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Mississippi (37-23) - #1 Seed (#19 National Seed) - SEC At-Large Bid

• Top Hitters: Justin Henry (.378 avg., 0 HR, 35 RBIs, 21 stolen bases) Cody Overbeck (.299 avg., 13 HRs, 52 RBIs), Logan Power (.292 avg., 10 HRs, 48 RBIs)

• Top Pitchers: Lance Lynn (7-4, 2.77 ERA, 130 strikeouts), Will Kline (6-2, 3.68 ERA, 123 strikeouts), Nathan Baker (6-2, 3.84 ERA, 40 strikeouts)

• Key Wins: Arkansas (3/2), Vanderbilt (3/17), South Carolina (4/20 and 4/21)

• Key Losses: Mississippi State (4/17), Georgia (4/7), Alabama (3/23)

• Tournament Appearances: 12

The SEC is as historically dominant of a conference in college baseball as there is, so its no surprise that Mississippi out of the SEC West is the top seed in the Oxford Region, even as an at large bid. Ole Miss put together a strong season, staying ranked from start to finish, and beating some of the top teams in the country, including a win over #1 Vanderbilt early in the season.

The Rebels hit a very strong .304 as a team, and slugged 48 home runs, but averaged just over 6 runs per game; a solid number but not one you would expect with other numbers being so high. The pitching staff had a solid year, posting a team ERA of 3.51. The four regular starters combined for a record of 26-11 and a very impressive 345 strikeouts in 348.2 innings of work. Another nice weapon will be relief pitcher Scott Bittle who had a 2.35 ERA, registered 7 saves and struck out 58 batters in just 38.1 innings.

 

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Southern Mississippi (38-21) - #2 Seed - C-USA At-Large Bid

• Top Hitters: Trey Sutton (.368 avg., 8 HRs, 38 RBIs), Jody Blount (.326, 6 HRs, 33 RBIs), Michael Ewing (.287 avg., 7 HRs, 46 RBIs)
• Top Pitchers: Ryan Belanger (7-4, 2.63 ERA, 82 strikeouts), Barry Bowden (7-3, 3.12 ERA, 83 strikeouts), Todd McInnis (4-1, 2.17 ERA, 24 strikeouts)
• Key Wins: Rice (3/23), Mississippi (4/11), South Alabama (2/20)
• Key Losses: Mississippi State (4/24 and 4/25), East Carolina (4/29)
• Tournament Appearances: 7

Southern Miss earned itself a number two seed after a strong regular season in which they finished third in a tough C-USA. The Golden Eagles opened the year with a 7-game winning streak but hit a rough patch in late March and early April where the dropped 7 of 8 games. They bounced back in fine fashion though, closing out the regular season by winning 10 straight.

The Golden Eagles are a power team that draws a lot of walks. They slugged 107 doubles and 45 home runs on the season, while averaging 4.5 walks per contest. Southern Miss has the pitching staff to win the ball games as well. Starters Ryan Belanger and Barry Bowden had fine seasons, and the bullpen sports four arms that though at least 23 innings and had ERA’s under 2.60.

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Troy (34-25) - #3 Seed - Sun Belt Conference At-Large Bid

• Top Hitters: Kevin Weidlich (.362 avg., 11 HRs, 55 RBIs), Clint Robinson (.359 avg., 17 HRs, 69 RBIs), Edgar Ramirez (.338 avg., 11 HRs, 44 RBIs)
• Top Pitchers: Josh Dew (7-2, 2.56 ERA, 96 strikeouts), Clegg Snipes (6-5, 5.18 ERA, 84 strikeouts), Tim Wheeler (4-1, 5.66 ERA, 73 strikeouts)
• Key Wins: Arkansas (2/10), Southern Mississippi (2/25), South Alabama (5/17)
• Key Losses: Auburn (2/20), Mississippi State (3/2 and 3/4)
• Tournament Appearances: 17 (including Division II Appearances)

The Trojans are not likely to shut many teams out with their pitching staff, unless of course ace Josh Dew is on the mound. Dew had a stellar season with a 2.56 ERA and struck out 96 batters in just 63.1 innings. The problem for Troy is aside from Dew, there isn’t a man on the roster that has an ERA under 4.20. Luckily for the Trojans they have an offense that has been tearing the cover off of the ball. Three players hit double digit home runs this year for Troy, and the team as a whole slugged a very impressive 74 home runs. They also batted .304 as a team, meaning the Trojans can hurt opponents by stringing together hits or hitting the long ball.

Troy had a solid year, putting together an 8-game winning streak during the middle of the season, and managed to avoid any particularly long losing streaks. The question now will be if Troy can continue to pummel opponents pitching while playing outside of their conference.

 

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Sam Houston State (38-22) - #4 Seed - Southland Conference At Large Bid

• Top Hitters: Keith Stein (.385 avg., 0 HR, 35 RBIs), Bobby Verbick (.373, 13 HRs, 75 RBIs), Karl Krailo (.357 avg., 5 HRs, 46 RBIs)
• Top Pitchers: Luke Prihoda (5-3, 17 saves, 1.21 ERA, 53 strikeouts), Jacob Howard (11-5, 2.74 ERA, 74 strikeouts), Jesse Marshall (8-3, 3.58 ERA, 51 strikeouts)
• Key Wins: Prairie View A&M (3/20 and 4/17),
• Key Losses: Rice (2/27 and 4/24), Houston (5/15)
• Tournament Appearances: 3

Sam Houston State is another team that had a very strong offensive season without having a power packed lineup. Bobby Verbick hit nearly half of the team’s home runs on his way to a monster season at the plate, but the team slugged just 29 long balls on the year. Patience at the plate however allowed for a .319 team batting average, 248 walks, and 412 runs. The pitching staff sports a solid, workhorse of a starter in Jacob Howard, and a stellar closer in Luke Prihoda who sports a miniscule 1.21 ERA while saving 17 games on the year.

The Bearcats had a nice run this season, stringing together four different winning streaks of at least 5 games. The real question now is how they will fair against major conference competition in post season play.

Oxford Regional Predictions

#1 Mississippi vs. #4 Sam Houston State

This one is simple: SEC vs. Southland Conference. Sam Houston State doesn’t have enough offensive pop throughout their lineup to keep up with the powerful Ole Miss bats. The Rebels also bring three very solid starters to the mound, another advantage of the Bearcats.

Winner: Mississippi

 

#2 Southern Mississippi vs. #3 Troy

This is a true battle of good pitching going up against good hitting. Troy has put up some eye-popping numbers with the bats this year, but hasn’t been tested consistently by their schedule. Southern Mississippi has a strong pitching rotation throughout, and their offense has been very productive this year, and against tougher competition. The real key is going to be if the Trojans mediocre pitching staff can keep the Golden Eagles in check.

Winner: Southern Mississippi

 

Regional Final: #1 Mississippi vs. #2 Southern Mississippi

This in-state regional final should be a fun one but the Rebels are simply too strong for any other team in this region. The one advantage that Southern Miss has over Mississippi is the depths of its pitching staff, especially in the bullpen. If a game is close and goes into extra innings then the Golden Eagles have the advantage, otherwise this is the Rebels to lose.

Winner: Mississippi

 

 

by Joey Whelan - CUSA-fans.com Sports Writer   Past CUSA Baseball Artciles from Whelan: NCAA Baseball Tourney Preview: Oxford Regional NCAA Baseball Tourney Preview: Houston Regional Rice vs. Memphis series recap Rice vs. Tulane preview Rice @ UAB preview Rice vs. Texas & UCF preview Rice @ Houston baseball recap Previewing Rice vs. Lamar & Houston Previewing Rice vs. PVAMU & ECU Recapping Rice vs. Texas & Marshall Previewing Rice vs. Texas & Marshall #7 Rice takes series from #28 USM