*First, I think the Big 12 finishing the year strong coupled with having the number three conference RPI in the country really, really helped Tech out as far as getting the fifth overall national seed, a higher seed than I think anyone was expecting. It also helps that the Red Raiders dominated the conference and were excellent against good teams in the non-con.
*As for the draw with the other teams, I'll be totally honest when I say that as of posting this, I couldn't tell you a thing about Fairfield other than that they bat .281 and have a 4.14 ERA as a team. North Carolina put it on them in a three game sweep, and NC State beat them in a two game series as well. They're very middle of the road, and they didn't really play anybody all year. Not knocking them at all, they're just unproven, IMO. We'll see on Friday.
*Now, the one thing is that everybody has some firepower at the plate in this regional. Everyone can smack it around. New Mexico has one of the more underrated offenses in the country, batting .319 and 11th in the country average there. Dallas Baptist bats .289, and again, Fairfield bats .281. New Mexico is tied for 15th in the country with 63 home runs, Dallas Baptist is 29th with 56, Tech is tied for 38th with 50, and then Fairfield had 25 on the year.
*Of all the teams in the regional, though, it's New Mexico that should scare you the most, IMO. They can hit with just about anyone in the postseason, and they got after Tech a bit at times this season. They've just played the Red Raiders so tough when they've faced off this year, and that will continue into this regional. The good news, however, is that they don't have a great pitching staff, as their ERA is over 5 as a team.
*Speaking of pitching, Tech and DBU have the two best staffs. Nothing scares you about New Mexico's group on the mound, same for Fairfield from my initial look, but Dallas Baptist has the pitching to make it a hard afternoon if they're on.
*Overall, it's a sneaky tough regional as a whole. I think clearly Tech is the favorite, but DBU and New Mexico are both teams that could get hot, win it, and make one of those dark horse runs.
*As for the partner regional: It's at Virginia. The Cavaliers are the defending national champs, but they haven't been quite as good this year and lost some key pieces from the team a year ago. The team to really watch from that regional, though, is Bryant. They're fourth in the country in batting average, 9th in runs,12th in doubles, fourth in OBP, and 11th in the country in team ERA, That's a nasty team that I know several have picked as their darkhorse in the tourney.
*As for the draw with the other teams, I'll be totally honest when I say that as of posting this, I couldn't tell you a thing about Fairfield other than that they bat .281 and have a 4.14 ERA as a team. North Carolina put it on them in a three game sweep, and NC State beat them in a two game series as well. They're very middle of the road, and they didn't really play anybody all year. Not knocking them at all, they're just unproven, IMO. We'll see on Friday.
*Now, the one thing is that everybody has some firepower at the plate in this regional. Everyone can smack it around. New Mexico has one of the more underrated offenses in the country, batting .319 and 11th in the country average there. Dallas Baptist bats .289, and again, Fairfield bats .281. New Mexico is tied for 15th in the country with 63 home runs, Dallas Baptist is 29th with 56, Tech is tied for 38th with 50, and then Fairfield had 25 on the year.
*Of all the teams in the regional, though, it's New Mexico that should scare you the most, IMO. They can hit with just about anyone in the postseason, and they got after Tech a bit at times this season. They've just played the Red Raiders so tough when they've faced off this year, and that will continue into this regional. The good news, however, is that they don't have a great pitching staff, as their ERA is over 5 as a team.
*Speaking of pitching, Tech and DBU have the two best staffs. Nothing scares you about New Mexico's group on the mound, same for Fairfield from my initial look, but Dallas Baptist has the pitching to make it a hard afternoon if they're on.
*Overall, it's a sneaky tough regional as a whole. I think clearly Tech is the favorite, but DBU and New Mexico are both teams that could get hot, win it, and make one of those dark horse runs.
*As for the partner regional: It's at Virginia. The Cavaliers are the defending national champs, but they haven't been quite as good this year and lost some key pieces from the team a year ago. The team to really watch from that regional, though, is Bryant. They're fourth in the country in batting average, 9th in runs,12th in doubles, fourth in OBP, and 11th in the country in team ERA, That's a nasty team that I know several have picked as their darkhorse in the tourney.
