On Monday at 11:00 AM PT on ESPN and KZSU radio, No.2 Stanford will face No.14 Auburn in a College World Series elimination game in Omaha, Nebraska. The winner will live to fight another day while the loser will be sent packing.
Last time out: On Saturday, Stanford fell to Arkansas by a final score of 17-2. The score pretty much says it all. It was one-way traffic for the Razorbacks.
RECAP: No.2 Stanford obliterated in Omaha by Arkansas
On Auburn: Auburn lost to Ole Miss 5-1 in their College World Series opener. To get to the College World Series, after a strong regular season, they won their home regional by sweeping Southeastern Louisiana, Florida State, and UCLA. In their super-regional, they went on the road to Corvallis, where they took two out of three against Oregon State in three tight games. Auburn won game one 7-5, Oregon State won game two 4-3, and Auburn won game three 4-3.
The best all-around hitter on this Auburn team is senior infielder Sonny Dichiara, who is batting .389 for 22 home runs and 59 RBIs to go along with a .798 slugging percentage and a .556 on base percentage. He’s had a fantastic season and leads the team in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, home runs, and RBIs.
The second best contact hitter is redshirt junior infielder Blake Rambusch, who is hitting .331 to go along with 4 home runs, 37 RBIs, a .432 slugging percentage, and a .421 on base percentage. The second best power hitter is redshirt junior outfielder Bobby Peirce, who is hitting .286 for 9 home runs, 28 RBIs, a .552 slugging percentage, and a .351 on base percentage.
As for pitching, we’ll have to see who Auburn will start on the mound, but it won’t be Joseph Gonzalez (7-4, 3.22 ERA), who got the start and picked up the loss against Ole Miss. The most likely players to start are either junior right-handed pitcher Mason Barnett (3-2, 3.98 ERA) or junior right-handed pitcher Trace Bright (4-4, 5.23 ERA). Bright has started 16 games this season while Barnett has started 13 games. So Bright has a bit more experience, but Barnett has the better numbers. I would guess Auburn will roll with Barnett, but it’s possible we see Bright or some combination of the two.
The top reliver on this Auburn team is junior right-handed pitcher Blake Burkhalter (4-2, 3.89 ERA, 15 SV). If Auburn gets ahead and it’s late in the game, odds are good we’ll see him. He’s been really good in save situations. The Auburn pitching staff has a 4.43 ERA and 19 saves. They’ve overall done a good job of giving their offense the help that it needs.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they have to do is keep is Dichiara in check. I keep using the expression “engine that makes the team go” a lot in my previews, but it’s really true with Dichiara. His numbers are fantastic. The key to stopping Auburn’s offense is stopping him. Against Ole Miss, he had just one hit in four at-bats. If Stanford can hold him to that kind of production, especially if the one hit isn’t a home run, they should be in good shape.
Secondly, Stanford has to find a way to put Quinn Mathews to use. Mathews has been the best reliever on this Cardinal team and their best pitcher in the post-season. If they can bring him in with a lead, I really like their chances to win this game.
Finally, Stanford needs their bats to explode. They had just two runs against Arkansas, making it one of the quietest offensive performances of the entire season. They need to have a bounce back game offensively and if they’re not able to hit home runs, at least find ways to drive in runs and be more active offensively. Stanford will not win this game if the offense has another quiet outing.
Prediction: Stanford is 5-0 in elimination games this season. They play their best baseball when their backs are against the wall. I think they’ll find a way to win this game and that Mathews will be a big part of their success. I also think their bats will heat up more and they won’t have the same kind of offensive struggle. What also helps is Auburn didn’t do much offensively against Ole Miss, either. So both teams come in having had cold offensive outings in their previous game. Stanford 10 Auburn 6 is how I see this one shaking out.
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