The Extrapolater

Read Part one here.

Yesterday I looked at the #1 seeds on the left-hand side of my official NCAA College World Series brackets.  Today I’m going to finish up by going down the right hand side, starting with:

Rice Owls: (49-12) #2

Location:  Reckling Park in Houston, TX

Rice took the Conference USA title in a 16-8 beating of East Carolina (no slouches, ECU took the #2 slot in North Carolina’s regional).  They had an uncharacteristic pitchers’ duel in a Semifinal loss to Memphis on Saturday, but came roaring back to beat the Tigers 20-9 the same day.  Double-elimination is an interesting beast….  Side note: The Owls play in an all-Texas bracket, hosting Prairie View, Baylor, and Texas Christian.

MLB alums:  Lance Berkman, Bubba Crosby, and Jose Cruz, Jr.  The list

Texas A&M Aggies:  (44-16) #11

Location: Olsen Field in College Station, TX

The Aggies took out the 300-lb burnt-orange gorilla on May 24th, during the second day of the Big 12 Tournament.  Then they tripped up Kansas State and topped Baylor in the final game to claim the title.  Sounds like they’re getting hot at the right time.

MLB alums: Chuck Knoblauch, Casey Fossum, Logan Kensing.  The list

Missouri Tigers:  (40-16) #17

Location:  Taylor Stadium in Columbia, MO

As a Kansas alum, it pains me to write this, but the Tigers were good this year.   They invested a lot of money in upgrading their facilities, and it paid off this year, as the team played well, and the tournament regional returned to central Missouri.  Dangerous Miami lurks as the #2 seed in this region, though, so Mizzou better look sharp.

MLB alums:  Nobody interesting, though Ian Kinsler apparently spent 2003 there before leaving town in a cloud of dust on his way to ASU.  Smart man.

Arkansas Razorbacks: (41-19) #13

Location: Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, AR

Another team that was ousted by the eventual #1 overall seed in Vanderbilt.  As we have seen throughout the brackets (Ole Miss, South Carolina, etc) teams that lose to the Commodores are not being penalized, as the SEC pulled in four regional #1 seeds overall.  Bad news for Albany, Oklahoma State, and Creighton – you’ll be hearing “Sooooey, Pig!” in your nightmares for the next few days.

MLB alums: Eric Hinske, Kit Pellow, Cliff Lee.  The list

Florida State Seminoles: (47-11) #6

Location: Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, FL (what do they call it, The Big Athletic Supporter?)

The Seminoles had a marvelous regular season, coming out on top of the Atlantic Division of the ACC without ever suffering two losses in a row all season.  That streak came to an end in the ACC tourney, when they lost to Miami and then national #15 Clemson, leaving the championship game in the hands of Wake Forest and UNC.  I’ve seen them play in person, however, and I would never count them out.  What I said about Arkansas’ “Sooey!” goes double for the goddamn hellspawn Tomahawk Chop. The best thing at FSU? The Bat Girls.

MLB alums: Dick Howser, Tony LaRussa, Deion Sanders, J.D. and Stephen Drew, Doug Mientkiewicz.  The list

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers:  (48-11) #10

Location: Coastal Federal Field in Myrtle Beach, SC, home of the Carolina League’s Pelicans.

The Chanticleers have my favorite mascot of any #1 seed.  It’s some kind of militant chicken out of Chaucer.  Awesome stuff.  They are also one of the #1 seeds playing in a “neutral site” – presumably because Myrtle Beach can handle more fans than Charles L. Watson stadium in little ol’ Conway.  I’d be lying if I didn’t say I hope these guys make it to Omaha.  I’d have to break out the “One Shining Moment” of college baseball if that happened.

MLB alums:  None that I can find.  I get the feeling this year is one in a million.

South Carolina Gamecocks:  (42-18) #9

Location: Sarge Frye Field in Columbia, SC

This should be a marvelous sendoff for Frye Field, which is making way for an as-yet unnamed shiny bauble of a new stadium.  I’m a little bummed that it will take a near-miracle for us to see a Chanticleers/Cocks matchup in Omaha.  And that’s the only way I’m going to see it, because South Carolina is waaay too humid for me this time of year.

MLB alums: Mookie Wilson, Brian Roberts, Adam Everett (Roberts and Everett also attended other schools).  The list

North Carolina Tarheels: (48-12) #3

Location: Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, NC

The ACC champs won a close tournament final and earned a home game in the regional.  They showed that they were ready for the host role by selling out Boshamer in one day.  The only other school to manage that was the #1 overall seed Vanderbilt.  Carolina is the cradle of minor-league baseball, and nothing could be finer than Carolina blue on the field of green, with a raucous crowd behind them.  The Tarheels share their region with Western Carolina, East Carolina, and…. Jacksonville.  Damn, that’s anti-climactic.

MLB alums: Moonlight Graham, B.J. Surhoff, Brian Roberts (also went to South Carolina), Andrew Miller.  The list

San Diego Toreros:  (43-16) #8

Location: Tony Gwynn Stadium in San Diego, CA

How galling this must be for the Toreros.  Casual baseball fans already confuse USD with SDSU, but now the lesser-known school has to play a crucial regional in the stadium of their overshadowers.  I actually should have posted the San Diego profile yesterday, but I skipped right over their seed in the 2 1/2 pt type the NCAA favors for brackets.  I am ashamed, because Toreros comes in a close second to Chanticleers on my nickname list.  It won’t happen again.  Just remember, don’t look for Tony Gwynn – San Diego State didn’t even make the field of 64.

MLB alums: A very short list.  John Wathan and Brady Clark, with Yankees prospect Kevin Reese hoping to rise to the occasion soon.  The list

There’s a nice blend of traditional powers and programs on the rise in this year’s tournament, and of course there’s a strong southern flavor to the proceedings.  I believe this is the sort of thing ESPNU was made for (if it wasn’t, well, it should be), so hopefully we’ll get to see a few games on the tube.  If not, drop by the nearest host stadium and see what the fuss is all about – you’ll be glad you did.