1 Mississippi State
2 Miami
3 Central Michigan
4 Southern
The New Dude is going to be rocking. Ethan Small (8-2, 1.80, 150 K in 90 IP) and JT Ginn (8-4, 3.49, 100 K in 77.1 IP) have been electric, and what can you say about Jake Mangum, the SEC’s all-time hits leader? How about, the Bulldogs have a lot of bite? Miami features a balanced lineup led by JP Gates (.346/4/30) and Adrian Del Castillo (.329/9/65), and watch out for instant pop from Alex Toral (.286/22/59). Central Michigan may be the sneakiest team in the field with an overall record of 46-12, including 20-8 on the road and 11-2 in neutral sites. The Chippewas 31 away-from-home wins is nearly double to some power schools’ total road games. Ian Leatherman (10-1, 2.56) and Cameron Brown (10-0, 2.72) give CMU a pair of 10-game winners and countless quality starts. Southern is back in the field for the first time since 2009. One to watch is Tyler LaPorte, who was Co-Player of the Year in the SWAC.
Sean – CMU has had an incredible year, and I’m intrigued to see how it matches up. Ultimately, though, Mississippi State is the last one standing.
Phil: Jake Mangum, Ethan Small and Mississippi State hold off Miami and Central Michigan to earn another home weekend.