NCAA Bracket

The American Notes

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The University of Houston and University of Louisville baseball squads will enter Super Regional play this weekend knowing one simple fact: win two games and they will advance to the College World Series.

Houston will make its fourth Super Regional appearance in the history of the program and first since 2003. The Cougars are set to continue a banner season that features a 48-16 overall record - tying the UH record for most wins in a single season. The Cougars will meet the University of Texas in Austin for a Super Regional for the second time, with the previous time coming in 2002. The Cougars and Longhorns met once this season, with Texas edging Houston 3-2 on March 1 at Minute Maid Park during the Houston College Classic.

The Cougars pitching staff has been their strength this season, ranking in the nation’s top-ten in ERA (2.30), WHIP (1.04) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.68). Houston will likely start Jake Lemoine (6-7, 2.65 ERA, 91 K) and Aaron Garza (9-4, 2.67 ERA, 96 K) in the first two games of the Super Regional. Their x-factor comes in the bullpen, where Tyler Ford (9-0, 1.22 ERA, 4 saves) and Chase Wellbrock (5-0, 1.22 ERA, 12 saves) have been excellent all season, and Jared Robinson was the star of the Regional with 13.1 innings pitched and just six hits and one run allowed.

Texas enters the meeting with Houston off a 41-19 season and claiming the Regional crown with a win over Rice and two wins over Texas A&M. Although the Longhorns will be without starting pitcher Dillon Peters (7-3, 2.13 ERA), they still boast a strong staff in Nathan Thornhill (7-2, 1.49) and Parker French (5-5, 2.62). Texas is in the NCAA Tournament for the 56^th time, the most of any school.

Louisville had a strong Regional showing by winning all three games to advance into the Super Regionals. The Cardinals also watched national seed Florida State be eliminated, which allowed Louisville to host the Supers at Jim Patterson Stadium for the second time in school history, previously clinching their first College World Series berth at that Super in 2007. The Cardinals will look to be the only team from the 2013 College World Series participants to return to Omaha as they welcome Kennesaw State.

Coach McDonnell will send Kyle Funkhouser (13-2, 1.68 ERA), Anthony Kidston (8-0, 3.30 ERA), and if necessary freshman lefty Josh Rogers (3-3, 3.63 ERA) to the hill in the series. Those three starters allowed just three earned runs in 21.0 innings last weekend at the Regional. The Cardinals also boast a potent offense, both on the bases (second in the nation with 127 stolen bases) and creating runs (9^th in the nation with 401 runs).

Kennesaw State won the Tallahassee Regional in its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Owls will head to Louisville red-hot, with 26 wins in the past 27 games, which included the nation’s current longest winning streak at 16 games. KSU is led by Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, catcher Max Pentecost, who leads the nation with 110 hits to go with a .423 batting average, and is a projected first-round selection in Thursday’s MLB Draft.



NCAA Super Regional (best-of-three series)
at UFCU Disch–Falk Field, Austin, Texas
Friday, June 6
Houston at Texas, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
Saturday, June 7
Houston at Texas, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, June 8 (If necessary)
Houston at Texas, 2 p.m. (ESPN)
 
at Jim Patterson Stadium, Louisville, Ky.
Friday, June 6
Kennesaw State at Louisville, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday, June 7
Kennesaw State at Louisville, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Sunday, June 8 (If necessary)
Kennesaw State at Louisville, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)