The 2009 College World Series gets underway Saturday at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.
Here's a look at the teams involved in Sunday's matchups -- Arizona State vs. North Carolina and Texas vs. Souther Miss.
Arizona State vs. North Carolina
It's a battle of a traditional titan and a recent powerhouse in Sunday's opener between five-time champion Arizona State and North Carolina.
The Pac 10-champion Sun Devils are making their third trip to the College World Series in the last five years and 21st overall. They got to Omaha thanks to a solid effort in the super-regionals against Clemson, wrapping it up with an 8-2 win that saw junior lefthander Josh Spence throw a complete-game four-hitter, striking out 10.
The Sun Devils are loaded with quality pitching, led by junior righthander Mike Leake, who brings a 16-1 record and a 1.36 earned-run average to Omaha. He has allowed just 20 earned runs in more than 132 innings pitched and has 150 strikeouts on the year.
Spence picked up his ninth win in 10 decisions over the weekend and has a 2.33 ERA with 109 strikeouts and 23 earned runs on the year. Sophomore righthander Seth Blair gives ASU a third solid arm, and freshman lefty Mitch Lambson has come through with five saves to lead a solid bullpen.
Offensively, Jason Kipnis is batting .385 with 16 homers and 71 RBIs. He is a speedster on the basepaths, adding 20 doubles and 26 stolen bases to the Sun Devil offense.
Carlos Ramirez has 18 homers and 72 RBIs while batting at a .349 clip for coach Pat Murphy, who has the Sun Devils in the College World Series for the fourth time in his 15 years at the helm.
North Carolina became the first ACC team to make it to four straight College World Series, and after two runner-up finishes and a third-place finish last year, coach Mike Fox is hoping this team can finally get the Tar Heels over the hump.
UNC beat East Carolina to make it to Omaha, using a Dustin Ackley three-run homer to highlight a 9-3 win in the series finale. Ackley is one of the top offensive standouts in the nation, as the junior first baseman has hit .412 with 22 homers and 70 RBIs this season.
The Tar Heels also have some solid bats in junior infielder Kyle Seager (.386), freshman Levi Michael (13 HR, 56 RBI) and junior catcher Mark Fleury (12 HR, 59 RBI).
On the mound, the Tar Heels have a lot of solid arms, led by junior lefty Brian Moran (7-1, 1.95 ERA), who has allowed just eight walks the entire season. Senior righthander Adam Warren (9-2) has proven himself as a leader, and Colin Bates' six saves leads a solid bullpen.
One of the most successful programs in college baseball history draws one of the new kids on the block in Sunday's finale between six-time champion Texas and CWS newcomer Southern Miss.
Golden Eagles coach Corky Palmer announced his retirement late in the regular season, and that seemed to spark Southern Miss. They have won 12 of their last 15 games, finished as runner-up to highly-ranked Rice in the Conference USA tournament, beat Georgia Tech twice in its regional and swept eighth-seeded Florida in Gainesville to earn the school's first trip to the College World Series.
Bo Davis has sparked the Golden Eagles offense with 14 homers and 53 RBIs while hitting at a team-best .371 clip. Kameron Brunty (.342, 7 HR, 53 RBI) and Corey Stevens (.330, 8 HR, 59 RBI) have also fired up the Southern Miss offense this season, and Joey Archer had a two-run single in a key three-run eighth inning to help Southern Miss sweep Florida in the super regional.
On the mound, Southern Miss has had its ups and downs and carries a 5.01 team earned-run average into the tournament. They are led by J.R. Ballinger (6-3, 3.89) and Todd McInnis (9-4, 3.61), and Collin Cargill has come up with 13 saves in relief.
it's been four years since the Longhorns made the trip to Omaha, but they come in as the top-seeded team in the entire tournament, winning the Big 12 Conference title and sweeping its regional before winning two of three against in-state rival TCU in the super regionals.
Texas made history during this year's tournament, playing a 25-inning game in a 3-2 win over Boston College in regionals. The game featured an outstanding pitching performance by senior lefthander Austin Wood, who pitched over 12 innings of hitless baseball in relief, finishing with 14 strikeouts and two hits over 13 innings. He didn't get the win, but does lead the team with 15 saves coming out of the bullpen.
Texas has a trio of outstanding arms in Chase Ruffin (10-2, 3.02, 101 K, 23 BB) and freshmen Taylor Jungmann (8-3, 2.27, 86 K) and Austin Dicharry (8-2, 2.40). Offensively, they have a balanced attack, led by junior first baseman Brandon Belt (.336, 8 HR, 40 RBI) and sophomores Cameron Rupp (.287), Kevin Keyes (.305) and Connor Rowe (.275).
This is Texas' 33rd trip to the College World Series, and they will be looking for their seventh national title this year. With the No. 1 seed coming into the tournament, and with the way they are playing now, they should definitely be in the hunt for a national title.
You can get tickets for Sunday's matchups between Arizona State and North Carolina at 1 p.m., or Texas vs. Southern Miss at 6 p.m., at Ticket Express -- where no College World Series game is ever sold out.
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