5* Rice -1.5 -140
RHP Eddie Degerman will start against UGA RHP Brooks Brown.
Both pitchers are clearly their staff aces, but Degerman has put up a much more consistent season and much more dominant season than Brooks Brown who can be wild and erratic at times.
Overall, this is a bad match-up for Georgia, and I had this game circled as a "Lock of the Millenium", but the books are getting smarter and made the line big on these opening round games, so I must lower my play here to 5*, lay juice and runs. But, I am confident in Rice over Georgia in this one.
The strength of this Georgia team is their bullpen. LHP Rip Warren and RHP closer Joshua Fields are one of the best 2 1-2 combos out of the pen in the country. Key words: "one of the best". The other would be Rice. With Bryce Cox and Cole St. Clair, Rice has two legitamtae power arms out of the pen, as well as others that I havn't even mentioned that have contributed plenty of innings this year.
The way to beat Georgia, is to throw an ace at them, beat up on their starting pitching early, to keep those Georgia relievers from coming into the game, and build up a big enough lead to make them bring in other relievers. And that's exactly what this match-up could shape up to be. Rice can swing it at the plate. They really can put up good offensive numbers and I love Josh Rodriguez at the plate. In super regional game 3 vs. Oklahoma, I saw this stud step up to the plate with ice in his veins, absolutely hammer a ball in the hole that scored a few go ahead runs late in the game with a sweet swing, and the close-up of his face on first base was that of a guy who just hit a standard single. He looked confident, not-excited, and he saw the big picture, and I think that's what this Rice team sees.
Degerman is the ace of this outstanding Rice staff that goes deeper than any staff in the country. Opponents bat about .170 against him. And when he leaves the game it only gets better. Rice brings in Bryce Cox, who can run it up to 93, and then Cole St. Clair, who can run it up there as well, and opponents bat even worse against Cox .144.
Georgia has a few key holes in their lineup that South Carolina exploited, IMO. One glaring hole is theit #3 hitter freshman who can't hit a curveball for his life. Whenever the Cocks needed to get out of a jam they just fed this guy curveballs and he struck himself out. The back of Georgia's lineup can also be weak and jam killers. They need important production from the top of their lineup with Joey Side and Morris or they can be in for a few scoreless innings. The lineup goes as those 2 go, and I think Rice will pitch them carefully.
Georgia has lost the first game of regionals and super regionals against inferior teams and had to battle back, and I think we see something similiar again toda, especially against a superior Rice team.
Overall, I think Rice cruises to a game 1 victory, and I don't mind laying this here. I think we see the first favorite win in Omaha, and our first non-contest after the tight one last night.
RHP Eddie Degerman will start against UGA RHP Brooks Brown.
Both pitchers are clearly their staff aces, but Degerman has put up a much more consistent season and much more dominant season than Brooks Brown who can be wild and erratic at times.
Overall, this is a bad match-up for Georgia, and I had this game circled as a "Lock of the Millenium", but the books are getting smarter and made the line big on these opening round games, so I must lower my play here to 5*, lay juice and runs. But, I am confident in Rice over Georgia in this one.
The strength of this Georgia team is their bullpen. LHP Rip Warren and RHP closer Joshua Fields are one of the best 2 1-2 combos out of the pen in the country. Key words: "one of the best". The other would be Rice. With Bryce Cox and Cole St. Clair, Rice has two legitamtae power arms out of the pen, as well as others that I havn't even mentioned that have contributed plenty of innings this year.
The way to beat Georgia, is to throw an ace at them, beat up on their starting pitching early, to keep those Georgia relievers from coming into the game, and build up a big enough lead to make them bring in other relievers. And that's exactly what this match-up could shape up to be. Rice can swing it at the plate. They really can put up good offensive numbers and I love Josh Rodriguez at the plate. In super regional game 3 vs. Oklahoma, I saw this stud step up to the plate with ice in his veins, absolutely hammer a ball in the hole that scored a few go ahead runs late in the game with a sweet swing, and the close-up of his face on first base was that of a guy who just hit a standard single. He looked confident, not-excited, and he saw the big picture, and I think that's what this Rice team sees.
Degerman is the ace of this outstanding Rice staff that goes deeper than any staff in the country. Opponents bat about .170 against him. And when he leaves the game it only gets better. Rice brings in Bryce Cox, who can run it up to 93, and then Cole St. Clair, who can run it up there as well, and opponents bat even worse against Cox .144.
Georgia has a few key holes in their lineup that South Carolina exploited, IMO. One glaring hole is theit #3 hitter freshman who can't hit a curveball for his life. Whenever the Cocks needed to get out of a jam they just fed this guy curveballs and he struck himself out. The back of Georgia's lineup can also be weak and jam killers. They need important production from the top of their lineup with Joey Side and Morris or they can be in for a few scoreless innings. The lineup goes as those 2 go, and I think Rice will pitch them carefully.
Georgia has lost the first game of regionals and super regionals against inferior teams and had to battle back, and I think we see something similiar again toda, especially against a superior Rice team.
Overall, I think Rice cruises to a game 1 victory, and I don't mind laying this here. I think we see the first favorite win in Omaha, and our first non-contest after the tight one last night.
