So what I take from this is, the likeliest scenario is that TCU ends our season for three years straight.
Brodie Greene & Hop
Diamond Talk
Texas A&M Baseball
College World Series Preview: Texas A&M, Louisville, TCU & Florida
The unseeded and feisty Texas A&M baseball team
embarks on its journey in Omaha beginning Sunday with an opening round match-up against the Louisville Cardinals. For those not familiar with the CWS format, the field of eight is separated into two four-team tournament brackets. The winners of each bracket will then square off in a best-of-three, winner-take-all championship series for the NCAA title.
Texas A&M is in a double-elimination bracket with Louisville, TCU and Florida. All four teams will play Sunday and Tuesday. One team will be eliminated on Tuesday, and the other three squads will continue on through bracket play.
Here's a breakdown of all four teams in Texas A&M's side of the bracket at the College World Series:
Kirby Clarke, TexAgs
Texas A&M will need starting pitchers Brigham Hill (pictured) and Corbin Martin to be at the top of their respective games.
Top pitchers: Brigham Hill (8-3, 3.18 ERA), Corbin Martin (7-3, 3.35 ERA), Kaylor Chafin (7-2, 2.56 ERA, 3 saves)
Top hitters: Braden Shewmake (.335 BA, .538 slug, 68 RBI), Nick Choruby (.325 BA, 55 runs, .448 on-base)
Keys to advancing to the NCAA Championship Series: Texas A&M is clearly the underdog in this bracket.
Matched up with powerhouse programs Louisville, TCU and Florida – all of which boast RPI rankings in the top 6 nationally – the Aggies, who have an RPI of 30, will have to beat the current royalty of college baseball.
For Texas A&M to get to the NCAA championship series, the team will need to ride the wave of momentum built during its current postseason run. There are numerous examples of this happening at the College World Series, and that's what the Aggies are banking on as they prepare to play on Sunday.
Specifically, good defense and quality pitching is the key to success. This recurring theme for Texas A&M all season is magnified even more given the spacious dimensions of TD Ameritrade Park and the lack of runs scored historically in the summer classic. When you get to this level, all teams have excellent pitching with the added benefit of throwing in a pitcher's park. That means every run counts and playing clean, mistake-free defense is a requirement for success.
For Texas A&M, that means solid, consistent play from George Janca and Austin Homan on the left side of the infield. Homan is a momentum player, and he needs a couple of clean, early tries in the field to settle in and have a good series. Against this caliber of competition, the Aggie defense can't give the opposition more than three outs a frame.
With runs at a premium, Texas A&M's pitching must be almost perfect. The starting pitchers have been solid most of the season, but for the Aggies to make noise in the CWS, they must get some dominating performances from the likes of Corbin Martin, Brigham Hill and Kaylor Chafin. Martin has been announced as the Sunday game starter against Louisville, and he'll face All-American Brendan McKay. He can't produce his usual scrappy, six-inning, three-run effort. He'll need to avoid walks and cut down on his pitch count, giving the team 7-8 innings and allowing no more than 1-2 runs. That's what it's going to take to beat the best pitcher in baseball.
Marc Flores, TexAgs
Hill will need to command the strike zone for the entirety of his outing and avoid the control issues that tend to pop up in many of his starts.
The formula is the same for Brigham Hill, who tends to struggle with control at some point each start. He'll need to be nails for every batter, staying focused throughout and avoiding the two-out walk that seems to plague him at times.
On offense, two or three hitters must get red hot and carry the team. Braden Shewmake has been that guy all year. He has slightly cooled in the postseason, but for this lineup to score in Omaha, Shewmake has to be the one driving in runs and collecting multi-hit games. He's the stick that stirs the drink, and he has the most talent to challenge McKay and some of these top pitchers in Texas A&M's bracket.
But this offense will need ore than Shewmake to step up this week. Somebody from the group of Cole Bedford, Blake Kopetsky and Walker Pennington must become a game storyline, delivering a big hit and driving in a couple of runs. For Texas A&M to win this bracket, some surprise players need to step up and deliver in a big way. When you are the underdog, you need an unexpected career performance from somebody. Who will it be this weekend?
Chance to go to the championship series: 15 percent
Louisville Cardinals
Top pitchers: Brendan McKay (10-3, 2.34 ERA), Lincoln Henzman (1.77 ERA, 16 saves), Sam Bordner (0.47 ERA, 3 saves)
Top hitters: Drew Ellis (.367 BA, 20 HR, .729 slug), Brendan McKay (.343 BA, 17 HR, .464 on-base)
In addition to the gaudy statistics on paper, Louisville also boasts the top college player in the game, Brendan McKay, who was selected third overall in this week's MLB Draft. The left-hander is dominant both on the mound as the Friday night starter (10-3, 2.34 ERA) and at the plate in the five-hole (.343, 17 HR). But McKay isn't the Cardinals' only weapon by a longshot.
Louisville's bullpen is the best in the nation. The Cardinals' top three relievers are a combined 7-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 19 saves. The trio of Sam Bordner, Lincoln Henzman and Adam Elliott have struck out 102 batters and walked just 28. If this team has a lead after six innings, they win. That puts a lot of pressure on the opponent's pitching staff knowing that one bad pitch could be the ball game.
On offense, the middle of the order is the key with Drew Ellis (.367, 20 HR) and McKay leading the offense. The key for Louisville is to get runners on base in front of these two power sticks. For opposing pitchers, it's critical to retire the first three men in the Louisville order and not allow Ellis or McKay to drive in multiple runs.
Speed is also a big element of Louisville's offense with Josh Stowers and Logan Taylor each posting 22 stolen bases on the season. As a whole, the team has swiped 97 bases in 2017. That's 41 more steals than the Aggies have managed. Like I said earlier, there are no weaknesses.
Chance to go to the championship series: 40 percent
Florida Gators
Top pitchers: Alex Faedo (7-2, 2.55 ERA), Michael Byrne (1.83 ERA, 16 saves), Will Craig (4.18, 9 saves)
Top hitters: J.J. Schwarz (.272 BA, 12 HR, 53 RBI), Nelson Maldonado (.304 BA,.456 on-base)
Keys to advancing to the NCAA Championship Series: Florida is an interesting team in the CWS. A historic powerhouse with a star-studded lineup led by All-American pitcher Alex Faedo (2.55 ERA) and one of the top returning power-hitters in J.J. Schwarz (12 HR's, 53 RBI), the Gators have the pedigree, high RPI (3) and national seeding (3) you'd expect.
However, the statistics on paper aren't eye-popping. In fact, Texas A&M has a higher team batting average and a lower team ERA. Florida's runs scored (357) are the lowest in this bracket. Louisville has scored 95 more runs this season (452). The team ERA is respectable (3.55 ERA), but by no means dominant. But where the Gators do excel is on defense. They possess a sparkling .980 fielding percentage, the highest in this side of the bracket. Florida will play sound defense and won't beat itself.
Florida has a superb 1-2 punch of Alex Faedo and closer Michael Byne on the hill, so the Gators will have an advantage in game one against TCU. When these two are available to pitch, Florida will be extremely difficult to beat. Pitching depth will be the key for Coach Sullivan. This team needs to stay in the winner's bracket and play as few games as possible. Brady Singer is a quality game two starter, but his 7-5 record and 3.29 ERA indicate that he's been good but not been dominant in 2017. From there, the pitching tails off quickly. Although Kowar Jackson is 12-0, he has a 4.00 ERA and has given up an astounding 109 hits this season.
Nelson Maldonado leads the team in batting average at just .304, along with Ryan Larson. No other batters are hitting above .300.
J.J. Schwarz is the big name in the offensive lineup with a big power bat, but he's been in a big slump throughout 2017, despite heating up with a few long balls in regional play.
If Schwarz gets hot in Omaha, he can carry this offense, and the Gators will have a good chance to advance in this bracket. If he continues to struggle, you have to wonder if Florida has enough firepower at the plate to advance to the championship series.
Chance to go to the championship series: 20 percent
Top pitchers: Jared Janczak (9-0, 1.97 ERA), Brian Howard (11-3, 3.95), Durbin Feltman (3.90, 17 saves)
Top hitters: Austen Wade (.342 BA, .453 on-base), Evan Skoug (.277 BA, 20 HR, 67 RBI), Nolan Brown (.293 BA, 26 stolen bases)
However, the statistics do tell a story. TCU has the highest team ERA of the four squads in this bracket with a surprisingly pedestrian 4.02 average. TCU also has the lowest fielding percentage in the bracket (.974), although not by much. The Horned Frogs sport a decent team batting average of .272 and have scored an average of 6.9 runs per game, which is good for second in this bracket behind Louisville. TCU also has a lot of speed on the base paths and has stolen 102 bases, almost twice as many as Texas A&M.
On the mound, Jared Janczak has been the dominant weekend starter (9-0, 1.97 ERA). Veteran Brian Howard, who Aggie fans know all too well, has gotten the job done in terms of wins (11-3), but he hasn't been sharp this season, posting a 3.95 ERA due to some control issues and giving up a team leading 35 base-on-balls. Freshman phenom Nick Lodolo, who turned down first round money to attend TCU, has had his ups and downs with a 4.28 ERA. Mitchell Traver is another veteran Aggie fans know quite well, and he's had a solid-but-not-great season and has a 3.78 ERA.
At the plate, the power source is veteran catcher Evan Skoug, who has 20 home runs and a team-leading 67 RBI. He's been streaky in 2017 with a .277 average. Austen Wade is the top hitter on the team with a .342 average. Nolan Brown has had a solid year as well.
With TCU, the pieces are there to make a big run in Omaha, but can the pieces all come together for a team that has played inconsistently at times this season? If Howard or Traver get hot on the mound along with Janczak and Skoug starts heating up at the plate, then TCU can be a very dangerous team and go all the way. It all hinges on whether or not the veterans can put it all together and play well when it matters on their return trip to Omaha.
Chance to go to the championship series: 25 percent
Texas A&M is in a double-elimination bracket with Louisville, TCU and Florida. All four teams will play Sunday and Tuesday. One team will be eliminated on Tuesday, and the other three squads will continue on through bracket play.
Here's a breakdown of all four teams in Texas A&M's side of the bracket at the College World Series:
Texas A&M Aggies
- RPI: 30
- NCAA Tournament Seed: Not seeded
- Record: 41-21
- Team average: .275
- Team ERA: 3.42
- Fielding %: .975
- Offense: 7.2 runs/gm
- Defense: 3.6 runs/gm
- Steals: 56
- Sac flies: 15
- Sac bunts: 46
Kirby Clarke, TexAgs
Texas A&M will need starting pitchers Brigham Hill (pictured) and Corbin Martin to be at the top of their respective games.
Top hitters: Braden Shewmake (.335 BA, .538 slug, 68 RBI), Nick Choruby (.325 BA, 55 runs, .448 on-base)
Keys to advancing to the NCAA Championship Series: Texas A&M is clearly the underdog in this bracket.
Matched up with powerhouse programs Louisville, TCU and Florida – all of which boast RPI rankings in the top 6 nationally – the Aggies, who have an RPI of 30, will have to beat the current royalty of college baseball.
For Texas A&M to get to the NCAA championship series, the team will need to ride the wave of momentum built during its current postseason run. There are numerous examples of this happening at the College World Series, and that's what the Aggies are banking on as they prepare to play on Sunday.
Specifically, good defense and quality pitching is the key to success. This recurring theme for Texas A&M all season is magnified even more given the spacious dimensions of TD Ameritrade Park and the lack of runs scored historically in the summer classic. When you get to this level, all teams have excellent pitching with the added benefit of throwing in a pitcher's park. That means every run counts and playing clean, mistake-free defense is a requirement for success.
For Texas A&M, that means solid, consistent play from George Janca and Austin Homan on the left side of the infield. Homan is a momentum player, and he needs a couple of clean, early tries in the field to settle in and have a good series. Against this caliber of competition, the Aggie defense can't give the opposition more than three outs a frame.
With runs at a premium, Texas A&M's pitching must be almost perfect. The starting pitchers have been solid most of the season, but for the Aggies to make noise in the CWS, they must get some dominating performances from the likes of Corbin Martin, Brigham Hill and Kaylor Chafin. Martin has been announced as the Sunday game starter against Louisville, and he'll face All-American Brendan McKay. He can't produce his usual scrappy, six-inning, three-run effort. He'll need to avoid walks and cut down on his pitch count, giving the team 7-8 innings and allowing no more than 1-2 runs. That's what it's going to take to beat the best pitcher in baseball.
Marc Flores, TexAgs
Hill will need to command the strike zone for the entirety of his outing and avoid the control issues that tend to pop up in many of his starts.
On offense, two or three hitters must get red hot and carry the team. Braden Shewmake has been that guy all year. He has slightly cooled in the postseason, but for this lineup to score in Omaha, Shewmake has to be the one driving in runs and collecting multi-hit games. He's the stick that stirs the drink, and he has the most talent to challenge McKay and some of these top pitchers in Texas A&M's bracket.
But this offense will need ore than Shewmake to step up this week. Somebody from the group of Cole Bedford, Blake Kopetsky and Walker Pennington must become a game storyline, delivering a big hit and driving in a couple of runs. For Texas A&M to win this bracket, some surprise players need to step up and deliver in a big way. When you are the underdog, you need an unexpected career performance from somebody. Who will it be this weekend?
Chance to go to the championship series: 15 percent
Louisville Cardinals
- RPI: 5
- NCAA Tournament Seed: 7
- Record: 52-10
- Team average: .289
- Team ERA: 2.85
- Fielding %: .975
- Offense: 7.3 runs/gm
- Defense: 3.4 runs/gm
- Steals: 97
- Sac flies: 33
- Sac bunts: 42
Top pitchers: Brendan McKay (10-3, 2.34 ERA), Lincoln Henzman (1.77 ERA, 16 saves), Sam Bordner (0.47 ERA, 3 saves)
Top hitters: Drew Ellis (.367 BA, 20 HR, .729 slug), Brendan McKay (.343 BA, 17 HR, .464 on-base)
Despite being the No. 7 national seed, Louisville has the look and feel of a national champion. The numbers clearly back that up.
Keys to advancing to the NCAA Championship Series: Despite being the No. 7 national seed, Louisville has the look and feel of a national champion. The numbers clearly back that up. The Cardinals lead the teams in this bracket in batting average (.289), ERA (2.85), runs scored, runs allowed and sacrifices (75) and are a close second in stolen bases (97). On paper, this team has no weaknesses. How they ended up as the No. 7 seed is a head-scratcher.In addition to the gaudy statistics on paper, Louisville also boasts the top college player in the game, Brendan McKay, who was selected third overall in this week's MLB Draft. The left-hander is dominant both on the mound as the Friday night starter (10-3, 2.34 ERA) and at the plate in the five-hole (.343, 17 HR). But McKay isn't the Cardinals' only weapon by a longshot.
Louisville's bullpen is the best in the nation. The Cardinals' top three relievers are a combined 7-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 19 saves. The trio of Sam Bordner, Lincoln Henzman and Adam Elliott have struck out 102 batters and walked just 28. If this team has a lead after six innings, they win. That puts a lot of pressure on the opponent's pitching staff knowing that one bad pitch could be the ball game.
On offense, the middle of the order is the key with Drew Ellis (.367, 20 HR) and McKay leading the offense. The key for Louisville is to get runners on base in front of these two power sticks. For opposing pitchers, it's critical to retire the first three men in the Louisville order and not allow Ellis or McKay to drive in multiple runs.
Speed is also a big element of Louisville's offense with Josh Stowers and Logan Taylor each posting 22 stolen bases on the season. As a whole, the team has swiped 97 bases in 2017. That's 41 more steals than the Aggies have managed. Like I said earlier, there are no weaknesses.
Chance to go to the championship series: 40 percent
Where the Gators do excel is on defense. They possess a sparkling .980 fielding percentage, the highest in this side of the bracket.
Florida Gators
- RPI: 3
- NCAA Tournament Seed: 3
- Record: 47-18
- Team average: .262
- Team ERA: 3.55
- Fielding %: .980
- Offense: 5.5 runs/gm
- Defense: 4.1 runs/gm
- Steals: 80
- Sac flies: 35
- Sac bunts: 24
Top pitchers: Alex Faedo (7-2, 2.55 ERA), Michael Byrne (1.83 ERA, 16 saves), Will Craig (4.18, 9 saves)
Top hitters: J.J. Schwarz (.272 BA, 12 HR, 53 RBI), Nelson Maldonado (.304 BA,.456 on-base)
Keys to advancing to the NCAA Championship Series: Florida is an interesting team in the CWS. A historic powerhouse with a star-studded lineup led by All-American pitcher Alex Faedo (2.55 ERA) and one of the top returning power-hitters in J.J. Schwarz (12 HR's, 53 RBI), the Gators have the pedigree, high RPI (3) and national seeding (3) you'd expect.
However, the statistics on paper aren't eye-popping. In fact, Texas A&M has a higher team batting average and a lower team ERA. Florida's runs scored (357) are the lowest in this bracket. Louisville has scored 95 more runs this season (452). The team ERA is respectable (3.55 ERA), but by no means dominant. But where the Gators do excel is on defense. They possess a sparkling .980 fielding percentage, the highest in this side of the bracket. Florida will play sound defense and won't beat itself.
Florida has a superb 1-2 punch of Alex Faedo and closer Michael Byne on the hill, so the Gators will have an advantage in game one against TCU. When these two are available to pitch, Florida will be extremely difficult to beat. Pitching depth will be the key for Coach Sullivan. This team needs to stay in the winner's bracket and play as few games as possible. Brady Singer is a quality game two starter, but his 7-5 record and 3.29 ERA indicate that he's been good but not been dominant in 2017. From there, the pitching tails off quickly. Although Kowar Jackson is 12-0, he has a 4.00 ERA and has given up an astounding 109 hits this season.
If Schwarz gets hot in Omaha, he can carry this offense, and the Gators will have a good chance to advance in this bracket.
On offense, Florida struggled at times during the season. In fact, some of the numbers are pedestrian.Nelson Maldonado leads the team in batting average at just .304, along with Ryan Larson. No other batters are hitting above .300.
J.J. Schwarz is the big name in the offensive lineup with a big power bat, but he's been in a big slump throughout 2017, despite heating up with a few long balls in regional play.
If Schwarz gets hot in Omaha, he can carry this offense, and the Gators will have a good chance to advance in this bracket. If he continues to struggle, you have to wonder if Florida has enough firepower at the plate to advance to the championship series.
Chance to go to the championship series: 20 percent
TCU Horned Frogs
- RPI: 6
- NCAA Tournament Seed: 6
- Record: 47-16
- Team average: .272
- Team ERA: 4.02
- Fielding %: .974
- Offense: 6.9 runs/gm
- Defense: 4.6 runs/gm
- Steals: 102
- Sac flies: 35
- Sac bunts: 3
Top pitchers: Jared Janczak (9-0, 1.97 ERA), Brian Howard (11-3, 3.95), Durbin Feltman (3.90, 17 saves)
Top hitters: Austen Wade (.342 BA, .453 on-base), Evan Skoug (.277 BA, 20 HR, 67 RBI), Nolan Brown (.293 BA, 26 stolen bases)
The Horned Frogs are making their third straight appearance in the College World Series, and you have to wonder if they will run into the Aggies for the third straight year in postseason play.
Keys to advancing to the NCAA Championship Series: The Horned Frogs are making their third straight appearance in the College World Series, and you have to wonder if they will run into the Aggies for the third straight year in postseason play. With the injury to Luken Baker and a lack of depth in the bullpen, this is probably Gary Schlossnagle's weakest team of the three that have advanced to Omaha. But games aren't played on paper, and this team has star power and top-line pitching much like Florida.However, the statistics do tell a story. TCU has the highest team ERA of the four squads in this bracket with a surprisingly pedestrian 4.02 average. TCU also has the lowest fielding percentage in the bracket (.974), although not by much. The Horned Frogs sport a decent team batting average of .272 and have scored an average of 6.9 runs per game, which is good for second in this bracket behind Louisville. TCU also has a lot of speed on the base paths and has stolen 102 bases, almost twice as many as Texas A&M.
On the mound, Jared Janczak has been the dominant weekend starter (9-0, 1.97 ERA). Veteran Brian Howard, who Aggie fans know all too well, has gotten the job done in terms of wins (11-3), but he hasn't been sharp this season, posting a 3.95 ERA due to some control issues and giving up a team leading 35 base-on-balls. Freshman phenom Nick Lodolo, who turned down first round money to attend TCU, has had his ups and downs with a 4.28 ERA. Mitchell Traver is another veteran Aggie fans know quite well, and he's had a solid-but-not-great season and has a 3.78 ERA.
At the plate, the power source is veteran catcher Evan Skoug, who has 20 home runs and a team-leading 67 RBI. He's been streaky in 2017 with a .277 average. Austen Wade is the top hitter on the team with a .342 average. Nolan Brown has had a solid year as well.
With TCU, the pieces are there to make a big run in Omaha, but can the pieces all come together for a team that has played inconsistently at times this season? If Howard or Traver get hot on the mound along with Janczak and Skoug starts heating up at the plate, then TCU can be a very dangerous team and go all the way. It all hinges on whether or not the veterans can put it all together and play well when it matters on their return trip to Omaha.
Chance to go to the championship series: 25 percent
Never miss the latest news from TexAgs!
Join our free email list
SPONSORED BY