Here is the preview D1Baseball did on the Ruston Regional:
d1baseball.com
Most Exciting Player: Tyler McDonough, CF, NC State
Best Hitter: Jonny Butler, OF, NC State
Best Defensive Player: Taylor Young, 2B, Louisiana Tech (.332/.406/.470) is the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, playing a nearly flawless second base. Speedy and steady, Taylor makes the plays on the balls he gets to, which is often the drawback with fielders who show good range. In 252 chances, Taylor has committed only one error for a .996 fielding percentage.
Best Pitcher: Jonathan Fincher, LHP, Louisiana Tech (7-3, 3.12), an all-Conference USA selection, logged 92.1 innings with only 74 hits allowed. He fanned 81 and walked 22. The redshirt junior is a 6-foot-3, 240-pounder from Shreveport who threw a one-hit, complete-game shutout versus Tulane in March and followed with a four-hit complete-game shutout of Rice in April.
X-Factor: RHP Chase Lee, Alabama
Best Starting Rotation: NC State
Best Bullpen: The three top teams in this all have an argument here but we’ll go with Louisiana Tech because of its dual closers. Kyle Crigger and Landon Tomkins each have five saves and while neither have the statistics of Lee or Justice, there are two of them which certainly helps in a tournament format.
Best Offensive Team: You have two of the best offensive teams in the country here. NC State led the ACC in batting. Louisiana Tech was second in Conference USA, but at .308 would have led most leagues. NC State slugged 76 home runs while the Bulldogs hit 64. If you factor in the depth of the ACC pitching, there’s a shaky nod to NC State here, but Louisiana Tech’s offense is formidable.
Best Defensive Team: NC State
No. 1 Seed Win Probability (1-10): 5 – Louisiana Tech has the best starting pitcher and arguably the best offense. The Bulldogs also should have a raucous home crowd as they host their first regional. NC State has been one of the better teams in the country during the last half of the season. If anyone can match offense with the Bulldogs, NC State is a team that can. And Alabama, despite its inconsistency and injury woes, won’t be intimidated after facing the seven regional host teams already this year. If Alabama gets good starting pitching with Lee looming at the end, it can absolutely wreck this regional. There’s a balance here, especially between the top two clubs, and it shapes up as a competitive weekend that should go down to the final game.
Then there is a breakdown of each team. I just wanted to give the highlights from the article.
Ruston Regional Preview: Expect Fireworks in the Love Shack • D1Baseball
Expect offense aplenty in Ruston, where they'll be packed into Love Field to see some of the best offenses in the country.
Most Exciting Player: Tyler McDonough, CF, NC State
Best Hitter: Jonny Butler, OF, NC State
Best Defensive Player: Taylor Young, 2B, Louisiana Tech (.332/.406/.470) is the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, playing a nearly flawless second base. Speedy and steady, Taylor makes the plays on the balls he gets to, which is often the drawback with fielders who show good range. In 252 chances, Taylor has committed only one error for a .996 fielding percentage.
Best Pitcher: Jonathan Fincher, LHP, Louisiana Tech (7-3, 3.12), an all-Conference USA selection, logged 92.1 innings with only 74 hits allowed. He fanned 81 and walked 22. The redshirt junior is a 6-foot-3, 240-pounder from Shreveport who threw a one-hit, complete-game shutout versus Tulane in March and followed with a four-hit complete-game shutout of Rice in April.
X-Factor: RHP Chase Lee, Alabama
Best Starting Rotation: NC State
Best Bullpen: The three top teams in this all have an argument here but we’ll go with Louisiana Tech because of its dual closers. Kyle Crigger and Landon Tomkins each have five saves and while neither have the statistics of Lee or Justice, there are two of them which certainly helps in a tournament format.
Best Offensive Team: You have two of the best offensive teams in the country here. NC State led the ACC in batting. Louisiana Tech was second in Conference USA, but at .308 would have led most leagues. NC State slugged 76 home runs while the Bulldogs hit 64. If you factor in the depth of the ACC pitching, there’s a shaky nod to NC State here, but Louisiana Tech’s offense is formidable.
Best Defensive Team: NC State
No. 1 Seed Win Probability (1-10): 5 – Louisiana Tech has the best starting pitcher and arguably the best offense. The Bulldogs also should have a raucous home crowd as they host their first regional. NC State has been one of the better teams in the country during the last half of the season. If anyone can match offense with the Bulldogs, NC State is a team that can. And Alabama, despite its inconsistency and injury woes, won’t be intimidated after facing the seven regional host teams already this year. If Alabama gets good starting pitching with Lee looming at the end, it can absolutely wreck this regional. There’s a balance here, especially between the top two clubs, and it shapes up as a competitive weekend that should go down to the final game.
Then there is a breakdown of each team. I just wanted to give the highlights from the article.
