FSU is Not the Hottest Team Heading to Omaha

For anyone paying attention, it’s not a secret that Florida State is a hot baseball team. After an unexpectedly strong finish to the season, fans are hoping that the Seminoles can ride their wave of momentum and finally bring home that coveted first national championship.

While it’s certainly true that FSU is playing its best baseball of the year, it will have to take down teams riding bigger waves of momentum in Omaha to claim college baseball’s ultimate prize. As hot as the Seminoles, they’re not the hottest team headed to Omaha.

Here’s a look at how the eight teams that make up the College World Series have fared in their last 20 games:

Though Florida State is the third hottest team heading to Omaha, the other two are on its side of the bracket. LSU, who the Seminoles will open against on Saturday night, is 18-2 in its last 20 games and has won 16 straight overall.

During the Tigers’ 16-game winning streak, LSU is averaging better than nine runs per game while holding opponents to less than three. During the streak, the Tigers have pitched four shutouts and played in only one 1-run game. That came in the opener of the Baton Rouge Super Regional as LSU rallied from three runs down in the eighth to beat Mississippi State, 4-3.

The hottest team in Omaha is not surprisingly the No. 1 team in the country in Oregon State. The Beavers have won 21 straight and are 54-4 on the season. Four of the eight teams in Omaha have more losses in their last 20 games than the Beavers have this season.

During the 21-game winning streak however, Oregon State has four wins in 1-run games. During that streak, the Beavers also have seven wins by at least eight runs.

As for FSU, the 17-3 mark in its last 20 games is impressive, but things have not come quite as easy. The three losses however, have come by just a combined four runs. The Seminoles have three walk-off wins during that span, but are outscoring opponents by an average of 4.45 runs per game.

The other team in the first bracket, Cal State Fullerton, has more losses in its previous 20 games than the other three teams in its bracket combined.

On the other side of the bracket, Texas A&M has the worst record in the last 20 games at 12-8. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, the Aggies were reeling, losing eight of 10. In the NCAA Tournament however, Texas A&M has yet to lose. That is also true of Oregon State, LSU, TCU and Louisville.

Much like Texas A&M, TCU was hardly lighting it up when the NCAA Tournament started. The Horned Frogs were just 6-5 in their previous 11 games before the start of the tournament. In five NCAA Tournament games, TCU is outscoring opponents, 40-13.

Louisville has the best record for Bracket 2 in their last 20 games, going 16-4. Interestingly enough, three of those losses are to Florida State. Of the 16 wins, only one was decided by a single run.

Of the eight teams in the College World Series, Florida is the only team to face elimination in both the NCAA Regional and Super Regional. Each of the losses came with the Gators having two chances to win one game.

FSU would not face its rival until the championship series, which is probably a good thing for the Seminoles. FSU has lost 15 of 18 to Florida and watched its season end at the hand of the Gators in each of the last two seasons.

While Florida State is playing great baseball, that is the case with everyone who has made it to Omaha — at least to some extent. The late-season surge for the Seminoles has pumped newfound belief into fans in Tallahassee, but at this point in the year, only quality baseball teams remain.

The hope is that this is finally the year that head coach Mike Martin garners that coveted College World Series crown, but for the Seminoles to do so, they’ll have to oust some of the nation’s best. Some of those at the present time, are even hotter than FSU.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson