-Dexter Sports
5:32 PM
Dexter-Sports Inbox

The College World Series is upon us and the Road to Omaha pounds on. We have some great teams in this field, and some surprises. The CWS is broken into two brackets that meet up in the final. Lets Start with Bracket 1.

University of Miami (52-9 #1 Nationally) -

Key Players:

Yonder Alonso, 1B (Drafted 7th overall in first round by the Reds) - Alonso is the power in the middle of the lineup for the Hurricanes. His 23 HRs and 71 RBIs led the team. Alonso is also a great fielder at first and one of the prominent leaders on this highly favored team.

Jemile Weeks, 2B (Drafted 12 overall in the first round by the A's) - Weeks is part of a top of the order tandem that has killed collegiate pitching. Brother of Brewers' second baseman Rickie Weeks, Jemile has a lot of speed on the base paths. He was second on the team in stolen bases (21).

Blake Terkotte, CF (Drafted 101 overall in the third round by the Padres) - Terkotte has been a spark at the top of the order, hitting .374 with a .470 OBP. He led the team with 26 stolen bases.

Chris Hernandez, SP - The Freshman has been nothing short of dominant this season. Hernandez is 11-0 with a 2.98 ERA. What is most impressive is his ability to shut down hitters. He has an amazing 112/17 strikeout to walk ratio. He will be key to Miami's success. He is a favorite as a top pick in the first round of the 2009 Draft.

Carlos Gutierrez, CL (Drafted 27 overall in the first round by the Twins) - The Hurricanes will depend on Gutierrez to shut the door down in the late innings. He has 13 saves this season and does not wear down over a whole series.

Overview:

The Hurricanes are ranked # 1 for a reason. This team has all the talent to win it all, and should have a lot of success early in this bracket. They will have a lot of competition from Florida State and Georgia. It is national championship or bust for this club.

University of Georgia (41-31-1 #8 Nationally) -

Key Players:

Gordon Beckham, SS (Drafted 8 overall in the first round by the White Sox) - Beckham is the meat and potatoes of the Georgia lineup. He leads this team in HRs, (27) RBIs, (72) Stolen Bases, (17) and Average (.400). He has the ability to take over a game with his offense and makes his teammates better because of his presence.

Trevor Holder, RHP (Drafted 298 overall in the tenth round by the Marlins) - Holder will have to anchor this staff with some really good outings for this team to win. His first opponent, the Hurricanes are a tough offense, but many believe he has the stuff to shut them down. He has a very good changeup and doesn't walk hitters. With a great bullpen, Holder only needs to throw 5 solid innings per start.

Joshua Fields, RHP (Drafted 20 overall in the first round by the Mariners) - Fields is arguably the best closer in college baseball. He has picked up 16 saves for this club and though he sometimes struggles with his control, his fastball can get him out of any jam.

Overview:

There are a lot of "ifs" that will need to be answered if the Bulldogs want to pull out of this tourney. Gordon Beckham will have to be hitting the ball well and the starting pitching has to keep the offense in the ballgame. If this team catches fire they could upset Florida State and Miami. Their first round match up with Miami could tell the story of how they will play in this bracket.

Florida State (54-12 #4 Nationally) -

Key Players:

Buster Posey, C (Drafted 5 overall in the first round by the Giants) - Posey's importance is obvious. He is a utility player that can be all over the field if you need it. His .460 average is mind blowing and his 92 RBIs have all been timely for the Seminoles. His directing behind the plate will also be important for Florida State pitchers.

Tony Delmonico, SS (Drafted 187 in the sixth round by the Dodgers) - Delmonico has been a big part of the Seminole offense since coming over from Tennessee. If he can get on base in front of Posey, it will be hard for pitchers to pitch around him. Delmonico is also a good fielder and allows the Seminoles to play Posey at catcher.

Dennis Guinn, 1b (Drafted 513 in the seventeenth round by the Rangers) - Guinn is another power bat in this lineup that will have to protect Posey well enough so that they dont pitch around him. Guinn has 18 homers and 74 RBIs. Guinn is very patient at the plate and will take some pitches. His senior leadership is key as well.

Overview:

This team has a good balance of pitching and offense that could push them far in the series. It should be a great match up between them and Miami. If pitchers struggle with the top of the order, then it will be hard to recuperate with this middle of the order. The Seminoles will have to out hit most clubs in late games, because they don't have a true closer.

Stanford (39-22-2) -

Key Players:

Jason Castro, C (Drafted 10 overall in the first round by the Astros) -Castro's power has been on display so far in regional and super regional play. He is a key element in this team because of his veteran approach at the plate. Castro hit a two run home run in game one against Cal State Fullerton and then hit the game winning double in game two that sent the Cardinal to the College World Series. He is hitting .464 with 13 RBIs this post season.

Jeremy Bleich, LHP (Drafted 44 overall in the supplementary round by the Yankees) - Bleich has been nearly impossible to hit (.92 ERA). At 6'2" his frame has helped him from the left side. Bleich has the best curve and change on the team.

Sean Ratliff, CF (Drafted 134 overall in the 4th round by the Mets) - Ratliff's bat has been a big part of the Cardinal success in 08. His 21 dingers have been impressive, but his strike out rate will have to go down in order to protect Jason Castro in the world series. He is part of a powerful trio of left handed hitters that will do damage

Overview:

The Cardinal offense without question can hammer the ball, but it will all come down to starting pitching. If this staff can stretch out the game and leave the bullpen off the field, We could see an upset team make it all the way to the championship game. One issue with this club is their left hand heavy lineup. Matt Fairel of the Seminoles and Chris Hernandez of the Hurricanes could give this team fits.

-Dexter Sports
3:59 PM
Dexter-Sports Inbox

With some regionals already settled, Let's take a look of the games that are on tap today to decide who goes on to super regionals.

Stanford Regional:

UPDATE: The Cardinal are pushing back after going down early 4-0. In the third they have tacked on one run. Heading to the fourth inning, it is 4-1 Pepperdine. The Wave tagged Erik Davis for four runs in the 1st inning.

Stanford vs. Pepperdine 4 PM ET - As this game gets underway, we get to witness Jason Castro and Eric Thames taking on each other for the championship in a rather weak regional. The Cardinal look to take the second straight game from Pepperdine to keep playing this season. The Cardinal won 13-1 on Sunday. This could be a hitting clinic to the end. Stanford has Erik Davis on the mound against Waves starter Robert Dickmann.

Tallahassee Regional

Tulane vs. Florida State 7 PM ET - Buster Posey led a 17 run offense against Tulane yesterday with two homers. Posey has 85 RBIs on the season and the Seminoles offense has been scorching opposing pitchers since being shut out by Bucknell in the first game of the Regional. Tulane will not start ace Shooter Hunt, but he could see some time in a very close game. This should be a fun game, but Florida State should pull it out.

Athens Regional

Georgia vs. Georgia Tech 7 PM ET - This is the great match up for Georgia, but it should be an easy win for the hosting Bulldogs. The offense, bullpen and starting pitching is much stronger than the Yellow Jackets and that should show on the field tonight.

College Station Regional

Texas A&M vs. Houston 7:30 PM - Houston upset University of Illinois-Chicago on Sunday morning and kept the rally going by beating Texas A&M by one run to force a final game today. Houston was beaten 22-4 in the opening game on Saturday by the Aggies, but had a great pitching performance from Jared Ray. Look for another good battle in College Station. The Cougars are low on pitching depth but could still challenge the Aggies.

Long Beach Regional

San Diego vs. Fresno State 9 PM ET - Neither team looks to bring it's ace to the table, but this should be a pretty good match up. Sammy Solis will take the mound for San Diego, after they beat Fresno 15-1 yesterday. Fresno has some pretty sound hitters, but are a bit over matched in this series. San Diego moves on to the Super Regional.

Fullerton Regional

UCLA vs. Cal State Fullerton 11 PM ET - Fullerton will look to defend it's turf once again after defeating UCLA 11-8 on Sunday. Garrett Claypool could start for UCLA. The Bruins had to dip into their bullpen early against the Titans. Both teams are low on pitching depth. We could see another high scoring affair. I like Cal State Fullerton to pull off the victory tonight, capping off UCLA's somewhat upsetting season.

-Dexter Sports
2:23 PM
Dexter-Sports Inbox

Lets take a look at what is going on the college circuit. With Regionals getting underway yesterday, we have some intriguing games. We will take a look at some links from around the blogosphere as well.

• For those of you that haven't been informed, some of the sports world's best bloggers are getting together to conglomerate on a mock draft for the upcoming draft. With the first round complete, you can check it out here.

• Minor League Ball has a mock draft of their own. Check out the first round here. Currently they are working on the Second Round. Check it out.
  

• Georgia prospects Gordon Beckham and Joshua Fields along with the rest of the Bulldog squad is on the brink of elimination in the Athens Regional, after an upset in the first game by 4th seed Lipscomb. The Bulldogs will face Louisville in an elimination game today. Big East Pitcher of the Year Zach Pitts will take the mound for Louisville.

• Top righty prospect Aaron Crow struck out ten in a 7-0 win in the opening game of the Coral Gables regional. Crow was stellar in his outing, looking his best possibly all season. according to Baseball America, sources in Coral Gables said that over thirty scouts were in attendance to see Crow's start. One issue with Crows start was his 5 walks. That could of just been jitters, and it didn't affect his ending line of 3 hits and no runs.

• Also in an unfamiliar spot is number 2 ranked Florida State, who will face Florida in the losers side of the Tallahassee Regional. Tulane's top prospect, Shooter Hunt shut down Florida in the opening game and Florida State was shut down by Bucknell. I dont think it is possible for the Seminoles to lose today.

• Todays best Match Up might come tonight as the #1 Miami Hurricanes, behind Jemile Weeks and Yonder Alonso, will take on #12 Missouri in the Coral Gables Regional. Kyle Gibson, the second best arm in the region, will take the mound for the Tigers. Lefty Chris Hernandez, coming off a win in the ACC title game, will take the mound for the Hurricanes. It will be tough for the Tigers to shut down this Hurricane offense, but it should be a good matchup.
  

- Dexter Sports
2:34 pm

Vanderbilt's Third Baseman Pedro Alvarez still looks like the number one pick, after missing time with a hand injury early in the year. Alvarez went 4-11 this weekend with two homers, showing he will still have some power, despite the fact his hand will not be healed before the draft in June.

The Rays hold the first pick of the draft, and many think they will pass on Alvarez for pitching, simply because of the Evan Longoria Factor. The Rays have drafted well, and it would be smart to go with pitching in this instance, But if I were sitting in the number one position, I would have to go after this kid.

The Vanderbilt Commodores won the SEC in 2007 and the Rays selected David Price, the Vandy Starter, with the first pick in the 2007 Draft. The Only issue that lies within Pedro Alvarez is agent Scott Boras, who is known for getting his clients more than enough money. It could cause him to drop in the draft a bit, such as Rick Porcello did in 2007.

For those of you interested, you can watch a free broadcast of Commodore Baseball on cstv today at 7 PM ET.