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College World Series 2019: TV, Live-Stream Schedule for Vanderbilt vs. Michigan
June 22, 2019
Michigan and Vanderbilt have been the two most dominant teams at the 2019 College World Series, and now they get a chance to face each other with a championship on the line.
Michigan stormed past Texas Tech on Friday to clinch its spot in the best-of-three championship series, while Vanderbilt won a tight affair with Louisville the same night to complete the matchup.
The Commodores came into the NCAA baseball tournament as one of the favorites to win it all as the No. 2 overall seed, and they have consistently lived up to the hype with an 8-1 postseason record.
The Wolverines went 5-2 on the road in the regional and super regional rounds just to get to Omaha, and since entering TD Ameritrade Park, they have played like a top seed rather than one of the last teams to get into the field.
College World Series Championship Schedule
Game 1: Monday, June 24 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 2: Tuesday, June 25 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 3: Wednesday, June 26 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN, if necessary)
All games can be live-streamed on Watch ESPN or the ESPN app.
Vanderbilt comes into the championship series as the favored side because of its long string of success at the top of college baseball.
The 2014 College World Series champion has a 57-11 record and has lost once since May 12.
The one loss suffered in the postseason by the Commodores featured an unusual concession of 18 runs to Duke in Game 1 of the Nashville super regional. Vanderbilt rebounded from that loss with a no-hitter from Kumar Rocker.
Rocker is one of the many top pitchers on both sides who should be fresh for the championship series since both teams have the weekend off.
Rocker, Drake Fellows and Patrick Raby all have 10 wins or more on the mound and should be fresh since Mason Hickman earned the Friday start for Vanderbilt.
Michigan has banked on its one-two punch of Karl Kauffmann and Tommy Henry to get to this point, and it is likely Henry will get the ball for Game 1 since Kauffmann won his second game in Omaha on Friday over Texas Tech.
It has not just been the starters on each pitching staff who have had success, as the two teams held opponents to 12 runs over six combined games in Omaha.
However, the pitchers on each side will face their toughest tests of the season.
Michigan is coming off a 15-3 thumping of Texas Tech in which four players recorded multiple hits, with Jimmy Kerr's four leading the way.
Kerr belted two home runs and drove in three runs in his six at-bats, while Jesse Franklin drove in four runs on three hits.
Vanderbilt's offense has not produced as many runs as Michigan in Omaha, but it is still capable of chasing the best pitchers in the nation from the mound.
Austin Martin and 2019 MLB first-round draft pick J.J. Bleday are the catalysts of the Vanderbilt order, and if they are able to reach base right away, it could spell trouble for Michigan.
Martin is hitting .409 out of the leadoff spot with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs, while Bleday brings the power with 26 home runs and 70 RBIs.
In addition to the favorite-versus-underdog storyline in the series, conference supremacy is on the line.
The SEC has long been the dominant conference in college baseball with four championships this decade, while the Big Ten has not won the College World Series since Ohio State in 1966.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from D1baseball.com.