Tennessee and Texas A&M fight for the title
With the championship series finale set for the College World Series, we can say a few things with certainty. We know the SEC can once again claim the title of college baseball’s best conference, but we’re also guaranteed a first-time national champion.
For the third time in four years and the fifth time since 2011, the final series will be an all-SEC affair. In addition, a league member will leave Omaha with the championship trophy for the fifth year in a row.
Neither Tennessee (58-12) nor Texas A&M (52-13), however, have ever been in that position. Both teams were in Omaha just two years ago, but neither has reached the best-of-three final in the current tournament format. Tennessee actually has the only runner-up finish of the two teams, and that was back in 1951.
Now that we’ve gotten that brief history lesson out of the way, let’s look at the teams. Here’s a reminder of the College World Series schedule and how the Volunteers and Aggies got here.
Hit
Both finalists boast strong batting orders. The Vols scored a whopping 9.2 runs per game, but the Aggies aren’t far behind at 8.6. Leading the way for Tennessee are 2B Christian Moore (.385, 33 HR, 76 RBI) and OF Blake Burke (.382, 20 HR, 61 RBI). The Aggies have continued to perform well despite a series of injuries that have sidelined some key players and left others playing injured. Among the injured players is OF Jace LaViolette (.306, 28 HR, 77 RBI), who should benefit from a few days off to rest his sore hamstring. All-arounder Gavin Grahovac (.303, 22 HR, 64 RBI) has been part of most of the Aggies’ comebacks in Omaha.
Set up
A&M’s shutout of Florida on Wednesday to secure a spot in the finals was its 12th whitewash of the season, the most in the country. Ryan Prager (9-1, 2.88 ERA) is expected to make the first start on Saturday. The bullpen, led by Evan Aschenbeck (6-1, 1.54 ERA, 10 S), should be well rested. But Tennessee also swept its half of the Omaha group, so its full repertoire of relievers should be available, too. Drew Beam (9-2, 4.30 ERA) and Xander Sechrist (5-1, 3.22 ERA) have both made good starts in this ballpark.
Field game
We’ve seen both teams put on some serious work in Omaha. LaViolette’s game-winning catch off the right outfield fence as the Aggies beat Florida in their opener and Volunteers OF Kavares Tears’ beautiful catch on the warning track in Wednesday’s decisive win over Florida State come to mind. Tennessee’s better overall health could help them put more balls in play, but the Aggies are just as solid on the fundamentals.
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