Omaha Preview - Part 1

 The NCAA College World Series starts in just a few days.  Nearly 300 Division 1 schools began the season and now it's down to the final 8 who will meet in Omaha to decide the 2021 National Champion.  Here is a look at the first round match ups on Saturday.

Saturday, June 19th

Stanford vs. NC State

Stanford [38-15] advanced to the World Series by thoroughly dominating Texas Tech, sweeping the series by a combined score of 24-3.  Statistically, Stanford was pretty middle of the pack this year, ranking 59th in OPS and 79th in ERA.  On the mound, they are led by Senior Brendan Beck who finished 9-1 with a 2.96 ERA.  At the plate, Sophomore Outfielder Brock Jones provides the power with a team leading 16 home runs, good for 30th in the nation.

NC State [35-18] is fresh off a thrilling series win against top ranked Arkansas, winning the deciding game 3-2 on the Razorbacks home field.  This year NC State has been a much better hitting team than pitching but the pitching staff stepped up when they needed it, holding Arkansas to only 2 runs in the series finale.  But to advance in the Series, the Wolfpack will need the nation's 21st ranked OPS offense to keep producing this week in Omaha.  NC State has 6 players with double digit home runs, led by Sophomores Tyler McDonough and Luca Tresh with 15 each.

Vanderbilt vs. Arizona

Vanderbilt [45-15] comes into the World Series after a clean sweep of their Regional and Super Regional games.  The Commodores are led by probable first round MLB picks Kumar Rocker [13-3, 2.46 ERA] and Jack Leiter [10-3, 2.16 ERA].  That is a powerful 1 - 2 punch in a short series but do not overlook the Vanderbilt offense.  They finished with the 10th ranked OPS led by Junior Dominic Keegan with a .361 batting average and .673 slugging percentage.  Vanderbilt's combination of highly ranked pitching and hitting make them the prohibitive favorite at this time.

Arizona [45-16] gained its spot in the World Series by beating up SEC opponent Ole Miss, winning the series clincher 16-3.  The fifth seeded Wildcats are an offensive powerhouse, ranking 3rd in the nation in OPS at .941.  They also come into the Series averaging 8.6 runs per game, highest of the 8 teams.  Players to watch for Arizona are Freshman 3B Jacob Perry who finished 23rd in the nation with 17 home runs and has a ridiculous 1.140 OPS on the season.  He's not alone as the Wildcats can put a starting nine on the field who all hit above .300 this year.  The pitching staff ranks 69th in ERA at 4.43 per game