2017 NCAA Super Regionals

The squad achieved its highest ranking in program history on Tuesday, checking in at No. 13 per Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Sam Houston has reached the 40-win plateau in back-to-back seasons for the first time in Division I team history and is one win shy of setting a new Division I program record.

The Kats have won 12 of their last 13 games including six wins against top-25 opponents. In that stretch, which began with an 8-2 win at No. 22 Texas A&M, Sam Houston is hitting .330 as a team, averaging 7.69 runs per game while the pitching staff has posted a 2.69 ERA, limiting foes to a .237 average.

The matchup will be the first for Sam Houston against Florida State. In fact, 740-mile trek to Tallahassee is the farthest trip in Division I program history and first plane trip during that time span.

The Bearkats rank No. 4 in the NCAA with 64 sacrifice bunts this season and No. 10 in stolen bases with 102. Centerfielder Bryce Johnson's 33 steals rank fourth in the NCAA and it's common to see SHSU bunt for base hits and place pressure on a defense in the field and on the base paths.

In 2017, the Bearkats boast wins over numerous “big-name” schools. They have 14 wins against the RPI Top 50, including those over Texas A&M, Rice, Baylor, Houston, and of course the wins over Arizona and Texas Tech in the Lubbock Regional last weekend. The roster has bought into the “sum of the parts is greater than the whole” mantra and embrace a unique philosophy.

Florida’s top pitching threat is junior right hander Alex Faedo. He was the Friday starter for the Gators over the course of the year and pieced together a fantastic season, as seen by his low ERA and WHIP totals, as well as an impressive 123 strikeouts over 103.1 innings.

Faedo is primarily a two-pitch guy, with a fastball that sits in the low 90’s with an ability to get up to 94 or 95, and an impressive slider in the low-to-mid 80’s that can leave hitters looking silly as it breaks off the plate.

At times throughout the year he worked in a changeup but does not throw it as much as the fastball or slider. He is almost certain to go in the first round of next week’s MLB Draft and could potentially be a top 10 pick. Wake is going to have their hands full Saturday afternoon with Faedo.

The number two guy for the Gators, likely to go on Sunday, is right-handed sophomore Brady Singer. Singer was drafted 56th overall by Toronto out of high school, but opted to go to Florida instead.

As with Faedo, Singer is going to be a very difficult task for the Deacs. The good news is that he likes to keep the ball in the zone and the middle of Wake’s order has punished offerings that get a little too greedy. Faedo and Singer against the Demon Deacon offense will be one of the most exciting matchups across the entire country this weekend in Super Regionals.

While the top two guys in the Florida rotation have generally received the bulk of the attention, the third starter Jackson Kowar is undefeated with a ridiculous 12-0 record on the season. Kowar, a sophomore righty from Charlotte, has a fastball in the low-to-mid 90’s but hit 96 to 98 at times over the last year. In addition to the fastball, Kowar relies on a solid changeup and a splitter that has shown an ability to keep batters guessing in the box. While Kowar strikes out fewer people than both Faedo and Singer, he remains difficult to hit and still has a healthy 3.72 ERA. As far as third-day starters go, it’s difficult to imagine Kowar that is not one of the top guys in the nation.

All-in-all, the Florida starters are going to be a challenge even for a high-powered offense like Wake. For the Deacs to take this series they are going to need to be patient at the plate and not go chasing too many balls out of the zone. All three pitchers rely on a solid fastball and with the bat speed Wake has, especially from guys like Gavin Sheets or Johnny Aiello, it’s not too difficult to imagine a scenario where Wake is able to take a few balls out of the park if they’re able to get the timing right.

The rotation for Florida seems pretty clear cut and I expect to see Dunshee against Faedo in an absolute battle on Saturday afternoon. While Singer will almost certainly get the nod Sunday, it will be interesting to see if manager Tom Walter throws Johnstone or Sellers in game two.

Sellers has been the Saturday starter all year, but it’s likely that Johnstone is considered the “number two” guy and Walter has wanted him available in the rubber match of conference series. However, with there being no guarantee that there is a game three, I personally believe Singer will match up with Johnstone leaving a potential game three between Kowar and Sellers.

The Deacons are one of the top hitting ballclubs in the country, highlighted by a school-record 100 home runs.

Wherever you look in Wake's lineup, the numbers jump out. The Deacons have a .311 team batting average and 229 of their 663 hits on the season are for extra bases.

Meanwhile, the Gators enter the super regional batting .264 with 47 home runs. Florida's road to Omaha is paved with pitching.

DATES/TIMES
Saturday, June 10 – 8 p.m. CT
Sunday, June 11 – 8 p.m. CT
Monday, June 12 (if necessary) – game time TBA

STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field

RANKINGS
LSU – No. 2 Collegiate Baseball; No. 3 USA Today; No. 3 D1 Baseball; No. 4 Baseball America
MSU – No. 11 Collegiate Baseball; No. 17 D1 Baseball; No. 18 USA Today; No. 20 Baseball America