2010 NCAA Regional Previews: Norwich (CT)

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The UConn Huskies are hosting an NCAA Regional this season as they are the number 2 seeded team. Florida State out of the ACC are the number 1 seed with Oregon as the three seed and Central Connecticut State as the four seed.

Florida State (42-17 overall, 18-12 ACC)

Florida State enters the weekend coming off a great run in the ACC Tournament where they won the conference title. They have a 42-17 overall record while they went 18-12 in the ACC to finish in second place in the ACC Atlantic Division. They are led at the plate by Tyler Holt who has a .351 average while hitting 11 homers and driving in 41 runs. He has also been a terror on the bases as he has 27 in 29 attempts. He is expected to be selected in the top 5 rounds of the MLB Draft next week. The pitching staff for the Seminoles came together last weekend for the Noles as they were good enough to lead them to the conference title. Sean Gilmartin was the number 1 starter during most of the season as he went 7-7 with a 4.80 ERA in 16 appearances (15 starts). Outfielder Mike McGee serves as the closer as he has been outstanding with a 4-0 record and 0.41 ERA while accumulating nine saves in 22 innings of work.

UConn (47-14 overall, 20-6 Big East)

UConn has a 47-14 overall record heading into the Regional after making the Big East final last weekend against St. John’s before bowing to the Red Storm 3-0. They are led by junior first baseman Mike Nemeth has had a breakout season as he is hitting .380 with 14 homers and a ridiculous 80 RBI. Third baseman Mike Olt leads the Huskies with 21 homers while George Springer is second on the squad with 17 homers. The pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.91 and are lead by Elliot Glynn who went 7-3 with a 2.77 ERA in 14 starts. Kevin Vance has been excellent at the backend of the bullpen as he is 1-0 with a 2.41 ERA in 17 appearances with eight saves.

Oregon (38-22 overall, 13-14 Pac-10)

Oregon enters the weekend with with a 38-22 overall record while going 13-14 in Pac-10 conference play. The Ducks offense has a team ERA of .292 while sacrificing 73 times this season. Eddie Rodriguez is the top hitter for the Ducks as he is hitting .336 with seven homers and 44 RBI. KC Serna is right on his heels with a .335 average while hitting four homers and 35 RBI. The Oregon staff has a team ERA of 3.28 while holding opponents to a .257 average. Tyler Anderson has been the best pitcher on the staff with a 7-4 record while having a 2.76 ERA. Scott McGough and Drew Gagnier are tied for the team lead in saves with four.

Central Connecticut State (33-21 overall, 18-14 NEC)

Central Connecticut State heads to Norwich this weekend with a 33-21 overall record after winning the automatic bid in the Northeast Conference. The Blue Devils have a team batting average of .345 which is by far the best in the regional. They are led at the plate by Sean Allaire who has a .432 batting average while hitting 13 homers and driving in 72 runs. Pat Epps is second on the squad with a .425 average while hitting a team high 18 homers and driving in 73 runs. The Central Connecticut State pitching staff has been suspect this season with a 6.23 team ERA. Dave Krasnowiecki has been the most consistent pitcher with a 7-2 record and a 4.38 ERA while having five complete games. Roy Natoli leads the team with two saves while going 3-2 with 5.03 ERA.

Prediction

1. Florida State
2. UConn
3. Oregon
4. Central Connecticut State