SEC leads the way with three teams in stacked College World Series lineup

Omaha, Nebraska is the epicenter of the college baseball world once again.

After COVID-19 silenced TD Ameritrade Park in 2020, the greatest show on dirt returns with one of the most intriguing lineups of teams in College World Series history.

The Southeastern Conference leads the field by featuring three teams — defending national champion Vanderbilt, perennial contender Mississippi State and the new kid on the block Tennessee. This is the 12th time the SEC has had at least three teams in Omaha.

Vanderbilt is one of the most complete teams in the field, featuring a lights out 1-2 punch on the mound in Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. Rocker, the ace of the Commodore pitching staff, has been excellent this season with a 2.46 ERA , a 13-3 record and 155 strikeouts. Rocker throughout his career has shined in the postseason, tallying 30 strikeouts and only surrendering three hits in two Super Regional starts against Duke and East Carolina. Sophomore Leiter burst on the scene with a no-hitter in his first SEC start versus South Carolina in March. The SEC newcomer of the year has worked his way to a 10-3 record and a 2.16 ERA.

The Commodores’ top-rated offense is paced by Enrique Broadfield and right fielder Isaiah Thomas. Bradfield, a freshman speedster and centerfielder, has been lethal at the top of the order with a .356 average and a school record 46 stolen bases. Thomas, the junior outfielder has been a steady contributor for Vanderbilt with a .330 batting average, 13 homers and 39 RBIs. Thomas came up big with a grand slam to lift Vanderbilt past Georgia Tech 14-11 in the regional final. With all this talent, the Commodores look ready to repeat as champions in their fifth appearance in Omaha in the last 10 years.

Mississippi State has been a powerhouse in college baseball since the days of thunder and lightning with Rafael Palmero and Will Clark under Coach Ron Polk in the 1980s. The national championship has been elusive for the Bulldog program. Mississippi State reached the championship series in 2013 but could not get past Gerrit Cole and the UCLA Bruins. Despite getting run ruled in both games in the SEC Tournament, the 2021 Bulldog squad looks poised to make a run in a Omaha under head coach Chris Lemonis.

Mississippi State returned to form in the postseason at home winning a back-and-forth super regional over Notre Dame to advance to Omaha for the third straight year and 12th appearance overall. The Bulldogs offense is led by SEC player of the year Tanner Allen. The senior right fielder has an astounding .390 batting average with nine homers and 60 RBIs. On the mound, Mississippi State is anchored by Christian Macloud, Will Bendahar and Landon Sims. Sims, a Georgia native, has been nearly unhittable with a 1.28 ERA and 81 strikeouts as the closer for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs will look to capture that elusive national title in Omaha in 2021.

An up-and-coming team out of the SEC has been Tennessee. In his fourth season, the rebuild is complete for head coach Tony Vitello as the Volunteers earned the No. 3 national seed. The Volunteers have rolled through the postseason with five straight wins, including their Super Regional series win over LSU to end Paul Mainieri’s illustrious 39-year coaching career. Tennessee will look to keep the momentum going and make some noise in Omaha with the help of junior infielder Jake Rucker. As the Volunteers make their first appearance in Omaha since 2005, Rucker leads the Tennessee offense with a .331 batting average, nine homers and 55 RBIs.

Out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the North Carolina State Wolfpack pulled one of the biggest upsets in college baseball history to advance to Omaha for the first time since 2013. N.C. State reached the ACC Tournament championship game versus Duke and the rolled through the Ruston Regional. Facing No. 1 Arkansas in the Super Regional, the Wolfpack were massive underdogs after a 21-2 drubbing by Arkansas in Game 1. The Wolfpack came back in Game 2 and edged Arkansas 6-5. In Game 3, the Wolfpack shocked the baseball world by beating Kevin Kopps with a go-ahead homer in the ninth-inning from infielder Jose Torres. Kopps was widely considered one of the best pitchers in college baseball.

The ACC is sending two teams to Omaha for the 15th time. After a tough regular season, the Virginia Cavaliers snuck into the NCAA Tournament and eliminated host South Carolina from the Columbia Regional. In the Super Regional, Virginia faced Dallas Baptist University, a tough mid-major ball club out of the Missouri Valley Conference. Dallas Baptist gave Virginia all it could handle by forcing a Game 3. Trailing 2-1, freshman catcher Kyle Teel blasted a grand slam to give Virginia a 5-2 lead and propel the Cavaliers to Omaha for the first time since 2015, when the Cavaliers beat Vanderbilt to win the national championship.

Carrying the mantle for the Pac-12 are the Arizona Wildcats and the Stanford Cardinal. Both high-powered offenses slugged their way to the College World Series. Stanford rolled over the highly favored Texas Tech Red Raiders, outscoring the Big 12 foe 24-3 on the weekend, 15-3 and 9-0. After being a mainstay in Omaha in the ’90s and early 2000s, the 2021 Stanford Cardinal look to carry their hot bats into Omaha and have success in their first appearance since 2008. The Arizona Wildcats’ offense blew through the Ole Miss Rebels scoring 28 runs in three games. While the Arizona bats are hot right now, the Pac-12 champions will face their toughest challenge to date as they take on defending national champion Vanderbilt and Golden Spike award finalist Kumar Rocker.

Lastly, perennial power Texas is back in Omaha for the first time since 2018. Texas became a national power under legendary coach Augie Garrido, winning national championships in 2002 and 2005. After making quick work of South Florida in the Super Regional, the Longhorns will look to recapture the mystique of Texas baseball with a national championship run in Omaha.