Are the Titans on the Road to Omaha?
Above: This photo courtesy of CWSomaha.com shows the quest for all 64 teams in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament - Omaha's Rosenblatt Statium.
As you all know, Fred's biggest passion outside of prep sports, is his beloved Lakers.
Mine includes the Cal State Fullerton baseball team, which is on the right path on the Road to Omaha and the College World Series. I followed the Titans to Omaha in 2001 and 2003, and have been to every home Regional and Super Regional since 2000. I also traveled to a regional in San Diego two years ago. To continue reading click thread
The Titans, after another solid season, get to roll the dice again in quest for their fifth CWS title after being awarded with the No. 2 overall seed when the NCAA released its pairings this morning. The 64-team tournament begins this weekend with 16 Regionals at campus sites, followed by next weekend's Super Regionals, also at campus sites. The College World Series, which begins June 13, is again scheduled for Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.
Top 8 National Seeds: 1. Texas, 2. Cal State Fullerton, 3. Louisiana State, 4. North Carolina, 5. Arizona State, 6. UC Irvine, 7. Oklahoma, 8. Florida.
Fullerton Regional (with first round matchups): Fullerton vs. Utah; Gonzaga vs. Georgia Southern.
UC Irvine Regional: UCI vs. Fresno State; San Diego State vs. Virginia.
Here are my picks:
Regional winners: Texas, Oregon State, Georgia Tech, Florida, Arizona State, Clemson, South Carolina, North Carolina, Cal State Fullerton, Louisville, Georgia, Arkansas, , Mississippi, Rice, LSU.
Omaha Bound: Texas, Georgia Tech, Arizona State, South Carolina, Cal State Fullerton, Arkansas, UCI, LSU.
CWS Championship Series: Texas vs. UCI
CWS Champion: UCI
Comment: It pains me to pick the 'Eaters' over the Titans, but they seem to have that solid balance between pitching, power and they play small ball very well. Texas looks like it can walk to the championship round and I think the Titans have the ability to challenge UCI in Omaha. But looking at it objectively, UCI, on the surface, just has a little too much. Also, UCI, led by former USC coach Mike Gillespie, winning a national title would be egg on its face for USC, which forced Gillespie to resign a few years ago, replacing him with Chad Kreuter, who has run the once-storied program into the ground. I predicting Gillespie will get the last laugh.
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Miguel Melendez's prep blog
In the Huddle
ESPN
OC Varsity
San Bernardino Sun Preps
LA times Varsity Blog
Daily Bulletin Preps
Whittier Daily News Preps
LA Daily News Preps
Long Beach Press Telegram Preps
Daily Breeze Preps
Dyestat Track and Cross Country
MaxPreps
Rivals.Com
College Level Athletes
Igor,
You are no Aikman. Grab a mirror some time.
Sorry, but I'm a trained journalist who can look at things objectively, just like Troy Aikman does with the Dallas Cowboys. Last time I checked, he's still in the "Ring of Honor," despite coming down hard on their performances sometimes. I just happened to think UCI's been on a roll over the past few months. I'll be rooting for the Titans, but think UCI's a better pick. From a journalistic point of view, it's hard to pick a team that lost two out of three at home to Pacific. But again, I will be rooting for them.
Steve: You should have your F hat taken away for picking the Anteaters!
I'm with Boyd, who gives the Titans a 33 percent chance of winning the CWS!
Go Titans!
Let me know if you happen to see Strasburg pitch. Would love your opinion.
He's got a great fastball (throws in the 100s), and also has a great slider and wicked change.
Hi Scott,
I don't think they can afford to do that, being a No. 2 regional seed and facing a 40-win Virginia team...Also what does UCI do? The defending champs, Fresno State, is not your average No. 4 seed. I guess that's whey they pay the coaches the big bucks.
A UCI-SDSU matchup is intriguing.
Does SDSU throw its ace in the first game or save him for a potential meeting with the 'Eaters?
Steven Strasburg is the best pitcher I've seen on the collegiate level in quite some time.
The San Garbiel Valley's link to Cal State Fullerton's current Titan team are So. Gary Brown (Diamond Bar HS) who is batting .329-3-31 and team high 20 stolen bases, Fr. Noe Ramirez (Alhambra HS) is the second starter on the three-man pitching rotation and has 7-1 record with a 2.93 ERA, and Fr. Tyler Pill (Covina HS) is third the the starting rotation with a Titan freshman record of 10 wins and a 4.10 ERA. Show support for the local talent and cheer for their march to Omaha.