Here's a preview of the teams in Bracket Two.
2. New Orleans (38-17) (18-11) Tom Walter, 3rd season
I love this team. I love their arrogance, I love the old-fashioned hard-nosed approach to the game. Giovatella and Baxter are the core of this club. They come to the park ready to get dirty. In a league filled with fearsome lineups, this might be the best of the best. Vander Hey and Lanning were great finds for UNO. They've got pop and they make good adjustments at the plate. UNO can run and their not afraid to do it. They're capable of scoring double-digit runs every time they take the field. But this isn't a team without flaws. Lefties can slow this lineup down some. Their starting pitchers are solid. Cryer has put up great numbers this year. Garcia and Whalen are veterans that give their team a chance to win. O'Shea and Henderson are solid bullpen guys. But that's pretty much where the pitching story ends. Jim McGonigle threw well last week against LSU, but he's got to do it again. UNO will kick it around some on defense. And, they're at a disadvantage in a tight game, because small ball is a dirty word. The Privateers have six sacrifice bunts all season. I've seen teams with that many in a game. You have to be impressed with how Walter has built this club. But it's now or not for UNO with all the players they'll lose after this season. It's imperative that UNO stay in the winners bracket, although Walter won't be afraid to bring Whalen back on short rest. It's interesting to note that UNO is 0-4 since losing shortstop Michael Knipper to academics. We'll find out this week whether that's a trend. With what they've done all season long, it's tough to pick against them in this bracket.
7. South Alabama (31-24), (15-15) Steve Kittrell 24th season
They used to strike fear into every team every year. Not the last few, though. South finished eighth last year and seventh this season. Not normal for a Steve Kittrell coached team. Their lineup just doesn't scare you that much. Kruml is a great leadoff guy, and Jernigan, Doss and Bohanon give them some good presence in the middle of the order. But USA teams used to scare you 1-9 in the lineup. The last couple of seasons it's been more like 1-6. But they're still a very agressive team and fundamentally, you won't find a better squad. All of them can bunt, they can hit and run and they can still put pressure on the defense. Defensively, they're one of the best the league has to offer.. They don't beat themselves often. But, oh, that pitching staff. All three weekend starters have an ERA over six, which means that Kittrell will go to his pen early and often. He has some depth in the pen and a pretty good late inning guy in Johnson, but often South Alabama finds itself trying to come from behind. Kittrell's teams are always tough to beat in the tournament. They fight and fight which is a reflection of Kittrell's personality. They may not be as fearsome as some USA teams in the past, but as long as they wear a uniform that says "South Alabama," you'd better respect them or you'll pay the price.
3. Troy (32-24), (18-12) Bobby Pierce, 6th season
This is probably the league's most balanced team. Most of the teams in the league can hit, but struggle either defensively or on the hill. Troy is pretty good at everything, but not the best at anything. But you have to love their balance. Bryan Miller is a stud. He can put the team on his back and carry them. Beau Brooks and Michael Precise protect him in the lineup. Other than those three, Troy doesn't have a lot of pop in their lineup. If the middle three guys slow down, it takes them three hits to score. Troy doesn't have great team speed although they have a few guys who can run. Defensively, they're awfully good. Don't expect them to make many mistakes in the field, because they just don't kick it around. They're pitching isn't great, but they have a lot of arms they can use, which will make them tough in a tournament setting. Josh Storm may not be Josh Dew, but he's awfully good in the late innings. Their whole key is going to be on the mound. Pierce has to be able to piece the pitching together and hold the score to respectability. Troy doesn't scare you on paper in any facet of the game. But they're going to be around in the seventh inning, and if you make a mistake, they can make you pay.
6. Louisiana (28-27), (16-14) Tony Robichaux, 14th season
One thing that's constant about a Robichaux club.....they can pitch. Hunter Moody is probably the most feared pitcher in the Sun Belt. You just aren't going to get many runs if he's pitching and he forces teams to sometimes do things they aren't comfortable doing. Moody is 31-7 in his career. Enough said. Cook and Solich aren't nearly as lights out as Moody but they usually give their team a chance. If you're going to get the Cajuns get them early, because they're the only team in the league that can shorten the game with their bullpen. Robichaux is as devastating a closer as there is in the league, and Glass and Farquhar can change the games momentum in a hurry. When the starters can get into the sixth or seventh this team is tough to beat. During the season they were just terrible offensively. And on defense, the fans cringe on every ground ball. But all the Cajuns have to do is show some consistency for four days. They did it for three against a very, very good New Orleans club last weekend and for the first time, looked like the team that everyone thought would win the league. If that Cajuns team shows up for the tournament with their crowd behind them, this tournament is doable. But if their offense disappears again and they start kicking it around like they have on so many occasions, there will be small crowds at Tigue Moore by the time Friday and Saturday roll around.