1. Texas
2. Cal State Fullerton
3. LSU
4. North Carolina
5. Arizona State
6. UC Irvine
7. Oklahoma
8. Florida
Certainly didn't see #7-8 coming.
OXFORD
1. Ole Miss
4. Monmouth
2. Missouri
3. Western Kentucky
Paired with
IRVINE
1. UC Irvine
4. Fresno State
2. Virginia
3. San Diego State
Irvine regional is about the roughest out there. Rebs will be traveling out west and will have their work cut out for them.
Ole Miss paired with #6 UC Irvine
Moderators: oxfordrebel, Rebel Security
-
Redbluedude
- Rebel Starter
- Posts: 1222
- Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:16 pm
- Location: Memphis, TN
Irvine is in a pretty tough Regional and maybe one of the Top 8 to be upset in their own Regional. If we win our Regional that would put us as the Super Reg. Host. That would be nice.
Gotta win ours first.
Gotta win ours first.
Nutt calls the formation the Wild Rebel. Which sure beats the heck out of Orgeron's Wild Boys.
----Calkins
----Calkins
Agreed, the Irvine regional is brutal any of the four could win.Redbluedude wrote:Irvine is in a pretty tough Regional and maybe one of the Top 8 to be upset in their own Regional. If we win our Regional that would put us as the Super Reg. Host. That would be nice.
Gotta win ours first.
I like our matchups, but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see WKU down Mizzou in the first game.
All in all I am pretty happy with the draw, we have definetly have had worse!
Randy
For those interested in the full field:
********************
AUSTIN
1. Texas
4. Army
2. Boston College
3. Texas State
vs.
FORT WORTH
1. TCU
4. Wright State
2. Texas A&M
3. Oregon State
********************
ATLANTA
1. Ga Tech
4. Georgia State
3. Southern Miss
2. Elon
vs.
GAINESVILLE
1. Florida
4. BCC
2. Miami (FL)
3. Jacksonville
*******************
TEMPE
1. Arizona State
4. Kent State
2. Oral Roberts
3. Cal Poly
vs.
CLEMSON
1. Clemson
4. Tennessee Tech
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma State
********************
GREENVILLE--
1. East Carolina
4. Binghamton
2. South Carolina
3. George Mason
vs.
CHAPEL HILL
1.North Carolina
4. Dartmouth
2. Coastal Carolina
3. Kansas
*********************
FULLERTON
1. CS Fullerton
4. Utah
2. Georgia Southern
3. Gonzaga
vs.
LOUISVILLE
1. Louisville
4. Indiana
2. Middle Tennessee State
3. Vanderbilt
************************
TALLAHASSEE
1. Florida State
4. Marist
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
vs.
NORMAN
1. Oklahoma
4. Wichita State
2. Arkansas
3. Washington State
**********************
IRVINE
1. UC Irvine
4. Fresno State
2. Virginia
3. San Diego State
vs.
OXFORD
1. Ole Miss
4. Monmouth
2. Missouri
3. Western Kentucky
*********************
HOUSTON
1. Rice
4. Sam Houston State
2. Kansas State
3. Xavier
vs.
BATON ROUGE
1. LSU
4. Southern
2. Minnesota
3. Baylor
*********************
********************
AUSTIN
1. Texas
4. Army
2. Boston College
3. Texas State
vs.
FORT WORTH
1. TCU
4. Wright State
2. Texas A&M
3. Oregon State
********************
ATLANTA
1. Ga Tech
4. Georgia State
3. Southern Miss
2. Elon
vs.
GAINESVILLE
1. Florida
4. BCC
2. Miami (FL)
3. Jacksonville
*******************
TEMPE
1. Arizona State
4. Kent State
2. Oral Roberts
3. Cal Poly
vs.
CLEMSON
1. Clemson
4. Tennessee Tech
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma State
********************
GREENVILLE--
1. East Carolina
4. Binghamton
2. South Carolina
3. George Mason
vs.
CHAPEL HILL
1.North Carolina
4. Dartmouth
2. Coastal Carolina
3. Kansas
*********************
FULLERTON
1. CS Fullerton
4. Utah
2. Georgia Southern
3. Gonzaga
vs.
LOUISVILLE
1. Louisville
4. Indiana
2. Middle Tennessee State
3. Vanderbilt
************************
TALLAHASSEE
1. Florida State
4. Marist
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
vs.
NORMAN
1. Oklahoma
4. Wichita State
2. Arkansas
3. Washington State
**********************
IRVINE
1. UC Irvine
4. Fresno State
2. Virginia
3. San Diego State
vs.
OXFORD
1. Ole Miss
4. Monmouth
2. Missouri
3. Western Kentucky
*********************
HOUSTON
1. Rice
4. Sam Houston State
2. Kansas State
3. Xavier
vs.
BATON ROUGE
1. LSU
4. Southern
2. Minnesota
3. Baylor
*********************
Baton Rouge's Regional is harder than Oxford's according to ISR and RPI:mascott wrote:well lswhoo dang sure got an easy one, as usual
Gainesville 112.01
Houston 112.90
Atlanta 112.90
Greenville 113.05
Tallahassee 113.58
Oxford 113.61
Austin 113.66
Baton Rouge 114.42
Chapel Hill 114.77
Louisville 114.82
Clemson 115.58
Tempe 115.60
Fullerton 116.09
Norman 117.12
Irvine 117.16
Fort Worth 119.13
Being paired with Rice, who was widely thought to be the 8th national seed, isn't exactly an easy ride either.
No the lsu regional is not harder I mean lsu plays southern for blanks sakes thats a pretty easy draw and I would def. rather be playing rice then uc irvine or last years world series winner fresno state!All in all I really do like our regional I think the best team we would face is missouri and if you remember we had to beat em twice in a row just to get to the regional final last year to face miami. Hopefully we can get by our opponents and then hope that one of the lower seeds knocks out irvine, that way we get a super regional in oxford. Every year theres a quiet team that makes the cws that you would never expect to make it and olemiss can certaintly be one of those teams. If we can get past our regional and just play our hearts out in the super regional then it could be all gravy for us.
Okay, whatever you say.jrebel87 wrote:No the lsu regional is not harder I mean lsu plays southern for blanks sakes thats a pretty easy draw and I would def. rather be playing rice then uc irvine or last years world series winner fresno state!All in all I really do like our regional I think the best team we would face is missouri and if you remember we had to beat em twice in a row just to get to the regional final last year to face miami. Hopefully we can get by our opponents and then hope that one of the lower seeds knocks out irvine, that way we get a super regional in oxford. Every year theres a quiet team that makes the cws that you would never expect to make it and olemiss can certaintly be one of those teams. If we can get past our regional and just play our hearts out in the super regional then it could be all gravy for us.
RPI
#4 Monmouth: RPI 182
#4 Southern RPI 165
#2 Mizzou: 26
#2 Minnesota: 27
#3 Baylor: 31
#3 WKU: 49
If you're comparing our super regionals, of course you could make a case that yours is "harder" since LSU is a national seed against a host and you're a host up against (potentially) a national seed. However, the numbers again show a tall task for LSU.
Rice: #10
UCI: #17
Other than the fact that (again, assuming the UCI victory) you'd be traveling to the West Coast, I'd certainly rather play a team that's 5-3 vs. the Top 50.
-
MageeRebel425
- Rebel Legend
- Posts: 3195
- Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2004 10:36 pm
I hate to agree with corn dog, but I also like Virginia in that regional. They are hot coming off that ACC tourney championship... I think it sets up as well as we could hope.tlsu wrote:Yeah, I like Virginia's chances in that regional. SDSU will win a game with Strasburg, but they aren't too much after that.
The bracketing sets the stage for an LSU-OM rematch in the first round.
-
oxfordrebel
- All American
- Posts: 1578
- Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2004 12:58 pm
- Location: Oxford, MS
Stealing your post, tlsu. Appreciate you typing it out for me.
Here's my annual thoughts/comments on the field of 64 match-ups. Some teams I know quite a bit about, some not much at all. I'm not big on individual performances when we hit this level and that's why I'm not going to be right on some of these. Some of these teams have outstanding pitchers or hitters who will change the course of the Regional. I go more on regular season results, specifically month of May. More or less this is my "viewing" guide for the Regionals. Who to watch, what will likely be interesting, and what not. Mostly my own opinion mixed with some stats. I'm no expert by any means. Y'all know that already!
So without further ado...
********************
AUSTIN
1. Texas
4. Army
2. Boston College
3. Texas State
Could be an interesting contest with BC who haven't been in post-season play since 1967. How bad do they want it? Not bad enough I'm afraid as I see Texas going ahead and proving why they're the #1 seed.
vs.
FORT WORTH
1. TCU
4. Wright State
2. Texas A&M
3. Oregon State
Fort Worth is going to be a great Regional to watch. TCU, TAMU, and OSU all have a solid shot at winning this one and Wright State is fully capable of fouling up one of those three's shot at it...possibly TCU in the first game. Unfortunately this Regional reminds me of a bad horror movie. I'm afraid whoever comes out of it will be like the lone lucky survivor of a plane crash in the middle of the ocean. It's only a matter of time before the shark (Texas) finishes them off.
********************
ATLANTA
1. Ga Tech
4. Georgia State
3. Southern Miss
2. Elon
I really like this Regional. On the surface you think GT, but taking a closer look you see three pesky teams that just won't go away easily in Elon, USM (we have enough experience with those dirty buzzards, right?) and GSU. GT could sweep through, but every game is going to be exciting, especially Game 1 between USM and Elon.
vs.
GAINESVILLE
1. Florida
4. BCC
2. Miami (FL)
3. Jacksonville
BCC can be tough, but this season I think they'll be weeded out in either 2 or possibly 3 games
'm gonna say 2 games). They made it in by virtue of winning the MEAC and their record really doesn't merit them being in the field, IMHO. So the next thing I thought was that Florida and Miami should fight this one out. But that still leaves Jacksonville somewhere. Hmm...quite a mystery. They won some games they probably shouldn't have over the course of the season. Noteable wins over Michigan (who didn't make the field this year, but won the Big Ten last season) and Florida State; however they did lose their one game to Florida. BTW, they did sweep a 3 game mid-week series (spread out over the season) over BCC. I still think it will come down to UF and Miami; however Jacksonville could provide some dramatics.
*******************
TEMPE
1. Arizona State
4. Kent State
2. Oral Roberts
3. Cal Poly
I think Arizona State takes it. Oral Roberts is the wildcard to watch in this one, but just won't be enough. ASU's moving on easy.
vs.
CLEMSON
1. Clemson
4. Tennessee Tech
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma State
First off, I completely agree with the criticism of OKST being in the field. Just wrong. But enough has been said there, so moving on. Tenn Tech, for the most part, is the typical "weaker" conference (okay, so really in baseball every conference has a chance, but still) auto-bid representative. So Bama or Clemson. I'm inclined to think Clemson at the moment, but Bama has turned it on at times this season and we all know how dangerous they are offensively. Can they turn it on now when it counts?
********************
GREENVILLE--
1. East Carolina
4. Binghamton
2. South Carolina
3. George Mason
This one truly an enigma. Why is ECU hosting over SC? I like ECU, but not enough to win it. George Mason went on some really impressive runs during the season, but the competition was not quite as challenging as they'll face in Greenville. I don't look for another George Mason win streak to start here. SC advances.
vs.
CHAPEL HILL
1.North Carolina
4. Dartmouth
2. Coastal Carolina
3. Kansas
How would you like to walk into this one? UNC is UNC so no need to go into that. CC is a solid 2 seed and finished the regular season on a huge note with a 10 game win streak and they've won 14 of their last 15 games adding in the Big South Tourney. Kansas meanwhile swept 3 Big XII series this season including against Texas; however they lost 3 games in the Big XII Tourney. I see this one like the Atlanta (Georgia Tech) Regional. Basically a team that *should* win it with three other solid teams, two of which *could* win it. Still, UNC is a tough place to walk into and win in post-season. We'll have to wait and see.
*********************
FULLERTON
1. CS Fullerton
4. Utah
2. Georgia Southern
3. Gonzaga
A weaker Regional, IMO. CSF moves on.
vs.
LOUISVILLE
1. Louisville
4. Indiana
2. Middle Tennessee State
3. Vanderbilt
I like this one too. Indiana's in for the first time since 1996 and will be looking to prove something which will be a tough order in this bracket. All 4 teams are potential winners but that's because, IMO, this is a weaker field of 4. When MTSU is your 2 seed, there's something wrong. So why do I like this one if it's weaker than others? Because the field is pretty evenly matched which should make for good games.
************************
TALLAHASSEE
1. Florida State
4. Marist
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
FSU was HOT at the end of the season including going on a 14 game win streak in late April/early May AND stretching that out to winning 21 of their last 25 games. Georgia, on the other hand, fell apart to end the season. They did right the ship a little in the SECT, but then lost two to LSU to get them to where they're at now. Ohio State...wow, what a load of W's to start the season! Plus they've been really consistent this season with their longest losing streak being 4 games which was less than a week. Marist? Not a threat in this one. 1-3 seeds will fight it out with no clear winner right off.
vs.
NORMAN
1. Oklahoma
4. Wichita State
2. Arkansas
3. Washington State
Oklahoma will be ready to take on the Hogs to revenge the 10 inning loss they suffered in Fayetteville late last month. But first they need to get by Wichita State who of course is no stranger to Regionals. Heck, no stranger to OMAHA for that matter. Unfortunately the Shockers didn't shock many this season. Yes, they did win the MVC, but didn't exactly light up their conference. A storm damaged field at Southern Illinois canceled their conference series against the Salukis which didn't help WSU's record any. We all know Arkansas was ranked #1 at one point this season, but went on a late season slide with all culminated in Fayetteville being swept by the Rebels. Washington State won the series they should have and lost the series they should have, but slipped in as the #3 seed. HOWEVER they were also swept in Fayetteville by the Hogs to start the season. You know they want some revenge. The Hogs will be key in this one as they have a big target on their back. I'll take the Sooners in it once the smoke clears.
**********************
IRVINE
1. UC Irvine
4. Fresno State
2. Virginia
3. San Diego State
Killer Regional much like Fort Worth. Virginia tends to be the popular choice but let's look at the field. UC-Irvine SWEPT 6 of their 8 conference series and won the other two! And it's not like we're talking about some small nothing conference. We're talking about the Big West here. 22-2 in conference is just an unbelievable mark. Of their 13 losses, only 3 came on their home field. That's one heck of a home field advantage. Virginia meanwhile started off on a 19 game win streak and never lost more than 2 games in a row the entire season. BTW, they swept through the ACC Tourney. I'm not so quick to dismiss SDSU. Their resume is not nearly as impressive, but they did finish the season by winning 9 or their last 11 regular season games and 12 of their last 16 games when you include the MWC Tourney. Fresno State is like Tennessee Tech, your typical "I won my Tourney and got an auto-bid" opponent, not to be rude. This one is too close to call. Either UVA or UCI.
vs.
OXFORD
1. Ole Miss
4. Monmouth
2. Missouri
3. Western Kentucky
The Regional we'll all be watching the most closely. Ole Miss has look brilliant at times and then looked like a SoCon team at times. No need to rehash the season here. Missouri started off rough, straightened up, but then had a mediocre conference season. They did finish strong by going 11-2 to finish the regular season. They lost to Texas in the Big XII Tourney's Championship Game to get to where they are now. WKU had a stretch in April when they won 11 of 12 games, including 9 in a row. Not too shabby. Rebel fan all remember the 1-0 loss the Toppers handed to the Rebels in the very first Oxford Regional in 2004. That was the start of a 2-and-out weekend for Ole Miss. Rebels will be looking to NOT let history repeat itself. Monmouth is another 4 seed who should be 2-and-out if their previous results this season prove to be a good predictor of their play. Ole Miss vs. Missouri for the Regional championship.
*********************
HOUSTON
1. Rice
4. Sam Houston State
2. Kansas State
3. Xavier
Rice won 14 games in a 16 game stretch during March and April and continued to look like the Rice of past years as they swept through the CUSA Tourney to head into next weekend. Kansas has a good resume heading into Houston, though not outstanding as their conference schedule didn't do much for their case. They do, however, have 41 wins which counts for something in a strong conference like the Big XII. Xavier could make things interesting by throwing a monkey wrench into things for KSU. SHSU had a good season that included a 10 game win streak back in April; however they shouldn't pose too much of a problem for Rice on Friday. In the end, I'll take Rice as they try to get back to Omaha.
vs.
BATON ROUGE
1. LSU
4. Southern
2. Minnesota
3. Baylor
Oh LSU...how nice a road to the SRs. Not weak enough for a free ride (which would bring criticism for winning a "weak" Regional), but not hard enough to risk missing the Supers (at least, not if things go as they should). LSU only won the SEC both in the regular season and in the Tourney. Nuff said. Minnesota began to look more like their winning selves this season losing only 1 Big Ten series (to Illinois). They did win 13 of 16 games to end the regular season which speak well to their recent success. Baylor is traditionally a tough team. So what happened this year? They had a losing record in the Big XII including losing 12 of their last 14 games to end the regular season. How Baylor even made the field of 64 is a mystery, but it won't last for long in Baton Rouge. Southern actually had a great season, but it was also in the SWAC. Nothin doing. LSU advances to host Rice in two weeks.
*********************
Here's my annual thoughts/comments on the field of 64 match-ups. Some teams I know quite a bit about, some not much at all. I'm not big on individual performances when we hit this level and that's why I'm not going to be right on some of these. Some of these teams have outstanding pitchers or hitters who will change the course of the Regional. I go more on regular season results, specifically month of May. More or less this is my "viewing" guide for the Regionals. Who to watch, what will likely be interesting, and what not. Mostly my own opinion mixed with some stats. I'm no expert by any means. Y'all know that already!
So without further ado...
********************
AUSTIN
1. Texas
4. Army
2. Boston College
3. Texas State
Could be an interesting contest with BC who haven't been in post-season play since 1967. How bad do they want it? Not bad enough I'm afraid as I see Texas going ahead and proving why they're the #1 seed.
vs.
FORT WORTH
1. TCU
4. Wright State
2. Texas A&M
3. Oregon State
Fort Worth is going to be a great Regional to watch. TCU, TAMU, and OSU all have a solid shot at winning this one and Wright State is fully capable of fouling up one of those three's shot at it...possibly TCU in the first game. Unfortunately this Regional reminds me of a bad horror movie. I'm afraid whoever comes out of it will be like the lone lucky survivor of a plane crash in the middle of the ocean. It's only a matter of time before the shark (Texas) finishes them off.
********************
ATLANTA
1. Ga Tech
4. Georgia State
3. Southern Miss
2. Elon
I really like this Regional. On the surface you think GT, but taking a closer look you see three pesky teams that just won't go away easily in Elon, USM (we have enough experience with those dirty buzzards, right?) and GSU. GT could sweep through, but every game is going to be exciting, especially Game 1 between USM and Elon.
vs.
GAINESVILLE
1. Florida
4. BCC
2. Miami (FL)
3. Jacksonville
BCC can be tough, but this season I think they'll be weeded out in either 2 or possibly 3 games
'm gonna say 2 games). They made it in by virtue of winning the MEAC and their record really doesn't merit them being in the field, IMHO. So the next thing I thought was that Florida and Miami should fight this one out. But that still leaves Jacksonville somewhere. Hmm...quite a mystery. They won some games they probably shouldn't have over the course of the season. Noteable wins over Michigan (who didn't make the field this year, but won the Big Ten last season) and Florida State; however they did lose their one game to Florida. BTW, they did sweep a 3 game mid-week series (spread out over the season) over BCC. I still think it will come down to UF and Miami; however Jacksonville could provide some dramatics.*******************
TEMPE
1. Arizona State
4. Kent State
2. Oral Roberts
3. Cal Poly
I think Arizona State takes it. Oral Roberts is the wildcard to watch in this one, but just won't be enough. ASU's moving on easy.
vs.
CLEMSON
1. Clemson
4. Tennessee Tech
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma State
First off, I completely agree with the criticism of OKST being in the field. Just wrong. But enough has been said there, so moving on. Tenn Tech, for the most part, is the typical "weaker" conference (okay, so really in baseball every conference has a chance, but still) auto-bid representative. So Bama or Clemson. I'm inclined to think Clemson at the moment, but Bama has turned it on at times this season and we all know how dangerous they are offensively. Can they turn it on now when it counts?
********************
GREENVILLE--
1. East Carolina
4. Binghamton
2. South Carolina
3. George Mason
This one truly an enigma. Why is ECU hosting over SC? I like ECU, but not enough to win it. George Mason went on some really impressive runs during the season, but the competition was not quite as challenging as they'll face in Greenville. I don't look for another George Mason win streak to start here. SC advances.
vs.
CHAPEL HILL
1.North Carolina
4. Dartmouth
2. Coastal Carolina
3. Kansas
How would you like to walk into this one? UNC is UNC so no need to go into that. CC is a solid 2 seed and finished the regular season on a huge note with a 10 game win streak and they've won 14 of their last 15 games adding in the Big South Tourney. Kansas meanwhile swept 3 Big XII series this season including against Texas; however they lost 3 games in the Big XII Tourney. I see this one like the Atlanta (Georgia Tech) Regional. Basically a team that *should* win it with three other solid teams, two of which *could* win it. Still, UNC is a tough place to walk into and win in post-season. We'll have to wait and see.
*********************
FULLERTON
1. CS Fullerton
4. Utah
2. Georgia Southern
3. Gonzaga
A weaker Regional, IMO. CSF moves on.
vs.
LOUISVILLE
1. Louisville
4. Indiana
2. Middle Tennessee State
3. Vanderbilt
I like this one too. Indiana's in for the first time since 1996 and will be looking to prove something which will be a tough order in this bracket. All 4 teams are potential winners but that's because, IMO, this is a weaker field of 4. When MTSU is your 2 seed, there's something wrong. So why do I like this one if it's weaker than others? Because the field is pretty evenly matched which should make for good games.
************************
TALLAHASSEE
1. Florida State
4. Marist
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
FSU was HOT at the end of the season including going on a 14 game win streak in late April/early May AND stretching that out to winning 21 of their last 25 games. Georgia, on the other hand, fell apart to end the season. They did right the ship a little in the SECT, but then lost two to LSU to get them to where they're at now. Ohio State...wow, what a load of W's to start the season! Plus they've been really consistent this season with their longest losing streak being 4 games which was less than a week. Marist? Not a threat in this one. 1-3 seeds will fight it out with no clear winner right off.
vs.
NORMAN
1. Oklahoma
4. Wichita State
2. Arkansas
3. Washington State
Oklahoma will be ready to take on the Hogs to revenge the 10 inning loss they suffered in Fayetteville late last month. But first they need to get by Wichita State who of course is no stranger to Regionals. Heck, no stranger to OMAHA for that matter. Unfortunately the Shockers didn't shock many this season. Yes, they did win the MVC, but didn't exactly light up their conference. A storm damaged field at Southern Illinois canceled their conference series against the Salukis which didn't help WSU's record any. We all know Arkansas was ranked #1 at one point this season, but went on a late season slide with all culminated in Fayetteville being swept by the Rebels. Washington State won the series they should have and lost the series they should have, but slipped in as the #3 seed. HOWEVER they were also swept in Fayetteville by the Hogs to start the season. You know they want some revenge. The Hogs will be key in this one as they have a big target on their back. I'll take the Sooners in it once the smoke clears.
**********************
IRVINE
1. UC Irvine
4. Fresno State
2. Virginia
3. San Diego State
Killer Regional much like Fort Worth. Virginia tends to be the popular choice but let's look at the field. UC-Irvine SWEPT 6 of their 8 conference series and won the other two! And it's not like we're talking about some small nothing conference. We're talking about the Big West here. 22-2 in conference is just an unbelievable mark. Of their 13 losses, only 3 came on their home field. That's one heck of a home field advantage. Virginia meanwhile started off on a 19 game win streak and never lost more than 2 games in a row the entire season. BTW, they swept through the ACC Tourney. I'm not so quick to dismiss SDSU. Their resume is not nearly as impressive, but they did finish the season by winning 9 or their last 11 regular season games and 12 of their last 16 games when you include the MWC Tourney. Fresno State is like Tennessee Tech, your typical "I won my Tourney and got an auto-bid" opponent, not to be rude. This one is too close to call. Either UVA or UCI.
vs.
OXFORD
1. Ole Miss
4. Monmouth
2. Missouri
3. Western Kentucky
The Regional we'll all be watching the most closely. Ole Miss has look brilliant at times and then looked like a SoCon team at times. No need to rehash the season here. Missouri started off rough, straightened up, but then had a mediocre conference season. They did finish strong by going 11-2 to finish the regular season. They lost to Texas in the Big XII Tourney's Championship Game to get to where they are now. WKU had a stretch in April when they won 11 of 12 games, including 9 in a row. Not too shabby. Rebel fan all remember the 1-0 loss the Toppers handed to the Rebels in the very first Oxford Regional in 2004. That was the start of a 2-and-out weekend for Ole Miss. Rebels will be looking to NOT let history repeat itself. Monmouth is another 4 seed who should be 2-and-out if their previous results this season prove to be a good predictor of their play. Ole Miss vs. Missouri for the Regional championship.
*********************
HOUSTON
1. Rice
4. Sam Houston State
2. Kansas State
3. Xavier
Rice won 14 games in a 16 game stretch during March and April and continued to look like the Rice of past years as they swept through the CUSA Tourney to head into next weekend. Kansas has a good resume heading into Houston, though not outstanding as their conference schedule didn't do much for their case. They do, however, have 41 wins which counts for something in a strong conference like the Big XII. Xavier could make things interesting by throwing a monkey wrench into things for KSU. SHSU had a good season that included a 10 game win streak back in April; however they shouldn't pose too much of a problem for Rice on Friday. In the end, I'll take Rice as they try to get back to Omaha.
vs.
BATON ROUGE
1. LSU
4. Southern
2. Minnesota
3. Baylor
Oh LSU...how nice a road to the SRs. Not weak enough for a free ride (which would bring criticism for winning a "weak" Regional), but not hard enough to risk missing the Supers (at least, not if things go as they should). LSU only won the SEC both in the regular season and in the Tourney. Nuff said. Minnesota began to look more like their winning selves this season losing only 1 Big Ten series (to Illinois). They did win 13 of 16 games to end the regular season which speak well to their recent success. Baylor is traditionally a tough team. So what happened this year? They had a losing record in the Big XII including losing 12 of their last 14 games to end the regular season. How Baylor even made the field of 64 is a mystery, but it won't last for long in Baton Rouge. Southern actually had a great season, but it was also in the SWAC. Nothin doing. LSU advances to host Rice in two weeks.
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GO REBELS!!!
As I've previously said, I like Ole Miss (only second to LSU), I follow OM baseball, and I've probably been to more games than most people here. I didn't bring up LSU at all until you decided to take your (groundless) shot, which was followed up by one of jrebel87's quality posts.mascott wrote:tlsu, is there not an lsu site for you
I think Ole Miss has a great shot at taking down UCI should things work that way. Say what you will about UCI's conference record, their overall record doesn't impress me.
UCI is used to playing "decent" opponents ranked between 51-100, and they're very good at that. Ole Miss is not a decent opponent. UCI has played EIGHT teams in the RPI Top 50. You'd have to like OM's chances in taking a 2 games from a team that's 5-3 vs. the Top 50 and has only faced one opponent ranked as high as OM.
As far as traveling out there.... sure, it's certainly not a great situation as far as fan travel goes, but remember that UCI might pull 1500 people to that super if they're lucky. The home crowd will be a non factor, and with Bittle back in the rotation I'd give OM a 70% chance of taking that super regional.
UCI is used to playing "decent" opponents ranked between 51-100, and they're very good at that. Ole Miss is not a decent opponent. UCI has played EIGHT teams in the RPI Top 50. You'd have to like OM's chances in taking a 2 games from a team that's 5-3 vs. the Top 50 and has only faced one opponent ranked as high as OM.
As far as traveling out there.... sure, it's certainly not a great situation as far as fan travel goes, but remember that UCI might pull 1500 people to that super if they're lucky. The home crowd will be a non factor, and with Bittle back in the rotation I'd give OM a 70% chance of taking that super regional.