College World Series 2016: Latest Results and Updated Picks for Tuesday
In an NCAA tournament full of upsets, it shouldn't be surprising to find the College World Series following the theme.
Only three seeded teams were among the eight remaining to start the weekend, though those still alive were considered favorites to contend for a title. However, that hasn't been the case with No. 3 Miami becoming the first team eliminated in the CWS.
Either No. 1 Florida or No. 5 Texas Tech will follow suit Tuesday as the two squads will battle in an elimination game.
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These types of surprises make the tournament tougher to predict, but here is a look at what to expect from Day 4 in Omaha along with a full schedule of games.
| 1 | June 18 | Oklahoma State def. UC Santa Barbara | 1-0 | ESPN2 |
| 2 | June 18 | Arizona def. Miami | 5-1 | ESPN2 |
| 3 | June 19 | TCU def. Texas Tech | 5-3 | ESPNU |
| 4 | June 19 | Coastal Carolina def. Florida | 2-1 | ESPN2 |
| 5 | June 20 | UC Santa Barbara def. Miami | 5-3 | ESPNU |
| 6 | June 20 | Oklahoma State def. Arizona | 1-0 | ESPN |
| 7 | June 21 | Texas Tech vs. Florida | 5 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| 8 | June 21 | TCU vs. Coastal Carolina | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| 9 | June 22 | UC Santa Barbara vs. Arizona | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| 10 | June 23 | Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser | 8 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| 11 | June 24 | Oklahoma State vs. Game 9 Winner | 3 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| 12 | June 24 | Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| 13 | June 25 | Game 11 Rematch (If Necessary) | TBD | TBD |
| 14 | June 25 | Game 12 Rematch (If Necessary) | TBD | TBD |
| 15 | June 27 | CWS Finals Game 1 | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| 16 | June 28 | CWS Finals Game 2 | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| 17 | June 29 | CWS Finals Game 3 (If Necessary) | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
College World Series bracket available at NCAA.com.
Tuesday Preview
TCU vs. Coastal Carolina
A lot of the focus in this tournament is on the upsets of quality teams, but credit is certainly due to the underdogs that won these games.
Coastal Carolina saw a performance for the ages from Andrew Beckwith in its first game of the College World Series. The junior threw a complete game on just 98 pitches, allowing one run while walking zero and posting seven strikeouts against a dangerous Florida lineup.
Beckwith often gets by with just a fastball and a slider, using his unorthodox delivery to deceive hitters. This has helped him post a 13-1 record for the season and a 2.02 ERA. However, he added something special for the big stage, per John Manuel of Baseball America:
The Gators had no chance against this unusual pitcher who they'd never seen and who was also creating new pitches as he went along.
Meanwhile, Alex Cunningham has been almost as good during the postseason, beating LSU with 7.1 innings of two-run ball in the super regionals after shutting out North Carolina State in 5.1 innings in the regionals. All of a sudden being a team no one has seen to this point has provided a major advantage for the Chanticleers.
Adding in a deep lineup that has been hard to stop all postseason—even scoring two against Florida's Logan Shore is impressive—and this is a tough team to bet against.
It will not be easy to beat TCU, of course. This is a team that just won't die no matter the odds, especially after Luken Baker knocked in a go-ahead three-run home run in the ninth inning to rally against Texas Tech. It was his third three-run shot of the tournament, leading a team that is always capable of changing a game with a huge hit.
With the red-hot Brian Howard on the mound, the Horned Frogs also have the talent to stay alive and challenge for a title.
Still, TCU doesn't quite have the offensive depth to match Coastal Carolina. With so many players that can beat you, Howard will have his hands full. If Cunningham pitches to his ability, the Big South squad can keep winning.
Prediction: Coastal Carolina 4, TCU 2
Florida vs. Texas Tech
It's not often Shore is outdueled on the mound, but that is exactly what happened for Florida in the opening loss to Coastal Carolina. Beckwith shut down the Gators lineup and Shore was forced to take his first loss of the year despite allowing just two runs.
All of a sudden the team that has been favored to win a title for most of the season is one loss away from being knocked out before reaching its goals.
Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan explained the emotions going forward after the opening loss, per ASAPSports.com:
"There's a lot of people disappointed. I'm disappointed, to be honest with you. I think that's a really good team. We just ran across a guy that was just really good tonight. And but we'll bounce back. We'll have a good practice tomorrow. And we've got no choice. We've got Alex [Faedo] on the mound, and we'll do whatever we need to do Tuesday and hopefully win and then move on. Just take it one game at a time. That's all we could do at this point.
"
It seems like cautious optimism with Florida turning to a player who is effectively the team's fourth-best option. Shore lost the last game while both first-round picks A.J. Puk and Dane Dunning were used to varying degrees, putting the pressure on Alex Faedo to take the ball and turn things around.
On the other hand, not many teams can turn to a player who was 13-2 with a 3.25 ERA and 124 strikeouts during the regular season as a desperation option.
Texas Tech has a lot of offensive firepower, averaging 6.25 runs per game during this tournament. Tanner Gardner, Eric Gutierrez and others have come up in big moments to help the squad reach this point.
The problem is the inconsistency, which could be a major issue against a quality pitcher like Faedo. A high-scoring performance might be necessary against Florida, which you know will break out after tallying just one run last time out.
Peter Alonso and company won't be quiet for long, and this Gators attack will be able to do enough to survive and advance.
Prediction: Florida 6, Texas Tech 1
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for year-round sports analysis.
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