1 UCLA
2 Baylor
3 Loyola Marymount
4 Omaha
UCLA has won 10 in a row and is 27-4 at home. And the Bruins happen to be the No. 1 overall see in the tourney. In other words, they are going to be tough to beat, in large part because of a pitching staff that boasts a nation’s best 2.59 ERA and limits hitters to a .192 average. Ryan Garcia (9-0, 1.42, 101 K in 76.1 IP) and Jack Ralston (11-0, 2.43) start it, and Holden Powell (3-3, 16 SV, 2.03 ERA) closes it. Baylor is a balanced club that uses a lot of arms (only one pitcher exceeds 70 IP) and relies on Davis Wendzel (.377/8/39) and Cole Haring (.333/10/41). Trevin Esquerro offsets a lot of strikeouts (62) with a .335 average and plenty of pop: 18 doubles, 16 homers and 57 RBI for Loyola Marymount. What are the odds Omaha, making its first NCAA appearance, reaches Omaha? Pretty darned good whether they win or lose! And the odds aren’t bad to pull an upset when Payton Kinney (11-1, 1.65, 103 K in 109 IP) is on the mound.
Sean – UCLA has been one of the best two or three teams in the country all season. The Bruins could get a scare if they face Kinney, but they will move on.
Phil: Michael Toglia and UCLA look methodical in rolling through their regional.