Postseason college baseball is merely a test of a team's pitching depth and durability, which is why winning the first game in a tournament like this is so important. It is very difficult to win a tournament championship from the loser's bracket because most teams run out of pitching after four or five games. Both teams that reached last year's championship game (Rice and Houston) won on the first day, so today should be very meaningful.

One team I have my eye on is Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles are on a 10-game winning streak and have a very deep and talented pitching staff(see previous paragraph). USM's three weekend pitchers combined for a 22-11 record in the regular season, and the Golden Eagles have five pitchers with ERA's under three. Five of USM's pitchers have started five games or more, which could be very valuable this week. Pitching can carry teams in the postseason, and because of that, I think Southern Miss has the best chance to challenge Rice this week for the C-USA title.