Is the college game starting to mirror Major League Baseball, in which more and more surprise teams emerge from year-to-year to take the title in Omaha? No one picked Fresno State to win it all a year ago, just like no one picked UC Irvine the year before, even if the Anteaters fell just short of capturing the national championship. Oregon State had been somewhat of a surprise champion, only because they hadn’t previously been among the usual group of teams that are in the annual conversation for the best teams in the nation.

As I pointed out a few weeks ago, while the SEC and ACC are largely thought to be the two best conferences in college baseball, neither conference has taken home the national championship since Miami did so in 2001 (their second in three years). LSU was the last SEC team to win it all when they won their fifth championship in 10 years in the year 2000.

LSU of course hasn’t been the same since then, although after finishing fifth in Omaha a year ago they are poised to reclaim their national reputation in the game of college baseball.

I’m predicting that to change this year with North Carolina sitting atop my annual top 10 list. Three teams were in contention for the top spot (Cal State Fullerton and LSU were the other two), but North Carolina got the nod for their impressive wealth of pitching.

1. North Carolina Tar Heels

You would think North Carolina would be due to win in Omaha after finishing as the runner-up to Oregon State in both 2006 and 2007, while finishing third a year ago. During that time they have a cumulative record of 165-45.

Quite often when looking at a team from one year to another, you don’t look at who they added but who they lost, and North Carolina lost some key members of their lineup including Tim Fedroff, Tim Federowicz, Chad Flack, Kyle Shelton and Seth Williams, as well as closer Rob Wooten.

Mark Fleury has been waiting patiently to play everyday behind the plate, while Solid year-to-year recruiting efforts should allow the program to plug in those voids with other talented players. Mike Cavasinni returns from injury to patrol center, while the infield returns a talented quartet of players with a nice blend of offensive and defensive skills.

The infield is highlighted by arguably the best hitter in the nation, Dustin Ackley, who is poised to put up his best year of his impressive college career in which he has never batted below .400 at any stop, including his summer stints in wood bat leagues. He will be surrounded in the lineup by third baseman Kyle Seager and Fleury. Ryan Graepel and Garrett Gore will help solidify the infield at shortstop and second base respectively, particularly on defense.

Pitching never seems to be an issue for Mike Fox and the Tar Heels. Alex White, one of the best pitchers in the entire nation, and one of the best overall prospects eligible for the 2009 draft, will take the ball on Fridays. Sophomore phenom Matt Harvey will follow White with Adam Warren anchoring the weekend rotation. That trio accounted for 29 wins a year ago, which represented 54 percent of the team’s victories.

Patrick Johnson, Bryant Gaines and Jimmy Messer will all likely get some weekday starts trying to get the ball to the incredibly deep bullpen, anchored by Colin Bates, who takes the closer role from Wooten.

If pitching and defense wins championships, you are going to be hard-pressed finding a team in the nation that is better at doing either than North Carolina.

2. Cal State Fullerton Titans

Pitching and defense is the exact reason why the Titans are second on this list, although they return a rather well balanced and experienced lineup as well, led by senior slugger Jared Clark, who provided some key hits for Team USA last summer.

Christian Colon and Josh Fellhauer also spent time with the National Collegiate team and both will be asked to provide key hits and defensive stability at two key positions at shortstop and centerfield respectively. Gary Brown returns to the hot corner where he too offers both a good glove and a powerful bat, while veteran Joe Scott provides valuable team leadership from second.

Dustin Garneau should be a rock defensively behind the plate, and the team is hopeful that Khris Davis can start tapping into his enormous potential.

The pitching staff may not be as tried and true as the Tar Heels staff, but the talent is there. Junior college transfer Kyle Witten looks as though he has stepped up to take the ball on Fridays, with fellow righties Daniel Renken and Michael Morrison in line to follow Witten in the weekend rotation.

From Kevin Rath and R.J. Hively to Travis Kelly and Jason Dovel as well as newcomers Kyle Mertins and Noe Ramirez, Fullerton has several candidates that could step up and assume week-day starting roles. Those that don’t will provide valuable bullpen depth.

Tyler Pill, the younger brother of former Titans closer Brett, and Ryan Ackland should stabilize the back-end of the bullpen. Pill will also provide two-way versatility as a talented hitter that could see significant time as the team’s designated hitter.

Cal State Fullerton has a few questions in their pitching staff that need to be answered, but if a few key players step up and perform as Dave Serrano and the Titans coaching staff hope they do, they could come out on top in Omaha.

3. LSU Tigers

After dominating the 1990s, with five national titles from 1991 to 2000, LSU hasn’t been as great of a national powerhouse, at least not until last year’s anticipated re-emergence.

That success is expected to continue as Paul Mainieri has ushered in some impressive recruiting classes the past few years. The 2009 team will likely be carried by a solid starting lineup that offers a little bit of everything from contact hitting, power and speed.

The outfield should be the most exciting component to the team, with Blake Dean, Leon Landry and Jared Mitchell lining up from left to right. Dean is the team’s (and one of the nation’s) best hitter, Landry makes “web gems” on a daily basis, while Mitchell is the most complete and talented member of the trio, although he hasn’t yet lived up to his promise (often attributed to the fact that he also plays wide receiver for the football team).

Ryan Schimpf and D.J. LeMahieu create a very solid middle infield, with both offering solid defensive and offensive skills.

The starting staff stands to be very young and inexperienced. Anthony Ranaudo, their top recruit from their highly-touted 2007-08 class, has the most talent of the bunch and could assume the role of Friday starter for the next few years. Daniel Bradshaw, Nolan Cain and Austin Ross are the leading candidates to take the other starting roles.

The bullpen stands to have more experience and depth, which should help out a young starting staff if they aren’t able to consistently work deep into ballgames. Louis Coleman will serve as the team’s closer, and could be among the nation’s leaders in appearances. Junior Paul Bertuccini and Senior Jordan Brown will add to the support system.

While there are some significant questions in the pitching staff the Tigers needs to answer, this team could easily out-score their opponents all season long.

4. Texas Longhorns

The expression “Texas Heat” is personified perfectly by the Longhorns starting staff. Power-armed sophomores Chance Ruffin and Brandon Workman are both armed with nasty fastball-breaking ball repertoires, and both could put up some gaudy strikeout totals by the end of the year. Both are also among the top prospects available for the 2010 draft. Cole Green is no slouch himself, even if his stuff is a tick below his fellow weekend rotation mates. Freshman Taylor Jungmann, a former Aflac All-American, should follow form with a power arsenal of his own during weekday starts, as could sophomore Slayton Thomas

Austin Wood returns to the bullpen to serve as the team’s closer. His experience along with that of Keith Shinaberry, Hunter Harris and Riley Boening should help shut games down in the later innings.

Losing the power and athleticism of Jordan Danks and Kyle Russell will be no easy task, but the lineup outside of those two should remain the same. Plus, their two best bench players from a year ago, Kevin Keyes and Tant Shepherd, are set to take the places of Danks and Russell in the Longhorns lineup, and they are arguably the most exciting players on the team.

First baseman Brandon Belt will provide a steady bat and glove, while Preston Clark, Travis Tucker, David Hernandez and Connor Rowe gives the team a very good defense up the middle. The team has plenty of players that know how to handle a bat, and should fit in well with Augie Garrido’s style of manufacturing runs by doing all of the little things well.

However, Garrido’s recent DUI and subsequent four-game suspension is going to create an unnecessary distraction at least early in the season. If the team is able to rise up and flourish despite the negative attention, big things could be in store for the Longhorns this season.

5. Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals are my first surprise team, as I like the collection of players that they have on their team, aided by the return of All-American slugger Chris Dominguez. That isn’t to say that they are going to sneak up on anyone, as most have Louisville ranked within the top 10-20 teams in the nation, but I think they have a very good chance to continue where they left off in 2007 after a surprise trip to Omaha.

There should be no shortage of offense on this team, thanks to Dominguez, first baseman Andrew Clark, catcher Jeff Arnold, shortstop John Dao and outfielders Stewart Ijames and Josh Richmond. Collectively that group hit .336 with 45 home runs a year ago. Some of that offense may come at the expense of team defense, but more often than not this team will be able to out-slug their mistakes.

Lefties Justin Marks and Bob Revesz and right-hander Matt Lea return from last year’s staff to form the weekend rotation for the 2009 season. Marks was the team’s Friday starter from a year ago, and has gone 9-2 in each of his first two seasons.

Freshmen Keith Landers, Mike Nastold and Tony Zych are expected to make immediate contributions as part of the pitching staff. Thomas Royse and Gabriel Shaw offer a pair live arms that could make names for themselves this spring while senior Gavin Logsdon will provide much needed experience out of the bullpen.

Similar to LSU, this team has a few questions on the pitching side of the ball, but have enough power in their lineup to overcome any perceived weaknesses.

6. Rice Owls

North Carolina is the only other team that has made it to Omaha each of the last three seasons, as few programs are as well maintained from year-to-year as Wayne Graham’s Rice Owls.

High profile, Major League quality pitching usually defines the program, with recent notable contributions from David Aardsma, Jeff Niemann, Phillip Humber, Joe Savery and Cole St. Clair.

Team ace Ryan Berry looks to continue that legacy, as he has been doing so the past two seasons serving as the team’s Friday starter and enjoying immediate success during his freshman year. He and Mike Ojala give the team stability at the top of the rotation.

The rest of the pitching staff isn’t as concrete, as the Owls will be relying on quite a bit of young arms to step up and fill key roles. From freshmen Anthony Fazio, Andy Hamilton and Taylor Wall to sophomores Matt Evers, Abel Gonzales and Zack Harwood, there is enough talent to do so.

With a big, freshman All-American season under his belt, sensational shortstop Rick Hague returns for his sophomore campaign looking to carry the Rice lineup on his shoulders. Diego Seastrunk has moved from the hot corner to behind the plate, and he is arguably the best professional hitter in the nation. Freshman Anthony Rendon could give Rice the best, most exciting (and young) left side of the infield as he’s expected to settle in at third base. Outfielders Chad Mozingo and Jess Buenger should help protect Hague and Seastrunk in the lineup.

Rice is probably the first team on this list that has the most questions to answer, but with a star pitcher (Berry) and a star hitter (Hague) I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt given their recent success.

7. San Diego Toreros

San Diego held the seventh spot on this same list a year ago with a simple message: Pitching, pitching and more pitching.

While Brian Matusz, Josh Romanski have departed, sophomores Kyle Blair and Sammy Solis are ready to take their places. Matt Thomson also returns to offer more experience and leadership, while Matt Couch is also expected to return to the team for conference play. Blair, Solis and Thomson all had impressive showings last summer on the Cape and are poised to carry that success over to the 2009 season.

The pitching depth stretches to the bullpen, where A.J. Griffin has been one of the game’s best the past two years, and will continue to offer a stable presence in the Toreros ballgames to keep close games secured in the late innings.

San Diego has needed to rely on their pitching staff in recent years since their lineup offensively pales in comparison. They have needed to keep games as close as they can because they quite simply haven’t had the firepower to overcome a large deficit.

Victor Sanchez is the lone true power threat on offense, and even he has some mighty holes in his swing. He struggled down the stretch last year, although he could be among the nation’s leaders in home runs if he continues to progress. James Meador, Jose Valerio and Zach Walters could offer some protection, while Kevin Muno and Sean Nicol handle the bat well and hit for a high average despite the lack of power in their swings.

If pitching and defense does indeed win championships, Rich Hill and the Toreros will factor heavily into the postseason. If they don’t, they may need to make sure they target more impact bats in future recruiting classes to help balance their roster.

8. Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M is one of the most balanced and deepest teams on this list, with an impressive weekend rotation, a pair of proven relievers and a pair of powerful bats to go along with a perfect amount of veteran leadership.

Starting with the bullpen, short relievers Kyle Thebeau and Travis Starling appeared in 61 games during the 2008 season, collectively saving 12 of those games and winning 14. That experience and depth is reason enough to be optimistic about the Aggies upcoming season.

The starting staff will be filled by a familiar pair of sophomores and a pair of juniors. Lefty Brooks Raley figures to take the Friday spot, with Barret Loux, Winthrop transfer Alex Wilson and Clayton Ehlert following in order. All four pitchers have power stuff and well-rounded repertoires. While Wilson missed the 2008 season due to injury, the other three collectively were 19-6.

Two senior sluggers return from the 2008 team, first baseman Luke Anders and centerfielder Kyle Colligan. This pair combined for 30 home runs and 97 RBI, and will be expected to help carry the lineup that will feature five new everyday players, including a new middle infield tandem.

Texas A&M hasn’t been to Omaha since 1999, and many believe this is the year they will end that drought. I’m still not convinced that the team can overcome losing five everyday starters, including Big 12 player of the year Jose Duran, from the 2008 squad.

9. Georgia Bulldogs

The runners up in Omaha in 2008 definitely lost some star power when both Gordon Beckham and Joshua Fields were lost to the first round of the 2008 draft. However, the rest of the team is pretty much intact, and is complemented by a promising freshman class.

Trevor Holder returns for his senior year to maintain the Friday starter role. Alex McRee moves from the bullpen to the rotation to take the Saturday job. The programs’ two-best pitching recruits from the past two years, right-handers Justin Grimm and Michael Palazzone, figure to take the Sunday and weekday roles.

Palazzone highlights an impressive freshman class that also includes fellow righty Cecil Tanner, outfielders Zach Cone, Chase Davidson (one of the highest unsigned players from the 2008 draft) and John Taylor and infielders Levi Hyams and Colby May. Tanner figures to make immediate contributions for the pitching staff, possibly as a weekday starter, while Davidson could offer slugging first baseman Rich Poythress, who hit .374 with 15 home runs a year ago, the same kind of protection Poythress offered Beckham a year ago.

As for the voids left by the departures of Beckham and Fields, Dave Perno will be looking to a pair of juniors to step up and help assume those roles. Michael Demperio slides over from second base to take on shortstop, and while it’s impossible to expect him to match Beckham’s production at the plate, as well as his defense and leadership skills, he has the tools to take a big step forward from 2008 to this year.

Dean Weaver will be counted on to take the ball late in ballgames, and while he may not be as dynamic of a closer as Joshua Fields, his stuff is more than good enough to shut down opponents.

While the Bulldogs will be relying on a lot of young talent, they also have quite a few key returning contributors from last year’s successful squad, with plenty to look forward to in the future.

10. Oregon State Beavers

Similar to the San Diego Toreros, I am going to continue to believe in the Oregon State program given the talented pitching staff they project to field this coming season. Junior Jorge Reyes slumped badly during his sophomore season, but was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 College World Series and is expected to rebound this coming year while fronting the Beavers staff.

Hoping to avoid sophomore slumps of their own are lefties Josh Osich and Tanner Robles and righties Greg Peavey and Tyler Waldron. These four will be counted on to provide valuable innings, most likely as starters, from Saturday through mid-week contests.

Another sophomore, Kevin Rhoderick, should be one of the nation’s best closers, and the sophomore theme continues for the pitching depth thanks to James Nygren, Kraig Sitton and Taylor Staff. If nothing else, the wealth of young arms would lead one to believe that the Beavers have at least a two-year window of opportunity.

The defense should once again be strong, particularly up the middle thanks to the return of catcher Ryan Ortiz and shortstop Joey Wong, both of whom were freshmen during the team’s 2007 championship. However, the lineup has a lot of question marks and almost no legitimate power threats. The team hopes that a lineup full of its usual collection of junior college transfers can find some lightning in a bottle for someone to enjoy a Jacoby Ellsbury or Cole Gillespie-esque breakout season.

Picking the best team from the Pac 10 this year is particularly difficult, since most of the best teams from the 2008 season lost significant talent. You could make a legitimate argument for almost every team in the conference as to why they could take the conference and plow a way to Omaha, but Oregon State is my pick given their recent history, the leadership of Pat Casey and the number of returning contributors they have from 2008.

The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA. Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.