College World Series 2016: Latest Results and Updated Picks for Thursday
It’s win-or-go-home time for Coastal Carolina and Texas Tech at the 2016 College World Series.
The Red Raiders and Chanticleers square off in the only contest of the tournament on Thursday. The loser’s championship hopes will come to an end, while the winner will advance to the semifinals and face TCU on Friday. The winner will have to beat the Horned Frogs twice to advance to the championship series because TCU is undefeated in Omaha, Nebraska.
An updated bracket and full results for the entire College World Series are available on NCAA.com. Arizona beat UC Santa Barbara in Wednesday's only contest, 3-0.
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Here is a look at the schedule and a prediction for Thursday’s game.
Coastal Carolina vs. Texas Tech
Date: Thursday, June 23
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN 2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Breakdown and Prediction
Coastal Carolina and Texas Tech already combined to knock out the No. 1 seed Florida Gators in the College World Series, although neither could solve TCU.
The Chanticleers beat Florida 2-1 behind starting pitcher Andrew Beckwith’s complete game. They lost to the Horned Frogs 6-1 when Brian Howard and Ryan Burnett combined to pitch all nine innings and allow a single run and six hits.
The Red Raiders followed a similar path. They lost to TCU 5-3 but eliminated the Gators on Tuesday with a 3-2 victory. Davis Martin helped save the Red Raiders’ season when he pitched seven shutout innings against the nation’s No. 1 seed, although Hayden Howard gave up two runs in the ninth and nearly lost the 3-2 advantage.
Thanks to Texas Tech’s victory over Florida, the No. 5 Red Raiders are the last nationally seeded team remaining in the College World Series, per Rob Breaux of 1340 The Fan.
That isn’t the only reason Texas Tech should be confident heading into Thursday’s game. The Big 12 still has three teams remaining in the field thanks to the dominance from Oklahoma State and TCU, and the Red Raiders have been battle-tested all season. While there will be plenty of pressure in the elimination contest against the Chanticleers, they have faced stiff competition and should be prepared.
As for the Chanticleers, this is their first appearance in Omaha for the College World Series, per Breaux. However, they proved their mettle by beating the SEC’s LSU in Baton Rouge to advance into the field.
Breaux noted there could be some pitching concerns with Coastal Carolina after it used two of its primary starters (Bobby Holmes and Mike Morrison) during the loss to TCU. Breaux guessed the Chanticleers will use “the Johnny All Staff approach” against Texas Tech with the season on the line, especially since Beckwith likely won’t be available after pitching the complete game against the Gators.
Coastal Carolina coach Gary Gilmore discussed the performance from Beckwith, per Eric Olson of the Associated Press (via ABC News): “My frustration is even though we won a game, we had to have a heroic pitching effort to get it done. We're a better team than we've shown. Hopefully we can come back Thursday and show people how we actually got here.”
If the Chanticleers are going to prove they are better than what they’ve shown, it will start with a powerful offense. Zach Remillard (19), G.K. Young (17), Connor Owings (16) and Michael Paez (15) all have 15 or more home runs on the season, while Owings (.368), Remillard (.348) and Young (.347) are also hitting above .340.
Breaux pointed out the Red Raiders will have a relatively fresh bullpen to deal with the Coastal Carolina attack after deep starts from Martin and Steven Gingery.
Texas Tech also has plenty of firepower at the plate, as six of its starters against the Gators were hitting better than .300. The Red Raiders offense will jump on the depleted “Johnny All Staff approach” from Coastal Carolina and provide enough run support for a fresh bullpen.
The Big 12 will continue to flex its muscles in the postseason, and the Red Raiders will keep their College World Series dreams alive.
Prediction: Texas Tech 5, Coastal Carolina 3
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