1 Oregon State
2 Creighton
3 Michigan
4 Cincinnati
The defending national champion is hosting a Regional for the third straight year, and it’s impossible to start with anyone but Adley Rutschman (.419/17/57), who has 73 walks to 37 strikeouts. But the Beavers’ bats went a little cold down the stretch, when they went just 5-8. The pitching is deep as always, and boasts a 2.98 ERA and 505 Ks in 504 IP. Creighton has its own star hitter in Jake Holton (.405/14/56), and Will Robertson added 13 homers and 62 RBI. Michigan has some big arms – Tommy Henry leads the way with nine wins and 104 Ks in 92.1 IP, and fellow starters Jeff Criswell (6-1, 2.76) and Karl Kauffmann (8-6, 2.86) can deal as well. It’s been 45 years since Cincinnati has played in the NCAA Tournament, and the Bearcats present a dangerous No. 4 after rolling through the American tourney – it’s a gritty squad that has found ways to win. AJ Bumpass had a huge tourney, and he and others will need to swing it to compensate for the team’s 5.47 ERA.
Sean – The Midwest invades Corvallis for what should include some low-scoring affairs. Oregon State evades Michigan in the end.
Phil: Creighton pushes OSU to the limit, but Adley Rutschman and the Beavers do enough to advance.