College World Series Preview 2022: SEC West Or The Field?

The field of eight is set, and the College World Series is ready to kick off in Omaha.

© Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

This past weekend, eight teams punched their tickets to Omaha. They came on walkoffs, they came late at night, they came after rain delays, they came in triumph, and in heartbreak.

Now, get ready for the pandemonium that is the College World Series.

College World Series Previews: The SEC West

© Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

#5 Texas A&M Aggies

In his first year at the helm, Jim Schlossnagle turned his team around into College World Series participants. They pieced together an entirely new coaching staff in the offseason, loaded the roster with transfers, but were made quick work of in the SEC Tournament. Call it favorable seeding, but Texas A&M burned through the College Station Regional and sent Louisville packing in two games in the Supers.

One of the best stories in college baseball this season was the first to claim their spot in the College World Series. They take on feisty Oklahoma, who is playing red-hot, in the first game in Omaha. 

#14 Auburn Tigers

Auburn brings to the table one of the strongest rotations in the field of eight. They were on full display in the Super Regionals against Oregon State, where they shut down the national third seed offensively in every game. The Tigers will need A+ effort from their pitching staff in their opening game against Ole Miss, who brings a stud rotation themselves.

Auburn has been counted out in every single round of the postseason, including a regional they hosted. They were the final ticket punched late Monday night in Corvallis.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas was bounced last season in the Super Regional as the nation's number-one seed. After returning a good chunk of their roster, they're starting to fire on all cylinders at the right time. That's a dangerous combination for any of their opponents.

Arkansas brings the top pitching staff to Omaha after entirely shutting down North Carolina's high-powered offense in the Super Regionals. They take on Stanford, an equally-experienced team, in their first game in the College World Series.

Ole Miss Rebels

A promise made by Tim Elko in the preseason is still alive– he said should Ole Miss make the College World Series, they were going to win it all. And leading into the Super Regionals, another warning: "Don't let the Rebels get hot," he wrote on Twitter. Despite a losing SEC record and being just the three seed in the Coral Gables Regional.

While Elko is the talk of the town, it's Ole Miss' defense and pitching staff that's brought them this far. They didn't allow a single run from Southern Miss in the Super Regional round.

College World Series Previews: The Field

© Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

#2 Stanford Cardinal

Stanford isn't winning pretty and they've won both the Regional and Super Regional in back-to-back elimination scenarios, but the number-two team in the country continues to win. They're gritty and keep plodding games in their reach at all times. Like a ground-and-pound, ball-control football offense, Stanford wins drawn-out games.

To begin, they pull Arkansas– not a regional host, but an extremely dangerous and experienced team clicking at the right time.

#9 Texas Longhorns

The nation's hottest remaining team at the plate stormed their way to Omaha after being pushed to the brink of elimination by East Carolina. Ivan Melendez tied the single season record for home runs (32), but now leads his crew of power hitters against the team that extinguished the season's top hitting team, Notre Dame. Texas is the favorite according to odds at DraftKings Sportsbook and it's easy to see why.

On their half of the bracket stands A&M, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Fighting Irish pulled off the upset heard 'round the world after being given just a 21% chance to win the Knoxville Super Regional over Tennessee. After a gutty performance, particularly on the mound, Notre Dame faces the next-hottest power hitting team, Texas.

Notre Dame showed the ability to both dig deep in their rotation and lean on strong starts from guys like Jack Findlay. They'll need to pitch mistake-free baseball– one poorly-placed ball will be sent 450 feet by any number of Texas hitters.

Oklahoma Sooners

While flying under the radar, Oklahoma has done nothing in the postseason but shred their opposition. They took the Big 12 Tournament and were subsequently snubbed a regional host spot (note: their tournament ended after the selection process, a requirement by the NCAA). Then they cleared a wide-open Gainesville Regional as underdogs and lit up Virginia Tech in the Super Regionals, also as underdogs.

They've made it this far and it'd be incredibly foolish to turn your back on a team with a chip on its shoulder. Oklahoma squares off against former-Big 12 rival and future SEC rival, Texas A&M.

How To Watch The 2022 College World Series

All times listed below are in ET.

Game 1: Oklahoma vs. #5 Texas A&M, Friday, June 17, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Game 2: Notre Dame vs. #9 Texas, Friday, June 17, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Game 3: Arkansas vs. #2 Stanford, Saturday, June 18, 2:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Game 4: Ole Miss vs. #14 Auburn, Saturday, June 18, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN2)

Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, Sunday, June 19, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, Monday, June 20, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN)

---

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!

Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well. Download the KillerFrogs app on Google Play or in the Apple App Store.