NCAA Baseball Regional Capsules: Columbia Regional
The host of this regional, South Carolina, is trying to defend their national championship. They had a great regular season and were rewarded with one of the top eight national seeds.
They were also given a reasonable regional field. Stetson, the two seed, is a solid team that has several wins against big name teams, but they certainly aren't one of the tougher two seeds.
NC State took its lumps and finished 34-25. They had visions of being as high as a two seed, but those hopes were dashed.
Georgia Southern rounds out the regional. Don't let their 36-24 record or affiliation with the Southern Conference fool you. They played plenty of solid teams and the Southern is a competitive baseball conference.
1. South Carolina
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South Carolina (45-14) SEC at-large
Coming off a national championship, South Carolina put together another stellar campaign. The Gamecocks calling card is a well-balanced offensive attack and a deep pitching staff.
The offense is led by holdovers from last year like Christian Walker and Scott Wingo. Their team average is nothing special at .295, but they have a lot of experienced hitters with great approaches.
On the hill, Michael Roth emerged as one of best pitchers in all of college baseball. After jumping onto the national scene in the College World Series last season, Roth elevated himself to another level in the regular season this year.
Best case scenario: Led by their veteran leaders, South Carolina sweeps through the regional easily and moves on to the Super Regionals.
Worst case scenario: After getting past Michael Roth, opposing teams are able to compete with South Carolina with their lesser pitchers on the mound. Opposing pitchers force anyone but Christian Walker to beat them and the Gamecocks offense isn't up to the task.
Offensive players to watch: Christian Walker (.357 BA, 9 HR, 57 RBI), Scott Wingo (.327 BA, .459 OBP) and Brady Thomas (.323 BA, 4 HR, 36 RBI).
Pitchers to watch: Michael Roth (11-3, 1.17 ERA), John Taylor (40 appearances, 1.08 ERA) and Matt Price (2.47 ERA, 15 saves).
2. Stetson
2 of 5Stetson (41-18) Atlantic Sun at-large
Up until a couple of weeks ago, the Hatters were squarely in position to host their own regional. A late-season skid ended those hopes and landed them in an unfriendly regional against South Carolina.
Stetson has a solid offense led by power bat Nick Rickles and base stealers Mark Jones, Spencer Theisen and Jeff Simpson. The Hatters aren't content to play station to station baseball. They will put runners in motion and try to make something happen.
Ace Kurt Schluter leads a pitching staff with a team ERA of 3.77. Solid arms Jake Boyd and Robbie Powell bolster the bullpen.
Best case scenario: The Hatters ride a solid start from Schluter and a strong bullpen effort into the winner's bracket. Once there, their offense that puts pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses makes things happen, and the Hatters have a shot to win the regional.
Worst case scenario: The Hatters lack of depth in the starting rotation behind Schluter gets exposed and the Hatters can't keep coming back game after game. They win a game, but can't advance to the regional final.
Offensive players to watch: Nick Rickles (.353 BA, 12 HR, 60 RBI), Mark Jones (.339 BA, 33 RBI, 17 steals), Ben Carhart (.328 BA, 7 HR, 62 RBI) and Jeff Simpson (.272 BA, .428 OBP, 28 steals).
Pitchers to watch: Kurt Schluter (8-0, 1.40 ERA), Jake Boyd (35 appearances, 2.98 ERA, 5 saves) and Robbie Powell (3.40 ERA, 8 saves).
3. North Carolina State
3 of 5North Carolina State (34-25) ACC at-large
The Wolfpack are a classic example of a team that is greater than the sum of their parts. As a team, their batting average of .280 and ERA of 4.41 are nothing to write home about, but they put it all together to have a good season.
At the plate, they are led by solid, if unspectacular, players like Pratt Maynard, Chris Diaz and Harold Riggins. Those three hit for a high average, get on base at a high rate and drive in their share of runs.
On the bump, the load is shouldered by staff ace Cory Mazzoni and closer Chris Overman. The rest of the staff will have to step up and have big games if the Wolfpack have any hope of getting to the Super Regional round.
Best case scenario: NC State wins their opening game behind Mazzoni, and then puts together a total team effort on the mound to win their winner's bracket game and seize control of the regional. At that point, the Wolfpack will be just one more game from moving on.
Worst case scenario: Mazzoni gets beat in the opening game and then the team doesn't have enough pitching to keep from going 0-2.
Offensive players to watch: Pratt Maynard (.331 BA, 5 HR, 40 RBI), Chris Diaz (.319 BA, 32 RBI) and Harold Riggins (.304 BA, 3 HR, 33 RBI).
Pitchers to watch: Chris Overman (2.54 ERA, 6 saves), Cory Mazzoni (5-6, 3.38 ERA) and Vance Williams (14 appearances, 3.61 ERA).
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4. Georgia Southern
4 of 5Georgia Southern (36-24) Southern Conference automatic bid
The Eagles navigated the tough Southern Conference and a fairly difficult nonconference schedule on the way to winning the Southern Conference tournament.
They are led by Victor Roache and his incredible statistics. Guys like Eric Phillips, Steve Cochrane and Shawn Payne provided the protection to allow Roache to have the season he had.
On the mound, the Eagles are led by starters Andy Moye and Chris Beck. Closer Matt Murray provides them with a dependable option to close out games.
Best case scenario: Thanks to the bat of Roache and solid pitching from Moye and Beck, the Eagles win a couple of games and find themselves in a rematch with South Carolina in the regional final round.
Worst case scenario: South Carolina proves to be too much in their opening game and once they fall to the loser's bracket, the Eagles don't have enough offense outside of Roache to help their quickly-thinning pitching.
Offensive players to watch: Victor Roache (.327 BA, 30 HR, 83 RBI), Eric Phillips (.398 BA, .472 OBP, 25 steals) and Steve Cochrane (.332 BA, 6 HR, 56 RBI).
Pitchers to watch: Andy Moye (7-1, 2.54 ERA), Chris Beck (9-4, 3.21 ERA) and Matt Murray (2.37 ERA, 9 saves).
Regional Prediction
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I can't see anyone but South Carolina winning this regional, but it has the potential to be interesting.
Stetson has the talent to be a No. 1 seed, but I'm not convinced that they have enough to unseat the national champs.
North Carolina State doesn't have the horses to get it done, but Georgia Southern might. For my money, they have more than a puncher's chance to come out victorious. They have the offense, led by Victor Roache and several solid arms.
Don't be surprised if it's the Eagles that South Carolina has to defeat to move on.
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