Breaking Down What's Left on WVU's Side of the Bracket

Before you get on me and say, it's all about Cal Poly...yes, I get it. However, there are folks who want to know the scenarios of what would happen should West Virginia win its super regional this weekend. Who would they play in Omaha? How would it work? I'm answering those questions for those who are curious.

So, let's get into it.

Cal Poly

First up, this week's opponent, the Mustangs. Cal Poly has caught fire, having won 12 of their last 13 games. Now, yes, a bulk of that comes against lower-level competition, but still, it's a team that is hot and believes, which is a dangerous combination.

Offensively, they aren't going to be a team that scares you with the long ball, although they are capable. Ryan Tayman (18) is the only player with double-digit homers. They do put the ball in play consistently and have a team average of .304. The offensive approach is very similar to WVU's, except they lack the top-end speed that West Virginia has. As a team, the Mustangs have swiped just 22 bags all year. Armani Guzman (36) and Paul Schoenfeld (23) have more by themselves.

Little Rock/Troy

If West Virginia advances to the College World Series, their first matchup in Omaha will be against the winner of this super.

Little Rock was the No. 4 seed in the Hattiesburg Regional and stunned No. 9 seed Southern Miss in the opening game. They then beat Jacksonville State twice, finishing a perfect 3-0 in regional play. Little Rock has always been a bit of a pesky bunch, and coming into the tournament was viewed as one of the tougher No. 4 seeds.

Troy was the No. 3 seed in the Gainesville Region and had probably the most surprising upset, going through both Miami and Florida. They entered the tournament at just 32-29, but did have wins over Georgia and Alabama during the regular season.

The bottom half of WVU's side of the bracket

Again, in the scenario that West Virginia reaches Omaha, their second game there would come against one of these four teams. The winner of the Chapel Hill Super Regional will play the winner of the Auburn Super Regional. If WVU beats Little Rock/Troy, they will play the winner of that game, and if they lose, they'll play the loser of the same game.

USC/North Carolina - Chapel Hill Super

The Trojans have a storied history, but it's been a long time since they were relevant. Before this year, the last time they made the tournament was all the way back in 2001. For what it's worth, they went 4-0 against Cal Poly earlier in the year, outscoring the Mustangs 34-8.

North Carolina made pretty easy work of their regional, beating VCU and then East Carolina twice. They have a nice balance of pop/speed offensively and have the 7th-best ERA in the country (3.85), just slightly ahead of WVU's 3.87 mark. This would be a great opportunity for redemption against the Heels, who beat the Mountaineers in a pair of close games two years ago in the supers by 8-6 and 2-1 scores. Then again, very few of the current players were on the roster then.

Ole Miss/Auburn - Auburn Super

The Auburn Tigers have arguably the best pitching staff in the country and are full of draft picks. It's not all about pitching, though. This club can hit and do so with legit power. After a shocking loss to Milwaukee on the first day of the tournament, they bounced back with wins over NC State and UCF, and then took down Milwaukee twice in the regional final.

Before selection Monday, there were a lot of projections that had Ole Miss as the No. 2 seed in the Morgantown Regional. Probably a good thing that didn't happen. That's not to say WVU wouldn't have advanced, but the Rebels are a much tougher customer than Wake Forest, which ended up being the two-seed in Morgantown. Ole Miss has two guys with 20+ homers, and as a team, they are slugging .468. They are vulnerable to the punch out, though, having struck out 635 times.

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