The College World Series got off to a bang over the weekend. Top-seeded Florida got through its bracket, as expected, while second-seeded Auburn surprisingly emerged from the Raleigh region.
Florida got past Columbia, Jacksonville, and FAU to advance. Auburn eliminated Northeastern, Army, and top-seeded N.C. State.
Auburn was dominant. The Tigers never faced a significant challenge, outscoring their opponents 40-12. Auburn racked up a whopping 50 hits in its three games.
Auburn won its final game against N.C. State, 15-7, outhitting the Wolfpack 16-10. N.C. State also committed five errors, facilitating the upset.
Florida, meanwhile, looked surprisingly beatable. The Gators only defeated Jacksonville by one run (3-2) and dropped their first meeting with FAU (7-4).
Florida bounced back to win the second game of Monday’s doubleheader with FAU, 5-2. Florida had fallen behind in the game, 2-0, but went on a run between the third and fifth innings before its pitching clinched the game in the final frames.
Team Leaders
Jonathan India is the Gators’ leader. He hit .360 this season, adding 19 home runs and 47 RBIs in 148 at-bats. The Cincinnati Reds recently drafted No. 5 overall in the MLB draft. He’s adept both at the plate and in the field.
Reds newest 3rd baseman Jonathan India can flash the leather… pic.twitter.com/ngUrsoPwiS
— Brandon Saho (@BrandonSaho) June 4, 2018
India gets help in the power department from Wil Dalton. Dalton clubbed 19 home runs and 58 RBIs, but he hit a so-so .269.
SEC leader in HRs: Wil Dalton (15)
SEC leader in RBI: Wil Dalton (45)
Pitch to the man at your own risk. pic.twitter.com/ehCBI8FqVl
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 24, 2018
Auburn’s key batter is Edouard Julien. Julien clubbed 17 home runs and 68 RBIs in 114 at-bats. He hit .284.
Julien was honored as part of the 2018 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Team. The Reds selected Julien, who plays DH, in the 37th round in 2017.
Senior infielder Josh Anthony was key for Auburn in the opening weekend, as he was named Most Outstanding Player.
Someone pick Josh Anthony @MLBDraftTracker the dude has improved tremendously at the plate and is an excellent fielder @mlbJAye
— AU Helmet Guy (@au_helmet) June 6, 2018
Also be sure to keep an eye on Will Holland and Brendan Venter, who hit .319 and .317, respectively, this season.
Auburn landed six players on the Raleigh Regional All-Tournament team, including Most Outstanding Player Josh Anthony, pitcher Casey Mize, DH Edouard Julien, RF Steven Williams, CF Jay Estes and 3B Brendan Venter.
— Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) June 4, 2018
Party like it's 1999!! 🎉
Auburn sweeps the Raleigh Regional and advances to the @NCAACWS Super Regionals for the second time in program history and first time in 19 years!! #WarEagle | #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/EC7A7libao
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) June 4, 2018
Prediction
The teams met three times in late April, and Florida won the weekend by a 2-1 margin — but it was close.
This may come as a surprise to some, but we’re picking the Tigers to continue their hot play and advance as one of the World Series’ final eight teams. If the Auburn team that shows up in Raleigh shows up in Gainesville, the Tigers should stun the college baseball cosmos and come away with the series in hand.
Game Information
These two SEC powerhouses are slated to play 2-3 times. The first matchup is set for Saturday at 12 p.m. EST. The next: Sunday at the same time. If the teams are tied after two matchups, they’ll play the third and deciding match Monday at 8:30 p.m. EST.
Check out the full College World Series bracket here. See the full scoreboard from the tournament here.
