All eyes front.
Follow the yellow brick road.
Keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times.
Set Destination: Omaha
College World Series Is Off
Brendan McKay, the junior phenom from Pennsylvania, is set to lead the Cardinals from the mound in their first game in the 2017 College World Series. The two-way super-star has left no room for questions other than the one question of what position he'll play once he gets to the pros, first base, or pitcher? The Tampa Bay Rays have said they will be giving him the chance to play in both to see where he settles in, so don't look for that question to be settled anytime soon. Pretty much the rest of the questions about McKay have been answered, or should be a foregone conclusion. Most of those questions take the form of, "Will McKay win the _________ award, for the best _____________ in College Baseball?" Spoiler: The answer is, "Yes."
The Cardinal's foe will be Texas A&M, with first pitch scheduled at 2pm and will be televised on ESPN. Stick around (if you don't have a 6pm sand volleyball match like your correspondent does) to find out who the Cards will play next. The CWS is essentially broken into 3 distinct "tournaments", with eight teams participating in total. It starts with two, four team, double-elimination tournaments, with the winners of those two tournaments meeting up for a best of 3 series (a double-elimination tournament of two teams, if you will) to determine the National Champion. The other half of this first double-elimination tournament with UofL and the Aggies have Florida and TCU. So the winners of todays games will meet Tuesday at 7pm, and the losers start their path through the elimination bracket Tuesday at 2pm.
As with the Regionals, and even Super Regionals to a degree, there is a distinct advantage in staying on the winning side of the bracket as it results in fewer games played, and longer rest between each game.
The other double-elimination bracket in the CWS sees unseeded Florida State, and Cal State Fullerton, both teams that give Cardinal Baseball fans nervous shudders; as well as overall 4 seed LSU, and overall top seed Oregon State, who made the trip without pitcher Luke Heimlich. Heimlich did not travel with the team to Omaha after The Oregonian reported this week that he pled guilty to felony child molestation as a teenager, stating that he didn't want to be a distraction to the team and direct too much unwanted attention to the victim of his crime.
In action yesterday, Oregon State and and LSU won their respective games, dispatching FSU and CSF to the elimination side of the bracket. FSU and CSF will see each other tomorrow with a 2pm first pitch, with the loser going home, and the winner waiting around to see who they will play, that being the loser of the OSU and LSU game starting at 7pm.
It is Nebraska, perhaps corn on the cob should be on the menu? Might go good with a couple of those mail order Omaha Steaks. Go Cards!
THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR
Our rebroadcast from yesterday's THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR is now up and available on the the Crescent Hill Radio website. We had a great crew on board with Worldwide, Paulie, Case and Jared Anderson. The prime topic of discussion was the sanctions on Louisville basketball, and we also looked at the College World Series and gave the boys a quiz that they aced with flying colors.
Listen to the replay here: THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 6/17/17
THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR
Listen to the replay here: THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 6/17/17
-- JMcA
Reminder that Asia Taylor's Washington Mystics play on NBA TV at 3 pm. Set your DVR's for a chance to see her play.
ReplyDeleteNice article Worldwide. I hope this is the year that the Cards can capture the College World Series. It would help take everyone's mind off the NCAA throwing the javelin right through the UofL basketball.
ReplyDelete-- The Real Joe Hill --