2019 College World Series Preview and Prediction

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With the field set, we preview the 2019 College World Series and give our predictions for who will win it all. 

This might not be the field a lot expected as none of the top three teams from the Pac-12 made it to Omaha, while two of the last teams to get into the NCAA Tournament — Michigan and Florida State — are here.

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that there are four SEC teams in Omaha as I noted all year that this is the deepest I’ve ever seen this conference, and that’s saying something because it’s always a deep conference.

And then you have Louisville and Texas Tech who are the two teams coming into the College World Series that aren’t getting a lot of attention, but they certainly have the explosiveness on offense to blast their way to a title.

I didn’t think Michigan nor Florida State belonged in this tournament, but good job by the committee in selecting them.

The Wolverines pitching staff has been outstanding as we saw them shutdown the number one team in the country in the Super Regionals.

Karl Kauffmann (2.59/114.2/101K), Jeff Criswell (2.74/95.1/99K), and Tommy Henry (3.54/106.2/117K) give them a chance to make a run in the College World Series.

Florida State is playing on pure emotion at this point as they fight to stay alive for coach Mike Martin who is coaching his final season. Don’t underestimate that emotion in this College World Series.

Cameron Warren (.354/17HR/76RBI) and Josh Jung (.342/14HR/56RBI) lead a potent offensive attack for Texas Tech.

If they can get enough pitching from Micah Dallas and Caleb Kilian, they have a chance with a very good bullpen.

The Razorbacks return to Omaha looking to finish it off this time after being runner-ups last year. They have maybe the deepest lineup in college baseball and scored 11 and 14 runs in their two Super Regional wins.

Isaiah Campbell is a bonafide ace, but finding a second and third started to back him will be key in winning the College World Series this year.

 

Auburn is a team that started the season in the top 25, but injuries in the starting rotation and regression from guys like Will Holland and Steven Williams led to them having just a 14-16 record in the SEC.

But the offense has finally started to play to its capability and they are clicking at the right time. The key for them will be the health of Tanner Burns. If he’s 100 percent, they have a chance to make a run.

I’ve been saying for a while now that I think Louisville is a top three team talent-wise, but they haven’t played consistent enough throughout the season.

Well, they seem to be clicking right now after outscoring East Carolina 26-1 in the Super Regionals. Reid Detmers can shut any lineup down, and that offense can explode in any game as we saw last weekend.

The Bulldogs dominated Stanford in a hostile environment at home outscoring them 14-3. Ethan Small (1.76/102.0/168K) has been one of the best pitcher’s in the country this year and was the SEC Pitcher of the Year.

Like Auburn with Tanner Burns, Mississippi State success in this tournament could depend on the health of freshman JT Ginn (3.36/80.1/103K). Ginn and Small, when healthy, form maybe the best one-two punch in the country.

And then, of course, the Mississippi State lineup is led by do-it-all center fielder Jake Mangum. He’s the heartbeat of this team and they’ll go as far as he goes.

And then there is the top seed left in this tournament in the Vanderbilt Commodores. There are a lot of powerful lineups in this College World Series field, but Vanderbilt tops them all averaging 8.5 runs per game.

Golden Spikes finalist JJ Bleday leads the lineup hitting .350 with 26 home runs and 69 RBI. But this lineup is stacked one through nine.

There is plenty of talent in the pitching staff, but they have been up-and-down all season. That was never clearer than when Kumar Rocker pitched a no-hitter against Duke in the Super Regionals.

 

Bracket 1 Predictions: 

I would not be surprised if Michigan upsets Texas Tech in the first game of the College World Series. But this is Arkansas’ bracket to lose.

The Razorbacks got a very good draw with two teams that are Cinderella stories in their bracket. And Texas Tech has never played well in Omaha.

I’m kind of leaning towards this bracket coming down to Michigan and Arkansas.

Winner: Arkansas 

 

Bracket 2 Predictions: 

This bracket is loaded and should be a lot of fun with three teams that have not only a legitimate chance of winning this bracket, but winning it all.

Obviously, Vanderbilt will be the favorite. But if they don’t get by Detmers in that first game we could see chaos ensue.

Auburn beat Ethan Small and Mississippi State earlier this season with a healthy Tanner Burns on the mound for the Tigers. That will be a very interesting matchup.

I think this bracket comes down to Vanderbilt and Mississippi State as they both are deep in pitching and offense.

Winner: Vanderbilt 

 

College World Series

At the beginning of the NCAA Tournament, I picked Vanderbilt over Arkansas in the College World Series, so I’m going to stick with that prediction. It’s easy to pick the favorite when they possess the lineup and talent that Vanderbilt has.

They’ve lost back-to-back games twice all year, and those were both in series losses on the road (Texas A&M and Georgia). The Commodores have the depth to lose a game in this tournament and remain in good shape.

But they also have the talent to just blow through this thing and win it all — that’s what makes them such an easy pick.

However, this is baseball, and sometimes great offensive teams can’t duplicate that success at Omaha. We’ll see how it plays out, but I like the Commodores.

Winner: Vanderbilt