It has been a long fought road, but the final eight have finally been decided. It ended with UCONN vs. Stanford and Auburn vs. Oregon State on Monday with Stanford and ____ pulling off W’s to punch their tickets to the College World Series. It was a wild weekend of super regionals with Notre Dame knocking off #1 overall seed Tennessee, Oklahoma knocking out #4 overall seed Virginia Tech, and Arkansas sending #10 overall seed North Carolina home.
On top of the excitement of the College World Series, Major League University and Project Sandlot is also in Omaha this week hosting a FREE Camp at Wired Training Center in Omaha, NE! You will have the opportunity to learn from both Austin and Ray for just one more day on June 15th. You can find more details here. Day 1 was an absolute success!
Only four of the top 16 teams made it to Omaha. We are excited to watch the final eight go at it trying to take home the College World Series trophy. Ray and I take a dive into some predictions for the College World Series. Here are your final eight:
Stanford #2
Texas A&M #5
Texas #9
Auburn #14
Arkansas
Notre Dame
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
Who is your darkhorse to take Omaha by storm and win the College World Series?
RayMac: When the tournament started, it was Oklahoma. I thought they were one of the best teams in the country then and still do. Going into this tournament, another team has emerged for me—Ole Miss. Mike Bianco’s squad squeaked into the field and has been playing free as can be since the tournament began. They feel a lot like our 2016 Arizona team. We came up short to Costal Carolina in the finals, I am hoping this team can break through and win it all.
Jared: After seeing Notre Dame shock the world by taking out Tennessee, it just seems like they have a chip on their shoulder from day 1. A team that probably should’ve been hosting a regional got overlooked by the NCAA. They didn’t let that phase them as they have rolled through both the regional and super regional to make their way to Omaha. They are probably a very big darkhorse, but they are showing people they have the talent to compete with the very best.
What teams do you want to see match up the most?
RayMac: I think everyone and their mother wants to see Texas/Texas A&M in big game in Omaha. The other one I would like to see would be a Stanford/Texas slugfest in the CWS finals.
Jared: I am right there with RayMac in saying that I would LOVE to see Texas vs. Texas A&M. You can only imagine the electric factory Charles Schwab Field will be if that happens. I’d also love to see Arkansas square off against Oklahoma.
What team are you most surprised to see make it to the CWS?
RayMac: Notre Dame on their run through Tennessee was extremely impressive. I really think Stanford had a really tough road to Omaha even though they hosted. The Cardinal took care of business and I am excited to see them and their fans out there Saturday!
Jared: Auburn is my biggest surprise and not because they lack talent, but because I thought Oregon State was going to make their way to Omaha with how stacked that team is. Have to give all the credit in the world to Auburn for going into Corvallis and coming away victorious. That should give them all the momentum they need in Omaha.
Who are you shocked about getting eliminated in Super Regionals?
RayMac: The Oregon State Beavers… Damn. I thought they had the pieces but Sunny D and Auburn have been on fire and a really fun team to watch.
Jared: Virginia Tech. That star-studded lineup headlined by Gavin Cross and topped off with Tanner Schobel and Cade Hunter couldn’t get past a tough Oklahoma squad. Like Ray said, Oklahoma was very much underrated, but I still loved everything about Virginia Tech. They just looked completely unmatched in the regional and thought they would cruise their way to Omaha. That being said, it will be fun to watch Oklahoma in Omaha.
What players are you looking forward to seeing compete the most on this stage?
RayMac: I will continue to say Tim Elko till he is hoisting the trophy as my number one to watch. The Hispanic Titanic, Ivan Melendez, makes every field he plays on look small. I really hope he puts balls up by the hot dog stand like Luken baker used to. If you don’t know who he is, go watch his homers in the CWS… incredible. Tommy Troy at Stanford has been blazing hot over the last few weeks. That whole team is hot but Troy especially has had a power surge. He is the type of guy in the lower part of the lineup that could absolutely win games for Stanford in Omaha.
Jared: Brock Jones from Stanford has really caught my eye. Give me the BROCKSTAR! He has turned it on in the playoffs and has really solidified him as a top draft pick for the 2022 MLB Draft. There were some concerns about his swing and miss, but he has really improved his hit tool as the season has worn on. Ivan Melendez is another one that is also on my list. He hits absolute TANKS and is just a blast to watch. Cayden Wallace from Arkansas can absolutely swing it as well.
Which pitching staff do you think has the most depth to carry them all the way?
RayMac: Omaha is different from any of the other parts of the tournament because you have the one-day break for the other side of the bracket. I think winning a regional is tougher on the surface from a pitching standpoint than winning your bracket in Omaha. That being said, I think Texas looks like a tough rotation to deal with and plenty of bullpen to carry them through.
Jared: Arkansas’ pitching depth seems to be unmatched to me. Their arms out of the bullpen worked a ton of innings in the regional and super regional, but they looked like they are almost dang near impossible to stop. That could help carry them far in the College World Series.
