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SUPER REGIONAL COVERAGE: SCHEDULE/RESULTS | PAIRINGS | MESSAGE BOARDS
After the many miles traveled by some teams last week, the Road to Omaha either continues or comes to an abrupt halt for 16 teams this weekend.
With the NCAA Super Regionals around the corner, we take an in-depth look at how each team stacks up against the other.
In our last NCAA Super Regional preview, we took an inside look at the Santa Clara Super Regional. Now it's time to take an in-depth look at the Tallahassee Super Regional, which features Texas A&M (44-19) and Florida State (45-17).
For Texas A&M, the keys to the weekend are simple. The Aggies have been hot at the plate lately and must continue their consistent ways this weekend against a relatively weak Florida State pitching staff. Meanwhile, the pitching staff, particularly starting pitchers Michael Wacha and Ross Stripling must find a way to tame FSU's bats, which have the ability to sizzle.
For Florida State, the Seminoles must get solid starts from their trio of starters in Sean Gilmartin, Hunter Scantling and Mike McGee. Gilmartin has been phenomenal this season, but Scantling and McGee have proven to be hittable. Also, the Seminoles don't have a wealth of quality relievers, so the starters must go long enough to turn things over to more consistent arms such as Daniel Bennett and Brian Busch.
WHO HAS THE EDGE? Austin |
Chapel Hill |
Charlottesville |
Columbia |
Gainesville |
Nashville |
Santa Clara
| Tallahassee Super Regional: Who has the edge? |
| More on NCAA Super Regionals: Schedule/results
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| Starting pitching |
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Texas A&M and Florida State both enter the weekend with a little uncertainty when it comes to their weekend rotations. The Aggies have a fantastic one-two punch with Michael Wacha and Ross Stripling lead the way, while the Seminoles have one of the nation's best aces in left-hander Sean Gilmartin. The rest of the rotations for both teams have a tendency to be shaky, and that gives a slight edge to the Aggies, who have two very solid starters. Wacha will be one of the top prospects in the 2012 MLB draft and has a 2.24 ERA in 108 2/3 innings. He has struck out 106 and walked 23 and teams are hitting him at a .246 clip. Stripling, meanwhile, has a 2.30 ERA in 109 2/3 innings and teams are hitting him at a .198 clip. He has struck out 99 and walked 16. Derrick Hadley, who was inserted into the weekend rotation when stud right-hander John Stilson went down with an injury, has a 4.04 ERA in 35 2/3 innings and teams are hitting .255 against him ... For Florida State, it doesn't get much more consistent than Gilmartin. The outstanding lefty is 12-1 with a 1.83 ERA in 113 1/3 innings. He has struck out 122 and walked 20 and teams are hitting him at a .208 clip. Other weekend starters include Hunter Scantling and two-way star Mike McGee. Scantling has started 11 games and has a 3.84 ERA in 58 2/3 innings. He has struck out 48 and walked 19 and teams are hitting him at a .236 clip. McGee, meanwhile, has started six games and has a 4.02 ERA in 40 1/3 innings with teams hitting him at a .201 clip.
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| Bullpen |
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There might not have been another category more difficult to choose than this one. Both the Aggies and Seminoles have a couple of arms they can rely on out of the bullpen. However, both teams have major consistency issues at the end of games. Texas A&M gets an extremely slight edge for having more quality arms. Texas A&M closer Nick Fleece has made 31 appearances and has a 1.55 ERA in 40 2/3 innings, while Joaquin Hinojosa has appeared in 29 games and has a 2.41 ERA in 29 innings. Also worth noting, Brandon Parrent, who typically serves as a long reliever, has a 3.65 ERA in 44 1/3 innings and Kyle Martin has a 3.69 ERA in 39 innings with teams hitting .240 against him ... For Florida State, outstanding closer Daniel Bennett and Brian Busch serve as the most reliable arms. Bennett has appeared in 38 games and has a 2.10 ERA in 51 1/3 innings with 15 saves. Busch, meanwhile, has appeared in 25 games and has a 3.92 ERA in 59 2/3 innings. Also keep an eye on Gary Merians, Mack Waugh and Scott Sitz. Merians has a 4.14 ERA in 37 innings, Waugh has a 5.05 ERA in 35 2/3 innings and Sitz has a 5.48 ERA in 47 2/3 innings. In short, I wouldn't trust either of these bullpens in clutch situations.
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| Offense |
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The Aggies and Seminoles enter the weekend with identical team batting averages, but it's the 'Noles that actually have the more productive offense. The Seminoles enter the weekend with James Ramsey leading the way. He's hitting an impressive .364 with 18 doubles, 10 home runs and 66 RBIs. Jayce Boyd is hitting .335 with 16 doubles, six home runs and 56 RBIs, while Mike McGee is hitting .332 with 10 home runs and 56 RBIs and Devon Travis and Rafael Lopez are hitting .327 and .325, respectively. It's also worth noting the Seminoles have six everyday starters with on-base percentages of .415 or better ... The Aggies have been much better offensively the past couple of weeks, but still have the ability to go into lulls at times. The Aggies are led at the plate by stud outfielder Tyler Naquin, who's hitting a team-high .389 with 21 doubles, seven triples, and 43 RBIs. He also has a .458 OBP. Freshman outfielder Krey Bratsen is hitting .344 with 34 RBIs, while Matt Juengel is hitting .307 with six home runs and 47 RBIs and first baseman Jacob House is hitting .304 with 15 doubles, three home runs and 45 RBIs. Also keep an eye on third baseman Adam Smith, who only is hitting .238 but has very solid raw power, and Andrew Collazo, who's hitting .287 with a .412 OBP.
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| Defense |
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Texas A&M and Florida State both enter the weekend with solid outfields, but the difference between the two teams is in the infield, where the Aggies certainly have an advantage. Though catcher Kevin Gonzalez isn't an elite offensive contributor, he's one of the better defensive catchers in the country. Also, first baseman Jacob House has been stable, second baseman Andrew Collazo isn't flashy but makes most routine plays, shortstop Kenny Jackson has solid range and is having a great year in the field, with third baseman Adam Smith, who can make great plays but is consistent, the only weak link. The A&M outfield can cover a lot of ground. Brandon Wood isn't incredibly fast, but makes acrobatic plays, center fielder Krey Bratsen is a speedster and Tyler Naquin has an excellent arm ... Though the Aggies have the edge in the field, the Seminoles don't necessarily have a bad defensive team. Catcher Rafael Lopez has been serviceable behind the plate, first baseman Jayce Boyd makes few mistakes, shortstop Justin Gonzalez is solid and third baseman Sherman Johnson has been solid for much of the season. Second baseman Devon Travis is the weakest link with more errors at second base than Gonzalez at shortstop. In the outfield, Stuart Tapley isn't a tremendous athlete but makes plays, Mike McGee is an outstanding athlete and James Ramsey is ultra consistent.
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| Intangibles |
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For as much grief as Florida State coach Mike Martin gets for having not yet won a national title with the Seminoles, he, at least lately, has been extremely consistent in getting his team ready in the first couple of rounds of the NCAA postseason. The Seminoles reached the College World Series last season and have the necessary experience to get through another NCAA Super Regional. Texas A&M, meanwhile, was unable to advance out of the Coral Gables Regional last season. In addition to experience, the Seminoles are playing at home, where they have a 28-7 record this season. The Aggies must take the FSU crowd out of the series early and often to advance to Omaha.
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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