The keys to Stanford winning it all in Omaha

What does Stanford need to do to win it all?

After escaping a tough Regional matchup with Texas State and a gritty Super Regional with UConn, the Stanford Cardinal have made it to Omaha for the College World Series.

It wasn't easy by any means, as the Cardinal trailed in practically every game of the postseason thus far and needed major production from the offense to come back and win multiple times.

It is highly unlikely that they will be able to continually fall behind and have to claw their way back into games, and with as much talent in Omaha this year it would be a tall ask for Stanford to come out of the losers bracket. 

There are three things that that will be crucial to Stanford being able to win it all, and avenge last season's disappointment so let's dive into those.

1. Figure out a viable pitching solution

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The pitching has been the source of pretty much all of the issues that Stanford has had this postseason, specifically  the starters. The Cardinal are essentially using openers due to the fact that whoever has been getting the start hasn't been able to stay in the game past about three innings. 

Whether this means trusting Alex Williams again, who went 4.2 innings against Texas State and allowed five runs on five hits and two walks, and only was able to last 1.1 innings in his start against UConn when he allowed six runs on seven hits, or turning to Quinn Mathews. The starter turned closer has been the most consistent arm out of the bullpen and has gone multiple innings every time he's thrown.

The Cardinal should consider giving Mathews the start, as he has been as lockdown as it gets. They could even try giving Braden Montgomery a chance just to try something new. While Mathew's starting could possibly hurt his chances of pitching for another couple games, it would greatly help the Cardinal get into the winners bracket. Regardless of what they do, the rotation as of right now is unstable and something needs to be changed. 

2. Better base running decisions

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On multiple occurrences throughout the Regional and Super Regional the Cardinal have gotten greedy, sometimes borderline incompetent on the base paths. This doesn't mean they need to dial back on the aggression, but the aggression needs to be more calculated. For example, sending Adam Crampton to stretch a double into a triple when the cutoff man already has the ball and Crampton has yet to make past second is just play stupidity. 

There was also an instance against UConn, when Drew Bowser was sent home on a play where the first basemen failed to scoop the throw but the ball only went about a foot away from him. If Stanford's lineup wasn't as dangerous as it is, taking this risk would be more understandable but when you have a handful of future MLB players next in line there doesn't always need to be forced efforts to score. 

3. The bats need to stay hot

Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

This is not a hot take or profound note by any means, but it has been the Cardinal offense that has been saving them this postseason. At any given time in the lineup, there is a chance that someone can put one over the fence and change the momentum in favor of the Cardinal.

I have noticed that sometimes the Cardinal hitters whether it be Brock Jones or Drew Bowser are trying so hard to have a huge hit they become easier to pitch to because they want it so bad. If the hitters can stay calm in the box, and also continue to succeed, not a single team has the firepower to keep up with. The bats also need to stay hot in order to account for what seems to be the inevitable fact that they will at one point fall behind.