We’ve finally narrowed down the number of teams to four, and there are some great games to be played this afternoon. Since the semifinals are single elimination, today’s losers are eliminated from the opportunity to host a regional at the College World Series (CWS.) All four of the remaining teams have had great showings throughout the past few days, and I could see any of the four taking home the championship. However, only half of these teams can fight in the championship game tomorrow.
Game 1: #6 Florida Gators vs #2 Tennessee Volunteers
This game is bound to be great, as both teams have looked very strong in Hoover. Although it took Tennessee losing its first game to perform like a #2 seed, they have won by double digits in its past two games. Since they’ve been in the losers bracket, the Volunteers eliminated #3 Mississippi State and redeemed their loss against #10 Alabama to eliminate them. Coming into this matchup, Tennessee has outscored its opponents 23-2 the past two games Meanwhile, the Florida Gators have had red hot bats and very good defense. The lowest number of runs the Gators have scored is four, and they are averaging eight runs per game this tournament. Additionally, Florida has barely let anyone score against them, as they have only conceded four runs in its three game tournament run. Ultimately, I believe the Gators will upset the Volunteers in a close one 7-6.
Game 2: #5 Ole Miss Rebels vs #1 Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas has only had to play two games in the tournament to get to the semifinal, as they knocked off #8 Georgia and #4 Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, Ole Miss has played four games to get this far, including one win and one loss against Vanderbilt and wins over Georgia/Auburn. The Razorbacks entered the tournament as the #1 team in the nation, and they have performed up to expectations so far. Since this round is single elimination, faltering here would be very unlucky and upsetting for many Arkansas fans. However, I believe Arkansas has what it takes to win this contest and advance to the championship game tomorrow afternoon. They enjoyed a day of rest yesterday, while Ole Miss had to take on Vanderbilt. The Rebels have had great performances over the course of the week, but they have scored only four runs in three out of their four games at the tournament. Arkansas scored 11 against Georgia and 6 against Vanderbilt, which are a considerable amount of runs given they should be a little rusty with the fewer amount of games played. Although Ole Miss has had a great tournament run, I do not think their bats can carry them past the Razorbacks in this one, I’ll take Arkansas 7-4