Key Matchups, Pitching Power & Road Challenges

The road to Omaha began last week when 64 teams started their postseason.

Now, the field has been cut down to just 16 as we head to the Super Regionals. West Virginia and Arizona are the only two Big 12 teams left.

Here are my four things to watch this weekend in the Super Regionals.

West Virginia’s Offense

One thing the Mountaineers have done well this postseason is scoring runs in bunches. They beat Kentucky in a close opening game last week, 4-3, before breaking out offensively in their final two games of the Clemson Regional. They went on to score nine against Clemson before putting up 13 against Kentucky to punch their ticket to Baton Rouge.

West Virginia has five players hitting over the .300 mark: Sam White, Kyle West, Armani Guzman, Jace Rinehart, and Chase Swain. Plus, Skyler King isn’t too far behind, batting .298. They were one of the most consistent hitting teams in the Big 12 this year, and while they may not have the power of an elite team, their entire lineup is capable of getting on base.

Arizona’s Pitching

While Arizona can hit with just about anyone, the one thing I was most impressed with has been their pitching. Going back to the Big 12 Tournament game in Arlington, the Wildcats have given up just nine runs in their last six games, including a shutout win over Cal Poly on Sunday to advance to the Supers.

Bailey Smith and Owen Kramkowski were lights out in their two starts last weekend, and the Wildcats will need more great performances from them against North Carolina. Arizona is a very balanced team, but when their pitching plays like it did in the Eugene Regional, watch out.

LSU and North Carolina’s Defense

The Tigers may not have the offense we are all accustomed to, but their pitching has been elite this year. Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson have been money on the mound, and West Virginia’s hot offense will have their work cut out for them this weekend.

Speaking of elite pitching, nobody in the ACC was better than North Carolina on the mound. The Tar Heels’ team ERA this season was 3.39, which was one of the best in the entire country. Jake Knapp has been incredibly consistent all season long, and Jason DeCaro isn’t too far behind.

I can see both series being low-scoring ones due to the pitching talent between everyone in Baton Rouge and Chapel Hill. However, someone is going to have to get some momentum and find a way to score in key spots when it counts.

Hostile Environments

We can talk about players and statistics all we want, but one thing people need to know is that both West Virginia and Arizona will be the road teams. The Mountaineers are going to be walking into a hornet’s nest when they go to Baton Rouge and face the Tigers at Alex Box Stadium. That is one of the toughest environments in all of college baseball. And Boshamer Stadium is no cakewalk either. If either West Virginia or Arizona walk out of those stadiums as winners, then they will have definitely earned their way to Omaha.