CWS championship journey: it bears repeating

[onewoof]

Getting out of a 4 team regional into a super regional odds are good if you're a good team.

Then you have to win the super regional 2 out of 3 against a good team, and like a weekend series, anything can happen. Odds are less likely but possible if you're a good team and playing well that weekend, and the other good team isn't hot.

Then to Omaha, into another 4 team bracket, but this time, all 4 teams are good. Getting into the losers bracket here is almost always devastating. Odds are low you'll emerge from the 4 team bracket. Things happen and you need a few key moments to go your way.

Then the CWS finals, another 3 game series against another very good team. With very good pitching.

It's all a grind. And it's never guaranteed, no matter how loaded your team may be that year.

And nothing about Omaha is normal compared to the regular season or post season regional and super regional. It feels different and it is different.

Two four team brackets. Two 3 game series. Seems possible but it's anything but. It takes several magic moments.

And I'm grateful we had those last year and found a way. I know how unlikely it is to make it all the way even with a good team.

 

[kired]

10 wins. That’s all that it takes. You can even lose a few along the way. Told my son that last year before game 1 of the regional. It was the first year he’d been really interested in watching - we counted them down every game till the final, then counted down the outs in game 3 vs Vandy.

 

[onewoof]

When Tanner Allen went yard in the 8th against Virginia that's when I think everyone knew we had a chance. We found a way to win that one late in the game. Then finding a way to beat Texas, two JUCO guys beat the mighty longhorns, who if you didn't notice had EXCELLENT arms on the mound. Looking back, the finals against Vandy weren't that close, after Lieter with a weeks rest mowed us down game 1.

 

[threeosix]

Good post, time to bust this playlist out again

 

[Len2003]

Last year showed me how brutal and difficult it is to win it all. It's a long haul to the end. Just following along as a viewer was mentally taxing and seemed like it went on forever. Can't imagine what it takes for a player to stay mentally focused and physically at peak performance.

 

[MSUDC11]

There are going to be one or two highly seeded teams that learn this the hard way this year and don’t even make it to Omaha. I would love nothing more than for one of them to be a certain school in Knoxville. If there’s ever a program/fan base that needed a slice of humble pie it’s that one.

 

[Bill Shankly]

There are going to be one or two highly seeded teams that learn this the hard way this year and don’t even make it to Omaha. I would love nothing more than for one of them to be a certain school in Knoxville. If there’s ever a program/fan base that needed a slice of humble pie it’s that one.

Like the Swine last year.

 

[dawgstudent]

When Tanner Allen went yard in the 8th against Virginia that's when I think everyone knew we had a chance. We found a way to win that one late in the game. Then finding a way to beat Texas, two JUCO guys beat the mighty longhorns, who if you didn't notice had EXCELLENT arms on the mound. Looking back, the finals against Vandy weren't that close, after Lieter with a weeks rest mowed us down game 1.

What a game to see live. I'll always remember it. I had to get back to Mississippi unfortunately after that game.

 

[maroonmania]

It will be even more difficult for teams this year. There was nobody in the tournament field last year as good as Tennessee is this year.

 

[onewoof]

It will be even more difficult for teams this year. There was nobody in the tournament field last year as good as Tennessee is this year.

Their youth and bravado and then anxiety/pressure will be exposed I think in Omaha. Like I said before, a good starter and closer will make them look very average. There will be several of those in Omaha.

 

[Lawdawg.sixpack]

I had forgotten that after 1 postseason pitch, we trailed 1-0 to Samford...

 

[FISHDAWG]

When Tanner Allen went yard in the 8th against Virginia that's when I think everyone knew we had a chance. We found a way to win that one late in the game. Then finding a way to beat Texas, two JUCO guys beat the mighty longhorns, who if you didn't notice had EXCELLENT arms on the mound. Looking back, the finals against Vandy weren't that close, after Lieter with a weeks rest mowed us down game 1.

that walk-off against the Longhorns was against a pretty good pitch also

 

[MSUDC11]

It will be even more difficult for teams this year. There was nobody in the tournament field last year as good as Tennessee is this year.

This UT team is one of the better ones in recent memory but they’re still not that much different from many of the 1 overall seeds that haven’t won it all since ‘99.

A top overall seed will win it all eventually and this could be the year. But you’re already starting to see some cracks with UT. They had to sweat it out against Campbell and Georgia Tech more than they did the vast majority of their SEC games.

 

[maroonmania]

This UT team is one of the better ones in recent memory but they’re still not that much different from many of the 1 overall seeds that haven’t won it all since ‘99.

A top overall seed will win it all eventually and this could be the year. But you’re already starting to see some cracks with UT. They had to sweat it out against Campbell and Georgia Tech more than they did the vast majority of their SEC games.

All I know is they are 56-7 overall right now and someone has to beat them twice. Its certainly doable but it will be a bigger upset than Arkansas last year who was everyone's #1 at 49-11 going into the Super Regional.

 

[onewoof]

All I know is they are 56-7 overall right now and someone has to beat them twice. Its certainly doable but it will be a bigger upset than Arkansas last year who was everyone's #1 at 49-11 going into the Super Regional.

Kentucky, not in a regional, RPI of 52, did that the last weekend in May. Something tells me that Texas, Auburn, Arkansas, Stanford, VA Tech, Texas A&M and Oregon State could all realistically beat UTenn twice.

 

[Mafiadawg]

10 wins. That’s all that it takes. You can even lose a few along the way.

You make it sound so easy.