Dragash: Will the Road to Omaha go through Bloomington?
By CRAIG DRAGASH
ISL Correspondent
Last year, the Purdue baseball team had the hopes of fans in West Lafayette high after earning the right to host a regional in the NCAA baseball tournament. As it turns out, the Boilermakers weren’t able to provide their home field for use due to the fact that Alexander Field, the place they now call home, wasn’t ready yet. Because of that, they were forced to play their games in Gary, Indiana at the home of a local independent minor league stadium. The result was a disappointing exit at the hands of Kent State, which went on to play in the College World Series in Omaha after defeating Oregon in the super regional round.
This year, it’s Indiana’s turn. However the Hoosiers will have full use of their new field, Kaufman Field, which they have called home for all of this season. They will host their own regional beginning on Friday against fellow in-state foe Valparaiso, who was a participant in the Gary regional a year ago. The regional field also includes Florida, a frequent regional host and #2 seed, and Austin Peay, the #3 seed.
The regional format is double elimination; Florida will open play against Austin Peay at 1 p.m. on Friday, while Indiana and Valparaiso will square off at 7 p.m. For a complete regional bracket, click here.
Indiana boasts a high-octane offense, with six starters hitting above .300 led by Dustin Demuth, who hit .399 and hit five home runs on the year. Kyle Schwarber hit .374 with 16 home runs and 46 RBI, and Scott Donley hits at a .352 clip with a team leading 52 RBI. Aaron Slegers leads a strong pitching staff with a 9-1 record and a 1.93 ERA. Joey Denato and Kyle Hart are the other starters for the Hoosiers, with matching records of 8-2.
So what are the Hoosiers’ chances of advancing through their regional, and possibly advancing to Omaha? Coach Tracy Smith and his squad were not given any favors when Florida was placed in their regional. As mentioned previously, Florida is a regular in the tournament, although their place in this year’s tournament was in doubt until late in the season as they finished with a 29-28 record. NCAA baseball requires a record above .500 to participate in the tournament. The Gators have a young squad that found their stride as the season has progressed, and will be a dangerous team in this regional.
Austin Peay advanced to the regional by winning the Ohio Valley Conference. They are led by first baseman Craig Massoni, who batted .368 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI on the season. They did play two three-game series against Big Ten opponents this season, taking two of three against both Iowa and Michigan State at home. Valparaiso won the Horizon League championship to earn their automatic berth in the tournament. The Crusaders have a solid team ERA of 3.67, and should rely heavily on pitching and defense to advance.
The top eight teams in the tournament not only host their own regional, but they will host a subsequent two out of three super-regional should they advance. Those teams are #1 North Carolina, #2 Vanderbilt, #3 Oregon St., #4 LSU, #5 Cal St. Fullerton, #6 Virginia, #7 Florida St., and #8 Oregon. Other regional hosts include South Carolina, North Carolina St., UCLA, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Kansas St., and Mississippi St.
Regional play will go through Monday; super regionals will run from June 7th to June 10th, and the College World Series in Omaha will begin on June 15th. The College World Series is also a double elimination tournament, with the two teams coming out of each side of the bracket meeting in the championship best of three series.
If you have never watched the NCAA baseball tournament, I highly recommend you do so. The ESPN networks will carry many games in the regional and super regional rounds, and they will carry all games in the College World Series.
Even better, if you have a chance to attend the regional in Bloomington, or even the College World Series in Omaha, take advantage of the opportunity. College baseball is a brand all its own, and its popularity has steadily increased in recent years. I had the opportunity to attend the Gary regional last year, and although the host Boilermakers weren’t able to carry out the dream of playing in Omaha, it was an enjoyable event nonetheless. And after seeing a College World Series game in 2009 with TCU hitting a dramatic 7th inning grand slam that carried the Horned Frogs to a victory over Florida State, I can’t recommend that experience enough. Unlike the highly commercialized NCAA football and basketball tournaments, the College World Series maintains a hometown feel while attracting large crowds that make for a highly entertaining and enjoyable atmosphere.
