And then there were four…A quick look at who’s left
Arizona
The Wildcats are 2-0 in the CWS and playing excellent baseball. Through their first two games, Arizona’s pitching staff has only given up one earned run. With pitching performances that strong and a batting order that has eight players batting over .300, there’s no question as to why Arizona has been so successful. The question is can they maintain that excellence and composure as they continue in the CWS.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a team that mastered the art of peaking at the right time this year. It’s hard to believe that this Razorbacks team is the same team that was the first eliminated from the SEC Tournament a month ago. In the past few weeks, the Razorbacks have continued to get hotter and hotter…both at the plate and on the mound. If the consistency that both Baxendale and Stanek have shown in their appearances in Omaha remains and the bats stay hot, the Razorbacks will be hard to rattle.
Florida State
Florida State started things out the hard way falling to Arizona 4-3 in their first game of the CWS, but the Seminoles were not out of that baseball game even for a moment. The competitiveness that this Florida State team possesses is lethal when their bats are hot. The Seminoles will have to knock off the Wildcats twice in order to advance to the championship series, but with the focus and desire that they possess in combination with the momentum they have coming out of their victory over Stony Brook, it would be smart to not write off the Seminoles just yet.
South Carolina
The Gamecocks were never a team that was second-guessed, and rightfully so. The defending back-to-back CWS champs are making another run at it as they vie Arkansas for a spot in the championship series. A team that has shown consistency and dominance throughout the entire postseason, South Carolina has the tools to return to the championship series if they can find a way to uproot the Razorbacks. It’s a daunting task with as hot as Arkansas is, but if any team has the potential to knock off Arkansas short of the championship series, the Gamecock vets are the team to do it.
Florida State will take on Arizona at 4pm CT on Thursday 6/21
South Carolina will take on Arkansas at 8pm CT on Thursday 6/21
