College baseball is finally making a turn to the postseason. The Big 10 and many other leagues are getting ready for their conference weekend before Memorial Day and then the Regionals will start the following Friday. Just like in basketball, the team that wins the tournament is immediately qualified into the NCAA tournament, that has 64 teams. Here's a brief look at some of the teams before the games begin on Wednesday.
#1 Illinois Fighting Illini: (45-6-1, 16-1)
The Illini are having a fantastic season, and they are led at the plate by the best hitter in the conference. David Kerian plays both infield and outfield and has been batting .383 with 13 home runs, 45 RBI's, and he also added 29 walks to make his OBP equal to .467. They also have arguably the best pitchers in the conference with Kevin Duchene going 10-1 across 12 starts and posting a dreamy 1.19 ERA. You also have to mention their closer Tyler Jay, who has a completely sick .067 ERA, and 12 saves, but most impressive is that he has only allowed 6 walks while striking out 62 with a batting average against of .161. Illinois is going to be a strong team in Target Field and with the double elimination tournament they should be good since they haven't lost since they played in East Lansing against Michigan State back on March 29.
#2 Iowa Hawkeyes: (38-14, 19-5)
The Iowa Hawkeyes have a strong pitcher as well in Calvin Mathews. He has a very low 2.08 ERA, but simply hasn't gotten much run support as he has only posted a 5-2 record across 13 starts. He is joined by Blake Hickman on the power pitching staff as Hickman's ERA stays below 3 as well at 2.75. He does have a more impressive record on his 14 starts at 9-1. Tyler Peyton plays first base and has been the Hawkeyes most consistent hitter with a .360 batting average. Despite playing first base he is not a power hitter for the team as he has yet to hit a home run this season. One player to watch on the base paths is Eric Toole, who has 27 steals on 33 attempts this season. If the speedy centerfielder gets on base he is likely to do some damage.
#3 Michigan Wolverines (33-23, 14-10)
Cameron Benedetti has been awfully impressive for a Sophomore this season. The jack of all trades lefty can play both infield and outfield and is second in the conference with a .364 batting average. While not hitting a lot of home runs (3), he has a very impressive 23 doubles on his 75 total hits. This has helped him as he has racked up 65 RBI's this season. He does a little bit of everything as he has also pitched over 13 innings this season and has a nice low 2.03 ERA. But their struggle has been consisted starting pitching, which just might hurt them in this tournament. They will likely start by putting Brett Adcock on the mound, who is 8-4 with a 3.42 ERA. He's just not as good as many of the other elite pitchers in the tournament.
#4 Maryland Terrapins (36-20, 14-10)
Mike Shawaryn is the man to watch if Maryland is going to succeed in Minneapolis. In 96.1 innings this year, he has 115 strikeouts and only given up 70 hits. He has an 11-2 record on the year and he will be the one to help pull Maryland through if they are going to have a chance to win the tournament in their first year in the Big Ten.
#5 Michigan State Spartans (33-21, 14-10)
The Green and White Spartans will be looking for some hitting in order to advance in Minnesota. Ryan Krill is their best hitter and he is a power hitter as well. He has a .363 batting average and has 12 total home runs this year to go with 53 RBI's. Krill - Shawaryn will be a great matchup in their opener but it is going to be tough to see Michigan State go too far in this tournament.
#6 Indiana Hoosiers (32-20, 12-10)
Indiana has been a balanced team that doesn't have a great power hitter or a great pitcher, but they will be resting on Jake Kelzer to try and get deep into the tournament. He has 50 strikeouts on the mound for the Hoosiers and has gone 4-4 with a 4.15 ERA.
#7 Ohio State Buckeyes (35-18, 13-11)
Pat Porter has been the man with the plan for the Buckeyes this year. He has started all 53 games in the outfield for Ohio State, posting a .332 batting average with 10 home runs. He will be the toughest out in the OSU lineup and this writer thinks they have a good chance to upset the Hawkeyes if Porter has a good game at the plate in the opener.
#8 Nebraska Cornhuskers (34-21, 9-14)
Ryan Boldt is a singles hitting machine and will be sure to get on base for the Big Red, but their true strength has been their pitching staff. Kyle Kubat has a great 2.83 ERA and has 60 strikeouts on the mound this season. Kubat is joined by Chance Sinclair who has 64 strikeouts and a similar ERA at 3.03. They have two good pitchers, but they also have the Illini up first which means it will be tough to advance.
Hopefully everyone is able to stay injury free in Minneapolis as the Big Ten plays their tournament and we will anxiously await the Bracket being released for the Regionals after that.