NCAA Super Regionals Team Overviews and 2021 MLB Draft Prospects To Watch Part 2
The whole collegiate baseball season has led us to this moment. One more weekend series win will send eight teams to Omaha, Nebraska to compete in "The Greatest Show On Dirt."
With the draft a month away, here is everything you need to know about each of the super regional match-ups taking place on Saturday and what Royals fans should watch for.
#2 Texas Longhorns vs. South Florida Bulls
Texas
The Big 12 regular season champion Longhorns (45-15) rumbled through their regional in about as easy of fashion as you will see. The Longhorns scored 11 runs per game and won games by an average of over nine runs per game. Texas is buoyed by a balanced offense where any player can become the difference-maker. In fact, there were 11 multiple RBI games from Texas hitters in the three games over the weekend. That type of production is not an anomaly either, as the Longhorns have eight batters with 30 or more runs batted in on the season. The pitching staff is about as strong as they come, with their four regular starters all under a 4.00 ERA on the year. In a best-of-three super regional, good luck dealing with the stud tandem of right-handed pitcher Ty Madden (2.59 ERA, 110 K) and left-handed pitcher Pete Hansen (9-1, 1.84 ERA).
Texas' 2021 MLB.com Top 200 Draft Prospects
9th ranked prospect: RHP Ty Madden - 7-4, 2.59 ERA, 110 K, 35 BB
South Florida
It is an NCAA Tournament, which means we needed a Cinderella story. The story comes in the form of the Bulls (31-28) who are now the last remaining team from Florida in the tournament. The Bulls make their first super regional appearance after winning the American Athletic Tournament to snag an automatic bid and going through a region with two in-state powers. The Bulls took down the nationally-ranked Florida Gators and followed that up with a dominant win over the Miami Hurricanes. In the regional clinching game six, unlikely hero outfielder Jarrett Eaton went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs after driving in just six in the 36 games prior. The best chance the Bulls have of pulling another major upset will rest greatly on their starting pitchers, right-handed pitcher Jake Jasiak (2.89 ERA, 89-21 K/BB) and right-handed pitcher Collin Sullivan (3.69 ERA, 88-14 K/BB).
South Florida's 2021 MLB.com Top 200 Draft Prospects
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No. 7 Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Mississippi State
The Bulldogs (43-15) are becoming a fixture in super regional weekend, making their fifth consecutive appearance. The Bulldogs swept their regional, beating each of the possible opponents along the way. This weekend, the Dogs will lean on two major league-level arms, right-handed pitcher Will Bednar (7-1, 3.17 ERA) and left-handed pitcher Christian MacLeod (3.81 ERA, 106 K), to help stifle a dangerous Irish offense. However, the Bulldogs boast a potent lineup of their own. A top of the lineup that stacks up with any competitor, the Bulldogs leadoff hitter Rowdey Jordan (.329 AVG, 9 HR) sets the table for star outfielder Tanner Allen (.395 AVG, 58 RBI). In the 3-5 spots behind them, the Bulldogs send the three hitters on the roster with double-figure home run totals to the dish.
Mississippi State's 2021 MLB.com Top 200 Draft Prospects
36th ranked prospect: RHP Will Bednar - 7-1, 3.17 ERA, 109 K, 18 BB
74th ranked prospect: LHP Christian MacLeod - 6-4, 3.81 ERA, 106 K, 27 BB
149th ranked prospect: OF Tanner Allen - 57 GP, .395 AVG, 8 HR, 58 RBI
Notre Dame
The Irish (33-11) were perhaps the most impressive team over the regional weekend. Although the Irish finished the year ranked 6th in the nation in the AP Poll, the selection committee did not give Notre Dame the chance to host a super regional. If the objective was to send a message to the committee, then the message was received. Irish first baseman Niko Kavadas had a regional that had to be seen to be believed. Kavadas finished the weekend with five home runs (at least one in every game) and 13 runs batted in. The Irish totaled a whopping 50 runs in just three games, including 26 runs in one game. Not to be outdone, Irish pitcher John M. Bertrand pitched a complete game shutout to open their NCAA Tournament campaign. So in what could be the most evenly matched regional, we will get two elite pitchers against two elite lineups.
Notre Dame's 2021 MLB.com Top 200 Draft Prospects
139th ranked prospect: 1B Niko Kavadas - 44 GP, .309 AVG, 21 HR, 62 RBI
Dallas Baptist Patriots vs. Virginia Cavaliers
Dallas Baptist
The Patriots (40-16) make their second-ever trip to the super regional after winning the Fort Worth Regional against two national powerhouses. Dallas Baptist beat the sixth-ranked team in the nation, TCU Horned Frogs, and the 2018 national champion Oregon State Beavers two times over the weekend, in what would be one of the other big upsets of the regional round. The bullpen was a big story of the weekend, as they went 16 2/3 innings with just four earned runs allowed. The Patriots also have a starting pitcher with major league level stuff in right-handed pitcher Dominic Hamel (13-2, 3.95 ERA, 129 K) who will look to better his outing from the regional. The Patriots lineup was potent in Fort Worth, as well. Led by second baseman Jackson Glenn who hit .364 and 19 home runs on the season, the Patriots hit 97 home runs as a team and always pose a threat to go yard.
Dallas Baptist's 2021 MLB.com Top 200 Draft Prospects
91st ranked prospect: RHP Dominic Hamel - 13-2, 3.95 ERA, 129 K, 31 BB
Virginia
The Cavaliers (33-24) were one of just two teams in the regional round to win the regional after coming out of the loser bracket to win four straight elimination games. The Cavaliers won the Columbia regional in dramatic fashion with a walk-off home run from their starting pitcher in game seven, Devin Ortiz. The Cavaliers came into the region as a three-seed and had to beat a nationally ranked seed AND regional host, as South Carolina hosted the tournament since Old Dominion failed to place a bid. The Cavaliers used some clutch pitching to win the final three games, allowing just eight total runs in the three games. The Cavaliers rotation features two high-ranking draft prospects and will likely need to lean on their performances to win the only super regional to not feature a nationally seeded team.
Virginia's 2021 MLB.com Top 200 Draft Prospects
71st ranked prospect: LHP Andrew Abbott - 8-6, 2.82 ERA, 144 K, 29 BB
78th ranked prospect: RHP Mike Vasil - 7-5, 4.89 ERA, 65 K, 17 BB
136th ranked prospect: 3B Zack Gelof - 57 GP, .300 AVG, 8 HR, 38 RBI
No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers vs. LSU Tigers
Tennessee
The Volunteers (48-16) entered the tournament on the heels of a terrific season, finishing with a higher seed than in-state juggernaut Vanderbilt. After a big-time scare and dramatic grand slam walk-off win in the regional opener, Tennessee went on to complete the sweep. The Volunteers have a very dangerous lineup that works in sort of an old-fashioned sense. Players like shortstop Liam Spence and third baseman Liam Rucker each bat over .300 without a ton of home run pop. However, five other hitters on the team have nine or more home runs on the season, making them a dangerous lineup from the top to the bottom. The rotation performed big-time in the winner’s bracket game and the regional final, as the starting pitchers right-handed pitcher Blade Tidwell and left-handed pitcher Will Heflin combined to allow zero earned runs. The Volunteers had a three-game sweep over the Tigers in the regular season.
Tennessee's 2021 MLB.com Top 200 Draft Prospects
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LSU
The Tigers (38-23) were the other team outside of Virginia to advance from their regional out of the loser’s bracket. Following an extra-inning survival against four seed Central Connecticut State, the Tigers avenged a loss to Gonzaga and took two close contests over the host team, Oregon. The Tigers' big three in the lineup showed up big following an opening game shutout. The trio of first baseman Tre’ Morgan, outfielder Dylan Crews and outfielder Gavin Dugas combined for 12 extra-base hits, six home runs and 13 runs batted in. LSU got several key contributions on the mound over the weekend, the best potentially coming from right-handed pitcher A.J. Labas who gave the Tigers an eight-inning start. This weekend, the Tigers will look to staff ace right-handed pitcher Landon Marceaux who had a solid outing against Tennessee in the regular season, going five innings with nine strikeouts and just one earned run.
LSU's 2021 MLB.com Top 200 Draft Prospects
33rd ranked prospect: RHP Jaden Hill - 2-3, 6.67 ERA, 25 K, 12 BB
77th ranked prospect: RHP Landon Marceaux - 7-6, 2.44 ERA, 112 K, 25 BB
