The South Carolina Gamecocks are no strangers to the realm of the Super Regional as they made the appearance in ten of the last thirteen seasons. They posted a perfect record as they hosted their own regional play and will not host Oklahoma. However, the Oklahoma Sooners are scorching hot. The Sooners finished their season strong with an appearance in the Big XII Championship game as a dark horse. However, they lost their first matchup in their Regional only to come back and win four elimination games in a row in just under 48 hours. OU has won nine of it's last eleven games and is looking to continue their momentum. Let's take a look at a few quick fire notes about the games.
- It is no secret that the Gamecocks will be favored to win this matchup as they are the two-time defending national champions. But that does not mean that the Sooners should be discounted just yet. Oklahoma was the last team to beat South Carolina in NCAA Tournament play as they posted a 4-3 score in the opener for both teams. But, that was back in the 2010 season...
- Matt Oberste brings a monster bat to the plate as the DH for this Sooners squad. He was named the Charlottesville MVP and will be feared heading into Super Regional play. Couple him with the likes of Max White who has been Oklahoma;s most consistent offensive player and Cody Reine, and the Sooners could have themselves a very dangerous trio.
- On the bump, the Sooners appear to have the edge at the moment. With four capable starters and a bullpen that has proven be deeper than once thought, OU has a ton of different weapons to choose from.
- The Gamecocks are a solid defensive team. Sure, they are replacing starting catcher Grayson Greiner with Dante Rosenberg due to a knee injury. Rosenberg has proven he has to ability to stop a ball in the dirt as only one slide by him the three games. Yet, he doesn't possess the same threat with a bat in his hands as Greiner did.
- USC has posted an average of 3.14 runs while only allowing opponents to bat .224 all season long.
- If I were a betting man, I would bet that this is going to be a pitchers duel. If the bullpen factors in, we could have ourselves a few surprise innings.
Oklahoma has it's work cut out if they hope to punch their ticket to Omaha and advance to the College World Series. South Carolina is a quality team that has more than enough experience that should carry them to a spot in the national championship if not winning it all.
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