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REGIONAL COVERAGE: SCHEDULE/RESULTS | REGIONAL BREAKDOWN | PAIRINGS | MESSAGE BOARDS
The Road to Omaha has begun and 64 teams around the country are vying for the eight lucrative spots in the first College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.
As part of our extensive NCAA postseason coverage, we take an in-depth look at each of the 16 NCAA Regionals.
| THE TEAMS |
| Team |
Conference |
Record |
Berth |
Last NCAA appearance |
| 1. Cal State Fullerton |
Big West |
40-15 |
Auto bid |
2010 |
| 2. Stanford |
Pac-10 |
32-20 |
At-large |
2010 |
| 3. Kansas State |
Big 12 |
36-23 |
At-large |
2010 |
| 4. Illinois |
Big Ten |
28-25 |
Auto bid |
2000 |
| THE BREAKDOWN |
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The favorite: Cal State Fullerton
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1. CS Fullerton
2. Stanford
3. Kansas State
4. Illinois
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The Titans have put together a solid campaign this spring, but an iffy Big West has kept them from earning as many headlines as usual. Still, this Titans club has a chance to do something special. The Titans enter the weekend hitting .285 with freshman Michael Lorenzen leading the way with a .350 average, two home runs and 31 RBIs. Also keep an eye on Richy Pedroza, Carlos Lopez and Tyler Pill, who each are hitting over .320. Pitching-wise, the Titans are in excellent shape with a 2.85 ERA and Noe Ramirez leading the charge. Also keep an eye on other potential starting options, including Tyler Pill (who will start the opener), Colin O'Connell and Jake Floethe.
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The dark-horse contender: Stanford
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The Cardinal is ultra-talented, but there's no doubt they've had issues establishing consistency this spring. That needs to change this weekend in the Fullerton Regional. The Cardinal is hitting .298 as a team with Stephen Piscotty, Tyler Gaffney and stud freshmen Brian Ragira and Austin Wilson leading the way. Ragira is hitting .321 with four home runs and 41 RBIs while Wilson is hitting .313 with four home runs and 24 RBIs. On the mound, Mark Appel must start the weekend on a high note, but while other starters such as Jordan Pries and Danny Sandbrink must be more consistent to take care of business. It'll be interesting to see which Stanford club shows up this weekend.
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Best hitter: 3B Stephen Piscotty, Stanford
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There aren't a lot of elite hitters in this NCAA Regional, but there are some to watch, including the Stanford slugger. Piscotty is having a solid campaign for the Cardinal, entering the weekend hitting a team-high .361 with 11 doubles, a triple, two home runs and 36 RBIs. He also is slugging .455 and has a .424 OBP. Additionally, Piscotty has struck out 26 times and walked on 17 occasions. Piscotty will be one of the top draft prospects in 2012.
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Best pitcher: RHP Noe Ramirez, Cal State Fullerton
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There are plenty of elite pitchers to watch in this NCAA Regional, but Ramirez certainly stands above the rest. The excellent righty has started 12 games this season and has a 1.74 ERA in 82 2/3 innings. He also has struck out 91 and walked 18 and teams are hitting him at a .183 clip. It's also worth noting that Ramirez has yet to allow a home run this season. Should Tyler Pill lead the Titans to win a win against Illinois, they're in excellent shape moving forward.
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Best prospect: RHP Mark Appel, Stanford
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Ramirez most certainly is the top prospect in the 2011 crop of players, but when it comes to the overall top prospect, that award goes to Stanford right-handed pitcher Mark Appel. Appel, who throws in the mid 90s, has started 15 games and has a 3.02 ERA in 95 1/3 innings. He also has struck out 75 and walked 26 and teams are hitting him at a .281 clip. Appel still has work to do to meet his full potential, but has another season to accomplish that goal. You can view our scouting video of Appel, here.
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The buzz
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The Titans have plenty of players to watch this weekend, but no single player is more important than two-way talent Nick Ramirez. Ramirez is a solid hitter and elite pitcher. He is hitting .285 with 15 doubles, nine home runs and 45 RBIs. He's also slugging .505 and has a .391 OBP. On the mound, Ramirez has recorded 16 saves in 21 appearances and has a 1.12 ERA in 24 innings ... We talked about how important it is for the Stanford starting rotation to be solid this weekend, but what about the bullpen? The Cardinal has a pair of solid arms to work with, including Chris Reed and A.J. Vanegas. Reed is a talented lefty and has recorded eight saves and has a 2.61 ERA in 48 1/3 innings. Vanegas, meanwhile, has a 3.35 ERA in 40 1/3 innings ... Kansas State could be a surprise team in this field. The Wildcats have a pair of solid starting pitchers in Kyle Hunter and Matt Applegate, and the offense has potential with Jason King and Nick Martini leading the way. King is hitting .333 with 19 doubles, six triples, 10 home runs and 57 RBIs while Martini is hitting .326 with a home run and 42 RBIs ... Illinois hopes to follow the same path as Big Ten foe Minnesota in last year's Fullerton Regional. It has just an OK crop of starting pitchers with Kevin Johnson (4.33), John Anderson (4.40) and Corey Kimes (5.26) leading the charge. Offensively, the Ilini are hitting .284 and are led at the plate by Justin Parr (.333), Brandon Hohl (.311) and Josh Parr (.306).
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Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Perfect Game USA and has covered the sport for over 10 seasons. He can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org