2017 Super Regional Roundup

After three teams advanced Saturday to the College World Series, Cal State Fullerton, Florida State, Louisiana State and Texas Christian joined them Sunday as super regional play continued across the country.

The day started with a dramatic conclusion to the Long Beach Super Regional. After archrivals Long Beach State and Fullerton split the first two games of the series, a trip to Omaha came down to Sunday’s decisive third game.

Fullerton edged Long Beach, 2-1, to advance to the CWS for the second time in three years. Fullerton will play Oregon State, the No. 1 national seed, in its first game in Omaha.

The Titans got an outstanding start from righthander Colton Eastman, who held the Dirtbags to one unearned run on one hit and four walks in seven innings. The sophomore struck out eight batters. Closer Brett Conine threw the final two innings to pick up his 15th save of the season, stranding the tying runner at third base in both the eighth and ninth.

Eastman was sidelined for 2 1/2 months this season by injury, returning May 14 against UC Santa Barbara. He had three appearances to build up for the postseason, when he has looked to be back to full strength. In two starts in the NCAA Tournament, he has allowed a total of two runs (both unearned) on three hits and struck out 13 batters in 13.2 innings.

“If you would have told me back when I got hurt we were going to Omaha, I don’t know what I would have said,” Eastman told reporters in Long Beach. “I’m back and I did whatever I could to help our team go so I’m ecstatic.”

Long Beach, the Big West Conference champion, went 5-1 against Fullerton in the regular season, but after winning the opener Friday was unable to close out a third series victory against its rival. While the Dirtbags won’t make their first CWS appearance since 1998, they did win their first conference title since 2008 and win more than 40 games for the first time since 2004.

TCU advanced to the CWS for the fourth year in a row with an 8-1 victory against Missouri State to sweep the Fort Worth Super Regional. TCU, which entered the year ranked No. 1, becomes the first team to make four straight trips to Omaha since North Carolina did so from 2006-2009.

Coach Jim Schlossnagle believes making the CWS is one of the hardest accomplishments in all of sports, making his team’s current run all the more incredible.

“For us to be able to do that, that’s amazing,” Schlossnagle told reporters in Fort Worth. “We sure would like to win the thing some time. But we’re going to worry about that when we get up there. We’re going to enjoy this.”

The Horned Frogs got a strong outing Sunday from righthander Brian Howard, one of three players who has been in the program throughout the CWS streak. The senior struck out 11 batters and held a powerful Bears’ offense to one run on four hits and two walks in 7.1 innings.

Third baseman Elliott Barzili and catcher Evan Skoug powered TCU’s offense. Barzilli gave the Horned Frogs the lead for good with an RBI double in the second inning and finished the night 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Skoug added a home run, his 20th of the season. The junior is the first TCU player to hit 20 home runs in a season since 1997.

Florida State clinched its berth in the CWS with a 19-0 rout of Sam Houston State to complete a sweep of the Tallahassee Super Regional. The Seminoles advanced to Omaha for the 22nd time in program history and the first time since 2012, ending the third-longest drought in coach Mike Martin’s tenure.

The Seminoles jumped all over Bearkats ace Heath Donica with four runs in the first inning and never relented. They finished the day with 13 hits—eight for extra bases—and 12 walks. Shortstop Taylor Walls led the offense, going 3-for-3 with two home runs, four walks, five runs and four RBIs. DH Quincy Nieporte and pinch hitter Kyle Cavanaugh also homered.

Lefthander Drew Parrish and righthanders Cole Sands and Andrew Karp combined for a four-hit shutout. Parrish, a freshman, got the start and struck out nine batters in five innings to pick up the win. Sands followed with four strikeouts in three innings, and Karp struck out two in a perfect ninth to finish the game.

Florida State entered the season ranked No. 2, but has not had an easy path to the CWS. The Seminoles scuffled for much of the season before catching fire over the last four weeks. Since May 18, Florida State is 12-1, surging to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, secure a hosting spot and, now, reach Omaha.

Martin told reporters in Tallahassee that he has never been prouder of a team.

“They believe in each other, they trust in each other,” he said. “They loved each other, they played hard. I can’t teach that, that comes from mommies and daddies and comes from these great guys in this wonderful program.”

One of the few teams hotter than Florida State over the last month has been LSU, and the two teams are now set to square off next weekend in Omaha.

LSU secured its spot in the CWS with a 14-4 victory against Mississippi State to sweep the Baton Rouge Super Regional and extend its winning streak to 16 games. The Tigers advanced to the CWS for the second time in three years.

LSU took an early 3-0 lead, but Mississippi State bounced back against lefthander Jared Poche’, scoring four runs in the third to take the lead and knock the senior out of the game. But, in the end, the Tigers’ offense was too much for the Bulldogs’ depleted pitching staff. LSU broke the game open with six runs in the fifth, taking a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Righthander Caleb Gilbert, who relieved Poche’, struck out six batters in 5.2 scoreless innings. Senior shortstop Kramer Robertson, playing his last game at Alex Box Stadium, went 3-for-5 and scored three runs to lead the Tigers’ offense.

Louisville, Oregon State and Texas A&M clinched their spots in the CWS on Saturday, leaving just one place in the field still to be decided Monday. Florida defeated Wake Forest on Saturday in the first game of the Gainesville Super Regional, but Game 2 was suspended Sunday in the fifth inning following heavy rain. The Demon Deacons had just taken a 5-4 lead. Play will resume at 1 p.m. Monday, with Game 3 (if necessary) to follow an hour after the conclusion of Game 2.