The 2011 College World Series kicks off Saturday in Omaha with the North Carolina Tar Heels battling the Vanderbilt Commodores. California starts the tournament on Sunday facing the number one overall seed, the Virginia Cavaliers. Recently Streaking the Lawn, our Virginia blog, provided us with some basic background on the 2011 Virginia baseball team. Earlier today, STL went into greater detail in speaking with the folks at California Golden Blogs, two days before Cal and Virginia square off in the College World Series.
In discussing the Cavaliers team, STL discussed everything from the stuff Danny Hultzen brings to the mound to Virginia's strength on defense. The most basic rundown of Virginia came in the third question. STL described the way the Wahoos win their games:
UVa plays in a cavern. Peter Gammons said the other day that "Davenport field is the PetCo Park of college baseball" and that is very true. Its a big field and the ball doesn't exactly fly out of it. Knowing that, O'Connor and Co. rely on strong pitching and exceptional defense. On the offensive side, there are a few that could hit it out but most will rely on hitting the gaps, moving the runners over, and being aggressive on the basepaths.
Head on over to CGB to learn more about their opponent this Sunday. Cal faces an uphill climb if they're going to make their way out of their half of the bracket in the 2011 College World Series. When you've got a Top Ten team (Texas A&M) who is the next closest "underdog" in the CWS, it's safe to say the road ahead will not be easy.
We'll be following Cal's road through the 2011 College World Series as the Bears look to continue their magical run. Head over to California Golden Blogs to discuss everything about the California Golden Bears.