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REGIONAL COVERAGE: SCHEDULE/RESULTS | REGIONAL BREAKDOWN | PAIRINGS | MESSAGE BOARDS
The Road to Omaha has begun and 64 teams around the country are vying for the eight lucrative spots in the first College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.
As part of our extensive NCAA postseason coverage, we take an in-depth look at each of the 16 NCAA Regionals.
| THE TEAMS |
| Team |
Conference |
Record |
Berth |
Last NCAA appearance |
| 1. TCU |
Mountain West |
42-17 |
At-large |
2010 |
| 2. Oklahoma |
Big 12 |
41-17 |
At-large |
2010 |
| 3. Dallas Baptist |
Independent |
39-17 |
At-large |
2008 |
| 4. Oral Roberts |
Summit |
36-20 |
Auto bid |
2010 |
| THE BREAKDOWN |
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The favorite: TCU
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1. TCU
2. Oklahoma
3. Dallas Baptist
4. Oral Roberts
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The Frogs failed to win the Mountain West tournament last weekend, but still are in solid shape entering the weekend. The Frogs are hitting .308 going into the NCAA postseason with Taylor Featherston, Jason Coats, Brance Rivera and Jantzen Witte leading the way. Featherston is hitting .336 with three home runs and 41 RBIs, Coats is hitting .332 with eight home runs and 56 RBIs, Rivera is hitting .329 with seven home runs and 36 RBIs and Witte is hitting .324 with four home runs and 41 RBIs. Pitching-wise, Kyle Winkler, assuming he's healthy this weekend certainly leads the way, while it looks like left-hander Matt Purke will be on an 80-90 pitch limit this weekend. Also keep an eye on talented youngster Andrew Mitchell, who has a 3.13 ERA in 69 innings with teams hitting .206 against him. Even with some injury concerns, the Frogs still are the favorite to claim the Fort Worth Regional.
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The dark-horse contender: Oklahoma
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The Sooners reached the College World Series last season with many players on this team. And though they haven't exactly played at their expectation level so far this season, OU definitely is a team to watch this weekend. The Sooners are hitting .316 with Cam Seitzer, Tyler Ogle and Garrett Buechele leading the way. Seitzer is hitting .363 with four home runs and 41 RBIs, Ogle is hitting .349 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs and Buechele is hitting .322 with eight home runs and 62 RBIs. Pitching-wise, veteran Michael Rocha has had a solid season with a 1.79 ERA in 105 2/3 innings, while solid prospect Burch Smith has a 3.62 ERA in 87 innings. Also keep an eye on reliever Ryan Duke, who has been both good and bad this season. He has a 4.19 ERA in 19 1/3 innings and teams are hitting him at a .234 clip. It'll be interesting to see OU fairs this weekend.
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Best hitter: OF Jason Krizan, Dallas Baptist
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Krizan has had a fabulous career with the Patriots and has earned a plethora of headlines this season for breaking the NCAA doubles record. Krizan is doing a fantastic job at the plate, hitting a team-best .431 with 37 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs and 76 RBIs. He's also slugging .738 and has a solid .517 OBP. It's also worth noting that Krizan is 13-for-17 in stolen bases. What an impressive season the veteran is putting together.
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Best pitcher: RHP Kyle Winkler, TCU
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Winkler has had some issues with arm soreness the past couple of weeks ago, but should be ready to go when the Horned Frogs take the field this weekend. Winkler is having a fabulous junior campaign. He has started 12 games and is 8-2 with a 1.40 ERA in 90 innings. He also has struck out 98 and walked 13 and teams are hitting him at a .201 clip. The Horned Frogs desperately need Winkler back in the field to get back to the College World Series.
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Best prospect: LHP Matt Purke, TCU
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Purke is best known as the talented high school pitcher that was forced to turn down millions (by MLB) from the Texas Rangers. Well, after having such an amazing freshman campaign for the Horned Frogs, Purke has had some blister and arm issues that have held him back this season. He's still pitching for the Frogs. Purke has made 10 starts this season and has a 1.51 ERA in 47 2/3 innings. He also has struck out 55 and walked 18 and teams are hitting him at a .192 clip. With his velocity down, it'll be interesting to see where Purke goes in the draft.
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The buzz
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TCU should be in good shape on the mound granted veteran Kyle Winkler is healthy this weekend. But while the starting rotation is in solid shape, how's the bullpen looking? Well, the Horned Frogs have some solid arms with Trent Appleby, Erik Miller and Stefan Crichton leading theta way. Appleby has a 3.14 ERA in 63 innings, Miller has a 4.62 ERA in 76 innings and Crichton has a 2.06 ERA in 48 innings ... Oklahoma has consistently started Michael Rocha and Burch Smith this season, but it'll be interesting to which route it goes the rest of the weekend in key roles. The Sooners have some solid starting options in Jordan John, Dillon Overton and Bobby Shore. John has a 2.50 ERA in 54 innings, Overton has a 2.10 ERA in 73 innings and Shore has a 4.14 ERA in 54 1/3 innings ... Dallas Baptist might not have a plethora of high quality pitchers outside of starter Jared Stafford, but its offense is in fantastic shape with a .316 batting average. We've already talked about Krizan, but Landon Anderson, Tyler Robbins and Ryan Behmanesh are other guys to watch. Anderson is hitting .357 with seven home runs and 54 RBIs, Robbins is hitting .346 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs and Behmanesh is hitting .323 with four home runs and 48 RBIs ... Oral Roberts has gotten productive campaigns from offensive cogs Nick Ballgod (.358), Cam Schiller (.345) and Chris Elder (.330) this season, but its success this weekend boils down to the pitching staff, particularly starters Drew Bowen and Alex Gonzalez. Bowen has started 11 games and has a 1.96 ERA in 59 2/3 innings while Gonzalez has made 16 starts and has a fantastic 2.61 ERA in 103 1/3 innings. Teams are hitting him at a .228 clip. ORU could be a perfect spoiler this weekend.
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Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Perfect Game USA and has covered the sport for over 10 seasons. He can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org