2022 NCAA Tournament College Station Super Regional Preview

Image credit: Texas A&M outfielder Dylan Rock (Photo courtesy of Texas A&M)

Texas A&M

Coach: Jim Schlossnagle

Postseason history: Eighth super regional appearance (first since 2017). Seeking sixth trip to Omaha and first since 2017.

Postseason route: No. 1 seed in College Station Regional. Went 3-0, defeating Texas Christian in regional final.

Scouting report (anonymous coach breaks down the Aggies)

“They’re not going to beat themselves. They’ve got great plate discipline. I don’t look at them like they’re terrifying, but they don’t swing out of the zone, they walk more than anyone in the league and they don’t miss much pitching. If you throw in the zone, they’re going to hit it.

“Nathan Dettmer is good for them. It’s nothing overpowering, he’s got a good two-seamer and he’ll throw it just off the plate. I think he’s pretty good. Who I really like is Chris Cortez. I like him a lot out of the bullpen. Joseph Menefee he’s been there forever, he’s an older mature guy that can suck up a lot of innings for them, pitch in and out.

“The way the bullpen has pitched, that’s (pitching coach) Nate Yeskie. He does an outstanding job. They come in, they threw strikes. They got Micah Dallas back on track. They pitch with a lot of confidence. Nobody could ever blow a game open. They’d always get a new guy in to bridge a gap. Jacob Palisch, Will Johnston do a good job at the back end.

“The defensive piece can get a little hairy at times. It doesn’t seem like it hurts them too bad or they’re going to go back and score more runs than you.

“They’re a solid team playing really good right now. I like them more than anyone but Tennessee right now. They can be loud at times and score in bunches but they don’t beat themselves offensively. They always have guys on base. Werner is super crazy athletic at third base. I love him over there. Dylan Rock thinks he’s the best player in the country right now and he’s playing like it. Walking all the way down the line with the bat.

“You better not get to a four-ball count because that place is going to be rocking. That place is awesome. The student section in right field above the dugout is pretty cool because they know baseball. The whole song and dance that they do is pretty cool.”

Projected lineup

C: Troy Claunch
1B: Jack Moss
2B: Ryan Targac
3B: Trevor Werner
SS: Kole Kaler
LF: Dylan Rock
CF: Jordan Thompson
RF: Brett Minnich
DH: Austin Bost
SP: Nathan Dettmer
SP: Micah Dallas
SP: Ryan Prager
RP: Will Johnston
RP: Jacob Palisch

Louisville

Coach: Dan McDonnell

Postseason history: Ninth super regional appearance (first since 2019). Seeking sixth trip to Omaha and first since 2019.

Postseason route: No. 1 seed in Louisville Regional. Went 4-1, defeating Michigan in regional final.

Scouting report (anonymous coach breaks down the Cardinals)

“Jared Poland is a polished guy, and they have a ton of good arms. They kept bringing them back. Every guy is a different look with velocity or life. Every arm they brought at you felt like it was low-to-mid 90s with stuff. Some of the numbers weren’t great but they have guys.

“The maturity of Ben Bianco, Dalton Rushing, Levi Usher, some of those guys on that team, it’s just like been there, done it and expects it. Christian Knapczyk being back is a big deal. They’re not fazed, Dan McDonnell, Roger Williams, been there done it. Michael Prosecky at the back end can get them out of a game if it gets tough. That’s a good club. They’re super athletic, they can beat you in so many different ways. Jack Payton has power, so do Rushing, Cameron Masterman. Knapczyk, Usher have speed. To me, they’re one of the most complete teams and they’ll do what it takes to beat you.

“The expectation is there. They think they’re going to win, they know they’re going to win, there’s nothing short of going to Omaha. For so many teams a super regional is a great year but if they don’t win a super regional, they’re like, ‘We failed.’

“Knapczyk makes it a different game defensively. Knapczyk and Logan Beard and Usher up the middle. Usher takes away hits. Rushing is solid, he can throw. He caught fine against us. To me, he’s the most underrated bat in the ACC. I know he’s famous, but everyone’s talking about Kevin Parada. To me, facing the both of them, I felt more uneasy when Rushing was in the box. Maybe it was just the matchup, but he scared me.

“We did a really good job of shutting down the running game. I don’t know enough about A&M to know how well they do that, but if you don’t defend it, you’ll get exposed. But they also can run themselves out of innings. That’s what they live and die by. It’s super important for them. They put pressure on you to defend the field. That’s what Mac does, that’s what creates more offense for them and gets them more fastballs. If A&M controls the running game and keeps certain guys off base, you can beat Louisville. If you can limit the free stuff against Louisville and make them hit their way, they’re easier to beat. If you don’t limit the free stuff and they run, they’ll crush you. What makes them scary is because they have guys in the middle of the lineup that can crush the baseball, too. They’ve got every animal in the zoo. They don’t just have cheetahs, they have donkeys. To me that’s a really good ballclub.”

Projected lineup

C: Dalton Rushing
1B: Ben Bianco
2B: Logan Beard
3B: Ben Metzinger
SS: Christian Knapczyk
LF: Cameron Masterman
CF: Levi Usher
RF: Isaac Humphrey
DH: Jack Payton
SP: Jared Poland
SP: Garrett Schmeltz
SP: Carson Liggett
RP: Tate Kuehner
RP: Michael Prosecky