We're taking a look back and a look ahead at college baseball teams from around the country. Next up are the Sacramento State Hornets! If you don't know the Sacramento State Hornets, you should. They are one of the most consistent teams on the West Coast, and 2020 is setting up to be another good year for the Hornets. A Look Back at 2019 For Sacramento State, 2019 was a year that won’t soon be forgotten. With marquee wins throughout the year including on the road at UCLA, blanking California, 6-0, and a 21 run offensive explosion at California Baptist, a quiet end to the year could have been enough for some teams. However, the Hornets had other plans in store and wrote one of the most memorable and thrilling chapters of the 2019 college baseball season. After losing first round of the WAC Tournament to Utah Valley, Sacramento State was just one loss away from ending their season. Six games and four days later, and the Hornets would be WAC Champions. Scoring five runs in the top of the ninth, Sacramento State staved off elimination by first taking down CSU Bakersfield, 7-3. The next day the Hornets would win two more elimination games, defeating UTRGV, 6-2, and coming from behind to take out Utah Valley, 6-4, avenging their loss from earlier in the tournament. Saturday brought more heroics for the Hornets as Sacramento State eliminated New Mexico State, 6-4, in ten innings. This earned them the right to play once more that day. In an intense 11 inning affair, Sacramento State walked off Grand Canyon, 4-3, to set up a winner-take-all final on Sunday. In the Hornets’ second straight one-run game, they defeated Grand Canyon 5-4 and won the WAC Championship. Adding to their historic run, Sacramento State managed to eliminate every other team in the tournament on their way to winning the Championship. The miraculous WAC Championship for Sacramento State earned them a spot in the Stanford Regional. After dropping their first game to the host, Stanford, Sacramento State earned their second NCAA Tournament win in program history by defeating UC Santa Barbara. Impressively, the win secured a 40-win season for the Hornets in what was one of the most memorable seasons ever for Sacramento State. Sacramento State had three players selected in the MLB Draft including Austin Roberts (8th round), Tanner Dalton (17th round), and Parker Brahms (27th round). All three were pitchers from the Hornets' excellent 2019 pitching staff which put up a 3.88 team ERA. Brahms elected to return and will be a key part of the 2020 pitching staff. A Look Ahead at 2020 The Hornets will open 2020 with a marquee matchup against UC Santa Barbara in what promises to be one of the best Opening Weekend series. This rematch from the 2019 Stanford Regional will set the tone early for the Hornets. After starting the season off with ten straight home games, the Hornets will be on the road for the next 12 games, including non-conference series against UC Irvine and Nevada and a WAC series at New Mexico State where the Hornets will go up against phenom, Nick Gonzales. Late March and early April will bring exciting midweeks against Stanford, St Mary’s, and Cal along with WAC series against CSU Bakersfield, Chicago State, and UTRGV. Upstart California Baptist will come to town in late April in what will likely be a great conference series. May will offer series with Northern Colorado, Grand Canyon, and Utah Valley along with a midweek game against Arizona before the Hornets will travel to Mesa, Arizona for the WAC Tournament. John’s (@johnny_omaha_) 2020 Prediction: The Hornets will compete for the WAC Championship. As of right now, the path to a Regional is fairly narrow in the WAC. The Hornets schedule shapes up so that it would be possible to earn an at-large bid, but the only sure way into a Regional will be winning the WAC Tournament. The good news for Sacramento State is that they should once again finish near the top of the WAC. The Hornets return RHP Scott Randall who threw 93.2 innings and put up a 2.59 ERA in 2019, but Sacramento State did lose two important arms to the draft. With a guy like Randall, no team would want to see Sacramento State in their Regional. Read all of our 2020 team previews here! Thanks for reading! Want to submit a fan perspective for your team? Message us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or email us at collegeballnat@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

We're taking a look back and a look ahead at college baseball teams from around the country. Next up are the Texas A&M Aggies! Texas A&M's 2019 season was up-and-down, but they proved to be competitive in arguably the toughest division in baseball, the SEC West. A Look Back at 2019 Texas A&M had an up-and-down 2019 season, culminating in a dream-like walk-off win over Regional host, West Virginia and a disappointing loss to Regional Champ, Duke, who lost to NCAA Champion, Vanderbilt in Nashville. A&M finished 39-23-1 (16-13-1 in SEC play), and was ranked as high as 9th in the College Baseball Nation Composite Top 25. Aggie pitching, coached by Rob Childress, who will be going into his 13th year as head coach in College Station, had a stellar year in 2019. The staff finished with a 3.21 ERA, which was good for 3rd in the NCAA and 1st in the conference, as well as a 1.21 WHIP (2nd SEC) and 10.91 K/9 (1st SEC). While the offense did not have a great season, to put it lightly, there are positive signs for the future as A&M hired Southern Miss hitting coach Chad Caillet in the offseason. Four Aggies were drafted in the 2019 MLB Draft, including Braden Shewmake (1st round), John Doxakis, (2nd round), and Kasey Kalich (4th round). A Look Ahead at 2020 Even though Texas A&M lost Friday starter, John Doxakis, they will look to reload with another dominant lefty, Asa Lacy. They will also return starter Jonathan Childress (no relation to the head coach), who underwent Tommy John surgery last year. Continuing their rotation with the beginning of season tournaments, the Aggies will return to the Frisco College Classic after going 3-0 in the 2019 Shriners College Classic. Their foes in the tournament will be Illinois, Oklahoma State, and UCLA. (Check out the full list of 2020 College Baseball Tournaments) In midweek games, the Aggies will also play several in-state teams, including Rice, Texas, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Aggies initially had a trip to Cal State Fullerton planned for their marquee non-conference matchup; however, a scheduling conflict saw Cal State Fullerton replaced by New Mexico State. Though both Texas A&M and New Mexico State are Aggies, the two teams could not have been more different last year. New Mexico State led the country in scoring (11.1 runs/game), while Texas A&M was third in the country in runs given up (3.7 runs/game). The SEC conference schedule is a gauntlet, as always, and A&M starts off playing at Auburn and home against Ole Miss, a 2019 CWS team and a Super Regional team, respectively. Then, after visiting the always-tough Florida, April’s schedule starts by hosting Georgia, who was a Regional host, and Dallas Baptist; next, the Aggies visit Arkansas, who is coming off back-to-back Omaha appearances. The next key stretch for the Aggies comes just two weeks later when they visit the New Dude to play Mississippi State and then head home to face LSU. With the talent of the SEC West, these series will likely be pivotal in deciding the winner of the division and conference. Kyle's (@kylemckelv) 2020 Prediction: The Aggies will make a Super Regional. Texas A&M's pitching in 2019 was elite, but the offense left something to be desired. They return the dominant lefty Asa Lacy to figures to be the Friday night starter. When they get Jonathan Childress back, their rotation will be solidified with three solid starters, including Christian Roa, from last year. Aggie pitching returns players who accounted for 72% of the innings pitched from last season, and with Rob Childress' track record of developing pitching talent, I believe they will be about as good as last year on the mound. We'll see how the offense comes around with new hitting coach, Chad Caillet, but since talented pitching depth helps teams advance in the post season, I'm optimistic about their chances. John’s (@johnny_omaha_) 2020 Prediction: The Aggies will return to a Regional. For the Aggies, their offense is a liability until proven otherwise. Perhaps Caillet can turn things around for Texas A&M, but if the 2019 Aggies taught us anything, you can’t solely rely upon pitching to advance in the NCAA Tournament. That being said, Asa Lacy should be one of the top arms in the country, and the Aggies will likely continue their streak of 13 straight Regionals. As of now, I would project them as a two seed in a Regional. Read all of our 2020 team previews here! Thanks for reading! Want to submit a fan perspective for your team? Message us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or email us at collegeballnat@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

We're taking a look back and a look ahead at college baseball teams from around the country. Next up are the Duke Blue Devils! “I’ve said ever since I’ve got here, and I feel even more strongly about it now than I did then. For us, getting to the College World Series is not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.” -Duke Baseball Head Coach Chris Pollard A Look Back at 2019 From 1962 to 2015, Duke suffered from an NCAA Tournament appearance drought. In 2013 Pollard took over as head coach and quickly changed the direction of the program. After returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2016 for the first time in over five decades and earning a Super Regional appearance in 2018, the Blue Devils entered 2019 looking to ride that momentum back to the postseason. A 35-27 (15-15) record earned the Blue Devils the three seed in the Morgantown Regional. Duke swept through the Regional in convincing fashion, defeating Texas A&M twice and blanking host, West Virginia, en route to the Super Regional where they matched up with Vanderbilt. After dominating game one of the series, Duke ran up against Vanderbilt phenom, P Kumar Rocker, in game two and would go on to lose the series in three games. In spite of this, 2019 was a successful for the Blue Devils who have officially returned to national relevance for the first time since the 1960s. On top of their team successes, Duke also saw individual success with SS Ethan Murray who was tabbed as a Freshman All-American by several sources. Murray led the Blue Devils in on-base percentage (.391) and was second on the team in several other offensive categories including batting average (.305), RBI (40), and runs (48). A Look Ahead at 2020 Expectations are high in Durham as the team returns most of its corps from a year ago. With seven of the nine players from Duke’s starting lineup and 72% of innings pitched returning, Duke will be bringing back a squad with talent and experience. Pollard is especially excited for the return of P Bryce Jarvis: “[He] looks like a bona fide Friday night stud. Candidly, he looks like a first rounder.” The Blue Devils will kick off the year on an eight-game homestand (including weekend series against Army and Cornell) before heading to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Duke will then return home for a ten-game homestand and the start of ACC play. The Blue Devils will be tested early as they face off against Florida State and North Carolina. Wins in these series could set the tone for an extremely successful 2020 campaign. April will offer Duke its longest road stretch of the season (seven straight games) when the Blue Devils will take on NC State, ECU, and Virginia Tech. Duke also finishes the season on the road for seven of its last eight games, which could prove crucial in determining NCAA Tournament seeding. John’s (@johnny_omaha_) 2020 Prediction: Duke will make a Super Regional and is a legitimate contender for Omaha. The pieces are there for Duke in 2020. The team is returning most of their key contributors including three of their four starting pitchers from last year and their most important bullpen guys. Duke went 4-2 in the NCAA Tournament last year, beating several ranked teams (West Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M x2), and the Blue Devils were just one game away from Omaha. Pollard has his team trending in the right direction, and I expect them to have a legitimate shot at hosting a Regional and advancing deep in the NCAA Tournament. Read all of our 2020 team previews here! Thanks for reading! Want to submit a fan perspective for your team? Message us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or email us at collegeballnat@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

We're taking a look back and a look ahead at college baseball teams from around the country. Up first are the Ole Miss Rebels! A Look Back at 2019 Competing in the always challenging SEC West, Ole Miss battled through conference play on the way to a successful season in 2019. The Rebels’ 41-27 record, highlighted by a 16-14 record in conference play, paired with a run to the SEC Championship Game propelled the Rebels to a top 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Ole Miss swept the Oxford Regional in dominant fashion, outscoring their opponents 41-7 on route to a Super Regional appearance. Ole Miss was stopped short of Omaha after splitting the Super Regional with Arkansas before ultimately losing the rubber game. Ole Miss and Arkansas played eight times in 2019, splitting the season series 4-4. In spite of the series loss, the Rebels' return to a Super Regional marked the sixth time they have done so in the past 15 years. The Rebels sent several players onto the next level, including three players who were drafted within the first five rounds of the MLB draft. Grae Kessinger highlighted the draft class for the Rebels and was selected 68th overall. Kessinger also earned the Brooks Wallace Award given to the nation’s best shortstop. A Look Ahead at 2020 Despite losing some key pieces from their 2019 team, Ole Miss may actually increase their talent level in 2020. The Rebels bring in the second-ranked recruiting class in the country and will hope to find some immediate contributors in the group. The Rebels open up their 2020 schedule with a visit from 2019 College World Series participant, Louisville, in what will be one of the best series of Opening Weekend. Their non-conference slate also includes two midweeks against Southern Miss and a chance to take on ECU and Indiana at the Keith LeClair Classic. In conference play, Ole Miss plays all six other SEC West teams and draws Vanderbilt, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina from the East. Once again, Ole Miss plays one of the toughest schedules in the country. John’s (@johnny_omaha_) 2020 Prediction: The Rebels will return to a Super Regional. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Rebels in Omaha, but they need to find a third starter. The Rebels have to replace Will Ethridge, their Friday night guy from 2019. Sophomore Doug Nikhazy will look to fill that role. He held a 3.31 ERA last year which earned him Freshman All-American status. Gunnar Hoglund, the Rebels’ Sunday starter from 2019 and a former 1st-round draft pick, will likely step up into the Saturday role. If the Rebels see improvement in Hoglund and nail down a Sunday starter, I expect them to compete in the SEC and potentially be playing deep into the postseason. Kyle's (@kylemckelv) 2020 Prediction: The Rebels will make it to Omaha. I believe their pitching will carry them to a great year. The format of the tournament really benefits those teams with great pitching depth, which I believe they have in 2020. Their average recruiting ranking is 2nd and the pitchers they return accounted for 48% of the appearances last season and 51% of the innings pitched from last season. Returning two starters from last season is quite helpful, but, like John said, they'll need to establish their third starter early in the season. Three incoming players will be candidates for the Sunday role in their rotation, including freshman Derek Diamond and the 6-foot-8 (!) freshman Wes Burton. Read all of our 2020 team previews here! Thanks for reading! Want to submit a fan perspective for your team? Message us on Twitter (@CollegeBallNat) or email us at collegeballnat@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

School has started, and the 2019 recruiting classes are on campus. We compiled recruiting data from three rankings sources to generate the top ten recruiting classes. The usual suspects litter the top ten. Six of the top ten schools hail from the SEC, including the top three classes. The rich get richer as 2019 Champs, Vanderbilt, pulled in the best recruiting class of 2019. Ole Miss looks to continue their upward trajectory after landing the second best recruiting class in the nation. Just behind the Rebels, the Florida Gators come in at number three. The top rated class out of the Big XII hails from TCU. The Horned Frogs look to build off their 2019 return to the NCAA Tournament. Spot number five starts a run of three SEC West schools, beginning with LSU. The 2019 College World Series surprise, Auburn, checks in at number six, while Omaha veteran, Mississippi State, fills the seventh spot in the rankings. Oklahoma State looks to improve on their Super Regional run in 2019 and will do so with the eighth best recruiting class in the country and second best in the conference. The Cowboys should once again be competing at the top of the Big XII. Miami is the only ACC school represented in the top ten, and just behind them, Arizona State is the only Pac 12 team. The Sun Devils hope to bring in some arms to complement their explosive offense. Thanks for reading! We appreciate you stopping by. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

Early season round-robin tournaments have become a key part of teams' non-conference schedules. They provide the opportunity to play a variety of teams at a neutral site which can boost the crucial RPI metric. The recent success of these tournaments has led to their growth over the past few years, including the introduction of the MLB4 Tournament last year and the Round Rock Classic this year. We're compiling a list of all of the early season college baseball tournaments and who is competing in them. Currently we have details for 31 tournaments in 2020. Check back here as teams are announced, and message us if you have any details about the tournaments! Angels College Classic When: February 14th-16th Where: Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Arizona Who: Minnesota, Oregon, Pepperdine, San Diego Atlanta Challenge When: February 14th-16th Where: Russ Chandler Stadium & GSU Baseball Complex in Atlanta, Georgia Who: Cincinnati, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Saint Peter's, St. John's Brittain Resorts Baseball at the Beach When: February 14th-16th Where: Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina Who: Coastal Carolina, San Diego State, UNCG, Virginia Tech MLB4 When: February 14th-16th Where: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona Who: Cal Poly, Michigan, UConn, Vanderbilt Texas Tech Tournament When: February 14th-16th Where: Dan Law Field Lubbock, Texas Who: Houston Baptist, Northern Colorado, Texas Tech USA Baseball Complex Tournament When: February 14th-16th Where: USA Baseball Complex Cary, North Carolina Who: Bucknell, Monmouth, NJIT, Penn State Wake Forest Round Robin I When: February 14th-16th Where: Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Who: Milwaukee, Illinois, Seton Hall, Wake Forest Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic When: February 14th-17th Where: Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona Who: BYU, Gonzaga, New Mexico, Oregon State Snowbird Classic When: February 14th-16th Where: Multiple stadiums in Punta Gorda, Florida Who: Iowa, Kent State, Pittsburgh, Saint Joseph's Alamo Irish Classic When: February 20th-22nd Where: Nelson-Wolff Stadium San Antonio, Texas Who: Incarnate Word, Notre Dame, Toledo, UTSA Kleberg Bank College Classic When: February 20th-23rd Where: Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Texas Who: Kansas State, Missouri, Texas A&M-CC, Utah Brittain Resorts Invitational When: February 21st-24th Where: Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina Who: Coastal Carolina, Kennesaw State, Illinois, St. Joseph's, West Virginia, Western Carolina Campbell Invitational When: February 21st-23rd Where: Jim Perry Stadium, Buies Creek, North Carolina Who: Campbell, Maine, Purdue Villanova Hughes Bros. Challenge When: February 21st-23rd Where: Brooks Field, Wilmington, North Carolina Who: Bowling Green, Butler, Marshall, UNCW Round Rock Classic When: February 21st-23rd Where: Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas Who: Houston, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas Tech South Alabama Invitational When: February 21st-23rd Where: Stanky Field in Mobile, Alabama Who: Indiana, Siena, South Alabama, UT-Martin Stephen F. Austin Tournament When: February 21st-23rd Where: Jaycees Field in Nacogdoches, Texas Who: Stephen F. Austin, UT-Arlington + TBA Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament When: February 21st-23rd Where: Tony Gwynn Stadium in San Diego, California Who: Arizona, Iowa, Nebraska, San Diego, San Diego State, Seattle, Southern Illinois, USC ACC/Big Ten Challenge When: February 28th - March 1st Where: U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota Who: Duke, Iowa, Minnesota, NC State, North Carolina, Purdue Armed Forces Invitational When: February 28th - March 1st Where: Segra Stadium in Fayetteville, North Carolina Who: Air Force, Army, Campbell First Pitch Invitational When: February 28th - March 1st Where: Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina Who: Ball State, Kansas, Michigan State, Western Carolina Florida State Round Robin When: February 28th - March 1st Where: Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida Who: Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Texas Tech Frisco College Baseball Classic When: February 28th - March 1st Where: Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas Who: Illinois, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, UCLA Keith LeClair Classic When: February 28th - March 1st Where: Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina Who: ECU, High Point, Indiana, Ole Miss Shriners College Classic When: February 28th - March 1st Where: Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas Who: Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas Wake Forest Round Robin II When: February 28th - March 1st Where: Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Who: Brown, La Salle, Sacred Heart, Wake Forest Diamond Invitational When: March 6th-8th Where: TBD in Jacksonville, Florida Who: Louisiana, Michigan State, Samford, Troy Jacksonville Round Robin When: March 6th-8th Where: TBD in Jacksonville, Florida Who: Illinois State + 3 teams TBA Snowbird Classic II When: March 6th-8th Where: Multiple stadiums in Punta Gorda, Florida Who: Army, Georgetown, Iowa, Western Michigan Southern California College Baseball Classic When: March 6th-8th Where: Jackie Robinson Stadium and Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles, California Who: TCU, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt Nuxhall Classic When: April 14th-15th Where: Oxford, Ohio Who: Cincinnati, Miami (OH), Wright State, Xavier Thanks for reading! Excited for the 2020 season? So are we! Read our 2020 team previews here! Want to talk college baseball? Join the conversation on our forums! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

Over the past decade, the SEC and ACC have been the frontrunners in college baseball. The two conferences have combined for 159 NCAA Regional appearances in the last ten years, and the SEC is riding back-t0-back seasons with ten postseason teams. In just the past five years, the SEC and ACC boast three National Champions (Florida and Vanderbilt from the SEC; Virginia from the ACC). Six of this year's College World Series participants were from the SEC and ACC (Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Mississippi St, and Auburn from the SEC; Louisville and Florida State from the ACC). The modern landscape of college baseball has been strongly shaped by the ACC and SEC. In terms of progress, the Big Ten and American Conference are leagues on the rise. Changes to the RPI calculation which now helps benefit cold weather schools who must travel for the first several weeks of the season have boosted representation from the Big Ten. Between 2010 and 2014, the Big Ten averaged 1.6 Regional teams per year. The next following five years saw that average increase to 4.4 teams per year. After the American Conference spent its first season in NCAA Baseball as a single-bid league, the AAC has sent multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament every year since. The American has quickly established itself as one of the elite college baseball conferences. The Big XII and Pac 12 have both been models of consistency over the past decade. The Big XII's performance is particularly noteworthy, as they currently only have nine schools that field a baseball team. The college baseball landscape continues to change as more schools invest in their facilities and teams. The traditional powerhouses in college baseball are seeing more and more challengers from the mid-major ranks. Thanks for reading! We appreciate you stopping by. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

Another college baseball season has come to pass, and Vanderbilt is once again on top of the college baseball world. Congrats to the Commodores on their National Championship and unanimous #1 ranking in the final Composite Top 25 of the season! The other seven College World Series participants fill spots 2-9 in the rankings. #8 UCLA stays in the top ten despite losing in the Super Regional to #2 Michigan. The Bruins entered the NCAA Tournament as the number one overall seed. #12 ECU, from the American Athletic Conference, represents the first team outside of the Power 5 conferences. #22 UCSB and #24 Creighton also earned a spot in the top 25. The final rankings feature eight SEC teams, seven ACC teams, three Big XII teams, three Pac 12 teams, and one team from each of the Big Ten, American, Big West, and Big East. Thanks for reading! We appreciate you stopping by. Want to chat college baseball? Head over to our forum. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans! #rankings

“We gave it our all. That is all you can ask.” -Quinnipiac Head Coach, John Delaney After walking off Fairfield on a 13th-inning wild pitch in the MAAC Tournament Championship Game, the Quinnipiac Bobcats earned their second NCAA Tournament bid in program history. For the northeastern university, the extra-inning victory tied a program record for wins (29) and marked possibly the most successful result in program history. The Bobcats earned their dogpile and their spot in the conference history books. An unceremonious exit in the NCAA Tournament would not have been surprising (and was even expected by outsiders), but this team had a habit of exceeding expectations. Selection Monday informed Quinnipiac that they would be traveling 600 miles south to Greenville, North Carolina—setting up a first-round match up with ECU. The Pirates were the #10 overall national seed and a formidable opponent. ECU had only lost one series all year, a road series against #1 UCLA. On top of that, the Pirates are famous for their passionate fanbase, and Quinnipiac knew that winning on the road would be a stiff challenge. However, the Bobcats spent their first 18 games of the year away from home and came into Greenville as veteran road warriors. The Greenville Regional was a rain-soaked affair. Halfway through the second day of play, only one game had been completed. Bad weather pushed back the start time of Quinnipiac versus ECU, and the Bobcats and Pirates would not start their NCAA Tournament runs until Saturday evening. Each team scored two runs in the first inning, and the game was off to a quick start. Quinnipiac tacked on another run in the top of the 2nd inning, and held a lead until ECU tied the game at 3-3 in the 4th inning. The game would stay that way for two innings. In the top of the 7th inning, senior Liam Scafariello came to the plate with graduate student Anthony Cruz on first base. With one swing of the bat, Scafariello put the Bobcats up 5-3. ECU did not fade quietly into the night. A run in the bottom of the 8th brought the Pirates within one and invigorated the ECU faithful. In the bottom of the 9th, the Pirates had the tying run at second base. Junior Colin Donnelly was two innings deep in relief and was one out away from his first save of the year and a Bobcat victory. A ground ball to second baseman, junior Dylan Lutz, ended the game and clinched history for Quinnipiac. “It’s a team effort that put us in this situation,” said Quinnipiac Head Coach, John Delaney. All nine batters earned a hit for Quinnipiac in a historic win for the Bobcats. Quinnipiac would go on to lose a hard-fought 9-8 game to Campbell in the winner’s bracket before ultimately dropping a rematch against ECU. This does not take away from what the Bobcats accomplished. 2019 was a year of firsts for Quinnipiac Baseball. This year’s squad was the first team to win 30 games in program history. The 2019 team earned the first NCAA Tournament win in program history and did so by winning at one of the most challenging places to win. When Delaney says his team gave it their all, it is easy to believe him. Quinnipiac Baseball will never be the same because of this year’s team. Thanks for reading! We appreciate you stopping by. Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patron. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

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Michigan started their postseason as one of the "Last Four In" and they got put into the Regional hosted by previous national champion, Oregon State, not to mention the two-seed and Big East champion, Creighton. Their path out of this Regional looked difficult to say the least. The Big Ten has not been known for its baseball lately. The last championship won by a Big Ten team was in 1966 by Ohio State. In fact, there have only been two Big Ten teams to make a College World Series appearance in the last 35 years, Indiana in 2013 and Michigan in 1984. No one would’ve been surprised if Michigan or their conference mates didn’t turn any heads in this postseason. Michigan turned some heads to say the least. They had a wild run through their Regional that included stellar pitching match-ups, plenty of offense, and heroics. Being in the postseason, every team should expect a tough opponent at every turn. According to the committee, none were tougher than #1 overall seed, UCLA, which was to be Michigan’s opponent in the Los Angeles Super Regional. The Maize and Blue faithful traveled in droves to Los Angeles to watch their team take on the Bruins. You could excuse some of the fans if they had a we’re-just-happy-to-be-here attitude because their opponent was one of the best teams in the country. However, the players and Coach Erik Bakich weren’t thinking that. In a press conference before the series began, Bakich said, “You can put our rotation up with a lot of people in the country and feel pretty good about it.” Michigan was one of just nine teams to beat UCLA this season, while the latter didn’t lose a single midweek game or a weekend series. Many people thought this would be an easy series for UCLA. The number one overall seed against a three seed and one of the “Last Four In” sounded like a no-brainer. Both teams were prepared for a pitchers’ duel as UCLA started the Texas Rangers’ second-round draft pick, Ryan Garcia, who was 10-1 and sported a 1.44 ERA on the season. Karl Kauffmann (10-6, 2.62 ERA) started the first game for Michigan in game one of the Super Regional and dominated until the bottom of the 9th. Things got a bit hairy for Michigan in that frame when UCLA had the tying run on 3rd base and the winning run on first. Michigan fans everywhere were finally able to exhale when Jeff Criswell struck out Jack Stronach. In game two, Michigan surprisingly only allowed five runs despite committing five errors, one of which led to the run that put UCLA ahead in the top of the 9th. The Bruins ultimately triumphed in the 12th inning, but one thing that neutral fans learned watching this game is that Michigan is never out of a game thanks to their pitching. Game three was a back-and-forth affair and it never seemed like one team was in control. Michigan went up for good on a Jordan Nwogu two-RBI single in the top of the 5th inning. The dream was still alive for the Wolverines. They would add to their lead on a sacrifice fly by Joe Donovan that brought in Christian Bullock, who led off the inning with an all-important triple. Bullock went 2 for 3 on the day with a double in the 2nd inning. Trying to prove their worthiness as the #1 seed, UCLA wasn’t going to go quietly. They had runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. Benjamin Keizer forced a ground-out to shut down the Bruins for the two-inning save and sealed the shocking upset over UCLA to send the team to Omaha for the 8th time in program history. Michigan eventually made it to the championship series in Omaha to cap off a brilliant season that many didn't see coming, but none of that would’ve been possible without the thrilling upset of the #1 team in the country. Head over to our forums to discuss this and more! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patreon supporter. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!

After taking out Stanford in the Starkville Super Regional, Mississippi State found themselves in Omaha for the second consecutive year. Their opening bout in the College World Series was an intra-divisional matchup with Auburn, a team they had already beaten in a weekend series. Many saw Auburn as a team a few years ahead of schedule and not an immediate threat to the Bulldogs, but the Tigers would prove to be a difficult out. Four Auburn pitchers combined to hold Mississippi State to one run over eight innings and in the process, stranded 11 Bulldogs runners. With some timely hitting, Auburn scraped across four runs on only six hits and held a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. Then the magic happened. The bottom of the 9th started off with a double from Mr. Reliable, Jake Mangum. Tanner Burns entered the game to pitch for Auburn and immediately earned a strikeout. However, a walk of Tanner Allen set up an RBI double for Elijah MacNamee to put the Bulldogs within two runs and only one out. An RBI ground out for Justin Foscue cut Auburn’s lead to 4-3, but also brought Mississippi State down to their final out. Dustin Skelton grounded a ball to left side, and victory looked certain for Auburn. But some Starkville magic seeped into TD Ameritrade, and the throw to first base was wild. The game was tied. Two batters later, and the bases were loaded for Marshall Gilbert, who was 0-4 on the day. Here’s what happened. Head over to our forums to discuss this game and more! Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content! If you like what you are seeing from us and want to support us, consider becoming a Patreon supporter. We depend upon the support of our amazing fans!