2010 College Baseball Puts the "Super" in Super Regionals

Throughout the 2010 college baseball season, teams fought hard and suffered through longs innings to reach postseason play. With only 64 teams going to the regionals, the field is very limited and last minute wins can bring a small conference team to the big stage. Top 25 rankings, season titles, and conference tournament wins put the best teams in the nation into the race to Omaha and only the elite make it to the end. The Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina were looking to make their mark coming into the postseason with the best record and LSU looked to defend their 2009 NCAA Championship title in a hard Los Angeles Regional.

On June 7th the regionals wrapped up, advancing 16 top teams to the super regionals which didn't disappoint. Dominated by ninth inning wins and high scoring, teams proved themselves to millions and fought hard to make sure they were not beaten. In the Tempe, Arizona Super Regional, Arizona St. went up against a tough Arkansas Razorback team out of the Southeastern Conference. Game one went into an extra inning as Arkansas continued to stop the Sun Devils defensively, preventing them from coming up with the extra run they needed in the ninth to seal up the win. Although the teams had great play on both sides of the ball, a late hit by Arizona St. with a man on third put them on top with a 1-0 game lead. Game 2 was just as intense and went 12 innings until Drew Maggi got a two run homer to close out the series and take them back to Omaha. In the Myrtle Beach Super Regional, the South Carolina Gamecocks went up against the hard hitting Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Both saw great pitching but the Gamecocks proved to have a little more fire power. In Game 2 they saw more hitting this time and more pitchers being used as both teams seemed as if they both couldn't be stopped. The Super Regional was put to an end with Christian Walker's three run homer in the 8th which sent the Gamecocks back to Omaha for the first time since 2004. Gainesville was host to Miami and the Florida Gators where the Gators dominated the series with a 7-2 win in the first game and a 4-3 win in the second.

Los Angeles hosted Cal State Fullerton and UCLA with both teams proving themselves to be the best in the first two games but UCLA got the best of them later on dominating them with an 8-1 win in Game 3. Florida St. and Vanderbilt faced off in the Tallahassee Super Regional where Florida St. had too much fire power and stopped a late comeback by the Commodores in Game 3 to head back to Omaha. Texas and TCU had a hard fought battle in Austin with TCU taking the first game and Texas pounding them in game two with big runs from Tant Shephard. Although this was a big win, TCU quieted their celebrations in Game 3 as they win 4-1 sending them to their first ever College World Series. Clemson, Alabama, Virginia, and Oklahoma have a third game to play to decide who will go on to Omaha. As of now Omaha will see the South Carolina Gamecocks, TCU Horned Frogs, UCLA Bruins, Arizona St. Sun Devils, Florida Gators, Florida St. Seminoles.

Sources: Matt Rybaltowski, Texas Throttles TCU With 14-1 Tear, NCAA.com
Tom Kessler, Maggi's Two-run Home Run in 12th Propels ASU Past Arkansas 7-5, NCAA.com
Charles Bennett, South Carolina Ousts Coastal Carolina, 10-9, Advances to CWS, NCAA.com