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It’s hardly a secret formula. Good pitching + good defense goes a long way on the baseball diamond and great pitching + great defense tends to lead to big championships.

Florida’s Dane Dunning fired 5.0 no-hit innings in Sunday’s start against rival Miami (Photo Courtesy Florida).

Case in point – the top four teams in this week’s CB360 Top-50 Rankings. Vanderbilt, Virginia, TCU and Florida, have been stellar on the mound and in the field. Those four teams have combined to go 24-4 and have a total of 22 errors and 18 unearned runs.

The defending national champion Commodores have outscored opponents just 26-22 in their 4-2 start after a 6-0 series-clinching win over Indiana State Sunday, but stellar pitching and defense have (as always) made up for it. The Commodores have just six errors and four unearned runs allowed while also posting a 2.95 ERA.

Virginia (8-0), runner-up to Vandy in Omaha last year, has committed eight errors and allowed six unearned runs while turning in a stealth 1.12 ERA. Virginia has also essentially played a ninth game after Sunday’s 5-4 win over Marist in 18 program record-setting innings.

TCU (6-1), another 2014 CWS team, and Florida (6-1) have been stellar both in the field and on the mound so far. The Horned Frogs (1.45 ERA) have just four errors and four unearned runs charged through seven games. That includes a weekend series win at Arizona State. Florida (2.14 ERA) has just six errors and four unearned runs after taking two of three games against Miami this weekend.

At the other end of the spectrum in the early part of 2015 is Cal Poly. The Mustangs started the season at 28th in our preseason rankings after a 47-12 record and a Big West championship in 2014. They have limped out of the gates to a 1-7 start in 2015 though, and pitching and defense have been the main culprits.

After committing two errors and surrendering four unearned runs in Sunday’s 9-3 loss to Grand Canyon, Poly now has 17 errors and 18 unearned runs allowed in the first two weeks of the season. On top of that, the staff ERA, which finished at 3.05 last year, is currently a hefty 4.95.

Kyle Smith leads Cal Poly with 16 strikeouts in 9 1/3 IP (Photo courtesy Cal Poly).

Casey Bloomquist only went 4.0 innings in Poly’s season-opening 8-6 loss at Baylor. He surrendered five total runs on 81 pitches and four hits, but he walked four and yielded two unearned runs thanks to three errors in the field.

Slater Lee lasted just 2.0 innings in another 8-6 loss the next day. Two of the four runs reliever Kyle Smith allowed in his 3.1 innings were unearned. The Mustangs committed three more errors in that setback.

Justin Calomeni needed 63 pitches (just 58% for strikes) to get through 3.0 innings in a demoralizing 6-0 loss to the Bears in the series finale. He did go 6.0 innings against Grand Canyon on Sunday, but two errors led to four unearned runs in the 9-3 defeat.

Andrew Bernstein provided Cal Poly with its first quality start in a midweek win at Fresno State. Bernstein allowed just two hits in 5.1 shutout innings in the 7-6 victory. Two late errors paved the way for four unearned runs to score after the Mustangs led 7-0 going into the bottom of the 8th inning. Poly still out-hit the Bulldogs 16-8 and the pitching staff combined for 10 strikeouts and just three walks.

Bloomquist made it to 6.2 innings against Grand Canyon in his second start this past Friday, but he needed 110 pitches to get there. Three Mustang errors led to two unearned runs allowed by Bloomquist, who fanned nine batters, as well as another unearned run tagged to reliever Erich Uelman in the 10-4 loss.

UCSB pitcher Dillon Tate is yet to allow a run in 13 2/3 IP this season (Photo courtesy UCSB).

Two other teams whose fortunes correlate directly to defense through the first two weekends have been Indiana and Arizona State.

Indiana committed just two errors in its first two games of the season – a pair of wins at Stanford – before committing eight errors and allowing a total of four unearned runs in consecutive losses to Stanford, Presbyterian and Furman. The spiral was punctuated by five miscues and three unearned runs in Friday’s 5-2 loss to the Blue Hose.

Arizona State struggled holding onto the ball this weekend as well. The Sun Devils had a pair of errors that led to two unearned runs in Friday’s 3-0 loss to visiting TCU. To be fair, Preston Morrison (2-0) was so dominant the miscues were probably moot. Morrison needed just 88 pitches to fire a three-hit complete game.

ASU had three more errors, but just one unearned run allowed, the next day in a 7-6 win. Two errors in Sunday’s series finale gave the Horned Frogs their first two runs.

UC Santa Barbara (6-1) committed just five errors and allowed a mere three unearned runs while getting off to a 6-0 start. The injury bug hit in Sunday’s series finale against Kentucky in a 12-7 Wildcat win (the only Kentucky victory in the series). Three Gaucho errors accounted for seven, yes – seven unearned runs in defeat.

UCSB, which sports a stellar 1.57 team ERA, will put its pitching, defense and strong start to the test with a midweek game at Pepperdine followed by a three-game home series vs. Oregon next weekend.

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The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) has released its final Division One poll for the 2014 season. Vanderbilt sits atop the final rankings after taking two of three games in the best-of-three College World Series Finals in Omaha, Neb.

Tim Corbin’s Vanderbilt Commodores and Brian O’Connor’s Virginia Cavaliers are set to begin the College World Series Finals on Monday. It’s a meeting of two programs that now stand on unchartered ground after making meteoric strides into the ranks of college baseball elite since the arrival of their respective head coaches.

Virginia is playing in its third College World Series and 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament since O’Connor took the helm in 2004, while Vanderbilt is in its second CWS and is playing in its ninth straight and 10th NCAA Tournament in Corbin’s 12-year tenure.

“I think the programs have been built along the same lines to be honest with you,” Corbin said during Sunday’s pre-finals press conference. “There’s a very similar timeline to the timing that Brian became a head coach and that I became a head coach. We both had great mentors.”

Vanderbilt began playing baseball in 1889 (famed writer Grantland Rice coached the team for a year in 1908), with Virginia’s first year playing the sport in 1886 (famed writer John Grisham’s son once played for Virginia). Each school had exactly three NCAA Tournament appearances prior to the arrival of its current head coach.

Corbin and O’Connor have used similar blueprints to build their programs. Pitching, defense and strong attention to detail form the foundation of both programs, which have also both seen their schools invest substantially in facilities over the past decade. Both coaches also took similar paths early in their careers to get to where they are today.

“I would say the teams are very similar and the programs are a lot alike in a lot of different ways,” said Corbin. “We run into them sometimes in recruiting and I would say we go after very similar kids.”

O’Connor’s Omaha bloodline is possibly the most well known by now. O’Connor was a regular at Rosenblatt Stadium attending the College World Series with his dad while growing up just across the Missouri river from Omaha in Council Bluffs, IA.

He pitched for Omaha-based Creighton and helped the hometown Blue Jays, coached by future Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry, reach the 1991 CWS. Eighteen years later, O’Connor would lead his Cavs to Omaha after taking the helm prior to the 2004 season.

“It doesn’t mean any more to me than it does coach Corbin or any of our players on either one of our teams,” O’Connor said Sunday when asked about coaching for a title in his childhood backyard. “A lot is to be made that I’m from here, but it’s about these kids’ experience. The only difference between me and those young men is my birth record.”

O’Connor cut his teeth as a college coach in his nine seasons at Notre Dame under current LSU head coach Paul Mainieri. Not so coincidentally, it was Hendry who gave Mainieri his first coaching job at Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School in 1980.

The Hendry-Mainieri connection led O’Connor to Notre Dame, where he was twice named National Assistant Coach of the Year (2001 and 2003) as ND’s pitching coach and associate head coach. The 2002 Fighting Irish team, which had no all-conference pitchers on its staff, knocked-off a No. 1 ranked Florida State team in Tallahassee to advance to ND’s first CWS appearance since 1957.

Just seven years later, Mainieri and O’Connor were going head-to-head in the first round of the 2009 CWS (a 9-5 LSU win over Virginia as Mainieri’s Tigers won the national championship). The Cavs were 1-2 in O’Connor’s CWS homecoming that season. They were 2-2 in their return to Omaha in the first TD Ameritrade CWS in 2011 (both losses to eventual champ South Carolina).

“I learned how to run a college baseball program from somebody who I believe is the best out there and does it the right way,” O’Connor said of his time with Mainieri under the golden dome.

O’Connor coached future MLB pitchers Brad Lidge and Aaron Heilman in his time at ND. His top Virginia pitcher was Danny Hultzen, who started game ones in Omaha in 2009 and 2011 and was the No. 2 overall pick (Seattle) in the 2011 MLB Draft.

Corbin didn’t grow up in the shadow of the College World Series. In fact, he grew up about as far outside the college baseball universe as could be. The New Hampshire native played his college ball at Ohio Wesleyan and began his coaching career as head coach at Presbyterian in Clinton, SC. He helped the previously defunct program transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II from 1988-1993 before joining Jack Leggett’s (another New Englander) staff at Clemson.

Corbin helped Leggett’s Tigers reach the College World Series four times in his nine seasons on staff, including the same 2002 CWS as Mainieri, O’Connor and Notre Dame. Known as one of the top recruiters in the country during his Clemson tenure and was named National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000.

Corbin’s background has been working with hitters and outfielders, but pitching has been Vanderbilt’s calling card. David Price (2012 AL Cy Young winner) and Sonny Gray (Oakland A’s) preceded current ace Tyler Beede (No. 14 overall pick this year by San Francisco) as Commodore pitchers to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft.

True to Corbin’s roots, Vanderbilt has also featured several New England natives who have figured prominently in the program’s recent success. Curt Casali (New Canaan, Conn), Mike Yastrzemski (Andover, Mass) and Jason Esposito (Bethany, Conn) were all key cogs for the 2011 CWS squad, while Beede (Auburn, Mass) and Rhett Wiseman (Mansfield, Mass) have both been key to the current Vandy team’s Omaha run.

In a CWS that has been dominated by pitching, Virginia carries a miniscule 0.55 staff ERA through three games into the Championship Finals, while Vanderbilt (3.50) has the highest staff ERA of the Omaha Eight. With four games under their belts, the Commodores lead the Omaha field with a .259 team batting average and 15 runs scored. Virginia’s .239 team average in the second-best, but their stellar pitching has allowed them to win three games (including one in 15 innings) with a total of nine runs scored.

Previews Continue With Teams 11-20…

Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin took his team to its first CWS in 2011

With the start of the season rapidly approaching, here’s a look at some of the top teams in the country heading into the 2012 college baseball season.

Our rankings are based on a “composite formula” that combines not only the existing weekly preseason national polls, but also other factors like strength of schedule and preseason conference polls. Other criteria will continually be added throughout the season to our composite rankings.

Here is a look at teams 11-20 heading into the season.

( ) Stats in parenthesis are from the 2011 season.

* After a statistic denotes team leader in that statistical category.

CLICK HERE to see capsules for teams 1-10

CLICK HERE to see capsules for teams 21-30

CLICK HERE to see the entire CB360 2012 Preseason Composite National Rankings

11. Vanderbilt

2011 Record: 54-12

With three straight national championships and a slew of NCAA bids every year, it is apparent just how good and how tough the SEC is on a yearly basis. However, the SEC’s Western Division took that to another level last year.

After several near misses, Vanderbilt finally reached the College World Series in 2011. Vandy’s historic bid made it one of three teams from the SEC West to reach Omaha. The other two, of course, were eventual national champion South Carolina and national runner-up Florida.

If Commodore head coach Tim Corbin is to get back to the CWS in 2012, it may be his best coaching job ever. Vandy suffers major key losses after having 11 – that’s right 11 – players from last year’s CWS team sign professional contracts last summer.

The most significant losses are in the weekend rotation, where All-Americans Sonny Gray (12-4, 2.43 ERA) and Grayson Garvin (13-2, 2.48 ERA) as well as less heralded, but still valuable Taylor Hill (6-1, 2.73 ERA) all must be replaced. The trio combined for 337 1/3 of the staff’s 583 innings and 325 of 567 strikeouts in 2011. As if the front end losses weren’t bad enough, closer Navery Moore (4-2, 1.21 ERA, 11 SV*) is now in the pro ranks as well. Will Clinard (2-2, 2.75 ERA, 35 App*, 39 1/3 IP, 48 K, 3 SV), T.J. Pecoraro (7-0, 1.59 ERA, 39 2/4 IP, 41 K) and Kevin Ziomek (3-0, 1.59 ERA, 45 1/3 IP, 47 K) are among the returnees who will assume larger roles in ’12.

There are a few more recognizable names back in the everyday lineup for Vandy. Notably, Anthony Gomez (.336, 48 RBIs, 61 Runs*, 12 Doubles), leadoff man Tony Kemp (.329, 58 Runs, 7 Triples*, 17 SB) and Mike Yastrzemski (.296, 60 Runs, 42 RBIs, 23 SB*). Vandy will still miss the run production of Aaron Westlake (.344, 18 HR*, 56 RBIs, .640 Slg.%) and Jason Esposito (.340, 9 HR, 59 RBIs*, 22 Doubles*).

Chris Harvey will be the one to watch for Vanderbilt all season. The strong armed catcher skipped his senior year of high school completely to enroll at Vanderbilt last fall. Corbin says of the 18 year old phenom “What separates him from most young players is his feel for hitting and his overall maturity for the game.” Harvey, who is part of what Baseball America has rated as the No. 1 freshman class in the country, comes from an athletic family. His sister, Megan, is a swimmer at Georgetown, while his brother, Michael, wrestles at North Carolina.

12. TCU

2011 Record: 43-19

A trip to the 2010 College World Series was the watershed moment for Jim Schlossnagle’s Horned Frogs, and heading into 2011 they looked like they were set for another Omaha run. The script didn’t quite hold though, as an injury to ace Matt Purke (5-1, 1.71 ERA) caused too much ripple effect in the roles of the rest of the pitching staff. Ultimately, TCU took two steps back, seeing upstart Dallas Baptist win the Ft. Worth Regional.

Purke signed a professional contract after two years at TCU, but fellow starters Kyle Winkler (8-2*, 1.39 ERA*, 13 Starts*, 2 CG, 90 2/3 IP*) and Steven Maxwell (5-1, 3.13 ERA) must also be replaced along with the bat of Taylor Featherston (.335*, 3 HR, 42 RBIs).

Despite that substantial turnover, TCU still has plenty back for a shot at another deep NCAA run. The offense is led by Josh Elander (.333, 5 HR, 38 RBIs, 11 Doubles), Jantzen Witte (.331, 4 HR, 45 RBIs, 21 Doubles*), Jason Coats (.325, 8 HR*, 56 RBIs*, 16 Doubles) and Brance Rivera (.324, 7 HR, 36 RBIs, 14 SB*). The most intriguing new addition is that of 6’5, 260 pound freshman Kevin Cron, who is the younger brother of former Utah All-American C.J. Cron. Kevin was a third round selection out of high school in last year’s MLB Draft, while C.J. went to the Angels in the first round.

Sophomore Andrew Mitchell (6-1, 2.84, 12 Starts, 22 App., 2 SV, 76 IP, 73 K) did a little of everything last year, with the Horned Frogs going 17-5 in games he pitched. He will have a more settled role this year with the previously mentioned departures. Stefan Crichton (6-3, 1.98 ERA, 26 App., 5 SV*, 50 IP) and  Nick Frey (1-0, 3.45 ERA, 10 App., 4 Starts) will look to expanded roles as well.

TCU will be tested early, with a season-opening home series against Ole Miss, followed by three games at Cal State Fullerton the next weekend. With a move to the Big 12 on the way, 2012 will be the Horned Frogs’ last season in the Mountain West Conference.

13. Florida State

2011 Record: 46-19

One thing has become automatic in Mike Martin’s first 32 years as Florida State head coach – an NCAA appearance. The Seminoles have gone to 32 straight NCAA Tournaments, gone to 14 College World Series and averaged an amazing 52 wins in Martin’s first 32 seasons at the helm.

The only thing the ABCA Hall of Famer hasn’t done is the same thing no ACC team has done since 1955 – win a national championship.

As usual, the Seminoles return a lot of offense to make a run at Omaha. James Ramsey (.364*, 10 HR*, 67 RBIs*, 18 Doubles, 58 Runs*, 3 Triples, 11 SB*, 1.022 OPS*) was FSU’s top all-around bat in 2011. He’s joined by the likes of Jayce Boyd (.343, 8 HR, 60 RBIs, 17 Doubles, 44 Runs, 10 SB), Devon Travis (.329, 6 HR, 33 RBIs, 26 Doubles*, 58 Runs*), Justin Gonzalez (.264, 8 HR, 40 RBIs, 13 Doubles, 50 Runs) and Sherman Johnson (.256, HR, 40 RBIs, 18 Doubles, 51 Runs, 10 SB).

The biggest losses to the pitching staff are ace Sean Gilmartin (12-2*, 2.09 ERA, 120 1/3 IP*, 130 K*), two-way player Mike McGee (4-3, 4.68 ERA, 5 SV/.321, 10 HR*, 58 RBIs) and closer Daniel Bennett (3-1, 2.29 ERA, 39 App.*, 15 SV*).

A solid group of returning pitching includes Robert Benincasa (3.58 ERA, 2-2, 20 App.), Gary Merians (6-2, 4.03 ERA), Brian Busch (6-2, 4.29 ERA, 26 App., 63 IP), Hunter Scantling (3-3, 4.45 ERA, 12 Starts, 58 2/3 IP), and Scott Sitz (4-2, 5.92 ERA, 51 2/3 IP).

14. Arizona

2011 Record: 39-21

While the majority of the teams in Division I baseball were struggling to adjust to the new BBCOR bats last year, that was not the case for Arizona. The national batting average dropped from .305 in 2010 to .282 last year (.023), but the Wildcats’ average slipped just .001 – from .321 to .320. Arizona finished third in the nation with its .321 average last season, and was one of just 49 of the nearly 300 DI teams to hit at a .300 or better clip.

Andy Lopez returns his top five bats, Bryce Ortega (.353*, HR, 28 RBIs, 57 Runs*, 25 SB*), Joey Rickard (.347, 4 HR, 37 RBIs, 16 SB), Cole Frenzel (.346, 3 HR, 16 Doubles, 48 RBIs), Alex Mejia (.335, 42 RBIs, 12 Doubles, 4 Triples), and Robert Refsnyder (.320, 6 HR*, 55 RBIs*, 6 Triples*, 13 Doubles) from that high octane offense. Those five combined for more than half of the team’s 370 RBIs and 14 of 29 home runs in 2011.

In addition to the big bats that are back, the Wildcats also return their top two pitchers - Kurt Heyer (8-5, 2.41 ERA*, 138 1/3 IP*, 134 K*) and Kyle Simon (11-3*, 2.72 ERA, 129 IP, 5 CG*). The duo accounted for 19 of the pitching staff’s 39 wins, 38 of 60 starts, more than half of its 534 innings, and all seven complete games.

15. Miami

2011 Record: 38-23

Since going to the College World Series in 2008, the last three seasons have all ended the same for Jim Morris’ Miami Hurricanes – with losses to Florida in Gainesville. The 2009 and 2011 campaigns ended in Regionals, while 2010 came in an error plagued Super Regional defeat.

Maybe Morris decided it was time to find an ace in the hole…or behind the plate anyway.

After three great seasons at Bethune-Cookman, Peter O’Brien looks to provide instant impact after transferring to Miami for his final year of eligibility. The NCAA ruled recently that O’Brien will be allowed to play immediately. The senior catcher batted .304 with 14 home runs and 69 RBIs in 2011.

O’Brien was the MEAC Player of the Year in 2010 and went on to play for the USA Collegiate National Team that summer. He was selected in the third round of the 2011 MLB Draft, but turned down the chance to turn pro for a year in Coral Gables and the ACC.

O’Brien will have plenty of help in the lineup, with Rony Rodriguez (.308, 13 HR*, 44 RBIs*, 16 Doubles*, 43 Runs, 1.008 OPS*), Brad Fieger (.280, 2 HR, 29 RBIs, 14 Doubles, 28 Runs), Dale Carey (.271, 24 RBIs, 30 Runs), and Stephen Perez (.263, 31 RBIs, 12 Doubles, 25 Runs, 14 SB) among those in the supporting cast.

The Hurricanes have one of the more experienced pitching staffs in the ACC this year as well, with juniors Steven Ewing (8-2, 2.66 ERA*, 74 1/3 IP, 77 K), Eric Whaley (7-5, 2.70 ERA, 93 1/3 IP*, 82 K) and E.J. Encinosa (5-6, 3.45 ERA, 86 IP) as well as sophomore Bryan Radziewski (9-2*, 3.35 ERA, 91 1/3 IP, 92 K*) all back. Those four combined to make all but two of the team’s 61 starts in ’11. The biggest hole to fill is that of closer Daniel Miranda (3-1, 2.67 ERA, 15 SV*), who was an eighth round pick in last year’s MLB Draft.

16. Oklahoma

2011 Record: 41-19

After a trip to the 2010 College World Series, Sunny Golloway and Oklahoma had high expectations heading into last season. There was reason, with the bulk of the CWS squad returning. However, despite 41 wins, the Sooners went two-and-out after being sent to the Ft. Worth Regional (hosted by fellow ’10 CWS participant TCU).

While no coach ever wants to say he’s in rebuilding mode, that’s where Golloway is entering 2012.

A total of 11 Sooners, including six pitchers, were drafted last June, leaving OU with big holes to fill in both the everyday lineup and on the mound. Kevin Seitzer (.358*, 4 HR, 17 Doubles*, 41 RBIs), catcher Tyler Ogle (.343, 9 HR*, 45 RBIs*, 53 Runs*) and Garrett Buechele (.317, 8 HR, 63 RBIs*) and the most significant offensive losses. The pitching staff is hit just as hard, with the departures of starters Michael Rocha (10-3*, 1.75 ERA*, 5 CG*, 113 IP*, 82 K*) and Burch Smith (10-4*, 3.90 ERA, 87 2/3 IP) and closer Ryan Duke (2-1, 4.05 ERA, 7 SV*). Rocha and Smith made 32 of the team’s 60 starts last year, while Duke leaves as the program’s all-time saves leader (35).

Lefites Jordan John (4-2, 2.35 ERA, 7 Starts, 61 1/3 IP), who was drafted in 28^th round by Houston last year and 2011 Freshman All-American Dillon Overton (8-4, 2.30 ERA, 7 Starts, 71 1/3 IP) move to the front of the rotation this year. They are joined by a slew of junior college transfers, including expected closer Damien Magnifico.

Top returning bats in the lineup include Evan Mistich (.316, 2 HR, 16 RBIs), Erik Ross (.315, 21 RBIs, 19 SB*), Caleb Busheyhead  (.288, 18 RBIs), Max White (.286, 3 HR, 20 RBIs), and 2010 NCAA hero Cody Reine (.256, 4 HR, 27 RBIs).

17. UCLA

2011 Record: 35-24

The Bruins were not a potent offensive team in 2010 when they advanced all the way to the College World Series Finals before losing to South Carolina. They didn’t have to be though, because they had dual aces Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer. Even with those two, they were upset at their own NCAA Regional by San Francisco in their first round game and then were eliminated by UC Irvine. Cole and Bauer went first and third, respectively, overall in last year’s MLB Draft, so while head coach John Savage has reinforcements, there are still huge shoes to fill.

Adam Plutko (7-4, 2.01 ERA, 107 2/3 IP, 92 K) becomes the man at the front of the rotation, while guys like Nick Vander Tuig (3-4, 2.90 ERA, 9 SV*, 28 App.*) and Zack Weiss (5-3, 2.86 ERA, 66 IP, 53 K) will have more important roles as well.

There is some flux in the everyday lineup, but the biggest impact will be the loss of Rick Vanderhook. The veteran assistant ran the Bruin offense for three seasons while helping Savage win two Pac-10 titles, but he is now the head coach at Cal State Fullerton.

Cody Keefer (.303, 18 RBIs, 29 Runs, 13 Doubles), Beau Amaral (.299, 2 HR, 29 RBIs, 37 Runs*, 16 Doubles*), Cody Regis (.284, 6 HR*, 45 RBIs*), Jeff Gelalich (.268, 2 HR, 13 RBIs, 35 Runs, 4 Triples*, 13 Doubles, 10 SB), and Chris Giovinazzo (.250, 2 HR, 18 RBIs, 28 Runs, 15 SB*, 12 Doubles) are the most notable returnees.

18. Clemson

2011 Record: 43-20

Last year’s NCAA Tournament looked like it was set-up for an early shot at redemption for Clemson, but instead it turned into an early exit. The Tigers started the 2010 College World Series by going 2-0, only to fall to their biggest rival, South Carolina, en-route to the Gamecocks’ first national title.

Both Palmetto State school hosted Regionals last year, and if each won they would square-off in a Super Regional with the winner advancing to Omaha. Problem was, UConn got in the way of that super power match-up by knocking off the Tigers twice to claim the Clemson Regional.

Jack Leggett begins his 19^th season at the Clemson helm (where he’s averaged better than 45 wins a season) with a wealth of both pitching and offensive talent, but he does have some vital production to replace. Namely, Brad Miller (.395*, 5 HR, 50 RBIs, 1.057 OPS*, 21 SB), Will Lamb (.348, 3 HR, 39 RBIs), John Hinson (.331, 9 HR, 41 RBIs, 23 SB*), and Chris Epps (.292, 10 HR, 42 RBIs).

The good new is, while those formidable bats are gone, Leggett has the likes of Richie Shaffer (.315, 13 HR*, 15 Doubles, 55 RBIs*, 62 Runs*), Phil Pohl (.333 avg., 4 HR, 33 RBIs, 22 Doubles*), Spencer Kieboom (.282 avg, 1 HR, 31 RBIs, 10 Doubles) Jon McGibbon (.339 avg., 1 HR, 14 RBIs, 4 Doubles), and Jason Stoltz (.285, HR, 27 RBIs, 30 Runs) to carry the load while talented youngsters break into the lineup.

The pitching staff faces far fewer significant losses, with the likes of David Haseldon (6-1, 2.23 ERA, 25 App. 76 2/3 IP, 3 SV), Kevin Pohle (5-2, 1.93 ERA*, 32.2 IP, 17 K), Jonathan Meyer (5-2, 3.31 ERA, 68 IP, 63 K, CG*, SV), Dominic Leone (6-2, 3.70 ERA, 65 2/3 IP, 72 K), ), and Scott Firth (5-1, 3.06 ERA) all back to anchor a likely 18^th NCAA appearance in 19 seasons for Leggett.

Clemson and South Carolina play their traditional non-conference series the first weekend of March, with three games in three different cities in three days: March 2 in Charleston, SC, March 3 in Columbia and March 4 in Clemson.

19. Georgia

2011 Record: 33-32

A 3-1 mark at the SEC Tournament got Georgia above .500 and into the NCAA Tournament last year. Included in those three wins were triumphs over eventual national champion South Carolina and national runner-up Florida.

The Bulldogs were shipped to the Corvallis Regional, going 2-2 before falling to host Oregon State in the Regional final. The NCAA bid was the sixth in 10 seasons under head coach David Perno and the 11th in program history (seven of those 11 all-time NCAA bids have come since 2001). It was also a much needed berth, after missing the tournament in 2010.

Perno must replace Zach Cone (.275, 4 HR, 35 RBIs), who struggled with BBCOR last year, but was still the 37^th overall pick in last year’s draft. The pop of Chase Davidson (.278, 7 HR, 31 RBIs) will also be missed, but Georgia’s top two statistical bats, Kyle Farmer (.308 avg., 8 HR*, 58 RBIs*, 16 Doubles) is the and Levi Hyams (.332 avg.*, 5 HR, 38 RBI, 17 Doubles*) are both back along with Pete Verdin (.258 avg., 1 HR, 15 RBI, 6 Doubles).

Ben Cornwell was one of a pair of Bulldog pitchers who signed pro contracts last summer, but the pitching staff still returns Michael Palazzone (10-5*, 3.14 ERA, 4 CG*, 128.1 IP*, 78 K) along with Alex Wood (6-7, 4.44 ERA, 1 CG, 101.1 IP, 79 K*). The duo combined for all five of the staffs complete games, , more than 40-percent of the innings pitched and made 31 of 65 starts. Closer Tyler Maloof (2-2, 7.16 ERA, 18 SV*, 27.2 IP, 25 K) and Blake Dieterich (3-3, 3.67 ERA) each made 28 appearances, with the latter making four starts. Bryan Benzor (2-0, 3.94 ERA, 17 App.), Chase Hawkins (2-3, 4.82 ERA, 22 App., 8 Starts), Patrick Boling (1-2, 5.62 ERA, 18 App.) and Earl Daniels (1-0, 6.20 ERA, 24 App.) give the Bulldogs added staff depth.

20. Cal State Fullerton

2011 Record: 41-17

Rick Vanderhook begins his first season as head coach at Cal State Fullerton in 2012, but he is anything but unfamiliar with the land of the Titans. Vanderhook, who spent the last three seasons as an assistant at UCLA, is just the fifth head coach in program history. He was an assistant coach for a total of 21 seasons in Fullerton under the previous four head coaches –  Augie Garrido, Larry Cochell, George Horton, and Dave Serrano (who left to become head coach at Tennessee), so don’t look for the Titans’ offensive philosophy to change.

Vanderhook inherits a lot of returning experience offensively, but he’ll need to replace a ton of pitching. Noe Ramirez (8-4*, 1.69 ERA) and two-way player Tyler Pill (7-1, 2.28 ERA/.323, HR, 30 RBIs, 11 Doubles) are gone from the weekend rotation. Another two-way player and closer Nick Ramirez (1-1, 2.13 ERA, 16 SV*/.291, 17 Doubles*, 9 HR*, 49 RBIs*) is gone as well.

Fullerton’s top returnees include Michael Lorenzen (.342*, 2 HR, 31 RBIs, 3 Triples, 33 Runs, 19 SB,  .906 OPS*), Carlos Lopez (.342*, 34 RBIs, 4 Triples*), Richy Pedroza (.331, 22 RBIs, 37 Runs), and Dylan Floro (4-2, 4.23 ERA, SV).

The Titans will be tested early and often. The season starts with a three game series at 2011 national runner-up Florida, followed by a three game home series against TCU. The Titans have three games at 2011 CWS participant Texas A&M March 9-11, not to mention two games at Arizona State later in the month as well as midweek games against UCLA.

Here’s a look at some noteworthy players with college connections and other things going on in the world of college baseball…

Dan Johnson

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman, Dan Johnson, is another big league player with college connections. Johnson is probably now best known for his two-out, two-strike home run in the bottom of the ninth last week against the Yankees to help propel the Rays into the AL Playoffs. Like Axford, Johnson is also well traveled.

Johnson started his collegiate career at Butler University in Indianapolis before transferring to a junior college and eventually Nebraska. He batted .361 with 25 home runs and 86 RBIs in 2001 to help the program reach its first ever College World Series.

The 32-year-old made his Big League debut with the Oakland A’s in 2005. He stayed there through 2008, when Tampa Bay claimed him off waivers. Johnson then spent the 2009 season with the Yokohama Baystars in Japan. He has spent the last two seasons back in Tampa. His last hit prior to last week’s dramatic home run was in April.

Johnson and Axford are among 175 former college players on the 40-man rosters of this year’s MLB Playoff teams. Click Here to see more.

Who Needs High School…

Vanderbilt's Chris Harvey

Bryce Harper is probably the most famous player to skip his final year of high school to prepare for a future in baseball, but he is not the only one. Harper skipped his last two years of high school to enroll and play for a year at a junior college before the Washington Nationals made him their top draft pick.

Like Harper, Chris Harvey has jumped from high school to college early. However, unlike Harper, Harvey is doing at a higher level – both academically and athletically.

Harvey, a catcher like Harper, should be a senior at Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania, but instead he is working toward a shot to be Vanderbilt’s catcher in a year Tim Corbin‘s Commodores are coming off their first College World Series appearance.

The 6’6 Harvey was projected by many to go in the first three rounds of the 2012 MLB Draft, but the itch to play college ball was something he could not resist.

“It’s something that I wanted to do for a while,” Harvey recently told Max Preps. “This gives me an extra year of college, it helps me become a more well-rounded person, and the academics had a lot to do with it. I always wanted to come to Vanderbilt, and to be honest, me and my family weren’t really depending on what we were hearing [from Major League scouts and teams]. I think they basically all said what I wanted to hear.”

Other players who left high school in recent years to begin their college careers early include Levi Michael of North Carolina and UCLA’s Trevor Bauer. Things worked out well for both of them, as both made it to Omaha with their teams. Bauer was the third overall pick by Arizona in this year’s MLB Draft, while Michael went 30th overall to Minnesota.

Who Needs Two?

Speaking of Vanderbilt, tickets are on sale now for the DeMarini Fall Classic between the Commodores and Cal State Fullerton. The two games will take place October 22 & 23 at Vandy’s Hawkins Field in Nashville. The Titans are led by first year head coach Rick Vanderhook, who was an assistant on UCLA’s 2010 CWS runner-up team. Vanderhook was hired after Dave Serrano left Fullerton to become head coach at Tennessee.

Missouri and Iowa Lending A Helping Hand…

The Missouri and Iowa baseball teams will play a pair of fall exhibition games this weekend (October 8 & 9) and the proceeds from the games will go to a worthy cause.

All proceeds from those games will go directly toward rebuilding Joplin, Missouri’s Little League baseball programs, which were ravaged by tornadoes last May. Saturday’s baseball game will be held prior to the Missouri-Kansas State football game. First pitch for the exhibition is set for 12:30 (Central Time) and kickoff for the football game is at 2:30 pm. Sunday’s game starts at 1 pm.

Fans who can’t attend the games but would like to donate to the cause can contact Missouri director of baseball operations, Evan Pratte, at 573-882-1917 or via e-mail at prattee@missouri.edu.

CLICK HERE to see a video with Mizzou head coach Tim Jamieson further discussing the Joplin relief effort.

Schedules, Schedules and More Schedules…

Now that October is here, we will continue to see more and more college baseball teams release their 2012 schedules. we will link them along with team rosters on our master Schedule Page as they are released.

Long Beach State has the best non-conference slate that I have seen so far. Cal, UCLA, USC, Oregon, Arizona State Washington State, and Wichita State are all among the teams the Dirt Bags will face in 2012.

Vanderbilt Stays Alive; North Carolina Eliminated …

If you’re at the College World Series, your one stop for the most officially licensed 2011 College World Series apparel is the all new Dugout, located right across the street from the Road To Omaha statue outside TD Ameritrade Stadium. If you can’t make it to Omaha, simply follow this link to Dugouthats.com. You’ll save 20% on your order when you enter the coupon code CB360!

Game 9: Vanderbilt 5-8-0 elim. North Carolina 1-4-0
Final Stats | Vandy Recap | UNC Recap

OMAHA (6/22/11) – With a 5-1 win over North Carolina in tonight’s Game 9 of the 2011 College World Series, Vanderbilt advanced to play Florida in Game 11 on Friday.

Vanderbilt's Curt Casali connects on his home run.

Weather conditions were near-perfect for baseball on this second full day of summer. After having experienced a stadium-clearing (and pressbox-clearing) storm on Monday and then a rain delay on Tuesday, this Wednesday-night game was overcast with temps in the low 60s and 20-plus mph winds at the batters’ backs.

Vanderbilt’s bats got hot early, scoring runs in each of the first three innings for a 3-0 lead at the end of three. The Tar Heels diddn’t answer until the fifth inning, with virtually every opportunity to get runners in scoring position thwarted by the superb fielding of Vanderbilt

The Commodores leadoff batter Tony Kemp tripled and scored in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Anthony Gomez. In the second inning, Connor Harrell extended the lead to 4-0 with a three-run blast over the 375-foot marker in left-center. Curt Casali followed in the next inning with a solo homer a few seats to the left of Harrell’s earlier landing spot.

The Tar Heels showed some life in the top of the fifth, loading the bases for Ben Bunting whose sacrifice fly brought home Brian Holberton, narrowing the deficit to 5-1.

The effort wouldn’t be enough and the Tar Heels now are headed home after their fifth College World Series appearance in the past six years. In its first CWS appearance, Vanderbilt remains among a field of five vying for the championship.

Vanderbilt pitcher Taylor Hill improved his season record to 6-1, while UNC’s Greg Holt (7-2) suffered the loss.

With Vanderbilt advancing. the SEC now has three teams (along with defending champion South Carolina and Florida) among the final four teams alive at the CWS. It’s the first time one conference has featured three (or more) teams still playing at this stage in the CWS.

Florida or Vanderbilt will become the fourth different SEC school to appear in the national championship series in the past five years, joining Georgia, LSU and South Carolina.

Vanderbilt next will face Florida on Friday, while South Carolina awaits the winner of Thursday’s Virginia-Cal game. That game is Friday as well. If Vanderbilt and/or the Virginia/Cal winner wins on Friday, there will be “if necessary” game(s) on Saturday.

Four of teams remaining at the CWS have combined for 213 wins: Virginia 55-11, Vanderbilt 54-11, Florida 52-17 and South Carolina 52-14 (Cal is 38-22).

Tonight’s attendance: 24,394. Total attendance so far for 2011 CWS: 197,310. Avg, 21,923 per game (approximately 6,000 total ahead of the 2010 attendance).

– Quotable –
“The Tar Heels had one heck of a season. I give a lot of credit to Vanderbilt. I don’t think anybody expected us to be here at the beginning of the season. I learned a lot from these guys, especially the seniors. You don’t get here five-out-of-six years if you don’t have really good kids with good character. We’re gonna keep trying to come back and win this thing.” – North Carolina coach Mike Fox

“Obviously, I had the wind helping me tonight. We just try to hit linedrives and I got it up into the jetstream and into the seats.” – Vanderbilt centerfielder Connor Harrell in reference to his 3-run homer

To view more photos by Kirk Markus from the 2011 CWS visit our CB360 Shutterfly page.

Every weekend provides every team the opportunity to make a statement in the college baseball world, and this past weekend was no different. However, for the most part it was favorites and not underdogs that made statements from April 15-17.

Friday’s games saw higher ranked teams in the College Baseball 360 Composite National Rankings go 30-8, for a .790 winning percentage. That percentage dipped to .580 (25-18) on Saturday, but the higher ranked teams bounced-back on Sunday by winning at a .700 (26-11) clip.

Two underdogs that broke that trend were #4 South Carolina and #21 Oklahoma State, which each took two of three games in their high profile series against #3 Vanderbilt and #15 Oklahoma, respectively.

Gamecock Statement…

Considering South Carolina is the defending national champion, it’s kind of hard to consider its series win over #3 Vanderbilt an upset. However, the Commodores are the second SEC team that South Carolina has beaten this year (Florida is the other) that was ranked #1 in one of the national polls at the time the Gamecocks beat them in a best two-of-three series. Vandy’s (32-5, 11-4 SEC) series loss is its first since dropping last year’s Super Regional at Florida State, while South Carolina (28-7, 12-3 SEC) has won every series it has played in 2011.

Matt Price

This series was everything it was supposed to be, with great pitching, timely hitting and great defense. There were just two errors committed all weekend. Michael Roth (8-1) out-dueled Sonny Gray (7-2) to give South Carolina a 3-1 game one win. Each ace fired 7 2/3 innings, with Matt Price closing the door with 1 1/3 perfect innings and four strikeouts for his 11th save. The teams combined to use 11 pitchers in Saturday’s 6-4 Vanderbilt victory. Aaron Westlake and Mike Yastrzemski each had two RBIs to help Grayson Garvin improve to 7-1. South Carolina used a 4-run 7th inning to win Sunday’s finale 5-3. Roth was again spectacular out of the bullpen, notching 7 Ks in 3.0 shutout innings to improve to 4-2.

By the way, how would you like to be in the SEC East, where South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Florida all reside? The defending national champs now sit atop the division at 28-7 overall and 12-3 in conference play, followed by Florida (28-9) and Vandy (32-5), which are both 11-4 in the SEC. The Commodores and Gators go head-to-head in Nashville May 13-15.

Beavers Surging, Cardinal Slumping…

Sam Gaviglio

Oregon State swept Stanford in Palo Alto in a match-up of teams who are now heading in completely opposite directions. The Beavers (27-7, 8-1 Pac-10) have won nine straight, with eight of those wins coming against conference foes Arizona, Arizona State and now Stanford. Meanwhile, Stanford (16-12, 3-6 Pac-10) has dropped five of its last six games, including five straight in conference action.

OSU’s Sam Gaviglio (7-1) was masterful in Friday’s 1-0 series-opening win. He mixed enough fastballs in between his devastating curveballs to limit the Cardinal to four hits over 8.0 innings. Gaviglio and his staff mates combined to hold Stanford to five runs on the weekend. It doesn’t get any easier for the Cardinal next week, with UCLA coming to Sunken Diamond.

CLICK HERE for even more in-depth analysis of this series from CB360 contributor Jack Blanchat.

Bedlam Breakthrough…

Oklahoma State took two of three from Oklahoma in the Bedlam Series for its first series win over the arch-rival Sooners since 2008. Both Cowboys wins came in walk-off fashion. Davis Duren gave OSU the win on Sunday with a 10th inning walk-off RBI single for an 11-10 victory in Oklahoma City. Dane Phillips ended Friday’s 8-7 win in Tulsa with a 9th inning lead-off home run.

Break-up The Bruins…

Beau Amaral

The adage that good pitching beats good hitting held-up as UCLA picked-up its biggest series win of the season by taking two of three games from hot hitting Arizona. The Wildcats were averaging 7.5 runs-a-game with a .342 team batting average heading into the series, but the vaunted Bruins pitching staff limited Arizona to 3.3 runs-a-game and a .202 average over the weekend. Trevor Bauer (7-1) fanned 13 and gave-up just four hits in Saturday’s complete game win. Bauer has hit double digit Ks in eight of his nine starts this year. His 110 strikeouts leads the nation. Beau Amaral led the Bruins by hitting 7-for-12 (.583) for the weekend, including six RBIs in Sunday’s 8-5 series clincher.

Wolfpack Attack…

North Carolina was red hot entering its series with arch rival North Carolina State, but the Wolfpack red gave UNC the blues by sweeping the Tar Heels in Raleigh. North Carolina had won 16 of its previous 18 games, including a sweep of Clemson and 2-of-3 vs. Florida State, entering the weekend. Pratt Maynard led NC State by going 6-for-12 with five runs scored in the sweep.

Red Storm Rising…

Joe Panik

Louisville is finding out just how hard it is to maintain dominance over an extended period of time. St. John’s swept the Cardinals (20-15, 6-6 Big East) to hand Louisville its fifth straight loss. Louisville’s 15 losses are one more than it suffered all of last year. St. John’s shortstop Joe Panik was 6-for-14 (.428) with 5 RBIs and a home run in the sweep. Louisville committed 12 errors in the series and has just a .963 fielding percentage this season.

Big SEC Series Headlines Weekend Action…

Here’s a look at some of this weekend’s action(all rankings are based on the latest College Baseball 360 Composite National Rankings).

CLICK HERE for Friday’s College Baseball 360 Top 50 Matchup/Scoreboard coverage page.

Click this link to find out how to save 50-75% on college baseball caps and 2010 College World Series gear and memorabilia at Dugouthats.com!!

#3 Vanderbilt (31-3, 10-2 SEC) @ #4 South Carolina (26-6, 10-2 SEC)

Christian Walker

The new bat standards have made many college offenses look quite mortal this season, but not these two powers. Christian Walker (.344, 7 HR, 37 RBIs, 1.031 OPS) leads the offensive charge for the defending national champion Gamecocks. Jackie Bradley, Jr.’s average sits at .286, but he’s still belted 6 HR as well. Vanderbilt’s balanced offensive attack is hitting .316, with seven players who have started at least 20 games batting .303 or better. Anthony Gomez (.379), Jason Esposito (.320) and Curt Casali (.319) share the team RBI lead with 27 each. Aaron Westlake (.397, 5 HR, 25 RBIs) has been the top overall Commodore hitter. The Friday pitching match-up is one to see. South Carolina send 2010 College World Series hero Michael Roth (7-1, 1.25 ERA) to the mound, while Vandy counters with Sonny Gray (7-1, 1.54 ERA). The two teams have closers who have been lights-out as well. Commodore Navery Moore has a ridiculous 0.46 ERA with 7 saves in 18 appearances, while the Gamecocks counter with Matt Price (3-2, 2.82 ERA, 10 saves). SC set-up man John Tayler is 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 29 1/3 IP.

Oklahoma (25-8, 6-5 Big 12) vs. Oklahoma State (26-8, 8-4 Big 12)

Dane Phillips

Bedlam. That’s what they call it when these two programs get together, and it should be no different when they square-off this weekend. For years Oklahoma State was the perennial baseball power in the Sooner State, but it’s Oklahoma that’s coming-off a trip to Omaha. However, OSU is back on track in 2011. The Cowboys need three wins to match their overall 2010 win total and they already have as many wins in conference play as they did last year. The series features a pair of .400 hitters. Dane Phillips (.404, 3 HR, 26 RBIs, 1.096 OPS) leads the Oklahoma State offense and Garrett Buechele (.401, 7 HR, 42 RBIs, 1.046 OPS) tops an OU that’s batting .330. Brad Propst (6-1, 1.25 ERA) tossed his (and OSU’s) second complete game of the season in last week’s sweep of Missouri. Michael Rocha (7-1, 1.02 ERA, 2 CG) fronts the Oklahoma staff. Game one of the series in in Tulsa, with the last two games are in Oklahoma City.

#13 Oregon State (24-7, 5-1 Pac-10) at #16 Stanford (16-9, 3-3 Pac-10)

Mark Appel

Stanford’s record is anything but spectacular, but the Cardinal has played some pretty spectacular competition so far. Consider this, Stanford Friday starter Mark Appel is just 2-3, but he has gone head-to-head with Vanderbilt’s Sonny Gray and Taylor Jungmann of Texas. Both are expected to be high first round draft picks in June. It won’t get much easier for Appel this weekend when he faces OSU’s Sam Gaviglio (6-1, 1.34 ERA, 3 CG). Both pitching staffs are solid, but neither has “strikeout” pitchers. The Stanford staff has a 3.28 ERA with 116 Ks and 85 BB in 217.0 IP, while the Beavers have 228 punchouts and 79 walks in 277 2/3 innings. Oregon State has 33 sac bunts, compared to just 13 home runs. Andrew Susac (.364, 25 RBIs) and Parker Berberet (.256, 27 RBIs) share the team lead with 4 HR each. Stanford has gone yard just 14 times.  Kenny Diekroger (.373) has the top Cardinal average, while Brian Ragira (.304, 3 HR, 24 RBIs) is the RBI leader. In a series where a lot of balls will be put in play defense could be the x-factor. Oregon State has a slight edge with a .973 fielding percentage, compared to Stanford’s .965.

Click Here to read more about this series.

#22 Arizona (22-11, 4-5 Pac-10) @ #25 UCLA (17-11, 7-2 Pac-10)

Kurt Heyer

This sneaky series features three of the top power pitchers in the country, let alone the Pac-10. UCLA’s Trevor Bauer (6-1, 1.67 ERA) and Gerrit Cole (4-2, 1.74 ERA) don’t sneak-up on anyone, but Arizona’s Kurt Heyer (5-1, 1.38 ERA) also checks-in with 80 strikeouts in 65.0 innings pitched as well. Bauer leads the nation with 97 strikeouts, Heyer’s 80 ranks third and Cole’s 64 Ks is 13th. Arizona’s .342 team batting average has defied the national offensive downward trend. The Wildcats, led by Joey Rickard (.428) and Cole Frenzel (.408) took two of three last weekend from Cal against, arguably, the second-best pitching staff in the Pac-10, but they’ll face the top staff in the conference this week. UCLA has struggled to score enough runs to support its vaunted hurlers in 2011. The Bruins have actually brought their team batting average up to .258 in recent weeks, but they’ve still managed to win their first three conference series against USC, Washington and Washington State. Dean Espy (.318) is the only UCLA regular batting over .300.

Two Games vs. Vandy Among Three Oct. Contests…