There are only two teams left standing in all of college baseball.
Florida and LSU, the two best teams in the SEC this season, are set to open a three-game national championship series on Saturday night. The Gators will enter the game well-rested and ready to go with the same three-man rotation they’ve used all year — Brandon Sproat, Hurston Waldrep and Jac Caglianone.
Sproat gets the ball first, and he won’t be going up against LSU’s ace, Paul Skenes. The Tigers had to burn him in the semifinals, and it’s quite possible that Florida avoids the future top-three draft pick entirely. Although the Tigers have yet to announce a starter, most are expecting to see LSU’s No. 2, Ty Floyd, who hasn’t thrown since Monday.
All eyes won’t be on the defense, though. This game features the other two college players likely to be taken within the first three picks of the draft, Wyatt Langford and Dylan Crews. Langford has been one of the best stories in Florida’s history, going from a third-string catcher to an All-American outfielder in one offseason. In any other year, he would be the consensus top pick in the draft class.
But Crews exists, and he’s been the top dog for over a year now. He’s slashing .423/.563/.715 with 18 home runs and 69 runs batted in. Crews is also a bit faster than Langford and has a better shot at staying center field. Both clubs will be looking to neutralize the others’ best bat, but these are strong lineups up and down.
Plenty of people proclaimed LSU-Wake Forest as the true national championship, but this matchup is the one SEC fans have been waiting for all year. Plus, it’s a rematch of the 2017 College World Series Finals. What more could you ask for?
Here’s everything you need to know about Florida-LSU in the College World Series Semifinals on Saturday.
Behind Enemy Lines: Talking College World Series with LSU Wire
Betting Odds: BetMGM’s lines for Florida vs. LSU in College World Series finals