Tournament field, pairings | Regional roundup | Rivals.com Top 25

May 28, 2008

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

As part of our postseason coverage, we breakdown all 16 Regionals in our Regional Insider features.

TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL
The favorite: Florida State	1. Florida State 2. Florida 3. Tulane 4. Bucknell
After failing to win the Tallahassee Regional last season, Florida State enters the week with extra motivation. That could be bad news for opposing teams. The Seminoles are at home and have one of the nation's best offenses. They enter the weekend hitting .350 as a team. Catcher Buster Posey is the nation's best hitter and veteran outfielder Jack Rye has been outstanding since returning to the lineup. While Posey and Rye spearhead the offense, Matt Fairel and Elih Villanueva hope to carry the pitching staff this weekend. If FSU plays the way it has all-season long, it should be in great shape. However, we'd be lying if we said we weren't a little skeptical about the Seminoles.
The dark-horse contender: Florida
Florida probably is the only team we could see eliminating Florida State from Regional play. The Gators are familiar with the Seminoles, facing them three times during the regular season with a record of 1-2. After putting together a less than impressive performance at the SEC Tourney, the Gators head to Tallahassee with something to prove. Tallahassee native Cole Figueroa must have a big weekend for the Gators, while Avery Barnes, Josh Adams and Brandon McArthur are key components. On the mound, the Gators have a pair of outstanding relievers in Josh Edmondson and Clint Franklin. The Gators haven't had much success against FSU in Tallahassee, but this would be a good time to change that.
Best hitter: Florida State's Buster Posey
There are few players that can be mentioned in the same breath as Florida State catcher Buster Posey. The nation's best player, Posey has had a phenomenal junior campaign both at and behind the plate for the Seminoles. Posey is hitting .467 with 19 homers and 73 RBIs. He is also slugging .864 and has a .567 on-base percentage. Additionally, Posey has recorded 20 doubles and four triples to go with 185 total bases. As a pitcher, Posey has not allowed a run in 7 1/3 innings of work. He has also recorded six saves.
Best pitcher: Tulane's Shooter Hunt
When Tulane junior right-handed pitcher Shooter Hunt takes the mound, the Green Wave usually gets good results. The veteran - who promises to be a high draft pick in the upcoming MLB Draft ? has had a great season on the mound. Hunt enters the week 9-3 with a 2.45 ERA in 91 2/3 innings. He has also struck out 119 and walked 51, while opponents are hitting him at a .156 clip. Tulane likely will start Hunt in the Regional opener against Florida.
The buzz
Florida and Florida State have met three times this season, with the Seminoles holding a 2-1 advantage over the Gators. The Gators won the first meeting 6-1, while the Seminoles won in Jacksonville (10-2) and Tallahassee (4-2) ? Chances are Bucknell is going to have a rude awakening in this Regional. The Bison have played just one game against a top-150 RPI team this season. That game was against Towson (108), whom the Bison lost to by a score of 14-5 ? One bit of good news for Tulane, Marshall is not in the postseason. In addition to losing two games in the C-USA Tournament to the Thundering Herd, the Green Wave also split a pair of games and tied once in the regular season series. To make this Regional related, the Green Wave is just 5-5 in its last 10 games.
Schedule ? Overview

Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Rivals.com. He can be reached at rogersk@yahoo-inc.com.