One thing is certain already: we've got a fantastic atmosphere here this morning. I've been up since 3:00 AM, started driving at 4:15, and managed to reach the campus of Wichita State a little after 9:00 this morning. Normally, two hours before first pitch, most stadiums are fairly empty. Not this one!

Lines were stretched out deep in the parking lot at every gate you could find. Most of the fans were decked out in Shocker yellow, but there was a small gathering of Irvine fans near the main entrance. Not only were the crowds impressive, but how quickly they got into the stadium also has to be mentioned. WSU uses a scanning system instead of the traditional tearing of the ticket stub, and the results speak for themselves.

I've seen Wichita State in action more than once, but this is the first time I've seen them from the friendly confines of the Eck. This is a unique stadium in the fact that the infield is old school AstroTurf, while the outfield is natural grass. The reasoning for this is that Wichita can get some serious rain in the spring, so having turf on the infield allows them to recover quickly after long delays.

I'm excited though to see just how good a team UC Irvine has. They went down to Round Rock and absolutely dominated Texas in their temporary backyard, so you know they're going to be prepared for this weekend. I know what to expect from the Shockers: great pitching, great hitting, and lots of speed, and from what I've learned about UCI, they seem to be very similar to Wichita State, so we should have some fantastic baseball ahead of us here this weekend!

So, what should we look for in this first game?

*Stolen Bases - UCI has stolen 133 so far this season, while Wichita's stolen 131. No doubt we're going to see some quality small ball today between the two schools. However, to get small ball working, you've got to have....

*Leadoff Hitting - Which pitcher can get find his groove and get the leadoff guys out? Whoever has the ability to get that leadoff guy out more often should win this game.

*Wichita in the late innings - The Shocks seem to either make great comebacks or put nails in the coffin in the seventh and eighth innings of games. How Irvine handles themselves late will make a big difference in this game.

*Irvine in the early innings - They handled Round Rock, but that was a minor league ballpark. Handling a rabid crowd in a cozy stadium like Wichita's, in a game that's as big as Irvine has played, will be crucial in this first game. Irvine's got to score early and play ahead.

Today's starters on the mound are the following...

UCI - RHP Scott Gorgen (11-2, 2.88 ERA, 99 K's, 34 BB's in 118.2 innings pitched)
WSU - RHP Aaron Shafer (8-2, 2.43 ERA, 85 K's, 21 BB's in 77.2 innings pitched)

Now, as most of you who've been reading Touching The Bases know, the NCAA has decided that for the super regionals, no live blogging can go on during the game. I could give a long rant about this, but it won't change things for the weekend, so we'll abide by NCAA rules. I'll return at the end of the game with complete analysis and a wrapup of today's game. To follow the action with live pitch-by-pitch information, head to CSTV's GameTracker.

It's Wichita State and UC Irvine...Omaha is at stake this weekend. Who's going to step up?