(photo by Craig Jackson, @leftfieldlounge)
The college baseball season finally is here. Opening Day is our 18th birthday, as CBI went live on February 14, 2002. Here are some of the things we’ll be watching this weekend to kick off our 19th season of covering college baseball.
Nice to See You Again
Defending champion Vanderbilt and runner-up Michigan meet to open their 2020 seasons at the MLB4 Tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Commodores, along with Louisville, are the two favorites entering the season to take home the national title. The Wolverines are expected to be strong again. Cal Poly and Connecticut round out the field in the weekend tourney.
A Doozy in Oxford
Speaking of Louisville, the Cardinals open the season with a trip to Ole Miss. The Cardinals won two close games at home against the Rebels last year.
Another Tourney to Watch
The Angels College Classic in Tempe, Ariz., pits Pepperdine, San Diego, Minnesota and Oregon against each other.
Texas Twofer
Old rivals Nebraska and Baylor will meet in Waco, while Texas and Rice will get together.
Nice to See You Again, Take 2
Cal State Fullerton is looking to rebound in 2020 and once again will open its season against Stanford, which has eyes on Omaha.
Elsewhere…
- Two teams from Virginia will look to turn some heads as James Madison, picked third in the CAA, gets a weekend shot at NC State. And Liberty will travel to Clemson for a weekend set.
- Other matchups of note: Oklahoma/Virginia (Pensacola, Fla.); Indiana/LSU; Seton Hall/Wake Forest; California/Long Beach State; UC Irvine/Fresno State.
- Lots of coaches will be leading new teams over the weekend. We’re interested to see how a pretty veteran Rutgers and new coach Steve Owens fare against a loaded Miami squad. To name a few others…former Beaver Mitch Canham takes over at Oregon State. Former Shocker Eric Wedge takes over at Wichita State. Matt Deggs is the new man at Louisiana. Link Jarrett will lead Notre Dame. And Mike Martin Jr. replaces his father, the legendary Mike Martin, at Florida State.
- CBI also passes along its condolences and prayers to Towson coach Matt Tyner, whose wife Laura passed away this week. Miles Miller will fill Tyner’s shoes as head coach while he is on temporary leave.