Yesterday was wild, and it has set us up for an incredible slate of games today. Every single host team is on the brink of elimination coming into today. The only team that isn't is Texas A&M, as the Aggies punched their ticket to Omaha yesterday. Three more teams will punch their tickets today, and some top seeds will be fighting for their seasons. I can't wait for today's slate to start, so let's dive into my favorite plays of the day.
Oklahoma vs. Virginia Tech 1 p.m. ET
The Hokies bounced back in a thunderous way in game two as they put up 14 runs on 15 hits and smacked four homers in the process. That victory forced today's winner-take-all game with a spot in Omaha on the line.
The thing about this matchup is neither team has any pitching left. Virginia Tech threw its ace yesterday and did not get the start it needed out of him as he only lasted two and two-thirds innings. That is after the Hokies only got one inning out of their starter on Friday. So, the Hokies bullpen is taxed, to say the least.
We will likely see a combination of mixing and matching out of the Hokies pen today as Ryan Okuda and Jordan Gerber are both candidates to start this one, but neither of them has gone deeper than four innings in recent outings.
As for the Sooners, they'll likely turn to Cade Horton, who has been spectacular his last two times out as he shut down Texas and Florida. Horton has tremendous stuff, but for the majority of the year, Horton made a ton of mistakes with his fastball. Despite his two most recent outings, he will enter this start with a 6.03 ERA and .324 BAA.
Both of these lineups are hot as they combined for 22 runs yesterday, and given the pitching situations on both sides today, we should see a repeat of yesterday's game. So take the over and enjoy the fireworks.
Pick: Over 15.5 ( Play to 16.5)
Stanford vs. UConn at 7 pm ET
Game one was the offensive explosion that no one expected as the Huskies came out and rocked the Cardinal ace, Alex Williams, and put up nine runs in the first two innings. However, Stanford was not out of it, but the comeback effort may have started too late. Down 13-6 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Cardinal would strike for six runs but eventually fell one run short of a comeback.
Stanford will turn to Quinn Matthews, who's been dominant in any role this season. He enters with a 2.69 ERA, a .206 BAA, and 102 strikeouts over 90 innings this season. However, he'll be in for a challenge as the Huskies lineup has caught fire this postseason, and last night's 13-run and 17-hit effort is just the latest impressive showing.
The Huskies will turn to their ace Austin Peterson who will enter with a 10-2 record, 3.22 ERA, and 129 strikeouts in 100 innings of work this year. However, Peterson will face his most formidable task yet as this Stanford lineup has been on another level over the past month. Last night they hit eight homers, three of them came from Brock Jones, and they still came up short.
While the pitching matchup may be great on paper, both of these lineups are hot, and Stanford's park seems to be very hitter-friendly this postseason. Five of the eight postseason games at Stanford have gone over the total of this game. This total is too low given the park and the hot bats here. Take the over as Stanford tries to keep its season alive.
Pick: Over 11.5 (Play to 12.5)
