Fullerton outfielder David Olmedo-Barrera (Shotgun Spratling)

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Omaha Snapshot: Early Look At CWS Field

With two super regional games left on the schedule Monday night, there was a very real possibility that the College World Series would feature exclusively teams from the SEC and ACC. But Cal State Fullerton and TCU crashed the party with a pair of thrilling extra-inning game to cap a riveting weekend of super regional action.

• The Titans trailed host and No. 3 national seed Louisville 3-1 after seven innings Sunday, but they came from behind to tie the game at 3-3 with two runs in the eighth against the vaunted Louisville bullpen, highlighted by Jerrod Bravo’s game-tying two-run single. Then, in the 11th, David Olmedo-Barrera (who had hit a solo homer earlier in the game) led off with an opposite-field fly ball down the left-field line that apparently nicked the outside of the foul pole for a go-ahead home run. The play was reviewed, and the replay crew ruled that the ball did hit the pole, giving Fullerton a 4-3 lead it did not relinquish in the bottom of the frame. Ace Thomas Eshelman, who threw 100 pitches over seven innings Saturday, came out of the bullpen on one day of rest and recorded the final three outs on six pitches to send the Titans to Omaha for the first time in the Rick Vanderhook era.

It was quite a turnaround for a Fullerton team that started out 19-18 against a rugged schedule — and went 20-4 from that point on, even after losing talented No. 2 starter Justin Garza to Tommy John surgery. Freshmen John Gavin and Connor Seabold had to hold down rotation spots, and Seabold delivered for the Titans on Monday, allowing two runs (one earned) over five solid innings before handing off to rubber-armed relief ace Tyler Peitzmeier (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER).

• The final game, between TCU and Texas A&M was a 16-inning epic loaded with twists and turns. The Frogs led 4-1 after seven innings, but the Aggies got a solo homer in the eighth and then scored two in the ninth by taking advantage of the continuing control woes of Riley Ferrell. TCU put runners in scoring position in the ninth, 10th, 12th, 13th and 14th but couldn’t score against Ryan Hendrix until the 16th. With men at first and second and two outs in the 16th, Evan Skoug hit hot-shot infield single to third base, and Garrett Crain ran through third-base coach Bill Mosiello’s stop sign in an attempt to score. He should have been out by 10 feet, but Ronnie Gideon bounced the throw home, and catcher Michael Barash couldn’t corral it, giving TCU the dramatic 5-4 victory. TCU got stellar bullpen work from Preston Guillory, Brian Howard and Mitchell Traver, who combined for eight innings of two-hit, shutout work — led by Traver’s four hitless innings to finish the game. Shotgun Spratling was on hand for that one and will have a full report.

• In the first game Monday, No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson (2-for-4, 2 R, HR) led defending national champion Vanderbilt past No. 6 overall pick Tyler Jay (6.1 IP, 10 H, 4 ER) and host Illinois, 4-2. Michael Baumann was in Champaign and filed this in-depth report.

So the College World Series field is set. It includes both of last year’s CWS Finalists (Vanderbilt and Virginia), along with four national seeds (No. 2 LSU, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Miami and No. 7 TCU). The field wound up with four SEC teams, tying the record for most by a conference; two ACC teams; and one apiece from the Big West and Big 12.

All four opening-round matchups have real intrigue. Virginia and Arkansas will meet in the first CWS game Saturday at 2 p.m. in a rematch from the Charlottesville Regional final last year (the Cavs knocked out the Hogs 9-2). That’s also a contest between the two biggest underdogs in the field, the only teams that were not No. 1 seeds in their regionals.

Florida faces Miami at 7 p.m. Saturday. Obviously, that’s a spicy rivalry matchup, in addition to being a battle between two teams that are loaded with marquee talent.

LSU faces TCU at 2 p.m. Sunday in a clash between arguably the nation’s best pitching team (TCU) and best offensive team (LSU). And Vanderbilt takes on Cal State Fullerton on Sunday at 7 p.m., a game that features the best pitching matchup of the weekend — Carson Fulmer vs. Thomas Eshelman, two elite pitchers with polar-opposite styles.

—Aaron Fitt

Below, Kendall Rogers takes a look at how these eight teams got to this point:

Arkansas

Record: 40-23 (17-12 Southeastern)

Preseason rank: NR

Head coach: Dave Van Horn

National titles: None

How they got here: The Razorbacks started the season a little slow out of the gates, but we knew they’d get better as the season progressed. And beginning with a road series win over Texas A&M, the Hogs were great the rest of the year, winning the Stillwater Regional with ease before taking care of business against a gritty Missouri State club in the super regional round.

The skinny: The Hogs are playing very well right now, and the offense circulates around outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who was a first-round pick to Boston. But don’t forget about the numerous veterans on this team, including Joe Serrano and Tyler Spoon, among others. For the Hogs on the mound, righthander Zach Jackson is the enforcer with his low-to-mid 90s fastball and wipeout curveball.

Cal State Fullerton

Record: 39-23 (19-5 Big West)

Preseason rank: 19

Head coach: Rick Vanderhook

National titles: 4 (1979, 1984, 1995, 2004)

How they got here: The Titans had a wild run to the College World Series. After playing exceptionally well in the Fullerton Regional with three-straight wins, the Titans went on the road and took two of three from Louisville in an intense and incredibly well-played series. Given where the Titans were at one point this season — a very low spot — getting to Omaha is truly magical.

The skinny: The Titans have one of the best pitchers in the country in righthander Thomas Eshelman, who was drafted by the Houston Astros on the first day. Meanwhile, David Olmedo-Barrera, Jerrod Bravo and others are playing at a high level offensively, and Rick Vanderhook’s club heads to Omaha extremely confident.

Florida

Record: 49-16 (19-11 Southeastern)

Preseason rank: 2

Head coach: Kevin O’Sullivan

National titles: None

How they got here: The Gators are playing as good as anyone in the country, perhaps even the best. They swept through the Gainesville Regional with relative easy before blasting heated rival Florida State in the Gainesville Super Regional.

The skinny: The Gators have an outstanding one-two punch on the mound in righthander Logan Shore and lefthander AJ Puk, while Taylor Lewis is a real rock out of the bullpen. Then, there’s the offense with dangerous youngster J.J. Schwarz, veteran outfielder Harrison Bader and much more. The Gators are ultra-talented and will be a tough team to beat at TD Ameritrade.

LSU

Record: 53-10 (21-8 Southeastern)

Preseason rank: 9

Head coach: Paul Mainieri

National titles: 6 (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009)

How they got here: The Tigers spent much of the regular season as the nation’s top-ranked team, and haven’t disappointed in the postseason thus far. The Tigers won all three games in the Baton Rouge Regional before sweeping a two-game series from Louisiana in the Baton Rouge Super Regional to advance.

The skinny: LSU hasn’t particularly hit the ball well so far in the postseason, and that’s scary, as shortstop Alex Bregman appeared to break out of his slump with a huge hit to end the final game against the Cajuns over the weekend. While the LSU offense hopes to get rolling in Omaha, Alex Lange, Jared Poche and the pitching staff passed some stiff tests over the weekend and suddenly look like a very formidable overall group.

Miami

Record: 49-15 (23-8 Atlantic Coast)

Preseason rank: 15

Head coach: Jim Morris

National titles: 4 (1982, 1985, 1999, 2001)

How they got here: The Hurricanes entered the season with high expectations and this was a consistent group for much of the year. The Hurricanes won the Coral Gables Regional even after being pushed to the brink by Columbia, while they took care of VCU in the super regional round to advance to the CWS.

The skinny: Folks might not talk about Miami’s balance, but this is a club that can get it done in a variety of ways. Andrew Suarez and Thomas Woodrey both are very quality arms in the weekend rotation. But this team is definitely known for the offense, where David Thompson is a beast in the lineup with 19 homers and 87 RBIs, while Zack Collins is a big-time power producer as well. The ‘Canes definitely have a legitimate chance to earn national title five during this trip.

TCU

Record: 49-13 (18-5 Big 12)

Preseason rank: 8

Head coach: Jim Schlossnagle

National titles: None

How they got here: Well, what else can we really say about the crazy road the Frogs took to get here? The Frogs overcame an 8-1 deficit to NC State in the Fort Worth Regional title game to advance before beating Texas A&M in 16 innings in the third game of the Fort Worth Super Regional to return to Omaha.

The skinny: The Horned Frogs won’t overwhelm you from a statistical standpoint at the plate, but this team has a lineup full of mature approaches and Cody Jones, Connor Wanhanen and Evan Skoug are a handful. On the mound, the Frogs possess one of the nation’s deepest pitching staffs, second only behind Florida, and got a huge start from lefthander Alex Young in the super regional. The Frogs are battle tested and could be ready for a big run.

Vanderbilt

Record: 47-19 (20-10 Southeastern)

Preseason rank: 1

Head coach: Tim Corbin

National titles: 1 (2014)

How they got here: The best teams always play their best at the right time. And though the Commodores didn’t finish the regular season the way they wanted to, they played well in the SEC tournament and cruised through the Nashville Regional before looking like a national title type of team in a super regional series sweep over Illinois on the road.

The skinny: The Commodores are playing very confident right now and will be an incredibly tough out in Omaha. Dansby Swanson, Zander Wiel and others certainly lead the offense, while the pitching staff is loaded with premier arms, including, of course, Carson Fulmer, Walker Buehler, and Kyle Wright, who shined out out of the bullpen in the Omaha clincher and win over the Fighting Illini.

Virginia

Record: 39-22 (15-15 Atlantic Coast)

Preseason rank: 3

Head coach: Brian O’Connor

National titles: None

How they got here: What an incredible run the Cavaliers put together to get back to Omaha. Virginia was a bubble team with a couple of weeks left to the regular season, but made it into the NCAA postseason and the rest was history. Virginia went out to the West Coast and took care of business in the Lake Elsinore Regional with wins over USC and San Diego State before sweeping a pair of games from Maryland in super regional action.

The skinny: The Cavaliers entered the season with a host of young players, but they’ve gotten better as the season has progressed. Matt Thaiss and Pavin Smith are consistent offensive threats, while veteran Kenny Towns could be primed for a strong showing at the CWS. On the mound, lefthander Nathan Kirby could return to action, while Connor Jones and Brandon Waddell are talented and give the Cavaliers experience in the rotation, and Josh Sborz has the back-end of the bullpen in good hands.