Vanderbilt Heads to Omaha Looking for SEC's 3rd Straight Baseball Title

Don't blame the Vanderbilt Commodores for showing a little exuberance following their NCAA Super Regional victory over Oregon State last weekend. They'll have a week to get serious about business at hand—the program's first-ever trip to the College World Series.

The 'Dores have been simply brilliant this postseason, sweeping their way through the Nashville Regional, then taking both games against Oregon State to secure a trip to Omaha.

Vandy (52-10) was somewhat reserved when it strolled through the Regional undefeated by a combined score of 26-3. The emotions ran much higher upon eliminating the Beavers on June 11, winning both games by a cumulative 20-4 count.

"We're going to enjoy the moment, celebrate and have some fun," said catcher Curt Casali. "I'm so happy for all our guys. Nobody knows how hard we worked. There have been ups and downs, but mainly ups this year."

It was the Commodores' third trip to the Super Regional since 2004 but the first in which they advanced. Last year, Vandy got ousted in the Tallahassee Super Regional, losing the rubber match to Florida State, 7-6.

This year, they join defending champion South Carolina and Florida as SEC teams headed to brand new, 24,000-seat TD Ameritrade Park in the eight-field, double-elimination tournament. Both the Gamecocks and Gators are making return trips to Omaha.

But much attention should be given to Vanderbilt, whose 1-2 pitching combination of juniors Sonny Gray and Grayson Garvin commands any opponent's respect. Gray, a 5-11 right-hander who features a 100-mph fastball, went 12-3 with a 1.97 ERA with 119 strikeouts, while lefty Garvin posted a 13-1 ledger and 2.36 ERA to earn the SEC Pitcher of the Year Award.

Both were taken high in this month's MLB Draft—Gray by Oakland with the 18th pick, and Garvin by Tampa Bay with the 59th selection. Five Commodores were nabbed in the first three rounds, including third baseman Jason Esposito (Baltimore draft pick), pitcher Jack Armstrong (Houston) and first baseman Aaron Westlake (Detroit).

An SEC team has won the College World Series the last two years, with LSU in 2009 and South Carolina last year. The run of success in the South is similar to what the conference has experienced in football. An SEC football team has won the past five BCS national championships.

The power conferences hold all eight spots—with Virginia and North Carolina of the ACC, Texas and Texas A&M of the Big 12, and Cal of the Pac-10 headed to Nebraska to play for all the marbles.

California's trip to Omaha involved perhaps an even bigger celebration, as just a year ago, the Cal athletic department announced it was going to shut down the baseball program after the 2011 season due to budget cuts. A fund-raising effort has since helped keep the Bears' future intact.

The tournament features six first-round draft picks, led by Virginia left-hander Danny Hultzen, who was taken by Seattle at No. 2. Texas' Taylor Jungmann went 12th to Milwaukee, followed by Gray.

Action kicks off Saturday, as Vandy plays North Carolina (50-14). Florida (50-17) opens with Texas (49-17); South Carolina (50-14) faces Texas A&M (46-19); and Virginia (54-10) squares off against Cal (35-21).

Virginia, the No. 1 overall seed, needed a comeback to beat UC Irvine, 3-2, with two runs in the bottom of the ninth Monday after the first two hitters were retired in the inning.