Wow, what a great weekend of baseball! I hope everyone got to enjoy all of the exciting games like I did. ESPNU did a fantastic job with their Bases Loaded coverage similar to NFL Red Zone. This weekend saw everything: a ton of homers, walk-offs, solid defense including multiple robbed home runs, two twenty inning games, some interesting rally tactics (here) , a triple play (watch it here), and a ton of rain (which even lead to a helicopter being used to dry the Dallas Baptist field). Last week I posted my predictions for the weekend: UCLA, Virginia, Oklahoma St, MO State, Miami (FL), Oregon St, College of Charleston, Florida, LSU, Rice, A&M, TCU, Illinois, Vandy, Fullerton, and Louisville. After the action-packed weekend, here is where the Super Regionals have in store.
I'll take 11 for 16. There were a couple big surprises on the weekend, none bigger than VCU winning the Dallas Regional. Also, Maryland and Virginia both went to Southern California and won their respective stacked Regionals. UCSB got swept in their own Regional, losing to SDSU on a steal of home (seen here) and then got handled by USC. Maryland was one of the more impressive teams of the weekend because they beat top-seed UCLA two out of three games they played. Texas A&M and Cal played three very close and exciting games in College Station, with A&M proving victorious. Louisiana-Lafayette got no-hit by Houston through 7.2 innings in an elimination game, and ended up winning the game on a walk-off HPB (with an amazing bat-flip) in one of the more exciting games of the weekend. Vanderbilt beat Radford 21-0 in the final game of the Nashville Regional, where Vandy SS Dansby Swanson proved he has what it takes to be the first overall pick in the MLB Draft next week. TCU was down 8-1 in the eighth inning of the Fort Worth Regional Championship before they scored eight runs to win on a walk-off in the tenth, leading to what was dubbed as a Frogpile.
On a more controversial note, last week I noted my disagreement with MO State getting a national seed. It is even more controversial now that they won their Regional because they are unable to host the Super Regional. MO State plays their games at Hammons Field, which is the home park of the Springfield Cardinals (AA affiliate of the Cardinals). This makes for a great environment and great crowds (plus, they get to serve beer at their games, which not many other teams can say), but the Bears must schedule around the Cardinals. The Cardinals were on the road last weekend, which allowed MO State to host a Regional. But the Cardinals returned home for a home stand on Monday, which prevents the Bears from playing the Super Regional in Springfield. Instead, Arkansas will host the Super Regional this upcoming weekend, with MO State playing as the "home" team.
It was great baseball all around, and one can only imagine what will happen in the Super Regionals. There are some very intriguing matchups coming up this weekend; come back later in the week for my previews and predictions.
By: Gunshow
On a more controversial note, last week I noted my disagreement with MO State getting a national seed. It is even more controversial now that they won their Regional because they are unable to host the Super Regional. MO State plays their games at Hammons Field, which is the home park of the Springfield Cardinals (AA affiliate of the Cardinals). This makes for a great environment and great crowds (plus, they get to serve beer at their games, which not many other teams can say), but the Bears must schedule around the Cardinals. The Cardinals were on the road last weekend, which allowed MO State to host a Regional. But the Cardinals returned home for a home stand on Monday, which prevents the Bears from playing the Super Regional in Springfield. Instead, Arkansas will host the Super Regional this upcoming weekend, with MO State playing as the "home" team.
It was great baseball all around, and one can only imagine what will happen in the Super Regionals. There are some very intriguing matchups coming up this weekend; come back later in the week for my previews and predictions.
By: Gunshow