The best of the bunch in Omaha
Tickets are punched and the start of the College World Series is on the horizon.
Every season the CWS features intriguing story lines and great teams. But this year's tournament appears to have a few more story lines and great teams than usual.
It also includes stud hitters such as North Carolina's Dustin Ackley and Arizona State's Jason Kipnis and starting pitchers like Arizona State's Mike Leake and LSU senior Louis Coleman.
It's time to look at the best this CWS has to offer.
TOP FIVE HITTERS
1. Dustin Ackley (North Carolina) – He's the best hitter in the game enters the CWS hitting .412 with 22 homers and 70 RBIs.
2. Jason Kipnis (Arizona State) – The veteran is an absolute fire-starter for the Sun Devils and is hitting .385 with 16 homers and 71 RBIs.
3. Jarrett Parker (Virginia) – One of the more exciting players to watch, Parker is hitting .364 with 16 homers and 65 RBIs.
4. Josh Fellhauer (Cal State Fullerton) – Underrated much of the season, but Felly is hitting .399 with six homers and 55 RBIs. He also has a .485 OBP.
5. Kyle Seager (North Carolina) – He's a doubles machine and enters the CWS hitting .386 with five homers and 59 RBIs.
TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS
1. Mike Leake (Arizona State) – Was a first-round pick this week and has a 1.36 ERA in 132 2/3 innings. Teams are hitting him at a .175 clip.
2. Louis Coleman (LSU) – When something important is on the line, Coleman is your guy. He has a 2.76 ERA in 114 innings and teams are hitting .217.
3. Daniel Renken (Cal State Fullerton) – Consistency is the name of the game with Renken, who has a 2.36 ERA in 118 innings. Teams are hitting .202.
4. Josh Spence (Arizona State) – The man from down under has nasty stuff and a 2.33 ERA in 88 2/3 innings. Teams are hitting .234 off him.
5. Chance Ruffin (Texas) – Tough as nails and is Mr. Consistent with a 3.02 ERA in 116 1/3 innings. Teams are hitting him at a .220 clip.
TOP FIVE RELIEVERS
1. Austin Wood (Texas) – He's already a legend in the city of Austin and enters the CWS with 15 saves and a 2.19 ERA in 78 innings.
2. Matty Ott (LSU) – Somehow this kid is just a freshman. In an amazing feat, he has recorded 16 saves and has a 2.17 ERA in 45 2/3 innings.
3. Brian Moran (North Carolina) – Moran has been fabulous this season and has a 1.95 ERA in 64 2/3 innings. Teams are hitting .184 off him.
4. Kevin Arico (Virginia) – Has flown under the radar much of the season, but has appeared in 29 games and has a 2.06 ERA in 35 innings.
5. Mitchell Lambson (Arizona State) – One of the better freshmen in the country, Lambson has appeared in 29 games and has a 2.77 ERA in 74 2/3 innings.
BEST OFFENSE: Cal State Fullerton
The Titans received a huge boost before the season when veteran first baseman Jared Clark decided to return for another campaign. Clark and others have spearheaded a solid offensive campaign. Fullerton enters the CWS hitting .330 with seven batters hitting over .300. Josh Fellhauer certainly is the headliner and Jared Clark is hitting .363 with 12 homers and 81 RBIs. Shortstop Christian Colon is hitting .352 with seven homers and 38 RBIs and Khris Davis is hitting .336 with 16 homers and 57 RBIs. The Titans have one of those lineups without many weak spots. That is very important in a tournament like this.
BEST PITCHING: Texas
There are good pitching staffs in Omaha. Then there's Texas. UT pitching coach Skip Johnson has done a fabulous job with his staff this season. The Longhorns enter the CWS with a 2.84 earned run average. Ace pitcher Chance Ruffin is one of the nation's best and fellow weekend starters Cole Green and Taylor Jungmann also are fantastic. Green has a 3.02 ERA in 95 1/3 innings and Jungmann has a 2.27 ERA in 79 1/3 innings. In the bullpen, left-handed reliever Austin Wood is exceptional and Austin Dicharry has made 23 appearances and has a 2.40 ERA in 56 1/3 innings. The Longhorns are tough to beat if they head to the latter innings with a lead.
BEST FIELDING: Texas
With good pitching in many instances comes good fielding. The Longhorns have the most consistent defense in the field of eight and enters the tourney with an impressive .979 fielding percentage. First baseman Brandon Belt does a nice job at first baseman, second baseman Travis Tucker is outstanding, shortstop Brandon Loy has made few mistakes this season and third baseman Michael Torres has been OK. Also worth mentioning is catcher Cameron Rupp, who has been a good field commander. UT is not a team that is going to give teams many second chances.
BEST COACH: Texas's Augie Garrido
There are a wealth of great coaches in this field but Garrido is the easy pick. He has won national titles at Cal State Fullerton and Texas and is the winningest coach in college baseball history. That's pretty much all you need to say when picking the best coach in the field.
THE FAVORITE: Cal State Fullerton
It's between North Carolina, LSU and Cal State Fullerton. In the end, we're going with the Titans. Fullerton has an excellent offense with Jared Clark, Josh Fellhauer and others leading the way. The pitching staff also is in good shape with starting pitchers Daniel Renken, Noe Ramirez and Tyler Pill in charge. Oh yeah, they also happen to be playing an outstanding brand of baseball going into the CWS. I said earlier this season Fullerton was the best team I had seen. That still is the case.
HOTTEST TEAM: Virginia
This is not the team you want to play in the first game. LSU coach Paul Mainieri would agree with me, too. The Cavaliers stormed through the ACC tournament and received a raw deal by being sent out to the West Coast for NCAA regional play. Well, the Cavaliers answered the call and took care of the Irvine Regional field without too much trouble. The Cavaliers also won the Oxford Super Regional in three games over Mississippi. This team is red-hot and hopes to continue that style of play in Omaha.
