The Arkansas Razorbacks were announced as the Regional host at Baum Stadium this weekend. They will be joined by the Creighton Blue Jays, Oklahoma State, and Albany Great Danes. All games will be broadcasted on CSTV.
Arkansas
The Razorbacks enter with an overall record of 41-19 after making the SEC Championship game over the weekend and losing to the Vanderbilt Commodores. They are led by a strong pitching staff of Jess Todd (9-2, 2.49 ERA, 124 K’s), Nick Schmidt (10-3, 2.85 ERA), and Duke Welker (6-5, 3.83 ERA). The offensive leader for the Razorbacks is Logan Forsythe who hit .352 for the season. Danny Hamblin leads the team with 22 homers on the year. They open the tournament with the Albany Great Danes at 7:30 pm.
Creighton
The Blue Jays (44-14) enter as the champions of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament after knocking off Wichita State in 12 innings 10-9. Ben Mancuso leads the starters with an ERA of 2.28 and a record of 10-2 in twelve starts. Andy Masten is a finalist for Stopper of the Year with his 16 saves in 33 appearances. His ERA is 1.74 for the season. Darin Ruf leads the hitters with a .377 average. They will take on Oklahoma State at 3:30 pm on Friday to open up their run to Omaha for the CWS.
Creighton Tourney Notes
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys (38-19) are entering the NCAA Tournament on a six game losing streak after getting swept by Missouri in the final series of the year and going 0-3 in the Big 12 tournament.
They are led by a very shaky pitching staff which has a staff ERA of 4.09 but make up for it with a very good hitting team as opponents have an ERA of 7.52. The top starting pitcher for the Cowboys is Joe Kent who is 4-2 with a 3.33 ERA in ten starts. Justin Friend has seven saves on the season with an ERA of 2.54. They will open the tournament against Creighton at 3:30 pm on Friday.
Oklahoma State Tourney Notes
Albany
The Great Danes (29-27) enter the NCAA Tournament as the America East Champion after sweeping through the conference tournament. They are led by Steve Wyland who is hitting .379 for the season in 54 games. The Great Danes pitching staff is weak for a northern squad with John Naples leading the rotation with an 8-2 record and an ERA of 3.29. They will open the tournament at 7:30 against Arkansas.
Albany Tourney Notes
The CBB predicts Arkansas to win the regional but watch out for the Blue Jays to be the sleeper squad in the Regional. I would be shocked if Albany won a game before heading home.
