Well here we are ready for the CWS Finals showdown between the UCLA Bruins and the University of South Carolina Baseball team. It is a best of three scenario so the goal for both tonight is to win the first game as that will put you in the driver seat.
USC will attempt to become the first national champion to lose their first MCWS game since Oregon State in 2006, and only the third team to win a title after losing the opener in the current two-bracket format.
I feel this is USC’s to lose for the series and for game 1….click to read more….
I like USC’s chances here and not because we are devoted gamecocks blog but we really like the chances of the team from the east coast. Why you ask? Well, it is more to do with momentum and playing with emotion that it is anything else really. SC seems to have the confidence and temperament at this point in the CWS tournament. I know they have the mighty UCLA Bruins, who are the only remaining nation 8 seed to last this long, standing between them and a national championship. But at this point of the season – both teams are good…obviously. What wins championships is teamwork, confidence and the desire to win. South Carolina has all three from all the games I have seen with each team playing.
Tonight it is all about winning the first game. For Carolina, they must do the 3 following things….
1. USC must win pitcher battle & Cooper must be last man standing. Cooper is 12-2 on the year with a 2.86 ERA with a team-high 129.0 innings pitched. He has 116 strikeouts to just 38 walks. In the postseason, Cooper owns a 2-1 record with a 2.52 ERA in 25 innings pitched. He will go up against UCLA sophomore right-hander Gerrit Cole (11-3, 3.26 ERA). Cole has allowed five hits or fewer in 13 of his 18 starts during his sophomore campaign.
As a pitching staff, South Carolina has a 2.68 ERA in five MCWS games with 40 strikeouts and eight walks while holding opponents to a .202 batting average. The Bruins’ pitching staff has limited the opposition to a .195 batting average (25 hits in 35.0 innings). UCLA has posted a 3.60 ERA, logging 48 strikeouts and 13 walks in 35.0 innings.
For USC to win this game, Cooper has to be Cooper – meaning he has to be money tonight will Cole shows why he lost 3 games this year – and USC overall must win the pitching duel.
2. USC must Limit UCLA’s offense to more than 3 runs. South Carolina is now 29-4 when holding an opponent to three runs or less. The Gamecocks have held all five opponents in Omaha to four runs or less. UCLA is dangerous…. As a team, UCLA is batting at a .324 clip in four College World Series games, having gone 45-for-139 at the plate with four home runs and seven doubles. The Bruins have posted a .410 on-base percentage in Omaha.
If USC can pitch defensively and the bullpen is on target this game then I think they can limit the Bruins threat.
3. USC must Play with Controlled Emotions. USC needs to continue to play with heart and desire. They need to continue to be patient at the plate and play smart baseball in the field.
If Carolina does these three things tonight Game 1 is USC’s. I feel this will be a classic game. I really think Carolina will win this game and I predict (for what it is worth) a 5-3 win.
The College World Series 2010 finals were already historic as the last games in Rosenblatt Stadium. Now, they will also crown a first-time national champion, whether it is the Bruins or Gamecocks. They will start to find out in tonight’s Game 1, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
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