Home 2008 Season Coverage2008 NCAA Tourney Super Regional Preview: Wichita State at Florida State

Super Regional Preview: Wichita State at Florida State

by Brian Foley
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The Wichita State Shockers head down to Tallahassee to take on the Florida State Seminoles in a Super Regional showdown between two of the historic programs in College Baseball. The Shockers enter with a 47-15 overall record while going 19-5 in the Missouri Valley conference. The Seminoles on the other hand have a 52-11 record and 24-6 in the ACC.

The Shockers are led by Gene Stephenson who is in his 31st season in charge of the Wichita State program. The top hitter on the squad is Conor Gillaspie who led the Cape Cod League in hitting in 2007 and was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the 37th overall pick. He is hitting .425 on the year with ten homers and 79 RBI. The Shockers have a very solid group of starting pitchers with Rob Musgrave, Aaron Shafer, and Anthony Capra. Musgrave is 11-1 with a 2.21 ERA in 15 starts. Shafer was selected in the second round by the Chicago Cubs with the 65th overall selection. He is 11-3 with a 2.67 ERA. Anthony Capra is the third starter on the squad with a perfect 9-0 record and a 2.87 ERA.

The Seminoles are led by Mike Martin Sr. who is in his 29th season in charge of the program but this team might be the first one to bring the national championship back to Tallahassee. The top hitter on the FSU team is catcher Buster Posey who was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the fifth overall pick. Posey led the ACC in hitting with a .468 average and has hit 24 homers with 86 RBI. The FSU pitching staff might be the downfall of the team as they are led by sophomore Matt Fairel who went 11-2 with a 3.67 ERA but does not have real electric stuff to shut down teams. Elih Villanueva has been in the number 2 starter role throughout the season where he has accumulated a 7-2 record with a 3.61 ERA. The third spot in the Seminoles rotation has been a toss up with Ryan Strauss being the best starter left on the squad as he is 9-1 with a 4.58 ERA but touched 95 in a relief appearance during a CBB visit against Boston College. The Seminoles defense is suspect with them making 97 on the year and their opponents making 87.

If the Seminoles are going to be able to get out of the Super Regional, they will have to outhit Wichita State. The strong pitching staff of Wichita State helps them out if the games are low scoring.

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[…] state pay per click advertising Super Regional Preview: Wichita State at Florida StateThe Wichita State Shockers head down to Tallahassee to take on the Florida State Seminoles in a […]

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