National foes join Rice on quest for Omaha
Perhaps the only certainty about the new college baseball season is that its outcome is uncertain. Unlike previous years when a clear favorite emerged before the first pitch was thrown, every 2008 preseason poll ranks a different team at the top. Not only is talent spread across the nation, but many top programs lost key players to the Major League Baseball draft. Despite the apparent parity, Rice’s attempt at a second national championship will most likely be tested by several talented teams.
Vanderbilt University lost ace David Price as the top pick in last year’s draft, but third baseman Pedro Alvarez, who batted .386 with 18 home runs in 2007, should help the Commodores compensate at the plate. Vanderbilt’s lineup also features two of the top outfielders in the nation, senior Dominic de la Osa and junior Ryan Flaherty, both of whom are ranked first-team All-Americans by at least one national publication. Sophomore Mike Minor, who compiled a 3.09 ERA and 88 strikeouts last season, anchors the weakened yet still strong pitching staff.
Despite being unranked at the end of last season, the University of California-Los Angeles has potentially the most talented team in the nation, leading Baseball America to place the Bruins at the top of its preseason rankings. However, Arizona State University might have the strongest case for the top ranking. If Alvarez isn’t the nation’s best hitter, the Sun Devils’ junior Brett Wallace will stake the claim: He hit a scorching .404 with 16 home runs last season. Wallace’s teammates, catcher Petey Paramore and starter Josh Satow, are both featured on more than one All-American first-team as well.
The University of Arizona’s Preston Guilmet and the University of San Diego’s Brian Matusz, with ERAs of 1.87 and 2.85, respectively, lead perhaps the strongest pitching staffs in the country. The University of Missouri’s Aaron Crow is also expected to be taken early in the draft and will keep the Tigers in contention all season.
The University of North Carolina, the team that knocked the Owls out of contention in the 2007 College World Series, return Dustin Ackley, Alex White and Tim Federowicz, all of whom earned spots on at least one All-American team.
Traveling east, the University of Miami lineup features All-American outfielder Dennis Raben, first baseman Yonder Alonso and Jemile Weeks, all of whom faced Rice in the College World Series as freshmen in 2006. Now juniors, the trio are expected to carry the Hurricanes back to Omaha, Neb., in June.
While all of the aforementioned teams are potential CWS foes, there is one top 25 team that the Owls will face multiple times in the regular season. The University of Texas returns outfielders Kyle Russell, who set the Texas single-season home run record last year with 28, and Jordan Danks. Both Longhorns earned All-American honors last season.
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