The UALR-OSU Open Thread will be up at 4:15 PM, but until then, this is the place to talk about all of today's college baseball action. Below is the schedule for all of today's games. Go Beavers!
Time (Pacific) Matchup Network
9:00 AM Jacksonville vs Miami (Florida) ESPNU
9:00 AM Alabama vs UCF Gametracker
10:00 AM James Madison vs Florida International Gametracker
10:00 AM Navy vs Virginia NCAA.com
10:00 AM NC State vs Stetson Gametracker
10:30 AM Seton Hall vs Arizona Gametracker
11:00 AM Kent State vs Texas State Gametracker
12:00 PM Mississippi State vs Southern Miss Gametracker
12:00 PM Coastal Carolina vs Connecticut Gametracker
12:00 PM Dallas Baptist vs Oklahoma ESPN3.com
12:00 PM California vs Baylor Gametracker
12:00 PM Troy vs Oklahoma State Gametracker
1:00 PM Georgia vs Creighton ESPN3.com
1:00 PM Manhattan vs Florida ESPNU
2:00 PM UC Irvine vs Fresno State Gametracker
2:00 PM Charlotte vs Arkansas Gametracker
3:00 PM Maine vs North Carolina Gametracker
3:00 PM St. John's vs East Carolina NCAA.com
3:00 PM Bethune-Cookman vs Florida State Gametracker
4:00 PM Austin Peay State vs Georgia Tech Gametracker
4:00 PM Sacred Heart vs Clemson Gametracker
4:00 PM Georgia Southern vs South Carolina Gametracker
4:00 PM Kansas State vs Stanford ESPNU
4:00 PM Alcorn State vs Rice Gametracker
4:30 PM Princeton vs Texas Gametracker
4:30 PM Wright State vs Texas A&M Gametracker
5:00 PM Oral Roberts vs TCU ESPN3.com
5:00 PM Belmont vs Vanderbilt Gametracker
6:00 PM Arkansas-Little Rock vs Oregon State ESPN3.com
6:00 PM San Francisco vs UCLA Gametracker
7:00 PM New Mexico vs Arizona State Gametracker
8:00 PM Illinois vs Cal State Fullerton ESPNU
Games That Beaver Fans Should Be Interested In
Troy vs Okalahoma State - Both of these teams are in the Nashville Regional, which is paried up with the Corvallis Regional. Both of these teams are capable of knocking off Vanderbilt, but it will be interesting to see who gets the first chance at it.
Georgia vs Creighton - Depending on whether the Beavers win or lose later tonight, they will be facing one of these teams. This will be a good scouting opportunity for Oregon State fans. Let's hope it goes 16 innings and each club's bullpen is fried.
Belmont vs Vanderbilt - This is the other game of the Nashville Regional. Hopefully the Bruins can play spoiler and give Vandy a loss. You've got to like Troy or Oklahoma State's chances to win the regional if the Commodores already have one loss going into Saturday.
Arkansas-Little Rock vs Oregon State - Duh
1 Seeds On Upset Alert
Cal State Fullerton - Despite Illinois' 28-25 record, I'm putting the Titans on upset watch. The Fighting Illini ended the season winning nine out of their final ten games. They are extremely hot and are swinging the bat well. If they get a good start out of Kevin Johnson, watch out.
UCLA - Yes, the Bruins do come into this one red-hot, but so do the Dons. San Francisco has won six out of their last seven, and when they met in a series opener earlier this season, their starter only gave up one run in the 1-0 loss.
To me, this one comes down to the two starters: Matt Lujan and Gerrit Cole. Both pitchers have been dominant all year long, and if USF finds a way to scratch out a couple of runs off Cole, look for the Bruins to have a loss going into tomorrow.
Best 2-3 Games
Kent State-Texas State: This one has been getting overlooked across the country, but just look at the two records: 43-15, 40-21. I think both teams are very capable of knocking off Texas, but the loser of this one will be at a severe disadvantage the rest of the regional. Should be fun.
James Madison-Florida International: Both teams ended their seasons on fire. JMU won their final nine games, while FIU won 20 out of their last 23. Once again, I think both teams can knock off the regional favorite, North Carolina, and the winner of this one will get the first shot at the Tar Heels.
Coastal Carolina-Connecticut: Not only do I think one of these teams will win the regional, but they could also make it all the way to Omaha. The pitching matchup will be the best part of this one. Conecticut will throw Matt Barnes (11-3, 1.12), while the Chanticleers will send out Anthony Meo (9-3, 2.21).
Seton Hall-Arizona: Obviously there is intrigue with Arizoan being in the Pac-10, but Seton Hall is an interesting team as well. The Pirates won their final eight games and have a great ace in Joe Dirocco (8-1, 1.68). I think the Wildcats will win, but it's going to be a close one.
Dallas Baptist-Oklahoma: I've been on the Patriot bandwagon all season long and I'm not going to stop now. Dallas Baptist has seemingly done the impossible and made the tournament as an independent. I think the Sooners will be too tough for them in this one, but you will hear more from Baptist before the weekend is over.
UC Irvine-Fresno State: Both of these teams seemed to be in hosting contention until the final week of the season. Now they meet up in the first game of the toughest regional, what's not to like? I like UC Irvine in a (mini) upset.
So, what games are you looking forward to? Talk about them in the comments section.
--Connor