Stanford Regional
1 Stanford
2 UCSB
3 Fresno State
4 Sacramento State
Whoa, what a Regional. Stanford is the No. 1 seed but drew what amounts to two 2-seeds, including one of the top 2-seeds in UCSB. It’s not often that you see a pair of Cardinal with the power numbers of Andrew Daschbach (.310/16/44) and Brandon Wulff (.264/17/38). They support the likes of Erik Miller (7-2, 2.91) and midweek starter Alex Williams (7-1, 2.48, 0.98 WHIP). UCSB appeared to be headed for a Regional host before dropping two of three the final weekend. The Gauchos are good and rely on a trio of lefties – Ben Brecht, Jake Dashwood and Rodney Boone – who have combined to go 27-3. Armani Smith (16 2B, 11 HR) and Eric Yang (.383/7/45) are key to the offense. Fresno State, 23-6 in road/neutral games, have a pure hitter in Zach Ashford (.386/4/21 and only 17 Ks in 197 AB) and a power threat in McCarthy Tatum (.353/12/71). Sacramento State only hits .235 as a team, but the Hornets get quality innings from Scott Randall (8-1, 2.50) and a deep staff that has a 3.69 ERA.
Sean – A really tough draw for the top-seed. Stanford slips past UCSB when it’s all over.
Phil: In this strong California regional, Thomas Rowan, Armani Smith and UCSB outlast Fresno State on Stanford’s field to advance.