2011 College World Series: South Carolina Seeks to Defend Title Against Florida

If the weather cooperates, which in Omaha, Neb., the past week has been a big "if," the championship of the College World Series will begin tonight with the defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks taking on the Florida Gators in a best-of-three set to decide the king of college baseball.

For those who are inclined to believe that baseball is played best in the Southeastern Conference, this match-up of SEC rivals is Exhibit A in defending their case.

These two college baseball powers roll into the championship season fairly evenly matched; the Gators and Gamecocks both have accumulated 53 wins over the course of the season.

When the national championship is on the line, even the smallest things can make a big difference  In this year's championship series, there are a couple of big factors that could change the entire landscape of this matchup.

For South Carolina, it is all about Jackie Bradley Jr. The Gamecocks' best player has battled through a wrist injury this season that sidelined the second-round draft pick for the 26 games prior to the College World Series.

Bradley has gone 4-for-14 while in Omaha, and while that is certainly respectable, it is far from the kind of play that earned him Most Outstanding Player honors for last year's national title-winning squad. That being said, the Gamecocks have managed to make it this far without Bradley being his usual, phenomenal self.

The lingering question for South Carolina is whether Jackie Bradley Jr. will return to his form from last year's CWS, or if the wrist injury that sidelined him for almost half the season will continue to hamper Bradley's play.

South Carolina is certainly capable of winning the championship without Bradley at full strength, but if he starts resembling the player most people believe he really is, the advantage swings to the Gamecocks.

The Florida Gators have climbed within two wins of a national championship despite suffering from a major power outage while in Omaha. The Gators are a top five team nationally in terms of hitting home runs, but they have managed to only knock one out of the park since arriving at TD Ameritrade Park.

Considering Florida has not been able to do what they do best yet have still made it to the championship series is an impressive feat. The question for the Gators is whether they can finish the job if their bats remain quiet.

TD Ameritrade Park has proven to be a pitcher's park so far in hosting its first College World Series. If Florida can start to buck that trend, it will go a long way toward helping them secure their first national title.

My prediction is that South Carolina's Jackie Bradley Jr. will rise to the occasion while Florida will still be unable to hit the long ball. The Gamecocks will win their second straight national championship, defeating the Gators in three games.

Information for this article was used from ESPN.com, gamecocksonline.cstv.com, and gatorzone.com.