College World Series 2017: Power ranking the field

 Here are the power rankings before the first pitch of the 2017 College World Series, which runs from June 17 to June 28.

The field of 64 has been narrowed down to what some are calling the “Omaha Eight.” Some teams, like North Carolina, were scheduled to be a part of that list, but failed to make it out of the first round. But what has really made this year’s Road to Omaha campaign special are the underdogs, two of which faced off in a recent Super Regional. Only one of them — Texas A&M — would remain, of course, but with the official field of eight, there might not be an underdog after Game 3, when A&M plays Louisville.

As the No. 1 overall seed, Oregon State has the highest chances of reaching championship weekend (June 27-28), but they should approach the 2017 College World Series with caution. For starters, two programs out of the Sunshine State (Florida, Florida State) have been fasting for years; neither has yet won a College World Series title. Oddly enough, Florida victimized their in-state rivals during last year’s Super Regionals, advancing on a 2-1 series lead.

Meanwhile, LSU, who is scheduled to play Florida State in Game 2 (8 PM ET, ESPN), is just as hungry. Last year, they would be eliminated by Coastal Carolina, who also edged out Arizona to win the 2016 College World Series. Certainly, LSU doesn’t want history to repeat itself, but Florida State is no underdog, though they’re undervalued.

Nothing, including a ranking, is a sure thing. Until the first pitch is thrown, one can only depend on history and the trends that come into focus from said history. Like these power rankings suggest, Oregon State is no longer the big man on campus. Instead, the Brendan McKay-backed Louisville Cardinals are the ones to answer to in the 2017 College World Series.

8. Texas A&M Aggies

At the start of their baseball season, the Aggies outscored Bowling Green, 50-8, in three games. During that series, College Station would learn about 2B Braden Shewmake, who will be talked about later. Things went well for the Aggies at first, but the grass wouldn’t stay green from late-March to late-May, when its offense cooled off. Throughout the regular season, Texas A&M lost its identity in the SEC, failing to convert series with Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Arkansas. Eventually, Texas A&M softened its grip during the SEC tournament, losing to Missouri because of poor pitching.

Luckily, winning became routine for Texas A&M again. They would get some self-satisfaction in the Houston Regional by defeating Baylor, the same team that won 6-3, despite a seven-strikeout performance by Texas A&M P Mitchell Kilkenny. With the Regionals behind them, Texas A&M would then go on to the Super Regionals and sweep a series against a pesky Davidson squad.

Without a doubt, 2B Braden Shewmake is one of only a handful of reasons as to why Texas A&M got this far. As a freshman, he leads in virtually every category on the team, including batting average (.335) and home runs (11). Another infielder for Texas A&M, 1B Hunter Coleman, should also be considered as valuable game piece for Game 3.

Don’t predict Texas A&M to defeat Louisville in that game. There’s no suggestive evidence that gives A&M a nod to play in Game 6, where the winners of Game 3 and Game 4 will convene. If by some divine miracle A&M advances to Game 6, then they would go up against either Florida or TCU.

By the way, if Texas A&M moves on and gets to face TCU, then that’s a problem, because A&M has enough bad luck against TCU than any other team in the 2017 College World Series.