May 2, 2007

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

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It's a long and tiring Road to Omaha, but every two weeks we take a look at which teams have the best shot to make it to the CWS ? at least from our eyes.

In the last Eight for Omaha feature, Arizona State and South Carolina were included in the field. But this week, San Diego and Ole Miss take their place.

The Toreros are one of the hottest teams in the country following a dominant series win over Pepperdine, while the Rebels are on fire after beating South Carolina and Mississippi State in consecutive weeks.

The SEC is also represented by red-hot Vanderbilt and Arkansas.

After stumbling during the midweek a few weeks ago, the Commodores have played flawless baseball. Vandy swept arch-rival Tennessee two weeks ago and did the same to Florida last weekend. Arkansas took two of three from Vandy earlier this season and has continued its successful ways with a series win over Auburn.

Florida State and Virginia represent the ACC.

The Seminoles recorded an impressive road series win over in-state rival Miami, while Virginia is coming off a sweep of Maryland.

Rice and Texas are also in the mix.

The Owls are dominating the C-USA with a mix of pitching and offense, while Texas is doing the same in the competitive Big 12.

We take a look at this week's Omaha Eight.

Rivals.com's Omaha Eight

Texas (37-12) The skinny: Even with hard-hitting sophomores Bradley Suttle and Kyle Russell struggling last week at Oklahoma State, the Longhorns still took care of business in impressive fashion. That's what type of team you're dealing with. Anyone can rise to the occasion for the Longhorns and that's what makes them dangerous. While Suttle and Russell hope to bounce back from a less than stellar weekend at OSU, both are still putting up amazing numbers. Suttle leads the team with a .370 batting average, while Russell has 24 home runs and 63 RBIs. Veteran first baseman Chance Wheeless has also done his part, while outfielder Nick Peoples continues to perform well in his role. The offense has long been considered the strong point of this team. But at OSU, the pitching staff rose to the occasion with James Russell, Adrian Alaniz and Austin Wood each recording productive outings. Joseph Krebs also put together a nice outing, while veteran closer Randy Boone has developed into a premier closer.

Vanderbilt (39-8) The skinny: To say what coach Tim Corbin has built at Vanderbilt is impressive might be the understatement of the year. What Corbin has accomplished at Vandy is simply amazing. Before Corbin's arrival, the Commodores never had dreams of reaching the College World Series. But now, the CWS is no longer a dream ? it's an expectation. While several weeks separate today from the postseason, the Commodores are poised to make a strong run toward the school's first major national title. Everyone knows about junior left-hander David Price, but the key to the staff might be freshman lefty Mike Minor and hard-throwing closer Casey Weathers. Minor has blossomed in his first season with the Dores, brandishing a perfect 7-0 record with a 2.41 ERA in 56 innings. Weathers ? the closer ? can throw in the triple digits and has 51 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. Teams are hitting Weathers at a .094 clip. With the pitching staff on track, the offense is also in great shape with Pedro Alvarez and Dominic de la Osa leading the charge.

Rice (37-11) The skinny: Since dropping a Friday night affair to arch-rival Houston a few weeks ago, the Owls have been virtually unbeatable with 10-straight wins. Though some point to series against UCF and UAB as the chief reason for their success, the Owls have something special brewing. The Rice offense started the spring on a sour note. But during the past two months, the Owls have been anything but bad offensively. Two-way star Joe Savery leads the team with an impressive .340 batting average and 92 total bases. Veteran shortstop Brian Friday has raised his average .335, while Texas A&M transfer Jess Buenger has assumed an important role. While the offense is headed in a positive direction, the pitching staff is going to carry this team the distance. Freshman right-hander Ryan Berry has blossomed in his first season with the Owls, while Savery continues to do an impressive job on Sunday's. Additionally, All-American closer Cole St. Clair is healthy and back in business, while junior left-hander Bobby Bramhall is an important piece.

Arkansas (35-12) The skinny: Most baseball observers subscribe to the theory that pitching wins championships. If that's the case this postseason, the Razorbacks should be in great shape. The SEC-leading Hogs have one of the nation's top weekend rotations ? Nick Schmidt, Duke Welker and Jess Todd. Schmidt has continued where he left off last season. The talented left-hander is 9-1 with a 2.40 ERA in 90 innings. The veteran has also thrown two-straight complete games, striking out eight and allowing just one run in last week's outing against Auburn. Welker has a 3.33 ERA in 67 2/3 innings, while Todd has dominated his last two starts against Georgia and Auburn. Todd threw a complete game against the Bulldogs two weeks ago and did the same against the Tigers last week. He struck out eight and allowed just one run. While the Arkansas weekend rotation has the Hog faithful excited, the offense has also gotten the job done with catcher Brian Walker hitting a homer in the last four games. The Hogs are averaging 8.5 runs a game.

Florida State (39-7) The skinny: Say what you want about the Seminoles, but entering the final month of the regular season they have yet to lose a three-game series. Color me impressed with that feat. While the Noles still have some issues to work out with the third starting role in the weekend rotation, their situation should be under control by the postseason. Besides that issue, the Seminoles possess a solid one-two punch on the weekend with veterans Michael Hyde and Bryan Henry leading the charge. Hyde has a 2.79 ERA in 61 1/3 innings, while Henry is the staff ace. Henry enters the week a perfect 11-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 84 1/3 innings. He has also struck out 88 and walked 18, while opponents are hitting him at a .227 clip. Unlike the pitching staff, the FSU offense has zero question marks. The Seminoles pack a powerful punch at the plate, hitting .360 as a team. Veteran second baseman Tony Thomas Jr. is hitting .450 with 22 steals, while Buster Posey, Jack Rye, Jason Stidham and Mark Hallberg are each hitting over .360.

Virginia (38-10) The skinny: Since dropping the first conference series at Wake Forest, the Cavaliers have played flawless baseball in the ACC. When trying to find teams that you believe can compete for a national title, experience and leadership are key components. The talented Cavaliers have that and more. Virginia enters the week hitting .325 as a team with sophomore shortstop Greg Miclat leading the charge. Miclat is hitting a team-leading .383 with 32 stolen bases. Sophomore second baseman David Adams has also put together a productive offensive campaign, while junior outfielder Brandon Guyer enters the week hitting .383 with six home runs and 42 RBIs. While the Virginia offense has tallied productive numbers this spring, the most impressive aspect of the team is the pitching staff ? specifically the weekend rotation. Sophomore right-hander Jacob Thompson has a 1.38 ERA in 85 innings of work, while two-way talent Sean Doolittle has a 2.11 ERA in 64 innings. Like other teams on the list, the availability of a premier closer ? Casey Lambert ? should give the Cavaliers a shot in the arm.

Ole Miss (30-16) The skinny: One of the newest additions to the field of eight, the Rebels are on fire and have what it takes to compete for a national title. Not only do the Rebels possess a potent offense, they also have an outstanding weekend rotation with Will Kline and Lance Lynn leading the charge. While the Rebels started the season on a sour note offensively, they've increased production during the past month. Converted outfielder Justin Henry leads the team with a .399 batting average, while brother Jordan Henry is not far behind with a .393 batting average and 11 stolen bases. Shortstop Zack Cozart and third baseman Cody Overbeck have also produced at an impressive clip. Freshman Zach Miller has also filled in nicely at second base, hitting .377 with two homers and 16 RBIs. Though the offense has impressed during the past few weeks, the Rebels are led by a strong pitching staff. Veteran right-hander Will Kline continues to tally impressive numbers, while sophomore right-hander Lance Lynn is red-hot. Lynn enters the week 5-3 with a 2.49 ERA in 79 2/3 innings. The Rebels also have a bullpen with great potential.

San Diego (35-14) The skinny: Along with Ole Miss, the Toreros are a new addition to the impressive field of eight. After a series loss to Gonzaga a few weeks ago, some tabbed the Toreros as a pretender. But after sweeping talented Pepperdine in dominating fashion last weekend, the Toreros are on the minds of many. Much like the Rebels, the Toreros have one of the top weekend rotations in college baseball. Sophomore left-hander Brian Matusz is tallying amazing numbers this spring, while fellow sophomore Josh Romanski has bested Matusz in many ways. Junior right-hander Matt Couch has also done an impressive job, going 7-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 81 2/3 innings of work. Freshman hurler AJ Griffin is also a consistent contributor, serving as the team's closer. Griffin has eight saves and a 2.92 ERA in 52 1/3 innings. While the USD pitching staff is enough to get anyone excited, they also pack a punch at the plate. Veteran second baseman Justin Snyder leads the team with a .366 batting average, while Shane Buschini, Josh Romanski and Jordan Abruzzo are each hitting at an impressive clip.