The wait is over college baseball fans, a new season is upon us. This weekend the Division I baseball season gets underway and it should be another fun ride.
Last year we saw the always dangerous Vanderbilt Commodores led by Tim Corbin take home their second College World Series title in six seasons.
Vanderbilt is certainly one of the favorites again with perhaps the best starting rotation in the country that includes Mason Hickman, Kumar Rocker, and Jake Eder.
They also might have the first overall draft pick in the upcoming MLB Draft in their lineup with Austin Martin.
But they have plenty of competition at the top, including Louisville who has a strong rotation of their own headlined by Reid Detmers and just about everyone coming back to their lineup.
Arizona State is hoping to return to glory in 2020 as their led by Golden Spikes finalist Spencer Torkelson and his 23 home runs from a season ago. Torkelson also ranked number one in our preseason Top 100 Players rankings.
The Hurricanes youth movement is finally over and they are also looking to get back to Omaha.
Those two bluebloods have combined for 47 College World Series appearances and we could see both get their again in 2020.
The ACC and SEC are stacked with a host of teams who have the talent to make a run at Omaha. There are realistically as many as 10 teams in each league who could make the NCAA Tournament.
But don’t forget about the Pac-12 where UCLA has a deep pitching staff and one of the best hitters in the country in outfielder Garrett Mitchell.
Stanford is also in the mix, and we already mentioned Arizona State.
And you know there will be a mid-major team or two who rises up to compete with the big boys this Spring.
That’s what is so great about this game and the sport of baseball. The cream will always rise to the top, and sometimes it’s completely unexpected.
Who will it be in 2020?
College World Series predictions:
- Vanderbilt
- Louisville
- Miami
- Mississippi State
- Arkansas
- UCLA
- Florida State
- Georgia
Winner: Vanderbilt
Last year Vanderbilt did it mostly with their potent offense, this year they do it with their dominant pitching staff.
The season gets underway this weekend. Make sure you check back with College Baseball Daily throughout the season for news, pictures, and articles. And also make sure you follow myself (@ShortStopBall) on Twitter as I’ll be going to games throughout the Southeast all Spring.
