Every year, the College World Series grows and becomes more popular. The baseball is terrific, the competition is fierce and the athletes on this diamond arrive fit and motivated to bring their schools home a title.
Traditionally, blue blood schools populate the final eight spots, and because of that it’s important to consider investing in a couple of schools that fit my criteria for potential CWS champion prior to the final eight being determined.
Here are the schools I believe will each win their Super Regional this weekend. They’ll provide greater value by investing in them now as opposed to waiting for next week’s prices, which will be considerably reduced.
Vanderbilt (6-1)
The Commodores won this event in 2019, and they return to Omaha with plenty of CWS experience in the dugout besides featuring two of the top hurlers in college baseball. An SEC team that has CWS experience, top pitching and a favorable set up in the bracket must be regarded as a deep threat in this tournament -- and that’s exactly what Vandy is.
Texas (6-1)
The Longhorns were last in Omaha in 2018, so there are still a handful of experienced upperclassmen that understand what it takes to compete in the CWS. Texas leads the nation with a 2.87 ERA which is important in the cavernous ballpark that is TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha. The way the wind usually blows in helps pitching, so hitting for percentage and small ball mean more in this tournament than pure home run power.
Texas leads the nation in all of the key categories I track for this tournament. Add to this their extremely favorable bracket set up, and the Longhorns earn consideration as a team that can win this tourney.
Long shot
Texas Tech (13-1)
The Red Raiders draw into the Arkansas side of the bracket, so there is risk in this release, but Tech has been to Omaha under Coach Tim Tadlock in 2014, ‘16, ‘18 and ‘19. This group has the experience, the statistics and the motivation to finally kick in the door and win a championship for a coach in Tadlock, who has erected a top college baseball program since he arrived in Lubbock. Pitching, hitting for average and defense are this team’s strengths and I believe they’re capable of upsetting Arkansas.
Sleeper
Virginia (22-1)
Virginia’s coach Brian O’Connor played in Omaha at Creighton University when the Bluejays attended the CWS, so when his teams hit Omaha, they are the crowd favorite. Cavaliers teams under O’Connor always peak late in the season -- this team was 33-24 (18-18 in conference) has peaked coming into last week's regional action. Virginia must get by a Dallas Baptist squad that travels across the country to compete with the Cavs in Columbia, SC. If the Cavs can get to Omaha, they’ll have the crowd and the most favorable quadrant of the bracket awaiting them.