 1 will then be on the brink of elimination every time out.
Neither team lacks good pitching options. Oklahoma State will send Tyler Buffett out against the Wildcats lineup. As Eric Bailey of the Tulsa World notes, the pitcher has been on fire thus far in the postseason:
But the Wildcats will be able to respond with an ace of their own. With Bannister pitching in the last outing, Arizona can send Bobby Dalbec to the hill. His last game was on June 10, when he pitched 8.2 innings of shutout baseball against Mississippi State in the super regional.
With two great starters dueling, it's going to come down to which team can generate runs with timely hits.
That should be an advantage for Arizona. The Wildcats are coming off scoring five runs against Miami starter Michael Mediavilla and have been poised at the plate throughout their tournament run.
Center fielder Jared Oliva talked about how playing five consecutive weekends away from home has the Wildcats playing well in Omaha.
“It's just getting comfortable with the uncomfortable,” Oliva said, per Mark Etheridge of D1Baseball.com. “That's common sense. On the road four, five weeks in a row, it's not easy at all. We feel we've developed a good routine to get on the road, and coach [Jay Johnson] has done a great job making sure we stick with it.”
Arizona has shown that it can get after a pitcher early and put him in bad situations. Oklahoma State simply rode a dominant pitching performance from Thomas Hatch its first time out in Omaha. The Pokes might get another gem from Buffett, but someone will have to break through the pitching battle at some point.
Right now, the Wildcats are slightly more well-equipped to pull that off.
Prediction: Arizona 3-1
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